texts: Question about highlighted part of the text

texts:
William had no girlfriends in high school, and his mother once sat him down at the table in her spotless kitchen and asked if he was gay. She said it would be fine with her. She loved him unconditionally, and they would figure out a way to tell his father. But William wasn’t gay. He was just absurdly, painfully in love with Bridey Taylor, who leaned on the piano and sang while he played, and he had no way of telling her. He was too shy to pursue other girls, even when the payoff seemed either likely or worth the agony. But he didn’t tell his mother that. It was too humiliating. He just stammered an unconvincing denial.

I can not understand what it says in the highlighted part. Could you simplify that? Is there any idiomatic hidden in it?


texts:
I have this sentence:

  They pick the wastages packed every morning.

What would be its passive voice?

  The packed wastages are picked every morning by them.

Or

  The wastages are picked packed every morning by them.

In my opinion it should be the former, in accordance with the rule:

subject (object in active voice) + are + finite verb + object (subject in passive voice)

but I don't know why, I'm still not sure.


texts:
How can I express myself about a question that I think over  and that makes me wonder but the question is not serious and I want to imply I dont think about it all day or it is not big deal but the question is still in the back of my head.

Especially is there a phrasal verb which contains the word head.

For example :

  The question that professor asked in the class still ........ (my head).


texts: Many American residential streets have parallel narrow roads where people place their garbage cans and sometimes garages. What are these called?


texts:
The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

‘Something’ looks alike to complementizers, for example ‘that’ or ‘what’ or ‘which’. But I can’t find this usage in dictionaries. What role does ‘something’ take in this context?


texts:
I wonder if you let me know in the following fictional scenario, the phrasal verb look at works properly or there is a better verb to phrase my sentence:

  It isn't realistic to expect people to work for such little money. So let's look at the matter more realistically.

I guess the verb consider can work too, but it would give a formal tone to this sentence.


texts: "expires" vs "ends" in this specific case

texts:
My contract expires at the end of May.

  My contract ends at the end of May.

Which one between expires and ends is more suitable here?
Another question plz: which tense is more suitable for the sentence, the present or the future?


texts: Why are ‘much’ and ‘high’ used differently?

texts: ‘Much’ and ‘high’ both mean ‘a large amount’ but why are they used differently? For examples ‘much temperature’ means several temperatures whether they are cold or not, but ‘high temperature’ means hot temperature.


texts: The structure of "cut himself a nice fat slash off"

texts:
Everybody is gonna cut himself a nice fat slash off John Does, eh?

I failed to comprehend how I parse the sentence. Especially, I'd like to  see what "off John Does" modifies.

My parsing is as follows:

Everybody (subject)
 is gonna cut(transitive verb chunk) himself (indirect object) a nice fat slash (direct object) off John Does (predicative complement)

Please correct me if I 'm wrong.


texts: How to understand "...to hide the evidence of mishandled magic, or else hidden by castle-proud house-elves" in this sentence

texts:
There were alleyways and roads bordered by teetering piles of broken and damaged furniture, stowed away, perhaps, to hide the evidence of mishandled magic, or else hidden by castle-proud house-elves.

  Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

I have some difficulty understanding the part in bold. It seems to me that it's saying the broken and damaged furniture was stowed away to hide the evidence of mishandled magic and if it's not done so, the castle-proud house-elves would hide mishandled magic. Is that what it's saying? Does 'castle-proud house-elves' mean the house-elves who are proud of the castle?


texts: When to use "a part", "part", and "parts"

texts:
I am wondering if this sentences are correct or not:

  "Mistakes are a part of a learning process"
  "Mistakes are part of a learning process"
  "Mistakes are parts of a learning process"

And should I replace "a" in "a learning process" with "the" determiner?

Could you provide a vivid explanation for this?


texts: Compound predicate of "They would make me feel alive"

texts:
They would make me feel alive

Is there a compound predicate "would make feel"? "They" is a subject, and "me" is a object (Who?),and "alive" is an adverbial (How?)?


texts: Translate Chinese `收腹` (an abdomen exercise) to proper words

texts:
I tried to translate 收腹 from Chinese to English.

收腹 is something like: use you power/muscles of abdomen to force abdomen shrink/swallow(In fact, I also don't know if I use the correct verb here..).
收 is a verb which has many means in English, at here, I think it is shrink. 腹 is abdomen.

I searched for the translations on some translation sites, got abdomen in, abdomen flat, stomach in, pull your stomachs and keep your stomach muscles in. Only the last one seems correct(my feeling). And google translation even give me only Abdomen ...

I also search 收起腹部(same meaning of 收腹), some site give me belly up ...

What is the correct translation ? If abdomen in or abdomen flat is correct, could you explain what is the composition of them?


texts:
Is there any English adverb to represent something as being genius?

Something like:

  The goalkeeper avoided the goal geniusly.

(I know geniusly is not an actual word, it's just to illustrate!)


texts: What does Adjective, Verb, Noun, or Adverb mean?

texts:
I don't know what it means.
It confusing me like it says noun is used before an adjective.

It's so confusing and troublesome.

Take a look:

Noun: a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality e.g.'nurse', 'cat', 'party', 'oil' and 'poverty'.
Verb: a word or phrase that describes an action, condition or experience e.g. 'run', 'look' and 'feel'.
Adjective: a word that describes a noun e.g. 'big', 'boring', 'pink', 'quick' and 'obvious'.


texts: What is the part of speech of 'up' in the following sentences

texts:
He looked up and saw the stars.
The time is up.
The list is full of some ups and downs.
He has just been upped to the position of a president.

My answers are:

Adverb 2. Adjective 3. Noun 4. Verb

But I don't know if I am on the right page.
Please if there is a method or trick for Identifying a part of speech in a sentence I would also love to know.


texts: What is the meaning of "on anybody's time clock"?

texts:
This is the context:

  In my pessimistic moments,
  I think that in 10 years string theory is not going to be complete, because what's going
  to have to happen is a genius is going to have to appear and that doesn't occur on anybody's
  time clock.

I searched for it and didn't find anything useful except these examples:

  They were up at 9, not on anybody's time clock but their own.

Freckles: Angel on Her Shoulder  By Eric G. Waggoner

or

  Bart, wait here a few moments and talk to Jerry. Up here. Where it's safe. You're not on anybody's time clock right now.

Paradise Mine By Charles Bright

Can anyone help?


texts:
If I want to talk about a plural collection (e.g.: set, group,...) I should say group of dogs, set of files,... but is it correct to say files group, file group, both or neither in this context (a bunch of files)?

The context is about a lot of files as a collection or another type of group: a set of notebooks (notebooks set? / notebook set?), a pack of hounds (hounds pack? / hound pack?), etc. Perhaps none of these is an alternative correct answer, but I'd like to know if it's possible.


texts: Can we use past continuous for a finished action?

texts:
There was a huge, shiny spaceship just above our heads. It did not move . It was pulling  us off the ground. Seconds later we were inside it.

http://www.english-grammar.at/online_exercises/tenses/kidnapped-by-a-ufo.htm

I understand why past continuous was used, it took some time to be pulled off the ground  until  they reached  the ship, but as the action was completed would it be possible to use past simple.


texts: What does it mean by “pinch a hole in one thing or another”?

texts:
https://youtu.be/9C20XmtHkQM?t=583

  (9:45) “I’m not pinching a hole in one thing or another”

At least that’s what I hear, but I have no idea what it means. I know what “pinch” and “hole” is but can’t figure out the meaning of the whole sentence she said.

Can anyone help me with this?


texts:
My English is something LinkedIn calls "Professional Working Proficiency". I was able to read and understand about any book I've came across, I write English daily and I usually have no issues talking general subjects to anyone.

Unless there is an echo, a wind or the voice is distorted otherwise. Then I'm nearly helpless. Phone calls from taxi drivers are a pain (even if we can easily chat during the trip), listening to notices in airports is too (albeit I don't get them easily even in my mother tongue, so perhaps this has more to do with physiology).

Are there any good ways to develop my audition skills, especially in "noisy" environments such as phone calls or airports?


texts:
I have a question on 'Indirect Speech': are there any situations that the tense of a sentence would change into "has been doing"?

For example, "He did say he has been receiving your emails and that he was dealing with the matter."

Should it be "He did say he 'had' been receiving your emails and that he was dealing with the matter."?

If we change it into direct speech, should it be: "I have been receiving your emails and I am dealing with the matter"?

Does "the matter" refer to the thing mentioned in my emails or it referred to some other things he was dealing with?

Thank you.


texts: What is the purpose of active and passive voice?

texts:
In both passive and active voice, the meaning of the sentence is same.

So what is the purpose of passive and active as by two different names?


texts: Is the adverbial in the sentence in the right place?

texts:
The institution name I used was "Institution name".

Is the "I used" in the right place in the sentence?


texts: Usage of words had been and or in a sentence

texts:
I have difficulty in understanding how to use "had been" and "or" in a sentence which describes a past tenancy.
Example:
"These questions therefore arise: had the tenancy been extended; or had it been changed hand; or even had there been no tenancy in force at all, at the material time"
Thank you.


texts: What do they mean by "ambient condition"?

texts:
I'm reading a technical lab report which study the effect of light and temperature on a silicon wafer. However i'm a bit confused if ambient condition in this case means.

  Task 3, Investigate the influence of ambient conditions on the diode characteristics
  In this task both the silicon wafer and the SiC piece should be utilized. Perform reverse IV
  sweeps in dark and under illumination. (For the silicon wafer these measurements could be
  combined with Task 1). Perform measurements at room temperature and at least one selected
  elevated temperature, focus on the forward characteristics.

Is this means the effect of light on a piece of silicon?
or is it the effect of temperature?
or is it means the effect of both light and temperature on a piece of silicon?


texts:
I am confused as to which of the following sentences is correct
I am sure that first one is correct but I often use the second habitually. I am not sure about correctness of second question format. Please guide.

Did you ask him, yesterday?

You asked him, yesterday?


texts: "a house to live in" vs. "a place to live"

texts:
"They need a house to live in." In this sentence, you can't omit "in", right?
But

"They need a place to live." In this sentence, you can omit "in", right?

Why is that? any rule, here?


texts:
Why should we have of in this sentence?

  Their products are of very high quality.

Can we simply drop the word of?


texts: omission of "to" when using "to+verb ~~ and to+verb ~~"

texts:
Let me introduce an example:

We want to combine

  We decide whether or not to rebuild our schedule via her lesson time.

and

  We decide whether or not to buy a new phone via her lesson time.

Hence, I made them as one sentence

  We decide whether or not to rebuild our schedule and whether or not to buy a new phone via her lesson time, respectively.

  We decide whether or not to rebuild our schedule and to buy a new phone via her lesson time, respectively.

  We decide whether or not to rebuild our schedule and buy a new phone via her lesson time, respectively.


texts: The indefinite article before the word "proximity"

texts:
The article "a" is not generally used before the word "proximity," but I have come across a sentence where it is.

Here goes: "There is a physical proximity between them."

Does "a" here mean "some", and that they are somewhat physically similar?


texts:
Are there adjectives in English that are still adjectives when adding -ly to it?

More precisely, I mean words that would be originally adjectives, and that would still be adjectives when adding the -ly suffix to it (even if the meaning is different).

For example, elderly is, as elder can be used as an adjective. Lone is as well. Are there others?

(I have read this question but it is asking about whether there are nouns that turn into adjectives (as opposed to adverbs) when you add -ly. I'm asking about whether there are adjectives that remain adjectives after adding -ly.)


texts: Self-respecting person + How to ask someone to maintain their self-respect?

texts:
How to tell someone to observe their self-respect in the manner that they could show they value themselves?
The only way we say in Farsi is:

  Maintain your self-respect.

Does the above sentence make any sense to you? Can it be considered a natural sentence in English.

Meanwhile, I would appreciate it if you could let me know what would you call such a person who respects themselves?
the only choice which comes to mind is "self-respecting person"


texts: Where does the "letting" belong to in this context?

texts:
It would astound a bookseller to tell him he was part of the world’s
educational organisation or a publisher’s traveller, that he existed
for any other purpose than to book maximum orders for best sellers and
earn a record commission - letting the other stuff, the highbrow stuff
and all that, go hang.

The new world order by H.G.Wells
I interpret the sentence as following:
It would astound a bookseller to tell him [...]. Or it would astound publisher's traveller to tell him [...].
But I don't understand the "letting" part. Does it belong to the word "tell". Like: tell him something letting the other stuff go hang?
Or I am wrong?


texts:
As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.
  "I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him
  she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Are both, bit of and a bit of, used synonymously or is the former one wrong?


texts: if a group have boys and girls is correct to say "all the boys"

texts:
If we have a group with both boys and girls, is it right  to use "all the boys"?

In particular, is it right to take "that" as gender neutral when I made a translation  in to Spanish?


texts: Which tense is “he was not to enter into ...”

texts:
“There was one caveat: he was not to enter into it a merger or otherwise weaken the Roche family's control of the firm.”

I know that was is the past tense of the verb to be, but in the above sentence it has infinitive after “was not” - and that infinitive is “to enter”.
Also, I don't understand what this sentence actually means.


texts:
I am writing this sentence:

  I can put you in touch with a business owner in the UK

I'm not sure if I should put "the" for UK or not

Could you help please


texts: Should I use "Is" or "Are" in a sentence that has two uncountable/abstract nouns as the subject?

texts:
Which of the following is correct?

What is the fund manager's historical operating experience and track record?
What are the fund manager's historical operating experience and track record?


texts: What does "to put defeat into every syllable" mean?

texts:
I'm trying to understand this line to put defeat into every syllable. I suppose it means to insult someone or sort of to humiliate someone through words. Do I correctly understand this line?

  The show could’ve gotten one of their other go-to women to perform the
  line, but no one else had the same ability to put defeat into every
  syllable. Grau’s voice and delivery perfectly matched the cynical
  outlook of the show. She played numerous bit parts over the years: a
  surly coffee shop waitress, a cynical clerk at a casino wedding
  chapel, a rude worker at the complaint window of an amusement park.
  Like Lunchlady Doris, they were older women who were trapped in dead
  end jobs and knew it, exactly the kind of bleak characters The
  Simpsons reveled in portraying. Grau was a perfect fit, and while she
  may not have been in every episode, she nailed each biting comeback
  and breathed life into characters and dialogue that would’ve been left
  on the cutting room floor of lesser comedies.

source


texts:
If a kid has 4 siblings, I could ask him:

Are you the eldest?
Are you the youngest?
Are you the fourth child?

He could answer No, I'm the third.

I want to ask the question without specifying any number nor using eldest/youngest.

How can I ask that question?


texts: "To make an impact in the community" or "on the community"?

texts:
What is the correct preposition to be used with "to make an impact?"

  To make an impact in / on the community


texts: Should "instead" always be followed by a comma at the beginning of a sentence?

texts:
I have a personal rule. If what follows "instead' is a complete sentence, I include a comma. If it's an incomplete sentence, I don't. I decided this after checking out real examples:

  Instead, he sleeps beneath a blanket on a mattress with a built-in
  pillow shape. Source.

  Instead approach the hiring manager as if you were a consultant or
  collaborator.

(Source of the examples.)

Is this a sound rule? A grammatical one?


texts:
The following is from 'The Blackhouse' by Peter May

  He just stood staring at Fin, deep shadows cut in stony features by
  the light on Fin's desk.

I don't understand the bold description. Can you explain it, please?


texts:
Is "how is this a syllabus" correct? Can I use the article "a" in that question?
The situation is following: I've asked my son's history teacher to provide his teaching plan for this year. He sent to me a paper describing his teaching methods instead. Perhaps, it's a mistake. So I am writing a letter to him and asking him a simple question: "How is this a syllabus? It looks more like description of your teaching style instead."
So, is "a" in there okay?


texts: Using "after" with a period of time specified right after it

texts:
Do I need to turn a period of time into a dependent clause subject when I use the preposition "after" right in front of it or is it not necessary?

For example, can I just say:

  I would only see him shortly after each class when I was already
  leaving.

Or do I have to say:

  I would only see him shortly after each class was over when I was
  already leaving.


texts: What does this quote from The New Yorker mean?

texts:
What does this bold part mean:

The man who, as one author put it, “ruled the literary world from a fifteen-square-metre office” led a life more full of pain, wonder, and irony than most literary heroes. Born in Poland in 1920, Reich-Ranicki was sent to Berlin to study as a boy. “With every year that he discovered more joy in, and love for, Thomas Mann and Brecht and Gründgens and Goethe, there also grew hate,” wrote Frank Schirrmacher, publisher of the influential F.A.Z., where Reich-Ranicki headed the literature section in the nineteen-seventies and eighties. “The hate of an entire nation and all its bureaucracy for the young Jewish man who just wanted to go to the Deutsche Theatre.”
The New Yorker


texts:
Do the combinations "al(t)" and "aul" sound the same in speech?

Salt, Halt, Walt...
Fault, Vault, Assault...

And are they always pronounced as "olt"?

Edit: Notice that the word "alter(native)" can be pronounced "olt", "ult" and "elt".


texts: Is it correct to say 'math specialized school' or maybe 'math magnet school about a school with many math lessons?

texts:
There are such schools here in post-Soviet Union countries where they teach math intensively, say, at least 1 lesson per day. Here we call them specialized schools.
They can have a different profile, say foreign languages or sports.

What do you call this phenomenon? How can I explain that I'd like to send my son to a 'specialized math' school rather than a 'default' neighborhood school? Will 'specialized math' school sound OK? If not, what's a better name for it?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I was reading my book came across with below sentence.

  I don't believe a word of that story because it would take a guy with a great deal of starch to pull it off.

I think it means that, given the meaning of starch and pull off, the story is weird and requires huge amounts of time and concentration to be figured out.

Am I correct? If no, would you kindly explain the meaning to me.


texts:
I am asking about a place from someone that you know this place or not.

So what is the correct line?

don't you heard about that place

OR

haven't you heard about that place


texts: How to say that you feel apologetic toward someone?

texts:
I'm trying to construct a sentence in which the speaker 'feels apologetic' toward someone. I want to avoid hinting at a sense of guilt or shame etc so that rules out 'I felt contrite/ rueful/ regretful/ remorseful/ repentant/ guilty' and similar sentences.
The context where I want to use this is:

However, no matter how much heart he had put into it I could not
possibly hand out those paper bundles to the readers. I showed him the
booklet I had brought with me. I had put in hours of painstaking
effort in arranging the entire content myself. His eyes grew wide as
he turned over the pages one by one, and I felt apologetic toward him.

Here's what I thought of:

I felt bad for him.
I felt sorry for him.

But these sentences imply 'pity/empathy' which is not what I aiming for.
The sentence I came up with finally is:

I felt apologetic toward him.

But I've never heard anyone speak this way. Is this idiomatically correct? Or is there a better way of saying this?


texts: Does 'he is not a swimmer' mean 'he cannot swim,' or 'he doesn't swim regularly'?

texts:
Does he is not a swimmer mean he cannot swim, or he doesn't swim regularly? Or, both, he cannot and doesn't swim?
In the following passage, does 'Bill Boomer had not swum' or 'Bill Boomer couldn't swim'?

One memorable day, Bill Boomer addressed a coaches’ clinic I happened
to be attending. Speaker after speaker had gone on and on about how
they trained their swimmers by “building the engine and fuel tank,” so
to speak — throwing enough hard work at them that their bodies had no
choice but to build endurance. Then Boomer took the podium and dropped
his bomb. He posed an obvious question, but one I’d never heard in two
decades of attending such meetings: “How can we teach people to swim,
at any given speed, with less effort?” His answer was just as
disarming: “By reshaping the vessel.” After all, swimmers had a lot in
common with boats, and like a naval architect Boomer knew there were
ways to improve the efficiency of their “hull designs.” Apparently he
had the advantage of fresh eyes, since he hadn’t even been a
swimmer himself, studying movement science in school and coaching
soccer and track. So Boomer came to swimming minus the usual baggage
of how things “ought” to be done and with a deep understanding of the
way the human body moves. That enabled him to see things the rest of
us had missed.

Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier


texts: Should I say "A or B is" or "A or B are"?

texts:
The orange is selected if and only if the apple or grape is/are
  selected.

May I ask whether using is or are is correct in the above sentence?


texts: What are "the Cascades and Olympics" in Washington?

texts:
From the crystal-clear trout streams of the Cascades and Olympics to the deep-water sport-fishing waters of Washington's Pacific Coast, the Evergreen State offers up an array of angling opportunities that ranks among the nation's best.

Are the Cascades and Olympics of mountains?
How to understand the phrase "trout streams of the Cascades and Olympics"?


texts: Could "expect" mean to "to look forward to"?

texts:
"People gathered in the suburbs of the city,
carrying heavy telescopes,expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky."

How to understand "expect" in the sentence? I think in the sentence, people looked forward to watching meteor. But after I looked the word up in the dictionaries like Webster(http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/expect) or
Mermillan (http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/expect), I find that "expect" means "to think sth will happen".

So I am wondering whether "expect" could mean to "to look forward to".


texts:
‘Well, Molly, I'm pretty sure this is a boggart,’ said Sirius, peering through the keyhole, ‘but perhaps we ought to let Mad-Eye have a shifty at it before we let it out — knowing my mother, it could be something much worse.’

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I don't understand the phrase "have a shifty at". "Shifty" is actually an adjective word, but here it's used as a noun. I guess it probably means to let Mad-Eye take a look at it with his shifty eyes, but I don't know if it's a correct interpretation. How should we understand it here?


texts:
What are some synonyms to 'tenure' when the post is informal? Can I say 'during his deployment' or 'during his assignment'? Lexico doesn't support this view, the words don't have a sense "a period of time". What can I use instead then? I don't like 'during his service' because it doesn't fit the context: the man in question is more of a supervisor than a servant.

  As the investigation found, no later than in June 2014, a GRU officer was deployed to Luhansk where he served as a military advisor. During his [deployment], he coordinated military activities of pro-Russian insurgents and mercenaries of the so-called Wagner Group.


texts:
In linguistics, an adjunct is an optional, or structurally
  dispensable, part of a sentence, clause, or phrase that, if removed or
  discarded, will not otherwise affect the remainder of the sentence.
  Example: In the sentence John helped Bill in Central Park, the phrase
  in Central Park is an adjunct. (Wikipedia | Adjunct (grammar))

Is it proper?
Thank you.


texts: use of the verb NAG in reference to pain, discomfort

texts: As a native speaker, I know that persistent pain can be described as nagging, as in nagging back pain. However, would it be correct/idiomatic for a doctor, for example, to ask a patient How long has your back been nagging?


texts: Is there an implication in referring to someone you know as "friend" instead of "name"?

texts:
If your American friend says something like "you too, friend" in a situation she or he always says "you too, Gary", can I reasonably infer that the friend holds some opinion against me? I am kind of bothered by the transition.

That I would like to know something about this is because I do not want to make a mistake like this one if it is dubious.


texts: What is the difference between each and respective?

texts:
Consider: A hotel has 10 rooms, and each room had a different room temperature at noon on a certain day. When the temperatures are graphed, which of the following is better as explanation of the graph?

  This graph shows the temperature of each room at noon.
  This graph shows the temperatures of the respective rooms at noon.

I am afraid whether the first sentence implies that each room had the same room temperature and whether the usage of "respective" in the second is incorrect.


texts: Modals of Probability and Possibility with the Progressive

texts:
A: Have you heard? Tom's mother died last night.

B: Poor Tom. He _________ feeling terrible. They were very close.

(must be / must have been)

My answer for this is: Poor Tom. He "must be" feeling terrible.

In my opinion, "must have been" shouldn't be used here because its tense is in Present Perfect Progressive and it can't be used with a sentence that has a time expression just like "last night."

But still, I am confused. Any help and opinions will be much appreciated. Thank you!


texts: Plural vs singular responses, without knowing sex of subject

texts:
Is your neighbor moving out?

Not knowing there sex of the neighbor, what is the correct response to this question?

Yes they are.?

But something with this doesn't sit right with me.
'They' may well be the correct response if asking if your neighborS are moving out,  but the question was singular.

Knowing the sex of the neighbor, you could say 'he' or 'she' is...

As a native English speaker, this question confused me enough to sign up and ask.
Please opine.


texts: How to understand "taking in the abrupt return to normality"

texts:
Harry stood quite still, all his senses vibrating, taking in the abrupt return to normality. After a moment, he became aware that his T-shirt was sticking to him; he was drenched in sweat.

I don't quite understand the use of "taking in" in this phrasing "taking in the abrupt return to normality". Should we understand it as [taking] [in the abrupt return to normality] or [taking in] [the abrupt return to normality]? What sense of 'take' is being used here?


texts:
You have the Diners Club, you sign for it. You go first class in those joints, I know that, yeah."

What's the meaning of "joint" here? I checked the O.D. didn't find anything useful...


texts:
I am not getting these two sentences. Are they fit for the indirect speech?

  He advised me to go there.

  He advised me going there.

Is this sentence indirect speech or is it not?


texts: Does this sentence have a correct subject?

texts:
How many cars the company has are not important for the company's financial

Could you please clarify, is "How many cars the company has" the subject of the sentence above?

I am confused a bit.


texts: What does express delivery in terms of courier mean? Does it mean 'Expressed' like in Law or it means 'Overnight'?

texts: What does express delivery in terms of courier mean? Does it mean 'Express' same as in Law I.e. Verbal/written or it means 'Overnight' ?


texts: When should we use comma instead of "and" between two names

texts:
Both of these examples are real news titles:

DoorDash, C3.ai skyrocket in public market debuts
Pfizer and BioNTech to submit request for emergency use approval of their COVID-19 vaccine today

What I don't understand is the first example! Why use a comma instead of "and" between two names? I never saw a grammar rule for this. When should we use such structure for our sentence?


texts:
Is the following sentence an accurate indirect speech conversion?

She said "if you don't leave by then, she will cut it"
She said if I didn't leave by then, she would cut it

Thanks in anticipation.


texts: How to express "instead of on the condition that "?

texts:
James said yesterday that he may go to the party on the condition that the
  party is free of charge. Today, however, he says that he may go to the
  party on the condition that Charlotte goes to the party with him instead of on the condition that the party is free of charge.

I think the usage "instead of on the condition that" in the sentence above I created is improper because I could not find such usage on the Internet.  I feel that simply using "instead" may be OK, but I would like to use the full sentence "the party is free of charge".


texts: I just noticed that the location of be(is am are was were, etc) is not changed when there's an adjective, even in affirmative sentences

texts:
For example: I don't know what's wrong [not what wrong is]

Had there been a noun I'd have to change the structure.

I don't know what your problem is.

Am I right?
I'm fairly certain I am


texts: "Wronger" and "wrongest" Vs. "more wrong" or "most wrong"

texts:
According to what I learnt, there are short and long adjectives.

Short adjectives: one syllable.

Long adjectives: two / three / four syllables.

All of those short adjectives (one syllable) get suffix of -er or -est in their comparative or superlative grades - correspondingly. (For example: fast, high, low, etc.)

Now my question regarding that are:

1) why is the adjective "wrong" which is one syllable doesn't get -er or -est?

Wiktionary says:

  The single-word comparative and superlative forms wronger and wrongest
  are no longer in common use, except humorously; rather, the locutions
  “more wrong” and “most wrong” are preferred.

2) Are there more examples for one syllable words which behave like the word "wrong"?

In the Cambridge grammar book that I use, they show examples for exceptions for two syllables that can get -er or -est (for example: quieter), but I didn't see that they mention any exception for one syllable rule (that should get -er or -est in the end in the comparative and superlative grades).


texts:
Would you grammatically explain whats the purpose of these two "the-clauses", clear the meaning behind them, and the relation they have to their surrounding words please:

  The style links it to Humphrey, a society painter who was the kind of professional the wealthy Austen family would hire. Humphrey was active in the late 1785s and early 1795s, exactly the period when ...


texts: Are 'chord' and 'foil' synonymous in this excerpt?

texts:
From an article on kiting:

  Leading edge inflatable kites, known also as inflatables, LEI kites or C-kites, are typically made from ripstop polyester with an inflatable plastic bladder that spans the front edge of the kite with separate smaller bladders that are perpendicular to the main bladder to form the chord or foil of the kite.

Earlier today I asked a question on what is it exactly that forms the chord or foil (according to the sentence): the bladder configuration as a whole or the smaller bladders only.

Now I want to confirm or refute my gut feeling that "chord" and "foil" are used synonymously here. I beleive they are, since the coordinating conjunction or is placed between them, meaning the sentence could be rephrased as:

  The configuration of bladders forms the characteristic of the kite called "chord" or "foil".

In what other way could the use of OR be interpreted? That the bladder configuration sometimes forms the cord and in other instances forms the foil of the kite? That's illogical.

Moreover, citing from the Wikipedia article on Airfoil:

  The chord line is the straight line connecting leading and trailing edges. The chord length, or simply chord, c, is the length of the chord line. That is the reference dimension of the airfoil section.

It feels like chord could be used synonymously with (air)foil.


texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

I was admitted in Mathematics.

I am confused about  the preposition.


texts:
“Let me speak to him… face-to-face…”   “Master, you are not
  strong enough!”   “I have strength enough… for this…”
  Harry felt as if Devil’s Snare was rooting him to the spot. He
  couldn’t move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up
  and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell
  away. Quirrell’s head looked strangely small without it. Then he
  turned slowly on the spot.   Harry would have screamed, but he
  couldn’t make a sound. Where there should have been a back to
  Quirrell’s head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had
  ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for
  nostrils, like a snake.   “Harry Potter…” it whispered.
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

It seems, I think, ‘the’ should be put instead of ‘a’, for the owner of the back is specified. Then why is there ‘a’?


texts:
I'm watching Chernobyl.
In episode 1

  What else is left but to abandon even the hope of truth and content ourselves instead with stories?

I can't understand this sentence.
I just think nothing is left but only to abandon is left.
But I can't understand what he is talking about.


texts: Is "You are too good to be gifted" grammatically correct?

texts:
"You are too good to be gifted."

Is this a grammatically correct way to respond to someone who is asking for a gift?


texts: Should it be "on your job" or "during your job"?

texts:
I am not sure if we should say "during your job" or "on your job" if you're doing X as part of your job and not as a side thing or kill time.

For example:

  The sketch artist draw portraits on the job after hearing a
  description of the suspects.


texts:
How do they exchange their languages in the past when we all didn’t have any dictionary ?

And

  How did they exchange their languages in the past when we all didn’t have any dictionary ?

And these as well

  Whatever has even happened just for a last second that is the past

And

  Whatever has even happened just for a last second that was the past

Please explain me about it in detail I’m so confused.


texts: Sentence Construction for unexpected scenario

texts:
My colleague had planed holiday but still he has come to office. I want to ask him about his leave how I can say?

a) Today you are not suppose to come office? aren't you?

b) Today you were not coming to office, why you came?

c) Today you would not be coming to office today, why you came?

Or is there any other polite way to asked?


texts:
1. Water boils at 100°c.

2. Still waters run deep.

Based on the two sentences we can say that water is both uncountable and countable.If water is countable "a water" should be there as in the case of "fish". we can say fish, fishes and a fish.

I would like to ask how it is possible to use plural form  for "water".

A little water and a little sugar are possible but we can not say "a sugar" and "a water"

Is it because language is arbitrary?

Is it because native speakers Use it both ways?

Is there any grammatical base for this use?

It is not a duplicate of "flood" or " a flood" since I showed the example of fish.


texts: How do we say "for no reason, for a random reason"?

texts:
I am not sure if there's an expression that means "for no reason, for a random reason", but I saw a couple of them and I am not sure if they mean exactly that.

For instance, here's what I mean:

  He started to talk about his dog for no reason, for a random reason.

And here's a sentence that might mean the same thing:

  He started to talk about his dog at random.

Are these two equivalent? Are there other expressions?


texts:
What is the part of speech of "one day" in the following sentences? And Why don’t we use articles with it?

  One day a boy started teasing Grady.
  A lion was asleep in the sun one day.


texts: What's the difference between ''be going to'' and ''will'' in conditional sentences?

texts:
Please tell me the differences. Do they connote different points?

  You will get into trouble if you don't wear your uniform
  You are going to get into trouble if you don't wear your uniform

  If they don't accept me I'll try to find another school.
  If they don't accept me I'm going to try to find another school.


texts:
I don't need to do the work

Here,  we can see that need is the main verb of this sentence.
But when I turn it to a passive then need works  like a modal and do has became main verb.

  The work doesn't need to be done by me

Why???


texts: meaning of the phrase "beyond breaking"?

texts:
It is from Crash Course Astronomy. That phrase was used at around 11:00 minute. Here it goes:

  It will be as if that part of the Universe across the horizon is ripped away from us, beyond breaking.

I googled the phrase, but what I have found was the phrase breaking point. I feel these two phrases are related, but still I cannot quite get what it means in the sentence


texts:
Which is more idiomatic?

  I read (it all/all of this story), therefore I'm gonna talking about the whole story.


texts: Text me when you're there Vs. Text me when you'll be there.

texts:
In the context of that I'm talking to my friend who is going to a shop and I want him to call me immediately when he's there (and then for example I'll tell him what to buy there).

I have two choices:

  Text me when you're there.

As far as I understand this choice more focus on texting when he's there, no matter when, but most of all is to texting when he's there, in the beginning or ending of his shopping.

  Text me when you'll be there.

As far as I understand, this choice more focus on texting right when he's arriving there, not later.

I am not sure about my understanding and I'd like to know what's correct for my need (see the context in the beginning of the post).


texts: Order of bare webroot folder blog expression

texts:
I used such a phrase in my tutorial blog:
bare webroot folder blog. It is quite long but I don't know if the order of words is proper.

The sense of use this phrase is that somebody creates such a folder.

I explain what are these words:

bare - something like empty
webroot - type of folder
folder - the directory in a computer
blog - name of the folder

I would express it in the sentence like this:
Bare folder of the name "blog" that is a webroot folder. but I am looking for a short expression.


texts: They launched a scheme for people to apply for leave to remain through an app

texts:
I don't know what's wrong with me or BBC, but I often need double-takes in order to understand some sentences within news articles coming from BBC.

This time no matter how many takes, I don't understand this sentence:

  The government launched a pilot scheme this week for people to apply for leave to remain through a smartphone app.

I just cannot break down the meaning of this.

Here are some sentences I could come up with :

  A smartphone app will remain available for people to apply for [work] leave.

or

  A smartphone app will remain available for people planning to leave the country to apply on.

or

  The government left the remaining task to a smartphone app, where people can apply for.

None of these sentences make sense in the context of the article (if they even made any sense at all); So what does this sentence mean?


texts: Can I delete ‘him’ in the sentence: They asked him if he wanted to telephone anyone.?

texts:
Can I delete ‘him’ in the sentence: They asked him if he wanted to telephone anyone. ?

I feel that I can delete the ‘him’ in the sentence, but I can not confirm.


texts: What do you call the state of a screen being divided into two with 2 different footages showing at the same time?

texts:
The movie transitioned into a ____ of a man piloting an aircraft in
  first person and of the aircraft flying in the air at the speed of
  sound in third person.

I can't think of a word for this, and I am not sure if you can use "the of x and of y" construction. I think it's idiomatic, but I haven't really seen any example from a reputable source.


texts: Can we use any other titles or honorifics other than Mr, Ms or Mrs before a person's name if we don't want to express their gender?


texts:
He was a coward xyz soldier.

He was a cowardly xyz soldier.

here xyz is the adj. 'of a particular country'..

which of the two is correct and why?

In addition to the question above.. can't a coward man be used as a compound noun, like a ghost story.. a war hero.. ???


texts:
Are the following sentences correct?

I don't have a book except this one.
I don't have any books except this one.

I think both are correct. Could any native speakers please answer the question.


texts: Is it natural to say "buy some bread as my breakfast and have it"?

texts:
I just talked with a friend about my routine, I said

On the way to subway station, I buy some bread as my breakfast and have it on the subway because I'm so busy that I don't have time to eat, neither at home nor at work.

An alternative might be

... I buy some bread as my breakfast and eat it ...

Which one is more common? Are there any other ways more natural that could be used there to convey the idea?


texts: Are these two fragments of the same tense?

texts:
was being kept illegally.
was kept illegally.

They both seem to fit in the past progressive tense to me.

If you have a link to a good explanation, that would be appreciated.


texts:
Does it mean the best scenario?
Wikipedia definition of base case

S&P’s base case is for a sharp rebound in global growth in 2021, and in a series of reports published Tuesday, the agency suggested that this in combination with “strong bank balance sheets, support from authorities to retail and corporate markets, and regulators’ flexibility,” should limit further downgrades next year.

Source article


texts: Can "it" be modified by the relative pronoun, which or that?

texts:
For example,

  1.Where is it that you told me to bring home?

  2.Where is it, which you told me to bring home?

("It" is not a place but an object such as bag or apple)

I think both are natural and grammatically correct because as for 1, I need to use "that" so as to specify what is "it" I'm referring to if "you" seem to be not sure what I'm indicating, but as for 2, I don't need to use "that" to specify "it" if "you" have already known well what is "it", so just to add information, "which" seems to be a better choice in this case than "that". But if they are not natural as well as grammatically wrong, though my assumption is possible, could you answer this question with your natural-sounding examples?


texts: can we use "AND" to join past and present sentence

texts:
is this sentence grammatically correct ?

As a boy bill was afraid of dark and has developed a coping mechanism.


texts: "accepted to [conference name]" vs. "accepted at [conference name]"

texts:
Should one say

  This paper was accepted to ACL.

or

  This paper was accepted at ACL.

? (ACL is the name of an academic conference)


texts: 'We put new carpet on the floor or we put [a] new carpet on the floor'?

texts:
I wonder should I precede the noun with the article 'a', but I don't think that is necessary?

  I put [a] new carpet on the floor.

Reason: Carpet is a mass noun.

Am I correct?


texts:
As I look up the dictionary, it says that 'to get off' means 1. to start off / to leave for somewhere 2. to stop something 3. to escape

But I don't understand the meaning of 'to get off opinions'. Does that mean like, making opinions? Here is the example, which is from 'Baker's blue-jay yarn' by Mark Twain.

He couldn't seem to make it out, so he raised a yell, and three more jays come. They all examined the hole, they all made the sufferer tell it over again, then they all discussed it, and got off as many leather-headed opinions about it as an average crowd of humans could have done.


texts: What the meaning of "reckless abandon" here?

texts:
From http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/50_things,

  #4. Take naps in the middle of the afternoon with reckless abandon.

I think I understand reckless and abandon, but what does reckless abandon mean here?


texts:
What's the difference between :

  I have not sent this email.
  I had not sent this email.

I usually get confused in had/have. And I might have used them incorrectly many times. Can someone explain what to use when with some examples?


texts: What is the rule for fronting object for emphasis in written English

texts:
I've read some website about fronting object for emphasis. These are some examples I have got :

Why she cut her hair I cannot imagine.

Strange people they are!

Despite its small size and slow gait, the wolverine is an effective predator, for  what it lacks in speed and size it makes up by strength and endurance.

And my question is :

Can I front any object? Are there any exceptions?


texts: Can we use make up in the sense of combine that way?

texts:
My question is about British English.

I've found the following meaning of make up. Can we use it when we talk about mixing two substance like

  If you mix sugar and water, the water will be sugary.

Can we say

  If you make up sugar and water, the water will be sugary.


texts:
When I was in High School, I read a rule, that was tricky, and I still remember. The rule is:

If something has happened but we wish it happened the other way by using "if", we should change the was/were in supposedly reverse order with respect to the subject. For example:

  If I were a bird. (still remember it from high school)

So I am not a bird, but wish if I was a bird. Here was should be replaced by were.

Now what I understand this rule should apply when something has not happened or something we wish but can't happen. This type of expression can also be conveyed without using "If". But I haven't see this rule used without if. For example Thought it were you (But it isn't)

So my question is Is this rule an if specific rule rule?

Also as a side note: I would also like to know if such rule exists in case of present tense i.e. jumbling am/is/are?


texts:
Man: Oh, God! Did you....um...Did you set the alarm before we left?
      Woman: Yes, the last thing I did!
      Man: No, I was the last one to leave. I was the last one to leave and I'm sure I didn't set it.
      Woman: No darling, I was the last one out and I did, I promise.
      Man: Are you sure?
      Woman: Yep!
      Man: Okay.....No, no, I was the last one 'cause I went back in.
              And that means the alarm is not set. Cause I didn't set it.    Woman: Well, I guess ___________________________________.
      Man: Well, just like your old college days.

Video clip link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yReEv4N3l50

Please fill the blank. I need her exact line.

There were already English subtitles for it, but I found they are not properly written.

Ps. Please forgive me if this type of question is not allowed at this site.
I never post again, I promise.


texts:
What is the difference in meaning between the following sentences?

The book explains different paradigms of the adoption of X technology.

The book explains different paradigms for the adoption of X technology.


texts: Is "NASDAQ to launch etc.." is a right usage?

texts:
I saw this title at a website:

  What Crypto Winter? Nasdaq to Launch Bitcoin Futures Market: Report

It seems to me that there is a problem with this sentence. To my point of view, it should be : Nasaq is launching etc..
Is it a different meaning?
There is a role for that? Thanks


texts:
I have some sentences that i want to know which one is correct:

I'm trying to get trending tags with the number of posts that are
tagged with them.
I'm trying to get trending tags with the number of posts which are tagged with them.
I'm trying to get trending tags with the number of posts which are tagged with.
I'm trying to get trending tags with the number of posts that are tagged with.


texts: What are the common interjections for unpleasant suprises besides alas

texts:
From http://www.tfd.com/alas, alas means

  to express sorrow, regret, grief, compassion, or apprehension of danger or evil.

Would people say it in their everyday speaking English, or it is for written English normally?

I am actually seeking words/phrases that mean something went unexpected wrong, like "Shoot"

"Shoot; it's raining."
"Shoot; I forgot to bring my phone."
"Shoot; I'm late."

What are the other alternatives in spoken English?


texts:
A kid falls down and gets hurt, so her mother says:

  I'll pick you up on my back.

Or

  I'll carry you on my back.

What should be used: "pick up/carry"? Do both of them sound equally?


texts: My student yesterday said "I asked around the people for directions." but I corrected it to "I asked THE PEOPLE around me for directions."(I changed the order). I couldn't provide a good explanation for why I did that. Can someone please help me do that? Thank you.


texts:
If they think that they will maintain to the end the equanimity of
  their prayer-lives, they are wrong, because the law demands the full
  traitor's penalty, the short spin in the wind and the conscious
  public disembowelling, a brazier alight for human entrails. It is the
  most horrible of all deaths, pain and rage and humiliation swallowed
  to the dregs, the fear so great that the strongest rebel is unmanned
  before the executioner with his knife can do the job; before each one
  dies he watches his fellows and, cut down from the rope, he crawls
  like an animal round and round on the bloody boards.

  — Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Is it a part of the punishment? With a hint from the last sentence ("cut down from the rope"), I am guessing it is to do with some kind of hanging.


texts: Trouble choosing tense when "until" is used

texts:
"We couldn’t put down the new floor till the plumber had
  finished."

  "We couldn’t put down the new floor till the plumber finished."

  "I wait until he finishes."

  "I wait until he has finished"

I don't understand how I can choose the correct tense.


texts: Is there a proper noun for the person being proposed for a job interview?

texts: In a proposing a proposer propose a blank for a job. I am not sure if it exists.


texts:
So I have this sentence to translate.

  'There I am, in Jessie Clark’s back garden, doing a show, whilst my brother digs at a tree behind him.'

Can you please rephrase it? What does the main character do, what does her brother do (especially him), are they connected somehow?

(Jessie Clark is a girl)


texts: In term of starting a speech with the opposite opinion, does "good" in "good point" mean easy to attack, representative, or something else?

texts:
There is a video (https://youtu.be/UFuxlnUeGmg) talking about an easy tip to start an essay or speech.

  When you give your opinion, it's a very good idea to start by saying what is good about the opposite opinion.

At a time stamp (https://youtu.be/UFuxlnUeGmg?t=133), the video used a phrase "good point".

  it's always a good idea to start with the opposite of what you believe,
  a good point of the opposite, and then to say your opinion. Okay?

Lots of people also use "good point" in their talking.

So, what is a "good point"?

point

This post gives an explanation about point,

  A point is normally an argument to either support or attack an idea.

I am will to buy it.

good

And then, what does "good" mean? I thought good means representative although I am not pretty sure.

Consider this example (https://youtu.be/UFuxlnUeGmg?t=92),

  Although some people love eating at home, I prefer eating at a restaurant.

She referred to "eating at home" as a good point.

By representative, I mean there might be more than one possibilities in the opposite of my intended opinion.

Consider the example of where to eat, there are more than one options in the opposite of eating at a restaurant, such as eating at home, eating at office, eating at street ...

So, what does "good" in "good point" mean? Does "good" in "good point" mean easy to attack, representative, or something else?


texts:
While reading some  article I found sentence 1 . Why can't we use will instead of would like in sentence 2?

Fast forward to 2020, and the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, which brought Israel_Arab ties to a new beginning. Next, the big question remained whether Sauidis would join this arrangement

Fast forward to 2020, and the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, which brought Israel_Arab ties to a new beginning. Next, the big question remained whether Sauidis will join this arrangement

What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences??


texts: Can we use passive without auxiliary verbs?

texts:
Can we use passive without auxiliary verbs like in below sentence just to stress on work rather than on point of time

"To maximize the process of the brain being washed properly and HGH being produce excellenty so you can create magic.


texts: How to talk about people whose mother tongue isn't English? Is there an equivalent of the French expressions "non-francophone" or "non-anglophone"?


texts:
I have read a similar question here but that one talks about the usage of has/have with reference to "anyone". Here, I wish to ask a question of the form:

  Does anyone has/have a black pen?

What is the correct form of verb which should be used here? I understand that for "anyone", it should be has, as in:

  Has anyone got a black pen?

But my doubt here is because of the auxilliary "does" in the question. Will that cause any change to the choice of has/have?


texts: Should I use "So can´t I" or "neither can I"?

texts: If someone tells me "I can´t do the homework because it is too hard, but can you(me) do it?" and I want to say that I can´t do it too should I answer "So can´t I" or "neither can I"?


texts:
I am trying to cook the cake as you.

  I am trying to cook the cake as yours .

Are both “as” same? I thought both are same but what those modie is different. In the first sentence “as”is used instead of “in the way” I mean my method of cooking is like your method.But in the second sentence it sounds cakes I cook is just like the cakes you cooked. It realy confuses me . Are my thoughts correct ?


texts: How to politely ask people to give up their seats on a train in the USA?

texts: Say we're a family of four, and would like to sit together on a train in the USA that does not have assigned seating. How can I ask people to give up their seats without sounding rude?


texts: What is the difference between "slice", " split", and "divide"?

texts:
I know and have seen all the three words used in various context and it interests me whether they are interchangeable most of the time or they are bound to areas of usage?

Can slice, split and divide be used with more than two parts, pieces?

Can we divide, slice or split along a line or at some point?

Can all the three words be used with planes, 3d-objects, hard and soft surfaces?


texts: "He returned victorious" vs "he returned victoriously"

texts:
Why would people say "he returned victorious." instead of "he returned victoriously"?

Which one is correct to use?


texts:
I had this sentence in my English exercise book:

  "Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, being eleven times
  the size of the earth."

So exactly what kind of grammar is it? (with one shared subject ["Jupiter"], a comma and two verbs (? I don't really know if "being" is called a verb))

One more extra question: Can I replace "being" with "is"?

Thank you in advanced.

Edit 1:
Does the quoted sentence above have the same grammar pattern with these below sentences:

  "Seeing her, I ran away." ;

  "Written in 2018, 'Nervous' is Shawn Mendes's latest >song."

The similarity of these three sentences is, they have the same subject(s).

So, my exact question is: What do you call the piece of grammar that combines sentences/clauses sharing the same subject, as the examples above?


texts:
Description:

I need to reach to some particular place from 'A' street to another 'B' and 'C' street join them

Question:

Is it right to say

  you can get to street 'B' by street 'C'

  you can get to street 'B' by taking street 'C'

  you can get to street 'B' by going on street 'C'


texts: Meaning of these dialect phrases from Orison Swett Marden book

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker and cannot get the full meaning of this part of Orison Swett Marden's self help book "Pushing to the front":

  "Why the doose de 'e 'old 'is 'ead down like that?" asked a cockney sergeant-major angrily, when a worthy fellow soldier wished to be reinstated in a position from which he had been dismissed. "Has 'e 's been han hofficer 'e bought to know 'ow to be'ave 'isself better. What use 'ud 'e be has a non-commissioned hofficer hif 'e didn't dare look 'is men in the face? Hif a man wants to be a soldier, hi say, let 'im cock 'is chin hup, switch 'is stick abart a bit, an give a crack hover the 'ead to hanybody who comes foolin' round 'im, helse 'e might just has well be a Methodist parson."

It is in the beginning of chapter 18 which is entitled "A fortune in good manners". I need someone translates it to formal English.


texts:
"I'll go buy some tomatoes." and "I go buy some tomatoes." Which one makes more sense?

I think "I'll go buy some tomatoes." makes more sense since the simple future in this case shows a voluntary action.

Whereas the simple present shows the habit, fact, or generalization.

So, "I go buy some tomatoes."  doesn't seem to be a common sentence.


texts:
Here is a quote from an article where an expert says that the measures taken to stop the spread of the current coronovirus are not up to par. What I don't understand in it is the very last phrase:

  The author also argued that official numbers are “grossly
  underestimating” the true toll of infections.

  “They have a lag time in testing people; they don’t have enough test
  kits; they have lines around the block, in Wuhan, of people trying to
  get tested,” says Garrett. “It’s wholly backed up.”

What is wholly backed up? How is it backed up and by whom? And what kind of "backing up" exactly it is?

I know of two meanings of "back up". First one is "support" and the second one is "accumulate", but it looks like here is some other meaning.


texts: Is it right to use PAST SIMPLE instead of PRESENT PERFECT here?

texts:
I know that using the present perfect in the main clause  after since-clause is widely used as in Example 1. But is it right to use the past simple as in Example 2?

Since 1922, Mount Everest has been climbed by more than 400 people.
Since 1922, Mount Everest was climbed by more  than 400 people.

By the way, there is no context at all.


texts:
For a vaccine to get from phase I to phase III trials in just ten months, as rVSV-ZEBOV did, was unheard of at the time—a startling example of what urgency and organisation can do. Now a repeat performance, ideally taken at an even faster tempo, is the sum of the world’s desire. In the middle of April more people are dying of covid-19 every three days than died of Ebola in west Africa over three years. A vaccine would not just save lives; it would change the course of the pandemic in two separate, if related, ways. It would protect those who were vaccinated from getting sick; and by reducing the number of susceptible people it would prevent the virus from spreading, thus also protecting the unvaccinated.

I have 2 questions

what does "if related" mean and why is separated by comma?
would ... were, is it subjunctive? If not, will the meaning be different if I change it to simple present tense as "It would protect those who ARE vaccinated from getting sick"?

article link : https://www.economist.com/briefing/2020/04/16/can-the-world-find-a-good-covid-19-vaccine-quickly-enough


texts: "Join an activity" or "join in an activity"?

texts:
Is there any difference between join and join in when talking about starting to take part in an actvity. For example:

  Many sacrificed their weekend to join (in) the hunt for the missing girl.

  He stared at them without joining (in) the conversation.

I am confused because as this dictionary says join means  to begin to take part in an activity that other people are involved in, and join in means to take part in something that a group of people are doing or that someone else does. Aren't they are the same and in is optional?


texts:
In Adventures of Tom Sawyer, there is a dialogue going on between Tom and Becky:
- Yes I do, indeed I do. Please let me.
- You'll tell.
- No I won't—deed and deed and double deed won't.
- You won't tell anybody at all.

Vividly she is promising, but I want to know what that means exactly?


texts: whats does "requires consideration of encounters and power" mean?

texts:
as Nanda maintains, ‘Deconstructing central
  structural concepts in American society such as race, gender, religion, and
  ethnicity is an essential component of teaching cultural anthropology as cultural
  critique and most explicitly requires consideration of encounters and power’
  (Nanda 1997: 118). But the intellectual atmosphere of Iran inhibits anthropologists
  from deconstructing and defamiliarizing these dominant concepts of gender,
  race, politics, ethnicity and religion;

text came from here


texts:
He is the only one who has the right to draw the curtain and show this painting to the others.

Is it right to say show because of to, or I should write show? Is to is only related to **draw*?


texts:
I have two questions about exercises of English grammar in use.  In this exercise I need to feel the blank with can if possible or be able to otherwise. Correct answer in brackets:

  26.1.4 I used to (be able) stand on my head, but I can't do it now

I didn't get why 'could' isn't correct. It just sounds incorrect to use 'could'. I want to understand rule behind it. Standing on head sounds like general ability and 'can' should be used then we speak about general ability. Why 'could' isn't suitable for this sentence?

  26.1.5 I can't understand Martin. I've never (been able to) understand him.

I feel like ability to understand person is general. I didn't get why 'could' is incorrect here.


texts: 'Many more' or 'Much more' in this case?

texts:
...a number of health benefits might be associated with this delicious treat. These include improving one's mood, reducing memory decline especially in older people, warding off cancer, and ______ more.

I put the answer as 'much', and the answer key says it's 'many'. Through some research, I found that 'many' is used in front of plural countable nouns and 'much' is used in front od uncountable nouns.

I put the answer as 'much' as the examples are uncountable - memory decline is uncountable; cancer is not a countable noun. Also, much gives the feeling of A LOT compared to 'many'.

Is the reason why the answer is 'many' as the sentence gives 'examples' which are countable plural nouns?
Please help.


texts:
I am preparing for the GMAT exam, and this was a practice question.

Please explain why E is the correct answer choice to the following question:

  Choose a grammatically correct option of the bold part:

  A ruined structure found at Aqaba, Jordan, was probably a church, as indicated in its eastward orientation and by its overall plan, as well as artifacts, such as glass oil-lamp fragments, found at the site.

  A. A ruined structure found at Aqaba, Jordan, was probably a church, as indicated in its eastward orientation and by its overall plan, as well as

  B. A ruined structure found at Aqaba, Jordan, once probably being a church, was indicated by its eastward orientation, overall plan, and

  C. Indicating that a ruined structure found at Aqaba, Jordan, was probably a church were its eastward orientation and overall plan, but also the

  D. A ruined structure found at Aqaba, Jordan, was probably a church, as indicates its eastward orientation and overall plan, as well as the

  E. That a ruined structure found at Aqaba, Jordan, was probably a church is indicated by its eastward orientation and overall plan, as well as by the

The given sentence may or may not have errors in the bold part. Question is to choose a grammatically correct answer from options.

My reasons:

Option A: Has parallelism error- by its overall plan, as well as should be by its overall plan, as well as by

Option B: Changes the intended meaning. It says Structure was indicated in its ...

Option C: Indicating .... were are wrongly framed

Option D: Cant find any error

Option E: Use of that is wrong.

Also, Can you please tell me if my reasons are correct?


texts: Is "My hand slipped me out of sleep asking where am I" correctly phrased?

texts:
My hand slipped me out of sleep asking where am I

It sounds a bit off but I'm not sure if its correct. If it isn't, what's the most concise way to say that sentence?

What it means is 'my hand slipped and I woke up asking where am I' but I'm trying to directly link the slipping to the the waking to the asking.


texts: Question about this highlighted part of the passage below?

texts:
The other thing is our hand position when we’re driving. It’s nice, soft hands are very important in learning to drive. We don’t want a death grip on that wheel. We want nice, soft hands, like pretty much anything that you do in sports, your hands have to be nice and soft. If your hands are soft and you’re not real tense, you’ll find that you have the ability to steer a car much, much better.
You also want to be able to get the big picture when we’re driving. We don’t want to stare at anything because when you drive, you will follow your eyes. Okay? So if you’re looking to the right or you’re looking to the left and you’re staring at that portion of the vehicle, that’s the way the vehicle will move. When people drive a car for the first time, they have a difficult ability to understand how far they are away from the vehicle to the right, and that’s because the right side of the vehicle is a little further away from you than the left. So invariably what they usually do is they stare down to the right side, and what happens when you stare to the right, your car will go to the right. So you want to pick your eyes up. You want to keep your eyes ahead of you looking out ahead and you’ll find that you follow your eyes. So if your eyes are straight ahead the car will have a better chance of going straight.

at that portion of the vehicle , which portion? And does the word the reffer to your car of the car next to you?


texts:
He put the snacks on the table for us to savor.

Is the verb savour used transitively in the above sentence? Is this a case of ellipsis where the object them (snacks) is understood?


texts: English word for the German "wievielte" - like "How many Easters are we together?"

texts:
Imagine a couple sitting on a couch and one asks the other during Easter "How many Easters are we together?". There is a German wording which goes "Das wievielte Ostern sind wir nun zusammen?" The answer would be "Das ist unser drittes Ostern."

A very "direct" and likely incorrect English translation might be "The howmanieth Easter are we together now?" and the answer could be "It's our third Easter."

Is there a single word which could be used for "wievielte" in English?

As far as I can tell the typical translation is just "How many Easters...". But I'd like to know, if there exists a catchy word which implies an ordinal number as the answer.


texts:
Below are recent tweets from/on Twitter.

Should I use from or on?
Should I use recent tweets or the recent tweets?


texts:
As this is a simple name change, our address and phone number will remain the same.

Is the usage of the word will correct?


texts: Are "a native Chinese" or "a native Chinese person" normal English phrases?

texts:
A student of mine recently said "I thought I was speaking to a native Chinese."

I would always say "I thought I was speaking to a native Chinese speaker" or "I thought I was speaking to someone from China."

My first instinct was that his sentence sounded strange and unnatural, but then I started having doubts. Are either of the phrases "a native Chinese" or "a native Chinese person" commonly used by native speakers?


texts:
Are any of these correct? I mean I used to sit on the one of the chairs farther from the teacher/front of the room.

I used to sit at the bottom of the room.
or
I used to sit in the bottom of the room.


texts: Are the tenses in these sentences correct?

texts:
Two years ago I ate ice-cream every day. I was doing this/had been doing this for six months. That's why I was weighing much more during that time.

Are the tenses used here correct? If yes/no, why? :D Thank you ;)


texts:
Are the prepositions at, in, on interchangeable here? If yes, do they all mean the same?

  I have student-teaching experience at/in/on (all) high school levels.


texts: difference between "art"and "arts" as a "modifier"

texts:
I have seen both of them, but I am wondering which on is considered correct. And, if they both are correct what is the difference between them?

  Art Gallery  Arts Gallery

Thanks.


texts: Do word contractions and brief sentences make for a more conversational speech?

texts:
I'm currently studying what makes a sentence sound/ read conversational to native English speakers. Do word contractions and brief sentences make them so?
Please consider the dialogues below. Are both dialogues conversational enough?

Dialogue 1:
I don't like the idea of having a government-funded news network. It has a tendency to be partial and cover-up political scandals.

Dialogue 2:
Imagine a father sitting as judge in a criminal case against his own son. Sure, he could say that he'd be fair. But the people wouldn't buy that and would still ask him to inhibit from the case. That's because he has a strong tendency to decide in favor of his son.


texts:
The media affects the public opinion in order to change election
  results in favour of businessmen \ to the advantage of businessmen who in return, support the media
  financially.

I want to say that election results are changed to make businessmen or their allies win the election, and as a result, they use their political power to flourish their businesses.


texts: The difference between "process" and "operation"?

texts:
In this sentence

  The factory is in the (process - operation) of moving to new offices

I think it is "process" but my teacher told me that it's "operation" ... So which one is correct?


texts: Usage of “was” instead of “had” before another action

texts:
I’m learning the Unit from “English Grammar in use” and there is a sentence:

The building that was destroyed in the fire has now been rebuilt.

Could you please explain why we shouldn’t use had been destroyed for example? It seems that it was destroyed before it has been rebuilt .
Can’t understand :)
thanks


texts: "could not [verb]" might strictly imply that attempts were made

texts:
This question was influenced by this one. I think there is a situation when 'could not [verb]' implies that some attempts were made.

  I could not find him.

I could not come up with a context that would be free of the implication that the subject actually tried to find him.

Can you comment on this? Approve or disprove it.


texts:
I have read a sentence from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4”:

  The teachers have really been cracking down on kids copying off of each other this year.

How to understand "off of"? Please parse it.


texts: How do you pronounce the decimal numbers in this sentence?

texts:
In a professional context, if you say the following :

  The current value is 0.8, it's 0.3 more than the previous version.

Do you say both number the same? Do you say "point 8", "O point 8", "O 8", "zero point 8" ?

Does it depend on what you're talking about? (millimeters, currency, software version, ...) In my sentence, it's a dimension.

Is "point 8" too casual for a professional conversation?

Isn't it a little heavy to say "zero point ..." if you say a lot of numbers in a row ?


texts: He couldn't (or "can't"?) believe his eyes when he saw the results

texts:
He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the results.

  He can't believe his eyes when he saw the results.

Should I use can or could in this sentence?
We usually say "I can't believe it.", can I say "I couldn't believe it."


texts:
Which one of these is grammartically correct to tell students during the examination

1) Please, write down your name on the top of the answer sheet.
2) Please, write down your name on top of the answer sheet.

Thank you


texts: "Take a look at our Uniform, Workwear and PPE solutions." or "Take a look at our Uniform, Workwear and PPE solutions."

texts:
the following statement is going onto a mail to customers and we are having a debate on if it should be uniform or Uniforms?

  Take a look at our new website today to learn a little more about our industry leading Uniform, Workwear and PPE solutions.

or

  Take a look at our new website today to learn a little more about our industry leading Uniforms, Workwear and PPE solutions.


texts:
What is the difference between following sentences?

I opened the envelope and found five hundred dollars.
After I opened the envelope, I found five hundred dollars.

(Is there significant difference when using And & After ?)


texts: "Steve attended class." - Why don't we use any articles here?


texts: The SiO2 scale was so thin that it was not detected in SEM cross sections.


texts:
1 she said, "I must have a computer to prepare a power point presentation."

Ans 1: She said that she had to have a computer to prepare a power point presentation. (My answer)

Ans 2: She said that she should have a computer to prepare a power point presentation. (Book)

I read a rule saying "must" remain same or change into "had to" or "would have to". Then why book has changed "must" into "should".

Do we change adverb like "tomorrow", "ago" when tense of reporting verb is in present or future?

Example :

1 He says, " I will go Delhi tomorrow."

Ans1 :He says that he will go Delhi tomorrow (or the next day).

He says, " I will have to complete my project by this morning.

Ans1 : He says that he will have to complete his project by this morning (or that morning).

Thank you


texts: When is "someone" singular and when is it plural?

texts:
In our textbook we have the correct answer to two separate questions.
One reads "We have someone clean the house".

The other one reads "Someone cleans the house".

My teacher assures me that both of these forms are grammatically correct, but I don't know why. Could someone kindly explain it to me?  Thank you.


texts:
Things had not been the same between Julie and her fiance, David, since he accepted a job in Paris. They had known  each other for almost five years, and in that time, they had never argued much. Lately, though, their relationship
  had become stormy.They seemed to be finding fault with each other and disagreeing about everything. For the first time, she was starting to wonder if she was ready for marriage.

Why was starting and not started? Is it because of the first times which means  she did it after(but we can't call that a start anymore) . Starting  is a short action that does not go with past continuous.


texts: “I have been *verb*ing...”: once or many times?

texts:
There is someone who drives me crazy using the past perfect to indicate an action that was performed only once, and I understand that it indicates an action performed more than once. For example:

I have been calling you.
I have been trying to reach you.

I understand it means the person has called several times, or tried to reach the other person several times.  Could you please tell me the exact meaning of "I have been..." or indicate when we should use it?


texts: The advantage of / in / to booking tickets in advance is

texts:
Does using "of" with "advantage" consider Bad English?

  There is an advantage of abbreviating some things
  Bad, ugly English. link

Note: the first example of "advantage" word in Cambridge dictionary is:

  The advantage of booking tickets in advance is that you get better seats.


texts: Meaning of the "d" in "how'd" (other than "did" or "had")

texts:
In the movie The Martian in a scene right after the failed launch of provisions, there's a text on the screen as a chat message arrives at one of the scientists' computer.

  how'd the launch go?

Now, as far I'm informed, the only two meanings of how'd are:

how would
how had

Now, (1) makes no sense semantically, since the event is already in the past, so it couldn't go in any other way than it already has. Then, (2) is grammatically wrong, as the form of to go should then be gone, as in had gone.

Since the involved parties are both highly educated individuals, I can't really chalk it up on colloquial sloppiness. Intuitively, it should be did, as in how did it go, which makes semantic sense and observes grammatical congruence. However, I can't find any reference of 'd being an abbreviation for did.

What am I missing?


texts: intransitive verbs as past participle form without' have'

texts:
She is gone.

'Go' is an intransitive verb, but it is used as the past participle form without 'have'. What are other verbs, if any, used like this?


texts: What does "as much as I'd like to" mean?

texts:
As much as I’d like to hear great things about our company, I can
  assure you that I would much prefer to hear how you think we can get
  better.

If it were "As much as I'd like to hear great things about our company, I would like to hear how you think we can get better", it would have been understandable, but the example above is a bit confusing. Why is there "as much as" while there is "much prefer"? What does this sentence exactly mean? Does it mean that "although I like hearing great things about our company, I prefer to hear how you think we can get better"?


texts: Could we use the present perfect in this sentence (with past simple tense)?

texts:
Consider

  Somebody____________ all the juice; the bottle was empty.

I know it is okay  (you can correct me here) to write the sentence using the past perfect  had drunk or the past simple  drank, so you can get

  Somebody had drunk ( or drank) all the juice; the   bottle was empty.

But is it okay to write the sentence using the present perfect?

To say:

  Somebody has drunk  all the juice; the bottle was empty.

thank you


texts:
Why is "does" used as in this expression "easy does it", can it be "do" because an implied subject should be "you"? and can you introduce similar expressions that have such a construction?

I'm supposing that "does" might have been fixed for keeping the grammatical rule, as "easy" is pretending to be functioning as a singular subject because of its position although it works as an adverb modifying "does" in fact.


texts: Which one is more correct and natural "top up your phone 100 dollars" or "top up your phone with 100 dollars"?

texts:
Which one is more correct and natural top up your phone 100 dollars or top up your phone with 100 dollars? For example:

If you need to renew the service, you'll have to top up your phone 100 dollars.
If you need to renew the service, you'll have to top up your phone with 100 dollars.


texts: When I have to use verb with "to" and when without?

texts: "I want to discuss this with you" or "I want discuss this with you". I'm not specific about this sentence. I catches myself saying often for example "I want o write you a letter" instead of "I want write you a letter" and so on and feel, it my be not correct. Background: I'm a German native speaker, perhaps there is somethings specific in German, which I try to translate into English? You see it, in the last sentence I use "try to translate"


texts:
Which of the following sentences is grammarly correct and why?

  When I was a child, I wouldn't go to sleep unless my mom had kissed me goodnight.

or

  When I was a child, I wouldn't go to sleep unless my mom would have kissed me goodnight.


texts:
While doing the task, I came across an interesting question.

  She spent some time in Asprey’s considering the latest slimline
  watches, a gold statue of a tiger with jade eyes and a Faberge egg.
  She regretted that her close friend, Tina, was not with her, she
  needed her advice badly. From there she walked to a
  next/nearby shop which despite a determined salesman who
  showed her almost everything the shop had to offer, she still left
  empty-handed.

To me, nearby sounds better, but I can't get it why next is not an option. My best guess is that the case is in an indefinite article before nearby/next.
I would have chosen next if there was 'the' before it. Again, just because it sounds better that way.

To tell the truth, it doesn't really suits me to 'feel' it. I want to understand the reason.

I'd be absolutely grateful if someone helped me out.


texts:
At times the relentless repetition of telephone-number cash sums is overwhelming, but the overarching point is well made: we are in serious debt to the Earth.

What is telephone-number cash sums?

Source:theguardian


texts: what's the meaning of "all along the perimeter"?

texts:
In American TV show "The Office" S2E11 "Booze Cruise", the captain of a ship is introducing safety instructions. He says, "the life preservers are located underneath the seats all along the perimeter."
  What's the meaning of "perimeter" in this context? Does it mean "every single seat on this ship"?

Another question: In another scene of this episode, Michael (the leading role of this TV show who is a regional manager of a paper company) seems unhappy about the truth that he is not the boss of this ship so he says, "In an office, when you are ranking people, manager is higher than captain. On a boat, who knows? It's nebul-ose." What kind of special meanings Michael wants to express by taking the word "nebulose" apart?


texts: different size/color vs different-sized/colored

texts:
I am going to make up four sentences with them below.

  These old different-colored (or different color) pencil crayons are very rare and valuable.
  The different-colored (or different color) designs of these purses were created by a very famous designer two years ago.
  The different-sized (or different size) dolls available in the discount section of the store have the same price tag.
  The different-sized (or different size) stainless steel pots are made to satisfy different people's cooking need.

In my sentences, can I use both forms, with and without "ed", interchangeably?


texts:
I have read this passage several time and I guess that the  summaries of the passage is in the last sentence I but couldn't grasp the  total real-meaning of the passage. Can you please paraphrase it to me in simple sentence so I will be able to answer the question very efficiently?
It will be helpful for me if you give me a clue that how to get the idea faster.

The given answer is the following.


texts: Is it "I" or "me" in "Keep Tom and I/me updated"?

texts:
In this case what is correct?

  Keep Tom and I updated.

or

  Keep Tom and me updated.

I understand that me is an object pronoun. And therefore I feel the second option is correct.

Especially, because I would say "Keep him updated" and also "Keep me updated".
Instead of "Keep he updated" or "Keep I updated".
But something about saying "Keep him and me updated" feels wrong.

However I am not sure, because several people have told me that in this case I is the correct option because it is being used in conjunction with a name (Tom) and not a pronoun. Is that correct?


texts: How Does "Neither Ever... Nor Even Ever..." Sound?

texts:
I'm writing a song and I worry about whether it sounds weird.

"I would neither ever leave nor even ever say goodbye."

This is what I wrote. I wonder how it sounds to native speakers.


texts: Where is the object of 'has' in: The nation has among the highest inflation rates?

texts:
The president of Venezuela announced last week that he and other government officials should take pay cuts as part of budget reductions. The Reuters news service says the reductions are meant to answer the lower oil prices. It says Venezuela gets 96 percent of its export earnings from oil sales. The nation has among the highest inflation rates in Latin America.
  (VOA Learning English)

When first seeing the script, I thought the ‘has’ must be the typo of ‘is,’ because I can’t see its complement before the following prepositional phrase, among the highest inflation rates. But the news presenter says ‘has.’ Can you tell me where is the complement of ‘has’? Is it the prepositional phrase, perchance? Can this be possible?


texts: meaning of the phrase "as now" in context

texts:
It is from Crash Course World History. It is at 6 minute and 53 second. Here it goes:

  Although soldiers lived then, as now, under conditions it is difficult to imagine, there was more then even the threat of death to distress them.

I cannot get whether speaker means by as now  that the conditions were much horrible in the past, or that they are as horrible as in the past.


texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct or more idiomatic for comparison between two things:

The AUC (the area under curve) for the model A is greater than of the model B
The AUC (the area under curve) for the model A is greater than for the model B
The AUC (the area under curve) for the model A is greater than of that for the model B
The AUC (the area under curve) of the model A is greater than of the model B
The AUC (the area under curve) of the model A is greater than the model B

I feel the third one is more precise. However, I wonder if the first and second also are idiomatic and convey the desired meaning.


texts: What does "they" refer to in this transcript?

texts:
In the following context, what does "they" refer to?

  You probably learned in biology class that mitochondria, let’s all say it together, are the powerhouses of the cell. They charge up energy-rich molecules, when oxygen's around. But they do other stuff too: like manufacture certain essential proteins. This newly discovered microbe, and others that live in low-oxygen environments, use different, oxygen-free pathways to make energy. But they usually still have mitochondria for that protein assembly job. The new bug apparently pulls off the protein-synthesis by using a system that it picked up from bacteria, in what’s known as a lateral gene transfer. The findings are in the journal Current Biology.

The following is the whole transcript where the above excerpt is from.

[Added:] Here is my second question: Do the newly found microbes have mitochondria?

  If you were searching for a life form unlike anything known to science, where would you look? Scientists at Charles University, in Prague, looked in the poop of a pet chinchilla. "They were isolating a lot of various strains from various environments—including their own pets." Anna Karnkowska, an evolutionary biologist who collaborated on the work, who is now at the University of British Columbia. "Scientists like to isolate things from everywhere possible."

  They found a relative of the parasite Giardia, called Monocercomonoides. It’s eukaryotic, meaning it has organelles and a nucleus enveloping its DNA. Just like our cells, or the ones in plants, or fungi. But unlike bacteria, which don’t have those things.

  And upon closer examination, the new critter was different from every other eukaryote known to science. Because it’s missing a key organelle—it seems to have no mitochondria.

  You probably learned in biology class that mitochondria, let’s all say it together, are the powerhouses of the cell. They charge up energy-rich molecules, when oxygen's around. But they do other stuff too: like manufacture certain essential proteins. This newly discovered microbe, and others that live in low-oxygen environments, use different, oxygen-free pathways to make energy. But they usually still have mitochondria for that protein assembly job. The new bug apparently pulls off the protein-synthesis by using a system that it picked up from bacteria, in what’s known as a lateral gene transfer. The findings are in the journal Current Biology.

  Karnkowska says the microbe's ancestors probably had mitochondria at some point—then lost them once they’d acquired the bacterial system. And she says other microbes might share a similar story. "We know now that probably there are more of these weird things." And as this study suggests, they could be found in some weird places.


texts: What follows a mass noun followed by a list with several items?

texts:
Equipment are gloves and glasses.
Equipment is gloves and glasses.

//The translation has been approved, but I am only the editor, I have to work with grammar, interpunction but cannot change the terms.


texts:
is it right sentence?

I’d like to know how to ship is it

I want to say "I want to know shipping method"


texts:
Context: Derek is standing on the top of a scaffold when a man starts shooting at him. Derek doesn't get hit.

Derek throws himself down on the scaffold as the man keeps shooting.

Derek throws himself flat on the scaffold as the man keeps shooting.

Derek throws himself down flat on the scaffold as the man keeps shooting.

Derek drops down on the scaffold as the man keeps shooting.

Derek drops flat on the scaffold as the man keeps shooting.

Derek drops down flat on the scaffold as the man keeps shooting.

Could you please tell me if any of my suggestions are natural in the context?


texts:
I've come across it in the second episode of the second season of the Walking Dead. Here is the context:

Otis: Nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago. The High School
Hershel: That's what I was thinking. They set up a fema shelter there.
They would have everything we need
Otis: Place was overrun last time I saw it. You couldn't get near it.
Maybe It's better now
Shane: I said,leave the rest to me. Is It too late to take that back?
Rick: I hate you going alone
Shane: Come on. Doc,why don't you do me a list and draw me a map?
Otis: You won't need a map. I'll take you there. Ain't but five miles.


texts: Pronunciation of [bunch'ed' together]: "ch+ed+t" cluster

texts:
The sheep "bunched together" as soon as they saw the dog.
VERY HARD to pronounce [~ed t~] together
"~ed" here is like "t" or "d"?
There are many [ch+ed] words. How should I pronounce them?
Are there any good rules for English learners to bear in mind?
For me "bunched together" sounds like just "bunch two gether"


texts: 'Let me take you past the satellite' meaning

texts:
I was listening to Ellie Goulding's song 'Love me like you do' and came across a phrase/ expression let me take you past the satellite. I don't know what it means. I searched for similar phrases like take someone past something and some others but there's nothing that could answer my question.
Does anyone know what it means?
Here are the lyrics of the song:

[...]
You're the fear, I don't care
Cause I've never been so high
Follow me through the dark
Let me take you past the satellites
You can see the world you brought to life, to life.
So love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do
[...]


texts:
Please help me figure out the meanings of the following sentence:

But Apple tends to build in parameters on their devices so you’re watching with most of those variables dialled in.

I am confused by the phrases "build in" and "dialled in" here.

The text is from the description of the show The Mandalorian, which is the first-ever Star Wars live-action TV series.

Thank you for your time.


texts: What does collocation "hands down" mean?

texts: Ussually people use it in the end of the sentence, i think it means somethink like "i admire it" or "i agree with that" but still not sure.


texts: What phrase and adverb is it correct and natural to use instead of "so-so" when you want to say that you can do something either badly nor very well?

texts:
What phrase and adverb is it correct and natural to use instead of so-so when you want to say that you can do something either badly nor very well? Can I say any of the following?

  I am averege at math.

  I can swim adequately.

  I can swim neither well nor badly.


texts:
There is the following sentence

  I thought we could sit under a tree and rest but I found that we ........ by many people around.

are watched
have been watching
were watching
were being watching

Which fills the blank correctly? (maybe none of them) why?
It was a quiz and the test book says the (b) is correct but I doubt.

Some other guesses by me:

were being watched
would have being watched
would being watched
might being watched
might have being watched

Which of these could fill the blank?


texts:
James knows is betrayed

In the example above, it seems "that he is" is omitted. Does this sentence mean "James knows that he is betrayed"?


texts:
In the sentence:

  "They wonder why music is being played so late at night - and in a museum at that."

what does "at that" mean, what role does it play here?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Cases of different pronunciation and word meaning in American and British English and its influence on the sense of humour

texts:
Spellings and pronunciations of some words in American and British versions of the English language sometimes don't coincide.Also, these versions have different meanings of some words( like the most well-known pants vs trousers, rubber vs condom, sidewalk vs pavement).So probably because of these differences American and British may misunderstand each other.
    I'm curious to know if there are some jokes where the tricky words of this kind are used?I mean if there are any jokes which belong to the British, but can't be understood by Americans, or belong to Americans but can't be understood by the British only because of different word meaning or different pronunciation, but could be understood by them if there were no these differences between the American and British versions?


texts: When should I use *for* before an object on the verb *pay*?

texts:
I thought pay is used in the form of pay X (person) for A (object). But I have also found the two sentences:

He is paying his invoice.
He has three loans to pay for his house.

So how can I know if I should use a proposition for before the object?


texts:
How to understand  the sentence "I know where he goes "?
In my opinion,there are two interpretationas of this sentence.
One translation is  I know the thing that he goes somewhere.In this case ,"where he goes " is used as an independent sentence.
A second is  I know the place that he goes to.In this case  "where she goes " is treated as a substative or noun.
What do you guys  think ?


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "could only be used"?

texts:
In my another post (What prepositions could be used to describe the position relevant to water?) I said

  "Under" could only be used with "water".

I meant that other prepositions, such as "below, underneath, beneath", could not be used with "water".

Does the quotation clearly convey what I was trying to say?

Is it idiomatic to use that expression?