texts: Meaning of "so divergent and even contradictory as to all but baffle definition"

texts:
I read the preface of Crime and Punishment by the Dostoyevsky, and I stumbled upon this sentence:

But besides that, these were novels of a new kind, their multiple planes so divergent and even contradictory as to all but baffle definition.

What does

"so divergent and even contradictory as to all but baffle definition."

mean ?
I understand that "multiple planes" means that his works were not clear and could have several hidden meanings.  But I completely don't understand the second part of the sentence.
A little more context:

A new form, a new plan captivated me and so I began over again. I’m working day and night, and for all that I’m not working very much. A novel is a work of poetry. In order to write it, one must have tranquility of spirit and of impression  …” A novel, at least a Dostoevsky novel, is a “work of poetry”— that is, a simultaneous composition on multiple planes— and the critics can therefore be forgiven their perplexity about where to take hold of it, since the first perplexity of criticism is that it must speak monosemantically of the polysemous.
But besides that, these were novels of a new kind, their multiple planes so divergent and even contradictory as to all but baffle definition. So much so that one line of criticism, rightly noting the dramatic technique and high seriousness of Dostoevsky’s writing, has called his late works “novel-tragedies,” while another, with equal rightness, finds their roots in Ménippean satire and a carnival sense of the world.


texts: How do you read "ten twenty a hundred thousand dollars" in this context?

texts:
A scene from The Lesson Of Her Death (1993) by Jeffery Deaver

"Three point six million," Sayles says slowly, and the discussion goes
round and round again. Sayles begins to understand something. These
men court clients and patients and chief executive officers who
routinely write them checks of ten twenty a hundred thousand
dollars.

What does "checks of ten twenty a hundred thousand dollars" mean?


texts: Meaning of "put (one's) finger on something"

texts:
What's the meaning of "put (one's) finger on something" in this sentence? What's the best summary of this text? What do you say if you want to sum it up in one or two sentences?

  A lot of readers, wanting to put their finger on why the affluent world they live in makes them so uneasy, will want to cheer.

Source: The sentence comes from the opening paragraph of a book review in The Guardian.


texts: "comes" or "comes around" once in every four years

texts:
My birthday comes once in every four years

or

  My birthday comes around once in every four years

Should I use around or not?


texts: Personal pronoun with a gerund or infinitive?

texts:
My father never approved _____ a foreigner.

    a. her to marry
   b. her marrying
   c. she marrying
   d. she not marry

Please answer the question with an explanation.


texts:
From the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

  would imagine, say, think, etc. (that)… used to give opinions that you
  are not certain about

  I would imagine the job will take about two days.

  I'd say he was about fifty.

Does it means you think so but you are not so sure?

Is it popular in everyday conversation?


texts: I thought it would have happened.- Is it a correct sentence?

texts:
"I thought it would have happened"

If it is a correct sentence, what kind of sentence it is? Is it Future Perfect sentence said in the past?

Please explain what does it means clearly as I am confused.


texts: chosen such that the horizons lie within the history , what is that the?

texts:
In https://peerj.com/preprints/3190.pdf section 4.3

  We use simulated historical forecasts (SHFs) by producing K forecasts
  at various cutoff points in the history, chosen such that the horizons
  lie within the history and the total error can be evaluated.

This sentence is very difficult to understand

chosen such , choose the horizon or the history, why use the past participle of choose ?
I can understand such horizons, that horizons, the horizons, they are same.  But what is such that the horizons ???   I know sentence like we could eat this such that we don't go hungry , but here it doesn't look like, because there is a chosen before such that which doesn't relate to previous sentence.
lie within the history ,  why use within here ?
Actually I don't understand what horizons stands for at here. I only know the meanings as below

the place in the distance where the earth and sky seem to meet:

[ U ] We watched the horizon as the sun set.

A person’s horizons are the limit of that person’s ideas, knowledge, and experience:

[ pl ] Spending her junior year abroad has broadened her horizons.


texts: Why is "it has yet to be found" used in the following text?

texts:
In What does "yet" mean in this sentence? the OP quoted the following sentence, together with another one.

  Finally, even if the scroll didn't point to real treasure, it has yet to be found.

Why is the sentence using "it has yet to be found" and not "it has not been found"?
Does the first phrase mean there are chances to find it, or that somebody is looking for what the scroll is pointing to?

Reading the other sentence, I would take there are few chances to find the treasure, except in the case somebody is able to understand which locations are described in the script.


texts: "But these are the exceptions rather than the rule" - could we omit the first definite article here?

texts:
From a New Yorker article:

  To be sure, there are mental disorders in which we know enough of the vectors to say that people who have them should not occupy certain positions. A person prone to delusions should probably not fly an airplane, and a pedophile should not teach children. But these are the exceptions rather than the rule. From all we know so far about Lubitz, he was not one of those severe cases but rather someone who was among the millions of people who once contemplated suicide and was being treated for a mood disorder.

Could we drop the before "exceptions":

  But these are exceptions rather than the rule.

It seemed to me that the use of the here indicates that the author believes the two mentioned exceptions to be the only exceptions. In line with this reasoning, if we drop the, it would mean that there might be further exceptions, beyond the two mentioned. There must be something wrong with this reasoning, since the author is a native speaker and he must've used the article properly.

P.S. What I mean is that we don't use the here:

  (At a market stall) "I want to buy something from you, and you have a nice choice of fruit here. Just look at these beauties! But these are apples rather than oranges, and I want oranges." (we don't say "but these are the apples)


texts:
They ....................... in Atlanta for more than ten years.

Should it be live or living?

Which one is correct and why?


texts:
What should I use? I want to say we give the name xx-prog to the program (that I already described.

  [...] and we name the program with xx-prog.

Or,

  [...] and we name the program xx-prog.


texts:
How do you rewrite this sentence to improve the dangling modifier and still sound natural.

After announcing his candidacy, the residents promised to support the official.


texts:
Which one is the correct one?

  Do you have any thought on this?

  Do you have any thoughts on this?

I've seen this post https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/134134/just-another-random-thoughts-thought that said 'thoughts' is plural. So, isn't the correct one should be the first one?

But then when I search it on Google Ngram, it seems that 'thoughts' is the correct one. Can someone enlight me, please?


texts: Difference between "I went to the toilet" and "I had gone to the toilet"

texts:
toI was in class room and wanted to go for toilet. So without taking permission of my teacher I went to toilet. When I returned, my teacher asked me Where did you go?. And I answered.

I went to toilet.

But after that one of my friend come to me said I should have used

I had gone to toilet.

So I explained him that had should be use when we talking about past of past, but here is only one past.
For this he said there are two past. i.e.
1)  You went to toilet and
2)  You returned to class.

So my question is which version of answer is correct here? Why?


texts: What is the meaning of this sentence "And I'll never take it for granted" in this song?

texts:
I'm studying English and I came across this new expression. I researched, but in Portuguese it has several different meanings, some of them even contradictory. So I'd like to know from the American perspective, what the idea of that phrase is. Here is the lyrics of the song (joe Inoue - Closer):

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it

And i'll never take it for granted

Let's go!

And the translations I've already found:

And I'll never get used to it.

And I'll never be satisfied.

And I'll never think this will ever be like this forever.

etc


texts:
I was looking for the correct formal and legal term that describes a company/firm with one employee.

I came across different terms: one-man business, one-person enterprise, sole proprietor--of which I was not able to determine the most appropriate one and the difference between these terms.


texts:
I wonder the meaning of “moved from the fringes of…” in the paragraph below, the translation (in Chinese) is like “he never lose his wealth…”, but I think it does not make sense in this context.

  For all his achievements in establishing a classical repertory for the
  English theatre, and glorifying the spoken tradition of English,
  Garrick, whose theatre was essentially a stage in which high culture
  was self-consciously reinvented and venerated, remained fairly
  peripheral to the key levers of power. So long as he conformed to the
  standards of respectability of his day and avoided scandal, he was
  accepted by polite society. But the welcome he received was
  conditional, and he never moved from the fringes of wealth, power
  and influence. Artistic licence was embroidered with the caveats of
  established power. The poverty and  neglect suffered by Mozart in
  Vienna demonstrated the fate of artists when the taint of scandal
  turned the Court against them.

  cited from Celebrity (Chris Rojek)


texts: Which tense to use when referring to the first ever incident/achievement?

texts:
I am asking a question: "Who is the first man to scale Mount Everest?" but my peer argues that it should be "Who was the first man to scale Mount Everest?".

To me, present tense makes more sense to me since Sir Edmund is still the first one to scale Everest no matter how much time will pass, he is the first.

So, should I use is or was?


texts: Can you mix "would" with present-tense verbs?

texts:
Is the following sentence acceptable?

  I would be excited to see what my father looks like and what kind of a
  person he is, but I would also be nervous about what he would think of me.

If not, would it have to be rewritten as so?

  I would be excited to see what my father looked like and what kind of
  a person he was, but I would also be nervous about what he would think of
  me.


texts: Will you find someone saying "at your convenience" annoying and impolite?

texts:
I was writing an invitation email to a female principal who has a higher social status. She is a busy woman, so I would like to ask her to arrange a time and place for a meeting instead.
Given that situation, (if you were the female principal), would you find someone saying "at your convenience" annoying and impolite?
(1). Please arrange a time and place to meet at your convenience.


texts:
It's from the 12th episode of the 2nd season of Breaking Bad. Here is the context:

So, what did you have? Girl or boy?
-Little girl.
-That's nice.
-Thanks.
-Congratulations.
Thank you.
-l have a daughter.
-Yeah?
How old?
Old enough to know better.
Twenty-seven next month.
You have other kids?
-Just the one.
I've got a 1 6-year-old boy. Well, he's almost 1 6.
Jeez. Oh, there's a spread, huh?
But he helps out, though.

Sure I've looked it up in this dictioanry, which is one of the best, but still I can't seem to figure out what it means there.


texts: Can the phrase "have got to know" have two meanings

texts:
Recently I have stumbled across a phrase

  mankind has got to know his limitations

but could not really understand it. I'm confused by "has got to know" and how I should distinguish some words here. As far as I understand this phrase can be either Present Perfect and mean roughly the same that

  got to know

does or using modal verb have got to that can be replaced by "must" and the whole phrase would mean

  must know

Am I right and this phrase actually has two meanings or I messed up something and it has only one (which one)?

By the way, in general case should I use "his" or "its" toward "mankind"?


texts: Which punctuation mark is most appropriate in the following sentence?

texts:
Which sentence with punctuation mark is correct?

Sentence 1:

  The lack of information regarding this matter is what has led me to
  make the objective of this investigation: to answer this question.

Sentence 2:

  The lack of information regarding this matter is what has led me to
  make the objective of this investigation to answer this question.

Sentence 3:

  The lack of information regarding this matter is what has led me to
  make the objective of this investigation - to answer this question.


texts: Meaning of "Second most beautiful if not the first"

texts:
Is that

  "Here is the second most beautiful place if not the first."

sentence a way of polite saying of "I think it's the most beautiful place"?

Or there actually exists the most beautiful place in another place?


texts: How to thank people who correct me on my incorrect pronunciation?

texts:
How to thank to people who correct me on my incorrect pronunciation?

Thank you for the correction.
Thank you for your attention

Someone told me in the past that it's not right to say correcting in this context. I would like to see your opinion about that and shape a constant comment.


texts:
I saw the sentence like this on the internet.

  I went to the kitchen, cooked for me.

Can I understand the meaning of this sentence like this?

  I went to the kitchen and I cooked for me.

Have I made a correct paraphrase?


texts:
Could we use 'COULD HAVE' for speculation in the past ? Are the examples below correct?

  In the very heart of Europe, Austria is a country which could have been created with activity holidays in mind.

  A source involved in the investigation says airline could have broken up at around 35000 feet.

  Though the drain was barely 2 feet deep, the water pressure could have pushed him into the reservoir


texts: "I would like to know and TO get some info" or I would like to know and get some info"

texts:
Should I add the preposition TO right after I already mentioned it first time in the sentence "I would like to..."

For example:

  "I would like to know and TO get some info"

Vs:

  or I would like to know and get some info"


texts: What does "where" mean in "co-operating with liberal or conservative parties where possible to survive the entire term"?

texts:
In their 2020-02-05 column, “Minority report: German politics”, The Economist writes:

  In the 1970s West Germany’s two main parties, one centre-left, one centre-right, together captured over 90% of the vote. Today they are among half a dozen competing for Germans’ support. Such fragmentation complicates the business of forming governments. Last October voters in the eastern state of Thuringia returned a particularly complex result, depriving the government led by Bodo Ramelow, regional head of the Left party, of a majority. His left-wing, three-party alliance won just 42 of 90 seats. But today Mr Ramelow hopes that the fractious new parliament will vote to re-conﬁrm him for a second term as the state’s minister-president anyway. Minority governments in Germany rarely last, so what Mr Ramelow hopes to do is unusual: co-operating with liberal or conservative parties where possible to survive the entire term. His ﬁrst test may be his biggest. The opposition has not ruled out working with him on a case-by-case basis, but they will oppose him today.

What does where refer to? How can we analyse the grammatical structure of that sentence, particularly the portion I have indicated in bold?


texts: "Pre-reserve" to express retaining something in advance

texts:
Reserve means to retain something and to keep something for a particular purpose or time.

I want to use reserve but with the meaning of retaining something initially/in advance/before the time.

As prepaid, for example, in which you usually pay for something, but here, you pay in advance for that thing.

I wonder if there is no such thing as "pre-reserve" since Google showed no result of it. I think this is because "reserve" has the retaining in advance implicitly, but as we use this term in my language, I want to know if there is a one in English.

For example, I say: "In order to get an appointment at the salon, I should make a reservation ahead in time." After a while, I would say: "Okay, so we made a reservation, now we only need to wait."

The example is to state the difference in my point of view between the two. I would substitute "reservation ahead in time" with "pre-reserve" if it exists.


texts: Use of "the" - I think [the] tiger is one of the most impressive creatures

texts:
I think the tiger is one of the most impressive creatures.

I read this sentence here and wondering why "the" is used in the sentence. I think it is not any of these situations. I don't think the author is talking about that particular tiger either. Is this a mistake?


texts: A "Whoever vs Whomever" usage puzzling example

texts:
In her famous Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation and at the grammarbook.com site, Jane Straus gives the following examples and brief explanations of the use of whoever and whomever:

  1.Give it to whoever/whomever asks for it first.

  He asks for it first. Therefore, whoever is correct.

  2.We will hire whoever/whomever you recommend.

  You recommend him. Therefore, whomever is correct.

  3.We will hire whoever/whomever is most qualified.

  He is most qualified. Therefore, whoever is correct.

On reading this, I tried to come up with more complicated  situations, and here is the one which puzzled me:

  My dad said: Give the money to whoever/whomever who  you are sure
  can't get by without it.

My speculation: My next door neighbors need the money badly and I'm sure they can't get by without it. So I give it to them. Therefore, whomever is correct.

  My dad said: Give the money to  whoever/whomever who you are sure
  can't get by without it.

My speculation:They need the money badly, and I'm sure that it's "they" who can't get by without it. So I give the money to those who can't get by without it. Therefore, whoever is correct.

But can it really be that the both sentences are correct? I doubt that. There must be a flaw in my speculations. Where is it?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.


texts: what does "within the next year" mean? and this accuracy will be greater than 90% in the end of 2017?

texts:
"Quadmetrics Inc. says it can predict with greater than 90% accuracy the likelihood that a company will be breached within the next year."

the text above is from WSJ (Cybersecurity Startup QuadMetrics Calculates Odds a Company Will be Breached http://on.wsj.com/1PpsXfb).
I red it and I thought that text said 'that company's technology can predict with greater than 90% accuracy the likelihood now and it can predict the likelihood that a company will be breached over the next year'

it can predict within the next year or a company will be breached within the next year?

my co-worker said to me " it can't predict with greater than 90% accuracy right now and it will be able to predict with greater than 90% accuracy inside 2017. so it says quadmetrics target the development of this technology inside 2017."

I don't think so...
could you please help me and teach me what does the text say?


texts:
The phrase "push the narrative along" appears in one film review in "The Guardian". What does it mean?

The whole sentence is:

  At 2hrs 20 mins (the length of the film), it's also far too long, ...,
  percussive score helps to push the narrative along.


texts: ‘tell a story’ or ‘tell the story’ in a single sentence

texts:
The single sentence:

  The novel tells the story of a salesman.

Can I say:

  The novel tells a story of a salesman?

I chose a story, but the answer is the story.


texts:
An older man came in the door.

Is it natural to use "older" about someone without comparing his age to someone else? If yes, would it be interchangeable with "old"?


texts: A triangular prism? What else its shape could be?

texts:
Looking at this question, first, I thought for a while about redundancy. A triangular prism. I searched on Wikipedia for the terms prism that says At least two of the flat surfaces must have an angle between them. (means triangle, isn't it? and triangular prism that says a three-sided prism.

In addition, I searched Google Images with triangle prism and prism. Most of them were triangle!

Of course, the latter one talks about geometry but still, a triangular prism? Why simply not say prism and it includes its shape i.e. triangle! Fun is, I searched for round prism and rectangle prism - both have results! Google is great!


texts: i would like to know how to make active voice

texts:
What would be the active voice of below mentioned sentence.

  "India is known as peace loving country"


texts: Meaning of "taught us only by a broken heart" in "The Negro's Complaint" by William Cowper

texts:
From The Negro's Complaint by William Cowper:

  By our blood in Afric wasted,
    Ere our necks received the chain;
  By the miseries that we tasted,
    Crossing in our barks the main;
  By our sufferings, since ye brought us
    To the man-degrading mart,
  All sustain'd by patience, taught us
    Only by a broken heart;

  Deem our nation brutes no longer,
    Till some reason ye shall find
  Worthier of regard, and stronger
    Than the colour of our kind.
  Slaves of gold, whose sordid dealings
    Tarnish all your boasted powers,
  Prove that you have human feelings,
    Ere you proudly question ours!

I don't understand the meaning of the bolded phrase. Who taught whom?

A broken heart taught the slaves? This sounds odd.

I can't come up with any explanation. I would vaguely understand "taught us only of a broken heart" (these sufferings taught us to have a broken heart). But this by leaves me baffled.


texts: Prepositional complement (two - part question)

texts:
In grammar, a subject complement follows a copular and describes the subject of a clause. Although nouns, pronouns and noun phrases most frequently perform the function, prepositional phrases can also function in the say way.

1) Can a prepositional phrase beginning (or ending)  with 'to' follow a copular to indicate directions? If so, under what circumstances? For example, I don't believe it is grammatically sound to ask:

Which train is to the city? (to ask for the train that will going in the direction of the city)

or

Is this letter to John?

or

Where are you to? (wouldn't be correct without 'off' before the 'to')

If they are indeed ungrammatical, why so? Why does 'to' strictly need a verb before it when 'from' doesn't despite their falling under the same category of words?

2) Whether the usage of prepositional phrases as subject complement is acceptable can greatly vary depending on the context. For example, it's perfectly grammatical to say:

I am on all fours looking for my keys.

But what if the verb "BE" is behaving as a lexical verb, taking do-support in a present-tense negative construction?

"Don't be on all fours, the ground is really dirty," said...

Is it still correct? If not, is there any way can I rephrase it without adding implications? Another example:

"Don't be in this room!"

Many thanks in advance for answering.


texts: What does "I don't trust you because you are honest" mean?

texts:
When I first saw this sentense I thought it's very weird -- in my understanding of it, it means

  You are honest, so I don't trust you.

Isn't this illogical?
But someone said it actually means (why?)

  I trust you, and it isn't because you're honest.

My understanding of the implication (is that correct?):

  I don't think you're honest, but I trust you.

Similar example:

  I don't love you because who you are


texts: is it correct to use her in this sentence or should I use she?

texts:
Which one is right?

like her being cleared.

like she being cleared.


texts: I was looking for an adjective for the verb 'hesitate' but it seems that there is not one. However, I find some people using the word 'hesitative' so is it actually a word?


texts:
I am facing this

  Try to duplicate the problem yourself.

But normally we use reproduce in place of duplicate.

Here http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/duplicate there is no synonym like reproduce.

So my question  isTry to reproduce the problem yourself. a correct sentence?

And why do  reproduce is not marked as a synonym for duplicate?


texts: When a relative pronoun has two possible antecedents, how do you choose the right one?

texts:
In this sentence, "someone like you who is..." , 'someone' is the antecedent of relative pronoun, 'who' .
But can you explain why 'you' cannot be the antecedent of the relative pronoun, 'who' ?


texts: Do finite verbs *usually* or *always* agree with their subjects?

texts:
Which affirmation is correct?

  A finite verb usually agrees with its subject.
  A finite verb always agrees with its subject.

Can we talk of a verb disagreement in English?


texts: What is the correct word for "Semangat" in English?

texts:
I have this word in my native language, "Semangat", that roughly means "have a spiritful, productive, enthusiastic mood", which I usually pair that word with "Lagu" (means "song") in Google, and it will return me upbeat, joyful, and lively songs which brighten your mood, probably such as "The Magnificent Seven" or "Dancing Queen".

If I have to translate it literally, I think the closest word that "Semangat" can be translated is "Fueled and burning". When using translator, usually the translator translate the word "Semangat" into "Spirit". But "Spirit" also means soul or ghost, so when I searched for Spirit song, I usually get something like New Age-y kind of songs or horror songs, which is not what I'm looking for.

If I'm going to find an upbeat song, I can put in the search query "upbeat song". But that is a very localized translation of "Semangat" in music, which cannot be used in other cases. "Have an upbeat day!" sounds a little bit off. And "Lagu Semangat" doesn't directly equals to upbeat songs. Dancing Queen is an example of an upbeat song. But a song can be not upbeat and still can brighten your mood and makes you more lively anyway (such as that The Magnificent Seven song).

What is the word that can express "Semangat" in English daily language?


texts: Are there pronouns missing: "such as are"?

texts:
In particular,
  the rights provided for under Arts 8, 9, 10 and 11 are subject to legal restrictions
  such as ♦ are:

    . . . necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or
    public safety

Shouldn't there be pronouns at ♦ (my own addition), like "those that"? If not, how and why not?
Are there any grammatical terms that describe the issues here?

Source: p 47, The English Legal System 2012-2013, Gary Slapper


texts: What does the preposition ‘with’ mean in this sentence?

texts:
South African track star Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail over the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The decision was made after a four-day hearing, with the magistrate ruling the prosecution had not made a strong enough case that Pistorius would try to flee the country. He’ll next face court on June the fourth. (ABC News)

What does the preposition ‘with’ mean? : 1. In the company of; accompanying, or 19. As a result or consequence of, or something else?


texts: What does this complicated sentence mean?

texts:
What does this sentence mean?

  The houses for ordinary people aren't built of such material as is the King's house.

I don't understand this structure, especially as.


texts: is there any term given to people who like smoking?

texts:
Is it called smoker?

I just have done a google search with this:

term to people who like smoking


texts:
I have seen sentence structures like the following:

  Once opened, the chicken broth is good for 2 days.

My two questions:

what tense should be used after once? past, or the past participle? So, which one is correct:

  Once drunk, the bottle should be disposed of properly.

or

  Once drank, the bottle should be disposed of properly.

?

Can such a sentence structure be used in formal contexts?


texts: May "since" be used with simple past verbs?

texts:
Let's say there are two players A and B, both of them used to be team-mates and are retired now.

In the given context, is the use of "since" correct here?

  Both A and B played against each other 6 times since they got separated in the year 2006, and player B dominated those games winning 75% of those.

I want to know whether "since" is correct here. I have seen "since" being used in present perfect tense, as in They have met each other 6 times since player B signed for team C.


texts: "Too right it has," meaning in this context

texts:
The hat became motionless once more; applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time in Harry's memory, with muttering and whispers. All across the Great Hall students were exchanging remarks with their neighbors, and Harry, clapping along with everyone else, knew exactly what they were talking about.

  "Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" said Ron, his eyebrows raised.

  "Too right it has," said Harry.

  The Sorting Hat usually confined itself to describing the different qualities looked for by each of the four Hogwarts houses and its own role in Sorting them. ...

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I don't quite understand "Too right it has" both semantically and grammatically. Is it an idiom? I guess it means: the hat is too right. But it should be written as: "too right it is" instead. How should we understand it here?


texts: I have been programming in Python for a few months already, but understanding errors is still not evident, maybe because I have never taken care of it too much. I would like to know exactly what most recent call last means. I understand what most recent call means, but the last at the end is a bit confusing. Of course I have intuitions, but if someone explains this sentence in detail, it could be clearer also for other non native English speakers' programmers.


texts: "proved a much lengthier task" or "was proved TO BE a much lengthier task"?

texts:
But, though Æthelbert, king of Kent, was duly converted to Christianity and Augustine was soon able to establish the seat of his bishopric at Canterbury, the permanent establishment of Christianity throughout England proved a much lengthier task and one which required the active intervention of Celtic missionaries from Ireland and Scotland.
 Book- David Daiches, A critical history of English literature
Pg. No. 6.

I think it should be:

The permanent establishment of Christianity was proved a much lengthier task.

or

The permanent establishment of Christianity was proved to be a much lengthier task.

But in the book it is written "the permanent establishment of Christianity throughout England proved a much lengthier task..."
Is this correct, only writing 'proved'?


texts: If + have + past particle, ...may have + past participle

texts:
Please consider:

If you have ever been woken up before sunrise by the trilling and chirping of birds outside your window, you may have wondered: why do birds sing so loud, so early in the morning?

I can’t find anything in grammar books talking about the above sentence pattern. Does it belong to the Zeroth, the First, the Second, or to the Third Conditional (see here)?


texts:
I have a question about the usage of the phrase "in detail".  Most dictionary definition give example usages of "in detail" like these:

  He explained the theory in detail.
  They discussed the matter in detail.
  They talked about the issues in detail.

, where the contexts appear to be production of information.

But, then there is this wiki article:

  U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said that he had been briefed by the special agent in charge of the Portland FBI field office and said that federal, state, and local law enforcement were monitoring the situation in detail.

"Monitoring a situation" is not quite the same type of context as "explain the theory" or "discuss a matter" or "talk about issues".  So, is the usage in the wikipedia article wrong?


texts:
I was trying to figure out how to say something like "|undim| the light" in the meaning of "restore the previous amount of light" as an opposite of "dim the light" but have no idea what word or phrase I should use.

I was thinking of "brighten" but it implies a different feel to the phrase, something like "make it brighter than it is now".

The dictionaries give so many antonyms to dim and its synonyms (like dull, faint, darken, subdue) that makes it even harder to choose.


texts: Using of article 'the ' before profession

texts:
I am studying English language. I have read a rule that there must be used article 'a/an' before profession. This rule is written, for example, this blog post says, "You'll see that English puts an indefinite article in front of a profession but German doesn’t." But I think that this rule is not working if I mention profession second, third time. For example I think I could say something next:

Our teacher of english language said that we need to use articles. The teacher said talked about differences between two types of articles.

The question is: is it okay to use 'the' in second mention. And second question: may I say article 'a' before teacher in the second sentence from example.


texts: Whether I can use the clause as a subject

texts:
From the grammatical point of view, it is correct to use clause as a subject within sentence  ?

*I have done that task * made him upset.

I was very tired- made him surprised.


texts:
What does "lock up the longhairs" mean in anti Vietnam war 1968 protest context?
Context: The Chicago Seven, a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.


texts: Can I use two identical pronouns to indicate different people or stuff in one sentence?

texts:
For instance, I would like to speak as follows:

  The black ants like to eat the liquid produced by aphids. In order to
  earn their own livings, the black ants help guard and feed
  their young. As a result, they can take them as a reliable source of food.

Can I say that if I do not create any ambiguity?


texts: How to show that a countable noun can be both singular or plural?

texts:
There are times when you don't know how much of something there'll be. There can be

only one of that thing, OR
many of that thing.

The number isn't fixed. For example:

  The officer/officers who had a hand in this robbery has/have not been found out yet. Police investigation is ongoing.

  The student/students, a teacher is going to assist, attend/attends the ceremony with that teacher.

Writing like this can be strenuous and time-consuming. Is there a standard way to deal with this?
And moreover, there's also the trouble with the verb that directly follows it. What should the be verb be — singular or plural? Note that I've avoided this issue in my examples.

Note: I don't know exactly what tags to use. If you edit, please add some explanation as to why you chose or removed a particular tag (...or tags).


texts:
My research is on Italian settlers to the countries of East Asia . I, however, don't intent comparing between the conditions of these people having  emigrated with their own condition in their country before emigrating.

By the bold part I mean after the people emigrated . Would you please correct me?


texts: Usage of the indefinite article with numbers

texts:
The indefinite article is generally not used with numbers, but sometimes it is. Here is an example:

  The gymnast had one of the highest scores of the Olympics with a 7.600 on floor exercise.

Why is 'a' used there before the score?


texts:
In the sentence below:

  Artifacts represent how people live in the past

Or

  Artifacts represent how people lived in the past

When the "people" in the sentence are already dead, which verb tense is the correct to use?


texts: Why do some words end with -or and others with -er or -ar?

texts:
Some words end with -or:

  Resistor
  Capacitor
  Transistor

Others end with -er:

  Compiler
  Driver
  Speaker

Or with -ar:

  Beggar
  Liar

Why is this the case? Is there a way to determine which should be used for an arbitrary word?


texts: Use of the indefinite article with the object of a preposition

texts:
Here are some examples of prepositional phrases:

for better education
for better healthcare
for better security
for a better life

Is is right to use a in the last case?


texts:
Are the following sentences correct?

  He just got up. -- Can I say this, informally?
  He just waked up.


texts: full-time to modify a verb such as "study" or "work"

texts:
It is thought that people under 18 should be obligated to full-time study their school subjects.

I wonder whether the above sentence is grammatically correct and natural because usually I see native English speaker use full-time as adjective not adverb like this:
Most children in the UK remain in full-time education until they are at least 16 years old.


texts:
I've looked into COCA for citations of "problem asking for" and "problem with asking for", and I found references to both. But I have a feeling that one is more common that the other or one is more informal than the other, so which is which?

  Example: I don't have a problem [with] asking for help from specific
  people.


texts:
Grin is to smile from ear to ear (widely).  Please let me know the word which is used to define a little grin?

If this is Grin,

then what do we call this?


texts:
As nouns, are there any specifics situations for the use of each one? Or do they have the same meaning in all cases?

  The wait is over.

  The waiting is over.


texts: A typo or right expression :must of taken his own advice?

texts:
The sentences here

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4135594-fannie-freddie-legislation-sounds-intractable

      Corker came to Congress w/o a pot to piss in & is leaving worth $56,000,000. He must of taken his own advice to short Fannie & Freddie. I wish I had.

He must of taken his own advice to short Fannie & Freddie.
How to understand of taken his own advice ?
A typo or right expression ?


texts: It's a small world and no error! (an exclamation of surprise) - what does "no error" mean?

texts:
In the movie "In Which We Serve", a sailor strucks an acquaintance with a girl on a train and a short while after asks his father how did he get to know his future wife. The father replies that he met her on a train. The sailor says:

  Well, it's a small world, and no error!

That seemed like a set expression of surprise, but I found only one other instance here.

I wonder what the words "no error" could mean. Do they mean "indeed", "no doubt about it", that is, about the fact that it's a small world?


texts: Unit will not power on or Unit is not power on

texts:
I am facing this: Unit will not power on.
As I understand it means that certain device we cannot put to working state if we can try to do it right now.

So why do we cannot use  Present Time and say

Unit is not power on.

Any clue?


texts:
Why is "having" written? And not "to have"

I was so close to having a perfect activity week on my Apple Watch.


texts: "Being industrious" vs. "industriousness"

texts:
From here:

  Despite my industriousness, the professor only considered the scores of my final exam.

a:Despite the fact that I was being industrious, the professor only considered the scores of my final exam.

b:Despite my being industrious, the professor only considered the scores of my final exam.
Which one is more natural? Is there any difference between those?

Now, would you  show me what is the difference between a and b?

Many thanks


texts:
What do the terms "science" and "the sciences" refer to: the natural sciences (physics, biology, ...) only or also all scholarly disciplines in general (including, e.g. psychology and sociology)?
I thought these terms can refer to all disciplines (depending on the context), at the very least, this meaning is not completely ruled out. This is also what I gather from some online dictionaries.
But yesterday I was told (by a non-native speaker) that "using the term 'science' for anything other than the natural sciences is bad english". Is that true?


texts: What is the real name of a "parrot clock"

texts:
Some twenty, thirty years ago every family had that kind of clock with a mechanical parrot inside, and every time on the hour the door to its nest would open, then the parrot would come out and go "tweet, tweet, tweet". Sometimes it would be a couple dancing to the music.

I had thought that it might be called a "parrot clock", but when I searched that on google all I got is regular desk clocks with parrot pictures on their faces. So what is it really called? Thanks!


texts: which one is right? which one is not passive? what is these difference?

texts:
Which one is right? and what is their differences?
And, what is your reason?

How has the meaning changed?
How has the meaning been changed?


texts: Is there anything wrong with this question? "What mark have you got for your English?"

texts:
Is there anything wrong with this question?
"What grade/mark have you got for your English?"
And the answer: "I've got an A".
I would like to know a none American point of view as well because, as far as I know, the constructions with "have got" are more popular in other kinds of English.
Here's two almost identical stories found in one old Soviet textbook. An earlier and a later editions respectively. A small remark: kids in Russia receive their grades ranging from 2 to 5.

Following this text there are phrases related to it and one of them is "What mark have you got for your English? I've got a four"


texts:
In The Lego Batman Movie, computer say this words to Batman:

  Computer: You also have beautiful abs, sir.

  Batman: That's my cross to bear.

Google says it is English Idiom, but meaning of it confusing in this sentence.


texts: Does "its" relate to the old generation or the new generation in this sentence?

texts:
At the same time, people will not retire at sixty-five and will not make way for the new generation with its novel ideas and aspirations.

Does its relate to the old generation or the new generation? What do I say if I want its to mean the opposite?


texts:
Could someone please tell me what we call a football(soccer) player who doesn't pass the ball and ignores other players at good positions.

I think about  "Soloist" but I am not sure if it works for sport too.


texts: Making a sentence using Present Perfect and Passive

texts:
Is it wrong saying: "Have that been + (verb in past participle)"

For example: Have that been shown. Also, is it formal or not?

Thanks

EDIT
Let me give you some context: I am doing a math paper (for college) in which I present a formula and then, so as to get some results, I must refer back to it. Since then, I would not like to say: "Now, let's use the formula above so that achieve the further results." I would rather write in a fancier way, using, if possible, presente perfect and/or passive.


texts:
I know does it taste good is grammatically correct. But is is it good correct?
Both are in reference to food.
I keep hearing people using the second, especially in American TV shows.


texts: Stress in a sentence. Is "some" a determiner in "Get some sleep"?

texts: As far as I know determiners are not stressed as long as we don't need special emphasis. Am I right? If we don't need special emphasis we only stress the content words "get" and "sleep". Am I right?


texts: "work your way up to becoming a director" — "becoming" but not "to become"?

texts:
work your way up to becoming a director

Why we use becoming but not to become ?


texts: From when to when/what time to what time?

texts:
Is 'from when to when?' or 'from what time to what time?' proper/natural English? Would their usage come up in a conversation between native speakers as a super concise way of asking when something starts and when it will end?  For example:

A: I will be going away on a holiday to Paris.

B: Oh that's nice. From when to when?

If it's not idiomatic, how else I can express the same query without being too wordy? What are some alternative phrases, both formal and informal?

Many thanks in advance.


texts: Can a clause be parenthetical and belong to an independent clause at the same time (if you change the punctuation)?

texts:
This is hard to explain, so I'll show an example:

  (a) You should do your home work and, if you have more extra time, you should also prepare for exams.

In this case, "if you have more extra time" is the parenthetical clause. If you remove it, the sentence still makes sense:

  (b) You should do your home work and you should also prepare for exams.

We could also write the sentence like this (note the "and" is inside the parenthetical):

  (c) You should do your home work, and if you have more extra time, you should also prepare
  for exams.

This time, we have two complete sentence:

  (d1) You should do your home work.

  (d2) If you have more extra time, you should also prepare for exams.

(I'm sure there are better examples. But I just came up with a quick one to illustrate.)

So in this case, "if you have more extra time" can be both a parenthetical clause and belong to an independent clause (complete sentence). Am I right?


texts: What does "He is a ruin of his former self" mean?

texts:
ruin

  b. One that has been extensively damaged or harmed: He is a ruin of
  his former self.

I came across this sentence under the definition of the word 'ruin' in the free dictionary. I don't quite understand what it means. Does it mean: he has been ruined once before or something?


texts: Using 'as if': grammatically & to make a realistic guess

texts:
I've searched the relevent questions but they didn't include what I was looking for.

I have two questions about 'as if'. Q 1 is about grammar and Q 2 is about meaning.

Q 1: I know we use 'as if' when we want to say 'as would be the case if'. For example we say, "she behaves as if she wasn't here" to mean she acts in a way that makes you think she was'nt here, but we know that she's really here right now.

If we want to talk about the same situation but in the past, should we go one more tense back or not? Which sentence is right?

She behaved as if she hadn't been here.

She behaved as if she wasn't here.

Q 2: can we use 'as if' when we want to make a strong guess about what we infer is true? (You see in the first example above she is really here, but she makes you think she wasn't here. But here I intend to make a realistic inference)

For example, we see friend 1 and he seems to be sleepy so we infer that he might not have got enough sleep last night. So when we see friend 2 we share what we think must be true about friend 1. Can we say:

'he looked as if he didn't get (hadn't got) enough sleep.'

I put the bracket in my example because I'm not sure which one is gramatically correct (the problem I put in Q 1)


texts: Should there be a space between [year] and BC?

texts:
This question is only about a whitespace between [year] and "BC".

Do you write

  He was born in 123BC.

or

  He was born in 123 BC.

?


texts: Is it okay to take subject common and maintain parallelism?

texts:
I was wondering if it is okay to take the subject common from a sentence and if the parallelism would be maintained. e.g.,
I went to the party and I had whiskey in the party.

is converted to
I went to the party and had whiskey in the party.

Is the sentence 2 correct and are such formations correct?


texts:
Is the usage "I wasn't meant to do" correct when we speak about something we didn't plan to do? What if the action didn't happen?

Hey, don't touch that bottle.
I wasn't meant to touch it.


texts: What are the connotations of the word 'disorder' for a native speaker?

texts:
What connotations does the word disorder have for a native speaker? Does it sound very negative or rather neutral?

It's still better to describe phenomena such as ADHD as mental illness, but it still sounds too negative to me.


texts:
I came across the following definition:

  To levy a fine - to commence and carry on a suit for assuring the
  title to land or tenements.

But I've always thought it means something like is that you have to pay some money as a punishment, to avoid being jailed. What is the use case of it with this definition?


texts:
What does "with" mean in this sentence:

  You should not have bitten more than you can chew with this project.

Can we use "in" or "because of" instead of "with" in the mentioned sentence?


texts:
As the terrorist walked off, whispers started among the hostages.
As the terrorist walked off, the hostages started whispering.

Are "whispers" and "whispering" used correctly in the two sentences?

Do they mean approximately the same?

Which one of the sentences would be more common? Does one sound more formal than the other?


texts:
Dean Sir recommended to invite the above-distinguished dignitaries.

or

  Dean sir recommended inviting the above-distinguished dignitaries.

I am getting confused. Most people use the first sentence. However, spell and grammar check tools suggest the opposite. Would you be kind enough to clear my doubt?

Note: Is it inviting or to invite?


texts:
While locust swarms continue to plague African countries, for now, the outbreak has tapered down in India with swarms headed back towards Sindh and Balochistan.

I think here headed is grammatically wrong as the sentence is framed in the present tense so heading should be used


texts:
I didn't know what was going on the second room.
I didn't know what has been going on the second room.


texts:
Does "convert myself to mathematics" make sense? For example,

  My major was not mathematics. I study very hard to convert myself to mathematics.

What would you say instead?

Thanks!


texts: "Do you know that they gave their wedding guests love spoons with their initials CARVING on them?" in this sentence 'carving' is right?

texts:
"Do you know that they gave their wedding guests love spoons with their initials carving on them?" in this sentence is 'carving' right in grammar?

In this sentence I(non-native speaker) think 'carving' is wrong. Isn't it right 'carved' instead of 'carving'? Their initial can't carve itself so initial should be written in passive voice as 'carved'. Am I wrong?

I and we(my friends) think 'carving' should be changed 'carved'.
I anticipate you native speaker's kind answer.

thanks.


texts: Is "from under the table" correct with two prepositions?

texts:
While trying to collect  an envelope
  from under the table,
  Mr. X fell down  and
  was losing consciousness.

Which of the above bold parts is wrong?

I think that #2 (“from under the table”) is wrong, since it has two prepositions together. Am I right?


texts: Smart/casual dress is encouraged with longs/shoes a must : What is "longs"?

texts:
A community-edited travel guide about Colombo (Sri Lanka) has this paragraph:

  Most nightclubs may charge admission and smart/casual dress is encouraged with longs/shoes a must.

What does "longs" mean here?

Online dictionaries I tried did not have the term.


texts: What does the phrase "tool manufacture and food for your livestock" mean here?

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of the phrase "tool manufacture and food for your livestock" in the following sentence (not available online) from the description of the game "Family Island":

Soon you will find yourself industrialising your proto-settlement,
building machines for weaving, tool manufacture and food for your
livestock.

I am wondering if the sentence above is incomplete.
Thank you for your time.


texts: The more precisely - An Adverb Phrase? And its function?

texts:
I am reading Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer where I found the following sentence:

He spat into the fire, the more precisely to express his opinion of the child's parentage.

Is "the more precisely" an Adverb Phrase? And what is its function? Is it to modify the non-finite infinitive clause - "to express his opinion of the child's parentage".
And the structure of the Adverb Phrase? Is it - the head (precisely) and modifier, a Determinative Phrase (the more)?


texts:
Why prove (and not proves)?

  Philosophicus, whether or not it prove to give the ultimate truth on the matters with which it deals, certainly deserves, by its breadth and scope and profundity, to be considered an important event in the philosophical world.

  Bertrand Russell, Introduction to Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus , London, Kegan Paul, 1922


texts:
What is the meaning of ends meet in this context

  Hi,

  This email is to inform you that your application has been rejected.
  As the Test scores were not enough. However, we wish you all success
  in all your future endeavors.

  If ends meet we would look forward to working with you in the near
  future.

Thank you.


texts: What does "You two wander off more than my stepson's left eye" mean?

texts:
I came across this sentence in the TV-series 2 Broke Girls, S06E13 00:12:48. But I don't get it.

And the context is:

  "Here you are. You two wander off more than my stepson's left eye. You're late for your scene."


texts:
https://youtu.be/ZwJPES-akPw?t=77

  "I want to have big muscles. I understand that having big muscles will be good social currency for me, and women might find it attractive."

This is what some people who're against veganism say. (Because people think protein's necessary to make muscles, and thus we need to have meat which has proteins.)

I looked it up online, and it says social currency is "the actual and potential resources from presence in social networks and communities, including both digital and offline" and it seems related to money and business?

But I still don't get what it means and why it's used here.


texts:
When you're seeking to know in how long from now someone will complete an activity, can you say "How long will you be?"

And what's your recommended phrase if this is incorrect?


texts: Can the auxiliary verbs be optional sometimes?

texts:
His son was smart and his daughter intelligent.

  His son was smart and his daughter was intelligent.

  This website has been shut down and its name turned over by court order.

  This website has been shut down and its name has been turned over by court order.

I often see the first kind of sentences in both the examples used very often. Aren't these sentences should be like the second statements of these examples?


texts: epithet vs teknonymy... which one is correct?

texts: What is difference between 'epithet' and 'Teknonymy'? Are they same? Which one of the two relates to ancestors? The name with which one is known but that name is of one of his children, what do we call this in English? e.g. Arabic name: Abu Abdullah. Abdullah is the name of the son of the man who is known as Abu Abdullah.


texts:
What is the difference between:

  There is a banana there.

and

  There is one banana there.

In both sentences it seems that the meaning is the same, if "one banana" equals to "a banana".


texts: Is the word "fit" a noun in this sentence?

texts:
He hadn't told either Phoebe or Deidre about his daughter. The child wasn't precisely a secret. She simply didn't visit often. The public had seen fit to ignore her existence in the long ago scandal, and Calder supposed he’d simply become used to being about Meggie.
  (Celeste Bradley, The Duke Next Door)

The word fit seems like a noun functioning as the complement of seen. Dictionaries say that fit takes an article when used as a noun, so I'm not sure if the word is really used as a noun in the above example.

Is it a noun?


texts:
'Twould have done your heart good, Mus' Springett,  to see the two
  hundred of us masons, jewellers, carvers, gilders, iron-workers and
  the rest--all toiling like cock-angels, and this mad Italian
  hornet fleeing one to next up and down the chapel. Done your heart
  good, it would!'

This is from "Rewards and Fairies"/"The Wrong Thing"
by Kipling.

http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/digi300.pdf

I do not understand what "cock-angels" means.

The Note of Kipling Society Web says;

cock-angels perhaps to be glossed from OED:

http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/rg_wrongthing1.htm

What does it mean?

I am glad if someone kindly teach me.


texts:
The below sentence is from Longman dictionary, used to explain the usage of 'go on'. My question is whether the latter speaker agrees to have another drink or not.

  go on: used when you are agreeing to do something or giving permission for something.

  'Are you sure you won't have another drink?'
  'Oh, go on then.'


texts: Why is "'deep' rural poverty" correct here? in one of the sample questions of GRE exam

texts:
When Americans imagine communities with dilapidated homes, barefoot children, and starving adults, they might picture Third World countries. But over 23 million U.S. residents live in __________ rural poverty.
  A. pitiable
   B. utter
   C. deep

I think that all items are correct, mostly A. But I found that the correct answer is C. It seems that all synonyms of "utter" should also be correct, like "abject", etc.


texts:
I worked  at Budd Manufacturing where they made auto body parts. It was slave pit, a real butcher shop. They had no decent safety standards...  In desperation for a job, I went walking down Girard Avenue among (the real butcher companies). I saw a black guy lugging hindquarters and loading them onto a truck for Swift's meat company.

Did the real bucher companies sell meat or were their job dangerous to do like Budd Manufacturing?


texts:
For example suppose in describing an application I say

  The user clicks on the "Try again" button and then...

Could I say sometimes

  The user clicks on the "Try again" and then ..

What this action is called, is there any rule to be considered in such cases?


texts: If a clause/sentence doesn't have a verb/predicate, is it grammatical?

texts:
I heard a sentence from BBC:

  So, quite a few different meanings there to contend with, but I hope this helps you to identify which word you might use.

In the first clause (before "but"), there's no verb/predicate. Is it grammatical?

The context is quite simple. It's a BBC English-learning program teaching "behind" & "beyond". I'm using it as an intensive listening material.

The sentence is the last one of the article.

A relative question: Is it better to use the same form of verbs in one sentence?

Later I heard another sentence from BBC:

  First of all, to make the difference between 'under' and 'below'.

Is an infinitive enough?

The context is an essay teaching "under", "below" & "beneath" by BBC.


texts: Meaning of a phrase used by D.H. Lawrence

texts:
Since English is not my mother tongue, I have the problem to understand a phrase used by D. H. Lawrence in essay on Crèvecœur, published in his Studies of Classic American Literature.

I will quote that phrase and a few sentences that come before, because the phrase, it seems to me, refer to it:

    There must be in their (the Indians') social bond something singularly captivating, and far superior to anything to be boasted of among us; for thousands of Europeans are Indians, and we have no examples of even one of those Aborigines having from choice be- come Europeans ...

  Our cat and another, Hector.

The phrase in question is bolded one. I suppose that "cat" is a slang for the "man" or "woman fond of gossip", but I do not understand to what "cat" refer in this case, or, better, who is that "cat" (writer, perhaps?), since "another" is Hector. Does "cat" and "Hector" refer (at all) to Indians, or Europeans?


texts: Procedure for assay of chemicals X and Y - or - Procedure for assaying chemicals X and Y

texts:
A sentence from a document describing the contents of a pharmaceutical tablet and the prodecure helping to determine whether a tablet has the proper content:

The procedure for assaying ethinyl estradiol and chlormadinone is described in the Assay section.
The procedure for assay of ethinyl estradiol and chlormadinone is described in the Assay section.

Which of the two looks more natural? I've found the "for assay of" combination while googling on the topic.


texts: The meaning of the quote: “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together"

texts:
I was in search of the usage I'm he or I'm him and came across a quote that spun my head further!

  “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together - John Lennon

What does it mean?

Also, no commas at all? Is this quote even punctually correct?


texts: A number of rules also govern attributes exist - please, help me understand that grammatically

texts:
The way you style your attribute names should be consistent with the one chosen for elements, so don’t mix and match like this: <applicationUser first-name=”Joe” />, where you have camel-casing for the element names and hyphenated attributes.
  A number of rules also govern attributes exist:

  Attributes consist of a name and a value separated by an equals sign. The name, for example, myFirstAttribute, follows the same rules as element names.
  The attribute value must be in quotes. You can use either single or double quotes, the choice is entirely yours. You can use single on some attributes and double on others, but you can’t mix them in a single attribute.
  There must be a value part, even if it’s just empty quotes. You can’t have something like <option selected> as you might in HTML.

My brain can't help but place the relative pronoun that between the two clauses: A number of rules that also govern attributes exist. Why is that? This type of grammar doesn't seem to be that common. And what would happen with the meaning if I changed the sentence slightly, like so: A number of rules governing attributes exist?


texts:
What is correct, "demonstrate" or "demonstrates"? in this sentence from CNN:

  The announced concessions on dairy in the new USMCA deal demonstrates once again that the Canadian government is willing to sacrifice our domestic dairy production when it comes time to make a deal," said Pierre Lampron, president of Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Because "concessions" is plural, I think it should be "demonstrate".


texts:
We can say 'Do be careful', 'do be straightforward about it'.

And we can say ' There do exist...', such as:

----- From a synchronic point of view, there do exist cases of regular abrupt metathesis, ...

----- However, there do exist many situations where onsite capacity is the most viable option...

So I wonder if I can accordingly say sentences like'There DID BE such a teacher then in my school'?

Is it right(and why)? Have you ever seen such expressions? Thank you very much.


texts:
I know that em-dashes can be used to surround parenthetical statements, but other than doing it the usual way—surrounding extra content in two em-dashes—it is allowed to surround them with a total of three, two at both ends, and one in the middle?

For example, I know that instead of using an em-dash in the middle, you can use a comma instead. However, would the following example be correct (just something I thought of off the top of my head, so some phrasing may be a bit incongruous):

  Although your grades do not represent everything and you can indeed find a successful career without even going to post-secondary education—quite an expensive choice, by the way—not a common path to take—I recommend you study hard and aim to enter a post-secondary institution if possible.

Both of the phrases surrounded by em-dashes can be excluded, but would the consecutive use of em-dashes like that be correct, and/or advised?


texts: Subject + combined with (make or makes ?)

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct? (make or makes)

"This background combined with my writing skills and presentation skills make me..."

OR

"This background combined with my writing skills and presentation skills makeS me..."


texts: If two or more independent clauses share a common part, do they get separated by a comma?

texts:
If two or more independent clauses share a common part (for example, a dependent clause or adverbial), do they get separated by a comma? For example

In the morning, he drives to work(,) and his children take a bus to school.

In Russian, for example, there wouldn't be a comma, and it seems logical to me. But English has a different logic so I would like to know how to punctuate such sentences.


texts:
Now I am writing a scientific paper.
My professor wrote this sentence at first:

Due to its ~ characteristics, microwave energy promotes ~ (list of advantages), hence the properties of ~ can be enhanced through microwave irradiation.

As far as I know, however, "hence" is not a conjunction, so it cannot bring a clause after it like above sentence.
So, I tried to correct the sentence like this:

Due to its ~ characteristics, microwave energy promotes ~, hence the enhancement of the properties of ~.

However, I was able to find a lot of sentences using "hence" like conjunction in google search and even in this site.
So, here is a question:

Can "hence" be used like conjunction as it used in the first sentence? (even though it is incorrect grammatically, is it used in this way commonly?)
If not, does my correction make sense?

Thanks a lot.


texts: What does "material" mean in this clause?

texts:
I want to know what does material mean in this clause, and are there any other synonyms?

"Capitalization of the quoted material depends on the material itself."


texts: Difference between “on time” and “just in time”

texts:
Do the following sentences have the same meaning? or Is it slightly different?

  I arrived just in time, but no one else was there.

  I arrived on time, but no one else was there.

  I arrived right on time, but no one else was there.

Note: I couldn't figure out the answer from these questions:

“In time” versus “on time”
Difference between "in time" and "on time"


texts:
Is there any difference between these three sentences? If yes, what is it?

  1) I so wish to make my parents proud of me someday.

  2) I so hope to make my parents proud of me someday.

  3) I so want to make my parents proud of me someday.


texts:
Direct speech: 'I am your English teacher' said Mr. James
  Reported speech: Mr. James said that he was our English teacher.

My understanding of the reported sentences is that Mr. James was a previous teacher, so what is the reported structure if the teacher is introducing himself as the current teacher?


texts: What is the name for The husband to the Lady President or head of state

texts: If the head of state or president is a lady , what do we call the husband to the Lady president . I know that when the man is the president , the wife is called the "First Lady" , what about the vice versa.


texts:
Words up and down are opposite to each other. But both up for something and down for something have the same meaning "willing to take part in something".

How did this come into being?

What is the word to use for "not willing to take part in something"?


texts: Is there an idiom for a situation in which you get all the closed windows of your mind open?

texts:
I am stuck to express my feelings. I watched a video about business ideas and the speaker presented it so beautifully that I got so energized and it opened up so many new ideas to me. I am looking for an idiom to express all the feelings in one sentence.

My native language is Urdu/Hindi and we have an idiom for it. "14 tabaq roshan ho jana". If somebody knows here Urdu/Hindi, s/he could read it.


texts:
The context is soccer (association football) and the sentence in question is:

  The forward received the ball from the midfielder's pass.

I have already ask about this here and received alot of good answers, and I tried to leave it at that.  But then the World Cup 2014 is upon us, and I am starting to have doubts about this football usage of "from", to the point that I have semi-nightmares about it.

The use of "from" in the football example continues to bother me.  I seem to disagree (subconsciously) about how a ball (physical object) could be "from" a pass (action) unless that action creates that object.

  Some people were hit by debris from the explosion.

The use of "from" in "debris from the explosion" makes excellent sense to me, because the explosion does create the debris.  But in soccer/football, the ball cannot possibly be "created" by a pass.

Is there any non-football usage of "from" similar to my football example sentence?


texts: What is the meaning of this expression "scream with "?

texts: What is the meaning of the expression scream with <something>? I find this expression when I look up the word scream at Oxford learner's dictionary. This is the example the dictionary gives: The kids were screaming with excitement. Do you have any ideas?


texts: What do you call a person who suggested something? A suggester?

texts:
Let me give an example for context:

If someone posted a question here on the site and I wanted to describe them, I can say "the asker" or "the poster".

Now, if someone suggests an edit on that post, how would I describe them in a similar manner (using a single word)?

Is the word "suggester" correct? (I couldn't find any usage of it.) If it's not, I'm looking for a word that has this meaning. It doesn't have to be derived from "suggest". A synonym would suffice as long as it fits in the context (e.g., "advisor", etc. wouldn't work).

Update:

(extra info; feel free to ignore)

This post appears to have attracted a lot of people so let me try to clarify more.

The example that I used above is very similar to the real-life situation but let me include the exact context that I wanted to use it in anyway. I was trying to come up with a meaningful variable name to use in a software development project that I'm working on. The situation is as follows:

A client suggests something (actually, an edit to an existing item or a proposal for a new item) and I need to have two variables to refer to the following:

The client that suggested the thing.
The id of the client who suggested the thing.

I couldn't just use Client and ClientId because it would be ambiguous in this particular situation. I ended up using SuggestedBy and SuggestedByClientId. Although the second one isn't perfect (I think), I believe it reflects the intention pretty well. I might change it later to Proposer and ProposerClientIdas suggested by Jason in the answer below or just keep the word "proposer" in mind for future use cases.


texts:
What is the correct use of "depending" in this sentence?

  Please note you are allotted one ½ hour of commuting time either to or from a meeting location depending if your meeting is in the morning or afternoon.

Is the meaning:

"depending upon"?
"which depends on"?

Also, I don't think the sentence is correct. Should it read like one of these?

  ...depending upon if your meeting is in the morning or afternoon

  ...depending on if your meeting is in the morning or afternoon


texts:
Maybe just as important, Avery had terrific legal representation from attorneys Dean Strang and Jerry Buting who presented a compelling but failed case for reasonable doubt.

Don't you think that there is a word missing after the adjective "compelling"? I would understand for example: "…who presented a compelling defense strategy but failed…" Or is "compelling" the noun in the sentence?


texts: he was coaxed a safe distance away -- meaning?

texts:
Source: Tortoise pursues man in ‘slowest chase ever’

  Once Rose was coaxed a safe distance away, the tortoise turned and beat a hasty retreat back to the female. Well, it wandered back as quickly as it could. Presumably, the female was still waiting in the bushes.

I'm not sure how to understand that part, specifically the expression was coaxed away.


texts:
She sang into her first pretending to be holding a microphone.
She sang into a wand pretending to be hold a microphone.
She sang pop music into a microphone.

Are these sentences all grammatically and semantically correct?


texts: English Commas to a separate non-essential part

texts:
This is a sentence from BBC.

  Some European countries, including the UK, lost their measles-free status and many developing countries, especially parts of Africa, Asia and Oceania are seeing frequent outbreaks.

I think the phrase "especially parts of Africa, Asia and Oceania" is a non-essential part of the sentence. Thus, it should be separated by a pair of commas, like below.

  Some European countries, including the UK, lost their measles-free status and many developing countries, especially parts of Africa, Asia and Oceania, are seeing frequent outbreaks.


texts: Can we use the word "please" while throwing an error message

texts:
I am trying build a software with proper error messages.

I want English words, sentence suggestion for an error message below

Please supply host name/IP address

Should we stop using the word Please,

Does the word Supply have a proper usage here?


texts:
What is the difference between "talk over" and discuss?

Let's discuss it.
Let's talk it over.

Could you please provide a case where you woul use one but not the other?


texts:
I heard in a British show this line:

  We cleared this place out before, but it's just rammed up again. (source)

The subtitles on Netflix also give "rammed up", but this phrase doesn't make sense to me stand-alone or in this context. "Ram" suggests a forceful collision or banging. "It (the place) has rammed up" sounds nonsensical. For a moment I thought it might be "ramped up", but it doesn't seem likely.

I've put up a link to the series on YouTube. What does "ram up" mean here?


texts:
I read a sentence from  “Principles.” Dalio, Ray.

  All successful people operate by principles that help them be successful, though what they choose to be successful at varies enormously, so their principles vary.

I understand the meaning like

  All successful people operate by principles that help them be successful.Their principles vary, because what they choose to be successful at varies enormously.

The author's sentence emphasize 'so their principles vary.'
'Nevertheless, is it a good grammar practice to apply 'though' and 'so' that way?


texts:
my grammar book has the following explanation on the usage of "to infinitive"

You will take him for an American to hear him speak English.
= You will take him for an American if you hear him speak English.

Never have I come across with such usage during my 8-year stay in nz,
is it a common usage?
isn't the meaning of "to hear" a little bit ambiguous even to the natives?
or do you guys understand the first sentence as clearly as the second one?


texts: I'm confused whether a phrase is making a sentence complex or it still a simple one? Thank you.


texts: Putting "only" in front of a clause in order for "only" to be focused on the clause

texts:
If the focus is a whole clause, we can put only in front position:
Ex) My arm hurts but only when I try to raise it.
I just came across this explanation above in this link : https://www.google.com/amp/s/dictionary.cambridge.org/amp/british-grammar/only
Then it will be right to see "only" as focused on "when I try to raise it".  But is this analysis also applied to these sentences A,B,C,D below?

A. The point is only whether what he says is true.
B. Past juries have considered only whether Merck warned doctors.
C.  It depends on only whether you can pass the test or not.
D.  It all depends on only how early you start.
Then according to the explanation, even in sentences A,B,C,D, could it be a correct analysis to see "only" as being put in front of "whether" and "how" in order for "only" to be focused on "whether what he says is true", "whether Merck warned doctors", "whether you can pass the test or not", "How early you start"?


texts:
consider the following sentences

  last night, I had a meeting in my office

  last night, I had a meeting at my office

At the office or in the office clearly says both of them are correct.

Do they mean the same thing?


texts: There is an adverb but in the following sentence as pronoun.  It first said he left the mission freely, contradicting Turkish media reports that he was murdered in there. Is this correct?


texts: Be my private tutor vs act as my private tutor

texts:
Given that a girl wants a private tutor, but she does not understand the difference between these two sentences:

  I hope you can be my private tutor at night after my day school is over.
  I hope you can act as my private tutor at night after my day school is over.


texts: Describing the relation between two things

texts:
I wrote:

  We expect, the larger a home's living space is, the higher its price is.

First, I would like to know about the correctness of the sentence and punctuation. I don't know exactly the structure of this sentence. I just feel I have seen such structure, but I'am not sure. In general, what are idiomatic ways to express relationship between two things (Increase, or decrease....)


texts:
*What was that a nice way of saying? Beat the shit out of any kid caught so much as jay-walking? Yes, he'd been that way himself in his time, and it was a nasty little cul-de-sac, every bit as bad as being sentimental." The fact is, we may lose Tetherdowne altogether," she said, "which would be a shame. I know it doesn't look like much . . ."

  "- but it's home," he laughed. The joke fell among thieves. She didn't even seem to hear it.*

I would like to ask a native speaker about the phrase "to fall a joke among the thieves". I was not able to find the meaning on the internet. I thought that it could be an idiom. From the context, I would say that it means the joke did not cause any response and that it was ignored but I am not sure.


texts:
While leaving office at 6pm, I wonder if I shall say 'good evening' or 'good night' to my boss.
Since night is far off, 'good night' sounds odd. But then,  'good evening' has a welcoming tone to it, as if I am entering office and not leaving.


texts: the amount of bandwidth between client and server - no articles in front of "client" and "server"?

texts:
Additionally it frees resources on the server making it more responsive, and it tends to reduce the amount of data transmitted between the server and the browser. This is especially the case when the data consists of many rows of similar data that are to be shown in tabular form. HTML tables are very verbose and can easily double or triple the amount of bandwidth between client and server.

Why are there no articles in front of the words client and server?


texts: What are hairless spots on men's foreheads called in English?

texts: Some people have in their sides of the head, a place without hair (in the right side and left side) like two islands. What is it called in English?


texts: Which one is the stronger expression, the one using "will" or the one using "shall"?

texts:
"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath
  the tallest tower. Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.
  "Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you ––"
  "You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming –– he's got a dragon!" "What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on –– I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Shall is used for saying what you intend to do in the future, and will is used for saying that you are willing to do something or that you intend to do it. Then which is the stronger expression, "I shall see Professor Snape about you" or "I will see Professor Snape about you"?


texts:
What does "paper" mean here?  Does it mean "to fold, enclose, or wrap in paper"?

New York Times tweeted:
Today’s Great Read:

Despite being the richest soccer club in the world, Barcelona has been walking a financial tightrope. Soaring revenues have papered over years of impulsive management and imprudent contracts. But as the pandemic hit, the math changed.


texts:
Do my sentences sound natural? Do I use "regardless of" correctly?

  Regardless of how developed it is, every country has certain amount of rate poverty.
  Every country has certain amount of rate poverty, regardless of how developed (it is).
  Regardless of (the) country, there is certain amount of poverty in every country.
  Regardless of their race, religion or sex everyone deserves to be treat respectfully.
  Regardless of how busy you are, everybody needs a good sleep.
  You can not get on (I mean "to able to click or use a site") this website but it is regardless of your age or sex.  It is about the
  country where you get IP address from.

Using it at the beginning or at the end of the sentence, does it make any change of a sentence's meaning or stress?


texts: What is the difference in meaning between the grammar structure "it is nice doing something" and "it is nice to be doing something"?

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

  It is nice working with John.

  It is nice to be working with John.


texts:
Let's say you are being asked what is your schedule in school as a student. And you say:

  "My class starts at 8am and it ends at 5pm, they are fixed every schoolday or schooldays"

I am talking about from Monday to Friday straight. If you take it literally(5 different days), then it will be schooldays right?. On the flipside, if it is as a whole in a week, it is schoolday...(Just my take)

Which is correct?


texts: What would be the natural answer on "I am sorry"?

texts:
What would be the answer for someone who asks "Sorry"?
For example, If someone insulted or hurt me, and then asks "Sorry" or says "I am sorry, please".
If I want to tell him that I accept it (or alternatively if I want to refuse it), then what is the typical way to do that? How about "I forgive you" or "I don't forgive you", does it work here?


texts:
Any exception thrown by the {@code finalize} method causes
  the finalization of this object to be halted, but is otherwise
  ignored.

The first clause says, the finalization of this object could be halted. BUT I don't understand the "but is otherwise ignored".

"but" is the subject?
"is" is the verb?
"ignored" is the object?


texts: Looking for expression similar to «sideline detail»

texts:
I'm not sure I can use the phrase «sideline detail». By it, I mean a detail that may seem/is secondary.

Is there an expression for this idea?


texts: Are gerund clauses, participle clauses, and infinitive clauses all non-finite clauses?

texts:
For instance,

  "Eating apples without washing"

Which is a gerund clause, can also function as a non-finite clause, since it has a non-finite verb and its object?


texts:
I'm confused using perfect and perfect continuous tenses. Please correct for me.

When I was young, I have lived in that house.
When I was young, I have lived in that house for 4 years.
I have lived in that house for 4 years before moving to new house.
When I was young, I had lived in that house.
When I was young, I had lived in that house for 4 years.

I have lived in this house for 4 years, and I am going to move to new house soon.

After I have lived in that house for 4 years, I moved to new house.

I have been living in this house for 4 years, and I am going to move to new house soon.

Thanks in advance,

JJ


texts:
When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask
  whether the doctor would suggest that his or her spouse or children go
  through such a procedure.

I found the above line in Independent news.

My question is this - why "take" here?  Shouldn't it be either "recommends that you take" or "recommends your taking"?

So far I know we use subjunctive or gerund with "recommend".


texts: My word processor suggested a singular verb, but I feel it should be plural

texts:
Here is my sentence.

  An angular threshold as well as a few distance and height thresholds are basically used for the reconstruction.

I think I should use the verb "are used" as the subject is plural. But, my word processor gave me an error and suggested to use "is used".

I want to know whether I am wrong with the sentence.


texts:
Suppose I want to meet my friend next week and wonder if his schedule is tight,
could I ask:

Are you busy with work next week?
Are you busy at work next week?

And I'd like to know the difference between the two. Any comments would be appreciated.


texts: "I watched the movie many times when..." vs "I had watched the movie many times when..."

texts:
Could you tell if there is any difference in meaning between the following sentences?

I watched the movie many times when I was a child.
I had watched the movie many times when I was a child.

Are both perfectly natural?


texts:
Can we say "Why don't you get him to come here?". get means to  convince some one.
So does the sentence express what I want to say?


texts: placement of "a" after an adjective that modifies a noun

texts:
“The U.S. is too immature a society to be allowed to play with guns. It has never shed its Wild West mythology.”

Why is not "a" put in front of "too immature"?What is the explanation for this?

I would write this sentence as "The U.S. is a too immature society ...."


texts:
From time to time I receive emails (work-oriented) with offers or sorts of information, in which I can't address immediately, before examining the offer/options or consult a colleague, etc. In the meantime, I want to acknowledge the sender it will take me some time to address the issue. Usually, I chose to write:

I will look into it

Are there better alternatives?


texts:
. . . calm . . . heart . . . heart . . . half . . . [audio source]

The first [ɑ] sound in calm seems to be made at noticeably nearer the middle [IPA] than the others. Am I hearing right? If yes, is it because of [m] sound that is made in front?


texts: how to formulate/name a specific simple math operation in a formal way?

texts:
I wonder how to formulate/name a specific simple math operation. For instance, consider the following equation/indentity:

  (Eq.1) y=a+b+c

  where a is an effect, b is an effect and c is an effect and when all
  added they sum op to y. (note: in fact, an effect only comes to play
  when all terms are in first differences, but for simplicity I neglect
  that step)

My question: If I only want to consider the effects through b and c, the simple math operation would be to get "a" to the left. How can one say that in a formal/academic way?

How I would do it:

  To examine the effects through "b and c", I neutralise the effects through "a" in Eq. (1) and consider the spread between "y-a"

OR

  To examine the effects through "b and c", I cancel out the effects through "a" in Eq. (1) and consider the spread between "y-a"

Which of the two are preferable or does someone have a better option?


texts:
I can't sleep for the cold.

I wonder: Does "the cold " here refer to "a mild, very common illness" or "the cold weather"?


texts: The difference between more crucial or more important

texts:
In the examples below it seems that using 'more important' is correct. Would you agree and why?

If studying to be an engineer, it is obvious that studying calculus is more crucial than studying Shakespeare

If studying to be an engineer, it is obvious that studying calculus is more important than studying Shakespeare


texts:
Definition of verdant by Cambridge Dictionary:

  covered with healthy green plants or grass

Definition of lush by Cambridge Dictionary:

  A lush area has a lot of green, healthy plants, grass, and trees

So what is the difference if I say verdant valleys vs lush green valleys?


texts: What do I need to work on to sound like a native american speaker?

texts:
I've been working on my accent for a while and I feel like there's a lot of things that I need to work on but I still don't know which.

The accent that I am aiming for is general American. So, can anyone listen to this 30-second audio and tell me what letters/sounds or maybe things that I need to work on/fix to sound like a native American speaker: https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/cbgqsbh15j4gzrm2

I read the following paragraph:

  "A publisher in New York asked me to write down what I know about the
  Greek gods, and I was like, “Can we do this anonymously? Because I
  don’t need the Olympians mad at me again.” But if it helps you to know
  your Greek gods, and survive an encounter with them if they ever show
  up in your face, then I guess writing all this down will be my good
  deed for the week. If you don’t know me, my name is Percy Jackson. I’m
  a modern-day demigod—a half-god, half-mortal son of Poseidon"


texts: Word for government sponsored manipulation of records and evidences

texts:
Something not done for profit but to keep the public under dark.

Edit: Not exactly what I was looking for but the word "covert" or its synonyms "clandestine" or "surreptitious" will do for now. Thanks.


texts:
Phrase:

  ___ and repair of a slow computers.

Should I use speed up or speed-up instead of ___?

Some dictionaries say that "Speed up" should be used only as a verb and "Speed-up" as a noun (noun adjunct). Some say that both words are totally the same.


texts:
The following is the headline of an article from ClutchPoints, sports news web site.

Matt Nagy speaks out on making the call between Mitchell Trubisky or
Nick Foles

While the phrase "between A and B" is very common, this is my first time to see the word "between" being used in combination with "or" as in "between Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles".
Are "between A and B" and "between A or B" both interchangeable?


texts: What is the use on rather in the following sentence "This is a rather old house?

texts:
I came across a following sentence:

  "This is a rather old house".

I could not visualise what "rather" is doing to the entire sentence. Is it just as equivalent as "This is an old house" or does rather adds different meaning to the entire sentence?

Is it used as adverb, here rather is not a comparison I think. Rather, is it added to say "too old" or "not too old"?


texts: Does the question "Do you beat dogs?" imply only a current situation?

texts:
This may be nit picking, but here it goes.

A man is being questioned.  The man has beat dogs in the past.  He does not beat dogs now.  Nor does he intend to beat dogs in the future. He is asked, "Do you beat dogs?"

I think the correct answer is no.  A way to ask, at least three forms of this question, is, "Do you beat dogs now?", "Have you ever beaten dogs?”, or "Do you now, or have you ever ...?"

Does English assume "have you ever" in this question, or is "Do you beat dogs?" understood generally as "Do you beat dogs now?"


texts:
I have learnt at school that you only can use the simple present for specific events in the future e.g. The bus leaves at 8.45. But when I watch an english series or a movie I also hear a lot sentences in which it doesn't follow the rules mentioned above but still refers to the future.

Here's an example of Mission Impossible Fallout:

[Ethan hunt needs to get a package of plutonium in order to save the world]

Then what? Then I assume his identity and make contact with the Black Widow. She takes us to the package.

I have noticed that in colloquial language a lot is omitted e.g. Wanna have some fun? instead of Do you want to have some fun? or Mind if I take a chair? Maybe it could be the case that in the "then" sentence 'll or will is missing. But It wouldn't explain the usage of the second sentence. Is such a usage grammatically wrong or not? I've heard from Germans that language is becoming more and more sloppy on TV but I don't know if that's an example of that or not?  Can someone help me,please?


texts: What is the meaning of "Family only runs so deep" and "Dysfunctional sense" from the conversation given down below?

texts:
Here's part of the conversation from vampire diaries
Zach: I'm full of vervain. I've been putting it in my coffee for 16 years.
Damon: So it was your vervain. Good for you. Family only runs so deep, huh?
Zach: We are not family, Damon. Only in the most dysfunctional sense. In fact, I avoided having a living, breathing, loving family because of you.


texts: "For a noun" refers to an individual or the general case?

texts:
I'm trying to confirm my understanding of something in a fairly technical document.

The generalised statement is "For a %noun% the %noun% will have %attribute%."

My first instinct would be that this would apply to the general case for that type of noun due to the use of "will have".
eg. "For a car the car will have wheels." as all cars (at least drivable ones) do have wheels.

On my second reading I reconsidered, would the use of "a" as in "For a" make the sentence applicable to only a specific case?
eg. "For a car the car will be red." in the case of having seen a red car we can say that there does exist a car that will be red, we are not making a claim about the general case for the colour of all cars.

Could anyone let me know, are either correct? Is one or the other preferable? Would specifically one be correct within the context of being used in a technical document?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
If it is quite convenient to you, I will visit you next Monday

In the sentence, what does "it"(in bold) mean? Does it mean "Next Monday" or "visit next Monday"? What is the usage ot "it" here?


texts:
Which preposition is more idiomatic with the verb 'expect' when it's followed by a noun, is it 'to' or 'for'?

  We are expecting to positive changes in future.
  We are expecting for positive changes in future.


texts: Meaning of "set out" and "laid out" in the given context

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning "set out" and "laid out" in the following sentence:

"The city was abuzz, as all who were invited to the royal feast set out their clothes for the banquet and laid out the gifts for the Emperor."

I know the lexical meanings. However, I am not sure they fit in the given context.

Many thanks in advance.


texts: Do native speaker understand "I know to swim."?

texts:
I want to know the difference between 'I know swimming.' and 'I know to swim.'
Do native speakers understand the meaning of the sentence 'I know to swim.'
I didn't see the sentence like 'I know to swim.'
but I think that(I know to swim) is a right sentence grammatically.
Is the sentence (I know to swim.) not acceptable but understandable by a native speaker?


texts:
I know the meaning of each word but I can't guess the meaning of the whole phrase. Is there any metaphor here?

  Think about a church or temple. Shall we rely on income statements and congregation size to gauge success? How do we capture the value of souls saved and lives enriched? Such elusive variables are hard to quantify, but focusing on what we can measure rather than what we care about is a formula for disappointment and failure. In theater, what appears on stage is draped in perception. The same is true of organizations. We judge them by how they appear and how well they follow the script we expect. Shared faith and liturgy tie believers together and bestow legitimacy. As in theater, performance, faith, and devotion matter more than data and logic.

Source: Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership


texts: Why is 'workaround' written as one word?

texts:
A colleague was making a presentation, and the spell check indicated that workaround is written as one word. I don't understand why, as I understood that English does not merge words like Dutch (my native language)

Can anyone explain this?


texts: Can you "change/exchange" it to an orange juice?

texts:
I know we don't ask the waiter to get us a different order once it has been put on our table, but anyways if you changed your mind and the waiter brought your order and you want to say "can I get an orange juice instead?",  will "change/exchange" be used?

  Can you change this to an Orange juice?

  Can you exchange this to an orange juice?

So should "change" or "exchange" be used?


texts:
How are things? - Everything's fine./Things are fine.

Why is the reply "They are fine" considered to be incorrect being grammatically correct? Or is it correct?


texts: The differences between 'Phenomenon' and 'Phenomena'

texts: what's the difference between 'phenomenon' and 'phenomena'? this confuses me. i'm working on my English presentation for tomorrow.


texts: Which is correct "I work nights" or "I work at night"

texts: I have learned that the correct form is "I work at night". Recently, I saw a movie and one of the characters mentioned "I work nights", Is there any difference between them? Or which one is correct?


texts:
To mean 'rainy/winter/summer seasons' in general do we say:

I love the rainy/winter/summer season, or

I love rainy/winter/summer seasons.


texts: ‘I wish it to be clearly understood’ Vs. 'I wish it is clearly understood'?

texts:
What is the difference between

  ‘I wish it to be clearly understood’

and

  'I wish it is clearly understood'?

The second sentence was taken from Oxford dictionary - 2.1, and it is not clear to me structurally.I want to search about this structure on internet but the problem that I don't know even from where to start or what this kind of sentence is called.


texts: what's the difference between these two expressions: "for good" and "for keep"

texts:
what's the difference/relation between these two expressions: "for good" and "for keep"?

I'm not an English mothertongue, so for me these are very similar in meaning, but couldn't find any clue that they are ...
Dictionary appear confusing to me, in this perticular connection.
Please advise.
Thank you
Pino.