texts: how should we think about using of '' being '' and '' comma ''

texts:
There are two sentences.

The lateral fourth tarsalbone is constantly present and ,being much deeper
than the others, intrudes into the middle tier.

First of all, is '' being '' gerund or present participle in this sentence ?
Can we think '' being much deeper than others '' as '' which are being much deeper than others ''
Which refers to '' The lateral fourth tarsalbone ''

The palpebral skin is thin and , being loosely attached, is thrown into folds when
the eye is open.

The second one has a past participle. Likewise, can we say as '' which are being loosely attached ''

And '' commas '' .... Thank you...


texts: Is the given sentence redundant or some kind of emphasis?

texts:
The below sentence is from one of a self-help book by IAN TUHOVSKY

  Wouldn’t you have your own problems and your own life to worry about? Yeah, that’s right. People don’t even remember. They don’t care.They couldn’t care less.

He already mentioned "They don't care" then why it is followed by the sentence "They couldn't care less" which also has the same meaning "They don't care"?

Is this some kind of emphasis? or that is redundant? or is my understanding incorrect?

And my mind says the second sentence exactly means "They don't care at all" but the first sentence is just "They don't care". But I don't find any difference in these sentences, both looks same to me.


texts: Do the given sentences suggest a hypothetical possibility?

texts:
I thought I'd buy that apartment if I had a million dollars.

Does this sentence suggest that what I was thinking about is a hypothetical possibility, not a real possibility?

  I thought I'd buy that apartment if I would have a million dollars.

I can't really parse this sentence. If you helped me parse this sentence, I'd really appreciate it. And does this suggest a hypothetical possibility?


texts:
What he has said is right.

To me it is perfectly alright. But my mentor was telling like no it is grammatically incorrect. May I please know why it is grammatically wrong and what is the problem here in saying like this..


texts:
I found in dictionary that phrase How do you do is equivalent to phrase Nice to meet you.
But I never heard it in any movie or tv serial.
Is that right or not


texts: Grammatical doubts for present perfect and present perfect continuous

texts:
I was trying to solve grammar exercise and I came through this question.
I have started to play tennis, and I have been taking singing lessons for a few month.
My question is why we use have been taking in the second portion of the sentence instead of using have taken and vice verse.
As per the book's explanation we using have been taking to focus on the activity and duration. In that case, why not we use present continuous tense in the first portion of the sentence?


texts:
I have this sentence:

  Otherwise, if it has an ancestor which encloses the target section, we can specify another anchor which shares the same ancestor; then, by specifying these two anchors and selecting the “Common Ancestor”, the context is created OR create the context.

Could the last clause be "create the context" so its subject (we) is in the previous sentences?
or if it be the context is created is an example of dangling modifier?


texts:
We can say:

  The dress is a size 12.
  The dress is in a size 12.
  The dress comes in a size 12.
  We have this dress in a size 12.

My question is:

What does the preposition "in" in "I’m looking for a sweater in a size medium" mean?


texts:
"You will keep looking [through books for Mr. Flamel] while I'm away [on holidays], won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."
And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."
(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Hermione replies to Ron, "Very safe, as they're both dentists":
I guess Hermione’s parents can keep secrets about Magic world for they wear masks and their clients have to open wide during services. But is there any British tale or idiom about the keeping secret of dentists?


texts:
When we touch an animal it is "pet" or "pat"?
Should we say "Can I pet" or "Can I pat him" (a dog)?


texts: like somebody TO do something VS like somebody doING something

texts:
I’m studying Complex Object with the verbs of desire. “Like” is one of them.
And it seems to me that this structure isn’t widely used at least in American English today.
e.g I like her to sing
I feel like Americans would rather say:
I like her singing
or
I like when she sings.
Please let me know whether I’m right in my assumptions.
And also, maybe these sentences have a slightly different meaning?


texts: Difference between "have never heard" or "had never heard

texts:
"have never heard" or "had never heard": Which one should I use in the sentence?

I was at a ceremony. Suppose my friend asks me "What do you think of the song that they have just finished playing?", can I reply "It was great, I have /had never heard it before."


texts:
I need to send an email to my manager saying I got some details from an insurance using a different method other than calling them.

But I wasn't sure which is correct from below sentences.

I managed to contact the insurance from a different method.
I managed to contact the insurance by a different method.

I know there are several threads under this topic in this site. But still I could not figure out which is correct.


texts:
Can "if" be replaced by "when" in the following sentence:
"If teenagers get pregnant while they are still in high school, they might encounter financial difficulties later on in life."
I'm familiar with the "possible/unreal situation or condition" for if, and the required certainty for when, but I still cannot figure out whether "when" can be used.


texts: "His TVs are broken" is a routine action in a passive voice form or a state of the verb "to be"?

texts:
We all know that simple present tense shows Repeated Actions such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens (Source)

Eg: I play tennis.

We also know that Non-Continuous Verbs or Stative verbs used in Simple Present to express an action is happening or is not happening now (Source)

Ex: I am here now = I am staying here now.

It is wrong to say "I am being here now".

To be  is also use to show a state. Eg: She is fat.

Now, let see this sentence:

He breaks His TVs (a regular event)

And its passive voice: His TVs are broken (by him) (a regular event in passive form)

But we also have "broken as an adjective (Source)" Eg: a broke leg

So, His TVs are broken is a regular event in a passive form or a thing that is happening or a state?

How do we know it is a regular event in a passive form or a state?


texts:
While trying to find example sentences online for another question on this site, I realized I didn't fully understand the usage of 'barring' to mean 'except'. Here is an example:

  I was basically the only David I knew, barring my Uncle Dave of course. source

To be clear, I understand what the sentence means. My question is, Who or what is doing the barring?

Uncle Dave is obviously the one who gets barred from the statement, but is it the speaker who is barring him? Is it simply a way of illustrating that the statement is only true on the condition that Uncle Dave is excluded as a person named David, and nothing is doing the barring? I'm thoroughly confused and probably overthinking it, but any help would be appreciated!

P.S. I apologize for my lack of scholarly vocabulary, but I didn't want to use any incorrect terms or confuse anybody.


texts: Is an interrogative sentence like "So did you?" or "So is she?", possible?

texts:
A: Mike came here yesterday.
  B: Possible responses: (1) Did you, too? (2) So did you?

Instead of saying, "Did you come here yesterday, too?", can you say, (1) "Did you, too?" and (2) "So did you?"?

Are (1) and (2) both OK?
If (2) is not OK, could you tell me why?

How about this situation?: Jane has two daughters, Grace and Emily.
When Jane shows you a photo of Grace and you, knowing that she has two daughters, say, (3)"Grace is beautiful.", can you add to it, "So is she (Emily)?", meaning, (4)"Is Emily beautiful, too?"


texts: Singular or plural (omit repeated word)?

texts:
I'm not sure how to write this:

a) Jon was accepted to Northwestern and Cornell University.

b) Jon was accepted to Northwestern and Cornell Universities.

In this example, I'm pretty sure you can omit the repeated word "university." Since we're dealing with two universities, I think b) may be correct. However, in example a), "university" is right next to the singular "Cornell," so I'm not sure.


texts: The meaning of "none" in "...when none was forthcoming they supplied it themselves"

texts:
Once the supper table was cleared, the dishes washed, and the flowers in the garden watered, my grandparents would set to work on the Novels for You Reading Pleasure and Entertainment series. They worked at the dining table, pulling the ceiling lamp down and reading and editing the manuscripts, the page proofs, and the bound galleys. Sometimes they did some writing as well: they insisted that each volume conclude with a brief didactic essay, and when none was forthcoming they supplied it themselves. They wrote about the importance of toothbrushing, the battle against snoring, the principles of beekeeping, the history of the postal system. They also rewrote passages in the novels when they found them awkward, unbelievable, or immodest or when they felt they could make a better point. The publisher gave them a hand. (From and ACT reading passage)

Is "none" in this case meaning "all volumes were without a brief didactic essay provided” ?
Or is it indicating only occasional volume didn't conclude with a brief didactic essay?
I prefer the former one since I think that's essentially what "none" literally mean. But I ask this because the correct answer of a question approach "none" in the latter way:

The correct answer is H, but I prefer G instead


texts: When you are carrying an item, should you use WITH or ON(preposition)

texts:
Let's say you are asking a caller if she is carrying a machine at the time. It goes like this:

  You:Do you have your machine WITH/ON you?(you assume that the machine is beside the caller)

  Caller: No, I don't. I left it in my house.

Should you use ON/WITH? And what if the machine is small, that it fits inside a pocket, should you use in/with/on

I believe this is tricky.


texts: Using a complete sentence after a preposition?

texts:
As far as I know, prepositions are followed by a noun or noun phrase or a wh-clause. But the following  sentence confused me because the author used a complete sentence after the "for".

  But evidently the sound of it pleased Gastby for Tom remained "the polo player" for the rest of the evening.

I don't understand why the author didn't use this form :

  But evidently the sound of it pleased Gastby for Tom remaining "the polo player" for the rest of the evening


texts: Do you need help (or _a_ help) in Biology or Chemistry? Join our Tutoring Club! (article use)

texts:
Am I right to think the following announcement wrong in its use of the indefinite article?

  Do you need a help in Biology or Chemistry? Consider joining our
  Friday Chemistry and Biology Tutoring Club.

Shouldn't it read instead:

  Do you need help in Biology or Chemistry? Consider joining our
  Friday Chemistry and Biology Tutoring Club.

Or is "a help" OK in some instances? Like "a person who would help you to learn Biology or Chemistry"?


texts: "If each of us worked as hard as [we/he/she/they] should" What's the right pronoun?

texts:
Which one is correct?:

  If each of us worked as hard as [we/he/she/they] should, all of our problems would disappear.

There are really two options: since I have to use the same subject for "work" and "should", I have to decide whether the corresponding pronoun for "each of us" is "he/she" (or a singular "they"), or "we".

Logically, it should be he/she/they, and therefore:

If each of us worked as hard as he should, all of our problems would disappear.
If each of us worked as hard as she should, all of our problems would disappear.
If each of us worked as hard as they should, all of our problems would disappear.

The problem is all of these options sound ambiguous to me, as though the pronoun referred to someone else than us. Consider the following hypothetical situation:

  He works hard. We don't have to, but it would be intelligent to do so because if each of us worked as hard as he does, all of our problems would disappear.

And now this:

  He should work hard, but he doesn't. We don't have to, but it would be intelligent to do so because if each of us worked as hard as he should, all of our problems would disappear.

Basically, what you read in the last fragment is what I think of when I hear "if each of us worked as hard as he should, all of our problems would disappear."

But using "we" also sounds odd to me, maybe because in my mother tongue the pronoun is dropped but the verb ("should") is conjugated in 3rd person singular, not 1st person plural, so "we should" sounds definitely wrong to me. Truth is if I were to substitute "each of us" with a pronoun, I most definitely couldn't use "we".

Am I just overthinking this, or do you native speakers feel the same way when you read sentences 1 and 2? Or was the right pronoun just "we" from the beginning and my headache is unjustified? Which pronoun should I use here?


texts: What expressions are used to mean "people who usually meet to consume alcohol together"?

texts: In my home language in a very informal situation the English term TABLE MATE is used for a group of people who get together usually to consume alcohol. Is this expression in use in English?  Or else is there any other expression used to describe the people who usually meet to have drinks?


texts: This Vs. That while referring to something

texts:
I'm calling my friend telling him that my brother will call him with a week. After this/that call (of my brother), you will get the new car within 30 days.

I'd like to take the part (of my brother) out of the sentence. I feel like using that refers more to my brother's call. I would not like my friend to think of our current call. She should think of the call of my brother. Is using that services that purpose?


texts: Do you say "I'd like there to be something" or "I'd like for there to be something"? Or does it vary with dialect or style, and if so, how?


texts: "This is very worrying" vs "This is very worried"?

texts:
An English teacher has told us today that

  "this is very worrying"

is the correct form but

  "this is very worried"

is the incorrect one.

I think that the first one is the best way to tell about a situation or something, which could be the cause of concern or anxiety.

Which is correct?


texts:
I received this email from Microsoft and really don't understand it.

  We hope that everything is working as expected by the time you received this email

I don't understand the logic behind employing past simple here. Shouldn't it be

  We hope that everything is working as expected by the time you receive this email

or

  We hope that everything will be working as expected by the time you receive this email


texts: meaning of the phrasal verb "imagine away"

texts: Here is the context it was used in: "If we close our eyes in a silent room, the feeling of having a body is not something we can imagine away." Does "imagine away mean to imagine something instantly?


texts: Difference between hadn't been and hasn't been when both express past events

texts:
In the following sentence:

  The house was painted last weekend, it ..... painted for years.

should I use:

  A) hasn't been, or
  B) hadn't been.

This is confusing. My reasoning is as follows:
Had been is used to express the earlier of two events but there is only one even "the painting" so why use it and not hasn't been to give the meaning


texts:
I could swim when I was five.

When "could" is used to indicate an ability in the past, does it mean the ability is no longer processed in the present? For example, does the above sentence mean "I forgot how to swim or lost the ability now"?


texts:
I believe the meaning of the expression "paying something forward" means

Repaying someone's help/kindness to somebody else in need instead of repaying to the original benefactor.

I also heard similar expressions which might be interchangeable:

"Pass it on" and "Pass it down".

Do they mean the same? And is there any other expression that means the same?

Thank you!


texts:
What is the meaning of "were it to" used in the following sentence?

The developing storm, were it to become a cyclone on Tuesday, will
be called NIVAR, said Mr. Mohapatra. It currently hovers about 520 km
south-southeast of Puducherry and 560 km south-southeast of Chennai.

Does it mean if it becomes?


texts: What does 'of' mean in 'to be predicated of'?

texts:
I can't pinpoint why, but the OF in to be predicated OF has been bothering me. I read user John Lawler's comment, but still don't understand user TRomano's comment .

Please pinpoint which definition of OF  matches the use in: to be predicated OF?
Please ensure to specify its number (as per ODO's enumeration of the many definitions).


texts: May I use 'kid boy' the way we use 'baby boy'?

texts:
We often say...

  There was a baby boy

The purpose is I want the listener to understand that I saw a baby who was of male gender.

But I want to convey the same thing looking at a kid (say 5-8 yr old)

  There was a kid boy (hurling stones at a cute puppy)

If the former is okay, the latter should be but still, to my non-native ears, it sounds off.

Also, baby boy is okay as baby serves as an adjective, why is not kid okay as in kid brother? I understand that the whole word is considered as a noun but then kid is more like an adjective there.

[Please note that I want to restrict the word to 'kid' over 'young boy' or the like just to avoid that someone should not take him as an adolescent or a teenager. I'm not getting into who do we refer to as a kid. There's no one answer to that].

The main question is -is it okay to address him that way? If not, what you natives prefer?


texts: What "to infinitive" modifies in this sentence?

texts:
The fund will go a long way to solve their problem.

I have a question on what "to solve their problem" modifies in the sentence.

I think this can modify either "a long way" or "the whole sentence, the fund will go a long way", but I'm not sure which way is technically correct in meaning.

If it modifies "a long way", "a long way to solve their problem" seems to have to modify "go" as an adverbial phrase, but on the other hand, if it modifies "the whole sentence", it should mean like "in order to solve their problem, or "so as to solve their problem".


texts:
Is it necessary to put a "ones" after "200" in this sentence?

  The most interesting is that you can attach more than 10 photos to the
  wall post — up to 200 (ones)!


texts:
At American Embassy, Hamiliton said this words to Regina, who lost her
husband, Charles:

  I had a good man a really excellent man on the Rue Ponthieu but H.Q.
  asked us to use the plant here in the building to ease the gold
  outflow.

This is a dialogue from Charade (1963) film.


texts: Which of these is correct- 'in a given deadline' or 'by a given deadline'?

texts:
While writing content for a website, I stuck at this sentence:

  Our developers can complete the project by a given deadline.

I read here that 'in a given deadline' can also be written, however, I am not sure about its correctness.
Google Ngram also shows that 'in a given deadline' is not found.

Now my question is: Can we write 'in a given deadline' for 'by a given deadline'?


texts: Should you use a plain/continuous verb after a past continuous one? E.g. 'I was feeling the fear rise/rising up...'

texts:
As an example to illustrate my question:

  I was feeling the fear rise up, trying to stop me, when...
  I was feeling the fear rising up, trying to stop me, when...

I'm not sure what this type of construction is called, so I don't know how to search for it. All mentions of past continuous are examples like "I was doing X when Y happened," which seem different to me.

So, when you have a first verb that is past continuous ("I was feeling"), but then another verb following it ("rise up") BEFORE the simple past verb, what tense should it be? I think plain present (rise) or present continuous (rising) seems the most appropriate.


texts: What is the meaning of "remove" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence in a chapter named "The Browning's version" which was:

I'm still in the lower fifth. I can't specialise until next term - that's to say, if I've got my remove all right.

According to Oxford Dictionaries, "remove" means division in British schools.
But that doesn't fit here. Shouldn't there be "result" instead of "remove"?


texts: I took all the water in my mouth; is this ambiguous?

texts:
I took all the water in my mouth.

Which thing below does this sentence mean?

"I filled and kept the water in my mouth."
"I swallowed the water down."
It can be either depends on the context.


texts:
I looked the expression up in a number of dictionary to no avail. What does 'it' refer to?

  Any game that involves more than one person involves socializing,
  whether it’s cooperating during a scavenger hunt or competing to see
  who can get the most balls in a basket. Playing games with kids
  teaches team work, the consequences of cheating, and how to be good
  sports whether they win or lose. It’s not hard to see how those skills
  make it into the daily lives of kids in the classroom, on play dates, and later in life in the workplace. But like all things we hope
  to teach our children, learning to cooperate or to compete without
  being a jerk takes practice. Humans aren’t naturally good at losing,
  so there will be tears, yelling, and cheating, and maybe somebody will
  even knock over the board, scattering pieces under the couch when she
  loses a game, but that’s okay. The point is, playing games with kids
  allows them a safe place to practice getting along, following rules,
  and learning how to be graceful in defeat. So when your kids deserve a
  technical foul for the fits they’re pitching over a game, call it
  quits for then, but definitely come back to more games later. If you
  do that enough you’ll start to see more mature players coming to the
  table.

https://heatherswainbooks.com/play-these-games-introduction/


texts:
In the pantheon of classic modern buildings, Utzon's creation has the status of myth. The myth states that the unknown architect, then in his early thirties, submitted rough sketches to the competition judges, that he ignored most of the rules, that his design was only selected after being plucked at the last moment from the reject pile by one of the judges, and that the design was unbuildable.

Should the word "reject" be modified to "rejected"? I think that "reject" may not be used as an adjective. Maybe "rejected" is more appropriate.


texts:
Kafka. K. The letter is his alone.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/books/review/kafka-the-years-of-insight-by-reiner-stach.html?_r=0

Will you help me with understanding this simple sentence from the article on Kafka. I am not able to figure out what the author of the article means by the phrase "The letter is his alone".


texts: How is the definition of "torture", the noun, related to "punishment"?

texts:
How is the definition of "torture", the noun, related to "punishment", and why are they used together for the title of this article?:
Medieval Torture and Punishment
... And I just noticed that the page extended further than I thought, with these:

Definition of Torture
The definition of torture is the deliberate, systematic, cruel and wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more torturers in an attempt to force another person to yield information, to make a confession, as part of a punishment or for any other reason. Torture devices or tools are used to inflict unbearable agony on a victim. The objectives of torture were to intimidate, deter, revenge or punish. Or as a tool or a method for the extraction of information or confessions.

And,

Definition of Punishment
The definition of punishment is to impose or inflict something unpleasant or aversive on a person in response to disobedient or morally wrong behavior. Punishment means to impose a penalty for a wrong committed.


texts:
I've found the usage of "past participle as an object" in  a dictionary.
But I wanted to know in which cases I could use a past participle as an object.

Can I build up a sentence like this?

  He makes me shone

.


texts: Is it correct to say "expanded job opportunities"?

texts:
The sentence in question:

  Comparatively, they refused to shrink back into the domestic sphere; 80 percent who worked outside the home wished to continue doing so by the war’s end. Women continued to push for expanded job opportunities, entry into professional roles, and greater access to higher education.

The dictionary says, expanded:

  a) being or having been enlarged or extended (related to shape)

surely doesn't apply in this sentence

  b) become or make larger or more extensive.

with subparts based on: become less reserved in character or behaviour OR give a fuller version or account of.

Surely, none of the above definitions correspond to the correct intended meaning of the word, as said by KA, that women sought more opportunities in the workforce.

Hence, My question:

  Why is "expanded" the correct word to use in this sentence, when none of its dictionary meanings correspond to what it's actually supposed to mean?

for reference - courtesy KA; correct answer for editing the word "expanded" is - no change

Passage: "A "Rosie" Turn on American Labor"

[four initial paragraphs omitted]

As a result of their entry into careers from which they were previously excluded, women exercised a newfound social and economic independence. They enjoyed having an income of their own and living on their own for the first time. Comparatively, they refused to shrink back into the domestic sphere; 80 percent who worked outside the home wished to continue doing so by the war’s end. Women continued to push for expanded job opportunities, entry into professional roles, and greater access to higher education. As the graph suggests, Rosie’s influence persisted even after the war. To this day, Rosie continues to influence women as a symbol of feminism in popular culture.

All options:

A. NO CHANGE
This choice is the best answer because “expanded” is the most contextually appropriate way to say that women sought more opportunities in the workforce.

B. inflated
“Inflated” is not the most contextually appropriate way to suggest that women sought further opportunities and advancements in the workforce. While “inflated” does offer some sense of growth, it also carries the negative connotation of something gaining more power than its actual value merits.

C. amplified
“Amplified” is not the most contextually appropriate way to suggest that women sought further opportunities and advancements in the workforce. While “amplified” does offer some sense of growth, it also carries a connotation of sound and intensity that is not appropriate in this context.

D. prolonged
“Prolonged” is not the most contextually appropriate way to suggest that women sought further opportunities and advancements in the workforce. While “prolonged” does offer some sense of growth, it also implies a temporal factor associated with the jobs, which is not relevant in this context.


texts: Difference between "farther on" and "ahead" in these examples

texts:
What's the difference between "farther on", "ahead" and "farther ahead" in these examples related to physical locations? For example; does one of them denote a greater distance or a more literary/old-fashioned style than another? Doing some Google searches I learned that "ahead" is the most popular.

  Tim was walking by the river when, 20 yards ahead/farther on/farther ahead, he
  saw a deer galloping past.

  Ahead/Farther ahead/Farther on in the misty distance there gleamed a fire.


texts:
In relation to question about using "Infer" I'd like to ask what is wrong with deem in this example? How to use it correctly?

  'A Japanese' infers the Japanese person is a thing, and not a person.
  This is what deems it offensive.

  'A Japanese Person' infers the Japanese person is just that - a
  person, and is therefore considered fine for use.


texts: Is this a correct usage: 'all expenses met by foundation'

texts:
I attended a course abroad. It was an expensive course, but my school's foundation paid for everything. It was a reward for some tests.
I want to mention this in my CV. How can I state it in a formal form?


texts: What is the word "ask" supposed to mean in this sentence?

texts:
I read this in the introduction of my chapter:

  The chapter does not answer these question. It simply gives you the necessary information and some tools so that you can ask and answer these questions when you are through with this chapter

Is it implying "ask yourself" or "ask others"? I'm in this confusion because when you're through a chapter you know the answers to these questions, so why would you ask others them?


texts:
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/chinas-powerful-general-xi-jinping-henchman-meets-mattis/

  The Americans fear China's military leaders—untested in
  combat—combined with an array of new high-technology weaponry is
  increasing the danger that a careless or reckless act by an
  overzealous Chinese regional commander will accidentally put the two
  nuclear-armed powers on the path to war.

Question 1: Why not "combining" or "having combined"?

Question 2: Why not "are"?


texts:
How and where should we use "There has been" and "There had been"?

For example, I cannot recognize the semantic difference between the two following sentences:

  There had been such a fortunate occurrence.

  There has been such a fortunate occurrence.

In general, I know the grammars of past perfect and present perfect, but the translator translates them (the above examples) alike!


texts:
Let's say a footballer messed up a very important game in a league. Then, one of his teammate mock at him and say:

  Don't worry lad, no one can do as bad as what you did.

Or

  Don't worry lad, no one can do as bad as what you had done.

Are these two, grammatically correct?


texts: Should I use definite article in this sentence or not?

texts:
Lessons learned from experiences are the most lasting.

Should I put article "the" before lessons and experiences?

  THE lessons learned from THE experiences are the most lasting.

or

  Lessons learned from experiences are the most lasting.


texts: Converting the adjectives "new" and "done" to nouns

texts:
In our software, we have the following nomenclature.

new (inactive process)
progressing (ongoing process)
failed (finished process)
done (finished process)

I'd like to rename those states using nouns instead of adjectives.

??? (inactive process)
progress (ongoing process)
failure (finished process)
??? (finished process)

What'd be a adequate alternative for the question marks? Preferably something not very lengthy so that the code looks nice. It's also possible to consider a different word as long as it reflects the actual state of its process (i.e. not started yet and run and fine).

My suggestion for new doesn't feel right at all: executability. It's a bit better in regard to done, though: success.


texts: Difference between "where are you from" and "where do you come from"

texts:
What is the difference between "where are you from" and "where do you come from"?

Are they the same? Are they used in the same situations or not?

When you see someone for the first time which one is better to ask?


texts: Do you have a phrase similar to "iritating my soul"

texts:
Do you have a phrase or word with the following meaning?

For instance: He irritate my soul( he annoy me)

updated: If we would like to say that someone has so drastically bothered me that even my soul, mind, or all of my existence is in an extraordinary bad mood- the worst mood.


texts: Expression that means 'things that are not tied with each other together'

texts:
I enjoy exploring things that are not tied with each other together.

I want to express that I like taking things that are completely different from the first glance and finding abstract laws for explaining them in general. Maybe from the standpoint that's completely different from the one widely used presently.

This sentence is in the context of explaining my personality to an acquaintance. So it's better off making it more informal.


texts: What does "he gives me a kind of apologetic wince" mean here?

texts:
I would like to know what "he gives me a kind of apologetic wince" means in the following sentences:

This is crazy, I think. I don’t have to drink it. I’m a
thirty-four-year-old woman. I don’t even know these people, they have
no hold over me. I won’t be made to do it—
‘Down it . . .’
‘Down it!’
God, they’ve started to chant.
‘Save the Queen!’
‘She’s drowning!’
‘Down it down it down it.’
I can feel my cheeks reddening. To get their eyes off me, to stop
their chanting, I knock the glass back and gulp it all down. I’d
thought the champagne was delicious before but it’s awful like this,
sour and sharp, stinging my throat as I cough mid-swallow, rushing up
inside my nose. I feel some of it spill out over my bottom lip. I
feel my eyes tear up. I’m humiliated. It’s like everyone has
understood the rules of whatever is happening. Everyone but me.
Afterwards, they cheer. But I don’t think they’re cheering me. They’re
congratulating themselves. I feel like a child who’s been surrounded
by a ring of playground bullies. When I glance in Charlie’s direction
he gives me a kind of apologetic wince. I suddenly feel very alone. I
turn away from the others to hide my face.

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 12

This is a thriller novel published in 2020 in the United Kingdom. One hundred and fifty guests would be gathering at some remote and deserted fictional islet called Inis an Amplóra off the coast of the island of Ireland to celebrate the wedding between Jules (a self-made woman running an online magazine called The Download) and Will (a celebrity appearing in a TV show program called Survive the Night). The day before the actual wedding day, Hannah, the wife of Charlie (Jules' friend), arrived at the island and is now at the dinner party for the rehearsal dinner with only some selected guests. And during the party, Hannah is now being forced to drink her champagne which is filled to the top, because someone put a penny in her glass. She looks towards Charlie to receive an agreement that she didn't have to drink it, but Charlie looks her in a pleading way instead, so she drinks it. Afterwards, Charlie "gives me a kind of apologetic wince."
In this part, I wonder what "apologetic wince" means here. Would that perhaps mean that Charlie feels apology towards Hannah, but still thinks that Hannah is in a horrible state now (with champagne spilling out of her mouth), and is wincing (=surprised in a negative way and frowning)...? (This is just my wild guess.)
In short, I wonder what Charlie did by "apologetic wince." Did he frown his face...? Or surprised and stepped back, perhaps...?


texts: Why does this clause use past perfect tense?

texts: The snowfall got heavier in the early afternoon but had stopped by the evening.


texts: Verb Tense for action before future simple action

texts:
1) I will send you the report once my boss approves the report.

2) I will send you the report once my boss approved the report.

3) I will send you the report once my boss has approved the report.

The clause "I will send you the report" is in future simple, but what should be the correct tense for " once my boss ... the report"


texts:
Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was
  difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting
  his presents. His face fell.

  "Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."

  -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.

It seems like the highlighted part mean he disappointed. But I don’t find any account for it in dictionaries. What does it exactly mean?


texts:
Bill Clinton, on occasion, described Barack Obama as “a man cool on
  the outside, but who burns for America on the inside.” Whether you
  believe this notion to be correct or not, this is a classical
  description of the Stoic thinker, who removes emotion and passion from
  his rational approach to logical thought. It also reminds us of the
  Roman Stoics of classical times, such as Marcus Aurelius, who wrote
  that dispassionate consideration is the best approach to the
  challenges of life and government. While many modern politicians
  obviously struggle to reach this ideal, it is interesting that this
  particular image of the perfect leader exists in the first place, in
  the minds of politicians and the public alike.

  [Stoicism a beginners guide to the history philosophy of stoicism]

"While many modern politicians obviously struggle to reach this ideal, it is interesting that this particular image of the perfect leader exists in the first place, in the minds of politicians and the public alike"

Why is it interesting there? Could you explain this to me?

"... exists in the first place, in the minds of politicians and the public alike"

What is the role of "alike" there?

Thanks


texts:
I heard my friend telling me:

  "but baby, there's glass in mason's car seat."

I nodded my head in agreement but inside I didn't get it. Actually, I had been doing a thing I wasn't supposed to. But that was fair, he knew it too. The problem lies in the fact that it was dangerous for me. So, he told me that statement.

I think it's more of an idiom. I can't find any reference to this. Web's all empty. Please help. Glass and mason, they both are materials, right? So, glass disguised as mason. I'm so confused with all this.


texts:
I want know what  is the meaning of "is it me"

For example:

  is it me, or is it kind of noisy here?

Any ideas or insight would be greatly appreciated


texts: Are there any difference between these two sentences

texts:
Sharon must have broken up with her boyfriend yesterday.

Sharon must have been broken up with her boyfriend yesterday.


texts: the means of phrase "take this thing for granted"

texts:
what does this mean ?

  So we take this Internet thing for granted, but it's a pretty fragile physical system.


texts: Does "before" make the Perfect Tense redundant?

texts:
(Sorry for bothering you again with the Perfect Tense, I hope it ends soon.) I took a quiz and a grammar website said that I made a mistake.

Right sentence:

  When I showed up to take a look around, there were at least twenty other people who had arrived before me.

My sentence:

  When I showed up to take a look around, there were at least twenty other people who arrived before me.

In the second clause I used just arrived because I thought that the word before does all the job. Is it a real mistake? What sentence does sound better? Does “before” make the Perfect Tense redundant?


texts: I know what "being out of breath" and "run out of something" mean. So it should be OK to say "I am out of breath" and "I usually run out of breath". However, I am wondering if it is correct to say "I get out of breath". If that is correct, then can we use "get out of breath" instead of "run out of breath" (are they interchangeable)?


texts: Using "Did" should it be followed by past or present tense verb?

texts: Did you woke up this morning and looked at the mirror, and notice the eye bags are puffer than ever?


texts:
Which one of the following self-made sentences sounds more correct to you:

  His father holds the foremost position in the tribe.
  His father holds the foremost position of the tribe.


texts: Reply to "That was a good show" : "Was it? Really?" Vs "Was it really?"

texts:
Same for something like:
"Is he really good?"
"Is he? Really?"
Or
"Is he really?"
Which is the correct answer in such cases?


texts: "What has gotten in her mind?" to inquire about a sudden change of thoughts

texts:
For example, if X was crying because of Y's harsh words to her, but suddenly, and while Y was standing in front of X, X stopped crying and started staring at Y calmly but intensely. Then, Y would become cautious of what possibly has got in X's mind (of thoughts) to suddenly change her behavior.

I think the question would be in this particular structure though not exactly as I don't remember it clearly:

  Y to herself: What has gotten in her mind?

her refers to X.

Is it the right question to ask in such situations? Since I think it is a specific question which is asked in those situations, and what I have stated is the right one, but I'm not sure if it expresses the situation precisely.

Note: It is not particular to the pronoun "her", but this is my case so that's why I used it.

P.S. My question has been probably misunderstood to be a request for suggestions to use for similar situations. What I'm actually asking for is a question in that particular structure, but not the one I have stated as it seems wrong.


texts:
There are several ways to paraphrase this sentence and I would want to know which is the best one, or rather to know which is more appropriate when talking or writing an essay / project.

  To open / begin a discussion

  To open / begin an argument

In addition, to know if there's a more formal way to say this.

Thanks for your help!


texts:
Which of one these makes more grammatical sense?

The article is free to read, except for what you pay in brain cells.

The article is free to read, aside from what you pay in brain cells.


texts:
Variations in the skeletal systems of two early types of human are illustrated in this diagram.

The question is that is there any particular purpose of being used the word variation instead of difference in this context. Don't they mean nearly the same thing?


texts: Phrases describing what an option does and that starts with a verb: "s" at the end of the verb or not?

texts:
For phrases describing what an option does and that starts with a verb, should an "s" be added at the end of the verb or not?
Example:
"Detect if spaces or other characters are present in the phrase"
... or:
"Detects if spaces or other characters are present in the phrase"


texts: "…held by recent Nobel laureate Bob Dylan…"

texts:
The story goes that it was Leonard Cohen’s son Adam who pressed his father for a back-to-basics album, one where the most magnificent mutter in rock could operate unhindered by Cohen Sr’s taste for flamenco guitar and synths. We may have something as banal as pester power to thank, then, for this exquisite 14th album from the Montreal poet, held by recent Nobel laureate Bob Dylan – gnomic as ever – to be “No 1” to his “zero”.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/23/leonard-cohen-you-want-it-darker-review-on-level-traveling-light-leaving-table-treaty-seemed-better

Can you help me with understanding the passage in bold which I am not able to fully understand. I am not sure to which part of the text the bolded passage is related. What does the author of the review want to say? Does it mean that Bob Dylan expressed the thank for new Lenonard Cohen's album?


texts: Present Perfect or Past Simple with the word " once"

texts:
Please have a look at this sentence and help me understand.

Celine Dion, with whom Bocelli once _____ a duet, said that "If God had a singing voice, he would sound like him".

It was in the multiple-choice test. One of the answers was "has sung". Is it also correct to choose "has sung"? If yes, give me, please, an explanation of the difference between these two choices.


texts: Is the word 'current' applicable to the past?

texts:
If I talk about past events, can I use the word 'current' meaning "the one that was ongoing back then"? For instance

In March 2017, supplies were cut off due to the fact that the company failed to pay off its debts and to make a prepayment for the current month (i.e. March 2017).


texts: How’s things going for you vs How're things going for you

texts:
I have been reading a novel (Sometimes it Lasts) for sometime now. And I read something that did not sound natural to me, so here I am to get some help on it.

  In the novel:

  “Yeah, he did” was Dad’s only response. “How’s things going for you,
  little girl? That boy still treating you right?”

  As per my opinion it should have be:

  “Yeah, he did” was Dad’s only response. “How’re things going for you,
  little girl? That boy still treating you right?”

As her dad was asking about things so there should have be are instead of is. Have I made the sense?


texts: "start" and "begin", is there a difference?

texts: Today, when looking up the definitions of the phrasal verb "take sth up", I noticed that one of them was written like this: "to start or begin something such as a job." For the first time I realised that probably "start" and "begin" don't exactly mean the same thing.So the question is what the difference is between the two, and if there are cases when they mean exactly the same thing.


texts: How do you describe this situation? Does "overlapping" mean exactly the same as "coinciding"?

texts:
Consider you have two lines are very close to each other, but they are not as if one line is 100 percent exactly on the other line. In other words, suppose that we have picture and if zoom in and zoom out on the graph, we would have something like below:

Now my question is which phrase should be used to describe this two lines the best if we are in the zoom-out perspective as well as when we are in the two-times-zoomed-in perspective. I've only come up with

  the overlapping two lines
  the coinciding two lines

However, in reality we know they are not 100 percent overlapping. They just happen to be two parallel lines that are very close to each other.


texts:
Which preposition should I use in my sentences? Is each of them correct?

''Cheesesticks are made of/with/from cheese and breadcrumbs.''

''This soup is made with/of/from peas, eggs, cheese and vegetables.''


texts: What does this mean: "This is Eva speaking"?

texts:
When a person answer a phone, "This is Eva speaking", does this words mean one of the next? Or does it mean other way? When there are short words, it's not easy to imagine what the gaps would be in a foreign language
[i] This situation is Eva speaking.
[ii] This one is Eva, who is calling.


texts:
Just encountered the sentence:

  Do you wanna grab a bite sometimes. You know, just you and I.

I've noticed that my understanding of subject and object nouns is incomplete because I'd normally say

  just you and me

Could anyone please explain to me why 'I' is used and not 'me'?


texts: What's the difference between "live faithfully or with faithfulness?

texts: "How do you live faithfully or with faithfulness?" This is a question on my ESL class and I have no idea on how to answer it.


texts:
Mary Decker surprised the sports world in the 1970s when she reported that she ate a plate of spaghetti noodles the night before a race.

In the above sentence, is "when" a relative adverb? Can "when" be changed to "in which"?


texts: Wrong use of the unique definition of 'anticipate' (as in 'forestall')?

texts:
OALD: 4. anticipate somebody (doing something) (formal)
  = to do something before it can be done by somebody else
  [S]ynonym[:] forestall
  ● When Scott reached the South Pole he found that Amundsen had anticipated him.

Please beware that I ask only about this definition unique to anticipate. The use of the others that overlap with 'expect' are decried on p 53, Plain Words, 2014, by Ernest Gowers, revised by Rebecca Gowers.

Amundsen reached the South pole on 14 December 1911; so it preceded Scott's arrival on 17 January 1912. But the fact remains that Scott still arrived there; so how did Amundsen anticipate (= forestall) Scott?


texts: Which time expression should come first?

texts:
In the following phrase, which time expression should come first? Or are both correct?

between 150,000 and 750,000 years ago.
between 750,000 and 150,000 years ago.


texts: 'of a tyrannous disposition' .. what does it modify?

texts:
The Iranian frontier official in this district was called Hurmuzd. He
  was reputed irascible by temperament, of a tyrannous
  disposition, particularly in relation to his Arab subjects;... (Read
  more)

To which part of sentence the "of" refer?


texts:
From movie Kingpin:

  (At a casino table, a customer to the dealer) You are going to give me $100,000 on the line and a $50,000 yell, okay?

Does on the line mean the money wagered? Then what does yell mean here?


texts: Transitive verbs versus intransitive verbs

texts:
I’ve been researching transitive verbs versus intransitive verbs, and I found some definitions and examples for each in Google Translate that confuse me. I have attached those definition images below for your reference.

Transitive verb:

  able to take a direct object (expressed or implied), e.g., saw in he saw the donkey.

Intransitive verb:

  not taking a direct object, e.g., look in look at the sky.

I can understand why saw in the saw the donkey is used transitively because it takes the direct object donkey, but I can't understand why look in look at the sky is used intransitively. It also takes the direct object sky, right?

Likewise, please explain these examples:

  Our cat lived till he was 10 - Transitive
  He was living a life of luxury abroad - Intransitive

I found those examples in the article "Transitive and intransitive verbs" from Oxford Dictionaries.

To me, lived in the first example seems intransitive because it has no direct object, while living a life in the second example seems transitive because it has a direct object a life. However the website shows the opposite.

Question update: I also need some help with other questions I’ve asked in the answers section (just to split this big question into smaller questions for clearer understanding)


texts:
He was sleeping close to the side of the bed.

My son kicked me and I fell off the bed.

  "He kicked me out of the bed."

  "He kicked me off of the bed."

Do they have different mean? Which preposition should be used?


texts: Segmental -> [sɛɡ|mɛnt"ə"l] Can I omit the "/ə/" sound?

texts:
segmental [sɛɡ|mɛntəl]
Can I omit the /ə/ sound?
Due to another dictionary's pronunciation [seɡˈmentl]


texts: Is the usage of 'for getting warm' correct here?

texts:
X sat near the fire 'to get warm' or 'for getting warm'.

I think both are correct. If this is not the case, could you explain why?


texts: What is the meaning of "So away to the shool bus I flew"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "So away to the shool bus I flew" in the following sentence(Source: The Night Before The 100th DAY OF SCHOOL By Natasha Wing )

  The very next morning the big day was here.
   Hooray for the 100th day of the school year!
  So away to the school bus I flew in a flash,
  Then hopped off the sidewalk and made a mad dash.

?

Does "So away to the school bus I flew in a flash" mean "Because I am so away from the school bus, I flew to the school bus in a flash" ?


texts:
If I had continued more to attempt, ... (1)

If I had continued to attempt more, ... (2)

My professor  said that you can just intensify the verb attempt, not continue.
I suppose that's true.What would the phrase "continue more" mean? It doesn't make any sense! The verb "continue" includes the concept of "more." It means that you are going to do more of something.

.........

In another hand,

In the first you intensify the verb continued
In the second you give the priority to the verb attempt.

If you think that the results to achive is connected to the fact you are continuously doing the effort, then the right choise is the first sentence. Otherwise if you think that the main action is to attempt, then you should use the second one.

In the first way you lack of perseverance, in the second way you lack of strenght, probably the better way to put that, should be:
If I had continued to attempt, ...

So, would you tell me which of them is correct?


texts:
Consider the following sentence:

I have always tried to excel in/at courses relevant to veterinary sciences, such as physics, biology and chemistry.

Which one is correct? A quick google search yielded no definite answers (it said both could be used, however, it seems to me some sources implied that they cannot always be used interchangeably).


texts:
Sentences given below have a Nouns Followed by Infinitives.

can anyone please explain the sentneces' meaning?

1) The decision to increase taxes was not popular.

2) Permission to enter the area was difficult to get.

Thanks,

Charmi


texts: Is , "he says anything" and "he doesn't really think while saying something" means the same thing?

texts:
Is "He says anything" and "He doesn't really think while saying something?" means similar.
Can anyone please help me correct me if I am wrong. If that's the case what is the proper way to sound idiomatic?


texts: "the Poincare conjecture" but "Bolzano's theorem"

texts:
Consider these two ways of coining a name: 1) Bolzano's theorem, Rolle's theorem 2) the Poincare conjecture, the Kantorovich theorem. What is the difference between these ways, why do people choose one over the other?

My guess is that the main difference is when you put 's at the end of a name, you strictly imply that the theorem/conjecture was written by this very person (Bolzano wrote Bolzano's theorem). But when it is "the [Name] theorem/conjecture," it doesn't mean that the person which name is used actually created this thing, maybe he just inspired it (Poincare might have only inspired the Poincare conjecture but did not propose it).

Sometimes there is only one way: the hairy ball theorem; you can not call it hairy ball's theorem.


texts: Would you please tell me if it was said vs. it said are the same?

texts:
In the book it said: "The Boa swallows its prey".
In the book it was said :" The Boa swallows its prey".

Would you tell me if these are correct? And is there any difference between them?


texts: An event for best friends - why there isn"t the definite article?

texts:
I know a few rules when the definite article is not used with superlatives, but none fits here:

  An event for best friends.

If I add "the", it sounds odd to me, as if I talked about certain people.

But what is the actual grammatical reason why "the" should not be used with the superlative here?


texts:
Presently I heard Pilot bark far below, out of his distant kennel in the courtyard: hope revived. Nor was it unwarranted: in five minutes more the grating key, the yielding lock, warned me my watch was relieved. It could not have lasted more than two hours: many a week has seemed shorter.
  Mr. Rochester entered, and with him the surgeon he had been to fetch.
  (Jane Eyre)

The sentence with the highlighted part is using the present perfect tense; yet, the previous and the next ones use the simple past tense. What's the reason for that?


texts: according to (article/no article) -- is there a rule to the madness?

texts:
Example #1:

In these two examples (the same news story) as you can see, there are articles in front of the noun phrases.

  According to a new design specification from the Military-Industrial Commission in Moscow, a transport aircraft, dubbed PAK TA, will fly at supersonic speeds (up to 2,000 km/h) and will boast an impressively high payload of up to 200 tons. It will also have a range of at least 7,000 kilometers.

  According to the source, the PAK TA project has been ongoing for several years now and will eventually supplant the currently operating air freighters. But such a global mission statement for national military transport aviation has never been voiced before.

Example #2:

However, in the following example, the article is not used at all, for some reason.

  According to Bank of Russia forecast, the current monetary policy and low economic activity will be conducive to the slowing of annual consumer price growth to 9% over the year (March 2016 on March 2015) and to the target of 4% in 2017.

How would you explain that? Can you think of a rule that could help me make sense of things with regards to the usage of this expression?


texts: Try that T-shirt on or Try on that T-shirt

texts:
Can I try that T-shirt on?
  Can I try on that T-shirt?

I look at the dictionary it says 'try sth on' could be used like

  Try on the shoes, or
   try it on for size

So it seem both sentences 1 and 2 are correct. But I think the sentence 2 is more likely to be correct.

please help me clear the confusion.


texts:
I brought the sentences from the speech about conversation tips.

  They don’t just want to know about news and the weather.
  They want to know about you.
  So what are three things that you have going on right now, that you can talk about.
  Whether it be school, whether it be a personal relationship, whether it be a hobby that you’re involved with.

My questions:

What is the difference in nuance between 'whether it is' and 'whether it be'?
Before posting this question, I googled, and some websites say 'whether it be' is subjunctive. I don't get why it is called 'subjunctive'. Because from what I know about subjunctive, it's supposed to be past of be verb.
If I say 'whether it should be' or whether it would be', is the meaning same?


texts: What is the difference between "gonna be" and "gonna"?

texts:
Sometimes the below two sentences look the same to me.
What are the differences between these two sentences:

I am gonna be talking.
I am gonna talk.


texts: is it possible to make the expression more concise without harming understandability? all these decisions are decisions you are going to have to make

texts:
after the antecedent

  and the goal is to give you a systematic way to think about projects,
  everything related to deep learning. It includes how to collect your
  data, how to label your data, how to choose an architecture, and how
  to design a proper loss function to optimize.

The lecturer is saying

  so all these decisions are decisions you are going to have to make
  during your projects

it seems that "all these decisions are decisions" is a little bit redundant. is it possible to make the expression more concise without harming understandability?

will "all these things are decisions you are going to have to make" be better?


texts:
She was never the same person Frank met before.

or:

  She was not the same person Frank met before.

Is the two sentence exchangeable? Can the “never” replace the “not”?


texts: "My pet's body size is like that of a rabbit" - or "like that of a rabbit's"? May we use the double possessive?

texts:
My pet's body size is like that of a rabbit's.

  My pet's body size is like that of a rabbit.

Which is correct?


texts:
Example with a context (Russia's pro-Putin media darling loves his new life in Brooklyn — minus the hipsters):

  Asked about these alleged close ties to Russian intelligence services, Gabrelyanov says he's never had an agent walk into his office but admits LifeNews "could" have gotten some of its scoops from Russian security services. Pressed to explain, he appears to walk back his comment, saying he didn't mean people from the intelligence services but "citizen security services."

How do you exactly understand that phrase?


texts: "I added 10 litres of petrol to my car's tank at a petrol station"

texts:
What is idiomatic saying to express that I added 10 litres of petrol to my car's tank at a petrol station?
I filled my car 10 litres of petrol or I filled up my car with 10 litres of petrol? How do you say?


texts:
The U.S. lags countries such as South Korea and Germany, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit study, in preparing students to work with computational thinking, AI, and robotics.

This is a sentence from an article from The Atlantic that I was reading, but I don't quite understand what "lags" mean here (despite having searched up Oxford dictionary). Does it mean that the US is lagging behind S.Korea and Germany in preparing its students, or does it mean that the US accepts and prepares a lot of Korean & German students? I had never seen "lag" without behind before, so I'm not too sure.


texts: 'created the "A" programme' or 'created the programme'

texts:
These sentences are grammatically correct?

  Participated in project work on the "A" system and created the "A"   programme.
  Participated in project work on the "A" system and
   created the programme.

Thank you in advance.

P.S.
"A" - name of application/program


texts: Would it make any difference if "while" is omitted: "... injured his back [while] lifting boxes ..."?

texts:
Are the following sentences similar?

  Dad injured his back lifting heavy boxes.
  Dad injured his back while lifting heavy boxes.

Which of these two would a native speaker prefer?


texts: What is the meaning of "but" before verb?

texts:
How well would be, if men would but exercise their brains as they do their bodies, and take as much pain for virtue as they do for pleasure

I thought but emphasize the verb...Is it right? And if it is right, how it can be paraphrased?


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct (placement of helping verb)?

texts:
I'm not sure about How and have here.

2 possibilities:

  a) How health care monitoring devices have helped in changing your life?

  b) How have health care monitoring devices helped in changing your life?

Which is correct here? Or both incorrect?


texts: 'All' or 'everyone'- which one fits better here?

texts:
'God bless you' or 'God bless America' is a very common phrase to hear. But yesterday I read a sentence saying: 'God bless everyone'.

IMO, 'all' fits here more than 'everyone' as it includes every creature. I consider that 'everyone' is used for humans only. Am I right?


texts: What does "they blew everyone away" mean?

texts:
The band was awesome! They blew everyone away.

What does this mean? Surely it does not mean the band actually blew everyone away. But it seems to mean something good?


texts:
For this particular paragraph:

  link
  After the NFL admitted it went too light on Baltimore running back Ray Rice with its punishment, you didn't want to be the next major name up for suspension from commissioner Roger Goodell.

would changing "up for suspension from commissioner Roger Goodell" to "up for punishment from commissioner Roger Goodell" or "up for a suspension sentence from commissioner Roger Goodell" be better?


texts:
I'm struggling to grasp the exact meaning of a sentence, in the context of a business meeting. The sentence is:

  The office move, as you know, the plans have been up by the main exit for a week now.

I know the meaning of the phrasal "to be up to", when referring to a person.

I also search for the meaning in a different context, when referring to either a plan or an object or activity, and found out that the term might be a synonym for "increase" (e.g. saving this, you'll be up by €20 every month.)

So, in this sentence, the "plans" for the move (which, in this case, refer to diagrams) now include more than just the main exit?

This is my guess, but a more deliberate, native speaker explanation would be much appreciated. Thanks


texts: why do I use the relative clause made instead of using the passive form "are made"?

texts:
Does he like clothes made of cotton?

Why can't I use the passive form here and say

Does he like clothes are made of cotton?


texts:
The sculpture that you were submitting was in that closet.

The background is like this: The sculptor was planning to submit his work to a festival. Sadly, he forgot where he had put the remaining pieces before he wrapped it up and failed to submit in time. A while later, a friend of his found out that the parts have been in his closet all along and said that sentence above.

The things I was wondering is like as follows.

How come the 'submit' has the continuous tense? Isn't it 'to hand over'? I mean, one time event? You can't say "I was breaking the window while playing catch ball", but "I broke the window...".
He eventually couldn't submit his work. But why did his friend say as if he did it? Should the saying has like more words meaning his purpose only, not the actual action? Such as:

  ..that you were supposed to submit..


texts:
Out the window, Mamah could see four children, her own plus Emma
  Barton and Frankie, Jennie and Andrew’s son. When the four of them
  weren’t out riding, they were in the barn hanging around, helping Tom
  Brunker groom the horses. Tom was a tender mark—a widower, with young
  children of his own over in Milwaukee. There was another draw for
  Martha and John in the barn, too: the imminent birth of a foal.

from Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

What is the meaning of a 'mark' here?


texts:
1: "When someone tries to win a war before it starts innocent people die everytime"

2: "He takes Watson wicket, scoring 100, 3 sixes and 7 fours"

Be aware first one taken a movie called Avengers: age of Ultron, and second one from a cricket match report

I don't have problem understanding them

Can anyone convert them into formal written language?


texts:
Does "pockets" here mean "groups"?  I've checked out the unabridged version of Random English Dictionary and found this definition to be close - "any isolated group, area, element, etc., contrasted, as in status or condition, with a surrounding element or group:
pockets of resistance; a pocket of poverty in the central city."
I am not very sure.

The shift raises questions about the strength of the support for Mr. Trump and suggests that pockets of his fan base are fracturing. Many of Mr. Trump’s fans still falsely believe he was deprived of office, but other far-right groups such as the Oath Keepers, America First and the Three Percenters have also started criticizing him in private Telegram channels, according to a review of messages.

Source: NYTimes  ‘A Total Failure’: The Proud Boys Now Mock Trump


texts:
Ok, most of the time we hear people say "speak English" such as "I speak English very well", "He can't speak English", etc.

I searched on the internet & it says "talk" is synonym of "speak" Source

However, but I seldom hear anyone says "talk English" such as "I talk English very well", "He can't talk English", etc.

So, is it wrong to say "I talk English"?


texts: What is a single word for a person who is underestimated?

texts:
What is a single word for a person who is underestimated in this situation:

  a group of people underestimates/humiliates one of its members by treating her/him so bad, i.e. verbal abuse, harassment, rudeness and such.


texts: Differences between Going to and Will in Informal and Formal English

texts:
In formal English (or written English), I'm super sure that the Be going to and Will rules are "respected". (Correct me if I'm wrong) For example, probably in formal English, they probably use "Going to" for things planned and "Will" for things decided at the moment of speaking.

But, does this happen in Colloquial/Iformal English? Sure, we've got the expressions "I will help ya!" (Instead of "I'm gonna help ya"), and "I'm gonna visit my grandma next weekend" (instead of "I'll visit my grandma next weekend), but, sometimes I see "going to" instead of "will" and when someone use "going to" or "Will", I wonder why, because, the rules say that "going to is for that" and "will is for this", though, I don't know why someone use this tense instead of that one.

And, Of course there are native speakers that don't know the difference between them. The thing I wanna point out is:  Is there really a difference between "Going to" and "Will" in Informal English?  Or, the rules are just for formal English only?


texts: When it is clear to me that you are lying

texts:
Imagine someone is lying you and you are aware about the truth behind his / her sayings. suddenly when they are explaining their tales, you cannot control yourself and laugh. They ask you about the reason why you laughed. Not considering if they will be upset or not, you want to let them know that "it was clear that they were lying".

There is an idiom in my language which says:

It is like a painting that you are lying. [Meaning that everything has been visible to you because the way they were lying was not the way one could believe it.]

In a translation book I read the following sentences:

  It stands out a mile that you are lying.
  It sticks out a mile that you are lying.

But whereas it's author was a non-native individual, I doubt if they are direct translations from my language to English.

I need to know if an American person would say such a thing? If not is there any substitution for it in English?


texts:
I am not able to understand the meaning of this even as in the following sentence

This even as fresh cases were generally dropping due to reduced spread of the then dominant strain.

 Click here To Read The Full Article


texts:
They try to make up in traffic fines what they can't generate in
  property or sales taxes.

(Riot-torn Ferguson's distrust of police flows from a city run on fines -CBC news Dec.3 2014)

Here is the link.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/riot-torn-ferguson-s-distrust-of-police-flows-from-a-city-run-on-fines-1.2858208

Don't we need 'for' before 'what'?  Thank you.


texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

"I have a strong willed and determined personality that causes me to do my best to achieve my goals"

" My personality is strong willed and determined, to do my best to achieve my goals"


texts: When can Past Continuous become the Past Perfect Continuous in reported speech?

texts:
Reporting the direct speech we follow the rule of "one tense back".

Since that we are able to use Past Perfect instead of Past Simple as well as leave it the same. The Past Perfect tense stays the Past Perfect.

I saw the we can leave the Past Continuous the same. I found the example where it becomes Past Perfect Continuous, though.

Example:

  "I was getting bored lying on the beach", Mrs.Jones said.

So, which one would be better:

  Mrs.Jones said (that) she was getting bored lying on the beach.
  Mrs.Jones said (that) she had been getting bored lying on the beach.


texts: Doubt about "be/get used to + stative verbs"

texts:
I am not confident about the ing form in stative verbs when using be/get used to. Do I have to use the ing form even if there are stative verbs?
For example which one of these sentences is correct?

  I am used to understanding people while speaking
  I am used to understand people while speaking


texts: Meaning of "just" and "you" in imperative sentence

texts:
“Oh,  to  hell  with  your  stars  and  constellations!”  the  three  on  the  ground  yelled,  almost  in unison. “Just come you down"

This paragraph is from a fable. I can't decide the usage of "just", and "you".
In my opinion, "just" means " to get attention for order " and "you" are used "for emphating anger".


texts:
As we witness in his correspondence, he immediately fell in love with her.

I am a little bit puzzled by the part "we witness…" I would understand the usage "As the correspondence witnesses…" or "As we can find in his correspondence…" Is this common usage of the verb "witness"?


texts: "in as little time possible" vs "in as little time as possible"

texts:
I am working on some ad copy. Should I say:

This guide will get you up and running in as little time possible.

or

This guide will get you up and running in as little time as possible.

And does it make a difference?


texts: The use of the preposition "on" after "spend time" in context

texts:
Do I have to use on in the following context?

  Besides spending time being with your family, what other thing do you spend time on doing?

If the sentence sounds akward with or without the on, how would build it so that it could sound well?


texts:
Say you have 2 Tshirts and 2 pairs of pants that you have been using for 1 year. They are not too old nor new. And you often wash them at the end of each day after using.
It seems that people say "clean and dirty" when they refer to clothes that haven't or have been worn since the last wash, respectively?
But, say, you have been wearing a Tshirt and a pair of pants for 3 hours, so that Tshirt and pair of pants are not too dirty but not too clean, either.
In this case, can we say "new and old clothes"
For example, Is it correct to say "she'll help you to change into new clothes" when you refer to clothes that haven't been worn since the last wash?


texts: What is it called when you seperate from a country

texts:
its crazy how we speak? i have hard times sometimes speaking!
Is it called seceding?


texts: Does using a colon (:) correctly combine these 2 sentences?

texts:
I'm asking about the following construction. I'm not sure whether the way I use a colon to combine my sentences is correct.

  Here, I would like to summarize the reasons for my extension
  request: as necessity of additional time for rectifying the
  algorithms, lengthy literature survey than expected and etc.


texts:
Is there any diffrence among usage of two verbs .I mean i can make sentence with “ appear “ as below :

  It appears that they will come by bus.

Can i use show up instead of appear in this sentence like

  It shows up that they will come by bus.


texts: adding a comma before a description phrase

texts:
Do I need to add comma, semicolon or a period here?

  "There are nasty scars, livid devilish kisses on her snowy innocent arms**,**the marks of injection."

What is the linguistic term for "the marks of injection" here and is there any need for a comma before this phrase? This phrase is used to describe the kisses.


texts:
If you look at the bio of a not edited profile on SE, you will find this:

  Apparently, this user prefers to keep an air of mystery about them.

Why did they use "them" instead of "himself"?


texts:
In English , we use " both of " , " both " for two things

for instance , if you are going out for a meal , there are two possible restaurants, you Say :

both restaurants are very good

Or,

both of the restaurants are very good

what is the difference?


texts: Comparing "the same ideas", "two similar ideas" and "two same ideas"

texts:
I'm very surprised to get only one result for "two same ideas" on Google Books, especially because the result appears in a grammar book (Everyday Grammar by Irene Chong):

  Molly and Jimmy are good friends, (and - to join two same ideas)

I know that "same" there can be replaced with "similar" and I verified that "two similar ideas" is rather common both on Google Books and on the most important American and British online newspapers.

Also, in the same way, I verified that "the same ideas" is grammatical.

So, I concluded that there is something wrong with the word "same" in "two same ideas", but I cannot understand what.

Question is: Why are "the same ideas" and "two similar ideas" correct while "two same ideas" is not—or, at least, is so uncommon?


texts: can we say "please squat up / down" to a person sitting / standing on the floor, respectively?

texts:
squat [intransitive] squat (down) to sit on your heels with your knees bent up close to your body

  Children were squatting on the floor.

  When we saw them we squatted down behind a wall.

Sometimes, you need to wash your toddler's bottom. It is easier to do that when your child is in a squatting position.

When a person is sitting on the floor, could we say "please squat up!"

and when he is standing on the floor, could we say "please squat down!"

See the picture portrayed below

Note: people say "sit down" to a person who is standing & and say "sit up" to a person who is lying. If we can not say "squat up", then what does the adverb "down" in "squat down" mean?


texts:
Can I use infinitive clauses in that way?

  1-) These terms are important for me to work here happily.

  2-) These terms are important to work here happily.(If it is obvious that I am talking about myself, can we omit "for me"?)

  3-) These features are necessary for this game to work properly.

  4-) Body language is necessary to communicate with someone correctly.

If this usage is correct, could you please explain what these infinitives' functions are?

I don't think that the examples 2-4 are adjective complements because I have never seen a source/website/book saying that "necessary and important" can have infinitive complements. (It is important/necessary to do something) is a different structure that is not the complement example, which is not the case.)

Finally, what are your thoughts? Are they grammatically OK?


texts: Idiomatic way of saying "X-type zombie" where X is the name of someone?

texts:
The game developers added an Elvis-type zombie into the game. The
zombie rocks an Elvis wig and attacks the player by using voice
attacks.

I am not sure if this is how most writers would phrase it. Is there a better way to phrase this particular sentence?


texts: What is the meaning of "merry tune" in context

texts:
consider:

  We can sure that as long as shock films ring up a merry tune on the cash registers, producers will not desist from making them.

What does the ring up a merry tune exactly mean?

I know about the Ring up, merry, and tune.Thanks


texts: I'm stuck changing active sentences into passive ones

texts:
I was given these two sentences:

  Photographers photographed Brad Pitt as he left the restaurant.
  Our teacher has given us lots of homework this week.

Those are both written using the active voice of the verb; the goal of the exercise that I was given was for me to change them into their corresponding passive forms so that the old object becomes the new subject and the old subject becomes the new object.

Let me show you what I have tried:

  As Brad Pitt left the restaurant, he was photographed by photographers.
  Brad Pitt had left the restaurant when he was photographed by photographers.

and this where I tried both the versions with the old direct object as the new subject and also versions where it was the old indirect object that became the new subject:

  Lots of homework this week has been given us by our teacher.
  Lots of homework have been given this week by our teacher.
  We are given lots of homework this week by our teacher.
  This week we are given lots of homeworks by our teacher.

But the teacher has marked all those as incorrect without telling me how or why. I know that I need to write the subject first, but what all am I doing wrong with these? What's wrong with these? Is it the tense (should it be present or past?) or agreement or grammatical case or word order or what?


texts: What is the meaning of 'furled' in "The smoke furled dreamily from its navy blue nostrils"?

texts:
The smoke furled
  dreamily from its navy blue nostrils and wafted gently into the evening, almost
  indistinguishable from the exhaust fumes of the cars below it.

I'm unsure what the meaning of furl is in the sentence above, which is quoted from Three Times Table by Sara Maitland.

Merriam Webster's definition of furl:

  transitive verb : to wrap or roll (as a sail or a flag) close to or around something
  intransitive verb : to curl or fold as in being furled

Can anybody explain which of the Merriam Webster definitions better fits Sara Maitland's usage?


texts: It is able to be possible/ She is able to have drunk

texts:
If "can" and "be able to" are interchangable sometimes, for example:

She can speak Latin = She is able to speak Latin

Can "be able to" be used instead of "can" in:

She can't have drunk that much coffee = She isn't able to have drunk that much coffee

It can be possible that he has forgotten about us = It is able to be possible that he has forgotten about us ?


texts: Future Perfect Progressive - In what case is it necessary?

texts:
I wonder how is Future Perfect Progressive (will have been doing) useful, as I'm feeling that Future Perfect Simple is enough in almost all scenarios. Like

  By the end of this year, I will have achieved 500 rep. on this site.

I can't figure out a case where FPP is necessary, or at least makes more sense than FPS.
Also, is there an extreme case where Past Future Perfect Participle makes the best sense?


texts: "Except for the main house" in my sentence

texts:
Should I use "except for" or "except" in my sentence?
"There are three additional cottages in the yard. Except the main house tourists can stay in any of them."
I found a similar example like mine: "They all came except Matt."
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/except_1?q=Except
And in this discussion as well: "Everyone except John likes the movie."
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/excluding-except-john.1188027/


texts: Is your English getting better? or Does your English get better?

texts:
In a book, there's a question:

  Is your English getting better?

And not

  Does your English get better?

And

Where does you mum and dad live.

Where do your mum and dad live.

They both sound right to me.


texts: Is it appropriate to say "Per my teacher" instead of "According to my teacher"?

texts:
One meaning of per is according to per Merriam-Webster:

  according to —often used with as • per instructions • as per usual

Can I use per in the following way?

  Per my teacher

Please note that the original title of the question was:
Is per always interchangeable with according to?


texts:
For what did I pay you 500 dollars more?

  What did I pay you 500 dollars more for?

Are both of these questions grammatical?


texts: "what and how" as an object in a sentence

texts:
Could you explain why one of these sentences is grammatically preferable (if any)? Would you write the sentence in another way?

  Our aim is to understand what and how the equipment measures specifically.

  Our aim is to understand what specifically and how the equipment measures.

  Our aim is to understand how the equipment measures what specifically.

  Our aim is to understand what the equipment measures specifically and how.

  Our aim is to understand what the equipment measures specifically and how it does that.


texts: Which one sounds more formal: dull vs flat

texts: I want to say that the title sounds boring/dull/flat, which means that the title is not special and just mediocre. Which word (among dull vs flat) is more appropriate to use in formal context without sounding like criticizing or too casual?


texts: What's the difference between "walk someone over to" and "walk over to"

texts:
I heard that "walk someone over to" means accompany someone to a destination, but I am wondering "walk over to" means something, I want to say "walk a short distance to go talk to someone", but I am not sure if "walk over to" can be used without a direct object (someone).

For example:

  He walked over to Mark who was near the tree signaling to hurry up,
  and had a little chat with him.


texts:
Consider this example :

  "I saw one of the Jones brothers yesterday"
  "Yes?Which one/Whom did you see?

I think "whom" is correct because I am referring to people, but which one also feels correct to me. Which of these is better?


texts:
I am wondering if I can use the idiom "bat an eye" and combine it with the preposition "over". I am not sure if this can be done, but to me this makes total sense, but maybe for native speakers this isn't the case, so I am asking.

For example:

  They were wearing dog costumes at the party, but people didn't even
  bat an eye over it, because they were used to that sort of thing.


texts: "You'll be in for it." - meaning of using "it"

texts:
The Cambridge Dictionary's article "be in for sth" gives two examples:

  The weather forecast says we're in for heavy rain this evening.
  You'll be in for it (= you'll be in trouble) if you don't do what she tells you.

The first example is clear: the object to "to be in for sth" is "heavy rain".

But the second one appears a bit enigmatic to me.
Does "it" refer to any part of the sentence or context?
Or is "to be in for it" just a fixed expression for "to be/get in trouble"?


texts:
Her filling was dropped out and have to filling teeth.

  Her filling was dropped out and have to place a filling.

Is "place a filling" the alternative way to say "filling teeth"?


texts: Y-axis of a graph with a common unit but different meanings

texts: I have a graph where the x-axis is time and y-axis is the density of two or more different organisms. So the graph shows how the densities change with time. Suppose the species are tunas and whales, and the plot shows the data for the both species together. Should the label for the y-axis Density or Densities? I have seen both ways...


texts: The use of perfect infinitive vs present infinitive

texts:
The following quotation is from Anthony Trollope's The Small House at Allington:

  Lily did not analyse her own feelings, or closely make inquiry as to those of her mother, but she perceived that it was not all as she would have wished it to have been.

I understand what perfect infinitive can refer to and its use.

I would like to know if in the cited context the perfect infinitive can be grammatically replaced by present infinitive. There's that past time reference it was not all which makes me doubt.

So, can we phrase it like this:

  Lily did not analyse her own feelings, or closely make inquiry as to those of her mother, but she perceived that it was not all as she would have wished it to be.

I know they are different and mean different things but I don't know if the second is grammatical too.


texts:
That’s just our minds doing the job they were designed to do: trying
  to anticipate and solve problems and avoid potential pitfalls.

Which word is “they” referring to? Our minds or "thoughts and feelings
that include criticism, doubt, and fear"(which is mentioned in the previous sentence)?

Also I can't get the point. So, Could you please explain the sentence to me?

The fuller text is:

  The prevailing wisdom says that difficult thoughts and feelings have
  no place at the office: Executives, and particularly leaders, should
  be either stoic or cheerful; they must project confidence and damp
  down any negativity bubbling up inside them. But that goes against
  basic biology. All healthy human beings have an inner stream of
  thoughts and feelings that include criticism, doubt, and fear. That’s
  just our minds doing the job they were designed to do: trying to
  anticipate and solve problems and avoid potential pitfalls.

https://hbr.org/2013/11/emotional-agility


texts: What's the purpose of modal verb "would" before "seen"?

texts:
Kat: Worst thing Andrei ever did to me was that offer he made me. Let
me go if I agreed never to see my son again. I shouted and... swore.
But he'd seen it on my face, just for an instant. I considered it.

What's the purpose of modal verb "would" before "seen" ?
Source: Christopher Nolan's movie Tenet (2020)


texts: "Attack someone unprepared" or "be attacked unprepared"

texts:
Which one should I say:

  They attacked me unprepared.

Or

  I was attacked unprepared.

Do these sentences have any similarities with:

  He died young?

Thanks in advance.


texts: I'm preparing a mind map on a particular topic in which all the information is missing  and have to be found. As an instruction, shall I write: "fill in the mind map" or "Fill out the mind map?". Thanks for your help.


texts:
We can play football or watch a movie.
  We can watch football, or watch a movie.

Does there need to be a comma after football?


texts: "What are you smiling at? vs. "What are you smiling about?"

texts: Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning and usage between the question What are you smiling at? and What are you smiling about?


texts: Word order question with question tag: broke/bottles/did't they/those

texts:
1) broke/bottles/did't they/those

I need to order the words to make questions with question tags Please, help me to make a correct question with question tag. I didn't find an answer. And it means I don't know how to form a question using these words.


texts:
I am not a native English speaker. I read this phrase in a book, '... more beloved than everything UPON WHICH the sun rises,...'
Could anyone clarify what this phrase means? And what is the meaning of 'upon which' here? Thanks


texts:
Consider this sentence:

  M couples leave a party... What is the number of men before couples leave

What is the proper word for the bold part:

Before couples leave
Before leaving of couples
Before that couples leave
Before leaving by couples

I know after "Before" and "After" usually a gerund comes, but I can't guess how can I write the sentence to include a gerund. Anyways, which case is correct or incorrect and why.
Should I always repeat the previous sentence "They leave"? What if it was a long sentence?


texts:
Could you please say the following sentence is correct?

You have to be able to analyze the poem, not to be able to just
regurgitate that.

My main question is about the second part of the sentence.


texts: To surprise a younger generation - or the younger generation - will be more difficult each year

texts:
Looking at the kids skillfully using tablets with the help of their small fingers, we understand that to surprise the/a younger generation will be more difficult each year.

Is the definite article the at its proper place here, since we are referring to the general concept of "younger generation"?

Or should one use a, since a new younger generation might arise each year?

Or would both choices work fine?


texts: What's the meaning of these Shakespearean English sentences being used in here?

texts:
Source

  Cleopatra, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, they all blend in because forsooth here that whole dying for love or killing for love business is verily a sweet sorrow. A special shout out also to the witches; we love them three.

  Later it’s all a great help at the workplace – there’s daggers in men’s smiles, you’re alerted.


texts: Can I use simple present to explain how to do something now

texts:
I know I can use simple present for instructions.
But, If I want to explain how to do something now,
can I use the simple present?

For example is it correct if I said

"I show you how to do it."

or only

"I'll show you how to do it."

is correct?


texts: If someone has a habit of bending his  neck down all the time then what can we call this? Is there any general name for this type of habit?


texts: "To lose grip on X" or "to lose grip of X?"

texts:
I'm confused because searching the phrase yields more or less the same results on Google Books:

lose grip on the

lose grip of the

Which alternative is correction? Or maybe both are correct?

Example sentence:

When the train started off, she lost grip of the standing pole she was grabbing.


texts: "a headquarters" or just "headquarters"?

texts:
Source: Russia Pounds ISIS With Biggest Bomber Raid in Decades

Example:

  Russian officials notified U.S. planners at a coalition headquarters in Qatar before the strike, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. It was the first time the Russians and Americans have put into action an October agreement to coordinate their countries' respective operations in Syria.

Do you think it's grammatically correct to say a headquarters? The word has a define plural sense to it. Generally, it feels absolutely weird to use an indefinite article in front of a word that ends in s. And it should be because the s marker makes an idea or thing plural, whereas an indefinite article denotes the fact that we only have one of something. Is this an exception to the rule? How do you native speakers actually reconcile this problem? Is this something that you find strange too?


texts: “Asked” Vs. “Having asked” vs. “having been asked”

texts:
1) asked about her parents, Ms. Angelina said she was uncertain of their names and promised to look them up...

  2) Having asked about her parents, Ms. Angelina said she was uncertain of their names and promised to look them up...

  3) Having been asked about her parents, Ms. Angelina said she was uncertain of their names and promised to look them up...

What is the difference in meaning among  these three sentences; are all of them  conveying the same thing ?

Are they all grammatically and semantically acceptable and correct?

And in the first sentence, is “asked” finite or non-finite verb?


texts:
In an English grammar book I found this sentence:

  Sarah got a job in factory.

Is the absence of an article legitimate here?

I would say the correct usage would be: ... in a factory.

Am I correct?


texts: Looking to name a specific semantic relation

texts:
When one makes a choice, he is faced with some alternatives: "go by car" or "go by bus"; "prefer sightseeing" or "go shopping", "buy a house" or "rent a flat", etc. These alternatives share the same hypernym (car and bus are means of transportation; sightseeing and shopping are activities; etc) and they have the tendency to exclude each other, but how would you call their semantic relation?
Is there anything in the literature as "alternative semantic relation" or "adversarial semantic relation"?
Edit:
I may have found my answer, the term what I'm looking for might be "co-hypernym"
https://linguistics.stackexchange.com/questions/9244/is-there-a-term-ending-in-nym-that-signifies-terms-that-all-have-the-same-hy?rq=1


texts:
I heard this line in a documentary:

  There's guys at the church that pat me on the back and say, "Way to be a warrior for Christ!"

This modified version of "way to go" strikes me as unusual. I may have seen "Way to be!" where "Way to go!" is normally used. But this is the first time I have heard the idiom modified with a longer phrase. Google seems to suggest this construction is not common at all. I can only find a singular attestation of "way to be a fighter [for...]", but I guess there are an unlimited number of possible sentences. Is "way to do something" idiomatic and actually said at all?


texts: Michael is a New Zealander or Michael is New Zealander? Article before nationalities?

texts: Do I have to say "Michael is a New Zealander" or can I leave out the indefinite article "a"?


texts: When to use present perfect and adjective? Especially for emotions

texts:
Is this sentence is correct?

I have been tired of you.

Also please tell me when to use present perfect tense for emotions I mean am I still tired? If yes then why not say I'm tired of you.
Like in this sentence
2. I have been worried about you.
3. I have been worrying about you.
What do they mean differently.


texts: I am messing up when I go to use get and being or getting or being

texts:
I would like to learn the appropriate use of 'get, getting and being'.

Such as, what is correct?

  Getting messed up.

Or

  Being messed up.

Though I have read that "getting" will always be used or appropriate when the object of the sentence will be pointed at ahead.

I would like to learn it properly as it is bugging me a lot.


texts: How to refer to something common to two things?

texts:
I want to refer to a common cause of two problems that I have described.
I've used the following sentence:
"A common denominator to the problems that I have described is ...."
I'm not sure if it sounds well or even if the preposition that I'm using (to) is correct.


texts: 2 synonyms used in 1 sentence: makes up  % and constitutes

texts:
I’m wondering whether it looks well-written and, most importantly, grammatically correct to use 2 synonyms at once in my following sentence:

  Pacemaker Cells make up only about 1% of the Total Number of cardiac
  muscle cells and constitute the Cardiac Conduction system.

If it looks well-written and is grammatically correct when the audience read it, do you recommend me using a ‘comma’ after ‘muscle cells’ to prevent it from sounding too long for a sentence?

  Pacemaker Cells make up only about 1% of the Total Number of cardiac
  muscle cells , and constitute the Cardiac Conduction system.

Original Quote:

  ‘Pacemaker cells make up only about 1% of the total number of cardiac
  muscle cells. There are three populations of these cells in the heart
  that are capable of spontaneously generating action potentials and
  setting the pace of the heart. These three cell populations are
  collectively called the cardiac conduction system. After looking at
  how pacemaker cells generate action potentials, we’ll cover the
  components of the cardiac conduction system’ (Amerman 2019).

Thank you!


texts: What does "there" mean when people say "No surprise there?"

texts:
No surprise there.

I know the no surprise part, just the there — what's the purpose?


texts: What does 'cynical' mean - Stevens's dissent in Bush v Gore?

texts:
"What must underlie petitioners' [Bush's] entire federal assault on the Florida election procedures is an unstated lack of confidence in the impartiality and capacity of the state judges who would make the critical decisions if the vote count were to proceed.  Otherwise, their position is wholly without merit.  The endorsement of that position by the majority of this Court can only lend credence to the most cynical appraisal of the work of judges throughout the land.  It is confidence in the men and women who administer the judicial system that is the true backbone of the rule of law."

This is from a dissent by Justice John P Stevens in Bush vs Gore. Which definition applies? Please explain the steps or thought processes, for want of doing so by myself in the future?

  1. Believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest
  1.2. Contemptuous; mocking
  2. Concerned only with one’s own interests and typically disregarding accepted standards...

For example, does Stevens mean 1.2 and implying that the majority's position can only "lend credence the most' contemptuous, mocking apparisal "of the ..."?


texts: What is the difference between 'drawback' and 'side effect'?

texts: In terms of Computer Programming, people around me mostly say 'side effect', when they talk about something that will happen behind the scenes, and it sounds pretty negative. However, when I read some documents, I've seen 'drawbacks' as the almost same meaning(I guess). So.. what's different and which one's more casual term and more formal term?