texts: On the meaning of this quote from Mr. Russell

texts:
Does Mr. Bertrand Russell's quote

  The true spirit of delight, the exaltation, the sense of being more than Man, which is the touchstone of the highest excellence, is to be found in mathematics as surely as in poetry.

mean these feelings of delight and exaltation can be found in mathematics as they are known to be found in poetry, or that these feelings are found in poetry in addition to theirs being found in mathematics?


texts: the use of the word more "time" in context

texts:
Tell me please if I constructed the following sentence correctly:

  There are 5 times more men in the club than women.

I heard people say:

  There are 5 times as many men in the club as women.

Tell me please if my sentence sounds natural.


texts:
As far as I understand, these phrases have very similar meaning, but is there any difference between them at all? I mean, are they interchangeable?

  We discussed pros and cons of buying a bigger house.

Would it be correct to say?

  We discussed for and against of buying a bigger house?


texts: Interpretation of "congress to the mayor's president"

texts:
I'm trying to understand the following sentence:

  The (New York) city council is congress to the mayor's president.

What does this sentence mean?

What (who) does the mayor's president refer to?


texts: 'Had a bad thing' and 'We're having a bad thing'?

texts:
You had a bad thing that day.
  You were having a bad thing that day.

Could you tell me the difference in meaning between sentence 1 and sentence 2?
I feel there must be a difference in meaning.


texts: what does "I'm good on puffs" in the below conversation?

texts:
A: Do you want some bean-curd puffs?
B: No, I'm good on puffs.

Is that an idiom?


texts: is this sentence grammatically correct? What does it mean?

texts:
In the sentence below, I don't understand how the clause after "over and above.." fit into the sentence.

people who eat diets high in processed foods are taking an equivalent of 11, 1-g capsules of linoleic acid daily over and above intake from wholesome foods

Is it basically saying, if you eat a lot of processed foods, it's like taking 11 capsules of linoleic acid (1g per capsule) and this is a lot more than the intake from whole some foods?
and
what would be a synonym for "wholesome foods"? What does wholesome mean in this case?


texts: How to express this action: "a large heavy object may be laid accidentally on your toes"?

texts:
See this image, a large heavy stone may be laid accidentally on his toes

  squash [transitive] to press something so that it becomes soft, damaged or
  flat, or changes shape

  squash something/somebody The tomatoes at the bottom of the bag had been squashed.

  Move up—you’re squashing me!

  squash something against something He squashed his nose against the window.

  squash something + adj. Squash your cans flat before recycling.

  Note: The object may not fall from a higher position onto his toes. The object may be so heavy that when he drag it & push it he may
  accidentally lay it on his toes. And, sometimes his toes may hurt
  but not to a level that the toes become damaged.

This person says

  Crush is more often used for hard objects, like "I crushed the soda
  can." Squash is usually for soft things like fruit. "She squashes the
  rotten mangoes."

However, the dictionary says "Unfortunately some of the flowers got crushed when we were moving them.", so I assume "crush" can be applied for softer objects such as flowers or grapes.

Ngram says "crush it" is much more common than "squash it".

How do we express it "Be careful!, The stone may squash your toes"?


texts: Is it grammatical to say "I didn't ... for a long time"?

texts:
An ELL post says

  We talked on the phone several times. Later I didn't hear anything for a long time, so I figured she didn't need my help anymore

which uses past simple tense with "for a long time".

Usually "for a long time" is a sign to use present perfect tense, such as

  I have studied English for a long time

So, is it grammatical to say "I didn't ... for a long time"?


texts: The usage of the word "courts" in this sentence

texts:
What is the grammatical structure of the following sentence?

  I was more junior there, and the magazine has earned itself a sterling reputation, which generally keeps it above the ethical fray that Gawker is not only subjected to, but often courts.

(source : http://gawker.com/how-guilty-should-i-feel-1785565192)

I'm not sure if the "courts" is used as a "noun" in legal background or a "verb".

If it is a verb, what's the meaning of it in the sentence? I am not a native English speaker, so I would deeply appreciate if you can enlarge my knowledge of grammar terminology by analyzing the last part of the sentence.


texts: What's the full sentence of "Where else" here?

texts:
“What a beautiful day it’s looking to be. You headed to the library?”

“I am,” she answered. “Where else?”

I think the full sentence is:

Where else would I go?

but I am not sure if I am right.
So could you please explain it to me?
The fuller text is here:

“Hey, Miss Wolcott,” the storekeeper said, pushing the few strands of
hair he still had away from his florid face. “What a beautiful day
it’s looking to be. You headed to the library?”
“I am,” she answered. “Where else?”
“I have some new red silk in. Tell your sisters. It
would make a fine dress.”
Elsa stopped. Red silk. She had never worn
red silk.
“Show me. Please.”

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah


texts: What is another way to say "different levels of interpretation"?

texts: I am writing a five-paragraph essay about why my assigned book is a classic. One of my paragraph topics is that it offers different levels of interpretation (you can read it just for the thrills of the story, to identify themes, to interpret it for yourself, etc). But I can't say "different levels of interpretation" when I introduce it, refer to it, and conclude it. Suggestions?


texts:
In the phrase:

  "I [wait for]/[expect] a reply to my letter in the next few days."

Should I use wait for or expect?

I think it is "expect" but I don't have any explanation for it.


texts: "What is [the] statistics on traffic accidents?" - do I need (an/the) article here?

texts:
I wonder whether I need the article in the sentence

  "What is [the] statistics on traffic accidents?"

and also what article should I use in the second part of the title of this question.


texts: Can an adjective modify an adjective in "low-resistant infectious agents"?

texts:
I was translating a Russian sentence and came up with "low-resistant infectious agents":

  Infectious agents in animals (including birds) can be divided into four groups based on their resistance to chemical disinfectants: low-resistant, resistant, highly resistant and super resistant.

I googled for "low-resistant" and there are examples, although those seem to have been penned by non-native speakers of English. Would "low-resistant infectious agents" be acceptable with the hyphen, or should I instead use some other word?  I thought of  "slightly" but "slightly resistant infectious agents" looks a bit odd.. "weakly resistant infectious agents"?

I'm unsure which word to pick if not "low-resistant". If if modify it to "low-resistance", then it would fall out of tune with the other three terms in the range.


texts:
I'm an Spanish-speaking person and currently learning English.

  "I can't believe when I started this game all I thought I needed was this guide."

Is there a better way too rephrase this so it doesn't contain multiple repetitions of the pronoun "I"? I don't want to sound selfish when it comes to expressing my own thoughts.


texts:
An ELL post says

  I agree that your other two sentences have pretty much the same meaning as the original one.

per Oxford Dictionary, "pretty much" means "very nearly". Is it near enough to "almost"?

In other words, are "pretty much" and "almost" interchangeable in most cases?


texts: Please come back before 10 am vs by 10 am

texts:
Please come back before 10 am.
  Please come back by 10 am.

What's the difference in between?


texts: Grammar of "Frye’s postulates are blessedly of this world"

texts:
Excerpted from thesmartset.com

  Unlike theology, however, Frye’s postulates are blessedly of this world.

Blessedly is an adverb, but I don't see any verb or adjective that it describes, it seems more appropriate to use blessed, an adjective.

So what's the deal here?


texts: This is one of the {most/.} well-known methods used to solve this problem

texts:
Which one of the following sentences is true or more common?

  This is one of the most well-known methods used to solve this problem.
  This is one of the well-known methods used to solve this problem.

I want to say that almost every one knows this method. Can we just remove most?

Is there a better expression to say this?


texts:
"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
      "No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."
      "That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to
  gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep
  you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible
  price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself,
  and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the
  blood touches your lips."  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is the bold part the short form of ‘one who has everything to gain’?


texts:
A telephone call might start like this

  *ring*  *ring*
  Alice: Hello, who is this?
  Bob: Hey, Bob here. Is this Alice?
  Alice: Yes, indeed.

Now in school I learned to use this for objects in my close range and that for objects further away.

Is there a reason why we use "who is this" instead of "who are you"? I realize it sounds more polite this way, but can't help to feel grammatically awkward.


texts: Why temporary and temporal have totally different meanings?

texts:
temporary means a short period of time,

temporal means relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs.

Why they looked so alike but mean totally different? Is there any connection between them?


texts:
If a company hasn't paid its workers their salaries, can it (the sum) be called a debt? I know the word 'arrears' can be applicable but what about 'debt'?

  A company has a debt of $5 million to its employees.

Is this sentence okay (I made it up)?


texts: "Value added time" meaning in this context

texts:
Someone says:

  ... due to coronavirus outbreak government has imposed lockdown across the country to battle against it.
  Now we are working from home via internet and having more time to spend with family, so we are kind of having value added time.

What is the meaning of value added time here?

Does it mean the time is more productive now?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
a. Twice last week, I took a bus full of students.

b. Twice last week, I took buses full of students.

In which case

on each occasion I only took one bus
?

In which case

I took more than one bus on both occasions
?

Which one should I choose if

I took more than one bus on one occasion and one bus on another one
?

Many thanks.


texts: How to learn a word which has several meanings, maybe more than ten?

texts:
The words which have a single or few meanings are easily understood and learned. But how can I learn a word which has several meanings, maybe more than ten? For example, pitch, present, stick, etc.

Sometimes I have already learned one meaning of a word, but when this word comes in the context of an article, I don't know what it means there. How can I learn this kind of words? The many meanings of this kind of words confuse me.


texts: The longest that I have ever been in London is/was

texts:
The longest that I have ever been in London is 28 days.

vs

  The longest that I have ever been in London was 28 days.

Could anybody please tell me which one is correct?
Is or was?


texts:
Here are the examples where zero articles are used:

  This is a tenant’s notice which does not have to be in statutory prescribed form but there is an example of how such a notice could be worded at…. The s.26 request has to be in statutory prescribed form, an example of which is given at … The s.25 notice has to be in statutory prescribed form. An example of a hostile notice is given at…

Below are sentences, where ‘a’ is used:

  The s.26 request must be in a prescribed form. The tenant’s proposed terms for the new lease must either be attached to or inserted in the schedule to the s.26 request. Both a ‘hostile’ and a ‘friendly’ s.25 notice must be in a prescribed form and pre-printed versions are available for use. If prescribed information is omitted, the s.25 notice may be held to be invalid.

To be honest, in the first group of the examples, I would used the indefinite article before 'statutory prescribed form'. I cannot understand why this expression is used with zero article, while the words 'in a prescribed form' use the indefinite article.

Would you please explain the reason for using zero article and indefinite article in the examples and whether meaning is different?

Rgrds


texts:
Don't give any ranks to people who haven't met the requirements and made a ticket.

or

  Don't give any ranks to people who haven't met the requirements and haven't made a ticket.

I want to inform my staff members that I don't want them to grant any rank/position on my discord server if the person wanting it haven't met the requirements and haven't made a ticket.


texts:
Which one is correct?
How long life span lions have?
Or
How long do lions have life span?


texts: What does "took to engineer" mean in this sentence from the New York Times?

texts:
I want to ask meaning of a sentence especially a phrase I have seen New York Times:

  "President Trump’s vituperative tweet against Iran late on Sunday showed his determination to use the same approach that he took to engineer a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea"

As I understand he would take similar action against Iran. But I am confused about "took to engineer". What exactly does it mean? Is that an idiom?


texts: Can 'being' be omitted in this sentence?

texts:
Their work is still far from (being) finished.

Can 'being' be omitted in the sentence above?


texts: Can this to infinitival be read both ways?

texts:
They set up an experiment to test their new hypothesis. (COCA)

When reading the above sentence, how should we "parse" the infinitival clause?

As an adjunct indicating the goal with adverbial function: They set up an experiment for the purpose of testing their new hypothesis.
As a modifier in which the to-infinitival clause modifies/qualifies its previous noun phrase as is in relative clauses: They set up an experiment that is to test their new hypothesis.
Both of the above.


texts:
I sometimes say something wrong in English and I figure out myself it was wrong or I can guess from people's reaction.

If I want to ask them what's the correct way to say it, is it ok to say:

  Should I have say "fixed sentenced" instead ?

Example:

  Me: What time have it ?

  My friend: ...oh 4pm!

  Me: Should I have say "What time is it?" instead


texts:
Is it correct to say "physical illnesses" in the next sentence?

"People who feel unhappy and who are, therefore, unlikely to laugh so much, suffer more often from PHYSICAL ILLNESS."

I had this sentence in an English test. I wrote "physical illnesses" instead of "physical illness" and it was a mistake. Why?


texts: What is the difference between "quote" and "estimate"?

texts:
What is the difference betwen the words quote and estimate?

Is the difference the same in British English and American English?


texts: Preposition Usage; "My interest in ~", "My interest about ~" or "My interest to ~"

texts:
I wonder which one of these is the best sentence.

Or, if they make different meaning in sentence, please explain it to me !

1. My interest in human right in North Korea has started from CNN documentary.
2. My interest about human right in North Korea has started from CNN documentary.
3. My interest to human right in North Korea has started from CNN documentary.

Thank you ! :)


texts: Identify the adverb phrase in the sentence

texts:
The cracks spanned over the screen's upper surface like tendrils, white and glossy in appearance.

Does the phrase white and glossy in appearance modify the word 'tendrils', or the word 'cracks' and 'spanned'?


texts: What does "nailed down" mean in this context?

texts:
What does it mean?

  Really got that look nailed down.


texts:
Anyone know why providing was used here? Is using which provides here correct?

We have a weekly Western Canada newsletter written by our B.C. and Alberta bureau chiefs, providing a comprehensive package of the news you need to know about the region and its place in the issues facing Canada.


texts: I've got a problem with The First Conditional sentences

texts:
so far I've learnt to use "Will" in the "First Conditional" sentences.
for example we can say:

If it rains tomorrow, we'll go to the cinema.

but can I use might instead of will?
for example:

If they like the food, they might recommend it to other people.


texts:
He [truck driver] held the screen door a little open. "Week–ten days,"
  he said. "Got to make a run to Tulsa, an' I never get back soon as I
  think." She [waitress] said crossly, "Don't let the flies in. Either
  go out or come in." "So long," he said, and pushed his way out. The
  screen door banged behind him. He stood in the sun, peeling the
  wrapper from a piece of gum. He was a heavy man, broad in the
  shoulders, thick in the stomach. His face was red and his blue eyes
  long and slitted from having squinted always at sharp light. He wore
  army trousers and high laced boots. Holding the stick of gum in front
  of his lips he called through the screen, "Well, don't do nothing
  you don't want me to hear about." The waitress was turned toward a
  mirror on the back wall. She grunted a reply. The truck driver gnawed
  down the stick of gum slowly, opening his jaws and lips wide with each
  bite. He shaped the gum in his mouth, rolled it under his tongue while
  he walked to the big red truck. (John Steinbeck, The Grapes of
  Wrath)

I can’t understand what the highlighted part means. Is ‘nothing’ an emphatic word instead of ‘anything,’ and is the sentence after nothing, the complementing clause (or modifier) for nothing?


texts: What is the meaning of "animals had been named"?

texts:
Today I've read this article and I've found the following expression:

  Later, when the animals had been named and everyone was running their blogs...

So, what does animals had been named mean? Why in technical article the author writes about animals?


texts: I find it difficult to ask my friend about his night rest whenever we chat


texts: How to decide which meaning of "careening" is intended?

texts:
In Free as in Freedom (2.0) it reads (PDF, page 98):

  In many ways, the Symbolics war offered the rite of passage toward which Stallman had been careening ever since joining the AI Lab staff a decade before.

I didn’t know "careening", so I looked it up in a translation dictionary and found two translations that seem to be mutually exclusive quite different:

to careen ~ to stagger/lurch/totter
to careen ~ to race

What does it mean in this example sentence? Was Stallman determined/single-minded ("towards which Stallman had been racing …"), or was he not so focussed ("towards which Stallman had been staggering …")?

Is the meaning here obvious? If so, why?


texts:
She followed the trail he breaks through the vines.

Is there a which or that between the word trail and he, but was omitted to make the sentence more concise?

  She followed the trail which/that he breaks through the vines.

And what does the PP here through the vines belong to, does it belong to the trail or the verb breaks?


texts:
A. Speaking as the president, who chose this team and for whom it works,
  etc.

A.1 I know "For whom it works" means his chosen team works for the president. This use of "Whom" confuses me. How can you rephrase the sentence using "who", and what other ways might be possible to convey the same meaning so I can understand the meaning in different phrasing?

  B. That is not a solution available to most people for whom email has
  become a necessity.

B.1 Does this sentence mean that for most people email has become a necessity?

  C. People will now vote for whom they are told, forced to vote by
  people who have a hold over them.

C.1 Does this sentence mean that people are told to vote for certain people? I didn't understand the second part "Forced to vote by people who have a hold over them"?

What other wording can be used to convey the same meaning of "For whom"?


texts: to storm at somebody vs. to rage at somebody

texts: Although to storm at somebody and to rage at somebody have similar meaning, I was wondering if there is any difference between them in terms of usage in daily life? Could you give some example situations for their usage?


texts: "Any correction" or "any corrections": Are they interchangeble?

texts: I know that the noun "correction" is both countable, meaning a change that makes something more accurate than it was before, and uncountable, meaning the act or process of correcting something. When I want to say, "Any correction is appreciated," should I say "any corrections', or are they both correct? Here, I'm referring to my correcting a friend's essay.


texts:
The war induced provincial governments to establish their own system of free public employment offices.

I am trying to say that at the time of the war, provinces each established a system of employment offices. These offices aided in the distribution of labour for the war effort. The provinces did this on their own, they felt there was a need for such a system. They were obviously not the same, but had one key element that was common: they were labour exchanges that distributed man power.

The way I have written it sounds weird to me, esp. the part "their own". It kind of feels that using "their own" somehow conveys that the federal govt. beforehand set up these offices FOR the provinces. I will explain their purpose in following that sentence. Can someone help me figure out a way to restructure this please?


texts:
Do the two expressions/idioms:

to have a frog in one's throat
to be hoarse

mean the same thing or they have different connotations and usages? If they differ I wonder if you kindly let me know about the difference.

In order to define the possible nuances, I have made two examples. Please have a look on them and let me know which choice is not correct in each case's space and why:

Please imagine someone is going to give a speech and wants to express their apology before starting their statements. He says:

  1- Excuse me; ________________; because of the cold.

a. I'm hoarse
b. I have a frog in my throat

  2- Excuse me; in yesterday speech I spoke so loudly that_________________.

a. I'm hoarse
b. I have a frog in my throat

I think they mean exactly the same thing and in all similar cases in which someone has such a problem with their voice can be used. But I doubted and decided to receive your approval on it.


texts:
I've failed to please so many people at one time.
  I failed to please so many people at one time.

Which of these is correct, and what do these constructions mean?


texts: Grammatical function of "allow me to say" in "I know you despise me; allow me to say, it is because you don't understand me.”

texts:
“I know you despise me; allow me to say, it is because you don't understand me.” ― Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South

How may I grammatically discern allow me to say?


texts: In what expressions I can use possessions and where I can't (e.g. today's evening-?)

texts:
1) today 's evening OR today evening

2) today 's meeting OR today meeting

3) meeting 's case OR meeting case

3) winter 's weather OR winter weather

4) market 's impact on it OR market impact on

More information here. About possessions


texts: What does the phrase "swashbuckling makeover" mean here?

texts:
I hope someone would help me understand the meaning of the phrase "swashbuckling makeover" in the following sentence:

Or discover hidden treasure in Pirate Cove – plus a swashbuckling makeover. (source)

The sentence is from the description of the game Temple Game 2.

I am confused whether the makeover is of the game or of the character in the game. Also, I am not sure if the phrase has an idiomatic connotation that I am not aware of.


texts: What are any subtle differences in conveyed meaning when varying a slogan slightly?

texts:
To a native English speaker, what are, if any, the subtle differences that come with the variation in singular/plural of a noun as well as using a definite article or non-definitive article in an ad or marketing context?

For example, the famous Coca Cola slogan is:
A. "The pause that refreshes"

What if this was changed to the following:
B. "The pauses that refresh"
C. "A pause that refreshes"
D. "Pauses that refresh"

I'm not a native speaker, so I cannot tell what are any subtle differences in these four slogans in terms of the message or impression that they make on the reader/viewer of the ad.
Can anyone help explain what are any of the subtle differences in meaning between the ad slogans A. B. C. and D.? What does each of them mean differently?


texts: Starting in [year] v. starting from [year]

texts:
Is it correct to say 'starting/beginning from [year]' or 'starting/beginning in [year]'? Like

Beginning in 2007, smartphones started to gradually squeeze conventional button devices out of the cell phone market.


texts:
Suppose my friend invites me to play football. But I have planned to study. So, what of the followings should be my reply:

I have to study. (Since, I am not obliged by someone else, should I use it? Or, should I use it because I think I have made a firm plan and I am obliged by it)
I am to study. (I find it stilted, since it doesn't have connotation of firmness. It just indicates a plan).


texts: Is there a word that means say something to a dead person?

texts:
Ok, so I thought about the word pray, but the definitions of prayer seems to indicate that you are talking to God, and not just any deceased person, so is there a word for it? It seems that the verb pray can be used to introduce dialogues, but it can only be used to mean that the person praying is praying to God or a person of worship.

For example:

  The mother ____ to his deceased son "Be well, son. I hope you will
  find happiness," as she stared into the sky.


texts: Can I use "It helps having a good imagination" instead of "It helps to have..."?

texts:
In this sentence, can I also say "It helps having a good imagination"?

  It helps to have a good imagination, and I am completely delusional.
  —— Hoult (A movie director)

Which usage would be better?


texts:
What is the difference between those two sentences? Is ''was continuing'' even correct?
Without her help, he continued the project slowly.
Without her help, he was continuing the project slowly.
Thank you, guys, for any help. I have been racking my brains for over two hours.


texts: "which of you are'' or ''which of you is''?

texts:
So, you're a bunch of psychics?

  Which of you is professor X and which of you is Jean Grey then?

or should it be

  Which of you are professor X and which of you are Jean Grey then?

Here I'm talking to a particular group of folks that is in front of me and so they are in second person. So it could be are, but then is sounds better.

Which is correct then?


texts: I still love to read his punchlines but yaa.. no feelings are included

texts:
Which one should I use?

No feelings are included
No feelings is included
No feeling is included?


texts:
Does it mean the same thing? If not so, then how to say that I am better than her.

  I'm out of your league

  You are out of my league


texts: A misprint in `The Giver`? ("it lay in the future")

texts:
Lily looked up, her eyes wide. “The Ceremony of Twelve,” she whispered in an awed voice. Even the smallest children—Lily’s age and younger—knew that it lay in the future for each of them.

It is a passage form The Giver (Lois Lowry). Looks to me as the verb lay is an incorrect form. If it is Present Tense—it should be it lays. If it is Past Tense—it should be it laid.


texts: What's the difference between "reduce" and "lower"?

texts:
I am not sure if I am mistaken, but it seems that reduce and lower aren't synonymous. For example, one of the sentences sounds incorrect in the following examples:

  The government reduced the legal age for alcohol consumption by one.

  The government lowered the legal age for alcohol consumption by one.

I am not sure if I am wrong, but "reducing the legal age" sounds odd to me.


texts: Can the phrase "change places" be used without an object?

texts: Could a pupil say to their teacher: "Please can I change places" without specifying "with" someone else in the classroom?


texts:
Here is a paragraph:

  The next stage in the re-development of the roads in the town of Gatton will mean that Main Street will be closed between Little and Denning Streets from 6am on Saturday, 12 August to 6pm on Sunday, 13 August. The intersections of these streets with Main Street will not be affected. We expect that the work will be completed at this time without further disruption to traffic. Motorists should note that Main Street will be closed over the weekend during the hours indicated.

Please check the validity of the below sentence:

  The road will be closed for two days and not re-opened until Monday.

Does not it mean the road will be closed for Saturday and Sunday and will open on Monday? I answered "true," indicating these two days against a related question but it came out wrong. Can somebody explain why am I wrong on this?

I am looking for a "true," "false," or "not given" answer.


texts: Using discriminates with/without against

texts:
I am not sure if discriminate should always followed by against?
Example:

  .. and discriminates against its users in terms of ..

Or,

  .. and discriminates its users in terms of ..


texts: What does "the sun behind the clouds" mean in metaphoric sense.I saw it as a song or program name.I want to use it in literal sense but would like to know what else it can imply.


texts: Aptness and meaning: 'circumscribe a notion'?

texts:
Source: Unjust War ..., by Paul Christopher, from Parameters Autumn 1995, pp 4-8.

  Military leaders may privately make recommendations to the national leadership when they are asked for them, but they are prohibited from establishing or publicly influencing political objectives. Even the notion of resignation on principle seems circumscribed where decisions on the use of military forces are at issue. A military officer's resignation when called to arms, especially that of a senior officer, would constitute a public statement about that officer's assessment of the political objectives. Just as officers ought not to fight when the President decides against the use of force, they ought not to refuse to fight when the President orders them to.

Is 'circumscribe' apt? Here's my guess of the sentence with what I bolded:
 Even the notion of resignation [based] on principle[s] [of opposing a war] seems circumscribed [too blatant or overt] where [the resignation would derive from] decisions
on the use of military forces [that] are at issue.

Footnote: This helpful comment introduced me to this article.


texts: Is there a word for a special kind of literature?

texts:
In my own language we have a word which subscribes all literature that you you read to enjoy yourself, like a novel, historical, autobiography, sience fiction, tales etc. And it word down't include educational literature and other.
I found only words like 'fiction' or 'nonfiction' but i am a little confused which to use, because many novels are fiction and some not.


texts: Is "digits of accuracy" plural or singular?

texts:
Which is correct among the following sentences: "10 digits of accuracy is required" or "10 digits of accuracy are required"?

Almost the same question:

Which is correct among the following sentences: "10 digits accuracy is required" or "10 digits accuracy are required"?


texts: I have two question about "stock up" & "dress shirts"

texts:
NEW YORK — Perry Ellis is not a brand that makes men nervous or causes them to titter. Even if a work-a-day guy doesn’t wear Perry Ellis clothes, he probably recognizes the name from those times he has wandered through a department store looking to stock up on dress shirts. Perry Ellis is not niche; it is mass. And its creative director, Michael Maccari designed a spring 2016 collection that was welcoming to a wide swath of men. Board shorts, crewneck sweaters, lean — but not tight — suits. Rich colors but nothing too psychedelic.

It is saying dress shirts , and it looks like as if the word *dress** acts as an adjective. What does the writer really mean by saying dress shirts?

Is stock up here s noun?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
Hi what could this sentence means?

  While heaven scored big time, Charly we will meet you again somewhere over the rainbow.


texts:
From a multiple choice question in my English assignment:

  He will probably want to know if you

  A. will have been drinking
  B. didn't drink
  C. had drunk
  D. have been drinking

I heard many people said D is the correct answer, but isn't this reported speech so it should be C?


texts: Word-usage: "[...] that has had/ had everything..."

texts:
Could you guys see this sentence and say if I should use Present Perfect or Past Simple?

  Haven't you heard the story about a character that has had / had everything and still hasn't been / wasn't happy?

I think it is Past Simple, because it sounds odd using the Present Perfect tense. Although, I think I should use the present perfect tense because there no time expression either here in the sentence, nor in the context.

Furthermore, could you tell why it was used Simple Past or Present Perfect?


texts: A parallelism between "Here come they ..." and "Here comes the bus ..."

texts:
A1. Hardly had they arrived ...
A2. Hardly had the bus arrived ...
B1. Here come they ...
B2. Here comes the bus ...

One can notice a parallelism between A1 and A2, and these sentences are both acceptable English. Exchanging they and the bus does not produce effects under the grammatical correctness aspect.
But, even if one can notice the same parallelism between B1 and B2, the same conclusion cannot be stated because, as far as I know, B1 is not "standard" English.
Can anybody explain why?


texts:
OALD gives several examples in the entry of "with"：

  With these students it's pronunciation that's the problem. #6

Is it a restricted usage? Why not use "to" or "for" instead?

  She acted with a touring company for three years. #14

Again, is it a restricted usage? Would "for" or "in" be acceptable in this example? Any nuances?


texts: What is modified by 'only' in this sentence?

texts:
“I didn't put my name in that goblet!” said Harry, starting to feel angry.

  “Yeah, okay,” said Ron, in exactly the same sceptical tone as Cedric.
  “Only you said this morning you'd have done it last night, and no one
  would've seen you.…I'm not stupid, you know.”

  “You're doing a really good impression of it,” Harry snapped.

  “Yeah?” said Ron, ...

I don't quite understand the use of 'only' here. Is it modifying "this morning", 'you' or something else? What does it truly convey?


texts: What is the difference between Shamed and Ashamed?

texts: What is the difference between Shamed and Ashamed ?


texts: Transitivity of "to map" in mathematical nomenclature

texts: Is "to map" a transitive verb, so that I can say "a mapping b" (a related with b), or an intransitive verb, so that I can say "a mapping with b" or "a is mapped with b" or "a mapping to b"?


texts: Words to describe a person or a group of person who think themselves elite, but I don't think so?

texts: What are some noun and adjective that can describe a person or a group of person who think themselves elites, but I don't necessarily agree?


texts: Is the phrase "Whatever makes you happy" passive aggressive?

texts:
I want a more confident grasp of this phrase/sentence.
Was playing a game. Text exchange between me (a man) and a woman. After some things said, me- I'm smarter than you. her- whatever makes you happy with yourself.
I said this being half playful (although not wanting anything from her) and half honest in a friendly way (honest opinion from previous experiences about her).
I just want to be sure: this phrase in such contexts (not literal) means a passive aggressive attack, right?
(BTW, not fun, smart, confident kind of woman from this response)


texts: Is the phrase "an extensive amount of hard work" correct and does is sound natural?

texts:
What I want to indicate in my writing is that I understand I need to work really hard as a student in the program. I'm using this sentence:

  I am aware that studying in such an intense and demanding program requires an extensive amount of hard work and dedication.

My question is, is the phrase "an extensive amount of hard work" correctly used? and if so, does it sound natural? is there a better alternative?

I am trying not to use words like "great" and "huge" too often in my writing that is why I used "extensive".


texts:
I am preparing for CAE advanced, but I need to revise some aspects. By the way, I am filling in the right verb in use of english part 1.

This is the piece:

  But closer inspection reveals a milky surface covered in enamel dots, which ______ about two thirds of light.

The choice is between put down, put out, cut down, cut out.

Could you please give me some useful hints about the correct use of this kind of phrasal verbs? I can't sincerely figure out the right meaning of these verbs, moreover it happens that often these verbs have the same meaning.


texts:
I really wonder if I express "so-called" in a sentence, can I also use "called" for the same way?

For example:

  The new technique so-called "blablabla" is to consume a lot of energy.

Can I write like:

  The new technique called "blablabla" is to consume a lot of energy.


texts:
I guess this could be called a ceremony.

Is it reasonable to call it an event or an activity? How about a party, a show or a gathering?
Which one is more common? Are there any other words more common could be used here?


texts:
Source

I've seen this here and there with and without the indefinite article.

I think it should be "happy birthday to wonderful you"

What's the correct one?


texts: My mom is the only person who noticed it vs my mom has been the only person who noticed it

texts:
So I've lost 11 pounds and no one actually noticed the difference except my mum. In this case, do I have to say

  My mom is the only person who noticed it

Or

  My mom has been the only person who noticed it so far

Which one is correct? Thanks in advance!


texts:
We were all very disappointed about what she said.
  We were all very disappointed about her saying that.

What's the differences?


texts:
Scene: In the house, loud helicopter's sound outside.

But beside that, it is as quiet as mass out on the street.

What does this as quiet as mass out mean? it is quite because no one is in the house? (Mass (people) are on the street)?
Novel, Pines, Blake Crouch.


texts: what does ''even the most inquisitive eyes were not to be dreaded'' mean?

texts:
It's an extract from the translation of ''Crime and Punishment'' book.

  It was a back staircase, dark and narrow, but he was familiar with it
  already, and knew his way, and he liked all these surroundings: in
  such darkness even the most inquisitive eyes were not to be dreaded.

what does the bold part mean and what is the grammar and meaning of ''were not to be''?


texts: What does "while all along" mean? (comparing to "while")

texts:
Catch Me If You Can is about someone who convinces everyone that he can really fly a plane while all along he's just a teenager.

My question is:

What is the difference between "while he's just a teenager" and "while all along he's just a teenager" in terms of meaning?

"All along" means "from the very beginning" according to a dictionary. So I guess "while all along he's just a teenager" might mean that "when he's just a teenager all along". Is that right?


texts: What do you call people who are not good at explaining things?

texts: For example, some researchers have conducted great researches, but they may find it quite difficult to explain the methodology or background info to the audience.


texts:
Healthy in the sense of a healthy raise in salary. or I bought a healthy number of books.

Some dictionaries I looked up defines healthy as fairly large while others defines it as great or very large amount. So how much is healthy in this usage?


texts: Why "moved on" is used in "Maybe it's time we all moved on"?

texts:
In Friends series, season 10 episode 2, at minute 22:20, Ross tells Joey

  "Well then, maybe it's time we all moved on".

Why he says "moved on" and not "move on"?


texts: What is an adjective or term you use to describe someone obsessed with petty or trivial gains?

texts:
Say a person is willing to spend hours standing in line just for some useless freebie, or spend hours negotiating a one dollar discount on a 100-dollar product, or things like that, and be very happy about it.

What is the adjective or term for the person with such behavior, if there is one?


texts: What is the difference between "in" and "for" in this sentence?

texts:
Here is the full sentence;

  Students enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits, whether they are Language
  Center Students or regular students, are subject to all University
  regulations.

If I drop a course and finish the semester with 10credits does this still hold?

I personally think that if we use in  it covers all the semester meaning that once you drop a course the law doesn't apply anymore and if we use for it covers the beginning of the semester once you registered if the credits are 12 or more then the law will be applied no matter if you drop a course or not.


texts: "When we talk about false friends, we talk about -- we're talking about..." -- why did the speaker correct herself?

texts:
I was watching a video by EngVid and came across the following sentence (4:00):

  When we talk about false friends, we talk about -- we're talking about words in both Spanish and English that look the same when you read them.

In the video, the teacher first uses the simple present and then corrects herself. We usually use the simple present when talking about habits and facts, as I learned it, and the sentence in question seems to be the case.

However, there is a when-clause in it, and I often encounter the present progressive used with them. But to be honest, I don't understand at all why it is correct and when I should use it.

What is the difference between the simple and progressive forms in the sentence in question, and what could be the reason for choosing the latter?


texts:
Please kindly read the sentence:

  ‘[Some court decisions] seem best explained as based on considerations
  of the well-known policy of preventing the Statute being used itself
  as an instrument of fraud‘.

Why is “to be” left out (after “seem” and before “best explained”)?

I understand that if “seem” (as a linking verb) is followed by a noun that describes an opinion or a subjective view relating to a thing in the subject, we can omit “to be”.

Is there any similar rule for this pattern? If different, what are the rules for this?

Any reference to a grammar book is appreciated. I will explore this matter (or other) further.


texts: Should I say "sent by post" or "sent by a post"?

texts:
Should I use article "a" in this sentence?

Has anyone sent documents by post

or

Has anyone sent documents by a post?


texts: The meaning of "if that's what it takes"

texts:
I have watched a movie named [To All The Boys I've Loved Before]
and there's a conversation in the movie:

(1). A: If you had a boyfriend, maybe you wouldn't have to drive at all, 'cause he would take us places.
(2). B: If that's what it takes, I think you're stuck with me.

I want to know what the sentence(2) means, especially the meaning of "if that's what it takes"
, thanks!


texts: Another term or synonym for 'safer appoach'

texts:
what can I write other words in place of "safer approach" that will appear nice to read as title.
Context: xyz  a "safer approach for the therapy".


texts:
What is the meaning of

It can be false.

My possible explainations are:
1. The subject "it" is sometimes false
2. The subject "it" is false( then why "can' is used instead of "is".)

Please explain which one of the two is correct, if any and why. If not, explain the correct meaning with context.


texts: Is the usage of "by" in this sentence correct?

texts:
I am writing a research paper in English. I am not sure whether the following sentence is correct or not:

  This paper presents a clustering framework by iteratively performing two stages.

I feel (though cannot explain why) that the "by" part is awkward. I feel the following is more natural:

  This paper presents a clustering framework performing two stages iteratively.

Can you give me an advice which one is better? Or is the first sentence all right?


texts: a verb to describe an act of paying attention, but not "follow"

texts:
She is a very attentive international student who despite her limited
passive vocabulary follows each and every remark of her teacher.

In the above sentence it may look like teacher's remarks are some kind of commands or orders being given to the student, which she obediently fulfills. However, what I am trying to say is that she is simply paying attention to every word of her teacher. The problem is in the dubious meaning of the word "follows". Which word should I substitute for it in order to convey the intended meaning?
(I don't want to use "pays attention" because the word "attentive" is already used in the sentence)


texts:
As per a post, "put effort in" and "make an effort" pretty much mean the same thing.

However, "put effort in" appear to be not a standard use of "effort", as there is no such an example in CED

could "put effort in" be used in formal settings?


texts:
There is a proverb in my language which says:

While there is big gap between now and the future and anything can happen in this time gap, so things can change in this period of time. Therefore, we should never be sure of our success or failure and we have to fight for it until the last second; because even when a good outcome or conclusion seems certain, things can still go wrong. (Encouraging) / (as an advice)

OR

We shouldn't lose our hope and think that everything has been finished already when an unplesant / bad outcome or conclusion seems certain, things can still go well and you might face a very desirable outome at the end! (Hopegiving)

In our language, we have two interchangeable proverbs for this case which can be used either in hopegiving situation or encouraging state:

  1- Literal Translation: When you throw an apple up, it turns a hundred times before it come down.

The second equivalent proverb in my mother language which can work properly in this sense:

  2- Literal Translation: From this column to that column may be a relief.

The only equivalent that I succeeded to find it is:

  There's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.

But according to my researches, it sounds to be an archaic British proverb, whilst I'm looking for a proverb / expression in current AmE / BE.

I would appreciate it if you help me find the closest saying to the meaning in my question.


texts: Word order for the sentences begin with "As"

texts:
I wrote this sentence:

  As/since compared to the number of the nodes, the number of the context nodes and anchors is not considerable, the time complexity is roughly O(N).

Is it grammatical and the order of the clauses correct? Could I make it more natural by relocating some clauses?


texts: Is there a word that means something along the line of "add information in order to clarify what really happened"? Sometimes, someone tells the truth, but they omit to mention relevant details in order to build a narrative for their political gains? What's the action of doing the opposite and making sure important information aren't omitted in a discussion? Is there a verb or a phrase that means exactly that? I looked up "precise" and couldn't find any relevant word, and precise is a bit too vague.


texts: "have read" vs "read" - Is this simple present vs present perfect?

texts:
I have read an interesting book yesterday and underlined the new words which are simple but effective.

Present perfect tense specifies an action that has recently finished. The above sentence is present perfect if I am using have (I believe).

But in my book have is given as error and the sentence is corrected by removing have. I believe by removing have we are changing the tense to simple present. But simple present does not indicates an activity that is finished.

I am not sure why have is error in the above sentence. Please suggest.


texts: "all the same" and "all different", versus "the same" and "different"

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences:
1- Our shirts are all the same size but they're all different colours.
2- Our shirts are the same size but different colours.
* I cannot understand why should one use "all" in the first sentence, while it could be written without it (I know it's an adverb, but I cannot understand its meaning).


texts:
Does it mean "banks will not try to find ways to reduce their bad loans"?

"His argument against thinking of easier money as a tool to fix banks holds as an argument against a rate cut in general. “This would relax the pressure,” Acharya argues, “on good efforts that are underway … to improve the banking architecture.” In other words, if thrown a lifeline now, banks will have less of an incentive to clean up their books."

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-07-27/there-s-one-good-reason-india-shouldn-t-cut-rates


texts: In a sentence, would I say, "Becoming part of", or "Becoming a part of"?

texts: I need this for a poem assignment! Please help would be greatly appreciated... we are all english-language-learners, regardless of whether it is our first language or not!


texts: Looking for a term for a (possibly) disregarded attempt (in sports)

texts:
Trying to translate a sports software I have a hard time finding a word or term for an attempt that does not (necessarily) count - As in: you have 3 attempts, but only the 2 better ones count towards the result/ ranking - the other one is scratched. How do you call that scratched attempt?

I tried translating the German word with google and bing - but the translations are sure not what I need... "Streichwert" -> "spreading worth" (google) is nonsense and "Stroke value" (bing) ... does not sound right either.


texts:
1
I will come home when I finish work.
I read a rule in book saying with time words like when, after, until we use the present tense forms to talk about the future.
2
As soon as we hear from the suppliers we will let you know when the goods will be in stocks.
But why in 2 sentence book uses "will" in time clause. Shouldn't it be "when the goods are in stocks"?


texts: I can only help you so much, What's up with the order?

texts:
I can only help you so much.

I know only so much means the a limited amount.

So, I know that means there's a limit to how much I can help you.

But, the problem is "the order". Why only help you so much, not help you only so much?

I don't get it. this makes me get mixed up.


texts: I am wondering what is the difference between nice and nice

texts:
We distinguish in order to separate or keep things apart which might otherwise be confounded**.We discriminate with the further view of showing where in their differences consist.** Hence discrimination must always be nice, particular, and exact, dissecting, as it were the things discriminated. distinction maybe exact or not, minute or tough, broad or nice.

I cannot really get what these explanations mean-- I am wondering what the bold parts mean.. Would anyone possibly show me their meaning, especially by some example?

Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
We will not [says Socrates] then allow our charges, whom we
  expect to prove good men, being men, to play the parts of
  women and imitate a woman young or old wrangling with
  her husband, defying heaven, loudly boasting, fortunate in
  her own conceit, or involved in misfortune and possessed by
  grief and lamentation – still less a woman that is sick, in
  love, or in labor . . . Nor may they imitate slaves, female and
  male, doing the offices of slaves . . . Nor yet, as it seems, bad
  men who are cowards and who do the opposite of the things
  we just now spoke of [things done by men who are “brave,
  sober, pious, free”], reviling and lampooning one another,
  speaking foul words in their cups or when sober and in other
  ways sinning against themselves and others in word and
  deed after the fashion of such men. And I take it they must
  not form the habit of likening themselves to madmen either
  in words nor yet in deeds. For while knowledge they must
  have both of mad and bad men and women, they must do
  and imitate nothing of this kind . . . Are they to imitate smiths
  and other craftsmen or the rowers of triremes and those
  who call the time to them or other things connected
  therewith?

I haven't got any idea about the meaning of "for while knowledge" this structure is new for me.

This passage is from the book named: On literature.


texts:
Jim has always travelled a lot. In fact, he was only two years old when he first flew to Madrid. His mother is German and his father is French. Jim was
   born in England, but his parents met/had met in Lisboa, Portugal after they had been living there for five years. They met one day while Jim's father was having lunch at a restaurant and his mother sat down next to him. Anyway, Jim travels a lot because his parents also travels a lot.

mbonillo.xavierre.com/exercises/bch2/2bchver09/tenmix2bch.htm

Would it be possible to choose met instead had met? First I thought it would not be possible because the meeting happened before the birth but now after thinking it over I'm not too sure. Because of the context, it seems  obvious that the birth was a long time after the meeting and the clause with after use the past perfect progressive but it is true that both event are on the same time frame so may be "had met" is better


texts:
Consider two sentences:

  Smoking cigarette can cause cancer.
  Smoking cigarette may cause cancer.

What is the difference between these two sentences?

If can is used then does it mean that it will surely cause cancer?


texts:
The high efficacy of the new drug is coupled with a lack of adverse effects that are typical for high-dose parenteral interferon administration.

Is it okay, or is it better to use of?

  The high efficacy of the new drug is coupled with a lack of adverse effects that are typical of high-dose parenteral interferon administration.

I google for "effects typical of\for" and seem to find both variations:

  Similarly, toxic side effects typical for systemic amphotericin B application as fever, chills, or nausea were not noted.

  Sleep effects typical of SSRIs were greater with PAR 20 mg/day than CIT 20 mg/day, suggesting greater effects on 5HT uptake blockade

Is "for" better because it's "administration", not just "interferon"?


texts:
Q: ___ of the students should do his own work.
  a) everyone
  b) all
  c) each
  d) every

I think the answer is each (c) because we use each to talk about individual members of the group as separate items.

Am I missing something? Are both the answer and the reason correct?


texts: Adding "making" at the beginning of a sentence that starts with "even small changes"

texts:
A.  Even small changes in a company require updating equipment.
B. Making even small changes in a company requires the updating of equipment.

Is there any subtle difference in meaning between A. and B.?


texts: What's the meaning of "feels like the real me"?

texts:
I've come across with the phrase below:

  When have I felt like the real me?

I searched online dictionaries but I didn't find anything.

So, could you please tell me what the meaning of "feels like the real me" is?

The fuller text is:

  What comes naturally to me? For just a moment, ignore what you have
  been taught. Ignore what society has told you. Ignore what others
  expect of you. Look inside yourself and ask, “What feels natural to
  me? When have I felt alive? When have I felt like the real me?” No
  internal judgments or people-pleasing. No second-guessing or
  self-criticism. Just feelings of engagement and enjoyment. Whenever
  you feel authentic and genuine, you are headed in the right direction.

Atomic Habits By James Clear


texts:
Is using the simple past wrong in my  first sentence because I am still on this forum learning and does the third sentence suggest that the life experience isn't finished and the speaker may travel again unlike the fourth sentence?

"I learnt a lot on this forum."

"I have learnt a lot on this forum."

"I have travelled all over the world."

"I travelled all over the world."


texts: Past tenses in sequence: former and latter past events

texts:
I have a question about past tenses in sequence.

I studied that while describing connected past events in sequence:

event 1: former event is in past-perfect
event 2: latter event is in past-tense

For e.g. 1,

  When I reached the platform, the train had already left.

Now, please consider this sentence: (e.g. 2)

  Well, I couldn’t find my classroom, so I got to the classroom a bit late and then I had to sing a song in front of the other students! source

In the above sentence, event 1 (reached classroom) is in past-tense and event 2 (sang a song) is in past-perfect tense.

Is the sequence of tenses wrong in this sentence? (Firstly, I reached my classroom and then I sang a song.)

Please help me understand.


texts:
I have a doubt  on this sentence: "There are a little more than fifty branches of this bank."
The doubt is because of 'a little' that I am using with a countable noun. I feel it has to be: There are a fewer more than fifty branches of this bank.
Am I right?


texts: Meaning of: "I’ve never known anything quite as fulfilling"

texts:
What is the meaning of:

  Working with you like this, I’ve never known anything quite as fulfilling.

Is this like the speaker has found something most fulfilling while working with 'you'? Or never found anything fulfilling?

And where does the difference in meaning come from?

If it means one of the two above, then how should I rephrase it to say the other?


texts:
What does "pump" mean this sentence? can anyone help me to describe how it looks like when the jockey's legs pumping? is there a synonym of "pump" in this context?

I watched him flatten out around the white rail, the horse’s head extended, the jockey’s legs pumping, arms flailing backwards and forwards up the horse’s neck.


texts:
One hundred and fifty-one or one hundred fifty-one?

Which is right? When should I have and and should not I have and?


texts: Name for such words like "iceteroid, irmageddon"

texts: Is there a name for such words like "iceteroid" and "irmageddon"?


texts:
What's differences in nuance between those sentences when people use them?

You can say it loudly.
You can say it out loud.
You can say it aloud.

The question has changed a little bit since I asked at first. I was confused about these because of the title of a song, now through some comments, I finally realised what I need to ask.


texts: Is this an example of restrictive appositive? Should there be no commas?

texts:
I'm having doubts about the placement of commas in this sentence:

  Sarah found herself negotiating with producer Rob for his next film, The Tower.

If I want to convey that Rob has made multiple films in his career, should I put commas before The Tower or should I not put in any commas to convey that The Tower is one of his many next films?

Should the sentence be this:

  Sarah found herself negotiating with producer Rob for his next film The Tower.


texts: "As important as" or "As importantly as"

texts:
I found a sentence in The Hindu ("The Two Faces of Mr. Modi")

  As important as all the other qualities, we also expect rationality.

I think this sentence is not correct. It must be "importantly", instead of "important". Am I right? Or the version in the quoted sentence is also correct?


texts:
Let's see 2 sentences begin with "Should I consider"

  Should I consider the prince’s safety threatened because he asked you
  to the ball?
  Should I consider him a servant?

If I make these sentences, I would make them like that,

  Should I consider the prince's safety being threatened ...?
  Should I consider him as (or being) a servant?

Could you please explain the grammar to me?


texts:
Recently read about one grammar rule in English that is we cannot use is, was and were with possessive verb

My Active sentence is

This is my property. I owned this property since last 5 years.

Correct passive sentence construction

e.g.    1) This property belonged to me since last 5 years.

2) This property owned by me since last 5 years.

Whereas if I construct sentence like below sentences does it change the meaning?

My Passive sentence construction

e.g.    1) This property is belonged to me since 5 years.

2) This property is owned by be since 5 years.

Similarly for past passive construction

    1) This property was belonged to me for 5 years.
2) This property was owned by be for 5 years.

My question is why we can’t use this as above?
Does it change the meaning of sentence?


texts: Usage of now and will have. Tense consistency

texts:
I have encountered this sentence and I'm getting very confused.

  From now until Monday, next week, this diner will have a buy-1-get-1 promo on hoagies.

On one hand, it says that the promo is starting "now" and will end on Monday. On the other hand, it uses "will have" to state that the diner has a promo. Shouldn't it be using "has" instead?

Is this sentence even grammatically correct? I've encountered this structure several times and I'm thinking it's simply a product of informal speech.

I've also encountered a slightly similar structure which I suspect is also a product of informal speech:

  From now until Monday, next week, this diner will be having a buy-1-get-1 promo on hoagies.

EDIT:

Thanks for all the responses. I love you guys.


texts:
I read two sentences that makes me very unsure to what does but refer to. I am really confused, does but refer to the old method (Kim et al. (2013)) or to the new method.

"Our modelling strategy is related to the work of Kim et al. (2013) and their idea of using mixtures of D-vines but tackles the problem of constructing a vine model from a different perspective."


texts:
The train arrived at the station, and Paula got off. Two friends of hers, Jon and Rachel, were waiting to meet her.

I understand why I should say 'a friend of hers' instead of 'her a friend'. But here I cannot understand why 'two friends of hers' is used instead of 'her two friends'. Please explain why.


texts: If all goes well, the examination scheduled for next month (is all set to be/will be) completely free from annoying power cuts

texts:
If all goes well, the examination scheduled for next month is all set to be completely free from annoying power cuts and disruptions.

This sentence is from an error spotting exercise which says it is error free but he isn't it better to use will be in place of is all set to be ?


texts: Is it a very common and recognized way to pronounce the word "opposite" /ˈɑː.pə.sɪt/?

texts:
Cambridge Dictionary gives an IPA /ˈɑː.pə.zɪt/ for the word "opposite", which totally fits with what I know.

This American kindergarten teacher in the YouTube video titled: Antonym Rap: Reviewing Words with Opposite Meanings is pronouncing opposite /ˈɑː.pə.sɪt/, the difference is the pronunciation of "s" in the word.

Is it a very common and recognized way to pronounce the word "opposite"?


texts: What is the exact meaning of "he was assumed my rapture"?

texts:
In this this sentence "he was assumed my rapture", does the author mean that the character is in rapture over something ? Is there a subtle nuance ? I can't find anywhere the expression "assumed by rapture".

Thanks!


texts:
Can I use “soon” in the following manner?

  I had some garlic at lunch and smelled bad. But thankfully, the smell has soon worn off, and I smell fine now.


texts: pronunciation rules for words with spelling -th- /θ/ /ð/

texts: Is there a rule to identify which is the correct pronunciation for words with -th- spelling  (mother- think), this /θ/ or this /ð/?


texts: preposition omission before "this time of day"

texts:
I love going out at this time of the day.

  I love going out this time of the day.

Are both the sentences grammatically correct? Or does the omitting the preposition render the sentence ungrammatical?


texts:
Example:

  The language programmers use to create software sound a lot like the fairy godmother's incantation: grep, mov, end if, cur_x, and selField. And software really is magical. You slide a DVD into your PC, or you invoke your PC-maybe with a touch , maybe at the sound of your voice-or you point at a little picture with a mouse and click, and suddenly all these things begin to happen that could only be witchery. Beautiful color images and voices and sounds emanate from your Pc. The software looks at a few numbers and predicts banana
  futures in three months. Ask for information on a person, a country, or a date, and the software responds like a crystal ball. You ask the software to take you to another computer on another continent, and in seconds you' re there; magic carpets really can 't compete.  — p. 54, How Computers Work, by Ron White and Tim Downs, 2014

How do you understand the term banana futures?


texts: difference between the and a in this context with relative clause

texts:
What is the difference between those sentences?

  He is the person I needed for the job.

  He is a person I needed for the job.

  And...

  This is not a place I wanted to go.

  This is not the place I wanted to go.

I think there is a difference in nuance, but I'm not sure about the specifics.

This is one of the explanations I found online, but is it the same as my examples?

  He bought the house with a big backyard. This combination tells the
  listener which specific house he bought.

  He bought a house with a big backyard. This combination tells the
  listener what kind of house he bought, but not the specific house he
  bought.

I assumed that one with "the" implies that the noun it modifies is one, one and only. However, when "a" gets in the way, the noun it modifies becomes one of many, or at least implicitly suggested that there can be more than one.

Is my guess correct?

Edit: Here is the thread I found.
http://www.grammaring.com/defining-relative-clause

  An identifying clause defines who or what we are talking about and
  refers to a noun which is preceded by the definite article the:

  This is the book I told you about last week. Remember? Do you know the
  guy who is talking to Will over there?

  A classifying clause describes what kind of person(s) or thing(s) we
  are talking about. It refers to a singular uncountable or plural
  countable noun without an article or a singular countable noun
  preceded by the indefinite article a or an:

  I wrote my essay on a photo which was taken by Robert Capa. Sometimes,
  I like listening to music that makes me sad. I don't know any people
  who speak Esperanto.

So is it fine to say "this is a book I told you about last week" if I am trying to classify it instead of identifying it?


texts: Articles at the beginning of sentences in scientific writing

texts:
I'm writing my master thesis in English as a non-native speaker. I start a lot of sentences without an article and one of my lectors (a non-native speaker like myself) found this to be odd and marked every occurrence. My question to the native speakers is: which method would be considered better?

A few examples:

  Identification of such failures is usually a tedious manual task.

  Automatic identification of such failures would be highly beneficial.

  Examination of test data reveals...

  Literature review confirms that...

  Application of these models shows poor results.

My lector would correct all these examples with a definite article:

  The identification of such failures is usually a tedious manual task.

  The automatic identification of such failures would be highly beneficial.

  The examination of test data reveals...

  The literature review confirms that...

  The application of these models shows poor results.


texts: What is the difference between these two future conditionals?

texts:
If you lend me some money I will start a business.

or,

  If you will lend me some money I will start a business.

What is the difference between the meaning of these two future conditionals?


texts: What does 'in the trenches' mean in the context?

texts:
The following is an excerpt from a TED article, but I am not sure I get it. What does 'in the trenches' that Chris Anderson said mean?

  Chris Anderson: In the trenches. Richard Turere, you are something
  else. We're going to cheer you on every step of the way, my friend.
  Thank you so much.

    Richard Turere TED2013 : My invention that made peace with lions


texts: What does " turning cartwheels down" mean in the text below?

texts: Occasionally they sang softly; occasionally they turned cartwheels down by the moving streak of phosphorescence.


texts:
I'd like to know whether "make + noun + adjective" could mean "construct something in such a way that it becomes +adj" with the pattern of "build + noun + adjective."

John built the garage too big.

John made the house rather blue. (Could this mean he constructed the house so that it became blue?)


texts: Why use "come" (present simple) in "here they come"?

texts:
In this context, why does he use "come"?

  Oh! Quick. Here they come. Oxford English Daily Conversation Episode 2

Why doesn't he use "are coming" or "have been coming" ?

  They are coming here / Here they are coming.

  They have been coming here / Here they have been coming.

Update:

Can you please recommend an article or reference where we can use "Simple Present" with now events. So I can read and learn more about this usage.

Update 2:

I have read this article that describes When Should I Use The Present Simple Tense?

  We can also use the present simple for short actions that are happening now. The actions are so short that they are finished almost as soon as you've said the sentence. This is often used with sports commentary, or in demonstrations.
  He takes the ball, he runs down the wing, and he scores!
  First I put some butter in the pan and turn on the cooker.

Is this apply on "Here they come"?


texts: Is there a specific word for financial records?

texts: I'm writing a banking software that, using some accounts from a bank, show the records about it. They could be debt records (money leaving account) or credit records (money arriving). Is there a specific word for the unit inside this group of records that together build the account history? I'm a Brazilian and using Google Translate, I searched for "lançamento". But this ambiguous portuguese word also means launch (like a rocket launch), which I think is not the case. I also found release, but I also think that's not the case (like a software being released into the consumer market). The word "lançamento" means to input/throw/launch(?) some data into an account.


texts: Is it okay to use simple past and simple present in the same sentence?

texts:
If I am trying to describe my experience today, which one of these is correct?
Every time I thought I got it, every time I made it to the point where I was sure I understood it, the market proves me wrong.
Or
Every time I thought I got it, every time I made it to the point where I was sure I understood it, the market proved me wrong.
Notes:
I am convinced that the market will continue to prove me wrong in the future.


texts:
The season of strikes seemed to have run itself to a standstill.
  Almost every trade and industry and calling in which a dislocation
  could possibly be engineered had indulged in that luxury. The last and
  least successful convulsion had been the strike of the World's Union
  of Zoological Garden attendants, who, pending the settlement of
  certain demands, refused to minister further to the wants of the
  animals committed to their charge or to allow any other keepers to
  take their place.

  from The Unkindest Blow, a short story by Saki

What is the difference between "in that luxury" and "in the luxury"?


texts: I understand what a context is but how can a context have a context?


texts: Which one is grammatically correct and why

texts:
When did you quit smoking?
Or
When have you quit smoking?


texts: Is this a comparison construction: to redefine it as appropriate?

texts:
•  Bat. It is well known that the quality of the RP bat vowel has changed since the 1930's. It is now more similar to "cardinal [a]" than it used to be. Hence Upton's choice of the [a] symbol. A more conservative line is to stick with the familiar symbol [æ], but to redefine it as appropriate. That, after all, is what we have all done with the [ʌ] symbol for the vowel of cut, blood, which used to be a back vowel but now has a central/front quality for which the most specific IPA symbol would probably be [ɐ] (turned a). A further argument in favour of retaining the symbol [æ] is that it preserves the parallelism with American and Australian English, in which the movement towards an opener quality has not taken place.
  (Prof. John Wells,University College London) * OP's emphasis

I understand the highlighted part as subject (to redefine it) plus predicate (as appropriate) construction: meaning, to redefine it is as appropriate. Is this right understanding? If it is, what does ‘as’ mean? Perchance, is it a part of comparison construction?


texts: what is the difference between forge and fake as verbs?

texts: what is the difference between forge and fake as verbs and which correct to say "he has faked the passport" or "he has forged the passport"? and which correct to say "fake passport" or "forged passport"? and if both are correct then when to use each of them.


texts: how to use am/is/are + passive infinitive?

texts:
I have problem with the meaning of following sentence and its grammatical structure.

  If they are to be believed

How is this different from

  If they are believed

When do we use am/is/are + passive infinitive?


texts: Can "wondering" be using in the following way?

texts:
After some pondering and wondering, she called Tom.

I think you should put something after wondering. Example: "After some wondering about this..." But maybe I'm wrong?


texts: A word to describe a value passes the particular threshold

texts:
I couldn't even formulate a correct title for this question. I'm having a problem with a word/verb choice to describe some values that "pass(?)" A certain threshold. For example consider

1 3 |5| 7 8

The threshold is 5, but what I got is 3, which couldn't pass the 5.

How would I say it?

That value 3 cannot pass/get over/bypass/pass through the 5.

The word 'pass' sounds natural to my ears but I know there are some alternatives. Or is it rather plainly 'pass'?


texts: I have a specific question: Are Americans more inclined to use "bathroom" or "restroom" about a bathroom/restroom with several sinks and stalls in a company building?


texts:
As soon as Tom stepped into the room, Pete shoved him against a/the wall.

In writing would native speakers be more inclined to use the definite article here even though we don't know which of the four walls of the room it is?


texts:
Sometimes i am in two minds about which preposition i should use before trade terms such as FOB,CIF etc..Are the sentences below correct or weird for native speakers.

  I bought theese products as FOB .

  I bought theese products with FOB .

  I sell our goods with payment upon letter of credit .

  I need to sell this machinery as free on board (FOB ) .

  We will work with them with payment during delivery.


texts:
I am not a native speaker of english language. What I understand from the word accommodate is that to give someone place to live. Like in this sentence

Please do some arrangements for my accommodation.

What I infer from that accommodated by means the place is filled with people . For instance :

This hotel is accommodated by the wedding people.

One of my friends wrote this line in his essay

I am writing this letter to convey my dwelling experience that has been accommodated by the university.

I checked on cambridge and merriam webster dictionary that accommodate can also mean provide. So I want to know Is this sentence wrong? How accommodate can be used to mean provide.


texts: comparative idioms to say a physically fit person

texts: A guy had a tree mushroom that grew in his lungs and then it caused a brain abscess. (split gill mushrooms, consumed in many countries). He was on corticosteroids for something, so i wanted to say "it's uncommon, he wasn't the strongest tool in the box" that's probably wrong though, what fits better than "the strongest tool in the box"


texts: The use of the word "about" to qualify a date

texts:
Minutes and second hands were put on some clocks in (about) 1697.

Can I use "about" before 1697 in the given sentence?


texts: Present Tense and Passive Voice = Is + V1

texts:
Is there is meaning difference if use Is + V1 & Is + V2?

a) This is the room which is share by 5 student.

(Referring to the Present tense fact that 5 student are sharing this room)

b) This is the room which is shared by 5 student.

(Referring as Present passive Passive voice mean room is shared by 5 student)

Help me to understand the difference.


texts:
Please check and let me know, if it is correct (to have crashed). It does not sound good to my ears but I am not a native English speaker. I have been learning English without learning grammar (as a native English speaker). Some times when I read which is not familiar to me, I ask questions here to clear my doubts.

On Yahoo:

  The Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew went
  missing in area near the South China Sea on Saturday as it flew from
  Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and was presumed to have crashed.


texts:
Is there a special name for shops where only clothing ( also maybe shoes) is sold for example like Zara or Mango ..Are they shop or store ?

And also for example would you call shop or store or market small Tescos in the UK ?

And also for example would you call shop or store or market big ones like Sainsbury's  in the UK  / Walmart in the US ?

and how about Mark and Spencer?


texts:
There is a waiting time of approximately 60 minutes before check-in .

If I ask a question for this answer would the sentence below be correct?

  Approximately how many hour waitig time are there before check-in ?

I know there are different alternatives but I wonder if this form correct or not . Is this sentence grammatically correct ?


texts: Promised never to smoke or promised never smoking

texts:
I saw this problem from some textbook:

  A - "My father promised never to smoke."
  B - "My father promised never smoking."

I know the correct answer is A because it feels right.

But what is the proper reason?


texts: The meaning of being and luminously in the given sentence

texts:
"Just another being living luminously between two eternities of darkness."

This is a sentence that was someone's bio on some social media.
What does the word being and luminously mean here?
Is the entire construction grammatically correct?


texts:
Could you please tell me which one is correct, master's degree or master degree?

I am writing in this context

....of the college in which I will have completed Master degree

Also

Do you write Master with a capital letter or master with a lower case letter?


texts: An outbuilding that is unite with the main building

texts:
I was trying to find a word for a building that was built as an outbuilding but was afterward(s) united with the main building.

  Outbuilding says: a building, such as a shed, barn, or garage, on the
  same property but separate from a more important one, such as a house.

In my case it isn't separate.


texts:
I am writing this context:

  When I come back home I will make a good impression between students about the college which I pursued my master's degree from

I would like to ask you, do I need to place a comma before between?

edit

I have just found another thing.

I haven't pursued my master's degree yet, so would it be more correct to say pursued or would have been pursued?


texts: What does "into" here mean? (Translate your thinking into English.)

texts:
You will have to translate your thinking into English before
  saying it.

Does into mean in that sentence that you are thinking in English OR that you are translating whatever you are thinking of to English? Because I want it to be the second meaning, but I've heard that to isn't the correct preposition there.


texts: In an abstract: Simple present or present perfect?

texts:
I know some differences between simple present and present perfect and I've checked some applications of them. But in some cases I get confused about the usage of them. For example, in the abstract of an article, I have to write:

  In this paper we present a proof of that affirmation.

or

  In this paper we have presented a proof of that affirmation.

? If someone could help me, I'd be grateful. Thanks in advance!


texts: Error correction : The vaccine when hit the Indian market is dogged by controversy

texts:
The vaccine when hit the Indian market is dogged by controversy.

I am perplexed between two possible corrections of the above sentence.

  A) The vaccine which hit the Indian market is dogged by controversy.

Or

  B) The vaccine when hit the Indian market was dogged by controversy.

Please tell if both these corrections are correct?

Edit : I think sentence B is also wrong and can be further improved by adding it after when I.e.

  C) The vaccine when it hit the Indian market was dogged by controversy.

I think A and C are correct and B is wrong, Am I correct?


texts: "Both of you know" or "Both of you knows"?

texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  Both of you know about it.

or

  Both of you knows about it.


texts: what does ''live through one's child'' mean?

texts:
The sentence is this

  if you know a better way for me to live through my son, I'd like to hear it.


texts:
I have an error spotting question.

  She was annoyed (A)/ when she found that (b) / the chewing gum was stuck to her hair. (C) / No error .

My book says it is error free but I think there is an error in C part , It should be stuck in her hair . I googled for general sentences with these keywords ( chewing gum , stuck , hair ) All sentences which I found were stuck in hair .  So Am I correct ? Or we can use both in and to here ?


texts: Oddness - 'in spite of error and illusion' vs 'because of error and illusion'?

texts:
65% down the page: 5. Evolution (aka Dawkins) cannot explain why humans have true beliefs. Gray writes:

  As [Arthur Balfour] he framed the problem in The Foundations of Belief in 1895, “We have not merely stumbled on truth in spite of error and illusion, which is odd, but because of error and illusion, which is even odder.”

Would someone please explain why 'because of is odder than 'in spite of'? In the context of stumbling on truth, how does 'because of error and illusion'differ from 'in spite of error and illusion'?


texts: How to express hypothetical judgements for hypothetical situations?

texts:
I don't think this viral video deserves its fame, on the other hand, I
  probably wouldn't be saying that if there wasn't some intricate
  marketing behind it.

Is this a way to express acknowledgement of the limits of my own judgement based on selective information? Is the tense correct?


texts: Why not just "mass" or just "energy" and instead "a mass of energy"?

texts: Why the expression "a mass of energy" ? I don't think a physics textbook would say something like that. I don't think an energy specifies a mass. I could say "a mass of magnesium" to specify a mass. In Swedish we also have the same tautology (?) "en massa energi" which is a tautology (?) like "a sound of waves" when nothing but a sound could be a wave and nothing but energy could have a mass. So since there is no mass with no energy, why say mass of energy? Energy always has a mass but an energy does not always have a mass (?)


texts: Should I use "noisy" or "noisily" in this sentence?

texts:
She set her cup on the glass table, a bit too noisily.

Grammarly changed noisily to noisy. I think it should be noisily because it should modify the verb set.

However, there are instances where adjectives are used. E.g. Think different.

What's the correct option here?


texts:
I was thinking about this type of construction that is in blank:

  Oh my! I am amazed ____ you did this!

There is only three options to my head:

By how
With how
Through how

What is the difference between them? Furthermore, which one should I choose for that sentence?


texts: Could anyone tell me the meaning of "leaving his company as a shell in the rear view mirror"?

texts:
The whole sentence is "He drained the medallion company of all the cash he could and lit out for Israel, leaving his company as a shell in the rearview mirror."
I've already searched and understood what a shell of a rearview mirror is. But I cannot find the connection of it to the "leaving" part.


texts: Is it okay to say: I can't tell you it because it is a secret

texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say:

  "I can't tell you it because it is a secret".

This sounds better:

  "I can't tell you that because that is a secret".

But if I break the first sentence, it is okay to say, "because it is a secret". As I am using "it" in this second phrase I believe I should use "it" in the first phrase also. But "I can't tell you it" doesn't sound right to me.

Thanks!!


texts:
Personally I am fanatical about collecting collocations, phrases and sentences for my writing. I heard this sentence while watching a documentary and I didn't hear it well.

The two words,

centre: around <something>, focus, concentrate (on)
centric: meal centric, experience centric

They are synonyms of each other. However I am unable to figure out the correct word choice and usage in the following sentence. Further in my understanding centric is quite unlikely to have a preposition "on". It sounds quite odd. Thus I feel "centring" would be the right usage/choice. Can you shed some light on this?

  Sunday lunch is not simply about refueling but a relaxed communal experience centring on a well cooked meal.

or

  Sunday lunch is not simply about refueling but a relaxed communal experience centric on a well cooked meal.


texts:
Which one is correct of the following.

The Horse fell and broke its leg.
The Horse fell and broke his leg.


texts: Are "in end position" and "at the end" interchangeable both in writing and speaking?

texts:
This video (https://youtu.be/38-K2rPu8fc?t=167) is talking about the usage of "also" and gives this example

  She wrote three emails to him but he didn't answer, he ignored her calls as well.

The usage of "also" could be explained as,

  The "also" is put in the end of the sentence.

or

  The "also" is put in end position.

In term of the position of a component in a sentence, are "in end position" and "at the end" interchangeable ?

I found the speaker like using "in end position". I guess the reason is "at the end" sounds like "the end of a story", is it?

Generally, are "in end position" and "at the end" interchangeable both in writing and speaking?


texts: Difference between "explicit needed action" and "explicit action needed"

texts:
When writing an answer on ux.stackExchange I wanted to refer to an action that needed to be explicit, and I'm doubting if there's any difference between this two ways of saying that of if one is better (in any sense) than the other.

  "It will be better to set the first radio button as default, because the "explicit" action needed / "explicit" needed action is the 2nd.


texts: Using "involve" for an application and a user

texts:
Can I say

  For the applications that involve a user, such as enhancing the page readability, content extraction is better served with the aid of the user through a visual tool, rather than an inflexible automatic method.

To mean the applications that provide something for a user and a user works with them.

Update, I came up with "the tasks that involve user interaction"


texts: Using the continuous or the infinitive form of a verb when is used as a noun/complement

texts:
I believe the following to be wrong:

"I don't commit enough to learn English"

Surely the continuous form is correct:

"I don't commit enough to learning English"

Or, maybe even better:

"I don't commit enough to the learning of English"

But I am unsure of what rules are determining the above use, because I believe we can have the following:

"I don't like to eat raw fish"

In this phrase the use of the infinitive form "to eat" seems to work fine.

Is it that some verbs are not usable in the infinitive form?


texts:
I met such a sentence:
with two more years to go at St.Joe's
Which here means to go after years.If the meaning is to keep learning, then why is the form just in the infinitive?I would be happy if someone explains this point


texts: How do I distinguish the pronunciation between 'drawing' and 'join'?

texts:
['drɔɪŋ] [dʒɔɪn]
I really can't distinguish them.


texts: There is beef vs It has beef vs We have beef

texts:
Is there any difference between these sentences:

There is beef
It has beef
We have beef

?

Thank you.


texts:
That word is from a newspaper article.
-Men without work find it hard to attract a permanent mate.

What is the meaning of permanent mate?
Is it like a forever friend? or... a life partner?


texts: Passive construction "have been explained": is it okay to say ""I have been explained this problem several times"?

texts:
Is it correct to say "I have been explained this problem several times but I keep forgetting about it."

Or should it be "This problem has been explained to me several times but I keep forgetting about it."

This sentence comes from a textbook exercise, and I have to find verb-related mistakes in the sentence. It can be however, that there is no mistake.
Could anyone help me with this?

Thanks in advance!


texts: I know it's an idiom and it has two and three meanings .But here I heard this as ' when I feel down and out before the scene , I have two bananas and I feel good.' So what is exact meaning here?


texts: "Juliette came to me laughing" vs. "Juliette came to me, laughing"

texts:
The Amours of the Chevalier de Faublas
The moment he saw me, he came to me laughing, and without giving me time to say a single word, he threw his arm round my neck: let me embrace you, my dear Faublas!

In Google Books there are some pieces similar to the above I quoted from "The Amours of the Chevalier de Faublas"; similar in reference to the presence of "came to me laughing" or "came laughing to me".
Unfortunately, I have some difficulty in understanding the meaning of these kind of sentences, where "came [laughing] to me [laughing]" appears, in reference to the agent of the verb "laughing".
The Italian language doesn't have a similar problem because there is a clear distinction between the gerund—whose definition is different from English—and participle.
So, let us consider the following sentences:

Juliette came to me laughing.

Juliette came laughing to me.

Laughing, Juliette came to me.

Juliette came to me, laughing.

In 1 and 2 I'm not able to distinguish who is laughing, whether Juliette or me.
So, first, can a native speakers figure out who is laughing?
Secondly, are 3 and 4 sentences enough clear to affirm that Juliette is laughing?


texts:
This tutorial pronounces 1-1/4 as

  one and a quarter

Does mean a number (1.25) or a range (from 1 to 1.25)?


texts:
Does 'deed of love' mean deed caused by love or it mean something else?

Example:

  Life and hope for the world are to be found only in the deeds of love.


texts: She is tall/ taller for her age by two inches

texts:
1.She is tall for her age by two inches.

She is taller for her age by two inches.

Which of the above two sentences  is correct?
If the two are correct, how?


texts:
Is there a male equivalent of "Karen"?

I have heard a few (e.g., Frank, Bob, Ken), but they don't seem to have the wide currency that "Karen" does. Perhaps they do and I am not aware of it.

Definition of "Karen" from Wikipedia (emphasis mine):

  Karen is a term for a person perceived to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is considered appropriate or necessary. A common stereotype is that of a racist white woman who uses her privilege to get her own way at the expense of others. Depictions also include demanding to "speak to the manager", being anti vaxxer, or having a particular bob cut hairstyle. As of 2020 the pejorative was increasingly being used as a general-purpose term of disapproval for middle-aged upper-middle-class white women.

  ... a Karen's defining characteristics are "entitlement, selfishness, a desire to complain" ... a Karen "demands the world exist according to her standards with little regard for others, and she is willing to risk or demean others to achieve her ends."

Question:

Is there a male equivalent of "Karen"? If there isn't one, then what word or phrase can be used to reflect most of the qualities mentioned above?

In addition to the qualities, I would also like the word/phrase to have some sense of a distinct appearance (like Karen's bob cut hairstyle) and the racial aspect (but this isn't a must for now).


texts:
The script, which checks grammar, explains next.
It appears that the verb can in the dependent clause uses the wrong tense.
Should I rewrite the sentence in this way?

The student said that birds could fly


texts:
Which of the following sentences are correct?

If I was him, I'd buy a car later when I have money.
If I was him, I'd buy a car later when I had money.
If I was in her place, I'd ask the kids if they want another animal.
If I was in her place, I'd ask the kids if they wanted another animal.

I think the second and the fourth ones are correct. But I'm not sure if the others are wrong.


texts:
You should have the medicine and take a good rest.

Is the phrase right? Should the sentence be corrected as :

"You should take the medicine and have a good rest."


texts: When can we omit the preposition "on" before weekdays

texts:
I am a bit confused. When can we omit the preposition on before weekdays? (Monday, Tuesday etc.) Sometimes I read weekdays without the preposition on. If the preposition is left out, does it work the same way, or does it change the meaning?

Example without the preposition

  The UGC issued the public notice Monday after its two previous orders
  in this regard were overlooked by the DU.

Example with the preposition

  The commission on Monday also issued a public notice against the FYUP
  in all leading newspapers for parents and students.


texts: place of ''in stock '' in different places

texts:
1) The amount of products is 4500 kg in reel stock.But according to computer there are 5000 kg.

  2) The amount of products in stock is 4500 kg.But according to computer there are 5000 kg.

Which sentence is correct ? In these sentence I used ''in'' in different places . I think there is no different but second one sounds more natural ? Are there any difference ?


texts:
I am confused about the following sentence:

  Hegel was a german philosopher who Marx 'stood on his head'

I can't seem to find a proper definition for this phrase. What does "stood on his head" mean in this context?


texts:
In Greyhound (2020), Rudel meets Charlie Cole for spoiled ships' radar complaint:

Charlie Cole: What can we do about this damn interference?
Rudel: It's not interference, sir. I checked everything. The pilot
light's on, no surge currents, and I reset the overload relay four
days ago. I could reset it again, but we're gonna be down nearly two
hours. Waste of time, sir.

What does "down" mean here?


texts:
The amount of Rs. 1000/- is payable by April 15, 2018.

The meaning here is the amount will be paid on April 15, 2018 or it will be paid within April 15 2018


texts: What difference does the given sentences make, meaning wise?

texts:
Suppose someone broke into your house and ate the food you had made. (a real happening) And to express how much the whole thing has surprised you, you use a sentence like

Why would someone break into my house and eat the food I made.

Why would someone break into my house and eat the food I had made.

In this case, what's the difference in the meaning of both these sentences?


texts: should I use "for free download" or "for free downloading"?

texts:
I was going to write that something is ready for free download.
But maybe for free downloading is the right grammar?


texts:
I have this sentence:

  What really matters in  the struggle for life is  to  overcome one's fear.

Is "for" suitable or should it be replaced by "of"?
I'm confused here because "struggle" connotes two things to me here, one as "for" survival and other as "of" competition.


texts: Pronunciation of "met her" in American English

texts:
According to what I have been taught about American English:

Consonant /t/ becomes flap between vowels (when not being onset of stressed syllable)
Consonant /h/ becomes silent (when not [same as above] or word-initial etc.)

Then, how should I pronounce the sequence of /t/ + /h/ as in "I met her"?

[th] (or [tʰ]?)
[t]: /h/ omitted
[ɾh]: /t/ flapped
[ɾ]: /t/ flapped and /h/ omitted

Additionally, though only loosely related, I'm glad to know whether /k/ in "Beckham" is rendered aspirated or not.