texts:
How would you define the difference between the words "command" and "order" in general?

I used to interpret them as:

  "Order" - "заказывать в ресторане = order in a restaurant" (in Russian) and "sipariş" (in Turkish)

аnd

  "Command" - "командировать" (in Russian) and "Emretmek" (in Turkish) [as the word "military commandar" / "командир" / "komutan" has been derived from.]

But now, the verbs "command" and "order" and their corresponding seem mostly the same. The only nuance that comes to mind is:

  "An order" can be given by anyone to anyone, but the word "command", implies a pre-defined hierarchy in the manner that can only be given by a 'superior' to a lower-ranking person.

For instance if I said:

  I command you to sit.

then I must be higher than you in hierarchy.

By contrast, if I say:

  I order you to sit.

then it is not necessarily mean that I'm higher than you in hierarchy.

Do you think this is accurate? Does it sound correct to you?


texts: Are these expressions the same? As far as I can understand some texts I've been reading with these expressions, it seems that they have the same meaning.


texts: "original" is to "copy" as what is to "duplicate"?

texts:
I am creating a relation between a bunch of entities where many entities can be duplicates of a single entity. But I can't figure out what to call the "real" entity in relation to one of its duplicates.

Example:

This is a copy, show me the original.

This is a duplicate, show me the XXX.


texts: Should there be "the" in "The detailed information on the substance is presented in Section 3."

texts:
Imagine there's a document describing some aspects of a pharmaceutical substance. Some basic composition information is provided, and the paragraph ends with

  The detailed information on the substance is presented in Section 3.

Should there be "the", or could it be omitted:

  Detailed information on the substance is presented in Section 3.

It's a specific set of detailed information. On the other hand, the mention might be new to the reader, so it might be okay without an article.

I know that one can get around this by using "For detailed information on the substance, see Section 3", but I'm curious.


texts:
Rank: Newbie
Joined: 1/11/2021
Posts: 3
Neurons: 755
I have a friend who just lost her school notes and she is worried that she would get scolded for it. The notes are extremely important since our class teacher would check our notes every other week to make sure we actually do her homework. I said to her "I think it's better to come clean now instead of waiting until the teacher finds out. At least there's a good chance that she would let you off the hook if you tell her you lost your notes."
I wonder if I'm using "to come clean" correctly here.  As far as I know the phrase means to tell someone something that youve been keeping secret. However, something just doesn't feel right when I'm using it here.


texts:
Now I'm writing my review of a product, and I'm not sure if I use would, it sounds politer.

  I've just used the speaker, but I wouldn't say it's the best.

If I use “would” here like the above, does it sound softer than "I don't say it's the best"?


texts: How do we address a person that's neither male nor female?

texts:
When addressing a man we usually say:

Mr. Doe, it's a great pleasure to see you.

Similarly when addressing a woman we say:

Mrs. Doe, it's great pleasure to see you.

but is there any word that can be used to address a bisexual or a transgender person ?


texts:
I found the following sentence without any context and it sounds ungrammatical but I can't for the life of me understand why. Would someone be willing to explain if it is or isn't grammatical and why?

"It is how companies work."


texts: Is it normal to describe someone as having white skin?

texts:
Is it normal, outside of the context of discussing a person's race, albinism, or very artificial make-up, to describe someone as having white skin, as opposed to using words such as "pale" or "light-coloured"?

The context it was used was an East Asian person describing another person of the same ethnicity in terms of how beautiful she is.


texts: Is the space between 2 bars or balusters of a gate called a "crack" or "gap"?

texts:
Is the space between 2 bars or balusters of a gate called a "crack" or "gap" (see the picture)
For example, "the dog managed to squeeze through the gap/crack of the gate"
I heard some native speakers say "crack" not "gap".


texts:
I'm a little confused. What the expression "I'm next to certain that" try to say and emphasize in the sentence below?

  I'm next to certain that if you continue to complain, you will lose your job.

Any answer would be appreciated.


texts: Understanding a long sentence with parenthesis (example)

texts:
I would like to ask for help with the following sentence:

It was a compound of unusual
esthetic and intellectual elements, and was somehow closely allied in
my thoughts with the same fascination that has drawn me ever since
childhood toward all things that are remote in space and time, or
which have about them the irresolvable twilight of antiquity.

I cannot tell for sure which part of the sentence is the bold part referring to. Is is referring to the preceding sentence (things that are remote..) or to the first part (elements..)? Also, could the "have about them" be written in another way? I am not sure I understand its meaning.


texts: Introduction "on" or Introduction "to", which one is more appropriate and idiomatic?

texts:
the title of section 2.1 of book "Deep Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks for Medical Image Computing" is

  Introduction on Deep Learning Methods in Mammography

I see Introduction "to" more than Introduction "on", so, which one is more appropriate and idiomatic?


texts:
so kind of confusing sentence

Once, when his wife had been alive, he had had a fine house.

so here past perfect is used twice. and i'm not sure if it's possible to use one twice, at least not by the grammar. and i'm not sure which was first here. may be both were at the same time in the past.

or the sentence is not written grammatically. can you explain?

thaks


texts:
Would you be so kind to help explain the difference between:
no play ever gets the same reaction from any two audiences.
and
no play ever gets the same reaction from any audience.
I could understand the difference if they are used in other contexts, say, "I don't like any animal" and "I don't like any two animals."; or, "every animal is cute." and "every two animals are cute."
However, in the comparison at the beginning, I feel two sentences mean the same. Would you please explain whether they are different, or they are the same?


texts: Is there a word for values held in such high importance that nothing can compare, or a fact or statement held as a truth above all others?

texts:
Is there a word for values held in such high importance that nothing can compare, or a fact held as a truth above all others? I am trying to come up with a word or phrase, but can't think of anything that sounds ok.

For example:

  The truth about the Christian God is a ___ above all facts or
  statements.

  Universal suffrage is a ___ above all others.

  Freedom of speech is a ___ above all.


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct? e.g for a journal paper's title:

  Unemployment affects stress, what about the reverse?


texts:
I'm asking because I kind of feel there is something wrong here but in spite of racking my brains over it and rewriting the sentence several times I haven't been able to find the source of the problem. Please tell me what is wrong with the grammar of the following sentences:

  I am curious if when you took the decision to solicit a report entitled ‘Time as a Chimpanzee’ from me you actually expected to receive it.

  I am curious if when you took the decision to solicit a report entitled 'Time as a Chimpanzee' from me you actually expected to be able to receive it.

  I am curious if when you took the decision to solicit from me a report entitled 'Time as a Chimpanzee', you thought you would actually receive it.


texts:
When I don't remember the name of something, can I say like this?

I don't remember the name of it.

I don't remember how it is called

I don't remember what it is called.

I don't remember what it is called as.

I don't remember what I should call it as.

I think all of these are possible but I want to know the best choice.


texts: Improve pronunciation if one's English level is already ~C1?

texts:
I've been studying English for a while and considered myself a good speaker (mostly because I had passed CAE a year ago). Lately, though, I found myself in an environment where English is used a lot and I realized my pronunciation is far from perfect. What are some ways for me to improve it? Is it not too late? Unfortunately, living in England is not an option.

I really hope not all is lost for me!


texts: Tricks to increase your second language vocabulary beyond your native language's active vocabulary?

texts:
I use Anki to increase my vocabulary in English (my second language) and French (my third language). Basically I enter all words I hear in any of these languages that I don't understand into Anki.
Now I have noticed that I make much more progress in French than in English and the reason for that is that I try to learn words in English whom's counterpart whose counterparts in my native language are not in my active vocabulary - and this makes it really hard to "answer" my Anki card when I bump into words like larynx or demur.
Obviously, I know these words when I read or hear them in my native language but I don't think I have ever written larynx in my native language (I searched for it in my sent folder in Gmail where the oldest message is from 2005, and that contains more than 26000 messages - not one hit), which makes it difficult to recall the correct word and "answer" Anki when it comes up.
I can, in my head, point out the larynx on the body when I see the word but since I have a hard time finding the corresponding word - I learn it "weakly", that is, sometimes I mix it up with other body parts, such as the vocal cords, that are in the same area of the body. Meanwhile, in French I might try to learn the word pouce (thumb). Obviously I have no problems with coming up with thumb when I see my pouce-card, because that is word I have known and used since before school.
Any suggestions on how to think about this? How can I, in the light of the description above, improve my English vocabulary to extend into the passive vocabulary in my native language?


texts: Arithmetic expressions: singular or plural?

texts:
Five and two make/makes seven.

  Five times two is/are ten.

  Five minus two leave/leaves three.

Which ones are correct? Could someone explain the logic behind them?


texts: I haven't noticed that vs. I didn't notice that

texts:
Which of the two sentences should I use?

  A: I haven't noticed that.

  B: I didn't notice that.


texts:
How can I figure out how to pronounce a name? Are there any dictionaries for names which tell us how words are articulated? Are there rules to follow to figure it out?
For example, I need to know how the following are pronounced:

Fitch
Stockton
Fishbein


texts: helping in writing or correcting this part of a sentence

texts:
I am tired of or fed up with those who their nasty tempers are disgusting

Would you please show me if the writing sound correct?

nasty tempers: a series characters or habits that are considered very outrageous, or temperamental and have a tendency to reply or react in an unpredictable manner-- often disapproving or unpleasant or unkind.

Some more details: I would like to say:

I am fed up with those people
which people? those who make us disgusting through or by their nasty tempers or characters


texts:
What does "following by" mean?
In this particular case, there is a sentence:

  "Name the file with your last name following by title of the image."

Which one of these phrases should be used as the name of the file?

LastnameTitle
TitleLastname


texts:
Please help me to complete this sentence:

  This is a great track. It will get everybody _______.

Which one is better: dance or dancing?


texts:
a change in behavioral and social patterns
a transformation in behavioral and social patterns

Would anyone possibly show me whether or not there is any difference between those? Or even the latter could be considered a correct usage of transformation as to terms of psychology?
Any comment or feed-back would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Any reason for being called 'Chicken Fingers', given it's not made from fingers of chicken at all?

texts:
Originally, I thought Chicken Fingers is made from the fingers of chickens. But after I saw this Wiki article, it's actually made from "the pectoralis minor muscles of the animal".

So, I'm curious why it's called Chicken Fingers given it has nothing to do with fingers at all?


texts: What does "variable" mean in this sentence?

texts:
"We don't have a Trump variable in the model."

source: http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/26/news/economy/hillary-clinton-beat-donald-trump-moodys/index.html


texts: Is it correct and natural to say "allow someone a lot" meaning to allow someone to do a lot of things?

texts:
Is it correct and natural to say allow someone a lot meaning to allow someone to do a lot of things? For example:

Parents allow their children a lot these days.

If it's not really natural and correct, what would a native English speaker say?


texts: Electric Generator vs Electricity generator

texts:
I have just bought an Electric Generator /  Electricity generator. It works very well.

Sometimes, I'm confused when using a noun with adjective or two nouns together. Please help me to distinguish them clearly


texts: "The soup in the pot is too hot" vs "The soup is too hot in the pot" - are both grammatically ok?

texts:
Note: I'm not a native speaker of English, so apologies in advance if the answer to my question is obvious.

Taking the sentences "The soup in the pot is too hot" and "The soup is too hot in the pot". I think there is slight difference in the meaning between both variants (in the sense that more emphasis is being placed upon the fact that the soup is too hot in its current location, rather in general). Still, the first sentence feels "natural/right" to me, while the second reads somewhat odd, though I find myself unable to quote distinct grammar-rule it would violate.

Are both sentences valid and if so, am I correct in my hunch that the distinction is the emphasis? Still, is there any reason why the second variant reads odd (at least to me)?


texts: How to interpret the sentence - "A Mother beats up her daughter because she was drunk"?

texts:
"A Mother beats up her daughter because she was drunk"

So, who was drunk?

Mother, or
Daughter?

Please tell me how to interpret the sentence. Also, If the mother was drunk how would I write a sentence implying daughter was drunk or vice versa?


texts: Which future tense suits the best in this case?

texts:
We would very happy to come to visit you. We are going to take the plane. Departure on 10th august return around 24th august.

  Our return date is depending on the cost of airline ticket.

  Our return date will be depending on the cost of airline ticket.

  Our return date will depend on the cost of airline ticket.

  Our return date depends on the cost of airline ticket.

Which sentence is the best? I think progressive is the best as it is a limited duration  and as my trip shall be on july , I should use future
So will be depending


texts: What does “Is Dorothy Grossbaum good for five dollars?” mean?

texts:
I'm reading The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (4th edition) and there is one sentence that I just don't get:

  ... Ben’s father died in 1903, the porcelain business faltered, and the family slid haltingly into poverty. Ben’s mother turned their home into a boardinghouse; then, borrowing money to trade stocks “on margin,” she was wiped out in the crash of 1907. For the rest of his life, Ben would recall the humiliation of cashing a check for his mother and hearing the bank teller ask, “Is Dorothy Grossbaum good for five dollars?”

The only thing I know is that Dorothy Grossbaum is Benjamin's mother. Could you be so kind and translate the whole sentence to simple English?


texts:
Yesterday I was in my class. Five students came late to class. I asked them " why are you late ? "
  Their responses are given below

  I have watched the cricket match.
  I have been watching the cricket match.
  I watched the cricket match.
  I have just watched the cricket match.
  I just watched the cricket match.

I feel a native English speaking student says  "I have been watching the cricket match"

We may expect the answers " I have Just watched the cricket match or I have watched the cricket match"
from non native English speaking students

I am of the opinilon that I have watched or I have been watching the cricket match is correct.

I am not sure of the other sentences. I think they are wrong

I would like to know whether the sentences 3,4, and 5 are also possible

I would be most grateful to you if you could answer my question


texts: How to talk about an appointment that was set in the past for a future time?

texts:
I was wondering if the following sentence makes sense. My main purpose is to learn the structure and I just wrote this as an example:

  The earliest appointment she gave me is this Friday.


texts:
(a) Red is a color creating anger.

(b) Red is a color which creates anger

The first sentence above is supposed to be grammatically incorrect. Could you clarify what is wrong with it?


texts: Where did you found it - should I use "did" in the question?

texts:
Where you found it.

  Where did you found it.

In the question should I put "did"?


texts: Should I say "He don't" or "He won't send him on deliveries"?

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentence and also grammatically which sentence is correct,

He don't send him on deliveries.
He won't send him on deliveries.


texts: "What is the price of the phone you bought" or "What was the price of the phone you bought"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between the following sentences?

  What is the price of the phone you bought?

  What was the price of the phone you bought?

I think that the first sentence connotes that if you you go to shop and want to buy the phone the price is the same as it was when the phone was bought. Am I right?


texts: What’s the difference between ‘a hundred’ and ‘one hundred’?

texts:
For instance, let’s take a look at the next conversation:

A) How many questions does the test have?

B) A hundred.

And the difference between the conversation above and this one:

A) How many questions does the test have?

B) One hundred.

Are both conversations correct? if not, which one is correct?


texts: Could imagine or could've imagined in a past context

texts:
Yesterday I went to see my friend who lost her only son the day before in a car accident. Seeing me she started crying. I could imagine (at the time) what she was going through.

Is "could" OK? Or do we need "could have imagined" here?
"I could've imagined what she was going through."


texts: How to ask an employer by email if having a bank account is necessary?

texts:
Kindly let me know if having a UK bank account is necessary, as unfortunately I have not applied for bank account yet.

What do you reword it to be more elegant and polite?


texts:
I think that these following expressions have quite similar meaning :

Take care
Be careful
I want to warn you

Are they synonym, or is there any subtle difference of strength? Does other variations exist?


texts: What's a common decision to describe "conceding your turn in a queue to somebody else"?

texts:
Example sentence:

  I think I will __. Who wants it?

I thought the right phrase was "to give away your turn." But Google didn't yield many results.


texts: Is it correct to say "As I complete it" or "When I complete it"

texts:
The full sentence is "I will send the forms back one-by-one as I complete them".
Is it correct to use as here?


texts: What's the difference between a restaurant and an eatery?

texts:
Eatery is defined on OALD as:

  a restaurant or other place that serves food

In that case, can I call McDonalds an eatery? Or can I call any single one restaurant in the city I see an eatery?


texts:
Example sentence:

  When he opened the door, he found a bandaged, [...] Mary.

I thought the word was bed-stricken but I was wrong.


texts: What do you call that talk which someone gives to you to point out mistakes?

texts:
What do you call the kind of advice given by someone, such as a sympathetic manager or your friend, who wishes to point out your mistakes and advise you about how to improve in the future?

I am looking for a word, or expression similar to "pep talk," but which more specifically means "to encourage and motivate" in the above context. For example, in a coach-athlete context, or any other kind of context where the advice given is (or, sought, should be) brutally honest.


texts:
While searching over internet I am finding phrases like "in its own right" or "in its own terms". I couldn't find the phrase "in its own".

Can we use the phrase "in its own" as it is. For example can we say,

  Mathematics, in its own, is ultimately the study of numbers.


texts: What's the meaning of "whatever you are, you are woman"?

texts:
Whatever you are, you
  are woman.

In the first look the meaning of the phrase seems clear, but it's hard to get. I wonder why the writer didn't say, "whatever you are, you are a woman.

Could you plaese help me to understand it's meaning?

The main text is here:

  I carried the books to my room and read through the night. I loved the
  fiery pages of Mary Wollstonecraft, but there was a single line written by
  John Stuart Mill that, when I read it, moved the world: “It is a subject on
  which nothing final can be known.” The subject Mill had in mind was the
  nature of women. Mill claimed that women have been coaxed, cajoled,
  shoved and squashed into a series of feminine contortions for so many
  centuries, that it is now quite impossible to define their natural abilities or
  aspirations.
  Blood rushed to my brain; I felt an animating surge of adrenaline, of
  possibility, of a frontier being pushed outward. Of the nature of women,
  nothing final can be known. Never had I found such comfort in a void, in
  the black absence of knowledge. It seemed to say: whatever you are, you
  are woman.


texts:
I am aware that he is on holiday. Can you tell me from what day he will be back at the office?

I am not sure whether the bolded passage is correct. On the Internet, I have not found any match with this construction. I do not want to use "when".


texts: Verb tense in relative clauses ("Will the last to leave turn off the lights")

texts:
Will the person who is last to leave please turn off the lights?

I don't get why we use "leave" here. According to my guide book, it is in the present tense in relative clauses.


texts: Is it grammatical to use “lucid dream” as a verb?

texts: This page has “How to Lucid Dream” in a title. “Lucid” is an adjective, shouldn't we use an adverb as in “to dream lucidly”, or a hyphen as in “to lucid-dream”? Or is it acceptable because sufficiently widespread?


texts:
Please explain the error in the following:

  He looks more depressed than her but I don't know the reason.

Is there any error in it?  My book says her should be replaced by she. This confuses me often, please explain.


texts: The use of the Present Perfect with the verbs "to hear", "to read"

texts:
I have read somewhere that the production of push-button mobile phones has started to come down in 2010. However, two days ago I have heard one manufacturing firm begin to put out such phones with renewed energy first time in almost 10 years for the reasons of security.
Isn't the Present Perfect being misused in "I have read" and "I have heard"?


texts:
The warden told the boys to (quickly?) clean their rooms (quickly?).

Which is the correct position to place adverb quickly? This is a sentence improvement question asked in my test, the actual sentence given was The warden told the boys to quickly clean their rooms. The solution has its answer as The warden told the boys to clean their rooms quickly. Isn't it wrong? The adverb is placed close to the verb it modifies e.g. if I want to say that I will just dance do nothing else in a party then I will say I will only dance in the party but if I want to say that I will dance just in this party, not in any other party then I will say I will dance only in this party.


texts: Should I use "I'm" or "was/were" when talking about an hypothetical situation in the present tense?

texts:
Example sentence:

  I fish out my wallet, gather the amount showing in the cash register,
  and pass it to her ashamed, as though I'm/I were returning a
  stolen item

I would I should use were since it's an hypothetical situation. But a quick search on Google told me that I'm is also commonly used.

What's the correct  option?


texts:
I was reading an article about steps we can do to make out computers fast.

  If you want to improve the speed of your computer, that’s great. However, above all, do no harm and beyond the scope of this Windows forum, ask for help from those you know if you get in over your head. Remember: you have time. You can stop most processes I discuss without causing harm. Caution and common sense go a long way when working with computers; problems are often much easier to fix than they appear.


texts:
I have two sentences:

What is your overall opinion of this school?

The campus is beautiful in the snow but it gets old pretty fast. Most students tend to stay indoors for the long winter unless they are out at a mountain...
Have you ever been to a party or gathering and been seated next to someone who just spends the whole night talking about themselves? It gets old pretty fast.

What does "it gets old pretty fast" mean in these sentences?


texts: How to describe a researcher who works thoroughly, digs deep, and nothing escapes his notice. What is(are) the best word(s) to describe him/her in addition to thorough: sharp, subtle, or something else?


texts:
May I know which sentence is grammatical?

I am not sure whether we need to repeat the "to".

  The method helps to improve the quality of the software, shorten the time to market, and lower production costs.

  The method helps to improve the quality of the software, to shorten the time to market, and to lower production costs.


texts:
Leonardo Da Vinchi collaborated with Marcantonio della Torre, an anatomist from the University of Pavia. Their collaboration is important because it marries the artist with the scientist. Similarly,  Marie Curie's husband stopped his original research and joined Marie in hers.

If 'is' and 'marries' are changed into 'was' and  'married', what is the difference?


texts:
What does "sprawling city" mean exactly?

I consulted a dictionary and it said that

  sprawling city - a city spreading out wide area in a way that is not
  carefully planned.

But could you please open it up?


texts:
When I discuss something in the meeting,
I said 'We can use something like XXX to check errors".

What I meant was, not XXX, but similar thing that can serve our purpose better. But, it seems others understood I meant 'Let's use XXX'.

Because others said, 'No, let's not use xxx'. So I had to say 'No, not XXX, but something that's lighter, but serves same purpose'

My question:
Does 'something like xxx' mean xxx?
or something similar to xxx but not xxx?

or It was still the second but because I didn't add any explanation after something like xxx eg) I had to say in full "Let's use something like XXX, but lighter"

Thanks


texts: Are these infinitives adjectival and adverbial?

texts:
① Whatever book you can bring to contribute to the library is much appreciated.
② Whatever book you can bring to contribute it to the library is much appreciated.

① Any book (to contribute to the library) that you can bring is … ; hence the to-infinitive  herein is adjectival.
② Any book that you can bring in order to contribute it to the library is … ; hence the to-infinitive   herein is adverbial.
Is my grammatical analysis for #1 and #2 correct?


texts: In writing, how to politely tell someone not to repeat something?

texts:
Preface: This question applies only to writing, which lacks the benefits of  nonverbal communication which would resolve this problem.

Example: Your lawyer remembers your remembrance that she cannot do something (eg: She can advise only on real estate law, and not trust law in which she is inexperienced.). However, her excessive caution causes her to keep reminding you redundantly. How do you most tactfully inform her that she need not remind you? My attempts below all sound impolite.

  Please do not repeat it.
  Problem: This sounds too authoritative, even with 'please'.
  Please, (there is) no need to repeat it.
  Problem: This sounds as though her reminders have dispirited and fatigued you.
  Please do not worry about repeating it.
  Problem: My own experiences attest and prove this ineffective; the other parties rebut me by insisting that they are not 'worried', and then repeat it anyways to my annoyance.


texts: Correctness and difference between "On" or "For"

texts:
For example, someone asks someone about something that was done wrong and someone answers that all the questions are not for him, since he does not know this and it was a fault of the answerer.

Or if someone asks you about something for example about construction safety and you want to direct him to another person about this one.

Is this correct? I also have questions about on and for. What is the difference?

  On all questions (not) to him. On all safety questions to John.

  For all questions (not) to him. For all safety questions to John.


texts: How to use Lit by and Lit with properly?

texts:
The room is lit by/with candles.
The house is lit by/with electricity.

What should be the appropriate preposition for each sentence?


texts: How to change this sentence ?(From indirect to direct speech)

texts:
This sentence:

Lionel asked Mary if she had seen Carol at the birthday party the previous week.
I’m not sure which is correct (or both are correct)

“Have you seen Carol at the birthday party last week?” Lionel asked Mary.

or

“Did you see Carol at the birthday party last week?” Lionel asked Mary.

I’m unsure of which to use. Can someone tell me the difference?
Thanks!


texts: Tell someone of something vs tell someone something

texts:
He told me of the story.
  He told me the story.

Isn't it certain that he said to me the whole story in the 1st unlike in the 2nd?

I think that the main difference between the two sentences might be that it's uncertain whether he said to me the whole story or the part of the story in the 1st unlike he said to me the whole story in the 2nd.

Or, perhaps, is it just the difference of expression even though they convey the same meaning that he said to me the whole story?

The reason I think this way is that I've learnt "of" is used when to indicate something belongs to something.


texts: Would 'the type of people who work' or 'the type of people who works' be the one?

texts:
Which one is correct?

A: "the type of people who work a lot"

or

B: "the type of people who works a lot"?

I think it is B, but my girlfriend who is a native speaker told me the correct answer is A.


texts: Should I say "they" twice in this sentence?

texts:
I have this sentence:

  Even though some people argue that public transportation systems have many disadvantages, I firmly believe that they have many benefits and should be constructed.

Should I put they before should?

And why?


texts: 'to seem like' : Part of speech and significance of 'like'?

texts:
What are the import and meaning  of like in 'to seem like' ? (https://english.stackexchange.com/a/11324/50720 is mute on this.) Why is like necessary? 'seem' alone already means:

  seem [no object]  = 1. Give the impression of being something or having a particular quality

Based on http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conjunctions.htm, I guess that like here is a preposition and not a conjunction? How do you determine/deduce this rigorously?

  Strictly speaking, the word like is a preposition, not a conjunction

Obiter dictum: I focus on 'to seem like' here, compared with this question on the differences.


texts: Who is it? What is the subject of this question

texts:
Who is it?

Imagine there was a knock at the door and you say, "who is it?".
What the subject is of this simple sentence?
Could someone provide me with a detailed answer?
Is "who" the subject of the verb "to be/is?" To me it seems like "it" is the subject of the verb.
If you say, "Who teaches the class", I can clearly see how "who" is the subject of teach, but with the question, "Who is it?", I cannot see how the same logic applies?


texts: Idiom/saying for brokerage transaction costs - translation of German "Hin und her macht Taschen leer"

texts:
In German, we have a saying "Hin und her macht Taschen leer" meaning that doing lots of (investment) transactions means large accumulated fees.

A rough (almost literal) translation would be "[Investing] back and forth empties your pockets".

Is there any English idiom or saying like this?


texts:
Which tense is correct here? Past Perfect or Present Perfect?

A: I went out.
B: (surprised) Have you finished your homework?

A: I went out.
B: (surprised) Had you finished your homework.
It's about finishing the homework before going out. Can I use also Present Perfect? It sounds okay to me but I need natives' opinion.


texts: What should I call a mixture with the consistency of pancake batter (before cooking)?

texts: What should I call a mixture with the consistency of pancake batter before the batter is cooked? Because that of course depends on the recipe, I'll add some details: It is not as fluid as water but much more fluid than bread dough. Typical images can be found there, there, there, and there. (These are not my photographs, therefore I do not own the publishing rights and therefore I cannot repost them.) I found "pappy", "pulpy", and even "doughy". Which word would a native speaker use? (It does not need to be one out of the three given ones.)


texts: An adjective to describe a pregnant woman's swollen belly?

texts:
I can't find any good English adjective for the stomach of a pregnant woman. For example, how does one say this naturally:

  "Her belly looks bigger than a month ago. I guess she is expecting soon."


texts: How to elegantly show the direction in this specific situation?

texts:
Given a map like the following:

Now your friend is standing at 1 end of the street 1 & he want to go to school.

How can you elegantly show him the direction?

Here is what I suggest but it is a bit cumbersome.

-Go Straight
-And Go past the corner between Street 1 & 2
-Keep going straight
-Turn left into the street 3
-Go straight
-Turn right into the Street 4
-Go straight & turn left to street 5
-Go straight until you can see the school


texts: Is there a site that shows which grammar is used in the text?

texts:
Sometimes I don't know how to find a rule of grammar that explains to me why some text is written like that.
Do you know are there any sites that allow knowing what grammar is used in the text that I copied?
For example, I copied:

I've read a book.

And the site says me:
I've read - Present Perfect
a book - article


texts: Provide information "on", "of" or "about" something?

texts: Which is grammatical: "it provides information on something", or, "it provides information of something", or, "it provides information about something"? Or if all are grammatical, which one is used depending on the context? Are there other prepositions possible, e.g. "in"?


texts: What does the speaker imply in "piecrust collar" and "smell of horse"?

texts:
I could not understand the implication in this sentence, especially the "piecrust collars and smell of horse". I am totally lost! Could anyone help please?

The context is :

Will (a quadriplegic in wheelchair) and I (his carer) are going to the wedding of Will's ex-girlfriend, who is going to marry Will's former best friend. It's obvious I don't want him to go to the wedding, because I was worried for him. Nathan is Will's medical carer.

The sentence is :

  ……and there was Will, in a dark suit and a cornflower-blue shirt with
  a tie. He was clean-shaven, and carried a faint tan on his face. The
  shirt made his eyes look peculiarly vivid. They seemed, suddenly, to
  carry a glint of the sun.

  ‘Not bad,’ I said—because, weirdly, I didn’t want to say how handsome
  he actually looked. ‘She’ll certainly be sorry she’s marrying that
  braying bucket of lard, anyway.’

  Will raised his eyes heavenwards. ‘Nathan, do we have everything in
  the bag?’

  ‘Yup. All set and ready to go.’ He turned to Will. ‘No snogging the
  bridesmaids, now.’

  ‘As if he’d want to,’ I said. ‘They’ll all be wearing piecrust
  collars and smell of horse.’

  Me Before You by Jojo Moyes


texts:
My question was engendered by this question
Which is correct, "The carpenter repaired the legs of the tables" or "The carpenter repaired legs of the tables"
I wonder what this means: The carpenter repaired SOME legs of the tables.

Some legs of all the legs which were there

Some legs of the broken legs only

Either 2 or 3

There were 16 legs in total. 8 were broken. Some were repaired. Does that mean 1) all 8 were repaired or 2) Fewer than 8


texts: 'Specifies the beach sand' why possessive not used

texts:
I was just reading a book and came across the following line:

  on the beach specifies beach sand,

and now I'm wondering why the noun isn't used in its possessive form: beach's?

how would 'beach's' be pronounced?

Source:

  The difference between BY and ON and between BY and AT in the three examples above is that by the beach suggests any location near, close to, on, or at the beach; on the beach specifies the beach sand, and at the beach indicates the specific area ranging from the beach sidewalk (and perhaps a little further) to the wet sand that borders the see water (thus, we can infer that BY is more closely related to At than to ON)


texts: A verb in English that would mean "to win in the court"

texts:
Is there a verb in English that would mean "to win in the court"?

For example, both Johnson and Gregson claimed their rights on one patch of land in Arizona. They took this case to the court and the judge decided that that patch of land should belong to Gregson. So one would say:

  Gregson has finally [the verb] that patch of land.

or better (if it's possible in English):

  Gregson has finally [the verb] that patch of land from Johnson.


texts:
I want to speak about an application in Windows which helps ESL students in listening and spelling.

  In this paper we present a tool that is aimed to improve the sound-to-letter skill of ESL students.

In the sentence above I want to emphasize that is a computer application, can I say computer tool? what is the best word


texts:
In the movie "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" Jake was saved by the peculiar children while he was into a pub. An invisible child made pots and glasses fly all around and another start a fire on the pub's door.

At about 36 minutes of the movie there's a dialogue:

a child:

  Miss Peregrine, there's a policeman at the door. He says it's about the pub!

Miss Peregrine turns a blind look to Emma (hope my English is correct here) and says:

  We'll discuss this later, Emma.

then goes into the house.

Jack says:

  It wasn't their fault. Honestly, they were just trying to help.

Emma smiles. Miss Peregrine smiles too, then go away.

After Miss Peregrine has left, Emma says:

  Thanks. You're not as wet as I thought.

What does it mean "wet" in this context?


texts: What is the difference "Cut" and "Cut off" "Cut out"

texts:
Here is a quote from a certain movie :

  "He cut out his own arm."

And now I really want to understand what is the difference between them below.

I mean what kind of nuances has each of them? They all sound fine and natural to you who is English-native speaker?

A) He cut his own arm.

B) He cut out his own arm.

C) He cut off his own arm.


texts: Is it right to say "what is your travel source?"?

texts: Suppose you want to ask somebody where they intend to travel from and what their destination is, is it right to say: "what is your travel source and destination?"


texts:
I was about to give my daughter a shower and I saw that she did not clean her toothbrush last time she used it so I said

  Please clean your toothbrush after you use it.

I did not say the word "always" but I meant that. Then she corrected me as

  Please clean your toothbrush after you used it.

I am confused. Which one is correct? Or are they both correct?


texts: Which sentence is correct? Use of commas and 'and'

texts:
It offers an opportunity to get information, to learn the activities, and to look for a job.
It offers an opportunity to get information, learn the activities, and look for a job.
It offers an opportunity to get information learn the activities and look for a job


texts: Ways to ask 'Do you do it to deal out of your problem'

texts: Does it make sense? Do you do it to deal out of your problem?I just tried to use "out of Sb problem" phrase Also, can I say: "Do you do it to let your problems go away?"Anyway, what's the polite formal and informal ways to ask that?


texts:
I was wondering why we use "understanding" instead of "understand" in this sentence? can we just use "understand"?

  Math is the hidden secret to understanding the world.


texts:
Can I say 'I still wait for you'?
Or 'I'm still waiting for you' is the only right form?
Thank you.


texts: What is a better word instead of "set" in this context?

texts:
I have this sentence

  The System shall allow customers to set their addresses.

I think that the word set is not a good fit here. Would a word such as define, determine, or locate be better here? Or can you think of an even better suggestion?


texts: the meaning of the phrase 'the point of his lance scooped the eye of the circle'

texts:
Rafe says, the contests had not begun, he was running at the ring,
  the point of his lance scooped the eye of the circle. Then the horse stumbled under him, man and rider down, horse rolling with a
  scream and Henry beneath it.

  Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

What is the meaning of the phrase?


texts: "How to keep it alive" Is it grammatically correct?

texts:
Is the following question grammatically correct? How + to + verb?

  What to buy, where to buy it and (most importantly) how to keep it alive until New Year. Cambridge News


texts:
Have you ever seen any person who went school the day after his or her parent's wedding party?

The sentence above is a translation of a part of a dialog in a movie. Is translation above standard? To edit it, I have suggestions below. Do they make sense? Since I am not native English speaker, so I may compare tenses with my mother tongue language and I may face some problems in communications.

Suggestions:

  Have you ever seen any person who goes school the day after his or her parent's wedding party?[Not Suggested]
  Have you ever seen any person who has gone school the day after his or her parent's wedding party?[Highly suggested]
  Have you ever seen any person who might have gone school the day after his or her parent's wedding party?[Not Suggested]


texts:
Could you tell me the difference between these three sentences:
(1) I always remembered his smile.
(2) I always remembered his smile on his face.
(3) I always remembered the smile on his face.


texts:
Can I omit the word 'by' in the sentence?

  Attach it to the cup by using masking tape

Is the sentence still grammatically correct if I remove 'by'?


texts: How many affixes are there in the word "innocuous"?

texts: In a glance, the word "innocuous" has two affixes, i.e., a prefix "in-" and a suffix "-uous". However, I can only find the word "nocuous" in some dictionaries. So, does the word have two affixes as I thought or only one (the prefix "in-")?


texts: Much vs a lot of [Why not to use much in positive sentences?]

texts:
I would like to know a few things about the use of "much" and "a lot of" in positive sentences.
First of all, I have been taught that in positive sentences I have to use "a lot of" and not "much".
What's the reason for such a rule or recommendation?
Is it because "much" sounds very or extremely formal compared to "a lot of"?
I heard a person who teaches English say that "much" expresses a lesser amount than "a lot of" and that's why "much" doesn't have to be used in positive sentences. Is this true? Is it considered an error or wrong to use "much" in positive sentences?
My curiosity to know more about this topic is because often people who teach English just say "in positive sentences use a lot of and not much". But they don't give you a compelling reason.

Here are two couple of example sentences:

  I have much money.
  I have a lot of money.
  I have much water.
  I have a lot of water.


texts:
However he studied hard, he failed the exam.

If I rewrite this sentence by using "although", is it necessary to put "very" in the "although sentence"?

  Although he studied very hard, he failed the exam.


texts:
The Source

  They then drive away and, in the movie’s weakest scene, explain to
  each other how dangerous the world has become. Thanks, guys. Our
  nerves already gave us the bad news.

Does this "already" imply that the scene shot from within the house had already given us the idea of how dangerous the world has become?


texts: Why is one all the day, the other all day?

texts:
[i] I spent all the day cooking. (CGEL, p.374) [ii] She worked hard
  all day. (Webster Learner’s) [iii] I think about her all the
  time. (Webster Learner’s)

When I first came across [i], I assumed that the definite article is there for denoting the totally of the day. That is, a particular totality, as well as a particular part, surely could be identifiable and thus would have the article.
However this may not be quite simple as I thought, for [ii] has not the article. So I added another guess that objects need the article, but adverbs not. But this is not good either. As you see, in [iii] all the time has the article and it’s an adverbial phrase. What are the reasons they have or not have the article?


texts: What are the other ways of saying "I love it", "I'm keen on something", etc

texts: What are other ways of saying "I love this song a lot!" I'm looking for expressions that mean "love very much" or "be fond of" but in a more idiomatic form. Thank you in advance!


texts: Is the "the ... the ..." construction governed by some grammatical rule?

texts:
a) The more I study, the less I learn.
b) More I study, less I learn.

Could we rewrite the sentence shown under the letter a) in the form shown under the letter b) without breaking any grammatical rule? If not, why not?


texts: "She was supposed to phone ...", What is the active voice?

texts:
Is the following sentence in the passive voice?

  She was supposed to phone Jack last night.

If yes, What is the active voice version of it?


texts: Replacing "that" with a present participle

texts:
Which makes more sense, or is more correct?

  one of the three fountains standing in the center of the garden

Or

  one of the three fountains that stand in the center of the garden.

I am trying to understand which is the more correct way to express phrases such as the above.


texts: Present perfect with past perfect and past simple

texts:
I have been confused with these sentences for a long time.

1) I have done as you had told me. (Is it correct to use past perfect after present perfect?)

2) I have done as you told me.

I know that I can use past simple and then past perfect ( I did as you had told me ), but if I want to use present perfect in the first part of sentence, can I use past perfect or I have to use past simple in the second part to indicate that one action had happened before another action happened.

And if these sentences are correct, can they be used in formal context, or only in informal colloquial speech?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Tell me please if the following use of the word is correct.

  His viewpoint is close to me, so I would rather side with him.

What I mean by that is that I like his viewpoint, and it is similar to mine. If that word is not used correctly, then what is the correct one to use there?


texts: What is the difference between Boner and Butcher?

texts: In our factory the boner was talking with someone and he said he is not a butcher; hes's a boner. Can someone tell the difference between them. I searcher in dictionary but could not find it.


texts:
Which is grammatically superior?

  The Hallows are a dangerous place, but if that is the reason given to abandon him, then she would forge ahead.

  The Hallows are a dangerous place, but if that is the given reason to abandon him, then she would forge ahead.

thoughts?


texts: Sound made by a cellphone during dialing

texts:
What’s the sound made by a cellphone during ‘dialing’ called?

When a cellphone makes a notification sound, we say “chiming of the cellphone” like that how would we describe ‘dialing’?


texts: They both jumped up when they saw Megan carry in the cage

texts: In this scenario, why was carry in used instead of past tense carried in or third person singular carries in?


texts: what is the meaning of "'water a horse" and "to milk the cat" in this context?

texts:
I am reading a book now, and one of the chapters opens itself by the following phrase, which its meaning makes me to feel lost in English... even after I've done a nice research on Google and dictionaries.

  "mother, asked Kate, "Is it correct to say 'water a horse' when he is thirsty?"

  "Yes, dear, quite correct"."

  "Then I am going to milk the cat"

I think that I do understand what these idioms mean (to urinate, and getting pussy) but I don't understand them in the context at all.

For me, the question if it's "correct to say 'water a gorse' when he is thirsty" is not logical. The same thing regarding to the following comments there, there is not coherence. Therefore I would like to know the explanation for this paragraph.

and this is the full picture of the page in which these paragraph are found:


texts: Using the verb suggest as the word advise

texts:
When we say

"I suggest Jamie to take the job "

We talk to HR departmant not to Jamie..So I would like to ask how can I give an advice somebody and tell somebody else what I said.

"His doctor advised him to take time off work" like in this sentence

I would like to say " I advised Jamie to take the job " using the verb suggest..
is it possible?

Thanks


texts: How can I use "as" to say that something means two nouns instead of same degree of an adjective?

texts:
I'd like to say:

  "love is as need as an investment that makes sense"

is this correct way? I want to use the shortest and most clear way to say that love is both need and an investment that makes sense. I can use both but then "that makes sense" refers to the both need and investment. I want it to refer to only the second part.

any advice?


texts:
"If it was anxious to go," said Adela Pingsford rather angrily, "I should not have come here to chat with you about it. I'm practically all alone; the housemaid is having her afternoon out and the cook is lying down with an attack of neuralgia. Anything that I may have learned at school or in after life about how to remove a large ox from a small garden seems to have escaped from my memory now

quoted from the stalled ox

What is 'afternoon out'?


texts:
This is part of a conversation between me and one of my friends I was flirting with:

  Me: I didn't know that I was starving until I tasted you.
  She: You haven't.

Shouldn't there be didn't instead of haven't because I had written tasted not have tasted.


texts: I was in School of Economics which is substitute for high school, but in my school we have practical training and we are there 4 years not 3. But I don't know how to write it in my essay about my "high school" is it: Technical School of Economics or Technical Secondary School of Economics  or maybe another name?


texts:
We were looking for parking lot.

My son asked me, "Why are you keep going."

"I'm looking for parking lot." I told him.

How to say a space that has no car parking?


texts: American and/or British English usage of the word "really"

texts:
Can a native American or British English speaker tell me how the word "really" is to be understood in the following context:

  Person A: I have something to show you. It's  about how I decorated my new house.

  Person B: No thanks! I don't really have any interest at all in seeing it, so I don't have to see it.

My current understanding of "really" in this context is that it is used to show that you are being polite with what you are saying, even though it might emotionally hurt or show a disrespect as a response in some way. Am I any correct in this understanding?


texts:
Which one is true when the gender of the person is not accurate?

The writer must state his/her own opinions in the paper

The writer must state its own opinions in the paper


texts: I hear people say "Too soon." and everyone starts laughing. (I just fake laugh) What does it mean?


texts: Please teach me the correct meaning of this sentence

texts:
Our native tongue should either not be studied critically at all, or be studied as thoroughly as the languages of antiquity.

Reading this, I found it confusing what it does mean. I understand for now it means that our native tongue is not studied critically at all, or that is studied like the languages of antiquity. Is my understanding right or wrong? Please teach me the correct meaning of the sentence.
Thank you.


texts: Should I use "on", "into", or "onto" in the following sentence?

texts:
I bite the gingerbread man and his head rolls on/into/onto my
  tongue.

What the correct preposition? I'm a little confused.


texts:
History's London is closely bound up with England's history.

History's London is closely bound up with that of England.

History's London is closely bound up with the history of England's.

Our findings are different from the findings of John et al's (2014).

Our findings are different from John et al's findings (2014).

Our findings are different from those of John et al's (2014).

Our findings are different from those of John et als' (2014)

Would you please tell me if these are correct? if not, could you correct me? and which one do you use in academic style?

Many thanks


texts: What's the meaning of "Over time," and "Taken together,"?

texts: I was a reading a book and I came across this sentence "Over time, a sequence of binary digits can be transmitted across a single line. Taken together, several lines of bus can be used to transmit binary digits simultaneously."


texts: Verbs which do not admit of progressive action

texts:
she stands/ is standing in the shade of a tree.
  (is standing is correct.)
  The temple stands/ is standing in the heart of the city.
  (stands is correct).

As per grammar rules there are some verbs which are non progressive and that includes stand as well.
In the above two sentences how do we apply that rule.
Why is standing is wrong in second sentence and correct in first?
Looking at the sentence I know they are to be used in that manner only but I want to correct myself with the grammar rules.
Thanks in advance.


texts:
If in a restaurant, if no table is available at the moment, will it be okay to say (other than: "Sorry, there's no table available at the moment)

  Sorry, but all the tables are taken at the moment.

  Sorry, but no table is empty at the moment.

And is a family is looking for a place to sit, another family says:

  I guess a table's available there.

  I guess there is a table that's isn't taken there.

  I guess there is an empty table there.

And about a specific table:

  I guess that table is available.

  I guess that table is empty.

  I guess that table isn't taken.

What will a native be most likely to use?


texts:
I need to convert the following to reported speech:

  in terms of availability of coming to Germany how much notice do you
  need?

Which one is correct ?

When he asked me what was my avaliability of coming  to Germany
When he asked me what my avaliability of coming  to Germany was


texts:
what is the meaning of "Carfully curated" [By someone]
i couldn't find what it  means on online dectionaries ,
would you provide an explanation with examples ?
thank you .


texts: "In a trick" is this correctly used in this sentence?

texts:
I am wondering if this is grammatical.

The branch was moved with a stick by foreign agents in a trick/wheeze, which distracted the American agents and allowed to sneak inside the house.

Is it the right preposition, or should you use a different preposition than "in".


texts: does his best while/in/when participating

texts:
Should I use "when", "while" or "in" when I describe how diligent someone is in some activity described right after those words?
For example, should it be:

She is a nice young lady who always pays attention and does her best while participating in competitions, skits, games and any other activities in class.

or

She is a nice young lady who always pays attention and does her best when participating in competitions, skits, games and any other activities in class.

or

She is a nice young lady who always pays attention and does her best in participating in competitions, skits, games and any other activities in class.

?
Or would just dropping any of those prepositions work better?


texts: a state nationalism -- why do we need an article?

texts:
Example with a context:

  Putin is a nationalist, but it's ultimately a state nationalism, it's about the Russian federation.

Why do you think state nationalism in this situation is used with an article as though it's a thing that can be counted? Don't you think that if we get rid of the article completely, the sentence will sound grammatically better? As you know, nationalism, much like other forms of isms, is intrinsically not a countable thing, so how can you possibly place an article in front of it? Please help me clear things up a little bit here.


texts:
And there are enough differences of views between Trump and Republicans, among them[,] the vice-president elect, for Congress and the president to disagree.

(What will Trump’s foreign policy look like?, The Conversation)

In this sentence, does Congress disagree with the president or do Congress and the President disagree about the same thing together?


texts: What do 'present things/places' take when they are described in past? Is/Was?

texts:
This actually happened with me. Yesterday, while going home, some strange person approached me and asked about the nearest cyber cafe (from that place, obviously!). Since I'm familiar with that place, I guided him.

But today, while describing that event to my colleague, I got stuck for a while. This raises a question here. What do 'present things/places' take when they are described in past.

Let me clarify by putting the conversation here:

  "Yesterday, when I was going home, there was a jam, a terrible traffic jam. When I was in my car, a guy came and asked me where the nearest cyber cafe WAS/IS?"

Now, the cyber cafe IS present, even today so it should take is. But then the event is of past so it takes was.

Note: I don't want to use the direct speech where the original words of the speaker never change. It becomes easiest then - A guy approached me and asked, "Where is the nearest cyber cafe?"


texts:
I have browsed the Internet several times, and eventually, I failed to learn what is the  difference exactly between those.

It would be appreciated, if someone please through a marked or signed picture show me their differences. Or, where are they located or imagined exactly-- or, which oart of the land are they considered to be located? I have looked up the dictionary Oxford, but I am yet confused with them. I don't need the explanations of dictionaries, but I want you please suggest a different interpretation of the terms, so that I could differentiate between them well. especially, I cannot understand any difference between the bold parts.

shore, shoreline, beach, coast, coastline. sand.

I have seen the first one in the dictionary Oxford. And, the second one is my own sentence. So, is it correct? if not why? or what is the difference between those?

The ship was anchored off shore.

The ship was anchored off coast.


texts: How to describe word formatting changes automatically and unexpectedly? Sometimes when we use another PC to open a word file, formatting changes automatically and unexpectedly due to word version difference. How do describe this automatic and unexpected change? Like formatting is off?


texts: The indefinite article with unique objects such as the sun and moon

texts:
Tell me please if it is correct to use the indefinite article with the words sun and moon in the following sentences, if it is, then why?

  It is was an amazing time last night; I never saw such a (the) beatiful moon.

  The Sun is so bright today. I have never seen such a (the) sun.


texts:
What does "tuck" mean in football(soccer)? In the sentence "tuck the second", I don't get the point.

GOAL! DERBY 0-2 SUNDERLAND (Fletcher, 36)

They've been maligned for their confidence in building from the back and Derby have just been dealt the ultimate punishment! Richard Keogh's miscued pass ends up at the feet of Ashley Fletcher and he evades the challenges of several of the Rams backline before tucking the second past Scott Carson!


texts: According to dictionaries the phrase "much as" can mean either "even though" or "in a similar way". As these two meanings are almost opposite, I was wondering on the basis of what principles should one decide which definition fits better?


texts:
In your application to a graduate school or a job position, would you write a statement like:

  I hope I could have an opportunity to ...,  and would cherish or treasure it with my life, if you could make my dream come true?


texts: Is it idiomatic to say “I've learned a lot”?

texts:
I guess it is idiomatic to use "learned a lot" to express gratefulness.

And I found much more people using "learned a lot" than "have learned a lot".

So, is it idiomatic to use "have learned a lot" to express gratefulness


texts: The difference between two: Like it that-S vs Like that S

texts:
Native speakers often use ``dummy pronoun it'' between like and that.
I am curious about whether there is any nuance difference between two sentences.
If not why do natives put it?

a. She liked it that her friends boasted about her.
b. She liked that her friends boasted about her.


texts:
According to Cambridge Dictionary

Symptoms of the illness include a high temperature and a persistent dry cough.

Which uses the pattern A include A_1 and A_2.
Similarly, a wiki page uses the same pattern.

Common combat sports include mixed martial arts, boxing ...

However, another wiki page seems a little bit redundant.

Ball games (or ballgames), also ball sports, are any form of game or sport which feature a ball as part of play. These include games such as football, cricket ...

Is it a little bit redundant to say "These include games such as"?


texts:
I know that this may be a basic question but I'm severely confused. How do you decide when or not to use "the". For what I've read, if you are referring to objects within a large class (without any specific object in mind), you don't use "the". For example:

People who workout often tend to be fitter.

But how do you know that you are in such a case? How do I distinguish between a broad class and a not so broad class. It seems sort of idiomatic. It doesn't seem wrong to me if I write:

The people who workout often tend to be fitter.

Is it just a matter of choice or there is a really a strict rule of usage? If so, how do you distinguish between one case and the other?


texts: What's up with the "pun (not) intended" thing?

texts:
Whenever I read a carefully composed English text with a pun in it, the stated "pun" is always followed by an explanation whether or not it was intended.

Why is that?

Where I come from (the Czech Republic) it is considered harmful to the humor to explicitly draw attention to it or, worse, explain it. But in English, as it seems, you can't play with the language with impunity (pun intended very intensively). Is it just a matter of correctness, or is there something else behind it?


texts:
I have read improving together with terms like pain multiple times, and never was confident this means the pain is reduced so its an improvement of pain in a sense of suffering.

Or it might mean the pain is improved in a sense of making it more intense.

What obvious would result in opposite meanings.

So which of the cases it is expected to be? Or is this in itself depending on context?


texts: What does "project" mean in this context?

texts:
What does "project" means in this context (emphasis mine)?

  Burke would have been especially wary of the Marxian idea of an ideological vanguard committed to the project of human liberties.


texts: Are both "wipe us out of existence" and "wipe us off of existence" idiomatic? To me, the first one seems to be more correct, but the second one doesn't seem to be wrong either, because "wipe off" also means "removing", so "removing us from existence". However, I am not sure if the second phrase is idiomatic even if semantically it's correct since I am not a native speaker. Is it idiomatic?


texts: Active to passive voice conversion and vice versa

texts:
I have to convert the following sentences from active to passive voice and vice versa:

A) Most insomnia is caused by stress.

B) Health chiefs have voiced concerns that Britain is fast becoming a nation of sleeping pill addicts.

I think that the conversions are:

A) Stress causes most insomnia.

B) Concerns that Britain is fast becoming a nation of sleeping pill addicts have been voiced by health chiefs.

My questions:

A) Are my conversions correct?

B) This "most" on sentence A causes problems to me. Specifically, I think that the way I have written sentence A doesn't make any sense as far as "most" is concerned.

C) Can I rephrase my conversions so that minimum reordering of phrases is present and if yes, how? (you can see that I have completely changed the ordering of certain phrases on the sentences)

D) The "is becoming" verb on sentence B can't be converted, right?


texts: Is there any difference between "sound someone out" and "feel someone out"?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference between sound someone out and feel someone out? For example:

I'll try to sound the boss out to see if he'll give us a pay rise.
I'll try to feel the boss out to see if he'll give us a pay rise.


texts: Will it be acceptable to use present perfect progressive in this example

texts:
He has swum  daily for several years, but his shoulder has been bothering  him recently

this is an answer of a test has swum
The reason of present perfect simple is that swimming has been done for so many times that it has become a permanent thing

But would it be possible to change for present perfect pogressive to emphasize the duration  and that this action is ongoing

https://www.grammar-quizzes.com/presperf1c.html


texts:
This relates to 'if' clauses, let's say you were asked a hypothetical question, which was riding a bike to work.

  "my house is 20 kilometers away from my work, and I will be late, if I ride a bike to work.”

Or

  "my house is 20 kilometers away from my work, and I will be late, if I rode a bike to work.”

Which is correct?


texts: What tense should I use in the following sentence?

texts:
I am writing a descriptive essay about what my life will be like 30 yrs from now.
Which tense should I use?
"I will be wearing/wear the same boyish clothes I wear now".
I mean, I am speaking of a habit in the future.


texts:
1) My staff will do their best to make sure I enjoy in my stay.

  2) My staff will do their best to make sure me enjoy in my stay.

Which pronoun should I choose after "make sure", subject or object?


texts: Why is the active voice used in "it reads better"?

texts:
I stumbled upon a phrase in a book (about JavaScript):

  The . notation is preferred because it is more compact and it reads
  better.

The . notation cannot read, as far as I understand. It can be read. So I expected something like:

  The . notation is preferred because it is more compact and it is read
  better.

OR:

  The . notation is preferred because it is more compact and it gets read
  better.

Not sure if the second option is appropriate in this context.

Why in this phrase is the active voice used?


texts: I have yearned for a/the chance to speak to a true geometer

texts:
From a short story:

  I showed it to him. He seized the pages with immediate pleasure, as if greeting an old friend. "Would you like to work through it? I have yearned for the chance to speak to a true geometer."

Would it be grammatical to change the article:

  I showed it to him. He seized the pages with immediate pleasure, as if greeting an old friend. "Would you like to work through it? I have yearned for a chance to speak to a true geometer."

It seems to me that the second option is better. The hero yearned for any chance to speak to a true geometer, after all, not for this particular chance. But maybe I'm wrong.


texts: to get some sleep vs to get enough sleep

texts:
Are both sentences are correct? How to say better if I say about sleeping during 8-10 hours - "to get enough sleep"?

  If you go to bed early tonight, you have enough time to get some sleep.

  If you go to bed early tonight, you will have time to get enough sleep.

TIA


texts: "put them to bed" or "put them to a (the) bed"?

texts:
She kisses them good night and puts them to bed.

In my opinion, "bed" is an countable noun, so there should be an article before "bed". What about "go to bed"? When "bed" has become an abstract noun, it doesn't mean "a piece of furniture", but means "go to sleep".Is that right? So how to understand "bed" in this sentence?


texts: How to understand "in and of themselves" in this context

texts:
Hermione recited at top speed:"Golpalott's-Third-Law-states-that-the-antidote-for-a-blended-poision-will-be-equal-to-more-than-the-sum-of-the-antidotes-for-each-of-the-separate-components."

  "Precisely!" beamed Slughorn. "Ten points for Gryffindor! Now, if we accept Golpalott's Third Law as true..."

  ... ...

  "... which means, of course, that assuming we have achieved correct identification of the potion's ingredients by Scarpin's Revelaspell, our primary aim is not the relatively simple one of selecting antidotes to those ingredients in and of themselves, but to find that added component which will, by an almost alchemical process, transform these disparate elements-"

  Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

The phrase "in and of themselves" confuses me. How should we understand it in this context?


texts: Meaning of “since” and “pending” in a news article

texts:
A man in his 20s was arrested in connection with the incident and has since been released under investigation pending further enquiries.

  From Mirror

This article talks about a murder incident, this sentence is at the end of it. Does this sentence imply that the local police arrested a suspect who is aged over 20 and then was released? However, what is the meaning of since and pending here?

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-man-49-dies-after-12850526


texts:
Which one is the correct way of using the idiom: "spoilt for choice"

  There are lots many varieties of clothes available for women, that's why they are spoilt for the choices.

or

  There are lots many varieties of clothes available for women, that's why they are spoilt for choice.


texts: Is it correct to say "the chocolate is on/in his hair" and "wipe the chocolate off/out of his hair"?

texts:
A boy rubbed chocolate on/in his hair.
I am not sure if we say "the chocolate is on/in his hair"
If "the chocolate is on his hair", then we "wipe the chocolate off his hair".
If "the chocolate is in his hair", then we "wipe the chocolate out of his hair".
But normally, we use "wipe on a surface" and I am not sure if hair is a surface.
Some suggest to say "clean the chocolate out of his hair" but I couldn't find any structure "to clean dirt/things out of something" in dictionaries
or "wash the chocolate out of his hair" but we didn't use any water, so the action can not be "wash".


texts: Is the verb 'get' really a causative verb?

texts:
There's an explanation that the causative get means convincing 'someone else' to do something, and I know there's the case as "I got my hair cut", but lately I've been seeing the opposite cases a lot, such as...

"Let's get this done together"
"The authority was the one that got it approved"

Those kind of sentences have the same structures as in the causative get's cases, "get something PP", but imply that the speaker or the subject, not someone else, are the ones who do the actual stuff. What am I missing here?


texts: Repeating HAVE (or other auxiliary verb) in one sentence

texts:
My question is the following:

Is it correct to use the auxillary verb HAVE only one time in the following type of a sentence:

  "I HAVE written a letter and I sent it"

or should I repeat the auxillary verb like in the following sentence:

  "I HAVE written a letter and I HAVE sent it"


texts: Which version is correct and normally used, "between you and me" or "between you and I"?

texts:
I was listening to the song Superman by Eminem. I've listened it before many times but from the time I've started learning English grammar I am getting confused while reading or listening English. This time I got stuck at the line "Too much pride, between you and I
Not a jealous man but females lie". The phrase "between you and I" always sounded correct to me. But recently I learned that me is only used as an object and hearing that phrase sparked my head. Then I searched over the net and found on English Language stackexchange that it is actually a hypercorrection. Wikipedia says,

  "...according to many grammarians and stylists a pronoun in a prepositional phrase in English is supposed to be in the oblique case...   ...though there is still disagreement on whether the phrase itself in today's language is grammatically correct or not."

My first question is, why is there a disagreement? Don't we always use the object form in the oblique case? If not then what are those cases?

Secondly, I want to know how common the phrase "between you an I" is? Is it used colloquially by common native English speakers. By common speakers I mean who don't bother grammar. I searched on http://corpus.byu.edu/coca/ and got some results, e.g. this. I found the phrase in another song -- here. Is it a common mistake among native English speakers or is it used to give some special linguistic affect? I think this phrase has some linguistic affect that is why the singer would have given the name of her song "Between You and I". Because no one would like to use incorrect English in the title of a song, it must have some purpose.


texts:
What do you prefer, or which one is more acceptable; putting the adverbs or phrases before the preposition, or after.

  He has been jailed at least/nearly for 5 years.
  He has been jailed for at least/nearly 5 years.


texts:
RB had grown up rough—“there were some alcohol issues and substance
  abuse issues in his family,” his lawyer, Richard Edwards, told me—and
  spent most of his life pinging around the correctional system.

(Dr. Shock, The Walrus, September 2015)

What does "pinging around" mean?  Thank you.


texts: Is it grammatically correct to use [a] after [between] and a number?

texts:
What is the grammatical issue with the following sentence, if any?

  Love is a game between a two.

Someone argued that it is improper the article should be deleted. hence, love is a game between two is the correct form.  Which one is correct? is it a matter of grammar or style?


texts: what is the difference between 'premise' and 'hypothesis' and 'supposition'?

texts:
I have a question.

what is the difference between premise and hypothesis and supposition?

and when to use each of them?


texts:
Why in the following sentence, "by now" doesn't work? Is there any grammatical justification?
-......we have traveled 500 miles.
I know already that "so far", "up to now" and "until now" all work here and mean exactly the same, but I racked my brain and searched a lot. Finally I got to a deadlock and decided to ask it. (Though I had asked it in the following link one day ago, but no one had answered it before posting this question.)
……………we have traveled 500 miles - Fill in the blank


texts: Is there a verb that means "become extinct"?

texts:
Is there a single verb that means become extinct?
I have found disappear and vanish, but I think they don't mean exactly the same as become extinct.


texts: How would I state that I want multiple cups of coffee in a larger mug?

texts:
Let's say that there is a coffee vending machine in my office, and I ask my friend to get some for me. However, the standard amount of coffee the machine serves is half of, say, a Starbucks mug. Thus, every time I go to the coffee machine, I press the button twice.

How would I express this to my friend? Should I say

  I want two coffees.

Which is unfortunately ambiguous. Or maybe

  Pour the coffee twice.

Or suppose he brings me a new, different cup, one that's shaped differently. How would I ask him about the amount it contains?

  How many coffees is this?


texts: Why do we say "I have cancer" instead of "I have a cancer"?

texts:
I'm confused about the following:

I have cancer
I have coronavirus
I have a cold
I have the flu
I have the plague

What is the rule here?


texts: He had his cavity treated with his mouth opened by the doctor. (Is this grammatically correct?)


texts:
flick [transitive] to press a button or switch quickly in order to turn a
  machine, etc. on or off SYNONYM flip

  flick something He flicked a switch and all the lights went out.

  flick something on/off She flicked the TV on.

  flip [transitive] to press a button or switch in order to turn a machine, etc. on or off SYNONYM flick

  flip something to flip a switch

  flip something on/off She reached over and flipped off the light.

  turn something  off   to stop the flow of electricity, gas, water,
  etc. by moving a switch, button, etc.

  to turn off the light

  They've turned off the water while they repair a burst pipe.

  Please turn the television off before you go to bed.

  switch off/on | switch something  off/on to turn a light, machine,
  etc. off/on by pressing a button or switch

  Please switch the lights off as you leave.

  How do you switch this thing on?

  The electricity has been switched off.

  We only switched on halfway through the programme.

So, according to my study,

We can say "to flip / flick a switch" but we don't say "to turn a switch off"

We can say "I flipped / flicked the switch & the light went out"

But it seems we don't say "I flipped / flicked the switch off and the light went out"

But we can say "I flipped / flicked the light off"

And we can say "I turned the light off"

But it is NOT ok to say "I turned the switch off and the light went out"

Can we say "I turned the switch off and the light went out" and "I flipped / flicked the switch off and the light went out"?


texts:
Settlement refers to a country house
What does coastal settlement mean in this context?
I understand it as a place newly settled, could you confirm my understanding is right?
It's in line fifteen coastal settlement


texts:
This question has been puzzling me for the last two days

  He used to work as a doctor when I met him

Is this correct?


texts: Correct way to answer a question containing "must"

texts:
What's the right way to answer a question in English, in which the "actors" must do something?

For example,

  Who must choose their own club here?

If it's two people - Bob and Billy - who must choose clubs, how should the correct answer go then?

  Bob and Bill do.
  Bob and Bill must.
  Bob and Bill.

or what?


texts: What is the difference between "during a day" and "during the day"?

texts:
What is the difference?

I eat a lot during a day.

I eat a lot during the day.


texts: I'm not looking for 'kiss my ass' answers. I'm just watching a movie and trying to find out and memorize new phrases. I've come across the abbreviation 'KMA' when the policeman informed the dispatcher that a couple of cops had died. He said: 'Two policemen ... KMA'(and nothing else). I couldn't find the meaning of this abbreviation while was surfing the net.


texts: How do I refer to myself or to the text I am writing in a neutral way in an academic context?

texts:
My PhD supervisor and also myself we prefer the neutral form to refer to oneself or the text that is written instead of saying "I will …" or "As I have shown …".

I know some expressions to do so but need more variations.


texts: What's the meaning of "sit down" and "sit up"?

texts:
What do these phrasal verbs mean?

  You wake up and sit up.
  You wake up and sit down.

And can you include some more example to illustrate the point clearer?


texts: While quoting someone's statement, does the placement of "S/he said" matter?

texts:
Look at these sentences -

  Veronica said, "I'm not gonna give up for sure." OVER   "I'm not gonna give up for sure", said Veronica.

A person (a non native) said that putting said Veronica makes a sentence a bit authoritative or impactful! I wonder that.

Is there any context where we prefer someone said over said someone? Is that non-native speaker right?

Kindly give your opinions.


texts: What is the meaning of "too on the nose"?

texts:
Casting Director say this words to Female Model:

  When someone asks, I want you to say you are 19. Always 19. Eighteen is
  too on the nose.

I know meaning of too on the nose is too perfect, but how does this meaning suits here?


texts:
Does it mean "closely related with"?

"Natsuko Fujimaki, a Tokyo-based entrepreneur, says this is where the Japanese concept of majime comes into play. The term refers to a preference for order, tidiness, and often perfectionism. It tracks closely with a desire to stay reserved and sensible in comportment."

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-students-hair-color-2017-5


texts:
1.People resented the underhanded way that he came to power.

  People resented the underhanded way in that he came to power.
  People resented the underhanded way in which he came to power.
  People resented the underhanded way which he came to power.

Which is right? The dictionary uses the first sentence, but I feel a little odd. I tried to rephrase the last part of the sentence into normal sequence:

  He came to power in the underhanded way.

So the preposition "in" is fundamental to the sentence, but why does the first sentence omit it? In which circumstances can I omit the preposition? Can I omit it when using "which"?


texts: difference between phrases "at the moment" and "for the moment"?

texts:
Is there any difference between the following sentences?

  We do not know what dark matter is at the moment.

  We do not know what dark matter is for the moment.

I cannot see any diffetence. Is there any?


texts: Why are these phrases “vulgarly considered appurtenance of poetry”?

texts:
There were mistakes  in grammer, in spelling of course,and worse―there
  were such phrases as "'thwart the rolling foam","waiting for my
  true love on the lea,"etc,, which are vulgarly considered
  appurtenance of poetry;

This is from introduction of the poetry by Francis Ledwidge in 1914. I do not understand why these two sentences are vulgarly considered appurtenance of poetry;

I am glad if some one would kindly give me some advice.


texts: What's the meaning of "vest over five years"?

texts:
The company also doles out annual stock awards that vest over five
  years.

What's the meaning of "vest over five years" in the sentence above?

I found that vest means to belong to someone legally.

Does it mean that it takes 5 years for employees to own annual stocks?


texts:
Why present perfect continuous in this sentence?

  Today, (Monday 1st July) at XXXXX we had a bit of a catch up on who we've been watching over the weekend at Glasto and listened to some jungle following what felt like hours of organ drones (or "Church music" as we've nicknamed it)

Why not had been watching as on Monday they (people working at XXXXX) were not in Glasto but back in their office.

Present perfect continuous could fit in the  case of they would plan to return to Glasto to see more concert this year but I checked the date of the festival and it  ended  yesterday (30th June) so it won't be possible for them to return to Glasto for this year.

So why present perfect continuous? (can't find any good reason)


texts: Can you use "certificate" in this context?

texts:
I have consulted dictionaries and Google, but I'm still not sure whether "certificate" is the correct word for signed transcripts of registration details, course credits and the like that students can get from the department office at uni. If "certificate" is indeed the correct word, can I talk about a "registration certificate" when I intend a signed transcript of details about what courses a certain student is enrolled in? I'd be very grateful if someone could help me out here :)
Thanks!


texts:
I've created a table which has three columns and five rows.

Each row stands for a specific task.

One of these columns, the third column, is dedicated to the time that I have spent to fulfill the task's obligations.

Now what should I write at the header of the third column?

My options are:

1) spent time

2) consumed time

3) taken time

Additional info:

I know it is very common to say "It takes me X hours to finish the task". However, I need a very compact phrase that exactly conveys the same information.
Thanks


texts:
Source: 6 Minute English - What’s in a name?

  That's what we're talking about in this 6 Minute English. A husband taking a wife's name after marriage. All that, six related words and our quiz question.

What does "all that" mean in this context? I guess it could mean "and".


texts: Difference between 'I don't know how can I' and 'I don't know how I can'?

texts:
I am confused between

  I don't know how can I do this

and

  I don't know how I can do this

Can anyone explain difference between these sentences?


texts: I've heard people say dropping off the dry cleaning to mean take the clothes that need dry cleaning to a dry cleaner's. Can I use drop off the laundry to mean taking the laundry to staffed laundries? If not, what is the common way to refer to this household chore?


texts: meaning of the adjective "unlikely" in context

texts:
It is from Crash Course Media Literacy. It is at 4 minute and 52 second. Here is the context:

  Suddenly, anyone, even an unlikely street kid without two pennies to rub together, could be in the know and feel like they were the king of the world.

I am aware of what the adjective means, but I cannot get what it means there. Dictionaries say that improbable is a synonim to unlikely. How could a kid be unlikely or improbable?


texts: approaches to 'architecture design' vs 'building an architecture' of a computer program

texts:
In case of software development, architecture of a computer program is a set of approaches and rules how to develop and maintain a computer program. The architecture is divided by a few layers and for each of them it's needed to consider an approach how to implement this layer. This way, all these layers together are the architecture I am talking about.

So, how would you say:

  I am going to learn some approaches to building a computer program
  architecture

or

  I am going to learn some approaches to architecture design of a
  computer program

Any difference between them? Are they both grammatically correct?


texts:
Is it acceptable to have multiple dot in a speech when writing a composition to indicate the feeling of the person?

Example like when the person scared.

  The boy said, "My... fa...ther is... very angry!"


texts: (NSFW) Which one is correct "What a hell" or "What the hell" / "What a fu_k" or "What the fu_k"?

texts:
We have "what the fu_k!" & "what the hell!" in the dictionary.

But do people say "What a hell!" or "What a fu_k!"?

Are there any differences between "What the hell is that?" and "What a hell is that?" or "What the fu_k is that?" and "What a fu_k is that?"


texts:
When you write something down is it in or on your notebook?

  I wrote it down on/in my notebook.

  Please, take notes in/on your notebook.

What about newspapers?

  I read the article on/in the newspaper.

  It was in/on the newspaper.


texts: Do we need the "a" in "Let's create a data set X"?

texts: Suppose, there's no data set X yet. Let's create a data set called X. Let's create a data set X. Do we need the "a" before "data set" in the previous sentence?


texts: Bun up your hair vs Put your hair up in a bun?

texts:
Earlier this morning I was talking to a friend about something she wanted to do with her hair. I asked her "Are you going to bun your hair up?" and she said "bun up? I've never heard that before". She said she's heard "put your hair up in a bun", but never "bun up your hair".

So, I did a quick research on google with the tag books and I found "bun your hair up" on a blog and 2 books, and I was wondering what you guys think, is it natural to say that?:


texts: Which abstract nouns do we use indefinite articles with? I always can't decide whether I have to add an article before non-specific abstract noun or not. Please, give me some instructions.


texts:
Please tell me what's meant by the emboldened part

The best innings you ever played?
The Lord's Test in 1972, just because of the conditions and the situation of the game [Chappell scored 131 out of 308 to give Australia a narrow first-innings lead]. Technically and mentally it was as good as I'd played. The conditions were very much in favour of the bowlers.

Does it mean that was the best innings he ever played?


texts:
I saw a usage of "in US English" in a dictionary, which I think it should be "in the US English" instead. The reason is that the full version should be "the United States" and not "United States". I'm not sure if I am correct?

  "Definition of hundred in US English:"


texts: What does "looked death in the face" mean?

texts:
“Of course, you've looked death in the face before, haven't you?” said Rita Skeeter, watching him closely. “How would you say that's affected you?”

I guess it could be a figure of speech as if looked somebody in the face perhaps. Maybe, Rita was saying Harry had been face-to-face with death? What does it exactly mean?


texts:
Question, can I use the preposition from instead of of if I'm talking about actions instead of people with that expression? For example:

  Guy #1: I'm not a big fan of women with stretch marks and cellulite.

  Guy #2: You might as well steer clear from/of dating women altogether then.


texts:
Let's say I walk by a door and my shirt gets "trapped" by the door.

Did it get snagged on the door?

Did it get caught on the door?

Did it get stuck on the door?

How do these 3 phrasal verbs differentiate from one another?


texts:
Take the question:

  Did you not go to the store?

If I did not go to the store, should I then say yes? Or no?

If I did go to the the store, would my answer then have to be yes or no?

For me I would think that if I did you go to the store, then the answer to the question would be 'yes'.


texts:
A question in my book says:
Jim forgot his cell phone. I'll....
Can I  complete that with:
I'll hide it and give him a scare.
Meaning he'll think it was stolen.


texts:
What is the correct way of saying the sentence below?

  “What time do you go in for?” OR “What time do you go in at?”

In context I mean like going into work.

I asked my husband what time he had to be in for (work) and he told me that what I said made no sense but I’ve been using that phrase my whole life. I just want to know what’s the correct way of saying it.


texts:
Let's say, a person shows his feelings too much. He laughs loudly when he is happy. He sobs when something makes him unhappy. I don't want to use 'overreact' for this expression. Is there any idiom?

In my native language, we can describe this person as 'he is living at the edge' which means he overreacts.


texts: What is the meaning of "he kicked up his heels" in the song "Ship in the Sky" by Woody Guthrie?

texts:
From a song by Woody Guthrie:

  Well, a curly-headed girl with a bright shining smile
  Heard the roar of a plane as it sailed through the sky
  To her playmates she said, with a bright twinkling eye
  My Daddy flies that ship in the sky

  My Daddy flies that ship in the sky
  My Daddy flies that ship in the sky
  My Mama's not afraid and neither am I
  'Cause my Daddy flies that ship in the sky

  Then a button-nosed kid, as he kicked up his heels
  He said, My Daddy works in the iron and the steel
  My Dad builds the planes and they fly through the sky
  And that's what keeps your daddy up there so high

The bolded phrase was very hard for me to imagine. What did the boy actually do?

I found this definition for "kick up one's heels":

  to do things that you enjoy:
  After final exams we kicked up our heels and had a really good party.

This meaning clearly fails to fit the song.

I then googled for images. Is this "kicking up of heels" similar to this (as if dancing)?

Or to this:

Or he could have been "kicking up his heels" in any of the possible ways, and we should imagine it ourselves?


texts: On this occasion my class prepared celebration in which I was a host. - articles usage

texts:
On this occasion my class prepared celebration in which I was a host.

  On this occasion my class prepared the celebration in which I was a
  host.

  On this occasion my class prepared a celebration in which I was a
  host.

Which article should I choose and why? Maybe none


texts:
Cambridge dictionary says 'none too' means 'not very'. So, I am wondering when I should use none too? Is it commonly used or idiomatic?

For example, would you see any difference if I say:

  I am none too happy with it.
  I am not very happy with it.


texts: Reduction of an adverb clause - Acceptable?

texts:
One study shows babies can learn before they are born. (ORIGINAL VERSION)

  One study shows babies can learn before having born. (VERSION I AM TALKING ABOUT)

Can I reduce this adverb clause like the way I used above?


texts:
I have an exam in my university on biology, and I didn't touch this matter a long time.

What is the right way to say it in present perfect?

Is it correct to say:

  I have not touched this matter a long time?


texts: Why is the same person called differently by different people?

texts: When I watch the classic American TV series Breaking Bad, I found that a guy called Jesse sometimes call his teacher 'Mr White', sometimes his wife called his husband 'Walt', but I find that his full name is 'Walter Hartwell White', why people call him differently?


texts: Genitive Case, when use apostrophe and why not allways

texts:
I'm writing an article about computer science and I have the following problems:

Is method's name the same as method name?
Is attribute’s name the same as attribute name?
Is property's name the same as property name?

Will the rule applied to the sentences above be the same for their plurals? - like:

Is methods' name the same as methods name?


texts: Difference in harangue, tirade and rant?

texts:
What is the difference in usage between harangue, tirade and rant? I found these definitions by googling "define X" keyword:

Harangue: a lengthy and aggressive speech.
Tirade: a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.
Rant: speak or shout at length in an angry, impassioned way.

In which situations is a specific word better to use than the others? What is the difference between them?


texts:
I have used the expression "It is ok." when the character is calming down herself, so she would stop from getting annoyed or angry. But I have used it a lot, that's why I want another synonym that can be used in the same way I use "It is ok."

An example sentence: "It is ok. She is just trying to provoke me."

I have searched the web and found: all right and fine. Can those two fit the usage I want with adding the (It is) part?


texts: Use of definite article with superlative adverbs

texts:
What is the exact rule of using the definite article with superlative adverbs?
Had asked this question on the English language and usage site also, but no exact answer was given.

For example:

  "She ran fastest".
  "She ran the fastest"

Which one is correct, and as per what rule?

Is using the definite article with superlative adverbs mandatory, optional or not required at all?
Please give definite a answer.


texts: "is it a he or a she?" question correctness

texts: When I am in the middle of a meeting and the discussed name is not clear if it is male or female I usually hear the question "is it a he or a she?", is that a correct way to ask for the sex of a person?


texts:
The dictionary say we use "far from" in negative sentences and "a long way" in positive sentences.

In everyday English, far is usually only used in negative
sentences (it’s not far) and questions (how far…?)
In positive sentences, people usually use the expression a long
way:
Her house was a long way from the nearest town.
It’s so far to go! → It’s such a long way to go!

Do we say "my house is very far from your house" or "my house is a very long way from your house"?


texts:
I am learning English from reading articles.  I am reading "Sight Unseen" from The New Yorker (link: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/04/13/sight-unseen-critic-at-large-kathryn-schulz), and there is a sentence...

Perhaps you have seen a stick insect sitting on a stick, or a
leaf-shaped katydid hanging from a branch—but probably you have not,
so well do they blend in.

The part "so well do they blend in" is really confusing to me.  From my understanding, the clause tries to tell us that these insects probably blend in the nature extremely well, so the readers cannot recognize.  However, I'm confused about the structure of the clause.  Why is it able to use "so well" in the beginning of the clause and put "do" before "they"?  It overall seems like a structure for a question for me, and I'm not familiar with it.  Thank you very much for your help in advance!