texts: Is it a commonly used spoken contraction to pronounce "the interviewers" /ðɛntər vjuwərs/?

texts:
This guy is saying (https://youtu.be/nhTcuUvLGOE?list=PLD6t6ckHsruYoalxbzcjX1TNn4h7ShiRk&t=271)

  Don’t give your entire work history; the interviewers can get that from your CV if they want it.

where "the interviewers" sounds like /ðɛntər vjuwərs/, is it a commonly used spoken contraction or just his own accent?


texts: Prime numbers are what "are" left when you have taken all the patterns out

texts:
I am studying the English grammar for an exam, and the book tells me what I thought was right is actually wrong. So I was wondering if I could get some help here.

In the sentence 'Prime numbers are what are left when you have taken all the patterns out.', why should are in bold be is?
So that it is 'Prime numbers are what is left when...'

I thought it was correct already since the subject is in plural.

Thanks in advance!


texts: When is "did" needed in questions using simple past?

texts:
Who did find my keys?
is wrong "Who found my keys?" is right

while:

Which film did you see yesterday evening?
is right.
Why did she phone you yesterday?
is right.

Those are question I answered at face2face course.


texts:
Her job is specific to answering phone calls.

The sentence above seems a bit awkward to me. What is meant here is that her job is to answer phone calls; that's her only responsibility.

But it's difficult to explain why we'd better avoid "specific" in this context since dictionaries give the following definitions:

specific (to): limited to one particular thing (Macmillan Dictionary)
something that is specific to a particular thing is connected with that thing only (Collins dictionary)

After all, would you say "specific to" can be used in the sentence above? If not, why?


texts: Meaning of "it's easier to AAA than it is to say BBB"

texts:
I asked a question (Why is the L silent in “walk” but not in “bulk”?) and one of the commenters said to another: " It's easier to pronounce the "L" than it is to say "enunciate a postvocalic lateral between a low back rounded vowel and a velar stop" "
I don't quite understand what it means. The comment was directed at someone else.
To me, it means one of the following things:

It is easier to pronounce the L in "walk" than to say "enunciate a postvocalic lateral between a low back rounded vowel and a velar stop" because the quoted words are difficult and verbose.
It is easier to pronounce the L in "walk" than to enunciate a postvocalic lateral between a low back rounded vowel and a velar stop.

Can anyone tell me what is the meaning of the comment please?


texts: Is it easier for native speakers to remember the pronunciation of new words they see? How?

texts:
An issue I often face as an English learner is that I forget the pronunciation of words, given that their spelling gives a little hint about the actual pronunciation. As an example, I just saw a word today morning, written as "clairvoyance" and pronounced as /ˌkleɚˈvojəns/ . I came back to the word again a few hours later and I was not sure if the world should be pronounced/ˌkleɚˈvojəns/ or /ˌkleɚˈvəjəns/, so to speak. I don't have this issue for the words that I listen/use frequently but if the word is not common, I would feel doubtful about the right pronunciation.
For some reason, I don't think English speakers feel the same way. I guess they listen to the word for one time and that's it. How much is this true? And if it is the case, how and why?


texts:
"Whereas most heroes are marked by
  complacency at the beginning, they are ultimately called into action by a
  stark necessity"

"stark" as an adjective have several meaning. What's it expressed when is go with "necessity" as above.


texts: (Primary or elementary) school / education

texts:
Which one of the following expressions are fixed and natural English expressions?
If both, then I was wondering whether there is there any difference brtween them?

1.1. Primary school
1.2. Elementary school

And

2.1. Primary education
2.2. Elementary education

I am asking this question, because if you google them, you will immediately find out that the both constructions exixet.
Does it mean that they are interchangeable?

Examlple:

Brian has a univerity education, but his wife has ........... education.
a. elementary
b. primary

PS. the only thing that I found in English forums is that:
They say "primary school" in the United Kingdom (British English) and they say "elementary school" in the United States (American English).
But, I don't know whether it is applicable to "education" too.


texts: What do you call this thing that comes with any Apple product

texts:
I bought a MacBook Pro, and it came with this thing:

I don't know how to use it or where should I stick it, that is why I need to ask about it in any Apple forum. Unfortunately, I don't even know the name of it. What is this called?


texts: Is there a name for something that was never told or implied by a novel, but that was decided to be canon by the author?

texts: Sometimes, some authors decides to change his mind on something or decide to make something canon arbitrarily for no apparent reason, even if the thing the author claim to be now canon was never implied, foretold, suggested, etc. Is there a name for such a thing?


texts:
I've read that 'used to' isn't used while we're saying how many times something happened in past.

So, we can say:

I visited him several times.

But we cannot say:

I used to visit him several times.

My question is, can we say this:

I used to visit him several times in a day/ month.

Actually, here the idea is of frequency in a single time i.e. month, day. Since the words 'day' and 'month' refer to an event, not the number of actions.


texts: Two prepositions of time together (e.g. "until after") to express a time point

texts:
I didn't think about it until after my Ceremony of Twelve.
I didn't think about it before my Ceremony of Twelve.

I have seen many times two prepositions of time together. Do they express a point in time more precisely? How the time point expressed in the first sentence differ from the second?


texts:
Is there any difference betwee the colloction say for definite and say exactly? For example:

I can't say exactly how much money I have in my bank account.
I can't say for definite how much money I have in my bank account.


texts: "I am planning a trip for January" vs."I am planning a trip in January"

texts:
I will be traveling next year and I am curious as to which of the following sentences is correct:

  A: "I am planning a trip for January"

  B: "I am planning a trip in January"

I have been learning Spanish for many years and I am now embarrassed that, as a native English speaker, I am having doubts as to which word choice would be correct.


texts: I have noticed in South Australia that country folk will ask the question "where are you to" Can someone elaborate on this. I know that basically it means "where are you".


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

texts:
WHEN A CRICKETER reaches 100 runs, they have the chance to reflect on what they have achieved, but also to take a “fresh guard” so they are ready for the challenges that await.

As we know "they" refers to a plural noun, but here "A Cricketer" is a singular noun.
What is the antecedent of "they" in this sentence?


texts: Use of "former" with "before" superfluous?

texts:
In the following sentence I think the use of the word former is superfluous.

  Mr. Malik was the former Governor of Bihar before he was shifted to Jammu and Kashmir. He was also given the additional charge of Odisha for a brief period in 2018.

Link

Because former and before used in the sentence mean the same thing.


texts: A: I have a fever; B: Do you take anything for it? (B is using tenses unsuitably right?)

texts:
A: I have a fever

I would think B needs to response

  B: Have you taken anything (medicine) for it? (an action happened in
  the past but we don't know when it happened)

or

  B: Did you take anything (medicine) for it? (an action happened in the
  past & we know when it happened)

or

  B: Are you taking anything (medicine) for it? (an action that is
  happening, probably the doctor gave him medicine for 7 days & he is in
  the middle of taking medicine)

But if B response:

  B: Do you take anything for it? (This does not make sense since simple
  present tense is used to say things that happen routinely such as
  daily / sometimes / always...)

Am I right?


texts: What is the different between these two sentences

texts:
I want to know what is the different between these two sentences;

You did see her
You saw her

Do this two words give the same meaning?


texts:
The following quote is from "Mansfield Park" by Jane Austen:

Their mother had no objection to the plan, and they were not in the
least afraid of their father's disapprobation. There could be no harm
in what had been done in so many respectable families, and by so many
women of the first consideration; it must be scrupulousness run
mad, that could see anything to censure in a plan like theirs,
comprehending only brothers and sisters, intimate friends, and which
would never be heard of beyond themselves.

My question is: I wonder if there is an ellipsis of a relative pronoun in between "scrupulousness" and "run mad". This sentence will read:"It must be scrupulousness THAT has run mad. And another thing,
what does "that" refer back to?


texts: What does "Guilty!" mean in this context?

texts:
I would like to know what "Guilty!" means in the following sentences:

‘Hannah,’ Will says, turning to me with that famous, generous smile of
his. ‘You look stunning.’
‘Thanks.’ I take a big gulp of my champagne, feeling sexy, a little
bit reckless.
‘I meant to ask, on the jetty – did we meet at the engagement drinks?’
‘No,’ I say, apologetically. ‘We couldn’t make it up from Brighton,
sadly.’
‘Maybe I’ve seen you in one of Jules’s photos then. You seem
familiar.’
‘Maybe,’ I say. I don’t think so. I can’t imagine Jules displaying a
photo that includes me; she’s got plenty of just her and Charlie. But
I know what Will’s doing: helping me feel welcome, one of the gang. I
appreciate the kindness. ‘You know,’ I say, ‘I think I’m getting the
same feeling about you. Might I have seen you somewhere before? You
know . . . like on my TV set?’
It was corny but Will laughs anyway, a rich, low sound, and I feel as
though I’ve just won something. ‘Guilty!’ he says, raising his hands.
As he does I get a gust of that cologne again: moss and pine, a forest
floor via an expensive department store perfume hall. He asks me about
the kids, about Brighton. He seems fascinated by what I’m saying. He’s
one of those people who makes you feel wittier and more attractive
than normal. I realise I’m enjoying myself, enjoying the delicious
glass of chilled champagne.

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 12

This is a thriller novel published in 2020 in the United Kingdom. One hundred and fifty guests would be gathering at some remote and deserted fictional islet called Inis an Amplóra off the coast of the island of Ireland to celebrate the wedding between Jules (a self-made woman running an online magazine called The Download) and Will (a celebrity appearing in a TV show program called Survive the Night). The day before the actual wedding day, Hannah, the wife of Charlie (Jules' friend), arrived at the island and is now at the dinner party for the rehearsal dinner with only some selected guests. And during the party, Will approaches Hannah and asks her whether they had met before, because she seems familiar to him. Then Hannah asks the same question to Will, saying that she might have seen him on her TV set. At this remark, Will says, "Guilty!"
In this part, I wonder why he said "Guilty!".
Is he jokingly implying that he was breaking into her house, rather than appearing on her TV set...? (This is just my wild guess.)


texts:
Anybody may blame me who likes, when I add further, that, now and then, when I took a walk by myself in the grounds; when I went down to the gates and looked through them along the road; or when, while Adèle played with her nurse, and Mrs. Fairfax made jellies in the storeroom, I climbed the three staircases, raised the trap-door of the attic, and having reached the leads, looked out afar over sequestered field and hill, and along dim sky-line — that then I longed for a power of vision which might overpass that limit; which might reach the busy world, towns, regions full of life I had heard of but never seen ; that then I desired more of practical experience than I possessed; more of intercourse with my kind, of acquaintance with variety of character, than was here within my reach.  I valued what was good in Mrs. Fairfax, and what was good in Adèle; but I believed in the existence of other and more vivid kinds of goodness, and what I believed in I wished to behold. (Jane Eyre)

It seems without two ‘that’s this paragraph makes sense. Then what’s the function of the two?


texts: Is this grammatical? Nonrestrictive clause with "who"

texts:
I want to mention an author's name with his discovery. What would be a smart way to say that:

  Mr Adam (1808-1882), who first described the properties of "X"...

Is this wording grammatically correct?

I think it is correct a correct way to mention the author who discovered the X.


texts:
I get a little bit confused when I want to use Wasting or Wasted, because these words are adjectives (just talk about the adjectival aspect).

  The follow sentences are quoted from the movie "Ex machina":

  I told you, you're wasting your time talking to her, however, you wouldn't be wasting your time, if you were dancing with her.

I was wondering whether or not I could replace wasting by wasted?


texts:
Most important, it turns us against the very entity that holds the capacity to address society’s most pressing problems and on which democracy and freedom depend, our own government.

I need a help. Is there someone who could analyse the sentence grammatically?


texts: The use of: "Wanted" vs "Would Want" in sentences

texts:
What is the difference between "wanted" and "would want"?

"Wanted" would be more informal or it has other meaning? I see some texts or even music,

“What I wanted  to  be..” - John Lennon

In sentence: "I wanted to eat a chocolate, please"

The questions is: I SEE the same meaning


texts:
I'm learning English through online courses.

I'm enrolled at the Write101x, managed by University of Queensland, Australia.

In this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a7UQe82tnY about 2:47 minutes, the lady says the following:

  Many writers believe that 'whom' is on its way out because it can
  sound very pompous. Some even believe it’s circling the drain.
  However, it is still used in expressions like ‘to whom it may
  concern’. In the sentence ‘the girl whom you’ve been dancing with is
  on her way to the top’, most writers would use ‘who’ rather than
  ‘whom’, and it’s fine to do that.

I'm not sure about what she meant.

Should I replace 'whom' by 'who' in every sentence (but still using in traditional cases like 'to whom it may concern')?

OR

Should I try to replace 'whom' by 'who' whenever it is possible (like in the sentence: ‘the girl whom you’ve been dancing with is  on her way to the top’) ?


texts: When pronouncing the expression "I'll say", on which word I should put the emphasis?


texts: Can we convert the structure "Noun 1 + Preposition + Noun 2" into "Noun 1 is / are Preposition + Noun 2"?

texts:
Ok, see the definition of investment

  [uncountable] the act of investing money in something

  to encourage foreign investment

  investment income

  investment in something This country needs investment in education.

See the example "This country needs investment in education.",

my question is:

can we change "We have an investment in education" to "We have an
 investment that is in education"?

or "This is the book for you" to "This is the book that is for you"

or "I have an investment of 5000 USD" to "I have an investment that is of 5000 USD"

or "We met on a flight from London to Paris." to "We met on the flight that is from London to Paris"

and many more examples


texts: John arrived “in the Audi” or “by the Audi”?

texts:
If I wanted to say that John returned back home in one of his cars, should I say:

  John arrived in the Audi!

Or

  John arrived by the Audi!

Or maybe there is a better way to express my thought?


texts:
What is the function of "exhausts" in this context? Does "more than exhausts" refer to "the psychic knowledge"?

  Both Kate Fox Jencken and Margaret Fox-Kane died in the early 'nineties, and their end was one of sadness and gloom. The problem which they present is put fairly before the reader, avoiding the extremes of the too sensitive Spiritualist who will not face the facts, and the special-pleading sceptics who lay stress upon those parts of the narrative which suit their purpose and omit or minimize everything else. Let us see, at the cost of a break in our narrative, if any sort of explanation can be found which covers the double fact that what these sisters could do was plainly abnormal, and yet that it was, to some extent at least, under their control. It is not a simple problem, but an exceedingly deep one which exhausts, and more than exhausts, the psychic knowledge which is at this date available, and was altogether beyond the reach of the generation in which the Fox sisters were alive.

from The History of Spiritualism, Vol. I by Arthur Conan Doyle


texts: a good synonym for the word "empirically" in this case

texts:
"Whether it’s when I fold napkin lotuses for my soup kitchen’s Christmas dinner, or bake challah bread French toast sticks for my chemistry class, I’m aware that achievement doesn’t have to be measured empirically. It’s that entrepreneurial, self-driven determination to bring ideas to life that drives me".

I need some help finding a single word synonymous to the word "empirically" in this case.

I understand the literal meaning of the word "empirical", which is defined as "derived from or relating to experience/experiment/observation, not theory".

I take it that the author was saying (my paraphrasing it)"achievement is not measured by experience(what is done) but by determination(a firm thought of doing it)".

Thesaurus has the following synonyms but I felt none is a good substitute (maybe except "experimentally" ??). Any other synonyms ?

synonym: experimental, factual, observational, experient, experiential, observed
pragmatic, provisional, speculative


texts: Should 'in contrast' always be followed by 'to'?

texts: Is 'in contrast' always followed by the preposition 'to', or are there situations where it can correctly be followed by 'with' or a different preposition?


texts:
Which one of this two sentences is correct?

I need you to help me do this job
I need you to help me to do this job

Can you also provide me some explanation?


texts:
They maintained high prices.
  They maintained the prices high.

Is there any difference between these two sentences? Is the former grammatical correct? Why or why not?


texts: What is the purpose of the words 'over' and 'up' in expressions like 'go over/up to [some place]'?

texts:
I crossed over to the other side of the road.

Why not just 'crossed to'?

  Jane drove up to the driveway and honked to indicate her arrival.

So? Why not just 'drove to'?

Other than what are those for, I'm curious whether you can abstain from using them at all in such cases — from the standpoint of grammar, I mean. I guess, putting them ahead of 'to' like that would sound more natural and native-like, but let's talk grammar.


texts:
I want to ask a question regarding combining 2 negative sentences into 1 sentence.

It does not reduce variance of the distribution
It does not distort distribution of the data

How should I combine them?

a. It does not reduce variance of the distribution and distort distribution of the data

b. It does not reduce variance of the distribution and not distort distribution of the data

c. It does neither reduce variance of the distribution nor distort distribution of the data

d. Other

Thank you


texts: What is the difference between "I still use" vs "I am still using" in this sentence?

texts:
What's the difference between :

  It's 2018 already and I still use an iPhone 5S.

vs

  It's 2018 already and I am still using an iPhone 5S.

Does the use of the word 'using' mean I am thinking of upgrading really soon, or is there any other significant difference?


texts: Sentence Transformation using "either ... or"

texts:
Don't drive if you are drunk. If not, face the consequences.

Can I rewrite the given sentence by using " Either ... or " as:

  Either don't drive if you are drunk or face the consequences.


texts: Why does the author use ‘longer’ but not long here?

texts: Why does the author use ‘longer’ but not ‘long’ here?


texts: Should I say "the park sitting area" or "the park's sitting area"?

texts:
I always get confused with constructions like that.

Example sentence:

  Before I knew, it found myself at Chou Park. More exactly at the park
  resting area.


texts:
I can say the sentence:

  It will be hard to do it

But can I say it so?

  To do it will be hard


texts: My children are the most important thing in my life

texts:
My children are the most important things in my life.

Is this is the correct idiomatic expression because my children definitely are not things and I wonder whether I should say thing instead of things.


texts: No object found in the last part of the sentence, is it grammatical?

texts:
Pile them in the frozen-food cabinets with the juice, and there was breakfast ready, oven-fresh, from the east coast to the west.

I am confused about the bold part from an article which talks about bagels, since "breakfast ready", "oven fresh" are adjectives and no object is found here.

Is the object omitted in the sentence (which sounds a little bit weird to me as a non-native speaker)? Are there any guidelines teaching English learners writing sentence like one?


texts: Meaning of "as will" in "an insistence on documents in such a form as will evidence with certainty a contract and the terms of that contract"

texts:
In ascertaining their intention, we must take account of those factors which favour an insistence on documents in such a form as will evidence with certainty a contract and the terms of that contract, factors expressed and underlined by Lord Greene.

Above is an extract from a legal judgement written by a judge, but it doesn't make sense to me, especially the "as will" part. Is this grammatically correct? Shouldn't it say "that will" or "as it will" instead?


texts:
Which sounds better?
Is there a difference in formality or any other aspect?
Furthermore, are you aware of any better word choice?

Example Sentence: Thus, one have the opportunity to interact and ____ bonds with a not only talented but diverse group of individuals.

Thank you :)


texts: Why 'of' in 'inform somebody of something'?

texts:
The verb inform uses of for a second object, as below:

  I will inform Mr. Brown of your arrival.

I don't know why of needs to be used here. Could you explain what of means?


texts:
Deeper and deeper into the enclave of the wealthy Strike and Robin walked, until they arrived at the corner of Kentigern Gardens. Like Bellamy Road, it projected an aura of intimidating, self-contained prosperity. The houses here were high Victorian, red brick with stone dressings and heavy pedimented windows on four floors, with their own small 80stone balconies. White marble porticos framed each entrance, and three white steps led from the pavement to more glossy black front doors. Everything was expensively well maintained, clean and regimented. There were only a few cars parked here; a small sign declared that permits were needed for the privilege.
          No longer set apart by police tape and massing journalists, number 18 had faded back into graceful conformity with its neighbors.
        “The balcony she fell from was on the top floor,” said
  Strike, “about forty feet up, I’d say.”
        He contemplated the handsome frontage. The balconies on the top three floors, Robin saw, were shallow, with barely standing room between the balustrade and the long windows.
        “The thing is,” Strike told Robin, while he squinted at the balcony high above them, “pushing someone from that height wouldn’t guarantee death.” (The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith)

What do ‘[A] four floors’ and ‘[B] the top three floors’ mean?
I guess [A] means from first to fourth floors. But I can’t guess what ‘the top three floors’ is.


texts: Are double negatives like 'he's never not been in the family' grammatically correct?

texts:
I'm asking this question because I was taught not to use double negatives, because they are ungrammatical and that people who use them sound uneducated. However, today here on this site I found an answer with a double negative and asked my self is it correct to use double negatives? Well my doubts arose since this answer has eight positive votes. Even though I understand the meaning of it, I still wonder if it is correct or not. Below is the answer I'm talking about as well is the link to it.

Answer:

  "It might add the subtle extra nuance of meaning that since you were born he's never not been in the family."

Link: https://english.stackexchange.com/a/158385

P.S. Not trying to put this site and the people from it in doubt, just clarifying and making sure to learn well this beautiful language.


texts: What is the action of riding a swing called?

texts:
Swinging is itself an action.

I believe I could say:

  I swung on the swing.
  or
  I am swinging on the swing.
  or
  Do you want to swing on the swing?

Except all of those sound horrible to me.

We can also say:

  Ride on the swing.

Is there a proper way of saying it?


texts:
You are being conditioned into feeling as you do.

  A lot of pressures are encouraging you to worry about your appearance .

What does the first sentence mean?
I think  it  means a lot of pressure make you to be  in a sad condition according to the second sentence.


texts:
I wish to know two things here:

Is the word puddle still in use?
In which case do we call water on the ground a puddle and in which a pool? Except for the big swimming pools those don't count.

How about:

The children are playing in a pool.
The children are plaing in a puddle.

Or:

"Why is your shoe wet? I stepped into a puddle."
"Why is your shoe wet? I stepped into a pool."


texts:
Other objects of vengeance, few indeed, yet too many, were found among the republican chiefs.

The highlighted part, isn't it a nonsense? Few and many both seem to modify objects, I guess. The objects are few, but too many?

Please help me.


texts:
An article titled "A year spent without shopping" has this paragraph:

  McGagh told the interviewer that her challenge got tough as the first few months of 2016 arrived, post-holiday season. The novelty had worn off and the days were short and dark; nobody in London wants to do much except sit in the pub, which she couldn't do because that costs money.

In the last sentence, can you leave out "do" as follows?

  nobody in London wants to do much except sit in the pub, which she couldn't because that costs money.


texts: The subject of "lacking accounts by conquered people..."

texts:
However, lacking accounts by conquered people about their interactions with the Incas, it is unknown how much of the information of the Inca conquest as related by the ruling class is factual.(From TOEFL)

In this case, isn't it necessary for the subject of the dependent clause and the subject of the independent clause in accordance?
However, I don't deem it logical to think the subject of the participle clause to be "it", or the real subject of the independent clause "how much of the information of the Inca conquest as related by the ruling class is factual."
Please explain it to me!


texts: Does this sound wrong > A: "Let's go to the zoo" - B: "Which animals do you wanna see in the zoo" - A: "I wanna see the lions"

texts:
See this conversation which is written by a non-native English teacher

  A: Let's go to the zoo

  B: Which animals do you want to see in the zoo?

  A: I wanna see the lions.

First of all, "A" can say "the zoo" at the beginning of the conversation because maybe both "A" & "B" know that specific zoo. Maybe "A" & "B" live in the same city & there is only one zoo in that city.

So, I would say "A: Let's go to the zoo" is a proper expression

However, see the next expression "B: Which animals do you want to see in the zoo?"

Cambridge Grammar says:

  We use both "which" and "what" to ask questions. We use "which" when there
  is a restricted range of answers. We use what more commonly when the
  range of answers is not restricted:

  Which is the capital of Liberia? Monrovia or Greenville?

  What’s the capital of Liberia?

There would be hundreds of animals in the zoo & I don't think "A" or "B" can remember specifically all these animals.

So, I would say "Which animals do you want to see in the zoo?" should be changed to "What animals do you want to see in the zoo?"

Finally, I would say "A: I wanna see the lions." is not a proper expression since "B" may not be able to figure out what the specific lions A is talking about. "B" may have responded "B: What lions are you taking about?".

I would guess that "A" wants to see all lions generally.

However, this site says

  You can use the with the singular form of a countable noun when you
  want to make a general statement about all things of a particular
  type.

  The computer allows us to deal with a lot of data very quickly.

  My father's favourite flower is the rose.

But I am not sure "A" can say "A: I want to see the lion." (the lion:  all things of a particular type.)

Therefore, I would say  "A: I want to see the lions." should be changed to "A: I want see lions."

Am I right?


texts: They are both equal to each other? or They both equal to each other?

texts:
What is the appropriate sentence? (maybe something else?)

  They are both equal to each other.
  They both equal to each other.

n.b. I'm not English native speaker.
Thank you!


texts:
I read Unit 78 of "English Grammar in Use, Raymond Murphy, 4th ED" last night. In "A" section of the unit it's stated:

  "Names of important public buildings and institutions (for example, airports, stations, universities) are often two words:
      Manchester Airport            Harvard University
  The first word is the name of a place ('Manchester') or a person ('Harvard') These names are
  usually without the."

Later in the exercise section I encountered the following fill in question:

  "... is in Paris"
  I looked up the answer, and it was "The Eiffel Tower". But based on the explanation it must be "Eiffel Tower", without "The", because "Eiffel" is the name of the designer of the tower.
  Any response would be appreciated.


texts:
What is the best way to avoid confusion of pronouns?

For example, see the following sentence:

  When Anne’s grandmother died she lit an extra candle for her on her birthday.

Here it is very difficult to decide that on whose birthday the candle was lighted.

I found the following substitute for this sentence but its syntax is very different from the former sentence:

  Anne lit an extra candle on her birthday in the memory of her grandmother.

But, I need a sentence whose arrangement is similar to the first sentence.


texts: What is the mean of " to have " in this sentence?

texts:
Today i find this sentence : '' I'm excited to have you in the class .''
In this sentence , i can not understand what is the mean of 'to have' . Can you clarify and inform  what does it mean as well as how i can use to have in other sentences.


texts:
Which sentence is more correct and which form of verb should be used for the last sentence?

  The energy of sample A and the energy of sample B increase.

  The energy of sample A and that of B increase.

  The energy of each sample A and B increase.

  The energy of sample A and B increase(s).


texts: meaning of the phrase "amped up on" in context

texts:
It is from Crash Course A&P. It is at 1 minute and 23 second. Here is the context:

  But even when they are functioming well, some of your immune cells are careening around your body like miniature, biological versions of Mad Max war boys. Amped up on signalling chemicals, scouring the terrain for hostiles, and covered from top to bottom in the dismembered parts of the enemies that they have vanquished.

Does that mean that they got energetic because of the signalling chemicals, or because they increased the amount of the signalling chemicals?


texts: Participial adjectives & verb participles

texts:
Q) She is much liked by everybody.
This is about the possibility of using degree adverb to participial adjectives and verb participles.
In this sentence, is 'liked' used as a participial adjective? or a verb participle?
The answer in this book is that 'liked' is used as a participial adjective, so it can be modified by the degree adverb 'much'. However, there is a explicit personal agent 'everybody', so I think it should be a verb participle.


texts: grammatical tense in a clause attached to the present-perfect-tense sentence

texts:
What grammatical tense should I use in a clause attached to the present-perfect-tense sentence?

  Her chance to perform has often been stolen by other more active
  students, which she herself never minded.

or

  Her chance has often been stolen by other more active students, which
  she herself never minds.


texts: What should I use instead of "this week"?

texts:
The company where I work has strange working days; for example, I work for 3 days and another employer works for 5 days.

The company has changed my working days, and I know what the new days are. However, I don't know if the new working days will be applied for this week, so I want to send an email to my manager to ask her about that.

I tried this.

  Dear Ms XXX.

  I want to ask you if my new schedule working will be applied for this week.

Is that correct?


texts:
I wrote:

  In the Prague treebank, a specific language called PML based on XML has been developed, which provides a scheme for annotation of various information.

Can I use based on XML in that position?

Or should I say:

  In the Prague treebank, a specific language called PML  has been developed based on XML, which provides a scheme for annotation of various information.


texts: Do I use "some", "an" or "a" for "slice of apple"?

texts:
If we cut an apple into two slices, what should we say?

  an apple.

or

  some apple


texts:
There is nothing better than strolling in the park, seeing playing kids and hearing birds’ chirping.

Is this sentence grammatically, syntactically meaningful sentence?

I want to say that, I stroll in the park. There I see some small kids. They play games. There are various birds in the park and their chirping is very melodious. I want to express that five lines in one sentence.


texts: Is there a difference between 'over two days' and 'over a period of two days'?

texts: Person A wants person B to drink the juice they made over two days, i.e. they don't want them to drink it all on the first day, and so they tell person B, "Drink this over two days". Can they also say, "Drink this over a period of two days"? Are both correct? Is there any other way to say this?


texts:
The mind is essentially a survival machine. Attack and defense against other minds, gathering, storing, and analyzing information – this is what it is good at, but it is not at all creative.

  All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness. The mind then gives form to the creative impulse or insight. Even the great scientists have reported that their creative breakthroughs came at a time of mental quietude.

  The surprising result of a nationwide inquiry among America's most eminent mathematicians, including Einstein, to find out their working methods, was that thinking "plays only a subordinate part in the brief, decisive phase of the creative act itself." So I would say that the simple reason why the majority of scientists are not creative is not because they don't know how to think but because they don't know how to stop thinking!

In the context above, which is exactly brief and decisive?
The whole process of creative act is brief?OR
Only the part thinking is responsible for is brief?


texts: Dreams are made true or Dreams get “made true”?

texts:
“Dreams don’t “come true”. Dreams get “made true”. — Robin S. Sharma.

I am confused, how can this be grammatically correct? It should be, Dreams are made true, and not Dreams get "made true".


texts: the different tenses[present and past tense] in a sentence

texts:
The exercise books are returned now as the teacher corrected them.

I wanted to know whether I can use the different tenses [present and past tense] in a sentence.


texts: What do we call these 'squeezed' papers?

texts:
In my mother tongue, there is a word for it, and it is a noun.
The action is observed when you think the paper is waste. You squeeze it, and it loses its texture/avatar. Then, it is no more straight or flat.
Here is the image. Check those papers. What have they become?

Precisely...

I wanted to put everything in words. I tried it on a paper. I did not like it. I __________ it and threw it in a dustbin.
You find nothing in this dustbin except some __________ papers


texts:
I am unable to clarify the difference between No and Not,

As per my knowledge I have read that "Not" is used with helping verb always but in the following question "Not" is used with main verb (Be). Is is right or wrong If right then plz define.

He is a good teacher

He is not a good teacher


texts: Do we refer to conifers wood or resin wood when speaking of softwood?

texts:
I would like to know which term is being used when speaking of softwood. Would we say conifers wood or resin wood? Or we would simply say softwood?

How should I correctly write in a quotation sheet about this kind of timber I offer?


texts: 'the' or 'a' to indicate a specific data type (CS context)

texts:
I googled myself a little to see which article is more commonly used with types, and I understood one commonly uses a to indicate a general type such as integer.

But what about a specific type such as a structure? For example, which one should I use when I'm writing a sentence like below?

  A: Assume a delegate pointer is a T type.

  B: Assume a delegate pointer is the T type.

I used T to denote the name of a specific data type. Both look somewhat awkward for me, since A is like it's indicating one of many T types (which is not), and B looks a little redundant due to the.

Some might suggest I can simply write

  Assume a delegate pointer is T,

but I'd rather make it clear that the T I'm using is a kind of type.


texts: What's the meaning of the word "would" here?

texts:
The War Chief believes that this raid upon the unsuspecting prison will strike terror into the hearts of those who would dare resist the Horde.

Having been struggling with it, would is the most confusing word for me. I know those regular usages of it, but still encountering uncertainties very often.

Does the would in the quoted sentence have the meaning of might?

Is this the correct understanding?

  If anyone dares resist the Horde, he will be struck terror into his heart.


texts: "Look like" used for describing the similarity in structures

texts:
The word "hop" looks like a sandwich: the consonants are like the
  bread, the vowel is like the ham.

Is it correct to use "look like" for describing the inner structure of a thing similar to another one (not the physical resemblance) or only "be like" is acceptable? In other words, can "look like" and "be like" be used interchangeably in some contexts?


texts:
I neither use whatsapp nor facebook

OR

  I don't use whatsapp neither facebook

Is second example correct?


texts: famous for "its"... or famous for without "its"

texts:
Madura is famous for its heart-stopping bull race, filled with excitement.
  Madura is famous for a heart-stopping bull race, filled with excitement.

Could you please tell me the difference of with "its" and without "its" in these two sentences?


texts: What is the use of the Present Simple Tense in this sentence "I think he is at home" & "I think chocolate is great"?

texts:
Ok, image there  is a situation like this:

  Mary: Where is Bob?

  Bod: I think he is at home.

According to this website, there are 4 present uses of present simple tense.

1: We use the present simple when something is generally or always true.

Ex: People need food.

2: Similarly, we need to use this tense for a situation that we think is more or less permanent. (See the present continuous for temporary situations.)

Ex: Where do you live?

3: The next use is for habits or things that we do regularly. We often use adverbs of frequency (such as 'often', 'always' and 'sometimes') in this case, as well as expressions like 'every Sunday' or 'twice a month'. (See the present continuous for new, temporary or annoying habits).

Ex: Do you smoke?

4: We can also use the present simple for short actions that are happening now. The actions are so short that they are finished almost as soon as you've said the sentence. This is often used with sports commentary, or in demonstrations.

Ex: He takes the ball, he runs down the wing, and he scores!

I would say the sentence "I think he is at home." falls to the Use #4 (an action is happening but stops immediately right at the time the speaker says it.

But see this sentence "I think chocolate is great", I would say this sentence falls to the use #2 (a situation that we think is more or less permanent.) or use # 3 (habits or things that we do regularly.)

But I am not sure I am right.


texts:
English is not my first language. Sometimes I read some mistakes in newspapers and get confused. Please check below sentences and let me know your valuable feedback.

As per newspapers:

  India have won the match.

As per me, it should be:

  India has won the match.

My point is that with India (a country) we should use has, right?


texts: Different meanings of "recommends people eat" and "recommends people to eat"?

texts:
Are there the different meanings between the following two sentences?

The association recommends (that) people eat smaller portions at lunch.

The association recommends people to eat smaller portions at lunch.

Which sentence is more likely to be used?


texts:
Do "They came aboard the ship" and "They came on board the ship" have any difference in meaning?

Are aboard and on board interchangeble?

They were aboard the vessel.
They were on board the vessel.


texts: when to use the linking verbs is and are

texts: is the sentence "all parts to be used IS as per the availability of materials" correct? or should it be "all parts to be used ARE as per the availability of the materials" or should I drop the linking verb?


texts: "Have the chance of" or "have a chance of"

texts:
Which one is correct?

Once you have a chance of reviewing the document, let me know what
you think.
Once you have the chance of reviewing the document, let me know what
you think.


texts:
"ha" can be used in a sarcastic way like this:

  A: When did the first war happen?

  B: In 1950.

  A: Wrong. It happened in 1914.

  B: I know that.

  A: That's why you answered it correctly, ha?

I thought of "huh" as a synonym to it, but its meaning doesn't indicate that.

I found the following web page, but it appeared to have no synonyms to the above case:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ha

The meaning of "ha" according to Cambridge dictionary:

  Used to express satisfaction that something bad has happened to
  someone who deserved it, or to show that you have succeeded in
  something.

The meaning of "huh" according to https://www.vidarholen.net/contents/interjections/ :

  Really? - Mild, indifferent surprise


texts: To native English speaker(preferable British English), how do you pronounce [dz] in rides, roads, boards?

texts: From many youtube videos I watched, 'rides' sounds like 'rise', 'roads' sounds like 'rose'. My question is, are native speakers drop the 'd' sound when followed by the 'z' sound? If not, what is the difference of [dz] sound and [z] sound in terms of tongue position?


texts:
A variety of pleasant items in the shop attract [plural] everybody.
  A variety of animals are kept at the zoo.
  A wide variety of dishes is essential for a successful restaurant.
  A variety/range of products exists.

As far as I know "A variety" takes singular verbs.

Now my doubt is that in #1 and #2 it uses plural verb but in case of #3 and #4 it uses singular verb. Why so?

So does "A variety " takes singular or plural or both?

Somewhere on internet I read that we should treat "A variety"  the same way we treat "A number". Is this true?

Some examples are also given:

A number of people are causing trouble.
The number of troublemakers is only about ten.
A variety of books are on the table.
The variety of books on the table is unbelievable.

I don't know if these are correct or not.


texts: Are there other ways of saying "We welcome  to "

texts:
I realize that by using "to welcome" as a verb followed immediately by a to infinitive like "to do something" is grammatically incorrect and oddly phrased.
Say:

I welcome [someone] to [do something].

For example:

We welcome the media and the press to conduct an interview with our CEO at the venue.
We welcome key delegates worldwide to partake in this mega event of the year.

If these sound wrong, how would you restructure the sentence to make them right?


texts: Is it correct to say “Level stars counts”? (in a video game)

texts:
In a video game, we are using a sentence to tell the user that if he fails to reach end of the level, he will lose the stars he collected in that level.
which one is better? or is there something better?

  Level stars counts only if you finish the level
  Level stars are counted only if you finish the level.

And, is it OK to have two "level"s in the sentence, or we should replace or remove one of them? any ideas?


texts:
how can I say that there is some hidden 'pit'(?) in my bed?
I want to express that the 'pit' is under the level of the flat bed surface. How can I say that? For my understanding 'pit' is something I dig with a shovel. I would like to know a word I can use not only referring to bed or furniture but just to be able to say that there is some 'blabla' (valley?,LOL, but not about nature) within a flat surface, so it goes flat, flat, flat then deeper for a while and then flat again.
Thanks.


texts: How can you recognize if an "uncle" is father's brother or mother's brother? (Is there any "default option"? )

texts:
Sometimes the speaker (or author) specifies their meaning for the word "uncle", for example:

The gelding was mine, a gift from a great-uncle on my mother’s side. (Educated by Tara Westover)

But suppose that you read about someone's uncle in a certain text and the writer doesn't mention if the uncle is:

their father's brother
or their mother's brother
or their father's sister's husband
or their mother's sister's husband

How can you recognize which one is the "uncle"?
Basically, is there any "default option" in the absence of a certain answer?

PS: In some languages like  Albanian, Arabic, Persian, and Polish, unlike the English language, no single inclusive term describing both a person's kinship to their parental male sibling or parental male in-law exists. Instead, there are specific terms describing a person's kinship. For example, the Persian language has a special word for the uncle of the father side (amou-عمو) and the uncle of the mother side (daiyee-دایی)
*This postscript was added after some fine answers had been offered.


texts: Should the head noun be plural or singular in "the development(s) of these theories"

texts:
What number should the head noun have in a noun phrase complemented by an of-phrase, where the NP complement of of is headed by a plural noun? Examples:
the development(s) of these theories
the front door(s) of the houses
the ear(s) of the teacups
(I'm assuming here that each individual theory/house/teacup has only one development/front door/ear each).
Is there a rule here, or do we just decide which number to use from one context to another? In that case, based on what?


texts: Can I use present simple instead of present continuous for a temporary but regular thing

texts:
Every july she goes to Italy and stays 3 weeks at the "Pizza" hotel

Is it possible in this case to use present simple instead of present continuous because  it is regular (every) but temporary (3 weeks) stay


texts: "As opposed to" and "contrary to" in the beginning of sentences

texts:
Can I open a sentence with "As opposed to" and "contrary to"?
I always heard them in the middle of sentence but not in the beginning of it,  and that's why I'm not sure about it.

Examples:

  As opposed to what people think, there are not only three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas.  But there are four,  plasma is additional state of matter.

  Contrary to what people think, there are not only three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas,  but there are four,  since plasma is additional state of matter.


texts: Should there be a preposition following the word "fit" in this sentence?

texts:
So, I was on facebook today and I came across a comment that read

  I had no idea you could fit in so much sad on the comment section of a facebook post.

Now, the person who commented that probably meant it in a sarcastic way.
Anyway, what I'm more curious about is whether the sentence should've been

  I had no idea you could fit so much sad/sadness on the comment section of a facebook post.

In this version, the preposition in is omitted.

Should there be a preposition following the word fit in this sentence?


texts: Cards is plural but tool is singular. What would be more appropriate to use? Are or Is?


texts:
I've been raised listening to many telling 'mastery on' some subject. Muhammad Ali had mastery on various boxing tricks. Serena has mastery on tennis strokes. Shakespeare had mastery on English and so on...
This constructive comment made me think again. As I dig in the dictionaries, they all have 'of' preposition. This is very new to me. I shall use 'of' now on but I still find many examples that back my learning. I still feel that 'on' is not incorrect. 'Mastery on' is like having 'hands on', 'expertise on' and so on!

Dave also has a reputation as a fine songwriter and singer, in addition to his mastery on both electric and acoustic guitar from Connectstoughton (link not working independently)
Last year, 78 percent of AVID students at SSS showed mastery on the English II and math I exams from News and Observer
The idea that you might be able to demonstrate mastery on a certain subject, get credit for that from Hechinger Report
He’s taught master classes and clinics in more than 20 countries around the world, teaching jazz piano as well as sharing his mastery on producing and scoring music from Business Wire


texts: Is 'Our mother add vegetables to the food because they are good for us' grammatically correct?

texts:
Do native speakers speak like this?

  Our mother adds vegetables to the food because they're good for us.

Is it ok to put 'the' before food?


texts: Which meaning do I have to pick up, deontic or epistemic, for ought to?

texts:
Oh,you may not think I'm pretty,

  But don't judge on what you see,

  I'll eat myself if you can find

  A smarter hat than me.

  You can keep your bowlers black,

  Your tops hats sleek and tall,

  For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

  And I can cap them all.

  There's nothing hidden in your head

  The Sorting Hat can't see,

  So try me on and I will tell you

  Where you ought to be.

  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

It’s not easy which meaning to take for ought to be: deontic or epistemic (OALD #1,2 respectively). Is it depends on reader’s view or Is there any clue to read in a certain way?


texts: "Close/shut one's eyes to sth" VS "Turn a blind eye to sth"

texts:
I was wondering what is the difference between these two phrases. For me, they both mean very similar and I cannot differentiate between them.

For more clarification, let me provide you with an example:

  She closed / shut her eyes to the fact that her son was smoking.
  She turned a blind eye to the fact that her son was smoking.

How the above sentences differ in meaning?


texts: Is this sentence wrong if I change "the" to "my"?

texts:
This is the first time that I've tasted soy sauce
  This is my first time that I've tasted soy sauce

Some people say it's correct to write "the", not "my" and they correct 2 as "This is my first time tasting soy sauce"

Is there any reason for this?


texts: Is "buildings torn down" without "were" correct?

texts:
Someone, supposed to be good in English, told me the following sentence is correct:

A strong earthquake lasted for two minutes, a few of old buildings torn down in the twinkling of an eye.

Shouldn't buildings be torn down by earthquake? What's the grammar behind?


texts: Meaning of "have never been the worse for that"

texts:
Can someone explain what is meant by "have never been worse for that" in the following paragraph.

  Golan's book is good but its title is misleading. A whole chapter is
  devoted to the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse and I'm willing to bet that
  most professional mathematicians including, say, Grothendieck have no
  idea what it is about, and have never been the worse for that!

Thank you.


texts: What's the meaning of 'breath curls towards her'?

texts:
I am reading a book and there is a sentence

  My breath curls towards her, wet and ghostly, but no words follow.

I don't understand the meaning of "breath curls towards her".

What does that mean?


texts: Pronuncing "th" and "c" when they are back to back as in "health center"

texts: For example, I feel it hard to pronounce "health center" as it gets stuck when I'm switching from "th" to "s". What's the correct way to pronounce it?


texts:
The definition of Finance in Oxford Dictionaries is:

  The management of large amounts of money, especially by governments or large companies.

its origin is:

  Late Middle English: from Old French, from finer ‘make an end, settle a debt’, from fin ‘end’ (see fine). The original sense was ‘payment of a debt, compensation, or ransom’; later ‘taxation, revenue’. Current senses date from the 18th century, and reflect sense development in French.

So the keyword of finance‘s origin is the due overtime whereas the current meaning is about management.

How to understand the jump?


texts:
I started using ProWritingAid - writing checker. When I am writing "in the case", this software suggests that "Readability can be enhanced by using with". This checker shows I should always use "with" in the place of "in the case" to have better readability. According to ProWritingAid, there is no difference between "in the case" and "with". Is this true?
For example:
In the case of Italians, pizza is more popular that cake.
ProWritingAid wants to change the above sentence into the following sentence:
With Italians, pizza is more popular that cake.


texts:
Can you finish a sentence with "for the now"?

  "So we will resolve your case for the now?"

This sounds old fansioned to me. However, is it correct?


texts:
https://www.workaway.info/467357539488-en.html

Come meet a lots of different nationalities and help us in the aranview country housle in the Doolin area, Ireland

I guess there is a mistake in the above context. I think we cannot use "a lots of". Am I right?


texts:
Is there "a" in "(a) short/long time"? For example

  I must memorize many things in (a) short time.

  (A) long, long time ago, there was a king ....

Is "time" here a countable or uncountable noun?


texts: "Contemptuous bastard", doesn't it sound rude?

texts:
I've come across 'the grim reaper is  gone' and been surprised to encounter that they have put contemptuous bastard in the article:

  "This contemptuous bastard of a man has overseen “welfare reforms” that would have made Thatcher blush – from the changing of the Disability Living Allowance to “Personal Independence Payments”, repeated attacks on Employment and Support Allowance, and the utterly disgusting abolishment of the Independent Living Fund."

What does contemptuous bastard actually mean in that context?


texts:
What does 'They hurried by him' mean in context? Who are 'they'?

  "I will be back before dark," he told her harshly and, turning from her, he strode away towards the ruined sillhouette of the Colesberg kopje which stood out starkly, even through the stinking miasma of smoke and dust that hovered over the camp. Zouga might have been a wraith, a thing of air, invisible to human eyes. They hurried by him on the narrow track, or remained stooped over mill and cradle while he passed, without an inclination of head or even a casual glance, an entire community living for one thing only, completely absorbed and obsessed.

Source: Wilbur Smith's adventure novel, Men of Men: The Ballantyne


texts:
Does one say "draft email" or "email draft"? Usage example:

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-create-an-email-in-outlook-to-be-sent-by-someone-else (mirror):

  The recipient should download the draft email to his Outlook folder and finalize the communication before sending it.

https://help.bananatag.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000377103-Bananatag-Templates-VS-Drafts (mirror):

  To create a new email to send out just click New Email Draft.

https://www.google.com/search?q="email+draft" has 62,300 results whereas https://www.google.com/search?q="draft+email" has 90,700 results so I don't see any clear signal there.

Here is the context in which I intend to use "draft email" or "email draft":

  Sounds good, please find the draft email below.


texts: What does " getting a bar of soap in my mouth " mean?

texts:
I have read the following sentence in Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3:

  I end up getting a bar of soap in my mouth for knowing how to spell a bad word , and Rodrick got off scot-free.

What does " getting a bar of soap in my mouth " mean ? This boy can't be gotten a bar of soap in his mouth, right ? It sounds like a physical punishment . Or is it an idiom?


texts:
I'd like to know whether "of" is properly used in the following sentences:

  John bought a rope of between 10 and 20 cm.
  John bought a rope between 10 and 20 cm.
  John bought a rope of between 10 and 20 cm in length.
  John bought a rope between 10 and 20 cm in length.
  John bought a rope of 10–20 cm.
  John bought a rope 10–20 cm.
  John bought a rope of 10–20 cm in length.
  John bought a rope 10–20 cm in length.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: “(since they had been) created in order to”: why can an apposition replace a phrase with “since”?

texts:
The three of them, that is, The Three Caballeros, the Big Wave Riders, namely Chris, John, and Sky, aliases that act not as nicknames but rather as pseudonyms, created in order to reinvent themselves as planetary surfers when really they’re high-schoolers from the estuary.

I am reading the English translation of the French novel Réparer les vivants (Mend the Living)—a good way to improve my English I guess—and I would like to understand why the translator omitted some words.

In French, it is “puisque créés pour…” which would literally be in English: “(since they had been) created in order to”.

The translator chose to omit “since” and the auxiliary for the passive voice to be more concise and elegant but how does it work?

Can the apposition (", created") replace a phrase with “since”? Why?
I know we can omit BE in relatives (WHIZ-deletion) but does it work the same with an adverb phrase with “since”?
With the apposition of the past participle we understand the causal meaning but how does it work? What is the grammatical logic behind it?
Thank you.

Thank you for your answer. This is the full French paragraph. It is a very very long paragraph, so it may be a case of not overburdening an already very complex syntax as you suggested.

  "Christophe Alba, Johan Rocher et lui, Simon Limbres. Les alarmes sonnaient quand ils ont repoussé leur drap et sont sortis du lit pour une session conclue peu avant minuit par échange de textos, une session à mi-marée comme on en compte deux ou trois dans l’année – mer formée, houle régulière, vent faible et pas un chat sur le spot. Un jean, un blouson, ils se sont glissés au-dehors sans rien avaler, pas même un verre de lait, une poignée de céréales, pas même un bout de pain, se sont postés au bas de leur immeuble (Simon), devant le portail de leur pavillon (Johan), et ont attendu le camion qui lui aussi était ponctuel (Chris), et eux qui jamais ne se lèvent avant midi le dimanche, malgré les sommations maternelles, eux dont on dit qu’ils ne savent que penduler chiques molles entre le canapé du salon et la chaise de leur chambre, ils piaffaient dans la rue à six heures du matin, lacets défaits et haleine fétide – sous le réverbère, Simon Limbres a regardé se désagréger l’air qu’il expirait par la bouche, les métamorphoses de la fumerolle blanche qui s’élevait, compacte, puis se dissolvait dans l’atmosphère, jusqu’à disparaître, s’est souvenu qu’enfant il aimait jouer au fumeur, plaçait l’index et le majeur tendus devant ses lèvres, prenait une large inspiration en creusant les joues et soufflait comme un homme –, eux, soit les Trois Caballeros, soit les Big Waves Hunters, soit Chris, John et Sky, alias jouant non comme des surnoms mais comme des pseudonymes, puisque créés pour se réinventer surfeurs planétaires quand on est lycéens d’estuaire, si bien qu’à l’inverse prononcer leur prénom les rabat illico sur une configuration hostile, la bruine glacée, le clapot maigre, les falaises comme des murs et les rues désertées à l’approche du soir, le reproche parental et la requête scolaire, la plainte de la petite amie laissée sur le carreau, celle à laquelle on aura cette fois encore préféré le van, celle qui ne pourra jamais rien contre le surf."

I guess the passive passive auxiliary in French is implied ("puisque que ces pseudonymes ont été créées pour"). French and English can both omit BE in appositive sentences but I found it strange to omit "because." Reading your answer (how it can easily be "contextually inferred"), now I wonder there is "puisque" in French in the first place because it works without it! But that's another story.


texts:
When a person is trying to walk in a straight line such as a drunk person, someone walking the slack rope or someone learning to ride a bike/motorcycle  they tent to loose balance and move right and left to keep it, how would you call that
She was _____ while riding the bike.
Thanks!


texts:
Let's say there is a salesperson who are trying to entice their product that you believe it is extremely not worthy to spend your money(just a salestalk) Do you say:

  Nah, it's not worth it spending your money on this thing.

Or

  it's not worth the money to spend on this thing.


texts:
I'm just wondering if both tenses are acceptable in the following statement. Does it make a difference to the statement?

  I have loved trekking since I was a little boy. My dad used to go trekking with me when I was young and when I became/had become old enough to trek on my own, I trek on every Saturday or Sunday.


texts: An expression in English that would describe an act of saving a person from a near death

texts:
Is there any expression in English that would describe an act of literally saving someone from near death?

I am especially interested in an expression that would use the word "noose".

This dictionary gives such expressions like "the noose is hanging", "put (one's) head in a noose", and "stick your head in a noose"; so, they all describe a situation, in which someone is near death, but they don't describe an act of saving someone from that situation.

An example sentence would be:

  Yesterday we entered the room and saw him standing on a chair ready to hang himself. So, without thinking much, we went ahead and _____________ .


texts:
What does "I do real" mean in this context?

I do real, I do family, I do Jesus.


texts:
I'm not sure why, but I don't really feel like

  I had been training for years before I could do that jump

I know how the past-perfect works, and for example

  I had been training for years when I finally did that jump

sounds perfect.

So, do you think the first sentence is correct? I found an example for could that says:

  She walked off before I could say anything.

Does it use the past-simple (walked) because the action is clearly before, or because it's actually describing a situation that happened at the same time?

Maybe if it had been had walked, it would have meant that she wasn't there when he almost started to talk?


texts: Can I use the word 'enigma' in reference to a reason why a person did something?

texts:
Can I use the word 'enigma' in reference not to a person, but to a reason why he did something?
For example,

He remained quiet and cagey throughout the whole semester, but on the
very last day he - to everyone's surprise - bought a cup of coffee for
each one of us. Why he would need to do that is still a kind of
enigma to me to date.


texts: what kind of nouns is used after whatever?

texts:
I'm confused about using whatever as determiner.can anyone say whether we can use human nouns(like people,person,boy..) after whatever?

e.g.He will support whatever candidate wins.


texts:
I'm making English subtitles for a French film and I'm having trouble with this sentence:

  When you watch a Hitchcock film, you work all the time.

  When you're watching a Hitchcock film, you're working all the time.

I just can't decide between the two. Oh and while I'm at it, do you even understand the sentence? It's supposed to mean that you're an active viewer, your mind is at work. But does it make sense, 'you (are) work(ing)' ?


texts: Give a simple answer: Which is correct: Was the pasta cooking or Were the pasta cooking?

texts: Give me a simple answer please: Is it Was the pasta cooking or Were the pasta cooking? Which is correct because I had a debate with my teacher over it. (I'm from Europe)


texts: ''He did everything.'' - Turn this sentence into negative without changing its meaning

texts:
How can we change the following sentence into negative one without changing the meaning?

  He did everything.

Can we change it into this:

  He left nothing undone.

Or

  Didn't he do anything


texts: "the bounds of keyboard and cables, of monitor and mouse" - why no articles?

texts:
Source: How Computers Work by Ron White

Example:

  The deskless PC has long been computing's holy grail, a computer that slips the bounds of keyboard and cables, of monitor and mouse, to soar free as a bird-a bird endowed with a constant feed from the Internet, applications that will run a multinational corporation, and on easy abandon that lets it go with you anywhere, like a parrot perched on a pirate in pinstripe.

Why do you think there are no indefinite articles in front of keyboard, monitor and mouse? After all, you're never going to say something like this: "I'm going to the store and I'm gonna buy bottle of milk, fork and can of ground meat." Sounds very ungrammatical, doesn't it?


texts:
Consider the following:

Not only does she keep cats but she also keeps dogs.

I wonder why "does" is before the subject. Is it a rule, governing parallelism? And also, is the regular form acceptable too? I mean:

Not only she does this but she also does that.

Also, is there any other rule governing parallelism?


texts: Suitable verb form in the past tense sentence

texts:
There's the next sentence:

  "I saw Mr Brown ..... the building at two o'clock."

leave / to leave / having left

Which option would be the most appropriate to put in and why ? I really want to put in "was leaving", but there's no such option.

"to leave" - certainly no, there's no necessity in infinitive there.
"having left" - something strange, I don't know what is it.
'leave' - may be 'saw' already indicates Past tense and we don't
    need to do that again. but why is there no ['s] ending for
    (he\she\it) ? is it acceptable to use bare infinitive with he\she\it without gerund or any modal verb.


texts: A word that describe the art of using observable words to describe nonphysical/incorporeal thoughts and ideas

texts:
I want to know what is the structure art word of connection the visible expressions with abstract ideas and words?

What do we call this kind of structure?

For instance,

  my friend’s answers were exposed to suspicion

Here we use expose in something abstract rather than saying

“His injuries were exposed to bacteria”

Here in this sense we can see something visible rather than invisible

I want to know what is the word that can describe the case when we use visible actions to describe the invisible actions!


texts: About the use of "threatened" in "before President Trump's threatened tariffs on Mexico are supposed to kick in."

texts:
Is the use of threatened in:

  before President Trump's threatened tariffs on Mexico are supposed to kick in.

correct? The only definition I know of threatened is endangered.

Source: This video clip.


texts: Is "apart from watch TV" a correct pattern?

texts: I came across the sentence "Apart from watch TV, I did nothing all weekend." and I was confused with the pattern " apart from watch TV". I think it should be " apart from watching TV". Is my thought correct?


texts:
Context : I want me and my partner to think over some problem example a math problem think over
solution to it. Come up with solution
Some lines that come to my mind are -

Let's ponder over it
Lets think over it.

I am not sure if these are correct
How is the word brainstorming different from pondering over / think over


texts: What is the meaning of 'I am sorry to jump you like this'?

texts:
I heard a seemingly unusual usage of jump in the movie Michael Clayton:

  Michael Clayton: I need a loan. I need 80 grand.

  Marty: I thought you were done with all that.

  Michael: It's not the cards. It's the restaurant.

  Marty: 80,000?

  Michael: I'm sorry to jump you like this. I've been trying to meet you alone for two weeks.

Apparently jump here means to surprise or to trouble the other person on short notice. I can't find this usage in dictionaries. Though I was able to find definitions possibly related to this usage in Merriam Webster:

  to act, move, or begin before (something, such as a signal)

  jump the green light

  to leave hastily or in violation of contract

  jump town without paying their bills

What does jump mean exactly in the movie?


texts:
From the movie "Devil's Doorway" (1950)

During the movie, the Indian called Lance and his family and friends try to keep his land, but the homestead law gives other people right to his land, so they eventually attack Lance. Earlier Lance applied to a lady lawyer Orrie. She gets some feeling for Lance. In the end of the movie, when the US Cavalry arrives to handle the situation, Orrie asks the Commanding Officer of the clavary to let her go and talk to Lance. There goes a conversation between Orrie and Lance:

  Orrie: The women and children will be dead, too, because of you!

  Lance: It's good to have advice. It's just what I needed. Especially
  now. Nothing an Indian needs like a speech from a lawyer telling him
  to give up. Well, now you made it. Your conscience is clear.

  Orrie:
  It's much more than conscience, Lance. And it's more than the women
  and children.

  Lance: If you're trying to say  it's feeling for me,
  then I don't believe you. The color of my hide means just as much  to
  you as it does to them out there. If you've found out that I can be
  lonely for  a woman like any other man, you stay on the safe side of
  the fence.

This last line doesn't make any sense to me. There isn't any fence in the movie. I would suppose it's an idiom, which means the same thing as "be on the safe side" does, but in this case the line still wouldn't make sense.


texts:
The dilemma: After years of doing jobs I hated, I finally got my dream job working outside somewhere beautiful. I am 33 and have always been independent, into music, travel and lots of hobbies. Relationships were never my priority, especially as my parents had a very unhappy marriage. The trouble is that I now live in the back of beyond, where there isn’t much of a social scene, and I am worried I have missed the boat with regards to meeting someone. I have tried internet dating and there is nobody on there I am attracted to.

  Isn’t that just typical? You finally find a dream job, but rather than take a moment to savour that success you’re already looking for the next box to tick on the list of your heart’s desires. Few of us celebrate good fortune – no sooner do we get what we want than we budge our parameters that bit further so we can revert to our more familiar sense of dissatisfaction. This questing spirit has its advantages, earning us top-dog status among Earth’s species, but it’s also made us the unhappiest; we’re even prepared to take our own lives – a choice few other creatures would opt for.

Is this sentence a fixed idiom?  I mean could we use the same sentence in any other contexts. looking for the next box to tick on the list of your heart's desires.
What does the word spirit refer to here?
What does top-dog mean here? Is it referring to dogs really? Or is that an idiom?
Could you simplify to budge your parameters ?


texts: Is it alright to quote someone's words this way?

texts:
I am writing a diary, and I want to begin it with a famous quote, but I am not sure whether it is acceptable to do it this way:

  Jeff Atwood, [article] CTO of Stack Overflow, said that "The English
  StackExchange site will pwn the crap out of all the other English
  language resource sites on the interwebs."

instead of

  "The English StackExchange site will pwn the crap out of all the other
  English language resource sites on the interwebs," said Jeff Atwood,
  CTO of Stack Overflow.

I have read this page for how to quote someone's words:
Is there a proper way to quote something someone said in a press release without using the form: said Nate?

And do I have to use an article before the position if he is a school teacher, or policeman?


texts: Meaning of the phrase "go from" in context

texts:
I have come across it in Crash Course Astronomy, episod 11[https://youtu.be/w-9gDALvMF4][1] The sentence is at the beginning of the video.

  The Earth went from being our unique planet in the universe to one of many such well... planets.

I have checked all the meanings of the word "go", but still have a hard time understanding the sentence.


texts: To get the meaning ' Hasn't he come until now ?' what should I ask 'Has he come yet ?or Hasn't he come yet?'


texts: Learning vocabulary is a journey wihout destination, but exist ways to accelerate?

texts:
Is a hassle to learn vocabulary, I'm not saying is the devil and needs to be avoided, it's worth-while but I have been learning for the past year and I feel it consume a lot of my time and energy that could be invested in other important things, I will explain my way of learning vocabulary if you find a flawed or a better distinct way to do it please let us know! Not only you help me, but also future learners with the same problem, here is my "system to learn":
Resources:
Consume information in the targeted foreign language you want to learn could be text, audios, etc.
Types of Process:
If I do not understand a word or phrase, I can do the following:
Process Void:

Ignore it

Process Lazy:

Trying to know vaguely the meaning by only inferring with the context only.
Not confirming it in the dictionary.

Process Fast:

Directly search the meaning, or ask, not trying to infer the meaning, just going and look up the word.
Repeat in my own words the definition and type it in a personal lexicon with the word obviously.

The Best Process:

Trying to know vaguely the meaning by inferring with the context only.
Confirm with the dictionary.
Correct if is needed
Repeat in my own words the definition and type it in a personal lexicon with the word obviously

It sounds easy the best process, right? Not really, I'm trying to do the "The Best Process", the challenge is, the Dictionary is like an ocean, the myriad of organisms living there, you can have the intentions to hunt the seastar, but when you find a seahorse you spend time with it, then suddenly you found the clownfish, and keep going until you don't find anymore.
With words happens the same, I'm looking only at one word in the dictionary and I find often a myriad of definitions, and on the internet is a myriad of webpages and then various of definitions, when I see the definition, I find in the definition itself other unknown words, and when I search for their respective definition sometimes are defined with the previously same unknown word that led me to search the word, force me to dip into new resources, new dictionaries, new webpages, etc. Yes, I learn Vocabulary this way, others do, but I feel the process is a hassle to hell, is affecting me, with my time, my energy, and ultimately my life needs to exist better productive ways, I wait with craving your helpful systems or tips to learn vocabulary.


texts:
I was watching the movie "when harry met sally " and I had a trouble to understand this highlighted part of their conversation. Thank in advance.

  Sally : I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the
  ice cream on top I want it on the side and I'd like strawberry instead
  of vanilla if you have it if not then no ice cream just whipped cream
  but only if it's real if it's out of a can then nothing.
  Waitress: Not even the pie?
  Sally: No, just the pie, but then not heated.
  Waitress: Uh huh.


texts: Procelain in "deserve to be called porcelains"

texts:
I read the word 'porcelain' from the following sentence:
It's Magit! A Git Porcelain inside Emacs

  Magit is an interface to the version control system Git, implemented as an Emacs package. Magit aspires to be a complete Git porcelain. While we cannot (yet) claim that Magit wraps and improves upon each and every Git command, it is complete enough to allow even experienced Git users to perform almost all of their daily version control tasks directly from within Emacs. While many fine Git clients exist, only Magit and Git itself deserve to be called porcelains.

  a hard but delicate, shiny, white substance made by heating a special type of clay to a high temperature, used to make cups, plates, decorations, etc.

The word 'porcelain` confuse me,

In Cambdict

  a hard but delicate, shiny, white substance made by heating a special type of clay to a high temperature, used to make cups, plates, decorations, etc.:

Does it a metaphor to  describe  magit is a dedicate and valued product?


texts:
In the episode 7 of Friends, we find the following talk:

  Rachel: I just never had a relationship with that kind of passion, you
  know, where you have to have somebody right there, in the middle of a
  theme park.

  Ross: Well, it was the only thing to do there that didn’t have a
  line.

  Rachel: There, well, see? Barry wouldn’t even kiss me on a miniature
  golf course.

I checked several meanings to the word "line" in some dictionaries but I could not find that appropriate one. I think that "to have a line" isn't an expression. I didn't know what Ross meant. Could someone help me, please? Thanks in advance!


texts: Is "he be let off the hook" a complete sentence?

texts:
From this article,

  Fallon is not Letterman, and he never will be, nor does he seem to
  want to be. But that doesn’t mean he be let off the hook for
  humanizing a well-documented xenophobic, racist and misogynistic
  serial liar, which is exactly what he did on Thursday.

Doesn't the absence of a should after he in the phrase, "he be let off the hook", make it sound incomplete?

Shouldn't there be a should, making it sound But that doesn't mean he should be let off the hook?


texts: How to ask for someone's name and where they are from politely or indirectly?

texts:
If I want to ask a question in a polite way, how should I ask?

Which is correct?

May I ask you what's your name?
May I ask you what your name is?

Which is correct?

Could you tell me where are you from?
Could you tell me where you're from?

In the same way, there may be other important grammatical rules. Could you please explain me?


texts: What is the formal synonym of the hot weather?

texts:
Is there any substitute for the word hot in the following sentence?

In recent years the weather is becoming hotter. In 2018, for instance,
some areas in eastern and southern Europe baked in temperature,
experiencing 46 degrees C.

I wonder if there is any synonym that seems more formal and academic than "hot".


texts:
Source
Yet still we have a problem filter yet no other, yet I do not understand why.

Can anyone explain the meaning of those three 'yet' distinguishing, if any, their differences?


texts: Past Perfect or Past Simple with the day before

texts:
I have a problem with this question:

  Steve __________ to the manager after lunch the day before.
  A. spoke
  B. was speaking
  C. had spoken
  D. has spoken

If I have a sentence like the following one, I have to use had done for the verb used in Past Simple.

  Steve spoke to the manager after lunch yesterday.

So, I will have a new one with Reported Statements:

  Steve had spoken to the manager after lunch the day before.

However, as far as I have checked the meanings of each choice, I think there is no other verb used in past simple form like He said that so I don't think had spoken is a good choice. For me, this one is better:

  Steve spoke to the manager after lunch the day before.

Am I wrong?


texts:
There was hanging a collection of ancient weapons on the wall. I pulled down a spear and looked at it.

Is "pulled down" ok instead of "took down"?

Is it optional whether to put "down" before or after "a spear"?


texts: Which is correct: more expensive than "either "A or B" or "both A and B"?

texts:
The prices of A, B, and C are 10, 50, 100 dollars, respectively. In this case, which of the following is correct?

  C is more expensive than both A and B.
  C is more expensive than either A or B.

Some says the first is correct, others say the second is correct, so I am confused.


texts:
From Buzzfeed I found the following article

  36 Truly Terrifying Middle-Class Injuries

  I spent the morning reproofing our Barbour jackets and now my forearm is sore #middleclassinjuries
  — Kimberley (@KimMHayes)

What is a middle class injury?


texts: Need help understanding the meaning of a word and looking for other ways to express the idea

texts:
Author:

  The report noted that “Personal causes of unemployment have
  received, heretofore, a disproportionate amount of attention” (citation) and called for policy measures reflecting an industrial approach to the problem of unemployment.

I understand what that means in general, but what did they mean by "reflecting"? Alternate meaning of reflect, which is actually conveyed here, is "think deeply or carefully about". But I don't understand how it fits this context.

What are other words/phrases that I can use instead in my version below?

  The commission reported that individual deficiency, contrary to what many believed, was only a part of the problem and advised for policies that took/reflected/considered a more economic and industrial approach to unemployment.


texts: How to compare different choices of different methods

texts:
Suppose I have different methods, A, B and C. Suppose further I used these method to select me colour balls. Assume that I need to select three balls using each method. Assume that method A selected 2 reds balls and one green ball. Assume further that, both method B and C selected 3 green balls. Now, I would like to say that method A slect 2 balls different from the choise of method B and C.

  Method A selected two balls that are different from the balls selected by both method B and C.

Is my sentence clear and understandable. If not, how can I express my idea in a clear way?


texts: Does "have a problem with" refer to "being bothered" or "being the cause of a problem"?

texts:
The following quote is from the BBC:

The strike has divided opinions in Rio. On social media, many support the sweepers' demands for better salaries. Others say they are opportunists and the situation is a big embarrassment to the city.
But Brazil's culture of littering the streets doesn't help. A video that went viral online shows that even authorities have a problem with that. Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, is seen throwing what seemed to be the rest of an apple on the sidewalk - and now promised to impose himself a fine for his wrongdoing. His government recently created a programme to keep Rio's residents from littering the streets.

I'm wondering what the phrase in bold means.
Apparently it means that the fact that many people litter on the street bothers them.
But I think the word "problem" has nothing to do with bothering or being bothered, does it?
I would say it means that authorities themselves stimulate littering on the streets.
I am really interested in hints to help figure these kinds of things out in other contexts by giving some examples saying "they have a problem with . . ." and to write the meaning.


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct?

  If the weather is going to be nice tomorrow, we'll have a picnic.


texts: Is it acceptable to use "whose" when referring to an object?

texts:
Whose is used for people (e.g. "Whose that girl?"), but is it acceptable to use whose for objects too?
Is there another word I should use for objects?

To make the question clearer, when I ask "Whose that car?" I am expecting an answer similar to "It's X's car." where X refers to a person. I could say "a man whose opinion I respect." and whose opinion would refer to the opinion of a person.
Could I say "the desk whose drawer was broken by my brother"? Should I replace whose with another word?


texts: head off challenges or fend off challenges

texts:
Is the phrase "head off" correctly used here? It seems to me that the author meant "fend off" because "head off means to start a journey rather than fight against."  I am not very sure.

In an effort to head off challenges to his leadership, Chairman Mao unleashed a wave of unrest that swept across China in the 1960s.
He wanted to root out opposition and rid the country of any semblance of old Chinese culture, social values and history.
At the forefront of the Cultural Revolution were the Red Guards - young, radical students and fanatical supporters of Mao and his circle.  Parents and teachers were vilified and in some cases beaten and killed. Old temples, architecture and literature were destroyed too.  Saul Yeung was a member of the Red Guards. He spoke to Witness about his memories of that time and the guilt he still carries.

Source: YouTube


texts:
I want to know the meaning of "Why would anybody want" what does would mean here does it mean " Why did anybody want" ? if the question is about the guy who's chasing them why the woman used anybody instead of this guy ?

Context: A woman and a man are chased by a another man inside a house,(This man  set traps inside the house.)They're trying to get out without him seeing them, They enter enter a room,  the woman  finds a machine that makes air cool Turned On she says: "I don't get it.. why would anybody want to make this place any cooler? it's freezing" and the man with her responds : "God only knows what goes on inside this guy's head."


texts: difference between "Have been" and "was"

texts:
can anyone please tell me the between "have been" and "was"? Suppose my friends calls me and I reply the following.  Are they interchangeable in the following context?

Hey, Paul I was/have been busy working all day. I am very tired now. I will go your home and talk to you there.

Note that I am not working at the moment of speaking. I have just finished it.


texts: how to properly distinguish between two indirect sentences?

texts:
He mentioned that he had been in court the previous day.

meaning, I am saying this to someone else, that he (someone), sometime after the event took place, mentioned it, that: "I was in court the previous day". (he went to/was in court yesterday)

now, how would I convey the meaning that he mentioned it Yesterday? how to specify its time? would it be like:

  He mentioned that he was in court the previous day. (by avoiding the backshift step)

  or: He mentioned that he had been in court, the previous day.
  (by using punctuation)

I don't know if I'm right about it, but I suppose I am complicating the time sequences.


texts:
I wrote

  It is mainly a recursive function that initially is called with the root node of the DOM tree (body element) and traverses the nodes in the dept-first manner.

Should it be "that is initially called"?


texts: How to use a qualifier before the word 'money'?

texts: I want to qualify the word 'money' using the words good, decent, etc. But I am not sure how to use them. Do I have to say a good amount of money or a decent amount of money? Or just good money or decent money? Can I use good and decent interchangeably?


texts: "Application for" with or without article

texts:
The issue when to use or not use articles is really difficult for me, here are some examples I found:

With

Application for a passport
Application for a visa

Without

Application for refund
Application for renewal of registration

Why can't we say "Application for a refund" or "Application for a registration"?

Could anyone list out the rules or practices?


texts: Using comma before quotation without any speech verbs

texts:
I was browsing this WritingPrompt and stumbled upon this:

  The bartender put a palm on his waist, "Say what?"

As seen from the above, before the dialogue, there are no speech/writing/thinking verbs (say, wrote, thought, etc.), whatever they're called, yet a comma is used. Is that correct? Should it not be a period instead?


texts: In what situations do verbs come before nouns?

texts:
I am not referring to questions. The song, for example, My darling Clementine have in some verses, cases when verbs come before:

Dwelt a miner forty niner
Drove she ducklings to the water

I've learned in affirmative sentences the subject comes first then the verb
Are there any more situations where question verbs come before subjects?


texts: Anyone could/might get very nasty skin disease

texts:
Consider these sentences:

Anyone could/might get a very nasty skin disease from bathing in dirty water.

John could/might get a very nasty skin disease from bathing in dirty water.

I could/might get a very nasty skin disease from bathing in dirty water.

Q1) If (1) is given, can I conclude (2) and (3)?
Q2) Are they all general statements about possibility that do not refer to any particular time, ie, true for any and all time?
Note: Not asking about the difference between "could" and "might"?


texts: When I was reading about the meanings of the word perceive, I found that it is used in different ways. For example, sometimes it could mean understand but in other contexts it could mean realize, so I am a little confused because I do not know if it is exactly interchangeable with the words understand and realize or not.


texts: Is "winningest" an acceptable word? What does it mean?

texts:
On this article, I came across the use of a word winningest.

  It isn't a surprise that the experts still reckon that when in doubt, think about it and then decide to bat anyway, for that used to be the winningest strategy when most of them played the game.

Is this an acceptable word? If not, then is there a single word or phrase to replace it? (As opposed to reordering the words to strategy most likely to lead to a win.

I looked around on the internet and found out that it is an informal word, which means one with most wins. However, in the above context, it seems to mean one most likely to lead to a win. Is this article using the word wrongly (informal as it may be), or did I interpret in wrong?

Further, is it also acceptable to use winninger similarly?


texts: What are some spelling rules for deciding if a verb is regular?

texts: Definition of regular conjugateable verb is that it is not an irregular verb but is there some spelling rules to decide that verb is regular for students until they memorise all the irregular verbs?Note not the conjugation how to know that it is a regular verb by its spelling.


texts:
What is the meaning of "rocking him sideways" in the sentence below:

  An ice-cool sensation entered his mind, rocking him sideways. Hilda’s hand was in his.


texts: What are the English expressions for the questions which you have to answer and race to be the first to answer？

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In a contest, there are some questions that each contestant has to answer, and some of the questions do not need to be answered by every contest, and they are  answered by the contestant who is the first one presses the button after the question was released.

For the first type of question, what is the authentic name for it? Can I say "required questions"?

As for the second one, can I use "quick response questions"?

I want to know the authentic expressions for it.


texts: Does this native pronounce wrongly the word "gorgeous"?

texts:
Ok, check this video at 0:17 (Source).

The native English man said "you look gorgeous"

In the dictionary

  gorgeous: /ˈɡɔːrdʒəs/ (Source)

But in that above video, it seems the man said /ˈɡɔːrɡəs/.

So, Does he pronounce wrongly the word "gorgeous" or is there any other way to pronounce it?


texts: Valid uses of sentence that doesn't include relative pronouns before its main verb, but a relative pronoun should be used

texts:
Going to the World Cup was a dream come true.

Do you think that this sentence is correct? I don't think so. It seems to me the right form of come should be comes, and we should place a pronoun like which, that before comes. Please say what you think. When are the usages of such kinds of sentence valid?


texts: What does "when gents as is flush" mean?

texts:
A zookeeper explaining how to approach animals:

  'Ittin' of them over the 'ead with a pole is one way; scratchin' of their hears is another, when gents as is flush wants a bit of a show-orf to their gals.

Source: Dracula by Bram Stoker, Wikisource link with more context: https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Dracula.djvu/167


texts: Some exercises for the "th" sounds for a foreign learner

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What is the right technique for acquiring the "th" sounds? Are there any really proved useful exercises or tongue twisters which can help to get them?

I think after some training I've managed to pronounce both th sounds (voiced and unvoiced) correctly. But the problem is, I can't pronounce a clear decent th sound after some characters, like t, s, z, d, in a sentence without a pause or a little contortion. The goal is to use it freely in speech, which I'm definitely not able to achieve right now. I tried various exercises, like tongue twisters or just repeating some hard for me collocations, but nothing seems to cause a great improvement (or at least any).

My native language is Russian if it could help.

A few examples (the hard places are emphasized as code):

it's the best thing in the world.
and there are many..
let them..

P.S. I've found a related question about pronouncing "th" sounds, but the question was about children with English as the first language. My question is intended for a grown-up foreign learner.


texts: Does omitting the definite article before a plural noun make the sentence more generic?

texts:
Does omitting the article in "The phones ring every six minutes." make the sentence more abstract?

For example, if I were to speak about the phones in my workplace, I could say "The phones ring every six minutes." A sentence like "Phones ring every six minutes." seems like a sentence used by who is reporting statistics.
Similarly, if I were to say "The dogs bark at every car." I could be speaking of dogs I (have) heard. With "Dogs bark at every car." I could be generalizing something I saw, even if I am not actually hearing any barking dogs, nor have I heard barking dogs in the past weeks; I could also be generalizing something other people experienced.


texts:
Here are few things to remember.
Is the above sentence correct?
I think the sentence should be : Here are few things to be remembered.
Or, here are few things which are to be remembered.
Do the above sentences mean same?


texts: What does "as due to one's actions" mean?

texts:
While trying to get the meaning of the phrase "come off worse" from Free dictionary, I bumped into this interpretation:

  To be viewed even more unfavorably in a negative situation, as due to one's actions.

I don't understand "as due to" here. I feel "due to one's actions" might be fairly good. What does the phrase "as due to" convey exactly?


texts: Is there something omitted around or in the phrase?

texts:
No, Bessie: she came to my crib last night when you were gone down to supper, and said I need not disturb her in the morning, or my cousins either; and she told me to remember that she had always been my best friend, and to speak of her and be grateful to her accordingly.
  (Jane Eyre)

I can't understand the highlighted part. Is there something omitted around, or in the phrase?


texts:
I know that this may sound a little stupid, but as a foreign we face different challenges trying to get used to the language.

  I'll reach up to you.

  I'll reach out to you?


texts:
Are the following have the same meaning?

  He works in the shop and she does too / also / as well. English Vocabulary in Use

If yes, what is the following mean?

  The only difference is in their placement in the sentence. Too and as well are used at the end of a sentence. (As well is more formal than too). Also usually goes before the verb or adjective. Espresso English

and this source consider the following is wrong:

  I like chocolate also.

Note: I don't find the the answer within the following questions:

What is the proper usage of “also”,“too” and “as well”?
“I have sent it to X too” vs. “I have sent it to X also”


texts: Correct usage of 'following' before listing some points

texts:
Are all of these sentences valid:

The following lists some important points:
The followings are some important points:
The important points are the followings:

If not, then what is the correct way of using them?