texts: Why can articles be omitted in this sentence?

texts:
But all the while, he lived in the guesthouse where authorities believe he turned from con man to killer. (source)

This seems to be a case of article elision. Why can articles be dropped before "con man" and "killer"?


texts: Could you tell me whether this sentence is an inverted sentence?

texts:
I read a conversation in a IELTS listening test

  Oh, I see, and how long can I hang on to them for?

so, normally, it should be

  oh, I see, and how long can I hang on to for them?

Am I right?


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

texts:
When I was memorizing words in an APP, I found the following sentence.

In Geneva, a historic deal is struck.

The app provides an explanation in another language that basically means the deal was blocked, it probably not happen soon. I looked up the work "strike" in dictionary, and found this explanation:

[AmE informal] to not be successful at something

This seems fits the context well. But it's different from the app provided explanation. To corroborate, I put the original sentence in Google Translation and translate it to my native language. Surprisingly, the translation literally means "In Geneva, a historic deal was reached".
What does the original sentence really mean? Thanks.


texts: How does the "and" in this sentence work?

texts:
In a reading in class, there is a sentence with some debate around it.

  He had been bleeding from his mouth and his neck, and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red.

Some of my classmates take this to mean that the subject was bleeding from the neck and mouth, and that the shirt is stained red. It is my opinion that this means he was bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and shirt were stained red. Which is correct?


texts:
This attitude will help ensure your students have less problems online.

The sentence above is taken from an online test provided by the University of New South Wales.

I am sure that less is not the comparative degree of little meaning minor here. So less must be a determiner here.

In my opinion, fewer problems is correct and less problems is not because less is used with uncountable nouns. I know that in everyday speech less problems can possibly be. But how appropriate is this casualism (if I can put it like this) in a test?


texts:
I've found the following definitions and I'm wondering how they're used with pancakes and other objects.

flip

2
: to cause (something) to turn or turn over quickly
[+ object]
She was sitting in the waiting room, flipping the pages of a magazine.
He flipped his car (over) on the interstate.
They flipped the turtle (over) onto its back.
flip a pancake
(informal) He got a job flipping burgers. [=working as a cook in a fast-food restaurant]
[-] hide examples
[no object]
His car flipped over on the interstate.
She was sitting in the waiting room, flipping [=leafing] through magazines.

turn over [phrasal verb]

 1
a : to move and face the opposite direction
She turned over (in bed) to see what time it was.
The kayak turned over in the rapids.
b turn over (someone or something) or turn (someone or something) over : to cause (someone or something) to face the opposite direction
If you turn the paper over, you will find more math problems.
He turned over the baby onto her back.
— sometimes used figuratively
(Brit) The boat ride turned over my stomach.

turn something <-> over

  to make something change position so that the other side is facing towards the outside or the top
Brown the meat on one side, then turn it over and brown the other side.

toss

[transitive] toss a pancake (British English) to throw a pancake upwards so that it turns over in the air and you can fry the other side

upside down: adverb

in or into a position in which the top of something is where the bottom is normally found and the bottom is where the top is normally found
The canoe floated upside down on the lake.

Watch this video at 0:53,

Should I say, "The man flipped the pancake." or "The man turned the pancake over"?

Are these the same?

  flip the pancake
  turn the pancake over
  turn the pancake upside down
  toss the pancake

If they are, then which one is more common?

And can we apply them to other objects. For example, "flip the iphone" or "turn the iphone upside down" or "turn the iphone over" or "toss the iphone"?


texts: "What a good boy I am!" vs. "What a good boy am I!"

texts:
What is the difference between "What a good boy I am!" and "What a good boy am I!"?

These two exclamative sentences are different in the matter of Subject-auxiliary inversion.

What I want to know is the subtle meaning or pragmatic difference the two sentences bring to native speakers.


texts: Use of the definite article with the word "time" in context

texts:
Tell me please if I need to use the before time in the following senteces.

  As (the) time goes by people are getting smarter.

  Ancient people learnt how to make better tools as (the) time went by.

I have definitely heard a native english speaker use the before time in similar context when talking about the past, but what about the present?


texts:
I need as many words as possible, if any exist, for:

  Two people who are allied or friends, yet are against each other.

I apologise if this sounds stupid but I couldn't find anything similar elsewhere.


texts:
In Harry Potter, Ron, pointing at professor Lupin, said this to Hermione:

Who do you think that is?

And she answered:

Profesor R.J.Rupin.

I searched for the expression:
'Who that is?'
And one dictionary said, it means:
'Who does it belong to?'
Is this correct? Isn't the second thing talking about things? (I mean it is about the things like non-person?)
And if this sentence is right, isn't it a rude expression for senior citizens?
If there is something wrong with my question, tell me! thank you!


texts: Can I say that a request is "forwarded towards" the server?

texts:
Suppose a client sends a request to a server. Since the client is not connected to the server directly, it cannot hand the request directly to the server. Instead, the request has to be transmitted along a path from the client to the server, through all the intermediate routers, and at last arrives at the server.

My question is, is it correct that "the request is forwarded towards the server", since the request is transmitted in a particular direction, i.e., the direction to the server. I don't find the similar usage in oxford learner's dictionary, but I feel that's should be right if I want to stress the direction in which the request is forwarded?

The usage given by the dictionary is "forward to", but I think this usage may not be so proper.


texts: How can I train myself to hear the difference between C (/'si:/) and Z (/'zi:/)?

texts:
When you hear Americans spell their names,

C is pronounced as /'si:/, and
Z is pronounced as /'zi:/.

To me, both sound the same. What can I do to hear a difference?

In English language classes, this issue never came up, because we were taught British English, where Z is pronounced as /ˈzɛd/.

Research I've done: Apparently, /s/ is the voiceless alveolar fricative and /z/ is the voiced alveolar fricative. I tried to find words in my native language (Austrian German) using /s/ and /z/, but, apparently, /z/ is voiceless in the southern German variants, so that doesn't help either.


texts: Does the verb go at the end of a question?

texts: Could you tell me where your office is located? or Could you tell me where your office located is?


texts:
I write a German software, which also has to have an English user interface. In Germany we use for contacts the Anrede (Herr / Frau => Mr. / Mrs.). An English Outlook for the field Anrede uses Title.

As a title I would expect "Dr., Prof., Earl" etc. It seems that I'm wrong here.

What names should I use for the "Mr. / Mrs."  field and for the fields "Dr., Prof., Earl"?


texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning and usage between four years on and four years later meaning after four years passed. For example:

In 2014, she started university, and four years on/four years later she graduated with a bachelor's degree.


texts:
Does your cat have/has any distinguishing marks?

Here, if the subject is 'cat' then the verb 'has' is ok.
But it seems that 'marks' is the subject here.What could be the right answer.


texts:
Is there any difference between "country of origin" and "origin country" ? Example:

It says "Made in Mexico". I wonder if that is the real country of origin / origin country .


texts: Gerund & participle: "She stormed out, 'slamming' the door so hard that the mirror fell off the wall"

texts:
She stormed out, slamming the door so hard that the mirror fell off the wall.

As fa as I know, in Italian language slamming functions as a  gerund there, but, very often—as it could be the case here—there is no parallelism between English and Italian when one compares gerund and participle forms.

So the question is: how can one figure out if in the above example "slamming" is a gerund or a participle?


texts:
What does “rides of shame” here mean? Is that idiom?

  Drive Lyft and Uber on Saturdays and Sundays, but in the mornings. See, although there are fewer drivers on the road, a lot of riders need to go places on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Sure, many of your pickups are going to be rides of shame, but often, those are good long highway rides with little traffic.


texts: Is "subordinate" same as "direct report"?

texts:
If John is my supervisor, then which one of the following statements sounds more natural or correct?

a. I'm one of John's direct reports.

b. I'm one of John's subordinates.

Do these two words mean the same thing?

Thanks.


texts:
'"Ver-r-ry good," said he. "For that I shall have much pleasure to
  kill you now and here. Monsieur Gamm,"--another bow to Jerry--"you
  will please lend him your pistol, or he shall have mine. I give you my
  word I know not which is best; and if he will choose a second from his
  friends over there"--another bow to our drunken yokels at the
  gate--"we will commence."

  '"That's fair enough," said Jerry. "Tom Dunch, you owe it to the
  Doctor to be his second. Place your man." '"No," said Tom. "No mixin'
  in gentry's quarrels for me." And he shook his head and went out, and
  the others followed him.

This is from "The Marklake witches " in "Rewards  and Fairies" by Kipling.
 http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/digi300.pdf

I thik this is about a duel.
What does "Place your man" mean?

I am glad if some one kindly teach me.


texts: Is this particular sentence passive voice?

texts:
Is the following sentence passive voice?  Many of my students will write something similar to the following:  "The circuit breaker needs to be replaced in the morning."

Does the phrase "to be replaced" make this sentence passive voice?  Thank you.


texts: "Who WAS/ IS the father of..." Question type

texts:
If I knew Mike's (just an example) father is dead and Mike himself is dead already and suppose I don't know the name of his father. Which of the following form of question is more grammatically correct in English in the context mentioned above  if I were to ask the name of his father for historical purposes (assume Mike was a very important figure):

1) Who was the father of Mike?

2) Who is the father of Mike?

When abbreviated both can be "Who's the father of Mike?", is this right?


texts: doubt between Past Continuous and Past Simple

texts: In the book English Grammar In Use by Raymond Murphy they gave the example for Past Continuous - ´Today Helen is wearing a skirt. Yesterday she was wearing trousers´. Please explain to me why it isn´t Past Simple because the action is complete, it had finished.


texts:
I have registered to take an online exam, and I need to go to a test center to take that exam. The question is, what's the appropriate way to talk naturally to the receptionist there and inform him or her about my reservation?

Hi, I have made a reservation for 8:30 to take xxx exam.

Hi, I have made a reservation to take xxx exam at 8:30.

Hi, I have an 8:30 reservation to take xxx exam.

In the above sentences, do you think it is better to change the word reservation to book?


texts: "The question is what are my chances are to do smth." VS "The question is what my chances to do smth." Which is correct?

texts:
Could anyone please help me? I'm not sure which sentence is correct to write:

  "The question is what are my chances to break even"

or

  "The question is what my chances to break even are"


texts:
I read in a grammar textbook that when people want to talk about general phenomena they shouldn’t use “the”. For example:

They took him to hospital.

Here the speaker doesn’t mean a specific hospital. Then it is mentioned that in American English, “the” is used for general phenomena too. So:

They took him to the hospital.

Here also, the speaker doesn’t mean a specific hospital.
I wonder if it is a general rule in American English? For example which of the following is correct in American English?

I have to be at the airport by 5PM. (Not a specific airport, but the general meaning of airport.)

or

I have to be at airport by 5PM. (Not a specific airport, but the general meaning of airport.)


texts:
The government encourage residents to use transportation such as bus/ buses, subway/ subways, so on.

Is 'such as' followed by plural or singular nouns?


texts: Can 'anti' be applied to anything? Verb, Noun, Adjective, Adverb?

texts:
Can the prefix anti- be used with anything? I was amazed looking at the list here which uses anti- with almost everything - verb, noun, adjective and what not!

Further confusion is may I prefix anti- to a proper noun as well? For instance, if Tom is extrovert and Dick is exactly opposite to Tom (introvert); is he Anti-Tom?

Does anti- always mean terminating/ending/vandalizing? In Tom and Dick's case, it is certainly not.


texts:
I constructed a sentence and it just sounds more wrong as I think about it.

So, someone says you provide oral sex on men, to offend you, naturally.
But you are a gay, so offensive would be the opposite.

If he was actually a gay, would he have to go lingual on women?

For some reason, I think there should be had to.
But I still feel it needs a whole different phrasing.

It is edited to be more proper and clean for this site, but you get it right? Cases I found here and on google don't work for me and it is also my second language.


texts: Use shall for first person instead of'will'

texts:
My teacher said, "nowadays we don't use 'shall' instead of 'will'",  but I read and hear that!
Can you tell me about this contradiction?
Thank you


texts:
I saw a sentence on English Language and Usage SE that goes:

This is probably borderline archaic or dialect-dependent, however, but other terms are that as well: maid, maiden, lassie, colleen, etc. (From Robusto's answer)

This sentence sounds somewhat awkward to me. My understanding is that "however" and "but" are almost the same word ("however" being formal and "but" being informal), although I'm not very sure about the above construction. Do "however" and "but" have different meanings in the above sentence? In what situations can I use them like that?


texts: "It's raining outside" - does present continuous/progressive tense have a distinct meaning?

texts:
Present continuous/progressive tense?

As for meaning, I guess it sets the scene but am I missing something?


texts:
When I .... my dinner, I went to bed.

options:

a)had b)have had c)had had

My approach:

I am here unable to use any form of the verb.

Can anyone please explain which form of usage can be used here and why other cannot be used here?


texts:
Source

  the trooper pulled over a motorist for a traffic violation, said
  motorist shot him.

here Gaear Grimsrud is not a motorist,then motorist refers to who?


texts:
Here's a context. And I would appreciate it if you could help me.

  Have you ever been given a feeling of enthusiasm or have you given someone enthusiasm?
  For me, there are a kind of people who inspire me. what they have in common is they live their lives, not others’ lives.
  Have you ever been given a feeling of enthusiasm or have you given someone enthusiasm?
  For me, there are people who inspire me. what they have in common is they live their lives, not others’ lives.

Is there any difference between them? I don't think there's a difference, because they refer to a category of people who inspire me.Can I use whatever I want in any situation?


texts: How to know if it is on or in in each case?

texts:
I have knowledge on web technologies <>
I have knowledge in web technologies

I have experience on web security <>
I have experience in web security

What is correct in each case? Why?


texts: How do you use complacent to say that you would have become too complacent in a hypothetical scenario?

texts:
Like the questions says, how do you use complacent in a hypothetical situation?

Would you say, "I would have become more complacent if I would have gotten into NYU?"


texts: Does 'hangdog and shy' in the sentence act as adverbial or subject complement?

texts:
When I read the novel Breakfast at Tiffany's, I came across the sentence as below.

  Then he was standing in front of her, hangdog and shy.

Context:

  I could hear Doc Golightly’s footsteps climbing the stairs. His head
  appeared above the banisters, and Holly backed away from him, not as though she were frightened, but as though she were retreating into a shell of disappointment. Then he was standing in front of her, hangdog and shy. “Gosh, Lulamae,” he began, and hesitated, for Holly was gazing at him vacantly, as though she couldn’t place him. “Gee, honey,” he said, “don’t they feed you up here? You’re so skinny. Like when I first saw you. All wild around the eye.”

I'm not sure whether the phrase 'hangdog and shy' is adverbial or subject complement. To me, it seems that the phrase modify subject "He" and also it's a adjective phrase, so in some ways I think its the subject complement. But according to the explanation on Grammar-Monster, It seems that it is not a subject complement at all. Grammar-Monster explanation is as below.

  A subject complement is a word or phrase which follows a linking verb
  (e.g., to be, to become, to appear, to feel, to look, to smell, to
  taste) and describes or identifies the subject. A subject complement
  is either an adjective, a noun, or a pronoun. For example (subject
  complements shaded): He will be fine. (The linking verb is will be
  (i.e., the verb to be). The subject complement describes the subject
  He. It is an adjective.) Ben is a policeman. (The linking verb is is
  (i.e., the verb to be). The subject complement identifies the subject
  Ben. It is a noun.) I am he. (The linking verb is am (i.e., the verb
  to be). The subject complement identifies the subject I. It is a
  pronoun.) That pie looks burnt to a cinder. (The linking verb is
  looks. The subject complement describes the subject That pie. It is an
  adjective. Don't forget adjectives (just like nouns) also come in the
  form of phrases.)

And I was totally confused by this sentence.

Capote, Truman. Breakfast at Tiffany's (Vintage International) (pp. 71-72). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.


texts: What do you call a short text? Nietszche, the famous philosopher, wrote very short "blog posts" in lack of a better words in his books. Is there a word for such short text? A lot of these "blog posts" were 1-2 paragraphs long at the very most. You can read "Thou Spoke Zarathustra" if you want an example.


texts:
The movie description of Who Framed Roger Rabbit has a line:

  Keeping an eye over his shoulder, Eddie heads down some darken stairs.

None of the dictionaries I consulted list darken as an adjective. "Darkened stairs" doesn't sound right either, and the audio doesn't sound like it. So is "darken" used as an adjective? I am putting the audio clip here for reference, uploaded to a Clyp, an audio sharing site.


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "how" and "what" when each is used to start a subordinate clause?

texts:
Is there any difference between how and what in the following sentence?

Anny was just telling Wendy how she liked to eat the ice cream at the shop.
Anny was just telling Wendy what she liked to eat the ice cream at the shop.

Do those mean the same thing? Is one an adjective and the other an adverb?


texts:
In the following sentence :

  The magistrate passed order of his release.

Should I use plural form of order, that is, "orders"? If yes, then why? What does exactly "orders" will mean in this particular sentence?


texts: What's the difference between "get to here" and "get here"?

texts:
I read a sentence

  "First you'll need the truck to get it to here from wherever you got it".

Is it still right if I delete the "to" before "here"?

Can anyone tell me the difference between "get to here" and "get here"? Are they all right in grammar?


texts: Is this the right way to ask someone a question?

texts:
I would like to know how to ask someone about something without accusing them.

If I want to know if someone at work has used my computer, can I ask "Have you used my computer?", without insulting them?

I don't know if they have used my computer and I just want to ask.

I know that if I were to say: "Have you been using my computer?" it sounds like I think the person has indeed used my computer and I am not happy about it, but that is not what I mean.


texts: Usage of 'do' in ' ..."do" not only give information,they also...'

texts:
Advertisements do not only give information,they also try to influence our emotions.

In this sentence, what is the usage of 'do'?


texts: What is the frequency of the pronunciation of the letter C variations?

texts:
For the letter C there are 5 options for pronunciation:
we can pronounce it as S, Z, or K, SH, CH. (we have also words that we don't pronounce the letter C at all).

Then my question is:
Which pronunciation of the letter C is the most common among all the words (or common words) in English?

Based on their frequency, is it the correct order: K (1st place of frequency), S (2nd place), Z (3rd place), SH (forth place), CH (fifth place)?


texts: Interpretation of 'That case goes far beyond the mere assertion'?

texts:
75% down the page, para above Point 7: Again, philosophy and theology aren’t even in Dawkins’s book. Gray’s captious remarks simply reflect his irritation at his having a hair up his fundament about Dawkins and atheism. Yes, religion is a supernatural belief that is irrational, and Dawkins, in his other writings, makes a good case that we’d be better off without it. That case goes far beyond the mere assertion that religion is irrational and dangerous. As for the “crudity” of The God Delusion, had Dawkins written a dry tome contesting the arcane claims of people like David Bentley Hart, Alvin Plantinga, and Karen Armstrong, it would have been neither successful nor effective.

The writer, Prof Jerry Coyne, is defending Richard Dawkins, yet how do you determine/deduce if Coyne writes that Dawkin's case improves or worsens the mere assertion...? Beyond implies either direction?


texts: Why "Great Seattle Fire" and not "Great Fire of Seattle"?

texts:
I was reading this Wikipedia page about the Great Fire of Valparaíso and noticed that other major fire incidents was all named "Great Fire of CITY", except for Seattle.

Why's that?


texts: What is the difference between customer and client?

texts:
I grew thinking that a person who purchase or requests a service, etc... is a Customer and never hear about the word: client.

But in the series "Better Call Saul" I always hear Client and never Customer.
What is the difference between two words and when I should use each one?


texts:
Cambridge dictionary lists "shorthand" as an uncountable word.
(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/shorthand)
However, I see a lot of its usage with the indefinite article. For example:

Another was labeled "Braves," a shorthand for ICE. - The New York Times
Developers have a shorthand for this style: the "classic graybox". - The New Yorker
There's a shorthand for this type of guy. - The Guardian - Film
"Bach and Beethoven" has become a shorthand for Western classical music. - Britannica

Why?


texts: Is this correct?- He is still working here for the last 3 years

texts:
Is the below sentence correct?

  He is still working here for the last 3 years.

Without a second thought, I typed in an important form as below-

  He has been & still working here for the last 3 years.

What does this mean? Any ambiguity? Or is it redundancy? Is it correct first of all? Should I have to retype it again?


texts: Is this to-infinitive clause an adjunct or a complement?

texts:
He'll keep his pledge to donate 10,000 mosquito nets to charity to help fight Malaria in Africa.

In this sentence, is the to-infinitive in bold a complement or an adjunct of purpose?

Perhaps more importantly, is it part of the noun phrase headed by 'pledge' or does it modify the verb 'keep'?


texts:
When a class taken by a teacher, what the best  way to speak that?

"the class was taken place"

I think the above sentence is not too good for speaking.


texts:
A friend who is a lawyer and reads a lot spells badly and it's affecting her practice. Spellcheckers are ok but they don't work in all cases, for instance when there are two words that sound the same but are spelled differently.

Checking spelling is slowing her down significantly, primarily because the only reliable way she's found is getting someone else to check it.

She is a native speaker.

Any ideas on how to solve the problem?


texts: Repeating of a preposition in a subclause

texts:
I have found this sentence in an article in NYT:

  Our visibility into the inner workings of public companies isn’t great, but we know far more about them than we do private companies, which aren’t required to disclose nearly as much information.

Shouldn't be the about preposition repeated before "private companies", so the subclause would be "than we do private companies". I've read rules saying prepositions doesn't have to be repeated in sequence, but I know no rule allowing to omit them in a subclause.


texts:
"If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error." source: On Liberty By John Stuart Mill

If the phrase "the clearer ... with error" is the object for the verb lose, then, what does the highlighted phrase served as?  Could you help me clarify it?   Thank you always.


texts:
Mr. Joseph Cambell says:

  We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have
  the life that is waiting for us.

And my question. What does “have the life” mean in this context? Same as “live a life”?

I’m a non-native speaker of English and would be most grateful, if you could give me an answer as a native speaker of English.


texts:
Is that correct or I should say "I bought a car yesterday"? I mean, can I use

'do' as an auxiliary verb before the main verb in positive sentences?


texts: is made of bamboo or was made of bamboo in a sentence

texts:
The organ in Las Pinas Church is made entirely of bamboo.
The organ in Las Pinas Church was made entirely of bamboo.
Whic is more suitable,is made or was made?


texts: I go to bathroom then I come to bed - is it correct?

texts:
Let's say I come home from work and I tell to my daughter:

I go to bathroom then I come to bed

Is it correct?
What about:

I go to bathroom then I'll come to bed
I'm going to bathroom then I'll come to bed

Are they wrong?


texts: Is it correct to say "I don't have your voice" on phone?

texts:
What to say when somehow, e.g. because the signal is broken, cannot hear someone's voice for a while and you want to inform them about this?

Is any of these options idiomatic?

I don't have your voice.
I don't have your sound.
I cannot hear your.


texts: Application of "Misunderstand" in the Past Continuous Tense

texts:
I have doubt that whether the following sentence is correct or not:

  Anytime my teacher was teaching the lesson, I was misunderstanding some notable points.

Actually, I want to use this sentence in a formal text. Is it the correct way to use "misunderstand" in a Past Continuous Tense form, given that I didn't see something like this. Besides, is "misunderstand" a suitable word for a formal text?


texts: Does "leaving many unemployed, furloughed or working reduced hours" modify "the global jobs market"?

texts:
The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global jobs market, leaving many unemployed, furloughed or working reduced hours as employers implemented sweeping cost-cutting measures.
"leaving many unemployed, furloughed or working reduced hours" is like an adjective to modify "the global jobs market"?


texts: Difference between "work at the table" and "work the table"

texts:
According to the Human Rights Campaign website, National Coming Out
  Day has been held every year for 30 years on the anniversary of the
  second March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights Oct. 11, 1987.
  HERO adviser Brittany Stegeman helped work the table Tuesday, which
  displays a pride flag and offers an opportunity for students to write
  encouraging notes to those questioning or considering coming out.

  Source, “Northwest celebrates National Coming Out Day” by Samantha
  Collison

I think “work” here as a transitive verb means the following:

  c [+ object] : to do work in, on, or at (an area, event, etc.)

  She works the Northeast region of the state selling insurance.

  Merriam Webster

However, “work” can also be an intransitive verb.
What is the difference between “work the table” and “work at the table”? Are they interchangeable here?


texts: Should I write "all the data is correct" or "all the data are correct"?

texts:
Which sentence is correct:

  In this section you can make a payment: verify carefully that all the data submitted is correct and confirm by clicking the Proceed button.

or

  In this section you can make a payment: verify carefully that all the data submitted are correct and confirm by clicking the Proceed button.


texts: What is auxiliary verb in related pronoun

texts:
"What does she stay is stopping us from doing this?"

Should the sentence from BBC be as follows.

What she stays is stopping us from doing this

Is my understanding correct?


texts: A verb which used to describe process of problem solving or making something good to differentiate a person involved from others?

texts:
In Russian there r words "вытаскивать" (basically it means to "pull off" something from something) & "вытягивать" (basically it means to "draw" something out of something), but in informal speech both of these words could be used figuratively to describe somebody who was the single person solved problem / resolved hard situation / made some job done / made something good etc. Actually it's not obligatory that it should be a single person, it could be a group of people, but it always used to differentiate somebody from other people involved in the described process. I know an idiom "to save the day" but it's not that close to what i look for.

Examples:

  Previous month at the job we had a very complex task, and nobody was able
  to deal with that. But John, as always, [...] the whole thing and we've managed to finish the project before the deadline.

Here this word should mean that John finished the job, and nobody else was able to do that

  First i don't liked Breaking Bad that much, cuz I'm not really in
  this drug thing. But Jesse and Heisenberg actually [...] this series. So they were the reason i kept watching.

Here this word should mean that TV-series were good only because of specific characters, in contrast with other aspect*

  Yesterday i was watching football - %Country% vs %Country%. And %Player's_Name% somehow [...] the whole match. I think most members of his team should share their wages with him, cuz they were doing nothing.

Here this word should mean that one player was better than others and he did the most to bring victory to his team

In Russian language words i mentioned above could be figuratively used in all these examples. So i wonder if there r such word or collocation which can be used in the same manner in English. It's okay if there r different words for different examples I've written, just wanna know.


texts:
1)Is there any way to check whether my letter has been received?
2)Is there any way to check whether my letter was received?
3)Is there any way to check if my letter was received?

I sent a letter a few moths ago. Now I want to ask them whether they received it or not.


texts: What's the difference between "Twin bed" and "Double bed"

texts:
What is the difference between "Twin bed" and "Double bed"? I'm a little bit lost since they sounds to me the same, but on the searching hotels site there are both appears as two different things. By googling I didn't find a clear answer to my question. At the moment, with my English knowledge it doesn't make sense for me that it is a single bed, because a single bed it's a single bed rather than twin bed. Isn't it?

This is how it looks like in the site that I mentioned above:


texts: Does `positions` sometime mean some branches of a science field?

texts:
This is a part of a paper discussing the capability of higher organisms for perceptual recognition, generalization, recall and thinking.

Among other things the article discusses the question

  In what form is information stored, or remembered.

And the relevant paragraph begins as follows

  With regard to the second question, two alternative positions have been maintained.

Does positions here mean some branches of a science field?


texts: Is "Suppose you did ..." guessing that 'you' already did?

texts:
571 suppose, supposing and what if
  (...) A past tense makes the suggestion sound less definite.

    Daddy, can I watch TV? ~ Suppose you did your homework first.

  M. Swan, Practical English Usage, §571

I wonder what the daddy's reply means.
a) "I guess you've already finished your homework",
b) "I think you'll finish your homework first (if so,/so/then you can)",
c) "If you finish your homework first"
d) It's vague, and is more or less meaning all of the above.

Is it a kind of words that is typical from a parent to the kid?
Is there an omitted subject 'I' before the 'suppose'?


texts:
In the book that I am reading, there is the sentence

  let me go to help him

which means

  I will go to help him

In this sentence, I don't know why there is "go to".

What is difference between this and "I will help him"?


texts: Difference between social networks and social media?

texts: What is the difference between "social networks" and "social media"? I often see these two terms used, and I can't figure out when to use one or the other. I also wanted to know if the natives could tell the difference, or it is commonly misused.


texts: What is "after the dinosaurs, but before the giant armored sloths"?

texts:
I read an article in Forbes, where I saw the following lines:

  I’ve been blogging since 2002 (which is after the dinosaurs, but before the giant armored sloths), and some variant of the philosophy argument comes around every year or so.

Initially I considered it as an idiomatic expression, but I could not find the exact meaning of this phrase.

My questions are:

What is a meaning of this phrase in given context?
Is it an idiomatic expression?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Is uncle really limited to siblings of parents or their husbands?

texts:
So I just saw the question: How can you recognize "uncle" is father's brother or mother's brother? (Is there any "default option"? ), and I looked at the Wikipedia article for uncle and the definition at Google, and it seems that the word is limited to siblings of parents or their husbands. In Spanish, the translation, "tío," also covers cousins and uncles of parents, so it's a recursive relationship that stretches infinitely far up the ancestry chain. That means that when you have a family reunion based on a common ancestor, everyone has a personal relationship with everyone.

Is that not the case in English? What do you call the husband of the daughter of the sister of your grandmother, or the son of the brother of your great-grandfather?


texts:
Teacher: Who can say the multiplication table from 1 to 10.

Or,

  Teacher: Who can tell me the multiplication table from 1 to 10.

Which of the two sentences is more appropriate for a teacher to use in a classroom?

Thank you.


texts:
I wrote:

  On the other hand, there are full automated methods, which don't involve user interaction. the unsupervised approach is feasible if the goal is to extract from a huge number of Web resources.

I didn't use "on one hand" before it, I just want to introduce a comparison with the supervised (semi-automated) methods which involve user interaction and has described in the previous paragraph.

Is my usage correct? especially that I used "on the other hand, there are ...", should I say something like "on the other side, there are ..." or "on the other end, there are ..."?!


texts: "I think if we DO NOT enough resources..." why use "do" instead of "have" (“ I think if we HAVE NOT…)?

texts:
"I think if we do not enough resources..."

Why use "do" instead of "have"?

  "I think if we have not ..."

I didn't understand why to use "do" instead of the verb "have". Could you explain to me how to use "do" in these cases?


texts:
You didn't go to the shops, did you?

Can you explain how to respond to this type of question and what is the grammatical name for such a question?


texts:
Some of these have not been published before; others, such as “Living like Weasels” and “The Deer at Providencia,” were published obscurely. At any rate, this is not a collection of occasional pieces, such as a writer brings out to supplement his real work; instead this is my real work, such as it is.

What does to publish obscurely mean? I know what obscure means but am not sure what it means exactly here.


texts: How to express to turn a thing back to its normal / correct position when currently it is "inside-out" or "back to front"?

texts:
right side up (North American English) with the top part turned to
  the top; in the correct, normal position

  I dropped my toast, but luckily it fell right side up.

  upside down: in or into a position in which the top of something is where the bottom is normally found and the bottom is where the top
  is normally found

  The canoe floated upside down on the lake.

We have these term in the dictionary "upside down" and "right side up".

So we can say "You are holding the bottle upside down! Please turn it right side up!"

The bottle is held "upside down"

The bottle is turned "right side up"

Now, we have "inside-out" in the dictionary

  inside-out: with the part that is usually inside facing out

  You've got your sweater on inside out.

  Turn the bag inside out and let it dry.

For example, "He turned his empty pockets inside-out"

How do I ask him to  turn his pockets back to their normal / correct position?

Do we say "Please turn the pockets right side in"? or "Please turn the pockets outside in"?

Also

  back to front: if you put on a piece of clothing back to front, you
  make a mistake and put the back where the front should be

  I think you've got that sweater on back to front.

This lady is wearing her shirt back to front

How to ask her to wear it correctly? "Please put it on right side front"?


texts: "decide something" or "decide on something" in context?

texts:
Tell me please the correct sentence.

  We have yet to decide the share of the profit we will give them.

  We have yet to decide on  the share of the profit we will give them.

I think both are correct, and I am pretty sure there is a difference in meaning between sentences, but I cannot see it.


texts:
The word "two" in a tutorial sounds like /tjuː/ at multiple positions.

Is it common to pronounce two /tjuː/?

Another tutorial uses the same pronunciation.

  I want you to listen to English through this lens that I'm giving you, right?


texts: What does "pay out at right angles" and "drew away the white material....." mean?

texts:
What does "pay out at right angles" and "drew away the white material...it fell back over the shoulders and became part of the clothing of the visitor mean?
Mr. Eglinton in a state of trance
paced about the room between the sitters for five minutes, and then—
He began gently to draw from his side and pay out at right angles a dingy,
white-looking substance, which fell down at his left side. The mass of
white material on the floor increased in breadth, commenced to pulsate
and move up and down, also swaying from side to side, the motor power
being underneath. The height of this substance increased to about three
feet, and shortly afterwards the "form" quickly and quietly grew to its full
stature. By a quick movement of his hand Mr. Eglinton drew away the
white material which covered the head of the "form" and it fell back over
the shoulders and became part of the clothing of the visitor. The
connecting link (the white appearance issuing from the side of the
medium) was severed or became invisible, and the "form" advanced to
Mr. Everitt, shook hands with him, and passed round the circle, treating
nearly everyone in the same manner.
" The History of Spiritualism," by Arthur Conan Doyle


texts: Why -th and -eth are followed after verbs?

texts:
What does called that form added -th or -eth after verbs.I found that in an article and don't know why it was used ? Is it specialized verbs ? In which condition ,should I use that!

  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Article Link


texts:
1)There is written in the Macmillan dictionary that the word 'morning' can be both: countable or uncountable.

Could you give me an example sentence where 'morning' is uncountable?

2) Is 'morning' uncountable in the following sentence?

  He sat by the river all morning.

If not, could you explain why there is omitted "the" after "all"?(not 'all the morning' but 'all morning')


texts: How to call the few pages before the actual content of a book?

texts:
That may include the Book title page, Copyright page, preface page, content table page, etc.
or just the Book title page and the Copyright page.


texts: Idiom for "[something] does not make itself"

texts:
In German, there's the idiom

  [etwas/das] macht sich nicht von selbst

Typically someone who's about to do / currently doing / having done some activity will say this in a polemic or taunting way to another person

to either express that the other person should do that activity or
to express that the speaker is a little bit stressed about the activity

Is there such an idiom in English? If yes, how does it read?

Update:

The activity is typically something that (most) people do not like very much. Examples: cleaning, washing dishes, doing lengthy technical tasks manually


texts:
I've seen people put "handmade with love" stickers on their packages. I sell art and I want to do something like that as well.
Except I'll make a custom sticker that replaces 'handmade' with 'Drawn' or 'Painted'.

My question is, does it sound right? English isn't my first language and I'm not sure if "Drawn with Love" is grammatically correct.


texts: The usage of "out of the ball park" & "play up" & "lord and mistress over"

texts:
Eva Green can do no wrong in my book. The Penny Dreadful star
  consistently knocks her roles out of the ball park and knows how to
  perfectly play up her sultry strengths. She even managed to completely
  lord and mistress over a testosterone fueled film like 300: Rise Of An
  Empire.

  So it turns out when the MPAA got a look at the new Ava Lord character
  one-sheet she’s featured on for Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame To
  Kill For, draped only in a generously sheer white gown, they nixed
  approval citing it as being too racy.

  Needless to say, the film’s studios Dimension Films and The Weinstein
  Company made sure the original one-sheet image below made the online
  rounds today before Green's ample assets get retouched to meet the
  MPAA’s standards for theatrical placement.

I know "out of the ball park" is being used metaphorically here, but it doesn't seem to mean  "beyond the amount of money suggested or available", as suggested in the dictionary.

Does "play up" here mean "make good use of"?

Is "lord and mistress over" coined by the author to metaphorically mean "play a sexually dominating role in"?

As for the last bold part, can I say "a generously white sheer gown" or "a white and generously sheer gown" instead?


texts:
I study English
I don’t understand this sentence:

  "I think most of you have probably received a tin of her cookies over the years"

Why someone used Present Perfect?


texts:
"The holiday season is here. This is a time when many of us plan to get away from it all. But what about the home that you are leaving behind?"

I want to know if I can use 'where' instead of 'that'? if not why we can't use relative adverbs like relative pronoun in every situation?


texts: Correctness of "I had been X (profession) for some time"?

texts:
Is it correct to say "I had been X (profession) for some time" when now I am not working as X?

Example:

  I had been karting driver for 7 years


texts: What is the meaning of "unchanged to" in the sentence?

texts:
I could not figure out what the meaning of the sentence?

  In this case, the analysis applies unchanged to the worst-case ratios of the lengths of shortest grid paths and shortest paths.

what is the meaning of "applies unchanged to"?


texts:
I'm reading The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald and there's one part of the book where Jordan Baker goes to sleep and says:

  'Good-night' she said softly. 'Wake me at eight, won't you?'

  If you'll get up

  I will. Good-night, Mr Carraway. See you anon.

What does If you will mean in this context?

Could be the sentence  written as If you get up?


texts:
Hello guys so I have a problem with an expression. So here are two sentences:

I do not run as much as I  used to.
I do not run as much as I used to do.

I don't know which one of the two phrase is the correct one. I would be glad if you could help me out.


texts: What does this answer to the question below imply?

texts:
Do you like talking and meeting with people in your neighborhood?
I'm not getting accustomed to people.

Could you paraphrase the answer in simple English?


texts: What do you call these type of desks? They are extremely long and they are fixed, I am thinking they must have a name since they're so different from regular desks. Is it the case? If not, what words would you use to refer or describe them?


texts: What does "ungenerously, wishing I could help her" mean in this context?

texts:
I would like to know what "ungenerously, wishing I could help her" means in the following sentences:

‘I don’t mean to pry.’ She shifted, visibly uncomfortable, vulnerable
even, but not nearly as much as me. ‘Tell me honestly – does Janusz
have another girl?’
A part of me wanted to laugh out loud, hysterically, until my throat,
vocal cords and stomach muscles hurt. The other part didn’t, was just
plain exhausted. I kept my face neutral, shook my head truthfully.
‘No. You don’t need to worry about that.’
‘Really?’ Her face changed, lightened. ‘It’s just … he’s so distant
sometimes. And I don’t understand why he’s not really responding to
me. You see what I mean …?’ Her eyes asked for reassurance.
I looked at my fingers, and nodded.
‘Does he ever mention me?’ she probed.
‘Yes,’ I said, ungenerously, wishing I could help her. ‘Yes, he
does.’
She seemed hopeful, but unconvinced, her widened eyes revealing her
need for more.
‘Does he like me? Has he said anything to you?’
I swallowed. Vertigo, this time lucid, took hold of me.
‘I don’t know,’ I said, aware that it was the truth. ‘He hasn’t told
me. You’ll have to ask him.’

Tomasz Jedrowski, Swimming in the Dark, Chapter 6

In this novel which is set in the 1980's in Poland under the socialist regime, where homosexuality was socially unacceptable, the protagonist Ludwik left Poland in 1981 to live in the United States of America. And he remembers what it was like back then in Poland, where, one day, he went to the country house of his rich friend named Hania. After everyone went to sleep, only Ludwik and Hania left in the living room and talked. Hania was in love with Janusz, who was Ludwik's lover, and decided to ask something personal to Ludwik, which was about whether Janusz had another girl. She was curious why Janusz was not sincerely responding to her love.
In this boldfaced part, I could not understand what was "ungenerous" here.
Was he feeling that his short answer ("Yes") was ungenerous (he should have said more to relieve her anxiety) although he wished he could help her?
Or, is it that, although he wanted he could help her, his answer came out only in an ungenerous manner, because he was Janusz's lover?


texts: Use 'this' or 'that' to refer to the original post in a comment

texts:
When I'm leaving a comment to a post and I want to refer to the post, should I say 'this post' or 'that post'?

It feels natural to me to say 'this post', however, my English teacher told me 'this' only refers to something in the upcoming text. 'That' should be used when referring to something that's said earlier.

Is my language sense wrong, my English teacher was wrong, or the situation (leaving a comment on a post) is different from what she was talking about (writing a complete piece of text)?


texts:
Is self-proclaimed a negative word?

If we write a self-proclaimed Java Programmer in my CV or formal meetings, will it be considered as a negative or positive word?

Can we use this word in formal talks and letters? And where should we use this word and where not?


texts:
What do you call the hard part between the different panes of glass in a window?

You see the white horizontal and vertical bars between the panes of glass in the windows? What do you call them? Is there a name for them?


texts: What counts as one word and what is two words

texts:
I need advice how to do a word count in English. I am supposed to write 400 words and I do not know if contractions count as one word or two words. How does this work with hyphenated words, like big-hearted. Additionally, what about the word cannot.

I did some searching and I mostly found that all my examples above should count as one word. On the other hand, the rules used for teaching English may be different… I was told by a teacher once that cannot does count as two words.

Is there an official definition released by some prestigious institution that would tell me what is one word and what is two words?


texts:
I read this online:

  “Impregnable” was an autoantonym, too. It was like a snake that ate its own tail.

Why "impregnable" is like a snake that eats its own tail?


texts: Meaning of "and for most" and "the time has come to do more"

texts:
As of this moment, the United States and only four other NATO members meet this basic standard.  Now, while we commend the few nations that are on track to achieve that goal, the truth is that many others, including some of our largest allies, still lack a clear and credible path to meeting this minimum goal. Let me be clear on this point: The President of the United States expects our allies to keep their word to fulfill this commitment, and for most that means the time has come to do more.  Remarks by Vice President Mike Pence

I would like to know what the last sentence means.

In particular, what does "and for most" and "the time has come to do more" mean?

I googled them but I could not find an answer.


texts: Is it grammatical/common to put "are" after the subject in questions?

texts:
Example:

  Which one are we watching?

  Which one we're watching?

Is it common to do this? Sometimes I see it, but many native English speakers tell me that I should add the are.


texts: 'Simple past tense / present perfect tense' vs. 'would have + past participle'

texts:
Although I have asked several questions on "would have + past participle" construction, I still have a few loose ends to tie up.
As Leo adequately pointed out, my doubt is when to use 'simple past tense / present perfect tense' and when to use 'would have + past participle'. (Let's dismiss the irrealis usage of "would have done" in this question)
Consider the example he contributed in his answer to my previous question:

Let's suppose you are a policeman investigating a burglary in the rich
neighboorhood and one of the suspects is the neighbour who happens to
be rich and you found his fingerprints inside the house where burglary
took place.
A jounalist might come up and ask you,"Why would he have stolen the
money?", or he could ask,"Why did he steal the money?"

Another example:

A: Why should I believe you? So I can end up in here with you?
B: It's legal. Ask the IRS. They'll say the same thing.
A: I feel stupid telling you this. I'm sure you would have investigated. (Why not say "I'm sure you have investigated"?)
B: I don't need you to tell me where the bear shit in the buckwheat.
A: Of course not. But you do need someone to set it up for you.
-- The Shawshank Redemption (1994)


texts: Which one is used in the sentence? parallelism or participle cluse

texts:
A good Captain needs to be steadfast, continuing to hold the wheel and stay the course even during the most violent storm.

I faced with the above sentence at an App, but I think the parallelism does not respect here. For instance, "continuing" should be "continue", am I right?
If participle clause is used here, I mean "continuing" , then "stay" should be in participle present,


texts: Using non-continuous verbs in continuous form

texts:
I was learning non-continous verbs once again when I came across a site (I won't post a link to it, it's in russian). And it says that sometimes when we want to emphasize the action, we can use non-continous verb in continous form. And there's an example:

  I am hating him!

As the site says, expression above means that someone who said that hates "him" a lot.

I started searching for more info on this topic but found nothing. So my question is: is that right that non-continuous verbs can be used in continous form and if so, how natural it sounds? How often do you say something like this?


texts: How should I understand "Write to him care of his lawyer."?

texts:
The OALD has the following example:

  Write to him care of his lawyer.

The explanation given for care of somebody (or in care of somebody) is that it is used when writing to somebody at another person's address. In the example sentence, who is somebody, and who is another person?


texts:
I have just learned that "had" should be used to describe the first event when we are referring to two events from the past. Please let me know if this sentence is correct.

  After I had found the wallet full of money, I immediately went to the police and
  turned it in.


texts: You’re making money of me. You’re making money from me

texts:
How would a native speaker say this?

  You’re making money of me

  from me

  over me

  out of me

  by me

  in favor of me

Thanks


texts: I didn't know "nonsense" was a polite word

texts:
It has never occurred to me that the word "nonsense" can be a polite one, until I watch the British TV show Downton Abbey. I.e., to me, the word "nonsense" always associates with negative connotations, e.g., "I knew it...What a nonsense they made.", "Nonsense, that's a sheer lie." or, "Er... ignore me, it was rubbish, nonsense."

However, in the "Downton Abbey" TV show of early 20th century British life, it can be quite a polite one, e.g.:

~ We must have out-stayed your hospitality.
~ Nonsense. You're always welcome.

or at least it can be used in normal conversation:

~ If I make it across the finishing line at all it's a miracle, as far as I'm concerned.
~ Nonsense.

However, I never heard people talking like that these days.

Has its usage been changed?

To reply "Sorry to bother you" with "Nonsense", is it still appropriate nowadays, or it is only appropriate for his lordship or her ladyship to say so?


texts: So I want to know whether the "doing sports" is a participle or a gerund. I have looked into both and both seem possible to me although I think a gerund would make more sense with the addition of "with" for example but maybe you can tell me why this isnt necessary. I normally can dintiniguish the 2 quite well the constructions with "spend" and "waste", however, I can not give an answer as to which one it is. Another one not containing either of the two : "While I could get by not knowing what it is I want to know because it helps me understand the language better." So is this a participle? If I added "with" in both these 2 sentences would they become gerunds? ( "with doing sports" "with not knowing what it is")


texts: How can i omit " which , that , who and passive voice " in sentences ?

texts:
This is an example that I thought "which and are" should have been omitted ; They put meat in the dishes which are filled with onion and garlic
Was it true?


texts:
The first verse of the song Take Back The Instant by General Elektriks is the following:

  Take back the instant

  When you brushed him off your shirt

  You tried to drag him to the trash

  You tried to trade him in for cash

The lyrics as I understand them are about distribution of wealth, and how some people are born lucky and grow up to take everything for granted. The first verse is in line with that, but I don't understand the last line: what does trade somebody in mean?

My first thought was that it was a similar construct as "show somebody in", and so it meant invite somebody into a deal. Could the line be rewritten as "You tried to make a deal with him to extort his money"?

Source of the lyrics: genius.com


texts:
Your work is improving all the time

vs

  Your work improves all the time

Are both of these tenses ok to use in this sentence? Is there a slight difference in meaning?


texts: What is the meaning of suprasegmental phoneme？  Is it related to suprasegmental features? If it is a kind of phoneme, what characteristics it owns?


texts:
I find myself standing in front of my wardrobe, staring for the hundredth time at a rack of pretty clothes, the perfect wardrobe for the manager of a small but cutting-edge art gallery. Nothing in it says “nanny.” God, even the word makes me want to gag. I put on jeans and a T-shirt, scrape my hair back. I don’t even bother putting on any makeup. There’s no point, is there, prettying myself up to spend all day with a baby?

Could you tell me what is the exact meaning of the phrase "is there" which is inserted into the last sentence in the extract above?


texts:
Do I need it in the following sentence? I am not that sure about it.

  A coin has two sides. It takes both to flip it.


texts: "Proponents of the encounter group form of psychotherapy", Could someone please help analyze the structure of this phrase?

texts:
A comment on my another post ("that I continue to learn and grow", does this expression sound natural?) mentioned a term encounter group

I have a bit difficulties when learning that term.

  Proponents of the encounter group form of psychotherapy tend to believe that the behavior of an individual is shaped to a very large degree by responsive adaptation to the attitudes of other individuals, and that encounter groups enable individuals to discover and modify behavior that is perceived as inappropriate.

I am aware that the subject of the sentence above is "Proponents", and "the encounter group form of psychotherapy" modifies the subject.

I also understand the meaning of "Proponents of the encounter group", a group of people that advocate "encounter group".

I cannot understand the structure of the phrase "Proponents of the encounter group form of psychotherapy", in particular, does "form of psychotherapy" modifies "encounter group"?


texts:
Outside the UK/USA people pronounce acronym EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) in two different versions: [ɪfɪ] and [ɪ-ef-aɪ].

The first argue their pronunciation that 'I', for example, mean 'Interface' ([ˈɪntəfeɪs]) and should be read as [ɪ]. The second argue that the English letter 'I' is read as [aɪ].

From the point of native English speakers, what variant is more correct?

I hope there are some rules for it and this question is not opinion-based.


texts:
When a common noun is used as a proper noun or given as a title to a person or place should it be preceded by an article? If yes, with which article?  For example:

  Rahul is called king of good times

or:

  Rahul is called a king of good times

or

  Rahul is called the king of good times.


texts:
We can take them.
I have often heard this said in movies, but I can't find a definition on it. Does it mean "we can defeat them" or "we can kill them"? Could it mean both?


texts: How to offer "It's time to do somthing" for another one

texts:
This is a similar question about using "it's time I went to bed".

The accepted answer suggests we either say:

  It's time I went to bed,

For something that I should have done till now, but I didn't

The other form for "it's time" is:

  It's time to go to bed.

To suggest to sleep! and almost should mean:

  *It's time we go to bed.

But if you want to say, It's time a third person (he, she) goes to bed, or you go to bed, what do you say?

  It's time he goes to bed?

  It's time he go to bed?

  It's time you go to bed?

  It's time for him to go to bed?

  It's time for you to go to bed?


texts: "You can sleep while I drive" vs. "you can sleep while I am driving"

texts:
Could you tell me what is the slight difference in meaning between the following senences?

  It'll take us four hours to get to the coast, so you can sleep while I drive.

  It'll take us four hours to get to the coast, so you can sleep while I am driving.


texts:
“Saying sorry won't make you smaller”.

I'm not sure whether my question is reasonable or not but I was discussing this question with my friends, and got some points by them. We, actually, faced some challenges while deciding what PART OF SPEECH the word SORRY is in the given sentence!

Some of them called it as a NOUN and some of them called it as an ADJECTIVE.

I myself looked it up in different dictionaries, got answers as SORRY isn't used as a noun but an adjective.


texts: In the phrase "On devices sporting the needed sensor, heart activity can be sampled," the word "sporting" obviously means "equipped." But in which cases the word "sporting" could substitute "equipped"?


texts:
(Looking for a job)
Boy: Oh, where can I find a real job?
Mom: Well, you can start by looking in the newspaper.
Boy: Where in the newspaper?
Mom: In the classified pages. Turn to the pages marked classified.

What does "Turn to the pages marked classified" mean?
Does it mean "Turn to the pages written classified"?
Thank you


texts: when two actions happen at the same time, which verb form should be used?

texts:
The girl was lying on the beach .......

  A. and sunbathing  B. sunbathing   C. and sunbathe  D. to sunbath

I think there is more than one true answer, isn't there?


texts:
We say:

  "The installation should have finished by now"

and we can say:

  "The installation will have finished by tomorrow"

But what about this:

  "The installation should have finished by tomorrow"

  "I should have finished the homework by the end of the week"

They might be uncommon, but even so, that may not make them ungrammatical. It is all about whether being used or not.

What other modals can be used with future perfect other than "will"?

Edit:

I would like to post an authentic example I have acquired from COCA as an evidence to the correctness of this grammatical construction.

  Glim's shoulders droop a bit. He looks over at me, " Nothing. You? " #
  " Nothing, " I say, shaking my head. " Sorry, Serba. These aren't
  responsible. Nor do they suggest any meaning or use. " # " I never
  really expected they would. I only hoped.

  Perhaps we'll learn more from the experiments next week. You should
  have started your tests by then as well. " And perhaps the
  disrupters will no longer be necessary, she sends. I shrug. Hope seems
  far away, given Madrin's position. She is, after all, a telepist; her
  opinion carries the weight of the Interplanetary Department of Justice
  behind it.

Date: 1996
Publication information: June 96, Vol. 90 Issue 6, p129, 32p
Title: Communion.
Author: Gross, Gordon
Source: Fantasy & Science Fiction

Another quote is this:

  When you have seen the student regularly, you may need to take steps
  to break dependency. It may be helpful to bring the issue into the
  open and agree that this session ought to be the last. It is always
  possible for the student to make another appointment if they really
  feel they need it.

  The next interview may be more productive if you make it clear what
  work or thinking the student should have completed by then.

Managing Teaching and Learning in Further and Higher Education
Kate Ashcroft, Lorraine Foreman-Peck
Psychology Press, 1994


texts: Using "Contingency" to express busy time

texts:
Can we use contingency to express we are busy with something? Is it common?

Like for example:

  I have a few contingencies but I'll be free in a month.


texts: "maybe in another time" or "maybe in other time"?

texts:
What is more appropriate?

1) Maybe in another time

2) Maybe in other time

The context:
"I would want to add speaking to this presentation, but I have a lot of studying and I'm busy. Maybe in other time."


texts: Here is a question for you: if I say "in front of" it refers to persons that look each other or not? Should I say "opposite"?


texts:
what is the correct form?

This

  It will be a pain to manage renewals without an automatic charge on your's or your customer's credit card.

or this

  It will be a pain to manage renewals without an automatic charge on your or your customer's credit card.


texts: Can we use present perfect for future event?

texts:
I heard someone like "they have been married in two years so we should be married in two years.
'Have been married' for future event? I don't get it.

Is this sentence correct?


texts:
Open his curtains for him so he can see God's beautiful work. And
  he'll know that even things like this happen for the best.

I found this line from the movie, 'as good as it gets', and I'm curious about this phrase 'for the best'. I searched its meaning in the dictionary and it said 'well', but I don't think it means 'well' in this context.


texts:
If a skilled worker is a "Worker, generally holder of a certificate of professional competence, who possesses a trade either through a long training period or through professional education", how can we convey the meaning of a worker whose job don't require any professional training or certificate (e.g. factory assembly line).
In French we say something that can be translated into "specialized worker", does it make sense in English?


texts:
I'm asking a colleague if he can do something. Most probably he can't but in case he has new availabilities I want him to let me know very quickly as it's an urgent demand but I don't know how to put it correctly/politely:
If you can and are interested, please let me know quickly.
If you can and are interested, let me know very quickly, please.
If you can and are interested, please let me know soon.


texts: For example, when you have a bowl cut, you have hair that hides your forehead. What do you call the hair that falls on your forehead?


texts: Why the answer is "that" in "The area that the city now occupies..."?

texts:
Here is my test:

The area ....... the city now occupies was originally swampland.
A. that
B. where
C. on which
D. on that

I chose B, but the answer is A. Can you explain it to me?


texts:
Sam goes to the movies once a month.

What does 'the movies' mean in this sentence?

a. a movie theater
b. a showing of a movie in a theater
c. films in general
d. the film industry


texts:
There was a murder case, the officer said the bulletin was put out all the pawn shops and jewelers in the Tri-State area.

The translation says the Tri-State area is the junction area of the three states (the yellow circle area.)

But I searched the image that it may be the entire area of the three states (red area.)

Which is correct?


texts: Confusion about the sentence "if the companies or individuals......as is well known in the west...."

texts:
I was reading this answer on an Islamic Q&A website and the following sentence confused me:

  With regard to other types of meat, if the companies or individuals
  who produce meat are people of the Book, Jews or Christians, and it is
  not known from them that they kill the animal by electric shock,
  strangling or striking it on the head, as is well known in the west,
  then this meat is halaal.

Does the author wish to say that it is well known that western countries DO NOT kill the animal by electric shock, strangling or striking on the head OR does he mean it is well known that western countries DO use these methods of killing animals?


texts: Difference between "had hoped to" and "hoped to"

texts:
Tell me please what the difference is between the following sentences.

  Mike hoped to live in that house, but he couldn't afford it.

  Mike had hoped to live in that house, but he couldn't afford it.

Are those two sentences identical in meaning? if they are, then what is "had" in the second one for?


texts:
This question is about comparison of the words "to soak", "to soak up something  "  in terms of usage and clarify if I used them correctly with right prepositions.

  I soak the flowers in my garden every morning. (irrigating sense)

  The rain soaked my clothes. (The rain got my clothes wet.)

  The rain soaked up my clothes.( My clothes got wet completely, severer
  sense)

  I got soaked in / with / by the rain. ( are all prepositions possible or correct)

  I got soaked up in in /with / by the rain. ( I got wet completely to
  the skin) ( So  does adding the word up suggest wetting is fully ?)

  Use the paper towels to soak up the tea pouring on the table.

  My laptop was soaked with the water. ( not completely just for example
  a glass of water was spilled on it)

And I also know there is another sense of usage of " to soak up"  that " to spend time experiencing or feeling something enjoyable"

For example :

  We're having a great time, soaking up the sun. ( from McMillan Dic.)

  We're having a great time, soaking up the rain and the fresh air it
  brought.

  We decide to stroll and soaking up the rain with our umbrellas. (
  walking under the rain )


texts:
A refrain that seemed to dominate all the air, uttering its message
  again ang again; and it said: "Four to one, bar one." From this Mona
  knew that the races were beginning.

This is from "The Story pf Mona Sheehy" by Lord Dunsany.
I don't understand the meaning of "Four to one, bar one."
Mona was beside a roulette. And the race should be a horse race. "Four to one" means a odds? "bar one" means a horse gate?
I am glad somebody would kindly teach me.


texts:
I have an argument about this with two friends. We are not native English speakers. We read a sentence and are not certain if it is a valid sentence. We can all understand it but we do not agree if it is valid or not. Translators will do just fine in translating it. Spell/grammar checkers did not find errors. The sentence in question:

Tickets must be submitted no longer than 3 hours of the event ending.

Is there anything missing here? Can you leave it like it is?


texts: How does addressing a person as “dear” sound?

texts:
I am wondering if addressing a person as ''Dear'' sounds casual, friendly or formal. For example, ''Thanks dear''
Is it used in business letters nowadays or is it outdated?
I hear "dear" used a lot by non-natives.


texts: Why do we use base form of verb after the verb 'Do'?

texts:
For example-
Does she look smart?
Did she come yesterday?


texts:
these is a sentence:
"the cat ran into the kitchen when he heard the can open."
I have a question,why not use "opened" instead of "open"?


texts: What future tenses would you use in the following sentences and why?

texts:
You've been studying Spanish for a long time, and I'm sure you _____ (speak) fluently in a few months.

  Whether we like it or not, within a few years biotechnology _____ (transform) every aspect of human life.


texts:
I read this quite recently.

  The village of Beddgelert has shown that it is possible to reverse soil degradation.

Versus

  The village Beddgelert has shown that it is possible to reverse soil degradation.

Which one sounds more appropriate?
Also, In Geography, I read,

  The state of Rajasthan is endowed with wind and solar energy.

What difference does it make to say

  Rajasthan is endowed with wind and solar energy.?

Cheers!


texts: What's the meaning of "structure and internal differentiation" in this context?

texts:
ALL CAPS IS HARD TO PARSE IN GENERAL. IT IS EASIER TO SCAN TEXT WHICH HAS STRUCTURE AND INTERNAL DIFFERENTIATION. IN ADDITION, ON THE INTERNET, ALL CAPS IS THE EQUIVALENT OF SHOUTING, AND THEREFORE IS CONSIDERED RUDE, AS SHOUTING IS CONSIDERED RUDE IN PUBLIC.

I know

  structure : the quality of something that is carefully planned, organized, and controlled
  internel : existing or located on the inside of something
  differentiation : the action or process of differentiating.

In the article, he is talking about bad things of writing something in all caps. I don't understand why he said STRUCTURE AND INTERNAL DIFFERENTIATION. What's the relation between using capitals and the sentence(IT IS EASIER~).


texts: Can anyone help me understand this sentence?

texts:
This is the whole paragraph and the bolded sentence is the sentence that makes me confused:

  In 1961, Edward Lorenz, who was both a mathematician and a meteorologist, was
  studying computer simulations of weather patterns. He found a few simple equations
  that could describe certain weather patterns. Lorenz plugged these equations into a
  computer and studied the outcomes, which were very similar to common weather
  patterns that can be found in the real world. One day he wanted to review a certain
  simulation that he had previously seen. Rather than starting the entire simulation from
  the beginning, he attempted to start the simulation somewhere in the middle. The
  computer was dealing with numbers with six decimal places. However, to save
  space, it was outputting numbers with only three decimal places. Instead of typing in
  0.506127, he entered the number 0.506. Thinking that the difference is less than one
  part in a thousand, he expected to get the same weather pattern. To his shock and
  amazement, the weather pattern that emerged was totally different from the one he
  intended. Lorenz realized that for these simple equations, the way the different parts
  interacted with each other, and the way outcomes of some of the equations became
  inputs to other equations, caused major changes in weather patterns depending on
  starting positions. In other words, an ever-so-slight change in the initial conditions of
  the equations can radically alter the rest of the simulation. In the real world, this
  means that a slight change in a weather pattern now can cause a major change later.

  Source: The Outer Limits of Reason: What Science, Mathematics, and Logic Cannot Tell Us
  by Noson S. Yanofsky

I am not a native speaker and I need this part for a paper. can anyone explain this sentence and break it down so I can understand it. I really would appreciate your help.


texts: I want to express that I write about something. Which sentence should I use?

texts:
I want to express that I write about something. It could be history, politics etc.

Which sentence should I use?

  I write articles & blog posts focused on ___
  I write articles & blog posts on ___
  I write articles & blog posts about ___


texts:
It was in the Caribbean, on the island of Nevis, that Nelson met and married Fanny Nisbet, and the island still bears  traces / marks of the young captain’s presence.

Traces or marks? Which one is better and why?


texts: meaning of the word "grounding" in context

texts:
Some think your family allows you to stay connected to the person you once were, and if you are not that person anymore, that connection can be grounding, and valuable.

I looked up the word "grounding" in loads of dictionaries, but still have no idea what it means in the sentence.


texts:
A: The Council has given planning permission for another shopping
  centre in the city.

  B: So I read in the paper.

Can I use "I read so in the paper" or "I read in the paper so" in the place of the marked phrase above ?


texts:
My sister hates being late for work. She likes to arrive __________ time.

I know the answer is "on". What about "in"? Can we also use it in this case?


texts: getting ready to go or getting myself ready to go

texts:
I want to go out with someone. Currently, I am wearing my clothes and making my makeup.

Shall I use myself in this context?

Which one is correct:

  I am getting ready to go out.

or

  I am getting myself ready to go out.


texts:
I have to report on duty on 22th December 2014.

It should be on or for?

If that day I have attend, I have report to someone that I have on duty that day.


texts:
While giving directions, does it make any difference if we say e.g.

  The nearest restaurant is just around the corner.

Or

  The nearest restaurant is just on the corner.

I've checked for possible duplicates but just found a question concerning at and on the corner while using dummy subjects it and there.

Thanks


texts: He {speaks/has spoken} German since a long time

texts:
If a non-native speaker was to say

  He speaks German since a long time.

How would you correct the sentence and what tense would you say he is trying to speak in?


texts: What does this mean by saying "public–facing bite"？

texts:
She stood out by writing the way a woman’s internal monologue might actually sound, oscillating between public-facing bite and what are usually privately-held insecurities.

I read this in the Rolling Stone website, here is the link: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/sza-interview-new-music-950364/


texts:
Let's assume an inexperienced guy who doesn't know where to say what to a girl at the first meeting and says some irrelevant and out-of-place words which may even offend the girl.

Or

  Let's suppose a serviceman who's not mastery of repairing a laundry machine, because he had just recently started his job and has not experienced various damages on a particular piece of the machine and accordingly is not well familiar with the way he should fix it.

Or

  Please imagine a girl who does't know e.g. Salsa Dance well and when it comes to dancing, she constantly treads on her partners foot.

What would you call all these people? "Clumsy" or "awkward"?

To me, they both are interchangeable in these senses and the only nuance that strikes to me is that "awkward" is a bit formal comparing to "clumsy".

Please note that I'm well aware that "awkward" is broader in meaning, but I'm specifically asking about these situations.

I have read the similar link, but still I cannot tell them apart!

Some sources that I read prior to posting this question to the forum:

https://hinative.com/en-US/questions/30654
https://hinative.com/en-US/questions/50746
https://www.myenglishteacher.eu/ask/question/clumsy-awkward-difference/


texts: Can you tell me the effect of 'comma' on 'the'?

texts:
Oakmont shows no mercy

  Let the clumsy,the spineless,the alibi artist stand aside.

It can be rewritten as Let the clumsy,the spineless and alibi artist stand aside.Am I right if one the is omitted when placed and.

Also, what does it means by 'alibi artist'?

Another example: *He is the handsome and smart PM of USA.*We do not put the
with smart.


texts: Why did he turn on the TV vs why the man turned on the TV

texts:
Why did the man turn on the TV ?

  Why the man turned on the TV ?

Sometimes, I guess, I hear or see these two constructions, so what is the difference ? Does the second is more often in sopken language ? And do both of them are formal ?

Thank you


texts: what is the difference between 'em and them

texts:
What is the difference between 'em and them?

I saw my friend writing,

  Lets Kick'em.

But I don't know what it means and if it is correct to use. Could you help me?


texts: What's the most common name for the owner of the apartment (in which rents it to others)

texts:
What's the most common name -in the UK- for the owner of the apartment (in which rents it to others)?

I found three choices: homeowner, landlord, owner. Is one of them is more common in usage than the other?


texts: How to pronounce “ch” and “j” sounds at the end of the syllable?

texts:
I’m confused with these two sounds when they are at the end of the syllable. I know that “ch” and “j” are comprised of two sound: tsh and dzh respectively. So I think words like teach and page are pronounced like this: teat and pad in the first part without releasing the air (stop sound). But that would sound like the word “teat” and “paid”. I’m not sure about it even when I listen carefully to the pronunciation of the words. And here’s my recording: teach and page

In the recording I used with t and d in the first pair and the second pair is what I have always used.

Which is correct?

And if possible could you give pronunciations of the word slowly?


texts: What's the abbreviation for Widow? - Native speakers preferred

texts:
Dictionaries and online sources say the abbreviation for 'widow' could be...

  wid  w  ww  wd, and so on...

But

One of the references as stated by some Native speaker (and, also a few likes) say that 'Mrs.' could be used as an abbreviation for widow! This is very strange to me.

I'd seek native speakers' opinion on this as I know in InE, there's no such practice. Plus, I'd like to know how politely and culturally we can address her.

What do you guys write for a widow or widower?

  Mr. Jack Orson  Mrs. Jennifer Kidman  Mrs. Kate Bush

If we believe that source, how do we make out -whether Kate is widow or Jennifer?

The context: I just want to mention those three people. They are the hosts.


texts: Can there be no 'a' between such and a noun?

texts:
When it comes to losing weight, a quick fix to would be nice, but we
  know there’s no such [a] thing. (Aussie 7 News)

It sounds like there isn’t ‘a’ in the news. So I wonder if it be right when there is no ‘a’ after ‘such.’ Would it be okay?


texts: "I have travelled with my friends to Europe and Asia."

texts:
I have an issue with the following sentence:

I have travelled with my friends to Europe and Asia.

Do I have to add 'to' before 'Asia'? I am confused because in spoken English I quite often hear people say the sentence without 'to' before 'Asia'. However, I have learned to put 'to' before Asia. Am I wrong?


texts:
I am an intermediate level English learner and I wish to be fluent in English in order to be able to easily read academic subjects, books, novels, and researches written in not simple English, so I need to know what I should do to reach that level.

Note

I don't have the opportunity to immerse myself in an English-speaking community.


texts:
It sounds like the tutorial is saying (a video link with a time stamp)

  closing
  the door and that's going to create
  steam which is going to help my bread
  doughs ... my braed ball bowls hoes and right
  and get a nice beautiful round shape ...

there is a phrase in her saying sounds like "fulls rise".

Is there a phrase sounds like "fulls rise" to describe a job well done?


texts: Why is "had cut" (past perfect) used with "pressed (past simple) in this sentence?

texts:
First up we bring you THE FEATURES who were another old Roxy Club Punk
  band from Orpington in Kent. Both tracks have been taken direct of the
  master acetate that the band had cut in 1978 and pressed up 500 copies on their own Progress label.

(Source: Detour Records - V/A - Bored Teenagers Vol 10 LP (NEW))

Can somebody explain to me why had cut is past perfect and pressed is past simple, as it is obvious that before making a record, you cut acetate. Or is it because a long time passed between the cutting and the pressing, or maybe it is had cut and had pressed, but I don't see in either case the reason of past perfect.

I would understand past perfect it it was were taken but with have been present is included.


texts: How to interpret pronunciation marks (such as "ləʊðd")

texts: In questions such as this one (What’s the pronunciation for loathed) answerers often answer pronunciation questions with special characters, as Matt does for that question by using ləʊðd.  Though I already know how to pronounce the word loathed, I for the life of me can't look at those special characters and figure out how the pronunciation comes from them!  How exactly do they work?  Is there a reference somewhere for how each character is to be pronounced, so I can get a better handle on this system? It makes it hard for me to read questions and answers containing these symbols when I don't understand them.


texts:
Yesterday I read a novel and in that novel, I noticed a sentence that got me confused. The sentence is, "Everyone who had partied last night had a hangover."

Since "last night" is like a  point of time is it possible to use had+v3 in this sentence?


texts:
Please let me know when it is right to use 'toward' and 'towards'.
Are they interchangeable in their usage?
Is either of them meant to be exclusively used in some scenarios?
Is there some common rule governing other similar pairs:

afterward/afterwards
onward/onwards
inward/inwards
outward/outwards


texts: Why did the writer write "give me back my earrings" there?

texts:
Can anybody explain why it's there? Does it mean anything to the paragraph? I don't find it was what the reporter said when he ghosted her.

"Although she wrote glowingly of her unnamed platonic “dates” with LinkedIn scientists and entrepreneurs – nearly all with partnered men who were kind and strictly professional with their career advice – she hinted at a tryst with a reporter who then “ghosted” her (“give me back my earrings, [expletive]!”). She didn’t name the reporter, but in a spiteful turn, sprinkled in enough details for his friends and colleagues to identify him. That’s not the kind of professional attention anyone ever wants to attract."

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dianahembree/2017/07/30/linkedin-is-not-a-dating-site/#6eab19d54e89


texts:
I definitely enjoy spending time with my family. I feel like I'm a very down to earth person who enjoys a good laugh. I've never been good at things like this, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Is "a good laugh" an idiom? Does it always mean a partner? Or does it literally mean a happy life?


texts: Differenec between time-expression with and without " ... 's time"

texts:
While I was reading PEU about time-expressions (at, in and on) I faced with "In can be used to say how soon something will happen, and to say how long something takes to happen". Meanwhile, the expression "in ... 's time" is used to show how soon something will happen, not how long something takes place. There is an example:

  Ask me again in three or four days.

My question is whether the sentence

  Ask me again in three or four days' time.

correct at all? If so, whether it has the same meaning as the first. I guess, it has... but I'm doubting.


texts:
What is the correct word to describe the "size" of the vertical axis of a graph?

Suppose one graph's axis goes from 0 to 10 with tick size 1 and the other one from 0 to 100 with tick size 10.
Then the two graphs have different ... (scales or scalings?) of the vertical axis.

Thanks


texts: When constructing a hypothetical sentence, do I have to keep all the tenses in the past?

texts:
If I bought that book, it would be so I had something to give to you on
  your birthday.

Is the above sentence grammatically correct?
Or would "have" be a better option than "had"?


texts:
What preposition do we use in British English when we talk about time?

  I came at around five o'clock.

  I came at round five o'clock.

Can I use the preposition above?

  I came at about five o'clock.

Thanks for help.


texts: Is there any difference between "temporary" and "provisional"?

texts:
The English dictionary shows that either temporary or provisional indicates the short time. Therefore, I get confused about which is more proper in the following sentence:

  Any physical theory is always temporary/provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis: you can never prove it.

It seems that the word transient also shares this meaning feature with them. How can I distinguish one from another?


texts:
In Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse (2018) movie , Peter tells Miles how to shoot web from hands:

  Peter: Aim with your hips! Look where you want it to hit. Square your
  shoulders. Don't forget to follow through! Don't shoot off your back
  foot.

I heard back foot in cricket sport. Here context is spider man web shootings rules.

What does, "off your back foot" mean?


texts:
I am reading some text and don't understand this:

  Unfortunately, we can't live off the fat of the land although
  indigenous people did so for thousands of years.

What indigenous means and how would we explain the point of all sentence?
I suppose the first part is an idiom because of the weird choice of words, but I am stuck. Can somebody help me?


texts:
I don't quite understand the meaning of the phrase "there is to know."
At first glance, I failed to figure out why the phrase should be here, because "everything about God" appears to be sufficient to convey what the author wanted to tell the reader.
On second thought, the present tense of the phrase appears to be necessary because it compares the present situation to the 14th century. The implication is that for this revived man, while his knowledge about science is a disaster, his knowledge about God is as perfect as that of best Christians today. Am I on the right track?
If so, I am still not very clear why "to know" should be used. "Everything there is (presently) about God" seems okay to me.
The best guess I've now got is that the structure here is "know...everything there is to know..." (I understand it as "know...everything one should know that exists presently...", so "to know" means "one should know"). I am not very sure.

Imagine that we could revive a well-educated Christian of  the 14th century. The man would prove to be a total ignoramus, except on matters of faith. His beliefs about geography, astronomy, and medicine would embarrass even a child,  but he would know more or less everything there is to know about God.

Source: The End of Faith by Sam Harris p.22


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "I count on you" and "I'm counting on you"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between I count on you and I'm counting on you? For example:

I count on you to come through with what you promised.
I'm counting on you to come through with what you promised.


texts:
I have the following passage:

  Prospects for the increasing of organic products sales volumes by
  agrarian enterprises depend on the improvement of the marketing
  product and assortment policy, (the) qualified pricing, (the) professional
  logistics and distribution, and the formation of the manufacturer's
  brand and its products.

I doubt about if I should use articles "the".


texts:
She has blushed after he pointed at her

  She blushed after he pointed at her

Do these sentences bear the same meaning?

First:

Does the first sentence mean that I can see the result right now? Does it mean that she blushed, for example, 20 seconds ago (just now)?

For example, I understand the first sentence as I was hanging out somewhere with a friend, then the action described above happens(the girl starts blushing), and my friend exclaims that she had blushed. Then I turn my head and I can see that she's red.

Second:

Does the second mean that the teller has a specific time in the past in his mind?

For example, it's more like a story that my friend would tell me, a story that took place at some point in the past, like 20 minutes ago or yesterday, or even one year ago.

Question:
Is my understanding of these sentences correct?


texts:
Say someone has explained something to me days ago. But I forgot basically everything when we talked about it again later, I wanted to ask him to explain that for me again.
Can I use "refresh / refreshment", like "can I get some refreshment on this" ?


texts:
But that doesn't seem enough to make something a pain. It's true that
  pains are caused by injury, and they do make you hop and yell. But
  they also feel a certain way, and that seems to be something different
  from all their relations to causes and effects, as well as all the
  physical properties they may have—if they are in fact events in your
  brain. I myself believe that this inner aspect of pain and other
  conscious experiences cannot be adequately analyzed in terms of any
  system of causal relations to physical stimuli and behavior, however
  complicated.

[What does it all mean? Thomas Nagel]

In this case, can I replace "relations to" with "relations between"? Will the meaning change?

And .... what's complicated? Is it "system of causal relations"?

Thank you so much!


texts: Is the usage of "Adequate" right in this context?

texts:
I checked Cambridge dictionary and it defined 'adequate' as "Enough or satisfactory for a particular purpose". I want to use the word as a synonym for 'enough'. So, is it right in this context:

  "All this absurd hate will not be adequate to talk me out of my decision!"


texts:
Caution shall be exercised when priming a carburetor.

Does it mean "Caution shall be exercised when filling fuel to a carburetor"?

I searched "prime" in macmillandictionary.com and dic.cambridge.org but I couldn't find any relevant definition that fits in this context. However, when searched in merriam-webster.com, there was a definition, which was "fill, load". So I want to be sure if "prime" has meaning of "fill" or "load", and if this meaning fits in the context.


texts:
sorry for my bad English.
I'm translating a book about behavior. What does "At this late date" mean in the following context:

  At this late date, I don’t think we have to strenuously argue that finding meaning and purpose improves our lives.


texts:
Are both of these statements acceptable grammatically?

Receiving homemade cupcakes make me feel special.
Receiving homemade cupcakes makes me feel special.


texts:
Unlike the name of the San Antonio street their now-ex point guard once called home, the Spurs today will choose not to rue Parker. Instead, the team will celebrate him and his hallowed place amid the greatest era of the franchise’s history. (source)

As far as dictionaries and my knowledge of the word go, "to rue" means "to regret", but it doesn't make sense here. What does the word mean in this context? How do you rue someone?


texts:
What are the structure and meaning of the following bolded phrase? I have a problem with understanding of the two phrases meaning where are connected together, "fairly close by" and "flattened out over time":

  And until just recently, most of us thought the sand had come from an
  ancient mountain range fairly close by that flattened out over time.


texts:
I am puzzled with the following sentence. Here goes:

  Call him out on that!! Did you mean for that to sound passive aggressive?

Does "mean for that" mean the same as "mean by that"?


texts:
The Poet says

    Four o'clock in the afternoon
    And I didn't feel like very much.

and, while I have a grasp of the meaning (I know about the idiom "I don't feel like ..." and the context makes clear that the subject has a bad feeling about himself), I wonder if "I don't feel like very much" is a well recognized idiom to express self-discomfort or it is an unicum out of the shiny brain of Leonard Cohen.


texts:
I want to say that a certain fact is true "from the beginning of the story to the present".

But AFAIK, the preposition "from" is not so good for describing time, and I should use the preposition "since" instead. So, maybe I should say: "since the beginning of the story to the present". But this sounds wrong.

So maybe "since the beginning of the story until the present"? This sounds awkward.

What is the best way to say this?


texts: The present perfect tense describing a future event?

texts:
I was working out an online Enlish test, and came up into this question:

  I'll get in touch with you as soon as I _____ the results.

  Your Answer: am informed to

  Correct: have been informed of

The event of "informing" is happening in the future (unknown time), I know that simple present is inaccurate, but how the present perfect tense can be used in this context?


texts: Is it correct to skip the second article “the” while writing about the object placement?

texts:
Which of the following is correct?

(...) an element will be placed on the right or left side of a container (...)

(...) an element will be placed on the right or on the left side of a container (...)

I was trying to find grammar rules related to this but without success.


texts:
I have a question, is birth date or birth day?

I'm learning english and I have this question.


texts: Read the grammar box and check your answer. Should I put a comma?

texts:
I am proofreading, and I found this sentence:

  Read the passage and answer the questions below.

I believe that we need to put a comma before 'and' since there are two independent clauses.

Thus, it will be:

  Read the passage[,] and answer the questions below.

Am I correct?


texts: What's the difference between "has been living" and "has lived"?

texts:
Here I know I have one present perfect and present perfect continuous sentence.

I have lived in Europe for 2 years.
I have been living in Europe for 2 years.

Can you use both of them interchangeably? What is the exact difference between them? To me both suggest that the person is still living in Europe.


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, so I had a trouble when translating the follow sentence:

  The use of an implicit operator of this form liberalizes the stability restrictions appreciably and raises the maximal permissible value of min by a factor of 2-10 over that of an explicit scheme of time advancement at typical values of the problem and grid parameters used in the simulations.

What does the over that of mean?? Could you comment please?