texts:
How can we best describe the meaning of this phrase to a non-native English speaker?

Example Dialogs:

  Sally: Isn't Twilight the best movie series of all time?

  Fred: Yeah, no.

  Fred: Doesn't it bother you that vampires sparkle?

  Sally: Yeah, no, not really.


texts:
Is the word "since" needed there before "now"? Does it change the meaning?

I was worried about you but since now that I know that you are okay I'm okay too.

I made up this sentence but I am not sure whether I need to include "since" or omit it.


texts:
I'm a little confused about these sentences(?)/phrases(?). I would use "What do we do?" as a proper form in most cases, but I've recently noticed that many websites use "what we do" in their navigation bars or sections about their teams, e.g.

https://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/
(look at the navigation bar)

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/what-we-do.html
(the navigation bar as well)

What's the difference between these two phrases? Which one should be put on the website, and why?


texts: What am I talking to myself here? vs Who are you to judge me?

texts:
I encountered two sentences in a movie.

  What am I, talking to myself here?
  Who are you to judge me?

Meant You aren't listening to me.

My question:

  It looks like both sentences have the same structure, so why does No.1 use v-ing and No.2 use to-verb?

Also:

  Can we express 1 as What am I, to talk to myself here?


texts: A word for someone who is easily driven by anyone for anything, but he's not foolish/innocent

texts:
Consider Mike for this.

I want a term that describes Mike, who is very easily 'convinceable'. But, Mike is not foolish or innocent. In other words, anybody able to fog a mirror can go, convince, and fulfill their wish.

Simplest example is...a salesperson with a bogus product going to Mike; it's easy for him to convince Mike. Mike purchases product without any hassle or a contractor going to Mike, convincing him for a fraudulent scheme project without much efforts.

What do we call Mike? A word for a person who can be convinced easily; but please mind it, he's not foolish or innocent. He's just easily convinceable.

My homework: I tried OneLook Reverse but could not get the term :(


texts: "I've never used to before", is it right form? I wanna know how to say when something that didn't enjoy at previous time.


texts: How to use a number with several adjectives for its noun?

texts:
In teachings based on the behavior-oriented approach, general educational goals must be analyzed to the level of objective behavioral goals i.e. observable and measurable behaviors and be classified into the three areas of cognitive, psychomotor, and emotional.

There are three adjectives for areas: cognitive, psychomotor, and emotional areas. The part of text shown in bold seems weird because it uses of+[adjective]. Is the sentence correct as is or should I write three cognitive, psychomotor, and emotional areas? Why?


texts: "Physician's writing" - "to scribble like a chicken with claw"

texts:
Is there any phrase for describing when someone writes extremally illegibly?

In Poland it's called "physician's script", or there's an idiom "pisać jak kura pazurem", which literally means "to scribble like a chicken with claw".

It's very popular in Poland. Well, at least I've heard it on every occasion.


texts: Should I say "What are we going to study 'in' / 'by' this presentation?"

texts:
When using the presentation in front of audience, what is the correct way to ask what are we going to study by this presentation?

  1) "What are we going to study by this presentation?"

  2) "What are we going to study in this presentation?"

  3) "What are we going to study from this presentation?"


texts: What is the difference between these two sentences

texts: What is the difference between the sentence "He was tired because he was exercising too hard" and "He was tired because he had been exercising too hard"?


texts: What does "They have been backed at short odds to win thousands of pounds" mean?

texts:
How should I analyse the following sentence?

  They have been backed at short odds to win thousands of pounds.

Which of the following versions is the most accurate understanding (or would there be a more accurate version)?

They have been backed (by someone or some wish) to win money at short odds.
They have been supported by short odds to win the money
They have been very likely to win the money.


texts: "Refuse anyone help" or "refuse to help anyone"

texts:
My auntie would never refuse anyone help if they need it.

Can you explain "anyone help"? I think it should be: "to help anyone".


texts:
Is the use of "suction surface pressures" in the following sentence correct grammatically? If it is not, kindly suggest ways to make it clearer.

On the other hand, with increased blade loading on the blade surface (use of thicker airfoils), suction surface pressures are reduced, and the velocity and Mach number over the suction surface increase with the local Mach number reaching supersonic values.

Is it better to use of "pressure of suction surface" or "pressures on the suction surface"?

Thanks.


texts: Conflicting sources on whether it's possible to use "to-do" after "way" when the latter is preceeded with a possessive

texts:
I asked Google: Way of doing or way to do?
On one website, somebody quoted The Collins Cobuild English Usage (p765) as saying:

  You can talk about a way of doing something or a way to do it. There is no difference in meaning. Note that if you use a possessive with way, you must use 'of' and an 'ing' form after it. You do not use a 'to' infinitive: They are part of the author's way of telling his story.

However, online Oxford dictionary says:

  1(one's way) One's characteristic or habitual manner of behaviour or expression.

  ‘it was not his way to wait passively for things to happen’

Oxford's example uses a possessive with to-do. I thought maybe both sources are correct, and that the rule applies only when way means a method (as in Collins example) and not when it means a habit, nature or manner of behavious ( as in Oxford). But then I thought "will it be ok to say: This is God's way to help you?". And now I'm not sure about anything :)


texts:
I'm not sure if my syntax is correct - I'm trying to say something that would correspond to German pattern je... desto. So:

  The more difficult it is to define a notion, the higher are chances it would take the form of a woman.

EDIT wow, it never occurred to me that my meaning would come across as sexist. After reading the comments, I'd better explain what I wanted to say - thank you for pointing that out to me! I wanted to say that if you have a vague idea of something (like freedom, justice, goodness, etc.), it is most likely that philosophy and/or history has personified it as a woman. I hope that helps.


texts: Synonym for pointing out someone's wrong behaviour

texts: What are verbs of phrases describing making a strict remark condemning someone's wrong behavior to one's face? For example, when a pupil keeps chatting during a class and the teacher asks him to stop.


texts: What is the meaning of "a thinly disguised price"?

texts:
They also provided an opportunity for the groom’s family to display
  its affluence and glory in its prestige in the community. The
  splendour of these occasions was a severe burden on a family’s
  resources… An additional expense was the gifts to the bride’s family,
  the betrothal presents, which were a thinly disguised price for the
  person of the daughter-in-law and a clear indication of her total
  subservience to her new family.

This article is about women in ancient China and their wedding ceremonies. I believe "for the person of the daughter-in-law" here is the bride. But what is the meaning of "a thinly disguised price"? Is it indicating that the gift is equal to the bride?

Source: https://www.ancient.eu/article/1136/women-in-ancient-china/


texts: Would native speakers use the word "unit" here?

texts:
How many are there in a dozen?

Or,

  How many units are there in a dozen?

As a learner the second sentence seems better to me.

How would native speakers say this?

Also,

Is the sentence:

  How many centimeters are there in a meter?

natural to native speakers?

Thanks in advance.


texts: difference between' to + verb' and 'to be + past participle'

texts:
Is there any difference between the following sentences?

  I have some questions to ask.

and

  I have some questions to be asked.


texts:
Aaagh, fuck. We have to go around —there’s a wreck up ahead.

Two people are driving down a road when they notice a car wreck up ahead.
So does "go around" refer to "driving around the wreck" or is it an altered version of "turning around", or maybe taking a different route? (Though I'm not quite sure if they can turn off that road onto some other road.) I feel it means the former. (Driving around it)
Thank you:)


texts:
Concrete nouns cannot be modified by abstract ones.

I cannot understand this sentence. It does not mean that I cannot understand the meaning of this sentence, rather I cannot understand what it teaches.


texts: I have confusion with this sentence. "I think, It will be one of the best tutorial course ever published here "

texts:
Is it correct ? "I think, It will be one of the best tutorial course ever published here "

I am just confused a little bit. Because the sentence is starting with future tense and have had " ever published " participle form or Past form. It's little confusing. Can I place two different tenses in the same sentence ? Or You can suggest me to learn about something. Thanks in advanced.


texts: to dream - to sleep vs to dream / to imagine / to hope / to follow dreams difference

texts:
how and what words do you use to express more clear meanings, thoughts or answers when you talk about:

to dream = to sleep. Last night I had a bad dream about the death of my friend. I dreamed (dreamt) that he was lying dead on the road then I woke up at four... terrified.
I have a dream to travel the whole world. In future when I earn more money I would to realize my dream.

The question is how do you distinguish this one word "a dream or to dream" if it has absolutely different meanings? The one is about sleeping process and the other is about your hope or purpose in your life to make or do something great, to be someone better as a person or to become someone great or famous in future. Give, please, detailed response. Maybe you, on-earth, use different words depending on what you want to speak about.


texts:
Can any sentence using the present perfect tense be rewritten without using it without changing its meaning?

It seems to me the answer is yes.

Let's consider the following sentence.

  Have you ever been to China?

It seems to me that I can rewrite this as follows.

  Did you ever go to China?

Next consider the following sentence.

  I've just got this video game.

It seems to me that I can rewrite this as follows.

  I just got this video game.

Am I mistaken?


texts: what does it mean to say 'regionally advertised'

texts:
An article says ' the types of food supplier are regionally advertised and nationally advertised '.

I thought the word 'advertised' is related to 'advertisement', so the words
regionally advertised and nationally advertised are a bit hard to interpret. In this specific context, do they mean the food is offer by region or country in this context?


texts:
Our shelves display the work of 35 artisans from across the region.

In this sentence, Did 35 artisans make only one work collaboratively?
or Did 35 artisans make their work respectively?

and I saw answer in this site that explains 'from across' means 'from every part of', and I was wondering if 'from across' can always mean 'from every part of' in any sentences. (then I can write that in my vocabulary note and memorize it)


texts: What verb should I use to describe changing the way a border goes?

texts: What verb should I use to describe changing the way a border between countries goes? 'Redefine', maybe?


texts:
I'd like to make sure what " to bundle out of the way" means ? I think it means  cramped in a place that you cannot move so you can nothing to do. there is no way out in figurative and literal sense.

  Once she is coerced into signing adoption papers, she's bundled out of
  the way and into the  convent to save her parents further humiliation.

There are many examples on the internet but not sure whether they are related to this sense.


texts:
Please have a look on the following structures:

I’m in good shape.[physically/emotionally/mentally/financially/generally etc.]
2. They are in a good economic shape.

How would you usually negate each case?
I think in the first case, it would be better to avoid using the collocation "bad shape" while
one thing to note is that "bad shape" can mean something else.
"I'm in bad shape" can also mean I am injured. Or unwell, as with a virus or hangover. Or mentally or emotionally unwell. Source
This is why I think in first ceae to prevent from confusion it would be better to say:

1- I'm out of shape.

rather than "I'm in bad shape" just to be on the safe side.
But in order to the second case, I guess we can use either structures. I mean:

2.a. They are in bad economic shape.
2.b. They are economically out of shape.

Please correct me if I am wrong and let me know if I am missing a point.
Thank you in advance everybody.


texts: Can "In a sense" be used as "On the one hand"?

texts: Is it okay if I start a sentence with the phrase "In a (or one) sense" instead of "On one hand" while comparing two things? If so, what about usage of "On the other hand" in starting the counterpoint?


texts:
Which one is more correct?

It is hard to say whether the more up-to-date file had indeed been on his desk before the meeting took place. If it had been he should be regarded as a liar.

It is hard to say whether the more up-to-date file was indeed on his desk before the meeting took place. If it was he should be regarded as a liar.


texts: How to pronounce "walk" and "work" unambiguously

texts:
I moved (because of work) in a non-English speaking country, where pronunciation of English words / sounds can be a problem sometimes. I try to help them improve, since my level of English is much better (not native) than theirs.

One situation is regarding the words in the title.

The following sentences sound exactly the same when they speak:

  I walked yesterday.
  I worked yesterday.

So in these situations, I invariably have to ask for clarifications.

What I "trained" them to do is to keep the pronunciation for "walk" unchanged (similar to u-o-k), and to add a "faint" (20%..40%) "r" in "work" (similar to u-o-r-k).

Do you have a better idea? I usually have no problem in understanding the difference between the two when they are used by a native speaker.

Slightly different question for the same problem: is it very wrong to introduce that partial "r" (for the sake of disambiguation), even though in the text-book rule there is no "r"?


texts: Females are not required to wear headgear with the "mess" and evening "mess" uniforms, or

texts:
[military] Females are not required to wear headgear with the mess and evening mess uniforms, or with the Army blue or white dress uniforms to an evening social event.

What's the mess?
not to be closed
mess is worth apprciating because it's very polysemic and also very specific at the same time.


texts: Does this prepositional phrase need commas?

texts:
Which one of the following is best?:

Notice how on the surface he looks like he hasn't stolen anything.
Notice how, on the surface, he looks like he hasn't stolen anything.


texts: What is onion? Asking without an article

texts:
Do you say "what is onion"?

Onion here refers to the vegetable. Should any article or plural form be used here?


texts: "He likes swimming" or "He likes to swim"?

texts: One can say: He likes swimming or He likes to swim. What is the exact meaning of each of these? What is the difference?


texts: How should I phrase this complaint about humiliating behavior of officers?

texts:
The scenario is: A technician is regular, punctual and honest in his duties, but he usually face humiliating behavior of seniors. His job's nature is that he remains in home until he is called by his officers to do for what he is appointed. He wants to inform his CEO about humiliating behavior of officers.

Following expressions reach my mind in this situation:

  Even after removing all complaints, I face humiliating behavior of my seniors and officers.

or

  Even after satisfying all complaints, which I receive, I have to tolerate humiliating behavior of my seniors and officers.

Which one is right or better?


texts: Does anyone know what "To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say 'Merry Christmas'" is meant to mean? I'm guessing "There's no sweeter, more beautiful girl I could say 'Merry Christmas' to" but how doe the logic go? Does it mean if there was a sweeter, more beautiful girl, I wouldn't say 'Merry Christmas' to her?


texts: "Conveniently situated close" vs "conveniently close situated"

texts:
The hotel is conveniently situated close to the beach.

Does situated describe close in this sentence?

And, could we exchange their places with one another, in this way: conveniently close situated?


texts:
Let's say someone said "You are funny" to me, and I want to report it. Can these two sentences be used interchangeably?

  He said (that) I was funny to me.

  He said to me (that) I was funny.

Also, are these two sentences interchangeable?

  He said, "You are funny" to me.

  He said to me, "You are funny".

(I am not sure if I should use the commas.)


texts: "I won't do it like you do", what does this mean?

texts:
Does this mean that "I don't do it, and you don't do it", or "i don't do it, and you do it"?

And what does "I won't do it like you don't" mean?

I'm so confused.


texts:
This question is in regard to the difference between the verb mount and stage in a particular sense of them. I would like to ask whether there is any difference in between these two following phrases.

  mount a protest:
  e.g. The workers mounted a protest against the proposed changes in their contracts.
  stage a protest:
  e.g. The workers staged a protest against the proposed changes in their contracts.

If there seems to be any difference, for instance, as in the actual point in time the protest begins, may I ask you to  explain them?


texts: What do you call a shot showing what's happening inside a body?

texts:
Sometimes, we see often see images showing a sagittal cut of the head to allow people to see the inside of the head. The issue is that there are no term for videos or segments of a video showing the sagittal cut of the head or the inside of the head to show how a tube inserted in the mouth goes inside the mouth and inside the esophagus. Is there a word specific for it, because I can't think of a short idiomatic way of saying it?

For example:

  The ____ showed the tube go inside the mouth and down his throat.


texts: Can I use "open" to mean "create an account"?

texts:
With I have opened facebook I mean I created an account.

Is this sentence correct? Could I use it? If not, could you kindly help me with the right sentences I can use to describe that, now, I have a Facebook account?

Yesterday I had an English class which was about speaking. While I was speaking, I told my teacher I have opened Facebook to chat in English with good friends from around the world and I don't know if it was correct.


texts: I was hoping you would vs. I was hoping you would have

texts:
Examples with I was hoping you would:

I was hoping you would notice.

I was hoping you would look into a phone scam that is happening.

I was hoping you would be open by this summer, but was wondering if the activities team offer beach volley because it was not listed as an activity.

Examples with I was hoping you would have:

I was hoping you would have been cool about it.

I was hoping you would have listed the Verus Iron Shield.

I found the following explanation that suggests that the correct usage is "I was hoping you would have": In English to utter a situation that might have happened in the past , but didn't. We use :
would +have+past participle.

So, are both phrases grammatically correct? If so, why is "I was hoping you would" more common than "I was hoping you would have"? Does the same happen with " I was hoping you could" and "I was hoping you could have"?


texts: relative clause and pronoun , object and complement

texts:
I learned that in relative clauses, the relative pronoun acts as a subject or an object or a complement.

  Red is the color which we painted the wall.

Is this sentence grammatical?
Paint is a verb that should be followed by a object and a complement, so I think red act as a complement in this relative clause, therefore the sentence should make sense. Is that right?

  The teacher doesn't like the student whom we elected class president.

Elected is a verb that should be followed by two objects, so in this clause, even though we have one object class president already, one object is still missing , and whom represents the missing object, is that right?

  This is a lesson which the students are eager to learn.

I am slightly confused with this one, inside the relative clause
Subject : the students , verb : are , complement(adj) : eager
to learn acts as an adverb to modfiy the complement(adj) eager,
so the clause itself seems complete already, so what does the relative pronoun which represents here ?


texts: An natural verb / idiom for "getting by with someone"

texts:
When you (with difficulty) try to manage or continue to exist in a state or situation where something is lacking (especially money) you use the phrasal verb "get by"; for example:

Example:

  When we were students we got by on very little money.

But the question is that what verb/idiom do you normally use when one is living with difficulty with someone who you they don't love? Can we use "get by" here too? For instance, can we say:

  I don't love him at all, but I have to get by with him at least while my children grow up a bit more.

If not, I wonder what would you use instead.


texts: Does the word "when" restricts me from using certain tenses?

texts:
For example, I was asked to fill in passive verbs in the following:

  Great damage _____ (do) when the country _____ (rock) by an earthquake.

"The country" suggests occurrence in a past tense. Can I use the present perfect or past perfect after "when"?

Great damage was done when the country has been rocked by an earthquake - I'm not sure because it isn't necessary relates to the present but does omits a specific time of occurrence
Great damage was done when the country had been rocked by an earthquake - it is suggested that the two actions happen approximately very close to each other which is not past perfect.


texts:
Can we use Could to express future tense? instated of Will/would?

e.g.

a) How we could change our plan tomorrow?

b) How we could recover our bill from him tomorrow?


texts: Modern British English novels suitable for learning English

texts:
I am learning English and for that purpose (among other things) I want to read a few novels. I have made a list of novels selected by personal taste, but since I am still learning, I am afraid that some of them (written by overseas or 19th century authors) may be not suitable for me (since, at this stage, I want to focus in modern British English). Could you confirm/discard if they are written in a suitable English for learning? I hesitate about the following books:

J.M. Coetzee. Elizabeth Costello.
S. Rushdie. Midnight's Children.
R.K. Narayan (several novels).
E.M. Forster. Howards End.
F.M. Ford. Parade's End.
J. Galsworthy. The Forsyte Saga.
Henry James (several novels).

EDIT. Following the moderator's suggestion, please forget the list, and I will restate the question as follows. Could you suggest me a (minimum) "safe" date for a novel to be useful for my purpose?


texts: "Only the masochist would choose to study Russian" or "Only a masochist would choose to study Russian"? (use of articles in generic noun phrases)

texts:
From English is not Normal, by John McWhorter:

  If someone were told he had a year to get as good at either Russian or Hebrew as possible, and would lose a fingernail for every mistake he made during a three-minute test of his competence, only the masochist would choose Russian – unless he already happened to speak a language related to it.

Could we substitute "a" for "the" here? Both "the masochist" and "a masochist" are generic noun phrases.

  If someone were told he had a year to get as good at either Russian or Hebrew as possible, and would lose a fingernail for every mistake he made during a three-minute test of his competence, only a masochist would choose Russian – unless he already happened to speak a language related to it.

Would this be okay? If not, why?


texts: Have you ever been going or have you gone

texts: Is it correct to say: "Have you ever been going on a trip to London without your parents before?" or is is better to say "Have you gone on a trip to London without your parents before??"


texts: meaning of the phrase "very well" in context

texts:
It is from this article. Here it is:

  Some is good, even downright healthy, but too much could very well be a problem.


texts: What is called the thing that other things are dependent on?

texts:
I wrote:

  Moreover, we don't use the children tag for the dependents. Instead, we directly add them to the  node they are dependent on as child nodes.

I know dependent means something like X that depends on Y, but what is called Y? Is there a name for the bold part in my sentence?

Maybe, considering the context, I just need to omit the they are dependent on and use only the node?

Like this:

  Moreover, we don't use the children tag for the dependents of a node. Instead, we directly add them to the  node as child nodes.


texts:
Good day [ɡʊd deɪ]  and at time [ət taɪm] - is it a partial assimilation(loss of plossion), or maybe complete assimilation like in horse-shoe?

And what about don’t you ? I know there's a form doncha [ˈdoʊntʃə] - is it a reduction? Or some other process?


texts: Can't translate the phrase into Russian language

texts:
The phrase of this type:

  Welcome to Amsterdam. When it's hot please dress for the body you have, not for the body you want. Thanks.

This phrase is taken from here:

In this context, it is not clear expression: "dress for the body you have, not for the body you want."

I am very interested to learn English language and culture and thus I'm curious to know how native English speakers understand this phrase.

I support the Russian language and can not translate this expression. Help me understand.


texts: Why is 'a' hard in 'sapid', but soft in 'sapient' and 'sapour'?

texts:
sapid : [British English] /ˈsapɪd/
sapient : BrE /ˈseɪpiənt/
; NAmE /ˈseɪpiənt/
sapour : /ˈseɪpɔː(r)/ /-pə(r)/

To wit, what explains the difference in pronunciation, between /a/ (eg, sapid)
and /e/ (eg, sapient and sapour)?
PS: I encountered the three words above from the etymology of 'insipid'.


texts: "if you've got to" meaning in this context?

texts:
Hedwig's large, round, amber eyes gazed at him reproachfully over the dead frog clamped in her beak.

  ‘Come here,’ said Harry, picking up the three small rolls of parchment
  and a leather thong and tying the scrolls to her scaly leg. ‘Take
  these straight to Sirius, Ron and Hermione and don't come back here
  without good long replies. Keep pecking them till they've written
  decent-length answers if you've got to. Understand?’

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I guess "if you've got to" here probably means if you have any chance or if necessary. But I have no confidence at all. What does it mean here?


texts: "need to" pronounced something like /neit/ here, Why?

texts:
Watch this video, 00:16 .

How do you pronounce "need to"? /niːd tə/ or /neɪt/ I think the professor said something like /neɪt/ in that video.
The sentence:

  You need to be aware of its difference between skeletal muscle and smooth muscle.

I wanted to know if the professor didn't even say "need to" and said something else that I've misunderstood?


texts:
I was reading an article that contains the phrase "Hire a killer copywriter", and I'm asking about what is "killer" intended to be in this contest?

Another example for the usage of this word "Being a killer programmer".

Is it about "awesome" or "great" or "shocking" and so on?


texts:
can someone validate this 'circumnavigate' usage for my future expression.

  Life is challenging, but you have to know how to circumnavigate
  yourself towards success.

Can this be possible to use? Thx in advance.

P.s:circumnavigate-means you are navigating by means of a boat along any watercourse(river in particular). This is like a rowing/paddling a boat, BUT with a sense of direction to where you wanted to go.

Though you may already know it, I just wanna make it clear to ascertain what we are talking about. Moreover, my goal is to 'step up my game' by saying things that are not commonly expressed yet effective. Please help me IF I am using a very big word in here.


texts:
If I start a sentence with the prepostion "at", Should I use a comma? For example:

  At the university, if you have PhD degree, you are entitled to teach
  there. At home university, I didn't register in doctoral program.

Or, should I put it at the end of the sentence?


texts: a report out Monday that... How should I understand "out"?

texts:
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-team-turns-back-ukraine-crash-101904675.html

  The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a report out Monday that at least 1,129 people have been killed between mid-April, when fighting began, and July 26. The report said at least 3,442 people had been wounded and more than 100,000 people had left their homes. A U.N. report from mid-June put the death toll at 356.

How should I understand out?


texts: Gossiping or engaging in gossip(if present continuous must be used)

texts:
Let's say you were asked about a thing you prefer doing over the other. And you say:

  ''I would choose to be reading books rather than gossiping about people's lives.''

OR

  ''I would choose to be reading books rather than engaging in gossip about people's lives.''

I have 2 things on my mind:

1) using the ''gossiping'' word in a sentence seems a bit off(never heard of it). Am I right?
2) if the ''gossiping'' word is appropriate to use, I wanted to advance it by changing it into ''engaging in gossip''(colloquial) to make me sound like a native, as part of stepping it up a bit as an ESL.


texts: Should you use present or past tense when telling people about your work experience?

texts:
Say, I worked for a Japanese bakery in 2010-2012. Now that I am going to tell the people in the new bakery shop about my experience.
Shall I say:
(1), "I have two years of experience in bakery", or
(2), "I had two years of experience in bakery".

I pick (2) beacuse the two-year experience is past, but I am not sure if I am correct.
Please help me.


texts: Who or Whom in this sentence Subject/Object?

texts:
I read many sources on the correct usage of who and whom, like this answer. From that answer, it seems that you can always use who, I didn't know that.

However I would like to know if in this sentence I could use whom.

  I would just use XX, but it is not me who is going to be using it.

A bit of context on this. I am building an app, and I am being requested to use something, lets call it YY, but I would much rather use XX. But since I am not going to be using the app, I am inclined to use YY as requested. And I was talking about the issue with another member of my team, when the sentence was produced.

I am not native English speaker, and I never did any sentence syntax analysis in English.
I am not sure if this sentence is properly written.

I think in this sentence It wouldn't be correct to use whom, because I think who is the subject of this sentence. But I get confused because I start saying "it is not me".

I am thinking that maybe this sentence is not grammatically correct and that is why I am having issues identifying whether to use who or whom.

Is this the right way to write this sentence?


texts: (The) companies engaged in this field - is article needed?

texts:
In the year 2014, Uzbekistan's chemical production grew by 9% relative to 2013. In the period under report, the companies engaged in the field increased their outputs of the following products: potassium chloride (+14%), sodium nitrate (+18%) ...

Is the definite article necessary? From the context, what is meant is all of Uzbekistan's chemical companies taken together, so it logically should be the, because leaving no article would make it seem as if some companies' outputs are not included in the aggregate figures.

On the other hand, it reads a bit like "the companies that we've mentioned previously" due to the use of the.. or maybe I'm wrong.


texts: "It would be great if there were and other sessions like that in the future! "

texts:
Could I say the sentence below, or it sounds totally wrong?
"It would be great if there were and other sessions like that in the future!"
Should I say "more" instead of "and other"?


texts:
This might sound as a trivial question but it's been on my mind for a while now, and so I am asking it.
Isn't the use of the word "adjective" in "adjective phrase/clause" erroneous? I mean because "adjective" is not a 'noun' here but an 'adjective', shouldn't it be "adjectival phrase/clause? Likewise for " noun/adverb phrase/clause."


texts: What does "there is an argument to be made" mean?

texts:
Here is the context:

  There is an argument to be made that the team play pretty well.

What confused me is the part to be made. Does it mean that it is reasonable to argue that the team play well, or that an argument is going to be made in the future that...?


texts:
When using words like: ecommerce, ebanking, etc. What is the right way to write them? with dash like: e-commerce, e-banking? or as a one word: ecommerce, ebanking, etc.?
I do not want to use the long term: electronic commerce, electronic banking.


texts:
Wishes are mean/meant to be true.
Mean or Meant, which is more appropriate?


texts: Are these two consecutive relative clauses that modify the same noun phrase?

texts:
“ ‘Landry’s funeral was covered as lavishly as any celebrity wedding in the tawdry magazines who feed on the famous, and whose publishers will surely mourn her demise longer than most. We were permitted glimpses of various celebrities in tears, but her family were given the tiniest picture of all; they were a surprisingly unphotogenic lot, you see.
     “ ‘Yet the account of one mourner genuinely touched me. In response to the inquiry of a man who she may not have realized was a reporter, she revealed that she had met Landry at a treatment facility, and that they had become friends.
  (The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith)

In the boldface relative clause, there’s a gap after ‘realized.’ However, the correspondent relative word is not seen. I guess this would be ‘whom’ and omitted; and ‘who, which is seen in the clause, is shifted/raised from before ‘was.’ So there seems to be two relative clauses that modify the same antecedent, a man. Is this what the clause denotes?
(Finishing my typing, this thought comes into my mind that ‘who she may not have realized was a reporter’ is not a relative clause but just a noun modifier. And ‘who was a reporter’ is a post-posed relative (CGEL,p.1066); ‘who’ is raised.)


texts:
The following default options are provided by the plugin.

or

  The following default options are provided with the plugin.

Which one is correct?


texts:
What are the meaning and the grammatical role of the cementing?

  Consolidated (or cemented) sediments, too, contain millions of minute
  water-holding pores. This is because the gaps among the original
  grains are often not totally plugged with cementing chemicals; also,
  parts of the original grains may become dissolved by percolating
  groundwater, either while consolidation is taking place or at any time
  afterwards.


texts:
“And what we found was that there were about five points
  difference.” “You know the different neurodevelopmental tests
  have different scales.” (extract) (original source)

I’m wondering which is /ts/ and which is /t/ when /t/ sound comes at the end of a word. It seems like they both touch the root of the mouth and then release, and the sounds are very similar to me. I guess the /s/ may have the key to differentiate the two, but it is drowned by the /t/ to leave no /s/ trace for me. What is the difference between the two?

  Do you really differentiate following audio as 'fleet' or can it only be understood depending on context? (extract) (original source)


texts:
I talk to the wind / My words are all carried away / I talk to the wind / The wind does not hear / The wind cannot hear.

This is the second line of King Crimson's song I talk to the wind. I have the problems with understanding of the second verse ( My words are all carried away). I know the idiom "to be carried away" which means to be excited about something but this meaning does not fit to the the verse. I intuitively understand this verse as the expression of uselessness of talking to the wind but I'm not sure…


texts:
A tractor is going around on the farm.
A tractor is going around in the farm.
A tractor is going around the farm.

Which one is a correct version, and what slight clumsiness would be added if "on" or "in" is added to?

Thank you.


texts:
I was distracted by his overgrown front yard lawn, while he seemed completely oblivious to its appearance.

The intention is that he's so unconcerned about how his front yard looks that it seems like he's unaware of it. Is oblivious fitting to that context? Would another word be better?


texts: "Type additional comments if any." Is this construction acceptable?

texts:
I want to say "Type additional comments if any", but I find the sentence to contain a redundancy at "if any." I, however, do not want to give an impression that you "have to" write additional comments. How about "Feel free to type comments if any"? or do you have any other suggestions?

If this post itself contains grammatical errors, please feel free to correct them!


texts: "it won’t buy one into the exclusive circles of society"

texts:
What does “it won’t buy one into the exclusive circles of society.” mean?

  “For one thing,” answered Richard, rankling a little, “it won’t buy
  one into the exclusive circles of society.” “Oho! won’t it?” thundered
  the champion of the root of evil. “You tell me where your exclusive
  circles would be if the first Astor hadn’t had the money to pay for
  his steerage passage over?”

Mammon and the Archer by O. Henry


texts: Are `After they had rowed` and `After they rowed` right?

texts:
After they had rowed a few miles across the Caribbean, they arrived at a small coral island.

  After they rowed a few miles across the Caribbean, they arrived at a small coral island.

Are the above two sentences alright?


texts:
I know that the answer to this question might be very obvious like "go search online" or go check Urban Dictionary but I have already did but I did not really understand. Does it mean 'pissed' or 'upset'?

I precisely mean the way people use it on memes or when someone says: "I'm triggered"


texts: "I have been wondering.. (whether, or if?)"

texts:
I've found a quote saying that "If-clauses that do not follow Conditional I, II or III are always wrong".
Let's take this sentence as example:

  "I have been wondering if it is okay to use weapons"

Would this be wrong because it is not using Cond. I, II, III? Or isn't this a sentence considered an "If-clause" at all?

  "I have been wondering whether it is okay to use weapons or not"

would be an alternative but I am curious whether the first example is wrong or right though.


texts: "I am not really liking it very much..." vs "I don't really like it very much..."

texts:
Could someone please tell me what is the difference between the two sentences below?

1 - I am not really liking it very much over there.
2 - I don't really like it very much over there.


texts:
Who ate all apples?

vs

  Who ate all the apples?

Is first question wrong?

Why after "all" is necessary to add "the"? Without "the" are they all apples in the world?

Thanks in advance.

P.S.

  All the members of our family are doctors.

Is it the same logic?

Or I can say: All members of our family are doctors.


texts: What is the meaning of "share our frustration with~" in the following sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of "share our frustration with" in the following sentence,

  Many of our fellow shareholders share our frustration with Apple’s
  capital allocation policies.

?

Does it mean "Many of our fellow shareholders and we are frustrated because of Apple's capital allocation polices" ?

Does "with" in the sentence mean "because of"?


texts: What the meaning of each question? (What about do they ask?)

texts:
1) What is the time?

2) What the time is it?

3) What is the movie?

4) What the movie is it?

5) What the movie is?


texts:
When I come across a sentence with "All of" or "All", I always get confused between them.

  I stopped to greet all my friends.

  I stopped to greet all of my friends.

Are there any differences between the sentences above?


texts: Meaning of the verb "channel" in the following context

texts:
This cue can be used to evince discomfort about  particular issues and helps channel the investigative inquiry.

Does it mean the helps to lead the inquiry in the right direction?


texts: What is the meaning of identity in this sentence?

texts:
I already referred to Oxford dictionary but I found no meaning to give sense to "identity" (bold in text) in the following text (from a psychological book)

  If practitioners are dealing with someone from a family that has been traumatised, they need to know the relevant details of the critical events that have affected their client. Identity to a group that has been traumatised affects both the personal identity of the person and their continuity. Trainees can learn how to gather such information sensitively. Working with shame and self-esteem are also relevant factors for this training.

Any suggestions on what 'identity' means here?


texts: What does "the future may hold..." mean in this context?

texts:
In meiotic chromosomal interactions, the danger is that negative
  interactions may be passed on to future generations. The mutations
  result in a variety of well-known conditions. The future may hold more
  or fewer, and it is anybody's guess.
  A. Epistasis
  B. Multiple
  alleles... etc.

What does the bold sentence mean in this context? I have found the meaning of one part of a sentence only: https://www.google.com.ua/search?client=opera&hs=pEi&q=it+is+anybody%27s+guess&oq=it+is+anybody%27s+guess&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i22i30k1l4.16718.16718.0.17851.1.1.0.0.0.0.98.98.1.1.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.96.gEzotNrmox4
Does it mean that diseases that are passed on may be more or less serious and it is difficult to determine whether they will be inherited or not?


texts:
Let A be a set, which of the following is grammatically correct

an element in A, elements in A, a subset in A, subsets in A, or
an element of A, elements of A, a subset of A, subsets of A?

I have seen both used in the literature, but I am not sure if they are used correctly. If both are grammatically correct, is there any difference in the meaning?


texts: does the past perfect tense sound natural in this example?

texts:
This is an example (for the past perfect tense) from a grammar book : The boys had played football, meaning they had finished playing, before Susan came. Does this sound natural to a native speaker, or would you prefer the past perfect continuous?

Does it sound better if I add "already" and change "before" to "when"? "The boys had already played football, when Susan came".


texts: "Neither Mary nor John eat (eats?) beef" - singular or plural after 'neither .. nor'?

texts:
Neither Mary nor John eat beef.
Neither Mary nor John eats beef.

Which is grammatically correct?


texts: how to answer If some one gave me advice

texts:
I asked for help in some website. some one gave me advice.

I want to tell him that his advice has helped me and I will use it.

so

Thanks I definitely will take your advice, and hope to get it done    soon.
Thanks I'm definitely taking your advice, and hope to get it done
soon.
Thanks I definitely take your advice, and hope to get it done soon.
Thanks I definitely took your advice, and hope to get it done soon.

which is correct? and what the meaning of each? thanks for help!


texts:
I faintly recall coming across something along the lines of

  a half-baked consternation of [...]

a couple of times on the web. My hunch is that I probably encountered this sort of phrasing in reviews of movies so mind-bogglingly bad that it had the critic exerting himself to find the most appropriate words to accurately express his distaste.

I'm not sure if "consternation" is the word (I'm looking for). Looking up the word, it doesn't really seem to fit. But that's the phonetically closest to the actual word that my memory could mug up.

Basically, the idea is that when something is a weird combination of things which horribly clash with one another, it becomes an unpleasant mixture of really random elements all mashed up together that is indicative of the maker's lack of style/elegance.

That is what the word after "half-baked" should mean, I suppose.


texts:
In the following sentences

  "What was become of Peter?"

Source: Charles Haddon Spurgeon, quoting Acts 12:18 KJV.

  What became of my second Brother I never knew any more than Father or Mother did know what was become of me.

Source: Robinson Crusoe

What is the usage of was become of...?


texts: An accident took place early morning/this morning

texts:
An accident took place early morning today.
  An accident took place early this morning.

Which one is the best option out of the two and why? I believe both are correct but I do not have grammatical reasons behind that.

My book says this morning is correct.


texts:
You know that forks don't fly off to the Moon and that neither apples nor anything thing else on earth cause the Sun to crash down on us.

As far as i know , with 'nether-nor', verb cause should agree to anything else, the closest noun from verb. Then how come the verb is not singular in the sentence above?


texts:
This form of eavesdropping became common practice with rulers from many cultures. In English, the phrase "the walls have ears" was first recorded in its present form in the mid-1600s.  (From "Shhh! The Walls Have Ears!")

Does it mean 'by'?


texts:
I know we can say A year ago, Three years ago as an adverb.

But can I say like

  Until 3 years ago, I lived my whole life doing what I don't want to do.
  Ever since a year ago, I've live my life doing what I want to do.

Why I'm asking this is because I'm not comfortable saying until/since + adverb.

So. do the sentences above sound natural?


texts:
For example:

The mangos’ price was 35 ruppes for 1 K.g., but they charged me 100 ruppes for that.

I stayed in a hotel, but they overcharged me with a trick because I was new there.

That’s they deceivingly took money from me too much because I was new there


texts:
I wrote

  However, in most existing treebanks, [a ?]  dependency or  phrase structure is used [to annotate the sentences], depending on the syntax properties of the language.

I am not sure if I need article "a" before dependency or  phrase structure, if it is possible I prefer not to have it. (structure can be uncountable/countable)

Update This paragraph from Wikipedia use them without article, why?! :

  Some treebanks follow a specific linguistic theory in their syntactic annotation (e.g. the BulTreeBank follows HPSG) but most try to be less theory-specific. However, two main groups can be distinguished: treebanks that annotate phrase structure (for example the Penn Treebank or ICE-GB) and those that annotate dependency structure (for example the Prague Dependency Treebank or the Quranic Arabic Dependency Treebank).


texts: "to" as a word before an infinitive or as a preposition

texts:
In a dictionary, I find two example sentences of the use of "trick":

  What's the trick to getting this chair to fold up?

  On page 21, some tricks to speed up your beauty routine.

As we know, "to" can use be used as a preposition or as a word before an infinitive. When do we use it as a preposition and when as a word before an infinitive?


texts: When does it have 'so' in a pronoun or an adjective?

texts:
I have read all the versions but not sure when to use what?

  Whatever - Whatsoever;   Whoever - Whosoever.

When does it take 'so'

Also, the word so is conjunction here or something else?


texts: Order of words with and without the definite article

texts:
Wording one: 'The File menu is used to [etc]'.

Wording two: 'Menu File is used to [etc]'.

While Wording one seems 'canonical', is Wording two, without the article, acceptable?


texts:
What is the preposition for this:

  In life, you have to secure the basics first, before you advance in/to another stage.

Can you use them interchangeably?

While googling, some entries have advance in, and others are advance to...(advance the evidence to authorites, xxx person advance to the world cup)


texts: The sentence is " There is the letter T in the end of the word and the letter C in the other end". Can you call the start of the word the other end?


texts:
I am considering how to choose between em dashes and double commas. The example I am considering is a sentence originally of the form

  We will give another proof of a theorem in 'some' book, an assertion 'such' and 'such', using 'this' approach; the approach is 'such' and 'such'.

For me a sentence like this one is quite clear. But somehow a thought suggested that perhaps there are two many nonperiods in a sentence? Readability will be suppressed? Then I realized replacing the two commas with em dashes seem to preserve the same meaning and potentially improve the readability:

  We will give another proof of a theorem in 'some' book -- an assertion 'such' and 'such' -- using 'this' approach -- the approach is 'such' and 'such'.

I am not sure. I would like to have a rule of thumb.


texts:
Do you think that it is grammatically correct to ask questions by leaving adjective complements alone?

  How happy are you about the exam results?

  How disappointed were you with my last behaviour?

  How scared are you of snakes?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
If I have bought two products in a single online transaction, have I made one or two purchases?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
What is the difference between ""Making friends with English."" and ""Making friends in English.""?

I want to say "use English to make friends",which one is better?


texts:
I am a English learner, and I want to write an email to a person from HR department.

I have worked for a company for a month, but I think I have a bank account problem (Maybe I told them wrong routing number or something).  I am supposed to get a check last month and yesterday, but I haven't gotten any.  So I want to ask about it to the HR person.  How can I write an email?  Since it's sensitive issue, I want to make it as polite as possible.  Please help me out!  If you give me an example, that would be PERFECT.


texts:
Is the sentence to describe this situation by using “of” correct?

  Is the sentence correct to describe this situation by using “of”?

In sentences place of the word “correct” is different? Is there any difference between the two sentences in meaning because of different places of the word “correct”?


texts: "That's my rubber and ruler" Why isn't it "they are" as there are two objects?

texts:
A: That's my pencil case and my pen and pencil.
  B. Oh! That's my rubber and ruler.

Why is it not “they are” as there are two objects?

I found the example in Junior New Concept English for Starters, published by Pearson Longman.

Here is a screenshot of the conversation


texts:
I have a pie chart showing:

Boy: 80%
Girl: 20%

How to say the fraction of girls, "one in five is girl" or "one in five are girls"?


texts:
What is the difference between there was no, there was not a and there was not any?

Yesterday I visited a very undevelopped
area in my tour of Africa. I rented a room in a hotel there. The hotel lacked basic facilites. There was no television set/ not a television set/ not any television set in the room.

To negate the sentence "there are some televison sets in The US." We can say either "There are not any/no television sets in The US."

But To negate the sentence "there is a twlevision set in my room.", is there only one way? Is there another way to say "there is no television in my room."

Can any teacher or expert please answer this?


texts:
Can you explain what the word "straddle" means in the following context please?

Does it mean " pouring mulch/compost in a organized way in long rows like a bale "

  Compost windrow turners were developed to produce compost on a large
  scale. They are traditionally a large machine that straddles a windrow
  of 4 feet (1.25 meters) or more high, by as much as 12 feet (3.5
  meters) across. Although smaller machines exist for small windrows,
  most operations use large machines for volume production.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrow_composting


texts: Why is "before I died" used here instead of "before I die"?

texts:
I prayed so to see you before I died.

This above sentence was situated in present, but why this is not 'I prayed so to see you before I die'?


texts:
I am looking for a single word for "male libido", "sexual stamina" and the like that's typically used with the word "traditional Asian medicine". There's a good-sounding word that was often used, but I completely forgot what it was.

Here's an example:

  Rhino horn powder is used by traditional Asian medicine enthusiasts for ___.


texts:
I want to talk about one of my father's sister comparing her with her elder sister, how do I define her age? Supposing that my father has three sisters, all younger than him. Now I want to talk about the sister who is the youngest I say:

  My youngest aunt is a doctor.

But if I want to talk about his sister who is on the second number in sisters, can I say:

  My younger aunt is a doctor.

Using the word 'younger' here would possibly give the impression that the aunt is younger than me, wouldn't it?


texts: What does “said his bit” mean in this context?

texts:
He(Hagrid) seemed numb with shock at the verdict.

  "S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in
  black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates
  yeh looked up fer me, Hermione. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an'
  said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em...."

Does the singular noun "bit" mean "ideas"?


texts:
We reduce the adjective clauses to adjective phrases when the adjective pronoun is a subject pronoun right ? we can not reduce it when it is an object pronoun .

Here is my question: we reduce this sentence

  Do you know the woman who is talking to Tom?

to

  Do you know the woman talking to Tom?

But in this example "woman" is not a subject it is an object, how is that possible?


texts:
Can "whenever，wherever, however" be used in noun clauses?
Does the following sentences sound natural to you, native speakers?

e.g.

  I don't know whatever she means.
  I don't know wherever the children can be.
  I don't know whoever told you that.

Thank you very much!


texts:
"Is a fighter being launched from aircraft carrier or ejected?"

Referring to dictionary:

  launch (something): to send something such as a spacecraft, weapon, etc., into space, into the sky, or through water.

  eject something (from something) : *to push something out suddenly and with a lot of force

Launch - doesn't explain what force we use to do it. I even came to the conclusion that word "sling" would be better than launch.


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

texts:
source

  It’s not like I was angry with her. Damn, I’d have to understand her
  for that to be a part of the equation.

What does the "that" stand for?


texts: Is "how long is the average time your sketches take to finish?" a correct sentence?

texts:
I want to ask someone about the normal/average time she needs to finish a sketch/drawing.

I have several options of question and I feel there should be some corrections to these question sentences.  I'm also still confused on how to use "how" and "what" in these questions. Are they both acceptable?
Any help would be appreciated.

How long is the average time you need to finish a sketch?
What is the average time you need to finish a sketch?
How long is the average time your sketches take to finish?
What is the average time your sketches take to finish?


texts:
Is there a rule whether a compound word is hyphenated (at a line break) between its components?

potash is hyphenated as pot-ash, but potassium is hyphenated as po-tas-si-um.
From Merriam Webster:

  Origin of POTASSIUM
  New Latin, from potassa potash, from English potash

Why is potassium not hyphenated pot-as-si-um, which would preserve the sense?

Is there some general rule about this?


texts:
I’m trying to find the right idiom, the correct way of forming the sentence for the following case. Let me give an example.
The boy breaks up with his girlfriend and then after some time he apologises and wants to carry on from where they were left. The girl “does not swallow her pride” and refuses him.
The girl does not swallow her pride is a usage of the negative form. How can I form a sentence with the word “pride” without using “does not”, without making it a negative sentence?
How about saying “she took pride and refused” or maybe “she made it as a matter of pride and refused”. That’s similar to what I’m looking for but wanted to find out what native speakers say. Thanks


texts:
Can somebody explain the sentence in bold for me, please? Does it mean "the capital of The Crown Estate trust fund is $17.4 billion while the value of real estates of royal family members is $16.4 billion"?

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/capital-value
https://www.bankrate.com/glossary/p/property-value/

The wealth of Queen Elizabeth II, on the other hand, comes from different sources which is part of being a royal family member. History states that trust funds are responsible for the majority of the wealth of royal family members. The Crown Estate trust fund, for example, is capital valued at $17.4 billion in 2019 while its property value is $16.4 billion.

Source: https://www.ibtimes.com/queen-elizabeth-vs-trump-net-worth-who-richer-world-leader-2907867


texts: Difference between "have feelings for someone" and "fall in love with someone"

texts:
Is there any difference between these two phrases? When one says

  I’m having feelings for you

Is it stronger than when one says

  I’m falling in love with you


texts: What does the end of this paragraph mean?

texts:
Tensions remain high with arch-rival India after the nuclear-armed
  neighbors launched tit-for-tat airstrikes in February following a
  suicide bombing in Indian Kashmir which was claimed by Pakistan-based
  militants.

What did the Pakistan militants claim?


texts:
I wrote a sentence like the following one in another site.

  "He" as a gender-neutral pronoun had been universally used for centuries before the women's liberation movement in the 1960s.

It was edited by an apparently native English speaker as follows:

  "He" as a gender-neutral pronoun was universally used for centuries before the women's liberation movement of the 1960s.

I don't understand why "in the 1960s" should be replaced by "of the 1960s".


texts: People that cannot hear words when music is played

texts:
I would like to know whether there is a word to describe a condition whereby a person cannot hear some or all words pertaining to songs when played and needs to be able to observe the text in order to follow the words along with the song being played.

This can happen to everyone to some extent, especially language learners, but I wanted to know whether there is a word for this condition in fully proficient people.

Thanks.


texts: Does "an injection of a drug" refer to a medical drug or an illegal drug?

texts: Will it be confusing if I hear someone say "an injection of a drug", since the word drug has the meaning of either a medicine or an illegal narcotic substance?


texts: "since 1954, we have" VS" Since1954, we are"

texts:
Since 1954, we are continuously looking to develop new technologies, new processes and new solutions to better answer our customers' needs.
  Since 1954, we have continuously been looking to develop new technologies, new processes and new solutions to better answer our customers' needs.

I saw the first line on the page:Website
should we opt for the second line?


texts:
I see a phrase: on second thoughts. But I feel that it should be ‘on second thought’.

Because we usually say ‘This is the second time’ and do not say ‘This is the second times’.


texts:
Example with a context (Object-Oriented Design in Java by Bill Mccarty and Stephen Gilbert (1998)):

  Stephen Gilbert teaches computer science at Orange Coast College in Costa
  Mesa, CA. Steve saw his first computer play tic-tac-toe in the summer of 1960 and wanted one of his own ever since. When he purchased his first machine,
  a VIC-20 (which he subsequently trained to play an unbeatable game), his life
  took a sudden turn after years spent as a carpenter, chicken picker, and offset
  press operator.

What does computer play mean exactly?


texts: Is "Dear" appropriate for any letter or card in UK English?

texts:
I am a native English speaker from England, but I've noticed that "Dear" has died out from emails and then letters.  I am trying to write a semi-formal thank-you card, but I don't know whether to put "Dear" or "Hi". (Probably doesn't matter, but don't want to start by sounding weird!)  In an email or a letter I'd put "Hi" to the recipient, but a card somehow seems more formal.

As far as I can tell from Google, it is only in America or in emails that people are getting in  tizwoz about the connotations of "Dear"; discussions of any sort of letter on UK websites all have "Dear" as standard without questioning it.  Is that correct?


texts:
I won't be long.

What does this phrase mean, and when would it be used?

I heard this phrase in the song "Cheap Thrills."


texts:
Let's say my boss doesn't want to give me a day off because I have had one this week. And then he becomes kinder, and less strickt. Will it be the correct use of softened in the following sentence.

  My boss didn't want me to give a day off because I have already had one this week. But then he soften and gave it to me.

If this use of the word feels unnatural, then what would be the most natural way to say that?


texts: How to change passive present continuous tense to its infinitive form? "The meal is being cooked" to "I heard the sound of the meal being cooked"?

texts:
Eg: The meal is being cooked.

if we say

1- I heard the sound of the meal being cooked, then people may interpret as "I heard the sound of the meal that is cooked" and we lost its continuous meaning

2- I heard the sound of the meal being being cooked, the sentence is weird.

How to change passive present continuous tense to its infinitive form?


texts: "Speak to me?" Rosemary turned. She saw a little creature, no older than herself who shivered as though she had just come out of the water. "Madam," came the voice, "would you let me have the price of a cup of tea?" "A cup of tea?" There was something simple, sincere in that voice; it couldn't be the voice of a beggar. "Then have you no money at all?" asked Rosemary. "None, madam", came the answer.


texts: What word should I fill in the dotted line to make these 2 actions equivalent, "to put his head through the ring" and "to put the ring … his head"?

texts:
We say "to put his head through the ring" (1), and what prepositions should we fill in the dotted line to make this phrase "to put the ring … his head" equivalent to the (1).?

"to put the ring through his head" or "to put the ring over his head"?


texts: What's the difference between these two sentences below?

texts:
"Your opinion is quite different from that of the authorities."
  "Your opinion is quite different from it of the authorities."


texts:
I have a query about the meaning of 'on earth'.
Here is an example.

  What on earth are you doing under the table?

At here, what is the purpose of 'on earth'?


texts: It tastes like chicken(pronunciation-unstressed end consonant?)

texts:
When a particular new food is given to you, and you tasted it, you say:

  "Nice! It tasteS like chicken!''

Do you say it with stressed S sound or you don't have to? Because I heard from BBC learning English that a native said ''it taste like chicken'' which supposedly  like ''it tastes like chicken''
(But I'm not sure)

LINK: BBC laboratory grown meat

Was the native wrong?


texts:
What does "as when" mean here? I didn't get the meaning.
▪Luck played a role, as when cut-price DVD players debuted just in time for Christmas in 2001, months after the dotcom crash forced Mr Hastings to lay off a third of his 120-odd workers.


texts: In comparison construction, can 'that' be recovered as in relative clause?

texts:
[i] This is the watch (that) I lost. [ii] This is the same
  watch as (that) I lost.

It is said accusative relative words can be dropped as in [i].
CGEL saying there are omissions in adjuncts of comparison, I wonder if there is the omission in [ii] like that in [i]. From the following case which I found in COCA, it could be ‘that’. Is it? If it is, can ‘that’ be recovered and used as is in [i]?

  Following Case: Is it fair to raise the public sector retirement
  age to the same level as that found in the private sector?


texts:
When a car alarm system goes on, does it blare, yell, or something else?

The car alarm system is blaring/yelling


texts:
Here is the sentence: In mitigation, I am on the move and posted this from an internet cafe.
I didn't quite grasp the sentence.As I know In mitigation means make something appear less serious.But that doesn't match here


texts:
Which word is for any going-out event, i.e. temporarily leaving where one lives for some personal business in another place?
"outgoing" as noun means personal expense. Thanks.


texts:
She stood at the counter in a Starbucks looking at the selections of foods.

Is the last part of the sentence natural at all? If not, what could I write instead? Thank you.


texts: "I don't know how..." VS " I don't know about how... "

texts:
1) I don't know about how you took care of her.

2) I don't know how you took care of her.

3) I am thinking of how good he will perform in the party.

4) I am thinking how good he will perform in the party.

Sometimes I am confused with these sorts of sentences thinking whether I should use "preposition " or not before "WH question " words. And what would be difference between them with preposition and without preposition before wh words?


texts:
When speaking in the present tense, should I use former or the latter?

  Should I leave? But if I do/did that, she will (would?) spend the rest of the night drinking alone

I checked if I do that and if I did that on Google Books.

I'm not very sure, but both are found in present-tense sentences.

Maybe both can be used in the present tense, but have slightly different meanings?


texts:
I am confused about the use of "largely", an adverb, in the following sentence I read in a newspaper today

India has imposed a largely successful lockdown.

Here, the adverb "largely" should qualify the verb "imposed", but I am having a hard time grasping the usage here.


texts: Is there an adjective for food being difficult to chew?

texts:
I would like to say something like this:

  The beef is so difficult-to-chew-y that I can barely chew it.

But I can't find a proper word.


texts: Is there any other term for the 'sharp nose' to avoid ambiguity?

texts:
The word sharp is just beyond its usual meaning and we all know that. In fact, when it comes to the human organs, sharp certainly means that they are more efficient in performing their duties!

  Don't hide there. She'll catch you in a jiffy. She has very sharp eyes  StoneyB (Sir, I admire you!) has very sharp brain. He answers any question about the language English just like that.

But...

  I'm afraid, no matter how hard we try to remove the smoke of cigarette from this room, my girlfriend will catch us. She has very sharp nose.   "Ah, never mind. I love people with sharp nose. They are sexy! BANG!!!

Sharp nose certainly means having a keen sense of smell but it, unlike eyes and brain, is also referred to the shape, the body part's sharpness - a pointed nose here?


texts: What's the difference between 'open' and 'open up' here?

texts:
We usually say:

I'm open to new experiences

and not 'open up'.
why is that?


texts:
By insisting that the benefits be passed down the supply chain, it
  intends to reduce the retail price to only 20 to 50 cents.

My question is that what is the grammar of "be passed down".


texts: How to write these sentences sequentially?

texts:
Which one is correct?

He needs to be more outgoing, maybe not a big night out with everybody everyday, but at least able to form small talks.

He needs to be more outgoing, maybe not a big night out with everybody everyday, but at least be able to form small talks.

He needs to be more outgoing, maybe not a big night out with everybody everyday, but at least being able to form small talks.

Intuitively I wrote the first one first since it conveys the meaning pretty well (at least to me), but after thinking a bit, I wrote the second one since "able" is an adjective and needs a verb.
But later, I feel since there's already a "be" previously in "He needs to be more outgoing", maybe it could be omitted later?
But it's still confusing, if "be" could be omitted, that means it is attached to the first sentence "He needs to be...", but "but at least" indicates it's related to the second sentence "maybe not a big night out with everybody everyday", so we couldn't entail the grammar structure from the first?
After thinking for a while, maybe it should be being since regarded as an independent sentence, the subject "he" is omitted?
How should I write this sentence exactly?


texts: Don't go close to him vs Don't get close to him. when talking about keeping a physical distance from someone

texts:
Don't get too close to him, he's in a bad place right now. He might just start yelling at you.

Don't go close to him, he's in a bad place right now. He might just start yelling at you.

Don't go too close to him, he's in a bad place right now. He might just start yelling at you.

Do all these sentences mean the same thing?
Are all of them grammatically correct?

When you say "Don't get close to him/her.", doesn't it mean you're asking the listener to not become close to someone, and not asking them to keep a physical distance from him/her?

What do we use when we're talking physical distance, well..something other than "Don't go near him."?


texts:
This is idiom of laughing hard, i'm right? Or there any other meaning?

It was said after one funny situation.


texts: 'Why do you take it?' versus 'Why are you taking it?'

texts:
When someone takes my pencil, how can I ask them why they did it?
Is it Why are you taking it? or
Why do you take it?

I don't know what the difference between these two sentences is.


texts: Which tense should we use in telling a story of any movie?

texts:
One of my friends good at English suggested that better storytelling of a movie be in conditional modal verb 'would' over present tense 'is'. Having said that...

  The hero would be a salesperson struggling with his boss all time. Then he would meet the heroine who would be a millionaire. They would fall in love then.

VS

  The hero is a salesperson struggling with his boss all time. Then he meets the heroine who is a millionaire. They fall in love then.

I think both are correct but what a native speaker would prefer?


texts: How does Past Perfect Progressive give an idea of time

texts:
At 10:00 last night, it had been raining for an hour.

In this sentence how do we understand the time? In other words, the hour that was mentioned in this sentence, what does it mean?

Does it mean that the rain started at 9 and lasted until 10, or it started at 10 and lasted until 11?


texts: Saying or expression for "the mistake made by a clever person is worth a thousand mistakes"

texts:
In Arabic, we literally say:

  The mistake made by a clever person is worth a thousand.

That is, is worth a thousand mistakes made by other people who are not clever. We use it to mean that people who are experienced are expected to be more careful and more immune to wrong-doing. And so if they do make mistakes, there's going to be major consequences and these mistakes will probably live on unforgiven. How can we nicely express this (rather extreme) idea in English?


texts: What is the difference between following two sentences?

texts:
What is the difference between following two sentences ?

  How many hours do they have you working in the company ?
  How many hours do they have you work in the company ?

if i want to ask someone how many hours he is working in the company, do i have to use sentence 1. ? If i used sentence 2, would it be wrong ?


texts:
Suppose there are some conditions, called NodeConditions, under which a node is matched. which of the following sentences are correct:

NodeConditions are a set of conditions under which a node is matched.
NodeConditions are a set of conditions for matching a node.
NodeConditions are conditions on the matching node.
The conditions are imposed over node attributes.

Specifically, in number 3 when the node is not yet determined, can one use the matching node


texts: Correct response to "Has he lost his keys?"

texts:
imagine a situation when someone lost their keys but after some time he has found them. What would be the correct response to this question?
"Has he lost his keys?"
Options:

"No, he has found them."
"Yes but he has found them."
"Yes he did but he already found them."


texts: Complicated phrase: "...tolerably accurately represented experience..."

texts:
Can the bold phrase be restated like this: represented experience which is tolerably accurate? If yes, Which one is more usual? If not is there any more usual way to say that?

  Availability means confident expectation—gained from “tolerably accurately” (p. 202) represented experience over a significant time period—that the attachment figure will be available


texts:
What is the meaning of "to perform sexually" in this sentence

From serie 'Friends'

  "Ever since she left me, I haven't been able to perform sexually"


texts:
David, john and others are looking outside through the window stunningly.

Here I put 'stunningly' at the end of a sentence to indicate that they look something stunned. Is this correct?


texts: where to place indeterminate pronouns/determiners/adverbs in a sentence like "we've all been studying"

texts: In the sentence "we've also all been studying" are the "also" (in Spanish is categorized as adverb of affirmation) and "all" (in Spanish is categorized as indeterminate pronoun or determinant) being placed correctly? . I like to know when I have to construct sentences with these types of words (they might have another category in English) how to grammatically construct them right and also in the case they are right if that's the best choice for them to sound natural.


texts:
The phrase "populist wave shtick" is unique to this article of The Guardian. Google search returns with only 3 hits, all of them referring back to the article.  Does "shtick" in this context mean "a humor that tends to manipulate"?
The definition for shtick is: the type of humour typical of a comedian (= person whose job is to make people laugh). (Cambridge Dictionary)

It didn’t happen. Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen. And Bannon himself was out of the White House within eight months. The New York Times claimed that Rupert Murdoch had persuaded Trump to fire him. I suspect it was as much about a Time magazine cover: a photo of Bannon under the headline “The Great Manipulator”. And Trump never had much time for Bannon’s populist wave shtick, implying as it did that Trump’s election was a matter of historic inevitability. In Trump’s mind, he wasn’t swept along in the wave, he was the wave.

Source: The Guardian
Will Joe Biden be good for Britain? Here's what my time with him in Washington taught me


texts: What is the difference between control and adjust?

texts: What is the difference between control and adjust in the context of a sentence like "This can be used to adjust/control the degree of personalization"?


texts: How can a cigarette be held in position by a cheek?

texts:
Would somebody rewrite the following sentence for me in a way that is easier to understand?  It's from the Wikipedia article on the Taman Shud Case.

  ... a half-smoked cigarette was on the right collar of his coat held
  in position by his cheek.

I don't know how a cigarette can be held by a cheek.


texts: Kindly explain me the reason for usage of a comma in this sentence

texts: In this sentence "They waste their time, thinking that they would make up the loss in future."  kindly explain me the reason for usage of a comma before the word THINKING.


texts: "Center Of Excellence" or "Center For Excellence"

texts:
At my place of work, we have created a new group:

  Center Of Excellence

which is responsible for pushing best practices throughout the organization, but my feeling is that it should be called:

  Center For Excellence

since their responsibility is to promote excellence and create centers of excellence in the other groups (eventhough it itself is a "center of excellence").

Is my thinking correct about this?


texts:
Let's assume the following dialog:

Any questions?
None [nAn] from me.

But I heard something like noone from a native speaker. Is it possible to say so or it was just an accent/dialect?


texts: "Go on holiday in the mountains" or "go on holiday to the mountains"?

texts:
Which preposition do use to say that I like go on holiday where the mountains are: in or to? For example:

  I like going on holiday in the mountains.

  I like going on holiday to the mountains.


texts: Does an adjective change meaning in “in length”?

texts:
When an adjective is used in structure “ in length “ as is the case with sentence below, does it change it's meaning ?

  We can cut lumbers into 5 meters in longest length .

If this sentence are wrong ,please correct me .


texts: When "education" should be a singular noun and when should it be an uncountable noun?

texts:
Cambridge dictionary states that "education" can be both a singular noun like "an education" and an uncountable noun like "zero-article education".  As far as I know it depends whether the context is general, for example "education" in the following context should be uncountable because it refers to a general meaning.

  It's a disgrace that the government spends so much on guns and so little on education.  (General meaning and an uncountable form.)

In the following example I guess they used the singular form because there is only one best route, and one child so it is a specific context.

  A college education is often the best route to a good job.

  I'm very fortunate to have had such a good education.  (this is a specific education for one child)

I understand why they used the uncountable form with "full-time education" as it is a general context, but I don't understand why they used the singular form with "a good education"?  Both are general and both should be uncountable (i.e. zero-article)

  Most children in the UK remain in full-time education until they are at least 16 years old.

  It's important for children to get a good education.


texts: Mixing tenses in an imaginary discussion

texts:
Relative topic I posted last time:Tense usage in an imaginary discussion

This time, I have some questions about "what if an imaginary situation is something mixing up different times"
I believe many learners have the same question in mind, so I decided to post it.

Example 1,

(using present tense to talk about an imaginary situation)

I am talking to my friend about an imaginary situation:

What I say to my friend:

    You are walking on the streets. You meet a beautiful woman that you saw yesterday.

    Because you went to a coffee shop and saw her sitting beside the window the previous day.

    (back to the imaginary present)

    Then, You guys chat and have a good time. It seems like she is your right one. Will you ask for her number?

Example 2

(using past subjunctive to talk about an imaginary situation)

I am talking to my friend about an imaginary situation

What I say to my friend:

    You were walking on the streets. You met a beautiful woman that you had seen yesterday.

    Because you had been to a coffee shop and had seen her sitting beside the window the previous day.

    (back to the imaginary present)

    OK, then, You guys chatted and had a good time. It seemed like she was your right one. Would you ask for her number?

Can I mix tenses like the above examples when I talk or write an imaginary situation?

PS:
By the way, since talking about the plot of a book, movie, or video can mix tenses like this to convey a better picture of what the plot is about, I think talking about something imaginary probably follows the same rules.


texts: I don’t understand the meaning of “live to (make it to)” in this context

texts:
In this video,

(0:05) https://youtu.be/Lo52BObqCds

  “Senator Rubio. . .I need to ask two things of you. Number one, Chris Grady, can you stand up? This is my friend who's going into the military. I need you to tell him he's going to live to make it to serve our country. And then we'll get to the other one."

  "Absolutely," Rubio replied. "Not only will you live to serve our country, you, and you, and all of you will have a chance to change our country. Change not just our laws but the way we talk about our laws. So absolutely."

Here, this student asks the senator to tell his friend that he’ll live to make it to serve our country. And I don’t understand what it means, especially the part live to.

Does “live” here mean just “to be alive” as we all use in real life? no special meaning? Then what he wants to say here is, “his friend will not going to die from a gun shooting(Because this meeting was held after the shooting accident?) and he’s going to be alive.”? I’m not sure why he’s saying this, I mean, I don’t know what’s implied in his remark.

And also the meaning and role of “to”, which comes next to “live”. Is “to” here used to indicate a “purpose”?


texts:
Should it be

She put the key INTO the lock.

or

She put the key IN the lock.

Which is the correct preposition to use here?


texts:
So I just encountered this sentence:

The writer must, however, be certain that the emphasis is warranted, lest a clipped sentence seem merely a blunder in syntax or in punctuation.

Why dose the author use “seem” instead of “seems”?


texts:
All we know is that we should stay alert and not let our guards down.

I want to know if the bold part is grammatically correct. Do I have to say "and do not let our guards down" or "not let our guards down"?


texts: idiomatic ways to express that "I don't want to force you to do this, so please don't be nervous or feel presured"

texts: If I ask a friend (or a professor asks a student or a boss asks an employee) to do something for me and I don't want to let him feel that I am forcing him to do so and I won't be upset if he fails to accomplish it, what should I say in order to make him feel less nervous or pressured?


texts: Using (of) or (in) with the word "member"

texts:
Actually I find it hard in a lot of occasions to know when to use "in" and when to use "of". One of those cases comes with the word "member" as follows  :

1- He is member in the group of math.

2- He is member of the group of math.

And, is it true that if I want to talk about new member I should use "to"? For instance: He is the new member to the group of math.


texts: Omitting personal pronouns in informal conversation

texts:
When chatting informally, either in person or over text, it seems common to shorten the sentences by omitting pronouns:

  - Made it home?

  - Yeah. Should've taken a bus.

  - Hope you don't catch a cold!

However, in some cases it sounds unnatural, even if the pronoun is heavily implied:

  - *Closed the door?

  - *Didn't.

  - *Should close it.

Are there any rules as to when one can and cannot shorten their sentences in this way, or does it boil down to some phrases just being more idiomatic than others?


texts:
Association Football (soccer) is played by two teams, each of 11 players, who attempt to get the ball into the opponent's goal, usually by kicking it.

What does "to get the ball into the opponent's goal" mean ?


texts:
Which of these two sentences is correct and why?

  By online shopping is great that you can buy everything from the
  comfort of your home.

  On online shopping is great that you can buy everything from the
  comfort of your home.


texts: Is there phrase describing opposite action of hanging out clothes?

texts: Let's say you hang out clothes to dry under the sun. After drying, you get the clothes back. Is there any phrase describing the action getting back the clothes from the clothesline?


texts: Is "I guess that therapist I found for you, she really helped." an ellipsis of a that-clause?

texts:
‘I guess that therapist I found for you, she really helped.’ good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

Could you teach me what it means? It’s an ellipsis of a that-clause?


texts: Difference between several "Fail" usages

texts:
I want to say something did not fail:

The task finished with no fail
The task finished without fail
The task finished with no failure
The task finished without failure
The task finished with none failed

is there any difference and if any is incorrect?
Thank you


texts:
“If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own
  conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be
  without friends.” “No; I know I should think well of myself; but
  that is not enough: if others don’t love me I would rather die than
  live—I cannot bear to be solitary and hated, Helen.  Look here; to
  gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I
  truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm
  broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse,
  and let it dash its hoof at my chest—” (Jane Eyre)


texts: I'd like to know the difference of these two phrases. "have no choice but to" and "cannot be helped"

texts:
I'm not sure whether I can use these phrases interchangeably or not. One example is:

  Gas prices are getting higher and higher, but I have to fill up my car anyway, because I have to drive to work.

Another example:

  I got a job offer, but it was canceled, so I have to start job-hunting again.

In these cases, which is the most appropriate sentence to append to those examples?

  (a) "I have no choice" or
  (b) "It cannot be helped" or
  (c) "I cannot help it"

Is there is any difference in the usage between them, and, if so, could you explain it, please?


texts: I did not know if I "will be able to" or "would be able to"?

texts:
I did not know if I will be able to or would be able to?

I'm a bit confused about the difference and I don't know which keyword to look for!


texts: What does the pair "even .... over ..." mean?

texts:
Does the part in boldface mean that the man has the advantage which the weaker species don't have? Oxford dict. states "even" as "equal in number, amount, or value", and "over" as "at a higher level or layer than". Why does "even" pair with "over" here?

As to animals who have really more strength than man has address, he is, in regard to them, what other weaker species are, who find means to subsist notwithstanding; he has even this great advantage over such weaker species, that being equally fleet with them, and finding on every tree an almost inviolable asylum, he is always at liberty to take it or leave it, as he likes best, and of course to fight or to fly, whichever is most agreeable to him.
-- from Rousseau's “Discourse on Inequality”


texts: What's the word for prejudicing, stereotyping or discrimination against men?

texts:
I'm aware of the word 'sexism' (or for that sake 'genderism' as it directed me to 'sexism').

  Sexism, genderism (mass noun) - prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex.

I'm searching for the particular word that defines discrimination against men (yeah, it happens, at least in India!).

Though it does not sound that correct but is favoritism a correct word?


texts:
What does "making to" mean, in the following text?

  And I’m left with this girl, this Siren of Mixed Signals, this Norah. She’s a fuck-good kisser, but clearly has some massive consistency issues. I ask her how the fuck she knows Tris, because that is leaving me completely confused, and at first she’s looking at me like I’m this guy she didn’t just start kissing out of nowhere, but then she’s got her hand on my arm in a way that makes me really notice I have an arm, and then she’s making to run away, and at the same time looking at me like I’m some cancer child. Then I take hold of her arm and she resists without really resisting. Finally she pulls away, only to touch my face in this way that reminds me exactly of her kiss. Then she calls me “you poor schmuck.”

The closest thing I can find in dictionary is this:

  If you make to do something, you are just going to do it when something interrupts you

It doesn't seem to apply quite right in the quote. It makes more sense to me if it means "trying to." So, how many different meanings can "making to" imply?


texts: Difference between Be+infinitive and must

texts:
I know that be + infinitive is used for ordering, giving instruction, and planning, but some of the example sentences are confusing to me. They are:

  Nobody is to open the  door. (order)
  You are to do your homework before you go out. (order)
  I'm to go now. (What's the meaning of this sentence?)
  Mr. Johns was to speak at the meeting last Monday. (Is this sentence about a past plan or obligation?)
  You are to be on time. (Is this an order?)
  Am I to believe what they say? (Is this sentence an obligation?)

I'm confused because it's said that be + infinitive is used in giving an order, but I think the meaning is the same to that of 'must'? So, how is 'be + infinitive' different from the meaning of 'must' when giving an order or when there is an obligation? Could you please provide an understandable answer? Thank you in advance.


texts: What does "For" mean in "For Mr. Perlstein..."?

texts:
I'm currently reading an essay "Two years are better Than Four", Liz Addison.
In the third paragraph, third sentence is quite problematic for me.
It's saying:

For Mr. Perlstein, so rooted in his own nostalgia, is looking for himself – and he would never think to look for himself in the one place left where the college experience of self-discovery does still matter to those who get there.

I don't understand what "For" means in this sentence.
Does it mean "because"? or Does it mean "in the shoes of Mr. Perlstein"?
If it possible, I want to know whole meaning of this sentence.


texts:
I'd like to know if there is something I should know about when making a decision to use/not to use the article with most when it modifies the verb. For example,

  My main passion are the horses that's what I love the most about
  the sport.

  Each of us has to find what we love most about our profession.

  It's having your family and your friends alive, and that's what
  matters the most.

  Put yourself in your partner's shoes to gain perspective on what
  matters most.

Is this again one of those cases of personal preference, or is there a better explanation?

I read on another forum that when love most is followed by about, the is often ommitted and, from my research, it really seems to be the case. So does it depend on what words go next?

I thought it was the case with formality/informality as the Oxford Learner's Dictionary states, but it doesn't sound very convincing to me. Also, both the Corpus of Contemporary American English and google books give more results for "love most/matter most" versus "love the most/matter the most".


texts: "any further doubts" or "any further doubt"

texts:
If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained perfumed mud. If you expressed doubt or surprise, he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin. This brief experiment would dispel any further doubts you might have.

Generally, the word after "any" is singular.Such as:

  Any large American city is filled with restaurants serving international cooking.

Can anyone tell me why it uses the plural form? Does it mean that both singular or plural form are correct?


texts: How to write : someone who don't or doesn't?

texts:
Please help me to understand.
My full sentence is "... as someone who don't/ doesn't only love his...".
I have already tried them both and both sounds right.


texts: What punctuation should I use between a question and a bullet list?

texts:
Posting in a StackExchange website, I was confronted to this situation:

Should I do it considering the following?

condition 1
condition 2
...

My first question is, was I right to use a question mark?

Plus, are other punctuations symbols allowed like colon and if so, when should I prefer it to a question mark?

Should I do it considering the following:

condition 1
condition 2
...

Finally, in another similar problem when I have:

Should I do it considering the following?

case 1
case 2
...

I'd say it's actually the same problem and what was said before remains, am I right?


texts: Is the verb "close" in "It is recommended that you close all other applications" fixed and does not change regardless of the subject?

texts:
There is a sentence in the picture as below.

  It is recommended that you close all other applications before continuing.

I wonder what happens to the verb “close” if I change “you” into “the user”.
Does the verb change into “closes” or remain as “close”?
To ask one more, is the sentence below also right?

  It is recommended that you will close all other applications before continuing.


texts: What word can I use for saying 'Beyond Human'

texts:
Consider this expression

  What Brad Pitt did in the movie Money Ball was beyond human, he turned down an offer of
  12.3 million to stay loyal to his team.

What similar words can I use here for "beyond human"?


texts:
I guess the sentence its possibility is still that of the continuation of a good for him is an inversion, I try to rephrase it to "the continuation of a good for him is still possible". Am I right?
I have no idea of what the two pronouns -- it (in its possibility) and that -- in this sentence refer to. Please clarify these pronouns. Thanks : )

The direction of time is crucial in assigning possibilities to people or other individuals. Distinct possible lives of a single person can diverge from a common beginning, but they cannot converge to a common conclusion from diverse beginnings. (The latter would represent not a set of different possible lives of one individual, but a set of distinct possible individuals, whose lives have identical conclusions.) Given an identifiable individual, countless possibilities for his continued existence are imaginable, and we can clearly conceive of what it would be for him to go on existing indefinitely. However inevitable it is that this will not come about, its possibility is still that of the continuation of a good for him, if life is the good, we take it to be.
-- From Nagel, Thomas. "Death." In Mortal Questions. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1979. pp. 1-10


texts: What's the meaning of "slip" in this context (slip in his hands)?

texts:
Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore.

  Harry potter and the Goblet of fire


texts: What does "a pop-up shower" mean in the context of weather forecast?

texts:
I heard the phrase "a pop-up shower" in a weather broadcasting on the radio. If I understand correctly, it means a shower might come out of nowhere anytime in the day. But I'm not sure if my understanding is correct.

My questions are whether "a pop-up shower" is a common phrase and what it means exactly? Or I simply misheard it and it should be something else?


texts: Dog Laying On Top Of A Cat; why laying, not lying?

texts:
I saw many people use 'laying' like

  Laying on top of his throw-up.

  Woman Laying On Top Of Man.

, but shouldn't they be written with "lying", rather than "laying"? And if they want to stick to "laying", shouldn't they phrase like as follows?

1.Laying himself on top of his throw-up.

2.Woman Laying Herself On Top Of Man.


texts: Should I have "but" or not? and sentence structure suggestions

texts:
I have a sentence:

  We would like to point out in XXX(a paper) a same result of YYY(YYY is
  a statement) is done, with a different condition, (but)without using ZZZ
  method.

My question:

I feel weird by using a same result of YYY. What I want to say is in XXX paper, a result YYY is also proved. Any suggestions?
I want to emphasize that in XXX paper, it proves YYY without using ZZZ. Can I use but to emphasize without? Or should I use however or something else?


texts:
I can say:

  Where are you from, Mike?

but if I don't know the name, can I say

  Where are you from, wanderer?

and should I use some articles then?


texts: When to use "their", "his or her", "them", etc. when referring to people in a group

texts:
I'm very confused about how to correctly refer to individuals in a group. For example, which one is correct?

Today's youth has begun to ignore what is happening around it
Today's youth have begun to ignore what is happening around them
Today's youth has begun to ignore what is happening around them