texts: Parsing: He was sure he would leave behind in his community, should he die

texts:
Ever since Barry's funeral, Gavin had dwelled, with a sense of deep inadequacy, on the comparatively small gap that [A] he was sure [B] he would leave behind in his community, should he die. Looking at Mary, he wondered whether it would not be better to leave a huge hole in one person's heart. Had Barry not realized how Mary felt? Had he not realized how lucky he was? (The Casual Vacancy, J. K. Rowling)

What does ‘leave behind’ mean in the context? Is there a blank [gap] after leave behind, coindexed with ‘comparatively small gap’?
Are the he’s different: [A] Gavin, [B] Barry?
Is this clause, ‘Should he die,’ the complement of ‘he was sure’?


texts: What is the correct answer to this question?

texts:
The mattress can be stored in a space as small as shoebox but _____ to a thickness of 5 inches when fully inflated.

  Expanded
  Expand
  Expands
  Expansion

I think both 1 and 3 can be the correct answers to this question, but the key says its correct answer is "Expands".

I really wonder why "Expanded" can't be the answer. As far as I know, The word "Expand" can be used as both an intransitive verb and transitive verb.

I think "Expanded" can be an answer If the word is used as an transitive verb in the sentence. Am I right?


texts: Sequence of tenses in two independent clauses?

texts:
I am sorry that I could not see you before leaving my old place, but I will soon visit the area to deal with the last few things there and I hope to see you then.

My question is whether the above sentence is correct or not?
I am confused about the use of future tense in the 2nd sentence.Is it Ok to link two sentences like this or should I separate them?


texts: A or an? Should I consider the phrase after it?

texts:
Briefly, which one is correct?

A, again, beautiful home ...

or

An, again, beautiful home ...


texts: "Was he not doing his homework" vs " Wasn't he doing his homework"

texts:
What is the difference between them.It is in a test  so I have no context.

  Was he not doing his homework

  Wasn't he doing his homework


texts: "What is important are not" vs " What are important are not"

texts:
Example:

  What is/are important are not your mistakes, but how you respond to them.

Which option makes more sense grammatically?


texts: "hit the big time” vs “make the big time”

texts:
Are there any differences in the meaning of or when we use the idioms 'hit the big time' and 'make the big time'? The definitions in the Cambridge Dictionary are:

She finally hit the big time (= became famous or successful) with her latest novel.
You've really made the big time now (= become famous or successful).


texts:
I saw your picture and I could tell from the second I saw it it's not Mr. X.

Can "second" here also stand for "the second picture"?


texts: go to university or go to the university

texts: I'm a bit confused. I know that "go to university" is a collocation which means going to attend university. What if I want to say that I'm heading to, walking to, the university. Can I say "I'm going to the university tomorrow morning"?


texts:
"Here's yer mornin' paper!" yelled a newsboy.

"Mine, did you say?" she asked.

"Sure! Chronicle, 'Quirer, R'public 'n' 'Spatch! Wot'll ye 'ave?"

"What are they for?" inquired the wax lady, simply.

"W'y, ter read, o' course. All the news, you know."

Source: http://www.classicreader.com/book/2953/1/

I suppose that the passages in bold indicate non-standard spoken English. While I think that the first one could be transformed into "which one do you want"" the second one I am not able to understand.


texts: A term used to describe "likewise" treatment in politics

texts:
This kind of treatment where, for example, a country X requires visas for citizens of country Y, then country Y will require a visa for citizens of country X, or the opposite, just to treat them in an equal way.

What's the term used to describe this kind of treatment when each party wants to treat the other the same way they are treated?


texts:
In a presentation I have to say " around 19 years before", But I don't want to say number "19".

Could anyone suggest some alternate phrase ??

e.g. "Couple of years back ??"


texts:
Can we use Make complaint and With together?  For example is my following sentence correct :

The land lord didn’t want to return my bond (even partially) till I made complaint with the tribunal which was very inconvenient for me.


texts: Can you omit 'it is' from "it is likely that blah blah"?

texts:
To every ones amazement, the ring world has erupted into a flurry of color as thousands of space worms, or as it seems, larvae, are transforming into butterflies. Likely the change has been brought on by the generation of an atmosphere

Is 'Likely' here, actually, "It is likely the change has..."? '


texts: Great emphasis is placed on education - OR - Great emphasis was placed on education

texts:
Great emphasis is placed on education.

Sentence quoted from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/place_2.

Why use 'is' and not 'was'? I confused because my understanding is that 'placed' is a past tense, and should use 'was'. What am I missing here?


texts: What is the word for someone who sells pictures or works of art?

texts:
Is there any specific word for describing someone who sells pictures, drawings, paintings, or works of art in English?
(Oh and also this "someone" trades (or deals(?)) paintings as well.)

There are lots of words for someone who just sells things, such as "seller, dealer, merchant,
but I couldn't find what I'm looking for.

Wouldn't there be a better choice than "picture-seller"?


texts:
Which of the following phrases are correct?

"Tasks execution time"
 or
 "Tasks' execution time"

do we need to use 's in the above phrases or not? and why?

And, what is the correct form of this phrase: "the minimum amount of the execution of the tasks" ?

Any help is appreciated.


texts:
It was used in Crash Course A&P. It is at 1 minute and 47 second. Here is the context.

  It is kind of like this: you don't want to clean out your fridge just by taking out the rotten fruit and fuzzy leftovers.

I have checked all the meaning of the word fuzzy, but cannot get in which sense the speaker used it. Does he mean that he does not know what those leftovers were?


texts: Bowed down at / before / in front of the altar

texts:
Which is the correct preposition to use here from the options given in title ?

  He bowed down ______ altar.

I have mentioned three options here though  I had 4 options in the question. I managed to rule out one option but I am confused among these three options . I googled for this sentence and found a website where before was used but I am not sure  if that's the correct preposition to use here.


texts: "Prefer X ones over Y ones" vs. "Prefer X over Y ones"

texts:
Inside functions, prefer superlocal variables over local ones and local ones over global ones; outside functions, prefer global ones over superglobal ones.

Inside functions, prefer superlocal variables over local ones and local ones over global ones; outside functions, prefer global over superglobal ones.

The question is very short, but it's not easy to find an answer on Google.
Do we need to use "ones" as shown in the first example? Or it could be omitted as shown in the second one?


texts: Meaning of "Dare I say there really is a god after all"

texts:
What is the meaning of sentence, I am confused.

  Dare I say there really is a god after all

I am guessing that it is saying: I have dare to say that God is there (not getting meaning of phrase 'after all'). Am I correct?

I got sentence from here

https://forums.xamarin.com/discussion/83761/android-7-0-system-dllnotfoundexception-system-lib-libsqlite-so  Just press ctrl+f & search by word 'Dare', you will find it.

Thank you


texts:
Please take a look at these two sentences:

The teacher yelled at Finn, leaving him sad.

The teacher yelled at Finn and walked away, leaving him sad.

Can the phrase "leaving someone + adjective" be used in the first sentence even though the teacher doesn't walk away from him?


texts:
What is correct , Is or on in the below sentence-

Please take it on(as) priority.

Most of the places i saw 'as'. Why we can not use 'on' here. Could somebody help me

Thanks


texts: The class listens carefully when THEIR teacher gives instructions

texts:
I don't understand why there is pronoun 'their' in the following sentence:

The class listens carefully when their teacher gives instructions.

Is it because 'the class' is treated as a collective noun here ?

And what with such sentences:

The team is/are wearing their new uniforms.
The team is/are doing their best today.

Does the pronoun 'their' only apply to nouns understood as plural?
Which form is correct in above sentences?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
If no one claims the items before going off work, please dispose them.

In the above context should I use claim or take…away. Is "going off work" or "quitting time " more proper in the sentence?


texts:
She looks like she might make a competent nurse.

What's the meaning of "might" here? Does it have a certain meaning or it just plays a grammatical role?

The fuller text is here:

  The writer herself is rather austere looking. Dark hair pulled back
  from her face in a tight ponytail. Strong bones. No-nonsense skirt and
  sweater, equally no-nonsense eyeglasses. She looks like she might make
  a competent nurse. The only flourish is a pretty scarf around her
  neck. Not unattractive but getting on. Maybe pushing forty.


texts: how is 'is it supposed to be..' different from 'is it..'?

texts:
Let's say my friend is watching a movie on tv in his room, I walk into the room, watch a few scenes of the movie and ask

  Is it supposed to be a comedy movie?

How is the expression different from the expression

  Is it a comedy movie?

Does the first expression mean the same thing as second? Or does it have a negative tone like "is it supposed to be comedy a movie, because it does not feel like one"?


texts:
As you are well aware,

Compensate someone for something
means: reimbursing someone for something they have e.g. lost.
For instance we say:
Compensate someone for damage:
Example: The insurance company will compensate people for the damage .

But concerning:

Claim for damages:
Meaning: if a court of law awards damages to someone, it orders money to be paid to them by a person who has damaged their reputation or property, or who has injured them.

But, the question is that, why "damage" is used in an uncountable form in the first case (compensate someone for damage,) while it is used in a plural form in the second case (claim for damages,) while the noun damage is an uncountable noun?!
I was wondering if you could help me with this question.


texts: What does "action" refer to in this quote?

texts:
What does "action" refer to in the context below?

  The established film industries in certain countries have huge budgets for action, special effects and to shoot scenes in spectacular locations.

  (quote taken from Sample 3 in an IELTS Writing Task)

I can't decide what is exactly referred to by action that needs huge budgets to be done in the filming industry. Would you help me to clarify?


texts: Is "bridles lashing about the horses" correct?

texts:
Not sure what preposition + verb combinations you can use with bridles and horses. Is there a way of figuring these out as a non-native speaker? I feel you can only know after memorizing a couple of examples.

Anyway, the real question is the following:

Is the following grammatically correct?

  The bridles were lashing about the horses as the horsemen were trying to escape the King's cavalry.

I am not sure why, but there's something about this sentence that doesn't seem right.


texts: Set up automatic payments for my debit card, with my debit card or on debit card?

texts:
Could you tell which preposition do I use in the sentence below: for, with or on?

I'd like to set up automatic payments for/with/on my debit card.


texts: "compile" vs. "compiling" vs. "compilation"

texts:
From Nginx HTTP Server:

  Again, problems might occur at compile time.

The phrase "compile time" confuses me because "compile" is a verb; It sounds ungrammatical to me.

The author also uses "compilation" for the same process.

  If the compilation process was successful, you are ready for...

So I have two questions:

(1) Is "compile time" grammatical?

(2) Are these three phrases valid and interchangeable?

  compile time

  compiling time

  compilation time


texts:
One of the best times of my life
One of the best time of my life
One of the best times I've had
One of the best time I've had


texts:
What is the meaning of the structure are said in the following phrase:

  Over 1m uighurs are said to be interned in the camps

Is this phrase a passive sentence?


texts: I don't know what the author trying to say

texts:
I was doing my revision, and I found these sentences in the grammar book I was using:

1) I know that a spider is a type of arthropod that makes webs to trap and eat prey.

2) I know what you mean, but I can't come to terms with you.

3) I wonder what he can do to help his pet.

As you can see, the authors have come out with three different constructions---as bolded.

What do they really want to highlight?

Cheers!


texts: Can I use a colon in the following sentence?

texts:
According to information from the news agency Reuters: safety experts warned the Lebanese government back in July of the devastating effects the explosion would cause.

Does the word after the colon need to be capitalized?


texts: What does the word "sideways" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from an instruction passage of a game:

  A sideways swipe will see the main character change direction or pull
  off a speedy mid-air dash

I am not sure if the word sideways means oblique or on one side here.


texts: Is it possible to use "after a long time" or "after a long interval" this way?

texts:
I'd like to know if these two phrases "after a long time" and "after a long interval", which I often find in Japanese-English dictionaries, are used a lot.

I don't want to specify how much time has passed since I did something. So instead of saying

  It's been a long time since I had sushi.
   or
  It's been a while since I saw my high school teacher last time.

is it possible to say

  I had sushi after a long time / after a long interval.
  or
  I saw my high school teacher after a long time / after a long interval.

I haven't seen these expressions a lot except for Japanese-English dictionaries.   My question is if these phrases are commonly used in the way I wrote above.

Also I have one more question: if I say, "I had sushi for the first time in a long time" does it sound natural?


texts: What is the meaning of this sentence and why did the Giant rip open his belly?

texts:
The giant struck several heavy blows on the bed which Jack slept with his club but he had laid a billet in the bed in his stead before that.

  With that, greatly wondering, the giant led Jack to breakfast,
  bringing him a bowl containing four gallons of hasty pudding. Being
  loth to let the giant think it too much for him, Jack put a large
  leather bag under his loose coat, in such a way that he could convey
  the pudding into it without its being perceived. Then, telling the
  giant he would show him a trick, taking a knife, Jack ripped open the
  bag, and out came all the hasty pudding. Whereupon, saying, 'Odds
  splutters her nails, hur can do that trick hurself', the monster took
  the knife, and ripping open his belly, fell down dead.

This is from English fairly tales. I can't understand the meaning " Odds splutters her nails, hur can do that trick hurself ". What is the word "hur" and why did the Giant rip open his belly? Could you teach me?


texts: Trouble understanding the lyrics of a song

texts:
I came across this song yesterday, and have had some trouble understanding several parts of the lyrics, could I have some indications ?

Here are the lyrics (the punctuation is left blank because I am not sure of it, the commas come from the lyrics written in the link above) , followed by my questions :

A storm is loosed upon the sea

whose eye is stained with tears.

A wretch Hell-bound and bent on blood

the makings of the fearful's fears  -- What is the meaning of 'makings' here ?

The tide it stole away her grace,

the depths, they wouldn't claim her

A toil begat by father's blood -- what is begat ? I couldn't find it on wordreference, so I assume it has to be some form of a verb i do not know

This path was laid before her

Redemption borne by brigand's blood

A blight upon the darkness

The pact embraced, a road unsought

The Maiden of Death won't be unwrought -- Searching on the internet lead me to believe that wrought is a synonym of forged, but i could not find 'unwrought', and if the meaning here is 'un-forged' i don't really get it

---- Some music ----

Her wrath is known throughout the black -- what is 'the black' ? I thought it might be a metaphor for the night, however that is but a mere guess

The gardens of death she is tending

Vengeance is her only ward I am unsure what 'ward' means here, is it like 'field' ?

Beware the blood red rose's thorn


texts:
Ngrams displays the prominence of only hate to, but why so? Why are the others (eg dislike to, loathe to) rarer? Are they all grammatically correct? Excepting the degree of dislike, what are the differences?

I did read this ELU question but the lack of upvotes worries me.


texts: What does the phrase "as thick AROUND as" mean?

texts:
Each line, as thick around as a big pencil, was looped onto a green-sapped stick...

From "The old man and the sea" by Ernest Hemingway
I have two questions:

Does it describe the thickness of the line?
What does around mean here? I mean what's wrong with "as thick as"?


texts: You are selected or you have selected. What is the difference between these two?

texts:
I have written:

you have shortlisted for ABC company.

But when I searched, I did not understand whether it is:

you have shortlisted

Or:

you are shortlisted

Gives the same meaning? Is the first sentence totally wrong?


texts:
Some uncountable words like the word value should not be preceded with article. I am not sure about impact.

  It has impact on the existing approaches.

or

  It has an impact on the existing approaches.


texts: JSON request sample or JSON request example

texts:
Can I call this snippet of code an example, or should I call it a sample or both will work?

JSON request sample:

{
  "mac": "10:B5:S3:06:C6:E9",
  "route":0,
  "latitude":73.834588,
  "longitude":60.704048,

}


texts:
How to use names in directly addressed questions?

I have trouble in understanding where to place names in the following questions.

  John, why don’t you go to the grocery store and buy some milk?

Or

  Why don’t you go to the grocery store and buy some milk, John?


texts: "To be one's age" and "To be the same age as someone"

texts:
I was wondering if in the following case we can substitute the bold sentence with the alternative written bellow:

You are a youth and should work to make a better life in the future(Says a father to his son.) When I was your age, I was working, because I knew that I must make my life and support my own family sooner or later.

Can we substitute the bold sentence above with:

When I was the same age as you...

I think they mean the same here.
Please give me a hand with this question.


texts:
The logical conclusion to the anti-abortionist’s ‘human potential’ argument is that
  we potentially deprive a human soul of the gift of existence every time we fail to
  seize any opportunity for sexual intercourse. Every refusal of any offer of
  copulation by a fertile individual is, by this dopey ‘pro-life’ logic, tantamount to
  the murder of a potential child! Even resisting rape could be represented as
  murdering a potential baby. Notice that ‘pro-life’ doesn’t exactly mean pro-life at
  all. It means pro-human-life. The granting of uniquely special rights to cells of the
  species Homo sapiens is hard to reconcile with the fact of evolution. Admittedly,
  this will not worry those many anti-abortionists who don’t understand that
  evolution is a fact! But let me briefly spell out the argument for the benefit of
  anti-abortion activists who may be less ignorant of science.

Source: p 339,The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins

I'm trying to determine the tone of the writing in the passage above. Is it (b) logical,
(c) opinionated, (d) scientific, or (e) sarcastic? I picked (c), but the answer is (e). What are my misunderstandings?

Even after seeing the answer, I still struggle with understanding the nuances between (c) vs (e), which I missed because these words look equivalent. What are the similarities and differences?


texts: Adding multiple sentences after "was advised to"

texts:
What is the most correct :

"He was advised to lose some weight, do regular exercises and quit smoking"

Or

"He was advised to lose some weight, do regular exercises and to quit smoking"


texts:
I would like to know the ways to say something is the only way
Are these correct?

There is no way than to go to a safe place
There is no way except to go to a safe place
You left me no way than telling this to John
We can't do much except to wait
We can't do anything other than to fight
We can do nothing but to fight


texts:
From this book "Deep Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks for Medical Image Computing"

  While the use of deep learning by the medical image processing
  community trailed that of the computer vision community by a couple of
  years, the uptake of deep learning in medical research has been
  nothing short of amazing.

I googled this and found a lot of "Today has been nothing short of amazing"

Does "has been nothing short of amazing" mean it is a short time interval?


texts: Can I use the word "engage" in a sentence

texts:
News media plays a significant role in our everyday lives, and we need to actively engage with it. If we don’t,

can I use the word "engage" here?


texts: An honest and hardworking man / An honest and a hard working man

texts:
It is universally true that an honest and hardworking man is always a happy man.

Or

  It is universally true that an honest and a hardworking man is always a happy man.

Which of the above sentence is correct ? Honest and hardworking take different articles so do I need to use different articles with them or can I get away using article just with former word in such cases ?


texts: Is there any difference between the phrase "all the better" and "so much the better"?

texts:
Is there any difference between the phrases? For example:

If you can come earlier, it is all the better.
If you can come earlier, it is so much the better.

By the way, do I have to include it is  as in it is all the better?


texts: How to use will,shall,should,could and would with has/have and had?

texts:
Is there any rule of using will,shall,should, could and would with has/have and had?

I  know that we should never use had with will because will is a future tense but the others I am not sure?

correct: I will have lunch with her tomorrow
wrong: I will had lunch with her tomorrow

similarly what will happen with shall, should, could and would? I asked an another collegue of  mine and he told me we should never use had with will, shall, should, could and would.


texts: Can I say "I was bought a car" meaning that a car was bought for me or it is incorrect. And the following sentence "The universe expands" it means that The Universe expands something or The universe itself is being expanded ? I was bought or I was given sometimes is used but it seems a bit ambiguous to me it seems like I was bought or given from someone to someone like slavery .


texts:
I heard that we do not use the word 'want' after the word 'will'
because will includes the meaning 'wish'. But I saw lots of
people using the expression like no one will want to marry me.


texts: Is it correct word usage to say that I'm mobbed by a single person? The word mobbing comes from mob, which refers to a large number of people, so only one person mobbing sounds a bit strange.


texts: "I wish I would have been there". Is this sentence gramatically correct, if so which tense is it?

texts:
I wish I would have been there

Is this sentence grammatically correct? If so, which tense is it?


texts:
What's the correct way to parse the following sentence?

  People everywhere are celebrating the landing of the Apollo 11 mission.

On the one hand, everywhere typically acts as an adverb and is clearly an adverb in the following, similar sentence:

  People are celebrating everywhere the landing of the Apollo 11 mission.

On the other hand, it seems like people everywhere is acting like a noun phrase, and it's people everywhere who are doing the celebrating.

Which way is correct, or is it something else entirely?


texts:
I have a question about the prepositions to use with verb and adjective "open":

  1a. He opened the book at page 10.
  1b. "He opened the book on page 10.
  1c. "He opened the book to page 10.

  2a. The book fell open at page 10.
  2b. The book fell open on page 10.
  2c. The book fell open to page 10.

How are 1a, 1b, and 1c different? How are 2a, 2b, and 2c different?  Are some of them wrong?


texts:
Claude Frollo had always stayed away from
  women. But now he seemed to hate them—
  especially gypsy women. He had asked the
  bishop to forbid gypsies from dancing in the
  square. He was outraged when the bishop
  refused. For some reason he seemed to be out
  for revenge. He began to collect information
  about all the wizards and witches
  who’d been
  burned or hanged in the past.

Dose it mean: He began to take revenge openly.


texts: Correct construction of the sentence "Marcs computer"

texts:
How could I write sentence below in two words:

  Original: "The computer from Marc is damaged."

  With less words: "Marcs computer is damaged."

Is this correct and what about the name ends with a, e, i, o or u like Amanda or ending with a s like Jesus?


texts:
Such is placed before a modifier and noun to intensify the quality of the modifier.

That is placed as a conjunction.

  It was such a beautiful film that we watched it fully.

Question is, can we use 'that' as a relative pronoun with 'such' being used before a modifier and noun?

  It was such a beautiful film that mesmerized all of us.


texts: How to say "I understand where you're coming from" without implying agreement

texts:
I'm looking for a way to say something along the lines of "I understand where you're coming from", but without any implication of agreement.
"I understand", "I get it" or similar things seem to imply a low level kind of agreement for me - or am I getting that wrong?

I have thought of something like "I have comprehended what you said" but that sounds odd to me.


texts: Does this justification regarding my two-year gap in academics sound positive or negative?

texts:
It is a justification regarding my two-year gap in academics for a job interview.

I took a gap of 2 years after my 12th(intermediate college) for IIT-JEE(entrance examination for the admission in premier engineering colleges of India like IIT).

I failed to crack it in first two attempts.

In the third attempt, the admission policy changed due to which I got a very low rank.

During that time of my gap, I gained three qualities in me

To analyse and research things minutely
Thinking based on logic and reasons
Self-learning capability

So how about if I justify my gap like this:

  I took two years off to prepare for the IIT-JEE but was not successful
  in achieving that goal. It taught me that one must pursue a goal for
  the sake of learning along the way, not just for achieving the goal. I
  inculcated a habit of analysing the problems, research about them in
  detail, think logically and self-learning ability.

I unsure about the word "not successful".
How to make the whole justification sound more positive?


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

texts:
Excerpted from bigthink.com:

  Secondly, people claim that incest creates ‘deformed’ children. This is not entirely true. There is a greater risk of various handicaps, true, due to a closer sharing of genetics. But there is a danger in every form of child creation that the child might be handicapped. There might be a difference in degree of risk in incestuous sex acts but certainly not in kind.

What does in kind mean in this paragraph?

I found two meanings in an online dictionary:

If you do something in kind, you do the same thing to someone that they have just done to you.
(of payment) given in the form of goods or services and not money.

but neither make sense to me in this context.


texts:
Read the following sentence:

  It's a very steep road by the down.

Down has got a lot of meanings
, but what does it mean here? by the down?
I haven't read this type before so I've got no idea!


texts: Subject + Verb + being... vs Subject + Verb + having been (past tense)

texts:
Would you possibly explain the following in details?
In addition, what are their tenses?

A) She liked being looked at.
B) She liked having been looked at.

I mean, in general, what can these structures  mean?  It doesn't matter from which context. I just cannot understand these structures and their meaning!


texts: "’Cause that’s not going to work out for everyone" from The Avengers

texts:
BANNER: Are you here to kill me, Ms. Romanoff? ’Cause that’s not going to work out for everyone.
NATASHA: No, no. Of course not. I’m here on behalf of SHIELD.

Please tell me what Banner's line exactly means.
"Because that is not going to work out for everyone"
Let me know if my guess is right. I guess it means "It is certain that everyone else would no doubt fail to kill him (Hulk) so Romanoff herself visited him".
Am I right? What does "work out" mean in this sentence?


texts: image of "tab" that is not browser's function

texts:
I heard a expression "keep tabs". I could find the meaning by dictionary and also found a meaning of "tab":

  a small flap or strip of material attached to or projecting from
  something, used to hold, fasten, or manipulate it, or for
  identification and information.

To my mind comes up with the description only vague image, so I want to see the image itself.
But I couldn't find the image of a "tab", because all google image search result are tabs that is related to computers.

Does anyone know where to find the images of "tabs" in internet?


texts: Can we use "Had that" to mean "would that"?

texts:
Recently, I came across a sentence starting with Would that. By searching over ELL stackexchange I found here that would that is an obsolete way of saying if this was true. Now what came to my mind is that we sometimes start a sentence with had to mean the same thing, e.g.

  Had I been a millionaire.

My question is can we use the following types of constructions:

  Had that I were a millionaire.
  Had it been that I were a millionaire

Does both of them convey the same meaning?


texts:
Technology encourages networks and a lack of boundaries that make operating in hierarchies problematic and challenges traditional ways of doing and managing work.

Q1. I think I could change the word order of the sentence as 'makes operating problematic in hierarchies'. Is there any significant difference in meaning?

Q2. And could I change the word order of the sentence as 'makes problematic operating in hierarchies'? As the sentence like 'The appearance of language made possible the kind of social existance which we take for granted.' is.

Sorry for my poor English. Thank you in advance!


texts:
In my grammar book I read the following example sentence

  He goes on Sunday to church, and sits among his boys.

I think the above sentence is wrong because adverb phrase of place(to church) should be placed before adverb phrase of time(on Sunday)

Also I think it should be Sundays instead of Sunday

Am I right?


texts:
I'd like to know whether "as was she" is correct in the following:

  Peter was aware of the problem, as was she / as she was.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: A few problems with a sentence (a tale from circa 1930)

texts:
Reading an old tale, I have a problem with the following sentences (because of the context, I pasted also the preceding sentence):

My memory is not what it was, and there are certain lacunae for which
my readers must contrive to forgive me. The only wonder is, that my
powers of recollection have survived at all, beneath the hideous
burden they have had to bear; for, in a more than metaphoric sense, I
have been as one condemned to carry with him, at all times and in all
places, the loathsome incubi of things long dead and corrupt.

The first thing I am not sure of is the "I have been as one condemned". Can the "as" be omitted?
My otherproblem is "carry with" - it does not seem to be the usual usage, does still mean "carry him with me", as in "still present whenever I go"?
But who is "him"? I thought it refers to the incubus, but as there is the plural, incubi, I do not think so.


texts: In relation to sports, for example a football (soccer) match, a team can either play home or away. For a database design I am looking for a single word to denote this "property", where a team plays, but am struggling to find such a word. Does anyone here have a suggestion?


texts: Motion or movement? Turn from/ turn away from and step to/come up to

texts:
In the cooking video I'm trying to describe, a man (chef) is standing in front of the camera. He's standing at the table (i.e. there's a table before him). There's a cooker behind him. The man is going to turn (or turn away?) from the camera (i.e. from his viewers, from us) and step to (move to or come up to) the cooker behind him.

I've put the link to this video, the start time is 3:40.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVJoHEdfis8&t=223s  . It may help understand better than my clunky explanation.

My questions are:

0) Is it a motion or movement or move I'm trying to describe?

1) Which one should I pick in the situation above: "turn from" or "turn away from" or "turn his back to" or anything else?

2) Is he going to "step to" or "move to" the cooker or anything different?


texts:
Would you write

  He has been selected for testing the car

OR

  He has been selected to test the car

OR

  He has been selected to testing the best car ever made


texts: 'Are' vs. 'Have been' difference in meaning

texts:
We have been able reach an agreement, until we find a peaceful solution to the boundary issue.
We are able to reach an agreement, until we find a peaceful solution to the boundary issue.

What is the difference between these two sentences?


texts: How to write "break down the figures from the attached pages" in English?

texts:
I want to properly write "desglosa del anexo (o apéndice) las figuras" in English.

I've been translating it as "Break down the figures from the attached", but I don't know if "break down" is the most suitable in this case. I'm talking about the pages at the end of a children's book where you can find figures to play with or to cut? I don't know if ATTACHED is the most suitable.


texts: Using "in doing" instead of "while doing"

texts:
Can I use them interchangeably? If so,
is there a context where one of them is more plausible than the other?

  1- Choose your words wisely while speaking to him.

  2- Choose your words wisely speaking to him.

  3- Choose your words wisely in speaking to him.

  4- He broke his leg while playing football.

  5- He broke his leg playing football.

  6- He broke his leg in playing football.


texts: Why is "in" missing from “... kick-start a party soccer style ...”?

texts:
Times Life tells you how to kick-start a party soccer style as the FIFA World Cup 2014, in Brazil, gets underway.

Source - Times of India

I understand the meaning of this sentence, but I think there should a in before the bold part. Why is it omitted?


texts:
I forgave all of you.

I forgave some bad thing that my friends did to me. Later after a month, I'm telling them the above sentence. Is this the way a native speaker will say?


texts: Conjunction to use after "one of the following" + comma-separated list

texts:
In the following sentence, which conjunction (and or or) should be used?

  One from these programming languages is good: PHP, Java, and/or Perl.

If I use and since the sentence is referring to a collection of programming languages, does it not disagree with the subject One?

If I use or since the subject is One, will it be semantically wrong since the sentence is referring to a collection of programming languages?

Can the sentence be rewritten in one line so that the decision to choose which conjunction to use can be avoided?


texts:
In Russian, we have a couple of verbs that mean “memorize without understanding”. We use them when a student remembers some facts just to pass an exam instead of actually trying to comprehend the subject and learn something.

How can I say the same in English?


texts:
You would have lean times unless you study more.

Is it awkward?
I wanna say that you should study more.


texts: define preposition in after students and there is need of preposition after again or not

texts: Many educators believe that a school is supposed to teach students in subjects that they will most probably not encounter again post-graduation, so that teachers can develop open-minded and well-informed individuals.


texts:
Everyday last week my aunt was breaking a plate.

Is the tense correct in this sentence?

This is the answer my teacher gave. Could someone tell me why "was breaking" is used here?


texts: 'Provides me with an excuse" or "Provides me an excuse"

texts:
With respect to FumbleFingers for providing his Google search of "provides me an excuse" in this comment I would like to ask when and in which cases can we omit "with" when we place the indirect object right before the direct object after the verb "provide"?

I searched in Oxford, Cambridge, Macmillan, Collins, Longman, and Merriam-Webster dictionaries and none of them allow us to use a direct object right after the indirect object with the verb "provide" without the preposition "with" in between. That is, it is wrong to say "provide somebody something".


texts: I am writing a research paper and I'm trying to figure to which one goes with achievement can somebody please help me?


texts: to square it with your conscience or to scruple

texts:
to square it with your conscience means that something is congruent with your conscience. I would like to ask as to how to use it correctly and if the following example is correct.

For example somebody can say:

  You've spent the money that was saved for your children's future education
  on gambling. How could you square it with your conscience?

or

  How can you square spending the money saved for your children's education on
  gambling with your conscience?

Although the word scruple is not synonym with the phrase verb "to square it with your conscience", I wonder if I can rewrite the sentence using the word scruple by keeping the same meaning or if there are any other word(s) I can use for the phrasal verb. I also thought about " to let your conscience" but it can be used mostly in positive situations. How can you say this scenario in a natural way if my sentence sounds awkward?


texts: Which is correct:  I am concerned about whether there has been or have been any accidents.


texts:
What does "sign on" here mean?

Americans were quick to sign on, registering more than seven million phone numbers on the first day.


texts: Is this a proper use of "which" as a relative pronoun?

texts:
In a description of a programmatic operator in TCL, I encountered a usage of "which" that I didn't know about before:

  < > <= >= Boolean less, greater, less than or equal, and greater than or equal. Each operator produces 1 if the condition is true, 0 otherwise. These operators may be applied to strings as well as numeric operands, in which case string comparison is used.

I don't understand what kind of which this is. I don't think it is a pronoun as I used to know e.g. in This is the book which you loved to have.


texts: What does ''See something you like'' mean?

texts:
Does it mean "did you see something you like?" or "do you see something you like?"?

I just saw it on a TV show (Westworld-Ep2) and I'm wondering.


texts:
Let's say I am standing about five feet away from another person and then I started talking to him, could I write this:

  I made contact with him.

to describe the situation?

Does "make contact" require a long distance between the two people, or does it allow for talking to a stranger at a close distance?


texts:
Let's look at the sentences.

These are the things to sell.

These are the things to be sold.

Which one is correct? The first one sounds good. It seems that in the first sentence we are talking about selling not the things.
I think the second one is the omitted form of
'These are the things that are to be sold'. We are talking about the things. In that sense the second one should be correct and appropriate.
Am I right? Plz make me understand with proper example and explanations. Which one should I use?


texts:
I'm trying to improve my spelling, and I came across this article, which states that "Every syllable has one vowel'.
How can this be true while words like room, pain, eat, grow, etc. Have one syllable and two vowels?


texts: What is "early spring" in following sentence?

texts:
The hills here are covered with wildflowers in early spring.

At first, I thought it was an adverbial phrase but it's not.
Preposition in implies that "early spring" is a noun but how?

Let's look at sentence

  I'll go there next spring.

It doesn't need a preposition because "next spring" is an adverbial phrase. How is next spring different from early spring?


texts:
What is the meaning of "you're always up to it" in this paragraph :

  Teaching is entirely different from writing. You’re always up to it, or more or less up to it; there’s no question of its clogging, of its not coming. It’s much less subjective, and it’s a very pleasant pursuit in itself.


texts:
Could/can any native english speaker tell me what the difference between 'can' and 'could' in the following sentences is. And, are they interchangeable in the following context? What Difference do the words can and could create when making a request or an offer?

Here are the examples:

Suppose, I am looking for a particular bank but I don't know where the bank is. I meet an old man and want to know the direction of the bank from him. So I ask him "Can/Could you please tell me where the bank is?"
Can/Could anyone please teach me how to share videos and photos on Facebook?

As usual, if there is anything ungrammatical in the writing, please correct it.


texts:
Tell me please If I used the right word in the following sentence

  I have been doing powerlifting for 3 years.

Does the sentence sound natural? if it dosn't, would it be better If use the word practise instead?


texts: Should I use "in a" or "as a" in the following sentence?

texts:
I snickered, a snicker that ended in a sigh.

  I snickered, a snicker that ended as a sigh.

What's the correct option and why?

The second sentence has only one hit on Google. So, I'm a bit skeptic.


texts:
From native English speaker point of view, which sentence sounds best ?

If he doesn't have the money, why does he want to buy such a big car?
Since he doesn't have the money,  why he does want to buy such a big car?


texts: "No chance of finding him sober now; he will have been drinking all day."

texts:
This sentence tells nothing about the future. "Will" here is used to describe what happened in the past / present.

  No chance of finding him sober now; he will have been drinking all day.

Can you explain me this kind of usage of will?


texts:
I am confused with the following sentences -

  The players are keen not to have to think about the
  situation while the current series with Pakistan is
  going on.

I am, actually, confused with the part "keen not to have to " what is the meaning of "have" here? Please explain this sentence to me.


texts:
What is the error in the following sentence?

  Although there was still a faint heart beat, the patient was for all intents and purposes dead.

On many of the websites I found that instead of for, to is the correct preposition.

But I think for is correct here because for all intents and purposes means almost completely


texts: Do you have a pen? Can such sentences be converted into passive form?

texts:
Do you have a pen?

The verb in the question is "have" which is a possessive verb. Can such questions be asked in passive form?


texts:
I have been watching TV series 'East Enders' in BBC. I encountered a sentence 'It all kicked off', but I don't quite understand it. Judging from the scene, it seems this sentence may mean a disaster has just happened. Could someone tell me the exact meaning of this sentence...?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
This is my friend's opion.
"Creativity/art means seeing something for the first time." Is the idea clearly and correctly expressed?


texts: What do you call a photo taken after winning the lottery?

texts:
The mugshot of his face looked funny, the one they took of him after
getting his lottery winnings.

I think mugshot only applies to people who get jailed, but I am wondering if there's a word similar to mugshot but for lottery winners.


texts: 'Said distracted mum' vs 'distracted mum said'?

texts:
I write fairytale, and I wonder if I can write something like:

"'It was strange.' Said distracted mum"

or maybe the form "distracted mum said" has to be for every time? I'd like to diversify


texts:
This is the context:

  would say that the science of consciousness is extremely challenging and that in
  the context of trying to make operational evaluations of patients, that is, when trying to determine if they
  are conscious or not, we don’t have a standard model—I don’t even think there’s a dogma (the idea of a
  standard model here is laughable). So, while we do have measurements and some operational approaches,
  and while we certainly know in a casual sense when somebody’s conscious, it is very difficult to demonstrate
  that a comatose patient who starts to recover but inconsistently responds is actually conscious. If the patient
  never responds, could he/she be—or become—conscious? Is the patient conscious now and we just don’t
  realize it? We’re getting better tools that provide measures for approximating probabilities of a state of
  consciousness.

  source: The enigma of human consciousness.New York Academy of Sciences.

What is the meaning of "inconsistently" in this context? Does it mean "not regular" or "erratic"? Or could it mean "incompatible" or "discrepant", for example?


texts: What kind of words are "given", "considering" vs "even though" and "because"?

texts:
I am curious about the words "considering", "given", and "even though", because they seem to help me build sentences, but I don't know how they work.

Some example sentences:

  She can speak English quite well, considering that she only started learning it one year ago.

  She can speak English quite well, even though she only started learning it one year ago.

  I'll let you rewrite the test, given your special circumstances.

I know that conjunctions like "because" can be used to build sentences in a similar way:

  I'll let you rewrite the test, because of your special circumstances.

Wikitionary says that considering and given are prepositions. But I know "because" is a conjunction, and wiktionary says that even though is also a conjunction (and not a preposition).

Questions:
1. What is the difference between how prepositions ("considering", "given") are building these sentences, versus the conjunctions ("because", "even though")?
2. Can many other verbs (other than "to consider" and "to give") be made into prepositions?


texts:
What is the past tense of learn?  Is it learned or learnt?

I've seen people use "learnt" in articles I've read on the internet and I didn't or haven't seen crazy words like this when I was in jr high or high school (which was a while ago).  Is "learnt" a real word or is this like people mis-using the word "loose" when they mean "lose"?


texts: What to say to comfort someone if he thinks he had made something bad?

texts:
Say, someone unintentionally has broken something owned by someone else. But this something was not important to the owner. In German, to comfort the person, the owner would say:

  Das ist nicht schlimm.

Google Translator translates it to:

  That's not bad.

But I'm not sure, if this translation is a really idiomatic sentence in English to express this meaning.
Is it?


texts: What does "spot shower" mean in weather forcasting?

texts:
I saw "spot shower" on a weather forecast here. It reads:

  Muggy with Spot Shower This Weekend

What does "spot shower" truly mean?


texts:
Someone I know who is at college and I'm asking him few questions. What is written inside the brackets is what I want to check its applicability.

You seem young, are you (at/in) your second year.

You got right I'm (at/in) my second year. (I still have 3 years ahead ).


texts: Can I use Did his girlfriend leave him ? with the answer Yes, it's been 2 months now

texts:
We were just asked to make a question to fit this answer:

  Yes, it's been 2 months now.

I used :

  Did his girlfriend leave him ?

... and the teacher said it was not correct and I don't understand why.


texts: You know, not A but B is C, not only A but also B is C, or A is B but C structures are correct. What about an A but B is C structure?


texts:
In drama movie Bombshell (2019), Megyn admits that she too face sexual harrashment from Roger,
Fox News CEO, but she refuse to be the  poster girl
for sexual harassment:

Megyn: I mean, going on the record...It's basically admitting you're
the weak one in the herd.
Gil Norman: No, it's admitting you're the hot one.
Megyn: It has nothing to do with that, Gil.
Gil Norman: Say women.

What does "Say women" mean? I think He’s implying that women say that being sexually harassed has nothing to with being hot.


texts:
Is this correct?

  He is making the problem worst.

I have a feeling that it is wrong and worst should be worse but I couldn't explain why it is wrong.

So to confirm, is worst in the example sentence correct and sounds natural? If it is wrong, what is the reason?


texts: tense in answering a question about prose or poetry

texts:
Can anyone please tell me if I am asked questions in present tense from a prose and poem, should I give answers in present tense or in past tense?

Here is the poem 'The Owl' by Edward Thomas from which A question was asked in my exam:

  And salted was my food, and my repose,
  Salted and sobered, too, by the bird’s voice
  Speaking for all who lay under the stars,
  Soldiers and poor, unable to rejoice.

Here is the question that was asked in the exam:

We generally add salt to our food to improve its taste. So, what does the poet mean when he says 'salted was my food'? Why does he feel that way?

  Answer: Salt improves the taste of food. But here the poet uses the word 'salted' in the sense of 'oversalted'. His food appeared to be tasteless to him.

  It is the thought of the miseries of the helpless poor people and the soldiers serving at the front which makes him feel that way. Unlike him, these people suffers the biting cold of the North wind, without food and shelter.

I gave the answer written above. My question is should I answer in present tense as the question is in present tense or in past tense. As the poem was written in the past and everything happened in the past, does the present sound appropriate there?


texts: Thank you for fix/fixing the pending items.

texts:
Which form should I use after thank you? Which one is correct? Is there third option?

  Thank you for fix the pending items.
  Thank you for fixing the pending items


texts: "Would be working" or "Will be working" is most suitable?

texts:
We ____ be working very differently after the lockdown is lifted.

will
would

In our country (non-native) sometimes it is difficult to understand the concepts of 'will’ and ‘would'. I would like to know what is the best answer for this sentence.


texts:
Are the examples below correct? Instead of using the pronoun "whom" could I use the word "that" and the preposition "with" at the end?

some argue that they prefer to have friends that they never disagree with

vs

some argue that they prefer to have friends with whom they never disagree


texts: Ruled the kingdom of Dahomey vs Ruled the battle of Dahomey

texts:
Behanzin ruled the West African
kingdom/battle
of Dahomey at the end of the nineteenth century, a time when Europeans were doing their utmost to colonize Africa. Behanzin put up extremely powerful resistance. He did this with the
aid
of an army, including five thousand female warriors. He is often called King Shark, a name suggesting strength and wisdom. Famed for being a
poet
as well as a warrior, he wrote some of the most beautiful songs ever produced in Dahomey.

My Approach
As per definition,
Kingdom --> a country/state rules by a king or queen
battle --> fight
I am confused by seeing the definition of the correct word based on context.
Can anyone guide me to the correct answer?
Thanks in advance


texts: Do we have adverbs that express the sounds of dogs or babies, for example, can we say "the dog barks bow-gow" and "The baby cries wah-wah"?

texts:
Do we have adverbs that express the sounds of dogs or babies?

If we don't, then can we invent them?

For example, can we say "the dog barks bow-gow" and "The baby cries wah-wah"?


texts: what does the phrase "don't pimp me" mean?

texts:
I watched the pilot episode of The Office (Season 1).

There, Michael says,

  "Oh, hey do you like the Jamie Kennedy Experiment? Yeah Punk'd, and all that kind of stuff? You are going to be my accomplice, just go on with that ok? All right Just follow my lead, don't pimp me all right? Come in! "

Source

What does the phrase "don't pimp me" mean?


texts: "authors encouraged to do [something]" versus "authors who have been encouraged to do [something]"

texts:
Given the following sentence:

  Authors who have been encouraged to revise and resubmit their
  manuscript should not think that their manuscript has been accepted.

I'd like to drop the bold part and rephrase it this way:

  Authors encouraged to revise and resubmit their manuscript should not
  think that their manuscript has been accepted.

Is that still grammatically correct without the verb phrase? How is the sentence now different grammatically? What is this new structure called?


texts: Why is "personal reasons" always plural?

texts:
Why is the phrase "personal reasons" is preferred to "personal reason"?
Example: I'm on leave due to personal reasons.
I hardly have seen anyone saying "I'm on leave due to a personal reason."
Are there any differences? Isn't it grammatically correct to use the phrase in singular?


texts: How to say it grammatically correct "what food by what animals will be obtained"?

texts:
I got some food and some animals.
And everyday I give them some food.

So, I decide what food will be eaten by what animal.

How to say it grammatically correct "what food by what animals is obtained"?

"is obtained" here is a passive voice, because this act can be daily repeated in context.


texts: Hello is it correct to say "The team has been join by William" instead of "William has join the team"?


texts: Use of after with past simple or perfect

texts:
1.No one died, but four people were injured and had to be taken to hospital after the plane was crashed near airport hospital.

2.No one died, but four people were injured and had to be taken to hospital after the plane was crashed near airport hospital.

Which one is right?I am confused about whether 'the plane was crashed "or"the plane had been crashed"?


texts:
Example (short audio clip):

Transcript:

  SQL like the relational model has been around for decades and supports a many-billion-dollar market. The first thing you might be wondering is how you pronounce it. Is it "SQL" or is it "sequel"? My friends in industry tell me that "sequel" is the in-pronunciation. So, that's the one I'll be using. Now, SQL is supported by all major commercial database systems.

Did I get it right? Is that even a word?


texts: What does it mean for a word to be coined?

texts:
I came across the coiner word : pneumonoultramiscropicsiliconvolcanoconiosis today, and reading the definition it was a coined word, as expected. I thought a coined word was a word that was made from lots of roots, r prefixes and suffixes. But then I came across the word: cell and read that it was a coiner term. This confused me as cell is a 1 sylable, much less suffix-2root-prefix word, so it made me wonder:

  What exactly does it mean for a term to be coined?
  What's the difference between a coined term and a coined word?


texts:
Commercial builders downplayed ______ a bust in the superheated housing market.

1) The concern of
2) Concerns about

The answer is number 2, but why does number 1 not work?


texts: Meaning of 'not ~ any more than' followed by 'if' clause

texts:
The following sentences are from annual shareholder meeting of Berkshire Hathaway. I am not asking the financial meaning but English structural meaning.

  He explained: “When we sell something, very often it’s going to be our entire stake: We don’t trim positions. That’s just not the way we approach it any more than if we buy 100% of a business. We’re going to sell it down to 90% or 80%.”

I cannot exactly understand the Italic part. I know the usual usage of 'not ~ any more than' but the following 'if' makes me confusing.

Does it mean that 'only when we have 100% of a business, we trim positions'? If my understanding is correct, does the following sentence 'we're going ...' mean that 'when we have 100% of a business, we trim positions if it is necessary and then the trimming size will be down to 80~90%' which means the leftover will be 10~20%? It seems not to make sense to me.


texts:
For example, you did something but unsuccessfully. Then you tried another way to achieve an approximation to the same goal. Can you say that

  you hope the second way can complement the pity that you couldn't succeed in the first way?

It sounds unnatural to me.


texts:
I ______ (complete) my homework by today.

a) will complete

b) will have completed

I think that the correct one should be b. However, I saw the sentence "the repair of XX will be completed by today" elsewhere. This makes me confused because I think that it should be "the repair of XX will have been completed by today.

Can someone please explain?


texts: Verbs catenated without coordinatior: "the body fell became briefly famous"

texts:
The boy friend fled into a rehab facility, but the police remained inscrutable; those who had been with her on the evening before her death were hounded; thousands of columns of newsprint were filled, and hours of television news, and the woman who swore she had overheard a second argument moments before the body fell became briefly famous too, and was awarded smaller-sized photographs beside the images of the beautiful dead girl.
  (The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith)

If ‘fell became’ were ‘fell become’ with past participle, it would have remained no curiosity. Yet verbs hand in hand without coordinator looks very foreign to me. Is it natural way of speaking with any verbs? Or is there some rule that restricts the usage?


texts: Type of noun- If it is not a feeling/state/ action

texts:
I have word

  situation

Is this an abstract noun? I don't think it's an abstract noun as it does not describe a feeling, state or action.


texts: What's the point in using "me thinks" and other like phrases in writing and speech? (SOLVED!)

texts:
In one of his comments, a reputable member of the ELL community, a native English speaker, finished his thought with a phrase "me dodges brickbat".

This reminded me of the phrase "me thinks", which is marked as archaic usage of "I think" in dictionaries but  is still in use (I came across it several times here on the site).

That particular comment put aside, my question is as follows:

Would it be correct to suppose  that the use of such a grammatically incorrect (on the face of it) expression by a well-educated native English speaker should add either humorous or sarcastic/derogatory notes to his remark/statement?

For what possible purposes may it be used ?

How may this be received by a native English speaker if it comes from a not very fluent in English foreigner?


texts: How many students are involved in the question "How do students actually learn from each other?", two or more than two?

texts:
In Bill Bryson's book titled "Mother Tongue. The Story of the English Language", on page 132 it says that "we must use each other for two things and one another for more than two."

So, when I read the following sentence quoted from a nih.gov paper, I wondered whether the writers correctly use each other.

From the point of view of a learner, like I am, the sentence might be okay only if one assumes that the writers want to mean that students interact each other in pairs (only two students at time) even if they are more than two; but, honestly, I doubt that the writers want to mean that.

  Collaborative, case-based learning: how do students actually learn from each other?

Can anybody explain?


texts:
How did you cope/deal with the divorce?

I am aware of the technical difference between using "cope with" and "deal with" but are they used interchangeably in a context like this?

Are they equally formal/informal?


texts: A proper noun with an indefinite article -is it a rare case?

texts:
Proper nouns don't take indefinite articles -simple and straightforward. But then, I came across a sentence while searching for some examples as I was pondering over this question.
I learned that at times, we 'capitalize' the letter 'e' in earth. The rule as described says:

We capitalize 'e' in 'earth' when it's used as a proper noun

The example follows:

This means its light has taken an astonishing 12.9 billion years to reach us here on Earth. [BBC News]

We don't capitalize 'e' if 'earth' is working like a noun

Shale gas is extracted from beneath the surface of the earth through a process called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” - [CBC]

But...
from COCA, I got a few sentences:

Computer simulations suggest a that if a more massive object, like a brown dwarf (which contains the mass of dozens of Jupiters), orbited the Sun instead of Jupiter, it would have been harder for Earth and the other terrestrial planets (Mars, Venus, and Mercury) to have formed. So under these circumstances, there might not even be an Earth.
That's sufficient to detect a giant planet in a big orbit, or a small one if it's very close to its star, but not an Earth at anything like our Earth's 93-million-mile distance from its star.
An Earth without plastic bags would be a better place.

I'm not asking, why the word 'earth' is taking the indefinite article, I'm asking why the proper noun is taking indefinite article here in all.


texts: Noun compound: gerund + noun ("he couldn't find a job acting" / "an acting job")

texts:
Is job acting correct in the following text:

  When Hans's father died, he was only 11 years old. When he was 14 he
  set out for Copenhagen, the biggest city in Denmark, to make his
  fortune. There he was often hungry and homeless. He wanted to be an
  actor, and could not find a job acting.

Source: Who Exactly is Hans Christian Andersen?

Shouldn't it be acting job?


texts: Meaning of "our findings could be reproduced" in a scientific paper

texts:
From The basis for folinic acid treatment in neuro-psychiatric disorders (Ramaekers et al., 2016):

  In the latter group of low-functioning autism our studies identified a prevalence of blocking FR autoantibodies between 55 - 59%. Our findings could be reproduced by Frye et al, who identified blocking type FRα autoantibodies at a rate of 60% in children with ASD (38).

What is the meaning of could be reproduced? "They have probably been reproduced, but we are not sure"?

Upon reading this sentence for the first time, I imagined "could" to mean "they could reproduce it in the future", until I had read to the end of the sentence and saw the [38] footnote, meaning that the findings have been reproduced.

Is this a correct use of the modal could? Shouldn't it be could have been reproduced instead?


texts:
What verbs, phrases and expressions can be used in this sentence to replace "be rife with" and also make the sentence sound less formal than it is now (I'd specifically like to have a verb there):

  This part of city is rife with crime.

I need synomyms that exactly do here!
In my thesausus some words are mentioned as synonymous. For example:

  OVERFLOWING, bursting, alive, swarming, teeming, seething, lousy; ABOUNDING IN, abundant in, overrun by, full of

But I don't think all those words can be used in my sentence.
'Full of' sounds normal, but I'm looking for something different, specially a verb.
 'Abound with' as a verb phrase would be a good choice, but to me the connotation it carries is positive. I'd like to know what native speakers think


texts: present perfect preceding past simple (Over the past 3 days, it has rained a lot however it became sunny)

texts:
I have made up the example below.
(ex) Over the past three days, it has rained a lot; however, it became sunny this morning. Tonight, it's raining again.
In my example, I have the present perfect (has rained) to relate to the time frame (over the past three days) before the next event in the past simple (became sunny).
Does my example make sense when the present perfect precedes the past simple?


texts: Can "would" be used to indicate speculation and with an unless-clause?

texts:
I'm wondering whether "would" can be used to indicate the speaker/writer's speculation, not necessarily counterfactuality or unlikelihood. Consider the following:

A: Where is John now? B: He would be in the classroom. (meaning he's probably in the classroom.)

A: Where was John an hour ago? B: He would have been in the classroom. (meaning he was probably in the classroom.)

Now, I'm wondering whether this use is compatible with an unless-clause.

A: What was the result of the game? B: In my opinion, Peter would have won, unless he had tripped.


texts: "have one player less" or "have one player fewer"?

texts:
Tell me please which word is gramatically correct to use in the following sentence, fewer or less.

  The team has lost because it had one player less/fewer.

I have definitely heard a native English speaker use the word less in similar context, but don't we use less with uncountable nouns?


texts: Is "gambling in relationship" idiomatic?

texts:
I am wondering if the expression "gambling in relationship" is idiomatic. By that, I mean "go into a relationship that has very little chance of lasting a long time."

Here's an example:

  Dating a girl who hates people who are timid like me is gambling in
  relationship.


texts: What is the passive voice of "The noise attracted us."

texts:
Voice change of the sentence

  The noise attracted us.

Should it be

  We were attracted by the noise

or

  We were attracted to the noise.


texts:
carried banners reading "PAC'astrophe" in reference to the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy
......................

Here is the context.

It was more je ne sais baa than quoi at the Louvre museum this morning as a flock of sheep and their farmers stormed the Paris landmark.The protesters were from the Farmers' Federation, who carried banners reading "PAC'astrophe" in reference to the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy, which is under reform.They were objecting to the effects of the industrialisation of agriculture, saying they feared for farmers' jobs."What we can see today is a desire on the part of the agricultural ministry to impose a marginalising policy which will get rid of farmers so we came here to say we don't belong to a museum and that our place is in the countryside, where we can revitalise the countryside, create jobs and develop quality produce, that's why we came here today," said a spokesman.

.............
My perception : in reference to simply means " which was about" based on longman. But I have my doubts if my analysis is correct.
carried banners reading "PAC'astrophe" WHICH WAS ABOUT the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy


texts: A multiple choice question about passive voice

texts:
This is the question:

  Medicinal chemists know their latest compound _____ seriously as a drug lead until it _____ its punch in animal models.

    A) wasn't taken / proves
    B) won't be taken / has proven
    C) weren’t taken / would be proven
    D) won't take / proves
    E) weren't taken / had proved

The answer is "B" but the second part of the answer doesn't make sense. I think it should be "proves" instead of "has proven". Is that right?


texts:
Ticking off your down-the-middle explanation of world news.I`m Carl
  Azuz. Thank you for taking 10 for CNN 10.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1805/02/sn.01.html

What does the whole sentence mean?


texts: “at the 100th anniversary” or “on the 100th anniversary”?

texts: Apparently, although both “at the 100th anniversary” and “on the 100th anniversary” are used commonly, using the preposition on is more common according to Google search results. I’d like to ask that whether using at is a grammar error or whether there are special structures in which it is preferred to be used.


texts:
What chance means in this context? By accident?

Quirk - a strange chance occurrence


texts:
When I described the location of the shop, I preferred to use "upper side" phrase, but one of my friends advised me to use compass information.

My Sentence: The shop is located in upper side of of Main road

My friend Sentence: The shop is located the north of Main road

Which one is better ?
Is my sentence incorrect ?


texts: What is the meaning of "The very sight of"

texts:
The very sight of them is frightening.

Source

What is the meaning of "the very sight of" in the above context? What else can be used instead of that phrase?


texts: Is it wrong to use "more X than Y" structure before verbs?

texts:
Is it wrong to use more.. than structure before verbs?

For example :

  They more talk than work.

  This product has been more produced than consumed.

  I want to more take action than make plans.

  I like more reading books than watching TV


texts:
Should I use "is" or "are" in the following case?

  What I'll never forget, though, is the first days I started noticing her.
   What I'll never forget, though, are the first days I started noticing her.

Here, the main topic is those "first days," so I figured I should use "are." However, here I'm also talking about "What" so  someone said I should use "is."

What's the correct option?


texts: Which should be preferred in this case- simple present or present continuous?

texts:
When Anjali's love is spurned by Major Jaidev, she is dejected. She teams up with Abrush, a terrorist, to wreak havoc on Jaidev unaware that she has put the country's safety in jeopardy.

This is the original form of the sentence. It could be restructured as:

    When Anjali's love is spurned by Major Jaidev, she is dejected. She teams up with Abrush, a terrorist, to wreak havoc on Jaidev, unaware that she has put the country's safety in jeopardy.

I just added punctuation which I believed was necessary. I wonder why not the sentence goes like with him/her being unaware depending on whether the reference is to Anjali or Jaidev which I believe is not proper due to a missing punctuation. Why should present continuous being unaware is not used instead of simple present aware?


texts:
He was really dirty because he had been repairing the car.

Is it possible to say this even if the repairs have been completed, but I don't want to emphasize the completion just the fact that being dirty is a result of the action?


texts:
I learned a new word from magazine, "dedicate", and shown me an example.

  Much of their time will be dedicated to finding the one who started the fire.

what is this sentence meaning?  and "started the fire"?  is it a idiom or a phrase?
Does it mean that they are in camping and want to cook something and need to fire?


texts: What does "courtesy" mean in "courtesy associate"?

texts:
The Longman dictionary states that courtesy can be used as a noun meaning politeness, or as an adjective meaning provided free to a customer or the public, as in courtesy phone. In job titles such as

  Courtesy associate

Does the word mean an associate who should be polite when dealing with customers, or does it mean an associate who helps customers with their purchased items for free?


texts: Difference between "That I brought" vs "I brought"

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences?

  This is a book that I brought from the library.

  This is a book I brought from the library.

Do both work? If so why do they both work?


texts: What is the term for when miners and construction workers find the end of a tunnel or mine? I thought that it was called daylighting, but I am not sure. It is a specific term related to when the first light is seen when a tunnel/mine's end is reached.


texts: What's the meaning of "routine" in this context?

texts:
This is a part of a passage quoted from an article:

  After a routine health check up with your local doctor, if he concludes you are
  physically and mentally sound...

Routine's definition in its adjectival form from OALD that seems to fit the context are:

  1 done or happening as a normal part of a particular job, situation or process
  routine enquiries/questions/tests
  The fault was discovered during a routine check.

  2 not unusual or different in any way
  He died of a heart attack during a routine operation.

However, I am unsure of which definition is more appropriate to the context. Definition #1 seems confusing; I could understand if it states "done or happening as a normal part", but the latter part "of a particular job, situation or process" doesn't make sense to me in relates to the context, because if you're going to a check up, it's obviously not a "job", "situation" doesn't make sense neither. Maybe "process" refers to the check ups as an ongoing matter that one has to go to through out their lifetime? Otherwise, I feel definition #1 fits the best.


texts: Do you use the structure 'make + it + adjective + gerund'?

texts:
I know both A) and B) are okay. But how about C)? That is, can I replace ‘to communicate’ with ‘communicating’ in the following sentence?

  A) Aphasia is a language disorder that makes it very difficult to communicate.
  B) Aphasia is a language disorder that makes it very difficult communicating.
  C) Aphasia is a language disorder that makes communicating very difficult.


texts: What is the difference between "he was saying", "he says" and "he said"?

texts:
Are there any shades of meaning between the use of the past continuous, present simple and past simple in the following sentences?

  He was saying that he is going to leave soon.

  He says that he is going to leave soon.

  He said that he is going to leave soon.

I know is that all three can refer to the present, but I cannot feel the difference. The first one sounds to me that what one was saying hasn't completed. It is only a guess, though.


texts: How to interpret 'coast' in this sentence

texts:
When I was 11, my sister bought our father a ''World Greatest Dad's''
  coffee mug, and frankly, the man coasted until the day he died.

This sentence comes from a piece of line of Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory. The meaning of coast as a intransitive verb below, and pls interpret it in this particular context above.

1.to slide on a sled down a snowy or icy hillside or incline.

2.to descend a hill or the like, as on a bicycle, without using pedals.

3.to continue to move or advance after effort has ceased; keep going on acquired momentum: We cut off the car engine and coasted for a while.

4.to advance or proceed with little or no effort, especially owing to one's actual or former assets, as wealth, position, or name, or those of another: The actor coasted to stardom on his father's name.

5.to sail along, or call at the various ports of, a coast.

6.Obsolete. to proceed in a roundabout way.

All the listed definitions are quoted from Dictionary.com


texts: Article Confusion Again! Why is there an 'a' instead of a 'the'?

texts:
Articles give me a lot of pain! Here is the latest one.
From the Yahoo! News page -

Have you seen Facebook posts claiming to link to a video message that actor Robin Williams made before his death earlier this week? Do not click on it — the video does not exist. The post was created by scammers looking to make a quick buck off the tragic death of a beloved entertainer.

...a beloved entertainer? Why not ...the beloved entertainer? Especially when we are talking about the tragic death which surely talks about RW and no one else?
I remember when MJ died, all news read the pop singer inside their bodies because we are certainly taking about MJ, the pop singer and not anyone else.
This said, when the news is about the defined person, why would we use a to describe him by his profession/quality?
These pieces of news looks okay to me.

Obama, on holiday in Martha's Vineyard, referenced Williams' array of beloved performances as he led the tributes to the entertainer - i24news
It’s all just… sad, and it feels like a terrible waste. I guess there is a wider conversation to be had about mental health, but I’m really not qualified to take part in such a discussion. All I can do is mourn the entertainer - The Moderate Voice


texts: Best way speak/write setting a profile picture

texts:
What's the best way to speak/write that someone has made his profile picture with french flag?

  He changed his profile picture with french flag

  He made his profile picture with french flag

or what?


texts: Why is no article used before the nouns "custody" and "possession" in the phrase "to have custody/possession of"?

texts:
With most nouns, we use the definite article when we are talking about specificity. But why don't we use any article in such cases:

She has the custody of her daughter.
He has the possession of a gun.

In the above examples, we are talking about specific instances of those nouns, i.e., "the custody of her daughter', and "the possession of a gun"; then why don't we use any article here?
Note: With both countable and uncountable nouns, we generally use the phrase "the/a x of y", but with nouns like "possession', "custody" we have used "x of y", not "the/a x of y"; why is it so?


texts: 'If he is convicted, he would be taken' - Mixed conditional?

texts:
Consider:

  If he is convicted, he would be taken to a lawful place of execution where he’d be put down in the most humane method known to science, either by hanging or by lethal injection.

Is the following some kind of mixed conditional? Why is "would" instead of "will" or "should" used in the second clause?


texts: Change in my usual work / change from my usual work

texts:
This is a change from/in my usual work

Which is the correct preposition to use here ? I am not a native speaker so going by the literal meaning in sounds more appropriate but I guess  from is preferred. Can anyone explain  why is it so ?


texts:
Sorry if it seems silly, but I have a question:

I sometimes find myself asking if I should use "will" when talking about future plans.

For example: "We'll talk about it later today,  when 'we/ we will' speak on the phone."

Using "will" in this case sounds clumsy to my ears. But the person is talking about something that will happen in the future, so I see no good reason to omit it.

So, what is the right grammar here, and why?


texts: What is the difference in usage of "go on", "carry on", "keep on"?

texts:
My dictionary gives all of the "go on", "carry on", "keep on" as the same synonym for "continue". There was no difference to me till now. I need to write a sentence like:

  We have decided to [carry/keep/go] on using free version of this software.

And [go on] does not sound comfortable to me in this case. Am I right?


texts:
I was asked to fill in the blank with a group verb.

The child ____ his father. (To resemble)

Would "looks like" be a correct group verb? If not, why ?


texts:
When do we use online as one word and when as two words?
For example, do we say :"I want to go online or on line?"


texts:
I encountered this term in the following text of this article:

  Four years later, he was looking for ways to grow his small magazine and started selling mail order records to the students who bought the magazine. The records sold well enough that he built his first record store the next year. After two years of selling records, he decided to open his own record label and recording studio.

I especially have trouble with the meaning of record here: Usually, a record is something done with a camera or something similar. However, this does not make much sense here, at least not for me.

Could you please explain the meaning and the context in this text? Thank you!


texts: How do the two examples the author gives support his view about amphiboly？

texts:
This is an excerpt from a piece of text talking about ambiguity:

  Misuse of the word which, or its omission for brevity, both produce many classic examples of amphiboly. (“On the claim form I have filled in details about the injury to my spine which I now enclose.”)

  There are innumerable versions of the advertisement:

    FOR SALE: Car by elderly lady with new body and spare tyre.

How do the two examples the author gives here support his view about amphiboly?

In the first example, I can only figure out one meaning, and in the second one, I can’t even understand the grammatical or syntactic structure, much less its meaning.


texts:
I bought this with cash
  I bought this by cash

The first one sounds idiomatic. But second one doesn't sound bad though


texts: Can I use the ‘Present Perfect Continuous’ if the day is not over yet?

texts:
Yesterday, my English teacher told me that if you use present perfect continuous, you need to have a connection with the present.

So, my question is, if it's 10pm, is it wrong If I say to my wife:

  What have you been doing all morning?


texts: Is it correct to say all this information? I know that the noun information is uncountable, and subsequently preceded by this instead of these, but I wonder whether the full phrase *all* this information is correct.


texts: Why does “you are the fairest here so true” mean not the fairest?

texts:
In Snow White, the magic mirror first response to the Evil Queen is

  My Queen, you are the fairest in the land.

Then

  My Queen, you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful than you.

Then

  My Queen, you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White beyond the mountains at the seven Dwarfs is a thousand times more beautiful than you.

And then

  You, my Queen, are fair so true. But the young Queen is a thousand times fairer than you.

I think it is because of here that makes so true not true. In the last response, there is no here, but fair is used instead.
Does so true mean not true?


texts: Why was past perfect preferred to past simple

texts:
On a cold december  morning in 1982 in Aachen , Germany, a young band  from Berlin loaded their equipment into a dark recording studio called Studio West. The dual-guitar fronted instrumental group unleashed  seven song with razor- sharp ferocity and concentration. Their name was die Haut(The Skin). Four songs were specifically for a young Australian singer they had met earlier that year and had invited to perform as a guest vocalist and writer

Why had met and had invited as "earlier this year" means before the cold december  morning in 1982 so past perfect seems to be unnecessary and it seems obvious that there is strong link and obvious that the meeting is the first action, following by the invitation and after the writing . it is because they met that the songs were written
So why was past perfect  preferred

extract from the booklet included in the reissue of die Haut and Nick Cave
BURNING THE ICE first lines (I don't think the booklet is on line)


texts:
a feeling of
a sense of

I am confused about these two phrases. I have learned the usages of them for instance:

  a feeling of satisfaction/pride
  &
  a sense of humor/direction

but I still can't figure out the difference between the two phrases.

Could you show me some more examples to help me distinguish? Thank you!


texts:
He couldn't  get quite high enough

can anyone explain the quite high enough sentence meaning  with one word.
is that meaning of too much high.


texts: describing an action of repetitive mentioning of some urgent need

texts:
What's the right word in English to describe an action of repetitive mentioning of some urgent need? For example,

  This politician began to show up on TV every so often
  _______________-ing the urgent need to make reforms to our economy.

1) sounding the urgent need

2) alarming the urgent need

3) trumpeting the urgent need

4) whistle-blowing the urgent need

5) ?


texts:
A few children are practicing marching.  So everyone in my school knows this and we call it "practice". So where the context is obvious, what would sound natural:

  She's gone to/for practice.

What sounds natural here "to/for"?


texts: "Why can I not carry this?" or "Why cannot I carry this?" - which is the correct phrasing?

texts:
I'm playing a game and it doesn't let me pick up an item. At some point I asked "Why cannot I carry this?"
My friends are telling me my question is grammatically incorrect. I feel like it might be strange cause I did not use a contraction "can't" but still correct as "cannot" is itself a contraction so the movement of "not" is not necessary.
What's the story here, please? Thank you!


texts: What's the meaning " the trade has a golden foundation "?

texts:
As he was going through the last village, there stood a
  scissors-grinder with his barrow; as his wheel whirred he sang --

  "I sharpen scissors and quickly grind, My coat blows out in the wind
  behind." Hans stood still and looked at him; at last he spoke to him
  and said, "All's well with you, as you are so merry with your
  grinding." - "Yes," answered the scissors-grinder, "the trade has a
  golden foundation. A real grinder is a man who as often as he puts his
  hand into his pocket finds gold in it. But where did you buy that fine
  goose?"

This is a short story "Hans in Luck" from Grimms' Fairy Tales. Could you teacn me the meaning  " the trade has a golden foundation "?


texts: Why doesn't the couple want to eat the dessert in this comic strip?

texts: So, why do the couple not want to eat the dessert? Is it because they know their suggestions were in fact terrible?


texts: "On the other there's a set of anxieties about us having any more downtime" Is it correct?

texts:
I listened to a recording
For mp3 file from bbe.com Start at 03:49
For youtube Start at 03:47
The transcript shows that

On the other there's a set of anxieties about us having any more downtime.

Is that a correct sentence?
It seems to me

On the other there's a set of anxieties about us not having any more downtime

So, what is a correct sentence?


texts:
Jack was concerned that, when it came to ATMs, too much emphasis was placed on the "physical" defences, such as whether the machine was bolted down, or whether there was CCTV.

bolt down means to eat food very quickly, but it does not make sense here apparently. So is it wrongly used here?


texts: What is the meaning of "Rapidly improving rap sheet."?

texts:
It's the drama dialogue and background is the police office.

The detective said like this about the suspect.

  Name. Klaus Goedecke. Size twelve wide. Rapidly improving rap sheet. Recently made a sizable cash deposit

In this sentence, what is the meaning of "Rapidly improving"? I know rap sheet means criminal report.


texts:
As a non-native speaker, I struggle a lot to come up with quick responses that sound idiomatic. It sucks because it also means it's harder to express some thoughts in fast-paced situations like meetings/chatrooms.

Anyone have advice on how to deal with this?

I am working on it by doing what I call "spaced reading": whenever I read a block of text that I understand, I look out the window and try to express that thought in my own words, peeking into the given text only if I'm stuck. (I've admittedly not been consistent so I don't know if it's been any effective.)


texts:
There are two sentences below . I think both of them has same meaning . But i have some doubt about second one. Does it gives same meaning?  if you say yes please explain.

  The court declared that strike action was illegal.

  The court made a declaration that strike action was illegal.


texts:
Being a speaker of several European languages, I'm always getting upset when I see people are using certain loanwords ignoring accent marks:

  Sending my resume for your review;
  We went to cafe;
  The naive algorithm performs worse than an optimized one;
  The Schrodinger's Cat phenomenon;
  The Citroen car;

The rationale is that the accent marks are not random. Their role is assisting pronunciation, and if they are omitted, it makes a different pronunciation. In some cases, it will make a different word. Not to say that some may feel offended if their name is written with a mistake.

My questions are:

Is it grammatical to skip accent marks in loanwords?
Is there any special treatment for proper nouns?
Is it a good excuse that the keyboard layout may not have accent marks?


texts: "... in Introduction" vs "... in the introduction"

texts:
I work on a thesis, with several chapters.

Now, Chapter 1 is called Introduction. When I want to say "ABC is defined in Chapter 1", I feel I can avoid using "Chapter 1" and use "Introduction".

However, I'm not sure which is correct:

"in the introduction" (referring to the general concept of introductions);
"in Introduction" (referring to Chapter 1 by its name);
neither, both, or something completely different.


texts:
In my closet I have shelves where I put my clothes but i have one with a door and a lock but its not like the drawers in my desk that I pull them out, its just a little door that opens and closes.
How would that be called?
And is it called “shelves” where you put your clothes?


texts: How does Present Continuous [used in repetetive situations] sound to a native speaker?

texts:
We know that grammatically the Present Simple tense is used when we're speaking about some mundane, every day, usual situations (especially when we list them)

  For example, every day I drink a cup of coffee, play football and
  listen to music.

But we also know, that Present Continuous is used to highlight the "momentarity" (an action is happening right now) and the flow or length of the activity.

  Sometimes I want to say: I am playing football at 5 o'clock every day,
  then I am drinking a cup of coffee and after that I am usually
  listening to music.

Despite the fact that 1) there are 3 listed actions 2) it is a repetetive timetable - everyday 3) we use usually, I still want to say that, highlighting the flow and enjoyment of those actions for me.

I understand this is incorrect grammatically. But how much is it incorrect, how do native speakers feel about it? Thank you.


texts: What`s meaning behind this phrase - square quality certification?

texts: Is there anybody who can provide a clear-cut explanation for the above-mentioned phrase ? Your help would be highly appreciated.


texts: Usage of comma joining adjectives and meaning of "low, broad forehead"

texts:
At different times in history , writers and artists have admired pure , high foreheads or low , broad ones .

In this sentence , how many kinds of foreheads are there ?  2 or 4 ? I really confused the word ''  low , broad ones '' .


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Dictionary says "appear" is not used in the progressive tenses when means "to give the impression of being or doing sth."
Does this also apply to the meaning " to start to be seen"? For example, can I use the progressive tense of it in the following sentence?

An increasing number of professors are appearing in television news programs.


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In this sentence:
The Internet has become mission critical for many institutions today.

1- In the case of has become, we should use of has + PP of the word. Is the become PP of become!?
2- Why we didn't use the critical mission instead of mission critical in the sentence? Are they apart from each other, that is, mission, critical for...?

Thanks.


texts: How does the placement of the adverbial (before vs after the agent) change the sentence?

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Both of your examples are grammatical, but what could run you into trouble is when the prepositional phrase only applies to the subject of a passive sentence. For instance:

[A] The problem was found by Vasya in the city.

In this sentence, the prepositional phrase is modifying Vasya so that it tells us that Vasya was in the city when the problem was found. This does not necessarily mean that the problem came from the city. (Think, for instance, of the problem as something that could be photographed. Vasya could be anywhere she wants to be when she solves this problem.)

[B] The problem was found in the city by Vasya.

In this sentence, however, the problem came from the city and Vasya was the one to figure it out.
So in some instances, putting the prepositional phrase before the agent can avoid ambiguity.

1. This still confuses me. I understand [A] to mean that the problem may or may NOT be related to the city (eg an abstract math problem). Vasya might've just found this (math) problem while in the city.
2. Solely based on the sentence alone, and no other context, how can you determine that [B] implies the bolded? Please correct my misinterpretation that [B] simply reorganises [A], with no change in meaning?


texts: "subject verb agreement" two subject connected using 'and', and it uses sigular verb

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I know that when two subjects are connected using "and", we need to use the plural form, as in:

  He and I are good friends.

Are there any exceptions? I am asking this because I came across this sentence:

  He and my dad believes that mom is always right.

There is another kind of sentence like:

  Each boy and each girl  has submitted his/her form.

or

  Every boy and every girl  has submitted his/her form.

If I made any grammatical mistakes on the question, please mention it in the comments.


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I wrote

  If Saudi Arabia, and the US and Israel, as its allies, are destabilizing the region by funding and supporting radical groups, why doesn't this make Russia and Iran right in countering this move (from the Middle Easterns' viewpoints)?

Is it an idiomatic usage "make somebody right in doing something"


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When is inversion between the subject and the object or the subject and the complement possible?

For instance:

  I stood at the window watching the kids play. <---> At the window watching the kids play stood I.

  We were playing football <---> football were playing we.

  The notebook stood besides the bed <---> Besides the bed stood the notebook.

I think you understand what I mean already. Are all of these sentences correct? Are there exceptions to that rule?
Also, what context are these structures used in? It looks a bit like a literary style to me.


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It is from this video. It is at 21 minute.

  Take a rat. Train it to press a lever ten times, it gets its food. Ten times it gets its food. Ten times it doesn't get its food. Ten times, you are not giving it its food. Get the rat good and frustrated. And with great realibility if there is another rat sitting there, it is going to sping around and bite it.

Does it mean to get the rat very frustrated?


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I am not really sure when to use "a time when" or "the time when". Would someone make it clear for me?

  1-At the time when I was shepherd, one could only see wolves
  with binoculars.

  2-This is the time when I'm finally able to relax.

  3-There used to be a time when I loved my mom. (Isn't she or he
  talking about a specific time?)

  4-Anna Akhmatova lived at a time when poetry mattered.


texts: "the police conspiracy" vs. "the police's conspiracy"

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I am firmly convinced he is innocent and his accusation is the result of the police conspiracy.

  I am firmly convinced he is innocent and his accusation is the result of the police's conspiracy.

Which sentence do you think is a better choice?


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In English, there are series and parallel:

Whether the inline meaning is as same as series?

if not, what's the meaning of it? can use image to representative it ? and is there any correspondent word to it? such as series to parallel.


texts: Pronunciation symbols of the American Heritage Dictionary

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The American Heritage Dictionary describes pronunciation with symbols unfamiliar to me. Do Americans have no difficulty reading these symbols, which are so different from IPA’s?

: American Heritage Dictionary


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Potions are delicate mixtures. They're just as liable to go off in your face as anything.

Source: Diablo II, Lysander the potion seller

What does “as anything” mean in this context?


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Can I use singular verb for these sentences?

Sentence 1. "Twenty gallons of paint is needed to paint the house"

Sentence 2. "Three members of the staff/crew is needed to paint the house"

Note

I know there are other threads with similar questions so plaese don't mark this as duplicate as I'm asking a particular questions in this thread.

Edit.
I'm in cofusion because the first example has a mass/uncountable noun and the second example has a singular noun and from what it says here it should be singular verb because it says the following: "Generally speaking - though there are exceptions - the fraction takes the same plurality as the thing it modifies; see here for a good explanation." so I don´t know if the sentences need a singular or plural verb.


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He intends to leave tomorrow. (1)
He intends leaving tomorrow.  (2)
(The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language)

CGEL says there’s no discernible difference between the two, yet I imagine some difference from the ‘be+~ing’ meaning. This presents a plan / intention and implies near future. Although the adjunct, tomorrow, weakens the meaning of the plan or near future, (2) still has the meaning of your intentionality or volition, I guess. Can it be the proper difference?