texts: Why is it "had to" in "she had to get a new hip"?

texts:
I saw this in a TV series (Modern Family), and I really can't understand why it's "had to" here, subjunctive maybe? so here's the context:

  Wife: I usually wear nothing when I'm in a hot tub.

  Husband: Then my college roommate's wife had to get a new hip.


texts: "control of the company" or "the control of the company"?

texts:
I saw the following sentence in OALD:

  He was forced to relinquish control of the company.

When writing in English, in some cases I don't know if the definite article 'the' should be used or not. For instance, I'm not sure if it's grammatical to write

  He was forced to relinquish the control of the/that company.

But it doesn't sound incorrect to me.

Which one sounds more natural/correct to native English speakers? Which one is preferred by grammarians?


texts:
What is the difference between the following two wrt their meaning for to by versus by:

  An Internet standard is thoroughly a tested specification that is
  useful to and adhered to by those who work with the internet.

What if the group of words adhered to by those in the above sentence is replaced with adhered by those?
If doing this would bring any change in overall meaning of the sentence?


texts:
a. They threw me in a cage like an animal.

b. They threw me in a cage, like an animal.

c. They threw me in a cage as they would an animal.

d. They threw me in a cage, as they would an animal.

The idea is not that they threw me in a cage in the manner they would throw an animal in a cage. The idea is that they threw me in a cage and that is what is done to animals.

Are the commas correct?

Are the commas necessary?


texts: What is an idiomatic way to tell someone to put their hands on someone's eyes in order to not let them see?

texts:
I would like to know how do you say this action in common spoken English.

Suppose that someone puts their hand on someone's eyes in order not to let them see.

So, someone is ordering someone else to this action:

  A. Put your hand on her eyes.
  B. Blindfold her with your hand.
  C. Catch her eyes off ...

So what's the way saying it?


texts:
I was reading a motivational article but I don't get it and I don't want to assume so I came here to ask :) if you can give me more examples.

(Note) any feedback would be greate.

Article.

You have two choices... quit or move forward. Since quitting is not an option, you must push forward. Sure, the uncertainties of life can overwhelm you, but you are equipped for the task! It is important to stand in your reality. Whatever issue or obstacle that has currently reared its head in your life, you must stare it in the face, identify it, and make it your purpose to overcome it. Identifying the issues in your life removes fear of the unknown and forces you to focus on defeating the problem at hand.

Author:By Amy Oraefo at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/when-your-back-is-against_b_5302153.html


texts: Generic start of a sentence with multiple choices

texts:
I am looking for a sentence start for a question about making a decision.

Questions with a single yes/no choice, and questions with a complete list of choices, can start with

Should I quit my job? (yes/no)
Should I eat pizza or burger? (list of options)

But to ask a question without giving the list of options, it seems that one needs to put the "question-word" (also known as w-word) at the beginning:

What should I eat?
Where should I go?

Is there a construct that allows to start such a question with a fixed set of words?

Lorem ipsum where I go?

Thanks


texts:
Could you explain why is there used indefinite article before school, when the context is about institution rather than building of (a?) school.

  For most children, secondary education begins when they enter a comprehensive school or a more traditional grammar school.


texts: Best wording for adding gas to a solution

texts:
I am currently writing the experimental section for a thesis in chemistry. Someone, who did the reaction I want to describe, wrote: "the gas was bubbled into the reaction mixture at such a rate that almost no excess gas was detected." However, to me, the wording rather seems like lab slang.

The following is a list of what I found

the gas was passed into the solution (Link) I have never heard anyone say this and I don't really like it, but if this is right, I will have to accept it.
the gas was introduced to/into (which?) the solution
the gas was injected into the solution

For a better understanding of what I am aiming for: The gas was added so slowly, that the bubbles hardly ever reached the surface before being absorbed/dissolved. So the pressure was quite low.

So, what would best describe the slow addition of a gas to a solution?


texts:
Run only after he/she has recognized you and waves you forward.

Does it  mean "to wave at somebody to come closer" or does it mean "to stick the hand forward and then wave at somebody"?


texts:
Is "doing a dance" idiomatic? I am thinking this isn't idiomatic, but I am not sure. Is it the case? I think I have heard it being used, but I think it's not idiomatic and there are better ways to say it.

For example:

  He did the Gangnam Style dance.

  He's doing the Gangnam Style dance.


texts: "Manufacturing sector added 1,300 jobs in the region", is the sentence common and natural?

texts:
From Cambridge Dictionary

  Manufacturing industry added 1,300 jobs in the region

sometimes, "manufacturing industry" and "manufacturing sector" are the same thing.

Is the sentence common and natural?

  Manufacturing sector added 1,300 jobs in the region


texts: What does "beds" mean here? "the peripheral beds within the body and lungs"

texts:
What does "beds" mean here?

  A ventricle is one of two large chambers in the heart that collect and expel blood received from an atrium towards the peripheral beds within the body and lungs. The atrium (an adjacent/upper heart chamber that is smaller than a ventricle) primes the pump.

Source: Ventricle (heart) - Wikipedia

I wonder if it means spaces, chambers or body cavities.

I've already googled it, but couldn't find anything.

  bed

  1.a piece of furniture upon which or within which a person sleeps, rests, or stays when not well.

  2.the mattress and bedclothes together with the bedstead of a bed.

  3.the bedstead alone.

(However, maybe it's a mistake from Wikipedia)


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "don't do something," "don't be doing something" and "don't go doing something"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between don't do something, don't be doing something and don't go doing something? For example:

  Don't make a noise when Dad is working on something!

  Don't be making a noise when Dad is working on something!

  Don't go making a noise when your Dad is working on something!


texts: Can I replace "I Like" for "It goes down well" in any situation?

texts:
I trying to understand when should I replace the expression "I like" for the phrasal verb "It goes down well".

Apparently, the expression is used to say that something works and/or get a good reception.

However, I got a phrase that uses this phrasal verb in a kind of replacement of "I like (it)", if I understood it right.

Using "I like":

  I like comedy movies.

Using "Goes down well":

  Comedy movies goes down well to me.

My questions are:

Is this a correct use for the expression "goes down well"?
Can I always use the second form when I want to say that i like something?


texts: Roll with "punches""to get to what's real"

texts:
Listening to Van Halen's Jump, I have a problem.
Verse 1 has

I get up and nothing gets me down
You got it tough, I've seen the toughest around
And I know, baby, just how you feel
You gotta roll with the punches to get to what's real

If the line were "rolling with someone + etc", I would be fine, but I'm having a problem to get the meaning of "rolling with punches to get to what's real".
This Urban dictionary has many entries and explanations but no definitions do fit with the line.
Am I mishearing but instead they are saying "bunches"? No?
Thank you for helping me out for this.


texts: Is it OK to have a participle clause with a different subject, like "While chatting, my phone rang suddenly"?

texts:
While chatting, my phone rang suddenly.

In the sentence, the subject of the participle clause is different from that of the main clause. I'd like to know whether it is grammatical.


texts:
John: "What was Liam yelling about on the oval today?

  I replied: """I think therefore I am", is the only quote I can
  remember,"said Liam as he ran around the oval. Or at least that is
  what I thought he was yelling."

Is this usage of inverted commas at the start of the second sentence appropriate? This probably looks awkward but would it be considered as proper punctuation? If not, can someone suggest an alternative way of stating the sentence without changing the meaning.


texts: The grammar analysis of "if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do, ..."

texts:
Especially, I want the grammar analysis if the part after "if I'd known" which is:

  what that wand was going out into the world to do

What is the function of "what"?

What is the function of "that wand"?

What is the function of the other words in the following? Is "out" a part of the verb "was going"?


texts: What is the correct word for a 'band' of frogs?

texts: What is the correct replacement for a 'band' of frogs?


texts: What is the correct structure for "so that" following multiple purposes?

texts:
If I want to say something like:

  They arrived early so that:

  1) their friends could find them easily, and

  2) there were enough good seats to choose.

How can I put them into a sentence without the "1)" and "2)"? I think it is something like

  They arrived early so that their friends could find them easily and so that there were enough good seats to choose.

But should I say "so that ... and so that ...", or "so that ..., and that", or "so that ... and ..."?


texts: What to call a single thing of these uncountable nouns?

texts:
the words are: sand, sugar, rice, salt and tea.
as for the tea I mean the leaves not the drink.


texts: "..., making it / itself ideal for toddlers" in this context

texts:
A school bag commercial says:

  The bag is lightweight, making it ideal for toddlers.

Can I replace the it with itself as the bag is qualifying itself (the bag)?


texts: Word for saying something in a superior tone

texts: What is the word for "say something in a tone that shows superiority over the other"?


texts:
There are players who, like me, played every game of the season.
  That's a lot of footy. And While it is a demanding game, having that
  nucleus of players available for so many games is one of the reasons
  we were able to finish second and earn two home finals.

This is an extract from the sport section of my local paper. I don't quite understand the unusual usage of the word nucleus. Is it comparing the players to a nucleus? If so, I can't see how players would be somehow a nucleus.


texts:
I'm talking about a sorry person about the exam.
I'm talking about a person sorry about the exam.

I intend to mean "a person who is sorry about the exam".
Are these two sentences the same and do they meet my intention?


texts: What is it called when you have a country name before the country you were born in?

texts:
Please note that this is my first time ever using this site and I apologize in advance if I'm going about this the wrong way, please don't be too harsh on me.

Growing up I was told that if you move into another country you put your birth place/race before that country's name; German-American.

So to the point:

When on forums or documents that ask for your race/color/lineage/etc. I see words such as "African-American" just as an example. Does that refer to race or where you were born and then you moved into a new country?

I could not find this an answer on google, mostly because I didn't know how to word it properly, sorry again if I'm going about this wrongly.


texts: Is it correct and natural to say "I like travel" meaning I like traveling

texts:
Is possible to say I like travel meaning I enjoy the acivity of traveling. If it is possibe, then is there any difference between the following sentence pairs?

  I like travel.

  I like traveling.

  I like air travel.

  I like traveling by air


texts:
In patent English, I sometimes encounter 'a length of the surface', 'a length of the surface' or 'the length of the surface,' for example.
I think that you use 'a length of' when you are talking about a specific unit of a measurement. And you use 'a length of' to indicate 'a length of an object(which is not specified)'. On the contrary, you use 'the length of' when you are talking about 'the length of a specific object' or 'the length of the object which was mentioned before.'
Have I understood it correctly?
please explain this in detail with examples. I would really appreciate it.
p.s. Is the same explanation applied to 'height, weight, and size'?


texts:
There a couple of words concerning payment. In which case which word do we use to pay?

Fine
Fee
Fare
Tip
Bribery
Commision
Salary
Wage
Loan
Charge
Tax

As far as I know. 'Tip' is for those who serve you in a restaurant, 'Loan' is something a bank gives you, 'Salary' is what we give at work to the workers, 'Bribery' is when we want to hood a crime. What about the others?


texts:
How should I understand the phrase in bold?

  Jesse remained on dry land only long enough to document his voyage in a book called Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit, and to plan his next adventure. He is now off on what has been named “The Journey of Kijana,” a two year around the world excursion crewed by five young people.

I don't understand what it means to be "off a book/story".


texts:
Murthy says, "Computers have played indispensable part in our lives. "
What does the word indispensable mean in this sentence?


texts: One word for preparing (rubbing/polishing) marble tiles?

texts:
In India, at many places, floors are prepared with marble tiles or cemented floors with marble chips inside.

After fixing everything in floor once, floor is smoothed using rubbing sandpaper like materials and then polished to make shiny and further smooth.

I want to know one word for it.


texts: meaning of the term "its being received"

texts:
IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the  age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the  season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter  of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct  to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the  present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for  good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Would you possibly in a more simple way show me what the bold parts might mean, especially the italic ones?-- although I can translate them in my language but failed to get what is their concept.

Any help would be greatly appreciated


texts:
In the sentence:

  "Either you must grant his request or incur his wrath."

I suppose the must word should be deleted to make it grammatically correct?


texts: What is the past tense of "would like to"?

texts:
Could you tell me what the past tense of "would like to do" is? Is it "wanted to do"?
Also, I'd like to know the present and past perfect tense of "would like to do" if it has.
If it is not too much trouble, please give me a few example sentences for reference.


texts: I don't understand the meaning of the sentence in bold clearly?

texts:
The reunion had lasted a week. As they packed for home, his father, in a far too offhand
  way, had suggested they visit Chig’s grandmother. “We might as well drop in on her and my brother’s.”
  So, instead of going north, they just had gone farther south, had just entered her house. And Chig had a suspicion now that the reunion had only been an excuse to drive south, that his father had been heading to this house all the time.
  His father had never talked much about his family, with the exception of his brother, GL,
  who seemed part con man, part practical joker and part Don Juan; he had spoken of GL with the kind of indulgence he would have shown a cute, but ill-behaved and potentially dangerous, five-year-old.
  Chig’s father had left home when he was fifteen. When asked why, he would answer: “I wanted to go to school. They didn’t have a Negro high school at home, so I went up to Knoxville and lived with a cousin and went to school.

Dose it mean that He talked about his brother with abnegation like someone who would have shown his emotions toward a cute, but ill-behaved and potentially dangerous, five-year-old?

(GL is Doctor Charles 's brother and Doctor Charles after so long wanted to visit his family)

Source: Based on a short story named: A Visit to Grandmother by William Melvin Kelley.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Not surprisingly, The Prince, the book in which he spells all this
  out, has been notorious ever since it was published in 1532. Some
  people have described it as evil or at best a handbook for gangsters;
  others think it the most accurate account ever written of what
  actually happens in poli- tics. Many politicians today read it, though
  only some will admit this, perhaps revealing that they are putting its
  principles into practice.

[A little history of philosophy - Nigel Warburton]

What does "at best" meaning in the context?

Thanks!


texts:
Could you write your name?
Would you write your name?

When you are asked to do this, are there any situation in which you hear weird if either is used (but the other sounds pretty natural .)


texts:
Here is the sentence.

“I had not made a decison yet, when they asked me what degree in college will (emphasised text) I pursue.

First question: Is it ok to use the word “will” in this context? I mean, its a future word right?

On a different topic, can the past perfect be only used when stating an activity in the past with another activity in the past? or can it be used without an accompanying activity in the past? or could the accompanying activity be replaced by a specific date or duration?

For example:

Example 1: I had studied last night. - Simple past or past perfect?

Example 2: I had studied in college in the 1990’s - Simple past or past perfect?


texts: Archaic word for snooping or going through someone’s medicine cabinet without permission

texts:
My grandmother, born in 1914, used a word that sounds like "prefinelle" to describe snooping or going through someone’s medicine cabinet or drawers without permission.
Does anyone know the proper spelling of that word? Is it a real word?


texts:
can you use To Be verb "are" after another To Be verb "is" like this text,
" technology is are the forefront of the companies ethos"


texts:
What and why should I use, a single line of 'code' or 'codes'?

Example sentence: Today we don't need to write a single line of codes
to do anything


texts: Is this sentence correct in grammar and make sense?

texts:
One of the biggest changes has happened in China after the reform and opening is the appearing and growth of Private Enterprises and for them being identified and recognized.

I am not sure if this sentence is correct especially in the last part as I want to refer "them" to "Private Enterprises". Is this not clear?


texts: What to use "I" or "me" in this sentence?

texts:
Context:

There are 3 members in my family that is I, my father, and my mother.
               OR
There are 3 members in my family that is me, my father, and my mother.


texts: Where is the subject for this to infinitive?

texts:
"We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart
  from you."

  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is there no need to put subject of to help, for example, for them? Is the fore-shifted who is the semantic subject of to help?


texts:
Back in the days of the Roman Empire, being the top dog was just as risky a business and assassination was an occupational hazard.

The phrase "as risky a business":
 1. What does it mean? (or maybe the general meaning of this structure?)

What is this structure? Is it a compare structure like [as + adj + as]? If yes, why don't they write "as risky as a business" but "as risky a business"? If no, could you please explain it further?
I have looked up in the dictionary and it said "risky business" = dangerous. If so, is it possible to paraphrase this to: ....being a top dog was a risky business? And as they write "risky a business" with "a" in between the phrase, won't it make the meaning of this phrase different?
Thank you.


texts:
While agreeing with someone on something, can I use any of these instead of the simple "I agree with you"?

I have to agree with you.

I'll have to agree with you.

I'm going to have to agree with you.

I'd have to agree with you.


texts: What do the phrase "Reeyan's seacrest" and the word "fraggle" mean in a sketch?

texts:
I always enjoyed the products of Kee and Peele.

Now from the link, 2:13:

  "B-lake", Here is the thing. I didn't know if I'm about to ask you about this.B-lake, what club are you in.

  ah part of the Spanish club.

  Anybody Spanish is "Reeyan's seacrest"??

  Would you big ass fraggle hair?

I am sorry I am asking 2 things in one question, but I very much appreciate if someone could support me about what these 2 words mean. ( I googled them but nothing similar ( especially about Reeyan's seacrest ) can not be found.)

I appreciate your support. Thanks.


texts: difference between "hold something" and "hold with someting" in context

texts:
I heard a person say this:

  I can do this exercise, but I must admit it is pretty difficult to hold with this weight.

Would the sentence have the same meaning if the person dropped the word with?


texts: Please, explain what does it mean "'Electric Eel' digital condom promises *to make sparks fly* in the bedroom"

texts:
'Electric Eel' digital condom promises to make sparks fly in the bedroom.— The Independent

I know that it's possible to make sparks fly by inducing arcs between a conductive thing of some sort and a ground, but I don't understand the way 'to make sparks fly' using a condom.

Can anyone explain what precisely it means and whether there are expressions that fit better that situation?

References cited by The Free Dictionary say that 'if sparks fly between two or more people, they argue angrily', thus I don't understand how this applies to the situation evoked by The Independent.


texts: "oppose" and "be opposed". What is the difference?

texts:
I have met real phrases with word "oppose" and combination "be opposed". And meaning of both looks similar. Is there actual difference between these two options?

Examples:

Lincoln was opposed to slavery.

John Kerry opposed this idea.

What is the difference?


texts:
I get to reach the station in an hour to get on the train in time.
  We get to finish this work by Friday.
  We get to tell people to escape this building right away.

I've just found out some native speakers understand those sentences to mean as

  a1. I'll manage to reach the station in an hour to get on the train in time

  a2. We'll manage to finish this work by Friday.

  a3. We'll manage to tell people to escape this building right away.

But interestingly, I also found out some native speakers understand them to mean as

  b1. I am allowed to reach the station in an hour to get on the train in time

  b2. We are allowed to finish this work by Friday.

  b3. We are allowed to tell people to escape this building right away.

I have no ideas What are the appropriate translations.


texts:
I came across this example written by a native English teacher: "The student followed a 10 hour English course."

I was curious to know if "hours" would also be valid here, and if there's a nuance etc.

Thanks.


texts:
without commas:

  The building where we do most of our work is located downtown.

with commas:

  The building, where we do most of our work, is located downtown.

what is the difference between the two in meaning?

,or are they same?


texts:
I want to express the fact, that a specific time has passed.
However, I need to refer to a point in time, rather than to a time span. Can I use
The expected time of arrival has already passed.

or
The expected time of arrival has already elapsed.

Are there other ways to better express this fact?


texts:
I am bit confused of the following sentences.

  Send me that book.

or

  Send that book.

The same way, Courier me that book or Courier that book.

Which is correct? Can anyone help me out here?


texts:
I'm Reading Kafka on the shore, and came across the following sentence:

  No sooner do I settle down than my consciousness, like a battery that's lost its charge, starts to fade away, and I fall asleep.

I don't really understand the order and structure of this sentence, would it be wrong to word the bold part like this?:

  No sonner than my consciousness, I do settle down.

is this sentence structure the same as something like this?

  Never again Will I go there.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What definition of the word snap is used in the phrase "snap your fingers"?


texts: "nothing ‘family values’” or “no ‘family values’"?

texts:
I have encountered the construction nothing something in Crash Course US history.

  Also, he once acted with a monkey and there is nothing “family values” about that.

Should no have been used there instead of nothing?

Explain that grammar for me please.


texts: What is the meaning of "birds of a different feather" in this context?

texts:
Context: Germans captured Carnaby while he traveling to Russia. Kramer and Rosemeyer are trying to get information from him. Germans captured some rescuers (British Agents) who are trying to save Carnaby from them. Kramer gave a drink to Carnaby but Carnaby not consuming it, so he said this words to Carnaby.

  You are not drinking, general. That's understandable when your
  rescuers turn out to be, well, birds of a different feather.

Does it means Rescuers are Germans but disguised as British agents?


texts: a formal equivalent verb for 'bring (benefits) to'

texts:
In a local language there is a short phrase, used only figuratively, whose verbatim translation could be to bring as a souvenir. It usually appears in formal contexts where the positive, beneficial implications of a trend, advance, breakthrough, etc are being discussed.Simply, to bring is what I've found in English as a synonym for that phrase, but I'm after a more sophisticated and formal equivalent. The following context may clarify my point:

  When the mobile phone has brought considerable convenience,
  people's obsession with convenience meanwhile has caused enormous
  disturbance. That is why the use of mobile phones has been prohibited
  in many public places.


texts: Why present perfect tense\past tense is used in these sentences?

texts:
I used this link to practice on present perfect tense, and I have some questions:

  Colin has left / left for Brazil this morning.

The correct answer is "left"; however, I think both answers are right, and it depends on the context. If we were still in the morning, then present perfect should be used, otherwise, use past simple because the morning period is already finished.

  Ellen always write / has always written with her left hand.

I think using present perfect here is wrong because this is a simple fact, and present simple should be used.


texts: Difference between "I have got to study on weekends" and "I have to study on weekends"?

texts: What is the difference between "I have got to study on weekends" and "I have to study on weekends"?


texts: Difference between as was expected and as was to be expected

texts:
Please tell me what is the difference between as was expected and as was to be expected below.

A good many proposals were raised by the delegates, as was expected.
A good many proposals were raised by the delegates, as was to be expected.

Thank you


texts: What expression is correct (in your mind vs with your mind)?

texts:
Expressions:

1) They count with their mind instead of using PC (with their brain)

2) They count in their mind instead of using PC (with their brain)

I surfed the internet to find some at least, similar expression but didn't succeed

Question:

  What expression is right?


texts: "from June onwards" or "from June" or "on June"?

texts:
I will be transferred to another branch from June onward.
I will be transferred to another branch from June.
I will be transferred to another branch on June.

Which one is correct?


texts: Has "as" been deleted before "a prisoner" in this text?

texts:
A certain Meroujan, an Armenian, noble, jealous of the power and prosperity of Manuel, persuaded him that the Persian commandant in Armenia was about to seize his person, and either to send him a prisoner to Artaxerxes, or else to put him to death.

[Gutenberg]


texts:
How can I use "How many" in a question without using helping verb?
Like this

  How many people died?


texts: Can "one" be substituted for qualifier + noun

texts:
Is it a correct sentence in English:

The opening bracket count does not match the closing one.

which is supposed to be a shortened form of:

The opening bracket count does not match the closing bracket count.

In other words is it OK to replace "bracket count" by "one" in this case?


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

texts:
What is the meaning of "to " in the sentence, "He is incompetent to manage the hotel"? What is the situation?

Dose it mean "Because he is incompetent, he can not manage the hotel" or "Although He is incompetent, he is managing the hotel" or "Because he is incompetent, he does not manage the hotel" or "Because he is incompetent, he should not manage the hotel" ?


texts:
could you please help to decipher the meaning of the idiom "I could just spit"? I have a sentence:
"I'm so sick of people I could just spit",
 but I've also found many examples in google, such as "I'm so excited I could spit" or " I'm so tired, I'm practically furious. I could just spit " Only one source, also in google :) gives the meaning "of being very angry", but how being very angry is compatible with excitement?

Suppose that doesn't mean spiting in a direct sense, does it?
Thank you very much!


texts: The role of 'sleeping' in 'sleeping baby'

texts:
A "sleeping baby" generally means a baby that is sleeping at the time of speaking, as shown in this sentence:

  After finishing all the feeding, bathing and nappy-changing duties, a number of dads have been competing in a new game to see how many Cheerios they can stack on their sleeping baby.
  (Quoted from this article)

In this and most other contexts, the "sleeping" in "sleeping baby" has a progressive meaning to it. In fact, I can't really think of a context where a "sleeping baby" does not mean a "baby that is sleeping at the time of speaking" but a "baby that just sleeps".

On the other hand, it's hard to think of other noun phrases consisting of "V+ing + noun" where the "V+ing" has a progressive meaning to it. In none of the following examples does "V+ing" show a progressive meaning:

  The guy was a walking encyclopedia of beer knowledge.

  That's an interesting idea.

  We are paying customers.

  When I was diagnosed, it was a really trying time.

  I own the controlling interest in the company.

  Today's recycling day.

Is there something special about the phrase "sleeping baby" that makes the progressive meaning possible? Is so, what is it?

If this isn't anything special about this particular phrase, then please show me some examples of "V+ing + noun" where the "V+ing" shows a progressive meaning.


texts: What is the grammatical function of "circumstances as they are" in this sentence?

texts:
I find this sentence in an online article strange and even jarring for several reasons.

  With limited provisions, he awaits reinforcements, but circumstances as they are, is believed lost to the wilds. (source)

I am not quite sure what grammar function "circumstances as they are" takes. It seems there's missing components. I have never seen things as they are or circumstances as they are stand alone in a sentence like this (except in book titles). I would have written:

  With limited provisions, he awaits reinforcements, but given circumstances as they are, is believed lost to the wilds.

Am I correct in thinking the sentence is ungrammatical as it stands? If I am wrong, what grammatical role does "circumstances as they are" take? Is it adverbial?


texts:
I wrote this sentence:

  In the subsequent sections, after reviewing the existing approaches, we present our approach and then an algorithm to implement it.

Should I break the sentence into two sentences, like "... and then an algorithm to implement it is presented"? or I can write it as above?


texts: What is the meaning of "the sun a coin"?

texts:
Cavendish is hollow-faced and hollow-eyed when he throws him on to a
fresh horse at first light. ‘Call in some favours. There's hardly a
gentleman in the realm that doesn't owe my lord cardinal something.’
It's late October, the sun a coin barely flipped above the horizon.
— Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Should I understand "the sun a coin" as "the sun looks like a coin"?


texts: Which form is correct regardless usage of x-years old

texts:
25 year-old designer and manufacturer of comprehensive and unique solutions .
or
For the past 25 years we desige and manufacture a comprehensive and unique solutions.


texts: How to refer to some one comment or recommendation

texts:
My supervisor gives me a comment. I have to respond to her comment. In my report, I should refer to her comment. For example,

Comment ......

My response:

This has been inserted as commented by the supervisor.

Is this a correct and accepted English sentence?


texts:
I hear children call a rabbit a wabbit, but what about a hare?

Is there some childish name for it?

Is wabbit only used by children?


texts:
We say "please stand the chair up" to mean "to put the chair in a vertical position".
Do we say "please lay the chair down" to mean "to put the chair in a horizontal position" as shown in the picture?


texts: "A is claimed to follow from B" vs "B is offered as support for A"

texts:
These two following sentences are from an LSAT. "It" in both sentences refers to the same sentence in the stimulus. Each sentence below is presented as answer choices and thus I am trying to compare them:

It is a conclusion that is claimed to follow from the premise that A is B.
It is a conclusion for which the premise that A is B is offered as support.

What's the difference in terms of their implication and tone? I felt that 1. implies the conclusion follows from the premise regardless of other information in the stimulus. On the other hand, 2. implies the premises is one of the support for the conclusion, probably in concert with other information. But I am really not sure.
Any help and comments would be helpful!
Thank you for your time,
Leon


texts: How to translate proper name that contain one diacritical mark?

texts:
I'm currently writing an English report, and I have to include a street name in it. Unfortunately, this name includes a character that is not present in the English alphabet: an è. Every other letter is writable in English.

How should I translate this name? I know usually proper names don't have to change when translated from a language to another, but what about this special character? I wonder about it because someone who never learned French wouldn't know how to pronounce it. But if I replace it with an e, it won't sound the same.

For precision, people who will correct my work do speak French, so would be able to read it. But I ask for a potential future case of this problem.


texts: The meaning of "and would he not win" and the following sentences

texts:
the context of the following text is based on two man playing cards, and a daughter's father was about to lose.
my question is, what does the bolted sentences suggest? How could a father get all he lost just by back with his daughter? I guess I interpreted it wrongly; the sentences after "and would he not win, as well" are all about The Beast's fortunes, and I can't make a connection between the two.

  A queen, a king, an ace. I saw them in the mirror. Oh, I know he thought he could not lose me; besides, back with me would come all he had lost, the unravelled fortunes of our family at one blow restored. And would he not win, as well, The Beast's hereditary palazzo outside the city; his immense revenues; his lands around the river; his rents, his treasure chest, his Mantegnas, his Giulio Romanos, his Cellini salt-cellars, his titles. . . the very city itself.


texts: What does the phrase "clipped out of the air" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a golf app's description:

  Never be overconfident of your shot. Otherwise you will soon see it
  get clipped out of the air by your opponent.

The app mentions that players swing their balls simultaneously. Does the phrase "clipped out of the air" simply mean "grounded" here? The preceding sentences mention the colliding of balls that have unexpected results.


texts: the meaning of this sentence including 'otherwise'

texts:
I was reading a document and the meaning of this sentence is quite confusing to me.
It says:
If Dave doesn't request Amy's account information within 7 days, or otherwise require us(A&B corporation) to keep that information for longer, it will be removed.
After the comma, does it mean that they will also remove the information if Dave doesn't require them to keep Amy's information for longer (more than 7 days)?
I understood that they will remove the information

If Dave doesn't request the information within 7 days.
If Dave doesn't require them to keep the information for longer.(perhaps more than 7days)

Is that correct? It's quite strange to interpret that they will remove the information if Dave requires them to keep that information for longer.


texts: What's the Difference between "all" and "all the"

texts:
Can I leave out the word "the" from the following sentences? What's the difference between "all" and "all the" in the sentences? Are they all correct without the word "the"

  I read in class 12 at xxx school. All (the) students in my school are very disciplined.
  Oxford is the best of all (the) universities in the world.
  All (the) schools in America are very rich.
  When the teacher came to our class. All (the) students in our class were present there.
  The giraffe is the tallest of all (the) animals in the world.


texts: Verbs of Perception Structure and Its Meaning

texts:
Could you tell me what is a difference of meaning between the two structures?

We watched them play basketball.

We watched them playing basketball.


texts: What does "a hedge against peak oil demand" mean?

texts:
Does it mean:
a. something that makes it difficult for oil to reach peak demand?
b. a way to protect money from being lost because of peak oil demand? (like definition 2 in the definition of hedge from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

  Seeing the writing on the wall, some oil companies are not sitting idle. Royal Dutch Shell, one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, just decided to purchase NewMotion, a Dutch provider of EV recharging stations. The acquisition of the largest EV recharging station owner in Europe is clearly a hedge against peak oil demand. Shell also said that it would install EV recharging equipment at tens of thousands of its retail gasoline stations. Reuters reports that BP has also been in talks with EV recharging providers about installing equipment at their retail refueling stations.

Source: One factor that could crash oil prices


texts: "To spare with my nose" meaning in this context

texts:
Text:

  I looked in the mirror
  and saw in there
  the end of my chin
  and the start of my hair
  and between there
  isn't much space to spare with my nose,
  like a handle, sticking there

This is one of the stanzas of an elementary class poem.

What is the meaning of the verb spare in this context? (as it usually means to grant.)


texts:
What is right way to write or speak?

I am a developer and want to add message to my application once the record has been added to the database.

So I am confused about the right way to write/speak the message.

  The record is added

or

  The record has been added


texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

  "I wasn't very well yesterday, but I'm feeling fine today."

or

  "I wasn't very well yesterday, but I feel fine today."


texts:
Is there any difference between "robot model" and "model robot"?

  For example:
  The engineer taught me how to make a model robot.
  The engineer taught me how to make a robot model.

And which one is more common to use in daily language?


texts:
I going to ask this question and please don't take it in a wrong way because lately my questions have been getting turn down and badly criticized so please reply only if you willing to help and please don't close vote this as I think it is helpful for a learner like me.

So here is my queston: Is it correct to clarify a question with a statement?

Let's say someone asks me this question: "Where were you living over there?"  and I mishear and then I reply to clarify: "Where I was living over there?" Would I be correct or should I reply with the same question they asked me if I want to make sure I heard right?


texts:
I would like others to tell me if this sentence is correct. I don't know if I should use we before met.

  We not only studied but also met, laughed and became friends.

Thank you!


texts: What is the correct word choice, "Consulting" or "Consultants'"?

texts:
Attorney and Consulting Fees

or

Attorney and Consultants' Fees


texts: Structure for "you'll be the first to get informed"

texts:
You'll be the first to get informed.

Is this sentence structure correct? May I use either "informed" or "notified" here?


texts:
I would like to know how to say something related to accounting in English.

I have to show the totals of a current account in the following way:

Totals: Below all, show the total Credit, Debit and Balance in favor of Supplier or My Company.

(this was translated by google. I do not know if it's correct in English but I think you get to understand).

Then I put it like that

      "totals": {
          "debit": 2200,
          "credit": 1100.5,
          "balance": 1099.5,
          "in_favor_to": "Supplier"
      }

Is it correct to say: "in_favor_to"
or is there a specific term of accounting for referise to is?


texts: What is the difference between "tall and high?"

texts:
When can we use them? Are they the same or different?

"How tall is that building?" Can I use "high" in that sentence or not?

"This is the tallest mountain in Japan." Can I use "highest" in that sentence instead of "tallest"?


texts: What do the word "classy" and the word "smart - assy" mean here?

texts:
First and foremost, I am a mother to a beautiful soul, who is my entire universe. If children aren't your thing, please don't waste your time reading any further. I want to end up with someone who sees her as the best part of me, because that is exactly what she is. FYI: her father and I maintain a brilliant co-parenting relationship.
I am loyal, intelligent, spontaneous, sassy,classy and a bit smart-assy . I love to travel, and most of the time I have my trips planned out 6-12 months in advance. But I can also be persuaded to fly by the seat of my pants and pack up to go on a whim.
I am gainfully employed and enjoy what I do quite a bit. Not much work-related traveling these days, however,  I'm known to pull a few late-nighters occasionally.


texts:
(Excerpt)

  Do you think that the balance between work and free time in your country is about right?

What does ''is about right'' mean?


texts:
Among these boys, I know ____ is your brother.

Which relative pronoun, 'who' or 'which' will be appropriate here.
In my opinion, ' who' sounds good here, but if we selecting something or someone from a group we must use 'which'.
Would you please explain it, I will be thankful!


texts: I did not/had not have a steak until the age of 20 - what tense and why?

texts:
I would like to express that it was not until the age of 20 when I had my first steak. However, I do not know what tense should be used and why.

  I did not have a steak until I was 20.

  I had not had a steak until I was 20.

Or something else?

Will the tense be different for other situations, such as "know" or "see"?


texts: `Own a politician` means `bribe a politician`?

texts:
In the reddit: own somebody

  Avoid tax? Rip off consumers? Own a politician? This is heaven man.

"Own a politician" means "bribe a politician"?


texts: "Shoulder" or "shoulders"... which one should I use?

texts:
In the phrase below:

  I'm not here to cry on nobody's shoulder/shoulders, I just want you to
  pay the money you owe me.

The correct is to use "shoulder" or "shoulders"? Or I could use either one and it would make no difference?


texts: I saw both over think and overthink are used. Are they correct? Is overthink preferable or I can use no matter which one?


texts: How do you call to a "non similar" twins? I know there is a word to refer to the non similar twins.


texts:
Which preposition should I use in the sentense like the following?

  I changed isolation level ... A to B.

Is should be OUT or FROM?

  I changed isolation level out A to B.

  I changed isolation level from A to B.

Which option is correct?


texts:
I try to solve a map by reading a transcript of the map.
Map

Here I share just one part of the transcript for The Reynolds House
The sheepmarket is one of the main centers for art and history in the whole country. If you look at our map, you'll see some of the main attraction there. Most visitors start from Crawley Road, at the bottom of the map. The Reynolds House is one of the oldest house in the city, and is open to the public. It's on the north side of Crawaley Road, next to the footpath that leads to the public gardens
As per the direction The Reynolds House is H.
Can anyone helps me to understand why it is H? I also draw some red arrows over the picture. I want to know the possible name of those roads as they are not given in the map.
I believe the arrowed road behind C is Hill Road but then again I thought why is not it Crawley Road?


texts: What's the difference between 'have become p.p.' and 'have been p.p.'?

texts:
I think the two are interchangeable, but I am not sure.

Given that the Internet has become integrated in everyday lives and the communication of social support is an important part of
interpersonal interaction, it is not 1 surprising that much support is
provided and received online.


texts: Does the phrase "good day" (greeting) is a natural for native English speakers?

texts:
When greeting people every day it is used to say "good morning" or "good evening" etc. Among the greetings there is another one "good day" (as a greeting!). When I've heard the phrase "good day" firstly it sounded to me weird or foreign as if someone translated it from other language. Today I was told by American English speaker that in the US it is not in use. I'm afraid that in another English speaking countries it is not in use.

Then my question is: does the phrase "good day" (as a greeting) is a natural or common for native English speakers in one of the English speaking countries (such as UK, Canada or Australia)?


texts: What is the meaning of "I saw you WALK in the street" when using infinitive form?

texts:
What is the meaning of "I saw you walk in the street" when using bare infinitive form (walk)?

If I want to say to someone that I saw him (for example while I sit in the bus) in the street, then I would say

  "Jon, I saw you while you were walking in Manhattan street"

But I have other options that I'm not sure about their meaning nor correctness:

  "Jon, I saw you walking in the street of the center"
  Jon, I saw you walk in the street of the center"


texts: "flit away the hours" - what does it mean?

texts:
I try to find the meaning of flit in the below occurrence but, after searching quite some dictionaries, am not able to. Can you help with explaining what 'flit' means below? I would appreciate if you can give me more examples of this usage.

  “It likened it to the sense of adventure that the early European
  explorers had, in that they would just go sailing without knowing what
  was out there,” Stevens said recently. Not long afterward, the couple
  saw a production of Beckett’s “Happy Days,” in which a woman flits
  away the hours while stuck in sand. It reminded Stevens of space
  travel—“The isolation, and how you fill the time.”

When “Spaceman” Came Crashing Down to Earth/New Yorker


texts:
"Why is your baby's face so dirty?"
  "She _______ (eat) chocolate"

I know, the answer is Present Perfect Continuous - has been eating. What about the Present Perfect - has eaten? Can't we use it in similar situations?


texts: discerning between "his saying that" and "him saying that"

texts:
Excerpted from Oxford dictionary:

A. I can just imagine him saying that!

Which one is more formal, or which one have you seen more in formal texts? In addition, do you use them interchangeably?

B. I can just imagine his saying that!

Any feed-back would greatly be appreciated


texts: Can the direct object ever precede the subject and verb? I know the direct object usually comes after the verb. I have researched the Internet, but have been unable to find a site that supports the direct object preceding the subject and verb. For example, A book I want. Would this be possible in prose? Poetic license might allow it in poetry.


texts:
Amazon has published their Leadership Principles.

There are about a dozen in the list; I will show three of them:

  Customer Obsession
  Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.

  Ownership
  Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job".

  Are Right, A Lot
  Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.

What does the statement "Are Right, A Lot" really mean? Can one say:

  "John is right a lot with his suppose about [something]."


texts: If there is "incoming", can there be "incame"?

texts: So I get incoming mail. Once the mail is here, does it become incame/income?


texts:
This is about the idiom "Hear(!)(,)Hear(!)" (1680s) used (ngram) to express approval during a speech for instance (AHDotEL, Collins, Cambridge, Century, Merriam Learners, Dictionary.com). It can be seen in both the BrE and AmE corpus, seemingly more in the former. Two of those sources label or showcase the idiom in some way as BrE (Collins En-Fr, Dictionary.com, above) which strikes me as I had never considered this from the English language variety angle.

So are there any American English variations on this idiom?
And is the word from the same register in both varieties?


texts: Does "you can pass until Wednesday" mean that I can still pass on Wednesday

texts: or does it mean that I have to pass before Wednesday?


texts: Sentence meaning: bringing into its fold ex-dictatorships to the south and ex-communist countries to the east

texts:
ON MARCH 25th 1957, with the shadow of the second world war still hanging over them, six European countries signed the founding treaty of a new sort of international club. The European Union, as the club came to be called, achieved success on a scale its founders could barely have imagined, not only underpinning peace on the continent but creating a single market as well as a single currency, and bringing into its fold ex-dictatorships to the south and ex-communist countries to the east, as it expanded from six members to 28. Yet even as today’s European leaders gather in Rome this weekend to celebrate the 60th anniversary, they know their project is in big trouble.

source: Can Europe be saved?

I read this paragraph in this week's The Economist. Could somebody explains the bold part for me? I don't get it since I don't quite know European history. And in this case, as I understand, "bring into" seems to mean "take into", am I right?


texts:
In this dictionary,

  hurt (of part of your body) to feel painful; (of an action) to cause
  pain:My feet hurt. Ouch! That hurt! It hurts when I bend my knee.

Can we use "hurt" for things that is not a part of our body. Ex,

Is it correct to say "I hurt"?


texts: How to add the phrase in order to specify something?

texts:
Base sentence: I defined A.

I want to add the contents that "A is useful"

Of course, there are so many ways to imply that contents.

But, I want to know what the difference is or ask if each sentence is correct or not.

  candidate 1.  I defined A as being useful.

  candidate 2.  I defined A to be useful.


texts: Why do people pronounce the word "of" as if it's "ov"?

texts:
I've noticed that normally people pronounce the word "of" as if it's "ov".

Iv'e checked it also in Cambridge dictionary and I found it slightly different, there the pronunciation is "ovf" (=diphthong of "vf"). Are there other cases in English that we spell "f" as if it's "v"? What is the reason for this different pronunciation of these words?


texts:
What does flat decision-making mean?

The pure reason process advocated by Plato and Descartes is really
more like the strategy patients with cortical prefrontal damage use to
make decisions. Several forms of dementia plagued my father before he
passed away. He had lost considerable access to his value system.
Before advanced dementia, he always chose an O’Henry chocolate bar as
a sweet treat. In the latter years, when I took him to a candy
counter, he would scan the display for several minutes, reaching,
hesitating, and finally choosing. He never chose an O’Henry bar, and
the process seemed to take an eternity. I’m sure his final choice was
based on giving up and taking the most appealing package within reach.
It appeared that he lost the ability to make value-based decisions.
When faced with a value-based choice between several competing
selections, his decision-making landscape appeared hopelessly
flat.

Sudden Influence: How Spontaneous Events Shape Our Lives


texts:
Which of the following does the phrase It is being published mean?

  1) It is now available in bookstores.

  2) It will soon be published.


texts: How to understand "All most suspicious" in this context?

texts:
"Ariana was delicate!" said Doge desperately. "Her health was always too poor to permit her -"

  "To permit her to leave the house?" cackled Muriel. "And yet she was never taken to St Mungo's and no healer was ever summoned to see her!"

  "Really, Muriel, how you can possibly know whether -"

  "For your information, Elphias, my cousin Lancelot was a healer at St Mungo's at the time, and he told my family in strictest confidence that Ariana had never been seen there. All most suspicious, Lancelot thought!"

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I have a hard time to understand "All most suspicious" in this context. "All most" doesn't look a correct phrasing. How should we understand it?


texts: Does the placing of a parenthetical make any difference in terms of grammaticality?

texts:
Which of the following is grammatically correct?

  The shopping mall is not responsible for any damage to products (THAT results from customers' improper usage)
  The shopping mall is not responsible for any damage (THAT results from customers' improper usage) to products


texts: Should I say "She is in the park" or "She is at the park"?

texts:
I am really confused.  Which preposition is correct?

  She is in/at the park.
  They are in/at the park.
  I am in/at the park.

Should I use in or at in these sentences?


texts: Can "historical background" refer to historical information irrelevant to the topic?

texts:
Someone answered a question based on what I am pretty sure is irrelevant historical information, I said:

I'm sorry, I don't see the connection between the (interesting)
historical background given and the sentence.

Is using background correct here or should I say information since I think what the person said was irrelevant?


texts:
I have the following sentence:

  The aggregator in the smart meter network has to provide incentive users
  to contribute their smart meters to being used as relays.

Here, which one is better: "to being used" or "to be used"?

Thanks a lot!


texts: Using “though" in the middle of a sentence

texts:
Adults can usually tell if a claim made in an advertising campaign is blatantly false, though, through comparison with prior knowledge and life experience.

This is the exact sentence I wrote in a test and my teacher marked the though as wrong. I had previously also written similar sentences and she said that though should only ever go at the end of a sentence. Is this correct?


texts: "be accorded someone" or "be accorded to someone"?

texts:
When the verb accord means "give or grant", should the passive voice be accorded someone or accorded to someone?

I came across several sentences in a book:

  The attention accorded husband-wife relations in Muslim teachings thus confirmed the indigenous view of matrimony as a desirable state, with the birth of children considered essential for the full attainment of adulthood.

  Similar processes occurred in Daoism, which percolated into Vietnam from southern China but never received the official patronage accorded Confucianism.

Shouldn't it be "accorded to husband-wife relations", as "given to husband-wife relations"?


texts:
What’s the password of/to/for your wifi?

Which preposition can be used here? I have heard many people say “of” in my country. However, I personally use “for”. I would like to know the correct usage.


texts:
Question:

Which part of the sentence below is grammatically wrong. Explain why.

Sentence: The whole thing moves around the concept of building a small dynamic organization into a larger one.

Or, as printed on the test:

  The whole thing moves /(A) around the concept of building a small dynamic /(B) organization into a larger one /(C)
  /(D - No error)

Part - A is "The whole thing moves"
Part - B is "around the concept of building a small dynamic"
Part - C is "organization into a larger one"
Part - D is "No error"

My attempt:

The whole sentence seemed perfectly fine to me and I went for option D (no error). However, many people said the part - organization into a larger one - is wrong, but their reasons varied.

My query:

Which part is actually wrong and why?


texts: Laika, the late, great Russian space dog -- why mention that the dog is late?

texts:
Example with a context:

  If you know your space animals, then you're probably already familiar with Ham, the first chimp America ever launched into space. You also probably know Laika, the late, great Russian space dog and the first animal to orbit Earth.

Why do they specifically mention that Laika is late? The animals that were among the first living organisms launched into space a long time ago for testing purposes before the first human spaceflight was possible have all died. Ham is also dead, but they didn't say that. Why is that? Why do they have to emphasize the fact that Laika is dead? It gives the impression that Ham is still alive.


texts: looking for a word meaning "not liking and also not hate"

texts:
I saw a word meaning "not liking and also not hate" but I can't remember it.

I don't like it but doesn't mean I hate it. I ___ it.

What's the verb or noun I could use for it?


texts: Subject-verb agreement is/are in certain specific cases

texts:
Which form of the verb "to be" is correct in each of the following sentences or phrases? My best guess is listed for each case:

  Neither one of them is/are...

I think it's IS because neither one is singular.

  Why is/are her parents so cool?

I think this one is ARE since parents consists out of two people , making it plural.

  Where are/is the rest of us?

IS maybe? Since rest is a single group even if it consists out of a couple people.

  The scenes where he is/are in...

IS, because if you manipulate the question it would be asked as "He IS in a lot of scenes," and you can't say he "are" in a lot of scenes. Since he is one person and just happens to be in a lot of scenes.

  The rest of us is/are outside.

The rest of us is outside...? OK, I'm not sure with this one.

  Three is/are better than two.

Three is better than two.. You don't use are when you're using numbers or hours?


texts: Does the word 'all' in the clause 'all he had' mean the only thing?

texts:
His three friends lifted him up and all he had were bruises and cuts.
I had to read this sentence in a story. I'm confused with the use of 'were' in it. If the word 'all' in the clause 'all he had' means the only thing, I think it should take a singular verb.
Please explain to me.


texts: I guess 'which' should be instead 'where' in these two sentences

texts:
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, I read:

  Nose still stinging where it had hit the hearth, Harry made his way swiftly and silently toward the door, but [...]
  (page 49)

I think the sentence is grammatically wrong because I guess it is the nose, so the sentence above should be "Nose still stinging which had hit the hearth [...]."

  "Big deal," said Ron rubbing his foot where the photographer had stepped on it.
  (p59)

I think it means "his foot," and the sentence above should be "[...] his foot which the photographer had stepped on."

I will appreciate if you tell me whether I am right or wrong and, more importantly, 'why'.


texts: How to identify an adjective or the past tense in English?

texts:
A history sheeter convicted in 2013 for raping a five-year-old girl in the neighbourhood, was released in 2018 early for good behaviour in jail.

I have below questions about this sentence, specifically use of word convicted.

Has the word convicted been used in the above sentence as an adjective or a past tense verb?
Can we use convict instead of convicted as an adjective?

A history sheeter convicted for raping a five-year-old girl in the neighborhood

How to identify this sentence if it is is convicted or was convicted.


texts: How to indicate a noun with a participle when there are more than one noun?

texts:
A surface effect on a fabric formed by tufts or loops of yarn that stand up from the body of the fabric, is called pile.

Which is formed by tufts or loops? If fabric is formed by tufts and loops, how to rewrite this sentence if I want to indicate a surface effect by tufts or loops? If a surface effect is formed by tufts or loops, how to rewrite the above sentence if I want tufts or loops will indicate a fabric?


texts: What are the differences between these sentences? (to do / to have done)

texts:
Do you feel any difference between these two in each pair?
(1)
(a) Maria was happy to have passed the exam.
(b) Maria was happy to pass the exam.
(2)
(a) Maria is happy to have passed the exam.
(b) Maria is happy to pass the exam.


texts: Correct sentence structure and comma rule

texts:
I would like to know if the following sentences are correct, i.e. do we need any commas here?- If you see a way to improve their structure, please let me know.

I would like to gain insight into his work he did together with my sister on air pollution.

Regarding this sentence, I was wondering whether there is a better word than "did" to describe a joint project work and is it correct to use no commas here?

The study of air pollution conducted, among others, by my sister is innovative.

Regarding this one, is the usage of the word among others correct here and do we need to put this phrase between two commas?

So that upon taking a course on air pollution, I will be able to understand her work better.

Regarding this one, is it okay to start a sentence like that or are there ways to express this in a nicer way (I have the felling that so that sounds a bit sloppy, but I don't know)

If you have any questions about this, please let me know.


texts:
As far as I know, "lest" should always be used with subjunctive mood, yet I find the following sentence quite unnatural, though it satisfies the rule:

  We should publish a critique on this method, lest it gain momentum.

Is this example correct? Personally, I find it very hard to read the sentence without automatically replacing "gain" with "gains". I've found a similar example with "anyone", which makes me think that my intuition fails me:

  "Lest anyone forget, adolescence is purgatory" (Jon Pareles)


texts: Is it correct to use the phrase "look forward to" with the conjunction "when" after it?

texts:
Is it correct to use the phrase look forward to with the conjunction when? For example,

  I am looking forward to when I can get my diploma.

Would it be more natural to use the word time instead? For example,

  I am looking forward to the time I can get my diploma.


texts: Some rude person said my English was bad, because I said "I know what an irony is" instead of "I know what irony is". Although the second sounds better, I don't think the first is incorrect grammatically. Is it?


texts: Is that reported speech or something else?

texts:
I saw this headline in a newspaper: "Biden says he's anxious to see what Republicans do in impeachment trial".
Could you say is that some sort of "headlinese" or it just a correct form of the sentence?
I mean that this sentence should be written as a reported speech like "Biden said ..." and so on.


texts: "a cut of a video" vs. "a clip of a video"

texts:
In some situations, it's more intuitive/expressive/impressive to put some videos in a presentation to explain how things work.
Assume I'm giving a presentation and trying to get attention of audience. Would I say

I’m gonna play a clip of a video.

or

I’m gonna play a cut of a video.

Which one is more clear and natural?


texts: What does "views" refer back to in this sentence?

texts:
They regarded excessive personal debt as a sin, views that widely and
  firmly were held until relatively recently.

I wonder what is "views" referring back to in this sentence and whether this sentence is grammatically correct.

I think "views" referring back to "Regarded excessive personal debt as a sin" without "they".

So, what I want to know is whether "views" includes "they" or not and what it's referring to exactly.


texts: as adjective as to infinitive or as adjective to infinitive as

texts:
Older workers can be as adaptable and quick to learn as anyone else.

This sentence is from Oxford Advance Learner Dictionary. I wanted to know whether I can change this sentence as follow.

  Older workers can be as adaptable and quick as anyone else to learn.

Can I use "to infinitive" after "as adjective as"?


texts: What is the rule of thumb when it comes to giving priority to one or another preposition when talking about islands?

texts: I have always wondered how to choose a preposition properly when you talk about islands e.g. I live ON an island. but I was IN Tenerife. What is the rule?


texts:
I am learning this wiki.

I made this post to check my understanding.

after writing my understanding, I put this expression "do I understand this right" at the end of the post.

is "do I understand this right" an idiomatic expression?

or

"am I understanding right" is more idiomatic?


texts: Can present simple mean present passive?

texts:
Are you married? (Essential Grammar in Use)

They may say the tense of the example is present simple. But it is semantically ‘present passive.’ Is this a usage of present simple in English? If yes, would you let me have some more examples?


texts: What does it mean when "a manuscript has communicated in a journal"?

texts:
What does it mean when "a manuscript has communicated in a journal" ?
I came across the sentence at work. Does it mean the manuscript was made public in the journal,
or just sent to the journal? Or something different?


texts:
I have run across some sentence like this "people typically fear anything which is small probability".
Here, I can't quite get a catch of the meaning of "anything". Why does it use anything? Is it possible that "something or everything" don't work?

And I want to know the exact meaning of anything at this sentence. What is the different Nuance?


texts: Is it wrong when you use "might + inf" when you are telling a past story?

texts:
See this conversation:

  A: There was robbery here. What happened?

  B: I saw a man yesterday. He went to the house. He might enter the
  house but I am not sure.

is it wrong to use "might enter" in the above context?

In the above context, do we have to change "might enter" to "might have entered"?

I would say "might enter" means "it was possible that he entered", say it was the future at that time in the past.


texts: What does "Many an airy castle" mean here?

texts:
Many an airy castle, which we builded in our youth, was a mere vagary of the imagination “a mere fiction of the fancy” created out of nothing, and to nothing soon returned.

What does “Many an airy castle” mean here?  Thanks in advance.


texts:
Consider:

  I had hoped to visit the gallery before I left Florence, but it's closed on Monday.

Q1 : Shouldn't it be it was closed ?

Q2 : Does present simple Imply more definite sense ? I mean "it is closed" imply that It has been closed on Monday from the Ice-age to the current moment !

Q3: Is it grammatical to use tenses in above sequence,   Past Perfect, Past Simple and Present ?

It must be noted the highlighted sentece belong to cambridge grammar book.


texts: She heard two gunshots with a woman screaming / scream in between

texts:
The sentence below is from my English exercise book:

  Fill in each blank with the correct form of the word in the bracket.

  She said she heard two gunshots with a woman ___ (scream) in between.

If I write "screaming", it means the woman was screaming continuously but she might not hear the rest. If I write "scream", it means the woman screamed just once.

Do I understand that correctly?


texts:
Can I say this either way?

  The habit he wants to make us change is recommended.
  The habit he makes us change is recommended.


texts: I have learned the cast of the leading role in one movie. The actor is not personally my favourite and I can imagine the better choice but on the other hand there many other actors that I dislike much more. I want to express that with all my reservations I bear this actor and accept his cast. Is it possible to say "I don't mind him in this role" in that context? The statement should be a positive connotation.


texts:
Is that your name, copycat?
  Is  your name, copycat?

  There is an animal that lives by night.
  There is an animal  lives by night,

  He was saying that your ideas are false.
  He was saying  your ideas are false.

What does that point to in the sentences? Is it OK if I remove that in the above sentences?


texts: 'the series is' or 'the series are'? plural or singular?

texts:
In mathematics, we have series, like

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ...

Should I say 'the series is convergent' or 'the series are convergent'?


texts: Percentages - singular or plural when it's a % of a group of items:

texts: Example : 50% of paper and board produced globally is/are used for packaging?


texts:
I'm having some trouble with breaking a causative clause into its parts of sentence. please help.
for instance:
I have her do my homework.

what i have figured out is:
I= subject
Have=verb (because when i change the tense have changes and not do)
her= indirect object?
do my homework= direct object/complement(a main imperative clause on its own) ?

also in instances where the object(if its an object at all) is a third person singular, such as:
i made the girl make me coffee. we do not add the present simple S to the verb( in this instance make), why is that? (is it because its a bare clause, and there used to be a to-infinitive there and now only the infinitive remains?).
are there more instances where the verb is just an infinitive without an S.

to sum it up:
1)how do i break a causative clause into its parts of sentence.
2)why is the second verb in a causative clause not affected by anything
3)are there more instances where a verb is not affected by tense or subject.
please help.
thank you all.


texts: "a much older dating method: dendrochronology" or" a much older dating method, dendrochronology"?

texts:
They turned to a much older dating method: dendrochronology, the use of tree rings for mapping intervals of time.  (From ACT English)

Why in this case has it to be a colon, but not a comma? I think since "dendrochronology" is in apposition with "a much older dating," both punctuations should be acceptable.


texts: Correct use of the word communication or communicating

texts:
Which one is correct:

  I have been in communication with your son...

or

  I have been communicating with your son...


texts: Is it correct to say "My teacher yesterday was in Beijing."?

texts:
In my opinion, it is incorrect. I think that only one of the following two ways is grammatically correct:

My teacher was in Beijing yesterday.

Yesterday my teacher was in Beijing.

However, my son who is in an international school in China (Grade 8) was told by one of his native English (American) teachers that this sentence is correct. I have checked it on Grammarly as well and it also does not show any correction for this sentence; meaning that it is correct according to Grammarly as well. I still feel that it is incorrect to say this sentence as "My teacher yesterday was in Beijing." However, I am unable to explain grammatically why it is incorrect.


texts:
Which version is correct?

  something is not implemented

or:

  something not implemented

It describes the situation of missed feature in software


texts: I understand that called is more common than named. In some websites (including Universities websites) that I have looked over, is used called as well as named when you're referring to create a new file (in a project or in any Operating System). What's more common to use when you're creating, for instance, a technical article/paper?


texts:
The total length of a file name should be limited up to 31 characters.

Whether I should use the word "up" in this sentence?

Is there a difference between the sentence above and the same one without "up"?


texts: Can we say "colloquial context" or "conversational context" instead of "informal context"?

texts:
Instead of saying "informal context", can we say either "conversational context" or "colloquial context"?
I thought the words "conversational" and "colloquial" might not be used to desribe a context or a situation since they are generally used to modify language, words or style etc.
For example can we say these sentences:

""Gotta" is a word used in conversational contexts."

""Gotta" is a word used in colloquial contexts."


texts: what's the meaning of "the leadership is turning on itself"?

texts: Impatience is rising and the leadership is turning on itself. One camp wants Mrs May to sack Mr Johnson, who has been writing articles clearly dissenting from the government line; another camp wants to see the back of Philip Hammond, the chancellor, who is taking a cautious view of post-Brexit economic prospects.


texts: How can I use "different from" here? - He shakes hands with blacks in a different way from he does with whites

texts:
I was quite impressed when I saw Lebron shaking hands with people.

  He shakes hands with blacks in a different way from he does with whites.
  He shakes hands with blacks in different ways from he does with whites.

I know I can say like this:  "He shakes hands with blacks in the same way as he does with whites.". I think different from and the same as is kind of similar, and that's why I think #1 and #2 is possible to use, I'm not sure which one is right among a different way and different ways though. But, in that from is a preposition, I'm not sure it's right grammatically. So,

  He shakes hands with blacks in a different way from the way he does with whites.

I think it is the best.

  The way of him shaking hands with whites and blacks are different.

I think is it right as it is, without any worries


texts: But and Because could be used at the same time in a row?

texts:
I'm curious that I can use because and but together in a row in a sentence like

I'm working, but because they keep on talking right next to me, it
bugs me and is really annoying.

Is this possible to use and is it correct grammatically?


texts: What's the meaning of "this year agone"?

texts:
"Drat thee" yelled the witch-bodies, "thou'st spoiled our spells this
  year agone!"

This is from a English fairly tale "The Buried Moon". I knew that "agone" is archaic form of ago, but does "this year ago" make sense?


texts:
Could you please explain to me the difference between the words tuition and education?

There was a sentence: She pays her own __________.

And I had a number of answer choices:
lessons / classes / tuition / education

I chose education, but the right answer was tuition. Please help me! (Why was tuition correct and education incorrect?)


texts: What’s the difference between these three words as far as postures are concerned?


texts: The role of do in a declarative sentence

texts:
What is the role of "do" in the following sentence?

  Only in the jungle do you find lizards that can soar like dragons.


texts:
I have often seen the "manage to" combination used with the two parts adjacent to each other.
Can I write "I managed after one year to get a car"? Or do I have to write "After one year, I managed to..."?


texts:
Should I use wanted or had wanted here?

a) I was not sure if She had wanted to marry me.

b) I was not sure if She wanted to marry me.

Or.

a) She had wanted to marry me but I refused the proposal.

a) She wanted to marry me but I refused the proposal.


texts:
Knowing how to wield regular expressions unleashes processing powers you might not even know were available.

What does it mean?

to me, it is "you might not even know the fact that processing powers were available."
but, it is like "the processing powers (which you might not even know) were available"


texts:
Here's from The Long Goodby by Raymond Chandler

  At The Dancers they get the sort of people that disillusion you about what a lot of golfing money can do for the personality.

I wonder What this means,
particularly what "golfing money" means.

A similar question was asked here.
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/198810/what-is-golfing-money


texts: Choose vs. Elect vs. Select – what are the differences?

texts:
I don't mind which one we have – you choose.

Can I use "select" instead of "choose" in that sentence?

  You can elect to delete the message or save it.

Can I use "select" instead of "elect" in that sentence?

Are they synonyms? Which one is stronger than the other?


texts:
I find the people using both:

  "Id" and "ID"

I do not know which one is correct.

To me, the 1st one ("Id") is correct, as "Id" and "ID" are abbreviations of "identifier". The correct one is "Id". "ID" appears to be an acronym of two words, though there is only one word, "identifier".

Can anyone please shed some light on the issue?


texts: What do you call a comic/film/videogame trademark?

texts: I realized that a lot of trademarks are company brands like Microsoft and Amazon, but what about film/comic/videogame trademarks like Iron Man, Pokemon and Ghostbusters? What do we call these type of trademarks?


texts: Could anyone help me with the meaning of the words in bold?

texts:
Mr.Pneumonia was not what you would call a chivalric old gentleman. A mite of a little woman with blood thinned by California zephyrs was hardly fair game for the red-fisted, short-breathed old duffer. But Johnsy he smote; and she lay, scarcely moving, on her painted iron bedstead, looking through the small Dutch window-panes at the blank side of the next brick house.

Is Dutch windowpanes refer to the glass of window that made in Netherlands?

Many thanks for your help.


texts:
I got how to inverte sentences with so but I ask this question in order to make it conformed that inverting sentences with such does not work in the same way exactly.

For example:

    They were so excited that they couldn't sit still. So excited were
    they that they couldn't sit still.

  or

    It was so beautiful that we could not sit at home. So beautiful was
    day we could not sit at home. ( is the inverted sentence correct?)

  but how about sentences with such

    It was such a beautiful day we could not sit at home. Such was a
    beautiful day we could not sit at home. ( is the inverted sentence correct?)

    Don has such a big house that it is a little ridiculous. Such a big
    house has Dan that it is a little ridiculous.( is the inverted sentence correct?)

    Such was their excitement that they began to jump up and down. And how
    can we rewrite this sentence ?

  Such was the wind that we couldn't open the window.
  The wind was such that we couldn't open the window. ( I took it from a grammar book)

In this example, does the word such mean "so great"  or "this type of...", if it means ""this type of..."

then only the sentences with such can inverte in which such implies "this type of..." or "that type of..." .

Thank you


texts: "others took to finish" vs "others to finish took"

texts:
Is there any difference between these two?

  She was a good student, finishing in half the time the others took to finish.

  She was a good student, finishing in half the time the others to finish took.


texts:
In the article I came up with a problem. I didn't understand the meaning of work out in the sentence:

  Now read the short story and try to work out what the expressions in
  italics mean.

One of the possible meanings is

  to deal with a problem in a satisfactory way

But is doesn't quite fit in the context. I would say that in here it has a meaning similar to find out.

Can we use find out and work out interchargably?


texts:
otherwise = (adverb)
  1. In circumstances different from those present or considered; or else:

  or else = (What part of speech???) 1.1. In circumstances different from those mentioned:

Does the semicolon definition 1 for 'otherwise' imply that these two are synonyms? What are the similarities and differences? Also, what part of speech?


texts: Grammatically of the word "meaning" in this context

texts:
I just saw a sentence:

  It is said that history repeats itself. Meaning what we did 600 years ago might repeat itself.

Here the word meaning has been used at the beginning of the sentence.

Is it grammatical?

  Can I use that means instead of meaning?


texts: why the answer in this question is "(A)"?

texts:
A pride of lions ____________ up to forty lions. Including one to three males, several females, and cubs.

(A) can contain
(B) it contains
(C) contain
(D) containing

Why the answer is "A" NOT C?

I know that the object is a pride of lions so we need subject + verb so the answer must be it contains.


texts: Where can I find the similar vocabulary structure information?

texts:
For example, like 'possible' and 'impossible' have the same letters structure. Another scenario, when I met a new word, like 'fret', I want to know are there some similar words like that one?

Is there a search method or site can provide that kind of info?


texts:
In the Marketing, introduction book, there are two sentences one of which there is a use of apostrophe, but not the second.

  A. Societal marketing concept: The idea that a company’s marketing
  decisions should consider consumers’ wants, the company’s
  requirements, consumers’ long-run interests, and society’s long-run
  interests.

  B. The societal marketing concept questions whether the pure marketing
  concept overlooks possible conflicts between consumer short-run wants
  and consumer long-run welfare.

Why in the first sentence apostrophe is used and not in the second one?

I read many different posts of the use of apostrophe and I still don't get it. If you have two nouns, how would you decide whether it is a case of an attributive noun and hence omit the apostrophe or a possessive noun and hence use the apostrophe?


texts: What is the meaning of "to go by the hours"?

texts:
I have been looking at a website for booking a taxi with pickup at an airport, and I am puzzled by an option I have: there is a check box for an option labeled as I would like to go by the hours.

I do not understand what it means in this context: does it mean I can choose to pay the taxi on a hourly rate instead of a flat fee, or instead of paying on the number of kilometers of the ride ?


texts: Is there a word for someone who loves authority?

texts:
I'm trying to think of a word to describe a person who loves/sucks up to authority figures. I'm hoping for a phase like "boot licker" but without the police authority context.
Any ideas?


texts: Is it alright to omit either 'of' in "The survey has a margin of error of 2.5%"?

texts:
Is it alright to omit "of" in the sentence below?
There are two "of", and I mean either of them.

  The survey has a margin of error of 2.5%.

Thank you.


texts: "Topic x corresponds to one of the most studied topics in sociology" is idiomatic?

texts:
Is the following sentence idiomatic/usual?

  "Topic x corresponds to one of the most studied topics in sociology."

I can't say if it's ok or not. This construction is fine in my native language, but in english, despite working, I'm not sure I've seen it a lot to be sure it's ok.

From what found, corresponds to "is used more when two things are analogous or similar, such as:

  ...all of which correspond to real numbers..."

which sounds fine to me. Not the same to "the most studied topic in sociology", because it looks like an odd equivalence with "topic x".

An alternative construction is to remove corresponds to altogether:

  "Topic x is one of the most studied topics in sociology."

Do both sentences sound the same?


texts:
Is it correct to say, "that is men"? In the case of referring to their nature or similar characteristics. Someone argued with me that it is actually wrong. Saying you can only say, "those are men". For example,

  No man can feel good when you are with a male friend for long, that is men.

Is this correct?


texts:
I am not sure if we say "stock build" or "stock". It seems to be a noun, but it seems to be used as a noun adjective in certain case, so I was wondering what's the correct and idiomatic way of using the word.

  Is this car a custom build or a stock?

  Is this a custom build or a stock build?

  It's a 98 Toyota Camry custom build, not a stock build, because of the
  custom wing.

  It's a custom build car, it's not a stock.


texts: tasks that one wants somebody to perform

texts:
We completely understand the tasks that you want our company to perform within the specified period.

  We completely understand the tasks that our company is expected to perform within the specified period.

  We completely understand what you requested our company to perform within the specified period.

Google did not show successful results for the phrase 'tasks that you want somebody to perform or implement' or for the similar phrases indicated above. However, I see nothing wrong with this phrase. I think it is fine or at least understandable. I want to make sure of that. Am I right?


texts: We see things ON / IN / AT the internet?

texts:
Which of the following prepositions is correct when talking about seeing something on internet?

  You can see it ON / IN / AT the internet.


texts: Is the sentence "The water had overflowed under the bridge" correct?

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  The water had overflowed under the bridge.

I think its 'overflowed' shouldn't be in the place, but it seems like my friend sitting beside me is not in sure about this.


texts:
Example (short audio clip):

Transcript:

  — Yep. So, in this episode Harp and I are gonna share our predictions about the future with you.
  — Hmm, I'm so intrigued.
  — So, this will be an interesting episode to listen back on in a couple of years and see if our predictions became true.
  — Yes, we'll see how right we were.

I don't know how I should understand the phrasing listen back on. In particular, I have a problem with the preposition on there. Why not say listen back to? How can you listen on something? Is that even correct English?


texts: Is realizing the goal the same thing as achieving the goal?

texts:
He realized the goal.
Does it mean he understood the goal or he fulfilled the goal? Could you help me clarify it? Thank you always.


texts:
"Had you not seen her before,you .... her"(not recognize)

MyApproach:

I am confused whether to say "would not have recognized" or would have not recognized".

Which to use and Why and if there is any constraints,please Explain?


texts: Where is the subject? "and injured his left arm severely"

texts:
A clause is the smallest unit of English grammar and it is made up of a subject and a verb. To have clauses, we need phrases and with the combination of two or more clauses we get sentences. Grammar Bank

in the same page there is an example:

  A famous celebrity had an unfortunate accident a long time ago (first clause)
  when he didn't use his safety equipment (second clause) and injured his left arm severely. (third clause)

Where is the subject in the third clause?


texts: Present continuous to express future arangements conditionally

texts:
I was taught that we can use present continous to express future that has been arranged. For example, "I am staying home today".

Today, I stumbled upon on the following example: "I am staying in today unless my friends call me". Can we use it for conditionals like this?


texts: Conditionals used with past tense in one sentence

texts:
I have been aiming at creating a facture which would give an impression of flowing jellyfish.

I don't know if tenses were used correctly. I mean second part mainly because I want there conditional, not future tense. I mean done facture! I see my efforts laying on my chair!


texts: What other verbs can you use in the sentence "I injected medicine inside the syrup"?

texts:
The only definition that seems to match is the first one:

  To force or drive (a fluid) into something: inject fuel into an engine cylinder; inject air into a liquid mixture.

However, that's pretty general, because it's "into something" instead of "into another liquid", so what other words would you use? I am not saying it's incorrect, but I am thinking there's a better word.


texts: "..., ready to swoop at any moment." Grammarticallity in this context

texts:
Today I found a sentence:

  The eagle hovered, ready to swoop at any moment.

I don't know the grammarticallity of the sentence.

Can I rewrite as:

  The eagle hovered and ready to swoop at any moment?

What's the grammarticallity of the first sentence?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Ivan laughed and said: "Well, I will go and arrange matters so that Tarras may have his share," whereupon Tarras took the brown mare with the grain to town, leaving Ivan with one old horse to work on as before and support his father, mother, and sister. -Ivan the Fool, Leo Tolstoy-

I learned that whereupon is a conjunction, which can be used as below.

  He told her she was a liar, whereupon she walked out.

About the sentence I quoted from the book Ivan the Fool, I want to know if this sentence is a grammatically correct one (if it is a complete sentence).

I thought this one should not be whereupon S+V, ~ing, but whereupon S+V, S+V


texts: Why write "I will not be giving" instead of "I will not give" ?

texts:
I came across two sentences like below when I read news.

  "I will not be giving Donald Trump a chance"

  "I won't be giving a little reset button like Hillary"

Both sentences were related to Donald Trump and the latter sentence came out from Donald Trump himself.

Because I'm beginner of English, I don't understand why 'will not be giving' is used in here. It seems to me that 'I will not give' is enough and Ok.

Is there any particular reason to use 'I will not be giving' and is there any subtle difference?

I would be appreciated if someone explain it.


texts: Usage of "to": can "to" here be replaced with "for"?

texts:
I have checked the usage of "to" in OALD. In the 18th definition, OALD gives an example:

  It sounded like crying to me.

Can I use "for" instead of "to" here?

  It sounded like crying for me.

If I can, do these two examples have any difference in meaning?

Can you please give me more examples? I'd like to get familiar with this usage.


texts: Which form of verb should follow prefer?

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

His uncle prefers that she speaks with him personally.
His uncle prefers that she speak with him personally.

One guide says that the second one is correct. However, this is somewhat against our intuition.

Perhaps you can elaborate with proper references.


texts:
Harouni of course became familiar with this
  ubiquitous man, who not only accompanied him on
  his tours of inspection, but morning and night could
  be found standing on the master bed rewiring the
  light fixture or in the bathroom poking at the water
  heater. Finally, one evening at teatime, gauging the
  psychological moment, Nawab asked if he might say
  a word. The landowner, who was cheerfully filing his
  nails in front of a crackling rosewood fire, told him
  to go ahead.

  “Sir, as you know, your lands stretch from here to
  the Indus, and on these lands are fully seventeen tube
  wells, and to tend these seventeen tube wells there is
  but one man, me, your servant. In your service I have
  earned these gray hairs”—here he bowed his head to
  show the gray—“and now I cannot fulfill my duties
  as I should. Enough, sir, enough. I beg you, forgive
  me my weakness. Better a darkened house and proud
  hunger within than disgrace in the light of day.
  Release me, I ask you, I beg you.”

  The old man, well accustomed to these sorts of
  speeches, though not usually this florid, filed away at
  his nails and waited for the breeze to stop.
  “What’s the matter, Nawabdin?”

This excerpt from the SAT practice test is questioned. It asks for the purpose of the second paragraph. The choices are as follows:

A) flatter Harouni by mentioning how vast his lands are.
B) boast to Harouni about how competent and
reliable Nawab is.
C) emphasize Nawab’s diligence and loyalty to
Harouni.
D) notify Harouni that Nawab intends to quit his
job tending the tube wells.

The answer is C. But, why is it not D. Can anyone please explain? Thank you for your help


texts: Meaning of "looking about" and "smart without a name"?

texts:
Im reading great expectations by charles dickens.
"stood near the door looking about me,"
"so bitter were my feelings, and so sharp was the smart without a name, that needed counteraction."


texts:
Looking up the words "soccer" and "father" in both Dictionary. com and Merriam Webster, I found that the phonetic transcriptions for these two and other similar words contain different vowels to represent-- I gather-- the same (American English) sound (short o) depending on which of the two dictionaries you use:
Merriam Webster:
Soccer: \ˈsä-kər\
Father: \ˈfä-thər\
Dictionary.com
Soccer: /ˈsɒk ər/
Father: /ˈfɑ ðər/
It is kind of confusing to see three different symbols referring to one  or two sounds. So what's the difference in the pronunciation of /ä/, /ɒ/, and /ɑ/ (if there's one)?
Which of these symbols can I use to accurately represent the American English pronunciation of the two aforementioned words and others sharing the same vowel sound?


texts: What does Ambrose Bierce's definition of "eulogy" mean?

texts:
I'm trying to understand this quotation:

  Eulogy, n.: Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead.

  Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

I'm not a connoisseur of English literature. So I don't understand why he said this. I understand that eulogies may be given as part of funeral services, but:

What does Bierce's definition mean?
Is this a clever phrase?
Is it sarcasm?
Why did he compare 'the advantages of wealth and power' and 'the consideration to be dead'?


texts:
The basic understanding I have about this nuance is 'male' represents any living being of masculine gender whereas 'man' (-correct me if I'm wrong) is strictly for a human male.

Now while filling out the forms, we have gender where two options are male and female. When it comes to reproductive system, we define that as male reproductive system (we doctors use this term) and not man reproductive system. If it's defining the human, why not man reproductive system. In fact, it's gender specific (read above - form's example), so shouldn't it be man reproductive system.

Obviously, it's there is a  male man standing under the tree. But then, man male pattern baldness is also common. We are certainly talking about the baldness occurring in human males - why not man pattern...?

Furthermore male strippers and not man strippers? In this why is it male (singular) but then strippers (plural)? Had it been using men then would it be men stripper? Is it because of male/man?


texts:
I know "@" is "at". But "at" can't be a verb in English. So, if someone in a chat group @ all members. You want to stop him / her. You can just say

  Don't at all members in the group.

How do you say that properly?


texts:
Normally, you use adjectives for describing the way someone looks, e.g.: "He looks good".
Following this logic, it should be: "You look shit". However, in a movie, someone said: "You look shitty".
Is that grammatically correct?


texts: "Not a bad little haul for one night" meaning

texts:
"It is you! If they find out who they've got --! They're Snatchers, they're only looking for truants to sell for gold --"

  "Not a bad little haul for one night," Greyback was saying, ... ...

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I've searched the phrase "Not a bad little haul" and got lots of hits. It seems a quite common phrase, but none of them addressed what it means. What does it mean truly?


texts: Which one of the following sentences is syntactically correct?

texts:
I have 2 sentences and I can't decide which one is syntactically correct:
"If you want to leave a comment all exam participants will see, click here"
"If you want to leave a comment for all participants to see, click here"
Please advise! Thank you!