texts:
Currently reading this article,, 12th paragraph says,

  Most trade talks take much longer than one year to complete. These particular negotiations are unusually fraught because of uncertainty surrounding how trade between Northern Ireland and Ireland will be governed once the U.K. is no longer part of the EU.

What definition under my dictionary is the bold italic adjective? fraught used by?

  1 a archaic :  carrying as a load :  laden, freighted

  b :  well supplied or provided

  2
  a :  burdened or menaced with

  endangered, threatened

  b :  giving promise or prospect — used with with

  c :  accompanied, attended — used with with

  3
  :  causing or characterized by emotional distress or tension :  uneasy

Or is it the definition as a verb defined as the following?

  now chiefly Scottish
  :  load, freight, fill

I appreciate your support.


texts: A sentence which I couldn't even separate which part is what

texts:
My sentence is from a philosophical book and it made me perplexed. Such that I wasn't even able to separate the parts of it. So, the sentence is:

  Modern philosophy begins with Descartes, whose fundamental certainty is the existence of himself and his thoughts, from which the external world is to be inferred.

By the way, I am also confused about "preposition + relative clause" structure which is used by the author in this book. If anyone could explain this to me I'd be grateful. Thanks in advance.


texts: "Tom played Mary a joke." is not natural?

texts: I think "Tom played Mary a joke." is not natural and "Tom played a joke on Mary." is natural. What is your opinion?


texts:
Which is the right option to complete the following:

  "I do not want to help my mom in the kitchen anymore, this morning while __________onions, my eyes started to cry".

Options:

  a. peeling     b. I was peeling     c. peel    d. was peeling

In my opinion, both, a) and b) could be possible since a) would be a reduced adverb clause, having originally the same subject in both clauses, whereas b) would be the original common adverb clause. Am I wrong? or is it "b" the only "option and why?


texts: Question about prepositions and word-order

texts:
What is more natural for you to say this:

  Yesterday, [via / through / on] website I talked to my friend named Johnny.

  Yesterday, I talked to my friend named Johnny [via / through / on] website.


texts:
This is my sentence

  The system generates recommendations depending on the items that other similar users, to the active user, have liked in the past

If you want to understand the sentence, you can put, Marco instead of active user.

are the two comma i put correct please ?


texts:
Why skate was used with -ing in those sentences?

  I plan to go skating at the local park.

  Cool! I’ve never been into skating myself, but I have some friends who love it. Watch out for slips, trips and falls.

P.S. is this sentence correct?

  Why skate was used with -ing in those sentences?


texts:
Did you know that Julia is having a baby? She ... (make) a great mother, I’ve no doubts.

Should it be will or is going to? And why exactly?


texts:
So I made tacos on match night.

OR

So I made tacos on the match night.

(Here the use of article is necessary if yes,then please explain)


texts: Recently I have been trying to improve my pronunciation and I have made a huge progress. I learn British English in school and that's why I learnt to pronounce words the Standard British way. What I don't know is whether it is correct to do so given that I am a rhotic speaker. Would it be considered strange to speak Standard British English, but with a rhotic accent? Would this be a strange mix?


texts:
In the following sentences, do we need " , and " to clarify that both verbs are for one subject?

1- " Alice went to the restaurant, and ate lunch".

2- "Alice went to the restaurant, ate lunch, and got back home"


texts:
We all agreed from the get-go that we were not going to parody- as Lou had for 20 years .

Why "had" past simple: does it mean that the reformation of the group came before the duration was over,before Lou stopped to parody(as like a synonymous of while)

or does the author did not want to emphasize the duration ( this part of the sentence was not very important) I think this the right explaination


texts: what is the exact meaning of "how long are you staying in London"

texts: If I say "how long are you staying in London?" , does it always mean that my stay in London  has begun  or can I use it if my stay begins in two weeks for example and that I have already booked my hotel


texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  washed his right then left hand

  washed his right then left hands


texts:
What does Present perfect with time phrase 'since' or 'for' imply? The action is still continuing or the action is finished?

It is confused with the tense 'present perfect continuous' since this also expresses with time phrases 'since' or 'for' to indicate action is still continuing?

I would like to know in detail what is the difference between both tenses if both contain time phrases 'since' or 'for' and how to choose between them.

Examples:

  1a. I have waited for him since morning.

  1b. I have been waiting for him since morning

  2a. He has washed the car for 2 hours.

  2b. He has been washing the car for 2 hours.

  3a. I have watched TV for a long time.

  3b. I have been watching TV for a long time.


texts:
a. What is best to serve at our dinner party?
b. What is the best to serve at our dinner party?
c. Among the dishes on that list, which is best to serve at our dinner party?
d. Among the dishes on that list, which is the best to serve at our dinner party?
Which of the above sentences are grammatically correct?
I think (b) is incorrect since we are choosing from an unlimited list of possibilities, however if we had 'the best thing' or 'the best dish' or something like that then it would be fine.


texts:
... ... I dug the play.

I accidentally heard a man said the sentence in a TV show. The context is after a play has finished, the man come to an actor and said it.

I can't find any useful information on the web. My best guess is that he enjoyed the play, or he approved it.

I might also mishear it!
Thanks!

Edit

Is this usage regional? Or it's generic.


texts: Smile creep: What does this "creep" mean?

texts: I felt the smile creep onto my face. What does smile creep mean? What about synonyms?


texts:
What is the difference between them?.

I looked on the dictionaries that both are used to describe something that is relating to practical point of view, but why do we have 2 different words?.


texts: present perfect vs past perfect vs simple past

texts:
The dancers have rehearsed the ballet for almost three hours.
  They have displayed new CDs since Friday morning.
  She hasn't talked to her brother since he broke her cell phone.

At first glance they seem to be fine, for example, "The dancers have rehearsed the ballet for almost three hours", seems to imply that they started 3 hours ago and they are still rehearsing. But something tells me that it should be, "The dancers had rehearsed the ballet for almost three hours", which also sounds correct, implying that they started some time ago, they rehearsed for 3 hours, but they have stopped since then. The other sentences have a similar structure.

QUESTION: Taking sentence #1 as an example,

  The dancers have rehearsed the ballet for almost three hours.
  The dancers had rehearsed the ballet for almost three hours.

without any other context, taking them (#4, #5) as standalone sentences, are both of them grammatically correct? If not, which one is correct and why?


texts: Would you tell me what the difference is between 'the tiger' and 'tigers'?

texts:
I am sure you should know linguistics or much grammar, so that you can answer this question.

I would appreciate it very much if you could reply it accurately.

The Little Prince

Original sentences:

In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."

...............

My question:

As we say, for instance, the tiger, the poor, or so on, would you tell me if I write the following, then is that correct grammatically and semantically?

***In addition, what is the difference between these?

The Boa constrictor.

Boa constrictors.*


texts:
the Ambassador of X to the UN.

  the Ambassador of X in the UN.

Why is using to not in? What is to's part of speech?

Could I use a user to Twitter in English?


texts:
I am aware the meaning of "trip"

  to lose your balance after knocking your foot against something when you are walking or running

I guess this is called "tripped over a cable"

I see some people say "tripped on a cable". A post explains the difference as

  tripped on just says where the trip occurred. You can trip on the step without the step being in any way defective.
  Tripped over indicates exactly what caused the trip. The cable was where the tripper didn't expect it to be.

I don't really understand that. It seems that both "tripped over a cable" and "tripped on a cable" indicate the trip occurred at the place where that cable was put.

In case that the cable example turns out be a bad example, here is another case

a post describes the image as

  I tripped over this 1 inch stone lift ...

Does the following version mean the same thing as the one above?

  I tripped on this 1 inch stone lift ...

Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.

Google Ngram shows that both expression is used.


texts: Using Past Perfect in English conversation

texts:
I called call center executive yesterday but I did not received proper reply from him. Hence again today I called to call center again and start my conversation as below.

Me: Hi, My Name is XYZ and my problem is ABC

Executive: Sorry, you dialed wrong extension please dial 123

Me: I had called on that extension but I was connected to this extension. I had also called yesterday to that extension but did not received proper reply from your executive, Please transfer me to desire extension if possible.

Was my part of conversation was correct or do I need to have better conversation in any other way?
Specially using past perfect tense. Actually I wanted to focus on past completed action.


texts:
If I am showing someone a picture of my nephew, and his name is Bob, should I say:
'This is my nephew Bob', without a comma, or:
'This is my nephew, Bob'. with the comma.
Doesn't the comma lend the impression that I'm talking to Bob?


texts:
The word fastidious has two different (my opinion) meanings: someone 1) who pays much attention to small details and 2) who has strong dislike of anything dirty.

You can satisfy the first meaning but not the second and vice versa. For instance, someone wants everything to be correct and perfect, but would eat street food without washing his hands. And someone can live in a squalor and wash his hands 20 times a day.

If you hear "he is so fastidious," which of those meanings pops up in your mind first?


texts: How to express "to pressing random different keys or buttons on a mobile phone"?

texts:
Your 2-year-old child is holding your mobile phone and he is pressing randomly different keys or buttons on your phone.

  chaotically adverb  /keɪˈɒtɪkli/  /keɪˈɑːtɪkli/ in a completely
  confused way that lacks any order

  The office was chaotically busy today.

  The Revolution began as chaotically as it was to continue.

Is it natural to say "Don't press chaotically on my mobile phone, please"?


texts: I like to do [ A bit of housework / housework ] while XYX

texts:
I like to do a bit of housework while the children are at school.

Is the above sentence grammatically correct ?

My context of asking question is that just like in this sentence We received a great deal of complaints. Its better to use number instead of great deal as complaints are countable , Is it fine to use a bit of in the given sentence ?


texts: What does "run high" mean here? (Harper Lee)

texts:
I am reading Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, and I could not understand this: He returned to Saint Stephens only once, to find a wife, and with her established a line that ran high to daughters. Simon lived to an impressive age and died rich.

I do not really get the meaning of "the line" and how does a "line" "run high"?

I guess it means his wife helped him become rich and he came to be richest when the daughters born, but I am not sure...


texts:
"Jack'll come tomorrow", she told Rose in the morning.

What does it mean if I ask "When did she tell Rose Jack would come?".
'Tomorrow' and 'the morning' are the two times in the first statement. The question above returns one of them as an answer. If I want to get the other as the answer, how do I modify the question?


texts:
I often have a cold or a sore throat when I sleeps over night with a fan or air conditioner which is on pointing directly to my face.
Is it correct to say "don't leave active fans or air conditioners directly facing your face when sleeping"?
I am not sure if "active fans" means "fans that are on or currently running, not in off-state".


texts: How to write sentence with past perfect tense with do and verb?

texts:
I often get confused while writing perfect past tense.

When to use did/didn't and when to use verb in third person?

For example from below sentences, which sentence is right?

  You didn't added salt in Meal?

or

  You didn't add salt in meal?

or

  You haven't added salt in meal?

or

  You haven't add salt in meal?


texts: Does the sentence "To get back to the main point, the budget needs to be bigger" make sense to you?

texts:
To get back to the main point, the budget needs to be bigger.(source)

Does this sentence make sense?
I think the infinitive phrase "to get back to the main point" is an adverbial clause modifying "need to" in the main clause. It tells us the reason why the budget should be increased. The sentence should be "To get back to the main point, we need to increase the budget."


texts: How to congratulate someone on their understanding?

texts:
Somewhere on Instagram I read a topic regarding the September 11th event (My condolences to all Americans and all humans and I really apologize for such an example here on the forum.)

Under the pics there was a caption as follows:

A new law mandates public schools across NY to allow a brief moment of silennce each year to mark the anniversary of the September 11th of the terrorist attacks.

And comments:

  Person A) My condolences to the families of the victims, but how can you make this a law and force someone to do something?!
  Person B) If there isn't some way to commemorate this each year, it will never be learned by the next generation.
  Person A) It's been quiet for 30 seconds of your day. Why you so mad?
  Person B) I'm not mad; lol. People just should not be forced to do this.
  A student) As a student in NYC, who experienced the moment of silence today, I think it absolutely should be a law! It was incredibly meaningful and powerful. We lost so many people in NYC. We need the next generation of kids to be educated about that.

  Screenshot 1, screenshot 2

When I read all these comments, I really enjoyed the way the young student looked at the world around her and was happy for her. I wanted to congratulate her for thinking like that and I commented:

  I'd like to congratulate you on your understanding and for the way you think.

But the student replied:

  Ummm, what?!

I was wondering how shall I imply this message in English to the student?

Longman Dictionary accepts my sentence:

• You congratulate someone on something:
I’d like to congratulate you on your new job.
Congratulations on your new job!
• You congratulate someone for doing something:
She congratulated me for getting a new job.

I was wondering what am I missing here? Please kindly let me know about it.


texts: Which one is more accurate to be used in sentence. I could see many times people use "I tried not to talk" is that correct use of sentence?


texts: When do multiple negatives cancel and when do they not?

texts:
Which of the following is not stated in the passage?
  (a) Money will not be a factor in making the decision

  Here, not only is there a negative in the question, but there is also one in answer (a).
  It is important not to miss the second one, and also important not to simply think
  that they cancel each other out. It does not, for example, follow from (a) that what
  is being said is that ‘money is stated in the passage to be a factor in making the
  decision’.

I apprehend that silence isn't guilt (in most developed nations), so the absence of (a) in the passage doesn't mean the truth of (a). Yet what's the big picture here; what are the general lessons to be learned? I'd like to cancel, to simplify reading whenever possible.

Source: p 27, Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law, Mark Shepherd


texts: how + adjective + I + be + to-infinitive

texts:
1- I can’t describe to you how surprised I was to find out I loved her

  2- I can't describe to you how suprised I was when I found out I loved her

I just saw the first sentence and it seemed a bit interesting to me. I would use the second one instead. Is this some kind of form that I would see often but wouldn't hear that much?


texts:
Are "inclusive of" and "including" interchangeable in the following?

  a. We all liked the show, inclusive of / including Sarah.

  b. Five passengers were injured in the accident, inclusive of / including a pregnant woman.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Is "Last time we were in a house was five weeks" a common colloquialism?

texts:
There a scene in the movie Red Dawn:

A group of teenagers come to a house and are welcomed in by the owner.

  One of the teenagers: Last time we were in a house was five weeks.

  Man: You look it.

Is "Last time ... was five weeks", as opposed to "Last time we were in a house was five weeks ago." a common colloquialism? It seems to me the grammatical way to say it would be with the adverb ago.

Also I understand look in "You look it" to mean "to have the appearance of", as in "looks her age" (MW). But a search on Google Books seems to suggest this line is not very commonly used, as the majority of the hits are false positives, such as "Whenever you look, it is slightly different." Despite having found it in some books, I still wonder: is this expression common? I haven't found anything substantial, except one WordReference thread. "You don't look it." sounds less odd than "You look it."


texts:
1.
  It is high time he started to look into his own flaws before speaking ill of others.

  2.
  It is high time he started looking into his own flaws before speaking ill of others.

I think 1st one is correct because verb "start" followed by an Infinitive.

Which one is correct?

And one more question Is there any specific rule to use gerund and infinitive or  i just have to memorize verbs which followed by infinitive and gerund?.


texts: "A few" takes a singular or plural verb in present simple tense?

texts:
Does "a few" take a singular or plural verb in present simple tense?

  A few men lifts the table.
  A few men lift the table.
  A few frogs jumps out of the lake.
  A few frogs jump out of the lake.

I have searched the same question in google, but I see both answers. Which one is correct? How come "a few" is plural? Even though it refers to many, "a" makes "few" a singular, so it should take a singular verb, right?

Should I always put "a" in front of "few"? For example, are the following correct?

  Few men lift the table.
  Few frogs jump out of the lake.


texts: Is this omission of the words after "than" correct?

texts:
This is my sentence:

  As a result, calculating the similarities between items should require fewer calculations than between users.

What I mean is:

  As a result, calculating the similarities between items should require fewer calculations than calculating the similarities between users.

Is the first sentence correct? Does it have the same meaning as the second sentence?


texts: Can I say "I will knock your door" to point that "I will send you another email again FYI"?

texts: As the title points out, I don't want to say "I will send you an e-mail again" to somebody. Instead, I try to rephrase that sentence, so does "knock your door" address the same meaning in an e-mail conversation?


texts: what is the meaning of "had they used their gift"? does it conditional?does "as D.D. Home used his" means that he should followed the advise?

texts:
what is the meaning of "had they used their gift"? does it conditional?
does "as D.D. Home used his" means that he should followed the advise of the author?

  To realize their position one has to remember that they were little
  more than children, poorly educated, and quite ignorant of the
  philosophy of the subject. When a man like Dr. Kane assured Margaret
  that it was very wrong, he was only saying what was dinned into her
  ears from every quarter, including half the pulpits of New York.
  Probably she had an uneasy feeling that it was wrong, without in the
  least knowing why, and this may account for the fact that she does not
  seem to remonstrate with him for his suspicions. Indeed, we may admit
  that au fond Kane was right, and that the proceedings were in some
  ways unjustifiable. At that time they were very unvenal themselves,
  and had they used their gift, as D.D. Home used his, with no relation
  to worldly things, and for the purpose only of proving immortality and
  consoling the afflicted, then, indeed, they would have been above
  criticism. He was wrong in doubting their gift, but right in looking
  askance at some examples of their use of it.

from http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301051h.html


texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  Makes in pre-quarterfinals; Ashwini & Sikki get a walkover in their opening match

Here is the context.

I think it should be

  Makes the pre quaterfinals


texts: "Literally" Vs "In the true sense of the word"

texts:
The Cambridge and other dictionaries say that "literally" can be used as an emphasis on something. But there is another term: "in the true sense of the word", which to mea has a quite similar meaning to "literally" in this sense.

I have made two examples in order to define whether they mean the same or not:

  You Don't know him, but I have socialized with him for over 15 years. He's ___________________ a gentleman.

a. literally
b. in the true sense of the word

Note: I have not found any reliable dictionary including this term, but Ngram acknowledges that there is such a term in English. (I thought it might be a direct translation from another language to English.)

  I studied for two years and finally I managed to pass that exam; that was ________________ a difficult exam.

a. literally
b. in the true sense of the word

To me, both choices work equally the same in both examples above. I was wondering if I can use the these options interchangeably in my examples without any considerable change in meaning?


texts: Sentence Structure “They are+number+objects”

texts:
They are three apples.
Guess who is John.

For these 2 sentences, is it correct and natural to say this way?


texts:
I need creative ways to say "I flew to the US." Is there anything wrong with the followings. And please add more ways. Thank you for your help.

I flew to the US.
I took a flight to the US.
I booked a flight to the US.
I traveled to the US by flying United Airline.


texts: Confused about the usage of present perfect tense

texts:
My problem is whether present prefect tense means that the result of a past action still exists or it means that the action itself is still happening or still important. When I say "I've lost my book" it means the results of the "losing action" still important currently. But it does not mean I am losing my book every moment, and this will be good tragic science fiction movie related to space black hole or something.

  Context: The development is the media spreading more news about crime.

  This development makes people feel unsafe for psychological reasons,
  and they may falsely think that crime rates were\ have increased.

Using "were" means that:

crime rates was increased is the past.
the rates went for example from 5 to 8; however, it is not increasing anymore.

Using "have" means that:

crime rates were increased in the past.
the rates went for example from 5 to 8; however, it is not increasing anymore because present perfect tense applies to the result of an action not the action itself.

If this was right, and I don't know whether I got it right or not, then why native English speakers prefer to use "have" in this case, it is completely useless!

  When Australia has applied the economic policies which I mentioned
  earlier, according to the government statistics, most employees found
  a new job in supermarkets after their former employer companies had
  been closed.

The content is kind of silly, but please ignore this for now :)
This one is also problematic because an English teacher decided that "has" is wrong.
When I wrote "has" I wanted to emphasis that "economic policies" are still applied today, and in my opinion, using past tense is wrong because it this context it is not clear whether "economic policies" are still there or rolled back.

So where is my misunderstanding regarding present perfect tense?


texts: "Been so long *since*" + Present Perfect Tense

texts:
I'd like to ask:

What's the meaning of present perfect using it after  _been so long since_?

For example:

  Someone phones me and says:

  It's been so long since I've talked to you.

Or for example:

  It's been so longe since I've had this much fun.


texts:
Please imagine a young boy who's mother is dealing with a malignant cancer. He feels very sad and has lost his morale recently and is not able to put enough time on his studies. After a long period of chemical therapy, the treatment process works and the mother is healed. The boy's spirit enhances and gets ready to continue his studies. Now, I would appreciate it if someone could let me know which one of the following sentences work here properly:

  His spirit has been uplifted.
  His spirit was boosted.

If they don't sound natural to you, then please let me know how a native speaker would normally explain such a situation?


texts: What grammatical error is there in this sentence?

texts:
What grammatical error is in the following sentence:

  Five thousand years ago, the ancient inhabitants of Orkney- a fertile, green archipelago of the northern tip of modern Scotland

In the solution it says:

  The proposition of before northern tip has been used incorrectly.

Can anyone explain it to me why it is wrong and why 'off' should be used before northern tip?


texts:
I sometimes find hard to understand negation in Eng sentences especially when I do some tests. Could you help me to sort out this problem please.

The bad weather stopped us from finishing the game so we were unable to continue the match.
……

So did we.
Neither were they.
They were either
So were we.

I chose answer 2 but the key shows 4. Why?


texts:
On so goes the knight in search of shelter for the night.

Can I place "so" like this in the sentence?


texts: Is "where" a relative pronoun or a subordinating conjunction in this sentence?

texts:
In this sentence is the word "where" a relative pronoun or a subordinating conjunction?

Every year, my school hosts a sports day where each group has a chance to win a great prize.


texts: Can a present tense have the meaning of perfect tense?

texts:
"But this is important."
  "Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"
  "Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor—it's about the Sorcerer's Stone—"
  Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.
  "How do you know—?" she spluttered.
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

It seems that the highlighted part has the perfect tense meaning –– for “the perfect is a kind of past tense (SGEL,p78, 86)” and Harry’s knowing is preceding the speech time. He’ve known the fact and now he speaks out what he’s known. And ‘how do you know’ seems to contain all this. Can this be right, and the present also have the perfect tense meaning?


texts: Is "die to it" an acceptable phrase in the UK?

texts:
I have just been told by a British English speaker that die to it is "perfectly correct English". I've never heard this phrase before. His example sentence is:

  You won't die to a bee sting, unless you have allergies.

I would use die of or die from instead. Is his usage also correct?

Google ngrams suggests that it does (or did) exist but is rare.

A book search seems to show that it's limited to religious use.


texts: Is "the pundits tell firms" correct? How to analyse "pundits" "tell" "firms"?

texts:
Interbrand, a consultant on branding, describes authenticity as “an internal truth and capability”, a “defined heritage” and a “well-grounded value set”. This slippery quality, the pundits tell firms, is what the public is yearning for, in an age of doubt and mistrust.

From The Economist's “Authenticity” is being peddled as a cure for drooping brands

To make sense, “firm” should be a verb, while tell should be a noun. According to the dictionary, it is a verb. If it could be a noun, usually it would go like this “the pundit tell” in which “pundit” modifies “tell”, or “the pundits’ tell”. “The pundits tell” is still odd. So I need help. Thanks!


texts: "I move it away from me" vs. "I move it away from myself"

texts:
To practice my English, I am trying to explain the word "push" in English

  If I push an apple, I move the apple forward and away from myself.

I guess it's a little bit strange to say

  ... and away from me.

Because the subject of the sentence and the object of "from" are the same person.

With the agreement above, the explanation/definition of "push" on Cambridge Dictionary seems to be a little bit strange

  to use physical pressure or force, especially with your hands, in order to move something into a different position, usually one that is farther away from you

Should "yourself" be used there?


texts: Is listening to people speaking an effective way to improve spoken English?

texts:
I can read most of things I see on the internet, and if I watch a video or documentary on youtube I can understand it pretty well (about 95%), but when I speak to people in English the words just don't come so smoothly, I may use very poor English and describe something very poorly because I can't remember the right words to use, then I start making some grammar mistakes because of the nervousness. Has anyone else here gone through those kind of difficulties? What did you do to overcome this and started to speak relatively well? How long did it take? Has listening to people speaking helped you to develop your speaking skills?

It's kinda frustrating. I think that if I could use only 50% of the vocabulary I already know I would speak as well as a native speaker.


texts: critical mass to support your family -- meaning?

texts:
Toronto is North America's 4th largest city (YouTube video) [at the 3 minute 47 second mark or just click the link and it will get you to the right timing automatically]:

  Toronto has it all in abundance. Whatever you prefer, Toronto delivers. With a critical mass to support your interests, your lifestyle, your family, Toronto is dynamic.

I've looked this term up in many dictionaries and to be completely honest still can't make proper sense of what the narrator is trying to say.


texts:
The numbers are non human. I have this sentence where it uses whose to refer to the numbers. Is this sentence correct? If not, any suggestions?

  We do not receive 100% replies for the numbers whose metadata we query
  from the search engine.


texts: "Do you have a problem IN doing sth" or "do you have a problem doing"?

texts:
Which one of the following sentences is correct?

Do you have a problem in doing sth?
Do you have a problem doing sth?

Prepositions are always tricky and there are not helpful rules. Which one of the above sentences is correct? If both, is there a difference in meaning?


texts: The purpose of the raffle tickets is to just help defray the cost for those individuals who are just not financially able to pay anything.


texts:
The following article fron CNBC states:

  Trump says US stands with Saudi Arabia despite journalist Khashoggi's killing.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs defines the phrasal verb stand with someone as:

  to unite with someone, as in defense.

  Don't worry. I'll stand with you to the end. He stood with her and they faced the threat together.

I could not find the definition of stand with on other online dictionaries, but the usage made by the CNBC appear to convey a different meaning from the one in the dictionary.

Are there other definitions and usages of “stand with?”

Is the expression used also in BrE?


texts:
1: I was stupid to followed her advice
2: I was stupid that I followed her advice
3: I was stupid to have followed her advice
4: I was stupid that I had followed her advice

Do these 4 sentences mean the same?


texts:
Which word should i use, whether aeroplane or airplane? what is the meaning of these words else what is the difference between two if there?

P.S: please correct if my question is wrong or inappropriate to this site.


texts:
That sort of thing is enormously on the increase.
That sort of thing is enormously increasing.

I know that the first sentence is grammatically correct.

Is the second sentence correct too? And if yes, is there a difference of nuance between them?


texts: Is it "In an interview Tuesday" or " In a Tuesday interview"?

texts: I was reading a newspaper that includes an article that starts with "In an interview Tuesday". It baffled me as to how this is correct as it should have been "In a Tuesday interview". I know the common usage tells us to place these time/day references first such as "Tomorrow's meetings" "Tuesday morning". How come does the original partial sentence not follow this format?


texts: Is there a difference between "defining vocabulary" and "vocabulary definition"?

texts:
This is the sentence that I have in mind, from the Wikipedia article Defining vocabulary:

  Almost all English learner's dictionaries have a defining vocabulary, and these range in size between 2000 and 3000 words

I would like to rephrase it as:

  The defining vocabulary of learner's dictionaries are restricted to a range of between 2000 and 3000 of the most frequent used word families.

While defining vocabulary is actually a correct term, my native friend from UK says that using vocabulary definitions is better. He feels that defining is like a verb. In my opinion, vocabulary for definitions is more correct.

Is there any subtle difference between the two?


texts:
He  made  me  laugh(active)

  I was  made to laugh by him(passive voice)

In the active voice  made is  followed by personal object and bare infinitive.

But in the passive voice made is followed by to infinitive.

What is the reason for the use of the  bare infinitive and to  infinitive  in different  voice?

I know that the verb make is followed by bare infinitive.

What  is  the rule applied  here?

If we use bare infinitive in the pasive voice, does the sentence become  wrong?

No  grammar book  has given any explanation  about this


texts: "Bip bop, bip bop bop" -- does it mean anything?

texts:
There's a song by Paul McCartnety, Bip-Bop, the main idea of which is quite vague, but nevertheless, three sentences are understood:

  Dig your bottom dollar, put it in your hand.
  Why d'you hide your
  handbag underneath the stairs?
  Put your hair in curlers, gonna see a band.

At least, this is what is heard among the repetitious "Bip bop, bip bop bop" or "Wip wop, wip man wop." What might these mean?


texts:
More than one student know the answer.

Does it means "Over one student knows the answer" , why or why not?


texts:
It is from this article. Here is the passage:

  Three giant sets comprised of four exercises will therefore provide 12 sets per body part, each muscle grouping targeted from all angles over what is technically the same set.

Because of the word "over" I cannot get what the author means. Could you rephrase the second part of the sentence for me please?


texts: Could you please tell me what the function of the adverb "partly" is in the sentence, "It is partly her fault"? In other words, what does "partly" modify in that sentence?


texts: "Be OK with someone" vs "be OK to someone"

texts:
Tell me please if these two phrases mean the same in the following sentence.

  Kate, we are going to to pop in for an hour. Is it OK with/to you.

Most of the time I hear native speakers use the preposition with in the phrase, but I feel that the preposition to is fine too.


texts: How should I understand this "would ever"?

texts:
A while ago, I asked my penpal to skype calling for the first time in a while, and she answered "I wondered if you would ever ask me"
Does it mean like, "I wondered when you would ask me that again" ?
I can just loosely understand what she says, but not completely.
I think I don't understand how to use "would ever", or could be, "ever" itself.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ever
According to this page, I think her message is go with 3, for emphasis. Then it could contain a sense as in, "what's taking so long?"


texts: "Having /To have + past participle + object + action verb " VS "Havin/To having +past participle+ object +Be verb"

texts:
Having got a goal in my first international match was a great achievement.
To have got a goal in my first international match was a great achievement.
Having got a goal in my first international match made me so happy.
To have got a goal in my first international made me so happy.

Are all of these sentences correct?  Can I use any types of verb with perfect infinitive and perfect gerund?


texts: Do I need "some" in "If the weather is not so good, I read a book or some news"?

texts:
During my lunch break, I usually go for a walk. If the weather is not so good, I read a book or some news.

Can we omit some here?

  During my lunch break, I usually go for a walk. If the weather is not so good, I read a book or news.

For some reason, the first sentence looks better to me. Is it because news is a noncount noun and invites the use of some in some way?

Or is the second sentence really okay? Or are they both okay, but have different shades of meaning?


texts: Sentence Construction when writing an email

texts: I want to inform someone that I created a new account for a user. I usually send "A new user account has been created for the user ABC and a welcome e-mail has been sent to the user regarding the same". If I create accounts for multiple users, how can I write this in a better way. Thanks.


texts: What difference does the placement of “that” make?

texts:
Consider the following sentences:

See the experiments reported in the chapters related to machine learning.
See the experiments that are reported in the chapters related to machine learning.
See the experiments reported in the chapters that are related to machine learning.
See the experiments that are reported in the chapters that are related to machine learning.

When I’m short of space, I construct sentences such as sentence 1. When there is plenty of space, I might decide to write as shown in sentence 4. Often I find myself choosing between such sentences as sentence 2 and 3, and I’d be grateful if somebody could clarify the difference.


texts: Meaning of 'work activities' in this context

texts:
This paper reports the findings of an investigation to determine whether guided workplace learning can assist the development of skills and knowledge required for workplace performance. Previous work proposes that participation in everyday work activities make significant contributions to the development of individuals’ vocational knowledge (Billett 1993, 1994a, 1994b, 1996, Harris et al 1996, Harris & Volet 1997). Engagement in authentic workplace activities, and the direct and indirect guidance available in everyday participation in the workplaces were identified as the bases of these contributions.

My question relates to the top quote.
I have to read some scientific papers on the topic "Workplace learning" and I struggle with the exact meaning of "work activities" in this quote.
I guess one possibility would be that it relates to activities you usually do at work (e.g. write articles, organize stuff, make coffee, ...) and by doing those activities rather than doing something else would improve your skills over time.
Another meaning that comes to my mind would be that the author means something like participating in regular work-related activities (e.g. exercises, discussions in groups about topic xyz) would improve your skills, so in general that activities would be learning activities instead of just applying already known knowledge as it would be the case in guess no.1.

I hope you can help me out with this.


texts: How to punctuate a complex sentence with two quotes?

texts:
Supposing, there is a sentence:

  For example, if parents ask their son or daughter: “There are 10
  ballerinas at the theater but all of female dancers have gone on the
  tour. How many ballerinas remained at the theater?”, a child will
  respond expectedly: “I do not know”.

There are two colons, which, I think, is not an idea to get away with. Could you, please, suggest proper punctuation here?


texts: How to ask the question "the difference is between which and what" in the idiomatic way?

texts:
An ELL post says

  The difference here is that there is no inference you expect him to come back more often once the study has completed.

I don't think I understand what the difference is. Maybe it is the difference among 3 original example sentences. Maybe it is the difference between the meaning with "since" and "while".

So, I asked the nice answerer

  the difference is between which and what?

I am aware it is not idiomatic at all. Maybe it is not even grammatical. So, how to ask that difference in the idiomatic way?


texts: Difference between "up to interpretation" and "up for interpretation"

texts:
I was reading this article and I came across the following sentence:

An emerging artist is usually defined as someone at the early stages
of their career. Maybe, as an “emerging” artist, you're honing your
style and have landed some recognition from a critic, but you don't
have commercial representation yet. ... The word “mid-career” is also
up to interpretation.

In my search for the meaning of up to interpretation I also found up for interpretation which in turn led me on a search for the difference between up to and up for but that does not seem to help.
I am still not sure about the difference in meaning between up to interpretation and up for interpretation (if there is any).


texts:
I would like to check how native speakers will answer the following exam questions:

  1- Oh, no! That _____ be the time! I am so late.

Here I was asked to choose between "might, must, can't". Which one is correct and which one is wrong and why?

  2- You look happy! You _______ have received some good news!

Here I had to choose between "must, could and can't". I chose "must", but I am not sure whether it is the correct answer. Could you tell me if my choice was correct or wrong?

In the same exam, I was asked another confusing question.

  2- You look very thin! ____ you_____ well lately?

I had to choose between the following:

  a. Haven't ... felt b. Didn't...feel c. Haven't... been feeling

To be honest, both a and c made sense to me! It was confusing. Which one would be chosen by a native speaker of English?

In the same English exam, I have been asked to choose between "so and so that" to fill in the blank in the following sentence:

  I am studying hard _____ I can do well in my exams!

This was confusing too because the answer here should be 'so that', but I know that every occurrence of 'so that' can be replaced with 'so' without losing meanings, but not vice versa. Is that true?


texts:
I try to say we don't keep living but people yesterday like us died and we are new born today. I mean this totally literally:
No Let's hypothesize that the smallest time unit is 1 minute.
There are 2 minutes. In the first minute, there is light on the left, and in the second minute, there is light on the right. Many people describe them as 'light moves to the right' but can I describe them as 'light in the 1st minute is turned off in the 2nd minute, and new light in the 2nd minute is turned on (or new made)'?


texts: What is the name of the sign used in English words derived from French words?

texts:
Consider:

  cliché = a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.

  blasé = unimpressed with or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before.

I wanted to learn how to type that sign, the sign on the top of the ending e in above examples, by computer keyboard. I started to search about it, but soon I faced the problem that I do not know what is that sign called in English.


texts:
Example 1

    Going through difficulties, some aboriginal people even started to create literature in their own languages.

Grammar books say the main clause and its subordinate clause have to have the same subject so that we can omit the subordinate clause's subject, like my Example 1. However, I think there are multiple interpretations for Example 1.

In my opinion, Example 1 means

    "After some aboriginal people went through difficulties, they even started to create literature."

However, my guts feeling is telling me it means

    "After aboriginal people(all aboriginal people in general) went through difficulties, some of them even started to create literature."

What do you guys think?
Thanks in advance!


texts:
For some reason I feel its overkilling on the use of article(the) here,

  To refine the results, please use the categories on the left

Can someone help?


texts: What is the meaning of card in the sentence "I'm a wild card."?

texts:
What is the meaning of card in this sentence:

  I'm a wild card.

Can you show other examples which describe the people as a card?


texts: How do I answer a question, "Is this...?"

texts:
Suppose one is asked, "Is this the first time you have been to Britain?" What is the grammatically-correct reply?

  No, I have.
  Yes, it is.
  Yes, I am.
  Yes, I have.


texts: Is using unnecessarily long words bad practice?

texts:
From my country's Biology board book:

  The scientific naming of an organism is accomplished in accordance
  with some rules and regulations set internationally.

which essentially means

  Some standard rules and regulations are followed for naming an organism scientifically.

Sentence #1 is written in perfectly valid English, but some words were used (slightly) inappropriately. It's ridiculously long, and the words are unnecessary and awkward (with an extremely stilted sentence structure to go with). The English is downright broken and rusty. It's not hard to understand that the writers aren't native English speakers.

Sentence #2 is much cleaner, simpler, and idiomatic. It's an example of good English. (Though it's too written by a non-native)

This led me to think whether...

the use of unnecessarily long words (which don't quite go with the
context) make even correct English seem broken.
it's a bad practice.

...or it's just pedantic of me.


texts:
1)

  I saw her yesterday

or

  I show her yesterday.

2)

  Did you saw him the pictures?

or

  Did you show him the pictures?

I always goof-up using saw/show.


texts: Is "What does it mean by [something]?" a correct utterance?

texts:
If I said to you "What does it mean by liberty?" or "what does the text mean by liberty?" would the question be correct in structure, meaning and grammar?

I was told that "it" or "the text" cannot MEAN something, but I am still doubtful


texts: either this or that depending on some condition

texts:
Consider these phrases:

  The liquid will be either black or blue depending if this condition is true or not.

  The liquid will be either black or blue if this condition is true or not.

Which one is better or is there another possibility?

I am trying to say that the liquid will be black if the condition is true or blue if the condition is not.


texts: If someone hates salad, and mostly eats meat, they basically are the opposite of vegetarians. What do you call those people in English? I guess there is no such a thing as meatarian.


texts: Meaning of the phrase "but one" in context

texts:
It is from this video. It is at 2 minute and 53 second.

  You have but one wild and precious life, my friends.


texts: Why do we have to use 'to' instead of 'will'?

texts:
I saw the sentence like

  Donald Trump to run for president next month.

in the newspaper on the internet.

But I don't know why we have to use to instead of will.

Is there any rule I don't know?

Can anyone tell me the reason why we should use to in the news?


texts:
Tell me please if there is any difference in meaning in the following context.

  After you complete the excercise, you can do it again on the minute/after a minute.


texts: The way of mentioning an e-mail in a conversation

texts:
Imagine a situation that you sent an e-mail to your friend but he did not reply for a week and you see him in a place. Do the following options suit in order to mention the e-mail in a conversation?

  Hey, how is it going? ~ Ah, I sent you an e-mail. Did you check it? Because, [.........]

    I do not have your reply yet.

    You did not get back to me.

    You did not respond my e-mail.

    You did not sent back any feedback.

Which one is also a quick way to say it? or are there any other options?


texts:
You have a sticker stuck on a surface and you want to take it off.

Is it correct to say "scratch the edge of the sticker until it sticks up, then pull the sticker off by the edge"?


texts: When "CIA" doesn't need the definite article?

texts:
Tom Clancy's "The Bear and the Dragon" offers numerous examples of omission of "the" before "CIA":

"It covered intelligence information developed by CIA, was prepared late every night and printed..."

"CIA's economics troops have pretty decent track record"

"Troughout the 80's, CIA overestimated the Soviet economy."

What might be the reason for such omissions?


texts: The use of existential "there" and an adjective alone

texts:
In the 22nd episode of the 9th season of Friends, I encountred an unfamiliar grammar structure. Here is the context:

Monica: Hey guys! Dinner's ready!
Zack: Oh! I'm gonna go wash up first. (Chandler points him the
bathroom) Thanks!
Chandler: So what do you think? I want that guys genes for my kid!
Those eyes, those cheeckbones!
Monica: Ok, there's enthusiastic and there's just plain gay!!

What does Monica mean by there's enthusiastic...? Could you explain the grammar?


texts:
I need to discover the semantic nuance between the phrasal verb "be accustomed to" and the idiom "get used to"!

E.g. please let me know how do the following examples differ in meaning:

  We've been accustomed to working together.
  We've got used  to working together.

Or

  It takes you a long time to get used to it.
  It takes you a long time to be accustomed to it.

Or

  He got used to finding fault with everything.
  He is accustomed to finding fault with everything.

Or

  I've got used to drinking my liquor neat.
  I'm accustomed to drinking my liquor neat.

For me, all for pairs mean the same and the only difference is that "be accustomed to sth" is a formal term in English! Although, I have my doubts yet!


texts: What is the classic way to say that I have 3 friends females?

texts:
What is the classic way to say for example that I have 3 friends females in my neighborhood?

If I'll say "I have three girlfriends" it's supposed to sound weird or polygamy. I just want to say that I have 3 friends while the listener will understand that I'm talking about female friends.


texts: Is the song title "A 1000 Times" redundant?

texts:
You might or might not know this song "A 1000 Times" by Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam, but the main concern here is that 1000 itself is a/one thousand already, therefore is this song title redundant in words?

Or am I wrong in some way? It's a popular studio-released song, how could such error be possible?


texts:
I have read this article on Vox and there’s this sentence:

  That means Ebola tends is deadlier in poorer countries like the DRC than it is in the US or Europe.

First, tend is not a noun. Second, if it’s a noun, there has to be are because of tends.

So is it wrong?


texts:
Go through /get through/ Go over
To me, they all seem like 'to overcome something '..
Are they interchangeable?
I read through the post about get through vs go through on this site but I still don't get it..


texts: the use of possessive s with both words before the adjective

texts:
which one is correct? should we use apostrophe s with both nouns preceding?

I want to know teachers' and students' favorite movies?

I want to know teachers and students' favorite movies?


texts: What's the difference between "vanilla" and "plain" when talking about yogurts?

texts:
Merriam Webster explains vanilla (when used as an adjective) as:

  lacking distinction : plain, ordinary, conventional

It's not obvious why vanilla has such a meaning, and why plain is listed as its synonym. As you can find in the grocery store, vanilla yogurt and plain yogurt are two different products:

So I'm wondering what's the exact difference between these two words and how to use vanilla correctly so that the salesperson doesn't hand you the wrong yogurt.


texts:
Question:

The couple who saw her off were probably her parents. (Make it Simple)

My answer:

The couple seeing her off were probably her parents.

My teacher said that my answer is wrong, and the proper answer should be:

The couple, probably her parents, saw her off.

When I asked why my answer is wrong, he said that the word "seeing" isn't used in these cases and whenever there is a single subject, to make it a simple sentence "ing" is used in the start of the sentence.
I understand that I have used "seeing" as the 3rd word in the sentence, rather than at first; but I don't understand why is that an issue?


texts: Can native speaker sense the difference between "social" and "societal"?

texts: Searching their differences. There are many results. I can hardly sense the difference. So I want to know if the common native speaker can sense the difference.


texts:
I didn’t look [at Mrs. Dubose lying on the bed] any more than I had
  to. Jem repened Ivanhoe and began reading. I tried to keep up with
  him, but he read too fast. When Jem came to a word he didn’t know, he
  skipped it, but Mrs. Dubose would catch him and make him spell it
  out.  . . . From time to time she would open her mouth wide
  and I could see her tongue undulate faintly. (Harper Lee, To Kill A
  Mockingbird)

(1) I guess ‘would’s in the example pertain to ‘used to express repeated or habitual action in the past' (dictionary.com). Is this right? (2) If yes, I’m still wondering if ‘would’ be used for the meaning, when a event is repeated in a day at the same place, as the example. (3) If both are right, can I say ‘Mrs. Dubose repeatedly caught him’ instead of the original text?


texts: Is the definite article needed with the word "mainstream"?

texts:
What are their stories trying to fit into [the] mainstream society?

Is the definite article needed or optional?


texts:
The University of Southern California team looked at the behaviour of 65 students over a 10-week term. (An excerpt from the article from BBC)

Is this sentence OK? In the previous post India Prime Minister Vs. Indian Prime Minister Vs. India's Prime Minister the users came to conclusion that the best choice is India's Prime Minister and that India Prime Minister is a little bit ambiguous. I think that sentence from BBC should be as follows: The University of Southern California's  team looked at the behaviour of 65 students over a 10-week term.


texts:
Concerning this question: what would be the the usage of a comma in either of the last two examples. (a comma version and a comma less version).

After 'You can virtually guarantee to get a good tan in June in the Caribbean or on the Mediterranean.' I'd want the comma'd version. [But I haven't checked the weather facts.]

After 'I like to visit Palm Springs/ to be sure rain won't interfere with my golf practice.' I might well use the comma-less version.

I can see a potential comma after Palm Springs but not on the other sentence.

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/322373/is-a-comma-necessary-after-an-introductory-but-a-main-clause-dependent-element


texts: What is the difference between "use of a tool" or "using a tool"?

texts: When writing a procedure and instructing to detach something with only fingers etc. and not a tool, which would be more appropriate expression: "detach without using a tool" or "ddetach without use of a tool"? Is there any difference between these two?


texts: What's the grammar of "there's no stopping her"? What's the difference between "there's nothing to stop her" and "there's no stopping her"?

texts:
source

The sentence is a sample one in a dictionary:

  Jane took the bit between her teeth and now there's no stopping her.

I can figure out the meaning. But what's the structure?

How about "there's no stopping in her"?

I add a related question:

What's the difference between "there's nothing to stop her" and "there's no stopping her"?


texts: Understanding the "come out" phrasal verb

texts:
From the Godfather:

Frank Pentagelli came to the party organized by Michael Corleone from New Yourk and met there Fredo. He said:

  Frank: Fredo, Fredo you son-of-a-bitch you look great.

  Fredo: Frank Pentagelli, I though you was never coming out west, you
  big buml.

My question is about the coming out why did he use exactly the come out? Why didn't just say coming from? What kind of emotiong did Fredo try to emphasize doing that?


texts: is the "were" in the following sentence past simple tense or subjunctive mood

texts:
I encountered this sentence while wasting my time on twitter.

  Literally no one would believe warm words about McCain from Trump were sincere so he’s better off not even making a pretense.

Assuming the above sentence is grammatically correct, I am puzzled by the use "were" and quite frankly is having a hard parsing the whole sentence structure. Is the "were" used here a subjunctive mood of "be", or is it used as the past tense of "be"?

The first half of the sentence seems to me a shortened version of "

  If Trump said something warm..., no one would believe it is (were?)
  sincere.

i.e. second conditional/present and future unreal events. So I guess my real question is do we use subjunctive mood in the dependent clause of a consequence clause?


texts: Why cannot we use the word anywhere like anybody and anything

texts:
Why cannot we use the word anywhere in positive sentences whereas the words anybody and anything work the similar  positive structures.

For example

We can say :

  I can do anything I want.
  Anybody/ anyone can solve this question.

But we cannot say :

  I lost my key. It could be anywhere in the house.( I mean : It could be in the kitchen, in the bedroom or garden)
  I dropped my earring in the plane so literally it could be anywhere in the world.(I mean : Since a plane flies to different countries )

This following definition confused me:

used in negative sentences and in questions instead of somewhere

  I don't have anywhere to stay.

  Do you know anywhere I can buy a second-hand computer?

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/anywhere_1?q=anywhere


texts: usage of about before a range of numbers

texts:
The business serves 10-15 clients per month.
or
The business serves about 10-15 clients per month.

Are the both sentences grammatically correct or the use of about is sensitive?


texts:
He was waiting at a bus stop.

To me, it's the only one that makes sense, but what about "wait on a bus stop" or even "wait in a bus stop"? I've heard "wait on a bus stop" a few times, and I saw it on some websites, but it sounds wrong, and "wait in a bus stop" just sounds completely wrong.


texts:
I wrote this sentence

  As they progressed, their problems were related more to finding the sound-to-letter correspondence. Now they tried (or were trying) a specific set of letters for each phoneme before grasping the spelling pattern.

Is my usage of "Now" for a sentence in past correct?

Could it be a special sentence (imaginary) with specific structure (for example needing would try or "were trying")?


texts:
He had lost a ring in the sand and (a)/ I helped him search for it, (b)/ but it was like a look for a
needle in a haystack. (c)/ No error (d)

In book , it says to remove for in (b)??? But Why??


texts: Asking for something with different prices

texts:
I want to buy a Coke bottle. Now there are different prices of Coke for different amounts. So what will be a natural way to ask for a Coke of a particular price?

  Can I get a Coke priced $1.50.
  [I don't know the actual price, so I'm sorry if this price is off, maybe way too off :D)

Is the use of "priced" natural? What will be a more natural way to express this?


texts: present simple and present perfect continuous

texts:
I would like to know if these examples are correct:

  I go on holiday every year and when I do someone takes care of my cat, so someone takes care of my cat whenever I go on holiday.  (present simple because of habit)

If I want to express that this has been happening for a number of years, is it correct to say the following?

  Someone has been taking care of my cat when I have been on holiday.

Or should I say

  Someone has been taking care of my cat when I go on holiday?

Is it okay to use two different tenses in one sentence, or do I need to use the present perfect tense twice in this case?


texts: What are the common words for 'Horizontal' and 'Vertical'?

texts:
Consider these expressions:

Don't place the suitcase vertically, it will mess up all of the clothes inside. Keep it horizontally on the floor.
I keep the books vertically in my shelf unlike this arrangement.

The words horizontally and vertically sound very technical to me. I use them in physics or maths but I rarely see them in movies or books.
Is this the natural way of describing these arrangements?


texts: Using "at the time": Does it need to be followed by "when"

texts:
I have a sentence that contains the following phrase:

  ... at the time the software is needed ...

Is this grammatically correct? Do I need to phrase it in this way:

  ... at the time when the software is needed ...


texts:
a. It will damage our country's reputation for us to condone such actions.
b. For us to condone such actions will damage our country's reputation.
=======================
c. It will damage our country's reputation that we should condone such actions.
d. That we should condone such actions will damage our country's reputation.
Are the above sentences grammatically correct and meaningful?
They all express the same idea:
If we condone such actions, it will damage our country's reputation.
In one case we have 'for to' and in the other 'that... '.
To me they all look grammatical but somewhat awkward, I am not sure about them... I think the second set is a lot less natural than the first.


texts:
I have a question about the usage of the verb "result".  On the web, I found sentences along the lines of:

  Damage resulted to the car.

But dictionaries say that the verb "result" should be used like the following:

  Damage to the car resulted from carelessness.
  Carelenesss resulted in damage to the car.

Is sentence 1 then poor usage?  What do native speakers think?


texts: I knew we usually say how much weight of, but I am wondering if I can say what is the weight of, as I came across some sentences like what's area of. why do we need collocate what with area rather than how much or there is no rule for this, it just sound natural to you?


texts:
Can we use verbs like 'miss' and 'love' without the pronouns? I've heard people say things like

Miss you

Love you

I don't know why, but this doesn't sound idiomatic or grammatical to me.


texts: Whether the use of the tense is acceptable or not?

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct? I also would like to know whether the use of the tense is acceptable or not.

  The result of the lack of a strong gravitational pull is that it has caused any water the moon may have had to leak out into space.
  The result of the lack of a strong gravitational pull has caused any water the moon may have had to leak out into space.


texts:
In Ricky Gervais Show, Monkey News section, Karl was talking about a monkey which

  ... sat on a bridge and wanted stuff off people to walk over the bridge.

From the context especially with the demanding face of the monkey in the cartoon, I can assume the monkey was asking people to give him things because apparently it was honding an upper hand and people had no choice but to do so, although I seem to fail to back it up in a reliable source.

Considering the fact that Karl is from Manchester, could it be regional English, or am I totally wrong and want off simply mean want from, in that case I'd be happy to know the difference in meaning.


texts: need from 7 to 8 hours to sleep or need to sleep from 7 to 8 hours

texts:
Quesion: ''How many  hours of sleep do we need to sleep a night?''

Possible  answers:

We need from 7 to 8 hours to sleep a night.
We need to sleep from 7 to 8 hours a night.

Which is better? I prefer 2 as I think ''need  to sleep'' is a verb phrase.

Are both grammatical?


texts: Please clarify, what is the difference between "Clan" and "Family"? Migrated from History beta

texts:
I would be grateful if there are any supporters about my question at History.

History recommended and put on hold because the question should be rather asked either at ELU o ELL.

I appreciate any answer in advance.


texts:
Here are the two sentences where I have a doubt.

I had headache.
or
I had a headache.


texts:
Of course, no matter how keenly, how admirably, a story, a piece of music, a picture
  is discussed and analyzed, there will be minds that remain blank and spines that
  remain unkindled.

This is the first sentence of Nabokov's Lecture on Metamorphosis. If I understand it good, the author wants to say that there is not possible to fully analyze the particular work of art. But I am not sure with the highlighted part of the sentence. What does it exactly mean there will be minds that remain blank and spines that remain unkindled? Thank you for your help.


texts:
I ran into these sentences in the dictionary, and I know the meaning of "take one's chances". But I can't put together the whole meaning of the sentences. What do they mean?

"He decided to take his chances in the boat."

"He was taking a chance on a relatively new young actor."


texts:
“Are we supposed to be out here?” I ask, noticing the deep feet prints
  we’re leaving in our wake.

What does “Are we supposed to be out here?” mean?


texts:
It is impossible to live without failing.

It is impossible to live without failure.

Which is proper when there is no following object of gerund? How different?


texts:
Help me please convey the sense correctly. I am not sure that 'unknown city' is correct. I want to describe the city which I am going to visit for the first time. I am not familiar with this city.

unknown city, city unknown to me, unfamiliar city?


texts:
Am I correctly using the verb in both cases?

  There might be situations where the above strategies become
  invalid due to inconsistency of parameters or data issues.

  Inconsistency of parameters or data issues become invalid some of
  the above strategies.


texts: Question about meaning of " to exceed a company returns criteria " in the context below

texts:
"With this transaction, we will substantially strengthen two of our core businesses and create significant new options to increase value for shareholders."GSK said the agreement with Novartis "significantly exceeds GSK's returns criteria" and the transaction "would increase overall GSK revenues by £1.3bn to £26.9bn".Glaxo shareholders will get a £4bn capital return from the deal proceeds, the firm said.
  Source http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27107416

Could you please simplify the highlighted part talking about "returns criteria"?


texts:
For:

  Somebody lost his/her glasses

...sometimes I heard people saying

  Somebody lost their glasses...

with singular-they.

But I've also faced situations where people say:

  somebody lost her glasses

...independently of knowing somebody's gender.

Is this correct?


texts:
In my view, we can use the word "NO" to substitute "NOT" to express a bit stronger negation. For example, "He is no singer." put a bit emphasis on negative, compared with "He is not a singer."

But how about this sentence: He has not come to New York? Can we put "He has no come to New York" in order to make a bit stronger negation? If not, how can we put?

Are there any other ways that can also be suggested?

My bounty is mainly for the question: "I'd like to know if "He has not come to New York whatsoever." would make a bit stronger negation than "He has not come to New York."?"


texts: I have questions about future real conditional and future unreal conditional

texts:
There are a couple of sentences that I usually get mixed up.

  If you try to take pictures of restricted exhibitions, a member of the staff will ask you to put your camera away.
  If you are caught with food or drink inside the museum, you will be asked to dispose of it immediately.
  If a person eats healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, It is more likely that they will be healthy.
  It would be great if you could learn something every time you went to a museum.

I understand
future real conditional and future unreal conditional like followings.

Future real conditional can be used in a situation where something is more likely to happen.

Future unreal conditional can be used when I'd just like to imagine and guess what it would be like if something happened or in a situation where something is impossible to happen.

And important thing is that it seems like I can use either of them in some situation because Future unreal conditional can also be used in imaginary situation.

  If you tried to take pictures of restricted exhibitions, a member of the staff would ask you to put your camera away.
  If you were caught with food or drink inside the museum, you would be asked to dispose of it immediately.
  If a person ate healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, It would be more likely that they would be healthy.
  It will be great if you can learn something every time you go to a museum.

So, can I use both of them in these 3 sentences?


texts: a habit or practice being more powerful than another

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatical?
Ron's patience exceeds his anger.

Ron is a cool-minded man. He is natural to dislike something and may show anger but when anything of such sort happens, he controls his anger because he has got more patience than anger.
My question is about the word 'exceed' here.


texts: Difference between "Add me" and "Add me up"?

texts:
I want people to add me on the social app Snapchat. What should I write in the caption? Should I give my username on Facebook and say "Add me up"?

What's the difference between "Add me" and "Add me up" and which one is the correct one?


texts: What is an idiom or saying for "seeking gain in a way harmful to others"

texts:
In Arabic, we have a phrase that literally translates as:

  To seek gain (make a living/money or profit) on my nape

And we use it when we want to say someon's way of seeking gain is harmful to us as if that person was walking on our nape. For example, when you work for a company and you are caught directing the company's customers to another company that you have links with.

I could imagine that such a phrase does exist with the word "ass". It is close to "mooch off of someone" but it is not quite the same. Another example is when a vendor decides to do business in front of a shop causing disturbance at the shop's entrance. The shop owner may walk up to him and say, I imagine, "are you trying to ... off of my ass?".


texts: I've met the following expression: "placed and received calls". What exactly does "placed calls" mean? Is it a exact synonym for "outgoing calls"?


texts:
As I see that the noun 'motivation' is both -countable and uncountable, I'm confused whether or not I should use an article before it.

For example, which sentence seems correct?

  Hussein has strong motivation.

Or

  Hussein has a strong motivation.


texts:
I have taught English for my friends to help them improve speaking English

  I teach English for my friends to help them improve speaking English

What is the difference ?

My guess is that both sentences indicate that the action is still ongoing now yet they differ in what they stress, the first sentence stresses that the action has begun (in the past) and now is going on and the second sentence stresses that the action is done routinely, it may imply that my job is a teacher.  Is my guess right ?


texts: Likelihood: Possibility/Profit (Context based question)

texts:
Officials were asked to examine the likelihood of providing banking facilities in the area.

My book gave the below options to choose one from:
1. Probability
2. Possibility
3. Profit
4. no improvement

We have to compare the Bold part with the expressions formed by using (1),(2) and (3) and we need to choose an expression which is an improvement upon the bold part.

I am thinking it should be '2' but my book gave '3' as the answer.
Please put your thoughts here. TIA.


texts: What exactly does a pawn activity consist of?

texts:
There's a TV show on the History Channel called Pawn Stars.

According to American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language the pawn's definition is:

  Something given as security for a loan; a pledge or guaranty.

My confusion is that no client on that show pawns their items, they simply sell them for good, so I wonder: since the pawn's dictionary definition can't be wrong are they doing another activity than the one written on their logo?

Does pawn mean that admittedly both activities pawning and buying and selling are allowed in such a store? If so why is it not written on the dictionary?


texts: 'more' vs 'the more' - "I doubt this the more because.."

texts:
[Last Para, J Blackburn's judgment:] The difference is the same as that between buying a horse believed to be sound, and buying one believed to be warranted sound; but I doubt if it was made obvious to the jury, and I doubt this the more because I do not see much evidence to justify a finding for the defendant on this latter ground if the word “old” was not used. There may have been more evidence than is stated in the case; and the demeanour of the witnesses may have strengthened the impression produced by the evidence there was; but it does not seem a very satisfactory verdict if it proceeded on this latter ground. I agree, therefore, in the result that there should be a new trial.

Why not simply more? I guess that it modifies the bolded doubt. Please explain this? Is it an  adverb?


texts:
I think the question that was given to me is just about using an easier way.

  I think the question I was given is just about using an easier way.

My question is: Are there any differences in grammar between the two sentence with passive voice or they are similar to each other?


texts: save for an addendum offered as a tip - what does that mean?

texts:
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/08/15/ferguson-riots-play-big-in-russia/

  Little in the state television reports is left to conjecture, save for an addendum offered as a tip to President Obama: that the Ferguson riots may not just be local, but have already become a national problem.

I can't understand what that means.


texts:
If you lie to yourself right from the beginning you use this pattern, this façade, further on in your process of learning the art.

What does "further on" mean in the above sentence? I guess it means "increase" but I am not sure.


texts: using the verb "to be" with the word "above"

texts:
Are these correct?

  Health is above wealth.
  No one is above the law.
  The old man is above ninety.
  I am above forty.

if it's OK, can you please give me another example?


texts: a problem with Alphabet Phonetic in Longman dictionary

texts: I know vowels have short and long sounds. In the Longman dictionary it has been displayed.  But on this webpage, I don’t know what is the difference between /ɪ/ and /i/ and /i:/ ? (for example in “bit” and “happy” and “which”)


texts: Can a percentage be referred to as a "total"?

texts:
Can I use "total"and "amount to" with % like the following sentence :
The largest category of digital communicators was the group aged 13 to 25 ,Which totaled/amounted to 40% of the total users.


texts:
I read it from a textbook:

  Yes, I suppose the effectiveness of convert advertisements lies in the way our society is wired.

I just found lies in the way here is quite confusing.

Then I searched lies in the way in Netspeak:

I list some results here:

  According to a study published in the PLOS Genetics, it has been unveiled that men's beauty lies in the way they uses their genes rather than the genes they have.

  The compatibility of a couple and the quality of a relationship lies in the way they handle their arguments and differences.

  This is a film with routine plot with not many twists in the story either. But the whole difference lies in the way the director conceives the movie on screen.

My guess:

A lies in the way B can be substituted with A depends on how B:

For example:

  The compatibility of a couple and the quality of a relationship lies in the way they handle their arguments and differences.

=>

The compatibility of a couple and the quality of a relationship depends on how they handle their arguments and differences.

Another example:

  I suppose the effectiveness of convert advertisements lies in the way our society is wired.

=>

I suppose the effectiveness of convert advertisements depends on how our society is wired.

So, my question is:

Is my guess correct?
If my guess is correct, could anyone please to explain why lies in the way merely equals depends on how? And what is the meaning of lies here? if it is not, could anyone please explain the correct meaning to me?


texts: Can we use "little" to mean like "barely" / "didn't + verb + much" / "didn't + verb + a lot" in sentences like "You talked little at the party."?

texts:
Can we say sentences like

  1) "You talked little at the party."

  2) "I practiced little today."

  3) "I ran little in yesterday's practice."

  4) "Yesterday, I waited little for my turn at the doctor's waiting room." etc.

or do we only have to say these below?

  1) "You barely talked at the party.", "You didn't talk much at the party", "You didn't talk a lot at the party."

  2) "I barely practiced today.", "I didn't practice much today.", "I didn't talk a lot today."

  3) "I barely ran in yesterday's practice.", "I didn't run much in yesterday's practice.", "I didn't run a lot in yesterday's practice."

  4)  "Yesterday, I barely waited for my turn at the doctor's waiting room.",  "Yesterday, I didn't wait much for my turn at the doctor's waiting room.",  "Yesterday, I didn't wait a lot for my turn at the doctor's waiting room."


texts: "Off the top of one's head" or "by heart"

texts:
I wonder which expression can be used in my following example?

  Our teacher was a really smart person. At the second session, he know everyone's name ................

off the top of his head
from the knowledge you have in your memory:

What's the capital of Mauritania?---I don't know off the top of my head, but I could go and look it up.

by heart
If you know something such as a poem by heart, you have learned it so well that you can remember it without having to read it.

Mack knew this passage by heart.


texts: Is introducing yourself with "myself" completely wrong English?

texts:
If I am introducing my name to a business client, which of these are correct:

 1. Hello! Myself John.
 2. Hello! My name is John.
 3. Hello! I am John.
 4. Hello! This is John.
 5. Hello! John.


texts: Why is "his" used instead of "him" in this U. Sinclair quote?

texts:
It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it
-- Upton Sinclair

Why "... his not understanding it", and not "... him not understanding it"?
I thought that the meaning was "... when his salary depends about (the man) not understanding (something)"


texts: Is "Streets with poor pavement" generally correct?

texts:
Can we say:

  Streets that have poor pavements

Or

  Streets having poor pavement

Instead?


texts: Question about Past perfect in the following sentence

texts:
I know that Past Perfect is used when we are talking about the situations that had happened before the moment of speaking in the past. But I have doubts about do I need to use Past perfect in the following sentence:

  (My friend came to me and and gave me a magazine) but, to my astonishment (or: I was confused because) I have/had already read that magazine.

What is your opinion about this example sentence? What tense is better to use here? Is Past simple suitable here?


texts: I often have to think before I choose take or make in front of nouns like a step, a decision, a picture, and I am pretty sure this happens because of my mother tongue. Are all these simply idiomatic expressions which we eventually get used to through practice, or is there some kind of guiding rule?


texts:
Can anyone who watched "Jurassic Park" explain me this moment?
Dr. Hammond tells Ellie to push a button which says "push to close" to turn on the power.


texts: What does "her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines" imply?

texts:
It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines.

I don't quite get what the expression "her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines" conveys. Is it angry, strict or something?


texts:
From the movie Exists (2014):

  Usually when you put a GoPro camera inside of this casing, it doesn't focus very well underwater. So I went out and I bought one of these bad boys. That's gonna help me focus underwater because it's got a flat lens. So we're pretty much gonna get some pimp shots underwater today.

I searched online. Couldn't find anything as to what it means. So, maybe you guys can help me fugure out what pimp shots are?


texts: "give my money back" or "give me my money back"

texts:
could you help me understand this?
source : "common mistakes at CAE"
page 9, question 5
"Are these sentences right or wrong? Correct those which are wrong."
4 - "I complained about the service and they agreed to have my money back"
==============
So I thought the answer should be " ... and they agreed to give my money back"
but the answer key says : "... and they agreed to give me my money back"
_
I tried searching on the web, but both appears to be right.
When there's no back , the subject that will receive the money is explicit
so... are both right? should I "always" use the structure "give + subject + object" or ""give + object + 'to' subject" ?
Thanks a lot and sorry any mistakes.


texts:
Link of the source where I found the phrase
"in certain degree", but the only what I found on a dictionary is "to certain degree".

Question:

  What is the difference between "to certain degree" and "in certain degree"?


texts: Is the sentence "Read with an affectionate tone" correct?

texts:
I want to send a text message to someone and after a phrase, I tend to write between parenthesis: "Read with an affectionate tone". for example:

  Your message means so much to me. (Read with an affectionate tone)

Is the sentence in parenthesis correct? Is the an in the sentence necessary?

Thanks


texts:
I am reading an example off a grammar book.

Snow white smiled at the dwarves and me/I.

"Me" or "I" should I choose and in which situation should I use me or I?


texts: What do you call the "leg section" equivalent to "sleeve"?

texts:
sleeve: a part of a piece of clothing that covers all or part of your arm

  a dress with short/long sleeves

  Dan rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands.

Source: Oxford Learner's Dictionary

Now, what do you call "a part of a piece of clothing that covers all or part of your leg"?

Normally, people say “the legs of your pants, shorts” etc.

Is it common to say "put your leg through the left leg of your pants"? but then we have to repeat the word "leg" twice, which is a little cumbersome.


texts: Can "Have to" be used where there is no compulsion, e.g "...let's listen to what he has to say about the issue"

texts:
I have been reading something that gives info about how various faiths answer to a question about the animals. The author makes a research and gives what some faiths say about the issue. And the text has the following sentence:

"Among other religions, mormons have a clear position, declaring that yes of course animals can go to heaven. Here’s what a few other faiths have to say about the issue..............

When I was reading, the use of "have to" has caught my attention. We know that it is a modal and is used like "must". And it requires some outside compulsion or obligation. So far so good.

However, in the above sentence, there seems to be no obligation or compulsion at all. The author simply shares what various faiths say and the faiths say various things just like a person shares his ideas. So there is not any forced or compulsive situaiton here, and no obligation either.

So, why is it "... Here is what other faiths have to say about the issue..." instead of "...Here is what other faiths say about the issue?"

Thanks


texts: Meaning of "crutch 'gin" in Browning's Childe Roland

texts:
From Browning's Childe Roland:

  What else should he be set for, with his staff?
    What, save to waylay with his lies, ensnare
    All travellers who might find him posted there,
  And ask the road? I guess’d what skull-like laugh
  Would break, what crutch ’gin write my epitaph
    For pastime in the dusty thoroughfare

What is the meaning of "crutch 'gin"? I know the meaning of crutch, but what does 'gin mean here? "Going"? "Again"? These do not seem to fit.


texts: an angel of a woman VS. a woman like an angel

texts:
an-angel-of-a-woman >(simplified)> angel of woman: angel came first and woman later; in my point of view, angel is emphasized.

a woman like an angel >(simplified)> woman like angel: woman came first and angel later; in my point of view, woman is emphasized.

Q: Is there any prefrence and/or difference of the two example phrases? Or, any other customary usage practice for native English speakers or any rhetorical effect of difference for readers or in terms of writers' strategies?


texts: What type of writing errors is sentence?

texts:
What type of writing errors is sentence 7 ?
Saving both time and money.
I think I should ommit both , I'm not sure.
(1) There are two main advantages of internet use in education. (2) Firstly, it is seen as cheap and more inexpensive both for the institution and the students, in that once a course is prepared, it can be used by large numbers of students. (3) The savings made by not having to employ so many teachers should be reflected in cheaper course fees. (4) The second benefit is convenience; instead of having to attend classes at fixed times and places, students are free to study when they choose and progress at their own pace. (5) Furthermore, by studying from home there is no need to travel to the college or university, saving both time and money. (6) A student living in a small town in China, for example, can now study a course at an Australian college without the worry of travelling, accommodation or homesickness. (7) Saving both time and money. (8) Thus, e-learning can be cheaper and more convenient than classroom learning.


texts: Complete: Last year I spent a month in France, I __ dreamt of going there since I was a child

texts: What's the correct tense for the space is it present perfect or past perfct and if both were used what would be their meanings? thanks


texts:
I saw this sentence on the internet:

  Leader in the IT industry for the past decade, John Smith brings insight to the fast-changing landscape.

Is this correct?

Are the following two variations also acceptable:

  A leader of the IT industry for the past decade,...
  As a leader of the IT industry for the past decade,...


texts: Past simple + present perfect: is it possible?

texts:
Can you ask this question in English?
Did your mother have your lunch done yesterday?

Thanks


texts: Is it ok to use 'you' for a person older than me?

texts:
I have a question about talking to an older person.

In my home language, I can use a special word for 'you' for a person older then me. There are other ways also. Aunty and uncle or lady and sir. Instead of saying "How are you?" I would say "How is Mom?" or instead of saying "What are you doing?" I would say "What is Aunty doing?"

I don't know the right way in English. Is 'you' for everyone? It makes me feel very rude to use 'you' to an older person. Are there other ways? Can I say Aunty? I don't know the right way of being polite to older people.


texts:
My queen and king were along the same line. Which is how I lost my queen, the most powerful piece in the game.
  My queen and king were on the same line. Which is how I lost my queen, the most powerful piece in the game.

Do both the sentences mean the same thing?


texts:
The rule states that:

  Use (A) the first time you mention something, and (The) the second time you mention the same thing.

Kindly, consider the following example: (source: English for Starters 9)

  ((I'm going to tell you about a city called Tripoli, in the north of Lebanon. It is a city with lots of beautiful old houses.))

According to the rule, we should say:

  ((It is the city with lots of beautiful old houses))

because it is the second time we mention the word (city).
Why did we use (a) instead of (the) in this situation?


texts: What are the appropriate IELTS speaking drills to spontaneously come up with ideas about unfamiliar subjects?

texts:
I decided to prepare for IELTS exam. I've been practicing for 1 to 2 hours a day on weekdays and 4 hours a day on weekends but I still hardly notice any significant improvements. I've been doing this for 2 weeks now. This frustrating result makes me think that maybe I need more appropriate drills to improve on my weaknesses. Just like in swimming, you don't get any significant improvements by practice alone; you have to pinpoint your weakness and come up with a specific drill to address it.

In my frustration, I tried to record myself when answering a question that is normally asked in IELTS speaking test but this time, using my native language. The result? The same disappointing talk. I could hardly make a good list of things to discuss about the subject and I too often spend more time thinking and remembering than speaking. My fluency, even in my own language, was really poor just because of the fact that I can't provide a good amount of ideas about the topic. My problem is, I don't have much opinions on too many things. Let alone coming up with precise and descriptive adjectives.

Given my current situation, what's the best way to deal with my weakness?


texts: Meaning of the word "overtime" in context

texts:
It is from this video. It is at around 6 minute. Here is the context:

  This happens because when blood and other fluids block your circulation the heart is forced in overtime.

The word overtime has a few meanings according to The Oxford Dictionary, and it seems to me none fits.


texts: Reported speech of (three years ago/ next week)

texts:
In this link you will see that this ELL book does not change the words of time

  I joined the company three years ago

The reported speech version is:

  He said that he had joined the company three years ago

I checked Swan's PEU section 274.4 and didn't find any comments about whether it is optional or necessary to change these words. I understand that it is optional to backshift if the situation is still true. But once you opt to backshift I believe you should change the time words too and not just the verbs. Am I correct?

And on another page of the same book mentioned above, they didn't change the future words either.

  We can deliver next week

Reported version:

  He said (that) they could deliver next week

Is there a rule one could use?


texts: Chaz'(s) office. Should I add "s" or leave it out?

texts:
I entered Chaz'(s) office.
Question:
Should I add the "s" or leave it out? What is correct?


texts: Where or when to join the modifying clause?

texts:
Source :in the minddle paragraph

      I had the pleasure of running into John Paulson this past week where I got to introduce myself in passing.

This past week is a time ,not a place.

When is a time-relative pronoun that joins a modifying clause.
Where is a location-relative pronoun that joins a modifying clause.
For example:
The day when the concert takes place is Sunday.
The site where the concert will take place is Golden Gate Park.

Maybe the sentence :

      I had the pleasure of running into John Paulson this past week when I got to introduce myself in passing.

It is a typo in the article ?


texts:
Sometimes I'm struggling with articles and I wanna give some examples if they are true or not to understand clearly.

  It's a really good place.

or

  It's really good place

For example, I used a here, but I'm talking about the place that I know. However, when I use the or nothing, it looks wrong. What should I do for this case?

It was just a simple question. I know the basics about articles, but sometimes it might be confusing for foreigners. I really don't wanna make a mistake when I use an article. Can you give me a tip for how should I understand when it's necessary to use articles?


texts: "the end of term" VS "the end of the term"

texts:
As the end of term approached, Harry heard many different theories about what had really happened, but none of them came close to the truth.

I'm wondering if we can add 'the' in the phrase: the end of the term. We know what the term we are talking about, so it seems reasonable to add 'the' in my view. Also, one dictionary I've looked up suggests that "the end of term" is BrE and "the end of the term" is AmE. Is that true?


texts:
As far as I know, we say: "It was early spring." (the words "late", "early" are not the reason for using the indefinite article there).

But here is another example: "Get ready for an early spring!", with the article.

So my question is whether the article depends on a syntactic function of these words. In the first case, the word is a part of the predicate, in the second one it is a descriptive attribituve.

Thanks.


texts:
Which phrase is more common in AmE:

  What do you do to kill time?

  What do you do to pass the time?

Are both of them equally  common?


texts: Can "trustable" be used in IELTS Academic writing?

texts:
There was a question about trustable and it was mentioned that it started to be used more often only recently. Thus, I am a bit worried about its usage in IELTS Academic writing.

Like an example from Cambridge Dictionary:

  a trustable source

The question: Can I use trustable in IELTS Academic writing?


texts:
I wonder about the difference between the use of sentiment and its plural, sentiments. I was reading a site that used sentiment where I would have used sentiments. In the title part, it says:

Text Analytics
An AI service that uncovers insights such as sentiment,
entities, and key phrases in unstructured text

Why does it use sentiment instead of sentiments?
Below it also uses sentiment:

Powerful sentiment analysis
Examine what customers are saying about
your brand, and detect sentiment around specific topics.


texts:
What's the idiomatic way of saying this?

Example:

"The compression algorithm used on that video makes it look like it's
in 640p."
"The compression algorithm used on that video makes it look like it's 640p."
"The compression algorithm used on that video makes
it look like it's at 640p."

640p refers to the pixel count width wise.

What's the most grammatical, idiomatic way of saying this?


texts: Difference between be interviewing for a job vs being interviewed for a job

texts:
Here is the situation:
I have been doing a part-time English course for some months to improve my English but, I am not sure, somehow I can feel that our English teacher is not good enough. She does not speak English but has been hired to teach us English.
She has given some job interview tips to us, because the course is getting near the end. But I will not be looking for a new job even after this English course because some of you have already known that I am an assistant of ABC cake shop.

In the job interview tips briefing, she said, "If you are interviewing for a teaching job, you should be wearing a nice panty and dress."

Here is the question because of the given situation:

It was very confusing on hearing "If you are interviewing for a teaching job...", and even for the moment I am still confused about it , because we are interviewees, not any interviewers.

Please, can you tell me if the following sentences are correct, or her sentence was incorrect?
(1), "If you are going for an interview for a teaching job..."
(2), "If you are being interviewed for a teaching job..."


texts: using different prepositions in relation to a same period of time mentioned in different clauses

texts:
If I have already used preposition "during" in relation to one period of time in the first clause, can I use "in" in relation to a same period of time in the second clause?

For example,

She was quiet and even shy during the first semester, but became noticeably more active in the second one.

Or does it sound awkward and I better stick to "during" in both clauses?