texts:
A: How computers affect our everyday life?

  B: In a positive way, certainly. They help with so many things,
  starting from writing and printing your own essay and ending with developing advanced programs and digital editing...

  "Overall, there are seven stages in the process, beginning with
  the digging up of clay and culminating in delivery."
  (Source)

Do marked phrases modify the whole main clause or just the nouns before them, "so many thing" and "seven stages" ?

For example can I rewrite them as in:

  They help with so many things, which start from writing and
  printing your own essay and end with developing advanced
  programs and digital editing...

  Overall, there are seven stages in the process, which begin with
  the digging up of clay and culminate in delivery.


texts: "I want to buy a house near the beach" - differences between this sentence in Korean and English

texts:
When you want to say "I want to buy a house near the beach." to Korean, you can say just "I want to buy a house beach."

Well, this is grammatically wrong sentence in English, but I don't understand why English users say like that.

And in Korean, we can omit subject in sentence. The words like "near"
"In" can be left out too, and I think this differences are come from different cultures. Is there anybody to explain about this? I want to listen any opinions, or guess about these cultural differences. It disturbs me to learn English...


texts: Can all "declarative sentences be transformed into Yes/No questions as well as wh-questions"?

texts:
I think all declarative sentences can be transformed into Yes/No questions as well as wh-questions (look at the following examples).

I can't think of any exceptions, can you?

Examples:

  It is a bag.

  Is it a bag?

  What is it?

  The book is in the bag.

  Is the book in the bag?

  Where is the book?


texts: (Plural) + "are" + (noun) – is this usage correct?

texts:
I read the following sentence:

  Mistakes are proof that you are trying.

It is correct to use "are" followed by a noun?

Why didn't the author say "mistakes proof" instead of "mistakes are proof?"


texts: How to express "smth has been leaking and is almost empty" in a shorter way?

texts:
Here is a situation:

A bottle has been leaking water so it is almost empty.

How can I express the situation without using the second part of the sentence (without "so it is almost empty")? What is the shorter sentence for it? I know "to eat up smth" means to eat everything, "to take smb captive" means to force smb to be captive. Do you say "to leak up" or "to leak empty" to express the mentioned situation? I need something idiomatic.


texts: Word for extending the period of allowed submission in economic context

texts:
There's a law that each financial institution must report the holdings to the government every month. Consequently, the period commences on December 1st and closes on December 31st (for the current month, that is).

On occasion (which apparently is frequently), some institutions screw up and don't deliver on time (it's only our money and federal law, right?) so we had to introduce a possibility extend the period and allow the buggers to submit the data a bit later.

What should such a period be called. Extra bonus if the term is technical and not commonly known.

Naturally, extended came up but it's not correct because technically speaking we can't extend jack. The law is the law. I need an adjective that corresponds to the dead-line being later than originally expected.

Another term would be respited but that creates an aura of not needing to do any work during the extra time.


texts: May I know which are those contexts in which state verbs are used in progressive forms?

texts:
I heard the following news a while ago.

59 percent of the voters are wanting Mr Modi to be the next PM of the nation. What is the justification for the usage "wanting"?


texts:
For examples:

Tom is rambling in his speech
Tom is babbling in his speech

Do both of them mean the same thing if I use them in a sense to mean that someone is talking for a while in a very rapid and disconnected way.
In dictionaries I found babble and rumble hugely similar. Are there any subtle difference that native speakers may take note?

Babble
1talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish,
excited, or incomprehensible way:
Ramble
2talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way:


texts:
I'm an non-immigrant came to US for my research purpose. I am not a native English speaker. I have never taken English that much seriously, may be because I had no problem in speaking English and understanding others who speak in English to me.

I can comprehend, express myself and pronounce English good enough. But what I struggle at is with grammar.

I have seem most of Americans don't mind about English grammar, unless that makes no sense. And for most of the time people don't follow grammar despite english being their first language.  But for me it's a big deal. I'm into academics and sooner or later a major part of my work will involve writing academic papers.

My question is, is there any natural way to learn English? I know that if I keep reading grammar books, then I will only improve my knowledge in English, but not actively use them when I actually take with others, or have to be consciously be aware of the concepts while writing/communicating with other. Is there any other technique or routine that I can put into practice so that I not only learn English but also start applying them naturally. To rephrase myself, I want to built my grammar intuition quickly.


texts: Why does this sentence use a present perfect tense?

texts:
With China's development, there has been an exponential surge of
  students studying abroad.

What is the difference with a using of past tense or Simple present tense?


texts: 'check up on' vs 'check on', is there a difference?

texts:
Entries for these phrasal verbs are almost identical in different dictionaries. Is there a difference in meaning or no? Is there a nuance that users should be mindful of?

Check on sb/sth: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/check-on-sb-sth?q=check%2Bon%2Bsb%252Fsth

check up on sb/sth:https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/check-up-on


texts:
How to pronounce "two boys' families"?

"two boyses family" or
"two boys families"?


texts:
Where did you get this book?

I got it from the store right across the mall.

Or

I got it at the store right across the mall.

In contexts like this, are from and at interchangeable? Do both the sentence get the same meaning across?


texts: Thank you for your interest / question / inquiry

texts:
My friend that I didn't saw for some time sent me a message and asked me "Hello friend, How are you?". What's the most appropriate / acceptable or natural way to answer him if I want to thank him about that he remembered me?

  Hello, I'm fine, thank you very much for your interest.

  Hello, I'm fine, thank you very much for your question.

  Hello, I'm fine, thank you very much for your inquiry.

Which of the three verbs (or maybe additional ones that you know) is the correct in this context?


texts: What is the difference between the World's end and the End of the world?

texts: I am really asking about possessives in general. Do [the World's end] and [the End of the world] have the same meaning. When should you use one over the other? In a related question, why do you use [car of Adam's] instead of [car of Adam] to mean [Adam's car]?


texts:
I am going to ask about singular or plural.

I think the following sentence is correct: It might be a burden for me to ~~~.

However, when I use two or more 'to ~~~', which do I have to use between it or they?

It might be a burden for me to make out presentation material and to give presentation twice a week.
They might be burdens for me to make out presentation material and to give presentation twice a week.


texts: How to understand "sat by the hour" in this sentence?

texts:
They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork -- bread, English muffins, marshmallows -- and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.

I'm not sure what exact "sat by the hour" means in this sentence. As I know, "by the hour" means per hour or once a hour. But I have a hard time to understand "sat by the hour" in this context. Is it the time they sat there is counted by the hour or they would sit there for a while every hour?

-- excerpted from Harry Potter.


texts: Does the following passage sound formal enough?

texts:
I'm organising a yoga retreat and longing to write a nice shiny overview of the program.
Does the following sound stylistically appropriate to your ears?
Tetyana is educated in South India and practised Hatha yoga with one of the leading teachers, Pranam Yoga Joseph (Sivavanda system and BKS lyengar). She has 7 years of yoga practice. Also, Tetyana has a medical degree.


texts: Do all native English speakers actually pronounce the "th" sound?

texts: One of the things that were very unnatural for me while learning English was the "th" sound. Do all native English speakers actually pronounce it this way or does it vary between accents (Canadian, US, Australian, UK islands)? Does it actually stand out if I pronunce it as "f"?


texts: (Higher/upper/above) and (below/under/lower) the sea level

texts:
Which construction is more correct when in comes to comparing the height of a specific place to the sea level?

  This place is 100 feet above the sea level.
  This place is 100 feet higher than the sea level.
  This place is 100 feet upper than the sea level.

and

  This place is 100 feet below the sea level.
  This place is 100 feet lower than the sea level.
  This place is 100 feet under the sea level.

Which pair words do you normally use in such a context?


texts:
Some people try making money, or even credit (as in respect, poor word maybe), upon often a bad situation (natural disasters come to mind), I feel there is a word for it, for them to _ on the situation.

Edit, I think the word I'm looking for is related to the word capitalism


texts:
Sentence A: There are two dogs biting in the street.

Sentence B: There are two dogs fighting in the street.

Which sentence better expresses the intended meaning when I refer to two dogs engaged in an angry fight?


texts: Is THESE is who I am or THIS is who I am

texts: I talked about my personality and likes and dislikes and story. At the end should I write it as THIS or THESE is who I am??


texts: being vs. having been (vs. having been being)

texts:
Which of the following sentences is/are grammatically correct?
Of the correct ones: what is the difference in meaning?
Are there other (more correct or more precise) ways to express the same meaning?

Being 19 weeks outside the womb my baby has learned to grab things.
Having been 19 weeks outside the womb my baby has learned to grab things.
Having been being 19 weeks outside the womb my baby has learned to grab things.

The answers to What is the difference between "being" and "having been" in this context? don't help me because:

The sentences in the linked question do not include a period of time and mentioning periods of time changes the tense usage.
The sentences in the linked question imply causal relationship whereas my sentences imply temporal relationship.


texts: Where to have parts of my thesis checked for correct English?

texts:
I am now writing up my doctoral thesis. It is in theoretical physics so not very challenging as for language but still I would like to have corrected some parts like dedication, acknowledgement and the introduction by a native speaker. (Especially the dedication part needs some hints, as I wanted to be very original in it so I have to be sure that it sounds as I wanted it to sound:-) I know there are sites (though I forgot what) where people help each other on a reciprocal basis. Recommendations?

Note: I am not sure what tags this question should have, feel free to add some.


texts: I don't get up too late to get to school on time. - is it correct?

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

I don't get up too late to get to school on time.

Can I use too ... to in negatives?


texts:
Donald Trump's (in)famous quote "Grab 'em by the pussy".

As an English learner, I'm confused, why not "pussies".

"Them" is plural, so their pussies should be plural too.


texts: A word for a reshaping/change/rebalancing in value/priority?

texts:
You could say this happened to a temptation as it got closer in time.

  Tying yourself to a mast is a solution for the ? in the appearance of a temptation as it gets more immediate.

  There is a set of ratios in how much we want things, but as things change, these ratios change or a ? happens to these things. Their seeming values reorganize.


texts: Sentence: “I had got one over on the man.”

texts:
I came across this sentence: “ I had got one over on the man.”
Does it mean that somehow ... he won the first round in a battle?
Can it be a nice way to put it sometimes? Good colloquial English?


texts: How to correctly wish birthday in terms of age number?

texts:
Suppose I was born in May 12, 1999.

So first doubt is: Is May 12, 1999 will be called my first birthday?

Further doubt related to it is:

On May 12, 2020, you'll be 21 years old. So shall I wish the person as

"Happy 21st birthday"

OR

"Happy 22nd birthday (because 1st birthday was (was it?) on May 12, 1999. Including that May 12 came 22 times)"

OR

PS: Same doubt remains if I replace the word birthday with anniversary in above 2 options.


texts:
Which phrase is correct?

  This is the Brown family

vs

  This is the Browns family

(where Brown is a surname)

Or both variants are correct when we are talking about the whole family? This question has arosen because in some student's books I saw one variant, in other ones - another variant.

Thank you in advance for your answers and explanations.


texts: What does "reintegrate into the labour market" mean?

texts:
A: XYZ helps unemployed individuals prepare for, find, and maintain suitable employment.

  B: XYZ offers programs and services that help unemployed workers reintegrate into the labour market and maintain suitable employment.

Question: Is "reintegrate into the labour market" equivalent to "prepare for [employment], find [employment]"? Do they convey the same idea?

If not, then "maintain suitable employment" in B does not make sense as "maintain" needs to come after one "finds" a job.

Definitions from google and collins-

Reintegrate: restore to a position as a part fitting easily into a larger whole

Labour Market: the market in which employers look and compete for workers and in which workers look and compete for employment


texts: "Penny and I have dinner reservations that night." Why does he use "reservations" rather than "a reservation"?

texts:
In the big bang theory, Leonard says:

  Penny and I have dinner reservations that night.

Why does he use "reservations"? Should he say:

  Penny and I have a dinner reservation that night.


texts: I’ve read the sentence “After I’ll have finished eating my lunch by 2 p.m, I’ll go to the supermarket” and I’m confused because the rules say we should always use a present tense in a time clause but “I’ll have finished” is a future tense.


texts:
"The digital age has given today's libraries new means of storing and retrieving information on media other than printed pages."

I looked up the word "other than" on Cambrigde Dictionary. But I still do not understand how to use this word. I feel it means "in addition to", but the dictionary says that it means "except for".

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/other?q=other+than

How should I understand this word correctly?

Many thanks!


texts: “twice the height of” is it a noun or an adjective?

texts:
[A] Which is correct?

  Tower A is twice the height of tower B.
  Tower A has twice the height of tower B.

Is the phrase "the height of" used as a noun (height) or as an adjective (high)?

[B] Which is correct?

  Russia is twice the amount of military personnel of Ukraine.
  Russia has twice the amount of military personnel of Ukraine.


texts:
In the sentence I've found in the dictionary while exploring the meaning of the word matter:

  To make matters worse, our car broke down.

Couldn't you explain the meaning of it. I'm particular interested in the To make matters worse phrase. I presume it means that we were not being good and the things become even worse when our car broke down.


texts: How to understand "on which to be" in this context

texts:
He lay in a bright mist, though it was not like mist he had ever experienced before. His surroundings were not hidden by cloudy vapour; rather the cloudy vapour had not yet formed into surroundings. The floor on which he lay seemed to be white, neither warm nor cold, but simply there, a flat, blank something on which to be.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

How should we understand "on which to be" here? I just can't figure it out.


texts: (Noun) + for (Noun) vs. (Noun) + to (Verb)

texts:
In the following sentences,

  a. We propose XXX, a novel framework to detect system failures..

  b. We propose XXX, a novel framework for the system failure detection...

I usually use the first form (a), using to (Verb) to modify a noun such as framework as in the example, but suddenly I was curious whether the subject of the to-verb (detect in the example) is really framework as what I intended. The second form (b) is what I can think of as an alternative form, but I am not sure which of these two forms is better than another.


texts: My intention is (to finish/to have finished) my studies by June

texts:
My intention is to finish my studies by June.
My intention is to have finished my studies by June.

Is it correct to say 1 or 2? If both are correct, are there any differences between them?


texts: Is the particle "to" part of the modal "verb need" or the lexical verb "clean" in this sentence?

texts:
I'm not sure if I should analyze the modal verb need with the particle to or without it in this sentence:
We need to clean our room.


texts:
What does the phrase "a staff restaurant" mean? I found it in the Oxford Dictionary here.

  staff

  [countable, usually singular, uncountable] all the workers employed in an organization considered as a group

  medical staff
  (British English) teaching staff
  (British English) We have 20 part-time members of staff.
  (North American English) staff members
  staff development/training
  a staff restaurant/meeting


texts: "Take the material from January" vs. "Take the material from November"

texts:
So let's say we are currently in June, and I am considering using materials that has been allocated to future needs. I understand that if we were to take something leftover from the past, we would use "take the materials from January," but if we want to take something from the future, can we still use "from."

"Take/use the materials from November."

Thanks in advance!


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

texts:
Please help me to understand the meaning of "guilty" in this context:

"He turns around and spots me.
Byron.
Once I would have done anything for Byron.
‘Skye! Skye Turner – it’s you, isn’t it?’
‘Guilty,’ I say, then instantly regret it.
Byron engulfs me in his strong arms."

Excerpt from "My mother's silence" by Lauren Westwood
Suppose, her answer does not mean that she is literally guilty for returning to the place she left many years ago?


texts: What is an amateur soccer game between friends called in English? ('Pelada' in Portuguese)

texts: In Portuguese, we have an expression: "Peladeiro de fim de semana". It's like "weekend soccer player" or "an amateur soccer game that happens between friends", for this expressions we also say "Pelada" in Portuguese which is a very informal term. It's translate literally to "naked" in Portuguese. Of course I think "naked soccer player" shouldn't have the same meaning in English. But is there an informal expression to say "an amateur soccer game that happens between friends" in English?


texts:
This is taken from a composition of a TOEFL student.

I am wondering whether "at the age about" is correct usage or "at the age of about" is just more idiomatic. I would be grateful for any comments.

Google Books Ngram Search


texts:
I came across this sentence in the novel "The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle" written by Huge Lofting:

  All of a sudden the Doctor looked up sharply at me, a wonderful smile of delighted understanding spreading over his face.

I couldn't the structure of this clause "a wonderful smile of delighted understanding spreading over his face." Where is a verb?

Could you teach me the structure of this  clause?


texts:
Does the word 'afternoon' need a preposition before, in the following context?

He reads books afternoon, usually.

Or it should be with 'in the':

He reads books in the afternoon, usually.


texts: Do native speakers use prepositions correctly all the time?

texts:
I know, it's very weird questions. but just out of curiosity. I just want to know if they use prepositions correctly all the time.
as It is very hard for me to remember which prepositions to use, sometimes more than one prepositions come to my mind at the same time, and I don't understand which one to chose.
if you have got any tips for me which may help, please share them with me.


texts: Why not use 'took' but use 'takes' in the sentence of 'Big Ben takes its name from Sir Benjamin'?

texts:
The sentence:

  Big Ben takes its name from Sir Benjamin Hall who was responsible for the making of the clock when the new Houses of Parliament were being built.

In the sentence above, why not use 'took', but use 'takes'? And we know that Big Ben was taken its name from Sir Benjamin Hall in the past.


texts: What is the easiest way to remember where to use "could" and "would" while talking to someone?

texts: Whenever I speak it gets confusing for me where to use "would" and "could". I want some easy tips on how to use it. I mean overall how to use this model verbs for the  past sentences and for the future sentences. And is there any certain genres of books I can read to improve my English speaking vocabulary?


texts: How to understand: "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around"?

texts:
Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"

This paragraph is excerpted from Harry Potter. I don't quite understand the sentence in bold. I figure it means: The owls are nothing compared to the rumors that are flying around or The owls (thing) are not important at all compared with the rumors flying around. But I am really not sure about it!

So, how should we understand the sentence?


texts: As I understand, tl;dr stands for too long didn't read. However I came across this post, in which the op said tl;dr at the beginning. What does that mean? Exactly what did the op not read?


texts:
Consider the following sentence I got from github tutorial.

  If you’ve made a change that you feel would benefit the community as a whole, you should definitely consider contributing back.

The part that I cannot classify their grammatical position:

  you’ve made a change that you feel would benefit the community

My atttempt

you have made a change
the change that I feel
the change that would benefit the community

It looks like there are two subordinate clauses here. It is grammatical?

Edit

I don't 100% understand the available answer actually.

I am trying to create another sentence with the same pattern as follows.

He discovered a small island.
The island that we live.
The island that is located in South-East Asia.

So combining all of them becomes

  He discovered a small island that we live (is) located in South-East Asia.

Is (is) probably optional?


texts:
I think technically it's a fruit although they strongly resemble a vegetable:

What do you call these?
Personally, I know them as ‘paprika’.
Others say these are ‘bell peppers’, and only when ground into spice it's called paprika.
Besides grinding them into spice, you can also make soup of it or sauce. Or put slices of this on a pizza. I would call that paprika soup, or paprika sauce, or paprika slices.
Is this perhaps a difference between British vs American vs 'international' English?
P.S. regarding the fruit vs vegetable issue: not really related to the question here but I think from a botanical point of view it's a fruit, and from a culinary point of view it's a vegetable.


texts:
It will be marked that I substitute time terms for spatial ones. In
  fact, I would have the reader see “nine” and “fourteen” as the
  boundaries – the mirror beaches and rosy rocks – of an enchanted
  island haunted by those nymphets of mine and surrounded by a vast,
  misty sea. Between those age limits, are all girl-children mymphets?
  Of course not. Otherwise, we who are in the know, we lone voyagers, we
  nympholepts, would have long gone insane. Neither are good looks any
  criterion; and vulgarity, or at least what a given community terms
  so, does not necessarily impair certain mysterious characteristics,
  the fey grace, the elusive, shifty, soul-shattering, insidious charm
  that separates the nymphet from such coevals of hers as are
  incomparably more dependent on the spatial world of synchronous
  phenomena than on that intangible island of entranced time where
  Lolita plays with her likes. (Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov)

I know adverb neither is followed by verb and its subject. But there are two nouns after verb: good looks and any criterion. Why is that, and what does this sentnece mean?


texts: Should objective complement be Infinitive or Gerund

texts:
Somewhere in a book,I saw this line - "I saw him go" which I find stilted because I feel notion for line "I saw him going".

On little dwelling,I found that this is case of incomplete predication and an infinite "go" is used as objective complement.

I don't found anywhere mentioned that a gerund can be used as objective complement(instead I only found that gerund can be used as subjective complement).This confused me whether "I saw him going" is correct line or not.

Tell whether line with gerund is correct or not.If yes,which of the two lines is preferable in different situations and why?


texts: draw an analogy / a parallel between A and B

texts:
Are the phrases "draw an analogy between A and B" and "draw a parallel between A and B" synonymous?
Consider the following:

  He drew an analogy / a parallel between London and New York.

Some dictionaries seem to suggest "parallel" refers to a single point of similarity, while "analogy" is more comprehensive. I am not sure that distinction is valid.


texts:
Page 1 of 2 of http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/than-i-versus-than-me:

However, a thorn in the side of conjunctionists is the phrase than whom; both sides of the debate agree than who just sounds wrong and recommend than whom in all cases, as in the question "You were faster than whom?"
..."Since avoiding ambiguity awards a point to the conjunctionists"

Google Ngram displays the predominance of than whom until around 1980, when the trend reversed.

How and why does "than who just sounds wrong"? "Since ... conjunctionvists", I prefer than who.

Has than who become (cogently and validly) dignified and usable? Why or why not?


texts: Why did the author choose past continuous

texts:
What made us really believe we could start a band was seeing the flatmates when they started.

I don't understand very well the reason for the past continuous "was seeing" in this sentence. I don't think in this case it means the action was in progress; I think it means that the author saw  the flatmates playing many times during and after  the flatmates started. Am I right?


texts: Using many participle phrases in a one sentence

texts:
I am not sure we can combine sentences by using many participle phrases in one sentence.

  I was sitting on the bridge.

  The bridge was built over the river.

  The river flowed rapidly.

  I watch the children.

  The children were happily playing in the first snow of the season.

I tried to combine those sentences like these.

  Sitting on the bridge built over the rapidly-flowed-river, I watched the children happily playing in the first snow of the season.

  Sitting on the bridge built over the rapidly-flowed-river, I watched the children who were happily playing in the first snow of the season.

  I was sitting on the bridge that was built over the rapidly-flowed-river to watch the children happily playing in the first snow of the season.

Are these sentences combined correctly?

And for the rapidly-flowed-river, is it correct and necessary to put hyphens?


texts: Is ‘I moved position of something’ valid?

texts: Instead of saying ‘I changed position of something’, can I say ‘I moved position of something’? I know both are unnatural, but I want to know of its validity.


texts: Is there a rule to explain why (in most dictionaries) words such as half-brother or half-sister are hyphenated while stepbrother or stepsister are not?


texts: "Having a holiday" vs "Spending a holiday"

texts:
In my book I found a sentence:

  I was having a holiday by seaside last summer when I ran into captain Robinson.

I think there are two errors in this sentence. The first one is that there should be spending instead of having, and the second one is there should be the seaside.
Correct me if I am wrong?
I am not sure about if having is incorrect here.


texts:
Is "lemonade" countable or uncountable? Could I say the following sentence?

  Could you please bring me a lemonade?

Or must I say "a glass of lemonade" ?


texts:
What is the head of the noun phrase "none of the members"?
I'm not sure if none or members is the head of the noun phrase.


texts:
In the following quote:

  "...Up to 400 housing units annually for ten years, with any unused units carried over each year?"

Am I correct in understanding the "carry over" as:

If for a year there are 100 units unused, then the year after that there will still be up to 400 new housing units being made available in addition to the 100 from the year before.


texts:
What's the correct preposition that connects the word "expectations" with the object of expectations?

Should it be "on", "of", "for" here or what?

  Jenny has become more active and engaged this semester; however, my
  expectations on her to become more fluent did not justify themselves.


texts:
My father was a businessman. Now he is retired.

Is this correct or should I always say:

  My father used to be a businessman and he is retired now.


texts:
so-so, adjective  : neither very good nor very bad : middling a so-so
  performance

I heard some non-native speakers used the word so-so, but I have never seen it's used by a native English speaker. Do natives really use it in practice?

I am also wondering what word(s) native speakers would use to express neither very good nor very bad, something not very attractive, but not that bad and that kind of idea. The one I can think of used by natives is: okay. E.g. The book is ok.

Any thoughts?


texts: Is the word "people" omitted in this passage?

texts:
“A basis is thus provided for explaining the unique indifference of this literature to certain cultural aims implicit in the aesthetic rendering of experience—to ideas generally, to theories of value, to the wit of the speculative and problematical, and to that new-fashioned sense of irony which at once expresses and modulates the conflicts in modern belief.”
  --Modern Criticism by Walter Sutton, Richard Foster.

Is the word people omitted in the bolded section?

Here's my paraphrase (including people):

"... to ideas generally, to valuable theories, to the wit of the speculative and problematical people, and to that new type of sense of irony which both expresses and adjusts the conflicts surrounding our modern belief?"


texts:
When/What is the expiration date?

I've always said "when" but I'm not really sure which one is correct. Are both of them correct?

Which one is correct and why?


texts:
I'm reading an wikipedia article:

  (...) was sentenced to five years' probation and one year in the House of Correction (...)

Why five years' has an apostrophe? What does that sentence mean?


texts:
Someone recorded a happy birthday message on a video.. I want to show his video to a public, which would be correct?

Happy Birthday message from FirstName LastName

Happy Birthday message by FirstName LastName


texts:
I don't understand well about the rules of Subject and Verb Agreement with Plural Proper Nouns.  I found these sentences from the internet.

The West Indies is a large group of islands that separate the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.
The Rocky Mountains are notable for containing the highest peaks in central North America.

When can I use singular or plural verb with Plural Proper Nouns?Could you explain it to me? Thank you very much!
Plus, Plural last names,like the Johnsons and the Smiths and so on,have to take singular or plaral verbs? Can you provide some examples?


texts: The word of "where" starts a clause that is not place-related

texts:
Robot Visions

Genetic engineering has been used imaginatively to restore wildlife
where related species existed in zoos or as pets. Pollution is a thing
of the past.

Why did here use "where" rather than "which"?


texts:
Is it correct, from a grammatical point of view, to say "a cats' love"?
Can it be translated as "a love between cats"?
Thanks in advance


texts:
In my opinion we should always have some type of greeting in every email. Whether it be "Hello (Name)" or "Good Afternoon (Name)" or simply "Dear (Name)", it is always nice to start your email off with a greeting.

I am not very clear about when to use which kind of greeting in an email, however.

Can anybody please clear up when to use 'dear' or 'Hi/Hello' greetings in emails?


texts: Help parse double negative: "I doubt X would hardly ever Y"

texts:
I just ran across the following sentence:

  I doubt ordinary civilians would hardly ever die from gunshots.

And in context and from a quick skim-reading I'd guess it's trying to say, "Ordinary citizens will rarely die from gunshots" but upon re-reading I'm not certain that the sentence actually means that.

I suspect this is because I translate "hardly ever" to "rarely" which then suggests that the "doubt" refers to the rarity, indicating that they believe deaths wouldn't be rare.

Ignoring the author's actual intent, what does this sentence say?


texts: How can I improve and speak English fluently?

texts: English is not my first language and I am very bad in English. But I want to learn English so I could speak in English. It's my dream to learn English. But I do not have money to attend English classes. Could you guys please guide me to how can I speak English fluently?


texts: People will feel boring/bored ... which is appropriate?

texts:
people will feel boring if advertisements give information only.
people will feel bored if advertisements give information only.

Please tell me if I should choose bored or boring.


texts:
There was this error spotting question in my homework

"My mother as well as her friends always go out together at the weekend."

The answer is the verb "go", which should be changed to "goes", according to verb agreement.
However, I think the sentence's meaning indicates that "my mother" and "her friends" are of equal importance, because they would, as a whole, go together. So, "and" should be used instead.
Do I get it right?


texts: Past participles having usage as Present tense words

texts:
The word Found, apart from being the past tense of Find, has another meaning as follows(verb): Establish or originate (an institution or organization) as in "Foundation of a building" or "Founder of a company".

Similarly, Thought, independent form the word Think, also means (noun): Product or outcome of mental activity as in "Thought for the day".

Though, these are Past participles of a verb, they are also used in the time frame of Present tense.

Is there any grammatical rule behind this concept of using Past participle words in present tenses? Are there any other such words?

(Edit) P.S.: I am not sure as to what aspect of 'Grammaticality' is involved in such usage and hence, am not able to make myself clear enough, I suppose.


texts:
From The Guardian:

  Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson play the Mountbattens in Gurinder Chadha cheekily Downtonised but watchable version of history

What does Downtonised mean?  Google Web Search gives a few other contexts, such as this one, also from the Guardian:

  While the US TV view of the UK is all Downtonised nostalgia, British telly is obsessed with documenting the extremities of America.

And from the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting:

  It was almost as though the trial had never been won, and we’d been served a sanitised, Downtonised version instead.

I can't find a meaning in the usual sources.  What does it mean?


texts:
Mary knows about his being Superman.
Is that sentence right?
Sorry, I've overlooked a certain context.
Okay, in order to prevent this sentence from being vague, Please see the above sentence again.
Plus, the context is like this.

Mary knows he is Superman.

But now I want to paraphrase that sentence in a different way like using "know about" and using Gerunds.


texts:
The purpose of data collection is to give valuable information to/on a future
  pivot or persevere decision.

Is it to or on? Are both OK? Is there a difference in meaning?


texts:
Can a comma always replace a colon? I am not sure, but I think I've heard you can replace a colon (:) with a comma (,) without significantly changing the meaning in any way, the comma is a more general punctuation so the meaning becomes a little more blurred. Is that the case in every case?

For example:

  You had two choices: yes or no.

  You had two choices, yes or no.


texts: How to pronounce words that end in consonant clusters like '-nds' or '-ths'?

texts: I want to know how to pronounce words that end in consonant clusters such as '-nds' (e.g. sounds), '-th' (e.g. fifth, sixth), and 'ths' (e.g. clothes).


texts: He may not/ need not wake up early because it is Sunday

texts:
He may not/need not wake up early because it is Sunday.

How can we decide that only one is the right answer that's why I put this sentence?


texts: Is there a pejorative word to say "things relating to latin"?

texts: In French, the word "latineries" relates to the latin language in a pejorative way. Is there an English equivalent to this word?


texts:
Which one would be correct:

  If they were to do it, he would not agree.
  If they had done it, he would not agree.


texts:
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1122940.shtml

  The police report has been read over 100,000 times as of press
  time. Most netizens said they appreciate the police's work and urged
  that Zheng be severely punished.

In Oxford or Cambridge Dictionaries, "as of" only has one meaning,

  starting from a particular time or date

But in an English to Chinese dictionary, there is another meaning,

截至 "when the statistics time stopped" (by my bad translation.)

And this meaning fits the context ("as of press time") very well.

How do you think about this?


texts: A better alternative to "Play game (not) counting points"

texts: Imagine the situation, we play a game like ping-pong or badminton or something like this. At the start, we play not counting points (for training e.g.), then one of us proposes: "Let's start counting points". But this phrase sounds awkward to me, what would one say instead? Also is there words for "playing game not counting points"?


texts:
My earliest memory is being shown around my house
My earliest memory is of being shown around my house.

Is there any difference between these?
UPDATED:
And, what is your opinion about this rephrasing?
My earliest memory of being shown around my house is.
I am really confused when to use of?


texts:
I am trying to find an adjective describing "very slow". Can I know what are the possible candidates or, better, the best word for it?

To further clarify my question, I am not looking for an adjective to describe something that one think might be slow but, instead, in a more objective way.  For example, given an object A you describe its speed is "slow", and you know that the speed of object B is slower than that of object A, then what is the best word you use to describe the speed of B?

The ideal answer would be the case that: once one said A is slow, B is xxx (where xxx is answer), then we will have no doubt that B is slower than A.

Another example, when someone said A is warm and B is hot, then we know that B is warmer than A.  I am looking for a word for slow in this case.

Bonus question: if there is also an object C that is slower than B, what word would you use to describe C given C is faster than "not moving".  Or, what is the longest sequence of adjectives that we can describe things with different degrees of slowness?


texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences? Do they mean the same?

an alternate method of payment
an alternative method of payment


texts: narrate while highlighting or including the horrible/frightening/immoral parts

texts:
There's this non-fiction book Désirée and I'm writing a review on it. I'd like to make a sentence which means I like the book because it narrates the history of France and addresses horrible things that happened back then. In my native language I can use a word which the literal translation would read challenge to make a sentence with that sort of meaning.

  I found the book fascinating because it challenges French history.

Does challenge a good choice of word? If not, how can I rewrite my sentence?

Edit

The book probably wasn't the first to bring up the details and things behind the scene, so the truth was there already for anyone to look up but the popular books don't include them most often. They majorly deal with the results like Napoleon conquered that army. As a result, the public don't normally know about the details which are often shocking and horrible. Now suddenly a book takes off and put all things together and present them. That's the concept that I'm looking for a word for.


texts:
Is there a word or phrase for changing from being transparent (or colorless, or maybe white) to a solid color? "Getting colored" somehow doesn't feel right. Or maybe something with "tint"? I don't know.

The context in which I'm wondering would be something like this:

  The status bar of this window gradually [...] as you scroll down.


texts: They are going to rate/ or evaluate our working performance. Is there a difference?

texts: Is there a difference between the words evaluate and rate? For example, does a boss evaluate or rate one's work?


texts:
I woke up around ten, I made cup of coffee, and took it into THE
  bedroom

Is using 'the' correct in this sentence?


texts:
I listened. I could hear something. - implies that I was able to hear something.

I listened. I could have heard something. - means that I am not sure whether I heard something or not. But it's more likely that I did.

Is my understanding of these two examples correct?

Also consider these:

I could have heard something from their talk, but I'm not sure if that's true.

and

I could hear something from their talk, but I'm not sure if that's true.

Do they still bear the same meaning?
1. I am not certain if I heard something, and I'm not certain if that's true.

2. I certainly heard something, but I'm not sure if that's true.


texts: Does "kitty hoax" have a meaning in English?

texts:
While talking with a group of people about the early days of aviation and especially about the Wright brothers, in the context of the small May 1904 article and a presentation video you can see below, somebody, likely trying to make a joke said "maybe kitty hoax", implying that the Wrights falsely pretended four successful flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, just to prepare the terrain for getting funds from the US, British and French governments for developing their nonfunctional airplane.

The Wilmington Messenger, Wilmington, North Carolina, May 26, 1904,
col. 1, p. 6, AND The Daily Free Press, Kinston, North Carolina, May
27, 1904, col. 6, p. 1. (Source: newspapers.com)
“Elizabeth City Economist: A gentleman visiting this city whose home is in Kitty Hawk,
is responsible for the assertion that the Wright brothers, of airship
fame, will return to Kitty Hawk in the near future and resume work on
their aerial monster. According to this gentleman the airship has
never been removed from Kitty Hawk and nearly all the interviews
published in the papers of Norfolk have been erroneous in this
respect. This gentleman has assisted the Wrights in all their work and
has a general supervision of their property during their absence. He
says that they have not completed the ship and that they will return
some time within the next month and resume their work. A story is
current that they will complete the ship and make the trip from here
to St. Louis sometime this fall.”

Video about the doubtful 160+ flights of the Wright brothers performed during the interval 1903-1905.
Does "kitty hoax" really mean something in English?


texts: Does the idiom «to cross the pond» exist?

texts:
Recently I had a conversation with a native speaker. During it he has mentioned some movie reference. I guess he was not sure whether I have got it so he has also sent me a link to that movie supplying it with a phrase:

in case the reference does not cross the pond

Is this phrase something that really exists?


texts: "Is it happy to bring others what you consider as happiness?"

texts:
Is it happy to bring others what you consider as happiness?

I'm particularly confused by "bring others".
My best guess was:
Convincing others in what you believe is happiness.


texts: A verb for "high standard of living" or " high quality of life"

texts:
I would like to write a sentence similar as follows but after a Google search, I noticed using the verb to reach could make the sentence sound unnatural. So which verbs can I use instead of the verb to reach?

  It took centuries to reach to high standard of living we have today.

  It took centuries to reach to high (level) quality of life we have
  today.


texts: "Camels" means "Cigars with the brand (Camel)"?

texts:
In a story I ran into these:

  Mr. Martin bought the pack of Camels.

and

  He transferred the Camels from his overcoat to a jacket pocket.

and

  Mrs. Barrows smoked only Luckies.

I think the brands of the cigars are Camel and Lucky. Then what is that S at the their ends for?


texts:
The question is so basic that I'm not even sure how to express the nature of my problem. Still, it confounded me to the point I just had to ask it here.
Is there any grammar issue in any of the following sentences? Or are they all considered correct and idiomatic English?

I'm here for just a month.

I'm staying here for a month.

I will stay here for a month.

I am going to stay here for a month.

I will be staying here for a month.

I'm asking mainly because I've found an opinion on another language forum, stating that both 1. and 3. sound awkward - yet I can't understand why.


texts:
The following sentence will go into a technical article and I wanted to know how to write the following sentence in a better form:

  Results are shown when the region localization constraint is enforced and  when it is taken off.

I believe this does not read well. There are two "when"s and they spoil the sentence.


texts: Does rewriting a sentence to remove "is of" reverse its meaning?

texts:
this post gives a nice explanation about "is of"

  A preposition phrase headed by of is a common way of attributing a quality to a noun, either as a modifier or as a predicate

and gives this example

  This approach is of value. = This approach ‘possesses’ value, “it is valuable”.

follow this pattern

I am trying to understand this sentence

  Acoustic absorption is of particular interest in soundproofing.

and got this

Acoustic absorption possesses particular interest in soundproofing.

which seems to be in a opposite order.

It is more reasonable to say soundproofing possesses interest in acoustic absorption.

what am I missing?


texts: Does "He might have done it" mean "It is possible that he did it" or "It was possible that he did it"?

texts:
When we say "He might have done it", there are in my mind two possibilities:

we guess (a present guess) that he did it but we are not so sure of it.
we knew he did not do it but we want to say he had a chance to do it but he didn't do.

My question is that

Does "He might have done it" mean "It is possible that he did it" if it falls into the 1st case?

and does "He might have done it" mean "It was possible that he did it"  if it falls into the 2nd case?

or in both cases it means "It is possible that he did it"?


texts: What do you call these disco lightbulbs that shoot a lot of light in various directions? Is there a specific word for it? I doubt that it's just called a disco light.


texts: What do you call a person who keeps hold on documents/paperwork?

texts: I am working on my research assignment and it needs me to list down my group mate's jobs on the paper.


texts: Is "the president's campaign" an equivalent of "the presidential election campaign"?

texts: I mean, on most occasions, does "the president's campaign" mean a "presidential election process"?


texts: what to do when you forget something that you intended to say?

texts:
I was thinking to myself, how an English native speaker might act when goes blank about something that was about to say?

Take this conversation as an example:

  Eric: Did you notice what happened when you came to the class?

  Tim: Nah, I have no idea.

  Eric: uh...er... it just slipped my mind... er ...[here's the action, when he's trying to remember but nothing comes up]

Obviously it's a hypothetical situation, but I want to know what kind of actions might be taken by Eric and what additional things he might say when he keeps trying to remember but he still doesn't?


texts: Should I say "I'm coming home 'at' / 'in' the next hour"?

texts:
What is more native?

  I'm coming to the home at the next hour

or

  I'm coming to the home in the next hour


texts:
I want to replace: I am interested in this bachelor because it is aligned with my targets by
I am interested in this bachelor because it aligns to my targets. However, I am not sure if by doing so the meaning of the first sentence remains.


texts: Verb form for 3 time-points successive actions

texts:
Take a look at the sentence:

  I has understood subject only after had watched this video. I had  been thinking what it is something different.

So there is 3 successive time-points: think → watch → understand (all before "now")

What time I should use?

How does meaning changes for

Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect and twice Past Perfect
twice Present Perfect and Past Perfect
something different


texts: looking for an alternative verb: computing the ratio of A and B

texts:
Maybe this is the native German speaker in me, but I am looking for an alternative verb to use, when I want to write:

We compute the ratio of A and B.

I am not happy with the verbs to compute/to calculate since they imply using concrete numbers, whereas, at this stage I am doing symbolic math. After writing down the ratio of A and B, the ratio will by simplified, but no numerical values will be computed.

I am writing a report, and in the theory section I want to describe how I derived a ratio X from the initial ratio of A and B.

In German, I would say A und B ins Verhältnis setzen, which carries a more general meaning than mere math. Thus, I am looking for a verb, that carries a similar, general meaning.


texts: What's the role of 'that' in noun clauses?

texts:
I was thinking of a noun clause in which the relative pronoun 'that' can be the subject of the clause. I couldn't think of one. I found this website in which a lot of examples are made when a 'that clause' is a noun clause.

What I don't understand is the function of 'that' in aforementioned that-clauses! For example the relative pronoun 'who' in

  'I know who did it'

is the subject and in

  'I know who you should meet'

is the object. What's the function of 'that', let's say, in

  'I know that he's a fraud'

If it's the subject of the clause, then what is 'he'?

Another example would be

  That he's a fraud scares me!


texts:
This question always confused me and finally I decided to know which one is correct and wrong!

Can we use "for" and "to" interchangeably?

for example:

  He always goes to the confectionery to buy some cake

And

  He always goes to the confectionery for buying some cake


texts:
I admire their polish -- their youth is already so accomplished that
  it seems absurd to speak of promise -- I marvel at the felicity of
  their style; but with all their copiousness (their vocabulary suggests
  that they fingered Roget's Thesaurus in their cradles) they say
  nothing to me: to my mind they know too much and feel too obviously; I
  cannot stomach the heartiness with which they slap me on the back or
  the emotion with which they hurl themselves on my bosom; their passion
  seems to me a little anaemic and their dreams a trifle dull.

  From W. Somerset Maugham: The Moon and Sixpence

  The excerpt can be read at
  http://www.literaturepage.com/read.php?titleid=moonandsixpence&abspage=8&bookmark=1

How can I interpret “anaemic” here?

When the writer says he cannot stomach the heartiness, it means the heartiness is too much/strong for him.  The he goes on to say that their passion seems to be anaemic. “Anaemic” would mean “weak”. This seems to be contradictory.

  Anaemic:

  2 written seeming weak and uninteresting

  https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/anaemic


texts:
Source: the Cambridge Grammar of the English language.

I saw this term "hollow clause" in a grammar book, but the grammar book doesn't explain thoroughly about it. It does say:

  Most non-finite clauses have no overt subject, but the interpretation of the clause requires that an understood subject be retrieved from the linguistic or non-linguistic context. There are also non-finite clauses in which a non-subject NP is missing:

  John is easy [to please____] (where the missing object of please is understood as John)
  This idea is worth [giving some thought to____] (where the complement of the preposition to is understood as this idea).

  Clauses of this kind we call hollow clauses.

Is it acceptable to write these sentences in this way?

John is easy to please himself.
These ideas worth giving to which some thought.


texts:
Is it wrong to omit "the" in my sentence because the adjective is followed by a noun?

This is the smartest student in my class.


texts: Would you mind if I "opened/open" the window

texts:
Which one of the followings is correct?

  Would you mind if I opened the window?

or

  Would you mind if I open the window?

Ps:
like 2 if condition
If I were you / If I was you (both is okay but usually used to "were")
so it is the same condition or not?


texts:
Which sentence is correct:

If she hadn’t been so bad-tempered, I could have married her.

If she wasn't so bad-tempered, I could have married her.

In my textbook #1 is the sentence has been written, but I think there is nothing wrong with #2 as well.


texts: How to ask in another way: "How many bones is in the skull"

texts:
I want to ask this question in another way. Something like

  "From How many bones is the skull made of"

or

  "how many bones is the skull consist of"

It's important to me that it will be the way that English native speaker used to ask these questions. (I'm not English native speaker as you can understand, and that why I can not to express myself and ask help)


texts: Can you reply "you too" to wishes such as "Good luck"?

texts:
Suppose someone is saying to you:

  I wish you Merry Christmas!

or

  Good luck!

Is it meaningful to reply "You too"?
Or should you respond "Same to you"?


texts: What verb can be used to describe the process of landform?

texts:
The word I cannot recall has a meaning of landform, but I am not sure whether landform can be used as a verb, probably not I suppose?
And what's more, perhaps the word ends with -ise?
The only context I can recall is something like "the river is changing the terrain," but I don't remember what the word was, can someone help?


texts: A noun describing an activity that one is really good at

texts:
What noun in English would be idiomatic to refer to an opportunity to participate in an activity that one is very good at and in which he normally can show his skills.
I am especially after a noun that would follow smoothly right after the word "real". Like here:

His conversational skills are not great and his passive vocabulary is
rather limited. This, however, somehow doesn't stop him from
participating in our small in-class discussions. And his real _______
is skits. That's when he does his best and shows off all his talent to
the whole class.


texts:
When speaking about studying is it proper to say in simple present like

I study science in the university. or in simple present continuous as
I am studying science in the university.


texts: Why are commas instead of periods used in this sentence from the Economist?

texts:
When reading The Economist, I came across this sentence below in bold. According to grammar, we know a sentence must end up with a full stop, instead of a comma. But in this case, "Mr Trump is the president" and "47% of Americans trust him more than they trust the media" both are sentences, why?

  IT WAS almost as if Donald Trump was taunting his Republican
  colleagues. After tweeting an explosive and wholly unsubstantiated
  claim against Barack Obama on March 4th—“How low has President Obama
  gone to tapp [sic] my phones…Bad (or sick) guy!”— the president said
  it was up to Congress to investigate the matter. “Neither the White
  House nor the president will comment further,” primly declared his
  spokesman, Sean Spicer, “until such oversight is conducted.”

  Some sort of follow-up is necessary. Mr Trump is the president, 47% of
  Americans trust him more than they trust the media (according to a
  Quinnipiac poll), and his charge against Mr Obama was grave. If it
  were shown that his administration illegally snooped on Mr Trump, Mr
  Obama’s legacy would be disgraced.

(Source: Donald Trump’s habit of making accusations without evidence is corrosive)


texts: Indirect speech of Imperative and Interrogative sentence

texts:
1 Direct speech: He said to me,"will you please help me?
Answer 1: He requested me to help him.
Answer 2: He asked me if I would help him.
Which one is correct?
I am confused if we consider first one correct than if we reconvert indirect into direct than it can be : He said to me,"please help me."
if we consider 2 answer is correct than its direct speech can be:He said to me,"will you help me?
2 The boy said to me, “Will you lend me your books?” (Sense of request)
Answer 1: The boy asked/requested me to lend him my book.
Answer 2: The boy asked me if I would lend him my book.
I have same problem in this too. In these sentences they are both interrogative and imperative. So when we convert them into indirect speech which rule should we follow one that is for interrogative or one that is for imperative direct speech?


texts:
What is the difference between these sentences?

He is supposed to become a president.
He is supposed to have become a president.
He was supposed to become a president.
He was supposed to have become a president.


texts:
I came across the following sentence on the BBC new.

  China's headline annual economic growth numbers are important to the
  rest of the world - but so too are other monthly economic data as they
  can provide a more in-depth look at the economy and where it's
  heading.

I am wondering what 'but so too' means. Does that mean monthly economic data is more important than annual economic growth numbers?


texts: Why do we say "seen Jim?" and omit "have you"?

texts:
In some sentences we don't use some words. For example, instead of.

  Do you want a ride?

we say

  Want a ride?

Instead of

  I'm just coming, hang on!

we say

  just coming, hang on!

Instead of.

  Have you seen Jim?

we say

  Seen Jim?

Is there any rule for who we can make them short?


texts: Word that could use for " reaching to the point where one is referring quickly"

texts:
I am looking for a word which could give the meaning of

  "reaching to the point where one is referring quickly"

like if some one saying something with an intention which is not know if we go by their words, like they are referring some hidden/indirect meaning


texts:
Yet a great many processes depending on such research are sought for with complete secrecy until the stage at which patents can be taken out. (J.D. Bernal "Secrecy in Industry," in L.G. Alexander, New Concept English, Book 4; emphasis mine)

How is the phrase "a great many processes" grammatical? Shouldn't one use the indefinite article "a" only before a singular noun (while here it is the plural "processes")?


texts: Better version of "the best thing I ever did in 2018 is I came to USA"

texts:
What can I do to the following sentence, which one I should choose, and can I delete the I in the sentence?

  the best thing I ever did/done in 2018 was/is (I) came to USA


texts: What is the difference between, for example, 'twice' and 'twice over'. "Used to say how many times the same thing happens" — it's how Longman defines it. I see no difference with simply 'twice'.


texts: When to place "already" at the end of a sentence?

texts:
Examples:

  Mary nodded. Actually, she had already found that something .

  Mary nodded. Actually, she had found that something already.

What's the difference between the two? When to place already before the verb and when to place it at the end of the sentence?


texts: "went back" To extend in time in past tense

texts:
Please check the sentences below:

  I found a post on that site that its date went back to 1999.

or I should rather say:

  I found a post on that site that was dated for 1999.

Which one is correct?


texts:
Is it correct to say:

  I have both tea or coffee.

And does it differ from:

  I have both tea and coffee.


texts:
What does "as parentheses" mean in this context? Does it mean "as something added to..."?

  Rituals and ceremonies are expressive occasions. As parentheses in an ordinary workday, they enclose and define special forms of symbolic behavior. What occurs on the surface is not nearly as important as the deeper meaning communicated below ground. With little time for anything not related to the task of building the machine, the Eagle Group intuitively understood the importance of symbolic activity. From the beginning, leadership encouraged ritual and ceremony.

  Source:
  Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership
  by Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal


texts: Why do we not use a preposition like "on" in "I met him last Friday"?

texts:
In the following sentence:

  I meet him on Friday.

we use preposition 'on' before 'Friday', but in the following sentence:

  I met him last Friday.

we don't use preposition before "last Friday". The word 'Friday' is normally noun but when we add 'last' in front of it, does it become adverb?


texts: Why compound modifiers are not usually hyphenated when they come after the noun?

texts:
A lot of grammar references suggest that you hyphenate compound modifiers if they come before the noun but not after the noun. Here's an example:

  The apartment is off campus.

VS

  That is an off-campus apartment.

One of the references that I saw, https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/are-you-using-hyphens-correctly, states this:

  Ages are like every other compound modifier that way: you hyphenate them before the noun but not after the noun.

So it says that compound modifiers are not hyphenated when they come after the noun.

I have also read many other English references that say that. Why is it the case? Aside from it is good and it is recommended, is there a technical reason or it is a matter of style?

Thanks!


texts: Combing sentences with "though" and reasoning with "this is due to"

texts:
I wrote the following sentences, and I am wondering about the words used to join the fragments together.

  Though 2D shape of a signal post is circular, the minimum rectangle is
  adopted in lieu of the minimum bounding circle at this instant. This
  is mainly due to the fine searching  is taken place at a later stage.

Here, I am using though to join two sentence parts which are related. I am also using some other phrases e.g. in lieu of, and I am bit confused whether my sentence is still grammatically correct.
If I think about the flow of these two sentences, the second on should come after the first one has happened. I am trying to express this with the phrase “this is mainly due to”, but I feel if I used “this is because of the fine …”, it would make more sense.


texts: incomplete visit - Have you gone to the store yet?

texts:
When studying about the present perfect tense, I learned we use "gone to" instead of "been to" if the visit is not complete.

But today I saw the sentence below in Grammar in Use intermediate.

  Have you gone to the store yet?

I do not understand how 'you' and 'gone' can be used together. Have 'you' returned from the store here?

Can you tell me what this sentence means?


texts:
I came across this question in my exercise book:

  Initial fears about the compatibility of the program with personal
  computers have ——— been resolved and the manufacturers have begun
  production.

(A) soon

(B) since

The correct answer is (B) since. I know have soon been sounds weird but I can't really tell why it is incorrect. Is it because soon implies a specific time in the past so the simple past tense should be used?


texts: In American English, is it okay to pronounce the /v/ sound as the /f/ sound at the end of a word?

texts:
I've notice that when I speak, it is really hard to pronounce the /v/ at the end of a word when it is followed by another consonant, so I really want to know how native speakers pronounce it.
For example: have got, have had, have gone, etc.


texts: Is the clause "it's past doubt" archaic?

texts:
From another version of this book I know the clause in boldface can be reworded as "It's certain". I searched the phase "past doubt" in Google but few related results were returned. So I wonder if this usage is a very old-fashioned.

In a word, however useful medicine well administered may be to us who live in a state of society, it is still past doubt, that if, on the one hand, the sick savage destitute of help, has nothing to hope from nature, on the other, he has nothing to fear but from his disease; a circumstance, which often renders his situation preferable to ours.
-- from Rousseau's “Discourse on Inequality”


texts:
There is no job I cannot do.

We are taught to avoid double negatives, and most of them sound really weird:

  That won't do you no good.
  She never goes with nobody.

The example above these, however, sounds fine to me. So, is it a real double negative? Are all double negatives grammatically incorrect?


texts:
Usage of:

  Scandal-ridden companies, disease-ridden countries, etc.

Vs.

  Debt-laden banks, cynism-laden mindset

In terms of -laden and -ridden context, both have the same meaning, which is ''full of'' something. However, I can't choose which is more appropriate to use accordingly. Are there patterns in how to use them?


texts: Your child's shorts are sagging. Do you say "Your shorts are coming out. Fix them!" or "Your shorts are coming off. Fix them!"?

texts:
We say "You put the shorts on" & "You take the shorts off"?

I am not sure if we can replace "put" & "take" with other verbs such as "slide", "come", etc.

For example, Your child's shorts are sagging.

Do you say "Your shorts are coming off. Fix them!"?

I am not sure if it is idiomatic to say "Your shorts are coming out" or "Your shorts are coming off"?


texts: "that I can't talk my way out of" - what does it mean?

texts:
There really isn't any situation that I can't talk my way out of.

what's that part mean: "I can't talk my way out of." Is it an idiom?


texts:
I asked my professor at the university to write a letter of reference for a job application. I am currently working in her lab as a research assistant, and she gladly did that. When I read her letter I cried tears of joy, so my question does the following sentence makes sense?

  This letter made me cry tears of joy and appreciation because of your kind words.

Q2: Is it appropriate to express your emotion in a professional setting?

Note: I am trying to convey the sense that her letter touched my heart, well written, and I will always be thankful.


texts: sequence of tenses in subordinate sentences

texts:
The UK could flourish once the shackles of EU membership were released.

or

  The UK could flourish once the shackles of EU membership had been released.


texts: How do you say when you need to put money on your travel card?

texts:
Like MetroCard in New York, they provide travel card which you can pay fairs through a prepaid card. But after some uses, the money inside the card decreases and you need to put more money into it. Let's say you want to put 20 dollars more in it. How do you ask that requirement to a staff working in the subway? I may use sentences such as I'd like to recharge 20 dollars, I want to top up my card 20 dollars, I want to reload my card 20 dollars.

What expression do you use usually in everyday life?


texts: "He was much delighted to receive the news"

texts: Is it correct to use "much" with "delighted"? It sounds alright to me, just want to confirm.


texts:
Example, should one say "awareness on depression" or awareness of depression"?

I'm confused because I found both usages.

Example:

  We'll also be hosting an event raising awareness on depression and
  substance abuse

Source.

  Public health measures have included campaigns to raise awareness of
  depression both in the general public and in healthcare providers.

Source.

Are both phrases valid? Or they mean different things?

My own sentence:

  Despite their efforts, awareness on/of depression didn't increase at
  all in  their area.


texts: Which tense matches the phrase "throughout the time"?

texts:
Which tense matches the phrase "throughout the time":

  Throughout the time, I have been working.

  I have worked throughout the time.

  I worked throughout the time.

Which one is correct?


texts: Is it natural to ask someone "how did you make it?" meaning how was their trip somewhere?

texts:
Is it natural to ask someone how did you make it*?*  meaning how was their trip somewhere? For example:

We have been waiting you. Anyway How did you make it home?

If it's good, what would the most natural response?


texts: Is there any difference in the meanings of "Check out this place!" and "Check this place out!"?

texts:
Check out this place!
  Check this place out!

Are the two sentences above both correct? and if so, do they have the exact same meaning?


texts:
Here's a description of each column in the dataset:

  Year -- The year the data in the row is for

What does "for" mean? Acually,"the year the date" hard to understand too.
I guess it means "the data in the row shows as the Year is stand for the year.
Any explanation is helpful,thinks.


texts:
I wrote this sentence

  In our approach, we rely mainly on the web page's content rather than its structure, in order to /so to provide more maintainable and robust wrappers.

To get result from a long sentence (bold sentence), what are the common constructions (patterns) and words? I used "in order to", could I use "so, to"? I guess the order is also important, and I'd better to place the last sentence in the front. right?!


texts:
Are these two phrases both the same meaning? I would say "a dead soul" or "a soul that has died", how can I understand "a soul that dies"?

More context here: this was found in a song lyrics.

  I wonder is there hope for us
  A place where we can all be free
  I wonder is there life inside a soul that dies?
  I wonder is there hope for us
  To lift me up I don't know when
  I'll see the sun again
  I'd like to feel alive
  Just one more time


texts: Confused about When to Use “these” and “those”

texts:
Example #1

  This site contains links to books that I read. I recommend
  these/those books.

NOTE: The links are on this site, but not on this page. The links are external links.

Should I use these or those? Why?

Example #2

  This page contains links to books that I read. I recommend
  these/those books.

NOTE: The links are on this page, but you might have to scroll down a little to find them. The links are external links.

Should I use these or those? Why?

Example #3

  I read “Book Name + Link”, “Book Name + Link”, and “Book Name + Link”.
  I recommend these/those books.

NOTE: The links are external links.

Should I use these or those? Why?


texts: Can I substitute "disgrace" for "black sheep" here?

texts:
Suppose in a very respectable and reputable family, there is a narcotic addicted young boy who is not acceptable by his family. Family are embarrassed to appear in public and social areas (like ceremonies and so on) just because of having such a child. They have attempted to make him quit, but all their efforts have been futile. Once the family daughter who's been driven mad at her brothers behaviors and is asked about her brother (e.g. by a close friend), wants to say "He is the black sheep of my family."

We all know the meaning, but I would be really thankful if one could tell me if I can replace black sheep with the word disgrace in this particular sense in the manner that I could convey exactly the same message?


texts:
"X's Y stage" vs "X's stage of Y." Is the meaning equivalent?

Example:

  Some romantic gestures only happen during a relationship's honeymoon
  stage.

  Some romantic gestures only happen during a relationship's stage of
  honeymoon.

(The reason I'm asking this is because I want to have Y at the end of the sentence.


texts: How to refer to chained issues e.g. a problem caused by a problem caused by a problem

texts:
In french, we often refer to Un problème à tiroirs or literally An issue with drawers any problem that is caused by another unsolved issue which in turn is caused by another issue until to a certain recursion depth.

How can I refer to such problem in English? I seriously doubt that dawer issue is the correct idiom.


texts: Doesn't 'regulate' and 'laissez-faire' mean the opposite?

texts:
The ability of the news media to deliver on the electoral forum, public sphere, and watchdog functions varies considerably across societies and media systems. Two key factors affect media performance : regulatory policy and market forces. Regulatory policy comes from the applicable regulatory framework. In the United States, the agency charged with regulating the media (the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC) has taken an increasingly laissez-faire approach, arguing that free-market competition is sufficient to ensure the delivery of diverse perspectives on public affairs issues. Most other advanced industrialized democracies, on the other hand-while also moving in the direction of deregulation-have maintained much tighter control over media programming, with the aim of ensuring the delivery of necessary public goods.

  Media Politics (Shanto Iyengar)

the agency was charged with regulating the media, but in the following sentence, it's said it has taken an increasingly laissez-faire approach. How is that possible? I mean, according to the dictionary, laissez-faire means 'No government interference with business or personal life', which then means the agency supported 'free access' or 'not regulating anything', but it was charged with regulating the media. I don't get it.. Can anyone help me with this?


texts:
The build-up to this game was played out in the context of who would top the group.

  Source: BBC World Cup News

What the phrasal verb play out here mean? I have referred to dictionaries, but I can't find a matched or suitable meaning in this sentence. Most of explanation of this phrasal verb is playing something to the very end or finishing something.


texts: How to express "a(n) option/solution/way when there's no option/solution/way"?

texts:
Chinese "不是 办法 的 办法" or "没有 办法 的 办法" (they're totally interchangeable) are commonly used oxymoron. How to express this meaning properly even rhetorically in English?
不是= not, be not
没有= not have, without, there's no
办法= solution, way, method
的: a grammatical item, indicating the part before is adjective/attribute
不是办法的办法 literally = a(n) option/solution/way that is not a(n) option/solution/way
没有办法的办法 literally = a(n) option/solution/way when there's no option/solution/way
Both display helpless.
Note: Both imply the inadequate 办法 works (at least appears to work or is hoped to work) in one way or another.
An example sentence: "Using Chinese to ask questions on StackExchange is 没有办法的办法. If possible, I would like not use a single Chinese character."
1 "of sorts" is not strong enough.
2 "the best of a bad brunch" says there're a few options (albeit these options are not good). "没有办法的办法" means you probably have no alternative at all.
3 "have no/little choice but ..." has this meaning.
I can say "I have no choice but to use Chinese in my English questions".
However, I can't say "Using Chinese in my English questions is but no choice".


texts: Can "Am I the bad guy here?" be said by a girl?

texts:
In an interactive story (that's why it is impossible to quote the text), the main character said to herself:

  Am I the bad guy here?

when she was questioning a bad action, which has been done by a male character, then started doubting him.

There are many alternatives like one and person, but she chose to say guy.

Is it normal and usual to say that exact phrase by its common wording even if it needed logically to be changed? Or was that wrongly used in the story?


texts: Name for using verb with different meanings for parts of its compound object

texts:
Is there a name for a construction where a verb has different meanings for different parts of its compound object?

For example:

"John likes to make friends, and paper airplanes."

I'm not sure this is strictly grammatically correct, I understand it's used more for humour than clarity or correctness.


texts: Is: "put up by someone" a correct phrasal verb?

texts:
A great performance put up by the autistic children.

Is this sentence correct? Because I cant find the phrasal verb's meaning anywhere.


texts: AT what level of position a person may be AT

texts:
Let's say your giving an opinion about each gender's(male and female) leisure time, on how they spend their free time at weekends. And your opinion is:

  "It depends on the type of job, or at what level of position a person may be at.

Or

  "It depends on the type of job, or at what level of position a person may be in.

Which is the correct preposition?


texts:
I've recently watched Last Week Tonight With Jon Oliver (season 2 episode 2).

It shows a clip from Fifty Shades of Grey movie, where a guy asks a girl "What is your thing?" and she responds "I don't know, books?" and the audience of the show laughs and Jon Oliver responds to it "My penis just yawned"....

I don't get it. I don't get it at all.

So I googled "What is your thing" ...and "Your thing" but couldn't get any dictionary entry.

I identified that {possessive adjective} thing is some phrase but I couldn't find any meaning to it.

I found the passage from the book but I can't still put a meaning to it...

  "Were you a Girl Scout?" he asks, sculptured, sensual lips curled in
  amusement. Don't look at his mouth!

  "Organized, group activities aren't really my thing, Mr. Grey."

  He arches a brow.

  "What is your thing, Anastasia?" he asks, his voice soft and his
  secret smile is back. I gaze at him unable to express myself. I'm on
  shifting tectonic plates. Try and be cool, Ana, my tortured
  subconscious begs on bended knee.

  "Books," I whisper, but inside, my subconscious is screaming: You! You
  are my thing!

So... "my thing" just means something important? And why would anyone ask a question like "What is your thing?" How different is that from "What is important to you?"


texts: What is the umbrella term for releasing the accused on bail or putting them into a remand prison?

texts: What do you call a court measure against an accused person before they are convicted or acquitted, such as releasing on bail or putting him into a remand prison? What is the umbrella term for these? In a translation of the Russian criminal procedural code, I saw the term "measure of restriction" (see p. 3 here). Is it really used in the English-speaking world?


texts: Wondering what the phrase "as clumsy as it may seem" mean?

texts:
Don't extend your hand because some people take it and pull you in. As clumsy as it may seem, wave from afar and jump right into the conversation as you're approaching them. By the time you get to them, the greeting phase is clearly over. It would be socially awkward to kiss your cheek after you're well into the conversation. The key is ending the greeting phase as quickly as you can and distance.

My perception: Wave from afar in a clumsy way, like you know that it is care less and do it confidently!


texts: Is the construction "a/an X so Y" correct?

texts:
I often see this construction: "Who had spread such a horrible rumor?" Or "He told her a rumor so horrible, she gasped."

How about this construction: "Who had spread a rumor so horrible."?

Note: I could have written "Who had spread such a horrible rumor?" But I wanted horrible to go at the end of the sentence.


texts: Is there any difference between "now" and "so far" when used in the present perfect?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference between now and so far when used in the present perfect? For example:

I've been to four foreign countries now.
I've been to four foreign countries so far.


texts: Why is the word "have" used instead of "are" in this sentence?

texts:
I read this sentence in my economics book:

  An expert team of UNO observed that the implementation and enforcement have the principal shortcomings of planning in India.

I strongly believe that "are" should be used instead of "have" after "enforcement" in this sentence. Am I right?


texts:
Can anyone explain to me why this is correct:

  Please don't forget to ring me when you get home.

And why this is incorrect:

  Please don't forget to ring me when you will get home.


texts: Which tense to use after "I didn't know"

texts:
I have been married for 10 years and someone tells me that I married the wrong man. Because I resent that remark I want to answer saying something like this:

  I didn't know that I have been married to the wrong man for 10 years.
  I didn't know that I had been married to the wrong man for 10 years.

Can I use the present perfect tense or do I have to use the past perfect?
Which tense is appropriate? I can't use the past simple because I am still married.


texts: A proverb/an expression to convey "a tendency towards a very big and unrealistic objective can be indicative of a failure"

texts:
In the old times, when it came to a match between our ancient wrestlers, the participants in order to define the strongest ones used to grab a rock and raise it to gain more popularity; but prior to taking that when the person tended to pick a very big rock the surrounding audience had am expression which they would use to convey the message: it is the "sign of" a failure meaning that they might not be able to lift a stone of that size!

Later, the expression turned to a proverbial sentence and today, it can be used for any unlikely, improbable or unrealistic case which is a bit far from mind to occure! Actually we use this proverb to allude to any sort of seemingly unattainable goal which is too big to be achieved.

The only equivalent I've come across in English is:

  Great promise, small performance. [wich you can with a simple search on google find it as a type of translation from another language]

I was wondering if there is any equivalent of such a concept in current English.

Thank you in advance.


texts: 'Suggest helping' vs 'Offer to help' - in reported speech

texts:
My English exercise book has a question related to reported speech like this:

Choose the sentence which is closest in meaning to be printed one
“Shall I help you with the washing-up, Jane?” John said.
A. John told Jane to help him with the washing-up.
B. John asked if Jane should help him with the washing-up.
C. John suggested helping Jane with the washing-up.
D. John offered to help Jane with the washing-up.

Even though the given answer key is D, I still think C can be another choice. If you don't think so, could you kindly explain what makes D is the only choice in this case?


texts:
You use 'of' to combine two nouns when the first noun identifies the feature of the second noun that you want to talk about.

I am not sure what "I" want to talk about in the sentence.

Talking about "the feature" or talking about "the second noun"?


texts: Would you help me with understanding these words?

texts:
DOCTORSHIP

Doctorate

Would anyone tell me which one do you use? and is there any difference between them?

I can not find anything useful as to this matter.

Many thanks


texts: do happen, do believe and etc. When they are used?

texts:
I sometimes read or hear English native speaker say or write:

  ... do happen ...

or

  ... do believe...

or

  .. do love...

and so on.

My question is when should I use do + verb? Why not only use verb such as believe or love?


texts:
This line from The Edge of Seventeen doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Video clip

I don't wanna take up a ton of your time... but I'm gonna kill myself. I just thought that someone should know. I don't know how this works. I'm probably gonna jump off an overpass in front of a semi or a u-haul, not a bus, I'm not gonna be a dick and make people watch. But it has to be big, it's gotta be so big that it just – done! – kills me. Lights out. 'Cause if it just maims me and I'm like well, how's that good for anyone? Then I gotta find a nurse to smother me. How am I gonna get across "smothering" if I'm... We don't need to get caught up in the minutia, I just thought that an adult... you should know.

I thought "get across" might have something to do with death, analogous to "cross over". But the line still doesn't make sense. "Get across doing something" does not appear to be idiomatic as far as I know and have done my due research diligence. What does it mean? "How am I going to die from smothering?" doesn't seem to make sense with the face.


texts: Renegade vs Dissenter vs Heretic vs Defiant vs Rebel

texts:
From  my readings what I concluded is that the words renegade, dissenter and heretic have an archaic or religious sense (2) and modern day figurative sense which is likely to have derived from religious sense.Especially I came across the word dissenter in the news, I think, they used it as a meaning like rebel or mild form of defiant in a political sense.But I don't know how strong the word defiant comparing to the others.

1.A person who behaves in a rebelliously unconventional manner or A person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted.

2.Having abandoned one’s religious beliefs or A person believing in or practising religious heresy.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/dissenter

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/heretic

Could you please explain what are difference between them in terms of meaning (religous briefly  and modern day)


texts:
Espresso wooden tray holds a reactive glazed ceramic diffuser adorned with a hammered “Happiness” sentiments charm, a heavy clear glass votive with two vanilla scented tealight candles, an engraved “Believe” sentiment stone, all within a bed of multicolored river stones.

This text has given me a lot of trouble. For about two hours, I've been trying to decode it. I've had to read a whole article to know what reactive means in the ceramics industry. Then I went to Google pictures to see what a ceramic diffuser looks like given that we have no such thing in Egypt, or at least I've never seen one. Then I looked up "sentiments charm", but I couldn't find anything. So I consulted a dictionary for both words separatly. Nothing new with sentiments; just emotions. Something new with charm; a luck-bringing trinket. However, when I put the two words together, I don't get anything meaningful. So I left it there and did some research on the votive thing. Google took me to Wikipedia's votive candle. We don't have this either, but it was fun reading this and knowing such thing exists. Then I thought "that's enough for now, I'm tired." I'll probably keep digging later for the meaning of sentiment stone and sentiment river, but for now if I had to ask one question, that would be: What does sentiments charm mean?


texts:
Context: I found a poem by Ben Shahn titled Father and Child, which says:
"Times change:
no longer the virgin
ample-lapped; the child fallen
in it from an adjacent heaven."
And I have never seen "ample-lapped" before. Can anyone explain what it can mean?


texts: Meaning of the phrase 'hot off the skillet'

texts:
What does the hot off the skillet mean in the following content?

  So that was nice, it was kind of reminiscent of using this method once again. And the great thing was, this time, once we were finished, we could go right downstairs into the studio itself - because we wrote in my office above the studio - and we’d go right downstairs into the studio the minute we’d finished it. Five minutes later we’d recorded it. Talk about fresh! That was ‘hot off the skillet’.


texts: What sense has the word "transom" been used in this context?

texts:
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:

  That changed in 2003 when I was now a managing editor overseeing a big chunk of the editorial correspondence. An e-mail came down the transom claiming that "irregardless" was the superlative form of "regardless" -- among educated Mississippians, in any event.

Most of the dictionaries describe the word "transom" as "a small window that is above a door or larger window". But I don't think this is what the author mean. The only established idiom containing "transom" was "over the transom", not "down the transom". So, what's the catch?


texts:
Illegal trade in wildlife has become a sophisticated transnational form of crime, comparable to other pernicious examples, such as trafficking of drugs, humans, counterfeit items and oil.

OR

  Illegal trade in wildlife has become a sophisticated transnational form of crimes, comparable to other pernicious examples, such as trafficking of drugs, humans, counterfeit items and oil.
  ockquote

Which form of crime should I choose, singular or plural?


texts: They seem not to have learned grammar x They seem haven't learned grammar

texts:
I have a question related to these two sentences, when talking about the present perfect, which one should be used?

  They seem not to have learned grammar

  They seem haven't learned grammar

  They seem to haven't learned grammar

Are they correct?


texts: Is there a similar idiomatic phrase for "reading is great, love reading, read excellent books"?

texts:
"Reading is great, love reading, read excellent books." is a rough traslation of the famous saying "读书好 好读书 读好书" by Bing Xin, which is used to encourage Chinese students to read more.

In this sentence, there are altogether three 好. The first and the third are used as adjectives to describe "reading" and "book" respectively; the second one is used as a verb to persuade us to read.

Does anyone know an equivalent saying in English?


texts: What does "those" in the sentence refer to?

texts:
I got this long paragraph from this website.
https://www.esl-lab.com/academic-english/cancer-treatment-script/
I want to know what the word "those" refer to.
Indeed, one might ponder why God allows death and suffering in our world, but for me, such experiences taught me to value family more and kindness for others. You often can’t learn these important attributes in the lap of luxury, and perhaps, such an experience is the greatest and final gift the terminally ill can give those left behind.


texts:
I was discussing the use of modal verbs with a friend. I thought about asking a native speaker about it. Would you mind giving your opinion on this? What do you think?

  Some students have not studied (well) for the exam. They (won't / mightn't / might / mayn't) pass it.


texts: is "if it's sold out, I can order a copy" can be rewritten in "in the event of book being sold out, I can place an order"?

texts:
I would like to know that the sentence "if it's sold out" can also be "in the event of book being sold out" or "in case of book being sold out"

and the word "order" can be replaced by " place an order" in this situations( in the book stores)


texts: What does it mean? " I don't know if that's good on either side"

texts:
Well the woman says: " want to hold him? He ( the child ) won't break ( woman says humorously ) , I don't want to raise him by myself (their child, she means) , and he's as much of you as he is me"

Then the man says: " I don't know if that's good on either side"
And folks, I think I have to tell you another thing, that baby
is an illegitimate child.

Source : The dialogue comes from a conversation between two characters of a TV series called Grimm. Season5 Epidose 3 , first minute , and its link, watch it online if you want :
( https://www.tvfanatic.com/shows/grimm/full-episodes/season-5/lost-boys/ )


texts: " species " or " species' " or " species's "?

texts:
In an example used for describing the meaning of the word "biodiversity"  in Cambridge dictionary the phrase "species habitat and biodiversity" is used:

  the number and types of plants and animals that exist in a particular area or in the world generally, or the problem of protecting this:

  a new National Biological Survey to protect species habitat and biodiversity

My question is, shouldn't "species" be used with possessive s?
This rises another question: what is the correct form of using the word "species" with possessive s in this context?


texts:
I am looking for a verb that can take a wounded body part as its object.
It roughly means "give careful attention to" or "treat (a wounded body part) carefully/gently." Two examples I can think of are "nurse" and "baby."
Any alternatives?


texts:
You are telling to a kid that he can't not eat something. Is the structure making sense?

A: you can't not eat things.


texts: I've looked it up for the meanings. What I was wondering now is the grammar part. Could anyone tell me how they differ in meanings relating to the present participle and past participle?


texts:
I am trying to translate the French phrase "questions de société".  We use it when we speak of issues broader than just social issues ( workers, unemployment, poverty...). "Questions de société" also includes issues about evolution of society, cultural identity...

I found the phrase "societal issues" in some English text translated from French but this term doesn't come up in google search.

Is there another term for societal issues?


texts:
I experienced a weird dream.

The experience means to have and be aware of a particular emotion or physical feeling. When I wrote something, I expressed sentence like above.

By the way, someone told me that I had better change the expression into 'in dream'.

Isn't the word of 'experience' suitable for the sentence expression?


texts: is 'we shall wage' in the following sentence a relative clause?

texts:
On the results of the survey depend the extent and the type of campaign, we shall wage.

In the above sentence, is we shall wage a reduced version of the relative clause which we shall wage?


texts: was not expecting to hear from you ANYMORE

texts:
I am surprised to receive your answer, I was not expecting to hear from you anymore

Is anymore a good choice or shall I write:

  I was not expecting to hear from you

The context is because the person took a very long time to answer.


texts: Subject - Verb + adverbs - indirect questions - position rules

texts:
Have a look at the following two sentences:
1) I wonder where the bank is.

2) I wonder if there is a bank here.

1. Would it be fair to say with the expression "I wonder..." follows the "indirect question" rules, i.e subject and is/are switch positions.
*Example*
* Where is the bank?
- I wonder where the bank is.

2. How would you motivate that the verb-subject switch does not work for the second example?
 2) I wonder if there is a bank here.

My guess is that the second example sentence has to end with the adverb here, because we are talking about place
, correct?
Thanks in advance


texts: Should plural form or singular form of the verb be used in the following sentence?

texts:
In order to serve you better, the Board of Directors is delighted to
  officially announce the launch of our LinkedIn page.

vs

  In order to serve you better, the Board of Directors are delighted to
  officially announce the launch of our LinkedIn page.


texts: Use of "up" in "back up", to mean going in reverse

texts: Why do we use the term "back up" when we are going in reverse? This is sometimes confusing for young English Language learners.  Going backwards is understandable, where does the word "up" fit in? Are we moving in two directions?


texts: Use "How do you think of it?" or "What do you think of it?"

texts:
I am confused about that when I want to ask someone 'What is your opinion of it', I should use

How do you think of it? or
What do you think of it?

Or both above are correct?


texts: What does it mean "Initials of First Name(s)" in registration context?

texts: When I see a request to fill the "Initials of First Name(s)" on registration, what does it mean? Does it mean that I have to put the first letter of my first name or it means something else?


texts:
”Have you eaten all the cake THAT I made yesterday?”
”That” in this sentence is a relative pronoun that introduces the relative clause (I made yesterday), if I’m not mistaken. But what part of speech is ”that”? In dictionaries I find it under ”conjunctions”; is this correct? Are relative pronouns conjunctions and not pronouns?