texts: Stoltenberg told a news conference at NATO headquarters - why is there no the in front of NATO headquarters?

texts:
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-gets-chief-one-putin-may-approve-092336889.html

  Stoltenberg told a news conference at NATO headquarters that his three priorities are to "keep NATO strong. Help keep our neighborhood stable by working with partners. And keep the bond between Europe and North America rock solid."

Wouldn't at the NATO headquarters sound better?


texts: Are "after" and "until" inclusive or exclusive?

texts:
The article is as follows

  The new area code is scheduled to be put into service next September. From that time until the following July, there will be a "permissive dialing period" when callers can use either the old area code or the new area code.

  After July, use of the new area code will be mandatory.

The question is "what is significant about July?"

a. Use of the new area code will be required.
b. July is not significant at all.

I'm not a native speaker and I'm so confused with the meaning of "until" and "after". So the new area code will become mandatory in July or August?


texts: Confusing 1920 uses of 'it' and 'which' by R. H. Tawney?

texts:
In modern industrial societies the great mass of property consists, as the annual review of wealth passing at death reveals, neither of personal acquisitions such as household furniture, nor of the owner's stock-in-trade, but of rights of various kinds, such as royalties, ground-rents, and, above all, of course shares in industrial undertakings which yield an income irrespective of any personal service rendered by their owners. Ownership and use are normally divorced. The greater part of modern property has been attenuated to a pecuniary lien or bond on the product of industry [1.] which carries with [2.] it a right to payment, but [3.] which is normally valued precisely because it relieves the owner from any obligation to perform a positive or constructive function.

Source: On Property (1920), by R. H. Tawney

Would someone please identify the antecedents for the pronouns [1.] thru [3.]? The 3 nouns in front of [1.] confuse me so much as to thwart my attempts. Please explain and show all steps and thought processes; I’d like to try to resolve this myself in the future?


texts: What does the word 'upstream' mean in the context?

texts:
I was reading an article about food delivery market and I came across with a term "upstream" and I don't get what that word means. The article says:

  Look upstream. China’s online food delivery market is already worth USD 34 billion, with 296 million people using the service in 2018. But instead of engaging in the cash-burning battle currently being waged by delivery platforms Meituan and Ele.me, Panda Selected saw an opportunity to play upstream and think about the challenges that online food delivery poses to restaurants. So ask yourself: what new industry-specific trends are playing out in your industry? How are they creating new challenges for upstream businesses? Can you innovate to serve those players?

Are the upstream businesses those that are trying "to catch a wave" and play on a current trend or is it something else? I didn't find any suitable definition of the term "upstream busines" on the Internet.


texts:
The new restrictions are imposed across Europe in a more precise fashion. A curfew remains in effect in nine cities in France. (...) These are the latest signs of growing worries in Europe after the continent initially compared favorably to the US handling of the virus.

I'm not sure about the meaning of "compared" and "favorably" in this context, because they both have quite a few meanings and I don't know which of the many definitions fits here. Also, doesn't the sentence need "was", like in "...after the continent was initially compared favorably to the US..."?


texts: Past perfect when talking about the same day

texts:
I've tried asking a similar question and I still can't say that I understand this concept of past perfect. If you are talking about events that took place on the same day in chronological order, why do you still need to use past perfect? Please see my sentence below, which I think is fine.

  She was talking to her supervisor when I got to work this morning. Then as I was leaving, I saw her talking to her supervisor again. Something must be going on.

Also, even when I'm talking about yesterday and today, why do I need to use past perfect if I'm talking about them in chronological order?

  She emailed me yesterday to tell me that she was going to visit me next week. Then she emailed me again this morning and told me that she can't come. That's why I was grumpy all day.

Does the sentence above need past perfect anywhere?


texts:
The sentence is from a novel 'Life of Pi', and here is the part.

  Still, answer the question, any regrets now?
  I don't think about it.
  The very definition of an animal. That is all you are.
  And what are you?
  A human being, I will have you know.

Is this sentence similar to 'I will let you know'?


texts:
Source: Saudi Arabia is killing the Russian economy in its fight to control oil prices

Example:

  Kremlin officials suspect that the aim of Saudi policy is to force Russia to the negotiating table, compelling it join Opec in a super-cartel controlling half the world’s production.
  The Russians aren't having it, the CEO of Rosneft told the Financial Times earlier this year. President Putin, of course, famously does not like to be forced to do anything, so it's unclear why the Saudis thought this tactic would work.

What exactly does that mean?


texts:
Can I use:

  The car has started going a bit out of control, I guess the tyre is flat.

Is this sentence natural in AmE


texts:
Context: I ordered something online and would like to return it as it is defective. The site has a 30 days return policy. 30 days will get over in a week and they have not arranged any pickup. Which one sounds more professional and appropriate?

  30 days to return the product will get over soon.

  30 day window to return the product will close in a week.

  30 days to return the product are ending.


texts:
(1)
  It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J. K. Rowling)

  (2)
      He bought himself a family-sized bar of Dairy Milk on the way to Malet Street. Bernie Coleman, an acquaintance in the Army Medical Corps, had once explained to Strike how the majority of the symptoms associated with a crashing hangover were due to dehydration and hypoglycemia, which were the inevitable results of prolonged vomiting. Strike munched his way through the chocolate, crutches jammed under his arm and every step jarring his head, which still felt as though it was being compressed by tight wires. (The Cuckoo’s calling, by Robert Galbraith)

It seems that (2)’s way is as the same eating way as (1). But the next phrases confuse me, that are crutches jammed under his arm and every step jarring his head. This ‘Munched his way through the chocolate’ would be a finished or an ongoing activity. Then what are the subjects for the aforementioned phrase: Strike, or crutches; step?


texts: claim the insurance to cover vs claim the cost covered by insurance

texts:
Which of the next sentences are more natural/rightful:

I am writing to claim the insurance to cover the cost of damaged car...

I am writing to claim the cost of damaged car covered by insurance...

something even more natural :)

The general meaning, car was damaged in accident and I want insurance company cover the cost.
Thanks.


texts: She and I are in different cities or she and I are in a different city

texts:
She and I are in different cities

  She and I are in a different city

Which sentence is correct? I intuitively chose the first one until I saw the lyrics of the song 'Good as Gold'

  My heart your heart run a different race

  My voice your voice sing a different song


texts: When to use "and" or "or" when providing a list

texts:
I know this is very simple, but it might be confusing me.

if I say;

  It can be done using a search algorithm such as A, B or C.
  It can be done using a search algorithm such as A, B and C.

Note: for the simplicity let us assume A,B,C are the names of the algorithms.

Can I use both or and and for that case? Are both grammatically correct?


texts:
To give effect to something or to carry/bring/put something into effect is to make it begin doing what it was intended to do.
Are these verb phrases ('to give effect...', to + verb + into + effect) containing 'effect' prolix and tortuous? Why not simply use 'to effect'? They transpire  to suggest that there may be differences?

I originally asked the above. User FumbleFingers kindly replied:

You give effect to X when X is something that already "exists", but hasn't YET been "activated" so it will actually do whatever it's intended to do (such as a plan that hasn't been put into practice yet). Often when you effect X, you cause X (which didn't previously "exist") to come into being. The idea that all "longer" phrasings are prolix, tortuous or otherwise "undesirable" is a serious misconception.

I accept this, but am still confused about the other case where X already exists. User StoneyB answered:

To give effect to something or put it into effect is to cause that something to become capable of producing effects.

But how does this differ from effect? To use StoneyB's example, If I effect a change in my lifestyle, then this change itself can 'cause [that something] to become capable of producing [further] effects'?


texts: what is the meaning of "ex coeli" in this sentence?

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

  To one group of people, the dictionary was handed to humanity ex coeli, a hallowed leather-clad tome of truth and which term as infallible as God.

What is the meaning of highlighted word in the sentence?


texts: What is the difference between "deploying" and "distribution"?

texts:
For instance, in development environment, I would like to know that when should I say:

  The app is ready for deploying.

and

  The app is ready for distribution.

If they are the same from development viewpoint, what about the real life?


texts: took it off the table, that would be a major advance

texts:
I don't understand the logic of the phrase "took the problem of yet another emerging pandemic coronavirus off the table, that would be a major advance."  Usually "take something off the table" means "take it from consideration or discussion" or "ignore it". But here it seems to mean "solve the problem of another emerging pandemic" (thus make a major advance - while ignoring it would not be counted as a major advance).
What doee the phrase mean here?

What about a broad-spectrum agent against viral illnesses, almost like an antibiotic?

If you’re talking about an antiviral that protects against all viruses, then I think that’s a bridge too far. But you could get a broad-spectrum antiviral that will be good against all strains of coronaviruses and then maybe a different one that works within another family of viruses. An antiviral that worked against any manner or form of coronaviruses would be highly desirable. If we took the problem of yet another emerging pandemic coronavirus off the table, that would be a major advance.

Source:   Scientific American
December 14, 2020


texts: What is the use and meaning of the highlighted "and that" in this short text?

texts:
So today we want to talk about the subject of defensive driving. And the way I define defensive driving is, the ability to develop the proper driving habits, so that we can compensate for pretty much anything that goes on out on the roadways and that we can avoid a crash at any level.

I want to translate it, and the use and meaning of it is somehow vague.


texts:
I stuck with the following sentence and need help to choose the correct one:

  Join me on Facebook to be the first to see my new paintings

or

  Join me on Facebook to be the first who saw my new paintings


texts:
I have an old car with manually adjustable mirrors.  As I was driving home with a friend, I wanted him to adjust the mirror for me so that I could see more of the street. I ended up not asking because I wasn't sure about how to say it because I don't understand the difference between 'inward' and 'to the inside'.

This is the sentence I originally wanted to say :

  Could you change the mirror more to the inside?

Is this right and does it sound natural?

I looked up the definition of the words and to me, it makes sense to use to the inside/inward interchangeably in most contexts since 'to' indicates a direction and inside a 'surface'. So you move an object towards/to the inside of another object, e.g. to the inside of the enclosed case where the mirror is situated.


texts: Can "pinky" a verb as in "do you pinky swear"?

texts:
In Urban dictionary (a slang dictionary)
They say

pinky swear
An eternally binding act of hooking pinky fingers together in an
attempt to seal the deal of a promise that has been made.
I promise to never do that again!
Do you pinky swear?

In Wikipedia, they also say

To pinky swear, or to make a pinky promise, is a traditional gesture
most commonly practiced amongst children involving the locking of the
pinkies of two people to signify that a promise has been made

For example, each time my daughter wants to watch TV, she and I often agree that I allow her to watch TV for 10 minutes only.
Is it correct for me to say to her "do we pinky swear?" or "do we have a pinky swear?" before we hook our little fingers together as an action of agreement?


texts:
As you know, the phrasal verb to go off has different meanings, depending on the context. I am particularly interested in whether it is okay to use it with this meaning:

  to begin to dislike somebody or something.

For example:

I went off men after my husband left me.
I went off the idea of buying a sports car after I found out how much it would cost.


texts: Past tense,past perfect tense,present perfect tense in english

texts:
Are they possible if I use it in past events? Which are British English  and which are American English

E.g.

They have just/already/never eaten 2 biscuits 2 minutes ago.

They had just/already/never eaten 2 biscuits.

They just/already/never ate 2 biscuits.

They haven't written/eaten yet.

They didn't write/eat yet.

They hadn't eaten/written yet.

So, which are British English and American English in past events?

E.g.

I ate/drank/sang yesterday.

I have eaten/drunk/sung yesterday.

I had eaten/drunk/sung yesterday.

Could you give me the explanations about this topic? I await for your explanations, thanks!


texts: I want to know the exact meaning of 'Yet' in interrogative sentences

texts:
Honey, are you up yet?

In this sentence, the exact meaning of the word "yet" in an interrogative sentence is surprisingly already?
Does 'Yet' convey that the speaker didn't expect her husband to get up now, but surprisingly, he is already up?


texts: "as good compared to something": what is the meaning of the "good"?

texts:
Simple question: what is the meaning of the "good" in the phrase "as good compared to something"?

I sometimes see this expression but don't sure what the "good" means and whether it is necessary or natural usage...

Thanks in advance.


texts: What's the difference between Straight ahead & Straightforward? I've just checked some dictionaries, but still no luck. I've heard people say "You need to go straight ahead" to Taxi drivers, while some say "go straightforward". What's the difference?


texts: There is + the (with nouns like "the floor")

texts:
Be careful! There is the brick wall behind you.

The wall featured in this situation is the only thing like the ceiling or the floor. There are no other walls, just this one. But the wall wasn't mentioned previously.

Does the sentence have the right to exist, with the definite article?


texts: Use of preposition after the word illustration

texts:
He made a few illustrations of/for/to the longish poem of P.B. Shelley.

How does meaning differ with the different prepositions?


texts:
I tried to translate a line of a Persian poem into English, it is almost like:

  If you come to visit me, come slowly and softly

  Lest the delicate porcelain of my loneliness cracks

Here, the poet (Sohrab Sepehri) equates loneliness with a delicate porcelain. Did my translation shows this metaphor? Especially, I mean the usage of of to relate the components of the metaphor.

Could it be:

my delicate loneliness porcelain
my delicate porcelain of loneliness

Moreover, as Persian is a free-word-order language, he has put the subject at the end of sentence, I thought of writing it as:

  Lest it cracks, the delicate porcelain of my loneliness

Is it grammatical? does it have the same meaning?


texts: What is the meaning of "someone has pivoted"?

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

  We do see companies that, literally, every time we meet them, they've pivoted. Every time, they're off to something new, and it's like watching a rabbit go through a maze or something.

  Source: Business Insider, Lessons from Marc Andressen

What is the meaning of someone is pivoted?


texts:
In the afterword to Neuromancer, Jack Womack writes:

  In transversing the passage through his own dark holler, William Gibson learned, as all writers who matter learn, to emit one of quite a different nature—a warning shout, yes, but an exclamation of wonder as well, one that will echo across more landscapes than we can imagine for many years. It seems to me that in these interesting times of ours, in the maelstrom of pomo distractions, not only have attention spans shortened, but so as well have memories. I have no way of knowing what today’s young people will recall, years hence, when they remember the World Before Cyberspace. I am positive, however, that they’ll not forget Bill Gibson.

While I can parse the rest, I am curious what pomo means in this setting. Looking it up, it appears that it could be an indigenous people of California, but that makes little sense in the quoted sentence.

So, what does "pomo distractions" mean?


texts: Is it correct to use "complete" instead of "completely" in "And I knew it complete When I wore a younger man's clothes"?

texts:
And I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes

Is that sentence correct?
I think that complete is an adjective there.
So I think it should be converted to completely.
I am not a native English speaker, so my thought may be wrong.

If that is a correct sentence, then, is complete an adjective which is an object complement there?


texts:
As a non-native speaker when I talk to native speakers, I tend to use "Do you want ...." instead of "Would you like....?" e.g. "Do you want we have the meeting in this room?" "Do you want we have lunch in that restaurant?"

My question is do native speakers feel different when I ask them with to want verb? Does it sound unnatural to them? What about "Do you like?" instead of "Would you like?"


texts:
Can you imagine there is a policeman here? How can you tell him the whole thing?

    Can you imagine there were a policeman here? How could you tell him the whole thing?

I am a little confused about whether I should use subjunctive here. The word "imagine", I think, means a different situation from the real one, right? So I  am confused it.

And, if "imagine" should be used with subjunctive, how about other words that also have a similar meaning? If "imagine" is ok without subjunctive, how about other words that also have a similar meaning?
Thank you guys for helping me!!


texts: Would someone help me to revise the following extracts and make Pat's line sound The United States

texts:
PAT (улыбаясь) : You Russians are weird. You are so much attached to the past. I mean that story about a small boy in a woolen aviator’s cap… It’s fatal to keep living in the past for so long while. Lifetime is too short to be suffering non-stop, isn’t it?

POLINA : It’s… I’m definitely going to live in the present, but I always fail to make out where is it? What do people call the present?

PAT (Улыбаясь) : Look, the present is what is going on now. We are looking at each other, drinking, talking, walking, whatsoever.

POLINA : True.

PAT : Shakespeare, Blake, Rilke…Isn’t all they did living nowadays?

POLINA : Stop talking to me shrink-like! I remember staying on upper desk while the liner was putting away to Europe feeling so happy…I hoped here in Europe I would recall something wonderful unfairly lost… But now I am missing home again.

PAT : Close your eyes, please...


texts: How do you use "no way" in a conversation?

texts:
How do you use "no way" words?

Example: My classmate usually goes to school late. One day she goes to school early. I think surprised can I tell to her "No way!" Is this polite?


texts: Can a concentration of home offices be "intensive"?

texts:
The New York metropolitan area has the most intensive concentration of home offices in the nation, with 17 percent of its households operating a business from home. (The New York Times)

After having read the Merriam-Webster dictionary, I cannot find a definition of "intensive" that explains how this word is used in the sentence above.

Is it proper English to use this adjective (intensive) in that context? As a learner, I thought that "high" is more proper, but, as usual, I'm unsure.


texts: hadn’t felt / hadn’t been feeling (in context)

texts:
Question with an assignment.

  Instructions: Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets. Use the Past Simple, Past Perfect Simple, Past Perfect Continuous.

  Mum had lunch and then (a) ____ (lie down) for a few minutes as she ____ (not feel) well all day.

I wrote,

  Mum had lunch and then lay down for a few minutes as she hadn’t felt well all day.

However, I was marked as wrong by my teacher for “hadn’t felt well”. I feel like both are correct. Was I wrong?


texts: To what is "the reason...before" part is connected?

texts:
This scar was the only hint of Harry’s very mysterious past, of the reason he had been left on the Dursleys’ doorstep eleven years before.
  [The situation is that Harry, the main character of this novel, has a scar on his forehead that makes him a special wizard because it is to do with Harry's very mysterious past and because of the past event, he lost his parents and got the scar, so he lives with the Dursley family.]

To me, "of the reason...before" seems to have been used as a non-essential prepositional phrase, so I think "of the reason..before" is connected to "Harry's very mysterious past".
Though, there were some native English speakers who answered me that it's connected to "the only hint", but I don't think the answer is right, because the interpretation doesn't sound natural if it's really connected to "the only hint".
I want to know to what the prepositional phrase is connected.

(And as a similar structure, "...using fiction as a mirror image of the past, of the historical time", here, "of the historical time" seems to be the non-essentical prepositional phrase connected to "the past", not "a mirror image".)


texts: What are gag call letters and what's funny in the WDOPE, KUNT, and WA6 acronyms?

texts:
Here's a passage from Stephen King's Night Surf short story:

  The Massachusetts station was better, but we could only get it at
  night. It was a bunch of kids. I guess they took over the transmitting
  facilities of WRKO or WBZ after everybody left or died. They only gave
  gag call letters, like WDOPE or KUNT or WA6 or stuff like that. Really
  funny, you know - you could die laughing.

The sentence "They only gave gag call letters, like WDOPE or KUNT or WA6 or stuff like that" made me puzzled. Does it refer to some kind of telephone jokes, prank calls? What is it about? What are gag call letters and what's the humor in the  WDOPE, KUNT and WA6 acronyms to make the radio listeners laugh?


texts: What's the word for "urge to go to the toilet"?

texts: I am pretty sure there's a word for it, but I forgot what the word was completely. By "urge to go to the toilet", I mean the desire to go peeing or pooping obviously.


texts:
Son: I sure wouldn't do math unless I had to.

  Father: You got my genes in the math department. If not for your mom,
  I'd still be taking algebra.

What is the meaning of "If not for your mom"?


texts:
Neither sides is inclined to protract the dispute much longer; a settlement is expected presently.

I am wondering if we could replace much longer in the stand of any more.

Extracted from the book vocabulary for the high school student

Any help would be greatly appreciated


texts: What is the word "as" meaning in this sentence?

texts:
Can I simplify this sentence:

  Looking straight ahead as she walked, she did not acknowledge the
  people yelping at her heels, like mad dogs.

to this?:

  When she was walking, she did not acknowledge the people yelping at her heels, like mad dogs.

Thanks for any help.


texts: Difference between "anyone" and "everyone"

texts:
What's the difference between 'anyone' and 'everyone' in the following sentences? And especially in the first sentence, are they both correct?

I know the difference between anyone and everyone. I think in the following sentences, they are interchangeable.

  1- I will back anyone/everyone who tries to fight this evil man.

  2- Anyone/everyone who has given birth to a baby knows how painful it is.


texts:
When an unsavory type, say a gangster or just your general low-life, acts in a generous way, how would you describe him/his action in order for the epithet to sound colloquial? Or at the very least how to stylize it to modern "thieve's dialect"?
For example:
The Guy likes to buy drinks for his buddies. His buddies think The Guy is "..." ?


texts: "Student ... Business Administration". What preposition?

texts:
how could I paraphrase "I am studying Business Administration" to "I am a student ... Business Administration".
And how could I paraphrase "I am studying for my undergraduate degree" to "I am a student ...".
What prepositions or other help words would work?

Thanks


texts:
Which one of the two options should I use in the following sentences:

I can't play football good/well enough to be in your team.
The house isn't protected good/well enough.
I'm doing good/well (talking about making good progress not about health)
I'm doing good/well in this game


texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

  I do do shopping on weekends.

The negative of this statement would have been:

  I don't do shopping on weekdays.

But a friend of mine said this is incorrect grammatically. Why?


texts:
most of the employees
  most of the employee

Which one is right? If "most of the employee" is right then which auxiliary verb I have to use, "is" / "are"?


texts:
Which of these is correct:

"The December's 1st update"
Or
"December's first update" or "The December 1st update"

The update will happen on December 1st. My friend insists that the first option is correct but I am having a hard time explaining why it isn't, can I get some help please


texts:
I wrote this sentence:

  Now, suppose that the "Price" anchor is already visited and the "ShippingInfo" anchor is visited after that. At this time, the context node "Product", which is defined as the "Common Ancestor" of these two anchors, is retrieved and its associated node in the page, which is the lowest common ancestor of the anchor elements, is obtained.

Does my usage of "already" and "after that" to convey a sequence in time is correct?

For example:

  suppose this neighborhood is already visited and that neighborhood is visited after that. Now we can ...

How about:

  Suppose this neighborhood is already visited and that neighborhood is visited next. Now we can ...


texts:
I went into an argument with a good speaker in my country if native speakers call french fries but just simply as fries (when they order).

Which is correct?

Do native speakers say only "fries" when they order "french fries" such as at McDonald?


texts: Paper: "appear at the conference" vs "appear in the conference"

texts:
Continuing Publish a paper "in" or "on" a conference proceedings, or journal:

I presented a summary of my results in a talk during some conference X in 2017. How do I write about it?

  A preliminary version of this paper appeared at the conference X'17.

or

  A preliminary version of this paper appeared in the conference X'17.

What's the correct preposition?


texts: What is the meaning of page in real estate context?

texts:
You know, the thing about real estate accounting is that you can, you
  can head down the page or across the page, and everything works out.
  So, every day, everything adds up.

Is there any separate meaning exist for page ?


texts: “draws a lot of water in this town” meaning?

texts:
It's taken from the movie The Big Lebowski, in what the police chief says about a man named Jackie Treehorn.

The Dude: Mr. Treehorn treats objects like women, man.
Malibu Police Chief: Mr. Treehorn draws a lot of water in this town. You don't draw shit, Lebowski. Now we got a nice, quiet little beach community here, and I aim to keep it nice and quiet. So let me make something plain. I don't like you sucking around, bothering our citizens, Lebowski. I don't like your jerk-off name. I don't like your jerk-off face. I don't like your jerk-off behavior, and I don't like you, jerk-off. Do I make myself clear?
The Dude: [after a pause] I'm sorry, I wasn't listening.
Source: IMDb – The Big Lebowski (1998) –
Quotes

I believe what he means is that J. Treehorn make lots of contributions to the city, but I'm not sure. Is this a common idiom?


texts: What is the difference between 'it is' and 'there is' in this context?

texts:
Lets say I get in a bus and notice that the bus conductor today is a lady rather than a guy,
What should I say

  There is a lady conductor today.
  or
  It is a lady conductor today.

I rely on my instincts for them, but on a few occasions like this I am not sure if there is any difference between the two.


texts: What's the difference between both the sentences?

texts:
Why would I do that?

Why would I have done that?

as far as I think why would I do that implies my friend's accusing me of doing something that I didn't do So I'd say Why would I do that? (what reason I had to do that)

2nd case (why would I have done that) If it's clear that I haven't done that

the other person knows it then I'd say why would I have done that (would have implies that it never happened but if it did what would be the reason. or what would have been the reason if I had done that)


texts: Different meanings in the use of "Past simple" and "Present perfect"

texts:
1) Show me the dress that you have made
2) It is very late, and trams have stopped running: we must find a taxi to get home.

Can I use the past simple instead of present perfect and what the difference would be then?


texts: How does a preposition interfere with the intransitive/transitive usage of the verb "beckon"?

texts:
She indicated or beckoned for him to retrace his steps and come in.

I came across the above piece probably written on an online English newspaper, but I'm not sure.

Is for correct after beckoned?
How does for interfere with the intransitiveness of that verb in this sentence?


texts: Do you have something like this vs Do you have something like these

texts:
If I’m looking for a pair of shoes and I show them the picture of the shoes, do I say:

Do you have something like this?
Do you have something like these?

Thank you very much.


texts: Section 33.(2) of the Canadian Charter (ie Notwithstanding Clause)

texts:
Source: What is the Notwithstanding Clause?, by Cindy Rotar BA LLB

  Section 33 contains five clauses. The wording of each clause is as follows:
  ...
  (2) An Act or a provision of an Act
  [1.] in respect of which a declaration made
  under this section   is in effect
  shall have such operation as it would have
  [2.] but for the provision of this Charter referred to in the declaration.

1. Does in respect of = for?

2. Does but for = without?

3. Is my paraphrase right? For want of separating the clauses, I spaced the text.

    (2) An Act or a provision of an Act
    FOR which a declaration made
    under this section   applies
    shall OPERATE as [the aforesaid Act] would have
    if the provision of this Charter (referred to in the declaration) had never been applied.


texts: Can we say "it had been a matter of minutes"?

texts:
I know it feels much more natural to say "it was a matter of minutes" but why can't "it had been a matter of minutes" be a possible answer to this CAE Part 4 Sentence Transformation task?

The answer key suggests only the former as an option. However, I wonder if I can still use a past perfect since we have two past events in a sentence?


texts: What are the differences between 'bear the blame' and 'take responsibility'?

texts:
The driver must bear a large portion of the blame for the accident.

  The driver must take a large portion of responsibility for the accident.

Which sentence is correct and what are the differences in meaning?


texts: Why do native speakers sometimes call some one 'name + boy'?

texts:
I've heard male native speakers call their male friends by their name + boy.
For example, a man's name is David, and a male friend of his once said to him 'Hey David boy...' And I've heard another male call his friend Lucas 'Lucus boy'.
Why do they call their friend in this way? Does it represent familiarity? Is it respectful? If I call a not-very-close friend in that way, is that offensive? And is this only between males? Is there a female version of this?


texts:
Apple has become the biggest casualty in Trump's trade war with China

  Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co. analyst Brian White, who is arguably
  Apple's biggest supporter on Wall Street, wrote that the shortfall
  highlights "that much more sinister forces are at work here with the
  fingerprints of this country's trade war with China written all over
  it."

What does this mean?


texts: Meaning of " He never lets me take myself too seriously"

texts:
Here is more text:

  "My lifelong best friend, larry, who has always been my lighthouse. He
  cheers me on or helps me focus, and he never lets me take myself too
  seriously."


texts: What preposition could be used to express "by using a bridge"?

texts:
Imagine it's foggy outside. Bob and Michael are trying to get across a river.

  Michael: How can we get across the river?

Bob point to somewhere far away. The bridge can barely be seen in the heavy fog.

  Bob: through that bridge

I guess it is better to say "There is a bridge over there" though, my concern is about the prepositions.

In this very context, which of the following prepositions is appropriate?

  through that bridge

  by that bridge

  with that bridge

  by using that bridge


texts: Why break the sentence- "...on the same belief. That a phone should be more..."?

texts:
While going through Apple's webpage, I found the following sentence:

Every iPhone we’ve made — and we mean every single one — was built on the same belief. That a phone should be more than a collection of features.

Now, my question is: What is the need to break this sentence?
To my mind, it is better to write this sentence in continuity:

Every iPhone we've made- and we mean every single one- was built on the same belief that a phone should be more than a collection of features.

Another sentence on the same webpage is:

It should have hardware and software that were designed to work with each other. And enhance each other.

Here also, IMO, we can make a continuous sentence. I want native speakers' opinion regarding this.


texts: What is the meaning of "a leap too far" in this context?

texts:
This is the context:

Now, to jump to put all the blames on Jim seems a leap too far.

I heard it on street but I couldn't understand the sentence. Does it mean it is thoughtless thing to do this or does it mean that it's a bold thing to do?


texts: Difference between watching a film THROUGH tv and ON tv

texts:
You can watch a film through tv.
You can watch a film on tv.

What is the difference between those prepositions?


texts: Using both definite and indefinite article for the same noun

texts:
Is it okay to use both "a" and "the" articles in relation to the same noun? For example,

  Finally, King George III came into power. A very long and the last
  peaceful period of the history of Bakhardia started.


texts: How to use the phrase "at the expense of"

texts:
I'm confusing about a sentence written by my friend.
Which was said "I eat a curry rice at the expense of shitting."
It seems that he wants to express "I eat something than I'm stomachache later."
But the question is how to use the phrase "at the expense of..."
Is it correct that my friend said? Or it should be "I ate a curry rice at the expense of diarrhea."
Which is correct, both or neither?
Thanks for all your answers and judges.


texts: Since English is not spelled as pronounced, who decides on how to write it when a new word has been created?

texts:
I have been thinking about it for some time and really wonder.

It is the spelling in the English language. Since English is not spelled as pronounced or vice versa(not pronounced as spelled), I really wonder it.

If I am a scientist and if I have just discovered a new thing(a new matter, a new piece of substance, a new thing etc.) and need to create a name for it, who will decide how should I spell the new word I have just created? Since it is a completeley new word, there is no "previously spelled version" of the newly created word. What they have is only a "heard version" of the newly created word, since they have just heard some new sounds from a person (the man who discovered and named it.)

So, when the new word is to be written or printed for the first time, how will they know how to spell it?

And after they create a spelled version of the word, what if anyone else suggest it should have been spelled differently? Who will decide which spelling will be the correct spelling?

And will someone else's spelling be binding for everyone else?


texts:
Do the following sentences express the same meaning and implication?

A teacher is someone who teaches.
A teacher is anyone who teaches.

I was very unsure about their exact meanings. For 1., it seems to provide a definition for teacher. On the other hand, 2. sounds like asserting anyone who teaches is thus a teacher, but I am not sure whether it also offers a definition for teacher.


texts: Question about very difficult quote to understand

texts:
A robotic submarine deployed to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane in the southern Indian Ocean has had its first mission cut short. The Bluefin-21 was sent to search the sea floor for wreckage after signals believed to be consistent with "black box" flight recorders were detected. But the drone exceeded its operating limit of 4,500m (15,000ft) and was brought back to the surface.It was due to return later on Tuesday if weather conditions permitted." To account for inconsistencies with the sea floor, the search profile is being adjusted to extend the sonar search for as long as possible," an update from the US Navy – which operates the Bluefin-21 – said.

My perception: In order to bring a reason for changing in sea floor that caused the drone going more than expected depth of 4500m, search plan (search profile) is being optimized to extend the search limit of the sonar for going in depth as long as possible.


texts: What is the difference between 'you have to say that' and 'you would have to say that'?

texts:
How to use would in different expression in this way?

For example:

  You would have to do/say that.
  You have to do/say that.

Why would is used here?


texts: Interchangeability of 'preposition + which' with relative adverbs?

texts:
[Source:]
  The relative adverbs where, when & why can be used to join sentences or clauses. They replace the more formal structure of preposition + which used to introduce a relative clause.

1. How is preposition + which more formal?  I did read the basics on relative adverbs.

2. When are and aren't preposition + which interchangeable with the relative adverbs?


texts:
Does the sentence in bold mean "The banks used the money deposited by American people to lend corporations including Boeing and Ford"?
There are several reasons why the American megabanks — survivors of the last crisis in 2008 — were the main beneficiaries of the deposits bonanza. When states began instituting shutdowns in March, corporations including Boeing and Ford immediately drew tens of billions of dollars from lines of credit, and that money was initially parked at the banks making those loans.
Source:https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/21/banks-have-grown-by-2-trillion-in-deposits-since-coronavirus-first-hit.html


texts: Do British people often use the word lightning conductor?

texts: Do British people use the word lightning conductor more frequently than a lightning rod?


texts: Is this sentence clear in terms of meaning? Does it need any modifications?

texts:
A translator should have a good command of both languages so that texts rendered from or to Arabic would have the native air and of course make sense to the target audience.

Regarding the sentence meaning that refers to "two" languages being translated to and from, should I make the word "audience" plural?
And is the sentence clear in terms of meaning? What could be the best native-like sentences that give the same message?


texts: Are "conversation" and "exchange" interchangeable in some cases?

texts:
I am learning a nice ELL post, which uses a word "exchange"

  I think of this as part of an exchange ...

I was not familiar with this meaning of the word "exchange", so I looked it up on Cambridge Dictionary, and got this definition about "exchange"

  a short conversation or argument

I guess the part pointed out by red rectangle is a conversation between A and B and is also an exchange.

Is my understanding right?


texts:
It's a sentence from my dictionary:

  Years of smoking have taken their toll on his health.

I'm wondering why it uses "have" instead of "has". I know "years" is in the plural, but "years of smoking" is just a single thing at large. The point is on "smoke", not "years". I can just simplify the subject as "smoking" if I want. But it would be wrong if I simplify the subject as "years" and omit "smoking" because time is not the reason, smoking is. So in this case, I feel the following sentence is right:

  Years of smoking has taken their toll on his health.

But the right verb should be in the plural, why? How to explain this?


texts:
My clothes were dirty, so I must go and wash.

Can I replace ‘wash’ by ‘wash up’?
What is the difference between ‘wash up’ and ‘wash’?


texts:
If someone has already told me their name, but I forgot what it was, so I ask: "What was it your name was?"
Is that natural? And what else could I ask?


texts: Is there a fixed term for an educational drop In AE?

texts:
I need to know what Americans call an 'educational lag' (when a student due to some problems faces a drop in their study processes);
For instance:

  His studies have dropped substantially.

So what he has faced?

  An education lag
  An educational drop

Or what?


texts:
I know little or few means almost none or not as much as may be expected.

What is the meaning of the following sentence:

  I have little hope.

Does it mean no hope?


texts:
In Schindler's List (1993), Czurda ordered Oskar's workers to shovel snow:

CZURDA: You shouldn't think of them as yours, Oskar. You need to
understand that some of the officers here don't give a damn about
production. To them, it's a matter of national priority that Jews be
made to shovel snow. It's got nothing to do with reality, Oskar. You
know it and I know it. Jews shoveling snow, it's got a ritual
significance.

What does "It's got nothing to do with reality" mean?
I think he means, “it does not have to make sense.” Or “we want them to shovel snow because we want power over them, not because the snow needs to be shoveled”
Honestly not sure about that one.


texts: Is "I know what you've done to some of them" idiomatic?

texts:
Talking about the hostages. I know what you've done to some of them. Mike told me. But that stops now. Do you understand? We don't use those kinds of methods here.
Could anyone please tell me if the emboldened sentence is idiomatic. Something about it just sounds awkward to me, but I'm not a native speaker so what do I know. Hope you can help.


texts:
“Couldn’t Percy do that?” Harry asked. The last he had heard, the third Weasley brother was working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic. At these words all the Weasleys and Hermione exchanged darkly significant looks. “Whatever you do, don’t mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad,” Ron told Harry in a tense voice. “Why not?” “Because every time Percy’s name’s mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he’s holding and Mum starts crying,” Fred said. “It’s been awful,” said Ginny sadly. “I think we’re well shut of him,” said George with an uncharacteristically ugly look on his face.

Does it mean better? It is better to get rid of Percy at the moment?


texts: Greek God names versus Greek-borrowed Roman God Names in English

texts:
Is it possible, in English, to refer to a Greek God by its Roman name (eg. Jupiter), as opposed to its Greek name (e.g. Zeus). Or is Jupiter just a name of a planet? In Italy, people are taught this distinction, given that the names were copied, but the mythological stories for Rome are somewhat different than the ones for Athens. How would I make this distinction in English, when referring to these Gods/gods (whether I am referring to the Roman one or to the Greek one)? Is it at all possible?

NOTE: I know there is a manga cartoon called Sailor Moon, which hosts characters such as Sailor Jupiter, but I'm not quite sure that covers the trick.

There is also a mythology SE, but I felt this post was was-specific enough to the English language to post it here.

Thanks.


texts: What is wrong about the following phrases about the number of women in state legislatures?

texts:
According to a recent study by Rutgers University, […] in every election since 1968.

  [A] the number of women in state legislatures has grown
  [B] the number of women who are in state legislatures have grown
  [C] there has been growth in the number of women in state legislatures
  [D] a growing number of women have been in state legislatures
  [E] women have been growing in number in state legislatures

What is the problem with options C and E?


texts:
How would we form the superlative of the adjective common?

I thought it was most common, but my spelling checker recognizes commonest too.


texts:
What's the meaning of "Cultural wallop" in the following sentence

Seldom does a nonfiction book pack the cultural wallop that Dee Brown’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" did in 1970.
After all of these years, Wharton still packs a cultural wallop.


texts: to be an asset, not a liability -- what does this expression mean?

texts:
Example:

  Trump says Putin's support is an asset, not a liability.

What do people really mean when they say that something is an asset, not a liability? It seems like this expression has become very colloquial and you can hear it used a lot in many different contexts.


texts: what does "tendencies to the dramatic" mean in this sentence?

texts:
What does "the dramatic" mean in this sentence? I could get that the house in under a sad mood, my guess is that the sisters "tended to make dramas or mistakes, or getting attention in the family"?  or "they are afraid to be their normal selves just as not to get lectured during this special period"? Can anyone help me to get some specific picture of it?

Here is the sentence:

  My grandmother had died a month previously after a long illness, and that summer was veiled in a thin layer of sadness; it gently smothered everything we did, muting mine and my sister’s tendencies to the dramatic, and cancelling our usual summer routines of brief holidays and days out.

No special context here, just the narrator's flashback.


texts: What's the difference between "...THE English bookstores in Paris" and "...English bookstores in Paris"?

texts:
Is it okay to use "the" before "English bookstores" in the following sentence? If yes, how is it different from a sentence without "the"?

You can buy it from the English bookstores in Paris.

You can buy it from English bookstores in Paris.


texts:
Is this grammatically correct, and is the infinitive phrase functioning as a predicate nominative?

  The tree grew to envelop the whole yard.

My reasoning is that I am using the past tense form of the linking verb 'grow'.
Thanks for any help


texts: Asking about someone's day at the end of it

texts:
The situation is following:

A husband comes home after finishing at work. He wants to ask his wife about her day. How does he ask her?

What have you been up to today?
What did you do today?
What were you doing today?

They all seem natural to me (maybe except the third one). What do you think?


texts: Can you paraphrase this part of this passage from Jumpa Lahiri story, please?

texts:
I think that part is saying that his father had a habit of being drunken while watching TV, but the part I cannot understand is polishing off can of almond, I can not translate it in my language if I do not know about something about a possible culture of eating almonds , and how it ralates to being drunken, sorry that sounds silly, but I do need to understand it so that I can translate it in persian language in a good way. Not just translate words. Thank you for helping me.

  ...“Is she there with you?” I asked. “Would you like me to say something?” I said this more as a challenge than out of politeness, not entirely believing him. Since my mother’s death, I frequently doubted things my father said in the course of our telephone conversations: that he had eaten dinner on any given night, for example, and not simply polished off another can of almonds and a few Johnnie Walkers in front of the television. “They arrive in two weeks. You will see them when you come home for Christmas,” my father said, adding, “Her English is not so good.


texts: Present Continuous with state verb "see"

texts: I´ve passed some test and the quiestion was "We... our friends tonight" and answers "see, are seeing, are see". I chose "see" but the right is "are seeing". Isn´t it a mistake? if not, please, explaine the rule in short. thanks a lot


texts: American English Phonetics. Silent H in What's his name?

texts:
Is the letter 'h' silent when Americans pronounce the question 'What's his name?' in casual speech?
The question 'What's his name?' phonetically looks like: [wʌts_ɪz neɪm].

I think the words "WHAT'S" and "IZ" can be linked together because of the consonant + vowel. Am I right? Which words should I stress when I pronounce the question? "What" and "name"?

Any suggestion appreciated. Thank you!


texts: What are the differences between "but", "however", "nevertheless" and "nonetheless"

texts:
I am confused about where to use but, however, nevertheless and nonetheless. The meaning of all words are the same;

He works hard. But, he doesn't earn much.
He works hard. However, he doesn't earn much.
He works hard. Nevertheless, he doesn't earn much.
He works hard. Nonetheless, he doesn't earn much.

Could anyone clear my doubts, please?


texts:
Which usage is correct?

This is shown in/on the forecast.

The numbers are in/on the forecast.


texts: A saw B walking down the street - Who was walking?

texts:
Please explain how to know the meaning of this sentence:

  Amy saw her brother walking on the street.

Does that mean:

(1) Amy was walking on the street and saw her brother.
(2) Her brother was walking on the street and Amy saw him.


texts: Can continuous form of tense be used with "for" and "since"

texts:
I want to know if it is grammatically correct to use continuous form of tense be used with "for" and "since"?

For example: instead of They had been friends for six months if I say They were friends for six months then would it be correct.

Also, if you would outline the rules that with which all forms of verb "for" and "since" can be used then it would be very helpful.


texts: What's the difference between For and To?

texts:
Here's an example I'm trouble in.

  English is important for me.
  English is important to me.

Can anybody tell me which one to use?
If it depends on adjective, will you teach me it?


texts: What is the way to say that something is common, believed, advised?

texts:
What is the way to say that something is common, recommended, advised?

I've come up with the following phrase:

  It's considered that a good developer must know algorithms.

Is it idiomatic?


texts:
Should I say "I spend most of my time on Facebook" or "I spend most of the time on Facebook"?

Or both are correct?


texts: Usages of "as" and "although" with approximately the same meaning

texts:
A. Huge boulders, far too big to be used as they were, were lying throughout the bed of the quarry.

and

  B. Huge boulders,  although they were far too big to be used, were
  lying throughout the bed of the quarry.

Would anyone please show me if, especially semantically, there is any difference between the two bold parts?

Thanks in advance.

UPDATED: For clarification I had to edit my question. My Prof. has just shown me the following is correct and means the same thing. WOULD The sentences A and B, therefore, mean the same thing, as well? if so,why? why not?

1.Although it may seem straightforward, the argument is indefensible.

2.Straightforward as it may seem, the argument is indefensible.


texts: Vowels must start with 'a' so how we can say with eight 'an eight'? Even eight is plural. For example, set of eight elements or objects?


texts: Why are lakes called "Lake Soandso" but seas are called "Soandso Sea"?

texts:
I am an English teacher for Brazilians. I was explaining the Great Lakes, and after that I mentioned the sea in Europe and noticed that the names were in a reversed order:

  Which of the great lakes is the largest? Lake Superior.
  The Volga runs through Russia to the Caspian Sea.

"Lake Soandso" "Soandso Sea".  Why is it done that way?


texts: diffrence between two sentence, Please explain it

texts:
I am new in English, Please explain these two sentence

I did work

I worked

What is the different between these two sentence?


texts: What are these two forms of watch called?

texts: Nowadays in smartphones, computers or even in smart watches there are two types / form of watch display: one with clock hands and the second is simply three or four numbers (for example: 19:12). Can I call them simply as "clock hand form" or "digital numbers form"?  I tried to find out something about my question in a dictionary (using "clock hands") but I really didn't find. What are these two form of display called?


texts: About "too...to do" and "too... not to do"

texts:
As taught by our English language teacher back home who are not native speakers, we learn that "too...to do" contains the negative implication which means the opposite to the face meaning, as in "he is too young to visit adult sites= he is not old enough to do so."

While the above example is very simple and easy to understand, the following one is a little longer and much harder:

  "The plan offered to our deliberations affects too many particular interests, innovates upon too many local institutions, not to involve in its discussion a variety of objects foreign to its merits, and of views, passions and prejudices little favorable to the discovery of truth."

  From "The Federalist Papers" by Alexander Hamilton and his forefathers

And I notice there is a "not" before "to", that means, it is a double negative? The plan is complicated enough so we must do what? Perhaps the sentence is too long to be understood.


texts:
I went to the school when my principal arrived at my home.

Does it mean I was in school when when principal came to my home?

Can went to meaning here is like

  Where did you go this summer ?

  We went to water park this summer.

Or should I use had gone instead?


texts: Is there an expression like "Good Nights" in spoken/written English that differs from "Good Night"? People who speak Spanish language use "Buenas Noches" which literally means "Good Nights". The same goes for Turkish "İyi Geceler".


texts: What does 'accepting' mean in 'it comes down to how open-minded and accepting your parents are'?

texts:
I think it all comes down to how open-minded and accepting your parents - or anyone else for that matter - are.

Even though I have learned English for quite a long time, I still cannot figure this one out. I will be very thankful if you could explain it and analyse its sentence structure for me.

By the way, I wonder if the word accepting here is supposed to be considered as an adjective.

If so, what is the difference between:

  how your parents accept this matter

and

  how accepting your parents for this matter are

Well, I have never seen this before. Help!


texts: Differences among "transit", "transmit", "transfer", and "transport"?

texts:
I've searched on Google, however it was not useful really.
Can you tell me what are the differences among "transit", "transmit", "transfer" and "transport"?
A dictionary states that the 3 words (except "transit") all means :"to convey or move things from a place to another"

So "transit" seems to be different from the other three, doesn't it?

And do "transmit" and "transfer" have close meanings?


texts: How to understand ‘to say’ in ‘I find it difficult to know what to say.’?

texts:
I find it difficult to know what to say.

Why not say:

I find it difficult to know what was said.

I can not understand to say in the first sentence.


texts: "a of b" vs "b a". Example: "list of numbers" vs "numbers list"

texts:
Which one is more idiomatic?

"list of numbers" or "numbers list"
"table of sales figures" or "sales figures table"
"list of characters" or "characters list"

Thx


texts: "At the first possibility" and "at the first opportunity", are those interchangeable? Is option 1 grammatically correct?


texts: How to pronounce "-ers" ending words (r-colored vowel)

texts:
I searched through some phonology books and the Internet more than two hours to find out the answer about "-ers" ending pronunciation.
As I know, the suffix "-s" is pronounced as "/z/" if the last sound is a voiced sound such as dogs, cans, and beans.
However, I can't find the answer about how to pronounce "-s" after r-colored vowel words like hackers, fathers and farmers.
I guess it would be pronounced as /z/ since every vowel is voiced and the retroflex "r" is also voiced, so the r-colored vowel "ɚ" is also voiced one. Nevertheless, I have found many results that "-ers" ending words I mentioned above (hackers, fathers and farmers) are pronounced as "/ɚs/", not "/ɚz/." This makes me really confused. Please let me know if I know correctly or not.


texts:
I'm predicting the future of the environment. (1)
  I'm predicting the future in the environment. (2)

I said (1) is correct but my friend said (2). Which is correct?

Analyze future -> predict the "future" | "future" = environment's future


texts: How can I use a passive form of a gerund to replace the bold words?

texts:
During studying the book of "Top Notch", I come across the below sentence. Who can help me use a passive form of a gerund to replace the bold words?

We can't tolerate their calling us While we are eating dinner.


texts: Two verbs with different preposition in one sentence

texts:
I'm trying to say that one engineers something and is responsible for it at the same time.

  Engineering of and responsibility for applications for the area
  “Finance and Administration” in IT services, e.g. tools like the
  payroll app.

Is this kind of sentence structure allowed? Are there any ideas for improvements?

I don't really want to separate this part of the sentence "applications for the area “Finance and Administration” in IT services, e.g. tools like the payroll app."


texts: Could you explain when use 'turn' when use 'grow'?

texts:
Could you explain when use 'turn' when use 'grow' or they are the same anyway?
I do not feel the difference at least here and the like.

  And the fields have turned brown.
  As the evening sky grew dark.


texts: A phrase for describing the reaction of an element to an action

texts:
I have this sentence:

  In our software we ask the user to specify some elements by clicking on the <highlighted / being highlighted / active ...> HTML element

My purpose for the sentence:
Suppose you move the mouse over some elements and the border of each element under the mouse gets highlighted as the mouse enters it.

The element is not highlighted before the mouse enters it
The element gets highlighted as the mouse enters it

If I say "highlighted element", one can't know if it was highlighted before or it gets highlighted as the mouse enters it.

Which phrase can be used instead of "highlighted" to convey this only-present-not-past-tense relation?


texts: What is the meaning of "chastened at" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence in a chapter named "Going Places" which was:

"You told dad?" "She shook her head, chastened at his unawareness that he was always the first to share her secrets.

According to Oxford Dictionaries, "chasten" means - (of a rebuke or misfortune) have a restraining or moderating effect on.
But I'm having trouble figuring out what it implies in the sentence.


texts: What is the difference in meaning between output and result?

texts:
Let's say that we ran an analysis (e.g. statistical analysis). What is the difference in meaning between:

  The result of this statistical analysis

  The output of this statistical analysis

When can I use 'result' and when I can use 'output'?
What is correct synonym to "result" to be used?


texts: A word for not being too formal or restricted

texts:
I wrote:

  I like Persian Shekaste Nastaliq script because it is very free and wild.

By wild I tried to mean it is not much formal and restricted and one can do more innovation in the place of the letters, points, etc. However, it yet obey some rules.Is my usage correct? What other words can I use?

Some samples:
https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/327707310362629195/

https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/132504414010624889/

https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/224476362652861524/


texts: Please help me identify the grammatical part of a sentence

texts:
In the sentence below:

His plan was to create human figures in clay——2,500 of them—— each one unique, each one a tribute, though not an exact portrait in the traditional sense.

I'm not sure what the noun phrase, "each on unique, each one a tribute, though not an exact portrait in the traditional sense." function here? Nominative absolute?


texts:
I have the following sentence:

  Lemma 2 is a bit overkill for proving Lemma 3

I want to show that the proof of Lemma 3 hasn't used the full strength of Lemma 2. But I feel uncomfortable for above sentence. Any suggestions?


texts: Is “It was that year that...” grammatically correct?

texts:
I don't know if this sentence is grammatical and natural:

I have written a novel. It was that year that I entered university, and finished Beauvoir's Le Deuxieme Sexe (1949) in the library.

Would it be better to say it this way?:

I wrote my novel the year that I entered university, and finished Beauvoir's Le Deuxieme Sexe (1949) in the library.


texts: Is "must will be willing" grammatically correct?

texts:
In the clip below, Zizek praises the revolutionary violence of the Robespierre and argues that true revolutionary must will be willing to become victim to revolutionary terror.

Source: http://www.critical-theory.com/zizek-terror-awesome/

Is the phrase "must will be willing" grammatically OK? Does "will" function in that sentence as the main verb or auxiliary one that indicates future tense?


texts:
I usually hear the prerecorded sentence "Doors are closing" inside elevators.
Now I am curious to know why can't this sentence be "Doors are getting closed" instead of the one which is before-mentioned. Thanks in advance.


texts: Why is there a comma before but in the following case (dependent clause)?

texts:
The following example ends with a dependent clause, so I assumed I shouldn't put a comma before but:

  She was beautiful enough to attract men but not to intimidate them.

I checked similar sentences on this site.

It seems like there should be a comma in situations like these. Why is this?

Explanation by Grammarly.

Update:

Another example:

  He wore a long-sleeve shirt that was too big for him(,) but in a fashionable way.


texts: Should "Warren Buffett is quoted as saying" have the word "is" there?

texts:
When I was reading a book I notice something weird to me:

  Warren Buffett is quoted as saying,

Why the author use "is" after that the verb "quoted" with the past participle?
I think the "is" wrong he should write the sentence without "is" because the "is" in past participle:

  Warren Buffett quoted as saying.


texts:
As we know we have these kinds of trip:

bus trip

flight

cruise

which we could use the preposition "on" for each one. For example:

What did you do on the cruise?

Did you have good time on the flight?

We have another kind of trip that is "drive" .I want to know if I could use "on" for " drive" as well. For example, can I say?:

on the drive

We had a great time on our drive to Mexico.


texts: I achieved great results - or some great results?

texts:
For the last 2 year I've been using the method I described to you, and I achieved (some) great results.

Would such sentence look better with or without the determiner some?

What would be the difference in meaning or tone, if any?

I remember that omitting some can change the meaning in some situations, like in

  I bought (some) books! (telling to his wife upon entering the apartment)

Would imply, with some omitted, "I bought not some other thing(s), but books".


texts: What is the meaning of the sentence given below?

texts:
Context:

Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.

More specifically, I want to understand the meaning of "but so are you". This is a quote which I read on the internet.


texts: Order of adverb "immediately" in a phrase

texts:
I've been struggling with this aspect of the English language and i don't know if there are some rules to it that can help me. I've looked for answers on the internet but so far i haven't found anything that can help me clear my mind on this issue.

I was writing this phrase :

"I called at your offices immediately to report the situation and I was assured that it would be repaired soon"

Is there a rule of when the "immediately goes"?

I could rephrase it into this:

"I immediately called at your offices to report the situation and I was assured that it would be repaired soon"

Or even:

"I called immediately at your offices to report the situation and I was assured that it would be repaired soon" (a grammar tool i have on my computer suggests in this particular phrase to change the at to a "to")

Are any of those interchangeable?

Thanks in advance


texts:
A sentence from Longman Dictionary

  That smell of oil and candles and that light from a distant window and him on his knees, mumbling.

I can't make out the meaning of the sentence and thesubject.

Is it from literature?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I need an adjective that describes a document that is issued in the very end of a year, namely an academic year in school or college.
Let's say it is a report card. What adjective would fit here the best?

year-end report card  ?

final yearly report card  ?

whole-year report card  ?

?


texts: I had studied English since' I saw my teacher'. or 'since I had seen my teacher'?

texts:
What is the right expression between two sentences?

  I had studied English since I saw my English teacher.
  I had studied English since I had seen my English teacher.

I want to know which is right tense when we use the word 'since' in the past perfect sentence.


texts:
"I entered the classroom during the lesson. Students were paying attention."

Here the first sentence gives enough information that there must be students there.
And then I introduce them in the second sentence.

1) Is it correct usage?

2) What will be the difference from saying "the students"?

3) I understand no article can mean introducing some of the students there, but can mean all, so it's vague but acceptable, however when I mean roughly all, saying with no article as an introduction here  would be unnatural.

Do I feel it right?

Please, help. Thanks!


texts:
The dictionary meaning of pedestrian is someone who walks by foot. But in these sentences I'm not sure what the meaning is. Can someone help me understand the meaning of the word pedestrian here.

He lived a pedestrian life, working at the paper mill and living in his trailer.
Once Acharya was pointing out that you first have to satisfy your material needs before you can start thinking about things transcendental. But, being a more pedestrian sort, I apply it to more down-to earth contexts.


texts:
Professional interests continue to expand, Virgo, and you're managing to keep very busy. Your income is rising, and you could be achieving a certain prominence in your field. Nonetheless, you could be looking for new opportunities. The field you're in now may not be one that you want to continue for the next 20 years. This is therefore a good day to put out a few feelers and test the waters. You might be surprised at the opportunities out there. Source

I think it should be "are continuing to expand."


texts: Difference between "let the party get started" and "let's get the party started"

texts:
What's the difference between 2 sentences?

Or specifying the question: Can "let's get the party started" be interpreted the way ->

Let the party get started for us -> like "experience" form of causative?

Or shall we be concerned in that thing the party shall be started by anyone?


texts:
I just read some articles saying that Google has just announced its latest Android operating system named Android "Nougat".

I wanted to comment about this announcement. I said:

  I thought "Nugget" and "Nougat" were the same and were just the matter of local name

Should "local name" be "local names"?
Or does the phrase "were just the matter of local name" not fit at all?


texts: What's the difference in grammar between "Friend" and "Dog"?

texts:
According to my Aussie teacher these sentences are right:

  I have a dog, he is a York.
  The dog is good.

But these aren't:

  I have a friend, he is my classmate.
  The friend is good.

But what's the difference?
Source: My mind


texts: Is there a more casual way of saying "beyond reproach, criticism"? When I hear "beyond reproach", I find it that it sounds way too formal, and not too informal enough. It sounds like something a British actor would say, but it doesn't sound great if you speak with friends. Is there a way more casual way of putting it?


texts: Is it acceptable to use "he" as a neutral pronoun?

texts:
In Italian, when I am talking about an unknown person, I would use the third person singular, masculine. For example, I could say Chi ha rubato le chiavi alla ragazza è qualcuno che ha potuto avvicinarsi alla ragazza (literally, "he who has stolen the girl's keys is somebody who has been able to approach the girl"); if I would use the feminine gender, I would imply I am talking of a woman/girl. In this case, the sentence would not use qualcuno, but qualcuna.

Is using he as a neutral gender acceptable in English?
A friend of mine said that she considers using he as a neutral pronoun acceptable, but I have noticed that (for example) some error messages given from applications, or web sites use the singular they.


texts:
Richard was born in 1885 to Mr Blake and his wife Edith.

Is it a better form to express parents' name?


texts:
A friend of mine watches BBC Top Gear.

He sometimes hears the guys say "That would be that". What does that mean?


texts: What is the difference in meanings of the two sentences?

texts:
He was waiting for me when I reached arrived.
He had been waiting for me when I arrived.


texts: What is the grammatical structure of “I woke up tired”?

texts:
I woke up tired.
I grew up rich.

Can someone explain the position and functions of the adjectives tired, rich, poor in these sentences? Aren't adjectives supposed to always precede or succeed a noun and affect the meaning of it, not verbs?


texts: Run 2 runs, run 2 (can "runs" be dropped in colloquial language) [cricket]

texts:
I had a question related to Cricket. Colloquially, where the context's obvious, can "runs" be dropped to avoid duplication?

  The batsman  ran two runs.

But can it be (in a obvious context)

  The batsman ran two.

  The batsman should try to run two.

  The batsman should try for two.

Do all the sentences above sound natural? And do the last two sentences sound natural?


texts:
Source: http://rt.com/usa/160528-salinas-cop-fatal-shooting/

  The Tuesday afternoon shooting death of man alleged to have attempted to burglarize a Salinas, CA home and then expose himself to the person inside marks the second time this month — and third time this year — that officers there have come under fire for what some are calling excessive force.

What is shooting death and why is there not an article in front of man?


texts: Semicolon in "I put conditioner on my hairy knuckles; it makes them soft and shiny."

texts:
Is this semicolon correct?

  "I put conditioner on my hairy knuckles; it makes them soft and shiny."

(Ignore the strange statements, it's a project for year 7.)


texts:
If you fail to prove, manager will fire you.
  If you failed to prove, manager will fire you.

Which sentence is more appropriate for a scenario where the speaker is warning someone that they risk being fired if they fail in the future?


texts: can I use 'get' to say that a date hasn't passed yet?

texts:
Can I use 'get' to say that a date hasn't passed?
for example:

Q: "Is it Christmas yet?"

A: "No, we've not gotten there yet"


texts:
The issue is that we don't know how many people have been registered
to the site, and how many people are actually real people.

which is the same as

The issue is that we don't know how many people are actually real
people, and how many people have been registered to the site.

Do we put a comma before and? Most people would be tempted to not use a comma before and, but I am not sure if it's 100% necessary.
Another example:

If this is true, then it is almost certain that people will respond to
the government's action with violence, and the government will
escalate things to a boiling point where a widespread civil war
wouldn't be completely out of the picture in the coming weeks.

which is the same as:

If this is true, then it is almost certain that the government will
escalate things to a boiling point where a widespread civil war
wouldn't be completely out of the picture in the coming weeks, and
people will respond to the government's action with violence.


texts: Help to understand the use of 'but' in this sentence

texts:
They had the bodies, hind legs and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-coloured beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes.

I don't know why 'but' is used in this sentence. It seems to me that it could be either a conj. or prep. What's 'but' doing there? Will it change the meaning of the sentence?

-- From Harry Potter.


texts: "for the concentration of 750 ng/mL" vs. "for a concentration of 750 ng/mL"

texts:
The deviation of the measured concentration of the antibody in the model solutions from the nominal value should not exceed 20% for the concentration of 750 ng/mL.

The meaning is: when the nominal concentration specified for the model solution is 750 ng/mL, the values obtained through measurement should not deviate by more than 20% from 750 ng/mL.

I'm not sure whether to use the definite or the indefinite article here.

On the one hand, it is the concentration, it is the level specified for some model solutions.

On the other hand, I remember that we write "keep the solution at a temperature of 10 °C". We use the indefinite article here, and I drilled myself into using it, because it is hard to "feel" why there should be that a there. And "for a/the concentration of ZZZ ng/mL" is a construction that looks similar.


texts:
Even if determinism isn't true for everything that happens—even if
  some things just happen without being determined by causes that were
  there in advance—it would still be very significant if everything we
  did were determined before we did it. However free you might feel when
  choosing

  [Thomas Nagel - What does it all mean? p.52]

What does the word "it" mean?


texts:
I would call you.

What does this mean?

1) Am I being doubtful about calling someone?  Like less probability of calling someone.

2) Just saying that I will call if some conditions happen.
Like in conditional sentences such as: if my mobile had charge, I would call you.


texts:
Recently, when film actor Sushant Singh Rajput passed away, a famous daily reported it using this sentence: "While the police have confirmed that he has died by suicide ...".

Is "died by suicide" correct? If not, what would be the correct preposition?


texts: What's the difference between "blow the brain up" and "blow the brain out"?

texts: Do they both roughly mean the same thing? When I am thinking of the phrase, I think of someone shooting someone's brain and blowing it to pieces? Are both of these phrases used to say such a thing?


texts:
Here's what I've found so far, about "where and somewhere".

  I'd like to go somewhere where there is a lot of people.

"Somewhere" means Unknown or Unspecified places that I might or could choose to go to, which is what I want to say here.So I think it's right.

But, how about this?

  I'd like to go to somewhere where there is a lot of people.

This could be not right, because "somewhere" could be like "at/in/to(prepositions) a place" in many situation. So, if I say "to somewhere", it could be like "to to somewhere", which is not right.

And, what about "where""

  I'd like to go where there is a lot of people.

I think "where" means one known and specified or definite place that both the speaker and the listener might know. This is not grammatically wrong, but the implication is kind of awkward, so I think is not right.

But how about this?

  I'd like to go to where there is a lot of people.

I think it's right. "Somewhere" could be like "a place where", so if I say like "to somewhere", it could be awkward. but "where" is not like that. I would like to stick to using "preposition + where" form.

If my guess is not right, could you let me know the difference between where and somewhere ?


texts: Passive voice and Active voice with respect to "there are", "they are" "there is" and when there is no action

texts:
From my understanding the difference between Passive voice and Active voice is based on action. For example, "Steve loves Amy" - active. "Amy is loved by Steve." - passive.

Now what if there is no action in my sentence? How do I know whether it's active voice or passive voice? Here are a few examples.

  There is a dog lying on the floor.  - Here "lying" is not an action but state.
  The moon is visible through the window. - No action here.
  There are several display panels around the control deck. - No action. This is just a statement which describes a scene.
  John and David are sitting on the floor.
  There are a few other kinds of flowers in the garden.

Basically all these sentences are trying to describe a scene or picture. No action is performed by anybody here. I'm not sure whether these are active or passive voice, and if so, how? Are these sentence neither active nor passive voice?


texts:
From a tutorial

It doesn’t matter which way round the sounds are.
You can link /d/ to /t/ or /t/ to /d/.

To my ear, it sounds like

It doesn’t matter which way around the sounds are ...

I guess I understand the meaning of it as a whole sentence, which is, both orders a to b and b to a are acceptable and understandable.
I am just not familiar with the usage "way round" or "way around"
Ngram Viewer shows both are common, the actual use in first pages don't convey ideas similar to the one above.

Could someone help me on this?


texts:
Carly DuHain, the lead singer for local soulful, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll band Drop Dead Red, has a tattoo on her right arm of a pinup girl that says Drop Dead Red. (source)

I find the sentence strange without the definite article before "local souful, bluesy rock 'n' roll band". Shouldn't it be:

  Carly DuHain, the lead singer for the local soulful, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll band Drop Dead Red, has a tattoo on her right arm of a pinup girl that says Drop Dead Red.

I am trying to compare it with, say, these sentences:

  Bezos, the CEO of company Amazon, has a tattoo. (strange, ungrammatical)

  Bezos, the CEO of the company Amazon, has a tattoo. (grammatical)

Am I correct to think the original sentence is incorrect and missing an article?


texts:
Turkish, unlike many Indo-European languages, contains no articles at all!

This sentence is in the welcome page of the Turkish course on Duolingo, I tried to search for it, but I couldn't find any explanation. What does 'article' mean in that context?


texts: Spent time doing/ have no business doing something/ Have a job doing

texts:
I do not really understand the use of participles in these kind of sentences.

  1- We spent the first month just debating what to call
  ourselves.

  2- You had no business reading my private letters.

  3- I have a job bussing tables at the coffe shop.

Are all of the sentences above missing out "in"

  1'- We spent the first month just in debating what to call
  ourselves.

  2'- You had no business in reading my private letter

  3'- I have a job in bussing tables at the coffe shop.

  4- I work at the coffee shop bussing tables.

I think the latter one okay to me(4). My interperation is something like that for the use of participle:

Bussing tables is part of working at the coffe shop.". In the process of working at the coffe shop, I am bussing the tables.

But I can't understand the use of the participle in the other sentences.


texts: Put/Take ; In/Out: What is a verb useable for both?

texts:
"He was asked to put the blocks in and take the blocks out of the box."
What is an alternative to "put/take" in this sentence, so that the sentence can read "He was asked to [verb] the blocks in and out of the box."


texts: Is it correct to say "I hardly remember myself being at your age"

texts:
Lately I used this sentence in a conversation, but somehow it didn't feel right.
I was wondering if any of these

  I hardly remember myself being at your age

or

  I hardly remember how it was back in your age

are correct?


texts: In French, we use the term informatique for computer science, as the latter can be seen as the science that studies the treatment of information. Is informatics a synonym for computer science? If not, what is the difference?


texts: If I hold someone's hand, I can express it as 'I hold him.' Then, how can I exactly describe I only hold someone's hand, not the other parts of his body? Is just saying 'I hold his hand' enough?


texts:
I can not understand what is the main meaning here?

  Show people you're selling this product at a discount by setting a
  sale price in addition to the regular price.

From Facebook help.


texts: What does ”to do so” mean in this sentence?

texts:
As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so.

In this sentence, does “to do so” mean “to bait me”?
My teacher asked me to rewrite “to do so” to understand exact meanings.


texts: By the age of 18, I (decided / had decided) not to go to university

texts: Are both these versions of the sentence equally grammatical? If so, is there any significant difference in meaning?


texts:
I came across this sentence:

  A tiny filed mouse had been out in the wood that day gathering nuts.

Does had been out in the wood mean had been out from the wood? If so, what is the difference between them?

In addition, does "A tiny filed mouse had been out to the wood" make sense?


texts: is "contrary" used correctly in this sentence?

texts:
English teachers are notorious for being picayune; however, the English language is so nuanced and sophisticated that often such teachers are not being contrary but are only adhering to the rules.

What is contrary to what?


texts:
I've come across this conversation exchange in the transcript of a textbook:

  (the speakers are discussing that a friend of theirs has been dismissed because he was sending personal emails from the company's computer)

  Laura: That's a bit unfair, isn't it?

  Dom: You say that, but actually what happened to him was he visited ...

I think I can guess what the meaning of "you say that" is: "you say that because you don't know the whole truth", but I'd never heard that phrase. I'm looking it up in different dictionaries but I can't find it.

Is it an usual phrase to indicate that somebody's guess is wrong?


texts: Question about meaning of "its built in safety feature"

texts:
On Monday, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, who heads the agency co-ordinating the search, said it was time to deploy the Bluefin-21 to begin its search of the sea floor. It set off on its first mission on Monday night." After completing around six hours of its mission, Bluefin-21 exceeded its operating depth limit of 4,500m and its built in safety feature returned it to the surface," the Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre said in a statement.

Its built? What is it?

I may understand the meaning of safety feature, but it is very difficult to figure out what does "its built" mean.


texts: First English Book for Children with non-English Mother tongue - Age 2+

texts:
My nephew (Age 2) is about to visit and I was looking online for a book that is like an introduction to the English language. He already has several books in German that contain plenty of nouns and verbs and I thought I might sneak an English book into his life which is similar to the above mentioned.

So the general question would be where should a child this age start and what books would you highly recommend for the purpose?


texts:
Present tense

  I should screenshot this.

  He is taking a screenshot.

Past tense?

  I screenshotted that.

  He took a screenshot.

I don't know if the above past tenses are correct. is screenshotted even a correct word?


texts: Should I write "discussed regarding monthly report to Peter" or "discussed to Peter regarding monthly report"?

texts:
Which is the correct way of writing from following sentences.

I have discussed regarding monthly report to Peter in his office.
I have discussed to Peter regarding monthly report in his office.


texts: Is it natural to "MLB 2020 season is going to begin on July 23"?

texts:
Note: This post is focused on the pattern event will happen vs. event is going to happen, rather than someone will do something vs. someone is going to do something
This one is adapted from mlb.com

Major League Baseball 2020 season will begin on July 23.

Is it still natural if I say it this way?

Major League Baseball 2020 season is going to begin on July 23.

Ngram Viewer shows the former is more common than the latter. Is it because "will" is more formal than "is going to"?
Is it clear and natural to call MLB season an event?


texts: "When would be convenient for you to meet?" VS "When it will be convenient for you?"

texts:
I have to write a formal email to my manager for arranging a short meeting.
What is the more formal and correct expression in this context:

  When would be convenient for you to meet?

  When it will be convenient for you?

  Please would you indicate a suitable time to meet?

For instance, consider:

Hi XXX,

My contract is almost over, I would like to arrange an appointment/short meeting to discuss about it.

When would be convenient for you to meet?

Thanks
My name


texts:
    One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his
  Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn 't as
  bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of
  her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let
  Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that
  tasted as though she'd had it for several years.      That evening,
  Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new
  uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers,
  and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks,
  used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This
  was supposed to be good training for later life.      As he looked
  at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it
  was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and
  said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked
  so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He
  thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to
  laugh. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

What does it refer to or what role does it take?


texts: And for many loyal Labour Party supporters this weekend their ‘Whammy Burger’ moment arose at around 11am on Sunday when they were tapped up for £20 via an email which addressed them: Dear Firstname. It’s a small thing, but then it’s a whopping thing too.


texts: How to write this without any confusion? How do I refer 'he' to someone?

texts:
I was writing a title in which, I need to mention two men and a woman. But the context made me think twice. I am finding an unambiguous way to tell it in the Title.

  Nick told Arnold's girlfriend that he's the best husband

The confusion arises as Nick is married! Who's 'he' in the sentence now? I want to say that Nick told the girlfriend that go, marry Arnold, he's the best husband.

In the given title, there are chances that people think that Nick is bragging about himself taunting that no matter what, Arnold cannot be a better husband than him! Just in a friendly way...no offense. They all are friend...good friends in fact.


texts: Alternative to 'apart from the purpose to'

texts:
Consider you want to contrast another purpose of your work with one you just mentioned. You could write for example:

  Apart from the purpose to validate ..., we also hope that ... .

What are other alternatives to this expression ?


texts: Why in one case 'wrong' is used 'of' in other 'with'?

texts:
In one case it is used 'of' in other 'with' prepositions. Is there any grammar with other adverbs or adjectives in that regard? In 1 (with it) and 3 (with nothing) we have the same constructions but different prepositions. Why?

  It was very wrong of you.
  I think there's something wrong with you.
  Nothing was wrong with you.


texts:
"A great deal of thoughts(are/is) into the designing of the auditorium".
Is it "is" or "are"?give explanation for the correct answer.My book says it is "is".I think its a typing mistake of my book.


texts: I'm looking for the meaning of 'metrological center' in an engineering context

texts:
What does "metrological center" in this sentence mean?

  The inverse cubic fit allows to determine the center of the dechirper with respect to the electron beam, which might differ from the metrological center.


texts: (How many years) have you been married?/studying English?

texts:
Grammar books set rules for ELL when they want to ask questions to use present perfect form for counting, and present perfect progressive for periods of time.

Now what if you want to ask about a period of time in years, i.e. the question is a counting and a period at the same time? Does the question below sound natural or awkward?

Present Perfect Progressive:
How long have you been married? (this is OK)

  (How many years) have you been married for? (Is it OK?)

Present Perfect:

  (How many years) have you studied English? (Is it OK?)

If none is OK, how would you ask otherwise if you want the answer in years?


texts:
Can somebody help me with below sentences.

a) Suppose I changed/change my mind would this change the situation.

b) Suppose I receive/received it on time i would revert you on time.


texts: Why do some introductory words are always followed by a comma and others aren't?

texts:
Some examples.

However is always followed by a comma. Examples.

Mostly is almost always followed by a comma. Examples.

Rather is 50-50, I think. Examples. (I think this is the case with so too.)

Mainly is more often written without comma. Examples.

So my question is, how to tell which introductory words always require a comma and which don't? Also, do they belong to different categories?

I refer to these type of examples:

  "Mostly the population is concentrated in the Zhovtnevy and the
  Prymorsky Raions."

They decided not to put a comma there ... but I think you could put a comma there also.


texts: Is it possible to use past perfect tense without using a certain time of past?

texts: and I'm wondering this omission happens frequently and when it happens.


texts: May I say "Have you seen that song" = "heard about"?

texts:
Consider this expression

  Dude, have you seen that song? It is insane.

Obviously saying 'heard' in place of 'seen' make more sense, but over here what I want to ask is Have you heard about the song not exactly hearing the actual song?


texts:
Do I have to use 'by' only with a verb (when the preposition introduces an actor)? Can I drop the verb? For example

The word “каратель” in Russian ("a punisher") is strongly associated with punitive operations against civilians [carried out] by the Nazis during World War II.


texts:
I would like to know whether the usage of "also" followed by "and" is grammatically correct.

Even if it's grammatically correct I want to know if one of the words is redundant there.

Here is a sample sentence.

  I have attached the sample experience letter and also my relieving letter from the company.


texts: I could have picked up a dozen of those for next to nothing in the Cairo marketplace


texts: How can an English learner be sure of the correct object type for a transitive verb?

texts:
I am trying to improve my understanding of English. My question relates to transitive and intransitive verb. Transitive verb always require objects and objects can be many types. Object can be gerund, infinitive, wh clause, that clause etc.

When I try to follow dictionary they do not explain the type of object to follow. How an English learner can be sure that in writing paragraphs he is using the correct form of object?

The second questions is can I always use intransitive verbs as transitive verbs? In that case I do not need to remember the difference types of verbs. If I cannot use every verb as a transitive verb then is there a tip to differentiate them?


texts: How can I construct this form "I'd like to know which book to read its summary"?

texts:
The construction I want to form is ...which X to Verb "its" Noun.

Specifically this question:
"How can I decide which book to read fully and which one to read only its summary?"

Is this question construction correct?

Thank you


texts:
You have to supervise the task while I'm away.

You'll have to supervise the task while I'm away.

You have to supervise the task if I'm away.

You'll have to supervise the task if I'm away.

Do they all refer to a particular time in the future when the speaker will be away?


texts: What's the difference between A portrait of my mother and my mother's portrait?

texts:
There's a portrait of my mother in that room.

There's my mother's portrait in that room.

Are the both sentences the same in the meaning?


texts:
All the photographs in this book, unless stated otherwise, date from the 1950s.

Can I replace "unless stated otherwise" with "unless they are stated otherwise"? Does the sentence make sense to you?


texts:
PASSIVE: “They are likely to be punished.”
  ACTIVE:
  　(A) It is likely that they will be punished.
  　(B) It is likely for someone to punish them.
  　(C) It is likely that someone will punish them.
  　(D) Someone is likely to punish them.

This is a question put in an entrance exam.

I googled but couldn't find the answer. To me, all of them seem confusingly correct. But only one must be correct.


texts:
Which word should I use when I mention a song which reminds me of some memories.

  Someone : Do you listen to these old songs?

  Me : Yeah these songs  convey a  lot of memories for me.

Does it sound natural?


texts: The rubber band has become loose,is loose

texts:
If a rubber band loses its elasticity, will it be natural to use "loose" in this context?

  The band has become loose.

  This band is now loose.

Is the use of "loose" in this context natural? Does it mean that the band has "lost its elasticity "?

Or should it be :

  This band has been stretched too much.


texts: What are the content and functional words?

texts: Now, I start studying English as a foreign language. I wonder that what are the content and functional words? Are they the same as parts of speech?


texts:
When a politician stresses a particular issue (corruption, poverty, illegal immigration, and so forth), what do you call it? I considered 'talking point', 'selling point', 'agenda', but none of them seems to fit. For example

Racial inequality has become the candidate's prime _________ during the congressional campaign.

I guess you could say 'point of agenda', but I don't like it. It's like I forgot some natural way of saying it.


texts: Possessive form of the noun...why is it incorrect?

texts:
Jem could be malicious at times, as shown from Scout's explaining that
  Jem was pure evil.

When I wrote this sentence, everyone said that I should not use the possessive form of "Scout" for some reason.

I thought that it doesn't matter whether I use it or not and that I am actually encouraged to use it, but they said that it just does not make sense.

I myself strongly believe that when the noun is followed by a gerund of any type, it is fine to change the noun to possessive form if the noun is not plural.

For instance: His being a foreigner made thing a little difficult.

So why are they saying it is incorrect usage? Or is it actually correct?