texts:
Eve told Eric "we're on a break", but Eric misunderstood it for a break time.
 Eric : Maybe I'll check on her in an hour.
Paul: I don't think that's how breaks work, Eric.
Eric:  ***I've never taken more than a 30-minute break. Then it's back to work.***
I can't understand the Erics last words. How it relates with this situation?


texts: What's the meaning of "fumbling over the words"?

texts:
The Macmillan dictionary says: Fumble means to try to hold, move, or find something using your hands in a way that is not skilful or graceful

Then, it explains the idioms Fumble for/about/with/around.

What does "Fumble Over" mean? And what's the meaning of "fumbling over the words" in Lie a little better song by Lucy Hale?


texts: Formulation of a phrase with the word “match”

texts: I am novice to English language. Is it possible to write: "there are several dimensions that match.."?


texts: Singular and plural form in a section title

texts:
This is a quick short question, but it hinders me every time when I write a section title. For example, if I want to use a single word 'question' as a section title, should I use it in a singular form ('question') or in a plural form ('questions')? I assume the same rule goes for every other case.

PS. The supposed 'question(s)' section will contain a number of questions.


texts:
I was wondering what (if any) punctuation needs to precede a proper noun in the following sentence:

  The student John.

That is, there is a student named John, and I am referring to them as a student.
 For example, "The student John likes reading."

Some solutions I surmised include "The student, John", or "The student: John."
But I don't know what is correct.

I'm guessing that The student John is correct, but I'd like a competent opinion.

Thank you so much to whoever can help explain this.
Also, grammar criticisms of this post are highly welcome.


texts:
Roses are seen as the most dangerous kind of flower.

In my example, the idea may be incorrect, but it's the only simple example I can think of.

Which one of these two words should be plural? kind or flower?

Also, should anything be replaced (with an alternative sentence construction, for example)?
roses in this case here have a general meaning because there are different varieties of roses.


texts:
I remembered crying when I first lost a patient due to an infection
  easily treatable, had we had the antibiotics and the money to buy
  them. (source)

There’s a subjunctive after adjective phrase and the former seems to be a condition for the latter. In this case, is the highlighted part an adjunct for adding the condition or what?


texts: What's the semantic meaning of 'been to'?

texts:
I've read lots of threads about "I've been to London'.

And I know that what the sentence means.
But nonetheless, I am curious about the semantic meaning.

I've understood the sentence like that 'been' means fundamentally very much simillar to 'existed', and 'to' means, unlike 'toward(s)', that the sum of the both meanings 'direction' and 'arrived'.
Based on the above information, I think 'been to' means that   'I existed at where I arrived after leaving home'. Therefore if 'have' added, I suppose 'have been to' would mean that 'I have a situation that I existed at where I arrived after leaving home' by regarding the verb 'have' as a verb kind of having an object. In this way I can understand why the sentence 'I've been to London' has the meaning of experience. But is it also possible way, despite unusual, to think that as I am still at London? because I can have the situation at London where I arrived after leaving home until now.

And people say the sentence implies 'has gone' and 'has come back.' But I think it could be so only if a context is of experience. But if a context not of it, I think the 'have been to' couldn't imply 'has come back', but only 'has gone'.


texts:
Listen to the song and rejoice.
The officer listened to the request of the farmers.
He is still in the hang-over of the music he listened to yesterday.
I was bored by listening to her story.
Honourable audience, please listen to me!
Boys do not listen to us when they come of age.
This boy is very obstinate. He does not listen to anything.
It is better to see in person rather than listen to others’ talk.
The chief minister listened to the appeals of the public.
We can understand why he is popular when we listen to the prime minster speaking.
The baby went to sleep listening to his mother’s affectionate lullaby.

Above all sentences have "listen+to" and  I have heard "listen+to" is the intransitive verb. All the above sentences are translated into our language (Kannada) then it becomes "transitive verb" with meaningful and correct sentences.  If those sentences are translated as "intransitive verbs" then all sentences are incorrect and we get meaningless sentences. Here is my doubt. If the thought is same (in both native and non native speakers mind) then why these sentences differs from one another?


texts: I came across this phrase in the cartoon Dexter's Laboratory(S01E11 06:23).But i have found no explanation about this either in a dictionary or on Internet.Is it kind of a nonce which is coined by Dexter and can only be seen in this cartoon?


texts:
I already google but i but i cant able to understand, so if you explain for below example, it will help me to understand clearly.....

for example, If an order came from Government to people

  Education is Compulsory up to age 15.

or

  Education is Mandatory up to age 15.

what is the exact difference?

which order has the highest order priority to people?


texts: Is the following usage of past progressive correct?

texts:
What is the difference between the past continuous and the simple past usage of these sentences?

  They were fighting Nazis for three days.

And

  They fought Nazis for three days.

Can we use them both interchangeably? Or would past continuous in #1 would be right?


texts:
I feel most the time there is a "the" before of-phrases

Consider the following sentence I wrote:

  As an example of the role of the context in the classification of a node, suppose we want to remove the navigation links in the sidebar.

Is "the classification of a node" correct? Does "classification" need "the"? Why?

I can imagine "the user of the application" or "the man who is tall" are specific, but can't imagine how "classification" is specific, then what would be the meaning of "..the role of the context in classification of a node..."


texts: "How many people in the world" or "How many people are in the world"?

texts:
(a) How many people in the world?
  (b) How many people are in the world?

Do we have to put 'are' or not?

Also, will we answer like a) or b)?

  (a) Many people are in the world.
  (b) Many people in the world.

Which is grammatically correct?


texts: as, when, and while in "when you are having a bath"

texts:
I saw the following sentences and am wondering whether as, when and while are interchangeable.

  As / While / When I was walking down the street I saw Joe driving a
  Porsche.

  The telephone always rings as / while / when you are having a bath.

  As / While /When they were playing cards, somebody broke into the
  house.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
He was putting his shirt.

The shirt was stuck on his head.

He just pulled on the front.

  "Pull behind." (ommit "it" after pull)

  "Pull the shirt behind."

Do we need to say it in complete sentence as the second one？


texts: Why is there inversion in "I want to understand what is it that allows non-alcoholics to understand alkies."?

texts:
From "The Collected Ernie Kurtz" (2008), page 120:

  This is why I am so interested in the biographies of those early people: I want to understand what is it that allows non-alcoholics to understand alkies.

Why is it "what is it" and not "what it is"?

According to the so-called "Penthouse Principle", we should not invert the order of words if the clause is not a main clause.

I chanced upon the quoted sentence when I was composing an answer for this question: “I want to understand what my options are” or “I want to understand what are my options”?.


texts:
When I read a article:

  Today, I’ll show a hack to keep using sketch.

What's the meaning of show a hack?

EDIT

I can guess the show a hack general meaning, but I don't know why the meaning can use hack to express.


texts:
It is rendered as DCDM at a 4K resolution as used to create the Master
  video.

What does "as used to" mean? Does it mean "4K resolution which is used to create the Master video"?

I couldn't find the source link. It's about video formatting.


texts: what does it mean by "triple their share of the population"?

texts:
Considerable improvement in the treatment of HIV has also decreased premature deaths for black men, who were hammered by the epidemic. An estimated 42% of the 1.1m Americans living with HIV today are black, triple their share of the population. At the peak of the epidemic, around 1994, the virus was killing blacks at an age-adjusted rate of nearly 60 per 100,000-or three times the rate at which opioid overdoses killed whites in 2017.

Is the subject of "triple their share of the population" black people?
and 42% is the result of being "tripled"?
and what does "the population" in their share of the population refer to? Is it Americans as a whole?

Can anyone help me with this sentence?


texts: Specifying the auxiliary verb before and after the coordinating conjunction

texts:
Are the following two sentences identical?

  It has given me real satisfaction and  motivated me to perform my duties toward mankind.

And

  It has given me real satisfaction and has motivated me to perform my duties toward mankind.


texts: Confusion regarding usage of "has" and "is"

texts:
Which one is correct :

  A plane has crashed in USA today.
  A plane is crashed in USA today.


texts:
Is this sentence correct?
"I have all the documents and I should be filing it this week."
I know (I will be filing...) would work, but I was just wondering if the above sentence is acceptable.


texts:
The cricketer was given out leg before wicket.

What is the meaning of the idiom ¨ be given out¨ in the sentence above?


texts: What does this sentence mean? Having been released from prison,

texts:
Can anyone explain to me what this sentence means? The grammar is confusing to me.

Is “have been” related to the person talking to himself, or could it relate to other people?

  having been released from prison, many people subsequently reoffend.


texts:
The performer died after falling ill on stage. This was thought by the audience to be a part of the act, until emergency services were called in, the audience was evacuated, and he was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

Is until the same as the coordinating conjunction but, connecting a group of independent clauses. It is not prepositional in use, unlike the below example which is viewed as independent?

  I will keep the donations until your 18th birthday, and until such time I will keep the contents secure.


texts: What is the meaning of "at least as close as"?

texts:
Suppose there are two locations: A and B. It is given that A is closer to me than B, or A and B are equidistant.

Which of the following statements are logically correct?

A is at least as close as B
B is at least as close as A
A is at most as close as B

I feel that the first statement is correct. However, if seen logically "at least" means "greater than or equal to", so by that logic A would be at a greater distance than B.

The statement: "B is at least as far as A" is logically correct. But I am getting confused with the other statements.

Can somebody please explain the logical meaning of these statements?


texts:
1.When a connector is added to a co-ordinating conjunction what is the combined entity called ? An emphatic conjunction? Example-He is young and therefore,strong.(and therefore)

2.Similarly, when an adverb precedes a subordinating conjunction, what will the combined entity be called? Ex-if He arrived immediately after we left(immediately after) Thanks


texts: Let us do what we want or Let "we" do what we want?

texts:
I took an exam and the test included this exercise
Rewrite the sentence:

Don't stop us doing what we want!

-> Let.................................

At first I thought it was "Let us do what we want", but when my teacher corrected, she told us that the answer was "Let we do what we want". Still, she said that the first one was ok.
I have never heard "Let we do what we want" so which one should I choose?


texts:
I read a news here that says:

  Mother Teresa of Calcutta to be made a saint

Now my question is: We all know Mother Teresa very well. To my mind, there is no other Mother Teresa who has done a similar type of work for humanity. So, is it necessary to write 'of Calcutta' after her name? Can't we write:

  Mother Teresa to be made a saint

I find 'of X' a derogatory remark for the third-world countries as if European Mother Teresa is no longer a European and she belongs to Calcutta. Maybe I sound a bit upfront here, but I would appreciate if natives will clear my doubts. My only concern is which type of writing style is this?


texts: When a child/an adult sit with their shoulders towards each other

texts:
Please imagine someone draws their shoulders towards each other and lowers their chin towards their chest. What they are doing?
For more clarification please have a look on my added pics and let me know what a mother should say to her children when they "sit" or "stand" like these:

  1.a. Don't slouch. Sit straight.
  1.b. Don't hunch. Sit straight.
  1.c. Don't hunch over. Sit straight.

and

  2.a. Don't slouch. Stand straight.
  2.b. Don't hunch. Stand straight.
  2.c. Don't hunch over. Stand straight.

Bringing up this question I needed to enquire whether these verbs mean the same and are interchangeable or not. If not, then how do they differ in meaning, connotation and usage?

Also, I wonder what are the standard forms of these two sentences?


texts: The usage of *undoubtedly*,*doubtless*, *doubtlessly* and *no doubt*

texts: I found out that doubtless can be used as an adverb as well as undoubtedly.And I don't see the difference. Could someone kindly explain if there's any? Then I found doubtlessly, which is not in every dictionary. Why? Isn't it quite correct to use that? All of them seem to mean "certainly" or "without doubt". Is there any difference in usage?Thank you.


texts: In a TV Series, I heard an actor say 'Love' as in British |o| Job and not Love as in |la|, is it a British Dialect or something?

texts: Yet, when I looked it up in the dictionary, the word 'love' is pronounced the same either in British or American Accent. Thank you & Have a lovely day!


texts:
I am confused now because I don't know what is the difference between in/to in the sentence like this one.

For example : She has been to York. (And) She has been in York.

She was in London (and) She was to London.
What is the difference between them, do they have different meanings?


texts: Questions about the sentence "All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle" from Lord of the Flies

texts:
I still have another question about the sentence "All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat" from the novel "Lord of the flies".

https://yadi.sk/i/uPxx0YAzuTL6s

  The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon. Though he had taken off his school sweater and trailed it now from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair was plastered to his forehead. All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat. He was clambering heavily among the creepers and broken trunks when a bird, a vision of red and yellow, flashed upwards with a witch-like cry; and this cry was echoed by another.

The sentence in which I still have another question is below.

  All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat.

Which is the subject of the sentence?
Which is the predicate of the sentence?
Which is the object of the sentence?


texts:
Ex:

1)The illness causes chest pains and flu-like symptoms [suffix type of ''like'']

2)The illness causes chest pains and symptoms like flu. [preposition type of ''like'']

İs there any difference between these two sentence in the meaning in nuance and are both sentences correct grammatically?


texts: "Not much of skyscraper by today’s standards, is it really?"

texts:
Please help me know, what is the exact meaning of the following sentence and what could be the context where I would use it?

Not much of skyscraper by today’s standards, is it really?


texts:
I have always understood "with view of someone" to mean can be seen by someone. But I have seen several sentences where the phrase seemingly means can see something from a vantage point, e.g.:

  The safari-style glamping situation offers in-tent bathrooms, showers, king-size beds, and solar power all within view of Lincoln’s stony face.

This line (from here) talks about a camping site near Mount Rushmore. Merriam Webster also seems to suggest this phrase has two distinct and almost opposite meanings, but there's some ambiguity in its examples. So is this usage common/accepted?


texts: Annotations or explanations for difficult reputable English writing?

texts:
The following generated another idea on How to improve understanding of long sentences in prose? Are there any books, guides, or annotated editions that explain or gloss complex English writing, for the mystified and those who may have misinterpeted?

If and as far as possible, this aid should gloss or paraphrase the text, at least every few lines as needed,
right alongside the text for easy cross-reference,
and should advise on and reveal the steps and thought processes behind how to do so.

I seek neither literary criticism, which presupposes thorough comprehension, nor mere footnotes (eg Arden's Shakespeare), which are terse or only encaspulates history. Maybe counterparts or parallels to No Fear Shakespeare and Barron's Simply Shakespeare? Yet I seek other authors, not Shakespeare.

  5. Break it down. Don't skim. Take it in. Absorb the language like a
  wet sponge. Read a chapter then put the book down and try to take in
  what you have read. If you look up 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by
  Coleridge, he actually writes next to a stanza, explaining what[']s going
  on in that stanza. Take a leaf from his book. After each chapter write
  2-3 sentences explaining the chapter ...


texts: Which of the nouns is more appropriate for couple that are not married? (spouse, partner, mate)

texts:
If I am talking about my girl / woman, then if I'm married I can say simply "my wife". But if I'm not married what I can say?

Iv'e checked the definition for spouse, but it's for "a person's husband or wife". I understand that it's not for the one that a person live with without marriage.

Then I've checked the definition of "mate" and it's "UK informal word used as a friendly way of talking to someone, especially a man". In this word there are 2 problems: 1. it's informal. 2. it's mainly for women. It's not interchangeable between the genders.

Then I've checked the definition of "partner", and it's "the person you are married to or living with as if married to them, or the person you are having a sexual relationship with". So it seems that this the only formal one noun for referring to both genders while living without marriage ("living with as if married to them" as Cambridge says). Is that correct?


texts: These look like fragments. Help me to understand why they are okay to use

texts:
“How did I escape? With difficulty. How did I plan this moment? With pleasure. ”
  ― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo

I recently found out that when writing lists, items in a list don't have to be complete sentences, like "You might write to: Inform".

After this writer utilizes a question mark, it seems to get written, "With difficulty". That's not a sentence. Maybe I don't get how sentences utilize a subject, a verb, and an object. Some writers don't seem to utilize this. I don't think I understand. When can I write a complete sentence or not, when some writers seem to write things like this?

Is he writing with respect to what he formerly wrote? May these things get specified as fragments? May writers utilize fragments? Why are fragments sometimes utilized, sometimes not?


texts:
smash [transitive, intransitive] smash (something) to break something,
  or to be broken, violently and noisily into many pieces

  Several windows had been smashed.

  He smashed the radio to pieces.

  The glass bowl smashed into a thousand pieces.

  crush [transitive] crush somebody/something to press something so hard that
  it is damaged or injured, or loses its shape

  The car was completely crushed under the truck.

  Several people were crushed to death in the accident.

Say, you put your fingers in the hinge of the door & you suddenly closed the door, which hurts your fingers

When I google images for "crushed finger", I found more "smashed finger" than "crushed finger" results (source)

But The Ngram says "crushed fingers" is more common than "smashed fingers"

I would say "smashed finger" is not too accurate because it tends to break into pieces while "crushed finger" is more accurate because it is more about losing shape when pressed.

Why do more people say "smashed finger in the door" than "crushed finger in the door"?


texts:
Night after night have I sung of him, though I knew him not: night after night have I told his story to the stars, and now I see him. His hair is as dark as the hyacinth-blossom, and his lips are red as the rose of his desire; but passion has made his face like pale ivory, and sorrow has set her seal upon his brow.

  Oscar Wilde, The Nightingale and the Rose (1888)

There are a number of questions I would like to ask about this short extract; for example, were dark purple hyacinths common in late 19th century England? When is ivory never pale? But these questions are not strictly related to the English language.

Instead my main focus is the literary device used by Wilde when he inverted the subject with the auxiliary verb in the affirmative phrases (...have I sung of him.  …have I told his story…) and the following negative clause, I knew him not, instead of “I did not know him”.

I would like to know what these poetical devices are called, and if they ever represented natural speech in 19th century England.


texts:
Can I use the word any as an adverb to modify past participle?
I've heard phrases like:

  Is it any good?

Can I make the following sentence by analogy:

  Are these coins any valued by collectors?


texts: May one write something like: "We shall need many snarks to this end. However, they can be fed carrots and the latter are cheap this year. Which makes me hope..."?


texts:
Consider the following sentences:

I am staying in a hotel nearby.
I am staying in an hotel nearby.

I know that both are correct. But I would like to know why? I do not see any proper reason for the second one as the 'h' is not silent as in French.
So, what could be the reason?


texts: "Because of its negative impacts" or "impact"

texts:
Could I ask is the sentence in the title right?

Because of its negative impacts, stealing has been considered by many people a problem.

Should I use "Because of its impacts" or "Because of its impact", assuming it has many negative impacts that I have mentioned before.
Thank you very much!
Or maybe I should use "effects"?


texts:
What's the meaning of "validate the voice of this book" in the following context?

  I thank Lisa who reached out to her vast network to help validate the
  voice of this book.


texts: Difference between last year and in the last year, and the meaning of this week in present prefect

texts:
Q1: I learnt "last year" and "in the last year" are very different in meaning. In my understanding, "last year" seems to be a indivisible time frame when it is used in past simple. For example, today is 2017-03-03 and if I say:

  I went to Mexico last year.

Does that mean "I went to Mexico at 2016-03-03"?

In contrast, "in the last year" seems to be used in present perfect only. And if I say:

  I have been to Mexico in the last year.

Does that mean "I have been to Mexico at least once in last 365 days"?

Please correct me, it would be better if you can tell more about how to understand the direct and indirect meaning of these two phases because they are same if literally translated to my mother language.

Q2: I also heard "this week" can be used in present perfect. Is that correct? The present perfect seems to describe an action happened at an unspecified time before now. How to understand the meaning of "this week" if it could be used in present perfect?

Thanks for the help!


texts: Was he waiting for me at or on the top of the stairs

texts:
Doing a grammar test I was to choose between on the top and at the top in the sentence:

  He was waiting for me ___ the top of the stairs in his pyjamas.

Had it been the top of the staircase, I might  have chosen the first option without thinking. But stairs, not the top stair  of the staircase, made me doubtful. In the long run, I chose the "at", which appeared to be the wrong choice. Trying to find out why, I gave up after an hour of browsing.

Could anyone kindly try to explain this to silly old me? If the difference between the two is so essencial to the test-makers, is it not less essencial in the spoken language?

BTW, sure thing, I didn't miss a relating post here, but it didn't help me with those top stairs, not mounting tops.


texts:
Make VS do

I made a marketing research - VS - I did a marketing research

Marketing Research= a written business report most of the time printed and delivered to people in business meetings

Do you use "make" or "do" in regards an activity that is intangible but it produces something tangible like a written report?


texts: What does "Yes, you can. But you may not." mean?

texts:
In a cultural function, some seats were reserved for the distinguished persons. But an ordinary spectator wanted to have one of those reserved seats which were empty. He said to the guard, "Can I sit there?"
The guard replied, "Yes, you can. But you may not."

What did the guard mean by these modals : 'can' & 'may'?


texts:
Which of the sentences below are correct?

they could only lead us to having less disposable income

vs

they could only lead us to have less disposable income

Could I use "lead to + verb"? My teacher told me that it is "lead to + noun", but here it says that I can use it in various ways https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/lead+them+to.


texts: Why is "though" placed behind the sentence

texts:
Why is though placed behind the sentence

  I wouldn't say so, though.

. ( I constructed this sentence by myself)

Because I thought though  more or less get the same meaning with although? Or it's ok to place it also in front of the sentence?

Ex :

  Though I wouldn't say so.

Perhaps I just get influenced with my languange rule that we can't put "though" at the end of the sentence (assuming though gets the sense of although or even though) so I feel a bit cumbersome mention it at the end of the sentence.

What is the difference between both sentences?


texts:
quake (noun): informal for earthquake. Cambridge Dictionary

Is it common to use informal words (quake) with formal English? or Do I misunderstand the following news articles?

  In 2004, a huge undersea quake off the coast of Aceh caused a tsunami that killed more than 160,000 in Indonesia. BBC

  The 7.8-magnitude quake, which struck Saturday night, has killed at least 413 people, officials said Monday. More than 2,500 more were injured. CNN


texts: Usage of preposition in "do this TO your computer", "do this WITH information"

texts:
I need the clarification of these two particular instances.

  Do this to your computer when you finish using it.
  Do this with information that you don't want to keep on your computer.

What rule am I to use in order to choose the right preposition?


texts: Parts of speech in the question: "Which one?"

texts:
Is the word "one" a noun or a pronoun in the question "Which one?".
I suppose that the word "which" is an adjective. Am I right?


texts: Is "the tumble that killed him would be from the back of a horse yet unfoaled" correct?

texts:
I think that the following text chunk in bold is wrong:

I have often heard my father caution him against his wild recklessness, but he would only laugh, and say that the tumble that killed him would be from the back of a horse yet unfoaled.
Edgar Rice Burroughs: A Princess of Mars.

But I do not know. The translation to other language from this sentence is like follows:

The horse has not yet been born, from the back of which he will fall and get killed.

I can understand all words in the original sentence, but I can not find this meaning in this sentence.
In a case I am wrong would you like to explain why is original sentence correct and maybe why is it similar to the translation?
I would like to have an explanation why such sentence structure is correct (or incorrect) and how can I learn to understand this sentence structure?


texts: Is it always okay to put "now" in a sentence when the tense is present perfect?

texts: Is it always okay to put "now" in a sentence For any context or with any verb when the tense is present perfect?


texts:
If we tell them the truth they wouldn't believe us

Is this construction correct in English? I mean, for conditional sentences, the rule is If+past tense/would +infinitive, but here, can we also use the present in the "if" clause?

The meaning, as I see, can be "We tell them the truth and they still don't want to believe us"


texts:
I am writing an internship type application and they mention Functional Motivation:
Functional Motivation - please detail how you
a) embody this competence
b) give a practical of example of where you have demonstrated this

However I am not sure what this actually means, what is the functional?


texts: Is it called a residential area or residential location or some proper name?

texts:
Here is a brief discription about my residence:

  There are around fifty apartment buildings in ABC Garden. Each building has thirty stories, and there are 10 flats in each story.

My friend asked me where I live.
Instead of telling him the full address, I just said, "I am living in ABC Garden, city name".

Given that "ABC Garden, city name" is not a full address, should it be called a residential area or residential location in this case?


texts: What do you call an unintentional target?

texts: What do you call a target that is not necessarily intentional? For example, if a missile hits a hospital, what do you call it? If I said, 'Targets included a hospital', it would suggest that the military did it on purpose. What is a broader synonym for 'target'?


texts:
A member of our rowing team has send me the following message, but I do not understand it. Could someone please explain it?

just confirm with me that you are swim tested


texts: "church's tradition" or "church tradition"

texts:
On Friday, three days before his resignation was made public, O'Brien told the BBC that celibacy should be reconsidered since it's not based on doctrine but rather church tradition and "is not of divine origin."
The Huffington Post

Had I written that piece, I would have written "church's tradition". So the question is: Why doesn't the journalist use the genitive "'s"?


texts: What is the meaning of "who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe" in the following sentences,

  The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is
  the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is
  a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in
  awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. - Albert Einstein

?

Does it mean "he ,who can not pause in order to wonder and who can not stand rapt in respect on the mysterious, is as good as dead. And his eyes are closed(=>And he is dead after he have lived so)" ?


texts:
I'm currently reading this article, and the first paragraph says,

  If you need another reason (besides all the cool accolades, you know?) to cement Michael Jordan as the GOAT, this is for you.

Will you kindly let me know what the bold part is trying to mean or trying to refer to?

I don't get it at all, especially about what the word "accolade" is referring to.

*If necessary, I would like to bring the another passage from the article.

Thank you in advance.


texts:
From the Cambridge Dictionary

  baseline: an imaginary line used as a starting point for making comparisons

NESDO which stands for the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons, is a research program about major depressive disorder. Here is part of its description.

  The NESDO sample consisted, at baseline, of 510 participants aged 60–93 years, with a diagnosis present in the preceding 6 months of a depressive disorder (378 of 510) or no history of depressive or anxiety disorders (132 of 510). Recruitment took place in primary health care (response rate of 64%) and in both outpatient and inpatient mental health-care facilities (49%).

without "at baseline", the sentence seems more coherent

  The NESDO sample consisted of 510 participants ...

I understand the meaning of "baseline", according to the quote at the beginning.

What the meaning of "at baseline" there?


texts: "Even if + present tense" vs. "Even if + past tense"

texts:
In the post "alternate" vs. "substitute", I wrote

Even if I misunderstand the rule quoted, which means, using "alternate" does not have to have multiple choices are presented, I guess "substitute" still work.

I am trying to suggest a hypothesis because I don't know whether my understanding there is correct.
However, no matter my understanding there is correct or not, another question doesn't have to be modified.
In this particular context, should I use the present tense version shown as the quotation or the past tense version shown below?

Even if I misunderstood the rule quoted ...


texts: "a becoming humility"? "Love is beautiful thing"?

texts:
"a becoming humility"(article before uncountable noun) is OK.

My answer to another question referring to A | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary:

  used before some uncountable nouns when you want to limit their
  meaning in some way, such as when describing them more completely or
  referring to one example of them:

  I only have a limited knowledge of Spanish.

  He has a great love of music.

  There was a fierceness in her voice.

But in esl article usage rules, an article before "thing"(a countable noun) can be omitted:

  Rule 37: Use Ø when generalizing about abstract nouns.

  ex: Love is beautiful thing.

Is that correct?


texts: You can't "learn at school". Or you can?

texts:
This post continues the previous one I placed here yesterday.

The idiom "to study at school" means 'to attend school/to go to school/to be a student'. One cannot learn at school (there is no object in this sentence).

At the same time, we say "studying/learning at school/at home" and don't often tell the difference between these expressions.

I wonder if the verb "study" can be replaced with the "learn" in the idiom "to study at school" in the sense 'to be a student'.

Why is the "learn" used in this article? Is it possible to say "How to study effectively in medical school" (effective study grows into learning)?


texts: "She has passed the exam, therefore she can work in the company directly."

texts:
Which of the following two sentences is correct?

  She has passed the exam, therefore she can work in the company directly.

  She has passed the exam and, therefore, she can work in the company directly.


texts:
A native speaker says this statement in the movie "The_Art_of_Racing_in_the_Rain". When the girl is playing with the dog and his grandpa said this to her.

Make sure you wipe his paws off before he comes in.

My question is that the adverb "off" here seems strange.
I checked many dictionaries, and it seems that we can only say

Please wipe your feet on the mat.
Please wipe your feet with a cloth.
Please wipe your feet clean.

And we can use "wipe" with "off" if we want to talk about "removing dirt, liquid, etc", for example

Wipe the marks off
Wipe the marks off the wall

I’ll give you this example
Say, there are a couple of paws on a table. And you say “wipe the paws off the table”.
So, if you say “wipe the paws off” people may think that you want to remove the paws off something not “wipe the paws clean” which means to make the paws clean.
If "wipe the table off" meaning "clean the table" is common, then dictionaries should have at least 1 example about it. But I couldn't find any.
So, I think "wipe his paws off" should be "wipe his paws clean" or "wipe dirt off his paws".
Is it wrong to say "Make sure you wipe his paws off before he comes in."?
Note:
Look at the Ngram for "wipe the table off". It seems that this kind of usage is quite new, people have been using it since 1940 but not before that.
And probably, it is idiomatic in American English, but not in British English.


texts:
This student is clever at Physics.

  This student is clever in Physics.

I want to know whether I can use the word "clever" in this sentence and suitable preposition, in or at?


texts: What does ’I’m told’ means as a complete sentence

texts:
I was watching MasterChef UK at https://youtu.be/8uuy_fPO2jg . If my explanation is not clear you could jump to 14.05 to find what I’m confused.

At 14.05, there’s this conversation where A is a person who cook sea trout and B mistaken her dish for a salmon.

A: Oh! Salmon!
B: Sea trout. I’m told.

Here’s the question, what does I’m told in this context means? I understand if it’s used like “I’m told that you are a good chef” but for this conversation, I’m confused.

Thanks in advance for anyone who wish to help :)


texts:
I wanted to use "The Reason Why" for this question but I'm not sure is it true.
Question: Why did he go to London.
"He went to London and became a lawyer"
and I used this;
The reason why he went to London is that he had gone to school.
Can I use like that I wanted to use something different from "because".


texts: What does "do/start the circuit" mean in filmmaking?

texts:
Could you be so kind and explain the meaning of "doing of circuit"? Action goes in Hollywood.
As far as I understand it is something actors do after movie is made, but have no idea what it is... :( Couldn't find any useful meanings in dictionary. Thank you a lot!

1) “I’m feeling sorry for myself,” Cate admitted. “Absolutely Maybe’s"
about to release. I couldn’t do the circuit. I can’t go to the premiere,
not without getting my family—and me—all stressed out.”

2)" "Change of Scene’s" coming out in a couple weeks. The rest of the cast is already starting the circuit."

Excerpts from Hideaway by Nora Roberts


texts: Difference between "struggling for survival" and "struggling for life"?

texts:
Would you please show me what is the difference between these? feel free to take example. Many thanks

struggling for survival

struggling for life


texts:
Dudley and I were in the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk,” said Harry, speaking fast, fighting to control his temper. “Dudley thought he’d be smart with me, I pulled out my wand but didn’t use it. Then two dementors turned up —”

Does it mean to outsmart someone? or just another way of saying make a joke on someone?


texts:
Hello everybody, glad you invited me. I'm so happy to be/for being here.

What is a better option to use? Is there any rule in deciding which to choose and when? I mean, not only in this example.

Does maybe it depend on the previous adjective or something else?


texts: Is this text American or British English? Please, I need the American version

texts: Ann has taught university level Film classes and has a Master's Degree in Cinema Studies.


texts: What do "track" and "screen" mean in this context?

texts:
The first study showed infants a toy car that moved down an inclined
  track, disappeared behind a screen, and then reemerged at the other
  end, still on the track. The researchers created a "possible event"
  where a toy mouse was placed behind the tracks but was hidden by the
  screen as the car rolled by. Then, researchers created an "impossible
  event." In this situation, the toy mouse was placed on the tracks but
  was secretly removed after the screen was lowered so that the car
  seemed to go through the mouse.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_permanence#Contradicting_evidence

In addition to those words, can someone explain the bolded parts?


texts: "There was only one I didn't" vs "only one I didn't"

texts:
There was only one thing I didn't dare to tell him.

  Only one thing I didn't dare to tell him.

Are both sentences the same? If not, what's the difference?


texts:
"Coronavirus isn't the name of any one kind of virus but rather Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that infect both mammals and birds."

Is this sentence grammatically correct? Other than "But rather" what else can I use to combine those 2 sentences?


texts: Order of "I", "my wife", "you" that must be followed by "were"

texts:
In one of my exams, I had a multiple choice question and I had to choose the correct option.

Question: Please try to remember when I, you and my wife were talking there.
Options:

you, I and my wife
I, my wife and you
you, my wife and I
No correction.

Which would be correct in this case? And why?
Edit: This question appears here and they have marked the third option as correct answer. It may or may not be correct.


texts:
In the following sentence I am not sure whether I have to repeat the verb "to be" twice with the Past Participle.

  A card that is provided to clients and (is) managed by a concierge team.

The same problem when it is Preset Continuous tense and the subject has two or more actions in the sentence.
Actually I face similar problem with all sentences with not only one action and the tense form supposes using an auxiliary.


texts:
The box will be send on Friday.

Or

  The box will be sent on Friday.

  So he knows who send him this amazing gift!

Or

  So he knows who sent him this amazing gift!


texts: I saw a writing by a friend of mine who uses as of current. I normally see as of followed by a specific date, like as of 2017. I am curious to know if as of current is a proper usage for as if.


texts:
Is it incorrect to put a comma after "I think", "I hope" and similar introductory constructions?

  I hope, my explanations help.

Is this wrong?


texts:
Can I used much with comparative? For example:

  He sings better than you

  He sings much better than you

  Mike is richer than you

  Mike is much richer than you?

What is the difference between the sentence where there is much with comparative and where there it is not


texts: What does "to beat out" mean in this definition of a rivet?

texts:
a short metal pin or bolt for holding together two plates of metal, its headless end being beaten out or pressed down when in place.

Source: Oxford Dictionary of English 3rd edition

Why "beat" is used here together with "out"? "To press down" means to flatten, right? What else one can possibly do with this "headless end?


texts:
To get even this far, readers have to make great efforts to join the
  dots.

I encountered this sentence in The Economist. I have looked up the dictionary but still cannot understand the meaning of "join the dots". Could you please help me with that?

The whole paragraph is

  The author seems to be suggesting that tacit mass collusion in
  history’s greatest crime turned Germans, through fear of their own
  looming retaliatory victimisation, into fanatics. But this grand
  hypothesis emerges only in fragmented form from these individual
  accounts. To get even this far, readers have to make great efforts to
  join the dots. Many will be left yearning for more help from the
  author.

Source: Fate and furies: How Germans perceived the second world war, The Economist.


texts: Do you use the phrase "that which" for the apposition?

texts:
The insect propagates best near "disturbed land," that which is being cultivated by humans.

I saw this type of sentence. Do you use this kind of syntax. Would it be possible that it is colloquial?

Some explain that "that" following "disturbed land," is the apposition and also the antecedent of the "which". I often see "that which" phrases but these did not have this apposition like structure.


texts:
You're holding a Lego as shown in the above picture.
But because the Lego is of poor quality, the blocks did not stick together and while you were holding the Lego, somehow it got separated as shown in the below picture.

Is it correct to say "the Lego got broken apart"?
The verb "break" is too much. It was just that the Lego blocks got separated. And a child may not understand the word "separated"


texts: Can I drop second mention of "consists" when presenting percentage?

texts:
Can I drop the second mention of the word "consists" (or any other similar verb) when presenting percentage?
For example, can I drop the highlighted words in the following statements?

So far, about  95 percent of this structure consists of empty boxes,
and only 5 percent consists of bricks.
About 60 percent of chosen white rocks were used in the roof, while
the other 40 percent were used in the foundation.
Only about 35 percent of his work comprise valid research, while 65
percent comprise redundant repetition.


texts: Is "of why it is the case" the same as "explaining why it is the case"?

texts:
I am wondering if "of why it is the case" is the same as "explaining why it is the case". I don't think so, but I see people assume that it's the case when it is highly doubtful that it is the case.

Here are some examples to clarify what I am asking:

  This is an example of why it is the case.

  This is an example explaining why it is the case.

It seems weird to say "of", because it supposes that "why it is the case" is the content of the example when it is not and it's the content of the example that explains why it is the case.


texts:
I was wondering if you could let me know that which one of the three choices in the following self-made scenario doesn't sound natural and why:

  Last night I went to her home. She was so sad. I immediately found out that something has happened. I asked her what's wrong with you? She said I broke up with Dany (her boyfriend). She was crying all that time. I spoke to her and after a long conversation when I was telling her my own love story, she calmed down and fell asleep on the sofa. When I .............. that everything was OK, I left there.

  a) assured

  b) made sure

  c) got sure

For me, they all sound OK grammatically but I have no idea if they do semantically to you as natives.


texts: How do you call a school year divided into 2 parts?

texts:
A school year where the first part ends in Dec, and second in June. How do we call these two periods? Terms?

If the term is the correct word, how shall I call Dec term? Half-term? Term 1?

In the same sense, I need to know how to call Jun term?


texts:
Which one is correct to speak? Why?

I will call you.
I would call you.

What is the difference between the two? Thanks.


texts: Should "no doubt" be surrounded by commas when put in the middle of a sentence?

texts:
I searched for "it was no doubt" on Google Books.

The comma-less version is more common.

My instinct, however, tells me that there should be commas since "no doubt" in this case is a parenthetical statement. Is that correct?

Example sentence:

  He was, no doubt, his best ally.


texts:
For example, ‘destruction’ means the act of destructing and the act is destructing.
Here is my question:
‘happiness’ means the quality of being happy.
Is the quality being happy? I mean, is being happy quality?


texts:
Slack’s share price struggled to recover from the drubbing it received after the company’s quarterly earnings disappointed investors. Revenue was up by 50% year on year, but that was only a slight improvement in growth on the previous quarter, before offices turned en masse to remote working.

What does the sentence mean, especially which does "before offices turned en masse to remote working" modify?

revenue was up by 50% just before offices turned en masse to remote working?

on the previous quarter which was before offices turned en masse to remote working?


texts: "Respect for your privacy" vs "Respecting your privacy"?

texts:
Source

Is there a difference between saying:

  Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA ...

Or

  Respecting your privacy is coded into our DNA ...

Thanks!


texts: What's the vice versa of "they go low, we go high?"

texts:
The expression "vice versa" seems to have been used to express something opposite, but there are a bunch of "opposite" things.

My question is when one writes or says

  When they go low [TL], we go high [WH]. And vice versa,

what do the readers and listeners think?

when we go high, they go low (when WH, then TL; WH => TL)
when they go high, we go low (opposite of TL  =>  opposite of WH)
when they don't go low, we don't go high (not TL  =>  not WH)
etc.


texts: I've seen in my language the word "millonarismo" being mentioned several times but with quotations marks. Then I had the idea of using the translator to input "millonarism" to see if it translated into something in spanish and it doubtfully translated it into "millonarismo". I looked for examples of the use "millonarism" in English and I couldnt find any. Now I have both doubts, my original doubt in spanish and this other one, is "millonarism" a valid English word? or the english translator is taking it as valid input wrongly? Note: the translator suggests "did you mean millenarism?"


texts: What's the difference between "inflammation" and "infection"?

texts: What's the difference between inflammation and infection? I asked it because I saw people used them interchangeably - for the same person  and for the same problem?


texts: A short and positive phrase for "it doesn't take long"

texts:
In German, there is a very idiomatic sentence

  Das geht schnell.

with the meaning

  It takes only a short while.

I've got some good answers relating the scenario described at the end of my question that was originally the only one scenario described by me. But unfortunately the answers are not (completely) applicable for the following scenario as this scenario does not involve any kind of absence:

Say, you are looking for a small girl with long hair. After a wild play the hair of the girl is disheveled and you want to fix it. The little girl is fighting against, so you need to explain to her that fixing her hair (referred to as 'it') will take only a short while. What do you say to the girl?

--- the originally described scenario ---

For example, if you are on the way in a company and want the others to wait for you for something you need to do on your own (say, you have forgotten something and have to return home and to get it), you usually would say:

  Hey guys, I've forgotten to take the book with me. Please wait, I'll get
  it. Das geht schnell.

What do you say in this case in English instead of 'Das geht schnell'?


texts: How is this instrument that makes sound from air movement called in English?

texts:
what is the following instrument called in English?
Essentially, this instrument is composed of 5-6 vertical small wood-sticks, aligned one beside the other, and all attached by threads. You attach this outside and the air would move the sticks and they collide to make sound. Rough picture:


texts: "a half of the troubles" or "half of the troubles"

texts:
When a car mechanic sees a woman behind the wheel, he finds numerous troubles with the car. But when he sees her husband, a half of the troubles disappear without repair.

Is the indefinite article permissible here? It seems to be out of place, but I've read that in most cases "a half of" is no worse than "half of", so I can't find a justification for the omission of the article.


texts:
Now that conservationists are around, things are returning to what they once were.

If synonymous with:

  Now that conservationists are around, things are returning to what they were before.

Are the sentences above the same as for their meaning?


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically valid? —

  The king had many occasions experiencing the power of the hermit's talisman.

It sort of sounds correct to my ears, for I have heard examples like — "He spent his entire life searching for the true meaning of life."; though I wonder whether this sentence is close enough to the first one in structure.

So, is the first sentence correct? If yes, then please provide some citations for this kind of usage of the present participle, if possible. Thanks a lot!


texts: "Plateau around 200k salary" is this correct usage of the word Plateau?

texts:
I don't know where I first heard the word plateau used in a context to imply that the rate of growth decelerates and stops at X. I think it was in a Machine learning class(mathematics class) taught by an Indian professor. So I think it could have been invalid usage. I have been using this everywhere, so I thought I should confirm if it is a valid usage of the word plateau.

A typical sentence where I would use plateau is:

  I am making X dollar amount a year right now, but the increments in my salary are not substantial. I think at this rate, I will plateau around Y dollar amount a year.


texts:
I'm a francophone and when we use the word ''race'' to define different groups of people it is generally considered as something negative but it doesn't seems to be the case in English.

I encountered this question on the Worldbuilding SE :

  If there are several races with very distinct appearances (e.g.
  Nordic-pale vs. Arabic-tan skin, red vs. black hair, etc.), how much
  space / natural barriers do I need between their homelands to justify
  these distinctions?

In this case, what is the best word to use in English? Is ethnicity best suited for his question?


texts:
Sarah got to the station just on time to catch her train to the airport.

Why do we use "her"? Does it mean Sarah already have the ticket in advance? if not, can we omit it?


texts: Could you please help me figuring out what the difference is there in meaning between these two sentences?

texts:
He says he would rather be carrying a pen. ( instead of the other item he is carrying now, for example book)
He says he would rather  carrying a pen. ( instead of the other item he is carrying now, for example book)

Could you please simplify the meaning of each one, so that I can get what the grammar is. Is the first one talking about future? The second about now?


texts:
I think "Meaning" in the second line deviates from standard English grammar.

In my opinion, it should be replaced with "It means..." or "field, meaning...".

Do you agree? Or "Meaning" is just Okay?

  Having advanced technology has made it so that they is no longer an
  even playing field. Meaning that no two players who are playing
  each other are equally the same because the tennis racquets/uniform
  are different to each other and one player’s tennis racquet might be
  easier to swing than the others. There are many tennis racquets which
  outshine others, this could be because they are lighter or they have
  smaller string but it would put one player at an advantage over the
  other which is very unfair to one player. This is actually a very
  common occurrence, if you went to a local competitive group and looked
  at their racquets, there would be some good ones and some bad ones,
  making the ‘playing field’ uneven.

http://technologiesinsport.weebly.com/negative-impacts.html


texts: Someone who has been awarded full authority

texts:
I wonder what do you normally call someone who has been granted the full authority to do all legal affairs and decision makings on behalf of "someone else" or "an organization" in AE?

I have two options here, but I don't have any idea whether they might differ in some legal / semantic aspects or not.
Also, I don't know if they are some fixed terms or kind of translations from other languages which cannot be considered as natural English!

  Authoritative representative
  Plenipotentiary representative

Please kindly enlighten me.


texts:
I'm wondering what's the difference between beat and beat out?(if there's any)
For example what would be the correct form of using beat in this sentence : 1.She beat her enemy
2.She beat out her enemy


texts:
i have some question about present continuous and present perfect.  first is present continuous

  if you "are opening" warehouse, good transport links and cheap rental costs will be a priority.

what is the meaning of "are opening"?

You are making warehouse but not open

or

already you built warehouse and are using warehouse?

i'm confused by opening

second is "has been".  when i search in cambridge dictionary it says, it's just past not now just like:

  a person who was famous, important, admired, or good at something in the past, but is no longer any of these.

but i saw the one sentence

  there's been a rise in orders, we need to take on more staff

i think in this case demand of orders still rise now, so they need to more staff. is it right?


texts: What does the sentence "It won't be until later on in the week given a last minute work trip" mean?

texts:
In reply to an inquiry someone wrote:

  You will get an answer, but it probably won't be until later on in the
  week given a last minute work trip.

What does the sentence mean? And what is the simplified version of the phrase: later on in the week given a last minute work trip?


texts:
I came across the following sentence in an English book:
One of the great unsolved murder mysteries of all time is that of "Jack the Ripper".
What difference would it make if the word great is replaced with the superlative form, greatest?


texts: Is “domestic” the best choice? “on ........ foreign, and military policies”

texts:
I know this is a relatively easy question but I'm in disagreement with my teacher and his book, since non of them is written by a native, I decided to ask you guys to help me with this:

  The National Security Council serves to advise the president on ........ foreign, and military policies related to national security.

  A-domestic  B-voluntary  C-relative  D-subjective

Also a quick side note, I don't know if this is a normal thing, but in this book everywhere that a comma was necessary, there is one. Like if after the blank a comma was necessary, it would either put a comma after the blank or put a comma at the end of each choice.

Now what the teacher said is that A is correct and translated the sentence to "... domestic policies, foreign policies and military policies...", and used the word as a noun.

What I said was that since there is no comma, if we put "domestic" there, it would act as an adjective and would be "... domestic foreign policies...", which is nonsense, so I thought C suits the best, we put it as an adjective to be translated to something like this "... relative foreign and military policies (meaning those policies that are enacted by the president and are relative to him, because some are enacted by the army or the ministry of foreign affairs itself)... "

My teacher doesn't agree, but can't seem to convince me, he doesn't explain anything, (and said that I'm discussing BS), so I wondered, first who is correct here? Second if he is correct, is there some sort of a rule making "domestic" just to be viable as a noun there, that I don't know of?

Thanks in advance, Aaron


texts: What is the meaning of "All of this hits by 6:00, 6:30."?

texts:
What is the meaning of "All of this hits by 6:00, 6:30." ?

  Det. Lipranzer: I'm supposed to be in the chief's office 8:00 tomorrow
  to be interviewed By Molto. No discussion. Interview. It's like
  they're after me, right? Another thing. When I came  back tonight they
  took all the receipts of the evidence I inventoried on Polhemus. No
  questions asked.

  Rozart: Sounds like you're off the case.

  Det. Lipranzer: Sure. Fine, but figure this in. I'm at the North
  Branch before 5:00, going through the microfilm. All of this hits by
  6:00, 6:30. Look what I picked up while I was out there. The case
  number matches the complaint number  that was missing when you saw
  Kenneally.


texts: Why should the word "I" be replaced with "me" in this sentence?

texts:
Question is Identify grammatical errors in this sentence.

Sentence:

  Though I am elder than my Brother by five years, he is more successful
  in life than me.

My Lecture told me word than should be replace with word to & also word me should replaced with word I.

Which is really made confused, Actually word than me make more sense to say than word than I.


texts:
Can we ignore the final sound -ge as speaking the following sentence?
"Having true consciousness can change someone's life."


texts: "on this matter" or " in this regard" here?

texts:
In addition to the main question, it is master or master's more appropriated here?
.On the other hand, graduated with a master’s that provides the latest strategies to tackle agricultural-associated issues, she can demonstrate the international academic background required to take strategic decisions on this matter.


texts:
We can say "to poke me in the arm" as stated in dictionaries.

the verb "bite" is somehow similar to "poke" in its meaning because both mean to push into or through something.

But I don't see the structure "to bite somebody in the eye/arm" in dictionaries.

  bite [intransitive, transitive] to use your teeth to cut into or
  through something

  Does your dog bite?

  Come here! I won't bite! (= you don't need to be afraid)

  bite into/through something She bit into a ripe juicy pear.

  bite somebody/something She was bitten by the family dog.

  Stop biting your nails!

  bite off something/sth off He bit off a large chunk of bread/He bit a
  large chunk of bread off.

It seems that the dictionary suggests to use "to bite something", for example, "to bite the arm/ the leg/ etc"

or, "to bite into something", for example, "to bite into the arm/ the leg/ etc".

But they don't have examples of "to bite somebody into something".

Is it idiomatic to say "don't bite me in the arm"?


texts: Criminals commit a crime and people commit suicide. Why can’t we omit the article ‘a’ before crime and include ‘a’ before suicide?

texts: Why can’t we say criminals commit crime and people commit a suicide?


texts:
I will appreciate it if somebody could help me find an answer:
Is there a difference between English language studied as a foreign language (as in books and references made to study it as a foreign or second language) and the spoken English language in real life (as in movies)?

I am an intermediate level English learner and I wish to be fluent in English in order to be able to communicate in English fluently, so I need to know what I should do to get my spoken english as a native speaker
(note: I don't have the chance to immerse myself in English speaking community)


texts:
"Please provide a list of certifications received in the table below and attach each completed form."
Q1. What's the structure of the first half of that sentence?
'Provide + a list of certifications received + in ~'? or
'Provide + a list of certifications + received in ~'? or something else?
Q2. What's the meaning of "provide" and "received" in that context? What is another suitable word for them each?
Q3. Regarding "received", Who or What "received" what?


texts: "Anger was coming to his defence now" meaning

texts:
“So what part of it isn't living up to your expectations?" asked Harry. Anger was coming to his defence now. "Did you think we'd be staying in five star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy be Christmas?"

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I understand the phrase "come to one's defence" as in His friends quickly came to his defense. The subject should be a person. But in this case, it's 'anger'. How should we understand it correctly?


texts:
In the following sentence

  The CEO only discussed the new venture with
  his manager.

According to the answer keys provided the above sentence is wrong. They say only should be used before the CEO  . But I think it is grammatical. The use of only is correct in the above sentence.


texts:
I'm wondering which meaning this sentence has:

  She must hate me.

I need/want her to hate me
I assume she hates me

or both are possible depending on the context?


texts: Can we "encounter a succession of person"?

texts:
I'm struggling with a short sentence/title (will be in a video) that I'm trying to translate which literally says:

  Encountering a succession of person to observe how each one's way of
  thinking affects:

  his way to look at the world
  ...
  ...

I need to keep the idea of "succession of (hazardous) encounters" and I do need to end up with a singular (his) and not collective form (their).

I'm not sure about "succession of people" and "each one's way of thinking".

Is this sentence/title correct?


texts:
I've been learning idioms related to body parts, when some like these struck me:

  1  A lot of young vandals who go looking for trouble are not right in the head.

  2 Can you do this calculation in your head?

The in the head in 1 denotes a not-so-correct moral code in "young vandals"'s mind.

The in one's head (as in "in your head") in 2 denotes doing something inside your mind instead of physical acts.

My question is, as a simple difference between "the" and "one's" in an idiom can cause such diversion in meanings, is there any clear sign to tell when to choose the and when using one's instead? Or are the idioms' choice of words like these just as random as its origin and spread?

Thanks!


texts:
does "contemporary" here means "modern" or not?

  Mr. H. D. Jencken died in 1881, and his widow was left with two sons.
  These children showed wonderful mediumship at a very early age,
  particulars of which will be found in contemporary records.

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


texts:
Do the sentences

  I have never been so glad to see you.
  I have not been so glad to see you

have the same meaning?


texts: What difference would it make if one chose not to use the past participle in the given sentence?

texts:
I had waited a minute or two after having sent you the text, and since you took over 5 minutes to respond, I went offline.

  I waited a minute or two after having sent you the text, and since you took over 5 minutes to respond, I went offline.

Is there any need to use the past participle here?
What difference would it make meaning wise, if the past participle wasn't used?


texts: What do "a low key" and "to name a few" mean in this context?

texts:
-Hi there! I am a native Houstonian, moved out of state to get my college degree, but then came back. My friends would describe me as sweet, loyal, caring and slightly goofy at times ;-). My family and friends are very important to me, and I try to do what I can to maintain those relationships. My immediate family lives in the area, so I like having that support system nearby. A good chunk of my friends are married and have kids, so that limits the availability of them getting out to do things with me.

-Music is probably my biggest passion and I love going to concerts! My usual is mostly Rock/Alternative, but it can vary depending on the day and what mood I'm in. I enjoy going out to eat/drinks with friends, trying new places, photography, travelling, and going to games to name a few. I enjoy going out on the town for drinks or dancing, but not one that will be at the clubs every weekend. I prefer places where you can actually hear the people you're with. I am also good with just having a low key evening at home , and at times rather would do that. I like watching most major sports, baseball in particular. And yes, I am still an Astros fan! :-) I also enjoy playing volleyball, sand or court, and currently am playing sand volleyball on a team through work.

-I am looking to find new friends to enjoy Houston with, but ultimately I am at the stage of my life where I am ready for a real relationship. I am not interested in finding guys who want to just "hook up." I would like someone that I can feel comfortable with, who is honest, compassionate, and thoughtful. Laughter is essential in a relationship, so someone that can make me laugh is important (and not only with crude jokes/sayings).

-Feel free to send me a wink or email if you're interested or have questions to know more about me.

Does the word "goofy" is a slang meaning act like a retard person, do things without think? Having unusual habits? Which aspect of it does the slang goofy put emphasize on?

" support system nearby", I think it has two parts , part1 support system part 2 nearby. What is a support system and what kind of support system is a support system nearby? Any idea? Thanks in advance.

At first she says, to name a few . What does it mean, to name? And what part of speech is the word few ? Object or adverb?

She also use the expression a low key evening at home , what does she mean by that?


texts:
The example: There were no cars on(during) Tutankhamon's time.

Is the word "on" used correctly in the example above? If not, why?


texts: Are 'small' and 'tall' in correct position in 'boys from small to tall play soccer' that means small and tall boys play soccer--from smallness to tallness?


texts: Which is grammatical - "There is a sign {reading / reads / which reads / that reads / to read}"?

texts:
There's a sign reading "No Entry".
There's a sign reads "No Entry".
There's a sign which reads "No Entry".
There's a sign that reads "No Entry".
There's a sign to read "No Entry".

Which one is right? I'm quite confused about the usage of these tenses.


texts: "Pauses for seconds" or "pauses for a few seconds"?

texts:
I wrote:

  For example, if an orator pauses for seconds during a speech, two speculations are commonly made.

Someone suggested pauses for a few seconds.  Is my own phrase incorrect? Should I specify the seconds.  If no, how many seconds does my phrase, pauses for seconds, mean?


texts: "something I’d do as a matter of course had I not been under Atticus’s interdict" — why "I'd do" and "had I not been"?

texts:
From To Kill a Mockingbird:

  In later years, I sometimes wondered exactly what made Jem do it, what made him break the bonds of “You just be a gentleman, son,” and the phase of self-conscious rectitude he had recently entered. ... What Jem did was something I’d do as a matter of course had I not been under Atticus’s interdict, which I assumed included not fighting horrible old ladies. We had just come to her gate when Jem snatched my baton and ran flailing wildly up the steps into Mrs. Dubose’s front yard, ... He did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned, until the ground was littered with green buds and leaves.

I wonder why the author uses "I would do" and "had I not been" at the same time. I'm not sure how these two constructions interact with each other here.

What does "I would do" refer to? Why is it not "I would have done"? I assume "had I not been" refers to the time of the paragraph.


texts: if you didn't understand vs if you hadn't understood

texts:
I'm trying to make a sentence. However, I'm a little bit confused about the right tense here.

  How you can find a solution if you hadn't understood the problem.

It should be written in the past perfect because you have to understand the problem first then you can find a solution for that.

  How you can find a solution if you didn't understand the problem.

Or should be written in the simple past form, just because!

  how you can find a solution if you don't understand the problem.

Or even simple present because it is a fact.

Please let me know if there is a better way to rewrite this sentence.


texts: What is the difference between "single price" and "unit price"?

texts:
I'm working on a text in which I'm suppose to price the ad service of the website.
My current problem with the calculation setup of the pricing is, that I need to inform the user what the "Single Price" of that product (banner ads) costs.

I'm trying to find the English word for "Einzelpreis" in German. I checked some translations and it showed Single Price but I don't feel very comfortable with that and thought that "Unit Price" (price per unit = price per single item?) might fit better.

Is that right?


texts: Using "Let Alone" in a positive sentence

texts:
Can I use let alone in a positive sentence like this:
Indeed, this move could create a vicious cycle of trade retaliation as countries including America's allies like Japan and Canada, let alone China, are vowing to retaliate.

This sentence is a part of an Korean to English translation.
It means American's long-standing allies such as Japan and Canada ,and of course China (because China is not America's long-standing ally, of course China must retaliate) are vowing to retaliate against the strong tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

When I looked for let alone, Longman says:

  used after a negative statement to say that the next thing you mention is even more unlikely Longman

And Oxford Dictionary alsy says:

  used after a statement to emphasize that because the first thing is not true or possible, the next thing cannot be true or possible either Oxford

Can I use "let alone" in that sentence?
if not, what can I use instead of it?
(++ The original Korean text says of course China would do it, and even America's allies such as Japan and Canada might do that too. In this case, how can I say it in a simple way? )


texts:
According to dictionary:

  evocable -  capable of being evoked

  evocative - tending or serving to evoke

To me, their meaning is so similar that I can't see a real difference. For example, are both following phrases correct? Do they mean the same?

evocative photograph vs evocable photograph


texts:
What does "gluten spores" mean in this context?

Predictable response... "Exactly! This just proves the manipulation of Dominion devices. In researching the machines state-wide, Miriam Loxworth of the Los Angeles Upstairs University, America's foremost Food Intuitive has determined in scientific testing that only two counties' machines showed traces of high grade gluten spores. Just guess which two counties those were!

Source: Online comment


texts:
The questions here are not about meaning.
They are about the usage of the verbs get and catch in the context of getting a cold.

My dictionary says that get can be used to mean 'to become infected with an illness; to suffer from a pain, etc.' and gives the example:

  I got this cold off you.

My grammar confirms the dictionary and talks about get a cold in the chapter dedicated to the verb get. It also brings catch a cold to exemplify English collocations.

However, I was browsing the Internet and it seems that, at least for Americans, if we say I got a cold it is kind of uneducated. I caught a cold is what we should say.

1) Is this true? Is it better to say I caught a cold than I got a cold?
2) If it is the case, does this apply to British English as well?


texts: What is the difference in meaning between "cut" and "cut up"?

texts:
What is the difference in meaning between cut and cut up? For example:

  Cut the bread into thin slices.

  Cut up the bread into thin slices.


texts:
What is the difference between these two?

  Customer service representative: Hello, my name is Cassie, an agent OF XXX company, telling you about our latest offer...

And

  Customer service representative: Hello, my name is Cassie, an agent FROM XXX company, telling you about our latest offer...

Let's say you are "cold calling" potential clients. Do the sentences above both possible? -as it may have different meanings. Or it should have only one grammatical preposition?


texts: Difference between 'academic knowledge' and 'professional knowledge'

texts:
What's the difference between academic knowledge and professional
knowledge? Which would be better when expressing a student's knowledge/understanding/mastery of English language? (Here English is taught as a second language.)

I'm going to use this in my CV to describe one of my teaching experience. The complete sentence is 'Devised courses on English phonetics, grammar and textbook review to consolidate the student’s academic knowledge'


texts:
Is it appropriate if I form a sentence by using two of these conjunctive adverbs like in the following sentence?

  However, in spite of her attitude, he did well.

Is however quite redundant?


texts: Should I say "I don't have *an* enough information about this city"

texts:
In the following sentence should I need to add an article ('an') or I can write it without this article?

I don't have enough information about this city
I don't have an enough information about this city


texts:
Women’s feet are usually smaller than men’s.

Shouldn't it be small instead of smaller? Can you please explain me the reason behind this?


texts: Wondering if the word " leverage" refer to sanctions or pressure in this context

texts: Mr Yatsenyuk said this was a "historic day", adding: "We want to be a part of the big European family and this is the first tremendous step in order to achieve for Ukraine its ultimate goal, as a full-fledged member."He added that "the best way to contain Russia is to impose real economic leverage".


texts: I'm talking about the truths for every human, hidden by some countries and that

texts:
I'm curious about the grammatical accuracy of the sentence below

I'm talking about the truths for every human, hidden intentionally by some countries, about our future, and that we have to learn as soon as possible.

I definitely know that the sentence is not natural, unnecessarily long, and doesn't read well. Nevertheless, I would like to learn if it is grammatically and theoretically correct.
I can also write the same sentence like

I'm talking about the truths that are for every human, are hidden intentionally by some countries, are about our future, and that we have to learn as soon as possible.

But I'm curious about the first one's accuracy.
I think the first one is correct because "for every human", "hidden intentionally by some countries", "about our future" and "that we have to learn as soon as possible" are listed with commas as they modify the same noun "the truths" in a row.


texts:
We use "criticism of", "comments on/about", but what preposition should follow the noun 'insult'? I've searched through multiple dictionary entries but had no luck finding any relevant examples. Here is my context:

Thomas' insults ... the minority group provoked considerable controversy.

Even though I found a lot of example sentences using the preposition 'to', my impression is that the 'to' after 'insult' serves to limit the word's effect to a certain individual/group. Like if I say 'It's an insult to me', I am basically stating that I feel disrespected by something said or done, but that thing isn't NECESSARILY consciously directed at me (which is what I wanted to express). Is this line of thought correct?


texts: What does the speaker mean by "Accountancy 2"?

texts:
I am a little confused about the apparently simple but tricky  '2' in "Accountancy 2", when I had thought that it might be class 2, later my friend said it might also mean grade 2? And a third friend told me it should be course 2?

So could anyone help me with this? What is the best explanation or normal assumption to be applied in this context, in a British university?

The context is:

"I" am having a conversation with "she", my sister, who is a college student now and she's really smart. We are close.

Here is the sentence:

  She looked at me, then removed the glasses. ‘You okay? You look like
  shit.’

  ‘So do you.’

  ‘I know. I went on this stupid detox diet. It’s given me hives.’ She
  reached a hand up to her chin.

  ‘You don’t need to diet.’

  ‘Yeah. Well . . . there’s this bloke I like in Accountancy 2. I
  thought I might start making the effort. Huge hives all over your face
  is always a good look, right?’

  I sat down on the bed. It was my duvet cover.

  Me Before You by Jojo Moyes


texts: People not related, people we have no bond with

texts:
I'm looking for a short way to talk about genetic and social bonding.

Which one of these sentences would fit the best?

The ability to care for people we're not related to (or "with"?)
the ability to care for people we have no direct bonding with
the sense of concern for people (with 1 or 2)


texts:
A example:

I don't think I'll ever go there

and the alternative:

I don't think I'll go there ever

And I wanna know is there any difference between both sentences?
Furthermore, I don't know whether ever modifies think or go?


texts: "to which" to "where" - the average age to which

texts:
Can I change "to which" to "where" in the sentence below?

  The practice of medicine has meant the average age to which people in all nations may expect to live is higher than it has been in recorded history.


texts:
How will it be correct:

  It will cost $5 and take 2 hours.

Or

  It will cost $5 and will take 2 hours.


texts:
I really get confused when being used as a gerund and when is it used as a participle?

I being angry is not a good thing.

My being angry is not a good thing.

Me being angry is not a good thing.

This is what I think.
In (1) being acts as a participle.
In (2) being acts as a noun.
In (3) being acts as a participle.
I was reading this:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/2625/when-is-a-gerund-supposed-to-be-preceded-by-a-possessive-adjective-determiner
Like nohat said in that question we can't use nominative (I) as the subject of a gerund in a gerund clause and can't use genitive (my) in participle clause.
All three look fine to me. Please explain which one is correct and why.


texts:
How to use and differentiate between linking verb and main verb?
For example, in the below sentences, should I use adjective or adverb:

He did great / greatly.
She dances amazing / amazingly.
He smells bad / badly.

Please tell me if there is any rule or tips that would make it easier to understand and use.


texts: Meaning of "she had wept over the reservation."

texts:
Doctor Fox would have got on the plane with the paper serviette still
sprouting from his collar. Elizabeth whisked it out. He stood in front of her
with his eyes closed like a child waiting to have its face wiped. She
remembered a reference he had written for her when she went for her first
job: ‘an intellect of quite a high order’. Now it seemed comical, even a
compliment; but then she had wept over the reservation. She screwed up the
serviette and stepped back.

First of all I want to be sure if I am right in understanding the parts in bold.
in the first bold part:
the sentence "Doctor Fox would have got on the plane with the paper serviette still sprouting from his collar" hasn't got if clause, can it be the imagination of Elizabeth and can we write it like this: If he was left to himself He would have got on the plane with the paper serviette still sprouting from his collar?
in the second bold part:
Does "reference" mean: a letter that is written by someone who knows you, to describe you and say if you are suitable for a job, course, etc.?
Does the whole second bold part mean: And when she had interview for a job Doctor Fox had written she was not proper one because she is not intelligent and she wept because she was not in a list of reservation for that job?
Does "went for her first job" mean "she went for the first job interview"?
Does "reservation" mean: the job was not kept for her?
Source: The Children's Bach by Helen Garner.


texts:
Imagine someone is working somewhere and is considered as one of the most efficient and high-ranking employees. Once after a quarrel over something with the boss who is the owner of the organization himself, the employee and the boss fight each other and the employee beats the boss up. Although he has been one of the best members of the team, when he is leaving the group, his colleagues are whispering:

  He has cut off all his ways back.

Meaning that the guy has made a situation that he'll never be welcomed to return to his start point or his previous position etc.

Does the sentence above work naturally? If not, then please let me know what a native speaker would say instead.

P.S. I know all the related proverbs and sayings and I need to know the correct structure for this sentence.


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

texts:
The earth is already in space.

Does "in space" here mean that there is still plenty of room in earth?


texts:
What is the difference between:

1) I found a wallet. There was some money there.

2) I found a wallet. There was some money therein.

3) I found a wallet. There was some money in there.


texts: "All in all" VS "Altogether" VS "By and large"

texts:
Please consider these terms:

a. By and large
b. all in all
c. altogether

I am not quite sure which one of the can be used for which sense below:

A total number / amount
A summary of what you have just said

I have made some examples; I was wondering which option(s) sound(s) correct in the following examples?

Scenario 1)

  A) How did your interview go?
  B) At first, the interviewer asked me some professional questions that I didn't know, but later I made it up when I spoke about my resume. _____________, it went well.

a. By and large
b. All in all
c. Altogether

I think, all the three options work here with more or less the same meaning.

Scenario 2)

  A) How much shall I pay?
  B) That'll be $52.50 _________, please.

a. by and large
b. all in all
c. altogether

Based on dictionaries, I think the only possible choice in this case would be "a"; the options "b" and "c" don't work here in my view.


texts: Is “better off together” means better together or better not together?

texts: Can I just write “We both are better off together” instead of “I am better off without him” or do the sentences speak different meanings as well?


texts:
Whatever I have up till now accepted as most true and assured I have gotten either from the senses or through the senses.

What does this sentence mean? I can't find the main verb here.


texts:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/comprehensible-input :

  Comprehensible input is language input that can be understood by listeners despite them not understanding all the words and structures in it. It is described as one level above that of the learners if it can only just be understood.

https://www.babylon-software.com/definition/roughly-tuned_input/ :

  Roughly tuned input is the input which is more complex than learners' current proficiency and stretches the boundaries of their current knowledge. It focuses on authentic use of language in listening or reading passages.

What is the difference between Comprehensible Input and Roughly tuned Input?


texts: Is "use" a noun in "the need for use unsupervised overseas"?

texts:
Furthermore, the need for secrecy was tempered not only by the need for use unsupervised overseas but by the desire to use maps and charts to legitimate territorial claims, a function they could not logically provide without being public. (source)

I am not sure I am parsing that part of the sentence correctly. Is "use" a noun? It seems "the need for" calls for a noun, but then what is the role of "unsupervised overseas"? Since "unsupervised" is an adjective, "overseas" either an adjective or an adverb, isn't the structure noun + adj + adv/adj? I am hesitant to say this is a case of postpositive modification. What is it?

Shouldn't that part be "need for unsupervised use overseas"? Is "need for use unsupervised overseas" not a mistake?


texts: Literary words vs Formal English and Archaisms

texts:
Due to my previous question about the difference between terms I would like to also know about the way literary words work, especially in written English, formal English and with taking the archaisms into account.

I know this may be a question that may require a broad answer or an opinion-based answer. So I'll be concise about the things I wish to know.

Does a literary word have to always be an archaism and does formal English allow using literary words in different kind of documents and reports?


texts: Can Present Perfect with a time period tell about an action that stopped in the past

texts:
I spent 20 years in the software industry where...

As I was taught, it implies that the talker doesn't work in this software industry now. Otherwise he would have said "I have spent 20 years..."

My question is why you can't use Present Perfect with a time period to bring a fact to the present existence, the fact about some action that stopped in the past?

I can say "I have worked in this industry"—it may mean that it is a fact that I spent some time in that industry before. But with a specified time period I just add the time prolongation to that fact. It is like the government issues a law that anybody who spent in some industry 20 years, receives a compensation. And you say—"I have spent 20 years there. Give me my money."


texts: Is the phrase "She is not working now, because she can’t find an interesting job." OK? To me it sounds like the author should have used Present Simple instead of Present Continuous because they are talking about a rather prolonged activity with no end or beginning specified. To me this sentence sounds like "She is not working at this exact moment, she is taking a small break an will return to work soon", not like "She spends days and days without a job".


texts: How to interpret when there is two adjectives in front & end

texts:
Necessary Employees and Persons Authorized

Does it mean "(necessary employees) and (persons authorized)" or "necessary (employees and persons) who are authorized"?


texts: "A hit with" has the preposition "with" – why not "to"?

texts:
I am confused about the use of these prepositions.

Can someone explain how to use them in sentences?

I think "a hit to [somebody]" is more comfortable to me.

  This product is a hit with women.

vs.

  This product is a hit to women.


texts: I want to ask whether a certain abstract structure has to have children of the same kind, possibly nested an infinite number of times. The closest example would be a genealogy tree where each node has scalar properties, like first name or gender, and also successors, each having scalar properties and successors, and so on. So, should I ask, "should this structure be hierarchic" or "should this structure be hierarchical"? What's the difference between the two?


texts: what does 'tore up' mean in this context?

texts:
James Hetfield looks pretty tore up in those pics.

I saw this sentence here from a comment. I searched on the web and it seems that it has many meanings. So, I am not sure which one is correct.

My best guess is this one from the Urban Dictionary:

  to get very drunk and pass out.

What is the truly intended meaning in that sentence? Is it a common expression? Are there other usages/meaning for this phrase?

It might be very helpful if one can explain the origin and as to why the phrase is used this way. Thanks!


texts: I am wondering how to pronounce a toml file as it is a title. yaml is [zæ: mɛl] and I think the pronunciation is similar.


texts: "England (have/has) been the weaker side..."?

texts:
It is written in the online Cambridge Dictionary:

  England have definitely been the weaker side in the first half of the game.

While Grammarly.com corrected the sentence to:

  England has definitely been the weaker side in the first half of the game.

Which version is the correct one?


texts:
This is the context:

  So, in principle, with a brain connectivity map we would have a vast trove of objective data about the
  brain, and with our own introspection, we have a vast trove of subjective data about consciousness. One
  might think it would then be possible to abstract out the relevant kinds of principles that connect the
  objective to the subjective. I don’t think this would mean that we would bridge the mind/brain gap, but we
  would have boiled down this conundrum to the simplest possible principles.

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

What is the meaning of "abstract out" in this context?


texts: Are shrine, temple and sanctuary interchangeable?

texts:
Is there any nuance between a shrine and a temple, or a temple and a sanctuary ?

Each one of those terms referenced to at least one of other ones within their respective definitions, for example, according to the Meriam-Webster dictionary a shrine is defined thus :

  a place in which devotion is paid to a saint or deity : SANCTUARY

and the ODE defines a sanctuary as :

  A holy place; a temple

Do all of these three words refer to one same place ?


texts:
There are two senteces below which i wrote. In these sentences, i used rotating in two diffrent form. I am sure that second one is correct.I wrote the first sentence based on the phrase “ a 360 degree rotating knife “. Please correct me if the first one is wrong .

  1) The knife is 360 degree rotating (adjective)

  2) The knife is rotating by 360 degree( present continuous tense)


texts: It won't to amount to X to Y - what is the second "to" for?

texts:
What is the second "to" here? What is this connected to?

  It won’t amount to more than the “hill of beans” in Casablanca to the world of war and peace.

  Source


texts:
What is the particular word we use when we talk about focusing to read a word using our eyes with more stress?

What I want to ask is that there is a piece of writing that is blurred or the light is poor that doesn't allow me to read things clearly so I have to contract my eyes or go closer to the screen, for instance. I have to use more of the natural strength of vision.

Such as when the brightness of the mobile screen is very high or fonts size in a document is very small, or there is direct light on our eyes while we're reading, our eyes have to work harder to read the text to understand words, either by partly closing our eyes or widening them.


texts:
Did I got it right?

If it stays dry for another week, we'll have a major drought.  FIRST CONDITIONAL (PROBABLE CONDITION)

If you weren't so stubborn and listened to me, your life would be much easier. SECOND CONDITIONAL (IMPROBABLE CONDITION)

If the rescue team had arrived sooner, more lives could have been saved.  THIRD CONDITIONAL (IMPOSSIBLE CONDITION)

I am confused about the difference between second and third conditional.


texts:
I am reading a test as follows:
When I got there, I found that the theatre

closed
was closed
has closed
has been closed

I know the answer should be 2 or 4. if I can consider the word "When" in the above context as a definite  time (something like yesterday, two days ago and so on) then the answer can be number 2. But if the word "When" must be considered as an indefinite time then the answer should be number 4.
So the question is which option is correct?  or in the other words  "can I use simple past tense in sentences that begin with when?"


texts: Why is "I wish you stopped smoking" incorrect?

texts:
As far as I remember, my grammar textbook states that we use 'wish + would' to show annoyance or express complaint about some situation.

  I wish you would stop smoking. (it makes me sick)

It also states, if we want to say that we are sorry or regret something, we can use 'wish + V-ed/2'

  I wish I lived in London. (but I don't)

Let's say we regret that a certain person smokes, why can't we express it with

  I wish you stopped smoking (but you don't) ?

I've tried googling it, but, unfortunately, there's no clear explanation on the topic.
Could you, please, help me understand it?


texts: Difficulties with constructing a sentence

texts:
This is what I have so far on profile on some site:

  Software engineer with more than 12 years of experience in programming
  and more then 7 years of experience in developing enterprise level applications. Focused on developing highly scalable solutions to complex problems and providing high-quality code.

  Leading a team of 7 developers over the last 3 years, developed
  management system for the State Treasury. 500,000 lines of code were produced with database around 1TB size and tables over 1,000,000,000 rows.

And the concrete problems I have:

"highly scalable solutions to complex problems" - is this correct?
In the second part I want to say that during last 3 years I was working as a team lead and as a result 500... lines of code were written and the database that was created reached the size 1TB and in that database there are some tables in which there are more then 1000... rows.


texts: Back-shifting with "have", no implications to the present?

texts:
The auxiliary verb have indicates the perfect aspect or back-shifting to the past (with modals etc.)

I have found my keys. (The perfect aspect: I have my keys now.)
They must have found the keys. (Back-shifting: They found the keys and maybe lost them after or not.)

Here comes the main situation:

There were some problems at first, but they seem to have been solved.

It looks very much like we don't have those problems now. But I think that the sentence is deceiving — since have is used here for back-shifting, there is no implication that we don't have those problems now. Maybe the problems were solved and then appeared again. Because I used "they seem" I couldn't use pure past or pure perfect, only back-shifting was left to me.
If I want to make things clearer I can think of three ways:

..., but it seems they were solved. (pure past)
..., but it seems they have been solved. (pure perfect)
..., but they seem to be solved. (present, "they seem" is used)

The third sentence is the only one with the original "they seem" and implication about the present.


texts:
From this answer by Ronald Sole:

  [...] To which the patient might reply: I have not eaten anything since yesterday.

  That's to say that the last time the patient took food was prior to midnight. It could have been at any point up until midnight, and might have referred to several meals during the course of the previous day.

  So your statement means that the person concerned had eaten the previous day, possibly several times, but has not consumed any food since then.

Why the past perfect here, is it because the action was completed to emphasize the completion, or can we add he had eaten the previous day several times before he went to hospital, and would the past simple be possible in that case?