texts: What does this sentence ("Graduates not finding a job...") mean exactly?

texts:
I have difficulty understanding the whole sentence (the concept it tries to convey):

  "Graduates not finding a job can only be avoided with
  sound and rather conservative planning of the volume of new hires needed after the vocational training program finishes."

The part after "sound" is confusing me. What is going on there? How does "planning of the volume of new hires needed after the vocational training program finishes help avoid graduates who don't find jobs?


texts: I'd like to know the sentence structure of "Can you smell paint?"

texts:
This is from a textbook "English Grammar in Use". There is a sentence "Can you smell paint?"

The usage of "smell" is:

I smell of roses.
It smells nice.
I can smell that something is burning.

These three are what I understand so far. Then how about this sentence?  I checked "paint" in a dictionary, but it has verb and noun.  So I'd like to know the structure of this sentence.


texts:
A draft of the main G20 communique seen by Reuters appeared to accommodate Trump's views on trade by dropping a phrase resisting "all forms of protectionism."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-G20-document-exclusive-idUSKBN16M0SG (emphasis added)

What does "accommodate" mean in this context?


texts: What is the meaning of high/low threshold for something, e.g. pain, stress tolerance etc.?

texts:
For example:

The fearlessness hypothesis proposes that people with Anti-Social Personality Disorder have a "higher threshold for fear" than most individuals.

Reference: https://en.m.wikiversity.org/wiki/Motivation_and_emotion/Textbook/Motivation_and_emotion/Textbook/Emotion/Antisocial_personality_disorder

People with Avoidant Personality Disorder have a "low threshold for criticism" and often imagine themselves to be inferior to others.

Reference:
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/avoidant-personality-disorders

I am not a native English speaker, so please bear with me.
Based on the examples above, I think high threshold means lack of 'something'. On the first example, people with ASPD are not afraid to commit crimes. Whereas, the second example implies that individuals with APD  can't endure a lot of criticism  and that makes them vulnerable to judgmental people.  I guess low threshold means inability to deal with?

I just can't help but associate high threshold with high level of emotion or reaction which leads to false interpretation. Let's say, I have a high threshold for fear. The first thing that pops in my mind is that I easily get afraid when presented with a fear-inducing stimulus. Or, when I have a high threshold for pain, it means I can easily feel the pain, or quickly react even to lower degree of physical stimulus. This association creates the confusion. I hope someone would provide me a simple explanation regarding the phrase to further understand, especially the use of it.


texts:
Is a "gas burner"  something like a "stove"? room=space?

  She took up her station against the drawing-room wall, with her arms
  extended as if she were crucified. Then three gas-burners were turned on
  to their full extent in a room about sixteen feet square. The effect upon
  Katie King was marvellous.


texts:
Which one is correct:

Flowers is a good present.

Or

Flowers are a good present.

Or

The best present for me is flowers.

Or

The best present for me are flowers.


texts: For one of my FB post I titled "Became a hobby time Android app developer" Here, I got a doubt, is "hobby time" correct phrase?


texts: It turned out not the case vs it turned out not to be the case

texts: "It turned out not the case" or "it turned out not to be the case" - which is more correct?


texts: Is it better to use kids or young in the sentence? you can provide your suggestion

texts:
I am writing some sentences.

  I want to be a nurse, I want to be a doctor...", is there anyone in the world who has not said these words when they were [kids / young / your suggestion]?


texts: What is the difference between "She tricked him to think he forgot." and "She tricked him into thinking he forgot."

texts:
What is the difference between two sentences?

She tricked him to think he forgot.

She tricked him into thinking he forgot.


texts: Name tag for staff on science conference?

texts:
I am making name tags (badges) for international science conference. There are three category of participant:

Speakers - they will speak the reports.
Visitors - they will listen to the speakers.
Third category (I don't know how right it call) - they will to provide conference, to evaluate reports, to regulate discussion etc.

In my native language this is literally called Organising Committee. But I want to do badges that will meet to standards of english language.
The question: How properly to call third category of participants? To my mind - if them call like staff, then it will be insulting for professors and other important persons who will be in the comission.


texts: It sounds a lot more nuanced than a simple 'goodbye'. What subtle feelings or emotions does it encapsulate?


texts:
I am going crazy. I have confusion about where to use only, even, just, etc.

I have two sentences,

  They don't even listen to their mothers
  They don't listen even to their mothers

Here, assume there are some kids. These kids don't listen to anyone. not even to their mothers.


texts:
Steeped means if a person or a place is steeped in a quality or characteristic, they are surrounded by it or deeply influenced by it. (Collin Cobuild Dictionary)

(1) Tourists like the old, small town very much because it is steeped in uniqueness.

(2) I am impressed by the fact that artists and writers are always steeped in creativity.

Am I using the word correctly in the sentences?


texts: "Someone was refreshingly honest when [...]": is the adverb an obfuscated adjunct?

texts:
Please consider the following:

  (1) My colleague was refreshingly honest when I asked her for feedback.
  (2) It was refreshing to see my colleague being honest when I asked her
  for feedback.
  (3) He is amazingly handsome.
  (4) [Amazingly(,)] he is handsome [(,)amazingly].

I don't understand in what way refreshingly modifies honest? Had it been for once instead, how would that qualify at modifying only the adjective and not the whole construct or sentence altogether? Compare the position, and function, of (it was) refreshing + inf. in (2); doesn't it mean the same thing? With amazingly and a simpler phrase, the position seemingly matches the function, as in the degree with (3) or, externally (as an adjunct or something else), the unexpected turn of events with (4). What I gather from (1) is that the speaker thinks this colleague or other coworkers generally might not have always been so forthcoming in the past, and since she is now in this very instance, it feels like something pleasingly fresh or different in context; is it more generic? Using (the conjunction?) when and the complement makes it even more about the quality of a moment in time based on the speaker's contrasting past experience, as opposed to some variation on the colleague being honest in whatever way.

Is that just a more complex type of modifier, not unlike what a (partial) restrictive focusing modifier is (a bit like only etc.) but which still does something comparable to what degree/manner adverbs do, or does it function at the sentence level, like what I understand a VP-oriented adjunct of sorts does? In so many words I feel that in (1) there is like a type mismatch, and the adverb rather seems to be functioning independently as an adjunct to the verb phrase, similar to what it was refreshing essentially yields in (2). And this doesn't feel all too different from something like fortunately at the beginning of a sentence, and this wouldn't be modifying the adjective honest (that I know of).

What are the different phrases in (1), what is the exact function and scope of the adverb refreshingly and what type of modifier would it be?
Can (1) be construed like an active reordering of (2) which is more positional than functional and which eludes (adjectival) phrase scope as an adjunct would; can we tell without further context (subtext, commas, or appearing at the beginning of the sentence)? Does the scope vary from a category of modifier to the next in an adjectival phrase? Is this some hybrid or it simply an adverb of manner, about a new sensation in general (as opposed to having the potential to actually refresh in a figurative way), yet detached from any specific reference to the personal experience of the speaker or moment in time, and therefore well suited for modifying the adjective and being limited in scope to that phrase?


texts: How do you address a person's assistant?

texts: I wanted to contact a person A, whose website has the email of only his personal assistant (through which A asks to be contacted). I want to contact A, not the assistant. What is the format to write an email to the assistant, but actually addressing A?


texts: How to differentiate between a singular noun’s possession and its plural one in spoken English

texts:
In spoken English if for example:
someone says “cars tires” then how to know if the speaker is talking about car’s tires or cars’ tires. Because the pronunciation is same for both.


texts: What does "slung together" mean in this context?

texts:
I would like to know what "slung together" means in the following sentences:

I saw you and Hania slung together, dancing, oblivious to me on
the other side of the window. My stomach began to burn, secreting pain
like arrowheads, and then the two of you as a four-legged creature,
struggling on the forest floor. Eating itself, aware only of itself.
At the same time your pleas for trust rang in my ears, your pleas for
my patience. The fire in my belly spread. My back reached for
soreness, my eyes stirred and dampened. The man was still there,
staring at me. And so was the piece of paper.

Tomasz Jedrowski, Swimming in the Dark, Chapter 7

In this novel which is set in the 1980's in Poland under the socialist regime, where homosexuality was socially unacceptable, the protagonist Ludwik (a university graduate) left Poland in 1981 to live in the United States of America. And he remembers what it was like back then in Poland, where he went to the Passport Bureau to get his passport in order to leave the country. But then the officer at the Bureau blackmailed him with the fact that he was a homosexual, saying he had to give names of homosexuals if he wanted his passport. That was when he thought of his lover Janusz, who constantly tried to straddle between Ludwik and a girl named Hania.
In this part, I wonder what "slung together" means.
I would very much appreciate your help. :)


texts:
If appropriate, place continuation lines the way to reflect logical nesting visually.
// This is OK, ...
Var = "for %l in (Aa Bb Cc) do ("
     . "echo %l && mkdir %l)"

// but this could be much better sometimes.
Var = "for %l in (Aa Bb Cc) do ("
            . "echo %l"
            . "&& mkdir %l"
    . ")"

If appropriate, place continuation lines so that they reflect the logical nesting visually.

Whether is it correct to use the way to as a replacement for so that they?
Which option will be better in technical writing? The first is shorter, but the second is probably more explicit.


texts:
In Greyhound (2020), from Fletcher-class destroyer, Commander Ernest commands Taker
& Helmsman to intercept German U-boat, which was following 37 Allied ships,
which are making its way to Liverpool:

Commander Ernest: Report all bearings as relative.
Helmsman: All stations, Bridge. Report all bearings as relative.

What does "relative" mean in naval context?


texts:
Is there anybody out there waiting for me on my way? If that
  somebody is you, then baby, I just wanna say Tonight, nothing
  will bring us down Tonight, we're at the lost and found

  [ Ellie Goulding, "Delirium", from the song Lost and Found ]

The noun lost and found is :

  A repository in a public place, as in a school or theater, where found items are kept for reclaiming by their owners.

  [ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ]

The ODO provided an example which made me smile considering the song:

  Sarah smiled expecting ratty old jeans and a tee shirt from the lost and found, but was once again surprised.

  [ Oxford Dictionaries Online ]

Is there any reference I'm missing here to understand the idea behind
two people being together at the lost and found?
What is the difference with just plain being together? Is this an expression about:

them both looking for something and finding it;
the idea that for all intents and purposes they're lost for everyone else because they're busy together tonight;
a reminder that someone can still make a surprising discovery in life;
love in a public place/space;
no specific reference, so all of the above?


texts: Correct way of indicating period of time on this sentence

texts:
Between the sentences:

You've only been a day there.
You've only been there for a day.

Which would the grammatically correct one, or both are correct?

Thank you


texts: What is the meaning of "the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical chances" in the following paragraph given down below?

texts:
Also what does the initial word without trying to say here.
"Without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnum villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. Father and son were at chess; the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical chances, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment from the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire."


texts: ‘Biscuit’ as modifier, according to the online OED

texts:
If you look up the word ‘biscuit’ in the Oxford online dictionary, you'll see this

  biscuit

  noun
  1   British      A small baked unleavened cake, typically crisp, flat, and sweet:
  [as modifier] ‘a chocolate biscuit’
      More example sentences     Synonyms

If a chocolate biscuit is a biscuit, albeit made with chocolate, shouldn't ‘chocolate’ be the modifier? This questions whether I really know what a modifier (or a chocolate biscuit) is. Or it's just an error.

Comparison with ‘oil’

  oil

  noun
  [...]
  1.1 Petroleum:
      ‘400 birds were coated with oil which spilled out from an opened valve’
  [as modifier] ‘the oil industry’

This is in agreement with the common definition of grammatical modifier. I don't think ‘a chocolate biscuit’ is a modifier as a whole: it wouldn't be an example with ‘biscuit’ used as a modifier (and it wouldn't make much sense).


texts: How do you distinguish possibility "can" from ability "can"?

texts:
To make my question more understandable, I quoted a student's essay.  I have emphasized the instances in bold type. I feel confident enough to tell the difference with some but less so with others. Since my confidence is probably based on my limited knowledge, I have highlighted all of them for the sake of clarity. There are many language errors. I did't correct them because I want to present it the way it is and am afraid that I might misrepresent their ideas. However, if you find it annoying, I would be very pleased to do so. Thanks for your time and efforts.

  Factories shouldn't be closed to improve air quality

  In recent years, ... More and more factories have been built in China for economic development. Some people hold that we should shut down these factories to improve the country's air. However, I can't agree with them.

  On the one hand, shutting down factories would hinder economic growth and leave many people unemployed. This step can only reduce the emission of air pollutants temporarily. [...] These factories are an important part of industrial production. Without them the manufacturing industry cannot continue to function. […] How can they survive in society without jobs? […]

  As far as I am concerned, closing factories can not reduce the emission of air pollutants fundamentally …."


texts:
I am not a native speaker of English and It's become very confusing to understand the meaning of "conceive of" . To conceive means to conceptualize; but why we mostly use preposition of with conceive?
Consider this sentence :

I conceived of a machine that would help the mechanical engineers.

replacing it with conceptualize it becomes :

I conceptualized a machine that would help the mechanical engineers.

It looks perfectly accurate without the preposition for. Can somebody please explain its exact meaning?


texts: Question about meaning of " swept out to" in the context

texts:
What does it mean when someone says ** be swept out to somewhere**

Military divers who attempted to search the ship were swept out to sea.

The sentence was caption for the picture below.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/74289000/jpg/_74289457_021941772-1.jpg


texts: Help me analyzing the grammatical logic of this sentence

texts:
Learners of German would often be unclear in these problem areas.

  The problem gets worse when an indirect or direct object is involved, as this makes it even more difficult for a listener to understand what it is exactly, you're trying to say.

The comma before you're trying to say is really confusing, what's the logic between you're trying to say and the former sentence? I mean, I do understand the meaning of this whole sentence, but the grammatical logic confuses me a lot.


texts: Exchanging TH (voiced) sound with D sound?

texts:
I have some difficults perceiving the differences between sounds very similars (to my ears).
For example words like bad and bed sounds very similar.
Live and leave too.
Though listenig cautiously I can hear the differences between them.
But the TH sound (both of them) is very difficult, because sometimes I can perceive them clearly, when they come in the end or sometimes in the middle.
For example teeth, health, father, weather (most of time).

The main "problem" is when the TH is not produced in the canonical form and sounds like a approximant.

I am referring as the canonical TH sound that one that continuously flow air and sounds like S and Z said with a lisp effect.

For example, when native says teeth, most of time this final unvoiced TH sounds as a S with a lisp (to my native ears). But other times this sounds to my ears as TEET.

Now my main doubt is that some words are not pronounced in the  canonical form. Usually when they begins with TH.
For example, THen, THan, THat sound like Den, Dan and Dat.
And THink and THought sound (in these cases I can hear exceptions sometimes) like Tink and Tought.
For example I can exchange the soft TH sound for T in my language and it sounds the same to me.

My questions are:

1.Does these words sound this way just to my ears or even for natives is possible to cause trouble?

2.Is always possible to hear the difference if someone says That and Dat?
Even if this person says the TH in the approximant form?

3.Is considered acceptable saying both TH in the canonical form most of time ( for example"a thing there" would sound like "a sing zere" but putting the lisping effect in S and Z)?


texts: What is a good word covering "studying the bad effects of something"

texts:
I am lookin for a word covering the meaning "studying the bad effects of something".

Can pathology be a good choice?

in my case that something refers to Tourism Development in a natural ecosystem.


texts:
When asking the price of something, do we say:

How much is the pens? or
How much are the pens?


texts:
Taking the expression "you've gone too far" into the past, do we change it to "you went too far" or not? Is doesn't sound okay to me if we change it, since it's a fixed expression.

Yesterday, when you were shouting at your boss, you've gone too far and that's why he fired you.


texts:
Sentence: Barney Rubble & his family vacant from his friend Fred's
  house, who got help from Barney to top the aptitude test.

Meaning: Barney Rubble & his family vacant from his friend Fred's
house. Fred got help from Barney to top the aptitude test.

Can I put "who" after "house"?


texts:
I wrote:

  It’s supposed that the immediate ancestor of two nodes is one or few levels up from the current node in the DOM-tree.

The context is an HTML document, but you can consider the tree any tree consisting of some nodes. I want to know if I used one or few levels up from the current node correctly? I mean if "level" takes the "up" and "from" prepositions in this case.


texts: my reason to call him dishonest Is it wrong?

texts:
Are the following sentences correct?

My reason to call him dishonest...
The reason for me to call him dishonest...
I have a reason to call him dishonest...
I have reasons to call him dishonest...
I do not think I have any reason to call him dishonest.

If not, what is the correct way to say them?


texts: Are "scout" and "scout out" the same thing?

texts:
The dictionary give pretty much the same definition for both:

  scout.

  b [+ object] : to explore (an area) in order to find information about
  it

  Several soldiers were sent ahead to scout the area.

Source.

  scout out.

  If you scout something out, you succeed in finding it after you have
  been through an area searching for it.

  Their mission is simply to
  scout out places where helicopters can land.

Source.

Is there any difference between the two?


texts: Can't find the verb for "move on tentacles"

texts:
I need a verb for "move on tentacles"? Something like walk or travel on tentacles.

There isn't such a thing as "to tentacle" and i can't find another word that would convey this meaning.


texts:
Cited from writer (noun) page on Oxford Learner's Dictionaries:

the writer of this letter

a freelance feature writer for ‘Time’ magazine

In what situations is "writer of" or "writer for" used?


texts: Does "hardly as risky as" mean "almost safer than"?

texts:
I have some trouble interpreting "hardly as...as...", such as in here:

This method is hardly as risky as that one.

Does this mean "This method is almost safer than that one"?


texts:
I saw the following staement in my grammar textbook and I wonder what’s the real meaning of “That is not very polite of him” in the statement?

  Kevin never says 'thank you'. That isn't very polite of him.

Does it mean that “He is not very polite.”? Or does it mean that "He is not usually that impolite"?


texts:
In Shane Koyzcan’s poem “Instructions for a Bad Day,” the author expresses an optimistic attitude towards life where he encourages us to forget the burden of the past, to live in the present with hope, to carry on our lives with courage, and to learn to express our lives.

Is where used properly in this sentence?

Do you find anything in this sentence awkward?


texts: meaning and using of the terms "eye toilet", "ear toilet" and "oral cavity toilet"

texts:
Is it in common use to refer the secretions of the eye, ear, and oral cavity - as a "toilet"?

I got a text with the following terms:

  "Techniques  of eye toilet, ear toilet and oral cavity toilet of a
  baby"

As I understand the meaning of them is secretions of the eyes, ears, and mouth (saliva?). Isn't it?

Indeed, by googling I found some professional books which uses this terms, but I'm not sure how it sounds like to the ears of the English native speaker. When I met it first as ELL it sounded weird.

links:

Government of western Australia- eye toilet - guide  (PDF)

Government of western Australia- ear toilet - guide (PDF)


texts:
Our software has a config file. I call the one be used currently as "in using" one, and there is another backup one. When the "in using" one corrupted, we can replace the "in using" one with the backup one.

"In using" may be not a natural English, because I hardly find them being used.

Then, what's a natural expression for that?


texts: Why add ‘now’ in the end of the sentence？

texts:
I see this sentence in a book: “I’ve been coming up here night after night for weeks now.”
I just feel this “now” in the end is weird. May you tell me why the author did this？


texts: Commentator on Steph Curry's three-pointer - "... like the fries are at the bottom". What does that mean here?

texts:
Okay, so there was a recent basketball game between the Golden State Warriors (GSW) and the Los Angeles Clippers, where GSW — the underdog — came back from a 22-point deficit to beat the Clippers by 10 points. Around the last minute of the game, Steph Curry hit a three-pointer over one of the star players of the Clippers to seal the deal. When Curry took that shot, the commentator went crazy and said:

The productive, prolific hands of Steph Curry ... In his bag — deep — like the fries are at the bottom.

What does "like the fries are at the bottom" really mean in this context? What does that have to do with basketball or Curry hitting that three-pointer? This isn't unexpected of him; he is clearly one of the best players in the game. This has to be a reference to something popular to have come up so fast in the commentator's mind. This is a clever way of saying what exactly?


texts: "He lost the game to his rival but he was only complimentary."

texts:
What is the function of only in this sentence?

  He lost the game to his rival but he was only complimentary.


texts:
What does this sentence mean : (I don't understand the phrase " the highest earning exports ")
sentence : petroleum products were the highest earning exports in both years


texts: Why is this correct? "I met you before you had met her."

texts:
I met you before you had met her.
I had met you before you met her.

I asked a native speaker from America about these two sentences. He said that they are both grammatically correct, but he prefers the first one. (Though he described them as very busy -- too much information is included.)
I can't understand why the first one is correct -- I use the Past Perfect in the second clause (you had met) despite the fact that it happens after the event from the first clause (I met you). Can you explain this?


texts: Which on of the following grammar is correct? I have never seen "a" snow VS I have never seen snow VS I have never seen the snow

texts:
Which grammar is correct or all correct?

  I have never seen "a" snow VS I have never seen snow

I've inputted both sentences to the Google search and found results as following

I have never seen a snow (About 389,000 results)
I have never seen snow (About 95,300 results)
I have never seen the snow (About 721,000 results)

Should I need to add the article or not and why ???
Thanks

PS:
The same problem has happened as the following sentences
I have never seen sea
I have never seen a sea
I have never seen the sea


texts: I'd like to know how to use the verb 'change

texts:
I'm comfortable saying like this:

  The way people listen to music has changed a lot over the years.

but how about this?

  Many things have changed in the way people listen to music.

In the same way I'm comfortable saying:

  Banks have changed a lot over the years.

Then how about this?

  Many things have changed in banks

I'd like to know if there's a difference in meaning between #1,3 and #2,4


texts:
The moon itself rotates, but it does so very slowly.

In this sentence, what is the word "does"  referring to, "rotates" or "itself rotates"?


texts:
I thought to read on matrix clauses. In

  25) [Bill wants [Susan to leave]].

I think in text this seemed like a matrix clause. Matrix clauses get called that in that they contain two clauses? I may not get where these clauses get placed. I think a clause requests a verb and arguments. I may get Bill wants Susan to leave, one clause, Bill (subject[?], wants (transitive[?] verb[?]), Susan (object[?]), to leave, (I may not get). I may not get where a second clause seems here?


texts:
Well 'opposite' may not be the right word to describe it but here is the question.

Polysemy is the capacity for a symbol to have multiple meanings. On the other hand, a meaning can be described by multiple symbols (George W. Bush, President Bush, etc). Is there a term to describe the second situation?

Thanks


texts:
Usually people say "make something difficult". But, like how you can both say "turn the light off" and "turn off the light", can you also say "make difficult something"?

For example, apparently

  She made clear that our happiness was important to her into the
  bargain

is wrong and should be, 'she made it clear that...'

But,

  A small amount of toxin in the drug makes difficult the decision to
  use it on weaker patients

is okay.

I am a little confused as to whether the object of the verb can move freely between the verb and the objective complement like it does in phrasal verbs, or whether that depends on what the object is or how what form it is in.


texts: What are the differences between 'variation' and 'variant'

texts:
I have looked up the dictionary,but I still do not know the differences between 'variation' and 'variant'. I paste here some instances got from the dictionary.

  I see it as another human variation
  Another variation of this problem is the use of validators
  The quagga was a strikingly beautiful variant of the zebra.
  Note that you must use the same variant of this option for all compiler runs related to the same project.


texts: Meaning of "but" in " I'm a late convert to nutraceuticals, but I think the bottom line is we just don't have adequate treatments for our patients"

texts:
From a news report:

  These findings suggest that WSE may have promise in schizophrenia, particularly in the treatment of negative and general symptoms and associated stress, she added.

  "The data show large effect sizes, and the number needed to treat to get ≥20% improvement in our PANSS negative subscale was only 3. That's pretty exciting. I'm a late convert to nutraceuticals, but I think the bottom line is we just don't have adequate treatments for our patients with schizophrenia," said Gannon.

What is the meaning of this "but"? Does she imply that an early convert to nutraceuticals would more strongly insist that the current mainstream treatment for schizophrenia is poor?  So the meaning is "I'm not a nutraceutic zealot, but yeah the mainstream drugs are not quite effective"?


texts: May I say something 'has long been fascinating to me'?

texts:
Is it gramatically correct to say something like

  Basketball has long been fascinating to me

or is there a better alternative expression?


texts: A term that's more precise than "technical writing" that refers to the writing found in patent description

texts: I am wondering if there's any such term. It's hard to think there's no such word, because the technical writing found in patent document is entirely different from those found in scientific research.


texts: Does "toothache" refer to "pain in one tooth" or in multiple teeth?

texts: According to OALD, toothache means "a pain in your teeth or one tooth" while Longman and Cambridge say that it refers to pain "in one tooth". If this is the case, what is the condition of having pain in more than one tooth called?


texts: what's difference about these two sentence?

texts:
sentence 1:

  The House would initiate a formal impeachment inquiry against President Trump, charging him with betraying his oath of office and the nation’s security by seeking to enlist a foreign power to tarnish a rival for his own political gain.

source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/24/us/politics/democrats-impeachment-trump.html

What if I change charging to be the verb in the main clause?

sentence 2:

  The House would charge him with betraying his oath of office and the nation’s security by seeking to enlist a foreign power to tarnish a rival for his own political gain, initiating a formal impeachment inquiry against President Trump,


texts: How can I say it? "the questions whose answers I don't know" or "the questions that I don't know their answers"?

texts:
This may be silly question, looks like the first option is obvious but when I was writing some time ago I couldn't figure out until I wrote it here.  Still, I wanted to ask you to learn shortest and best way of articulation.

  the questions whose answers I don't know

  the questions that I don't know their answers


texts:
Ted still sits alone in the couch watching TV. He starts wondering where his wife is.
  Ted still sits alone in the couch watching TV. He starts to wonder where his wife is.

I assume they are equally correct, but is there one of "starts wondering" and "starts to wonder" that sounds better to your ear than the other?


texts:
In my English language class, we had to write short, scary stories. I wrote a story about a man who brings his wife back from the dead, and one of the lines in the story was:

  From that day, it was not love that drove him forward, but unholy intrigue.

What I wanted to convey with this sentence is that, at one point, his project was driven forward by morbid curiosity and he no longer cared about getting his wife back. My teacher took off points for the phrase "unholy intrigue", saying two things were wrong with it:

"Unholy" means 'against a religion', and would give a sense of 'driven forward by the devil', which is not what I wanted.
"Intrigue" as a noun means "a secret plan", and it makes no sense to say his secret plan was driven forward by his secret plan.

Her definition of intrigue agrees with my dictionary, but it still feels correct to me in the context.

As for unholy, the 2nd definition on the linked website uses it in the same way I do, except it says it must describe a group of people.

Does this sentence make sense in English, and does it mean what I want it to?


texts: Article “the” why is it the Port Authority Bus Station and not “the Penn Station”?

texts: Why is it “the” Port Authority Bus Terminal, but not “the Penn Station”?


texts:
Active sentence:

The mail carrier had already delivered the mail by the time I left for school this morning.

I ought to change that sentence into passive. Here is my attempt:

The mail had been already delivered by the mail carrier by the time I left for school this morning.

Is it correct? I'm not entirely sure how to put something (already, always, etc) in perfect tenses. I've read about the difference "have always been" and "have been always" that can be read here. And one of the answer said both are gramatically correct depend on a context. So, is it true in my case too? Which context I should consider?
I will provide another example:

I read about a hunter who had been accidentally killed by another hunter.
or
I read about a hunter who had accidentally been killed by another hunter.


texts:
I was wondering if someone could tell me whether the following sentences mean the same or they have slight nuances:

The train was cancelled, so I had no alternative but to take a taxi.

The train was cancelled, so I had no choice but to take a taxi.

The train was cancelled, so I had no option but to take a taxi.

For me they all mean the same (in this context) and in this sense can be used interchangeably.


texts:
Would you please tell me which word does not belong to this group of words?

  Progressive,,
  Traditional,
  Timid,
  Cautious.


texts:
I got paid for my part time job.

  I got paid by my part time job.

What I want to say here is "I got paid by working part time."
I know I can just say "I got paid", but I want to say that I earned some money "from working part time job."

Then which preposition should I use here?


texts: What is the meanning of "should be happening"?

texts:
An example from TED:

Those conversations should be happening in a good marriage, not after it is broken.

And I have heard it many times so far, but I am not sure what exactly it means. Does it a more polite or uncertain way to say something that will happen?


texts: Difference between "by this way" and "in this way"

texts:
Is the bellow sentence correct?

  Are all errors detectable by this way?

What would be the difference between by this way and in this way?


texts: Can JAVI BROTHERS in JAVI BROTHERS MOVIES be considered as an adjective

texts:
Which would be the ideal choice, literal option:

A JAVI BROTHERS MOVIES

A JAVI BROTHER'S MOVIES

A JAVI BROTHERS' MOVIES


texts:
How do you know how to pronounce words just by looking?  For example

  I read books

Could be either having read books in the past, or you are in the process of reading books at the moment.  How do you know which without context?  I know the English rule about stressing the first or second vowel in a word (apart from the Irish who pronounce the opposite, which interestingly is partly where their accent comes from) but that only works for words such as printer and not for words where two vowels follow one another, like read or thought.

Another point:  Why do some combinations of letters change the sound.  For example, after hearing the word book, you'd think it would be spelled buk or buc, and after hearing though and thought you would never guess that all their letters but one are common.  Is there a reason for this other than language not been written down until recently when all the little quirks I have mentioned were already impregnated into the language.

To sum up:

Is there a way of knowing the pronunciation of a word without context?
Why do some combinations of letters change pronunciation depending on the word they are in?


texts:
In "THE MORPHOLEXICAL NATURE OF ENGLISH to-CONTRACTION", Pullum quotes four examples of usage of "wants to"/"wansta":

  (5)
  a. Teddy is the man Mike wants to send.
  b. Teddy is the man Mike wants to go.
  c. Teddy is the man Mike wansta send.
  d. *Teddy is the man Mike wansta go.

I would like to understand the difference between 5c and 5d, and what makes 5d ungrammatical.

* is used to mark a sentence as ungrammatical.


texts: Idiomatic ways to say something like "the starting time for the meeting is put off for one hour"

texts:
Suppose a meeting is scheduled at 8:00am but is postponed to 9:00am (I am not sure if "postpone to 9:00am" is idiomatic). I want to say something like

  The meeting  ______(some verb or phrase) one hour.

How many ways can I fill in ____?


texts:
Nicolas Flamel: Grindelwald rallies at the cemetery tonight, and there will be death.

I am trying to understand what "rally" means in this context.

It's a new word to me, so I looked it up in the dictionary and found out that it could mean either "to conduct a large meeting" or "to recover and become stronger".

Both options might fit into the plot, so the sentence is very ambiguous to me.

EDIT:

The thing I am trying to grasp is whether Nicolas Flamel knew the upcoming event would strengthen Grindelwald or he just reported that the meeting is about to take place.


texts:
Is there any difference about it and about that, or are both the sentences correct?

As soon as I see Tom, I will tell him about that.

As soon as I see Tom, I will tell him about it.


texts: a grade B or the grade B - which article to use?

texts:
Which article should be used in this sentence?
I got the/a grade B today at school.


texts: Wait just a moment vs. hold on a minute (before answering a query)

texts:
Let's say a client is asking a question online, and you put him on hold to confirm your will be answer to your manager, because you want a sure answer before you give it to the inquirer. You say:

  Could you please wait just a moment while I confirm this.

Or

  Could you hold on a minute while I confirm this. (I think this is better)

Which is more ok to say? As I've said, I believe sentence 2 is better than sentence 1.


texts: Difference between "commonly" and "quite commonly"

texts:
What's the difference between the word "commonly" and "quite commonly"? From what i have understood, the "quite commonly" puts more emphasize on the word "commonly". Am i right?

Thanks.

Context:

OOP is a type of programming that enables us to create various types objects that can contain data, in the form of attributes, and behaviors in the form of methods. Quite commonly, methods are designed to assign values to attributes or to access previously-assigned values, but there are many other types of roles they can play.


texts:
Which is better in terms of grammar and why, I wonder?

  Once upon a time lived King and Queen...

  Once upon a time there lived King and Queen...


texts: How is it called in English a group of gipsy families?

texts:
There is a wonderful movie called “Şatra”, original title: "Tabor ukhodit v nebo".

In my language the word ”şatră”, pronounced (ʃatrə) defines a group of gipsy families and is attributed only to gipsies.

I know that in English I can use the word clan or pride to define a group of interrelated families but I wonder if there is a specific word attributed only to gipsies like in my language.


texts: Could it be correct to say "very little people attended the event"?"

texts:
I know 'little' is for uncountable nouns and 'people' is a countable noun.
But, could it work as the noun 'hair'? When the quantity is way too big to be counted, it's considered uncountable, or does 'people' mantain it's countability no matter the quantity?


texts:
How can I change this sentence from active to passive without changing its structure?

My student has found those words in that thesaurus.


texts: Can I use "going to" twice in the same sentence?

texts:
My best friend is going to get married on Saturday, and I am going to be the maid of honor.

Is this sentence awkward?


texts:
I was wondering if it is correct to say:

I am not unconfident with his answer.

By saying this I imply that I am almost not confident but I hesitate to say I am. His answer makes me hesitate.

Interesting thing:

As Oxford dictionary says:

ADJECTIVE

Not confident; hesitant.
‘the airmen were young, but not unconfident’


texts: meaning of the phrase "twist of probability"

texts:
What does "twist of probability" mean? Here it is in context:

  "Some contemporary philosophers give us a modern teleological argument with a twist of probability."

I think that means there some probability in the argument. Correct me please if am wrong.


texts: 'Help improve Android Studio' <-- Is this grammatically correct?

texts:
I have doubt about this sentence.

  Help improve Android Studio

I think it should be "Help to improve", because "improve" is a verb.

Is this grammatical correct?

If so, why is it correct?
If not so, why is it used this?

I tried to search about it, but I could not found it.


texts:
Reading this article, there is a line,

When I was elected governor in 2010, my biggest responsibility was to lead South Carolina out of the Great Recession. I knew that the most vulnerable families needed more than welfare checks — they needed the dignity of a job and a future. So we launched a “Welfare-to-Work” program that matched individuals with jobs that fit their talents. Ultimately, we empowered more than 20,000 South Carolinians to find jobs and flourish.

Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress could learn a thing or two from South Carolina. Instead of “Welfare-to-Work,” today’s Democrats are all welfare, no work. This approach will only hold back the people they claim to be helping and won’t help people thrive long-term.

Does this phrasal verb "hold back" here fall into this dictionary's definition,

1 b: to keep from advancing to the next stage, grade, or level

Thank you.


texts:
I've seen statements like "He is 80 years young" in many places. Also, I know that it means the same as

  He is 80 years old.

Now, why do people use 'young' instead of 'old' if it means the same? Or am I entirely misinformed and the statement is actually invalid?


texts: “I've read the story till/to its end/ending?” Which words should I use?

texts:
I want to say that I have done reading a story and have read all of its content.

I have thought of 4 ways to say. But which way should I say? Are they all correct and interchangeable?

I have read the story till its end.
I have read the story till its ending.
I have read the story to its end.
I have read the story to its ending.

Thanks


texts: Get it signed by or Get it signed from . What is the correct usage?

texts: Please let me know the correct usage of the sentence . Is it by or from ?


texts:
(1) I can think of little that interests me less than what critics say about me or my work.
  (The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith)

When I came across the sentence, I got this question. Can ‘not many’ be the complement for ‘of’: (2) I can think of not many that interests me less than what critics say about me or my work? I'm not asking whether (2) is equivalent to (1) or not, but asking if the structure of (2) can be possible.


texts: "realization" vs "implementation" of a computer program

texts:
Can realization be used to refer to the implementation of a computer program?

As in:

  We will realize the program next week.

or

  Listing X demonstrates a possible realization.

I was pretty sure to realize [something] cannot not be used in this sense, but instead only in the sense to become aware of [something]. However, I keep seeing realization to be used in the place of implementation quite often, also in computer science papers, so I'm not that sure anymore. Can a native speaker shed some light on this?

To add some more detail to the question: My main confusion comes from the German words for realization and implementation (Realisierung and Implementierung) which can be used fairly interchangeably in this context. The same is not true in English, and hence my worries about the correctness of the texts I write.


texts: What is the meaning of "all the news that's fit to print"?

texts:
The heroic image of journalist selflessly gathering "all the news
  that's fit to print" and publishing it "without fear or favour" is
  itself a heavy idealisation.

I know it is a newspaper motto, and there are a lot about it on the internet, but nowhere I could find a simple meaning for it.


texts: While I am walking on the street, the college, shopping ...etc I meet native American friends. When we finish a quick chat, I used to say nice to see you. They say good to see you. Is there any difference in usage between "nice to see you" and "good to see you"? Am I wrong if I say nice to see you.


texts:
When describing the walk signal for pedestrians turning green, can I say:

The walk signal lights up.

I'm writing this in my college essay to describe a story (anecdote). I'm going to talk about the signal in the US.


texts: Past deductions: I am sure they would (must) have done plenty of testing

texts:
Do you agree that the commenter should have used (must) instead of (would) for making deductions. Or maybe should have dropped would and used "and I am sure they have done plenty of testing", but would not this be considered a statement and not a deduction anymore?

I have checked the topics on making deductions about past events and found none used the modal 'would'.

The comments can be found below the article entitled: Android Wear's latest update adds GPS support and offline music playback

WhiteRAZOR

  It could probably do with one [physical button] on the top or bottom
  without extruding too much. I don't like how this and others don't
  favour those who wear it on their right wrist.

  Although I haven't tried the Apple Watch, and I am sure they would
  have done plenty of testing, I don't like the crown. Every other
  watch I have to take the watch off to use the crown. Maybe it isn't so
  tight and can be operated smoothly with one finger, unlike standard
  analoges [sic].

The above comment was a reply to the following, probably mistaken, critical comment of an Android Watch

Cyber_Akuma

  I know this unpopular opinion will get me lambasted, but seriously,
  Android Wear NEEDS to have some kind of physical button (or other
  physical input) support instead of being 100% touch-only (no, a single
  home button a-la iPhone does not count). As much as I hate to admit
  it, even Apple got this right and realized how stupid multi-touch and
  touch-only input on a 2 inch screen would be.


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say "can not be happened"?

texts: I saw one of my friends giving thanks to her friends for a party on the occasion of new year celebration by giving a status update on facebook as "Thanks to all,without my friends the party can't be happened."


texts: How to say "to start establishing a family"?

texts:
By these I mean when a person wants to be married with another person at first.
Would you please help me how to say these?

difficulties in getting married
difficulties in establish a family

....
Edited: By this I mean I have some problem that might be related to economic, or everything. Therefore, have I correctly written the following to explain that I have some problems to get married and start a family.

I have difficulties settling down

Thanks


texts:
It appears to me that we say

  Hello, boys/girls

to a group of boys/girls, but do not say

  Hello, men/women

to a group of men/women.

Is this the case in your particular variety of English? If so, is there a term or reason for this difference, why one form is used and the other is not?


texts:
I've heard that the phrase' For there to be' can be used as infinitive in the Sentences.so, how to use this kind of phrase?

Even if I don't know its usage ,I've tryed to use it in a sentence below:

For there to be a success, we need to struggle.

Am i correct ?
Please provide its usage.

I would appreciate your responses.


texts: "Might as well been" vs "could have been"

texts:
Are both of them interchangeable when used as a simile? Example:

  Her embrace was so subtle, so silent he could have been touched by a
  gentle breeze.

  Her embrace was so subtle, so silent he might as well been touched by a
  gentle breeze.

(I wanted to check this theory on Google but I don't know what to search for.)


texts: What does if mean here: "He's a good driver, if a little over-confident"

texts:
What does "if" mean here:

He's a good driver, if a little over-confident

when can I also use it like this?


texts: A word or a phrase for "riding a bicycle on only one wheel"

texts: What do we call it when someone rides a bicycle or a motorcycle and suddenly stands on only one wheel (usually on the back wheel) for a short period?


texts: partially complete vs partially completed

texts:
What is the correct – partially complete or partially completed?

I'm using Trello and I want to create a label that says that a card is partially complete(d).

Thank you.


texts: What is the meaning of "We'd back in the pickup truck" in the following sentences?

texts:
What is the meaning of "We had back in the pickup truck" in the following sentences,

  "There's only one way to deal with a melon that size," said Daddy,
  "I'd cut a door in it with the chain saw. We'd back in the pickup
  truck and scoop out the insides. Then we'd be eating watermelon for
  a very long time."

SOURCE: THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT By ALICE SCHERTLE, ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN WALLNER

Does "We had back in the pickup truck" mean "We came back out of the watermelon again by the pickup truck"? Or does it mean "We had climbed the back of the pickup truck" ?

What does "had back in" in the sentence mean ?


texts:
To form a true social group or a community that allows us to share our interests, feelings, purposes and thoughts with each other, we need the kind of communication that is educative to [ the extent / such an extent ] that we can have indirect experience and modify our attitudes.

Which phrase is correct, to the extent or to such an extent?    Could you help me clarify it?   Thanks.


texts:
If I put an indirect object before a direct object when I use the verb teach, would it be grammatically wrong to use the preposition to as in the first following sentence? Which ones of the following sentences are correct?

  Parents teach to children which behaviors are acceptable by their
  reactions.

  Parents teach which behaviors are acceptable by their reactions to
  children.

  Parents teach  children which behaviors are acceptable by their
  reactions.

It sounds like correct but apparently according to Longman dictionaries the word is not used in this way since it does not have direct object before it.


texts: What are the dictionaries that shows the meaning of words from the common to the less common meaning?

texts:
What are the online dictionaries that shows the meaning of words from the most common to the less common meaning?

Normally I use the following dictionaries:

Cambridge dictionary
Oxford dictionary
Merriam-Webster dictionary
Merriam-webster dictionary for learners
Collins dictionary
Word web dictionary

Now, for example, I'm looking for the common meaning of the adjective "steep" and I found many meanings but it's clear what's most common meaning of this word. So I'd like to know in which one of the dictionaries I have to rely when I'm looking for a meaning based on a structure from a most common to the less common meanings.


texts:
Help to understand the grammatical logic of having 'are' at the end of this sentence would be much appreciated:

I am surprised at how well organized they are.


texts: How to say "the answer to your question is:" shortly

texts:
Somebody wrote me an email which also contained a question.

I replied to his email, and now I want to answer the question.

What phrase can I use to prefix my answer?

I thought of: "The answer to your question is X", or "About your question, the answer is X", but this sounds too cumbersome.

I am sure I heard a shorter phrase for presenting an answer to a question.  What's the correct phrase?


texts:
Can “not…either” be used in a interrogative sentence?
Does this sentence “Do you not like coffee either?” sound natural to you?

Thank you very much!


texts: He {went / has gone / had gone} out 5 minutes ago

texts:
He ... out 5 minutes ago

options:

a)went b)has gone c)had gone

MyApproach:

I choose has gone because it expresses an action that was completed very recent past i.e just 5 minutes ago although the word "just" is not mentioned.

Am i right in my approach? Please correct me if I am wrong?


texts:
The number of guests invited to the wedding is/are one thousand.

How to decide the subject in this type of sentences?


texts:
I can't understand this paragraph and I can't find an explanation anywhere online. What is "fair approximation"? What about "break something out"?

  They’d spread textbooks and notebooks and loose pages around the
  coffee table in front of  the couch in a fair approximation of
  diligence.  They’d broken the books out about an hour ago,  but Kirk
  had been looking at the same page of his chemistry book for the past
  forty five minutes  and still couldn’t begin to guess what it what it
  was about.


texts: Doesn't "What I have personally found that really relaxes me" violate that-trace effect?

texts:
The following is a part of a Japanese university's entrance exam:

Andrea:

  I was just reading an article on how the things that you do right before bed can have a big impact on your life.

Erica:

  That's so true. I've heard that it is such a great time of the day to actually start a daily routine because the day is winding down so you're not rushing around to get stuff done.

Andrea:

  I've often tried to do that but have never been that successful at it, to tell you the truth. What I have personally found that really relaxes me though is doing some nighttime reading before I doze off.

Isn't "What I have personally found that really relaxes me" ungrammatical because it violates That-trace effect? My assumption is that "that" is a complementizer and "what" was moved from the subject position of the verb "relaxes". Or is this assummtion wrong?


texts: Why the prep 'in' used in this sentence?

texts:
In Golden State, Cousins will team with four fellow All-Stars in the starting lineup in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green.

I saw the sentence from this article. The part that really confuses me is "in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green". I would use namely to provide a list, if I wrote it.

  In Golden State, Cousins will team with four fellow All-Stars in the starting lineup, namely, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green.

What's the usage of "in" here?


texts:
To  be  exact,  it  takes  365  days,  5  hours,  48 minutes  and  46  seconds.  For  a  long  time  people  did  not  add  these  extra  hours  and  minutes  and seconds. It  was  like  using  a  watch  that  runs  slow.

I am so confused with the usage of and in"extra hours and minutes and seconds." I think,according to comma rules, it should be these extra hours, minutes and seconds.

Does "and" use to leave out the repeated word "extra"?


texts: Using 'very' to emphasize a 'noun' where emphasizing is NOT possible!

texts:
Quite clear to me is the use of very before an adjective. It emphasizes. But then, when very is used before a noun, it confuses me.
Furthermore, if it's before the noun which is not definable in degrees or intensities, is using 'very' okay? In other words, is it okay to use very before a noun that you simply cannot emphasize?
Examples -

Jack L. Scott was born on June 10, 1940, in the very home he was raised and passed away in, in rural Brownstown - The EDN
He disagreed strenuously with Cruz and said the very fact that he had planned to propose the same increase was clear evidence that owners had been disingenuous in their arguments for a much larger rent hike.  - Capital New York

What's very home? *If he's raised in some corner of the home - it's in the home; *If he's raised in the center of the home - it's in the very home? ;)
What's very fact? The documents have been stolen - is fact; The documents have been stolen by the President - is very fact? ;)
If it applies to 'undegreeable' nouns, this sentence should be 'okay', shouldn't it? -- The very death of the father shook the entire family.
Also, in such usage, very looks both to me -an adverb and an adjective.


texts: What's the difference between “turn out” and “end up”?

texts:
I would like to know when I should use "turn out" and "end up". I notice that "end up" is more universal than "turn out".

See an example:

  I’m sure it will all turn out well in the end.

or

  I’m sure it will all end up OK in the end.


texts:
In the following dialogue:

John: Do you want to come to the zoo with me tomorrow, Peter?
Peter: I would go if I had some money.

John asks with "come with me" instead of "go with me".

Peter answers with "I would go with you" instead of "I would come with you".

Why is this?


texts:
Is the use of being correct in the following sentence?

"Accordingly, similar reports were found in the literature, being possible to establish a link among the three definitions"


texts: Does "he squandered his car on drink" sound natural?

texts:
I am struggling with how to express the idea that somebody sold out some article of his possession (computer, car, house, etc.) and used the money to buy himself alcohol to drink.

For example,

  -- Where is his computer?

  -- Well, he squandered it on drink.

Dictionaries show that "to squander on drink" is okay; but when I type in Google Search "squandered his car on drink", I get zero results, which makes me think that there might be some better and more common ways of expressing the same thought.


texts: What's wrong with the phrase "remind them in which"?

texts:
I thought it was a common phrase ... but Google doesn't agree.

Example sentence:

  I don't want to write stories to let people escape reality but to
  remind them in which one they are.


texts:
    The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night
  went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to
  get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores
  were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight.
  The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge
  of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten
  minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering
  if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter
  writer was now.        Five minutes to go. Harry heard
  something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in,
  although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the
  house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back
  that he'd be able to steal one somehow.        Three
  minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that?
  And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the
  rock crumbling into the sea?        One minute to go and
  he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds. . . twenty. . . ten. . . nine ––
  maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him –– three. . . two. . . one. . .        BOOM.  (Harry Potter and the
  Sorcerer's Stone)

The modality would is very hard to guess what it means. Would you pick the right meaning in OALD?


texts:
an opinion that someone offers you about what you should do or how you should act in a particular situation (dictionary.cambridge.org)

(1) an opinion
(2) that someone offers you __
(3) about what you should do or how you should act in a particular situation

This noun phrase is not easy to understand. Does the dependent of (3) modify a component of (2), that? ; or modify the head of (1), an opinion?


texts: I'd like to know if I can use the word 'cost' like this

texts:
I'd like to know if I can say these without changing meaning

It costs me much money to use the pool

Using the pool costs me much money.

The pool costs me much money to use.

I think #1. is the most common one, but I've seen #2.3 also being used. Can I say all of them?


texts: Is this sentence is relative restrictive clause? What does the sentence mean?

texts:
From here:

  It’s disingenuous to suggest the Dodgers have never had a player come of nowhere quite like Taylor.

I don't understand what "come of" means here. AFAIK, "come of something" means to be the result of something.

Also shouldn't it be "have never had a player who comes of..."?


texts: Preventing ambiguities in lists with items that have time/place specifiers

texts:
Example:

  Using unsupported Windows versions is highly discouraged, more specifically Windows XP, and Vista after April 2017.

Now there is an ambiguity with whether "after April 2017" refers to only Windows XP or also Vista. The comma does not help much, after all one might be following the comma rule for lists where it's always used.

So one could write:

  Using unsupported Windows versions is highly discouraged, more specifically Windows XP. After April 2017, this includes Windows Vista.

But this seems unnecessarily overblown to me.

So I'm wondering if it would be valid to write the following?

  Using unsupported Windows versions is highly discouraged, more specifically Windows XP, and after April 2017, Windows Vista.

If not then at least in spoken language?


texts: Why are there so many tenses in English?

texts:
We only need the Past Tense, Present Tense & Future Tense. (This is more than enough to express any type of situation.)

But tenses are subdivided into so many forms like Animal Kingdom Classification in Biology.

Why is this so?


texts:
Is it possible (and common) to use a participle as an adverb?
Examples:

The damp walls looming overgrown and ruggedly out of the water bear witness to ancient grandeur. (In this case, the adverb participle to focus on is overgrown.)
He went home smiling. (Notice, there is no comma here indicating a participle construction, just an adverb.)

On a side note:
Not sure, if I can omit the relative pronoun in the first example, depending on how defining the relative clause/participle construction is to the sentence (which walls?). But that's another question and not important here as it would render the whole post too broad.


texts:
Imagine that I'm talking to my friend. That's the dialog is very casual. Can I say

  I haven't been long as a programmer.

in the sense that I work as a a programmer not very far. Is it suitable for informal discussion?


texts:
Is it okay to use:

  I'll get you out!  (I'll knock you out.)

  Ill knock you out!

A girl was being really rude to a girl after she was out and she said:

  Why did you knock/get me out?

What sounds better "knock/get"?

As in "Dodge ball".......  Where the members of the other team are eliminated..


texts: Alternative ways to say "after something"

texts:
In describing an algorithm, I feel I repeatedly use "After doing this, the algorithm do that". I look for alternative ways to say such sequences. For example I wrote:

  After obtaining the Post-Matches rules, the algorithm performs the extraction command and the post-assignments of both Pre-Matches and Post-Matches

I think of writing it as:

  Once the Post-Matches rules were obtained, the algorithm performs the extraction command and the post-assignments of both Pre-Matches and Post-Matches.

Are they equivalent? What are other ways to say such sentences?


texts:
Could you please explain this sentence:

  Your report...is being reviewed.

Is this correct sentence?
What does being mean here, continues action?
Which tense is used?

Full Sentence

  Your report has been received and is being reviewed by our support staff.


texts:
For example,

I open door A like door B opens.

referring to I open door A in a slow way, and door B does in the same way
Even though ‘open’ and ‘opens’ function as transitive and intransitive respectively, do they have the same sense?
I mean, when it comes to different parts of speech, they have a different meaning (ex. beauty and beautiful). Then when it comes to intransitive and transitive verbs, do they have a different meaning?


texts:
Mark ordered headphones for XYZ and I.
Mark ordered headphones for XYZ and me.

In the above sentences do we need an article before headphones?
I think that in 3 and 4 sentences, sentence 3 is correct. Does the same logic apply in sentence 1 and 2?
2nd sentence feels more right to me.

XYZ and I decided to buy a new TV.
I and My friend decided to buy a new TV.


texts: is it clear, grammatical and idiomatic to use "xxx is the only place where xxx"?

texts:
this post is discussing a jupyter problem.

jupyter is a tool to write program.

I want to express "a functionality works well except for jupyter." by using

  it seems that jupyter cell is the only place where the created file
  cannot be rendered well.

is this expression clear, grammatical and idiomatic?


texts: Does "exploit" (verb) inherently carry a negative connotation?

texts: I want to use it to mean "thoroughly make use of ... without pushing it/them over its/their limit" but I am worried it does not mean that.


texts: How to make syllable structure and sonority graph of "twelfths" and "grudged"?

texts:
I have an exam this week and I don't even know how to make syllable structure and sonority graph of the following words: grudged and twelfths. I was infected by COVID-19 and have not attended my online classes. .
Are "twelfths" two syllables?
How to make/draw syllable structure and sonority graph of "twelfths" and "grudged"?


texts:
Is the following use of "in case" natural in American English?

  In case you can't find my house, just call me.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What does "sparkle" mean in this: "Vampires Don't Sparkle"

texts:
What does it mean when one says a vampire sparkles?
As I know, sparkling means: "shine brightly with flashes of light".

The phrase in question is "not all who sparkle are vampires" in the book Data Smart: Using Data Science to Transform Information into Insight.


texts:
If I want to produce a batch of circuit boards which consist of various electronic components. But I found there is a shortage of a certain component whose part number is xxxx. Can I say
there is a shortage of 44 pcs xxxx, or I should say there are 44 pcs shortage of xxxx.


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct?

  Does the usage of this word correct?

or I must use "Is" instead of "Does"?


texts:
I am watching a video about a person with body modifications, and the person counting modifications he has done, he's saying

  I've had my ears removed, I've had my tongue bifurcated, I've had my
  eyeball sclera permanently stained green ...

Can you explain to me why he uses present perfect I have had?

Thanks.


texts: What does 'to take Official Notice that' exactly mean?

texts:
I encountered this phrase which said "the Examiner takes Offical Notice that A in the cited invention corresponds to B in the instant invention." when translating. I got the meanings of 'take notice' and 'official notice' from online dictionaries. Also, the 'Official Notice' is a name of the document I was translating.

take notice: pay attention (I'm sorry that there is no link to any site. I couldn't find any page that explains the meaning of 'take notice that' in English, so I got this from pages in my first language. I found some pages that explain the meaning of 'take notice of' though.)

official notice: Official notice means the decision taken by an administrative law judge that any judicially cognizable facts, technical or scientific facts are true when the parties have not presented evidence contrary about it. The administrative law judge before taking such official notice shall issue notice to the parties about the fact on which such official notice is to taken. The administrative law judge shall also state in the notice details about the sources of such facts including any staff memoranda and data. Then the parties will be given an opportunity to contest the facts and material so noticed. A party taking such official notice is required to produce a copy of the material about which the judicial notice is taken. (http://definitions.uslegal.com/o/official-notice%20/)

However, I can't understand the exact meaning of 'to take Official Notice that'. From the explanation of the meaning of 'take notice that,' I got the feeling that it's usually used when you want to warn someone as in e.g., "Take notice that you don't get into trouble." and "Please take notice that your manuscript must be in our hands by January 30." And I think I also understand the usage of I take/took notice that... as in "I took notice that my chat system wasn't working properly." which, from my assumption, means "I realized that..."?

What does it exactly mean when it's used in the form of 'someone takes Official Notice that...'? Does it mean someone officially realized something??


texts:
What is the meaning of "pass on news" in this sentence?

  Social networking helps people pass on news.


texts:
Would Superman be such a great lad if he had been born on Earth?

Can we write this sentence this way? Like imagining how Superman would be if he was an earthling.

Specifically, I want to know if "had been" is the correct verb to write.


texts: What's a wind is blowing In the direction North meaning?

texts: What's the different between "wind blowing IN" and "wind blowing FROM"?


texts: Grammatical purpose of including "mind you" between commas

texts:
"The youngster and he were great friends. The old chap taught him a great deal, mind you; and they say he had a great wish for him."

What is the point of mind you here, grammatically? What is this called in grammar? Why may it get set off by a comma?


texts: Why did the author use past continuous in that sentence

texts:
I came from a scene that is more punk than the garage scene. The first concerts I was going to were punk, like at the MIROITRIE.for a year  Then I went to Canada for a year

Why "was going"? Why past continuous? Was it a "habit" he used to have? in this case, he would not have written "the first concerts". If it were his first concerts it could not be considered as a "habit".
Maybe, using past continuous the author wants to show that this period lasted a long time.

But in fact, I think this is because he still goes to the concert so it is still an ongoing situation.


texts:
I came across a song titled All You Are Going To Want To Do Is Get Back There.

Can someone explain the grammar behind 'going to want to' and what the entire sentence means? Thank you.


texts: A person in charge of scheduling work-shifts

texts: Is there a default/common word for that guy/gal who's in charge of building the weekly work schedules of others in their workplace? (Referring mainly to shift-based work)


texts: Why saying "so long an absence" instead of "a so long absence"?

texts:
I have usually seen "a + adj + noun" instead of "adj + a + noun". In the sentence below, why the speaker used the latter? Did he want to transfer a special meaning e.g. emphasizing on the adjective, in this case the very long period that no one had expected? The situation was that the speaker went to the US for a meeting and suddenly he had to have an operation and stay a while in a hospital.

  It's grand to be home again after so long an absence. [The Crown]


texts: Does "we" count as a subject in the subject and verb agreement?

texts:
As in this sentence -

  We share in the anger and frustration of our supporters and would like to assure them that we are working to conclude the matter in the best interests of Sunderland AFC.

That was an official statement, but shouldn't there be a comma before the and? Then working would be the verb and we the subject?


texts: Can I place a genitive "'s" after prepositional phrase like this?

texts:
In this example I want to express that Bob's profession is teacher and that he is from Germany. Can I put it like this:

  Bob from Germany's profession is teacher."

Or what are the alternatives?

Thanks in advance.


texts: How can I negate or confirm a question tersely using negation?

texts:
From a logical point of view, the answer no negates the negation, and yes confirms it.

But how would a native speaker react when s/he asked "Don't you love me any more?" and got yes or no as answer?

German has a special word, doch, which is used only for negating a negation in a question. But without this word it's difficult to respond tersely, and in a way that would be understood.


texts: What is difference between could be and can be?

texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences? For me both are the same.

He could be in the room.
He can be in the room.

Please help me I am very confused on how to use them.


texts: Is it implied in this answer that the OP cannot walk?

texts:
from a Question on Physics.SE

  Q: Is it possible to walk in a friction-less world?

  A: If there is no friction you can still move by conservation of momentum. take some stuff with you that you don't need. throw it away opposite the direction you want to go!

I read the answer as (bold text added by myself as my interpretation):

If there is no friction you cannot walk, but you can still move by conservation of momentum. take some stuff with you that you don't need. throw it away opposite the direction you want to go!

from the text above, is it the meaning the author wanted to convey?


texts:
Please let me know: Is there any specific word for removing grain from the cob?

Also, is there a proper word for its outer covering?


texts: Can we avoid the preposition "on" in same cases

texts:
Sometimes I notice the preposition on after some words (verbs) like cheat, advise etc. When I see the preposition after the words (verbs) I always think "can we avoid it after the words?".

Examples:

  1a -> He cheated on me.
  1b -> He cheated me.

  2a -> I advise them on what to do.
  2b -> I advise them what to do.

Can I rewrite them without the preposition? And if yes, do they work in the same way?

In the second example. I think the preposition worked fine as the speaker was talking about a topic. And on the topic she advises. But in the first one the preposition seems unnecessary. I meant to say it could be written without the preposition. But I am not sure if it works in the same way.


texts: Is there an idiom or a phrase that means "diarrhea prone intestine"?

texts: There's an expression for heartburn if I am not mistaken and it's "upset stomach" as in "I have an upset stomach, so I can't drink beer". However, I can't think of a single idiom or phrase for people who are diarrhea prone and who need to go to the bathroom often.


texts:
"Neither you and your girlfriend came, nor my dad, nor my mom."

In the sentence above, is it correct to use two nouns after the "neither". Or should it be: "Neither you came, nor my dad, nor mom, nor your girlfriend."?


texts: I teach mathematics vs. I teach Mathematics

texts:
"Currently I am coaching younger pupils in the subjects Mathematics, English and Latin."

First question: Are the listed subjects meant to be in capital letters or not?

Second question: Is there a comma after currently?

Third question: I would suggest changing the sentence to "Currently I teach younger pupils Mathematics, English and Latin." But is there a way of using the word "coaching" and still make it sound good? It sounds a bit "irregular".


texts: If I make a non-verbatim quotation (as news outlets often do in their titles), what punctuation should I use?

texts:
Federal judge Beryl A. Howell: No vote on initiating an inquiry is required. In the cases of all three presidents who faced such an action — Andrew Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Bill Clinton — the House Judiciary Committee had begun investigating or received grand jury materials before a full House vote.

It gets tricky when there's more than one sentence. The way I wrote it doesn't make it clear that the second sentence is also what the judge, not me, said. If I use quote marks, then I would mislead a reader into believing that it's an actual word-for-word citation when it's not the case. I could use semicolons, but imagine there're three or more sentences. I don't want to make some sentence centipedes like some sick linguo-surgeon.


texts:
On a motorbike or a car, you control the gas feed rate by turning the right handle (motorbike) or pushing down the gas pedal (car). When the gas feed increases, the "vroom" (noise and vibration) also increases. I'm looking for (technical) words to describe such measures:

The amount of "vroom" (noise and vibration)
The level of the gas feed
The measurement of $ vroom / gas feed $


texts:
Which of the following ways of using i.e. in a sentence is correct?

  1) The elephant is a pachyderm, i.e., an animal with thick skin and nails resembling hooves.
  2) The elephant is a pachyderm (i.e., an animal with thick skin and nails resembling hooves).

Also, if we use i.e. as in the first sentence, should we use a comma before it?


texts: What does “recovery booms were freed from their angled crutches” mean?

texts:
At 0900, Vallery ordered the paravanes to be recovered. The Ulysses slowed down. The First Lieutenant, Lieutenant-Commander Carrington, went to the fo'c'sle to supervise operations: seamen, winch drivers, and the Subs, in charge of either side closed up to their respective stations.

  Quickly, the recovery booms were freed from their angled crutches, just abaft the port and starboard lights, swung out and rigged with recovery wires. Immediately, the three-ton winches on 'B' gun-deck took the strain, smoothly, powerfully; the paravanes cleared the water.


texts: A comparison between "as long as" and "while"

texts:
Please imagine a father is polishing his young son who has committed a very bad action. He is going to throw him out of the house while he changes. Which one of the following self made structures do not sound idiomatic:

  Don’t return to this house as long as you have not changed yourself.
  Don’t return to this house as long as you have changed yourself.
  Don’t return to this house while you have not changed yourself.
  Don’t return to this house while you have changed yourself.


texts:
(Something bad happens). I wish it is just sometimes.

"sometimes" is an adverb, not sure if the sentence is grammatically correct? Thanks.


texts: Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous with 'since'

texts:
Can we combine the present perfect continuous tense and the present perfect tense by using 'since'? For example:

  I have not been going to the gym since I have come back from overseas.
  The practitioners have been taking good care of their patients since the parliament has passed the legislation.


texts: "occupying tourists" vs. "keeping tourists occupied"

texts:
There are many sights in KL to keep tourists occupied.
  There are many sights in KL to occupy tourists.

Which sentence is natural? Thanks a lot.


texts: How do you use plural or singular form of an adjective?

texts:
So I was taught that you should almost always use singular form of an adjective instead of plural form. But recently, I've seen people using plural form and it sounds quite weird and I don't know if it is correct.

For example,

"Salary tax" instead of "Salaries tax"
"Office supplies" instead of "Offices supplies"
"Product demo" instead of "Product demo"

In the above cases, the word "Salary" is used as an adjective to describe the type of "tax", so it will be in singular form. But I saw people using salaries tax and not sure if it is grammatical.

So my question is if there are any general rules on how to use the singular/plural form of an adjective?


texts: Is it natural to say "Be careful! you might swing your hands at the mug"?

texts:
A child is spinning with his arms spreading next to a mug of water.
According to dictionaries, to swing is used when someone does it on purpose. The boy is not doing it on purpose.
Is it natural to say Be careful! you might swing your hands at the mug by accident?


texts: What is the term for music without singer voice?

texts:
In Portuguese, instrumental music is the version of a piece of music without a singer's voice.

Is this the same term in English? I don't know if there is a specific word because, for example, when searching about the music transcript we need to search for lyrics.


texts:
I wonder if you could tell me what is the difference between these two phrases?

  economic growth
  the growth of economy

I think the latter one is noun?

What about the the first phrase?


texts:
I have a question about the standardness of the pattern "be scheduled from...through..." here:

  The five other officers' trials are scheduled from January through March.

Is "scheduled from January through March" an incorrect version of "scheduled to run from January through March"?  Or is the sentence in the article correct as written?


texts:
[Penult Para, J Blackburn's judgment:] But the second direction raises the difficulty. ♦ I think that, if from that direction the jury would understand that they were first to consider
  ✓ whether they were satisfied that the defendant intended to buy this parcel of oats on the terms that it was part of his contract with the plaintiff that they were old oats, ✓
  so as to have the warranty of the plaintiff to that effect, they were properly told that, if that was so, the defendant could not be bound to a contract without any such warranty unless the plaintiff was misled. ♦ But I doubt whether the direction would bring to the minds of the jury the distinction between agreeing to take the oats under the belief that they were old, and agreeing to take the oats under the belief that the plaintiff contracted that they were old.

Is Definition 1.1   the right definition of warranty?

  (In an insurance contract) an engagement by the insured party that certain statements are true or that certain conditions shall be fulfilled, the breach of which will invalidate the policy.


texts: about the only thing you can do is -- meaning of "about"?

texts:
Most of the formatting options apply to the controls, as you’ll see in Chapter 2. For the
  form itself, about the only thing you can do is change the look of the background for each
  section: You can change the background color, or you can display an image as the background,
  as described in the next two sections.

How is about used in that sentence?


texts:
From movie Titanic(1997), you can find a transcript here

Ismay: So you've not yet lit the last four boilers?
Smith: No, I don't see the need. We are making excellent time.
Ismay: The press knows the size of Titanic. Now I want them to marvel at her speed. We must give them something new to print! This maiden voyage of Titanic must make headlines!
Smith: Mr. Ismay, I would prefer not to push the engines until they've been properly run in.
Ismay: Of course, I'm just a passenger. I leave it to your good offices to decide what's best. But what a glorious end to your final crossing if we were to get to New York on Tuesday night and surprise them all! Make the morning papers. Retire with a bang, eh E.J.?
Ismay: [Smith nods reluctantly] Good man.

What's the meaning of run in here? From thefreedictionary, run in can be translated into two meanings:

A quarrel or an argument.
Printing Matter added to a text.

Of course, neither is suitable for the context. So how to explain "run in" here?


texts: Do native speakers use "ultima" and "proxima" frequently in spoken English?

texts:
I have noticed that the words ultima and proxima are rarely used.

How do native speakers use these?


texts: Missing words after commas in these sentences?

texts:
In the following sentence, why did they use "thinking" after the comma? Is a word omitted after the comma?

  I waited for two months, thinking that it would be bad time for him.

Should it be something like "I waited for two months and now I am thinking that it would be bad time for him."?

In this sentence below (describing League of Legends), like I said above, is something like a word omitted after the comma? I just cannot figure out why they type something like this, I mean it seems more like a present continuous tense without "subject+be".

  While Two-Shiv poison is not on cooldown, Shaco's basic attacks poison his targets, slowing them for 2 seconds and causing minions and monsters to ...


texts: Does the word after "respective" always need to be a plural?

texts:
I have some confusion about whether a word after respective should always be a plural.

I have changed a sentence from

(a) For aerial A and aerial B the masts were moved within 2 feet of the park boundary, due to a shift in position of each solar panel/recorder unit, and so in these two cases the output cables extend beyond the 100 ft boundary.

to

(b) For aerial A and aerial B, the masts were moved within 2 feet of the park boundary due to a shift in position of their respective solar panel/recorder units and, in these two cases, the output cables extend beyond the 100 ft boundary.

(Each aerial is connected to one solar panel/recorder unit, which is mentioned before this sentence)

Also have I used the commas correctly in sentence 1(b) and 2?

Only one station, Epsilon, is affected by light pollution due to its distance from the main gate and as a result we exclude it from our analysis.


texts: "Break the doubt with certainty", is there such a phrase?

texts:
If I wanted to confront someone, suppose a girl, whom I doubt of doing certain things, but still not sure if she is the one who actually did them.

So, I go to her and say:

  I'm here to overcome my doubts about you by asking you directly if you did this and this...etc

My question:

Is there a common/known phrase or maybe idiom that summarizes that saying (doesn't necessarily have to be that one, but anything with the same case)?

I think there's a phrase that would be similar to break the doubt with certainty, but I searched it on the internet and found nothing similar to it.

I have used "break" as in the idiom "Break the news" where it isn't used literally; however, I don't want it to mean "reveal".


texts: Difference between has and had in this context?

texts:
Actual passage:

  Mr Somervell - a most delightful man, to whom my debt is great - was
  charged with the duty of teaching the stupidest boys the most
  disregarded thing - namely, to write mere English. He knew ho to do
  it. He taught it as no one else has ever taught it.

First Year at Harrow by Sir Winston S. Churchill

I need to write this kind of sentence(below mentioned) in an answer to a question. Should I write has or had?

  Writer was taught by Mr Somervell - their English teacher, who taught
  English like no else has/had ever did it.


texts: Verbs preceding "information" that mean taking the "information" into account

texts:
I have always been using the verb "incorporate" to mean taking some information into account and really got tired of it. I would be grateful if you could kindly suggest some (single) verbs which can substitute "incorporate" in the following example:

  We also incorporate information of the US market to make the model more considerate.

Many thanks for the help!


texts: What does it mean "a" and " the" before " Billion " in these sentences?

texts:
I have read two examples about "Billion" word and I got confused with why are existences "a" and " the" in these contexts . Is it mentioned "definite" and "indefinite" meaing ?

Examples-
1. The Clinton administration last winter assembled the $50 billion emergency bailout package to ease a financial crisis in Mexico.( From Cambridge dictionary )

It is estimated that UK business could save a further $3 billion if they made the effort. (From my book)


texts: "From now on I will do" vs. "from now on I will be doing"

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between from now on I will do and from now on I will be doing? For example:

From now on I will eat only healthy food.
From now on I will be eating only healthy food.


texts: what does “He was more than a mere barber but a false doctor.” mean?

texts:
He was more than a mere barber but a false doctor.

From this sentence, the quality or occupation of the person is not clear to me. Please explain someone.


texts:
I was doing test. It says the following sentence is correct:

The aviation influenza is so deadly a disease all countries are trying to find a cure for it.

But as we know, we use such+ adjective+ noun.....and so + adjective without noun....

So, ı was confused. Could you comment on this please.


texts: Which variant of "you can't have your cake and eat it too" would you personally use?

texts:
I've come to know recently that the phrase in question has many forms. For example,

  You can't have your cake and eat it, too

  You can't eat your cake and have it, too

  You can't eat your cake and still keep it.

And also I'd like to know which of these is commoner in UK, USA, and Canada.


texts:
In the following sentence, which preposition is correct:

In the following, we used the notations in [citation].
In the following, we used notations from [citation].

After some more consideration, the second sentence sounds better to me.


texts:
In The Markenmore Mystery (1922) by J. S. Fletcher, a detective was talking to a sexton about a murdered man:

“I suppose Mr. Guy Markenmore was pretty mad about her at that time, eh?” suggested Blick.
“Umph!” said Cripps. “Runned after her a deal, he did, to be sure. But he was a powerful bad ’un for running after women-folk of all sorts, high and low—turned the heads of half the lasses in this village, he did! Lord bless ’ee, he was always a-making love, all round—couldn’t help it, seemed so. Left some aching hearts behind him, did Master Guy when he went away to London town.”

1- What does "bad someone for doing" mean?
2- What could be the suitable meaning of "all round" in this context?


texts: What does it mean when the word “notice” is used after a period of time?

texts:
I have problem understanding the exact meaning of phrases like the following examples in which the word notice is used after a period of time (e.g. month, week or 10 day) appended with a apostrophe or apostrophe + s.

  at least two weeks’ notice shall be given

  at a moment's notice

Does it mean "a notice before the given period of time?"


texts:
How to pronounce "Chicago"?

I have 2 issues with it.

First is how to pronounce the "Ch" in "Chicago".

I have heard it pronounced as in "cheese", but also as in "ship" by the natives.

Second is how to pronounce the "a" in "Chicago".

SHould it be "a" as in "Albert" or "a" as in "I am"?

Are there any differences between AE and BE or other "accents"?


texts:
Win Win studies more seriously than Lynn Lynn.
If I rewrite it as " Win Win does not study as slightly/lightly as Lynn Lynn," does it mean exactly the same as the original one? Thanks.


texts: meaning of "the choice fell on (somebody)"

texts:
If I say, "the choice fell on me", does it mean, "It became my responsibility to choose among the options available", or, "I was the one chosen to do something"?

The phrasal verb to fall on, usually means to become someone's responsibility (see meaning 4). Yet, to fall means also to occur (see meaning 4)

To give a context:

I'm telling a friend about a discussion I had with my flatmates on who should wash the dishes. And I say, "eventually the choice fell on me."
Does it mean, "I had to choose who should wash the dishes", or, "I was chosen to wash the dishes"?


texts: "Let me write it down/write your name down/write down it/write down your name"

texts:
Please tell me if all of the followings are correct, and more importantly, I would like an explanation.
A Let me write it down;
B Let me write your name down;
C Let me write down it;
D Let me write down your name;
And please explain it rather than just give me an answer.


texts: brain inflammation in (the?) participants with depression - would "the" mean "each"?

texts:
From ScienceDaily (there is no the in the original text):

  To investigate whether brain inflammation was increased in people during clinical depression, Dr. Meyer and his team conducted brain scans on 20 patients with depression but who were otherwise healthy and 20 healthy control participants using a brain imaging technique called positron emission tomography (PET). Results showed a significant elevation of brain inflammation in (the) participants with depression.

If we use the, would this mean that significant elevation was seen "in each of the 20 depressed participants", or could it still mean "in the participants with depression, on average" (allowing for no elevation in some)?


texts: Question about meaning of "single" in this sentence

texts:
Room rates are pitched at £69 for a single.
  Source: pitch - Definition from Longman English Dictionary Online

Which of the following is correct?

The price of just one room is set to only £69 and not more.
The price of one person in a room is only £69. So the price of two individuals for a room will be twice as this price, £138
A room with one bedroom is £69, no matter how many persons are in one's company.


texts:
In the following sentence, does the "two years ago" describe the time of
buying or reading the book?

I bought the book which I had read two years ago and
which had the author's autograph.

Now, if it is changed into the following, is it possible for the "two years
ago" to describe the time of buying the book?

I bought the book which I had read two years ago, and
it had the author's autograph.


texts: Why in all **Officer** words, **o** is always capitalized?

texts:
Customs Officers are quite tolerant these days, but they can still stop you when you are going through the Green Channel and have nothing to declare. Even really honest people are often made to feel guilty. The hardened professional smuggler, on the other hand, is never troubled by such feelings, even if he has five hundred gold watches hidden in his suitcase. When I returned from abroad recently, a particularly officious young Customs Officer clearly regarded me as a smuggler.

'Have you anything to declare?' he asked, looking me in the eye.

'No,' I answered confidently.

'Would you mind unlocking this suitcase please?'

'Not at all,' I answered.

The Officer went through the case with great care. All the things I had packed so carefully were soon in a dreadful mess. I felt sure I would never be able to close the case again. Suddenly, I saw the Officer's face light up. He had spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with delight.

'Perfume, eh?' he asked sarcastically. 'You should have declared that. ‘Perfume is not exempt from import duty.'

'But it isn't perfume,' I said.' It's hair-oil.' Then I added with a smile,' It's a strange mixture I make myself.'

As I expected, he did not believe me.

'Try it!' I said encouragingly.

The Officer unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to his nostrils. He was greeted by an unpleasant smell which convinced him that I was telling the truth. A few minutes later, I was able to hurry away with precious chalk-marks on my baggage.

Why in all Officer words, o is always capitalized?


texts:
What should I say to doubtedly ask if there are words used in a movie?

a) There are no words in the movie, aren't they?

b) There are no words in the movie, are they?


texts:
Sometimes I need to use would like in my sentences, to show some suggestion or asking for something. I really do not how to use it correctly here.

For example, I would like to ask someone whether he/she would like to explain to me something which will help me to understand them. I would like to say this in a more respectable way.

For example,

  If you would like to explain to me what parts that need to be revised it would be very helpful.

Do I  use would like  correctly in my sentences.?


texts: using past continuous tense with tomorrow

texts:
What does this mean?

  like I wasn't dreading tomorrow enough having to give it back to him

I saw this in friend's series and I don't understand it.


texts: Could you please help me with my two concerns regarding this short text

texts:
" I cannot see how it could assist any state's cause to allow the world to see a man like Alan dying," Barbara Henning said, according to a message released by the UK Foreign Office. ISIS refers to itself as "the Islamic State."

I am wondering if you could help me defining the phrase " how it could assist " ? Is it an idiom?
What does the word cause here mean? any state's cause ? Could it mean a rule? Or something? I am confused.


texts: What does this paragraph from a Startup Investor mean?

texts:
The Y Combinator Startup Investor said (http://ycombinator.com/video.html):

  Please do not recite a script written beforehand. Just talk
  spontaneously as you would to a friend. People delivering memorized
  speeches (or worse still, text read off the screen) usually come off
  as stupid. Unless you're a good enough actor to fake spontaneity, you
  lose more in the stilted delivery than you gain from a more polished
  message.

Do they mean that we should not write what we want to say in advanced and read it while shooting the video?

What does "text read off the screen" mean?

& What does "you lose more in the stilted delivery than you gain from a more polished message." mean?