texts:
What are the common and current, American English general words encapsulating:

  1. Knives, forks, and spoons.

I know the words "silverware" as well as "flatware", but I don't know which one is more appropriate and precise here! On top of that, I don't know if these words sound normal in everyday conversation or not!

Note: also, "cutlery" as far as I'm concerned is a British / Canadian term which many Americans may even never have heard of.

  2. Knives, forks, spoons,  +  plates, glasses, etc. used for meals.

I know "tableware" which as per Cambridge is a formal word. While I need a word that people use in everyday speech at the table.

Note: as far as I know, "crockery" is a British / Canadian term which many Americans are not familiar with. Besides, it does not encompass "knives", "forks", and "spoons".

In addition to that, I am really interested to know how I can distinguish the word "dishes" from all of these?


texts:
I'm trying to understand the difference between to land and to ground. We use to ground to say that a plane stopped from flying (or taking off) due to some reason (e.g. engine troubles). Is it correct to say

  The plane was grounded as the engine had crashed on the runway.

Is it grammatically correct and sounds OK?


texts: What are differences between the words 'attribute' 'property' 'quality'

texts:
Question:

  Meaningwise in terms of this sentence and maybe some examples of yours, where these words can be used interchangeably and when won't?

Sentence:

  With this word we can describe some of her attributes vs properties vs qualities


texts: An ignorance - dictionaries claim it is only mass noun/uncountable

texts:
Checking Oxford and MacMillan dictionaries, "ignorance" is listed as a mass noun. The same in the Cambridge dictionary. However, there is a sentence from the Cambridge English Corpus:

  Is this merely anodyne or does it reflect an ignorance of the medieval equity jurisdictions ?

Also, when I google "an ignorance", I get quite a lot of hits in various documents etc.
Is that a mistake? As no dictionary I consulted allow this to be used in singular.


texts:
Joe: Oh, yeah, yeah, I think I saw something about the eligibility
  rules being that you need to make, uh, below a certain amount of money
  per year and you need to not have, uh, health insurance.

What does "being that" mean here?

A.J. Hoge Effortless English, Real English Conversation


texts:
I am struggling to understand the use of 'a', 'the' and zero article (see italics in bold) in this example:

  Goods are consigned to a factor for sale.  He makes advances, in consideration of an agreement by the principal that his authority to sell shall be irrevocable.  In the absence of such an agreement ..., the authority of a factor to sell does not become irrevocable by the failure of the principal duly to repay advances.

"The" before "principal": is this because it is impilict from the words 'Goods are consigned to a factor' meaning that it is that principal who consigned the goods to the factor? Or is this implied from the context that the sentence refers to the principal of a particular factor (meaning that a factor is only a factor if it has his own principal, just the same as: here is a seller and the other guy whom he deals with is the buyer)? Or is there something different? What triggers the use of 'the' in the example?
'a' before "factor": my understanding is that when a thing is referred to for the second time, then it should follow 'the'. Why has 'a' been used there?
zero article before "advances": as in item 2, why has zero article been used there?

Many thanks in advance.


texts: Meaning of the expression "providing a spur for"

texts:
What is the meaning the expression

Providing a spur for

?

Does it mean encourage? Also in this case what is the literal meaning of the noun spur?

Example:

  And just as group living promotes intelligence, so intelligence allows
  larger groups to function, providing a spur for the evolution of yet
  more intelligence.


texts:
Is saying "my three cats" wrong? Should it be "three cats of mine"?
My English books says that the latter one is correct, but to my ear, the first one sounds correct too.


texts: the difference between "girls who are tall and tall girls"

texts:
I really wanted to know the following sets of words are
different in meaning.

  **girls who are tall / tall girls

  **girls who are beautiful/ beautiful girls


texts: What to call a facelift demonstration performed on an actual live volunteer as opposed to a mannequin?

texts:
What do I call a "live demonstration" of a facelift procedure, in which live means "on a human volunteer" and not "via the Internet" or "on a mannequin"?
I'm translating a Russian text describing such a demonstration for training purposes.
Maybe "human volunteer demonstration"? Will it fit?


texts: Are these just separate independent sentences with the commas used incorrectly?

texts:
From "The Garden" by Sara Teasdale:

Heaped with bending asters and dahlias heavy and dark,
In the hazy sunshine, the garden remembers April,
The drench of rains and a snow-drop quick and clear as a spark;
Daffodils blowing in the cold wind of morning,

Are these just separate independent sentences? I see a lot of commas when they look like disjointed sentences that should be separate from one another, am I wrong. I am not sure to which phrase "in the hazy sunshine" belongs to. Maybe it's an independent phrases like the others.


texts: What does "go right up to the edge" mean?

texts:
I've read the following document many times and checked each single word in a couple of dictionaries. However, I still don't understand the meaning of this sentence:

  Much of it is for the adrenaline rush that comes with going right up
  to the edge.

I wonder if you could paraphrase it or let me know what entry in a dictionary should I look up.
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xR18z5e7lrnBXUPDlmFN8kE50TTTnwhHljIyjUCUV4c/pub

Thanks!


texts:
Consider the following conversation.

Boss says to his designer: "We need to modify our design."

Designer: "Why? The client just confirmed it yesterday."

Boss: "They changed their mind this morning. The only constant in life is change"

I know it is said by Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher who lived around 500 BC.
I also know its meaning.  I’d like just to know weather this version is widely recognized.
Another version is "The only thing that is constant is change."
Which wording is more common?
Ngram Viewer limits at most 5 words, so, the most common use "the only constant in life" could be

"change is the only constant in life"
"the only constant in life is change"
"The only constant in life is that things change"

I also tried other combinations and didn't get a clear result. Can someone help me on this?


texts: "As far as I can remember." Does it need comma if put at the end of a sentence?

texts:
I've always been interested in music, as far as I can remember.

  I've always been interested in music as far as I can remember.

What's the correct option? Or at least the most common one?


texts: I am new in America and I see most of the people use schwa sounds with most of the characters as p,w, k,c and so on. I wanted to know what all characters have the schwa sound and when and how to use it?


texts: I don't understand why I can't use "to be locked up" instead of "to locked up" mentioned in this right sentence "I've often wondered what it would be like to locked up in a house for twelve weeks with ten strangers."


texts: He...his boss that he...back after his vacation. Which answer fits the blank?

texts:
I am interested in this sentence:

  He ______ his boss that he ______ back after his vacation.

  a) doesn't tell / hasn't come

  b) won't tell / won't have come

  c) isn't telling / doesn't come

  d) hasn't told / won't be coming

  e) didn't tell / hadn't come

I've answered B but it's obvious that we can't have a sentence with two auxiliary verbs "to be" in the future form. But the right answer is D and I'm curious about the secont part. Since won't be coming is the future continuous tense I find no way of implementing it in this sentence, Am I mistaken? What way of usage the future continuous is it?


texts: When to use "easy" over "easily" as an adverb?

texts:
It's my understanding that "easily" is the regular adverb for "easy", e.g. "He makes friends easily".

But in some collocations one still uses "easy", e.g. "Take it easy", "Rest easy" or "Slow down easy". Is there any rule when "easy" would be used over "easily", or does one just have to know these collocations?


texts:
In the novel Me Before You. I stumbled into this sentence:

  But to actively, to voluntarily, play a part in her own son's death?

I was surprised because Google Books also has a version without the last comma:

Does this mean the comma is optional in cases like these?


texts: Will or Be going to? I am in doubt in these sentences. Help!

texts:
Please, I would really appreciate if you can help me with these sentences using WILL or BE GOING TO....I do not know if they are correct. My try:

1-Mr Sinclair won´t be very happy with me. It is the third time I forgot my homework.

2-Do not worry. I moved the glass away from the edge of the table. It is not going to fall off.

3-Sorry. James and Tom are not going to play football today because they are both ill.

Thank you in advance!


texts: "I booked a three-day" in place of "I booked a three-days"

texts:
What is the reason to say " I booked a three-day accommodation in the “Wild life Nature Reserve” camping." in place of " I booked a three-days accommodation in the “Wild life Nature Reserve” camping.

If three are more than one, in ohter words, it is plural, why to use the word "day" in singular? "three-day" in place of "three-days".


texts: Does this sentence sound natural: "Typhoon number 16 can affect Ho Chi Minh city, people should follow to have prevention"?

texts:
I have recently got an alert text message on my phone from my local authorities in Vietnam:

  (a) Typhoon number 16 (Tembin) can affect Ho Chi Minh city, people should follow to have prevention.

Although I'm not a native speaker, it kind of sounds weird to me. The above bold words are the ones which I am going to make changes as follow:

  (b) Typhoon number 16 (Tembin) can affect Ho Chi Minh city, everyone should check media to ensure safety.

Do you think sentence (a) sounds natural?
If not, does my sentence (b) sounds fine so that I can make suggestion to the authority?


texts: is it necessary to use after in the case below?

texts:
Is it correct to say: It is just five o'clock when the time is 5:03
OR It is correct to say: It is just after five o'clock ??!
is AFTER necessary??


texts: How to write a sentence with "challenge" and "himself"? - "He always challenged himself if ..."

texts:
Consider the sentence I created:

  He always challenged himself if the war is worth the price he pays.

Is that challenged himself if part an idiomatic and well-written English?

Any suggestion will be appreciated.


texts:
Which of the following sentences is the most idiomatic?

"I can't choose just one necklace out of so many beautiful necklaces."

"I can't choose just one necklace among so many beautiful necklaces."

"I can't choose just one necklace from so many beautiful necklaces."


texts:
Now, your balloon was broken a few minutes ago.
do we say "the balloon is popped" or "the balloon has been popped" or "the balloon was popped" according to the time that we utter it?
For example,
A few minutes later?
A few days later?
A few months later?
A few years later?


texts: animate, reduce or mitigate his serious attitude

texts:
I have made up two versions of an example using two different verbs.

(1) Tom doesn't smile much. However, my sense of humor always animates his serious attitude.

(2) Tom doesn't smile much. However, my sense of humor always reduces his serious attitude.

(3) Tom doesn't smile much. However, my sense of humor always mitigates his serious attitude.

Do any of these words fit the context?


texts:
What's the difference between following two:

  Wait for a second.

  Wait a second.

Why for is used in such sentences? I often see such sentences but can't figure out when for is used and when it isn't. Like

  I studied for two hours.

  I studied two hours.

Can we drop preposition "of" in passage below?

  A boy doesn’t show any interest in his work or doesn’t try to do it
  with any distinction when he is forced to follow a direction mapped
  out by his parents that runs counter to all of his interests and
  abilities.


texts:
Someone introduced himself to us.

After that, when we look back and say what he said, which is right to say?

  What did he say his name is?

  What did he say his name was?

I think the first one is plausible because his name is always XX, but I'm not sure. Please tell me which is allowed.


texts:
What is the best way to call the smallest value (absolute value, |x|) of x if all x are negative?

If we call it minimum, then it could be meaning the biggest absolute value...

Addendum:

I am looking for a suitable name for my variable in the code I am writing.


texts:
I've encountered this phrase online and couldn't find a dictionary definition for the phrase. What does "rank dishonesty" mean, and especially what does the word "rank" mean in this context?

According to a dictionary, 'rank' means 'unpleasant', 'strongly', or 'extremely' which are different from each other but all make sense in this context. I want to first confirm if this is a set phrase that has a idiomatic meaning beyond the literal one. Secondly, if it is not a set phrase, which meaning of 'rank' is the right one here?

(My first impression, which is very likely wrong, is it means someone with lower social/military rank being deliberately dishonest (backstabbing) against someone with a higher rank.)


texts: Term for the feeling after having found out the mundane truth behind something

texts:
It's on the tip of my tongue, but doesn't want to bubble to the surface.  I thought you people might be able to help me recall this word.  It would apply in the following examples to fill in the blanks:

  After believing for years that the strange structure was created by
  alien lifeforms, finding out the simple, Earthly explanation left Beth
  feeling [blank].

.

  The boy left the show [blank] after sneaking to the side of the stage
  and seeing the secrets of the magician's tricks.

Disenchanted and demystified, which aren't the correct terms, are popping into my head.  Perhaps they suggest that the correct word is similar.


texts: what's difference in the following sentence?

texts:
I saw a sentence.

  "I want to lose weight, so this week I'm not eating lunch."

I know what that mean. but If I want to say it, this might be

  "I want to lose weight, So this week I'm not going to eat lunch"

I don't get what's difference. Could you let me know what's difference?


texts: A beginner programmer or a beginning programmer

texts:
I've seen both structures being used but I'm not sure if one is correct and the other not. Other examples: a killer virus or a killing virus, a killer machine or a killing machine?

Are there guidelines or rules about when to use the forms noun-er + noun and participle + noun?


texts: How to express "too hard to use" in a word?

texts:
I want to express that some tool is "too hard to use", which means its user experience is really bad.

I feel "too hard to use" is like emphasizing the difficulty of using it instead of the experience of using it, and the phrase is too long for me.

Is there any word or a shorter phrase that can express this idea?


texts: How to understand "waving it in the bloke from the Ministry's face"

texts:
"The ring, the ring that became the Horcurx, Marvolo Gaunt said it had the Peverell coat of arms on it! I saw him waving it in the bloke from the Ministry's face, he nearly shoved it up his nose!"

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I don't quite understand "waving it in the bloke from the Ministry's face", especially the uses of 'in' and 'from'. How should we understand it?


texts: I wonder what I (will or would) be doing in three years time?

texts:
What is the correct verb tense?

  I wonder what I will be doing in three years time?

or

  I wonder what I would be doing in three years time?


texts: What is the structure and meaning of this strange sentence starting with "it needs no prophet"?

texts:
It needs no prophet to see that aviation is going to raise some extremely difficult legal problems […]
  Source

What is the structure and meaning of this sentence?


texts: What is the meaning of "reeling in the mastermind'?

texts: I saw this this expression in Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.


texts: Is the past tense of *Goes to* is *went*?

texts:
"According to police, the girl went for her daily tuition to prepare for the board examinations."

What is the meaning of above sentence?

A) Does it mean that girl had gone to tuition for preparation of examination?

If correct then why reporter has used simple past and not past perfect?

b) Or, Every day she goes to Tuition for preparation of her examination. I mean above sentence is the simple past tense of "She goes to Tuition every day for preparation of her exam".

c) Or anything else.

For reference please read below link.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ajmer/Class-X-girl-abducted-abused-dumped-by-stalker/articleshow/55300695.cms


texts: is "end" the old-fashion past participle as en in taken?

texts:
I have noticed the shape of dividend, augend, mimuend.
Is end the old-fashioned past participle as en in taken?

I looked it up in Oxford Orgin

  late 15th cent. (in the general sense ‘portion, share’): from
  Anglo-Norman French dividende, from Latin dividendum ‘something to be
  divided’, from the verb dividere ‘force apart, remove’.

Which does not state it very clearly.


texts: What does "pacing his study" mean in this context?

texts:
It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing was the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labelled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Harry bent over it. A labelled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs Norris, was prowling the second floor, and Peeves the poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room.

I don't know what "pacing his study" means here. I looked up the word 'pace', but found none of them seem to fit.

  v.t.

  to set or regulate the pace for, as in racing.
  to traverse with slow, regular steps.
  to measure by paces.
  to train to a certain pace: to pace a horse.
  (of a horse) to run (a distance) at a pace.


texts: What is the meaning of "Away off she saw something"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "Away off she saw something" in the following sentence (Source: Up and Away by paul McKee, M. Lucile Harrison, Annie McCowen, Elizabeth Lehr.),

  On the way home, Dot and her daddy went along by the next farm. A
  little dog came running out. He ran along by the wagon.

  "Look, Daddy!" cried Dot. "A little dog is running after us."

  "I think he will soon stop running and go back to the house," said
  Daddy. "He must belong on that farm."

  But the little black dog did not stop. She kept on looking back when
  he could not be seen at all. Still Dot kept on looking back. She kept
  on looking for a long time after she got out of the wagon.

  "He got too far behind," she said. "I guess he went back," said Daddy.
  "He must belong on that farm."

  Dot looked back again. Away off she saw something. It was just a
  little black dot!

?

Does "Away off she saw something" mean " she that was away off saw something" or "she saw something that was away off" ?


texts: black—his gloves of finest mole -- what is mole?

texts:
The theme song to the first episode of the television series The Black Adder:

  The sound of hoofbeats 'cross the glade,
  Good folk, lock up your son and daughter.
  Beware the deadly flashing blade
  Unless you want to end up shorter.
  Black Adder, Black Adder!
  He rides a pitch-black steed.
  Black Adder, Black Adder!
  He's very bad indeed.
  Black—his gloves of finest mole.
  Black—his codpiece made of metal.
  His horse is blacker than a vole;
  His pot is blacker than his kettle.
  Black Adder, Black Adder!
  With many a cunning plan.
  Black Adder, Black Adder!
  You horrid little man!

There are actually two things that I don't understand in this song.

1: What exactly is mole? A type of material?

2: Beware the deadly flashing blade — Shouldn't it actually be beware of? Because, we don't say beware the dog, but beware of the dog! Right?


texts:
Matt offered Paul a key to a building:

  Matt: And be careful about the hot water. It's on one central system
  and they got  that cranked really high. Surprised they haven't had a
  lawsuit yet.

While researching i find this phrasal verb "crank something up" looks close to "cranked really high"

crank something up related to sound but here context is plumber. I am confused.

What does it mean, "crank something really high"?

I find this line in Downsizing 2019 movie.


texts: "returns" or "is returning", which one of the followings is true?

texts:
The question is, "Fay ------ from her holiday tomorrow evening." Fill the blank with "is returning" or "returns".

Which one would be true if used?


texts: When someone intentionally or unintentionally makes you cross your writing

texts:
Let's suppose you are writing a text and the person who is sitting beside you (no matter intentionally or unintentionally) nudges you and makes you cross what you were writing. How a native would normally indicate this happening?

  He crossed my hand.
  He made me cross my writing.

In order to make it more tangible I have uploaded an image.


texts: the meaning of 'with a little flip' here

texts:
Henrietta spent hours taking care of those nails, touching up chips
  and brushing on new coats of polish. She’d sit on her bed, polish in
  hand, hair high on her head in curlers, wearing the silky slip she
  loved so much she hand-washed it each night. She never wore pants, and
  rarely left the house without pulling on a carefully pressed skirt and
  shirt, sliding her feet into her tiny, open-toed pumps, and pinning
  her hair up with a little flip at the bottom, “just like it was dancin
  toward her face,” Sadie always said.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Does this mean giving a little shake with her fingers? I can't visualize this.


texts:
This is the woman whose little boy is ill.
The woman whose little boy is ill.

Here is my question. In the first, is "this is the woman" an independent clause with subject and verb? And in the second, does the sentence have a complete meaning? Is it an independent clause? Do these sentences mean the same thing?


texts:
Is it accepted to say "my poor" as affection way?

For example:
Your baby or a little kid is crying, then you're going to him and ask "what happened?" and he's telling you for example that he fell. But you see that nothing really serious happened to him and he simply wants some (parental or relative) attention. Now my question is from the words usage aspect, is it idiomatic to response "Oh, my poor baby..." and kiss him while 'consoling' him and promising everything will be okay...?


texts:
What preposition should I use in this phrase?

  In spite of the popularity of modern international music, the traditional music still the more significant and precious thing to/for me.

Should I say "to me" or "for me"?


texts: question about future that not happened now

texts:
I have this sentence:

  Since I have good relationships with professors at XXX university and I would have known many great professors at YYY university, I will be able to make combined research projects.

I haven't studied at YYY university yet, but I am talking about what I'll do after I have finished studying at YYY university.

Is the expression would have known being used correctly?


texts:
I came across two sentences and wanted to check with you which one is correct:

  (1) Back then, I was trouble-making and rebellious sometime.
  (2) Back then, I was trouble-making and rebellious sometimes.


texts: Why is it 'THE absence of something' but 'A lack of something'?

texts: In both cases, it's some specific absence/lack. Why should I use the definite article with the former and the indefinite article with the latter?


texts: When a country doesn't recognize another country diplomatically

texts:
In my language, there is a political term which is used to indicate that in diplomatic relationships a country doesn't consider the other country as a legal or true country. The only translation I found for it is: "To recognize a country officially / diplomatically".

But, how shall one say it? Let me ask my question in another way; which one of the following sentences sounds more idiomatic:

  A) (The country) X does not recognize (the country) Y.

  B) (The country) X does not recognize (the country) Y officially.

  C) (The country) X does not recognize (the country) Y diplomatically.

If there is a more natural way, then please let me know about it.


texts:
I am translating Russian song to English (it's very hard to save rhymes). And one sentence I am going to translate like below:

  Disappear in the darkness and fly to the light.
  Be quiet in the silence, demons live in the night.
  The walls can hear secrets, the walls can see false.

The literature grammar isn't important, only a simple speech. Is it possible to say false there to save a rhyme? Or does it sound too weird and I should use a lie or a false only?
ADDED
At first my English is very poor... There is previous strings.


texts: Equivalents of Russian perfective/imperfective verbs

texts:
Which one of the sentences means "Ne ustanovili pravila", but don't "Ne ustanavlivali pravila"?

  They didn't set rules.

or

  They didn't have to set rules.

What is the difference? Which one makes sense "Ne ustanovili pravila" in Russian?
Both words "set" means verb.


texts:
Which one is correct and why?

'One has rightly said that the beauty is only skin deep'

Or

'One has rightly said that beauty is only skin deep'.


texts: As the emotional strain.... or As emotional strain

texts:
which is correct out of two, do I use the or not in-front of emotional in sentence that starts with As

As the emotional strain between us was..
As emotional strain between us was..


texts: Meaning of "A matter of worse or of better"

texts:
After listening to The Bed Song from Amanda Palmer multiple times, I can't seem to be able to translate "Is it a matter of worse or of better?" in my head.

  And I finally ask you, what was the matter?

  Was it a matter of worse or of better?

Is it kind of a poetic licence for "for the worse or for the better" (but it doesn't seem to make much sense either to me) or does it have another clearer meaning?


texts: The specific verb for covering a floor surface with parquets / moquette / carpet on the ground

texts:
What is the verb used for the noun parquet and moquette and carpet in order to cover a floor surface using them?

I.e. I have no idea whether you'd use them in the following ways:

  We have laid parquets all over the house.
  You'd better lay parquet / moquette all your apartment.

Unfortunately, my dictionaries couldn't give me any hint in this regard! I have my doubts whether the nouns play a verb role too!


texts: Is the word "overweight" used incorrectly in this sentence?

texts:
On the following website I came across the title Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity.

That doesn't sound quite right to me.

  Obesity is the state of being obese, but how can overweight be the
  state of being overweight?

Nevertheless, I've come across this use of the word overweight in scientific literature as well.

Shouldn't the sentence be phrased Prevalence of Overweightness and Obesity?


texts: How to work out this single-question answer?

texts:
Who is the man running ___ Lucy?

  The options are the following:
   A. after
  B. behind
  C. in
  front
   D. across

I think the options A & B  are right.  But this is single-choice question . If they are both right, how to distinguish "run after" and "run behind"?


texts: Talking about the same meaning in the context of their ("recently"/"lately"/"of late" and "so far"/"by now") usage (Present Perfect)

texts:
Is "of late" used as equally as "recently" or "lately" in the Present Perfect tense?

I mean, would it be acceptable to use the 1st sentence as well as the 2nd or 3rd if I wrote the following:

  I've made a great strides recently.
  I've made a great strides lately.
  I've made a great strides of late.

I also want to know: do "so far" and "by now" have the same meaning?


texts:
As I know, the word yet is usually used in a negative sentence. But if it's used in a positive sentence as below,  would it imply a negative meaning here as well?

  "We have yet to detect any signs of immediate provocations from North
  Korea,"


texts: Comparative of Equality meaning the same as Comparative of Majority

texts:
In my mother language (Portuguese) , these sentences:

  The house looks twice as big as it  did in the street.

  I'll go as quickly as I can

They mean, when they are translated, this:

  The house looks bigger than it did in the street

  I'll go faster that I can.

Are those sentences equal in meaning? Because, comparative of equality means that the two itens are equal, not more than the other.

Or,  maybe those 2 sentences (using Comparative of Equality)ate  just an exception and I can use both of these structures to say the same thing (One this is more than the other).


texts: A person who supports some idea but hid it in public

texts:
I was looking for a word which is perfect for a person who supports some idea but hid that idea in public for some reason.

For example

I believe in gender equality but if someone or any group talks against it then I opt to be quite and ignore any further debate.


texts: Question about meaning of "off highway" and "across"

texts:
California residents who drive on public highway or use public parking facilities must have a California driver license, unless they are driving or operating an off-highway vehicle across the highway.

What kind if vehicle is an off-highway? And what does across here mean? Does it mean from the right of a one-lane highway to the other side left?


texts:
I have often heard people say "x of his" or "x of mine". But since his and mine point out ownership, isn't using "of" here doubles that ownership? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say "x of him" or "x of them" etc.?

Example:

  I was a good friend of your dad's. He told me all about you`


texts:
I never really understood if there is any difference between those sentences:

I have stayed at the hotel
I stayed at the hotel
I have never had any problem with him
I never had any problem with him

Thank you


texts:
What does "meet one's future" mean in the following sentence?

  She would meet her future there when it came.

Does it mean 'meet one's end' or to die? or some other meaning?

The sentence is in this book.


texts: meaning of 'I heard her do that one day'

texts:
Is the sentence

  I heard her do that one day.

equivalent in meaning to the sentence

  I heard that she did that one day.

?

The first sentence sounds somewhat weird to me.


texts:
What is the difference in below sentences between "would" and "used to"?

  1) When he was free, he would go to the movies.

  2) When he was free, he used to go to the movies.

And

  3) When I was in 10th Std you would teach me English.

  4) When I was in 10th Std you used to teach me English.


texts: meaning of 'come by' in the following sentences

texts:
Please read -

At least he comes by his problems honestly.
Great ideas dont come by brains but by guts.
Success doesn't come by brains alone.

Could you please explain the meaning of 'come by' as I could not find the matching definition in any dicitionary.

And Also

How did you come by that haircut?
Where did you come by that haircut?

I don't clearly understand the above questions. What does it imply if I use 'where' or 'how' in the above questions ? Or are they all the same ?


texts:
Supposing that I and a friend are talking about football and then we discover that another friend of ours is listening to our talk.Which one is the best? Do these sentences mean the same?

You weren't even supposed to hear what we are talking about

It wasn't even supposed for you to hear what we are talking about

You should not even be hearing our conversation

Perhaps in sentences 1 and 2 should be "we WERE" instead of "we are", but I am not sure.


texts: I feel like I am already relaxing/relaxed

texts:
There are a husband and wife talking about something.

H: Do you reckon it is any good?
W: I hope so.
H: Oh, it's good. It's perfect. Just as I remember it.
W: Really?
H: Well done. Actually it is better.
W: I feel like I am already (relaxing/relaxed)

Is "relaxing" or "relaxed" better here? What is the difference between the two expressions (passive voice and active voice)?


texts:
I wonder are these both sentences correct?

My home became empty since you walked away.
My home has become empty since you walked away.

Is the choice stylistic? Or I need to use only one of them and the other doesn't make sense?


texts: "the glacial pace at which justice has arrived"

texts:
Thursday’s verdict will be a reminder of the scale of the killings – some 100,000 people died in Bosnia alone, with other victims in Croatia and Kosovo – and of the glacial pace at which justice has arrived.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/22/the-hunt-for-radovan-karadzic-ruthless-warlord-turned-spiritual-healer

I have a question regarding the usage of the preposition "at" before "which justice". I pressume that the author wants to say it lasted very long time before justice has realized. But I do not understand why "glacial pace at which" is used. Glacial pace is something like extremely slow speed so I would use "glacial pace by which justice has arrived". In the original sentence it is suggested that glacial pace is some kind of a place. Can you explain to me what's wrong with my consideration?


texts:
I come across a Wikipedia article where it is written:

  Bush left office in 1993.

Is 'In' correct there? Or, maybe, 'On' would be better, 'Bush left office on 1993 ...'? Or both are legal English usage?


texts:
Is the function of "but" in the sentences below a preposition, please?
If so, what's the exact rule on the case? That is, what part of speech is used after it, a bare infinitive, a full-infinitive, an adjective, a noun or what?

We've had nothing but trouble with this car.
The problem is anything but easy.
I don't intend to do anything but to wait for news.
He does nothing but eat.


texts:
Here is one question:
My grandpa is old, but he is ___good health.
A. at  B. in  C. of  D. on
The correct answer is "in" but I guess in, of or on may be ok too?


texts: "exponentially stable global" vs. "global exponentially stable". Which is more appropriate?

texts:
I'm not an English native speaker. I'm trying to translate the abstract of my work to English.

The problem that I've studied in my work has a global solution that is exponentially stable. I'd like to know what of the following sentences are more suitable.

(1) The existence of a global exponentially stable solution will be investigated.
(2) The existence of a global solution exponentially stable will be investigated.
(3) The existence of an exponentially stable global solution will be investigated.

Are all statements correct? Do they have the same meaning? Is there any other more appropriate for the context?

Thanks.


texts:
Does the expression 'on one's dime' have some usage limitations?

I haven't found it in the Longman, Macmillan, or Lexico dictionaries so I don't see how I can figure that out otherwise. I found it in the Wiktionary but it often neglects to flag the words style-wise. Is it informal? Maybe, it's from Australian English (I first heard it from someone who is supposed to be an Australian)?


texts: "There is ... large piano in the hall?" What article goes in here?

texts:
There is ... large piano in the hall?

I think there is should put "the" before "large piano" article because we use "the" before musical instruments. But in the grammar book wrote "a" article before "large piano". Why?


texts: Which one is correct, "by the window" or " at the window" and why?

texts: The given sentence is: He said that he left the parcel on the chair (by/at) the window. The correct answer is said to be "at". What's the explanation?


texts:
When a word (for example 'transgender') is classified by a dictionary (for example Merriam-Webster) just as adjective and not as noun, how bad is it to use it as a noun?

Does this sentence fragment make sense?

  Discrimination of transgenders...

or

  ...transgenders were...


texts: word-request: need some vocab for a priority levels table

texts:
Priority levels
  4 | critical | Must be done as soon as possible
  3 | high     | Should be done
  2 | medium   | Include if there is still a space in the list
  1 | low      | Don't bother including at this moment

There are three columns in the table (looks kind of ugly, but it's because that no matter how many spaces I use, it defaults to just one space when rendered). The first column contains numbers each of which stands for a particular priority level. The second column has the textual representations of the numbers. The third column contains a short description for each priority level in the table.

My question is what names would you give to each column in this table so that it looks professional?

Thank you.


texts: What does actually means by "Deadly Diamond of Dead". Although i find it in a programming language but i am concerned about it's literal meaning. Is it some slang?


texts:
I know that following expression is valid:

  I was tempted to do it.

For the context purpose, is the expression below valid as well?

  I was tempted of doing it.


texts: What do you call the device that holds your eyes open? What do you call them? Is there a particular word that's used to refer to it? I tried to google it, but I came with absolutely no result.


texts: Please help me figure out the best way to talk about "negligence"

texts:
Please check the sentences below.

1. I think the greatest negligence in these years was the loss of
    opportunity to develop its own line of products.

2. I think the greatest negligence in these years was its failure to
    develop its own line of products.

Q) Which one is better? (please explain your answer a bit).

Thanks in advance.


texts: When referring to tournaments that involve darts, what is the preferred term in American English? Is it a darts tournament or a dart tournament?


texts: "what this all is about" or "what this is all about"

texts:
One wrote:

  You might guess what this all is about from the headline if you are up to date

I changed it into:

  You might have already guessed what this is all about from the post's title if you are up to date with news.

First, I like to know is it "what this is all about" or "what this all is about"? Can one say "what these are all about" when speaking of a post in a forum?

Second, which is idiomatic

if you are up to date
if you are up to date with news
if you are up with news
if you keep up on/with news


texts: What to call someone who does not sleep much

texts:
I don't think it is sleepless because it is much used for sleepless nights not for people, but I found an incident in Coca where it was used to describe a man. Anyway, if you have a sleepless night it means, I think, that you want to sleep but you cannot because you have a medical condition whatever level it is, but not because you have a lot of work you want to finish.

If there isn't any, then I would like to know if there is a word that describe someone who does not sleep a lot at night because that's his nature or they love night life.

  It is an old house, painted white and well kept, standing behind a low
  stone wall tufted with moss, and it dates back to 1790. There are many
  rooms for a sleepless man to walk through. I knew that if I were a
  better person, I would have stayed up with him, the way I used to do
  each year. But I was tired, and longed for sleep the way I used to
  long for the press of our two bodies. And besides, I didn't want to go
  through this yet again.
  The wife : a novel by Wolitzer, Meg.

Note: if you think the title of the post is not quite right fix it please.


texts:
I saw the following sentence in a book, and I don't know why the "to" is there.
Is it correct at all?

Most people feel — or to have been taught — that there is an
absolute difference between “creative writing” and “the other kind”


texts:
(Active voice):

  He has written a poem which fascinates everyone

My problem here is , in active voice the object is the poem then passive voice should be :

  A poem has been written by him which fascinates everyone.

but the answer is

(Passive voice):

  Everyone is fascinated by the poem which has been written by him.


texts:
I have come across the following sentences in an upper-intermediate book:

Living in a foreign country seems strange at first, but you soon get used to it.
Don't worry. You will soon get used to it.

As far as I - as a non-native speaker- remember, only the first sentence can be true.
Is there a possibility for the second one to be grammatically acceptable as well?

If yes, would there be any difference(s) in meaning of them?


texts:
I would like to describe  the indication of some numerical index, let us say x. I would like to say that   if  x << n  then this indicate positive  impact however x >> n  this indicate negative impact.

In such context, I should say  :

"Low values of x indicate positive impact "

or

"Small values of x indicate positive impact ".

Which one is correct ? If both, which one is more suitable in my notion ( scientific one)? does it really differ if I use  Low instead of small?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
How "lie" in present simple becomes "lying" in present continuous?

Where the letter y in the word 'lying' did come from, while in the infinitive form it's 'lie'?

My friend came across this text-book which practices 'present continuous tense' and I really don't know how to explain it.


texts:
I was watching a non-English series with (otherwise quite good) English subtitles and stumbled upon this weird sentence:

  It would seem that our situation is even worse than we had feared.

Does this sentence make sense to you? Can it make sense in a certain context?

My own opinion is that the sentence should be either:

It would seem that our situation was even worse than we had feared.

or

It seems that our situation is even worse than we had feared.

I think that "had" is redundant is the second version. Is it not?

Any corrections to my own grammar, including word choices and unnatural sentence structure, in this post and comments are quite welcome too.


texts: What does the use of 'bank' as a verb mean in this context which has nothing to do with actual banks (financial institutions)?

texts:
What is the meaning of the word bank as a verb here?
EDIT:
"...Boris Johnson does not want talks to “[drag on]”, but [his] allies admit he is loath to make new concessions now when the EU side would simply bank them." Please note that this is a non-verbatim extract taken by myself from the Financial Times
(The copyright policy says I can only extract up to 30 words non-verbatim so  I've taken out a few words because the sentence was longer than 30 words.)
I have searched the definition of bank as a verb on Merriam Webster and Cambridge but I can't find a definition that makes sense in this context.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bank
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bank
To give you some context about where the sentence came from. It's from a newspaper about Brexit negotiations between Boris Johnson (UK leader) and the European Union (EU) where Boris Johnson doesn't want negotiations to drag on but at the same time he is also weary of making new concessions because the EU would simply 'bank' them. Brexit is a separation of the UK country from the EU which requires negotiations to agree on how trade, immigration and other interactions between the UK country and the remaining countries in the EU will work.
What does bank mean here?


texts: I like NewYork, but I have never been there this year

texts:
I'm not a native speaker.
I have some question on the grammar of present perfect tense.
Is this sentence self-contradictory？


texts: A proverb for "You can pay your dues and enjoy the fruits of your labor for the rest of your life" in AE

texts:
Scenario 1)

Imagine someone is living a hard life because they have to save their income to invest in a very worthwhile field that can be very helpful in their future financially. You want to sympathize with them.

Or (at least in our language)

Scenario 2)

Imagine you want to sympathize a university student who is going through think and thin to achieve a degree at a very good college and in a good major which can guarantee some valuable job opportunities for them afterwards.

In the both cases above, one can use a multilateral proverb in our language which says: "You can pay your dues and enjoy the  fruits of your labor for the rest of your life."

The only proverb which I found in a domestically written book, was:

  Short term pain for long term gain.

However, even if it works I doubt if it is something that sounds natural to an American.

I was wondering if you could help me with this case and let me know what is the best way to convey the massage in my question.


texts:
I am going to my parents or I will go to tomorrow
What is the right one? Why?


texts: Two prepositions used one after the other without conjunction?

texts:
Example (I saw it on some page)

  So, you can see that we need a conjunction to for the sentence to be clear!

Which of the following are rewritten correctly?

So, you can see that we need a conjunction to the sentence for the sentence to be clear!
So, you can see that we need the sentence a conjunction for the sentence to be clear!
So, you can see that we need a conjunction to and for the sentence to be clear!

In the first two examples I repeated one words two times. In the third - just a conjunction.

Is there a rule? I think in the example word sentence is dropped!


texts: What is a 'bistro car' (or what should it be called instead)?

texts:
According to Wikipedia page on dining car, dining car is the same to restaurant carriage and diner.

While in the last paragraph it says

  The U76/U70 tram line between the German cities of Düsseldorf and
   Krefeld offers a Bistrowagen (dining car in German), where passengers
   can order drinks and snacks.

It sounds like Bistro car is sort of a German-origin term for dining car. But referring to Google images,  the top results look like drinking bars more than dining rooms.

So I'm wondering what Bistro car means (if it exists) and is it suitable to name a dining car (that doesn't serve alcohols) as a 'Bistro car'?


texts:
In the past it was always enough to be connected to humanity in a more
  abstract way, by the glint of possibility. (Kathy Holwadel) [her pronunciation]

abstract /æbˈstrækt/

Although there is the difference between first /æ/ and second /æ/ by accentuation, the first seems quite different from the second one. So I hear even /ɛ/ or /ə/ instead of /æ/. I want to know if she really pronounces /æ/. If yes, what is the difference from the second one?


texts: "Salted rim glass" vs "rimmed salt glass"

texts:
Which one is correct;

  The drink is served in a salted rim glass

or

  The drink is served in a rimmed salt glass


texts: Does using the third conditional make this argument circular?

texts:
I was wondering which conditional would be appropriate in the following argument.

  There's no evidence to support the opposition's claim that a black hole resulted from the supernova.  Furthermore, if a black hole (had) resulted from the supernova, then our instruments would have detected it.  Thus, the opposition is wrong.

I was thinking of using the third conditional to express confidence that the black hole did not result, but then I realized that suggesting the impossibility of the black hole resulting from the supernova in a premise might be circular.

So, my question is should I keep the third conditional

  If a black hole had resulted from the supernova...

or change the "if" clause to simple past

  If a black hole resulted from the supernova...

?


texts:
What is the meaning of the phrase no doubt mindful in the context of the following sentence. Does it mean it is with no doubt mindful

No doubt mindful of the advice of Crown Advocate Jowitt,
DI Pashley recorded in the investigation policy book “any audio product obtained
within Europe will be subjected to decision on admissibility via judicial proceedings
in any subsequent prosecution”.

Judgment


texts: "Did you see the match?" or "Have you seen the match?"

texts:
When I was chatting with a friend he asked me "Did you see the match?"
I know this’s completely right, but, it came to my mind was that wrong to say "Have you seen the match?" instead.


texts: What is a proper response to "What's up"?

texts:
I am wondering what a proper response to "What's up" can be. In the following example, we have "Your time, Cage" as in you will die, but I am not sure how this can be a proper response, to "What's up" as in "How are you?"

  What's up, Frosty the Snow Chick?

  Your time, Cage.

  Clever girl.

Is there something I am missing here? The second line doesn't seem to make sense as a response given it's in response to the first line.


texts: Is it correct? "Fixing this issue will take 2~3 days"

texts:
"Fixing this issue will take 2~3 days"

Is the above sentence structure correct? In fact, I want to express: I will fix this issue. And, if I successfully fix this issue, need to 2-3 days.

In fact, I want to let "Fixing this issue" as a subject, then "will take" as a a predicate. Is this writing Ok?


texts:
She found her bag and money also.
  She found her bag and also money.

Which is correct? My grammar book is saying sentence 2 is correct, as “ALSO” shouldn’t come at the end of the sentence. Why so?


texts: How to read aloud a sentence with parenthetical information in round/square brackets?

texts:
When people (like news anchors, for instance) speak about a quote, they often say "quote" at the beginning and "unquote" or maybe "end quote" at the end of the quote.
Do you also pronounce round/square brackets and dash when they are included in a written sentence? Do you say something like "parenthesis" at the beginning of the parenthetical information, and "end parenthesis" at the end of the information?
For example, how do you read the below sentences aloud when you are asked to do so, and some audience are listening to your reading?

He said, "I know that my friend Stephen —the poor dear!— has found living on his own very difficult."

She told me, "I don’t know, Jack. I've never been there before (and neither have you [I think!])."


texts: So I just said “that can't be right English” (meaning of course I didn't think it was correct English), and they told me saying “right English” (instead of “correct English”) was improper and I would get points off a test. So... Is it really “improper” or not?


texts: What does "buy in" mean in the context shown in this Dilbert comic?

texts:
In this Dilbert comic strip from 09/27/2015...

(Strip source: http://dilbert.com/strip/2015-09-27)

...the C.E.O. says in the last square:

  I just need buy-in for the strategy

What does "buy-in" mean in this context and why is it used here (i.e. is it a case of using a term that is normally used in some similar but different context)?


texts:
How do you read the address "Harbor Dr. 182"? I think it's Drive or Driveway. Is this a small street or a dead end ally or the front of someone's house?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
What of the two following options is the right?

  The blood flow to the lungs
  The blood flowS to the lungs

I'm asking my question because I thought that the blood is equals to the water somehow.

Thank you!


texts: Free to use collection of English words' pronunciations (to be used in an English teaching app)

texts: I am building an English teaching app and I need pronunciations of the words for free so that I can use them in my app without Copyright infringement.


texts: 'underlying' --> 'underlyingly present'?

texts:
The word underlyingly does not exist in the classical English dictionaries.

I would like to write the following: The crawling is still underlyingly present in the denser regions, where the wringing and kneading occur.

Is there a better word that officially exists?


texts: Use of 'The' at the beginning of a sentence

texts:
The payment was made today
Payment was made today

In which context, the above can be used.


texts: You bought your child a stuffed bunny animal. Is it natural to say to the child: "Do you love Bunny?" or "Do you love the Bunny?"?

texts:
See this kid song

  ..... Bars, bars, why don‘t you climb the bars

  Yes, yes, yes, I want to climb the bars

  Good, good, the bars are fun for you

  Yay, yay, yay, I like them, ooh!

  See, see, Monkey likes the bars

  One, two, three, climbing‘s fun, you see!

  Yes, yes, yes, you see I‘m climbing now!

  Climb, climb, climb, I like it, wow! ....

They don't say "the Monkey likes the bar".

You bought your child a stuffed bunny animal. Is it natural to say to the child:

-"Do you love Bunny?" or "Do you love the Bunny?"

-"See! Bunny likes the shoes" or "See! The Bunny likes the shoes" (I say this as a way to encourage the child to wear the shoes. He sometimes doesn't listen to what I suggest to him.)

So, I guess native people may say "Bunny" without "The" when they want to refer it as a proper name or something.

When to say "Bunny" and when to say "the Bunny"?


texts: tense usages in relative clauses in an imaginary discussion

texts:
If I were A,  I would become a person who __ as successful as B.

Let's say B is really a successful person. Should I fill in the blank with is or were?


texts: Why is "cat" alike to the corresponding word in other languages whereas "dog" is not?

texts:
I realized that cat sounds very alike to other indoeuropean languages (katze, katt, kot, gato) while dog is wildly different. I can't find any language where dog is spelled nor pronounced doggishly (for lack of a better word).

As far my goolearching went, the domesticated species have appeared more or less at the same time and so long ago that the linguistic discrepancy can't be explained by it. Both are equally common and well seen.

Any ideas on the origing of the difference?


texts: What is the official criteria to measure current level of English?

texts:
I want to improve my English, especially writing and speaking. Therefore, I need an indicator of my current level of English competence. Having a reliable metric in hand, I would be able to see how my English skills improved with time.

Is there an official, internationally acknowledged metric for English language competency?
Can someone provide a reliable resource to such as assessment tool?


texts: Has anyone seen or heard "kinked" used that way?

texts:
I just finished reading "Neuromancer" by William Gibson and wanted to ask you native speakers of the English language how his usage of the adjective / past participle "kinked" strikes you.
Gibson plays with words a lot in this book in that he gives new meanings to some words, maybe to underline the fact that Neuromancer is set to play in the future.

So, I would like your input on some sentences and how they make you feel reading. The meaning can of course be deduced through the context, but I'd just like to know whether it's actual slang or just jazzed up a little to fit the narrative.

Here we go:

"So what's he got on you?  How's he got the working girl
kinked?"

"Steep climb out of gravity and every approach is
kinked."

"One or all of them, he was certain, would be kinked for audio, very likely
for simstim, and anything he said or did now was admissible
evidence."

Thanks for your input.


texts:
This is a commonly heard slogan:

  We do chicken right.

I understand which means "we cook chicken in a right way" ,and the word right to be adverbial.

1,But why not use the adverb form rightly instead?
2, Does it mean adjective phrases can serve as adverbial?
Similarly:

  the plane landed safe.


texts: "This is to inform you" vs "This is you to inform"

texts:
Could you please let me know that the meaning of both sentences are same or different?
And please let me know the 2nd sentence is correct in terms of words' Sequence  you and to inform as well as

This is to inform you that we have carefully reviewed your estimate on the parking lot refurbishing.

Or

This is you to inform that we have carefully reviewed your estimate on the parking lot refurbishing.

Thanks,
Charmi


texts:
Would it be okay to mix absolute and participle phrases at the beginning of a sentence?

1- Sun shining, clouds smiling, climbing down a tree in glee, Sluggy, a happy, purple slug, strolls along to the blood-red, big berry in our yard.

If that is okay, how about swapping (as in 3) with adjectives or adding (as in 2) to the question?

2- Sun shining, clouds smiling, climbing down a tree in glee, hungry and slow, Sluggy, a happy, purple slug, strolls along to the blood-red, big berry in our yard.

3- Sun shining, clouds smiling, hungry and slow, Sluggy, a happy, purple slug, strolls along to the blood-red, big berry in our yard.

I have the impression that it is a matter of style not grammar. At any rate, is that against [accepted] style conventions to do that?

PS. I know they do not sound idiomatic especially with cramming many phrases into the sentence, so ignore the craft of word choice, please; I am only interested in sizing sentence structure and I put the words together just to illustrate the point.


texts:
1) Is it correct to use "should" in a sentence with the purpose clause in the Present. The matter is that I have been looking through some grammar material on the purpose clause and it drew my attention that all examples given in the Present, didn't have "should" in them. But the examples in the Past had "should" in them. For instance,

1) I am writing this letter so that he can/will know what has happened.

But

2) I wrote that letter so that he would/should/could know what had happened.

Would it be correct to use "should" in 1?

I am writing this letter so that he should know what has happened.


texts:
I was watching Addams family yesterday.
During the dinner in the "cave" Gomez said about Uncle Fester, that he is  continental person.

I understand that English people talking about Europeans as continental.
But what does that mean, taking into account that this is American movie?


texts: Could someone please tell the difference between "turns out that" & "turns out to be"

texts: I'm confused between these two phrasal verbs. I'm going to quote here two examples but since I'm learning so I might be wrong, do correct me here. "It turns out that it was a conspiracy against him" and "it turns out to be a conspiracy against him".


texts: Why is 'industry' used instead of 'industries'?

texts:
The 3rd paragraph of this article Beijing smog read alert lists

  The warning means schools will have to close down and construction and other industry in the capital will be limited.

Shouldn't industry be written as industries? It seems like they were talking about other industries.... not just one other one.


texts: "People believed the earth is flat" or "People believed the earth was flat." : Which is correct?

texts:
"People believed the earth is flat." vs. "People believed the earth was flat."

Which sentence is grammatically correct? Or are both correct?
Now I got to know "The earth is flat" is the title of a bestseller.
What about the latter? I think it's also correct, but I'm not sure why.


texts: The plurality of the word after how many

texts:
I think that the sentence:

  How many telephones do you have?

is incorrect.

I don't have a reason, but I feel like it should be

  How many telephone do you have?

instead.

Any one care to shed some light? Thanks.


texts:
Directly from my paper

  It is therefore important to understand the source of V and its geochemical dynamics in these systems; this has not been extensively explored in the  literature

Or should I replace the semicolon with "which"


texts: What is a different way to say "I choose this because..."

texts: I am writing supplementary applications for universities and they are asking for extracurricular activities I have done as well as a description for each.  In the description, I am talking about why I decided to join or participate in the activity.  I would like to highlight the fact that the decision to join the activities was my choice and not anyone else pressuring me.  The problem is that "I chose this club because..." I becoming overused.  Is there another way I can phrase it?


texts: What does "will something to do but don't want" mean?

texts:
It is from this video. It is at around 3 minute and 20 second. Here it goes:

  But if I were to watch something someone was willing to do but didn't want, even if there is the slightest doubt that the sex acts or the scene wasn't pleasurable, this would turn me off.

I am confused because I cannot see the difference between will and want. How can someone will something to do, but don't want to do?


texts: What is the function of the definite article in the noun phrase "the commodity" in the phrase "the theory of the commodity"? What is the difference between the phrase with the definite article and the phrase with no article ("the theory of the commodity" vs. "the theory of commodity")?


texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct? And what is the striking contrast among them?

  1) The richer you are , the happier you can be.

  2) The richer you are, the happier you will be.

  3) The richer you are, the happier you are.


texts: What is the meaning of 'N-PLURAL' in the Collins COBUILD dictionary?

texts: N-PLURAL represents plural noun according to the explanation in the Collins COBUILD dictionary. Can I interpret it as a noun that is countable but unable to be used in singular form and only able to be used in plural form?


texts: what are the alternatives for "Vigorously"?

texts:
I was wondering if my sentence is correct and if it sounds ok for native speakers?

  Oh John, you are exercising vigorously today. Good on you!

What other alternatives do I have?


texts: Difference between "going to" and "not going to"

texts:
I wonder what is the difference between going to and not going to in the following sentences:

We're going to play football in my garden.
you're not going to play football in my garden.


texts:
This word cannot be uttered by a sane man.

If this sentence is changed into the active voice which one is more appropriate and why?

a) A sane man cannot utter this word

b) A sane man will not utter this word

Is there any rule for changing in this type of sentence that the 'modal verb' will be same for both the active and passive voice?


texts: Regarding usage of "doesn't " and "don't"

texts:
I have heard sentences like
"He don't like this ."
Or
"He don't know this ."

Shouldn't it be
"He doesn't like this."
And
"He doesn't know this."

Why with singular person we use "don't" and not "doesn't" ?


texts: Usage "reason for the" or "reason of the"?

texts:
When you want to know why someone is requesting for something when writing an email, which should be used?

May I know the reason of/for the request?

Is there a difference between the two? Thanks.


texts:
In the following sentence whether neither or none should be used?

On account of shortage of time none of them can finish their work.

On account of shortage of time neither of them can finish his work.

What is the difference in the above two sentences?


texts: The current equivalent for the proverb: "No fish-seller cries stinking fish"

texts:
Please imagine:

  A sales person / manufacturing company's directing manager ets. is marketing their recently produced goods or any other product in order to either be sold or be launched into the market via TV or in any meeting
  So it would not be surprising that they would make some good remarks for advertising them.
  Now, let's suppose that qualitatively the product is so poor or not all that they've made it out to be and you're well aware about it! As a saying you would probably say....................... [Sarcastically]

Or

  Let's suppose you are going to be hired in a company; you are sitting in front of the interviewer and talking to them now! The person asks you about your feedback about your character! You start to tell so many good things about you! The person just for fun would say........... [Humorously]

Figuratively, in both cases above, there is a saying in my language which literally says:

  No sales person make bad remarks about what they are supposed to sell!

In the course of my researches I bumped into several proverbs, which I have no any idea if they sound archaic; if they sound like translations from foreign proverb; if using them somehow would sound unidiomatic to a native person etc. I have listed them below:

  1 - No fish-seller cries stinking fish.
  2 - Every cook praises his own broth.
  3- Every bird likes its own nest.
  4- Every potter praises his own pot.

I would be grateful if you let me know which one is in current use in English, or if none of them works, what uaually a native speaker would say instead?


texts: "You should go to school" vs "You must go to school"

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences:

You should go to school.

You must go to school.

And when should I use them?


texts: Creation of comprehensive flowchart for using English articles

texts:
I am trying to create a comprehensive flowchart for using the English articles - the, a, an. Can you check it and give me some feedback about errors, inaccuracies, possible improvements? May be some branches can be simplified/generalized? Or some good examples can be added?

A flowchart is a type of diagram that represents a workflow or
process. A flowchart can also be defined as a diagrammatic
representation of an algorithm, a step-by-step approach to solving a
task.
From Wikipedia.

The purpose:
It is hard to memorizing all article's rules in an unordered, unconnected form, so I want to have the scheme, which I can use for learning grammar rules in a convenient form, as well as a cheat list for rapidly looking in confusing cases. Also, I want to have an algorithm which I can execute step by step to get the right result (mentally or by a computer program). The scheme should have short, illustrative  examples for each rule. In fact, I have used it for writing this paragraph, how many article's mistakes I did? :)
The flowchart for facilitation of determination necessity and a type of article. I created this flowchart using an online tool, so you can view the original in a resizable form and clone it for editing: link to the flowchart (doesn't work in Firefox today, use Google Chrome).

The sources I used:

Grammar: Articles.

When to use ‘the’ with country names (+ lakes, rivers, and more).

Articles - when to use 'the' | English Grammar.

Some articles with similar approach:

Articles: Choosing a/an, the, or nothing (ø) with proper nouns

Articles: Choosing a/an, the, or nothing (ø) with common nouns

“Using an articles chart with common nouns.” - the chart in the form of pdf file.

The tool I used: Online flowchart editor.


texts:
What type of sentence is it? What members of sentence are here?

  It(song) was no strain on the voice, and I guessed that Margaret knew what
  she was doing when she chose it.

My observations:
It's a compound sentence.There are 5 clauses:1) It was no strain on the voice, 2) I guessed 3) that Margaret knew, 4) what she was doing, 5)when she chose it.

1)It - formal subject.

Was no strain - the compound nominal predicate

On her voice - the prepositional object.

2) I - simple subject

guessed - simple predicate.

3) that Margaret knew - is it some kind of object clause?

Margaret -simple subject.

Knew - simple predicate

That - ?

4)what she was doing - object clause? What does it consist of?

She -subj

Was doing - simlpe verbal predicate(past continious)

What - ?

5)when she chose it - adverbial clause of time.

She - subj,

Chose - predicate,

It- object,

when - ?

As you can see,my grammar is preaty bad,please,help me.


texts: What does the phrase "grandfathered into something" mean?

texts:
Somebody gloss this sentence please:

  "As long as homeowners follow the existing maps last revised in 1984 they'll be grandfathered into the federal flood insurance program."

I've seen the dictionary definition for the verb grandfather, but I can't tell what the preposition into is supposed to mean in this sentence.


texts:
. . . when we look at . . . [wən-wi-lʊk-ət]     [audio source]
The pronunciation in the audio for [luk] seems to be heard [lək]. If I hear right, does [l] pull the [ʊ] towards schwa sound, and so [ʊ] assimilate into [ə]?


texts: "That’s the hard story to believe" vs. "that's a hard story to believe" - which article to use?

texts:
He told me that he once met an alien from space. This alien didn’t need oxygen to live; it didn’t have a nose. That’s the hard story to believe. I’m not sure he was telling me truth. Maybe he isn’t so honest, after all.

The above paragraph is copied from one of the online grammar test excerices. Iam making some mistakes in the articles usage. e.g.

I used the article before hard story but in result it is 'a'. I think hard story is describe in the first two sentences and it is clearly understandable which story it is talking about.

regards;


texts:
Looked up the dictionary, and it seems there's no entry for the phrasal verb "bite down", so it's not a common usage; however, there are a few entries for "bite down a towel" on Google. I also used a colloquation dictionary and it doesn't appear there either.

For example:

  He bit down a towel in anger.

The question is what "bite down" means exactly? I thought it meant "bite hard into", but I am not sure.


texts:
I have this sentence using "think":

  I was thinking whether or not he has money that I can borrow.

is good English.  If I replace "think" with "imagine":

  I was imagining whether or not he has money that I can borrow.

Would this be okay English?


texts: In German, most of the time you try to avoid 'you' in academic papers. Of course I refer to 'you' in the meaning of 'in general' not you as a pronoun. What is the best practice in English?


texts:
'As to our second new appointment,' Dumbledore continued, as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away, 'well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, ...

I'm wondering if 'limbs' is used to mean its literal meaning or a special meaning. What does it mean exactly? (arms & legs, large branches of a tree, or something else)

-- From Harry Potter - and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 5.


texts: Is 'causal' strictly needed in "... the most important 'causal' agents ..."

texts:
1-. Salmonella is considered one of the most important causal agents of food-borne illness in developed countries. (US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health)

After having read the defintion of causal (of, relating to, or being a cause of something; causing), I am still not able to understand what this word adds to the meaning of the above sentence.

Stated otherwise,  what is the difference in meaning between 1 case above and 2 case below?

  2-. Salmonella is considered one of the most important agents of food-borne illness in developed countries.


texts: What is the apt word for the man who listens to the request and helps?


texts: Should I use "either" or "neither" in the following sentence?

texts:
Thinking of it, Mary didn't seem to fear anything. Perhaps, also/neither death.

What's the correct alternative and why?


texts: How should the feminine name Fatima be pronounced? Which syllable should be stressed? (I know that sometimes it is pronounced as Fat - i - ma, with the second syllable stressed.)


texts:
I chanced upon this helpful post
and would like to ask if the position of the adverb "also" is just a stylistic preference and personal choice of a speaker, and there are no stringent rules of using it.

  You also are allowed to see your son.
    You are also allowed to see your
  son.

Both of these sentences are gramatically correct, but grammar guides say that the right position of the "also" is after the verb "to be", so, from the school grammar point of view, only the second sentence is right. I also notice that in colloquial speech this rule is often broken.


texts:
I encountered the phrase "Except, maybe not" when reading an on-line article. I guess it would probably mean "It (what mentioned earlier) may not be right, and there are some exceptions". Is my understanding correct? Is the phrase common?
Below is the original sentence.
"The consensus has been that when you get older, your arteries will clog with plaque, and your odds of having a heart attack or stroke increase. Except, maybe not."
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-to-have-younger-arteries#1


texts: Differences between “consult” and “counsel”

texts:
Why are organizations that provide psychological help called “counselling services”, while those that provide legal, medical, or financial services called “consulting services”?

Is “A consults B” equal to “B counsels A”?


texts: Could I say 'The concept is hard to digest' ?

texts: Could I say 'The concept is hard to digest'? I want to express that this concept is hard to learn and understand


texts: What's the meaning of "It makes the landscape dangerous to navigate"?

texts:
I've come across the sentence below:

  Morning comes slowly. Overnight, the falling snow, so peaceful, has
  turned to sleet, coating everything in brittle ice, making the
  landscape even more dangerous to navigate.

What does the marked sentence mean?
There are some meanings for the word navigate.
Does it mean "to successfully find a way from one place to another" [1] here?

[1] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/navigate


texts:
(3) Suspect medical product(s), including vaccines administered on the same date.

  (i) Name;

  (ii) Dose, frequency, and route or site of administration used;

  (iii) Number of previous vaccine doses;

  (iv) Vaccination date(s) and time(s);

  (v) Diagnosis for use (indication);

  (vi) Whether the product is a combination product (as defined in 3.2(e) of this chapter);

  (vii) Whether the adverse experience abated after product use stopped or dose reduced;

  (viii) Whether the adverse experience reappeared after reintroduction of the product;

  (ix) Lot number;

  (x) Expiration date;

  (xi) National Drug Code (NDC) number, or other unique identifier; and

  (xii) Concomitant medical products and therapy dates.

  (4) Vaccine(s) administered in the 4 weeks prior to the vaccination date.

  (i) Name of vaccine;

  (ii) Manufacturer;

  (iii) Lot number;

  (iv) Route or site of administration;

  (v) Date given; and

  (vi) Number of previous doses. CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21

Could you please help me with why they put "given" behind date?

Is there any special reason?

And why is this "date given" instead of "given date"?


texts: Do I need a "ones" at the end of this sentence?

texts:
Things that haven't occurred yet are the most scary (ones).

To I need that ones at the end? Why or why not?


texts:
What does the word parenthesis mean? Does it mean as an aside or in passing. I looked at dictionary definition, but I could not understand its application in the context of the sentence below.

I note in parenthesis that if a high earning household vacates a property, it may not, as the Croydon MP expected, be available to someone in greater need, because it may be deemed to be of higher value and have to be sold on the open market, possibly in London to a foreign buyer.

This sentence appears in the following link:
Housing and Planning Bill - Report (3rd Day)


texts: Adverbs of frequency in passive voice present perfect constructions

texts:
With adverbs of frequency, we place the adverb before a main verb, after 'to be' and between auxiliary verbs and the main verb.
What happens when the sentence is in the present perfect passive voice, where the main verb is 'to be'?

I have been frequently angered by his behaviour OR I have
frequently been angered by his behaviour

Are both correct, or is one considered grammatically incorrect?


texts: What's the meaning of "for all that unwanted attention"?

texts:
It is a perfect day for a bike ride. And for wearing fitted sweats afterwards
to the supermarket for all that unwanted attention.

I'm not sure what she meant here with "for all that unwanted attention". Does it mean to get unwanted attention or to avoid it?


texts: These files were used to complete the dose distribution calculation using both the DPM and Penelope codes.


texts: How to make "rhyming compounds" ( such as lovey-dovey, hubble-bubble, roly-poly)?

texts:
I recently learned that there are some compound words in English that are called "rhyming compounds".
I'd like to know:

1- Are there any grammatical rules for making these compound words?

2- What are the different types/forms of such compound words? (I mean on what basis the second word is chosen: semantically, phonologically, or something else?)

3- Can we use them in formal conversations or contexts too?


texts: Using (“Almost”, “Nearly”, etc. + (every / any)

texts:
I have had a look on all dictionaries for all five choices below. Unfortunately, there is no such a possibility to find out whether these words work properly in all my made examples or they would sound weird. That was why I decided to open a new thread and ask about them here. Please kindly have a look on my provided scenarios and let me know which option works within the spaces and which one doesn’t and why?

Example #1:

  Willie sends me an e-mail _________ every week.

a. almost
b. nearly
c. practically
d. roughly
e. approximately

Example #2:

  _________ everything was burned in the fire.

a. almost
b. nearly
c. practically
d. roughly
e. approximately

Example #3:

  She’s a kind person and likes _________ everybody. Even her enemies.

a. almost
b. nearly
c. practically
d. roughly
e. approximately

I think all the choices above work in all of my examples properly. But I have no idea how a native speaker would think about these particular cases and what would be their choices.


texts: What does "put up" mean in "put up pets"?

texts:
The opening narration of the movie Meet the Blacks goes"

  Hey, guys. Tonight is the Purge and I want all of my white friends to be safe. Rules of the Purge. You have 12 hours to do any crime you want against anyone you want. You can shoot, kill, stab. Twelve hours of death, mayhem. Lock your doors. Protect yourself. Make sure your rent is paid and all of your pets are put up.

I can't be sure if "put up" here means to provide lodging or to preserve (as in put up jam). Although it seems to mean "protect" or "pen up", I can't find definitions along those lines.


texts: "Until now I didn't realize that..." vs. "until now I hadn't realized that..."

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between the following sentences?

Until now I didn't realize that you can sing so well.
Until now I hadn't realized that you can sing so well.

Are both sentences perfectly grammatically correct and natural? If no, could you explain why? If both perfecly natural and grammatical, then which one is more common?


texts:
Woman: I didn't know you were coming back.

  Man: I wasn't, but I had made an appointment at the hair salon before I left, and they don't do refunds for cancellations. I'm very cheap.

What does "I’m very cheap" mean in this conversation？


texts:
I read these two sentences:

  Such an array is said to be h-sorted. Put another way, an h-sorted
  array is h independent sorted sub-sequences, interleaved together.

I don't know the grammar behind "h-sorted" and "h independent sorted". And why is it not "h independently" sorted? For the source please refer to this link.


texts: Avoid clichés when enumerating points or topics

texts:
I found the following sentences in many English Writing books for exams like TOEFL:

  First and foremost, ...

  Second, ...

  Third, ...

  Last but not least, ...

However, my grammar software points out that there are clichés:

  First and foremost  -----> First  /  Primarily

  Last but not least  -----> Finally yet importantly

Since the books are written by those who are not native speakers, I am not sure if they are right. Could you please tell me which is better?


texts: What is best choice among "sake", "good", "benefit" and "interest"?

texts:
I am saying this all for your sake.

I am saying this all for your own good.

I am saying this all for your benefit.

I am saying this all for your interest.

When talking and reasoning with a kid, which sentences above are correct and which one is most common and natural?


texts:
She pulled out a gun and pointed/aimed it at him.
Is there any significant difference between these or are they interchangeable here?
Is there a difference if it's pointed/aimed from short or long distance?


texts: "That would be more than enough". Is 'more' the head of the complement or 'enough'?

texts:
It has over 100,000 words and meanings. You'd think that would be
  more than enough for most of us but meanings change and new words are being created all the time.

Might I trouble you to tell me whether 'more' is the head of the complement or 'enough'?


texts:
I read many texts about when to use ‘s or of, but still can’t understand it completely.
I was trying to say that someone went to the gate which gives entrance to a mall. There are four ways I can think this can be written:

She went to the gate to the mall.
She went to the gate of the mall.
She went to the mall gate.
She went to the mall’s gate.

I think 1 conveys the idea that the person went to a gate which gives entrance to the mall, without it being necessarily the only existing gate there, while 2 conveys the idea the person went to the only gate to the mall.

3 is equivalent to 2, but maybe sounds more idiomatic. While 4 is not wrong if we consider it’s a given mall already strongly considered by the interlocutor, but for some reason it seems wrong to me (even though it's the option that makes the most sense according to my personal reasoning).

Is 4 really wrong?

Can someone help me to understand what the differences are, please?


texts: Is this sentence correct "For me, I think programming is as a fun activity than be a job." (grammar and meaning)

texts:
Is this sentence correct

  "For me, I think programming is as a fun activity than be a job."

Should I use be or beeing?
Is using than correct here?

And if the sentence wrong how can I say it?


texts: Period or class (school) and; back-to-back or consecutive

texts:
In AmE is "period" used to refer to different classes during a day in the school? Or is it classes?

  Science is my third period.

Or

  Science is my third class.

What is actually used? And if we have like our third and fourth classes of Science, what should be used :

  We had two consecutive" periods/classes of Science.

Or

  We had 2 science classes/periods back to back.

Or

  We had 2 science classes/periods in a row.

So what should be used here:"consecutive/back to back/in a row"?

So is it "classes/periods" and "consecutive/back to back/in a row"?


texts: Which one is grammatically correct sentence and why?

texts: 1.He discussed murder case with his wife .    2. He discussed the murder case with his wife.        3. He discussed a murder case with his wife.


texts:
He is the first man to arrive here.

I'm confused what this sentence means.

I think it could mean either of the options below according to context, like

He is the first man who is going to arrive here.
He is the first man who has just arrived here.


texts: which is the correct option for below gap?

texts:
I am trying to find which one is the correct for below.
The new drug...at the last conference is expected to ease the suffering of a lot of patients
A.introduced
OR
B. which has introduced


texts: Can fat change into muscle, or not? What does "Fat cannot change into muscle any more than muscle can change into fat." mean?

texts:
I have a problem with the interpretation of this sentence.

Fat cannot change into muscle any more than muscle can change into
fat.

I guess that it would mean either 1 or 2 below.

The change from muscle to fat is more likely to happen than the change from fat to muscle. (This implies that fat can change into muscle even a little.)

Fat cannot change into muscle, and muscle cannot change into fat either

Is either one of these correct? If so, which one? If not, what is the right interpretation?


texts: What the difference between "different than" and "different from"?

texts:
I was told that "different than" is incorrect in a form like this:

  My book is different than yours.

But you can write it this way:

  My book is different from yours.

But my teacher always says "My site is different than yours." Is this correct, or is something wrong? When should you use one or the other?


texts: How to properly build past perfect tense when something happened with an object?

texts:
I know that it should be had + verb in past form, but not sure about these sentences:

  This idea appeared when an apple had fallen on his head.

Meaning: first it felt, then an idea appeared at those moment when it felt.

Or

  This pencil appeared on the table when the other one had broken.

I suppose this would be wrong:

  This pencil appeared on the table when the other one became broken.

Meaning: one thing became broken and after than the other one appeared.


texts: Please, explain the article usage. Why do you say "Beauty and the Beast", "Snow white and the seven Dwarfs", but "The Prince and The Pauper"?


texts: Why is the perfect used instead of past continuous in "Every time I've visited her...she has been working hard"?

texts:
Every time I've visited her in the last month, she has been working hard.

This is a sentence from a grammar textbook. I don't understand why we use Present Perfect Continuous instead of Past Continuous here. Could somebody please explain this to me?


texts:
Can I say so? Is it right in terms of grammar?

  it was wrong to meet him without having had talked before

I know for sure that it's correct to say:

  without having talked

but I mean exactly the past perfect time


texts: The meaning of "shooting" in this sentence "Here's the HTML we're shooting to generate"

texts:
I don't know what "shooting" means in this sentence:

This is where the rubber meets the road. Let's start by building a page that just spits out our DB entries in a mildly pretty form. Here's the HTML we're shooting to generate:
(Code snippet follows)

Could anybody enlighten me?
I met the sentence above in this tutorial and I think "intending", "aiming" and "would like to" are all good replacement in that context.


texts:
What doe anglo mean here

  Having said that, there is something which, to my absolute amazement, Obama's election did achieve: the removal of (most, but not all) Neocons from (most, but not all) key positions of power and a re-orientation of (most, but not all) of US foreign policy in a more traditional "USA first" line, usually supported by the "old Anglo" interests.  Sure, the Neocons are still firmly in control of Congress and the US corporate media, but the Executive Branch is, at least for the time being, back under Anglo control (this is, of course, a generalization: Dick Cheney was neither Jewish nor Zionist, while the Henry Kissinger can hardly be described as an "Anglo").  And even though Bibi Netanyahu got more standing ovations in Congress (29) than any US President, the attack on Iran he wanted so badly did not happen.  Instead,  Hillary and Petraeus got kicked out, and Chuck Hagel and John Kerry got in.  That is hardly "change we can believe in", but at least this shows that the Likud is not controlling the White House any more.

If you want you can read further context here http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36509.htm
under the subtitle In comes Barak Obama - "change we can believe in!"


texts:
We know his can be used as pronoun and as determiner. But i am confused about how to decide whether it used as determiner or pronoun

for example

he said that john was his father

Is "his" a pronoun or a determiner here?


texts:
When we talk about unreal past, do we mean the use only of past simple/continuous to describe an imaginary/hypothetical situation?
For instance:

  • Supposing I gave you my permission, would you go?

  • Supposing I had given you my permission, would you have gone?

In the first sentence unreal past is used. But in the second one?
I don't think the second one describes a past action, but an imaginary, past action. So, are the verbs in both of the sentences in unreal past?


texts: Meaning of "would" here? Could someone please elaborate this?

texts:
"You'd get through the interview,"  I wish everyone would stop telling me that.
What does it mean here?  A few more examples would be more helpful.


texts: How to give precise directions to Dominos

texts:
Let's say I were to direct someone from the red road to the blue one.
Is it appropriate for me to say:
A. It is the road just over from the red one, on the right.
B. It is the road one row over from the blue one ,on the right.
Also if you happen to choose A ,please explain what B means.
Also could you mention any other way which comes more naturally to natives?


texts:
This line is from The last ship movie where the president of the United States of America issues a video message to the remaining population, trying to put an end to the rumors that have spread out against the cure:

  Nothing could be further from the truth.

I wonder if he could have said instead:

  Nothing could be far and away from the truth.

Grammar Girl says:

  The quick and dirty tip is to use “farther” for physical distance and “further” for metaphorical, or figurative, distance. It's easy to remember because “farther” has the word “far” in it, and“far” obviously relates to physical distance.

Now that my proposition contains the word far would seem that the replacement is wrong as it's not about a physical distance but Merriam Webster gives the following example:

  that Mexican restaurant is far and away the best in the area

where the word far is contained although it's not about a physical distance.

So, my question is: are further and far and away synonymous and if so are they always interchangeable?


texts:
When you want to say do as you already planned or make a plan happen, do you say do the plan, follow the plan, etc? I'm not sure what verb to use before plan to make that meaning. I think Follow the plan is a common collocation but it doesn't imply getting something done; I feel it describes the process at any point, so it doesn't make the meaning I intend to make.

  I'm not sure I can [the verb] my plan.

What verb can I put there?


texts:
In the phrase 'Glory be to God' the use of 'be' is in place of 'is' or is it a subjunctive? In full it is:

  Glory should be to God.

OR

  Glory is to God.

If it is 'is' then what if we place 'be' before 'glory'? Like, 'Be glory to God'? Although, I feel this [Be glory to God] isn't right.


texts:
My confused rule is : The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.

How it is possible that this sentence is correct !

She, my friends, and I are not going to the festival.

Reference : Rule 3


texts:
Police had deployed large forces along the major junctions of Hosur Road, where major protests took place on Monday.

(Source: Times of India)

In above sentence which I read in new paper past perfect tense has been used. Past perfect tense is used to refer past of past. I am unable to make out two pasts in above sentence.

Does it mean Police were already aware of this protest on Sunday or before protest and already deployed last forces along the major junctions on Sunday or before protest? I mean deployment of forces is first past and taking place of protest is second past.


texts: “file doesn’t exist” or “file doesn’t exists”

texts:
You’ve requested the example.txt file. That file doesn’t exist/exists.

Which one should I use? Why?


texts: Making a sentence to be accepted by scientific world (academic writing)

texts:
I have an idea regarding when a certain error found (say error-2), then how it could be eliminated. So, I have constructed a sentence as follows: I am using also, as I am now talking the elimination of 2nd error.

  Also, when a boundary segment,derived by the image based method, is
  lacking for a certain reference gutter segment, and there is an(are)
  adjacent roof plane(s) which is(are) highly elevated than that
  reference gutter and edge of the elevated roof is parallel to that
  reference gutter, then assuming the location of the reference is wrong
  and there should be a step-edge in between the reference and elevated
  roof plane, the missing boundary edge for the image based data is
  created by down projecting the relevant elevated edge.

But, my problem is when I finish my construction, the sentence is too long. So, Now I want to know whether this type of sentences are accepted by the scientific report.

Actually, for me it is difficult to imagine a way to break this into small sentences as everything is interrelated.

So, I am looking for suggestions to improve my construction to be accepted by the scientific world. thank you,


texts: How to make "can you tell me guys" with respect?

texts: I am writing mail for my seniors. I want to ask something like, Can you tell me guys which port I have to use? How to make this word as polite?


texts: Can we substitute "make" with "let" in certain contexts?

texts:
Examples are as following where the usage is like ... make object ... in sentences.

Please don't make me feel alone.

Please make me understand what you mean to say.

Can "let" be used in all the occurrences of "make" here? Another question, if we want to change the voice can we write as, in case of the first sentence,

You are requested not to let me feel alone.


texts: How to understand "What little color there was in Black's face left it."

texts:
"Up to the castle?" said Snape silkily. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black... pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay... I --"

  What little color there was in Black's face left it.

  "You -you've got to hear me out," he croaked. "The rat -- look at the
  rat --"

I failed to parse the sentence. Usually, 'what' leads an exclamatory sentence, but the sentence doesn't end with '!'. Another thing I'm not sure is what the word 'it' refers to. What kind of sentence is it? How should we understand the sentence?


texts: Why "have welcomed", but not "has welcomed"?

texts:
In book "Agents of Empire: Knights, Corsairs, Jesuits and Spies in the Sixteenth-Century Mediterranean World" Written by: Noel Malcolm, there is this sentence:

  Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent was apparentlly spoiling for a fight with Venice, and may even have welcomed an incident in early 1537 when a hot-headed Venecian naval commander, Alesandro Conferini, attaced three Ottoman ships and sank
  two of them, the realy giving Suleyman a pretext for war.

My question is: Why author, british-english native, write "have welcomed", but no "has welcomed".


texts: The definite article "the" and known information

texts:
As one of the rules of article usage, "the" is put before a noun or a noun phrase to indicate information known to the writer and the reader, so is "the" necessary to indicate old information or is it necessary only if you want to emphasize the topic you focus on?

To make my point clearer, I listed two examples ("the" in brackets):

Love is everywhere. There are love between people, love of nature, and love of knowledge. Among these, (the) love between people is the most beautiful on the world.
Gay marriage is still illegal in many countries, although people become more aware of the necessity and significance of its recognition. As we all know, gay or lesbian love is never a new topic. People who love each other deserve to be blessed, recognized by the society, and protected by law. There are campaigns, parades and festivals every year around the world to support these underprivileged. There are constant reports on tragedies of these people. Even so, (the) gay marriage is still strongly opposed by many countries.

I know there are many factors that influence the usage of articles: discourse information, literature knowledge, writing style. I searched the site, and there seem to be little cases representative of my confusion.

I look forward to your thoughts. Thanks!


texts:
I am going to do an overseas internship in Canada next month. Since I have never worked with foreigners before, so now I wonder what I should call my boss or colleagues.

My supervisor is a Chinese, I don't know her English name, she is much older than me and I do know she is married.  Her family name is Liu (not her husband's). So may I call her Ms. Liu, or Mrs. Liu, I am not sure which one is correct. How about other foreigner supervisor? Should I call them MR. XX, MS. XX, or just call them first name directly. Can I ask them directly "Can I have your name or What should I call you"

For the colleagues which are older than me, I think I just need to call them first name?

Thanks.


texts: What's the word for someone whose actions are very driven, and they can't be stopped?

texts:
In the story Antigone, Antigone has a very strong-willed and independent personality. Her actions are based on what she believes is right. She gets this rock solid idea to do something and doesn't think about the consequences. She is very driven to go through with a plan for this idea. And no one will be able to convince her to not do anything.
   What is this called?