texts: The category of medicines that "make you unconscious" or just "prevent pain"

texts:
I was wondering what do you call the medicines that are used to:

  make you sleep through the surgical operation.
  make you numb (without making you sleep,) during an operation.

I know "anesthetic medicines" for #1 and "numbness medicines" for #2. But the problem is that many dictionaries have mentioned that "anesthetize" means:

  To give someone an anaesthetic so they do not 'feel pain' during a medical operation."

There is something missing here for me, but I'm not quite confident what that is! I have an intuition that "anesthetic medicines" actually, make you sleep and in this way prevent pain during a more serious process like a critical operation; in more routine operations like: "dentistry operations" where one does not need to get unconscious and just needs to get numb, dentists use "numbness medications".

I was wondering if you could let me know whether I have been right or wrong.


texts: Does "came out of X" mean "emerged from X" or "came here from X"?

texts:
   "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if
  he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there,
  bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his
  side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances.
  Don’ reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.
      "Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but
  lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you
  finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't
  counted on –– I dunno what it was, no one does –– but somethin' about
  you stumped him, all right."  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
  Stone)

I don’t know what outta (=out of) mean. When I look up this dictionary, there could be two possible interpretations. On one hand, the sentence seems to say they came to our side getting out of their trances. On the other hand, they emerged from their trances. Which one is right?


texts: "it needs to be empty" / "it needs to empty" / "it needs emptying"

texts:
Which one of the following is correct?

  This memory is full, it needs to be empty.
  This memory is full, it needs to empty.
  This memory is full, it needs emptying.

it should be passive voice, so I think first one is the right one. but third one sounds well.


texts:
Happy Father's Day! Thank you for everything! You're not only a good husband to me but a great father to our two girls. Thank you for loving us unconditionally. You've done so much and we do appreciate with gratitude all your efforts. You'd come up against pains and sacrifices yet you endured them with your greatest fortitude. What we are now is because of our prayers, your patience and perseverance.
I do not know my grammar is correct or not?
Thanks.


texts:
It was distressing to see how much he'd aged these last few months since he'd battled with the decision to put the shop up for sale.

It means the same as "He hasn't eaten anything since this morning"?


texts: What does "circle right back around to" mean?

texts:
Can you please help me with the meaning of the bolded sentence in this text:

One of them was how every book seemed to talk about the woman in the story. It was weird, if you thought about it: they all called the ladies “indescribably beautiful,” and then went on to try to describe them anyway. Well, Sofia was not that. She went so far beyond that, she circled right back around to describably beautiful."


texts:
I'm trying to get my head round how we use so called invariable plurals. I have been through about a million different sites now, and come up with the following:

(i) There are three main groups of invariable plurals, namely

a) nouns denoting things (typically garments and tools) that consist of two or several conjoined parts, such as scissors, trousers, binoculars, tweezers etc

b) nouns denoting groups of living beings, such as police, people, cattle, vermin, personnel, clergy etc

c) miscellaneous nouns ending in -s, such as arms, fireworks, belongings, oats, valuables, regards, remains, clothes etc

(ii) All three kinds of invariable plural always take plural verb form (the binoculars were very expensive), always take plural demonstratives (these binoculars are expensive) and are always replaced by plural, rather than singular anaphoric pronouns (Did you see those binoculars? They were very expensive)

Now to my questions:

Have I got things right so far? If not – where did I go wrong?
Apart from impact on choices of verb form, demonstratives and anaphors, I'd also like to know whether invariable plurals are all countable (only there can never be just one) – that is, can we use cardinals (except one) and quantifiers that normally go only with countables (e.g. many and several) with all of them? If not, can we distinguish any kind of pattern?
Is group (b) above distinct from what's generally referred to as collective nouns, or is it the same? If it's not the same, how do we tell them apart?

Thank you!


texts:
I had optic neuritis more than 25 years ago and was left with permanently reduced field of vision in my left eye. I saw an eye specialist earlier this year and he told me that I was extremely unlucky to have been left with my vision so badly affected. He said that most people who get optic neuritis recover fully, or nearly completely.

What does it mean by "left" in this paragraph?

Does it mean that he did not go to a doctor to fix or check his eyes for a long time so he got a permanent reduced field of vision? Did he wait thinking that his eyes would be cured without going to a doctor? In other words, If he went to a doctor earlier (faster), He would not have a permanent reduced field of vision and his field of vision would be better now.
Does it mean that he was extremely unlucky so that it ended up with permanent damage in the eye? The word  "left" here means "ended up" or "eventually".

Thank you very much,


texts: What is the proper tense to use when the sentence is listing different period of times from the past to present time

texts:
This is the sample.

  The ocean has been a challenge for a long time, since the ocean is a
  fearful and unpredictable place for mankind. It has encouraged a
  willingness to overcome the challenge for the purpose of food
  procurement and migration in prehistoric times, for exchanges, war and
  trades in historical periods and for industrial development and leisure in
  these days.

The sentence has different periods of the time when it is describing the purpose of overcoming the challenges for each period. Although I used present perfect tense because I thought it is covering present time from the past.

Is it OK to use like this ??


texts: Is there any logic behind "you said it!" expression? Why does that mean an agreement while "you said that!" doesn't?

texts:
you said it! (from Longman dictionary)  used when someone
says something that you agree with, although you would not have
actually said it yourself because it is not polite

Just today, I learned this expression. I didn't know up until today that it meant an agreement, but my question here is the reason why it means an agreement while its variation "you said that!" doesn't? What's the logic, if any?


texts: "can" or "could" in the following sentence?

texts:
In the following sentence, why is "can" appropriate than "could"? Is it a grammar thing?
please explain.

  The more satisfied you are with your job, the more effort you could put into your work.


texts: Meaning of the clause 'Opening the file, he called John'?

texts:
Opening the file, he called John.

What does the above sentence (especially the participle clause) mean?

As I understand it, this sentence has three meanings.

While (he was) opening the file, he called John.
After (he was) opening the file, he called John.
Because (he was) opening the file, he called John.

Is this right? And: are there more meanings than I mentioned?


texts: ''Neither... nor '' / just ''nor'' / just''neither''

texts:
I can make this sentence in three different ways.

A)We neither got to see the castle nor did we see the cathedral.[Neither .... nor]

B)We didn't get to see the castle neither did we see the cathedral.[just ''neither'']

C)We didn't get to see the castle nor did we see the cathedral.[just ''nor'']

İs there any difference in nuance in the meaning between these 3 sentences or are they completely in the same meaning?


texts: Pronunciation of the diphthongs /aʊ/ as in "owl" and /aɪ/ as in "why"

texts:
Since the phonetic representations of the diphthongs in words like "house" and "why" are /aʊ/ and /aɪ/ respectively, I would like to know the name of the first vowel that composes these sounds. In other words, what's the name of the vowel that starts both diphthongs? Is it the short o as in "hot" or the short a as in "apple"? I ask because I often hear a nasal sound when native English speakers (especially from the US) pronounce words like "out" or "house," and this makes me think that the starting vowel might be /æ/ as in "anthem" rather than /a/ as in hot — I guess /a/ is a short o.  Is my observation correct and Americans pronounce the diphthong /aʊ/ starting with /æ/? Could you please clarify what is the name of this /a/ sound in English? Is it simply an "a" in general? How do you pronounce the /a/ at the beginning of both /aʊ/ and /aɪ/? Does it sound like a short o /ɒ/ as in "hot" or like a Spanish a \ä\ as in "car"?

Also, I stumbled across a website that explains the pronunciation of these diphthongs in a way that confuses me even more:

/aʊ/: "This diphthong is pronounced as a short A sound sliding into an "oo" sound."

Is the initial vowel really a short a, and does it slide into an "oo" long u /o͞o/ as in "food"  or into a short u /ʊ/ as in book?

/aɪ/: "This diphthong is pronounced as a long I sound sliding into a long E sound."

Does it really start as a long I sound? Does it really slide into a long E sound or maybe into a short I sound as indicated by the symbol /ɪ/?


texts: Do you say “ me and my brother’s room” or “ my and my brother’s room” ? Thanks in advance for your answer

texts: I’m not suore which of the two is correct......Me and Tessa’s Books or  My and Tessa’s books ? Couldn’t find an answer in grammar books.


texts: Is this tense form correct here or has the writer erred?

texts:
If the larger picture of ancient forager life is hard to reconstruct, particular events are largely irretrievable. When a Sapiens band first entered a valley inhabited by Neanderthals, the following years might have witnessed a breathtaking historical drama. Unfortunately, nothing would have survived from such an encounter except, at best, a few fossilised bones and a handful of stone tools...

Why has the writer here used would have instead of has?
We use this form when conjecturing or hypothesising, right? Shouldn't it be Unfortunately, nothing has survived...?


texts: Correct structure of a sentence with "Have got"

texts:
how do I ask a question "What do you usually have in your bag when you go to the beach?" using "have got" for possession?

Is it correct? "What have you usually got in your bag when you go to the beach"?

Got or get? This confuses.


texts: Is the sentence clear enough without past perfect

texts:
In fact Rich sent all the goods he had on hold for me but he forgot to include in the parcel the book and the problem is that he moved just after sending the goods and did not take it with him.

Would had forgotten be possible? I think it is not necessary because the meaning is clear enough.


texts: "Regardless of" meaning and using in sentence

texts:
"Regardless of sunny weather, they went for playing football."
  "Regardless of social networking, many people getting famous personality"

Could you tell whether above two sentences are correct?


texts:
As I said before, you must leave.
  You are happy as we all know.

  Do as I say
  He did not need to keep moving house, as his father had.

  He is a foreigner, as is evident from his accent.

I checked the webster and longman. They says that "as" is used as relative pronouns in the first two sentences, which means "a fact/a thing that", while as conjunctions in the last two, which means "in the same way that".

I am confused by the meaning in these sentences. In my opinion, the third one can also be considered as pronoun, because it can be translated this way,

  Do the thing which I told you to do.

And the second sentence can also be considered like this,

  You are happy in the way we all know.

The other two sentences can also be misunderstood to me.
So what's wrong with my understanding.


texts: What is the verb for 'stepping on or into something unintentionally'?

texts:
Let's say I am walking down the hall and I step on a bottle or  a ball and I lose my balance, or say I am walking down the road and I hit a stone and I drop something I was carrying in my hand.

In both of those scenarios I was momentarily off-balance because of me hitting or knocking over something. Is there any specific verb to describe this action, something similar to slip but I might not fall just lose my balance for a couple of seconds.


texts: definite article or indefinite article - an online survey or the survey online?

texts:
I'd like to know whether "the survey online" or "an online survey" should be used in the following:

  World Gym has been under new management since July 3. For the new team to  better serve our members, please take a few moments and click here to fill out  the survey online / an online survey.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What's the meaning of "in the spirit of"?

texts:
The following is a passage from this article:

  In the spirit of full disclosure, the texter in question turned out to be my editor at Salon. (Hi, Sarah!) She has not texted me again.

What does in the spirit of in the passage mean? I have looked it up in the dictionaries, but couldn't find a definition for it.


texts: Word for ring pressed/sewn in cloth to strengthen hole?

texts:
Cloth and leather (clothing, sails, trampolines, shoes, boots) often have holes through which to thread lacing or rope.
In many cases these holes are reinforced with a metal or plastic ring to prevent the lacing or rope tearing the underlying cloth or leather.
Some rings are a single piece (like a washer or grommet) sewn to the cloth. In other cases the ring has 2 parts that each go on a side of the cloth and are pressed together to mechanically interlock. For larger rings (e.g. on sails) the 2 halves are sometimes bolted or screwed together.

Is there a proper name or terminology for such rings? For lack of a better word I'm currently calling them grommets, but that doesn't feel right somehow.


texts: Chances are it'd be spurned on the grounds of implausibility

texts:
If you were to make up a story as astonishing as Anne Boleyn's, chances are it'd be spurned on the grounds of implausibility.

1) I want to know whether "it" is referring to "chances" or what?

2) And I want to know the meaning of the clause.


texts: Can you "scoop" something with chopsticks?

texts:
According to the Oxford Dictionaries, it means:

  verb
  1 [with object and adverbial] Pick up and move (something) with a scoop.
  ‘I scooped the grain into the bag’

So I'm picturing a spoon and maybe a fork.

Can you use the verb scoop when using chopsticks?

Example sentence:

  She scooped up a little ball of rice with her chopsticks.


texts:
The sentence is

Travellers  ________________ their reservation well in advance if they want to fly during winter vacation.

Which is suitable to complete this sentence. Please give some explanation so that I can understand.

1. had better to get

2. had better get


texts:
Let's say a message (e-mail or SMS) was received at a certain point in time.

What phrase is appropriate for this point in time?

  "receive time" or "receipt time" or something else?

More info:

I plan to use this phrase as the short label in the graphical user interface of an application and as the variable name (e.g. receive_time) in the program code.


texts:
Welcome aboard the xyz train.

Welcome aboard on the xyz train.

Are both the above sentences grammatically correct?

I don't really know how to use the "Welcome aboard" part right, greeting someone for their coming on board on whatever train/plane I'm on.

Like when they make inflight announcements saying "Welcome aboard xyz airlines".
Is it okay to use the preposition on following the aboard in constructions like these?


texts: How can I say that not noticing something was very difficult?

texts:
How can say that something was very difficult not to be noticed?

I was thinking of the opposite of "I could barely notice that." on the lines of "I could not not notice that." which doesn't seem correct (too much not in row). Is there a better way to say what I am trying to say?


texts:
I have a problem  with finding correct verb. for example when you read about a writer for first time, or when you watch a movie and see an actor for first time, which verb we should to use in this sentence?
I just knew him? or, I just see him?
notice that I want to say I just knew that this person is exist!


texts: Filling a glass to about 5 cm ...... top

texts:
What is the correct preposition for the following sentence?

  Fill the glass with water to about 5 cm  .....top.

Is it  "off " , "off of" or something different ?


texts:
I asked a question just now

  I am learning  space, whose definition is based on function spaces.

Is this expression "whose definition" idiomatic?


texts: The meaning of the word "stretched" in the sentences in bold is ambiguous to me

texts:
They had come to fire the house, their visit expected because they hadbeen before. On that occasion they had come later, in the early morning,just after one. The sheepdogs had seen them off, but within a week thedogs lay poisoned in the yard and Captain Gault knew that the intruderswould be back. ‘We’re stretched at the barracks, sir,’ Sergeant Talty hadsaid when he came out from Enniseala. ‘Oh, stretched shocking, Captain.’ Lahardane wasn’t the only house under threat; every week somewherewent up, no matter how the constabulary were spread. ‘Please God, there’llbe an end to it,’ Sergeant Talty said, and went away. Martial law prevailed,since the country was in a state of unrest, one that amounted to war. Noaction was taken about the poisoning of the dogs.

Dose the first sentence in bold mean: we have lack of soldiers?
or
We are so busy at barracks?
and so "stretched shocking" mean:being busy is really shocking? or lack of soldiers is really shocking?
Source: The Story Of Lucy Gualt by William Trevor.


texts: On the interpretation of this sentence that contains "of such of"

texts:
It is sufficient to say
  that though the proof was invalid, the proposition remained
  true, and carried with it the truth of such of Carnot's deductions as were based solely upon it.

I had some difficulties in trying to decipher the of such of part.

I think the key resides in understanding the part that comes after the first of

  It is sufficient to say
  that though the proof was invalid, the proposition remained
  true, and carried with it the truth of [such of Carnot's deductions as were based solely upon it].

But the construction inside the brackets doesn't make much sense either. What does such of even mean?

Full context:

  After the invention of the steam-engine in its present form
  by James Watt, the attention of engineers and of scientific
  men was directed to the problem of its further improvement.
  With this end in view, the young Sadi Carnot, in 1824, published the Reflexions sur la Puissance Motrice du Feu, of which
  this translation is given in this volume. In this really great
  memoir, Carnot examined the relations between heat and the
  work done by heat used in an ideal engine, and by reducing
  the problem to its simplest form and avoiding all special questions relating to details, he succeeded in establishing the conditions upon which the economical working of all heat engines
  depends. It is not necessary here to animadvert upon the use
  made by Carnot of the substantial theory of heat, and the consequent failure of the proof of his main proposition when the
  true nature of heat was appreciated. It is sufficient to say
  that though the proof was invalid, the proposition remained
  true, and carried with it the truth of such of Carnot's deductions as were based solely upon it.

Source:The second law of thermodynamics; memoirs by Carnot, Clausius, and Thomson. Written by William Francis Magie. The book can be found here, the quote above lies in the first page of the preface, first paragraph.


texts:
I always hear this whenever I call my printer company. It doesn't sound correct to me.

  Are you with the printer?

How do we correct this sentence?


texts: "Day before yesterday" - How to say for Week, Month, and Year

texts:
I went to beach day before yesterday.

Likewise, how to say for Week, Month, and Year?

  ... week before last week
  ... month before last month
  ... year before last year

Actually, I should not specify any month (July) or year (2015).


texts: What does "nearness to" mean in this context?

texts:
As I read an article from Bloomberg, I came across this paragraph.

  InvestHK is using a different approach in its sales pitch for entrepreneurs. Instead of talking up the city’s potential for apps like Uber or Yelp, it’s selling nearness to the world’s factory floor across the border in China’s Guangdong province.
  (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-07/hong-kong-without-billion-dollar-unicorn-shows-startup-struggles)

I understand that "nearness" means "being near or close" but I'm not exactly sure what the sentence means with that expression.

Can someone please explain this to me? :) Thank you!


texts: When do we use "do" and "be" in questions?

texts:
I'm stuck upon a particular example, should we use "do" or "be" in question below:

  Does it exist?
  Is it exist?

Thank you in advance!


texts: Which one is correct: '3 hour journey' or a '3-hour journey'?

texts:
Which one of the following is correct (bold part)?

  It took us quite a long time to get here. It was 3 hour journey.

or

  It took us quite a long time to get here. It was a 3-hour journey.


texts: Is there any term about morning laziness?

texts:
As we all know, some people are lazy when they wake up in the morning.

Is there any term in English expressing "laziness in mornings", maybe like "hangover without alcohol"?


texts:
He might have gone. But luckily we reached his house and found him.
He might go. But luckily we reached his house and found him.
What do the bold sentences mean?
Do they refer to the past?
When to use 'might' and when to use 'might have'?
Which of the above sentences is correct in the context?
Can we use 'might' to refer a past action without mentioning the context?
Please answer me all of the above questions with explanation. I've been struggling with it but stuck with the confusion.
Another question is regarding to the following sentence:
I might go.
What does the sentence mean?
Is it describing the past or the future?
How to understand?


texts: To be able to: physical ability or polite form?

texts:
Is it possible to use to be able to for polite inquiry:

  Will you be able to walk the dog this afternoon?

Or it's not how it can be used?


texts:
I have been told that modal 'would' can be used to express 'vagueness'. Its usage has been linked below but I'm not fully convinced because I don't know in what kind of context it would be appropriate to use 'would' for 'vagueness'. Does 'would' carry any kind of meanings in those contexts? Is it formal or natural?
 Or 'would' has been used  just for softening the statement?

  [...] You use would , or sometimes would have with a past participle, when you are expressing your opinion about something or seeing if people agree with you, especially when you are uncertain about what you are saying. [vagueness] ⇒ I think you'd agree he's a very respected columnist. ⇒ I would have thought it a proper job for the Army to fight rebellion. ⇒ 'Was it much different for you when you started at the Foreign Office?'—'Worse, I'd expect.'. ⇒ I would imagine she's quite lonely living on her own.

Source: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/would


texts:
Which one is the appropriate use for caves?

The evenness of bat species is influenced by the length of caves path (?)

The evenness of bat species is influenced by the length of caves alley (?)


texts: Does the word "box" also have a meaning of money?

texts:
This is not the first time that I see people refer to money as "box" (see here 0:12)

I searched in my dictionary and I didn't find a meaning like that, so I think about two options:

a) Maybe there's another word which sounds similar but is written differently.
b) It's the word and it's not in all the dictionaries


texts: what's the difference between "my mind fastened on" vs "I (was) fastened on"

texts:
My mind fastened on his admission that he was an agent.

vs.

I was fastened on his admission that he was an agent.

Given that I can only say I was paying attention to or I was focused on not my mind was paying attention to or my mind was focused on, I don't know what the difference is and even after looking for it I couldn't find it.
I just want to know how fasten on works because I know how  "pay attention" and "focused on" work. I just used those to make a point of why I don't know what the difference between my mind fastened on and I was fastened on


texts: "Primary reason": What percentage of people surveyed should agree with the reason?

texts:
Sample sentence
A recent survey shows this: The primary reason students choose computer science major is that computer science major often enables students to get a better job.
Question
If only 10% of the students agree with the reason, can it still be "primary reason" as long as other reasons are supported by less than 10% of the students? (= It is the No. 1 reason.)
Or does "primary" imply "most students"?


texts: 'physical betterment' in the context of 'physical health'

texts:
When the topic and context is health and treatment, would the expression physical betterment be broadly understood as one or any combination of the below?

1) betterment of one's health condition
2) one's health improving
3) remission of disease

?


texts:
(A) "I have never written a letter in English."
  (B) "I haven't written a letter in English."
  (C) "I haven't ever written a letter in English."

Do they have same meaning? Which one does sound natural?


texts: In the context of food, what is the difference between "raw" and "fresh"? could fresh bacon be called raw bacon?

texts:
In the context of food,

  Fresh is any food that is new. The opposite is "stale" or "spoiled" or "bad".

  "Raw" is the opposite of "cooked". It can be good to eat (raw carrot) or bad (raw pork).

wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon#Curing_and_smoking) says

  Fresh bacon may then be dried for weeks or months in cold air

obviously, "Fresh bacon" is not cooked, even not dried.

question

could fresh bacon be called raw bacon?


texts:
What should I say and why?

1) Why is not this tree long?

2) Why is this tree not long?

3) Why this tree is not long? (I almost exclude this possibility)


texts:
I know this board avoids proofreading questions, but I am not sure if my question qualifies as such. Apologies if it does, but I'd very grateful for an answer.

I made a sentence whose "object/predicate" I am not sure is grammatically correct. Could you please look into it and, if it is wrong, offer suggestions for better constructions. The sentence is as follows:

  The best way to fall asleep is while watching TV

Is the bolded text correct, or should I construct it differently? Thanks.


texts: What does **it**(line8)refer to in the passage?

texts:
What does it(line8)refer to in the passage? I think it refers to creativity, but I'm not sure.

  A good many scientists and artists have noticed the universality of
  creativity. At the Sixteenth Nobel Conference, held in 1980,
  scientists, musicians, and philosophers all agreed, to quote Freeman
  Dyson, that “the analogies between science and art are very good as
  long as you are talking about the creation and the performance. The
  creation is certainly very analogous. The aesthetic pleasure of the
  craftsmanship of performance is also very strong in science.” A few
  years later, at another multidisciplinary conference, physicist Murray
  Gell-Mann found that “everybody agrees on where ideas come from. We
  had a seminar here, about ten years ago, including several painters, a
  poet, a couple of writers, and the physicists. Everybody agrees on
  how it works. All of these people, whether they are doing artistic
  work or scientific work, are trying to solve a problem.”

Sparks of Genius: The 13 Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People By Robert Root-Bernstein, Michèle Root-Bernstein


texts: "regarding quantity" vs "about the quantity"

texts:
Regarding quantity, how many are we looking to buy?
  About the quantity, how many are we looking to buy?

Why does "about" require "the" while "regarding" doesn't?


texts: use rested on or depended on? in "His decision to sail ____ his belief that the world was round."

texts:
Which phrase is properer, rested on or depended on?

His decision to sail ____ his belief that the world was round.

I think both of them would work, but my teacher said "rested on" is better? Could anyone point out the nuances between the two?
Having searched on M-W dic, the definition of rest on is "to depend or rely on (someone or something)"


texts: Is there a word describing the feeling when cold water is drank, similar to "spiciness"?

texts: Weird question, but you see how spicy food can be described by the word “spiciness”? How can one describe the feeling when cold water is drank? Do you know any adjective which describes this best?


texts: The use of the complex object and the perfect infinitive in the passive voice

texts:
He was seen to finish the job.
Means that someone saw him finish the job.
But I wonder if it's possible to use the perfect infinitive
He was seen to have finished the job  (by three o'clock).


texts: Paraphrase "Dusk closed across the house, sweeping its long shadows over the plain"

texts:
Dusk closed across the house, sweeping its long shadows over
  the plain, the horizon merging into the sky.

I cannot conceive what it looks like.

Are close and sweep used figuratively here? And are across and over used interchangeably here?


texts:
I'm wondering which of the two present perfect tenses should be used (or preferred) in the following:
Dialogue 1:

A: How long has Lenna been practicing singing?
or: How long has Lenna practiced singing?

B: For two hours.

Dialogue 2:

A: How long has Lenna been practicing singing?
or: How long has Lenna practiced singing?

B: For two years.


texts: "could not have been him" vs "could have not been him"

texts:
Say a huge rock rolled down from a cliff and killed a passenger by the window of a passing-by bus which I was on. HOWEVER, before the rock hit the bus, I had switched seats with the poor man, the victim.

So I can say :

  a.It could be me
  b.It could have been me
  c.It could not have been him
  d.It could have not been him

Which is correct and why, please?


texts: What's the meaning of " be high in indoctrination"?

texts:
In Evelyn Waugh's Loved Ones, there is a sentence: Mrs Komstock had...a nephew who was high in indoctrination:

  Wars simply don’t interest me. Everyone’s like that now. Well, I was
  like that in ’43. So I went to the Beverly-Waldorf and worked in the
  beauty parlor, but you couldn’t really get away from the war even
  there. The ladies didn’t seem to have a mind for anything higher than
  pattern-bombing. There was one lady who was worse than any of them,
  called Mrs. Komstock. She came every Saturday morning for a blue rinse
  and set and I seemed to take her fancy; she always asked for me; no
  one else would do, but she never tipped me more than a quarter. Mrs.
  Komstock had one son in Washington and one in Delhi, a grand-daughter
  in Italy and a nephew who was high in indoctrination and I had to hear
  everything about them all until it got so I dreaded Saturday mornings
  more than any day in the week.

What's the meaning of "be high in indoctrination"?


texts: The meaning of "complaint" in this python tutorial

texts:
Could you please tell me what is the meaning of "hence complaint" in this sentence:

  We’ve brought back a positional argument, hence the complaint.

Combining Positional and Optional arguments

Thank you


texts: When should I use "do" for intensifying a clause?

texts:
After interviewing with GTE’s IT Department, I was brought back for an interview with three people from Human Resources, then offered a job as a programmer. Dreams really did come true! No more hacking for me—I wouldn’t need it. I’d be getting paid for doing what I loved, at the place I loved doing it.

Note: text extracted from book "Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the Wrold's Most Wanted Hacker".
Look at the text above, I'd like when I'd use or not that "did"?
I've already read some things about that it's for intensifying but I couldn't fully understand when I'd really should it.


texts: An idiomatic expression for "coordinated the meeting time"?

texts:
Imagine a boss wants to know if his secretary has arranged a coordination with the partner company; e.g. for tomorrow morning. He may ask something like:

  Have you coordinated the meeting time with them?

That sounds natural grammatically and idiomatically.

But my question is whether it is possible to substitute "time" in the above self-made sentence with the word "hour"?  Would it make any sense then?
Is there a more idiomatic alternative?


texts: What does "develop a drag" mean in this context?

texts:
“Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it's a slight list to the tail end — you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They've updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the old Silver Arrows — a pity they've stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too…”

I'm not sure what "a drag" is supposed to mean here. The context is talking about the broomsticks they flew on. I've looked up the word 'drag' in dictionaries, but I don't know which one is fit for the context.


texts: does "brief personal acquaintance" here refers to an incident berfore their arrival to london or not?

texts:
does "a brief personal acquaintance" here refers to an incident berfor their arrival to london or not?

Dr. Nichols, their biographer, gives this first impression of them:
The young men, with whom I have had but a brief personal acquaintance,
and whom I never saw until their arrival in London, appear to me to be in
intellect and character above the average of their young countrymen,
they are not remarkable for cleverness, though of fair abilities, and Ira
has some artistic talent


texts:
What sounds natural in the sentences below:

  Hey! Did you "listen to/hear" this song?

  Yes I "listened to/heard" it.

  Have you "listened to/heard" this song before?

  Yes I have "listened to/heard" this song before.

What will be used in the sentences above "listen to/hear"?


texts: Does the phrase "the time is gone by" in the given sentence mean it is too late or they missed the opportunity

texts:
"The time, it is to be hoped, is gone by when any defence would be necessary of the “liberty of the press” as one of the securities against corrupt or tyrannical government." (source: On Liberty By John Stuart Mill)

I have three questions to ask.

(1) For the phrase of the “liberty of the press”, is it related to the subject of the clause any defence as follows? :
the defence of the “liberty of the press”

(2) I think "the time is gone by" means it is too late or they missed the opportunity.   If so, how should I understand the phrase "it is to be hoped"?  Why anyone would want being too late?

(3) What does securities mean here?

Could you help me clarify it?   Thank you always.


texts: How to express "helluva" or "extremely" in British English?

texts:
How to express "helluva" or "extremely" in a very British way?
I know "jolly" for "very", but I'm searching for a word meaning "extremely" (so quite stronger), especially to use in a situation of heavy emotions.
I also know "f...ing", but it's too universal (and perhaps too vulgar as well).
Examples:

This is extremely stupid!
Is he an extreme idiot or what?
[optional] I damn hate him!
[optional] This film was extremely beautiful!


texts: Do you know when he usually sends the money? Is this sentence natural? or Is this sentence wrong in grammar?

texts:
A. Do you know when he usually sends the money?

  B. I can't tell when he usually returns.

Are these sentences natural? or do these sentences have incorrect grammar?

I'm not a native speaker so these sentences are natural in our language. But in native speakers' view, are these sentences awkward or wrong in grammar?


texts: Phrase-usage: Where has this come from? Or Where did this come from?

texts:
Something that is confusing me is:

  Hey dude, Where  has this come/ did this come from?

I know how to use Present Perfect, but, I don't know if using here sounds natural. Can I use both? But, of course the answers would be different. At least, this is what I think

  Dude, where has this come from?

  It's come from Dallas. 5 milles from here

/

  Dude, where did this come from?

  It came from Dallas yesterday. 5 milles from here.


texts:
Which of the following two sentences is correct?

  I got used to using the computer after I had admitted to the university.

Or,

  I got used to using the computer after I had been admitted to the university.

Thanks in advance.


texts: noun (plural of singular) of plural noun

texts:
I am often confused whether to use singular or plural noun. Below I list some examples that I am not sure which one is correct...

EX1

I measured the head width of lizards.
I measured the head widths of lizards.

EX2

The growth rate of birds is influenced by temperature.
The growth rates of birds are influenced by temperature.

EX3

The mean heights of this population and that population are
different.
The mean height of this population and that population is different.

EX4: In this example, because (like in other examples) each dog has a nose; dogs [as a group] have (multiple) noses. I want to use "Dogs have noses" but feel it is wrong.

Dogs have a nose.
Dogs have noses.

I hope these examples can give some idea what kind of confusions I am having... I want to know some rules that help me identify the correct form.


texts:
1. Seventy percent of the man's body had been burned after the truck caught fire.
  2. The house just caught on fire.
  (All are from COCA)

I’ve thought that ‘on’ gives the nuance of continuity. So the difference between 1 and 2 would be the property, is the thought. But is there really the difference? Or are there any other differences? Or there are no differences at all?


texts: How do I ask different questions which have a word "contribute" properly?

texts:
The difficulty is there is a word 'to' between the verb and a noun.
A. The three sons also contribute to the family business.
When the answer is expected to be the three sons, what are correct questions?

Who also contributes to the family business?

What also contribute to the family business?

When the answer is expected to be the family business, what are correct questions?

What does three sons also contribute?

What does three sons also contribute to?

To what does three sons also contribute?

I also have other similar questions of the same form.
B. I believe that each of us can contribute to the future of the world.
When the answer is expected to be each of us, what are correct questions?

Who do I believe can contribute to the future of the world?

What do I believe can contribute to the future of the world?

Whom do I believe can contribute to the future of the world?

When the answer is expected to be the future of the world, what are correct questions?

What do I believe that each of us can contribute?

What do I believe that eacht of us can contribute to?

To what do I believe that eacht of us can contribute?

C. He believes he has something to contribute to a discussion concerning the uprising.
When the answer is expected to be he, what are correct questions?

Who does he believe has something to contribute to a discussion concerning the uprising?

Whom does he believe has something to contribute to a discussion concerning the uprising?

What does he believe has something to contribute to a discussion concerning the uprising?

When the answer is expected to be something, what are correct questions?

What does he believe he has to contribute to a discussion concerning the uprising?

When the answer is expected to be a discussion concerning the uprising, what are correct questions?

What does he believe he something to contribute?

What does he believe he something to contribute to?

To what does he believe he something to contribute?

I am sorry about the lenght of my question. But the concept is quite simple. Thanks for reading.


texts: In this sentence, "just" and "exactly" pretty much mean the same thing, right?

texts:
I know the word "just" has lots of meanings. I just want to make sure my understanding about this meaning of it is correct.

  We need someone who has experience in marketing and teaching, and I think Alex is just the woman for the job.

source

In that sentence, "just" and "exactly" pretty much mean the same thing, right?


texts: “How many...” OR “For how many...”? Which one is correct?

texts:
I had to translate a question from Russian into English, i did it:
“How many years is your sister younger than you?”
My teacher’s corrected it into:
“FOR how many...?”
Is his correction right?


texts: What does it mean "cab" in the context of a centrifuge?

texts:
I have a centrifuge manual that mentions the word 'cab' in a context of the centrifuge.  I checked the entries in the dictionaries and I can't think of one of the definitions there (such as taxi etc.) as a relevant definition for this context.

  "It is the condition which cab can be memorized".


texts: What do you call an argument that doesn't address the point?

texts:
When someone says something like "Corruption cannot be solved if we don't measure the level of corruption." and a person respond to it by not addressing the point made and says "Corruption tend to diminish when countries develop economically." What is that called?

For example:

  She completely avoided discussing the point I made, and used a ___.


texts: The meaning of "reciprocal" and "work both ways"

texts:
Does the phrase "work both ways" mean the same as the adjective "reciprocal"?

For example:

  The reciprocal relationship = the relationship works both ways


texts: An English word, a noun, for a concept/situation/condition a group of men may find themselves in

texts:
I'm in an unsuccessful so far search for an English word, a noun, for a concept/situation/condition a group of men may find themselves in, having to live, say on a deserted island or in a far-off camp, for quite a long time in utter absence of women. I mean anything synonymous to the somewhat odd word "womanlessness".
Maybe (and more preferably) there're some colloquial/slangy words or expressions to denote the insalubrious state/condition a group of men may have to live in for a long time without any interaction with a single woman?
The example sentence may run like this:

"In the... [here goes the noun being searched for] ... of the men-only camp, the
guys were getting crazier and crazier from day to day."

Note: For those who happen to know Russian, the word is "безбабье"; although I doubt that it can be easily, if at all, found in Russian dictionaries even if it is understood by most Russian native speakers.
To keep the answers on the right track, two brief notes are added:
#1 I don't think a total lack of normal sexual activity for a long time is favorable to or promoting health for men, and that's what I meant by insalubrious, not the place they live in or things related to personal hygiene
#2 In the context I have in mind all men are straight, for the Russian word "безбабье" implies "no women among men, as possible and desirable sexual partners" concept.


texts: What does the phrase "flip out" mean here?

texts:
I am wondering if the phrase "flip out" is used in an idiomatic sense in the following sentence (used as a title) from the description of the game Infinity Pinball:

Flip out and go retro
In this game the old-school arcade action goes on forever

Here is a description of the game from Google Play:

Infinity Pinball delivers a revolutionary twist on the pinball genre -
so the fun never ends! Served up in a nostalgic retro-style, these
infinitely long procedurally-generated pinball tables live inside a
virtual Pocket Game. You can continually play your ball up the table
levels for endless fun as you win coins, collect unique balls and
unlock new tables.


texts:
The algorithm has O(N) time-complexity.

It seems I can write the above sentence as:

  The algorithm has the time-complexity of O(N)

In general, in what cases can I use "of" to rephrase an adjective construction?


texts:
I read an article on the opposite of herarchy: Is heterarchy the answer to the crisis of hierarchy?, but the prefix of heterarchy seems suspect to me. I don't find a prefix as heter then I thought that should be hetero but I find from here that the opposite of hetero is not hier but homo.
Then I wonder what is the opposite prefix of hier?


texts: What is the most accepted way to write verb tenses in complex sentences?

texts:
Providing we have a couple of first-person simple sentences and would like to link them all using "and" conjunction word.
In such scenarios how would people decide which verb tense (along with pronoun) should be taken?
For instance, suppose we have got three simple present perfect sentences listed below.

We have investigated this issue.
We have found no problem there.
We will have a closer look later on in subsequent chapters.

And now we'd like to merge them all into one complex, linked sentence.

We have investigated this issue and [We have found / have found / found] no problem there as well as [We will have / will have] a closer look later on in subsequent chapters.

So, my questions would be:

Are we allowed to omit pronoun "We" in second, third, ... clauses?

In second clause, should we use "have found"? How about "found" alone?


texts:
does "present" a verb or an adjective here?

Ira developed automatic writing, and
handed to those present messages written with extraordinary rapidity
and containing information he could not have known. Levitation
quickly followed, and the boy was floated in the air above the heads of
those in the room at a distance of nine feet from the floor


texts:
Why not add ‘the’ before ‘North’ in the sentence:

  So it comes as a surprise to learn that giant fish are terrifying the divers on North Sea oil rigs.

If there is not ‘oil rigs’, I think it is no need to add the ‘the’ before ‘North’ too.


texts:
Possessive Pronouns replace Possessive adjectives and nouns
For eg - That is my(possessive adjective) ball(noun)
That is mine(possessive pronoun) or
That ball is mine(possessive pronoun)
That ball is  my (possessive adjective) ball(noun)

Now my question is : In the sentence , A friend of mine -- What does this mean ?
I mean why doesn't it mean A friend of my friend ?

Possessive pronouns are used to show who owns something so we can say a friend of mine to tell that I own that friend , but isn't it weird that how the possessive adj and noun is are replaced For eg -- A friend of mine(possessive pronoun )  changes to
A friend of my(possessive adj) friend(noun) ?? plz answer my question !!


texts:
I'm having trouble transforming this sentence into reported speech.

  She asked : " What was the last place you went to four days ago with
  this girl ? "

Following the basic rules, I would say it should be :

  She asked what had been. the last place I had been to four days before
  with that girl

Thanks for any advice.


texts: Thank you. Then Thanks, at the end of e-mails?

texts:
At the end of e-mails, does it sound unusual to see "Thank you. Thanks," at the end of e-mail when you would like to reply to e-mails from colleagues who did something for you as below? How would you respond in this situation?

Thank you so much.

Thanks,

John


texts:
In a joke image (second image from top), there's mentioning of preparing for RA inspection.

Googling leads to medical material on rheumatism and disambiguitization produces way too many different results.

What could RA mean in the context of inspecting a room, flat or, possibly, bathroom?


texts: Can I say "I am your age" when speaking to somebody who has my same age?

texts:
In Italian, I would say ho la tua età (litterally, "I have your age") Since in English it is "I am twice your age," I guess it is one of those cases where Italian uses avere ("to have") while English uses to be.

Is "I am your age" correct/acceptable, in English?


texts:
I have one doubt about this phase:

"I assess the quality of software" or "I assess the software quality"

Which one is the correct?

Thanks a lot.


texts: What is the difference between tender and gentle? In my opinion, which comes from scenerios of movies and TV shows and which I am not sure about, tender refers to love such as mother taking care children and lovers while gentle's connotation is being polite as a gentleman to strangers or someone who is not close to us.


texts:
Those kids are terrible and I am no day at the beach either.

There is no definition on the internet, but it sounds like "I am trouble."


texts: Can "welcome" in context supersede the presence/absence of the auxiliary verb?

texts:
This is about whether you can use welcome in a "non standard (mistaken?) way" to mean the most usual meaning usually associated with it? The following casual examples will showcase what I mean:

  — Thank you. — Welcome (to mean you're welcome).
  [ I arrive at some friends' place ] — You're welcome to our home! (to mean Welcome to...)

This sounds off to me. The first example must use a verb i.e. you're welcome if one is expressing gratitude here, otherwise this is about welcoming someone; the second sentence means I'm free to use the house as I please in my book, as it's not using welcome alone or we welcome you.

Considering what was intended in terms of meaning here, are those blatant mistakes or does context make it "right"; is there some kind of informal leeway with the language in that respect? Will a native speaker ever say this to mean that?


texts: Can we write was and were in the form of contraction?

texts: Can we write for example "We were waiting for you" in this way "We're waiting for you"? and if we can how to differentiate between the past and present in these sentences?


texts: How to convert too... to in negative to so...that ?

texts:
In the 2018 ICSE Boards, this question was asked -

Anil is too fast a runner to not come first in the race.
(Convert to so...that)

I wrote a sentence using a double negative.

Anil is so fast a runner that he cannot not come first in the race.

My friends wrote -

Anil is so fast a runner that he will come first in the race.

Which one is grammatically more appropriate and why ?


texts:
Sometimes, I have noticed that people, who are around me say sentences like:

  You tell to John.

instead of something like

  You tell John.

Please tell, is there any meaning difference in these two?


texts: The difference between present perfect continuous and simple

texts:
First sentence:

  Staff have been restricting the number of visitors per day to slow
  down the wear and tear on the tower.

Second sentence:

  Staff have restricted the number of visitors from 900 to 800 per day
  to slow down  the wear and tear on the tower

The first one continuous because ongoing activity or repeating activity, the second one simple because what is important is the number and the restriction is finished.

Have I well understood the difference between the present perfect continuous and the present perfect simple?


texts: What does "used his time out of government" mean?

texts:
Does it mean "Besides his time working for the government, he used his free time to...."?

"Davis, plucked from political wilderness by May to lead Britain's Brexit policy, has run in two previous leadership contests. A long-time eurosceptic, he is seen as an experienced political operator who used his time out of government to campaign against the erosion of civil liberties."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-election-penpix-factbox-idUSKBN1900SW


texts:
Try to google this but doesn't seem it's been created before.
I'm wondering which one I should use between BiometricWorker or BiometricalWorker.
What are the differences between Biometric and Biometrical?


texts:
She'll be here any minute (now).
What does adding "now" add to the meaning of the sentence? When is it appropriate to include it?


texts: "We have little time" vs. "we haven't got much time"

texts:
Is there some difference of meaning about the remaining time in these sentences:

  The airport is a long way from here, we have little time.
  The airport is a long way from here, we haven't got much time.

Which way is more common?


texts: What does the phrase “the greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness” mean?

texts:
A utilitarian defines ‘good’ as ‘whatever brings about the greatest
total happiness’. This is sometimes known as the Greatest Happiness
Principle or the Principle of Utility. For a utilitarian the right
action in any circumstances can be calculated by examining the
probable consequences of the various possible courses of action.
Whichever is most likely to bring about the most happiness (or at
least the greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness) is the right
action in those circumstances

Philosophy: The basics. Nigel Warburton
What does "the greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness" mean?
And I don't understand the use of "over" there. Could your explain it to me?


texts:
The way the boy is sitting in the picture says that he is sitting on his leg. But in some texts I've found that this way is called 'sitting on left foot'. However I feel if we say 'sit on left foot', it'll sound as if one is sitting on his left foot squatting.

'Sitting on hams' may be used too, not sure though. What is indeed the part this pictures shows the boy is sitting on?

i. hams

ii. foot

iii. thigh

iv. leg

v. shin

vi. heels

To me 'leg' seems to be fine.


texts: Is it natural to say to a child "So, you want to do like Tom swinging on his mom's leg, don't you?"?

texts:
Okay, your child has a friend named "Tom". Tom often swings on his mom's leg. That is he embraces his mom shin and the mom moves her leg up and down to make Tom move up an down in rhythm (see the picture).

Children like to copy each other and your child wants to do the same.

It seems that people use the structure "like (preposition) somebody doing something".

For example, That sounds like him coming now.

Is it natural to say to your child "So, you want to do like Tom swinging on his mom's leg, don't you?"?


texts: meaning of "for all my conviction" and "account for"

texts:
I'm reading The Fermented Man by Derek Dillinger. The author talks about how easy it is to ferment vegetables. You just need to cut the veggies and brine them. However, one day he discovered that Japanese people use rice bran to ferment vegetables. Then he says:

  “For all my conviction that fermenting vegetables is one of the
  easiest things in the world, I had not accounted for the various ways
  other cultures have found to ferment something. It’s not always as
  easy as shredding and cubing and plopping into a jar.”

I’m confused about the sentence in bold.
Firstly, it seems “conviction” has two basic definitions:

an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
The judgment of a jury or judge that a person is guilty of a crime as charged.

Secondly, “account for” can have many different meanings:

To keep a record of how money has been spent
To know or find out where something or someone is
To explain or justify something
To form some proportion or amount of a larger whole or group

Thirdly, “for all my” seems very simple and colloquial but also very vague to me.

Can anybody tell me which definitions fit the context? And as a whole, what does this sentence mean?


texts:
American Accent Training (a book that should help who speaks English as second language with the pronunciation of American English) says that L is pronounced differently at the end of a word. Listening to the pronunciation of words with a final L given from the OALD running on my computer, I don't see any difference.

What is exactly the difference between pronouncing the L at the beginning of a word, and at the end of a word?

The book shows the following words, for explaining the pronunciation of the final L.

A  hole  hold    hone  hoed
   call  called  con   cod

B  fill  full    fool  fail
   fell  feel    fuel  furl

Similarly, it shows the following words for explaining the pronunciation of the middle L.

belly   Benny    Betty
caller  Conner   cotter
alley   Annie's  at ease


texts: Does this phase 'books for thinking' make sense to you?

texts: I want to convey the idea of which I am selling books for people to think deeply, therefore, in short, I want to say 'books for thinking', but when I google it, there is no such phase, I am concerned that it doesn't make sense to native speakers. Actually, I found someone said 'book on thinking'.


texts: Till (hell freezes over / a cold day in hell / sun sets in the east / pigs fly)

texts:
I was wondering whether any of the following sentences do not make a good sense to you or that phrasing or idiom sounds a little bizarre to you.
Actually, whereas all of the following idioms indicate a moment in time that will never come, they all mean the same to me:

When hell freezes over
When sun sets in the east (I did not find any source for that, but I have heard it in the past)
A cold day in hell
When pigs fly

more or less mean the same thing.
Example 1)
A) Let me go! I won't come along with you. I don't like the company of such people.
B) But believe me; they love you; I don't know why you're spiting me, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. You just try once.
A) I won't come. I'll stay right here!
B) Ok; suit yourself! ........................... (said sarcastically)
1.a. Stay there till hell freezes over.
1.b. Say there till the sun sets in the east.
1.c. Say there till a cold day in hell.
1.d. Say there till pigs fly.
To me, they all work here properly and without any significant nuance.
Example 2:
I love you from the bottom of my heart Samantha and I give you my word that.................
2.a. I’ll be with you till hell freezes over.
2.b. I’ll be with you till sun sets in the east.
2.c. I’ll be with you till a cold day in hell.
2.d. I’ll be with you till pigs fly.
The same goes here and I think they mean the same thing here as well.
The only things that I'm hung up on are the possibility of 1.b and 2.b as being something translated from another language as well as some fixed phrasings that would cause some cases sound more idiomatic in each scenario.
Please kindly enlighten me.


texts: if you were an animal or if you are an animal

texts: I thought it was correct to say "If you were an animal...", then one day when I watched a talk show, I heard the host was saying " If you are an animal". I am confused which one should be the right expression.


texts: Why "original painting" and not "genuine painting"?

texts: "This is a copy; the original painting is in the Louvre museum". Why can't we use the word "genuine" (not a copy or a fake), instead of "original?"


texts: Past simple or past progressive for a duration

texts:
is it possible to write

I heard some strange noises for the past two days after waking up  and it scared me. I am glad I have not heard them today

I was hearing some strange noises for the past two days after waking up and it was scaring me. I am glad I have not heard them today

I want to express that the strange noises lasted only 2 days and today is  back to normality


texts: Proper term for hiring fewer people than required

texts:
What is the word (if there even is one) to describe an employer hiring/employing fewer people than he/she should?

For example, a cafe wanted to save money and chose to only hire one waiter even though it needed at least three during busy times. The term that came to my mind was 'underhire' or 'underemployed', but after consulting dictionary neither of them works.

So is there an adjective/verb can I can use to describe this kind of situation?

Many thanks


texts:
How should I write the plural of a mathematical variable? E.g., in these sentences:

The values of f(ui|uj) are independent for different [uj/ujs/uj's].
The values of f(ui|uj) are independent for different [j/js/j's].


texts:
I read the following sentence from this source:

  UI is the saddle, the stirrups, and the reigns. UX is the feeling you get being able to ride the horse, and rope your cattle.

I got stuck in the meaning of a word 'reigns'.

As per OALD, 'reign' means a period of somebody as an in charge or a ruler.

So, how it fits here in this sentence? What is 'reigns' in this context?

Thank You.


texts:
This function, at least, philosophy can perform. Most philosophers,
  rightly or wrongly, believe that philosophy can do much more than
  this—that it can give us knowledge, not otherwise attainable,
  concerning the universe as a whole, and concerning the nature of
  ultimate reality. Whether this be the case or not, the more modest
  function we have spoken of can certainly be performed by philosophy,
  and certainly suffices, for those who have once begun to doubt the
  adequacy of common sense, to justify the arduous and difficult labours
  that philosophical problems involve.

Problems of philosophy, Bertrand Russell, Chapter II

What does the difference between "can certainly" and "certainly can"?


texts:
Example (news article headline): Japanese play at combat, wary of war

I don't understand what at combat means.


texts:
Example with a context:

  (The story was refiled to paragraph 12, to say "another person's vehicle" from "the man's vehicle" to make clear the person carjacked was not the student who was shot)

Refile literally means to file again (meaning, to take a bunch of documents and put them in an index card file cabinet or something similar to that) as in let's refile these files because they have been updated, but I'm not really sure what they mean by refiled to paragraph 12 in the sentence above. Any ideas?


texts: Is there a term for one-and-a-half week?

texts:
I'm wondering if there is a shortcut term for "one-and-a-half weeks", perhaps a word like "sesquiennial" (one-and-a-half years).

Is there such a word? Sesqui-weekly? It sounds funny and wrong. Are there sesqui- terms for other date ranges?


texts: Connective preposition or subordinate conjunction?

texts:
I know that a Subordinating Conjunction or a subordinator serves as a marker for the Subordinate Clause :

  Other children are annoyed because John raises his hand constantly.

Here 'because John raises his hand constantly' is a Subordinate Clause, and 'because' is a Subordinating Conjunction.

But an online grammar website says : here 'because' is a connective preposition.

Could you please clarify what connective preposition is and whether because is a Subordinating Conjunction or a connective preposition?


texts: What does "taking a step back in time" mean in this text?

texts:
I had grown up in Boston in a fairly modern Indian family—including my father, Deepak Chopra. Our life had involved its fair share of Indian tradition, but I had also been given a lot of independence. When I got to New Delhi, there were some noticeable changes, and some were easier to embrace than others. Respect for my elders was part of my upbringing, so I accepted the constant oversight and loving concern of my grandparents even if it felt unnecessary. My grandmother waited for me to come home every night, making it difficult for me to stay out after 10 P.M. I also didn't dare to wear a skirt above my knees, and I was careful about who I invited home—particularly boys. Being a grown adult, I certainly felt like it was taking a step back in time .

What does the speaker mean by saying that? Is that idiom?


texts: It is correct to write four thirty for (4:30am/pm)? I do know that sometimes we will tell the time in that way but is it correct when it comes to writing? Or would it only be correct when we write "half past four"?


texts:
Is there a verb for "applying/putting gel"? Applying or putting doesn't sound like the verb you would use for someone who did his hair with gel before going to school? What's the proper way to say this? I am not necessarily looking for a synonym of applied or put, because I have no idea what people say when commenting about someone's hair.

For example:

  What gel did you ___ on your hair?


texts:
Have you read any of Mark Twain books?
  Yes, I have. My dad (gave / has given) them to me for my last birthday.

The confusion is that last birthday is an exact date in the past. On the other hand, the books are still with me now, so is it a present perfect sentence or a past sentence? (or could be both depending on focus?)

What if the verb was (to read) in the second sentence, would it be:

  Yes, I have. I have read them after my last birthday.

or

  Yes, I have. I read them during my last birthday.

I have not perfected the present perfect! so in each of the last two cases could you reason why please?


texts: Why two tenses are used in this situation?

texts:
Quote:-

  By the age of two or three, the infant has reached toddler stage.  In terms of cognitive development, this means, he has learned to play make-believe games and uses his imagination more.

In the bolded sentence, the author has used two tenses the present perfect and the present.  Could you explain this please? What does each tense mean?


texts: What does it mean by [Limited run with only 5000 made]?

texts:
Full Sentences

  Also as a bonus, this beautiful postcard of the artwork will be
  included!! This box set will be a limited run with only 5000 made.

Does it mean that the box set will only sell for 5000 unit?

or it mean that, the first 5000 buyer will get the postcard?

Thank you.


texts: What does "it's more of a challenge to think of a place I haven't" mean?

texts:
I asked one of my friends a question:

  What is the most weirdest place you ever got drunk?

He replies at this point

  It's more of a challenge to think of a place I haven't.

What does that mean?
English is not my native language so really donno what it's really all about.

Any help will be appreciated. :)


texts:
A guy is bragging about a great parking spot he has gotten in front of the building. And he says:

  I am just willing these great parking spots.

What does it mean?


texts: What is the difference in meaning between these sentences?

texts:
They had cooperated closely in the planning of the project.
  They cooperated closely in the planning of the project.

As I know, we usually use had when we want to specify that one event happened before the other. According to the first sentence what a change that had made to it?


texts: Is it "Adapted to" or "Adapted for" ? Knowing that its phrasal verb is "adapt to"?

texts:
I can not determine whether the right prepositional adj. is:

  "Adapted to" or "Adapted for".

I have confused with these two prepositions but I'm sure that the phrasal verb is always followed by "to", so, what about the adjective ?


texts:
I know the meaning of buying. Today I was reading the newspaper and I read this sentence

But his fund is still buying gingerly because while the market may be cheaper, he said, it still isn’t cheap.

What is the meaning of the word buying in this context. How can a non living thing possibly buy something?

The link to that news article is

Newyork times Link


texts: So my husband corrects me every time I ask our 5 year old "Did you eat your food all gone?". He says I sound immature and its not proper English. So I would like advice from other mothers of young kids about how they ask if they finished their food.


texts: Which of these intensifiers is the larger in its intensity?

texts:
He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families
  are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making
  friends with the wrong sort. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
  Stone)

  "Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt,
  because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Between the two – much, a lot – which is the bigger in its intensity?


texts: They write in their school diary (or) diaries?

texts:
Currently, I am using a children's English coursebook called Gold Experience A2, by Pearson, it's for a private student of mine. It's supposed to help young learners prepare for the KEY exam, and it covers the basics. In chapter 02  there is a short report entitled Tech-free Teens—is it possible? and the following lines

Here is the image of the text

  [...]
  The students at Southshore High School are taking part in an experiment. Can they live without technology for a week? This means no Facebook, no Twitter, no emails, no texts, no television and no mobile phones. Each morning they write about their thoughts and feelings in their school diary.

  So, what do the students think?

If I read that sentence   aloud, it sounds perfectly normal and OK, but in print I'm less certain. Shouldn't the last noun be plural, i.e. school diaries?
I'm trying to figure out why the author used the singular noun form instead of the plural, and here are my initial thoughts:

Is  school diary uncountable?— No.
Is the subject plural — Yes, it is. The subject is "the students"
Do all the students share and write in the same diary?— No.
Is the singular prefered because of euphony?— I don't think so.
Do we say: (1.) The tourists brought their passport, or (2.) The tourists brought their passports? — Only the second one is correct.
Did the author misuse the singular they? — I think they did.

Q1.: Is this construction becoming standard in the UK and the US? — Because I have no idea.
Q2.: Why is  school diary singular here?


texts: The meaning of the phrase "set-up" in context

texts:
I have looked up all the meaning of the phrase in various dictionaries, but still cannot get what it means in the second sentence . Here it goes:

  Religion is a social institution that involves a unified system of beliefs and practices and recognizes the sacred. But this is not a set-up between good and evil.


texts:
I think for those of us who have jobs and have been working for some time have this habit of telling ourselves that we deserve to take the money that we earn and spend it on things that we like.

What's the subject of bolded 'have'? The structure feels weird to me. All I've been heard was some things like "I think for those of us who + Verb, Subject + Verb" such as follows.

  I think for those of us who live here in New England, it's uplifting to see what a New England story this is.


texts: Can "a" be removed in the follow case (noun + adjective + adjective)?

texts:
Grammaly told me that the "a" in the following sentence is unnecessary and it suggested I remove it:

  The surface of the guitar was (a) gleaming white.

Is Grammaly correct? Why or why not?

Note: I searched for "surface was white" and "surface was a gleaming white." I got results in both cases.

Update based on my comment below:

To me, "was gleaming white" sounds like the object is casting a white gleam. "Was a gleaming white" sounds like the object is white, the gleaming type. Am I wrong?


texts: Is 'dream' a transitive verb or intransitive verb?

texts:
I dream of winning a gold medal in next Olympics.

Is the verb – dream – in this sentence transitive or intransitive? If it happens to be transitive, how can we passivize the sentence? I have come across some grammar books that said a verb when being used transitively can always be converted into passive form.


texts: Which is the appropriate word here : 'wish' or 'want'?

texts:
I read the two sentences below and I am confused as to which one is more appropriate.

I wish you to be mine.

I want you to be mine.

The word wish refers to desire and the word want refers to need. Now I do not understand if both are proper or not. Any suggestions?


texts: "jockeying begins to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in 2022,"

texts:
Currently reading this article, there is a line,

As the jockeying begins to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in 2022, Democrats' disadvantage against Republicans is deeper than ever, as they try to develop a cohesive strategy and rebuild a statewide party deep in debt and disarray.

Does that bold part mean the (democrats') election effort(race) has already begun to oust Gov. Ron DeSantis and the senator Marco Rubio in 2022?
Since the definition of the word "jockey" from dictionaries is a bit vague, kindly teach me.
Thank you in advance(m_m).


texts: Difference between "will" and "would" for predictions

texts:
What is the difference between will and would in the following sentence? In the following news link, why is would used instead of will?

Here is the link and the headline:

  Why the US would never win a trade war with China
  CNN Business

But in the article, will is also used

  We are now moving backward. In its efforts to achieve what it believes to be fair trade, the United States has started trade disputes with several different economies. Its conflict with China is by far the most intense, resulting in a series of additional tariffs. Some people believe that because America is the net buyer and China is the net seller in their trade relationship, China will lose the trade war and ultimately surrender. I believe that's wrong.

Can anyone who is a teacher or has good knowledge of the language please explain this?


texts: How to write that you will drop a function's argument from the notation?

texts:
I am trying to express the following idea: I have L(t) and F(t) to denote that L and F are functions of t. Now, for the rest of the text, I want to use a shorter notation, that is L and F instead of L(t) and F(t).
My attempt:

  For notational convenience we will drop the notation for dependence on t and L ...

Could you please help me in adding, in this same sentence, the fact that "we also drop the notation for dependence between t and F ?

P.S.:Please don't hesitate to edit the title to give a better description to my question.


texts: Subquestion or sub-question? (British English)

texts:
I'm a non native English speaker writing a dissertation in British English. I'm trying to understand whether I should write the word "subquestion" with or without hyphen.

This English stackexchange post seems to suggest writing it without a hyphen if I understand correctly? However I also took a look at Google ngrams and it suggest the hyphened version is way more common post 2000.

Which would be the best way to spell the word?


texts:
All government officials above the rank of undersecretary have been issued circulars by their respective ministries to ask them to attend yoga classes in the run up to the event.

I think to ask and asking both can be used.


texts: How do I tell somebody not to tell me lies?

texts:
How should I say to somebody not to tell me lies?

Don't lie to me.
Don't lie with me.
Don't lie on me.
Don't lie me.
Don't lie.

I am sure that, because of the various meanings lie has, some of those sentences have a meaning different from the one I want, causing some hilarious effect, if I use the wrong preposition.

"Don't lie" seems too generic. What I want to communicate is something on the lines of "You can tell lies to whomever you want, but don't do that with me."


texts: "Post lunch" or "after lunch" which is correct?

texts:
I use to use "post lunch" to inform a person about fixing up the meeting time if it is in the afternoon office time. apart from that I have never used it in any of other conversation.

recently, In British council website I read the following sentence " You will also have a chance to interact with our expert teacher who will help you identify your English learning requirements, post this you can enrol for a course that suits your requirement."

In the above sentence post is used. If the same information, if I would have written, I would have used "After". since the above sentence is from British council, definitely they are right.

My question now is, Can I interchangeably use after and post? or is Post and after has got a different meaning and should be used appropriately? if so, How can I trigger myself choosing the right word?


texts:
I am really confused about the complex, compound and simple sentences.
I am looking for the answer. I read about them on different pages, means I used Google to  understand them but all in vain.

A boy who talks disturbs others.
Whether the sentence is compound, complex or simple?
One of my teachers told me that it's a compound sentence,  he said,  "who talks" is relative clause and "a boy disturbs" is main clause.
Thanks in advance.


texts:
One learner from a forum was asking me about starting this sentence "You were the only one I loved" with the "I" in the front.

He made this sentence:

I loved only you one

I told him that was incorrect because "one" was wrong there, but couldn't explain why. Instead I gave him two options which I think both mean the same:

I loved only you alone.
I loved you and only you.

He asked why "alone" is correct while "one" isn't and once again I couldn't explain this.

Please, explain why his sentence is wrong and tell me if there's a difference between my options.


texts:
I have noticed that some engineers put on their profiles the following:

Working on "project-name" product.

Is this sentence in present continuous or not?

Shouldn't it be like this:

Work on "project-name" project.


texts:
Between the three sentences is there any difference?

You should think as I do to be me.
You should think like I do to be me.
You should think like me to be me.

Are the first and second formal or are they all informal?


texts:
I want to expresss below 2 concepts in simple terms, especially the bold parts:

A and all the things A depends on.
A and all the things that depend on A.

Is there any special term or single word can be used? I guess there may be something similar to the pattern of employer and employee. Thanks.

ADD 1

The scenario is like this:

A is a computer program module.
A depends on one group of modules to run.
And another group of modules depend on A to run.


texts: Should I add an "and" in this sentence? "They start to work with more translators (and) in more languages."

texts:
I am thinking one sentence like this:

  They start to work with more translators (and) in more languages.

This means, they used to work with only one or two translator(s) in one or two languages before, but now they expanded their business to more markets.

Should I put that and here?


texts: Do the two questions below mean the same?

texts:
I think you may not have eaten anything for breakfast.
I think you would have eaten something for breakfast.

Does the second sentence mean :

I think you would have eaten something - actually you did not eat something,

Am I correct?


texts:
I found this:

  intonation (n) - the rise and fall of the voice in speaking, especially as this affects the meaning of what is being said.

And,

  accent (n) - a way of pronouncing the words of a language that shows which country, area or social class a person comes from.

Now, when an American has a way of pronouncing something, they do have rise and fall of the voice in speaking, don't they?

Having said this, if in AmE it is...

  "I gat (got) to do it beybe (babe)" -pardon my making of onomatopoeia here. I'm not a native speaker.

And in InE it is...

  I goat (got) to do it bebe (babe) - this is very close to how we utter it! Trust me!

Does AmE here differ in accent or intonation? If both, what's the nuance to understand for a person like me? If I don't understand something from an American movie or soap, is it an accent or intonation?

I guess accent in such case refers to one word whereas intonation is the entire sentence/conversation. Am I right? If I am, other way round --intonation can be applied to a word and accent could be of the whole sentence. If I say intonation, does it include accent or it's other way round? If I talk about accent, it includes intonation?


texts:
1.The authorities forbade entering the park because of a bush fire.

2.In many countries, they don't allow smoking in public places.

3.The plumber recommended buying a new water heater.

4.The help desk advised checking the "Advanced Settings" option.

I know it is odd to use infinitive as an object of such verbs, but I have never been taught the reason about it.
However, I think the reason is from that it could be read in a different way.
For example, if the 4 sentence is rewritten as The help desk advised to check the "Advanced Settings" option, we would think that to check is not the object of advise, and advise is used as an intransitive verb which is only modifying The help desk, so that I think it must be avoided to use infinitive with such verbs.

Might my thinking be correct?


texts:
I was reading this paragraph and it very hard for me to understand the words marked in bold. Please help me out.

As far as the economy is concerned, 2016 could be characterised as a year with two halves. It started with things looking up for India. The global situation, on balance, was benign. The foreign policy energy displayed by the Narendra Modi government was beginning to bear fruit and India was the bright spot in a world searching for growth. To its credit, the government was looking ahead and trying to reconfigure India’s economic architecture through new institutional mechanisms, such as the one to tackle monetary policy. However, over the second half things unravelled both at home and abroad.

I have following questions:

What is global situation and how is it balanced?
What is the credit, the writer is talking about ?
What is economic architecture?

I read the passage from link:
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-editorials/a-volatile-year-2016-ends-with-the-economy-facing-headwinds-reform-is-the-only-antidote/


texts:
Is this sentence correct? "A lot of sugar have been added to the milk."
Please explain it.


texts: You can't spell 'Slaughter' without 'Laughter'

texts:
...and yet they are pronounced very differently.
/ˈslɔtər/ vs /ˈlɑːftə(r)/
For those who don't read 'pronunciation':
Slaw-ter vs Laff-ter
Similarly: Homographs (words spelled identically but pronounced differently) run into the same issue for an English language learner.
Examples:

After weeks in the desert the troops began to desert their fellows.
You can lead someone into a dark alley and then club them with a lead pipe.
She wound the bandage around his head wound (after he was hit with a lead pipe for deserting his fellows).

What is the best way to explain to a learner of English why the pronunciation differences exist and how to avoid the trap presented by homographs and other near-homographs (like s/laughter)?


texts: What is the meaning of alternating in this context?

texts:
“Psoriasis is a persistent, long-lasting (chronic) disease. You may have periods when your psoriasis symptoms improve or go into remission alternating with times your psoriasis worsens.”

does it means, after remission worsening time comes and again remission again worsening. Am I right?

The definition of alternate according to the dictionary is to switch back and forth between two things or activities.

But I don’t know the meaning of switch back and forth

So, actually I am asking two questions marked above in bold. by the way, I am not a native speaker of English


texts: What does the "see" mean in expression like "The deal will see..."?

texts:
This are some specific examples:

  The deal will see first-quarter exports cut by 270,000 tonnes.
  South Korean farmers are worried that the deal will see US produce pour into the country, threatening their livelihoods.


texts: Difference between "could do" and "could have done"

texts:
I tried to find the difference between following two sentences:

  I could do it.

  I could have done it.

I am still confused between these two sentences. Please let me know what is the difference between them in context.


texts: Using verb 'quantify' to express numeric result

texts:
How would it be correct to use the verb 'quantify' followed by the result of something being quantified?

For example:

  My passion for learning can be quantified to/in five years of
  education


texts: Basic Passive Voice. I just can't understand

texts:
I'm preparing for exam. And there's an interesting question for which I don't know the correct answer.

Then the bottles ... into boxes of twenty four.

A) are packed

B) packed

C) will packed

D) are been packed

C is not correct. It should be sth like 'will be packed'. B is not correct because of lack of verb to be. There're 2 options left. Both in Present tense. And I don't know which one should I choose.
Thanks for any advice!


texts: Does "should not confine [something to something] alone" mean "should look around more"?

texts:
A Cambridge english Vocabulary says

  The list does not provide an exhaustive list of all words which appear on the Preliminary and Preliminary for Schools question papers and candidates should not confine their study of vocabulary to the list alone.

Does "should not confine their study of vocabulary to the list alone" mean candidates "should look around/look for more vocabulary lists"?


texts: Difference between "It's" and "Are" to start a sentence

texts:
What's the difference between "It's guys like you" and "Are guys like you"?

It seems to be a very silly question but I don't understand it. I hope someone helps me understand.


texts: Why do people say excuse me when others say something offensive?

texts: I thought excuse me was only suppose to used to excuse yourself or after you sneeze. Also, is excuse me a phrase or a idiom?


texts:
What do you call a movie that shows how a person became who he is known for? Let's take for example, Batman and Superman. Both of them became who they are through a series of meaningful events that made them become who they are today? What do you call a movie that shows those events so that people can understand who they were and why they became the people they are known for?

Here's an example sentence:

  Elvis, the movie, is a ___ that shows how Elvis became the singer he
  is known for.


texts: Can "where" be used to connect two phrases that one is part of the other?

texts:
According to the Collins Dictionary, "where" can be used as a conjunction:

  conjunction

  You use where after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause in which you mention a situation, a stage in something, or an aspect of something.

I think I can see where my case fits in the definition, but not sure as it doesn't explicit it. I may also find "where" fits in my sentence below because it just sounds natural.

My sentence:

  With tons of clothes where some do matter.

It is not a complete sentence

The same sentence but is rewritten for explanation purposes:

  With tons of clothes, and some of them (do) matter.

My question is: if "where" appeared to be correct, then it would be connecting a thing that is part of another more general thing. Is this true?

P.S.

The sentence that precedes:

  With tons of clothes where some do matter.

Is

  You are a girl.


texts: Is the use of 'diagonal' correct in this context?

texts:
Consider this expression

  This gift is from the guy who sits diagonal to me.

Is using diagonal correct here or should I use something else?


texts: What is the difference between "a lot of clothes" and "fully clothed"?

texts:
I was reading a book earlier today and it said this sentence which I understand:

  Mary walked down the street fully clothed in beautiful silk and bought a hot dog from the corner stand.

This means that Mary was wearing silk when she bought a hot dog.

Then I was reading a news article online and it said something like this:

  A man walked down the street without a lot of clothes and was then luckily taken into custody before he could run into traffic.

I don't understand what this means. Does it mean that the man didn't have a lot of clothes with him like in a box or something or is it a way to say homeless person?


texts: Phrase describing a person's visit to receive food from a food distribution service

texts:
In an institute that has food distribution service and medical service:

When a person goes to a clinic, we save his details in what we call a "Person's Visit".

But the person also comes once a month to the institute to get food. What is the equivalent term to Visit that can be used for the person's going to get the food ?

I thought of "Person Food give-away", "Person Food Visit", "Person Food Record", but this is not exactly what i'm looking for, is there a more accurate or more convenient term ?


texts:
He studies more seriously than her.

If I change this sentence,

1. He does not study as slightly as her.

2. He does not study as lazily as her.

  Which one is suitable for the antonym of "seriously" in this sentence, slightly or lazily ?


texts:
"I've been doing a lot of training in the past but it never was painful like it's now."

When I choose to use different sentence:
It never hurt like it (does/is) now" then which auxiliary verb do I have to use? (does or is)

If the answer is does ("it never hurt like it does now") then how could it be that "does" and "now" combine together grammatically? (I know about exceptional verbs such "see" / "feel" etc.)  Here when we are talking about "now", we are actually talking about present progressive (is/ are - auxiliary verbs) rather than present simple (do/does auxiliary verbs).


texts: Does “next to” mean “to the right” or “to the left”?

texts:
According to Oxford Learner's Dictionary,

  next to

  in or into a position right beside somebody/something
  following in order or importance after somebody/something

If:

  A is next to B

it should mean that A is immediately beside B (as per the cited definition).

Question

But the question is:

  Is A to the immediate right of B? Or to the immediate left?

Definition #2 seems to suggest that A comes after B — that is, to the right (assuming things are ordered from left to right, as is generally).

However, if A and B are next to each other, A is to the right of B, and B is to the left of A. Either ways are possible then.

Which one is a correct interpretation of 'next to'?

Context

I'm trying to the solve the "Einstein's Riddle" and two of the givens are:

  The Norwegian lives in the first house.
  The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.

In this case, knowing the correct position is most important. If the Norwegian(N)'s house is the first in a row of five houses, it can't possibly come after the blue(B) house. I'm arranging the houses horizontally from left to right. So, will house N be leftmost? If so, will house B be to its right? What should I assume?


texts: When can I remove the word "that" in a sentence?

texts:
I have this bad writing habit, I use the word 'that' so many times. I know it is grammatically valid, but using 'that' too often is not good. But I don't know in which sentences I can remove the word 'that'.
I'm more concerned with spoken english, not written English. So in spoken, I think it doesn't have to be perfectly correct and sometimes 'that' can be removed without altering the meaning of the sentence. Can you tell me when 'that' can be removed? I'm looking for people to point out a few sentences where 'that' can be removed and a explanation of why the removing is necessary.
I believe 'that' can be removed in all these sentences without changing the meaning.
Another question I have, whether these 'that' are must based where it is used? I mean if I use these sentences in a official letter without "that", is that acceptable? If use these sentences in a story without "that", is that acceptable?

It's the same girl that we saw in the family photo

Alex understands that he's protected by his family.

I came to know that you got stuck in the traffic.

Many people started saying that they saw ghost.

Okay, the reason I'm helping you is that I need help from you.


texts: What does "who doesn’t now and then?" mean?

texts:
Whenever we get so upset that we say or do something we later regret
  (and who doesn’t now and then?), that’s a sure sign that our
  amygdala—the brain’s radar for danger and the trigger for the fi
  ght-or-fl ight response—has hijacked the brain’s executive centers in
  the prefrontal cortex.

I searched the online dictionaries and cann't find any explanation for the phrase above.

So, Could you please tell me what it means?

The full text is here:

http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/Mukteshwar-1855784-emotional-intelligence-resilience/


texts: Is "may possibly" grammatically correct?

texts:
I would like to know if it is grammatically correct to use may possibly to express possibility, such as in the following sentence:

  Middle income countries may possibly experience a significant increase
  in health expenditure in the next five years.


texts:
I was thinking, if you were interested, you could come over to dinner Saturday.

I thought, if you were interested, you could come over to dinner Saturday.

Does using "I was thinking" sound as a more spontaneous invite/idea than using "I thought"?


texts: Is the sentence including "too far off" ambiguous without contexts?

texts:
The sentence is "I shall be great deal too far off to trouble myself about you ".

The sentence has the context by which I can guess the meaning, but for studying English, I try to make a analysis.

The "off" is big trouble to me, I try to sort the syntax like "I shall be great deal about you, the deal is to trouble me, which is to be off, because of too far or too far away from me.

Is that right? Or is one of the possible meanings?

Is there standard explanation?

I edit the question above

The context is - Curiouser and curiouser!" cried Alice (she was so
much surprised that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English). "Now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-by, feet! Oh, my poor little feet, I wonder who will put on your shoes and stockings for you now, dears? I shall be a great deal too far off to trouble myself about you.

I read again, the last sentence is whether like - I shall be about you, feet, the feet, when she had been her feet, there is a great deal, that's that she cut off or cut off in mind her feet, because she got trouble with the ability of run of feet?

Is that right?


texts: "Only then is it put through a rigorous review by the FDA" - should it be "it is put" instead?

texts:
Alexander: It’s true. First, it has to be tested on animals or in a lab, and then it has to go through clinical trials. Only then is it put through a rigorous review by the FDA, which alone can take years.
Florence: You’re right. I had no idea.
Alexander: In the meantime, I’m suffering needlessly.

Source: https://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=16227178
Is this a typo? **only then is it put ......
I listened to the conversation on this page and it was read like the text.
Which one is correct? "Only then is it put through..." VS " Only then it is put through ...."  and what the diffrence is?


texts: "I want $20 worth of this." Or "I want $20 of this

texts:
If someone has to buy something "worth a particular amount", which will be the more natural way to express this?

  I want $20 worth of X.
  I want $20 of X.

Which version is more common in AmE, the one with "worth" or the one without "worth"?


texts: Out of student loans and "tree house homes", we all would take the latter

texts:
THIS IS LYRIC OF 'STRESSED OUT' BY TEWENTY ONE PILOTS.

  Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young How
  come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from? I'd make a
  candle out of it, if I ever found it Try to sell it, never sell out of
  it, I'd probably only sell one It'd be to my brother, 'cause we have
  the same nose Same clothes, home grown, a stone's throw from a creek
  we used to roam But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered
  > Out of student loans and tree house homes, we all would take the
  latter

In this context what is the meaning of tree house homes?
it means bad residental place like attic?


texts:
"As a beginner, I am happy that I learned a new thing."

You will recognize this as your DoReMi-s.(https://youtu.be/n2z02J4fJwg at 4:52)

What is the meaning of the "AS" there and when do we use that?
In depth answers would be appreciated.

Similarly:

  Do I have your word as a lawman not to shoot me down like a dog in the street?

Can you explain this sentence?

Can I understand it as a lawman wouldn't shoot down people on the street or wouldn't have his word or what?


texts:
Her features were those of a woman about fifty, who had once been
  handsome. Sorrow and weeping had left traces upon them which not
  time itself would ever have produced without their aid; her face
  was deadly pale; and there was a nervous contortion of the lip, and an
  unnatural fire in her eye, which showed too plainly that her bodily
  and mental powers had nearly sunk, beneath an accumulation of misery.

I think "them" indicate her features.
What does "their" indicate?

source THE BLACK VEIL


texts: Single quotes/italics — what quotation should I use to express thought?

texts:
'Everything's going to be all right.', I kept telling myself.

  "Everything's going to be all right.", I kept telling myself.

Here, I didn't say "everything's going to be all right" out loud.
What punctuation would be most appropriate here?
Can we use anything other than italics to convey we said something to ourselves (not out loud) in the past?