texts: What is a general term that covers arrears and refunds?

texts:
I maintain financial records for a certain informal organization, where each member contributes certain amount of money every month.

Money not paid until the end of the month is treated as "arrears" in the next month. However, for various reasons, sometimes some members end up paying more than the amount due for that month. This amount is to be refunded next month.

I list the refund amount under "Arrears" with a negative sign in the account statement, but it does look odd to read a member has an "arrears", albeit a negative number, when he has paid more than necessary.

Is there a single term that covers both arrears and refund?

Edit
I already know "balance", that is not what I am looking for.
To elaborate, consider:

| Name    | Previous Due | Previous Paid | "Arrears" | Current Due | Current Paid | Balance |
| Alice   |   1000       |    500        |   500     |    1200     |    0         |  1700   |
| Bob     |    800       |   1000        |  -200     |    1000     |    0         |   800   |

As you can see here, I am looking for a term to "generalize" the Arrears column title, and balance doesn't quite fit the bill.


texts:
Again I can not understand 'take on'. Is it a phrasal verb or a verb and preposition and what does it mean here?

  Politics here takes on an ethical necessity and ambition.


texts: “The books stacked”or “The books stacking”

texts:
I'm totally confused.

  The books stacking on the two top shelves are physics books.
  The books stacked on the two top shelves are physics books

Any ideas? And why?


texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences

At 6 o'clock I will have left. = The action of leaving will be complete by 6:00.
By 6 o'clock I will have left. = The action of leaving will be complete by 6:00.

Now to me they both mean the same, but, there is a difference of preposition, so there must be some difference between them, like there is when we use

a) At 6 o'clock I will leave. = The action of leaving will begin at 6:00.

b) By 6 o'clock I will leave. = The action of leaving will be before 6:00.

Please help me with this.

Thanks.


texts: When to use in writing the characters "=" and ":"?

texts:
In written English, I always have used them interchangeably, but I guess there must be a difference in use for both.
What are the differences between those 2 characters? When to use one or another?


texts:
Had Nick been here on time, we would not have missed the train. [Introduction]
  Had Nick been here on time, we would not miss the train.

Is the second sentence grammatically wrong, or are the two sentences different just in their nuance?


texts: Should I say, "she puts the telephone down." or "she puts the receiver/handset down"?

texts:
She tries to dial again, but still no answer. She puts the phone/receiver/handset down and leaves the room.

1) If using a landline phone, should I say "puts the phone down" or "puts the receiver/handset down"?

2) In American English what is more natural to use - receiver, handset, or something else maybe?

3) If she only puts down the receiver/handset and not the whole phone, where would you place "down"? After "puts" or after "phone/receiver/handset"?


texts: What is the meaning of the expression "my likeness" in the phrase below?

texts:
"I sued American Apparel because they calculatingly took my name, my likeness and image and used them publicly to promote their business."

I tried every translation for "likeness" in Portuguese I could find and none of them seems to make any sense.


texts: Is the sentence "I got enthusiastic" grammatically correct and commonly used?

texts:
Can we use got in this case? Is it right and usual?

  after that meeting I got enthusiastic about traveling


texts: Why do we use "of " in these type of constructions?

texts:
It's not very uncommon to find the sentences like:

  It looks like your teacher might have made a little of a mistake.

  It was the last I ever saw of him.

  Let go of an opportunity.

  I've kicked enough of these guys' butts.

  It was an end befitting of a Shinobi.

  He robbed me of my childhood.

I believe that these sentences still make sense if we don't place of in them. What is the use of of in these?

Edit: Source of 1st in the best answer

For the last one:


texts: Can I use "therefore" at the middle of the sentence

texts:
Can I use therefore at the middle of my sentence?

For example:

Method A requires difficult computation. In addition, method B can only be applied to a bivariate case. Method C, therefore, and unlike method A and B, is the most appropriate method.

Is that correct in English?


texts: '''hours were ''or ''hours was '' ''Singular'' or '' plural''

texts:
Which sentence is more correct ?

  Hours were shown by pendulum clocks.
  Hours was shown by pendulum clocks.


texts:
I've gone through Cambridge Dictionary grammar tutorial on "the"

From VOA

  We sat under the stars and listened to the night sounds.

In a complete situation, should those night sounds be mentioned first, and then use "the"? For example,

  Christopher and I were best friends, both of us love night sounds. Most of the time in our childhood, we met at the top of the hill near my house. We sat under the stars and listened to the night sounds.


texts: Will means "it will happen" and Would means "it wouldn't happen"?

texts:
Compare will and would:

I'll stay a little longer. I've got plenty of time.

I'd stay a little longer, but I really have to go now. (so I can't
stay longer)

I'll call Lisa. I have her number.

I'd call Lisa, but I don't have her number. (so I can't call her)

(Taken from English grammar book)
From what I've understood after reading the examples above, can I conclude that will is used to express desire in the future spontaneously (my book told me to use "be going to" when the event is planned), but wouldn't is used to say something that failed to happen (wouldn't happen)? Is that correct?
By the way, these are some references that I've read, but got no explicit information about what I'm asking.
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/3657/when-should-i-use-would-would-have-will-and-will-have
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/155239/difference-between-would-and-will
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/67931/correct-use-of-will-would
Most explanations said would is just the past form of will or in another case, would is softer than will when it's used to ask someone to do a favor or to offer something to someone. (Would you like..., would you please..., etc).
In my case, there's no unambiguous clause using the past verbs, so why do we use "would"?
To make sure that I have understood, here  I made some sentences and let me know whether they're correct or not. Thanks.

I'll buy some books tonight.

I'd buy some books, but I don't have money. (I won't be able to buy some books)

I'll paint the wall because there's a stain on it.

I'd paint the wall, but I don't have paint. (I won't be able to paint the wall)


texts: Formal word/phrase for the informal question tag "right?"

texts:
I always use "right?" in most of my questions & conversations. However,  "Oxford Guide to English Grammar" says "right?" is used in informal English. So I want to know what the correct formal usage is.

  I'll be outside the post office, right?

Informal Usage "right?" is used in the above example.

And I found that "correct" is the formal word for "right".
Link - https://www.engvid.com

  I'll be outside the post office, am I correct?"

  I'll be outside the post office, won't I?"

I'm not sure about that the above two examples are formal or informal, just made myself.

So please help me understand this and also I want to know how native English speakers say this in formal way.


texts: When you promote a product or service that a user hasn't experienced yet, would you use 'Guarantee to love' or 'Guaranteed to love'?


texts: Except a slight cold / except having a slight cold / except for a slight cold

texts:
A)  She is quite well now, except a slight cold.

  B) She is quite well now, except having a slight cold.

  C) She is quite well now, except for a slight cold.

Among the 3 sentence given above B sounds the best in conveying the meaning  but is it grammatically correct/incorrect to use sentence A ? What about sentence C ? It too sounds better than A in conveying the meaning but not as good as option B but again is it correct / incorrect ?


texts: "Reconnaissance by fire" non-warfare version?

texts:
You have to solve a problem.
It won't be easy.
You can say the process of solving the problem will take a lot of resources you don't have - typically the knowledge.

In military this is called reconnaissance by fire. In everyday life, when dealing with your super extra convoluted tricky problem you sigh "Oh well, let's go... this will be a recon by fire. :-( "

How to sigh without the warfare term?


texts:
As far as I know, the structure in the sentences like

  All you people are the same

is not wrong (I just asked a question about it on this site). What about

  All we people are the same

Is the structure correct in it? If no, why can't we say it while we can say "All you people are the same"?

I also think we can't say

  All they people are the same

and we also can't say

  All them people are the same

or

  All of them people are the same

These last two sentences are used in slang as far as I know. Am I right?


texts: Never not talk to you,what does he mean?

texts: The question was"You don't want to talk to me anymore?" And the answer was" Never not talk to you" I am puzzled because if I translate in my language it does mean that "we will never talk again" Can you help ?


texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  Who said that only girls can believe in fairies?

Specifically, do you think that the use of "that, only, can" make the sentence a little bit weird? Or is it fine?


texts:
what's the meaning of "take off" in this context:

"She started ballet when she was young. She took off. Then progressively she started other types of dances."

Does it mean, she took a break or does it mean she became successful?

Thank you.


texts:
In the phrase below:

  I know sometimes life can be extremely tough and make you feel just
  like if you can’t count on anyone else.

...which is basically a literal translation of the same phrase in Portuguese, the use of "can't count on anyone else" is grammatically correct (or even acceptable) or should I use "couldn't count on anyone else" instead?

Also, can I really use the "if" in...

  make you feel just like if you can't count on anyone else.

the way I did or should I omit it and use simply...

  make you feel just like you can't count on anyone else.


texts:
How could I express the following sentence implying that only one option can be chosen?

  I don't know ( X ) Carla will go for juice, water or alcohol.


texts:
Eshley had conceived and executed a dainty picture of two reposeful milch-cows in a setting of walnut tree and meadow-grass and filtered sunbeam, and the Royal Academy had duly exposed the same on the walls of its Summer Exhibition. The Royal Academy encourages orderly, methodical habits in its children. Eshley had painted a successful and acceptable picture of cattle drowsing picturesquely under walnut trees, and as he had begun, so, of necessity, he went on.

quoted from the stalled ox

Does "the same" mean the same picture or the same picture that has the same concept?
If it means the same picture, why does the writer use "the same" instead of "the picture"?


texts:
Borrower SES Global Americas Holdings GP
Issue Amount 500 million euro
Maturity Date October 24, 2018
Coupon 1.875 pct
Reoffer price 99.172
Yield 2.051 pct
Spread 73 basis points
Underlying govt bond Over Mid-swaps, equivalent to 116.7bp
Over the OBL 167
Payment Date October 24, 2013
Lead Manager(s) BNP Paribas, CA - CIB, Commerzbank, Mizuho, MUSI &
BCEE
-- New Issue-SES Global Americas prices 500 mln euro 2018 bond

I don't quite understand the two "over" here. They seem to mean "more than" or "in exchange for", but I'm not so sure.


texts: The meaning of the word 'prolific' as used in a sentence

texts:
I feel as if this event in my life is prolific or has a profound spiritual nature.

Is this a correct sentence for the word 'prolific'?


texts:
Can I say "a wish come true" to abbreviate "a wish that has come true"?

Can I for the title of my book? the title would be "no wish come untrue" does that sound correct and is it?

I know it is awkward way of putting but my book will be a fiction about utopia, and hence I d like to use no wish come untrue, is that possible?

Edit:
I m looking for a title for my book that would give the reader the feeling of a world where any wish is granted without exception. I d like to have a title as short as possible to give this meaning by 2 times negation.

So far the best from the community was "no wish not come true"


texts: Two usages of the preposition "for" I'm not sure about

texts:
These are two usages of the preposition for for which I couldn't find a suitable definition. Maybe I should ask two separate questions, but since they are about two senses of the same word, I figured asking them in one post might be acceptable.
So, what does for mean in the sentences below? Are these standard usages of for?

1-

  I finally saw him for what he was and broke up with him.
  I know I have flaws, but why don't you accept me for what I am?

The only way I could make sense of them was by replacing "for what" with "as" (saw him as he (really) was -- accept me as I (actually) am). But what about "for" alone?

2-

  It's too late to melt all this fat now. I've got a sagging bag for a belly, and I always will.
  After I told her everything I realized I had a cheat for a friend.

My guess is, here "for" means "instead of" or "as". Am I right? Is this sense always used for complaining?


texts:
Consider this sentence

  A noun clause cannot be a sentence by itself. It is always part of a sentence that contains an independent clause.

I guess it is idiomatic.

Does it mean the same thing if I substitute "on its own" for "by itself"?

  A noun clause cannot be a sentence on its own. It is always part of a sentence that contains an independent clause.

Per a post, those two phrases seem to mean slight different. Although, I don't see the difference in this noun clause context. Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts: Why should already negative sentences have 'no' in them again ?

texts:
I encountered a couple of sentences, mostly in American movies, that I wondered why they have something I call ' Double negatives', for example:

Don't go no further (why not Don't go further)
We can't grow no crops without no water
I don't see no friends (why not I don't see any friends / I see no friends)

What's the structure of these sentences, are these considered informal? Are there any other correct alternatives to them?


texts: I have a problem with articles/ is it an appointment or the appointment when I am talking about a specific one with a person to whom it concerns

texts:
Could you please help me! I am never sure which article I should use. I know the basic rules etc. but still always doubt whether an article I used is correct or not.
For instance: "I've got A house viewing appointment with you or I've got THE house viewing appointment with you. As far as I understand it should be ''the'' since I am talking about one specific appointment? I would be very grateful for clarification.


texts: what is the subtle difference between as and when

texts:
I often raked my brain when I encountered subtle usage of as and when, making it hard to write them accurately.

Let me write some example sentences that are quite confusing to me containing as and when, both used in a temporal reference.

  He dropped a glass of wine when his eyes met hers at a party.
  He surveyed the crowd at the club for any signs of suspicious moves as a rock 'n roll blared out from giant loudspeakers at the corner.

In my gut feelings, when in sentence 1 is replaceable with as, without change in meaning. But sentence 2 is a bit different. When as is supplanted with when, it feels like a bit different to me, it's hard to say why, though.  Is there anyone that can draw a clear-cut disction between as and when in these sentences?

Finally, one more question.

Whar's the differences in the following?

  I was writing a draft novel when a doorbell rang out.
  A doorbell rang out when I was writing a draft novel.
  When I was writing a draft novel, a doorbell rang out.

Some say the difference between 1 and 2 is where to put emphasis on.  Is it right?  (By the way, Asians  usually took the 3 when they speak in their mother tongue while English natives tend to speak 1 or 2, which is quite linguistically intriguing.)

I would really appreciate it if differences between sentences 1 and 2, and ones between 2 and 3 are fully explained respectively.


texts:
When we have to pay gratitude to one respectable person, we say "Thank you."

But if there are two or more persons then what to say?

As "Thanks to all of you" doesn't seem formal.

Any suggestions?


texts:
A company is on the hunt for best minds
  A company is in the hunt for best minds

I have seen two different prepositions preceding "hunt", namely in and on. Which one should I choose when I want to say "A company is on the lookout for best minds"


texts: "It's the people who love you >you're the hardest on<."

texts:
In this sentence, the middle part "--who love you" is an attributive clause which depicts "the people", but how to explain the latter clause?
Is it an emphatic sentence? Could someone explain the whole sentence in a detailed way? Much thanks.


texts: A very rude person AND/OR a mix of a mean and rough character

texts:
I know the word in my native language but whenever I translate it, it would be "rude", when there's another word in my language that fits "rude", which is "وقح" in Arabic. The word I want is "فظ".

The story behind it:
A person "X" said several rude and mean sentences to another person "Y". So "Y" got offended and asked "X": Why are you being rude?- But I used rude before, and I don't want to repeat it, besides that it doesn't estimate the situation as it is.

The word I want describes a person that he is more than rude, he is mean and rough at the same time, also unfriendly.

I found "abrupt" and "blunt", but I'm not sure if they fit the description.


texts: Forward or backward subject verb agreement

texts:
Which word should 'enable' agree here with. Should it be 'rule'(singular) or 'us'(plural)?

Using this rule enables us to do X.
Using this rule enable us to do X.

Another example where it's reversed - 'switches'(plural), 'the program'(Singular).

Using these switches enables the program.
Using these switches enable the program.

I had asked a similar question in here before which had this forward/backward agreement issue, here is another example I found:

How many people have voted? (Backward agreement, subject precedes verb)
"How many people has he helped?" (Forward agreement, subject succeeds verb)

How do I find the subject and the respective verb it should agree with in sentences like these?


texts: Where is better to place "at" preposition?

texts:
There is the following sentence (source):

  The rate banks borrow from the Federal Reserve at is called the federal funds rate.

I have never seen before such position of "at" preposition in a sentence. Could I say instead:

The rate at which banks borrow from the Federal Reserve is called the federal funds rate.

Will it be right? Could I also say:

The rate at which the Federal Reserve lends to the banks is called the federal funds rate.


texts:
Let's say that this is our original sentence.

  I am ready for our meeting.

I think the following one is also acceptable, not terrible.

  For our meeting, I am ready.

But if it was

  I am ready to meet you.

We could not say

  To meet you, I am ready.

Or if it was

  I am ready for you to come to me.

We could not say

  For you to come to me, I am ready.

So, why?

Why when there is just "for", we can put it at the beginning (it is unusual but at least understandable)

But we cant put the other two at the beginning?
Thanks.


texts: About Uncle Ben's famous quote "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility"

texts:
With great power comes great responsibility

I can see that it is inverted to emphasize great power and responsibility.

However, when I reverse it to a normal order(?), it is not only mundane but
the cause and effect relationship(?) also seems wrong.

  Great responsibility comes with great power

It sounds like great responsibility comes first and great power follows it.
Shouldn't it be reversed? According to the context, the sentence should be

  Great power comes with great responsibility?

Does Come with have a connotation that the subject and object moves
simultaneously?

What do you think? Thank you!


texts:
All was happened due to his carelessness.
  All happened due to his carelessness.

Which one is correct and why? Is first one in Passive voice? Please define it.


texts: What does "got it in" mean in this context?

texts:
Mr.Weasley scanned the front page while Percy looked over his shoulder.

  "I knew it," said Mr.Weasley heavily. "Ministry blunders . . .culprits not apprehended . . .lax security . . .Dark wizards running unchecked. . . national disgrace . . .Who worte this? Ah. . .of course. . .Rita Skeeter."

  "That woman's got it in for the Ministry of Magic!" said Percy furiously. "Lask week she was saying we're wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness, when we should be stamping out vampires! As if it wasn't specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans..."

  Harry potter and the goblet of fire

What's the meaning of the sentence marked in bold?
I don't understand the part "got it in for".


texts: Is there any difference between "which one do you like?" and "which do you like?"

texts:
I want to ask if there is a difference between "which one do you like?" and "which do you like?".

I think both sentences are correct, Is that right?


texts: If you didn't/couldn't find it you would've told your father

texts:
Jack lost his expensive earpods now his maid found it and told him that she found it in the living room. But Jack is sure that he hasn't been to the living room in the last few days. After listening to the whole story Jack's brother thinks that the maid intended to steal it but didn't, and says:
"She gave it back because she knew that if you didn't/couldn't find it you would've told your father."

My questions:

1) Is the sentence correct given the context and which conditional is it?

2) Should he have said- "if you hand't found it?"

3) Which one is correct in this context between 'didn't' and 'couldn't?'


texts: Help to avoid the battology with the collocation "to provide services"

texts:
I have a problem searching for proper synonyms of the words "service" and "to provide".

I've got the sentence with repeating words which sound ambiguous and complicated. I tried to find some words to replace those but it changes the meaning completely.

Here is the sentence

  Support provides service of informative emails delivery about
  services provided and supported by our department.

I thought I could replace provide with to pursue or just to do, but I am not sure with it. Maybe you may help me dealing with this?

Any help would be appreciated!


texts: In my English class students need to describe many phrases. One of them is "making it on my own". This is not from a reading, so I can't really guess the meaning from the context.


texts: Why do we use "be" with "will", instead of "is" and "are"?

texts:
I want to know from a grammatical point of view why do we use be with will instead of using is and are. For example:

Jack will be skydiving tomorrow. Correct
Jack will is skydiving tomorrow. Incorrect

I also want to know why do we use is, are, was, and were instead of be in the present and past tenses. For example:
Present Tense

Jack is skydiving today. Correct
Jack be skydiving today. Incorrect

Past Tense

Jack was skydiving yesterday. Correct
Jack be skydiving yesterday. Incorrect


texts: Is there an idiom expressing the idea that "things never change"? By that I mean, there will always be war, bad people, etc. Is there an idiom that you can use to mean that? The closest phrase, idiom I could think of is "It's just like the old days", but it doesn't really mean that "there are some things that will never change."


texts:
He said that after murdering the magistrate, the Mafia looked for more targets. And it plotted to blow up the magnificent, ancient tower in Pisa. The Mafiosi were aiming to strike a major psychological blow at the height of their war with the state.
. . .
On the other hand, at about the same time as the alleged plot in Pisa, the Mafia did bomb the famous Uffizi art gallery in Florence. It was clearly in the mood to strike at the kind of historic monuments that are the pride of Italy.
–– BBC Learning English

Does it refer to previous act - the Mafia bombed the famous Uffizi art gallery in Florence, or is it dummy-it for to-infinitve phrase - to strike at the kind of historic monuments that are the pride of Italy?


texts: What does "arbitrary" mean in this context (emphasis mine)?

texts:
(1) Feminist  theorists  have  generalized  the  intuition  behind  such examples to show that it was arbitrary for Marx to measure the rate of exploitation by exclusive reference to the relation between the surplus produced and the wage paid to the worker.

  (2) Any such calculation ignores the contributions of the worker’s spouse to what he produces, which Marx arbitrarily takes to be the worker’s "own".

  (3) For Marx to make the buck stop with the wage-laborer, as far as measuring exploitation is concerned, is arbitrary.

  - Moral Foundations of Politics by Ian Shapiro

What does arbitrary means in these sentences?
Does it mean "random" or it means "Marx choose it without considerin other people's wishes"?


texts: Is "fish are jumping" in the song Summertime a correct grammatical construction?

texts:
Summertime, and the livin' is easy
  Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
  Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
  So hush little baby, Don't you cry
  ("Summertime" lryics)

Is "fish are jumping" in the song "Summertime" a correct grammatical construction?

Plural of fish is fishes, right? Or if it's fish as general substance then I would expect "is". Or I missed some subtlety?


texts:
I'm a English learner who studies syntax. I often refer to English corpus such as COCA to learn natural uses of English. Then, I found some sentences involving "how come", followed by "that" and a sentence, for example, as following:

  How come that you have such good English? / How come that you eat hot food in hot countries?

I have thought that those correct sentences of how come should be like "How come you have such good English", where "that" is omitted.

I want to know how native speakers feel about those sentences that involve "that" between "how come" and a sentence. Are they correct? Is there any difference? Or, are they a sort of error-like ones?

Thank you.


texts: The role of "there" in the sentence and reason why the verb came in base form and not changed to "lays"

texts: I saw this sentence from Albert Camus yesterday and was thinking whats the meaning of "there"here and why the translator didn't put "lays" instead of "lay". It seems there is a point behind this and not simply a typing mistake, isn't it so?


texts: What is your idea about using "practicalize"?

texts:
I'm writing a SOP, in the following sentence I have used the word "practicalize" (utilize). in my view, it's an appropriate and beautiful word to use in academic essays, but when I googled it, I found out, that this word is not very common and even it doesn't exist in some dictionaries and also some people interpreted it as a revolting word that should be avoided. What is your idea? what is your suggestion?

  I .... by practicalizing my academic knowledge into the reality.


texts: Meaning of "it will not do to risk a fainting fit."

texts:
Below is a passage from Jane Eyre:

  ‘You don’t turn sick at the sight of blood?’

  ‘I think I shall not: I have never been tried yet.’

  I felt a thrill while I answered him; but no coldness, and no faintness.

  ‘Just give me your hand,’ he said: ‘it will not do to risk a fainting fit.’

Those are Mr Rochester and Jane Eyre speaking. I'm struggling to understand the meaning of the words in bold. "It will not do to [verb]" seems to be a collocation, but I can't seem to find its meaning. All I've found are expressions like "That'll do (fine)" or "That will not do!", but those seem unrelated (or I can't see the relation, anyway).

What does Mr Rochester mean by ‘it will not do to risk a fainting fit’?

Also, similar sentences to see how this collocation works would be much appreciated.


texts: Past Perfect or Present Perfect for the verb "Think"?

texts:
The context is a situation where I've been looking for my keys for the
  last a couple of minutes.  First, I check the pockets of my trousers, then
  I check the drawers. When I was checking the drawers the thought “the keys
  might be on the desk” comes to my mind. Just after this thought comes
  my friend informs me that “The keys might be on the desk”
  Then, I reply to him: “I've just thought the same thing”.

I asked similar questions here before but please allow me to clarify a specific contextual tense usage  that is confusing me.

A native Australian English speaker told me that using present perfect (I've just thought the same thing) is wrong in this context and that a native English speaker would always use past perfect tense idiomatically  and say "I'd just thought the same thing" or "I'd just thought that".

His point is that in this context my friend's information instinctively causes me to think once again that the keys might be on the desk, therefore the thought that comes to my mind before my friend's information isn't relevant any more with the present.

On the other hand, my argument is my friend doesn’t cause me to think again. If he hadn’t said “The keys might be on the desk” I would maybe have started searching for them on the desk just after finishing searching for them in the drawer. Therefore, I had already thought the keys might be on the desk regardless of my friend’s information.

Is this true? Would native speakers never prefer to use the present perfect here and always use the past perfect? I was even told that the simple past (I just thought the same thing or I just thought that) wouldn't be preferred by a native English speaker.


texts: I wish you would speak louder.... vs I wish you spoke louder....?

texts:
I'm confused between two versions of a sentence I came across in a test.
Which one is correct and why?

  I wish you would speak louder as I can't hear what you say?

Or

  I wish you spoke louder as I can't hear what you say?


texts: Does "I will" express a current desire, or a prediction of the future?

texts:
I'm struggling a bit with translating the English "She will do X" or "She will be Y" into my mother tongue (German).

Lets say we have the sentence "She will be loved". A native English speaker would probably understand that like "She has a strong desire to be loved" or "She wants to be loved".

Same goes for the sentence "I'll take the steak".  If you want to order a steak in the restaurant -- it is not quite future ...

However, we've learned in school that an English sentence like "She will X" expresses the future, similar to "She is going to be loved."

Is there any kind of rule (maybe it depends on the verb after the "will"?) whether "She will" means that she strongly wants something, or that she is going to do something?


texts: Is the difference between "confidante" vs. "confident" the gender of the subject?

texts:
I observe that the word confidante has circa 3,2001 hits on The New York Times. And I also observe that on the same newspaper the word confident has ca. 148,000 hits.

3,200 seems to me a remarkable number. As is well known, confidante is used only for women, while confident is used both for men and women.

So the question is: Does this represent a persistent tendency to preserve sexism in language? Or are there cases in which confidante is preferable, for whatever reason?

1Searching from other countries could have different results.


texts: What does the idiom "Putting the pedal to the metal" mean here?

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of the idiom "putting the pedal to the metal" in the following sentence from the description of the game "KartRider Rush+" (not available online):

Putting the pedal to the metal and being very adorable while doing so, the game drifts onto the App Store with an amazing makeover.

The lexical meanings of the said idiom are "to drive as fast as possible" or "do something with maximum speed and effort." I am not sure which of them fits here.

Here is a description of the game from a different source:

The kart racing sensation enjoyed by over 300M players worldwide is back and better than ever with more style, more game modes, more thrill! Race with friends or just play it solo through a variety of gameplay modes.

Thank you for your time.


texts: Which is the correct way to say it "who are you spending it with?" Or "whom are you spending it with?"

texts: As per the grammar rules, if "I" is the subject of the sentence then the other person must the object. And generally whom is used in the objective form but in this case the prior format is more common than the latter. So which one is correct?


texts: How to write a LinkedIn connection request Note?

texts:
LinkedIn is a great way to network with all types of professionals: from recruiters to influencers and users that share common interests, it’s a great way to build connections.
For Example
Let's say I'm a Data Scientist who was open for opportunities and want to connect to a recruiter who has recently posted a job on Linkedin or the HR recruiter of an MNC company, or I want to connect a data scientist who would refer me to their company.
What is the formal/polite way of adding "Note" for connection requests?


texts: Plural (or singular) verb for subjects referring to one thing?

texts:
Once I read in a website that when there are multiple subjects in a sentence and they all refer to one thing or person, the verb should be in singular form. Now, I am wondering if the following sentence requires a singular or plural verb.

  Its huge structure and complexity were (or was) very interesting to me.


texts: What is a plural of "To-Do"? "To-Dos" or "To-Does"?

texts:
Say I have a list of "To-Do" things. I want to mention them to someone, so I doubt on how to call it:

  1. I have many "To-Dos" for today
  2. I have many "To-Does" for today
  3. I have many "To-Do's" for today

None of them looks fine to me, but I don't know how to check it out.


texts: Is the use of "9-sibling" and "13-year" in the sentence below correct?

texts: ...has been a realtor for 13-year and decided, at a young age, that he wanted to make selling real estate a career. Being raised in a large family of 9-siblings


texts: What is the purpose of Present Perfect in the phrase "Houston, we've had a problem"

texts:
I learned that the popular cliché phrase "Houston, we have a problem." actually sounded as:

055:55:35 Lovell: Ah, Houston, we've had a problem. We've had a Main B Bus Undervolt.

I am curious what is the purpose of using Present Perfect in the original phrase (and not, let's say, Past Simple)?


texts: Can I use "out of" instead of "off" in "He left her off the team."?

texts:
I can't decide if both sentences are correct:

  He left her out of the team.
  He left her off the team.

I believe that both of them are all right, but the answer key only lists the second one.

I encountered this sentence in my English class. The teacher simply read the answer key of our textbook and when I asked him if "out of" works too he simply said that if it is not in the key it doesn't, without providing any further explanations. However, I still believed that my answer was correct so I decided to ask.


texts:
Biologists have found that all tadpoles of that species begin life as
  omnivores, feeding mainly on organic debris in their soon-to-be-dry
  pool in the desert, but that occasionally one tadpole eats another or
  eats a freshwater shrimp.

I don't understand this sentence because of the bold part. Can I just consider "but that occasionally" as "and" so  the whole sentence means, tadpoles mainly feed on organic debris and they also feed on each other or freshwater shrimp?


texts: The natural sciences WERE or WAS the subject (of ...)

texts:
What is the correct verb choice (were or was) in this sentence:

  a) The natural sciences WERE the subject of our discussion.
  b) The natural sciences WAS the subject of our discussion.

Also, what about this one?

  c) The subject of our discussion WERE natural sciences.
  d) The subject of our discussion WAS natural sciences.

Please, if you can give a deeper explanation with some references...


texts: Better phrases for 'thanks to' and 'let you off'

texts:
I'm doing a translation assignment of a book now and searching for appropriate phrases for this.

Please help me!!

I think "thanks to" can be used with a negative statement, but when it is next to "let you off", the sentence will look awkward. :(

  Thanks to my brother, I'll let you off this time.

This is the situation: Two girls were about to fight but one girl decided not to, because the other was her brother's girlfriend.

The girl was quite tough and I want to show her character.

  Thanks to ...

Does that sentence look awkward? If you have any better ideas please let me know!


texts: The usage of "of" or "for" with "forecast"

texts:
In the given sentence, is the preposition of more appropriate than the preposition for?

  The international monetary fund maintained its forecast of / for
  weak global growth.

According to my understanding, of should be used as the news of weak global growth makes up the forecast and hence is a part of the forecast.  Of is used to show that something is a part of something, for example:

  The mountain ranges of India.

Similarly, is it " Forecast of weather" or "Forecast for weather"?


texts: Does "less expensive" + "saving money" = "win-win?"

texts:
I recently saw this standalone ad:

and I thought a "win-win" was something that's a "win" for two different people/groups who might otherwise be opposing each other, or at the very least, two different wins (especially one right after another) for the same person.
What am I missing here?
Do I misunderstand "win-win?"
Is there a distinction I'm missing between "less expensive" and "saving money" in this context?
Is it something else?


texts:
Calvin : “Do you believe our destinies are controlled by the stars?”
  Hobbes : “No, I think we can do whatever we want with our lives.”
  Calvin : "Not to hear mom and dad tell it."

from Calvin and Hobbes(March 21, 2007)

I don't understand what Calvin says: "Not to hear~"
Especially the infinitive 'Not to'
What frustrates me is the fact that there is no subject and verb in Calvin's words.

By any chance, does it mean that he does not want mom and dad say to him what Hobbes told him?
Please somebody tell me. I'm a Korean studying English.


texts:
In this sentence, is it correct to use the gerund form of the verb (forwarding) in the second sentence (after and)?

  Its main idea is to gather the data from nodes and forwarding them
  to the sink.


texts: Shouldn’t “would dare mess with me” be “would dare TO mess with me”?

texts:
It is a dialogue from a famous movie "Home alone" it is something like below:

The way I'm feeling right now no murderer or mugger would dare mess with me.

And now I am wondering, why it is not "no mugger or murderer would dare to mess with me"
can anyone tell what's the difference?


texts: Where to find what "this" and "that" refer to?

texts:
I read from somewhere a long time ago that "that" refers to something that was mentioned earlier, while "this" refers to something that is going to be mentioned. But I saw some examples where "this" refers to something that was just mentioned earlier, and I was not sure if the examples were correct. What are the correct usage of "this" and "that"?

Note that I am not talking about the other meanings of "this" and "that" in terms of long or short distance from the speaker, but about their meanings in terms of referring to something in the context.

Thanks!


texts:
I want people to perceive me as the robot I am.

What does this sentence mean?

Is she wanted people treat him as a robot or human？


texts:
Would this emphatic expression be used with other pronouns and other tenses?

  Boy, am I tired!

Would you give an example for each tense. An example for all cases would be best but not necessary. Seeing is believing, I mean, understanding!

These are the kinds of patterns I have in mind. You could use them as a guide but you do not have to fill in.

Set 1

Boy, is he ...
Boy, are you ...
Boy, are they ...

Set 2

Boy, was he ...
Boy, were we ...

Set 3

Boy, does he ...
Boy, did they ...

From a link provided by Alan Carmack, definition of boy exclamation from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

  Boy, it sure is hot!
  Oh boy! That's great!
  Boy, it hurts!
  Boy, am I glad to see you!
  They eat it for breakfast and boy is it good!

Thank you, but I do not feel it fully answers my question. When it comes to languages, I cannot generalize; language is not always logical. I do not want to resort to guesses; that is not knowledge.

I hope my question conforms to the rules of the site. It is specific, and clear.


texts: What are the meanings of “get to” and “objectify” in the phrase “you still don't get to objectify her”?

texts:
I read a news article here:

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1048319/blue-ivy-at-the-vmas

See the headline: “Blue Ivy at the VMAs is adorable, but you still don't get to objectify her”

What are the meanings of “get to” and “objectify” in this sentence?


texts:
I don't think the verb "abolish" is used with any postposition but the way how its used in this quote really got me thinking about it once again.

  "All experience has shown that mankind is more disposed to suffer - while evils are sufferable - than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."

I know what abolish exactly mean but I can't really make any sense out of this when it's used with "to". So is the verb used slightly different in this context than its main meaning or there's other possible ways of usage "abolish" with postposition?


texts:
Who do go there? The boys in this school go there. Is it correct form of wh-question?

When should I use "who does go,,,,,", and when " who do go,,,,,"?

Can I ask it(#1) in this way?

Who go there?

Are they all correct sentences?


texts: What Microsoft calls most commonly confused English words

texts:
Recently and belatedly, I came across this article about what they call the 10 most commonly confused words in English. I happened to find the lead sentence interesting.

Here is the link: https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/the-10-most-commonly-confused-words-in-the-english-language-according-to-microsoft-a3490606.html

I gave it a try and ended up finding three mistakes in the sentence in question. Microsoft's data was a great help, but I can't find the last one. It's a little frustrating not to find it after all the clues given. Can you find it? If you did, what is it?

The following is the statement in question. The writer says there are four mistakes:

There's nothing more embarrassing than having someone point out a writing mistake and realizing you've been making it everyday. I mean, it's probably effected your professional relationships for awhile. So take my advise — have someone proofread your report before you submit it to your boss.*

Also, I did research and was wondering why English speakers would rather choose to say "commonly confused words" than "commonly confusing words" when, in fact, people are confused, not words. That means words make people confused, words are confusing (to people). I know this is a tricky one and I'd appreciate any help. The word "commonly" can modify both "confusing" and "confused" because it's an adverb.


texts: An adjective for an episode / a movie that was shown before

texts:
Let's assume that your family members are sitting to watch a sitcom / movie. They call you to join them for watching it, but you refuse it because you've already watched it and this is a repeat of the sitcom/movie. What adjective would you use for that episode of the series or that film to indicate that e.g. the movie/episode was shown just this morning and I have watched it?

Would it be possible to say:

  — I've already watched it! It's a rerun / repetitive episode / movie.

I wonder what adjective would you normally use here?


texts: Meaning of "...would be wrong if he should..."

texts:
Excerpted from newrepublic.com:

  The divergence between my description of historical events and the accounts of historians … is not accidental but inevitable. A historian and an artist, describing a historical epoch, have two completely different objects. As a historian would be wrong if he should try to present a historical figure in all his entirety, in all the complexity of his relations to all sides of life, so an artist would not fulfill his task by always presenting a figure in his historical significance. Kutuzov did not always ride a white horse, holding a field glass and pointing at enemies. Rastopchin did not always take torch in hand and set fire to his Voronovo house (in fact he never did it at all), and the empress Maria Feodorovna did not always stand in an ermine mantle, her hand resting on the code of law; but that is how they are pictured in the popular imagination.

I can't understand the bolded sentences, I read this as the following:

  As [ a historian would be wrong if he should try to present a historical figure [  in all his entirety... to all sides of life ] ], so an artist would not fulfill his task by always presenting a figure in his historical significance.

But then its meaning is odd, it suggests a historian shouldn't present a historical figure in all his entirety, but which I think by common sense he should. Furthermore, the latter part suggests an artist would not do what a historian does, and he does this by always presenting a figure only in his historical significance, but this contradicts to what the first half suggests, it suggests historian shouldn't try to present entirely, hence should present only in historical significance, which is exactly what the latter half says an artist does!

The only possibility for it to be coherent is a historian should present a historical figure in all his entirety, but I don't see how the original context could mean it. So what exactly does these mean?


texts:
[nurse, Madam Pomfrey] “And you have another visitor.”  “Oh,
  good,” said Harry. “Who is it?”  Hagrid sidled through the door
  as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be
  allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him, and burst
  into tears.  “It’s — all — my — ruddy — fault!”(1) he sobbed,
  his face in his hands. “I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I
  told him! It was the only thing he didn’t know, an’ I told him! Yeh
  could’ve died! All fer a dragon egg!(2) I’ll never drink again! I
  should be chucked out an’ made ter live as a Muggle!” (Harry
  Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

‘It’s all my ruddy fault’ seem to be an example of Mr. StoneyB’s explanation. Yet, case (2) is not clear to me. Is it the same case? Or is it a so called verbless clause: ‘all’ is the subject and ‘fer a dragon egg’ is a predicative?


texts:
Love, family and relationships only feature in policy debates about how we live to the extent that they concern children’s lives.

In my understanding，the sentence trunk might be "Love, family and relationships only feature in policy debates to the extent"，am I right？And can I replace "that" with "how"?


texts: Using "present participle" after the main clause

texts:
I came across this website. One member says this:

"If it (present participle) comes after the main phrase, that is what he did afterwards. " And gives example:

  a- Tom took off his hat, putting it on the table.

As far as I know, using the present participle after the main clause could indicate what happened as a result. For example:

  b- The bomb exploded, destroying the building. (As a result, the building destroyed.)

Is that member right? Can we use "present participle" right after the main clause to indicate "what happened next" even though "what happened next" wasn't the result of the main action as in sentence a?

I think these versions are better than sentence a:

  c- Tom took off his hat, then putting it on the table.

  d- Tom took off his hat and then put it on the table.


texts: what's the meaning of 'come across as lazy'?

texts:
Why people use 'come across as' here?

In American TV show 'Office' Season 2 Episode 1, Jim tried to persude Michael not to use the same party jokes every year. Jim said to Michael, 'I think if you use the same jokes, it just comes across as lazy'.

What did he mean?


texts:
Should I always replace "in" for "to" in Perfect Sentences after "to be" forms?

I have been TO America\TO the party

He said he had been TO America\TO the party

When she comes he will have been TO America\TO the party

I knew when she came he would have been TO America\TO the party

If you had been TO America\TO the party, you would have been TO America\TO the party


texts: surprising verb sequence: “there has never been a line read that I didn't hear”

texts:
I came across this quote by Eudora Welty:

  Ever since I was first read to, then started reading to myself, there has never been a line read that I didn't hear. Source

My question is:

Can I say "there has never been a line read that I haven't heard"?


texts: At the performance attended many important people and graduates. - grammar

texts:
At the performance attended many important people and graduates.

Is this sentence corrrect?

It seems very similar to:

At the performance were many important people and graduates.

This last sentence seems to be ok.


texts:
I'm wondering what contribution the word "through" makes to the following sentence:

  The trend continued [through] to April.

How does the above differ from the following?

  The trend continued to April.

  The trend continued until April.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
Is buuz (Mongolian dumplings) a countable noun, or uncountable noun? If the former, how do you pluralise it?

I tried looking up the term in onelook.com and only got a hit for Wikipedia, not for any dictionaries.


texts:
Consider first example:

  Thus, the major documents being considered by the Preparatory Committee might be placed on the FfD web site for comment.

What's the rule for using "being" between "the major documents" and  "considered"? Why don't they use "the major documents that/which are considered"? I know "being" is used for Present Cont. in Passive V. or as Gerund, but there's Present Simple in Passive V. regarding this sentence, isn't it?

And the second one:

  A copy of a document to be used internationally may also have to comply with special rules.

What's the rule for using "to be used" between "A copy of a document" and "internationally"? Why don't they use "A copy of a document that/which is to be used internationally"?


texts:
My English skills suck terribly.
My English skills terribly suck.

Is the adverb terribly properly used in the above sentences? On top of it, can I ask what difference is there?

Thank you.


texts:
Which one is correct and why?

The decision was taken

Or

The decision was took

I am confused. Pls help


texts:
Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of
  him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered
  over the back of his seat to help.  "Come on, Harry!" Hermione
  screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at
  Snape –– she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under
  her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists
  that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.

  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

I’ve read several times this book, yet it’s not easy to understand the bold-faced part whenever I read it. The antecedent, the whirl of fists, doesn’t seem to be equal with Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle. Is this a unique expression of the writer or common in English?


texts:
I wonder why in which is put between 2 commas in this example.

  My main desire is a peaceful world, in which, there will be no war, no threat of terrorism.


texts: The use of "in consonance with" as a synonyms to "according" and "according to"

texts:
I am doing an academic work in English for the first time and just need to use a lot of synonyms to agree with the assumptions of the literature (e.g., according, according to, as reported by, conforming to, in agreement with). Until now, the most used throughout the text were "according" and "according to".

I was in doubtful if the term "in consonance with" (in the example of the sentence below) would be a good synonym for replacing these terms or it would be weird. I've never seen "in consonance with" used like this before.

  "(...) as increasing the degree of sensitivity increasing to the
  highest values of the index, in consonance with to the degree of
  exposure to wave and tidal energy".

Could someone please weigh in on this?


texts: Is there an error in "take as many as you can along with you"? Should it be "taking" or is it OK?

texts:
In the following question, some part of the sentence may have errors. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the appropriate option. If a sentence is free from error, select ‘No Error’.

  In an imperfect world with not-so-perfect people and institutions, you have to play (1)/ your role the best you can, take as many as you can along with you, (2)/ with empathy and a bit of loving detachment. (3)/ No error (4)

Correct Answer: 2
Candidate Answer: 4

In this question the sentence I think is kind of authoritative, so take is correct in part 2, I guess examiner is assuming taking  as correct.

I have to represent the question and convince the examiner to fetch me marks, what do you think, am I right?


texts: Is there any verb that doesn't have negative form?

texts:
I'm wondering if a verb exists without a negative form. I mean if it does not have it at all or the negative form of it is somehow meaningless.

for example: "I killed him" and "I didn't kill him" are negatives.


texts: "what" vs "which" in non-defining relative clauses

texts:
According to google ngrams the second variant is more widely used:

  [It was cold there], what took us by surprise.

  [It was cold there], which took us by surprise.

Can anybody, please, explain me why? Which variant is better? Will it be a mistake to use the first one?


texts:
Dear friends I want to know what verbs called "certain verbs" in grammar rules because when I was studying some grammar rules I faced with this section ;

"The infinitive form is used after "certain verbs" :
- forget, help, learn, teach, train
- choose, expect, hope, need, offer, want, would like
- agree, encourage, pretend, promise
- allow, can/can't afford, decide, manage, mean, refuse ....

But I did not understand what "certain verbs" means.


texts:
The earnings of company grew by 5.4%, largely contributed by the strong performance of the manufacturing segment.

Is the above sentence grammatical ? "largely.......segment" is it a participle phrase modifying "earnings" ?


texts:
Which sentence in correct:

We sell and repair sewing machines since 1974.
OR
Selling and repairing sewing machines, since 1974.

Kindly clarify.


texts: "Commas are a tool" or "Comma is a tool"?

texts:
An ELL post (https://ell.stackexchange.com/a/107972/109190) says

  Commas are a literary tool used to insert pauses into a written sentence, to mimic the pauses in the conversation if the sentence was spoken.

where I guess "Commas are" should be "Comma is", since there is only one type of comma. Is my understanding right?


texts:
Given this sentence:

  I started using it to document the system (we didn’t have documentations of any sorts) and create our regression tests.

Concerning the part marked in bold, which would be the correct way to write it, of any sort or of any sorts?

Also, would either one of them be used in another case?


texts:
What does 'evening paper' mean in passage "came ... at his evening paper"?

  That night came Aunt Ellen, gentle, sentimental, wrinkled, sighing,
  oppressed by wealth, in to Brother Anthony at his evening paper, and
  began discourse on the subject of lovers’ woes.

Mammon and the Archer
by O. Henry


texts:
Can one say

He accidentally opened the door enough that they could see inside the office.
He accidentally opened the door enough so they could see inside the office.
He accidentally opened the door enough so that they could see inside the office.
He accidentally opened the door enough for them to see inside the office.

?

He didn't intend them to see inside the office... It was an accident...

Many thanks.


texts: The preterite with imaginary situations in the future: "if tomorrow it was proven"

texts:
Is below sentence is correct?

  If tomorrow it was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that God does not and never did exist, would you want to remain a part of your religion.

This is because word Tomorrow indicates future and Was indicate past.
I think was should be replace by Is to get correct meaning of sentence.

I know that we use Verb+ed to say imaginary situation which is not true currently. but can we use verb+ed to describe imaginary situation for future.

Also I have learn that we can use Simple present tense to describe future.


texts:
His right hand, which he often raised to point at some feature or
  other, was knotted and twisted, and when I gazed at it, set against
  Harvard’s antediluvian steeples and columns, it seemed to me the claw
  of some mythical creature.

Is this text which says "some feature" (in singular) correct or it should be some features (in plural)?


texts:
What is the meaning of Put the Two together in the paragraph below?

  Making loans and fighting poverty are normally two of the least glamorous pursuits around, but remarkably enough put the two together, and you have an economic innovation that has become not just popular but downright chic.


texts: When one has a spouse that they do not deserve him / her

texts:
There is a hyperbole which says always a best husband/wife belongs to somebody who really doesn't deserve him/her!
For instance, a quite gorgeous girl with a high educational degree and good family, reasonable job position etc. who has an absolutely average-looking husband who has no property or asset, nothing special in his life, no good job, not a justifiable university degree etc. (The same goes with a husband.)
I wonder if there is any common English proverb / idiom / phrase that can encompass and explain the above fact/belief?


texts:
Following Phrase meaning: every now and then vs every once in a while, what's the difference between "occasionally" and "every once in a while" in formal writing?

E.g.:

  Occasionally, I ask the audience whether the slides so far are clear.

  Every once in a while, I ask the audience whether the slides so far are clear.


texts:
I was reading "Letters to a Young Contrarian" by Christopher Hitchens. In the preface, he writes a sentence which I can't understand fully.

... I thought I would write you a closing letter by way of beginning.

What does this expression mean? I tried to search it over the internet and tried understanding it comparing to my own language but I can't understand it clearly. Can anyone help me understand what he means here?


texts:
I was wondering whether:

a. the two sentences mean the same, and

b. if sentences of the same construction can always convert the verb to a participle.

Here are the sentences:

  Though it hurts, Linda still listened to Jeff.
  Hurting, Linda still listened to Jeff.

I'm not sure how this is termed in grammar, but I have seen some examples of the same kind of construction, although not that frequently.


texts:
The planet of Venus, which routinely revolves around the Sun in an ellipse, has many active volcanos. One of them is taller than Mount Everest.

A. volcanos, one of which

B. volcanos; there is one that

C. volcanos, and one

D. volcanos, such that one

Correct Answer is A. I marked C because I thought that A is grammatically incorrect as it turns out to be run on.

So, sentences with "of which" are relative clause too? Why A? Not C?


texts:
What does 'drew her back into' mean in context? Can 'drew' be replaced with 'pulled'?

  He drew her back into himself again; again she was confronted with
  the single eye, was pulled through the opening, oval pupil.

From A Wind in the Door by Madelene L'Engle.


texts: Replace adjective participle with relative pronoun

texts:
I have a problem with connecting each adjacent sentences with each other, what kind of -ing word is this!.. an adjective participle!.. can I replace it with relative pronoun!.. could you please help me with the starting of each sentence!.. I'll appreciate your help

  This method starts from the principle that the paraffin and asphaltene
  particles of the crude oil can be polarized by the effect of electric
  field, forcing them to aggregate into short chains parallel to the
  electric field direction, changing the rheological properties of
  the crude oil, resulting in a decrease in the crude oil viscosity,
  and thus easily pumped through the pipes.


texts: Would you paraphrase this? What does it mean?

texts:
... . Of importance is the fact that ... .

Does it have Inversion?

My guessed paraphrases would be: "The fact is of importance that ... " or "The fact has importance that ... " or "The important fact is that ... " which one is true?


texts: What's the meaning of "every man for himself"?

texts:
"In today's society, it is every man for himself."
Q. what does "every man for himself" exactly mean?
Is it "Take good care of yourself first other than others"?
Or "Do your job on your own without others' help"?
Or something else?


texts: "Not too busy to not" or "not too busy not to"

texts:
I'm not too busy to eat dinner

or

  I'm not too busy not to eat dinner

Typically, you would need a double negative ("I'm not busy enough to not realized I skipped dinner," in that you weren't sufficiently busy to not know you skipped dinner; or "I'm not so sad to not go out to see my friends"), right?

Would negation + "too" + adjective require a double negative because if you negate one part, you would you need to negate the second part? Or would it be wrong to have the double negative? Is it wrong in general!?!

I'm too busy to eat dinner (i.e. due to a lack of time, I cannot eat dinner)

Would the opposite be:
I'm not too busy to eat dinner
-or-
I'm not too busy to not eat dinner


texts: Describing movement (kneeling or lying down)

texts:
For a story I'm writing, I sometimes have issues with describing movement, more specifically when the characters are not standing upright. More specifically for following situations:

A character is on its knees and moves to another spot (I don't know if I can use crawling, as that is usually on hands and knees, and the character explicitely doesn't use his hands)
Everything that has to do with characters lying down and moving from one spot to the other (again not crawling). I found words like shuffling or shifting, I don't know if this is common use language?
Specifically a character lying down in bed on it's side. Then she lifts her body and moves backwards (towards the headrest) a little bit.

I'm sorry for the sometimes weird wording, I hope you understand what I'm going for. Any help is appreciated, I'm a bit scared I'm using the word "moved" too much or wrongly in my story right now.


texts: An incapable perhaps coward child / man / woman who cannot deal with their problems and refers to their parents usually his / her mother

texts:
I was looking for an idiom / a word in dictionary to explain a child / man / woman who always tell's their problems to their parents because they are not quite capable to deal with their problems or because they are coward. I found one single idiom: "mama’s baby"!

This is exactly what we use in our language! The problem is that we can call both a child or an adult man / woman by this term. I have provided two separated examples which acknowledges that in both cases we use the same expression.

  Example 1:

  Children are playing soccer in the yard and one of them gets a little hurt and goes to his mother and tell his friend on. When he comes back to his playmates, one of them calls him you're a mama’s baby!

  Example 2:

  Imagine a wife and husband who have a quarrel and the they after their debate the wife's mom call's her groom and wants to talk to him and give some advice. Later the husband says to his wife: "Why you told the whole story to you mom? You are really a mom’s baby"

My question is that if it sounds natural in those scenarios to a native speaker's ear? If not, then please let me know what can I use as a replacement for the idiom?


texts: "the wife" instead of "my wife", are there any other contexts where a possessive pronoun gets replaced by a definite article?

texts:
In English, one occasionally sees a replacement of my wife by the wife, such as in this sentence:

  there was a sudden thud and I joked to the wife that someone had run into us

Does this construction occur for any other words than wife? The husband? The mother? Of course in many contexts it can (The car, The child, etc.), but I have the impression that in the context above, it's somehow a special idiom. Is it?
Does the meaning of a sentence change by replacing my wife by the wife?
Can the wife replace only my wife, or also your/his/her wife or even their/your/our wives?
Are there any rules I should be aware of for this construct?


texts: I hear that idiom quite often but honestly don't know if it's "Joke is on you" or "Jokes on you". The pronunciation is basically the same, and it's mostly used in speech. So, is there a correct way or can I use both interchangeably?


texts: "Using troughs in this way to identify particular bonds is covered on a separate page" - or "The use of.."?

texts:
From Chemguide:

  Note:  Using troughs in this way to identify particular bonds is covered on a separate page.

Wouldn't it be stylistically better to say

  Note:  The use of troughs in this way to identify particular bonds is covered on a separate page.

Or to say it in some other way that would get rid of "Using ... is covered"?

Or maybe this "using" is perfectly okay there?


texts: **Recruited to** or **recruited into** a study?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  This pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study was made on 236 male dormitory students who had been recruited to the study through systematic random sampling.

  This pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study was made on 236 male dormitory students who had been recruited into the study through systematic random sampling."


texts: Do we ever pronounce "g" in "ing" - example "going out"

texts:
OK, I know that I will never pronounce "g" in "ing".

But what should I do in situations like "going out"?

When I say it, it seems that I pronounced "g". There are other situations like this but this one happens more often than others.


texts: What is the meaning of "romped away" in the following sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of "romped away" in the following sentence

  Chester hugged his mother and romped away. "I love you, too," he
  seemed to say.

?

Does "Chester hugged his mother and romped away" mean "Chester hugged his mother and ran away" ?

If so, what is the difference in the meaning between "romped away" and "ran away" ?


texts:
Here are passages from the novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell.

  "Well, you can't blame her. You did shoot Cade in the leg."
  "Well, I was lickered up or I wouldn't have done it," said Stuart.

  Everyone liked the four Tarleton boys and the three Fontaines, but regretfully refused to elect them, because the Tarletons got lickered up too quickly and liked to skylark, and the Fontaines had such quick, murderous tempers.

I wonder what "lickered up" means.
Best regards,


texts: Parts of speech in "I let him take the pen."

texts:
In the sentence

  I let him take the pen.

are the following mentioned functions correct?

I = subject
let = main verb
him = indirect Object
take = the second verb (bare infinitive)
the pen = Direct Object


texts: Is this grammatically correct? (wearing a demeanor)

texts:
Can you say about someone that he wears his demeanor?

This is the specific sentence:
"I was wearing my usual peevish demeanor"


texts: What does “the seams of the hour” mean here?

texts:
Under the seams of the hour, boys struggle in a dozen different
  arenas. Four hundred children crawling along the edge of a razor.

From All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

What does the seams of the hour mean here?


texts: How to express properly "you cannot set this date field with a date that is 30 or more days in the past"?

texts:
I need to place a validation message on a application which refers to the fact that a Hire Date cannot be set to a date that is older than 30 days, counting backwards from today. For example if today is the 1st of October, you could only set a date from the 1st of September or later.

Is this alright:

  You cannot set this date field with a date that is 30 or more days in the past

or what is the correct way to say it?


texts: Is the phrase "You don’t just sit down and be productive." OK?

texts:
In the article "Getting in too-much touch (interruption is not collaboration)" there is a phrase that seemed somewhat unnatural to me: "You don’t just sit down and be productive".

What triggered me was the verb "to be". The plural form of this verb is "are". So, shouldn't it be "You don't just sit down and are productive"?


texts: Present Continuous vs Present Perfect Continuous vs Present Simple (Time periods)

texts:
Are all the three correct and is there a difference?

Normally, I don't work much but I work a lot this week.
Normally, I don't work much but I am working a lot this week.
Normally, I don't work much but I have been working a lot this week.

Can we use present continuous to speak about this week, this month, this year? How about using them with words lately, recently, and now?

More Examples:

I am taking an exam next Monday so I study hard this week.
I am taking an exam next Monday so I am studying hard this week.
I am taking an exam next Monday so I have been studying hard this week.


texts: What does "opens to" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I've come across the expression "opens to" in an article from the New York Times:

  In the transcendent wordless picture book “Lines,” Suzy Lee (“Wave,” “Shadow”) uses her pencil to draw the reader into layers of her imagination. The book opens to a drawing of a blank page, with only a pencil and eraser. From there, we follow a lone, red-capped ice skater who glides on an expanse of white ice, her skates creating a trailing line behind here.

And I found a similar expression here:

  ...there are some funny, insightful moments – it opens to her describing a dream, in which she gives birth to herself, to her friend...

Does "opens to" mean "opens with" or "begins with" in these two examples?


texts: To become winter or to change it into winter

texts:
A foreigner out of the blue asked you this:

  Question: Are you happy with the climate condition in your country?

  You: No, because it's sweltering. But when the north monsoon comes in, the blistering temperature mellows. I wish it would make the rainy season even colder, particularly to become winter so that it would be a freezing season then. I would be delighted.

Can you actually say to become winter? Or should I say to change it into winter?


texts:
I am just a beginner ESL teacher. I find myself a beginner because I cannot answer the question of my student about what we were discussing at least two days ago.
To give context. We are discussing a business course, and suddenly the student asked me the difference between "consequences" and "assumption" and how does "adverbs" connect with "assumption."
The first thing that came into my mind was, well, consequences always have a negative notion. The student said consequences are not always negative. It is usually the effect of the cause or the result of an action that happened. My student is Spanish, to give additional context.


texts: What does ‘they belonged’ mean in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?

texts:
A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights had screeched to a halt exactly where Harry had just been lying. They belonged, as Harry saw when he raised his head, to a triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windscreen spelled The Knight Bus.

I have looked up the meaning of ‘belong to’ in some dictionaries, but still don’t understand. Is there any meaning of ‘belong to’ other than when you say you are a member of certain group or team?


texts:
Back in school I learned about the Saxon genitive, but I see it's rarely used in both written and spoken English. Is it true? Should I avoid to use it? It seems to me that it's more common when I'm talking about things belonging to someone.

  Example 1: "This is Joe's car", not "This is the car of Joe"
  Example 2: "This matches our company values", not "This matches the values of our company"

Is my interpretation correct? Is there any other nuance I'm not getting? Something like one being more formal or one being more commonly used in spoken language


texts:
My classmate asked me if I want to 'hook up' later.

What does that mean?

Does he mean to meet up and study? Or something else, like meeting up for food?

I have never heard of hooking up before, please explain me.


texts: "state" -- when is it a countable or uncountable noun?

texts:
Example with a context (Wikipedia article):

  A stack may be implemented to have a bounded capacity. If the stack is full and does not contain enough space to accept an entity to be pushed, the stack is then considered to be in an overflow state. The pop operation removes an item from the top of the stack. A pop either reveals previously concealed items or results in an empty stack, but, if the stack is empty, it goes into underflow state, which means no items are present in stack to be removed.

Could you please explain when we should use the word state with an article (countable noun) and when with no article (mass noun)? The meaning of the word state that I'm referring to here, of course, has to do with a particular condition that something is in at a specific time as in the usage example above that talks about software objects such as stacks that can change their state during their lifetime.


texts:
Can "get" be used as a linking verb in a context of a gradual change?

For instance, instead of saying:

  She came/grew to like him more.

Can I say:

  She got to like him more.


texts: It seems that there is no verb is this sentence, "tea in Europe sold for ten times the price of coffee"?

texts:
This video (https://youtu.be/LaLvVc1sS20?t=168) says

  By 1700, tea in Europe sold for ten times the price of coffee
  and the plant was still only grown in China.

there is no verb is this sentence, "tea in Europe sold for ten times the price of coffee", is it necessary to rewrite this as follow?

  "tea in Europe was sold for ten times the price of coffee"


texts:
What does "that" refer back to?  Does it refer to "the Electoral College"? Or does it refer to "losing our country forever"? Or does it refer to "mutually assured destruction for every future election"?  I am not sure.

“I fear we’d lose our country forever,” Mr. Chatfield said. “This truly would bring mutually assured destruction for every future election in regards to the Electoral College. And I can’t stand for that. I won’t.”

Source: NYTimes


texts: "Device got hanged" or "Device got hung"

texts:
If i have to report an event that took place earlier, what is better to report, "The device got hung" or "The device got hanged"?

The current status of the event is unknown; it is still happening or not.

What is more appropriate to say?


texts:
What do we call the type of layer on pots? The layer which is shiny, is called:

ceramic
glossy
smooth
glassy


texts: Is there a difference between "has assumed" and "has done assuming"?

texts:
Do these two sentences have different meanings?

  John has assumed a story.

And

  John has done assuming a story.

If yes, what is the difference between the two?
If no, can they be used interchangeably?


texts:
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment -John 16:8-18 (King James Version)

I could not understand the use of is in this. Also, I have observed that whenever we describe the God, it's all capital letters 'HE' what I don't find here. Is there any rule?


texts:
A quick reading of Fed language alongside contemporaneous economic
  data shows that "modest" is a touch weaker than "moderate," with a
  threshold a bit below 2% gross domestic product growth, though it
  doesn’t seem to be an exact science.

  From
  https://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/08/01/fedspeak-whats-the-difference-between-modest-and-moderate/

When I looked up these two words, they seem to be similar.

  Modest: limited in size, amount, or scope

  Moderate:limited in scope or effect (Merriam Webster)

Why is "modest" weaker than "moderate"? I cannot see the difference in their definitions.


texts:
I remember there's an English idiom, but I can't recall it clearly.
That idiom says if you feel uncertain about whether someone's performance is good or lousy, you might as well give him/her more positive assessment.
The idiom is NOT a legal jargon, just an ordinary idiom. And compared to "presumption of innocence", the idiom goes a little further, which is why I made up the phrase "favorable presumption".


texts: Is " if the negotiations failed, there should be no ..." a second type conditional?

texts:
If the idea of negotiating were entertained at all, something would be gained; for each additional day of suffering and privation diminished the Roman strength, and brought nearer the moment of absolute and complete exhaustion. Moreover, a bridge might be at once commenced at some little distance, and might be pushed forward, so that, if the negotiations failed, there should be no great delay in following the Romans across the river.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts:
I know English pretty well, and I use it more than I use my native language, and I rarely have trouble conveying my thoughts / ideas.

The problem is, however, that I didn't learn it in a systematic way (instead, I relied on watching lots of American shows / movies, and just conversing with people online), so I have a lot of random gaps in my vocabulary, some of which would probably make even middle schoolers laugh at me (I'm exaggerating, of course, but you get the idea).

A few weeks ago I decided to put an end to it, and started with a 4K word flash card set I found in the Anki database, but it became cumbersome really fast. Only 1 out of 20-30 words is at least somewhat unclear to me, the rest is just "next, please". I thought about picking some other set, with "advanced" words or something like that, but that's not really what I'm looking for, since I'm missing relatively many basic words, which everybody knows, like, say, body parts, or sickness symptom names, etc.

What I need is a piece of software which would [continuously] test my vocabulary and detect the gaps for me + help me fill them, instead of me doing a thorough research instead, and building a custom flash card set. Does something like that exist, or should I stop dreaming and carry on with Anki?


texts:
I noticed that when English speakers use asterisks in their comments on youtube videos or on blog posts, they use asterisks to imply actions quite often. However, I find the forms of their usage quite differing.

  I knew you would do something. * sigh *

  Wait! * Gasps * Is that a ghost?

  I ran all the way here. * Huff, huff *

Sometimes they capitalize the first letter within the bounding asterisks, sometimes they do not. Sometimes the verbs in the asterisks are third person singular and have -s or -es after them, and sometimes they do not. I know using the asterisks to imply an action is accepted but not grammatically correct, but at least I'd like to know their common usage. What I'm thinking is that I can put onomatopoeia or a verb between the asterisks, and that's why there's sometimes an -s and sometimes there isn't(In the examples above, sigh is a sound, not a verb, and gasp is a verb, not a sound.) Am I correct? If so, the only thing I can't figure out is why the words are sometimes capitalized and sometimes they're not. How do asterisks appear in video game or comic book dialogues? Capitalized? Not capitalized? I tried to search google, but to no avail.


texts: Is it natural to use the phrasal verb "give back" when I lent something it somehody and I want it back?

texts:
Is it natural to use the phrasal verb give back when I lent something it somehody and I want it back? For example:

  Do you remember the drill I lend you? Could you give it back?

If it's not really natural, what would a native English speaker say?


texts: Can “wish the weather would be good tomorrow” be correct?

texts:
My teacher told me that for future, I have to use “hope”.
But what about a situation like this: the weather has been bad for a few days and I am annoyed, impatient as tomorrow I go hiking. So I say “ i wish that tomorrow the weather improve” or “..would be sunny”.
Is that still unacceptable?


texts: I need some help understanding a sentence

texts:
This is a sentence I came across from the novel '1984'.
Parsons, his attention caught by the trumpet call, sat listening with a sort of gaping solemnity, a sort of edified boredom.
Here what are the meanings of 'gaping solemnity' and 'edified boredom'?


texts: How to ask, things to bring home, when the get over(empty) at home?

texts:
I am trying to find out right words to express emptiness of things at home, once they get empty after we consume.
For example, milk finished at home, please bring some.
finished mosquito coil bring home.
tomatoes are rotten at home, please bring fresh lot.
Bread is smelling or not good or empty, bring some bread.

Or kind of questions, like "Do we have sugar at home or not? Should we buy?"


texts: The correct expression of 'follow his way (or method)'

texts:
I asked a question on a forum, and somebody (let's say his name is Bob) answered it (but not completely solve the problem). Based on this answer, I have the problem solved.

I want to write the answer myself, but first I need to acknowledge Bob's work. So I was wondering if I should see 'follow Bob's method, I get this problem solved' or so something？

Thanks!


texts:
Are all forms of "a pair of" below correct? Do all forms below have the same meaning?

  My new modern pair of shoes.
  A pair of my new modern shoes.
  My pair of new modern shoes.
  A new modern pair of shoes.


texts:
He starts the car and begins to drive around the warehouse.

He starts the car and begins driving around the warehouse.

Does one of these sound better/more natural than the other to you native English speakers?


texts:
It is from Crash Course Navigating Digital Information. The piece is at 5 minute and 25 second.

  Hello, commentetors. It is me, John Green. I would like to thank you all 3.5 millions of you who have pointed out that the Nile river flows north in that Crash Course World History video. We know. That is why we published the correction in the annotations. We check us you didn't read.

I cannot really get what the presenter means by the last sentence. I even think I mesheard the piece, but I cannot tell as there are no subtitles. Rephrase the last sentence for me please!


texts:
Let us get rid of forcefully taking stuff...

In the above sentence, is the position of the Adverb 'forcefully' right? I feel it a bit unnatural and also I am unable to make mind where exactly in the sentence it should be placed.


texts: "best friends list" or "best friend list"?

texts: I want to list the names of all my best friends on a paper, and it needs an title. Which one is correct: "Best Friends List" or "Best Friend List".


texts:
Is there any difference in meaning, among the following sentences, different from each others in preposition.

  The jug broke into pieces.
  The jug broke to pieces.
  The jug broke in pieces.

And are all of them grammatically correct?


texts:
It's she who had to leave her family.

  It's hers her who had to leave her family.

Are the sentences above correct?
If so, I want to know the difference, if there is.


texts: When to use 'by' instead of 'at' or 'on' to specify time/date?

texts:
We use "by" to specify time or date, as in

  I have to go by 9 am.

We can also use "at" here. When to use "by" / "on" / "at"?

When "by" should be preferred over "before" or "till"?


texts: Stronger scientific word than 'increased'

texts:
I am writing a computer engineering paper and try to express that our system increased a certain value fairly much, emphasizing that the amount of increase is uncommon. Could anyone recommend a word to imply 'increased a value fairly much' in a scientific way?

First of all, sorry for making you confused, but actually I was composing a presentation which is about my research project. I just mentioned it as 'writing a paper', which I thought uses similar terms to when composing a research presentation. Anyway..

Our project is making an custom chip accelerating deep-learning, and in this field, people commonly regards that the more the accelerator contains the neuron data, the better the system is. My original intention was making one short phrase which emphasizes the increased number of neuron data, such as 'Increased number of neuron data', but I thought this phrase is somewhat weak to emphasize the increase itself.


texts: What is the meaning of "acknowledged themselves to believe the Gospel" in this text?

texts:
Isdigerd authorized the Magian
hierarchy to retaliate by a general destruction of the Christian churches
throughout the Persian dominions, and by the arrest and punishment of all
those who acknowledged themselves to believe the Gospel.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts: Who or whom? How to substitute him or her for whom here?

texts:
My brother who I'm older than him, lives in Paris.
  My brother whom I'm older than[NOT than him], lives in Paris.
  My brother who's younger than me lives in Paris.

Why should we ommit "him" after "than" in the second example? Is this necessary?

How can we use this recommended trick here, for the example number 2?

How to substitute him for whom? How to rearrange the word order here?

Are the first and third examples the same? (in terms of meaning)
Are they true?


texts: "Continue WITH love" vs "continue TO love"

texts:
What is the difference between "continue to love" to "continue with love"?
For example: This couple should continue with/to love.


texts: Is it correct to say : "Can you confirm this email reach you properly ?"

texts:
When I write an email to someone, I like to get a confirmation that the guy in front received and read properly my email.

So I'd like to know if :

  Can you confirm this email reach properly.

Is it correct?


texts: What does figure mean in "figure of speech"?

texts:
I know the phase "figure of speech" means a word or phrase used in a nonliteral sense to add rhetorical force to a spoken or written passage. But I don't get the phase when I break it into single words.

What does "figure" mean here?


texts: What does "working the bill through" means?

texts:
Extremely helpful role that he's played in working the bill through
  the subcommittee mark and the full committee.

I saw this on C-SPAN, and I was wondering what "working the bill through the subcommittee mark" meant. Does it mean "working to get the bill through the subcommittee mark"? I find it odd that these two mean the same thing, because you would think they mean vastly different things.


texts:
I want to tell my teacher that I have done 4 questions in the quiz and would like to start from the fifth question.

Is it okay to say "Let me start from question No.5 in this quiz"?

Is question No.x an acceptable usage in formal English? What if it's not the fifth question but the first one or some other numbers, will it still work?


texts: What is the meaning of "away from this inclement air" in the following sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of "away from this inclement air" in the following sentence,

  The state of her health is such that a return to her parents' house
  seems prudent, away from this inclement air.

?

Does it mean "The state of her health is such that a return to her parents' house seems good. therefore, now, she is away from this inclement air" ?

What kind of grammar does sentences like this belong to?


texts:
I know Vulcans are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe and media franchise.

I also know precision means "the quality, condition, or fact of being exact and accurate."

A post In this sentence, "just" and "exactly" pretty much mean the same thing, right? says

  I'd say that 'exactly' might be a tad more reflective of a sort of Star Trek Vulcan precision, and maybe a tad more emphatic, but they are extremely close even so.

what's the meaning of "Star Trek Vulcan precision"?


texts:
The building has been derelict for years; several sections of the roof
  have fallen in.

Is it all right to use derelict in above sentence or it's incorrect and forsaken is better ? Perhaps abandoned would have been better but I don't have that to choose from as this is a question asked in my exam with just the options which I have mentioned above.


texts: "Everyone put on his coats" or "everyone put on their coats"

texts:
Which is grammatically correct and why?

  Everyone put on his coats and went home.
  Everyone put on their coats and went home.


texts:
When I ask someone who is missing one finger I think I should say ;

  How many finger are you missing ?

But I couldn’t understand why we use missing before one finger as is the case with sentence below

  I am missing one finger .

Isn’t it used as compund adjective .I mean shouldn’t we say ;

  I am one finger missing .


texts:
I bought a new cell phone

I have bought a new cell phone

What is the difference?


texts: How can I construct this sentence in a better manner?

texts:
I wish to construct this sentence in a better manner, avoiding the repeated use of principle. Yet doing away with the repeated word principle in each bullet point will cause the principle name to be read differently.

Suggestions?

  UI design principles focus on improving the quality of user
  interface design. Some of these principles include:

  Structure principle
  Simplicity principle
  Visibility principle
  Tolerance principle
  Feedback principle
  Reusability principle


texts:
From the Free Dictionary by Farlex

Where do you get off: How dare one be so brazen, impudent, or rude as to do or say the offensive or disreputable thing indicated?

I understand the meaning of it.  I’d just like to know when I can use it.
Neither the Cambridge Dictionary nor the Merriam-Webster dictionary has the entry. Does it mean the idiom is not widely recognized yet? Should it be used in informal settings? Is it only used in AmE?


texts: Will wear / is going to wear / is wearing?

texts:
I got this question on the exam and I don't know what the answer would be?

  A: I don't feel well enough to go to the station to meet him.

  B: I (meet) him for you. Tell me how I can recognize him.

  A: He (wear) a black and white school cap.

All I know is the answer to B is I will meet him for you.
Please help me out?


texts:
In the sentence:

  By 2008, the percentage of students choosing science subjects had decreased markedly.

I've read a grammar textbook and it said, "with BY you will often need to use the past perfect or the future perfect tense."

Can you guys explain the structure why we use past perfect in the sentence above?

Can I use the past simple instead? Is it mandatory to use the past perfect?

Which one is more appropriate in academic writing?


texts: all through the night / all over the night

texts:
Do these sentences imply on same meaning.
Are they interchangeable ?

  It rained all through the night.

  It rained all over the night.


texts:
I am writing down this sentence in my diary:

  Her words are an encouragement to me

But then, I think, is should be used, because I am considering her words as
a whole thing. Yet, I am not very sure if I am correct if I write this,

  Her words is an encouragement to me


texts:
What's the role of the word flying in both sentences and drones in the latter, please?

Troy enjoys flying.
Losi's hobby is flying drones.

And how to differentiate between a gerund and a complement in sentences?


texts: Is there a word we can use to refer to big clusters of clouds?

texts: Is there a word we can use to refer to big clusters of clouds, attached or unattached? I am thinking there might be a word, but I've never really heard of words related to cloud being used in any book I've ever read. I keep seeing words related to a type of clouds, but not related to a group or cluster.


texts: What's the opposite of the phrase "pay under the table"?

texts:
Could you tell me what is the opposite of the phrase pay under the table? For example:

The company pays their employees under the table.

Would it be natural to say pay over the table?


texts: In cases like the one mentioned, can good/nice be interchangeable

texts:
He can't have good things because, he doesn't look after them.

He can't have nice things because, he doesn't look after them.

In cases like this are nice and good interchangeable?


texts: using "the" for the objects in the speaker's field of vision

texts:
I am one of those learners who have been greatly and negatively affected by various grammar myths. One of such myths is that you should always use "the" before a noun, by which you refer to an object in your field of vision.

This myth was crushed when I bumped into this sign in one of the USA airports:

(this is not exactly the same sign, but the content is the same)

This sign was right next to the door that it referred to and, of course, I could see that door. Nevertheless, there is no "the" in it and I don't think this was a grammar mistake.

So now my question is quite practical: if a native American speaker is in his own kitchen, can see the refrigerator and wants his son to get a jar of jam from it, would he say:

  Get the jam from refrigerator?

or

  Get the jam from the refrigerator?

(would be great if you could also provide explanations as to why "the" should or should not be used in this case)


texts: what does" they" refer in "they will be attractive to girls"

texts:
If boys drive a certain car, or use certain aftershave, they will be attracted attractive to girls.

In this sentence, what does they refer to?
Does it mean boys or does it refer to certain car and aftershave?


texts:
Here goes:

  Quite how much we should value consistency is an interesting issue.

I have looked up all meaning of "quite", but still puzzled by that.


texts: Help to clearly understand 'TO' when object becomes new subject

texts:
Some dictionaries seem to indicate that 'TO' in some sentences is just there to 'mark the infinitive', thus giving meaning to the sentence

and they list examples like these:

  I want TO open the window
  I want her TO open the door

but that can't be it... the same definition of 'TO' for all sentences. Especially since I see two people involved in the second sentence, and that seems to be enough to call them 'different'. Two people, two actions, how are they really affected by that 'TO'? What role do they exactly play in the sentence, grammatically speaking?

In sentences such as the following:

  I want her TO open the window
  I need him TO give me money
  I asked them TO leave the room
  I ordered them TO shut up

Are the objects(people) to be the doers of the second action(infinitives)
i.e:
she will open the window
he will give me money
they will leave the room
they will shut up

and that that is what I want/need/asked/ordered?


texts:
I am trying to say that a number X defines "how every minutes" the operation Y will take place.

That means, if the number X is 10, the operation Y will be performed every 10 minutes.

This is the actual context (it's a technical documentation):

value="10": Sets how every minutes the operation will be performed


texts: What is the difference between "analysis" and "study"?

texts:
I came across the following paragraph in a book on political science:

"As I enter my third decade of teaching undergraduates, I also find
myself increasingly convinced of the importance of helping students
understand that analytical approaches to the study of politics have
many practical and immediate uses, whether in clarifying the logic
behind divergent perspectives on international security questions or
in identifying the shared ontological assumptions of individualist
conservatism and classical liberalism."

What does analytical approach mean here? Does study of politics itself doesn't mean analysis of politics? Since the study of politics also means the analysis of politics, could the above boldened sentence be rephrased to "I also find myself increasingly convinced of the importance of helping students understand that analytical approaches to the analysis (instead of study) of politics..."? Now, what would an "analytical approach" to the "analysis of something" mean?


texts: What's the difference between "it seems like" and "it looks like"?

texts: Is there any difference between the two??