texts: Requirements/Guidelines for Writing a Paper

texts:
What is a word for the requirements/guidelines for writing a paper?

I have to do an essay in which I need to provide a comprehensive definition of such and such, and include explanations for these aspects of such and such, and make sure to explain the significance such and such, and do  lots of other things. All these rules/guidelines are typed onto a single sheet of paper. It's not a rubric or a prompt. What is this piece of paper called?

Thank you for your help.


texts: How to describe a definite one of Picasso's paintings as well as an indefinite one of them?

texts:
I'm sure there are many, many paintings drawn by Pablo Picasso.
How do you refer to one of those paintings?

First, here's what I know is a correct way of doing so:

  a. I saw a Picasso at a museum.
  b. I saw the Picasso at a museum.

But I'd like to use the word 'painting' in both a. and b. Now, I think I cannot say either of these:

  c. *I saw a Picasso's painting at a museum.
  d. *I saw the Picasso's painting at a museum.

Am I right that c. and d. don't work?

If so, how can I express a. and b. while still using the word 'painting'?

Here are some examples I can think of:

  e. I saw a painting of Picasso at a museum.
  f. I saw the painting of Picasso at a museum.

OR

  g. I saw a painting of Picasso's at a museum.
  h. I saw the painting of Picasso's at a museum.

OR

  i. I saw one of Picasso's paintings at a museum.
  j. I saw the one of Picasso's paintings at a museum.

Do e.-j. work as alternatives to a. and b.?

Also, if there are any other suggestions, please let me know.


texts:
I would like others to tell me which sentence is written correctly.

One of my friends took me this photo.
One of my friends took this photo of me.

Thank you!


texts: Is it possible to use the possessive pronoun "whose" for things that are not human being?

texts:
So far I came across cases that the usage of the possessive pronoun "whose" refer to human being. For instance:

  "The man whose horse was strongest, won the competition".

Then my question is if it's possible to use the determiner "whose" for things that are not human being, it means for inanimate things.

For instance:

  The pan whose lid is transparent, is now now on the stove."

n.b. I saw the claim that it's a duplicate of another question here on ELL but as well as the question there is not clear as you can see, also the answers are not clear and actually after I read there the answers I didn't really succeeded to understand what is the answer for my question.


texts: Are they the same in meaning, the open door and the opened door?

texts: What is the difference between "the open door" and "the opened door"? Are they the same in meaning? Please explain it. Thanks a lot.


texts:
Does the sentence sound good to you, given the context that I have been spending some time preparing for the test:

  I am becoming increasingly happier with the way I write for the IELTS
  exam.

Thanks!


texts:
I have the following sentence. (I asked several questions regarding it)

  Otherwise, we should find another anchor within the page which has a common ancestor with the anchor under consideration which encloses the target section.

The bold text should be a relative clause for the "common ancestor", but it may be related to the "anchor under consideration".

How should I, in general, make such sentences with several relative clauses. where in the sentence each should be placed?


texts:
It is about the word "above" in the term: "Notwithstanding the above"
Would one interpret the "above" literally?

Example:

Tommorow I think it will rain. Or even worse.

Notwithstanding the above, I will go to circus

Does the "above" relate to the sentence before, or above in this case? Or is it just a fixed term?


texts: How to understand "wearing Converse shoes"?

texts:
The article:

  Back in the 90’s, a lot of people were wearing Converse shoes and
  writing CGI scripts in Perl. Then PHP came along and, as much as some
  people like to rag on it, it made making dynamic web pages much
  easier.

So, what does "wearing Converse shoes" means here? Is "Converse shoes" just a popular element in the 90’s?


texts:
Too much questions

Is this correctly used or wrong?

I thought it should be many or a few.


texts:
And Then There Were None

This is the title of A. Christie's mystery novel. Why is there the verb "were" used instead of "was"? Are in this case these two verbs interchangeable?


texts:
I came across the passage "My mum would get in a flap...", so I wonder: what does "get in a flap" mean?

I've found that "flap" means, as a noun: 'An excited state of agitation'. Of course, there are other meanings, but I found this one to be the nearest in context. I still can't quite figure out the correct explanation though.


texts: happened in the past, but used a simple present tense

texts:
Katie Brennan speaks for the first time publicly. ‘My pleas went unanswered' by Murphy administration

  Brennan recounted the days, weeks and months after she says she was
  raped by Albert J. Alvarez, who resigned in October as chief of staff
  to the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.

I think she "says" happened in the past, and the main tense is also in past tense.


texts: I was looking for the meaning of the word "weasel", and when I found it on " vocabluary.com" I came across an unfamiliar, to me, usage of "of". Here is the excerpt from it. "A  weasel is a sly and sneaky person. Your weasel of a friend has a habit of "forgetting" his wallet every time he goes out to dinner with you." what does "your weasel of a friend" there mean? Does that mean that your weasel is your friend? I cannot catch on this usage of the of phrase.


texts:
This video (https://youtu.be/SY_iFntJ8xY?t=148) is talking about some Real Estate Tips.

  all the garbage and water
  bills are also paid directly by you and
  not an HOA. however, in some developments
  mostly newer ones, there's a small HOA fee usually this is
  paid by the neighborhood to maintain a
  local park and the greenery near the
  roadway

Does developments mean the building?

So, I can use the word developments this way

  Condos,  Townhouses, Detached Homes are 3 main types of developments.

Is my understanding right?


texts: When both are used as modifiers, is there any difference in meaning or usage? like 'verb phrase', 'verbal construction', etc.


texts: What is the difference of meaning between "conserve" and "save"?

texts: While I was reading my assignment, I wandered that the difference of meaning between the word 'Conserve' and 'Save' because, in Korean, the meanings of the words are same. I want to know that.


texts:
Is the use of "until" correct in the below context:

  Until you do that one role that people recognise you for, you don't become an actor.

And would this be correct:

  Unless you do that one role that people recognise you for, you don't become an actor.

Please help.


texts:
Rather than reject even the possibility that photographs have something to tell us about the Shoah, Didi-Huberman shows that they can offer other important insights.

Do "Rather than rejecting" and "rather than reject" mean the same? Please explain the sentence structure which seems to me rather unfamiliar.


texts:
What does "VP" mean in job titles?

It goes with different titles "VP of Acquiring", "VP of Strategic Alliances", "VP of Sales", "VP of Sales and Marketing" or "VP of Events".


texts: "have you ever gone to" to ask past experience

texts:
is it correct to ask:
Have you ever gone to Spain?
if i want to know whether or not he had visited Spain in his life (experience)?


texts:
In one of my previous questions, Tiercelet left a comment:

  It's a pleasure to work with such well-thought-out and nuanced
  questions!

It seems work with has a similar meaning to work on or work at here.

However, I have consulted multiple dictionaries. They don't have examples for work with. Could work on or work at be used here instead?

User3169 provided a source below I had failed to look up. The TheFreeDictionary offers several examples:

  Let me work with him for a while. I'll convince him.

  I want to work with this engine and see if I can get it started.

But I would have worded them this way:

  Let me work on him for a while. I'll convince him. (Or simply, let me work (transitive) him for a while. )

  I want to work at/on this engine and see if I can get it started.

Any different connotations implied?


texts: Is this superfluous? -- "There would be fewer follies, >and< happiness and good feeling all around ..."

texts:
There would be fewer follies, and happiness and good feeling all around if we applied the scientific attitude to all our affairs.

Is it not superfluous to include and in "and happiness and good feeling all around"?

Suggestions please.


texts: What does "block" mean in "That chemical-engineering block..."?

texts:
What is the meaning of the word "block" in the following context?

Is it logical that anybody should be expected to be afraid of the work that they feel they were put on this Earth to do. And what is it specifically about creative ventures that seems to make us really nervous about each other's mental health in a way that other careers kind of don't do, you know?
Like my dad, for example, was a chemical engineer and I don't recall once in his 40 years of chemical engineering anybody asking him if he was afraid to be a chemical engineer, you know? "That chemical-engineering block, John, how's it going?" It just didn't come up like that, you know?


texts:
Macmillan dictionary examples:

A swim in the sea seemed a perfect finish to the day.
I didn't see the finish of the game

Apart from these I have also heard:
**Greatest ever finish to a cricket match **.

Tell me the difference between "Finish of" and "finish to".


texts: Can I say: "He is carving way into there?"

texts:
I have already mentioned the place and I don't want repeat it; so I wonder if I can use "there" instead to refer to the same place.

Sentence:

  The difference between the guys working out at the back of the gym, and the one
  who is still carving his way into "there" (The back of the gym)

Thanks!


texts: What does "moving past binary" mean in an LGBT context?

texts:
I have a language problem. What does "moving past binary" or "moving past binary conversation" exactly means in LGBT context?

So how it would sound in one sentence? That it's about gender binaries from the past? Sorry, but I don't know what means here to move past, like back to the past?


texts: Is "Artists are other than politicians played their own roles of cultural critics." a correct sentence?

texts:
Is this sentence correct grammatically?

  Artists are other than politicians played their own roles of cultural critics.

I found it here and I think it should be transliterated incorrectly.


texts: "They did not pay any attention" vs "They paid no attention"

texts:
I made two sentences:
1. "They did not pay any attention"
2. "They paid no attention"

Q1: Are they both correct?
Q2: What's the difference between these two sentences.
Q3: Which expression is better and when to use it?

Thanks!


texts: What does “raising money to keep their block safe” mean in this context?

texts: I can't understand the relationship between 'raising money' and 'block safe'. Isn't it the duty of police?


texts: Usage of "this" and "that" in logical and mathematical argumentation

texts:
I know that the use of those -  [is "those" here correct since it is referring to something I already mentioned?]   - words commonly depend upon the (physical) distance to the referring object.

But how do I proceed if there is no physical object to which I am referring?
In particular, in a chain of arguments and conclusions.

For instance:

"... assertion A holds.

-This/That means ...

-By this/that we can see...

-With this/that observation

-We can apply this to..."

and so on.

Since I have no feeling for the difference, and expect the rule mentioned in the beginning, I am not sure of the proper use.

My thoughts are:

-If we refer to something previously mentioned, based on the rule, I would be inclined to use "this" since, as it is already mentioned, we "posses" the argument already, thus providing a kind of closeness.

-If we refer to something that will be mentioned subsequently, then as opposed to the argument above I would use "that" since, as it is not yet mentioned, it is still far away, figuratively.


texts: Does "pop out" has the meaning of "born"?

texts:
From the Jobs' speech in Stanford, there is a sentence:

  Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl.

You can see there is a phrase pop out and I understand it as "born". But I can't find such explanations in the dictionary.

So does it have the meaning of born, or just can be inferred from the context? When can I use it to express born and shall I use it?


texts:
I wonder if we need the word there in these questions:

  How many people are (there) in your family?

  How many apples are
  (there) in the fridge?

I think that there is like a subject because the answers of this type of question is There is/ are______. Is it true? Is it necessary to put there in the questions?


texts: How would you say the Negation of "be supposed to"

texts:
How would you say the Negation of following sentences?

She is supposed to be happy.
It is supposed to be hard.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a off day.
He is supposed to be there.
He is supposed to know that.
She is supposed to be able to come to party tomorrow.

I thought that just put "not" between verb to be and supposed,
but according to my dictionary, "be not supposed to" expresses the prohibition. However the degree of prohibition is not strong compared with "must not" or "can not".
For example,

You are not supposed to smoke here.
You are not supposed to use it.

These sentences express the "prohibition".

If my dictionary is true, when I say "She is not supposed to be happy", it would not make sense.

How should I say them?
For example,

She can't be happy.
It can't be hard.
Tomorrow may not be a off day.
There's no way that he is there.
There's no way that he knows that.
She might be impossible to come to party tomorrow.

Are these correct?


texts:
My friend has recently changed the colour of her hair and it suits her. I would
say: "Have you coloured your hair?" it looks nice.  Is this correct?
Is it clear I am referring to a recent act of colouring and that I am not asking if she has ever coloured her hair?


texts: "Let’s try them in a sentence" vs. "Let’s try them in some sentences"

texts:
A tutorial introduces some rules about pronunciation

when one word ends with a consonant sound, and the next word starts
with the same consonant sound, we link the sounds.

And then some exceptions are introduced

But, there are two exceptions to this rule: we don’t link /tʃ/ or /dʒ/ sounds ...

to given some examples to practice, the speaker says

Let’s try them in a sentence

Using "them" to refer to "two exceptions" is reasonable. However, she gives two sentences after then.
Should she say the following?

Let’s try them in some sentences


texts: "Who has emerged as the less gutsy Nadal to his less regal Federer, playing to the heart-warmed fans"

texts:
What does the bold part mean?

I don't understand the structure of it, especially the "less […] to […]" part.

  The match itself was something of an anticlimax. Djokovic, spent from
  his encounter with del Potro, never generated much momentum. The
  outcome seemed a foregone conclusion after Murray, with his roadrunner
  serve, delivered an ace at 6–5, 40–0 to win the second set. Less than
  an hour later, on match point No. 4, Djokovic hit a backhand into the
  net, giving Murray the championship at 6–4, 7–5, 6–4. (In
  contravention of stadium rules, Alex Salmond, the secessionist First
  Minister of Scotland, unfurled a Scottish flag.) Djokovic had seemed
  less than Zen during the match, but he delivered a gracious tribute to
  Murray, who has emerged as the less gutsy Nadal to his less regal
  Federer, playing to the heart-warmed fans. “He absolutely deserved
  this win,” he said, of Murray. “He played incredible tennis. And
  congratulations to his team, and to all of you guys in the home
  country. It was an absolute honor and pleasure to be part of it.”


texts:
I wonder if someone could tell me which one of the following choices work in AmE nowadays as a polite way of bringing up a disagreement:

  -A- I take the liberty to disagree.
  -B- I humbly disagree.
  -C- I dare to disagree.
  -D- I venture to disagree.

I guess excepting "D" all of them work, but "C" sounds a bit old-fashioned and the most appropriate is "B". Anyway I think "A" and "B" cannot be used in separated contexts and they mean the same.


texts:
For example:

If there are 5 houses in the village and I passed 4 houses and now at 5th house I finally arrived to the destination. It took me how many houses to get there or after how many houses I finally found the right place I had to get to?

After 5 or after 4 houses?

Or another example to understand me:

If I am trying to find the right video or song and I watched already watched 4 videos and now I am on 5th video and that is the video I was looking for.

And someone asks me after how many videos did you find the video you were looking for? Should I say: AFTER 5 videos or AFTER 4 videos?

Or another example:

You have had 3 girlfriends in total. 2 before and now you have 3rd and she is the one you love the most. Would you say: I finally found the right one after 2 girls or 3 girls?

The question is should I count in the one which was considered the right one?


texts: An alternative single word for "He/She" and "his/her"?

texts:
In the following sentence ( taking it as an example )

  Everyone applying for scholarship has to fill the form. He/She must also provide his/her result card with his/her form.

I am wondering, can I possibly use some word instead of "He/She" and "his/her" which will provide the same meaning? ( I need a word if possible. I know that changing the structure of sentence can be done to avoid using he/she and his/her )


texts:
How should I ask this correctly?

Does he buy it himself or we should also buy one for him?

Or

Does he buy it himself or should we also buy one for him?

Many thanks.


texts: "take the bar with shoulder-width apart" or "grip the bar shoulder-width apart"?

texts:
Which option would be more natural in context of weightlifing.

  Take the bar with a grip shoulder-width apart and curl you hands, then lower it back down.

  Grip the bar shoulder-width apart and curl your hands, then lower it back down.

Is the first sentence constructed correct, if it is, then which one sounds more natural?


texts: Whether there should be a comma before "based"?

texts:
In the following sentence,I would like to know whether there should be a comma before "based".

  Products should be designed by entrepreneurs,based on what customers say they want.


texts: Adjective, if adjective: eg "pointed, if fatherly"

texts:
They were pointed, if fatherly, remarks that echoed the themes he has
stressed in his papacy but ones that resonated all the more in a newly
renovated cathedral surrounded by the luxurious shops of Fifth Avenue.
— New York Times

I'm not sure the meaning of the phrase "if fatherly" in the above sentence.
I'm not familiar with the syntax using the structure 'adjective, if adjective'.


texts:
I would like  inquire about the correct usage of preposition to/by after replace. for example:

  Please replace this word to something else.
  Please replace this word by something else.

Are these two sentences correct? If yes then what is the difference n meaning ?


texts: "The other chapters of this book" or "other chapters of this book"?

texts: To refer to all chapters except of the current one: "the other chapters of this book" or "other chapters of this book" (without "the")?


texts:
Here it goes:

  As you prepare, make a point of being conscious of your pacing and tone. Practice with an interview buddy or career coach. Allow your natural enthusiasm and personality to shine, but let's not frighten people. The interviewer(s) should be left with the sense that you really get the company, and you're excited to work there, but you're also composed.

Does that mean that the person has to show that he/she really likes the company he/she wants to work for?


texts: General or Specific? Should the definite article be used?

texts:
I know that 'The' is the definite article, which is used in front of a noun when a specific thing or group of things is referred to as opposed to making general statements.

However some confusion arose when I look at the sentence below:

I will destroy (the?) people who interfere with my plans.

My questions is this: Is the above sentence identifying a particular group of people, and is the definite article needed?

If the sentence is constructed this way :

I will destroy the people who interfered with my plans!

It would make perfect sense why the definite article is required, as the readers would understand from it that there were people who interfered, and the speaker, with anger and frustration, wants to get revenge on those people.

However, in sentence number 1, the speaker didn't refer to people in general (everyone) but 'people that interfere'(specific). Yet the speaker doesn't know who will and who won't get in the way of his/her plans, and neither do the listeners.
To add to that, I feel like sentence number 1 sounds better with than without the definite article, but that is disregarding logic and grammar rules (which I couldn't find one to answer my question).

Here is another sentence I looked at:

I like people that are confident.

This sounds very much correct and much better than 'I like the people that are confident.' But isn't 'people that are confident' also definite? What is the logic here? Does a relative clause determine if a noun is definite or indefinite?

Many thanks.


texts: Is "can be viewed using many different devices" correct? Is it missing a word?

texts:
Web pages can be viewed using many different devices: desktops, tablets, and phones.

I don't understand "viewed using" section. I think it miss a certain word.


texts: Is it correct not to use the article in the following sentence?

texts:
I have rewritten a sentence as follows, and my cousin asked me why I didn't use any article before administrator/owner/creator/manager.

  On the user profile page, I need to add a block showing the groups for which the user is administrator/owner/creator/manager.

I didn't find a satisfactory explanation, and I am wondering if not using the article is correct English.

Is not using the article before administrator/owner/creator/manager correct/acceptable English?
If the sentence is fine without the article, why is it possible to write it without an article?


texts:
What is the point in/of doing it?

Which preposition is correct?

I have always been using "in" buf yesterday my Australian friend said "point in". Are they both correct? Is there any difference in meaning?

(I apologize if there is already the same question but i did not find it)

Thanks in advance.


texts: Should I use "was" or "is" in the following sentence?

texts:
Should I use was or is in this sentence?

  I asked them if Person X was/is in any way related to or affiliated with their organization at any time.

My guess is "at any time" warrants "was". Is this correct?


texts:
Dirtiness: the state of being dirty

  Example:
  - I don't mind a little bit of a mess - it's dirtiness I can't stand.

Cleanness: how something is clean

I need to know if using these two words in the further self-made sentence sounds idiomatic or not:

  Nobody likes dirtiness.
  Nobody dislikes cleanness.

I suspect whether native speakers in this sense say just:

  Nobody likes being dirty.
  Nobody dislikes being clean.

I would appreciate it if you let me know about them. If they're not natural, then what is the normal way to say it?


texts: Do I need to invert the subject and verb in questions?

texts:
I came across this post and makes me wonder about below 2 sentences:

How can I do this?
How I can do this?

Considering subject should come before auxillary verb, please clarify if only 1 from above is correct or both are correct giving different meanings to the sentence.


texts:
Here is a real case I have met in my workplace.

  Staff A: Is the goddamn pigeon dead?

  Manager: What's happened? (turn to me)

  Me: ...Staff A asked me to check if the annoying pigeon is dead.

I am not sure whether it is grammatically correct to use present tense in the above reported speech, becasue some English teacher said this:

  But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we
  change the tenses in the reported speech.

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech.html

Should I say this instead?

  Staff A asked me to check if the annoying pigeon had been dead.


texts: He seems to be doing/feeling a lot better

texts:
Let's say I'm talking to my brother when we see a friend who we haven't seen in a while and who we know is/has been struggling with depression but when we see him he seems to be in a very good mood. What would be natural to say to my brother about the friend:

He seems to be doing a lot better.

Or

He seems to be feeling a lot better.

?


texts: difference among "could","can","would","will" in meaning

texts:
If you know football really well, then you could/can/would/will probably explain it to a non-fan.

source:http://marker.to/GwLeLi


texts: what do you call it when you suddenly remember something?

texts:
Suppose, you and your friends are hanging out. One of your friends brings up a topic. Suddenly, a funny thing that has happened in the past, comes to your mind. what do you say? Do you say:

"I just remembered a funny thing...."

That sounds odd to me. That is why I'm asking the question. Which verb would you use?


texts: What does "it" refer to in, "Strange as it may seem..."?

texts:
I have a sentence below and some say it means "the Sahara" but I doubt it as it doesn't make sense if it does. Does anyone have any idea about it?

  Strange as it may seem, the Sahara was once an expanse of grassland
  supported the kind of animal life associated with the African plains.


texts:
scoop [countable] a tool like a large spoon with a deep bowl, used for
  picking up substances in powder form like flour, or for serving food
  like ice cream

  Use an ice-cream scoop.

This is common in Asia, it looks like a very large scoop but is not used to scoop ice-cream.It is used to scoop water probably from a bucket for example, but sometimes people can wash the fruits in it.

What is it called: "a scoop"?


texts: What does "it was nothing to how Harry felt." mean?

texts:
... And if the Dursleys were unhappy to have him back for the holidays, it was nothing to how Harry felt.

Normally, I see the phrase "it was nothing to" + sb, but here it's followed by "how Harry felt". So, I don't quite understand what it means. Is it a normal usage? What's the whole sentence trying to convey?


texts:
Let's say I want my student to elaborate their knowledge, their skills:

  Use these books as a reference.

I'm not necessarily mean that they must thoroughly study these book, I rather mean that they can find answers to their questions in these books.

Is a word "reference" a good fit here? If it is, then should I use singular or plural form? If it isn't, then what other term or phrase can I use?


texts: What does "give lower grade offered to somebody" mean?

texts:
What does it mean and is it a good or bad thing for working-class students?

"Last month, Labour politician David Lammy called for Oxbridge to give lower grade offered to working-class students."

Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/09/big-issue-seller-wins-dream-place-Cambridge-university/


texts:
Is considered adjective in the below sentence? If it is adjective, why is it adjective?

  That could be considered 'best practice'.


texts:
Direct speech: "You may borrow my car for a day."

I would like to convert this to indirect speech. Which option is more appropriate?

  A) He permitted to borrow his car for a day.

or

  B) He told her that she might borrow his car for a day.**

[I think the answer is B but it may also mean to give permission.]


texts: Has this sentence been diagrammed correctly?

texts:
To go = an infinitive functioning as the subject
without you = a prepositional phrase modifying the subject
wouldn't be = a modal auxiliary verb +  a linking verb
any fun = a predicate noun (adjective modified by adverb)


texts: "Birthday" vs "Date of birth" on a website form

texts:
In a login form for a website, what expression would fit better for the date input field? Birthday or Date of Birth?

And why?


texts:
Can we use 'while' with a noun phrase i.e. with a clause that does not make a complete sentence?

e.g. We stay home while our kids playing out.

Is this grammatical? Or is it necessary to place stative verb [are] in this?
Like we sometimes drop the subject and verb in the clause of while.

We run while we have our jumpers on.
We run while our jumpers on.


texts: Differentiating between precursor and pioneering

texts:
Having considered definition as to the following terms, could we always apply "precursor"
 instead of "pioneering"?

  precursor (of/to something)
  (formal)
   a person or thing that comes before somebody/something similar and that leads to or influences its development : a stringed instrument that was the precursor of the guitar;
  events that were precursors to revolution

  pioneering: introducing ideas and methods that have never been used before:
  pioneering work on infant mortality; the pioneering days of radio

Also, for precursor, when should you use "a precursor to" vs "a precursor of"? Is there a difference in meaning between the two?

Would you just explain the updated questions?
UPDATED
So, is the following correct? Captain Cook was the pioneer in the discovery of new lands.

And, could you differentiate any difference between pioneering and pioneer as a noun? –


texts: 2nd conditional and 3rd conditional flexibilty usage

texts:
Let's say your friend got into trouble yesterday because one of his co-workers was bullying him for no good reason, so your friend punched his co-worker on the face. A day has passed, then you just told to your friend this:

  If that happened to me, I would do it too (choice#1)

  If that had happened to me, I would have done it too (choice#2)

Are they both valid to use in this situation OR I should use only one of the these two?


texts:
I found this in a book that I'm reading. It says the following:

  the mist was so thick, however, that visibility was down to a few yards

What does the phrase "down to a few yards" mean, taking visibility into context?


texts: Is there any problem with this statement?

texts:
I have been studying some differences between Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous and, recently, I came across with this statement:

I have been running 10 km.

As far as I'm concerned, so that this sentence to become right, we need to remove the term "10 km". Am I right?


texts: Which preposition is the best for the word "priority"

texts:
I would like to know which preposition is the best for the sentence below;

  Set priorities of/for/to/on your tasks at work.


texts:
What is the difference between and when to use them?
1. I got my hair stuck in the nail
2. My hair got stuck in the nail

I Know about this
1. I got my hair cut - Means - Having some one else do the hair cut
2. I cut my hair - Means - doing the hair cut by the same person


texts:
The man they said was her husband, seated in a chair ...

I always think 2 verbs can't be linked.


texts:
A second American journalist appears to have been executed by Islamic State militants after another chilling video emerged online overnight. (Aussie ABC’s transcript; part of the audio; original
A second American journalist appears to have been executed by Islamic State militants with another chilling video emerging online overnight.  (my transcript)

The audio is not matched with 1 - English sounds being way different from my own, there could be errors. It needs to be corrected with, whose semantic meaning is OLAD #11. But can ‘after’ be used in the same context? Can 'after' be used to denote a cause for something? If yes, is whose meaning OLAD #6 -  as a result of or because of something that has happened?


texts: Can "axiomatically" be used in this way?

texts:
Quick question, is this sayable, can you use "axiomatically" like this:

Conventional wisdom has us thinking that technological, social and scientific progress is axiomatically a good thing, but is it really ?

For comparison, the initial sentence I wrote was:

Conventional wisdom has us thinking that technological, social and scientific progress is necessarily only a good thing, but is it really ?


texts: "These crazy reactions greatly increase the chances that you will soon embrace it too."

texts:
I do not entirely understand the following sentences in this article:

  Urging visits to Qom, I fear, is the reaction of a government that has at last recognized
  its own limitations and has, at some level, embraced the virus.
  These crazy reactions greatly increase the chances that you will soon embrace it too.

Does the last line mean that crazy and bizarre reactions/solutions to the crisis will make us more hopeless and make us simply embrace the crisis?


texts: Doubt in the reduction of relative clause statement

texts:
I found the following information at
https://www.thoughtco.com/reduced-relative-clauses-1211107

  I gave a book which was written by Hemingway to Mary last week.

  The second example sentence cannot be reduced because the relative clause "which was written by Hemingway" modifies an object of the verb 'give'.

However, I found the following information with some examples at the following site http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/rules/relative.htm

  When the relative clause contains a present or past participle and the auxiliary verb "to be", in such cases both the relative pronoun and auxiliary can be left out:

Here, the following example appears to contradict with what is mentioned at the former site:

  She was wearing a dress (which was) covered in blue flowers.

I want to know which one out of the above two is correct.


texts: Function of "in making" within " This war is in no ones interest, a disaster in making"

texts:
Would someone please explain the  grammatical role of the phrase "in making" inside:

  This war is in no one's interest, a disaster in making.

?


texts:
What is the difference between following two statements?

  How are you doing?
  How do you do?


texts:
I have a question. correct me If I am wrong: I think when I say

  I gave my dad a mobile phone last year. That was so that I could contact him whenver I wanted to.

it's another way of saying

  I gave my dad a mobile phone last year so that I could contact him whenever I wanted to.

But when I say

  I gave my dad a mobile phone last year. This is so that I can contact him whenever I want to.

it's another way of saying

  I gave my dad a mobile phone last year so that I can contact him whenever I want to.

Am I right?


texts:
Leave the vegetables to steam over the rice for the 20 minutes cooking
time
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/es/diccionario/ingles-espanol/cooking-time

Shouldn't the phrase be "for the 20 minutes OF cooking time"?


texts:
I am a bit confused when to use matters to and when to use matters for in a sentence. When referring to a person I always used matters to as in It may not matter to you. But sometimes I also use matters for. For instance when I  say Working hard matters for getting ahead in life.

But now I came across this sentence for which I want to use matter as a verb. Thing A is important to the company

Is it

Thing A matters to the company

or

Thing A matters for the company

I am not sure which one to use and whether there exists a clear cut rule that I can use going forward.

thanks for reading


texts:
Markings on your skin.
Marks on your skin.
Pencil marks on your skin.
A pencil mark on your skin.

How is each different from each other and what context would be proper for each?


texts:
I talked to the man dancing.

Could I be the one who was dancing and not him?

I think the sentence could mean 'I talked to the man who was dancing'; but can't it also mean I talked to the man while I was dancing?

  I talked to him dancing.

Who is dancing in this sentence?

  I talked to him while dancing.

Who is dancing in this sentence?


texts: What do you call political institutions that are not independent?

texts: If something, for example a political institution, serves only to make a false appearance that that institution exists (for example, courts or legislatures that are heavily dependent on the head of state's will in undemocratic countries), what do you call it? I thought I could use the words 'decorative' or 'decoration', but Lexico doesn't seem to support that view.


texts:
Is "don't" considered informal In writing?
Originally, I thought that all contractions are informal, but I remember later I saw "don't"  also used in formal writings, or am I wrong? Thanks!


texts: Is subjunctive mood used after would like that

texts:
Which one of the following two sentences is correct

I would like that you finish the project on time.

I would like that you finished the project on time.

In my book second one is correct but I think first one is correct, please help me clear my doubt
Thanks


texts: simple present or present perfect, which one to use and when?

texts:
So, to be more specific, I am confused between when to use the simple past tense and when to use the present perfect(has/have)? Based on the context, can anyone please tell me when to use them and how? Also, which one out of the following is correct:-

I don't think I ever mentioned out here.
I don't think I have ever mentioned out here

Which one to use? Or is there any better way to say/write?


texts: Does 'much later' here mean just 'a lot later' or 'for a long time'?

texts:
Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go-Cupboard-stay-no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.

  Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch.

This is from Harry potter and I'm confused about 'much later' here beacuse I first thought that just literally means 'a lot' later, so 'many hours later after uncle vernon told Harry to stay in his cupboard...',

but in the trasnlated version of this book(in my language),
it's translated like 'Harry was laying in his cupboard 'for a long time', and he wished he had...'.

I know it's not an important question, but I just wanna make it sure,so.. Is it just a mistranslation?


texts:
The entry for "wish" in OAAD gives an example:

  Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it (= and find that you really don't want it).

I find it difficult to pin down the bold sentence, but of course it's simple both grammatically and semantically. I guess it's because of different cultures. There is no equivalent of that in Chinese. What's its pragmatic-context usage?

And I don't quite understand how You just might get it is equal to the bracketed sentence. Why just might, not might just? Any difference?


texts: “I hope he visit us more often” Why is this wrong?

texts:
I desire he visit us more often.

This is correct, right?

  I hope he visit us more often.

Why is this incorrect? Why should I use “visits” instead?


texts:
This explains why 'least worst' is logically absurd, yet it accepts 'least bad'.

Does 'least bad' = best? Is this adjective grammatically valid? It sounds wrong and superfluous.
If "more/most good/bad, less/least bad/good" are always wrong, then what legitimates 'least bad'?
Are there any other adjectives of this construct or form or issue?

Source: p 146, The Legal Analyst, Ward Farnsworth

  Or you can
  have people cast votes between a series of pairs, and then consider who
  does best—who gets the most votes in all those pair-wise contests (an idea
  associated with Jean-Charles de Borda), or who has the least bad negative
  showing in any of them...


texts:
What is the difference between adaptive and adaptative? I found an explanation here but I don't really understand it.

In addition, my spell-checkers (on various softwares, on various computers) tell me that adaptative does not exist. In various scientific publication about adaptive meshes (I used to work on self-refining meshes using wavelets and multi-wavelets) I found adaptive but I never found adaptative (I don't say it is never used, I just say I never saw it). This lead me to think the right word is adaptive but I recently saw adaptative in some documentation and checked an online translator (wordreference for those willing to know) which told me the word does exist.


texts:
Which tense can I use in these sentences and why?

Between 15.00 and 16.00 the day after tomorrow I have/am having/will be having/am going to have a game of tennis, so come to see me after that.
I’m studying hard today because I have/am having an exam tomorrow.


texts: Most expensive design Vs Most recent design

texts:
In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet
flexible
materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most
expensive/recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports, called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake's vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction. The new designs should offer even greater resistant
/security to cities where earthquakes often take place.

My Approach
In the first blank, I am unable to find the difference that would be more appropriate
In the second blank, as per definitions I could see the following meanings and found resistant to be more appropriate because the new designs offer greater resistant/protection to cities.
resistant --> Immune to /immunity/protect
security --> safety
Can anyone guide me on the approach? Thanks in advance


texts:
Nights in white satin/
Never reaching the end/
Letters I've written/
Never meaning to send

I have problems with understanding the verses "Letters I've written/ Never meaning to send" of the song by The Moody Blues. Does "Never meaning to send" have the same meaning in the context as "never meant to be sent" which would make much more sense to me than the used form.


texts: 'I haven't played for four months' or 'I didn't play for four months?'

texts:
Today I played a video game with my friends that I used to play always before four months from now, so the context with my friends was :

  A: Why don't you play well?
  B: Man, I didn't play for four months

So I wondered if my usage (didn't play for four months) was proper and correct since I meant that during four months before today I didn't play a single match. I hope my text is clear.


texts: the difference between "another" vs "the/my/your... other"

texts:
You’ve met Linda, but my other sister, who[m]  you haven’t met is named Margaret.
You’ve met Lucy, but I have another sister, named Lily, who[m] you haven’t met.

Does the speaker in sentence 1 have two sisters  and the speaker in sentence 2 have more than 2 sisters?
I think the difference between the/my/your...other and another lies in that the amount that they refer to. "the/my/your... other" applies to two people or things, while "another" applies to more than 2 people or things. Am I right?


texts: Examining some elliptical structures - Part II

texts:
After reading the comments and answer for this post, I have realized that the best (and/or maybe the only) way to master elliptical structure is seeing and examining more examples in this subject.

I have seen that we can have the following typical examples in elliptical structures:

  I answered the question yesterday, and him answered the question today.

  She made him angry, not him made her angry .

(Please note that in above examples the elided words are indicated with subscripts.)

But, I expected that the following must be correct:

  I answered the question yesterday, and he answered the question today.

  She made him angry, not he made her angry .

Can any one help me to answer the following?

Are the former typical examples correct? Why do we have such typical examples? Are English speakers free to use objective pronouns instead of subjective ones whenever they want?
If all of them are correct, which form is more appropriate for formal writing?

Updated

For those who may claim that the above examples are absolutely incorrect I want to cite the following passage from Hudson’s article1(pages 61& 62):

”In particular, pronouns often appear in their non-subject form when they are in the subject position of a gapped conjunct: He likes her, and her, him. Some speakers say they prefer the subject form in such cases (He likes her, and she, him), but we simply do not know for sure who actually uses which form in speech ... The main fact is that non-subject pronoun forms are far more acceptable in subject position when they precede a gap than in other situations.”

1. Hudson, R. 1989. Gapping and grammatical relations. Journal of Linguistics 25, 57-94. One can read the article here.


texts:
Recently I wrote a science article. I sent it to a website and they responded with:

  We receive the paper [...]

What does "receive" mean here? I can't ask them what did they mean. They've read but haven't accepted yet or they accepted the paper?


texts: In the sentence "the government has accepted an enforceable undertaking from the auditor" I don't understand the meaning of the preposition "from". In this context, I think it should be "to" instead of "from".


texts:
Now I am reading this article and I don't understand this line with sorry.

  “Times have definitely changed a lot but my love of the Air Jordan has not,” Geller says, noting that he and his wife were married on 11/11, for which they each broke out a fresh pair of Nike Jordan 11s.

I think the verb ( bold one ) break out means "to buy", but my googling by "break out buy meaning" doesn't produce anything such. Could someone help me, will you?

I appreciate your support in advance.


texts:
I wanted to ask my teacher not to teach one grammar in a session that I'm absent.

I have class Saturday/Monday/Wednesday

A) Imagine today is Wednesday

B) My teacher wants to teach that grammar in 2 sessions which is Monday

C) I want to ask my teacher to teach it in 3 sessions which is next Wednesday

  Could you not teach the grammar in the next 2 sessions and teach it(
  leave it until) in  next 3 sessions?

How can I say this by saying number of sessions? (I don't want to use weekday names)


texts:
I'd like someone to explain me this contruction. How often and how is it used?

For example:

  It is not that big (of) a deal.

and

  He is not that good (of) a husband.

Are these examples grammatically correct? Are there any other similar constructions to this one? Also, I'd apreciate if told me the "degree of formality" with this construction and when it should or shouldn't be used.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Choosing between the past simple and the present perfect in this sentence

texts:
I hope you're all having a great day.

Isn't it dependent on your point of focus in a given sentence when choosing between the past simple and the present perfect?

For instance, if I have to choose between the two tenses in a sentence that reads:

  I have watched soccer all my life, but I ___ today's match.

  A) didn't watch.

  B) haven't watched.

If my point of focus is the match, I will choose A meaning that the match is over. However if my point of focus is the subject I will choose B meaning that I haven't watched it yet or that I might've tapped it and I'm going to watch it later.

or am I just talking nonsense?

Thanks.


texts: Joining multiple clauses in a single sentence using the comma

texts:
It is the pictorial strategy which was invented in the Renaissance.
  It is the Pictorial strategy which the painters called perspective.

Can the joining of the two sentences be like this:

  It is the pictorial strategy, which the painters called perspective, which is invented in the Renaissance.

It sounds odd.

  It is the pictorial strategy, which the painters called perspective, invented in the Renaissance.

Please help with the grammar rules of joining multiple dependent clauses in one single sentence using the comma.


texts:
Is it okay to say:

  There is not anything wrong with having just enough money to satisfy one's needs, whereas too much money leads to corruptness of the society.

or would it be better if I wrote it as:

  There is not anything wrong with having just enough money to satisfy your needs, whereas too much money leads to corruptness of the society.


texts: can possessive of a noun come before the noun

texts:
I have been having some problem with this sentence.

In Blood Creator, his greedy nature and obsessiveness are used as the most significant traits in the characterization of James.

As you can see here, the possessive adjective "his" appears before the antecedent James, and I don't know if that is grammatical. Is the sentence grammatical as is?


texts: Why "crafty" can not describe a whole plan but "cunning" can?

texts:
Below is an expression from the entry "cunning" and "crafty" in Oxford Learner's Thesaurus.

  Cunning can describe a person or a plan. Crafty usually describes a person;it can also describe a single action, but not a whole plan:
  -That was a crafty move/touch.(O)
  -a crafty ploy by the marketing people.(X)

Why cannot "crafty" describe a whole plan but "cunning" can?


texts:
Suppose that I know what a subject question is.
Now, there's a more tricky case:

  How many people came to the meeting?

The above one doesn't have an auxiliary verb did because it's a question to subject attribute how many (or a question to subject definition. frankly, I don't know how to name this grammar element properly)

Now, there's the other one:

  How much time does it take to get from A to B?

  How much time it takes to make a coffee?

So here is the question: which of the sentences above is grammatically correct? Why should I use does in the former, but omit it in the latter sentence?

And, finally, how should I write the following question:

  How much time this deployment takes?

or

  How much time does this deployment take?

Thanks!


texts: Is dare transitive or intransitive in this sentence?

texts:
She doesn’t dare to leave the baby alone.

Is dare in this sentence transitive or intransitive?

Added by javalatte from comments posted below, because the OP does seem to have hit upon a confusing situation:

The British English definition in the Cambridge Dictionary seems to suggest that it's an intransitive verb, whereas the American English definition in the same place seems to suggest that it's transitive.

The entry in Merriam-Webster doesn't seem to shed any light on this at all.


texts:
Can anyone please tell me, with respect to words’ order which two sentences are correct from pairs given below?

1) It seems fine to me.

Or

1)  It seems to me fine.

2) It occurred good to me.

Or

2) It occurred to me good.

Please give a justification if possible.


texts: I know that "long-shot" roughly means "improbable", but I am not sure what a long-shot job is, at least in the context of searching for such a job. Is it a really odd job, a job where the appliant has very few possibilities of being hired, or something else?


texts:
I want to say something like this,

  "Blaming people on the whole (all the people) is what he always does"

I mean the person is always judging/blaming all the people (or some specific group of people) for someone else's mistake.

I have seen some examples with "One the whole" like the below one,

On the whole, it was a good party.
But it means Overall, it was a good party

"overall=generally speaking" which is not the meaning I'm looking for.

I'm looking for a word to mean all the people / whole people

So I want to know, Can I use "on the whole" here in the example to mean "all the people"?

  "Judging people on the whole for someone else's mistake is not a good thing"

I have tried my best to explain this question. Sorry If I haven't made the question clear enough.

Please help me.


texts: Is the word "you" a pronoun in this sentence?

texts:
I am reading the book High School English Grammar & Composition by Wren & Martin.

While defining Pronoun, the following sentence appears as an example:

  The books are where you left them.

Now my question is, is the word "you" too a pronoun in this particular sentence, just like the word "them"?

The authors have italicised the latter word but not the former, which has been done because the former word does not replace any explicit noun in the sentence.

Here is Wren & Martin's definition of Pronoun:

  A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun; ...


texts: Why is there two “the” before the “annual meeting” in the sentence “”?

texts:
The original sentence is "That, at least, is the hope of a panel of researchers who presented their work to the the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advantage of Science, in Austin, Texas. " (The Economist 22.02.2018 'Using domestic animals to make human organs').

I just modify the sequence of the words for easy read:

At least, that is the hope of a panel of researchers who presented their work to the the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advantage of Science, in Austin, Texas.

I am confused why there are two articles "the" before the word "annual".
is it a clerical error or a proper way?


texts:
One meaning of word “myth” is something that is a

  widely held but false belief or idea Source: Google, “define myth”

By this definition, then, a “false myth” is something that it is not a “true myth”, that is, it denies the definition of a “myth”. As I see it, it can either be that it is not a “myth” because it  is not widely believed, or because it is not false. However, I've seen a lot of times the phrase “false myth” used to emphasize the falseness of the myth. Is this a genuine usage?


texts: I understand what confidential information means, but can a person be confidential? Can you use it to describe a person who you can trust with sensitive information? "She is organized, resourceful and confidential?"


texts: Is 'rocket launcher' the correct name for a weapon?

texts:
I have played several games which include the weapon that shoots out projectiles.
Examples are Doom and Half-Life.
But I have a question. Is it correct to call it rocket laucher? To my mind, rocket laucher is something that shoots rockets. And I always thought that a rocket is a spaceship (e. g. a spaceship you must launch in Half-Life, chapter 8 'On a rail').
Wouldn't it be more correctly to call the weapon missile launcher, as for example in the Crysis game?


texts: What is the best word to admire somebody's help and manner? worth or valuable?

texts:
Assume that somebody tried to help me (he did his best), but he couldn't change anything. Now I want to thank him. which one of this sentences are better/correct?

  You tried to help me and this is really valuable for me?

or

  You tried to help me and this is really worth for me?

or? (any better words?)


texts:
Can "time-consuming" be used as a noun?

In Google I find more hits for its usage as noun, in phrases such as:

  ...problems such as time-consuming, low...


texts:
I am not going to tell you how much I spent on this ring

I won't tell you how much I spent on this ring

Which is the best sentence ?
I think in the first case the decision has made before speaking (it has already been planned before and it is an intention no to tell the price of the ring ) so going to should be better, but it could be also an instant decision so will could  also be good . May be will is stronger than going to and last "for ever"  whereas going to is limited in time


texts:
While reading an MSDN page I have noticed that whenever a word parallel is used, then there is no article 'a' used:

  In the past, parallelization required low-level manipulation [...]. These features simplify parallel development [...] fine-grained, and scalable parallel code.

Why there is no article? I thought it should be:

a parallelization
a parallel development
a parallel code

Is it because words parallelization is abstract, development is uncountable and code is I don't know, uncountable?


texts: Interpretation of "Have (just) thought the same thing"

texts:
Context: I have been looking for my tootbrush for the last five minutes. Then my friend says: "Your tootbrush is in the drawer" Then I reply: " I have just thought the same thing." Thought came to my mind a moment ago,  just before my friend informed me.

I'd like to ask a couple of questions with regard to this context:

Is it okey to use present perfect without time adverb "just"and say "I have thought the same thing"?
Can't I imply recency without time adverb "just" saying "I have thought the same thing."? We say similarly "I've attached..." "I've learned" etc for other verbs when constructing perfect of recent past.


texts: "Not being good at swimming, he didn't like it." Could we omit the word "being" here?

texts:
Not being good at swimming, he didn't like it.

Could we omit the word "being" here?

  Not good at swimming, he didn't like it.

Which one is grammatically correct?


texts: Whether one could use the verb drink with ice-cold tea?

texts:
I have the idea that we need to say "I took (not drank) my tea (or coffee) . . ." because we consume these beverages hot.

If my idea is true, should we use take even when referring to cold tea or coffee?


texts: 'Not right away,' says I. - Why the third person singular?

texts:
I hope this confuses, and scares the hell out of, well, everybody. Here's a quote from an O.Henry story:

  Every few minutes he would remember that he was a pesky redskin, and
  pick up his stick rifle and tiptoe to the mouth of the cave to rubber
  for the scouts of the hated paleface. Now and then he would let out a
  warwhoop that made Old Hank the Trapper, shiver. That boy had Bill
  terrorized from the start.

  'Red Chief,' says I to the kid, 'would you like to go home?'

  'Aw, what for?' says he. 'I don't have any fun at home. I hate to go
  to school. I like to camp out. You won't take me back home again,
  Snake-eye, will you?'

  'Not right away,' says I. 'We'll stay here in the cave a while.'

  'All right!' says he. 'That'll be fine. I never had such fun in all my
  life.'

Wherefore the third person singular?


texts: 'I have nothing' vs. 'I don't have anything'

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

I have nothing.
I don't have anything.


texts: What's the word for "to make someone dislike something"?

texts:
I am looking for a single word (verb) that means to make someone dislike something or make them not do what they are doing. The following example might better explain what I am looking for.
Example: I was going to play an online game. My friend was sitting with me while I was playing that game. He criticized that game so much and narrated so many disadvantages of the game that he made me dislike or kind of discouraged me from playing it (even though it could be a good game). So I would like to say:
"My friend criticized that game so much that he -----WORDed----- me the game."
Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
What is the difference between these phrasal verbs or both mean the same.

For instance;

Keep away from my brother

Keep aloof from my brother


texts: Does the phrase "to be selective with" mean what I want?

texts:
They didn't give us all the information about the matter. They were
  selective with the truth.

I want to say that they intentionally gave only some of the truth about the matter and not some others.


texts: What is the meaning of the so-called "pregnant chad"?

texts:
They’re not passing it on, they’re not voting for anyone, they’re
  wasting their PR like so much pregnant chad!!!

I encounter the above from here. I have looked up the dictionary but find it confusing:

  a chad that has been punched or dimpled but all four corners are still
  attached

How can a chad get pregnant? And how does it relate to the context in my case?

And I have tried to find its image.


texts: I 've seen some people upload their posts in a forum with ITT within the title or something. But I don't get it why that's necessary. If people reply comments at that thread, isn't that automatically in that thread?


texts: Why is it "going off this morning" instead of "went off"?

texts:
I search the definition for 'What is Alarm Clock?'
and I saw this odd sentence on the Cambridge.org:

Didn't you hear your alarm clock going off this morning?

Why is the present continuous tense "going off" used instead of "went off"?


texts:
I know that "underneath" is Old-English and is close to the meaning of "under" and, yes, I know its dictionary meaning. I know that "beneath" is a more formal way to say "under" and also has a close meaning of this word, and, yes, I  know its meaning too. But is there any difference between these three sentences, except formality?

  You might want to search under the sofa.
  You might want to search underneath the sofa.
  You might want to search beneath the sofa.

In cases when we mean that something is hidden, is it better to use beneath or underneath?

  The bunker is beneath the building.
  The bunker is underneath the building.


texts: "all them", "all of them" "them all". May I use any of them in this phrase?

texts:
"Can you see that row of barriers in the cinder track? Well, you may find it difficult to believe, but I could jump 'all them' / 'all of them' / 'them all', even the highest ones, when I studied here."

Although one of them may be considered the "correct" one, may the other ones still be used as an alternative or should they be completely discarded?


texts: "The" before a noun shows that what is referred to is already known to the speaker

texts:
The before a noun shows that what is referred to is already known to the speaker, listener, writer and/or reader (it is the definite article) ... Cambridge Dictionary

There are a lot of examples when the noun is already known to the listener:

  I watched the movie you recommended.

Both of them (speaker and listener) know the movie, The listener know it because he recommended it.

Also there are a lot of examples  in reader case:

  Once when a lion was asleep, a little mouse began running up and down on him. This soon awakened the lion ...

The lion mentioned before so the writer and the reader know which lion.

My question: What the dictionary mean by it is already known to the speaker or  writer? It would be great if there is some examples in these cases.


texts: The word 'Surviving' in 'one of the the earliest surviving poems'

texts:
One of the earliest surviving Anglo Saxon poems, Widsith, is the autobiographical record of such a scop.
Here, Surviving is a Participle or a Gerund?
Can we say "Widsith is one of the earliest Survived Anglo Saxon" omitting conjunction and a helping verb( which have).
Widsith is one of the earliest Anglo Saxon poems which have survived.


texts: like creeping socialism, this will become second nature to you -- what does that really mean?

texts:
Source: C++ For Dummies, 7th Edition by Stephen R. Davis (2014)

Example:

  A cheat sheet that provides an overview of C++ grammar in one (fairly)
  easy to read page is available at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/
  cplusplus. Beginners will want to print this out and keep it handy as
  they work through the later chapters. Like creeping socialism, eventually
  C++ syntax will become second nature and you won’t need the cheat
  sheet anymore.

What point exactly is he trying to make? Is this a cultural reference to something?


texts: Are there non-gradable adjectives for comparison?

texts:
In the last week I asked here on ELL two questions:

How can these two types of adjectives be distinguished terminologically?
Why can “low” become “lower” and “lowest”, while “up” can't?

The answer for the first question is "inflectionally gradable for comparison and analytically gradable for comparison".

The answer for the second question as I understood by reading all the answers there, is that the word "up" is not an adjective and therefore it should not be gradable. But when I see Cambridge dictionary we can see that there is an adjective which is called "up". In addition in the same dictionary the word "upper" is marked as adjective. (and the word "lower" is marked there as a opposite. unlike the most of the answers in the second post). So it confuses me because I'm not sure if the word "up" is gradable or no.

Then my question is: Are there adjectives that are non gradable at all?


texts: "I need to cook food yet" vs. "I still need to cook food"

texts:
I need to cook food yet.

vs.

  I still need to cook food.

Is it appropriate to use yet at the end of a sentence in that form or should I reform the sentence in a different way to get the same meaning?


texts:
May I ask if there's a rough conversion from Lexile measure to vocabulary level?
For example, scholastic gives Roald Dahl's Matilda as Lexile measure = 840L, while DRA level = 40.
For someone in such a level, in average how many vocabulary would he/she have? ie how many thousands of words he/she know?


texts: What's the appropriate punctuation mark to put here?

texts:
My brother will call Norman ^ and John, no doubt, will call June.

Do you put a comma, a semicolon, or nothing in place of this mark "^"?
This sentence is from a grammar book, and you only have three options: use a comma or a semicolon, or don't put anything in place of "^".

The conjunction "and" would call for a comma, but the short phrase " no doubt" makes me think of a semicolon.


texts:
I was looking for a definition to "sand niggers" and found this

It makes sense to refer to Arabs as sand niggers because of the desert and dark skin but what is a sand nazi? it makes no sense at all.


texts:
Harry: You a religious man, Norman?

  Norman: Atheist. But I'm flexible.

What flexible means in terms of religious matter?


texts: Using " comma + participle clause" when the subject of the main clause is different

texts:
The touch of a cluster of leaves revolved it slowly, tracing, like the
  leg of compass, a thin red circle in the water. (Context: "It" is a
  laden mattress that carries the dead body of Gastsby and it is moving
  down the pool.) (Great Gastby, novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

After I have seen this sentence above, I am confused about participle clauses. As far as I understand, we don't know which one did the "tracing". (The touch or laden mattress) .

If the laden mattress did the "tracing", wouldn't the sentence be wrong because subject of the participle clause would be different from the main clause's subject and participle clause doesn't come immediately after  the object("it" , laden mattress) of the main clause.

Is this usage grammatically correct? Are those examples below correct?

  1- For the interview, William borrowed Grandpa's old suit,
  draped neatly on a hanger.

  2- Stream pushed the ducks along the riverside, whistling
  to each other. (In the meantime, the ducks were whistling to each
  other.)


texts: "Achieving this will be not easy" or "Achieving this will not be easy"?

texts:
Achieving this will be not easy or Achieving this will not be easy, which is correct?
I feel that Achieving this will be not easy is the correct way, but I'm not sure.


texts: "Three or more groups" vs. "Three groups or more"

texts:
In a paper I am writing there are two sections: one deals with two groups, and the other deals with more than two groups. I am wondering which of the following titles is better for the second section:

  Three Groups or More

vs.

  Three or More Groups

?


texts:
I have a problem with identifying the positon of adverbs of manner in sentences. I don't know why they are placed like this.

Let me have a look at the examples:

  She carefully looked at her reflection in the mirror for ten minutes.

Why is "carefully" placed before the verb?

  He looked nervously out of the window to see if anyone was there.

Why is "nervously" placed after the verb?


texts: "Use them only where it really makes sense to do so."

texts:
Comma-separated expressions

Use them only where it really makes sense to do so.
Use them only where it really makes sense to.
Use them only where it really makes sense.

Which one sentence I should use? Are all them grammatically correct?


texts: How many square meters "twenty feet square" is?

texts:
One would assume it to be about 2 square meters, but this is obviously not the case. In fact, I'm reading Illium by Dan Simmons. A quote follows:

  Much like the room they had faxed into, this space was windowless and about twenty feet square. But unlike the other room, this one was warm, lighted, and free of snow or ice. And unlike the other room, this one was almost filled with an oval metal machine about fifteen feet long.

By this description, "twenty feet square" seems to mean 20x20 feet aka 400 square feet or 40 square meters. Given that Dan Simmons is a renowned American writer, it's not likely that he just can't speak English correctly. So, who's right and who's wrong here?


texts: What's the most natural ordering of words here?

texts:
I just wrote this comment ten minutes ago, pondered over it for five minutes, and then the edit time limit had ran out, so I joined this site because I need to set my mind straight.

  Methodologies frequently take existing concepts and give them a much narrower meaning within the context of their system (which I have honestly struggled with myself on occasion).

It's the bit between parentheses that I'm having trouble phrasing right. "on occasion" at the very end makes me feel itchy and I can't explain why. But there's many other ways to phrase it.

  ...which I have on occasion struggled with myself, honestly

  ...which, honestly, I have on occasion struggled with myself

  ...which I have occasionally struggled with myself, to be honest

Which one of these sounds the most natural? Or, what other phrasing would be best? Hearing a rule for these things would be great but I get that that's not how languages work, so I'll be happy with any pointers that are available.


texts:
Man: But do you make enough money for everything you do?
Woman: Just enough. I make do.
Man: So do I. I make do as well. I get by. I get up in the morning. I get dressed. I get on the bus. I get off the bus. I get to work.
Woman: I don't get it.
Man: You don't get what?
Woman: I don't understand. I don't get what you do. What do you do?
Man: I make money.
Woman: You make money? Are you making this up?
Man: No. It's true. I'm not making this up. That's all I do all day long. I make lots and lots of money.
Woman: Get out of here.

What does "Are you making this up" mean?


texts:
Virgil "the Turk" Sollozzo was a powerfully built, medium sized man of
  dark complexion who could have been taken for a true Turk. He had a
  scimitar of a nose and cruel black eyes.

  Sonny Corleone met him at the door and brought him into the office
  where Hagen and the Don waited. Hagen thought he had never seen a more
  dangerous-looking man except for Luca Brasi.

  There were polite handshakings all around. If the Don ever asks me if
  this man has balls, I would have to answer yes, Hagen thought.

I have a question about the sentence that I emphasize. As far as I've understood it expresses what Hagen would have to answer if the Don asks him. But I don't understand why the present simple is used instead of the the past simple.

M. Swan says

  special tenses can also be used to give an idea that something is
  unlikely, imaginary or untrue.

  If I married you we would both be unhappy


texts:
I have one question which completely confused me.

How does it work? Very simple! or Very simply!

I would go for "very simply" since I feel I need an adverb. I would use "very simple" if the answer was "it is very simple". But then I asked couple of people and they would all go for "very simple" which confused me. (none of them was a native speaker though)


texts:
What does "asking all the questions" mean in football (soccer)?
(This sentence is taken from this sports article)

  Man City the side asking all the questions as we enter the second of five added-on minutes at the Etihad Stadium. The Citizens will wonder quite how they trail in this contest, but credit must go to United for stepping things up.


texts: Rules for "on", "at", and "in": preposition of time

texts:
I have found the following usage of "on", "at" and "in" on the internet. Is there any other exception and/or rule for that?

Prepositions of Time
Use in for

Months: in April / in September / in that month
Seasons: in (the) summer / in (the) winter
Years: in 1332 / in 1984 / in that year / in the next year
Long Period(s) of Time: in former century / in 90's / in the Ice Age / in the past / in the future

Exceptions: in the morning / in the evening
Use at for

Time: at 8 o'clock / at 9:30 / at bedtime / at sunset / at dinnertime / at 5:33:10 AM

Exceptions: at Christmas (= during the Christmas holidays but not necessarily on December 25th) / at Easter  / at noon / at night / at the weekend / at the present time / at the moment
Use on for

Days: on Monday / on Friday / on Christmas Day (= on December 25th) / on Easter Sunday / on Independence Day
Dates: on February 18th / on her birthday / on 21 March 2015 / on

Notice:

We have in the morning and on Monday but we say on Monday morning, not in Monday morning, and so on.
When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on: She runs next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday) / He leaves us every Easter. (not at every Easter) / I See you this evening. (not in this evening)
Look at these examples for the combination of times in a sentence: We will meet next week at six o’clock on Monday. / I heard a funny noise at about eleven o’clock last night. / It happened last week at seven o’clock on Monday night.

Look at this answer as well which says:

This all hints at a coherent metaphor: hours and other short periods
of time are places; days are surfaces; months and longer time periods
are containers.


texts: Difference between plaits, tresses, braids and locks

texts:
Obviously referring to hair alone, I'd like to know the differences between the listed words. All dictionaries I checked give pretty much the same definition for all and treat them practically as synonyms.
Still, I believe there indeed are minor differences.


texts:
Is the following sentence wrong?

  "The food I feel winter by seeing one is strawberry."

Could you also tell me if the following sentence is natural or not.

  "The food by which I feel winter is strawberry."

Thank you everybody!

I'm sorry that I have trouble expressing my question, but please let me elaborate on my question.

I would like to mean the following sentence starting by the word "The food" if possible.

"When I see strawberry (in a supermarket), I feel that winter has come."

"Strawberries remind me of winter." sounds nice, but I feel that it might have a slight difference from what I want to explain.
(Am I wrong?)

By the way, if it sounds strange because of "winter", please change it to "summer".

That part was not important, and I think I should have written "summer" instead.


texts: How to ask when somebody's holiday will start?

texts:
I want to ask when someone's holiday (vacation) will start. What is the idiomatic question?
Maybe:

When are you going on holiday?
When does your holiday start?
When is your holiday starting?
When are you off on holiday?
When is the start of your holiday?


texts: terms for general phrases and more specific phrases attesting to them

texts:
Every piece of equipment on the tarmac had some failure: some boarding
  stairs missed some stairs, some carts had no wheels, and some
  aircraft had no engines.

  There was some disorder in the class: some students were chatting, some were doing the homework, and yet some were
  sleeping at their desks.

  In general, people were not happy: some were merely stern, some were resentful and some were almost mad.

  Mammals are those animals that feed their young with milk: cows, tigers, dogs, rabbits.

What would be the idiomatic term for each of the statement preceding the colon (in the examples above, each such statement is put in italics) and for the each of the following phrase separated by commas (put in bold)?


texts: change jobs/careers vs change my accounting job/my accounting career

texts:
If you want to quit your job or career and choose to do something else, you can say:

(1) I want to change(or switch) jobs.

(2) I want to change(or switch) careers.

(3) I want to change my job.

(4) I want to change my career.

If you want to be specific about the current job or career you want to change, is it correct to say it in the following way?

(5) I want to change my accounting job.

(6) I want to change my accounting career.

Do (5) and (6) make sense?


texts:
The park's grasses in front of our house were cut yesterday.

Today the grass blew in our car porch.

  "The grasses blew in our house."

  "The grasses blew in our home."

Car porch is part of the house.

If I using house, it sounds like the grass is blew "in" the house.

Based on the context above, we should use house or home?


texts: ‘the first and the third book’ or 'the first and the third books'?

texts:
'book' or 'books'?

I suspect that it should be 'book', because the full sentence should be 'the first book and the third book'.

Right?


texts:
As a general statement, which one is more correct?

  The pool looked gorgeous in the night.

  The pool looked gorgeous at night.

  The pool looked gorgeous during the night.


texts:
Let's start from what I know as a rule: Bisyllabic adjectives normally have their comparative and superlative forms by putting more and the most before the adjective itself. There are some exceptions to this, namely adjectives ending in -y and, to some extent, bisyllabic adjectives ending in -le (humble), in -er (clever), in -ow (narrow), others like quiet, polite, and so on.

Handsome seems to be an adjective which does not have anything in common with the ones I listed before, and yet I remember finding handsomer in some written text. So I started looking through grammar books and dictionaries, and in the end I came up with OALD which states "Handsome (handsomer, handsomest) HELP : more handsome and most handsome are more common."

Why is that? Is it a regional version? Is it true for handsome only, or should we also include other adjectives ending in -some (for example, fearsome, loathsome, tiresome)? Thank you for your help.


texts: Can I always use "'d" as contraction of "did"?

texts:
Two different answers for a question say that 'd in "How'd you know?" is a contraction of did.
Can I always use 'd as contraction of did, or should I use it only when 'd follows a word that is part of a set of words?

For example, could I write "I'd know it." or should I write only why'd, who'd, where'd, when'd, and how'd?

I checked the NOAD, but it says that 'd is a contraction for had and would; the same is said from the OALD, which says that he'd is a short form for he had or he would. Both the dictionaries didn't help to understand when I could use 'd instead of did.


texts: When referring to a piece of information, as in "articles and tidbits," does the word tidbit always refer to juicy, gossipy, or salacious information?


texts: What is the difference between 'remember' and 'remembered'?

texts:
In the following context:

  Holly begins by telling the narrator about a man named Sally Tomato
  who is a member of the Mafia. She remembered seeing this man at Joe
  Bell's bar as a regular before he was arrested. Holly Golightly
  describes how a lawyer pays her $100 to speak to Sally every week.
  Holly eventually drifts off to sleep, but gets annoyed when she starts
  speaking in her sleep and leaves the narrator's room.

In general, the tense used in the above context is present tense except the sentence in bold, which is past tense.

My question is that can I apply present tense to this sentence in this paragraph?

Further more

When I'm having a conversation with someone, which one of the two sentences is more proper?

1): I remember you have two boys.

2): I remembered you have two boys.

According to my own understanding about the word 'remember'.
When present tense is used, it is to emphasize the action of the verb which happens now. And when past tense is used, it is to emphasize the fact that I have remembered something. Is this correct?*


texts:
There are maybe five authors whose name will sell me a hardback and about fifty whose name will attract my attention to a paperback.

Should 'name' be 'names'? as authors are plural. But I've also learnt that for possessing things, either singular or plural nouns can be used. Here, in this case, every author only has one name, so maybe using 'name' is also correct?


texts: How to understand "as often as not" literally?

texts:
Here is the item "as often as not" in Oxford dictionary.

  as often as not quite frequently or commonly: I had two homes really, because as often as not I was down at her house.

So I know it means commonly. But is it possible to get that meaning from the phrase itself literally?


texts:
It's the 2nd episode of the 5th episode of The Office. Here is the context:

Holly: So, regarding this supplier, approximately how many liaisons have there been?
Meredith: Liaisons, you mean meet-ups? I don’t know, once a month for six years. Something like that.
Michael: Meredith, why don’t you tell Holly… it’s not what she thinks. Nothing unethical happened… and that you just like to sleep around.
Meredith: Am I in trouble here or something?
Michael: No… no, this is just a stupid formality.
Holly: No, it’s not a formality. Now, were these, um, meet-ups just personal? Unrelated to business?
Meredith: Nah, I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for the discount paper. There’s not a lot of fruit in those looms.


texts: What does "second citizenship platforms" mean?

texts:
I already googled second citizenship platforms but I couldn't find any explanation.

  The group's annual report is based on wealth statistics, property data, investor visa information and interviews with migration experts, second citizenship platforms, wealth managers and property agents.

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/21/pf/millionaires-moving-migration-australia-france/index.html?iid=SF_LN


texts: Can anyone please explain to me the meaning of the conversation below?

texts: Them don't. .. insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different result.   I have talked to them but people believe what they want to believe


texts: Use of grammar "be + to be + past participle"

texts:
My question is regarding the structure "be + to be + past participle". An example of that is:

The water is to be poured.

How can I interpret that grammatical structure?

The water is to be poured = The water is going to be poured

or

The water is to be poured = The water will be poured.

Thank you in advance for the explanation provided.


texts: Would a comma go in the phrase, "That's it[,] just lie there"?

texts: I was watching a movie, and the subtitle said, "Yeah, that's it, just lie there." I know that movie subtitles can always be incredibly inaccurate, but I was wondering if it's correct to add a comma before "just lie there." Would that be a comma splice, or is it correct the way it is?


texts: "At risk", or "at-risk"? What's the difference?

texts:
I often see press releases from non-profits or NGOs talking about "at-risk" youth or groups that are most "at risk" of one horrible thing or another. The thing is, none of them seem consistent as to whether or not the hyphen is supposed to be used, or if it's supposed to be used in one situation, but not another.

I looked up the definition of at-risk (with hyphen), and this is what Oxford Dictionaries Online says:

  Adjective Vulnerable, especially to abuse or delinquency:
  'a church-run school for the most at-risk children'

Then I looked up at risk (no hyphen) in ODO and this is what it said:

  Exposed to harm or danger:
  '23 million people in Africa are at risk from starvation'

It looks to me like at-risk is used when immediately preceding the noun that it is describing, like in "at-risk children", while at risk is used when you are using a preposition, like "at risk from starvation" or "at risk of memory loss."

If this is the case, is there any source or style guide that prescribes or explains this phenomenon? After some internet searching, I wasn't able to find anything that documents the usage of hyphens to turn phrases into adjectives.


texts: What do you call a surgery without anesthesia? I think there are several phrases you can use to refer to "surgery that happens without anesthesia", but I don't remember the idiomatic expressions that are usually used to refer to it.


texts:
Drawing a contrast between Democrats and Republicans, may I say:
"Democrats think that MORE immigrants should be allowed to live and work in the USA"
and "On the contrary, Republicans think that LESS immigrants should be allowed to live and work in the USA"?
Is my use of MORE and LESS correct in these clauses?


texts:
Hello I'am wondering when do we use  go away for and when do we use go away on
because we say I am going away for a business why don't we say I am going away on business? is there any rule to know when do we use on instead of for ?


texts:
If "New account created" is passive. Why there not "account was/is created"?
I have seen a lot of similar examples.


texts: I am confused about the word's positioning in the following sentence

texts:
After some time he appeared in a hall which had a 'long rectangular shaped table', which seemed empty.

Should the correct one be a ' rectangular-shaped long table? Also, about the part after coma, should I use 'seems' or 'seemed'. Please also teach me if I have any other grammar mistakes.


texts: Difference between "was settled" and "settled"

texts:
I am really confused between these 2 sentences:

He settled himself in London.
He was settled in London.

Do they convey exactly same meaning? And why do we need reflexive pronoun in the first one but not in the second one?


texts: I went to see the movie Black Panther this morning. At night, my friend asked me about the movie. Should I say "The movie was great." or "The movie is great."?


texts:
I have a clearer understanding on to-infinitives, as in the following sentences:

I allowed her to go to the party.
I got him to do his homework.

But I still need to be clear on a similar structure, on the bare-infinitives, as I have seen them called, as in these sentences:

I let her go to the party.
I made him do his homework.

No 'to' before the infinitive but, aside from that, am I saying exactly the same thing with or without 'to'? Just to be certain that some verbs will take 'to' and some will not but the way to interpret the sentence remains the same

If so, are there any special reasons 'to' is sometimes left out?


texts: "...if you [sing.] did" — should it not be "do?"

texts:
I came across the following conversation:

  A: I'll let you know where I am planning to go on vacation.

  B: It wouldn't be vacation if you did.

I am a little confused about the use of did here. Shouldn't it be do instead?


texts:
Assuming that you need to put the number the material has on the prompt to know the information of the material.

Would it be called "digit code" or "number code" ??


texts: Why 'the top of the page' but 'the top of page 33'?

texts: Why we don't use the definite article 'the' before 'page 33'?


texts:
The priest read spiritual invocation and blow over him to cure his disease.

Does the Adj 'spiritual' go with the noun 'invocation' as far as sense is concerned? Here spiritual invocation means 'holy words'...


texts:
My book about American English pronunciation (General American) says that to pronounce the a (whose sound is /æ/), I should drop my jaw down as to say [ä], but then (from that position) try to say [ε]. (The book doesn't use IPA; the [ä] sound is the one present in bought, and the [ε] sound is the one present in bet.)

When I listen to the pronunciation of words containing the /æ/ sound, that seems closes to an a (the Italian one), and sometimes a combination of e and a (such as in man), while bought contains a /ɔː/ which to my ears is closer to the Italian o.

How is exactly the pronunciation of cat?


texts:
Here is the past and all its inhabitants miraculously sealed as in a magic tank; all we have to do is to look and to listen and to look and soon the little figures—for they are rather under life size—will begin to move and to speak, and as they move we shall arrange them in all sorts of patterns of which they were ignorant, for they thought when they were alive that they could go where they liked; and as they speak we shall read into their sayings all kinds of meanings which never struck them, for they believed when they were alive that they said straight off whatever came into their heads. But once you are in a biography all is different. Source

What is meant by the "for" clause here?
We arrange them in all sorts of patterns they were ignorant of because they thought they could go anywhere they liked? But it doesn't make any sense? I know overall it means we presume to know all kinds of things about the past and add interpretations of all kinds but it's far from reality. You will know it if you put yourself in a biography.

But it doesn't make sense here.

PS Is this "is" not supposed to be "are"?


texts:
Are these usages of the word 'in' correct(grammatically speaking)?

  "In allowing them to get away unpunished, he tacitly approved of their behavior."
  "In repeated sampling the long-run relative frequencies of the confidence intervals that contain the true value of the parameter will approach the confidence level."

I looked at the various definitions of the "in" at Dictionary.com but I didn't find one that seemed to justify this usage. I still find it used in this fashion however.


texts: past perfect for an event which takes place after the past simple

texts:
I wanted to order something on the internet. I had asked for a new password when I realised that I had lost it. But I haven't yet received the new password.

first action the decision to order something
second action the forgetting of the password
third action  the asking of a new one
fourth action the wait
Why not "asked" past simple.  First you realised than you had lost then you asked for a new one. What I propose is

I wanted to order something on the internet. I asked for a new password when I realised that I had lost it. But I haven't yet received the new password.


texts:
Is there any difference between these two phrases?
For example, are they interchangble in these two sentences:

I've been putting money aside to buy a piano.

The international body put aside October 1st to tackle the new outbreak of Ebola.


texts:
I have a question about this sentence here:

  Asian Americans in New York City represent the largest Asian American population of any city in the United States.

The comparison should be between the asian population of New York City and the asian populations of other cities.  But the phrase "the largest Asian American population of any city in the United States" seems to compare the New York City asian population directly with other cities instead of with other cities' asian populations.

So, is the original poorly written?


texts:
I wrote this sentence:

  While, in the extraction algorithm, they may consider context before classifying an element, the contextual information are not explicitly specified at the rules level (or even at the extraction rules level).

I supposed two levels for this program, the algorithm, and some rules which are input to the algorithm, then used "at the rules level". Am I correct at this? (By the way, correct takes at preposition, doesn't it?)


texts: In or of ? looking for the right word/preposition

texts:
I am looking for the correct preposition in the following sentence:

You can actively recruit them for your cause of/in overthrowing the empire and the lord ruler.


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

texts:
What is the meaning of "with" in the following sentence,

  His face was twisted with pain

Does "His face was twisted" mean "His face was twisted. And the pain was revealed in his face" ?
Or does it mean "His face was twisted because of pain" ?

I thought that I understood this simple sentence, but now it is ambiguous. I have always interpreted "with" as "because of" in similar sentences.  By the way, suddenly I feel like I have misinterpreted and understood it so far. Have I ever really known something wrong?


texts:
Can we use is as passive voice?

Is/Was are used to describe Truth or something that is repetitive in the present and past respectively.

What would be the correct answer of guide?

The context is that visitor is visiting the Taj-mahal. He asked guide that who built the
Taj mahal. What should be the answer of guide?

Who built the Tajmahal?

1st Ans: Tajmahal is built by Shah Jahan

or

2nd Ans: Tajmahal was built by Shah Jahan

Explanation

1st Ans : Answer is in present passive voice or in Active voice?.  It gives idea of truth that it is built by Shah Jahan. But is also gives idea that every time it is built by Shah Jahan. Like in another example "Car is cleaned by John" gives idea that every day car is cleaned by John.

2nd Ans: Answer is in simple past passive voice. It gives idea in the past i.e. century ago it was built by shah Jahan.  But it also gives idea of repetitive action of building Taj Mahal in the past. Like
“This trust was run by Mother Theresa.” It Gives idea that when Mother Theresa was alive this trust was run by her.

Some more examples:

This movie is brought to you by.....?

This show is presented for you by....?


texts: Why does the IRS refer to the "Certification of U.S. Residency for Tax Treaty Purposes" as a "form" (Form 6166)?

texts:
Why does the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) refer to the Certification of U.S. Residency for Tax Treaty Purposes as a form (Form 6166)?

http://english.oxforddictionaries.com/form:

  a printed document with blank spaces for information to be inserted.

which that doesn't seem to match the description of a certificate.

Form 6166:

(image source)


texts:
(1) The man from whom I got the pen.
(2) The man from I got the pen.
(3) The man I got the pen from.
(4) The man whom I got the pen from.

Could you please show me if they are correct, if not would you correct me?
Many thanks


texts:
In the sentence:
He did not pass the course as easily as he thought he would.

Why is easily (an adverb) used?
Why is easy (adjective) not correct?


texts: I want to introduce Japanese food to her or I want to introduce her to Japanese food

texts:
Which one is more natural?

  I want to introduce Japanese food to her.

  I want to introduce her to Japanese food.


texts: One would a pack of leprous dogs clinging to life

texts:
I am reading the book NIGHT written by Elie Wiesel. Here is a sentence I don't understand: He looked at us as one would a pack of leprous dogs clinging to life.

Does the "would" here is equivalent to "have" like "have sb doing sth"?


texts:
How do the below sentences sound to you? Is there any difference?

  Stool is a seat having four legs with nothing to support your back.

  Stool is a seat having four legs without anything to support your back.

  Stool is a seat having four legs but with nothing to support your back.

  Stool is a seat having four legs and without anything to support your back.


texts:
Before I ask questions, please read the following content first.

  The interviewees were trying very hard to impress the interviewers that they were very capable and should be given the job.

This content came from an important English test in some country.

What confused me most is why that-clause seems to give more information but without any verb to connect.
To me,it is like:

The interviewees were trying very hard to impress the interviewers and "show" that they were very capable and should be given the job.

Why I think it is odd is that "impress" often just connects one objective in sentences but it'll connect two objections if we don't place any verb in front of that-clause in this sentence.

So, could you tell me what that-clause functions as in this sentence? And,is that-clause an objective in this sentence?why can that-clause be put there?
Anyway,I think that it has some grammatical errors, doesn't it?(btw,is this tag question correct？)


texts: What adjective to use to refer to the number of people who inhabit an apartment?

texts:
I thought you could say something like this:

  We were having dinner in our three-people apartment.

(We are the three people who live in the apartment.)

But Google doesn't yield results for three-people apartment.

What's the correct way of saying it?


texts: In a novel routing algorithm, a router has several available interfaces to forward a packet.  Will it choose the interface with the "least cost" or "lowest cost" to forward the packet?


texts:
I know that the following examples are sound:

  Someone might say: "I am very smart".

  The following might be said: "I am very smart".

  It might be said that I am very smart

knowing that the last one has a different meaning because "I" refers to the narrator rather than someone being quoted.

But does the following example look linguistically sound?

  It might be said "I am very smart".

or with a colon

  It might be said: "I am very smart".


texts: Sometimes on forums I see such messages as: "If you have any questions please, free to contact me!" or "If you need my help, you can ask me anytime". In such situations I want to be polite too and say not just "thank you", but something like "the same to you", "mutually", "likewise", "I wish the same to you". But I don't know which word to choose. Please tell me which word do you write in response to such messages? And what is more natural to say. Thanks in advance.