texts: A dynamic state is understood as a state in which.../The dynamic state is understood as the state in which...?

texts:
Which one is correct:

"An invention should be described in its dynamic state. A dynamic state is understood as a state in which... "
"An invention should be described in its dynamic state. The dynamic state is understood as the state in which..."

Thank you in advance!


texts: Usage of definite articles with things described with "that"-clauses

texts:
I don't like films that don't have happy endings.
  I don't like the films that don't have happy endings.

My grammar book says sentence 1 is the correct answer. But I don't get it. I think the second one should be the answer. Aren't we talking about some specific films?


texts: Do we say "Now the prince is still bewitched" or "Now the prince is under a spell" to express the current state?

texts:
We say "The dog scared me 1 hour ago and now I am still scared".
We have the verb "to scare" and the adjective "scared".
But it seems we can not apply that usages for all verbs.
For example, we say I opened the door 1 hour ago and now the door is still open, but not I opened the door 1 hour ago and now the door is still opened.
We don't know when the participle of a verb can be used as an adjective
Why the participle "opened" can not be used as an adjective?
For example,
Can we say?
"The witch bewitched the prince 1 hour ago and now the prince is still bewitched" or
"The witch bewitched the prince 1 hour ago and now the prince is still under a spell"?


texts:
The influence of viruses on life on Earth, though, goes far beyond the past and present tragedies of a single species, however pressing they seem.  Though the study of viruses began as an investigation into what appeared to be a strange subset of pathogens, recent research puts them at the  heart of an explanation of the strategies of genes, both selfish and  otherwise.

What is the subject of "both selfish and otherwise", and why is there a comma?

What does "tragedies of a single species" refer to?

article link :　https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/08/22/how-viruses-shape-the-world


texts: How to interpret the following clause with a particular tonality

texts:
Here is an example sentence from a textbook:

  The man and the woman | dressed in black | then stood up.

The upright slashes denote chuncking the clause into intonation groups for speech. I am wondering whether the participial clause dressed in black applies only to the woman or both the man and the woman?


texts: should we use a dash "-" between words of an adjective when omit a noun?

texts:
I know the question may seem too vague and weird, so let's go right to the example for more clarification:

  Scholars ask the-upper-class countries to help the-lower-class in the breakout of the coronavirus.

As you see, I omitted countries after " the-lower-class" so as to be more concise. Now, did I use  "the lower class", would it be wrong or it is actually more correct?
Furthermore, I'm not sure whether I can use the-lower-class or its counterparts for countries; therefore, please feel free to rectify it as well, but please don't overlook my main question, which is the first one.


texts: Best way to say that some phrases/words are part of a song

texts:
What is the best way to say (and why) that some phrases/words of the lyrics belong to the song? For example, the Linkin Park's song called "Breaking The Habit".

"Memories consume", "Like opening the wound" and "I'm picking me apart again" are parts of the song "Breaking The Habit" lyrics.
"Memories consume", "Like opening the wound" and "I'm picking me apart again" are parts of the "Breaking The Habit" lyrics.
"Memories consume", "Like opening the wound" and "I'm picking me apart again" are parts of the song "Breaking The Habit".
"Memories consume", "Like opening the wound" and "I'm picking me apart again" are an excerpt from the song "Breaking The Habit" lyrics.
"Memories consume", "Like opening the wound" and "I'm picking me apart again" are an excerpt from the "Breaking The Habit" lyrics.
"Memories consume", "Like opening the wound" and "I'm picking me apart again" are an excerpt from the song "Breaking The Habit".

Or otherwise?

My question is which of these six phrases (or some other) is correct and would be the most natural to be used: with "song", "lyrics" or both words;
should I use "an excerpt", "parts" or other (like phrases, words)?


texts: How does the "drab office kitchen" look like?

texts:
This article has such a following passage as ( in 7th ).

  The five-minute broadcast showed Johnson walking through his campaign headquarters, answering questions put to him from behind the camera, greeting staff members, and making a cup of tea in a drab office kitchen.

Merriam Webster Unabridged has 5 entries (except for the verb), so that I am afraid I am confused which to pick, so would someone help me kindly?

Thank you in advance.


texts: What is the meaning 'language' as a verb?

texts:
In the following sentence:

  Trump's tweet came days after the Republican Party's Platform Committee unanimously agreed to language on Israel that omits references to a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

(at jpost)
what's the meaning of the verb 'language' in that context ?


texts:
I am wondering what is the subtle or delicate difference in meaning between the following?

A. I had my hair blonde

B. I got my hair blonde


texts:
While translating some text at work, I want to point out the difference between employees working in the same company, but over different schedules.

  White collar workers

Work mostly from an office

  Blue collar workers

Work mostly in labor-intensive activities (we are talking about the Oil & Gas industry)

  Shift workers

Work over three 8-hour shifts, on rotation, and are usually blue-collar workers.

How do I point out the difference between a shift worker and someone who only works during the day, but is not necessarily a white-collar employee?

  Day laborer

is not appropriate, as it reminds me of someone hired on a short term contract.

Feel free to suggest improvements to my original options.


texts: Is "into " used just for physical motion?

texts:
As far as I know, we use "into " when  some kind of physical  motion is involved. Example as follows :

1)He went into the city.

But sometimes I see that "into " is used without physical motion. Example as follows :

2) India went into semifinal. (it's one kind of motion, but not physical. It's a change of state)

Could you tell me whether "into " will be used in any kind of motion?


texts: "She was first female president to be elected in 1919."

texts:
She was first female president to be elected in 1919.

Does  the meaning of this sentence same as

  She was first female president who was elected in 1919.


texts: Chips vs Fries: was this a tongue-in-cheek joke in "A Fish Called Wanda"?

texts:
Here's a familiar sight:

We call them French fries, or just fries, in the States, as well as in Canada. They're often referred to as chips over in England. In France they are, of course, good old frites (as well as in some parts of Scandinavia).

Now here's what proper chips should look like, if you ask me:

That is what comes to my mind first when you mention "chips" to me in a discussion involving food: thin slices of potato, fried, and consumed cold as a snack.

Etymology aside, here's what an American actor playing an American character (a comically vulgar dimwit, and emphatically disdainful of all things English throughout the movie) has to say in A Fish Called Wanda:

  OTTO. No hassle. There's plenty of time. I'll just sit here and eat my chips till you tell me. The English contribution to world cuisine: the chip.

Why would this character (of all people) call fries chips, and why would he imply (or does he?) that they're a British invention? What's the joke? What am I missing? What or whom are we making fun of in this case?

P.S. The movie was written and directed by the Monty Python team, so the joke must be British in spirit.


texts:
Assumming that tommorrow my friend will take a examination, but he didn't study anything, so it's too late for him now, he is doomed for sure :). Is it grammatically correct if I say to my friend:
If you want to pass the test, you should have studied harder (in the past).

I did some research about mixed conditionals, but almost all the documents/blogs said that the if clause must be unreal conditionals. The verb "want" in my sentence is confusing me, I don't even know if it's likely (possible) situation or unreal (hypothetical) situation.
I know it is correct to say: If you want to pass the test, you should study harder. But in this sentence, I feel like he still has time to study.


texts: About A Kind of Usage of Auxiliary or Helping Verbs

texts:
Why do we write auxiliary or helping verbs at the beginning of a sentence? What are the purposes of it? For example:

Had Edison known the danger X-rays posed, he may have exercised more caution when experimenting on human subjects.

Should the filibuster extend past midnight, the senators may not vote on the bill.

Can you explain all the reasons and purposes?


texts: the Viking King Harald Bluetooth -- why "the"?

texts:
Source: Sams Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours by Joe Casad (2012)

Example:

  Authors and linguists are delighted that the creators of this technology did not use an acronym for it. But why did they choose the name Bluetooth? Because it crunches data? Because it takes bytes? Forget about finding a metaphor. Bluetooth is named for the Viking King Harald Bluetooth, who ruled Denmark and Norway in the eleventh century. King Harald is famous for converting to Christianity after watching a German priest succeed with a miraculous dare.

Why the? Can't we just simply say is named for Viking King Harald Bluetooth?


texts: What does "quarter" in Arachnid Quarter mean?

texts: I'm not very familiar with Hearthstone... This is probably why I don't understand this phrase. The name Arachnid Quarter appears in this article: http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/07/23/hearthstones-curse-of-naxxramas-arachnid-quarter-verdict/


texts: What is the meaning of this rather complex sentence?

texts:
What were her many mysteries, she tantalized herself, replaying all the loves she'd ever known.

The above is from the Longman Dictionary.
Can you paraphrase the sentence, expressing clearly what it says?


texts:
"I'd like to order a pizza" would mean only ordering one whole pizza. What should I say if I want to order more than one whole pizza?

"I'd like to order pizzas" sound a little weird.

And why is it okay to say "a pizza" when sometimes you have to say "a piece of pizza" or "a slice of pizza"


texts:
I sent an email to my professor, requesting him to work on an action item pending his reply. The response I got is

  Nothing remains to be done.

  Professor X

I found this a little confusing. Does he mean

He has completed the action item, or
There are no action items pending his reply at the first place?


texts: Does “What do you don’t like to talk about?” sound alright?

texts:
I caught myself wondering if this question is right:

  What do you don’t like to talk about?

I’ve made some searches to get to know if this is grammatically allowed, however, I haven’t found any answer that can fulfill my question. Can you guys tell if it is right or not?


texts: Which is more grammatically correct? "Did he suddenly go home?" or "Did he go home suddenly"?

texts:
Did he suddenly go home?

OR

Did he go home suddenly?

Maybe it's more conversational to add the adverb "suddenly" at the last part of the sentence?


texts: "To be more catholic than the Pope" vs. "eager beaver"

texts:
According to The Free Dictionary:

  Eager beaver: One that is exceptionally, often excessively industrious or zealous

And:

  To be more catholic than the Pope: To adhere more stringently to Roman Catholic practices and doctrine than is required by church doctrine; - usually used in a negative sense to mean, to be excessively pious.

We Persians use the second expression equal to the Persian expression which is: A bowl which is hotter than the soup that means a person who cares to the others business specially instead of people who are responsible about more than them or more than his/her own business.

So I want to know is it correct to consider two above expressions as synonyms or equal to each other or not?


texts:
Which one is correct, or are all the sentences correct?
3rd sentence made me confuse.

  1- I didn't use to go swimming a lot.
  2- I used not to go swimming a lot.
  3- I didn't used to go swimming a lot.


texts: What is the meaning of this credit card information?

texts:
You will not be charged interest on each new purchase for a minimum grace period of 21 days if you pay the new balance total in full by the total minimum payment due date for the account statement on which such new purchase first appears. You will always be charged interest on balance transfers, access cheques, deposits and cash advances from the date such transactions occur."

This statement is from my credit card. I feel this sentence is too complicated for me to understand. Is it saying that after I buy something with my credit card, I have to pay off its full amount in 21 days in order to not be charging any interest? So I have to pay twice a month in order to not pay any interest?

Can someone explain the first sentence in a grammatical way?


texts:
Is there any difference in meaning or usage between the following two sentences:

Sorry for that mistake
Sorry about that mistake


texts:
This is the definition of flag on Dictionary.com:

Flag n.
5.to mark (a page in a book, file card, etc.) for attention, as by attaching protruding tabs.

I have an idea of what a tab is, but what exactly does it look like?


texts: Is "square up" a natural expression in conversational English?

texts:
"Square up"

To pay the balance of what is owed to someone.

  You get our jackets while I go square up with the bartender.

  Brian and I need to square up for those plane tickets soon—I hate
  owing someone money.

Would I be able to say this in a normal conversation in English without sounding too weird?


texts:
A symbiotic relationship is an interaction between two or more species
  in which one species lives in or on another species.


texts:
Some people get relief from bad dreams by writing them down and then
  changing the negative stories or thoughts into positive ones on the
  written paper. Then they study the paper before they go to sleep
  again.

Is the use of "the written paper" in the first sentence and the use of "the paper" in the second sentence correct?

Thanks a lot.


texts:
Stop talking nonsense, you brainless!
Stop talking nonsense, you idiot!

I remember that you can use adjective as noun, but I don't remember in what context though, so I was wondering if "you brainless" is correct.
Another example would be:

Stop saying these stupid things, you unintelligent!

Which sounds even more weird and unidiomatic for some reason.


texts:
For example a greengrocer sells two types of orange which are big size and small size . While we speak about which orange I need , I say sentence below;

  I need small size of this ( by showing big size oranges as I couldn't see the small size orange )

or

  I need this in small size ( by showing big size oranges I couldn't see the small sized orange )

I know there are more simple ways to explain this situtaion but I try to learn difference between two phrase .What I wonder is that does both sentence have same meaning ?I mean'' in small size or small size of'' cause sentence mean different ?


texts: Which word describes a state of mind when you make unnecessary easy-to-avoid mistake?

texts:
For example:

  A: When you add 1 to 45235, you will get 45235
  B: You mean 45236
  A: Oops, yes. It's 45236

What is the word describes that state of mind when you know what you intend to say, but cannot recall the exact word, or say it differently or wrongly?


texts: Using on or in for geometric points, planes, and coordinate systems

texts:
When to use "on" and "in" prepositions in math:

  Point on/in the plane

  Point on/in the cartesian coordinate system


texts: using several to-infinitive subsequently

texts: Can we say: "I want to learn to drive my car to go to my workplace to earn money"?   Is it appropriate to use several infinitive with to subsequently?


texts: The first thing I can see in this picture ‘are’ 2 people

texts:
The first thing I can see in this picture are 2 people

I happened to see this sentence, and it says using 'is' instead of 'are' is wrong.

As I looked up some grammar stuff, you can invert the complement if it is not a noun but an adjective or an adverb.
Also the subject “the first thing” does not seem to be a sort of unit such as 2 inches as in

  “2 inches is not that long.”

So I would like to ask why and how the verb should be 'are', not 'is'.
Thank you.


texts:
Is this question grammatically correct?

  Published in 1936, the first issue of Life magazine had a Margaret Bourke-White photo of a what on its cover?

Can words like "the", "a", or a number be followed by the word "what"?


texts:
what is the place of these 2 words "known" and "preserved" in the following sentence?

  The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave in the Ardèche department of southern France is a cave that contains the earliest known and best preserved figurative cave paintings in the world,[1] as well as other evidence of Upper Paleolithic life.

Verb or adjective or noun?


texts:
When I talked to my friend today I found that he has in his college the same course that I have. I wanted to ask him about the length(?) of his course (since our course is two two weeks and I wanted to know if his is the same) and then I found myself in hilarious situation, therefore I'd like to know what's the acceptabble way to ask the correct question in the context:

I know that "course" also means a period of time. Then I asked:

  a) "What's the course of your course?"

But I had more choices:

  b) "How long (+time?) is your course?

  c) How long your course takes?

  d) What's the period of your course?

Which of the choices, is the correct, if any?


texts: Does `then` indicate a performance order when talk about a comparison?

texts:
I am learning this book "Deep Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks for Medical Image Computing"

  On the other hand, CNN models have been proved to have much higher
  modeling capacity, compared to the previous image recognition
  mainstream pipelines, e.g., HAAR, SIFT, HOG image features followed by
  spatial feature encoding, then random forest or support vector
  classifiers. Given millions of parameters to fit during model training
  (much more than previous pipelines), CNN representation empowers and
  enables computerized image recognition models, with a good possibility
  to be able to handle more challenging imaging problems. The primary
  risk is overfitting since model capacity is generally high in deep
  learning but often very limited datasets are available (that are with
  good quality of labels to facilitate supervised training). The core
  topics of this book are represented by examples on how to address this
  task-critical overfitting issue with deep learning model selection,
  dataset resampling and balancing, and the proper quantitative
  evaluation protocols or setups.

then indicates that the author put "CNN models" (method_1), "the previous image recognition mainstream pipelines" (method_2) and "spatial feature encoding" (method_3) in the comparison.

the question is

in the modeling capacity perspective, does then indicate method_1 > method_2 > method_3 ?


texts: Common informal way in English to describe an act of drinking that is done to "honor" a meeting?

texts:
Imagine a situation, in which three former schoolmates are getting together in a restaurant. They sit down at the table and one of them is saying, "So then, let's have a drink - just to mark our meeting tonight." Would this phrase sound strange in this kind of informal situation?

Does the word meeting sound too official here? Would the word "reunion" sound better? Or, perhaps, a completely another word?

And what about the verb "to mark"? Would "to celebrate" be a better choice?

So, in short, what's the common an informal way in English to describe an act of drinking that is done to "honor" a meeting?


texts: In / during the period of one's infancy or childhood

texts:
Is the usage of "period" redundant in the following phrases:

  In / during my infancy period
  In / during the period of my infancy
  In / during my childhood period
  In / suring the period of my childhood

Ngram shows no result for them. Also, dictionaries describe these words as below:

Infancy:

  The state or period of being a baby.

Childhood:

  The time when someone is a child.

Please let me know about it.


texts: Is this a mistake of missing preposition?

texts:
A sentence on this page strikes me as odd as I am checking dictionaries

  She wasn’t allowed go out and play with the other kids.

Am I correct in saying this sentence needs the preposition to after allowed and should be:

  She wasn’t allowed to go out and play with the other kids.


texts: what are the appropriate tense forms to be used in these sentences and why?

texts:
She promised me that she (to ring up) me as soon as she (to return) from London.
She (to tell) me that the plane (to take off) at exactly 5 o'clock.
I learned that she (to get) a parcel from her parents one of these days and (to be going) to tell her about it.
I think that there must be:
She promised me that she would ring me up as soon as she returned from London.
She told me that the plane takes off at exactly 5 o'clock.
I learned that she will get a parcel from her parents one of these days and is going to tell her about it
but I'm not sure about the tenses with "as soon as". In the second one, I know that with the scheduled actions we use pr. simple but what about the first part where we have past simple? Is it possible to mix the tenses? And in the 3rd we have "learned" in past and then "these days" which is future.


texts: What are water sleeves? ("For a few seconds their ankles glittered in rippling sleeves of retreating water.")

texts:
A wave, pushed by one behind it, slid so far up the slant of sand, their feet were delicately shocked and soaked. For a few seconds their ankles glittered in rippling sleeves of retreating water.

What are water sleeves?


texts: the position of "only" to emphasize the rareness

texts:
In the post meaning of "I have everything for my xxx" I said

However, googling it only returns 3 hits.

I was trying to emphasize the rareness of the searching results. Should I have put it this way?

However, googling it returns only 3 hits.

Which one should I use?
Are there any other expressions clearer and more natural could be used here?


texts:
I have a sentence:

  My grandfather was a model worker.

My question is: Is "My grandfather" alive or dead?

I wrote a sentence:

  I was a student.

Is it correct? Thanks in advance :>


texts: Is "What would have happened if you were a few minutes later?" grammatical?

texts:
I read this sentence  in a movie

  What would have happened if you were a few minutes later?

I think that the sentence "What would have happened if you were a few minutes later?" is wrong grammatically.

Is it grammatical?


texts:
I think the pronunciation of the word madam is ma'am and it depends more on the tone than the vowels or consonants, right?

If I can't pronounce it, is it better to pronounce the D in madam or to call any lady "miss" regardless of her marital status?

Any answer is appreciated but I prefer the one based on AmE.


texts: "There are a number of reasons {why/that}..."

texts:
Should it be:

  There are a number of resons why i dont like him.

Or

  There are a numbers of reasons that i dont like him.

?

Both sentences sound well but I am confused, are both correct? When to use that or why after "reason" in such sentences?


texts:
What is the meaning of "bucket on the head" in this context?

  Patulous Eustachian tube […] is a physical disorder where the Eustachian
  tube, which is normally closed, instead stays intermittently open.
  When this occurs, the patient experiences autophony, the hearing of
  self-generated sounds. These sounds, such as one's own breathing,
  voice, and heartbeat, vibrate directly onto the ear drum and can
  create a "bucket on the head" effect.

(Source)


texts:
As native speakers, do you find any difference between the following:

  came into my mind
  occurred to me
  crossed my mind

They all sound the same to me. Does the same apply to you?


texts:
"What about your parents? Were they also there?/Were they there too?"

Are these completely interchangeable in the context?


texts: I am a beginner in English. I read this sentence in an example: "If you work at a job you enjoy, you will probably do your job better than if you work at a job only to earn money.". Why do we use "to earn" and not "earn"?


texts: An adjective for something that has been achieved with a lot of effort through years

texts:
I am looking for an adjective that describes something that has been achieved hardly after a lot of effort through years.

  For instance, hardly-achieved experience OR hardly-gained knowledge.

Is there any specific word for that?

Edit: By hardly I meant through hard and laborious work. It's not something rare. Anybody can achieve it, but only after a lot of hard work and effort through years.


texts:
The Emergency Plan should meet the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.38 and
  state equivalents.

Does it mean "a requirement that is used as an equivalent one in a specific state"?


texts: grammatical term to refer to words like "Apple's", "Book's", "Boss's"?

texts:
As per a post, a specific type of phrases like "Apple's taste", "Book's cover", "Boss's car" are called Possessive Nouns. I understand this though I am not sure if it is a grammatical term.

How do I call the first part of that specific kind of phrases, like "Apple's", "Book's", "Boss's"?


texts:
The question is about filling the blank with the best answer. (with the word given in the parentheses)

  1. An eagle flies ........... a sparrow (high)

  a. Higher Than

  b. More Highly than

  2. Jaguars run ........... cats. (fast)

  a. Fast than

  b. Faster than

My question is about using adjective or adverb. I usually heard that the answer for 1 is a and 2 is b. But in a book I found that it answered b for 1 and a for 2. Now what is the correct answer?


texts:
Which choice fits the best for my example below:

  I waited for you (...) 12 o’clock, but you didn't come (...), so I got on a taxi and left.
  a) until / until that time
  b) until / by that time
  c) by / until that time
  d) by / by that time

For me all of these choices work, but I'm sure one of them is the most natural one.


texts: Meaning of “She wheedled her mother into buying John a mink coat ”?

texts:
What does "She wheedled her mother into buying John a mink coat" mean?

Does it mean "She wheedled her mother and her mother bought a mink coat and her mother gave John a mink coat" or "She wheedled her mother and her mother bought a mink coat from John"?

I think "wheedle" is "persuade"


texts: Can I try this on in size 5 vs in a size 5

texts:
Supposing you were in a shoe shop and wanted to try a pair of shoes, would you say

Can I try them on in size 5?
Can I try them on in the size 5?
Can I try them on in a size 5?

Or maybe.. can I try them on in 5 size?..

Determiners always confuse me ... really a lot. I'm not really sure when to use or when not. Thanks in advance.


texts: Future in the past + adverbial clauses which indicate time or condition

texts:
I've seen the following examples in my textbook so far.

  He said that his son would graduate from college next spring.

  He said that he might come tomorrow.

I wonder that if a clause which indicates time or condition is added to these sentences, the new sentences become correct, like:

  He said that his son would graduate from college if he [passes] the last examination next spring.

  He said that he might come before he [goes] to school tomorrow.

Are these sentences correct? (I wonder the present tense can be used here, even though the other tenses in these sentences are all the past tense.) If not, how can we add clauses indicating time or condition to the former sentences?


texts:
Which sentence is correct?

Why has my order not shipped out?

or

Why is my order not shipped out?

Can someone tell me the grammatical rule on this? When do I use “has” and when do I use “is”?


texts: Meaning of "his junior" in "a Ukrainian model 30 years his junior"?

texts:
Example with context:

  The investigators said they also were considering whether there was "personal enmity" toward Nemtsov in his domestic life. State-controlled and Kremlin-friendly TV gave considerable attention to Nemtsov's companion, identifying her as a Ukrainian model 30 years his junior and showing photos of her in alluring poses. The Investigative Committee said the pair was headed for Nemtsov's apartment.

Okay. She was a Ukrainian model who was 30 years old. But I don't understand the his junior part.


texts:
Which one is correct?

  That would be great if you have one

or

  That would be great if you had one?


texts:
I wonder if it is possible to use 'can' to signify possibility in the  sentence below. I understand that 'could' or 'might' are more suitable here. The context is that we are expecting Jack to call today.

  The phone is ringing. It can be Jack.

What is the difference in the meaning if we compare with usage of 'could' or 'might'.


texts:
If someone wants to say me that he can not do something in the next week but just after this next week. What is the way on English to say that?

  I will not can do that

or simply

  I can not do that next week

Is there no form for the future like many other languages?


texts:
I want to say my friend was using a software since five years ago and he's still using the software, now which term is right :

My friend has been using a software for five years.
My friend had been using a software for five years.

or both are incorrect?


texts: Usage of "be a help, be of help, be (any, much,little) help, be of (any, much, little help)

texts:
I looked up the above-mentioned collocations in different dictionaries and still don't know how to use them properly. The question is not about the meaning "to be helpful", but when to use which.Can we use them interchangeably? Thank you.

  Was he (any/a/of any/of much/ help to them?- No, he wasn't (a/much/any/of much/of any)help.


texts:
could you, please, help me to understand what kind of person is "a quiet man with quiet ways"?

May it be, that this man is quiet and self-collected?

Here is the context:

"A quiet man with quiet ways, he unfolded himself from the chair
to go sit by his mother-in-law. She patted his hand."
N.Roberts

Thank you!


texts: A question regarding might be/might have been

texts:
When I was reading, I encountered 2 sentences like these:

  I went to his house last night, because I thought he might have the information I needed.
  He thought the book might help him move on from the past.

In the first sentence, why didn't the writer use "I thought he might have had the information", and in the second sentence why not "might have been able to help", since they're both talking about past events?

I am a little confused here. Your useful answers are greatly appreciated.


texts:
The sentence below often appears in a "blank" page of books.

"This Page Intentionally Left Blank"

Why there's no linking verb after the subject (Page)? e.g.:

This Page Was Intentionally Left Blank

If the adverb in the original sentence is removed, we only have:

This Page Left Blank

So I wonder why the original sentence without a linking verb often appears in books. Is it not odd without a linking verb? Based on my understanding of the original sentence, it means that the page left itself blank, which is odd for me.
Hope to get some clarifications about this.


texts: Sequence of tenses: past simple + present perfect

texts:
I'm having a problem with reporting the following sentence in a simple-past context:

Person X: Since they arrived, he's been very happy.

The person X said that since they had arrived, he (???) very happy.

Thank you very much!


texts: Is this sentence correct / written in a good english?

texts:
You know.. today I've been in my old company. I've been working there for 5 years and it was like seeing sliding doors (the movie I mean), like seeing a parallel life I mean.

Now I work abroad and my life has changed, but only a few months ago I was working there. And I could still been working there, doing the same street every day.

I'm happy to have changed.

Can I use the expression: "you know..", for starting a sentence? Is it idiomatic? Am I doing a rigth use of it? I use it for drawing attention.
The tense in the other two bolded sentence are rigth?


texts: Cannot understand the Subject of this sentence?

texts:
My problem is to know who is the Subject of setting and it the following sentence:

When it is invoked, our new function simply invokes the original function that was passed in, setting the original value as this. It also passes through the arguments.
Source: https://yehudakatz.com/2011/08/11/understanding-javascript-function-invocation-and-this/, section: Using Function.prototype.bind.

Does the ", setting ..." expanded to ", and the new function setting" or ", the original function setting"?
Does the "It also passes ..." expanded to "the original function also passes" or "the new function also passes"?


texts: A phrase for controling favors to people

texts:
I wrote:

  The moral of the story is that you should control the amount of your favor to others.

It wants to say that you shouldn't do much favor to someone, because they may ignore or forget your favor...

It can also mean when you care too much about someone, he/she may find your favor your duty or as an ordinary thing.

How can I say the bold part in a natural and idiomatic way? Or what are the related phrases to this point?


texts: "Assuming we are to..." vs "Assuming we were to"

texts:
I've been doing some exercises lately when one thing struck me:

  Miss Baiocci would, I am sure, be a real asset to your organisation, knowing as she does a great deal about the way a company such as yours operates. [...] If it were not clear that she is determined to move away from this area, we would try everything we could to keep her here. Assuming we are to lose her, I would be happy to know that she was being taken on by a company with a reputation such as you enjoy.

The "are". It is in accordance with the answer. The thing is, I thought it should have been:

  Assuming we were to lose her, I would be happy to know that she was being taken on by a company with a reputation such as you enjoy.

I thought it was obvious at first glance that this is the Type II Conditional.

Which version is correct and fits best in the context?

Thank you!

Grammar and Vocabulary for Cambridge Advanced and Proficiency by Richard Side and Guy Wellman


texts:
From the Godfather:

  And don't in any way quarell with him. Tell him you have to get the
  money and you will give it to me to give him. Let him understand that
  you are willing to pay what he asks. Don't bargain. I'll quarrel over
  the price with him. There is no point making him angry if he's as
  dangerous a man as you say he is.

  They left it at that.

The last sentence, what does that mean? How could we use that construction in another case? The phrase Left something at that is common in modern English, huh?


texts:
Here is one sentence from BBC World News:

  No signals have come from the lander after it made the final descent.

I looked up the word after in LDOCE, it can be used in the present perfect tense, the past perfect tense. But I did not find any sentence like the mentioned one. And there is another one:

  A Scottish boxer has died after being injured in a bout on Thursday.


texts: What is the difference between "a half walnut cake" and "half a walnut cake"?

texts:
There was half a walnut cake with pink icing in the cupboard.
  There was a half walnut cake with pink icing in the cupboard.

What is the difference between both of the above sentences?


texts: What does "I can't have brass cutting me favors in public" mean?

texts:
In Brick (2005), Brendan, student , talking to his principal, Trueman.

  Brendan: All right, I need you off my back completely for  the next few weeks.There might be some heat soon.

  Trueman: If it's something I can't cover, I won't go to bat for you.

  Brendan: If I get caught like that, it's curtains anyway. I can't have brass cutting me favors in public.

My understanding of Brendan's words: Brendan misses Brass to be asked for his favors in public.

Is my understanding is right or wrong?


texts: Can I say 'a display of size around 4"'?

texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  I am writing to enquire whether you have available an e-paper display of size around 4".

What could "of size" be replaced with?


texts: Can we use "a night's good sleep" instead of "a good night's sleep"

texts: I know that " a good night's sleep" is correct to use, but I wonder that if we were to switch the position of "good", would it still be grammatically correct?


texts: What does "For" mean in the sentence "could you come down here for a second?"?

texts:
Ok, "For" has several meanings

  -used to show purpose or function

  a machine for slicing bread

  Let's go for a walk.

  Are you learning English for pleasure or for your work?

  What did you do that for (= Why did you do that)?

  -used to show a length of time

  I'm going away for a few days.

  That's all the news there is for now.

Now see this sentence "could you come down here for a second?"

I guess "For" here means "reason"

I would say "could you come down here for a second?" could mean "could you come down here for a short conversation with me?"

Or does it means "your coming action lasts a short time, not long""?


texts: In this case, why doesn't this follow the grammar?

texts: As you know, there are 3 tenses in English grammar, but when it comes to 'I was in the future in the past with a time machine,' there's no tense indicating past and future in English. Though, why do people use a tense of a bigger category, in this case, the past tense.


texts: "She dressed like/as an owl." Which is correct?

texts:
She dressed like an owl.

  She dressed as an owl.

"As" or "like"? Which one is more appropriate? My brother said that the second one is correct. He said that first one means "she dressed like an owl does."


texts:
What does "compare like with like" mean?

  Teenagers often compare themselves with pop or fashion icons, people we see on TV and so on. But they are not comparing like with like.


texts:
Bouvet says PC blinkers have prevented the Socialists from addressing working-class anxieties about immigration and the rise of Islam – even in its moderate form – in areas where the so-called Français de souche (born-and-bred French) find themselves outnumbered by those with a different religion and cultural habits.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/22/alienated-french-working-class-vote-far-right-claims-analyst

Can you please explain to me what the meaning of "PC blinkers" in the above sentence is? Does it mean that French socialists are politically ignorant and not perceptive?


texts: What is the meaning of "opportunistic order"?

texts:
Then we also had some attrition, where some business that was maybe an
  opportunistic order last year didn’t repeat itself, and that occurred
  in XXX a year over a year. (Note: XXX is a name of a city)

It is a script, and I have no idea what "opportunistic order" means. I know the meaning of opportunistic and order, but combining these two confuses me. Does it mean "some business that have performed well in last year didn't do well this year, and this situation occurred in XXX"?

Additionally, what does "a year over a year" mean? Does it mean "over a year"?

The script is about a company's finance performance for its second quarter.


texts: Present perfect continuous for the verb to sign?

texts:
On the same exercise there is that sentence

  He has been signing up for a historical tour to exactly  these places

The reason of choosing the continuous form is that it is  a temporary action.
But is it not a bit strange because signing a contract is not something that has a duration .

May be  the continuous was preferred because in fact the action at the time of writing was not completed was not signed but not because it is temporary action.

What do you think about it?
https://www.grammar-quizzes.com/presperf1c.html


texts: When can the present tense be used to express "now", neither before nor after?

texts:
Recently, questions have been asked questions about how, for instance, the past tense can be used to express a future event, or the simple present can be used to express a continuous action or, lastly, the future tense can be used in reference to the present time.

After reading these questions I began to think about, not complicated things, but when we can use the present tense to express the present tense.

So: as everybody knows, the present tense of the verb drive is drive; but, for instance:

in "I used to drive to work but now I don't" the present tense drive is clearly used in a past sense;
in "I will drive you to work tomorrow" the present tense drive is clearly used in a future sense;
in "I would drive if I could afford to" the present tense drive is clearly used in a conditional sense;

Since I'm not able to think of another sentence in which the present tense drive is used in a present sense - i.e., now, neither before nor after - and I also know that "I drive the car now" is ungrammatical, can anybody suggest one?


texts: Why is past tense ("was") used in "It gets booked up quickly though so you’ d need to check it was available"?

texts:
It gets booked up quickly though so you’d need to check it was available

Why is "was" used? I can’t understand why past tense is used here.


texts:
When offerering to an organization I have heard that it is better to use use it as singluar (instead of they). But I am confused over this sentence:

  "In this paper, we focus on the initiative of United Nations, a non-profit organization that has been acknowledged for it great performance".

This sounds awkward to me, I would like to use its
What are the rules? Any suggestions?


texts: Conditional Sentences (or mixed) why did we use the past outside of the conditional sentence?

texts:
I watched a video "English on movies" and met such a sentence that I can't understand:

I don't think Tony would have done what he did, if he didn't know you
were gonna be here after he was gone.

I understand, sort of, what conditional and mixed sentences are, but let's
say we have one conditional sentence here:

I don't think Tony would have done what he did, if he didn't know.

As I understand it the principle works here

If (Past Simple) + (would have + V3)

But I can't understand why:

you were gonna be here after he was gone

Why is the past here, if we are talking about the present, or this is
already another conditional sentence?
Something from these proposals in my head all mixed up.


texts: Is it correct to write these two gerunds in succession?

texts:
I'm speaking about this precise sentence:

  I would like to contact you because I work for a firm in which we are considering defining a text editor for all our Android apps:

Is there any rule to know when to use this structure?


texts:
She informed she had no idea who had committed that robbery.

A friend of mine said this. I'm not sure if it's correct usage of the verb inform because I think it should be followed by an object (inform somebody of something)
Can the verb inform be intransitive and used in the sense of making somebody aware of something? And is it colloquial?
What are the better options?


texts:
I am wondering if the two sentences I made are correct grammatically.

  The girl pleased with the result is my sister.

  The girl, pleased with the result, is my sister.

Which one is correct and why?


texts:
everyone

Sometimes my friends say something that really confuses me.

Here cleaning is used more like a noun(because has an article , "a cleaning") some people call them deverbal nouns.

But I'm just confused about the meaning, because doing something sometimes has different meanings.

eg: I need their arrival(because if they come, they will give me some chance to make money, here has no passive voice meaning)

I need some cleaning here.(the manager pointed to a dirty table). Does this one make sense? or just means I need to be cleaned.

I have looked up some information and I think if the gerund functions as nouns, they have the same meanings when they are verbal.

In this way, if some words can used as nouns in the structure (I'm not sure if there is) "try doing something", it still means they just tried doing these things.  Am I right?

I know some gerunds can be used as nouns…But if they are nouns…what is the difference？


texts:
What are some ways to describe the situation when ants crawl on food? Is using 'get ants' OK?

  Don't leave the cookies out on the counter. They're gonna get ants.

I think 'attract' works here but it's rather weird to be used in everyday conversations. What are some other ways to say that?


texts: Before the party: Question about the past perfect continuous tense

texts:
I am trying to understand better the correct way to use the past perfect continuous tense. In particular, what is the difference between:

Before the party, he had been telling everyone how happy he was.
Before the party, he had been telling everyone how happy he had been.

I believe both are grammatically correct but mean different things.

I think 2. means that 'he' had been telling everyone how happy he had been up to some point before the party (and maybe he was not happy right before the party). Am I correct?


texts: Would I say... I'm not at your convenience or I'm not at your convenient?

texts:
Things don't just happen when you want it to.
How can I put that in a sentence with the word convenience  or convenient?


texts: Questions about the phrase "but of tea not a glimpse" from "Great Expectations"

texts:
I still have a question about the phrase "but of tea not a glimpse" from the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

  I rang for the tea, and the waiter, reappearing with his magic clew, brought in by degrees some fifty adjuncts to that refreshment, but of tea not a glimpse. A teaboard, cups and saucers, plates, knives and forks (including carvers), spoons (various), saltcellars, a meek little muffin confined with the utmost precaution under a strong iron cover, Moses in the bulrushes typified by a soft bit of butter in a quantity of parsley, a pale loaf with a powdered head, two proof impressions of the bars of the kitchen fireplace on triangular bits of bread, and ultimately a fat family urn; which the waiter staggered in with, expressing in his countenance burden and suffering. After a prolonged absence at this stage of the entertainment, he at length came back with a casket of precious appearance containing twigs. These I steeped in hot water, and so from the whole of these appliances extracted one cup of I don’t know what for Estella.

Below is the sentence about which I still have a question.

  I rang for the tea, and the waiter, reappearing with his magic clew, brought in by degrees some fifty adjuncts to that refreshment, but of tea not a glimpse.

Does the word "of" mean "with respect to" in the phrase "but of tea not a glimpse"?
Does "not a glimpse" mean "the protagonist of the novel saw and inspected all of the fifty adjuncts that were brought by the waiter, and the protagonist of the novel didn't glimpse all of the fifty adjuncts, and the protagonist of the novel saw all of the fifty adjuncts very carefully, and then the protagonist of the novel found that all of the fifty adjuncts were with respect to the tea" in the sentence "but of tea not a glimpse"?


texts: Meaning of "Provided the teacher draws attention to this"

texts:
Most of all though, it is through the language which occurs in the classroom that students can really see how the relationships between words matter, provided the teacher draws attention to this.

Here, what does it mean provided the teacher draws attention to this (With grammar).


texts: Is 'The world is paying the price of corrupted governments.' a consistent statement?

texts:
Let consider such a statement:

  The world is paying the price of corrupted governments.

Do you think it is consistent?

I ask because it seems as there is something missing there, as, for example, 'actions' or 'policy' after 'governments' — in the lack of them that statement appears improperly broken.


texts:
Please give me a two hour leave
Please give me two hours leave

Providing that those are correct, Could you tell me when/ in which situation you would rather use one over the other?

Meanwhile, would you tell me if I have well rephrased number 1?

a two hour(long) leave


texts: Can someone kindly explain to me the pun in this advert?

texts:
I barely understood what "deez nutz" means

  something to say to annoy or frustrate something.

Source

It sounds like the advert is telling us more than that, link is below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tHoon13cC8


texts:
When using Indefinite Pronouns, the verb is in the "3rd personal singular" form.
When adding a Tag Question, we invert the sense of the verb (+ to - and - to +).
So, it's OK to say:

Somebody is there, isn't it?

Nobody has arrived, have they?

I'm sure about the first tag question, but not about the second one.
Is the tag OK? If I write "hasn't they" it doesn't make any sense to me.

I'll appreciate if somebody could help me solving this doubt.


texts: What is the correct preposition to use with "corporation"

texts:
I see that both "in" and "at" used with the word corporation. Does it make no difference which one to use or each of this prepositions convey a different meaning?

A couple of real-world examples that use "in":

  In the corporation, the boss can still fire you.

  Hyatt is renowned in the corporation for his collection of more than 50 horse-drawn carriages.

And a couple that use "at":

  From typing up memos at a corporation, to penning blog posts that accompany your online store, to writing grant proposals for your non-profit — it is a skill that will truly come in handy no matter what line of work you end up going into.

  The idea started out as a way to keep the best talent at the corporation.

Are "at" and "in" mutually interchangeable in these examples?

P.S. It is clear that we use "in", not "at", for example in the phrase "invest in the corporation". However, in many cases, especially when the word "corporation" answers the question "where?", it is not so clear which preposition should be used. E.g. do a man works in a corporation or at a corporation?


texts: I have swum in this river. I have been swimming in this river. What is the difference?

texts: I have swum in this pool every afternoon. this sentence means that I do not swim in this pool now and I won't swim in the pool. But I have been swimming in this pool every afternoon which means I still do this in the pool every afternoon. What is the difference?


texts: Is the usage of "latter" correct in this sentence?

texts:
When it started, it simply allowed users to find drivers. There was
  no app for the latter.

Is it clear that "latter" refers to drivers?

EDIT:

How about now?

  >
  XXXX is a popular app where a growth mindset paid off.

When it started, it simply allowed users to find drivers. There was no app for the latter.

->>> Is the usage of "latter" correct and clear in the above example?


texts:
Which one is correct and why?

  I can speak (a language).

  I know to speak (a language).


texts:
THE STAINS OF RUST SEEMED TO MAP BLOOD SEAS ON THE BLACK, pocked surface of Mock's Vane. A century old, it squatted on the point of an old pike that had been bolted to the outer top of the Hold's wall. Monstrous and misshapen, it had been cold-hammered into the form of a winged demon, teeth bared in a leering grin, and was tugged and buffeted in squealing protest with every gust of wind.

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, sentence No 2.

It's understood that what was meant is that the vane was protesting. But, grammatically, if the object is tugged and buffeted in squealing protest, who's in the state of protest, the object or the one who does the actions?


texts:
This weighed about 50% more than the first edition, reflecting my
  growing discovery that there was, so to speak, more grammar around
  than I had first thought. The third edition incorporated further
  improvements, as has the current fourth.

Might I trouble you to tell me whether 'as' denotes 'further improvements' or not?

My parsing is:

  The third edition incorporated further improvements. And it
  has the current forth.


texts:
I have a question related to "the." There is a situation like this: My friend, while writing, is asking me what it is (and points at a black dot thinking that I wanted to write something). What should I say?

  It's paper. I didn't write anything.
  It's the paper. I didn't...

Or maybe are both correct in this case?
Would 1) mean it is paper in general and that kind of paper can look like this while 2) would mean the paper she is writing on right now?


texts:
Which one of the following two sentences is more correct/appropriate than the other? Why?

  That's a both interesting and challenging problem.
  That's both an interesting and challenging problem.


texts: Does "Do this if any of As are B" and "Do this if some of As are B" means the same?

texts:
Does these two sentences have the same meaning?

  Do this if any of As are B.
  Do this if some of As are B.

I would say yes, but I am not sure; if so, is one prefered over another? The second sounds better to me, but I think in mathematical and technical literature one more often ecounters the first.


texts:
I'm here again with misunderstanding of some grammar rules. So there is sentence where it's said " 4 days has never felt so long". why a song writer used "has" instead of "have", when I asked question bout "he do" vs "he does" I got what's the point of it, but here, I can't understand. There is no rhyme, there is nothing that can be cause of using "has" instead of "have"

Here is the lyrics: Baby, I don't feel so good Six words you never understood I'll never let you go Five words you'll never say (aw) I laugh alone like nothing's wrong Four days has never felt so long If three's a crowd and two was us One slipped away


texts: Can a prepositional phrase starting with "of " after the noun "use" mean who use something?

texts:
I read a passage about difference between the behavior of people who feel stronger or more powerful than others and that of those who feel less strong or less powerful than others.
In this passage, an "of" prepositional phrase is used in this way:
People who felt powerful were less likely to be considerate; wealthy participants were more likely to cheat in games involving small cash rewards and to dip their hands into a jar of sweets marked for the use of visiting children.
Judging from my experiences in reading English, it seems that a prepositional phrase starting with "of " after the noun "use" means what someone uses, not who uses something, like: "The use of computers in classrooms has become common." or "a blanket ban on the use of aerosols".
I have found one example in which an "of" prepositional phrase means who uses something (from OALD 9th edition).
The bar is for the use of members only.
So I think prepositional phrases starting the word "of" after the word "use" can only mean who uses something if it is used in the form of "for the use of"
Is this thought correct? Or are there more examples other than this usage?
And I'd like to know which preposition to use to mean who uses something if it exists.
I'd like to have some answer, please.


texts:
What is the difference in meaning between:

  Are we good?

or:

  We're good?

and:

  Are we good to go?

I would appreciate it if you could as well give some examples for usage of each phrase.


texts:
What does "expressions of opinion" mean?
Expressions of opinion should be supported by reference to the authority on which they are made and the verifiable facts which support them.


texts:
I have come across two acme sentences:

  He was in the acme of happiness.

  His fame was at its acme.

Which preposition do I use? What is the rule behind this?


texts: Does "the town has reasons to be chosen" make sense or sound natural?

texts: In a competition to choose the site of a big regional event, a particular town stands out with a sufficient number of hotels, a wonderful environment, hospitality and other advantages. If I say, "The town has reasons to be chosen," does it make sense and/or sound natural?    I wondered if the sentence may imply that the town is insisiting to be chosen as the site.


texts: Would you readily explain the usages of need?

texts:
Having studied several different grammar books, I am still confused as to whether these have the same meaning and can you use them interchangeably?

Don't need to
Don't have to
Needn't

Would you tell me what is the difference between these and when you would rather use them? and what is the past tense of these?

Tell her she needn't work tonight.
Tell her she doesn't need to work tonight.

Do you consider this explanation correct?

If we talk about a matter that is about general necessity, we must use don't need to do something
If we don't talk about habitual and general society, then we must use needn't do something


texts: How can I use "can" with negation words (such as "can ... not") instead of antonym verbs?

texts:
In the following sentence:

They can disagree.

what I want to say is that the subject, they, can possibly reach a state when they no longer agree. Of course, it can be the opposite - they can agree with each other and live happily ever after, but I'd like to specifically underline the chance for the negative outcome. So what I did is I took an antonym for verb "agree", disagree, and this was all I needed to build this very simple sentence. So far so good.
But what if I have a verb that doesn't have a simple antonym (or I just forgot this antonym and I need to come up quickly with a grammatical construct to compensate this)? Such as negotiate. Obviously, I can't say "they can not negotiate", because in English, "X can not Y" doesn't mean "X can possibly reach a state when X doesn't Y". It means "X won't do Y, never ever". But what should I do, then?
I can probably put a filler word between "can" and "not" to break this pattern, such as:

They can possibly not negotiate. / They can possibly not agree.

But is it correct, is it idiomatic English?


texts:
Is it ok to say Thanks to offered in this context:

  Thanks to offered functionality and versatility. . . .


texts: Does it sound unnatural to you (natives) when people skip 's' ending of the verb in 3rd person? Heard it many times (e.g. in 50 cent songs - she go, she have, etc.) and always wondered how much it sounds ok.


texts: Expression to use after talking to someone after a long time

texts:
Oftentimes, on social media, you run into classmates and teachers from olden days. So how do you express that it is heartwarming to be able to speak to them again after a very long time.

Is saying this grammatically correct?

  It's wonderful to be talking to you after such a long while.

Is this an idiomatic expression?


texts: This sentence is a paradox to me. Is it correct?

texts:
This story is like a paradox in itself, revolves around the concepts of life and death, freedom and obligation; concludes with a final metaphor ”being locked inside a little box with no way out.”

I wanted to put 'and concludes' but too many ands didn't like it.

I don't want to separate them.


texts: How to say something is a little more than the amount it should be?

texts:
Suppose we want to organize a study group of no more than five people but it turns out that seven people want to join in. In this case, the leader says:

  We only need five people in this study group. Seven people _____.

Here I don't want to use "are too many". I want to put an expression weaker than "too many".


texts: What does "be so much with something" mean?

texts:
I have come across it in the fifth episode of the tenth season of Friends. Here is the context:
Friends

Monica: Hey Rach, the adoption agency needs letters of recommendation
and we were wondering if you would write one for us.
Rachel: Of course, I'd be honored!
Chandler: Thanks!
Monica: Thank you!
(Joey looks at them, disappointed about their decision)
Joey: U-U-Um, I think there's been an oversight.
Chandler: Joey, we would've asked you, we just thought you wouldn't be
interested.
Monica: Yeah, it's just we don't think of you as really being so much
"with the words".

Does Monica think Joey isn't good with word or that he doesn't speak much?


texts:
The context is not any food.

Collins defines -

  sugar coated: (of a story, information, etc) written or told in a way that makes it seem more palatable

It further gives an example..

  a sugar-coated view of a boy's introduction to sex

There's no harm or bad intention

But then OALD says -

  (disapproving) made to seem attractive, in a way that tricks people

with an example of ...

  a sugar-coated promise

Certainly, there's some harm/bad intention.

As compared to both above (especially Collins), Macmillan takes it into an entirely different direction -

  trying to make something seem less unpleasant than it is

So, the question is, is sugar coated a negative word? Or it's simply a way of presenting thing? But then if the latter is true, presenting bad things good or complex things in an understandable way?

If I come to know that the information is sugar-coated, how should I take it? The information has been simplified to my intellect (as in sex-boy example) or it's actually fake to manipulate me?


texts: Do you say "It was great to meet you?" Or only "It was nice/good to meet you" are fixed phrases?


texts: Using the word “received” as both an adjective and a verb

texts:
Providing both of these phrases mean the same thing, I am willing to use the word “received” in the first sentence as an adjective. Would you please complete the first one?

By carrying out due research and studies on the received scientific reports. . .
By carrying out due research and studies on the scientific reports received from someone. . .


texts: "In his ear" - preposition phrase or adverbial phrase?

texts:
In his ear, he whispers gaily.

Is "in his ear" a prepositional or an adverbial phrase?

Please explain your choice and give some reasons for your answer. Thanks!


texts: Does "right upstairs" mean "on the floor directly above"?

texts:
Background
This line from Monk: Mr. Monk Makes a Friend (2007) motivates this question. Adrian Monk says this just outside his home to a friend of his.

Come on, I live right upstairs.

Just from this, I couldn't tell if he lived on the first floor or just near the ground floor.
The Question
While making neighbours' acquaintances, people often use "right", as in "I live right next door / right across the street / right upstairs," etc.
"Right next door" implies adjacency, sometimes immediate but, broadly, allowing some footwork:

Next door (broadly): in or at an adjacent place
—Merriam-Webster

"Right across the street" is quite ambiguous:

You can also use ["right across the street"] to talk about somewhere that's very close by, but not literally right across the street.¹

However, I find "right upstairs" less ambiguous. Floors being countable, when someone says "I live right upstairs," does it mean they live on the floor directly above the current? Otherwise, they would say "I live [number] floors above," right?


texts: What does the "ant or aunt'' means? (see below: right bottom)


texts: Which is correct "used for words" or "used of words"?

texts:
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:

  We must turn to the dictionary for answers to these questions. What does "vulgar" mean when used of words?

I strongly believe that there should've been "for" instead of "of" in the latter sentence. But the excerpt is from a lexicographer's book so I doubt my take.


texts: I've found a lot of examples of expression "Get in a flap" but in my coursebook the expression is said with "into" instead of "in". Are those prepositions interchangeable or is that an error in the book?


texts:
I know how to pronounce euphemism, which I ask NOT about. Yet I only encountered its antonym dysphemism today. Though I still don`t understand phonetic symbols (see here), am I right that the root -phemism must be pronounced identically in both words? I see that the prefixes differ.

If so, is ODO's audible pronunciation clip wrong? I hear an additional NUH sound between fe and mism, which I would try to transcribe as:
diss-phe-NUH-mism.

Footnote: I'm using Firefox and tried to link to that pronunciation clip for your convenience, but I can't extract a link. Please advise or edit this if you can.


texts: Would you like to explain these sentences to me?

texts:
I need the design a stunning app icon.
I need to design a stunning app icon.
I need the design to be a stunning app icon.

Please review those sentences and explain what meanings they express.

I'm so confused, I appreciate your explanation.


texts: Do we say "This paper cup is deformed or crumpled" in everyday English?

texts:
crumple [transitive, intransitive]: crumple (something) (up) (into
  something) to press or crush something into folds; to become pressed,
  etc. into folds

  She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire.

  This material crumples very easily

  deform (something): to change or damage the usual or natural shape of
  something; to become changed in shape

  The disease had deformed his spine.

  The pressure had caused the wall to deform and buckle.

Do you say this paper cup is deformed in everyday English?

Do you say this paper cup is crumpled in everyday English?


texts:
I have happened upon it in BBC Learning English. It is at 5 minute and 22 second. Here it goes:

  [Bill] She is cheating!

  [Will] So, you keep saying, but do you have any evidence?

  [Bill] I literally just filmed it on my phone.

  [Will] What are you doing! You could be blog-tubing the answer.

What is blog-tubing? I cannot find its definition on the internet.


texts: What is the meaning of 'well'?(in this context)

texts: He then conveyed him and his sister into the veriest old well of a shivering best-parlour that ever was seen, where the maps upon the wall, and the celestial and terrestrial globes in the windows, were waxy with cold.(A CHRISTMAS CAROL)


texts: "Macaroni and cheese (is/are) on the lunch menu"

texts:
Is the sentence "“Macaroni and cheese is on the lunch menu.” correct?
I mean there 'is' is used as verb because two item means one unit. Or 'are' will be used?


texts: "Below certain years" or "Under certain years"

texts:
Which preposition is appropriate for the following case, "below certain years" or "under certain years"?

This person has 2 children below / under 2 years.

I saw both in use and I'm sure if they are both correct. (Does it have something to do with British or American English?)


texts: What do you say to a waitress when you don't want any change?

texts:
What do you say when you give $50 to a waitress and you want to tell her the money includes the tip and you don't want any change? I could say "I don't want any change", but it's not straight to the point and a bit confusing and unidiomatic. It's something a non-native English speaker might say, but what do native speakers say?

Let's say you are billed for $30 and you give $50, which means you are giving more than 15%, but you don't want change since you are giving $20 in tips.


texts: Looking for the right word - feeding pills into a tray

texts:
I am again looking for the right word to use for a technical document.
I would like to find a word that

is a verb (or a ing-verb "eating" "drinking")
It describes the following action: Say I have a tray-like mechanism with compartments and I put a number of pills into each of these compartments by hand.

I have been finding words like "shedding", "sprinkle" but I am not quite convinced that they are right for what I want to express.

EDIT: Additional

How about "feeding" pills to the tray?

EDIT2
This is a related to my previous question


texts: In the sentence, "best three games out of five", is "best" used as a verb?

texts:
Some guy explains MLB Division Series this way

  the division series is best three games out of five, so if you win three
  games you advance to the next round

where "best" seems to be a verb.

As per Cambridge Dictionary, it is grammatically correct to use best as a verb.

  to defeat someone in a fight or competition

  He bested his opponent in just two rounds.

Is it the same use as the quotation at the beginning?


texts:
Here's a question from a test to which I think there are two answers.

  1) People from other countries think British are cold and unfriendly, ....?

  a) are they  b) aren't they  c) do they  d) don't they

I think b and d can be both true depending on which part of the sentence we'd like to attribute to the tag question. Am I right? Is there something wrong with the question or is it something I'm not getting here?


texts:
Consider this sentence: "Alex does not know the locations of US cities nor Toronto."

Two questions:
A) Is it interpreted this in two ways?:

1) Alex does not know the locations of US cities, and he does not know Toronto.
2) Alex does not know the locations of US cities, and he does not know the location of Toronto.

How can we modify it to mention first?

B) The word "locations" cannot be attributed to "Toronto" since "locations" is plural but "Toronto" is singular. Right?


texts: Is it correct to say "he lay on the bed rolling himself up because of cold"?

texts:
Look at the above picture, is it correct to say "he lay on the bed rolling himself up because of cold"?
Or Do we have a common word to express that lying position?


texts: Any problem with 'Who did open the door?' Justify please

texts:
Anyone seeing any problem with:

  Who did open the door?

vs.

  Who opened the door?

Do both convey same message?


texts: Can an object following 'own up to' be omitted?

texts:
Tom finally owned up to stealing my bag.

In the sentence, I know 'own up to' is an expression as it is.
In the expression, considering the meaning, I think an object could be implied, such as 'conscience'.

Is it acceptable to think so?


texts: How to ask a people whether he/she is wondering about something?

texts:
I want something stronger than just:
Do you want to have a look at our new room?
Something like
Are you very much wondering to have a look at our new room?
Are you very eager to have a look at our new room?
Are those above correct? What should I say?


texts: How to tell apart a long "oh" and a long "oo"?

texts:
In this comic there's a long "ooooooh" at the end.

How can I tell if it's a long "oh" (/o/) or a long "oo" (/uː/)?

I thought it could be the 'h', but I don't think I've never seen "ooooooo" anywhere.

How does a native speaker read this sound effect, and how would you write a long "oh" and a long "oo"?


texts: How to understand "No she bludgering well won't!"

texts:
"She's only Stunned," said Professor McGonagall impatiently, who had stooped down to examine Alecto. "She'll be perfectly all right."

  "No she bludgering well won't!" bellowed Amycus. "Not after the Dark Lord gets hold of her! She's gorn and sent for him, I felt me Mark burn, and he thinks we've got Potter!"

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I feel Amycus spoke a dialect here because I saw the use of 'gorn' and "me Mark", which I think should be 'gone' and "my Mark" in standard English. (Correct?)

However, I can't figure out how "No she bludgering well won't!" works here. How should we understand it?


texts: When someone's patience threshold is high or low

texts:
Imagine you are going to define the limit of your patience threshold in order to define whether they are patient or impatient individuals.

In my mother language, well-educated people say exactly these translated sentences:

  "I have a high patience threshold." OR "I have a low patience threshold."

I'm quite sure they are not natural in English. How a native speaker would indicate such a message (especially in AmE)?


texts: The video filmed "ON" the phone or "BY" the phone

texts:
I saw the Pixel introduction video by google and there was a clip showed that it was

  Filmed on Pixel 3.

I wonder that why it was on rather than "by".
And "by" is a correct way to describe it ?

EX: photo shot by this phone

Thanks


texts:
It is important to gain data to verify or falsify your assumption about business model.

Does the infinitive act as a purpose, being same as in order to,

Or does it act as an object complement by describing the intended or desired action of the noun data.

Or are both interpretations possible?


texts: Does a "changed password" mean an old password?

texts:
A new password should differ from the changed password by at least 4
characters.
Once you Changed your password, you may use the changed
password for all future logins(This is linked to a large PDF file).

I found the sentences above on the Internet. I think the "changed" in the first one means "old" whereas the "changed" in the second one means "new". The first sentence is strange to me. Can the "changed" mean either "new" or "old" depending on the context?

.


texts: Help understanding the differences between more than/about and most/all of

texts:
I am very confused when doing homework because there are four sentences which are really alike but my teacher said that they are different and I still don't understand why.

  "More than three-fourths of the world's mail is written in English"
  "About three-fourths of the world's mail is written in English".

I think that they are the same. And another two sentences that make me really confused:

  "Most other  languages have borrowed English words."
  "All of the the other languages have borrowed English words'.


texts: Can I say "Any tiger is a dangerous animal"?

texts:
What is the meaning of this sentence:

  "Any tiger is a dangerous animal."?

A. A tiger in general is a dangerous animal.
B. Any tiger, even a sick one, is dangerous.


texts: I want to know if the phrase below is a participial phrase

texts:
I saw the sentence below in a test passage.

  Longer life spans mean more people, worsening food and housing supply difficulties.

Is "worsening food and housing supply difficulties" a participial phrase here?

And I cannot guess what is a subject of "worsening".


texts:
The book, I am reading provides  pretensions meaning as “ snobbish airs”.

what does “snobbish airs” mean? I could not get actual meaning from the net search.

And help with pretensions meanings, if there is any other than “snobbish airs” thanks

these are the details gathered, but without solid answer:
pretensions = the appearance of being more important or more serious than there is reason for; snobbish airs
praetens(latin) = alleged
snob = a person with an exaggerated respect for high social position or wealth who seeks to associate with social superiors and looks down on those regarded as socially inferior.
snob (latin) = cobbler
cobbler = a person whose job is mending shoes;
let the cobbler stick to his last — people should only concern themselves with things they know something about.
snobbish = relating to, characteristic of, or like a snob;
airs = affected manners intended to impress others


texts: Difference between "not being tall" and "being not tall."

texts:
___ should not become a serious disadvantage in life and work
  A. To be not tall  B. Not being tall  C. Being not tall

The above is a test question, to which the answer is B. I kind of doubt it because I think C also works. So I come to seek confirmation.

Do you think the answer should be B and C?
Thanks in advance.


texts: is "which" a complement in "which she wanted to be"?

texts:
Her sister has become a lawyer, which she wanted to be.

In the relative clause, "which she wanted to be", "which" serves as a complement.

Is my understanding right?

Thank you very much!


texts: Why is the definite article "the" used before some dances and with others not?

texts:
I crossed with two sentences:

Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the
1880s along to the Río de la Plata.

How to dance the Tango.

So, I got very confused because the definite article "the" is not used before proper nouns usually, and "Tango" is a proper noun. Thereby, why does one sentence use "the" and the other not? Is there any rule in this case?
I think that the same happens with the dance named Waltz.
Furthermore, why with some dances, it's not used any article, such as Ballet, gayageum and samulnori?
EDIT: It's been recommended this source:“the top levels of government” -- why not "of THE government"?. Nevertheless, I think this question is more related to the generic topic.


texts:
In the Dictator movie, Alaeddin says to his double:

How would you even make that leap? Tamir to Dennis?

What does make that leap mean? I can't understand based on the meaning of leap in dictionaries.


texts:
The item 7 in http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/credit.

  recognition by name of a person contributing to a performance (as a film or telecast) <the opening credits>

Is the same meaning for the credit in photo credit?


texts:
I wouldn't go on a steamboat because I get seasick in the water/on the
float/off shore/on the open sea

Is it correct to say 'in the water' in this sentence?
Which option sounds better, on the float/off shore/on the open sea?


texts: What is meant by the phase "roving inquiry"?

texts:
I read a sentence in "The Hindu" which was:

HC remarks on Jayalalithaa death probe panel are a needed caution against a roving inquiry.

"Roving" means "not restricted to one place". But that doesn't seem to fit here. So, what could it possibly mean?


texts: Why is 'where' an adverb and not a pronoun?

texts:
A: Where are you going?
  B: I am going to school.

Where took the place of school and something that takes the place of a noun is a pronoun. So, why isn't where a pronoun?


texts:
How appropriate is in English the use of a single adjective to modify several nouns?

Example 1:
Can we say: different places and orientations instead of different places and different orientations?

Example 2: Give me the red pants, socks and shirt instead of Give me the red pants, the red socks and the red shirt?


texts: Is this sentence correct "We are going shopping mall"

texts: The statement above does not have 'to' before the destination. We can write 'going home' without 'to'. Where else can we skip 'to'?


texts:
MacBook is a laptop made by Apple which is designed to be slimmer each year rather than have / having / to have better battery life.

Have or having or to have - which one is correct here?


texts:
Her hair peeked out under the brim.

Why it is wrong if I leave out from that sentence?

  She walked along the bank

Why it is wrong if I say "she walked on the bank"?

As an English learner, what is the best way to learn these phrasal verbs? Is there any other way to understand phrasal verbs other than by memorizing it?

PS: Please correct my sentences if it's grammatically wrong. Thank you!


texts: No creeping doubts! No feeling persecuted

texts:
The context is from the Inception movie:

  Ariadne and Cobb enter Mal and Cobb's home]

  Dom Cobb: An idea is like
  a virus, resiliant, highly contagious and the smallest seed of an idea
  can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you. [they find Mal sitting
  in their kitchen table]

  Mal: A smallest idea such as 'your world is
  not real'. Simple little thought that changes everything. You're so
  certain of your world, of what's real. Do you think he is? Or do you
  think he's as lost as I was?

  Dom Cobb: I know what's real, Mal.

  Mal:No creeping doubts? Not feeling persecuted, Dom? Chased around the
  globe by annonymous corporations and police forces, the way the
  projections persecute the dreamer? Admit it, you don't believe in one
  reality anymore. So choose, choose to be here, choose me.

Could you explain what she was trying to say by these two sentences?


texts: The relationship between Object and it's properties

texts:
I'm not a native speaker,trying to understand few things.

Here soda is an object. soda has some properties like colour, taste, name ,price.

  The Taste of soda.
  The Colour of soda.
  The Name of soda.
  The Price of soda.

Now the question is:
Why would we say-

  "The family of 3".

Here "3" is an object but It doesn't have a property family.

  "she is the girl of my dream"

"Dream" doesn't have a property called "the girl".

I'm trying to understand how come girl is related to dream and family is related to 3.


texts: What is meant by "being at the centre of all the action"?

texts:
In the context of travelling a city, what does this sentence mean:

  Being at the centre of all the action

It goes something like "If you stay in a hotel near the Eiffel Tower, you will be at the centre of all the action."


texts:
We use would have past participal for hypothetical/imagination sentences. Do we need to use them in a reported speech?

Direct:(Talking to myself) Probably this would be the last time I am here.

Indirect:(Telling someone) I knew that would have been the last time I was there.


texts: If, whether (Noun Clause) with preposition or not?

texts:
Which sentences are correct?

Can I get information about if the city bus carry bike?
Can I get information if the city bus carry bike?
Can I get information about where the bus station is?
Can I get information where the bus station is?


texts: "Fall under the keys" versus "fall behind the keys"

texts:
When talking of something (for example, breadcrumbs) that can fall on my keyboard and end between the key and the keyboard, what should I say?

  Breadcrumbs can fall under the keys.
  Breadcrumbs can fall behind the keys.

To be clear, I am referring to the space behind/under the key, not the space between two keys.


texts: it is possible to combine present perfect continuous and past perfect continuous in a sentence?

texts:
Can we describe a continuous action after/before another continuous action in the same sentence using different continuous tenses?

For instance something like that:

  Before I have been reading several times, I had been swimming a while in my pool.

As we all know, we can use past perfect combined with simple past:

  When Jane had seen the elephants, she wanted to see the giraffes.

Here, the actions are not continuous. Jane had seen the elephants (at first, and then) she wanted to see the giraffes.

My question is whether it is valid to build such sentences with continuous tense forms?

  After Jane had been watching elephants a while, she has been walking a while to the home.


texts: Possible omission in pronunciation of "in"

texts:
I'm learning English in an app. When I listened to the sentence

  Hats prevailed in the 19th century.

the word "in" is hard to identify, so I want to know: is it not pronounced?


texts:
I have just searched for the usage of "until" and "by", and I was confused by these sentences. I've tried my best to tell the difference between them, and give my understanding in the bracket. Is there anybody who can tell me am I correct?

I've got to pay the money back by the end of the month.
【=pay before the end of the month】
I've got until the end of the month to pay the money back.
【=I don't need to pay it back any more, once I successfully shun the debt】
I put on an extra pair of socks. Until/By then my feet were freezing cold.
【until:my feet were no longer cold after I put on stocks】
【by:several minutes before I put on stocks I felt cold】
I stood outside the cinema for an hour. By then my feet were freezing cold.
【=in the end of the hour, my feet were cold】


texts: I'm not sure whether this sentence is correct or not:

texts:
I want to express(I'm not sure whether the sentence is correct or not): Instead of spending a long time waiting for the government's approval for a new drug, they can purchase those effective but not approved ones and benefit sooner.
Can I say:
1: they can purchase those effective yet not being approved ones
2: they can purchase those effective yet without approval ones
How to write it in good English?


texts:
Money you sent turned out $10 short.

Let’s say that someone said me that he sent me $100 but in an envelope. But the money he sent was $90 . Can i use “short” as is the case with sentence above.


texts: "I want to read this book" and "I want to be reading this book"

texts:
I would like to ask about the difference in meaning of 2 following sentences:

I want to read this book
I want to be reading this book

I understand that both generally mean "want to do someething" but also think that there should be some difference here.

Especially with the second sentence, I encounter the structure "to be V-ing" a tons of times but don't really get it, e.g. "I will be singing/talking...." ; "Tell me what you'd like to be doing right now..." to name just a few.


texts:
It says something on the wall like you said to me before.

In this sentence Does “like” mean that it says something in the way you said or it says something like thing you said before? If it has not two meanings , What should I say for these situtaion ?


texts:
I saw a blog where it shows "written by" and not "wrote by" someone.
Anybody please explain why?
Is writing wrote by wrong?


texts:
I know different English words for good tasting foods or drinks: tasty, lovely, delicious, yummy... But unfortunately the dictionary entries do not enable me to decide which one to use in which situation.

Delicious seems to be a "grown-ups' word", yummy a word of child speak: is that correct? What about tasty and lovely? Are there other words with this meaning? Which word should I use for an one-word-exclamation that I like the taste of the food/drink?


texts: is there a bus that can take me back to .... station? and when is it?

texts:
I am travelling in a foreign country. If I go to some tourist attractions and want to ask the staff if there are buses that can take back to some train station that I came from and what's the schedule of the bus like. How should I say it in a way that's completely naturally and native-like.

Noted that I know my sentences above would be understood by people who do speak English but I just want to learn some more "idiomatic" form of English here.


texts:
After googling "define: "in the beginning"", we often see a quote in Bible

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Normally we use "at the beginning", ex "at the beginning of the lesson / movie..."

My question is:
What does "In the beginning" mean?

Can we say "In the beginning" in other situations than just in Bible?


texts: adding "watcher" at the end of a word to coin a new word

texts:
The word of birdwatcher consists of two separate words, i.e. bird and watcher, meaning a person who watches birds in their natural environment and identifies different breeds, as a hobby.
Now I want to know whether it is possible we add watcher at the end of some words, like animal-watcher, nature-watcher, flower-watcher, sky-watcher, etc.?


texts:
When using conditionals:

  Had I seen him, I would've told him.

When using emphasis:

  Rarely did we arrive on time.

Is inversion always considered formal when speaking or writing?


texts:
Why is there "will" after "if"?

The results will decide if he will win a place at a good university.

As I know it, after "if" we don't use Future Simple, need to use Present Simple.
The sentence is from Collins dictionary


texts:
I am a native Czech speaker and English is my secondary language. I communicate with foreigners including both English and non-English natives. Sometimes, before we meet in person, I let them know I am far from a native and I ask for a bit of understanding with my speaking/listening as long as I still learn the language. They usually reply:

Your English is definitely better than my Czech!

I am not sure how to interpret it. I have encountered people of various Czech language proficiency: Most of them were only able to say "thank you" or "goodbye" in Czech. On the other hand, few of them were quite fluent.

Likely negative: Does it have a slightly pejorative meaning that "Your English sucks less than my Czech"? Although, it used, a smile :) after might indicate a joke, tease...
Rather neutral: Is it just a neutral phrase of politeness meaning "Do not worry, I try my best to understand you"?
Just a phrase: It has no real hidden meaning and is yet another phrase like "Hey, how are you"?
Likely positive: Do they want to cheer me up that I surprise them and I am doing really well?


texts:
I'm writing an academic paper in computer science field.

Is "i.e." permissible for a formal document like an academic papaer?

I hope to write a sentence such as the following:

  The output of the machine "y1" is utilized as the input of the next machine "x2", i.e. "x2=y1".

What I hope to say is

the machine 1 output "y1".
the machine 2 get "y1" as its input "x2".
That means "x2 = y1"


texts: Two questions about this sentence: 1. Why not "hearts"? 2. Which aforementioned action does "as Oliver did" refer to?

texts:
His classic tale of a poor orphan boy strikes at the heart of all those who have ever wanted "more", as Oliver did.

Two questions about this sentence:

Why not "hearts",since it says "of all those..."?
Which aforementioned action does "as Oliver did" refer to, "strikes" or "have ever wanted more"?


texts:
I want to say my pastime interests are quite a few and include swimming, reading, and playing. (American English). Is it correct to say:

  My pastime interests are including swimming, reading, and playing a guitar.

One can say, "including but not limited to", but  it doesn't sound good unless it is in some legal document.

I don't think comma is needed before including as I am not introducing a dependent clause. Is that right? It was discussed on ELU.

Also, please suggest if there is a better way of saying this sentence without using "including."


texts: What's the difference between "product" , "goods" and "commodity"?


texts:
Source: p 20, Criminal Law: The Basics, 1 ed (2009), by Herring

    As we have just noticed, most crimes involve proof that the
  defendant caused a harm. ... If the defendant stabs the victim, and the
  victim falls down dead, there can be little doubt that the defendant
  caused the death of the victim. However, there can be cases where
  the causation question is far from straightforward.
    A good starting point is the principle that the defendant can be
  said to have caused a result only if ‘but for’ his or her act the harm
  would not have happened. This is sometimes known as factual
  causation. So in one case (White) a defendant poisoned his elderly
  mother’s tea. Before she took a sip she suffered a heart attack. The
  medical evidence showed that her heart attack was unrelated to the
  poisoning. In other words, she would have died in exactly the same
  way and at exactly the same time had she not drunk the poison.
  The result was that he could not be said to have caused her death.
  However, he could be charged with attempted murder.

Based on the link, I know that but for = 1. except for. Still, even after substituting with this, I don't understand how to parse the bolded: only if 'except for'? Please explain and show all steps and thought processes; I’d like to try to resolve this myself in the future?


texts: 'Not unless' always replaceable by 'only if'?

texts:
Sauron should be thought of as very terrible. The form that he took
  was that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic. In his
  earlier incarnation he was able to veil his power (as Gandalf did) and
  could appear as a commanding figure of great strength of body and
  supremely royal demeanour and countenance. But at the beginning of the
  Second Age he was still beautiful to look at, or could still assume a
  beautiful visible shape – and was not indeed wholly evil, not unless
  all 'reformers' who want to hurry up with 'reconstruction' and
  'reorganization' are wholly evil, even before pride and the lust to
  exert their will eat them up. But many Elves listened to Sauron. He
  was still fair in that early time, and his motives and those of the
  Elves seemed to go partly together: the healing of the desolate lands.
  Sauron found their weak point in suggesting that, helping one another,
  they could make Western Middle-earth as beautiful as Valinor. It was
  really a veiled attack on the gods, an incitement to try and make a
  separate independent paradise.

  from the Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

I can't decode the bolded line.
I tried to replace not unless with only if or if but those didn't seem to make sense.

Given the context and other relevant information these seem to be true: Sauron was not wholly evil at the beginning of the Second Age; In a point of view he was a kind of "reformer" hoping the well-being of all inhabitants of Middle-Earth before his corruption.

To me, it would feel make sense if not unless turned to unless.
From the context the bolded line seems to mean like this: ...in fact was not wholly evil, unless all eager 'reformers' are wholly evil when they didn't start to corrupt yet.

I can't find at which point I got confused. Please help!


texts: Is there an idiom for something that doesn't seem to match or match? For example, let's say the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle doesn't match the rest of the puzzle for some reason even though you would expect it to match it? I am looking for an expression that closely match this meaning.


texts:
[i] She was the only one to talk to him.  (Tr = Tm)
  [ii] She was looking for someone to talk to.    (Tr > Tm)  * Tr:Time referred to, Tm: matrix time

  Temporal location is closely bound up with modality: the infinitival commonly conveys non-actuality, which tends to be associated with posteriority. The temporal difference between [i] and [ii] thus correlates with the difference in modality: in [i] the talking is actual, whereas in [ii] it is potential.
  (The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, p162)

I.
I guess the book says only has the modality in [i], by which to infinitival has the meaning of actuality. I can get what it says, but wonder if to talk can be replaced by talking in [i] without semantic change.

II.
In [i], does the word, only, permits just the actual meaning and not the potential one?
If this is yes, what about the example below? (a)’s to infinitival must be an actuality. But what about (b)? Its to-infinitival seems like potentiality with only in the sentence. In this case, left seems to make the sense. Is this right?

(a) They were the only people to survive the crash.
(b) The only thing left for us to do is wait.
(Merriam-Webster’s)


texts:
"Looks daggers" or "look daggers": which one is correct?

Ngram results here show almost equal results but when I searched for He looks daggers or He look daggers, I didn't find any matches.

For example:

  1) John look daggers at Mike.

  2) John looks daggers at Mike.

I'm not sure whether the first example is grammatically correct or it should be written like the second example, and the Ngram doesn't show any matches.


texts:
I've come across a Shakespearean phrase, 'galled jade' today. I've found out it is from 'let the galled jade wince'.

What is the meaning of 'let the galled jade wince'?
And what is 'galled jade'?


texts:
Tell me please if there any difference in meaning between the following sentences?

  Yesterday I finished my work at 6.

  Yesterday I finished work at 6.

If there is no difference, then is it more common to use my or not?


texts: The sentence's object? (pains or Bummer Baskets?)

texts:
I've come across with the sentence below:

  One innovative company, Bummer Baskets, sells a range of care
  packages, each designed to assuage a particular variety of pain,
  dominated by the chocolate-laden Break-Up Basket

Now, could you tell me please which explanation might be correct:

A:Bummer Baskets is dominated by the chocolate-laden Break-Up Basket

B: Pains are dominated by the chocolate-laden Break-Up Basket.

I know the meaning of "Break-Up Basket" but I don't understand the meaning of "dominated by the chocolate-laden Break-Up Basket". Maybe because I don't recognise the sentence's object.

The fuller text is:

  Beyond self-sufficiency and independence, money is also symbolically
  capable of anesthetizing pain. The Chicago Tribune coined the term
  retail therapy on Christmas Eve in 1986 to describe the act of trading
  money for mood-improving purchases, and comfort buying drives the
  consumption of diverse products from single-serve ice cream to
  romantic comedies on DVD. One innovative company, Bummer Baskets,
  sells a range of care packages, each designed to assuage a particular
  variety of pain, dominated by the chocolate-laden Break-Up Basket.

Drunk Tunk Pink by Adam Alter


texts: Is "Greenplant are proud sponsors of..." correct? How is it different from "Greenplant proudly sponsors.."?

texts:
Greenplant proudly sponsors

and

  Greenplant are proud sponsors of

(Greenplant is a business name. It consists of two sites and has a number of employees. However, for me the key aspect of this sentence is that the word Greenplant is singular. Is that correct? It would be good to understand the difference between the two sentences, because, I am being told that one way is right and the other is correct.


texts: What is the difference between these sentences?

texts:
Don't dare to go shopping without me.
Don't you dare go shopping without me.

What is the difference in their meanings? Do they both mean exactly same?


texts:
What does the word 'in' function as in the sentence - "Please, come in"?

It seems like an adverb to me. As, 'here' is an adverb in - "Come here" and 'in' functions quite similarly in the above sentence.