texts: In the next chapter we are going to learn or in the next chapter we will learn?

texts:
In texts (books, tutorials, etc) when we want to express an action that will happen in the text itself, such as giving instructions or explaining a subject, should we use will or going to?

  In this book we are going to learn how to develop a software.

  In this tutorial I will show you how you can fix the most common car problems.

  This is the tool we are going to use in our tutorial and I will call it a lifesaver.


texts: Is the phrase "a few" an exact synonym of "some" or it implies a fewer number?

texts:
I have just told by experienced native English author (or seems to be one) that "a few" implies a small number.
When you say "In a few countries", this implies 3 or 4 countries, but when you say "In some countries", this implies like 50% of all countries, say 100 country.

However, this contradicts with Cambridge dictionary here, and also this makes "a few" equivalent to "few".
It seems that I need a few opinions to make sure of this, and by the way, as an English learner I believe that the person who invented the phrase "quite a few" should be hanged upside down :).


texts: What's the proper sentence to use when asking someone whether they know something, using the sentence structure "I was wondering ____?"?

texts:
Let's say that, as an office worker, you're looking for someone in a different department that could help you with a project X. You go up to one of your colleagues and want to ask him whether he knows someone who could help you with this project (using the sentence structure "I was wondering __?" in your question).

Which of the following sentences is the correct one to use? (I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know about any better sentences)

  I was wondering whether you know someone who can help me with this project?

  I was wondering if you know someone who can help me with this project?

  I was wondering who I can speak to to get help with project X from?

This final sentence doesn't sound right to me; but I'm not sure how I can improve it.


texts:
When I read this Stack Overflow answer, the following phrase was quoted from the documentation:

  in the root project 's build.gradle:

I do not know meaning of that, and I could not find the meaning.
What does root project mean?


texts: Looking for help to clarify the structure of a sentence

texts:
I'm preparing for the GRE test and there's a sentence that really puzzles me.

  Marion Palfi's photographs would have received greater recognition from historians had her work been done in an era when most aspects of photography were static rather than in a state of transition.

Can anyone help me to make clear which word or component does had her work been done modify? And, because the sentence already has a verb receive, I'm not sure if had in the same phrase is a verb or a past participle.


texts:
I authorize my insurance benefits be paid directly to the health care center. Also I understand that I am financially responsible for any balance due. my signature below authorizes HECS and or my insurance company to release any information required to process my claims.

Could you please simplify what does the highlighted word balance due really mean?

Could you simplify the whole passage in simple English please?


texts:
I often see words like: nonfinity, and nofinity.

Mostly on T-shirts or on signs.

Are all these words antonyms of the word infinity?


texts:
What is this phrase actually used for? "Talking to someone in a condescending manner " or "talking to someone in simple terms" or does it mean both?

Source 1:(Cambridge Dictionary) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/talk-down-to-someone

  to speak to someone in a simple way, as if the person cannot understand things as well as you can:

    Our history teacher never talks down to us.

Or

Source 2: (The Collins Dictionary)
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-thesaurus/talk-down-to-someone

  in the sense of condescend to:

    She never talked down to her students.

Does it mean both of the things? If not then what can be used to mean "talking to someone in simple terms i.e. easy, layman's language" as in The Cambridge Dictionary?


texts: What does "developing agencies" mean in this context?

texts:
There are structural reasons for this. Many states were created by
colonial powers, artificially uniting different ethnicities under one
common roof, a problem returned to in the next paragraph. Countries in
sub-Saharan Africa, in contrast to many in Asia, lack the cultural
heritage of a state overarching familial and clan structures (e.g.
Wimmer 2018). Top-down state- and nation-building after the end of
European colonisation was a moderate success: central governments not
penetrating their peripheries, abuse of political power, and
widespread corruption are keywords associated with the phenomenon of
unsuccessful or even ‘failed states’. Failed states, however, may be
the wrong term and just an episode. European countries needed
centuries for their nation-building and were not exposed to the global
stress of ever faster socio-economic modernisation. Seeking to improve
the political structures of developing countries in the long run,
decentralisation or and federalisation have become important
concepts for developing agencies (Kälin 1999; Litvack et al. 1998;
Linder 2002).
-Swiss Democracy by Wolf Linder

I have a question about the last sentence of this paragraph and particularly about the word "developing agencies".

Which variant is true for the last sentence
a) decentralisation have become important concept by seeking to improve ...
b) seeking, decentralisation and federalisation have become ...

What does the author refer to by saying "developing agencies"? To developing countries by other word? Or something else? Because I couldn't find any "political" definition for this term.


texts:
I want to say:

  Actor as/of Dr. Smuggler role, Mr Even role Dies at the age of 80.

Is that Correct?

An actor played several memorable roles and I want to mention him from the perspective of his roles.

Can I keep this form ==> Actor of ..... role


texts: What does "working majority" mean in a context?

texts:
Actually this is the continuation of this article, which I asked about prior.

And now I am facing a very subtly confusing statement from Boris Johnson.

He says, (from the 4th paragraph)

  "If we can get a working majority we can get parliament working for you, we can get out of the rut.

What does this "working majority" mean here in this context?

Thank you in advance(m_m).


texts:
Some examples:

This enables the modification of files
This enables the modifying of files
This enables the edition of files
This enables the editing of files
This enables the creation of files
This enables the creating of files
This enables the deletion of files
This enables the deleting of files


texts: Past Progressive + BEFORE/AFTER + Gerund

texts:
Tom Cruise was thinking of a career in the church before finding job in the movies.
  Tom Cruise wasn't thinking of a career in the church after finding job in the movies.

Please tell me, why is Past Continuous used here? I was tought that a normal variant of this sentence is:

  Tom Cruise thought of a career in the church before finding job in the movies.

Or that is because of the gerund "finding"? I mean if for example I wrote the sentence like this:

  Tom Cruise thought of a career in the church before he found job in the movies.


texts: The complement or the attribute in the "Love is eternal" sentence?

texts: Is the "is eternal" a complement to the love subject?


texts:
His kidneys become infected and the antibiotics they administer cause allergic reactions. Sometimes he is so close to death all I can do is lie with him and share his suffering.

The sentences stated above have been taken from a story named Your son is in a coma published in Reader's Digest, January 2006. I cannot find the name of the author of this story.

Is there any that which has been omitted? In my opinion we need to use that after so close to death, or we could use an and with a comma before all I need is lie... Please correct me if I'm wrong.

If I wrote all I can do is laying with him and sharing his suffering or all I can do is to lie with him and to share his suffering instead of original version that the writer wrote , will it be wrong? If it is wrong, please tell why.

Thanks!


texts: What is the difference between ''I often listen to the radio'' and ''I often listen to radio''?

texts:
What is the difference between ''I often listen to the radio before I go to the bed'' and ''I often listen to radio before I go to the bed''?

Why is the second one not correct? It was marked as uncorrect in a Cambridge English excercise.


texts: Present participle or adjective in this sentence?

texts:
It's from Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.

  The grass was wet and the earth smelled of springtime.
  Fern's sneakers were sopping by the time she caught
  up with her father.

Why author used 'were sopping'? Is 'sopping' a present participle or an adjective in the sentence? And is it correct to say:

  Fern's sneakers had sopped by the time she caught
  up with her father.


texts: "To insist that people do things or do not do things" with the present progressive

texts:
The present progressive can be used to insist that people do things or do not do things —Swan, Practical English Usage, 214-3, p.190

I'm in a big trouble with understanding what the that-clause of above example means. What does it really mean?

I guess it expresses,

To insist that people should do things or should not do things. OR
To insist what people do or what people don't do.

Which is correct?


texts:
A woman had bitten off part of her tongue owing to the jump the explosion gave her.

Can a relative pronoun which or that be understood to be between jump and the explosion?

  A woman had bitten off part of her tongue owing to the jump which/that the explosion gave her.

.

  She hadn't showed that little bit of imagination I'd credited her with.

Can a relative pronoun which or that be understood to be between imagination and I'd?

  She hadn't showed that little bit of imagination which/that I'd credited her with.

With or without the relative pronoun ,does it differ in meaning?


texts: What are the different nuances of these expressions?

texts:
I am not a native speaker, could you enlighten me on the different nuances these expressions convey? Are all of them grammatical?

To all women

To all women of the World

To all women in the World

To all the women of the World

To all the women in the World


texts:
In Seinfeld, season 9, episode 1, at around 17 minute.

  KRAMER said to Seinfeld:
  Jerry, what are you doing? George tells me
  you're gonna throw your set?

  Seinfeld answered:
  That's right, Choochie. Let's see how Bania does
  without the cushy time slot.

What does "throw you set" mean here?


texts:
I'm waiting for an email answer from another person. And then I'm writing to him a question asking whether he is going to answer:

  Me: Are you going to answer?

  Person: I've answered to you already.

  Me: Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't seen your email. I've just found it. It has fallen into the Span folder.

Is it correct to say "I haven't seen your email" in this situation?


texts: Soon/quickly - are they interchangeable in the given context?

texts:
Wanting to rid the world of himself, he jumped in front of the bus. But he did it too quickly and the officer was able to push him away before the bus bit him.

Wanting to rid the world of himself, he jumped in front of the bus. But he did it too soon and the officer was able to push him away before the bus bit him.

Are soon and quickly interchangeable here? Are both grammatically correct? Is there a difference in the overall meaning of the sentences?


texts:
What are the differences between Dressed up and Handsome? As in:

  You're all dressed up!

Does dressed up mean like handsome?


texts:
Is the following statement correct? should we add comma after bed?

  The idea that she was still in the bed surprised me.

Can we move that-clause as following:

  Surprised me the idea that she was still in bed.

Or Should we add it?

  It surprised me the idea that she was still in bed.


texts: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone grammar

texts:
A movie line in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Hagrid):

  They're goblins. Clever as they come, but not the most friendly of beasts.

Can anyone help me to give a full sentence of the Clever as they come, but not the most friendly of beasts.?

Does it mean They come clever; but they do not come the most friendly of beasts?

Few questions:

The function of as in the sentence.
Is of beasts an adjective to mean They are a kind of beasts?


texts:
What’s the difference in meaning and/or usage between the phrases “A is in B’s control” and “A is under B’s control”? Are they somewhat interchangeable? My opinion is that the preposition ‘under’ has the connotation of command, meaning B gives orders to A. On the other hand, ‘in’ suggests by connotation that A is an object, and B has the power to do whatever he wants to or with A. Can someone confirm my understanding? Below are example sentences I found:

Two-thirds of the market is in the control of three companies
The team is under the control of a new coach
The weather is not in/under our control


texts: What is the basic unit of a chain called in English?

texts:
Chains are made of a lot of oval shaped units. What is each one of them called in English?

I don't know the name in my native language either.


texts: Under someone's surveillance vs watchful eyes

texts:
Which one of the following self-made sentences sounds more natural:

  They are under the surveillance of the intelligence agency.
  They are under the Intelligence Agency’s watchful eyes.

Do these two expressions have different meanings or they can be used interchangeably?
Based on dictionary definition about surveillance I guess it would be better to use the former sentence, although both mean the same and both are formal.


texts: Using the indefinite article with a category name

texts:
In Italian, I would say non puoi usare "muro" come aggettivo (literally, "you can't use wall as adjective").

Should I use the indefinite article before adjective in that case, or is the sentence correct/understood even without it?


texts:
He walked on the drain covers and many mosquitoes flied out from the drainage.

  "Don't walk on the drain covers. There are many mosquitoes come out."

  "Don't walk on the drain covers. There are many mosquitoes coming
  out."

I told him.

As the context above, should I use present tense or present continues tense?


texts:
Look at this quiz. Is it correct to say:

  Whose photo is this?

As far as I know there's a difference between

  This is a photo of David. (=You can see David in the photo.)

and

  This is David's photo. (=The photo belongs to David, but you can see
  Mike in it.)

So the right question is

  Who is this a photo of?

Please correct me if I'm mistaken.


texts:
Do you have to use the definite article when the noun the complement of the noun complements used the definite article?
For example:

The branches of the small trees.
The branches of small trees.

Are they the same? Or can they mean the same thing? Can we omit "the" for stylistic reasons? I think the branches of small trees is a slightly more generic phrase that refers to a wider group, but I am wondering if you can omit the second "the" for stylistic reason while meaning to say the same thing. I might be wrong so feel free to correct me.


texts:
what is the meaning of the term pending with

BJP MP from Maharashtra Narayan Rane had asked a question about the status of the Maharashtra government’s proposal and why it had been pending with the Centre.


texts:
Metaphor :  "My Computer Is A Headache".
  Meaning : My computer gives late response.

  Metaphor : "This Car Is, Pain In Ass".
  Meaning : This car keeps getting out of order again & again.

  Metaphor : "My Friend Is A Lion".
  Meaning : My friend is brave.

  Metaphor : "He Is An Elephant"
  Meaning : He is fat.

  Metaphor : "Your Dog Is A Ghost"
  Meaning : Your dog is horrible.

  Metaphor : "These People Are Dragons".
  Meaning : These people are very angry.

Are they right ? If not, then please tell me where I'm wrong.


texts: What is the meaning of "There was a time when you didn't know what you know today” in this context?

texts:
Malcolm X said:

  “Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do or
  think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know
  what you know today.”

What did he mean by "There was a time when you didn't know what you know today”?


texts:
My hair is too dry and knotted.

My hair is too dry and tangled.

Which word is more commonly used?
Knotted or tangled?


texts:
They can be instructed in swimming despite they are very young.
They can be instructed in swimming despite that they are very young.

Is sentence 1 or 2 right? Why?


texts: Can/could vs. may/might (expressing typical occurrences)

texts:
The following parts are taken from PEU:1

  122.2  common or typical

  We often use can to say what is common or typical.

    Scotland can be very warm in September.

    Ann can really get on your nerves sometimes.

  345.2 'general' possibility: can/could,  not may/might

  We normally use can/could to say that things are possible in general:
  people are able to do them, the situation makes them possible, or there is
  nothing to stop them. May/might are not used in this way.

    These roses can grow anywhere.  (NOT  ••• These roses may grow anywhere.)

    Can gases freeze?  (NOT  ••• May gases freeze?)

    In those days, everybody could find a job.  (NOT  ••• In those days, everybody might find a job.)

  339.10  another use of may/might: typical occurrences

  In scientific and academic language, may is  often used to talk about typical
  occurrences - things that can happen in certain situations.

    A female crocodile may lay 30-40 eggs.

    The flowers may have five or six petals, pink or red in colour.

    Children of divorced parents may have difficulty with relationships.

  With this meaning, might can be used to talk about the past.

    In those days, a man might be hanged for stealing a sheep.

These explanations made me puzzled. Since they can both relate to typical occurrences, is it possible to substitute can/could for may/might in PEU 339.10 if the context is not written in scientific and academic language?

1. PEU = Michael Swan's, Practical English Usage.


texts: Difference between "work on" and "influence"

texts:
Work on: To attempt to influence or manipulate someone or their
  emotions in order to  achieve a particular result.

  https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/work+on

  Influence:

  1 : to affect or alter by indirect or intangible means

  2 : to have an effect on the condition or development of  (Merriam
  Webster)

  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/influence#synonym-discussion

What is the difference between “influence” and “work on”?  Is “work on” more active and forceful than “influence”? Are they interchangeable in the following 2 sentences from the free dictionary?

I'll work on your father and see if I can get him to change his mind.
The film seems to be working on our sense of nostalgia to cover over how thin the plot and characters are.


texts:
He went over to the mirror, ripped it off the wall, and hurled it on/to the floor, shattering it.
Which one of "on" and "to" is correct?


texts:
Can anyone please tell me if I should use a or it in the following sentence?

Here's my sentence:

  For years, I have been searching for a good job but after years have passed I still have not found it.

or

  For years, I have been searching for a good job but after years have passed I still have not found a good job.

I think it is wrong.


texts: Missing article in this construction involving an uncountable noun

texts:
In this YouTube video from 1:00 to 1:06 the following sentence is said:

  I can take anything that inspires me and make it part of our music.

Should there be the indefinite article a before part? Is it missing because music itself is uncountable? That doesn't make much sense because music can have many parts to it, so it seems that the indefinite article a is necessary.


texts: Changing "will be" to "would have been" in a sentence

texts:
It will be foolish of him if he does not seize the opportunity.

My Approach:

It would have been foolish of him, if he hadn't seize the opportunity.

or

It would have been foolish of him, if he not had seize the opportunity.

I am confused in using these Sentence
Which to use and why?
I want to make a sentence using an impossible conditional clause type - the
main clause should be in present perfect continuous and subordinate clause should be in past perfect.


texts:
Could you tell me if it's correct and natural to use the phrase in the day meaning in the daytime? For example:

I like to go fishing in the day when there are no mosquitos.

Is there a chance in the day could be slightly different in meaning tham in the daytime?


texts: If a company runs a service as "one who arranges, holds, and executes planned events", what's the term of it? "Events executor" seems a rather grim name, "Events arranger" seems lack of fume because what the company does is more than just arrange for the event. They basically oversee the whole thing from the start (planning) to the end (cleaning up and deliver the certificates if any).


texts: By the time phrase and future simple. Possible?

texts:
Which options are correct and why?

I'll have had lots of money by tomorrow or I'll have lots of money
by tomorrow?
I'll be there by tomorrow or I'll have been there by tomorrow?
I'll have finished the book by tomorrow or I'll finish the book by
tomorrow?

This resource (https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/future-perfect-tense-use.html) demonstrates that you should you the future perfect tense with the by the time phrase, but I'm still not sure.


texts: What do you call a dense concentration of stars? A dense concentration of stars that looks like a part of the milky way. Many stars stuck together that make it seems that there's a literal blanket of stars.


texts: What is the correct way to refer to future that is spoken about in the past?

texts:
I want to talk about a moment in the future that I though about in the past. Is any of these sentences correct and why?

  I thought we might become more than just friends in the far future, when our friendship would have become stronger.

  I thought we might become more than just friends in the far future, when out friendship would become stronger.


texts:
I was reading an article on modifiers [citation needed], but some of the sentences confused me.

1) Slender and graceful, her eyes filling with tears,
Brenda completed her skating routine, her long hair
whipped by her speed.

What type of sentence is this?  why is "slender and graceful" at the beginning of the sentence?  I know this sentence is related to "absolute phrase".

2) Gray-bearded and toothless, dressed in jockey shorts
and a stash bag, he walked up and down the sidewalk,
restlessly waiting to begin.

Same type like the first one, but it's related to a participle, isn't it?

3) Frightened, confused, giggling hysterically, Lucille
collapsed into the nearest fountain.

Maybe here the writer wanted to say: Lucille was frightened, confused and was giggling hysterically, so she collapsed into the nearest fountain. If it so, my question is: Is it correct to write present and past participle in a raw?

Could somebody explain these sentences to me?


texts: what does HR benefits team mean in this context?

texts:
An employee can direct questions to individuals, content contributors, or in a place and receive one or more responses. Often, those receiving the question are known by the questioner, and pre-qualified as a helpful resource. For example, they may turn to a team member for an answer, or contact a corporate support resource, such as the IT help desk or HR benefits team.

In the last sentence there is  "HR benefits team", I know that what HR team means. HR stand for human resource. but here benefits using "ambiguse" for me,


texts:
Sentence is

  "He was deterred by the thought that not one of his sufferings but was common to all the others and that in a world where sorrow is so often lonely this was an advantage".

I don't understand this 'but' use. I know he wants to say all of his sufferings were common but what exactly is this usage of 'but'. Is it an error? TIA


texts: The opposite of 'What do these two sentences have in common?'

texts:
'What do these two sentences have in common?' The question is asking for similarity between the two sentences but if we had to say that we're looking for the difference. How would we say that?

Other than "What's the difference between the two sentences?"
Can it be something like 'What do these two sentences have in difference?'


texts:
Consider the two sentences below

  It is of crucial importance that we make more use of technology if we are to make progress.

and

  It is crucially important that we make more use of technology if we are to make progress.

What is the grammatical role of "of" in the the first sentence?
What is difference between the two sentences in meaning and emphasizing?


texts:
What does the phrase, "Money talks, BS walks" mean? I replaced a bad word with "BS".

I've googled it, and I've found several conflicting meanings. For instance, this Reddit thread has several interpretations. Ristin's response is basically the same as Urban Dictionary's, but his answer was downvoted:

  It means that money can influence people and be used to get things done, but "bullshit" like sales pitches, marketing, deciet and so-on usually get seen through by most people.  So, if you have money it 'talks' and can get stuff done.  If you have to rely on BS-ing people, you'll be shown the door.

Another different definition appears on wikipedia.


texts: Which is correct: "It's a beautiful day. I am not taking/won't take the bus to work today. I prefer walking."


texts:
The membranes are layers of thin skin that are sensitive to dryness.

How to make this sentence shorter?

How to avoid two "are" in the sentence?

Is it possible to rephrase it?


texts: Why sometimes it is correct not to put a comma after an if-clause?

texts:
There is a recommendation to put a comma after an if-clause which is placed at the beginning of a sentence. For example:

  If there was the time when songs like this were not needed, I would not live to see it.

But here is the sentence:

  If you had married this girl you would have been wretched.

Why does it go with no comma?


texts: How to say if I want to select a few largest sizes of apples?

texts:
I want to say, for example, I have many apples, I want to select some apples according to the descending order of size, but I don't want to explicitly mention how many apples I select, I just select few of them with large sizes.

If I only select the largest one, I can say the "largest size of apple". If I only select some apples which are relatively large. I can say "apples with large sizes". But I want to select "a few largest" of apples. I don't know how to express correctly.

I have some ideas about how to express. Can I say

  The top few sizes of apples are selected.

  The largest few sizes of apples are selected.

  The larger few sizes of apples are selected.

Which one is correct?

Re-edit: I want to leave the "size" in the final phrase.


texts: What are the two IPA systems, /ˈfoɚ/ and /fɔːr/?

texts:
For the word "for" in AmE strong sound, Cambridge Dictionary gives this IPA symbol /fɔːr/ while Merriam-Webster gives /ˈfoɚ/.
It seems to two different IPA systems, are't they? What are the names of the IPA systems/types?


texts:
As dictionary says:

Validate means-- check the validity or accuracy of something.

E.g.  The data is validated by the computer.

But in the sentence below:

  I agree to validate my voter id card details with my ration card.

Does it mean to compare voter id card details to ration card details?

Please explain.


texts:
Is writing, "Dear pre-school teachers, don't teach write A for Apple, first?" correct?

Or, it should be...

Dear pre-school teachers, don't teach to write A for Apple, first?"


texts:
Thank you for offering me ["an" or "the" or "this"] opportunity to interview for the Sales and Marketing Assistant position?

What is the difference?

Or, are they interchangeable in this case?

I got so confused.....and spent the whole night thinking about it....thanks a lot!


texts: Is "roll" the natural verb to use in this sentence: Vince "rolls" up to the bar

texts:
If it has been made clear in my story that Vince is in a wheelchair, would "roll" be the most natural verb to use in the below sentence:

Vince rolls up to the bar.


texts: Is the keyword "now" optional in the present continuous tense?

texts:
what is the difference between these two sentences?

  I am playing cricket

  I am playing cricket now


texts: When is it appropriate to use the word "persons"?

texts:
In the question Turn “Notify the persons before 30 days” into a question, user @Matt makes the point:

  "persons" is not the correct plural of "person". You probably want to use the word "people" or the singular "person".

In his context, he is correct. However, there are times that "persons" is okay. Is there a way to explain this in ELL-friendly terms?


texts:
Sometimes, I come across this weird usage of the definite article with the word 'Ukraine'. Keep in mind, it's a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Is it grammatical, and what is the origin of this unusual practice?

As this paper will show, states such as Georgia,
the Ukraine and the Baltic States have been punished with
supply interruptions and higher prices after their governments turned toward the West.

(from here)


texts: position of prepositional phrase in a sentence

texts:
Flood destroyed car in Thailand.
If I change this sentence into passive.

  Cars in Thailand were destroyed by flood.

  Cars were destroyed in Thailand by flood.

Which one is suitable? I prefer the first as I think the flood was in Thailand and noun phrase '' the cars in Thailand '' is suitable for this sense.


texts: Given that at least one of options is not, which one is appropriate? "both" or "neither"

texts:
this post is discussing "easier to read" topic.

  Is "have greater readability than" or "easier to read than" not
  idiomatic?

Appending to this sentence, Which following one is more appropriate?

expression_1
Is "have greater readability than" or "easier to read than" not idiomatic, or both?

expression_2
Is "have greater readability than" or "easier to read than" not idiomatic, or neither?

according to the context, at least one of them is not idiomatic.


texts:
I wonder how can I word the word almost plus verb. In other words, which verb tense should I use after almost?

Check the following examples and tell me which one is corrrect.

I almost do it yesterday
I almost done it yesterday

Considering that one person asked "Hey did you ask your girlfriend yet?"

And another person answered "No, But I almost ______ it yesterday!"

Where the blank, what should it go "done" or "do"?


texts:
Please look at the following:

Unlike western systems of philosophy, in India, the various branches co-existed over centuries, and sometimes evolved after intense debates among them.

Why has among themselves not been used in the above? What difference would the usage of among themselves make in the above sentence?


texts: What's the difference between "and" and "so that" when they mean "as a result"?

texts:
Look at the conversation below please:

  A)I want to travel to the Black Bear Island next weekend.
  B) Good idea! Make a plan first, ______   you will enjoy more beautiful scenery.

which of the options below fits better in the blank? (I know that Option A is not a good fit)

A. But
B. And
C. So (that)

Also, Please explain What the difference is between "and" and "so that" when they mean "as a result"? (Do they?)


texts:
I'm reading book and found this word "Vacuously" and i didn't find translation for it.

And the context is:

  A conditional statement that is true by virtue of the fact that it's hypothesis is false is often called "Vacuously" true or true by default.


texts: Do I need to use preposition all time to use 'Check out'?

texts:
I was studying about Phrasal Verbs
For now, everything was fine but only this thing has been kept making me be confused

He just checked out of the hotel.
I cannot use it without a preposition 'of'
(Honestly, I'm still not sure why I need to use preposition here.)

But if I use 'Check out' as a meaning of 'to investigate'
Then Do I need to use preposition yet?

I already checked out the room just ago.
Or
I already checked out of the room just ago.

Please, help me out of this difficult grammar
My brain is about to explode..


texts: Meaning of "Lucy’s papa that it was a nuisance"

texts:
Still eight but almost nine, Lucy had made friends that summer with the
O’Reillys’ dog. A big, frolicsome animal – half setter, half retriever – it
had crept into the O’Reillys’ yard a month or so ago, having wandered
from a deserted house – so Henry’s guess was – and been accepted after
some hostility by the O’Reillys’ working dogs. Henry said it was a useless
creature, Lucy’s papa that it was a nuisance, particularly the way it
scrambled down the cliffs to offer its company to whoever might be on the
strand. The O’Reillys had given the dog no name and would hardly have
noticed – so Henry said – if it had wandered off again. When Lucy and her
papa had their early-morning swim, her papa always sent it back when he
saw it bounding over the shingle.

Dose it mean: Lucy’s papa had said that it was a nuisance?
Or dose it mean: the dog made trouble for Lucy’s papa?
Source: The Story Of Lucy Gault by William Trevor.


texts: Is Were or Was the correct preposition for 3rd person singular "my heart"?

texts: I understand that if I refer to my heart (my leg, my hair, etc.), it is third person singular and so I should use "WAS", but there's a song called "If my heart WERE a ball" that brought this question to me. Is there a difference on its use or is this a mistake?


texts: How to say that a piece of wet cloth is visible through the other?

texts:
How to say somebody that his underwear, like a singlet, is visible through his shirt? Like if his cloths are wet, but not necessarily wet only, and you can see what's under the shirt. Is 'visible' the only word for that?

Would be really great if you could bring a couple of examples.

This could be a formal or informal way of saying that. Ideal, if both. Thanks there!


texts: Does the verb 'Christianize' require the capital 'C'? Why?

texts:
I have never come across any verb that takes its first letter in capital. It generally happens in nouns. I have read many books and in our schools also, the rules of making letter capitals is quite clear and understood. I have never come across any book that defines capitalization of a verb.  Nevertheless, here is the verb that is in capital!

  Christianize (v) - two meanings there.

I completely understand the meaning but why the verb has taken a capital letter? Is this the special and only case?

Is there any rule for a verb to have its first letter capital?

Additional but useful note: When Google has become immensely popular and the verb has formed from its noun, mind it, we changed 'G' to a small letter. You don't Google something, you google it.


texts:
Should I use the preposition "in," in the following context?

  Do you use (in?) Cubase?

I want to ask someone if he uses this software (of music).


texts:
What's the noun in English that describes the power that a certain book has in attracting its readers?

I am especially interested in such a noun that would go along well with the verb "lose". For example:

  With the first volume, you could say that I just swallowed it within
  one night - so much riveting it was. Then it took us all a long two
  years to wait for the second volume to come out. I bought it just
  yesterday. I didn't have time to read it through. I only read the first 5
  pages, but that was enough to tell that the book hasn't lost its
  _____________ at all!


texts: Why is "that" used here as the relative pronoun instead of "when"?

texts:
This sentence from an article strikes me as somewhat unusual. Since the modified antecedent is a point in time, why is "that" the relative pronoun instead of "when"?

  I met Jonathan Annicks shortly after the night two years ago that he was shot sitting in his brother’s car outside his home.

Also, can the relative pronoun in this situation be omitted? Namely, can I write a sentence such as:

  I met him shortly after the night he was shot.

This sentence reads totally fine to me, but according to several online sources the relative pronoun can be left out only when it is the object of the verb in a defining relative clause, but this sentence doesn't seem to be such a case.


texts:
I'm reading the article about EURO 2016. Here is the sentence I didn't quite understand:

  Nani, Portugal’s captain in Ronaldo’s absence, had his side’s best
  chance of the half, blazing over when put through by a diagonal ball
  from the back.

First of all, the had his side's best chance of the half sounds like some nonsense. I know all these words but what the phrase mean...?

Another one is blazing over when put through by.
I'd guess that blaze over means here to kick the ball quickly through the whole field right to the opponent's side so attackers could score a goal. But the part when put through by really confuses me. What could it mean?


texts:
Details about William
  Shakespeare's life are
  sketchy, mostly mere
  surmise based upon court
  or other clerical records

I'm confused as to whether the intended meaning is a court of law, or the people surrounding Shakespeare, but then again why would a court of law be related to someone's life?


texts:
Let's say you are watching an Indiana Jones movie, wherein Indiana Jones would have died if the rope was unloosen during a cliff climbing scene, which was a life-and-death situation. Can you say:

  Oh! He would have been dead by now, if the rope was unloosen.

(after reading the corrections) Oh! He would have been dead by now, if the rope had come loose.
Oh! He would have been dead by now, if the rope was loosened.

Or

  If the rope would have gotten loose, he will probably die.

(''Have'' changed into ''had'') If the rope had gotten loose, he will probably  die.

I am not sure if I correctly used the verb loose, are they both correct?


texts:
I see here and there that 'thus' is used before adverbs. What is the precise meaning of such usage? And is it idiomatic?

  Example: thus + adverb + past participle

  In pursuance of advice received from individuals thus honestly
  disposed, a military party was employed, and during the first day on
  which its services were used, they were found to be eminently
  successful. (Source)


texts: What the "it" shows in the below sentence? and I couldn't get the grammer and meaning exactly. Would someone explain supplemently?

texts:
There is a sentence in a newspaper

  Revisit the Rugby World Cup - the first hosted in Asia and the first to see Japan make it into the knockout stage -with some of the best images of all the highs and lows.

I could not understand the it in the sentence. What does the it shows?
Is "the first" a subject in this sentence? Would someone help me understand the sentence grammatically please? I thought if "the first" is a subject, I assume "make" in it would have to become "makes"?
What does "Highs and lows" mean? I looked up the meaning in a dictionary shows the highs and lows in stocks. It doesn't match this sentence.

Sorry if it is not easy to understand. Please teach me how to break down the sentence grammatically.


texts:
How good and correct is it to use "like" in spoken English in such a way?

I mean the ones like:

  "I was like - hey, bring me a coffee - and she was like - you go get it yourself - and then James came in and it was like - wtf is going on in 'ere?"


texts:
In this sentence is "at school":
Everyone at school knew he was the new kid on the block.
In this sentence is "in school":
When I was in school I would go to the library day to day to study.
Can you teach me about that difference.


texts: Why "safe navigation operator" instead of "safe navigational operator"?

texts:
There is a terminology "safe navigation operator" in programming.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_navigation_operator

But "navigation" is a noun, why an adjective "navigational" is not used?

I think this question is on border of a programming question and an English question. If you guys think I should ask this question in Stack Overflow, I'll move to there.


texts: Is "Can I help you" a suitable expression for offering help to a stranger?

texts:
A friend of mine, who is local to Japan, noticed someone from abroad with a folding map who looked lost, and would like to know whether or not she could say "Can I help you?".

She had overheard the expression "Can I help you?" while inside stores, but she doesn't know whether it sounds natural for English speakers. Is it natural? Does it matter that she's not a staff member being paid to provide a service? If not, are there better alternatives?


texts: What is the difference between 'gaze out' and 'gaze out of'?

texts:
There are two sentences below

He gazed out the window.
He gazed out of the window.

What is the difference between the two expressions in meaning?
Please, tell me.


texts:
Please critique my sentences below.

Make sure we are aligned on this issue.

Make sure we are aligned with this issue.

I have heard people say "I am aligned" or I am aligned with this issue."
Does anyone have any other suggestions?


texts:
Jack: Oh, yes, principal Trugly is horrible. I got detention for a
  week just for skipping homeroom. No one can stand her. They call her
  Ugly Trugly

  Jack's mom: That is awful! - We used to call her the same thing! Well,
  not your father! She loved your dad! He was such a suck-up! If he
  didn't have that Mustang, I would have never ... um mm ... driven home
  with him in that Mustang.

  -- TV Series: Alexa and Katie

1) I assume that Jack's mother might have wanted to say

  If he didn't have that Mustang, I would have never ... gotten married with him.

Am I right?

2) Shouldn't it be

  If he hadn't had that Mustang, I would have never...driven home with him in that Mustang.

Thank you.


texts: Are perfect and simple tenses interchangeable in these examples? Do they have any difference?

texts:
Sci-fi movies earned the most income each year between 2006 and 2010.
Sci-fi movies had earned the most income each year between 2006 and 2010.
It is forecast that car ownership will decline by 10% in the next five years.
It is forecast that car ownership will have declined by 10% in the next five years.


texts: Do we say "stocks" when we refer to stocks in general?

texts:
But stock can become plural when used synecdochically to refer to a
  stock market, a portfolio, or a segment of a market—for example

Found the above, but it didn't cover the example when we speak of stocks in general as in:

  Stocks can go up and down in value.

I am wondering, because I have difficulty of expressing the idea without using "stock" in plural, so I am assuming it's another case that wasn't covered in the quote above.


texts: what is the pronunciation of boys' with both possessive s and plural s?

texts:
We are having a debate about the pronunciation of boys' with a plural s and a possessive s.

  Is there a pause at the end of the s or we just pronounce it with no pauses? is there a rule we should know about it?


texts: Is this construction with "as many.." correct?

texts:
Let's say I am explaining a internet plan or a mobile carrier plan to my friend. I say

  You don't have to pay for the whole month. You just have to pay for as many days you use it on.

I would like to know if the construction of the expression in bold above is correct?


texts: It seems that British people do not have inclination to pronounce some "r", but why?

texts:
Why British people do not pronounce most "r" which is mostly located at the the end of word? for example :

There: UK /ðeə(r)/ and    US /ðer/
therefrom: UK /ˌðeəˈfrɒm/ and US  /ˌðerˈfrɑːm/
More:UK  /mɔː(r)/ and US  /mɔːr/

and sometimes they do not pronounce two "r" in one word, as:
Therefore: UK  /ˈðeə.fɔːr/ US  /ˈðer.fɔːr/


texts: "They move everywhere sell their goods" or "selling their goods"?

texts:
They move everywhere sell their goods without caring about the weather
  They move everywhere selling their goods without caring about the weather

Which one is correct?


texts: which word preposition is correct in or on

texts:
Which one is correct?

  "I'll head on that direction"

or

  "I'll head in that direction"

when somebody asks me to be in certain place soon


texts:
We don't have any desire to have you come into our community,

"Come" in here is present or past participle?


texts:
I can confirm the lathe cut records were included (parts 1-7). Apologies for the confusion, that shipping notification is a new automatic thing. Sorry again that you hadn't received them yet.

I don't think past perfect is justified because he is still feeling sorry, even the records have been shipped shipped, so I think present perfect would be a better choice.

Am I right?


texts: Is there a phrase in English for working days like "one day in work, and one next day off"?

texts:
Do there have many phrases to describe for the working days of the week?
Like usually I have seen:

"5 working-day", as known as Monday to Friday.
"6 working-day", as known as Monday to Saturday.

I'd like to know if there have other phrases like these below:

Someone who work full-time in 1 day and take-off 1 next day, and repeat whatever the day-in-week.
Someone who just out for work at night, cleaner services, like restaurants, clubs & bars, etc.


texts: ``Let keep it clean'' or ``Let us keep it clean''

texts:
I found in this online dictionary http://www.reference.com/example-sentences/vigilant?s=1
a sample sentence of the form

We need to be more vigilant concerning about our environment, let keep it clean and let reduce our emission.

But the use of let keep it clean transcends my understanding of the word let. Always I use let in a sentence such as Let something be something. So I wish to know the general rule behind this usage.


texts: When should we use 'look familiar' and 'looks familiar'?

texts: Should I say, "those glasses looks familiar" or "those glasses look familiar". Or both can be used?


texts:
Could you please tell me whether the question is grammatical?

  Which of the phrases sound natural?

Don't we need to use auxiliary verb do/does here to form a question?


texts: What is the equivalent word for 'spoon/scoops' in case of say pudding?

texts:
How do I say "I had 3 scoops of ice-cream" or "Put 2 spoons of sugar in the mixture" in case of pudding or cake?

  I had 3 pieces of cake.

What word should I use here for pieces, like I did for ice-cream with spoon?


texts:
It's not a grammar question but I can't understand what it means.
I would appreciate it if you could help me.

Young people in America are growing up in a country that is quickly becoming brown, where women outnumber men in colleges, where acknowledgement of sexual identity is increasingly met with shrugs.

Becoming brown?? met with shrugs????


texts: The meaning of articles in book and chapter titles

texts:
Let’s start with an example. Does the title of the chapter „The Vanishing Glass” of „Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” mean that a vanishing glass will appear in the chapter and the title is about that vanishing glass? As we know from the book it is the case, but is it a rule? What would „A Vanishing Glass” or „Vanishing Glass” in the title of a chapter of a book mean? What could we predict by that?

The same case with titles of books. Does „the Chamber of Secrets” in the title of the second part of the series mean that the book is about that one chamber from the title? Again, what would „Chamber of Secrets” or „A Chamber of Secrets” mean?

Finally, what did J. R. R. Tolkien want to tell by putting „the” in „the Lord of the Rings”? Did he mean a specific person?


texts:
Don't mistake my confidence for arrogance

  Don't mistake my confidence as arrogance

Is "for" or "as" more appropriate in the sentence?


texts:
I don't know what does this mean exactly.

  without needing graduate-level math

Does this mean you don't need to know about high-level math?


texts:
I'm a non-native speaker.

I know for a fact that come is occasionally used as a preposition in informal contexts. See Oxford dictionary.

I.e.

  She would visit a new school come July

Now I wonder if there are any restrictions to that usage.

Could I, for example, write something like:

  I was preparing pizza dough for the come evening


texts:
Here's a paragraph from World of Warcraft: Traveler (a fantasy novel for young adults). In a fight between two characters -- human Malus and ogre Gordok -- after the author describes the human combatant's height, he adds "and no maypole". I'm not a native English speaker and totally confused with this phrase. I know what is a maypole, but I don't understand why it appears in this sentence. BTW, "Maypole" also is a spell in the game of WOW, but I don't think it can be applied in this context.

  The “little Malus man” – who was easily six and a half feet tall and no maypole – leapt forward, slamming his entire fifteen stone right into Gordok’s chest and gut.  The ogre stumbled back – only a few steps – but Malus landed both feet on the morningstar’s chain, and its handle was yanked from the warlord’s hand.  In addition, Gordok’s loose helm slipped down over his eyes.  In the two seconds it took him to snag it off his head and throw it away, Malus was practically behind him, stabbing his sword into the ogre’s unarmored rear left thigh.


texts:
A friend sent me an email telling me about a job opening.  I want to send him an email telling him "thank you for the information about the job", but I feel that the the word "information" is very broad and formal, I want something specific and casual.

What one word or phrase can I use to replace information in the bold sentence above?


texts:
Please help me understand.

  Recently she presented me with a sweater... ...I was happy to get a sweater from her.

In the second sentence can the indefinite article be used to emphasize the fact of receiving one?

Am I correct that the second sentence doesn't necessary mean that I introduce another sweater?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Is usage of relative pronoun for a personal pronoun admissible in writing

texts:
In the following sentence, a personal pronoun (I) is referred by a relative pronoun (who):

  I am Steve who is living in this locality for the recent 2 years.

Is this correct or looking weird? Can anyone clarify?


texts: 'what would make you think that' vs 'what make you think that'

texts:
What would make you think that?
  What make you think that?

What meaning does would add? I don't know well how to use "would".

I understand a little when it's used as a past principle of will,
but I couldn't do in else usage.


texts:
What does the phrase

  I'm really into it.

mean?

I think it means the same thing as "I really like it." Is that correct? Why not just say that? Is there a difference in meaning?


texts: What does the phrase "That's all there is to it" exactly mean? Please explain also grammar behind that

texts:
Here is the quote from series "Sherlock" s04e01:

  — You say he filmed that video message before he died?

  — Yes.

  — You also say you know what he's going to do next. What does that mean?

  (Another person:)

  — Perhaps that's all there is to it. Perhaps he was just trying to
  frighten you.

Does that generally mean "that's all/that's finished"?

If yes, then what is the purpose of the second part of this sentence ("there is to it")?

And maybe I misunderstand it completely. The subtitles didn't contain any punctuation marks, that's also confusing. Could you explain this phrase in pieces, please?

Thank you


texts: "When appropriate" in the beginning of a sentence

texts:
Here is an imperative sentence: "When appropriate, omit relative pronouns".
I try to understand what this sentence really means to a native speaker.
Option A: We say that using optional relative pronouns is generally a bad idea and there should be as few of them in a text as possible.
Option B: We are not incline the reader to omit optional relative pronouns. We say that using optional relative pronouns can be a good idea in some cases (for example, in technical manuals) and a bad idea in others (for example, if you are writing a fiction book about street gangsters, with a lot of dialogues. I suppose these guys would omit words such as that and which whenever possible). This is what I'm really want to say.
Or maybe something different?


texts: The adverb position: "can be automatically updated" or "can automatically be updated"

texts:
Note the context variables can  be automatically updated through the algorithm  or by executing the action part of a contextual rule.

I found results for both  "can be automatically updated" and "can automatically be updated" in Google. Which is correct or most common?


texts:
"material" has different meanings, one of which is "cloth used for making clothes, curtains, etc." according to Oxford dictionary There is an example in which material is plural

The military uses synthetic materials for clothing because they're more durable than cotton.

I wonder why they have to use materials in this case. Normally, if a word can be both countable and uncountable and its singular form is rarely used, the dictionary will probably note that "usually ....(that word in plural form), and either plural form or uncountable form will mean the same, but in the entry for material they don't. Therefore I suppose "a material" can be used. It's obvious that we can't count cloth so why its synonym, material, is countable?
I can't come up with any cases where material can be in singular form.


texts: Products ''oriented towards'' or ''aimed at''?

texts:
If I describe my business, can I say the following:

Our products have always been oriented towards downmarket segment?
Our products have always been aimed at downmarket segment?

Is the first one correct? Are there any other ways of saying that, more common ways?


texts:
Rich dad went on to say, "You should treat all debt, good or bad, the
  same way you treat a loaded gun—with a lot of respect."

For the above sentence, can I place 'as' after 'way' then the sentence will go like this:Rich dad went on to say, "You should treat all debt, good or bad, the same way as you treat a loaded gun—with a lot of respect."

My questions: For this sentence, I think my confusion comes from the usage of 'the same .....as....' and 'the same....that', but I'm can't find a very clear answer from google. Can anyone could explain this? Thanks in advance.


texts: What did that man say at the end of this video?

texts:
Ok, see this short video.

I couldn't understand what he said since 1:00.

"I am gonna make dinner..."

what else did he say after "I am gonna make dinner..."?


texts:
A song i was hearing has this line :

  You stare at me with baited anticipation

what does this mean ?


texts:
I'm reading a piece of news and found this sentence.

“Well I haven’t said it was her, but she’s outstanding,” Trump said of the Indiana federal judge.

What does this sentence mean? I'm a little confused by said of. Does it mean Trump was talking to the Indiana federal judge and he said that “Well I haven’t said it was her, but she’s outstanding”?
The full context is listed below.

(Sept. 26) President Donald Trump is expected to announce Saturday
that he is nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court as
he aims to put a historic conservative stamp on the high court just
weeks before the election.
Trump said Friday he had made up his mind and it was “very exciting,”
without giving away the name, aiming to maintain some suspense around
his personal announcement. But the White House indicated to
congressional Republicans and outside allies that the pick was
Barrett.
“Well I haven’t said it was her, but she’s outstanding,” Trump said of
the Indiana federal judge.


texts:
What is the meaning of the idiom in bold part of given sentence ?

She is too fond of her own voice.

I tried to google its meaning but couldn't find its meaning anywhere .

It was asked in my exam and I have following four options to choose from :

A) loves singing

B) very selfish

C) doesn't listen properly to anyone else

D) very talkative


texts:
The definite article the is used before a proper noun when it is qualified by an adjective.

example

  The immortal Shakespeare.

  The great Caesar.

But in the following sentence

Populous and politically important Uttar Pradesh brings up the rear on the overall Health Index with a low score of 28.61, while the national leader, Kerala, has scored 74.01.

I think the should be used before populous and politically important because populous and politically important are adjective and Uttar pradesh is a proper noun.


texts:
What is meant by (school time) in the following context?

Many teenagers play video games from time to time. This activity can be entertaining as well as social; friends can have an enjoyable time gathering
around the game. Playing video games may have additional benefits such as
promoting one’s decision-making skills and improving one’s general wellbeing.
However, some game players may separate from reality and get addicted to playing the games. You can tell who an addicted gamer is by observing his/her behaviour. Look out for signs that the person didn’t show before getting hooked to playing games such as wasting school time in order to play, becoming distant from friends and family, lacking enough hours of sleep and losing interest in other hobbies.

Does it mean (study time)?

Thank you.


texts: What is the meaning of "I have no ear for languages"?

texts:
In English Crime-Drama movie Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), Ice Cream seller French guy called Raymond said this words
to English speaking girl, Pearline, in French:

  Do you speak any French? Because if you did, it would be much easier
  for me to learn English. I took a course, but damn it was too hard.
  Maybe I have no ear for languages.


texts:
I'd like to know what auxiliary verbs I can use in "I'm afraid that...".
For example,

  I'm afraid that she will/may/might/would/should be mad at me if I
  cancel the plan, so I won't cancel it.

Here, what auxiliary verbs work in That clause?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Phrasal verb, slang or a word for gather around or to look at something or someone with joy

texts: I'm looking for a slang, phrasal verb or a word that explains people looking at something or someone. E.g. when people gather around a new-born baby and look at it with joy. Or when someone is looking at the marvelous painting hung at the wall.


texts: "Some" and "Any"; countables and uncountable

texts:
I'm doing my English homework and my book says these sentences are correct:

1) Do you have any wine?

2) Can I have some water, please?

My questions are:

These sentences are structured differently.  Does a difference between "wine" and "water" cause the sentences to be structured differently?
Why do we not use the word "some" in sentence #1?


texts: Can I use this collocation reagrding a new product (Business English)?

texts:
Can I say:
We are going to build a wide reach  for this product.
I'm not sure if the word build collocates with reach. This is supposed to mean that the marketing dept will work to reach as many customers as possible in the areas where the old product has not been sold yet.
Thank you for your help.
Kris


texts: Can “nowhere” and “everywhere” function as pronoun? I searched for “nowhere” in one dictionary, it was stated that it can function as an “adverb”, “noun”, and “adjective” and in another it was stated that it only functions as an “adverb”. For “everywhere” within both it was stated that it can only function as an “adverb”, but it sounds to me like both can function as “pronoun” too. Am I right?


texts: Is there a strategy Japanese ELLs can use to spell English words derived from Japanese?

texts:
I would like native speakers of Japanese, when writing in English, to use the correct English spelling of words that are derived from Japanese.

For example, I'd like them to write "tsunami" rather than "tunami". I'd also like them to write "Kyushu", "geisha", "ninja" and "Mt. Fuji" rather than "Kyusyu", "geisya", "ninjya" and "Mt. Huji".

Do they need to learn the spelling of all such words by rote, or are there rules that work 90% of the time, leaving only a few exceptions?

For example, can I tell them that by using Hepburn romanization, they will know to write "tsu" rather than "tu" in "tsunami" when they are writing in English?


texts: Usage of "any" and "the" before other in comparative degree

texts:
Do I need to use any or the before other in the following sentence when comparing things?

Here are the examples:

Moscow is bigger than any other city in the world.
Moscow is bigger than other cities in the world.
Moscow is bigger than the other cities in the world.

Some more examples:

John is taller than other boys.
John is taller than any other boy.


texts: I heard this in a Monty Pythons sketch ("I fart in your general direction") and I understood its meaning, but I can't quite understand the "General" part of it. Does it mean that it isn't a perfect direction, just a more generic one? Can it be used for giving street directions (Walk in that general direction)?


texts:
please help me with the grammar used in sentences mentioned below

Buy her medicine.
Find you the right partner.

what is the sentence structure used in these sentences? Give me more examples of the same structure if you have.

Please share your thoughts and clear my doubts.

Thank you.


texts:
Alice: "I moved to Rome four years ago."

  Last year, Alice said she had moved to Rome [...]

  Alice: "I moved to Rome long ago."

  Last year, Alice said she had moved to Rome [...]

Would this be a correct way to finish these two sentences? I understand that "ago" means "before the present time", so is it acceptable to use it to mean "before the indicated past time"?

  Last year, Alice said she had moved to Rome four years ago

  Last year, Alice said she had moved to Rome long ago


texts:
Is "none" singular or plural? I understand it to mean no one which is obviously singular. But I have seen sentences like:

None of them have seen it

which equals:

No one of them have seen it

The subject is singular but we use the plural form "have"
I haven't seen "has" used in this sentence.
Which one is more correct? Are both correct? What about its grammar (should it be "has" or "have")?


texts: In this conditional "If Kennedy had survived, the US would be very different now" the if clause uses a past perfect form and the main clause a simple past one. Why is that? This sentence is an example of third conditional and so the main clause should be written as "the US would have been very different now". So, why is it written in past simple? Thanks.


texts:
"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."

  It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's
  question. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is this a dummy-it construction or a cleft construction?


texts: “What do you mean?” I say, my brows furrowing in confusion. - Is this a participial phrase?

texts:
I can't understand how the phrase "my brows furrowing in confusion" doesn't have any verb. In the Elements of Style, I read that "A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject." I wonder if the sentence below provides a participial phrase or something else.

  “What do you mean?” I say, my brows furrowing in confusion.


texts: difference between the pronunciation of "cheating" and "teaching"

texts: I am a Brazilian speaker, and I'm having trouble understanding the difference between the pronunciation of the words cheating and teaching.


texts: If someone is just a passenger in a boat or a ship

texts: I understand that we commonly use the verb "row" to driving boats. Also some other verbs like "propel" and "paddle". What I understand that those verbs give the meaning of controlling the boat. What if someone is just a passenger who doesn't drive or skipper?


texts: What's the meaning of "when I fall in love, it will be forever"?

texts:
If someone says "when I fall in love, it will be forever", which of the following does that mean?

The speaker is pointing out the fact that they have already fallen in love and this is something that will last for them forever.
The speaker hasn't fallen in love yet but if in future they do fall in love, then it will last for them forever.


texts:
A society which rests upon the supremacy of some factor over another irrespective of its rational or proportionate claims leads thought astray. (Source: Democracy and Education By John Dewey)

What does (the phrase) mean?  Does it mean "the supremacy of some factor over another factor that is not rational"?  If so, it is a good thing isn't it the supremacy of some factor over some irrational factor? AND how does a good thing lead thought astray?    Could you help me clarify it?  Thanks.


texts: Suhel Seth said "We will endure the ethos of our civilization"

texts:
I am watching a speech by Suhel Seth, and one line strikes me as odd.

  The point is if we do it quickly, if we do it with alacrity, we will be safe as a nation, but more importantly, we will endure the ethos of our civilization.

Both the Oxford Dictionaries and Merriam Webster state unequivocally that the transitive usage of endure means to suffer something unpleasant. It is clear that Suhel Seth tried to use this word to mean make something last. Is that a mistake on his part or a rare usage?

I am not sure he is saying here the Indian ethos as a civilization is a bad that needs to be endured. The speech is available on Youtube, and this link will take you to the sentence in question.


texts: The use of do and does as an auxilliary verb?

texts:
1) All of these things doesn't give me an excuse to run away?
2) All of these things doesn't gives me an excuse to run away?

3) All of these things don't gives me an excuse to run away?
4) All of these things don't give me an excuse to run away?au

Which among the above is correct? I'm confused between when to use do and when to use does. And if we say that do is used with plural subjects and does for singular subjects, then how to treat the main verb of the sentence? The main verb should be singular or plural?


texts:
Can you help me on this sentence? My brain got locked and could not write it right. I feel it's shaky especially at "... the data (that) the buyer based...". Do I have to leave that or should I remove it.

"This offer is subject to decrease as the data the buyer based its offer on will change due to the car utilization until the car retires on April."


texts:
Ok, now, in Oxford dictionary:

  to express: to show or make known a feeling, an opinion, etc. by words,
  looks or actions source

so they got the structure "express something", ex: "Teachers have expressed concern about the changes".

However, there is no structure "express something (to somebody)". So, I am not sure I can say "Teachers have expressed concern about the changes to students"

In fact, there is a structure "express something (to somebody/something) (North American English)" which means "to send something by express post As soon as I receive payment I will express the book to you" source.

So, I think the dictionary got a shortcoming here.

So, Why isn't there a structure of "express something (to somebody)" in the dictionary?


texts:
" The Amateur Softball Association's roster of umpires has declined to 57,000. "
Reference: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/roster.


texts:
1). In the context of disease management, it is not the case that one drug would work for the entire population and a single one would be useful for that patient’s lifetime.
2). In the context of disease management, it is not the case that one drug will work for the entire population and a single one will be useful for that patient’s lifetime.
Will_Would is always a confusing topic for me. I know would has two different uses 1)As the past form of will 2) Hypothetical forms
Here what is the unstated hypothetical condition in the first sentence??
What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences??


texts:
do we say :

  "you and tony never played computer games with me "

or :

  "you and tony never play computer games with me "

which one is correct , or both are correct ?


texts:
I found the following sentence:

  The system controller interfaces to the PCI bus and bridges to other buses.

I can guess the meaning of it, but looking at all the dictionary the verb "bridge" does not have any usages as an intransitive verb.

Is it grammatically correct to use the verb "bridge" like this?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
Ran to it in my textbook. Is it Figure 1 hyphen 4
Could you explain more about how the numbers below pictures are usually stated and read?


texts: What is the difference between "note" and "notice"?

texts:
Can I say something like:

Please note that the ocean is pink.
Please notice that the elephant is small.

Which is the correct one? Or are both correct? Or wrong?


texts: What is the meaning of this sentence: A few minutes later, she is dressed ....?

texts:
Source

  A few minutes later, she is dressed and Deckard, after checking the
  lobby outside his apartment, motions for her to join him in the
  elevator.

What does it mean by this highlighted sentence?


texts: change in temperature vs change of temperature

texts:
The change in temperature may be as much as 200' C.
  The change of temperature may be as much as 200' C.

What is the difference  between the change in temperature and  the change of temperature?


texts: Why is a preposition sometimes optional?

texts:
This question arises after seeing this thread.

Consider the following sentences -

  There is no point discussing this here (Between "point" and "discussing", there is a "in" and that is optional. And I am omitting
  it purposefully for asking my doubt)
  Do you see any point in filling up all the forms?
  There is no use filling up the forms. ("using "in" after "use" is optional here)
  What is the use of filling up these forms?

My question is -

Why in some sentences omitting prepositions like this is optional and why in some cases placing preposition is a must?


texts:
Among the lyrics, there is the sentence "you can count me with the dreamers."

This phrase is from movie called Tangled. It's the lyrics from "I've got a dream".

What exactly does that mean?

count A with B?  is that right?

regard or include?

How should I interpret it?


texts:
I'm learning English in Korea.

I'd like to know if the following sentence is natural.

  The more often you wash your hands, the less you get the possibility of catching a cold.

When I saw that sentence at first, I thought the part with 'the less...' should be corrected like 'the less possibility of catching a cold you get.'

I hope you could give me some guides. Thanks~~


texts: Difference between "high quality material and high quality of material"

texts:
What is the difference between"high quality material and high quality of material"?

Do they use in the same way or not?


texts: Is the sentence "this raises a question in my mind whether ..." grammatical?

texts:
I suggested an edit a few hours ago, which is approved.

  this raises a question in my mind, that is, whether "I'm ready for something" is equal to "I'm prepared for something"

and then another contributor removed the "that is", as a result we have

  this raises a question in my mind whether ...

Is it grammatical? What is the structure of it.

"this" functions as a subject; "raises" functions as a predicate; "a question" functions as an object; "in my mind" is an adverbial phrase.

With "that is", the rest is a relative clause; without "that is", what is the rest?


texts: The phrase "in relationship" with zero article

texts:
Context: "God wanted to be in relationship with His people."
Is it okay not to use an article before "relationship?"


texts:
Does "which" indicate that I have just one car?

  I should sell my car, which I use very little.

Does "that" indicate that I have more than one car?

  I should sell my car that I use very little.


texts: What does the "would have been" express in this sentence?

texts:
If so, the green algae would have been subjected to environmental pressures that resulted in adaptations that enhanced their potential to give rise to land-dwelling organisms.(From TPO 25 )

would haven


texts: can we say "hour 11'' instead of ''11-hour''?

texts:
It's a paragraph in an article about psychology that was published in NYT:

  So does the moment really deserve its many accolades? It is a philosophy likely to be more rewarding for those whose lives contain more privileged moments than grinding, humiliating or exhausting ones. Those for whom a given moment is more likely to be “sun-dappled yoga pose” than “hour 11 manning the deep-fat fryer.”

I've never seen this order before. Is it normal to use this order for saying time periods?


texts:
What's the difference between the following sentences?

1 They came up with a new idea.

2 They dreamt up with a new idea.


texts:
Besides engineering, I should also get some grammar lessons
In addition to engineering, I should also get some grammar lessons.

In my interpretation

#1 means that engineering already includes grammar

whereas in #2 there's no such implication


texts: Nouns with different meaning in the plural form. How to use them on plural sentences?

texts:
I was wondering myself how to use the nouns which have different meaning in the plural form on plural sentences, for example the word:

  Blind - Blinds

If I want to refer to more than one Blind, Should I use Blind or Blinds?


texts:
'The way you were dancing as if you were a snake in your past life'

Is this sentence correct to say?


texts: What does "great" modify in "A great American consulting firm official"?

texts:
A great American consulting firm official

What does this "great" modify?
Could it modify "consulting firm?"

I think it can only modify "official".
If it can modify "firm", then it should be

  A great American consulting firm's official


texts:
With "since", I can talk about 1) something which started in the past and which continues up to the present, 2) something which happened one or several times in the past.

1) I have worked for this company since 2015. (I have been working for this company since 2015.)

2) I have swum in sea since 2015. ( I have swum once or twice since 2015. It is not meant for continual swimming. )

Am I right?


texts: What's the difference between the exclamations "what" and "how"

texts:
What's the difference between:

What a rude person you are!
How rude you are!
How rude of a person you are!
How rude of you!

Which one is correct? Please give me some elaboration so I can understand, thanks.


texts: Is there a proper translation for the following Chinese term?

texts:
The term is 「鑄造建材」. It appears in the following Chinese Text

...因此在當地發展勞動密集型、低技術或高污染的產業，如製衣、鑄造建材等，生產成本往往較高，導致產品價格高企，無法與廉價的進口貨競爭。...

The English translation is

Therefore, the development of labour-intensive, low-tech or
high-polluting industries, such as clothing and _______________, often
has high production costs, which results in high product prices so
that the products cannot compete with cheap imports.

The blank represents the space where the translation of the said term should be placed.
「鑄造」means casting (of metals). 「建材」means building materials. 「鑄造建材」can either mean "metal casting and building materials" or "the making of building materials by casting metals". I am quite confused.


texts: Adjective form of "develop" as a transitive verb

texts:
Can I use developing as an adjective, in reference to something that has developed something else? That is, if I say "It was a developing experience", does it work in the sense 'the experience developed me', or is the only possible (although somewhat forced) interpretation the intransitive participle one – that is: that it was the experience that developed, not me?
If it is indeed possible to use developing in the adjective sense, what intensifier goes with it? "It was a very developing experience" sounds dead odd to my ears, whereas "it was a highly developing experience" sounds slightly better (though still odd – which, of course, only supports my suspicion that developing  can't be used as an adjective, but rather only as an intransitive participle).
And finally: if developing cannot be used in this way, what word could I use instead? I realise I can just paraphrase, but is there another word I can use as a premodifying adjective?
As always, I'd be very grateful for any help I could get!


texts:
Assuming you're parents that see your young son doing something you don't like, and you want to avoid him to do it. What's of these following ways more natural?

Don't do it!

or

Don't do that!


texts: What is the meaning of "wrought" in this sentence and can it be replaced by "worked"?

texts:
I understand wrought as a word with two meanings--as the archaic past tense and past participle of work and as an adjective in its own right. However, I can't quite understand its meaning in this sentence from a book.

  Whether they were staunch supporters of Pan-Americanism or not, scholars tended to envision the nature of the U.S. hegemony in South America as something to be wrought in the terrain of culture. In this regard, their views sustained and accompanied the transition from Big Stick diplomacy to the Good Neighbor Policy.

Does it function as the part participle of work? What exactly does it mean here? Judging from the context, my guess is "brought about", but can't be sure which among work's myriad definitions this usage invokes.


texts: Expound vs Elaborate vs Elucidate vs Postulate

texts:
It seems like the words expound and elaborate as a verb are snynonym which means explain something in detail.The word elucidate is also given similar meaning that explaining something clearly.The word postulate has a bit different meaning but I find also something common with the others in terms of meaning.

I'd like to ask as to how to use them properly ?


texts:
I want to know how can I describe that my exams are going good :-

I am doing well in exams.
I am doing great in exams.
My exams are going good.

which is the right way to do it?


texts:
From https://wikitravel.org/en/Botswana#Stay_healthy :

  Botswana's HIV infection rate, estimated at 24.1%, is the 2nd highest
  reported in the world. Exercise regular universal precautions when
  dealing with any bodily fluid and remain aware of this high rate of
  infection. Take precautions accordingly. Wear rubber gloves when
  dressing someone else's cut, even if they are a child.

Does "to dress a cut" mean "to treat a skin wound"? Is this phrase common in other regions or is it specific to Southern Africa?


texts:
Is there a figurative phrase for "ashamed" to mean to bend your head downward or look down, as you can't look at others?

In Persian we say سر افکنده which almost means Head Down, or Head fallen


texts:
"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"
      "Don't," Harry advised her.
      Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping
  down out of the darkness.
      Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They [1] showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd [2] rigged up, so they [3] could
  suspend Norbert between them [4]. They [5] all helped buckle
  Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with
  the oth-ers and thanked them [6]very much.
      At last, Norbert was going... going... gone.  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

It seems that [1],[2],[3],[4] and [6] refer to  ‘Charlie's friends’, yet who dose [5] refer to?
Who does ‘they’ refer to?
(1) Charlie’s four friends who are going to visit Charlie taking the little dragon.
(2) Charlie’s four friends plus Harry and Hermione.
(3) Harry and Hermione


texts: I was having an interview yesterday and I was talking about people's tastes when it comes to food. The interviewer asked me a question about whether young people and old people in my city like the same kinds of food, and I said, "young people have different appetites for food than older generations." is it okay to use "appetites" in this context? I thought it would give the same meaning of "preferences"!!


texts:
I ran into this sentence yesterday and I am wondering whether or not I could change support to supporting.

  In short, labor's support among the public is heavily concentrated among Democrats.

For me, support means encouragement from the public, while supporting focuses on the action of supporting, providing help rather than the help that they (the public) give. Therefore, supporting is not the right word to use in such a context. What do you think?


texts:
Is "From where are you" and "Where from are you" as correct as "Where are you from"?

Or do you think one of those is more correct than the other?

I'm aware of the non-existant rule about ending a sentence with a preposition, but I need additional grammar explanations to know if I really get any subtleties.

In my opinion "Where are you from" is the most common, and the most correct, and the "From where are you" could be an hypercorrection, but I don't know if it's as correct.

Note, there's another thread with a title that could make think that it answers this question, but it use "done", so it's not the same case.
"From where have you done your Bachelors?"
Use of "From where" and "Where from"


texts: "Ramen" or "ramens" in "He bought a pack of ramen(s)"

texts:
He bought a pack of ramen.
He bought a pack of ramens.
He bought two packs of ramen.
He bought two packs of ramens.
He bought a ramen.
He bought two ramens.

Which ones are grammatical?


texts:
I wrote this sentence -

  His name was criticized severely and now his name sits parallel with all sort of corruption.

I wrote this sentence. And I want to know what you think about the usage of "sit parallel" in this sentence? Is it understandable? If it's then what meaning you think of it?


texts: Meaning of "as if this were not the way winter finally ended in that part of country"

texts:
Could someone please help me with the meaning of bold parts in the text below?

  The accident was followed by a rush of warm weather. The length of the
  evenings and the heat of the balmy days seemed sudden and surprising,
  as if this were not the way winter finally ended in that part of the
  country, almost every year. The sheets of floodwater shrank magically
  back into the bogs, and the leaves shot out of the reddened branches,
  and barnyard smells drifted into town and were wrapped in the smell of
  lilacs.

   Carried Away by Alice Munro

1 - As if this were not... Does it mean that it was not a typical winter? And also, shouldn't it be "this was not"?

2 - Smells  Is this a plural noun?


texts: What is the meaning of " which must have followed shortly afterwards" in this text?

texts:
Of Sapor III., his brother and successor, two facts only are recorded - his conclusion of the treaty with the Romans in A.D. 384, and his war with the Arabs of the tribe of Yad, which must have followed shortly afterwards.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts:
I was reading a Lucky Luke comic where one of the speech balloons says:

Joe! Mince me up another cow!

Since mince up was new to me I looked for it in a dictionary. However, I was able to find only mince that as a verb means:

to cut food into very small pieces

So far so good, this makes sense, but what's with the up? It doesn't seem to be phrasal verb so here are my quesions:

Would it be correct to assume that adding up is some kind of an emphasis?
What are the exact rules for this?
Are there any other prepositions that can be used in this way?
What is the grammatical term for it so I can read more about it?


texts: Should I use the Present Simple or Continuous to say that a word is (being) used in a sentence?

texts:
Here are some pieces from my previous posts:

A sentence from The Magician's Nephew.

Down and down they rushed, first through darkness and then through a mass of vague and whirling shapes which might have been almost anything.
Q: Why is might have used here?

A sentence from a video game.

She assured the Courier that she will fill the Doomstones series with the lusty and colorful characters we've come to know and love.
Q: Why is the Present Perfect used here?

I've seen that people use the Present Continuous in such cases; however, I can't understand how using a word or a construction by a sentence can be in progress. A sentence and the words in it seem to me something that is permanent.
Is the Present Simple correct to use in such cases, and what's the difference between the Present Simple and Continuous in them?


texts:
Reading this article explaining about the difference between "apply for " and "apply to",

https://www.dailywritingtips.com/apply-to-apply-for-and-apply-with/

I am still puzzled about why the correct sentence is

    Winston is applying to the teaching program at Harvard.

not

    Winston is applying for the teaching program at Harvard.

Is not the teaching program that Winston wants?
Winston wants to obtain the teaching program so he "apply for" it.


texts:
I don't understand the phrase "Make the most of your gift to the Foundation by doubling it today" - Usually, "make it to" means "come to somewhere" - so okay, you come to the foundation (and donate it?). But how do you "double it"? You donate $100 and get $200 back? I have no clue what it means.
What does the phrase mean then?

Richard Dawkins tweeted just now
The $50,000 matching gift offer expires with the end of the year, but you still have time. Make the most of your gift to the Richard Dawkins Foundation by doubling it today: http://richarddawkins.net/year-end.


texts: Is "My first job was in a school" understandable and grammatical?

texts:
People are sometimes fail to convert their mother tongue to foreign language, not only because of the limited vocabulary but also the influence imposed by the structure order of their native language. Let me take the sentence below as  an  example.

  My first job was in a school.

I want to deliver the meaning that I once worked as a staff in a school, but comes such a sentence which may be abnormal out of my mouth when I don't have time to think about it.

I want to know is such a sentence understandable or grammatically acceptable to native ears?


texts: How to ask to repeat a question after QA section politely?

texts:
When you are a speaker on a conference and somebody asks you a question which you didn't quite understood or which is too complicated to give a short answer the common practice is to answer something like "Could you please find me after this talk and I try to answer you then?". In Russian there is a word for this - 'в кулуарах', from French word 'couloir', corridor. It is translated as 'on the sidelines' according to Google Translate. Still I never heard such an expression from a native speaker and apparently it has something to do with baseball, not conferences.

So what would native speaker usually say in such a situation?


texts: Prepositional phrase modifies another prepositional phrase? Or both modify the verb?

texts:
Consider:

  Smoke hung in the air above the city.

I see lots of sentences containing the structure of "verbal phrase + prepositional phrase + prepositional phrase" like the example above.

I just do not know whether the second prepositional phrase (in this example, above the city) modifies the verb (hung), or if it modifies the noun (the air) in the first prepositional phrase.


texts: which sentence is correct? has left, left or leaves?

texts:
I am confused with this:

"Long after he has left, she finds out that it has been stolen."

"Long after he left, she finds out that it has been stolen."

"Long after he leaves, she finds out that it has been stolen."

I don't really know which one is the correct one. Please help. Thank you :)


texts:
The word's meaning is close to the climax of a magic show. Close, but please don't quote me on that.
It begins with letter "p", and contains a letter "t". Again, off the top of my head again.
It was the title of a Hollywood movie around year 2006, +/- 3 years.

What is that word?


texts: When you are indebted to someone and want to return their favor

texts:
All of us are well aware that most of the people are indebted to their parents because of their efforts in our lives. I would appreciate it if someone could let me know which one of the following sentences sounds more natural to explain what I said in a natural way:

  We can never return the big favor our parents did for us.
  We can never settle the debt we hold with our parents.
  The debt we owe our parents can never be paid back.

For me, the last one is not as good as the first two sentences which mean exactly the same.

I guess they all are grammatically, structurally and idiomatically correct, but I doubted if a native speaker would say it in a different and better manner.

P.S. [All of the above sentences are self-made.]


texts: What does mean granular knowledge and gene sequencig in this context?

texts:
The granular knowledge provided by gene sequencing has transformed the
  understanding of prehistory.

In this above line I speculate that granular knowledge means detail knowledge and gene sequencing means placing gene in correct order. If I am right then the meaning of the whole sentence is

  The detail knowledge provided by gene order has changed the
  understanding of prehistory.

. I am not sure If I am right or wrong. It would be nice if anyone correct me.


texts: "What prone position used FOR IN medicine?" Is "for in" grammatical?

texts:
Is using the preposition "for" before the preposition "in" correct?

  What prone position used for in medicine?


texts: When do we omit "the" when using it with next?

texts:
Source

I could not figure out why not use the with:

  Are you working (the) next week?

  We’re going to plant some new flowers (in the) next spring.

  Ollie’s coming to stay the week after (the) next.

  You are (the) next.

Though it has been used in:

  I don’t know how I’m going to manage from one day to the next.

  I’ll finish the work in the next few days. You can pay me then.

  The next person she met was an old lady who had lived in the village all her life.

Please explain the rule.


texts: What does "Ought not the suggestion of the worthy namesake of the psalmist to have its weight at such a moment?" mean in "The Last of the Mohicans"

texts:
I used to believe that I had a decent grasp of English as my second language, but now "The Last of the Mohicans" is completely crushing my self-esteem. This question is about one sentence, but I actually got quite a few I don't fully understand.
I am asking about the last sentence here:

“With joyful pleasure do I consent”, said David, adjusting his
iron-rimmed spectacles, and producing his beloved little volume, which
he immediately tendered to Alice. “What can be more fitting and
consolatory, than to offer up evening praise, after a day of such
exceeding jeopardy!”
Alice smiled; but, regarding Heyward, she blushed and hesitated.
“Indulge yourself,” he whispered; “ought not the suggestion of the
worthy namesake of the Psalmist to have its weight at such a moment?”

Full book: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/940/940-h/940-h.htm)
I believe I understand the main idea. He says: "Ok, Alice, you can go ahead and indulge in singing psalms" (not in alcohol, drugs, and/or promiscuity; 18th century indulgence/vibing is also crushing my self-esteem, but that's a separate topic). The details of the second part of the phrase, however, are really vague to me. Here are my questions:

"He" is Heyward?
"Ought not the suggestion" = "Isn't the idea/proposal"?
"Worthy namesake of the psalmist" = David (the psalmist)?
Why namesake? Namesake implies two entities/people having same name. If one is the psalmist, who is the second one?
Why "worthy"? Is it an irony in this context? Or a legit compliment?
What does "its" refer to? Namesake? Suggestion? Or something outside of this sentence?
Am I correct that "To have" is part of "Ought not ... to have"? Is this grammatically correct: "Ought not we to have some fun?"
"To have its weight" = "to take place"/"to be implemented"? Is he implying some importance (weight) of the activity?

After rethinking all this again while writing those questions, I feel my closest interpretation is:

Heyward whispered; "Shouldn't the proposal of the great Psalmist (aka
David) be implemented at such a right moment"?

Is that correct? If someone could please answer my nerdy questions, especially #4, #5, and #8, I would really appreciate.


texts:
I came across the word "mud-flinging" in a news title this morning,

  G.O.P. Presidential Hopefuls Gird for a Month of Mud-Flinging.

It infers a meaning of scolding or attacking each other, but it is not included in my dictionaries. What's the exact meaning of "mud-flinging"?


texts:
I've come across the following sentence and I am surprised to see the usage of the Present Perfect in the second part of the sentence: "...how some Chinese travelers have behaved on trips." How would you justify the choice of the Present Perfect over the Simple Past?

"Media and even the Chinese president have been critical of how some Chinese travellers have behaved on trips." Source: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20150219-the-latest-chinese-status-symbol

Many thanks!


texts: Do you wash windows, or clean them, or both?

texts:
my main question is what is the correct verb to precede the noun "windows" to indicate removal of dirt, etc.

The reason I ask is that despite being an English teacher I'm also Dutch, and sometimes I can't tell for certain if something "sounds right" because of my Dutch or because of my English.

I had "to wash the windows" in a test, and a pupil asked if it shouldn't be "to clean the windows". I couldn't explain and really have no idea where to look for these kinds of usages.


texts:
In the sentences below:

  All the mistakes are mine.

Likewise,

  All the mistakes are John's.

Now,

Can we say:

  All the mistakes are of me.

And

  All the mistakes are of John.

Are these sentences correct?

Which are fine in spoken English?
Thanks in advance.


texts: Difference between "several" and "several of"

texts:
I stumbled upon this while reading a detective novel An Innocent Client by Scott Prat.

Below is the phrase in context.

  Landers ate lunch there two or three times a month. Even now and then he'd stop in and have a beer after work. He went to high school with the owners. And he knew several of the waitresses. Especially the waitresses. Landers had phone numbers for all of them.

My question is would it make sense if the man said he knew several waitresses there instead of knew several of the waitresses.

Thank you in advance.


texts: What is the difference between following two sentences

texts:
John has three jars.

  He decided to sell them.

Or

  He decided to sell that.

What is the difference between these two sentences?


texts:
Most of the times, I have seen that 'reason being' is used in the middle of a sentence with a fixed expression 'the reason being is that'. As reason being is similar to 'because', can we use it in the starting of a sentence? Consider this sentence :

For non-living things, the apostrophe + s is not used. Reason being, non-living things cannot own things.

For non-living things, the apostrophe + s is not used. The reason being, non-living things cannot own things.

For non-living things, the apostrophe + s is not used, the reason being is that non-living things cannot own things.

Which ones are correct among these examples. I am also confused that do we need to use 'the' before 'reason being' when we use it to start a new sentence and is the comma usage correct in the third sentence?


texts: "Do the needful" -- Why is it used instead of asking a question?

texts:
Update: (Originally this was a comment, but I thought it was worth sharing here at the top.)

In the original question, I asked if there was a polite, socially-acceptable way to ask an Indian co-worker not to use the phrase "do the needful", as I didn't care for it.

In the years since I asked this question I've asked many people about the phrase. To the Indians I've asked in-person, it's not rude in any way. To Americans I've asked it varies anywhere from "I don't like it, but I don't mind it" to "It's very rude and makes me angry when I see it".

Through a long series of edits the question morphed and I wasn’t able to delete it because it had upvoted answers. The question, as it stands now, has no other answer.

I guess, though, if you're non-Indian and you find it rude, or if you're Indian and you've never realized someone might find it rude, this post may still have merit. Hopefully it does. It certainly has gotten a lot of views. Best wishes, folks.

End Update. See below for what's left of the actual question.

"Do the needful."

It's a phrase that I've only seen used in email, and I find it . . . presumptuous (maybe even rude). Regardless of prefacing with "please", one is commanding rather than asking for assistance.

I've only seen it used by those of Indian origin, so I've simply not mentioned it at all rather than worry about any cross-cultural offense that may come of bringing it up.

But still, I don't understand why it's used. Why not request rather than make two statements, one factual, one imperative?

For example, why would one use:

  I'm told you have Jane's email address. Please do the needful.

instead of,

  Would you send me Jane's email address?