texts: What does "placed in one's trust or belonging to one's employer" mean?

texts:
Embezzlement: theft or misappropriation of funds placed in one's trust or belonging to one's employer

I do understand "theft... funds", but from "placed in..." I do not understand what it means. Can someone explain it?


texts:
How to use the noun a head in plural meaning? I mean the third meaning, link. I understand I can say:

I'm a head taller than my sister.

How to say when I am taller more than a head? Is this sentence below correct?

I'm two heads taller than my sister.

Thanks for help.


texts: What difference is made depending on existence of 'rather'?

texts:
Would you stay here or go home?
Would you rather stay here or go home?

Do those sentence make a difference?


texts:
Here it goes:

  But the Dutch language as spoken by the Boers was now seen as a distinct language called Africaans.

Does as mean because there? To me it seems it was used to mean the Dutch language that is spoken..., but it seems to be an ungrammatical use of as. It was in this video. It is at around 2 minute and 23 second.


texts:
I came across a sentence in a reputed grammar book today that read like this -

  This category of students have not developed their reading skills.

I know that the sentence sounds right and I've followed a similar structure myself multiple times while talking to people but for some reason, I felt that there was something wrong with the way category of was used here.
Since we are talking about the students here and not the category, shouldn't the sentence be -

  The students of this category have not developed their reading skills.

To give you a bit of perspective - the author had divided all the students in 4 categories, depending upon their reading skills, in the preceding paragraph and in this one, he was talking about the second category of students.


texts:
There was no one who would not talk ill of him.

What does this "would" mean grammatically?


texts: Used to or past simple with the adverb 'When'

texts:
I know that both 'Used to' and past simple can be used to talk about things that happened in the past, and that 'Used to' is informal in negative sentences but is the preferred construction when the sentence is positive.

The main function of 'Used to' is expressing a habit that you had in the past, but no longer have in the present. Past simple can be used to the same effect but isn't as clear, as the present situation is unknown.

However, if the sentence already suggests that the situation has changed with past simple, is using 'Used to' still necessary, or even grammatical?

For example, which of the sentences below is correct or more formal?

(Back) When I worked as a teller, I had a decent income.
(Back) When I used to work as a teller, I had a decent income.

I was able to find some examples of the type of construction sentence number 2 uses with advanced book search, but there is an air of tautology around it that is hard to put into words.

In short, which (if not both) sentence is the correct version, and why? Or can both of them be used interchangeably?

Another example

When I went there, I was the top student.

Or

When I used to go there, I was the top student.

Many thanks.


texts:
I want to understand the overall structure and the meaning of the following sentence. I want also an explanation of the use of comma and the the ing verb looking here:

  Later, Mr. Drigant’s grandson walked by, looking dejected.


texts: I am not really clear about the meaning of this sentence

texts:
She says that her love of adventure began when she was ten. She gives credit to her mom for planting the seed. "My mom found adventure books for me to read which had females actively involved in the story."
For this sentence, does credit mean praise and planting the seed mean to encourage her adventure?


texts: Is it correct the use of "so" in this sentence?

texts:
I don't know if the use of so, it is possible here!

  "we cant not protect our children from everything. So some plans won't make their way in their life."

I found this on the Internet :

In formal contexts we can use so instead of an adjective phrase after a verb:

The bus service was very unreliable when I was young and it remains so even today. (It remains very unreliable …)

We use so as a subordinating conjunction to introduce clauses of result or decision:

I got here late. It was a long journey, so I’m really tired now.

dictionary.cambridge.org


texts: experience the feeling that you {do/have}

texts:
Should it be:

  I experience the feeling that you do right now

or:

  I experience the feeling that you feel right now


texts:
For example; Some think that holders of the jobs such as nurses are less paid.

Is this right to say, what else can I say?


texts:
Which is the correct preposition in this context?

Everything was at/on/in a high level.

It should mean that 'everything was excellent with wonderful service'.


texts:
I know all about that film because I have seen it twice.

In this sentence the person says they saw the same film twice in the past. Then why is the present perfect used instead of past perfect? Can someone please tell me?


texts: Does further explanation help to clarify statements?

texts:
Let us say that I am explaining the reason behind something:

  This occurs because of a disparity in globally utilized parameters, since they are isolated from objects’ local conditions.

Here, because I am using the word disparity (meaning discrepancy or inconsistency), should I even write the second part (isolated from local conditions), or is it redundant?

  This occurs because of a disparity in globally utilized parameters.

Would this be grammatically correct?


texts: What is the difference between "plan on going" and "plan of going"

texts:
Can someone explain why there are 2 different prepositions. The basic meaning appears to be the same in the example sentences. There are only 6000 search hits on Google for the phrase "plan of going" compared to 6,000,000 for "plan on going" but they are enough to to make me think. Is there a grammar rule that I just can't see?

  I'm not against your plan of going to Morocco.

  I plan on going to Loterie Farms via Royal Caribbean shore
  excursion next month.


texts: "Andrew looked at him in the mirror": can "him" refer to Andrew?

texts:
(1) Andrew looked at him in the mirror.
  (2) Andrew looked at himself in the mirror.

Does (1) include (2)’s possibility? Or does him in (1) only refer to someone other than Andrew?


texts: Difference between "I took a long time" and "I was a long time."

texts:
I have read a children's book for language learners. It's a book from the Oxford Reading Tree series. There is a character who goes to the dentist, and when she comes back home she says:

  "Sorry I was a long time."

I want to ask what's the difference between:

  I took a long time

and

  I was a long time.

Is there any difference in meaning? Is this phrase

  "I was a long time"

more native?


texts:
I have a question regarding usage of any. My question is, can I omit any in cases like the following? I have a grammar book named 'Practical English Usage' written by Michael Swan that says "With an uncountable or plural noun, 'any' usually suggests the idea of an indefinite but limited amount or number. When there is no idea of a limited quantity or number, we do not usually use 'any'. And It also says when our Interest is in knowing the the existense of something not knowing its amount or its number, we don't use 'any'. So what are the differences between my following sentences? Can I omit any?

1- Do you have any children/children? (can I omit 'any' here?"

2- I don't have any cars/cars. I go to college by bus.

3- Yesterday, I did not buy any flowers/flowers from the market.


texts: What is the difference in meaning between "excess", "excessive", "surplus" and "superfluous" as adjectives?

texts: What is the difference in meaning between excess, excessive, surplus and superfluous as  adjectives?


texts:
I saw https://www.powerthesaurus.org/sololy, which indicates that "sololy" means
"solely", "lonely", is that correct way of saying it?

The word "solo" has a meaning of "one and only". I'm interested in its adj and adv form. For e.g., some companies assign an unique customer service representative (CSR) to each customer. They can say,

In adj form:

  We've assigned a solo CSR to you.

Now, in adv form, what the following is more correct?

  The CSR is for you sololy.

or

  The CSR is for you solo.

?

UPDATE, The preferred way of saying:

  The CSR is for you solely.

  The CSR is solely assigned to you.


texts: MLA requirements for quoting a phrase with exclamation marks

texts:
I'm helping a student with a sentence that needs to quote the following two phrases said by a character:

  Man the boundaries! Protect us!

The sentence we are trying to write is:

  "Man the boundaries! Protect us!", she ordered the guards.

The problem lies in the comma just after the end-quotation mark. According to MLA, should it be after the quotes, before the quotes, or omitted altogether? I'm used to having the comma inside the quotation but the exclamation mark is already there and I couldn't find out how to resolve this particular case.

Addendum

It occurred to me after reading the first answer given that I have left out some important information that should be noted. First, the quoted passage is from a fictional work, but the paper we are trying to write is an analysis of several fictional works, which makes it non-fiction. Second, citation is not given in this particular sentence because we have elected to merge all citations to the end of the paragraph, because all quotations within this paragraph are from the same source. Furthermore, this is an essay assigned by the instructor and must use MLA.


texts: Is there any grammatical mistake with the words "an unique beauty"?

texts:
Is it wrong to say "an unique beauty"?
If I name a painting as "an unique beauty", would it be wrong or is there no need to mention both "unique" and "an"?


texts:
If we turn on the tap and water doesn't flow out of it,what will be used:

  Water is not coming from the tap .

  Water is not coming out of the tap.

  There is no water in the tap..

What should be used: "out of/from"? Or the third sentence

In a different context

An agency provides water to people in a region through pipes. So one day there's no water( i.e. water is not coming out of that tap that is connected to that agency's pipe) so, what will be used:

  Water is not coming today.

Does it sound natural? Or will it be: There's no water today in the tap.

So what will be used in both the contexts?


texts: "Good buy!" with a connotation of "Good bye!"

texts: My friend (which is not a native English speaker) asked me to send him on Whats-app the pictures of the books that I bought, and his comment to it was: "Good buy!". I had an immediate connotation with "Good bye!". Therefore, I'm not sure if it's idiomatic to say so or not (while the word buy also functions as a noun). I would think for example about "Good purchase!". So which of them is idiomatic? and his choice can be understood orally in English speaking countries?


texts: When is it an error to use the "both the + noun" combination?

texts:
I've stumbed upon this sentence in Mauilik V's answer on this site:

  If you have an iPhone 6, for instance, you can use both the sentences to describe its functionality.

The use of the definite article in the bolded position seemed strange to me, and I edited the sentence to

  If you have an iPhone 6, for instance, you can use both sentences to describe its functionality.

But I have doubts. Both is described as a pre-determiner, that is, it can precede the definite article (a central determiner), like in:

  Both the girls were very proud of their achievements at school.

So, was I wrong in changing the sentence and if not, why? In which cases is it not OK to combine both and the?


texts:
Then my life fell apart. I divorced, my mother died too young, my son
  went to jail, I quit my fancy career and, for the first time ever, had
  enough time and space forced on me to pay attention. I started to
  notice things, listen more carefully. (Kathy Holwadel)

(i) Is there a subject (I) omission, or a null-relativiser before forced?
(ii) Is this ‘forced on me to pay attention’ a type of ‘force something on/upon somebody, to make somebody accept something that they do not want’ (OALD)?


texts: Swim across to the other side of a river

texts:
Let's say you are on the side of a river and you want to:

  Swim across to the other side of the river.

Or

  Swim across the other side of the river.

Should you include to? Meaning as towards but there is already across


texts: Is saying "is this (name)'s phone?" rude in business conversation?

texts:
Is the following sentence rude in business conversation?

  Is this (name)'s phone?

I want to ask if the speaker is the person who I'm looking for.


texts:
Which one is correct?

Screenshot is probably a noun.

Is screenshotting grammatically correct? or it's just screenshoting?


texts: Meaning of "just as a 'news' item" in the context

texts:
I found the comment of this photo hard to understand:

  Different ages, but cloned in Korea from the same deceased mother.

  They have no father, but three mothers contributed to their birth: Missy for DNA, another for an embryo (and mitochondrial DNA), and a third surrogate mom for implantation and fetal development.

  Because of their random estrous cycles, dogs are among the most difficult animals to clone.

  MissyToo was full of beans. I first saw her “sister” with Lou in a canoe on Echo Lake.

  They dropped by for lunch today, just as a "news" item broke of three human clones living in Eastern Europe.

I can't understand the last sentence:

What exactly is "a news item"? Is it equivalent to the news itself or what?
What does "broke" mean here?
How does "these two dogs dropped by for a lunch" have anything similar to "a 'news' item broke of three human clones living in Eastern Europe"? I know they are both clones, but there is no further relation between them, and the connection is too weak to use "as" in my opinion. I think I might have missed something, like the meaning of the sentence or the usage of "as".


texts:
I've come across many scientific articles which bear titles beginning with: "Analysis of ...".

For example:

Analysis of the accuracy and implications of simple methods for predicting the secondary structure of globular proteins

or,

Analysis of Discrete Ill-Posed Problems by Means of the L-Curve

Is this correct or should they include a definite/indefinite article at the beginning?


texts: meaning of "would have" plus the participle form of a verb in context

texts:
What does the following sentence mean?

  Our ancestors living on the great planes of Africa would have lived in small groups, because it was more practical.

Does that mean that it was ours ancestors's nature to live in groups? Tell me please if I am wrong, and If I am, then what does that mean?


texts: Can I use "exchange" instead of "discourse"? What exactly is "media discourse"?

texts:
Please explain me like I'm 5 what is discourse in context of media. I understand it as the message sides of a debate exchange through there attitude towards the problem but then I don't understand what is meant by media discourse. Is it the bare exchange of words among politicians/activists? Or does it refer to the discussions in media about a given topic?

Could I use exchange or discourse in a sentence like this: "The debate in media has very sharpened recently."?


texts: Is there a difference in meaning and use because of a comma?

texts:
Let's compare four examples

1. His sister Amy (comma dropped) vs 2. His sister, Amy (comma added)

  1.I respected and admired his sister Amy.

  2.I respected and admired his sister, Amy.

I think 1 is grammatically correct if there are at least two sisters in his house, but also 2 is grammatically correct if there is only one sister in his house.

3. My dog Spot (comma dropped) vs 4. My dog, Spot (comma added)

  3.My dog Spot passed away three years ago.

  4.My dog, Spot, passed away three years ago.

Like I just said above, I think 3 is grammatically correct if there are at least two dogs in my house, but also 4 is grammatically correct if there is only one dog in my house.

So, what I want to know are ...

Q1) Do I correctly understand the function of the comma?

Q2) Are the comma-dropped versions, "His sister Amy" and "My dog Spot" all grammatically correct?


texts: plural or singular after "what": "What movie(s) do you want to watch?" asked Ella

texts:
What movie do you want to watch?" asked Ella.
What movies do you want to watch?" asked Ella.

Which one is good?


texts: Is it correct to ask "Between who and who does s/he stand?"

texts:
Assume that there are three girls standing in line, girl A, girl B and girl C.

Obviously, girl B is standing between girl A and girl C.

But how do I ask where girl B stands?

1: Between who and who does girl B stand?

or

2: Between who does girl B stand?

Which one is correct?


texts:
Below is a passage from this article:

  The next day I trip over the writer’s wet dream and worst nightmare, the content farm. After some quick math, I figure that five pages of “How to Ride a Bicycle in Ankara” and “Grinding Coffee Beans for Small Business Owners” would pay as much as a day at the booths. It doesn’t take much to convince me to quit. Stepping high, I walk into my boss’s office, dropping my resignation letter on his desk. I spend my last two weeks nearly dancing around the booths...

What does stepping high mentioned above mean?


texts:
There was a young rustic named Mallory,
  who drew but a very small salary.
  When he went to the show,
  his purse made him go
  to a seat in the uppermost gallery.

Can you explain to me the point of this limerick? Are the three last lines meant literally or figuratively? I am not able recognize the comic effect except some vague sort of paradox.


texts: Do I need "to" in the following sentence?

texts:
She did what was most sensible: (to) wait.

Do I need the to? Why or why not?


texts: The application draws all of an image, unscaled - the image is not scaled when the application is finished drawing it - correct?

texts:
The sprite sheet application uses drawImage() in the simplest possible way: The application draws all of an image, unscaled, that is stored in an Image object, into the application’s canvas. In the Chapter 4 and throughout the rest of this book, you will see more advanced uses for drawImage().

Is the adjective unscaled in the second sentence used in an adverbial sense? So, as I understand this, it tells the reader that when the application is done drawing an image (all of it - the entire image), the image is not going to be scaled. Is that right?
Also I have a question about the usage of the article the which is placed in front of the words Chapter 4. Don't you think this is incorrect? As far as I know, generally you don't use articles when talking about entities that have a numeral attached to them. Am I right?


texts: Differences between adverb phrase, adverbial and adjunct

texts: I'm trying to learn more about grammar and often come across these terms. Not sure the differences.


texts: Does the sentence " Sorry, I have no time." give a bad impression?

texts:
When I want to stop chatting on computer, I said " Sorry, I have no time."

Does this way of saying give a bad impression? Are there any better way of saying?


texts:
What are the difference between good at, adept at, and excel at?
What are the occasions where one is more fitting than the other?

While I was writing this question, I stumped over another conundrum: should've I used fitting or befitting? & How can they function differently?

I searched for the cut-and-dried answer in several sites, but no such luck.


texts: Expel, Dismiss and Terminate. What are the differences?

texts:
I know that Expel, Dismiss and Terminate literally mean:

  force someone to leave an organization or an school.

But I wonder if there are any slight differences in the meaning or the way we should use them or not?

Thanks


texts: Can i use participle clause this way when it comes to if-condition

texts:
My own example:

  Not sticked to the rule, the employer will/would discharge you

Compare:

  If you don't stick to the rule, the employer will discharge you

Original example from the website:

  looked after carefully, this coat will keep you warm through many winters

Compare:

  If you look after it carefully, this coat will keep you warm through many winters

Does my example make sense?


texts:
This is a sentence from an article in The New Yorker.

  One day, Prince demanded that he see the crew member’s portfolio.

My question is about the form of the verb 'see' here. Why not 'sees' or 'saw'? What is the grammar behind this construction?


texts: What's the difference between: How long , How long+for and "For+how long

texts:
What's the difference between:

1 "How long have you played this game"

2 "How long have you played this game for"

3 "For how long have you played this game"


texts:
This video is about repairing wobbly chair leg.
While explaining the process of repairing in the video, he says 'ditch the glue' and screw it.
What does the 'ditch the glue' mean?


texts: What does it mean? "I can't people today"

texts:
There is a shirt with a sentence written on it. The sentence is :

  I can't people today

What does it mean? I've seen this link and I know that "people" can be a verb but in this special case, I don't get the meaning of the phrase.


texts: Error Correction: The board of directors want all possible facilities and allowances for itself

texts:
The board of directors want all possible facilities  and allowances for itself.

Which is the correct way to correct the above sentence ? Should I replace itself with themselves or replace want with wants ? I understand that in sentence like these I need to use singular verb/pronoun if the meaning conveyed is singular like The Jury gave its verdict. while I need to use plural verb/pronoun when meaning conveyed is plural e.g. The jury are divided in their opinion. but in the above sentence I'm not able to decide which is the correct correction.


texts:
What does " not slumming it in a pit" mean here(of course if I heard it right.)

https://youtu.be/J5nYK7GgYDc

 It's somewhere around 1:10.


texts:
I wish it were Friday tomorrow.

Or

  I wish it would/could be Friday tomorrow.

Which of these sentences is correct or are they both correct?


texts: I'm confused with the use of 'every time'

texts:
My heart beats every time.

I'm confused with the use of the phrase 'every time'. Please explain it to me.The sentence is taken from a school test. Although I know the sentence is not complete, I can't explain it to others. So I ask for your help.

  Finish each sentence in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence that is given:
  My heart beats every time.
  There is no time _________________.

The answer the examiner wants is "There is no time that my heart does not beat".


texts:
I will leave her alone for now so that she can process things up.

I think for a sentence like this one, "process up" makes a suitable fit. I assume it means "absorb", but I didn't find it used according to my research, nor I found its meaning. And although Ngram shows some results for "process up", I didn't find it used as a whole phrase in Google Books.

Does process up exist in English? And can it convey the meaning of "absorb" which is to take something in, especially gradually?

The sentence is said by A to herself in an informal writing story. B has talked harshly to C and told C things that would change C's life to the worse. Then, B leaves A and C alone in the room, and that's when A says the sentence to herself intending C in her speech.


texts:
The global warming causes yet another problems.

I think 'problemS' is suitable as this sentence is meant to be followed by a list of problems, not just one problem. However, as far as I know, 'another' cannot lead plural nouns like 'problemS'. Are there any alternative expressions of 'yet another' that are grammatically correct and imply the similar concept to 'yet another'?


texts:
Is there a difference between "also" and "too" in the following sentences? or it's just a matter of style? If it is just a matter of style  what's consider more colloquial and what's more formal?

  a) This product  has two colors too.

  b) This product has also two colors.


texts: "How long was spent on the job?" - a grammatical parse of its subject

texts:
In a grammar discussion, this following example sentence came up:

  "How long was spent on the job?"

Question #1: Would that sentence be acceptable as standard English to you? (AmE? BrE? etc.)

Question #2: And how would you parse its subject "How long"? And would you consider the subject to be:

a noun phrase (NP)
an adjective phrase (AdjP)
an adverb phrase (AdvP)
other

Question #3: And what word categories would the words "how" and "long" in that subject belong to?


texts: Should there be a comma before "until" in the following example

texts:
Should there be a comma before until in the following example?

  This process resulted in the middle classes being marginalised, until they were as ostracised as the working classes.


texts: Is this correct to say : "This country's economy is at stake with its oil revenues"

texts: I have searched Google and there are more than 200.000 cases using "at stake with". But, I'm dubious about the phrase "at stake with", here I want to say that the economy is depended gravely on the oil revenues.


texts: "What am I doing that I don’t know? What am I not doing that I don’t see?” What does it mean?

texts:
These words are from an article.

  Lean in both animates and intimidates women to ask themselves: “How can I do better?” “What am I doing that I don’t know?” “What am I not doing that I don’t see?”

What does it mean? I am confused by the grammatical structure of these sentences.


texts: Can I replace "If so" with "that being said"?

texts:
Do you like eating? If so, how about cooking?

Can I replace it with this: Do you like eating? That being said, how about cooking?

  I don't expect to be, but if so, I'll let you know.

Can I replace it with this: I don't expect to be. That being said, I'll let you know.


texts: Why are imperative verbs used in computer science?

texts:
I came across such a question when I needed to design some diagrams, take the below diagram as an instance.

As you clearly see, all verbs are imperative, I think it depends on the point of view though. I guess the commands you give to the system is considered as the point of view which it's you who gives it the commands.
But since I was not sure what the right thing is to do, I mean for example could we have gerund verbs instead of imperative ones?


texts:
The outlay on the Real Madrid winger may yet prove to be too much, too late, if
  United’s Capital One Cup capitulation at the hands of MK Dons offers a true
  barometer of the current state of health at Old Trafford.

The "if clause" here as conditional clause doesn't make sense to me. And I think "if" doesn't mean "whether" either.


texts: What are the differences between these usages of causative 'have'?

texts:
Hello I would like an explanation on this usage of have as I believe it can be used as a passive, talking about things that have happened to you not just as a causative which means that you caused for something to be done.

Examples:

  1.She was having her wall being painted.
  2.She was having her wall be painted.
  3.She was having her wall painted.
  4.She had her wall being painted.
  5.She had her wall painted.
  6.She had her wall be painted.

Are they all correct and are there any differences regarding them being a continuous action or a quick one?

  1.She was having herself being operated.
  2.She was having herself be operated.
  3.She had herself be operated.
  4.She was having herself operated.
  5.She had herself operated.
  6.She had herself being operated.

Same for these what are the differences? And please let me know if any of these are incorrect.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
What is the original word of b*****k without asterisks? Context is "stark b*****k naked"
Are there any English language dictionaries where curse words with asterisks are listed?


texts:
It's a cheat code from StarCraft to reveal entire map, but different from other cheat code, it's really hard to understand.

I can understand most cheat codes:

show me the money - get a lot of mine and gas
whats mine is mine - get some mine(a pun)
breath deep - get some gas

...

So, what does "black sheep wall" really mean? Is there a story behind it?


texts: did + present tense (or ) Past tense of the verb

texts:
What did you say?
  What you said.

  How did you and mum guess I wanted Agnes?
  how you and Mum guessed I wanted Agnes

What is the meaning of above two sentences?
When should I use "did + present tense" and the past tense of a verb?


texts: Does the phrase “clouds gather into a storm” make sense?

texts: Can the word gather be used to describe the formation of things such as storms, hurricanes, etc? For example, “the winds gather into a tornado.”


texts: "Heard from" with various recent-past phrases

texts:
Have you heard from John...

a. recently
b. two days ago
c. since two days
d. for two days

What is the best answer?  Since recently and for two days can use in the present perfect tense


texts: What is the difference between 'be beaten on' and 'be beaten'?

texts:
Is there any different nuance between them? Here are two examples:

I was only good to be beaten on.
I was only good to be beaten.

And I would like to know that in conversations, is passive voice used frequently than active voice? Something like,

Is she spoken for?
Mr. Perry was talked of.
Your direction shall be attended to.

I know that it depends on what subject is aimed at by speakers

But why do I get the feeling that there is a subtle difference in meaning between passive and active?

I thought that 'be spoken for' means 'be represented by' 'dibs' but if it is changed into active, is the meaning still the same as when it is passive?


texts:
Have you went to the party?

Is it right?


texts: To have a funny bone, meaning to have the sense of humor

texts:
Since "funny bone" may also mean an inclination to laughter or the sense of humor, what may the phrase denoting the lack of those be, collocating with the "funny bone" idiom?

For example, speaking about someone lacking the sense of humor, would it be "He has no funny bone",  or "He has his funny bone broken/missing", or "he's lost his funny bone", or what else might it be?


texts:
What does it mean to "bust out" a program on a computer? for example:

  "bust out" the calculator.


texts:
What does things all went south mean in the following paragraph?

The app has been available in the Google Play store since November 12, apparently with Google's blessing, and Cyanogen says "hundreds of thousands" of users have installed it already. But things all went south on Wednesday, when the Cyanogen team apparently received an email from the Chocolate Factory informing them that the CyanogenMod Installer violated Google Play's terms and conditions.
-- www.theregister.co.uk

I'm really confused by what this idiom means. Kindly help me out.


texts:
How to correct these sentences:

  Working class is the people who...

or

  Working class are the people who...


texts: Does the question "until what time do you work" sound natural?

texts:
Tell me please which one of the following questions sound the most natural?

  Until what time do you work?

  What time do you work until?

  What time do you work to?


texts: Is "Who do you take after to be good at Math?" fine?

texts:
Suppose that there are a mother and a son. The son is good at math at school. So his mother wants to know who her son takes after.

In this situation, can I ask like this?

  Who do you take after to be good at Math?

Is this a right sentence in terms of grammar?


texts: Answering with "Doing alright" to "How are you"

texts:
"Doing alright" sounds like a good answer to "How are you doing?".

Is it an acceptable answer to "How are you?" too?


texts:
Is "is" optional in the following? Do a and b have practically the same meaning?
Do the as's have the same meaning in the three sentences?

  a. You can use portions of the text as (is) permitted by law.

  b. As (is) permitted by law, you can use portions of the text.

  c. As (is) well known, the country is rich in oil.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: what does this sentence mean or is it capable of more than one interpretation?

texts:
I welcome all the delegates on behalf of ABC corporation.
In this sentence, the phrase "on behalf of" makes the sentence quite ambiguous. My question is whether "I" refers to a delegate of ABC corporation or the "delegates" are from the ABC corporation.


texts: Ali is a great manager. He is/was a born leader

texts:
I'm having trouble with the following sentence:

  1) Ali is a great manager. He is a born leader.

  2)  Ali is a great manager. He was a born leader.

I'd say that (1) is the right one since Ali is still alive.

Hope I'm right.


texts: Under what circumstances can I drop 'I' used as a subject? For example, Nina Simone sang 'Ain't got no money, ain't got no clothes' and so forth. I was wondering whether I could do the same and under what conditions. My current understanding is that in, at least, Past Simple and Present Perfect sentences it's ok (albeit informal).


texts: Is it 'Were' or 'Was'? (For specific example)

texts:
Born from his canal was two ideas.

vs

  Born from his canal were two ideas.

I'm using a nonsensical sentence for the sake of an answer.


texts: consider something suspect -- is it okay to say it like that?

texts:
Example with a context:

  People expect that same familiarity when it comes to software applications. If you go to
  pizzahut.com to order lunch and don’t see the red roof logo, you will probably consider the site suspect and order somewhere else. There is comfort in familiarity. When you develop your Access applications, you will likely have to deal with the necessity for branding.

Is this a legitimate grammar pattern? Could you please give me some more examples with this structure?


texts:
When he talks of "enemies of the people", the analogies with Stalinist Russia and other 20th-century regimes are so glaring that you have to keep reminding yourself that the French Revolutionaries were having to make everything up as they went along, against a very different background from that of the 20th-century tyrannies. (Source)

Is the phrase "were having to" a progressive form of "to have", which is the indirect expression of the modal verb "must"? I must admit that I have never come across this form.

Could I write just "Revolutionaries had to make everything up" without changing the meaning?

P.S. And what about this swap of aspect:

  "Revolutionaries had to make everything up as they were going along".


texts:
While writing a medical article, in sources I used I encountered the phrase precipitating cause several times.

One of the definitions of to precipitate is:

  to make something serious happen suddenly or more quickly than was expected

from: LDOCE

Having that definition in mind, one would expect that the phrase precipitating cause would be a pleonasm. However, there are quite a few examples of usage, even in texts not related to medicine. Is this a widespread misuse or is there an explanation why this phrase is correct?


texts:
What does due in mean in the following sentence .

  The evolution of intelligence among early large mammals of the
  grasslands was due in great measure to the interaction between two
  ecologically synchronized groups of these animals, the hunting
  carnivores and the herbivores that they hunted.


texts:
I was wondering if someone could tell me which answer of the questions bellow sounds incorrect grammatically from among the following list:

Could I ask you something? → Yes, of course you could.

May I ask you something? → Yes, of course you may.

I wonder if I might ask you something? → Yes, of course you might.

For me only the answer to the first question grammatically appears to be incorrect. Do you agree with me?


texts:
I know that we can use "drag on" for something that is progressing slowly or lasts longer than expected. For example:

The meeting dragged on for 5 hours.

Is there any way to make this transitive? Something like :

The boss dragged on the meeting as long as he could so that we miss the train.

I am trying to say that the boss made the meeting last longer only because he wanted us to miss the train.


texts: Would you please interpret the following GRE Text Completion in layman sentences?

texts:
Being a non-native English speaker, I could not understand at all the meaning of the following GRE Text Completion. That was basically a three blank answer choice. For convenience, I'm filling the answers in the blanks in "Bold" format. Please explain what the sentence means in very simple terms:

The question as to what constitutes art is hardly a contemporary one. Today, artists exist whose main goal seems only to subvert work that no longer warrants the trite tag, “cutting-edge.” Once the proverbial envelope is pushed even further, the public inevitably scratches its collective head - or furrows the collective brow - thinking that this time the “artists” have gone too far. That very same admixture of contempt and confusion, however, was not unknown in Michelangelo's day; only what was considered blasphemous, art-wise, in the 16th Century, would today be considered failed to provoke.


texts:
I don't know which one is right and normal expression.

I don't decide yet where we visit?
or
I don't decide yet where we're going to visit?

If one is the right expression, please explain the reason regarding the tense.


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

  He is appointed as Manager.

and

  He has been appointed as Manager.

Similarly, what is the difference between these two sentences?

  Amount has been paid to you as basic salary.

and

  Amount is paid to you as basic salary.


texts: What do you call it when an animal uses its claws, but not to kill or maul but rather to fend off what it perceives as a threat?

texts:
What do you call it when, for example, a cat uses its claws so that it may, but not necessarily does, inflict a minor injury, like a scratch? For example, a domestic cat may do this rapid defensive movement with its paws if some unfamiliar human tries to take or pet it. What verb(s) could be used?

Don't come too close, it may __________ you!


texts: Is it clear and natural to say "Both sentence_A and sentence_B change the meaning"?

texts:
Note: This post is focused on the use of "change the meaning".
From an ELL post

The trick is that a location/event is often a purpose; your purpose is to go to that location/event. With verbs ("to wear to run"), the trick is that some words can be both verbs or nouns (e.g. run as a noun is an event of running). In these cases, both may be grammatical, but slightly change the meaning.

...

You must wear a hat for gardening ... You must wear a hat to gardening

Rewording it gets

Both "You must wear a hat for gardening" and "You must wear a hat to gardening" may be grammatical, but slightly change the meaning

I understand what it means though, the sentence above itself doesn't seem clear or natural.
I've gone through the top pages linked to Ngram Viewer and didn't find similar use.
The better version could be

Both ... may be grammatically correct, but might have some nuances in meaning.

or

Both ... may be grammatically correct, though the substitution of the preposition slightly changes the meaning

Is my understanding correct?


texts: Question about meaning of "would" in this text

texts:
I read this paragraph and wonder what the word 'would' means here.

  But distraught relatives gathered in a gymnasium on nearby Jindo island insisted more should be done, and vented their grief and frustration to anyone who would listen."Get my child out of that ship! Dead or alive," one distraught father repeatedly shouted to rescue and local government officials."


texts:
So my friend asked me to what do you want your son to join in future football or cricket.

I replied there is enough people contributing their interests in cricket so football would be good.

Is that the correct way of reply.
Please help


texts: Is the tense in "...who would feel that they were being used." grammatical?

texts:
Doing this can only lead to resentment amongst young people, who would feel that they were being used.

Is that the right tense agreement using past progressive - were being used - in the sentence above? It doesn't even look like any conditional form that I used to see, so using past tense makes it quite confounding for me to read. Do you think it's grammatical? If it is, then help me to understand this sentence too.

Quoted from http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2012/06/ielts-writing-task-2-unpaid-work-essay.html


texts: What does it mean here that Indian character has tended to fatalism and quietism?

texts:
I am reading 'The Wonder That Was India' by A.L.Basham. In chapter 1, Introduction the author has this to say,

  Many other ancient civilizations, such as those of the Greeks, Romans and Chinese, had to contend with hard winters, which encouraged sturdiness and resource. India, on the other hand, was blessed by a bounteous Nature, who demanded little of man in return for sustenance, but in her terrible anger could not be appeased by any human effort. Hence, it has been suggested, the Indian character has tended to fatalism and quietism, accepting fortune and misfortune alike without complaint.

Does the author indirectly mean to say that Indians are complacent and ignorant?


texts: I have been living in... but I have no plans on stayin there for good(confusion)

texts:
Let's say you were asked where do you live, and you included the duration.

  Q: Where do you live?(the setting is in another place away from your hometown)

  A: I live in my hometown. I've been living there for around 25 years, but I have no plans of staying there for good coz' I wanted to work and live abroad. My meaning here is:

I have used present perfect continuous saying it won't be long now, because I have a new plan, which is to work and live abroad. Question #1 -IS THIS CORRECT?
Question #2, why is that some people say ''I have lived there for 25 years''

=they mean 25 years duration and it ended there(stopped or relocated)

Whereas, some people say=it suggests permanence(still living at the moment)


texts:
What's the idiomatic way of describing the passage of a period of time equal to a few days?

  His ability to remember new words is just tremendous – he simply
  doesn’t need things to be repeated for him or even reviewed at some
  latter time in a few days.

The words put in bold in the example above, as I was told, not idiomatic in English, so what would be the most natural way of describing that thought?

Should it be like:

1) on the passage of a few days

2) on having a few days passed

3) in a few-days period

or there is some another better way?


texts: Paraphrasing a sentence with post modifier

texts:
I wrote the sentence B for paraphrasing sentence A.

  A: I feel scared, because my girlfriend is obsessive about me.

  B: I'm afraid of my girlfriend being obsessive about me.

Having written B, I am suddenly confused whether sentence B really means sentence A or sentence C below, because be+being+adjective is used for temporal change of subject.

  C: I feel scared, when my girlfriend becomes obsessive about me.

Can sentence B replace sentence A, C or neither?


texts:
Is "I haven't eaten since yesterday" ambiguous?

Does it mean I haven't eaten from yesterday until now (i.e. I didn't eat anything yesterday and I haven't eaten anything ever since), or I haven't eaten in the period of time after yesterday (i.e. I ate something yesterday but haven't eaten anything ever since)?


texts: I've been trying to contact you for days but you seem to be very ____________

texts:
Which option fits best in the following sentence?

  I've been trying to contact you for days but you seem to be very ___________.

inaccessible
elusive
evasive

The answer is either 1 or 2 for me. But the answer is 1. But I read the word  elusive is used in a sense for people who hard to contact or reach. So I don't know why we cannot use the word elusive in this sentence.


texts: Difference between "a lot of" and "plenty of"

texts:
I listened a phrase "plenty of" in a video.
I usually use "a lot of" to mean "many/much".
Is there a difference between "a lot of" and "plenty of"?


texts: Articles: "as leader" -- why not "as the leader"?

texts:
Source: AP Exclusive: Afghan Taliban leader claims 'victory' in city

Example:

  The dramatic Taliban assault on Kunduz, a city of some 300,000 — and the boasts of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor — appeared aimed in part at boosting Mansoor's legitimacy as leader in the face of opponents within the movement.

I know many of you will probably say that it has no article because it is used as a title. And I would probably agree. That's one legitimate way to understand it. I guess, it's very similar to the way we say Barack Obama is serving his second term as President of the Unites States of America (notice that titles are usually capitalized). But if it read as the leader, would this still sound grammatically fine? If so (I'm pretty sure it would), what would the difference really be then? However slight though, there absolutely must be a difference when we choose to use one over the other.


texts: Why is "mantis about" written the way it is in "Look out! mantis about!"

texts:
I was reading with my daughter a young learners knowledge book when I came across the text below. There was a picture of a mantis in a plant catching a bug.

  Look out, mantis about

  Many mantids look like leaves. They keep very still, then shoot out their long front legs to grab a passing
  insect. A mantis has sharp jaws to slice up its prey and scoop out the
  soft insides.

My question is about the phrase "mantis about".

1- Is there an ellipsis here? and the phrase is in fact "mantis [is] about [to verb]"

2- If there was an ellipsis, what would the reason be? I mean is it because ellipses is a title? Or because the word "mantis" ends with "s" and so it is appropriate to drop "is" for vocal reasons? Or just for rhyming effects?

By the way I did a Google search and found this link by the same title. Is it a coincidence to have the same rhyming phrase or is it something people say, a fixed phrase or something?


texts: What do "M", "G" and "B" buttons mean in an elevator?

texts: What do "M", "G" and "B" buttons mean in an elevator, besides "1", "2", ...? Confusing. Thanks.


texts: meaning of the phrase "be on something" in context

texts:
I have come across it in Crash Course World History. It is at around 53 second. Here it goes:

  The test will last your entire life, and it will be comprised of the millions of decisions that, when taken together, makes your life yours. And everything, everything will be on it.

I cannot really understand what the presenter means. Does he mean that the test will include everything, or everything will depend on the test?


texts: What is the thing used to help pouring liquids called?

texts: I'm referring to the highlighted part of the measuring cup below:


texts:
Is "be it by" here a set phrase? Or it's a clause, but where is the subject?

  The authors of the document, drawn up by the European commission’s
  security union taskforce, write that the Schengen Border Code “did not
  allow for the systematic consultation” of national and international
  databases, leaving the security services unable to carry out basic
  checks that could have avoided the ensuing bloodshed.

  “Another shared aspect of many of the recent attacks is movement
  within the EU, be it by the perpetrators or their supporters in
  preparation for an attack or subsequent escape; or to traffic the
  means that support terrorists, such as illegal firearms and
  explosives”, they write. “This raises the question of whether more can
  be done to enhance security within the Schengen area. This could
  include action to enhance police checks in internal border regions and
  along main transport routes."

source: EU taskforce highlights security failings that facilitated terror attacks


texts:
What do you call a found baby who's parents due to poverty or some other reasons put them on a way and go a way?

I searched a lot, but I didn't find any term to use in this case. Actually I doubt if there is any specific term for this case.

I would be thankful it if someone could let me know about it.


texts: I am confused over whether to use "what" or "that"

texts:
The sentence goes one of these two ways:

  "He knows WHAT other teachers don't know"

or perhaps:

  "He knows things THAT others teachers don't"

Which is better to use - WHAT or THAT? Are they both grammatically acceptable?


texts: The use of perfect present tense combined with present tense

texts:
There's a sentence in The Edict of Nantes (English version) starting like this:

  We have, by this perpetual and irrevocable edict, established and
  proclaimed and do establish and proclaim:...

What confuses me is the combination use of the present perfect tense and the present tense:

  We have established and do establish...

For I know, the present perfect tense means "the action continues to date". So I have no idea why it makes sense to add the present tense like this. Is it necessary in completing the meaning of the sentence?(If so, what does it mean?) Or is it used for emphasis?


texts: why does" is" in this clause time become "would" in the past

texts:
" it will be up to seventy-two hours until it is ready" present
reported speech:
He said that it would be up to seventy-two hours hours until it would be ready  Why "would be" instead of was, is it because it is a reported speech, is it a rule to change "is" with" would" in the past for a clause time.


texts: on/in/with- which of these go best with the given idiom?

texts:
From being great at sports to knocking it right out the park with your academics, you've done really well.

From being great at sports to knocking it right out the park on your academics, you've done really well.

From being great at sports to knocking it right out the park in your academics, you've done really well.

What's the difference in the meaning between these sentences, with respect to the preposition used? Or do they bear the same meaning? Are all the sentences grammatically correct?


texts: “We are (the) Microsoft team.” Do we need an article here?

texts:
On the one hand, “Microsoft” is a name, but on the other, this team is one of a kind.
Does the answer depend on whether we are talking about the entire staff of the company or just some sports team (say Microsoft soccer team)?


texts: Which of the two "ands" goes with "between"?

texts:
SOURCE

I read this online,

  The pilgrimage, which in medieval practice combined a fundamentally religious purpose with the secular benefit of a spring vacation, made possible extended consideration of the relationship between the pleasures and vices of this world and the spiritual aspirations for the next.

The confusing part is whether it refers to "consideration of the relationship between the pleasure and vices of this world and of the spiritual aspirations" or "consideration of the relationship between ...of this world and the spiritual aspirations"?  Which one of the two ands  goes together with between?


texts:
‘Not to trouble you with impertinences, we fetched over against Jack Marget’s parish in a storm of rain about the day’s end. Here our roads divided, for I would have gone on to my cousin at Great Wigsell, but while Jack was pointing me out his steeple, we saw a man lying drunk, as he conceived, athwart the road.

This is from "A DOCTOR'S MEDICINE" from "Rewards and Fairies" by Kipling.
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/k/kipling/rudyard/rewards/index.html

I would be glad if someone would kindly teach me the meaning of the following:

  "we fetched over against Jack Marget's parish"


texts:
In Alaska, tradition is a powerful legal concept, appearing in a wide
  variety of legal contexts relating to natural-resource and
  public-lands activities. Both state and federal laws in the United
  States assign privileges and exemptions to individuals engaged in
  "traditional" activities using otherwise off-limits land and
  resources.

I am having a hard time understanding the bold part, especially because of the word "otherwise". Can someone help me understand this part?


texts: How to express one-to-one correspondence for uncountable noun

texts:
Ramp A produces light of an intensity that depends on electric current supplied to it from battery A.
  Ramp B produces light of an intensity that depends on electric current supplied to it from battery B.

I am trying to combine the above two sentences I created.  The following is a sentence I drafted:

  Ramps A and B each produce light of an intensity that depends on
  electric current supplied to them respectively from batteries A and B.

It seems that this sentence is hard to understand.


texts: Which is correct "Your file can be found at/in/on C:\Users\User\Desktop/file.txt"?

texts:
I am writing a program that creates a file and lastly tells you where the file can be found.
Should I write:

"Your file can be found at C:\Users\User\Desktop\file.txt"
or in C:\Users\User\Desktop\file.txt?


texts: How to solve this problem in passive form

texts:
How to solve this problem?

Can we make its Passive form?

I changed it like this,

  How is this problem to be solved?

Correct me,  please.


texts: What is the most common sarcastic response to something you already know?

texts:
How sarcastically imply someone who is trying to teach you something that you are well aware in that case

Edited:

I am going to find an up-to-date English metaphorical and sarcastic expression or proverb to indicate that someone who I am speaking to should not try to offer advice to me! Because comparing them, at that specific case, I am more experienced and aware about anything!

I have found two proverbs, but please let me know which one of them is in current use in the sense I am looking for:

  1) Don't teach an old dog new tricks.
  2)  Don't teach your grandma how to suck eggs.


texts:
The Cold War dominated the international agenda in the world, and the
  democratization dominated every social agenda at that time in South Korea.

  The English love soccer, and the Americans love baseball.

Below I've reworded these sentences to use the "as ... so" construction. Are my sentences correct?

  (Just) as the Cold War dominated the international agenda in the world,
  so (too) did the democratization every social agenda at that time in
  South Korea.

  (Just) as the English love soccer, so (too) do the Americans
  baseball.


texts:
Can I say

  I left Moscow in March this year.

or just

  I left Moscow last March.

Is it correct?


texts:
Consider the following phrase (a little bit technical, but I hope it doesn't matter):

  Google Plus doesn’t allow non-public domains at all, Facebook allows domains of the form NAME.l, and Twitter NAME.lo.

  Google Plus doesn’t allow non-public domains at all, Facebook allows domains of the form NAME.l, Twitter, NAME.lo.

The part I omitted here is "Twitter allows domains of the form NAME.lo". Is this correct? Are there any rules regarding this? How do people not repeat words in English?

UPD From what I heard so far, comma after "Twitter" is not needed. Anyway, let's choose not so technical sentence, like:

  I like blue color, Mary red, Peter green, and John yellow.

Is that fine?


texts:
Giesbrecht says she had to tell the event organizer she
  will have to cancel unless another arrangement can be worked out. (Flu shot rule could cancel youth choir's concert at
  seniors' home - CBC new Dec.1 2014)

I am wondering if I could replace 'will have to' with 'would have to' and "can' with "could' without changing its intended meaning?  Thank you.


texts: The material is considered to have passed the test if no antibodies to the mentioned viruses are (were, have been) detected

texts:
From a Russian text I'm translating into English:

  The material is considered to have passed the test if no antibodies to the mentioned viruses are detected.

Can I use were here:

  The material is considered to have passed the test if no antibodies to the mentioned viruses were detected.

or would this transform the sentence into the "second conditional", making the situation "unreal and unlikely"?

For some reason, are feels not very suitable to me. Maybe it's better to use have been?

  The material passes the test if no antibodies to the mentioned viruses have been detected.

Or maybe are and have been are both suitable in this case?


texts:
I wrote

  It could be a war over the reign between two important men who each knew himself the true heir of the reign.

One modified it to

  It could be a war over the reign between two important men, each who knew himself to be the true heir of the reign

What is the related grammar here?


texts: Can we say the earth is moving around the sun?

texts:
I'm learning English with text books and it says the present progressive form means an action or event taking place at the present time and the action or event has limited duration.
It is truth that the earth moves around the sun and then I wonder that we can use "moving" here if an action or event to which a verb in the progressive form refers must end in some future.

Is it right to use "moving" in sentences like "the earth is moving around the sun."?


texts: Does the usage of "on" depend on the noun that follows?

texts:
That dish is no longer on the menu.

  His name was on the list.

  I have the movie on DVD.

  I sometimes go to work on a bus.

  All shoes are on sale,

  The band is currently on tour.

If I want to use on, do I have to look at the verb or auxiliary verb that I used before on, or at the nouns or objects that I'm going to use after on?


texts:
I'm not really sure which tense is more accurate when I just want to simply describe where I was working when I was in London one year ago. Should I use past continuous or past tense?

I was working at Pizza hut last year.
I worked at Pizza hut last year.

I would personally use first option but use of past continuous is varied.


texts:
I wanted to ask about using commas with "not for... but for"
My sentence is similar to the one below:

Why don't we buy presents, not for our family, but for those in need?

Note that for specific reasons I can not change the way the statement is written.
Are the commas placed correctly? I feel like I overdid it.
Also another question is it possible to omit the but.
Like so:

Why don't we buy presents, not for our family, for those in need?


texts:
1) It is estimated there are between 6000 and 10000 workers in the village.

2) It is estimated there are up to 6000 workers in the village.

Would it be correct if i use “up to” and “ between” after noun ?

1) It is estimated there are workers between 6000 and 10000 in the village.

2) It is estimated there are workers up to 6000 in the village.


texts: How to understand the comparative structure “as … as …” and why isn't it “as … like …”?

texts: “As” can be used with the meaning of “in the role of”. “Like” can be used to compare a thing with an other thing. But the sentence “I am as strong as an elephant.” doesn't mean that I'm in the role of an elephant. An alternative formulation of the sentence could be “I am srong like an elephant.”, which features the comparative “like”. What is the meaning of the first “as” and what is the meaning of the second “as”? I am ecpecially interested in the difference of the meanings of the second “as” and a comparative “like” because I'd like to know if “as … like …” is possible or why it isn't possible.


texts: I need to make my sentence sound like slang

texts: I have a line "Turn on your iPod. We're about to get on the road." (Guy is  talking with his passenger in a car), so I need to make it more like slang, maybe a bit rough. The point is that the other guy is not native English speaking, so he shouldn't understand that line.


texts: Differences between "stay away from, keep away from, far from"

texts:
When referring to "to not go near a particular person or place", can "stay away from" and "keep away from" be interchangeable?
e.g.
I want you to stay away from my daughter.
I want you to keep away from my daughter.

While "far away" means a long distance away, mainly used to talking about two places that are not near each other. Am I right?

"Stay away from" and "keep away from" describes an action of "not going near " while "far away" describes a state.

Am I right?


texts: Why does the author write "GE division" instead of "GE's division"?

texts:
For the sentence below, I don't understand why the author doesn't use the possessive form - he writes "GE division" instead of "GE's division" - GE standing for the company General Electric:

"To boost them further, Mr Welch slashed costs and sold flagging units, insisting that every GE division be first or second in its industry."

I am all the more surprised that the author uses it everywhere else in the article:

•   Mr Welch revved up GE's propellers

•   To tame GE's bloated bureaucracy...

•   GE’s industrial and power divisions eked out barely a tenth each

•   ... troubles at GE’s core industrial units.

•   etc.

Best regards


texts: "his reason caught up with his senses" meaning?

texts:
For a split second Harry thought he had done magic without meaning to, despite the fact that he'd been resisting as hard as he could—then his reason caught up with his senses—he didn't have the power to turn off the stars. He turned his head this way and that, trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on his eyes like a weightless veil.

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I am not sure about the meaning of "his reason caught up with his senses". I think it probably means: Harry's reason became as realistic as his senses, that is, he got it reasonably now(he didn't have the power to turn off the stars). How should we understand it if my understanding is wrong?


texts: What is the word for "practice/habit of giving false hope"?

texts:
Like the title says, I want to know what the word/expression for "practice/habit of giving false hope" is. The context is, for example, the owner of a factory who doesn't want to pay his employees. So the sentence is like:

  The owner is a master of giving false hope to his employees when the discussion comes to increment of the salary.

The highlighted part should be replaced by the expression. By the way, is "false hope" even an understandable phrase?


texts:
What does "fancy asking me that!" mean?
I reckon it's something like "how dare you ask me something like this" in a sarcastic way. Is it?


texts:
Which preposition do you use in combination with compatible? With or to, or are both possible? If both are possible, when do you use which option? What is the difference?
Example:

This software is compatible to/with this operating system.


texts: "for medical students to study" vs. "for the study of medical students"

texts:
The first public botanical garden in the United States, the Elgin
  Botanic Garden in New York City was established to provide plant
  materials ...

  A) for medical students to study

  B) for the study of medical students

Hello! As I was completing the sentence above, I faced the dilemma of choosing between two choices. The answer given by the book is

  for medical students to study

however I didn't quite get why the other one does not work.


texts: Clarifications about the Past Simple and Present (whole) Perfect

texts:
I have some problems when I'm translating my language to english or english in to my language.

I sometimes watch videos with english subtitles, and I often see that they are using Present Perfect Simple or Past Simple interchangable. Even when there is a result of the past action I see that they are using Past Simple.

I went through many forums with similar topic. But the answear is (when the time appears, for example in 1998 somebody arrived in London)

It's just annoying that I don't know which one should I use or how should I interpret them.

I wanted to write something a had in my mind for a long time, but the problem appeared when I had to choose one of these tenses. Past Simple or Present Perfect Simple. Both with past times but one of them has a result in real time, so why they use Past Simple?


texts: Is there a difference between the usage of "through" and "by" in the following context?

texts:
Considering the following examples, I can not see a difference in the meaning in this specific context.
In fact, I just use both of them in order to "diversify" my texts. Even though I sometimes have the feeling that "through" is just a germanism.
So, are they complete synonyms in this context?
Examples:

"defined through/by."
"justified through/by"
"explained through/by"
"'verb'ed through/by"


texts: Should adjectives derived from people's name start always with an uppercase letter?

texts:
I've seen adjectives like "Guassian" (e.g., Guassian elimination) or "Bayesian" (e.g., Bayesian networks) which derive from people's names. In the previous examples, "Guassian" derives from "Gauss" and "Bayesian" derives from "Bayes".

I've always wondered if I had always to start these kinds of adjectives with an uppercase letter (because of obvious reasons), or if I should just use them in the same way a "normal" adjective is used, i.e., starting with an uppercase letter only whenever the same adjective is the first word of a sentence.

I would appreciate an explanation of why should we use one variant rather than the opposite.


texts: Is it ever correct to say "no people is better"?

texts:
My friend asks me, "Would you rather have no people there, or should I invite someone to go with you?" I reply, "No people is better."

Is this grammatically correct? I interpret the sentence as really saying "[Having] no people is better." But phrases like "Two heads are better than one" seem to imply otherwise.


texts: "Vague to convey my meaning" or "too vague to convey my meaning"

texts:
I wrote:

  It seems my words were too vague to convey my meaning.

What if I write it as:

  It seems my words were vague to convey my meaning.

Is it yet correct? What's their difference?


texts: "I like phones by Apple" or "I like phones made by Apple"?

texts:
Tell me please which one of the following sentences sounds the most natural.

  I like phones by Apple.

  I like phones made by Apple.

If neither sounds natural, how would you say it?


texts: Reported speech. Talking about the past, present and future in one sentence

texts:
I've tried to come up with some sentences to exercise my skill in reported speech. I've been wondering if they all seem correct and natural to native speakers. I also wonder which is considered the most correct and the purist version of the language, i.e. the best practice for which I could get a good grade on some formal exam.
The original direct speech on which I base all the following reported speech:

"I was studying all day long yesterday, I am working now and tomorrow
I will go to the hospital."

Reported speech - version 1:

He explained that he had been studying all day long yesterday, was
working now, and would go to the hospital tomorrow."

(The mentioned yesterday, now and tomorrow are all related to the present moment.)
Reported speech - version 2:
An alternative version with supposedly the same meaning as the one above:

"He explained that he was working all day long yesterday, is working
now, and will go to the hospital tomorrow."

Reported speech - version 3:

He explained that he had been studying all day long the day before (=the previous day),
was working then, and would go to the hospital the next day (=the
following day).

UPDATE:
It seems the correct way to convert it into reported speech would be:

He explained that he was working all day yesterday, was working now,
and would go to the hospital tomorrow.

My reasoning:
"I was working all day yesterday." - He said he was working all day yesterday. ("yesterday" is still "yesterday", the simple past and "yesterday" remain unchanged.)
Although I'm not sure if it's interchangeable with this in the given context: He said he had been working all day yesterday?
"I am working now." - He said he was working now.  ("now" is still "now" or rather it's synonymous to the present moment)
But I'm in doubt about the word now. Is it interchangeable with then in this context?
"I will go to the hospital tomorrow." - He said he would go to the hospital tomorrow. ("tomorrow" is still in the future)


texts:
What is the meaning of cooking with gas in the following context?

One of my software developer colleauges said this:

  So assuming we have latest Venus, once we have a RateEstimate UiDef
  present on local, the new Broker in our local Partner Service and a
  Manifest for that new Broker in the workflow service ... we should be
  cooking with gas


texts: Difference between "Past Tense " and "Present Tense"

texts:
He began to move to leave the bus.

He begins moving to leave the bus.

I am on the bus now I try  to make a sentence to describe someone want to leave the bus.

SO, Should I use present or past? Infinitive or Gerund? Please help.


texts: "Wolf's trot broke into a run, wider and wider were the leaps he made" - how to parse this sentence?

texts:
Wolf's trot broke into a run, wider and wider were the leaps he made.

(Source: Jack London, Brown Wolf)

In this sentence, why does it use inversion "were the leaps he made" or maybe it's a non-restricted attributive clause?


texts: “different” or "various" at the beginning of the sentence

texts:
Is it correct to start a sentence with the word "different"? for example:

  Different table structures are listed below.

or should it be:

  Various table structures are listed below.

Does it make any difference?

More context:

I would like to point out and describe similarities and differences among several tables
there are more than 2 tables I would like to compare
I am going to compare only the tables included in the list (no other tables were presented before)
tables have some common features but of course are not the same


texts: Alternative words and phrases for "school finishing" in this context

texts:
"My school finishes at 4pm."

What can be the alternatives for "finish"?


texts: 'there is no need' vs 'there is no point'

texts:
I wonder why the example uses there is no point rather than, for example, no need. Is it because the opponent was strong and gave the winner a good run for his money?

  He has won the argument, but there is no point in rubbing his
  opponent's nose in it

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

The example is from a dictionary entry. I do not know whether knowing how to use the idiom would render checking more context unnecessary.


texts: Have helped/helped in “Lots of people ____ us last year”

texts:
There are many confusing questions in Present Perfect vs. Past Simple debates, but one thing was always clear to me - if we refer to the past and use such phrases as "last week", "last year", etc. we just can't use Perfect. But I've just met this sentence in a PET grammar book:

  Lots of people ... (help) us last year and we want to thank everyone.

The only option for me was to use Past Simple there - "lots of people helped ...", but according to the keys the right answer is "lots of people have helped us last year".

It's really confusing... Does it sound allright? My guess is there's some kind of context or meaning I can't see, but I'm really interested in how it could be explained. Thanks in advance.


texts: "It more makes sense that he's there" Vs. "It makes sense more, that he's there"

texts:
What's the correct choice among the following choices?  I have a doubt about where to place the adjective "more" in this verbal sentence (unlike in nominative sentences that I know that I have to put it before a noun. e.g. "more amazing".).

  "It more makes sense that he's there"

Or

  "It makes sense more, that he's there"


texts: Is calling someone *difficult* enough to explain why they're hard to deal with?

texts:
is there a need to specify why someone is difficult after calling them difficult?

For example:

Say, someone asks me:

  "How is your relationship with your roommates?"

  And I reply:

  "My roommates are too difficult."

  Instead of

  "My roommates are too difficult to deal with"

"difficult to deal with explains why they're difficult. Is there really a need to write that extra piece? Can only "They're too difficult" do the job?


texts: Can I use *have had* for this statement about the past?

texts:
Here is the scenario: some issue happened in the system and I need to find out and report to the manager what happened to one job which didn't run last night. Can I put it this way?

  I will take a look into it to find out what have had happen to the job.


texts: What is the meaning of this sentence, "I can't be with her without thinking she is cheating on me?

texts:
What is the meaning of this sentence:

  I can't be with her without thinking she is cheating on me?

My take is "every time I am with her, I am thinking she is cheating on me."

Is there a better version of it?


texts: Present simple tense and present continuous tense usages

texts:
I'm learning these two tense but i got perplexed since they can both be using to express "something happen in the near future". I have some examples here.

She is meeting some friends tonight.
We are going on vacation in July.
David is learning to drive tomorrow.
Vicky and i are teaching English next week.

They are both Present Continuous Tense, what if i want using Present Simple Tense to expressing same thing.

She meet some friends tonight.
We go on vacation in July.
David learn to drive tomorrow.
Vicky and i teach English next week.

Is that right?
Welcome to answer or just correct this question's grammar, thanks.


texts: What is the difference among "Sign up", "Sign in" and "Log in"?

texts:
As I said in the title, I am wondering what is the meaning of the following expressions, and what are the differences between them ?

"Sign up"
"Sign in"
"Log in"


texts: Help with using "Quality" in a plural sentence

texts:
Please help me to understand & explain the correct one among the following sentences:

Quality of the products is good.
Quality of the products are good.
Qualities of the products are good.


texts:
A lot of people think this president is a liar. I have seen it all the
time. They go on social media promoting conspiracy theories about
him being a sockpuppet of the Soviets.

I am not sure, but "I have seen it all the time" doesn't sound grammatical or idiomatic. Is there anything you would fix?


texts:
I was writing a letter when I realized that I had no idea what conjunction to put after somewhere:

  I found somewhere ____ I fit in.

Which of these make sense?

Where (seems redundant)
That (seems ok)
Eliminating the somewhere and replacing it with someplace and using 'where' (sounds unnatural)
Eliminating the somewhere and replacing it with a place and using 'where' (sounds ok)
Eliminating the somewhere and replacing it with a place and using 'that' (sounds ok)

Which of these sounds the most normal? Is it something else? Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
I came across these two expressions "a bad dose of" and "a mild dose of", in the context of an illness. I wonder if the following meanings are correct.

  a bad dose of flu = very ill with flu
  a mild dose of flu = slightly ill with flu

Is there an expression to express something like a midpoint?
I wonder if those expressions are American English. If not, what is the equivalent of them in American English?

Examples:

  John had a bad dose of flu.
  Veronica has a mild dose of flu.


texts:
Can we use "would" in the sense of but I/we/he won't? For example:
Person A: Can you come with me for shopping this evening?
Person B: I would, but I have an important meeting to attend. (meaning I won't)


texts: Difference between "I write novels" and "I am a novelist"

texts:
When someone asks me "What do you do?"...

Do you think my following two answers have similar meaning and give him/her the same impression?

A: I write novels.

B: I am a novelist.


texts: "wish" vs. "need": "want sb to do sth" vs. "want sb doing sth"

texts:
A post says

  The -ing form is more informal.  It also usually applies to a longer
  time period.  You will also usually hear it in the negative form:

    "I
    don't want anybody in the class talking during the test."

I guess I understand the basic rules of want sb to do sth vs. want sb doing sth.

"Want" meaning ‘wish’ or ‘desire’

  The teacher wants her to do the exams again next year. (object + to-infinitive)

"Want" meaning ‘need’

  Your hair wants cutting.

I'd just like to double check my understanding about "want sb doing sth".

The first quotation does not seem get the point, the key is "wish vs. need", NOT formal vs. informal.

Because that is a test, "not to talk" is need rather than wish.

In other words, in the context of the test, "want sb doing sth" is more appropriate than "want sb to do sth".

Is my understanding correct? Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.

"sb" refers to "somebody" or "someone"

"sth" is written abbreviation for "something".


texts: go+doing with the right position of a complement

texts:
Do you agree with me on my estimation of 1 and 2? Now, I wonder whether 3 and 4 are correct.

1) Let's go mushroom-picking. - correct

2) Let's go picking mushrooms. - wrong

3) I like to go mushroom-picking in Summer. - ???

4) I like to go picking mushrooms in Summer. - ???


texts: What are "ferry terminal" and "car ferry"?

texts:
I have encountered many ferries in that small abstract of text, but don't quite get what it is. Could u explain, please?

  However, once you get to the end of the road and the ferry terminal,
  you look across the sea and see a huge mountainous, almost forbidding,
  island rising up in front of you. I felt a frisson of excitement, or
  was I just a bit nervous, as I had also just seen a rusting car ferry
  approaching the small pier?

  We crossed without mishap, but left the ferry stuck behind a convoy of
  trucks carrying construction materials ready to concrete over this
  beautiful island. From the ferry stop, the road rises abruptly over a
  small hill and then as it comes down the other side we enter tourist
  land.


texts: Why not "most of whom are children" but "most of them children" on BBC texts?

texts:
I have been reading BBC news for a long time and one thing attracts my attention on the texts, because that type of usage clashes with what we were taught on relative clauses, e.g. "30 people died. Most of them were children". You normally combine these sentences "30 people, most of whom were children, died".

But in the BBC news texts, they do not combine the sentences like this. Instead, they put the second sentence between commas and removing "are". But it is not a relative clause, at least in the sense what we are taught in English classes.

See the following BBC sentences for more details and focus on "...most of them children..."

1- "...The year before, a passenger ferry capsized and more than 300 people died, most of them school children on an outing..."

2- "...More than 140 people, most of them children, were killed when Taliban gunmen stormed a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, officials say...."

3- "...More than 140 people, most of them children, were killed when Taliban gunmen stormed a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, officials say...."

You see, they do not make a relative clause like we are taught at school which should be like this: "...most of whom were children...".

So, What kind of a clause is this? Or is it a relative clause at all? If it is not, what is it? Is it correct?

Regards,


texts:
The tension between these two armies will grow. Some MPs will try, with limited success, to use the Article 50 debate to shape Mrs May’s negotiating position. A summer vote on the “Great Repeal Bill”, formally revoking the legislation that took Britain into the European club in 1973 (but also incorporating all current EU legislation into British law), will be another showdown.

Does it mean the success is improbable or is very insignificant?


texts: Should I use "an" in case that the adjective starts with a vowel?

texts:
Cambridge: The book presents a one-sided view of history.

I'm confused. I thought that it should be an one-sided view of history. Could you please explain this case to me?

I know that the article is for the noun (view) not for the adjective (one-sided) but I was told that even if a word starts with a consent which sounds like a vowel, it should be preceded with "an" not "a". So I always thought the grammar rule is based on a vocal need. What I mean by this is that it is easier for Native English speakers to say "an" one-sided instead of "a" one-sided.


texts: What do you call pants that don't go to the end of the feet?

texts:
Simply:

what do you call these pants? Maybe knickers?


texts:
Here is a sentence from a news article that was translated from Chinese and published in an English-language newspaper in Taiwan:

  The three-section batons are 65 centimeters long, but when retracted they are only 25 centimeters in length.

I think this sentence is a bit too wordy, so I wonder if I can shorten it into this without compromising grammar or the meaning:

  The three-section batons are 65 centimeters long, but only 25 cm when retracted.

The shortened version sounds okay to me, but since grammar is not one of my strong points, any opinion is appreciated.


texts: Is "to lodge a complaint" a collocation or phrasal verb?

texts: Is the expression "to lodge a complaint" a collocation  or phrasal verb? I think it is a phrasal verb .


texts: I watched ...for 30 minutes . Is this a natural sounding sentence in English?

texts:
Does this sound natural to you:

  Last night I watched that show for 30 minutes before going to bed.

Someone said "I watched that show for 30 minutes" doesn't sound right in English, but I don't know how to express it otherwise. To me it sounds fine, but someone said it is unnatural to say you did something for a certain amount of time, which I find strange.


texts: What are some appropriate responses to the speaker who told you that her birthday was yesterday

texts:
I would like to thank you userr2684291 and  FumbleFingers for their help on my previous post (I have deleted it because I don't want them to get into any trouble).

(I was doing some English learning test at home.)
The previous question is this:

  Speaker: My birthday's yesterday. (She meant her birthday was yesterday)
  (thank you FumbleFingers for pointing out the mistake)

  (Choose your response to the speaker)

  A: I was at home yesterday.

  B: Oh, how old will you be?

  C: Oh, congratulations!

Because B is wrong (answered by userr2684291), and A is not correct,
C is the only best choice out of the three.

My question is, isn't it weird to say this to someone's previous or upcoming birthday?

  Oh, congratulations!

The one I heard most is this

  Happy birthday to you!

But I am not very sure if Oh, congratulations! and  Happy birthday to you! can be used to respond to someone whose birthday was yesterday.

What are some appropriate responses to the speaker in this situation?


texts:
I am not sure whether I should use past simple or past perfect here:

  I could've met her when she was in the city, but unfortunately we
  didn't talk at that time and later when we resumed it turned out she
  had been here but I hadn't known / didn't know about that.


texts: Is there a verb meaning "suffice" and "require" simultaneously?

texts:
Out of curiosity, is there a verb, which need not be popular, such that it says "suffice" and "require" simultaneously? I am after a verb that is equivalent to "if and only if".

The major context that originated this problem is a mathematics one. For example, a minimal workable one, the equivalence "The equation x+3=5 holds if and only if x = 2" can be said in another way as "for the equation x + 3 = 5 to hold requires that x = 2 and, for the equation x+3=5 to hold, it suffices that x = 2"  (as one can easily check).

The most preferred verb of such a kind is a one that can be used to directly replace "if and only if" everywhere. I mean, if V is such a verb, then "x+3=5 if and only if x = 2" should be equivalent to "x+3=5 V x=2".


texts:
The following question is from TOEFL

  _______ Hale Telescope, at the Palomar Observatory in southern California, scientists can photograph objects several billion light years away

  (A) The
  (B) With the
  (C) They use the
  (D) It is the

I don't know why the correct answer is (B) "With the" and not (C) "They use the" or (A) "The"

Can anyone explain it to me?


texts:
This is news from CNN. Why did the speaker preferred to use would instead of simple past of verb stand up, stood up. Is there any specific reason ? Would the meaning of the sentence change if I said " stood up".

  While reloading his handgun, the man ordered the students to stand up
  and asked whether they were Christians, Boylan told her family.

  "And they would stand up, and he said, 'Good, you're going to see God in just about one second,' " Stacy
  Boylan told CNN, relaying his daughter's account. "And then he shot
  and killed them."


texts: How to solve the double meaning of "Must be"?

texts:
The papers must be blue

This sentence means: I have not seen the papers but I'm sure they are blue.
If it's an instruction, it means: You must use blue papers. Any other color will not work.

Am I right about the double meaning? If yes, how to solve the confusion?


texts: Articles with plural and uncountable nouns

texts:
Is it necessary to include a definite article or the words "some" and "any" in questions and negations with plural and uncountable nouns? Let's consider the following scenarios:

1) I'm on the phone with my brother, talking about his roadtrip. Can I simply ask:

  Can you see mountains already?

Or should I add a determiner before the noun? For whatever reason this one doesn't sound as idiomatic as its slightly longer version:

  Can you see mountains in the distance?

2) I'm at a supermarket. I'm calling my wife and ask her:

  Do we need milk?

Again, is the determiner needed? And how is this different from:

  Do we need any milk?

3)

  I don't hang out with celebrities, nor do I need fame.

How does the sentence change if I add the determiners:

  I don't hang out with any celebrities, nor do I need any fame.

4) Why does it seem okay to state:

  Thank you, but I don't like wine.

But in the following clause, removing "any" seems wrong?

  Thank you, I don't want any wine.

But then again, this sentence seems perfectly fine. Or perhaps it doesn't?

  I don't have kids and do not want to have any.


texts: Difference between "get dressed" and "dress", "get changed" and "change"

texts:
There is a sentence:

  "It only takes five minutes to dress in the morning."

If I say instead,

  "It only takes five minutes to get dressed in the morning."

Is there any difference?

Similarly, if I say

  "I want to take a shower and get changed."  -or-
  "I want to take a shower and change."

Is there any difference?

If there is any difference, even slightly, what is it?


texts: What is the meaning of "to say through someone"?

texts:
I read this(below) in a chapter named "Silk Road":

He shot me a few questions while feeling the veins in my wrist. "It's a cold," he said finally through Tsetan.

I don't think his soul went into Tsetan and said that.


texts:
I've been using "With which" many times but, days ago, an app corrected this structure. Then, what's  grammatical or preferable?

  With which book should I start?

or

  which book should i read first?

Are other recommendable expressions?  Thank you in advance.


texts: The expressions "This Monday" and "Next Monday"

texts:
Suppose it is Wednesday:

Does the expression "This Monday" mean:

The Monday of the same week.
The Monday of the following week.

Does the expression "Next Monday" mean:

The Monday of the following week.
The Monday of the week following the following week.

As an aside, I'm not even sure if the fact that this would work one way rather than another is a matter of which language is spoken (e.g. English), or whether the same reasoning as would be given by answers on this group would apply to other languages as well (as a matter of pure logic).


texts:
From time to time I hear this construction used informally by some native speakers, I think it conveys the intended meaning in a unique way, as in:

It's so summer!

I would love to know if there are other common nouns which can be used similarly with so.


texts: What will be the correct word for "my siblings and me"?

texts:
I cannot come up with a word which will count my siblings and myself.

I am trying to denote a set (which includes my siblings and me). Help me.


texts:
I'm currently struggling with a minor grammatical issue and would love to get your opinion.

Sometimes an adjective is placed after the noun. Is there a specific rule when this is okay?

E.g., "using the selected methods..." vs. "using the methods selected..."?

Thank you very much.


texts:
Eve and Denny were in love with the place. They spent almost the entire first night there rolling around naked in every room except Zoe’s. When Denny came home from work, he would first say hello to the girls, then he would take me outside to the yard and throw the ball, which I happily retrieved. And then Zoe got big enough that she would run around and squeal while I pretended to chase her. And Eve would admonish her: “Don’t run like that; Enzo will bite you.”
(Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain)

When that-clause follows enough, the clauses seem to have either showing the result or the degree of enough. Is it a matter of contexts or is there any rule for enough that?


texts: What is the difference between "get surprised" and "be surprised"?

texts:
I am confused in using the noun 'surprise':

  "If I tell you the truth, you'll be surprised" AND "If I tell you the truth, you'll get surprised."

Do we use 'be surprised' and 'get surprised' in specific cases or they are the same?

Thank You.


texts: What's the differences between boisterous and tumultuous? Can I use them interchangeably?


texts:
I tend to use appreciate in my letter endings. Such as: "I appreciate your help".

I wonder if it is too much formality?


texts: Can the verb 'release' be used as an intransitive verb?

texts:
Volkheimer leaps immediately into a squat, his head coming around as
  the hounds release toward him, and Werner’s heart feels as if it has
  been blown to pieces in his chest. Volkheimer’s arms come up as the
  dogs charge him, but they know him; they are leaping on him in play,
  barking and scampering, and Werner watches the huge boy throw off the
  dogs as if they were housecats.

From All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

As far as I know the verb 'release' is a transitive verb, needing a direct object. In the above sentence it is used as an intransitive verb. What do you think?


texts: different from, or opposite to my traditional statements. Vs. different from, or opposite to, my traditional statements

texts:
I adapted to the innovative ideas that are different from, or opposite to, my traditional statements.
  I adapted to the innovative ideas that are different from, or opposite to my traditional statements.

the difference between two these sentences is: i took "the comma" out of the second sentence, so what is the difference in meaning between them?


texts: What are some professional sentences one can use to quit their job?

texts: Let's say someone works at a restaurant as a waiter. What are some appropriate sentences they could use to tell their manager that they'd like to leave their job?


texts: Has "had to be" used in sarcastic sense in here?

texts:
I read this in "The Last Lesson":

  I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen; but, of course, that day everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning.

I gather that "had to be" has been used in a sarcastic tone here considering that at first the author is acknowledging that he counted on (implying that he believed) the commotion that was to be there but then he says that everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning. Am I right? And is this much prose license really common?


texts:
What is the meaning of "They fought so hard over who was to be king
that the island broke in two" in the following sentences,

  Up from the sea came not a fish, but a huge island. The island was the
  home of the mighty sea god. When the four older brothers saw the
  beautiful island, each one wanted to be its king, and they started to
  fight. They fought so hard over who was to be king that the island
  broke in two, and all the lazy brothers were drowned.

Does it mean "They who wanted to be king fought turning the wheel
that the island broke in two ?

What does "so hard over" mean ?


texts:
S1: He became a physicist in 2000, since when he had done research on the molecular theories. However, he decided to abandon his physics career for personal reasons.
S2: He had done research on the molecular theories since he became a physicist in 2000. However, he decided to abandon his physics career for personal reasons.
Q1: Do S1&S2 mean almost identically with little difference in meaning except grammar structure?
Q2: Is it possible for “Past perfect” to be used carrying the meaning---time period of an action/event with its starting point in the past & ending point still in the past?
or Do I have to use “had been doing,” i.e. past perfect progressive to emphasize the duration/span of doing research?
ref: https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/by-since-when


texts:
You need not come unless you want to.
You don't need to come unless you want to.

The second sentence is right but first one is wrong. Why?

My second question is the necessity of "to" after "want". Would this be wrong:

You don't need to come unless you want.


texts:
Source

For the compound noun teachers day, some people call it teacher day and some other call it teachers' day. However, I believe that apostrophe implies possession and so as a day cannot be possessed by a teacher but only devoted so I think it's incorrect to say teachers' day and instead teachers day should be used.

Also, is it compulsory to use capital t(T) when referring to teacher's day as:

  The day usually starts with a warm Teachers Day speech to thank the teachers for their contribution. Few traditional methods include gifting beautiful Teachers Day cards and gifts to the teacher as tokens of love and respect. Some students also select popular Teachers Day quotes to convey hearty messages to their teachers and leave it at their desk.


texts: What is the right word to refer to a black person, when you don't know their name?

texts:
Excuse my ignorance, I have lived in the UK for 8 years however I still don't know how to refer to a black person, as I came from a country where racism was not an issue.

Some agency called me last week and I was trying to explain to the person over the phone that I had visited them a few days prior to his phone call and I had been served by one of his colleagues, he insisted on knowing the name of that person and I couldn't remember the name so I said it was the black guy.
I could tell that it was not appropriate or maybe he just didn't like the way I described his colleague.

Should I have said "dark"? "tanned"? or what exactly?  I can't think of saying black American (I hear that lots on TV) as I live in the UK and nobody is American. Also I don't know what to add to the word "Afro" to make the equivalent of "black".

I have asked a friend who isn't a native speaker either and she only confused me more by saying that I can't even call a blackboard that name any more but it has to called "whiteboard" in order not to offend black people.


texts:
Which sentence is correct , Please explain it to me :
sentence 1 : It was dark ,moonlit night when he arrived at the inn
sentence 2 : It was dark ,moonlit night when he had arrived at the inn


texts: What does "...how good you have it" means?

texts:
You don't know how good you have it.
  Realize how good you have it.

How and when to use these phrases?


texts: What is the difference between "everything we studied before/earlier" and "everything we have studied before/earlier"?

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

  In this class we are going to review everything we studied before.

  In this class we are going to review everything we have studied before.

  In this class we are going to review everything we studied earlier.

  In this class we are going to review everything we have studied earlier.


texts: Use of Past Perfect Tense and Simple Past

texts:
Yesterday I called my doctor but could not get his appointment. Hence Today I again tried for his appointment.
I started our conversation with receptionist as follows.

  Yesterday, I had called for an appointment but could not get doctor’s appointment, can you book my appointment for Today at 7 pm."

Is my conversation is correct Or Should I simply use simple past tense as below?

  Yesterday, I called for an appointment but could not get doctor’s appointment. Can you book my appointment for Today at 7 pm?

I know simple past is perfect here but can I use Past perfect tense to give emphasis on my first action i.e. called for an appointment.

I mean

Yesterday I called receptionist first. And after that I give up because receptionist refused my appointment after checking his appointment diary and then I choose to wait for tomorrow’s appointment.


texts: "was until recently a puzzle" -----is it still a puzzle or not?

texts:
With their clicks, sperm whales can detect a squid less than a foot long more than a mile away, and schools of squid from even farther away. But the way that sperm whales find squid was until recently a puzzle.

Based on the bold text, is it still a puzzle or not? How to parse this sentence?