Questions tagged [sentence-meaning]

Use this tag for questions about meanings of whole sentences rather than phrases.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
6 votes
2 answers
659 views

Using the word down at the end of a sentence

How did the prosecutor track this suspect down? How did the prosecutor track this suspect? Is there any difference in meaning in the above two sentences? How does adding the word down make a ...
nicku's user avatar
  • 729
0 votes
0 answers
16 views

how to understand complex sentence using as?

He doesn’t sound nearly as eager to make small talk with this guy as he was with me. How to parse and understand the above sentence?
kishore kumar's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
19 views

Using onto something to convey diligence [closed]

Context: Someone asked me "How is the diet plan going", I thought of replying "I am onto the diet plan". I intend to convey that I am eagerly following it today or diligently ...
nicku's user avatar
  • 729
0 votes
1 answer
30 views

Is "As and when…" correct?

As and when the user scrolls the page ... Is this correct English? The context is: A person is describing scrolling on the web page. Not sure if the "As and" part is correct or it adds any ...
nicku's user avatar
  • 729
2 votes
1 answer
41 views

Whats the meaning of"he appreciates with some of the intensity of a visitor from planet kepler" in the sentence below?

He appreciates with some of the intensity of a visitor from planet Kepler22b in the constellation of Cygnus the bizarreness of how fingers interlace, how foldable they are, in what varied shapes and ...
Roze's user avatar
  • 39
1 vote
1 answer
40 views

to give some chance reader

I am reading Maugham, Heaven knows what pains the author has been at, what bitter experiences he has endured and what heartache suffered, to give some chance reader a few hours' relaxation or to ...
Angyang's user avatar
  • 490
-1 votes
0 answers
29 views

At night the kids grabbed a pizza from Frankie's. (from Frankie's) [closed]

At night the kids grabbed a pizza from Frankie's. The pizza came from Frankie's or The kids ate the pizaa at Frankie's house?
gomadeng's user avatar
  • 3,578
1 vote
2 answers
27 views

Grab a seat, I won’t keep you a moment. (Can I say I will keep you a moment?)

Grab a seat, I won’t keep you a moment. 'a moment' means a short period of time like "for a moment" The negative sentence "I won't keep you a moment." could be exchanged with ...
gomadeng's user avatar
  • 3,578
-1 votes
2 answers
54 views

She’s too vain to wear glasses. (Why a person who is vain can't wear glasses?)

She’s too vain to wear glasses. I saw this sentence in a dictionary. Why a person who is vain can't wear glasses?
gomadeng's user avatar
  • 3,578
0 votes
0 answers
29 views

have something happening / having something happen / having something happening

I would like to know the differences between these three sentences. The teacher have the students writing the answers on the whiteboard now. The teacher is having the students writing the answers on ...
baktbd's user avatar
  • 31
9 votes
6 answers
1k views

How to express that one is having a series of bad luck to complete a task

So when there is a series of problems that are getting encountered in doing work. What could we say or express it in a succinct way? some things that come to my mind are: (not sure if they are correct ...
nicku's user avatar
  • 729
2 votes
1 answer
147 views

purpose or result : so (that)

from Longman Contemporary: so (that) a) in order to make something happen, make something possible etc He lowered his voice so Doris couldn’t hear. Why don’t you start out early so that you don’t ...
gomadeng's user avatar
  • 3,578
1 vote
2 answers
28 views

The teams were all square at half-time. (do we need 'all' here?)

The teams were all square at half-time. I found this sentence on the internet. Do we need 'all' here? 'square' here means 'a tie score'. What does the 'all' refer to? teams or it is just an ...
gomadeng's user avatar
  • 3,578
0 votes
1 answer
28 views

Janet is going on a vacation. (is this progressive or future?)

Janet is going on a vacation. I saw this sentence on internet. Is Janet now, at this moment, going on a vacation? Or, does Janet have a plan to go on a vacation very soon?
gomadeng's user avatar
  • 3,578
1 vote
0 answers
41 views

"...is as much instinct as science"

Not a native English speaker. Question: What does the following mean? Something is as much instinct as science. For example, I was reading a post on a SQL Query Performance where I came across the ...
nam's user avatar
  • 113
1 vote
1 answer
43 views

meaning of "He was really struggling in geometry."

oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com > meaning №1 > Extra Examples: to struggle — to try very hard to do something when it is difficult or when there are a lot of problems: (1) He was really ...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 1,244
1 vote
1 answer
17 views

"The jury in the E. Jean Carroll civil battery and defamation trial was made public Friday" meaning clarification

The video deposition of Donald Trump played before the jury in the E. Jean Carroll civil battery and defamation trial was made public Friday, showing the former president discussing the accusations ...
dan's user avatar
  • 12.8k
1 vote
1 answer
28 views

What's the meaning of "receive credit for freshman mathematics" in college?

This context comes from the book "Black Rednecks And White Liberals" by Thomas Sowell. At one time, the reputation of Dunbar graduates was such that they did not have to take entrance ...
Static Bounce's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
58 views

Meaning of a Lincoln Quote

Given below is a quote from Lincoln: No man who is resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention, still less can he afford to take the consequences, including the ...
RoyOneMillion's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
24 views

could do nothing that is not better done elsewhere

What does the following sentence mean? Does the principle of "two negatives make a positive" apply here? If not, how we do derive the meaning in a stepwise fashion? A full-scale ...
Apollyon's user avatar
  • 5,507
0 votes
0 answers
22 views

any topics that are researched more thoroughly

What does the following sentence mean? Does it involve a contradiction? The present thesis could not tackle any topics that are researched more thoroughly elsewhere. Does it mean: If x is a topic ...
Apollyon's user avatar
  • 5,507
0 votes
0 answers
18 views

Meaning of this quote from Victor Frankl’s book?

I was just reading Victor Frankl’s book , Man’s Search for Meaning, and came across this quote “I mentioned earlier how everything that was not connected with the immediate task of keeping oneself ...
Aditi's user avatar
  • 123
0 votes
1 answer
27 views

difference between sacred and sacred one

What is the difference between sacred and sacred one? Sentence - The garden was a sacred one. Source - https://youtu.be/C5a3pDMGp34?t=151 Is there any difference between following two sentences? The ...
Abcdef's user avatar
  • 33
0 votes
2 answers
40 views

Is the language used in this paragraph very intelligible for a native speaker?

this is an excerpt from "Euclid's Elements" "A straight line is said to have been cut in extreme and mean ratio when, as the whole line is to the greater segment, so is the greater to ...
Static Bounce's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
56 views

Is this sentence grammatically correct: "The last thing he wants is for you to end up inside."

This is from the BBC 3 Alcohol problem. (see:9:25-9:33) It is about a man's who is tagged to get monitored if he drinks or not for a particular period of time, in which case he might be fined. So, he ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
0 votes
0 answers
50 views

"I like your shoes". Is this sentence ambiguous when it is said to someone working in a shoe company?

When you are in a shopping center and are inside a shop and start talking the woman who always help you and say to this person: "I like your shoes." I think the "the liking" here ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
8 votes
4 answers
3k views

Meaning of "water, the weight of which is one-eighth hydrogen"

I have a question about the article written by Isaac Asimov in 1987 that was published in the Los Angeles Times. It said For instance, coal, oil, and gas all contain hydrogen atoms and you can obtain ...
user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
9 views

Why tell about a past event with "would" although it was not repetitive in the past? [duplicate]

From the BBC web site about a famous comedian who passed away Paul "After making his mark on London's comedy scene as Lily Savage, O'Grady would go on to become one of the most recognisable faces ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
0 votes
1 answer
40 views

What does "The children were spared (from) the virus" mean?

oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com: (1) The children were spared from the virus. What does (1) mean? Does it mean (2), (3) or (4)?: (2) The children didn't contract the virus. (3) The children contracted ...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 1,244
0 votes
1 answer
25 views

Why does British drama say "Where CAN she have gone now." instead of "Where COULD she have gone now?"

This is from a British drama Late Starter (see:35:44-35:46) In the film, a man's wife has left without saying where she has gone. So he is looking for her everywhere and visiting her friends' houses ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
0 votes
1 answer
23 views

Uses of 'was' and 'had' in sentences

This is a extract from a newspaper. In the 1960s and 70s, before the men in blue and IPL, when cricketers could still walk around in the street unhindered, Durani was the closest Indian cricket had ...
Ansh's user avatar
  • 47
2 votes
2 answers
180 views

"We have been down this street already." OR ""We have been to this street already."

This is from a British film Anybod's nightmare see:46:33-46:35 Two people in a car are looking for a place by looking at a map while driving. They can't agree on whether they are on the right street, ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
0 votes
1 answer
26 views

What does "to resolve on making an early start" mean?

oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com: (1) We had resolved on making an early start. What does (1) mean? Does (1) mean (2) or (3)?: (2) We had made a decision about whether to make an early start or not. (3) ...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 1,244
0 votes
1 answer
45 views

I would say it is bluntly incorrect but it is from a British TV series: "Come in and have your photograph took."

This is from Berkeley Square (see:43:46-43:49) "At least come in and have your photograph took." Why is it not "have your photo taken"? Is it a special usage or does it have a ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
1 vote
1 answer
36 views

A hard city in which to be unsuccesful

What does "in which" mean here? It looks like the sentence can be split in "a hard city in which" and "to be unsuccesful", but, anyway, I do not understand the first part....
Kristina Lukosevice's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
24 views

A is xx% higher than B

Almost the same as the question "A is faster than B by 40%", but unlike the comment of "This seems to be a question about mathematics more than English.", to me this is still an ...
xpt's user avatar
  • 2,154
0 votes
1 answer
27 views

Can you say "I am middle-paid" or "I am normal-paid" to mean you are paid an amount somewhere between the highest and lowest level?

If someone ask you if you are paid well in your job, and you want to say you are not well-paid, but you are not badly-paid either. So, how do you say you are paid in the middle of the highest and ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
1 vote
1 answer
28 views

Which one is right:".....go 55 meters down INTO the ground." OR "....go 55 meters down UNDER the ground."

This is from the BBC, about sewage system of London, in which experts show the reporters around the new sewage system sewage system 0:44-0:46 We are about to go 55 meters down into the ground. The ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
0 votes
1 answer
22 views

The scene was set for the final showdown

The scene was set for the final showdown. (from a dictionary example) What does the sentence mean? And in what context is the sentence used? I already know the word 'showdown'. Does the sentence mean ...
gomadeng's user avatar
  • 3,578
0 votes
2 answers
41 views

"The Silicon Valley credo is driving the society to develop rapidly." Which interpretation is more reasonable?

A sentence in one text says "The Silicon Valley credo is driving the society to develop rapidly.". I think this sentence has two interpretations: (1) The content of the Silicon Valley credo ...
Asigan's user avatar
  • 127
1 vote
0 answers
43 views

How can I use reporting verbs

My sentence from a grammar site is "At least 6 people are believed to have been killed in a shooting rampage". Will there be any difference if I turn it into: There are believed to have ...
Aman's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
2 answers
34 views

Where have you ever traveled to or where have you traveled to?

Are all these questions grammatical?what's the difference in meaning between them? Where have you ever traveled to? Where have you traveled to? Where have you already traveled to? Asking about ...
Pumpkin cake's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
21 views

Any difference in meaning: "So, just how deep is the Black Sea." / "So, how deep is the Black Sea."

This is from the BBC. The secrets lurking beneath the Black Sea see:(00:18-00:20) "So, just how deep is the Black Sea." I know that this sentence still perfectly makes sense if the word &...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
0 votes
1 answer
20 views

·What does the second sentence in this paragraph mean?

"If people had invested their money in antiques 20 years ago, they would have found it difficult to make a profit on their investment until very recently. So people who cannot afford for their ...
hhhh's user avatar
  • 25
2 votes
1 answer
48 views

Using the idiom "go through the roof"

"If the manager sees this type of work his anger will go through the roof" Is this sentence correct? Or is there a better way of phrasing it? I found that "go through the roof" is ...
nicku's user avatar
  • 729
-1 votes
1 answer
26 views

One way that’s lasted: the jack that helps in the changing of a tire

I don't understand the meaning of the following phrase. Is the jack in question that's "lasted"? If so, in what way? Does jack here refer to a tool as well? Thank you! "One way that’s ...
Maurice's user avatar
  • 1,093
0 votes
1 answer
28 views

Whats the meaning of "looked up from his sandwich "in this paragraph?

Ross looked up from his sandwich and nodded at the dead snake. The source of this paragraph is an exam.
Fateme's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
1 answer
18 views

A complex sentence contained "as much...as..."

I have searched a lot about "as much as", so I knew what it basic means. But this sentence is hard to understand for me. To summarize, then, I suggest that we take Frege's ascription of a ...
Franz_'s user avatar
  • 7
1 vote
1 answer
21 views

Does "all the way along" mean "all the way until the end"?

This is from a native speaker who teaches a practical way for removing mold over the silicone sealants in bathrooms. how to remove mold (see 1:11-1:12) He says: "I'm going to do the same all the ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947
9 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is it ok to say "When we would go to a restaurant ......." instead of "When we went to a restaurant, ....."?

A native speaker doctor speaks about bone broth and its health benefits and the old days when this soup was always part of the dinners. He says: It was considered a delicacy, and I can remember when ...
yunus's user avatar
  • 3,947

1
2 3 4 5
78