All Questions
109,286
questions
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
"The file I sent (to) you". Using the preposition
to send somebody something
to send something to somebody
Is it necessary to use the preposition in sentences like these, in which the direct object stands before the verb?
Open the file I sent ...
-1
votes
1
answer
4k
views
I did bring/brought this up [duplicate]
I brought this up. - 0
I did bring this up. - 1
I did brought this up. - 2
Is it ever acceptable to use (2)? I have a vague memory from high school that the second tense is something rarely used to ...
0
votes
2
answers
27k
views
I had Vs I have
What do I call if there is a meeting at 10 am and current time is 10:10 am. I was late for the meeting, which is still in progress.
I have a meeting at 10 am.
Or
I had a meeting at 10 am.
2
votes
2
answers
290
views
"With whom who" vs "Who with whom", a split preposition, and a phrase request for a seemingly strange way of dating among some teenagers
Context:
Pete likes Jane and Anne. His friend Jack (all the four in their early teens), too, likes both the girls who, in their turns, like both the boys. To get sure which of the two possible pairs ...
1
vote
2
answers
839
views
The definite article before the word "two"
Tell me please If it is possible to use "the" before "two" in some situations. For example, I am at a shop and I ask the salesman to show me the best suits he has. So he gets me one suit and then ...
0
votes
2
answers
46k
views
"How are things?" The correct replies
How are things? - Everything's fine./Things are fine.
Why is the reply "They are fine" considered to be incorrect being grammatically correct? Or is it correct?
1
vote
2
answers
45
views
Be-conditional for hypothetic past, present or future
Is it right that the "Be-conditional" can be used to speak about hypothetic past, present or future?
Be it my car I would have sold it.
Be it my car I would sell it.
Be it my car I will sell it.
0
votes
2
answers
2k
views
To hold a child in the hands
I have two related questions concerning holding a child in the hands.
What is the right phrase a child usually says to his parent when when he wants to be held in their hands? In Russian it is "Хочу ...
3
votes
2
answers
135
views
Placement of the adverb in "The river Thames last froze over three decades ago."
I was solving a question for TOEIC prep, and found this sentence.
The question was
"The River Thames last ______ over three decades ago."
freeze
froze
frozen
freezing
The book says the ...
1
vote
3
answers
192
views
What does the idiom be such as to infinitive mean?
Education proceeds ultimately from the patterns furnished by institutions, customs, and laws. Only in a just state will these be such as to give the right education.
(Source: Democracy and Education ...
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
I be calling vs. I am calling
I have seen "I be v.-ing" pattern many times, but I don't know how to get this pattern.
What does exactly this mean and when to use it?
1
vote
1
answer
842
views
Meaning of "shook the bottom out of all my Sunday-school teachings"? [closed]
What does the sentence in bold mean?
He was not heard of for a long time. At last he turned up as an apprentice engineer on a steamboat. This thing shook the bottom out of all my Sunday-school ...
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Solemness OR Solemnity
He was smiling, but his eyes retained a look of solemness/solemnity.
Which one is correct here? Here we need a noun, but both solemness and solemnity are noun. So I am confused which one to use here.
0
votes
2
answers
170
views
The use of the phrasal verb "factor in" in context
Here is the sentence it was used in:
"Many doctors and patients are uncomfortable with the idea of having cost of care factor into end-of-life decisions."
I am confused with the sentence because ...
0
votes
2
answers
695
views
What does the bolded phrase mean?
A society which rests upon the supremacy of some factor over another irrespective of its rational or proportionate claims leads thought astray. (Source: Democracy and Education By John Dewey)
What ...
0
votes
1
answer
74
views
we've ever had as a company?
We now have the best cars and trucks we’ve ever had as a company
The last part of the sentence, "as a company", is confusing. Please help me what this sentence means. Does it mean
We now have ...
5
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What is meant by the expression "Jazz pants"?
I just watched a show, and there were competitors arguing with each others then one of them said "Are you happy with it now?"
and then the woman said "Jazz pants!"
I don't really know the name of ...
2
votes
2
answers
81
views
How would you name this peculiar finger position?
Say if by gripping a pen, the thumb is placed on top of other fingers (the index finger in the example below), instead of touching the pen itself, how would you name that position? A short expression ...
0
votes
0
answers
24
views
Clarify the tense with 'Since'
Which sentence in correct:
We sell and repair sewing machines since 1974.
OR
Selling and repairing sewing machines, since 1974.
Kindly clarify.
2
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Article "a" before meal
He always takes a heavy breakfast because he generally skips lunch.
I don't get why "a" is used here. Generally we don't use any article before meals like breakfast, lunch etc. Many could say as ...
0
votes
0
answers
164
views
Past participles having usage as Present tense words
The word Found, apart from being the past tense of Find, has another meaning as follows(verb): Establish or originate (an institution or organization) as in "Foundation of a building" or "Founder of a ...
0
votes
2
answers
16k
views
What do we call a person who criticizes everything? One word for it [closed]
A word for a person who always criticizes people, and he always claims that he is the righteous.
0
votes
1
answer
95
views
Using principal verb "has" as auxiliary verb [closed]
1.How many children do you have?
2.How many children have you?
1.Does she have a boyfriend?
2.Has she a boyfriend?
1.Don't they have a TV?
2.Have they no TV ?
3.Haven't they a TV ?
Are all ...
2
votes
2
answers
10k
views
I (haven't / hadn't) really thought about that
A : Do you like me?
B : Yes
A : As friends?
B : Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I (haven't / hadn't) really thought about that.
.
I haven't really thought about that.
I didn't think ...
0
votes
2
answers
170
views
Ask about past time
Is the question right or wrong? If wrong, please how can I ask about how long they haven't seen each other im the past.
Q: How long have you hadn't seen each other?
0
votes
1
answer
96
views
Default meaning of "Korean" (without North/South)
A user sent me an e-mail stating that he/she is Korean, without further details about which Korea. In English, is it the default that Korean means from South Korea? Is it always the case?
For extra ...
1
vote
1
answer
4k
views
article vs paper
I would like to clarify the stylistic differences in the usage of the words article and paper (in the meaning a piece of writing).
When writing a research article/paper, or its abstract, in which ...
0
votes
0
answers
531
views
Can adverbs describe nouns
Can adverbs describe nouns?
Down here are some examples I came up with(don't know if they are correct):
1
The party "tonight" will be great.
2
The project "since 2001" is a dead ...
3
votes
3
answers
7k
views
The lyric of a song, "wayfaring stranger"
I am Korean. I like a song, "Wayfaring Stranger" sung by Emmylou Harris. Then I can't understand one line of the lyrics:
Where Gods redeemed their vigils keep
What does it mean? What does "their ...
0
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What is the difference between reject and discard
As far as I think
We reject something we recieve:
Eg: Transplant patients take powerful drugs so that their body will not reject the new kidney or heart.
We discard something we already have:
Eg: ...
1
vote
2
answers
66
views
What does "the way the Earth is" mean in this phrase?
In the following sentence, I'm confused with the use of the phrase 'the way the Earth is'. What is the grammatical function of the phrase? Let me know how it can be paraphrased.
The Moon is not a ...
0
votes
1
answer
3k
views
"Pic courtesy of Jessica Drake and @GloriaAllred" means? [closed]
I see it from this article. I don't understand what Pic courtesy of Jessica Drake and @GloriaAllred means.
Drake with #DonaldTrump at Tahoe event in 2006. Pic courtesy of Jessica Drake and @...
0
votes
1
answer
57
views
'Does not' with a plural sentence
Should we use don't or doesn't in the below sentence and why?
"Knowing magic secrets doesn’t make you a magician"
0
votes
1
answer
46
views
Cant'have vs Could not
I am a bit confused as for what is the difference here:
He could not be in the meeting, he is on a business trip.
He can't have been in the meeting, he is on a business trip.
To me, both ...
0
votes
1
answer
52
views
Is it correct to say "index and thumb" without the word "fingers"?
Example sentence:
Takahashi caressed my middle finger with her index and thumb.
I see both instances on Google.
0
votes
2
answers
465
views
What does 'killer house' mean?
I heard it on a TV show. The girls moved in a new house. A man comes to the house and says: "Killer house, guys." There was a murder happened in this house, but that seems not to be what the man ...
0
votes
1
answer
21
views
Interpretation ambiguity
While reading the article, I am quite confused about the part bolded "whether fallen or not".
I believe there might be two possible answers:
1: I did not stop to think whether the whirring cicadas ...
1
vote
1
answer
5k
views
Is it "there was" or "there were?" [duplicate]
I think "were" is the right answer, but still I want an opinion on this. So is it "was" or "were" in the sentence given below?
There ...... only fifty rupees in my pocket.
0
votes
0
answers
22
views
What kind of a 'sentence' is it?
I encountered a very interesting sentence on the Red Bull distribution company website. I'd like to know what kind of a writing technique, or maybe a grammar structure was used to express the second (...
3
votes
2
answers
58
views
What's the meaning of `show a hack`?
When I read a article:
Today, I’ll show a hack to keep using sketch.
What's the meaning of show a hack?
EDIT
I can guess the show a hack general meaning, but I don't know why the meaning can use ...
1
vote
1
answer
8k
views
Is the sentence correct: "He die of heart attack yesterday"
I have a problem in the sentence:
I am very sorry to say you this, but Ignazio, he die of heart attack yesterday night.
The time is of past-yesterday night, but the verb die is used in its root ...
1
vote
1
answer
132
views
What does standardization among texts mean?
Prior to Gutenberg's invention, which involved the use of moveable type, books were expensive and relatively scarce, as each text was painstakingly copied by hand over a period of weeks or months. As ...
3
votes
1
answer
7k
views
As is vs. As it is
SOURCE: NEW YORKER MAGAZINE
As is usually the case when a literary debate erupts, we’re not talking about the mechanics of story composition; this is a conversation about racial and cultural power ...
1
vote
2
answers
837
views
Singular or plural? How much
Which sentence is correct:
How much is the banana and the orange?
or
How much are the banana and the orange?
3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
conditional "If...should..." and modals
I am wondering whether "would" in the following sentence is correct:
If John should lie to me, I would no longer talk to him.
How does the above differ from
If John should lie to me, I will no ...
1
vote
1
answer
3k
views
What does "I have times from Tuesday on" mean?
I wanted to arrange an appointment from my professor on Skype, then he answered my email:
I have times from Tuesday on
What exactly does it mean? does he mean I can have the time just on ...
3
votes
5
answers
4k
views
What is the appropriate word for something like "to do an action heavily, with a special effort, intensity, pressure, enthusiasm"?
Someone is playing a piano with his fingers heavily hitting the keys to make a great noise.
Someone is painting, his hands energetically waving in all directions. Is there a verb for both of the ...
0
votes
0
answers
74
views
Is it "Zee" or "Zed"? [duplicate]
When is "z" pronounced "zee" and when "zed"?
From what I found out "zee" is AmE and "zed" is BrE. And in abbreviations the letter is always pronounced "zee" like in LZ (landing zone).
1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
is it "in the face of" or "at the face of"
I am particularly interested in the following example:
This theory has its most dedicated supporter in the face of Michael.
This theory has its most dedicated supporter at the face of Michael....
0
votes
2
answers
537
views
Can "the likes of" mean simply "like"?
Koza said his organization has never had a political battle the likes of its tussle with Courtney.
In this sentence (from here), "the likes of" seems to carry the meaning of "like". Is it a common ...