New answers tagged sentence-meaning
0
Here is an interpretation. It might be wrong, I'm not familiar with the book in question.
Who is One, Quadberry or narrator?
It's the impersonal, general meaning of the word "one", as in:
"One must look both ways when crossing the street."
This is the same as "You should look both ways when crossing the street" or "Everybody should look both ways ...
2
Nothing is said about whether you hit him or not. To take a swing at someone or something (e.g. a ball in a game such as baseball) is to attempt to strike them or it, with a fist, weapon, bat, etc. The context or following words will clarify whether the swing connected (the objective was achieved). It is possible to say "He took a swing at me but I ducked".
...
0
As for the specific question being asked, you would be much more likely to encounter "profits show improvement over time", or some other variation using "over" (at least in US usage, I suppose elsewhere may differ).
1
Yes, the preposition "with" can be used as you propose.
From Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
on using "persist" in a sentence:
The reporter persisted with his questioning.
on recent examples from the Web:
The additional returns that investors demand to hold corporate bonds
are increasing as market volatility persists from coronavirus concerns
and ...
1
"Full form" here does refer to a whole body. It refers to the entirety of the thing being referenced. In this case the thing that has been referenced is the hands so full form would refer to the entire thing(we can assume here that it would be a human or similar) including the hands
The "chiefly" refers to the entire list that follows it. So it mostly ...
0
2.
Look it up and you will see from context the persons are sitting hour after hour
Sunday was his only day off, and I recall his sitting by the hour at a desk in the living room decorating stamp album pages with carefully rendered designs.
Our debates continued endlessly. On long walks or sitting by the hour over cups of coffee, he would ...
2
You have used ‘persist’ correctly. However, if the commission is undergoing criticism, it would be excellent to include that, as well as who is doing the criticism, if you haven’t mentioned it elsewhere. It would be good to include because it’s information that would help the reader understand two things: what the commission is persisting in spite of, and ...
1
I assume that the preceding sentence reveals some new information that should cause you to change your opinion of the topic. Metaphorically, the topic is now dressed in (wears) different clothing, which alters its appearance (aspect).
Later: I wrote this answer before the asker added the paragraph in which the sentence appears. I would change it only to ...
2
Both are possible.
If we look at the possible answers:
I want Joe to be my best man.
I want my best man to be Joe.
This is essentially the same as comparing:
Joe is my best man.
My best man is Joe.
There are slight differences. The first sentence is a "about Joe", the second is "about my best man".
There is also the matter of "end ...
1
A governess is hired to take care of children. They are her "charges". These charges had reached an age where they didn't need her to take care of them ("they had outgrown her"), so she lost her job.
0
The singular "time" here means one occurrence or event or "occasion" as Oxford mentions. "At a time" means "during each event." There may be some ambiguity in certain cases as others have pointed out, but the main idea can generally be determined from the context. If I take my pills four at a time, that could mean I'm swallowing all four pills in one gulp or ...
3
Not quite.
Said as much is an idiom meaning said roughly the same thing. It doesn't actually have the idea of the amount they said.
She caught herself means "She stopped, and didn't do something".
So, together, it means
Hadn't Mrs Pritchard nearly said the same thing, but she stopped and didn't say it?
1
The creator of the program is being interviewed. He is talking about how he controls the way his program will appear to viewers. He says that when the program is presented on different devices (computers or television sets), the appearance may change due to different settings, such as brightness and contrast, that the viewer can change.
He simplifies his ...
2
It simply means that she took two steps at a time. To better visualise it she skipped one step each time she took a stride.
1
The second sentence strikes me as atypical English usage. A more typical way of writing it would be "She ran up the steps two at a time", meaning that she ascended two steps with each stride. Although "stair" can be used as a singular noun, the word "step" is used far more often for that purpose. If someone goes "up the stairs" from the first to the ...
0
Oxford defines account as 'a report or description of an event or experience'
0
You used persist (to continue an action regardless of an opposing action) accurately here because the opposing action has been identified at the being of the statement. Leave out the opposing action described in 'Despite the criticism' and the reason they persist would be less clear.
1
Both work the same, but option 2 sounds much more natural. Option 1 makes you sound like a robot, so I would recommend avoiding it.
(This response is specific to American dialect, so it may or may not apply to you.)
21
It's a singular "she", so it's not about pairs or groups of children running. "Two at a time" refers to the stairs. She is skipping alternating steps, ascending two steps with each stride.
41
As it says "She ..." we are talking about one girl, and not a group of girls.
So it can't mean that there was a group that divided into pairs and each pair ran together.
Instead it means that she took two steps of the stairs in one stride. Normally you tread on each step of the stairs. If you are running you might go over two steps. This is what is meant ...
1
A prior sentence says "In these letters Kane continually reproaches Margaret with living in deceit and hypocrisy." Kane had expressed these thoughts in words.
If the thoughts he had expressed in his letters were taken seriously, he thought they were swindlers. So, if [his] words had any meaning, then why did he remain "on most intimate and affectionate ...
2
I think your last sentence puts the matter very well. Your previous sentence seems good, too, if you have already introduced and explained the term "regional differentiation", but I think your last sentence, in "simple terms", is a little better.
4
The singular verb form is does not seem to agree with the plural subject, so the first sentence is the correct one.
2
If you are talking to someone and your game has crashed in just that instant then you may say either 1 or 2.
However, you may also use 2 to describe your game crashing at any point in the past.
1
You can say "How much is it?" about something that has already been mentioned, example:
I like that hat. How much is it?.
You can say "How much is that?" or "How much does that item cost?" about something that you indicate (possibly by pointing at it). "How much is it/that?" and "How much does it/that cost?" are ways of saying the same thing.
1
"My PC needs repairing." can be used. It sounds a bit informal. You could also say "My PC needs repair."
Those could be used whether you will have someone else do the repair, or do it yourself.
I have to get my PC repaired." is also usable. The focus there is on your need rather than the computer's need, and "get my PC repaired" means you will have ...
2
The phrase "had she been so inclined" means "[even] if she had wanted to".
The claim is made that the girl was so simple and timid that she could not have succeeded at deceiving even if she had wanted to.
0
The word candidates refers to nominated entities. In this case, the countries are the candidates. They are being considered to be in the EU.
A better answer would be:
Being candidates for entry to the EU, countries expecting strong economic growth will increase transport flows, particularly, road haulage traffic.
2
Your two simple sentences are not correct, unfortunately. I would split it into two sentences like this:
Countries which are candidates for entry to the EU are expected to show strong economic growth. This [economic growth] will also increase transport flows, in particular road haulage traffic.
Or perhaps:
Strong economic growth is expected in ...
1
"You can go first."
The word can implies that you are giving the person the option to do or not do a certain action.
"You go first."
Removing it implies that you are giving order or forcing someone to do something. You are not giving that person the choice of not doing it.
1
The dangers of such practices were not then so clearly realized as now
means
The dangers of such practices are more clearly realized now than they were then
it was many years before the more serious effects were manifest
means
the more serious effects were only manifest many years later
0
By definition, it is a non-finite clause, since it contains a verb with no tense and an object. There are different types of non-finite clauses:
finite and non-finite clauses
3
It means he didn't write a newspaper article anonymously. If you search "Greeley" in the link you provided, you find the article he wrote, followed by the initials "H.G.".
0
No, to invoke something is to make use of it. It's a lot more effective to invoke a right if you do in fact have that right, but one can invoke a right one doesn't have, or have a right that one does not invoke.
It's sort of like "I own an apple" versus "I eat an apple". If you're eating an apple, it's beset that you own it, but you can eat an apple you ...
0
No, they're not the same. You could have the right to parley but not invoke it. Imagine for example the famous "you have the right to remain silent". The person being arrested has the right not to talk, but they might talk anyway. If they do not talk, they are invoking their right to remain silent.
0
Let's look at the definition of the word, "invoke":
to use a law in order to achieve something, or to mention something in order to explain something or to support your opinion or action. (Cambridge)
Police can invoke the law to regulate access to these places.
another definition: If you invoke a law, you state that you are taking a ...
0
What you have written on the left side of your '=' is correct as to the meaning of invoke. That would imply a claim that what is on the right side of the '=' is true.
Macmillan Dictionary: invoke
These definitions from Macmillan dictionary are apt:
1: to use a law or rule in order to achieve something
1a: to mention a law, principle, or idea in order ...
1
Let's look at the definition of the word Seclusion
the state of being alone, away from other people (Cambridge)
now let's look at some similar expressions
The seclusion of a private villa in the countryside
In this examples the writer refers to a private villa which is quite and away from the rest of the city.
Going back to your question:
the ...
1
He should = He is supposed to
He shouldn't = He is not supposed to
He should have = He was supposed to
He shouldn't have = He was not supposed to
(the past tense of "should" is "should have")
Using "never" after "should" in negative statements is for emphasis , you can use "not" instead .
He should never have been traced = He was not supposed to be ...
3
As you have noted, "the court of public opinion" is an idiom. It uses the metaphor of "court" to describe the judgement made by the public. It is not a real court or an official body.
When a person is controversial, and especially when they are really on trial, they will get judged not only by the jury, but also everybody who reads the newspaper or the ...
1
A "buzz (sense 4)" is feeling of excitement, happiness, or slight drunkeness.
So "There goes my buzz" is a comment meaning "my buzz has gone". It has been used because Sunny has just asked about the massacre. Before that the old man was happy or excited. Now, because he is thinking about the massacre he feels sad or glum. So he makes a comment about his "...
0
a "buzz" refers to a euphoric feeling experienced after doing drugs or smoking cigarettes; depending on the drug taken, the user can experience a buzz (or a high) for a varied period of time, Now there are factors that can enhance or ruin the buzz, for instance if you're chilling out with your buddies smoking some weed and your dad barges in, that could ...
0
The implication is that the old man is drinking alcohol. When you've had some alcohol--like 2 to 3 drinks--but before you're drunk, that state is sometimes called a "buzz."
Now that Sunny reveals that the conversation is about an unhappy occasion, the old man is saying that he's lost the pleasant feeling of being a little bit inebriated.
1
Suppose someone calls on the phone and asks to speak to, for example, Bob. You could yell, "Hey, Bob, someone on the phone for you!" But it's considered polite to give him a little more information. You'd like to be able to say, "Sally is on the phone for you." So you want to ask the caller to identify themselves. Thus you ask, "Who should I say is calling?"
...
2
Who should I say is calling
is asking the name of the person is calling.
If you are asking for the name of the person that the person calling wants to talk to, you say
To whom do you want to speak?
2
Let's rearrange the clauses in the sentence into a simpler form, and then build back up to the more complicated form you're asking about.
Alice is calling - simple statement of an action in progress
I will say (that) Alice is calling - an additional clause to describe what I will do in response to the initial action. When I tell someone about the phone ...
1
on the phone, you could use the expression "should I say who's calling" to ask the speaker if they'd like you to announce their name to others (who might be present there.)
imagine this scenario
someone calls you, and leaves a message for your brother but they they feel like your brother knowing who left the message is irrelevant and unimportant, so in ...
0
While literally "way" means a road or a path, it is often used to refer to the distance traveled along it:
It is a long way to Grandma's house.
This means:
The road (which we must travel) to get to Grandma's house is a long one.
You can also say:
It's quite a way to Grandma's house.
In other words, the road is quite long.
But this use of "way" ...
2
The verb "fermenting" - which means undergoing the process of fermentation - is something that substances do naturally themselves. In wine-making, certain additives may speed up the process, but the maker has to wait for the ingredients to ferment themselves. So, literally "fermenting wine" refers to wine that is currently undergoing fermentation.
In your ...
0
'Each day' implies present tense or something is actively being done today.
'With each day' seems to imply past tense, or something had already been done in the past.
Either way is acceptable.
Top 50 recent answers are included
