Let’s consider the following sentence: He loves these books on a shelf that his dad gave him. I’ m a bit confused about the meaning the sentence conveys. To my knowledge, I think this sentence can be interpreted as follows. Interpretation 1. He loves these books, and they are placed on a shelf. These books … Read more
On an episode of Seinfeld, Kramer says "they ambushed me with a box of grade A’s". What is that? I was unable to find a translation to that. Answer This is explained by a line later in the episode: Kramer: Well, that’s odd, ’cause I feel perfectly at peace with the world- uh! eggs! you! … Read more
What “communicates” with the “creature” inside these characters is music more than speech. This book is short the way Wittgenstein’s “Tractatus” is short—it passes over in silence what language could only obscure and falsify. Garner, like the skilled musician, knows how to leave a silence, how to keep domains of privacy and mystery intact. In … Read more
The skin graft failed to take. What does ‘take’ do here? What is the right way to interpret the verb ‘take’? Answer The verb ‘take’ has lots of meanings, and not all are listed in every dictionary. The meaning in this sentence is ‘have the effect or result that is desired’. If you dye some … Read more
I remember reading the following comment thread below the scifi.se question "How did the Rangers of the North make a living in the Lord of the Rings?": [4 upvotes] Working as a flower a-ranger – User1 [2 upvotes] @User1: flagged – User2 [1 upvotes] @User2: For making a bad pun? – User1 (I apologize for … Read more
Filling an interview form, I read the question Why do you most want to work here? What exactly does "most" mean? I read Where should "most" be in this sentence? and it seems to suggest the sentence would be equivalent to Why do you want to work here most? But I’m still at a loss … Read more
Doctor Fox looked at Elizabeth as he chewed, and nodded and smiled. She must be nearly forty now, like Dex. Thank God they were never foolish enough to marry, though no doubt Dexter had poked her when they were students. He felt like laughing. She was quite plainly not the marrying kind. Children out of … Read more
He sat at the ravaged table and watched the girl dry herself with efficient strokes, sawing between her toes and twisting her shoulders to reach the backs of her thighs. This was modern life, then, this seamless logic, this common sense, this silent tit-for-tat. This was what people did. He did not like it. He … Read more
‘Where have you been all day?’ said Philip. ‘I waited for you. Let’s go out and eat.’ ‘I’m going on the train. Tonight.’ ‘Wait another couple of days. We’ll fly back.’ She shook her head. The music stopped and the screen was filled with the smiling face of a young man. ‘Course,’ said the man, … Read more
My land lord sent me ("he" in the following sentence) and my roommate ("you" in the following sentence) the following sentence. Although I can understand it by context, I don’t know exactly what it means. He will pay you the $999 per his current game plan with Zelle transfers to you. How can I interpret … Read more
