"If I lie to you, I’ll lose your trust forever. That’s/it’s the last thing I want." "I’ll search for Mary. That/it was my original plan anyway." I know "that" is more suitable in these examples, but I can’t quite pinpoint why. Is there an objective reason (semantics, grammar, etc.)? Answer "That" is more immediate, specific, … Read more
Is "on the weekday" an idiomatic phrase in English to refer to many weekdays? Or is it grammatically incorrect and it should be "on weekdays"? For example, Jack visits that club on the weekday. Answer The usual phrase in "on weekdays". "on the weekdays" could only be correct in certain contexts; i.e. if the weekdays … Read more
In the question What's the meaning of "for" in "dark for the sunrise"? I wrote The meaning of a lyric of a song is quite separated so that sometimes I couldn’t fully comprehend it. This is a line that I wrote to ask a question, which is trying to express that there are many lyrics … Read more
Is it okay to invite someone by saying arrange you a visit, or there is a better way?? Answer No it is not okay. It is simply wrong. You can’t insert a person/pronoun between the verb arrange and the object (a visit). You can arrange a visit for someone or on their behalf. Or you … Read more
I want to cook this dish -fish/ meat/ chicken/ beef etc was cut into pieces -put the pieces into a pot -pour just a little oil in the pot -pour some Asian soy sauce or fish sauce in (I don’t pour water in) -cook it slowly in low or medium temperature until the meat/fish/beef/chicken etc … Read more
Let’s say the recommended maintenance schedule is once a month or 12 times per year. If the person decided to do xxx, they do not have to maintain it monthly. They can do it less frequently. How can I phrase the sentence to explain that professionally? Can I say "increase the time interval between maintenance"? … Read more
For the verb "pay", it is correct to use "pay with/by credit card", according to the Cambridge Business English Dictionary and also according to English in Use by Raymond Murphy. So, what about the verb "buy"? Is it correct to write "buy something with a credit card"? I looked for exemplary sentences in Oxford Learner’s … Read more
Examples: She knew he wouldn’t open the door—but when he did/did so, she had to be prepared. She looked at the alley. No matter how long she did/did so, he wouldn’t show up. Should it be did or did so in situations like these? Answer "Did" alone is more casual, but it is also much … Read more
"She was no longer Mary—the Mary he had once known/used to know." Do both phrases mean more or less the same? Or they have different meanings? Answer In this case, any distinction in meaning is miniscule. But note that used to can be used in other ways, some of which would have more difference. For … Read more
I am talking about the structure "(there is) no way" (informal) used to say that there is no possibility that you will do something or that something will happen ‘Do you want to help?’ ‘No way!’ No way am I going to drive them there. There’s no way we could afford that sort of money. … Read more
