I have an English course book that contains this question:  Fill in the blank "The book is a set of techniques that systematically __ the learner for interaction with target language speakers". (A) prepare (B) preparing  (C) prepares (D) prepared."  The answer given in the book is A, but isn't C correct? I used Google and found this example "DNA technology is a powerful set of techniques that ALLOWS scientists to examine, change, and create new genetic material"
102445
I'm having some issues with a sentence that is part of the purpose in a report that I'm writing. I'm not sure if the word "communicate" (in bold) should be singular or plural.  The applications in the "set" will communicate with each other, not with other "sets".     The purpose of this report is to develop a sample set of applications   that communicates between services on the internet, mobile devices   and a central processing unit in a motor vehicle.
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I am writing my thesis, and the title goes as follows "A study of data mining techniques for ...". I wonder if it would be better to omit the indefinite article "a" in the title, i.e. "Study of data mining techniques for ..." Perhaps both titles are correct, but probably one of the two is more appropriate (but I don't know which one because I am not a native English speaker).
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Which is the most appropriate improvement in the following     I am surprised that he dares speak in such a tone to his father.     a) he dares to speak b) he dare to speak c) he dare speak    I think the answer should be 'c' but the book says 'a'.
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If asking a question or giving instruction towards a group of objects where the number is unknown (and possibly could be one) what is the correct way to phrase the sentence? Which of the following sentences are more correct:     Has there been any studies regarding this and if so what has been the   conclusion?   OR     Has there been any studies regarding this and if so what have been the   conclusions?
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Should you put an “a” here in the blank after such?     Alpha is supposed to warrant the connection between Beta and Gamma. But ____ connection seems to be already warranted.    Which one is correct instead of ____, such or such a?
120270
I want to write a sentence "You can put any ... on our platform". ... is a phrase that would mean articles, online courses, educational videos, etc.  1) What would be the appropriate phrase?  2.1) Is "learning materials" too narrow for the intended meaning? 2.2) Is "educational content" too formal?
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I am pretty much sure that for native speakers the issue I am going to bring up might look as an uncalled question as they can easily figure out which form of a verbal part of speech should be used, be it a gerund, an infinitive, or a bare infinitive. However, it can be pretty much misleading for a foreigner because the same construction works differently with different words and I don’t see a logical explanation. For example:  The purpose of this article is to analyze the issue…  My hobby is reading. One may assume, and many foreigners really come to this conclusion, that it’s OK to switch the “gerund” and “infinitive” as the meaning will stay the same, that is:  The purpose of this article is analyzing the issue… (same as 1 above)  My hobby is to read. (same as 2 above)   However, as I was told, this assumption is erroneous. Another example: His task was watching after them. (not good) His task was to watch after them. Is there any principle which governs the choice of the right form in such cases?
94634
I will begin with a disclaimer, I am not an English native speaker, but I can speak fluent English and understand English in almost all research papers I read.   However, occasionally I come across some papers published in peer reviewed journals  with ridiculously complicated sentence structure using relic non-technical vocabulary that no one in the past century has heard of!   Here is one of my favorites:     The algorithm fathoms in a synergetic manner globally, and an antagonistic depth quest locally.   Whatever that means!  Don't get me wrong, the content of such papers can sometimes be informative, but I can't help but get frustrated over such over complication in language! I can spend days trying to decipher what the author was trying to convey and I occasionally give up on the entire paper.  So my question is, why do authors feel the need to hide their amazing ideas/contributions behind such language barrier? Would it hurt to write the paper in a simple fashion such that any reader with the required technical background can understand it?      auth'rs, wherefore thee doth this?
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I am having trouble working out whether the following two uses of practice should be the verb (-ise) or the noun (-ice). Can anybody please help clarify?   Every single member of our staff practices/practises discipline A practiced/practised workforce   I am interested in an answer based on UK English.
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In The Elements of Style, the authors give this example:     She thought the study of Latin a waste of time.   I cannot understand why the verb is has been omitted. Should not this sentence be as:     She thought the study of Latin is a waste of time.
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Put the book back on the table.   I'm having trouble. I think it is a preposition.
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English, having originated as a germanic language, uses premodifier noun adjuncts (is this the right terminology?) to form compound nouns like "science fiction writer". However, English also says "table of contents", where "of contents" is a prepositional phrase I would think. Now, I write texts or translate and get corrected by reviewers and proof-readers, who are English and serious people, while I am not. For example, recently I wrote "density of water" and was corrected to "water density". It gets worse, I feel, when there are several premodifiers e.g. I wrote "plant of the Cimenterie Nationale d'Haïti" and was corrected to "Cimenterie Nationale d'Haïti plant".  What is the rule? Is there a recommended limit to the number of premodifiers? Perhaps not more than two? Science fiction writer sounds OK. What is the correct terminology talking about this issue?  With many thanks!
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I'm reading a book, and I found a sentence where I don't understand the grammar. It seems as the writer wants to write a statement, but uses the structure of a question. The sentence is highlighted in the following paragraph:     In the first ten paragraphs, he touted his engineering skills, including his ability to design bridges, waterways, cannons, armored vehicles, and public buildings. Only in the eleventh paragraph, at the end, did he add that he was also an artist. "Likewise in painting, I can do everything possible," he wrote.      Isaacson, Walter. (2017) Leonardo da Vinci.   Shouldn't that sentence start with "he added" instead of "did he add" since it's not a question? If it's correct, is it something people usually use when they speak, or is it more like something you would find in books?
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I want to ask about two sentences, and what would be the correct way to form a question:     It's very important that we eat healthy food, ...........?     Which would be the correct question tag: (isn't it) or (don't we)?      It's a must that all applicants follow the rules of the competition, ..........?    Which would the correct question tag: (isn't it) or (don't they) or (mustn't they)?   Please could you tell me the correct answers, and, more importantly, why those are correct?
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An acquaintance recalled this specific example from an English textbook, but it is jarring to my native ear. Is this an example of prescriptive grammarians gone wild?
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Is the following grammatically correct? My friend says the second sentence is grammatically incorrect, but couldn't explain why.     I have always been fascinated by statistics. The different ways in   which you could look at data and infer knowledge from it.
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What is it called when you use many words to describe the word you want to use?  I know there is a technical word that's used in foreign language acquisition that means using many words to describe a word you don't know.  I'm doing it now, just talking and beating around the bush until someone can tell me the word I'm looking for.