This tag is used for questions about how a word or phrase is interpreted by a Native English speaker.
Questions tagged [interpretation]
219 questions
10
votes
3 answers
'Fail to take' interpretation
The skin graft failed to take.
What does 'take' do here?
What is the right way to interpret the verb 'take'?
gomadeng
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8
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How should I read a sentence with multiple "to"s?
Planting a glyphosate-resistant crop commits a farmer to using that herbicide for the season, probably to the exclusion of all other herbicides and other weed-control practices. （TOEFL）
I'm not sure how to read this sentence. Should I read it as…
ForOU
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7
votes
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"Improving pain", is it desirable?
I have read improving together with terms like pain multiple times, and never was confident this means the pain is reduced so its an improvement of pain in a sense of suffering.
Or it might mean the pain is improved in a sense of making it more…
Zaibis
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5
votes
1 answer
How do you interpret this english sentence?
On a message board where we discuss English grammar in our native language (which is Japanese), there is a discussion about how to interpret this sentence:
You'll be frustrated with anything less than a desktop operating system and as much…
KTDon
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3 answers
"All X but Y including W did Z" -> did W do Z?
In a the construction "All X but Y including W did Z", is it understood as W did Z, or W didn't do Z?
Example: "All kids but 2 including Bob got a candy". Did Bob get a candy?
Franck Dernoncourt
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3
votes
1 answer
How to read this confusing sentence by Henry James?
The good thing, after all, was that we should surely see no more of him.
This was not so good a thing, I admit, as not to leave me to judge
that what, essentially, made nothing else much signify was simply my charming work.
Here is the Gutenberg…
Ampan
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3
votes
1 answer
Bill thought of the problem. vs. Bill thought about the problem
Bill thought of the problem carefully.
Bill thought about the problem carefully.
Any difference could be?
Only difference is 'of' and 'about'. This means the answer is the difference between 'of' and 'about'.
of : a friend of mine, the leg of…
gomadeng
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3
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2 answers
On the interpretation of this sentence that contains "of such of"
It is sufficient to say
that though the proof was invalid, the proposition remained
true, and carried with it the truth of such of Carnot's deductions as were based solely upon it.
I had some difficulties in trying to decipher the of such…
Norbert
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3
votes
2 answers
How many items did she want?
Source
I mentioned last week that I still have my grandmother’s button box. When she sold her house and dispersed her belongings it was one of the two things I wanted most. (Along with her sewing machine, which I foolishly let a cousin take to save…
user2492
2
votes
2 answers
What does "I did my George Washington report on beavers instead" mean?
I read a figure book. at the figure, i think that a girl reported to the student about not George Washington but beavers.
I am confused with interpretation of the sentence . I am not native speaker.
What does "I did my George Washington report on…
user175012
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2
votes
1 answer
Would "You were welcome" imply that this isn't anymore the case?
Someone told me he was thankful for being invited to my party.
I guess saying "I was thankful" is used because the party is now over, so the feeling of being thankful faded away.
Would I answer "You are welcome"?
Or would I have to answer "You were…
Zaibis
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2
votes
1 answer
Spoken text in need of interpretation
I shall not dwell on that, but pass on to the taxpayers’ revolt. We
people don’t see the effect of all this. You know we used to say we
must have this money to help pay the taxes, this liquor tax of 70
millions a year.
I want the boys particularly…
Registered User
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2
votes
1 answer
"We aren’t going for the simple reason that we can’t afford it." (Is this sentence having dual meaning?)
"We aren’t going for the simple reason that we can’t afford it."
We aren't going for A (negate A) : A is not the reason. (We have another reason besides the simple reason)
We aren't going (negate going) : We are not going (We are not going…
gomadeng
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2
votes
1 answer
I know of him vs. I know about him
I know "I know about him" but don't know "I know of him"
Question is: I know of him. What does this mean or imply?
PS. think of vs know of is a totally different phrase
gomadeng
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2
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1 answer
What's the meaning of "working for himself" in this sentence "He’ll never get anywhere working for himself—he’s got no discipline."
He’ll never get anywhere working for himself—he’s got no discipline.
for himself is alone(not working together with other people)?
for himself is for the benefit of himself like "selfish"(no benefit to others)?
gomadeng
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