Which sentence is more natural or better, by using the present tense or the present perfect tense? ・These days / Nowadays portable electronic devices are widely used, and more and more people read e-books. ・Recently / lately portable electronic devices have been widely used, and more and more people have read e-books. If there are any mistakes, I'd like you to correct them, too. Thank you.

Is this "have" a causative verb or not? I found this sentence in a book. and I'd like to make sure my understanding about this "have" is correct or not. Some say it is a causative verb, and others say not. I have an important meeting scheduled at the same time. I thought like this: (1) a causative verb ⇒ S+V+O+C If so, I think the meaning could not make sense. I can understand if it says: I regret having 2 important meetings scheduled at the same time. (2) not a causative verb ⇒ S+V+O I understand this because it could be "I have an important meeting which is scheduled at the same time." Thank you.

Which is better to say, foreign people or foreigners? I have learned "foreign people" is better to say than "foreigners." An English dictionary also says "foreigners" is sometimes offensive. However, the other day one foreign friend told me "foreigners" would be better to use. Thank you.

Does "When will they use a new computer system starting from?" make sense? I'd like you to tell me which one is possible and to explain why the others are impossible. <Affirmative sentence> They will use a new computer system starting next year. <When-Question> 1. When will they use a new computer system starting? 2. When will they use a new computer system starting from? 3. When will they start to use a new computer system? 4. When will they start using a new computer system? Thank you.

What does "the not-for-credit issue" mean? This expression is used in a conversation between a student and a professor in the TOEFL listening section. Would you please explain its meaning? Professor says, "There's a form we have to fill out that gives my permission and says you understand the not-for-credit issue." Thank you.

the structure: were a railroad strike to take place I would like you to teach me the grammar about this sentence: ..., believing that the U.S. economic recovery would be threatened were a railroad strike to take place. I couldn't find "subject" for "were," and then I guessed the meaning from the context. I though it like this: ..., believing that the U.S. economic recovery would be threatened if a railroad strike were to take place. Is this used the subjunctive mood and inversion? Thank you.

a question with "rarely" Statement: He rarely smokes at home. Question: Does he rarely smoke at home? Answer: Yes, he does. I saw this "answer" in a workbook. Is this correct? I think it could be "No, he doesn't" or "No, he rarely does." Thank you.

I agree with the idea that all restaurants should adopt a non-smoking policy. There are more non-smoking restaurants than before these days in the world. I agree with the idea that all restaurants should adopt a non-smoking policy. There are several reasons for this. The first reason is that the smoke ruins the taste of my meal in a restaurant. I heat the smell, so I cannot enjoy eating there at all. Some restaurant owners are afraid that the number of customers would decrease if all the seats were non-smoking, but they don not have to worry if they serve delicious meals. For instance, I know some of my coworkers smoke, but they enjoy delicious dishes in a non-smoking restaurant and often go to the restaurant. The second reason is that secondhand smoke is also bad for our body. I am afraid of the risk of passive smoking. I have heard it is more harmful than smoking itself. Secondhand smoke contains more harmful substances for our body. Never do I want to die from secondhand smoke, because it is not by my fault. Not only does secondhand smoke harm our body but also its harmful substances on the walls and the furniture inside a restaurant are really bad for our health. It is impossible for non-smokers to escape the risk. I think there are also some food servers who hate smoking, and most cooks or chefs want diners to enjoy their meals. The third reason is that smoking is bad for our body. Everybody knows smoking causes lung cancer. The rate of mortality form lung cancer in smokers is higher than that of death in non-smokers. I hear it is hard for smokers to stop smoking. I’m sure they can stop if they have a strong will power. If my family members smoked, I would help them stop smoking because I would like nobody to die from lung cancer. In conclusion, I think all restaurants should adopt a non-smoking policy. I do not want smokers to ruin the dishes I enjoy in a restaurant, I do not want to have lung cancer, and I do not want people to have lung cancer, either. (Thank you for taking the time to read.)

Taking a job that requires a lot of traveling. A lot of companies have had nationwide or worldwide business. Either we like or dislike to work outside our companies, we need to do it these days. I think it is good to take a job requiring a lot of traveling. There are 3 reasons for this. Firstly, we can see a lot of business styles. When we visit other companies, either they are good or not, we can learn something from their own business and compare our business styles with theirs. That influences our business a lot. For example, one of the companies I have visited has a cafeteria, and there are often many employees exchanging their ideas there energetically. The manager told me that the situation had changed. They have become accessible to each department, and they can exchange their ideas any time they want. I recommended that we should have such a cafeteria in our company. My company accepted my suggestion and had one last year. Secondly, it is important to get much information about different places to broaden our knowledge. We can know a lot of places by traveling either domestically or internationally. Let me tell you a good example. I make it a rule to visit a sightseeing spot to know about a city after working, and then I have some good ideas from a place or local people. Finally, it is possible to have chances so as to expand our business. Traveling on business gives us a lot of chances to do business nationwide or worldwide. Information about places, and customers gives us some clues so that we can expand our business. In my case, I have some friends from each place. When we open a branch in another city, they help me a lot. So do I, of course. In conclusion, it is good for us to take a job requires a lot of traveling. We can cultivate ourselves, know many people, and have a lot of business chances.