Hello! I'm reading a book about construction grammar. There is an example sentence in the book: There was cat all over the road. The book says this is a tragic story (a cat was dead), which makes me a little confused. Because according to my knowledge, the more acceptable sentence is "There were cats all over the road". However, this sentence has nothing to do with one pathetic cat. So my questions are: ① Why does this sentence mean the cat was dead ? ② If it does have a special meaning, Is this a generally accepted expression or just a temporary art of speech? (Because this sentence would be considered grammatically incorrect in English learning.) Thanks a lot!

"That's arm-and-leg-costing! "——A weird idea struck me (umm..it's just so weird, LOL) A few days ago, I learned how to use the "-" in English. Such as "save time" and "time-saving", "prepare well" and "well-prepared", "crushed ice-making machine" and "crushed-ice-making machine". I also picked up an idiom "It costs an arm and a leg". So~, does the adjective "arm-and-leg-costing" exist? Or could native speakers understand if someone uses it?

Is this sentence correct? Could you guys check it, please:) "So likely to be treated with leniency are the minor offenders that they are hardly made aware of the seriousness of their crimes." Is this sentence correct? And is it proper for academic writing?

I want to learn and accumulate some English idioms. Could you please share some of your favorite idioms?

【The reasons and measures of animal decrease】Do you guys have any suggestions？❤ Direction: Many animals are disappearing faster than ever before. What are the reasons? What can be done to improve the situation? There is a pressing issue that animal species are dying out at an unprecedented rate, especially accompanied by urbanization. Many authorities and individuals are concerned about this issue as it would decrease biodiversity, destroy the ecological balance, and even threaten the existence of mankind itself. Therefore, analysis of the reasons is essential, which is helpful in identifying relevant measures. From my perspective, the causes of this problem are manifold. First and foremost, natural habitats of numerous animals have been largely destroyed so that some species have become completely extinct from the earth. Especially in those countries which are experiencing rapid urbanization, thousands of acres of forests and wetlands have been encroached, which gives rise to the homeless animals on the verge of extinction. In addition, it can be attributed to a lack of consciousness of animal protection. For instance, some commodities made of endangered animals’ body parts, like ivories and shark fins, are so popular with consumers that illegal hunting goes rampant. Last but not least, inadequate protection measures, such as the absence of relevant legislation, is supposed to be taken into consideration as well. It was not until 2012 that regulations were introduced to limit the consumption of shark fin in China. However, the shark populations had plummeted as hundreds of thousands of sharks were slaughtered relentlessly. To address this concern, effective measures should be taken. It is the government that should play the leading role. Firstly, it is necessary for the government to allocate funds to restore the natural habitats by establishing nature reserves. Besides, citizens are supposed to be made aware that protecting wildlife is protecting human beings. Sticking to this principle, people will reduce their consumption of animal products. At last, stricter laws and regulations should be issued to punish those who slaughter animals illegally.