Neal has a good answer. Here's some examples: "You can stay as long as you like" (can't use "so") The rest mean the same thing. "So long as I'm the boss, it will be done this way" "As long as I'm the boss, it will be done this way" "We can watch TV so long as you don't wake the baby" "We can watch TV as long as you don't wake the baby"

They are variations of the same word. Just different spellings that evolved. It was originally straitjacket and that is more proper. A strait is a narrow passageway of water. It's a rarely used word, so most often when it's seen the person misspelled straight. A straight is something that doesn't bend (e.g. a straight line)

There's several reasons to use passive. One is if you don't know who the actor is: "The door was opened" (But I don't know who opened it) To emphasize the receiver of the action (or if the actor is irrelevant) "John was kicked out of school by me" (focuses on John) "I kicked John out of school" (focuses that I did it)

It means over the normal price. "I paid a large premium by waiting until last minute to buy tickets"

"to" just means destination, it can be used with many different verbs to describe how it moved. "I swam to the other side of the pool" "I handed the book to her" "I usually bike to work" "Go to" is the act of moving. "I usually go to work on my bike" (really you'd use the example a few lines above) "He should go to the hospital" "The award went to Joe" (Went is past tense of go)

US: 12oz cans $0.75 from vending machine $0.25 from grocery store (12 pack) Sydney must be talking about a 2 liter bottle

8. To be cut out for is to be capable, a natural fit, goes well together. "With his long legs he's cut out for running" 9. Absorbed in means you don't want to stop. 10. Tear somebody away means to make them stop something they were enjoying. "Johnny is absorbed into that video game. He wouldn't go to bed. I had to tear him away " 11. Be attached to means really like something, that it's important to you. "Johnny was attached to his cat. He never got over his death. " 12. Backed up means a long line or a flow that's not moving fast. 13. Back something up means to stop the flow so a line forms. "The drain got clogged and the water backed up" or "Johnny dropped his toy in the water and it backed the toilet up." 14. Bound for is Destined for or direction headed in. "I'm headed west, I'm bound for California" 15. Be yourself is to act like you normally do. Feel yourself is to feel like you normally do (means you are better. Not sick anymore) 17. Be hard up for means to need it badly. "I lost my job, and I'm hard up for money" 19. Be in the dark means you don't know what's going on. "He made changes to our paper without telling me. He left me in the dark" 20. Be stuck means unable to continue or you don't know what to do next. "I got stuck on this math problem. I don't know what to do with this variable"

1. As (but remove the The). If you need the "the" then "as part of" 2. "alone", "by themself" or "without help"