http://www.englishforums.com/English/GeneralEnglishVocabularyIdiom-Questions/Forum29.htmHelp with defining words and idioms, and new words and idioms that you've learntenXMOD (Build: 3616.28671)http://www.englishforums.com/English/ByCommon/wcvxj/post.htm#679845Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:25:55 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:679845IMPSX-EF0http://www.englishforums.com/English/ByCommon/wcvxj/post.htm#679845http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments29-679845.xmlBoston Common - a shared area - for public use. "By" is hard to define, at least for me. By the time I get to Phoenix, she'll be risin'. (And I'll be long gone.) Hi, Avangi, Thanks for your reply! I get it now!http://www.englishforums.com/English/ByCommon/wcvxj/post.htm#679422Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:49:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:679422Avangi1http://www.englishforums.com/English/ByCommon/wcvxj/post.htm#679422http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments29-679422.xmlBoston Common - a shared area - for public use. "By" is hard to define, at least for me. By the time I get to Phoenix, she'll be risin'. (And I'll be long gone.)http://www.englishforums.com/English/ByCommon/wcvxj/post.htmTue, 24 Feb 2009 00:59:57 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:679397IMPSX-EF2http://www.englishforums.com/English/ByCommon/wcvxj/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments29-679397.xmlCentral Park was set in a rectangular site covering over 800 acres in the middle of Manhattan Island. By the nineteenth century, the original forest was long gone. (Hi! What does "by" mean in this context? Does it mean "before", or "during" ?) The area had been used as a common pasture for farm animals, but eventually it deteriorated into a kind of urban wasteland, dotted with garbage dumps. (What is the meaning of "common" in this sentence? Should I get it as "shared", or "ordinary" ? I just found several definitions for "common" in the dictionary, so... I am not sure that which one is better for this case. What is your opinion? Thank you very much for your...