Help me, plz

[impeccableman]

Teachers, check this out.
Q1: " We suspect they are trying to hide something, hence need for an independent inquiry."
Is it grammatically correct? Is an article "a" needed to be put before "need"?

Q2: "Shanghai has been a traditional base for textile and garment industry."
Is it grammatically and semantically correct? Can I use "of" instead of "for"?

Q3: Can "stay" be a transitive verb? Can I say " I don't want to stay you in the classroom." If I don't want to use " detain you in the classroom", could you suggest other alternatives giving the same meaning?

Q4: "Volunteers play a major role in tasks like registering guests, answering the phone and supervising the cleaning and maintenance."
Is it grammatically correct?
Given that I made no mention of "registering guests, ...", should I omit the article "the"?
Should it be "answering phones" instead of "answering the phone"?

Q5: Is there any difference between "arts" and "art"?

[Pete]

Teachers, check this out.
Q1: " We suspect they are trying to hide something, hence need for an independent inquiry."
Is it grammatically correct? Is an article "a" needed to be put before "need"?
I'm just going by what sounds natural to me on this one; I haven't found any "rules" to quote. In the form it is now, I'd add "the" before "need":
- …, hence the need for an independent inquiry.
Note that with this structure, the part after the comma does not have a verb, so it really can't stand as a separate clause. I'd say that it is probably short for,
- …, hence there is the need for an independent inquiry.
Interestingly, however, and here I really can't say why this is so, in the form with "there is", it would seem better either to use "a" instead of "the" or possibly even omit the article altogether.

Q2: "Shanghai has been a traditional base for textile and garment industry."
Is it grammatically and semantically correct? Can I use "of" instead of "for"?
Yes, it is fine with either "of" or "for". It would also be OK, and probably a bit more common, to say "… the textile and garment industry.

Q3: Can "stay" be a transitive verb? Can I say " I don't want to stay you in the classroom." If I don't want to use " detain you in the classroom", could you suggest other alternatives giving the same meaning?
The verb "stay" can be transitive, but not in the sentence you have here. In fact, I think the only way I have ever heard it used with an object may be in the phrase, "stay the course", which means to continue with the current plan or activity.

I'd say the most natural way to express the thought of your sentence is,
- I don't want to keep you in the classroom.
As you suggest, "detain" would also work.

Q4: "Volunteers play a major role in tasks like registering guests, answering the phone and supervising the cleaning and maintenance."
Is it grammatically correct?
Given that I made no mention of "registering guests, ...", should I omit the article "the"?
Should it be "answering phones" instead of "answering the phone"?
I'm not sure what the reference to "registering guests" in your first question here means; the sentence sounds fine to me as it stands. I'd say that if in this location there is one phone (or it is the kind of place where having a single phone is likely), you would say, "answering the phone". If in this place there are several phones (or if this is the sort of place where there are likely to be a number of phones), you would say "answering phones". Both would be natural in the right contexts.

Q5: Is there any difference between "arts" and "art"?
Here are my feelings. When I say "arts", I usually am referring to several artistic fields inclusively:
- The government supports the arts. (It supports painting, music, drama, dance, etc.)
- That university is a good place to study the arts.

If I say "art" in some particular context, that probably makes clear which "art" I mean: "The art of sculpture." "The art of dance." "With her, quilting is definitely an art."

If I say "art" without any particular context, I probably mean the "visual arts".
- I can tell that my child had an art lesson today. (He brought home a crayon drawing that he made.)
- I really like art. (With no other context, the speaker probably means painting, drawing, sculpture, etc., not music or drama.)

[impeccableman]

Thx Pete ^_^