texts: Single Word for "Expected Disappointment"

texts:
I feel like I know this word/phrase (may not necessarily be English, but it would be a common borrowed term) on the tip of my tongue but I can't seem to recall it.

It has a feeling/tone like "expected disappointment". Not quite "disheartening", nor "disenchanting" but along those lines.

The sentence I plan to use it in relates to where our solar system is placed in the galaxy - the revelation that we live on one of the smaller inconspicuous minor spiral arms of our milky way instead of a major one.

The wider historical context stems from our past belief that we are something special to the universe; the Sun, planets and the stars revolve around us. But as we progress in science, we discover that Earth moves around the Sun, that our star, the Sun, is only one of many in the Milky Way, and that our Milky Way, is only one of a set of extremely common galaxies, etc.

  It's a little bit _____ to know that we live in one of the minor spiral arms - that in reality, we really aren't that special after all.


texts: adjective describing outcome of simulation using actual as opposed to approximate inputs

texts:
In the solar energy industry we often want to estimate the expected energy output of a PV system. This calculation requires 2 sets of inputs. First are various physical and electrical characteristics of the PV system in question, such as solar module pitch, orientation and nominal power. The second is solar irradiance data at the PV system's location. Based on these inputs a model can calculate an expected energy output.

The lifecycle of a PV system can be divided into pre-installation and post-installation. Pre-installation the system only exists as a design on the drawing board. During this phase, we want to predict the energy output of the proposed PV system. At this point, the inputs are approximate; the PV system characteristics are planned, not physically real yet (e.g. circumstances may require the installer to place the modules at a different angle than planned), and solar irradiance data are historical averages (e.g. in the last 10 years, the average radiation incident in June was 200 W/m²). We're assuming that the historical average is a good basis for prediction. The outcome of this calculation we call predicted energy output.

Now let's say the PV system has been installed 1 month ago. We could re-do the expected energy output calculation, but now with actual inputs; we know exactly how the modules are installed and we know exactly how much solar irradiance the location received since the installation. The outcome of this calculation represents how much this PV system should have generated in normal operating conditions, given the solar irradiance actually received there. If this outcome is significantly higher than the actual kWh energy output, which is measured independently, that would indicate a technical failure of some kind (e.g. a faulty inverter).

So fundamentally there's very little difference between the two uses of the same model (pre- and post-installation), it's just that the inputs for the second describe reality better. I'm looking for adjectives to distinguish the two. I like the term predicted energy output for the pre-installation calculation, but what adjective could be used to describe the energy output from the post-installation calculation?

Expected is too ambiguous. Inferred suggests a tentative conclusion reasoned from evidence, but sounds like a bit of a stretch here. Simulated sounds better but could just as well be used to describe the pre-installation calculation. Normal, perhaps? What are your suggestions?


texts: Life is filled with sources of stress, many/ much of which

texts:
I am wondering if it is possible to use both forms or not.

Stress is uncountable while source is countable.

Life is filled with sources of stress, much of which cannot be avoided.
Life is filled with sources of stress, many of which cannot be avoided.


texts: How to distinguish speaker (person) from speaker (thing, loudspeaker) without using the word loudspeaker?

texts:
I want to say "You are just a speaker in a conference room" meaning that you get reduced to a tiny loudspeaker on a conference room full of people where you are actually connected to via teleconference. The main idea I want to convey is that you, to all practical effects, effectively are that tiny loudspeaker people hear you through and that the people in the room just forget about you as a person.

I can see how the original phrase can be interpreted correctly as "You are a person talking in a conference room".

Finally, even with other expressions like "You get reduced to a speaker in a conference room" the same problem appears even if maybe less pronounced.

So, can we do something to make evident I'm talking about speaker (thing) and not speaker (person)? I think that the conference room part helps with the confusion...


texts:
I’m reading Alice in Wonderland, and found the following dialogue:

“The master was an old Turtle — we used to call him Tortoise—”
“Why did you call him Tortoise, if he wasn’t one?” Alice asked.
“We called him a Tortoise because he taught us.”

What is the relationship between “he taught us” and “Tortoise”? Is this some kind of pun or joke?


texts: Why we need two forms of preferred personal pronouns?

texts:
Regarding the fact that this is still somehow a hot topiс in English language-speaking communities I need to stress out that is a serious and respectful question without even a trace of intention to mock someone's preferences or to doubt one's right to self-identification.
Quite often in twitter profile people point out personal pronoun they prefer. As a non-native speaker what I don't understand why one need to provide the pronoun in two cases. For instance, consider following profiles: "he / him" or "she / her". If one prefer to be referred "he" in Nominative case, doesn't it imply that in Dative/Accusative (or whatever is the right term in English) they will expect to be referred as "him" and for Genitive they will prefer "his".
So, the question is: why there it's usually common to list two forms and why exactly this two forms: not "he" / "his", for instance.


texts:
What's this notation for marking up pronunciation?

  analgesic: ann-ull-JEE-zick

What's a good introductory article or book to learn it?


texts: What to call spending time on things increasingly less related to, but required for, the main issue?

texts:
I'm looking for something to call a complicated situation where a task is delayed due to unexpected work on other things required for work on it.

A concise thing to say as an answer to "how's the progress on A", that explains why it wasn't even started, without going on a long, technical-term-peppered rant going something like "Work on A needs B, which isn't available atm, but we thought we could adapt a C with just a tweak, but C1 keeps giving a resource state error and it turns out C2's hardware doesn't support that(...) so now we're helping Z get their job done faster so they can release Y which X need for W if they are to lend us V which is the only available(...)"

Something like "getting sidetracked", but with a meaning more like "searching for a way past the blockade on the main track, and so far only running into more blockades despite reasonable expectations otherwise".
Not losing sight of the goal but failing to approach it, often going even further away in hope of finding a route.


texts: Why "hundreds of s" instead of "hundreds of "?

texts:
In the expression hundreds of <noun>(s), I would think that hundreds is what's being modified because of is usually right-branching:

hundreds<-{of <noun>(s)}

(This is in contrast to X hundred <noun>s, in which X hundred is clearly the modifier, and hence the plural.)
If so, I can't see any reason (apart from overwhelming usage, of course!) why <noun> must be plural. To me, the idea expressed seems to be a multiplication of some sort:

X00 * abstract instance of <noun>

(This would then be similar to the formal "There are two kinds of person.")
Is the singular archaic, and did we somewhere along the way begin thinking more along the lines of {hundreds of}-><noun>s than hundreds<-{of <noun>}, or am I completely off?
Evidence from Google Books:

I have asked many hundreds of person of all classes respecting their own places of residence. (1843)
... there was every reason to suppose that an epidemic would be certain to lay claim to hundreds of victim. (1869)
The officers of Police could point to hundreds of person who lived solely by picking pockets and other selonious acts ... (1792)
I have traveled hundreds of mile by rail, buggy, lumber wagon, and on foot. (1889)
For hundreds of year it was the coronation site and burial ground of Polish monarchs, saints, and national heroes. (2010)


texts:
According to Longman Dictionary the droll comeback...

  and I’m the Queen of Sheba
  (humor) used as a reply when someone claims that they are famous or that they have done something impressive, but you do not believe them

  ‘I’d like to reserve a table for tonight – this is Demi Moore.’
  ‘Oh yeah, and I’m the Queen of Sheba.’

A movie poster of The Queen of Sheba, an Italian drama/romance movie released in 1952

Amazingly, Phrase Finder has no information on this pithy rejoinder.

I believe that the catchphrase is a snowclone of “I'm the Queen of England” or "I'm the King of Siam" but which came first? And why is it the Queen of Sheba and not some other ancient or mythological kingdom?
I have a sinking feeling that it is terribly old-fashioned nowadays. What would be its modern-day counterpart?


texts: What's the right tense for these sentences?

texts:
I have finished writing a somewhat important document and had it proofread through an online service. Although I am no expert, the editor made a few changes I don't understand. Would you please tell me whether those changes are appropriate and why?

  [At some point in the past I did something] hoping to become eligible
  [to do something else].

  [At some point in the past I did something] with the hope to be
  eligible [to do something else].

Ok, 'with the hope' sounds better, but does 'be' instead of 'become' convey the same meaning?

  (...) I learnt about concepts I would later have encountered in [a
  certain class].

  (...) I learnt about concepts I would later encounter in [a certain
  class].

At the time of writing, I have finished that class. Does the second version make that clear?

  [Some things I achieved] make me every day more determined [to do
  something else].

  [Some things I achieved] have meant that every day I am more
  determined [to do something else].

Why? I find the editor's version more clunky...


texts:
It is very common to use the verb 'to be' before adverbs of frequency as in the following example:

  Her cake is usually tasty.

However, I came across the following construction in which the verb 'to be' is used after the adverb of frequency:

  Her cake wasn't as good as it usually is.

I was wondering why the verb 'to be' appeared after the adverb of frequency in the last construction.


texts: "Back to school" as an adjective or noun

texts:
What would be a good noun to call a person who deliberately, willfully makes a "back to school" trip to get a refresher on a subject (like geometry, calculus, biology)? Humorous nouns and expressions accepted.
Examples of intended usage:

I am a ... in calculus.
She has been a ... in biology recently - she decided she needed a refresher in animals taxonomy.

A late student would sound a bit like an obituary. Not sure.
Not even sure I phrased my question correctly - "back to school" is a difficult idea to convey within a sentence.


texts:
What does 'could' mean in the following sentences Or how is 'could' different from 'can' in these sentences?

I appreciate any help you can/could provide.

I will appreciate any help you can/could provide.

I would appreciate any help you can/could provide.

Does could mean 'might be able to'? That is, I doubt your ability to provide help.

Well, I know the difference between 'can' and 'could' as I've gone through many dictionaries and forums to understand all the modal verbs. I just wanted to know whether my understanding of 'could' in relation to the given sentences is correct or not.


texts: Word order while using "to be interested in"-which one is correct?

texts:
How is the correct sentence, while using to be interested in with a little or a little bit (is this right?)

  I am interested a little in football.
  I am a little interested in football.
  I am interested in football a little.

Can we say "a little" or it is better to use "a little bit"? Is this a word choice or strict rule?


texts:
I'm Japanese student learning English.

In this tweet(https://twitter.com/HoopDistrictDC/status/1149523950587662336), it says
"Rui been on the team for like two weeks and he already got us on!"

What does "He got us on" mean?

I thought this was different form of "He got on with us", omitting "with".  Like they have been good friends each other.

Is this correct?


texts: Why does the suffix "monger" persist only for certain trades?

texts:
One definition of the suffix -monger is:

  denoting a dealer or trader in a specified commodity.

It is no longer common: I have always assumed it was more frequent in archaic usage.

What interests me, though, is why it has persisted only for certain trades. For example, we still say (at least in the UK) "fishmonger" for someone who sells fish and (more rarely) ironmonger for someone that sells metal items and tools.

So: why does this suffix only affix to certain trades. Why, for example, do we not say "clothmonger" for someone who retails cloth or yarn?


texts: Best way to rephrase the sentence (if needed)

texts:
I'm not sure if this is a correct section for this.

After writing and reviewing my sentence multiple times, I ended up with following:

  And yet, instead of succumbing to a fit of uncontrollable panic, I was feeling serene.

To me, the above example sounds a bit weird. But I'm not a native language user, so it might me because of that.

Is there any way I should restructure that sentence, or is it fine as is?

Please let me know if I need to provide more context.


texts: Or would I just use incomplete?  Would there be any instance that one would uncomplete?


texts:
What does "time and time over" mean ? I encountered this verse in a Philip Larkin poem.

  they come, they wake us  time and time over.


texts: Should indefinite articles be included in quotation-marks?

texts:
E.g.

I am writing about a book and I am quoting the author on how he reacted on Nov 8.

Is

  He hugged an "FT columnist, a fellow bruised, battered and besieged liberal-minded metrosexual, and therefore the nearest thing [he] could find to family".

or

  He hugged "an FT columnist, a fellow bruised, battered and besieged liberal-minded metrosexual, and therefore the nearest thing [he] could find to family".

more preferable?

Edit: to make it clear why I am putting the phrase in quotes.


texts:
Is there a word for when a word is pleasing to say?
I've found the word:

Euphonious (of sound, especially speech) pleasing to the ear.

But I'm looking for one that is specifically nice to say.
E.g.

Phychopathy
Specificity


texts: Placement of acronym vs words spelled out

texts:
I am confused whether to place the acronym before or after the words are spelled out. For example, the first time this organisation is mentioned, which of these alternatives is more correct:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established in 1958.

or

NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was established in 1958.

My intuition is that the first seems more correct, but I am not sure. Any ideas? Also, if you could point me to an official style guide or similar which clarifies this, I would be very grateful.
Edit:
The website Chicago manual style online has a Q&A section where the following is found:

Q. I work for a technical magazine. I’ve always been taught that when it comes to
acronyms, the rule is you spell out the words first followed by the acronym in
parentheses, and then use the acronym for later references in the copy. If there are no
other mentions of the acronym later in the copy, then you just spell it out without the
acronym in parentheses. Is this correct? My coworker is debating this with me.
A. Yes, that’s a good system. Sometimes it’s helpful to repeat the full name in later
chapters as a reminder. Occasionally, too, it makes sense to use the
acronym first and put the full name in parentheses, if the acronym in
question is so familiar to your expected audience that it almost goes
without explication.

Source: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Abbreviations/faq0009.html


texts: A word for evidence used to tell if someone has been in your room

texts:
I know there's an actual word for this. I used to know the word, but I've lost it.

The word describes a category of methods that someone uses to detect if someone has been in a room, or opened a door, or drawer, or folder, etc...

Examples:
1) Putting a strip of paper in a door jam, so it falls if someone opens the door.
2) Putting powder on the floor that will be removed or scattered.
3) Putting a ball behind a door in a specific location, so if the door is opened, it can't be placed back where it was with certainty.
4) Putting tape across a drawer that will be broken if the drawer is opened.

I imagine this word would be associated with forensic science, security, or criminal / legal work.


texts: Euphemism would mean putting across something that is possibly very hurtful in a very polite /mild manner. Is there any specific word for its antonym? The closest to this that I can think of is venomous


texts: What are differences between an "opposite" and "antonym" to a word?

texts: What are the differences between an "opposite" and "antonym"?


texts: What's difference between "car wheels" and "wheels of car"

texts:
What is differences between these two phrases:

Car wheels

Wheels of car


texts: What is the word for "gains made due to experience"?

texts:
What is the right phrase (or word) to describe "gains made when a person or organization repeatedly performs an act or operation"?

Economies of scale will arise due to increase in production. This will result in reduction of costs--but what are the benefits of experience?


texts:
1) order:
The verb order has different meanings. One of them is the following:

  to organize (things) in a particular list or series : to put things in a particular order or position

2) organise:
Also the verb organise has different meanings. One of them is the following:

  to arrange or order things so that they can be found or used easily and quickly : to put things into a particular arrangement or order

(Source of the definitions: http://www.learnersdictionary.com/)

My question refers only to the meanings of 1) and 2) above. I am not interested in other meanings. So with the definitions above I am not able to discover a difference between 1) and 2). But I assume that there are nuances between the word organise and order in the meaning 1) vs. 2).

So can you teach me exactly what the differences are?

Some examples: Is it exactly the same when I say:

1) The books are ordered alphabetically by author.
vs. The books are organized alphabetically by author.

2) His office is a mess. He needs someone to help him order his work/papers.
vs. His office is a mess. He needs someone to help him organize his work/papers.

3) She took a moment to order her thoughts before she responded.
vs. She took a moment to organize her thoughts before she responded.

4) The book is ordered around a central theme.
vs. The book is organized around a central theme.

5) I spent some time ordering my closet last weekend.
vs. I spent some time organizing my closet last weekend.

6) You need to learn to order better.
vs. You need to learn to organize better.

Edit: Added more examples:
7) I ordered the photos chronologically.
vs. I organized the photos chronologically.

8) Please order these files according to case significance.
vs. Please organize these files according to case significance.


texts:
I was having lunch with some German and American friends discussing about the state of an industry, when one of my friends said:

  ...... Industry has fell from great heights.

My German friends found it difficult to understand that phrase and unsure how to explain the meaning to them. How should I explain that phrase to them (in English)?


texts: Punctuation and listing two elements (when one of them is a list)

texts:
Wolf is a referee who provides scholarly peer review to the Israel
  Science Foundation and with the following journals:Journal of Public Economics, Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource
  Economists, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Journal of Economic
  Behavior and Organization, The Energy Journal, American Journal of Agricultural
  Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, Resource and Energy Economics,
  Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Canadian Journal of Economics, Journal of Economics,
  Southern Economic Journal, Ecological Economics, Journal of Public Economic Theory.

I want to rewrite the above sentence so that the Israel Science Foudation is placed at the end of the sentence. The objective of this rewriting is that Wolf's publications in journals has been more noteworthy than that with the Israel Science Foundation.
The trouble is that the Israel Science Foundation is not a journal, otherwise I would have listed it after the colon and after
American Journal of Agricultural Economics.  The research I did includes New Hart's Rules but I have not found anything helpfull.

Is the following attempt correct: ?

  Wolf is a referee who provides scholarly peer review to the following
  journals:Journal of Public Economics, Journal of the Association of
  Environmental and Resource Economists, Journal of Environmental
  Economics and Management, Journal of Economic Behavior and
  Organization, The Energy Journal, American Journal of Agricultural
  Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, Resource and Energy
  Economics, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Canadian Journal of
  Economics, Journal of Economics, Southern Economic Journal, Ecological
  Economics, Journal of Public Economic Theory.; as well as to the
  Israel Science Foundation.

How would you rewrite the sentence (preferably into one sentence)?


texts:
I have two questions regarding the following context:

"Thankfully, scientists are now much closer to understanding how facial recognition works, with significance for possible future remedies. In the meanwhile, their work is enjoying immediate application in law enforcement."

First: “with” means “which has”. And “which” refers to a whole sentence, so:
“The fact that scientists are now much closer to understanding how facial recognition works has significance for possible future remedies.”

Second: I don’t know the meaning of the whole bold part. However, I can guess the meanings of the individual words:
Enjoy: Have something as a feature or benefit
Application: practical use or the ability to be used for practical purposes
Work: their discoveries

Maybe the whole means: "the law enforcement is considering the practical use of their discovery because their achievements have many benefits." :) (I know it is totally wrong)


texts:
My understanding of vigilantism is that it constitutes any act motivated by a desire to seek justice outside of the state-enforced judicial system.
As such, can one be considered a vigilante if one's personal conception of justice doesn't match up with what the majority generally considers to be justice?

In Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz, for example, the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance murder those that they feel ruin their village's chances of winning village of the year. They're the villains of the film, but they claim to do what they do "for the greater good", so presumably from their point of view they've been punishing those that break the rules they've established for the town. The rules are bizarre, but they're rules nonetheless, and so, from a warped perspective, punishing those who break them could be considered a kind of justice.

With this in mind, could the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance be considered 'vigilantes', albeit villainous ones?

Edit: I think its worth clarifying - I mean more to ask whether the justice that an individual seeks has to be the one advocated by the state (as in nation-state, rather than US state), or could it be their own personal idea of justice? Does a vigilante have to uphold existing laws, or can they uphold their own?


texts: The meaning of Robinson Crusoe’s “and without with turf”

texts:
Towards night, I fixed upon a proper place, under a rock, and marked out a semicircle for my encampment ; which I resolved to strengthen with a work, wall, or fortification, made of double piles, lined within with cables, and without with turf.
The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner By Daniel Defoe

First published on 25 April 1719, the book is considered to be a classic and a forerunner of the modern English novel, which explains why snippets or entire passages are cited in English grammar/language books for Italian high school students and why I end up translating this into Italian for private students. But I'm stumped here.
There are a number of things which I find puzzling; the first being the singular noun a work, it is tempting to say that it must refer to a job, or a task but how does one strengthen a task?
Oxford Dictionaries provides a solution in its sixth definition

6  usually (works) Military
[count noun] A defensive structure.

Therefore, when Crusoe talked about a work he must have been referring to a type of small fort. Is that correct?
My next perplexity is the phrase “lined within with cables”. Does it mean the walls were lined inside with cables?
Finally, that strange expression “without with turf”. This seems to be an oxymoron, the walls of Robinson Crusoe's shelter were wadded with cables and without turf? Or were the walls covered with clumps of turf?
What did/does "without with" mean?


texts:
When life gives you lemons you say, "blah blah."

That is how i wrote the sentence. However, I am not sure about the period before the quotation mark.

the other question I have is that I am also not sure if I need to put something between the word 'lemons' and 'you'

I am probably overthinking this, but I want to write this in a nice card to someone, so I want to make sure it's written properly.


texts:
There is a photo of a baby girl with her brother but the baby can't be much Of differentiated as a girl or boy.
What would it be right to say?
It is a girl. Or
She is a girl.


texts: Where did the snowclone "X-Complete" come from?

texts:
I'm familiar with the phrases "Turing-complete" and "NP-complete" from the field of computing science. (Along with less common variations similar to NP-complete such as EXP-complete or PSPACE-complete.) I have also heard a particular programming language called Idris described as "Pac-man-complete" meaning that it is feasible to implement the game Pac-Man in it, since it has qualities in common with previous languages where that would not be so. I recently learned that the phrase "UV-complete" has also seen use to describe theories in physics.
At this point I think it's fair to say that the phrase "X-complete" has become a snowclone. I'm wondering if it is known where the snowclone originated. I might guess that it originated with either Turing-complete or NP-complete, since those are the variations I heard first, but I have no other evidence for that.


texts:
I was watching "Casualties of War" today.

One of the characters, a soldier, interrogates a suspected VC (Viet-Cong) old man by asking him "Are you VC? Number fucking ten?"

Is "number fucking 10" some kind of military slang, or maybe is it some mnemonic way to ask something in Vietnamese?


texts: How do you properly punctuate a list of expresssions?

texts:
If I'm listing expressions in a sentence, do I put the proper punctuation for the sentence as well as a comma after the expression?

For example:

Objectives

To learn to use the expressions "Would you like to run?", "Yes, I would.", and "No, I wouldn't."

OR

Objectives

To learn to use the expressions "Would you like to run," "Yes, I would," and "No, I wouldn't."

Additionally, should there be any punctuation after the word "expressions"?


texts: Is there a phrase to use when someone is using a tool incorrectly so that to barely achieve the result?

texts:
I am looking for hyperbolic word or phrase for the case when you are using very complex or capable thing in such a way that even though the purpose is served, it was not used in the optimal way thus the optimal result was also not achieved. Like when someone is using a car as a hand cart or something.

EDIT:
The message I want to convey is "you can do the same task in better way using the tool" and not "you can do the same task using a simpler tool".

While "A sledgehammer to crack a nut" represents the later idea, I am looking an expression for the former.


texts:
I'm used to seeing modal verbs followed by auxiliary verbs, like this:

  I should have been reading.

However, I've heard people say things like:

  I'm glad you did or I wouldn't met you.

  I knew we shouldn't trusted him.

Is this construction without the auxiliary informal?

Is there a difference if I rewrite those sentences as:

  I'm glad you did or I wouldn't have met you.

  I knew we shouldn't have trusted him.


texts:
Let's say that you catch your child eating a box of cookies alone. You scold him and forbid him from eating it as it is not for him to eat alone. Later, when the child is playing with his younger sibling, he realises the loophole. You forbade him from eating alone but he can have it with someone else.

Charlie saw a _______ smile spread on Devon's face as he looked at his sibling.

I am looking for a word to fill that blank. I am looking for something which would mean cunning or scheming, but not those words as they make it seem like an adult doing something nefarious. This is just an innocent child who has figured out a loophole to his advantage. There is no evil intent here. Do note that since this is in third person, so Charlie does not know what Devon is thinking only that something fishy is up.


texts: What is the word for a person who exhibits significant influence and power within a certain sphere who has no real position

texts: There is a word which describes a person with power and possibly political influence over a certain sphere who has no actual (governmental) position. Please, could someone kindly suggest such a word.


texts: What is the difference between metaphysical and spiritual?

texts:
I'm trying to explain the difference to a group, but cannot describe it myself.

Any analogy or anecdote will also help, in addition to the defining differences.


texts: Origin, logic, and range of use of the verb ‘untrack’ and the phrase 'get untracked'

texts:
One of the terms that appears in Merriam-Webster’s Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003) but not in the Tenth Collegiate (1993) or earlier editions of the Collegiate series is untrack:

  untrack vt (1939) : to cause to escape from a slump {couldn’t get untracked and played poorly throughout the game}

This definition suggests that “get untracked” has a lot in common with the phrase “get on track.” At the end of its entry for track, the Eleventh Collegiate offers this definition of on track:

  on track achieving or doing what is necessary or expected

Thus, to “get on track” means to return to one’s necessary or expected level of performance, or to one’s schedule for completing a task.

As a reader of sports reporting, I often encounter untracked in the Eleventh Collegiate’s sense. For example, from the Gainesville [Florida] Sun (November 1, 1987) [football game]:

  [Headline:] Florida's offense couldn't get untracked

From Bob Halloran, Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward (2007) [boxing]:

  “He caught me with some good shots early that stunned me. It threw my equilibrium off. He fought a great fight. He hurt me early, not really bad, but enough to get me a little dizzy. I just couldn't get untracked after that. He fought a great fight. He fought his fight. I take my hat off to him. No excuses. I was in great condition. Things happen in the ring, you always have a game plan, but sometimes you have to go to something else if that doesn’t work, and that’s what happened.”

And from the Belleville [Illinois] News-Democrat (November 14, 2014) [basketball game]:

  “The first half, we were awfully tight. We couldn't get untracked, we couldn't get going. I do think, overall, we had pretty good defense the whole game.”

I have several questions about the verb untrack in its idiomatic sense:

Where, when, and under what circumstances did this idiomatic usage originate? The MW coinage date of 1939 seems to apply to untrack in the specific sense of “escape from a slump,” since untracked as an adjective or adverb (as in “untracked wilderness” or “move untracked through the night”) appears to date back several centuries.
In the specific sense of “cause to escape from a slump,” what is the logic of the expression "get untracked"? To my knowledge, track does not have as one of its meanings “to be in or to cause to be in a slump.” Is “get untracked” simply based on a mishearing of “get on track”?
Is untrack, as defined in the Eleventh Collegiate, commonly used in any English-speaking countries outside the United States?


texts: The usage of "could" and "can" in questions

texts:
Which of the following is more appropriate?

Can you go?

Could you go?

Is there anything wrong in asking like this "Could you go?"


texts:
I need a pejorative word for a pupil, who is always having excellent grades at school. He or she would have little or no interest in any of the subjects, nor great understanding, achieving their marks by laborous and mindless cramming.

My intuition is that 'nerd' and 'geek' do not fit the model, 'nerd's being smart and 'geek's particularly interested in a subject. The model I am describing usually applies to at least one pupil in a class.


texts: "Three pieces of email" alternately to "three emails" in AE?

texts:
Does American English allow the use of "email" as a mass noun, in such a way that it is not uncommon to hear any such of the following phrases from native speakers?

I've still got a huge backload of email I'm trying to get through.

I've forwarded without comment a couple of pieces of email that I received overnight.

There's one last piece of email to read.

On average, three to six pieces of email are returned to the library every week.

Billions and billions of pieces of email are transmitted daily.

How much email do you have in your inbox?

Are you sending too much or too little email to prospects?


texts:
Which one is better?

I've eaten, shaved and showered.
I've eaten, shaven and showered.

The first one sounds more correct to me, but shouldn't we use the past participle shaven for the same reason that we use the past participle eaten? Why would shave take the ending -ed when eat takes the ending -en in the past participle?


texts: What word describes changing behavior from consuming or using services to contributing or providing?

texts:
I"m attempting to efficiently describe a threshold of when someone has moved from being a consumer to a contributor.  My context is a church setting.  I'm responsible for drafting a description of the different barriers or thresholds a person encounters or crosses in the process of integrating into a local congregation.

Here is what I have developed so far:

The first threshold is called resonance. This is the process of tentative agreement with the beliefs of the church, initial trust of the church leadership and sensing that this is a place where one can develop rewarding relationships.
The next threshold is participating in a class or small group and volunteering. I had hoped to find a word with some weight or vibe like "resonance." Perhaps induct?


texts: Can the word 'Proficiency' be used for non-living objects like Machinery,etc.?


texts:
Could someone please tell me how to complete the second sentence so that it has a same meaning to the first one using the given word? You must use between three and six words including the word given.

Your mobile phone should be switched off at all times during the performance.

world: should
2. Under no .... your mobile phone switched on during the performance.
Please note that you may not modify any part of the sentence apart from '...'. So 'Under no circumstances should your mobile phone be switched on during the performance' is incorrect.
I tried with: "circumstances should be" - but I think this is incorrect
I don't have any other idea. Please help.


texts: using the right word - dismantle or disassembling a fitted object

texts:
I am confused about using dismantling and disassembling when it comes to furniture like door or chair. Can we say we dismantle a door or disassemble a door or simply broke them apart,pull it out or something else?
Machines are usually dismantled. A fitted thing is not dismantled or disassembled?
Example
if the door itself was broken into smaller pieces, can we use any one word or should we use words like broken into or taken apart.For example a child may ask - can the fitted pieces of wood be taken apart or pulled out to be used again - although it may not be possible - how will I explain it to him?


texts:
In the context of the following excerpt, what expression should I use? And why?

  The husband's role is a fundamental element for the sick wife's well-being and life quality/quality of life.

Note that I gave the phrase a slight nominal twist for copyright concerns, and it should be used in an Academic context.


texts: How to properly pitch the following phrase

texts:
How can I properly pitch the following phrase.

"This connectivity stems two direct consequences"

I know there is some serious flaw in the above statement but I cannot find proper ways to express what I mean. I'll explain my thought below. (also see the image)

"Digital activities requires connectivity two things stem out of connectivity"


texts: Is there a word that encompasses both Aerodynamic and Hydrodynamic?

texts:
Note, this is similar to this question, but I already know the existence of both words, my issue is I want to know if there is a word that is a superset of both words, another xxx-"dynamic" if you will.

Words like "streamlined" don't appear to work for the context I'm trying to use this in, because streamlined isn't specific to "physical properties that make some object better at moving through a medium than another object of the same class".  Streamlined can refer to the cost, number of features or other efficiency related features that don't specifically have to do with efficiency of shape for going through a medium, ie "streamlined process" or "streamlined factory" or "streamlined features".

I'm thinking that colloquially I may be able to appropriately use Aerodynamic to describe both, but I'm not sure if there is a better word.

Situation where this word would be applied:

  You switched out the basic chassis with the [hydro/aerodynamic word replacement] chassis on your car, jet, or boat.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How to say the total amount?

Which is the correct way to spell out dollars and cents?

  Forty-Two Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($42,000.00)

or

  Forty-Two Thousand and 00/100 Dollars ($42,000.00)


texts: Which one is correct: "Where she fit in" VS. "Where she fit"?

texts:
I read the following sentences in a New York Times article ( "https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/nyregion/erika-menendez-suspect-in-fatal-subway-push-had-troubled-past.html"):

The case of Ms. Menendez, 31, puts renewed attention on a mental health system that is a loose amalgam of hospitals, supported housing, shelters and other advocacy and support groups, in which mentally ill people often bounce from one to the other and ultimately fall through the cracks. It is not known precisely where she fit in.

I wonder if "where she fit in” should be "where she fit" instead. "Where", as I understand, already contains the meaning of 'in the place that' or 'in situations that" so it seems redundant to add in after fit.

What is your opinion? Thanks for your help!


texts:
I am looking for a word that describes the relationship between two words that are not the same, are not used in lieu of the other, but are related in what they refer to.

Example, storm/monsoon. While monsoon may be substituted for storm occasionally, in a rather understated way, storm would not normally be substituted for monsoon.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, whether it’s suggestions or the information that no such word exists.


texts:
In today's exam, I had few grammar questions. I am doubtful in two questions. Please check my answers and correct the mistakes, if any.

1.Fill with suitable prepositions.

  There lived _ _ _ _ _ a forest a pride of lions _ _ _ _ _ several cubs

I wrote

  There lived in a forest a pride of lions with several cubs

2.Fill with suitable verb forms.

  Yarmuk _ _ _ _ French for the last 5 years but now he _ _ _ _ German.(learn)

I wrote

  Yarmuk has been learning French for the last 5 years but now he is learning German.

Am I right?


texts:
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 919):

8.1.2 Exclamative what
What occurs in NPs with a following noun head: there is no exclamative counterpart to the interrogative what of What did they bring with them?

Does that mean the exclamative what can only be used with a following noun head?
If so, what about this example from Oxford Dictionary?

(in exclamations) emphasizing something surprising or remarkable.
‘what some people do for a crust!’


texts: What is the grammar rule that states preference (in this example) between "exceeds" or "is exceeding"

texts:
A coworker and I have been discussing the grammar of an error message on a computer when downloading a file that is too big. The debate is between whether it should say "The file exceeds the maximum file size limit," or "The file is exceeding the maximum file size limit."

I looked up information about transitive/intransitive verbs as well as active/passive verbs, but I couldn't find the grammar or style rules that describe this type of situation (I think I just don't know what to look for.. hence the poorly-worded title). Any insight?


texts: Usage of the word entropy in the context of this question

texts:
Could someone define the word entropy for me in the context below.

"I have journeyed through the darkness between the most distant stars. I have beheld the births of negative-suns and borne witness to the entropy of entire realities..."

Source: http://starcraft.wikia.com/wiki/Zeratul


texts: Is there a comma required in this sentence?

texts:
Consider the following.

  He participated in one of the most challenging swimming competitions SwimFest-X in countryname-Y, which facilitated his success in Z.

or should there be a comma before SwimFest-X?

  He participated in one of the most challenging swimming competitions, SwimFest-X in countryname-Y, which facilitated his success in Z.

Why or why not?


texts: English term that groups notes and coins of a currency

texts:
I'm programming a web application and I need to name the "class of things" that are notes and coins.

So far the best I could find was "currency piece".

Is that the correct way of naming the notes and coins of a currency? Are there any alternatives?


texts: What do we call a person who adapts easily?

texts: I know that my mother will be fine after reaching there, she is a person who knows how to adapt very easily.


texts: Why is "is" not the error in this SAT sentence?

texts:
In this practice SAT question, the test-taker is required to identify the existence and location of an error in a sentence:

  True chalcedony is different from blue agate [in] the purity of its pale-blue color and, [of the two], [is] the gemstone [preferred]
  by jewelry makers. [No error]

I thought that the error was "is" because one couldn't tell whether the "is" was referring to the first or the second gemstone.

However, apparently, the error is "of the two" because "of the two" is redundant information. Why is "is" not the error?


texts: Inclusive term for alcohol, coffee and tobacco?

texts: I am looking for a word that can be used to describe alcoholic beverages, coffee and tobacco products collectively. The closest I can think of is "drug," but that is too broad. Namely, it includes other substances that are not nearly as widely socially and legally accepted, as well as some forms of medicine.


texts:
The reaction results in (the) oxidation of these compounds.
These goals can be achieved through (the) creation of large-scale databases.
(The) addition of fruit flavor enhances the popularity of yogurt in general.

My understanding is that the definite articles are optional in all the three sentences above and they mean almost the same thing with out without a "the." But I am inclined to think that the versions with a "the" sound more formal than ones without one.
Would you agree?
What other differences are there between the versions with and without a "the"?


texts: Is there a word for a collection of knowledge on animals?

texts:
The general idea comes from like Lewis and Clark I guess. What would their collection of knowledge on the animals they discovered be called? I guess it could just be called their journals but is there a more specific term for something like a collection of knowledge of animals, like a bestiary or something along those lines?

To expand on that is there a word for the collective knowledge they had on plants as well?

"Lewis and Clark's "bestiary" contained knowledge from how big the average boar was to how the behaviors of geese during mating season."

"Lewis and Clark's "plant bestiary" contained knowledge on how certain flowers could be grown but also had information on how flowers could be made into tea for healing attributes."

Something like that.


texts: What is the meaning of "as with" in the following sentences?

texts:
To appear to flash as with light.

As with any large organisation, Nokia had a unique problem in how to collaborate on a level playing field with 50,000 employees worldwide.

(in the first example, the meaning is one of the definitions of the verb "to snap")


texts: Phrase for correcting text in a particular manner

texts: If someone writes in a manner such as "U hve to run daily ... only then U will lose weight" and you correct it to "You have to run daily, only then you will lose weight." I suppose you can't say you have corrected grammar. What can you say you have corrected? Punctuation?


texts: I've heard people say "be king" (as in "I can't wait to be king") in movies and TV. Why don't they say "be a king"? Which is correct?


texts: "Attitude should be professional looks need not to be" is it grammatically correct?

texts:
Is this sentence is wrong?

  Attitude should be professional looks need not to be

If yes, then what's the correct way or approach to write it in a correct grammatical way?

May I know why it should be "needs" instead of "need", and "look" instead of "looks" as suggested by some?


texts: What's the difference between "parliament" and "congress"

texts: Is there any differences between these two words? Thanks


texts: Correct spelling/italicization of e.g., i.e.?

texts: Should e.g. and i.e. have periods, e.g. "e.g.", or no periods, eg "eg"? Should they be italicized, e.g. "i.e." or not, eg "i.e"?


texts: Is the usage of "with which" here correct?

texts:
"Where is the key with which I usually use to unlock the drawer in the office?"

Is the sentence above grammatically correct? I saw it in a test a few days ago...


texts: Looking for a single term to describe items that a person carries with them everyday (e.g. phone, wallet, keys, etc.)

texts:
I'm trying to find a term for items that are commonly carried every day such as phone, wallet and keys.

"Everyday Items" doesn't quite seem to carry to connotation I'm looking for as it makes me think of a broader range of items that would also include dish soap, towels, forks, ect.

"Personal effects" is fairly accurate, however, it feels a bit archaic for the context I'm trying to use it.

Preferably this would be a single word or two-word term.

Any suggestions?


texts: Preposition phrases: "for many days in a cocoon" / "in a cocoon for many days"

texts:
Are both sentences correct, or is one of them wrong grammatically ?

1) After eating, they rest for many days in a cocoon.

2) After eating, they rest in a cocoon for many days.

I can't figure out the placement of a noun in a sentence. In this sentence, the noun is cocoon.


texts: "Alumnus" vs "dropout": Can you still call someone who chooses to quit college/university study an "alumnus" of that institution?

texts:
If someone chooses to quit college, I can refer to that person as a “former” student of that college. It therefore appears that I can use alumnus according to the definitions given for that term given by the References section given below.

However, that same condition also seems to match the definitions of a dropout.

Which one should I use here: is the former student an alumnus or a dropout?

References

1. alumnus

1.1. Oxford Dictionary of English on alumnus:

  a male former pupil or student of a particular school, college, or university

1.2 Oxford English Dictionary on alumnus: (paywalled links)

  Inflections:   Plural alumni.
  Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin alumnus.
  Etymology: < classical Latin alumnus foster-son, (in figurative use) son or child, ward, protégé, charge, pupil < alere to nourish (see ᴀʟɪᴍᴇɴᴛ n.) + an ablaut variant (zero-grade) of the same Indo-European base as ancient Greek ‑μενος, ending of medio-passive participles.

  Compare ᴀʟᴜᴍɴᴀ n.

  † A male pupil or student attending a particular school, university, or other seat of learning. Obsolete.
  originally U.S.

  a. A former pupil or student (typically male) of a particular school, university, etc.; a graduate of a particular seat of learning.
  The singular alumnus almost always refers to a male, but the plural alumni is often used to refer to graduates of either sex.
  b. colloquial. In extended use: a former member of any group; an ex-member of a team, band, organization, etc.

2. drop-out, dropout

2.1 Oxford Dictionary of English on dropout:

  a person who has abandoned a course of study or who has rejected conventional society to pursue an alternative lifestyle

2.2 Oxford English Dictionary on dropout: (paywalled links)

  A person who ‘drops out’ (see to drop out 2 at ᴅʀᴏᴘ v. Phrasal verbs), esp. from a course of study or from society; also, the act of withdrawing. Also attributive. colloquial (originally U.S.).


texts: Do we use "which" or "that" when referring to the preceding main clause as a whole?

texts:
Sorry, I don't think I can use all the grammatical terms right, so I'll illustrate:

  Peptide
  adsorption curves may cross [...] results in the inversion of peptide
  elution order.

I've found a lot about "which" and "that" in this question, and it says that generally those are interchangeable, but I haven't seen this particular use case mentioned there. (After writing this it occurred to me that the linked question discusses "which" and "that" as conjunctions, whereas this question is about them as relative pronouns. I got this from this answer. Correct me if I'm wrong) The only thing that might be applicable is the "rule of thumb" that

  "Commas, which cut out the fat, go with which, never with that."

On this basis, "which" should be the only correct option, because that gap needs a comma. Is that so?


texts: Can other words replace "consideration" in "with all due consideration"?

texts:
The following is a multiple choice question in an English test:

The employers prepared, with all due _______, for a conference with the Trade Union.
A. caution
B. concern
C. certainty
D. consideration

I feel A ("with all due caution") is ok, but I am not sure.


texts: Should I capitalize "Chemical Engineering Curriculum"?

texts:
The introduction of this course within the chemical engineering curriculum is at this point in early stages of development.

  The introduction of this course within the Chemical Engineering Curriculum is at this point in early stages of development.


texts: "I need something to practice on", what type of word is 'on'?

texts: In the sentence "I need something to practice on", what type of word is on? It seems like an adverb, because it appears to be modiying the verb practice, but that just doesn't seem right to me for some reason.


texts: How do you punctuate a sentence with two separate quotations separated by a conjunction?

texts:
An example would be the sentence:

They were saying, "He's too young to be working so many hours," and, "He should be focusing on his schoolwork."

I would think that, because these are two separate quotes, potentially said by different people since they're attributed to a generic "they" (ostensibly a group of people all saying similar things), there should be commas both before the conjunction as at the end of any quotation, as well as after the conjunction since it introduces a new quotation. I would also think both quotes should be introduced with uppercase letters since they are distinct. But I'm having a hard time finding this particular situation addressed in online grammar guides. What's the proper placement for the commas in this sentence?


texts: Whats a word that means to bounce back quickly that could also be used as a nickname?

texts:
I'm musing over a character idea and I'm trying to think of a nickname that might be given by close friends (in this case, the character's army squad).

My character will have a healing ability that will allow her to take some pretty hard hits and come right back. Push her down, she gets right back up. Whatever someone could dish out at her, she could take it but then give it right back.

"Bounce back" is a similar meaning to what I'm wanting, but it does not have to be completely literal. I am looking for a single word.

Two ideas I have thought of were "whiplash" since the injury is caused from the rapid back and forth movement or "echo" (kind of a stretch) but the whole idea of sounds bouncing back.


texts:
Being a hobbyist coder and influenced by OOP, I tend to organize the data I'm working with. Helping my little sister on her English made me curious about something.

Tenses in English is usually listed/grouped as

Simple

Past Simple
Present Simple
...

Progressive/Continuous
Perfect
Perfect Progressive

or

Past

Past Simple
Past Progressive
...

Present
Future

You get the idea. They're either grouped by tenses or aspects. I like the latter, grouping them by tenses. So, one would get, for present tense

Present

Simple
Progressive
Perfect (Simple?)
Perfect Progressive

Now, this grouping doesn't seem satisfactory. I'd group it as

Present

I

Simple
Progressive

II (Perfect)

Simple
Progressive

which makes a lot more sense to me. Though this grouping creates ambiguity, that is "I".

My question is what is the difference between "I" and "II"? What would one name "I", since "II" is the Perfect aspect. What exactly is "Perfect" and how it differs from "I"?

PS: I live in Turkey, so English isn't my native language. This categorization helps me internalize tenses better. Structured data is always easier to comprehend. I've seen a lot people (mostly classmates) struggle with Tenses, even after years of education. Discarding other possible reasons, this insufficient categorization is one of the reasons of the struggle, I think.

My reasoning in this grouping might be wrong. If so, you should ignore that. My question at its core would be 'If "II" is the Perfect aspect, which it is, what would be "I"? What should I name it?'

I'm fine with learning the right thing using the wrong method, as long as it works and makes sense to me. (You know, assuming my grouping is absurd.)


texts: What do you call a person who receives patronage?

texts:
I'm pretty sure there's a word for that. Unfortunately, searching for the antonym of patronage didn't yield any results.

Example sentence:

  Since I became a __ I haven't had to worry about money anymore.


texts: Comparative of 'smart' where more than one adjective is involved

texts:
Related link: My answer to One answer to a Q. is suited to ELL, but the other answer is suited to EL&U on ELU Meta.

In the course of an argument, Rathony said the following:

  I would answer, if you ask me, that ELU is closer to a little more
  smart and sophisticated question forum and ELL is a little less
  sophisticated question forum. The difference is not so big.--Rathony

I then corrected him:

  'ELU is closer to a little more smart and sophisticated question forum
  and ELL is a little less sophisticated question forum. The difference
  is not so big.' Correct usage would be "ELU is a slightly smarter
  (note correct comparative) and more sophisticated question forum, and
  ELL is a slightly less sophisticated question forum. The difference is
  not very big OR the difference is not so great." Even this could be
  bettered by "ELU is a forum for slightly smarter and more
  sophisticated questions" etc. You have some work to do on comparatives
  and so forth before you offer advice to native speakers.--Me.

He replied:

  A native would never be confused between more smart and smarter and
  insist on using "is a slightly smarter and more sophisticated". That
  proves you are not a native.--Rathony AND: At least I know how to use
  the comparative when two adjectives are used at the same time. You
  don't.--Rathony

I said:

  Give me a reference that justifies your usage.--Me.

He said:

  No. I don't want to help you. You find it yourself.--Rathony.

I've tried. I can't. So can someone find a reference that justifies his idea that the construction 'more smart' can be used instead of 'smarter' where more than one adjective is involved?


texts: "Harry saw Luna, all eyes in her white face..." What does this line from the Deathly Hallows mean?

texts:
After rereading it for what seems to be the hundredth time, I realized that I never understood the meaning of this half a sentence. What's really tripping me up is the all eyes in her white face bit.

Is it just a British idiomatic expression? It's different from the all eyes idiom, which means to watch someone or something with a lot of interest:
We were all eyes as the celebrity guests emerged from the car.

Here is the paragraph for reference:

  A few seconds later, there was a click, and the luminescent spheres the Deluminator had sucked from the lamps in the tent flew into the cellar: Unable to rejoin their sources, they simply hung there, like tiny suns, flooding the underground room with light. Harry saw Luna, all eyes in her white face, and the motionless figure of Ollivander the wandmaker, curled up on the floor in the corner.

I've learned a lot of British slangs and idioms by reading Harry Potter and I would not be surprised if this was one too.


texts: What is the derivation of the word "double-dome"?

texts: What's the derivation of the meaning of the word "double-dome," meaning intellectual?


texts:
I think I understand the possessive + gerund construct but in some cases I'm still finding it difficult to get it sound right in my head. I think this mostly has to do with the subject's being a noun/name and not a pronoun (the bold part is an example of this).

So, are these correct?

The notion of a body's having a constant temperature...
Due to my father's being a Swiss citizen...

Or should I rather use these, which, right now, sound better to me?

The notion of a body having a constant temperature...
Due to my father being a Swiss citizen...

But these I can more easily accept (though still awkward, maybe they are just not good examples):

The notion of my having a constant temperature...
Due to his being a Swiss citizen...

ETA: In case it's not clear, I'm not a native English speaker, so my feelings about what sounds good or not are not to be taken seriously ;)


texts:
Can we omit the pronoun in the following sentences,

  1) "Clare, who is sleeping in the couch, is Mike's daughter."

  2) "The man, who was smoking a cigarette, hurried home."

  3) "A boy who is jumping on the bed is Freddy's son."

into these sentences respectively,

  a) "Clare, sleeping in the couch, is Mike's daughter."

  b) "The man, smoking a cigarette, hurried home."

  c) "A boy jumping on the bed is Freddy's son."

and why?


texts: Where and when did "Bucket List" come to mean what it does today?

texts: I'm not sure I had even heard the term "bucket list" until the movie came out. I get the feeling though that the term long predates the movie. Can anyone identify how "bucket list" came to mean what it means to us today?


texts: How did the word "Soviet" end up with an -ie-?

texts:
The Etymonline entry for "soviet" states:

  1917, from Russian sovet "governing council," literally "council"…

Likely I am not the only one to wonder about the reason behind the apparent difference between soviet and sovet, but all my attempts to find a proven explanation failed.

There is a dubious claim in Russian Wikipedia that the issue has something to do with old pronunciation of совѣтъ, and that's the point from which I started my research. Actually according to a monograph (pdf in Russian) by Russian phonetist Professor Leonid Kasatkin, yat used to be pronounced as an -ie- diphthong in some positions in old Moscow dialect up to mid-18th century, and Kasatkin himself even attested that pronunciation in Leka dialect as recently as 1992.

However, when this feature of the dialect was discovered in 1912, it came as a surprise, so I'm sure the word in question wasn't pronounced with a diphthong in the cities where Western reporters were working in the early 20th century.

Indeed, I managed to find a number of attestations where the word was transcribed in what I would call a regular way:

1885: >the Council is called Gosudarstvenny sovet
1892: >It is the State Council— Gossudarstvenny Sovet—a purely consultative body, nominated entirely by the Tzar
1895: >Tzar contemplates appointing a High Council (Verhovni Sovet)
1896: >the so-called Council of State (Gossudarstvenny Sovet)
1909: >Council of Curators (popechitelnyi sovet)… Council of Guardians (Opekunskii Sovet)
1915: >It was in February 1914 that the question of temperance reform was raised in the Gosudarstvenny Sovet, the Russian House of Lords

and even

1919: >they proclaimed themselves the Workmen's and Soldiers' Council—the Sovet.

Nowhere in the Google Books corpus this word (nor soviet, which is not attested prior to 1917 according to the OED, as I'm told) is used to denote councils of the 1905 Revolution at the time, despite what is implied in a 2013 answer on this website. What I could find in the sources contemporary to the events are mere translations:

1913: >Council of Labour Delegates at the end of 1905
1913: >Such an organisation was the Council of Workmen Deputies. Its story is a story of fifty days. It was constituted on October 26, 1905.
1914: >There had already been formed among the troops a "Council of Soldiers' Deputies"
1918: >From the end of 1905 to March, 1917, the Petrograd Council of Workers' Deputies lived underground.

I have a weakly substantiated hypothesis which I am laying out below in the answers (so as not to make this question too long) but I hope the users on this website might have access to better text corpora than Google Books (I wasn't able to check any newspaper articles from the time, for example), and thus may propose better hypotheses.


texts: Repeating the consonant in many words in a sentence or phrase

texts:
In the movie 'V for Vendetta' you have for example (bold part):

  Evey: Who are you?

  V. : Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask.

  Evey: Well I can see that.

  V. : Of course you can, I’m not questioning your powers of observation, I’m merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

  Evey: Oh, right.

  V. : But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace soubriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis persona.

  V. : Voila!
  In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of
  the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good
  honour to meet you and you may call me V.

  Evey: Are you like a crazy person?

  V. : I’m quite sure they will say so.

What do you call sentences like these?
And do you know some other ones?


texts: "improve upon" another party's design - meaning?

texts:
My supervisor in Japan is currently translating my CV from English into Japanese, however she has asked me to reword one sentence (in English) as to her its meaning is not what I intended it to be. The sentence reads:

"Researched into the design of a Formula 1 car simulator including both the aesthetics and hardware, focusing on improving upon the main competitor’s designs."

The point in question here is the use of "improving upon". She has told me it sounds like I'm improving on the competitor's design, as opposed to bettering the design of my own company.

How can I reword this to have the intended meaning?


texts: Single Markers Used For Punctuation of Plurals

texts:
May I punctuate letters-as-letters and words-as-words in this manner (in lieu of italics)?

The professor said that Joel used too many 'why's, 'like's, and 'whereas's in his essay.

If we're using single markers (quotes) for this purpose, would the word 'whereas' be pluralized as 'whereas's or 'whereas'es? My vote is for 'whereas's (without the 'es' ending. Do you agree)?

And for letters and numbers (using this same method), are the following correct?

His 'y's look like '4's.
His 'j's look like 't's.

I don't like this: 4s or 4's

I want to give strong emphasis to the individual letters and individual words (for the plurals) by using this method. Is it a viable alternative? I think the British might employ this technique.

Thanks for your continued support and guidance.


texts:
I work in an office and lots of my co-workers use the phrase "chat to", as in could I chat to him about the project?
I would say the same thing like this: could I chat with him about this project?
At first I wondered if it was a European thing (the people in my office who use chat with tend to be English or Irish).
Is there a correct usage for the verb chat?


texts: Single word for "crucial, but often overlooked"

texts:
This side pursuit, however, is important, as it influences my approach
  to teaching in a crucial, but often overlooked, manner.

Is there a single word that would work the same way as "crucial, but often overlooked"?


texts: Is the usage "My heart jumps all over the place" correct? And what does it mean if it does?

texts:
Recently, I have come across this

I looked at your face and my heart jumped all over the place.

I tried to look it up in dictionaries, and the only entry I could find is here
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/someone-s-heart-leaps-jumps-quickens
According to this, it turns out that "jump" there meant "quicken". I don't think it will go well with "all over the place", but I am not sure if the usage is correct or not. Could you please tell me?
And even if such usage exists, is it correct to use the description of "one's heart jumps all over the place" to talk about the feelings of a lovestruck person?
Thank you in advance.


texts: Use of the adjective "ape" to describe similar objects

texts:
I recently got a mail from a customer saying that something went wrong on his "ape computer".

As a non-native english speaker, I know that the verb "to ape" exists with the meaning of "to mimic".
I also know that this customer use some testing computers before going on production ones.

Is it correct/common to use the word "ape" as an adjective to describe a object very similar to another one (even in slang)? I didn't find examples nor usages in dictionaries.

(EDIT: It might also be just a typo on his part, as he sent the mail from his smartphone)

Thanks.


texts: What is the origin of the idiom "with all the bells and whistles"?

texts:
No major dictionary website carries the origin of this proverb. Some blogs speculate that it comes from a locomotive usage. In the days of the steam engine, engines would be equipped with bells and whistles to let people know of their presence. Over time, this got distorted to its current meaning, of non-essential add-ons to products to entice customers.

I can imagine that this has a more agrarian origin. In cattle fairs, where cattle are bought and sold, cattle are often decorated with festoons and beads and so on, to entice potential customers and hopefully increase value as well. Does anyone have anything to substantiate this, or a better explanation of its origin?

Edit: the n-grams show that it was used first in British English in 1847, and in American English as late as 1865. This would suggest a British origin, rather than the commonly accepted American one.

British and American English n-grams links here and here.


texts:
When 'it' refers to a letter or a complex situation projected to be caused by a letter, is it okay to use 'if only' in the following way? Why or why not?
"It'd all be appropriate if only written by any other person."
I understand that I can always say "if only it was written by any other person", but that seems wordy.
I guess here, the 'it' could either refer to the letter or the situation caused by the letter, and I'm okay with either. But strictly speaking, perhaps only when you interpret the 'it' to mean the letter itself can you leave out the 'was'?


texts:
I have this question on using see and refer in technical documentation especially for cross-references information.

I use see when mentioning another section in the same document, for example, for more information on xyz, see section abc on page nn-mm.

I use refer when asking the reader to see an external document or any appendices, for example, for more information on xyz, refer to the ABC Guide or for more information, refer to Appendix A.

My colleagues and I have a disagreement with this logic. They seem to prefer see for everything. As a cross-reference is more like a footnote and also acts like a footnote.

Is my logic correct?


texts: Is the object in "Eighty-six forty-five." a proper noun?

texts:
The object in the sentence

  "Eighty-six forty-five."

refers to the 45th president of the US, as in Bush 41 vs. Bush 43.

The meaning of the verb eighty-six – eject, bar, reject, discard, cancel (Google) – has been addressed in several answers here (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4).

Should forty-five be capitalized? Is it a proper noun?


texts: Term for common or accepted usage of how a language is used

texts:
I'm trying to recall a word I've used before and I'm coming up blank. Here is the context: in computer programming, we often have new languages with multiple ways to accomplish the same end result. After a language is used for a while, people generally start to agree on the most "accepted" or common way of doing something. The term I am looking for describes the common or accepted usage of such a language.

This might be similar to colloquial, but that implies a less formal usage. Canonical might also be similar, but that also implies correct usage, not accepted usage.

To use in a sentence, "I'm familiar with the new language XYZ and all of its new syntax, but I'm interested in in the ___________ usage."

Try as I might, I just can't pick out the word I'm looking for, and Internet searches just come up with the same list of "almost" words.


texts:
What is the origin of this phrase? Does this also apply in case of other professions?

Like the goldsmith's children have no jewels or the baker's children don't eat cake?


texts: What does "in-ordinary to the Queen" mean?

texts: I've seen phrases like "Physician-in-ordinary to the Queen". "Oculist-in-ordinary to the Queen", what does mean? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physician_to_the_Queen


texts: When could ellipses be considered to be overused?

texts:
I use the ellipsis quite a bit in my writing.

Most often in dialogue.

Are there any resources out there that give relatively expert opinion about how many ellipses/word count are too many?


texts:
I've heard that if you want to describe something in a negative way but polity, use "not very" + "negative" adj.

For example, describing a bad thing would be: This is not very good. Or talking about an ugly girl would be: She is not very beautiful.

So, is describing in such a way considered polite? If not, what is the polite way?


texts: What is anti-money and how do I launder it?

texts:
So the phrase "anti-money laundering" has an obvious meaning, referring to something or some process that acts against the laundering of money.  However, I find the use of the hyphen slightly confusing.  Lets try another example:

"anti-gravity modulation"

Is this something that acts against the modulation of gravity, or is it the modulation of anti-gravity (as in: my anti-gravity boots keep me stable because they use anti-gravity modulation).

Does this just come down to context or am I using incorrect grammar (or am I just confused)?


texts: Paraphrase for "we need to be like the farmer who puts back into the soil what he takes out"

texts:
I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer who puts back into the soil what he takes out.

I don't understand "who puts back into the soil what he takes out". Please help me to paraphrase this sentence.


texts: What does “It was – get the kind of the. Any way” mean in Mr. Jeb Bush’s speech?

texts:
There was the following passage in New York Times (December 25th) article describing Mr. Jeb Bush’s subtlety or lack of humor under the title, “Hear the one About Jeb Bush’s humor? You have to listen closely”

  In one Republican debate, about a town in Iowa with a curious name; “I
  was in Washington, Iowa, about three months ago, talking about how bad
  Washington, D.C., is,” he began, pausing to hear the crickets. “It was
  — get the — kind of the. Anyway.” As Mr. Bush’s poll numbers have
  lagged, the bids for laughs have proliferated.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/26/us/politics/hear-the-one-about-jeb-bushs-humor-you-have-to-listen-closely.html?

What does "It was - get the kind of the. Anyway,"  mean? Does the phrase make any sense? Or it's simply an interjection like 'You know' or "Guess it"?

What 's good for the writer's picking up this specific nonsensically looking line?


texts: What is one word to describe "i am feeling people are not listening/hearing me"?

texts:
How can i express the fact that i feel people are not hearing or acknowledging what i have to say?

I have already seen words such as the following (which i don't feel fits well): unheard, inaudible, voiceless.

Thank you,


texts:
Is it obsolete to use this word? Where does it come from? I couldn't find the origin of this term.

Can I use the phrase "The machine conked out" or should I replace conked out with something else?


texts:
when your butler warns you to be wary of the grave risks you would be taking, you force your wary butler to resign from his post.

Two possible meaning: point of view and occupation as a butler.

I searched up post and could only find its definitions being an object, metal usually.


texts:
"It's under the fedora. Wanta run down and look at it with me?"
A police asks his private detective friend to come along to the murder site to take a look.

(from 'Killer in the rain' by Raymond Chandler)

The 'under the fedora' means 'within one's jurisdiction'?
It doesn't sound very common expression in English, so I can't find any similar usage
in any other sources.


texts: Expression meaning crying in reaction to beauty

texts: Is there a word or phrase that means crying because of beauty or crying in reaction to beauty?


texts: It is acceptable to say 'Good night, sir. Have you reserved a table?'

texts:
While I was flicking through English Vocabulary In Use, I came across this sentence
'Good night, sir. Have you reserved a table?'

To my knowledge,'Good night' expresses good wishes on parting at night or before going to bed.

Is this usage of 'Good night' acceptable in this context?


texts: What do you call a person who is never content with anything that is given to him?

texts: I am looking for an adjective for a person who, no matter what you give him/her (materially or otherwise), is never content and always expects more.


texts: What is the meaning of the business jargon "big hitter"?

texts: I want the meaning of the business jargon that says "big hitter".


texts: Growing abruptly and aggressively - words

texts: How to describe a sudden increasing in size, volume. For example when fires grow suddenly and rapidly. What does that fire do?


texts: A digit in a numeral system, a "symbol"?

texts:
While explaining numeral systems, I found myself using the phrase "add a digit" twice, with two different meanings;

To create a new symbol with an associated value and introduce it into the numeral system, thus increasing the radix by one.
To add an existing symbol from the numeral system into a numeral, thus increasing the length of the sequence by one.

Is there an easy way to disambiguate these different meanings? More specifically I would like to know if there are two different words to represent a digit in the context of a numeral system and in the context of an actual numeral. Would "symbol" be correct in the context of a numeral system?


texts: Word to describe a personality which has many interests?

texts:
I'm looking for a word, to be honest I'm not sure if such a word even exists, though this would be a word, or a phrase that describes more of a personality.

Take this as an example:

  Bill works as an electronic engineer. He enjoys cycling, jogging and
  mostly any sport. He's teaching himself piano, and loves music. He
  could speak about astronomy for hours, same thing goes for airplanes, car tuning,
  and weapons. He loves to see artists show off their paintings and
  sculptures, since he could never really get use to holding a paint
  brush. Another thing he would spend his money on, is traveling to see
  ancient buildings, from different cultures all around the world, and
  the history of that country.

I could have added more details, but I think that would be enough to give you the idea.

As you can see, this character's personality is quite varied in terms of interests and hobbies, and he enjoys doing and learning a lot of different things.

So my question is, what would be the best word to describe such a personality? One who has a lot of interests, hobbies, and loves learning about anything?


texts:
Sometime in the near future, I will achieve the (dubious) distinction of being "the person who has cast the most votes on questions and answers on StackExchange."  I want to add a short statement about this to my SE profile.

But the way I phrased it in the last paragraph seems awkward and somewhat ambiguous.  To be clear, I mean that if you add up all the up/down votes people have cast on all the SE sites they participate in, my total is the highest (approaching 50,000).

Something like "Highest-voting person on StackExchange" seems ambiguous to me - in addition to Q&A votes, there are moderator elections, close votes, deletion votes.  And although "on Stackexchange" is probably ok, I'm not sure that makes it clear that I'm talking about total votes cast across multiple sites.

Perhaps "Highest Q-and-A-voting person on all of StackExchange" would be ok?

I might just wait until I reach 50,000 total votes and say something like "First person on all of StackExchange to cast 50,000 votes across multiple sites."

UPDATE 21 SEP 2012:

By the time I verified today that I'd passed the next-most-active voter, I'd also exceeded 50,000 votes.  So I've included most of the answers in my updated SE profile (see link above), especially:

  I am the most active voter on all of StackExchange. (That is, I have
  cast the most total question and answer votes across all Stack
  Exchange sites.)


texts: What is the difference between Autonomy and independence?

texts:
I was going through a document which said,

  "... is Autonomous and independent"

I read the meanings and both are almost similar. Though I know there is a subtle difference in usage.

Can anyone clear out the exact usage and tell that particular subtle difference?


texts: Does ‘Yo’ in ‘yo mama joke’ actually refer to “Your” mother? Why couldn't it simply be (stupid / fat / ugly) "mama joke"?

texts:
I find “Top 10 Yo Mama So Fat Stupid Joke List” including ‘Yo mama so stupid that she got hit by a parked car’, “Top 10 Yo Mama So Fat List” including ‘Yo mama so fat she put on her lipstick with a paint-roller,' and “Top 10 Yo Mama So Ugly List” including Yo mama so ugly when she died she went to Heaven and God said I didn't creat you,' on an website.

Based on Google Ngram, the word, ‘yo mama’ and its counterpart, ‘yo papa’ came into use in circ 1935 and their currency started to show a sharp rise from around 2000.

Although none of Cambridge, Oxford, and Merriam-Webster English dictionary registers the word, either ‘yo mama,’ or ‘yo momma,’ Wikipedia defines it as the alternative form of ‘your mother.’

However, when ‘Yo mama’ is used as in ‘yo mama jokes,’ it appears to me that the meaning of ‘your mom’ drops off,’ and turns into a generic, any (fat, stupid, ugly, ---) woman-related jokes. Am I right?

Is it possible to extend ‘yo mama (papa) ’ to other subjects such as ‘yo mama (papa) episodes,’ ‘ yo mama (papa) lessons,’’ yo mama (papa) saying,’’ yo mama (papa) blunders / guffes’ than ‘yo mama’ jokes?


texts: Is "entitled to" the same as "entitled as"?

texts:
I was listening to a philosophy video from the university of Queensland (on four dimensionalism view on fission) and at the end there was a paragraph that says:

  Since I am many, I survive as many, and while each successor of me is as entitled to the next to claim to be the successor of me, since after fission they are distinct from each other, they can’t all BE the successor of me.

What does "as entitled to the next" mean here?

Is it the simply the same as "As entitled as the next successor"?

Is there any semantic difference between 'entitled to' and 'entitled as' here?


texts:
the defintion of "task" word that google translator gives you is:-
a piece of work to be done or undertaken.
the question is:-
why are not it supposed to be : a piece of work (has) to be done or undertaken.


texts: Is there a single word meaning figuratively 'separate wheat from chaff' (good from bad), about teaching ideas?

texts:
Is there a single word meaning 'separate wheat from chaff'?

The closest I've found is 'winnow' but it doesn't really capture the sentiment.

  I'm looking for a word to help describe a person, an educator, who [distills and clarifies] the most valuable core ideas.

Example sentence:

  "I've taken the methods presently in use, analyzed them, and am reframing the core wisdom. I've __________ the material."

(Does it seem odd such a word would not be common? Is it because separate, and its synonyms, already imply the reason for division is always about good and bad?)

... CLARIFICATION (10/22/18) ...

The answers given have helped me clarify what I'm after, which is, a word meaning to 'extend and unify' the current canon of theories.

For example, Quantum Mechanics is NOT a distillation of Relativistic Mechanics (Einstein) which was not a distillation of Newtonian Mechanics.

Each subsequent theory was a new, UNIFYING, theory which still accommodated the previous theories.

So that evolution isn't distilling, culling, refining, purifying, etc. but  synthesize, but not amalgamate, certainly seems in the right ballpark.


texts: Is there a word for someone who has a flaw?

texts:
I'm not asking "what do you call a person with a problem". It's close, but the question there is too broad for what I'm looking for.
I'm trying to describe a Superman-esque character, where this character is good at everything but has one flaw. The word superman doesn't work because it doesn't make people think of a flawed person, and I need this word to mean something like "a flawed individual". And saying "a flawed individual" doesn't get across how perfect the character is outside of their flaw. Someone told me I wanted the term "tragic hero" but I'm looking for a word for someone who's good at everything except one thing, not really someone destined for failure. But that's close... I just don't particularly need a "fatal flaw".
As an example of what I'm looking for, imagine two people were talking about Tom Cruise, in a conversation like this:

A: Tom Cruise is great. I love all of his movies, he's generous, he's [list of positive traits].
B: Yeah, too bad he's crazy.

How could a third person say "He's perfect except in one area" in one word or phrase?

C: Tom Cruise is [word].
A: What? He's great in movies, he's funny, he's [list of positive traits]. He's perfect! What could possibly be wrong with him?
C: ...He's crazy.
B: Exactly.

It doesn't have to fit this sentence structure.

 Tom Cruise is not perfect in the slightest.


texts:
Napoli go missing against Juventus as Higuaín seals a victory for 'Maxism'

This sentence is the title of this article. I really don't understand why " go missing" is used instead of " goes missing".


texts:
What is the difference between these two words?

contemporary: From the same time period, coexistent in time.
contemporaneous: Existing or created in the same period of time.

I know that contemporary has a second meaning (modern), but I'm asking about the above sense. Can they be used interchangeably?


texts: Can I use the term 'America' to signify just the United States?

texts: I write legal marketing materials. Does the term 'America' signify Canada + USA + Mexico, etc. to readers abroad or will they know that I'm talking specifically about the USA?


texts:
"circle" is usually considered as a "hollow disk".

But what would be a solid counterpart of rectangle?  I am looking for single word here.

Update, little bit of context:

The word will be used to describe an entity in programming. Challenge there is that some systems use underscore convention (filled_rectangle) and others  camel case naming convention (filledRectangle). I need something agnostic to that - single words are preferable in this case.

The word is used in two dimensional graphics context. Programmers are a bit mathematicians so they know that "circle" is such a curved line. And yet they well know the difference between polyline and polygon.


texts:
The following quote is from an article in the New York Times about D. Trump’s new budget, which can be found here.

  Hardest hit would be the Environmental Protection Agency, with a cut
  of 31 percent. These cuts would end climate change research — a global
  setback. They would eliminate money to carry out President Obama’s
  plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired plants — the
  centerpiece of his strategy to combat global warming. They also would
  disadvantage states that went for Mr. Trump. For Wisconsin and
  Michigan, for example, the budget would zero out initiatives to
  restore the Great Lakes. For Virginia, it would end restoration of
  Chesapeake Bay, whose watershed affects Pennsylvania also. Farm
  states, which largely supported Mr. Trump, would face a 21 percent
  reduction in the Department of Agriculture.

I am puzzled by the repeated and consistent use of the conditional modal verb would in the above paragraph. What meaning is it supposed to convey? If replaced by will it would imply some level of certainty on the author’s part about his inferences. Is the author therefore communicating his non-conviction in using would? If say, he is not sure, won’t it be better to use may or might instead, so as to alert the reader about this? Or is the nuance in these statements clear to a native speaker?


texts: What is the difference between "attribute" and "property"?

texts:
Could you please clear up the meaning of these two words for me?

I don't understand this sentence:

  Attributes introduced by RDFA have names. For example, property is one such attribute.


texts: I think I spider / My English is not the yellow from the egg

texts:
I'm trying to improve my English skills.
Can I use the phrase "My English is not the yellow from the egg" or "I think I spider" in an English spoken country?


texts: Is it OK to pronounce kilogram as "kay gee" (/ˈkeɪˈdʒiː/)?

texts:
Would the same also apply to other abbreviations such as km (kay-em) instead of kilometer?

I can see an advantage to reading millimeter as mm (em-em) because it's quicker to say.


texts:
I want to say that I have time to do the homework only on Sunday and on no other day.
So can you help me choose which of the following sentences are considered idiomatic and common for native English-speakers or, if none of my examples is acceptable, suggest what I might say instead?

  Except on Sunday, I do not have much time available for doing the homework.
  Except for Sunday, I do not have much time available for doing the homework.
  Besides Sunday, I do not have much time available for doing the homework.
  Other than Sunday, I do not have much time available for doing the homework.


texts:
I'm thinking of a title for my blog post. Would you say: (I am) taking a bite "at life" or "of life"?

Does it make sense to use it if I mean to convey the message that I am making an effort to live life to the fullest, or does my title convey the message that I am only making a passing/momentary effort at living life to the max. (e.g. in the pursuit of an extreme sport event)?


texts:
"In England we call them rolls of arms: in Spain they are known as armoriales — armorials — or libros de armeria — books of arms, and books seem to outnumber rolls as such. Of nearly 30 Spanish armorials recorded, at least eleven are books, and only one is definitely a roll. Nine are original productions, and six are known only from copies. At least eight foreign armorials contain compilations of Spanish arms." (Collins, W. T., Spanish Armorials, Coat of Arms, No. 161, Spring 1993.)

What does "...and books seem to outnumber rolls as such." mean?


texts:
"We will pay dearly for this mistake in/of priorities"

What is more correct, in or of?


texts:
What's a single adjective/noun I could use to describe a grid pattern? Something that could be used in the place of "checkered", "plaid", or "pinstriped", but describing an empty lattice.

I'm looking for something that could be used in the sentence:

  "He had a ______ (hat/shirt/etc)"


texts: When can I use "Only do ..." vs. when must I use "Only ..." without the "do"?

texts:
I'm writing a scientific paper and my supervisor (who is non-native speaker, whereas I am a native speaker) asked me to change this construct:

  Only do males have a y chromosome.

to

  Only males have a y chromosome.

with no do.  Is the former construct ungrammatical, or barring that, awkward?

I know that there are some situations where we need to use the do-structure, e.g.:

  Only afterwards does she apologise.

So does this pattern apply to my sentence? Why or why not?

For context, the broader passage I'm writing begins with:

  In stage 3 researchers look for connections between these genes, for example by performing Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Here the set of identified genes are compared with predefined sets of genes. The predefined sets of genes indicate a known relation. For example having a related function, existing in the same location in the cell or taking part in the same pathway. A further way a set could be defined is a topological set, which takes into account finer grained internal relations to define a set. For example a topological set could be identified by community detection in a gene regulatory network.

Which sets up a context describing different types of sets; then, the passage where the sentence in question appears is:

  In contrast to having two stages for analysis, analysis can be performed in one stage. Past ILP research has integrated the two stages of finding differently expressed genes and GSEA by using relational subgroup discovery. These have used the hierarchical Gene Ontology to relate genes and has the advantage of being able to construct novel sets by sharing variables across predicates that define the sets. For example a set could be defined as the genes that have been annotated with two GO terms.  Other ways researchers have tried to integrate the use of known relations is by adapting the classification approach. New features are built by aggregating across a predefined set of genes - for example by taking an average expression value for a pathway.

  In most of these methods it is common to ignore the detailed relations between entities in a pathway, the pathway is treated as an unstructured set of genes. Only do topologically defined sets take advantage of any known internal relations. On the other hand ...


texts:
I'm reviewing English grammar from the beginning, so I have a very basic question. I want to know what it is called when we use "are + past format" in a sentence. In example:

They are normally printed in a company.
Mongo trees, which are densely covered with glossy leaves, grow rapidly.

I know this question might seems really stupid to you, but its a real question and it makes some confusion in my mind. In this link we can see almost all verb tenses we have and I didn't find this format in this cheat sheet.

This question is not a duplicate of any other question, it is just my personal confusion regarding passive tenses in a special case.


texts:
I couldn't seem to find anyone asking a question like this anywhere, so I figured I'd start here. The sentence in question is

  "A dolphin sleeps with half its brain awake so it can remain aware of
  its underwater environment."

My question is would it be more grammatically correct to say "half of its" or is "half its" just as valid a way to write this sentence as "half of its"? Whatever the answer, is there anyone that may have a rule or some form of logical explanation as to why that answer is correct?

I appreciate any help that can be offered.


texts: Why is it called "to not pull any punches" and how did this phrase originate?

texts:
If one does not pull any punches, he speaks bluntly.

Why is this idiom phrased this way?

Is it because the motion of a punch, i.e., to speak bluntly, can be described as a push, which is the opposite of a pull, and thus to pull a punch would be to minimize the impact of the punch, i.e., to not speak bluntly?

What is the origination of this phrase?


texts: Need one word to describe "tarnished beauty", or "beauty in imperfection". Need it to sound arty and quirky as its for name of a plausible studio. Words in other languages are welcome. Don't want it to sound ordinary.


texts:
I'm trying to see what part of speech "as long as" is in two different structures.
EXAMPLES:
1, As long as old people are happy, they should work for a
s long as they want.
"As long as" here is a conjunction...is that correct?
2, Old people should work for as long as they want.
Question: what part of speech is "as long as" in this sentence (when it follows "for")?


texts: "Acted together" or "played together" or ? in a movie

texts:
I am looking for a correct and common phrase to describe that people were actors in the same movie(s):

An example is:

"Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon acted together in The Odd Couple and Grumpy Old Men."

seems to be better than " ... played together ..." as the latter may have a sexual connotation.

Which one should I choose? Is there a better third alternative?


texts:
In my English class yesterday we looked at the following example:

  Monica is such a beautiful woman.

We learned that the above sentence could also be written as:

  Monica is so beautiful a woman

I am wondering what the rule for this, to me unorthodox, placement of the article before "woman" is.


texts: What is the difference between "broke" and "was broken"?

texts:
What is the difference between "broke" and "be broken" in the following?

The pot broke as I kicked it.
The pot was broken as I kicked it.


texts: Adjective for person who aggressively informs unneeded things to us

texts:
I am looking for an adjective to represent a person behavior in which she/he aggressively informs us unnecessary things.

For example, during a conversation, she/he changes the topic with different thing that we are not interested in. Another example, someone tells what we already knows.


texts: When a consonant and a vowel meet together, from where the sound start?

texts:
By IPA chart in Wikipedia,
[m] is made, up in front of the mouth, and [ɑ] down at the back.
In this case, where do you say [ma] is made? I mean, is [ma] made in the middle of the both positions of [m] and [ɑ]? If yes, I wonder [ɑ] could be changed into variety of sounds dependent upon with what it combines: [m] or [l] or [h] or etc. Because it needs to be started at various places.


texts: How to abbreviate the bottom (or to top) of a page?

texts: I want to cite a passage in a book. This a short passage that starts at the bottom of a page. The usage for indicating a page is "p. 314". In this case, this usage only provides a part of the information. Is there a usage to indicate that the passage effectively starts at the bottom (or at the top)?


texts: Should we say "Do what you can't" or "Try what you can't"? What's the difference?

texts:
I've heard so ads say this quote:

  Do what you can't!

But later I'm thinking doesn't

  Try what you can't?

make more sense?

In my thought how can you say Do what you can't when you can't do it, if you CAN do it then the sentence doesn't makes sense, am I right?

If you look at Try what you can't, it looks more fine because you're encouraging somebody to try something new.

What do you think?

Am I correct with my view?

Also, is "Do what you can't" really a good sentence?