texts:
In this excerpt from Northanger Abbey, Mrs. Allen and her protegee Catherine are at a ball where they are not acquainted with anyone:

  They saw nothing of Mr. Allen; and after looking about them in vain
  for a more eligible situation, were obliged to sit down at the end of
  a table, at which a large party were already placed, without having
  anything to do there, or anybody to speak to, except each other.

What does the author mean by eligible situation? The two dictionary definitions of eligible do not seem to match how it is used.


texts:
Is baby cow used in another context as for calf? I've just received the message

  Our cow baby died today

Is it possible that he talks about something else than a calf?

This was mentioned in a small talk conversation like:

A: "Hey, how are you?"
B: "Hey, not so good. Our cow baby died today."

He's from India. I don't know if it's common to keep cows there. However, he's not a "real" farmer at all.


texts: On google the definition of "sweet spot" has to do with a tennis racket. I'm looking for a broader more general term, maybe it's an idiom in our culture, there's no denying that Sweet Spot means a harmonious balance for just about anything. Can you give me another word for this?


texts:
There is the phrase that could be spoken to one mate:

  I have been worried about you.

This is the pattern of Present Perfect Passive Voice i.e. have+been+V3. It means that it should be passive construction, but It's not by the sense (I was worrying, I had been worrying). As e.g. in the next sentence:

  At the conference I have been asked about my work a lot.

Here, this is the really passive construction (Others had been asking me about my work).

But why the first sentence is not grammatical?


texts: Should I put a comma after "is" if it's followed by a prepositional phrase?

texts:
My thought is, if we are going to bring people to the table, that there will also be an opportunity for them.

I can't rearrange the sentence because I'm doing verbatim transcription.


texts: Different ways to describe the action enter

texts:
I am from Mexico, currently i am learning this language and i noticed that there are different ways to express this action "Enter" for example:

May i (come in)?
Are you going to (go into) the classroom?
(Get into) my car

As you can see, all of them mean the same in spanish, but in english it's
different.

Could you please tell me?
All the different ways to express this action.
Thanks in advance.


texts: Which one is used more in America- muddle (up) or jumble (up)?

texts:
Merriam Webster  shows them both as appearing in the bottom 40% in terms of usage.
Ngrams (https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Jumble%2C+muddle&year_start=1800&year_end=2009&corpus=5&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CJumble%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cmuddle%3B%2Cc0) shows muddle as being a cut above jumble, but longman says muddle is especially used in British English.
How is it in practice?


texts: How to explain "contributions that the private sector can make to enhancing..."? Is the "to" a preposition here?

texts:
Recognizing and encouraging the contribution  that the private sector
  can make to enhancing  cultural diversity and facilitating,...

My question specifically is about "make to". Why is to followed by the -ing form of the verb enhance? Is to a preposition here?


texts:
Somewhere on Yahoo News I read this text:

  Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn
  turned heads when they showed up
  together at Reese Witherspoon's
  wedding. The 26-year-old actress took
  50-year-old Penn, who is 24 years her
  senior, as her date to the
  star-studded nuptials. Plus, Lady Gaga
  sets a new Twitter record, and life's
  a beach for David Beckham and Sofia
  Vergara as they shoot a Diet Pepsi
  commercial.

What does "life's a beach" mean?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say: "Hello, I also have a question, Is the movie translated in spanish or it just include subtitles?"


texts: Hypernym for being instantaneous or sustained

texts:
What is a word for the state of being instantaneous or sustained? For example, with minimum or maximum, a good choice might be bound.

As far as the context goes, I'm working on adding some logging in to some software, and it'll keep an eye on certain statistics and see if they rise above or drop below certain thresholds.  One of the ways it'll be configurable is in whether each statistic will trigger a logging statement if its current value steps out of bounds sustainably ("Sustained"), whether its average value does so sustainably ("Sustained Average"), or whether its current value just does so at all ("Instantaneous").  So I'm thinking about what to call this configuration.


texts: What's the meaning of "in any absolute sense"?

texts:
I was reading a few sentences and I couldn't understand 'In any absolute sense' here. Could anyone please explain to me what it means?

In any absolute sense I would not rate this place 4/5. It is somewhat dated: the bathroom fixtures in my room were not great, and the fitness room is bare-bones.
"It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations. Precisely one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous opening up of new and greater prospects."
I think this is the right answer - they can have arrived by now is idiomatically unlikely, but it's certainly not "incorrect" in any absolute sense.

Please explain to me what in any absolute sense means here in above examples.

Thank you


texts: "Early critics of Emily Dickinson's poetry mistook for simple-mindedness the surface of artlessness..."

texts:
I didn't get what "mistook for simple-mindedness the surface of artlessness" means.

Usually, we'd say that you mistook the brown candy for the blue one. Meaning that you actually wanted (or expected) the blue candy but instead (may be mistakenly) picked the brown (wrong) one.

Applying the same analogy here, does it mean that the critics (wrongly) interpreted artlessness as simple-mindedness?

Here is the complete sentence as it appeared in a reference material for an exam prep:

  "Early critics of Emily Dickinson's poetry mistook for simple-mindedness the surface of artlessness that in fact she constructed with such ___."

Now depending on the (correct) interpretation of the sentence, I would construe a positive or negative word for the blank. Example, the poet's work was good or naive.


texts: Does "refrain" mean the same as "intentionally refrain"?

texts:
Some verbs seem to have as part of their meaning that they are intentional, such as refrain, refuse, etc. So, when we want to say that the act in question is intentional, do we need to add the adverb "intentionally"?

  He refrained from informing her that he is bankrupt.

Does that mean the same as:

  He intentionally refrained from informing her that he is bankrupt.


texts: Is the use of "affect" to mean take on or assume archaic?

texts:
Recently came across the usage of "affect" in the context of assuming an appearance. Here is an example Google gives:

  an American who had affected a British accent

How would this usage come across in modern prose, i.e., might it come across as affectatious?


texts: Is there a term for the reduplication of letters?

texts:
We can see in some words, letters are reduplicated:

  Effect, apprehensive, abhorrent, blissful, affect, remiss

Sometimes these are caused by the evolution of their latin equivalents into English... However...

Is there a term for this letter reduplication in some words? Where two letters are next to each other?


texts: What is the difference between valorization and commercialization of education?

texts:
What is the difference between valorization and commercialization? And what do precisely each of these words mean, when applied to education?

  valorize to enhance or try to enhance the price, value, or status of by organized and usually governmental action [MW]

  commercialize to use (something) as an opportunity to earn money [MW]

To me, the meaning of valorization seems to rather be more accurate of how we use the word commercialization. At the same time, different dictionaries present differing definitions and then there are even more different definitions for these words as terms.

That's the reason why I am asking here, hoping that someone familiar with these terms could explain them. What does it mean to commercialize education and what does it mean to valorize education?


texts: Should I use "standalone", "independent" or "ad-hoc"?

texts:
In my task-management application tasks are grouped inside "processes".
I just added support for tasks not related to any specific process and trying to come up with a right name for them.

What would be the best way to refer to such tasks in help and user documentation?

Standalone tasks
Independent tasks
Ad-hoc tasks

Or maybe some other word?


texts: Automotive: "Part-makers" or "Parts Makers"?

texts:
I see the term "parts maker" in use a lot in automotive industry news, and I'm wondering if the term is a correct construction (grammatically speaking).

When this term is used in Japanese it is always written with an S sound on the end (whether talking about one or more than one): パーツメーカー So this may contribute to the frequent inclusion of the S in English as well - at least in documents translated from Japanese. However, such cases most likely represent a relatively small percentage.

Web searches produce inconsistent results. Note this Wikipedia page, for example:

Category:Auto parts suppliers

There are subcategories here such as "Motorcycle parts manufacturers" and "Automotive part retailers". So depending on the word that follows "part", the S may be included or excluded.

Let's compare the usage using Google Trends:

Maker:

Supplier:

Manufacturer:

Why is there so much inconsistency here? And what do English scholars have to say about this?


texts:
I'm writing a scheduling program and need to show frequency options ranging from once a minute to once a year. Anything over an hour is pretty simple, but I'm looking a formal term for frequencies under an hour.

Every...   | Term
Year       | Annual
6 Months   | Semi Annual
3 Months   | Quarterly
1 Month    | Monthly
Week       | Weekly
Day        | Daily
Hour       | Hourly
30 Minutes | Semi Hourly (?)
15 Minutes | Quarter Hourly (?)
10 Minutes | Decminutely (?)
5 Minutes  | Pentminutely (?)
2 Minutes  | Biminutely (?)
Minute     | Minutely (?)

If anyone has an idea for a better SE forum that this should be posted on please let me know


texts: Why do we liquefy when we also solidify (but not soledefy)?

texts:
I always misspell liquefy and it drives me nuts.

Solids will (or, I suppose, have) solidify but liquids apparently miss out on the chance to liquidify. Instead they have to liquefy I'm sure this is a simple English rule that I have forgotten from elementary school but I can't put my finger on it.


texts:
I understand independent clauses, and how there are certain markers such as however, therefore, consequently which can denote an independent clause. The common example of use is when one of them follows a semi-colon and is follwed by a comma, followed in turn by an independent clause. That is all good. My question is are they only 'markers' when in the initial position, or are they still such when used elsewhere in a sentence? For example:

a) The bus was late; consequently, many people missed their appointments.

b) The bus was late. Many people, consequently, missed their appointments.

Is the consequently in the second example able to be viewed as an independent marker? This is possibly not a great example but hopefully will give you the idea behind my question.


texts: Why does my grammar check want to correct "versus" to "or"?

texts:
I typed the following sentence into Google Docs:

  The calculation becomes more involved, since there are several different ways to use the silicon wafers (polycrystalline versus monocrystalline).

The word versus was underlined in red, and right-clicking yielded

  Did you mean: or

What's going on here? Fwiw, it does the same thing if I use vs instead of versus.


texts: What is the terminology of using full words to describe each letter in a vehicle identification number? reversed acronym/initial?

texts:
In many police procedural TV shows, when police officer try to told partners (or IT guys) the vehicle identification number (or flight number, driver license number, etc...), they will use full word to describe each letter of the number to make sure the information are clearly and unambiguously delivered, such as when describing ABM, they may say Alpha Beta Merry.

So what is the terminology of this? It's something like "reversed acronym/initial", but what it is actually called?


texts: A word describing the attempt to prevent one from expressing his or her political or personal beliefs

texts: I need a word that appropriately describes the verbal or physical attempt at preventing someone from expressing their views.


texts: If someone says to me,  "I would like that" would I answer by saying "I as well or me too?


texts: "Couple was" or "couple were" getting married?

texts:
I have recently read both:

couple is getting married
couple are getting married

So which is actual usage?


texts: I want to say "using a grapple hook" as a verb. In context it would be like "sprinting, jumping, grapple hooking"—but that doesn't sound right. Is it correct? If not, is there a way to say it as a verb?


texts: There's an English paper saying "blink at = show surprise", and "blink at" is a phrasal verb. I've searched a lot of places and didn't see any saying the same thing. Is this true? Does anyone know? Please let me know, thank you.


texts:
what should we call A and B if A gives B reference letter?

A: referee?
then how about B?


texts: Why is there so much diversity in how English nouns are pluralized?

texts:
Where did English get all its plural forms? Why are there so many nouns that are outside the rules?

Most nouns get an "s" when pluralized:
Pass me a cup. The store has a sale on cups!

Some nouns don't change when pluralized:
Check out that deer! Look at that herd of deer!

Some nouns have their own special plural forms:
Let's eat a goose! I was chased away by a gaggle of geese!

Then you get some Latin plural forms thrown in for good measure...

What gives?


texts: Is there an adverb for "quickly at first, slowly later"?

texts: When water comes out of a faucet at the bottom of a tank, it comes out quickly first and then it tapers off. Is there an adverb for such a case?


texts:
"If these same situations would be held by people unable to change their behaviour in order to solve or to handle them the consequences would be catastrophic."

I know that usually the word "would" is not accepted in the protasis of the third conditional, but is there any possibility that this sentence is actually correct?


texts: How to express that one is making the conversation long for fun

texts: How can I tell someone that I was just making the conversation long for fun? I am looking for some American idiom to express it.


texts: An English equivalent of Arabic idiom ‘Show us the breadth of your shoulders’

texts:
The Arabic idiom “OK, now you can show us the breadth of your shoulders.” has a meaning similar to get lost, but with a more humorous edge. The idea of the idiom comes from when the recipient turns around and walks out, or figuratively speaking: ‘gets lost’ and the speaker sees the back of his shoulders.

Is there anything similar in English?


texts: Comma required to avoid syntactical (but not semantic) ambiguity?

texts:
Consider this sentence:

  You may worry about the Fed raising interest rates, or a market meltdown, but these risks should not change your investment plans.

Could the comma before "or" be omitted? I could argue no, because then the sentence would imply the reader may worry about the Fed "raising a market meltdown," which is clearly not the intent (A market meltdown is a separate risk). On the other hand, the phrase "raising a market meltdown" is clearly nonsensical, hence a comma may not be needed to clarify the writer's intent (the Fed could "cause" a market meltdown, but not "raise" one).

In other words, is it acceptable to omit a comma when its absence creates a syntactical ambiguity, but not a semantic ambiguity?

EDIT

Rephrasing is usually the best answer to these kinds of cases. It's a made-up example. Assume the sentence as phrased is my best option, and my only decision is comma or no comma.

My understanding is this:

If a comma is optional, take it out.
However, if there is any possibility of ambiguity (without the comma), leave it in.

Ideally, I'm looking for an answer that cites an authoritative source (e.g. Chicago Manual of Style).


texts: Pluralization rules with prepositional phrases

texts:
Two buildings of different height

or

  Two buildings of different heights

Thanks for your help.


texts: "Not having a smartphone ... is more pros than cons." Why is this sentence wrong?

texts:
Not having a smartphone in your daily life is more pros than cons.

Should change it to

  There are more pros than cons to not having a smartphone in your daily life.

But I don't understand why pros and cons can't be put at the back of a sentence. It doesn't sound wrong to me.

Please help me out, thanks!


texts:
Which sentence is correct (or maybe both are)?

At x=1 a maximum is observed.
In x=1 a maximum is observed.

Is there any rule concerning usage of 'in/at' in such situations?


texts:
What is the difference between "check" and "check up on"? Let us say my friend Kate is in her room a little bit sick. I am going to her bedroom to see if she is OK, and tell other friends of mine:

I need to check Kate.
I need to check up on Kate.

Tell me please if there any difference, and if there is none, as I assume, what is "up on" there for?


texts: How to pronounce "ReLU" (Rectified Linear Unit)?

texts:
A Rectified Linear Unit is a common activation function in deep neural networks and is often abbreviated as "ReLU".  I usually pronounce it as /rel-you/ (with the "e" as in "relative" or "rectified"), but I often hear colleagues pronounce it /ray-loo/.

Is there a consensus on the correct pronunciation of "ReLU"?


texts: Word for a person who starts a project, then starts another one?

texts: What do you call a person who starts projects, doesn't ever finish, then starts another project?


texts: Usage of "employment" with the "use" meaning

texts:
What is the proper way to use "employment" with the "use" meaning?

I.e. if I have a new computer program/tool, can I say "employment of the tool", or create a webpage named "Employment of the BLABLA program", describing how and in what cases one should properly use it.

Or this is an unusual context for the word?


texts: Phrase meaning exceptionally busy phone lines

texts:
I'm a professional translator looking for an English equivalent of a phrase that literally means 'the phones were hot' (–which doesn't really cut it in English!) I would actually associate a 'hot line' with a direct line between two people, such as the POTUS and Mr Putin. Phrases I have considered include: 'the phones never stopped ringing' (but this doesn't necessarily imply that they were actually constantly in use), and 'the phone system could barely cope' (but that doesn't have much of a ring to it [if you'll pardon the pun]). 'The phone lines were overloaded' is approaching what I'm looking for, but I'd like to find a phrase that is more graphic – more dramatic, in fact. I feel it is on the tip of my tongue, but it escapes me!

Additional info (as requested by a contributor): having thought more about the context, the phrase is used to describe what happened when managers within a huge company all suddenly reacted to a crisis by picking up the phone. Taking all the comments into consideration, the closest I can think of at this point is 'the phone lines were ablaze' (or 'overheating'), while a knowledgeable contributor has explained that 'congestion' is the correct technical term - which opens other avenues.


texts:
We have 10 people.
We assign a time interval to each one. For example, they could live 1 year, 2 years,... 10 years.
And I want to calculate the sum of all their times.

What's the proper way to tell it?

I want to add...

every people's time.
every person's time.
all people's time.
all person's time.

or maybe better without the Saxon genitive.

the time from each person.
the time of each person.


texts: I ask for an online shop that I'm helping set up which is going to sell jewelry, soaps, skin care products and other cosmetics. I'm looking for a word that encompasses all of these things, perhaps to be used in the name of the shop. For example, the name "Devi's Cosmetics" or "Devi Cosmetics" was considered but I then realized that "cosmetics" doesn't cover the full scope of what the shop will be offering.


texts: The word for "professional system" or "task system"

texts:
I work with software engineering and in norwegian (I'm from Norway) we have a word, "fagsystem", which refers to a software system/application that is specialized to handle a certain kind of business or professional context. Examples are my best bet to clarify, I guess:

A banking back-end system that keeps track of a customers transactions and bank engagement
An insurance back-end system that keeps track of a customers insurance premiums
An airline booking system
...<

I've tried using translate.google.com but the translations seem a bit funny:
"professional system", "task system", "specialized system".

I would be very thankful for any suggestions on how to express this in English.


texts: [clause in simple tense], rather than [verb in -ing form]

texts:
Consider the following sentence from wikipedia.

  Many people embrace their fetish rather than attempting treatment to rid themselves of it.

When I read it, it flows naturally.But when I analyze it, it seems to me that something is wrong with it. "Rather than" connects heterogeneous forms: people embrace rather than attempting. The logically correct alternative would be:

  Many people embrace their fetish rather than attempt treatment to rid themselves of it.

But I can't say if it hits the ear right or wrong.

So... which one, if any is more common/correct/natural?


texts: Can "whiff" be used to refer to physical objects instead of conceptual ideas?

texts:
I know you can say things like:

  The only whiff of disorientation came from the hundreds of eggs
  littered around the stage [...]
  The only whiff of homophobia came from the Library's old-fashioned internal  printing shop. [...]

These are usually abstract concepts (I may be mistaken). Is it common to use the same construction to refer to something physical like a class?

Example:

  The only whiff of chemistry class came from the periodic table
  next to the window.

(There wasn't anything in the classroom that told students that that was a chemistry class, except for the periodic table next to the window.)


texts:
Which of the following would be correct?

It's dangerous to walk on the road.
It's dangerous to walk in the road.


texts: Can “along with” be used to mean “as a consequence of”?

texts:
I have this sentence:

  Along with something (cause), something else (effect) happened.

From text books I know that parts that are connected by “along with” should be in the same form and in the same category. What are the possible corrections for this sentence?

p.s. I need both meanings: cause and effect and happening together.


texts: Is this an appropriate usage of "but" at the beginning of a sentence?

texts:
I try my best to use proper sentence construction and punctuation, and for my amusement, I've taken the quest to find meaningful situations where one might use the various conjunctions at the beginning of sentences. I was told that "because" was the only one that's worthy of being placed at the start of a complete sentence. However, I've taught myself to challenge what I've been taught by attempting to discover flaws or contradictions in the logic. Along my journey, I've noticed that English is full of opposite words thus maintaining harmony and balance. By now, you should see where I'm heading with this idea; I've set out to find the inverse to the word "because." I know of the obvious examples that come to mind such as "except," "albeit," and "not because." None of these seemed to suit a universal role, though, but I believe I have discovered a solution, and I would like to know if this would be acceptable for use in sophisticated writing:

  But for the faint, guiding light in the distance, the hallway was completely dark.

Which would have the same meaning as the following statement:

  The hallway was completely dark but for the faint, guiding light in the distance.

Here we have the same two clauses and the same idea, but in a different order. You might observe that the phrase "but for" can be a wide-use substitute for the three examples previously listed (not directly, but in combination with other words). Please keep in mind that I follow strict guidelines, and I strive to present myself as professional as possible when conveying my ideas through language, and as such, I would prefer it if your responses would take this proposal in the same perspective.


texts:
When someone says "give me a second", or "one second please", how long do they actually mean?

Do they mean "will give you a response as soon as I can", or "in a short time, around 5 minutes"


texts: Which one is right: Prepare 'the project specification' or 'a project specification'?

texts:
Recently I've encountered a problem with articles' usage in one specific case. (Articles aren't the strongest part of my English proficiency)

Which one should I use?

  Prepare the project specification

  Prepare a project specification

(Consider examples to be a task name)

I'm not sure which article to use because of the fact that the project I'm talking about is known (for me and for those who may read the task) but the specification is not written yet (and at the moment of creating task even unknown what should be in it).

Probably I have to use the last one? Or If the project is defined does it make the specification to be defined too (i.e. the specification of the project) or not (i.e. there may be occasions when a project have a few different specifications)?

Sorry for any grammar mistake I've made. It would be my pleasure to get your guidance or remarks to improve my English.
Many thanks!)


texts:
While it's not too difficult to convey that an action actually occurred, there are occasions and phrasings where people may wonder if a sentence is figurative or literal.

Given that most dictionaries and much of the English speaking world have accepted that "literal" can be used to emphasize figurative speech, what is the best way now to convey a literal meeting to an audience about a topic where it isn't immediately clear, even if you use the word "literal"?


texts: "Text" vs "literature" to refer to technical writings?

texts:
When you want to refer to technical writings of a field, do you use text or literature? For example, which sentence is more common and more correct?

In music literature, micro-tonal describes ...
In music texts, micro-tonal describes ...


texts: Why does one "laugh to see a pudding crawl"?

texts:
You'd laugh to see a pudding crawl is a catch-phrase aimed at someone who is easily amused or is suffering a fit of uncontrollable hilarity. Does anyone know how this phrase came into being?

I'm not even sure what is meant by a pudding crawl; I presume it means the act of the last part of your meal propelling itself about the table, but perhaps there is another meaning that would make the saying clearer?

Searching the internet revealed that the question has been asked before (here), and the meaning explained (here and here) but the etymology has never been explained.


texts: What alternate terminology would be most appropriate for loss of potential profit (versus loss of merchandise) excluding "theft" and "stealing"?

texts:
In a recent discussion on another SE forum a user (@JAB) complained that "theft" was an inappropriate descriptor for software piracy. His exact statement was:

  I've never found "stealing" to be an appropriate descriptor for software piracy (loss of potential profit versus loss of merchandise, etc.). Counterfeiting might be more accurate, though even that isn't really appropriate.

[emphasis added]

So, my question is: Is there a more appropriate term for this concept of "loss of potential profit" caused by copyright infringement (making unauthorized copies instead of buying the item) ?

UPDATE: When I started this question I tried to keep my personal biases out of the wording. The comments seem to indicate that might not have been a good idea. For my part I personally think "theft" and "stealing" are very appropriate, but I do think the question is a valid one despite my own bias.

Legalese aside, I was taught as a child that when you take something that is not yours that is stealing. As English speakers we have evolved a number of specialized words to give nuance to the types of stealing possible. Consider the following (these are crude definitions for example only so please don't nitpick): embezzlement essentially is stealing from inside a company; shoplifting is stealing from a retailer by stealth during business hours, burglary is stealing by stealth when the owner is away, robbery is stealing by use of violence against other people, carjacking is stealing of a ground vehicle by robbery, hijacking is stealing of a air or water vehicle by robbery, conversion is stealing something you were entrusted with, etc.

  Now we have "software piracy" and the question is: is piracy just another synonym for "stealing"/"theft" or is there a better word to define what is happening?

If theft is "taking something that does not belong to you", does the fact that the item is intangible make it UN-takable (as suggested by one of the comments below)? Is there a different word for "taking" an intangible?

Also, what exactly is stolen when software piracy occurs? Is it just the binary ones & zeros in the file? Is it the lost potential sale? What about the owner's rights (copyrights, intellectual property), are they being "taken" away from him/her? All of the above?

  Please note: I am not particularly interested in the moral or legal issues, just the linguistic issue of looking for the right descriptive words. However I realize that the moral and legal issues will need to be raised in order to find the right word(s).

PS: There is an enlightening little essay written in the user comments to a blog post I ran across a few years ago (see "The Box and the Software"). It's a little lengthy but the the last few paragraphs about "the box" are very much on topic to this discussion.


texts:
This phrase "came to me" when I awoke from a dream (there's a reason why, based on the dream, but it's not relevant):

Not catching a ball is not a crime.

A rather simple sentence, and easy enough to understand. But it struck me as very unusual, in its way.
It seems awkward in its use of "double negatives." It seems simple, yet somehow complex in its own way; maybe I'm wrong - I'm not an expert in the technical aspects of English - , but I was under the impression that true complex sentences (in the literal sense) contain a comma.
Normally, statements that use a negative (often as a euphemism) are more concisely expressed as positive statements. For example, "it was not difficult" is more straightforward (and shorter) as "it was easy."
But how can the statement "not catching a ball is not a crime" be expressed in a more clear and concise way without using "not"? I, for one, cannot come up with one. "To catch a ball enhances civic order." Nah/yuck... and it's not even really true.
So I'm confused about "what I've got here."
Is there a word or phrase that describes this type of statement, where "not [verb]ing a [noun] is not a [thing - specific subtype of noun]?


texts:
Is there a name for the tabloid media practice of part-initializing, part-abbreviating people's names?

E.g.  Jennifer Lopez -> J-Lo, Robert Pattinson -> R-Patz and so on.


texts: How did 'consideration' semantically shift to mean 'something given in payment'?

texts:
What semantic notion connects the bolded meaning beneath with all the others that aren't related to recompense? To me,  nouns like remittance or solatium (if we prefer an uncommon term) fit the bolded meaning more intuitively. I'm asking about the etymology of 'consideration', not its meaning in contract law.
Which semantic shift is this?

  mid-14c., consideracioun, "a beholding, looking at," also "a keeping in mind," also "contemplation, reflection,"
   from Old French consideracion (12c., Modern French considération) and directly from Latin considerationem (nominative consideratio) "consideration, contemplation, reflection," noun of action from past-participle stem of considerare "to look at closely, observe" (see consider).

  Meaning "a taking into account, act of paying attention to" is from late 14c.; that of "examination, observation" is from early 15c.. Sense of "thoughtful or sympathetic regard" is from c. 1400. Meaning "that which is or should be considered" is from late 15c. Meaning "something given in payment" (as recompense for service) is from c. 1600.


texts:
What is the best method of listing specific characteristics when writing scientifically. My example:

  The study sites range in area from 1000 m² to 1200 m², cover depths of 0.08 to 5.7 m, range in altitude from 0 to 100 m, and span latitudes of between −40 to 50 °N.

Note that XX here is a variable name.

I am not convinced that I am writing this in the best possible way. For example, am I using cover, range, span in the correct way here? Is there a specific rule to follow in scientific writing?


texts: I didn't have any doubts about this word, because as I could see it is pronounced in both British and American variants as [ˈinfəntrē] - as it written - and I heard it in modern military usage sounding like that, until I heard an American WWII song The Ballad of Rodger Young  in performance of West Point Cadet Glee Club - and it occurred to me, that they definitely pronounce it like 'enfantry' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MEJM0cboDg#t=7 Then I searched some other variants of the song - and in the most of them the same pronunciation was used, although in some not. Then I have searched the Internet and have looked up in dictionaries, but nowhere this question was discussed. I think that maybe this is the variable pronunciation like insure/ensure, inquire/enquire, or dated, or dialectal, or specifically U.S. military, but still cannot find any arguments in favor of anything. Or is it just a personal accent of the singer and nothing interesting?


texts: I am not quite sure if this question is fitting here, as I am looking for one word and it's about cars. I have searched the internet and found nothing. I'm not even sure if there's a word for it. The word I'm looking for is the word for the thingy below the car door. Not below the car, it's kinda where you put your foot when you enter. Or, in a movie, where the bad-ass character puts his enemy's head and closes the door repeatedly. It's kind of next to the car seat, but it isn't really in the car. Hopefully there are some car experts here, though even a car expert might not have taken the time to find out what this little section is called.


texts: What is the difference between "I used to believe that..." and "I used to think that..."?  When I want to express about an idea I used to believe/think when I was a child


texts: It was thus understandable that when a speaker at a recent meeting on Science and the Law held in San Diego by American Justice Department hinted that the technique might not deserve its aura of infallibilty, a law inforcement agent in the audience was later overheard calling him an unprintable name.


texts: Is "My teeth chatter" a form of personification?

texts: Is the phrase "my teeth chatter" (due to the cold) an example of personification? Teeth can't literally chatter, but they can make a chattering noise, so I am a bit torn on this one.


texts: I am writing a one act play about a trial. The evidence is piled against the defendant, and he wants to plead insanity. What are other ways of stating that? What are other ways to refer to that plea? I do not want to be overly repetitive by using only one phrase.


texts: What is a person who owes you a favour called?

texts:
First of all, English is not my mother tongue. Secondly, I was wondering if there is such a word in the English language that describes a person, who owes you some favour (not really money tho).

Like, for example:

  I did the washing up when it was your turn. You owe me a favour. You are my _______

Can I use words such as borrower or debtor? Because I feel like it only refers to owing somebody money.


texts: "Is there something wrong?" or "Is there anything wrong?"

texts: Is there any difference between "Is there something wrong?" and "Is there anything wrong?"? Also, you would say "He would like something to drink" but "Would you like anything to drink?", right? I'd appreciate if any one could explain the usage of "something" and "anything".


texts: Sentences ending with two periods. Is this always a typo?

texts:
Here's the example (right before the second photo) I saw today prompting me to ask. I have seen this on multiple occasions. A lot of them in web articles actually.

I always thought that this might have something to do with people who type two spaces after the end of their sentences, and it's pretty easy to repeat the wrong character.

But usually when I encounter this I just mentally process it as an "ellipsis-lite". It's like it's trailing off, but just not really committing to the full ellipsis. But, of course, that's just completely silly. Or is it?


texts:
Paul Austen’s novel sold immediately to the author’s eager readers.

In the above sentence, which part is the complement and which is the adjunct? I am confused as to whether the adjunct should be immediately or eager readers.


texts: Word/phrase for looking up and down repeatedly?

texts:
Example:

  He took out the picture of the building and compared it with the live
  version, [...].

I'm not sure how to search for that on Google or Thesaurus.


texts: Is it "Myself and _____", "_____ and myself", or "____ and I"?

texts: For example, "Lucy and I are going to a movie" vs. "Myself and Lucy are going to a movie" vs. "Lucy and myself are going to a movie"


texts: Pronoun immediately following its antecedent

texts:
Is placing a pronoun immediately after its antecedent in a sentence valid grammar?

Is there a term for this construction?

Some examples are:

President Obama, he gave a speech last night.
The speech, it was about the financial system.

I hear this on the Planet Money podcast at least once per episode.


texts: Meaning of the phrase "come out in the wash"

texts:
One of our senior technical architects uses this phrase:

  it will come out in the wash

We generally take that to mean "let's do the detailed/mundane stuff later — and concentrate on the key stuff now".

Is this right? What's the actual meaning and correct usage of this phrase?


texts: Is there a word with a meaning roughly halfway between "adjust" and "fiddle with"?

texts:
"Adjust", "tweak", and "arrange" all seem deliberate and controlled, while "fiddle with" and "poke at" seem on the aimless side, at least to me. Is there a word somewhere between those extremes?
For example, when you're trying to get the correct key on your keychain using just one hand. It may take a few tries, but it's still too intentional and precise to qualify as "fumbling".


texts:
Consider the following sentence:

  Please return the box back to the address from which you have received it.

Is the last it absolutely necessary? If not, what is the recommended style? Google seems to return both instances.


texts: to think of something in a different light

texts: I am looking for an adjective: a way to describe an era I am writing about as a "not well understood" precursor to current times.


texts: "Office hours" - group or collective or compound noun vs. plural

texts:
I wrote,

"Is there office hours Thursday at 9am?"

I know the hours are plural but I feel it's a collective noun.  "Office" is a noun adjunct making the meaning of "hours" more like a meeting or offering so I went singular.  It feels awkward but "are"  feels even more awkward.

So... Is or are??  Is "office hours" plural or singular in the educational context?

Update 1: My wife asserts is the same as pants.  I replied that taking office out of the sentence would change the meaning of the sentence completely. "Is there hours Thursday at 9am?"  That got me thinking that office hours may be more of a compound noun like toothpaste.  Compound nouns can have a space between them e.g. bus stop.

The second part that I think is throwing me is the "at 9am".  Can hours be at 9am?  That's just silly, but office hours can be at 9am.

Update 2: I would have to agree with @BillJ on this one and that it's not a compound but rather the original noun-adjunct "office". Additionally, I did not include the context.  In the US, professors have a time of day when they make themselves available to students.  It is an open meeting.  I apologize because as this might look like "hours of operation" for most people which would indeed make the entire question seem frivolous.  Conceptually I was asking, "Is there a meeting Thursday at 9am?".  This continues with the existence part, a meeting can or cannot exist.

Ultimately, my wife is right.  While I may think "office hours" as an offering or an open meeting, it derives from a business office having hours of operation.  The pants were plural then (literally and figuratively) and the office hours are now.


texts:
I came across this sentence in one of W.B. yeats poems:

  Poet and sculptor do the work
  Nor let the modish painter shirk

I have never seen the “nor” in this way. Does it mean “don’t let the modish painter shirk”?


texts: Should we always use the exclamation mark in expressions like "thank you", "my pleasure", etc?

texts:
If someone (for example, John) retweets my tweet, should I add the exclamation mark in my reply? Which of the following options is correct:

Thank you for the RT, John!
Thank you for the RT, John.

I have noticed that the exclamation mark is not always used by native English speakers.


texts: Looking for synonyms for fitness enthusiast

texts: In my native language, there's a term for a person who works out and enjoys it, but does not incline towards extremes. Works out regularly, but in moderation, to stay healthy and also because they enjoy the process. No dictionary can help me with this. Fitness enthusiast is the best fit I could find so far by googling around this term, but doesn't it carry a slightly negative connotation, like a "fitness freak"? Do you have a positive word for this kind of a person in English?


texts: 'no matter in which way' or 'no matter which way?

texts:
Is in necessary in the phrase:

  It is the same, no matter in which way it is done.

That is, is it acceptable to write:

  It is the same, no matter which way it is done.


texts:
How should I dictate hyphen in email address or url over the phone ?

My email is gabriel hyphen glenn at gmail dot com
My email is gabriel dash glenn at gmail dot com


texts:
Both the sentences/fragments below appear to be grammatical.

  Thanks for the help you have provided to us in the planning
  Thanks for the help you have provided us in the planning

Is there actually any difference? Are both really grammatical? What difference (if any) does to make?


texts:
In paragraphs should the term "Big Data" be capitalised? I seam to be finding contradicting information as it is a name for something but also a common term.

Which is correct?

  When the volume and complexity of this cannot be supported by off-the-shelf IT solutions, custom IT frameworks are needed; this results in
  the data being classed as Big Data.

or

  When the volume and complexity of this cannot be supported by off-the-shelf IT solutions, custom IT frameworks are needed; this results in
  the data being classed as big data.

Please also explain why - not just which is right!


texts: Single word for "Tourist Attraction Places"

texts:
I have a web directory... There are many categories like Hotel & Spa, Electric shops, etc.

Now I need to add "Tourist Attraction Places" as a category. Seems like that name is too long.

Is there any "single" or "two word" word can I use for "Tourist Attraction Places"?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "dollars to doughnuts", and what is the phrase trying to convey when most commonly used?


texts: Is it correct to have 2 posessions following each other in in one statement


texts: Pronunciation of 'deserved' in different contexts?

texts:
First, may I begin by saying that I love the English language! After so many years, I still find myself learning something new each day.

The question Are there any pairs of words like "beloved"/"belovèd", "learned"/"learnèd" that maintain a semantic difference to the present day? has been identified as a possible duplicate of this question, but therein an enumeration of such words is called for, whereas here I am asking about the pronunciation of a certain adjective within this group.

Are -èd adjectives still usèd words? could also be argued as a duplicate of my question, but what I want to know is far less broad, revolving around the pronunciation of deserved.

That settled, my question today revolves around the pronunciation of deserved in differing contexts. In British English at least (I can't speak for American English, unfortunately) there are no less than several heteronyms which end in ed.

Among these are:

Blessed (past-tense verb)/blessèd (adjective)
Beloved (adjective)/belovèd (adjective)
Learned (past-tense verb)/learnèd (adjective)
Dogged (past-tense verb)/doggèd (adjective)
Legged (past-tense verb)/leggèd (adjective, usually hyphenated to another word)

Of course the grave accents aren't strictly necessary (context is usually telling) but I want my point to be clear.

I got the impression that deserved belonged to this class of words, i.e. deserved (past-tense verb) and deservèd (adjective). If this is archaic, then perhaps what confused me is that the adverb deservèdly and the noun deservèdness are pronounced in four syllables.

I can't decide whether the adjective is pronounced in two or three syllables. The pronunciation of well-deserved may be telling here.

I have checked this in a few dictionaries, but come to no conclusion. The Cambridge Dictionary, usually trustworthy in such (fine) matters, gives the pronunciation of any form of deserved as two syllables in length.


texts:
In English, verbs can be conjugated both in the active and passive voice.
It makes it possible to distinguish who is doing the action and who/what the action is done on/against.
e.g.
|--------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------|
|                    | active voice          | passive voice               |
|--------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------|
| infinitive         | to ride               | to be ridden                |
| present simple     | (the rider) rides     | (the horse) is ridden       |
| continuous present | (the rider) is riding | (the horse) is being ridden |
|--------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------|

Also, the language makes it possible to turn verbs into adjectives, by adding the -able or -ible suffixes, to mean "that can be ...".
But this only works for the passive voice.
Is there a specific suffix (or a word that can reproduce that) that can turn a verb into an adjective at the active voice, with the meaning of "that can ..." instead of "that can be ..."?
e.g.
|------------|------------------|-------------------------|
|            | active voice     | passive voice           |
|------------|------------------|-------------------------|
| infinitive | to ride          | to be ridden            |
| adjective  | (the rider is) ? | (the horse is) rideable |
|------------|------------------|-------------------------|

How would I say, with only one word, that the rider is able to ride a horse?
Edit:
I'll give a bit more context. I'm a software engeneer and was looking for a way to name a file (short name for something that can do some thing). Found this question that is closely related to mine.
I think I'll just go with "can" as a prefix for the verb (and "canBe" for more consistency). e.g. "canPrint" and "canBePrinted".


texts: Parallelism between past perfect and present continuous

texts:
In the following sentence:

  Anyone who has stumbled glumly through a British airport recently,
  trapped in endless queues, will already know the stench of bogus
  security hanging heavy in the air. I always knew at some subliminal
  level that even as my nail scissors were being seized by a censorious
  official,some monstrous breach the size of the Channel was
  blithely disregarded elsewhere.

The part which is bold seems incorrect to me. I think it should be "was being blithely".

Although if "while" was used as in, "while some monstrous breach the size of the Channel was blithely disregarded elsewhere", it would have been correct.

How should one ensure parallelism between something which is happening now and something in past which still happens?


texts: Is “It’s not unheard-of to do” not-an-unusual expression in day-to-day conversation?

texts:
There was the following passage in Maureen Dowd’s article titled, “Hooray for Hillarywood?” in New York Times May 30 issue:

  “You hear plenty of complaints about the president’s mingy care and feeding of donors. “It’s not unheard-of to think that liking people is part of the job,” one political in our consultant to the stars said tartly.”

I don’t think I’ve heard the phrase, “It’s not unheard-of to do” so often.

Google Ngram shows that the incidences of usage of “It’s not unheard of …” is more than 1 digit lower (0.0000004080% in 2000) as compared with that of “It’s not unusual.”(0.000006443%).

Can I use “It’s not unheard-of to do” in the same way as “It’s not unusual to do,” or are they very different sets of words?

In Japanese, "聞いたことがない―I've never heard of" is very common, but we don't say "聞いたことがなくない- I've not unheard of."

If a non-native speaker like me uses “It’s not unheard-of to do” in his conversation with native English speakers, does it sound awkward or does it add a flourish?


texts: How suffixes like -ness and -ship are chosen when forming abstract nouns?

texts:
In some programming situations I came across making up abstract nouns to give name to an information that indicates some quality. Eg. if the quality is orange one may be tempted to form the word orangeness.

I found several possible postfixes for this in a paper by Dr. Suneetha Yedla:

ii) Forming abstract nouns
-asy, -acy “state or quality” accuracy
-age “condition, state, rank, office of” coinage, postage, barrage
-ance, -ence “state, act, fact of” emergence
-ade “general noun” salad, parade, lemonade
-al “act of” chemical, mechanical, physical, structural, operational
-ation “state of being X-ed” information, aviation, configuration, validation
-ia “condition of” inertia
-ial “differential, industrial
-icity “abstract noun from – ic” felicity, electricity
-ism “doctrical system of principles” constructivism, professionalism
-ity “state, quality, condition of” unity, complexity, solidity, fragility
-ment “condition of being X” equipment, experiment, requirement
-ness “state, quality, condition of” innateness, thickness
-ship “state, condition of” guide ship, airship, (large) cruise ship

The descriptions in the list are not exactly distinct.
Suppose one cannot say which one 'feels right', I am not native; how do one choose the right suffix?


texts: Meaning of "no odds against success affected me"

texts:
Now I was in the right mood for these undertakings – failure being almost certain, no odds against success affected me.

It's used in the above sentence. Failure being almost certain means that sure failure, but what did the author is trying to say by "no odds against success affected me."


texts: "In preparation for" or "In Preparation of"?

texts:
What´s the difference in use between "in preparation of" or "in preparation for"? They seem both correct.

Context:

  The team practiced how they would respond to bad weather in
  preparation of Election Day.


texts: Should "japanese" be capitalised when used as an adjective

texts:
Which one of these is the correct usage:

  1) Your favourite Japanese restaurant

  2) Your favourite japanese restaurant (being an adjective in this
  case, it should be in lower case)


texts: Can time breaks be shown using dialogue breaks

texts:
By ending a set of quotation marks and starting a new set, can this show a break in time?

E.g. "I need to read the letter before I can comment." "It looks like he's determined to come here."

Here, the dialogue shows that there is a time break because the speaker would need to read the letter before commenting.

Is this correctly used, and clearly understandable.

I could add normal narrative between, but I don't want to.


texts:
Is there a name for an obviously erroneous duplication of a word in a print medium? For example (with apologies to Mr. Lincoln)" "Four-score and seven seven years ago..."
If someone is relatively certain there isn't one, can you suggest a suitable short "title" for a list of such cases?


texts:
I was wondering if new words or neologisms have been formed with apophonic plurals such as;

foot->feet
mouse->mice
goose->geese

I am not searching for nouns that were influenced by the i-mutation but words created recently and having the same type of plural form.


texts:
Appearances in the early 19th century, and before, tie some figurative uses of the phrase 'strange fruit' to religion and politics, and then later to US racism, particularly southern racism.

For example, this early use from an 1838 edition of The clockmaker, or, The sayings and doings of Samuel Slick of Slickville ties the sense to both politics (democracy) and religion:

  Arter a considerable of a pause, she said, This must be a religious country, said she, ain't it? for religion is the "highest fact in man's right, and the root of all democracy." If religion is the root of democracy, said I, it bears some strange fruit sometimes, as the man said of the pine tree the five gamblers were Lynched up to Vixburg.

Even earlier, in 1567, at a time when religion and politics were not as distinct as they now are, this use ties the sense to religious politics:

  The which preaching although it were a litle checked by edictes and proclamations, yet not being remoued [removed] by force, caused as well moe [more] preachers to gather about that and other cities of Flanders and Brabant, as also moe hearers to come unto their sermo[n]s, in so much that within one month, manie thousandes were found to resort unto this new preaching, whereof some strange fruit must nedes growe in tyme, sithens [since] that wilde maner of preaching hath not be wont to be used, where the whole people of the Countrie is christened, unlesse it be in the time of warre.

  From English Recusant Literature, 1558 – 1640, Vol. 282, A Treatise of the Images of Christ by Nicholas Sander

I'm interested in how the figurative sense of the phrase developed from those political-religious roots into the common contemporary sense, wherein the phrase symbolizes racism, and particularly southern US racism. That development was established in widespread use by the 1939 recording of "Strange Fruit", the Billy Holiday rendition of a song written by Abel Meeropol. The lyrics are reproduced at '"Strange Fruit": the story of a song':

  Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
  Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
  Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
  Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

  Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
  The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
  Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
  And the sudden smell of burning flesh!

  Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,
  For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
  For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop,
  Here is a strange and bitter crop.

I hypothesize that transitional uses of 'strange fruit' in the 1800s and early 1900s might link southern evangelical sects, the Reconstruction, the Southern Babtist Convention, and the symbolic development of the phrase. Do transitional uses provide that link? Is there an 'Old World' (European religion and politics) influence on the development?


texts: A word for a company that provides a service

texts: I'm writing up a business model and have arrived at the point to place the business in the value chain. I know that the business would go in the spot where the 'retailer' usually is however, a retailer is usually meant for companies which provide goods rather than services. Therefore, I am wondering if there is any word (or phrase) which can be used to describe my company which provides a service. It would be nice if the word is commonly used in business jargon as well.


texts: Word for “watched” videos and “read” articles

texts:
Is there a generic way to say that an educational resource (an article or a video) has been read or watched by a student and is expected to be familiar to her, like in lessons learnt?

I'm looking for an adjective that can come after is as in is learnt.

  Programmers:
  Think a database field is_* for a Resource, should also be a good fit for an URL: /resources/*/.

In Russian, absorbed is used in this context but I'm not sure I can say absorbed knowledge without sounding too chemical.


texts: How to combine multiple phrases when summarizing an article

texts:
Let's say if I am summarizing an article that describes these things:

How to slay a dragon (in 500 words)
How to install Linux (in 500 words) and
How to cook a scrambled egg (in 300 words)

I want to summarize what the article is about in a single sentence. I am confused on how to combine them the three major topics covered in the article. It would be great if someone could help me with it.
My Statements:

The article describes how to slay a dragon, how to install Linux and how to cook a scrambled egg.
The article describes how to slay a dragon, install Linux and cook a scrambled egg.

My the above statements which one is more appropriate? The first one or the second one? It would be great if you could point out the mistake(s) in either of them. If both are not correct, please suggest some other alternative.


texts: What's the meaning of "figurative meaning"?

texts: What does figurative meaning mean? What is the difference compared to literal meaning?


texts: The adventures of Tom Sawyer sentence meaning

texts:
What does this phrase from The adventures of Tom Sawyer sentence mean:
"True, the knife would not cut anything, but it was a "sure-enough" Barlow, and there was inconceivable grandeur in that -- though where the Western boys ever got the idea that such a weapon could possibly be counterfeited to its injury is an imposing mystery and will always remain so, perhaps."

Thank you!


texts:
How happy Harry was having seen Toby's house!

I don't know whether this sentence is grammatically correct or not! In my opinion, the part "having seen Toby's house" is used as a supporting idea, which is similar to this: "Keeping these ideas in mind, we compiled this book for young readers."

Please help me!

My question is a different problem, I just don't understand the role of "having seen Toby's house"part, and wonder if it's okay to combine with "how happy harry was".


texts: Why English does not have diacritics to distinguish between words with different meanings and pronunciations

texts:
It just occured to me that there are words in English that have two different meanings, two different pronunciations and are written exactly the same.

For example "present" can be interpreted as the tense when pronounced   /ˈprezənt/ or as a synonym of "demonstrate" when /priˈzent/

Other examples from the top of my head: "read", "live".

I don't think I have seen that in any other language. In most languages you can't tell the spelling of a word by hearing it, but you call articulate it correcly when you're reading it. It seems that in English you can't do either of those.

Did English ever have accent marks to distinguish between those? How did it end up like that?


texts: Semicolons before buts, ands, and sos, and other strange places?

texts:
Is this right? I thought that aside from something like this:

  He had some dogs; he ran to the beach; he drowned.

that you are only supposed to put commas before ands, sos, and buts, etc.

But I see people often doing this:

  I had twins; but I had a miscarriage.

  I had salad; but I threw up.

  I thought I liked him; but now I don't anymore.

How is this right? Shouldn't these be commas? This makes semicolon use even more confusing, because at least before you supposedly "knew" where commas always went and there were no semicolon exceptions:

  I made sure, then died.

  I thought I died; I just made sure though.

Keeping at that tone I can never fail, but how is one always supposed to know when exactly there are two independent clauses and why they should be semicolon separated vs. period separated? I ask because people also often do this.

  I'm sure we've all been to the park. But then the beach. And the park. And mall as well.

And sometimes they'll do this as well:

  I'm heavily-wounded; would you go get me some bandages?

And another weird one I've seen:

  Here's my pet; Fluffy. < Shouldn't there be a colon at most, if anything at all?

Basically English grammar is a complicated mess that I can never get perfect. I ask this because I've basically read every tutorial on semicolon usage, but something always pops up or I see someone use it in a place somewhere that I find strange or incorrect and have to re-evaluate my knowledge endlessly.


texts: What is 'it' in this sentence? (Need interpretation)

texts:
Where sign language was found among Native American tribes it was largely uniform.

I don't know what the real subject is in this statement and what it means here.
Why are tribes and it, both nouns, continuously written?
How can I interpret this sentence? Need your help. :)


texts:
http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/Shall

  Shall is primarily in the present, and in our mother tongue was
  followed by a verb in the infinitive.

I've been doing some research to figure out how shall would be considered to be in the present tense (as opposed to in the future tense).

This is primarily in reference to II Timothy 3:1 in the Authorized version:

  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

I think shall is in the future tense here, but I just wanted to be sure.
Can anyone give examples of shall in the present tense?
I was thinking something like:
"Shall we get going now?" might be an example.


texts: I am helping to edit a scientific manuscript.  The author in one sentence wants to talk about what his study and other studies have found.  Here is part of his sentence: "Although our and other studies have previously reported a link between [...]."  Is it grammatically correct to use "our and other?"  It doesn't sound right to my ears, but I'm not sure how else to word it.  Thanks!


texts: English idioms and locutions based on Celtic culture or languages

texts:
Are there any widely-spread English idioms with Celtic cultural references?

To be more specific:
Let's suppose that Crossing the Rubicon is the idiom based on Roman Empire cultural reference. Is there something similar about Celts?

Edited the post to eliminate idioms with just Celtic words.
Currently there are 3 useful idioms from comments and answer:

Kilkinny cats
Gift of the gab
Barnley stone


texts: Difference of "attention-line" and "subject-line" in business

texts:
Are the following definitions correct ?

Attention line is the part of the recipient address in a letter or on an envelope which names the person to whom the letter should be handed to.
Subject line is the part in a letter which refers to a particular subject, like a recent call and its date and something that has been discussed, like an order ect. The subject line can include a reference number of a process like an order or a project number.

I'm asking you to confirm the definition and its common use in English letters, especially in business.


texts: Nice expression for saying "I need to actually do the entire task just to check if it is doable"

texts: So my client is asking to quickly tell him if a certain task is doable. But there is no way of just quickly checking its feasibility except for actually performing the entire task. How do I intimate this thing in a nice but solid manner? Is there a phrase or something that would convey my position?


texts:
So, my friend and I were chatting the other day. I, being a new father, sent him a picture of my clothesline completely full of my daughter's diapers. Then this dialogue happened:

  My friend: Woah, babies are really poop factories.
  Me: No shit.

Now, at that point, the chat spiraled out to a discussion on how wrong I was on using no shit on poop factory. Words such as "complete opposite" and "idioms, idiot" were uttered. I pointed my friend at the definition at thefreedictionary.com definition:

  no shit (rude)

  something is very surprising and hard to believe He's coming here tonight? No shit!
  the truth This is no shit - we're going to have the money for you tomorrow.

He wouldn't have it. So, I turn to ELU as final arbiter. Was my response above correct or not?

Edit: After accepting the answer below, I notice that this question could use a better title. If you have a better idea on what should this question be titled, please edit it and remove this paragraph.


texts:
I am trying to understand the grammar behind using "do not" vs "does not".

Consider the following sentences.

1a. The way items are added to the cart does not guarantee an order. vs

1b. The way items are added to the cart do not guarantee an order.

2a. We will skip the entries that do not match vs

2b. We will skip the entries that does not match


texts:
In the last episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" there was this dialogue between Larry and Leon (black guy who uses a lot of street slang):

Larry: You think I'd go out with a guy wearing a green wife-beater? Look at you. This sh*t on your head.
Leon: Are you kidding me?
Larry: What the hell is that?
Leon: Oh, I gets mine, Larry. I f*king gets mine. You know I gets mine too.

What does "I gets mine" mean?


texts: WHAT IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "STORY" AND "TALE" IN THIS CONTEXT?

texts: For all their efforts, the diplomats at Versailles achieved the precise opposite of what they had set out to do, inexorably, tragically laying the groundwork for the next, more horrible world war. In this sense, then, the story of diplomacy also reads as a cautionary tale. source: diplomacy VSI


texts: What's the difference between "preposition" and "postposition" compared to "circumposition"?

texts:
How do a preposition and a postposition differ from a circumposition?
Are these three terms really used in schools, universities and "official classes" in general?
Is there someone who "officially" calls all three just prepositions, and says there are simply "different types" of prepositions?


texts: What's the origin of the idiom " Banana head"?

texts:
"Banana head" means a stupid person according to Farlex Idioms. Where did this idiom come from?

From Farlex:

  n. a stupid person. (Usually objectionable.) Ask that banana-head why she is wearing a coat like that in July.


texts:
Which usage is more appropriate, or are they equal?

It afforded me the luxury of travelling and the peace of mind in knowing that I could work anywhere.
It afforded me the luxury of travelling and the peace of mind knowing I could work anywhere.


texts:
F*** all these b****
F*** all of these b****

Which one is correct?
And why ?


texts: Meaning of 'it would be hard to overstate'

texts:
What does "it would be hard to overstate" refer to in the following sentence? What is the meaning of that phrase?
Plato also, of course, portrays Socrates as a dauntless man of principle who died a hero’s death akin to that of Achilles (Apology of Socrates 28c2–d5)—a portrait whose effect on the reputation of philosophy over the millennia "it would be hard to overstate."


texts:
Having had my formative years in New Zealand, I was born in South Africa.  I vaguely recall when I was VERY young having someone tell me when I said "hey" that "hay is what horses eat".

I got that then it was more when people would yell "hey" across a room to attract attention, and that was considered a bit rude for that purpose.

However in my adult years in NZ and the UK, a casual nod and a "hey", or "hey, what's up?" was a perfectly acceptable greeting.

Having recently moved to Canada, I greeted someone casually with that yesterday to be told again "that's what horses eat".  I felt a bit rebuffed, but decided to ignore it until I could research it - ie, ask on here!.

Is this just a North American thing? Or just possibly this individual's view? Same age and gender as me.


texts: "For the time being" vs. "in the meantime"

texts: I am confused when to use "For the time being" and when to use "In the meantime". Are they interchangeable? Can you please explain with some examples?


texts: I am working on a persuasive paper about free college. I am trying to find the opposite of community college. Does anybody know a good word or phrase for this?


texts: When we name things with a letter, should we use "the" for them?

texts:
Sometimes we name what we want to talk about with letters: person S, belief p, intention N. Should we use any article for them? Definite names are never used with articles. For me the ambiguity here is on whether something named with a letter is a definite name so that it doesn't need any article neither in the first usage nor in the subsequent ones.

Example:

  Suppose, for instance, that person S forms belief p.

or

  Suppose, for instance, that the person S forms the belief p.

or

  Suppose, for instance, that a person S forms a belief p.

What about the subsequent usages?


texts:
I've always thought that the name of this card game comes from the English word bridge (the structure) but it is not quite like that. It's the English pronunciation of a game called Biritch, which was also known as Russian Whist.

Etymology of the word from Etymonline:

  card game, 1886 (perhaps as early as 1843), an alteration of biritch, but the source and meaning of that are obscure. "Probably of Levantine origin, since some form of the game appears to have been long known in the Near East" [OED]. One guess is that it represents Turkish *bir-üç "one-three," because one hand is exposed and three are concealed. The game also was known early as Russian whist (attested in English from 1839).

Furthermore from the book "The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic" By Richard A. Epstein:

Question

This is the furthest I can go in my research (looks like an answer already) but is it possible to go further? Even it says obscure, are there any sources that goes deeper and gives more details (for the following questions especially)?

Related questions:

Why is the word corrupted to a word — bridge — that is already used? For
example, why not britch? Is there a folk etymology here?
How come there is a Levantine and Turkish origin? Can it be that
Russians learned this game from Ottomans in the era of wars, or did they adopt a name from the Ottoman Turkish language? (Also, the passage from the source book mentions that Biritch is not a recognized Russian word.)

Note: "Biritch" does not sound like a mispronunciation of some Turkish word or phrase meaning no trump. Interestingly, a Turkish language etymology website says that the name of this game briç is a loan word from English bridge. But this is about the modern Turkish language; there is also the Ottoman Turkish language used at that time which I can't trace back.


texts: I've heard that the cat which there may not be enough room to swing actually refers to a type of whip. Is that true? What is the actual origin of the phrase not/barely enough room to swing a cat?


texts: Specific Word Request For a Word Similar To Narcissist

texts:
Sample sentence: "I'm no narcissist, young lady. I am a _____" (something like that. A title or name of a state of mind.)

Despite my search for this word through book thesauruses and google's version i have not found a word that fits the criteria i have in place.

Description of the desired word: Much like a narcissist does, this person feels superior to everyone else and tends to look down on people. But, unlike a narcissist, this person has no desire of special treatment, power over people, or even recognition. And, this person does not think that they are superior due to a lack of flaws. They think they are better only relatively, much like a RC car without batteries is better than an RC car without wheels.

(If you do not have a word that matches or a method for me to find it, don't stress. I am, more or less, sure this word does not exist. At least in English.)


texts:
Is there a simple verb to describe the act of accidentally (or not) throwing out of the mouth food bits, like it happens when someone is eating and talking at the same time?

For instance, if you were to complete the following phrase, what would you insert?

  He _______ (on) my plate (whilst talking).

If there is no a single word verb, what is the most common way to say this in English?


texts: Name for careless quick and dirty style of programming?

texts:
How to name a style of programming, which brings the results for given moment, but the code is written quickly, without any readability, considerations, recommended practices, without thinking of others maintaining it and where it is possible that also the author won't be able to maintain it as soon as the author forgets the details?

So if it can be said that the only positive thing on produced code was that it quickly delivered immediate result, nothing else. Everyone who will look or touch the code will require more than usual energy to understand what is it doingand easier that extending it may be to re-write everything from scratch.

In my non-English language, something as "to pig the code" can be used, like if the code was created by a pig, by its very own methods.


texts:
I've heard quite a few times the term "five O" (eg in the US TV show "the Wire").

It seems to mean "police" (inferred from the context), and I'm curious to know where the expression comes from, and if it has a broader meaning than just "police".


texts: I've come across the term "Ocean Sea" and wonder what it means, especially compared to simpler terms like "ocean" or "sea"? Is this a recognized term in English, either current or historical?


texts: Why do British people pronounce “Ibiza” as “Ibitha”?

texts:
My brief overseas experience in Great Britain has taught me that British people tend to pronounce Ibiza as Ibitha. My questions are as follows:

Why is this the case?
How did this develop?
What are the circumstances that determine if a z is pronounced like a z or a th?


texts: What would the Old English Wōden look like in Modern English?

texts: What would the Old English Wōden "Odin" look like in Modern English, if it was to undergo regular sound changes? "Wooden" or something?


texts: Is there the word, “Fortunity”? If there is, what does it mean?

texts:
I "think" I clearly heard the word, “Fortunity” in the following statement of the Wall Street Journal Report of this week (November 5th), introducing the unique service of Sanchez Delta Airline via Far East Network Radio broadcast.

  "Airlines Sanchez Delta, a charter company caters to teams with
  tricked-out jets, hand-picked flight attendants, meals from some
  players’ favorite restaurants. Team charters often used to amount a
  fortunity party - beer, pizza and junk food. But the airlines say the
  days of raucous party flying have gone. Many teams ban alcohol, have
  nutritionist’s select menus, and set up plane chairs so coaches can
  study games when some players can sleep.”

As I’ve never heard the word, “Fortunity,” I checked both Cambrigde and Oxford online dictionaries, neither of which carries “Fortunity.”

Spell checker keeps recommending me to correct “Fortunity” into “Fortuity” or “Fortunate” while I’m typing this question.

On the other hand, I see a lot of captions including the word, “Fortunity” on Google Search, though none of them provides its definition.

Is “Fortunity” a current English word? If it is, what does it mean?


texts: How to choose between "work day" vs "working day"

texts:
For business days, I see both 'work day' and 'working day'. Which one is correct? Also asking between 'work hours' vs 'working hours'.

Context: I have 5 work/working/business days. My work/working/business hours are 7 per day.


texts: Word for "take with permission but no intention of returning"

texts:
In such cases, "borrow" doesn't fit, as it implies intent to return, nor does "steal", which indicates lack of permission. "take" seems too general.

As a concrete example: "Hey, can I [verb] some painkillers?"


texts: Is it correct to use to describe an event in the recent past as "sweet memory" or should it be used only if the event has occured very long?


texts: Is there a common ancestor for "wink" and "twinkle"?

texts:
Etymonline traces wink to Old English wincian, with Old High German cognate winkan "move sideways, stagger, nod". By the same souce, twinkle comes from OE twinclian "twinkle, wink", with MHG cognate zwinken.

The two verbs seem closely parallel in sound, meaning, and history. Do they have a common ancestry? Is there a t- (German z-) prefix involved somewhere along the path, and is it an instance of a regular word formation process?


texts: How is "suggested" used for adademic writing?

texts:
I'm an ESL student, and trying to write an paper. I found it very confusing on the usage of suggest. I have asked a proofreader for help, and the proofreader changed the my sentences like the following. But I think I heard that the that clause after "suggest" can only use the infinitive of the verb (be) rather than "is" or "was".
So is this "...suggested ecotourism be nature-based..." is the correct way or the following are correct?

  But what is ecotourism? This is not an easy question to answer, as
  there are various definitions. Weaver & Lawton (2007), for example,
  suggested ecotourism is nature-based, focuses on learning or education
  and benefits the environment and local economy. More recently, Buckley
  (2013) argued ecotourism is also concerned with sustainability,
  although most government agencies regard ecotourism as nature-based
  tourism and do not mention sustainability. Fennell (2014) also
  suggested local culture was a part of the ecotourism experience,
  defining ecotourism as nature-based tourism that focuses on preserving
  the environment, benefiting the local economy and educating
  travellers.


texts: Is the valediction "see you later, alligator" used in English?

texts:
I have been reading a book about real English expressions and idioms. The first chapter deals with greetings. According to the section On departure,

  See you later, alligator

is one of the informal ways of saying goodbye to someone.

The book says that it's humoristic and the answer would be in a while crocodile. Apparently, it's derived from a 50s pop song.

My question is: Is this expression common? It goes without saying that I am not a native speaker of English but I usually listen to English music, films and TV shows and I have never heard of it before.


texts: How to resolve impossible ambiguity with commas? The Oxford comma doesn't help

texts:
Have there been any solutions proposed for the ambiguity in sentences such as the following?

  The highlights of his global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod‹,› and a dildo collector.

The problem is that although the comma which I have identified using ‹brackets› makes it clear that Nelson Mandela is not a dildo collector, it fails to clarify whether or not he is an 800-year-old demigod. Context clues notwithstanding, the sentence is semantically ambiguous.

Is there a way to use punctuation to resolve the ambiguity? Or does the sentence have to be reworded?


texts: Would "communists" be considered a proper noun?

texts:
I know that proper nouns should be capitalized, but I'm not sure if "communists" would be considered a proper noun in this sentence:

  "They were Communists." (or "They were communists"?)

Are there cases where one or the other would be preferable? What is the rationale for this?


texts: I'd like to know if this question is valid. "collectors and providers of the data must have ownership rights."

texts:
I was trying to solve a problem and got a question.
Based only on the text, can you determine whether the sentence mentioned is correct or not?
I don't think it's appropriate to ask if it's true because the writer haven't decided who "should" own the data.
Of course, I know that if companies don't use the provider's data wisely, it could be a problem, but I don't know why the question's maker had to use the word "Must".

Question. Select whether or not a mention matches the content of the following text.
What are the issues that deserve careful deliberation? One of the biggest concerns is the question of whether or not past data can be used to predict future events. The results of Big Data analyses may mean that some people are denied health insurance coverage because of their family's genetic history, or that others could be put on watch lists because their past behavior indicates possible future criminal activities. History tells a story, but the future is always unknown. Another concern is whether the collector of the data or the provider of the data has ownership rights. For example, many companies sell their customers' personal information for commercial purposes. Both the buyer and the seller can make financial gains, but the customers that provide the information are left out. Like any resource, using it wisely can be beneficial, but using it carelessly can lead to unexpected outcomes.

collectors and providers of the data must have ownership rights. [T/F]


texts: Using the word "deadbeat" as an adjective

texts:
BBC quotes President Obama:

  America is "not a deadbeat nation", US President Barack Obama has said, as he warned Republicans unconditionally to approve a rise in the US debt ceiling.

It appears to me that deadbeat in this context is an adjective.

The definition of deadbeat lists it solely as a noun. Has President Obama used deadbeat incorrectly?


texts: Why is there a negation of "ability" but not a negation of "agility"?

texts:
Would like to know what is the reasoning behind the use of some prefixes for example if one were to use "un-"able as opposed to "dis-"able the situational context is understood yet the same does not apply for agile.

In software development the Agile methodology is a cultural mindset adopted by organizations to respond to change in a responsive manner. In the 90s to the early 00s there was a great amount of frustrations experienced in the software industry. Software and products were frequently delivery over budget, late and of poor quality. Traditional project management is defined in the control of cost, scope and schedule which is the opposite of dealing with high rates of change or chaos that is typically found in software development. Agile practices were created to mitigate these risks and develop ways to empower software developers to deliver high quality products at cost on time.

My question is why do we describe "ability" in different ways than "agility". For someone to say that a project has low agility or low ability isn't as effective as completely negating it. When describing a state of something wouldn't it be more effective to just negate the word entirely like "inability" yet the same negation doesn't seem appropriate with "inagility"?

Edit:
I'm not trying to invent new words but I would like to be able to say that the "agility" is lacking.
Someone pointed out that typically verbs are negated by "un-". I'm wondering how do they negate states in the medical field. Any suggestions?

Edit 2:
I found a great paper on the agility of organizations.
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/30029/1/Collective_agility_(LSERO).pdf


texts: What's the difference between using "in the way" and "on the way"?

texts:
I'm a Spanish native speaker. I'm learning English and I want to know the difference between using "in the way" and "on the way".

I want to know the real meaning of both phrases.

PS: Sorry for my bad English.


texts: Can a bare infinitive verb as the first word of a sentence form a clause?

texts:
I’ve stumbled upon the following sentence reading a blogpost:

  Come C++11 (programming language) there are some extra options for our ownership policies.

What does come mean here? It doesn’t look analogous to any clause I’m aware of.

(Well, I understand the general meaning of the sentence but I don’t understand how come in such a syntactic form fits in here. If anything (maybe the blog author was incorrect?), the sentence means that after C++11 has come there are those options.)


texts: Origin of describing emotions with adjectives associated with taste

texts:
You might have seen that most of the adjectives that are related to taste are used to describe emotions. It is very common. It exists in many other languages.

Salty, sour, sweet, bitter etc. We use these adjectives to describe people and their emotions.

What is the origin of describing emotions with adjectives associated with taste?

How did they acquire those meanings?

Did these meanings exist in Old and Middle English?


texts: What do you call those pubs that are run in ruins and soon-to-be-demolished buildings?

texts:
There are famous pubs in Budapest and Berlin which are operated in abandoned or soon to be demolished buildings.

Some call them ruin pubs, but I'm not quite sure that's the correct name.


texts:
My sentence:

  My shop has overtaken his shop in business.

Will it be okay if I rewrite it as:

  My shop has overtaken his shop's business.

?

Requst: Please consider re-titling the question if necessary...


texts: I was taught that more beautiful is a comparative adjective.  But when I think about it, wouldn't more be an adverb and beautiful be an adjective?


texts: Meaning of "misuse of time" in this context

texts:
Professor Anthony Pym, in a paper on (linguistic) translation errors, writes:

  The definition of translational competence may be used to define a
  translation error as a manifestation of a defect in any of the factors
  entering into the above skills. But such simple negation puts
  relatively little order into a very confused field, basically because
  errors may be attributed to numerous causes (lack of comprehension,
  inappropriateness to readership, misuse of time) and located on
  numerous levels (language, pragmatics, culture), but also because the
  terms often employed to describe such errors (over-translation,
  under-translation, discursive or semantic inadequacy, etc.) lack
  commonly agreed distinctions or fixed points of reference:
  “equivalence” has been used and abused so many times that it is no
  longer equivalent to anything, and one quickly gets lost following the
  wanderings of “discourse” and associated concepts.

The bolding is mine. Given this academic context, what does "time" mean? I strongly suspect it means the grammatical device related to time. An example for this would be "tense": misuse of tense or related constructs is likely a kind of translation error. I doubt this means "mismanagement of the translator's personal usge of time," which hardly counts as a translation error. Unfortunately, "misuse of time" is only mentioned as an example of translation error and the paper does not come back to clarify it. I would appreciate your input on this.


texts: What word describes languages that are written left-to-right, top-to-bottom?

texts:
I am trying to describe the set of languages that, like English, are written left to right, and was trying "romanized", but "romanized" describes transliteration to a different set of characters, such as taking the Japanese word 着物 and writing it as kimono in English.

Unfortunately, when I enter "left to right" in a Google query, it finds me all the pages with "right to left" in them, which is of course the opposite of what I'm looking for.


texts:
For country names that warrant the use of the definite article (US, UK, UAE, etc.), is the definite article required in the genitive case as well?

Abu Dhabi holds 94% of the UAE's oil reserves

Abu Dhabi holds 94% of UAE's oil reserves

P.S. I'm aware that it could be rephrased to avoid this confusion in the first place, but I'm still curious (Abu Dhabi holds 94% of the oil reserves in the UAE)


texts: A short title for a collection that contains items related to software features and requirements

texts:
I have a list of items that contain terms related to software subsystems and requirements. Here is my list:

Archiving
Automation
Collaboration
Customization
Performance
Publication
Regulatory Compliance
Reliability
Security
Standards Compliance
User Interface

I need to give the list itself a title. The list is going to be used within a project management software to allow categorization of feature requests. More than one item can be selected. A colleague of mine suggested the title Tags (seems like a IDGAF answer) another suggested Modality. Anyone have any thoughts?


texts: Grammaticality of 'Closed on eve of and public holidays'

texts:
I saw a sign that read

  Closed on eve of and public holidays (1)

which obviously meant

  Closed on eve of public holidays and public holidays (2)

This made me wonder if (1) is grammatical. If not, what is a nice way of expressing the intended idea that is shorter than (2)?


texts:
I have a question about how to use or if I can use the word traveling  together with 'with' preposition.

  Number of commuters spending more than two hours travelling to and from work up by 72% in last decade.

Is it possible to use with in the sentence above?

And how about this:

  I am traveling to Beijing tomorrow and coming back in 5 days. I should have booked a longer stay since one day will go with traveling there and an another with coming back.

Thanks in advance
Tom


texts: Is there a word or concept that describes words lacking simple (e.g. less pretentious, less technical, less subjugating) synonyms, or more generally words without single-word synonyms. I'm looking for lists of words that defy "plain-English" translation, in an effort to identify "essential" vocabulary. I'm thinking of the vocabulary equivalents of least-common denominators.


texts: Do bands perform "live at somewhere" or "live in somewhere" or ...?

texts:
I saw a video (of a band performing on a stage, typical "live performance", inside a theatre) which had this title:

(Band name), Live at (Town) Theatre

But it occured to me that in might fit:

(Band name), Live in (Town) Theatre

One of my peers also pointed out (NOTE: None of us is a native speaker!) that 's should be there, which would lead to two more "options":

(Band name), Live at (Town)'s Theatre
(Band name), Live in (Town)'s Theatre

Which one is the "proper" way of saying it ?
Bonus question: "Theatre"/"Theater" ? I read there is no actual difference other than the former being enGB and the latter being enUS ?


texts: To be in the center or to be at the center

texts:
I want to be in the center of the change.
I want to be at the center of the change.

In the context, the statement makes that I want to be at the center of the changing society, I want to play an important role.

Which preposition do I need?


texts:
Is there such a word as "foresitter" in English? Can I use it instead of "chairman"?

In Russian there are two words: "prezident", borrowed from Latin (meaning president), and native Slavic "predsedatel" (meaning chairman).

In their structure both words  mean "the one who sits in front". But in English "chairman" sounds weird and disrespectful. So many foreign offices are translated as "president" which is very confusing. Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR for instance has been translated as "president" or "premier" at times; Chairman of the People's Republic of China recently switched to being translated as "President of China" etc. Note that in the Chinese language the word for "president" is different from the title of their head of state and they officially translate the office name into Russian as "predsedatel", not as "prezident".

So, my question is: would it not be better and more understandable if such offices were translated as "Foresitter"? Would it look uneducated?


texts: Which is correct, "from a young age" or "from young age"?

texts:
Consider this example:

  People tend to understand and use sarcasm from a young age.
  People tend to understand and use sarcasm from young age.

Which one of these is grammatically correct and why?


texts: Differences between "audio" and "sound"?

texts:
What is the difference between "audio" and "sound"?

Is it possible that a beeping noise could be considered one but not the other?


texts: Participles - Past simple + Simple continuous or past simple + past simple?

texts:
Megan fell off her bike, hurt___ her leg.

Should it be hurt or hurting?

My mind goes to hurt, however it seems like there are different rules in participles for example;

Hearing the news, she fainted.


texts:
As a foreign English speaker who never really studied too much English grammar other than the basics at high school, I often struggle to decide what is the correct preposition to use in certain phrases.

At is perhaps the easiest choice to identify, but I find it more difficult to determine when to use on or in.

I know things are on the table or in a box. I’m in a house at street XX,YY.

But are there any rules or ways to find (discounting uncommon exceptions) when to use each form?


texts:
In normal declarative English sentences, let's call them 'canonical' sentences, the verb comes after the subject.

Bob is walking the Great Wall of China.
Bob likes elephants.

But in other types of construction and in certain other situations the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. One notable instance is in questions:

Is Bob walking the Great Wall of China?

Here we se the auxiliary verb BE occurring before the Subject. If there is no auxiliary verb in the normal declarative version of the sentence then we need to insert the auxiliary DO:

Does Bob like elephants?

My question here is twofold. Firstly:

What are the different constructions or environments in which  either we require subject-auxiliary inversion in modern English, or can optionally use it?*

Secondly, and more importantly:

Is there any generalisaton we can make about these constructions. Does subject-auxiliary inversion have some kind of meaning in all of these, or a subset of these?

*Not including poetry, for obvious reasons.


texts: What's the meaning of "a stick called the truth"?

texts:
EMMA:
  I can't believe it. Mum have you seen this? To Nancy Burrows who pushed me to the next level with a stick called the truth.

What is the meaning of "with a stick called the truth"? Is it an idiom? If so, what is the meaning of that idiom? And when is it used?


texts:
I am writing a thesis. I am aware that's a special set of capitalization rules that applies to titles. I'm applying those in my title.

Do the same rules also apply to the titles of individual chapters and sections, though?


texts:
I have been looking for the meaning behind it but there is no clear definition online. If it helps, we are going over Native American culture in the United States.

Books used:

Vinland Sagas
The Four voyages by Christopher Columbus

Storyteller by Leslie Marmon Silko

Women's Captivity Narratives by Various Authors

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Heroes and Saints by Cherrie Moraga.