texts: Medieval word for unraveling the yarn of a yarn garment to remake it

texts:
The word for untangling yarn or taking apart a yarn garment, 'unravel' (or 'ravel'), has an early modern origin. But people (especially, one imagines, the English) have been taking apart yarn garments to remake them since ancient times, and there must have been a much older terms for doing so.

For example what word would the historical (c. 1400) Richard II have used (and had he been drawing from concrete usage) in Shakespeare's (c. 1595) sentence:

  Must I do so? and must I ravel out my weaved-up folly?

I would like to concentrate on wool and on knitted garments.  As one commenter pointed out, an old woven garment would more likely have its seams picked apart, then been recut and resewn; the yarn would be less likely to be "unwoven".

Thus, what would term would a knitter (or a weaver of coarse, worsted fabric)   in, say, Norman England, have used to describe (in the "vulgar tongue") this crucial step in reclaiming an old woolen garment for use in constructing a new one. What about even earlier (Old English)?

What are some Medieval words or Old English words for unravelling a knitted garment?

Support for this practice is given in Manufacturing Cloth from Wool: Medieval methods....:

  While knitting wasn't wholly unknown in the Middle Ages, scant
  evidence of hand-knitted garments survives. The relative ease of the
  craft of knitting and the ready availability of materials and tools
  for making knitting needles makes it hard to believe that peasants
  didn't knit themselves warm clothing from wool they got from their own
  sheep.

  The lack of surviving garments isn't at all surprising, considering
  the fragility of all cloth and the amount of time that has passed
  since the medieval era. Peasants could have worn their knitted
  garments to pieces, or they may have reclaimed the yarn for alternate
  uses when the garment grew too old or threadbare to wear any longer.


texts: Single-word-request for 'freedom from self'

texts: Is there perhaps a modern or medieval English one-word for 'freedom from self' ? Other than Sanskrit words like nirvana and such..


texts: Where did the term "Goofy" (referring to boarding stance) come from?

texts:
My mom tore me a new one when, while teaching my little sister some snowboarding tips, referred to her stance as "Goofy". I told her it was the common term used in snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, but she was convinced that this was just another one of my cunning attempts to undermine the confidence of her dear daughter.

Wikipedia is clear on the fact that there is no negative connotation to the term, but offers little insight (and no references) on how the term came about, or whether there's ever been a more favourable technical term for 'right foot leading'.

She threw the book at me, so I'd like to throw a couple back her way. What's the origin of "Goofy"?


texts: Short expression for "If you are not 100% convinced yet, this last thing will seal the deal"

texts:
I'm writing a LinkedIn recommendation for a colleague of mine. I praised his abilities far and wide; now I would like to throw in one last (ironic and informal) punch line to top it all off.

Here is what I have so far:

  You know how they say that if you want something done, you should ask the busiest person in the office to do it? This is the reason why
  Andrea is my favorite go-to guy for all of my data digging and
  reporting needs. Always working long hours, he still takes the time to
  patiently listen to me and assist me with whatever problem I have and,
  what’s more, he always does it with a smile. Quick, reliable and
  helpful, Andrea is also – and by far – the most polite and
  good-natured guy around. I am always at ease working with him.

Now I want to add something like:

  What seals the deal? He keeps a huge stash of candies in the first drawer of his desk, for everyone to take.

Does that make any sense, or is the use of the expression "to seal the deal" inappropriate?
What other choices do I have?

Please feel free to add any comment (also regarding the first part of the letter) if you wish.


texts:
Regarding the John Prine song entitled Angel from Montgomery, I’ve read online that Angel From Montgomery  might be related to a pardon from Governor but was wondering if that’s a standard idiom or just one fan’s interpretation in the fan website:

Angel From Montgomery notes.
An "Angel from Montgomery" refers to a pardon for a prison sentence from the governor. It is also used to refer to a last minute pardon from the death sentence. The phrase originated in Alabama where the capital is Montgomery.
The way John puts it the woman is living in her own self made prison that she can't escape from, hence she needs a pardon (the angel from Montgomery).
— jpshrine.org

Is this reliable ? Was it a real idiom before Prine wrote the song in 1970? There is no mention of this pardon interpretation at wikipedia entry for the song.
PS. Please, before you hit close vote I am not simply asking for a lyrics interpretation, I am asking whether it’s an idiom, and explaining as background where I encountered it!


texts: Is there a word for love of nightmares/dark/macabre things?

texts:
Just like there is nyctophilia for the love of darkness, I was hoping for a word that can come close to summarizing love of nightmares and dark, macabre things.

Any clues?


texts: Why is it a good idea to avoid 'like' in English?

texts:
In the video JULIA BOORSTIN -- Interview a Broadcaster! -- American English (0:34 to 1:20), a reporter from an American news television channel mentions that it's not a good idea to use the word 'like'.

I've tried to find some information about it but nothing comes up in Google. Does anyone know why 'like' shouldn't be used and in what contexts it's invalid?

Below the line is my first guess, but it's completely wrong and can be ignored:

I assume that it's not about this kind of sentence:

  I like learning.

But it's more about this kind of sentences:

  Flying a plane is like driving a car but it's a bit more complicated.
  You can multiply a number by two to have an even number, like 3*2=6.


texts:
What is the fundamental difference between saying "The name is X" or " My name is X" to introduce yourself?

It seems that both versions are used in movies/tv shows, but as far as I recall, no one ever mentioned the former in my English lectures.
Is one more formal than the other?


texts: Double possessive when thing possessed is plural

texts:
"This year we planned a cruise with four friends of ours."

I've only ever seen a double possessive with words that are singular. For example, "I am a friend of Bob's" or "It's the password of Mark's." In the above case, however, it's plural (four). Is having the plural form acceptable, or should this be rephrased?


texts:
The dictionary defines irony as "the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning."

I also understand that irony is a form of humor.  This phrase seems to me to be irony, but I can't tell, because I can't tell if it's saying the opposite of its literal meaning.

  "What good would fingers be if it weren't for diamond rings?"

I would think that this literally means

"What good would diamond rings be if it weren't for fingers."  But it's not exactly the opposite.  Is this an example of irony?


texts:
I heard this line in a song:

  It wasn't a shot of cognac, it was a glass of cognac.

Then the crowd listening to the singer started laughing.

What is the difference in meaning between these two words in this context? Maybe I don't get it because I am a little far from the culture of drinking.

Here is the spotify link to the song, unfortunately that's a live version and I couldn't find it on YouTube. He sings that between 4:18 and 4:20.


texts: "The problem is that....". Good or bad English?

texts:
I wrote a technical article in which I used (probably overused) constructions of the form "The main point is that...", "The problem is that...". As I am a native Italian speaker, these sentences have the natural form that I would use in my language. One of the reviewers suggested that a better way to formulate these sentences in English is "As the main point,...", "As the problem,...". I feel these sentences carry "less power" than my original ones since the main word is not the subject anymore.
Any thoughts? Is the construction I used incorrect, inelegant, or good English?
Thank you


texts: What tense to use for a dead person's permanent contributions?

texts:
Which one is correct:

Edison was the inventor of the light bulb.
Edison is the inventor of the light bulb.

When writing or speaking about Edison, it's correct to state that "he was an inventor", but what is correct when referring to the fact that he (still) is considered the inventor of something?

Option 1 (was) wins the Google contest by 19100 to 6, which probably answers my question. However, as a non-native English speaker, this isn't totally clear to me. As a matter of fact, I'm not certain what tense I would use in my native language (Swedish) for this construct!


texts: Is 'verbiage' still considered to be insulting?

texts:
All the references I'm finding says that 'verbiage' is used when trying to insult a work or person for being too wordy.

My experience with the word (by my own usage and the usage of others around me) have always meant that verbiage was a generic term for the words used, i.e. "I got that information from the email's verbiage."

Have I been using 'verbiage' incorrectly all my life?


texts: Looking for a shorter term for "Preferred places to meet"

texts:
I am working on an online platform (mobile and web apps) that enable item lending/renting between peers. When a user posts an item for rent, he needs to put down his preferred places to meet for item pickup/return. Tentatively, we use "preferred meetup locations". But I am not quite sure if that serves our purpose well because the word meetup gives me a sense of larger group gathering.

Is the current term suffice? If not, please provide suggestions. Thanks.


texts:
Assume someone says, "When individual investors enter the market, I know it's time to get out." The speaker is making a serious statement -- yet he is an "individual investor" himself.

What do you call this type of statement?  It sounds like hypocrisy or irony, but neither term is on target.


texts:
Ethologists are convinced that many animals survive through
  learning—but learning that is dictated by their genetic programming,
  learning as thoroughly stereotyped as the most instinctive of
  behavioral responses.

This seems very convoluted structure to me. can anyone explain what is the relation between two parts of sentence before comma and after comma in the part "but learning that is dictated by their genetic programming, learning as thoroughly stereotyped as the most instinctive of behavioral responses". This part starting with the word "learning" before comma and after comma as well, what is their relation here?


texts:
Consider this sentence:

  We demand that the university close all bookstores on Sunday.

The hypothetical "close" is not in the normal present tense "closes" that I would use if I were to describe the university's response:

  The university now closes its bookstores on Sunday.

I believe both sentences are grammatically correct (being a native speaker), but I do not know, formally, why the first is correct.  What is the tense used in the hypothetical clause, and what are the rules for when to apply it?


texts:
Is there a name for distinguishing the expression "you're being X" as opposed to saying "you're X"?
Some examples:

you're being mean / you're mean
I'm being honest / I'm honest
they are being generous / they are generous


texts:
While I was reading "The Adventures of Tom sawyer",I came across this phrase.

Huck said ,"I will learn you."

Is it right to say like that?Or we should say "I will learn from you"?


texts: Is there a better alternative for "computerize"? Although the word is used in many writings, it doesn't sound good to me. I don't like it. For the context: consider a psychological test (e.g., an IQ test) that was used to be administered manually, is going to be computerized so that it could run on personal computers.


texts: All the times - All the time - Every time

texts:
Need your help to understand. Here you have 3 sentences, which one is correct:
Every time I am home alone I eat pizza
All the times I am home alone I eat pizza
All the time I am home alone I eat pizza
Thanks in advance!


texts:
Trigonometry is to triangles as ____ is to circles

What is this kind of sentence called? Does it have a name?

Also, what is the blank space in this context called?


texts: Is there a single word for "lack of communication/coordination"?

texts:
Example:

  The accident happened due to a lack of communication (or coordination) between the parties involved.


texts:
Do you think that the following sentence structure is correct?

"Attach any material you need included".

I meant to say "Attach any material that you need to include". I agree it may not be formal but I don't think it is wrong or difficult to understand.

Do you think that the sentence is wrong? If yes, where do you think the problem is?

Could anyone help me with this?


texts: Synonym for "pet" (or "dog" in particular) that expresses the deep affection of the owner towards it

texts:
I am looking for a word that expresses the strong emotional bound many pet owners have towards their furry fellows, especially dogs.
Most synonyms for "dog" I have found so far seem to be rather neutral or even negative. However I suppose that there is a term (most likely very colloquial but frequently used in the "circle of dog owners") that expresses the emotional quality of the relation between pet and owner much better. Coming from the point that for many owners a dog is somehow comparable to a child there are surely stronger connoted terms than just "pet","fellow","puppy" etc.


texts: What word can I use to indicate the person could be a client or customer?

texts:
I'm looking for a term that can be inclusive of both clients and customers.

We offer both products and services and while most buyers purchase services and have an ongoing relationship, there are those that either buy only products or just purchase a service once and continue to buy products only after that.

I want to establish a loyalty program for which clients would automatically be eligible, but customers would need to spend x amount of dollars and then the loyalty rewards would expire after a certain amount of time.

Internally, I want to setup a group of people to deal with clients and a group of people to deal with customers and try to get the to become clients.

So I need a word that includes both of them for when I want to talk about both clients and customers so that I don't have to say "both clients and customers" every time.

Words I'm considering.

Buyer - although has a special meaning for large accounts that might get confusing.
Patron - can mean a "regular" customer which would make them more of a client.
Consumer - in cases where we provide a service to a company, I guess their entire company would be a consumer

In the end I'm trying to establish different levels for different types of buyers. So for example a company starts as a prospect, then becomes a customer (or client if they sign contract), then become a patron (regular) or client.

Maybe I'm overthinking this but I want to use correct grammar and make sure I'm not improperly using a term I might need to use later as we grow.

Any suggestions?


texts:
I've encountered this expression in DBZ Abridged, and I haven't encountered it anywhere else, save for occasional use on some forums. The context is the following:

"For God's sake, I bet even your father can do it--he's just not stupid enough to try! And as we've seen today, that threshold is vast."

I'm infering from this that the speaker is implying that the addressee's father is indeed very stupid, making the addressee's stupidity even more appalling. But I have no idea why the word "threshold" is used here, and how can one be vast - considering a threshold is usually a singular point or line, not something wide. Any help?


texts: What is the hypernym for "next" and "previous"?

texts:
I'm looking for an umbrella term for "next" and "previous" so that I don't have to call my programming methods "NextPrevious".

Is there a hypernym for the two?


texts: How to shorten a sentence while keeping the same meaning and impact?

texts:
I have the following sentence:

  Whether you are a software developer or a recruiter, sign up now to
  gain access to the best recruitment network!

I feel this is too long for a subheading and is trying to find a way to address this sentence in a more concise manner.

If this be of interest to you, the headline is

  A New Way to Hire


texts: Is there a word that means "this deal will not involve credit"?

texts:
I was buying a car, and the salesman started to talk about credit terms. I responded with "I'm paying cash", meaning that I didn't need any credit. However, the salesman was worried that I was about to produce a briefcase full of banknotes.

Is there a word other than "cash" to mean "immediate payment in full, without any credit being extended"?


texts: Meaning of "remain" ("remain concerned")

texts:
What does "remain" imply in sentences like this: "The Government of X remains deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the country"?

a) The Government has been concerned for a while and continues to be so.
b) The Government examined the human rights situation and, as a result of their examination, is now concerned.

Thank you!


texts: What would be a gender neutral form of address as a highschool teacher? (British English)

texts:
In the UK, it's very common for secondary school teachers to be referred to as one of the following:

Sir/Miss
Miss/Mrs/Mr Surname

This would be both when the students are talking about the teacher, and when talking directly to the

Can you help me with this question Miss?
Mr. Smith, what does this mean?
Please Sir, can I be excused.

However, all of these are quite clearly gendered.

When introducing themselves to a classroom, which forms of address could a teacher instruct their students to use that are gender neutral?

Instead of calling me "Sir", please refer to me as "X"

or

Instead of calling me "Mr. Surname", please refer to me as "X. Surname"

Note, this would be for day-to-day in-person classroom interactions, and not specifically written communications (although my gut feeling is the same terms would work equally well).

I've looked at professional titles, and academic prefixes. However, in the UK these have very specific meanings and requirements to wield them:

Dr (Doctor), should only be used by those with a Doctorate qualification, or who work in the medical profession as a Medical Doctor

Professor, should only be used as a academic professor at a university. It does not apply for high-school level teachers.

Ideally, what I am looking for is a gender neutral term or title, that can be used in place of the above "Sir", "Mr Smith"; that also does not specifically identify the user as non-binary.
That is; is there a form of address which works similarly to "Dr." that would be applicable to a non-doctorate educated teacher, working in a UK highschool?


texts:
First, is minimalize a word?

If so, what is the difference between the two words minimalize and minimize, and when should each be used?


texts: What would you call a person who shares every thought they have?

texts: What would you call a person who thinks they know everything and decides to share every little fact they can think of? For example, if a teacher or professor says something and a student decides to say "oh, interusting fact about this" or "one time, something happened relevant to something you just mentioned", but then they go off topic and say non relevant stories and the whole classroom falls asleep. Or is there not a word for this?


texts:
According to many dictionaries including merriam-webster, update is a transitive verb. So I expect the following sentence (used in Firefox) to be incorrect:

  Please wait while Firefox is updating.

I think Firefox is the object of this sentence and it should have been used like this:

  Please wait while Firefox is being updated.

Is the first sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Phrase for "It's good so that it helps my practice too"

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase that gives the meaning of something like, "Glad you asked me that, (I had forgotten that) so that I can practice it".
Like, when your friend is also from your country and neither of you speaks English natively, but I tell him that "well it's good that we are talking in English, that way I can make my English better too"
I've so far heard something like, "It is good to learn the ropes", from a guy on facebook, (he is also from my place) but I didn't came up with relevant results for that in Google..
Thanks in advance


texts: Turning the adjective 'anonymous' into 'Mr Anonymous'

texts:
As a teacher, I often receive anonymous homework, essays and even tests. In Portuguese, 'anonymous' can be a noun so it wouldn't be unheard of for a Portuguese teacher to say something like this (literal translation)...

  'can you believe I had two anonymous in my last test?'

Obviously such a construction is not grammatical in English.

However, could the word be transformed into a proper name? Could I say something like...

  'I had a Mr Anonymous in my last test?'

And if it's possible, would it still work in...

  'I had two Mr Anonymous in my last test'?


texts: Which one is correct? I am working in a bank or I am working at a bank

texts: Which one is correct? Am I working in or at a bank?


texts: One-word adverb meaning 'with difficulty', 'not easily'?

texts:
Is there a one-word adverb meaning 'with difficulty', 'not easily'?

I am working on a grid for assessing pronunciation in speaking (correct sounds, correct intonations) and want to have a scale on which someone is judged 'hardly – not easily – fairly – easily – perfectly' intelligible.

This adverb, if it exists, is 'difficultly' found, you must admit!


texts: Schadenfreude is the joy or pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. What is the word for joy or pleasure derived from the happiness of others?


texts: Is there another word for 'sentence finisher' in English?

texts: I am just interested in finding another word for sentence finisher in English, or basically someone who has a habit of cutting off another person's sentence and putting in their own statement.


texts: Meaning of the term "instaciate"/"instatiate" in computer programming

texts:
What does this word mean?

  instaciate, otherwise instatiate

It's not in any of my dictionaries, but there are a few too many occurrences of this word in programming communities and across the Internet for me to believe that these people all really mean "instantiate."

Bonus: Argue for a correct spelling.


texts:
What does the expression cut the odds in the context of betting mean?

The complete phrase is

  While we're not sure what is going on in Greece, it is safer for us to suspend betting rather than keep cutting the odds.
  (as found here).


texts: How to interpret each word in "so as to" separately?

texts:
I already know the whole phrase so as to means in order to.
but still a bit curious about how to interpret each word in this phrase separately.
can I interpret the following sentence like this?

He sat at the front so as to be able to hear. (quoted from cambridge dictionary)

where
so = in such way;
as = because of that;
to-clause is reduced from the clause with a modal auxiliary i.e. he will/would be able to hear,
to here is implying the meaning of mood auxiliary will/would.
put all together, the whole sentence can be interpreted like this:

He sat at the front in such way because of that he would be able to
hear.

not sure I get it right.


texts: Is it OK to italicise only part of a word?


texts: Usage of "the" prefix where it doesn't seem to be grammatically correct

texts:
I've noticed 2 instances of usage of a  the prefix where it doesn't seem to correspond with standard usage of English.

  The flu

I'd expect a flu or just flu:

He caught a flu
She's infected with flu
They have flu

Instead, the common usage seems to be the flu, such as Is It a Cold or the Flu? How to Tell the Difference or Dispelling misinformation about the flu vaccine (with more examples inside).

  The movies

Mid-way of writing my argument for this one, I've noticed it had been asked and answered, albeit I was not convinced why "the movies" as a way to describe walking to a cinema to watch a movie, stayed as an idiomatic phrase today (a relic from a past usage of "moving pictures") and wasn't replaced by the simpler, singular form of a movie.

Happy to hear your thoughts for this one here or in the original thread.


texts: Q: Optional use of 'the' referring to "daily life of" vs. "daily life as"

texts:
Helping a recent graduate with a cover letter and ran into an interesting question about 'the'.  Please consider these two passages:

... As a result, I have a better understanding of both the demanding
and rewarding aspects of daily life as an engineer and have confidence
in this career path ...
... As a result, I have a better understanding of ... aspects of the daily life of an engineer and have confidence ...

We couldn't decide which was better "... of daily life as ..." vs. "... of the daily life as ..."
Is there a rule of grammar or usage that makes one correct vs. incorrect?  Or is it just a matter of preference?
Thanks!


texts: Name of device for when a verb ESPECIALLY matches the rest of the sentence

texts:
The other day, I was reading an article about an individual who used to become pen pals with murderers in order to gain information about them. I believe this individual was a member of the CIA, hence why he was in contact with murderers.

At one point in the article, the following sentence is used:

  "It struck me that while they were national spectacles - the graphic stories of the way they killed people splashed across the news - I didn't really know anything about them.

By the way, in this sentence, when the writer mentions "they" ("... while they were national spectacles..."), the writer is talking about the murderers.

In any case, here's my question:

The use of "splashed" is a particularly interesting and clever verb choice - it is so specifically chosen that I was wondering if there is a literary device name for this particular situation?

What I mean is, the writer could have chosen any verb to fit that sentence, but he used "splashed", and this links very well to the idea of how blood splashes everywhere (therefore linking to the subject matter) while also linking to the idea of killings making quickly way across news headlines.


texts: Does the sentence, "Charles is not only persistent, he is also driven to gain new knowledge" need a conjunction? Or is this a comma splice?


texts:
Reading Shame (1983) by Salman Rushdie, and here's such a sentence.

  For five, six, seven days films played to an empty house in which peeling plaster and slowly rotating ceiling fans and the intermission gram-vendors gazed down upon rows of undoubtedly rickety and equally certainly unoccupied seats.

Searching the internet I found two explanations.

Gram-vendor is a person who sells small things during intermission.
Gram-vendor is a vending machine where you put a coin and get small things.

So which of these two is a better match, or any other explanation?

Where and when? The book describes =~1947 year, India


texts: How is "I have come" + infinitive different from Present Perfect?

texts:
Consider the following examples:

  I have noticed that a lot of people are switching to Unity.
  vs.
  I have come to notice that a lot of people are switching to Unity.

or:

  The Saddam I have come to know
  vs.
  The Saddam I have known

or:

  "I have come to understand" vs. "I have understood"
   "I have come to decide" vs. "I have decided"

My questions are:

How is the meaning different in the above examples?
I do not think it's possible to use certain verbs like "run" after "I have come to".
So what sort of verbs can be used in this context?


texts: While I was translating the sentence "Mi tío y mi tía estaban caminando en esa calle cuando vieron tu coche," on DuoLingo, I got dinged for translating the sentence to "My aunt and uncle were walking on that street when they saw your car." The "correct" translation on the site appears to be "My uncle and my aunt were walking on that street when they saw your car;" I can't put my finger on it, but something just feels wrong about this sentence. Are my suspicions accurate? Is my translation grammatically correct? Does order matter when writing a sentence including aunt and uncle?


texts: Using future perfect vs future perfect continuous

texts:
What's the difference between these two sentences:

  By the time he come back home, she will have worked for 45 minutes.

and

  By the time he come back home, she will been working for 45 minutes.

I think the first one is incorrect and we should use the second one.


texts: Is the usage of "one" instead of an article in a sentence meant for stressing on the importance of the following noun?

texts:
"It is one model which is gaining reputation recently. "

In the above-mentioned sentence,  can't we replace "one" with "a". Why do we sometimes write it as "one"? Kindly give me better clarity.


texts: Why is a transportation by road called a "Shipment" but a transportation by seaways called "Cargo"?

texts: I was just reading an article concerning a product trade and transports between countries and came through these words that made me wonder about their differences.


texts:
Example: "Your answer must be yes, no, or maybe."

Is that correctly punctuated?

Thanks!


texts:
Is there a difference between those expressions: "Die from cancer" or "Die of cancer"?
Are they both correct?


texts: I've never understood the term "humor me". Is it meant sarcastically? Please explain.


texts:
I'm looking for a word that I thought was "tenants to an argument", but when I search for the definition of "tenant" or "tenants arguments" I get links to landlords and disputes.

Question

What is the correct word I'm looking for that describes the units of persuasion that consists of a counterpoint in a persuasive discussion?

Context

  Morally, intellectually, and economically, I want people who make less
  than $250,000 (+/- 100 thousand) to be taxed less than those who make
  more than $250K. Good for him for being taxed in whatever angle you
  slice it. Hillary didn't pay enough.

  My rationale is based in macro economics and not arbitrary spite,
  misinformation, or not liking how someone wags their finger. USA is
  totally f***, due to the distribution of wealth and propaganda
  through consolidation of media. Democracy is over. Trickle down
  failed. We're an oligarchy of the rich. For better or worse, I believe
  Sanders is our last chance at reclaiming one person one vote. All
  arguments, and persuasions I have start from this tenant. If we can't
  find common ground w/each other on this issue, there is no reason to
  discuss further.


texts: What does it mean " there was no finer boy anywhere."?

texts:
In the Harry Potter book, the author said:

The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.

I didn't get the idea of the last sentence "there was no finer boy anywhere".


texts: can "should" be used as a modal auxiliary verb for emphasis in a conditional?

texts:
Based on the grammar books, for example,
https://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/auxiliary.htm
"Do & did" are used as an auxiliary verb for emphasis as in

He does like spinach
He never did understand his father

While there are a few examples where "should" is used as an auxiliary verb for "emphasis" as in

I should imagine they'll vote Conservative.
I should have thought so

is it appropriate, confusing or downright wrong to use "should" as a modal auxiliary verb in a conditional sentence for "emphasis", as in

I apologize if I should change the rituals without consulting the
elders.


texts: "mid" without a following hyphen in these words?

texts: The Chicago Manual, 16th edition, says that "mid" is followed by a hyphen only if a capitalized word (mid-Atlantic) or a number (mid-1950s) follows. That said, I believe that all of the following examples would be correct without any hyphens (based on Chicago's ruling), agreed? midsummer, midfall, midautumn, midwinter, midspring, midparagraph, midpurgatory, midsentence, midmorning, midafternoon, midevening.


texts: Is "surfing the Internet" an outdated term? If so what's a more modern alternative?

texts:
I think I don't hear the phrase "surfing the Internet anymore."

What's the common term nowadays? (e.g. in American English.)


texts: "He's invited the wife and I" and other similar sentences are referred to as Toff's error. What is, precisely, the meaning of this term?


texts:
In WWI I see that we have Central Powers and Allies. Both are groups of countries who fight together against the other group.
In WWII we again have Allies and Axis.
I can't understand why do we call a group allies, while both groups are composed of allies.
I can understand it deductively if we call one group Attackers and the other Defenders. But Allies always puzzles me and I need to check to ensure which group is called what.
What is the reason behind this wrong naming?


texts: What is the correct noun for "apartment viewing"?

texts:
Please read the following:

  The broker will show the apartment/house/land on Saturday.

What is the correct noun for the action of showing a property to potential buyers? Is the broker doing an "exhibition", "viewing" or "show"?


texts: Does "was forced" automatically imply some identifiable external activity?

texts:
In the following sentence

The citizens were forced to render up their town to the conqueror.

what does were forced mean exactly?

Does it mean that some proactive party literally forced the citizens (like for example threatened to kill a hostage) or does it mean that for whatever reason they concluded they had to perform that action?


texts:
I'm reading this journal article and I keep seeing "in a study in malaria patients..." I think it should be "study on" or even "study among".

There's also "In a study of adult men in participants with whooping cough..."

What do you think?


texts: In British English is it acceptable to say "securitization"?

texts:
In general I find the financial term "securitization" written with "z", but in some Basel Committee documents I've found "securitisation" with "s".

I think it is more common the term with "z", may I use it if I write in British English?

In particular I'd like to know if it is OK if I use the "z" form for this term while I'm using "s" form for other non-financial terms.


texts: Single word for collective knowledge of plants and cultivation?

texts:
I've been trying to find one single word that covers knowledge concerning both the properties and cultivation of plants, but have come short with some words.

Here are some of the words I thought of, but eventually found lacking:

Botany: I feel this implies purely scientific research on plants, ignoring the cultivation of plants and things like crop rotations and irrigation techniques.

Agriculture: I think this word only covers food crops and plants commonly grown for decoration. I feel it misses out on the more thorough knowledge of all (not just commonly cultivated) plants, including currently unknown ones.

Ultimately, I'm looking for a word that encompasses the subjects of both Botany and Agriculture, but have come short for now.


texts: What is the word for the combined senses of an organism?

texts:
I'm having difficulty recalling the word for the unique sensory space of an organism. Or it might be the word for the impression derived from those unique senses, I'm not totally sure. It would be used as follows:

*The human _ is comprised of sight, smell, taste, touch and sound, and differs from the _ of a bat.*

I believe I encountered it in Valentino Braitenberg's "Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology."


texts: The flower "wavered" in the breeze or "quivered"?

texts:
Waver (verb): Move in a quivering way
Quiver (verb): Tremble or shake with a slight rapid motion

What subtle difference is there, if any, between saying "the flower wavered in the breeze" and " the flower quivered in the breeze"?


texts: What popularized "a roll in the hay" in the 1940s?

texts:
While I was looking for an expression for casual sex I came across the evocative expression "a roll in the hay."

The saying is from 1942 according to Etymonline:

  Meaning "act of sexual intercourse" is attested from 1942 (roll in the hay).

Where does this expression come from? Was it from a movie or a romantic book of the forties?

What are other similar expressions?


texts:
Is it correct to  say:

  At the time, circumstances arose such that I had to leave the city.

in the meaning that situation got such that the speaker could not stay in the city anymore? Particularly, I am curious if one can say arise about circumstances or situation.


texts: The math problem is too difficult for `X` to work out

texts:
There are four options: everybody, somebody, anybody and nobody.
Which one should be used in X place ?


texts:
In a recent test, I fixed a feature and I was given the document back because it was pointed out the following was not correct.

  Name: Sandy Corporation

I was asked to do this

  Name : Sandy Corporation

or do this

  Name:Sandy Corporation

To me the first one looks technically correct and is more pleasing to the eye. Which one is correct from punctuation point of view?

Note the difference between all three is how much space should be left before and after the : symbol. Should it be equal on both sides or the first one is correct?


texts:
While learning English, I was taught not to put 'to' in front of 'home'. I.e. "go to home" is incorrect, you should say "go home".

Is there a reason (maybe historical) for this?


texts: Phrase to describe a place where people write in a language

texts:
There is an expression "X-speaking country", where X is any language.

How to describe a place (e.g internet forum) where people write in a language? For example, people usually write in English on reddit:

  "reddit.com is <...> English site"


texts:
What's wrong with this sentence (other than that it is incomprehensible out of context):

  Because I don’t know what you don’t know.

MS Word is telling me that this is a sentence fragment (I disagree). MS Word said the same thing about an earlier version of it:

  Because I don’t know what it is that you don’t know.

I'm trying to write a FAQ for my syllabus (don't worry, I'm teaching math, not English). One of the Q&As goes like this:

  How come your lectures are so terrible? Because I don’t know what you don’t know. If you ask more math questions – even stupid ones – I will get a better feel for your confusion.

I think this is a perfectly reasonable sentence. It means: I don't know what piece of information you don't have in your naive, little student brain, which makes you incapable of understanding my perfectly clear explanation of integrating using the shell method to calculate the volume of a solid generated by revolving a region outlined by a few functions around another line (I mean, really?).

The subject is "I". What am I doing? I'm not "knowing", the verb. And then the rest of the plain English sentence.

Or maybe is MS Word even stupider than a calculus 2 student?


texts:
One of our teachers wrote the following sentence in his Parent Orientation handout:

We will not be learning these subjects daily rather they will be learned weekly as follows:

Should there be a comma before "rather", or perhaps a semicolon, and then a comma after "rather"?


texts:
I was just looking to write articles about freelancing and found one forum where I told about my interest to write articles for their site,  I wrote to the author :

  I have been working as freelance since last 5 years. I am really interested to write and submit articles about freelancing. How can I do it here? Is there any option like Guest Post?

And after read above, author said :

  your English is not yet up to snuff… not yet good enough

Can anyone tell me what is wrong in my lines above? Also, how can I improve those lines in perfect English?


texts: One word for a watch enthusiast / watch lover

texts:
What is the  one word for a person who is interested in wearing different types of "watches" and has a collection of various "watches".

Eg:

  John makes sure he wear a different watch each day to office.
  He is a _________.


texts: Single word for something that is "not yet a fact" but very close?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes something that is not yet a scientifically proven fact, but people intuitively think to be true. The word is not "hypothesis" as I'm not describing The Scientific Method. Also hypothesis implies something that is potentially disprovable. I'm looking for a stronger term. Is there such a word or a phrase?

EDIT:
Here is an example:
"Hard work does not guarantee success".
People think (or know) this to be true even though it's not yet scientifically provable or disprovable. It's a general truth, not a hypothesis or a theory.


texts:
I just finished my English language exam, and it had the following sentence:

  Beads of sweat sprang from his skin

Should it really be sprang? I always thought it was sprung, but I guess they are both valid?

Or is it like effect and affect, and they are used in different places?


texts: A line in Reflections on the Revolution in France

texts:
In Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France he says:

  "I flatter myself that I love a manly, moral, regulated liberty as well as any gentleman of that society, be he who he will ; and perhaps I have given as good proofs of my attachment to that cause, in the whole course of my public conduct. I think I envy liberty as little as they do, to any other nation.

I'm not sure what Burke means by the line, "I think I envy liberty as little as they do, to any other nation."

Could someone help explain what exactly he means by this line?


texts: Is there an etymological relationship between "obvious" and "obviate"

texts: It is obvious to me that the words are related, just by spelling. Yet, no dictionary I glanced though reveals the link. I guess that obvious is something that eliminates (obviates) the uncertainty. It is obvious. Is that right?


texts: If my mom asks me to take out the garbage bag and I want to reply to her that I plan to do it soon how do I say it without making a promise?  Can I say "I will do it later." without it being a promise?


texts:
Here is my sentence:

  The report further identifies two partial sets, which are not in themselves default sets but which one can—wholly or partly—combine with default sets A or B, or indeed with any permutation of options.

Should that have been "set A or B"?  Is the set singular or plural?

Here is a simpler sentence on (I believe) the same principle:

  When you reach customs, depending on whether you are a citizen, join queues A or B.

One could reword the latter sentence to evade the question, of course, but I seek an answer rather than a way to avoid an answer.

The second sentence is just something I made up for this question, but here is part of a third sentence, which comes from the same report as the first:

  [It] earns exactly one of the adjudications respectively of Tables 3, 4, 5 or 6.

Should that be Table rather than Tables?  Should that be and rather than or?

(Extra appreciation is given if you can provide a reference for your answer or, better, can quote a great writer to illustrate. If you cannot but still know the answer, though, please still give it. My copies of the AP Stylebook and the Little, Brown Handbook do not seem to answer the question.)


texts: Appropriate pronoun for "deciding on" + pronoun + infinitive?

texts:
I was wondering about the grammar of sentences like this:

They decided on him going to Japan and her going to China.

Or should it be like this?

They decided on he going to Japan and she going to China.

I'm a little confused as to whether "him/her" can be used as what appears to be the subject in the latter clauses. To me the former sentence sounds more natural though I don't know if it's actually more common in normal, spoken speech.


texts: Most basic/common words in spoken English

texts:
I need a sorted list of the most frequent spoken English words for everyday situations. Think of the most important words for a beginner learning the language. When learning new words, you'd want to learn them in the order of their frequency or importance, that is, first the most basic ones.

There are many frequency lists which are compiled from written text, but for spoken text, I have not yet found anything usable. Examples:

Most lists found online are not sorted by word frequency. They just list the top 100 or top 1000 words.
https://1000mostcommonwords.com/1000-most-common-english-words/ seems to be what I'm looking for. However, it has 'sleep' on position 559, but 'syllable' on position 533 and 'vowel' on 479. I'm pretty sure that the majority of people uses the word 'sleep' much much more often than 'syllable' or 'vowel'. Then, 'develop' is at 437, 'morning' at 475. All the people saying several times "Good Morning" each day seem to not be counted in this list. Even stranger results in other languages.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_common_words_in_English lists the top 100 words according to the Oxford English Corpus (OCE). This looks quite good, but I still think there is a bias towards written English. For example, I cannot find the words 'thank'/'thanks', 'morning', 'sleep', 'yes', 'no', 'last', and 'great' in the top-100 list. But the words 'people' and 'work' are there. In spoken text, is 'people' really more frequently used than 'great', 'yes' or 'thanks'?

I do not need anything rigorous. It just should not have an obvious bias towards written English, like the examples above. Furthermore, it does not matter whether filler "words" like 'uhm', 'ah', 'huh' are included in the list or not.

Bonus points if the list is also available in other languages (like 1000mostcommonwords.com), but this is not important.


texts: Meaning of "we leave at eight thirty for nine"

texts: In the expression we leave at eight thirty for nine, what time is the departure going to be?


texts: Term for an image that briefly appears on computer screen

texts:
What do you call an image, usually fragmented, that appears on a computer screen for a split second, such as when a webpage is loading or an app is launching? I know the term exists, but can't remember it for the life of me.

An example of what I'm talking about:

In this example, the scroll bar to the left appears for a split second when changing the size of the window and immediately disappears.


texts:
Here's a sentence I find confusing:

  The job of a family therapist is to understand the family culture of which the larger culture, with its many layered meanings, is a part.

Which interpretation is right, 1 or 2?

the family culture is a part of the larger culture
the larger culture is a part of the family culture

To me, 1 makes more sense than 2. But the structure appears to say 2 is correct. Could someone explain this, please?

And could you tell me why the prepositional phrase "with its many layered meanings” has been placed between commas?


texts:
I'd like to learn whether it is fine to use Restless instead of Dedicated with a positive connotation to say that the volunteers are working very hard (or relentlessly) for a specific cause?

If I would use it in a sentence:

  X Institute is operating with the help of our restless volunteers.


texts: Difference between 'seem to be working' and 'seem to work'

texts:
It doesn't seem to be working?

It doesn't seem to work?

I don't know which of these sentences is right—or if they are both correct, what the difference is between them. Can someone explain?


texts: Is there a word which denotes expertise in framing search-engine queries?

texts: I am looking for a term which denotes that 'X person is an expert in framing search-engine queries' . Some synonyms such as slackers and hackers come to mind but they are pretty generic terms. Is there a specific term or should I just use 'slackers' or/and 'hackers' and be done with it.


texts: Can your use of Latin-derived words indicate your social class?

texts:
It is certainly true that educational level and social position usually walk together in most societies.  Not considering that, however, and based only on how often one uses Graeco-Latin versus Anglo-Saxon derived words,  is it possible to identify someone’s social status in England?  In other words, upper middle-class people would tend to use Graeco-Latin derived words much more often than the poorer working-class, irrespective of other educational level markers. I am not looking for opinions, but for statements based on data and statistical analysis, just like the one below.
LEXICAL BAR - A term coined by linguist David Corson in the 1980s.

In English-speaking societies coincidences of social and linguistic history have combined to create a lexical situation that is unique among languages: most of the specialist and high status terminology of English is Greco-Latin in origin and most of the less abrstract terminology is Anglo-Saxon in origin. English in this respect, relative to other languages, has a fairly clear boundary drawn between its everyday and its high status vocabularies.
...
The bar is partly a function of the historically introduced and social class-based orderings of society that are associated with the division of labour: it separates the lexes of the members of conservative peripheral social groups from the dominant and high status léxicon of the language.

The author goes on to offer examples of the differences in the linguistic style of young people on opposite sides of the bar: "I dunno, there's times when I think there are a few laws I'd like to stop but....don't know any I'd like to bring in." (London, poorer working-class 15-year-old) and "I don't think I'd introduce many new ones but I would abolish quite a few. (London, upper middle-class 15-year-old) References: 1. Corson, D., The Lexical Bar, Pergamon Press, 1985.


texts: What is the origin of the term "Urban Legend"?

texts: Why aren't the myths circulating out there called "rural legends" ? (Especially if a UFO lands in a cornfield and the locals are temporarily abducted)


texts: Is "what a terrible thing must be..." a common expression? Is there another one used more frequently?

texts:
Is it common to say, for example,

  What a terrible thing must be for an earthquake to hit right on your birthday.

I searched the phrase "what a terrible thing must be..." and got 0 results. So I assume there's another way to say this?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When is it appropriate to use 'that' as opposed to 'which'?

From what I understand the second sentence is correct, and the first is not. What are the rules on using which versus using that?

  Instead it produces the above, which simply is a silent error.
  Instead it produces the above, that is simply a silent error.


texts:
Consider the following sentence:

The details in the first section are the most important ones about me.

The sentence seems completely natural, and yet, by analysis it appears that "the most important ones about me" is a subject, not an object, by which observation, to follow the standard grammar, "me" must be changed to "I".
The result is as follows:

The details in the first section are the most important ones about I

This sentence seems unnatural. Is it correct, according to standard grammar?


texts: A word/phrase for “ not wanting to draw attention”

texts:
For example someone is looking to circumvent contacting the local club board by going to the head office to remove club membership as to not draw attention, in other words just getting it removed to not be hassled by the local club members for example or reduce the possibility for peace’s sake.
“not wanting to draw attention” was what I was thinking but I think there’s something  more eloquent/smarter sounding.


texts:
I want to go for wine and tapas, it's correct to say this?
- I feel like wine and tapas.
- I feel like I want wine and tapas.
- What about going for wine and tapas?


texts:
What does this quote mean?

  ...no man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent..


texts:
For three continuous verbs, which is right?

  1a. Please can you help make the bed.

  1b. Please can you help making the bed.

  2a. An advisor can help expanding the width.

  2b. An advisor can help expand the width.

  3a. He can help come up with great ideas.

  3b. He can help coming up with great ideas.


texts: Should an embedded question be set in quotation marks?

texts:
For example, given the following sentence, is it proper to set the enclosed question in quotation marks?

  The first question to ask is, “should quotation marks be used?”

Any additional comments about the structure of the example sentence above would be appreciated.


texts:
My father’s name is Piyush Singh and my mother’s name is Seema Singh. My
question is whether referring to them as Mrs and Mr Piyush Singh wrong.


texts: What's it called when you over-use "would"?

texts:
I'm editing someone else's work, and they have a tendency to throw the word "would" in when it's not all that necessary.

"I would think you'd have done the opposite." --> I thought you'd do the opposite.

"I thought it would have made sense." --> I thought it made sense.

While the first sentences aren't wholly wrong, in an effort to make things more concise, I'd like to suggest the changes, but I don't have a strong grammatical argument for WHY, other than "it's shorter and better sounding." Can anyone help me voice why the changes are better?


texts: A nice way of saying 'decline' in a job rejection letter

texts:
Dear Mr.Nameless,

  Thank you for considering me for the position of [position] at [company]. I appreciate the time spent for me.

  Your organization’s vision and mission resonates with my values, and I am glad for the challenging opportunity you are offering me. [?However] I would like to say that I have accepted another opportunity last week Friday with a Robotics Firm that closely aligns with my skills and career goals. After much thought, I regret to decline your offer.

  Thank you for your time and understanding.

  Sincerely,

I am not really happy about using 'decline'. I've tried to substitute it with

downturn
turn down

Still feel as if something is missing. I want to be a bit more positive with the wording. I can't find it. For example, instead of saying 'I am not hungry' using the word 'not' making it sound negative 'I am full' or 'I have just eaten' is relatively more positive. I would like to use a more positive word rather 'decline' if that's possible? I've looked at synonyms but couldn't find the right one, perhaps there is a different way of structuring the sentence?

Q: Is there a more pleasant/positive way of 'decline' in the aforementioned context?


texts: Contraction [SUBJECT] + is with proper noun ending in s?

texts:
The possessive form (the car of Jesus) would be Jesus' car.

If we say Jesus is 11.  Would it also be Jesus' 11?   Jesus's 11?


texts:
I sometimes become confused when it comes to looking up the definitions of plants or fruits' names.
Let's take the example of “Mango” which denotes both, fruit and a tree in its definitions from Oxford:

1. A fleshy, oval, yellowish-red tropical fruit that is eaten ripe or used green for pickles or chutneys.
2. The evergreen tropical Indian tree that bears the mango.

So regarding this, I ask that why do we need to add the word "tree" in “Mango” (e.g. Mango tree) if the “mango” itself denotes a tree. Similarly, I ask other questions like:

Neem or Neem tree?
Guava or Guava tree?
Orange or Orange tree?
Apple or Apple tree?

Most clearly, if I remove the word “tree” from Mango, for instance, it looks ambiguous that does not clarify wether I am referring to a fruit or a tree:

“He is cutting mango.” [it's not clear, is he cutting tree or a fruit? ... and regarding this I ask that if it looks ambiguous after removing the word "tree" then why do the definitions say that it denotes both, the fruit and a tree?]


texts: Aspiration of plosives in final position and word boundaries

texts:
In a sentence like

  It is a cat, is it?

I'm not sure what kind of aspiration the various /t/ should have. I guess the first one in "it" would be weakly aspirated, as it's followed by a stressed vowel but is in a word boundary, and the one in "cat" would likewise be weak – supposing I'm right, would the last one have no aspiration, non-audible release or weak aspiration?


texts: I am in the process of translating Sister Sledge's "B.Y.O.B" song into Russian. Could you please help me to grasp the meaning of the "Man of the room" idiom used in this song?


texts: Why is the poker hand called "two pair" and not "two pairs"

texts:
The plural of pair is pairs, so why isn't the poker hand called two pairs?

There is presumably a historical reason - what is that reason?


texts:
In the movie "A Walk to remember" Jimmie's father says the following to his son-in-law who got into medical school. Actually Jimmie is dead when he says,

  We are proud of you, son.  Jimmie would have been proud of you, too.

I wonder if the use of "would have been" is correct in this case. Shouldn't it simply be "would be"? I mean why past of would instead of present?


texts:
What does "hash" mean here, where does it come from- meaning to discuss, work out, iron out something- especially the details of something- until an agreement is reached.

Examples (taken from various dictionaries)

The department was hashing out the new syllabus.

I need to hash this matter over with you.

I'll call my mother to hash out to details of the Christmas dinner.

They met during the day to hash out  the campaign's reaction to the controversy.

The detectives hashed out their theories about who committed the murder.

They've spent quite a bit of time hashing over the problem.

We need to sit down and hash things out.


texts:
Recently I've noticed that many people are pronouncing the word 'height' as

  /haiθ/

That's right, heigth.

I've only ever heard this pronunciation mistake in the last few years. Maybe it's just an issue in Texas? Has anyone else noticed this?


texts: Word for having a definite opinion while simultaneously withholding judgment?

texts:
Someone with this attitude would have a definite or even strong opinion on a given issue, but would also be willing to change their mind should new information arrive. The word could also be used to describe someone who was open minded, but also had a clear working opinion which they were prepared to use with confidence.

An example of this would be an Agnostic who nevertheless considers it very unlikely that God exists. But the meaning shouldn't be limited to a religious context.

Agnostic is close, but only seems to describe the open minded aspect of the attitude, not the having a definite working opinion aspect.

Any ideas?


texts: Is it I'm feeling good or I'm feeling well?

texts: Isn't feeling here a verb of being so you would use the adjective good?


texts:
Which one sounds more appropriate?

I haven't had a good sleep in the past few days.
I haven't had a good sleep for the past few days.

I reckon they both may be correct with different context, so could you please explain to me, when do we use 'in'and when do we use 'for'.


texts: Is there a SPORTS PHRASE [in particular, one relating to “soccer”] similar to "make sure all our bases are covered"?

texts:
The expression mentioned in my question’s title is a baseball reference, of course, which I fear could potentially limit its understandability to only those English speakers who are familiar with that sport.

Because of this potential limitation, I’m wondering (as stated in the title):

Is there a SPORTS PHRASE [in particular, one relating to “soccer”] similar to “make sure all our bases are covered” that would not rely on potential interlocutors’ knowledge of baseball to be understood?

Please note:
that I’m not asking if my fear of misunderstanding in the non-baseball-playing world is unfounded;

that, due to the world-wide popularity of soccer (and to the extent that requesting similar "sports phrases" might generate too many answers), I've indicated my particular interest in finding similar “soccer phrases” (in an attempt to narrow the answer set); and finally

that, although one of the secondary reasons for asking this question might be to find a similar English sports expression whose literal translation could perhaps be better understood in other languages, I am looking for neither any translations themselves nor pure foreign phrases merely translated into English, the main reason for the question being simply to find a similar English sports expression, period


texts: So, "carrots too" (/ˈkærəts tuː/) can sound like "Carrot Sue" (/ˈkærət suː/), right?

texts:
Look at this video at 1:09 (Source). The man said "carrots too" /ˈkærəts tuː/ but it sounds like he said /ˈkærət suː/. The /t/ got omitted completely.

However, I don't see people omit /t/ in "stamp" /stæmp/ (Source)

I have another example. The /t/ after /s/ got eliminated completely. See this video at 3:25 (Source): "...wasn't the best idea" "/..best aɪˈdɪə/" became "/..besaɪˈdɪə/".

So, when we see /st/,

can can omit the /t/? or
do we have any rule as to when we should omit /t/ from /st/ and when we should not?


texts: Why do ash (trees) and ash (burnt residue) have the same name?

texts:
I've often wondered why ash (trees) and ash (burnt residue) have the same name.

I've looked up the origin of both words, but I don't see anything that explains why the names are the same.

From the Online Etymology Dictionary:

  ash (n.1)

  "powdery remains of fire," Old English æsce "ash," from
  Proto-Germanic * askon (source also of Old Norse and Swedish aska, Old
  High German asca, German asche, Middle Dutch asche, Gothic azgo
  "ashes"), from PIE root *as- "to burn, glow." Spanish and Portuguese
  ascua "red-hot coal" are Germanic loan-words.

  An ancient symbol of grief or repentance; hence Ash Wednesday (c.
  1300), from custom introduced by Pope Gregory the Great of sprinkling
  ashes on the heads of penitents on the first day of Lent. Ashes
  meaning "mortal remains of a person" is late 13c., in reference to the
  ancient custom of cremation. Meaning "Finely pulverized lava thrown
  from a volcano" is from 1660s.

  ash (n.2)

  popular name of a common type of forest tree of Eurasia, North
  America, and North Africa, Old English æsc "ash tree," from
  Proto-Germanic * askaz, * askiz (source also of Old Norse askr, Old
  Saxon ask, Middle Dutch esce, German Esche), from PIE root * os- "ash
  tree" (source also of Armenian haci "ash tree," Albanian ah "beech,"
  Greek oxya "beech," Latin ornus "wild mountain ash," Russian jasen,
  Lithuanian uosis "ash").

  The close-grained wood of the ash is tough and elastic, and it was the
  preferred wood for spear-shafts, so Old English æsc sometimes meant
  "spear," as in æsc-here "company armed with spears," æsc-plega "war,"
  literally "spear-play." Æsc also was the name of the Old English runic
  letter that begins the word.

I understand that words can be homonyms, which are words that have the same spelling but different meanings and origins.

However, the fact that both words are related to wood makes me think that it might not be a mere coincidence.

Is there a reason why ash (trees) and ash (burnt residue) have the same name?


texts: Should I say "I am unaware of neither" or "I am unaware of both"?

texts:
Should I say "I am unaware of neither of A and B" or "I am unaware of both of A and B"?
In other words, is unaware negation?


texts: What's the word for learning the wrong thing?

texts:
There's a word like mis-learning or mis-training where rather than learning something correct, you learn something incorrect.

For example, if you were learning English as a second language, and constantly read people using alot a lot, and as a result used that word, even after you found out the correct spelling because of habit or muscle memory, what would that be called?


texts:
In trying to discover the roots of the verb "canvassing", I found this:

  [From obsolete canvass, to toss in a canvas sheet as punishment, from canvas.]
   .1

What does this mean?


texts: Writing a gender neutral sentence, does 'their' make sense in this usage?

texts:
I'm building an app that people can share the results of their calculations. I'm a bit stuck on wording, see below:

Andy would like to share their results from a pairing

Catherine would like to share their results from a pairing

Because I'm not capturing the person's gender, I would like to avoid his/her. But every time I read my examples above something doesn't seem right to me?


texts: What does “a lot of cargo for noodle soup" mean?

texts:
An article in the issue of The New York Times dated March 4, 2014 introduces the phenomenon of New York City's proliferating ramen shops under the headline “Ramen’s big splash”.

It contains the following passage:

  “Rising like stream from these ceramic bowls is, in short, the city’s movement
  from hushed fine dining to noisy eat-and-run joints; from subtle
  flavors to assertive ones; from a dining scene in which pork played
  almost no role to one in which it was the emperor of meats. This is a
  lot of cargo for noodle soup. In the end, though, spinning theories
  about ramen isn’t as much fun as tracking down a great bowl, so that‘s
  what I’ve been doing lately.”

I don’t understand the meaning of the expression “This is a lot of cargo for noodle soup.” The Concise Oxford Dictionary (10th ed.) defines “cargo” simply as “goods carried commercially on a ship, aircraft or truck”.

What does “this” refer to, and what does “cargo” represent? According to the COD, “cargo” is a countable noun. Is “This is a lot of cargo” grammatically correct?


texts: When part of an object becomes the name for the whole

texts:
Is there a word to describe when a part becomes the name for the whole, particularly in a jargon sense?

For example, a door to door salesman at the end of the day might talk about how many "doors" he visited, rather than houses, or a pathology nurse might talk about "doing veins" rather seeing patients?

I read a definition along these lines years and years ago, but I've completely forgotten the word. If possible I'm trying to find this same word again.


texts:
I am looking for all the meanings of "shall not".
Is it closer to "must not" or "might not"?

In this example:

  The circuit-breaker shall not trip.

does this mean must not happen or might not happen?


texts: Why do some English speakers pronounce “fête” as “fate”?

texts:
In French, from whom we’ve borrowed the word, it’s /fɛt/ “fet”.

But if we pronounced it as if it were an English word after dropping the accent, it would be /fi:t/ “feet”.

Yet the pronunciation we actually use is /feɪt/ “fate”.

Does this derive from a confusion between the acute and circumflex accents, or is there some other reason for this?


texts:
Consider the following quote,

  “Life is once. Forever.” —Henri Cartier-Bresson, AZ Quotes

I have checked that "once" is an adverb. How can it become a predicate?


texts: What is the meaning of “hollowing” in this sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of hollowing in this sentence?

Mr Haldane: “Jobs were effectively taken by machines of various types, there was a hollowing out of the jobs market, and that left a lot of people for a lengthy period out of work and struggling to make a living.
“That hollowing out is going to be potentially on a much greater scale in the future, when we have machines both thinking and doing, replacing both the cognitive and the technical skills of humans.”

In the sentence above, Artificial Intelligence dark side are being discuss


texts:
I am searching for a replacement for “death-sick” (or is it “dead-sick”) from the sentence:

  “A stigmatized physician falls into an organ donor scheme through which for every human organ he delivers his death-sick daughter gets an extra month of life.”

His daughter suffers from a rare brain disease, for which there is no treatment. I found “brainsick,” which means nuts. “Nauseous, invalid, sickish, anemic” are all too soft for this case.


texts:
I am writing my master's thesis computer science and I want to open it with a sentence that reflects the whole work in a short way.

To that end, I have chosen to use the word "framework", but I am not sure if I have use it correctly.

  The framework of this thesis is the natural language processing and
  machine learning methods applied to clinical text from electronic
  patient records.

The sentence pretend to be an extension of a simpler and shorter sentence which I strongly believe that is correct:

  The framework of this work is clinical text mining.

My questions are:

Is the longer sentence correct?
Which sentence is most suitable as the opening of a thesis?


texts: What different meanings does 'virtue' have in the following sentence?

texts:
"But by the virtue of being born a Brahmin - a virtue, indeed! - he must have had exposure to more affluent situations and people".

What does the 2 'virtue' mean in the above sentence?


texts:
When you speak of someone being on the ward, is on the only acceptable preposition? Is there a difference between American and British English on this? Would complements change the preposition required? (On the ward, but in the maternity ward?)

The COCA tells me "in" is slightly more prevalent than "on", but I'm not sure about the difference in usage in American English.

Thanks in advance for enlightening me.


texts: What does the concluding statement of this article mean?

texts:
In this article in The New York Times on Mossad's capture of Adolf Eichmann, the concluding line is as follows.

  Not only does it contract the barbarism of the Holocaust into a single, indelible form; it also looks forward, and serves as a quiet commendation of the troubled institution built to prosecute the Eichmanns of our own age. That is the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which the United States — and Israel too — refuse to join.

I'm not entirely sure what it is trying to say. The part before the semicolon is quite clear - Adolf Eichmann being prosecuted as a personification of the Holocaust - but the what comes after is what puzzles me.


texts: Suggestions to indicate the second person pronoun is singular?

texts: Do you have any suggestions to clearly show that the second person pronoun is singular, not simply basing it on context?  For example, one could use "you man" or "you one," but it may at times be very artificial, forced, and unnatural.  I would appreciate hearing your ideas!


texts:
Are nil and null interchangeable? For example,

  My bank a/c has a nil balance.

  My bank a/c has a null balance.


texts:
Reading an essay I found the following sentence:

  On the other hand, there are definitely disadvantages to being at home while your parents are away.

Does to work as a combination with disadvantage?


texts: Is there any difference of meaning between 'I am happy to be going home' and 'I am happy to go home'?

texts:
I am happy to be going home.
I am happy to go home.

I use both for a same meaning, but I was wondering if there is any difference.


texts: "Did you" vs "Do you" for questions about the past

texts:
Which of these is more correct for American English in a professional context:

Did you have any other prior marriage that lasted at least 10 years, or any other prior marriage that ended due to your spouse's death?

Do you have any other prior marriage that lasted at least 10 years, or any other prior marriage that ended due to your spouse's death?

(I might also be tempted to change some other other grammar in this sentence if I had my druthers, but for the scope of this question, please focus on the first word.)


texts:
What is the difference between the "next one" and just "next"?

Let's suppose we have a lot of people in a queue, and as one person comes, someone says "the next one is white, tall, has black eyes, is slim... etc". So I understand I needed to use "one", because I'm describing someone or something.

Now, if it was just people coming in a queue, I could just say "next", no need to use one, since I'm not describing it or something.

Did I get something right?


texts:
This short example covers most of my questions:

The proposed methods are capable of keeping the growth of constraint violation errors associated with the calculation of
gradient at a minimum rate.

Articles in bold are the ones that I am sure are ok. There are, however, other cases that I am not so sure and even don't understand what is the reason for the article to stand (or not to stand) there. Here are my questions:

Is it the calculation of gradient, calculation of the gradient, or the calculation of the gradient?
The last option feels the safest to me, however, the text becomes very cluttered with these articles, which, for me, looks pretty bad. If some other case is correct, why is that in particular?

Why there is no the before constraint violation errors?


texts: Is it acceptable to use the word "jerk" in normal conversations?

texts:
I searched over the Internet, but I am unable to find a satisfactory answer to this. I am not a native English speaker, but in my work I use English a lot. In fact, in all the office meetings I attend, half of the conversation happens in English. Now some of these meetings are somewhat informal (for example, it is acceptable to crack a joke), although serious stuff is discussed there. Also, some junior and some senior people are also involved in meetings (approximate age range is 30 to 60).
It so happens that on a particular issue, I have a completely opposite opinion, and I say it firmly each time the issue comes up. Just to set the stage before such argument, I feel like saying something along the lines "Now, as always let me say this although you may feel that I am a complete jerk". I am one of the junior people in my office, and although I feel that using the word jerk would set a good stage, I am not sure if it simply means a foolish/eccentric person in a normal conversation or whether it is a slang word.
So my question is, would it be okay for a junior person to use the work "jerk" to refer to myself before I firmly put forth my argument before others in a meeting about a serious topic? If not, what would be a better replacement?


texts: The word to know when you don’t know how to feel?

texts:
What is the word to use when you don’t know how to feel?

Such as instead of saying:

  He didn't know how to feel

You could say

  He felt ____.


texts: Any Word Denoting "participating college lecture without enrollment"

texts:
I would like to taking a course in other college in my university without actual enrollment.

I need to mail this request to the professor who is in charge of that class but I don't know how westerners are describing this concept in one word.


texts: HR Sentence Interpretation for Performance Reviews

texts:
I would like to know how this sentence is interpreted by others. My VP of HR has a differing interpretation than the rest of the company, and I need some substance to back up my thought process, or be set correct.

Absences do not exceed 3 days or 20 hours in partial days.

Information needed to process - our work day is 8 hours.

I interpret this as an employee cannot miss more than 3 full days (which would be 24 hrs due to our work hours), or no more than 20 hours in partial days (tardies, leaving early unscheduled) in the event they do not have any full days where they have called in to work.

My VP of HR seems to think they cannot miss more than 20 hours... period. I feel that if that is the case, then the sentence should read "Absences do not exceed 20 hours".


texts:
In awe of difficult times. Is this correct ?
i know that in awe of is an expression of admiration and respect but can it include difficult times?

If not what is the word for expressing the feeling of being helpless infront of something and respecting it.


texts: Finish reading or finish of read. Why we use gerund forms as infinitives verbs?

texts: I see that some words in English are expressed in gerund, with the meaning corresponding to the infinitive, and used as infinitive verbs. Could someone please explain to me, why does this happen?  I'm a spanish speaker :)


texts: Here’s the note which I think (that?) he said (that?) she wrote

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatical?

"Here’s the note which I think that he said that she wrote"

Otherwise, I suspect neither that should appear, am I right?


texts:
Current state of example: "Dotting i's and crossing t's can be the longest part sometimes."
Sometimes I need plurals of things that are not necessarily words. Single letters, acronyms, that sort of thing. Intuitively, I append 's to the end and call it a day, allowing me to write
i's

rather than
is

which could be potentially confusing.
Still, this does not feel like it is the correct way to do it. That is not what an apostrophe is supposed to do.
How do I create proper plurals of such non-words?


texts:
English is not my first language and I am writing a university assignment where I am trying to find a word appropriate to the following situation :

A business' expense in a particular region is valued at $100 in January. If you were to calculate the estimated expenses by the end of the quarter it would be $300, by the end of the first 6 months it would be $600 and by the end of the year the estimated expense would be $1200.

Is there a word I can use to name the estimated figure in all cases? For the estimated expense by the end of the year, the word annualized comes to mind but it is not appropriate for the bi-yearly and quarterly estimations. The way I describe this is a reverse pro rata. The only word I can think of is "periodized" which I really don't like.


texts: What adjective describes that something is divided into sectors?

texts:
In particular I am looking for the correct terminology in air traffic management. Airspace is usually divided into sectors, i.e., smaller pieces of airspace.

What is the corresponding adjective? Is it a sectored airspace or is it a sectorized airspace?


texts: Should I use who or whom when the subject is plural?

texts:
I realise there has been a lot of discussion of who vs whom on these forums, but as far as I can tell none of the previous posts answer my question.  Which of these sentences is (more) correct, and why?

"South American footballers, including the likes of Maradona, Garrincha, and Pelé whom I have met, are coming to the party."

OR

"South American footballers, including the likes of Maradona, Garrincha, and Pelé who I have met, are coming to the party."

Please assume that the writer isn't taking the stance that who should be used all time, but instead wishes to use whom where it would be traditionally appropriate to do so.


texts: Proper way for adding a "Summary" or "Bottom Line" in the Beginning of a Sentence

texts:
I'm struggling to find the right way to address my audience in starting of my course description page with a go to the point Summary,

i'm not sure how to express whats in my mind but this is an Example :

Hi

Blah Blah Blah, Max two Sentence

Summary :
or Bottom Line :

! This is the problem !

i don't think these are the right words !

and things like lets get into it right know or lets get to the point seem childish !


texts: What differences are there between "to enhance" and "to improve"?

texts: What is the difference between the verbal synonyms "to enhance" and "to improve"? Do they have exactly the same meaning?


texts:
In chapter 10 of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, it says:

  Yet I do not call to mind that I was ever in my earlier youth the subject of remark in our social family circle, but some large-handed person took some such ophthalmic steps to patronize me.

I searched up the word "ophthalmic" and I got "of or relating to the eye and its diseases." What does this mean in the sentence?


texts: What term would you use for a person who caused an incident

texts:
I am working on a procedure for my company and I am seeking a term to use for someone who causes an incident/accident.

Example: Have "term" fill out an incident report as soon as they are able to.


texts: (preferably clinical) name for awareness without discomfort

texts:
After an orthopedic injury, one often experiences the following trajectory, in order of increasing time since incurring the injury:

pain: acute discomfort, often intermittent (e.g., when moving the injured part)
ache: persistent but sub-acute discomfort
something which I can only presently describe as "awareness without discomfort"

Is there a better or more exact term, preferably one in clinical use (i.e., that an English-speaking medical professional would be expected to understand) for the third item? What I mean, why I ask:

I recently fell on my left knee, subsequently experiencing the trajectory above, as I have all-too-often in the past. (Once should be enough !-) The difference between "ache" and "pain" is well discussed here. However, for quite a while after the injured part ceases to be uncomfortable, I experience a continuous awareness of the part, which differs from my uninjured parts as follows:

I'm guessing that, most of the time, you (the reader) is just not aware of most parts of your body. Certainly I am not: if I want to "check in on" (e.g.) my uninjured right knee, I need to "bring my attention to it" (a phrase with which yogi/nis will probably be aware). OTOH, currently and for many days now, I can feel my injured left knee, without either effort or direction, and the feeling is not uncomfortable. (Hence the awareness is neither inexplicable nor discomforting, in contrast to this question.)

Am I alone in this experience? If not, is there a well-accepted, preferably clinical, term for this?


texts: What type of words are 'the, a, of' etc grouped as?

texts:
I've been digging through our English language, as I am studying predicate logic. I won't go into what that is, accept for that it involves the use of variables (much like maths) which represents three types of words:

The time of an event or an object's existence
The Geographical location of an event or object
Either an event or object in and of itself, or a property of it.

For e.g

The e starts at t, at p.

Note that the word 'starts' could also be replaced a variable denoting time, as it relates to the time of an event i.e the event would not start at some time t if it finishes at time t. Strictly speaking, 'finishes' isn't the only other value, an event for e.g may reach it's 1st quadrant at time t, but I digress.

Anyway, it seems that some words are literally irreplaceable, in that they seem to be universal, and constant. Yet, I can't put my finger on what 'the' even means, I just use it subconsciously. Is it even needed? What would be the semantic difference between 'The play starts at 10:00pm at Rosedale' and 'Play starts 10:00pm Rosedale'?

On a side note, some people today would even say 'The play starts at 10:00pm, Rosedale', note the short pause between '10:00pm', and 'Rosedale'.


texts: Is the expression 'asked for a special permission' grammatically correct?

texts:
It appeared in an English test for foreign learners recently, where the candidates had to choose the right word to fill in the blank. On the subject of Covid, the question is:

Some parents have asked for a special [permission/admission/interest/stage] to come to school ...

The only logical answer here, given Covid restrictions, is 'permission'. I'm wondering why the answer reads "asked for a special permission" and not "asked for special permission".
"... a special interest" sounds more natural and a lot of students chose this as their answer on grammatical grounds.


texts: What's the difference between maintenance, upkeep & sustenance

texts:
Question:

I was translating the term

Wartung, Instandhaltung und Unterhalt

in our software.

I came up with

Maintenance, Upkeep & Sustenance

And I was just thinking.
Is somebody actually capable of explaining me the difference between these 3 (English) words ? ;)


texts: How can I understand these puzzling sentences?

texts:
Art is I; science is we.
We are never beneath hope while above hell; nor above hope while beneath heaven.
Summer is every man a king and every woman a queen.
I am not at a loss for a word; Pitt is never at a loss for the word.
Barring some piece of luck I have seen but few men get rich rapidly except by means that would make them writhe to have known in public.

I am totally bewildered by the sentences above. I just can't figure out what these expressions really mean. I would be grateful if someone could tell me the meanings of these sentences or paraphrase them to be easily comprehensible.


texts: What word means a “collection of diaries”?

texts: I like to collect diaries but I couldn’t find any word for this hobby nor for what a collection of diaries is called.  If anyone knows please share.


texts: What does it mean when people talk about voice when referring to someone's writing? Is it his/her specific point of view? or Can two people have the same point of view and different writing voices?


texts: "The only factor considered" — no subject?

texts:
Is

  All this goes to show that the strength and presentation of an
  argument should not be the only factor considered when evaluating
  proposals and making decisions.

grammatically correct? Or is it problematic because "considered" does not have an implicit subject?


texts: What accents pronounce "quarter" as "korter"? Which other words can drop /w/ before /ɔr/ like this?

texts:
Many people drop the "w" from words like "dwarf," changing the pronunciation from /dwɔrf/ to /dɔrf/. This has led to the re-spelling "dorf" being used in some informal contexts, e.g. "Dorf Fort."

My question is not just about this one word, though. This change seems to be part of a broader sound change that is currently in progress where "w" is sometimes dropped when preceded by a consonant and followed by the sound /ɔr/. Another example is "quarter" /kwɔrtər/ being pronounced as /kɔrtər/. (See these threads from the American Dialect Society mailing list: /kw/~/k/, quarter, and this one from alt.usage.english: Quarter). I know there are several older sound changes that caused /w/ to drop in similar positions in the past, such as in "two" and "sword," but I'm asking specifically about the most recent sound change, which affects words that have pronunciations with /w/ listed in modern dictionaries.

I have this sound change, but only optionally and only in some words. I can pronounce "dwarf" as /dwɔrf/ or /dɔrf/, and "quarter" as /kwɔrtər/ or /kɔrtər/, but I can only pronounce "thwart" as /θwɔrt/, not as /θɔrt/. I'm trying to figure out why this difference exists.

This sound change seems to be recent and currently in progress, so I also wanted to learn where it exists. Some sources seem to indicate that it mainly occurs in North American accents. For example, the Oxford English dictionary entry for "dwarf" gives the British pronunciation as /dwɔːf/, and the U.S. pronunciation as /d(w)ɔrf/. However, the author of the alt.usage.english post I referenced above describes hearing the pronunciation "KOR-ter" for "quarter" from a BBC reporter, who I would assume was British. So I'm really not sure! Does anyone know more about this sound change, where it is most common, and what words it tends to affect?

I think it's more common with words like "quarter" than with words like "dwarf," so it seems I chose a bad example with my original title. However, for the disbelievers, I have looked up Youtube videos that contain this pronunciation of "dwarf":

LOTRO Classes - Classes of LOTRO, see 3:04, 4:25, 5:30
Minecraft Mod Showcase: More Player Models!, see 0:29
Lords of Uberdark - Lords of Uberdark Alpha 40 - More Dorfs! - VerbalProcessing

Not a lot, I know. So if you think this pronunciation doesn't exist, just focus on "quarter" and other words with /kw/.


texts: Is there a single word or phrase that means a group of very similar photos, such as when a photographer takes a burst of 7-8 shots with the hope of catching the right instant, or to get the best focus?


texts: "First, second, last" vs "first because, second because, last because."

texts:
When to use the former or the latter? Example:

  I picked NTU Library. First, (because) it was my university's library,
  so I wouldn't have to walk very far. Second, (because) I liked the
  atmosphere. It was very modern. It had colorful furniture and shelves
  arranged as a concentric maze. Last, (because) it had the largest book
  collection in Taiwan, enough to fill a soccer field. At least some of
  them must have been about 3D printing.

Is the because-version adequate? Or it doesn't make any difference?


texts: Idiom for vehement agreement: "This with [blank] on"

texts:
I'm sure I've heard multiple variations on this expression, but I can't clearly recall any of them, and searching without the key word is impossible. Basically it's a phrase meaning you strongly agree with what was just said and want to emphasize that, possibly following up with more explanation of why that statement was so true.
Example:

Kittens are the best!
This with [blank] on. They're so fluffy, and their cute little meows melt my heart.


texts: What is a good adjective for a piece of work with a lot of meaning to it?

texts:
I have to write a paper and need an adjective like that.  For context, I'm writing about John McCain's farewell letter he delivered after knowing he was going to pass from brain cancer.

Edit: Something more creative than "meaningful".


texts: What do you call people who use their iphones excessively to the point of distraction?

texts: I'm thinking of the type of person who would text while walking and end up smacking into a telephone pole.  What would you call them?


texts: Is the phrase "I feel you" too colloquial?

texts: Does the phrase "I feel you" sound too slangy and somewhat horrible to a British person? Is it ok to use it as a synonym of "I understand what you feel/say" in an informal, casual conversation?


texts: Correct translation for the light switch for a website

texts:
I'm looking for the correct translation for a website (http://www.configurator.simonurmet.com/).

I'd like to refer to the whole object, I don't need the name of each part for now.
The "whole object" to be configured on the website, as my concept would be composed of just these two pieces: the outer frame, and the button covers; not any hardware or cables behind or mechanical parts of any kind (which will be provided standard by default and mounted later).

The clients will access the website to choose the look&feel ie. colours and materials of the frame and the buttons (and set their wall color to take a look at the contrast).

Does the word "Light switch" describe that? Does it refer or include the mechanical parts and hardware that will trigger the light or will it be fine to name what I mean?

In my language the word that it's used is "placca" (italian).
The sentence that I would use would be like this: Configure your {word}.

Which one would you choose from these? Which one is the most correct?

Plate, Cover Plate, Light Switch, Switch Plate or Wall Plate?

I've searched on the net using google and found some images using these terms, but I'm unsure about the correct usage of those.

I need this for a Facebook application that will have more languages and I've set American English as default, so I'd prefer to have the EN_US equivalent rather than EN_GB.

EDIT [using "Light Switch"] Context (this is what I get on facebook when a user configures the object):

  Tommaso is configuring light_switch.title on Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso is configuring a light switch on Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso is configuring light_switch1.title and light_switch2.title on
  Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso is configuring light_switch1.title and 5 other light switches
  on Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso is configuring 5 light switches on Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso and Maryare configuring light_switch.title on Nea
  Configurator.

  Tommaso and 3 others are configuring light_switch.title on Nea
  Configurator.

  Tommaso and 3 others are configuring a light switch on Nea
  Configurator.

  Tommaso and 3 others are configuring5 light switches on Nea
  Configurator.

  Tommaso and 3 others configured a light switch on Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso and 3 others configured 5 light switches on Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso and Mary are configuring a light switch on Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso and Mary are configuring 5 light switches on Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso and Mary configured a light switch on Nea Configurator.

  Tommaso and Mary configured 5 light switches on Nea Configurator.


texts: I recently came across this issue. I searched online and found that a stranded preposition might be no longer treated as incorrect, but it's just a guess. Are you still taught not to end a sentence with a preposition or is it a myth now?


texts: What is the origin of the name "grammar nazi"?

texts: What does Nazi have anything in common with those obsessively correcting other people's grammar? What is the origin of this expression?


texts:
I am a student of English as Second Language.

I would like to know which expression I can use to talk about a changeable or variable situation/person.

I will try to make myself understood with an example. Mary is laughing out loud now but three minutes later she might start crying.

Is it correct to say: "Mary is as likely to laugh as to cry"?

Thank you so much for your help.


texts:
Trust me when I tell you this. You can tear this tower apart brick by brick, but without my help, you will never find your precious satchel without my help.

What does the speaker mean by "Trust me when I tell you this"?
I cannot consider it as that the speaker is asking him to trust her. But it's more like the speaker is telling him that it's confirmed and an ironic way to say that she will never change her decision.
Can we use this phrase to catch someone off-guard?
For example, trust me when I say this to you, they will never owe you money.


texts:
In the film of The Beasts of the Southern Wild, Hushpuppy the main character of the film says,

  But me and my daddy, we stay right here. “We is who the Earth is for.”

What grammatical structure is she using here?


texts:
A British writer at the turn of the century (the 19th Century, of course, so call it 1810) asked "Who buys an American book?"  He then listed many other "civilized" products not at the time produced in quantity by the former colonies -- and concluded with an excoriation of America's "peculiar institution", chattel slavery, which was still legal in parts on the US (and in smaller parts of the British Empire).

But I cannot find it in Google, except for some newspaper clipping that quote it as a famous saying! Does anyone have the original quotation, or even the name of the writer?


texts: Ambiguous modifier at the end of this sentence?

texts:
We review recurrent neural networks in computer science, a simple
  class of learning algorithms that permit feedback between the
  different nodes in the network.

I have two questions:

Is the modifier at the end ambiguous? Does it describe the recurrent
neural networks or does it describe computer science?
Should modifiers like the one in the above sentence include repetition, so that it clues the reader
    into the fact it is a modifier (and not, for instance, a list
    of more things that to be reviewed) that will be following the
    comma? For example: "We review recurrent neural networks in computer science, a simple class of neural networks that permit feedback between the different nodes in the network."


texts: Do we capitalize job titles after a person's name?

texts:
Should professional, occupational and official titles be capped after a person's name?

Mike McCormack, Human Resources Director for the XYZ corporation, resigned on Friday.

If we use the definite article the, do we go lowercase?

Mike McCormack, the human resources director for the XYZ corporation, resigned on Friday.

The human resources director, Mike McCormack, resigned on Friday.

But:

Human Resources Director Mike McCormack resigned on Friday.

Are the four variations of the same sentence punctuated correctly?


texts:
I have come across all these phrases

in all earnest
in all earnesty
in all earnestness

Is it ok to use any of them?

Example sentence with the first version:
I intend to complete my assigned tasks in all earnest


texts: A comical/informal synonym for "big"/"large" but not inappropriate

texts:
I'm looking for a comical word that has a meaning like big, humongous, etc. but nothing inappropriate that would contain swear words.

For example, I could say:

Whoa! That's a ______ spider!

Slangs are acceptable, but not necessary. I'm looking for a word that might make a reader giggle at the type of adjective used to describe it.


texts:
I am writing a formal email to thank the employer for reviewing my application:

I am thankful to you for your time and patience to review my application.

But the Grammarly tool corrected me:

I am thankful to you for your time and patience in reviewing my application.

I am still doubtful. I am not satisfied with the internet search. Please help.


texts: Is there a better way to say "the break down of 70 minutes is:"?

texts:
In the following sentence, is there a better way to say "the break down of 70 minutes is"

  In total, participants will spend 70 minutes in this study; the break down of 70 minutes is:
  10 minutes for [x],
  20 minutes for [y] and
  40 minutes for [z]