texts:
Once upon I time I asked the following question during a class for the CAE certification:

What does it mean to [verb and something else]?

and I was told that that's not English, as I should say

What does to [verb and something else] mean?

However, [verb and something else] can be longer than just a verb; it could be be between a rock and a hard place, for instance.
I have the feeling that in such a situation, the first form is preferred or, at least, not discouraged.
Indeed, this is what I read in a book

Like Othello, it isn't particularly hard to learn the rules of CSS

as opposed to

Like Othello, learning the rules of CSS isn't particularly hard.

My question is the following. Is there a kind of threshold on the lenght of [verb and something else] that should make someone prefer the one or the other form?


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

Background:
When I think of the class of data in the binary computer file, I don't know the difference.  One of my coworkers asserts that it is acoustic and not audio.  I treat it as data.  It is non-musical data.

I'm guessing that my coworker understand acoustic to imply a more technical measurement, while audio is more about humans doing the listening.

When I look at Merriam-Webster, the definitions suggest that audio is more appropriate than acoustic, acoustic relating to qualitative and audio relating to measurement.

Form of the answer:

A comment is good, but not an answer.  It should be an actual answer.
It can state the difference, but should have some (hopefully authoritative) reference/s indicating difference.
A good dictionary or encyclopedia would qualify, but I don't know that such a source for this particular problem exists.
The reference can be a credible authors work, not exclusively a dictionary or encyclopedia.  If Asimov or IEEE has a definition here, that would count.

Where I have looked so far:
Links:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acoustic
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/audio
Differences between "audio" and "sound"?
https://howthingsfly.si.edu/ask-an-explainer/what-difference-between-acoustic-ultrasonic-subsonic-and-supersonic-waves
https://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_acoustics_and_audio


texts: I've been looking trying to find an onomatopoeia for a car starting. I've tried to come up with it by making the sound myself, but I come up blank and quite frankly failed to mimicking the sound. It's actually pretty difficult to mimic once you've tried. I've also tried to search for an example, but I've hit a dead end. I'm not sure if there is an exact sound, but if anyone has any ideas as how a car initial sounds when you start it up, that would help.


texts: Difference between "unlikeable" and "dislikeable"?

texts: Is there a difference between unlikeable and dislikeable? It feels like there is, but I'm uncertain how to explain it.


texts: What is the word for "intended for human use or consumption", as opposed to for an automated system?

texts:
What is the word to describe "intended for human use or consumption", as in a document, or an image, or a sound?

For example:

The text of a book is intended for a human reader
An internet chat bot is intended for a human to interact with
A flowchart or a graph is intended to illustrate something to a human
The HTML code in a web document is intended for a computer to parse (and turn into a human-friendly visualization)
The sounds that a fax machine sends over a telephone line are intended for a computer
A bar code is intended for a computer
The address on an envelope, or the contents of a bank check, were originally intended for human readers, although these are increasingly processed automatically by machines

What is the word that distinguishes between these two categories (for-humans vs for-machines)?


texts: What is the error name of "incorrect" but semantically valid variations of fixed expressions (e.g., “false news” instead of “fake news”)?

texts: What is it called when one says "false news" but they mean "fake news" and just didn't notice the difference or didn't realize it mattered? It's like an eggcorn but the way it sounds is not quite the point here.


texts: I asked an older English person about this phrase, but he was unaware of it. Is it new slang that someone of his generation wouldn’t have heard, or is it strictly American English? I don't have an example, but I mean it in the sense of 'tune out' (inf. Stop listening or paying attention)


texts: Pronunciation of words such as "hot" and "stop"

texts:
I would like to ask how to pronounce the o sound in words like hot, stop in AE and BE.

I noticed that BE's pronunciation is different from AE's for these words.

According to Cambridge University online dictionary, hot is pronounced in BE as /hɒt/, so h + o (just like the letter) + t. But in AE it is pronounced /hɑːt/, which is like "hut" or h + u + o + t, or h + o + u + t, where the u is pronounced as in hut.


texts:
I am positive I've heard of "charges levied," as in "criminal charges brought against" (e.g. the sentence "The charge levied against my client is unfounded.").

However, while searching for a synonym for the word, I find no definition of 'levy' that matches the way it's used in the phrase 'charges levied.'  I mean, 'imposed' is close, but that seems mostly to imply taxes being levied; I'd never say "charges imposed;' and when I search for "charges levied," I end up getting mostly charges-as-in-fines levied, not charges-as-in-legal-charges levied.

So, is "charges levied" in a legal sense an actual phrase, or did my mind just invent it upon hearing a very similar phrase?


texts: Which is more common or used more and also the correct way of asking?


texts: The Past Perfect in the narrative set in the present

texts:
Have been reading a lot of fanfics lately, so what follows is quotations from unedited stories published on AO3. These are real excerpts from the writings of the US and the UK authors:

She looks up from watching the slow drip of the coffee pot, blinking
like she’d truly been enthralled in the process.
She hadn’t realized she’d been holding it hostage in clenched hands,
but stiffly releases it so it tumbles back against her chest when she
next gives it a tug.
She’d had a key made, of course, but this feels more natural.
She swipes to the app and lets it load. Admittedly she’d never used it
before, couldn’t get over feeling...
She studies her in the dim light of the living room. She’d never been
adept at guessing what other people were thinking, couldn’t be
bothered.
She swallows, thinking of the contract she’d just read.
He smiles and takes it. She’d messaged him earlier the address and
number for a lockbox with all the documents.

I just can't wrap my head around the reason they use the Past Perfect in all of these cases not the Present Perfect (or maybe the Past Simple?). I'm not a native speaker and would like to know whether it is acceptable as in the examples cited above.


texts: What figure of speech takes the form "[concrete noun] of [abstract noun]" (non-anthropomorphic)

texts:
What is the precise technical figure of speech for a phrase that pairs a concrete noun (non-anthropomorphic*) to an abstract noun in the form of "[concrete] of [abstract]"?
The particular example I am working with is from Psalm 9:13—

gates of death

However, it is the pattern of the figure that I am curious about, where an abstract noun like death is conceived of having something concrete associated with it to convey some aspect or picture related to the abstract noun. So the meaning above is the idea of being at the entry of death, i.e. very near death. Other examples might be:

walls of despair
jacket of sorrow
ladle of love

I would appreciate some documentation linked to (or at least cited) as evidence for the proper term for such a figure of speech.**

* A phrase such as "eyes of fear" or "feet of service" fit the pattern, but the concrete noun is from a human form, and so such a figure of speech would typically be classified as an anthropomorphism.
** I am of course assuming some technical term does exist for this construction. I've found the terms reification and hypostatization associated to the idea of conceiving of an abstract noun as concrete, which seems related to the idea here. Such a move is considered a fallacy except in figures of speech, but as best I have been able to find, those two terms are not themselves reflective of the figure of speech I am seeking the term for here.


texts: Why is 'more than one' considered singular?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “There is/are more than one”. What's the difference?

As a native English speaker I do some things naturally that I am unable to explain to foreigners. For example today I wrote this:

  There is always more than one factor to consider.

Raw instinct tells me that the singular verb is is correct, yet in the object there is specifically 'more than one' item. What grammar rule would you show people to explain that even though a plural concept is being refered to the word in that is being matched is specifically 'factor'?

I could have written this differently and used the plural verb are:

  There are always more factors than one to consider.

The only difference is word order and the fact that because 'factor' became 'factors' the verb had to change. Yet in both cases there was a plural concept as the object to the sentence.


texts: What is the meaning of "good job" in English? I have heard some people use that instead of "do not be tired".


texts: "lie on the basis of" versus "lie at the basis of"

texts: I often read in scientific papers a sentence of the form "X lies on the basis of Y." or "X lies at the basis of Y." to indicate that Y is caused by X in some fundamental way. Are both forms valid and common? (Maybe both are poor English?)


texts:
Do I need to place a comma before 'and'?
'Trelawny buys a schooner(,)and, with the help of Long John Silver, he puts together a crew.'


texts: Why does "An Advanced English Syntax" say the infinitive in these sentences is adverbial?

texts:
In sentences like the following the Infinitive is probably Adverbial, and therefore the italicized part will be put in the Adjunct column.

    You seem to be ill.
    He is known to be reliable.
    It was felt to be very unkind.

(p. 22, An Advanced English Syntax, by C. T. Onions, 1904)

They use the word ‘probably’ to describe those as adverbial (no further information). The book has no grounds why they function as adverbial. Albeit it is a traditional authority (1904), I have a yen for the authors’ intentions. I’m not sure whether today English grammarians can say that they, the infinitive phrases, function as adverbial complements. I was told once that infinitive complements after 'seem', 'feel' are adjectival, modifying the subject (He seems to be happy, he to be happy). My conjecture about why the infinitives are described as adverbial is that they think Infinitives after copular verbs modify the verb, not the subject, to complete the predicate. i.e., What modifies the verb is adverbial (what modifies the noun is adjectival). What do you think of that?


texts: Position between the origin and the destination

texts:
In a form we have today:

from
via
to

I think it'd be better if we used other terminology. So I went with this.

from --> origin
via --> ???
to --> destination

What'd be a good noun corresponding to the adverb "via"?


texts: "Please, cut the apple in halves." or "Please, cut it in half."?

texts: I've heard native speakers use "half" but never "halves" in such sentences.  If we cut an apple into two identical pieces, we get two halves.  It shouldn't, therefore, sound wrong if one used "halves".  Would it be wrong to use the plural here?


texts:
Is there a word for the emotion you you get when you see or hear something beautiful?

There is a certain feeling somewhere between happiness and sadness, a sort of tingling in your stomach. Is there a word or phrase to describe this feeling?


texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  In almost all cases, ...
  Almost in all cases, ...


texts: I'm looking for a proper definition of the phrase "story run". I found the phrase in the Runastic app and then came across on the website called A Christmas Story Run. But I still can't get what it means. Thanks for the help.


texts: What is the word or phrase for trying to convince someone to join you in a bad decision?

texts:
The scenario I'm trying to find an idiom or expression for goes like this:

My friend comes over and wants me to join him at a multi-level marketing seminar which he has already joined.  He seems to know it wasn't the wisest choice, but is very determined to get me to join him in this bad decision, as if getting someone else to make this bad decision will make him feel less foolish for making it himself.


texts: What's a word for a 'thing that makes one sleepy'?

texts:
I'm imagining the sleep equivalent of words like aphrodisiac, appetiser, etc.
For example:

Oysters are an aphrodisiac
Hot drinks are a {thing that makes one sleepy}

thesaurus.com doesn't give anything which leads to a suitable noun.


texts: What is the proper pronunciation for Kipling's character-name "Mowgli"?

texts: Does the first syllable rhyme with “glow” or with “how”? It is no use appealing to the Hindi for “Little Frog” or anything else, since Kipling confessed to making it up of whole cloth, as I discovered after asking a local Hindi speaker who drew a total blank. The question comes down to what sound Kipling meant to suggest by the spelling “ow,” which is hard to figure out, given that homograph pairs like “row” (quarrel vs. line of something) and “bow” (loopy knot or gesture of deference) straddle the difference in question. I know Disney’s film made the first syllable rhyme with “glow,” but I concede to Disney no authority in the matter whatsoever. I used to have access to an LP phonograph disk of Boris Karloff reading aloud, which would be better as authority, but alas I cannot remember how he pronounced the name.


texts: Commas, prepositions and subordinating conjunctions

texts:
I have two questions.

Consider the following sentences.

"In November I purchased my first car."
 or "In November, I purchased my first car."

And, another example,

"During the 1940s there was a war in Europe." or "During the 1940s, there was a war in Europe."

Which one of these two variants are grammatically correct? Are commas supposed to go after the words "November" and "1940s"? Or is it a style choice? I lean towards using the comma, though I have, on numerous occasions and in published writing, seen no comma used in these sort of sentences.

Secondly, if a comma can be used, the words "during" and "in" seem to serve, functionally, as subordinating conjunctions(this is because "In November" seems like a dependent clause which can be "flipped" with the independent clause; if that is done, of course, no comma is used) even though, in actuality, they are prepositions. However, if one looks in a dictionary, they are not classified as conjunctions in any context. Why is this?


texts: Nana or Nanna? (When Referring to Grandmother)

texts:
So, according to the Oxford Dictionary (English Dictionary), Nana is defined as one's grandmother, and Nanna redirects to Nana.

According to Dictionary.com (American Dictionary), Nana is one's grandmother, and Nanna is "The wife of Balder" (Scandinavian Mythology) or "The Sumerian god of the moon: the counterpart of the Akkadian god Sin".

A question was raised at this. I am Australian and have always spelt Nana as Nana. My brother, however, spells it as Nanna. The spell checker in Firefox is currently detecting Nanna to be correct to Nana.

My question is, in Australian/British English, how is Nana spelt? With one n or two?


texts: "Went to school happily" vs. "happily went to school" vs. "went happily to school"

texts:
The boy went to school happily.
  The boy happily went to school.
  The boy went happily to school.

If the adverb “happily” is allowed to be put in the three places above, what are the different impressions you think it will give to readers?


texts:
My apologies in advance as I'm nowhere near a grammar expert - just a lowly programmer.

So an "Acura RLX" is a car model. An RLX is a noun, not an initialization or anything. It's stylized when written as RLX in all capital letters.

What's the correct plural form? I had somebody argue it's "RLX's", but I referenced an AP style guide, which says, of apostrophes, "DO NOT USE: For plurals of numerals or multiple-letter combinations."

Also, is it "RLXes" or "RLXs" if the apostrophe is not supposed to be present?

It ends in an X, so I'd think it would be "RLXes" just like "boxes". And what about "a room with multiple Alex(es|s|'s)?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to use a phrase ( to take the journey to the end ) as a synonym of ( to finish the journey) ?


texts: In his poem, George Szirtes tells a story of a boy attending a football game. When the game is over, "the crowd dissolves, but we are of the crowd, heading into town under sodium street light". What is the meaning of "being of the crowd" in this context?


texts:
Is Expression "Safety First" grammatically correct, or " Safety's first"?
Also,There is a website called TED "ideas worth spreading".. I think it should be ideas are worth spreading because worth isn't a verb?


texts: Why do we call microwave ovens by the adjective, not the noun?

texts:
Most people know that microwave is short for microwave oven.

In English, we typically refer to things by the noun, not the adjective - for instance, we can call a green umbrella an umbrella, but not just 'a green'. Likewise, adjectives come before the noun in English.

I am pretty sure that microwave is the adjective and oven is the noun, since it is an oven that uses microwave radiation to cook food. Is there a particular reason we call 'microwave ovens' microwaves, or was that just to avoid confusion with a conventional oven?

I ask because I do a lot of work with radiation and wireless technologies, and I'm kind of annoyed that we use the same word for these "microwave ovens" as well as the actual type of electromagnetic wave that it uses.


texts: Difference between 'went home' and 'went to home'

texts:
I'm a little bit confused over the difference between the following sentences.

I went home.
I went to home.

Could someone please explain the difference.


texts: The usage of "to be" in double comparatives?

texts:
I read when "be" is used in double comparative, it is sometimes omitted in the book of "Top Notch", like:

The better the quality of health care (is), the higher the life expectancy (is).

According to the above rule, do I have to eliminate both "is" or could I remain either of them?
What if I keep both of them?


texts: What is the proper pronunciation of "kitten?"

texts:
The American Heritage Dictionary says 'KIT-n' but speakers in my locale (west coast US) say 'Ki with short i, glottal stop, n.' There is no 't' sound. Do we speak slang, a dialect, or are we pronouncing it correctly?

The only reference I found here was from last May:
"Intervocalic /t/ almost always reduces to a single flap [ɾ] there. That’s why ladder and latter are homophonic, although kitten and kiddin’ are not. Indeed, kitten may become just [ˈkʰɪʔn̩] (sometimes written [ˈkʰɪʔən]) , often enough."

I don't understand IPA code. Thank you!


texts:
I looked it up on Google and in my English dictionary but cannot find out its meaning. The context is this page.

  As usual the crime stories have split our judges so, as with last years Fish-Knife Award, we have joint winners of the Crime section of the Criminally-Short Short Histories Award.


texts:
I'm back to you with a new doubt.

I wonder if the phrase n.1 is totally wrong or if it's possible to use it in some cases.

1) This road "seems having" no end.
2) This road "seems to have" no end.

I've found somewhere on the web some people using the first form. Like "They seem having fun".

Thanks in advance. Marco


texts:
Can someone explain to me the difference of usage between went on and would later go on, and in what situations each are appropriate?

Examples:

  Debuting in 2000, the [musical] group went on to become the best-selling artist of all-time

and

  Debuting in 2000, the [musical] group would later go on to become the best-selling artist of all-time.


texts: What is the differences in these terms. I want to use one of them in Task management software. Which term is better for the menu meaning "List of task that was delegated|assigned to me" and "List of tasks that I have delegated to someone else".


texts: Differences between "bitter," "acrimonious" and "astringent." Why isn't it appropriate to describe an argument as "astringent"?

texts:
After having ___ arguments virtually every other day,the couple agreed that it was best for them to separate.
A) bitter
B) saturnine
C) astringent
D) effulgent
E) acrimonious
F) assiduous

This is a GRE sentence completion question, Type: Sentence Equivalence, which means that two most suitable options for the sentence are to be selected from the given options. So, basically the selected words will be synonyms of each other.
Here, I am confused about 'bitter', 'astringent', and 'acrimonious' because these are synonyms of each other. And my book has 'bitter' and 'acrimonious' as the answer. Why not 'astringent'?


texts:
So I was writing an essay and want to know which sentence is correct-
I'll grab a lunch with Prof. Unknown and discuss his research on wearable computational fabrics. Or I'll grab lunch with Prof. Unknown and discuss his research on wearable computational fabrics.


texts:
What prepositions do I use with "take offense"?

Specifically:

"I take offense at you over your words"

Are at and over correct?


texts: Why Yell "Geronimo" When Jumping From A Plane?

texts: Can anyone explain the origin of the practice of yelling "Geronimo" when parachuting from a plane?


texts:
If I have two luggages, which of the following sentences is right?

  Where is your luggage?
  Where are your luggage?


texts: Is "do one’s diligence and err on the side of caution" an idiom?

texts:
Today’s Washington Post (April 24) carries an article titled Trump wants to push Iran to the point of no return, quoting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's warning to other nations. It reads:

  Now, it’s raising the stakes for other major powers. "Any nation or
  entity interacting with Iran should do its diligence and err on the
  side of caution," Pompeo warned. "The risks are simply not going to be
  worth the benefits." [OP's emphasis added]

Then the author, Ishaan Tharoor, adds "But it's not fully clear whether the Trump administration has done its own due diligence."

I googled the phrase, “do one’s diligence and err” to no purpose. Does it mean “do one’s due diligence and err at one’s own risk”? Is it an idiom?


texts: Using the word "difference" in the meaning "result of subtraction" taking into account the negative values

texts:
The result of subtraction is called "difference". At first glance it might seem that it shouldn't cause an ambiguity over the value denoted by this word; until we stumble upon subtractions that produce negative results.

What do I actually mean? It is clear that:

  2 − 5 = −3

But when we say "the difference between 2 and 5" don't we mean "3" in the first place irrespective of the order in which we place the numbers in the sentence? What expression should we use to make it clear, regardless of the context, that we imply "−3"?


texts:
What does this phrase mean: "more twisted than a neurotic pretzel"?

I remember reading an article in cnet.com with the above phrase used in the first sentence.

I can understand the phrase "twisted as a pretzel" as pretzels are twisted by design. But, what does "neurotic" have to do with this phrase? If someone could add the origin details too, then it would be even sweeter.


texts:
Can the phrasal verb 'result in' be followed by a gerund?
Example:

We regret that this set of factors resulted in electing Trump, but it is time to move on.
The accused expresses his regret that the hardship of his poor life resulted in breaching the law.

Or an alternative:

The accused expresses his regret that the hardship of his poor life
resulted in a breach of the law.

Does it go with an article or without in the last sentence (a breach of smth)? I would be grateful to hear if any of these is correct.

Thank you!


texts:
What is the difference between ambition and aspiration?

I found this question in the schoolbook and cannot figure out why the only possible answer is aspirations.

  Do you agree that children having ________ to become rich and famous
  is a negative thing?

Why can't ambitions work as an answer?


texts: Are both try to save the file and try saving the file grammatically correct? If so, is there any difference in meaning?


texts:
Life is mysterious to take too serious/seriously?
Which one is correct?


texts: What would someone who has seen too much of something be called? Or is there no word for this?

texts: Like when someone discovers something about their government that was suppose to be hidden & they get eliminated because they found out about it.


texts:
I want to know if there are any rules regarding using said before or after a name.  For example, which of the following is correct?

"I am going to the bank," said John.
"I am going to the bank," John said.


texts:
Can you forget something somewhere?

I expect that much more common is

  I have left my book at home.

But, based on other languages where it is quite common (and based on the fact that I somehow feel an intention hidden under the I have left), can you also use (in general, or GB/US/CA/AU specific) the following form?

  I have forgotten my book at home.

If a pupil says the first sentence (with leave) in school, will the teacher interpret it as

  I have intentionally left my book at home.

or

  I have accidentally left my book at home.

?


texts: Is there a "see also" parenthetical citation abbreviation?

texts:
I am citing a verse from the Bible and attempting to refer to similar-meaning verses in the same parenthetical citation. An example is as follows:

  “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5; see also Psalm 138:6, Proverbs 29:23, Matthew 23:12, Luke 1:52).

In this example the first three verses contain the quote exactly while the following four citations are verses with a similar meaning.

I know of some parenthetical citation abbreviations like "e.g." and "cf." Does anything similar exist for "see also"?


texts: What's the word for "preferring this option/choice"

texts:
Context:

I have two options to spend the coming summer, one would be to find a internship job and the other one would be to just relax and maybe try to do one of my projects that I have been telling you about lately. Honestly, I am ___ to/for taking a break and start a project or two - I feel that I need it.

The word I'm looking for is similar in the sense to "leaning" or "biased", but both of these words can't be used here.


texts: How to use the word 'Elect' in these sentences correctly?

texts:
1) I was elected to debate about British History with Exchange Students.

  2) I was elected Faculty of Arts representative to compete in ...


texts: One adj. word for "have never been used before"?

texts:
I am programmer and want to say "The programming language I have never used before" in very short word like "... programming language"
What could that be?


texts:
To say that he went to the gym and did not go to the store, is it OK to say, "He didn't go to the store, but to the gym"?

It seems that this would mean, "He didn't go to the store, but [he didn't go] to the gym," which was not the intended claim.

Likewise:

He did not marry Peggy, but Sue. <-> He married not Peggy but Sue.

He didn't listen to my lecture, but to his iPod. <-> He listened not to my lecture but to his iPod.


texts:
I appreciate your candid supports

I have a question about a phrase ( possibly. )

In this video, after Stephan Smith praised the move of Dwight Haward to Washington Wizards, another reporter contends from 1:30~ "I think it's their meaningless moves because of the situation in the East. am, just to match it up...

After googling this phrase, I thought if it could possibly mean the reporter said this phrase in order to give a summary or reason or connection to things he will describe later on?

Thank you for your constant and kind support in advance(m_m).


texts: correct punctuation around the phrase "in conjuction with"?

texts: The Hiring Committee, in conjunction with the Headmaster, will make the final decision.


texts: Word or phrase for success in spite of incompetence

texts: We might talk about someone "slipping through the cracks" if they're capable but don't find success in some area, but how does one express the converse of being highly successful in spite of incompetence?  Is there a word or idiom for this?


texts:
Looking for a specific word when I want to be given to drink.

If I am hungry I say feed me.
If I am thirsty I say ____ me.

I know a person who is given such is said to be fed and watered. But I don't think one can say water me.


texts: Can the sentence "It's worth finding a part-time job during the holidays" be replaced by "It's good to find a part-time job during the holidays." Do they mean the same ?


texts: Can you use future tense and switch to present in the same sentence?

texts:
As in:

  Occasionally, he will spontaneously generate the sentences on his own
  and sometimes uses, "May I have."


texts: What do we call somebody who asks only puzzles? Similar to this Post tells us the term somebody asks questions.


texts:
Kelly pool is a "cue sport" played on a pool table like billiards, snooker, and other variants of pool.

But which is more accepted? Capitalised or not? Or are both OK?


texts: Are "in accordance with" and "according to" interchangeable?

texts:
I always use the two expressions interchangeably; well indeed I'm mostly prone to use "in accordance with" in an academic context instead of "according to."
Is that correct? What would you recommend me to use instead?
Additional context (sorry for ignoring this part):

The modern sensibilities about museums have altered remarkably in
accordance with/according to the growing interest in the
post-post-structural scholarly trends.


texts:
The phrase "that's how we roll" (along with variants) seems to have become increasingly popular in recent years.  It appears to draw attention to one's behavior or policies, asserting -- sometimes ironically -- the correctness or importance of them, as in "that's how we do things around here."

How old is this usage and where does it come from?


texts: What is the meaning and etymology of "cod-French" accent?

texts:
Here's a passage referring to re-enactments of the Battle of Hastings:

  As you might expect, the English king, Harold Godwinson, comes across
  as an essentially decent chap, albeit weary and exasperated. By
  contrast, his adversary, Duke William of Normandy, sounds like a
  maniac, ranting furiously in a cod-French accent – Napoleon filtered
  through the lens of Hitler.

So what is a cod-French accent? I've read somewhere that it means to pronounce English words in a comical faux-French way. This makes sense but I am left wondering where the term came from.


texts: What's the meaning of 'mean for sport' in a line from the movie, "The Help"?

texts:
I watched a great movie, The Help, released in 2011 and starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, and Octavia Spencer.

In the movie, there is a scene in which there is a conversation about how people are mean to maids:

  I worked for Miss Jolene's mother till the day she died.
  Then her daughter, Miss Nancy, asked me to come and work for her.
  Miss Nancy is a real sweet lady.
  But Miss Jolene's ma done put it in her will I got to work for Miss Jolene.
  Miss Jolene's a mean woman.
  Mean for sport.
  Lord, I tried to find another job.
  But in everybody's mind the French family and Miss Jolene owned me.

In this paragraph, I don't get it why 'mean for sport' is another word for "she is really really mean". (I found out the alternative meaning from the Korean official subtitle)

Are there any special idioms for mean for sport? I'd be grateful if someone could provide me the reason. (FYI, I am not a native speaker, and I study English these days)

Thank you,


texts: Can you please let me know a proverb that describes difference between status of the king and commoner

texts: I have been searching for an appropriate proverb which describes the status difference between a king and peasant/commoner, or in other words, a proverb that states that there is no comparison between the economic conditions of two said people.


texts: Does "their own good pleasure" have a positive or negative meaning?

texts:
With a few exceptions, the inhabitants of this city were Christians. The infidels were in possession of the citadel, however, and treated the rest of population according to their own good pleasure. (My emphasis)
A History of Deeds done beyond the Sea — William Tyre, c1180, translation unknown

In this sentence, what is the meaning of "their own good pleasure"? Is it a positive one or a negative one?


texts: What does 'bespoken' signify, as opposed to 'bespoke'?

texts:
The verb bespeak admits two past participles: bespoke and  bespoken. I am interested in the attributive usage of these terms.

A bespoke suit is one tailored to please and to fit a particular customer. Occasionally, bespoken is used in the same sense. I am puzzled by the difference. Personally I find bespoken to be rarer, and Google seems to concur.

My question is, whether the two are interchangeable, or whether a preference of one over the other is significant in terms of register, region, or whether there is actually a nuance in meaning.


texts: "none of them sound right" or "none of them sounds right"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  None as plural indefinite pronoun

because none of them sound/s like the obvious choice to me


texts: If you feel very comfortable to use a pen when you write something with it, that pen has______

texts:
How do you say the quality of a pen,
if you feel very comfortable to use a pen when you write something with it.
I'd like to know a word or a phrase to fit into the following sentence.

  This pen has _______.


texts: "Science committee" vs "Scientific committee"

texts:
Is Science Committee correct and/or more accurate than Scientific Committee?

I'm in a committee at a science lab where we organize events to promote the research done in-house. The committee is a normal committee and doesn't follow scientific principles (e.g. hypothesis, test/experiment, etc...)

I'm the only native English speaker in the committee and have asked that we call ourselves the "Science committee" and not the "Scientific committee" since we only discuss science, without actively doing it during committee meetings. We could equally discuss finance ("Finance committee" and not "Financial committee") or operations ("Operations committee" and not "Operational committee"... although that last one is debatable for many committees... :)

I've read "science fiction" vs "scientific fiction" which seems to indicate both historical and noun-modifier reasons for that convention.


texts: What do you call private and public boxes where letters are put?

texts:
According to Cambridge dictionary, in US, a mailbox is a box outside a person's house where letters are put, but in UK, it's a box in the street or other public place in which you can put letters to be collected and sent.

The dictionary states that postbox has the same meaning as the second meaning of mailbox (a public box) without mentioning US or UK usages. I could also find the word letterbox in the dictionary which seems to be used mostly in UK meaning both a mail slot and a postbox. According to the dictionary, mail slot is used in US to mean a rectangular hole in the door or in a wall near the entrance of a house or other building, through which letters, etc. are delivered. As a non-native speaker of English, I have these questions.

1. Can I use postbox safely to mean a public box for letters in UK, US and Australia?

2. What word(s) can be used in UK to mean the private box for letter outside your house?

3. Is there any word/words that you can use to mean the private box for letter outside your house without ambiguity in UK, US and Australia?

4. Can I also use mail slot in UK to mean letterbox?

5. Do you have any other suggestions?


texts:
Why is the word "head" used in the following context?

  Daddy he once told me 'son you be hard workin' man'
  and Momma she once told me 'son you do the best you can'
  but, then one day I met a man who came to me and said
  'Hard work good, and hard work fine, but first take care of Head'
  Smoke Two Joints - Sublime (perhaps they didn't originally write the song, but whatever)

First of all, is this related to the usage of "head" in "headshops"? I couldn't even find a clear answer on why this is the case, the wikipedia article on headshops says Jeff Glick opened "Head Shop" in New York, but does not explained why he called it that.

Some other explanations I saw floating around were "because drugs make your head feel good", "because it's for pot-heads", and something to do with the Grateful Dead and "dead-heads".

These all sound plausible, but does anyone have the definitive story behind the use of "head" in this sort of context?


texts:
It happened due to 'an' early onset of the monsoon or it happened due to early onset of the monsoon.

Are both correct? Is one wrong? and if anyone know what's the rule.

I did a google search, and I got plenty of hits for both the variations.


texts:
I just heard this following sentence:

  The company goes belly up?

What does it mean?

Thanks for the answer.


texts:
what are the semantic differences between the following sentences:

I'd appreciate it if you'd share some of your thoughts...

I'd appreciate it if you shared some of your thoughts...

Thanks


texts:
Volume 4 of Charles Burney, A General History of Music, From the Earliest Ages to the Present Period (1776) contains this sentence:

  And while it [Rousseau's Lettre sur la Musique Françoise] was read by all the rest of Europe as an excellent piece of musical criticism, full of new ideas and views concerning dramatic Music, it was held in execration by the adherents to the ancient style of opera Music, and has been lately called "a wretched performance, dictated by spleen, bad taste, want of judgment, and inconsistence," by a writer [M. de la Borde] who, on some occasions, seems to know better, and to have ideas of good Music, more worthy of a master of harmony and the present state of the art in every part of Europe.

My questions are: How, when and where did the phrase 'state of the art' originate?


texts: A word or short phrase for "Reported not having"

texts:
In a report, I have a set of experiences a person has reported experiencing, and a set of experiences a person has reported not experiencing.

I want to give these a pithy descriptor since I've got a lot of these people.

"Reported:" is easy, but I can't find a good opposite of it (can't use unreported, since they have reported something).

Candidates so far are: Contra-reported, Reported-not, Not experienced

I prefer Contra-reported but it isn't a used phrase if google is to be believed.

Example:

  Reported: Too much energy, Waking up early

  [Word]:  Obsession with costumes


texts: Is there a single word for when something becomes neglected or forgotten (e.g. a plant dies because the gardener forgets to water it)?

texts:
What single word can we use to describe something that has “died through neglect”? For example, a plant that has died due to the gardener forgetting to water it.

Note: I’m specifically hoping to apply this word to a software program that used to be amazing but sadly is no longer maintained and thus defunct.


texts: Etymology for “Mc‑” and “O’‑” prefix in surnames

texts:
There is clearly a prefix in names like McDonald, McChrystal, O’Brian, O’Neal.

What does this Mc- and O- prefix signify? It looks like Donald, Chrystal, Brian, Neal are perfectly fine names on their own, so why is there a prefix before it?


texts: Is "go exercising" ungrammatical or non-standard?

texts:
Friends,

I think the phrase "go exercise" is spoken in colloquial English. But I can still find the phrase "go exercising," even in Google books. Like the excerpt below:

  I like to exercise, but if I'm stressed and I want to exercise, it's different than it used to be," she says. "Before, if I wanted to go exercising, it was out of anxiousness. It was not relaxing; it just made me worse. I think it's good to exercise, because the body needs to exercise, but not obsessively, and not perhaps in that moment when you are very stressed and anxious, like you're ready to run a marathon. For me, it's just walking with my dog. I do that a lot. And then I feel calm and relaxed.

Is this an American/British thing? Or is it plain wrong?


texts:
I'm reading Salinger's "Ocean Full Of Bowling Balls" and came across the "blue card". I wonder what that means in that context. I found that "blue card" is currently used for immigrant agricultural workers, but couldn't be sure that they are related. It sounds more like it's related to sports somehow (baseball?) but I want to be sure. Any ideas?

"Hey Red, where’dja get that red hair?"
Kenneth turned around to look at the man, and said:
"A guy gave it to me on the road."
That nearly killed the guy. He was bald as a pear. "A guy gave it to you on the road, eh?" he said. "Think he could fix me up?"
"Sure," Kenneth said. "You gotta give him a blue card, though. Last year’s. He won’t take this year’s."
That really killed the guy. "Gotta give him a blue card, eh?" he asked, shaking.
"Yeah. Last year’s." Kenneth told him.
The fat man shook on as he turned back to his newspaper; and after that he looked over at our table frequently, as though he had pulled up a chair.

Full context can be found here.


texts:
Following are a part of introductive speech given by a moderator at a meeting in the U.S. I couldn't understand or get the nuance of the sentence. Could you explain or express in another way?

"This clus is the place when you're in the know, and tonight we have some wonderful folks."
"He will bring you  in the know about a wonderful career and important issues."


texts: A person who never appreciates you, no matter how much you help them

texts:
A person who always asks for favours and if you fail/deny for any one breaks the relationship with you, starts bitching behind your back. This person gives respect only to people who say “no” to him at first or bully him or show-off money power.

Background: Since I was a small kid I have seen my father helping my jobless uncle (Mom's brother) but he has never thanked him. Instead, he curses behind my father's back but remains sweet in person.

After 30 years,  my uncle has his own family but due to his attitude, he spends most of these years jobless, borrowing money and asking for favours. Few days ago, my father again did him a favour, talked to some guys and set him on a back office work, because my uncle's kids are going to college and often need money to buy expensive clothes and phones.

We learned that uncle has started bitching about my father accusing him of landing him in a shitty job; its lots of work here and people often have to stay late. My cousins are calling asking explanations, I want to reply and will keep it short because they are also like their father.

I will tell them that your father has been "__this word__" his whole life so go ask your daddy and don't disturb me.

Excuse me for the story, I had put it just to get closer to the word. It's not like I am sharing family issues on global website.


texts: Is it grammatically correct " Which is correct sentence: "Please provide me with the following documents" or "Please provide me the following documents"


texts:
"It was almost midnight when i reached home" .

in this sentence " home" funtion as  noun or adverb.

kindly clarify


texts: Is the "of" necessary in the expression "a tenth [or other fraction] of what"?

texts:
Which of the following is correct, and why?

  It cost us a tenth what was spent previously.

or

  It cost us a tenth of what was spent previously.


texts: Antecedent of "velocity u" in "particles moving in a medium with macroscopic velocity u"

texts:
In the following sentence, whose velocity is u—the particles or the medium?

  For particles moving in a medium with macroscopic velocity u: The normalized
  Maxwell’s distribution function (Eq. 1.38) can be written as ..."


texts: An adjective for someone who only does righteous things when they have to?

texts:
They don't do it because they want to, but only when no one else can or are able to. They only do it because they have to, because they're told to.

What adjective would describe this type of person?


texts:
Reading old books I have found sentences like this:-

  The reply of the Austrian batteries did no damage, and two submarines
  that came out were accounted for at the cost of injury to one of the
  British cruisers, which, however, did not put it out of action. [Manchester Guardian History of the War, 1919]

and

  The eight o'clock train ran into the experimental train and injured
  three of the carriages very much. [Henry Gibbs' diary (26th Sept 1838) quoted in Red for Danger, L.T.C. Rolt]

To my modern ear this sounds absurd; the notion of the carriages being injured very much rather archaic.

Of the definitions of the word here only one of them (the American Heritage Dictionary) even mentions the possibility of things:-

  Damage or harm done to or suffered by a person or thing: escaped from the accident without injury; a scandal that did considerable
  injury to the campaign.

but the things used as examples are all abstract; reputation, a campaign, and so forth.

So, when and why did injury stop being applied to concrete objects?


texts: What is an example of a “clean” redivider?

texts:
Most redividers are vulgar or rude in some way, for example

therapist -> the rapist
pen island -> penis land
an album cover -> anal bum cover

I am looking for a "clean" example of this, no references to genitals, indecencies, etc.
The closest I've found is

In every ode linger many -> I never yodel in Germany

I'm looking for an example to use in a programming course to emphasize the importance of spacing. The course is taught to middle-schoolers at an institution where I would not be able to make references like this. So I'm looking for something that kids would understand and is clean enough to not offend any parents.
I'm not the biggest fan of "In every ode linger many", since it's a nonsense phrase. If one interpretation is obviously superior to the other, I think it will make it harder to see that spacing really matters.


texts: A single adjective to describe a person who has personal issues

texts:
I'm writing a very short (one sentence) description that is meant to be a tagline. I'm looking for a single adjective to describe an individual who has personal problems (or, rather, negative traits that the individual is attempting to improve on) that he/she is battling internally:

Impatience
Cynicism
Lack of enthusiasm

A crude example (not the actual description) to illustrate what I am working with is as follows:

  The story of four [insert word] friends who are trying to find their place in the world.

As of now, the only word I can think of is "troubled", however I would like to know what other words are available for me to use.


texts: A person looking for a place to stay the night - is it accommodations

texts:
Given this fragment: "Can't find accommodation in Mantova, Italy."
Assume it is a single person looking for a place to spend the night.

Would the correct word be "accommodation" or "accommodations"? While ODO does list accommodation as a mass noun, it also has a count example:

  Lodgings, sometimes also including board:
  the company offers a number of guest house accommodations in Oberammergau


texts:
Ok, so something can be self-referencing.

"This sentence contains thirty-eight letters."

or

"This is not a pipe."

But what is "doing that" called?

Along the lines of how self-deprecating is self-deprecation.

Thought maybe… self-referenciation, but that doesn't seem to exist. How ironic.


texts:
Is this structure correct?

Too + adjective + article + noun

For example: She's too kind a girl to refuse making tea.

Is this correct?

Thanks.


texts: Is there a word for being able to type without looking?

texts:
Is there a word for the ability to type without looking?

ex:
Because bob is _______ he can watch the lecturer and type simultaneously.


texts: Hour minute format pluralization in a specific context

texts:
Check the following screens:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bp40q2yqk4xatzc/11.png
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cobof2uvk6htwv9/1.png

you can see that I'm not consistent with the hour format.

My question is that can I use the following format? Is it correct?

"1h 1min" and "2h 2min" in the outer circle screenshoot 1 or should I pluralize like "2hrs 2mins"
the same as the inner circle,
"1hour 1minute" and "2hour 2minute" or do you think the pluralized form is better or sime kind of other form?
My question is the same for screenshoot 2.

According to this thread there is no pluralization in SI.

What do you think?


texts: Word for someone who is "quietly reliable"

texts:
I'm looking for a single word that describes a "quietly reliable" person. i.e. someone who is conscientious as a matter of course, not expecting any praise or even mention of it, they are just habitually dependable, like a parent or friend who's always there for you.

I'm sure there are some words for it but I can't put my finger on them.


texts: Turned the television on or turned on the television?

texts: I think turned the television on sounds better. I usually hear 'turned the television on' but I see 'turned on the television' in other references. Which is correct?


texts: "a place where I could belong" vs "a place I could belong"

texts:
Regarding the sentence I feel like that company is a place where I could belong and contribute to with my goals and values

I'm concerned if adding where is necessary to convey the idea of feeling like you could belong in a specific institution. I've seen other sentences with similar meaning without it but to me without where it sounds incomplete.

Also, I'm not sure if, to express such meaning, the correct phrasing such contain "I could belong in and contribute to"

Which one conveys such meaning the best, "a place where I could belong" or "a place I could belong"?


texts: Reason behind Oxford Dictionaries's IPA transcription?

texts:
For some reason or another, I was looking at the Oxford Dictionaries definition for ailurophile (cat-lover).

Then I noticed that, underneath its Pronunciation header, it gives the IPA transcript as

  /ʌɪˈljʊərəˌfʌɪl/

What bothers me here is the first vowel:  /ʌ/.

If memory serves me, in BrE, the /ʌ/vowel is a short, low 'uh' sound, as in under.

In my mind, it is /aɪˈljʊərəˌfaɪl/, with an aɪ instead of a ʌ at the beginning and near-end.

This is backed up by Wiktionary, which also gives /aɪˈljʊəɹəˌfaɪl/ for the RP pronunciation.

The ODO page does indeed use a BrE pronunciation.

I have undergone further research by reading the answer here.  It says:

  Assuming we take the symbol "ʌ" to represent more or less the STRUT vowel, some contemporary North American speakers have a diphthong more or less pronounced [ʌɪ] as an allophone of /aɪ/; and for certain other speakers, there is maybe a marginally phonemic split between /ʌɪ/ and /aɪ/.
  This is due to the phenomenon called "Canadian raising".

But this is to do with BrE, where there is a clear difference.

Is  there anything I'm missing?

Thanks.


texts: Colloquially, is the term "in love" equivalent to "in a relationship"?

texts:
"In love" is a pretty common term, but I've always found its usage ambiguous. When referring to people, if someone says "I am/was in love with..." does it mean you are in a relationship where the love is reciprocated, or can it also mean that it is not (in the case of infatuation or unrequited love?) I know that if you say it about a non-person like "I'm in love with that movie" it just means you love it a lot. But I'm not certain if the same applies when talking about people.

I realize it COULD mean both, but if you were to say this to someone, what would most people interpret it as?


texts: What does the idiom, 'bolt from the fold', mean?

texts:
While reading a novel I've found this expression:

  bolt from the fold

Does anyone know what it means?

Here is the whole sentence to provide some context:

  It is possible that Godfrey found the lifestyle more than a little
  alienating, for, sometime during the course of his studies at Fargo
  Congregational College, he bolted from the fold and, to the enduring
  agony of his parents, fell into worldy pursuits, and ended up,
  somehow, getting a Ph.D. in Classics from a small private university
  in Ohio.


texts:
I’ve looked in accredited dictionaries, but I cannot find any one that defines “docile” as meaning “calm.” I’ve heard and seen “docile” used to mean “calm,” like in “docile people”; and I know that it was used in this way because of the context I saw it in (I don’t remember where I saw this and it’s not verbatim):

  “After having been offered complimentary drinks, the customers grew [became?] docile.”

Surely “docile” here does not mean easily taught or easily led or managed. In this context, the only valid definition of “docile” would seem to be “calm.” Where did this usage of “docile” arise from?

(I think a lot of people that use the word believe it means “calm.” I took a survey of about thirty people I know and all of them said they think docile means peaceful or calm.)


texts: Is this construct correct? "This one something..."

texts:
After criticizing some whole category of blog posts as fake news, biased or undercover advertising, I was about to add:

  That being said, I must admit that this one article is quite interesting.

Is this construct correct?  Should I use "this article in particular" instead?


texts: Why do we say "to fall in love"? Is it something unwished for?

texts:
I was exploring the phrases for "to fall in love" in some other languages. And I came out with the result, only English describes the state of starting to feel love for someone as "falling".
I wonder why this idiom is that way? Only logical explanation came to me is, falling in love is something unwished for, undesirable or unplanned.

I'd appreciate If you can share your own thoughts about the idiom, or help me to deepen my research.


texts: The dictionary says that a “turnaround” is “an abrupt or unexpected change, esp. one that results in a more favorable situation”. What would be the word for “an abrupt or unexpected change” which is NOT favourable and worsens the situation?


texts: How common is the word "hubris" in spoken language?

texts:
I wonder how common the word hubris is in spoken language. Does it sound hubristic to use it in an informal context?

In Italian we don't have such a word although in specific contexts one can use hybris as the ancient Greek term.


texts: List of expertise levels from beginner to expert

texts:
I would like to create a list of terms, from beginner to expert, using as many terms as possible which represent different levels of expertise.

I have constructed by myself:

Newbie
Novice
Rookie
Beginner
Talented
Skilled
Intermediate
Skillful
Seasoned
Proficient
Experienced
Advanced
Senior
Expert

What do you think is the best list?

Thanks!


texts: Past Simple or Present Perfect to express an antecedent event

texts:
We _ Harold for three years before he died.

a) knew. b) have known.

Which answer should I use in my exam question? I have doubts, as I want to choose a, but a friend of mine advises me to choose b.


texts: How many newlines should be used between paragraphs?

texts:
Which is the correct way of separating two paragraphs? Should there be a space between them?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam sit amet sapien placerat, sollicitudin diam id, auctor leo. Curabitur interdum justo nec mattis sollicitudin. Proin eu tincidunt nulla, id auctor sapien. Integer velit eros, ultricies ac bibendum quis, ullamcorper eu odio. Ut at ultrices turpis.
Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Cras suscipit orci ac enim feugiat, non faucibus ante commodo.
Nullam posuere venenatis nibh sed malesuada. Fusce dictum ligula quam, at auctor magna tincidunt nec. Maecenas at pulvinar lectus. Vestibulum augue ligula, placerat eget orci dictum, blandit pharetra lectus. Cras molestie efficitur ligula, ut porta ex accumsan nec.

or

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam sit amet sapien placerat, sollicitudin diam id, auctor leo. Curabitur interdum justo nec mattis sollicitudin. Proin eu tincidunt nulla, id auctor sapien. Integer velit eros, ultricies ac bibendum quis, ullamcorper eu odio. Ut at ultrices turpis.
Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Cras suscipit orci ac enim feugiat, non faucibus ante commodo. Nullam posuere venenatis nibh sed malesuada. Fusce dictum ligula quam, at auctor magna tincidunt nec. Maecenas at pulvinar lectus. Vestibulum augue ligula, placerat eget orci dictum, blandit pharetra lectus. Cras molestie efficitur ligula, ut porta ex accumsan nec.

Is it ever acceptable to use a single space between paragraphs?


texts: It is perfectly OK to say "he is member of something". I wonder if member of is OK for plural noun like, "they are member of something".


texts:
I'm really confused about the meaning of the word 'condescending'. Online dictionaries define it as bossy/disdainful, which fits with...

One woman felt that I was a little condescending toward whites, that I sounded like I was superior.

But I find other usages where being condescending is obviously considered a good thing, perhaps more like being humble, or equal, rather than superior...

He took a condescending and friendly interest in the common people.

(and here are over 1200 more instances of "condescending and friendly" in Google Books)

What's going on? Does this word really have two almost opposite meanings?


texts: he dropped out of sight - has it a clear meaning?

texts:
Dear fellow Stack users,

I got into a little dispute with my english teacher today.
We got tasked to analyse a text and answer related questions.

There was one sentence in the text which read:
"His academic integrety was damaged and soon after, he dropped out of sight".

Now the question is what the Author implies by that sentence.
The possible answeres are:

A: He got fired by his University

B: He quit his job

I know that the correct answere is B. Although I said to my teacher, that just from this sentence alone, it would't be clear what the author tries  to imply.
She argued, that "he dropped" would be an active expression and therefore the sentence must imply answere B.
But my intuition is, that A would also be possible and that this active expression woulnd't be evidence for B to be the only possible answere.

It would be great if you could tell me if my doubt was reasonable or not.
Thank you very much in advance!


texts: Is "irrespective of" interchangeable with "regardless of"?

texts:
If Kinsella were to go on a binge, he would drink his way down to the last penny of whatever money is available, irrespective of who it belongs to. (The killing frost. Thomas Hayden, 1991)

I think here "regardless of" can be used in place of "irrespective of". It seems "regardless of" covers all the meaning of "irrespective of", but not vice versa.For instance, I think in the following sentence, "regardless of" can not be replaced by "irrespective of":

  In the future people will be selected for posts on merit, regardless of gender or race.

What do you think?


texts: Is there a word that specifically means 'the delight of experiencing something new'

texts: And if there isn't, how are new words like this usually invented? (I realise the answer is probably that they're not, but they do occasionally make new words through evolution)


texts: What does “Live goes on, Wills to a heart” mean? What is the origin of this phrase?

texts:
I saw the phrase “Live goes on, Wills to a heart ... Japan,” as the ending line of the article of Time magazine (April 6th), titled ‘A hard look at Japan’s debt problem.” Could you tell me what this line means, and where it came from.

The article ends up with the following paragraph:

“The leak from the reactors can be hazardous, but the patriotic Japanese can deal with it in a unison effort; even though the disaster may last a long time till there is a resolution to the destruction of Fukushima nuclear plants.
Live goes on, Wills to a heart--Japan.”


texts: Meaning of "fall guy" relative to "scapegoat" and "martyr" in article context

texts:
This was in an article in Newsmax:

  Stressing his loyalty, Cohen has steadfastly denied wrongdoing and defended Trump. But he has confided in associates in recent weeks that he is fearful of being a fall guy, according to a person familiar with his thinking but not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions

The whole article: https://www.newsmax.com/politics/cohen-fall-guy-trump-raids/2018/04/10/id/853779/

I googled the definition of "fall guy" and found that it means "scapegoat."  But I find nothing in the article that matches the notion that Cohen was concerned about being a scapegoat.

  Scapegoat: one that bears the blame for others

My interpretation of the article makes this seem like an odd use of a term that would mean scapegoat.  It seems to me that the article is saying that Cohen is loyal to Trump and would be willing to sacrifice greatly for Trump, and that he has already taken steps to aid Trump that may put himself at risk.

  Cohen has regularly threatened lawsuits against those who pose a challenge to Trump. He has berated reporters for writing an unflattering word about his boss. He has worked with tabloids, including the National Enquirer, to kill unfavorable stories about Trump. And, he has said, he used a home-equity loan to finance the payment to Daniels in the final days of the 2016 campaign and did so without Trump’s knowledge.

These don't seem to be the actions of a scapegoat but of a martyr.  Is there any alternative definition of "fall guy" that would mean that Cohen is more of a martyr, falling on his sword for Trump on purpose, rather than a scapegoat, taking blame for something that was done by someone else?

Can someone help explain this use of "fall guy?"


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  English words that are their own antonyms

What is a word that is a contradiction of itself? I googled this and I got "paradox", but paradox means:

  A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition.

What I am actually looking for is a word that actually has two different meanings. This came up while I looked up the meaning of the word "scan", and I found out that it had several meanings:

  –verb (used with object)
  1.
  to glance at or over or read hastily: to scan a page.
  2.
  to examine the particulars or points of minutely; scrutinize.

I realized that there was a term for this, but I couldn't quite remember.

Can someone please help me?


texts: What is the confusion surrounding the name origin of the “flounder“ fish?

texts:
Flounders are fish, members of the flatfish family. Flatfish are known principally for two things:

being flat
living on the “bottom“ of the sea.

The Latin “fundus” means “bottom” (which also gives us the words “foundation,” “found” and “fundamental,” among others).

This has always seemed like a relatively obvious connection to me - found/flounder - yet another thread on stackexchange is entertaining much less likely connections.

For example, virtually ALL fish flop around when placed on the deck of a boat, not just members of the flounder family.


texts: "Those things that" or "those things which"?

texts:
Generally, "that" is used to specify a specific subset of the set under discussion, and "which" just adds some extra information about the whole set in general. E.g.

My car that is blue in color runs very fast.
      I have many cars. That one which is blue in color runs very fast.
My cat, which is black in color, jumped outside the window.
      I have only one cat. It jumped outside the window.

However, I am unable to decide whether "those things which" or "those things that" is appropriate in the following:

Those things which I need are nowhere to be found.
Those things that I brought were very costly.

By the way, are commas needed here before "which" and after "I"?


texts: what does the term "might as well" mean?

texts:
Can anyone explain to me the usage of the words "might as well do something" for these two expressions. The definition on the web is very vague, it says

  a phrase indicating that it is probably better to do something than not to do it.

1: If you are going all the way to [some place], you might as well pick [something] up.

2: If someone is still not happy, then they might as well just hang themselves.


texts:
As a researcher, I often need to quote from the previous authors. Sometimes, it happens that there are spelling mistakes in the part I want to quote. I treat this as a human error and write the correct spelling. However, I am unsure how should I handle if there is some (relatively) serious error? For example, I found the word choosed. Should I simply copy with the wrong word, or fix it?
If I change it, the previous authors (from whom I took the quote) may be unhappy. If I do not change it, the reviewers (who would be reviewing my paper) may be unhappy by seeing my lack of care while writing a paper.
This question is different from this, as I am confused whether or not to correct. Since I am writing a formal paper, I cannot use sic.


texts: A combination of government initiatives (plural or singular)?

texts:
Does the subject a combination of government initiatives take singular or plural agreement?

  A combination of government initiatives has resulted in positive changes?

or

  A combination of government initiatives have resulted in positive changes?

Which is correct?


texts: Any reference on the usage of a backtick and single quotation mark like `this'?

texts: Why do I sometimes see a backtick with a single quote `like this'? What's the name of this usage? What are some good references so I can find more information by myself?


texts: Word for discrimination based on handedness

texts: Is there a specific word such as racism or sexism that describes discrimination based solely on handedness?


texts:
Excluding the myriad nicknames of the city, I've seen it called both "New York City" and "New York" in contexts where it was not ambiguous that the city, and not the state, was being referred to.

I cannot determine if one is the Official™ name either. Wikipedia's page whose URL is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City opens with

  New York – often called New York City or the City of New York to distinguish it from the State of New York, of which it is a part ...

A Google search for "New York" has a callout to "New York City" on the right side of the page however the mini map shows only "New York." A search for "New York" or "New York City" in Google Maps both take you to "New York, NY" (with the current weather).

The official website of the city is nyc.gov but opens with

  The Official Website of the City of New York

Assuming a clear context, is there a difference, even a nuanced one, in meaning between the two?


texts:
In the following two examples, is there any difference as to how amino acid should be hyphenated?

There are twenty amino acids.
The amino acid content is 80%.

My intuition would be to hyphenate in the second example (where amino acid is a modifier) and not in the first, but I couldn't back it up.

Is there a general rule that would apply?


texts: What is the mistake in "There are many Danes who speak English"?

texts:
My students — Danish high school, year 13 — have to identify and explain mistakes in sentences. I have corrected so many, I cannot find the problem in this one:

  There are many Danes who speak English.

Am I losing my mind?


texts: Gesture is to physical motion as [blank] is to speech

texts:
I am looking for an equivalent word for gesture in reference to speech.

'Overture' came up in offline discussion but it isn't quite right.


texts: Using “respectively” in parenthesis in mathematical writing

texts:
In general, I know how to create a correct construction using respectively. But in the specific case when respectively is used together with double parentheses, I'm a bit lost. Which of the following constructions is the right one in this setting? Or are both of them correct?

  An inverse limit of an inverse system of topological spaces (resp. groups) is a topological space (resp. group) together with a...

  An inverse limit of an inverse system of topological spaces (groups) is a topological space (resp. group) together with a...

The second one is more natural for me.


texts: Idiom for a solution which is better but not without the cost

texts:
I'm looking for an idiom (or phrase) to indicate that despite something, specifically a solution, is better than previous ones and with more features, it is not without cost and some barrier.

  E.g. However, the new solution is much better than the previous ones, this is not without overhead costs.

One alternative for highlighted sentence may be "this is not the silver bullet", but it's not perfect for my case. Is there any alternative?


texts: Why are salons which serve both genders called Unisex Salons?

texts:
Apparently the prefix 'uni' means 'one' and 'bi' means two (or double)
So why are salons that caters to both sexes called unisex?

Flowers which are both male and female are called bisexual flowers... So...


texts:
What does "fiddle with that" mean. Can anyone please explain with an example.
Thank you.


texts: What does "Drag somebody down into your tomb" mean?

texts:
It's a phrase from Rework book written by Jason Fried.
Here is the context:

  They want to drag others down into their tomb. If you're hopeful and ambitious, they'll try to convince you your ideas are impossible. They'll say you're wasting your time.


texts: Does the word 'anxiate' exist? What is its usage?

texts:
Anxiate is a word I'd been thinking about, and felt that it should stand for something along the lines of "to give anxiety to someone".
As it turns out, I've hit several references to this word which don't really contain much info. The Cambridge dictionary doesn't yield anything substantial either.
It seems to exist in Latin, with a small explanation here.

EDIT:
As per the comments, this word does not exist in English. My second question still remains:

Is there an alternative to this word in English?


texts:
What is the meaning of plastic value below? I read it in the book The art of painting.

  A work of art may, incidentally, tell a story, but error arises when we try to judge it by the narrative, or the moral pointed, instead of by the manner in which the artist has used his materials to produce a work of plastic art; when, in other words, a literary or moral value is mistaken for a plastic value.


texts: Using unless stated otherwise in references

texts:
I have to write a reference section where most of the figures are from one source. However, the other few left are to be referenced. I am planning to write something like "All tables and figures are from _____ unless stated otherwise".

I am confused about whether I should put the references for other figures before or after this statement.


texts: Question about grammar "It's been a while since I've ~" and "It's been a while since I ~"

texts:
I am Japanese and I would like to ask native English speakers about what you think about the grammar in the following sentences.

It's been a while since I've sat at a dinner table together with a family.
It's been a while since I sat at a dinner table together with a family.

To my knowledge, the 2nd one should be grammatically correct but often hear the 1st one "It's been a while since I've ~".
Which one do you think is grammatically correct? and if you think that both of them are correct, I believe that there is a subtle difference in the meaning. I would like to know your opinions on the differences.

Thank you very much.


texts: Did not get William Shakespeare's quote - "A fool thinks himself to be..."

texts:
A very well known quote by William Shakespeare

  A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.

The first half is okay - a fool thinks himself to be wise (he's in that misunderstanding to be wise). The second half made me scratch my head.

  ...but a wise man knows himself to be a fool?

What's that? Why a wise man would ever know himself to be a fool? What am I missing?


texts:
2 questions, wanted to check how would you understand and if it's correct to says so:

kitchen backlog
deli chronicles

Thanks!


texts:
Which is the correct sentence:

You must like Nirvana ! / You must like it !
You must be like Nirvana ! / You must be like it !

Intended to guess whether They like Nirvana or not.


texts:
Which sentence is correct:

Can you afford not to have this solution?
Can you afford to not have this solution?


texts:
I've heard this on a crime documentary. Two intruders break into a house, a confrontation ensues with the residents (wife and husband). The couple manages to disarm one man and fight off the other. But they had to shoot one of them. Whatever. At the end the husband goes like this:

  "And what should've happened to my wife is my wife should've been
  dead. My kids could've been dead. What happened to them is what
  should've happened to us."

I think he uses could've instead of should've here because it doesn't make any sense otherwise. Is this usage common? I've never heard it before.

The documentary is: Over My Dead Body (Go to the safe place)


texts: Word for when something makes something else seems smaller in a relative manner

texts:
I'm trying to think of a word that is somehow alluding me.

Imagine two people are speaking loudly, but then a third person begins shouting even louder. The third persons voice has made the other two voices seem smaller and less significant, maybe even more cowering.

You could say his voice SOMETHING their voices.

It's not diminished, or dominate. There is another phrase or word I cannot remember.


texts:
I find myself using these two constructions:

  I am digging a hole using a spade.

and

  I am digging a hole with a spade.

Which one is correct, or can they be used both?


texts:
How can we use ago with Past perfect? Are below lines correct?

The boy’s father had separated from the family many years ago while his mother worked as a gardener in Mukesh’s school.

Above lines taken from below link of Times of India article. 8/may/2018.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/asked-to-walk-to-school-by-mom-14-year-old-hangs-self/articleshow/64067563.cms?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=TOI&utm_content=om-bm


texts:
Bread and butter (is or are) my breakfast?

And what's the difference between the above sentence and saying "My breakfast is bread and butter"?

Thanks.


texts:
Is it correct to use in a poem "we are trading every day for another" instead of we are trading each day for another"?
I know the second option is the grammatically correct one but is the first option ok nonetheless?
Thanks a million


texts:
What is a more succinct way of saying "the heir's heir"? No-one says it like that so there must be a real word.

I looked up the meanings of heir apparent and heir presumptive. Heir presumptive can refer to several situations and is generally a kind of weaker, lesser version yet it doesn't fit for the heir apparent's future heir.

For a real life example, in the UK Prince Charles is the heir apparent and Prince William will be his heir. William could be called "the second in line to the throne". But what if you're talking about something different being inherited like a family company, where there's no throne?


texts:
I'm reading An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness.  I don't understand this part:

  I couldn't help thinking, with more than a trace of bitterness, that God seldom opens one door that he doesn't close another.

(should I put 'its' or 'the' here?)Preceding sentence is I couldn't help thinking with more than a trace of bitterness, and (same question) following sentence is However, I couldn't afford not to..

I've seen this only in an affirmitive form(when god closes~~ he opens~~), and while I think I might know what it means.. oh no.. I don't know what it's saying. Some double negative thing..term for this.. Could you explain this with an emphasis on the usage of 'that'?


texts: Second 'the' in the 'The Age of the Cathedrals' song title

texts: Why does the famous song 'The Age of the Cathedrals' from the Notre-Dame de Paris musical have the second article 'the'? Shouldn't it be titled 'The Age of Cathedrals'?


texts: A result that follows from and is consistent with a theory or logical system

texts:
Something that seems not likely to be true because it wasn't justified by deriving it from the axioms and theorems of a logical system is called ad hoc1

Then a statement that isn't ad hoc is something that follows from / can be derived from a theory or logical system and doesn't contradict it.

For example, if our logical system said

  For each positive integer n, n - 1 is the positive integer preceding it, if it exists2

Then a statement such as

  except 5. 5 - 1 is 8

can be described to be ad hoc (and it is false as well, but ad hoc doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong1)

And a statement such as

  except 1. 1 does not have a positive integer that precedes it

may seem ad hoc, so we'll add that "this statement is not ad hoc and is consistent with the mathematics2"

I'm looking for a single word or a phrase that captures this meaning so that on rephrasing, my sentence above would become "this statement is _______."

This may differ from usage of ad hoc with the meaning - "created or done for a particular purpose as necessary" because it carries a different connotation. See Ad hoc hypothesis.
Also, this makes my question different from Antonym for "ad hoc".
Here, by "positive integer", I mean the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, ....


texts: "Each person's car" vs. "each persons' car"

texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  Each person's car has four wheels.
  Each persons' car has four wheels.


texts:
please help to confirm the subject usage:

make your expertise the most of it.

I am going to use this slogan in my ppt.

I want to express the meaning of that we help everyone to deploy and practice their own talent in the most large field, the highest level.
I need it in mother tongue English express.
Thank you


texts: Sentences in parentheses, followed by semicolon

texts:
Here is the sentence. They are answers to a series of questions but the grammar must be accurate. It is on a chemistry topic, so you can ignore that aspect of it:

  (A) Bi has half of its 6p orbital filled; (b) Cr might appear correct at first, but it is an exception to Hund’s Rule (it is energetically favorable to half-fill the 4s and 3d orbitals, as opposed to having a complete 4s orbital and a nearly half filled 3d orbital. This way, it maximizes unpaired electrons, a stable configuration); (c) Am has half of its 5f orbital filled.

There will be more after that (a d, e, and f), but the important part is this:

  (b) Cr might appear correct at first, but it is an exception to Hund’s Rule (it is . . . 3d orbital. This way, it maximizes unpaired electrons, a stable configuration); (c) Am has . . .

I am not sure if the semicolon should go there. I read elsewhere on this site that the grammar of dashes should be applied to sentences in parentheses, but this did not go on to semicolons. The semicolon just seems so necessary. Also, if it were removed I would be left with configuration) (c) Am has (a closing parenthesis followed by an opening one. What is correct?


texts: If a person depends upon you, what are you for him?

texts: Are you his dependency, dependendee or something else? What is this type of opposite word called?  I believe it is not called antonym, as that would be independent.


texts: When using an original quote in a document that already includes [] square brackets, how would that be set apart showing that it is the original quote if it already contains the square brackets. What punctuation should be used?


texts: More natural noun for someone who you chat with

texts:
I'm looking for a noun, that people would use naturally while refering to a person who they chat with – in the context of online chat. Imagine that you are looking for someone you could chat with. How would you call such a person?

The first word that came to my mind was chatmate, but this word doesn't seem to be commonly used. What do you think about this word? Can you suggest any alternatives that seem natural to you?

I've also found the word interlocutor, which is way too formal though. There were similar questions ([1], [2]) where other words like conversationalist, converser, conversant, discussant or dialoguer were mentioned. Unfortunately these words are either getting far from the original meaning or they are words that usually won't come up to someone's mind.


texts: Using “one” with nouns whose countability is ambiguous

texts:
An ESL student produced the following sentence:
“The Western diet seems to be more unhealthy than the Japanese one.”
The use of “one” immediately struck me as awkward, but not necessarily incorrect, as diet can be both countable and uncountable depending on the situation.
I corrected the sentence to, “The Western diet seems to be more unhealthy than that of Japan,” to avoid any confusion, but I honestly couldn’t decide if her version was actually grammatically incorrect or merely grossly awkward.
When using a strictly uncountable noun to make a similar sentence, such as, “The Western furniture was less stylish than the Japanese one,” it’s obvious that it’s incorrect.
However, when switching back to a noun that is both C and U, such as in, “The Western environment is less polluted than the Japanese one,” it becomes ambiguous again (to me anyway).
I realize that the best solution is to just fix the sentence as I did in the first example, but again, what I want to find an answer to is whether what she initially wrote is grammatically correct or not.


texts: "A friend of Susan" vs. "a friend of Susan's"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why is it usually “friend of his”, but no possessive apostrophe with “friend of Peter”?

I'm currently having hot debates with a friend of mine about which one is more natural and more grammatically correct:

  A friend of Susan
  A friend of Susan's

I vote for the first, but I don't have anything to prove I'm right.


texts:
I'm looking for a word that compliments stochastic (randomly determined) in a medical context, specifically in describing when radiation effects occur. 'Acute' seems to be the generally used term for effects that vary directly with exposure, but I feel this is being muddled with the term used to describe what brings on such effects, "acute exposure," while not commenting on the nature of the effects themselves, as stochastic does. I'm certain that another word is used that speaks more to the nature of radiation effects that increase in severity with increased exposure.

Stochastic effects include cancer and genetic disorders.
Acute effects include skin lesions and vomiting at moderate levels, and multiple organ failure at very high doses.


texts: How to spell what sounds like "ish" or "eesh"?

texts:
I've heard this word a lot of times, but still don't know how to write it down. It's used when you want to show some kind of disgust, or something like that. It sounds like "ish" or "eesh".

I've heard it used like so:

  Ish, calm down, will you?

Or:

  –  I've heard they're re-writing that book.
  –  Ish, I've always hated it.


texts: Which one is correct "You heard it correct" or "You heard it correctly"?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  You heard it correct

or

  You heard it correctly

Does the same apply to read it correct[ly]?


texts:
Roulette wheel spins.
That is I made it spin (sorry don't know how to say this)

Was the wheel spinned or spined?

How do I say what happened to the wheel once I spin it?


texts:
Spell checks always mark it as wrong, though its initial existence is pre + conceive; but it is always corrected to "preconceived." What about situations like this though?

  People preconceive (present form) that dogs bark when they're angry or furious only.

"Preconceived" is past tense. How do you use it correctly in the present form then?


texts:
Let's suppose there is a list of tasks ordered by due date

  past due date

  change toothbrush
  change tyres

  today

  Go to xxx place
  buy xxxx

  remaining list(which are due in future)

  take dog to vet
  some task
  some other task

What word should I use in place of "remaining list"(which are due in future)?


texts: Any person is contagious, or Any people are contagious

texts:
Which is more correct?  If both are correct, do they mean the same thing?  Is there a shift in emphasis?

I wonder if any person is contagious
I wonder if any people are contagious


texts: Equivalent of Catalan 'Gent jove pa tou' or 'Young people soft bread' referring to being too young for certain tasks

texts:
Is there an equivalent in English to the following Catalan expression?
'Gent jove, pa tou', literally 'Young people, soft bread', referring to the fact that young people are too inexperienced to be given certain difficult tasks, where hardship is needed. The analogy is that bread gets harder with time, and young people are not hard enough (soft bread) because they are still too young.


texts:
Finlandia takes their pure water sources so seriously, they promote stunts like this to raise awareness

According to merriam-webster dictionary the word promote has the following meanings:
- to help (something) happen, develop, or increase
- to contribute to the growth or prosperity.

So, does that mean that the company finances sport events like the one from the picture? or that it just uses such pictures for advertising its product?


texts:
Is there any difference between the meaning of the following sentences:

"The world has much more to offer than you can ever imagine."

"The world has much more to offer than you will ever imagine."

Or are they equivalents?

Thank you!


texts: What is the correct abbreviation for the word "numbers"?

texts:
What is the correct abbreviation for the words numbers and number?

Nos.
No.
Nos
No

Possible example usage:

"Number of guests" where the word number is abbreviated
"Numbers 10–15 are located in the top shelf."


texts: Can the term "ProTip" used in a non-offensive context?

texts:
The definition for "ProTip" in Urban Dictionary states:

  n. to distill important knowledge about a subject and share it with those new to said subject.
  often used in internet forums to criticize new members if they break the forum rules.

The second line confuses me.

This sounds a bit "offensive", but the term seems pretty much commonly used in a programming context; e.g. the Jekyll's documentation, to point out useful bits of knowledge for newbies (apparently even those who do NOT "break the rules").

So, can the term be safely used to point something out for newbies non-offensively?


texts: Is there a better term than "technology"?

texts:
I already started quite a fruitful discussion about the term methodology over here, but today's topic is the term technology. Whenever words end in -logy, my brain links them to the field of epistemology, because it does not primarily care about the thing itself, but more about the logic behind the thing.

Wikipedia gives a good explanation how the meaning of the word technology changed in the last 200 years, and mentions the German term Technik which does not have an English equivalent, at least in the form where Technik stands for the material item and not the method of doing things to create the item. Is there a more correct term than technologies for grouping items that require knowledge of techniques (technology) to be created?

E.g., what would be a more correct term to use instead of technologies in the following sentence?

  The Internet, planes, cars and mobile phones are technologies that shaped the 20/21st century.


texts: A six-year-old kid asked me this question yesterday, and I didn't know the answer. I guess jelly has always been spelled with a "J", but isn't it derived from the word gelatin?


texts:
Make it a compound sentence:

  Enticingly served, it comes in four bowls.

I had this today in my exam and I wrote
It comes enticingly served in four bowls. Is this correct? If not, what is the correct version?


texts:
In a 1904 review of a piece by Maurice Ravel, one critic used the phrase Chinese theater

  Two years later, a critic in the New York Tribune wrote, "In his
  String Quartet M. Ravel is content with one theme which has the
  emotional potency of one of those tunes which the curious may hear in
  a Chinese theater, shrieked out by an ear-splitting clarinet. This
  theme serves him for four movements during which there is about as
  much emotional nuance as warms a problem in algebra. It is a drastic
  dose of wormwood and assafoetida." (Wormwood is a very bitter tasting
  herb used in making absinthe; assafoetida, a foul smelling and tasting
  gum resin used as an antispasmodic, as well as a repellent against
  dogs, cats and rabbits).

Does "Chinese theater" just mean Chinese theater or Chinese opera being operated in the United States even back then, or did "Chinese theater" have a non-literal and possibly euphemistic meaning?


texts:
When using quotes in academic articles there is often a need to simplify things, without being accused of manipulating the original meaning. Consider the paragraph below in Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations:

  The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition, when suffered to exert itself with freedom and security, is so powerful a principle, that it is alone, and without any assistance, not only capable of carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity, but of surmounting a hundred impertinent obstructions, with which the folly of human laws too often encumbers its operations

I want to use

  The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition, when suffered to exert itself with freedom and security, is so powerful a principle, that it is alone, and without any assistance, ... capable of carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity.

I think it is fair enough because the original phrase could also be rewritten as this:

  The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition, when suffered to exert itself with freedom and security, is so powerful a principle, that it is alone, and without any assistance, capable of carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity. Such effort is also capable of surmounting a hundred impertinent obstructions, with which the folly of human laws too often encumbers its operations.

What would convention dictate? Is mine a misquotation?


texts: he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish

texts:
I'm a non English language user, but I saw this sentence in a book:

  He had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.

If i was the writer of that sentence, I think I would use something like:

  He didn't take a fish during eighty-four days.

So what's my problem? Why does the second sentence seem more logical for me? I would never trust and use that first sentence whatever it true.

I never have been in a country where people speak English.

So should I speak like the first sentence? How do I understand that way it is written?


texts: Generalization or definition of the word "from" when used in "I returned to the city from having travelled the world"

texts:
I contrived this sentence, but had a hard time explaining how to construct sentences of similar nature, the sentence being

He returned to the city from having travelled the world

Meaning, "[someone] has come back to the city; after the task [traveling the world] has completed"
I'm curious to know if this usage falls under a definition of from, or if it's incorrect grammar altogether.

My gut feeling was to define this phrase as the following:

[action] from having [prior action]

To mean

[action] after [prior action] has completed in its entirety

However, I'm a bit confused on if there are constraints between the [action] and [prior action] (for example, if the two must be related in some way).
Some additional example sentences

I ran outside from having been trapped indoors all day
I am running outside from having been trapped indoors all day
I will run outside from having been trapped indoors all day
I ran outside from having eaten an apple
I am running outside from having eaten an apple
I will run outside from having eaten an apple

#1 sounds natural to me, 2 sounds somewhat awkward but acceptable, and 3 sounding fairly ridiculous (but acceptable).
The same is mirrored for 4, 5, and 6; however, would require additional context (ie. maybe the Apple was preventing me from being able to open the door).
Additional thoughts and resources are highly appreciated! -- Thanks in advance.


texts: What does M.N.L. mean at the end of a personal letter in the 1850s?

texts: What does M.N.L. stand for at the end of an 1854 letter, as in "(the letter writer's name)" followed by a vertical squiggly line, then "Yours &C.&C. M.N.L." which was then followed by what I would call a P.S. note: "I will write you again when we set out which will be in six or eight weeks M.N.L." MNL is not the letter writer's initials.


texts:
I have been in the military for 20 years and have noticed some recurring constructs in military writing.  -ING verbs following -ED verbs is very common and looks wrong, but I can't seem to figure out exactly which rule it breaks.

Here's an example:

  Captain Evans managed the schedule, supporting 16 intelligence units with eight instructors across U.S.

I don't think it's a tense issue since scheduling refers to a condition that resulted from the past management.  I think this is a compound verb clause with two primary verbs.  If so, do the verb tenses have to agree?

Also, does supporting refer to schedule?  Would that make this a compound sentence?

Please help me identify everything that's wrong here and help me educate myself and my troops.


texts:
I have the following status messages in some code:

Deleting Session Data...
Deletion complete.

I want to use the same sentence structure (no alternate structure suggestions, please) to create similar status messages based on the verb archive instead of delete.
The first one is straightforward:

Archiving Session Data...

But unlike delete, archive does not seem to have a distinct noun form for the completed act of archiving.  Is the following correct, and are there alternatives to that word form?

Archiving complete.


texts:
I’ve just read an article in The Huffington Post in which the phrase “bemustached 26-year-old” was used:

Sex and sword swallowing beg some pretty obvious comparisons, but the similarities aren’t as clear-cut as you might think, at least according to professional sword swallower Brett Loudermilk.
The flowing-haired, bemustached 26-year-old sat down with HuffPost Weird News to chat about this history of sword swallowing, making a living as a sideshow performer, and exactly how you get something so long and hard down your throat.

While I’m very much aware of the function of the prefix be‑ in words like bespectacled, bejeweled, and bedimpled, I can’t find the word bemustached in Merriam-Webster. Mustached, on the other hand, is entered in the dictionary.
Question: Would you say “mustached 26-year-old” or “bemustached 26-year-old”? Isn’t bemustached rather tongue-in-cheek? Thanks a lot.


texts:
While reading a book, I found:

  Objective-C supports the same conventions as does C.

I've thought "... as C does" is correct. For example,

  As time goes by, we come to forget almost everything.

Why were subject and verb replaced in the first sentence?


texts:
The excerpt that follows comes from the article The Honest Man by Peter Lyon from the American Heritage magazine.

  He (Peter Cooper) received only one per cent of the vote. Yet time has treated his ideas most kindly. For in retrospect the impression will not down that, so far from being ludicrous, those ideas were sane, intelligent, liberal, and practical.

I'm flummoxed by the use of "down" here. Could it mean something like "deny"? (I cannot find an apt meaning in the dictionary...)


texts:
I am currently reading The Outsiders and ran into this sentence:

  But then, Soda is different from anybody; he understands everything, almost.

Why is there a semi colon here, shouldn't it be turned to a parenthetical statement with commas?


texts: Meaning of the term "empty use" in the context of modal verbs

texts:
I'm reading a book titled Comprehensive High School English Grammar & Composition. The author, who is Indian, says this on the use of the modal verbs can and could:

  Can is used to express "empty use":

  I can walk.
  I can feel summer heat.
  Birds can sing in the trees.

  Could is used to express "empty use":

  I could feel the touch of cool breeze.
  They could enjoy soothing showers.

But I'm not getting what the meaning of the phrase "empty use" is, and why the author used this term here, and whether it's a standard term or concept, or unique to this (non-native) author.

Is "empty use" a recognized term among linguists? If so, what does it mean?


texts:
Dear Learned Grammarians,

I am reveiwing a poem of mine in which I describe a plane death spiralling from the skies. While I realise that in every day language and conversation I would most likely refer to 'sky' instead of 'skies', and that in poetry 'skies' has historically been permissable, is this still the case today? Or am I being quaintly old-fashioned?

Many thanks in advance for your shared wisdoms.

Cheers
Sam