texts: Talkies, Motion Pictures, Movies, Films and 3D

texts:
The term talkies, i.e. talking pictures, I was surprised to learn was not coined in 1927 after the release of The Jazz Singer, but in 1913. The term is now obsolete whereas motion picture, meaning moving pictures on a screen, has existed since 1896, although it's become more dated. Movie, its shortened and more modern version, dated possibly from 1908, is still very much in vogue in the US.

The  Online Etymology Dictionary says that film (the more popular BrEng equivalent for movie) was

  First used of "motion pictures" in 1905.

British speakers will say:

  Have you seen the new James Bond film?
  We watched a film about prison life.
  The film was made on location in India.

American speakers, if I'm not mistaken, will use film in sentence number two, and movie in the others. Movie is connected more with entertainment, whereas film is considered more of an art form, an  undergraduate will take Film & Media Studies, not Movies & Media Studies.

My questions:

I'd like to know when the term talkies as in "talking pictures" died out. When was it no longer considered a novelty and people reverted back to saying motion pictures/movies?
Why the term, film, was adopted by British speakers and most European countries when motion pictures is arguably the authentic expression and therefore, the more accurate term.
Lastly, which term is more common: 3D film or 3D movie? (The latter does sound odd to my ears.)


texts:
Graduation day is coming; when trying to send a card to a friend I have a difficulty to decide which preposition to use in this simple phrase.

"Good luck with/in/on your journey!"

My first thought is to use "on". However; a google search shows the three prepositions are often used.

Thanks!


texts: Is there a word for relieved happiness? Like having experienced trauma, and now feeling happy from relief

texts: I'm writing a story for creative writing, and I need to describe the look on kids faces living in a fort after having experienced tragedy. Here's the sentence: "They were covered in dirt, acne, and (word) all over." Please help a writer out.


texts: What is the history behind the names " Chinese Parsley" and "Cilantro"?


texts: Is "a flock of birds" always followed by a singular verb?

texts:
I wondered that "a flock of birds" is always followed by a singular verb and "flocks of birds" is always followed by a plural verb.
Please help me make this confusion crystal clear.
Thanks so much!


texts:
What is the meaning of "broadcast" here?
"Getting into the consumer's head involves thinking about our long-inculcated awareness of the broadcast and the private.The most important part of a message (the bit we notice first) is often not the content, but the intended audience".
https://econsultancy.com/blog/67464-why-email-is-the-king-of-one-to-one-marketing

As far as I get, it is set against the noun "private" which is "private information". Google and the Free dictionary didn't help. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/broadcast


texts: what's the difference between must and had to in the past narration?

texts: At the same time, Alexei and those close to him recognized that they must also embrace the intellectual life of the West. They had to end the general ignorance and illiteracy at least among the boyars and gentry by introducing education


texts:
Excuse my terrible English knowledge, but I have been wondering this for some time already:
What is correct for the next phrase?:

  And he was there. alone. sad. and crying...

or

  And he was there. Alone. Sad. And crying...

or

  And he was there, alone, sad and crying...

On the first and second cases, I use periods for separating the state of the subject. For some reason, I like it to give better suspense. Given the way I am using the periods, should I use Capital letters after them, or not? These periods are pretty much like commas...

... But maybe I am terribly wrong and should never use periods for such purpose? Should I always follow the third case? Just using commas?


texts: Would it be grammatically correct to use the phrase "right up your strasse"?

texts:
I heard the phrase "right up your strasse" used in the BBC TV mini-series Sherlock. When I didn't find the phrase in the dictionary, I searched online and found the link given below. Now I was wondering that would the phase the eligible for usage in my school essays. Would the teachers strike it off if I were to use the phase? Would it be grammatically wrong to use the phase in essays and stuff?

Urban dictionary's saying on the phrase


texts:
I drive past a sign every day on my way to work; it reads:

Free Range
Non GMO
Chicken Eggs

My mind tells me that it should be:  Free-range, Non-GMO, Chicken Eggs.

I think that you'd put the hyphens in because free modifies range, non modifies GMO, but my question is really this:

It's a single sentence, in it's own context, and obvious that it applies to selling eggs.  Should we worry about punctuation in the case where it applies to a single-purpose, single-statement, sign?


texts: How to reply politely to a short email from professor, "Please come see me in my office."? Can I email back and say, "Noted. Thank you." Thanks.


texts: What's it called when you lose contact with reality when watching a movie?

texts:
Sometimes, when I watch a (real good) movie, I feel like the movie "sucks me into the screen". I feel that I am really inside the movie, really watching real persons acting in real situations. I do not really see what happens around me anymore, I get some kind of tunnel view and see only the screen. It's like being in John Malkovich's Head, just not seing the borders that are around me from that weird cave.

I wanted to know if there is a word for this kind of experience.
Also, I'd like to know if there is a word for "re-gaining" reality. After a few seconds or minutes in this weird state, I feel like my field of vision is growing larger and larger (just as if I was about to leave Malkovich) and then I'm "back in reality".

It's a hard to describe experience for me, not only because my mothertongue is not english but german, but also because, afaik, german lacks words for this, too. But when I have the english words, I believe, I may find the german ones as well.


texts:
Is this a grammatically correct/formal way to ask the question of this type? Here is an example

  Hey, did you check if the payment went through?

What's the better way to rephrase it?


texts: Is the use of the terms mummy and daddy to (informally) refer to one's parents particular to a specific socio-economic class or culture? How does this contrast with the terms mum/ mom, and dad?


texts:
I am trying to find out what would be natural terms to refer to the lavatory in the US in the 1950s. I am specifically interested in how a woman who was a teenager at that time in a poor working class area of a city might refer to this in a novel written today.

The reason behind this request is that I am reading Elena Ferrante’s “My Brilliant Friend” in the original Italian (L’Amica Geniale) in a language class in Britain. The native Italian teacher does not like the English translation, and in particular objects to the use of ‘bathroom’ to translate the Italian ‘cesso’ (on p.89 of the Italian edition). This is in a poor area of Naples, where the apartment blocks, I imagine, had no bathrooms (in the literal British sense of a room with a bath) but just lavatories, perhaps shared and on the landing.

I did live in the Chicago in the early ’70s, and am familiar with ‘john’ and ‘can’ and several other terms one can find on the web (e.g. here) but wonder what an educated American woman in her 70s might use as a better translation. Obviously New York brownstones are not Naples slums, so I appreciate that there is no exact equivalent. But still, anything other than bathroom!

Addendum 1
There has been comments asking for clarification of the meaning of the Italian, cesso. Collins English–Italian indicates that it is currently a familiar equivalent to the more usual word for lavatory, gabinetto, and rather unsatisfactorily translates it as bog (Brit) — haven’t heard that in years — and john (Am). Diziario Italiano da un affiliato di Oxford University (built into iOS) defines it as the Italian, Latrina (latrine), and dates it to 1300. Although, as has been pointed out, its contemporary use is to indicate a primitive or dirty lavatory, its use in the book is neutral and secondary — to indicate the facility in use in the apartment block where the author grew up. The reason I dislike bathroom is that it brings up the image of a room with a bath, which is quite out of keeping with the poor area of Naples in which the book is set. The lavatory may well have been of the ‘Elephant’s foot’ type, still encountered in Italy today, and its cleanliness will have depended on social standards of hygiene etc. It would certainly have been different from a US lavatory of the time (except perhaps in poor rural areas) and it would not have had a bath in it. However, the question is what would the US equivalent have been called.

Addendum 2
The British (non-dialect) answer would almost certainly be lavatory, and I am starting to wonder whether this is really so ‘un-American’. After all, this is the term used in US airplanes/aeroplanes.


texts:
I have this,"We are familiar with the sport activities", sentence but to me it's a bit awkward and I need to improve it a little bit. I need to improve "We are familiar" part, and I am kind of stuck with that, so any idea how to do so?

Thanks for your help in advance.


texts: The worst thing “is doubting” yourself. Is the use of this verb phrase “is doubting” correct? Many grammar books say “doubt” is a stative verb and cannot be used in the progressive form but I have found it being used in progressive form very often including news from BBC, CNN, the Guardian, etc. Any advice?


texts:
What is the grammatical name of "that has come in contact" in the following sentence:

  The disease can be spread from an infected person to a healthy one through direct contact with the patient's body or any article that has come in contact with the patient.


texts: Connection between "right" as in a liberty and "right" as in the direction

texts: I've noticed that it is not only in English that the word "right" can be used both as a noun (when talking about liberty) and an adjective (when talking about direction) It's slso like that in Spanish (derechos/derecha), Portuguese (direitos/direita) and French (droit/droite) What caused this connection between the two "rights" and why?


texts:
First-time poster. I hope I am posting appropriately and following protocol. I looked at the other sections and this seemed to me to be the correct place.
Very quick and simple question. Hyphens are always rather tricky for me. Should the following be written as:
"knowledge and detail-based approach"
or
"knowledge-and-detail-based approach"
or
"knowledge and detail based approach"
Thank you!


texts:
Context (New York Times),

  The episode has been a sobering lesson in how even an agency that carries some 350,000 passengers over 104 miles of track every workday can be brought low by a seemingly ragtag group of activists who identify themselves by pseudonyms like Lamaline_5mg.

In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, I found this entry,

  be brought low (old-fashioned) to lose your wealth or your high position in society

But I'm wondering if we can just simply interpret this idiom literally?  Please see these two entries in Merriam-Webster,

  bring: (4) : to cause to come into a particular state or condition.

  low: 11: unfavorable, disparaging


texts: Could you teach me a word which means do not change and stay as before?

texts:
Would you kindly teach me a word for the meaning below?

I am planning to replace a system consist of some computers and electrical devices connected by wires.

As some of the components are not so old, so we do not change those components.

Do you recomend me what to say to keep a part of  the system as before inspite of the other part is changed?


texts: Should the periodic table's groups be hyphenated?

texts:
The elements of the periodic table are arranged in columns or groups. This way, carbon belongs to group IV, whereas nitrogen is in group V.

If these group names are used as adjectives, should they be hyphenated or is hyphenation optional? For example, which should I use:

  Different group-IV materials can be used in microelectronics.

or

  Different group IV materials can be used in microelectronics.

I have seen both ways in different scientific papers.


texts: Is it grammatically correct to write "I feel I'm part of this world/family/group/movement..." or do I have to use "feel like"

texts:
So I want to write "I feel I'm part of this world" in an essay/poem kind of text.

I don't feel like writing "feel like" instead, because to me it seems to indicate that this feeling can be false, or some kind of comparison.

I want to say something more along the lines of "I know I'm part of this world", but indicate an emotional or sensual context, instead of an intellectual one.

So, can I say "I feel I am..."??


texts:
Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, page 200, reads

  If Oswald didn’t shoot Kennedy someone else will have would be appropriate in a context where it was not known that Kennedy was shot.

I cannot understand what this paragraphs tries to explain.

***EDIT: I think there might be a typo, so it'd be hasn't shot instead of didn't shoot. The context is a plot with another assassins in case Oswald didn't succeedm, and the sentence itself is uttered by someone who knows about the plot and it's time of execution -the sentence being uttered after such a time.


texts: Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot. We use "at" for a specific place. So why "in" used in this sentence?


texts: What is a word for a restriction imposed by a person's religion?

texts:
For example, many different religions say that their members can't partake in eating certain kinds of food like shellfish, pork or beef.

What is a name for a general rule of this nature across religions? People don't "need" to do them as it is their choice to follow a religion, but still, doing something such as restricting one's diet can be a requirement of a religion itself.


texts:
I am looking for a word meaning 'the day before' that fits within the following sentence:

'day before the day the conference started'

Alternatively a neater way of saying the same thing would be great....


texts:
Everyone was interested in the news,________________?
Is the answer "wasn't he"? If not, what should it be?
Other choices include:
-was he
-were they
-weren't they


texts: What would you call the sound a flute makes?

texts: All I can come up with is the adjective lilting.


texts: What is it called when English speakers, over a long period of time, start adding the letter "n" to the beginning of a word by accident, due to use of the article "an"? For instance, I read somewhere that the word "newt" came from people mistaking "an ewt" for "a newt". I remember there is a term for it, but it's not coming to me.


texts: "When it comes to doing something" Are there alternatives?

texts:
Do you think "When it comes to" is a formal or informal expression?
I want to use this in the TOEFL writing paper.


texts: What is a person who tries to find "all" of something?

texts:
A game where people try to find 'all' of something, like "every Irish Pub in New York" or "every baseball stadium in the USA" or "every beach in California."

What is that person called? what is the word for that pursuit? A collector? Scrounger? expert? concierge? Radar (like from MASH)?
what is the activity called? collecting? amassing? procuring? Curating?

bird-dog? ferret?

choster's answer really captures the spirit of what I was trying to ask - your answer really helped - I'm going to pursue that line, but your insight helped clarify my question - thank you


texts: Name of a sequence of moves in martial arts?

texts:
What is the name of a fixed sequence of moves used in training of martial arts?

Precisely, used in training, not in actual combat, as both parties know exactly what is to come and follow a fixed routine, a sequence they both know - attack, defense, counter-attack and so on, to learn to execute the moves correctly, as opposed to actually fighting or reacting to unexpected moves of the opponent.


texts: Is there a word for writing nonsense in a way to create the illusion of deeper meaning?

texts:
I was thinking about some late Beatles lyrics which were intentionally written to not make sense, but to create the illusion that there was hidden meaning to be discovered. This seems like the opposite of obfuscation, where you would take something meaningful and make it not make sense in order to hide the meaning.
Is there a word for this attempt at creating a false illusion of hidden meaning?


texts: Gender-unspecific pejorative for somebody selling themselves for personal benefit (not prostitution)

texts:
What would be alternative words for whore which do not primarily reference women? In this case by whore I do not mean a prostitute, but a person who is willing to sell themselves out for personal benefit. For example, how whore is used in the following sentence:

  He is such a whore, willing to do anything for positive publicity.


texts:
If I were to have a quote and there were a contraction in it, would I need to put brackets around the de-contracted word or can I just de-contract it.

For example: He said, "I'll go to the store tomorrow."

Would I de-contract it the first or second way in MLA format?

"[I will] go to the store tomorrow."

or

"I will go to the store tomorrow."


texts:
I'm being influenced by another language, which is why this might sound so natural to me.  Still, I wonder what others would think about sentences like these.

"I realized it when we were shopping earlier, but you have really good taste in clothing."

Is the "but" in that sentence awkward?


texts: Source of "If the shoe fits, buy it in every colour"

texts:
What is the origin of the following quote:

  If the shoe fits, buy it in every colour

I'm familiar with the phrase 'If the shoe fits...' and I'm curious as to whether this is a derivative and roughly when it first came into use.


texts: Word for taking too much pride in something mediocre

texts:
Is there a word, preferably pejorative, describing someone who take too much pride in something mediocre?

The reason I'm searching for this word is a good friend of mine constantly dwells on some small achievements, like he'd brag about how he could eat 5 burgers in 5 minutes or how he jogs to work everyday even though it only takes 10 minutes of walking to everyone we meet at the bar. So next time I see him doing that, I want to call him "Stop being (a/an) ____!"


texts: What case is "I am fond of her"? Dative or possessive? My thought is that this form comes from the Anglo-Saxon, which is still heard in German, for example "ich bin derren bewusst" (I am hers aware) or "ihret wegen" (hers because).


texts: Omission of "by" before gerund in imperative sentences

texts:
I have been thinking about the use of "by" and its omission in certain situations, especially before gerund in imperative sentences. I did find the other entry (“by” before the gerund, when is needed) relating to the subject, but it did not match my question.
Examples to clarify what I refer to:

"Create a new image file by using Paint."
"Create a new image file using Paint."

The first one feels to me as the only good option, because at least in my mind the second option makes it more difficult to understand it as fast. When I read it, it takes a while for me to understand if the meaning is "create a new image file BY using Paint" or "create a new image file WHICH uses Paint" (doesn't make much sense though in this context, but it's where my mind automatically goes). However, in my current job, I continuously encounter these kinds of sentences which almost always omit the "by", so I wonder if both of these forms are grammatically correct? Also, if they are both grammatically correct, is one of them instinctively easier to understand or is it just me who has problems with the second one?
(Edit.) Is there some kind of rule or other kind of mental tool I could use, so that it would be easier to estimate when "by" can/should be omitted?


texts: what does "sputter" mean in the context?

texts:
Here's the sentence with sputter that I don't understand.

With limited evidence that monetary easing is in fact lifting the real economy, growth risks falling off a cliff when government outlays sputter.

The meanings I can found in dictionaries for sputter is either to spit or to utter hastily.

From the translation attached to the sentence, it seems to mean that - the economic growth will start to fall once the government decreases its spending.

So perhaps my question should be what does "when government outlays sputter" means?

Thank you all.


texts: Is there a verb for "adding something in front"?

texts:
I was wondering if there exists a verb that is equivalent to saying 'adding something in front'.

For example, if I have the numbers 1234, then I add in front 9 and I will get 91234.


texts:
The following is taken from the subtitles (grammatical errors appear in the film) in the 1979 movie Wise Blood:

  Hazel Motes: I only follered her to say I wasn't beholden to none of her fast eye
  like she give me back there.

  Preacher's Daughter: What do you mean? I never looked at you with no fast eye. I only
  watched you tearin' up that tract.

Since she seems offended, my first thought was that "fast eye" means "looking at with physical attraction."

This dialog is also in the book.


texts:
I'm trying to describe the action of taking one-time customers and have them pay for a subscription product.

So for instance if I own a coffee shop and I get money from customers coming at all times, but I also get money from customers paying a monthly subscription for coffee.

How would I best describe the way/method of the second option, basically steady cash-flow instead of having to depend on new customers.

Hope it's not too vague, certainly something in business terminology


texts: present perfect in combination with duration

texts:
Is it somehow possible to combine the present perfect and a reference to duration within one single clause, using the present perfect to refer to a past event or situation that took place at some indefinite point in the past?

For instance, I'd like to say that at some point in my life (but the date isn't important), I've worked in the automotive industry and add that that experience lasted 3 years. Logically I'd end up saying "I've worked in the automotive industry for 3 years" but I don't know whether that's correct. If the sentence is possible in that specific case, then the context is important and has to enhance the fact it's not an experience that started in the past and is going on now.

Some people have told me that in a conversation, several questions would be asked:
"Have you ever worked in the automotive industry?"
"Yes, I have."
"How long did you work in that field?"
"It lasted 3 years."

So I assumed it wasn't possible to say all the information within one clause and refer to a past, undated experience that lasted 3 years in a sentence like "I've worked in the automotive industry for 3 years". Do you agree with that?

Thank you for your help.


texts: The word teratogenies = "little monsters"?

texts:
In the audio book "Million Dollar Vocabulary", the word teratogenies is defined as little monsters. There is even an example which uses the word to affectionately describe small children. However, I could not find any examples on the web of this usage. In fact, the only usage I could find is of the clinical nature.
Could anyone confirm this alternative usage of the word? I would not want to use this word improperly given its clinical meaning.

http://wordinfo.info/unit/2114

http://www.chemistryexplained.com/St-Te/Teratogen.html


texts: Is it necessary to use “the” before using verb+“ing” in specific contexts?

texts:
I am confused with whether it is necessary to use the before verbs in certain contexts. Like:

The milking of a cow is not a painful process at all like you think.
I am afraid it has never been explained how the whole dream-sharing thing works in Inception.

So in both cases above, can we exclude the the before those verb+ing constructs?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "has some teeth to it"?

texts:
I know the phrase "has some teeth to it" refers to something that cuts and/or takes hold of something. It's used a lot in arguments / discussion of topics where serious / good counterpoints are used, and although I'm a native speaker of English I'm not able to think or Google it.

Thanks!


texts:
Can anyone confirm that there is indeed no adverbial form of "controlled" that could be used with verbs that describe actions done in a controlled way.

For example, it seems to be wrong to write

  The bomb was detonated controlledly.

instead of

  The bomb was detonated in a controlled manner/way/fashion.

There is a somewhat related post here, but it does not specifically address the question of whether or not there is an adverb.

(I suppose it does not make much sense to ask why the English language does not have a shorter way of saying "in a controlled way", but let me mention it anyway.)


texts: Another way of saying "in the form of..."

texts: "This dissertation is in the form of a literature review..." - PLEASE, tell me another way to say this!


texts:
Is "stark still" an appropriate way to describe someone who is standing very still?

e.g. "He stood stark still."


texts:
I'm writing the text for the order form of the website. The users are suppose to select their preferences with regard to ads and banners which they want to publish on the website.

My question is about the word "Please" when guiding the user through the order process. I checked other websites and everyone is using it differently. Should I or shouldn't I use for each step "Please" within the text?

Example:

Step 1. "Please" select one of the [...]
Step 2. "Please" select the menu language [...]

or would it be enough to go for :

Step 1. Select one of the [...]
Step 2. Select menu language

I don't want that it sounds like an order to the users but can't "feel" how it sounds for native English speaking users.


texts:
I'm designing a software to receive requests from users. In my request detail window, I have a field called "Requested By" to store the name of the person who made the request. However, "Requested By" is very hard to use in a message such as:

"Do you really want to send an email to the requested by?"

I'm looking for a noun to replace "requested by". So, my question is: What do you call someone who makes a request?

The requester, the initiator...

I have already rejected "Applicant" because in my case the user is not applying; he is requesting.


texts: What is the difference between "named" and "termed"?

texts:
I have the following two sentences:

(1) This new index was termed relative correlation.

(2) This new index was named relative correlation.

Which is better?  Or how to make a choice between "named" and "termed"?

Thanks a lot!


texts: To praise a text by saying it has nothing excessive

texts: A friend of mine is a journalist, and I want to praise his new article by saying that it's not "a lot of words with a little sense", but the opposite. The ideas are solid, the wordings are precise, there are no excessive words, and there are no words or phrases that are trying to look smarter than they are. It's like an idealized Spartan warrior.


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "Heavens to Betsy"?

texts:
I believe it is primarily an American phrase, used as an exclamation:

  Heavens to Betsy, no!  I would never do
  such a thing!

What is the origin of that phrase?  Do we know who Betsy is?


texts: I would like to write "how it works" in other way

texts:
Could you tell me the other way to say "how it works" ?

I am now making a presentation material and trying to explain how the new system works. I would like to describe it in other words because I think it may be a little casual for technical presentation. Are there any alternatives for the phrase, or can I use "how it works" for a technical presentation ?


texts: What does "south and to the west of market square" mean in this sentence?

texts: Does this mean that the Meat Hall was south west of market Square?


texts: what word means "to be exposed to new things"?

texts: I need a word other than exposure to explain that the benefit of a college education has lead to "exposure" to different cultures.


texts:
What is the correct use of the verb in the following sentences:

Could you tell me what kind of qualifications does a deputy coroner have?
Could you tell me what kind of car he owns?
What kind of underwear does he wear?

In the first and second example, I think the question is Could you, so the rest of the sentence should be written in simple form. The second example follows this "rule", however, the first insists on adding another interrogative form in does a deputy coroner have.

In the third example I think that What kind is the question, but there is an additional interrogative form at the end.

Which one is correct?

Thank you!


texts: Is a comma the correct punctuation in "Help a thief?"

texts:
Recently, one of my friends on Facebook posted this cartoon in which a police officer helps a thief in response to the exclamation "Help a thief!" The contention is that the victim should have used a comma. However, in my eyes, a comma does not seem appropriate. Rather, I would expect an exclamation point, period, or colon.

Is a comma correct for this situation?


texts: A near future, where humans have been defeated by the viral parasites named Gastrea. They have been exiled into a small territory and live in despair, side-by-side in terror., when they said side-by-side, what did they mean? and when they started a new paragraph after the ., they started with They, who are They? The humans or the Gastrea?


texts: Is the use of the word "recognize" accurate in these sentences?

texts:
The following are some learning outcomes a freshman student should achieve. Is the use of the word recognize accurate in these sentences? Or, is there a better way to say this?

Recognize the types of electric heating and Cooling systems.
Recognize the types of welding and electrolysis.
Recognize electrical laboratory devices.

EDIT:

This is actually a comment on the answer.

I mean, especially in the last sentence, that the students should be introduced to the devices and get to know them for the first time.
Isn't get familiar with an accurate alternative? Especially for non-abstract nouns like devices?


texts:
I am writing an article in BE and I try to remain formal.
I have a difficulty with that and which: (meaningless sentences)

  We move from our old car to the truck that is his new means of transportation

or

  We move from our old car to the truck which is his new means of transportation

Also,

  This being said, we remark that the datum that is θ evidently corresponds to the complement

or

  This being said, we remark that the datum which is θ evidently corresponds to the `complement

I think which must be used because it is for a subject like truck and datum here.


texts: What phrase can be used to accept an unneeded apology?

texts: I need a word to say to the person that apologizes for something that they didn't do but feel responsible for. The word word mean: "I accept your apology, but it is not needed. (you, are entirely fine!)"


texts: Is “at turns” a familiar idiom as ‘at every turn’ ‘in turn(s)’ and ‘by turn(s)’ are?

texts:
I found the word, “at turns” in the beginning sentence of the article of Time magazine (September 18) titled, “How Mitt Romney’s Luck Ran Out” that reads:

“For a good long while, Mitt Romney was the luckiest man in politics. He joined the 2012 race as the default Republican front runner after more-formidable challengers chose not to run. His declared rivals were at turns ineffectual, ridiculous, or self-destructive — granting Romney a fairly easy, if occasionally fraught, path to the nomination.

I was almost overlooking the phrase, “at turns” as a commonplace idiom, but curiously enough I couldn’t find this phrase in any of Cambridge, Oxford, OALED, and Merriam-Webster Dictionary though they register “by turns,” “in turn,” “at every turn” “on the turn,” and you can name it.

On the other hand, GoogleNgram indicates track of pretty high usage of “at turns” dating back to 1840.

Because no dictionary I consulted does offer me the definition, I cannot get exact idea of ‘at turns.’ Is it the same as ‘at every turn,” “by turn(s),” "one after another,"or “respectively?” Is “at turns” a familiar idiom as these idioms?

Of course it’s freedom of the editors of dictionaries what words and idioms they pick up in their dictionaries. But I wonder why none of wellknown English dictionaries accommodates the idiom of which high incidence of use being evidenced in NGram.


texts: "Include" vs "involve": usage and difference

texts:
I have made some research and found that these two verbs are of similar meaning. Cambridge Dictionary gives this definition of include:

  include

  verb [T]

  to contain something as a part of something else, or to make something part of something else:

  The bill includes tax and service.
  Tax and service are included in the bill.
  [ + -ing verb ] Your responsibilities will include making appointments on my behalf.

And this definition of involve:

  involve

  verb [ T not continuous ]

  If an activity, situation, etc. involves something, that thing is a part of the activity, etc.; and also

  If a situation involves someone or something, he, she, or it is affected by it:

  Research involving the use of biological warfare agents will be used for defensive purposes.
  [ + -ing verb ] The operation involves putting a small tube into your heart.
  The second accident involved two cars and a lorry.

What's more, one of the definitions of involve in CALD is:

  to include someone in something, or to make them take part in or feel part of it:

So... involve = include?

The first solution I thought of is to define include as "inanimate-inanimate/inanimate-animate" sort of situarion (let us from now on abbreviate inanimate-inanimate as I-I and so on: I-A and A-A). and to define involve as I-A only:

  Package (I) includes rice (I) / I-I

  Daphne was included on the guest list / A-I

  Solomon was involved in the crime / A-I

However... this system just falls apart, and not only because there is an A-I intersection, but because of this

Also because of this (COCA: research involves vs research includes = 102 vs 73)

And because of the same result which BNC gives (frequency of research involves vs includes = 34 vs 14)

My question is: what is the difference, if there is any? Can we say that include is used when we are talking about non-continuous events (shopping list, research as a paper document, etc... in fact, these are not even "events") and, thus, involve is used when we are talking continuous events, finished or unfinished (research as a series of actions, some historical process, crimes, etc)?

This took a little while, so thanks in advance for reading and taking your time to write an answer!

P.S. I've read this thread, but I am nevertheless concerned about the problem as the thread users offered some controversial answers.


texts: Describe Words that Begin/End with an Apostrophe

texts:
How do you describe words that begin/end with an apostrophe?

For example:

Beginning with  ': 'bout, 'em, 'cause

Ending with  ': ol', runnin', jumpin'


texts:
In the following video,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wHh7cDQi48

we see that the listener is responding by saying "Okay" periodically. But, I don't think, this is the standard form of expression.

What to respond with so that a narrator understands that you are following him?


texts: How can I say I can't guarantee information I'm about to give is correct?

texts:
In German, there's an idiom that goes like "Nagel mich nicht darauf fest" (literally, "don't nail me down on that!") usually followed my some kind of information that is given without complete assurance or guarantee that it is correct.

Now I'm wondering what would be the correct way of saying this in English. Is it "don't pin me down on that!"? Or something else?


texts: Is there a hard rule for where commas go when there seems to be two independent clauses but there's only one subject?

texts:
Actually, my question is a perfect example -

"Is there a hard rule for where commas go when there SEEMS to be two independent clauses but there's only one subject?"

This one seems easy to me, in that, there would be no comma because "Is there a hard rule for where commas go when" is implied before "there's only one subject." However, I'm a transcriptionist and I come across a lot of sentences where I just can't tell if I need a comma or not (and the company I work for is quite picky in this area). Of course I can't think of a good example right now, but I was wondering if anyone could explain a rule/formula I could follow for deciding if the sentence does, in fact, have two independent clauses & needs a comma or if they are sharing a subject and no comma is needed?

I think I just thought of a good example:

"To put it simply, I'm going to go to the store and then I'll visit Mary."

Assuming the visit to Mary is also "putting it simply," would there be a comma? Is there some rule about a comma when there are two different verbs or when there's an introductory/prepositional phrase? Basically, I'm looking for some hard definitive rule(s) to follow. Googling is useless I think because I don't know how to word the question. Actually, I'd settle for the term the sentence is called. Then maybe I could google it.


texts:
When starting a new sentence, which way would you arrange these terms?

I'm using it mid-way through a paragraph, following on from a previous point.

On that note of placement, would you ever start a new paragraph in this manner even if it related to the last?

I'm also open to suggestions for synonymous terms.


texts:
Can anyone tell me the etymological root of the word "fidelity" ?
I've found here the adjective form of it to be "fidelitous" (faithful). I don't know whether it's correct. And what is the verb of it (i.e to trust) ?


texts:
Is 'off of' ever a valid substitution for 'from'? For example,

  'It's that guy off of Friends.'

Would it ever be acceptable to use this construction in formal written English?

I live in the West Country (UK) and I hear this construction frequently.


texts: Did the term "multitasking" come from the computer realm?

texts:
Given my advancing years I remember when "multitasking" became a buzz-word in PC operating systems, notably with OS/2. Arguably, earlier version of Windows supported a multitasking as well but I don't think this was not sold heavily as a feature. Soon after, it seemed the term "multitasking" entered the vocabulary to describe when a person does more than one thing at a time. Is this just a coincidence or did the computer term cross over into the general vocabulary? Large scale computers have been multitasking for decades prior so I'm guessing that it took the advertising of the day to make the term better known in the general population (like user-friendly).

Long and short question: where did the term "multitasking" originate in the context of humans.


texts: Is it absolutely unacceptable to change tense in the middle of a sentence?

texts:
For example:

  I probably wasn't paying attention because I was doing things I'm not used to.

If the I'm not is changed to past tense (I wasn't), it sounds like I might be used it now, even though I'm not.


texts:
Though the very obvious opposite of the word addiction is "deaddiction", I couldn't find the latter in any dictionary (I checked in Oxford, Chambers and Cambridge). Why is it so?

If "deaddiction" is not the real antonym, then please suggest another.


texts: A word/phrase for "honouring (an enquiry)"

texts:
There was no response to an enquiry that I sent to someone. If I'm to bring this up in some place else, I would like it to sound similar to this sentence...

  "They didn't even honour the enquiry with an answer...".

I'm looking for a better word/phrase to use instead of 'honour'. Something that would mean the enquiry was not even given the minimum respect it should've received. I've seen this type of usage before, but having a hard time recollecting the exact word/phrase. Would really appreciate any suggestions.


texts: What does 'vetted' mean in this context?

texts:
Finally - and most significantly - at least two shipments of MANPADS
  have arrived into northern #Syria, to “vetted” FSA groups.

Oxford defines it as:

  make a careful and critical examination of (something).

How does it fit into this context?

For more details, the original context:


texts: It’s his manner I dislike, more than anything else. [comma]

texts:
ldoceonline.com:

  (1) It’s his manner I dislike, more than anything else.

As I understand, it's an it-cleft deriving from "I dislike his manner more than anything else." But I can't understand why need the comma after "I dislike". My version without it:

  (2) It’s his manner I dislike more than anything else.

So, what's the difference between (1) and (2)? Thanks!


texts: The name 'Peppa' is the diminutive of what name?

texts: Is Peppa or Pippa the diminutive of Josephine? Or is it the diminutive of another name?


texts: What word describes when a presenter gives unhelpful advice?

texts:
I often attend software development conferences where the presenter will instruct the audience 'what' to do, without giving any explanation of 'why', or 'how' they should do it.
For example, the presenter might remark: (examples generalized)

"When getting in your car, put on your seat belt".

"Backup your data".

"Just get involved".

I find these types of statements annoying and un-motivating.
What is a word or phrase that describes when a presenter dictates weak/vague/unhelpful instructions?
They are saying something that doesn't inspire you, and to possibly cause you to roll your eyes at them.
e.g.

This presenter is being _____

Possible synonyms.
"Patronizing": To patronize infers condescension. The speakers aren't being prideful, just unhelpful.
"Preaching to the choir": To preach to the choir conveys the audience are already on board with your ideas. I'm not onboard yet since I'm still absorbing the presenters ideas.
"Disheartening": The presenter didn't deflate anyones hopes, or discourage them, they simply annoyed them with their un-helpfulness.
Update
I attend conferences for software development. Since many people on this site may not be software developers, the examples are generalized.
Update
A better example. The presenter is presenting his idea "All bicycles should have 3 wheels instead of 2"
The presenter then uses the following arguments to prove his idea.

"All bicycles should have three wheels because three wheels is better than two" (Ridiculously unsubstantial argument)
"Just put a 3rd wheel on your bike, don't be afraid of a 3rd wheel" (pleading with audience without explaining 'why' a three wheeled bike is better)

I think I'm looking for a word that describes when a person uses unfounded facts and fallacies as arguments.


texts: Word for turning a situation around on someone

texts:
Let me describe the situation:

My wife has been having issues with a certain employee at work...long story short, this other employee now goes out of her way to try and exclude/snub/cold shoulder my wife.

Yesterday, this employee ordered pizzas for basically the entire company, then proceeded to walk around and distribute pizzas to every department except for my wife's.

I told my wife what she should have done is gone up to her later and said (as genuinely as possible)

  "Thanks so much for not bringing me pizza, I'm really trying to watch my weight so I appreciate you looking out for me". I basically told her, "don't give her the satisfaction of getting under your skin".

My questions are:

1) How would you describe the employee's behavior?  I searched around on here last night and "cold shoulder" resonated with me to a degree, but I feel like there's a word/phrase out there to describe someone explicitly ignoring/excluding someone else in an attempt to annoy them/hurt their feelings.

2) How would you describe the reaction I told my wife she should have had?  I'm looking for a word/phrase that means "turning a situation around on someone" - this employee was trying to get under my wife's skin so she should have "turned the situation around" and made them think she was actually doing her a favour.


texts: Can you be sent on a quest or does it then become a mission?

texts:
A discussion on the Arqade sister site brought up an interesting question that I thought I'd share here.

What is the difference between a quest and a mission?  Given the roots of the words, quest from the latin quaerere (to ask/seek), and mission from the latin mittere (to send).

It seems that you go to seek something on a quest, and a mission is something you are sent on.

So, if someone sends you on a quest, does it now become a mission?  (i.e. Can you be sent on a quest?)


texts: "You being an Asian does not / don't know this"

texts:
It’s a shame that you being an Asian does not know this

I somehow have the feeling that this doesn't sound right! Particularly the last  does not know this part. Should it be

  It's a shame that you being an Asian don't know this?


texts: What would be a word for the science of buildings?

texts:
I'm trying to come up with a word for the science and study of buildings and of their inhabitants. This would include, but not be restricted to, the study of building physics, energy, indoor environmental quality, ergonomics, etc. The goal is to come up with a two-word phrase for the use of computers in that field, i.e. Computational XXXology or something similar.

We already have Building Science or Building Physics but I find that Computational Building Science becomes clumsy.

I've been looking up different synonyms for buildings and their greek translation:

building: ktirio
house: spiti
residence: katokoia
construction: oikodomue

And I suppose this would yield ktiriology, spitiology, katokoiology, or oikodumology. None of which makes for a particularly memorable word.

Any suggestions?


texts: Is the use of 'till' and 'through' equivalent in this situation?

texts:
Suppose one would say:

  chapters 1 through 4

That would be equivalent to:

  chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4

Could that statement be rephrased as:

  chapters 1 till 4

Is that a correct statement, and if so, can one always replace through with till to mean 'to and including'?


texts: How did 'fast' shift semantically from 'firm' to 'quick'?

texts:
I chanced on the following explanation on Aug. 5 2018, 2 years and 5 months after I initially posted this. Anyone have anything to add to or buttress it?

McWhorter, J. PhD  Linguistics (Stanford). The Language Hoax (2016). pp. 123-124.


texts: Is there a Latin term for the concept of "ad infinitum", but in reverse?

texts: When someone says that a process happens ad infinitum, it tends to imply that the process happens again and again, carrying on into the future. But how do you talk about something that has been happening again and again, back into the past, i.e. an infinite regression? Is there a Latin phrase which encapsulates this meaning?


texts: Word for when we accidentally invert the syllabic utterances of words?

texts:
Today, during a conversation, one of my friends accidentally inverted the syllables of the word "bookmarks" as "markbooks." Then I immediately thought about describing such a mistake in speaking.
I asked my elder brother, who suggested I regard it as stuttering. But sadly, this word doesn't fit well for what I am asking over here, since stuttering denotes the repetition of sounds pertaining to just initial consonants:

verb
1. talk with continued involuntary repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants.

See the following image about stuttering:

In the image above, there's talk of the word "soda", which is written as s-s-s-s-soda to express stuttering.
There might be a word describing the inversion of syllabic utterance of words.

"He said 'markbooks' rather than saying 'bookmarks' because of _____ [in place of the word 'stuttering']"

The word I am asking for here can be a verb (an act of doing what I described here), or noun or noun-phrase to describe such an accidental act.

My question is different from "Is there a term for switching syllables of words?". In that post, the OP's primary question is about the exchange of two different syllables belonging to two different words; as his first example tells "trace" and "race", which are different and both having their own distinct syllables. Whereas my question is about the exchange of syllables within the same word and without dropping any letter(s) of words e.g.:

bookmarks > markbooks
clockwise > wiseclock
Textbook > booktext


texts:
Dictionaries generally show two pronunciations for the word candidate: /ˈkændɪˌdeɪt/ and /ˈkændɪdət/. Macmillan dictionary shows both are used in either American or British English. So does Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

What is the prevalent pronunciation of candidate? Which one is more used in British (and American) English?


texts: “Members’ gallery” vs. “members gallery”

texts:
What would I use when setting up a gallery for many members to submit to?

I am thinking, Members’ Gallery, as it is a gallery belonging to all the members, but I frequently see the use of just Members Gallery.


texts: difference between progress ON and progress OF

texts:
I'm still confused even after studying the prepositions on and of. Can you please help me and explain to me the difference of the ff:

  progress ON your project
  progress OF your project

When should I use on? of?


texts:
I came across "untactful" in a story and wondered when it was first used and how it came to be commonly used in speech. I've always used "tactless".

I checked a lot of dictionaries with no results.
I searched for "origins of untactful" and "etymology of untactful" with no results.

I had no trouble finding the information about "tactless". It was first recorded in 1840–50 but had no luck with "untactful".

Google Stats - infers that "untactful" is new:

"untactful" = About 547,000 results
"tactless" = About 1,480,000 results

Thanks!


texts: Email subject line is all the information I want to convey. How to instruct the sender (in the subject line itself) to not open the email body?

texts:
I want to write an email (to my boss) in which all the information is conveyed in the subject line itself:

"Won't be doing the Strawberry Project"
"Your work is in process"
"Come quick. Party happening"

In such cases, I want to instruct the reader not to open the mail body. Is there an email abbreviation to put in the subject line to instruct the reader to do so?

Something like NNO (No Need to Open).

Is there some short form or abbreviation to do this?


texts: Are there English proverbs that warn against “speaking up” in front of people?

texts:
I recall a Japanese proverb, “犬も歩けば棒に当たる,” of which literal translation is “When a dog rambles around outside, he get a hit with a neighbor’s stick,” meaning, “Don’t come on the surface, don’t try to do anything new, don't say anything, otherwise you’ll be criticized, blamed, or get hurt.”

We have the similar expression, 物言えば唇寒し秋の風　in 和歌 – Japanese classic poem, which can be translated as “In autumn, you feel cold on your lips anytime you utter a word, “ which admonishes you not venture to speak up in public, just be reticent.

It’s understandable that we have a lot of such proverbs and maxims teaching the merit of keeping silent after going through the ages of a tight feudalistic social regime and being severely educated on Confucius doctrines which values silence, and action more than speech, but I wonder if there is the similar saying to “dog and autumn wind” analogies in Anglo-American world where the freedom of speech and the power of eloquence have been highly valued.

I know you have the saying, “Speech is silver but silence is golden” or just "Silence is golden." Are there any other proverbs or set phrases than “Silence is golden.” to admonish you not to speak up, or being self-assertive?

P.S. The focus of my question is "the restraint / gagging of free speech"


texts: When and why did the expression "You'd better!" come to have threatening undertones? The structure seems to be helpful in its essence (e.g., "You had better throw out that banana or fruit flies will start to gather.") but its shortened version always feels like it's lacking an unsaid "...or else!"


texts:
What does the principal mean? (from The Simpsons)
[Marge brings Principal Skinner into the living room.]
Pr. Skinner: Mr. and Mrs. Simpson, we have transcended incorrigible. I don't think suspension or expulsion will do the trick. I think it behooves us all to consider... deportation.
Marge: Deportation!? You mean, kick Bart out of the country?
Pr. Skinner: Well, perhaps I was being a tad glib. Let me explain...


texts: What is the word for a group holding back one of its members trying to rise above the group?

texts:
I know that there is a word which specifically describes the following pattern:

When a group will censor, cast bad votes, shout down, keep down or hold back one of its members trying to rise above the group, even though the group gains no benefit from this behavior. In fact,
the group could actually be happy that one of its members tries to achieve more, but instead, the attempt is met with disdain.

An example of this would be as follows: A person from a poor and uneducated background tries to get a university education. If he fails, it is next to certain that he will get snide remarks from his old peer group. Things along the lines: "Nice try, Einstein". Even during the attempt, he may find himself abandoned or even poorly treated by old friends, simply for the "crime" of trying to rise above the group.

Now, I once read a fantastic word to describe this phenomenon, but I can't remember what it is. Any help is greatly appreciated.


texts: Why is it "less than 9" and not "fewer than 9" when we're talking about exam marks and scores?

texts:
This might sound like too elementary of a question but it suddenly popped into my head and started eating me. Why "I don't wanna be less than 90." and not "I don't wanna be fewer than 90."? Aren't marks countable? (90, by the way, is a mark out of 100 students get here at the end of a course.)

Thanks


texts: Which word defines noise that is loud, but less than a din?

texts: I am looking for terms that define noise, as is particularly heard in a newspapaer office. It is loud, but not loud enough to be called a din/ruckus/cacophony.


texts: In the table, water usage in Brazil and America "is compared" or "are compared"? Which one is correct?

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

In the table, water usage in Brazil and America is compared.

or

In the table, water usage in Brazil and America are compared.


texts: Is the term "go-to-hell hat" in common usage?

texts:
I am a fan of hats and own a number of them.  One of my collection is what is commonly called a "flat cap," though it has many names.  Seeing me wearing it one day, my father told me that his father always used to call this style of hat a "go-to-hell hat."

I didn't know whether this was idiosyncratic or a common term but I didn't think much of it until I wore it to work one day.  A coworker commented on the hat and I mentioned my grandfather's appellation and he, rather surprised, claimed that his grandfather had used the same term.  Given that my grandfather lived in western Kansas his whole life, and his grandfather (as far as I know) lived in central Missouri, and neither knew the other, I feel like it would be a staggering coincidence if both men came up with the same odd name.

So, is the term "go-to-hell hat" in common usage?  Is it specific to the Midwest?


texts: What is the etymology of the word "gong" in reference to medals?

texts:
This came up in a crossword and apparently 'gong' is British slang for a military decoration such as a medal. However I couldn't find any information on how this came to be by searching google and various dictionaries.

What is the origin of this slang?


texts: First use of ‘template’ in molecular biology

texts:
In modern English the term ‘template’ usually refers to a pattern, mould or former used as a guide to create objects of a similar shape. In molecular biology it is used for a DNA strand which is ‘copied’, but where the object produced is not a true copy of the ‘template’ but what is called a (reverse) complement of it, using the A↔T G↔C rules which preserve the integrity of the information:

  ATGGCCT →  : Template DNA
← TACCGGA    : DNA ‘copy’

This is a little like a printing block where one has ‘ɔ’, the mirror image of e.g. a letter ‘c’ to print that letter.

My question is whether anyone knows of the first or early usage of the term ‘template’ in either this molecular biological context or in a similar context where the object produced differs from the ‘template’.

(I obviously don’t expect people on this list to be familiar with molecular biology, but wonder if there are resources for this kind of search.)


texts:
I've always wondered why some English speakers pronounce the letter 'A' differently.
For Example:
A (Ah) Boat
Or
A (Ay) Boat

I hope you guys know what I mean.

So, why's that??

Thanks in advance.


texts: "He weeps at school." and "He weeps in school." are both alright and the same meaning?

texts:
I wonder whether both sentence A and sentence B are correct and the same thing or not.

Sentence A => "He weeps at school."
Sentence B => "He weeps in school."

Thanks.


texts:
I've got three types of projects: idea, evaluation and recruiter.

To refer to these projects, should I use "idea project" or "ideas project".

Same question for the other types: Is it "evaluation project" oder "evaluations project"? Is it "recruiter project" oder "recruiters project"?

An idea(s) projects is a project to gather ideas. Similarly an evaluation(s) project is a project to evaluate gathered ideas. A recruiter(s) project, is a project to recruit people.


texts: Unusual usage of "do" in "do you follow your path", in a sentence that is not a question

texts:
I don't understand the structure of this sentence:

  “Well, well, Inspector,” said he. “Do you follow your path and I will
  follow mine.

It is from The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge, part 2, a Sherlock Holmes short story.

Why is there a "do" there? shouldn't it be "you follow", or "you do follow"?


texts:
I was typing the following sentence in Microsoft Word:

  This theme is outlined more nuancedly in this novel.

but it marked the word "nuancedly" as being non-existent.

I did a search on Google and only found ~300 results of this word. On The Free Dictionary, there is no record of the adverb of "nuanced", either.

So, is "nuancedly" indeed not an existing word? I do believe one can put "-ly" after any adjective to make an adverb, but this case confuses me a little bit.


texts: Is it common for place names to lose their possessive apostrophe?

texts:
On a road trip, my wife and I drove by Kings Dominion. We debated whether this should in actuality be King’s Dominion. It seemed that it ought to be possessive, or possibly plural possessive.

Upon doing a little more research we found the origin of the Kings Dominion name. To quote the wikipedia article:

  The park was named after its sister park, Kings Island in Kings Mills, Ohio, which opened in 1972.

Which leads to the question: Is it typical in the English language for a place name to lose the possessive in English? If so, I wonder why that should be so.


texts: Could this sentence be arranged in this way?

texts:
Hey.

Formally speaking, the preposition is normally placed before its object:

About what were you talking?

Being "what" the indefinite object of that preposition, which could be replaced by any other noun.

Said so, would this arrangement be correct:

I'm worried about¹ about² what he talked ?

Where: the first "about" is the complement of the adjective "worried", and the second "about" is the particle of the phrasal verb "talk about" which was placed in front of its indefinite object "what"

That sentence would usually be arranged in the following way:

I'm worried about what he talked about


texts:
What is the difference, if any, between these sentences?

Are you having concerns of there could be another attack?
Are you having concerns of there being another attack?


texts:
If posed with the subject question, given that I will not do the action in question, then what is the correct answer

  No, I will not do it.

or

  Yes, I will not do it.

#1 sounds better to me, but #2 is more logical. #1 sounds somewhat paradoxical in context of the question.


texts: Can you add a colon before quotations instead of a comma?

texts:
Is it possible to add a colon instead of a comma before quotations?

Like this:

Person A said: "Blah Blah Blah."

Not as in theatrical performance, but as used in an story.


texts: what is the meaning of 'three parts' in :"if ever a man was three parts mad with terror, that man's name is Pinner"?

texts:
I am quoting from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Stockbroker's Clerk by Arthur Conan Doyle: "There is something which I don't understand in his manner. If ever a man was three parts mad with terror, that man's name is Pinner. What can have put the shivers on him.
Is Holmes referring by "three parts" to himself, Watson and Pycroft being the reason of Pinner's terror or something else and what does Pinner's name have to do with his being or not being afraid ?


texts: Why is the "A" in some adverbs silenced?

texts:
I'm an English learner, and I have had this question troubling me for a really long time.

In the word "magically", we do not pronounce the "a", so it is pronounced just "magicly," like most adverbs having the "-ally."

But in the word internationally, we pronounce it as its full form. So is there a rule for this and are there any words which are similar to "internationally"?


texts: What is the word for a secret concerning one’s own life?

texts:
The following passage is found in The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton:

  ... there is a great deal of difference between keeping one’s own secret, and keeping a secret for another soul; so much so that I wish we had two words, that is, a word for a secret of one’s own making, and a word for a secret that one did not make, and perhaps did not wish for, but has chosen to keep, all the same.

Notwithstanding the speaker’s befuddlement, there is a word for a secret thrust upon you - confidence

  (often confidences) A secret or private matter told to someone under a condition of trust:
  the girls exchanged confidences about their parents

But is there a discrete word for a secret of one’s own?


texts: which of these two sentences would be correct?

texts:
I thought you said you are Michael Jordan.

Or would the correct form be:

I thought you said you were Michael Jordan.


texts: What type of word describes someone who performs an action?

texts: In English most verbs have a form that describes the person that performs the action.  Some examples would be Runner, Climber, or Jumper.  What are these kinds of words called?  Are the called the same thing as words like Guitarist, Pianist, or Scriptorian?


texts:
"He was given no direction or no influence, other than that of fair chance."

Here, what meaning does that have?


texts: Term for wordplay using adjacent repetition of homophones

texts:
Is there a term for the kind of wordplay in which homophones are repeated adjacently with different meaning? For example,

The rose rose up.
Rose rows in church.


texts: I recently started using Grammarly in some of my writing and the spell/grammar checking software seems to place a comma after just about all conjunctions. I thought that a conjunction was, sort of, like a comma in a sentence, that is, it separates a thought. So, the question is, is there some rule for when it is proper to use both a conjunction AND a comma?


texts: Is there an adverb for 'customised' or 'bespoke'

texts:
I am trying to convey the idea that something is done in a customised way but all I found was customarily (link to Merriam-Webster definition) which stems from customary so it's not what I need. Is there such a word?

It should fit in a sentence like this one:

  The items that I ____  manufactured are safely stored.

I know customised implies the creation of the object but I only do the manufacturing part, while the customisation is done by somebody else. I know the sentence can be reordered but I would like to know if there is an adverb I can use.


texts: What is "since before" without anything between these two words?

texts:
Here's a sentence from the "Critical Introduction to Law and Literature" by Kieran Dolin:

  His decision denied that these indigenous peoples had proprietary rights to the lands in question, despite their continuous occupancy since before the coming of whites.

The meaning seems to be the same as "before," but I can't find proof in any dictionary. This phrase sounds very strange to me, as 'since' and 'before' are almost opposite, and here they are together.


texts: Old time sign board at a race track, what's "h ft"?

texts:
I’d like to ask about the following sentence from the Silver Blaze by Conan Doyle.

Wessex Plate. 50 sovs each h ft with 1000 sovs added for four and five year olds. Second, £300. Third, £200.

This must be an old style sign board hung up on a horse racing field.
I don’t know what the first part “50 sovs each h ft 1000 sovs added” means.
So 50 sovs is as an entry fee for the horse-owners who put their horse on the race, right? "h
I don’ know what the heck does it mean at “h ft” part.
And “1000 sovs added” means the management of the race added 1000 sovs as a prize money, right? Does this mean the first place winner gets 1000 sovs?
Would someone enlighten me?


texts: What would you call "the other party" in a conversation in which you are participating?

texts: The ideal word would be "conversee" but that obviously isn't correct. "Recipient" doesn't feel right either. I suppose "interlocutor" is somewhat better, but that doesn't refer to the "other", in this context and feels very formal.


texts: What is the name for a word that contains other words?

texts: Is there a technical name for a word that contains other words? I'm thinking about the contained words having all the letters in the order they appear in the original word. For example, "spawn" contains spa, pawn, paw. I'm also hoping to find a more technical word than "Kangaroo words" or "Matryoshka words" if there is one--something like "paraprosdokian" or "palindrome" etc.


texts: Meaning of the expression "labour under another "

texts:
What does the expression "labour under another" means in the following sentence?

  Psychologists labour under another, rather severe handicap in writing an autobiography.

(Rebel with a Cause, by Hans Eysenck)


texts: How to say "I'm sorry for such a bother"

texts:
I am in the middle of constructing my email to my colleague and I am out of words on how to say "I'm sorry for such a bother".

Is there any other way of saying it politely?


texts: what is the meaning of "duly attached" in?

texts:
What is the meaning of "duly attached" in the sentence from Sherlock Holmes novel "A Study in Scarlet"?

  "I was duly attached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers as Assistant Surgeon".

Does "duly" mean "properly" or "as expected"? Also does "being attached" mean "designated"?


texts: Can I omit the "neither" in a neither/nor construction?

texts:
Considering this sentence:

  Something was awry but neither Alice nor Bob knew what.

Can I omit the neither here?

  Something was awry but Alice nor Bob knew what.

It sounds reasonable, but I found it strange that it requires a list to make this negation work.  When it's just Alice, more words are required to express negation:

  Something was awry but Alice did not know what.


texts: I know what "short end of the stick" means, but I was wondering about its origin. How can sticks have a short end? If the stick itself is short, aren't both ends short to begin with? And yet the idiom implies that only one end is "short."


texts: Idiom "not shot in the head" to indicate a lack of enthusiasm?

texts:
Background: Native English speaker here. I grew up in India, but have lived most of my life in the United States. My fellow Americans often comment upon "Britishisms" in my usage. For example, I tend to spell the color "grey" rather than "gray", and I use "quite good" to mean "satisfactory, or perhaps better" rather than "excellent".

The sitch: Today I told a friend that I "wasn't all that shot in the head" about a particular book. My friend, US born and raised, said he'd never heard the expression before and asked what it meant. I explained that it meant that I didn't find the book all that engaging and wouldn't be enthusiastic about it. My friend and I then proceeded to google the expression, but a search for "shot in the head" merely brings up page after depressing page about school shootings.

The question: is "not shot in the head" a common expression to express lack of enthusiasm? I've used it on occasion before, including in conversation with my late spouse, and heretofore have never had to explain it to anyone. But the fact that I couldn't find any relevant results on the Goog (not even when I looked at ngrams) is leading me to wonder whether the idiom actually exists. An actual source (textual or video) where this expression is used would constitute great evidence, but I'd settle for an answer like "yes, my grandmother from New Zealand used to say it".

If this question is met by resounding silence (or a chorus of "never heard it ever" in the comments), I'll assume that I must have misheard something years ago and have been perpetrating a catachresis for much of my life. Thanks!


texts: I read this simile in a poem and was wondering what it symbolizes. I have no experience with flax so I don't know what it might mean. Is flax yellow or brown? A Google search shows me images of both.


texts: What is the word for a past-tense verb used like a gerund?

texts: In a comment on this answer to a similar question, the user Kris identifies the concept of "a member of a class to which gerunds belong but itself [is] not a gerund." Is there a word for such a thing? For example, the inverse of "the taunting boy" is "the taunted girl". I believe the first phrase is a gerund. What kind of thing is the second phrase?


texts:
It's not the end of the deal, right? It's not just you cut a check and you walk away.

In this sentence, why does one say "cut" a check? How and when did this comes to be? Is it a popular idiom across the English speaking world?


texts:
Which of the two is more correct, when one wants to make sure whether he/she is a subject of the statement (ex. the sentence is addressed at two people, and one of those two people wants to make sure, whether the sentence is addressed at him/her).

You have beautiful eyes.
Me?

or

You have beautiful eyes.
I?


texts:
"The fact that he slept with the victim and his knife had blood was enough evidence for him to be the culprit."

Why does it seem like you never use the plural "facts" in these sentences even when you're referring to multiple facts?


texts:
I was reading an article on Forbes, but I couldn't fully understand the bold expression in the paragraph below.

  Of course, China’s growth rate still makes it among the fastest-expanding economies in the world, so the recent slowdown can hardly be termed a crisis. And the shift away from China, limited as it is began before the trade war, spurred on by rising prices and intellectual property theft. As too did the nation’s transition from reliance on cheap manufacturing to the production of higher value-added goods.

Thank you very much for your help!


texts:
What is the opposite of wide and wider?

For instance, is the corresponding opposite to sentence one below really sentence two?

The Ipad2 is wider than the iPad Air.
The iPad Air is narrower than the iPad2.

I ask because narrower does not sound right to me.


texts:
A namesake is a person that is named after another person.  Is there a word or phrase to describe the reverse relationship?

  He is my namesake.  I am his _____.


texts: what are the fluency mistakes that I have made in the definition below?

texts: More frequently the present simple tense is used with stative and other verbs to express thoughts, feelings, and emotions as well as making promises. It is also used to make observations and declarations in the course of conversation.


texts:
I was watching a BBC sitcom. The scene is set in a wedding ceremony. In the opening of the speech of the father of the bride, he tends to be humorous, and thus he says:

"Welcome to the wedding of Laura and Paul, whether you're friends, family or freeloaders, loved ones or loathed ones, people we like or people we had to invite, and whether you're here for a free meal or a free drink, people who wouldn't have missed this special day for the world or people who had nothing better to do. You are all welcome."

I am baffled by his using "wouldn't have missed." According to the context, I reckon what he means is more or less "people who wouldn't like to miss this special day for the world." But if he means exactly like that, why does he use the perplexing "wouldn't have missed?" Alright, he might be trying to be witty, implying "people who thought if they came to the wedding, they wouldn't have missed this special day after the wedding." Is my interpretation right?
Even the the implication is like that, I was still wondering how it sounds like in a native speaker's ears? For me, a non-native speaker, all I received was only full of confusion. Not humorous at all. If I were in that wedding, I would get lost and stuck in this "wouldn't have missed" and miss out a bunch of the rest of the speech.


texts: Where/when did the *idea* of bad words come from in English?

texts:
Bad Words:

f*ck
sh*t
*ss
d*mn
b*tch
...

Ok, so there's no point in listing them all.  The thing I'm interested in is this: Why is it that in English we have a strong sense of a group of words that are bad, while in other languages/cultures, this distinction does not exist? Maybe this is a Western thing; for example, in Japanese they have impolite words, but these words aren't segregated into their own fixed group. Their notion is much more vague and situational.  Was English always this way?  Was Old English arse for example a "bad" word?  When did the change happen?  Did we inherit this more from an earlier language?


texts: Can a machine be something that hasn't been conciously built?

texts:
I've stumbled upon quite some papers and articles that refer to cellular processes as "machineries".

Aren't machines/machineries supposed to be devices that have been consciously built to execute a specific task?

This would exclude cellular processes from being called machines, as they weren't built with a concrete purpose in mind, but instead selected for over a time frame of millions of years.


texts: A word to describe a person who prefers to be sad

texts: I know a person who keeps saying that he likes to be sad and just live his life without any enthusiasm or motivation. He prefers to be alone and he doesn't want to engage in activities that are fun-filled. Is there a word which can capture this description?


texts:
Star Wars is a film that has dated well.

The intent being that Star Wars has not shown its age as much as other movies. I would think "hasn't dated" or "has aged well" would be more correct but I'm not sure.


texts:
What does mean "do front windows" in this part of a play that I am reading?

Man: Well, get me the fucking drink!
Stu: Listen, we're just saying this is all we've got. Half a bottle. You can have it. it's yours.( Offers bottle.)
Man(refusing): What do you mean, it's mine? What's mine is mine. No one can take that away.No one.
Stu: Please...
Man( stepping back) : DON'T INSULT ME.
Danny: Look, pal, we want to give you the bottle.
Man: YOU'RE FUCKING RIGHT YOU WANNA GIVE ME THE BOTTLE. Because I fucking deserve it. And I don't need to be fucked about by any fucking fuckers like you! Or maybe I'll just come back and do your front windows.


texts: Sentence structure for "all I need for now is you"?

texts: My younger brother just asked me to explain this and I am not that sure. Is this an inversion or what? I have thought about the song "All I want for Christmas is you", they share the same structure so I guess this should be alright too. Can anyone explain it clearly?


texts:
I recently stumbled upon the word tween but neither in the meaning as a contraction of between nor as little child. It seems to be similar to to tweak.

I found it in the context of programming like in UIButtonTween of the NGUI library or in the GoKit library saying

  Lightweight tween library for Unity aimed at making tweening objects dead simple and completely flexible.

Any explanations or links are appreciated.


texts: "After reviewing ..., it ...": is it grammatical?

texts:
I was interested in the sentence “After reviewing the special commissioner's report, it is obvious to me that Mr. Namnum abused his responsibility and privileges to secure a job for his wife, who was clearly unqualified,” which appeared in news article, titled “School Administrator Resigns After Inquiry Into Wife's Job,” on The New York Times (March 28, 2012).

  The schools chancellor, Dennis M. Walcott, issued a statement saying:
  "After reviewing the special commissioner's report, it is obvious to
  me that Mr. Namnum abused his responsibility and privileges to secure
  a job for his wife, who was clearly unqualified. No one at any level
  of government should be allowed to put his own self-interest ahead of
  his obligation to the city."

For a non-native English speaker, it seems more natural rewording the mentioned sentence in this way: "A review of the special commissioner's report provides evidence that Mr. Namnum abused ...".

Are there rules governing this strange grammatical structure (After reviewing ..., it ...)?


texts: A word or a substitute word for a casanova type of guy

texts: What do you call a guy who is dating many girls at the same time?


texts: The Definite Article with the Names of Festivals

texts:
I have noticed that the definite article the is always dropped before religious festivals, such as Easter, Passover, Christmas, Eid-al-Fitr, etc. However, it is always used before film festivals , such as the Cannes Film Festival, the Chicago International Film Festival, the Canberra International Film Festival, etc. The problem is with the names of cultural festivals around the world. Some are used with the definite article, others are not. Burning Man Festival and the Boston Seafood Festival are just two examples.
I am wondering why the definite article is used with some cultural festivals and dropped with others. And is there a reasonable explanation for this or does it depend on the context ?


texts: Is a male fox widely called a "dog fox"?

texts:
Someone on the BBC lunchtime news today referred to a dog fox.

The word dog is both generic and applied to both sexes, as well as being used to describe a male. Only context reveals whether a person is talking about dogs in general or a male dog, as opposed to a bitch.

Is it not the same with fox and vixen? Or are we required, when specifying a male fox to use dog fox?

The OED would not appear to recognise any sense of fox as referring to a male only, in the way that it does with dog.

Are there other species where the gender distinction is only achieved by reference to a different genus?


texts: Is there an English term that describes a comment on feedback?


texts: Describing a group of people who lie down in a public place to send a political message

texts:
I was walking through the square, and I came upon a group of people all lying on the ground. Each had a printout on their chest with a political message, and nobody was moving.

What word or phrase could best be used to describe a group of people who lie down in a public place in order to send a political message?


texts:
Wikipedia defines rule lawyers as

  A rules lawyer is a participant in a rules-based environment who attempts to use the letter of the law without reference to the spirit

TV Tropes has an in-depth description of the rule lawyer archetype as depicted in media as well.

Their behavior is usually called "rule lawyering".

I am writing a blog post where I want to describe an environment where people, instead, have the opposite attitude: being focused on the spirit of the rules and not on the wording.

Is there a name or way of expressing this in a concise and effective way, like a word or two?


texts: How long does it take to mull something over?

texts:
I used the phrase "we'll mull it over" in an e-mail.  My intent was to let the readers know that we (the team) needed to give it due consideration and come up with a considered response to their obviously important question.  To my mind, we clearly needed to think things over, but for how long?  I meant overnight (though didn't say so), but my audience assumed we would take a week.

What period of time (if any) does the use of the word mull convey?


texts: What does "Lizard in a ruin" mean in this Paragraph?

texts:
Paragraph (Taken from here):

  You can watch Piaf performing ‘La Foule’ on YouTube, in a recording of a concert in the Netherlands in December 1962. It is completely
  mesmerising. A journalist who saw her live in 1939 described her as
  ‘part wounded animal, part passionate woman’. There is no hint that
  the song had been written more than two decades earlier, in another
  language, for other singers. Piaf delivers it as piercing
  confessional, and she its only narrator. As always, she wears a black
  dress, and while the introduction plays, she looks down and clicks her
  fingers. Then she suddenly flicks her head up and looks accusingly at
  the crowd, her white hands glued to the side of her body (Cocteau
  said she had hands like ‘a lizard in a ruin’). She looks much older
  and frailer than 47, but however disoriented she is pretending to be,
  she hardly sways at all and her gestures are deliberate. She sings
  with brutal force, wringing maximum vibrations from her rolling ‘Rs’
  (‘entrrrrraînés parrrrr la foule’ – ‘carried along by the rushing
  crowd’). She may be accusing the crowd with her words, but with her
  body and voice, she is seducing them. When her last word is done, she
  continues the story with gestures, dancing now, as if doing a mad
  farandole with the crowd, her eyes half-closed and her feet tapping.
  The applause roars to a crescendo and the film cuts for a moment to
  rows of bourgeois Dutch men and women in smart evening dress palpably
  thrilled to be Piaf’s crowd for a night.

This paragraph is describing gestures of a woman (Edith piaf) while singing "LaFoule".

In the bold part, I think the woman's body is
compared with ruin.
From the paragraph, it seems author trying to potray a mesmerising image of the opera singer, then why lizard
and ruin are doing here? Does any positive connotation
associated with them? (looks to me like an antique idiom :P)
Is the author saying her hands looked more
elegant ( or disgraceful) than her body or vice versa?

  NOTE : In my country, comparing someone/something with the lizard is
  not good at all. we associate it with impurity.


texts: If "X is a dependency of Y" then "Y is a ??? of X"

texts:
"X is a dependency of Y" means that Y depends on X (i.e. we have to import Y in X's  source code).

Is there a word that fits in "Y is a ??? of X", meaning X uses Y?


texts: Is there a word for something you pay for but cannot use?

texts:
Some fictitious examples below to explain the type of wording I'm seeking.

Suppose I'm paying my landlord the full monthly rent. But to use the room I have to ask permission, which he/she gives only occasionally, e.g. I could use the room only on Fridays from 9am-5pm. Note that I'm only allowed to use the room if I pay the full monthly rent.
Suppose I pay a yearly subscription to some online service, e.g. Xbox Game Pass. But I can only play games when some moderator/gatekeeper feels like it, which is once a month for 1-2 hours.
Suppose I got a loan from the bank to buy a car. I paid for the car in full, but now I'm paying off the loan with monthly payments. However, I am told by a third party that I cannot use the car till I have paid off the loan.

Essentially, these scenarios are about something I've paid for but cannot fully use.


texts: Meaning of "Unless of the 'baby', thank you!"

texts:
I heard this dialogue in a drama:

  Tom: Let me introduce my baby brother, Jack.
  Jack: Unless of the 'baby', thank you!

I wonder what does 'unless of' mean there? Or it is actually 'unless off'?
I've checked a dictionary and haven't found such an expression.


texts: What is the passive noun form of "user"?

texts:
I was reading Richard Stallman's page on why you should not use Facebook and he refers to Facebook users as "useds" with this explanation:

  We call them 'useds' rather than 'users' because Facebook is using them, not vice versa.

"Useds" sounds awkward to my ear. Is this grammatically correct, or would be more correct to say "usees"?


texts: Is there a phrase like "preaching to the choir" but with the opposite meaning?

texts:
"Preaching to the choir" means you're making a point to a group of people who all already agree with you.

Is there a similar phrase, meaning you're making a point/argument to a group of people who would never listen to you?

For example, heading to a vegan convention to tell everyone about how great it is to eat meat.


texts:
Are all of these grammatically correct and equivalent?

  Even if I fail

  Even should I fail

  Even if I should fail

What are the differences, if any? Could the last example be misinterpreted to mean that failing is a desirable outcome?


texts: What is the difference between a Cathedral and a Minster?

texts:
In the UK we have a lot of Cathedrals. We also have York Minster but I'm unsure what is special about York that makes it a Minster rather than another Cathedral.

The only other case I can think of is Westminster Abbey although I believe this is named after the City of Westminster.

What does a religious building require to be classed as a Minster rather than a Cathedral?


texts: Do I need these commas in the case below?

texts:
I'm debating back and forth on some grammar choices because I can't decide for certain whether the second parts of my sentences are independent clauses since their subjects are in the first parts of the sentences. My gut says to take the commas out, but when I read them aloud I feel like the commas are needed. Do I need the commas that I currently have in the following sentences? (Note: these are both bullet points so there isn't much of a contextual frame for the sentences themselves.)

Online collaborative assignments that provide an opportunity for online and in-person classes to work together, and that enable students in similar courses to connect with one another and build a shared knowledge base.

Contextualized assignments that allow students to apply the skills they are learning to real-world problems, and provide occasions for different departments to work together towards common goals.


texts:
When giving items a score its not uncommon to restrict values to make scoring easier.

For example:

  I can give a movie a score out of 5 stars using only integers, i.e. 0,1,2,3,4,5. Or I can give a movie a ranking out of 5 using integer and a halves, e.g. 1 star, 1 and a half stars, (but I'd never give a score of 2 and a third).

Is there a proper term for integer and a half?


texts: Can I use "some" as a synonym of "very"?

texts:
I heard some used unusually a few times. Based on context, I figured that the meaning of some in that sentences was very.

However, I'm not sure. Can I really use some as a synonym of very?

Here are some examples, starting with stuff.

  This is some good stuff = this is very good stuff

With work:

  This is some good work = this is a very good work

With news:

  This is some good news = this is very good news


texts:
While browsing the internet I found several cases in which people argue what the correct way to pronounce .gif is. There are two sides in this argument:

People pronouncing it with a hard g as in gift. Argument for this is that since it is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format it should be spelled as g in the word graphic.
People pronouncing it with g as in giraffe. Apparently the creators themselves stated in the documentation for the file that it should be pronounced as JIF, as quoted from Graphic File Formats FAQ:

  Choosy programmers choose "gif" or "jif"?

  The pronunciation of "GIF" is specified in the GIF specification to be "jif", as in "jiffy", rather than "gif", which most people seem to prefer.

The question is which side is right?


texts: What is a word for people yet to respond?

texts:
I am writing a blog post for a class, and need a word that describes all the students who have yet to post.

Something like:

Therefore I pose this question to (anyone who has not yet written their blog response): blahdy blahdy blah?


texts: What is meant by "we got a live one" in following context?

texts:
Here is the clip from "Finding Nemo" where "live one" was used.
http://youtu.be/zycSnw5PP0g?t=2m19s


texts: How to Write Possessives in Multiple Nouns when Using "Attention"

texts:
Which is correct?

He raised his hands to get John, Stephen and Joyce's attention.

or

He raised his hands to get John's, Stephen's and Joyce's attention.

Since attention is something that can't be counted, do I leave the 's in the last noun, or does each noun need it?


texts: Difference between "whereby" and "in which"?

texts:
Are there any differences between them? For example,

  Conversion is the process whereby a value of one type is transformed into a value of
  another type.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
Why do English writers avoid explicit numerals?

Based on my previous question regarding spelling out monetary amounts, is there a rule of thumb when a number should be spelled out?
These examples are easy:

I have two brothers.
It's exactly 823 miles to New York.

But do I have 15 minutes of fame, or fifteen minutes of fame?
Edit:  This related question asks how the practice of spelling out numbers originated; I'm looking for specific guidelines.


texts: Which is correct: "methods of ID check" or "methods of ID checking"?

texts:
I'm writing some text that explains three different ways of carrying out an ID check. Would the section heading read "Methods of ID check" or "Methods of ID checking"?

If someone could explain the reasoning behind the answer that would be great. For some reason I can't get my head around this.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Should I say 'What I wanted to say is' or 'What I wanted to say was'?

texts:
Following Martha's advice I am splitting up a question Compound sentences, the punctuation and mooore.

Let's put what I said / wrote something in the past. And now I want to elaborate some key points of spoken / written. So I start:

  What I wanted to say [is/was/are/were] ...

What form of the verb "to be" should I use after the word "say"?
What difference does the use of present/past form make to the meaning, if both are allowed?
Is there any case when I should use plural form of the verb?


texts: How to end a resolved support ticket email?

texts:
What is the best way to word an email meant to close a "help desk ticket" submitted via e-mail?

For instance, Bob sends an email to Support Team with a problem. After the Support Team solves the issue for Bob, and Bob acknowledges that the problem is fixed, what is the best way to say "Your problem is fixed, let us know if you experience any other problems"?

Not only would the purpose of this be to let the person know we're here, but to inform anyone else in the email group that the issue has been closed.


texts:
Is the word "versionize" a real word or is it a form of bastardization of English?

Additional Info:
I came across this word in a software feature tracker.  The feature called for something in the software to have the ability to save versions of it.  It went something like "...Versionize feature X..."

Interestingly, a lot of spell checkers seem to complain about the word too.


texts:
I feel that they are very similar in the USA by a number of people (some other ones pronounce it like "caught"), how the native people distinguish them, if no context is given?

In British English, how to pronounce "cult"? Still similar to "coat"?

After reading the answers, it seems that very few people actually pronounce it like /k ʌ l t/. They are more likely to pronounce it like /kəlt/ or /kolt/ or /ko:lt/. Is this comment right?


texts:
I was reading a book called "The Penguin Guide to Punctuation" by R. L. Trask. It seems that the book doesn't explain all the uses of comma. It says "There are four uses of the
comma, called the listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas".

Here's a brief summary of the rules as described in book:

The listing comma: Use a listing comma in a list wherever you could
conceivably use the word and (or or) instead. Do not use a
listing comma anywhere else. Example: The Three Musketeers were Athos, Porthos and Aramis.

The joining comma: Use a joining comma to join two complete sentences with
one of the words and, or, but, yet or while. Do not use a
joining comma in any other way. Example: Norway has applied to join the EC, and Sweden is expected to do the same.

The gapping comma: Use a gapping comma to show that words have been omitted
instead of repeated. Example: Some Norwegians wanted to base their national language
on the speech of the capital city; others, on the speech of the rural countryside.

The bracketing comma: Use a pair of bracketing commas to set off a weak
interruption. Example: Schliemann, of course, did his digging before modern
archaeology was invented.

In the following examples, which type of comma is being used?

  After two hours, the train came to the station.
  Before I could talk to her, she was gone.

It appears to me that the above usage of commas doesn't meet any of the comma rules described in the book.


texts:
I am confused with this sentence

"Convincing evidence to support this theory is hard to obtain"

In my opinion, shouldn't be the "obtain" is "obtained", because the sentence sounds like a passive sentence for me or my understanding might be wrong.
Please give some insight.

Thank you


texts: "There (are/were/is/was) no pus or polyps." Which is correct?

texts:
Someome asked me which of these sentences is correct:

  There are no pus or polyps.

Or

  There were no pus or polyps.

Honestly, both sound wrong to me. I'd say, there was neither pus nor polyps.

I figure it's a compound subject, so you should use a plural verb (were). However, I'm not sure.

I know there are a lot of similar answers, but they weren't that helpful.

So, could someone please explain if were or are is correct? Or should the entire sentence be changed?


texts:
It used to make me angry when I thought about how he destroyed my life for getting me pregnant.

It makes me sick and IT TURNS MY HEAD AROUND and I feel like collapsing.

Can someone please tell the exact meaning in this context?


texts: Is there a good rule of thumb for plurals of words ending in "o"?

texts:
The following words and their plurals seem to be somewhat inconsistent:

combo / combos
concerto / concertos
grotto / grottos / grottoes (?)
hero / heros (?) / heroes
potato / potatos (?) / potatoes
tornado / tornados / tornadoes
tomato / tomatos / tomatoes
volcano / volcanos / volcanoes

Is there a common source for -s versus -es? With regards to words such as "heros", is it likely to see more words start dropping -es in favor of -s?

(If you have any other good examples of strange plurals from words ending in "o" feel free to edit them into the question.)


texts:
I'm a native Vietnamese speaker. In Vietnamese we used the word "phim" (which is taken from French or English "film") to refer to just about any type of recorded cinematic video. I've tried to look in Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries but haven't got the satisfying definition. For example, movie:

  "a series of moving pictures, often telling a story, usually shown in a theater or on television; film" (Cambridge Dict.)

So my question is: What does "movie/film" actually mean? Can shows like Charmed, CSI, The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones ever ever be referred to as "movies/films"? Can "movie/film" ever ever be a cover term for everything that is filmed and released in theaters or on TV, such as drama TV shows, documentaries, etc.?


texts: What is an idiom for an ultracrepidarian?

texts: Is there an idiom for a person who is in the habit of giving advice or suggestions on matters he or she knows nothing about? I know there is this word ultracrepidarian for such people but I'm looking for an idiom.A phrase would do too.


texts:
What's the word for a small present to appease someone's anger?

I picked it up a couple of months ago from The Economist but can't remember it now. As far as I can recall it wasn't a multi-syllabic word.


texts:
I called one of my friends "copycat" the other day, and suddenly thought about it.

Why is it a "cat"?  Where did this expression come from?

Does anyone have any information regarding how this phrase came about? Is there a story behind this?


texts:
Definition of mud according to Google:

  mud
  soft, sticky matter resulting from the mixing of earth and water.

Not sure if this applied to this:

Like, can I say that my hair became muddy after rolling in that stuff?