texts:
When someone asks me, for example, to go with him to the cinema and I want to reply that I can't because I have to go to the doctor's, what should I say?

I'm visiting a doctor

I'm going to visit a doctor

I will visit a doctor..

My question is when we should use

be going to
be + present continuous
Will ?

Which one is the most correct option in the provided context?


texts: Why two-dimensional presentation of data called "table"?

texts:
I just wonder why a word "table" is also used as two-dimensional presentation of data?

It's just a single flat plate, I think "shelf" is more proper representation of such a concept.


texts: In marketing, what's the difference between "leads" and "prospects"

texts:
In the Oxford Dictionary online

  lead
  1.2 Someone or something that may be useful, especially a potential customer or business opportunity:

  prospect
  2 A person regarded as likely to succeed or as a potential
  customer, client, etc.

I'm not sure which one is closer to signing contact?


texts: Is it possible to say "I've told you that yesterday" if the meaning is "you should already know it", thus being directly related to the present? The moment in the past is not the important part, but rather the fact that I DID tell you and yet you don't know it.


texts: Why is this meaning of "snipped" not in dictionaries?

texts:
The word "snipped" can seemingly be used to mean "said in a snippy manner":

  "No," she snipped, obviously annoyed
  —http://rosemarinetheater.blogspot.com/2013/05/white-boy-can-rap-looking-at-benny-in.html

  ...the former president was emphatic. "No," he snipped.
  —http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/02/03/no-bernie-sanders-is-not-barack-obama

  "No," she snipped. "You're American, aren't you? You're not very popular here today."—http://www.city-journal.org/html/london-peace-marchers-say-long-live-intifada-9989.html

Yet no dictionary (of the dozen or so I consulted) documents this usage.  Not even the OED [paywall], which documents every obscure meaning every word has had over the past 500 years.  Not even urbandictionary, in which anyone can add words and definitions with no editorial oversight.

Is this meaning too rare for dictionaries to document?  It strikes me as a somewhat unusual but not obscure construction when I run across it.  But of course it's difficult to google for a word used with a specific meaning when that word also has a vastly more widely used meaning.  (You'll find a mix of hits and false positives searching for exact phrases such as "no she snipped," which is how I discovered the above citations.)

Is this meaning too new to have made it into any dictionaries?  The oldest of the above citations is from 2003, and again, my sense is that it's been around longer than that (though again, without a way to effectively search, it's hard to say).

Is this usage actually an erroneous substitution for another word?  "Sniped," for instance, can also be the verb in a dialogue tag, but it has a different meaning (one which could conceivably apply in the third citation above, but not the first two).  I can't think what other word might be intended.

Has this meaning been collectively overlooked by all the major dictionary compilers?  This seems extremely improbable, yet Sherlockianly correct.

Am I overlooking another possible explanation?


texts: When can I use "peoples" in a sentence and have it be grammatically correct?

texts:
I need help for this story I'm writing. I have been told before that you can't use the word "peoples" in a sentence because it is not grammatically correct or doesn't exist by many people.

If I were to say ... capacity of 150 peoples. would it be grammatically correct? If not, when can I use "peoples"?


texts: "Even whiter than before," vs "even more white than before."

texts:
Bathed in the moonlight, her skin looked even whiter than before.
Bathed in the moonlight, her skin looked even more white than before.

Are both forms allowed? Which one is more common and why?


texts: Meaning of "will" in "I will be unable to meet with you tomorrow as arranged"

texts:
According to grammar rules, "will" can be used to mean: a1) promise or decision; a2) prediction based on opinion, while "going to" mean: b1) plan; b2) prediction based on evidence.

But in that example sentence, why is "will" used and what does it mean exactly? It seems that "not being able to meet the guest" is planned or can be inferred from evidence.

Thanks in advance!


texts: What is the term for barrier between two cubicles in office?

texts:
What is the term for the the half wall that separates cubicles in an office?

Usage: " I can't see the guy in the next cubicle because of this ___"


texts: "Really six people present": origin of phrase commonly attributed to William James

texts:
The following is popular on lists of "quotable quotes":

  Whenever two people meet,
  there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself,
  each man as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is.

The Google Books drilldown gives its earliest record in Cohen & Cohen (1971) The Penguin dictionary of modern quotations.

Do we have a proper source for this, or is it spurious?


texts:
I can see it clearly.
I can see it with clear eyes.

I know that first point is correct. But I would like to know if the second one is correct or not. And also would like to know which one is better.


texts:
What does the phrase "for the heck of it" mean?

For example, I just found this in a book:

  — I just dusted the dining room for the heck of it!
  — How thoughtful of you!


texts: Is there a term for word sets that are like a palindrome but for whole set of words?

texts:
I'm looking for a term that are like a palindrome but for whole set of words and not just letters

Examples:

Set 1

You do?
Do you?

Set 2

Venture Capital
Capital Venture

Set 3

List Item
Item List

I've searched through the old questions and also googled quite a bit, but couldn't get a definitive answer. "Chiasmus" was a close one, but I'm not sure if it is the correct answer.

Also, thank you in advance since the comments form suggest that I avoid telling thanks in comments.


texts: When does a neologism cease to be a neologism?

texts:
What benchmarks or useful signs can be found to declassify neologisms? Obviously, inclusion in a dictionary is as likely as anything to declare a neologism a word but what happens just before that point?

Note that I am not asking how long it takes to convert a neologism. I am asking if there are there any good indications of neologisms about to phase into the lexicon.

The flip side is also interesting: When is it safe to say that a neologism is not likely to catch on without some drastic intervention? For instance, kipple is an interesting word with a distinct meaning but it seems so far outside of the cultural sphere that it seems safe to claim it will never become a recognized word.

I suspect that answers to the first part (what makes a neologism stick) are likely to answer the second part via absence. As in, if a certain thing is a good sign for a neologism, its absence is evidence against the neologism.


texts: Is "augmented with" or "augmented by" preferable?

texts:
Which is the preferred preposition to use after the word "augmented", as in the sentence "A is augmented with/by B"? Does this depend on context?

For concreteness, I am interested in mathematical usage, as in the "The set is augmented with redundant vectors for greater numerical robustness".


texts: Is there a better way to say 'feel free to get back to me later'?

texts: I'm writing an email to ask my friend some questions, it's on the weekend so I just want to be polite and let him know it's okay to get back to me later. Is there a way I can express this meaning while not being so formal? Thanks!!


texts: What name would you give to data about a person's illnesses, ailments, diseases and medical condition?

texts:
What term would you ascribe to the record of a person's illnesses, diseases and medical condition?

Clarification

The thing I am trying to describe is simply the record of, or data that reflects on the present medical condition of a patient with respect to diseases and aberrations from good health.

I want to clarify that I am not looking for a term to represent all kinds of medical data about a person.

What I am looking for

1) I am not necessarily looking for just a single word, but definitely a single descriptor or title between one and four words.

2) I am searching for one of the either two things:

a) Precision

Terms like medical history, medical profile (all encompassing, includes diagnostic reports, health indicators such as BP, sugar level, etc.), medical records (suggests only reports about the medical tests a person had), medical report (again, suggests a medical test report) -- all have different meanings. I am searching for precision; or

b) Custom

Where there isn't a precise term, or even if there is, and there is also a term that is widely known and accepted to be what my question is asking, and even if it is colloquial and doesn't literally mean what I am asking, but is widely accepted, then I am in favor of using it.


texts: What is the proper way for indicating lives being saved?

texts:
Would an apostrophe for possession be appropriate?

For instance would the following be proper use:

  "which directly contributed to less suffering and lives’ saved"

Thanks


texts: Which Punctuation Mark Should Be Used To Show Repetition?

texts:
Is it okay to use an em-dash if I want to show repetition of word/words or phrase in a sentence?
I told you ― I told you to put on a different voice.


texts: Is it undesirable to have two consecutive words end in "s"?

texts:
I read a related question on this topic, the title of which bears great similarity. But I was unable to find an answer in that question, and it seems the example given was dissimilar.

Here is an example that recently came up in my life. I was writing to someone about the French philosopher Derrida, and said,

  I like his observation that the meaning of words come from synchrony and diachrony.

I know that the word "come" should be "comes", as the subject is singular. But I was hesitant to end this word with an "s", because its antecedent, "words", also ends with an "s".

I'm not sure if my hesitance is justifiable. When a person speaks this sentence, they can introduce a pause between "words" and "comes" so it does not sound awkward. But when a person reads this sentence, they are more likely to stumble on the consecutive s's.

Would the alteration that I made be considered good practice?

I am thinking of vague analogies to the attraction of relative pronouns in Ancient Greek. The analogy being that "come" is attracted to its antecedent, much like relative pronouns were attracted to the case of their antecedent.


texts: Synonym of malicious, but more "competitive"

texts:
The word I am looking for is to describe an intentionally harmful duplicate. Sort of an evil twin, but in a competitive way - one who'd "test your might" in an actual tournament to give you a lesson rather than give you advice how to improve.

I like: adversarious, but it sounds too negative. Customized is too vague.


texts: Generate invoice "against" or "for" a sale order?

texts:
I am little confused about the words 'against' and 'for'. Please help me to select the correct statement from the two below:

Generate invoice against a sale order.

Generate invoice for a sale order.


texts: "I have been assigned" vs. "I am assigned"

texts:
Below are the 2 ways to compose a sentence to convey that a task is assigned to me by my Manager. This task was assigned to me yesterday & still  on my list/

  I have been assigned to the task

Or

  I am assigned to the task.

Which above the 2 is better & why?


texts: Should it be "there was supposed to be donuts" vs "there were supposed to be donuts"?

texts: I'm probably overthinking this, but I can't decide if it should be "was" or "were" in this case. Can someone explain to me which is correct and why? I think part of my problem is that, assuming were/was is the verb, I'm not sure what the subject is. Should it be conjugated to match "donuts"? Thanks.


texts:
I know how to say
1) 13h00 "I will go in 1h" = I will go at 14h00

But
I also want to be able to say:
2) 13h00 "I will go in the hour" = I will go between 13h00 and 14h00

What kind of preposition I have to use to say the sentence (2)
I want a very simple way to say it, like with a preposition instead of "in".

Thank you very much


texts: I want to write "perspective is everything" but due to characters limitations on Instagram that is not possible, so can I replace it with "Perspective is all"? and can I say "All is perspective" also?


texts: What is the English equivalent for the Spanish saying "God gives bread to those who have no teeth"?

texts:
There is an interesting popular saying in southern European countries, that in Spanish, for instance, says: "Dios da pan a quien no tiene dientes". Literally,  "God gives bread to those who have no teeth". Its meaning refers to the fact that often in life those who have solid means (money/opportunities/connections) are not interested or have no aspirations to get the best out of them, and vice versa.

I can't think of an English saying that conveys a similar meaning. Can you think of any?


texts: Is the word “comparator” widely used outside of IT and computing — say, in statistics?

texts:
I came across  the word “comparator” in the report of International Monetary Fund under the title, “Can women save Japan?” (WP/12/248) co-authored by Chad Steinberg and Masao Nakane
“Japan has FLP rates similar to comparator countries for women in their early twenties, but the participation rate drops off sharply for women in their late twenties and thirties.”

As I have never heard of such word as “comparator countries / territories/ companies,” I checked Google Search, and found out definitions;

●www.weblio.jp Computer /IT terminology Dictionary:
Generic term of precision measurement. Comparative measurement devices that determine the length of the object by comparing measuring object and standard scale by using microscope.

●Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia
(Electronics term)An element that can switch power output by comparing two different voltage or electric current. The word is also applied to the apparatus that compare two different data.

●dictionary.goo.ne.jp ›
A device designed for measuring minimum length with extreme precision. Comparative measurement instrument to determine the difference of the length of object and standard gauge by using high powered micro-scope.

●www.kab-studio.biz
Interface for class comparison processing.

To me, none of the above definitions seems to be applicable to the quoted line, “Japan has FLP rates similar to comparator countries for women in their early twenties.”

At the same time, I don’t believe the writers of authoritative organization like IMF makes misuse of word.

So, what does “comparator countries” mean? Does it mean the object countries of research, or simply the countries surveyed in this specific survey.?

Is it very common usage of the word “comparator” in comparative, or vital statistics, or even in daily conversation? If possible, I’d like to listen to the specific opinion from statistic specialists.


texts: Is ‘that’ the short form of ‘of all that’?

texts:
Given the sentence:

  It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.

The relative ‘that’ after the superlative ‘the worst’ seems to have the meaning of ‘of all that.’
If yes, is ‘that’ the short form of ‘of all that’?


texts: I was playing a spelling game and got this word. I tried looking it up on etymonline.com but I didn't get any search results? I assume it is from combining two English words, but I was wondering if anyone could produce a more specific answer?


texts: Can I use "apply" in sense of "contact"?

texts:
It’s a classifieds app. Is it correct to use "brokers may apply"/"brokers may not apply" in sense of contacting? I mean does a broker apply when calling/emailing you to buy/rent your house, or is it better described with another word?

I simply cannot use contact because of an issue with that word's sense in the other-language version of the app. I tried but cannot find any other solution but ask here.


texts: What is the equivalent word for "screening" when referring to recorded sound only?

texts:
In other words:

   theater : performance ::
      film : screening ::
audio tape : ??

It doesn't happen very often, but in exceptional circumstances there exist audio recordings that are rare and important enough to present on their own. Is "presentation" the most appropriate word to use in this case, or is there one more specific to audio tape?


texts:
The mountain is covered in trash
The mountain is covered with trash

I find both of them correct but I can't say for sure. Is "covered in" or "covered with" more suitable in this context?


texts: preposition used with “autonomous”:  “of ” vs “from”

texts:
Two related questions here:

Is it proper to use the construct, “Administrative components are autonomous of/from the front-end components”?
If it is proper, which of these two prepositions works better?


texts: A person who truely believes they are an angel, but in reality they are not

texts:
Not sure what else I can add, looking for a word that describes someone who thinks they are a good person towards others but they actually are not. But not hypocrite or anything, just they really believe they are amazing.

kind regards,

Vince.


texts: Complement of "attentive" in the sense of "vigilant"

texts:
In several dictionaries I have found that "attentive" can mean either "paying attention", "observant", "vigilant", etc, or "courteous", "considerate (about)", "careful to fulfil the needs (of)".

With the second meaning, "attentive" is often followed by "to", which apparently is never the case for the first meaning of "attentive". For example:

The students in Mr. Graham's English class were attentive.
She was always attentive to his needs.

Is there a way to specify who or what is the receiver of the attention in the first meaning of attentive?

In the above example, it is implied by context that the students pay attention to Mr. Graham, but how can one say "The cat is paying attention to the bird's movements" using the word attentive?


texts: Where does the “… take Manhattan” trope originate?

texts:
There are a number of creative works whose titles end in this way. For example,

The Muppets Take Manhattan, a 1984 film
“First We Take Manhattan”, a 1987 song
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, a 1989 film
“The Angels Take Manhattan”, a 2012 episode of Doctor Who

What is the antecedent of these “take[s] Manhattan” titles?


texts: Are "fault" and "default" etymologically related?

texts:
Fault and default sound rather similar to me as a German, but are they really related?

I am interested in default as used in default value for some configurable setting in computer programs.


texts: Difference between "sometime" and "sometimes"

texts: I see some people use sometime and some people use sometimes. What is the difference?


texts: Is it correct to say "almost whole" at the end of a sentence referring to a singular noun?

texts:
Is the second sentence correct?

"I ate the whole pie. I mean almost whole."


texts: What is the correct syntax for using 'arrive' with a destination?

texts:
Which should I say?

  I arrive to my work.

or

  I arrive into my work.


texts: I'm interested in the origin of the term smooth operator. Does anyone know where it came from? What kind of operation?


texts: Word for secretly practicing another religion or falsely converting to another religion

texts: There was a word for an act of/a person who secretly practices another religion or falsely converts to a new religion, but I can't recall. Please help!


texts: Verb for describing the act of someone who seemingly speak confidently on a subject he/she does not know well

texts: I am looking for a verb (or phrasal verbs) for describing the act of someone who seemingly speaks confidently on a topic he/she isn't actually sure of (he/she knows it inside). It is not like "bullshitting" because that person sounds like he/she actually knows stuff and is able to fool people (but in reality is just making bold claims, promises, spilling unsubstantiated facts walking in circle in retrospect). It is usually coming out of someone who is an "elite" in society, or is trained/experienced in public speaking.


texts: I cannot see untasty in Oxford dictionary. Also spelling checker tells it is invalid. But in dictionary.com , I see it is a related form of tasty. Please see screenshot below.  So is it a valid English word?


texts: When advertisers say product X has N times less 'thing' than product Y, what do they mean

texts:
Here is an example:

  NESTLÉ a+ SLIM Milk has 15 times less fat than regular toned milk.

Source:http://www.nestle.in/brands/nestleaplusslim

So the question is this: say regular toned milk has 100 grams of fat. How much of fat would 'NESTLÉ a+ SLIM Milk' then have...?

I seek some mathematical representation/or equivalent of the expression... Something like this: if product Y had 100 grams of 'thing' then product X would now have 43 grams... Or something along those lines...

Or is this just advertisers' way of confusing people when they can't convince people of the real benefits of a product..?


texts: What do you call a single entry of a webcomic?

texts: For instance, say I'm talking about XKCD number 936. Would this be "episode 936" or "issue 936" or "volume 936" or what is the correct term for this?


texts: A single word for life after having been changed by a cataclysmic event

texts:
I am in search of a single word to sum up this:

Everything that happened after a single event early in a life was altered and effected by it, if that event hadn’t happened then each thing after that event probably would have gone in a completely different direction.

Example: a suicide happening in a 12 year olds life.  Now that child is and adult and everything in their life would have been different.  Every decision they made, every interaction they had.  Their who life course.

Maybe a word like “stemmed [from]” or “transpired [because of]"?  But not that.  A word that defines it even more.  An absolute.

Here is the best I can do with an example sentence. I don't need another expression for what I've called a "pivot point";  I am trying use a word for the events that were changed because of it. Not the actual event, but the events in her life after, every one, and how her life changed because of what happened that day. I've used divergent here, but that's the word which needs to be changed.

  Her brother's suicide when she was 12 was a pivot point in her life.  Everything that transpired after her brother's suicide, every opportunity taken or ignored, every decision made painstakingly or with ease, were divergent from the path her life would have taken had her brother decided to change even one of his actions that day.


texts:
The word "garnishee" can be either a noun or a verb.

garnishee:

  NOUN

  A third party who is served notice by a court to surrender money in
  settlement of a debt or claim:
  [AS MODIFIER]: a garnishee order

  VERB (garnishees, garnisheeing, garnisheed)

  another term for garnish (sense 2 of the verb).

  Example sentences

  'Starting in August 2001, any extra monies received from the federal
  government are being garnisheed by the Alberta government if you
  receive Supports for Independence.'
  'Child support by the fathers would
  be mandated by the courts, and if they refused, their wages would be
  garnisheed or their assets could be seized to pay child support.'

  (Oxford Dictionaries)

If I take money out of Bob's paycheck every month, I am garnisheeing his wages, and he is the garnishee. The "-ee" suffix normally indicates the person who receives an action, so the noun usage makes sense. But what is the etymology of the goofy-looking verb?


texts: "the oxygen concentration" OR "oxygen concentration"

texts:
SITUATION: I've carried out a thorough chemical analysis of Thing X. It underwent heating, cooling, bending - you name it. In conclusion, should I say:

"No increase in the oxygen concentration implies that..."

OR

"No increase in oxygen concentration implies that..."

Should the "oxygen concentration" here be a general phenomenon, or a quality specific for Thing X and its analysis?

Maybe both are OK? And the difference is a question of preference, that is whether I wish to sound academically accurate, or go out on a limb with it and claim to have discovered something universal?


texts:
Can I omit there in the following question:

  How much juice is there in the bottle?

When is it possible to omit there in a sentence?

Any references to grammar sources are welcome and expected.


texts: Apostrophe usage on proper nouns already having one

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Possessive of a word that's already possessive?

There is a famous pizza restaurant named "Domino's". In our city their rivals accept vouchers issued by Domino's. The sign reads "We accept all Domino's vouchers". Given that the name already has an apostrophe is this correct? Why not "We accept all Domino's' vouchers"?

Okay, I accept that perhaps that looks very strange but my point is that the registered name already has an apostrophe, does that now do the two jobs of being part of the name and indicating possession?


texts: How should "aargh" really be pronounced?

texts:
The common interjections "argh!", "aargh!", "aaargh!", etc., is pronounced, as far as I know, the same as "aaa!" For most of my life, however, I (and I imagine many other second language speakers) pronounced it due to its spelling with an audible 'r' and hard 'g', and still do occasionally. In fact, I think this mispronunciation is so common that it has become an accepted alternative, especially when the word is used in humour (as opposed to genuine fright.) I often hear this version from native English speakers.

Questions:

Is "aaa!" really the correct pronunciation?
Why exactly is it
spelled with the "rgh"? What purpose do those letters serve?
If
you agree that the mispronunciation has become an accepted
alternative, can you think of any other cases where a
mispronunciation gradually supplants or supplements the original?
(Especially where this is caused by the eccentricities of
English spelling and pronunciation.)


texts: Is there something incorrect about the phrase "fall back asleep"?

texts:
A quick Google search shows that the phrase seems to be in relatively common usage, but for some reason I find the construct very awkward.

I would say "fall asleep" the first time, and then "fall back to sleep" if awakened.

Saying "fall back asleep" sounds wrong to me in a similar way to "(I tripped but am) back running".  Is something wrong with the tense?  A case of "coming back to the present"?


texts: Word or phrase for multilingual pun/word play

texts:
The question is about multilingual jokes or puns, and if there is a word for them in English. Some examples:

A German-English friend sometimes says Senkfuss instead of “thank you.” Senkfuss means “flat foot” in German, but the joke is that it sounds a little like “thank you” said with a German accent.

A French-English family I used to know would say “quel smell!” The French quel and the English “smell” rhyme, and put together, if you understand both languages, they mean “what a smell!”

In this documentary, Hélène Cixous describes how her non-German-speaking father used to say in French, en dessous du bras (“under the arm”) in reply to a question to which he did not know the answer. Under the arm, you would find Schweiss (sweat in German), which to HC’s father’s untrained ear, might have sounded like the German Ich weiss nicht (I don’t know).

There are thousands of these jokes that require a knowledge of two or more languages to make sense. In my observation they tend to arise within families or small communities where the knowledge of multiple languages is shared.

Is there a name in English for this kind of multilingual word play? I Googled “multilingual puns” and “multilingual word games” without a lot of success, neither in finding a more concise or descriptive term or phrase, nor in actually finding more of what I’m talking about.

(I know extra questions are discouraged -- and this part'll get shot down for being off-topic -- but if anyone knows of any sites where these jokes are shared, I would be very much indebted to you if you could leave the addresses in the comments!).


texts: Does "unbearable" always have a negative connotation?

texts:
I came across with this sentence

  "As a child he held an unbearable curiosity, he needed to question everything"

Since english is not my first language, I was giving it a second thought and trying to understand if the word "unbearable" was used correctly. By this, what I mean to say is that "unbearable" seems to me as a negative word (unbearable pain, torture, and so on...) . However, the fact that "he needed to question everything" could be an awesome feature of his personality.

From journalism to engineering, curiosity is definitely a good thing, something desirable. I believe that there's some passionate feeling involved in the use of the word to enforce the feeling towards questioning.

I looked for unbearable in the dictionary and of course give me the "not bearble" definition. Going to the "to bear" definition, it leaves the door open for a slightly more possitive meaning.

Does "unbearable" hold any ambivalent meaning or I should assume that every time would mean something negative?

In the former case I should try to get it from the context (or maybe there's a related word that fits better and is used more often to avoid confussion). In the latter case, perhaps the mother of this child had had enough, given the amount of questions, and "unbearable" was correctly used.


texts: Interrailler or Interrailer, which one is correct?

texts:
Which one is true to express people who make Interrail travel?

One "l" or double "ll".

Also some of pages are typing as InterRaillers, interraillers. Should I start with upper case for both Interrail and Interraillers in the sentence?

Example:

Interraillers love travelling the Europe's hidden places.


texts: What is the term that describes a noun being used to represent it's use?

texts:
Suppose you have a database installed from a vendor - suppose this is MySQL.  There is a website that just happens to interact with this MySQL, and people call it (the website) "MySQL", even if there are many MySQL databases having been set up.

This is vaguely related to What is a word/phrase for using a term for a popular special case instead of a generic term?

To relate this to the kleenex question, here, I am asking for a term that describes not "a kleenex referring to any tissue" (genericalism), but "kleenex referring to a very specific task involving a kleenex-brand tissue".

Example sentence:

Hey, could you please check MySQL for that.

Alternative sentence, if the website just happens to run, or used to run, on a redhat system:

Hey, could you please see Redhat for that.


texts: Is the “as if” in this sentence correct? I don’t think the right terms were used, it doesn’t sound right to me

texts: Emotions stay locked away, as if an animal stuck in a barn.


texts: Need a word to describe book/academic journal as distinct from technical report

texts:
I am designing a database and I have an entity called Publication.

A Publication can be either a book/academic journal or a technical report.

So I need a word for book/academic journal as "Book/Academic Journal" is not a clean entity name and it looks just as bad when mapped as a database table - book_academic_journal.

Is there a word that "combines" these two words?


texts: Is this an attributive clause or an adverbial clause?

texts:
The radial-velocity method used Dr Dumusque and his colleagues will
  reveal the presence of a planet and its mass.

This sentence is from an article at economist.com, and it's the first sentence of paragraph 10. I only understand the main clause, but I don't know the function of "The radial-velocity method used". I want to know the structure of this sentence.


texts: I often use "is being" and "are being" in my sentences. Is it correct grammatically?

texts: For example "lasers are being used to treat different skin conditions". It is a passive form without a subject. Please guide.


texts: Derogatory word, describing person (a pupil) who memorizes instead of learning?

texts:
Apologies if I am asking something that is well known, but I am not a native English speaker, and I could not find an answer so far.

In my native language, there exists a (derogatory) word for pupils, who strive to get high grades by literally memorizing tons of facts, instead of understanding and learning. The main characteristic of such people is that at first (in first few years of school) they get excellent grades, as the quantity of material is not beyond ability to memorize (but still they do not understand most of it). As they progress through the school, this gets more and more difficult, and becomes impossible in high school or at the university at the latest, causing such people to spend many hours trying to memorize impossible amounts of data, only to be outdone by their peers who can understand the subject.

The word is derogatory in a sense that such pupils are usually hated by their peers since they are teachers' pets (at first), increasing the bar for others, who do understand the subjects, but are not prepared to invest hours and hours of their time to memorize useless facts. The downfall of such pupil is often welcomed by peers.

So, what is the word for such pupil? "nerd" and "geek" are not appropriate, since they are not derogatory in the desired sense -- nerds and geeks display above-average understanding of subjects, even if it is narrowly focused.

Example "John is such XXXXXX, he does not understand a word of what teacher is saying, he just repeats phrases from textbook and gets good grades. Shame!"

Word XXXX is not vulgar or obscene, but it is derogatory. So, I am searching for an English expression describing such person/pupil. Thanks.

Edit: I don't think that is a duplicate, since I explained the rationale in more detail. I am searching for word with negative connotation, related to learning. The person may not be stupid or lazy, perhaps they don't know better than rote learning.

So far the best candidates are: parrot (to parrot) and regurgitator (to regurgitate). Both come very close to what I had in mind.


texts: Can the Personal Pronoun I Be Put in the Nominative Case before the Gerund?

texts: In the recently published Report on the Death of Alexander Litvinenko by Sir Robert Owen there is the following sentence in the statement of one of the witnesses (Boris Berezovsky): "This resulted in Litvinenko and I becoming close friends". I think that there should be "me" instead of "I" but I'm not 100% certain. (This, I should note, was not a verbatim recording of Berezovsky's incorrect English speech; he spoke in Russian and then what he said was translated into normal English).


texts:
My motivation for the question is: prior to the Age of the Web most product and service categories had several more-or-less-equal competitors:  if you wanted to fly from NYC to LA there were several major airlines to choose from.  Buying (or renting) a car presented a bunch of options, as did fast food restaurants, insurance companies, cameras, TV's refrigerators and other white goods, hotels, and almost everything else.  It was rare for a company to sustain more than 50% market share.

But nowadays there are a whole bunch of product or service categories where there's one 900 pound gorilla and whoever is number two is way back in the dust somewhere. Google has 79.88% of all searches (Statcounter, August 2016)  Amazon dominates online retail - I have no idea who #2 is. YouTube dominates video sharing; Facebook dominates social media with 1.2 billion daily active users. Windows dominates desktop operating systems, etc etc.  And IDC reported this week that Android is now 85% of smartphones.  Even in arcane categories like software development forums, there's StackOverflow and then who's number 2?

So what's a good, recognizable word for that kind of dominance, where one entity totally dominates its category, but is not technically a monopoly?  Facebook, Android, Google, Windows, all have competition but whoever is number 2 is way back in the dust.


texts: What part(s) of speech are "or else" and "otherwise" and why is "otherwise" more flexible if it's the same part of speech?

texts:
In American English, what part(s) of speech are "or else" and "otherwise" and why is "otherwise" more flexible if it's the same part of speech?
Take the following examples:

1a. Clean your room, or else I will ground you.
1b. Clean your room, otherwise I will ground you.
2a. Clean your room; I will ground you or else.
2b. Clean your room; I will ground you otherwise.

Sentences 1a and 1b have identical meanings and are both grammatically valid. (I'm not worried about the minor issue that perhaps, stylistically, 1a could definitely go without the comma, whereas 1b might feel wrong without the comma.)
However, while 2b is grammatically valid and has the same meaning as 1b, meanwhile 2a is grammatically invalid without a comma before "or." (We can't put a comma before "or" without changing the meaning of the sentence. "I will ground you, or else," threatens me with punishment if I fail to punish you. That is a very different statement than 1a, which threatens you.) See the definition of "or else".
So, again, my question is, which part(s) of speech are "or else" and "otherwise" in this context? If they're the same part of speech then why does the grammar and meaning change for "or else" but not for "otherwise" in sentence group 2?


texts: Synonym/more sophisticated term for free-flowing

texts:
I am looking for an apt, or rather, a more sophisticated description for my cacographic handwriting style.

The term free-flowing is strictly accurate. However, I am looking for a adjective or term that connotes a uniformed mess: if possible, with a touch of grace applied. I recall having come across a word with a similar definition, suffixed by -iform, although I have not been able to remember or find this word again.

All those's who have helped or have tried, I thank you in advance.

P.s I am new to posting to English stack exchange so please forgive any communal  faux pas i may commit.


texts:
Can somebody explain the difference here and give some more appropriate examples on the construction? I sense there IS something, but I can't get to it individually.

a bowl full of mush
a full bowl of mush


texts: Is there a word, preferably a verb, that means to exaggerate a point, or idea, to the detriment of the point?

texts: It seems that if such a word exists it would be rather useful. Often, whether listening to to certain people or talking with friends, I feel that certain ideas are willingly exaggerated for a certain effect--perhaps to elicit a "wow" response. But instead I am left feeling as though the deliberate exaggeration of the point was exactly what turned me off.


texts: Demonstratives + adverbs of frequency + adjective/participle + noun

texts:
Demonstrative pronouns are determiners used instead of nouns to refer
to things and identify their position and distance from the speaker.

Then, if I want to use 'this always-walking guy,' should I (as a speaker) be always near to the action of always walking of the guy or can I be just near to the guy in one specific time?


texts:
According to Merriam-Webster

expect - verb; to consider probable or certain.
faith - noun; something that is believed especially with strong conviction

The verb linked with the word faith is the word believe

believe, verb, to consider to be true or honest

So, in certain degree, both believe (faith) and expect appear to be the same if we expect something to be true. What's the relation between the two?


texts: Is it possible to use 'me' as a possessive in English sentences?

texts:
I just found that the word 'me' was used as a possessive in sentences of spoken English, in the movie "Harry Potter":

  "I'm half and half. Me dads a muggle, mum's a witch."

Generally, isn't it proper to use the word "My dad" instead of using "Me dad"?


texts: Is ‘Today, Japan’s old age social security system is running at a deficit, is the whole country” in Forbes magazine a right sentence?

texts:
I’m puzzled about the meaning of “is the whole country” in the following sentence of the article titled “Japan’s choice: Sink the welfare state or collapse – Whither Japan,” in October 21 Forbes magazine.

  “Today, Japan’s old age social security system is running at a
  deficit, is the whole country. In my last post, I presented some of
  the warnings being voiced by the IMF at Japan’s fiscal improvidence.”

This seems to be a quote from an essay by Hitotsubashi University professor Oguro Kazumasa, published in the October 18 Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

Is “is the whole country” necessary? How does it relate to the preceding clause? Does it make sense grammatically at all?

If this is a mere mistake of Japanese scholar whose command of English isn’t excellent, therefore it’s ‘local,’ and doesn’t worth the question, I’ll live with your 'Close' vote.


texts: What does the phrase "as it is called" mean?

texts:
In the below sentence what it the meaning of the phrase "as it is called" ?

Life, as it is called, is for most of us one long postponement.


texts: Is there a phrase or word that describes misinformation expressed in an articulate way?

texts: I'm looking for something similar to "pseudo-profound" or "eloquent poppy cock". I'm thinking of highly inaccurate academic papers and 'scientific' articles. Saying something asinine in a smart way?


texts:
Reading the comments in this blog post I was a little confused when the first one said "sold". Why should he sell his game when they removed the copy protection with the first patch?

But it seems that the meaning of the comment was "I went to the shop and bought it". (Or I completely got it the wrong way.)

Can you help me? I always thought that selling is the opposite of buying.


texts: He was visiting Berlin and (was) seventeen

texts:
"He was seventeen and visiting Berlin, when he got hit by a car." This is a correct sentence, right? "He was visiting Berlin and seventeen, when he got hit by a car." So is this one alright too? It seems a bit weird to combine 'visiting' and 'seventeen'.

Thanks!


texts: Which one of the different meanings of the word "consensus" to choose

texts:
I'm struggling with a translation of a technical text describing the process of minimization of a logical function (computer science & tech. stuff) and I don't seem to compe up with any logical explanation for this sentence:

Rushdi proposed a new procedure of minimization that extends Muroga's procedure by allowing general subsumption and consensus relations among the entered products...

What do you think the phrase "consensus relations" actually means? I have only came up with an assumption that, since consensus can be defined as an opinion that many people agree with, it might relate to some similarities that the entered products might share, e.g. common variables or so.

What do you think about it?
Thanks you very much in advance!


texts: Derivations of operation, operable vs. reparation, reparable

texts:
After a little thought I decided irreparable derives from repairable, but a few seconds later, decided it stems from reparation, "like operable from operation".  Looking the words up, I found I was wrong about both derivations:

Reparation and reparable derive from L. reparatus, pp. of reparare "restore", (ca. 1400 and 1570, resp.) rather than one from the other.

For operable and operation the story seems a bit different, with operable deriving in the 1640s from operate + -able and operation (late 1300's) from L. operationem, from pp. stem of operari.

What are the names of the processes by which these words derived from Latin?


texts: Does "Japanese tourist" have any meaning other than a tourist from Japan?

texts:
I was under the impression that "Japanese tourist" had a meaning more than just a tourist who happens to be from Japan.

For example, TV Tropes has an entry on Japanese Tourist, and French fashion boss offends Chinese over elitist Paris hotel describes the reaction when "Chinese tourist" (which I assume is the same as "Japanese tourist", but updated for the new century) was interpreted literally (tourists from China) rather than figuratively (mass tourism).

However, others seem to be skeptical of this. One person commented

  I don't think there is a special term - just as in English, "Japanese
  tourist"/"Chinese tourist" could be a neutral descriptor in many
  contexts. It's more a stereotype than a figurative meaning.

Does "Japanese tourist" have any meaning other than merely a tourist from Japan, like "Polish plumber" means something other than just a plumber from Poland?


texts: Regarding the term/phrase the passage of time: Is it simply referring to time passing (i.e. moving forward / passing by)? A metaphor to invoke imagery of a passageway (path, tunnel, channel, corridor, etc.)? Or the process of transition from one state to another (past→present→future)?


texts: "Come out with your hands up… and something with coconut"

texts:
English as a second language here. I'd like to ask why this quote from The Simpsons (from episode 9F20 "Marge in Chains") is funny and what it means.

  Chief Wiggum (to Marge, at the Kwik-E-Mart): All right, come out with your hands up, two cups of coffee, an auto freshener that says "Capricorn", and something with coconut on it.


texts: Improper usage of "subsequently" in the latest Futurama episode?

texts:
In the latest Futurama episode, called Cold Warriors, the professor says the following:

  The common cold died out 500 years ago and subsequently humanity lost all resistance to its ravages.

According to the thread dealing with the difference between subsequently and consequently, the line uttered by the professor is ungrammatical, for humanity would lose all the resistance to a virus only if the virus were to die out completely. Therefore, the action follows as a result.

Am I right on this one? Being very strict here, can we claim that the Futurama creators made a mistake, or is this an exception to the rule? Could someone clarify/explain?


texts: I have trouble with "puff" and "went full" in this sentence

texts:
I am not a native English speaker and I have been studying English by watching dramas. However, I am having trouble with slang and words which are not on dictionaries.

From a drama, I don't understand "puff" and "went full" in this conversation.

  A : He looked good in The Aviator.

  B : No, he started to puff in The Aviator.

  A : It was Blood Diamond, trust me.

  A : (asking C) When do you think Leonardo DiCaprio went full Jack
  Nicholson?

Please, kindly inform me.


texts: Word for one character explaining to another character some important points for benefit of the audience

texts:
This is not apostrophe (no, not that kind of apostrophe) or anagnorisis; this is when a character communicates a exposition on some aspect of the story's background or context (e.g. how FTL travel works; why the families are at war) ostensibly to another character (often a foreigner or recluse) but actually in place of simple omniscient narration.

I'm not criticizing the practice; I just want a word for it.

Thanks in advance


texts: If I were to say, "I hope that this will work", would it also be correct to say, "I hope this will work"? Would both be grammatically correct?


texts: Is there a verb for "to make something Spanish"?

texts: I'm not entirely clear how you would describe a verb that fulfils this function. I'm looking for a word equivalent to "gallicise", "americanise" or "hellenise", but for Spain equivalent. Is there such a word? What morpheme would you use for Spain?


texts: A word to describe a person who attempts to not care about other's opinions

texts: I'm looking for a word that describes someone who tries to not care about other people's opinions and attempts on being free-spirited (however, being totally care-free about others' opinions is impossible, so I want to know a word that describes the attempt of being free-spirited).


texts: A similar saying to 'In confirmation to your saying'?

texts:
If in a discussion, one were to say something correct and you were to further confirm the truthfulness of that statement and back him up, we say in my mother tongue 'in confirmation to your saying/ or in credibility' and then go along to say something relevant to his story, but I feel as if they don't cut if for me. They seem unsuitable.

Both formal and informal answers are welcome. Thank you.


texts:
What is a place of articulation which best fits the initial consonant of the word travel?
It looks like the first sound is /t/ therefore it should be alveolar, but in the Longman pronunciation coach (Exercise 3) it's marked as post-alveolar. Why so?


texts: Please, can anyone help me understand the meaning of the word 'wrap' in this sentence:

texts:
Jerking time to full deceleration (after full wrap of ego vehicle and cut-in vehicle, road friction 1,0)
It is from a new UNECE Regulation, no 157, about automated driving systems.


texts: I want to say "The letter was trifolded" but all my spelling sources don't recognize "trifolded" as a word. Trifold is a word, of course. Is my intended usage incorrect? If so, how would I say it instead?


texts: Whenever I am having tea, there is always this layer of a substance that is darker than the tea itself on top of the tea's surface and I can use my finger to skim it off the surface. It is kind of like a solid like. What is this thing called?


texts: Phrase Request: Bank account statement, name for payee/charger

texts:
I'm trying to think of the appropriate word for someone that charges you or that you pay.

If you have a bank statement, what would you name the column that contains the name of people you paid money to or charged you?

Does anyone have any idea what that is?

An example statement:

Your suggested word | Value
-------------------------------
Dave                | +£10
WalMart             | -£14.99
WalMart             | +£14.99   (an example of a refund)
PC World            | +£99.99


texts: Which is correct: "Constantin" or "Constantine"? I also encountered in texts "Konstantin" and "Kostantine". Or else is another spelling preferred?


texts: Cell phone? Cell? Mobile phone? What's the "correct" term?

texts:
What's that type of phone called that you don't need a cable for and you can use everywhere in the world (provided there's coverage ;-))?

And what differences are there between the regions?  USA/UK/AUS etc... and even within, say, the US (or even UK).  I've even read rumors that in parts of the east of the US, people use the term "handy" (which is a really crazy German "Americanism").

EDIT: Clarification: The colloquial usage is more interesting (to me) than the "correct" official terminology (though that's of interest, too).


texts: Idiom: When something is not dealt with for a long time

texts:
What idiom could express when something is not dealt with for a very long time?
The reason would be that a certain issue or thing cannot be solved because you lack the necessary means/agreements to do it. So you finally have to give up and just wait. Perhaps 1 year, 10 years, 50 years, or even never.
In Danish we say that "it ended up in the bag with the mothballs", or "it collects dust on the shelf".
What do you say in English?


texts: What is the correct way to refer to someone during when they previously held a different rank/position/title?

texts:
Many public officials have accomplished much over the course of their careers, having served in various capacities over the years.  For example, Leon Panetta represented CA's 17th district in the House of Representatives for nearly 9 terms before President Clinton tapped him for Director of OMB in 1993 and then for White House Chief of Staff a year later.  In 2009, President Obama nominated him for Director of the CIA, and then for Secretary of Defense two years later.

Similarly, the military has a "move up or move out" attitude, nearly guaranteeing career servicemembers a number of rank changes over time.  David Petraeus commanded the 101st Airborne Division in 2003 as a Major General (two stars) during the invasion of Iraq.  In mid-2004, he was promoted to Lieutenant General (three stars), and attained his final rank of General (four stars) in 2007.

When talking about his past, is there a preferred writing style for referring to his rank at the time?

From Petraeus' Wikipedia article:

  In 2003, Petraeus, then a major general, saw combat for the first time...

From an article in The Week about the Paula Broadwell scandal:

  Broadwell met then–Lt. Gen. Petraeus when she was earning her master's degree

This Washington Post article manages to fit two previous titles into the same caption:

  In his first public testimony since resigning as CIA director, former Army Gen. David Petraeus offered an apology

I'm assuming all these examples are perfectly acceptable in use.  Is there a definitive recommended style, and are there any demonstrably bad examples of such that should be avoided?


texts:
The number of books is nine.
  The book count is nine.

Which is more natural?

What's the SUBTLE difference between them?


texts:
I've just had a discussion about using "to separate" when relating to events in time.

A colleague of mine used the word to describe that an event occurred between two other events while the events aren't necessarily continuous. For example, he'd say "Monday and Friday is separated by Wednesday".

I think that the separator should be "thicker" to fill the gap between the two endpoints fully. So I'd say "Wednesday is between Monday and Friday" or "Monday is separated from Friday by Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday".

Which explanation sounds better? Would you use other words to describe that something happens after something else has already ended and the next thing hasn't started yet?


texts: Is this correct usage/does it sound natural to use "antithetical" like this?

texts:
I want to use it in the following way, but since this is a word I've never really used I'm unsure if it's the correct usage or if it sounds natural.

  This would suggest that knowledge of past prices could be used to
  predict future price movements, antithetical to the concept of an
  unpredictable market.


texts: "We are finished" vs. "We have finished"

texts: Is "we are finished" grammatically correct? I thought it would be more correct to say "We have finished".


texts:
It is correct?

  Reduction first in starch, second in glucose and fructose concentrations.

from "first", I mean "mainly". May I use "mainly" and "second"?


texts: "experienced" vs. "have experienced"? (Simple past vs. Existential sense of perfect)?

texts:
Can you tell me which ones of these correct?

"Together we experienced our first joy ride." or "Together we have experienced our first joy ride."
"Together we learnt to ride bicycle." or "Together we have learnt to ride bicycle."

Context: These sentences are going to be a part of a greeting card I am designing for a friend to reminisce about the good times we have spent together. He is still a friend and we are going to spend more good times in future.

I have read this beautiful answer at https://english.stackexchange.com/a/63263/18396 but I am unable to resolve my question inspite of reading this. Since "first joy ride" and "learnt to ride bicycle" were in the past, it seems like simple past tense is appropriate. But as per "Existential sense of perfect" in the answer, present perfect seems to be appropriate too.


texts: Is there any significance in little curls joining the st and ct in old books?

texts:
I've been reading a facsimile edition of Defoe's Captain Singleton and have noticed a little quirk of the text; where an st or a ct appear, they are joined with a little curl over the top, but nt, rt and pt aren't. This appears to be the case wherever these combinations appear in a word.

Is there any linguistic significance to this, or is it just a quirk of the printers?

(I have been unable to find an example of this sort of text anywhere online; can anyone help?)


texts: Unfamiliar construction from Nineteen Eighty-Four: "...had been used to gather there..."

texts:
Why is this sentence correct?

  The old, discredited leaders of the Party had been used to gather there before they were finally purged.

The "had been used to" part troubles me. Shouldn't it be "had used to"?

The sentence was copied verbatim from Orwell's 1984.


texts: Raise and Rise revisited - But what if it's a noun?

texts: I come to you again from the cooking site. I see this: What is the difference between "raise" and "rise"? and it comes close to answering my question, but not quite. In my world of the cooking obsession, the words in question (or at least one of them) can also be a noun, as in "the bread's second rise". This is a quote from my most recent answer on the cooking site, "When you're ready to bake, punch down the dough again (if necessary), shape, and allow to rise as if it had never taken its little nap in the refrigerator. Of course this raise is going to take longer than non-refrigerated dough as it reaches room temperature." Those lines are clumsy as hell, but are they grammatically correct?


texts: Who is [company name] or Who are [company name]

texts:
I work at a company and we are redesigning our website. One of the titles of a page is about the company and who we are. There is a huge debate going on regarding how the initial question should be phrased...

Who is [Company name]
Who are [Company name]

I should also mention that our company name is in a plural form. Whether this makes a difference or not is also up for debate.

Looking forward to hearing peoples suggestions.


texts: Word Choice: Starting a sentence with "If not too long ago"

texts:
I know that the proper way to use "not too long ago" is: "Not too long ago, contractors used to build houses and sell them to dealers. It was the responsibility of the dealers to provide financing to potential home buyers."

Instead of these two sentences, can I use:

"If not too long ago, contractors used to build houses and sell them to dealers, who were responsible for providing financing to potential home buyers, today most builders also offer financing alternatives."?

My question is whether "if not too long ago" is correct or not. If it's not correct, I would highly appreciate it if someone could explain why.

Thank you,

Maria


texts: What does the term 'Golden Clime' refer to in the following paragraph?

texts:
There was once a boy who loved to go to school, and it was no great wonder, for he lived in a golden age and in a golden clime.

Please note that the aforementioned paragraph is taken from the book 'Stories from Plato' which was first published in 1896.


texts:
Is it possible and correct to use "well" with "to sound"? I am under the impression that most natives find it wrong. For example:

1 The guitar sounds good. - OK

2 The guitar sounds well. - Possible?

3 The sentence sounds good. - OK

4 The sentence sounds well. - Possible?


texts:
What is the difference in usage between these three apparently-synonymous words: duplicate, replicate, and reduplicate. (Definitions from ODO)

  duplicate: make or be an exact copy of
  replicate: make an exact copy of; reproduce
  reduplicate: repeat or copy so as to form another of the same kind

Why is it correct to say that the results of an experiment are replicated, but copies of a thesis are duplicated?

How should I discuss the following:

  Procedure X should work as though each node i in a graph were
  replaced with v_i identical copies of it.

Have the nodes been replicated, duplicated, or reduplicated?  Should I reserve duplication for doubling in quantity?


texts:
I insist that someone do something.
  (used more in American English, says Michael Swan's Practical English Use , for instance)

versus

  I insist that someone should do somehting.
  (used more in British English, says the same)

Why did the present subjunctive survive in American English better than it did in British English (outside fixed phrases such as "God save the Queen!") when, on the other hand, forms like 'burn t', 'leap t', 'travel l ed-travel l ing' did not, and were made regular?

Is American English more archaic or more modern than British English?


texts: What's the etymology of the military slang word "jippo" meaning gravy?

texts:
My late grandfather who served in WWII always used to refer to gravy as jippo and it has passed down into common usage by the family, while there are sources which confirm this meaning, I cannot find any information on how the word came about.

Wikipedia lists it on the page RAF slang claiming it can also refer to stew and being another word for jollop, however searching through the results for this is even less fruitful as it seems to refer to liquor or medicine and arising from South American sources which is unlikely for an English language world war era slang term. Furthermore, my grandfather was a tank driver with the army so I question whether it's really from the RAF.

Does anyone know how or where the term "jippo" meaning gravy originated?


texts: When someone in conversation says something like "you always forget [x]" or "you never remember to [y]", is the use of the word always/never when it is understood that it is not literally always or never, considered a colloquialism?


texts: What is it called when the word "sorry" is not used for apologizing?

texts:
When I use the word "sorry" for something I did wrong

I'm sorry I bumped into you.

I would be apologizing. However, when I used the word "sorry" to express pity for something that is not actually my fault,

I'm sorry you couldn't figure that out.
I'm sorry for your loss.

is it still called an "apology" in English? In Chinese, we wouldn't use the same word in these different sentences. I would love to know what this type of sentence is called.


texts: How to avoid ambiguity in "I am renting an apartment in New York"?

texts:
Does the sentence:

  I am renting an apartment in New York.

imply that I am the landlord or the tenant?

How can I unequivocally communicate that I am the tenant (or the landlord)?


texts: Phrase or saying to mean proceeding from a point of inspiration

texts:
I was typing a comment and couldn't word it correctly, or rather, couldn't remember the phrasing one would normally use for that situation. So I stated, 'I was going with the "godly" part' (as my inspiration*); meaning I felt that the adjective godly, in the OP's example sentence, was a significant part of the context and that I should proceed from there (to search for a short phrase having that connotation, allusion, etc.).
While clicking on synonyms, I did find the word brainwave. It hasn't helped.

I was going with that.
I was running with that.
I took it from there.
I expounded... (No, it's not detailing.)
I expanded... (On one word?)
I focused on "godly" and went from there. (That lacks inspiration.)
jump-started, springboarded (Too much...energy.)

Update (18 March 2021)
I found an example sentence that conveys what I'm trying to say, very well, but it's in a different context (a group setting; plural imperative), and I would prefer a phrase that encompasses that meaning, if possible. (Source: Macmillan Dictionary, under run with it.)

Let’s pick up this idea and run with it.

*The phrase as my inspiration was not part of the original comment or this question; it was added for clarity to both later (March 11th and 18th, respectively).

Maybe I'm searching for jargon, but I don't think so. It could be embarrassingly simple; it happens. In any case, I've searched for hours and can't find it.
BTW, this is just a question about an actual comment I made concerning a quest tale, nothing more. (Full context, under harrowed souls, 2nd to last answer.)


texts:
Context:

I was so happy I felt tears starting in my eyes, and then she up and hugged me.
I think she could tell.


texts: Allow us time to [do something] by [deadline]

texts:
Recently I came across this sentence:

  "Please let us know if you are prepared to allow us time to file his
  [document] by 1 Jan 2015"

It feels wrong to me but I would like to know if this may be correct in anyway because I would think that you either say: (a) "allow us time to prepare..." OR (b) "allow us to file by 1 Jan 2015"; or even "allow us time... with the deadline of 1 Jan 2015"

My logic is this: (a) refers to a block/period of time by itself already and I would treat it as a kind of THING. To add the qualifier "by 1 Jan 2015" would then not make sense. I am pretty sure the sentence could be phrased much more elegantly but my main question is, is it even correct?


texts: "Hurry, give me anything that will hold water!" What verb tense is this?

texts: In the following sentence, "Hurry, give me anything that will hold water!"  What verb tense is "will hold" ?  Not future simple, I presume.


texts:
It's not uncommon to rent render machines for big projects instead of buying.That way,you're built to scale.

I don't know what “built” and “scale”mean in this sentence and I couldn't find any clue from dictionaries.


texts: What does it mean when we say "A is B's lover"?

texts:
For example, suppose we have the sentence:

Bianca is Ed's lover.

What does this mean?

Bianca loves Ed? Ed loves Bianca? It is mutual?

I don't really understand the word 'lover' in this context.


texts: Legal contract sentence. Does it make sense in English?

texts:
5.1 The Company shall pay to the Consultant a monthly fee of US Dollars 5,000 for each day agreed as worked under this Agreement;

Hi! I have a question on English contratual sentence.

I am not a native English speaker.

The above sentence says "pay to the consultant a monthly fee of US$ 5,000 for each day agreed as worked". Is it a right expression ?

According to what I have agreed with the company, the company pays a monthly fee of US$ 5,000 every month. But, the contract says "for each day agreed as worked under this agreement". I do not understand it. Does it mean I can get US$ 5,000 for a day in a month as long as I work on the day ?

For your reference, the Company is Brithish one.

Please tell me your opinion.


texts:
So I was wondering how we order food in English. Let’s say I want a tea, is this sentence okay? :
“Hi, I’d like a takeout tea please.”
Or do native speakers say it differently? (I want to sound like a native please)
Could you guys give me examples (something I may say at Starbucks, McDonald’s...)...
Thanks for your help!


texts: Can I use a semicolon to add more information at the end of a sentence?

texts:
I have a question on whether semicolons can be used to add information at the end of a sentence, something like this:
"This year, the university decided to deliver all courses online; rendering senior lecturers worried, since they are not quite adept with distance learning technology."
I'm also not sure whether "rendering senior lecturers worried...." is an independent clause.
Any help is appreciated!
Thank you in advance.


texts:
This popular saying, meaning

  when troubles come they come together (especially if you are unfortunate),

has a clear negative connotation.

I am looking for a saying or expression that conveys just the opposite idea: lucky things happen continually to lucky people.

Edit: not the duplicate suggested by @Hot Licks - I am clearly asking about a different saying...and I am asking for its opposite.


texts: Is "bestowing anonymity" the right term or expression?

texts:
Is bestowing anonymity the right way to say "keeping someones identity secret?"

Basically the author is writing about someone, a fallen dictator and his nasty goings on, without using the name of the dictator.
Could you say he is protecting himself from further repercussions? Would he be bestowing anonymity or is there another (nice) way of saying it?

the anonymous person would be the dictator, not the poet


texts:
I’m making a (multiple-)photo editing web-app, and there is a certain feature which allows users to sort of “hibernate” their accounts and log out, allowing them to pick up exactly where they left off the next time they log in.

The problem is that all this state data is saved in a directory in the user’s account, and right now I’m calling it muse dump or idea dump (because it is a JSON dump internally), but it sounds and looks horrible.

Bin, midden, and scrap look absolutely grotesque. Offload and session dump feels lifeless, dry and obviously not very appealing to the artist minded.

So, how do I describe this operation in two or three words? I definitely cannot use “slang” in this scenario.


texts: Should the word "data" be used with "is" or "are"

texts:
I collect data (many). I want to describe this in a sentence:

The collected data [is/are] public data.

Can you tell me which one is correct is or are?


texts: A word or phrase for making a process more difficult, as a means of discouraging or preventing somebody from completing the process

texts:
Today, the FBI announced that Freedom of Information requests would no longer be taken via email. In my opinion, their goal is to reduce the number of FOI requests by making them more difficult to submit.

To put it another way: some websites use a "pay wall," thereby preventing you from accessing its content until you provide payment. I think of this as a sort of "convenience wall," increasing the amount of inconvenience necessary to access content.

I'm looking for a word or phrase to describe this concept. Any ideas?


texts: Chemical elements spelled out are not capitalised but what about Natural Gas?

texts:
A quick google shows that natural gas is generally capitalised whereas the rule for chemical elements seems to be that they are not. I am writing a text that includes Natural Gas (I cannot replace that with methane) and chemical elements such as helium. I find it odd to capitalise Natural Gas and not helium.

What is the correct way to spell Natural Gas?


texts: I saw her dance/dancing? I saw a flash of lightning strike/striking? I caught her steal/stealing?

texts:
Meta: I found a very similar post asking the difference between "I saw him cross" and "I saw him crossing". I have three additional questions on sentences of this form.

In the post I am referring to, the accepted answer was "I saw him cross the road" implies I saw the entire event of him crossing the road and "I saw him crossing the road" implies I saw him in the middle of the crossing but I didn't wait to see whether he finished crossing the road.

Q1. But what if we watch instead of see? Consider the sentences below.

  I watched her dance alone in the room.
  I watched her dancing alone in the room.

Watch implies something that goes on for a while. But does the original explanation still hold, i.e. does the first sentence imply I watched the entire dance and the second imply I did not?

Q2. What if you see actions that are almost instantaneous? Does the explanation still hold good? Here is an example:

  I saw a flash of lightning strike the pole.
  I saw a flash of lightning striking the pole.

Here, we cannot stop seeing in the middle of a lightning since it happens so fast. Does that make the second sentence wrong or can we still use either sentence to mean the same thing?

Q3. Which of the sentences below is/are correct?

  I caught her steal the diamond ring
  I caught her stealing the diamond ring

When you catch someone in the act, that person could not finish the act. So does that make the first sentence incorrect?


texts: What grammar is involved in the catenation "need to be released"

texts:
"We will let you know when these need to be released."

Is this sentence grammatical?

If it is, what grammatical construction is "need to be released"?


texts: Usages of "topics" when talking about subjects and research fields

texts:
I'm trying to write a cover letter and I need to talk about two of my favorite subjects. This is the first part of the:

  Another reason why I am interested in studying at X
  University is to try to build my future by studying courses such as
  bioinformatics and systems biology in order to join research groups
  specialized in the development of new algorithms, methodologies and
  software tools for the analysis of biological data.

Now, in the second part of the paragraph, I need to talk again about these courses, but indirectly. So, I decided to refer them as "topics". Does it makes sense? Or should I refer them in another way?

  As there are
  currently few research centres in the world dealing with these topics,
  this opportunity is more unique than rare for those who, like me, want
  to have a future in this field.


texts:
We can describe something as pre-emptive, no issue there.

If something isn't such, how can we write that? Word gives me red squiggles on 'Non-preemptive', but this looks silly with a double hyphenation.

Which leads me to wonder why 'pre-emptive' is hyphenated anyway? 'Emptive' isn't a word, and other 'pre' prefixes aren't hyphenated (e.g. prefix, predecessor).


texts: A word or phrase for what happens after a convergence

texts:
I need a word or phrase, and I just can't seem to find the right one ... for when several "trends" converge - after which, everything changes and you cannot go backwards.

This is sort of like, for instance, if an asteroid, meteor, comet and planet were moving along their paths, behaving like an asteroid, meteor, comet and planet - and then somehow collided to form something new - say a white dwarf, or black hole ... that has a completely differet form and behavior.  (Don't take me literally about collisions - and especially don't look for scientific accuracy in my example.)

Essentially I am trying to describe where several separate trends/concepts are progressing/advancing, to the point where they converge, and a totally new concept is formed - that isn't merely the sum of the parts.  Synergy is not quite the word, because it still implies separate entities working together in unison.

Any suggestions?  It doesn't have to be a single word. A phrase (for instance "Tipping Point") is just fine. The fate of my last chapter is in your hands. Thanks!


texts: Can the word "pollute" be used equivalently to "emit"?

texts:
Can the word pollute be used in the same context as emit? For example,

  It emitted harmful chemicals into the environment.
  It polluted harmful chemicals into the environment.

Everything I've found so far in my searches only seems to allow

  It polluted the environment with harmful chemicals.


texts: Is this grammatically correct? "Us with You"

texts:
Is this slogan correct?:

  "Us with You"
  "With You To Win Every Challenge"

It's from an Italian website translated to English.

Sounds a little strange to me.


texts: Term for the narrowing of viewpoint arising from joining a particular profession?

texts:
I'm looking for a term that means something similar to the idea expressed by the phrase “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail,” but where the hammer is the set of skills, jargon, norms, etc. associated with a profession.

The term would describe the physicist in this comic.

There is a Portuguese phrase with this meaning: “deformação profissional” (literally professional deformation). It's a play on the phrase “formação profissional” (professional qualification).


texts: "Big black eyes" vs. "big and black eyes"

texts:
I've heard many people say "big black eyes," and I'm curious whether or not we must put an and in-between big and black.

To me, since big and black are describing eyes, it is necessary to put an and between the two. Is it just a careless mistake?


texts: how explain awkward sentence structure to non-native english speaker

texts:
THis is the title of a medical paper. I'm trying to explain why to non-native english speaker that its awkward (to me anyway). Any suggestions?

Different measures for the cochlear parameters and its correlation with cochlear duct length

Better: Measurement of cochlear parameters for automatic calculation of the cochlear duct length


texts:
Is there a specific word for someone who dies, not at birth, but years later, ON their birthday? An historical person who comes to mind would be inventor John Harrison, who was born
March 24, 1693, and died on his birthday,
March 24, 1774.

What would you call this event or person, other than deceased? Is there a special name for dying on one's birthday?

The reason my question may be different is because the answers given to the 1st question seemed to not be answering the question asked because of a misunderstanding of the nature of the question.  People kept answering about babies miscarried or stillborn on their date of birth, not birthday. I am attempting to clarify the responses given by rephrasing the question into something clearer that will bring about the answer asked originally asked for.


texts: Why "e.g." and not "f.e."? Why "i.e." and not "t.i."?

texts:
As a non-native English speaker without a classical education, it took me quite some time to appreciate the "e.g." and "i.e." abbreviations.

What is wrong with "f.e." ("for example") and "t.i." ("that is")?


texts: What does the author mean to say in this quote?

texts:
The following excerpt is from My Three Passions by Bertrand Russell.

  And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway over the flux.

What does the author mean to say?


texts: Term for spelling out letters with your body

texts: Is there a term for people spelling out a name or some other word with their bodies (e.g. YMCA), usually for the purposes of a fun photo? This is similar to sign language but uses the whole body with arms and legs.


texts:
If it's not, what else makes better?

To emphasize the target meaning: I mean the state of being a polymath.


texts: I have heard the expression intestinal fortitude to mean courage or endurance to achieve something. Is there a connotation for stubbornness in this expression?


texts: Is it grammatical to write a complete sentence and link it to a sentence with a dropped subject with a semicolon? Please check the examples. Thanks!

texts:
I called to check in; hope all is well.
I have some great news; just wanted you to be the first to hear it. Call me back!


texts: Another way of saying "faced with a dilemma"

texts: What's another way of saying "I was faced with the dilemma when making a decision"?


texts:
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 410) defines "Fused-head NPs" as follows:

Fused-head NPs are those where the head is combined with a dependent function that in ordinary NPs is adjacent to the head, usually determiner or internal modifier:
[1] i Where are the sausages? Did you buy [some] yesterday? [determiner-head]
[ii] The first candidate performed well, but [the second] did not. [modifier-head]

The fused-head NP is an important syntactic theory proposed in CGEL that draws a different line between the category of pronoun and determinative than in traditional grammar.
CGEL has been around for almost two decades but I doubt that the syntactic theory has been accepted as standard among grammarians. But ditching CGEL's theory and going back to traditional grammar is not an option.
Is there an alternative modern approach to the fused-head NP?


texts: Synonym for a very insignificant product improvement

texts:
How would you call a very insignificant product improvement? Think in the context of a company that creates a very careless add-on to a last-year product just to claim that now the product is new and improved when in fact the improvement has no added value?

My take, which is way too wordy: a cosmetic afterthought with little purpose.

Any shorter version?


texts: Name for a Freudian slip in a leading question?

texts:
A leading question occurs when someone asks a question that suggests a particular answer, presumably intentionally.

Is there any special term for when this occurs subconsciously - i.e. when the asker reveals something about what they expect (or want) the answer to be but does so completely unknowingly?


texts: I was watching a Youtube video then I heard this expression ". . . that he, from a few feet away mind you," googled it and I figured out it is quite common. What exactly does it mean?


texts: How to express the paradoxical situation in idiom or proper sentences?

texts:
I would like to know how to express the situation described below either with a better paraphrase, or perhaps by using a relevant idiom.

  We've introduced a something with the expectation that others profit
  from it, but it is abused in an unintentional way.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Which words in a title should be capitalized?

If I'm using an idiom in a title then should all the elements of the phrase be capitalized or just the ones that are usually in capitals?

For example, which of the following should be used?

  be up and Running

  be Up and Running

  be Up And Running


texts:
As a matter of practice, larger issuers have since long voluntarily
  offered more forward-looking information than was strictly required

I'm unfamiliar with the expression "since long".

Could you kindly me let me know what "since long" means?

I guess it would mean something like "since a long time ago".

If it is, is it grammatically correct to say "since long" in that way?


texts:
Which is right? right to left or right-to-left?

The same question goes for left to right and left-to-right

Can't find this in any dictionary I use.

Context: the way the text is written is usually left-to-right. But there are also right-to-left languages.


texts: What is the difference between "tried closing my eyes" and "tried to close my eyes"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning?
Or are they pretty much always interchangeable?
ESL students are having trouble understanding when to use
which expression.
Thank you.


texts: How to list multiple doctor abbreviations?

texts:
I am pretty sure when listing multiple abbreviations for a doctor/dentist that it should be the following, using commas:

John Doe, DDS, MD, FACS

But I am have a client who insists it is:

John Doe, DDS. MD. FACS

I am unable to find anything official on this matter and hoping to do so. Thanks.


texts: Is "citizen" a short for "citizenship" in the US?

texts:
A friend of mine said that the word "citizen" is commonly used by Americans as a short form of "citizenship". Is it true? I couldn't find this usage in any online dictionary, thesaurus or slang glossary. I'm not sure in what context my friend meant, perhaps a slang...

Edit: For clarification: besides its actual meaning of "the member of a state" or "one who possess citizenship", can citizen also be used as a short for "citizenship" in America, perhaps as a slang? Like: in "A foreign woman gets American citizen if she marries an American".


texts: What is the correct possessive form of "One of the guys"?

texts:
Which one should it be?

One of the guys'
One of the guy's

EDIT:

Never mind, I think I answered my own question. I realized it would probably be related to the object being possessed. E.g.:

"One of the guys' swords"

means "There are multiple guys. They own multiple swords. I am referring to one of those swords."

"One of the guy's swords"

means "There are multiple guys. One of them owns multiple swords. I am referring to one of those swords."


texts: What does it mean - "When X does Y, God kills Z"?

texts:
I've come across many pages, articles and texts which say something like

When X does Y, God kills a kitten
When X happens, God kills an elephant

Like

here - God kills a pigeon
here - God kills a kitten

What does it exactly mean?

Does it mean that something great was achieved, so a sacrifice was made?

or

Does it mean that a particular action/event is bad and should be avoided?


texts:
We may say:

  I give him more value.

or:

  I give more value to him.

Now about verb "grant", we may say:

  I grant him more value.

Can we also say:

  I grant more value to him.

?


texts:
Which is the correct form when adding the -ify suffix to member?

memberify
membrify

I know it's not a regular word, I want to use it in a context for something like "make me a member".


texts: Can /æ/ raising produce homophones in American English?

texts:
Can words like "bend" and "band" merge in AmEn? I always thought they should not but here's a confusing example:
https://youtu.be/_C0mc7ZOMF4

To my ear this gentleman pronounces "bend" as [bɛənd] and it's even more apparently diphthongized in this sample than the way he says "band".

Or consider these AmEn pronunciation samples of the word "and":
https://forvo.com/word/and/#en

I can't help hearing JerrySun's "and" as "end".

Are my observations correct or am I hearing things being a non-native speaker?


texts: technical question concerning uncountabilty of nouns

texts:
I would like to know this once and for all if it is allowed to turn an uncountable noun into plural when two types of a particular noun are mentioned.

for example, "the side and tip resistance of piles are calculated."
with regard to the uncountability of 'resistance' as a noun, it does not sound right to use it as singular when two types of resistance (tip and side) are presented.
Plus, this sentence can be paraphrased in many ways to get the point across, but what about his particular instance?


texts: "In back of'' vs. "back of" vs. the spatial sense of "behind" in AmE

texts:
What's the difference to these expressions, as in "The little girl was hiding in back of the tree" vs. "The little girl was hiding back of the tree" vs. "The little girl was hiding behind the tree"?

In addition, do "in back of" and "back of" have any currency in AE today? Plus, are these idioms safe to use for all proses, even the most formal one?


texts: Question about grammatical name and its function

texts:
What is the grammatical name given to, and the function of, the part of the sentence below in bold?

  Maneuvring a tanker is likewise a daunting challenge.


texts:
Different english-speaking cultures have different conventions for names.

In Australia - your name is shortened or lengthened as a term of endearment. Rose becomes Rosie, Mitchell becomes Mitch and Jack becomes Jacko .

In Scottish they appear to have a different (and more complicated) convention. Margaret becomes Peggy and Hugh becomes Shuggy.

My question is: Why is Hugh called 'Shuggy' in Scottish?


texts: What is a single-word synonym for "hobbyist writer"?

texts: I am trying to find a single-word synonym for hobbyist writer. Any answers please.


texts:
"I wonder why X's don't have (insert subject) and you do" Is it a question? Statement? A question imbedded in a statement? Or would it depend on the tone that was used?

Thank you in advance.


texts: What is the origin of 'common or garden'?

texts:
Why do we speak, for example, of a 'common or garden' bicycle, meaning one that simply does the job of a bicycle without alloy wheels, Sir Bradley Wiggins pedals or any other bells and whistles.

'Common or garden' means much the same thing as 'bog standard' and can apply to anything animate or inanimate.

Edit 28/7/15

The OED entry says.

  d.  passing into adj., in the slang phr. common or garden, a jocular substitute for ‘common’, ‘ordinary’.

  [1657   W. Coles Adam in Eden xxix. 59   But the Common or Garden Nightshade is not dangerous.]

  1892   Autobiog. Eng. Gamekeeper (J. Wilkins) 67   It was as large as a common—or garden—hen.

  1896   Daily News 16 Oct. 3/4   Such common or garden proceedings not being to the taste of Noa.

  1897   Westm. Gaz. 4 Aug. 8/2,   I have—to make use of a common or garden expression—been ‘rushed’ in this matter.


texts: What is a word for adapting a god into a demi-god or saint?

texts:
There are words that describe elevating a person into the divine: apotheosis, divinization, and deification as nouns, and deify as a verb. In some religions, it is possible for a human to undergo apotheosis (like Heracles in ancient Greek mythology); in Catholicism, the terms deification and divinization (but not apotheosis) denote believers acquiring salvation through becoming one with God.
Is there a single word that denotes the reverse, namely a noun for making a god into a demi-god, saint, or otherwise non-god entity? For example, pre-exile Israel had widespread polytheism, and books in the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament refer to the worship of multiple gods. 2 Kings 23:14 refers to removing items of worship for Asherah, a goddess who may have at one time been considered a wife to Yahweh (Wikipedia). In that case, human (non)believers choose to remove recognition of divine status. Alternatively, there are fictional mythologies where gods are cast down within the mythology, as may have happened with Aroden in the Golarion (Pathfinder) mythos. My target word would ideally refer to either situation:

Asherah underwent _____________ by the time of the Babylonian captivity. She was no longer recognized as a goddess within Judaism.

Many clerics speculate about the cause of Aroden's _____________ and eventual death.

I can think of one option. The OED attests undeify, but undeification is unattested in dictionaries I consulted and very rare (about 100 results on Google), so I'd prefer something more common if possible.


texts: Use of "when it comes to" at the beginning of a sentence

texts:
As I talk to someone about some subjects,
could I use "when it comes to" at the beginning of sentence?

For example:

  When it comes to food, I like...

Also, is it normally used in casual conversation?


texts:
Merriam gives me "withholder", which is indeed a noun, but not for the act.

Sample use in a sentence:

"Even private schools have some contact with the outside world, preventing the withholdment (sic) of certain facts."

Naturally, an alternative could be to substitute the double negative with "encouraging the acquisition of certain facts", but this changes the meaning completely and is untrue, and is therefore not what I want to write.


texts: Is "dawdle" a common verb in American English? In my limited experience I have never heard Americans use it.


texts: How to say my curiosity regarding why ABC has not been done has led me to study XYZ

texts:
Is there a better way to say the following?

  My curiosity regarding why one of the world's largest democracies has
  not been able to resolve these issues has led me to study economics.


texts: A word for when one thanks another for being exact?

texts:
So I sent an email to a Prof. asking for an invitation letter for a position. Now I receive his reply, and I am fascinated by the exactitude and precision in his reply. It is obvious that he has taken time to read the position flier exactly. So he has a clear mind about the requirements, the deadlines, etc.

I want to thank him and thanks his thorough considerations, his exactitude, his precision. What should I say? What is the most idiomatic way to do so? Here are  some suggestions. Which one is better? Or, you might have better suggestion?

  Thanks for your exactitude?

  Thanks for your thorough considerations?

  Thanks for your precision?


texts: What does the phrase "a mouth by gum have I" mean?

texts:
I came across this song by Frank Sinatra "Pass Me By", with the following lyrics:
I got me ten fine toes to wiggle in the sand,
Lots of idle fingers snap to my command,
A loverly pair of heels that kick to beat the band,
Contemplating nature can be fascinating,
Add to these a nose that I can thumb, and a mouth by gum have I
So tell the whole wide world, if you don't happen to like it,
Deal me out, thank you kindly, pass me by.

It puzzled me what exactly does 'a mouth by gum have I" mean? and How does the grammar work for that phrase?
here is the link if it helps:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB2bkEOeVq0


texts:
Should "et al." be written in italics, or not?

My impression was that it was, but http://www.ece.ucdavis.edu/~jowens/commonerrors.html and http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/02/et-al-when-and-how.html says it should not be italicised, but I previously thought it should be, as does this side-remark in this answer.


texts:
For example, "Lets go to the drive in(s) this weekend". Half of my friends say drive in and half say drive ins. I say drive ins. This is referring to the movie drive ins and not a drive in such as a restaurant.

Looking at other phrases in english its hard to tell if it should be plural or not:

"Lets go to the movies this weekend" - plural
"Lets go to the store tonight" - singular

In the case of movies, you're going to see one movie but its still plural, same with going to see a movie at the drive ins.

Whats the correct form?


texts: How did 'consideration' shift to signify grounds and the act of deliberation, then inducer of a grant or promise?

texts:
Frederick Pollock. Principles Of Contract. (1902) p. 170. p. 220/400 here.

          The name of Consideration appears only about the beginning of the sixteenth century, and we do not know by
  what steps it became a settled term of art. The word
  seems to have gone through the following significations :
  [1.] first, contemplation in general; [2.] then deliberate decision on
  a disputed question (hence the old form of judgments in
  the Common Law Courts, “It is considered”) (e); [3.] then
  the grounds as well as the act of deliberation; and [4.] lastly,
  in particular, that which induces a grant or promise.

Which semantic shift according to Typology by Blank (1999) befits "consideration" here? Specialization of meaning?
I too don't "know by
what steps" signification 2 shifted to 3 and 4! Kindly expatiate  the steps?

I understand signification 1, as it's just the ordinary meaning of "consideration"! But  2 feels unintelligibly alien, and 3 and 4 have semantically shifted too much for me to fill in the steps.  Kindly find the quote  in the scan beneath alongside the red line.


texts:
There is a set of exams (e.g. SAT subject tests, AP exams, etc.), and a (male) student is necessarily taking more than one of those exams. My friend knows which ones he's taking, so I'm asking him which ones. Which sentence is correct?

  "Which exams is he taking?"

or

  "Which exams are he taking?"

Both sound weird to me, especially the second (even though I believe that is technically the correct one).

I would appreciate if somebody could help tag this question properly.


texts: "Removals Service" or "Removal Service"?

texts:
Take for example the tag line: "reliable removals service".
Is this correct grammar/usage?  Or should it be just "removal", singular?

To me, "removals" seems more correct because it is describing removals in general and would include jobs that remove multiple items(house contents, furniture etc).  And this is the type of company I am describing(house, apartment, office removals etc, but also including single items..)

Whereas "removal service" singular would suggest to me that it's more for jobs involving removal of single items, or some type of specialist service.  For example "piano removal service".

I'd really like to hear from you if you know which is more correct.  I have seen both used for the type of service I am describing - even on the same website the plural and singular seem to often be used interchangibly.


texts: What does "fundamental tenants" mean? (not occupant)

texts:
In the following sentence, I'm guessing "tenants" means "design goals" (based on the context):

One of the fundamental tenants of Log4j 2 is to use immutable objects whenever possible and to lock at the lowest granularity possible.

I'm not familiar with this usage of "tenants" (there's probably another meaning I'm unaware of) versus this meaning:

tenant [ˈtɛnənt]:
n.

One that pays rent to use or occupy land, a building, or other property owned by another.
A dweller in a place; an occupant.
Law One who holds or possesses lands, tenements, or sometimes personal property by any kind of title.

I guessed that it was a typo, but searches for "tennant", "tenent", and "tennent" yielded no results. Can someone please provide the definition (and/or a link)?


texts: I'm editing a book that mentions Liberian Dollars (LD) and U.S. Dollars (USD). Should I put a dollar sign in front of the number or not? ($16 LD or 16 LD? $10 USD or 10 USD?)


texts: "Position" as verb to use in graphical user interface discussions?

texts:
What's the correct term to use for "positioning" elements in a graphic user interface?

For example, if I say:

  Where should we position the button A?

Is that a correct (and professional) way to say it?


texts: -phobia (or similar) word for "fear of the poor"

texts:
Peniaphobia seems to refer at least as much to the fear or hatred of being or becoming poor oneself, as it refers to fear or hatred of people who are already poor.

What would be a good word, or concise term, for the latter?


texts: Finding a word to describe that which is fundamentally real

texts:
I'm trying to articulate my perception of reality for a blog post. Core to the clarity of this post is that it successfully transmit a certain very deep and abstract notion. I struggle to convey this notion in all its depth; the best I can do is approximate the intellectual dimensions of the idea. I want the reader to appreciate the full spectrum of depth and meaning of the idea and to appreciate its emotional component too. And that's why I'm here.

The notion I'm trying to convey is as follows. Suppose you have some system of thought. Within this system, there are things which it considers to be real, true, fundamentally deep and meaningful, founded in absoluteness, that is, part of the fundamental structure of the system itself and not synthetic, constructed, subjective, or arbitrary. These objects whether they be physical or purely intellectual space, are the most real things that can exist in their systems. For example: gravity, pure mathematics, a certain way of life, etc.

What would be the adjective to describe this form of realness


texts: Can I omit the "is" in "a lower price than is actually intended to be charged"?

texts:
I came across the following sentence when I looked up the meaning of "low-ball".

  The low-ball is a persuasion and selling technique in which an item or service is offered at a lower price than is actually intended to be charged, after which the price is raised to increase profit.

Can I omit the "is" and say "at a lower price than actually intended"?