texts: Can the shortening of proper nouns, such as "The Nuge", be considered a type of elision?

texts:
The earliest example that comes to mind is the shortening of the name Ted Nugent as The Nuge.  To be clear, I'm less interested in the dropping of syllables at the end of his name, and more interested in the replacing of an initial word with "the".

A more recent example is Mountain Dew's slogan, "Do the Dew" (their re-branding as Mtn Dew is also interesting, but not what I'm getting at).

I've heard this formula applied colloquially, such as referring to Taco Bell as The Bell.

Would this be considered elision?  If not, is there a name for this?


texts:
"You try breaking that window yet?"

I can't guess the exact tense of this sentence, because of 'yet'.
Is it a question for someone who is trying to break the window or have tried to break it?


texts:
My organization meets the same day (3rd Thursday) every month. On our web site, I am displaying rotating announcements with details for "April Meeting", "May Meeting", and so on. I want to add headers so it is clear to everyone which meeting is next, but I am stuck on the word NEXT.

I am looking for a two-word title to express the meeting that is happening within the next thirty days, and another two-word title to express the meeting that is happening a month AFTER that.

Today is April 11th. In Slot A is the April Meeting. Do I label it "This Meeting", "Next Meeting", or what?

In Slot B is the May Meeting. Do I label it "Next Meeting", "Upcoming Meeting", or what?


texts: WHEN members of a private club in Manhattan suddenly start dropping dead at an alarming rate, Matt Scudder, a private detective, suspects more might be at play than bad luck to explain the bizarre series of suicides and violent accidents. If this sounds like the back-flap of a murder mystery, your deduction skills are as sharp as Mr Scudder’s. In Lawrence Block’s “A Long Line of Dead Men,” the cunning detective eventually finds the killer by focusing on what binds the club of 31 men together: they were all part of a tontine.


texts: Term for person who conducts illegal business

texts: What is the term for a person who conducts illegal business? Surely it is not illegal businessman, but maybe that could work.


texts: Another expression for cultural fit or likeness

texts: I'm looking for another way to say that I doubt if person X is a good cultural fit for a certain club, but it's important for me to imply that the problem is in X and not in the club. Just to get my intention across, I'll say that in some other languages there are expressions like "X is not crafted from the right material" or "X is not crafted from the same material as the club's members". Can you think of anything similar?


texts: What's the sentence pattern of passive voice?

texts:
We saw him enter the room. He was seen to enter the room.

When the sentence that has the pattern of “S+V+O+OC” is changed into passive form, do we call ‘to enter the room’ as a subjective complement or an object?


texts: Where does the expression 'Babbies first ...' come from?

texts:
I assume the expression is derived from "baby's first ...". I have seen the expression used mainly for online discussions of 'geeky' or 'nerdy' stuff. A quick google search gives me: babbies first linux, babbies first wallhack.

The usage of the expression seems to be intentional (e.g. not due to a typo). The gentoo wiki -- which has good reputation -- has a 'babbies first linux' page.


texts: Which of these words would you use in BrE vs AmE? Are there any regional differences associated with these words?

texts:
Fridge or refrigerator
/ mini-fridge or compact refrigerator
/ garden hose or hose pipe or water hose


texts: A is more near to B than C (is or does)?

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

  The approximate data values are much closer to the real data values than the original ones are.
  The approximate data values are much closer to the real data values than the original ones do.

Thanks!


texts: Usage of drove off in the following sentence

texts:
"I'll drive you to the MRT, then," her father said.

  After saying goodbye to her mother and promising to come back soon,
  Naomi got into her father's car, and drove off to the main road with
  him.

What I want to say is: "She got into the car and then her father drove off to the main road." I'm not very sure but I think the with him implies that her father was the one driving. Or it reads as if Naomi is the one driving the car? (Or drove off actually means left to the place and started heading to X so it isn't actually a problem?)


texts: To make clear with a note between brackets

texts:
I am searching for the word in English which stand for:
( to make clear with a note between brackets )
I check it on the internet but has no result.
Please help me.
Thanks.


texts: what is the meaning of "escalation path"?

texts:
here's the context:
There are clear escalation paths, a clear
management chain, and there is information being broadcast to them to help them do
their jobs better and more efficiently.


texts: "The office of the President" or "the office of President"?

texts:
I know this one by heart: it is Section 1 of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

It sounds perfectly natural to me. I don't know why, though. Here:

  Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Behold: Twice, the post is referred to as "the office of the President," and four times as "the office of President."

Why?


texts: Is the use of the construct "loss in" acceptable in the following context?

texts:
Is the use of the construct loss in acceptable in this context?

  Symptoms of stroke include loss in sensory perception

According to Grammarly, 'loss in' should be replaced with 'loss of'. But there are various instances where such a construct is used in practice.

  Examples:

  ...to compensate for the loss in perception through the multi-sensory-integration ...(phys.org)
  University of Florida study reveals loss in sensory perception may not be linked to aging (ScienceDaily)
  Furthermore, normal aging appears to be associated with loss in sensory functioning...(Springer)

This construct seems to by widely accepted in the scientific community. I'm not sure why Grammarly would flag this as a critical issue. What is an expert's take on this?


texts: Is there a word that combines the meanings of "not practical" and "not useful"?

texts: For some particular treatment, in a specialized topic, I wanted to say that it's not practical as well as not useful. Is there just one word for that?


texts:
I have always had trouble identifying to which noun 'which' refers to in sentences. At this moment I am writing my thesis, and of the examples I am struggling with is the following:

  We use confirmatory factor analysis to build our models, which hypothesises that the covariance between the observed variables is caused by a common factor: the latent variable of interest.

In this example, I intend to refer back to 'confirmatory factor analysis', but I am not sure if I actually refer to 'our models'. Is there a rule of thumb, or a trick, to be able to determine which word which refers to?


texts: What is the actual spelling/pronunciation? What is the origination of this phrase?


texts:
I am looking for a single noun to describe someone that you have come within 5 feet of or so, or have seen, or have crossed paths with.

The closest terms I can think of are passer-by or stranger. You may or may not know them, so stranger is not a good fit. Is there a better word than passer-by?

Why the question? I am building an app that detects other mobile devices using Bluetooth, and I need a name for the collection of these people. Initially, I was considering nearbyUsers or nearbyPeople, but once they go out of range they are no longer nearby.

What are they?


texts: Usage of definite article with "last episode"

texts:
I have a question about the usage of the definite article with the phrase "last episode". Compare the following examples:

In last episode, John met with Karen.
In the last episode, John met with Karen.

Am I correct in assuming that the first sentence speaks about the previous episode while the second about the final one? Or is the first sentence incorrect at all and the definite article is necessary in both cases?

Furthermore, can you use this phrase without the definite article in the same way you would use last time/last week etc.? Example:

Last episode, John met with Karen.

Thank you kindly for your help.


texts: Is this the correct explanation of the difference between "excited" and "exciting", "bored" and "boring", etc?

texts:
Ok, there are many websites that explain this, but I think they are not clear.

Here is what I came up with:

-the adjective with "-ed" like excited or bored: a person or other animal has received the feeling.

-the adjective with "-ing" like exciting or boring: something is generating the feeling.

Ex: She is bored because she met a boring man.

The party is boring so we are bored.

Is that a correct explanation of the difference between "excited" and "exciting", "bored" and "boring", etc?


texts: Does "Sure fix for conflicts" need a hyphen between "Sure" and "fix"?

texts: A friend is using the tagline Sure fix for conflicts.  He says sure fix needs a hyphen (Sure-fix).  I'm not sure. Which is correct and why?


texts: What's the meaning of "the same" in Indian English

texts:
I work in tech, and at the company I work for employs and does business with a lot of Indian businesses and individuals. When exchanging emails, I've been noticing the use of "the same" in a completely different context than I'm familiar with.
To note a few examples, here are some phrases I've received:

"Let's look at improving the same."
"Could you please check for the same?"
"He did tell me the results from yesterday but I need to check for
the same"

The use seems a bit random, as sometimes there are no prior sentences to put "the same" in context, nor is there always a subject/issue/object in comparison when "the same" is used.
Can anyone clarify?


texts: What is the difference between "have an affair with somebody" and "cheat on somebody"

texts:
Did you have an affair with her? Did you cheat on her?

Does both have the same nuance?


texts: Is "qo" a step in the evolution of the question mark?

texts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Question_mark
According to the wikipedia article I've linked to above, "qo" was sometimes used in the middle ages to abbreviate the latin word "questio" in the way that we might use a modern day question mark. I can't find any example of this anywhere online. Help?


texts:
In my home state, there is a statute regarding child seats.

§ 20-137.1.  Child restraint systems required.

  (a)        Every driver who is transporting one or more passengers of less than 16 years of age shall have all such passengers properly secured in a child passenger restraint system or seat belt which meets federal standards applicable at the time of its manufacture.

  (a1)      A child less than eight years of age and less than 80 pounds in weight shall be properly secured in a weight-appropriate child passenger restraint system. In vehicles equipped with an active passenger-side front air bag, if the vehicle has a rear seat, a child less than five years of age and less than 40 pounds in weight shall be properly secured in a rear seat, unless the child restraint system is designed for use with air bags. If no seating position equipped with a lap and shoulder belt to properly secure the weight-appropriate child passenger restraint system is available, a child less than eight years of age and between 40 and 80 pounds may be restrained by a properly fitted lap belt only.

Here's the source.

I am confused on the first sentence in a1, particularly concerning a child who is older than eight but who weighs less than 80 pounds. Does he have to be secured in a child passenger restraint system?

It comes down to the "and." If the "and" means a logical disjunction, then the statute has no bearing on either an 81 pound six-year-old or a 72 pound eleven-year-old. They may sit in the front with a lap and shoulder belt if they wish (and no one else has called "shotgun").

However, if the intent of the law is to keep smaller children from being injured by airbags, then perhaps the lawmakers should have rephrased, removing the age, to something like "A child above 80 pounds may sit in a lap and shoulder belt in the front seat. Children under 80 pounds shall be properly secured in a weight-appropriate child passenger restraint system in a rear seat."

I'm having trouble interpreting the letter of the law. I'm not sure what the spirit of the law is, either. In a normal reading (as opposed to being tried in court by lawyers), does this statute apply to my 72 pound, eleven-year-old? That is, does 20-137.1 require me to put my eleven-year-old in a car seat?


texts:
It seems to me combining "a-"and "rhythmic" would intuitively be spelled "arhythmic".

Is there a rule or some other practical reason that it's spelled arrhythmic?


texts: "I am tired and doing my homework." Is it grammatically correct?

texts:
Is the sentence in the title absolutely grammatically correct? I recently had an argument with a fellow student, and he said that the sentence is incorrect. I do not think he is right, because I saw numerous examples of such constructions on the Internet, but we were never taught to use such constructions, so I decided to ask here to be sure.
Here are some similar sentences that I just found on the Internet as examples:
(1) I am tired and thinking in circles. (From An Unreasonable Woman: A True Story of Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters, and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas by Diane Wilson)
(2) And because I am tired and doing what I do not want to be doing, it takes another minute or two before the date sinks in. (From Man in the Moon: Essays on Fathers and Fatherhood by Stephanie G'Shwind)
(3) Where were you born? Melbourne, Australia ... What do you want to be when you grow up? I am grown up and doing what I want to be doing, Teaching! (Source)


texts:
Resently I saw a cartoon and coulndt understand why is there used does instead of do? I think this is not an auxiliary verb and its a positive sentense. Is this dialectical form? Or very informal variety of English?

"Leonardo's the hero in blue. DOES anything it takes to get his ninja through"


texts: driver: is there a sense specific to sound technology?

texts:
I need to an explanation for the following word :

the word is Driver , and the article where the word is written is about HeadPhones

Driver - in computer terms - usually means the software that you need to install to make a new device work properly , that meaning doesn't seem to be correct here , please check it , thanks .

With sound hole valves and professionally tuned drivers to allow for crystal clear reproduction of your music

--


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is it normal in English to talk about oneself in the third person in these cases?

I’m currently preparing my CV in English. I’m not a native English speaker, and I rarely wrote any common documents in language other than my mother tongue.

That’s why I'm worried about some basic things like: Do I have to put my profile summary, work experience, etc. in first person singular or in third person?

For example:

  Software developer with 4.5 years of professional experience in OOP. Participated in producing quality software solutions for leading global companies. A good team-player as well as excelling at working independently. In the heart of my professional philosophy is that IT field requires constant skill improvement and gaining of new knowledge. (...)

or

  I am a software developer with 4.5 years of professional experience in OOP. I participated in producing quality software solutions for leading global companies. I'm a good team-player as well as I excel at working independently. In the heart of my professional philosophy is that IT field requires constant skill improvement and gaining of new knowledge.(..)

Moreover, is it considered wrong if in the same paragraph I mix first and third persons? Some sentences really sound better in first person, others in third. Is there any standard approach?


texts: Are there English contrepèteries apart from this one ?

texts:
Do you know the difference between a nun in a church and a nun in a bath ?

This sounds as a nun joke, it is not.

Well, in church her soul is full of hope...

Then you let your audience figure out the rest. This is art for connoisseurs, and you're not meant to give it away, but since I think most English speakers miss this without knowing, here it is:
Her Soul is full of Hope...

Her S-ole is full of H-ope...

This is rude, and meant that way, go on...

Her H-ole is full of S-ope

Her hole is full of soap.

There are thousands of such humorous blasts, hidden in French literature, passed like farts in too stiff dinners by bored gentlemen sharing a laugh in private, published weekly in "L'album de la contesse" the dedicated section of "Le canard Enchainé", a satirical and political weekly read by the establishment.

Now my questions are : Does that exist in english ? Is it even possible beyond a few examples ? What's it called ?


texts: Can anyone explain to me why this statement is incorrect: "I wonder how much would it be ..."

texts:
I have been having this debate with my friend and I cannot find any information regarding the correctness (or incorrectness) of the statement in the title. Is version 1 (below) incorrect grammatically? If so, why? And why would more people agree that version 2 is better than version 1?

I wonder how much would it be ...
I wonder how much it would be ...

I would really appreciate it if anyone can help us understand these nuances. Thank you!!


texts: "If I was really ugly" versus "if I were really ugly"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “If I was” or “If I were”. Which is more common, and which is correct?

I tweeted a little earlier today:

  I mean, if I was really ugly they would probably run me down, right?

A friend called me out on my incorrect grammar:

  if you WERE really ugly. Grammar, Ryan.

So this begs the question, who's right here? Is it correct to say "If I was really ugly" or "If I were really ugly"?


texts: "what it is you lack" versus "what you lack"

texts:
I was watching an anime and came across to a sentence that I don't fully understand:

  "You must gain what it is you lack."

In this sentence, what's "what it is you lack" supposed to mean?

And how is it different from:

  "You must gain what you lack."


texts:
What's the meaning of "to be use to +verb +ing"?

My doubt is if it can be used as the present of "used to" (habit or state in present), if it means to be able to stand an uncorfortable situation, or if both ways are ok.

I'll give two examples so you can analise:

I'm use to going to the beach at weekends. (I have the habit of going to the beach at weekends)
I'm use to going to the beach by bus.  (though they are always full and take so long to get there)

In which case(s) is the usage of the tense correct, 1, 2, or both?

Thanks


texts: What's a career-threatening injury if you don't do it for a living?

texts:
How would I describe a 'career-threatening/career-ending injury' when I'm talking about someone who didn't do it for a living?

In this particular example, a middle-aged man who loved Sunday cricket but was rubbish at it, who suddenly tore a ligament and found that he could never play again.


texts: Origin of 'filibuster' in U.S. English, and its shift in meaning from 'insurrectionist' to 'obstruction'

texts:
According to the Wikipedia article on Filibuster,

The term "filibuster" is derived from the Dutch vrijbuiter ("freebooter", a pillaging and plundering adventurer), though the precise history of its borrowing into English is obscure. The Oxford English Dictionary finds its only known use in early modern English in a 1587 book describing "flibutors" who robbed supply convoys. In the late 18th century, the term was re-borrowed into English from the French form flibustier, a form that was used until the mid-19th century. The modern form "filibuster" was borrowed in the early 1850s from the Spanish form filibustero, and was applied to private military adventurers like William Walker who were then attacking and pillaging Spanish colonies in Central America. By the late 1880s, the term "filibustering" became common in American English in the sense of "obstructing progress in a legislative assembly".

For its part, Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003) has these entries for the term:

filibuster n {Sp filibustero, lit. freebooter} (1851) 1 : an irregular military adventurer; specif : an American engaged in fomenting insurrections in Latin America in the mid-19th century 2 a : the use of extreme dilatory tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action  esp. in a legislative assembly b : an instance of this practice
filibuster vi (1851) 1 : to carry out insurrectionist activities in a foreign country 2 : to engage in  in a filibuster ~ vt : to subject to a filibuster — filibusterer n

The Wikipedia article suggests that filibuster made the jump in meaning from "insurrectionist" to "legislative obstruction tactic" by the late 1880s. But I have seen instances of the obstructionist meaning from as early as August 1877.
My questions are:

When and in connection with what particular incident or incidents did filibuster begin to appear in U.S. English in the "insurrectionist" sense?

When and how did the meaning of filibuster in U.S. English make the leap from "insurrectionist" to "legislative obstructionist tactic"?


texts: Expression for something beautiful that comes from very average (or even ugly) circumstances

texts: I was recently working on a math problem, which involved some horrifically messy calculations, but which resulted in a surprisingly clean, beautiful, and useful result, and I was wondering what a good expression would be to describe such a thing. My first thought was "diamond in the rough", but that doesn't really convey that it started out as something really ugly, and in any case, the expression reminds me of a song I don't like. Is there a better expression for this? The best I can think of is "ugly duckling", but that expression focuses mainly on the earlier (ugly) phase, rather than the fact that beauty came seemingly out of nowhere.


texts: Is this the correct usage of the word "fraught"?

texts: MySpace is fraught with users sending friend requests to people they don't even know.


texts: What's the meaning of this quotation from Rollo May?

texts:
Rollo May, in his book The Courage to Create, said,

  Commitment is healthiest when it is not without doubt but in spite of doubt.

Would someone please paraphrase this sentence?


texts: What is correct? "As I learn about X, I will become more and more skilled", or "While I learn [..]"?

texts:
I want to express the concept that, by learning more and more about some topic, with time I will progressively become more skilled. I think the correct conjunction in this case is "as", right? I.e.,

  As I keep learning about X, I will progressively become more skilled.

However, I also heard a coworker saying:

  While I keep learning about X, I will progressively become more skilled.

Neither of us is a native English speaker. Is his form also acceptable?


texts: What is the difference between word "Joy" (when means emotion) and "Amusement" (another emotion)?

texts:
Do they refer to same or different things? If to different things, then does "joy" imply that there is "amusement"? Does "amusement" implicitly mean that there is "joy"?

For example, let's say that I laughed a lot during a specifc comedy. What should I say to say about this comedy in my review, "It was amusing" or "It was joyfull"?

If I understand correctly "amusing" can mean "engaging". Does it mean that in my review of a sad/dramatic/tragic film (with zero comedy involved) I can rightfully say that "the film was amusing"?


texts:
Last Wednesday, I went out to tea with several friends, and one of the men said that he had a new girlfriend. I asked him what she looked like, and all he said was,"She has a face that launched  a thousand ships."

What does this phrase mean? And what is its origin?


texts: When two words are put together as in "put down" - is it a phrase?

texts: When two words are put together as in "heads up", "put down", "build out"... are they considered a phrase? And if so, do the term for these are "adjectival phrases" as they mention on this question: Is "put together" an adjectival phrase?.


texts: Is there a single word or expression for people who share similar interests? Can the word "alike" be used in this case?


texts: When can you start wishing people a good weekend?

texts:
In Belgian culture (and some others, I suppose) it is not uncommon to wish people a good weekend when you meet them on Friday. Not just when you go home after work, but also in the store around noon, or even in the morning.

Is this common in english too? If you send a business e-mail on Friday, is it weird to end it with "have a good weekend"?


texts:
I came across a very neat parallel, but I wonder if I can use the structure today without setting off alarm in an editor's head.

  A stretch of a series is any piece taken out of it, and not having
  any gaps.

Source: Whitehead & Russell. Principia Mathematica. Merchant Books, 1910.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What's the rule for using “who” or “whom”?
  With who vs. With whom

Are “by whom?” and “who by?” perfect equivalents?

I have the feeling that the use of “who by?” is just a way of avoiding use “whom” but I have no evidence or proof. The anglophone people I talk to hardly use “whom”.

Are both expressions equally used, or is the difference between them only regional?


texts: What does this question ask? What is the meaning of "for the law" in this sentence?

texts:
The sentence is:

"Is it ever justifiable for the law to treat some people as inferior to others?"

Can anyone explain the meaning of this question? I am confused about especially the "for the law" part. Is "law" the subject here? Or does it ask that if treating some people as inferior to others is justifiable or not in front of the law?


texts: What does the quote "Only a fool see fools" mean?? I just can't actually grasp the idea....


texts: Is the opposite of "like" "dislike" or "indifference/neutrality & dislike?"

texts:
I think most people think the opposite of "like" is "dislike," but when I think about it, I don't think this is true.
"Dislike" actually means that one regards the thing of interest with displeasure. But the opposite of "like" should just be anything that doesn't mean "like" and in this case it could mean "dislike" but it could also mean that one is indifferent/neutral (neither like or dislike) regarding the thing of interest.
So what is actually the opposite of "like?"
This leads me to my next question on if "I don't like X" is the same as "I dislike X?" Based on what I alluded to above, I think the two are different. The think the former doesn't necessarily mean you dislike X, as I think it necessarily covers the case where you feel neutral about X, but I feel most people would interpret "I don't like" as "I dislike."


texts: Why is 'I wonder if [...] ?' used to form questions?

texts:
I have noticed that many users on this site start a question with I wonder if and then go on to finish with a question mark, presumably inflecting strangely at the end.

Is this an acceptable use of a question mark, or is it bad grammar?

Whence does it come?


texts: Different syllabic boundaries in various dictionaries?

texts:
Consider, for instance, the word "university":

American Heritage: u·ni·ver·si·ty
Collins Cobuild: uni|ver|sity
Merriam Webster: uni·ver·si·ty

As you see, syllabic boundaries differ.

I read somewhere that this is codified by orthographic conventions. So, does this mean that there's no standard, even in purely American (or British) dictionaries?


texts: A word to call an analysis or an opinion "appreciative of the topic's subtleties"?

texts:
In my mother tongue (Czech), I'd use a word that would directly translate to English as "sensitive" (citlivý), but that doesn't quite carry the same meaning.

I'm looking for a word that encapsulates that the person doing the analysis is not quick to draw conclusions, and instead carefully takes heed of the topic's subtleties and intricacies. Something in between "insightful" and "incisive" and "humble"...

edit: Sample sentence would be: "In spite of my expectations, the newspaper article about immigration was surprisingly [sensitive]."


texts: Generally, determiners are defined as preceding nouns, but can they also precede pronouns? For example, the word "least" can take a number of forms including adverb, adjective, determiner, AND pronoun, as in "that's the least of my problems" or "he earns the least". These examples are used to illustrate the usage of "least" as a pronoun. But isn't it actually a "noun" in these contexts? Then it would make sense for a determiner to precede it.


texts: An alternative way to say "shifting perspectives"?

texts: What would be a good alternative way to say "shifting perspectives", as in the meaning of looking at things in a new way?


texts:
How do commas change the meaning in these two sentences? Do they have a different meaning and how and why do the commas have this effect (if there is one)?

1 - The teacher who was very fair was the most popular with the children.
2 - The teacher, who was very fair, was the most popular with the children.


texts: Is “completely good” proper English? If not, why?

texts:
I was recently asked by a Japanese person why completely good was improper English, as in “This is completely good.”

As a native speaker of English (raised in northeastern America), I do feel there’s something strange about the phrase, but I can’t quite put my finger on what — after all, phrases such as very good, mostly good, perfectly good, etc. are used.

Is this in fact improper English, or, for that matter, does it depend on dialect, and if so, why?


texts:
"The light of hope came to me dim." I found this sentence in The story of my life by Helen Keller.

Why does the adjective "dim" come after the pronoun "me", not after the verb "came" (such as "The light of hope came dim to me")? I am confused. Please get this easier for me.


texts: Time agreement. Using past simple/continuous and present perfect together

texts:
Should it be present perfect (has felt) / present simple (cannot understand) in the sentence below or the tense of the first sentence implies that these verbs fall into past aspect so past perfect / past simple pair (backshift) is to be applied?

  I was reading a funny article today. Its author jokingly asked whether anyone has felt himself labeled as a 'cookoo' because of his acts others cannot understand.


texts: What to call someone whose partner is dead

texts: Is there any particular word for a person whose partner (love) has passed away? Like he/she is keeping lonely now, crying or silent all the time because they miss their dead partner.


texts: "sections 1 and 2" vs. "section 1 and 2"

texts:
Which is correct: "In sections 1 and 2 we discuss ...", or "In section 1 and 2 we discuss ..."?

The latter sounds strange to me, but a journal copyeditor has just changed multiple instances of the former into the latter.


texts: Difference between using plural pronouns vs singular in this sentence

texts:
From the SAT:
Psychologists advise that before making any major changes in their lives, people should focus on their goals.

This is the right answer but another choice seems plausible to me but I don't know why it is wrong

Here is the other choice:
Psychologists advise that before making any major changes in their life, a person needs to focus on their goals.

Can someone explain to me why the second sentence is wrong? Thanks!


texts: The auxiliary verb (using in perfect tenses) in sentences with 2 or more notional verbs

texts:
There is an example:

  Today I have written a letter and done my homework.

Or is it necessarily to put the auxiliary verb before done?
Somebody has told me that we can ommit the auxiliary verb in such cases when we use perfect continious tenses...Is it correct? (Would you give me some links where I can learn about the rules if they exist)


texts: their relationship after the incident were or was?

texts:
What is the correct way to use was/were

their relationship after the incident were?

their relationship after the incident was?


texts: Why doesn't English spelling vary with region that much?

texts:
Even though English spelling is so irregular, native speakers still share a common writing system with little regional difference. When you refer to the moving organ in your mouth, you may pronounce it differently, but all native speakers write T_O_N_G_U_E, in such obviously "wrong" spelling.

Why? Why didn't different regions develop different writing systems, since they have different accents and word-choices?


texts: Is there a term for the grammatical/rhetorical construction of "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named"?

texts: Is there a term for the construction of specifying someone or something solely via a relative clause without explicitly naming it, as in the example in the title - either at the level of grammar or of rhetoric? This seems like the kind of thing that there'd be an obscure Latin word for. It's kind of like an epithet, but not quite, because you only have the epithet and not the primary name itself.


texts: Everyone has a dream with stars in their heart / hearts?

texts: As in the title, I'm conflicted whether to use the former or the latter. Logically speaking, I'd rather choose "hearts" since we're talking about everyones', but some quotes found on the internet make me wonder.


texts: Can you help me to explain the second sentence in this paragraph

texts: The eighteenth century was not one in which powered sculptural conceptions were developed. Add to this the timidity with which unschooled artisans - originally trained as stonemasons, carpenters, or cabinetmakers - attacked the medium from which they sculpture made in the United States in the late eighteenth century.


texts: What's an alternative for the word "profile" in the context of computer software/data (and not relating to people or users)?

texts:
I'm a software/database developer and struggling to find the correct term for what we are currently referring to in our software as "profile". Of all the definitions I found for the word profile, these two are the closest but still inaccurate for our use:

a user's summary of their personal details or current situation.
a record of a person's psychological or behavioral characteristics, preferences, etc.

These seem to relate more directly to people. I'm happy to continue using the term in relation to people, such as Person profile or User profile. However, we are using the term for many more things in our software. Whenever we are editing basic information on an entity in our database we refer to it as "updating the [fill-in-the-blank] profile" (ie. school profile, team profile, game profile, etc.). What's a more appropriate alternative for these types of record keeping chunks of basic data?

Edit:
The word record would not be a good fit since we are involved in school sports. (ie. team record would be confusing). The term would preferably be used internally (in code) and also on user-interface screens for editing and viewing.

Update: It was a tough choice between details and info, but we decided to go with details. It seems to have a bit more appeal since it is not a short-form of a word. I also feel it gives a little more attraction for users to click on and pairs nicely with the word view (as in "view details"). The word details also pulled up a whole new set of synonyms that were good candidates. There are two things in computer programming that are generally considered to be the hardest. One of those things is "naming things".


texts: How to distinguish "wherefore" from "therefore"

texts:
I'm aware that the word "wherefore" can be used in the same way as "why", as in classic Shakespeare: "Wherefore art thou Romeo" (NOT meaning where).

However how else can it be properly used? Please don't just give me a dictionary definition, or a simple example, but please help distinguish it from "therefore", which is the thrust of my question.

Cheers.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What rules make “Remember me, who am your friend” grammatical?

Am aware it is correct to say "I have written..." and "I am a doctor who has writen..."

I have, however, severally come across the sentence "I, Tertius, who have written...".
Shouldn't it be "I, Tertius, who has written..."?

Related


texts: Single word request for the effect of an expert's presence

texts:
I am searching for a word or a couple of words to describe the following situation:

A login webpage isn't working (i.e. someone can't log in) (for example the login page of Gmail). A user is trying to login, through multiple attempts and in different ways, without success. He asks an expert for advice about this issue and that specialist comes to help him. The expert tries to login with the user's device, doing what looks like the same exact procedure, and the login works at the first try.

In this situation it looks like the "presence" of the expert was the only difference between a failed login and a successful login.

I am looking for a word to describe this situation where just the very presence of an expert seems to changes the outcome of the situation without the expert doing anything on purpose, just acting normally.

UPDATE:

Example sentence in which I would use the word I am looking for:

Let me think about it.


texts:
I'm looking for other expressions that describe "overwhelming force" as applied to the "shock and awe" American military doctrine or different kinds of asymmetric warfare.

Trivial sentence:

  The empire attacked the rebel base with __________ (overwhelming force?).


texts: When to use a gerund or an infinitive after "is"?

texts:
How does one know when to use a gerund or an infinitive? states a 90% rule, but I'm more interested in the remaining 10%.
This British Council page states

Sorry, there isn’t a rule. You have to learn which verbs go with which
pattern.

and then lists some verbs, after which the correct form applies.
But what about these two examples (if I got it right)?

My dream is to become a doctor.
My hobby is listening to music.

Why does one take a gerund, and the other an infinitive? What is the rule?


texts:
I am looking for an adjective that means "of or relating to policies".

Of course, political first comes to mind. It, however, is much more to do with politics, rather than policy.

Examples:

"I disagree with the official's –––– decisions." We could insert political but this would focus the sentence on the game of politics—the networking, the ladder-climbing, etc. People often just use the noun policy, but is there an actual adjective?
"I am  interested in the city's –––– future."


texts: A word for someone who will go along with how you feel, or with whatever you want to do

texts:
I'm writing a story and I can't think of a word that describes someone.  The quote is,

  Who do I want right now?  Sympathy or _____

So I'm looking for a word that describes this character.  If you're mad, she'll get mad with you.  If you want to cry, she'll bring the tissues and be right beside you making her own river.  In the moment, she will be angry with the main character, I don't know if that will help but that's the situation.


texts:
What would be a word for the object of adoration? E.g., a public speaker, a movie actor or a character in a novel.

In short, if I am a fan of X, then X is my __.

Please note that the adoration here is not excessive, and therefore I am looking for a word weaker than 'idol'.


texts:
My question is that which is the suitable and correct sentence related to the amount.

1) Sum of both amount?
OR
2) Sum of both amounts?

Kindly intimate concerning this and clarify the concept of mine ASAP.


texts: "I was to go to America at the end of the week. It would be the first time I had flown to America." Is the second sentence correct?

texts:
I am using exactly the same sentence as the one used in a question already posted by someone else to ask whether one should not say and write "It will be the first time I fly to America." rather than "It will be the first time I have flown to America."

The question of what happens when the first verb is in the conditional (a future in the past: telling about someone who was about to do something) was not asked.

So, here it is…

Why should one say

  "It would be the first time I had flown to America."

rather than

  "* It would be the first time I would have flown to America.*"

or

  "* It would be the first time I have flown to America.*"

or

  " * It would be the first time I would fly to America.*"

or

  "* It would be the first time I flew to America.*"

?


texts: Singular or Plural Use of One Object in Two Locations

texts:
Should grand opening be singular or plural? The sentences in question:

  Celebrate the grand opening of Planet Fitness Mason and Planet
  Fitness Middletown for just one dollar!

or

  Celebrate the grand openings of Planet Fitness Mason and Planet
  Fitness Middletown for just one dollar!


texts: The word for the share of rows that has a value in a certain column

texts:
In statistics, is there a word for the share of data items that has a value for a certain property? Or in spreadsheet terms, the share of rows that have a value in a certain column?

In Dutch, there is the word "vulgraad" (lit. "filling rate") that means just that but we find it hard to come up with a proper English translation. "Percent non-empty" is the best we came up with yet, but we feel that there has to be a noun like in Dutch.

As an example, given a table of people:

First name        Middle name      Last name
--------------------------------------------
Theodore                           Roosevelt
Eddy              Van              Halen
Peter                              Stuyvesant
Rutger                             Hauer

one could say that the middle name field has a vulgraad of 25%.


texts: "having", "with" or "who have" - which is preferred for an attribute conferring group membership?

texts:
I need to provide a label in my software's user interface that describes about the list of members having private access to a document. So which one will suit best from the following?

Members having private access
Members with private access
Members who have private access

Note: The label will be suffixed with a colon.


texts: Articles before common noun followed by proper name

texts:
I would like to know if usage of indefinite articles in the following sentence is appropriate or if there should be definite articles in their place.

1) A leopard cub Leo and a tiger cub called Tig experience various
fascinating adventures and learn how to help each other and be kind.

I believe it appropriate since there is definitely many cubs in the world and we mention them for the first time, but maybe I'm mistaken and presence of proper name changes the situation? Couple of other examples:

2) An animated series about the adventures of two unfailing friends, a brown bear Innokenty and a polar bear named White Cloud.

3) Dr. Ryan Stone goes on her first space mission under the command of an experienced astronaut Matt Kowalski.

4) A popular country musician whose career is rapidly going downhill falls in love with an unknown, but very talented singer Ally.

And the opposite case:

5) Psychoanalyst Ben Sobol gets a really hard case, the New York mafia godfather suffering from depression.

I believe that since mafia godfather is a singular position, the indefinite article would be appropriate. Is it correct?


texts: What is the difference between these responses?

texts: Suppose I tell you that you can't understand what this means "fdhfshdgfjdsghskdrhgyc". You could reply "Yes, I can" or "No, I can". For the first phrase, it means that you are able to understand what that series of letters means and you are affirming your knowledge. The second phrase means that you are rejecting the idea that you can't understand it and are insisting that you can. These responses pretty much mean the same thing, correct?


texts: Looking for a list of "english words" that exist in other languages, but with different meanings

texts:
I had a terrible misunderstanding with a semi-conservative Turkish woman who was offended when I said

  "Let's have brunch, and I'll bring some platonic female friends"

I'm told that in Turkey, "platonic" has a meaning of one person who deeply desires the other (sexually), but that is not reciprocated.  The English version is that of a non-sexual friendship, where lust isn't in the picture.

She thought that I wanted all these women present who admired me in that sexual way.

I don't wan to create these offenses again, and so is there a list of words that have a strong similarity to English, but with a different meaning?


texts: Since the rules do not forbid “I brought him him”, can I therefore say it that way?

texts:
I’ve searched about direct and indirect objects, and all explanations have led me to think that I could say this:

?I brought him him.

Is that allowed? I think it should be, since the rules governing direct and indirect objects’ inversion apply only to the pronouns it and them, and then only if the indirect objects are nouns, not if they’re pronouns.

So, what do you think?  Because the rules say nothing against it, would it therefore be right to say the first version, not just the second?

?I brought him him.
I brought him to him.

(from comments)

After all, we have the grammatical examples of:

Give me it.
Bring me it.

Although I don’t understand why those are ok but

*Do me it.

is wrong.


texts:
In Hebrew, it is common to say  "מחשב PC". The word "מחשב" means "computer", of any kind, and PC, well, a PC - personal computer.

While translating a technical document today I saw this being used, and was about to  translate it to "PC computer", when I realized it actually reads as "Personal computer computer", so I stopped.

Problem is, if I translate it to just "PC" or just "Computer", it doesn't feel correct to me, as not fully sticking to the original meaning in the document. Of course my feeling might be wrong, as far as English is concerned, and that is why I'm asking here.

So, can I say "PC computer", or is it plain wrong?


texts:
When you have this construct:

  . . . is a key factor in the making and controlling of the water.

Should you leave only the last verb in the gerund:

  . . . is a key factor in the make and controlling of the water.


texts: Origin of “Fish” as an exclamation or mild oath

texts:
One of the characters in Bojack Horseman would often say “fish” as an exclamation or mild oath (mary, mr. Shakespeare).  I just thought this was a peculiarity of the show, but I heard another usage today in King of the Hill in the same exact manner.
Perhaps the two shows are linked, but I suspect this is not the case.  Does anyone know if “fish” has been used in such a manner?


texts: Use of dashes or commas when adding a qualifier

texts:
For the following, I'm not sure how to separate each component of the sentence:

  After the standard battery of tests, factual verifications (Who's the president? — Obama) and autobiographical sketches (do you remember where you were before the accident? — No ), the doctor handed me a journal.

or

  After the standard battery of tests -- factual verifications (Who's the president? — Obama) and autobiographical sketches (do you remember where you were before the accident? — No) -- the doctor handed me a journal.

(please let me know if it's incorrect to describe the 'factual verifications and autobiographical sketches' as 'qualifiers' elaborating on the 'standard battery of tests')


texts: 'I hope it rains' or 'I hope it will rain'

texts:
I've been through several books for teaching English as a foreign language, and these structures are usually presented as exact synonyms. But isn't there a difference?

Just by looking at the verb tense, I'd say that using Present Simple gives the idea that the speaker thinks it is likely to rain, whereas using will places the possibility of rain in the realm of 'unlikeliness'.

Am I on to something here or am I just splitting hairs? Honestly, I feel awkward telling my students 'yeah, they're interchangeable just like the book says' when I'm not convinced.


texts:
Would anyone please enlighten me on why the author uses 'if and only if' here? It sounds to me as though just 'if' sufficed for him to inform the readers 'Cats are her favourite animals' is the truth condition.

Implicature
A communicated implication of an utterance. A speaker can intend to mean
more by her utterance than what the words that she utters mean, as the
philosopher Paul Grice pointed out.

Andy: I think we should get a pet.
Bess: Cats are my favourite animals.

Here Bess’s utterance is true if and only if cats are her favourite animals.
However, in the context, it is likely that she conveyed more, in making her
utterance, than this (and that she intended to do so). She intentionally and
openly implied that she and Andy should get a cat (or cats) as pets. Pragmatic theorists would say that she implicated that she and Andy should get a cat (or cats) as pets.
[...]
(source: Key Terms in Pragmatics)


texts:
When I was studying grammar, I learned that when we want to use a verb in its 'infinitive form' at the beginning of a sentence, we must use it in its 'gerund form', otherwise, if I used 'to' at the beginning of the sentence the verb wouldn't be in its 'infinitive form' because 'to' would be a preposition. I'm gonna give an example for you guys to understand better what I mean.

"Reading a little bit every day is an awesome activity". (Even though the verb is in the 'gerund', it means 'infinitive'.) [ Is this correct? ]

"To read a little bit every day is an awesome activity".  (the word 'to' in this sentence doesn't put the verb 'read' in its 'infinitive form' because 'to' works as a preposition in this case.)  [ Is this correct? ]

So, my question is: Must I always put the verb in its 'gerund form' to mean 'infinitive' at the beginning of a sentence or can I use both forms meaning the same? And is there any grammar rule which explains that?


texts:
I got this quote from Ali movie said by Bundini:

  God don't care about you. Don't care about me. In all of everything,
  we don't mean nothing. He don't owe us. We be. That's the onliest thing
  he did. But that's good. That's why we free. But free ain't easy. Free
  is real and real is a motherfucker. It eats raw meat. It walk in its
  own shoes. It don't ever waiver. Yeah

I don't really understand what it means That's why we free. I was thinking that it probably should be we are free, but subtitles seems to be correct on all other dialogs so I believe it's correct here as well.


texts:
I often use that's it from me for today to summarise and finish my report on daily standup.

Are there any other, similar phrases?


texts: Difference between upcoming and forthcoming

texts:
What is the difference between upcoming vs forthcoming?

For example, which one is the correct :

Forthcoming Movies OR  Upcoming Movies


texts: What, in the context of time, is the equivalent of "equidistant"

texts:
A location, A, is said to be equidistant from two other locations, B and C, if the distance from A to B is the same as the distance from A to C.

What is the equivalent word to use in the context of time? That is, suppose that the distance from A to B is different from the distance from A to C, but it takes the same amount of time to get from A to B as it does from A to C.


texts: How does one say 'a more extensive treatment'?

texts:
There are a couple ways to ask this question. I'll provide some examples.

  "For more on this topic, go to __."

  "For a more extensive treatment, cf __."

What I want to express is the idea: "For something which just has straight up more words on this particular topic, so that there is a higher chance that one of the ideas present there is memorable, or just so that you can have a longer experience reading something on this topic" using something like:

  "For a longer __ on the subject, please go here."

But which also carries roughly the same meaning when used alone and without context. (This is a strange requirement, I know). Thus, words like 'discussion,' or 'treatment' itself don't work for me.

Any suggestions?


texts: Is there an equivalent phrase to "a priori" and "a posteriori" to indicate "during"?

texts:
If a priori means "ahead of time" and a posteriori means "after the fact", is there a latin phrase to denote "during the course of the fact"?
A periori, perhaps?  Or am I just making things up?


texts: Is it "of " or "out of" ( a number of people, items etc)

texts:
I've kind of got my wires crossed over which one to use.

There's of course the construction - " of all people/ places etc" (Casablanca springs to mind right away, where the protagonist says something along the lines of " of all the gin joints of all towns [...] he walks into mine ")

And then there's on the other hand this one: 3 out of 10 cases, 5 out of every 6 people etc.

I'm still having a hard time putting my finger on the right way to say this though:

Why would they choose us, of the thousands of people who probably send them letters each and every month? / ...... OUT OF the thousands of people who....?


texts: Morphological analysis of 'unlawfulness'

texts:
How would you give the internal structure of the word 'unlawfulness'?

My attempt:
un - law - ful - ness
prefix - noun - suffix - suffix

Internal structure:
law + ful > Adjective
un + law + ful > Adjective
un + law + ful + ness > Noun

Will that be correct? Should I split 'lawful' into 'law + ful' so there's four morphemes in the word or keep it as three morphemes? If 'lawful' is split, then is the -ful counted as a suffix or an infix?


texts: About '' get injured '' and '' be injured ''

texts: How do you use '' get p.p.''and"be p. p. "differently? For example" get injured "and" be injured". Is there any difference between them?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say "education assistant" or "educational assistant"?

texts: Which phrase is correct? Education assistant or educational assistant?


texts:
I am curious about how 'fiddlestick' came to obtain the slanted meaning of 'nonsense'. Of all the researches I've conducted online(including etymology.com, phrasefinder, merriam webster), I find the explication on World Wide Words most nearly satisfactory

  At some point in Shakespeare’s lifetime, it seems fiddlestick began to be used for something insignificant or trivial. This may have been because a violin bow was regarded as inconsequential or perhaps simply because the word sounds intrinsically silly. It took on a humorous slant as a word one could use to replace another in a contemptuous response to a remark. George Farquhar used it in this way in his play Sir Henry Wildair of 1701: “Golden pleasures! golden fiddlesticks!”. From here it was a short step to using the word as a disparaging comment to mean that something just said was nonsense.

Still I was wondering if there is a better supply of answer? Thank you.


texts: “Conflict” Resolution: How to decide if two words are generally “unmistakable”?

texts:
Conflict Resolution in Stenographic Transcription
The purpose of this question is for stenography. Stenographers often have “conflicts” in their writing, or in their typing using machine shorthand. This means that a stenographer might write two random words exactly the same way. Just as an example, I will use the words frog and hide.
When reading back/transcribing, these two words should be impossible to mistake because the context should make it obvious which word was actually said.
In this example, I know that these are generally unmistakable because of the words' respective parts of speech: frog happens to always be a noun, and hide happens to always be a verb.¹
But the situation described above is an ideal one, and I’m not sure how one could go about evaluating something like sport and support, both potential nouns.
Some words obviously can be a poor choice as a conflict; for example, legal and illegal. It can get even more complicated, however, because in stenography we also have “phrases”, which are two or more words written in one stroke. And these “phrases” can also be “conflicts”, meaning they look the same.
Right now I stroke American and work in the same way. Is there a somewhat simple procedure I can follow to decide whether these two sets of word or words are acceptable as a “conflict”?
The more I understand this process the better, because what I’m really trying to do is not only decide whether I myself can correctly decipher between the two possibilities, but also create a system using rules and parts of speech so that my computer can translate these “conflicts” correctly in real time.

Chappo and Edwin pointed out that hide and frog can both be nouns and verbs. I guess I couldn’t have gotten away with that one :)


texts: What is the term for something who is not part of any group

texts:
I have multiple elements. Some of the elements have been associated with some particular group while some other are still alone (they are not part of any group)
Can you please suggest some term/word for such lonely element?


texts: what is the meaning of "total of" followed by three categories

texts:
If I said "a total of 100 quality engineers and inspectors," does this imply the number of engineers and inspectors add up to 100?
If not, how would I phrase the sentence to mean the number of engineers and inspectors add up to 100.


texts: directional dependence vs direction dependence

texts: Are both "direction dependence" and "directional dependence" correct? I thought the former is incorrect, but a lot of examples appear in google.


texts:
Yesterday I came across the following sentence, using "french" fries in lowercase, in an exercise book for non-native speakers of English:

We ordered two "french" fries and two apple pies.

So I have googled "(f)rench fries" in lowercase. To my surprise, l have found out that both styles are used, lowercase and uppercase. My question is: which style is more appropriate in formal writing?


texts: How does one identify the antecedent of a relative pronoun?

texts:
I am always confused with multiple attribute clauses. For example:

... a complete virtual system composed of virtualized hardware components onto which an unmodified operating system can be installed.

For the "onto which an unmodified operating system call be installed." clause,
does the which point to hardware components
or a complete virtual system?
Does the attribute clause always modify the nearest noun?


texts: What is the meaning of "He's got his quiver full"?

texts:
It was part of a dialogue I read some time ago:

A. "His wife is pregnant again."
B. "Really? He's got his quiver full, hasn't he?"
A. "He has, and I tell you, he should know better."

I'm inclined to believe this is BrE. Looking up "quiver" I got the following: "a case for carrying or holding arrows" Merriam-Webster
A Google search didn't help much as there is a similar quotation from the book of psalms ("Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.") which fills all pages.
Edited dialogue. Added one more line for clarity.


texts:
What best completes this sentence?

  Joe, in opposition to environment-friendly sentiments, has decided to go ____.


texts:
Anglophobe is the word for a person who hates England. Oxford Dictionaries defines it as

  noun A person having a strong dislike of England or Britain.

Is there a similar word for a person who hates India?


texts: Who or What for question about statement

texts:
For the statement:

  "Obama is the president of the United States."

Which of these questions is considered the most correct?

  Who is Obama?

  What is Obama?

Basically, my question revolves around whether the choice for 'who' or 'what' depends on 'Obama' or 'the president of the United States'.


texts: Is the word 'result' as a singular noun grammatically correct?

texts: Take ownership of your tasks, see them to completion, and then take pride in the result.


texts: What do you call the part of the basketball hoop that attaches the rim to the backboard?

texts: I call it the neck. Is there a proper term?


texts: Options for reporting date ranges in a compact way

texts:
I am exceeding the word limit in an abstract. What are my options for limiting words in the following sentence?

The study included patients with X diagnosis between 1 January 2009
and 30 September 2017
The study included patients with X diagnosis between January 2009
and September 2017


texts: When are placed next to each other VS When they are placed next to each other

texts:
There is no difference between the two dogs when are placed next to each other.

There is no difference between the two dogs when they are placed next to each other.

Which one do you think is correct?


texts:
Which one of these sentences is correct:

  "Love is for real"
  "Love is real"

Please give me a relatively comprehensive answer which indicates which one is correct and why, and if both of them are correct, in which situation we have to use each one.


texts:
You're too clever a man to imagine this.

The above sentence was said by George Galloway, a man of excellent rhetorical skills.

Since he said it, I doubt it's wrong, grammatically. But, I wonder if there is an explanation for this. Because adjectives always come after the article not before it. e.g. You're a clever man.

How could this be, grammatically?


texts: Changing the meaning of sentence by grammar

texts:
I would like to ask for meaning of the two following sentence, and whether or not is the grammar correct. Please check my suggestions both "sentences" and meanings.

"I wish I never met you." - I met you just now but I do not want to meet you at all (from now to the future). So I wish not to meet you in the future anymore.

"I wish I would have never met you." - I regret the day when I have met you. It has happened very long time ago. It was mistake and I regret the fact that I know you.


texts: Meaning of "while" in a specific context

texts:
As a non-native reader I am having a hard time to figure out if the "while" sentence in Wordsworth's poem "The Excursion" in the following section (5th line, "while that poor bird") is merely incomplete or if it has an unusual/unconventional/obsolete meaning:

Why do not these prevail for human life,
To keep two hearts together, that began
Their springtime with one love, and that have need
Of mutual pity and forgiveness, sweet
To grant, or be received; while that poor bird —
O, come and hear him! Thou who hast to me
Been faithless, hear him; — though a lowly creature,
One of God's simple children, that yet know not
The Universal Parent, how he sings!

Is it supposed to be understood as an incomplete sentence "while that poor bird…"?


texts: What are these vehicles called in the United States?

texts:
I understand the names for various types of cars in the US as well as elsewhere, such as hatchback, sedan, SUV, etc. However there are two classes of vehicles that don't seem to fall under any of those categories. Please see these pictures and advise what they're referred to as in American English. Dialectical and colloquial terms are welcome because I am more interested in practical usage in the streets rather than what the dictionary mandates.

In India, the vehicles shown in the two pictures above are just called "jeep" regardless of their brand or size. I could have called them SUVs but somehow I relate the term more with something like a Hummer or Toyota Fortuner.

Here's another class of vehicles:

Again, in India, these are simply known as vans regardless of their size. But I want to know if it's right to call them so. What would they be called in the US?


texts:
If you're continuously posting news about what someone is doing,  including their latest projects, is it correct to say (in the description of a fansite, for example):

  updates on everything going on with her

Is there a better way to express the concept?


texts:
I am reading an English text in an old book and it reads:

  See who by grace see may, for the feeling of this is endless bliss, and the contrary is endless pain.

This is the original text:

  See, who bi grace see may, for the felyng of this is eendles blisse; and the contrary is eendles pyne

What does this mean "See who by grace see may"?


texts: Is it grammatical/common to remove was/were in the following case?

texts:
Above the desk, hanging on the wall, were six security monitors
displaying black-and-white versions of the restaurant.
Above the desk, hanging on the wall, six security monitors
displayed black-and-white versions of the restaurant.

Is the second version grammatical? If so, is it common enough to be used in everyday conversation?


texts: What would you call a person who is being replaced by another

texts:
In my specific case, I need a single word to call an employee who is being replaced by another due to his/her retirement, death, resignation etc.

Anything like “Replacee” may be suitable.


texts:
I recently discovered the wonderful grammatically correct "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" sentence and I was curious if it is possible to construct a longer, but still grammatically correct, sentence using only one word?

What if we allow bending the word any way we want, like tense,
plural, etc. (e.g. "Ducks ducks duck duck")?
What if we also allow conjunctions ("but", "and", "or", etc.)?


texts: It seems that there are two syllables in "liar" (li·ar) because it is made up of a stem "lie" plus the suffix "ar". But what about "prior" (pri·or)? Does it have something to do with the final "r" as opposed to "fire" which has only one syllable?


texts: Can an activity be described as a “thing”?

texts: Some games require participants to come up with words that qualify as a “person, place, or thing”. Can an activity, in particular the word “caroling”, qualify as a thing?


texts: Term for repeating a part of what the interlocutor has just said so that they clarify it

texts:
When the interlocutor says a word or something that you do not understand or that needs more clarification, so you repeat that part expecting them to explain further, is there a term in grammar or an expression that refers to this in English?

e.g. Harry Potter:

  A: It's Alistair Moody, the aurour!
  B: Aurour?!

e.g. Game of Thrones:

  Daenerys Targaryan: Where's Daario Naharis? Where is Grey-worm?
   Ser Selmy: They are gambling, your grace.
  Daenerys Targaryan: Gambling?!


texts:
What is the official 'name' for the 'there is' / 'there are' construction? Is it a verb phrase or a lexical verb?

I'd say possibly a verb but it must be the most difficult term to Google.


texts: Can an adverb clause modify an infinitive?

texts:
The title is pretty self explanatory, in the sentence:

It is difficult to travel through the huge expanse of parched sands in the Sahara Desert, where oases are plentiful but distant from each other.

I am supposed to find the adverb clause in this sentence, I suspect that it is "Through the huge expanse", but it modifies the infinitive "to travel". If this isn't correct, please tell me where the actual adverb clause is.


texts: Take to hospital or take to the hospital?

texts:
Which is correct:

He was taken to hospital?
He was taken to the hospital?


texts: Why don't we use "the" in this sentence structure? (sometimes)

texts:
How come in English, we have this structure that omits "the".

The school is in need of funding.
He is in search of adventure.
Subject + is in + X + of +  Y

But then, also have "the"

We are in need of a guitarist.
They are in search of the truth.

If we need to be specific and had to use "the" only in specific cases, that would be okay. But "a guitarist" is a general term, why not "a funding", for example? Is this a special case? Are there any specific words that don't require "the"/"a"?


texts: Me either OR Me neither? MW Collegiate Dictionary says Me Either is correct in this example

texts:
Me either OR Me neither? MW Collegiate Dictionary says Me Either is correct.

Shouldn't it be "Me neither" in this example?

"I didn't like the movie."
"Me either."

Perhaps "either" is truly correct because the sentence equates to "I didn't either." "I didn't neither" would be incorrect because it's a double negative. Your thoughts? Should it be "Me either" or "Me neither" in that example?


texts:
I saw the usage of this phrase in a piece of news "Clinton often presents the top two candidates as symptomatic of the wider party." (The news is in this Buzzfeed article.)

Often times I see nouns follow "present somebody/something as", while here in this sentence it is followed by an adjective "symptomatic". Is it right? Is it a common usage? who not just say "symptoms of the wider party"?

Thank you!


texts: Which is the correct word to use here: "consensus" or "majority"?

texts:
I was just told that:

  What you call a consensus isn't a consensus, but a majority.

He implied that it was not a consensus because a few disagreed with the decision made. From my understanding, consensus does not require unanimity. For example, when we talk about a scientific consensus, there might be a few dissenters, but not many.

Is that correct?


texts: The government/ society erects a building in memory of or in praise of a person who worked for nation or society. What is that building called?


texts: What tense is "In the future, I would like to..."

texts: I'm thinking future conditional, is that right? Or is it second conditional? Thanks very much!!


texts: "The place where I go is nice" vs. "the place where I go to is nice"

texts: I'm French and I'm wondering if the preposition to is needed in "The place where I go to is nice". I can see myself saying both "where I go to" and "where I go".


texts: Which one is more common in formal British English, "enquire" or "inquire"?

texts:
The "Cambridge Dict." shows "enquire" without any descriptions, except the info "UK" and "US for inquire". On the other hand the dictionary shows full explanation for "inquire".

So i am asking whether "INQUIRE" or "ENQUIRE" should be used in formal or business British English ?

For example: She called to "inquire/enquire" when her car would be ready.

Further research brought up: Study and advanced commercial correspondence, Chamber of Commerce, UK, uses "enquiry" EG. A customer requires detailed information about a product. Is called an enquiry.


texts: Why isn't the nominative case generally used with "to be"?

texts:
In German, constructions with sein, which is uninflected infinitive meaning "to me", seem to generally use the nominative case. For instance, this is a dog translates to das ist ein Hund, and ein here is in the nominative. In German, this seems related to what the subject of the sentence is.

In any case, I was thinking about this and wondered about why in constructions like it is [inflected pronoun], using the nominative case for the pronoun instead of an objective case seems slightly overly formal.

That's not to say that the nominative case is never used. For instance, from the book of John:

  Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.”

(This is from the New Revised Standard Version, but the King James Version gives the same.) Now, this seems grammatically correct to me, but it probably seem unnatural to the casual listener if, upon asking who Jane Doe is, I answered with "I am she" instead of "I'm her."

Why is this the case? Has this just always been the case in more informal English? Or have there been shifts in usage?


texts: What do you call it when you walk and a person in front of you is moving in your direction…

texts:
and both of you are indecisive in which side to swerve to to avoid bumping into one another?

Is there a word or expression that'll succinctly describe this sort of pedestrian dance off?

It happens a lot in social situations where 2 strangers try to pass through any sort of narrow passage and perform this little dance that usually cracks up a smile on both parties' faces?

Any input greatly appreciated!

Cheers!


texts: How to change the phrase "the way" to an actual "thing"?

texts:
I am writing the following:

  Every single aspect of drones - the mechanical whir of their propellers, the way they gracefully zoom hundreds of feet into the air, the complex sensors that effortlessly stabilize the camera – absolutely mesmerizes me.

I am trying to find a way to reword the phrase "the way they gracefully zoom hundreds of feet into the air" to not use "the way", but instead an actual thing, like whir or sensors. Basically I am looking for a word that describes the flight of a drone.


texts:
I am proofreading an article for my friend and stumbled over the following sentence (boldface mine):

  T for the SM records was 0.67 times that for the AS records.

(The SM records and AS records are different datasets and T is a property of those datasets.)

Going by my observations of other articles, the bold part seems to be correct, but I wonder what it means.


texts:
Many people told me that the particle is stressed when it comes to Intransitive Phrasal Verb. (like "warm up" in this video https://youtu.be/9I1DBOJERns?t=3) (Text: Winter's over, the weather's starting to warm up)

However, I caught the speaker in this audio stressed the verb "warm", not the particle "up". So... Which one, the verb or the particle in intransitive phrasal verb, can we put a stress on?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZgvrPpTaCoFYeqw0m8HXl0fZ5UFWgMxd/view?usp=sharing
(Text: Put the fire on. I need to warm up)


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the lexical class of the word 'worth' when used in a sentence like “Is this apple worth $3?”

In a sentence like the following:

  The knight’s statue had a tale worth telling.

What is worth?  I wanted to identify it a preposition, showing relation between tale and telling.


texts: Is "having have been" / "having have eaten" grammatically correct? Is it a verb tense?

texts:
Some examples of a weird thing I found. I want to call it a verb tense, but I'm not sure that's accurate:

"24.6% reported having have been injured due to excessive consumption of alcohol."

"When I got up to clear the table, only having have eaten a third of the fish—which was shockingly filling—I noticed that..."

Is this grammatically correct? If so, what is it called? Present participle of the past perfect?

Normally after "having," you would have to use the past participle, but in these cases "have" is used instead of "had."


texts: Difference between "publicly" and "publically"

texts:
I know publically appears as an incorrect spelling in most dictionaries (in fact as I type this up on my Safari browser it keeps trying to correct the spelling to publicly).

However I have seen the word spelled in that manner before in certain places so I did a search on Google and found that there is a definition for the spelling publically at dictionary.com and the free dictionary as well. The English wiktionary site considers it an alternate spelling.

Are both spellings valid or are there some subtle differences I am missing? Which version would you accept as correct in a spelling bee?


texts: Which form of adjective should be used when we compare two qualities of single noun or pronoun?

texts:
For example,

  She is wiser than intelligent.

Or

  She is more wise than intelligent.

Although the second sounds good to me, I want to know whether there is any rule for this?


texts:
I found this message at a game.

  Players should know that Klei is not able to help you should issues arise while using mods.

What is this you should ?

I can understand it with replacing should to when.


texts: What is the meaning of “She was all in flatland gear”?

texts:
The sentence “she was all in flatland gear” is used on the first page of Inherent vice by Thomas Pynchon as a discreption for the hair style and clothing of a girl.

What is the meaning of this phrase?
Does “flatland” here means the usual flatland as a place and could be replaced by any other place  name?
Besides, does the phrase “flantland gear” itself has a specified meaning refering to American 1970’s pop culture?

All answers and hints are deeply appreciated.


texts:
I use two different versions of lowercase R (often subconsciously) while writing in English for my studies. Is this something unacceptable in cases like exams or assignment submissions?
No one ever complained about it, but do others also exhibit such behaviour in English handwriting?
P.S. This is relevant to English handwriting practice, so I apologise if this question is not acceptable in this community. Thanks.


texts: How do you tell if synonyms of "almost" default to meaning "less than"?

texts:
Having just had a chat with Em1, I noticed that some words or phrases that mean almost will mean less than when used alone, and other synonyms will mean greater than.

For example, nearly and close to seem to mean less than when used alone:

  You're nearly 30!
  You're nearly there.
  We've close to the required number of participants.

Whereas barely and just seem to mean greater than or equal to:

  He's barely 18!
  We've barely enough for breakfast.
  We've just finished.
  They'll just be coming over the hill.

If you swap any of the adverbs around then the meaning goes with them. However, if you change the context a little bit then the meaning can switch around:

  31 is close to 30.
  We're just short of the required number.

If we take the over/under question of Em1:

  The village is located [almost] 30 km to the south of London.

How can you tell if a synonym for almost means less than or greater than?


texts:
For example:

  How to makes this?

Why do I use the to after how?


texts:
If I have got too many things to do and very little time for it.

Can I say " I can not catch up with all of these".


texts: Do I say "I study computer science," or "I study Computer Science"? Similarly, "I really liked that computer science course," vs. "I really liked that Computer Science course."


texts:
Do I need to put a comma in the following sentence given after the word globe to avoid a run on sentence? My thinking is that as it's a dependent clause, a comma is not needed.

  The Industrial Revolution started in Europe before spreading over the globe creating economic growth and is recognized by experts as an economic first.


texts:
I'm looking for an idiom which can express how awkward a phrase/sentence sounds if one makes a collocation mistake.

For example, "I like tough tea. - Tough tea? Do you mean strong tea? - Oh, yes. Is "tough" that wrong? You understood me, didn't you? - I did but "tough tea" ... (sounds really odd).

Is there anything more idiomatic than "sounds really odd"?


texts: Is the word "aliment" synonymous with "ailment"?

texts:
If someone Googles the word 'aliment', he can see that by the word aliment they meant ailment.

Merrium-Webster dictionary says that aliment = {food, nutriment, sustenance}.

Is this a mistake or is this a modern use of the word?

If this is a mistake, how is it possible that there are so many mistakes?


texts: Does "Concentrations" make any sense in this context?

texts:
Went to a job website (monster.co.uk) where you can fill out a profile, among other things asking for your education. You can enter "Degree Level", "School Name", "Dates Attended", and "Concentrations".

So the question is: Is my English much worse than I thought and "Concentrations" means anything meaningful in this context, or is this just nonsense? I assume they mean "Focus". I'd also be interested if there is better word than "Focus" as a headline for describing what your main subjects were.


texts: Can Quotation Marks be Used When Describing the Contents of a Label?

texts:
I am using the sentence below to describe what is written on the image of the button below.

  The log-in page may also be located by going to the homepage at www.website.ca and clicking the red button located at the bottom left, labeled “Staff Portal”.

Is this ideal to put quotation marks around what is labeled on the button?


texts:
I have the sentence:

  If you had ever fought with A, you know how important it is not to do B.

and I'm not sure if it is really correct. It is supposed to mean, "In case you fought with A in past then you know (from that point in past on) how important it is not to do B". Does the sentence express that correctly?


texts: Word for technically visible but unidentifiable to the naked eye

texts:
Bigger than microscopic but too small to be practically called visible

Examples might include things like daphnia, small mites, bedbugs, sea monkeys etc.

Essentially a word that describes something that appears as a more or less indiscernible speck to the naked eye but can be observed properly with a microscope or possibly even a magnifying glass.


texts: what is the idiom for doing something covertly

texts:
In Bengali if you want to say that somebody has a secret love affair with a woman, you say something that translates to drinking water on the sly.
What is the proper English idiom for this?


texts: Why 'Hunterian' rather than 'Hunter' in the museum at Glasgow University?

texts: On a recent visit to Glasgow, I found myself wondering why the Hunterian Museum (rather than Hunter Museum) and why Andersonian Library (rather than Anderson Library): why this stylistic preference?


texts:
For example, "Clothing must be free from rips and tears."

It seems to me that the words "rips" and "tears" can be used interchangeably, and that using both is redundant.

Is there a particular reason for using both? Does it have anything to do with its origins?


texts: A rooster said: I’ll crow – but whether dawn will break or not is not my business

texts: This proverb comes from my native language (Georgian). It behaves like a warning, when it is used in reference to a person. It can be used, when you are giving a piece of advice to somebody, thus fulfilling your duty and obligation as a human being. So, from that moment forth, whether the other side will take your suggestions or recommendations into consideration, it is up to them to decide. You won’t have to deal with consequences of their decisions anymore, since you warned them that something might go wrong. Is there an idiom or proverb in English, similar to the above-mentioned one in meaning?


texts:
I was checking out the usage of the word "equal" as a verb on the Merriam-Webster website. Under the "Recent Examples on the Web: Verb" section, I stumbled upon this peculiar quotation:

"That map also showed that the regions of Tampa Bay, Daytona Beach and Palm Beach County stood as more or less equals as the nation’s champs of lightning."

Frankly speaking, "equals" in this quotation doesn't strike me as a verb, but rather as an adverb (stood how? - as equals). So, what is it? And if it's a verb, why then?


texts: What is a collection or a great number of baskets called?

texts:
Let's say you have some baskets of cherries, blueberries... whatever.

Is there a name for an aggregate? As in a flock of birds, a scurry of squirrels, etc..

Is there a name for a specific number or amount of baskets? E.g.:

A cord of wood is a pile 8x4x4ft
A perch of stone is a pile 16.5x1.5x1ft
A ? of baskets is a collection ...

Any English word to describe this? tyvm Keith :^)


texts: Interpreting a clause beginning with "It would happen that..."

texts:
I have come across the following clause in "The Corrections" by Franzen:

  It would happen that the First and Second Notices were underground somewhere.

I am not sure how to interpret this construction. How does it compare to constructions such as "It happened that...", "It could happen that..." or the simpler "The First and Second Notices were underground somewhere"?


texts: Is there a name for the red circle and slash in a No Smoking sign?

texts:
When my daughter asked me and my husband about a No Smoking sign, we explained that it means no cigarettes are allowed.  (We had to explain cigarettes to her too.)

Unfortunately, she now thinks that the red circle and diagonal line are called a "cigarette", so she'll talk about the cigarette in the No Parking sign:

Is there a name we can teach her for the red circle and slash?


texts: When do I use a question mark with "Could you [please] ..."

texts:
A sentence like

  Could you please pass me the pepper shaker

is not really a question. Should I use a question mark or a period to end this sentence? What about:

  Could you let me know when the meeting begins
  Could you tell me when the meeting begins
  Could you let me know if you are attending the meeting
  ...

Any guidance? Is there a general rule?


texts:
I posted a question on this website, but I am not sure if I punctuated it correctly. The sentence in question is “What part of speech does the word warm function as in the expression ‘Stay warm’”?   I am not sure if I should include the exclamation point at the end of the sentence with in the quotation or omit it.  If a question mark is used, should I place it inside the quotation marks or out outside or inside of the quotation marks at the end of the sentence? Would it be grammatically correct to use and exclamation point and a question mark at the end of the sentence?  In addition, should the world warm be in italic or bold text since the questions is about that particular word and the answer will involve a discussion of the word?
Which question is punctuated correctly?

(1)  What part of speech does the word warm function as in the expression “Stay warm!”
(2) What part of speech does the word warm function as in the expression “Stay warm?”
(3) What part of speech does the word warm function as in the expression “Stay warm”?
(4)  What part of speech does the word warm function as in the expression “Stay warm!”?


texts: What does "God sends meat and devil sends cooks" mean?

texts:
What does the quote God sends meat and devil sends cooks by Thomas Deloney mean?

And if it doesn't have a specific meaning, in which situation can I use it?


texts:
We often encounter as used to mean because. As we know, as is not merely ambiguous: it’s hexiguous or octiguous.

I’m especially uncomfortable when I find the usage in a technical paper1, where precision (as I claim) trumps written or spoken style. I argue that as cannot stand in for because in a paper as rigorous as a specification.

But as I think about it, maybe I’m acting as a mere pedant; maybe I should lighten up a little. Do you folks think as I do? Or should I take it easy, just accept and go with it as the leaf accepts the breeze?

As in the current spec for the C programming language spec, for example.


texts:
To my way of thinking, the last sentence " The upsetting event could even be something as simple as sitting here right now, reading this book, feeling depressed, anxious, or discouraged." can be understood as a description of one upsetting event in which a person is experiencing three things(sitting, reading, and feeling at the same time), or understood as three separate events(e.g. Bob sitting here as event one, John reading a book as event two, Tailor feeling depressed as event three).
I am not a native English speaker. I am confused about which understanding is correct.
Could anybody tell me which understanding is correct and why?


texts: What do you call this problem in the knee area of the jeans?

texts:
What do you call this problem when your pants, especially jeans, look like sticking out in the front and look as if there is a pillow on their knee part? (As if it has taken the shape of the knee.)

I don't mean "to be worn out", "to get folded or creased", or "to get faded". Unfortunately, I don't know how else to describe it, I mean exactly the way it is shown in the following picture (by arrow).

For example:

"I don't like it when my jeans ____(at the knees)."


texts:
Source : Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

  'I wish to punish her sauciness, that's all— I like her too well, my dear Heathcliff, to let you absolutely seize and devour her up.' [Catherine]
  'And I like her too ill to attempt it,' said he, 'except in a very ghoulish fashion. You'd hear of odd things, if I lived alone with that mawkish, waxen face; the most ordinary would be painting on its white the colors of rainbow, and turning the blue eyes black, every day or two; they detestably resemble Linton's.

What does And I like her too ill to attempt it mean? And what does the phrase turning the blue eyes black imply?


texts: British spelling of programme and diagram

texts:
Does anyone know a reason why British English retains the -amme ending for programme but not for diagram? They both have French origins.

Programme

  ... Spelling programme, established in Britain, is from French in modern
  use and began to be used early 19c., originally especially in the
  "playbill" sense. Program music attested from 1877.

Diagram

  1610s, from French diagramme ... The verb is 1840, from the noun.


texts: "Leader's Workshop" or "Leaders' Workshop"?

texts:
Leader's Workshop

or

Leaders' Workshop

Which is correct? A team of twenty leaders will be attending the workshop.


texts:
There's like people who do baby-sitting, that is look after infants and toddlers for the parents. What do we call people who do this for the elderly? For example, my friend hires a "elder-sitter" for her mother. It's not a professional, just someone who knows how to care for the elderly.

Is there a name for this person?


texts: Does the word fascist share a root with the anti-gay slur f****t?

texts: My understanding is that the word fascism comes from fasces meaning a bundle of sticks and the slur also had the meaning of a bundle of sticks. Are we looking at false friends?


texts: What is the difference between "bill" and "political reform"?

texts:
The definitions of reform and bill from Oxford Dictionaries:

Reform: the action or process of reforming an institution or practice.
Bill: a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.

To me, political reform and bill sound very similar, but I would say that bills are rather smallish, while reforms tend to be bigger. However, I am not really sure, if I didn't also overlook something subtle. I would appreciate any constructive comment/answer.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  A positive alternative to “smelling” to describe something with a pleasant odor

What do you call a smell that is good? I've been wondering this question since childhood.


texts: Difference between "saw you" and "have seen you"

texts:
What is the difference between the two statements?

I saw you recently
I have seen you recently

Are both the statements correct? If correct, then why?

Explain the difference between specified timing and unspecified timing with examples.


texts: Step up one's game VS. Step one's game up

texts: Which is the grammatically correct expression? Is there really a difference?


texts: What's the term for a cord that doesn't fit perfectly in the socket

texts: What do you call a power cord for example that doesn't fit perfectly in the power socket and you can move it if you press it on the side. I used fiddle but am not sure if that's the correct term.


texts:
While preparing for my SAT, I encountered the following sentence:
"According to a survey analysis, veterans returning to the University of Illinois had 6 one “predominating request”: an efficient course of study to prepare for a job."
There is the colon between two parts of the sentence, as you can see. It seemed for me that there should be semi-colon, because I thought the second part of the sentence ("an efficient...") is independent. However, correct answer is putting colon, and explanation says that the second part of the sentence is dependent. So I did not understand why.
If we read that clause ("an efficient course of study to prepare for a job."), it looks fine on its own, isn't it ?
Nevertheless, I can't go against Khan Academy, so can someone explain me why the second part of the sentence is dependent ?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “More clear” vs “Clearer”, when to use “more” instead of “-er”

Which of these two terms is correct?  If they are both correct, are they identical in usage and meaning, or is one of the words more appropriate for some usages than the other?


texts: Compound noun with completely different meaning

texts:
I am looking for a compound noun that has a meaning that is completely (or very) different from the words it is derived from. This because I want to give an example of how powerful the human brain is in understanding meaning from context.  For example, we know that washing machine is a machine that washes. We know that a haircut is a specific way in which your hair is cut. These words are relatively easy to understand, because the meaning of the individual words is largely retained in the meaning of the compound.

I would like to find a word "X" in which the two seperate words are relatively well-known and have individual meanings, but when combined the meaning is completely different.


texts:
I am looking for the term describing when your hair grows kind of in a circular direction (defined by the direction of your hair root).

Many people have something like this on the back of their heads or even on their foreheads.

I found the term hair crown on dict.cc but I feel like this is either not the correct term for it or it is not very widely used. There is a German article on human hair including a section about these things but I could not find the English equivalent.

In German, these are called Haarwirbel meaning something like hair whirl.


texts: Is there a word for the final stone of a foundation? Analogous to the word "cornerstone"?


texts: How can I rewrite the sentence more clear?

texts:
I have a sentence. I want to rewrite it is more clear. Could you help me to correct it? I am not family of English. Thank you in advance

Explanation: I considered three methods: method A, B and C to measure the weight of each box. I want to measure which one is best method. To fair comparison among methods, the number of books in each box has to same. For example, if I have 8 books in box1. I will use method A to measure the weight of box1. Then I need to use same amount of book (8 books) to measure the weight using method B. The bellow sentence describer what I said. However, it is not clear to understand. Could you help me to correct it?

  To fair comparison among methods, the amount of  book in each box of referenced method is same with amount of book in compared method.


texts:
I came across this sentence:

"His memory was like that of a baby."

I was wondering why the possessive "baby's" wasn't used and why "baby" is acceptable whereas the possessive form is required in this sentence:

"Ian's car was like that of his."


texts: I am an English tutor. I also lived in the USA for 2 years. Today when I was explaining to my student the use of 'any' in questions and negations, I got stuck. I know we use it before countable nouns in plural and we use it before an uncountable noun. But from my experience speaking English on a daily basis back in the USA I remember people using 'any' with a singular countable noun. For example, 'Is there any room available?'. What are your thoughts on that? Maybe it's the matter of British and American English?


texts: Is there a proper term for the 'arms' of a star?

texts:
I have the need to describe, in a technical document, the particular portion of a star here highlighted red (or any of the other like areas):

For example:

  The width of each …? shall be eight units at the point where they meet.

While in the title of this question I describe it as an arm, given the formal context of my intended usage, I'm loath to use such, as it seems an informal or slang term. Likewise, as I will be describing the dimensions of this section, using a term such as point seems inappropriate, as I would typically view that as referring to the vertex itself, not the area between the convex and concave vertices.

I've done some searches for arm and lobe, but can't seem to find any examples of their usage in this context. Is there a formal, proper, or technical term for this particular area of a star?


texts:
Lehman Brothers (is/are) now taken over by some other company.

My answer is is.

My approach to finding the correct answer is that according to subject–verb agreement rules, if both of them refer to same subject, we use a singular verb. Thus:

  Lehman Brothers is now taken over by some other company.

Is my approach right according to subject–verb agreement rules?


texts: One word for a person who repeats the same issue over and over again

texts: How to name a person in one word who likes to repeat the things s/he has done or said or whatever, over and over again in every occasion. E.g. Ms Somebody always repeats the same incident which occurred 15 years ago, in every party/ meeting, which becomes kind of irritating after a couple of times, but s/he still enjoys repeating it. Like S/he visited the Bahamas in 2001, and in every occasion we meet (s/he is a relative of mine) at least once a year, he keeps repeating (in details) the visit to the Bahamas, which is quite annoying after two decades. S/He is .......