texts: It is said that XLAT is an abbr of translate. But I don't understand how come it ends up like that? There is no site on internet would explain it but they're all agree that XLAT is shorten of translate. I can get that LAT is in the end part of translate (LATe) but what about the X?


texts:
Ok, so I'm a native English speaker and some non-natives have asked my help clarifying a particular phrase. The phrase is, "Receive $100 per friend you refer to (name of company)" for me it sounds somewhat awkward, but I don't know why or how to explain it. I would have gone with, "Receive $100 for every friend you refer to ___"

Can someone shed light on the issue or confirm that the original phrase is right?


texts: The definite article 'the' before the names of TV shows

texts:
Rewatching 'The one in Barbados' episode of 'Friends' TV series, I stumbled upon a joke that seemed to sail over my head the first time I heard it.

Joey: No, God, no! No! No no, I'm an actor. You'd probably recognize me from a little show called "The Days of Our Lives"
Ross: Dude, it's just "Days of Our Lives"... there's no the.

Could anyone please clarify if Joey deliberatly attached the definite article 'the' to the TV show name to give a ring to it, as if he was more than sure the name of the show alone would impress the listener, or he merely made a technical mistake, not implying anything of the above?
Here is the follow-up question: could appending the definite article 'the' to the name possibly attach importance of any sort or solidity for that matter to it?


texts: Are backticks used outside of computing?

texts: Is the backtick character ("`") used outside of computing in English? If so, what for?


texts: Is "a lot of" used generally in English, or is it colloquial?

texts:
I find a lot of people in Holland think 'a lot of' is too colloquial for use in academic work.
Is that the case?


texts: Passive voice expressed by means of the active voice

texts:
I wonder what the reason is to say These cakes sell well instead of These cakes are being sold well.

I understand that it’s shorter but it doesn’t work with any verb, does it? For example, The house is being built can’t be substituted by The house is building.

So, what justifies and makes it acceptable to compose such a sentence which we can see in the example with the verb sell? Does it have something to do with the verb used or something else? If so, are there many verbs which can be used that way?


texts: What is equivalent of brain drain for skilled labour?

texts:
What is the phrase when you say that there is movement of skilled labour from X country to Y country for better opportunities?

Is 'leaching of labour'valid usage? Please suggest some other phrase for business writing purposes.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Mathematical Jargon when choosing for determinacy

texts:
What is the usual expression a mathematician uses when he has to make a choice in order limit an over-determined structure, in order to continue his argument?

For instance, when a structure is over-determined, a law may be true up to a sign. Deriving the law may require the mathematician/physicist to choose either sign and follow the formalism. This choice may become convention, eg. Hook's law for linear elasticity.

This is trivial and embarrassing, but I cannot remember nor can I find the answer on google. It has to be something along the lines of, "For the sake of determinacy, choose x from" or "For the sake of certainty, let x be." None of these sound quite natural though. Please help.


texts:
I'm about to launch a website that will help business by providing them various tools (management tools mostly) they require to run their business.

I would like a word to capture the objective of the site. Workbench is the best I've come up with so far but I really do not like the way it sounds.

Do you guys have any suggestions?

Thanks


texts: Is there a single word which means "comatose with pleasure"?

texts:
Prompted by my answer to this question on another stack, is there a single word which means

  "to become comatose with pleasure"

(i.e. where you experience so much euphoria that you literally become incapable of movement)?


texts: Forms of strict reporting — what do Americans call them?

texts:
I had to deal with typographically printed sheets with some generic text and fields to fill in information by hand (dates, signatures etc.) or through printing (if you are lucky to hit the fields). Each sheet has a watermark, its own serial number, and is unique.

Literally translated from Russian they are called "forms of strict reporting", but I would like to know what a native English speaker calls them.


texts: When someone asks the same question over and over

texts:
What is the term when someone asks the same question over and over because he is trolling.

Spamming might work, but I would like a more formal word.

  I got mad because he was ...


texts: Can "wet" be used for liquids other than water?

texts:
Wet can be used to describe being dowsed in liquids such as beer, milk, juice, urine etc. All of these, however, are water-based. Can wet be used for a liquid that has no water? Can you be wet by mercury? Or liquid nitrogen?

I know I wouldn't use it for mercury, but that may be because mercury would not actually stick to anything it was splashed on so it wouldn't even look wet. I could live with drenched, dowsed, or immersed but wet? Does wet really imply water or is it just that we tend to get splashed by water-based liquids and so the word is most often associated with water?

This definition states

  consisting of, containing, covered with, or soaked with liquid (as water)

What do you think, would anyone use wet for something completely unrelated to water?


texts: What is the name of the natural force which makes water go against gravity?

texts: Earlier today someone told me about a trick of watering plants when you are traveling. Basically, next to the plant there is a bowl of water with a tube inserted into it. At the end of the tube is the plant. He said that this process is natural, (water flowing against gravity) an requires no machinery. What is the name of this process?


texts: Is this the correct way to use the word "candidacy" in the following sentence?

texts:
In a math article I want to say that if a subset A of a set X has a certain property N then X is a candidate for being a "stable bundle" (what ever that means).

Question : Is this the correct way to write it? -

  If property N happens for the subset A then this will ensure the candidacy of X to be a stable bundle

or this ?

  If property N is true for the subset A then this will ensure the candidacy of X to be a stable bundle

Thank you.


texts: Do we use plural of percent when having two percentages?

texts:
Should I use percent or percents here?

"They are reported to be 7 and 8 percent respectively."

Regards.


texts: "Referrer" versus "referral" versus "referer"

texts:
Which word is correct and what do they mean?

I've seen $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'] (PHP), but I have also seen referrer in can I forward “referrer” information to other address?
and referral on the Wikipedia article about referral marketing.


texts: Glaswegian Scottish English: What does Limmy say at 01:01?

texts:
Binging on Limmy's sketches has given me quite an ear for Glaswegian, but I still can't make out what he says at 01:01 in the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH0hikcwjIA

Kinda sounds to my ears like "n'chongn" or something like that. Any help? :D


texts:
Would it be correct to label someone as very individualistic.

I know that 'very unique' is grammatically incorrect as 'unique' is an absolute. There are no degrees of being unique. You either are or not.
I was wondering if the same went for 'individualistic'.


texts: Punctuation and grammar “is important” or “are important”?

texts:
Should it be:

  Punctuation and grammar is important.

or should it be:

  Punctuation and grammar are important.

Does it make any difference in the following sentence:

  Both punctuation as well as grammar ... important in sentence construction.


texts: Correct possessive: "my genius" or "my ingeniosity"?

texts:
I have stumbled across the usage of "genius" as a possessive on two seperate occassions:
A meme featuring Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear saying:

Sometimes my genius is... it's almost frighting

Critertion (i) from the UNESCO World Heritage Site:

"to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius"

I feel however that the usage of "genius" as a possessive here is a bit awkward and that the correct word should be "ingeniosity". Am I correct?


texts: what's the scientific term for "natural" in "natural blonde"

texts:
Jim Rogers (a famous investor) is very enamored with the natural blondeness of his current (third) wife.

See here:

and here:

I once came across an interview of his where he described her as a "something blonde". I had to look up something in the dictionary and it referred to genetics related to blondeness, and the word essentially meant "natural" in the context of "natural blonde."

As I remember, the word had at least one "x" in it. As I remember it, the word was something like: xanthial, or xythilial or some such.

For the life of me I can't find that interview nor remember the word any more. I've googled tons of versions of potential word candidates but nothing comes up. Wikipedia hasn't been much help either.

If you know some scientific terms for "natural blonde", please share them.


texts: Why do we use an article for "the mind," "the heart," or "the soul"?

texts: A student of mine came across a website titled "Music for the Mind" and asked why we use a definite article. We are not talking about a specific mind. We also use definite articles to talk about "The heart," "The soul".


texts: What does it mean to "frank for someone"?

texts:
I am reading "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen. There is a statement made by Mrs. Palmers in chapter 20.

  "How charming will it be," said Charlotte, "when he is in Parliament!- won't it? How I shall laugh! It will be so ridiculous to see all his letters directed to him with an M.P. But do you know, he says he will never Frank for me? He declares he won't. Don't you, Mr Palmer?"


texts: Is it appropriate to use "father" in a legal context?

texts:
In a legal petition, how do you describe, in a formal manner, someone being the father of another person?

Is this example acceptable?

  John Doe, deceased, father of the plaintiff.


texts: I'm writing a formal essay, in which I use the acronym "US" a lot. Is this acceptable or should I write "United States" instead?


texts:
I have an older version of a product named Foo Classic (where Foo is replaced with an actual proper name).

Would it sound/look weird if I rename it to Classic Foo, especially for a native speaker?


texts: Which is correct: "home in" or "hone in"?

texts:
I've heard people say "Home in on something", but I've also heard others say "Hone in on something".

Which is the correct expression, and what is the etymology of these?


texts: What is the difference between "mean" and "be" in regards to mentioning words?

texts:
To be specific, a student of mine wrote the sentence "便所 means stool in Japanese" and that didn't seem right to me.  "便所 is stool in Japanese" seemed - again, intuitively - right to me.  We had a discussion about it, and we stumbled on the topic of untranslatable words and whether or not, when attempting to explain or define the word in another language, one should use "X means Y" or "X is Y".

As an example, the word "頑張る" has many equivalents in English, depending on the context, such as "good luck" or "do your best" or "break a leg".  When attempting to explain the definition of such a word in English, should one say "頑張る is to..." or "頑張る means to..."?


texts:
Usually an arm looks like this:

Shoulder -- upper arm -- elbow -- forearm -- wrist -- hand.

But suppose, because of either chemical poisoning or radiation in utero, Kevin was born without a left forearm. Then his elbow and wrist would be fused into some hybrid structure joint, and the left arm would look like this:

Shoulder -- upper arm -- elbow/wrist -- hand.

Suppose this had already been described in detail. Then Kevin leaves the narrative for a few hundred pages, and when he comes back I want to remind the readers which character he is. In particular I want to remind them of the layout of his left arm because it is to become plot relevant. So I want to insert a marker back to the original description without repeating it.

Since the hundred pages of text only spans a week or so in story (let's make it a working week with the narrator only seeing Kevin on weekends), the narrator certainly doesn't need to be reminded who Kevin is. So I decide to slip in something like. . .

"Kevin cycled at a restrained pace. He knew his _______ arm would prevent him from making quick turns in an emergency."

I think that's a fairly subtle way to remind the readers. But what should go in the blank space? Feel free to muck around with the format as you wish. What I really want is just a summary of the earlier description.


texts:
2,060,700 in words.

Which is correct.

(A). Two million sixty thousand and seven hundred dollars

                                OR

(B). Two million sixty thousand seven hundred dollars

                                OR

(C).  Two million and sixty thousand seven hundred dollsrs


texts: What is the exclamation "Why, I never!" a contraction of?

texts:
The exclamation "Why, I never!" is a well-worn exclamation (I think more common in Britain than in the US?), often used to express indignation upon having been accused of something.

The structure of the sentence suggests that this exclamation is a contraction of something like "Why, I never [verb]!" or "Why, I never have [verbed]!". I know that there may not be a canonical verb in the original sentence that was contracted to give this exclamation, but I was wondering what possibilities might exist.

(It's worth noting that it is difficult to search for this exclamation, because it tends to be swamped by unrelated constructions like "Why I never walk alone at night" and things like that.)


texts: Using possessive pronouns for an academic degree (e.g. my masters degree)

texts:
One of my pet peeves...people using the possessive pronoun to refer to a graduate degree. For instance, people saying I'm going to get "my doctorate" or writing "while working on my master's degree......"
There's something annoying about using the possessive pronoun in these situations, maybe it's an entitled way of claiming ownership of a degree, sometimes ones that they don't even have yet. It's very common to hear in academia, college students looking ahead and saying "when I get my doctorate degree." I don't feel that I own a doctorate degree, I have a doctorate degree.
Am I splitting hairs or technically incorrect?  and for the record I don't correct or question people when they use these possessive pronouns.
Thanks for any thoughts.


texts: What is the meaning of 'like' in this context?

texts:
I was listening to a song by Kamelot; you can find the lyrics here. However, I can't understand the meaning of 'like' where it's used:

  Tell me when the night is gone,

  Like washed away,

  Make a wish beneath the mourning star.

Does it mean to emphasize the humanity's extinction? As in, "not just gone, but like, washed away.", or does it mean something else? And, what does the morning star have to do with it?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "this side of x"? And how do I use it?

texts:
Since I don't understand it in the first place, I better just give you an example:

Cracked.com example, says otherwise known as "the pettiest hobo crime this side of aggressive panhandling." (WARNING: site graphics could be NSFW, YMMV)

It's not the only time I have seen it but it's the only one I can find via Google Search

The usage that I've seen seems to indicate some sort of comparison. The example above seems to say that "where we live, panhandling is aggressive", but I can't figure out the exact meaning

Note: So far I think I've only seen this phrase in cracked.com itself. Perhaps it's some kind of inside joke, but I certainly don't get it and its usage seems pretty legitimate

EDIT:
Mathias Foster gives 2 other examples: this side of the black stump and this side of the equator.


texts:
I have a question about the phrase "dismiss someone's concern"
Suppose the following is a paragraph that is from a recommendation letter:

I was worried about her performance due to the demanding nature of the curriculum and the fact summer session has a faster pace than regular semesters. But Michelle dismissed my concern by proving to be a person who is able to successfully develop plans and implement them.

Was dismissed my concern correctly used in this context?
What other words might be used?


texts:
The OED entry for RUFFLER, n1 -- "1. Esp. in the 16th and 17th centuries: a member of a class of vagabonds and rogues" -- has a first citation from 1535.
However, in the C-text of Piers Plowman, we find the line: "Robert the ruyflare / on reddite lokede," (Huntington MS Hm 143) where "ruyflare" replaces "robbere" of the A and B MSS.

My question is whether it's possible that this occurrence in Piers Plowman may be an earlier example of the word.

(To complicate matters, OED (following the MED) under RIFLER, n1: "1. A robber, a plunderer, a looter," cites this line, but with a different form -- "ryfeler" -- from a different manuscript:  (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. vii. 316 (MED),   Roberd the ryfeler [v.r. riflere] on reddite lokede.)


texts: What does the expression "to add another dimension to the situation" mean?

texts:
Does the expression "to add another dimension to the situation" imply that the situation has become more complex?

In Arabic we would say something like "adds another dimension to the situation that has become more complex". But I know English tends to be very economic and implicit. So if I wanted to express that idea, would "adds another dimension to the situation" be enough? Or do I have to say that the situation has become more complex?


texts: What rule governs "panic->panicking" and why? Would it apply to all -ic verbs?

texts:
It seems odd that the continual tense of "to panic" is "panicking". Or "picnic->picnicking". When did the "k" get added, and why? Surely the natural extension would be "paniccing" if one wished to preserve the hard "c" sound visually and avoid "-ici-" and its intuitive soft "c"?
Does that rule also apply to all verbs ending in -ic? For example if we had verbs "to lyric [a song]" or "to topic [a forum post]"? I can't think of other examples!


texts:
What is the proper usage of "The Latest", describing what the website is about?

As an example I've came across some websites/newspapers that are using "The Latest on Apple ", "The Latest on ISIS threat" , "The Latest on Donald Trump" and etc.
However, other websites/newspapers are using "The Latest in Beauty", "The Latest in Nutrition Related Research", "The Latest in science and technology news"  and etc.

Thank you


texts: how do I write "about four or five hundred US Dollars"

texts:
I proofread/edit transcribed witness evidence, and often witnesses will say something like "around four or five thousand dollars".  If the evidence is all about figures, I would sometimes write this in figures as "around $4,000 or $5,000", but it's not strictly what the witness said.  Could I write "around $4- or $5,000"?  Is there a rule I can apply?
Denise


texts: What is a metaphorical equivalent for "incidental positive results" or "unexpected positive outcomes"

texts:
I read what was offered as an antonym for "camel's nose" and found "toehold" as the best fit but I'm hoping to get even better ideas. However, if the camel's nose could be used for positive outcomes, it would work for me. Please try not to suggest words from economic jargon. The text I'm translating is actually a literary one.

Context: You take a trip to enjoy yourself but you happen to find your ultimate goal there: you get something that originally was not supposed to be gained, you could have hoped for it though..

PS: English is not my language of fluency and I appreciate you bearing with the possible mistakes I make.


texts: Understanding U.S. President capitalization

texts: I was taught at an early age in the USA that when we write about our President, we are supposed to capitalize the title in order to signify that it's on the federal level. Is it correct to always do this? And what about saying "the presidency" -- should that be "the Presidency"?


texts:
I've been told by a native speaker that the verb "to nibble" can be used both with and without a preposition. So, is there a difference between

  I would definitely like to nibble on one of those sweet, sweet rodents!

and

  I would definitely like to nibble one of those sweet, sweet rodents!

See this question on Travel-SE for some context.

Which one (or maybe both) are correct? Is there a difference in meaning?


texts: Wishing someone that something goes easily for them

texts:
I'm trying to phrase a sentence in which I'm wishing that something goes easily for someone, but can't get the wording to sound right, and not awkward.

For example, someone may be studying for a test and I wish that their studying goes easy. These are the phrases I could come up with.

I hope it goes easy for you.
I hope the studying goes easy for you.
I wish you the best in studying.
I'm hoping the studying goes easily for you.
Good luck studying. (I don't really like this one since it's a bit vague)

Any other suggestions?


texts: Is "I am writing to inform you" awkward or outdated?

texts:
I was writing an email, and I started off with

  I am writing to inform you of certain errors...

However, is this use outdated or awkward in emails (assuming that I don't know the recipient)? What about formal correspondence (e.g. letters)?


texts: the expression of "become of" without the subject "what/whatever"

texts:
As to the second mode, that of leaving wealth at death for public
  uses, it may be said that this is only a means for the disposal of
  wealth, provided a man is content to wait until he is dead before it
  becomes of much good in the world. Knowledge of the results of
  legacies bequeathed is not calculated to inspire the brightest hopes
  of much posthumous good being accomplished. The cases are not few in
  which the real object sought by the testator is not attained, nor are
  they few in which his real wishes are thwarted.

before it becomes of much good in the world.

I knew that "become of" expression is used only when the subject is what or whatever. but in this article, the subject of that expression is pronoun "it" Is it possible? and I don't know that that means. And Could I ask you what the pronoun "it" refer to?


texts: Am I using commas for parenthesis properly here?

texts:
I read an article about using commas for parenthesis and I want to make sure that I understand it properly. So can you guys tell me if I am using commas correctly in the following examples?

Examples:

My Mum, Jane Smith, is a nice lady.

Jake Mole, who is from Manchester, was arrested last night.

My daughter, Louise, is very helpful. ( Would this change to no commas if you had more than one daughter? For example if you had three daughters, how would you know which one is being talked about? )

My dog, which has one eye, is my best friend.

Those are my examples. So, am I using them right? If not, if you guys could explain to me how to properly use commas as parenthesis then that would be great. :)


texts: Is there an online dictionary listing words spelled in reverse?

texts: A final "s" in a word is usually pronounced \z\, so it is an interesting that the final "z" in "quartz" is pronounced \s\. (I mention interesting quirks like this to my ESL students.) I was wondering if there were any other instances like "quartz". If an on-line dictionary in ordered by the last letter of the word existed, this would be easy to check for, but the concept of a "reverse dictionary" seems to be limited to the (very useful) idea of going from definition/concept to headword. Searching for "dictionary in alphabetical order by the last letter" didn't seem to get me anywhere, but maybe I haven't searched diligently enough.


texts: Is the word Concurrence synonymous with the word harmony

texts:
recently I sat for an exam where I was asked this question -

Concurrence means all of the following except:

A. Agreement
B. Accord
C. Consensus
D. Coincidence
E. Harmony

What could be the correct answer ?
I opted for D. Coincidence. Was I right ?


texts: Issue in this reading comprehension passage - do subsequent statements counter the original statement?

texts:
This comprehension comes from a CBSE Paper, which is the final English Paper for Grade 12. I am selecting the paragraph from which the question is from.

I could not find the passage in text form, and so had to make do with a screenshot. The reference is this, and the original paper with the questions can be found here.

The question I have a problem with is as follows:

  Why do we feel suffocated in a closed environment?

According to the answer key in my reference book, as well as the page which mentions this question, the answer is:

  We feel suffocated in a closed environment due to a lack of oxygen.

According to me, this answer is incorrect, since the passage explicitly mentions that this is not the actual reason. The actual reason could be exposure to poisonous gases, for instance. This is substantiated by the fact that the author uses the word however in the next sentence.

So, my question is this - I am misinterpreting what the paragraph is saying? Or, is the question only referring to that particular sentence (which, in isolation, can be considered to be a fact presented by the author)?

And, more importantly, if the answer is wrong, then what should the correct answer be?


texts: Type of usage with descriptions/accuracy

texts:
Sarah Smith as Melanie Cross, a teenager whose parents are outside of
  the site; younger brother of Angie.

  Sarah Smith as Melanie Cross, a local widow of a hoarder; suspicious
  about the numerous propane trucks coming into town.

  Melanie Cross as Sarah Smith, *who is leading a new campaign to
  abolish the use of sugar in ice cream.

On these cast descriptions you commonly see for tv shows and films, are they considered fragments as the don't work as complete sentences even though they end with a period? The unrestrictive relative clause technically can't end with a period.

Also would you class the semi-colon usage as informal. It cannot join  incomplete sentences in this way, right.


texts: Is 'as' a pronoun or conjunction in these sentences?

texts:
As you can see
As you know

What does these 'as' serve as? Pronoun or conjunction?
Thanks!


texts:
So lucky to have friends helping you get the job.

So lucky to have friends helping you "to" get the job.

Which one is correct?
Is it fine that omit the to in the second sentence?


texts: Is there a word meaning hitting your mouth with something?

texts: Like getting punched in the mouth. Or getting hit by the broom's handle when that one guy in front of you, who's carrying a broom, suddenly stopped.


texts:
I am reviewing a software manual, and I frequently come across sentences like (made-up example):

  The value is 1, but you can set it to e.g. 100

It seems to me that the use of "e.g." is wrong in this case and "for example" should be used instead. I have difficulty expressing why I feel this way, but if you take the meaning of "e.g." to be "for the sake of example" it seems to me that the general case is not explicitly specified (what is 100 an example of?).

I think it should be either

  The value is 1, but you can set it to another value, e.g. 100.

or

  The value is 1, but you can set it to for example 100.

Does anyone know if my intuition is right (I'm not a native speaker), or whether or not there are any formal rules to this?


texts: Expression for distance relationship between observer and object?

texts:
I am looking for a word or expression, that describes the specific distance in the space that lets the observer appreciate and completely understand the object of observation.

For example, when one is in a museum and stands too close to an impressionist painting, one can only see the brush strokes but not the flowers. But if one stands at the right distance, one can easily recognise the flowers and the whole garden.

Is there an expression that describes the right distance to appreciate fully a given object?

Thank you very much! anak


texts: Can the word "cooking" also be used to describe something that is "still in the process of being developed"?

texts:
Aside, from the obvious meaning of the word "cooking" (food), can "cooking" also be used to describe something that is "still in the process of being developed" or something along the lines of that meaning?
For example: The company is cooking new products for the next quarter, or Their new product is still cooking in the factory.
I believe I've seen this usage somewhere before, but googling it doesn't give me an answer.


texts: When indicating separate items linked by a common word?

texts:
Let's say my sentence is:

  I am a part of Generations X, Y, and Z.

In a case like this, should "generations" be plural or singular? I feel it should be plural, since singular makes it sound like "X, Y, and Z" are one item, but:

  I am a part of Generation X, Y, and Z.

I feel someone would argue that since there is context in the word "generation" (as in "everyone will know you mean three separate generations because no one generation is called "X, Y, and Z"), Y and Z do not need to be "counted".


texts: What word means the "personification" of a place?

texts:
An abstract concept can be personified as a human figure (like the Media, in Neil Gaiman's American Gods).
What equivalent word to "personification" could I use if I want to say that an abstract concept was being represented by a place/location?


texts: Why isn't "s"' 3rd person used in "Japan refuse to ban..."?

texts:
Japan refuse to ban colonial rising sun flag at Olympics as spat with Korea deepens

Why is “refuse” used instead of “refuses”?

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/05/japan-refuse-ban-colonial-rising-sun-flag-olympics-spat-korea/amp/


texts: Difference between "to do as much for you as" and "to do for you as much as"

texts:
In Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary 3rd ed., one of the usage examples given for the entry much is:

  One day I hope I'll be able to do as much for you as you've done for me.

Is the meaning still the same if I move the prepositional phrase for you just before the expression as much as?

  One day I hope I'll be able to do for you as much as you've done for me.


texts: Is there a word to describe a number that divides evenly by 100?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that can be used to describe any number that can be divided by 100, without a remainder, e.g. 100, 200, 300, 400, etc. - does it exist?
I was thinking of centurion, but that really refers to a person rather than a number.


texts:
What is the common term to refer to  someone who answers a question (written or spoken)?

Is answerer a correct term? If so, is it common? If not, what is the correct term to refer to such person?


texts:
Any language has areas where the usage is uncertain. English, it seems to me, has a lot of uncertain areas. Just to give two examples:

  none, singular or plural?

  dice, noun, singular and plural form?

I discovered such things a long time ago and created a name for me "grey zones", but I never had time to collect such things in a more systematic way. I'm only just now beginning with such a collection. Grey zones are grammar points were grammars have difficulties and tell long and complicated stories instead of saying first of all: It's a grey zone.

My question: Is there a name in English grammar or linguistics for my personal term grey zone?  And are there studies about such uncertainties? I think they would fill a small dictionary, especially if one considers different usage of BrE and AmE.


texts: The use of the present continuous instead of the future simple in context

texts:
I have stumbled upon it in this video. It is at 42 second.

  I know things can get overwhelming when you are out of school, there are no more grades, and all of a sudden people are talking about five-year plans when it feels like you don't know what is happening in five weeks.

I am aware that the present continuous can be used to talk about future plans, but it doesn't appear to have been used in that sense. Would the meaning change if the speaker say ...what will happen...?


texts: How to distinguish formal words from informal words?

texts:
As an English Learner, how can I distinguish (or recognise) formal words from informal words.
Also, formal sentences from informal sentences.

For example: So/Then/Therefore/Thus
and many others.

Are there any rules?
I wanna learn spoken English (Informal), but I think BBC World News is not spoken English. It is formal. Am I right?


texts:
There are two correct (I hope so) sentences with weather taken from a book:

  Was the weather nice?
  Did you have nice weather?

Can somebody explain why there's an article in the first sentence and there isn't an article in the second one?


texts:
Towing insurance provides protection against collision damage to your automobile while you are attaching (it) to, towing (it) by, or detaching it from a covered rental truck or while it is loaded onto, transported, or unloaded from a covered rental trailer.

Can you explain why the pronoun 'it' (indicated in bracket above) can be omitted from the list used as above?
Edit
Answer analysis are as follows:
Towing insurance provides protection against collision damage to your automobile while being attached, towed, or detached from a covered rental truck, or loaded onto, transported, or unloaded from a covered rental trailer

(A) while being attached, towed, or detached from a covered rental truck, or loaded onto, transported,

Incorrect due to lack of pronoun and be verb, making 'insurance' the subject of the verb 'attach'. There is also a lack of a parallel marker after 'or': While [it is] being...., or [While it is]

(B) while you are attaching to, towing by, or detaching it from a covered rental truck or while it is loaded onto, transported,

This option correctly refers 'automobile' [it] as the subject of the verb 'attach...'. Correct use of parallelism.

(C) when attached to, towed by, or detached from a covered rental truck or when it is loaded onto, transported by,

Same as A. Lack of pronoun referring to 'automobile', thus making 'insurance' the subject of the verb 'attach'. Incorrect parallelism.

(D) while you being attached to, towed by, or detached from a covered rental truck or loaded onto, transported by,

Similar to A and C. Wrong use of pronoun, aking 'you' subject of the verb 'attach'. Omission of parallel marker.

(E) when being attached to, towed by, or detached from a covered rental truck or loaded, transported,

Same as A and C, wrong subject and parallelism.
Hope this helps and please feel free to correct me if any of the above is incorrect!


texts: Why are contractions considered unprofessional?

texts:
I've heard people specify not to use contractions in order to maintain a degree of professionalism. I've heard this mentioned by fellow students while in school as well.

I've never heard this with regards to online writing, thank goodness, but I don't understand why it's considered informal or low brow to use them.

It seems to me that not using them should be considered unprofessional. It's my understanding that language should be succinct, especially if you're trying to convey class or intellect. Avoiding contractions just seems like something only a child would do on their homework to add words to an essay.


texts:
According to Merriam-Webster and other places, "excretion" is defined as waste products that are eliminated from the body (urine, sweat, CO2).

Vomit is also leaving the body, but like bleeding, the process may not be voluntary/intentional and the "excreted" product isn't actually waste.

Should vomit count as excretion, or is there a better word describing "things that leave the body, intended or not"?


texts: "___ was a song sung by […]" or "___ was a song sang by […]"?

texts:
I'm aware that sung is the past participle of sing, while sang is the past tense form, but I'm still unsure on whether or not one would use the past tense or past participle verb in this sentence:

"[Subject (song)] was a song [sang/sung] by [object1]."

Which verb form do I use here? (An explanation for future reference would be helpful too.)
Thanks in advance!


texts: "To be mad at somebody" vs. "to be mad with somebody"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Angry with” vs. “angry at” vs. “angry on”

Can the preposition at in the following sentence be replaced by with?

  I'm mad at you.

In my mother tongue we say that we are mad with someone, not at.


texts: Overcollecting fees, over collecting fees, or over-collecting fees?

texts:
Should "overcollecting" and "undercollecting" be closed in the sentence below? Or should they be open or hyphenated.  The hyphenation guide from the Chicago Manual of Style seems to indicate they should be closed; however, I cannot find any good examples that make me feel confident about about leaving them closed. Also, my spellchecker marks them as incorrect. I do not have the option of rewording the sentence to avoid the problem.

This may result in the Program overcollecting or undercollecting fees from local residents who participate in the Program.


texts:
What's a modern alternative idiom to 'Don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar'?

Struggling to find an alternative to this idiom that would resonate with modern audiences.


texts: Cases where "mistake" and "error" are not interchangeable

texts: Are there cases where error and mistake are not interchangeable?


texts:
Why are nice cars called "sports cars"?

Where does the "sports" come from?

Is it simply because they are eligible for racing and racing is a sport (or is it)?

Or is there some other origin?


texts: Being Madrid my hometown / Being my hometown Madrid

texts:
Being Madrid my hometown, I'm used to living surrounded by tourists.

Being my hometown Madrid, I'm used to living surrounded by tourists.

Which of the sentences, if either, sounds more natural?


texts:
Ok, sometime in life you do 1 thing but that action can give 2 or more benefits.

For example, before owning a car you have to wake up early everyday and have a 10 minutes walking to the station to wait for the train. Now, you've bought a car and you said.

  Buying this car is like "1 shot kills 2 birds" because I don't need to
  wake up early and I don't need to spend 10 minutes walking to the
  station and don't need to wait for the train.

so, Can we use the expression "1 shot kills 2 birds" to express the idea that you do 1 thing but it can have many benefits?

If it has 2 benefits then I'll say "1 shot kills 2 birds" but

If it has 3 or more benefits then do I have to say "1 shot kills 3 or many birds" or just "1 shot kills 2 birds"?

also, Is there any other similar expression?


texts: Choosing the right preposition when there are multiple adjectives modifying the noun

texts:
When we want to be specific, we can have two separate prepositions following two different adjectives. Such as:
... can be either supportive of or perilous for a noun.
But, can we choose to only have the preposition for the last adjective modifying the noun?
... can ideologically be either welcoming (towards) or very skeptical of change.


texts: Reasons for using the same word for people and language of a country?

texts:
Ever since my first days of learning English I have been puzzled by this simple phenomenon:

Why the word "English" can both mean the English language, and the English people?

Is there any historical reason for this?  By "historical", I mean, is the usage already like this a long time ago?

I am asking this because "people" and "language" are two related but very different concepts.  Why use the same word for two different things?  (Well, of course a single word can have two or more completely different and unrelated meanings, but that's not what I am asking here.)

I am a Chinese.  In Chinese the words for people of a country and the language of that country are different.  For example, for English people, we would just say "English people", and for the language, we would say "English language".  I don't know what is the case in other languages.


texts: Where did the use of the conjunction "So,..." at the beginning of a reply come from?

texts:
I am hearing more incidences of people being asked a direct question responding with a reply beginning with

So, ...

For example,

Questioner: "What do you think we should buy Janice for her birthday present?"
Respondent: "So, I thought that a voucher towards the cost of a meal for 2 at an expensive restaurant would be good, but with the Covid lockdown, I don't know when she would get any use out of it."

When, where and how did this enter into the English Language?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is there a word that contains all the vowels?

Is there a word in English that contains the 5 letters that are exclusively vowels (a, e, i, o, u) as well as the 3 letters that can be used as vowels (h, w, y)?  I would be happy with a word that used the latter 3 even if in that word they were consonants.


texts: Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray: "I wonder will you understand me?"

texts:
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, I came across the following passage, spoken by Basil Hallward:

  There is nothing that art cannot express, and I know that the work I have done since I met Dorian Gray is good work, is the best work of my life. But in some curious way — I wonder will you understand me? — his personality has suggested to me an entirely new manner in art, an entirely new mode of style.

I fail to understand the lack of a comma separating I wonder and will you understand me. Doesn't it make it sound somewhat awkward? Or is it part of Wilde's style? Or perhaps simply a printing error, which survived through successive editions?

Googling the sentence only returns pages quoting The Picture of Dorian Gray, hence bringing little information.

Can someone explain this to me?


texts: Noun - "meaning to want something until you have it"

texts:
In a dream last night the antagonist was describing to me a common experience in life represented in a singular word.

The experience can best be described as the following: the longing, desire, or want for a specific object, person or experience and upon getting that object, person, or experience, then realizing that what you had desired you no longer want. It's not that fulfilling your want has satiated the desire, but rather a feeling of melancholy or sadness that what you had wanted had been misplaced, or perhaps lost along the route to actualizing the desire.

This feeling reminds me of the beautiful Portuguese word 'saudade', with the difference being that once this desire was attained a following sadness follows during the realization that what was wanted does not bring the contentedness or happiness you once believed it would.


texts:
"Acme is an open development platform which enables the distribution of knowledge between IT experts and organizations globally."

Is it which or that? I've read online quite a bit, including this site, and generally people refer to "one of many (that)" vs "only one (which)". But here, I can't use that type of thinking.


texts: How do you say : The root or origin of a problem

texts: I am  writing an argumentative article and I found myself searching for an expression describing the cause or root of a problem. Are there any phrase or expression having the same meaning?


texts:
This is a quote from a Gwyneth Paltrow interview where she talks about her miscarriage:

  "It was awful," she told the Daily Mail's You magazine. "It happened really late, and I wasn't expecting it at all. "For a long time I just couldn't understand that it had happened and why. I was like 'But I can't not be pregnant. I'm already past the first trimester, and I have three car seats in my head.' To this day I feel like I'm missing that kid. But it wasn't meant to be and you have to trust the universe. "

What does she mean by saying "I can't not be pregnant?" Is this "can't not" construction a grammatical and common usage?


texts:
Here's a sentence:

  By George, I'll see this case through to a finish!

These are the words of a detective (written in 1912)

I am translating a story and there is that phrase, I can't be sure what emotions that man showed (put) when was saing it. An astonishment or approval?
Please, can someone explain it to me, maybe rephrase it for I could catch the real meaning in a simple way.
Thank you in advance


texts: Attempt at formulating verb tenses when time travel is involved?

texts:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has an amusing section on the problems associated with verb tenses when time travel is involved. It has several examples which appear to be constructed for their humorous sound instead of any attempt at sensible rules.

  You can arrive (mayan arrivan on-when) for any sitting you like without prior (late fore-when) reservation because you can book retrospectively, as it were, when you return to your own time (you can have on-book haventa forewhen presooning returningwenta retrohome).

This TVTropes page has a list of where this trouble has been dealt with in various media, but none of them (as far as I can tell) are a serious attempt at laying out the rules.

Do you know of any reference where someone has laid out what various verb tenses would even be useful and/or named based on various points of view from a non-linear timeline between speaker and recipient who have experienced time differently?


texts:
I had never (before today) heard this phrase. I attempted to Google it, but only found examples of its use, not much different from my first experience. (I also tried two idiom dictionaries, but chain of Chinese whispers did not even present there.)

What does it mean and where should I have looked to find it?


texts: "Sacrifice" vs. "forgo": which is better in this sentence?

texts:
I want to express a situation to a friend saying the following:

  I have received two offers. The first one is of a good salary, but I did not
  like the city, while regarding the 2nd offer, it is of a lower salary but
  the city is awesome. I do not know whether or not I should sacrifice the
  salary for living in a nice city.

I would like to find an alternative word for the word "sacrifice" in the last sentence, and I do not know if my attempt is right or wrong.
My attempt to re-write the last sentence is:

  I do not know whether or not I should forgo the salary
  for living in a nice city.

Please help me to find the best alternative for the word "sacrifice" in the last sentence.


texts: why use "be of something", is there some meaning for this "of"?

texts:
I saw a sentence when reading some technical articles:

  When we call this function, it expects the second parameter to be of type Collection. The actual argument is of type Collection.

So my question is why use "of" in this sentence? Does it change some meaning for this sentence? Can I delete the "of" and directly say, "The actual argument is type Collection"?


texts: How legitimate is the phrase "from which one to choose"?

texts:
Here's an example.

  If you want to get a PC and you don’t know from which one to choose, choose something simple.

It doesn't look consistent logically, but another person insists this is the correct form. I find it irregular because it's not exactly a choice if there is only one of... well, anything to choose from.
Is that phrase really better than either of the following examples?

  If you want to get a PC and you don’t know which one to choose, choose something simple.

or

  If you want to get a PC and you don’t know from which to choose, choose something simple.


texts:
What should I write?

  A certain property is represented with a special color.
  A certain property is represented by a special color.

Or maybe even "indicated with/by"? But the main point of this question remains: with or by?


texts: Is "glass cannon" a generally recognized phrase?

texts:
"Glass cannon" is a popular term in gaming (especially online-gaming), where it refers to a character class that has remarkable offensive power, but has low defense. Urban Dictionary also defines this as:

  Refers to a person, weapon, or vehicle which has a high output, but a
  low defense, life, durability, etc. link

However, I failed to find any references other than the above one.
"Glass cannon" actually sounds pretty intuitive, so one can guess the meaning even when hearing it for the first time.

Is this phrase generally recognized outside of the gaming world (i.e., could I use it in a general conversation and be understood), and if it is, what is its etymology?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "take it from the top?"

texts: "Take it from the top" is often used in musical rehearsals to mean "start at the beginning."  Where did this phrase come from?


texts:
What's the origin of the word 'jive'? I'm partly confused because I thought "to jive" meant "to go well with," like "that approach jives well with me."

Then someone called me a jive turkey. Is that the same "jive"?

Looking at dictionary.com it's defined as "deceptive, exaggerated, or meaningless talk", "to engage in kidding, teasing, or exaggeration," etc. That works for "jive turkey" but not for what I originally thought "jive" meant. I think that meaning exists, though, as evidenced by the all-powerful google.


texts: The meaning of "full of them" in context

texts:
What is the meaning of "full of them" in this context?

Moraine Lake, Canada

One of the most surprising things about this vast, remote lake is how accessible it is. It's a natural wonder in a landscape full of them.


texts: Any difference between 'it is impossible' and 'it is not possible'?

texts:
I am working as software engineer.

I have to use sentences like 'it is impossible' or it is not possible' in many emails.

I want to know that both are same or some has more impossible look than other?


texts:
"It might be different if he were flagging down a passing car or trying to phone for help, but typing, in and of itself, is not an inherently dramatic activity."

In this sentence, I do not understand the phrase "in and of itself"  There should be some difference between the prepositions "in" and "of" in this context.

Please explain in as much detail as possible!


texts: "Is there still any confusion?" Or "Is there any confusion still?"

texts: I know after verb we can use "still". But what about interrogative sentences?


texts: What is the antonym of "isolated" in the context of chemical substance?

texts:
I am looking for a word which would mean "not an isolated substance". I would use "blend" or "mixture", but these would imply that the components where isolated in the first place and then blended together, while I would like the word to describe mostly things which where never isolated in the first place, for example fish oil vs. isolated docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, it is what the fish oil is consumed for).

Wikipedia writes about "mixture":

  In chemistry, a mixture is a material system made up of two or more
  different substances which are mixed but are not combined chemically.

but calling fish oil a mixture (although theoretically perfectly right) seems slightly misleading if its pure fish oil, isolated from one type of fish, not mixed by humans with anything, just not isolated down to a single chemical substance (like Docosahexaenoic acid - DHA).

Is there a synonym to "mixture" which would not suggest the wrong idea, and perfectly convey the message I want to underline when talking for example about fish oil vs. isolated DHA?

Edit: This word is to be used as a category label, so there is no sentence around it. This category would list various products (like fish oil, Pycnogenol, chlorella, bentonite clay, essential oils) which are not a single, isolated chemical substance, but either a naturally occurring or man-made "mixture" of chemical elements. From the category name it should be obvious that isolated substances (like ascorbic acid) are NOT in that category, and not imply anything about whether the "mixture" is natural or man-made.


texts: Difference between stratification, hierarchy, and caste system?

texts:
What is the difference between stratification, hierarchy, and caste system? (note: caste system here does not refer to India)

To me,

Stratification is the act of designating people into different classes.

Hierarchy does not necessarily have to be ethnicity or birth related. I think it refers to all systems in which ranks exist, such as the military.

The caste system is controlled by their birth or ethnicity. It only refers to those that are now considered prejudiced or discriminatory.

Am I right?


texts: IELTS reading passage issue №2 (English as a foreign language learner I am)

texts:
I have been taking IELTS mock exams recently on a website. (The tests are probably taken from Cambridge textbooks).

So I have a point I may disagree with in the Reading section.

I had to choose whether certain statements TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN

Question 21 statement says Many people were very impressed by Swingle's discovery.

I chose NOT GIVEN

the text itself goes like this:

  Swingle was just as impressed. Yet despite his reports, many Western
  biologists were sceptical. In the West, the idea of using one insect
  to destroy another was new and highly controversial.

The authors of the website (may be Cambridge teachers) say the correct answer should be FALSE. Here's how they explained it:

  “sceptical” (other spelling: skeptical) means showing doubt about
  something.

  While the statement in question 21 says that people were impressed of
  the discovery, the text says people doubted that. These ideas are
  contrasting, so the answer for question 21 is FALSE.

  Note: In fact, it was Swingle who was impressed by the method used in
  China, not other people (Western biologists).

(This explanation could be right from the Cambridge IELTS books.)

My stand on this is:

Since when "Many people being impressed" and "Many Western biologists being skeptical" are antonyms???

These two statements don't refute each other. They can be true at the same time. That means, people can be impressed and many Western biologists be skeptical at the same time. These two statements are NOT mutually exclusive! This is not oxymoron-like.

The statement of Q21 is NOT GIVEN

What should the correct answer be?


texts: "On the one after," vs "on the one that followed."

texts:
Which one is more common, more idiomatic?

Example:

  My brother's exams would end next week, so we decided to take the trip on
  the one after.

  My brother's exams would end next week, so we decided to take the trip on
  the one that followed.

(I'm also open to better suggestions.)


texts: Is there a specific word to describe tools used in engineering projects?

texts:
I have found that:

Doctors use "instruments".
Cooks use "cookware" and "utensils".
Construction workers use "construction materials", "tools" and "equipment".
Sailors use "nautical tools" and "equipment".

All of these seem like alternatives in different professions to replace the word "tools"/ tools used to build or create something.
For engineers (specifically mechanical and electrical), is there a word for engineering tools that are used to build products?


texts: Is there a big difference between "self-made" and "home-made"?

texts:
I asked my colleague if the cake he brought is self-made.

He answered "No, my girlfriend made it".

Me: "So it's self-made!"

He: "No, it's home-made!"

If I asked the same question in German (my native language) with selbstgemacht (=self-made), everybody would have answered either just "Yes" or "Yes, my girlfriend did it." What we actually want to know when somebody asks person A if something is selbstgemacht is if A or somebody A knows well (friend, relative, but not the baker where he would have to pay for it) did it himself. Even though there is the word hausgemacht (=home-made) it is used much less often. It is not even in my active vocabulary.

How is the situation in English? Do you really distinguish accurately like that between the two words? I'm asking because my colleague is not a native English speaker, either.


texts: 'As can be seen ...' <--- Can English have a tensed clause without a Subject?

texts:
Considering the rule that every finite clause in English must always have a subject, I was wondering what the subject of the first clause in this sentence is:

  As can be seen from the figures, the number of first year students decreased dramatically in the last five years.

Is this sentence correct or should we say:

  As it can be seen from the figures, the number of first year students decreased dramatically in the last five years.

And what is the subject of the whole sentence.


texts: If and Whether - or not? Interrogative and Conditional words

texts:
It's clear to me that in some situations, "if" works but "whether" does not:
1a) If it rains, I shall take my umbrella.
1b) Call me if rain is predicted.

Also some where only "whether or not" will work:
2a) Whether or not it rains, I still have to go to work.

and some where only "whether" works:
2b) Whether you like this example is of no concern to me.

According to Grammar Girl, there are sitiations where the "or not" is superfluous, as it's not needed to clarify the meaning.
3a) Let me know whether you're going.
3b) Let me know whether or not you're going.

There are also situations where any of the three constructions would work, but the meaning is different:

4a) Let me know if rain is predicted.
4b) Let me know whether rain is predicted.
4c) Let me know whether rain is predicted or not.
(to me, 4c above seems ambiguous as to what the speaker wants to know—the prediction or something else altogether— so it needs more context to clarify that)

Can someone succinctly explain which rules of grammar or syntax are operative in these examples, and whether there are other situations where other rules might apply for "if" VS "whether" VS "whether or not"?

Also, are there recognized differences in formal and casual usage?


texts: What words should I use to describe the whole fashion outfit?

texts: My sister wants to create her own fashion brand in Russia. This brand contains a simple English word, no names or last names at all. She asked me how she should express the idea of the whole outfit, set of clothing, I mean, fashion look created by this brand. Her friend having her own brand uses the phrase "total look by /brandname/". But her friend's brand name contains a name and a last name of a person, while my sister's one doesn't. I doubt if the expression "total look" is really correct in this case and I would like to ask how to express the idea of the whole outfit created by my sister's brand. Like, we have a photo of a model dressed in this outfit, and how should she say in this case?


texts:
I am searching audio files of a certain text in Google. In all valid search results, it is read by melody. I want to add extra keywords to find the exact result. I tried without melody and straight read as keywords, but they did no good.

Is there any verb or noun that has a close meaning to reading without melody?


texts: Could anyone explain the meaning of the following sentence

texts:
In my offer letter there is one section named "End of Contract". In this section there is one item which I don't understand clearly. This is as follows:

Your service could be ended by giving thirty (30) days' notice or recompense one (1) month salary as replacement of notice.

Q: Could anyone explain the meaning of this sentence.


texts:
My English teacher doesn't like infinitives and she wants me to replace most if not all of them in my essays. Writing them is habitual for me and I always catch myself writing them but I'm always unsure of how to revise it without sounding awkward.

What are some ways I can replace infinitives in my sentences?


texts: Could you help me, please? In our country EL students have got special copy-books where they write new English words down (not in alphabetical order). How is it correct to call such a copy-book in English: a dictionary or a vocabulary?


texts: What is a "prize" for last place called?

texts:
I'm having one of those moments where I can't think of the word.

In some contests where prizes are awarded, there are prizes for first, second, and third place. Then, there is a "____" prize given for last place.

What word am I having difficulty thinking of?


texts: Can "respectively" be used with a single sequence if clear to what each item refers?

texts:
Typically, the word "respectively" is used to relate two sequences of identical lengths:

  ... expectation of finding two and three cats in the left and right room, respectively.

Meaning, in this example, that the expectation was to find two cats in the left room and three in the right room.

Now I'm wondering if omitting the latter sequence is acceptable if the reader can be expected to still understand what is meant, e.g., if this is something that has been extensively discussed before and is now only mentioned again to remind the reader.

  ... expectation of finding two and three cats, respectively.

If this is highly unusual or even completely incorrect, is there a better alternative?

Thanks!


texts: Why isn't the yard used as a base unit for measuring heights?

texts:
I don't know if this is the right forum for this question, but, do what I would, I could not find a better one.

During my visit to London I stumbled upon something I couldn't quite grasp:

Why, even though the yard an acceptable unit of distance, height is invariably measured in feet?

For example: The Shard is 309 meters tall, which is sometimes presented as 1016 ft but not something like 338 yards?

What is the reason for this?


texts: To hate yourself is called to 'self loathe'. What would be a word for 'not to hate yourself' or an antonym for self-loathe?


texts: Should I use its or their in the following examples?

texts:
Which sentence is right?

"All public schools provide breakfast and lunch to its students and therefore they are well nourished."

"All public schools provide breakfast and lunch to their students and therefore they are well nourished."


texts:
I apologise in advance if this is a duplicate, but I did search this site and did not find exactly what I was after.

I've been searching on Google for a while now regarding homophones, homonyms and homographs, and I constructed a table to easily categorise words.

The problem is, I'm still confused as to their meanings. I'm interested in some professional definitions of the three word types (and if possible, of a heteronym) and also some help with completing my table.

Here's a diagram I found, but I found it a bit too messy to be able to be read:

Thank you very much.


texts:
I'm trying to find a single word that can describe the process of connecting or disconnecting a cable to a testing machine. This concerns the name of a function in a software program I am working on. The function accepts a true/false value which indicates to the user if they should connect or disconnect a specific cable.
Currently I have called it MoveCable() but this isn't an ideal name for it. I also want to avoid a name such as ConnectDisconnectCable(). Any suggestions?


texts: Is "fresher" really a "proper" English word?

texts:
I see a lot of folks on Stackoverflow using fresher when describing themselves as beginners at any given topic.

I have never really heard of "fresher" as a synonym for beginner. I know "freshman" as a term used at American schools, but where does "fresher" come from? Where is it used frequently, and is it considered proper language, or more of a slang expression?


texts:
In the TV series The Last Kingdom a number of place names appear. The series typically shows the Ænglisc spelling of place names, followed by the modern one. E.g. the name old name Wintanceaster morphs into Winchester on screen.

Another such name happens to be Eoforƿīċ (sometimes also spelled Eoforwic, Wiktionary entry), the old name of York. The ƿ in the name is roughly equivalent to the modern English w and the linked Wiktionary page has the IPA transliteration.

Now having a sweet spot for Old Norse stuff, I already knew that York was also known as Jórvík to the Vikings. The constituting part vík - still in use in modern Icelandic, meaning bay - strikes me as a weird choice for a place so far inland. So probably the name was indeed made up by way of folk etymology or for whatever other reasons by the Vikings. It makes much more sense in place names like Reykjavík where the place is tucked into a bay.

But given this coincidence I was wondering how we know today that the last part of the name used to be pronounced /wiːt͡ʃ/ and not /wɪk/ (or even /wik/).

Incidentally the Wiktionary entry for wic lists the following descendants:

Middle English: wic, wike, wych

English: wick, -wich

And indeed we can find plenty of place names in Great Britain which end in -wich or -wick. And while the former corresponds with the pronunciation used in the TV series, the latter seems equally conceivable.

So how to we know how the place names - in particular certain combinations of letters which may or may no longer be in use in modern English - were pronounced in a certain way, especially when an alternative is fully conceivable given the transliterated spelling? And especially since spelling was highly irregular in those times.

Bonus points for references to freely accessible online material about the origin of English place names. Not everything is as obvious as:

-by
-mouth, situated on a river's mouth ...
-thorpe, meaning a village
-ton, or
-nes(s)

... or perhaps these are deceivingly "obvious"?


texts: When to use "use" and when to use "utilize" in a sentence?

texts:
Sometimes I go through articles and find the expression utilize, I've always been wondering if there are special cases in which it should be used instead of used.

Also because google ngram clearly shows that used is used (sorry for that ;D) much more.

Thanks for your help and happy new year!


texts: Word that describes many common household purchases

texts:
I m writing a research paper about the over consumption.

I am struggling to find a word or words that describes the things we normally use in our daily lives like toothbrush, dish washer liquid, diapers(some), water and ac filters etc etc

So things that we use not to make money but to kind of maintain life. I m looking for a word describing those, so that I can refer to them as a one word(s) in my paper after I give definition.

So far I came up with consumable or spendible products. I m not really sold on those 100% still looking for better word or words. Any suggestions?


texts: Does "a value between two values" imply the two values are included within the range?

texts:
For example, if a there is a validation message that specifies that a number "must be a value between 1 and 100" does that imply that 1 and 100 are part of the allowed set of values?

I would suggest that 1 and 100 are not part of the allowed range as it states the value must be between 1 and 100. Therefore meaning more than 1 and less than 100.

Am I right?


texts: Analyzing 'as' in ascertain, assure, etc

texts: It seems that in some words, like in the word 'ascertain' or in 'assure', the 'a' or the combination of 'a' and 's' transforms the adjective into a verb. My question is, is there a term in the language for this behavior?


texts:
What does "You're as bad as the old Irish woman who took the two pills to be sure, to be sure..." mean? And if you know what it means, can you also specify the origin of this phrase?

To be more specific about the context, I've heard it here: http://youtu.be/BfI9rJ0toWA?t=1m2s


texts:
I know that a compound adjective preceding a noun would require hyphenation in most circumstances; however, this particular phrasing has me doubting myself and I'd just like some clarification, if possible.

With the following, if this comes at the end of a sentence, should it be hyphenated?

'...1.65 million square feet.'

My gut is telling me no, because there is no noun following it, but I'm not 100% certain.

Many thanks,

Celeryshed.

Edit:

A full-sentence example for this query would be:

'The total build of the structure covered 1.65 million square feet.'

It's the '1.65 million square feet' section of that sentence that I'm querying.

Sorry for any confusion my initial post created.


texts:
Like, for example, could I use 'to boss' instead of 'to dominate/to command' in a phrase.

Would people understand the meaning?
Just would like to know if it's possible to use in a conversation, informal talking, for example.

Thanks ;)


texts: Is there really no English equivalent to German's “Fachidiot”?

texts:
There was the following paragraph in the article that came under the title, “GOP and the rise of Anti-knowledge” written by Mike Lofgren in Consortiumnews.com (October 29, 2015):

  “English unfortunately doesn’t have a precise word for the German
  “Fachidiot,” a narrowly specialized person accomplished in his own
  field but a blithering idiot outside it. In any case, a surgeon is
  basically a skilled auto mechanic who is not bothered by the sight of
  blood and palpitating organs. We need the surgeon’s skills on pain of
  agonizing death, and reward him commensurately but that does not make
  him a Voltaire.”

In Japanese we have a word, 専門バカ, of which literal translation is “specialist idiot” meaning exactly same as defined the above - a narrowly specialized person accomplished in his own field but a blithering idiot outside it.

I’m really curious about the absence of short descriptions of the specialist who knows nothing more than his specialty area in English like German “Fachidiot,” and Japanese "専門バカ."

Isn’t there really any short word counterpart to “Fachidiot,” specialist’s ignorance, for instance, in English?

P.S.

I found "narrow-minded specialisit" as a German-to-English translation of "fachidiot" in the web site, Interglot translation dictionary.


texts:
“It would be ungenerous to affect not to know that your self-denial is to be referred to your consideration for her father"

Chapter 10, A Tale of Two Cities.


texts: Be "running late" and "run my appointment"

texts:
Consider this comment:

  My doctor is awesome. He was running late with a previous patient so he sent a new doctor to run my follow up appointment.

Does "running late" here means he is going to be late, or he is going to take more time than usual? What does it precisely mean? Also, what does running an appointment mean when he said they sent a new doctor to run his follow up appointment? Does it mean to deal with?


texts:
I came across the sentence "At what age were you able to start reading successfully to a baby?". My question is why the word " at " can be placed at the beginning of the sentence? Is the sentence the same as "how old were you able to start reading successfully to a baby?"
I often see questions begin with "what", "how", "when", "why", and "what". It's the first time I notice the sentence which begins with "At what age".
Can anyone explain why it is like this? What is the grammar rule that the sentence follows?
Thanks in advance.


texts: How to understand the grammar of "strength were granted me"?

texts:
I find the following sentence from a translation of Proust's In search of lost time:

But at least, if strength were granted me for long enough to accomplish my
work, ...

I want to understand it better. I think that the grammatical usage of the phrase "for long enough" is like that of "for 14 days", "for ten years", etc. Simplifying it, we have

if strength were granted me to accomplish my work, ...

Then I am confused about the part "strength were granted me". Is it an inversion with passive voice? Can I understand the sentence as: "if I was granted strength to accomplish my work"?


texts: What do you call the country out of which someone has emigrated?

texts:
Emigrant = someone who is leaving their country.

??? = the country from which the emigrant is departing.

I want to say Émigré country but I don't know if that makes sense.

Maybe country of emigration? But that's too wordy.

Is there one word?


texts: What's a noun for the group of people who you're very close to, such as family, friends, relatives, and significant others?

texts:
If I wanted to describe all of the people close to someone such as their close friends, family, relatives, and spouse/significant other, how would I do so with one noun?

The simplest 'noun' that comes to mind is using the term "friends and family", e.g. "He sought consolation from his friends and family during the tragic incident."

Is there a more specific/powerful noun for this? An example of a loanword for this would be the Hawaiian Ohana.

I might be missing something obvious here, but I'd like to know what you guys think. I'm not looking for a specific answer, and loanwords would be great as well - possibly better!

edit: I don't care if it's a single word, actually.


texts:
Which is correct:
All you need is two nights a week.
OR
All you need are two nights a week.


texts:
I've heard lots of varying histories of the term "OK".

Is there any evidence of the true origin of the term?


texts: Is there a common term for source and destination?

texts:
Background:
I'm trying to come up with a name for a database column.
This would store the source or destination of funds in a multi-part financial transaction.


texts:
According to wikipedia Engineering Management:
Engineering management is the application of the practice of management to the practice of engineering.

An engineering manager is a manager who manages engineers. But doesn't "engineering manager" sound ambiguous?

a manager who manages engineers
a manager who engineers something (doing the same work as engineers)


texts:
Underlying most OED definitions of the word claim, both noun and verb, is some notion of right or entitlement.

( An exception arises in the case of meaning 2c - the loosely used he claimed to be Adolf Hitler, or he claimed that the speaker was drunk. I am speaking here of the notion of claiming something for oneself, goods, money, services, rights, a status etc.)

In everyday parlance people frequently claim things for which they have no legal right. E.g. they may 'claim' some special privilege at work, because they consider themselves deserving of it.

One of the OED meanings of entitlement is:

  The belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special
  treatment. Freq. in sense of entitlement.

So is it possible to claim something e.g. a concession for which one has no right or entitlement whatever? Does the action of claiming imply a considered entitlement?

On a further note on the matter of claim, sports commentators sometimes say, something like: Joe Hart runs out of his goal and claims the ball. Did he have an entitlement to the ball?

So, the question is Can you claim something for which you have no entitlement?, or does the action of claiming set up a de facto considered entitlement?.


texts: why doesn‘’t the word "but" mean the oppositional relationship in this sentence?

texts:
I've read a sentence from the economist,as follows:

THE LATEST monthly employment report, published on April 2nd, painted an impressive picture: over the previous month America created more than 900,000 jobs. That figure, the strongest since August, reflects the state of the economy in the first half of March, when the surveys took place. But a look at “high-frequency” economic data for more recent weeks, on everything from daily restaurant diners to Google-search behaviour, suggests that, since then, the recovery has if anything accelerated further. America’s post-lockdown boom has begun.

I couldn't see the negation meaning in the word "But".Because I think the two sentences which is before and after "But" both mean that the economy was developing very well, and the word "but" seems not to mean oppositional relationship . I wonder whether it should be replaced by the word "and"?
I’d appreciate it if you could help me out with this question.Thank you!


texts:
I believe it well established that the choice of whether to use "There is" or "There are" with the phrase "a lot of" depends on the following word. For example, you would say:

There is a lot of wine.
There are a lot of cars.

What is the right form to use for a pair of, a bunch of, a group of, etc.?


texts: Notarial Deed Translation from Canadian English

texts:
I have to translate an English document from Quebec into Polish language. However, there is one sentence that I cannot understand:

  As the whole now subsists with all its rights members and
  appurtenances, without exception or reserve of any kind on the part of
  the Vendor

Can somebody please help me and translate the sentence above into understandable English?

Context:

  With a building thereon erected bearing the civic number 5*** and 5***
  of said Ch****** Street, and whereof the south-westerly wall is
  mitoyen.

  Subject to a reciprocal servitude of view as created in deed
  registered at Mo****** under the number 1******.

  As the whole now subsists with all its rights members and
  appurtenances, without exception or reserve of any kind on the part of
  the Vendor

After last sentence the next paragraph begin.


texts: a computer program does what for the user - Technical writing

texts:
I am writing a technical document and, I have a module called "Pre-policy Module" which is a web application(like, say, facebook).

What could be appropriate to say in a sentence like this:

  The goal of VAS – Pre policy Web Application is to automate the process of
  appointment scheduling, rescheduling, cancelling, ...

It is obviously not "automate" because parts of it require manual operation. What word can I substitute in place of "automate"?


texts: Looking for a word describing someone who is "too nice"

texts:
"Too nice", as in constantly trying to please others, perhaps motivated by a fear of being disliked, and typically this person is nice or overly excited when others wouldn't be.

Is there a word for this behavior? (That isn't kiss-ass...)

Example use: "I find his ???? personality off-putting."

Thanks!


texts: Verb agreement when singular subject and plural predicative expression

texts:
Which of the following sentences are correct?

Effective algorithms for concurrent programming is the main subject of of investigation in this note.

Effective algorithms for concurrent programming are the main subject of of investigation in this note.

My confusion is that "Effective algorithms" is plural, but "Effective algorithms for concurrent programming" as a whole is the subject of investigation.
In https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copula_(linguistics) it is stated that "the copula normally agrees with the preceding phrase even if it is not logically the subject". But I still have doubts about the above sentences.


texts: Is there a term for when an illness itself prevents the patient from obtaining a cure?

texts:
A challenge to curing patients is that sometimes the illness itself prevents a patient from taking a cure.

Some examples:

Depression - lack of motivation and negative thinking prevent the patient from seeking help or carrying out their treatment.
Dementia - the patient may forget to carry out their treatment.
Anorexia/Paranoid Schizophrenia - part of the illness includes the belief that they are not ill and possibly even that doctors are working against them.
Any illness where the patient is too physically incapacitated to contact a doctor or carry out their treatment.

Is there a term for this problem?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase : "It goes in and out!" In the context of someone telling somebody and wants it to be kept as secret.


texts:
I've been told that this is an example of a complex sentence:

  But then he took a great leap, trying to pull a high kick out of the sky.

I see that the "but then" serves as a cohesive conjunction to join the previous paragraph and create contrast. But I can't work out which clause is the dependent one and which is independent - unless the ellipsed subject in the second clause makes it the independent one.


texts: "There had emerged" <--- What does "there" mean here?

texts:
There had emerged on the steppes of Inner Eurasia the distinctive types of pastoralism that were to dominate the region’s history for several millennia.

I have questions about the excerpt above:

What is the meaning of "there" in "there had emerged", which tense is that, can I say it in a different way and how?
Why the writer used "were to dominate" not "were dominating"?


texts: "This was the fastest I heard someone [respond/responded]" - which to use, and why?

texts:
Here are the two sentences.

This was the fastest I heard someone responded.
This was the fastest I heard someone respond.

Can someone help me understand:

  A) Which one is correct, and what is wrong with the mechanics of the
  incorrect one?

  B) If they are both correct, can someone tell me what
  is the subtle difference between the two different words used?

I chose #1, but my rival chose #2 and everyone agreed with him because they said it "sounds" good. But i'm interested in mechanics and accuracy not sounds. I am really confused with this one. Help from the grammar mechanics gurus is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

UPDATE

Thanks to both Cerberus, Leon Conrad. Cerebus gave the excellent mechanics break-down. The missing That was making it sound awkward.

  This was the fastest [that] I heard [that] someone responded.

  This was the fastest [that] I heard someone respond.

And Conrad gave the subtle difference between the two meanings.
Based on the context, (from Leon's explanation) I was correct, because I did not hear the response my self, I heard about the response from someone else. Because I cant choose 2 answers, I chose Leon's. That subtle difference was hard for me to spot.


texts:
The sentence is
Because of the thought-of complexity of the equations, they did not take this approach.
Here, what I want to express is that, they thought the equations were complex, but actually the equations were not that complex.
Am I using the word thought-of correctly? Is there any more appropriate word?


texts: What English words have unique prevocalic forms?

texts:
The indefinite article a becomes an when it precedes a word beginning with a vowel sound. Similar conventions can be found in thy → thine and the now-archaic my → mine.

Aside from these three examples, are there any other words that take on a special form when they proceed a vowel sound?

I'm aware that some people consider amongst to be a prevocalic form of among, but this usage does not seem to be universal, and furthermore doesn't follow with similar word pairs such as amid/amidst or while/whilst.


texts: "If we were in a physical relationship, you just lost sex tonight." Grammatically correct?

texts:
"If we were in a physical relationship, you just lost sex tonight".
This is a line from the TV show, 'Big Bang Theory'. It seems incorrect but I may be wrong.


texts:
What does the expression "as bad as it is" mean? Does it mean on top of that for e.g. as bad something (accident or something like that) is, something similarly bad?

  I have been sick all week. As bad as it is, there are exams this weekend.

Or is it similar to "even though", like this expression:

  As much as I like you, I don't agree with you on this.


texts: Why does Steven Pinker say that “can’t” + “any” is just as much of a double-negative as “can’t” + “no” is in “I can’t get no/any satisfaction”?

texts:
In reference to "I can't get no satisfaction" vs "I can't get any satisfaction", Steven Pinker said (at 6:13):

But "can't" and "any" is just as much of a double-negative as "can't" and "no".

I understand his broader point about one dialect being chosen over another as "the correct one", due to where the political power was, but I don't understand why "can't get any" is a double-negative.


texts: Why is the singular “Olympic Athlete From Russia” used for an ice-hockey team?

texts:
It’s definitely more than one athlete in the Russian team.
On TV:

On the web

And they did it all the time till the finals:

Clearly, it wasn't an arbitrary error or slip-up.


texts: Difference between 'truculent' and 'petulant'

texts:
I am confused with the two words 'truculent' and 'petulant'. I consulted with MW dictionary.

Truculent: easily annoyed or angered and likely to argue

Petulant: having or showing the attitude of people who becomes angry or annoyed when they do not get what they want

My understanding is that both words mean bad-tempered. Possibly only difference, I can think of, is that if you are petulant your anger is kind of 'justified'. Is my understanding correct?

I still feel that the difference between the meanings of two words is very little. I will be glad if someone can highlight any other marked difference between them.


texts:
How say correctly?

I want buy a micro usb type b connector in lunchtime.
I want buy a micro usb type b connector at lunchtime.


texts: Alternative to beginning a sentence with "this"?

texts:
I have to write technical documents such as manuals, reports and journal articles.

Recently, I find myself beginning sentences with "This" a lot of the time. For example,

  Deploy one marker buoy at the GPS location of the anchor and another at the GPS location of the frame. This makes navigating much easier.

or

  The log files will be parsed for calibration settings and other metadata. This process can take a few minutes for very large files.

or

  If new batteries have been inserted, the magnetometer must be recalibrated. This operation is similar to the recalibration often required when using a smart phone compass.

Are these sentences okay or are there any other sentence constructions that read better? Should I just accept it and move on?


texts: Using 'stand for' in reference to persons

texts:
Can in the following sentence ...

'I know Christian would want to be here, but I'm here in his place.'

... 'I'm here in his place' be replaced with 'I stand here for him'?

I.e.: 'I know Christian would want to be here, but I stand here for him.'

I read that 'stand for' means 'To represent; symbolize,' and now I'm wondering whether it can be used in reference to a person.

I'm asking because it is unclear to me whether a person can 'represent' or 'symbolize' another person.

To me, 'to represent' or 'to symbolize' are more suitable to use for abstract things.


texts: The pural opi for opus is a joke, right?

texts:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/opus attests that some people in the classical music world use "opi" as a plural for "opus."  I think this is just a joke, giving a pseudo-learned false-Latin form for the plural.  But I want to make sure.

Can anyone here who is familiar with the usage at first hand tell me whether it is generally meant as a joke?


texts: Symbol or word to indicate change of subject in a stream of text

texts:
Is there a symbol or short/abbreviated word to indicate a change of topic in a stream of text where there is no room for whitespace such as new lines or paragraphs?
For example, in a journal entry you might right a few sentences on one subject. Then, because of limited writing space, you might want to shift to a different topic without line breaks.
If there is a symbol, a Unicode code point number or name would be useful to determine the precise character.
This Question is similar to Typographical symbol to indicate page. But that Question refers to layout of pages and paragraphs, whereas this question is about a change of subject within a stream of text.
It may be that PILCROW SIGN ¶ at Unicode code point 182 is the solution. But I suspect I have seen a more appropriate symbol used.


texts: Which date's? What date's? Of which date?

texts:
Let's say there are daily interest rates available for calculation but I am not sure which date's interest rates to use. What would be an appropriate question in this situation?

Of which date's interest rate should I use?
Which date's interest rate should I use?
What date's interest rate should I use?
Or better options.

Thanks in advance!


texts: 1902 use of phrase "giving a tiger" in the context of paying homage to the King's coronation

texts:
In Mrs Aeneas Gunn's autobiographical 'The Little Black Princess : A True Tale of Life in the Never-Never Land, 1905, she writes about previously celebrating the coronation of Edward VII in the bush.

  As the last few Poolooloomees glided out of sight, we gave a 'hip, hip, hooray!' and a 'Tiger' for King Edward VII, and then amused ourselves by trying to fire some more...

and, later,

  ... the men gave another 'Hip Hooray and a Tiger' for the King, and then fired a volley of revolver shots into the air as a royal salute.

A Tiger sounds as though it is more likely an English term than an Australian one. I am anxious  to find out the definition and any other information about what a Tiger is in this context. Can anyone please help?

(A Poolooloomee is a local Indigenous fire-work like amusement).


texts: I know it's wrong to say thanks God, but since there is no abbreviation for thank, is it correct to say Tnx God?  I mean could 'Tnx God' be a short form of 'thank God'?


texts:
I'm rather confused as to whether you say I have a practise amp or I have a practice amp when referring to an amplifier that you use to practise your guitar playing.

I understand that the verb form is -se, but I also wonder whether "practice amp" is correct as it's a compound noun.

Any help and clarification would be gratefully received.


texts: What's the word for "to do something without feeling emotional about it"

texts: I have searched for the same, but I am always getting some reference which is implying that we cannot do something without feeling it. But we can.


texts:
The meaning of cf. has already been addressed in this question, but not the right way to pronounce or translate it when reading aloud as has been done for i.e. and e.g. in this question.

Can anyone enlighten me?  If the answerers want to explain the particulars of the pronunciation of other abbreviations, they are welcome.


texts: What's the relationship of Ursa Minor/Little Dipper to dogs?

texts:
Recently happened again upon the word "cynosure" and noted it's Greek etymology, e.g. from Wordsmith.org:

  Originally the term was applied to the constellation Ursa Minor or the North Star (Polaris) that was used in navigation. The term is derived from Latin Cynosura (Ursa Minor), from Greek kynosoura (dog's tail), ultimately from the Indo-European root kwon- (dog) that is also the source of canine, chenille (from French chenille: caterpillar, literally, little dog), cynic, kennel, canary, hound, dachshund, and corgi. And from the root ors- (buttocks) which also gave us ass, dodo, and squirrel.

I've seen several such references etymologically but have found nothing more fleshed out. Wikipedia maps out many historical associations of the constellation, none of which are related to dogs; in particular the Greek association seems to have been about Zeus/Hera/Callisto:

  The classical mythographer identified the "Bear" as the nymph Callisto, changed into a she-bear by Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus.

Clearly a bear has a tail... what's the relationship to dogs?


texts: One word for "to make someone addicted to something"

texts:
I need to know if there's a one word to get the meaning "to make someone addicted to something". Be it bad or good, something like, gaming, photography, reading, playing a musical instrument, using drugs, smoking etc. Like, when you say, 'a fanatic footballer' or 'a fanatic gamer' or 'a photography enthusiast', or 'a drug addict' etc. I want to know the word you say to the person who made that person, addicted to, fanatic to, attached to,.. that habit or the activity.
Thanks in advance..


texts: Is there a word to describe something new, but completely unnecesary?

texts:
Is there a word to describe making a new thing (instead of old one), which should be way better, more innovative, but in the end remains same or even worse.
Example - car manufacturers are putting displays in place of dashboards, but those displays still show same two round dials for speedometer and tachometer (only difference - they are shown in screen instead physically with dials and needles).


texts: What does "as" mean in "than as that of"

texts:
So I was doing the writing question on SAT
the Answer of 22 question is C, but I don't understand what is the "as" for.


texts: Expressions similar to "at the expense of"

texts: I'm struggling to expand my vocabulary. Could you please provide expressions alike to "at the expense of"? Words or phrases are all well-appreciated.


texts: Phrase to describe a fix that doesn't address the underlying issue?

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase to describe fixing the relatively minor problems of something with addressing a larger underlying problem. One example would be if a house had a bug infestation and someone simply covered any holes the bugs were coming through instead of dealing with the infestation itself. Or similarly, patching up a hole each time it appeared in worn-out clothing.

I thought the term was spot-fixing, but looking online, this seems to be associated with illegal sport fixing.

edit: To clarify, I'm looking for a phrase to describe each of the individual fixes made. in other words, something that would fit in the blank here: "He made another __ by duct-taping the crack in the wall". Or similarly "patching the hole was another ___ but the shirt needed to be replaced".


texts:
There's a recently-created idiom to assert that one has skills, and I don't remember what it is. It sounds like it was created by a Millennial. I want to say it has either a martial-art or science-fiction vibe, but it might be just a little silly wordplay.

It's something along the lines of:

"My troubleshooting game is strong."
"She has good birdwatching force."
"He has mad baby-sitting skillz."

I think it takes the form of: "My [skill] <idiom> is good." where [skill] is replaced by whatever the skill or field is, and <idiom> is the word I can't remember.

Please suggest alternate expressions that have originated in about the past few years (post-2010) that one might use to claim proficiency with a skill.


texts: Is there any word with two consecutive monophthongs whose symbols could be combined to a diphthong?

texts:
For example, ɔ and ɪ in one word one after another. Note that I talking about a situation where the symbols could be combined as written l, not the sounds. IPA does not have explicit different written display between two monophthongs and one diphthong- a bad symbol choice if any languages have a double vowel sound.

Don't include sentences; refer to words with two vowel sounds.

There are certainly some double consecutive vowel sounds such as continuum.

I ask because I thought about using IPA symbols and whether an ESL learner or even a native could know for sure that two consecutive vowel symbols are really the diphthong assuming no syllable break. continuum has a syllable break between the vowel sounds. I wish to not make this a complaint about IPA.

I teach English and have a TEFL certificate. I wish to limit to basic IPA symbols as shown in Advanced Learner Dictionaries and only General American and Standard British English- that is just about only types of English that most ESL learners ever learn. They have syllable marks and accents- no other diacritics.


texts:
I read one book, anyone could describe the concept meaning by following sentence:

"In the sixth century, at the very close of the classical period, the great libraries of the Mediterranean world remained those of Constantinople and Alexandria"

My problem is via by "remained those of" it means: remaining libraries from Constantinople and Alexandria ?!


texts: Word for a person who talks without content

texts:
What is a word for a person who reiterates without adding any new content? (This person is not necessarily talkative per se.) Example of a conversation by such a person would be:

  "You know if we do this xyz, it will be good. No one has done xyz so it is going to be great if we finish xyz, I don't think anyone has done this.  By summer if this is done then we can send xyz, of course we have to do it before and it's gonna be great and we have to keep doing xyz unless someone will do it, but no one has done it yet, it is going to be great if we do xyz."

It is not overzeal; it is just my example which came out to be like this.


texts: What is a word describing someone obsessed with their own appearance in a negative light?

texts:
Basically, this person would be obsessed with their appearance. They would look in every reflective surface they could find, and remind themselves of their ugliness; but always searching for a new perspective.

I guess as a narcissist would look in the mirror 110 times a day and think, wow, I'm beautiful, a (insert the word I'm seeking here) would think, you are so hideous.


texts: "Between each" and Other Constructions with Fewer than Two Objects

texts:
Page 112 of Garner's fourth edition reads
✳Between each and Other Constructions with Fewer than Two Objects

This phrasing is a peculiar brand of illogic, ✳between each
house/speech,instead of, properly, between speeches and between every two houses
(native speakers of English don’t consciously think
of the phrase as between each house and the next).

However I don't fully grasp its point.
Does between each house and the next mean the same as "between houses"?
Why don't native speakers consciously think of it as such?


texts:
What is the right preposition in

  The human's weight is (of/in) the order of 10^2 kg.

Are both correct, or do they have different meanings? I found both in the internet and I found many discussions on this question without a solution. I guess SX is ideal to find a short solution.