texts: The word hello seems to have become popular with the coming of the telephone. Did our ancestors greet each other with ahoy before that?


texts:
Is this construction an example of extraposition?

  It's only a matter of time until all hell breaks loose

Normally extraposition involves infinitive phrases or that-clauses, but it seems like the clause "until all hell breaks loose" is an extraposed subject. In other words, "Until all hell breaks loose is just a matter of time."


texts: How to punctuate two sentences that form one unit that requires a colon at the end?

texts:
I ask this in the context of comments in computer programming which are written in plain English.

For this question, I require a colon at the end of every comment that is a heading of code. Now, if the heading consists of multiple sentences and I don't want to use a semicolon, is this considered a valid style of punctuation?

# Send e-mail feedback. The user may have opted out:
send()

(An answer will also be useful for running text. I came across this issue multiple times over the years.)

EDIT:

Here's a little clue. However, it contains a semicolon:   []

Join them; it only takes a minute:
[Join button]

Source: https://linguistics.stackexchange.com/.


texts:
I have come across the following sentences in a study material supplied by The English and foreign languages University:

  She loves her dog more than her husband.
  They are flying saucers
  They are entertaining girls

I have some questions regarding these sentences. We can analyse the sentences and explain the ambiguity.

But can people interpret these sentences in two different ways?

Do native speakers and non-native speakers of English understand these sentences in the same way?


texts:
On the subject of "whoever" and "whomever", I was reading this but I am still confused: http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/whoever.asp

What is the correct use of whoever/whomever in the following sentence?

  I like your copy, congratulations, whoever is writing it.

Whoever? Whomever?

Is there a difference between US and UK English?


texts:
Beware of the man who agrees with all that you say: he wants your job!

  BEWARE the man who agrees...

  Beware the flashy car and the fashionable wife, the penurious misogynist said.

  BEWARE OF the flashy car and the fashionable wife...

I know this question has been asked before here

  Beware vs. beware of

but OP apparently did not find a conclusive answer, and after reading the whole discussion I am still not quite certain when or where to use 'beware of' and when to go with just 'beware.' Can somebody provide a 'rule of thumb' for this usage?


texts: What is the primary meaning of 'knocked up'

texts:
There seem to be several meanings;

Awoken in the morning;
Made pregnant;
Put together/prepared quickly or on the fly;
Made tired/worn out.

I have never heard of this last meaning which (used earlier by my father) needless to say was the one that nearly started a very fraught conversation!

What is the primary or dominant meaning?
Many thanks


texts: Something was being touched but no longer is

texts:
I'm looking for an (English) word meaning something that was being touched but no longer is - similar to disappear (for the visual sense).

I'm thinking at the moment about using DISTACTED or DISTACTUALED (which are apparently not words) for the past tense. The former sounds better, but the latter is (probably) more correct.

Anybody have any ideas?


texts:
Is it improper to say "me and Person X"?

I always hear it said as "Person X and I", but have personally learned to say "me and Person X".

Is there a difference between the two versions and is one of them incorrect? "Person and I" just sounds more formal to me.


texts: Why does "singer" have /ŋ/ and "longer" have /ŋg/?

texts:
The word "singer" is pronounced as /ˈsɪŋ.ər/ having /ŋ/ and not /ŋg/ in Standard Englishes. On the other hand, the word "longer" is pronounced as /ˈlɒŋɡər/ having /ŋɡ/ and not just /ŋ/ in Standard Englishes. "Longer" is derived from "long" which only has /ŋ/.
There are some other words as well, like younger, youngest and the superlative form of "long": longest = /ŋg/
And those which have only /ŋ/: ringer, hanger, banger.
I read this answer (“English” pronounced as /ˈɪŋlɪʃ/ ING-LISH [closed]) and it suggests:

Word-internal [ŋg] mostly remained (as in finger, anger), but an originally word-final -ng- that becomes word-internal only as the result of the addition of certain suffixes is pronounced [ŋ] (e.g. singing, singer).
The -ng- in English is not word-final, and -lish is not a suffix here, so it isn't expected to be pronounced [ŋ] according to the pronunciation patterns of the most commonly described dialects.

The er is a suffix in both "longer" and "singer" but they are pronounced differently.
Why is "singer" not pronounced as /ˈsɪŋɡər/ or "longer" as /ˈlɒŋər/?
Is "longer" an exception to this rule or there is a specific reason?


texts: How is the term "African-American" politically correct?

texts:
First, a note: This question is meant to have no explicit or implicit political/sociological connotation whatsoever, and is indeed born of actual and deep curiosity as to what is in the author's present view a confusing peculiarity in the English Language.

The term 'African-American' is supposed to be a politically correct term for American individuals of the Negroid/Australoid race. However, instead of being more inclusive, the term seems, at least to me, to be flatly alienating to such individuals by labelling them as in an implicit and subliminal manner different than other Americans and connecting them (purely racially) with Africa which in the greatest likeliness may not even be their or their families' continent of origin.

Then, why is 'African-American' considered an inclusive term?


texts: Word expression to say "Stopped smoking" or "got rid of some unhealthy habit"

texts:
I'm looking for words ( or word groups) that can be used to say "I stopped smoking", or "I stopped taking drugs" or, in other words, "I got rid of some bad and unhealthy habit".

I have found "relinquish" , "get out" , "give over", but I'm not sure if they can be used that way. Of course, I'd like to see more examples, if they are present.


texts: When in connected speech do we read 'r' after the end of a sentence or a passage?

texts:
For example in policy debates, in continuous reading or for example an interruptive briefing - there is a dot (.)

  It was summer. A strange shade was moving. Before the turning of the street there was a red car.

  Andrew saw himself in the mirror. It was dark in the room.

summe*RA*strange ?

ca*RA*ndrew ?

And if there is the case which regulates largeness of applicability of "connected R" and in which circumstances?


texts:
My name is August, by the way. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

I don't understand mean of the last sentence. Can you explain it to me?


texts: Meaning of velocity - mass noun vs countable noun

texts:
Dictionary entries like https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/velocity?q=velocity state that velocity can be a mass noun or a countable noun. What is the difference between the following sentences?

  The body has additional vibration velocity.

vs.

  The body has an additional vibration velocity.


texts: What does it mean "It is hard to get by just upon a smile"?

texts:
I am listening to a song by Joanna Wang: "Wild World"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnlQT1I5K9s

It is originally by Cat Stevens, and some lyrics are near the end of this question.  I wonder what the following phrase means:

It is hard to get by just upon a smile

Does it mean it is difficult to survive in this world just because she shows a nice smile?  (or that she can get by using a smile, but probably only because there are many guys who will cater to her smile and use her, and dump her when they get tired of her, so she can't survive that way?)  What does the phrase mean?

Now that I've lost everything to you
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breakin' my heart you're leavin'
Baby, I'm grievin'
But if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there

Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl

You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breakin' my heart in two
Because I never wanna see you a sad girl
Don't be a bad girl
But if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware

A side note is that this song was written in 1971... I listened to it for probably two hundred times over the years, but never knew or was aware what the lyrics meant, probably because I am not a native speaker of English.  I told my mom several years ago that more and more I found the world to be a jungle and full of just animals -- tigers, lions, wolves, all waiting to eat the sheeps, deer, and rabbits, but my mom refuted right away "how can it be?  human has civilization.  it cannot be a jungle."  But I found it surprising that back in 1971, the songs already said what it was "It is a wild world... I have seen a lot what the world can do...  I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there.  But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware."


texts: Plurals: Is it live or lives and Is it work or works in this example?

texts:
Which is correct?

  The Maritime Quarter Residents' Association support and represent everyone that live and work in the Maritime Quarter.

or

  The Maritime Quarter Residents' Association support and represent everyone that lives and works in the Maritime Quarter.


texts: I found this word restructuralization on a project report and was wondering whether this word exists in the English language.


texts: Why does "at work" make as much sense as "working" in this sentence?

texts:
I'm struggling to explain to someone why the following two sentences are both correct:

"Students, though not necessarily working in the society, are also important members"
"Students, though not necessarily at work in the society, are also important members"

As I understand it, "working" is a present participle, but what is "at work" best described as? Is it simply a preposition squished together with a verb, or is there a more specific grammatical name for the elements at play???

Thanks!


texts:
Suitable word which has meaning “taking care of agricultural plants after the damage (affected by virus or some other insects)has happened”
Taking steps before damage happens is “preventive” then what is the antonym for “preventive”


texts:
In a story titled "Prelude" written by "Katherine Mansfield" I came across the following sentence in this paragraph:

  The fireplace was choked up with rubbish. She poked among it but found
  nothing except a hair-tidy with a heart painted on it that had
  belonged to the servant girl. Even that she left lying, and she
  trailed through the narrow passage into the drawing-room.

After a little bit of investigation, I realized that "Even that she left lying" means "She left even that lying", with "that" referring to the "hair-tidy", meaning:

  She left everything lying in the fireplace, even the hair-tidy.

The meaning of this sentence was very unclear to me at first . So my question is why the object of the verb has been moved to the beginning of sentence? What's been the purpose? to emphasize? to make the sentence more beautiful? Is this sort of
stuff only found in literature? Or is it something that I may face in daily conversations as well?


texts: Which is correct: "...infinite ways..." or "...an infinite number of ways..."?

texts:
"There are infinite ways to..."
"There are an infinite number of ways to..."

One of my colleagues wrote the first sentence, but it didn't sound quite right to me. The second version seems more grammatical to me. Are both of these grammatically correct or is one version preferable to the other?


texts: In the UK which of the following regions should have capital letters?

texts:
In the UK, which of the following regions, none of which have any administrative significance, should be given capital letters? I have arranged them according to my own inclinations.

With capitals

West Midlands,
East Anglia,
The Lake District,
Scottish Borders,
The Highlands,
The Home Counties,
The Yorkshire Dales,
The Fens,
The Broads,
The Cotswolds,
The New Forest,
The Channel Islands,
The Brecon Beacons,
North Wales

Without capitals

The south coast,
The west country,
The western isles,
The isles of Scilly,
The north Norfolk coast,
The north downs,
The south downs,
The East Anglian heights
The Derbyshire dales


texts:
In the sentence, "Close your eyes, for just a moment..." which is more correct:

"For just a moment;"

"Just for a moment?"


texts: The sentence is "I can't picture playing without putting my middle finger on W" and I'm talking about playing video games on pc.


texts: "Led Zeppelin was" vs. "Led Zeppelin were"

texts:
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968.

(Source.)

Is "were" really the right word here? It feels like it should be "was".

After reading the answers and my own searching, it appears to be correct in this case

Should I use American English or British English?


texts: Is there a word for start and end of a time period?

texts: Is there a word used to describe the extremities of an arbitrary time period? The word "weekend" refers to the end of a week, but it's limited to the week and it only describes the end, but not the beginning. I'm looking for a word that means both "weekend" and "the start of the week", but isn't limited to weeks.


texts: How to express the result of a conversion?

texts:
"With this converter, one can convert A to B." Then the result of that conversion from A is B. How to attribute B later to let others know it was converted from something else?

Converted B can be used to do something.
B, as the conversion result from A, can be used to do something.

Sentence 1 sounds like B is the object that was just converted. And Sentence 2 is too long and I don't know if it is appropriate to say "conversion result".

A and B are conceptions from programming or software. For example, to convert an integer to float.


texts: A correct English expression for heavy and aching head

texts:
There is a Russian expression referring to the feeling of heaviness and pain in the head that translates literally as "head is buzzing" or "head is humming" (голова гудит). Is there any similar English expression?

I saw an expression "brain buzz", but it seems to have a completely different meaning.


texts: Describe a person who brags about difficulties

texts:
I am looking for a commonly used phrase, idiom, or simile that describes people who like to talk (brag?) about their difficulties, especially self inflicted or easily avoidable ones, as if having those difficulties were an indication of achievement or valuable experience.

I think young boys often exhibit similar behavior when they proudly show off their scars, as if getting hurt were a bigger achievement than not getting hurt. The behavior I am interested in is exhibited by adults though.

The word "humblebrag" seems to be in the same ballpark as what I am after, but I think "humblebrag" describes a person who talks about an actual achievement as if it were a problem whereas I'd like to describe someone who talks about an actual problem as if it were an achievement. In a sense, I am looking for the opposite of "humblebrag." (Unfortunately, googling "opposite of humblebrag" didn't turn up anything usable because the results are crowded by people who just want to brag about something and not be humble.)

Thanks!


texts: Referring to people from different parts of United Kingdom

texts:
I see four people in front of me. One is from Wales, one is from Scotland, one is from England and one is from Northern Ireland. I can say about each one "He is Scottish/Welsh/English". But, how do I say it about all of them? As far as I heard, Great Britain is the island, so I cannot say "They are British" because that would exclude the man from Northern Ireland. "They are United Kingdomers"... I doubt that it is correct. So, is there a word that could be used in such phrase and mean "They are from United Kingdom"?

Additional question: is there a word that refers to someone from Northern Ireland? Northern Irish?


texts: Is there a term to describe phrases like "vulcan mind meld", "circle the wagons", "900 pound gorilla"?

texts: My cube neighbor can't seem to say a sentence without using a phrase like I've included in the title.  Is there term that characterizes phrases like these?  More examples are "in the ballpark", "in my back pocket", "close to the vest"


texts: a number of children has gone to school or have gone to school

texts: Please help, in this sentence is "a number" an attribute or the subject of the sentence?


texts:
Which sentence is correct and why? What is the difference in meaning?

  I have already written to you, and I received your reply to submit my documents.
  I have already written to you, and I received your reply in order to submit my documents.


texts:
I found "be at odds" in some examples and in each example the proposition -which is used for it- is different:

They're at odds over the funding of the project.

Her version of events was at odds with the police report.

The liberal-left are at odds on Libya.

EPA, Eco groups at odds in climate change case.

A man's at odds to know his mind cause his mind is aught he has to know it with.

Does it make a difference which preposition comes after "at odds"?


texts: Why do we say "archenemy" differently from "archangel" and "architecture"?

texts:
Like other words that start with "arch-", archenemy is partly derived from arkhi or arkhos from the Greek (Wikipedia), meaning chief. But why is it said differently, using a "ch" sound, from archipelago and archaeology, which use a "k" sound?

The "ch" in archenemy is pronounced similar to that in archbishop and archdiocese, even though they're followed by consonants in the latter, but a vowel the former.

What made it break from the rules?


texts:
Computer applications sometimes instruct the user to click a button to reach a desired action. What would be the correct replacement for click in the context of smartphones and tablets?

Touch and tap seem to be used interchangeably. Is one of these more correct over the other? How about push button y, does it make sense when applied to a touch screen?


texts: Why was "whom he thought would be" marked as incorrect if "whom he saw improve" is correct?

texts:
I answered two questions incorrectly during my SAT prep class, and they seem to contradict each other. The first question was:

The district manager agreed to promote the employee who he saw improve sales by the end of the year.
(A) who he saw improve
(B) who he saw was improving
(C) who he will see improve
(D) whom he saw improve
(E) whom he saw to be improving

I picked A but the correct answer was D. Now, for my second question:

During the auditions, the show's producer looked for those actors whom he thought would be suitable for the many roles in the play.
(A) whom he thought
(B) whom he has thought
(C) who he was thinking
(D) who he thought
(E) whom they thought

Again, I picked A here but the the correct answer was D. I don't understand why one uses "who" while the other uses "whom", since they seem to have the same sentence structure (but obviously different words).


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "Gag me with a spoon"?

texts:
How does a phrase such as "Gag me with a spoon" originate? I understand the sentiment as a real concept — gagging oneself with a spoon causes a choking sensation without actually constricting breathing. It's uncomfortable and disconcerting.

But, how did this become the go-to dismissive phrase of the 80s?


texts: Is this meaning of "bogged down" correct?

texts:
I am reading through a composition with the following sentence:

Children rarely get to spend quality time with their parents as both are bogged down with their own demanding schedules

Dictionary meanings:

Merium Dictionary: to cause (something) to sink in wet ground

Cambridge Dictionary: to be/become so involved in something difficult or complicated that you can not do anything else

But the author gave meaning for bogged down as : having to do several tasks
Is the above meaning completely correct? My understanding is although doing several tasks is important, it is “you can not do anything else” should get more focus.
could you share your thoughts and post it as answer, rather comments? Thanks


texts: Question tag for a sentence of future tense

texts:
For a sentence of future tense, one containing a form of the verb "be", should the question tag include that form of "be"?

Example:

Which sentence is correct?

I would be in the city, wouldn't I be?
I would be in the city, wouldn't I?


texts: Can 'purview' and 'ambit' be used interchangeably?

texts:
Are there any specific rules for using those 2 words?
Like, in some situations, purview could be better, and in some others, ambit may seem good.


texts: A good word for a list with too many items

texts:
I'm struggling with a word for a list which is very well built, sorted, and organized, but it's a heck of a headache to deal with because there are so many items.

  The list doesn't display old items, to prevent it from becoming______________.

I've toyed with the following words, but they don't seem to fit:

crowded (can a list be crowded?)
cluttered (has implication of messy, but the list is very well organized)
overwhelming (this is more of a person's reaction than a list characteristic)
jam packed (not proper enough)
congested (not blocking anything)


texts: How to say in a compact way: an increase of something is due to decrease in something else

texts:
I am examining temporal trends in the sale numbers of apples, pears and bananas. And I found a significant 5 percentage point increase for apples and a significant 5 percentage point decrease for bananas. The sales of pears remained constant during the observed time period.
What is a better and more compact way for saying the following:

There was an increase in the sales of apples, simultaneously decreasing the number of bananas.

What is a good word for saying that apples increase can be attributed to the decrease of bananas?


texts: "Axel Jump" in jazz and figure skating - question about etymology

texts: I'm sorry, I didn't find a "dance" stackexchange, but it's a question about etymology for me. We know that the "axel jump" in figure skating was named that because it was invented by a person called Axel Paulsen. How was the name "axel" given to the jazz turn/jump? I am not sure if Axel Paulsen emulated what he saw in jazz dance on the ice, or if jazz dance emulated what Axel Paulsen did. If Paulsen came up with the figure skating jump due to what he saw in jazz, was it called something else before him?


texts: Is it "Yours faithfully" when ending an impersonal email to a company NAME?

texts: Can someone address the grey area her: If you're addressing a company name via email, for the first time, and have no idea who the recipient is, you are using a "name" but there is nothing informal to suggest the salutation, "sincerely". At the same time you want to show a little know-how. Please clarify? My instincts go against the general guidance given previously, in this example.


texts: when do I use "in" and "at" in a sentence? for example is "I will coming to learn English in India or At India"


texts: Arguing the moral point with no evidence but ideas

texts: I'm trying to write a paper about US Invasion in Iraq is unjust morally, militarily, and legally. I can't think of words to explain when I'm trying to explain that I have moral "evidence" or ideas from the book that will help to support my moral argument. It is technically not evidence, but what word should I use to accurately explain it like evidence?


texts:
Like humans beings we incur into mistakes.
Like humans beings we make mistakes.

What's the correct sentence in British English?


texts: A person who doesn’t drink much to control others?

texts: I think I've heard it some time ago but I can't remember. Is there an English word or idiomatic expression for "A person who doesn’t drink much to control others"?


texts: A confusing question about relative clauses!

texts:
Why in the following statement should we use "what is now"?

Why not "which is now", "where now is", "that is now", etc?

The first person executed in what is now the United States was Captain George Kendall, a councilor for the Virginia Colony.


texts: Why are tax returns called tax returns, and is the term applicable outside the US?

texts:
I have a problem with the term tax returns regarding its genesis and use in international communication.

1) Genesis and logic

I do not understand the logic behind it. As far as I see, "tax returns" are actually tax declarations, i.e. a set of documents filed by e.g. an individual and sent to the government's financial authorities to declare his/her income, so that the government can decide on this individual's income tax. If this is correct, why is this called a "return"? Nothing gets returned here. A document gets handed out. There is even not money to be returned, rather there will be money to be paid. (Exception: German employees, on filing their tax declaration often get back parts of taxes paid on their behalf by the employer because employers are obliged to send part of the monthly salary directly to the financial authorities, and depending on circumstances, employees can get back overpaid taxes by the end of the year. This, I would say, is indeed literally a tax return.)

2) Usage

Clearly "tax return" is in use in the USA. Question: could or should I use it also in international contexts (everywhere outside the US)? Or should I better use a more generic term such as tax declaration?


texts:
This is a public notice to the people of a town in Yugoslavia (now in Serbia) by a Nazi commander in 1941.
This was a reprisal attack against the people of the town because some Yugoslav partisans killed 10 Nazi soldiers. The end result was that 2300 residents, who were occupied by Nazi Germany, were executed. Following is the Wikipedia translation into English (I've highlighted the part I'm specifically asking about):

The cowardly and backward raids last week on German soldiers, with 10 killed and 26 wounded, had to be expiated. Therefore, for each killed German soldier 100, for every wounded 50 landlords, especially communists, bandits and their accomplices, altogether 2300, were shot to death. In the future, the same severity will be applied in every similar case, even a sabotage act.
The local commander.

So I can read that in two ways. 1) That the German government or military expiated the wrongdoing or crimes of the Yugoslav partisans; or 2) That the "cowardly" attacks had to be expiated by a lot of the town's residents dying. The first one doesn't sound right to me because I think in every case I've heard "expiate" the expiating was done by the person or persons who did something wrong and had to make up for it in some way; not someone else who did nothing wrong (assuming for this point the Nazis did nothing wrong). The second reading to me doesn't make much sense because it seems that this means that the townspeople expiated the "cowardly" attacks by a group of resistance fighters by simply being murdered by the German military.
I've looked up the definition of "expiate", and this is kind of where this question may split into multiple questions, because the definitions say that "expiate" means to:

To make amends or reparations
To atone for
To redress

I agree that you can "make amends" for someone else's wrongs/mistakes, and also "redress" them, but I'm not so sure about "reparations" or "to atone".
So basically the question is the question in the title, and as "atone" and "making reparations" are shown in the dictionary definitions for "expiate", I'm also wondering whether they can be for someone else. In other words:

Can you expiate someone else's sins/crimes?
Can you atone for someone else's sin/crimes?
Can you make reparations for someone else's sins/crime etc


texts: Which one is more idiomatic: ‘valid concern’ or ‘legitimate concern’?

texts:
I am looking for an adjective for the word ‘concern’. I want to say that the concern is one of the cases where one should have concern, that is, there are good reason to have such a concern.
Example:
The concern about fundamentalism is a ———— concern.
I have come down to two words ‘valid’ and ‘legitimate’. I don’t know which one is better. Or maybe they are equally good. Or maybe there is another better word that I don’t have in mind.
It might be a bit subjective. But as far as I become sure that each or both goes perfectly in that context, I get my answer.


texts: Alternative ways to say "I am feeling pushed to the ground"

texts:
Assume a get together where a group of friends are having chit chat over tea. Suddenly they plan to pull someone's leg together. No matter what the person in the spotlight says, people are not supporting him and teasing him playfully or in malice. This is the point where the person can use the above statement which means nobody is supporting him. Is there any other way (s)he could say it? I need both the formal and informal ways preferably with a humorous yet firm connotation.

Edit 1: I need an expression which would provide an indication to others to let you go/cut you some slack in a very friendly way like the above the expression does.


texts: Word for an area characterized by similar stores, services, or industries

texts:
I am writing tourist information for a city that has areas known for similar shops (fabric, jewelry, musical instruments), similar services (spas, funeral, automotive), and similar industries (textile, software, manufacturing).

I am currently referring to all of these areas as districts (e.g. the fabric district, the funeral district, the manufacturing district). Unfortunately, this usage could potentially cause confusion because this city also has a number of governmental districts (similar to "boroughs" in NYC). Also, there is some ambiguity between places where things are made and where they are sold. For example, the fabric district could be easily confused with the textile district.

Two questions:

Is there a better general term than districts for areas that known for similar things?
Are there better specific terms in the case that those areas are known for stores, services, or industries?


texts: A single word for "too expensive for what it's worth"

texts:
I have to decide between software A and B and both of them are $100, but software B is too expensive for what it's worth. What can I say instead of:

  Software B is expensive


texts: About the meaning of the phrase '''At one end of the continuum'

texts:
''At one end of the continuum, some notions of computation are so loose that they encompass virtually everything''
I came across this sentence and tried to check the phrase on the internet but I could not find anything that will help me understand it. What does it mean? I think I have an intuitive and an approximate understanding of it, but not enough to put into words. Can you help me? Thank you.
For those who wants more context:
''Whether computationalism has empirical bite depends on how we construe the notion of computation. The more inclusive a notion of computation, the weaker the version of computationalism formulated in its terms. AT ONE END OF THE CONTINUUM, some notions of computation are so loose that they encompass virtually everything. For instance, if computation is construed as the production of outputs from inputs and if any state of a system qualifies as an input or output, then every process is a computation.''


texts: What is a word that describes a person's ability to easily express their ideas?

texts: What would be a word which describes one's ability, possibly ease, to express himself and find words that fit in specific context?


texts:
My dad (who is Irish) has been using the word "delutherer" since I was tiny. It derives from "to delude" and is used to affectionately/teasingly denote someone who is trying to trick you or cajole you by using charm.

Today I googled it and to my astonishment found only one reference, via google books, in an old book called Humours of Irish Life. Yet I know it must be reasonably common in Ireland and I'm sure I've heard it used outside of my family.

Does anyone know of any other sources where this word is used? Or have you heard it used?


texts:
Are both acceptable? Or is only one correct?

He would never have said anything rude or insulting like that.

or

He would have never said anything rude or insulting like that.


texts: "The cake was baked." Is "baked" a past participle or predicate adjective?

texts:
The cake was baked.

Is the word baked considered a predicate adjective? Would the word baked also be a past participle written in passive voice? I am just trying to figure this out.


texts:
I am a programmer working on a solution composed of a service and a client application which will use it. There will be only the one dedicated application to work with the service.

In our correspondence we often mention the client app. So far I have noted that most of my colleagues call it Client, capitalized and without a preceding definite article, like a proper name.

But shouldn't we name it just the client? Because Client is neither the internal code name nor the official release title. The app has completely different name.


texts: I can't find a proper verb corresponding to the adjective divisive. If a person is divisive, then can I also say that they "divide other people apart"? Is there a verb for divisive?


texts:
I have two books, of which one is borrowed.

Is this correct? Is there such a phrase?


texts: Terminology used to distinguish between different types of answers

texts: Does a scientific classification exist for distinguishing between different types of answers?  For example, one answer might be complete, leaving no further questions; a second could provide only a partial answer; a third may provide an answer which has no relevance to the question; then a fourth may answer the question completely or partially, but lead to additional questions.  I am seeking terminology with precise definitions instead of the plethora of adjectives I could utilize that would be open to interpretation.


texts: Are there acknowledged studies about the relationship of vocabulary and comprehension of English language?

texts:
Though I’m not sure whether this question is suitable to EL&U site or not, I’m glad if I can get any input on the relationship of the vocabulary and comprehension of English language, or if you can suggest me other suitable site that I can post this question.
I recently read the book, titled “Read a Million Words (to master English language),” written by Japanese English language scholar at Tokyo Tele-communication University, Kunihide Sakai.
Mr.Sakai cites the following numbers:

Vocabulary of 1,000 words allows 80% comprehension of English statement

2,000-word vocabulary allows 86.6 % comprehension of English statement

3,000-word vocabulary allows 90.6 % comprehension of English statement

4,000-word vocabularies allows 92.8 % comprehension of English statement

Though it’s not clear what "English statement" means (maybe I’d do better to ask him directly as well as about the source of number), it’s hardly believable that 3,000 vocabulary level allows 90% comprehension of general statement in English language from my experience of reading English language literatures everyday to look for the subject for posting EL&U.
I know British psychologist and linguist, Charles K. Ogden asserted that we can express everything we want to say with 1,500 words (850 basic English words and their combinations, plus 350 international (foreign) words and 300 from scientific terminology), and promoted Basic English movement during 1930s.
Winston Churchill supported Ogden’s theory and recommended diffusion of Basic English as the international language in his discourse at Harvard University in 1944. However, Ogden's theory is applied only to writing and speaking, not reading and hearing.
Is there any trustworthy study that illuminates the relationship between vocabulary level and ability to comprehend English language statements expressed in day-to-day conversation, literature (not too academic) and daily journals? What is its finding with regards to the relationship between vocabulary and comprehension?


texts:
I have read the book Uncle Tom's Cabin.
At the beginning of the book, I saw a confusing sentence:

  ... and the gentlemen, with chairs closely approaching, seemed to be
  ...

Can you explain the meaning of "approaching" here?


texts: What single word describes the action of tapping a spoon against a glass?

texts: What is it called when someone taps a glass with a spoon in order to seek attention at a party or at the dining table?


texts: Are "conspiracy theories" actual theories?

texts: A student of mine cited a conspiracy theory website for his paper. I deducted points because I explained that a conspiracy theory isn't an actual theory since it didn't undergo the scientific method. Later, a colleague of mine stated that since it refers to a political science paper, the scientific method isn't necessarily applicable. Soft science doesn't require for a theory to be put thru the scientific method.


texts: I didn't found anything in Wikipedia or on the Web (Maybe I don't know how to search). Chat is speaking with someone. But what is bot? Is it came from robot? Where the word robot came from?


texts:
Is it correct to write:

"Our family is dedicated to perfecting the art of pizza cooking"

Instead of the canonical:

"Our family is dedicated to perfect the art of pizza cooking"

I think I read the former more often although grammatically the obvious pick is the second one.


texts:
I will lead you to look around the museum.

Can "lead" take its object as infinitive ?


texts: Difference between applying, using and practising a "method"?

texts:
I am making an introductive paragraph to a how-to article titled "How to learn English words effectively":

  Learning words is of paramount importance, when it comes to learning a second language e.g. English. How to learn English words effectively, is a question that usually bothers most of English language learners. But it becomes dead easy to learn a bulk of words, if one applies some effective methods.

In the last sentence, I prefered using the verb "apply" for a "method", as I usually find people saying so, such as here.

But in a article from gizmodo.com, the verb "use" is used:

  Scientists have to use some roundabout methods to weigh the Earth and ...

And what about practising a method? I hope it overlaps the meanings of both of these words: use and apply. To me, it's not still crytal clear.

So I went for the difference between use, apply and practise [a method], and could find a post from ELL titled What is the difference between 'use' and 'apply'?.

Sadly, at there, the question is about a field (use/apply chemical fertilizers) rather than a method, which I am asking here.

In a nut shell: my question is:

What's the difference between to apply, use, and practise a method?
Which verb [use, apply and practise] can suggest the readers to put an effective job for learning words effectively?


texts: "Hungry" is to "full" as "thirsty" is to what adjective?

texts: In Danish, we do have word for this ("set"), but absolutely nobody uses this...


texts: Why is it "how come" and not "why come"?

texts:
When someone asks "How come?", the person answering actually answers the question "why?". "Why?" and "How?" are very different questions. I was wondering how "how come?" came to be an alternative way of asking "why?". Perhaps "how come?" is short form for something else?

I'm trying to understand the reason the word "how" came to be used in the phrase "how come". Why not use "what come", "who come", "when come" or "why come"?


texts: Is there a word to describe a state of not identifying with any common explanation of God?

texts: I am trying to describe one who is neither agnostic nor atheist but does not accept any  religious order as his own.


texts:
Should grant be capitalized in this sentence? I don't know the rule that to apply to ensure I'm writing correctly. CS = Community Safety. I've provided two examples.

A representative from the Office of Field Operations conducted a technical review of the CS Grant applications.

A representative from PHMSA’s Office of Field Operations conducted a technical review of the CS grant applications.

We recommend funding for the four CS grant applications referenced in Attachment 1.

We recommend funding for the four CS Grant applications referenced in Attachment 1.


texts: Is there an idiom or saying for someone asking the same question many times in hopes of a more favourable answer?

texts:
What is the idiom or phrase to describe someone fishing around by asking the same question to different people until they get the answer they want? Like when someone asks a sales person if there are any specials or discount, and the answer is no. So they go ask someone else the same question hoping that if they ask enough eventually someone will tell them what the wanted to hear first time.

Similar to the phrase "asking the same question won't get you a different answer". It's usually used to describe kids asking the same question hoping that someone will say yes. Almost like not wanting to accept reality, and trying to convince yourself you can when you know you can't, but ask anyway because eventually someone will give you the answer you want, even though it won't change the outcome.

So say a child does not want to drink water, but they have heard plenty doctor's and teachers and parents say that you HAVE to drink water else you'll die. They already know that's true but don't want to accept it. So they get clever and ask around, constructing the question in such a way that eventually someone will give them the answer they want to her. So instead of asking if they can drink juice instead of water and not die (because they know the answer will be no) they ask "Mom, instead of drinking 6 cups of water a day, can I drink 18 cups of juice a day instead?" implying that the fluid content in 18 cups of juice will be equal to the fluid content your body requires from the 6 cups of water everyone says you need.

I hope my question makes sense?


texts:
I do want to know what is the difference between these three conjunctions.

Are there any differences?

"Though" vs. "Even though" vs. "Although"


texts: "If a son strike his father" - shouldn't it be "strikes"?

texts:
I am reading The Code of Hammurabi translated by Robert Francis Harper. Many times there are sentences in the format "if one do this, some action shall be done". Here's an example:

  If a son strike his father, they shall cut off his fingers.

I thought instead of "strike", there should be "strikes" because the 3rd person singular form with an "-s" should be used with "a son".

This lack of an 3rd person singular "-s" persists through the entire book. Is this some sort of a style, or just an honest representation of the grammar of the original language in which The Code was written (which I have no idea)?


texts: What phrase/idiom can be used to refer to procrastination?

texts:
Suppose I'm replying to someone's email and it's long overdue - completely hypothetically :)

Starting with "Sorry for [ ... ] this". At first I thought I'd use "dropping the ball on" but it seems that "dropping the ball" refers more to making a blunder than to simply putting something off for too long.

Any ideas?


texts: Is it "query on ...." or "query about ...."

texts:
Which is grammatically correct?

  Query on Physics Final
  Query about Physics Final

Say if this was a subject field in an email you're about to send to a teacher. Which would be better English, or are they both acceptable?

The meaning of the word "query" here is question or enquiry, not doubt.


texts: A word that describes a positive form of envy

texts:
Is there an English word that's similar to the meaning of envy, but in a positive way? In other words, if "envy" is hoping for the removal of someone else's blessing, what is the word for "wanting the same blessing for yourself but without wanting the blessing to be removed from the possessor"?

Envy = "I hate to see her luxurious house".
Word? = "I wish I were as generous as he is".


texts: What exactly is meant by "This is not to say it's not a bad system"?

texts:
Someone on a forum wrote

  This is not to say it's not a bad system.

With some context,

  This is not a component system. This is not to say it's not a bad system, but in this case you should be able to cast the pointer to any of the interfaces (or just cast it to a Gun object and it should contain the interfaces) and then use it as appropriate.

If the statement is read literally, the two nots negate each other forming

  This is to say it's a bad system.

What I'm wondering however is: did this person actually mean

  This is not to say that it's a bad system

or does it look like it should be interpreted literally?


texts: What is the act of drinking blood called?

texts:
I am curious as to what the action of drinking blood is called. Its not exactly cannibalism as the person is not eating the entire body (and it also can be blood of another species), and I don't think that 'vampirism' (the actions or practices of a vampire) would fit completely here either.
For instance, is there a word that I can use, such as 'so and so is a ____' or would the best option for me to describe them as is simply just a person who drinks blood?


texts:
What does this sentence mean?

  'There is simply nothing in my current reality to justify my being as afraid as I was.

Does it mean that he is the most afraid to justify himself?


texts: Tense question - Hypothetical scenario in future

texts:
Finally, I believe that high school teenagers might resent the idea of being forced to do this type of work, and this resentment COULD result in not wanting to volunteer in social activities AFTER they FINISH/FINISHED school.

The situation is a hypothetical one in the future.
Considering that , should the tense of verb "finish" be simple past?

Like "If I HAD money , I could buy a car" or "Schools could ensure that students TOOK part."


texts: What's the difference between 'modeling' and 'modelling'?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When is “L” doubled?

If I am using the word model in the context of financial models and the UK, then which of these words should I use? Also, are there any key difference in the meanings of the two?


texts: "commonly known as" or "known commonly as"?

texts:
I'm editing a scientific paper, and one of my colleague wrote:

  "...in applications known commonly as 'displays',..."

Personally, I would change it to "commonly known", but I didn't find any formal recommendation for this.

I found those two useful pages, but none of them address this case where an adverb is usedbeside an adjective:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/about-adjectives-and-adverbs/adverbs-and-adverb-phrases-position
https://staff.washington.edu/marynell/grammar/AdverbPl.html

Thanks for all bits of advice.


texts: Is saying "someone who is in trouble and who can’t be talked out of it" a quite natural expression?

texts:
I found the expression in a story about a 24-year-old pilot who landed his plane on a beach and who "'could not be talked out of it' when he was in trouble."  It was in today’s New York Times, in an article titled, “A Beach Landing? Well, He’d Seen It on TV.”

To me "could not be talked out of it" sounds unfamiliar, though it may be quite natural to native speakers. Does this mean he simply did not respond to the air traffic controller out of the plane because of panic? Why is talk used in passive form? Can I replace “can’t be talked out of it” with “can’t be contacted with“ or “can't be called up”? The sentence including this phrase goes as follows:

  A 24-year-old pilot with an airsick passenger who landed his single-engine Piper Warrior on Rockaway Beach in Queens on Monday night could not be talked out of it, no matter how hard an air-traffic controller tried, according to a recording.
  The pilot, Jason Maloney of Cornwall, N.Y., later told the police that he had gotten the idea from a television program called “Flying Wild Alaska” that depicted rough landings.


texts:
This is a toughy, but I'm looking for a word that doesn't have the connotations of "enterprise," "corporate" or "national account." Something that will get the idea of multi-unit businesses across in a simple, pleasant way (doesn't necessarily have to be a single word.)

Appreciate any input!


texts:
If yes, does it have the same meaning of vacuum?
Ref:

Vacuum (Wikipedia)
Vaccum.org (dead link / domain not in use; verified on 28.12.2020).

Both the sites define the same meaning, but the spelling differs.
Some dictionaries also have an entry for vaccum which links to vacuum.


texts: Do I use "has" or "have" when talking about a sports team?

texts:
For example, if I want to talk about a team's chances of winning a competition, which of these would be correct?

What do I say?

  United have the best chance of winning.
  United has the best chance of winning.

The team is made up of many players so I think it should be plural; therefore, I think have sounds correct. But someone told me it should be has as the team is just one thing.


texts: Word for expressing when someone study alone

texts:
When someone prefer to study alone, on his own, without school, I am tempted to use "self-student". But this word apparently doesnt exist.
Is there better way how to express this in one word?

EDIT

I wish to express that someone is good self-student. For example "Peter is a good self-student"


texts:
Is there a way to distinguish between repairing something in the sense of fixing it vs. "re-pairing" something in the sense of regrouping things together.

For example a wireless keyboard and its usb receiver have to be paired. After some time or because you replaced one of the components they need to be paired again, they need to be "re-paired". Same thing for pairing an Apple Watch with an iPhone.

What is the proper way to phrase that? Is "repairing" correct and simply can have different meanings based on the context. Or is "re-pairing" a valid alternative?


texts: Is it correct to say that English has the dative case?

texts: Is it correct to say that, nowadays, English has the dative case, or was it only present in Old English?


texts: How to say that some (scientific) fact is not a coincidence?

texts:
I am writing a paper in which I would like to point to fact that some phenomenon is not a mere coincidence (and is relevant from point of view of the theory I work within), and afterwards I explain why it is the case. I was thinking of using something like:

  It is not a coincidence that structures from theorem T have a property
  P.

But now I have some second thoughts - does it convey the intended meaning? How about:

  There is a reason behind the fact that structures from theorem T have
  a property P.

I will be grateful for help.


texts: What is the difference between 'unconcealed' and 'revealed'?

texts:
What are the different nuances, if any, between the words 'unconcealed' and 'revealed'?

Example sentences:

  "... In addition to that he is caught in a dilemma when he faces a life and death situation for the first time, where his talent becomes unconcealed for him to own.”

  “... In addition to that he is caught in a dilemma when he faces a life and death situation for the first time, where his talent becomes revealed for him to own.”

Some background context: the 'talent' in question is the person's talent to fight and survive in a life and death situation. Seeing as the person, before the situation, was you're everyday person who is unaware of their own dormant talent (state of being) because they've never been in a situation that required the awakening of this talent (state of being turned into action) until that point in time, either word, as defined in the Meriam Webster dictionary, works.

In my own ignorant opinion as well, either one works, its just a matter of choosing the one that is more accurate at describing what's occurring.

  The word unconcealed is defined as "openly shown" in the Meriam Webster dictionary. In my opinion, it works in the above sentence as the person's fighting talent is exposed or 'openly shown' to the commentator.

  The word 'revealed' is defined as "to make (something secret or hidden) publicly or generally known" which again works as the talent was hidden up until the situation where average joe has to fight for his life.


texts: What's the word for a person who can read lines on a forehead?

texts:
Is there a word for a person who can read lines on a forehead?

In India, some people can read forehead lines and claim to tell you your future.


texts: Should researchers be cited by name, or should only the work be cited?

texts:
I am currently editing an M.S. thesis. The author uses the following construction often:

"Nanot et al. have demonstrated the existence of negative conductivity in graphene [8]."

where reference [8] is a link to Nanot's work. Since roughly every sentence is referenced, this causes "last name pandemonium", in that someone (who no one cares about) is named in roughly every sentence. I would like to change the construction                                                                    to the following:

"The existence of negative conductivity in graphene has been demonstrated [8]."

Is this better? Are there rules for when you cite a researcher by name vs. citing the result?


texts:
What does the phrase "whole effect" mean in this sentence?

"Note, there are no prices on this landing page. The whole effect is one of AO.com's knowledge of its (somehow now desirable) subject".
https://econsultancy.com/blog/67214-email-marketing-finding-the-perfect-blend-of-content-product

I Googled it and found the phrase "full effect".There is also another definition that I found - "useful effect". But this didn't help to understand the idea of the sentence


texts:
Does “either . . . or” apply to only two options?

For example, can I say, “It can provide either 100, 150, or 400 amps of power”? Or should it just be “It can provide 100, 150, or 400 amps of power”?


texts:
Do I have to put "the" in front of "Virginia"? Thanks.

Do disciplinary school removal rates differ between high and low poverty schools in Virginia public school district?


texts: What is a word for someone who loves to experiment?

texts:
I have accidentally done an anglicism of a french word: "expérimentaliste", which I turned into experimentalist, before realising the word does not exist. I have looked up my issue, and found only a similar question on this forum asking what is a word for someone who loves to experience.
My question does not concern someone who loves to experience things, but someone who enjoys experimenting with things. I have found no other resources, so I'm asking here if such a word exists.


texts: Why are both blazing or blazingly appropriate?

texts:
This SE QA explains that both blazing and blazingly are valid English words (despite what my spell-checker claims).

Can anyone explain why they are both valid, and the difference between the words.

In context, what is the difference between blazing fast and blazingly fast?

Bonus Points: The comments in the referenced SE question indicate regional differences in the use of these words.  Does the meaning differ depending on where in the world people use these words?


texts: Word for having a gentle joy for being diligent?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describe a person for having a gentle joy for being diligent. For example, a person spends their time and effort to learn a new word every morning. He does that because he believes that his vocabulary will be expanded some day, although there is no clear evidence that he will need to learn that word. One day, he meet that word and can recognize it without asking what it means. He has a gentle joy because of that.

What is the word for that joy? The word should have the diligent sense in it.

Example sentence:
- What keeps you consistence on learning vocab?
- I give me a gentle joy for being diligent, a _______

I have checked all of these synonyms but all of them cannot apply. They don't have the joy sense in it: conscientiousness, assiduousness, assiduity, hard work, application, concentration, effort, care, industriousness, rigor, meticulousness, thoroughness; perseverance, persistence, tenacity, dedication, commitment, tirelessness, indefatigability, doggedness


texts:
What is the most correct form for 3 in ordinal form: 3rd or 3d?
I know both are valid. But I heard that 3rd is something like spoken form and it's grammatically correct to use 3d.


texts: "...that ultimately make your life." Or "...that ultimately makes your life." Which one is right?

texts:
Life is too short to regret of not “living your dreams” that
  ultimately “make your life”

Or

  Life is too short to regret of not “living your dreams” that
  ultimately “makes your life”

Which one is right?

The whole sentence is,
"Life is too short to regret of not 'living your dreams' that ultimately 'make your life'."

Please correct where I'm wrong... :) or if it's right?

Would be very grateful..


texts:
The following passage is given:

  Recently an unusually high number of dolphins
  have been found dead of infectious diseases, and
  most of these had abnormally high tissue
  concentrations of certain compounds that, even in
  low concentrations, reduce dolphins’ resistance to
  infection. The only source of these compounds in the
  dolphins’ environment is boat paint. Therefore, since
  dolphins rid their bodies of the compounds rapidly
  once exposure ceases, their mortality rate should
  decline rapidly if such boat paints are banned.

Then there is the question:

  Which of the following, if true, most strengthens
  the argument?

    A- The levels of the compounds typically used in
    boat paints today are lower than they were in
    boat paints manufactured a decade ago.

    B- In high concentrations, the compounds are
    toxic to many types of marine animals.

    C- The compounds break down into harmless
    substances after a few months of exposure to
    water or air.

    D- High tissue levels of the compounds have
    recently been found in some marine animals,
    but there is no record of any of those animals
    dying in unusually large numbers recently.

    E- The compounds do not leach out of the boat
    paint if the paint is applied exactly in
    accordance with the manufacturer’s directions.

The "answer" is C, but I don't understand why that is?

Doesn't C have the opposite effect? Since boats don't directly come in contact with sea water after being painted, and the fact that they are exposed to the air for some time before use reduces the chances of these compounds to contaminate the sea. The only choice that seems to me to be relatively correct is B.


texts:
There was a thread some years ago about the earliest use of the phrase "human being":

When was the word 'being' first used to refer to a human being or sentient being?

I found a citation that is earlier than any of those mentioned. Having no "reputation" here, I can't comment or answer on that thread, but apparently I can post my answer as a question. There is a use of the phrase in Richard Hooker's 1590 "Ecclesiastical Polity" vol. 5. It is quoted in Samuel Johnson's dictionary, to illustrate the word "unapprehended".


texts: Using the F word in the middle of the word

texts:
Not sure if I can use the F words here, therefore I will refer to it as f*** or f***in

I know that we can use F word in the middle of the sentence

like

  You may f***in not do that

or

  She is f***in hot.

I am not sure where I heard this but I recall someone was using it in the middle of the word such as

  abso-f***in-lutely = absolutely

or

  ex-f***in-cuse me = excuse me

I know it is not alright to use this kind of language in home or work or any other place, yet many people use it.
So is this right way to use the F word in the middle of the word or it is wrong


texts: What is the name for the wall around the land

texts:
There is a wall
 around my land(Garden). What is the correct word to call it?

parapet
parapet wall
rampart
truss
wall
Any other


texts: Adjective describing an avid Stack Exchange user

texts:
I am looking for a single word that could describe a Stack Exchange users who contributes larger number of posts (questions or answers).

I thought about using "prominent", but I wonder if there is something more specific.


texts:
For college admission letters, I observed that "We are pleased to inform you...." rather than "We were pleased to inform you..."

Why is it so?


texts: What is the word that means to assign a probability?

texts: For example, the word that means to assign a price is "price," so I can say that I priced something. I can't find the word that means to assign a probability, so for example, what is the correct way to say "I probability-ized something?"


texts: I'm trying to show ownership to a plural noun in parentheses

texts:
I'm drafting a lease document and have to state the following provision.

  The Lessee(s) holds the Lessor and the United States harmless from any loss, liability or damages resulting from the Lessee(s) use of occupation of the premises or the Lessee(s)s' personal property.

Should Lessee(s)s' be Lessee(s') or Lessee(s)'?


texts: use of "the" in front of an uncountable noun

texts:
I was reading an article and came across this sentence:
"Until the middle of the century, (no the?) use of chemical fertilizer was limited."
I can tell that the word "use" here is used as an uncountable noun, but shouldn't there be "the" in front of it as "use of chemical fertilizer" was treated as a single thing here? Or do we put "the" only when the same "use" was mentioned before?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!


texts: Industry Term for "Intentional production halt" department

texts: Is there a name for when production is stopped intentionally in order to allow the factory to perform repairs and maintenance?


texts:
When I read essays from Eliot, I find him using "that which" frequently, e.g.

  the combination which is the murder of Agamemnon is probably as complex as that which is the voyage of Ulysses.
  A very small part of acting is that which takes place on the stage!
  They belong to a different race. Their crudity is that which was of the Roman, as compared with the Greek, in real life.

I can kind of guess its usage, but I want to know more about this grammar structure. Searching on Google mostly gave me the simple difference between "that" and "which", and some examples using "that which":

  that which we call a rose (from "Romeo and Juliet")
  that which we persist in doing

It is a pity that Google search does not direct me to any useful page about "that which".  Can someone explicate its grammar for me?


texts: third person - personal pronoun for AI ( Artificial Intelligence )?

texts:
I'm brainstorming on the architecture for an AI system - and describing the interaction with the world - i keep getting back on the question of - how do i refer him/she/it on the third person?

Him or She or It ?

None of this pronouns capture what it is.

Technically is not an it - since it has the potential to be conscious.

Let's take a hypothetical scenario: just makes me wonder

The design comes with a spec. A spec is more or less like a law; describes and enforces the state and behavior of a computational system.

If this it takes upon itself to check the dictionary definition of it - and seeing it  - decides that it can not possibly be an it - then maybe it can disregard the spec. The spec can dictate it's behavior only if it's an it.  (this sounds more like a weak terminator movie plot then reality :)))

Invent a new new pronoun used just for AI? Maybe ait (only it doesn't conjugate very well). Just googling I could not find any good resources on this.

I think it comes a time to address this issue in a formal way..

What do we do? Is it ok to use it for Artificial Intelligence ?

What is a "by the book" approach to this types of questions?

What would be the specific answer here?


texts: What is the correct way to use hyphens when saying "eight to ten week cycle"?

texts:
A friend has asked about this and so far most seem to believe the best answer is:

  At the end of an eight- to ten-week project period, the team reports their findings and recommendations to their client.

Would this be the correct way to hyphenate the sentence? Do you even need hyphens or can it be an open-compound?

When should compound words be written as one word, with hyphens, or with spaces?

Indicates that this could be an open compound since it only mentions past-participles or prefixes.


texts: Can "already" be used after a simple past verb in American English?

texts:
A British colleague asked if these two sentences are grammatically acceptable in American English:

They found already high recognition in Europe and we wish to carry
that further.
Furthermore, they will perform a Shostokovich cycle at London's
Wigmore  Hall, which they presented already in Chicago and New York.

He says that the "already" directly after the verb sounds off key in British English.


texts: Is “Tear a piece out of somebody” a popular idiom to mean snatch an advantage from somebody?

texts:
I came across the phrase ‘tear a piece out of' Obama in the debate’ in the following statement in the article titled “Obama Math: Obama Math: 8.1 + 13,300 + 50 = 270” in New Yorker magazine (September 10):

“Of course, something could still happen to change the polling dynamics. Romney could tear a piece out of Obama in the debates; the tsunami of negative ads the Republicans are about to unleash could conceivably turn around some Obama-leaning states; there could be an “October surprise.” As of now, though, there is no sign of Romney getting the surge he needs.”

I guess ‘tear a piece out of” means to snatch an advantage out of, or take the lead to somebody (If my interpretation is wrong, please correct me), but I can’t find this phrase as an idiom in any of dictionaries at hand.

What does 'a piece' represent for? I mean 'a piece of' what?
Is “tear a piece out of”somebody / something a popular idiom, or just a set of words?


texts: Term for using "thingy-esque" phrases rather than a common word

texts:
{This question came to mind because of the recent question .. What do you call the interconnecting bits of a puzzle piece in English? }

In my opinion, in English, it's reasonably common that—strangely enough—there is no word for a certain reasonably common thing. And indeed, speakers prefer to use an ad-hoc description for the thing in question on an ongoing basis, rather than, as you'd probably expect, a specific or technical word falling into general use and coming to be "the word" for the thing. {Contrast milieu such as say Germany or Japan, where the culture, within 12 seconds, codifies exact, specific, universally-accepted terms for anything that comes along, whether a cultural phenomenon, technical object, or the like.}

I think of this as "the Thingy substitution", or the things in question as 'thingy things' because, well, they are usually referred to as

  the thingy that...

The perfect example is

  the thingies on jigsaw puzzle pieces.

(Note that, 100% of English-native speakers will understand exactly what I am referring to.)

To repeat, native English speakers—in my opinion—prefer to stick (even over decades) with ad-hoc thingy-esque multi-word descriptions rather than adopting a new word generally accepted.

{On the other hand, of course, the etats-unis in particular is notorious for generating zillions of acronyms and other coinages—however, I don't think the two concepts are at odds, both are true.}

Now there's possibly a term for this phenomenon among linguists e.g., "grasp words", "thingy words" or "ad-hoc non-naming conventions" etc.

(a) Does anyone know such a term?
(b) Indeed, does anyone agree that this is a phenomenon amongst particularly English speakers?
(c) Indeed, is this all well-known and explored by academic linguists/etc and I'm just behind the times?


texts: Word for a person who loses or has lost faith?

texts:
Does a word exist for a person who has lost faith?

I am looking for a single word that represents a person who lost faith, e.g. in religion, humanity, himself. The more general, the better.


texts: Hyphen usage. Mono-channel and multi-channel or monochannel and multichannel?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?

While writing a technical paper about fiber optics this question about hyphens came out.
Should this words be used with or without a hyphen?

Mono-channel or monochannel

Multi-channel or multichannel

On published technical papers both forms are found. I would like to know which one is correct.
Thanks you.


texts: Word meaning project adult characteristics onto children?

texts: I'm looking for a word that is similar to anthropomorphize but that means projecting adult characteristics onto children. I have a pre-verbal child and it is very easy to make up reasons for her behavior but we know that we are projecting our thinking onto her. I'm just curious if there is a term for it.


texts: Is there a word that means the trait asking a question out of skepticism in hopes of finding the truth?

texts: There are many synonyms for asking a question. Is there one that means or implies that the person asking the question is skeptical and hopes to find the truth? It'd have to be in the form of a trait. For instance, integrity, honesty, etc. The closest I could think of is investigable.


texts: "can give" or "could give" as second verb in a past sentence

texts:
I have the following 2 sentences:

"what Pablo said can give you a hint"
"what Pablo said could give you a hint"

Are they both correct? if no, which one and why?

Thank you very much


texts:
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 8th edition

Flat:
noun. [ countable ]  ( BrE )  a set of rooms for living in, including a kitchen, usually on one floor of a building.

Apartment：
noun. ( especially NAmE )  a set of rooms for living in, usually on one floor of a building

Does that means Flat is used in BrE and Apartment is used in AmE? And is there any other difference for the two words when one uses it?

I feel that flat is used more widely, is that right?


texts: What is the difference in meaning between two sentences?

texts:
If properly maintained, cars remain operational for several years.
If properly maintained, cars will remain operational for several years

What difference to the meaning of the sentence does using will make?


texts: Looking for a specific word for repentive action?

texts:
One possible usage of the word is
As ____ for stealing the house, he made them chocolate cookies

It's a word for something positive/good that you do to right a prior wrong you may have committed.

The word probably starts with 'r'. It's a single word. And if I recall right, it's an -ion abstract noun.

Edit: The word might be used in religious contexts too.
As ___ for his mistakes, he planted a tree.


texts: Can the verb "to shadow" mean to make something else unnoticeable by drawing attention away?

texts:
I once saw the expression "to shadow" being used to say that something makes another thing unnoticeable because it attracts more attention, but I can't find a definition for this expression that fits this.
Example:

Famous singers shadow other artists that try to make a living...

Does this sentence make sense?


texts:
I was curious why we called people from Thailand "Thai" and those from Taiwan "Taiwanese."
The latter by itself is a bit less surprising, though.

See also:
Are there any rules governing what we call people from different countries?
and
Is there a rule to what ending you use when you construct the nationality adjective? Or where did the various endings come from?
and
Demonym on Wikipedia.


texts: What is the difference between “Prince William and Kate Middleton Marry” and “Prince William and Kate Middleton were married”?

texts:
In today’s New York Times (April. 30th) I saw the following line under the caption of “Royal Wedding”:

“Prince William and Kate Middleton Marry: Prince William and Kate Middleton were married on Friday at a moment that will reshape Britain’s monarchy.”

In the caption, “marry” is being used as intransitive verb, while the same word is used as the transitive verb right after that. Though I think it is saying the same thing, I wonder why it should be expressed in different way. Is it because the latter means their marriage was publicly authorized by the Anglican Archbishop? Can somebody clarify the reason for me?


texts: The word "only" in this sentence makes me feel uncertain

texts:
The extension of the principle of the reflex to include behavior involving more and more of the organism was made only in the face of vigorous opposition.

My understanding is this: the vigorous opposition is the reason why the principle of the reflex extend to include behavior involving more and more of the organism. But I'm not so sure about it, the word only in here seems to say vigorous opposition is the only reason, that doesn't make much sense.

The source is Skinner's "Science and human behavior" and following is the whole paragraph:

    The extension of the principle of the reflex to include behavior involving more and more of the organism was
    made only in the face of vigorous opposition. The reflex nature of the spinal animal was challenged by proponents of
    a "spinal will." The evidence they offered in support of a residual inner cause consisted of behavior which apparently
    could not be explained wholly in terms of stimuli. When higher parts of the nervous system were added, and when
    the principle was eventually extended to the intact organism, the same pattern of resistance was followed. But arguments
    for spontaneity, and for the explanatory entities which spontaneity seems to demand, are of such form that they
    must retreat before the accumulating facts. Spontaneity is negative evidence; it points to the weakness of a current
    scientific explanation, but does not in itself prove an alternative version. By its very nature, spontaneity must yield
    ground as a scientific analysis is able to advance. As more and more of the behavior of the organism has come to be
    explained in terms of stimuli, the territory held by inner explanations has been reduced. The "will" has retreated up
    the spinal cord, through the lower and then the higher parts of the brain, and finally, with the conditioned reflex,
    has escaped through the front of the head. At each stage, some part of the control of the organism has passed from a
    hypothetical inner entity to the external environment

Is my understanding correct?


texts:
What is the correct way to say that something was 'created by the idea of someone else...' For example, if John Doe came up with an idea and I developed it into a project, I would say:

  This project was ___________ [created by the idea of] John Doe.

But Google gives only two results for the exact search of "created by the idea of": https://www.google.ca/#q=%22created+by+the+idea+of%22&*

... which probably means that I am wrong (that this is not correct).


texts: The apostrophe sign in informal shortened phrases

texts:
There are certain informal expressions in English language like 'nuff said or 'Murican that feature apostrophes in a puzzling (to me) way. I have two (I think sufficiently related) questions about the usage of apostrophe in such cases.

Firstly, what purpose is it supposed to serve? When we write John's house, apostrophe signifies that house belongs to John; but in such phrases what does apostrophe signify?

Secondly, is the apostrophe supposed to be pronounced in any way (or is 'Murican pronounced the same as Murican)?


texts: What is the adjective for something that evokes claustrophobia?

texts:
Something that really bothers me is when people say something like "This place is really claustrophobic", when of course it is them who is claustrophobic, not the place. However, it bothers me more that I don't know what the correct term is.

So is there a term that describes something which provokes the claustrophobia within a person? The most plausible word I could find from a brief search is "claustral", though based on Wikitionary it doesn't really seem relevant apart from its Latin root "claustrum", which can mean "confined space".

Also, is there a word for the feeling of a claustrophic person in such a place? For example, "I am claustrophobic, so I'm feeling very _____ in here.".


texts:
This is a follow up from this discussion. I am a patent attorney and some standard sentences that we use include this:

  The above-recited and other advantages and features of the disclosure
  will become apparent by reference to specific embodiments thereof
  which are illustrated in the appended drawings."

I assume a comma should be placed before which, but I am wondering if you could help me understand if it is required or optional?

Also, another sentence I came across goes like this:

  Device A sends data to device B which then forwards the data to device
  C.

Microsoft Word always complains, seeing it as a restrictive clause and demands a comma or changing which to that. Am I correct in not having a comma?


texts: Which sense of the term "mileage" is intended in the phrase "your mileage may vary"?

texts:
I gather that the phrase "your mileage may vary" basically means your experience may vary. But, in general use, the term "mileage" has two different senses, and both seem to be capable of being the one the phrase means :

Mileage as a measure of fuel efficiency -- i.e.  how much fuel a vehicle uses for specific number of miles it travels.
Mileage as a measure of total miles a vehicle has traveled over its lifetime.

Both can possibly be the intended meaning of the term "mileage" in the phrase "your mileage may vary".
So which one is it ?


texts: Changing from 1st Person to 2nd Person in the same paragraph?

texts:
I want to know if it's okay to change from 1st person (our,we) to 2nd person (you, your) in the same paragraph as follows:

TV need not dictate our lives. There is a choice. We can either submit ourselves to continue living in the ‘twilight zone’ or choose to unplug and live in the real zone.  There are plenty of full filling activities waiting to be explored.  Whether it’s a new hobby, learning a new language, bonding with family or reading a good book – you may be surprised by how enriched your life becomes.    What’s more, if you have children they may one day, thank you dearly for replacing...


texts:
I'm trying to say that personal conversations sometimes feels like "outing" yourself because you're exposing little parts of you that you don't want others to hear. I understand that outing is associated with coming out of the closet, but I'm not trying say that.
I sometimes feel like I'm _____ myself when I carry my pink Hello Kitty purse.
I feel like I'm publicly ____ everytime I ask questions at work.
Is there another word other than "exposing"?


texts: Do "carat" and "karat" have the same origin?

texts:
Do carat and karat have the same origin?

Is it correct to say that carat derives from the Italian carato, while karat derives from the from Arabic ḳīrāṭ?  Is it possible that both words derive from Italian carato, but one is written with a k to avoid confusion with the other?


texts:
I grew up in Geneva, with a beautiful view of Mont Blanc.
When I was in university, I hiked up Ben Nevis.
Now I'm working in Taiwan, and I talked to colleagues this lunchtime about hiking up Yushan and Alishan.

One colleague said "Yu mountain", because "shan" is the Chinese word for mountain. It sounded unusual to translate the name of the mountain. I just call it Yushan.

Likewise, "White mountain" for "Mont Blanc" or "Nevis mountain" for "Ben Nevis" would sound wrong.

So I told my colleagues that mountain names are not translated.

The conversation continued, and we talked about Sun Moon Lake. Obviously that name is translated. So is Lake Geneva, and Lake Constance.

It seems that lake names are translated, but mountain names are not.

Is there any formal rule about this? It can be quite confusing to my friends who are not native speakers.


texts: What does this quote mean in 4 sentences?

texts: "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." (Buddha)


texts: Adjective for the discussion that goes by the same track again and again

texts:
Adjective for the discussion that goes on through the same points over and over again.

Example:

  Okay, I think we should end this discussion, it starts to become ________.


texts: Can "nor" be used after "and"? As in "and nor"?

texts:
I came across this post on Facebook:

  "Well, if it makes you feel any better..."

  It doesn't, and nor do I
  think you intended it to.

Can "nor" be used after "and" like that? Doesn't look right to me.

Personally, I would go with:

  It doesn't, nor do I think you intended it to.


texts: What word(s) do children of English native speakers use for "kid"/"child"/etc

texts: I'm looking for (a) word(s) that is/are perceived to be child's language by adults, not words used by adults to describe children. What would be fine though are words used by adults when they are faking child's language, be it in playing with children or in mocking each other. Dialectal words from specific regions (i.e. Staffordshire, Big Bend Country, Shannon, Manitoba) would be very welcome!


texts: The usage of "got out" and the indefinite article "a" in the sentence "if it got out that they were related to a pair of"

texts:
I'm a English learner and I found the following sentence which seemed strange to me when I was reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Chapter one, the American Edition): "if it got out that they were related to a pair of ——well, he didn't think he could bear it."

My first problem is that I don't know why "got out" is used here. I guess it means "it turned out that". But I looked up dictionaries and searched on website, and found no place where "got out" was used in such a way.

My second problem is that I don't know why "a pair of" is used here. I guess it refers to "Mr. and Mrs. Potter", so I think it more natural to use definite article "the' instead of "a", because it refers to a particular couple, the Potters, but not a certain couple.

Can anyone answer my doubt? Thanks in advance.


texts: Is the word "wished" here used for narrative or a hypothetical situation?

texts:
Jenny wished she hadn't been so careless

The answer key says that "wished" here is used for a hypothetical situation, but I fail to see how. Since the word isn't part of a conditional clause, shouldn't  it simply refers to Jenny made this wish in the past?


texts:
Which one is correct?

He's onto some other stuff
          or
He's into some other stuff.


texts:
Looking into inversion, I found a website listing different types of inversion, but I can't understand intro adverbial.
The website says that inversions in this case are optional, and gives the following examples:

Into the room ran the lady.
First comes love, then comes marriage.
After A comes B, then comes C, next comes D.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

Now, these examples are extremely hard for me to "restructure", I hope I can receive some help, this is the best I was able to come with:

Into the room, the lady ran.
First comes love, marriage comes then.
After A comes B, C comes then, D comes next.


texts: Does "does not work that well" translate to "broken"?

texts: I'm here with this argument between whether "does not work that well", means "completely broken", or "not completely broken". Personally I believe it means the second (not completely).


texts:
I had been preparing for a tennis event since March, but it has been postponed until next year.

Question:
Can "it has been postponed" be replaced with "was postponed" grammatically without changing its meaning?

One of my friends (Canadian) received this question from a Chinese learner, and she asked me for help.


texts: The use of word "apply" for "apply someone to college"

texts:
Discussion started here: https://www.duolingo.com/comment/556494 from the translation of "Nosotros la vamos a aplicar." from spanish which literally translates into "we are going to apply her" (la in spanish = her in english),

however, many people seem to think that "her" can not be applied and that "la" in this case should be interpreted as "it" only in the feminine form (like an apple, which would be a feminine noun)

When I suggested that a person can to be "applied" too, to a college for example, this is the response I received from a community member:

  I am unaware of a region that would accept that use of apply. When
  used in the context you suggest, the verb must change to "enroll,
  matriculate, sign up or filled out an application for".

  Someone can "apply to" college, but cannot apply someone else, as
  stated above.

Does this reasoning have merit? Is apply used in this manner colloquially?


texts:
In Spanish, when you buy some types of complementary articles of clothing you say that article has no size (sin talla). This can be shortened as "s/t"; a well-known abbreviation in Spanish (at least in Spain).

sin talla articles include cuff-links, and corsages for example.

Is there some well-known and proper abbreviation for "no size" in English, or any other related term, more specific than "one size"? and if not, what is the correct abbreviation for "one size"?, "o/s", "O/S", "o.s.", "OS"?


texts:
In the film The Book of Eli, the world is in state of disarray, with no government, weak or non-existent town and family structures, and widespread hunger, poverty, and regressed technologies. Is this considered a dystopia?

From Wikipedia:

  A dystopia (from Ancient Greek: δυσ-, "bad, ill", and Ancient Greek: τόπος, "place, landscape"; alternatively cacotopia,[1] or anti-utopia) is, in literature, an often futuristic society that has degraded into a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian. Dystopian literature has underlying cautionary tones, warning society that if we continue to live how we do, this will be the consequence. A dystopia, thus, is regarded as a sort of negative utopia and is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. Dystopias usually feature different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions and constant states of warfare or violence. Dystopias often explore the concept of humans abusing technology and how humans individually and collectively cope with technology that has evolved too quickly such as the car, the flamethrower or the microwave. A dystopian society is also often characterized by widespread poverty and brutal political controls such as a large military-like police.

Dictionary.com includes "overcrowding" as a descriptor, which is definitely not the case in post apocalyptic type worlds where much of humanity has died out.

From these definitions, it is vague as to whether it must be characterized by a powerful government, overcrowding, and advanced technologies, or whether these are just most often the case. Is the world in The Book of Eli, or such worlds as "zombie apocalypses" considered dystopias? If not, what is a better word to describe these "post apocalyptic" worlds?


texts:
I read through other questions regarding the use of "leverage" and wonder if you can "leverage one resource with another? For example "Leverage our resources with your own to help you gain market share."

I prefer not to use "balance."


texts: What case is used for pronouns in the vocative?

texts:
A coauthor and I are drafting a letter, and we're not yet sure whom we're going to be sending it to. So I sent a draft to my coauthor, which started

  Dear [whomever]:

Now, that line in a letter is in the vocative case (or would be, if English really had cases). I know that who is used in the nominative case and whom in the accusative/dative, but what about the vocative? Should I have written

  Dear [whoever]:

instead?

Obviously, my question is only about such dialects as use who and whom. But it could be just as well asked about he versus him: had we been authoring a letter with a known male recipient we didn't want to bother writing out the name of, we could have used

  Dear [him]:

or

  Dear [he]:

and the same question would apply.

Equally obviously, because this is a draft letter and the word in question won't appear in the final copy, it really doesn't matter which word we use. I wish to know anyway.


texts: verb + direction/location - is there a name for this common combination?

texts:
Apologies if this is off topic or has been answered before, but I can't find the answer to my question.

We commonly encounter verbs that have a direction/location added to them to change the meaning, for instance "take" can have a similar meaning to "remove", but "take in" can mean "learn" or "remember", "take on" can mean "challenge", and "take off" can mean "run away".  Likewise with "throw" and "throw out" etc. There are many many examples.

How can I describe verbs that are made up of another verb and a direction/location?


texts: How does "I never had nothing" mean "I never had anything"?

texts:
In a BBC Documentary about Brexit, an interviewee stated his reason for voting out as following:

We are giving to some of the eastern Europeans who come in here at that time.
they have more priority than I did. I was standing in the queue.
and they said, sorry, there is nothing we can do for you.
These guys who have just come in with nothing from another country.
Yes by all means help them, but I was basically waiting for someone to do something.

And I never had nothing.

(BBC 2016 Why We Voted Leave: Britain Speaks.
see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7kjg4nXsYA     after 07 min 19 sec)

It seems to me in this context that "I never had nothing" is same as "I never had anything". But double negation should make affirmation. How could they two be the same?


texts: Does this sentence "I fixed her a chair." make sense?

texts:
There is a sentence.
*I fixed her a chair."
I want to know whether this sentence makes sense or not?
Please, give me your answer.


texts: Past tense/present tense: Found out Vs. Finding out

texts:
Recently, one of my project mates corrected my writing, but I'm not sure if it has been corrected in the right way.

Would you be kind to read it and tell me if it's correct in the native English language?

I wrote the 1st one in my work, then my friend corrected it to 2nd:

1) I did some research of my own after finding out that he used to be an artist.

2) I did some research of my own after found out that he used to be a renowned artist.

Thank you guys.


texts: Is there a word that works as a milder version of strenuous? Strenuous is defined by Oxford as something "requiring or using great effort or exertion." I'm looking for a word with a similar definition except for the "great" part.


texts: What does “Less is never more” mean? Is it a popular saying?

texts:
I found the phrase “less is never more” in Maureen Dowd’s article “An Irish Catholic wake-up,” dealing with vice-presidential debate on October 11 in October 13’s NY Times. It comes in the following statement:

  “Biden was trying to do what Romney did well: come across as a senior
  partner chastising a junior associate who screwed up. For this vice
  president, though, less is never more. He mugged condescension as if
  he were the star of a silent movie. But who ever accused Uncle Joe of
  subtlety?”

Does “less is never more” mean it’s better to overdo than underdo, or is it vice versa? What does it imply in particular to Joe Biden case?
Is it a fancy turn of word, or just a cliche?

PS.

We have a Japanese adage, 過ぎたるは及ばざるが如しliterally meaning "Too much is as bad as too little," which I presume to be similar to "Less is never more."


texts:
Can someone help me to clarify this. Is the word Jesus' feet pronounced as "Jesuses feet" or simply "Jesus feet"?  I read up some articles and most of them said both versions are correct.  However, when I was in London recently, I heard St. James' Park pronounced as "St. Jameses Park."  I am not sure whether it was spelt as St. James' Park or St. James's Park.  Should it then be Jesus's feet?  Much appreciated!

Petra


texts: 'Lack of Side' as used by Dick White, former Intelligence Chief of MI5 and MI6

texts:
During Dick White's post-Oxford academic career he traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1928 to continue studying history at the University of Michigan. Upon arrival at the campus White was warmly greeted by the President and other officers of the university. In Tom Bower's biography of Dick White, 'The Perfect English Spy' White is described as being overwhelmed by his hosts' 'lack of side' and 'the American way'. He was genuinely impressed with his hosts' spirit of generosity and equality.

'Lack of side' didn't appear in any slang dictionaries. I interpret it to mean White's hosts did not display any pro-American bias or attitudes of superiority, as might team members of a football club would sing the praises of their own 'side'. Did I get this right?


texts:
I've come across the term "back of" (meaning "behind" in a physical or metaphorical sense) in a number of different works from around the turn of the 20th century*. Was this a linguistic fad of some sort that (thankfully) died out somewhere in the Twenties? When used, it seems to convey some kind of rhetorical emphasis which I notice but do not feel, if you know what I mean. It has a sort of slangy feel. Is there a story here?

Also, it often consumes any article that might otherwise precede the next noun. It suppresses a preceding preposition. In back of is written simply back of.

*. I'm an introverted intuitive and often I cannot access my full memories on a topic at first. So I don't presently remember which works they are, but if nobody freaks out about that and changes the mood of the room on me, I may very well remember shortly.


texts: Correct way to say apply powder on skin of child

texts: What is the proper way to say I’m applying talcum powder on my child’s body? I always wonder whether 'applying powder' is correct in this sense.


texts: Is there an appropriate word that I can use here like "eponymous"?

texts:
My sentence goes something like this:

  The Johnson-Andersson-Paulsen theorem was first described in an 1865
  paper by Johnson, Andersson and Paulsen.

It is clear by context that this particular theorem was indeed discovered by Johnson, Andersson and Paulsen, so I would like to avoid repeating their names while still clarifying who first described the theorem. Is it correct in this context to say "the Johnson-Andersson-Paulsen theorem was first described by its eponymous authors", or is there a better way to say what I mean?


texts: (The goal of) his visit is to spend time

texts:
A Washington Times news article starts as follows:

The White House said residents of the Oregon town where a gunman killed nine people at a community college have “nothing to fear” from President Obama’s scheduled trip to their community on Friday.
Told that some residents of Roseburg that Mr. Obama intends to politicize the shootings, White House press secretary Josh Earnest replied, “Those individuals have nothing to fear.”
“The president’s made clear that the goal of his visit is to spend time with the families of those who were so deeply affected by this terrible tragedy,” Mr. Earnest said. “That’s the purpose of the president’s trip.”

As for the boldfaced portion, I'd like to know if "the goal of" can be omitted without changing the portion's meaning as follows:

The president’s made clear that his visit is to spend time with the families of those who were so deeply affected by this terrible tragedy


texts:
What's the difference between the following

By the 18th century, the Portuguese in India lost their commercial influence.
By the 18th century, the Portuguese in India had lost their commercial influence.

Thank you.


texts:
I know we generally use in for "city, town and country  ". But I am confused about when "the country " follows "the city". Which one should we use?

  1) I live in Mumbai in India.

  2) I live at Mumbai in India.


texts: rule of thumb for 'however' in the middle of the sentence?

texts:
What is the rule of thumb for using 'however' in the middle of the sentence? For example:

  Some people disagree with this theory, however, as it's never been proven right.


texts: Word to describe a relationship that fluctuates between being good and bad

texts:
I’m looking for a word to describe the dynamics of a relationship that oscillates between being loving/harmonious and toxic.
By relationship, I’m primarily referring to a romantic relationship between a couple, however it can also apply to any (romantic, familial or platonic )relationship.
I hope my question makes sense. Grammar savants feel free to edit my post.