texts: What does “The thumb-nail, curled up on itself in the womb…” mean?

texts:
The thumb-nail, curled up on itself in the womb, feels fear

The speaker is trying to convince his listeners that fear is more primal than any other emotions and feelings.

Why did he use thumb-nail as an example?
I'm very confused.

Here is the context prior to the usage of "thumb-nail." It's taken from Clive Barker's short story, Dread

  What?" said Cheryl.
  "You mean things to do with bad experiences? Falling off your bike, or something like that?"
  "Perhaps," Steve said.
  "I find myself, sometimes, thinking of those pictures. Not deliberately, just when my concentration's idling. It's almost as though my mind went to them automatically." Quaid gave a little grunt of satisfaction.
  "Precisely," he said.
  "Freud writes on that," said Cheryl.
  "What?"
  "Freud," Cheryl repeated, this time making a performance of it, as though she were speaking to a child.
  "Sigmund Freud: you may have heard of him." Quaid's lip curled with unrestrained contempt.
  "Mother fixations don't answer the problem. The real terrors in me, in all of us, are pre-personality. Dread's there before we have any notion of ourselves as individuals. The thumb-nail, curled up on itself in the womb, feels fear."
  "You remember do you?" said Cheryl.
  "Maybe," Quaid replied, deadly serious


texts: What kind of punctuation would I use for this sentence?

texts:
The sentence:

Rammus has a win rate of nearly 60%; higher than Amumu's.

I am not sure if I should put a semi colon, period, or comma in between "60%" and "higher."


texts: Why is "happened" spelled with a single "n"?

texts:
I've seen the words

  plan -> planned, planning
  begin -> beginning

Why is "happen" different and why is "happenning" an incorrect spelling?


texts: Difference between Reply x Answer x Response

texts:
I have a question about conversation in english... i'm only a recently student of english, then I've got a lot of question.
If I understood, in a conversation face to face or in some social media, when we ask for something, basically there are 3 ways to be answered:

an answer:
a response
a reply

which one applies in a conversation and why? abd what is the difference between them?


texts: ..abstract subject.. has gone blind. Meaning

texts:
I heard this on a song.

  "a prayer has gone blind"

What does it mean when something abstract "has gone blind"?

They don't like thanking in the comments. So it goes without saying for all my questions from now on...


texts: Is this particular statement a phrase or a clause?

texts:
The difference between clauses and phrases has been extensively discussed (here, here, and likely elsewhere). And as Dusty has said, “The short answer [is that] clauses contain a subject and its verb, while phrases do not.”

In a recent comment (found here), I noted that the questioner’s sentence—“The day I was born, Granny died”—was formed by two clauses. However, phoog responded that "the day I was born" is not a clause, but rather (I presume) a phrase.

Is this true? If I am to judge by Dusty’s short answer—that a clause contains a subject and a verb—then “the day I was born” checks out as a clause. My understanding is that “the day I was born” is a subordinate clause—or, in the words of Wikipedia, “a clause that provides an independent clause with additional information, but which cannot stand alone as a sentence.”

Unless you think they are necessary to the meaning of your answer, I do not need definitions of phrases and clauses. Rather, I am looking for a definitive answer—phrase or clause—and proof as to how or why you came to that conclusion.

EDIT: I deleted this question because I felt as though it had been answered on the original post by phoog. He responded to my comment, noting that "[the day I was born is] an adverbial noun phrase. It has no predicate, as a clause must. The clause I was born modifies the day, but the fact that the phrase contains a clause doesn't make it a clause."

However, Araucaria commented on another post of mine, asking me to reopen this question. He states, "The linked-to answer is a bit misleading (to say the least), but your question is excellent, and is a very good example for people to investigate!" That said, I have reopened the question and am curious to hear any and all opinions and/or interpretations of phoog's explanation.


texts: How do native English speakers pronounce words with contiguous hard consonants?

texts: For example, in the word blindness the d and n are quite different and I find it hard to pronounce the d explicitly without making a brief pause. In normal and fast speaking, is it common to omit the d?


texts: More appropriate word for a "shape" of environment

texts:
I am researching about exploration in robotics field, for example, how to make roomba (I hope you all might know this cleaning robot) explore more efficiently in an office room. For some cleaning robots, they try to use a shape of the room to decide the efficient path for the robots to explore and clean the room.

Since this kind of exploration plans are not necessary limiting to only room. It can be any environment. For example, we want a robot to clean on the table, so here we use the shape of table's surface (which is usually square or circle ) to make effective path.

So here comes the question. I want to use more appropriate word for "the shape of environment." Because "shape" can be more than 2 dimension and I want to mean only the draft line of shape of environment like the lines you draw on soccer field, basketball field, etc. What I am only thinking of now are "the boundary of environment" or "the outline of environment." Any suggestion would be appreciated.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Use” vs “usage”

As a non-native speaker, I have trouble deciding whether to use 'use' or 'usage'.

  The aim of this paper is to demonstrate a working prototype of a wireless sensor network [...] for industrial (use|usage).

Are both versions equivalent, or is one preferred over the other?


texts: Proper use of semicolon for crude emphasis

texts:
My sentence is:
"Cars kill people; a lot of people."

I'm keeping the language brutally simple for crude emphasis.

Do you guys think this is a good way to use the semicolon?


texts:
I'm looking for a single word noun that would perfectly summarize the stereotypical nerdy uptight virgin student council president.

Basically, a more proper version of the slang word "square": a person who always does what they're supposed to even if it means sacrificing things like fun and happiness and who casts a judgemental gaze on anyone who does otherwise.

I'm trying to describe a certain person, and so far I've got "an OCD, judgemental, paranoid, uptight", but I need a noun to finish it off.


texts: What other words/terms are used to mean 'sleep'?

texts:
Are there alternative words to 'sleep,' when used as a noun to mean 'the substance that sometimes forms in the corners of your eyes after you have been sleeping?' Are 'eye crust,' 'eye boogers,' 'eye gunk,' 'eye goop,' 'optibooger,' 'sleepy,' or 'gound' acceptable?
It seems most dictionaries such as Oxford, Cambridge, Longman, Macmillan, Merriam-Webster, etc., don't include most of those words/terms. Why?


texts: What do we call this "partial mansard floor" sticking out in the middle of a roof?

texts:
The Russian term for the partial floor located on the third level in the picture is мезонин (mezonin), but in English mezzanine is used to designate something different - an intermediate floor in a building.

So what do we call this kind of structure (in the picture) in English? This kind of structure is traditional for Russian houses of the 19th century, and it's always positioned in the middle of the roof, henсe its name.

Here's another example of Russian мезонин:


texts: What does “being had” mean in “due regard being had to”?

texts:
What exactly is meant by due regard being had to?

I can’t understand the use of being had in such sentences.

I mean only that due regard to can be used instead of it.


texts: If something is countable (e.g. disk space) but is limited by some quota. What you will ask: "how much" or "how many" quota do I have?"


texts: What is the subject of the sentence "wherever she lives is where I am destined to be"?

texts:
Here are a few options:

She: 'She' is the subject of the verb 'lives'.

I: 'I' is the subject of the verb 'am'.

Wherever she lives: 'Wherever she lives' is the subject of the verb 'is'.

Where I am destined to be: 'Wherever I am destined to be' can also be the subject of the verb 'is', or it can also act as the subject complement.


texts: "frightened 'by' spiders" vs. "frightened 'of' spiders" in AmEng

texts:
Could you explain the difference between these two sentences:

I'm frightened BY spiders.
I'm frightened OF spiders.

Obviously both are used in American English in the sense "have a fear of spiders/be afraid of spiders," but is one more correct than the other?
Please, consider this sourced example:

I have been frightened by spiders since I was very young. For the following three reasons, spiders will never be pets of mine. The first reason that I am scared of spiders is their appearance.
Yet take a random group of people and it is more than likely there will be among them those who are frightened by spiders, and those who are scared of heights.

Google Books
Ngram AmEng


texts: What does "But lay off his looks, okay, Donald?" mean?

texts:
In this issue of "The O'Reilly Factor" Bill O'Reilly says at the end:

  "But lay off his looks, okay, Donald?"

My question
What does this phrase mean?


texts: meaning of 'narrow' in 'narrow possessiveness'

texts:
What does 'narrow' mean in the following sentence, which is from Political Ideals (1917) by Bertrand Russell?

  He will not desire for his country the passing triumphs of a narrow possessiveness, but rather the enduring triumph of having helped to embody in human affairs something of that spirit of brotherhood which Christ taught and which the Christian churches have forgotten.

Does it mean selfish?


texts: What's a positive phrase to say that I quoted something not word by word

texts:
Sometimes I quote in my writing sombody else, but I do not know the exact words the other person had used. What is a concise and positive(*) phrase to describe this? I found different options on the net:

I quote keeping with the sense: "..."
I quote in spirit: "..."
I quote conceptually: "..."

or even:

I paraphrase:  "..."

However I am not sure what's the normal/standard way to phrase this.

(*) With positive I mean I want to avoid a phrase like I quote not to the letter  or I quote not word for word.


texts:
We were asked a question in an exam, from Grammarway 4. The question was:

  She ... get a job as a teacher. She loves children.

I prefered to use "can" because I thought that was possibility but teacher told us that "might" was the right answer.


texts: Words preceding a direct question (in general and specifically in BrE)

texts:
Are such words unacceptable? We can't say:

Tell me, what time is it now?
or
I forgot, how long will your trip last?

can we?

Or are the following affimative sentences with indirect questions the only possibility?

Tell me what time it is now.
I forgot how long your trip will last.

As I learnt from the answer and comments, such questions are pretty acceptable in AmE. So the question is if they are also suitable for British English.


texts:
I need X. So, I can say:

  My need to X.

But, I don't need Y. How can I say that sentence using the opposite of the noun "need". For example what can be put in the blank in the following sentence.

  My ... to Y.


texts: "only then can you do" vs "only then you can do"

texts:
What is correct in a sentence:
"Only then can you do" or "only then you can do" ?


texts: What does "The apple never falls far from the tree" mean?

texts: What does this saying, "The apple never falls far from the tree," mean?


texts: What are these things that surround museum exhibits called?

texts:
I'm trying to find the correct naming for these things in the image:

It's the things that surround the exhibits in a museum, and sometimes they delimit a walking area to guide visitors along. I'm mostly interested when they define a route to follow.

I'm thinking about red ribbons but I could only find an image with chains ('cause I don't know by what name to search them :D).

What's the whole ensemble called?


texts: Is there a case I should say "in absence of" instead of "in the absence of"?

texts:
I am checking the usage of "in the absence of".
I learned "in the absence of", but there may be some cases this phrase is written without "the".
(Example: https://ludwig.guru/s/in+absence+of+reply)
When should I write "in absence of" instead of "in the absence of"?
Is the usage of "in the absence of" correct in this sample sentence below?
The author's conclusion that most entrepreneurs are interested in fin-tech, in the absence of further evidence, is severely flawed.


texts: Intuitive English grammar book with lots of real life examples

texts:
As in title I am interested in getting interested how English grammar (as a whole) could benefit my English communication skills. So to emphasize, I don't look for a 100% complete ultra deep grammar book. All I am looking for is a book to get me interested and convince me (with real life examples) that (obviously) a better understanding of English grammar would benefit my English communication skills.

Thank you for your recommendations.


texts: Term for ability to "keep cards close to your chest"

texts:
Is there a succinct term or phrase that would describes someone's ability to "keep cards close to their chest", as in, able to subtlety keep things secret.
For context, I'm working on a game where part of it is being able to determine your enemies' strengths and weaknesses (via "perception") and need a term for the attribute which counters perception to keep your strengths and weaknesses concealed.


texts: Colorful idiom/phrase equivalent to French "s'en fourrer jusque là/plein la panse"

texts:
Is there an expression/idiom in English that comes anywhere close in flavor to the colorful French expression,

s'en mettre (or fourrer or foutre) jusque là
s'en mettre (or fourrer or foutre) plein la panse (or plein la lampe, or plein le gosier)
[manger/bouffer] à s'en faire péter/éclater la panse (or le gosier, or la sous-ventrière)

Literally, it means something along the lines of, to stuff oneself up to here [with foods]/to stuff/fill one's stomach (or throat) [with foods] until it bursts.
It is something that someone might say when, for example, they are invited to a wedding feast, and they are enjoying greatly the idea of being up to a great meal with foods and wine galore.

On va s'en mettre plein la panse/On va s'en fourrer (or mettre) jusque là !
We're up to a helluva big time with loads of [good] foods and wine!

Or, after enjoying the feast:

On s'en est mis plein la lampe/On s'en est mis (or fourré) jusque lá !
We literally stuffed our face and had a helluva good time!

It is usually associated with wining and dining, though s'en fourrer/foutre/mettre jusque là can also take a sexual connotation, and be used occasionally for other forms of revelry, like monkey business, par exemple.
And so, is there a phrase or idiom in English that might encapsulate both those connotations of French s'en mettre/fourrer/foutre jusque là?

S'EN FOURRER JUSQUE LA
(Argot, vulgaire) Prendre, avec avidité et excès, de la nourriture, du plaisir, etc.
(Slang, vulgar) To overindulge oneself, often greedily, in food, drink, or other physical desires (emphasis is mine.)
Wiktionary


texts: What is the proper way to claim something as your and someone elses?

texts: (For example, This is mine and John’s house, this is John’s and my house, this is my and John’s house..) without simply saying “our house”


texts: Should laconism be favored over clarity?

texts:
One might argue that to be as understandable as possible, one should use common words and phrases.  On the other hand, unnecessary verbosity is often frowned upon.

Stop acting so childish and sulky!
Stop acting so petulant!

Should a common and verbose phrase be favored over an uncommon single word in writing?  What about speech?


texts: Usage of "homework," "schoolwork," and "assignment" in AmEng for schoolwork given to students to do at home

texts:
As far as AmEng goes, is there any difference in using either homework, schoolwork, or assignment to call schoolwork given to students to be done at home? Can these be used just about interchangeably?
ASSIGNMENT vs. HOMEWORK

assignment

An assignment is a task that someone is given to do, usually as part of their job.

My first major assignment as a reporter was to cover a large-scale riot.

An assignment is also a piece of academic work given to students.

The course has heavy reading assignments.
When class begins, he gives us an assignment and we have seven minutes to work at it.

In American English, an assignment is also a piece of work given to students to do at home. (emphasis is mine.)

homework

Work given to schoolchildren to do at home is also called homework.

He never did any homework.

HOUSEWORK vs. HOMEWORK

homework

Homework is work that school pupils (Chiefly BrEng)/students (Chiefly AmEng) are given to do at home.

Have you done your English homework?

housework

Housework is work such as cleaning or washing that is done in a house.

She relied on him to do most of the housework.
Collins COBUILD English Usage

SCHOOLWORK

: work that is done in classes in a school or given to students to do at home.
Merriam-Webster

EDIT
Point to all of this is, if some native speakers of AmEng actually use exclusively "assignment" (or schoolwork) for "homework" in the sense "schoolwork done at home," wouldn't the reason for that be that "homework" might have a quite different meaning in their vernacular, e.g. "housework" or "work done on the home"?

Homeworker in the US is a person who works on homes or a person who works in homes (maid). It is not a "clear" phrase at all because it tends to have ambiguous or no/multiple meanings. It is certainly something that I would expect to hear from a foreigner in the US. (emphasis is mine.) RyeBread - ELU

Please, consider the following example:

I'll help you with your homework/schoolwork/assignments once I'm done with the housework. (standard AmEng)

-and-

I'll help you with your schoolwork/assignments once I'm done with the homework. (nonstandard regional AmEng?)


texts:
I'm trying to improve on the last part of this sentence:

  Mirabeau pointed out that the text was not his, although he did not provide the names of its authors, either.

My first instinct is:

  Mirabeau pointed out that the text was not his, although he neither provided the names of its authors.

But something feels wrong here, and I can't explain why.

Any ideas?


texts:
I've been looking for my answer but I still haven't found what I want. I have a question regarding lenis voiceless+fortis voiceless clusters (in American English). Does the fortis voiceless consonant get assimilated to a lenis voiceless? For example:

gʊːd̥ fɹɛnd - good friend /
weɪːv̥ fɔɹm - waveform /
meɪːd̥ sʌːm - made some /
hæːz̥ sʌːm - has some /

changes to:

gʊːd̥ f̥ɹɛnd /
weɪːv̥ f̥ɔɹm /
meɪːd̥ s̥ʌːm /
hæːz̥ s̥ʌːm /

(I know that f̥/s̥ are not the right symbols to a LENIS voiceless, but what I am implying here, is that both f and s (FORTIS) became Lenis)

So, does a lenis voiceless+fortis voiceless cluster get assimilated?
Other possibility would be an assimilation as follows: fortis voiceless+fortis voiceless, but I'm almost sure that's not the case. If there's no assimilation, and both consonants keep their characteristics, lenis followed by a fortis one, is there any tip on how to pronounce such a cluster keeping their characteristics?

Thank you very much!


texts: What do you call this particular sitting position?

texts:
Have a look at the following picture

Is there a word for the sitting position of the boy with recorder ?


texts: Students of same cohort: by the course, not year

texts:
For instance, a school, say S, was established in 2000, with the first class in the same year. I entered the school, with other students, in 2002, i.e. the third time of a student cohort.

Should I say: I am the student of the 3rd course of the school S of 2002?
What is the proper way to express this in English?

NB: In my country, we often refer to a cohort by the ordinal number of the course.


texts: comparatives - "easier" or "more easy", "friendlier" or "more friendly"

texts:
Yes, this is a question that people keep repeating about comparatives, especially with these adjectives: easy, pretty, friendly, lively.

I know the rule about two-syllable adjectives ending in  /i/ or /o/ should get the morphological -er and -est.

Yet, it is evident from different copora that the use of "more easy" and "more friendly" exists, which is not infrequent.

Did anyone come up with an explanation for this or did read any scholarly articles relating to the choice of these different construction of comparatives?


texts: Word for updating one single "square" in a grid

texts:
What would be an appropriate word for updating one single square in a grid/matrix, e.g. in a game of Tetris?
What are those squares called?

I was hoping for something like "Update square."


texts: Comma use in a lengthy compound/complex sentence

texts:
I'm confused as to what the appropriate commas would be in this rather lengthy compound sentence. I've added the commas, but somehow it doesn't feel quite correct and seems over-punctuated. Are there any other ways of punctuating this that reduce the number of commas while maintaining the integrity of the sentence?

  On Thursday morning, we looked around the city, and in the afternoon we met Sally, who was already in Vancouver, and the three of us made our way to the farm.


texts:
I saw an idiom in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, be
had,
defined there as:

  to be tricked or fooled by someone

And I saw its usage like this

  She doesn’t want to buy a used car because she’s worried about being
  had by a dishonest salesman.

Why is it being had instead of be had?

If the latter part (after because) is a noncontinuous present-tense
passive, then why is being being used?
If it is a continuous
present-tense passive, then why is being used before had and not before
worried, and where has be in be had gone (if being in being had
is there because of the tense)?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a standard ordering for the question mark and the exclamation mark used together?

When writing an exclamation-question like:

What you you mean, I'm fired
Don't you think you've done ENOUGH today

Should you end the sentence with ?!, !? or just !
What's grammatically correct?
What's acceptable for casual usage (where grammar is less important)?
Is it just preference?
WHAT'S THE ANSWER?! <-- my preference


texts: What does a restrictive phrase limit the meaning of?

texts:
Is there a surefire way to work out what a restrictive (essential) phrase "limits" (I've seen this word in this context) the meaning of?

Here e.g. it limits the word that precedes it:

  My sister Susan went to the shop.

I know 'Susan' is restrictive cos it can be made non-restrictive by adding a comma, right?

I asked this question on ELU but to one -1 answer.


texts: How to say Blacks and Whites were treated equally in death

texts:
I am trying to express the idea of equality between blacks and whites.

What I want to say is:

  black people were not able to live on the same block or study at the same school with white men when they were alive. Ironically, the only moment black people were treated "equally" with white people was when they died together in the Vietnam War.

This is my passage:

  It is ironic that black men were not able to live on the same block or study at the same school with white men. However, black men were able to die together with white men in the war, which was the only moment blacks and whites were treated “equally”.

Should I quote equally or not?
Should I use the word "moment" or " time"?


texts: Having trouble properly writing sentence in Common App essay

texts:
I am writing my Common Application essay for the college admissions process starting this fall and I'm having trouble writing this sentence, especially the bolded part, in a way that is proper and concise but retains the meaning that it has right now:
"Drawing and counting circles was the only method that Drake, a 6th grader whose teachers described him as mathematically at a 3rd-grade level, responded to, but I couldn’t outright blame our difficulties on my student’s learning deficiencies."
Any suggestions/tips would be appreciated.


texts: What is the right ordering of words depending upon the worth that they imply? Also, can you suggest me some more words?

texts:
Can you suggest me some words to complete the following ordering of words based on the worth which they imply. I would ideally like a list of around 5-7 words

cheap
affordable
???
expensive

What word should be used to describe an item which has an average price?

Also, where in the order would value-for-money, economical fit in?


texts: What's an eloquent way to say "The secret is out?"

texts: What is a good way to say 'the secret is out'?


texts: I drank a little to much last night, and one of my friends suggested "the hair of the dog" to cure my hangover. Where did this saying come from?


texts:
I am a little confused about these two questions, please help me!

Can we use: "in the first half of one's 40s" to talk about the age from 40 to 45 of somebody.
Can we use in their early 40s to express a person's age from 40-45?

Thank you so much!


texts: "Classify data in A/B/C by value x by using the function x"

texts:
This is about data classification done by computer. Data is classified into the A, B, or C rank and then the judgement result will be displayed on the screen. All the transaction is done by using "function x".

This is my attempt to explain the above:

  Classify/display data in A/B/C by value x by using the function x

My questions:
1. Is my choice of the preposition "in" before "A/B/C" correct?
2. Does using "by" twice sequentially like this seem bad?


texts: Which prepositions to use with computer trees?

texts:
Given a tree-like computational data structure, something where every entity (except for the root entity) has exactly one parent and may have any number of children (for example, the internal structure of an XML file). How do I say correctly: You can click this button to insert an element above / on top of / before / in front of / previous the highlighted element, clicking the other button will insert it below / under / after / behind / next the selection. Insertion here is about the same hierarchical level (not children).

Further question: What is the most common term for the entities of such a tree-like data structure? Elements? Nodes? Levels? Layers? Structures? I mean: Which word, if read out a context, is most likely to explain that it is part of a data tree? Like in a sentence as: The function takes two numbers and a … and returns a string.


texts: Is "influence of stg on stg" equal to "influence on stg of stg"?

texts: Can we say "It shows how strong is the influence on children of tv " instead of "It shows how strong is the influence of tv on children"?


texts: What do you call someone who does not appreciate a beautiful garden?

texts:
I know there is a word for this kind of person, but I can't remember it.  What kind of person would buy a house with a beautiful garden in the back, and replace it with grass?

A lush garden with statues; a koi pond; fountains; lanai benches; all kinds of flowers that attract hummingbirds; flowering trees; trellised vines.

Only someone who did not have a well-developed sense of beauty, someone who had no aesthetic sensibilities whatsoever... there has to be a word for this kind of person.

Ingrate doesn't quite cover it.  Neither does ignoramus.


texts:
He is as clever if not cleverer than his brother.
Ranjeet is as fast as or perhaps faster than Rohit.

Are both these sentences correct?
As per Wren And Martin High School English Grammar And Composition (BY N.D.V. PRASADA RAO S. CHAND), the first sentence is better like this:

He is as clever as his brother, if not cleverer.

Or like this:

He is as clever as, if not cleverer than, his brother.

(Chapter No-22 Conjunction.Page 255, example: This is as good as that, if not better.)
Now in second sentence conjunction OR has been used so can I use the punctuation comma here too? If I can, then how can the 2nd sentence be right?


texts: Word meaning a difference of changing states

texts:
I learned of a word a few years ago that meant something along the lines of the difference of changing states.  That's the best description I come up with for it.

The example we were given was when a thermostat is trying to bring a rooms temperature from 85 degrees down to 80 degrees, it will turn it self off when the room temperature hits 80.0 degrees but wait to turn back on when the room reaches 80.9 degrees in order to avoid turning on and off multiple times a minute as the room temperature fluctuates.  So basically, this is a word for an effect that has a point of activation that is separate from a point of deactivation.

The word I recall is herastasis but I can't find confirmation online anywhere.  Any word will do that accurately describes this effect.  Thank you.


texts: Are these both grammatically correct?  "ON September 23 through 26, 2013, birds were observed on the lake." or "FROM September 23 through 26, 2013, birds were observed on the lake."


texts: Using objective pronouns as the subject of a verb, when is it okay?

texts:
I just have a little question about using objective pronouns (me, him, her) as the subjects of verbs.

1)

  They were a peculiar couple, him being a traditionalist and her being more open-minded.

2)

  Their mother had high hopes for her children's futures, him to be a doctor and her to be a lawyer.

(Excuse my awkward wording in these examples, you get the general idea.)

Why are these types of usages acceptable? Are they proscribed?


texts: Where does the word (magic) cookie come from?

texts: Who named the file that websites can place on your computer for, for example advertising, and what is the connection with cookie as a food?


texts: Is there an expression that means something bad as a precursor to something good?

texts:
If someone is the bearer of bad news you might say, Don't shoot the messenger. If you have something that seems unfortunate at first but ends out wonderful you might say it's a blessing in disguise.

I'm looking for a word or phrase that is a combination of the two - a bad experience that is actually bad, but ultimately heralds something good.

For example - if a couple is trying to get pregnant, and the wife gets morning sickness. There is nothing fun about vomiting and nausea, but it potentially heralds wonderful news for the soon-to-be-parents.

Is there an expression to describe the morning sickness?


texts: When offering a list of examples that is 3-4 items long in parenthesis, how is it formatted?

texts:
When offering a list of examples, I've seen it done 4 different ways:

(e.g., x, y, and z)
(e.g., x, y, z)
(x, y, and z)
(x, y, z)

Which of these is correct? Are they all okay to use?

Example used as a sentence:

Our website offers links to various resources across campus (e.g.,student services, campus housing, and parking services).
Our website offers links to various resources across campus (e.g.,student services, campus housing, parking services).
Our website offers links to various resources across campus (student services, campus housing, and parking services).
Our website offers links to various resources across campus (student services, campus housing, parking services).


texts: Is this sentence correct? "She is trained in the teaching of the English Language." Is it correct to use " the" before " English Language"?


texts: When did '&' stop being taught alongside the alphabet?

texts:
I've just discovered that "&" was considered the 27th letter of the alphabet, being part of alphabet songs.

It was easy to discover its history (the information on the website Fast Company is repeated on many other websites), but nowhere have I found a reference to why and when it was dropped out of the alphabet.

I can only guess it was dropped out because it represents a whole word rather than a sound, but I still can find no references as to when that happened.

EDIT

This question isn't a duplicate of & as a letter in the alphabet? because that question is about how '&' could have been considered a letter and become part of the alphabet.

Yes, the answers to that question (and the first answer to my own question) helped me understand that ampersend was never truly considered a letter, nor was it ever a true part of the alphabet (though I suspect children may have thought of it as its 27th letter). Just... something annexed to it?

Following that new knowledge, I adjusted the question: when did '&' stop being taught alongside the alphabet?


texts:
When the Constitution was written in the late 1700s, Daniel Webster wrote the following regarding the Constitution.

  I am committed against any attempt to rule the free people of this country by the power and patronage of the Government itself.

In this context, what does patronage mean?


texts: Do you "watch" a movie or "see" a movie?

texts:
Which of the following verbs is most commonly used with movie? Or are they both used, but the connotations are different?

I watched a good movie yesterday.
I saw a good movie yesterday.


texts: Where should "efficiently" go? "...to use ___ the money we collected ___."

texts:
I need to answer a business-related e-mail. Which one is correct grammatically?

We request your approval to use efficiently the money we collected.
We request your approval to use the money we collected efficiently.


texts:
If you go to A, the B will C; I've also attached it to this e-mail.

Is "it" referring to A or B?


texts: Searching for a negative idiom. Where a person sacrifices long term for small relief

texts:
What's a negative idiom for a situation where a person sacrifices long term benefit for small, short term relief.
Example:

I am cold so I cut off pieces of my jacket to start a fire.

Basically inconveniencing, sacrificing something large for a small moment or purpose without hindsight.


texts:
A man suffering from ... shock should not be given anything to drink.
  You'll get ... shock if you touch a live wire

What is the difference between the word 'shock' in the two sentences of which answer for

no article
a


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, but I like the language and want to learn all about it. I'm also an active world builder and I made a few species/ races, but I'm having trouble to see what is the multitude form of the species/ race names.

Here are the names of my created species:

Hryll, Anari, Korth, Quarth

So I understand a person can say 'I'm a Hryll' or Anari and so on. But what if I want to point to their people as a whole. Can I still say 'The Hryll are...' or do I need to turn it into Hryllian or something.

I couldn't find any rules on this because I don't really know what the name is of what I mean/ I'm looking for.


texts: Why would you write "ain't"? Isn't it a contraction only used in spoken English?

texts:
I often hear in English conversation or movies the contraction "ain't" (for "isn't"), but I am more surprised to see it in writing (and I am not referring to a novel, where I can understand its usage: convey common oral expressions in a text)

See this question (on a technical forum) for instance:

  There ain’t ListBox.SelectionMode=“None”, is there another way to disable selection in a listbox?

Is it appropriate in that context (formal written technical question)?


texts:
My significant other tells me that I'm not "going to go" to the shops, I'm "going to" the shops, and beats me mercilessly when I say that.

Is this not correct? I might not be going to the shops until later, is my point!


texts:
Is there a limit on the number of nouns than can be used to make a compound noun ?

For example, "water tank" and "christmas tree" are made of two words.

Is it correct the write for example "code attribution problem" ?


texts: Would it be possible to note similarities with in comparison with?

texts:
In comparison with is used to show contrasting ideas. I wonder whether this phrase could be used to note similarities as well, especially with words like: similar, the same, alike. Would you, for example, consider the following?
In comparison with each other, both of the girls seem similar.


texts: Term for catchy tune that stays in your head

texts: Is there a term for a catchy tune that stays in your head after you hear it? The Germans call it an earworm.


texts: What does "Run the Place" mean in this paragraph?

texts:
Eventually, he worked his way up to assistant manager. But the Dooleys ran the place as if they were kings and he was their servant.

Does it mean the Dooleys took his place?


texts: What are some other ways I can say something that means the same thing as "little by little"? The only other thing I know is "bit by bit."


texts: which preposition should I use with "elaborate"

texts:
I have the following sentence, and I am wondering which preposition(s) should I use to make this sentence grammatically correct.

  This will be elaborated on in the following section.

There are two more variations of usages of on in as follows:

  This will be elaborated on the following section.

and

  This will be elaborated in the following section.

I obviously can see many examples as in the following section, but still I also can see some of on in the following section usage.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Rephrasing "patient with suspected cancer"

texts:
Is it possible to form a sentence like

  A patient who is suspected for/with/?? cancer

and if so, what is the correct preposition after suspect?


texts: What is the difference between “close” and “close together”?

texts:
Examples:

His eyes were small and close (together).

The two buildings are close (together).

I can’t really understand the difference. Perhaps the second version is more emphatic.


texts: Usage of "hysterical" meaning "very funny."

texts:
One meaning (I am personally not very familiar with) of the adjective hysterical  is:

  causing unrestrained laughter; very funny:
  Oh, that joke is hysterical! (Dictionary.com)

No other European language, as far as I know, uses "hysterical" with the meaning of "very funny", and the term has  definitely  a negative connotation.

According to Etymonline this connotation of hysterical is from the late '30s:

  Meaning "very funny" (by 1939) is from the notion of uncontrollable fits of laughter.

The following extract comments on the origin of the meaning  "very funny" but suggests that this connotation is debatable and should be avoided:

  It's true that hysterical "funny" is not especially ancient. The OED didn't add a listing for the sense until 1993,  with the earliest example from Mario Pei in 1969:  "To describe something as really funny, a woman will use 'hysterical'." As, indeed, Elizabeth Janeway did in her 1943 novel, “The Walsh Girls”:

  She had never seen anything so funny in the world as Alice's face when Connie called her a bitch. It was the funniest thing that could have happened. It was hysterical.

Its connotation appears to derive from the earlier expression: hysterically funny:

  Hysterically funny, the long form of our "hilarious" hysterical, shows up quite a bit earlier. This example from an 1886 short story may be transitional – the narrator is both trying to amuse a young woman and being driven slightly crazy:

  My behaviour was often fatuously absurd. Anon I became hysterically funny. Altogether I compared very unfavourably with the bright and facile Stephen.

but its usage should be avoided:

  Don’t use it to mean "funny," she (Mignon Fogarty),advised in "The Grammar Devotional" (2009). "Hysterical means 'excited.'"  And she made hilarious/hysterical one of the confusable word pairs in her 2011 book, "Grammar Girl's 101 Misused Words You'll Never Confuse Again."  "People will say 'hysterical' when they think something is funny," she told Neal Conan in an NPR broadcast.

  But hysterical actually means excited in a negative way … when you're saying someone is hysterical, it's like, you know, hysterical laughter after a bank robbery when everyone is freaking out.

Questions:

How common is the usage of the term hysterical meaning “funny” in BrE and AmE?
Does hysterical actually carry a negative connotation as suggested in the above extract, or does it only convey a neutral meaning?
Is its usage currently on the downtrend?


texts: What is a word or expression to describe a person as entertainment to pass the time?

texts:
If someone is being used or employed as entertainment to help someone else pass their time at work, but only in this capacity, what word or expression can be used to describe this?

This other (working) person does not want to see or talk to the entertainer person outside of work.

I have heard "muse" but I don't think that is the right definition when I looked it up.


texts:
Sentence: A recent review of our records indicates that one or more of your dependents does/do not have a valid birthday on file

This is actually for a business letter and we have conflicting opinions in the office if the verb should be "does" or "do". Thanks


texts: Suggestion for a better word than “interruption”

texts:
“I was reading a book when my cat interrupted me by jumping on my lap.”

Now consider this:

“I was reading a book when my cat jumped on my lap, though I continued to read uninterrupted.”

In the first example, the second action interrupts the first. That is an interruption.

As Cambridge puts it, an interruption is “an occasion when someone or something stops something from happening for a short period.”

But what if there was “an occasion when something occurs momentarily while something else is happening without interrupting it,” like in my second example? What would you call that?

I found several synonyms of “interruption,” but none of their definitions matched my idea. I guess it's a lexical gap.

I came up with an idea: intercurrence and to intercur.

Example:

“I was reading a book when my cat intercurred me by jumping on my lap.”

In other words, my cat jumped on my lap, but that did not interrupt my reading. A better definition of the noun might be: “An action or occurrence, which is expected to interrupt another progressive one, but doesn't.” The verb's definition would be: “To do something which is expected to interrupt a progressive action or event, but doesn't.” The verb is an action verb, transitive, and regular.

What are some better words for this?

How they will be used:

My cat caused a ____(noun)____ by jumping on my lap,
but that did not interrupt my reading.
I was reading a book when my cat ____(verb)____ed me by jumping on my lap.


texts:
I found the following on today's Wired edition:

  Apple’s Software Boss Reveals the Origin Story of iOS

Can origin be used as an adjective or some sort of modifier for other words? I couldn't find any source that defines it as an adjective.

Am I am being thick or is there something wrong with the title above?


texts: Is there a word that means the opposite of "to capitalize"?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is there an antonym for “capitalize” (as in letter-case)

Is there a word, preferably not from the realm of computer programming, that means the opposite of "to capitalize"?

In programming, there are scores of (silly) ways to tell someone to undo capitalization:  downcase that, shush that first letter, etc.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Dear Dr. vs Hi vs none in E-mail communication

What is the difference between "Dear Jane, " and "Hi Jane, " in the beginning of an email? My professor has always been writing "Hi Jane, ..." to me. Today I suddenly got a "Dear Jane, ..." email. I am getting self-conscious about this...


texts: Is there a proper name for an exchange trophy?

texts: Institutions often hand out awards that include trophies that are either to be returned after the ceremony, or after one year when a new candidate is awarded the same trophy and their name is engraved on it, alongside its previous recipients'. These trophies are often named after the first recipient or the person who initiated its existence, and are thus rarely referred to by the type of trophy they are. My best guess is 'exchange trophy,' but I'd like to know if there is a proper term for this type of trophy.


texts:
Is this any rule for this?

I'm thinking aboutphrases like "filepath" vs. "file path", or "onground" vs "on ground".

Are any of these better than the second? Or can I use both?


texts: What is a better way to say 'beliefs and way of life' in a single word?

texts:
The Vietnam War was a tragic time. There were countless casualties,
  which could have been prevented. But does that automatically
  immaterialize the way of life for a person? Muhammad Ali didn’t think
  so.

This is what I wrote for my English paper on Muhammad Ali. Does anyone have a better way to say 'beliefs and way of life' in a single word?


texts: 'impersonate as' or 'impersonate' someone?

texts:
Is the following use of impersonate correct?

  In reality, the ring contained pig blood, which Evans, impersonating as the injured McLeery, would splatter on his head and escape from the prison.

I encountered this usage in a reference textbook for school.

This is the first instance I saw 'as' following 'impersonate', and I want to know how it makes sense, if it does.

I consulted several online dictionaries and found following such usages:

'References in classical literature' in The Free Dictionary

  ISLAMABAD -- The Secretariat Police have arrested two members of a gang who have been looting gullible people by impersonating as officials of sensitive institutions of the country.

And

  KARACHI -- Sindh Rangers have apprehended three fake polling staffers including one impersonating as Presiding Officer at a polling station established in a private school near Nishtar Park, off Soldier Bazar.

Also, Wordweb has this example

  She impersonated as the Czar's daughter


texts: What is wrong with "I don’t like these kind of things"?

texts:
The New Oxford American Dictionary has the following note for kind.
 (Notice the sentence I highlighted.)

  The plural of kind often causes difficulty. With this or that, speaking of one kind, use a singular construction: this kind of cake is my favorite; that kind of fabric doesn’t need ironing. With these or those, speaking of more than one kind, use a plural construction: these kinds of guitars are very expensive; those kinds of animals ought to be left in the wild. Although often encountered, sentences such as I don’t like these kind of things are incorrect. The same recommendations apply to sort and sorts.

For which reason is I don’t like these kind of things incorrect?


texts: "I wanna get wet in rain with you" Is there a better word than the vulgar-sounding "wet"?

texts:
From what I know drenched is not the best word. I would like to say:

  I wanna get all wet (literally) with you in the rain.

Something that can express the feeling that I want to enjoy the rain in a place where it's just her, me, maybe on a beach, and it's raining (for some reason).


texts: Definite article before person's function and name

texts:
Which of the following is preferred in scientific writing?

  The resulting function is is called the Bragg curve, after British physicist William Henry Bragg.

or

  The resulting function is is called the Bragg curve, after the British physicist William Henry Bragg.

Google has much more hits for the second version, but the first one sounds better to me (as a non-native english speaker).


texts: What do you say when a person/an idea/... is crazy to your mind?

texts:
What does one say or do if they think that a person's idea, behaviour, etc. is crazy to their mind?

For instance:
In Germany, when someone dangerously passes you, you will show them by tipping your finger on your forehead(or temple) that they "has a bird" (literal translation of "einen Vogel haben"). This action is called "jemandem den Vogel zeigen", literally translated: "to show someone the bird".

I found the phrase "bats in the belfry" which has a similar meaning to the German phrase. I haven't heard it before, and I'm not sure if this phrase is in common use.

What do you usually say? Do you also have a gesture like tipping your finger on your forehead/temple? And is it insulting by law?

I'm interested in both American and British phrases and gesture.

Just as side note: In Germany it is highly controversial if it is an insult by law or not. There were several court decisions pro and contra.


texts: How did "stone-cold" come to mean completely?

texts:
It seems like such an odd arrangement of words that would, in a certain context, mean "completely." Otherwise, it just means "cold."

And my Google-fu has failed me; I'm unable to locate an explanation of the origin. Does anyone have any insight into how this phrase came to be?

Stone-cold (adverb):

  completely or totally (stone cold sober)

(M-W)


texts: Is it technically correct to describe normal figures and text figures as upper case and lower case numbers?

texts:
There is a recent question on the Graphic Design SE asking: Why don't upper case numbers exist?

There is also a heavily upvoted answer saying that upper and lower case numbers do exist, and that what I've found to be called "Text Figures" are in fact a lower case version of numbers.

Example of upper vs lower case from question:

This doesn't make sense to me for too many reasons to list here, and I'm worried that it's a perpetuation of misinformation. I think "lower case" should only be a colloquial description to make it easy to describe in conversation, but the definitions do not reconcile.

However, I'm not an English or Number History(?) Specialist, so I can't be 100% sure. I'd actually be happy to be wrong.

Can anyone tell me if this is a correct way to describe these concepts?


texts: Term for "Free to play" Videogame that Isn't Free

texts:
What is a term for a videogame that, while labeled "Free to Play", is impossible (or extremely slow/tedious) to progress in without spending money on in-game content?

Edit:  Freemium is a decent answer, but I'm looking for something with more of a negative connotation.

To further elaborate, an example of the type of game I'm thinking of might be an MMORPG that, without purchasing a special stat boosting potion for real world money, requires an excessive/unrealistic amount of grinding/leveling in order to progress through the game.


texts: Why is "to win over" also called "to one up on"?

texts: Peter Lynch has a book that's called One Up On Wall Street, which probably means "Win Over Wall Street." But why this phrase? Why is it "One Up"? Is there a story behind it? Where does it come from?


texts:
Is there a rule for the placement of the subject to the second sentence? I mean

, but subject also ...

or

, but also subject ...


texts:
I mean feedback is a noun, but how do you say it in its verb state?

For example, in this sentence: how do I feedback the information to you?

How would you replace the feedback in that sentence above with a verb?
thank you!


texts: What's the grammatical rationale behind "never ever"

texts:
The idiomatic expression never ever is used to strongly  convey the meaning of never:

used for emphasizing ‘never’ very strongly.

It should never ever be allowed to happen again.
I will never ever leave him.

(MacMillan Dictionary)
The same emphasis could be easily conveyed  repeating never twice:

It should never, never be allowed again.

So what's the grammatical rational of the usage of "ever" to reinforce "never". Does it just echoes some other idiomatic usages of ever such as "ever so" or "ever such"?

According to  Ngram the expression is from the early '30s, but what are its earliest usages?

Edit: This is not a duplicate. The binomial question suggested as original  by @Mari-Lou A has little or nothing to do with the present question.


texts: I can't figure it out. I've seen both been used, but a nugget is presumably gold, or can golden be used as well?


texts: Which one is correct "Where I was or Where was I"?

texts:
I am little bit confuse to use Where I was or Where was I.

For Example I use -

  My brother wanted to know where was I?

Please help


texts: Do I need "had" in the following examples (past-tense narrative)?

texts:
"It's okay. Minding people's business sometimes means care." She
  flashed me a gleaming grin.

  I smiled back. Great, I had solved the mystery of Sumire's bruise.

  That was what I had thought.

This is first-person past tense. Do I need the had's there?


texts: How did the slang meaning of "owned" come to be?

texts:
Why does

  Dude! I just owned you!

mean that the speaker did really well against "Dude" in some sort of competition or game?


texts: I'd like to say something like "My enthusiasm declined after I read the news", but I'm not sure decline goes well with enthusiasm. Is there a better alternative? Or is decline just fine?


texts: term for people who show contempt for other professions besides their own

texts: I am looking for a term to describe or even coin for people who show little respect or who show even contempt for other professions besides their own.


texts:
I happened to find the word, “Sheconomy” in the Time magazine’s (November 22, 2010) article titled “Woman power: The rise of the sheconomy.”
The author, Belinda Luscombe, writes

  What these two (marketing research director of Midas International and senior VP at Best Buy) and many other businesses discovered is the Sheconomy. Everyone knows, or has long suspected, that the purse strings are held by women.

  It’s oft repeated that they make 85% of the buying decisions, or are the chief purchasing officers of their households. The difference today—one that has enormous consequences across global economics—is that women are also the earners.

Obviously “she-eonomy” is the economy in the world where women have a greater control of incomes and spending of both households and society.

Although Google Ngram doesn’t show any incidence of “sheconomy/she-conomy,” Google search provides several instances of “Sheconomy.” For example:

It's a She-conomy. An excerpt from the Intuit 2020 Report. Over the next decade, women around the world will enter the workforce at an unprecedented rate. Close to 1 billion women, many of whom have either never worked or worked at a ... - www.sheconomy2020.com/
Both Time magazine and Minnesota Public Radio have taken an interest in "the Sheconomy" and consulted Marti Barletta's expertise. -www.trendsight.com/...Sheconomy.../Itemid,203/
Sheconomy, Vestavia Hills, Alabama. 469 likes • 3 talking about this. Sheconomy is a blog developed for male marketers to better understand not only the importance of advertising to women but how to connect effectively as well. - https://www.facebook.com/Sheconomy

Is “Sheconomy” a just one-off ephemeral lingo invented by Time magazine et al., or is the neologism getting currency?


texts: Can I use Partty (with double "t") instead of Party?

texts:
I am looking for a domain name that ends with Party. However, those names I am looking are already taken. So if I use, lets say , www.WePartty.com (with double 't') instead of www.WeParty.com , would it make a big difference in pronunciation and understanding for English speakers.

English is not my first language and it seems okay for me and others whose second language is English. I don't want my website users to get confused. I want them to see it as if the second 't' doesn't exist.

Thank you.


texts: Are words "Sophisticated" and "Sophism" logically connected?

texts:
I am not a native English speaker. The other day, I've had a conversation with an American, who claims my assumption to be wrong. I still think I am correct, so here it is:

According to Wikipedia, the word sophism has the meaning of "a specious argument used for deceiving someone". I read this as "something twisted enough to get the other person to lose your line of argument and just believe you".

And we have, from what I believe, a word sophisticated, which has a meaning of "elegant", "complex".

I think that they both derive from the same root because they mean the same thing. Sophism is a complex structure of logical conclusions, whereas sophisticated is something so complex, that it is most likely to be a sophism, despite the fact that it has a slightly different meaning in modern English.

Is my assumption of these two words having the same roots and meaning practically the same thing correct?


texts: Suppose I've written a story that is set in ancient times. And I refer to something quite modern in it. Like I'm writing about the roman empire suppose, and I write 'He looked at the time in his watch...'. We know they didn't have watches at that time. So is this called something? I remember a teacher telling me that many authors used this and it was called something, but I don't remember what. I think even Shakespeare used it somewhere...


texts:
What could be a suitable adjective for this sentence:

  The price of this product is very _______.

Meaning that the price of the same product can encompass large scope of values from one number to another one.

For example, if the price of one product, depending on the specifications, functionality and perks, is from 500 through 550 And for another one is from 400 through 1000. Then:

  The range of price of the second product is _______ than of the first one.

Large (larger) would seem like a very general adjective in this case, while I am looking for something more specific.


texts:
I use both words, but only now does it occur to me, what's the actual.difference?

Specifically this kind of usage:

"in restrospect" (or "retrospectively") "we should have thought of that"vs"in hindsight we should have thought of that"


texts: What do you call the symbol used to insert word(s) into a sentence?

texts: I have seen the example of the blue symbol in the picture in some advertisements. This symbol is used to add an extra word in the middle of a sentence. However, I have searched a lot, but I was not able to find the name of this symbol in English.


texts: Is there a word for when something's name completely fits the description or personality?

texts: for example in a story i'm writing, there is a character named Revenge who's main goal is to get revenge. Is there a single word for that?


texts: One word for "Wild Wild West" - not the movie!

texts:
I'd like to capture the spirit of the phrase "the Wild Wild West" in one word, if possible. For instance "As I stepped back outside, I was shocked to see everything change to --a scene much like the Wild Wild West---".

I would like to capture the feeling of chaos or frenzy, violence or danger, and lawlessness. What would you suggest?


texts: Term for extended alliteration - a specific form of assonance

texts: In answering a recent question here I found myself in need of a term for alliteration but including the first vowel sound, as in "Costa Coffee". An ideal term would be more specific than assonance. I've seen head rhyme used but Wikipedia at least says that's just the same as alliteration. Does such a term exist?


texts: Hitting something with the finger. Usually from being released after build-up tension with the thumb.


texts: A bad quality might be a 'sin' or 'flaw', and a good quality a 'grace' or 'virtue'. Is there a term like this for a neutral quality? If there is no term is there an idiom or slang?


texts:
I have a general idea...like the main effort/goal in one's life but I may be mistaken.

I met it in this line:
"when your life endeavour evades your clever meddling"


texts:
Which one is more correct:

  Melissa said she was going to the mall.

or

  Melissa said she is going to the mall.


texts: "Will graduate" vs. "will be graduated" vs. "is going to graduate"

texts:
Which of the following sentences are correct?

  He will graduate in May.
  He will be graduated in May.
  He is going to graduate in May.

Issue 1: Is the second one grammatical?
Issue 2: There is high uncertainty that cause he may not graduate in May, like fail one course?
Issue 3: In a formal letter, which one is correct?

Besides, I heard from one of my friend whose mother tongue is not English: "I have been graduated from Boston university". Is that one grammatical as well?

I know the second one is passive and not correct but in this article I saw somebody use it. Therefore I am confused.


texts:
I used actually in this sentence but my teacher said that doesn't make sense.
He looks like fearless but actually he is not so brave.
What did I do wrong?


texts:
I heard this word before in a variety of sentences.

In my book, it was written

  "I don't know", she said dryly.

From internet sources, I got to know that this word is used when we are being funny but actually are serious. I can't imagine that. Could someone please give me a relevant conceivable example so that I can relate ?

Note: dryly = drily


texts: Is this an expression: "Talk to you during the week"

texts:
Like a good son, I call my mother every week on Sunday. When we're finishing our conversation, she closes with Talk to you during the week. She uses this phrase like most people would use Talk to you later or just goodbye. She obviously doesn't mean it literally, because we rarely call during the week unless something comes up (like she's having a computer problem she needs my help with).

I've never heard anyone else use this phrase, and couldn't find it with a google search -- is it just an ideosyncracy of hers?  She grew up in 1940's Brooklyn, is it something that might have come from the Jewish community there?


texts:
I am having trouble identifying the difference between the use of was and were. For example:
Sarah wishes she was/were more like mother.
Would it be were? If it is were, why?


texts:
As I understand it, both postcode and postal code mean the same thing.
How do I decide which one to use ?

Is there any reason to use one over the other ? Are there slight differences in meaning ? Or is it perhaps a UK grammar vs US grammar decision ?

Thanks!

  I'm a software developer and need to add this field as a database column, so in the end I'll go with either postcode or postal_code


texts: When does a pronoun function as demonstrative or relative?

texts:
A bold program was proposed in JFK's Rice University address, that of sending a man to the moon.

I'd like to discuss a certain theory of historical progress today, that which is most famously
associated with Toynbee.

I'm trying to understand the function of "that" in the italicized regions, where in the first example it is defined and further specified by a prepositional phrase, and in the second example we have something similar except with a relative clause headed by a relative pronoun.
It seems from what I've read that in both cases, "that" is serving the function of a demonstrative pronoun. But I don't understand demonstrative pronouns well enough to articulate their general function clearly and explain why this is true. Intuitively it seems different than a standard example of "that" as relative pronoun,

the gift that I got her

but all cases "that" clearly refers to a noun which was established earlier in the sentence, "a bold program" and "a theory of historical progress" and so at least by a naive definition of "relative pronoun" it would seem that "that" functions in this way. I am looking for a clearer definition of these concepts which would help me understand how to classify the functions in this way.


texts: What is the correct word to describe something that is like a frustum?

texts: Does such a word exist? I came across this question while writing some software that used frustums, making certain parts of it... eh... frustumy?


texts: What are the differences in pronunciation of "borrow", "burrow" and "burro" in American English? To me they all sound quite the same, especially when spoken quickly.


texts:
It's been years since I watched this episode, but I remember being very confused about it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring-a-Ding_Girl

"Ring-a-Ding Girl" is episode 133 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on December 27, 1963 on CBS. In this episode, a movie star (played by Maggie McNamara) receives a mystical summon to return to her hometown on a matter of life and death.

Yes, there is a literal ring involved in the plot, but even so, what is a "ring-a-ding" girl? Is that like a reference to something besides a nonsensical pun containing "ring"?
Is "ring-a-ding" perhaps 1960s slang for a Hollywood actress or a famous person or something? Basically, where does the term "ring-a-ding" come from? Does it perhaps mean that the person is a bit "ring-a-ding" in the head, as in, ditzy/silly/unusual?
I doubt they just made it up from thin air, because TV episode titles have a tradition of being "clever" or "punny".


texts: Can I use the term "ageographical" to refer to multinational corporations?

texts:
I came across the following sentence and checked it in the Corpus of Contemporary American English:

  Ideologues, be they left or right politically, are fundamentally
  ageographical.

I know that the a- negative prefix is from Greek, and appears only on Greek roots, but the word is the COCA.

So, can I use the word 'ageographical' this way in an PhD essay I'm writing?

  Multinational corporations, be they based in Europe or America, are
  fundamentally ageographical.

Or is there a better word/phrase?


texts: Are there only so many state-of-being verbs?

texts:
This candy tastes so sweet.

Isn't 'tastes' a state-of-being verb? If it is why do people say there are only 8 state-of-being verbs - is, am, was, are, were, being, be, and been?

State-of-being verbs seem to be a fairly standard term.


texts:
(I hope this isn't off topic, i'm really facing a problem in understanding it, please clear)

I was reading a story "The enemy" by Pearl S. Buck. There, what's happening is that a lady(Hana, Japanese) and his husband(Sadao, Japanese) carried a man(American, wounded) from a beach to their home. When they lifted him, author speaks:

  He was very light, like a fowl that had been half-starved for a long time until it is only feathers and skeleton. So, his arms hanging.

I mean, i understood the English of it, but not the meaning. The american man is compared with a fowl here. In what sense? .....until it is only feathers and skeleton...Meaning of it. What is meaning by "So his arms hanging", hanging arms of a fowl? I mean what it is? please clear.


texts: Why do we say "attorney at law" and what is the difference between attorney and lawyer?

texts:
Basically I was just struck with the term 'attorney at law' as being a somewhat odd English construction. I can't think of any other time where we refer to another profession this way. In other words, can one be an Attorney at Butchery, or perhaps an Attorney at Plumbing? Aren't all attorney's "at law"?
Which also made me wonder is there any difference between Attorney and Lawyer? I know that they are colloquially used to mean the same thing, but perhaps they were originally more (or less) specific? Or is it simply a redundancy?


texts: What does it mean to “key into” something?

texts:
Here is an excerpt from the book called I’m Right and You’re an Idiot (by James Hoggan):

Those previous frames kept climate change at a distance for many: “It’s happening, but not in my state, or my city, or to people I love.” It’s time to bring the message home and key into the faith dimension, national security issues and business sector, by outlining both risks and opportunities.

In this context, what is the meaning of the expression “key into”?


texts: English translation for Kockásfülű Nyúl (Hungarian)

texts:
There's a Hungarian children's animated series from the late '70-s called Kockásfülű Nyúl¹: this translates (almost literally) to The bunny with checkered ears.

Although this is correct translation, it sounds awful to my ears - the English version is much longer and lacks the playfulness of the original.

I realize that not everything can be translated from one language to another but I'm hoping someone could recommend a better translation to this series.

¹ Unfortunately, the linked Wikipedia page has several episode titles mis-translated - whoever wrote it up, used literal translation, rather than translating the meaning of the titles.


texts: I was able to hear the sound/noise from here?

texts:
Given this question:

  Dude the rock band was awesome.

Which one of sound or noise  is correct here?

  Yes, I know — I was able to hear the concert’s noise from my balcony.
  Yes, I know — I was able to hear the concert’s sound from my balcony.


texts: What do you call someone who solves puzzles?

texts:
What is a term or name for someone who is very adept at solving puzzles or situations that require though processing and logic.

I ran across this question, however this only deals with crossword puzzles. I'm looking for something that could be applied on a broader sense.


texts:
I'm teaching my daughter some grammar lessons and ended up a bit confused about how to analyze participle phrases such as "removing his coat" in the following sentence:

Removing his coat, Jack rushed to the river.

When I was in grammar school, I was taught that participle phrases act exclusively as adjectives.  Thus, my first instinct was to say that "removing his coat" is a participle phrase modifying Jack.  But upon reflection, this seems a bit odd. "Removing his coat" seems to tell us less about a property of Jack and more about the way he rushed.  Thus, it would seem that the participle phrase is adverbial.  Moreover, it is possible to move this participle phrase around in the sentence (for example, to the end) without affecting the meaning, which seems like further support for treating it as adverbial.
I did some research about the issue and ended up finding a lot of seemingly contradictory information.  Many reputable sources seem to support what I was taught in school.  For example, one college writing program describes a participle as "a verbal that is used as an adjective" and analyzes "removing his coat" as an adjective.
Yet other sources state that participle phrases can be either adverbial or adjectival and suggest that the participle phrase in my example sentence is an adverb.  (See, for example here and here.)
Here's my question: are there two schools of thought on analyzing participle phrases?  Is this one of those cases where prescriptive grammarians think about an issue differently than descriptive linguists?
Or is there a nuance I'm missing?


texts: How can we structure the continuous form of 'theft'?

texts:
I am trying to form a sentence that tells about how someone is stealing something at the moment. Can I say - "A theft is taking place right now." ?
'Taking place' sounds improper, and too formal.
Is there a better way to structure this sentence?


texts:
[Etymonline:] unless (conj.) [:]
  mid-15c., earlier onlesse, from on lesse (than) "on a less condition" (than); see less.
  The first syllable originally on, but the negative connotation and the lack of stress changed it to un-. Except could once be used as a synonym for unless, but the words have now drawn entirely apart" [Century Dictionary].

  [Source:] The only (very slight) semantic shift I can see is that originally the condition was effectively a minimum (the LEAST thing that's required), but nowadays it's normally used without the speaker being consciously aware of that original nuance
  (now it's usually the ONLY thing that will do).

Despite the above, I still don't understand what is less in 'unless'. What does condition mean above?    Does it refer to the clause before 'unless', 'unless' itself, or the clause after 'unless'?

Footnote: I changed the formatting of the original quote for clarity, but not the text.
I don't quote the brusquer OED, which doesn't discuss such a condition.


texts: Is "give an exam" grammatical for "writing the answers to exam"?

texts:
Amongst North Indian Students, the phrase "give an exam" is very popular. These students use the phrase to describe the act of writing the answers to examination questions.

The reason being, in Hindi, it's known as "exam dhena" which translates literally to "to give an exam".

In South India, however, a majority of people use the phrase "to take up an exam".

Which of these usages is more common/appropriate/grammatical? (As a prof I have developed a strange aversion toward the "give an exam" phrase; I find it wrong and ugly.)


texts:
I am trying to describe to a friend (who is trying to force "Broadchurch" on me) why it is I hate TV shows with such a passion.

One of my main reasons for being put off is that they drag on for an entire season, often comprising up to 10 hours of viewing time. Frankly, I'd rather watch Hugh Jackman's and Jake Gyllenhall's "Prisoners" which gives me the same thrill- ride in much less time.

One word that occurred to me was protracted, but I'm not entirely sure if that fits here, especially since it means lasting longer than expected, whereas a TV show lasts as long as it is meant to.


texts:
I'm studying English and I want to ask about a sentence from my book:

  For myself I kept a solitary piece of china, one of the few remaining plates from the set my grandfather bought my mother for her wedding.

I think it should be like this:

  For myself I kept a solitary piece of china, one of the few remaining plates from the set my grandfather had bought my mother for her wedding.

It's because — clearly — grandfather had bought the china before I took them.

I think grammatically had bought is more accurate. However, is bought grammatically acceptable? Or is the book wrong?


texts: Difference between "Being Of" and "Being About"

texts:
I am trying to understand the difference between Being of something and Being about something.

I've been reading about the difference between Think of and Think about, but I'm still not sure how it applies to Being ?

The complete sentence is :

  In summary, any (object-directed) conscious experience, in addition to being of or about its intentional object is pre-reflectively
  manifest to itself.

It comes from a very good introductory text related to phenomenology, a philosophical current: By using a technique called "Bracketing", one can focus the analysis on the living or feeling experience rather than on the final object as we're used to.

So now that I have tried to bring some context to my question, how can I understand Being of or about something?

Thank you !


texts:
Sentence for example

  She gifted him shoes, to whom he had gifted diamond with

I want to know if gifted ____ with can be used.
The sentence above is just an example.


texts: Meaning of "Know the local drug scene for yourself" in “What Every Kid Should Be Able to Do by Age Sixteen”

texts:
From “What Every Kid Should Be Able to Do by Age Sixteen” by Audrey Sutherland:

Read a topographic map and a chart
Know the local drug scene for yourself
Handle a boat safely and competently (canoe, kayak, skiff, sailboat)

The bolded phrase seems out of sorts with the rest of the list. Does it mean "a kid ot 16 should know where to get illegal drugs"? It puzzled me. I'm not a native speaker, maybe I'm missing something.
What is the true meaning of this?


texts: I wonder if the term scut work, used in american hospitals, could be related to the term scab worker, as in a lowly person who crosses picket lines, since it relates to work that doctors will, and will not, do.


texts:
In a discussion with my customer, sometimes I want to mention "we"(means our team), sometimes I want to mention "we"(my customer and I).

What can I use in this scenario?

Thanks.


texts:
Please suggest a better word instead of forcibly for this case.

  functionality of forcibly getting data from server..

So the data is not coming from the server automatically; you need to "force" it to come. However, I think that forcibly is not the right word here. What really happens in this case: the Refresh button makes the app take the data from the server/db by passing the cache. So I want to emphasize that by hitting Refresh the user "forces" to get data to come NOT from cache.


texts:
I'm confused about the following examples, and I'm pretty sure I've seen both of them in books and white papers.

What I have to do is find her.
What I have to do is to find her.
What I would like to do is to buy it.
What I would like to do is buy it

Can anyone please tell me which one is correct?

Many thanks


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct - subject verb aggreement?

texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct?

"The charge nurse would call the patient back from the waiting room and escort them to an empty exam room"

Call the patient... escort them??


texts: Does one "wince in pain" or "wince with pain"?

texts: I have seen both in common use and I want to know which is more preferable.


texts: Difference between “How do I ...” and “How can I ...”

texts:
For example:

How do I install this software?
How can I install this software?

Are they both right/appropriate?


texts: plural nouns: should I add "s" ending to both nouns?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “User accounts” or “users account”
  “BookList” or “booksList?”
  Is it correct to say “lesson count” or “lessons count”?
  should a list of tokens be called a “token list” or a “tokens list”
  “Employee list” or “employees list”
  "Thing count" or "things count"
  And others

I know I can say

  what color of towel do you like?

And the same:

  what towel color do you like?

I also know I can say the same about multiple colors:

  what colors of towels do you like?

But I'm not sure if I should say:

  what towels colors do you like?

or

  what towel colors do you like?


texts: How to make an interrogative sentence with "Should have"?

texts:
Should he have been accused?

Or

Should he had been accused?

Which one is correct?


texts: Why aren't thumbs generally considered fingers?

texts:
The answer to Is a thumb also a finger? here on English stackexchange never addressed the "why".

Why is it that thumbs aren't generally considered fingers? Thumbs have one joint less than the "true fingers", sure, but as do big toes to other toes, and they're still "toes." Thumbs are opposite to other digits, sure, but if that's the deciding criterion, wouldn't the phrase "opposable thumb" a little redundant? Not to mention, "opposability" seems to be on a spectrum, from "non-opposable" to "peudo-opposable" to "opposable", and they're still called "thumbs."


texts: Phrase for trusting someone untrustworthy again?

texts:
Consider a situation which you trust your friend for 35th times although he failed in previous 34 time!

You are saying to your self I'm such a fool that do this again.

What's the phrase for describing this situation?


texts: Term for: People acting normally while others disbelieve

texts:
Is there a name for the literary technique in which some people act normally about a topic or situation, while others (possibly including the reader) are incredulous?

For example, at the end of To Kill a Mockingbird,  Scout can hardly believe Boo Radley is in her house and sees him as a figure of her imagination, while Dr. Reynolds acts perfectly normally, saying “Evenin’ Arthur, didn’t notice you to first time I was here” and treating him as a normal person.


texts: Writing quotes of a business name with star as hyphen

texts:
I have a business with a name e.g. "my business".

Wherever you see the company name it's always written as my★business - the company logo is similar and anywhere we write the name on the website that's how it looks.

My question is: Is there a wrong way to write this when quoting someone who has mentioned the business? For example, on our site we have a quotes section, a collection of quotes from users which we publish. One of them might be:

"I started using my★business after a friend told me about their website"

Is that the correct way to write the company name or should it be "my business" without the star? Or doesn't it matter?

Not sure how to tag this so apologies if incorrect.


texts:
My question is quite simple.
The item should be packed very tight so it doesn't move in/within/inside the box? Which ones are correct to use? When could I use the others?
Thank you very much!:)


texts: In the statement "Editorial use of images do not require a model release." which form of do/does would be correct? Should the verb agree with images (as in "images do not require..."), or with editorial use (as in "editorial use does not require...")?


texts: Why is "to" used after the verb at the end of a sentence?

texts:
I would do it if I wanted to.

  I would do it if I wanted.

Why is to used after the verb? Only to give emphasis? Is there a difference in the meanings of the above sentences?


texts: Is it correct to say "I think sth important"?

texts:
I know that I can say:

  I consider this idea important.
  I deem this film stupid.
  I regard my health as important.

But can I say:

  I think money/health/love/etc. important.

Or does it have to be:

  I think money/health/love/etc. is important.

Or are both okay?


texts: what is the word for something which may exist or may not

texts:
If I'm looking for an object which may or may not exist, could I say it exists hypothetically, given the definition of hypothetical?

  a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation

This seems to mean there must be some evidence that the object exits. However, the object I'm looking for does not have any evidence that it might exist.

Practically, it is possible that it might exist, as it occurred in that past because of human errors...


texts: Does "unexpectedly" apply to one or both following verb phrases?

texts:
We're having a discussion in a forum on rulings in duplicate bridge. In duplicate bridge, each partnership has their own set of bidding system agreements, and there are regulations that specify that certain bids must be alerted, depending on what their meanings are (usually, common agreements are not alerted, while unusual agreements are). In the English Bridge Union, these regulations are in the Blue Book, and it states that the following is not alertable:

  [4C1] (c) A pass which does not unexpectedly convey values or specify suit holdings.

The question has come up in our discussion over whether unexpectedly applies only to convey values or also includes specify suit holdings.

I argued that it applies to both, because there are easy ways for them to reword it to indicate otherwise, and also because there are many common situations where a pass implies suit holdings that I don't believe the regulators intended to require an alert.

But another poster suggested that they could simply have repeated unexpectedly before each verb phrase to indicate clearly that both are intended, and he doesn't seem to agree with my extension to the other situations (which hinges on how precisely specify suit holdings should be interpreted).

Is the actual wording truly ambiguous, or should it normally be interpreted one way or the other?


texts: Single word to describe positive, matured, or loving attitude towards life

texts:
I am planning to create a new Twitter or Facebook account and my own website, which will be used to share happiness, awareness, positivity, motivation, related images/quotes to the people who follow/subscribe it.

I want to decide a good name for the website domain or you can say Facebook page/Twitter account username.

I need some suggestions to show following qualities:

I love to face challenges, I never give up
I love life a lot
I love family,social friends and strangers too
I believe in constantly progressing in life, I never regret

In short, I don't have any single complaint to life; it is very beautiful and amazing, I love to live each second of the day.


texts: I don't think that a screenshot is a photograph, of course it is an image but that doesn't mean that it is a photograph. A photograph is taken by using light from some source from the environment outside. A screenshot uses the data that are displayed in the monitor. Am i correct?


texts:
Overheard on an elevator today,

  I didn't realize it was him.

Corrected by the know-it-all,

  He.  "I didn't realize it was he."

The know-it-all then went on a rant about how everybody is a dolt for not knowing that.

I swear I have never heard this before in my life.  Is the know-it-all correct?

If so, why is "I didn't realize it was he," grammatically correct?  What rule makes "him" incorrect here?


texts: The article THE - two different specifications?

texts:
I like the streets of London!

Here are my questions.

1) Does it mean that I like ALL streets of London or only some of them or it can mean either ALL or SOME?
2) Is it correct to leave "the" out? - I like streets of London!


texts: Does English use the word ‘thou’ in any situations nowadays?

texts: Does English use the word thou in situations nowadays? For example, to humiliate an opponent by being overly familiar?


texts: Word equivalent to "intellectual challenge"

texts: Is there a word that is equivalent to the phrase 'intellectual challenge'?


texts: What is a man who is fond of learning various types of languages called?

texts:
Question:- A man who is fond of learning various types of languages is called?
Ans:


texts:
I saw "recent past" included in a page of supposed oxymorons posted on Facebook, with people yukking it up while apparently badly misunderstanding what an oxymoron is. One well-meaning but confused gentleman pointed me to a link to a different page also claiming that "recent past" is an oxymoron.

This seems ultra-simple to me: the two words have to be in apparent conflict, but they're simply not. I tried to give a helpful example (having gone to the store yesterday) but think the people arguing with me may still not understand.

Am I wrong?


texts:
Preface: Despite the fact that this question includes vulgar language, it is not intended to be offensive, unprofessional, or humorous, but rather is a serious question.

In the statement, "F**king A", what does the "A" stand for?  Most minds quickly jump to "ass", which is also a swear word and is one of the few common ones that begin with "A", but it does not seem to fit very well grammatically.  The statement is generally used as a generalized exclamation, to no one subject in particular, where as "ass" is generally used as a noun to refer to an individual; a person would not generally use this word to describe a broad situation or a general state-of-things.

Are there other possibilities for the meaning of this letter?  Is there an origin of the statement?


texts: What do you call the exploitation of ambiguous statements to form a logical argument?

texts:
If I were construct an argument containing the postulation

  Men commit more crimes than women.

I would be guilty of a logical fallacy because this statement implies

All men commit crimes.
The man who commits the fewest crimes still commits more than the woman who commits the most crimes.

There is a name of this type of logical fallacy.  I think it is a kind of hasty generalization, but I'm not sure which.  Can someone please help me find the right term?

EDIT:

So to try to clarify what I'm asking (since I don't have the right lingo apparently), I think I have worked out that there are really two parts to this question.

We can agree that the predicate "Men commit more crimes than women" is ambiguous.

Ambiguity is not a friend of logic; so firstly what might you call a statement that requires disambiguation before it can be considered acceptable in an argument?

Secondly, is there a term that describes the exploitation of ambiguous statements to further an argument? (Is this a logical fallacy? If so, what kind? If not, what else might we call it?)


texts: What is the name of the technique used when substituting a word?

texts: I just came out of an exam where an author used byte instead of bite in a line. The line was, "creating fake profiles, but at least she gets a byte of midnight love". It's driving me absolutely crazy because I just can't remember the name of the technique, substituting a word with another that sounds like it because it further exhibits that the character is online or whatever. Please help, I'm going insane.


texts:
Of the two choices of preposition in bold in the sentence below which one is correct?

Having a university degree will make a difference to/in your career?


texts: Is there a word for scrambling lyrics because the melody is repeated?

texts:
I'm a huge fan of the musical Les Miserables. Oftentimes I will find myself absentmindedly singing songs from the musical while I'm doing mindless tasks like cleaning. Since certain melody phrases repeat often in the musical, sometimes I will start a song and then suddenly switch songs, even characters, mid-phrase, without skipping a beat, and often without even realizing it.

For example: Valjean: That nothing remains but the cry of my hate?
The cries in the dark that nobody hears?
Here where I stand at the turning of the years.
If there's another way to go/
I missed it twenty long years ago (...morph...)
Javert: I am the Law and the Law is not mocked!
I'll spit his pity right back in his face!
There is nothing on earth that we share/
It is either Valjean or Javert!

Does this phenomenon have a name? If not a specific name, is there a good word for it? I'd accept a good, descriptive phrase too.

Pretty much the same thing can happen with poetry too, especially if it is particularly rhythmic. So if there is a word or phrase for that, it might work here too.

BTW That particular example is pretty deep. If you know the musical (or even better, the novel), that those two particular songs flow together so easily is brilliant. Kudos to Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Herbert Kretzmer.


texts:
Ambivalence surged within me.

Or

  I felt ambivalent.

Those do not sound right to me. I am trying to describe the feeling where my boss rejects an idea that I have worked so hard for - I have mixed feelings because I do want this project I have spent so much of my time on to be implemented, however, my boss's point is valid to a certain degree.

I started off with "I had mixed feelings," but was wondering if there was a better way to put it (both more accurate and more sophisticated).


texts: Punctuation around the word "OK" at the end of a sentence

texts:
If a sentence ends in "OK", and the sentence is a request, usually there is a comma before the OK and a question mark after it.

The comma signifies a pause, correct? What if there was no pause, then does a comma still have to be used? What if the request is more like a demand, then can a period be used instead of a question mark?


texts:
Is this proper use of the word vernacular?

  Wow! Curmudgeons is a cool word! I'm going to add it to my vernacular.


texts:
So, I was having a fight with an English grammar expert with my little knowledge on the following sentence :

  Products are already being checked.

My opponent was telling me that my sentence was wrong as it won't make any sense and also it doesn't describe a completed action. His answer was:

  Products have already been checked.

For my little or even less knowledge on grammar I was unable to find out if my answer was correct or not. That is why I'm forced to ask here.


texts:
Hello native English speakers!

I want to ask you about either and both.
I tried to find similar questions in this site but I think they were not same with these ones.

My questions are;

I was invited to two parties, but I couldn't go to ------- of them.
I took two books with me on holidays, but I didn't read ------- of
    them.

I choose both for questions 1 and 2. But the right answers were either.
But I think both and either are correct either. Am I right?

Thank you in advance!


texts: Can context change a common noun into a proper noun?

texts:
Here is an excerpt from a poem:

"The chrysanthemum with its leaves will wither"

The poem in question uses the terms "chrysanthemum" and "leaves" to refer to two specific months. The chrysanthemum refers to September and leaves refer to August. The two months then refer to the names of two specific people. The term "wither" tells these two people that they are going to die.

My question is that, since chrysanthemum and leaves refer to months and people (both of which are proper nouns), outside of the poem (although in reference to the poem) would the terms chrysanthemum and leaves be capitalized, even though they are not in and of themselves proper nouns?

For example, if I were to describe this poem to someone, would I describe it as:

The Chrysanthemum is September, and Leaves are August.
The chrysanthemum is September, and leaves are August.

Thank you!


texts:
How long has this phrase been around?

I feel a bit cheesy using it in an essay because it reminds me of the film.


texts: I'm looking for a synonym for the term "chameleon" as applied to a person who easily fits in anywhere by altering their demeanor in a respectful positive and aware way, not with malicious intent. All ideas appreciated!


texts: "High-paying occupation" vs "high-paying job or position"

texts:
I am a beginner of English and my native language is Chinese.
I just wonder why I can't use high-paying occupation?

My teacher suggests that using high-paying job or position is much more appropriate. Those words are very similar when translated to my native language.

Please help me to tell the difference between them.


texts:
If I were to describe a sudden sound, in this example: Boom!
Were I to put it in speech marks: "Boom!"
Just like in a dialogue, or to do something else, in that case what?


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I was wondering when to use which because both optimal and ideal convey the same meaning to me.

For e.g., comparing these two usages:

  This is the optimal temperature for the machine to work correctly.
  This is the ideal temperature for the machine to work correctly.

When referring to people, I do generally use ideal, e.g.

  He is an ideal husband.


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"She lay the gift basket on the coffee table" is correct.

Would "She laid the gift basket on the coffee table" be correct? Or do we need to have the word "had" before "laid," as in "She HAD laid the gift basket on the coffee table"?


texts: Gerund after "to". Sentence: We use music to helping us relax

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I found this question in a test:
"We use music to helping us relax." Where helping was the correct answer option.
I want to know why is this form of the verb correct and not the infinitive one (help).


texts: I don't think man stands for male here, I think it stands for human—it is a humanhole. Does it have this name because its purpose is to provide access to the sewer for men?


texts:
Is there an indirect or polite way to say "A rotten potato spoils the whole bag" ?

I looked up online but didn't found a good one.

UPDATE

I want to use it in a situation as below:

Suppose you notice someone in your team acting as a "rotten potato". As a leader you gathered the team to behave nicely and be aware of such potato but in a indirect way so that everyone including the "rotten potato" will be aware of and do not take it badly.


texts: Dilemma of choosing between "much less so" and "much more so"

texts:
I just said:

  Is it just me –  but Proposition A doesn't quite sit right with me, and much less so for Proposition B.

Or should I have said:

  Is it just me –  but Proposition A doesn't quite sit right with me, and much more so for Proposition B.

What I meant here is: I diagree with A, and much more so with B. The thing is that the negation by "not" complicates the matter, making me unsure which to go for: "more" or "less".


texts: What will be a good expression/idiom/noun form for "external problems"?

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Question from a economics researcher: What will be a good idiom/noun form for "external problems"?
The idea is, to charge for some services, there is no problem inside the company, as all the managers agree that they should be charged. But, (predictably) the customers do not want to pay, as they got used to getting the services for free.
We want to give a label to this situation where the problem lays outside of the company. Your suggestions are highly appreciated.


texts:
The House Ethics Committee has now hired an outside counsel to investigate its own bollixed investigation into the conduct of Representative Maxine Waters. (“The House’s Farcical Self-Investigation”, The New York Times, July 24, 2011.)

Is bollixed less innocent than it seems?

Is it reasonable to assume that neither writer is aware that bollix is a direct adaption of bollocks (or ballocks), meaning “testicles”?

Finally, can we use it in formal English?


texts:
When should one use “shall” and "will”?

  'Sure, I __________ come.'

Which word - "shall" or "will" - should be used in the blank?


texts: Is it wrong to use "How much passed" without time?

texts: Is it correct to say "I noticed how much passed since we connected." Would one deduce time by reading this? Or you have to specify "time" after much?


texts: Using "might as well have been" in analogies

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I've seen this phrase in many literary works. Does it have the same purpose as like, as if, and as though (in the context of similes/metaphors)?

For example:

  She might as well have been a skinny doll made of reed

Is that the same as:

  She looked like skinny doll made of reed


texts: What punctuation symbols mean "not in the full sense of the referenced phrase?"

texts:
This strip of Dinosaur Comics made me wonder whether it is appropriate to use quotation marks (in the terms of the comic) "as a not in the full sense of the word" lingual marker.

Searching Google, I found a Daily Writing Tips blog entry that indicates quotation marks can express irony. The Wikipedia article on "Irony Punctuation", however, indicates that no standard way to denote irony or sarcasm in English. It mentions "scare quotes," which seem to be closest to meaning that the word or phrase was not intended to have its full meaning, but scare quotes carry the risk of ambiguity - how do you distinguish between a properly quoted phrase and a phrase that means something differently?

Is there an established, unambiguous punctuation that suggests that the enclosed or referenced phrase does not have its full meaning?