texts:
Is there a verb that specifically means enjoy some recreation?

I heard today (TV reference) a boss tell an employ to take a vacation, to "relax and recreate" (pronounced as the beginning of recreation).

I've never heard this used before, and never really considered it a word.

A couple online searches have yielded what I expected - recreate only as meaning "to create again", or "to re-enact".

If this is not actually a word in this sense, is there a single verb meaning to enjoy/experience recreation?


texts: Word that describes experiencing something second-hand

texts:
What word describes experiencing something second-hand?

This word has been on my mind a long time, but it keeps eluding me.
The word, I think it's an adjective, describes experiencing something second-hand. It could be used to describe, for example, gossiping or reading a book - the listener/reader experiences second-hand what he/she hears/reads.

It probably starts with 'i' or 'v'!


texts: Is there a difference between British English phrases and American phrases?

texts:
My goal is to learn British English because I'm going to study there. I've found a good book about English phrases. However, the book is originally from the US.

Is there a difference between American and British phrases ?

The book contains such phrases as:
- We don't see eye to eye
- what if
- look something up
- don't mention it
- play it by ear
- I'm positive, etc.

Update: meaning that, if I learn those phrases from the American book, I will not be able to use them in the UK?


texts: Can the word, intact, be considered as adverb?

texts:
I have come across many sentences that appear to use 'intact' as an adverb. For example,

  Suppose that both segments arrive intact at B.

However, in the dictionary, 'intact' is listed as an adjective rather than an adverb; 'intactly' is the corresponding adverb.

Why does the author not use 'intactly' here?

  Suppose that both segments arrive intactly at B.


texts:
I understand what the phrase "letting on" means. It basically means to pretend, as in

  He continued letting on that he had a lame leg.

It can also mean to disclose or reveal the true meaning of something.

Where did this term come from? When did it originate?


texts: Verb to mean a place is getting to your head

texts:
I seem to remember the existence of a phrasal verb to mean that a place is getting to your head, i.e. the place is starting to influence your choices and/or changing your persona. I though "it grows on you" could work but apparently it means something completely different.

Some examples:

1.

  In The Shining Jack Torrance is first portrayed as a normal family man, but the more time he spends in the house the more the place starts to X (on) him.

2.

  Everyone moving from a tropical country to a Nordic country reports how the lack of light can truly effect one's perception of the world. The greyness of the sky can quickly [X] (on) you, which goes a long way explaining the high rates of suicide among expatriates.

Any suggestion is welcomed!


texts: Torturing oneself by emotions is called?

texts:
People who love emotions, they love to torture themselves by emotional feelings. Be it real or vicarious. Often see people reading love stories and getting emotional, listening to sad song and watch emotional movies and get along with that. Cry out with the seen and still watch/read it over and over.

What is the proper phrase/word for one who torture oneself by these emotions? I know that is human nature too but some avoid (stay stoic) it and some don't.


texts: When I hear people say I accept especially in the U.S., it sounds like they are saying "I except". What is the correct pronunciation?


texts:
I have found that the term "organism" does not originate from any writings of Aristotle or some other ancient Greek, though Aristotle freely uses the term "organon", spelled "organ" in English, to denote a part of a living being or of man in particular.

It is obvious that the term is of late origin by some European scholar. Wikipedia states that it "first appeared in the English language in 1701 and took on its current definition by 1834 (Oxford English Dictionary)". Still, no specific reference is provided.

Who first used the term "organism" and when and where was it used?


texts: Is there a short, preferably monosyllabic, intransitive verb that means "to be absent"?

texts:
My internal thesaurus seems to have a weak point and I don't know what search terms to enter in an on-line thesaurus for this one:

Is there a short, preferably monosyllabic, verb that means "to be absent"?

Less important for my present purposes but possibly also of some use would be one that means "to be present".

PS: Some commenters have asked for examples of how I want to use these words.  Note that I have in mind short intransitive verbs, not adverbs.  Two standard trigonometric identities for the sine and cosine of the sum of infinitely many terms express those as a sum of products.  I want two write something along these line:

  Each term on the right has finitely many sine factors and cofinitely many cosine factors. (That the prefix "co-" in "cosine" appears or fails to appear with the same prefix in "cofinite" is dumb luck, but useful as an aid to memory.)

"Appears" might serve for "to be present", but I prefer a monosyllable, and I think "with" doesn't quite fit as this stands but might fit better if a single word rather than "fails to appear" were used.


texts: In the book Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 2, page 14, last paragrapgh appears 2 sentences like this, "They lets Dobby get on with it" and "Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments...". My questions is Why is the third-person rules used with REMIND and LET? thnx


texts: Wording for threshold description (greater than or equal to)

texts:
I have a parameter for a program that is a threshold (T). I need to document it, and what I want its meaning to be is this:

If N >= T then Do Action

I don't want its meaning to be this:

If N > T then Do Action

For ease of discussing this, let us say that N is "number of ghosts I've seen", and Action is "freak out". So my threshold might be 3, as in "If I see 3 or more ghosts, I'm going to freak out."

See no ghosts — fine and dandy
See 1 ghost — still ok, maybe it's a shadow
See 2 ghosts — ok, maybe it's a shadow and a mirror
See 3 ghosts — freak out; leave haunted house now, call Ghost Busters
See 4 ghosts — still freaking out, etc.

But the best phrasing for a threshold description that I've seen so far is this:

T = the number of ghosts that can be seen before a freak out occurs

Which implies that for T=3 I could see 3, and a freak out would not yet occur until a fourth ghost is seen.

How can I wrangle the threshold description to fix this off-by-one issue?


texts:
I wrote this sentence:

  Tyray also thought about how he would see Darrell’s dead face.

However, I remember my teacher telling us the distinction between how and that, and that how is often used as a conjunction when the correct usage is actually that.

Unfortunately, I have no idea which word would be grammatically correct in the sentence I wrote.


texts: Is there a name for this grammatical structure where a verb is followed by a direction?

texts:
In English there are lots of phrases where a verb is followed by a direction and it takes on a whole new meaning.

Examples: get up, get off, get down, take in, take out, take off, etc.

This is interesting to me because a lot of these expressions don't seem to make logical sense when you look at the meaning of each word. I.e. how did "take off" come to describe a plane departing?

Is there a name for this construction that I can look up? Do many other languages have similar constructions? Is there any known history of how this construction developed?


texts: Word or phrase for the first performance of a cover song

texts:
If a musician or band, particularly in the popular music genre, performs a cover song for the first time in a live setting, is there a word or phrase to describe this performance? Does "premiere cover" work in this scenario and/or is there a more suitable alternative?

Secondly, if it is certain that the performer will never perform this cover again in a live setting (likely where they are broken up, no longer capable or deceased), is there a word or phrase to describe that scenario? I am thinking of something along the lines of "unique premiere cover".


texts:
I was wondering if it is correct to repeat "whose" after "and"? More precisely, assume I want do describe an object, say a chair of width 50cm and height 1 meter. Then which of the following is correct:

  This is a chair whose width is 50cm and whose height is 1 meter.

or

  This is a chair whose width is 50cm and its height is 1 meter.

or of course none of the above!


texts:
There  is  an idiom in  Indian languages :

  There  is no use  washing the  skin  of  a  dead  rat for  even  a year

The idiom  means  a  foolish  person  or thing  can not  become  useful  even  if we try  to  mend  them  for  a  long  time

I  would  like  to  have  an  almost  equal idiom  in  English

It  is not  a duplicate  because  the idiom considers  to  be  equivalent  to be mine  does  not   even  nearly  mean  the  same.The  meaning  is  totally  different.

Washing  the  skin  of  a dead  rat  means  trying  to  make  something  good  for too long  when  the  thing  brought  for  mending  is  useless  even  in  the  begenning.It  was  really  foolish to  start it  and  continue  to make it  useful all the  more  foolish.


texts:
Which of the following is grammatical?

  I am deputizing for him/her.
  I am deputizing him/her.

I think in the case of covering you have to use:

  I am covering for him/her.

...or do you?


texts: Clarification on the rules for pronouncing R in British English

texts:
Some rules have been given here, but I am seeking for a particular clarification.

According to the cited answer, R wouldn't be pronounced in WHERE and ARE
(because the final E is unvoiced, so the words are as if ending with R)

But what about the sentence WHERE ARE YOU GOING ?
The first R(E) is followed by the vowel A, and the second R(E) is followed by the vowel sound U.

My precise question is: which of the two R's, if any, would be pronounced ?


texts: "Café" vs. "coffee shop" in American English

texts: When is café used and when is coffee shop used? Are there any differences? Which is more widespread?


texts: All-caps trademark usage. Do I have to follow the all-caps recommendation?

texts:
There is a trademark product that is registered with all-caps (example: MATLAB®). However, the all-caps formatting is usually considered bad practice, so the spelling with only title-caps (Matlab) has been used very widely.

The brand-book from the trademark owner insists on the usage of the all-caps term (MATLAB product usage in brand-book from MathWorks); however, the brand-book is directed for the people associated with the trademark owner:

  Audience for This Guide

  The brand guide is for MathWorks distributors, external creative contractors, and agencies who create MathWorks materials.

and not necessarily other users.

My questions (assuming this question has nothing to do with legal documents, where such stuff might matter):

Do I violate any common spelling practices by using a better-looking and easier typable title-caps spelling (e.g., Matlab) as opposed to the trademarked spelling?
Would the answer change if we are talking about publishing in a reputable journal? (assuming the style guide of the journal omits this issue)
Is there general consensus about all-caps trademarks being a bad practice?


texts: "Today is Joe's birthday" or "Joe's birthday is today"

texts:
Perhaps some of you have already observed that Facebook reminds one of friends' birthdays using

  [xyz]'s birthday is today.

To my ears,

  Today is [xyz]'s birthday

sounds better. I guess both usages are correct. But which one is preferable?


texts:
I just used "prevail on" in a sentence.  The whole sentence was: "If we can prevail on them to provide some donuts, the meeting may be more attractive."  Should I have said "upon"?

I understand there is another question here which marks "upon" as just being more formal: Use of "upon" or "on" in phrase

So let's keep the scope of this question just on frequency/appropriateness in conjunction with "prevail".


texts:
I am struggling with new usages of the word "geek" or "geek out".  In social media outlets, it's no longer confined to computers or technology, but can be related to  other subjects including athletics.

Even a quick trip to Urban Dictionary gives conflicting stories:

  geek

  The people you pick on in high school and wind up working for as an adult
  Not to be confused with Nerd. A geek does not have to be smart, a Geek is someone who is generaly not athletic, and enjoys Video Games; Comic Books; being on the internet, and etc.

and yet

  geek out

  The act of becoming emotionally and physically aroused by the sight or the thought of a technicality of a certain topic of major interest.

  It resembles an "orgasm of the mind".

  Geeking out is not a universal feeling. As a result, if one person in a group geeks out, everyone else is wondering in curiosity what is wrong with that person.

Can anyone explain what is going on here?  We seem to have two points if view:

the geek who has very specialized interests which we cannot relate to
geeking out, when we have a specific interests and nobody can relate to us

Any other theories? Even geek has achieved positive status, beating out nerd according to New York Times data. Finally when did this stop being about computers?

Is there a word for a non-geek?

Which term correctly identifies those who enjoy programming/technology: "geek" or "nerd"?

English word for taking a derogatory term and owning it with pride


texts:
This discussion arose around the statement
"PersonX was my oldest high-school friend"
The intention was to refer to length of time known (roughly the opposite of 'most recent') as opposed to meaning that the friend was older in years (age).

After reading this thread on eldest vs oldest it seems that oldest would, indeed, by the right word to describe most-aged friend. Was the original statement incorrect? If so what is the proper term?


texts: Why is "schism" preferred over "demur" in this sentence?

texts:
This is a verbal reasoning question in a GRE book. Obviously, the correct answer could only be A or B. And the explanation on the text book is "the correct answer is B".

  Unenlightened authoritarian managers rarely recognize a crucial reason for the low levels of serious conflict among members of democratically run work groups: a modicum of tolerance for dissent often prevents __.

  A. demur B. schism C. cooperation D. compliance E. shortsightedness

I know that schism does impose a stronger feeling, but I do not understand why I cannot choose A.


texts:
In this book 'The Prevention of Suicide in Prison' I would like to know meaning of this statement:
It also became clear that within this setting all behaviours came at a
price (such as reading/writing other people’s letters) and anything that
could be used as currency could be a massive advantage for a prisoner.
Therefore, although it was explained that some prisoners would elect to
have another prisoner read the study information sheet for them as a means
of illiterate prisoners gaining access to information, it was suggested that
researchers should be aware of this ‘cost’ for a prisoner when designing
studies. Linked to this need to be aware of the ‘prison economy’ was the
warning that researchers must carefully think through the use of incentives, as some prisoners would play act the part of an eligible participant to
access the incentives because they could be valuable currency. Thus without sufficient awareness of the setting, researchers may not understand
that key participants may not be able to access studies without a ‘cost’ and
that some eager participants may not be suitable for the study:
Male #2: The negatives is [sic] that you are offering carrots for
somebody like monkeys wanting peanuts you have to get
somebody who is interesting in what you are doing.
Male #1: Yeah if you give too much then you will [get] folk coming
along for what they can get out of it more rather than
[. . .]
Male #2: Yeah I was given information for months and I got stuff
every time I went in do you know what I mean? I would
read a book and tell them what they wanted to hear.
Male #1: If there was a good screw you were on a couple of mars
bars and whatever everyone would be bloody suicidal.
(SURG focus group)

If there was a good screw you were on a couple of mars bars and
whatever everyone would be bloody suicidal.

Thank you


texts: "I am really not into it" vs "I am not really into it"

texts:
If someone asks help on a subject, and I am lacking in knowledge on it, which is appropriate or correct?

I am really not into it
I am not really into it

The intention is to convey that I am not well versed in this particular subject.


texts:
In Old English, the word was "leofmann" and in ME, the word is "lemman (‘lover’)"

What is the change that took place to change the word?

  a.    simplification of word-initial consonant clusters

  b.    consonant insertion

  c.    metathesis

  d.    intervocalic voicing of fricatives

  e.    consonant assimilation


texts: What is another way to say the word "Logicality"

texts:
So my sentence is like this "He has showed both logicality and devotion when delivering his ideas"

What I mean is that he demonstrated a logic thinking/ being very logical. However logicality does not fully sound right, doesn't it ?


texts:
This is something I've been writing for a while, but I know that I tend to keep writing things from my tween years that may not make sense.

Have you ever read a sentence like "his eyes fell shut" or maybe "his eyelids fell shut"? To me, it's kind of like writing "the door swung open"... His eyes fell shut. Hmmm.


texts:
When adressing a group of people and wanting to find out who belongs to a certain subgroup, is it correct to use "who of you" or "which of you" at the beginning of the question? For example, would you use:

  Who of you knows what the obliqueness of the ecliptic is?

or

  Which of you know what the obliqueness of the ecliptic is?

EDIT: What about

  Who of you know what the obliqueness of the ecliptic is?


texts: Why are there multiple kinds of dashes in the English language?

texts:
At our writing disposal are a preponderance of short straight lines:

  Hyphen -
  En dash –
  Em dash  —
  minus sign −
  Horizontal bar ―
  Figure dash ‒

From what I've read, the em﹘ and en−dashes—in particular originated with typography.  What is not clear to me is why so many variations were they created.  This post–which makes a case against using them‐suggests that the em-dash itself is of nebulous origin―at least in terms of time.

Usage has been covered on this site and others (e.g. When should I use an em-dash, an en-dash, and a hyphen?) , but ‑where did they all come from and why the need for so many short straight lines?


texts: Meaning of "it's the tie to go along with X's tux"

texts:
I found this when learning underscore.js (a programming framework). The introduction says:

  It's the tie to go along with jQuery's tux.

Does it mean that it is to be used along with jQuery or is it a replacement to jQuery?

(jQuery is another programming framework.)


texts:
Concerning "to trade", I saw on Etymonline:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/trade

  late 14c., "path, track, course of action," introduced by the Hanse
  merchants, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German trade "track,
  course" (probably originally of a ship), cognate with Old English
  tredan (see tread (v.)).

  Sense of "one's habitual business" (1540s) developed from the notion
  of "way, course, manner of life" (mid-15c.); sense of "buying and
  selling, exchange of commodities" is from 1550s. Meaning "act of
  trading" is from 1829. Trade-name is from 1821; trade-route is from
  1873; trade-war is from 1899. Trade union is attested from 1831. Trade
  wind (1640s) has nothing to do with commerce, but preserves the
  obsolete sense of "in a habitual or regular course

As etymology is not really an exact science, and it's made of deductions about old forms evolutions and even, and from intuitions or suppositions, I think another possible etymology would be from the Latin tradere.

It would make more sense, as the meanings are very close, and it would seem more logical to me.

One it could be the existence of old French forms, eventually (but their absence is not an infirmation neither).
Other clues can be the old English forms.

Is there some sources or clues about this possible alternative etymology?

If it's a Latin one, I have no idea how it entered the English language, as I didn't find cognate in Romance languages for this term (But I maybe be wrong).


texts: What is a word for something(like a tradition) which acts as a symbol that points to a particular underlying mindset?

texts:
This dress code is a mere _______ of underlying chauvinism, mindset of controlling and subjugating women, and misogyny. It is not the dress-code but this mindset which is holding them back.

I want to say that this dress code is only one of the symbols which points to chauvinism, mindset of controlling and subjugating women, and  misogyny. Changing the dress code does not change the underlying mindset.


texts: Difference between 'turn up' and 'turn out'

texts:
This occurred to me when I was drafting an email.  I wanted to mention in the email that something that I had estimated earlier to take 5 days was not as complex, and I could finish it in 1 day.

Which of the following is correct?

It turned out (to be?) much simpler that I had thought.
It turned up (to be?) much simpler than I had thought.


texts:
Which is correct when listing counties:

  Harding, Platt, and Garner Counties
  Harding, Platt, and Garner counties


texts: Is there any sentance\phrase which sound as strong as "Level up"

texts:
Is there any sentence\phrase which sound as strong as "Level up" ?

Closest I could find is "get a head" but nothing else.

I want to use it in context of "Level up your skills"

Also how to find synonyms for 2 words ?


texts: Grammar: A page of multiplication problems [sit|sits] in front of me

texts:
I'm trying to decide which of the following sentences is best grammatically:

  A page of multiplication problems sit in front of me.

Or

  A page of multiplication problems sits in front of me.

In this sentence both make sense to me. However if you change the middle of the sentence "A ... [sit|sits] in front of me" it becomes clear there are some sentences where only one works.


texts: How are Grammar and Parts of Speech terms related?

texts:
I'm wanting to build my understanding of English grammar and parts of speech.

I want to sort out which terms build on each other but am getting confused because there are so many terms that I'm not seeing how they are related.

It seems like grammar is made of:

Clauses
Phrases
Words

And parts of speech is made of:

Noun
Pronoun
Adjective
Verb
Adverb
Preposition
Conjunction
Interjection
Article

But there are also terms like:

Subject
Object
Verb

That are found in the Subject Verb Object pattern. Note: the term "Verb" appears twice in two categories that seem different. This is also confusing.

All terms are related to the structure of the English language, you know, like the title of this Stack Exchange. The terms fall broadly into three categories:

parts of speech
phrases
grammatical relations

I'm wanting to sort out the relation between these categories and thus the lists of English terms listed above.

For an example of what I'm looking to achieve:

The following words are all related to the structure of Atomic Physics and Chemistry; however, they don't make sense when they are all jumbled together:

water
electron
hydrogen
quark
neutron
proton
oxygen

However, by arranging them in a specific order they make more sense:

quark   electron    hydrogen    water
        neutron     oxygen
        proton

The key insight is: each of these words falls into categories. Each category provides the units required to build units in other categories.

It makes sense because quarks are the units that build electrons, neutrons, and protons; electrons, neutrons, and protons are the units that build atoms like hydrogen or oxygen; and atoms like hydrogen and oxygen build molecules like water.

The question

Can you explain the difference and relation between a) parts of speech (i.e. word categories), b) phrases (phrasal categories) and c) grammatical relations (like Subject or Object)?

I would especially appreciate some type of diagram that draws relations between the above three categories.


texts: Today ,while reading news paper I came across the sentence "she had gone shopping earlier in the day " ....what does it mean ......? My conjecture "yesterday ?


texts: Term for someone who is straight and cisgendered?

texts:
I'm looking for a value-neutral term to refer to someone who is heterosexual and cisgendered. I haven't run into a convenient one that didn't imply something positive or negative about the gender/sexuality combination.

Actually, considering the nuances of definitions within the LBGTQ community, I should clarify that there are a few slightly different groups, any of which I would be happy to have a term for, or different terms for each of them.  I'd be happy to have any term that would appropriately describe any of these three slightly different groups:

Someone who is cisgendered and heterosexual
Someone who is straight and cisgendered but not heterosexual (such as someone who is heteroromantic but asexual)
Someone that wouldn't be considered to fit under any part of the LBGTQ+ umbrella, so for instance a term that would not include a hetero/cis person who was aromantic or intersexed.


texts: A word that is similar to 'duress' that captures this 'invisible pressure' that one feels

texts:
I am looking for a word that captures that feeling of being pressured (to do something) by an invisible force.

For example, when I go shopping at the local farmers market, the vendors have this approach where they open up a bag to pack the crops that you would presumably purchase. The invisible force in this situation adds pressure to me to actually make a purchase since I have witnessed the vendor opened up a new bag already.

This word duress is closely related to the situation that I have described above, but I think duress is too extreme of a manner to describe it; the word implies a pressure that is forcibly perhaps through a threat whereas I hope to capture a more lighter sentiment of 'making a decision under distress'.

Does a suitable word exist in the English language for this circumstance?


texts:
The word "sh" (or "shh") is an exclamation for silence:

  Shh! They're listening...

Etymonline only mentions a date (1847) and the common practice of "putting a finger to the lips." Does anyone else have more information about its origin?


texts: What are the differences between "inverse", "reverse", and "converse"?

texts:
What distinctions can be made among the meanings of the words "inverse", "reverse", "converse", and, for good measure, "transverse" and "obverse"? Is it ever possible to use some of them interchangeably?

Are they the same for purposes of casual discourse? Do the differences become more salient in a particular technical context, such as engineering, math, or linguistics?


texts: "Nobody likes to wash (the) dishes." Can it be used with zero article?

texts:
Am I right in thinking that it's possible and correct to use the zero article in contexts like this, when the meaning is general?

Even though in dictionaries it's presented as a set expression with the definite article?

For example, if we say "I don't want to wash the dishes" or "He washed the dishes", we will use 'the' because we mean a particular situation. But what if the meaning is general, for example, "He has never washed dishes in his life"? Would it be correct to use the zero article here?


texts: Why does "to keep someone posted" mean "to keep someone updated"?

texts: What's the logic behind the meaning of the above phrase?


texts: Etymology of "card" referring to an eccentric person

texts: What is the origin of the use of the word "card" to refer to an eccentric person?  How did this meaning develop?


texts: Can anyone tell me what "a card scandal" in this sentence means?

texts:
I have a question about a sentence from Sherlock Holmes's series "The Adventure of the Three Students". Here it goes.

He was nearly expelled over a card scandal in his first year.

Can anyone be specific on this "card scandal"?
I guess this can't be getting at something like "card fraud" because the novel's setting's in the 20th century.
So it maybe what "he" did was playing cards for money. Or, I heard "card"can mean "big, famous" as an adjective, so it's like "He had a big scandal last year and nearly expelled".
Can anyone tell me? Thank you.


texts:
In an episode of the Graham Norton Show, Norton is speaking with Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. He asks Hathaway to tell them about her initial feelings about working with McConaughey. She is nervous to do so but agrees, saying:

  I was excited to work with Matthew—yeah yeah, I mean who wouldn’t be? He’s amazing.

In this context, what part of speech would the word yeah be considered to be? I originally thought an interjection, but I am unsure.


texts:
I am currently studying for an exam about academic writing and I have some issues grasping the difference between hedging and tentativeness.
I know for a fact that there must be a difference because my professor marked it in a text of mine.
What I can say is that tentativeness aims to avoid making false claims, thus texts written tentatively are more restrained.
Hedging on the other hand is a politeness tool that also happens to express hesitation.
But as of now, I still cannot see a major difference between those attributes, they are fairly similar to me and I tend to use those terms synonymously.
I am thankful for everyone who wants to bring light into this darkend room.
Troy


texts:
Ok so this is a game where each player controlls an explorer, and at a certain time we have to choose a person to became the traitor.

The following is written:

  "Oldest player (not necessarily the oldest explorer)"

In the sentence inside the () does this mean that we have to choose the oldest player (actual person) or we can choose the oldest explorer (in character)?

My doubt is because the sentence makes it (to me at least) seem like its an option not a manditory requirement so speaking in english terms only and ignoring the game rules does this mean we HAVE to pick the oldest player or its an option and we can pick the oldest explorer?

P.S the game is "betrayal at the house of the hill"


texts: Why is it "the loss of American life" as opposed to "the loss of American lives"?

texts:
The noun life when denoting "a way or manner of living" (MW) or "living things considered together" is used in singular, but when it means "the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body" (also MW ibid.) shouldn't it be a count noun that appears in plural when referring to a plurality of lost lives?
Why do people say the loss of American life then? It's apparent that life here means "a vital or living being" or such a quality, which is not to be confused with "This American Life", where life supposedly takes the meaning of "a way or manner of living".
Examples:

Biden "expressed sorrow at the tragic loss of American life."
In July 2006, when CBS and the New York Times asked, "Do you think the result of the war with Iraq was worth the loss of American life and other costs of attacking Iraq, or not?"
“I would not describe any operation that results in the loss of American life as a success,” he said.

It occurred to me to ask this question when watching a Henry Kissinger talk (Yes, I know English wasn't Kissinger's first language.) where he apparently said,

What we face now is whether the United States not just will withdraw its forces, which we achieved, and not just will stop the end of the loss of American life, but whether it will deliberately destroy an ally by withholding aid from it in its moment of extremity.

Very interestingly, when The New York Times printed a transcription of this news conference, they changed it to lives.

What we face now is whether the United States not just will withdrdaw [sic] its forces, which we achieved, and not just will stop the end of the loss of American lives, but whether it will deliberately destroy an ally by withholding aid from it in its moment of extremity.


texts:
The expression is mentioned under the number 1 of the list at the bottom of the picture.
The search over the internet hasn't given me a more or less clear idea of what it could be for it to match the context. Please, help.


texts:
Is it correct to say the following?

  In our work, we use a hammer to strike nails, like is usually done.

The intended meaning would be the same as in the following sentence:

  In our work, we use a hammer to strike nails, as is usually done.

I think this second sentence is correct (also when replacing "usually" with another adverb, or even without an adverb), but what about the first sentence? Looking online, I see some usage for "like is usually done", but far less than for "as is usually done", so I'm not sure whether they are both correct or not.


texts:
Old English had the unstressed syllable rhyme /ij/, spelled as ⟨iġ⟩; which became the Modern English sound /i/, spelled as ⟨y⟩ (or ⟨ie⟩ in plurals). This sound was found in the suffix ⟨-iġ⟩ of "mihtiġ" (the modern ⟨-y⟩ of "mighty").
The approximant /-j/ was common in coda position (at the end of a syllable), even in the aforementioned case, which is, in my opinion, very weird, since it is compounded by the vowel /i/ followed by its approximant counterpart /j/, resulting in /ij/, a sound formation which can no more occur (or I think so).
Did the back form of this sound formation (i.e., /uw/) exist too? If yes, into what did it evolve?
As a bonus, why did the formation /ij/ only occur (or only have modern reflexes) in unstressed syllables, and why did it evolved this way instead of merging with the development of *i (/ɪ, aɪ/)?


texts: Word for when something wrong is made to seem normal because it is common?

texts:
Someone made this statement:

  You found the perfect partner (looks, finance, personality) but the
  sex is a bust, would you cheat?

I found it offensive that she was making the question 'would you cheat' look very normal but I didn't really know how to describe it. I pointed it out but she claimed there was no need to brush such a present day reality under the carpet. I considered it logically and eventually used the term Argumentum ad populum to express the fallacy in her statement but what I actually wanted was a word to use in describing her action i.e. making something wrong appear normal because it is common. I couldn't come up with anything, any help?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the best format to use when writing out dates?

In represent a time and date, which of the following is the most proper (did I even frame this question right?)

  Tuesday, September 25, 2012

vs

  Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

vs

  Tuesday, September Twenty-Fifth, 2012

For whatever reason, this has sparked debate where I work.


texts:
Here is a GRE practice question that I have an issue with. It is given here, Question #7.

Passage:

French cuisine is highly regarded all over the world. Yet in Paris there are more American restaurants selling burgers and fries (which many people now class as ‘junk food’) than there are in any other European capital city. Obviously the French are very fond of ‘junk food’, and are not too proud to eat it.

Question:
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the author’s contention?
A. There are also a larger number of Lebanese restaurants in Paris than there are in other European capital cities
B. French Cordon Bleu cuisine is very expensive
C. The number of French tourists eating in New York burger restaurants is very low
D. Junk food is actually has high nutritional value when eaten in moderation
E. There are an unusually large number of American tourists in Paris who eat at burger joints.

E is the correct answer given.
However, I think C should be correct, because the author is implying that French are fond of junk food. Option C would violate author's point of view.
Further, option E says that a large number of American tourists eat in burger joints, which doesn't imply that French people don't eat there.


texts:
I am looking for some clarification regarding the use of e.g. My question is: when we list something after e.g., should I use 'and' at the end. For example,
There are many different flavors of ice cream (e.g. chocolate, vanilla and strawberry).
Or without and:
There are many different flavors of ice cream (e.g. chocolate, vanilla, strawberry).


texts: Is there a single word for "login/register"?

texts:
I'm a programmer and often create login/register forms.  I'd really like a single word to use to describe a form that lets the user login/register.  Sort of like "authentication", but that's really more specific to the login part.  The next best I can come up with is "onboarding", but that really applies more to the register part.  Does such a word exist?

Edit: I'm really looking for this from a coding perspective, not to display on the page (i.e. it doesn't need to be user-friendly).  I just want it to be concise so that I can avoid variables like "login_register".


texts: Headline for a subsection that refers to a summary for the whole section

texts:
I am looking for a subsection headline that describes that the subsection will summarise all the information given in the subsections before (within the larger section).

For instance,

Section title
1.1. Subsection title A
1.2. Subsection title B
1.3. Subsection title C
1.4. Headline needed <- summarises all information from 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3.

For chapters I would probably go for Chapter summary. However, I am not dealing with a chapter at the moment and the equivalent Section summary sounds rather strange to me.

In German we have the word Zwischenfazit which can be used for summaries on the level of chapters, sections or even subsections. I looked it up and the most often given suggestions on http://dict.leo.org/ is interim conclusion. However, this also sounds somehow strange to me.

I also found Recapitulation and conclusion as a possible headline.

So my question therefore is: What do you think about the suggestions given above? And if none of them sound right to you, do you know a term that I could use for my purpose?


texts: What does "pax" mean in the context of the apartment rental?

texts:
I'm looking at apartment ads in Singapore, but I don't understand what pax means. Here's an example:

View 8pm today @ Hdb Approved HDB 1+1 Blk 3 Jalan Kukoh (Chin Swee Rd):

15 min walk Chinatown MRT
furn with ac
avail 15th May
$1.5k max 5 pax


texts: Spell a sound moving tongue across top lip

texts: How do you spell the sound made by moving your tongue back and forth across your top lip while breathing out with an ahh sound? Like ble-dle-ble-dle-ble-dle or diddle diddle?


texts: "names of countries" "name of country" "names of country" and "name of countries" what are the differences?

texts:
"Names of countries" - meaning names of many countries ? i.e. To list the names of countries, Brazil, Singapore, Africa, and America (is the usage correct?)

"name of country" - meaning name of one country? i.e. The name of country is Brazil (is the usage correct?)

"names of country" - meaning multiple names of one country? i.e. The names of country for America is either America or The United States?

"name of countries" - I don't know this one :D

Hope someone could explain those to me. Thanks a lot in advance.


texts: Is the contraction of "and", "'n'", capitalized in a title?

texts: Should it be, for example, "Fish 'n' Chips", or "Fish 'N' Chips"?


texts:
I am trying to see if there is a general rule for for percentage comparisons when it comes to additive or multiplicative results. For example, lets say I have 100 apples. I could say:

My apples have increased by 200% to 300 apples.
I have had a 200% increase in apples. I now have 300 apples.
If I have an increase of 200%, I would have 300 apples.
150 apples is 50% more than my original 100 apples.

however I could also say this:

If I have 150% of my original 100 apples, then I have 150 apples.
My apples have increased to 200% of my original apples. I have 200 apples.

From what I can find, this appears to be the difference between an absolute change and relative change in percentage. Is the inclusion of a comparison word like increase or more the determining factor when deciding whether the original 100% is included or excluded from the comparison? Does the inclusion of to negate the comparison words effects, making it an absolute and not relative comparison?


texts: This, that and it as a reaction to what was said/happened

texts:
Can I use these pronouns as a reaction immediately after something was said or happened, in order to express my opinion?

  This is/was amazing.
  That is/was amazing.
  It is/was amazing.

And by the way, is it more appropriate to use "This" when using a noun instead of an adjective?For instance "This is madness" compared to "That's crazy".


texts: Word meaning you accept someones beliefs without believing in them yourself?

texts: What is a word for when you accept someone else's beliefs, but do not believe in them yourself?


texts: Controversy over subject-verb agreement in this sentence

texts:
The sentence

  Women driving cars is, of course, such a foreign sight to a society like
  Saudi Arabia

The subject is not "women" (otherwise, the verb would have been 'are'); the subject, as I mean to use it, is the rarity of seeing women driving cars. The subject, in other words, is "women driving cars" as a thing. Does this give me licence to use 'is' here? Thank you.


texts:
I have heard a word which sounds something like 'kallied', 'kylied' or similar used to  to describe a person in drunken state. eg.

  Fred had been drinking all night and was completely (word that sounds like 'kallied').

Searching on these spellings does not turn up any useful results online.

Is this a word which anyone recognises, and what would the correct spelling be?


texts: What is a non-secular and possibly offensive version of "for heaven's sake"?

texts:
In Is there a secular, non vulgar alternative to "for heaven's sake"? Terdon asks for something that is polite, secular, and non-offensive.

I am asking for what is a non-secular phrase that you can think of that also has known use.

For instance my aunt says, "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!!"

Any religion goes as long as the phrase is discernible in English.  You can mix in offensive words but really looking for the religious aspect.  Bonus if the phrase could be used at work.

To clarify vulgarity is OK but the religious aspect is key.

(For the "closers" - this question would be the OPPOSITE of Terdon's)


texts: What is a verb to describe the act of making a grammatical error?

texts:
Making a spelling mistake is called "misspelling".

It obviously can't be "misgrammaring"...

Here's the full context:

  “codes”. This might be considered a “minor grammatical error”, only it isn't. This book deals with code... our profession is creating code. Being a web developer makes you interact with thousands of people online over time, everyone saying “code”, the right way. Why consistently misspell or make a grammatical error with this?

I'd like to condense make a grammatical error with into a single word, a verb that describes the act of "misgrammaring".


texts:
While reviewing some text written by a colleague I encountered this situation:

you should use X or similar tool

which sounds incorrect to me. I feel a correct text here would be one of these

you should use X or a similar tool
you should use X or similar
you should use X or similar tools

But I can't articulate why, and being a non-native english speaker there's a chance I'm just projecting my native grammar onto the english one.
Which option is correct, and why?


texts: In my native language, we have a saying - a stone will get a wretched person, going uphill

texts: Is there a similar saying or idiomatic expression in English, which would correlate with the above-mentioned one, implying that misfortune will befall even on those ones, already in trouble ?


texts: Does it sound strange to use "hands-on background"?

texts: Does it sound strange to use "hands-on background" to describe someone who is informally educated but have an in-depth knowledge in a certain field of study. Not necessarily hands-on experience because it is mainly theory based.


texts:
Term for someone who is strong in a opinion/opinions of his but is open minded enough not to stress it on others and is adjustable in nature. For example a person may be very racist but on meeting strangers never shows even a slight inclination over his opinion
We can describe it as something like acting or faking but it seems a very general term
 I'm looking for a high-fi term


texts:
This is from a novel by Upton Sinclair, King Coal, 1917:

  He was given the use of the building, by way of start over the saloons, which had to pay a heavy rental to the company.

He spoke about a clergyman employed by a mining company, I don't understand what he has to do with the saloons, to get the use of the building.

Can someone help ?


texts:
For example, which of the following sentences is correct:

  My eyes are paining.
  There is a pain in my eyes.


texts: If -ment suffix is from Old French, then why does it form nouns instead of adverbs?

texts:
The suffix -ment forms nouns from verbs, e.g. entertain → entertainment.

A similar suffix exists in French (and -mente in other Romance languages) that forms adverbs from adjectives, e.g. sûr → sûrement, which comes from Latin mentus.

Is the English noun suffix related to (cognate with) French adverb suffix? If so, then how did it became v. → n. from adj. → adv.? If not, where does it come from?


texts:
This suspect is an educated, middle class, nice Jewish lawyer with
  glasses,

Is there another meaning of 'with glasses'?
Or is the speaker just saying that without meaning?


texts: An idiom or expression to show you are excited about something

texts:
Is there a better phrase, expression, idiom or word to show something is going to be surprising? I hope something will be more interesting, exciting and unexpected than just pure surprise.

For example,

  I'm pretty looking forward to tomorrow's Apple Event, I hope it will give me a big surprise!

P.S. I hope it can be used in the above example.


texts:
In this link I see following:

  A recent talk about unordered_map in C++ made me realize, that I should use unordered_map for most cases where I used map before, because of the efficiency of lookup ( amortized O(1) vs. O(log n) ).

In dictionary it says: amortize: to gradually reduce or write off the cost or value of (as an asset).

But I'm still not sure what does "amortized" mean here.


texts: is there any difference between 'it' and 'this' to these sentences?

texts:
Do they have same meaning? Is there any difference by intuition?

  What does it signify?
  What does this signify?


texts: How to describe students who don't study hard

texts:
I want to describe a situation here:

  The students who study hard usually get better grade, but in contrast the students who didn't study hard usually get poor grade.

However, I don't want to use "the students who didn't study hard" to depict the other students.(Because lots of vocabularies repeat again.)

Any alternatives?


texts:
Before my question, let me show you its context:

  A restaurant is a destination in itself as a place to eat, rather than
  (as with an inn) a place of local gathering or traveler's shelter that
  also offers food. Within the restricted opening hours of the
  establishment, a restaurant offers a variety of dishes, more so than
  is the case with an inn. (Food: the history of taste'. by Paul H.
  Freedman, Yale professor of History.)

I can comprehend vaguely what these sentences say. But the problem is the one marked in bold. I cannot catch how come this construction was formed when it comes to a grammatical approach. I thought that was an inversion of 'more so than the case with an inn is.'. Or it could be something of I haven't learnt yet.
Please give me some explanation about this.


texts: Are "to be unselfconscious" and "to lack self-consciousness" completely synonymous?

texts:
As an expert non-native speaker, I can sense a slight difference in the two expressions, in that "being unselfconscious" can be used in a positive sense, whereas "lacking self-consciousness" is definitely negative.
Is that so also for native speakers?


texts: "The Epicures" or "The Epicureans"? Which makes more sense today?

texts:
Suppose someone wanted to form a club, or a society, whose members would be folks tending to cultivate a refined taste in everything: food, clothes, cultural events, etc.

Would The Epicures or The Epicureans be the better name for it?

Which of the two terms has the connotations tying it down to the present, rather than ancient Greece and the actual Epicure's followers?


texts: Is the abbreviation "etc." or "and so on" acceptable in formal writing?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  On the usage of “etcetera”

Is the abbreviation etc. or "and so on" acceptable in scientific writing papers?


texts: What's the etymology of "when the sh*t hits the fan"?

texts: Where did this come from? It makes no sense to me...why is the shit even near the fan?


texts: Verb-tense agreement: I thought it had something to do with how you looked that day

texts:
I've had trouble with verb-tense agreement since day one of English learning.

According to a lot of native speakers who have addressed this subject on several English forums, when the tenses in a sentence aren't consistent, it will immediately sound weird to their ears. For instance, one ought to say

  "I thought you couldn't take a picture here"

instead of

  "I thought you can't take a picture here"

even when the prohibition of picture-taking is still in effect.

However, when I tried to say "I guess that..." or "I suspect that...," I wondered if I had to do the same. Then, I Googled a bit, and realized that with suspect/guess, tense agreement works differently. A lot of people say things like "I guess he didn't" and so on. Is it true that with verbs like guess and suspect, different grammar is involved? Am I mistaken?

I'd really appreciate it if someone would shed some light on this. Thank you.


texts: Two word Latin phrase for the community service of an upper class (i.e. kings/royals)?

texts:
This phrase is reserved for when a member of a wealthier class feels obligated (out of pity/sympathy/equity) to participate in some form of community service for a lower class.

Help!


texts: Term for 'wounded (Callus-bearing) knuckles'

texts:
I have often observed the knuckles of some people bearing weird bruises.
Googling tells me a 'callus' fits the description of the bruise. Is there a term for these knuckles?


texts: Yet while he lives among us without laying too much stress on his official position, he is something quite different from the ordinary citizen. When a delegation comes to him with a request, he stands there like the wall of the world. Behind him is nothingness, one imagines hearing voices whispering in the background, but this is probably a delusion; after all, he represents the end of all things, at least for us. At these receptions he really was worth seeing.


texts: What were/are the rules regarding relative pronouns from c. 1800?

texts:
I've been reading some rather old literature, often ranging from the 18th Century through to the late 19th Century, and I'm trying to increase my comprehension of the material, at least to the extent that, if I wanted to, I could reliably write in a similar manner and be grammatically correct by the grammar rules of that time. I find that one of the more confusing aspects of this to be the use of relative pronouns, sometimes using which in situations that in wouldn't be during the mid-20th Century through to the  present.
Basically, what I am asking is, in a historical context (i.e. not necessarily standard to our English today), what were the distinctions in use and meaning between that, which, who/whom, etc.?


texts: Is there a specific word or term for the full circle clock rotation

texts:
I wonder whether there is any specific word for the full circle clock rotation.

I mean when any of the clock hands rotates 360 degrees clockwise.

I am using the term "lap" now, but I am not sure if this is a right word to use in this case.

I would be grateful for any variants.


texts: How to spell correctly: "neutral-stability curve" or "neutral stability curve"?

texts:
I have a question regarding spelling the following phrase: "neutral stability curve" in the meaning of "curve of neutral stability". Should I put a hyphen between "neutral" and "stability" or not?

Is the rule on this different in American and British English?

Thank you!


texts:
I was unable to find out the rules here and what is the difference:

  As yet, he has not received the package.
   As yet little was known of
  the causes of the disease.


texts: For awhile or In awhile- Would you say I haven't moved in awhile or for awhile when referring to traffic

texts:
Which one would be correct:
I haven't moved in awhile or for awhile when referring to traffic- i need a clearer explanation for- for awhile and in awhile


texts: What's another way to say "problem area"?

texts:
Looking for some powerful, formal words with a slight negative connotation for a resume/performance assessment. The general context pertains to computer software development.

These aren't my problem areas, they are areas that were problems in someone else's work that I have identified (thus saving the day).

Here's the actual context:

  Regularly conducted memory audits to identify problem areas


texts: Flip-flop with a single strap over the front of the foot

texts:
Wikipedia says on flip-flops http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip-flops:

"1. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap that passes between the first and second toes and around either side of the foot. 2. They may also be held to the foot with a single strap over the front of the foot rather than a thong."

I would like to know a word for flip-flops for which 2 holds, but 1 does not. I suppose it cannot be a sandal since a sandal can have more than a single strap. It is also my requirement that the front is open, i.e. the strap does not cover the toes.


texts: Why are i.e. and e.g. abbreviated with periods between each word and etc. not?

texts: Why are i.e. (id est) and e.g. (exempli gratia) abbreviated with periods between each word and etc. (et cetera) not abbreviated as et.c.?


texts:
I'm a non-native speaker, looking for a single term to describe the quality of feeling overwhelmed with a task of work in a person.

I found overchallenged on dict.cc, but when I wanted to look it up on oxforddictionaries.com or merriam-webster, I found no match. Thus, I conclude the term is not commonly used amongst native speakers.

What alternatives are there?

  He felt [overchallenged] by having to carry all the bags by himself.


texts:
The sentence is from a news report.

They searched for the missing throughout the night under generator-powered flood lights as family members waited by the mounds of debris - some in tears.

So What's the grammatical item for "Some in tears" in this sentence? A Complement?


texts: "Seeking for an answer" or "seeking an answer"

texts:
What is the difference between seeking an answer and seeking for an answer?

I found an ngram which says that seeking an answer is used much more often compared to seeking for an answer but how about the meaning? Do these two expressions mean the same?


texts: English usage and grammatical correctness

texts:
Is it correct to use "what's," "who's," and "why's," in a single sentence?

Example:

  She was perplexed at the "what's", "who's" and "why's" of the
  situation, so much so that she lost her mental balance.


texts: "I tried that. I skimmed through the list" Find out the meaning of skim. Options- a) Find b) Remove c) try d) sort

texts:
This Question was asked to me by my teacher. The sentence above is from the story " A Holiday task". Here I was asked to give the answer contextualizing the whole paragraph. The paragraph-"I tried that. I skimmed through the list of the House of Lords in 'Whitaker,' but a mere printed string of names conveys awfully little to one, you know. If you were an army officer and had lost your identity you might pore over the Army List for months without finding out who your were. I'm going on another tack; I'm trying to find out by various little tests who I am not — that will narrow the range of uncertainty down a bit. You may have noticed, for instance, that I'm lunching principally off lobster Newburg."
The answer I had chosen was find but I was told the correct answer is removed.The reasoning that I was given was that she was eliminating names from the list while going through it. However I do not think that is the case. Remove (when you are using it as a synonym of skim) can only be used in the context that you are removing a substance from a liquid.
Skim: remove (a substance) from the surface of a liquid.
Skim:an act of reading something quickly or superficially.
Therefore remove can't be used as given in the reasoning. Find should be more appropriate as it fits the context better.
I did bring up these points however my classmates and teacher kept insisting on it being remove. I have gotten a bit confused so I would appreciate if you could help me.


texts: Need help with a sentence from a film review

texts:
source: https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/movies/coco-review-pixar-disney.amp.html

  The cultural vibe of “Coco” is inclusive rather than exoticizing,
  pre-empting inevitable concerns about authenticity and appropriation
  with the mixture of charm and sensitivity that has become something of
  a 21st-century Disney hallmark.

I’m struggling to understand the text in bold. It seems like the author is criticising Disney for being inauthentic and committing cultural appropriation but then you see “charm and sensitivity” which seem to be praising Disney movies.

Could someone help me interpret the sentence? Thanks!!


texts: What is it called when a person is used to hide an action or another person?

texts:
What is it called when you use one person to hide the real person or action ? What is that person called.?

Example: someone being investigated for cheating. He doesn't want the real woman (who he's cheating with) to be discovered by his wife. So, he goes out with his friend (another woman) often and in public... To prove to his wife that it's just "a friendship"...     And that way, his wife won't look further into the real woman her husband is cheating with.

So the question is:
What is the friend being used as?
Or
What would the noun be for the friend?
What is she? In this case (the friend... Not the cheater woman)


texts: What is the difference between "resign" and "surrender"?

texts: Why do you resign a game of chess, but surrender a war?


texts: What does it mean to "dance with your demons"?

texts:
I have tried googling and there I cannot seem to find a definition. Just an anecdote here and there that incorporates the phrase. I've also tried an idiom dictionary but it doesn't come up.
Is this an idiom in the English language?  If it is an actual idiom what does it mean?


texts:
Found a similar question here, but with some minor differences. Is it archaic to use have you in sentences such as this:

  John : I think we can see it with a specially crafted telescope.
  Mary : Have you such a telescope?

instead of

  Mary : Do you have such a telescope?

Is it still used in official and casual conversations?


texts: What is the English equivalent of the phrase “ménage à trois”?

texts:
Merriam-Webster defines ménage à trois as:

  an arrangement in which three persons (as a married pair and the lover of one of the pair) share sexual relations especially while living together

I would like to know whether an equivalent term exists in English that does not use French loanwords, something that “sounds” English.


texts: Is there a word to describe "one who is in passive opposition to an established order or government?"

texts:
I read that malcontent, a noun in grammatical sense, is "one who is in active opposition to an established order or government," but is there a word to describe "one who is in passive opposition to an established order or government?"

A bit of searching last turned to disillusioned, an adjective — "She became more and more disillusioned with politics" —, but I'm looking for a noun and disillusioned is not, whereas malcontent is.

Thus, my question is, is there a word to describe "one who is in passive opposition to an established order or government?"


texts: Verb meaning "to remove style" (as in CSS)

texts:
Concerning CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): to style something means to apply CSS to it (not necessarily to literally render using CSS, but to apply some stylized visual design in a general sense).

Is there a verb that means the opposite – to remove/reduce stylized visual design, to make something more basic/plain in appearance?

Unstyle and/or destyle seem reasonable but I could not find either in various dictionaries.


texts: Usage of a/the articles, when an object is determined by "that...."

texts:
In "Cambridge preparation to TOEFL"'93 book I've found the phrase:

The old woman made a special tea with __ herb that smelled of oranges.

The correct answer is "an". But the woman added the specific herb, not just a herb.
The herb is determined by the phrase "that smelled of oranges".

Would this phrase be grammatically/semantically correct, if we use "the" instead?

If there is any difference, tell me the British version of this.


texts: Which is correct here - long-phrase or genitive?

texts:
I am reviewing papers where the authors use:

  This work takes the minimal cut sets approach.

I am thinking if they are correct, etc the last one: This work takes the minimal cut sets approach, I would probably change to

This work takes the approach of minimal cut sets.
This work takes the minimal-cut-sets approach.

However, I do not know the technical field so well so I am not certain to propose such a thing.


texts:
I saw it used in this context:

  I am also fully capable of typing in complete sentences; descriptive gauntlets just seem more efficient.

Please explain the idiomatic use in the above sentence.


texts: What does the phrase "There's a little bit of an edge" mean?

texts:
I'm listening to this podcast and I hear the following phrase at around 13:45.

  There's a little bit of an edge to work in a company where you make
  games.

I can guess only guess it means: It is a priviledge or something like that. I've searched the phrase in google but didn't find anything. Could anyone please elaborate on the actual meaning of this phrase?


texts: What does it mean in this context by "Gem"?

texts:
From here, I found such a sentence:

  This Gem won't cover hardware details...

Besides, I also found a book named:

  GPU Gems

I could not look up the meaning of "Gem".

What's its meaning in this context?


texts: A term for the way context determines verbs

texts:
"Sam broke." (Before you say this makes no sense, consider: "After six hours of interrogation, Sam broke, and confessed to the crime.")
"Sam broke into the house." 'Broke' here has a completely different meaning than in the first sentence--yet 'broke' is still an intransitive verb.
Calling the prepositional phrase here a modifier seems inadequate--it doesn't modify the verb, it changes it completely.
There are lots of examples of context determining the sense of verbs (and other parts of speech).
"Sam ran." "Sam's nose ran."
"Sam broke down." (In his car? Or did he cry? Two completely different meanings.)
Is there a term for how context determines the meaning of verbs, in different usages? And where a preposition is involved, how do we distinguish this from a phrasal verb?


texts: "match" vs "fill' dimensions of a 2D object

texts:
Question

I apparently misunderstand the use of "fill" and "match" as used in the situations described in the context below.

I take "fill" to mean "taking up the empty internal volume of something, padding (wall thickness) implicitly taken into account as not available". If there is anything else in the container, "filling" will take up the space that is left (or displace the other object).

"Matching", to me, is more context dependent, and may mean equaling the internal or external dimensions (or both - "a matching set"), or a (part of) a shape. When used for volume, it may still mean internal or external, but no other objects are considered.

I am guessing some part of this is wrong. Which of my assumptions are wrong? Please offer some examples.

Context:

The question regards the terms fill_parent and match_parent (same effect, different names) in Android programming.

[edit] In short: Google have changed the name of the behavior of stretching only in the available space (which is rarely all of it) from fill_parent to match_parent. I don't see why "match" is better than "fill" to describe it.

Consider the following:

The grey area ("glass") is a rectangle with padding on 3 sides. The blue area ("water") is inside the "glass".

If there are other elements in the "glass", asking the "water" to fill/match the "glass" may, depending on other factors, either produce the same result, or take up the remaining space.

Note that in this context, a "child view" can be larger than its parent - it will be clipped or scrolled - the parent can act more like a window than a container.

Many - Google included - insist that "match" is a more appropriate term than "fill". Here is an example of what they may find confusing ("HOW YOU CAN GET TRIPPED UP"). The XML at the end of that answer is for a red rectangle trying to "match" the height of the screen, with 2 other rectangles already there. It produces this:

My opinion: sure, with other elements present it doesn't fill, but neither does it match. In fact, "matching the parent", to me, even more strongly suggests that it should be the same size, than "filling the parent" does. "What Google says, goes" isn't an explanation.

My deleted question on SO has more details, if you're interested. It was asking about layout logic I may have been unaware of. Here, I'm asking about the meaning of words.

The XML for my layout (glass, water)is:

<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:id="@+id/glass"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:paddingBottom="30dip"
    android:paddingLeft="30dip"
    android:paddingRight="30dip"
    android:background="#B0B0B0">
    <View
        android:id="@+id/water"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:background="#9090F8" />
</LinearLayout>

Chat link here.


texts:
Which one of the following is better/more common/more widely accepted, when writing a form to be filled out as part of a survey?
Option 1:

Q1. My preferred investment option: ________ (list of choices)
Q2. I am a: _______ (list of choices (businessperson, student, etc.))
Q3. I invest ___% of my income in FDs/CDs

Option 2:

Q1. What is your preferred investment option? ________ (list of choices)
Q2. You are a: _______ (list of choices (businessperson, student, etc.))
Q3. I invest ___% of my income in FDs/CDs


texts: I think there’s a term for someone who is brilliant in one area but dumb/disorganized when it comes to everyone else. It’s some word plus  professor. Like “messy professor” or something like that. Can anyone think of what I mean?


texts:
"He hadn't been to school since last week."

As a native english speaker, I sense this sentence is wrong, but I can't figure out why, other than that 'last week' seems to posit a vantage point of the present.

However, 'he hadn't been to school since the accident' seems perfectly fine, so if the accident happened last week, why are these two not interchangeable?


texts: How to use question mark after a name with an exclamation mark at the end

texts:
For a company called AnimalsUnite! (made up name) how would you ask the question,
What did you think of AnimalsUnite!?

The exclamation point is not combined with the question mark so an interrobang can't be used. Should I just italicise the company name? Or put the company name in quotes?


texts: Please explain me about the grammar usage of this sentence ."It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting"

texts:
It's the possibility of having a dream that makes life interesting.

Why do they use such a strange structure here?


texts: One word for a person you meet while travelling

texts:
I understand 'co-passenger' could be a term that can be used for a person i'm travelling with. But when it comes to a more poetic connotation, what word can i use?

E.g. The co-passenger i met in that phase of my life, we still share the same ride sometimes.

It could mean more like a fellow being on Earth. So, i have ruled out words like partner or co-inhabitant.

Suggestions and corrections are most welcome.


texts: Can "recount" in the sense of narrating a story be used as a noun?

texts:
I am starting to see the word "recount" used as a noun, even in the plural as "recounts", when the context makes it clear that this refers to the telling of a story (and definitely not something being counted for a second time as in re-count).

This is turning up in homework assignments and descriptions of class work from my childrens' primary school. For example "This week we will be comparing different types of writing such as instructions, poetry and recounts"; "Study the pictures and then write a recount in your own words".

My dictionaries only show "recount" as a verb in this sense, the noun can only mean the second counting of something (eg votes). Of course, the word "recounts" is a valid third person present tense derivative.

I suspect some confusion with "account", which may be compounded by mishearing eg "give us your account..." / "give us your recount..." and then the word "recount" being used following words not ending in an "r". (this is a possibly "eggcorn" explanation).

I accept that language can change over time, but have not come across this usage anywhere else. I would value any input on its correctness or otherwise before raising the issue with the school. I would hope that when teaching literacy, the use of correct English is itself taken seriously.


texts: Is "leisurely" still acceptable as an adverb?

texts:
I am used to seeing "leisurely" as an adjective exclusively, as in "walking at a leisurely pace." But today I read it used as an adverb in a New York Times review of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer." It seems archaic to me to use it so (emphasis added):

  [The director's] first American studio effort, “Wanted” (2008), is a
  modestly diverting if finally tedious exercise in which the stylized
  violence almost upstages its star, Angelina Jolie. “Wanted” is the
  kind of contemporary studio fun that shows a bullet exiting a human
  head in slow motion, giving you time to marvel at how the skin around
  the wound stretches as the projectile leisurely rips through the
  skull.


texts: A word for someone who uses their sex appeal to get a job/success in life or who has a job and stays in the job just because of their good looks

texts:
There is a person who hasn't got any talent or skills for a particular job, say, a reality show, comedy show or a news anchor (no offence).
The person stays on the job just because of their good looks which would help increase the number of viewers. Obviously the person was apointed for the good looks (lets keep that appointer off the topic).
So what would we call this person whose sex appeal is used to run the show. The person is also aware so he/she is not a victim, lets just say that.

  She doesn't do anything on the show but flips her hair and throw some of the worst punchlines here and there. She's a --------- (of/on the show).
  He used his good looks to charm the lady in a high positon to get his promotion. He's a -------.
  She got appointed just flaunting her long legs. She is ------.


texts: Word like "zeitgeist" for a place rather than a time

texts:
Zeitgeist refers to the prevailing thoughts and beliefs of a particular time period. Is there a word for the prevailing thoughts and beliefs of a particular place, independent of time?

An example sentence: "Knowing all your neighbors and an obsession with high school football define the ___ of American small town life."


texts: Should it be "one", "ones" or "one's" in a company's slogan?

texts:
I saw a tow truck with a slogan running the length of the bed.

  Were the "ones" to call

What drew my attention was the past tense without an apostrophe, and the inappropriate use of quotation marks. But it made me wonder, what would the proper wording of one be? Is it, "We are the one to call", or "We are the one's to call"?

Or does it depend on what type or size of company it is? For example, if there are multiple tow trucks, and drivers, is the wording different than if it is a single driver and tow truck. Would that make it either, "I am the one to call", or "We are the one's to call"? Or would the company be singular, and "We are the one to call"?


texts:
I need a term or word to refer to something which is very powerful but if used naïvely will cause great harm.

I could say: "This is a [noun], use with care." or: "Use this with care it is [adjective]."

My example would be Fusion, it's powerful... but you better know what you're doing.


texts: Are double negatives ever appropriate in English?

texts:
I have heard several sentences in which there was a prominent double negative, but the double negative "sounded right".  Is this ever true, or is it just a misleading feeling?

Edited to include an example:

"Did you enjoy the movie?"

"Well, I didn't not enjoy it, but..."

I suppose that may just be bad grammar, but sometimes it seems to be the quickest way to say it.


texts: English regarding the letter i being pronounced as ee

texts: I don't have an answer but I sure have a question. What diacritic or accent is used when the letter i in a christian name (with no vowel either side of it) is supposed to be pronounced ee?


texts:
During typical conversation, how would one define couple, few and several?  I have read the actual definitions; however, they appear to be a bit vague.  My thoughts are:

A couple is two.
A few is three to five.
Several is six to 11.
After 11 is obviously a dozen...

What is the consensus among us rational people?  Please do not get too literal.


texts: Word for “so confident that cannot see the truth”

texts: Example setting: You are discussing a certain topic/problem with a math professor who is good at that certain topic/field. On this occasion he is wrong but cannot see the point because he is too confident of himself. My choice is overconfident; is there a better single word?


texts: Is this sentence right? (Among the first signs that...)

texts:
Among the first signs that patriotic propaganda was losing
its effectiveness came in 2009, when Apple launched the iPhone in South Korea.

(from  http://www.economist.com/news/business/21639579-locals-fed-up-paying-over-odds-are-shopping-abroad-won-over)

Is this a grammatically right sentence?  I can't find 'subject' and 'verb' of this sentence?

Shouldn't it be written like "One of the first signs that patriotic propaganda was losing its effectiveness came in 2009, when Apple launched the iPhone in South Korea"?


texts: Is there a "correct" way to perform scansion in poetry?

texts:
Is there a foolproof or "rigorous" way to accurately and repeatably perform scansion in English poetry?  It seems highly subjective at times.

For example, I can pretty easily grasp the iambic tetrameter in Frost's Whose woods these are I think I know, but can't follow the spondee / iambic / anapest / iambic in his Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.

My understanding is that you can't just look up the words in a dictionary and determine which syllables are stressed and which ones aren't to perform scansion.  The stresses in the line are relative to each other and "stressed" syllables in scansion may appear unstressed in a dictionary pronunciation guide.

Is it really up to the reader to "hear" the poem correctly to perform scansion?  Are there any linguistic computer algorithms that "hear" the words in order to perform scansion?


texts:
Basically, I'm looking for a word for "wearables". Example:

Mary put on the __ she wasn't wearing yet: panties, pants, pumps.

Maybe accessories?


texts:
Say you have a writing prompt, meant to inspire people and get them to write, by providing them with an interesting or thought-provoking premise. Say you have five people, who wrote five different stories based on the same prompt. What would you call those stories, besides just "stories" or "writing"? Is there a specific word you could use to refer to the product of such writing prompts? I'd like to be able to use that specific word in sentences like this:

"So close, yet so far" is a short story written by Steve. The short story is a [word] of Bill's writing prompt.


texts: Is there an Idiom for someone who tried but failed because it was too much for him

texts:
I'm wondering if there's an idiom similar to an idiom in Czech.
In Czech, it's 'Vylámat si na něčem zuby' ~ 'To break one's teeth on something'.
To try and do something but failing nonetheless.
It's almost always used after the fact, but it can be used as a warning too.
'He tried to untighten the screw and spent all day on it and still nothing. He broke his teeth on it.'


texts:
Is there a word or phrase to distinguish between imminently and in general? For example to differentiate between:

  I'm dying (as in imminently)

And:

  I'm dying (as in all living things come to an end)

Now I realize that the latter is incredibly uncommon, but sometimes people mean that, and there's other cases:

  You need to hand in your homework (as in the most recent assignment)

Vs:

  You need to hand in your homework (all homework in general)

Or do you just need to rely on context?

(Unsure if the tenses tag applies, will remove if necessary)


texts: Terser, tidier way to say you'd like "no further progression of [someone's] macular degeneration"

texts:
I'm editing a church prayer sheet, and one of the requests is that someone's specific eye disorder won't keep getting worse. The original phrasing, unfortunately, was pretty awful: "Pray for Macular Degeneration to be maintained from further degeneration". I couldn't let that stand, and came up with "No further progression of macular degeneration" (with "pray for" implied, of course), but I'm not real happy with that either; it's too sesquipedalianly loquacious, and still a bit long too. I would say something about stasis, but that doesn't sound right for diseases.

The ideal here would be a nice short phrase/word, much like cancer's "remission", that applies to health problems that aren't generally recovered from but might not deteriorate further.


texts:
Where do I put a comma when I have quotes around a short story, and the sentence structure needs a comma? I know that, generally, commas go inside of quotes, but what if the quotes are marking a short story. Here is the part of the sentence I'm having trouble with:

  Gertrude Stein’s The Gentle Lena is vastly different from Edith Wharton’s “The Other Two,” yet the two female leads ...

Should it look like that, or should it look like this:

  Gertrude Stein’s The Gentle Lena is vastly different from Edith Wharton’s “The Other Two”, yet the two female leads ...


texts: Does the phrase "shotgun wedding" have a negative connotation?

texts:
For instance, if someone says

  They have a shotgun wedding.

does it carry a mocking tone?

Is there another phrase or word to politely describe someone has to get married because of unplanned pregnancy?


texts: When did we stop translating proper names?

texts:
It used to be that one would just translate a proper name that was in another language into English when referring to that entity.  For example, William the Conqueror, Christopher Columbus, King Philip II of Spain, King John of Portugal, the city of Munich, Vatican City, or the Ivory Coast.  Or just look at Pope Francis, who goes by a different name in every country.

But the current king of Spain is not John Charles, and his heir is not Philip. In the English press, he’s Juan Carlos and his heir is Felipe.

Similarly, the country of the Ivory Coast is now insisting that it be called “the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire” in English.

So when did we stop translating proper nouns into English?  Is this some part of political correctness or is it a change in diplomatic protocol?  How is one to know whether to translate a proper noun into something recognizable in English, or to leave it in the original?


texts: Is there a special name for nouns that aren't preceded by an article?

texts: This might only apply to a few nouns, but I was wondering if there is a special name for nouns that colloquially aren't preceded by an article. For example we say "eating dinner" instead of "eating a dinner"; in the latter case we would say "having a meal" instead. Is there a name for nouns such as dinner?


texts: Where should the adverb “soon” be positioned?

texts:
It says that the position of adverbs should come before the verb and the example they give is:

  We will soon have a break.

In this example, is it not acceptable to have the adverb after the verb:

  We will have a break soon.

Or to be technically correct, should it be future continuous:

  We will be having a break soon.


texts: Are there examples of exact synonyms in English. That is where, at least in some specific context, you can you use either word and no one will say"one is old fashioned" or "one is dialect" or "they have slightly different meanings" or anything similar?


texts: Is there a difference between "for this purpose" and "to this purpose"?

texts: Is there a difference between these two expressions and should one of them be preferred?


texts: Are the fictitious names "Initech" and "Initrode" a play on words?

texts:
In the comedy film "Officespace", the protagonist works for a company called "Initech".  At the end of the film, his co-workers take jobs at a competing company called "Initrode".

It seems that these names are meant to sound silly, but can someone here tell me if these fictitious names may also be some sort of word-play?


texts:
Why are there so few words in English that are derived from Welsh?

Wikipedia mentions only 11.


texts: Isolated information and usage of bracketing commas in these examples

texts:
This is always the case with bracketing commas, and it gives you a simple way of checking your punctuation. If you have set off some words with a pair of bracketing commas, and you find you can't remove those words without destroying the sentence, you have done something wrong. Here is an example of wrong use, taken from Carey (1958):

*Yet, outside that door, lay a whole new world.

If you try to remove the words outside that door, the result is *Yet lay a whole new world, which is not a sentence. The problem here is that outside that door is not an interruption at all: it's an essential part of the sentence. So, the bracketing commas shouldn't be there. Just get rid of them:

Yet outside that door lay a whole new world.

Is this a common rule?

**In this example from a published review the isolated information does damage the sentence when removed and or leaves something ungrammatical.*
*
Is there any right or wrong in this? It looks and sounds wrong to me eitherway. I think the sentence should flow when the information is removed.

[It] faithfully adopted much of what so resonated in the original genre-creating film, the stoic killer, the gruesome executions, the suburban nightmares, what makes his version such a thrill is how it deviates from its long-ago predecessor.


texts:
I'm developing a web application and there's a menu for the user to add and edit content. It is called Page Content. Page Content has a category which let the user select where the content for the will be placed.

I'm not sure if I should name the category Page Section (the category is about choosing a page section) or Page Sections (the category has many page sections).

Some examples of the labels of the menu:

name: Sections

singular_name: Section

add_new_item: Add New Section

edit_item: Edit Section

new_item: New Section'

search_items: Search Section

not_found: No Sections found

all_items: 'All Sections' ),

(is the usage of singular and plural right in the examples above?)

Any suggestions?


texts:
I searched on Thesaurus but found nothing.

I want to use it in a sentence like the following:

  Tuning his guitar was his [...] nightly ritual.


texts:
In the following sentence, should guest of honour be capitalized?

  Ms. Joe Doe (DTM), the District Governor of Toastmasters International was the Guest of Honour during the charter party on March 23, 2008.

It looks a bit weird to me, and I am trying to find something that will support writing it (or not) this way.


texts: Is "one of the single greatest" grammatically correct?

texts:
The Massacre is one of the single greatest historical tragedies in the history of the empire.

I understand "the single greatest" is common usage. But does adding "one of" before it make it illogical, or does it simply increase the level of emphasis?


texts:
Full years can be contracted to two digits like

  He graduated the university in '92.

What I'd like to ask is how would this sentence be spelled out:

"in 'ninety two"?
"in ninety two"?
maybe, it's pronounced and spelled some other way?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Where should the apostrophe go in the word “beginners” in “beginners guide”?

I’m currently developing a site which has a membership scheme which you pay to sign up for. To encourage people to do this, there is a page that highlights the benefits of becoming a member.

They want this page to be called Member’s Benefits.

Should the apostrophe come before the s, or after?


texts:
I am writing an article where I need to describe an equation like the one below, in reference to two mathematical objects, A and B, that I have already defined in the text.

f = #merge errors +  #split errors

To do so, I need to define what merge and split errors are with respect to A and B.
One possibility is:

"A merge error refers to a pair of elements that were grouped in A,
but not in B, and a split error refers to a pair of elements that were
grouped in B, but not in A"

The above description is technically correct, but I would like to find a description that is less redundant (i.e. more compact). I thought of the following possibilities, but none of them sound correct to me:

"A merge error refers to a pair of elements that were grouped in A,
but not in B, and a split error refers to the converse"
"A merge error refers to a pair of elements that were grouped in A,
but not in B, and a split error is defined reciprocally"
"A merge error refers to a pair of elements that were grouped in A,
but not in B, and a split error is defined conversely"

How can I define two objects where one is implicitly defined as the converse of the other?


texts: What does ‘May that not be the takeaway of this speech’ mean in Salah Palin’s mocking Michelle Obama’s recommendation of breastfeeding?

texts:
There was an article contributed by Jena McGregor titled ‘Palin’s milk joke goes sour'
 in Feb 18th Washington Post, which dealt with Salah Palin’s speech mocking Michelle Obama’s recommendation of breastfeeding.

In the following quote from her speech, I don’t understand what the subject of sentence - ‘may that not be the takeaway of this speech’ is, or what ‘takeaway’ means. Does it mean ‘essence’? Cambridge Dictionary online simply define ‘takeaway’ to be ‘a meal cooked and bought at a shops and restaurants but taken often home to be eaten.’ Can you teach me what it means and what the subject of this line is?

  When the conversation turned to the
  escalating price of gas and groceries,
  Palin reportedly said, "It's no wonder
  Michelle Obama is telling everybody
  you better breastfeed your baby--yeah,
  you better--because the price of milk
  is so high right now!"

  It may have
  just been an attempt to draw a laugh
  from the crowd over issues--childhood
  obesity and the medically proven
  benefits of breastfeeding--that are no
  laughing matter. But even though she
  followed up by saying "and may that
  not be the takeaway, please, of this
  speech," it has become one of them.”


texts: What syntax facts explain differences in late 1800s vs. 2020 written English?

texts:
TL:DR
What  objective  SYNTAX facts make late 1800  writing different from 2020 writing? Why even highly educated, among themselves, in 2020 write much less formally than their counterparts in 19 century?
Detail
I want writing for ordinary laypeople, so I picked old Canada newspapers that don't use ten-dollar words for boondocks like Saskatchewan. I never study linguistics or literature. But how I can straight away realize syntax's not from 2020? Syntax's much formal, highbrow! But why? What SYNTAX facts are my brain picking up that I can't put in word?
Sentence length isn't  reason. Sentences in 2020 can be long, but I can just feel instinct they differ from these late 1800 sentences.
Aurora Daily Express - Aug 9, 1898

1888 Nov 14 edn. of Daily Colonist

jsw29 explained why this doesn't duplicate this. Thanks jsw29!!!
The answers there "redescribe the phenomenon that the OP wants explained, but they do not explain it. The OP probably knows that, for example, we now perceive 'it affords us great pleasure' as 'highly affected and obsolete'; she wants to know WHY we so perceive it."

This explanation of what makes our evidence about 19th century English skewed is highly convincing, but it accounts for only a part of the phenomenon that the OP is asking about. It does not explain why EVEN the highly educated, among themselves, speak nowadays much less formally than their counterparts in the 19th century.


texts: Why do we use the definite article in the expression "quite the [noun]"?

texts: Like: "quite the singer", "quite the writer", etc. while he/she is just a singer/writer and is not the only singer/writer, etc in that context.


texts: What does “Church’s darkest existential problem in an era of existential problems” mean?

texts:
There was the following sentence in Time magazine’s (December 11, 2013) article titled, “Pope Francis, the people’s Pope.”]]

  “On December 5, in a long overdue move, the group of eight named a new
  commission on sex abuse, the problem of priest preying on children
  they had vowed to protect. It is the Church’s darkest existential problem
  in an era of existential problems. The commission aims to study better ways to protect
  children, screen programs that involve children and suggest new ways
  to create safe environments and choose the priest to lead them.”
  http://poy.time.com/2013/12/11/person-of-the-year-pope-francis-the-peoples-pope/

I’m not clear with what the word, “existential” specifically means in the above context.

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines ‘existential;

Connected with human existence.
(Philosophy) connected with the theory of existentialism.

Which definition of the above does better apply to the “existential problem(s)” of the above quote? Are there any other interpretations than the above two?


texts:
There’s a certain amount of time that organizations apply to new employees who are undergoing training.  What’s the idiom? I’ve heard spin-up or train-up time, but neither of those two is clicking as correct.

The period of time is variable. The nature of the period is training, like learning the company handbook, policies, or IT system.


texts: Is there a name for this type of construction?

texts:
2-part question:

(1) Is there a name for this type of construction in English?

Examples:

"We can't go, can we?"

"I am here, aren't I?"

"We mustn't get ahead of ourselves, must we?"

"You are going, aren't you?"

The basic construction involves making a statement, and then asking the negation. So is there a name for this?

(2) Is this construction unique to English?


texts: Word for soundtrack music which is part of the action of the movie

texts: There is a single technical term to describe music in a movie which is not part of a separate soundtrack, but which is generated by actions in the film. For example, a radio is turned on or a recording is played. "something"-genic music perhaps? I've forgotten it, and I would love to recover it.


texts:
Which is correct:

The Faculty of History at Jagiellonian University

or

The Faculty of History of Jagiellonian University

?


texts: Captain America said "if you get killed, walk it off!" How to understand "walk it off"?

texts: The Avengers 2 just hit China yesterday. The official translation of the line "If you get killed, walk it off!" is "Someone is trying to kill you, run, run for your life" (This is the English version of that Chinese translation). Such a nonsense. But how to understand the original English sentence correctly?


texts: Which are the most common Latin words/phrases used in spoken English?

texts:
Please, specify American/British Engilsh!
I think these below are very common but I have no idea if they are commonly used in spoken English.

ad hoc
per se
a priori
de facto
ergo
et cetera
vice versa

Edit: Which are the Latin words/phrases understood and used by everyone?


texts:
I was reading this article when I came across the following quote:

  "it’s a savvy and interesting thing to not perform the legitimacy of The Professor. Because this is the double thing: you’ve got people saying, 'You’ve made a bad choice, but we have to keep sacred this term professor so you have to perform this cultural capital.'"

Twice in succession she's using "perform" in a phrasing that sounds unusual and stilted to me. Is this an example of "perform" being used as jargon in a particular technical sense that's unfamiliar to me? Or is it just one person's slightly unconventional turn of phrase?


texts: Should I use a comma before "who" in this sentence, or can it be written without that comma?

texts:
Which of the following is correctly written as far as its comma (or lack of comma) is concerned?

People who love their jobs can easily excel in their fields of work than those, who put salary on the first place.
People who love their jobs can easily excel in their fields of work than those who put salary on the first place.

I have read that we should only put comma before who when it adds extra information, but here I think who begins an essential part of sentence necessary for fully understanding it.


texts: I'm looking for an equivalent to the following proverb which states, "The cactus is only visited when he has prickly pears." It means something like "He is only visited when he has money." I can't think of any in English to be equal.


texts: How to write from this, to that, to that, to that

texts:
For example, if I were writing the menu options for a restaurant, how would I write something like this?

  Restaurant ABC offers many different dishes. From pizza, to burgers,
  to shakes, to fries, to hotdogs, to sodas, and more.

Is that the correct grammar? It seems like a lot of "to"'s.


texts: How appropriate is to use 'Nice to e-meet you'

texts: I work in a software organization so email conversations are frequent. Recently one client e-mailed me with "Nice to e-meet you". I want to know how appropriate is it to use 'Nice to e-meet you'. Is it formal English or not? Can I use it in conversation with potential clients?


texts: Looking for word to describe someone who is easy to anger but also forgives easily

texts:
I've come up with "dramatic," but that doesn't really capture the whole idea, and I'm not sure if the word I'm looking for exists.

Here is an example of how I would use it:

My mom is so [word]. Every time I do the littlest thing wrong she gets upset, but she never stays mad long.


texts:
I'm trying to find the words for an essay to describe some time frames. I have a time frame of "Last 7 days" which is pretty self explanatory.

However, I'm trying to find the best wording to describe the same period but two weeks ago, three weeks ago and four weeks ago. Can't use "Last 14 days" for example as that wouldn't be accurate.

Is there any term I could be using here?


texts: Word for a person who "knows not he knows not."

texts: Is there a word for someone who wants to appear learned or knowledgeable but has no clue he isn't?


texts: 'We're the best there is at what we do.' Structure is correct?

texts: While I instinctively know that the slogan is right, I'm not sure how to explain to folks who keep insisting there should be a comma after is. Help?


texts: to be certain to do something versus to be certain of doing something

texts:
"Paul is certain to win the race."

"Paul is certain of winning the race."

What is the difference between these two sentences?


texts: What would be the best word to use for the "specificity" of data points?

texts: I've been stuck for about 20 minutes while working on a reporting application because I can't think of what to call this property. When requesting a report, the user must specify a start date, an end date as well as the "specificity" of the data points, for example "day", "week" etcetera. I have considered calling it "specificity" or "unit size", but I feel that none of those words properly convey the meaning of the property. What word (or words) would best describe the property?