texts:
Are there any rules when to write a set of two (or more) words or abbreviations forming a name of some entity as separate, when to hyphenate, and when to stick them together?

These are my findings with ngram:

  bitwise, bit-wise, but never bit wise
  sci-fi, but never sci fi, or scifi
  wastelands (increasingly frequent), waste lands (dying out), never waste-lands
  fanfiction or fan fiction, but almost never fan-fiction, but
  fanfic, never fan fic or fan-fic
  read-only or read only, rarely readonly
  twofold (frequently), two-fold (rarely), two fold (minimal)
  bittersweet (rise), bitter-sweet (decline), bitter sweet (minimal), but...
  sour-sweet (frequent), sour sweet (less frequent), soursweet (even less frequent)
  all-nighter (dominant), allnighter (infrequent), all nighter (somewhat less frequent)
  cross-country (gaining), crosscountry and cross country (about equal, not infrequent)
  overnight (rise), over night (same as overnight until 1920, then drops to 0), very rare over-night.

In particular, if I'm coining a new blend, which rules should I follow when deciding which of these three forms to give it?


texts: When do we use "any" with countable nouns?

texts:
I was reading these questions and I noticed that in one of them, "any" is used with a singular countable noun. And in the other one "any" is used with a plural countable noun.
I wanted to know why that is ?


texts: What is a slang-like phrase to use to describe someone constantly asking (in a formal or informal way) you to do something?

texts:
Somehow in my mind I had this very vague impression there is a phrase of form "xxx on" with xxx being a verb that does this.

Two examples,

My wife has been [phrase] on me to fix a broken sprinkler.

My boss has been [phrase] on me to get this done...


texts:
I just spent an hour reading about sentences like this:

  I am sat here.

  She was stood there.

In this question people tackle whether it's correct usage or not, which is not the point of my question.

Few people would argue that "I am done here" is non-standard English. 'Done', the past participle of 'do', is listed in the Oxford Dictionary of English as an adjective, so it's easy to see why "I am done here" is standard.

The verbs "sat" and "stood" are both past participles, but they are not listed as adjectives in the same dictionary. Are they acting as adjectives in the two example sentences?


texts: What's the meaning of 'an idea of' here?

texts:
It’s hard to show the results of this without exposing sensitive data, so here’s just an idea of what you might see in your access logs.

I read it from here but confused with the word 'idea', therefore I tried search idea in cambridge dictionary online and google. Finally after searching 'idea' here and no satisfied meaning, I have to come for help. If anything is off topic, I will close the question. Hope your help sincerely.


texts: Does this sound natural to you ? - "I am really confident in English"

texts:
Does this sound natural ?

A: Are you good at English ?

K: Sure ! I'm really really confident in English.


texts:
What is the history of the word "delete".

It's from Latin "deletus", but I wonder how and why this word was borrowed in English.

Usually, words directly borrowed in English are from religious, science, or law usage.

That's specially weird, as there doesn't seem to be descend words from "deletus" in French, Italian, etc...
Why only English? And Why English?

https://www.eupedia.com/europe/words_with_latin_roots_unique_english.shtml

To generalize, how most of those words came directly in English, and were forgotten by the Romance languages? Do they have something in common?


texts:
My productivity reached a maximum in middle school:

  My productivity peaked in middle school.

However, my productivity reached a minimum in university:

  My productivity [insert word] in university.

What is the opposite of "peaked"?

The opposite of a peak is a valley, crater, or trough. "Valleyed" and "troughed" do not seem correct. "Cratered" implies a steep and sudden decline, which is not what I want to say.

"Nose-dived", "plummeted", "declined", "slumped", "decreased", etc. are not suitable because they do not imply that the minimum has been reached.

Any clues?


texts:
The adverb "quite" has the following meanings according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

  1: wholly, completely ("not quite
  finished")

  2: to an extreme : positively "quite
  sure" —often used as an intensifier
  with a "quite a swell guy" "quite a
  beauty"

  3: to a considerable extent : rather
  ("quite near")

My understanding is that #1 and #2 conflict with #3. For example, when you say "She's quite right", do you mean "She's completely right" or "To a considerable extent, she's right"? Notice that in the latter case you're not saying that she is completely right.

Another example is "I'm quite sure". Does it necessarily mean "I'm completely sure"?

Does the word really have conflicting meanings that can possibly cause ambiguity? Or am I missing something?


texts:
In the following sentence, what is “its” referring to?  “SomeSystem” or “their own proprietary software product”?

  Company X, from Germany, takes the role of a remote provider and
  integrates SomeSystem with their own proprietary software product to
  demonstrate its capabilities.

(Could the meaning of the sentence be considered ambiguous as is?)


texts:
Is it correct to use word "travel" for flying by the airplane?

What I understand is, travel is a general term that can be used for any type of travel while flying is the specific version of it.


texts:
What word * refers to the fear that ceilings will fall on you?

Example: John's * made him decide to live in a bungalow, because he thinks one ceiling falling on him would not be sufficient to kill him, but two or more would.


texts:
Which of the phrases best describes the general responsibility for people who are under-age?

care for minors / care of minors / guardianship of minors


texts: "Making too much soup off of one oyster" idiom

texts:
"Making too much soup off of one oyster" has been a common saying in my family. However, I can't find anything about it online or anyone else who uses it! Am I just crazy weird, or have I messed up another, more well-known idiom?

The connotation is that you are making too many inferences or too grand of a judgment based on very little or very weak evidence. The reference is to making a pot of oyster soup/chowder and then trying to use the same oyster to make another batch, which turns out badly because the oyster's flavor has already been used by the first batch.


texts: What is the correct counterpart to fed, for liquids (water, milk etc)

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Eat” is to “feed” as “drink” is to what?

  Feed: to give food to

When I give the dog a little milk to drink, I say I gave the dog some milk

That however, doesn't seem quite correct.
Which word should I use in place of fed for liquids?


texts: Should the word "quote" spoken to denote quotation marks be written as a word or as quotation marks?

texts:
Here is a quote, in written form, of something spoken by David Foster Wallace:

  The so-called ‘psychotically depressed’ person who tries to kill herself doesn't do so out of quote ‘hopelessness’ or any abstract conviction that life's assets and debits do not square.

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace#Infinite_Jest_.281996.29

It bothers me that the above written quotation includes the word 'quote'. It just seems silly. If Foster's words were from a prepared script, the script would have been:

  The so-called ‘psychotically depressed’ person who tries to kill herself doesn't do so out of ‘hopelessness’...

Is it acceptable for someone transcribing such a speech to do the same thing and just convert a verbalized 'quote' back to written quotation marks? After all, we include commas and periods in written quotes of speech even if they are not explicitly verbalized.


texts: If any concerns let us know "or" If “there are” any concerns

texts:
When we address people through email especially in UK. Is there any grammatical issues in below sentences.

If any concerns let us know /  If “there are” any concerns let us know


texts: What's the word for the "We'll use these words" heading in a technical document?

texts:
SAMPLE "SENTENCE":

1.1.3 Vocab
A "unit test" is any test which only needs the system under test
A
"functional test" is one which needs other systems, e.g. databases,
interwebsites, users.

I'm seeking the correct term instead of "Vocab"


texts: Rude expression for interfering with a discussion

texts:
What rude expression would fit most the next situation:

Let's say some people are in a meeting talking about serious work-related stuff. At a point, one of the persons makes a remark to another about not being shaved. Then, the offended person defends itself by saying that the remark is off-topic and should not be discussed in public work-related meeting. Then, a 3rd person would like to intervene by saying something equivalent to 'let me intervene' but in a very rude manner. What exactly would the 3rd person say ? Closest thing I could come up is 'let me stick in' . Is there something worse that can be used in this case ?


texts: Omniscience is not good enough for all-seeing God

texts:
I am attempting to write a book on the missing perceptions and actions Jesus had with individuals during His time here on earth.

I am also adding to my "Inductive Studies" workbook on the Attributes of God a forth Omni Attribute of 'All Seeing.'  Omniscient could be used in place of 'all seeing,' however, the Hebrew word in the Old Testament is (ra-ah), is attributed to seeing things as God sees things.

I realize in Gods perspective that knowing is very close to seeing, however I think there should be a difference, because like in the cases of Jesus being confronted by indiviuals day in and day out, He seen and knew things, very close in succession and yet separate.

So, as the Godhead notice in Genesis, things are good after seeing them.

Question:
What would be an 'omni-' word for all-seeing?


texts:
I need to find a shortened format (abbreviation) for the words "look at" (to be used when referring people to another website).

For example:

  Example given → e.g


texts: "An" in Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew

texts:
In Act 1, Scene 1, Katherine says to Bianca "A pretty peat! It is best / Put finger in the eye, an she knew why".
I understand "Put finger in the eye" means she is fake crying for sympathy, but what does "an she knew why" mean?
I'm guessing that "an," somehow means "if," since this makes the most sense.


texts: Does the incorrect pronunciation of a word make it incomprehensible?

texts:
Not being an English native speaker, I find there are many words I pronounce differently from how an anglophone would (and differently from the phonetics prescribed in typical dictionaries). However, what confuses me is that my anglophone friends cannot understand me at all, even when there is only a slight change in pronunciation; the only solution has been to spell out the word.

Does mispronunciation of a word really make it that unintelligible?


texts: Phrase to describe person who seeks 100% achievements in game

texts:
After completing a mission or beating a game, an achievement or trophy will pop up.  How do I describe such a person who sticks with it, to unlocking all the achievements of a game, no matter what time or effort is required?

I've considered achievements maniac or achievements addictor?

Other options?

EDIT: I mean to describe someone's personality. That kind of person maybe take too much time on beating challenges in game but never get bored - sort of perfectism and obsession. The word or phrase needs to be considered derogatory.


texts: What's up with the hyphen in "orang-utan"?

texts: For most of my life 'till about a couple of years ago, I had only seen the spelling orangutan written to describe those delightful red-headed apes from the tropical forests of Borneo.  Lately, though, I've increasingly been seeing a strange spelling in certain scientific publications I read: orang-utan, with a hyphen.   Is there a particular reason why this hyphen was added?  It's strange, because usually in English, words evolve to have their hyphens and diacriticals omitted, not added.


texts: What's the difference between solipsistic, narcissist and egoist (and egotist?)?

texts: Many definitions at other places place solipsism as a philosophy and narcissism as a disorder. Aren't both the same ? And where does egoism fit in with solipsism ?


texts: Why is but used at the end of a sentence (below, a sentence from Wikipedia)

texts: Christmas should be a time of joy, but for thousands of people sleeping rough, in tents or on public transport it will be anything but.


texts: Are these words interchangeable or there is some different perception of "feeling sorry" that underlies the concept? Are they both equally often used in religion? I found more derivatives from the second one. If they aren't, what are the spheres of usage for the each?


texts: What's the name for the dial on a wristwatch or clock which rotates to display a sun symbol at midday and a moon symbol or or night scene at midnight?


texts:
If I had the phrase

  two blond haired, blue eyed people

would the comma be out of place?
should I hyphenate "blond haired" and "blue eyed"?


texts: Difference between "packet", "parcel" and "package"

texts:
The definition on OALD is identical for parcel and packet.

parcel (especially British English) (North American English usually package) something that is wrapped in paper or put into a thick envelope so that it can be sent by mail, carried easily, or given as a present
packet a small object wrapped in paper or put into a thick envelope so that it can be sent by mail, carried easily or given as a present

According to OALD, package is a North American term, though ngram viewer indicates that it is also the most common word in British English.

What is the difference between packet, parcel and package? Do the words denote size or material (package in its second meaning)?


texts:
So, if storable stands for capable of being stored, what adjective will stand for capable for storing something?
Case of word-usage - is programming, interfaces* naming in particular
Thanks in advance.

*Interface - in other words is capability of object to do particular actions, e.g.: MovableInterface - which means, that object can be moved, etc


texts: A single word to describe an object is difficult to stand, walk or balance on due to it's size

texts: I am looking for a word that describes an object that is difficult to stand, walk or balance on due to it's size. The object itself is firmly in place and does not move or wobble, but is still difficult to balance on, let alone walk across it. The object in question is bridge in a video game where the character can easily fall off because the bridge narrow. The word "narrow" may suffice, but I would like a word that makes you feel like it would be almost impractical to balance on it. In this context, the bridge has to be crossed in order to win a reward.


texts: How can you say something is good at an evil task?

texts:
I want to say something like:

"Trading goods were excellent carriers of pathogens and contributed to the spread of epidemic diseases."

But I feel like "excellent" and "contributed" have positive connotations, which would make the sentence sound awkward. Can you suggest better words I can use instead?
Thanks!


texts: Is "a" mandatory in "I'm a whole new (Name)"?

texts:
Let's say, your name is Kate and you say "I'm a whole new Kate!"

Now, can you drop "a" and say "I'm whole new Kate!"?

Or is it mandatory to keep it?


texts: Can the adjective "squalid" be used to describe a person?

texts:
As the title states: Can squalid be used to describe a person that has really fallen on hard times (ragged clothing, worn-out, haggard etc.)?

And if it can be used as such, how does it compare to shabby, i.e. which has a stronger connotation of run-down-ness?

All descriptions of squalid in dictionaries or example texts I found always use the word for buildings, areas, streets, but none I found uses it to describe a human directly.


texts: Can I say "Hiking the Lighthouse/Mountain/Jones Path"?

texts:
If there is a path called the Lighthouse Path (somewhere at the coast) or Mountain Path or Jones Path (named after somebody who identified it) and I want to hike it, is it correct to say "Hiking the Lighthouse/Mountain/Jones Path" ? Or should there be a preposition?

As far as I know, if it was a trail, I can say "Hiking the Lighthouse/Mountain/Jones trail". Is it correct?

Additional question: for the Jones case, is there 'the Jones path/trail' or just 'Jones path/trail' ?


texts:
Every illness is a story, and Annie Page’s began with the kinds of small, unexceptional details that mean nothing until seen in hindsight.

I will like to check if there is any grammatical error in this phrase "Annie Page's began with ...". The word began(verb) after apostrophe seems to be wrong. Can anyone help out?


texts: What is the best way to increase your vocabulary? I feel that vocabulary books, tests, or quizlets take too long. I know reading is definitely a good option, but is there any other ways to increase vocabulary? Thanks!


texts: How can I learn to speak with various accents?

texts:
How can I learn to speak with appropriate English accents when reading books aloud? For example, are there simple rules for each accent?

My question is general question, but my application is specific and requires only a good enough attempt; as of now (currently reading "the Secret Garden") my accents are all over the place and inconsistent from page to page.


texts: Should I use past perfect or past simple?

texts:
My problem is not the hardest one. Yet, I've got confused about how to solve it.
Question is, which tense is better to be used there, past simple (didn't arrive) or past perfect (hadn't arrived)? And, could you also explain why?
Speaking of me — I truly presume both are correct, and it depends on what I want to emphasize. However, my English is not good enough, not even close, to answer it myself so that I would be sure that my thinking is right.
Here are the mentioned phrases:

If I was late for registration, it was because my bus didn't arrive.

If I was late for registration, it was because my bus hadn't arrived.

I'm looking forward to thanking you!
P.S. My thoughts are,

The first one means I could be late, but I actually wasn't, so there's no necessity in using past perfect tense.
The second one considers that I could be late, but I don't know for sure whether I actually was late or not. So, it would be essential to point out that if I was, that was because my bus hadn't arrived.


texts:
I remember a grammatical rule when I learned English that some verbs such suggest, assume, suppose, and so on, require verbs after them be in subjunctive form. For examples,

We suggest that she be released immediately.
Suppose n be a number.
Assume a fact be true.

But I have seen in practice that this rule is ignored (completely) and people simply write as

We suggest that she is released immediately.
Suppose n is a number.
Assume a fact is true.

I wonder if I am wrong and this rule does not exist.

Edit: This question is different from the possible duplicate of another one in that it concerns about a rule in English that could be obsolete nowadays, rather than when to use the subjunctive mood.


texts: What do you call someone who has fought his way from a lower social class to a higher social class with his/her own efforts?

texts:
Is there a single word (noun) that describes someone who was born into a lower social class family, but struggled along to a higher social class with his/her own efforts? Idioms are also welcome.

For example, I have a friend who is such a person. He has very uneducated parents who also had a lot of financial problems when he was a kid. He grew up with no toys, with clothes from his older siblings, without much of a social environment. His parents just attended primary school before they immigrated to Europe, so his parents also could not guide him and motivate him for education. He was, however, able to graduate from one of the best technical universities without any support of others, including his parents.

I wanted to tell him that he is a ______, but I did not know what word would fit to describe him.


texts: Is it possible to learn English by just listening and speaking (without knowing formal grammar rules)

texts:
My native language is Chinese. Most people in my country grow up without having been taught formal grammar.

I am surprised to find foreigners being taught Chinese and learning grammar rules that even we as a native speakers have never heard of.

As a result, it takes them so long that they can't even speak or understand some of the most basic / common sentences.

I am asking if any of you native speakers of English were taught formal grammar rules when you were young? Do you think they are unnecessary, and that people will understand them anyway once they have enough experience?


texts: What word means "the top of a person's head"?

texts:
I'm writing something—a story to be exact—and I am looking for a word which means "the top of a person's head." I remember seeing a word in which its meaning is exactly this one from a book that I'd read—Crispin: The Cross of Lead. I think it was something like "tope", but I looked at its meaning and it did not match.

Can anyone help me? I don't have the book with me because I just borrowed it at my previous school.


texts:
Is the bold part of the following statement grammatically correct?

  Let $A$ be the set of all cycles in $B$ which their lengths are
  congruent to $i$ modulo 7.


texts: The biggest gap between technology development and its tangible impact on consumer markets is the (is it consumers, consumer's or consumers'?) awareness of the product and their education on how and why it would benefit them.


texts: Is there a word for a person with many creative ideas but little action?

texts:
Is there a word in the English language that describes a personality type that has a creative mind and many ideas but for some reason (procrastinating, lack of energy or confidence, etc.) is not able to execute them? Maybe he or she is even satisfied with the things in his or her imagination and does not even try to make them real.

Is there a word for that?


texts: Fruitful? Fruitless? Fruitempty? Fruitmore?

texts:
I notice that the word fruitful's opposite is fruitless.

It's kind of bizarre. Figuratively speaking, if the activity produces no fruit, it is fruit-less. But if it does produce fruit, shouldn't it be fruit-more?

And vice-versa, if the activity producing many fruit is fruit-ful(l), shouldn't an activity producing few/no fruit be fruit-empty? Or some other suffix for empty?


texts: When do you put a full-stop after an ellipsis and are they used in reality in novels?

texts:
In some style guides, I see this mention of putting a full-stop after an ellipsis when you are stopping the paused sentence and going onto another new sentence, but when reading several very well-known novels, I have just seen either the ellipsis alone or ellipis followed by a SPACE between two sentences so am confused as to whether I should be putting the extra full-stop in and when.

E.g. "I was ashamed...and afraid." Normal pause, so just ellipsis.

But how about:

"I was ashamed...You couldn't understand."

Is the above ok or should it be:

"I was ashamed... You couldn't understand." SPACE AFTER ELLIPSIS.

How about:

"I am not sure if I will ever be able to forgive him...."

If this is the end of the character's thought, are we supposed to add the extra full-stop?

If not, when do we use it and do authors really use it? I rarely see it.

Thanks so much to anyone who has an idea!

As an aside, I see some authors use small letters after the ellipsis even when they are starting a new clause or sentence, rather than capitals to start a new sentence.

E.g. "I was ashamed...you couldn't understand."

Is the above also acceptable?


texts: Can a person be described as 'oriented'?

texts:
She knows her way in life.
She knows what's good for her and what is bad.
In short - she is **oriented**.
Is this a possible and correct use of the word "oriented"?
Thanks


texts: Is "at least" a conjuctive adverb? Can it be used in the middle of a sentence separated with two commas?

texts:
For example, this sentence:
It takes ten years to grow a tree, at least, that is what my father said.
Is this grammatically correct? Or is it a conjuctive adverb and then should be used as:
It takes ten years to grow a tree; at least, that is what my father said.
Not wondering which one sounds better. Only wondering if the first one is technically grammatically correct.


texts: "I let him do it" and "I allow him to do it", why exactly does one require 'to'?

texts:
I let him do it.

and

  I allow him to do it.

Why does the latter require to?

What are the "rules" of using to with an infinitive? When is it necessary?


texts: What is the difference between "Can ever" and "Could ever"

texts:
Im just wondering what's differences between can and could. For example in this sentence.

Do you think we can ever get there?
Do you think we could ever get there?

I know that "could" is better but why? I've found some examples with " we can ever" too.


texts: "Powder detergent for washing machines are available." ---Is this grammatically correct?

texts:
I believe that detergent is a mass noun.
Must it be "detergents" (with an s) if the verb is "are"?


texts: Pretty specific, but is "with your plate in your lap" a common expression in English?

texts:
In Dutch we use it to refer to (the airtime of) tv-shows that start around dinner. Is there an equivalent to it?

I suppose it's sort of an idiom, but probably too specific to be considered so.


texts: How come "Not at all" means "Yes" in the following situation?

texts:
I've been watching The Mentalist today, and this part of a dialogue puzzled me:

[1]: Do you think you could watch Howard [a dog] for me?
[2]: Oh, not at all.
[1]: I really appreciate it, thank you.

Now, it is clear from this dialogue and from what's going on on the screen that [2] agreed to watch the dog.
I checked Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries, and both state that not at all can be used as a polite reply to an expression of thanks, but this doesn't fit what's going on in the dialogue. It would also make sense if the question was worded as Would you mind watching Howard for me?, but it was not (I checked and double checked).
Is it common and/or normal that not at all is used as a positive reply? Is it an AmE thing? I'm almost certain I would have thought it was a "no" rather than a "yes" if somebody answered my request that way.


texts: How would you understand meeting time availability?

texts:
If I ask someone, "what's your availability for a meeting" and this person replies:

  I am available Wed and Thurs 4pm-9pm.

Does it mean he is available to start the meeting anytime during this range including and up to 9pm?  Or does it mean the start time + meeting length are to be between 4 and 9?

How would you interpret this?


texts:
"Any' or 'every': Which one should I use in the following sentences?

1- I am against everyone/anyone who hates people based on their skin colour and religion.

2- He loves me more than anyone else/everyone else does.


texts: "Do you have any wine left?" Is this "have something done" or the past participle form of leave as an attributive

texts:
In the sentence "Do you have any wine left?" I think left is the past participle form of the verb "leave" and it is now an adjective.
Am I right?


texts:
This is the translation of an Arabic proverb which means that during these hard times you miss someone who made life easier, happier, and so on:

  In the darkest nights, the moon is dearly missed.

For example, it was first said when a just and kind Arab Leader was killed, and his people became hungry, oppressed, exiled, etc. with the tyranny that replaced it. So basically in these times of hardship and struggle, that man is dearly missed.

Are there any proverbs or saying or lines from poetry that are similar?


texts: What does "highlights & lowlights" mean?

texts:
I am invited for an HR interview. and the interviewer asked me to prepare myself for the below question:

Prepare yourself to give examples of your highlights & lowlights at work

i am wondering, what does highlights & lowlights in this context mean?


texts: Resource to search for missing words in common (short) expressions and idioms

texts:
Sometimes I have a partial expression that's stuck in my head and I have a really hard time trying to figure out what the missing portion of it is.

For example, today I woke up with the expression "[blank] domain" in my head, with only the vague sense that it was possibly something used in a criminal or legal context. Obviously, searching Google for "domain" was utterly useless, and no matter how I phrased my query, I was unable to find the expression I was looking for. It wasn't until I searched Merriam-Webster for domain that I was able to find the missing word to complete the expression: eminent domain.

I've also had situations where the dictionary isn't as helpful. When trying to search for phrasal verbs like "gloss over", simply searching for "over" doesn't bring up the result I'm looking for.

In other cases, it's something even more general than an expression, like finding an adjective that's commonly used in conjunction with a specific noun, but that's not strictly part of an idiom or expression, like "golden opportunity" or "burning passion."

Of course, the difficulty in all these cases is that I'm searching for a two-word expression using only a single word. The problem becomes much easier to solve with just one additional word, like searching for "early bird" in "the early bird gets the worm."

So far, I haven't been able to find any resource that's good at tackling this kind of questions. The closest I've come across is phraseup, but it doesn't work for single word queries, which is precisely the kind of query I'm interested in. Does anyone know of a good tool to help track down common word combinations?


texts:
Dude  -- you're cramping my style!

What does it mean?


texts: Why do newspapers use the terms "women voters" and "women candidates"?

texts: I've noticed that when discussing political demographics or candidates, many reporters use the phrases "women voters" and "women candidates".  This feels horribly awkward grammatically.  It's hard to imagine referring to male voters or candidates as "men voters" or "men candidates".  Is there a reason that the word women is more commonly used than female in these situations?


texts: A word or succinct descriptor for someone no longer found physically attractive

texts:
I am looking for a word or succinct descriptor for a person whose appearance has changed such that they are no longer found to be physically attractive by the speaker/writer.

The ideal answer should be gender-neutral (or readily gender-flexible) and avoid the implication that the essential "worth" of the person in question has somehow changed because the speaker/writer no longer finds them physically attractive. The purpose is simply to note the fact of the event, not make a value statement about it.


texts: Difference between "art exhibition" and "art fair"

texts: What is the difference between art exhibition and art fair? It seems both show something to an audience.


texts:
What is origin of the usage of the word 'do' when in reference to a social event (primarily in Britain)?

For example a 'Stag do' or 'Christmas fundraiser do'.


texts: What does "jackpot" mean in this passage?

texts:
When you say 'jackpot,' would you normally refer to it as

something that you should be happy about, or
something that you can very highly unlikely obtain?

I find this use of 'jackpot' hard to understand in the following. (If 'I' said it with reference to (2), it might very well let Jack down ....) (I'm a non-native speaker. If you would explain it in some plain English, I would very much appreciate it.)

"I went to have chemo yesterday morning, and they did some blood work, and I have some numbers that aren't good," he said. "They have to be higher for me to be able to start chemo again."
"What does it mean?" I said.
"Nothing good," he said.
"Does it mean they can't try anymore?" I said.
"There's this shot can give me," he said. "Sort of a booster shot for my blood. If it works it can get the numbers high enough for me to have chemo again."
"Boy," I said. "Did you ever think we'd be talking about getting a booster shot for something like this?"
"I know," he said. "And if it works, the good news—the good news—is that I get to have chemotherapy. That's the payoff."
"Some jackpot," I said.
"You know," he said, "it's getting so that I don't even like it when people say 'What's going on?'. I find myself saying,'Oh, my pulse is down,' or, 'Well, I need a booster shot.'"

('And You Know You Should Be Glad' by Bob Greene)


texts: "With this going on" and "got a lot going on"

texts:
Here's a fragment of "Rocky Balboa - Inspirational Speech":

  With this going on, it's gonna be worse than ever.
  - It don't have to be. - Sure it does.
  -Why? You got a lot goin' on, kid.

And my question is about usage and meaning of "with this going on" and "got a lot going on".

I noticed that the "with this going on" is used at the beginning of the sentence. But what does it mean and what the rule of its usage? I understand it like this.

There is a case we described/discussed
It happens at the
moment
The sentence after "with this going on" should be in
context of mentioned case.

The phrase "you got a lot going on" is more difficult for me. I understand it as "you have got a lot of interesting things/cases in your life".

Can you please provide me synonyms for those phrases, explanation and example of usage? Thanks!


texts: One word other than "inbox" for a temporary storage space

texts:
I use a cloud (Dropbox) folder called "inbox," where I place files (e.g., PDF) until I decide which non-cloud folder I will permanently move the file to.

Is there a word other than "inbox" for such a temporary storage space − similar to "holding cell" (but not a physical space), "cache" (but not hidden file), "purgatory" (but not a place of suffering/cleansing) or "in take". I could not find a word that quite fits; "hold" is, however, boring.  I just want one word meaning to hold something temporarily until I figure out what to do with it or put it away.


texts: What is a term that measures whether a business organization is flat or hierarchical?

texts:
I'm looking for a term that measures the level to which a business is flat or hierarchical in its organizational structure. For instance, if an org has an average of 10 employees per manager, it's fairly flat. If it has 2 per manager, it's fairly hierarchical.

Is there a measurement term for this N=2 or N=10 type of difference?


texts:
Looking for a single word for the term:
"removing unused stuff".
Edit:
To be used in the following context:
I am to use this word for a program that does some cleaning of useless stuff. But I want to avoid software lingo like erase/delete kind of things as they are already day to day usage for my audience.
I am looking for connotations that make it sound more funny or creative.
So rather than using XYZcleaner or XYZdeleter, something more fancy.


texts:
What is a split or branch or lines in a Water and Sewage Organization called?
I mean the split or lines that are sold to the customers, each customer (home) has one of these lines or splits.
Currently we call this "water splits" but i am not sure if its correct because it doesn't sound very good.


texts: “That these ... makes” – why “makes” and what is the role of “that”?

texts:
I have the following sentence:

  That these skills are transferable makes them especially beneficial.

My question is “simple”: Why makes? (Of course, because of that.) But, does that mean something – the fact?  Can we put that in other places in this sentence?


texts: Two synonyms each of Saxon and French origin where the Saxon word is "classier"

texts:
To clarify the title, i am looking for two words in the English vocabulary. Normally in English words of French origin are seen as fancier and used by intelligent and upper class people. But is there any event of two words where one is of Anglo-Saxon origins and the other of French origin in which the Anglo-Saxon one is generally seen as more "fancy"?

Note that this excludes words of German origin borrowed during the 1700s and 1800s and etc.


texts:
What is the most common word for a student with special duties who helps the teacher?

As I googled it, I found a number of suggestions including monitor, prefect and factotum. But which one is the most commonly used term in American and English schools?

Update: In an American movie set in an elementary school, one of the students introduces herself to a new teacher, beginning with the words "as the class factotum, I'd like to say 'welcome to our school'." Is "factotum" a common word for a student representative of his/her class?


texts:
I am writing a scientific paper. In this context, it is usual to cite other works with the last name of the first author followed by "et al." when there are many. If I want to use a possessive form, how should I use the Saxon genitive?

For example, is "Smith's et al." correct?


texts: What does “have a pastrami on wry” mean?

texts:
I was drawn to the expression, “I wish I could have pastrami on wry“in the beginning sentence of Maureen Dowd’s article, titled “Still mad as hell” in New York Times (February 8):

  "I often wonder what Paddy would think. I wish I could have a pastrami on wry with the late writer and
  satirist at the Carnegie Deli and get an exhilarating blast of truth
  about “the atomic, subatomic and galactic structure of things today.”
  What would Paddy Chayefsky make of Kim
  Kardashian?"

  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/opinion/sunday/dowd-still-mad-as-hell.html?hp&rref=opinion

Though it appears to me the word, “wry” being used as a noun in the above sentence, none of Cambridge, Oxford, and Merriam -Webster English dictionary shows “wry” as a noun.

CED defines it only as an adjective: (before noun) showing that you find a bad or difficult situation slightly funny.”

OED defines it as an adjective:

using or expressing dry, especially mocking, humor: example wry smile, wry comments
(of a person’s face or features) twisted into an expression of disgust, disappointment, or annoyance.
archaic (of the neck or features) distorted or turned to one side:

Merriam-Webster defines it as a verb:

(vi) twist, writhe.
(vt) to pull out of, or as if out of proper shape :

and adjective:

humorous in a clever and often ironic way.
showing both amusement and a feeling of being tired, annoyed, etc.

Here are my questions:

What does “I wish I could have pastrami on wry“ mean? Is it a Dowd’s usual lingo? Does “wry” here mean twist or irony?
Can “wry” be used as a noun as well as wryness?


texts: What is a word for assigning a number to a value?

texts:
I am undergoing world building for a story I am writing.  In this story, the school system is level based, where there are no grades(as in grades 1-12), just accomplishments in terms of level.

--Example Clarification; Mary is nearly ending her first year of schooling:
- She has taken and passed Basic Arithmetic( +,-,*,/ ) exams, granting a 4th year Math level
- She has taken and passed Algebraic Arithmetic exams, granting 7th year Math level
- she has also passed Precalculus exams, granting 10th year Math level
- so by her second year of schooling, she's allowed to take 11th year Calculus classes

-- however, because her parents insisted on a mathematics focus, she has yet to pass all other class's examinations:
- she has passed and taken Elementary Science granting 2nd year Science level, and so she can take 2nd year science in her 2nd year
- not enough time was invested in Social Studies and she must take 1st year Social Studies in her 2nd year

So what would that system be called?  It is a system where each student's accomplishments are accumulated throughout their life as a student; and ability/competence is based on the amount of knowledge a student has at any point in time.  It prevents students who already know their stuff from getting held back and it allows students who struggle to catch up when they are more mature.

If it isn't clear, think in terms of an RPG: instead of ATK, DEF, SPD having different values; MATH, SCIENCE, and GYM are the names of the stats, and their values increase when a student completes a class.

"Meritocracy" is what I'm leaning towards, but perhaps there is a different term?  If so, what is the term for this system?


texts:
The common meaning of the phrase "all in all" has been covered on this site already, but what does it mean in the following usages?

  The days when my mother and I and Peggotty were all in all to one another, and there was no one to come between us rose up before me so sorrowfully on the road...

(Dickens, David Copperfield, Ch. 8)

  All in all is all we are / All in all is all we are / All in all is all we are ...

(Nirvana, All Apologies)


texts: How can the "exclusion" reaction of a machine/software be expressed?

texts:
I'm trying to express that some models of a machine (controlled by a computer) don't take specific parameters into consideration. The verbs "take into consideration", "take notice", "take into account" don't seem to express a machine's reaction.

What would you suggest? Should I use these verbs or should I reformulate my statement to totally avoid them.


texts: What does title "Cost Effective Web Design" signify in English?

texts: When addressing on search engines or even writing an email about a business query for a cheap web designer does the statement pass on the message clearly "Cost Effective Web Design" or Should I use a one liner which is more direct like "Affordable Web Designer"?


texts:
What is the meaning of at the edge of time in the following sentence?

  At times they spent hours chatting in the office, while the house seemed suspended at the edge of time.


texts:
Let's say we make some approximation in some theory (such as there being no friction, when in fact there is).

Now we want to remove this approximation, and thus improve the real-world meaning of the theory.

Is it correct to say this?

  This approximation can easily be lifted by (whatever, adding whatnot constant to whatnot formula on whatnot page).

Any alternatives?


texts: What is the role of "one" in this sentence?

texts:
I can't understand what is the role of word "one" in this sentence:

  A hillside in the morning so radiant with light one has the feeling he
  has been looking at Van Gogh's drawings.

Source: The Guardian

I know that it says the hillside is very radiant such as Van Gogh's drawings. But I don't understand what role word "one" grammatically has and what does it mean in the sentence.

Thanks for any help.


texts: Origin of "ballpark estimate" to mean a very rough estimate?

texts: I'm wondering where the term "ballpark estimate" comes from? Sometimes "ballpark" is said stand-alone to mean a rough estimate, as in "these numbers are a ballpark". I understand it must come from baseball or some other sport. Does it refer to the idea that a batter might point in the direction he'll hit the ball? Or is it something that relates to a rough guess at the attendance that day? What part of the ballpark or sports does one use a rough estimate?


texts: Difference between the adjectives and participles

texts: What is the difference between an adjective and a participle


texts:
I'm looking for a word that encapsulates both an object's position and direction.

Similar words:

a "point" has just a position.
a "vector" has a direction and magnitude
an "orientation" has just a direction

I'm ideally looking for a short simple word, however I'm also interested in any mathsey words which may describe the concept.


texts: A Word that means "to adapt or improve, to conform to a higher standard"?

texts:
I need to find or invent a word that suggests a system might be "adapted or improved to conform to a higher standard". A verb, noun, adjective or even adverb would be acceptable, but so far I haven't found quite what I'm looking for.

Context Examples:

"We are upgrading the current system for greater Enterprise [conformity to a higher standard]."

"I believe we need to change our approach. We need to [adapt to conform to a higher standard]."

"It will take some time to write an article that's more [improved to conform to a higher standard] than I've written before."


texts: What to call a library of shared libraries in programming

texts:
There are (for example) three dynamic libraries that is files libxx.so, libyy.so, and libzz.so (or .dll files xx.dll, yy.dll, and zz.dll on Windows).

What do you call the collection of all three files (as well the entire source code from which the three files are generated)? It is commonly called library, but to say "the library consisting of three libraries" is so to say inconvenient.

Also note that every library may consist of several modules.


texts:
An adjustable shelf of long lengths is used to take various sizes of packs.
Is this sentence correct?

Refence:grage 11 English textbook(Burma)


texts: When are 'near', 'near by' and 'nearby' used?

texts: I have read on other fora that 'nearby' is always one word, yet Bill Bryson, the famous travel writer, exclusively writes 'near by'.


texts: Origin of the irregular contraction of "not"

texts:
All the contractions seem to follow some sort of logic: they place the mark between the words, and leave only the part of the sound that is predominantly heard  ("I will" -> "I'll", "you have" -> "you've"). But with "not", the mark is placed right in the middle of the word (like in "does not"-> "doesn't" ), leaving the "n" attached to the previous word.

Is this an historical accident (and if it is, how it was born?), or does it have some (may be phonetic) explanation?


texts: Which syllable is stressed in the word "nineteen"?

texts:
The dictionaries list both possibilities to stress nineteen (or any other -teen, for that matter): ,nine-teen and nine-'teen.
Are the two pronunciations completely interchangeable, a matter of dialect, or a matter of meaning? I am asking because I've never heard nineteen stressed on the first syllable in sentences like:

I am nineteen years old.
He had only nineteen dollars.

And I have never heard nineteen stressed on the second syllable in dates:

He was born in nineteen sixty-four.

Is it acceptable (where, when?) to stress the first syllable in the first set of examples, and is it acceptable(where, when?) to stress the second syllable in the last example?
P.S. Surprisingly there's no stress tag. Am I using the wrong linguistic term?


texts: Is "with" or "by" the correct word in the phrase: Replaced ________ a new printer

texts:
English is my second language. Which of the following is correct?

Replaced with a new printer.

Replaced by a new printer.


texts:
I am currently developing an Android game that will have two mods: Timed and Endless.

In Timed mode you have 1 minute to complete as much items as you can. In Endless mode, you have 5 seconds to complete an item, but as long as you can keep up the game never ends.

Is the word Endless correct to describe this method? What would be a better one?

EDIT: I'd like to thank you all for your answers and opinions; as some of you have noted there is no one correct answer, but a choice of mine. I'm walking away with a lot of good options on my hand thanks to you.


texts: What this "he could chalk his billiard-cue with his knuckles" indicates?

texts:
I’d like to ask about the following sentence from The Missing Three Quarter by Conan Doyle.

  and the old boy is nearly eighty—cram full of gout, too. They say he
  could chalk his billiard-cue with his knuckles.

This “old boy” is Lord Mount-James in the episode. I don’t quite understand the latter part “he could chalk his billiard-cue with his knuckles”
This “could” is hedged by the equivalent of 'allegedly': it doesn’t really matter if Lord Mount-James  actually is able to do the thing they say he could. But what are they saying? My guess is either...

A: Some fingers of Lord Mount-James are so twisted the other way (almost like an upside-down arch shape) by the gout that he could place his billiard cue on his knuckles, and the cue can even stick there.

B: Because of his age and gout, Lord Mount-James’ hands have got so powdery that his knuckles could even act as chalk (a slip resistance) when he plays billiards.


texts: what is the difference between the following 2 sentences in their meaning regarding the word 'just'?

texts:
You have to push this button.
You have to just push this button.

What role does the word 'just' play in the sentence above?


texts: I want to know whether I've been writing it correctly and how can I write it in a different way?

texts:
Is "If said in the words of Mike:" correct?

How can I substitute "in this way" or "the following way"?


texts: "human brain capacity" or "human brain's capacity"

texts:
What is the correct version please?

  The human brain capacity to do something.
  The human brain's capacity to do something.


texts: What is the origin of the word "wash" to mean a net gain of zero?

texts:
"Wash"

  A situation in which gains and losses balance each other

This appears to be informal North American usage. What is the origin of this use of "wash" to mean a net gain of zero?


texts: I ran into this slang occasionally. Does this mean something (normally a number, e.g. KPI, index etc) is growing? slowly or fast? where does this slang come from?


texts: May not = can not, not allowed or prohibited?

texts:
I did an English test and there was a question which made me really confused.
You may not take this trip.
In the sentence above, may not can be substituted by:

You are prohibited to take this trip
You are not allowed to take this trip
You can not take this trip

Which one is the right answer: 1, 2 or 3?
Thank you!


texts:
I said no to him. He had to have me. Once he did, he didn't care.

Is the passage above trying to say that the boy wanted to have the girl, and once he had her, he didn't care for her?


texts:
About ten after 10 PM, he answered the door again.

Someone said that having one number spelled and the other as digits was strange.  On the other hand, both digits doesn't seem right in a written-out sentence, either.  Is there a preferred way to write this?


texts: American communities vs communities in America

texts:
Is there a difference in meaning between:

"Helping migrants became part our communities in America."
vs
"Helping migrants become part of our American communities."

It feels like option 1 is more inclusive, so they can join many communities, sporting, cultural etc. Whereas option 2 is more about having migrants integrate into our way of life.


texts: Denotation of the phrase, "Choose and lose"

texts:
"choose and lose"

Contextually, I have seen it used to chastise someone who has chosen a life of drugs and drifting instead of providing for his children.

However, a word-by-word analysis implies that no matter the choice, the person will lose.

Reconciling the usage with the analysis, one might interpret it as "based on your choices, you lose."

Questions (if any are off-topic, please let me know and I'll update the question):

Is my reconciliation correct, is the idiom correct, and/or is the word-by-word analysis correct (for possible usage)?
Is this an informal idiom, or it is useful in formal communication?
What is the origin of the phrase?


texts: A word for an entity that gives rise to something else

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes an entity that is the reason for another entity to exist. If that original entity stopped to exist, the other entity wouldn't exist because its right to exist would vanish with it.

for example:
citizens to government.

without the citizens, government wouldn't make much sense. Its right to exist comes from the fact there are citizens.

The pattern:

A would be meaningless if B didn't exist.
B is the word_i'm_looking_for of A.

Any ideas?


texts: Can object of a clause be the subject of other clause?

texts:
Please, help me to get rid from following problems:

1) He proposed to her, who had requited his love from the moment they met.

2) She, whom he had met only two weeks before, thought his proposal premature.

3) I am asking her, who is a doctor.

4) It is he whom they provoke to anger.

a) In first example, 'who' is indicating to 'her'. But 'who' is subjective case while 'her' is objective case. In second example 'whom' is indicating to 'she'. Here, 'she' is subjective case, where 'whom' is objective case. Are these sentences are right? If these are wrong, please give the right form them.

b) Are 3 and 4 are right? If these sentences are right, why the first and second sentences will be wrong? If they are wrong, please give the right form of them.


texts:
"Recently, many housing estates around town have seen a dip in home valuations."

This is the first sentence of an article. Is it because town has a specific meaning so singular form (uncountable) is used in this example? Are there other common examples like this case that we know a noun is countable but at the same time use singular form for a particular meaning? Please help cite as many examples as possible. Thanks a lot!


texts: Noun phrase + prepositional phrase + relative clause - Which noun is modified by the relative clause?

texts:
"The type of an object determines the set of values (that) it can have."

In the above sentence, which noun is modified by the relative clause "(that) it can have"?

a.) The noun "set" of the noun phrase "the set"

b.) The noun "values" of the prepositional phrase "of values"


texts: What is it called when something is described as something completely opposite from the truth?

texts:
What is it called when something is described as something but the something is in fact anything but that something?

For example :

a strong man who calls himself a weakling
a purple man who calls himself a red man

Contradictory or opposite comes to mind but that is not what I am looking for.

Its a bit like politicians say they represent the people when (in some ways) they don't.

Or another example might be the Republican Party in the US. The word republican probably had a certain meaning when it first started but now it probably has an opposite meaning (and probably many other meanings). The word that has evolved over time to possibly mean something else.

I hope that explains it, but maybe some comments/questions might help me clarify it further.


texts: Word or phrase for clumsy, inaccurate expression

texts:
I'm seeking a word or phrase useful for referring to a bad sentence which clumsily, inaccurately and ambiguously attempts to express an idea or concept.

Bad-sentence example: "We do a multiplication of 60 of the 10^10 terms to get us to 10^600 and then a multiplication of 10^3 terms to reach 10^603."

Phrases incorporating 'mangled', 'tortured ', 'muddled' and 'still-born' may resemble what I want, but seem overly judgmental.

Update (Response to questions about example; with 'infelicity' and 'solecism' adopted from an answer)

Inaccurate -- The sentence (from a sci.math newsgroup posting by "AP") is inaccurate or misleading in first using the "multiplication of ..." infelicity one way for the (10^10)^60 calculation, and then a different way for the (10^600)*(10^3) calculation.  That is, if the first case means (10^10)^60, the second might be thought to mean either (10^10)^(10^3) or (10^600)^(10^3).

Clumsy -- The solecisms "a multiplication of 60 of the 10^10 terms to get us to 10^600" and "a multiplication of 10^3 terms to reach 10^603" are longwinded and ambiguous ways to say "compute 10^600 as the 60th power of 10^10" and "compute 10^603 as (10^600)*(10^3)".


texts: The feeling when a person wants to puke, is termed "nauseous". What if a person wants to excrete? What is that feeling called?


texts:
I know that commas are necessary in this situation:

"John Kerry, a Democratic candidate, made a speech today."

However, they don't seem necessary here:

"The kid, who owns toy cars, is nice."

Am I wrong about this? I just want to make sure.

Thanks for your time.


texts:
There is an idiom to cover the waterfront:

  to deal with every detail concerning a specific topic

[McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs via TFD]

Could you say thank you for covering the waterfront when someone has
finished explaining things?

Also, can you say "we'll cover the waterfront"? for instance, when starting a partnership with a company? I'm intending to say we will help you in every details in setting up your business— "of course, we will cover the waterfront, and support you, etc."


texts:
I have a website that classifies Spotify Playlists:

http://organizeyourmusic.playlistmachinery.com

And after the classification, it gets this:

I am a native spanish speaker, when I search for the translation, it makes no sense to me in the terms of music.


texts: The state of not knowing and/or ignoring each other

texts:
I'm looking for a word that expresses the state of not knowing and/or ignoring each other.

In a blog post I've found the term Principle of Mutual Oblivion. This is supposed to be a rule in software engineering that states that two things should not know each other (to be more precise: Two modules at the same level of abstraction should not know each other).

The word oblivion feels strange to me here. I know two meanings of the word oblivion:

the state of no longer being known (to sink/fall into oblivion)
to be unconscious, sleeping or otherwise unaware of everything around (to drink oneself into oblivion).

Wiktionary, MacMillan, and Merriam-Webster support this.

Can oblivion be the noun that precisely corresponds to to be oblivious to something (in the sense of completely ignoring or not knowing something specific). It seems to me that it is meant in that way here.

If oblivion is not the right word in that context, what's a better word? In the concrete case it doesn't matter if the word expresses willingly ignoring something specific or the lack of knowledge of something specific. But it should not express being completely unaware of everything. It should also be a neutral term. I came up with ignorance, i.e. Principle of Mutual Ignorance. Is that better?


texts: Let's say we have a list of doctors and a list of patients. Each doctor will be assigned to check on some of these patients. Now who are the assignees: the patients or the doctors? I am confused here. Should I say the assignee for these patients is doctor X or the assignees for doctor X are these patients?


texts:
Normally, anymore (or any more in UK) meaning any longer used as an adverb not a as determiner, can be found in negative, conditional, or interrogative sentences.
Americans may use anymore in positive sentences, but I'd like to skip this subject if possible :)

My question : is the use of nothing makes the sentence negative despite it's grammatically a positive sentence and so allows the use of anymore ?

Can I say and write :

  Shara has always hated this town but she stayed there for her mother. Her mother has just died. From now on, nothing prevents her from moving on anymore

And what about nothing else ... anymore or almost nothing ... anymore ? They still both express the negation but not the COMPLETENESS. Is it a trouble?

  John has a very weak will. And Sofia thinks if he tries cocaine just one time, then for him, nothing else will matter anymore

Another less important question : I find From now on and anymore a bit redundant. Is it the case or it's OK?

Thank you for all your remarks.


texts: What is the noun for the act of zipping?

texts:
For some words there is a noun for the act of doing. For example, "deletion" is the act of deleting, "omission" is the act of omitting, "summation" is the act or process of forming a sum. Is there such a word for "zipping"? I'm asking from a programming context, so I'm talking about zipping a file. That may inform the question, since many of these verbs have an object or lack thereof as a result.

Here are a few examples of the types of sentences I'm thinking of:

He had disrupted the class, and the students did not appreciate the disruption.
After a deletion, the program will return to its previous state.
The reformation of the group was mainly due to Sarah's newfound zeal for scrapbooking.

The analogous usage would be "disrupt"->"disruption", "delete"->"deletion", and "reform"->"reformation".


texts: Past, hypothetical situation and a present, real one

texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say,” if you had worked hard, I would buy you a chocolate”?

The first part is the past, hypothetical situation, whereas, the second one is the present, hypothetical one.


texts:
I want to go

Here 'want to' is a phrasal modal. Do we agree?
Now consider this:

I want him to go

Is it possible that in this sentence the pronoun him is the object of the modal auxiliary 'want to'?
Most grammars analyze this totally differently, with 'want' as the main verb and "him to go" as an infinitive functioning as the object of want. I've found in my field (natural language generation) that this causes lots of problems. If you make him the object of the auxiliary "want to", which is admittedly something I never heard of before, it makes the logic more consistent with fewer exceptions.
In verb phrase ellipsis, the verb phrase is dropped leaving just the auxiliary behind (the CODE property). In this you can see strong evidence that "want to" and "want obj to" are auxiliaries.
Examples:

Do you want to go home?
No, I don't want to

Notice the "to" can not be dropped because it is part of the phrasal modal.

Do you want him to go home?
No, I don't want him to.
Can Paul come to my party? If you want him to

Here you see that "him" is part of the auxiliary - the object of want to.


texts:
I am a native speaker of German, and I often see the English verb find being used like its German cognate finden. For example:

  My students and I find your platform very useful and very appealing
  visually, as well. — Source

This just feels wrong to me. Shouldn’t it be something like:

  My students and I find your platform to be very useful and very appealing visually, as well.

Can you use find like that?


texts:
Which one should I use:

  Are you going somewhere nice on holiday this year?

or

  Are you going anywhere nice on holiday this year?

The presence of the word "nice" bothers me a bit and deters me from using "anywhere".


texts:
She can't sing or dance.
She can't sing and dance.

I saw both sentences; I guess that they are whole negation and partial negation respectively.
However, I am not sure which of the action verbs is negative in the second example.


texts: Should/may there be a comma before "which" in this sentence?

texts:
In sentence below, is a comma before "which" (1) necessary / (2) acceptable?

It consists of a single table called Table A, followed by three further tables which are the following: Table B, Table C and Table D.


texts: Could you use "Atrophy" to describe hair?

texts:
Take for example a woman in a concentration camp, how her hair slowly becomes more unmanageable/mangy the longer she's there because she isn't using all of the tinctures and conditioners she used to use before.

Example sentence: "She wanted nothing more than lotion for her cracked skin and conditioner for her atrophied hair."

If this is NOT correct or even the most fitting word, would you tell me what would work best without saying "slowly getting more dry and frizzy"?


texts: What's a good alternative to 'sit on one's head'?

texts: My student often uses the phrase 'sit on one's head' when she describes noisy and restless children that don't give their parents or other people around any personal space running around and playing in sentences like 'It is easier to work in the office than at home where you have children who sit on your head'. Does it sound OK and mean what she means in English? Is there a better alternative to say the same thing?


texts: Word for "Pattern Recognition Aid" (music rhythm)

texts:
A couple of years ago I did an online music theory course. The discussion in the course forum was great fun and very informative.

One thing that came up was the recognition of common rhythms in music, for example a jig is in 6/8 time, which means there are 6 1/8 notes in each bar, and it has a sort of "jiggety jiggety jiggety jiggety" rhythm to it. A slip jig is in 9/8 time (e.g. 'The Butterfly' sounds like "buy the band a beer, buy the band a cadillac"). In a beginning recorder book which I consulted it gave the difference between 6/8 time and eight notes played in 3/4 time (mathematically 6/8 = 3/4) is like "strawberry, strawberry" vs. "in-the month-of ap-ril". This is the kind of pattern recognition aid I am referring to.

Anyway these were being referred to (on the forum) as "mnemonics", but someone pointed out that mnemonic means memory aid (I believe the French term aide memoire is used, even in English), and these phrases were not aimed at helping us remember how a jig goes, but rather to recognise a jig when we hear it. I thought it was splitting hairs (at the time), but now I would like to know if there is a correct term for this sort of thing.

Example sentence: That [----] was very helpful as it helped me to recognise the strathspey when I heard it later at the céilidh.


texts: I never knew I have a sister or I had a sister

texts: I want to say that I learned something new which I did not know before.


texts: What is one word or short phrase to describe something that has no beginning or end?

texts: What is the grammatically accurate word or short phrase to describe a thing that has neither a beginning nor an end? Not looking for metaphors here.


texts: What is the word for something related to gender?

texts:
I have the sentence

  These characters all demonstrate different types of prejudice, whether they be racial, social, or gender.

Which word should I be using in place of gender? Racial and social are both taken from race and society (as far as I know) but I'm not sure what to use in place of gender. I considered using "gender-related," but that seems like more of a work-around than a solution.


texts: Ordering of English sound changes in verbal morphology

texts:
As we all know, the Early Modern English 3sg verbal ending -eth has become -s in Modern English. This presumably happened in two steps:

Elision of the unstressed e in the final syllable
Changing final -th to -s.

But do we know what order these changes happen in? Do we find intermediate forms like speak'th (with elided vowel but no consonant change) or speakes (with consonant change but the vowel preserved)?


texts: "Hi" and "Hello" in business correspondence

texts: I've heard that using "Hi" in business correspondence is acceptable even if you email a person for the first time (I also can see "Hi" from people who email me for the first time), but I usually use "Hello" in these situations, not to seem familiar. So, are there any issues with using "Hi"? or it is better after all to use "Hello"?


texts: Use of modal verbs when writing in past tense

texts:
I'm trying to write a story in past tense (I'm using deep POV).
I have two characters who parted ways. One of them is regretting not spending more time with the other before leaving. Since he is thinking about the past, I wrote:

[1] Maybe he could have waited a few more days before leaving.

Later, he realizes that he has the possibility to go back to him. Which of the following should I use?

[2] He could go back.
[3] He could have gone back.

Could is the past simple of can, so I think that sentence [2] would be correct.
On the other hand, could is also used as a modal verb to talk about a possibility in the present, eg. "We could get some ice cream". If I wanted to employ this second use of could, but in the past, I should use sentence [3], right?
If I've not made a mistake up to this point, then I'm confused. Because, if could have is correct in both [1] and [3], then how do I differentiate the two uses? To be clear:

In sentence [1] I'm referring to the character's past.
In sentences [2] and [3] I'm referring to the character's present.
Every sentence must be in past tense since that's how I'm narrating.

Finally, I would like to express the fact that going back would make leaving (later) more painful. As you can imagine, I'm not sure which of the following I should use:

[4] It would just make leaving more painful.
[5] It would have just made leaving more painful.

Thank you very much in advance!


texts: What’s the correct plural possessive of “kids”?

texts:
I know that children’s books is correct, but for some reason I want to say kids books, even though I know that it’s a plural possessive noun ending in an s.

A quick search on the web turns up Barnes & Noble, who have a web page title that reads “Children's Books, Kids Books”.

Is the major bookseller wrong here? Or is there some exception I don’t remember?

More simply, is it kids books or kids’ books — and why?


texts:
The news left me like a fool.

What does it mean? Is the grammar ok here?

[Originally asked by birdman1234]


texts: Is "literally" similar to "almost", and is "technically" similar to "hardly"?

texts:
Merriam Webster says:

Literally: in effect : VIRTUALLY —used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible.
[Merriam-Webster]

Google says

used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true.
"I was literally blown away by the response I got"

May I say that "literally" is similar to almost?
According to Vocabulary:

Technically Something technically true is actually, really true or correct but it may not be the way people think about it. For example, although people call a tomato a vegetable, technically it's a fruit.
[Vocabulary]

Is "technically" similar to hardly?
Thanks.


texts: "brought some horses, real heelers.." : what is "heeler" here?

texts:
I quote from An Evening in Dandaloo  (1891) by Banjo Paterson:

It was while we held our races --
 Hurdles, sprints and steplechases --
 Up in Dandaloo,
 That a crowd of Sydney stealers,
 Jockeys, pugilists and spielers
 Brought some horses, real heelers,
 Came and put us through.

I wonder what is the meaning of the word "heeler" here. It seem to refer to "horses".

My initial guess had been "someone who is able to hit it (i.e. run) very fast, striking the road with their heels". But I doubt this sense.

"To heel" may also mean "to follow one closely, keeping at one's heels".

Then I've read that in Australia it may mean "a cattle dog", possibly a derivation from the previous sense.

I'd like to read your guesses.


texts: A word for a person who is easily influenced by movies?

texts: What can we call a person who is easily influenced by movies or whatever he reads on websites like Quora without even thinking if the content he is reading is valid or not?


texts:
I need to write a short tag line for an ad.
'Why do you have to wait?' is too long. instead can we use 'why wait?'


texts: English subways have 'Cars', but English Surface Trains have 'Carriages'. Why the Difference?

texts: I heard both terms used in an episode of 'Sherlock'. It seems like one term or the other should do for both surface and underground trains.


texts: A type of response or humor where the answer is a deliberate mismatch to the question

texts: Person A (PA) makes a heart and gives it to Person B (PB). PB accepts and says "thank you" and has no obvious intention to make a heart for PA. PA says " where's my heart?" PB responds with "in your chest" even though PB knew what they actually meant.


texts:
I'm doing a line by line analysis of The Great Gatsby.  In critical commentary, the scene at the end of chapter two is frequently cited as evidence that Nick Carraway is either homosexual or bisexual.  Part of the scene:

  'Come to lunch some day,' he suggested, as we groaned down in the elevator.
  'Where?'
  'Anywhere.'
  'Keep your hands off the lever,' snapped the elevator boy.
  'I beg your pardon," said Mr McKee with dignity, 'I didn't know I was touching it.'

Commentators say that lever is an obvious phallic reference.  I don't feel that readers in 1925 would see this as a phallic reference.

Is there any textual evidence (outside of TGG) prior to 1924 that suggests that writers or the public were familiar with this?


texts: What does a la carte mean as an adjective or figuratively?

texts:
From James Poulos, "Actually, The GOP Will Struggle To Capitalize On Obama's Perfect Storm Of Scandals," Forbes (May 14, 2013):

  The GOP, conservatives are told, needs to endorse life templates a la carte -- supporting gay marriage here, a path to citizenship there.

I want to know what "a la carte" means as an adjective or figuratively.


texts: If you're "balled up" why are you confused?

texts:
I believe the expression 'balled up' dates back to the first decade of the twentieth century and I believe it means 'confused' but I'm all balled up as to why it means 'confused'.

The only explanation I may offer, and I may be all wet, is that if documents or papers are rounded into a ball or "balled up" they cannot be read. Anything with writing or displaying pictures on it that are "balled up" aren't plainly visible and may likely confuse a person. That's my only guess and I'm sure I'm mistaken.

Any thoughts and ideas as to why balled up means confused?


texts: From what I understand on phonetics/phonology, /ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/ can simply be considered as allophones of /ɪr/, /er/, /ʊr/, but most traditional dictionaries treat them as distinct phonemes. Is that just a learners' dictionary thing (to denote the clear phonetic differences between major dialects, rhotic or not, etc.)  for the sake of convenience or is it legitimately phonolocal?


texts: The ambulance is on its way. There's been an accident?

texts:
Why hasn't the simple past been used rather than the present perfect in this sentence

''The ambulance is on its way to Beck's house. There's been an accident''

Why not: ''there was an accident''

It was a sentence used in a game. There is no other context used.


texts:
What's the proper English adjective for:

A one-time ticket (for entrance somewhere, to use some sort of transport to travel somewhere, etc) that's been properly used once and thus no longer valid to be used for the second time?
The same question about ticket that allowed to travel multiple times (for example, a day travelcard or a prepaid card such an Oyster in London or OV-chipkaart in Netherlands) which is no longer valid due to time limit's being expired or prepaid number of travels is done, etc?

My best bet so far was calling it a "used" ticket, but analyzing COCA shows that "used" is never used as an adjective with "ticket", only was a verb (i.e. as in "he used his ticket"). I've also thought about:

"stamped" ticket — but it's obviously wrong meaning: you carry a "stamped" ticket on you while still travelling in a transport and it is valid during that time; what I want to express is a ticket that's been used properly and thus no longer valid.
"expired" ticket — it's also a bit off:

tickets can become "expired", but that doesn't mean that they were used successfully,
it emphasizes that time was out for that ticket, but it doesn't really always about time — sometimes it's just single-use ticket, no time involved.


texts: The number of people who do not know an odd number of people

texts:
See the linked question on Math SE:

https://math.stackexchange.com/q/1781353/187867

The OP and others were confused about whether "the number of people who do not know an odd number of people" refers to

People who know an even number of people, or
People for whom the number of people they do not know is odd.

I'm aware that option 1 is the correct choice, and I answered the question without thinking twice. But someone whose first language wasn't English had no idea how to interpret it, and I attempted to explain why option 1 was correct. My attempt was poor. Can anyone here do better?


texts: what do you call intellectual creations?

texts:
Is there a word to describe all intellectual creations? I came up with content but that's too generic. Artwork on the other hand has very specific connotation.
I need something that applies mostly to the realm of technology, but is not limited to software. I guess digital content is often the term chosen to describe that but I was wondering if there is another way to refer to that?

For example, for an author I can say something like:
Stevens King bibliography is extensive.

How do I say the same thing for someone who’s works include YouTube videos, software, research papers, maybe translations, political pamphlets, etc?
Is there a word to describe a wide variety of “works”?


texts: I didn't phone Peter this morning / I haven't phoned Peter this morning

texts:
Example:

I'm calling Peter at work at 9:00 this morning. He isn't answering, and the only way for me to call him is at work.

At 10:00 in the morning, I finish my work, as usual. I leave my business phone at the desk.

At 11:00 in the morning, I'm meeting my friend and tell him:

  I didn't call Peter this morning.

or

  I haven't called Peter this morning.

Considering it's still "this morning", the present perfect should be used, but since I'm not going to call Peter this morning again, as I left my phone at the office, there is no chance for me to call Peter again, so which tense should be used? The past simple or present perfect?

This is what books say:

  If we think of this morning (etc.) as a past completed time period, then we use the past simple; if we think of this morning (etc), as a time period which includes the present moment, then we use the present perfect.

  I didn’t shave this morning. ( = The morning is over and I didn’t
  shave)

  I haven’t shaved this morning. ( = It is still the morning and I might
  shave later).


texts: My shoes can't think; how can they be sensible?

texts:
Recently as some of us were getting ready to take a walk through the snow, somebody said to me "you're wearing sensible shoes".  Now my shoes haven't developed cognitive abilities so far as I know (and I spend enough time with them that I think I would notice), but everyone there knew what this means.  It's a common phrase in my experience, but it got me wondering.  The adjective sensible here, while syntactically bound to the noun shoes, really applies to another noun in the sentence instead.  Is there a term for this sort of modifier migration, or is this sentence technically ungrammatical?

I checked dictionary.com for alternate or obscure meanings of sensible but found none, and a Google search on the phrase turned up uses but no explanations.  I also don't think this construct is limited to this particular phrase, but I don't have any more clever ideas.


texts: Phrase or expression for "sending a message to the wrong recipient" in chat

texts:
Is there a short phrase or expression for sending a message in the wrong place, when chatting online?

When (text) chatting online, there can be times when someone inadvertently sends something that was not meant to be sent there. This could include sending a message to the wrong channel or person, or typing something that was meant to be input elsewhere (such as a password or search engine query).

Is there a short word or expression for performing such an action or describing such a situation?

I'm not looking for mistype or typo; I'm looking for something that emphasizes that it's an incorrect location more.

For example, one might say,

  Whenever I log into my email I'm afraid that I will [...], as I always have a chat window open.

or

  Because I [...], my friend discovered that we were planning a surprise party to celebrate his new job.


texts: What is a word that could be used both for an ancestor and a descendant at the same time (excluding siblings, cousins etc)?

texts:
For example, my parents, my parents' parents, my children, my children's children etc. Everybody in my family tree vertically.

I need specifically person, and "both" ancestors and descendants; not one or the other, and not both in general including side relationships such as siblings or cousins.


texts: What does "for not being bigger" mean here?

texts:
I am reading a book about Tim Walker and get quite confused when I read this yesterday, Here is the context:

So here then are the truths of that Vogue picture from 1947: It was staged by a German émigré painter, whose accent rendered him only partially intelligible in his adopted country; the hawk was not, strictly speaking, native to the United Kingdom and certainly not to London; the portrait was taken by an American on secondment to England, who did not care about painters or painting (Clifford Coffin cared even less about the British landscape, once observed haranguing the standing stones of Stonehenge for not being bigger). Despite appearances, there’s little ‘English’ about it at all, just the suggestion of it. How potent for one photographer suggestion can be.

Anyone could talk anything on this? Thanks a lot.


texts: Is modern 'five countries' English the only type of English with stress patterns that change across the entire word depending on the suffix?

texts:
The capital letters represent where the main stress in each word lies
TELephone, telePHONic, teLEphony.
PHOTograph, photoGRAphic, photOgraphy.
biOLogy, bioLOGical.
What about in the past, including older forms of English? Or is modern English unique in this respect?
Does every dialect of modern English have this (I'm thinking about Singlish and Indian English and other non 'five country' varieties/ descendants/blends of English, if they are dialects of English and not something else like creoles, say. Am out of my depth here.)?


texts: Why is helleborine sometimes called 'chatterbox'?

texts:
I found out now, thanks to the question about the etymology of chatterbox, that 'chatterbox' is another name for helleborine (something I've never heard of). A helleborine is apparently

  an orchid growing along streams or ponds of western North America having leafy stems and one greenish-brown and pinkish flower in the axil of each upper leaf

What could possible be the etymology for this?


texts:
"How to enact change in..."
"We enacted change by..."

I've seen this used in quite a few contexts, but it doesn't seem to make much sense when I look at the word "enact" in the dictionary.

From Merriam-Webster:

  Definition of enact

  1: to establish by legal and authoritative act
  specifically : to make into law
  enact a bill

  2: ACT OUT enact a role

Looking at an n-gram, its use is non-zero and growing, but nowhere near the usage of the phrase "effect change".

Typically when I've seen it used, it indicates that a someone is effecting a change, but from a dictionary sense, does the phrase "enact change" make sense? My thought is no, but I'm looking for a reality check on it to make sure I'm not misinterpreting the dictionary entries.


texts:
According to Oxford Online Dictionary, the word swish means among other things:

  Basketball, informal: a shot that goes through the basket without
  touching the backboard or rim.

It sounds like a great shot in basketball that doesn't touch anything at all.

I have just watched the Big Bang Theory, Season 8 Episode 2, and the following conversations take place.

  Wolowitz: So, Penny, when's the new job start?

  Penny: Next Monday.

  Bernadette: Did you get a chance to look over the materials I gave
  you?

  Penny: Uh, not yet, but I will.

  Bernadette: Great. When?

  Penny: I said I'll get to it.

  Sheldon Cooper: I'm sensing awkwardness, am I right?

  Amy Farrah Fowler: Yes.

  Sheldon Cooper: Swish.

  Bernadette: I don't want to be pushy, but you've never done
  pharmaceutical sales before. It seems like you could use this time to
  get a head start.

  Penny: Well, the first few weeks will be all training. They'll tell me
  everything I need to know.

  Bernadette: But imagine how impressed they'd be if you showed up
  already familiar with the material.

The context is Bernadette used her influence to get Penny a sales job at a pharmaceutical company and Bernadette is (kinda) insisting that Penny should read and study the materials (she gave to her) so that Penny can get familiarized with many unknown terms related with the pharmaceutical industry.

I can understand what swish means in the context using the definition of Oxford Online Dictionary I quoted at the beginning of this question. However, my questions are:

What does swish mean exactly in the context?
What is its etymology?

I read this question, What does “Swish of skirt” mean? Why is it a sexist expression?, but it doesn't answer my question.


texts: Word or phrase to say you're not taking advantage of an opportunity

texts:
I was about to write something along the lines of

  the advantage of having a swimming pool nearby wasn't spent on me,

but is that even correct?

What would be a good alternative?


texts: Exact word for the material which is used to thread Tennis racquets

texts: I am a non-native English speaker, I have searched a lot in google to find the exact word for the material which is used to thread Tennis racquets or the material which is used to connect the fishing hook and the fishing rod. But i did not find any. Can anybody tell me what's the exact word for that.?


texts: .. or .. which ... - does the which apply to both options?

texts:
Hi I'm not sure of the exact meaning of this sentence:

You may not engage in private practice or be connected with any outside business which would interfere with the performance of official duties.

Can I read this as meaning I CAN engage in private practice provided it DOES NOT interfere with the performance of official duties.?

As in You may not (engage in private practice OR be connected with any outside business) which would interfere with the performance of official duties.


texts:
Can you plz tell me the difference between even up and even out with some examples?
And which one do you think would be better to use for this situation?
ex) I made two cocktails at the same time and they have different portions. Do I have to say 'I should even them up or I should even them out'?


texts: A very, very specific idiom for a type of sloppy victory

texts:
For context, I first heard this idiom used some months ago in my workplace which deals with cinema and storytelling, so there's a chance it might be a trope and not a colloquial idiom or similar. The structure is "an X Y", like "a Pyrrhic victory" or "a dead duck."
It's meant to describe an effort where there are a string of mistakes, some of which compound into another - "a series of unfortunate events" - but at the end of it all, the job is still complete, or the victory is still had. The tonality is neutral to positive. A friend suggested "by the skin of one's teeth" which is similar but it doesn't hit the structure and the tonality is more... earnest? Whereas the one I'm thinking of is almost comical.
I'm sure you lot get questions like these all the time so I sincerely appreciate any and all help! Thank you!


texts:
I am going to find an appropriate antonym for "ad hoc" (done for a particular purpose only) to be used as the adjective of a kind of general-purpose device. The best choice can be "general-purpose", itself, or maybe versatile.
I couldn't find an antonym in common sources. Can anyone suggest the best choice?

E.g. A general-purpose robot


texts: Do "in future" and "in the future" imply different meanings?

texts: Do in future and in the future imply different meanings? If so, using which one is grammatically correct?


texts:
How  in one word do you describe the soft, thin, first-time mustache that grows when a boy goes through puberty?

Tender? Immature?


texts: Word for repeating the same exact thing and eventually getting it to work right

texts: Word for repeating the same exact thing and finally getting it to work right. It's like a variant of Albert Einstein's ''insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result'' Its similar but gets different points. A common down to earth example is like restarting your computer eventually getting it to work right and nothing done in the process changes. I was thinking lag, glitch, bug, but these are all fitting.


texts: May I know which is correct? Heavy rain season or heavy raining season? What should I put in between an adjective and noun? Thanks


texts: Does the phrase "who's in?" or "I'm in!" exist in (informal) English?

texts: I really think I've heard it in some American sitcom/sitcoms, meaning something like participating in. "I want to play football. Who's in?" — "Great idea, I'm in!" Does it really exist, or am I wrong? I've tried to search for it, without any result.


texts: How should punctuation be used in dialogues that end in "is all he/she/I said"?

texts:
In dialogues that are like the following ones, should the comma follow the dialogues like it does in dialogues that end with "she/he/I said"?

"I'm coming home," she said. (Comma follows dialogue.)

But, what about dialogues like these:

"Don't go," is all he managed to say. Should it be "Don't go" is all he managed to say, or should the comma come in?

"That's how it is," is all she says. (Comma or not comma?)


texts: Idiom or quote that means "Decided to be the opposite of [a person]"

texts:
I'm looking for an idiom (or pithy quote) that is equivalent to saying;

Having met that person, I decided that I would absolutely do the opposite of what they would do.

Any ideas?


texts: Why do people write "women characters" but not "children actors"?

texts:
In certain feminist circles, including major publications, it is politically correct to write "women characters" instead of "female characters". But why is the word "women" pluralized? Why is it apparently undesirable to write "woman characters"?

Yet, "child actors" is clearly preferred over "children actors" and people do not say "adults patients" instead of "adult patients", probably because it could get confused with "adult's patients".


texts: is it possible to raise the tip while raising the back and lowering the center of the tongue when making /R/ sound?

texts:
Following this video, this is how we correctly make the r sound:

Let the throat vibrate since it is voiced.
Round the lip a little.
Raise the tip of the tongue towards the hard bump behind the upper front teeth,
but do not let the tip of tongue touch the bump. This also makes the center of the tongue go down.
The back part of the tongue is raised because you pull it into a tight ball
Fold and raise the sides of the tongue so they touch the upper side-teeth.

If we follow the above requirement, our tongue should have an s shape when we pronounce the r sound as depicted in the following sketch:

Is it possible to raise the tip while raising the back and lowering the center of the tongue when making an r sound?

How do native speakers make an r?

P.S. My tongue is very short anyway!


texts: How to answer to a man knocking on the toilet door

texts:
When I was in toilet, I heard someone knocking on the door. I should have said something but all I could do was knock back the door. Are there any set phrases or expression often used when you answer back to someone outside the toilet door?

P.S.
I found an expression “Someone in!” in an old English book for  Japanese. Is it an usual expression? Is it obsolete?


texts: A finger is a component of a hand, a hand is the X of a finger

texts:
I'm working with a set of relationships between things, relationships that need descriptors.

John is a child of Susan, Susan is a parent of John; a parent-child relationship.
Milk is a product of cows, cows are a source of milk; a source-product relationship.
A finger is a component of a hand, a hand is the __ of a finger; a __-component relationship.

This gap could be filled by an unwieldy phrase like, "thing that is comprised of other things, such as", but I'd much rather use a single word instead.
Is there a word that can fill the gap in my example sentence?


texts: A word for a person who has a "listening ear"

texts:
I am looking for a word that describes a person who is always willing to listen. He/She is your go-to person whenever you want to express your deepest thoughts, problems, and/or burdens.

The person is not necessarily a confidante since the shared information is not necessarily secrets.

  Alice is my closest friend, she's the one I turn to when I need a ________ (person).


texts: What does it mean to "beat one's breast"?

texts:
I'm reading The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and was wondering what was meant by the action of beating one's breast.

eg.

  The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast,
     For he heard the loud bassoon.

and

  The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast,
     Yet he cannot chuse but hear;

I assume it's some expression of frustration/distraction/impatience. What does it mean precisely?


texts: "Right" and "Left" and "Top" and "Bottom"

texts:
We normally say to my right and to my left.

If something is located to my top or bottom how would I say that? Say, I am lying on the floor, to my right there is a wall, to my left there is a desk* and to my top/bottom? Should we use top and bottom or is there a better way of saying this?


texts: What the difference between 'it exists' and 'it does exist'? I want to know.


texts: What are general rules to form this superlatives: "adjective + most"?

texts:
I happen to find superlatives with the structure below:

Adjective + most,

which are:
 the rearmost, the frontmost, the uppermost, the headmost, the outermost, the topmost, etc.

What are the general rules to form this type of superlative? Is it related to direction?


texts: Is "criterions" a valid plural for "criterion"?

texts:
Is criterions a valid plural for criterion?

Dictionary.com says it is, but Oxford does not confirm or reject it.


texts: Is there a term/phrase that covers vague comparisons?

texts:
Take the phrase "X Corp has a turnover greater than some small countries".
A pedant will want to know the criteria for "small" country, are they developing or industrialised countries, what's the GDP . . . and many other such questions which will actually make the comparison less vague and more useful.

Look at this "Monster" XKCD cartoon that plays with this idea

Do these vague "I'm giving you an impression here but no useful data" comparisons have a name?


texts: "The more you (will) ask them, the harder it will be"

texts:
Is this correct?

  The more you will ask them, the harder it will be.

Should I use

  The more you ask them, the harder it will be

instead?


texts: Is 'on' still a preposition in the phrase 'on accident', or 'on purpose'? I have noticed Americans say 'on accident', where I would say 'by accident'.


texts: How do we treat the singular and plural of emoji?

texts:
In recent years Emoji (Images which are treated as text by computers, represented in the extended unicode range) have entered the common parlance of the English language.

But now I'm confused

According to Wikipedia it's a Japanese word, appropriated into English, so it doesn't follow the typical pluralisation rules of Latin-rooted words (for instance, the plural of radius is radii), so we can't use 'emojus' as a singular.

Is 'Emoji' singular, plural or both? If it's only one, what is the other form?


texts: Word for a person who always looks as if they are smiling when in fact they are not happy

texts:
I wonder if there is term for a person who seems as if they are smiling when in fact not actually in a happy mood.

There was a classmate of mine who  never looked serious. When he failed an exam, (though he was saying he was upset over that) still he looked like he had a slight smile.

Is there any term for the person  who regardless of any predicaments or failure, seems to be smiling?


texts: Is it correct to express possessive form of the word "past"?

texts:
The title a colleague came up with shows a possessive form of the word past - but it sounds off to me. Is this correct and if not, how do you suggest I phrase it instead?

  Melt the weight by breaking free of the past’s hold on our body


texts: A text has an introduction, a body, and a ...?

texts: What's a good word for describing the last section of a document, similar to "introduction" (which, of course, refers to the beginning)?


texts: “It’s time you begun” vs. “It’s time you began”

texts:
I noticed that the narrator at the beginning of Nightmare Before Christmas says, “Now, you’ve probably wondered where holidays come from. / If you haven’t, I’d say it’s time you begun.” (The intro on YouTube.)

I’m used to subjunctives as in “it’s time you did something” or “it’s time you went there” but not “it’s time you done something” or “it’s time you gone there.” Neither does the “begun” seem to rhyme with anything the way the previous verses do.

What’s going on here?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Expression for a choice which isn't really one

What is one word for "only one option"?
I am curious because I have to have an antonym for choice.


texts: Is it correct to say "What's the best search tools in windows?"

texts:
I saw a question in superuser.com, and the title ran:

  What’s the fastest desktop search tools you’ve used on Windows?

It uses 's with tools, is this correct? Or should it be What's the best tool or what're the best tools?


texts: Messing around on your phone or with your phone?

texts:
I have a lot of work to do but I'm just spending a whole day fiddling with my phone. And a friend asks me what I am doing right now. I answer: "I'm just messing around on/with my phone."

Which one is correct? If both are correct, is there any difference? Also If there are any more natural and idiomatic ways to say it, please let me know. Thank you!


texts: How do you find the right English words?

texts:
An example, just a minute ago I was looking for a word to replace candidate

Amongst the candidates for the album title.

since the candidate is a person, not the one-of-many album titles.

So, I was wondering. When faced with a problem as such, where do you go to look for a certain word, if you cannot remember it / do not know it?