texts: I'm searching for a word with a meaning similar to Racism or Sexism but within the context of religion. Is there a word for this meaning?


texts: Comma or semicolon before "see [reference]"

texts:
Motivated by this question on [academia.se]: a copy-editor changed the semicolon in

  This can be proved via the method of Gauss; see [1].

to a comma.

Is the version with a comma grammatically correct?
If they are both acceptable: is the version with a comma preferable to the one with a semicolon?


texts: What's the difference between these two?

texts:
Somehow I'm not able to differentiate between these two sentences:

Love which is greater for a child than for the wife.

Love which is greater for a child than the wife.

Which one is grammatically correct? and what's the difference between them?

Please help. Thank You.


texts: Should the singular or plural be used in 'capstans are not the only product(s)...'?

texts:
Capstans are not the only product(s) we manufacture.

Should 'product' be singular or plural in this sentence?

Context: This particular company makes capstans in various shapes and sizes. I guess it all depends on whether we consider 'capstans' to be a product group?


texts: How do we use "which" with a preposition in front of it to create a relative clause that you want to further describe the quality you have mentioned

texts:
Tom has a good mixture of characters, among which I am the most amazed by his patience and focus to solve puzzles.
Is it correction to use "among which" in the sentence above?


texts: What is the "superlative" way of expressing "thank you"

texts:
On rare occasions, you are in a situation where a simple Thank You seems like you're undermining the other person's help. You know, instances where you are too grateful to express your feelings of gratitude. When this happens face to face (or even over the phone) your body language/voice carry that feeling and the other person understands the full gravity of your expression.

However, many a time, all you have is online/email interface for expression. And words are all you can use. So my question(s) is(are):

Is there a superlative form of Thank You which one can make use of
in such cases?
Will you advice using the same during face-to-face(or voice)?
Which is the highest degree of gratitude you have seen/expressed?
Is there any chance that the other person might think you are exaggerating?

(If you are wondering about the last question : see my comment (3rd one) below this SO answer. Its not that there are no good books/authoritative articles/sources on theory of Object Oriented Programming. I have read few, if not many, of them. And I do feel strongly about the answer the user has given. But at the same time, I don't want to overdo it)


texts:
Context: See this tweet.
Is "I hadn't read it yet" correct in the above context? It would be better if you bolster your claims with a credible source.


texts:
A crane is a bird as well as a machine.

A date is a fruit as well as an outing with your boy/girl friend.

What are words with multiple meanings called?


texts: Do English speakers tend to use verbs in passive form?

texts:
Is my understanding true that English speakers tend to use passive instead of active form of verbs?

Compare these:

  Let's do it Let's get it done

  I will cook it I will get it cooked

  Starting Getting Started (mostly seen in the beginning of tutorials)


texts: Is 'expanse' an acceptable synonym for 'surface'?


texts: How can I say in English that students have passed all of their exams in the shortest period, that is, the first time exams were scheduled (only the first examination term was used)?


texts: "Merge a with b" and "Merge b with a" or "Merge b into a"

texts:
I might be having a dumb day but today after looking over my code I ran into a meaning issue with my own syntax, and the comments explaining that syntax...something I've never actually thought about until I decided I need to be clearer to myself, as this application gets larger and larger and I'm the only maintainer on this project...so here is the question.

If I were to say merge hash1 with hash2 what would that mean to you?  Would it be more proper to simply say "merge hash2 into hash1" since this is what I actually mean?  I'm not the the only one reading this so I want to be as clear as possible to people who aren't programmers what exactly is going on.

For anyone who wants elaboration on entities:
hash1 = {a: "default", b: "default", c: "default"}
hash2 = {a: "new", b: "new"}
Where in this case hash2 is being merged into hash1 so that hash2 overrides hash1.
For anyone who doesn't program, think of it as two lists, list2 merging into list1.


texts: What is the term for when someone buys something to wear once, and then returns it?

texts: I remember a specific term being used, but I don't remember exactly what it was. The word (or maybe phrase) was describing the act of buying something to wear to a party or event that the person returned when they were done with it.


texts: Once/twice/thrice vs one/two/three times

texts:
Is there a difference in nuance when using once, twice or thrice instead of one time, two times or three times, especially when counting occurrences?

  It has happened twice before.
  It has happened two times before.

Are they always interchangeable? What about other usages (e.g. when comparing magnitude)?

  The blue book is twice as heavy as the red one.
  The blue book is two times as heavy as the red one.


texts: Why are clothes “hung” but men “hanged”?

texts:
It is said that clothes can be hung but men are hanged.

Is this correct, and if so, why?


texts:
Practical English Usage 142.20 reads

  We usually leave out articles in abbreviated styles:

  numbering and labelling

  Go through door A
  Control to Car 27: can you hear me?
  Turn to page 26.

What can be considered labels? For example, "on page 10" and "in Chapter 2" are clear. But do the following need "the"?

The/_ name 'John' is popular.
We suggest use the/_ method Y...
...as the/_ variable x grows...
The/_ words "evokeo cvec" do not mean anything.

In other words, can "the" be omitted in every noun + its label/name phrase?


texts: Term that implies design and engineering

texts: I want know if the English language has a term that means "design and engineering".


texts: Is "more-point function" correct? (mathematics)

texts:
How do I describe in English (i.e. without mathematical symbols) the following mathematical object,  if I want to stress comparison with the two-point function?

  The n-point Green's function for n>2.

Background: For each natural number n>2 or n=2, there is an n-point Green's function.

Options:

  higher-point function (wrong)
  more-point function (more than 2, but still not clear)
  many-point function (many sounds much more than, say, 3)
  higher-order-[point]-function
  higher-rank-[point]-function

Which is the right terminology?


texts:
If I want to express that I'm in urgent state what is the best way to say it?
like I'm in haste! let me enter first please.

Update:
I want a word used for general purposes: like a child is late for his school, or employee is late for his work.

ex It's your work time! you must be in (some word) .


texts: What is the grammatically correct way to frame this sentence?

texts:
I saw this sentence online and it has been bothering me:

"Tomorrow is me and my girlfriend's anniversary."

I immediately had an aversion to this sentence after reading it but then I quickly had an aversion to my own corrections in my head:

"My girlfriend's and my anniversary is tomorrow."

"The anniversary of my girlfriend and me is tomorrow."

The original author's sentence plus my two corrections all "sound" incorrect despite one having a better chance at being grammatically correct.

The original author I think confused the adverb "Tomorrow" as being the subject since he or she (I don't want to assume the author is heterosexual) chose to begin the sentence with it.  However, in my estimation the subject of a sentence will remain so no matter where it's placed within the sentence; thus, "tomorrow" cannot be the subject but rather "anniversary" is which led me to use the options I listed above.  Which of these "corrections" is correct and why?  Both?  Neither?

Thank You

  Edit: Thank you all for the replies. Basically, I'm having a crisis of what sounds good to the ear and is standard versus what can
  sound incorrect/complex/clumsy to the ear but still be viewed as
  grammatically viable. Yes, adding a verb to describe what the couple
  would do on their anniversary and/or replacing "me and my girlfriend"
  with a standard possessive adjective "our" would easily solve the
  issue. But I guess my question was more about how irritatingly close
  can a speaker get to "bad grammar" or "broken English" without it
  being so? That's why I tried to use the OA's words at my disposal.


texts: When do you use the plural form for nouns that are generally considered uncountable?

texts: When should the plural form of the nouns combustible, material and liquid be used?


texts: Correct way to use multiple possessive apostrophes in sentences?

texts:
I find multiple possessive apostrophes confusing, and so I'm having trouble deciding which of the sentences below would be correct.
Example:

The bicycle's frame colour is red.

The bicycle frame's colour is red.

The bicycle's frame's colour is red.

Another example:

The thief's stash jewelry is very valuable.

The thief stash's jewelry is very valuable.

The thief's stash's jewelry is very valuable.

What would be the correct way to use apostrophes in these sentences?
Many thanks for helping.


texts:
Today’s New York Times carries the article titled “Veeps go yeep! Nation nods,” which is followed by the following statement:

  “Obama versus Romney on Tuesday! That will be far more important than
  the conventions. Or the first debate, which President Obama sort of
  lost, in a game-changing moment that we are now prepared to completely
  forget because it’s all about the next debate.”

I find no entry of “yeep” in any of Cambridge, Oxford, OALED, and Merriam-Webster dictionary. GoogleNgram registers “yeep,” of which usage is seen in 1840, peaks during 1920 – 1960, declining since then on the graph.

Incidentally, Readers English Japanese Dictionary published by a Japanese publisher registers “yeepie” as an American slang meaning “Youthful energetic elderly people involved in everything.”

What do “Yeep” and “Go yeep” mean? Does “go yeep” mean ‘get heated and go energetic”?

I wonder if “yeep” is as well-received English word as being flashily used in the headline of a leading English language newspaper, because I don’t find it in any of English dictionaries.


texts: Is, I am happy to talk more tomorrow, grammatically correct

texts:
Is this grammatically correct?

  Thanks Bob, I am happy to talk more tomorrow.

Or is it better to say:

  Thanks Bob, I will be happy to talk more tomorrow.

Does present and future tense matter? What is the correct way of wording this?


texts: What is the meaning of the word "lexia"?

texts:
"Thus, Landow (1992) argues that fully fledged hypertext systems afford readers the opportunity to write against the initial text, participating in the production of meaning by creating notes or linked lexia that may support or contradict the initial author's." - (Spinello, R., & Tavani, H. (2005), Intellectual Property Rights in a Networked World: Theory and Practice)

I couldn't find good search results for this term. It has been used in a couple of places in the book.


texts: What is a better way to say "the [quality/quantity] is similar for both"?

texts: I don't think this is a correct use of "both". Although it works, like how using a double-negative still gets the message across, I'd like to use an alternative.


texts: Why do we write "fixing" instead of "fixxing"?

texts:
When we have one vowel and one consonant and we want to add 'ing', we usually double the last consonant.
Why don't we add an extra 'x' to the word 'fix'?
We don't double 'w' and 'y' maybe because they are semi-vowels but what about 'x'?


texts:
"Slashdotting", or the slashdot effect is where a high profile website has a link to a low profile, low traffic website, and the increased web traffic on the latter causes it to slow down or crash.

Are there any hypernyms for this term, not limited to web sites being degraded? Of something being recommended by someone or something high profile, causing more people to visit or use it, resulting in it becoming overcrowded or otherwise degraded?

An example of that can be seen here, where a commenter has claimed that restaurants with the highest number of positive reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor or Yelp often will be crowded and have prices inflated, presumably as a result of its positive rating on those sites - increased real-life visitors from a high profile website causing a degraded experience.


texts: Meaning of "Lift" in "International sanctions lifted"

texts:
I want to know is it correct that "Lift" sometimes means to be "stop" as Wendy Sherman claimed in 2016 about the usage of that word in "International sanctions lifted"?
Google and almost everywhere that I have read ever, its meaning is "raise up, hoist, boost up, pick up, remove, etc. "


texts: I was thinking to myself of how to succinctly speak about a conversation I had over a text message and found myself struggling to find a word for it.  I'm looking for a single verb which means to converse with someone specifically via a text message format.  All the words I could think of (such as 'converse' and 'talked') have connotations of a verbal communication which of course does not occur in the context of text messaging.


texts: Use of the negative "couldn't" in a positive request

texts:
We were told to invite a certain person by Lord Garon. Seeing you here, we wondered if you couldn’t help us out.

He means to ask him for help, right?
Is it a typo?
In Polish, though, you can easily phrase it like that.

Should it have been worded using a question tag instead?

  we wondered if you could help us out, couldn't you

My mother language isn't English, and I'm not quite sure about some stuff.


texts: Usage of "Potential vs Promising" as an adjective

texts:
"Lithium ion batteries are considered as the most potential candidates for energy storage devices"

A native speaker who reviewed this sentence asked me to change "potential" to "promising". I couldn't get it because I can see in oxford dictionary that "potential" is also used as an adjective like in the following examples:

**Many supermarkets now provide free buses to carry potential customers into their premises.’

‘Instead the study was just a process to find out the potential capacity for new homes.’**

Is the change requested by him valid? Can anyone explain please?


texts:
Explain me please the meaning of the phrase in next context:

  Bleeding edge technology is a category of technologies so new that they could have a high risk of being unreliable and lead adopters to incur greater expense in order to make use of them. By its nature, a proportion of bleeding edge technology will make it into the mainstream. For example, email was once considered to be bleeding edge.

Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeding_edge_technology).

What is it in the sentence By its nature, a proportion of...? I'm confused because of the general meaning of phrase make smth into smth is

  to change something into something else

Source: Cambridge Dictionaries Online

So that as I think, in the  By its nature... sentence, the bleeding edge technology is a subject, it is an object, and subject will change object (what exactly?) into mainstream. Or make it into is just an idiomatic construction with the meaning "become" or ''come into (use)" ? Can I then say "A proportion of bleeding edge technology will be made into the mainstream."?


texts: Alternative word for playgoers' behavior

texts: Is there a word for playgoers' behavior when hissing and booing the villain?


texts:
What are the differences between pucker and tuck, as verbs?

I found that they can both mean "pull or gather up", "contract". Is it correct?


texts: I can’t figure out which word to use to describe fluid matter which never stops changing in shape

texts: Which word would you use to describe fluid matter which never stops changing in shape?


texts: Can an object with dependencies be called a "dependent"?

texts:
Programmers spend much time discussing and resolving object dependencies.

Dependency ... [is] a state in which one object uses a function of another object.²

For example, if A, an object, needs a function belonging to B, another object, we say,

A has a dependency.

According to Dependant - Wikipedia,

A dependant (Commonwealth English) or dependent (American English) is a person who relies on another as a primary source of income.

Can "dependent" be used more broadly, not for a person that relies on another financially but for an object in programming that relies on another to work? That is, can one say B "has a dependent"?


texts: Strong /strɔːŋ/ → stronger /strɔːŋɡər/ - Why do we have to put an extra /g/ in front of /ər/? Is it a rule?

texts:
Ok, see this in the dictionary:

Strong → /strɔːŋ/
Stronger → /strɔːŋɡər/

Why do we have to put an extra /g/ in front of /ər/?
But sing → /sɪŋ/ & singer → /ˈsɪŋər/ do not adhere to that rule. But "sing" is not an adjective.
Is it a rule that whenever we see /ŋ/ at the end of an adjective & if we want to put -er at the end of that word, then we will pronounce it like /ŋɡər/?


texts: "being" usage instead of "which is" at the end of a sentence

texts:
I saw a sentence while reading a book in which the following is written.

  “The NOW function is sometimes called a nondeterministic function , which is a fancy way of saying that the resulting data returned from
  this function is different every time it is called”

  Excerpt From: Shields, Walter. “SQL QuickStart Guide: The Simplified
  Beginner's Guide to Managing, Analyzing, and Manipulating Data With
  SQL.” Apple Books.

Can be "which is" replaced by "being" here as being like,

“The NOW function is sometimes called a nondeterministic function , being a fancy way of saying that the resulting data returned from
 this function is different every time it is called”

Can be the conversion(alternative version) applied always?


texts: Nonrestrictive Clauses and Coordinating conjunction separating two independent clauses

texts:
Quick, not so simple question.

I know that, if you join two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (like "and"), you need a comma before the coordinating conjunction.

For example: I walked to the store, and I bought some cheese.

My question is if this holds up when you throw in a non-restrictive clause after the coordinating conjunction.

For example: I walked to the store, and, despite having plenty of cheese at home, I bought some cheese.

or

I walked to the store and, despite having plenty of cheese at home, I bought some cheese.

Based on a strict following of the rules, I feel like the first example is correct. But it sure does look ugly.


texts: What do "Sech" and "Vich" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I am reading a book on life lessons, and the author quotes one of Charles Dickens's characters, Sarah Gamp, from his novel, Martin Chuzzlewit:

  Sech is life. Vich likeways is the hend of all things.

I didn't understand it. So I googled the sentence, read the whole paragraph that includes it, and came to realize that the sentence was likely to incorporate misspelled words on purpose probably to represent something about the character who said it, but that was all.

Here are my research and best guesses:

I looked up the Wiktionary and found out that hend is the old form of the verb grasp. But, it still doesn't make sense to me because hend is used as a noun in the sentence.
I thought maybe sech was such, which makes the first part "Such is life." If it's true, I understand that.
Likeways is probably Likewise
Never have I figured out what Vich means.
Never could even I guess what in the hend of meant.

If you could help me understand what sech, vich, and in the hend of mean, or suggest what you think the original words of those if they were purposefully misspelled, it would be greatly helpful.

Thanks for reading!
P.S. Here's the whole paragraph that has the problematic sentence.

  'Talk of constitooshun!' Mrs Gamp observed. 'A person's constitooshun need be made of bricks to stand it. Mrs Harris jestly says to me, but t'other day, "Oh! Sairey Gamp," she says, "how is it done?" "Mrs Harris, ma'am," I says to her, "we gives no trust ourselves, and puts a deal o'trust elsevere; these is our religious feelins, and we finds 'em answer." "Sairey," says Mrs Harris, "sech is life. Vich likeways is the hend of all things!"'


texts:
Imperative + and, or Imperative + then. Which one is more correct?

Does anyone know? please answer me.

Study hard, and you will become a great teacher.
Study hard, then you will become a great teacher.


texts: "consumers may not trust producers for (??) enforcing the property"

texts:
Here's an example sentence:

  "consumers may not trust producers for enforcing the property"

Should it really be "for" there on the middle? Or should it be some other word?


texts:
I was just wondering if there was a specific term to refer to fruits when they have undergone oxidation. That is, their flesh turns a yellowish-brown. This usually happens when the fruit has been left in the open air. I seem to remember that a few years ago, someone told me it was called "rust". However, I think "rust" usually refers to a plant disease that is fungal, isn't it? Or does rust refer to both? I've searched up the dictionaries, but it doesn't seem to be so.

Is there a single term for this?


texts: Are "preaching to the choir" and "preaching to the converted" synonymous?

texts:
The following are acceptable expressions that I have heard:

  "Preaching to the choir"

  "Preaching to the converted"

To me, both mean essentially that you are trying to explain something to someone who already understands it. So you are wasting your time. (Edit: Although GEdgar's definition is better: "Arguing a controversial subject only with those who already share your opinion")

My friend is suggesting that there is a subtle difference in the meaning between the two. Is he right?

Edit: He suggests that the former has the implied context that very few people are listening- preachers normally preach to a congregation. The latter does not.


texts: What are the reasons that its decision to open itself automatically or not is based on?

texts:
Is the following phrase grammatically right?
"When Twitter shows a notification, what are the reasons that its decision to open itself automatically or not is based on?"

This question is probably banal to most of you, but I'm Italian and I think this phrase has something strange, isn't it?


texts:
The Free Dictionary defines it as "to start to accept and deal with a difficult situation," but I don't know what accept means in this expression.

Does accept mean to welcome the difficult situation? That can't be right, as I've heard "come to terms with" pertain to one whose friend or family member died, and I doubt anyone would welcome that.

Does accept mean tolerate, as in to allow the difficult thing to happen? That wouldn't work either, as going back to the death example, there's nothing one can do to make the dead individual stop being dead (for now, at least).

So, I'd like some help understanding "come to terms with" given my trouble with the definition I've seen.


texts:
I lived in Australia for 13 years and many times when speaking to local Aussie people, I often hear they use "ei" or "ey" (I do not know how to write that word, and that is why I am asking you) like "It's cool ey" "She is beautiful ey".

See this conversation:

Tom: My boss always criticizes me, blame me for no good reason, bla, bla, etc

Jack: He is bad ey

There are not many Australian women saying "ey" like that. But it seems that more men especially young Aussie people saying "ey" like that.

I am not sure if it is popular in UK or in USA, but is quite popular in Australia.

How to use the sound "ei" or "ey" in English conversation, which is quite popular in Australia?

Can you give me a video link demonstrating how to use it?


texts: Adjective to describe someone who values and nurtures their interpersonal relationships

texts:
Is there an adjective to describe someone who values their interpersonal relationships with family, friends and colleagues, and who puts time and effort into developing and nurturing those relationships?

For example, if I was describing someone's personal qualities, I might describe them as being smart, humble, kind, passionate and X; where X is the adjective I'm looking for.


texts:
I've noticed that on many American TV shows, the speakers generally don't use the word "on" before names of days or before dates.
For example: I'll see you Monday.

Shouldn't it be:

I'll see you on Monday?
The movie is coming out June 14th.

Is this usage exclusive to American English or this grammatically correct in British English as well?


texts: Is 'used to' describing something changed?

texts:
I'm an English learner but I found that here are different ideas on "used to" among others and me. I think 'used to' is used to describe something changed now.

  I used to be afraid of snakes. (But now I am not.)

But others think I'm wrong.

  I used to be afraid of snakes. (Don't know how is the speaker feeling now.)

I am not sure I'm correct or wrong. Could someone explain it?


texts: Central determiners "some" and "any" used with singular count nouns

texts:
I couldn't comment on Irene's post here, so I decided to make a topic.

I'd like to know whether this phrase: "I can give you any book that's left" is grammatically right since "some" and "any" are supposed to be used with noncount and plural count nouns.

The rule I'm referring to can be found in Quirk's grammar on page 256


texts: Placement of dependent clauses in a sentence in scientific writing

texts:
I would like to present the following two variations of the same sentence:

  Thus, alternative treatments have been developed, such as radiation or demineralization, which overcome these shortcomings.

and

  Thus, alternative treatments, such as radiation or demineralization, that overcomes these shortcomings have been developed.

Is there a specific reason why the second variation of the first sentence is incorrect? I suspect that, aside from the erroneous use of that vs which, the sentence isn't technically incorrect, but merely lacks the flow of the first sentence.


texts: "It also has motivated me..." Is this correct?

texts:
I was hoping somebody with native English could help me find a better way to say this, or if this is fine as it is let me know. Specially the "HAS motivated me", I'm not 100% sure if it's correct or not. Thank you so much in advance!

  Personally, now more than ever I'm super happy to be a tutor, it is exciting to see the students progress and I feel so committed to help them be the best designers they can be. It also has motivated me to read more and be better at my job, it made me fall in love with my career all over again


texts: A word for "mature and stable but neither modern nor outdated"

texts:
Is there a word that captures the following meaning?
"Neither modern nor outdated. Mature and stable."
For example, if this word were X, then we could apply it to a technology like television or a branch of study like science because they are mature and stable. Neither is exactly too modern. However, we could not apply this word to say smartphones or electric cars because they are pretty modern. They may be stable too but they are modern and so they are ruled out.
Here are some example usages of this word:

Television is an X piece of technology.

I love web browsers because they are X.


texts:
Which one of the two following sentences is more appropriate?

Each state stands for a possible configuration of the system, and it is represented in the state space by a point.
Each state stands for a possible configuration of the system, and is represented in the state space by a point.

Is the pronoun 'it' necessary or redundant in the first sentence? Thanks.


texts: Finding the correct interpretation of "Every X [units of time], at maximum/minimum."

texts:
I've recently been involved in a discussion over different interpretations of the following sentence (paraphrased):

  Users may update their information every two weeks, at maximum.

The intended meaning is "no more frequently than once every two weeks", but some people seem to read it as exactly the opposite ("no less frequently"). A quick search on Google threw up examples of both interpretations (albeit usually sans comma), so now I'm somewhat stumped.

To my mind, "every two weeks" specifies the frequency at which something may occur, while "at maximum" indicates that this is the highest frequency, not he largest interval of occurrences.

Is there any one "correct" interpretation of this sentence, or is the wording simply too ambiguous?

regards
Luke


texts: Are there historic sayings in English equvalent to Japanese “It’s up to you how you comment . But it’s me who take the action after all.”

texts:
There is a popular Japanese saying “It’s up to you how you comment. But it’s me who take action after all.”

The line came from the answer of Katsu Kaishu (勝海舟-1823-1829), who was the leading figure of Tokugawa regime and contributed to peaceful turning-over of Ed Castle to Anti-Tokugawa revolutionary force in 1868 without shedding even a drop of blood, to the public comment by Fukuzawa Yukichi (福沢諭吉 1835-1901), enlightment thinker, journalist, and founder of Keio University criticizing Katsu’s defection from Tokugawa Shogunate to the dignitary of new government after Meiji revolution. Fukuzawa was also a vassal and middle class official of Tokuga regime.

To Fukuzawa’s cutting accusation of Katsu as a turncoat in the famous essay titled “痩せ我慢の説 - Importance of Perseverance and Royalty.” Katsu responded with 15 characters / two lines in a letter, saying “行蔵は我に存す。毀誉は他人の主張 - It’s me who take the action (and responsibility). It’s up to you (I don’t care) how you evaluate it and whatever you criticize me.”

When I get a down-vote or close vote, I mutter this word to myself.
Are there equivalent wise sayings or historic remarks in English to the above?


texts: Does the word "dashily" exist in English?

texts:
Could someone, please say if the word "dashily" exists? I couldn't find one in any vocabularies. A few hours ago I saw this web clip (The Vampire Diaries), and beginning from 00:40 Damon says:

  And listen, despite the fact that my long list of dashily deeds involves killing you, I'm glad you're alive.

Maybe, I can't hear the word correctly, and there must be another one. Please, help me understand what it is and what it means. I'd really appreciate any help. :)


texts:
I got a question about the use of "found" and "found to be"

May I ask if there is any grammar mistake in the following statement?

  During the test, the vulnerability was found fixed

Someone told me that it should be

  during the test, the vulnerability was found to be fixed

Actually, the background of this case is that I performed a test on a software and check if its vulnerability is fixed or not.


texts: Is there a term for taxes, duties and fees?

texts:
Is there a term that can be used for any kind of taxes, duties or fees?
Sample sentence:

The taxes, duties and fees for the product are calculated and the total is saved to the <taxes, duties and fees> field.


texts: What is the difference between rite and ritual?

texts: I have found the word rite or ritual used separately and have also found written together like "rite and ritual". But, what are differences between them. If they are related to religions, Give me examples of both rite and ritual from Hindu and christian or buddhist relegion.


texts: "Product detail page" or "product details page"?

texts:
As a name for a (web) page that shows detailed information about a product, which of the following is better fitting/correct:

  product details page

or

  product detail page

Or is there an even better name?


texts:
I have to convert two sentences following a particular instruction.

1) We reminded him several times but he refused to pay.(Begin:Several... )(Use :"notwithstanding")

2)"In spite of the cold weather,many parents were present."(Begin:The cold weather...)(Use:notwithstanding )

I searched the net extensively.Got the best examples here

Any ideas?Please help!!


texts:
The society is growing at the top of the deep trenches left by centuries of colonial repression.

Can we write on top of the deep trenches here in the above question ?


texts: "Fish and meat gives..." or "Fish and meat give..."?

texts:
Fish and meat gives us protein.

Or

Fish and meat give us protein.

Thank you I appreciate your help.


texts: Clause and noun as subject in a sentence

texts:
Can I use both a clause and a noun as the subject of a sentence?

For example:

  How the factors interact and their compound impact are not well understood.

I find the meaning is clear but the structure of the sentence seems not valid.


texts: Do -ist words (e.g. racist) have superlative or comparative forms?

texts: Do -ist words (e.g. racist, sexist, etc.) have superlative or comparative forms?


texts: When did initial-origin words (PRONOUNCED AS WORDS) start happening?

texts:
Someone was just asking if there were words like lol formed, before, the txtmsg era.
Of course there were - for example "laser".
However .. in fact what was the earliest example of this in English?
Words pronounced as full words - but which started as initials or the initial parts of a series of words.
What is the earliest example of a word like "radar"?
Is there anything like "laser" (laser: 1960) before, let's say, the electric era?  Just a wild guess -- did this fad perhaps start with WW2?
So where and when did this begin in English, and what is the earliest example?

Note -- here's a somewhat related question, but the information there is utterly useless. It's astounding that people can't grasp the difference between laser or lol, and, CIA or INRI.


texts: Should comma be specified after "I" in case of a sentence like I myname?

texts:
This question is about a confusion that I always had in my mind.

My question:
Suppose I am writing a sentence(for a speech or something like that) that actually begins like

I myname and the sentence continues.

My question is that should there be a comma after I?


texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences?

1- I will say that it is good for you.
2- I would say that it is good for you


texts: What's a good word that means extraordinariness or exceptional-ness?

texts:
I have a sentence that currently reads "All they want is to be extraordinary."

There's nothing wrong with that. I can certainly live with it. But what I want is a sentence in the form "All they want is 'extraordinariness.'"

Is there a good word for that in English? My vocabulary doesn't usually fail me so spectacularly.

In case it helps anyone, I'm writing an essay about the inevitable choice between dual mediocrities which characterises the identity of East German youth in Sonnenallee.

....I'm also writing it in German. So if anyone happens to know a word in German that doesn't necessarily have a good English translation, I'd be happy to learn of it (preferably in a comment.) :)


texts:
I've heard that the origin of the word "handkerchief" is:

hand (in the modern meaning),
ker (old "cover"),
chief (old "head").

In old French is couvrechief.

Why these changes were take place? Can you tell more about this?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "butt of (all) jokes"? I'm wondering whether 'jokes' are being personified here (as per the origin of the term) with 'butt' being used as it's not exactly the most exalted part of the body, or whether 'butt' was intended more as a 'base' for all jokes? (I'm leaning towards the latter.)


texts: Is the sentence "What to do?" very old fashioned idiomatic English, or is it simply ungrammatical?

texts:
On a foreign-language-learning forum there is a question that's given the English translation "What to do?"

My impression is that that's an example of very old fashioned English. Maybe something I'd expect in Shakespeare or at least a snooty upper class character in an old black-and-white movie.

Or am I mistaken and it's just a simple bad translation into an ungrammatical sentence lacking a main verb?

References:

A Spanish-English forum thread on Duolingo about "What to do" in which some native English speakers take issue with it.
(I'm still looking for the original Duolingo thread which inspired me to ask this question, which was in a Chinese-English forum there...)

At Mari-Lou's suggestion, here are some of the comments against. There are also comments for, which I'm not listing. You can scan through the thread if interested:

Not at all common without a subject. More common: What am I doing?
It may be heard in the UK, but it is not common. In context, it would probably be understood. But from a native speaker, it would sound archaic and peculiar.
Native speakers in the US never say this!
I have never heard anyone say What to do? in English
"What to do?" Makes no sense as an English sentence.
This is not a widely accepted way to express oneself in English.
In English " To do what? or Do what! would be normal but not "What to do?" as a question is not correct in my opinion.
I don't agree with Duolingo's translation on this one. In Spanish you can ask "Que hacer?", but in English "What to do?" is not a grammatically correct question.
"What to do?" sounds like a mistake a Spanish-speaking person would make at an early stage of learning English.
I certainly recognise what you say, but it doesn't sound like English as I speak it.
Does any english speaker actually say "what to do?" I definitely don't


texts:
What does know life for what it is mean? Maybe it means something like know what life is really like?

  Always to look life in the face and to know it for what it is.


texts:
Which one is correct? If none of them are, could you be so kind as to provide a correct alternative?

  This song reminds me of the old times.

or

  This song reminds me of the old time.


texts: Asking whether one has been in this company for a very long time?

texts:
Is it right to say:

1) Have you been working with this company for a very long time?

2) Have you been with this company for a very long time?

Or are there better ways of asking?

Extra: How about "Are you with this company for a long time?" Can I use "are" in this manner?


texts: What's the difference between a House and a Dynasty?

texts: Why is it called "House of Plantagenet" or "House of Lancaster", instead of "Dynasty of Plantagenet" or "Dynasty of Lancaster"? What's the difference between house and dynasty?


texts:
At times I have caught myself writing the noun form of abolish as "abolishment" and then pausing before realizing it should really be "abolition". Even as I type my spellchecker tells me that "abolishment" is wrong, but I know it isn't, it's just rarely used. The website grammarist has this to say

  Abolishment vs. abolition
  Abolishment appears in many dictionaries and is not considered incorrect, but abolition is preferred in all modern varieties of English. Both nouns mean the act of doing away with something, and neither has any meanings it does not share with the other.

  Both words date from the early 16th century (soon after abolish came
  to English from French roots), but abolition has always been more
  common, and it now appears about ten times as often as abolishment.
  Some writers reserve abolishment for senses unrelated to slavery, but
  the distinction is unnecessary.

Nevertheless, I would like to know why the most common noun form is abolition. If I look at other verbs ending -ish it seems that the suffix -ment is preferred to make nouns.

abolish+ -ment (rare)
accomplish+ -ment
astonish+ -ment
banish+ -ment
establish+ -ment
demolish+ -ment (but that's considered archaic)
malnourish+ -ment
vanish + -ment

Curiously, Oxford Online Dictionaries lists only the noun abolishment in its entry for abolish, although it does have a separate entry for abolition. Is there a reason for this?

Why was/is the term abolition preferred to abolishment?
Considering the very many verbs that ending in -ish, why is the noun form abolition?

(I know "why" questions are nigh impossible to answer but I tend to see patterns and  aboli+ -tion appears to be an exception)


texts: unable to provide vs. unable of providing

texts:
Someone proof read a document I've been working on and made the following amendment. I would like know which one is correct or sounds better. Please develop your answer.

  ...such strategies are unable to provide continuous benefits

to

  ...such strategies are unable of providing continuous benefits


texts: How to punctuate a sentence starting with "what."

texts:
This has probably been asked before but I can't find a search term that finds it.

Is the punctuation correct in the following sentence:

  What, are you not hungry?

I could write it as two sentences:

  What? Are you not hungry?

But that seems to indicate too long of a pause after "What?"


texts: Is there any connection between 1 bit = 1/8 dollar and 1 bit = 1/8 byte?

texts:
I always thought the 1/8 ratio of bit/dollar was the inspiration for the bit/byte naming scheme, but I can't seem to find any evidence for this in my admittedly limited research.

Wikipedia claims that the bit stands for Binary digIT, which would mean that either that's a bacronym (since I assume 8 bits/byte wass chosen for a reason other than an analogy to currency).

Is this just a weird coincidence?


texts:
If I wanted to say: this folder contains the links to all the programs,

should I use: this folder contains the program links or this folder contains the programs links ?


texts: Usage of article and grammatical number for the term "same name"

texts:
I'm writing a technical documentation which should describe in a short sentence that I'm trying to find all groups of files from a set of files where all files within a group share a common (but unspecific) name. I don't know which of the following sentences states this correctly (if any):

I'm searching for files with same name.
I'm searching for files with same names.
I'm searching for files with the same name.
I'm searching for files with the same names.

In my non-native English ears options 2 and 3 sound more correct than the others, but I'm not sure about it.

The closest comparison that I found on the web is this one:

  having the same name
  47,600 results on the web

  having the same names
  2,690 results on the web

However, "having the same names" sounds most strange to me anyway
and this comparison doesn't cover all of my variants.

Which of the options that I listed above is/are the (most) correct one(s)?


texts:
I am new in this web site!

I would like to know if the following sentence is correct :

  Operating systems offer processes running in user mode a set of
  interfaces that can be used to make requests for privileged
  operations.

When offer has two objects (here process and set of interface), should
one of the objects be preceded by the to preposition?


texts:
I've come across the following sentence in a book:

“I wanted to learn everything I could about it from whomever in the country might have specialized knowledge of it.”

I know that the whomever is the object of the preposition from (hence whom). However, isn't it at the same time the subject of the subordinate clause? Therefore, should it not be whoever? (Like in: “I was escaping from I don't know what.” NOT “I was escaping from me don't know what.”)
In my view, the sentence would be more elegant if it read:

“I wanted to learn everything I could about it from whoever in the country might have specialized knowledge of it.”
“I wanted to learn everything I could about it from whomever in the country.”
“I wanted to learn everything I could about it from whomever in the country who might have specialized knowledge of it.”
“I wanted to learn everything I could about it from whomever in the country with specialized knowledge of it.”


texts: The etymology of the phrase "I'm afraid not"

texts:
When confirming bad news, or replying to a request in the negative it is common to hear one of these two phrases:

  I'm afraid so.

or

  I'm afraid not.

The general meaning inferred by "I'm afraid" seems to be apologetic, as in: "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news".

Is someone able to explain why we use this terminology and whether afraid in this sense is the same afraid we use to mean "to be fearful of something"? And if it is, what exactly is it that one is afraid of?


texts:
See context below:

  Bloomberg is well known for his malapropisms and mispronunciations:
  he's introduced former Yankee manager Joe Torre as "Joe Torres" [and] waxed
  rhapsodic about the famous singing duo "Simon and Garfinkle."


texts: How correct is the line "I'm gone away"?

texts: I've been listening to this track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCn92IKdU8s), but the line from the chorus "I'm gone away" sounds a bit odd to me. What do native speakers have to say? Thanks.


texts: Is "I am abysmal at writing" grammatically correct?

texts:
It sounds wrong to me - I would consider "My writing is abysmal" or "I write abysmally" as the correct forms.

"I am abysmal at writing" sounds like "I am fast at eating"

Is it correct or wrong? If not, what grammatical rule applies here?


texts:
I have a book about plants. In one section I am describing a certain species X. In this section, after general description of the plant, I put a photo showing its flower. Now, in the photo caption, should I say "The flower of species X growing in Florida." or "A flower ..." ? What is a difference in meaning?

Makoto


texts: Is the sentence given below an example of syntactic ambiguity?

texts:
The shelf can support a heavier load compared to the others.

Would this sentence be considered ambiguous? To me, the pronoun others could refer to either other shelves or other loads, but I wanted to check with the folks at stack exchange. If the sentence is ambiguous, would including a comma before compared resolve the ambiguity? It's a simple matter to replace others with other shelves or other loads, but I was wondering if there were ways around this that would keep the pronoun.


texts: Should we treat "information" as a plural term in the following context?

texts:
I'm writing a thesis on web information extraction. I use the term information a lot in my thesis, but I'm not sure I should treat it as a plural term or singular term. The following are some cases where I have doubt.

How are faculty member information presented in web pages?
Information extracted from multiple sources are integrated based on some rules.

As you can see from the examples, I use it as a plural term in the context. However, I don't feel right when I actually read it. Anyone please shed some light on this?


texts: Is "I turned on and off the computer" grammatically correct?

texts: Sounds wrong to me, and I would say, "I turned the computer off, and then on again", but I was wondering if both forms are acceptable.


texts:
I'm writing about a javascript library. and i have the following example:

"The founder of this JavaScript library, Jason M. Saragih, wrote an article [1] with et. al, reviewing considerations on how to accelerate their approach."

I can see that this doesn't look right. How to best use the et.al in this case?

Notes:

library founder = 1 (Jason M. Saragih).

Article authors = 3 (Jason M. Saragih), (Simon Lucey), (Jeffrey F. Cohn)


texts:
What is appropriate to use in cases of death in natural disasters: killed, or died?

Lets say, I wanted to say, "Earth destroyed this morning, everyone [died|got killed] in a parallel universe."

I am not sure what is more appropriate to use.

Died seems to me as if someone died from injury, or disease or something that does not intend to kill it. While killed seems more like an external factor that caused the death of someone purposefully.


texts: What does "check" mean in "check your privilege"?

texts:
The phrase "check your privilege" is currently enjoying some popularity on the Internet.  It seems that "check" could have several meanings:

holding back so as to avoid applying unwanted force: "The batter checked her swing."
examine closely: "This item has been checked for defects."
give to one's host for safekeeping: "All firearms must be stowed in checked baggage."

Which meaning best applies in this phrase?  It's not entirely clear if the intent is to get people to halt the oppressive use of unearned authority (the "holding back" or "safekeeping" meanings) or to get people to look more carefully at it (the "examine" meaning).


texts: What would you write in this case? (a sign in a fitting room)

texts:
Once in a fitting room of one clothes store in Taiwan I saw a sign saying something like

  Watch your lipstick carefully no to touch the clothes you are trying on.

While the main concern was pretty much clear to me—the owner of the store didn't want to have lipstick stains on the clothes he was selling—I kind of suspected that the way the thought was expressed was wrong. I tried to come up with my own better version and failed. So, if you were the owner of that store, what would you write on that sign?


texts:
From Oxford Dictionaries

  characterized by the belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.

Is there an opposite view for not taking the big picture at face value (accepting that 'face value' is not baked into the definition of holistic), but evaluating the individual components to come to your own conclusion of the big picture 'from first principles'?

For example:

  Rather than accepting the 'big picture' conclusion, she used _________ to come to the same conclusion by looking at the individual factors at play, from first principles.

The best I can think of is Critical Thinking or Inductive (?) Reasoning, but both are techniques and not philosophies.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What are the rules for splitting words at the end of a line?

In printed texts, especially those with narrow columns, it's necessary from time to time to divide the last word in the line, and put some of it on the line below. The computer's automatic word-breaking system can execute this, but sometimes the output is 'wrong': tran + scend or trans + cend, des + pite or de + spite, the + rapist or ther + apist and go on and on. Yet dictionaries are far from unanimous about word-breaking.

That being said, I wonder if there are any 'rules' or guidelines that can be helpful in word-breaking actions.


texts: "the above" is correct, "the below" is not?

texts:
I have often read "None of the above" at the end of multiple-choice questions (and I guess this is shorthand for "None of the above items").

Recently, in answering a help center email with my answer on top of the help center’s suggestions, I wrote "none of the below helps me". It struck me as incorrect just after having send it. I guess I should have put "None of the items below".

But it seems to me it is a matter of usage rather than logic : if "the above" is OK, what’s wrong with "the below" ?


texts: Shakespeare uses a lot of blank verse. I get it that there's no proper rhyme scheme, but there is meter. Why is it called "blank"?


texts:
A non native English speaker says
"I was hunting a jacket for my son at mall"
For, me "hunting" is not an appropriate word here. How can I explain this concept?


texts:
In dictionary, I see phrases in the form of 'as + ing' quite many times, for example,

  attribute : regard something as being caused by (something or
  someone)

Is 'as' here a preposition or conjunction? And how the past participle 'being caused' is used here? (As adjective or adverb?) If I rephrase the above sentence, is it just "regard something as it is caused by (something or someone)"?

I think actually the way I understand the above sentence is more like "regard something as a (or the) thing (being) caused by (something or someone)".

All I want is to rigorously understand the meaning of the above sentence in the dictionary, and the usage of 'as' and participles as in here. So far I cannot find a single reference that gives a proper explanation on the usage of 'as' as in here.


texts:
Can someone tell me if the sentences below are correct?

It allows you to bulk create sheets.
It allows you to bulk print sheets.
It allows you to bulk edit sheets.

When I write a sentence with "to bulk" + other verbs, Grammarly tells me that it's not correct. However, I see this combination widely spread and used by companies like Google, Microsoft, Jira, etc (I am giving those examples because the content I am writing is about software).


texts: " I found her tiring and depressing " is this sentence correct?

texts:
I found this sentence in my exam, I would like to know that my answer is correct or not.
Actually I should answer " tired and depressed "


texts: A word for: "The strongest should help the weakest"?

texts:
Is there a word to describe the concept of "The strongest should help the weakest (members of society)"? Or related concepts like "The strongest will learn faster by helping weaker others", or "The perks of elitism should be paid for in a form of benefit to the weakest".

  Your life of freedom and comfort will have to be paid for. You should be helping others. Simply by the ethical commandment of _______"


texts: Meaning of "as we should" in this sentence?

texts:
I was reading the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire and came across this sentence:

  "Mormont said as we should track them, and we did," Gared said.

I couldn't exactly understand why there was an as there and asked a native English speaker, however, she couldn't give me a real answer. Can anybody shed some light on this?


texts: Is this grammatically correct? omitting "and"

texts:
It is terrifying when I see people demolishing cultural sites and monuments, "and" recording and posting them online.
Is it ok if I omit the second "and"?
Will it still make sense?


texts:
Is there a more colloquial term for a "confidant", or someone who has been entrusted with sensitive information to be disclosed only under certain conditions?

This is related to my previous question on trusted proxies.


texts: Is there a difference between "assistant manager" and "manager assistant"?

texts:
Would a switch of the word 'assistant' and 'manager' cause differences in a universal corporate context?

In my opinion, assistant manager is just a rank below a manager. This seems to apply to manager assistant.


texts: Replace "future work" with a phrase in three words?

texts:
Since I don't intend to continue work on my paper, I don't want to use the phrase "future work". After reading two similar questions (1 and 2), my first thinking is that most of the suggested replacements are long. There are two nominees that sound good:

"Open questions"
"Further discussion" or put it under "Discussion" section

But sometimes it's not a question nor a discussion, e.g. "find a better method to solve this problem".

Since the title of a section shouldn't be too long, I want to limit it not more than three words. Do you have any ideas?

I just think about these phrases, what do you think?

"Potential direction". Thanks to jakebeal's answer.
"Further development"


texts:
The following rule (or 'rule', this being English) is sometimes quoted:

  If a word has two or more syllables, double the final consonant when adding a suffix if and only if the final syllable is stressed in speech.

(There's also constraints about not doubling h, j, q, v, w, x, y (here), but that's not relevant in this case.)

So for example we have

begin \bi-ˈgin,  bē-\ → beginning
prefer \pri-ˈfər\  → preferred

but

listen \ˈli-sᵊn\ → listening
happen \ˈha-pən, -pᵊm\ → happening.

By that logic, we should have

histogram \ˈhi-stə-ˌgram\ → histogramed, histograming.

The trouble is, that's mostly not what people actually do; see the google books Ngram, below. Moreover, Wiktionary says that it is histogrammed/histogramming (here)
.

Unfortunately, the major dictionaries do not list histogram as a verb; in particular, the OED doesn't. But in the sciences, people do use it—both with the doubling of the m (here) and without (here). However, the double-m version is 10-20 times more common, according to this google books Ngram:

(A very similar Ngram is obtained for histogramming,histograming.)

Questions:

Did I state the rule (or 'rule') about the consonant doubling correctly? Here is an example of how simple, often-repeated rules may in reality be simplified versions of more complex actual rules: the source I linked above (as well as many others) says that for single-syllable words, the final consonant is doubled if the vowel is short. But according to John Lawler (here), the actual rule is a bit more convoluted: if the vowel was short in Middle English (/ɪ ɛ æ ɔ ə/) and it uses only one vowel letter and it's in a syllable ended by a consonant, then you double the consonant in spelling. Is there a similarly more complicated rule for multi-syllable words? If so, what does it say about histogramed/histogrammed ?
Imagine you had to use the past tense of histogram in a text. What would you write?

(3. What was this 'histogramming craze' in the early '80s?)

Edit

The Free Dictionary has the following discussion:

  Exception 1: Doubled consonants in unstressed syllables

  Note that there are several words that have primary emphasis on the first syllable but have doubled consonants when taking vowel suffixes. Most of these have a secondary stress on the last syllable, which might be part of the reason why their final consonants are doubled, but this is not always the case.

  The situation is made more difficult by the fact that many of these words have variant or accepted alternative spellings in which the final consonant isn’t doubled, and the preference for some of these variants often comes down to regional dialect. This leads to confusing spelling decisions such as kidnaped vs. kidnapped and worshiped vs. worshipped. Unfortunately, we just have to memorize these exceptions:

  crystal \ˈkri-stᵊl\ → crystalline, crystallize  (but also crystalize; crystalline has only one spelling)
  input \ˈin-ˌpu̇t\ → inputted, inputting
  kidnap \ˈkid-ˌnap\ → kidnapped, kidnapping (in AmE also kidnaped, kidnaping)
  program \ˈprō-ˌgram, -grəm\ → programmable, programmed, programmer, programming (but also programed, programing)
  worship \ˈwər-shəp also ˈwȯr-\ → worshipped, worshipper, worshipping (in AmE also worshiped, worshiper, worshiping)


texts: What is another word for 'being exposed to'?

texts:
I'm trying to think of the word for someone sort of being forced to be exposed to an idea or belief, but I can't think of it. I'll know it when I see it, but it's slipping my mind.

An example of how I'm trying to use it:

  ... being _____ to Christian beliefs.

I keep wanting to say susceptible, but I know that's not right. Is it? Because susceptible is more like vulnerable, correct?

I know I'm looking for a specific word, but if anything else comes to mind (a phrase, etc) please feel free to share.

PS: The example is not the complete sentence I am trying to use, but it is the most relevant part of the sentence.


texts: Does “slight future” have negative connotations?

texts: I'm not an native English speaker and I see this word used in so many different contexts. Does "slight" come with negative connotations? It can be used negatively, but does it default to the negative? The movie "Her" marketed itself as being set "in the slight future". Is this supposed to refer to a many sci-fi movies' obsession with futuristic dystopias or does it literally just mean being nearer to now than "in the near future"?


texts: What is the word for or a psychological term for person who knows how to do a job but says he does not know because he does not want to work?

texts: If I am assigned a work and i know how to do it but I will say i do not know because I do not want to work.


texts: Usage of "please" at the beginning of a sentence

texts:
Please report more details.
  Please do not send your faxes from the office.
  Please do not hesitate to contact us from our website.

Does please have the same meaning, in those sentences?
In the second sentence, could it be understood as I demand/ask you don't send your faxes from the office?
What is the difference between please do not sent your faxes from the office, and do not sent your faxes from the office?


texts:
Can anyone tell me what is the name of the following exercise?

Lie straight (first image)
Touch your feet (second image).


texts: Referring collectively to the teachers and students at a university

texts:
In designing a learning management system for a university, and I would like to define a user role which groups together teachers and students. Is there any word that refers to them collectively?

The only word that I can think of is "participants", in the sense that both teachers and students participate in learning activities.

Luckily, aside from participants, I only have "system administrators" in my system, so there is no notion of e.g. university administration staff.


texts: Is there any difference between "switch" and "swap"?

texts: Is there any difference between switch and swap?


texts: The word order in sentences with 'once a week'

texts:
I wonder if once a week can be used at the beginning of the sentence and if yes, whether it should be followed with a comma. I tried browsing the Internet and Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, but I haven't found examples with once a week used at the beginning of a sentence.

Is the following sentence correct?

  Once a week, my sister and I go to a dance club.


texts: A term to describe the phenomenon that people are more comfortable sleeping in their own bed

texts:
People are more comfortable sleeping in their own bed than somewhere else (e.g., other people's home, hotel).

Is there a term that can be used to describe such a phenomenon?


texts: What does "disarm and waylay one's heart" mean?

texts:
In Salinger's "Paula" there is the following passage:

"I so desperately want our baby born safely, darling. I’m afraid of falling. I’m afraid of a thousand things." Mrs. Hincher paused, suddenly squeezed her husband’s hand, as though some sharp, horrible image had come to frighten her mind’s eye. She continued, "Cars and trucks and things. I’m so afraid. And if I stay in bed I’ll be safe with my thoughts of you and baby."
The word "baby" sans the preceding definite article completely disarmed and waylaid Mr. Hincher’s heart. He replied to his wife in an exceedingly husky voice but with slight command in his voice.

I'm trying to figure out what exactly Mr. Hincher felt. So, first of all is "[t]he word "baby" sans the preceding definite article" a good or a bad thing? And what does "disarm and waylay one's heart" mean? My understanding is that Mr. Hincher felt totally defenseless and couldn't establish a counter argument. The thought of a baby was too dominant that he couldn't continue with the discussion. Is that correct?


texts:
Sometimes it's not clear to me when to use one or another, so can anyone help me?
We can cause "reactions on someone" or "reactions in someone"?
Like in this phrase: The judge set aside the case about the lake pollution and ordered a new trial for the next month, causing strong reactions in environmental actvists.


texts: What is the meaning of 'successive dynasties'?

texts:
I know it means one after another, but dynasty means a series of rulers or leaders who are all from the same family.
how could one family have two dynasty?
I mean, it is same dynasty then why they called it successive???


texts: Describe someone who underestimates people's problems

texts: I'm looking for a word or an idiom which describes someone who underestimates people's problems because he/she has got a better position or much more money in his/her life.


texts:
For a phrase like:

  Judge Rodgers may think otherwise as might a jury

Does may have to come first or it's okay to interchange them?


texts: When to use 'no good'; when to use 'not good'?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the difference between “no” and “not”?

there is a question always confusing me. Is it 'no good' or 'not good'? How do I use them? I guess they are different, but I never know what is the difference! Thank you in advance!


texts: Is the expression 'half a percent' acceptable in formal English?

texts:
When central banks raise or lower interest rates the radio announcer will say for example:

  an increase of one half of one percent

Informally people use half a percent instead, which is less wordy, but is it also incorrect?  Ngrams analysis shows publishers favour the longer version, although the short form seems to be gaining some traction.

Thinking about it, I'd never offer someone one half of one pizza; that sounds weird.  However, I believe of is necessary here, in combination with an article, quantifier or pronoun.  Is this correct?


texts: Direct object for the verb "imbue" that isn't on this list

texts:
I originally posted this question on RPG StackExchange, as my use of the word would be for a custom Dungeons & Dragons class. There weren't a lot of thoughts there, so I thought I'd try here.
Fill in the blank:
Someone imbues a __________ on an object, giving it magic powers.
I need a word that serves as the direct object in this sentence, but there are a lot of caveats on the sort of word I need.
Some background: in D&D, there are a number of different "types" of magical ability, and to keep things straight each one has various terms associated with it, most importantly a verb and an object. For example, you might say someone

casts a spell
manifests a power, and may augment that power as well
invokes an invocation
initiates a maneuver
utters a true name
infuses an infusion
activates a magic item
binds a vestige (in the game, a sort of spirit)
hexes (someone with) a curse

This is just a fairly simple way to keep the different types separate, which is important because they behave differently under the rules. So if we say someone casts something, we know to look at the rules for spells, etc.
So I need a word that fits well in this pattern, but doesn't use one of those already-taken words. It also shouldn't refer to, or appear to refer to, existing game-terms, like

arcana
artifact
conjuration
effect
enhancement
enchantment
sorcerer
transmutation
wizard
witch

RPG SE came up with "imbuement," which... I do not care for in the least.
I'm not exactly tied to the word imbue so alternatives are acceptable if they come with a good object. For reference, the magic would be used to improve or augment items.
Along those lines, RPG SE suggested endow/endowment (which sounds either collegial or phallic and neither is what I'm going for), empower/empowerment (little better than imbuement), bewitch/bewitchment (confusing since there is a witch class), and ensorcell/ensorcellation or ensorcell/ensorceration (again, might be confused with the sorcerer class).
Don't let the fixation on having the object be the noun-form of the verb confuse you; that may be a desirable (ish) property, but it's not necessary (see cast a spell).


texts:
In the sentence "Who should I talk to to learn about that?" my grammar checker says I have a repeated word. I admit that it sounds a little awkward, but I'm not sure it's incorrect.

I realize I could rephrase it in at least a dozen different ways, but is it valid in its current form?


texts: "more robust than five years ago" vs. "more robust than it was five years ago"

texts:
This is from a question from GMAT.
The official correct answer is C. but I am wondering what is the difference between A and C. Both seem correct and clear to me.

A large rise in the number of housing starts in the coming year should boost new construction dollars by several billion dollars, ___________________.

(A) making the construction industry’s economic health much more robust than five years ago
(C) making the construction industry’s economic health much more robust than it was five years ago


texts: Alternative ways of saying "Try your best"?

texts:
I want to encourage my friend through a hardship of his career.
What are some alternative ways of saying "Try your best"?


texts: I am trying to find out if there is a convention of correctness for writing Arabic proper nouns starting with 'Al'

texts:
The news channel 'Al Jazeera' writes its name like I have i.e with a space between 'Al' and 'Jazeera', in text but in the logo it is 'ALJAZEERA'. One come across variations like 'Alqaeda', 'Al-Qaeda', 'Al Qaeda', and even 'al-Qaeda'.
I am trying to find out if there is a proper convention for writing Arabic proper nouns starting with 'Al'.


texts: How to compare between two incomparable things, yet similar in some aspects?

texts:
I want to compare between results seen in healthy cells and in tumor cells. The same finding was seen in both types of cells. I know that this is not like apples-to-apples comparison, but still both cell types can share some cellular properties that are not yet affected by the tumor development. In this case the comparison is to some degree tenable.
Now I want to express this in a short phrase, the nearest thing came to my mind was:

Although the comparison between cells A and B is not straightforward, there was an agreement between the two to show...
Despite the fact that cells A and B are not directly comparable, they were in agreement to show...
Despite the different nature of cells A and B, both were in agreement to show...
(I am more inclined to use this, but I am not sure how, here is my trial):
As much as the comparison allows between A and B cells, both cells showed...

I am not sure which one fits more in this context, may be there is a more professional way to say it? thank you in advance.


texts: What does this mean? I'm English and I've never come across the meaning!


texts: what do we say when a fever or cold has subsided and it's almost over with?

texts:
We say pick up or catch a cold when we first get it.

Then when it really intensifies we say smth like "it's settled /settling in", I don't know whatever else people would say..

Anyways, when it subsides and we're feeling better. What is there to say?


texts: Regarding 'for' used in the context of time

texts:
Is the following ambiguous?

  He has not lived in Boston for 2 years.

Could it mean:

It is not true that he has lived in Boston for two years. He might have
been living in Boston for only one year.
It has been the case for two years that he has not lived in Boston.

Now consider the following. Are they ambiguous?

He has not lived in Boston for ages.
He has not lived in Boston for ages yet.


texts: What do you call the objects that make you remember other things or that you keep to remember a moment or a place? I mean souvenirs, photographs, etc.


texts: Is there a term for words that can be both a noun and a verb?

texts: For instance: One can attend an "auction", or you can "auction" something off.


texts: What is a word for the genre of literature of which Tolkien is the high priest and founder, in its 20th-century incarnation.?

texts: What is a word for the form of literature that evokes images of supernatural creatures like goblins, elves, hobbits etc. in Tolkienian surroundings of misty mountains, caverns, underground lakes etc.


texts: What is a word for making something seem not as bad as it actually is?

texts:
Some examples:

Instead of admitting that I'm an alcoholic, I just say I had one too many drinks.
Instead of the bank admitting that it has lots of loans that are in arrears and are likely to default, it only says that it has underperforming loans.
Instead of admitting that they overeat, they simply claim that they have a strong appetite.

Basically, I'm after a word for when a phrase is used that is not really a lie, but doesn't give the whole truth to make it sound more positive than it actually is. Usually when something should be dealt with, but it's kind of swept under the carpet by the misleading phrase.


texts: How is 'via' pronounced and where did these variations come from?

texts:
Over the years, I've heard people say 'v-ē-ə', 'v-ī-ə', and sometimes the 'uh' is an 'ah' sound. (edit- It has come to my attention that 'via' was once a 'wee-ah' from Latin, but I don't feel like this helps my question. If anything, that just makes me wonder why there is that variation in the beginning 'ē' and 'ī'.)

Now, I'm guessing the difference between 'uh' and 'ah' may just be regional, but that doesn't explain the first part of such a teeny word.

This has been driving me nuts for awhile. I've tried online dictionaries, asking English teachers, and they all are the reason (as well as TV and movies) for why I'm still clueless. (As for the English teachers over my years of schooling, all of them agree to disagree with how it is said. I have one teacher saying 'no' to 'vee-uh' and one saying yes to that way and vice versa.) As for the dictionaries, they can mention the two variations but they don't explain why.

(edit)

I guess the reason why I had been confused is because I didn't understand why there was a disagreement about how 'via' is pronounced. Can anyone shine some light on this as well? (I do appreciate the answers I received before I edited my question, but now they are insufficient.)

Is it appropriate to pronounce it both ways or is only one way correct?
Also, where did these variations come from? (Via is Latin, yes. However, in Latin, it only had one way of pronouncing it. In English, there are two variants that are questionably debatable, and that is what this question is asking about.)


texts: "So also in matters psychological" Is that English at all?

texts:
I'm reading a book, Gestalt Therapy Integrated, and I stumble on this sentence:

  So also in matters psychological.

I'm thinking that one line is missing, but I'd like to make sure of  that.

The paragraph starts in this way:

  Were an individual subjected to great heat, he would soon lose contact by fainting and he might eventually die if his limits for assimilating heat were seriously trespassed. So also in matters psychological.


texts:
What is a synonym for "stop at nothing"?

Example usage:

  I stop at nothing to deliver ideal and timely design solutions.


texts: Is there any difference between "admit something" and "admit to something"?

texts:
"Admit to stealing the money."
And
"Admit stealing the money."
A lot of people, including native speakers, have told me there is no difference between them. But for some reason the second example doesn't feel right to me. I would either use the first one or include a that clause and say "He admitted (that) he stole the money." Am I completely wrong?


texts: How do I reference Billy Bragg in the following instance?

texts: Billy Bragg has an album entitled, 'Talking with the Taxman about Poetry'. I want to entitle an essay, 'Talking with the Gasman about Yoga'. What is this called, and what is the best way to give credit to Billy Bragg? I want to acknowledge that I am borrowing the style of his title, but I don't believe I am stealing it...


texts:
If you are a business that charges neither at the premium end of the scale nor the cheapest... but charge around average prices, what is the name for that?

Off the top of my head I'm thinking:

Industry standard cost
Going rate

Or is there a better way of putting it?


texts:
While reading the free Kindle edition of She by H. Rider Haggard (originally published in 1887), I noticed sentences like this one:

  But now, to my intense horror, I knew that I could never put away the vision of those glorious eyes; and alas! the very diablerie of the woman, whilst it horrified and repelled, attracted in even a greater degree.

Notice the “alas!” in the middle of a sentence. I have never seen exclamation point in the middle of a sentence used like this before. Was this a common practice at the time this book was published? What is the history of this practice?


texts:
What would be an adjective that describes a person or a company that purposely hides information for its advantage, but to another's disadvantage? I'm feeling there's a word more appropriate than deceptive, dishonest or insincere, more along the lines of sneaky.

An example might be a services company that overcharges and purposely does not issue a time breakdown of their bill.


texts: What is the meaning difference between two sentences: I expect to leave by 6 vs I expect to have left by 6

texts: My first intuition was that the former describes a situation that does not happen yet and uncertainty of whether the speaker leaves by 6 or not and the latter shows some regret like " oh, i thought that i could leave by 6 but i couldn't" However, the answer focuses more on the point of the speaker's leaving. I want to hear native speakers' opinion. What is the meaning difference between two sentences?


texts: If we were asked to write about the contributions a person made to the study of computer science for example, is that different from if we were asked to write about the contributions a person made to computer science?


texts: "Make/do/take/run/keep/give a laugh" — which one makes sense?

texts: My daughter's teacher (a Canadian in Italy) gave the class an exercise.  They had to choose among make, do, take, run, keep and give, and insert the correct response in front of "a laugh".  We are American and we were mystified.  Is here a correct choice?


texts: What's a noun to describe the state of blinking?

texts:
To follow an existing pattern in my program, I need a noun to describe the state of (not) blinking or flashing.

Default color
Default brightness
Default...?

'Solidity' almost works, but implies transparency or opacity.  What else can I use?


texts: Modern use of "I should think" vs. "I would think" in speech

texts:
When I listen to old Tom Lehrer recordings he says,

  I should like to introduce...

and it sounds a bit strange. However, yesterday I was building a shed with my wife and I said, much to my surprise,

  I should think you would have to attach this first.

I'm aware of the slight difference in meaning from "I would think..." but had no idea that I myself would actually naturally use it. Is this an atavism or do other young people actually still use it, say in the US? (Young e.g. 30s and younger).


texts: What do “[People] talk about the baggage,” and “[Candidates] have lots of baggage” mean?

texts:
I came across the expression, “People talk about the baggage,” and “[Presidential] candidates have lots of baggage” in Jay Bookman’s article titled “Gingrich, Palin have no shot at being GOP presidential nominee” at ajc.com. (Dec. 28. 2010).

What does baggage mean here? Is it political agenda or a promise?

By the way, we say “大風呂敷を広げる" or "spread a big Furoshiki" (A large square cloth for wrapping and carrying a bundle) in Japanese when referring to a politician who makes an empty promise to voters.

The part in question goes as follows:

  Bill Kristol, the Fox News analyst and
  Weekly Standard editor, made a couple
  of predictions on Fox News Sunday
  about the GOP presidential race: “I
  think Newt Gingrich is underestimated.
  Newt is going to run and Newt will be
  formidable. People can talk about the
  baggage, but lots of candidates have
  had lots of baggage, and people think
  they’re the right guy for the job, he
  could do better — and I do think —
  than people expect.”


texts: What is the correct way to use 'half as much ...... as' while comparing two things?

texts:
Is the syntax correct in the following sentence?

You don't know half as much about New Zealand as you know about Australia.

I am trying to tell that your knowledge about New Zealand is less than half of your knowledge about Australia.

Can it be simplified as follows?

You don't know half as much about New Zealand as about Australia.


texts: Comma use in “I am passionate about X, whether it be …”

texts:
I have trouble telling when I’m overusing commas. My question is if the comma between undertake and whether is needed:

  I am passionate about the quality of work I undertake, whether it be school work, or cooking food in the kitchen.


texts: Polite synonyms for "a——hole-ish" behavior

texts: Are there any polite synonyms for asshole-ish behavior? A good synonym would probably have about the same impact and wouldn't send people looking for their dictionaries.


texts: Can ‘them’ be used for ‘their’ in front of a noun?

texts:
I’m having a difficulty understanding “could they just have that for them unreachable pleasure” in the following sentence. If them means their, my questions will be solved. I’ll take it like this: if they could just have a piano for their unreachable pleasure. But I’m not familiar with such case. Am I misunderstanding something important? Or does the ‘them’ mean ‘their’?

  Owning a piano is for some a symbol of status. That’s very sad, because there are many gifted people who would like to give anything, could they just have that for them unreachable pleasure, that is now just looking decorative and impressive in somebody’s interior. (People and Pianos by Marinus J. van Prattenburg: p9) [bold font is mine]

Just for your information, the writer is a Canadian and lives on the west coast. (though I don’t know whether it’s relevant.)


texts: Do I need a comma after "given that" and "in absence of"?

texts:
Example sentences

Given that the survey is representative(,) the author still assumes that the 450 respondents are the majority of those surveyed.
In absence of this information(,) the author's conclusion is logically unpersuasive.

Questions

Do I need to write a comma where I show "(,)" in these sentences above?
Could you also tell me if there is a reason that can be generalized?


texts: Change of Number(?) for "does" used with "this"

texts:
I just revised a program comment from:

  This needs to come out eventually.

to

  Does this need to come out?

In both cases "this" is functioning as a third-person, singular, demonstrative pronoun (granted, out of context and, thus, without antecedent).  In this case, "this" refers to a set program statements.

My question, why does "needs" become "need" in the second sentence?


texts: Word for money given before a job is started

texts:
Consider the scenario where a tutor is charging a student $100 for solving an assignment.
So the tutor takes $50 as a token before starting and rest $50 when it’s done.
A way to communicate this to the student is:

You can transfer a token of $50 to me.
I take token amount of $50 for this.

What are the alternatives ways of communicating the same?
I looked at the synonyms for token but couldn’t find an appropriate word.
Also, is the above use of word token correct or appropriate?


texts:
For him to sail back is unthinkable
For him sailing back is unthinkable.

Why is the second sentence considered as wrong?

Can the first sentence be paraphrased as (1)
It is unthinkable that he could sail back. OR as (2) It is unthinkable for him to sail back.


texts: How to correctly use the expression “safe travel(s)”?

texts:
A colleague of mine recently reached out to me. I asked if he would like to meet up sometime to which he notified me that he would be traveling the remainder of this week. In what context is it okay to use the expression safe travel or safe travels? Does it depend on the method of travel (seeing as for flying this could come off as ominous)?

  Thank you for your quick reply.

  Safe Travels,
  John Doe


texts: Origin of word "tropic" from Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer

texts:
Why do we say Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn?
They are respectively the northernmost and southernmost lines of latitude where, at some points in the year, it's possible to see the sun directly overhead. The intertropical zone (also called the tropics) is delimited by them.
Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer; the only place I've heard the word "tropic" used as a singular noun.
We can holiday to the tropics, not the tropic (unless you were making a play on words and went to literally a point on the Tropic of Capricorn).
This (tropics vs Tropic of Capricorn/Cancer) raised my suspicion that perhaps "tropic" is a mathematical term, and all  lines of latitude within this region are called tropics. And the boundaries, as points of interest (as well as the equator), are the only ones to have names. This doesn't seem to be the case though (after some research).
Etymology of the word "tropic" from Wiktionary:

From Late Latin tropicus (“of or pertaining to the solstice, as a noun, one of the tropics”), from Ancient Greek τροπικός (tropikós, “of or pertaining to a turn or change; or the solstice; or a trope or figure; tropic; tropical; etc.”), from τροπή (tropḗ, “turn; solstice; trope”).

So it seems to be to do with the solstice, which makes sense, because only during a solstice is the sun directly overhead at one of the two tropics.
But now I wonder why the entire region in-between them can be called "the tropics" too? Or tropical.... doesn't seem to fit with this greek/latin origin.
And why was this word chosen to name the two lines?


texts: Does removing the comma before 'which' etc in a non-restrictive clause change the meaning of the sentence?

texts:
There are many 'rules' on the net saying that a comma should be placed before the relative pronoun 'which' in a non-restrictive clause. (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/relative-clauses)

But would the sentence have the same meaning without the comma before the relative pronoun?

Does omitting a comma before a relative pronoun change a nonrestrictive clause into a restrictive clause?

For example:

'We ate the pizza, which was nice.'

'We ate the pizza which was nice.'

If so does the same apply to relative pronouns other than 'which'?


texts: Can I say "let me not speak about that matter"?

texts:
I was writing a letter and wanted to say let's not talk about something. I wanted to know if I can say "let me not to speak about that matter". Or I need to omit the "to" because of the verb let.

Thank you.


texts: Do you "take out a debt" or "draw a debt" or some other phrasing?

texts:
I wish to say that I did something which put me in debt to someone, without naming the person. How would I phrase this?

Example:
But one afternoon near the end of my time on the farm, I took out a new debt.

EDIT: the debt is not literal (i.e. $), it is figurative.


texts: I wonder if in a sentence "He feels privileged to be a part of the European society", the usage of the definite article is correct. On one hand, "society" is a mass noun, but here it's about a specific group of people.


texts: uncommon use of "as well as" compounding two verbs onto one subject

texts:
I've got a pretty strong intuition for what's grammatically correct and what's not. My hunch here is that the following sentence is wrong. Can someone verify this for me, using a syntactical rule to back it up?

  A representative will contact you shortly with your username and password. In the course of this contact they will explain the process of application, as well as answer any other questions you may have.


texts: Voiceless consonant -> voiced consonant before vowel?

texts:
I have noticed that voiceless sound at the end of a word becomes voiced when followed by a word that starts with a vowel.
For example: It has affected us (/s/) all => It has affected us (/z/) all.
I have also heard it in the following example:
Both (/θ/) of you should go => Both (/ð/) of you should go.

Does it happen every time when a voiceless consonant is followed by a word beginning with a vowel?
Thanks. :)


texts: Word for abbreviations that have become standard words

texts:
I was wondering if there was a word to describe acronyms or abbreviations that have been used so often that they become words themselves, or at least that the vast majority of people do not realize that the words are in fact abbreviations.

Examples would be things like:

LASER: "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation"
RADAR: "RAdio Detection And Ranging"
MODEM: "MOdulator-DEModulator"
SCUBA: "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus"
CARE (Package): "Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe"
TASER: "Thomas A Swift's Electronic Rifle"

The question came up when reading this other question regarding the use of 'app' to describe a mobile application.  'App' is becoming another example of such an abbreviation which has been used very widely to mean a specific type of application (one for mobile devices) and many people likely do not immediately see the connection anymore.


texts: "He plays on his mobile phone" or "He plays games on his mobile phone"?

texts:
I would like to ask a question about sentences. I have been thinking about which one of these two sentences is correct.

He plays on his mobile phone.
He plays games on his mobile phone.

I have seen both versions in books and texts and I wonder if both versions are correct or not. Do they mean more or less the same?


texts: Is “It must be him with whom you enjoy doing your assignments, not me” correct?

texts:
I’d like all of you to please consider the following sentence:

  It must be him with whom you enjoy doing your assignments, not me.

I have known that after 'to be' verb pronouns words take the subjective form. For example:

  It is he who was absent yesterday.

So, can I say that the first sentence is erroneous? Would it be correct to write

  It must be he with whom you enjoy doing your assignments, not I.


texts:
I'm looking for a word similar to 'sailor' but not of the oceans (i.e rivers).  Sailors are assumed to be 'people of the high seas' etc, which isn't what I'm after - I need smaller bodies of water.  Someone who rides not a ship but a boat/kayak/canoe, but a general term so not 'kayaker', 'canoer' etc.

  He was the ___ of the River Thames.


texts:
Who's is valid, as in

  Who's going? (Who is going?)

So surely whom's should be valid, as in

  Whom's he invited? (Whom has he invited?)


texts:
The expression "lends credence to the conjecture" is standard. I was wondering if it sounds hyperformal or affected and can be replaced by
"provides evidence as to the validity of the conjecture",
"provides evidence for the validity of the conjecture",
or "improves the confidence in the conjecture".


texts:
What is difference between:

Why I am studying?
Why am I studying?


texts: What is it called when two people refuse to talk to each other?

texts: What is it called when two people (usually kids) stop talking for a while after a fight or an argument because they are mad at each other?


texts:
Should I say

  he passed me by

or

  he passed by me?

I think it's passed me by, but I'm not sure.


texts: Is there a phrase for "assuming facts to be correct in a statement"?

texts:
There is a kind of error or fallacy I often see, which is close to "Begging the Question", but I understand that the true meaning of "Begging the Question" is closer to "circular reasoning".

The fallacy I see can be seen in the following sentences:

"Because the official language of the USA is English, it should be the priority in schools".
"Why are nightmares more common in children than adults?"
"How do humans know when they're being watched?"

All of those sentences take as a given something which may or may not be true. English isn't the official language of the USA and so on.

So, is there a definitive word or phrase for that type of statement or question?

In a court a lawyer might say "assuming facts not in evidence"...


texts: Should say “his own wife” or “his wife”?

texts: I was narrating a movie to my friend where I made a statement like “his own wife killed him” where my friend said it doesn’t sound right to say “his own wife” and corrected me to say it as just “his wife”. Can someone please let me know what’s the correct usage?


texts:
I guess this would be a pretty simple question to answer. Is this sentence correct:

  The player appears to have not connected.

I am having my doubts about the appears to have not part.

P.S.: Not quite sure what tags to put in, feel free to edit.


texts: What is the difference between "It is necessary for him to do something" and "It is necessary that he do something"?

texts:
It is necessary for him to do something.
  It is necessary that he do something.

I know the second one is subjunctive and I know that it is used for command, demand, etc.

I want to know what difference does it make in the meaning?

Is subjunctive used in spoken language?

Examples:

  It is necessary for Tom to arrive at 5.
  It is necessary that Tom arrive at 5.


texts: What is a good pejorative term for people incapable of analytical thinking?

texts:
What do you call a person, who can't think logically, and - as a result - tells you how to fix symptom X without even trying to analyze its causes (your computer doesn't work - restart it, if it doesn't help - re-install the operating system) ?

Another example: There is a villain A. Countries B, C and D all sign a non-aggression agreements with that villain. Someone tells a person with illogical thinking that country D is evil, while B and C are not, and he believes it.

In Russian, there is a term classical thinking method (гуманитарный способ мышления), which is used to ridicule such people. Its abbreviation corresponds to the widely used abbreviation for fuel and lubricant materials (горюче-смазочные материалы, ГСМ). It's also funny - illogical thinking has as much intelligence in it as gasoline and oil.

I'm looking for terms like that in English.


texts: *Getting on one's nerves*, *last nerve* or *third nerve*?

texts: I'm quite familiar with the idiomatic phrase of getting on one's nerves, but less so with getting on one's last nerve, though I had a friend who used a variation: getting on one's third nerve.  Is one version preferred over the other in different locations? Is third nerve used anywhere?


texts: How to find list of adverbs with their usage related to corresponding verbs and adjectives

texts:
I am a Programmer and working on a NLP project that suggest adverbs to the adjectives and verbs in the sentence. I need grammar suggestion regarding this.
If anyone can tell the way or resource to find the words list and their corresponding adverbs that can be used with that word.
for example: Like I have time related words, whenever user inputs a sentence and I see a verb or adjective that is related to time, I suggest to him the adverb list that can be used with time.
So, I want to cover all that categories be it time, speed, linking adverbs, commonly used adverbs, etc. So I want to first have type of words and corresponding adverbs list.


texts: "Hopefully you’d make some time for me."

texts:
It's a never ending  barrage of doubts about a difference in meaning using auxiliary  verbs would as opposed will.

I've just written this sentence, and once gain was unsure whether I should have used would as opposed to will.

(BTW,is this sentence  correct: "I've just written this sentence, and once gain was unsure whether I should  have used" ?)


texts: Are any of these terms correct? "Known with" or "known by"

texts:
Suppose a famous building, i.e. a stadium, a concert hall, etc., known as a landmark in a place, being sponsored by a company, such that people may happen to use the company name instead of the building name itself to refer to it.

How is it correct to talk about this?

  The building A is known with X.

or

  The building A is known by X.

I know there are terms like known as, and known for, but none of them suit this situation.

LDOCE and OxfordDictionaries don't mention anything with either of by or with, and Google NGram Viewer says:

Google search with double quotes has less than 1 million results for the former, but over 6 million for the latter. However not all of those results have the same meaning as this one, and I wonder how this can be expressed appropriately without sounding odd.


texts: accent mark question about american names

texts: ok what accent mark should be on the name chloe for an american, e, è, é, ê, ë? I am an argument with a peer and would like some outside opinions. Please help


texts: How to say "I want the beer to never end" correctly?

texts: I've come across this expression and am not quite sure what it actually should be. Is it "I want the beer to never end" or "I want the beer never ends" or something else? Which is the correct way?


texts: Would anyone use "ramp down" as the opposite to "ramp up"

texts: In the context, for example, of factory production I often read the phrase "ramp up production" or "a ramp-up in production". To me "ramp down" sounds a strange phrase to use as the opposite - does anyone have a more apt antonym?


texts: How to form sentences starting with "it"

texts:
I would like to learn how to reconstruct this sentence to use it at the beginning:

  The reason why they chose this way looks weird to me.

I think we could form it as follows, but of course I am not really sure about it:

  It looks weird to me the reason why they chose this way.

And, could you please also explain the grammatical approach to form sentences like the above starting with it?