texts: How different “inflection point” is from “turning point” and “diverging point”?

texts:
Further to my question on the usage of “workingest” in the Time magazine’s article (November 14), “Whatever happened to upward mobility,” I noticed the word “inflection point,” in the following sentence in the same article:

“International Monetary Fund research shows that countries like the U.S. and U.K. are more prone to boom and bust cycles. And they are ultimately at risk for social instability. That the inflection point that we are at right now.”

I am not clear with meaning of “inflection point” and the difference of it from other resembling expressions, such as “turning point,” “diverging point,” "bifurcation" or “junction.”

Apart from a bookish mathematical definition of the inflection points as “the point where the function changes concavity” with an example equation, “f(x) = x3”, which I found in www.clas.usb. edu, what does “inflection point” mean in the contest of the above sentence?

Is this phrase interchangeable with other analogies as shown above?


texts: Term for use of descriptor or noun in place of proper name?

texts: What is the term for the literary use of a 'descriptor' in place of a proper name, as in Shakespeare's play Much Ado about Nothing, when Benedict refers to Beatrice as "Lady Disdain" instead of Lady Beatrice?


texts:
Question #1: Which of the following sentences has the correct syntactic usage of the word "only"?

Question #2: What do the remaining sentences mean?

Examples:

  Only I gave him $1.
  I only gave him $1.
  I gave only him $1.
  I gave him only $1.
  I gave him $1 only.


texts:
I was watching a Matt Damon interview on YouTube. In it, the interviewer asked Matt

  Do you remember? Can you speak any of the languages you spoke?

Matt replied

  Not even close

What does that mean? Of course, I can guess that it means "never" or "not at all". Is my guess right? Can I use another word or sentence instead of that? Lastly, is it slang?


texts: Adjective without noun (i.e. I like the red [one])

texts:
A non native speaker asked me this but I'm unsure.
Is a sentence like this correct:
"She liked the red ball; I liked the blue."
Replace blue with literally any adjective.
I'm unsure if this only works with "certain" adjectives that can be read as nouns "The Poor" "The Hungry".
"She liked fast birds; I liked slow."
There - that one there is no "the" construction even. I think in some sentences, particularly with "the" in front of the hanging adjective -- it reads as correct but maybe technically isn't?


texts:
Can I use should have done for the future just like will have done? For example:

  It should have been finished by next Monday.

Which basically means It should be finished by next Monday but with extra emphasis on the completion of the action.

Or should I stick to be finished and not get stupid ideas?


texts: Are "tomorrow" and "morning" etymologically related?

texts:
I know this is true for German and Spanish:

  Morgen morgen

and

  Mañana por la mañana

both mean "tomorrow morning". There may well be other examples too.

I wonder- since these languages have similar roots to English- is there any evidence that it has ever been the case in the English language too?


texts: How can I refer to a period of day when people are awake/active?

texts:
The context is comparing air travel vs overnight train travel.

In this case, air travel takes 1 hour, plus time required to travel from city to airport, arrive early for check-in & security, then travel from destination airport to city, altogether I probably lose around 4-5 hours of [the word I'm looking for].

Train travel between the same cities is much slower, but there is an overnight schedule, which leaves at 21.00 and arrives 6.00. So I don't have to lose any [the word I'm looking for].

What is a suitable word(s) to fill the bracketed part? Daytime may be close, but it's not very accurate because I also don't like losing non-daytime like 18.00-21.00.


texts: Comparative form of adjective "starving"

texts:
There is a way to say hungrier, but my question is whether there is any way to use the same form with starve. I searched and found nothing.

I would like to know the comparative adjective of starving.


texts:
Would you say "is" or "are" in this sentence?

"His talent, combined with his personality, is/are attractive."


texts:
We failed to make a thorough search of the house; but no trace of
  her could be found.

  [Cf. English for S.S.C. Bank & Other Competitive Exams by Dr. Shambu Sharma (P.D.F)]

Is the conjunction but correct in this sentence?


texts:
Is there a better word than 'road' for a preindustrial or medieval environment?

Path seems like something little for foot travel, trail feels better, but still not substantial enough for more than a few horses or wagons.

Don't mean a simple dirt road of wheel ruts, but something that gets more traffic than that, but not the main heavily traveled route.

Thought of 'wagon trail', but still doesn't feel quite right.  'Dirt road' actually feels better, but still doesn't feel right to me.


texts:
In the following sentence, should "in" or "with" be used?

"They are all involved ____ the program."

Assuming there is one correct way to say it, is there ever a situation where the other is used, or is always only one way?


texts: standardisation of style; attributive nouns and Saxon genitives

texts:
In a recent thread, it was recommended that Academies' Trust be written as I just have done:

  Academies' Trust. Normal possessive apostrophe rules apply.

If I accept this traditional style, I might well end up writing something like:

  Academies' Trusts include the Academies Enterprise Trust, the Leigh
  Academies Trust, the Aspirations Academies Trust, and The Kemnal
  Academies Trust.

Should consistency of style override traditional apostrophe rules in this case?


texts: What is a common word for the jargon term "overload"?

texts:
In computer science and programming, one frequently wishes to create a process that takes a certain type of input and spits something (immaterial to this discussion) out. However, in many cases we also want to create an extremely similar process that takes in a different type of input (this difference is usually just a technicality in comparison to what the last process ate up) and spits out the same thing that the last process did.

We frequently name processes. In the case we're considering, we want to name the two processes above. Of course, different processes get different names; however, the two different process above don't really seem sufficiently different to warrant different names. It's just by the hair of a technicality that the two (or more) processes are different.

Some programming languages allow you to use the same name for these technically different processes. Some languages don't. However in languages that do, the practice of recycling the same name for slightly different purposes is called "overloading".

  Is there a precise common language term for this idea of "overloading" that would carry the same idea without possibly implying other notions?

"Overload" is commonly interpreted to put too much weight on something instead of just adding more weight that the thing can still manage.

I can think of the terms "stretch" and "recycle," but the former loads too much metaphor and the latter carries an overtone that the previous purpose an object had is no longer going to be pursued. With an overloaded name, one can anticipate that the several different processes that it is used on will EACH be used forever and periodically.

I want to port this usage to mathematics. An example sentence that I want to alter is:

  "We say that f is continuous at x (a point) if ... . To overload the term, we say that f is continuous on X (a set) if ... ."

Not all mathematics people are computer science people.


texts:
what different between the ‘at postgraduate level' and 'in postgraduate level'?

which one is correct? Is that have the same meaning in two different preposition situation.


texts:
Afforestation is defined as 'the conversion of open land into forest by planting trees.'

What would be a synonym for afforestation if there is no human intervention involved?
Is there a one-word term for succession into forest?


texts: Valid to use "more conceptually" at the beginning of a sentence?

texts:
Suppose I have the following two sentences...

  The equation can be expressed in terms of the (insert complex but slightly conceptual gibberish here).  More conceptually, the heavy cow moves slower than the lightweight butterfly.

Is is considered proper to begin a sentence with the phrase "More conceptually" or is there a better way to phrase this?


texts:
I read the information about using whether or whether or not on your web site; however, I am still not certain about making the choice.  Could you please tell me the specific rules for using whether or whether or not?

Is this sentence okay?

  You can go whether or not you finished your homework.


texts: Is it grammatical to use "same" or "the same" in substitution for an objective pronoun?

texts:
I've seen and heard this usage of the pronoun "same" more than once, and it sounded strange to my ears:

  "Thank you for the book; I will return same shortly."
  "Wine production has increased, but is there great demand for the same?"

Is it acceptable ?  Where?


texts: They want to be "an engineer" or "engineers"?

texts:
Apologies if this question has been asked before- even as a native English speaker, I'm not sure how to word the grammar behind it.

I came across something a friend (who is not a native English speaker) wrote, but I wasn't sure if I should have corrected her. She wrote something about "people like me who want to be an engineer". I believe that she should have written "people like me who want to be engineers", since the subject is people, but I can also see the argument for the other phrase, since each individual person wants to be an engineer, not multiple engineers. Which is correct?


texts: What is going on grammatically in the opening line of One Hundred Years of Solitude?

texts:
The opening line of One Hundred Years of Solitude in the English translation reads:

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

I have emboldened the verbs here. I am trying to understand the grammatical structure of the phrase "was to remember".
My understanding, for reference, is that "I ate cake" is the "past tense",  "I was eating cake" is the "past progressive", and "I had eaten cake" is a kind of "compound past tense". (I have no knowledge of formal grammar so I'm putting things in quotation marks because I'm not sure the terms are well-defined). What sort of "compound tense" is was to remember?
As a native English speaker, the meaning of the phrase is clear to me. There are three relevant times in this sentence: the time A when Aureliano Buendía discovered ice, the time B when he faced the firing squad, and the time C when I am reading the sentence. A comes before B, and B in turn comes before C.
Because A and B come before C, the sentence is in the past tense. The verb faced is in the simple past because it references an event that took place at time B from the perspective of the current time C. Similarly, "took him to discover" is in the simple past because it refers to an event that took place at time A from the perspective of the current time C. The "was to remember" is different: it refers to an event taking place at time A from the perspective of the later time B, both times being before the present time C. So it seems like a "past within a past" construction.

I've been trying to think of examples of using "was to [infinitive]", but all the examples I can think of involve an additional participle in between the was and the infinitive:

I was supposed to buy groceries, but I forgot.
He was trying to call me.


texts: Is there any difference between "All the night" and "All night long"?

texts:
Is there any difference in nuance between these two expressions, any examples of where one would be more appropriate (or even just sound better?)

(On reflection, I'm not sure I'd ever say All the night, but someone just asked me the question)


texts: What's the proper word for  a person waiting in a queue?

texts:
I have tried to use candidate or queue member to indicate a person waiting in a queue, but the former is not accurate and the latter is not a noun.

Is there a better word for a person waiting in queue?


texts: Is there a word for the round-trip time of a train line?

texts:
On a subway line, trains go from the starting terminus to the other terminus, and then back to the starting terminus.  Is there a word that is usually used to refer to the time it takes for a train to travel as described?

"Round-trip time" seems to be mainly used when referring to packets on the Internet.

This is the context in which I want to use this word:  "The blue line has a shorter _______ than the green line, so fewer trains are required."

EDIT: I would like to specifically refer to the time taken, not the distance covered (since the time taken could depend on lots of other things, like the waiting time at each station and the speed at which trains travel).  For example, the word "headway" specifically refers to the time interval between consecutive trains, instead of the distance between them.  (The distance between them changes as they travel on the subway line, but the headway never changes (assuming an ideal situation where each station has a fixed duration for which every train must wait, and each track has a fixed speed at which every train must travel).)  I am hoping that there is a similar train-specific term for the duration that I am describing.


texts: What is the difference between "in terms of" and "as far as is concerned"?

texts:
What's the difference of their emphasis?

Often I felt these two are very similar.

For example,

In terms of quality, A is better than B.

is similar to:

As far as quality is concerned, A is better than B.


texts: In what English-speaking communities does "trump" refer to the breaking of wind?

texts:
It is clear from this site that the verb to trump has been used extensively across Britain to refer to the breaking of wind. It is especially the case in the North, in Wales and certainly in Norfolk, when I was a child in the 1950s.

This use is confirmed by the OED. However though it is therein described as vulgar my own experience is that it was a term encouraged by parents as a means of avoiding the far less socially salubrious fart.

However its use appears to be unknown in the United States, which seems a pity! Is this definitely the case?

  b. To give forth a trumpet-like sound; spec. to break wind audibly
  (slang or vulgar).


texts:
If someone says "Today I bought trendy shirts and shoes.", does he imply that even the shoes are trendy? In general, if you have sentences of the form ADJECTIVE NOUN1 and NOUN2, does the adjective apply to second noun as well?

Well, here it is not a big deal but I have come across some legal, technical documents where this can make a big difference.


texts: What does 'spite' mean in 'in spite of'?

texts:
in spite of =
   1.   Without being affected by the particular factor mentioned

  [From the same page as above:] spite = [mass noun]
  1. A desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone

I substitute the definition of spite: X's being in spite of Y = X's being in a desire to hurt, annoy, or offend Y. So,  X IS affected by Y. Yet this is the opposite of the definition of in spite of? How do we make sense of and reconcile the two definitions above?


texts: Earlier sources or identity of person who coined the term "neutrois"?

texts:
A lot of work I've been doing recently has been around the emergence of various gender identities. "Neutrois" recently came to my attention, with more information about it here:

https://nonbinary.wiki/w/index.php?title=Neutrois
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neutrois
http://neutrois.com/
https://lgbta.wikia.com/wiki/Neutrois
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/neutrois

Most (if not all) of these sources claim that a person by the name of H. A. Burnham coined the term to refer to hirself (preferred pronoun) in 1995.

However, the earliest source I could find on this was an archived version of Netrois.com (then known as Neutrois Outpost) from 30 August 2000. The earliest archived version of the FAQ that states Burnham's coinage is from 7 March 2001.

I've checked HathiTrust, Google Books, and Newspapers.com so far and can't seem to find anything, so any pointers to sources to check would be very much appreciated! Additionally, any info on who Burnham was/is would be great too! I'd love to give credit where credit is due!

EDIT 1: So it seems that "H. A. Burnham" is "Holly A. Burnham" based on some Usenet posts in alt.transgendered (https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!searchin/alt.transgendered/%22neutrois%22%7Csort:date). The earliest attribution I can find seems to be December 1996 though...


texts: Word/expression for how adults address children

texts:
Prompted by this question, what's a good word/expression for an adult adopting childlike speech/mannerisms when dealing with an infant?

I mean where the adult speaks in an exaggeratedly "sing-song" voice, uses childish words like bow-wow for dog, choo-choo for train, etc. A style which would be called condescending if used with another adult.


texts:
My friend is a food blogger, we often go to new restaurants and try new food,but English is not our first language so I need help.

What can be a single word for food that is neutral tasting. Like if a dish is good in taste but with a little more seasoning it could have been better. So it's not really bad.

I would use the word bland but it seems a bit negative.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What is a word for a good two way communication?

texts:
Let's say I had a good conversation with another person. It had a good flow to it and it didn't feel like it was just one sided.

Is there an adjective or an adverb to describe this kind of conversation?

Thanks!


texts: I was not directly involved vs I had not directly involved vs I did not directly involve?

texts:
Could you please help me to understand the context of these three phrases and where they can be used?

I was not directly involved with ...
I had not directly involved with ...
I did not directly involve with ...

I get #2 & #3 in tenses timeline. However, I get confused when reading #1. Is it Passive? The crazy thing is I am using #1 frequently in speaking, when I am writing something I get confused myself about what I am writing?


texts: Does conjugation reduction require a hyphen in the affected words?

texts:
In a sentence where we have two listed words that are hyphenated, we can omit the latter part of the first compound and still be grammatically correct:

I don't believe we will ever find helium-based or hydrogen-based life forms.
I don't believe we will ever find helium- or hydrogen-based life forms.

However, if we have two (related) words which both end in the same suffix, can we still apply this notation? I've seen this used before, but I'm not sure it's proper:

It doesn't matter whether the character is a protagonist or antagonist.
It doesn't matter whether the character is a pro- or antagonist.

More often than in writing, I hear this in spoken conversation, usually with an emphasis on the prefixes (i.e. "... a pro- or antagonist ..."), as though there is actually a hyphen in both words.
I've read up a small bit on conjugation reduction here (thanks to search actually finding that term for me), but it doesn't seem to answer this particular question.
Is the reduction of non-hyphenated words allowed within English grammatical rules?


texts: I have been having a frustrating past few weeks and I always come to the point where I want to yell, shout, or scream. The sad part is I feel it rest in my throat and then disappear. I know this may sound stupid but is there a word or phrase for that?


texts: 'Ours' meaning 'our home' - where is it used outside the UK, if anywhere?

texts:
In expressions like:

  Let's go back to ours and have some food.
  There's a party at ours on Friday.
  There's a bottle of brandy at yours, isn't there?

'ours' and 'yours' are synonyms for 'our/your home' or 'our/your place'. 'Mine' can also be used in this way.

Is this usage solely BrE or does it occur in other Englishes?

Note: "I (don't) use/understand 'ours' like this and I live in X" answers are welcome, but I'm really looking for hard data  such as corpus research, dictionary entries that mention this usage etc.


texts: A word meaning "going south to get north"

texts:
I want to describe a situation when to get a south bound route you need to drive north. I'm looking for a noun. A couple possible suggestions I've seen:

"It is quite a bit of a diversion"

and

"It is quite a bit of a detour"

One could call it an "indirect route", but I'm looking for a noun, not an adjective.


texts: "That Was Actually My Sick Idea" by Trump

texts:
'THAT WAS ACTUALLY MY SICK IDEA': PRESIDENT TRUMP ON SENDING IMMIGRANTS TO SANCTUARY CITIES

“Last month alone, 100,000 illegal immigrants arrived at our borders, placing a massive strain on communities and schools and hospitals and public resources, like nobody has ever seen before,” Trump said to the crowd. “Now, we’re sending many of them through sanctuary cities, thank you very much.”
“I’m proud to tell you that was actually my sick idea,” the president said.

As I know, when "sick" is used as a slang, it can mean "cool or awesome". So, did Trump mean that was his cool idea or he really meant that was a sick idea?


texts: When a magazine subscription is about to expire the publisher sends a notification to the subscriber. The notification is usually sent a month before expiration, however this value varies based on the subscriber profile. Is there an English word to describe this value?


texts: Meaning of "Monkey still working let Baboon wait small"

texts:
From Foreign Policy:

  As I noted in my piece, the president has made the colloquial phrase,
  "Monkey still working, let baboon wait small" her campaign slogan.
  It's an appeal to Liberian voters to keep in mind that recovering from
  20 years of civil war takes time, and they shouldn't make any quick
  decisions or judge her performance before she's completed her work

This is a campaign trail quote from the current Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The first part ("Monkey still working") I understand to mean she's saying she still has a job to do. It's the second part I don't understand. Also, (this may be cultural) what do the monkey and baboon symbolize?


texts:
After I posted the question Can relative clauses be combined with adverbial clauses other than if-clauses? and got no answer, I realized that this might be something to do with adjunct island constraint. But, then, another question came to my mind: Doesn't Swan's example sentence violate adjunct island constraint?
I quote again from Michael Swan's Practical English Usage:

Relative clauses can also be combined with if-clauses in sentences like the following.
I am enclosing an application form, which I should be grateful if you would sign and return.

According to this article
if-clause is one of the conditional adjuncts.


texts: "spent a lot of time to shop" vs. "spent a lot of time shopping"

texts:
She spends a lot of time to shop.
She spends a lot of time shopping.

Are both of these sentences grammatically correct and do they have the same meaning?


texts: What would you do if someone asked you to "make a stop on your way home"?

texts:
If someone told you (with no previous invitation or place designation):

  Please make a stop on your way home.

What would you do? Drop by this persons's home, or would you ask to clarify what he meant?

Basically the gist of my question is if the sentence above is synonymous to:

  Please drop by (stop by) on your way home.

Is the meaning of make a stop request clear without giving details (ie. where to stop) before or after? And can to make a stop be used instead of to stop by or to drop by at all and if so in what case?


texts:
A recent Wired article had the following sentence:  "... beneath the paranoia and infighting lurked something more vulnerable, an almost theodical disappointment."

I've never encountered this word, and I haven't found it in any online dictionaries either.  I'd guess it shares a root with Theology, but I can't guess at the exact meaning.

--Edit--

Even after reading the Wikipedia article, the meaning of this sentence is not clear.  What makes  disappointment "theodical" when the subject is not God?


texts: My friend, Adam's birthday or My friend's, Adam's birthday

texts:
Which one is correct?

  It is my friend's, Adam's birthday.
  It is my friend, Adam's birthday.

Does the word 'friend' need an apostrophe to show possession?


texts: Other than being an interjection, does 'I don't know' serve as an adjective?


texts: "I am filled with pity" vs "I am pitiful"

texts:
If I am filled with pity for an individual / group (eg - the Syrian situation), I would probably say, "I am filled with pity for the individuals concerned," as opposed to "I am pitiful for the individuals concerned." Surely, logically, both should have the same connotations, but, "I am pitiful ..." turns myself into the subject, does it not? - rendering the latter sentence nonsensical.

Etymologically, surely these had the same meaning originally - am I incorrect in jumping to such conclusions?


texts: Can "those" be used in "those good at writing" or "those who ..."?

texts:
Can "those" be used in "those good at writing" or "those who ..." to refer to a group of people shared the same attribute described by the phrase after "those"?

If it is possible (since I have found lots of examples with Google), is "those" here a noun?


texts: What’s a good synonym for "system", as in a set of things that can be combined?

texts:
I am searching for a word which embodies the total of parts (things) which were designed to fit together.  For example:

  A screwdriver “kit” commonly contains a screwdriver handle and screwdriver bits, potentially drive guides, etc.

While the individual pieces might be called components or parts, how can we refer to the whole?

In the example I gave above, kit is already pretty good, but it is a little bit too physical and with too little emphasis on the ability to be compatible with each other.

Some ideas I’ve had so far:

System — Too generic, fallback if nothing more specific comes along.
Set — Too generic, contains a nuance less "intent" of being put together, but less ambiguous connotations when compared to system.
School (as in school of thought) — A little bit too lofty or ephemeral. Too close to animals (school of fish)?
Nomenclature — Would be ideal if there were such a thing as an *objeclature for objects rather than nouns. Brings together the notion of being intentionally designed or selected with the notion that it is more than two items.
Accessories — Would be great if there were a primary item that stood out among the others. Yet, as with the screwdriver example, I want to include the screwdriver itself in the set.
Component set — Wordy but otherwise pretty fitting.
Assemblage — Sounds like the parts were already combined together rather than being bundled together for being assembled by the user.
Series — Could be fitting, but has a strong temporal scent. Seems to indicate more than one in a line of things, not intended to complement/combine but to replace. Do you like our new Screwdriver Series X500?
Array — Seems to implicate an individual number of items being positioned (that is, located) next to each other rather than the possibility of combining things.
Collection — Good emphasis on being designed from a single hand (e.g., our collection of excellent wines), yet unclear on whether the individual pieces would blend or work together.

I could go on, but I hope you might have better ideas already.

If possible, the word should carry some connotations of:

The individual items being designed together.
The items go mechanically together.
The items belong to the same manufacturing process and level of
quality.
The items being self-contained and needing no outside additions or
extras.
The items being still separate and not assembled into a whole
The whole being of value (kit, for instance, sounds a little cheap).


texts: Is there an accepted convention on using parenthesis around multiple paragraphs?

texts:
Years ago, I remember reading a novel (I think it was The Three Musketeers, maybe?) that had a few paragraphs inside parenthesis, and it followed the convention for a multiple paragraph quotation:

(Paragraph 1.
(Paragraph 2.
(Paragraph 3.)

So I'm curious, is this actually a convention? Google search seems to be failing me here.

I'm asking entirely out of curiosity, by the way.  I don't currently have any intention of using a multiple paragraph parenthetical in my own writing.


texts: "the XXX something" vs "the something XXX"

texts:
I'm curious about the correct way of using the XXX something XXX construction.

I used to have the 80 port, the 'English Language & Usage' forum in my writing. But at the same time I see that many people use a different word order: the port 80, the book 'How to write correctly'.

Is there any significant difference between these two approaches or I'm too geeky?

Update: Sorry for confusing — I'll try to elaborate this a little.

So, let's say that we have a class of items: book, port, thread, person, etc.

And we have a name of the class item: 80 (port), "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (book), BODY (html tag), etc.

So I usually use it as "the [item] [class]", for example:

the 80 port
the "Harry Potter" book
the BODY tag

But I frequently see that people use another order of words (the [class] [item]) like:

the port 80
the character "a"
the book "Les Miserables"

So which is better and why? Or there is no difference?


texts: Obscure/archaic/unusual English word-of-the-day RSS feed?

texts:
I seek to embiggen my lexicon. Does anyone know of an obscure/archaic/unusual English word-of-the-day (with authoritative (preferably OED) definition) RSS feed?

I've found the OED WotD feed, but a fleet survey shows it contains generally everyday language.
The Phrontistery is interesting, but it appears to be dead, and doesn't feature a feed of words.
Wordsmith's A Word A Day  comes close, with some quite rare words. Anything else like this?


texts: Are the words "Trust me" equally stressed? The vowel in the word "me" is a bit more tense (like in meet) I think. It's a two syllable phrase: [trʌst mi]


texts:
In New Hampshire yesterday, presidential candidate Biden called a voter a "lying, dog-faced pony soldier".

In this context, what is meant by a "pony soldier"?


texts: Can we ever use "that" and "who" right next to each other?

texts:
I’ve learned that we can use that to provide more information for
abstract nouns, such as problem, belief, etc.  I don’t quite understand
what that means, though, so let me try it out.
For example, here I’ll “use that to provide more information about
the word problem” by placing it right at the very front of a clause
serving as the predicate complement after “The problem is” below:

The problem is that who will go.
The problem is who will go.

Can I use sentence #1 here in place of sentence #2?  Does that sound
ok that way?  Would that mean that “that who will go” counts as
a thing, or if not, that only “who will go” counts as a thing? What’s the difference between those two subordinate clauses?
More generally, does English syntax ever allow for using that
and who right next to each other like I’ve just done above?

If so, does this have any special name for it in grammar?

If not, how does this rule that they’ve taught us that we can “use
that to provide more information for abstract nouns like problem”
play out in the real world?  If my suggested example in sentence #2 with that who next to each other
is wrong, what then would be a correct example of that which would
clearly demonstrate this rule they’ve taught us about the word that?


texts: Any English terms for ‘to change the part of speech (of a word) without applying modification’?

texts:
Is there any appropriate English terminology for changing the part of speech (of a word) without applying any modification?

This is a concept including verbing (where the verb verb means "to use a word that is not conventionally used as a verb, typically a noun, as a verb").

Korean has a term Yeongbyeonhwa (零變化, “zero-derivation”) for it, but I'd like to know the English one.


texts: What is the difference between an anthology and a florilegium?

texts: Both words have origins meaning a gathering of flowers — one from Greek and one from Latin. Both appear to have the same definition. When should I use one rather than the other?


texts:
I came across a situation where a customer had agreed to pay a certain amount but in the contract it was mentioned "Rates are subject to particular charges."

So when we say "rates are subject to particular charges," does it mean rates are calculated excluding those particular charges?


texts: I’ve noticed that homage is now often pronounced hom-aag with a French accent not hom-ige as previously used. Anyone else noticed this?


texts: Does "now outdated equipment" need a hyphen?

texts:
The full sentence is: "Previous well-cited work establishes human perceptual system thresholds, but these studies were conducted on now outdated equipment"

Should "now outdated" be changed to "now-outdated"?


texts: I have a question of whether or not it is correct to begin with "to infinitive" in a sentence

texts:
In my country, I learned to-infinitive has three kinds. I am not sure these terminology, so I will introduce usage of .

One is usage of noun. For example, it is difficult for you to solve.
Another is usage of adjective. For example, I have to quit smoking to make me sick.
The other is usage of adverb. This type has a lot of usage like common adverb. However, I will say only one example, which is about "(in order) to". For example, In order to get good grade, studying hard is necessary.

When I was in Boston, my English teacher graduated from Harvard taught me that "STARTING WITH TO-INFINITIVE IS WRONG, SO PEOPLE WRITES IN ORDER TO, RATHER just TO." My teacher said like this. (Not exactly same.)

However, I see many sentences in papers with starting with TO. Surely, teacher said there are a few exception like "to be honest", and "to begin with,". And she added speaking to "However, people use "Speaking frankly" rather than "to speak frankly" in the head of sentence.

What is true? Do I have to reject to use "to-infinitive" in starting part of sentence?


texts: Plural for surnames derived from other words?

texts:
I recently came across a surname in a podcast, called Barleyfoot. In the podcast, his family was referred to as the Barleyfeet. Is this correct? Or should it be Barleyfoots? What about other possible names ending in words like goose, man, cactus etc. whose original words' plurals don't just add an 's' at the end? I'd like to say that a surname is a Proper noun, but if multiple people in a family have it, is it a Proper noun/ Collective noun?

Edit: The question mentioned as similar, does not cite any references for the answers given. Got answer with reference here


texts: What does "pneumatic" mean when applied to a person?

texts:
For example, in this review of the movie Unknown, Mark Kermode refers to Liam Neeson's character's wife as being played by "X-Men's pneumatic January Jones".

I'm never quite sure whether this refers to her attitude, her physique, a particular aspect of her physique, or something else. I don't think I've ever seen the word used to describe a man. Any suggestions?


texts: Why it is "the Grinch" but not just Grinch as it's his personal name

texts:
We don't use the definite article with personal names, however here....why is it so?

Yeah, I know sometimes we can use "the". When it's a person everybody knows about or smth like that.

But why it's "the Grinch"....I wonder


texts:
It was a pleasant evening; Charles found it remarkably so, but I
cannot tell why, unless the absence of Miss Terry, towards whom his
conscience reproaches him with being now perfectly indifferent, was a
relief to him. There were only twelve dances, of which I danced nine,
and was merely prevented from dancing the rest by the want of a
partner. We began at ten, supped at one, and were at Deane before
five. There were but fifty people in the room; very few families
indeed from our side of the county, and not many more from the other.
My partners were the two St. Johns, Hooper, Holder, and very
prodigious Mr. Mathew, with whom I called the last, and whom I liked
the best of my little stock.

This is from Jane Austen's letter to her sister Cassandra.
What does stock mean in this context?


texts: What is the meaning of "a roach in the rushes"?

texts:
In George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones,

  I would have given a hundred silver stags to have been a roach in the rushes when he learned that Lord Beric was off to behead his brother.

what does a roach in the rushes mean?


texts: "Finite" and "infinite": another example?

texts:
Finite and infinite come from the same root word, but the prefix of the latter completely changes the pronunciation. Speaking English as a second-language and reading a lot more than I listen, it makes me nervous that I might be missing other such changes.

Is this an isolated occurrence?


texts:
My friend is studying a subject called 'Numerical Mathematics and Computer Algorithms'. Surely mathematics is all about 'Numbers', so is ''Numerical Mathematics' a redundant statement?

Please excuse my ignorance.


texts: "British female students" or "female British students"?

texts:
Which is more correct between "British female students" and "female British students"?

I have found examples of both - even the Daily Mail renders it both ways.


texts: What's a word for someone who scoffs at someone else's feelings?

texts:
I am trying to find a word someone who ridicules someone else's feelings. When I say generally anything, they'll say something completely unnecessary (and usually hurtful). Most of the time, I am not even talking to them; they just jump into the conversation for no apparent nor helpful reason.
For example, if I say that I have my shoulder hurts, and they will scoff, thinking I am being fake and/or trying to get attention (which I never do; that's weird). There are also general instances where I will say that I don't like a certain food, and they will scoff and say that I always try to find something to complain about.
I also would like the verb form of what they are doing. For example: "This person _____(s) my feelings." I'm not sure if the word "belittle" is the right verb, but I hope you understand what I mean.
Any help is appreciated. Thank you! =)
*I can add more examples if needed.


texts: Origin of "cream" meaning "to defeat decisively"

texts:
What is the origin of the verb cream meaning to defeat someone, such as in this example?

  We creamed them.


texts:
For articles on GL&U it is usual to use German words in English texts. While writing an answer, I was unsure how to use articles in a right way. Finally, after I had read my answer again, I became aware, that I mixed up several possibilities. Especially for German words starting with I, U, E... (An as for an English words or A because it is foreign)

Moreover, I can imagine that the environment is important. I think on GL&U it is important to name the German article (as you know, in German articles are much more complicated as in English), so "Ein/Der Fehler" could be the better solution. This is in contrast to dissertations in which the German article doesn't matter.

Which one is the correct way to use articles for foreign words?

A "Fehler" can be affected by an "Irrtum"
A "Fehler" can be affected by a "Irrtum"
"Ein Fehler" can be affected by "Irrtum"
"Fehler" can be affected by "Irrtum"

Hints:

This is the German sentence:

  Ein Fehler kann durch einen Irrtum entstehen.

(For those who knows German: Yes, I know that my translation into English is not the best one. Create, Produce, Develop should be the better translations)

In the 3rd example I left out the second article, because it sounds terrible if I would insert it.

For those who are interested in the article, this is the question and here's my answer.


texts: How can I change this sentence to avoid passive voice?

texts:
I have a press release that I've been asked to edit to remove passive voice. Having done some research via the Internet, I'm not entirely sure how to best change this sentence:

  "We have gained many new responsibilities by being incorporated."

Any support would be much appreciated. Thanks!


texts:
Looking for help with a technical term analogous to clustering. In particular, given a bunch of data, I want to describe the problem of coming up with distances (not measuring but rather estimation) like "these two points are 0.2 apart" and "these two points are 0.95 apart" in the same spirit as clustering, in which you look at a whole data set and determine which points belong to the same cluster.

The standard dictionary definitions of metrification, metricization, or metrication, and metrifying, all refer to using the metric system (as opposed to, e.g., inches or feet). That is not what I am referring to.


texts: Which is correct: "What lurks underneath ARE our lives," or "What lurks underneath IS our lives"?

texts:
I admit, the fact I can't figure this out is embarrassing.  I'm not looking to change the wording of the sentence, but rather want an answer to which is the correct verb tense in this exact instance.  Since "lives" is plural, then "are" should be the corresponding verb, one might argue.  On the other hand, something seems intuitively amiss about that choice.  Perhaps "what IS lurking underneath (IS) our lives is  causing confusion for me, as I try to sort this out (I think "what" is being used as a singular pronoun.  Or is it?  Maybe it's being used as a determiner.)  Maybe "our lives" is one singular concept that should match to a singular verb.  I'm going down a rabbit hole here and can't seem to get out.  Help!  Any assistance is appreciated!
Confusing examples that I've considered (that aren't helping) -
What time ARE we going?
What time IS it?
(What is determining the verbs "are" and "is" in the above examples?!)  Please help before I go insane!


texts:
In this sentence:

  He is going to school.

is the word "school" an object or complement?

My confusion arises from the dual observations that: (a) it apparently can not be object, because the verb "go" is intransitive, and (b) it is not an complement either because it doesn't modify anything.

So what role does the word "school" play in this sentence?


texts: What manual of style should I use for technical writing for US Federal Government documents?

texts: For a lot of the questions I'm seeing on ELaU, it seems the answer is ultimately arbitrary and unlikely to be resolved by poll.  Since style guides exist to settle the question for people who care not what sounds better, but just want to get with the program and follow a uniform convention, what manual of style should I use for technical writing for US Federal Government documents?


texts: Requesting a word or idiom for "impressive failure."

texts: I'm looking for a more formal expression or word that indicates failure to the extent that one would have to work very hard to achieve it.  I'm aware of the idiom "epic fail" but I'm looking for something not as common, casual, or unkind. [Edit/question augmentation]: An example might be getting a negative score on a test for which a "zero" score was previously thought to be the worst outcome.


texts:
Some might say that the "question" is that which you "reply" to. However, when I "post" something I also get "replies". Thus, if I am the reply, is there a general word for the thing that I am the reply to?

To clarify, the gist of what I'm trying to say is something like: "These writings can have pair wise relationships with other writings. In these relationships they can either be the reply or the ________."


texts: What word means "someone who ignores emotion in the face of pain"?

texts: What word means "someone who ignores their own emotion in the face of their pain"? (Does it start with C?)


texts: What does "hang out" mean in this specific sentence

texts:
In a book that I'm reading there is a sentence like this:

  there is a great mystery hanging out in the background.

Here is the context:

  What are the smallest bits and how do they work together to make the universe? But even as we grasp for answers to questions about the tangible things surrounding us, there is a great mystery hanging out in the background. That mystery is the background itself: space.

My question is what does "hanging out (in the background)" mean in this sentence?

Does it bear the original meaning of hang, i.e to put or fix, or to be put or fixed, above the ground?


texts: "Decouple X from Y" vs "Decouple X with Y" vs "Decouple X and Y"

texts:
What's the difference?

And, what should I use to express a bi-directional decoupling? To me, "decouple X from Y" is unidirectional: I take X and remove it from Y, while Y doesn't move. I'd rather express the fact that I make X and Y independent from each other.

Can I say the following:

  A schema decouples frontend and backend.

I know that A schema decouples frontend from backend. is a correct sentence but it doesn't express what I want.

Thanks for everything you guys are doing, this community is wonderful — my English improved so much thanks to you.


texts: How to punctuate a question within a thought

texts:
In a third-person narrative, I want to punctuate the following sentence:

  Wasn't art supposed to impact the reader in an emotional way, she wondered.

How would that line be punctuated? I know I could use italics, but my question is, should it be,

  Wasn't art supposed to impact its audience in an emotional way? she wondered.

or what? nothing seems entirely right to me. I know I could just change the whole thing—"She wondered whether or not art was ... yada yada ..."; but she is thinking this in response to someone and it's almost a rhetorical question, so I'd like it to remain the way I have it, but be punctuated properly—if that's possible. Grr.


texts: How would you eloquently say "doing something for the umpteenth/nth/n-tieth time"?

texts:
I want to say that someone was doing (something) for the N-tieth time in a row, but in a way that emphasises both that this action is performed again, after a substantial amount of times (successfully, with no emotional tint for the outcome of the actions) and that no one, neither the "actor" nor the narrator is counting precisely which time this is.

More exactly I want to write something like:
"She was reloading the gun for the N-tieth time", but in a way that will show that she has fired and reloaded the gun so many times, it's well past the easily numerable ones, like "first", "third", etc. and, yet, she doesn't count them.

EDIT:
This is for a short story, therefore I need an eloquent equivalent. Something that rolls of the tongue smoothly and is light and easy to read, as well as naturally flowing. It also needs to be somewhat complex, to that end I thank the people who have proposed the "umpteenth" answers, however (no offense) that sounds rural, uncouth and brings down the reader from the context I wish to establish. I realise it might be a good idea to specify the context, however it would be impossible at this point, as it only resides in my head in a fractured idea-state.

I was hoping there was an English equivalent to what we have in my country, which roughly translates to:

  "She loaded the gun for the following time."
  "She loaded the gun for the subsequential time."
  It sounds bad, but I'm hoping I'm getting the point across.


texts: Humour through repeated use of a construct, with a final variation?

texts:
I am wondering if there is any name, or well-known example, for a humoristic construct that I particularly enjoy. It is exemplified in this monolog from Pierre Desproges, directed at a woman he was interviewing for a radio off:

  Lady, you're a beautiful flower — can I call you a flower? [...]
  (later in the interview) You're a cute white cloud in blue summer sky — can I call you a white cloud?
  (some more such lines throughout his monolog, you get the idea)
  (and it ends with:) You're gorgeous as a cab — can I call you a cab?

I'm not even sure there is a specific term for this build-up and final twist. It's sort of related to a syllepsis (which would be can I call you beautiful and a cab?), but delayed in time. Is there a name for this construct? Do you know of famous examples in English?

(I do apologise because translation of humor is necessarily weak, and is not my forte. I do it because I don't know any good example in English.)


texts:
From your personal experience, is "par for the course" widely understood, or would you recommend using a less technical term?

I am particularly interested in differences between American, British, and Australian English.


texts: A phrase meaning a drawback turned out to be an advantage

texts:
I remember having heard one before but can't say how it went. The phrase says that what initially seemed like a disadvantage — became an advantage.
If anyone knows anything even similar to this definition, it'd be much appreciated.


texts: Term for how politicians denigrate their opponents to win the support of the populace

texts: As it's election time in UK and some other countries as well, we're used to listening to politicians' oratory. During the speeches we often observe how politicians try to win public support by denigrating their opposition or laying blame on them at times even unfairly and unjustly. Is there a word for this tactic? It may not necessarily relate to politics alone.


texts: I am aware of -wright, which is often used as a compound, e.g. playwright. But are there any other suffixes that are synonymous or similar in meaning to -wright and -smith?


texts: Does putting an "and" between two verbs alter qualifying clauses?

texts:
In the following .. does the 'date clause' apply to one, the other, or both imperatives.

"To confirm your miles balance, just purchase and fly with "airline" or the Partner Airlines to any destination and for any fare, between 25 May and 24 June 2017."

And what is the grammatical reason for which it is..?

I believe it was translated from Italian (we would say May 24th in USA) as this is an Italian airline (name of airline intentionally omitted).

Below is the entire context:

  According to the terms and conditions, when no new miles have been
  earned under the Program over a period of 24 months, the miles in the
  account expire and are cancelled.

  But you are still in time to save them!

  To confirm your miles balance, just purchase and fly with "airline" or
  the Partner Airlines to any destination and for any fare, between 25
  May and 24 June 2017.


texts: What determines what can be pied-piped and what not in wh-movement?

texts:
A wh-expression without wh-movement, where the wh-word is the object of the preposition “about”:

You are talking about what?

A sentence that has undergone wh-movement:

What are you talking about?

⸺with a pied-piped “about”:

About what are you talking?

The entire wh-clause has gotten pied-piped. Acceptable or not?

Talking about what are you?

Similarly (I find),

A wh-expression without wh-movement, where the wh-word is the object of the preposition “of”:

Chills and headache are symptoms of what?

That above, with wh-movement applied:

What are chills and headache symptoms of?

⸺with a pied-piped “of”. Acceptable or not?

Of what are chills and headache symptoms?

The entire wh-clause has gotten pied-piped. Acceptable or not?

Symptoms of what are chills and headache?

Here’s the question⸻
What exactly determines what can be pied-piped and what cannot in wh-movement?

By “pied-piping,” I mean it in the linguistic sense. “A wh-word taking adjacent words together when moved.”
I’ve come from ELL as my question was told to be esoteric for the website.


texts: Apartment number before or after house number and street

texts:
When writing an address, I wonder which comes first, the apartment number, or the house number and street name? Thanks!

For example:

  1234 Charles ST APT A

  Hollywood, CA 54321

or

  APT A, 1234 Charles ST

  Hollywood, CA 54321


texts:
I’m trying to come up with a word which describes the thing an operative operates upon. That is, the target of the operation.

For example, if a surgeon operates on a patient, and a chauffeur operates a car, what generic term describes both the patient and the car?

The best I’ve come up with so far is “operand”, but that has a very specific meaning in mathematics, and doesn’t seem to be used outside of that context.

Any suggestions?


texts:
In the February 11, 2019 edition of The New Yorker, there is a weird profile of the writer Dan Mallory. Can someone help me explain the grammar of the commas I have bolded below? Why is there a comma after "disdain"? Why the comma before the words "and worked"? Presumably The New Yorker must have its reasons:

  As if impatient for advancement, Mallory often used his boss’s office late at night, and worked on her computer. On a few occasions in 2007, after Mallory had announced that he would soon be leaving the company to take up doctoral studies at Oxford, people found plastic cups, filled with urine, in and near Linda Marrow’s office. These registered as messages of disdain, or as territorial marking. Mallory was suspected of responsibility but was not challenged. No similar cups were found after he quit. (Mallory, through a spokesperson, said, “I was not responsible for this.”)


texts: Pronunciation of foreign words in American vs. British English?

texts:
One of the differences between modern US English (hereafter referred to as "American English") and British English is the way in which we pronounce foreign words, particularly those of French origin and/or related to food.  For example, Americans…

drop the "h" on "herb" and "Beethoven";
rhyme "fillet" and "valet" with "parlay" as opposed to "skillet"; and
pronounce paella as /paɪˈeɪə/ (approximating a Castilian or Mexican accent), whereas the British pronounce it as /pʌɪˈɛlə/.

In general, the British seem to pronounce foreign/loan words as they would be phonetically pronounced if they were English, whereas Americans tend to approximate the original pronunciation.  I've heard some people claim that this trend is due to the melting pot nature of America, and others claim that the French pronunciation, in particular, is due to America's very close relations with France during its infancy.  This latter hypothesis, however, seems to be contradicted by the following:

  Avoid the habit of employing French words in English conversation; it is in extremely bad taste to be always employing such expressions as ci-devant, soi-disant, en masse, couleur de rose, etc. Do not salute your acquaintances with bon jour, nor reply to every proposition, volontiers.  In speaking of French cities and towns, it is a mark of refinement in education to pronounce them rigidly according to English rules of speech. Mr. Fox, the best French scholar, and one of the best bred men in England, always sounded the x
  in Bourdeaux, and the s in Calais, and on all occasions pronounced such names just as they are written.                  —THE LAWS OF ETIQUETTE; or, Short Rules and Reflections for CONDUCT IN SOCIETY. BY A GENTLEMAN. PHILADELPHIA: CAREY, LEA, AND BLANCHARD. 1836.

Question: At what point did the USA drop the British convention of pronouncing foreign words as they are spelled?

Edit: Cerberus brought up the topic of upper-class (U) English in the comments, below.  It is interesting to note that there seems to be a trend in U English to substitute words that have an obvious counterpart in French with words that are either of Germanic origin or those that do not have a direct equivalent in modern French.  For example:

scent is preferred over perfume;
looking glass is preferable to mirror;
false teeth is preferable to dentures;
graveyard > cemetery;
napkin > serviette;
lavatory > toilet;
drawing-room > lounge;
lunch > dinner (for a midday meal); and
what? > pardon?

This is admittedly a stretch, but perhaps there is some connection between the US's lack (and some might say derision) of a noble class and its preference toward non-U/French pronunciation?


texts: Around “which” or around “who” or around which?

texts:
In a sentence that reads, “Align your attention with that maternal star around **** we orbit”, what word would be suitable? I am unsure because “maternal star” adds gender and very nearly attributes personhood to the object of the sentence. I understand that normally you would say “Star around which we orbit*. But is it acceptable to use who of whom given what strikes me as a special case?

Any clarification would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
Example sentence:
A good husband, good father and good boss, David has been juggling between different roles over the years.

"A good husband, good father and good boss" - What is the name of this kind of phrase? Thz!


texts: Do "No A or B" and "No A and B" mean the same thing?

texts:
Hopefully my question is not the same as this one as I am asking about the English in writing a prohibition. Do "No A or B" and "No A and B" mean the same thing, where A and B are present participle of some verb?

For example: Is there any difference between

  No eating and drinking

and

  No eating or drinking

?

Which one of these two, if any, should one say if he/she wishes to express the idea "either A or B is allowed", but not both A and B (such as drinking alcohol and driving)?


texts: Difference between "I am doing lunch" and "I am having lunch"

texts: What is the difference between I am doing lunch and I am having lunch? Both indicate progress of action.


texts: Does this mean that it was the lowest price in the last eleven years?

texts:
Does this mean that it was the lowest price in eleven years or is it an idiom?

  But then the oil price dropped, and by early 2016 it had slumped
  to an eleven-year low.


texts: "Minutes of meeting" or "Minutes meeting"

texts: What is the right expression, "minutes of meeting" or "minutes meeting"?


texts: How you do you say "What is this word?" in a friendly, indirect and elaborate way?

texts:
In French, when you don't know what the hell a word means that's just been mentioned, instead of flat-out asking “What is that?” we have an informal expression “Hmmm, ça se mange?” (Litterally, “can it be eaten?”). It makes obvious the fact that you're missing something. Alternatively, you could also say “À tes souhaits” (“bless you”), trying to pretend you took that uttered word for a sneeze.

Is there anything a similar, common phrase I could use in English?


texts: Does "epenthesis" include placing the accent on the wrong syllable?

texts: I read the definition for epenthesis as the insertion or development of a sound or letter in the body of a word.  I am hearing media pronounce the word 'student' with an accent on the second syllable.  Does this mispronunciation of stu-dent qualify as being an example of epenthesis?


texts: What's the origin of the term "call" in card games?

texts:
What is the origin of the term "to call" in card games like poker?

I can understand that one can "raise" the bet, but why does one want to say "call" to match a bet or match a raise?

How would that meaning of the action "call" be used elsewhere?


texts: What is a good word or phrase for the shelf under the sloped rear window, behind the back seats of a sedan-style vehicle?


texts: "In the nick of time" or "in a nick of time?"

texts: They both sound right and I've found examples of both.


texts:
In the book Cider with Rosie, an autobiographical coming-of-age novel written by British author Laurie Lee and published in 1959, I find the word 'candle-skin', which I tried to look up in many online dictionaries without success.

Laurie Lee is describing how he very innocently 'played doctor' with Jo at dusk, down a bank, sheltered by yew trees, lying on the grass; he must have been eleven or twelve at the time, and Jo was younger (here is the whole paragraph where this word appears):

  Her body was pale and milk-green on the grass, like a birch-leaf lying in water, slightly curved like a leaf and veined and glowing, lit faintly from within its flesh. This was not Jo now but the revealed unknown, a labyrinth of naked stalks, stranger than flesh, smoother than candle-skins, like something thrown down from the moon. Time passed, and the cool limbs never moved, neither towards me nor yet away; she just turned a grass ring around her fingers and stared blindly away from my eyes. The sun fell slanting and struck the spear-tipped grass, laying tiger-stripes round her hollows, binding her body with crimson bars, and moving slow colours across her.


texts: Can a noun in the possessive case be the antecedent of 'who'?

texts:
In other words, are sentences like

  We had a party at Jane's, who is my cousin.

or

  He pressed his face up to Kate's, who flattened herself against the wall.

grammatically correct?


texts: "If a talk is [desirable/desired]" - which one to use?

texts:
If a talk is desirable/desired, I can drop by your office any time.

Should I use desirable or desired here? Or some word else?


texts: How did 'nominal' come to mean 'insignificantly small, trifling'?

texts: How can a word that clearly means 'of a name' come to mean 'insignificantly small, trifling' and thus wind up becoming an advertising tool with a completely unrelated meaning?


texts: Have the words 'horsemanshipp' & 'warr' been used so in writing, in the early 16th Century?

texts:
I was looking for origin of the word carousel, and I found the following,

  One of the purposes of the Royalle Carouselle, as it was called in a
  patent application of 1673, was to give "sufficient instruction to all
  such ingenious young gentleman as desire to learne the art of perfect
  horsemanshipp with all the usual practices and exercises thereof".

http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Around-and-about-the-world-of-carousels-Discovery-series-Discover-fairs-308572/

Also in the following book, Images and cultures of law in early modern England

My Question is, have the words horsemanshipp & warr been used in writing with a double p & r consistently? Or is it that the usage reflects the way a person speaks those words ?


texts:
While analyzing a student's written essay, I came across a short answer written in the past progressive. It included an echoed name instead of a pronoun.

Student's answer:
Was Sarah happy? Yes, Sarah was.

Is it possible to use a specific name in a short answer, or is a pronoun to be used?


texts:
I want to know about usage of "start + action" and "stop + action". Which one of followin are correct or preferred? For ex.

When shall I start working?
When shall I stop working?

Or

When shall I start to work?
When shall I stop to work?

Does it depend on a context or on the action itself? Are there any rules that I can apply to phrases contain "start" and "stop"? Or maybe there are some differences in meaning?


texts: Is there a difference between "to air" and "to broadcast"?

texts: What is the difference, if any, in the use of the verbs to air and to broadcast?


texts: What is a word for: An area of someones life that explains why they are the way that they are?

texts:
Examples:

Jimmy lived with his single mom and became a really big bully.
Living with his single mom is the area of his life that explains why he is a bully.

Sandra was called fat when she was 13 years old, and she became anorexic.
Sandra being called fat when she was 13 years old is the area of her life that explains why she became anorexic.

Leo's daughter got in a death-defying car wreck with in 18-wheeler and now feels uneasy around them.
Leo's daughter getting in a death-defying car wreck is an area of his life that explains why he feels uneasy around 18-wheelers.


texts: All other things being equal meaning an if clause or when clause

texts:
{All other things being equal}, the student prefers to tell stories about 17th century Christian paintings.

Should I understand the phrase in the bracket as an if clause or a when clause?

Could you help me clarify it?  Thank you always.


texts: "I believe it's valid" vs. "I believe it valid"

texts:
Over on another network site, a helpful user corrected the grammar of a post of mine.

The answer now says

  I believe it's valid.

where I originally wrote

  I believe it valid.

Is the original sentence gramamatically (or at least idiomatically) correct or do I absolutely need a form of 'to be' here?
(What's more, is 'to be' a copula or an auxiliary verb if used like this?)

I am quite certain that I have seen sentences like the original one in the past, but I am uncertain where. Given that I am frequently exposed to the somewhat made-up English of authors in the fields of sci-fi and fantasy, I might have fallen into a trap here.

Edit: I don't doubt that the correction is valid and enhances readability.


texts:
There are several words ending in "-ine" that can be used to make comparisons to animals. These include equine (resembling a horse), canine (resembling a dog), vulpine (resembling a fox) and porcine (resembling a pig).

Is there a word with the same ending that means resembling a rat?


texts: How to reference a long title with a shorter one

texts:
I am writing a paper, and lets say I have a long name, The Swiss Cheese Competition Act of 1950. How would I refer to it in shorthand so I don't have to write it out in the rest of the paper?

The Swiss Cheese Competition Act of 1950, henceforth referred to as the Competition Act. The Competition Act ...
The Swiss Cheese Competition Act of 1950 ("Competition Act"). The Competition Act ...


texts:
I understand that the phrase and how is an informal way of expressing strong agreement, but how would one really parse the phrase? Would the etymology of it provide any clues?
For example:

"This is the best cupcake I've ever had!" exclaimed person A.
"And how!" replied person B.


texts:
What does "desire for consummation" mean in this context?

Context:

  The original exhibition’s centrepiece display of sickening body images
  was mediated through distancing devices – literary association,
  cultural cliché, blurred photographs, drawings, all part of a
  reassuringly calm gallery ethos. Perversely, however, they served only
  to stimulate the viewer’s capacity to imagine a horror which is yet
  more horrible than the real, as if the artifice deliberately withholds
  its true potential, thereby creating an unresolved cycle of fear and
  the desire for consummation.

Art and Science, Sian Ede


texts:
Definitions

justify

Source: Wiktionary

  To provide an acceptable explanation for.

rationalize

Source: Wiktionary

  To justify an immoral act, or illogical behaviour.

Questions

Given the selected definitions of these verbs (I believe this is acceptable as Wiktionary, like AHD: rationalize 2a, lists them first among relevant senses/sub-senses), what is an example situation in which using one verb is more appropriate than using the other?

I find myself needing a verb like these two, then finding it overly difficult to determine which one is best.

Does "rationalize" have a more dramatic connotation?


texts: I need some more synonymous constructions for equal, identical, the same in context such as Models A and B performed essentially equal on task X. Is on par a valid replacement for equal/ identical/ the same here, or is on par only suited for informal contexts?


texts: Would you like to tell me what does this slang mean?"put your guns on"anyone gets it?


texts: What is the ending-in-y version of 'atomic'?

texts:
I don't know the correct way to explain this type of word in English, but it's similar to the word 'specificity'. You can describe something as specific using this word. I'm looking for a similar way to use 'atomic'. My intended usage of 'atomic' here is to describe the nature of an operation in programming: To perform an operation atomically, means that this operation completes 100% without being interrupted. It means the operation is guaranteed to be complete.

When discussing the property of being atomic with my coworkers, I wish to use it somewhat like: "This gives you the guarantee of atomicity". I know that 'atomicity' isn't a word (at least according to Google), but I hope that gives you an idea of what I'm trying to do.

What is the correct way of using 'atomic' in this way? Or am I maybe going down the wrong path here?


texts:
What is the history of "X is dead. Long live X"?
For example,

Location is dead. Long live Location.
JavaScript is dead. Long live JavaScript.

I feel like I'm missing out on a joke.


texts: Meaning of "there is much competition in firms between different managerial logics"

texts:
I have some doubts about this sentence:

  Naturally there is much competition in firms between different managerial
  logics. Usually one dominant logic emerges successful.

Does this mean that there is

much competition in (inside of) firms with different managerial logics, or
much competition between several firms, which have different managerial logics?


texts: An author 'teaches' or 'taught' us in his book

texts:
Some time ago I posted the following sentence on an online forum:

Adam Smith, in his "Wealth of Nations", taught us that...

Now I am wondering whether I should have used the word 'teaches' rather than 'taught'. Although the author has passed away, we are still being taught by him in his book.

I also noticed that quite often reporters and writers use the present tense when describing what appears to be a past event, which somewhat confuses me. Eg.:

"Akane survives thriller against Se-young as Japan become champions again" -- The Star, https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/badminton/2020/02/17/akane-survives-thriller-against-se-young-as-japan-become-champions-again

"...The views of Aristotle on ethics represent, in the main, the prevailing opinions of educated and experienced men of his day...Aristotle says that Plato was right in dividing the soul into two parts..." -- History of Western Philosophy, Bertrand Russell

Why has the past tense not been used in such cases?

Additionally, shouldn't it be 'becomes' in the first case?


texts:
In the formal writing such as a conference/journal paper,
which of the following two phrases are correct?

there exists noun
Noun exists

In addition, can we use the following phrases to modify the noun from not right after it?

No mechanism exists that dominates...
A mechanism exists such that...

If we use "there exists..." the following is possible:

There exists a mechanism that dominates...


texts:
I was checking a grammar exercise created by a colleague and a question arose about the function of "above" in the following sentence:

  If you have questions, you can look at my notes above.

She feels it's an adjective, and I feel it is a preposition.  My reasoning is that if one removes "at my notes" "above" is giving further information in the way a preposition does.

So, which is it; a preposition or an adjective?


texts: Is it possible to say ' your choice *for* something' when you mean 'your choice *of* something'?

texts:
I'm correcting a document and several people that co-wrote it seem to agree that 'my choice for' seems to be synonymous to 'my choice of', in the signification of me having chosen something and indicating what exactly my choice was. E.g. 'my choice for Japan as my travel destination'.

To me this seems wrong, a choice 'for' should be used to indicate a reason or goal, or a person that will be affected by the decision in my experience with English ('I chose a book for English class' - 'my choice for my daughter's education is school X'). Is this true or is saying 'my choice for chicken as dinner' correct English?


texts:
I was reading my child a manga story today and one character said, "here goes nothing." I hadn't heard that expression since I myself was a kid, and I always took it to mean "here goes my best try."  Looking online, I found very little in terms of explaining the origin and meaning of this phrase.

Perhaps one of you can enlighten me?


texts: "impairment" vs. "impediment" (and derivatives)

texts:
Today I wrote the phrase "free from any procedural impediments" and am wondering how the meaning would change if I instead wrote "free from any procedural impairments."

What is the difference between:

impairment vs. impediment (noun form)
impede vs. impair (verb form)
impeded vs. impaired (past participle?)

I found this Quora question on the matter which seems to suggest "impairment" is more abstract, while "impediment" is more physical.

Is this similar to the distinction between "further" and "farther," where the former refers to abstract notions such as time, and the latter to physical distances?


texts:
This phrase occurs surprisingly frequently. I assume, based on contexts, that it means roughly 'I am so embarrassed'. What I wonder is what it is that 'it' refers to. What is to be pulled in? Any ideas?

There are hundreds of examples that can be found by googling:

  hole "pull it in after"

E.g.:

  It made us miserable, urgently wanting to find a hole in the universe, crawl into it, and pull it in after us.

It is also a line in the movie Sunset Blvd (1950)


texts: How to punctuate a prose conversation with only one speaker's words

texts:
I would like some ideas of the best way to punctuate a conversation that only has the words spoken by one participant.

Eg., ‘Well, when did you last see your dog? … …Yesterday morning when you put your dustbin out for the dustmen… …I’m sure it will turn up eventually… …Yes, it was two days ago, but you need to give it a few more days… …Well you ought to be glad that it’s a dog that’s gone missing. It would be two weeks if it was a person.’

So please offer any suggestions as whether this is the correct way to write this, and also how to get Word to write in ellipses.

It is not a phone call conversation. It is a person remembering a past conversation that he'd had, so it may not need the quotation marks.


texts: "To know all about something" vs. "a know-all"

texts:
The Oxford Thesaurus of English says that the noun know-all is
informal. For example, when saying:

  You are such a know-all.

My concern is with using know all as a combination of the verb
to know + all. Example:

  People today know all about technology-use.

Is doing this informal or conversational in this sentences, because
we can have more formal alternatives such as more knowledgeable,
more experienced, more familiar, and so on and so forth?


texts: What are historical reasons why the US people put initial in between their first and last names?

texts:
As far as I know it is not mandatory form of the full name, but many Americans (I reckon it is true for other English speaking nations, but it is much more typical for people in the US) choose to write their names with the middle initial, like «John A. Doe». I can't think of any non-English speaking nation where such full name form would exist. Usually, it is either reduced to «John Doe» (generally, more widespread) or is expanded to «John Anthony Doe». Apparently, Americans are somewhere in between these two limiting cases. Where did this tradition of using initial in stead of the second name come from and when did it become popular amongst Americans?
It is curious that names of many historical figures of the US are usually written without the initial, for example «George Washington» or «Abraham Lincoln».


texts: Capitalization for email greeting: Good morning OR Good Morning

texts: In an email greeting "Good morning" does the word "morning" need to be capitalized?  Is it Good Morning or Good morning?


texts:
I've seen the phrase "sales play" on IBM site (see link).

What does it mean?


texts:
There are many other terms and expressions and  relating to "way" for example, sidetrack, out of the way, roundabout way of speaking, etc.
Where did the term by the way come from? I've googled it, to no avail, and may be its because it's been coined in a book or something. Does anyone know anything relating to this saying? And maybe explain the popularity of terms relating to "way".


texts: Can someone explain the following sentence in simpler language?

texts:
Can someone explain the following sentence to me in simpler language.

I'm not a native English speaker. I was faced a problem while reading a particular sentence from O Henry's "One Thousand Dollars".

  You could rent Madison Square Garden for one evening with it, and lecture your audience, if you should have one, on the precariousness of the profession of heir presumptive.

I know precarious means uncertain and presumptive is of the nature of a presumption; presumed in the absence of further information.


texts: "obstacle to developing '" vs "obstacle in developing"?

texts:
Which proposition are used after obstacle? I have seen both "in" and "to". what are the difference between them? for example, what is the difference between the following sentences/
There is an obstacle in developing .....
or
There is an obstacle to  developing ......


texts:
I think perhaps I'm using the wrong word in this sentence. Is this the correct use of conversely and if not what is the correct word to use and what is the correct use of conversely.

  If we decide not to plant a garden then we will not have to find a
  place to buy seed, conversely if we can't find a place to buy seed we
  won't be able to plant a garden.

In this question: Is the use of "conversely" to mean "on the other hand" correct? the answer mentions the word Obversely which when I look it up seems like perhaps it would be the better word. However as the answer also mentions that word isn't used often. It would sound rather odd in casual conversation.


texts: Meaning of "no one loves a good acronym better than me"

texts:
I was listening to a TED video and the speaker said:

[T]he current models we're using to measure our creative work don't make sense. We need systems that work with our creativity and not against it.
There is no quick fix for this problem. And I know, I know, that sucks. No one loves a good framework or a good acronym better than me.

Link to time stamp.
What is the meaning of the word 'acronym' in this context?


texts: This book reads easily vs this book is reading easily

texts:
We heard our English professor, who is from the UK, say the following:

  I have read this book.

  This book reads easily.

I have seen a few fellow-students replicating the above-mentioned sentence; however, the manner in which they do so is different, as they change it to:

  I have read this book.

  This book is reading easily / this book reads like nothing.

I am unable to understand the sentence structure and the connotations of the sentences.

  This book reads easily.
  This book is reading easily.

I believe my teacher is correct, but I am hesitant to ask him about this issue; a friend therefore referred me to here.

Finally, what other similar examples might there be of the above-mentioned phenomenon?


texts:
I am looking for a hypernym of to deposit and to withdraw (money to and from a bank account).

I thought about several options like "to perform a financial transaction", however I need something more concise and short.


texts: Is this sentence with repeated use of "what" correct?

texts:
I'm a french speaker and I have a question about the use of "what" at the beginning of a sentence. Could you please tell me if the following sentences are correct?

What experiences, what feelings, what problems does it come from?

What feelings? What energy?

The context is about an experience in painting.
I don't think I have to use "which" instead of "what", but I'm not sure.


texts:
It is suggested my question is a duplicate of How to punctuate an embedded quoted question within a declarative sentence?. It is not, that answer does not address the problem of a quote within a quote, it only addresses the problem of a quote within prose. So, for example, it uses double quotation marks around the quote instead of single, and doesn't address whether I have a comma after the singly-quoted quotation or not. My original question follows. Note that the character Jack is speaking and part of his speech is to quote a question asked earlier by his daughter.

A character is speaking to another character, and quotes a question of the other character then goes on about that question.

  "No," Jack said, "You asked me, 'Can I go out with Jenna?', and I said yes, but you didn't tell me Bobby would be there, and I've told you, you cannot go anywhere with Bobby!"

Am I punctuating 'Can I go out with Jenna?' correctly?


texts: Word for asserting/reaffirming your higher rank in social/professional power structure?

texts:
My mind keeps coming back to words such as  motioning, stepping or puffing but I know these aren't the words.

i.e: When someone higher in the power structure asserts their superiority over you


texts:
I'm a bit confused about the dates preposition.
I know a date can be said in two ways, for example "the second of March" and "March 2(nd)".
But now I seemed to a bit more complex date like (September 10, 2019).
For this date which preposition "in" or "on" should be used?
[in September 10, 2019] or [on September 10, 2019]?


texts: Is it appropriate to omit "will not be"?

texts:
Often, someone will say:

  I'm not living in a senior's home!

When the intended meaning is:

  I will not be living in a senior's home!

Is this acceptable?


texts:
What is the meaning and origin of this idiom?

Internet searches are confounded by the many headlines and jokes that allude to the phrase superficially (e.g., “repetitive strain injury – it's all in the wrist”).


texts: Should I use "the" before "same" in this sentence?

texts:
Which one of these sentences is correct?

  Different instances of a class have different values for the instance variables of the class, but the values of the static variables are same for every instance of the class.

and

  Different instances of a class have different values for the instance variables of the class, but the values of the static variables are the same for every instance of the class.


texts: Term for the unit of grouping large numbers?

texts:
I asked this on mathoverflow but I guess it's not so appropriate there so...
In English and probably most (if not all) western languages, we group numbers by powers of 1000. So we have:
ones, tens, hundreds - then
thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands - and so on.
We may take this for granted but it's not universal. In Japanese, for example, we have something like:
ichi (ones), jyuu (tens), hyaku (hundreds), sen (thousands) - then
man (ten-thousands), jyuu-man (hundred-thousands), hyaku-man (millions), sen-man (ten-millions) - then
oku (hundred-millions), jyuu-oku (billions), hyaku-oku (ten-billions), sen-oku (hundred-billions)
So my question is: is there a term for this grouping? Can we say something like, "The [term] in english is 10^3 but the [term] in Japanese is 10^4."


texts:
I try to shorten the expression: "period [of smth] when [the device] moves / stands" to use it as a parameter name, and have come up with these two options:

'Period moving' / 'Period standing'
'Moving period' / 'Standing period'

It feels to me that 'Moving period' rather means 'moving the period' or 'movable period' than 'period in motion'. Is it correct? Which option fits better?


texts: I am writing a novel set in 1890s Georgia (United States), and I am wondering whether the main character, a young man of eighteen, would refer to eau de toilette as cologne, toilet water, or something else entirely. Any ideas?


texts:
The word enormity is widely used to mean excess of size, but if somebody talks about the enormity of his achievements he would look foolish.

Why is that so? Does it depend on the tone used, or are there deep linguistic reasons?


texts: Is there any improper or awkward usage in this sentence?

texts:
Dear Mom, I wish you can come to the U.S. and reunite with me. Even if
  it is just a short period, as long as I can be with you and carry out
  a son's duty, it would be satisfying.

The phrase and word I am not so sure are:

1) carry out a son's duty: It is a translation of Chinese word “尽孝”, when I look it up by google, it gave me this translation "filial". But I've never seen this word being used before, so I am not sure how to use it.

2) satisfying: Is there any better word for this occasion?


texts:
What is the difference between

"They are bad." and
"Those are bad."?

What are the conditions in which you'd choose one in favor of the other.  First off, I'm not sure that they aren't interchangeable.  Even if they are, I can't tell if the difference is between "they" referring to people, and "those" referring to things, of if there is something about the "demonstrativeness" of the they vs. those that makes a difference, or something else.

The problem that I'm dealing with doesn't have a context that defines what people/objects the pronoun is referring to.  I'm learning Swedish on Duolingo; I translated a sentence (De är dåliga.)  with "Those are bad", the site claims that this is wrong, and "They are bad" is the correct translation.  But mentally reviewing it, I'm not sure what/if there is a difference between these, in English.  If these two are pretty much interchangeable, then I'd post a request that "my answer is correct" to the website.

Although prompted by situation involving a foreign language,
my question is just about how to make sense of the difference in English, and so on-topic here.


texts:
An approximate answer is one which is close to the correct answer.  Likewise, we can talk of an approximate model, or approximate methods in mathematics.

The etymology is from the Latin ad, "to" and proximus, "closest", see e.g. here.  I don't think this can be disputed.  Occasionally proximate is used as a synonym, though that word has a different meaning in legal English.

So if an approximate answer is close, a very approximate answer should be very close.

In practice, "very approximate" or "very approximately" is overwhelmingly used with the opposite meaning of "roughly", indicating that an answer or estimate is not necessarily accurate.  For examples, search Google.

Is there any justification for this use? Is there any justification for my suggested use?  Should we avoid the phrase altogether?


texts: Where does the double "t" in "putt" come from?

texts:
Putt both as a verb and a noun is now used mainly, in not only,  in reference to golf. As a verb its origin is quite old (14th c.), but its golf-related usage came much later, around the mid-18th century as suggested by Etymonline:

Putt (n.):

  c. 1300, "a putting, pushing, shoving, thrusting," . Golfing sense is from 1743.

Etymonline also says that is  "a special use" of the older synonymous verb to put which comes from:

  late Old English putian, implied in putung "instigation, an urging," literally "a putting;" related to pytan "put out, thrust out"

Questions:

What's the "special use" that generated the "putt" variant, what meaning did "putt" convey that "put" did not?

What difference did the doubling of the final consonant actually make? Was it a Middle English custom to give more emphasis to words?


texts:
I have a sentence that contains the phrase

We support products of different manufacturers [...]

Is the use of 'of' correct there? A coworker said I should use 'by' and I also can think of 'from' as a possible word.

When do I use which?


texts: What would be a word for both dimensions (length, width, height) and weight?


texts:
When you're tired of a situation, you can use the pattern

  ...have had enough of

For instance:

  Peter has had enough of the quarrel between his mother and wife.

What patterns can I also add after the sentence to emphasize the sentence?
Are there any common synonymous to the phrase?

Thank you.


texts: Is the use of 'Wingman' limited to only a man?

texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe a girl which helps another girl hook up with a guy while occupying the not-so-good-looking-one, just exactly what a wingman does! So can that girl be called a wingman or is there another term for her?

  According to Wikipedia
  Wingman is a role that a person may take when a friend needs support with
   approaching potential partners. A wingman is someone who is on the "inside" and
   is used to help someone with intimate relationships. In general, one person's wingman will help him or her avoid
   attention from undesirable prospective
  partners or attract desirable ones, or both.
  According to Urban dictionary

  A Wingman is a guy you bring
   along with you on singles
  outings (like to bars) that helps you
  out with the women.

POST ANSWERS EDIT: I've highlighted a context in the definition which, I guess, does imply that wingman can be a girl helping another girl. But as @Josh suggested that wingman is implied for a man and also I can't find any references for a girl as a wingman.
wingwoman is indeed used for a woman(as @Josh posted) but a wingwoman is usually escorting a man trying to hook him up with a girl.
 UD(4th sense defines 'wingwoman' as-

  'Unlike a Wing Man, this is not the girl who occupies the hot guy's
   ugly friend,'

...and I'm looking for a word to describe that girl which helps another girl hook up with a guy while doing all that a wingman actively does.
I said 'actively' because UD( 6th sense)also defines it -

  The
  wing women are frequently
  spotted around the queen bee, the girls that comparatively make the head woman look better than she actually does.

So I'd like to know a word(noun) for that girl acting like a wingman. Also if she can be just called a 'wingman'(acc. to the highlighted part).
 I don't know how else to clarify it furthermore but I'd appreciate any help:)


texts: Meaning of "The statement stands for itself"

texts:
This was a scene in the show The Big Bang Theory, season 2, episode 9.
Sheldon and Penny are having a conversation on the staircase, which is as follows:

Sheldon: Of the handful of women Leonard's been involved with, she's the only one I have ever found tolerable.
Penny: Well, what about me?
Sheldon: The statement stands for itself.

What does Sheldon's last statement—"The statement stands for itself"—mean?


texts: What is the term to say a carriage going in reverse?

texts:
Suppose you are in a driving a carriage on a narrow street and you see another carriage coming.

Both carriages will not fit on the street, and you have no space to make a U turn, so, you decide to pull your horses back, making the carriage run backwards...

What is the word to describe that?

I thought about reverse the carriage but it sounds to me that the word reverse also mean U turn.

I was wondering if there is a word or term that can only represent what I have described?


texts:
A mouth can water, but what does a brain do? I'm looking for a term that implies intellectual thirst, as when one has worked all day at a mindless task and only wants to read a novel, or essay, or weighty film.

Update
On further reflection, I realized that what I'm actually trying to find a term for is the sensation one gets when hearing that a favorite author is about to publish a new book, or when one sees a captivating title in a list of movies. The mouth "waters" when we're hungry and smell good food. But what does the mind do when we walk into a bookstore or art gallery?


texts: Should I use "has" or "have" for "Is there any field or fields that ____ this property?"

texts:
I have no idea what a good title for this question should be.  I'm asking a database guy about a problem with our data.  I'm considering phrasing it this way:

  Is there any other field or fields that have this property?

Is "have" correct?


texts: A (highfalutin) word for a highfalutin word?

texts:
To illustrate the question, badroit used the word "meretricious" meretriciously.

Is there an English word that describes highfalutin words like "meretricious" that are (gratuitously) used in place of better-understood words like "garish"?

The word may or may not be self-describing.


texts:
I would like to know if a comma is needed before "and so on" or not. Please let me know in the context of both British and American English. I would like to also know that all scenarios where a comma is needed and where it is not required.
Thanks


texts: Why are people leaving out the indefinite article 'a' before seemingly random nouns?

texts:
I've heard mostly British English people say 'He went to hospital' or 'She is matriculated at university'. I've never understood this but accepted it as a quirk of the language like so many others.

Lately I've heard instances on the radio where this has been applied to seemingly random nouns. The example I heard this morning was: "When a company builds factory abroad..". To me it feels like this is turning the singular 'factory' into a collective noun like the word weather or water. I don't think these are all human speech/language errors because I've heard this in other cases as well, not to mention the one's i've already known about like hospital and university.

Can someone explain the rules around this feature?


texts:
I have picked top 10 out  from these students.
I have picked top 10 up  from these students.

What's the subtle differences between "pick up" and "pick out"?


texts:
Particularly in computer science and informatics,
when should one use them? Is call the preferred form?

For instance,

call function

invoke method

Googling for "call operation" returns +300 000 returns, whereas, "invoke operation" about +100 000.

EDIT:
For further context,
the doubt came to my mind when working with
Cucumber's
Gherkin language

"a Business Readable, Domain Specific Language that lets you describe software’s behaviour without detailing how that behaviour is implemented."

Eg:

Given some precondition
And some other precondition
When some action by the actor
And some other action
And yet another action
Then some testable outcome is achieved


texts: Does the term "white lie" have racist connotations?

texts:
In his book Overcoming our Racism, psychology professor Derald Wing Sue talks about "unconscious racial oppression" that leads well-meaning White people to say and do things that are harmful to people of color. Some examples he gives of this are claiming to "not see color," laughing at racist jokes, and using the terms white lie and black lie.

I had never heard the term black lie before, and I had never thought of white lie in racial terms. Wikipedia defines white lies as "minor lies which could be considered to be harmless, or even beneficial, in the long term" (emphasis mine). I know there are plenty of other terms that equate "white" with "good," such as white hat and white magic.

Is it racist, or at least politically incorrect, to use terms like this?


texts: Meaning of "I may never be able to do this"?

texts:
The problem is, that I fail to unambiguously understand this phrase. There are two ways in which I can understand it (and a number of similar phrases):

I may never be able to do this = It's impossible for me to ever do this ('never' negates 'may')
I may never be able to do this = It's possible that I will never be able to do this. ('never' negates 'be able')

Which is the correct one?


texts:
[ Etymonline: ]
  1510s, from Latin gerundum "to be carried out," gerundive of gerere "to bear, carry" (see gest). In Latin, a verbal noun used for all cases of the infinitive but the nominative; applied in English to verbal nouns in -ing. "So called because according to the old grammarians, the gerund prop[erly] expressed the doing or the necessity of doing something" [Century Dictionary]. ...

Source: p 32, A Student's Introduction to English Grammar (2005) by Huddleston and Pullum

  Traditionally (for example, in the grammar of Latin), a gerund is a verb-form that
  is functionally similar to a noun

Despite the above, I don’t understand the choice of gerund, especially the greyed quote.
What does this mean: ' for the gerund to prop[erly] express ' ?

I heed the Etymological Fallacy, but how is "to bear, carry" unique to gerunds?   I read this.

Footnote: I'm interested in the foregoing for French also, but this comment advised me to redirect.


texts: ..."prostitute". Both words are suffixed by "-stitute", but obviously the meaning are quite different. "Substitute" is a conceptual, mental and intelligent activity, whilst "prostitute" is a profitable, body (mostly) and sensual activity. In my opinion, they don't have any reasonable relationships! So why do they spell so similar?


texts: Does the metaphor "Swiss Army knife" have a negative connotation?

texts:
I've always understood the Swiss Army knife metaphor as it describes something to be generally useful, multi-purpose, and adaptable.

Recently when reading an article, a commenter used this metaphor 1.

  It's easy to take my modest proposal to an absurd extreme: either you write code all day, or you become completely non-technical and never touch a compiler again. Or maybe you spend so much time pursuing related interests that you become a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. In other words, a Swiss Army Knife.

It seems he is describing a tool that is trying to do lots of things but is good at none.

Is this a common interpretation of this metaphor?


texts: What words go together with savvy? Business-savvy? Technology-savvy?

texts: Are there rules to matching words with savvy?


texts: lie down, lie to someone, corresponding noun?

texts:
A person who lies to others is called a 'liar'.

What is a person who couch-potatoes around (i.e. lies around) called?