texts:
Time for another American English slang term I picked up from the YouTube comments

(emphasis in bold mine)

  "well... i gave her a vicodin." reminds me when i had a cold and my dad gave me a sip of vodka to get me to sleep. i was like eight and i was so turnt that night

It looks like a spelling variation for turned, but its meaning is different. One Urban Dictionary entry, with almost 2,500 upvotes, says

  Like hype for a party, or at the club!
  "Bra, this party about to be turnt!!!"

That entry is dated 2009 but there's an earlier one, posted in 2005 (emphasis not mine)

  horny, drunk, f*cked up!! Crunk!!
  Damn, I am all turnt on! or I am getting Turnt to night at the club!

Urban Dictionary was launched in 1999, which suggests that turnt was relatively unknown in the 1990s. It is also listed in a more sombre dictionary, Macmillan, it seems the definition is by someone from the UK in 2014.

  turnt

  adjective
  or turnt up

  From our crowdsourced Open Dictionary

  a slang word meaning excited, having a really good time, possibly with the help of alcohol or drugs
  One artist who likes to sing about being turnt up is the criminally under-appreciated singer known as Ciara.

I wanted to ask about its origin and how to use this slang but I found the answers at Dictionary.com. Basically, turnt comes from African American culture, probably popularised by hip-hop artists, and it is derived from the expression  turn up, as in “to turn up the heat/volume” at a party.

  Turnt and turnt up begin as a slang term in African-American English meaning “excited,” “adrenalized,” or “intoxicated,” as the online hip-hop dictionary the Right Rhymes defines it. The term, though especially associated with drugs, alcohol, and sex at a crazy party, has broadened to mean “a state of being wild.”

Questions

The definition of turnt and turnt up sound familiar, almost interchangeable with that of lit and lit up, see this post on EL&U. Am I mistaken? Is there a difference in meaning, in usage, between the two?
How popular is its usage? For example, is it restricted to a specific generation or social class? Do over 40-year-olds say this?
Do I have to be American to use this slang or is it also used in the UK, as Macmillan seems to suggest?

I don't know the answers to any of these, so any extra information is warmly welcomed.


texts: Single word for what happens to an algorithm when it is hacked

texts:
"I coded an algorithm for making the system secure, but my classmate with his amateur hacking skills _____ it in just seven minutes."

"What happened that day was an algorithmic _______ (breakdown??)"

Which appropriate words complete the sentences, to imply that he hacked/decrypted/broke it down?


texts: "Where Bob and Bob alone is ..." with or without commas?

texts:
Does grammar dictate the need for commas in the phrase "... where Bob and Bob alone is ..."? In other words, is it necessary to add commas around "and Bob alone":

... where Bob, and Bob alone, is ...


texts:
What is the proper usage of "take your time"? Can we use it in the following context?

  Rachel sent me an email saying that she is busy and will not be able to meet me until the following week.

In a reply to her, can I use "take your time"?

  That's fine. Take your time.


texts: the definite article in front of a noun that is followed by a defining clause

texts:
When we want to refer to a specific noun, we use the definite article 'the'. When the noun is followed by a defining clause, again we use the defining article 'the'. My question is why the following sentence does not have the article 'the'? The who-clause seems to require the article.

People who haven't got cars can't stop at these out-of-town stores

Moreover, if I want to refer to, say, some cookies that can be find at a particular store, should I say:

Rolo Cookies are cookies (that are) sold at Tesco.

or

Rolo Cookies are the cookies (that are) sold at Tesco?

Another example:

"Make that change" is a/the??? slogan written on the Oriflame eye shadow pallet.

Could someone explain why sentence #2 in the question is ungrammatical because there i is no explanation why the article is used: Use of article in front of product names


texts:
https://youtu.be/EBlLsLFhS3Q?t=47
Seems it must have some political meaning behind it, considering the character who voices this line is a State Senator, but I'm not sure what Beltway refers to, nor do I know what the "pansy" parts mean?


texts:
Example:

  They sat on the lower part of the beach, [...] in the sand.

The word buried would imply they are completely or almost completely beneath the sand. Is there a word to show they are just partially (e.g. only their buttocks) immersed in the sand?


texts: Origin and meaning of "from out of left field"

texts:
What is the origin of the phrase from out of left field? My understanding is that the meaning is unexpected, or odd. Is that correct?

Real world examples of the phrase being used badly would be great :)


texts: I can't understand a phrase "I see a curl up around your smile". Please someone explain me what it means? Thanks in advance!


texts: "Doing such stunts ARE punishable" or "Doing such stunts IS punishable"?

texts:
Doing such stunts are punishable.
  Doing such stunts is punishable.

Should it be is or are?

There is a conflict. Stunts are punishable sounds right. However, I think whether  is or are should be used will not depend on a plural or singular form of the noun stunts here. It depends on something else.

Why do we need singular or plural verb agreement here?


texts: Is/Are "SAP Data Services" singular or plural?

texts:
I have sentences with software products, such as SAP Business Objects and SAP Data Services. The first one is the name of the company and the name of the family of software applications. The second one is a single application. So they refer to singular things, but they are in plural form. I have doubts whether I should write

  SAP Business Objects provide(s) and SAP Data Services provide(s)


texts: Why were Scottish & Irish names once rendered with apostrophes instead of "Mac" or "Mc"

texts: I have noticed in some Victorian and Edwardian texts that Scottish and Irish names beginning with "Mac" or "Mc" are usually written as "M" plus an apostrophe. An example I came across recently was from 1845, where a person was referred to as John M'Turk rather than "McTurk" or "MacTurk". What was the reason for this, and when did it die out?


texts:
I was wondering which one of following sentences is the right way of asking:

"How much staff do you have?"

"How many staff do you have?"

Personally I would use "much", but depending on the translation of "staff" into my mother tongue it
can be argued wether it is countable or not. The word staff could be understood as either a single employee or the collective of all employees.


texts:
Which of these sentences is grammatically correct?

Imagining the ill effects of smoking led him to ultimately break the habit.
Imagining the ill effects of smoking led him to ultimately breaking the habit.

The problem I faced while framing this sentence was selecting the correct tense for the verb break.

I think it should be the first one as only after “imagining” the effects, the habit was broken. On the other hand, the present continuous tense implies that the process is ongoing, which I think I didn’t intend to convey. Does this seem plausible?


texts: What is the future for the Word *"Womyn"*?

texts: The Word "womyn" has an interesting and debated history. It has become ever more pertinent since it's creation. My question is: Does "womyn" have a future?


texts:
Is "in person" an adjective or adverb, describing the person or the action being done?

  The artist will be in person, painting.
  The artist will be painting in person.

Which is correct?


texts: To hear something makes it audible, to see is visible, so what are touch and smell?

texts: As the title states, if sound is audible, light is visible, what is a smell? And what is an object when you touch it?


texts: Origin of the word or slur pisshead in British vocabulary

texts: I have read the definitions for "taking a piss" etc but in many recent films out of Great Britain I have heard what appears to be a very vulagar reference to to anyone from the old Indian sub-continent (I am assuming) as a pisshead. It's my guess one wouldn't wish to say that to anyones face. What is the origin of this word and is it the insult directed at the race I assume it is? Thank you.


texts:
When writing this sentence:

  So it's possible to do an XHTML quine, but not a HTML quine

I noticed that I used an for XHTML but not for HTML. In the discussion on this thread, I've picked up on a few points:

  Use an when the following sound is a vowel-sound. The letter X is
  pronounced eks ... so an eks-em-el code.

And,

  XML code, by the way, is not singular. "An XML code" sounds as odd as
  "a C code" or "a Visual Basic code". You could say "an XML tag" but
  "XML code" refers to any quantity of code written in XML.

As well as,

  XML stands for "Extensible Markup Language." (not "extended")

Therefore it seemed more natural to type an for something that's singular (document) and begins with an x. It seems like the "ex" in "extensible" is similar to the "ex" in "extra", since you pronounce the consonants in the XML acronym. Is it incorrect to use an in this case?


texts:
The side effects can and have occurred.

The omitted verb is an infinitive (occur) but the written verb is a past participle (occurred).

Is this sentence grammatically correct and suitable for formal writing?

If so, what are the rules for omitting verbs? Also, is it possible to make a question using the same pattern? For example, "Can and have the side effects occurred?"


texts:
Which is more correct to say

  See mail trail
  See trail mail

I want to know the right sentence to use when writing mail. Some people use mail trail while some use trail mail. It puts me in a confusion that I really want to understand the right grammar to use.

Can someone explain the difference between the two forms? Which form is more acceptable and/or common?


texts: ISO 4 abbreviation of "Journal of Computational Physics: X"

texts: Is it "J. Comput. Phys. X" or "J. Comput. Phys.: X" (with the colon)? There is a punctuation section in the ISO 4 standard definition (see Section 4.6 here), but the document is paywalled and I don't have access to it.


texts: A plurality of deacons is called a diaconate. What is the reason for this vowel change ("e" to "i") for these words? Are there any other words that illustrate this?


texts: Can you use the possessive with the word "rest"?

texts:
For example,

  A group of 12 was trekking through the woods. Sarah's tent was all rolled up nicely. The rest's weren't.


texts: A speaker of truth must have his/her horse saddled up

texts: The implication is that, upon telling the truth, one must be ready to gallop his/her horse away, any moment because, people may find such justness unacceptable and resort to violence in response. Being honest may get you in trouble, thus, in order to avoid further problems, one must distance himself/herself from the crowd as soon as possible. Is there a proverb or idiom in English identical in meaning ?


texts: Are there any practices to use onomatopoeia in English for describing the degree of joyfulness / funniness by laughter and sorrow by crying?

texts:
Japanese use a plenty of onomatopoeia in expressing the degree and level of joyfulness / funniness when laughing and sorrow when crying, and they always come in refrains of onomatopoeia. For examples:

We laugh,’ Wat, ha, ha,” or “Kyatkya, kya” when laugh loud.

We laugh “Geta geta” or "Kero kero" when we laugh rustically.

We laugh "Niya, niya" when we laugh indecently.

We laugh “Niko, niko” when we laugh mildly, or smile.

We laugh "Hera hera" when we laugh ingratiatingly.

We laugh “Kusu, kusu” when we chuckle.

We cry “Wah wah” or “Gyah, gyah” when we cry loudly or bitterly.

We cry “Meso, meso” or “Same zame” when we weep.

We cry “Shiku, shiku” or "Beso, beso" when we snivel.

These onomatopoeia are not only uttered and heard in voice, but also writen and read in literature. I wonder if this is unique to Japanese language. I don't know if Chinese and Koreans have the similar linguistic (or behavioral) trait or not, though I understand we imported the phrase,"呵々大笑 – laugh ha, ha (loudly)” from Chinese idiom.

Though I’ve never seen the case, do Anglophones use onomatopoeia in describing the degree or level of laughter and tearful voice?
If the answer is No, the case is closed.


texts: 'The government has stopped arguing'. What is the grammatical analysis of the ambiguity?

texts: The ambiguity allows us to understand that the subject of the sentence has ceased the activity of arguing, or that it has banned the activity among (itself and) others. Please help with a grammatical analysis which identifies the semantic distinction.


texts:
I came across the phrase "moorland farmer" yesterday while reading The Hound of the Baskervilles, and Google shows that the phrase has some currency. [link]

We don't have moors in the U.S. — or if we do then we don't call them that — so I'd previously looked up the term when I read Jane Eyre. Wikipedia is typical in its explanation that: "Moorland nowadays generally means uncultivated hill land (such as Dartmoor in South West England)". [link]

So "moorland farmer" puzzles me; it sounds like an oxymoron, since farming normally implies cultivation.

Is "moorland farmer" using "moorland" in a vague sense to encompass the whole region, even parts that actually are cultivated? Or does "moorland farmer" mean someone plowing previously unbroken soil — something like "pioneers" in American history? Or something else?


texts: If someone eats an entire cake, is it correct to say that he ate just a piece of cake? Can a whole cake still be considered a piece of cake if consumed in one sitting?


texts: Do words with primary and secondary stress lose the secondary stress in a sentence?

texts:
I read in a textbook that certain words in English lose the secondary stress when they appear in a sentence. For example, this female name has both primary and secondary stress according to the dictionary:

Alexandra [ ˌæl ɪgˈzæn drə ]

If I say:

Hey Alexandra [ heɪ ˌæl ɪgˈzæn drə ] do we still keep the secondary stress in the name?

One more question. When we have these greetings:
Hi + name or
Hey + name

Do we need to put any stress on Hi or Hey, or are they unstressed words? In the context when I see someone and want to greet him or her. Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thank you!


texts: Idiom for dismissing collegue's correction in first place, but heeding, acting upon when management says to do it

texts:
Context:

Jack has total 15 years experience, 12 years experienced in a company XYZ, Jim has total 15 years experience in same field as jack but 10 years in XYZ. That makes Jack a senior to Jim technically. But in Jim's head, he thinks he is equal to Jack.

Now the situation is Jack is given a project to execute and assigns Jim to do a part of it. Jim gets the planning dept involved to prepare some bar charts for his part. Upon finalizing the barchart with the planning dept, Jim submits the chart to Jack. While reviewing it Jack finds missing links and tells Jim to correct it. Jim (thinks jack is bossing) diplomatically dismisses as if it is trivial thing and does not need to be corrected.

Now after a few hours. Jack, Jim are called in for a meeting with management. The managements discusses a lot of other things. Jack highlights the trivial thing that Jim has dismissed about the bar chart without pointing finger \at jim's reluctance. The management reacts saying it is important to get it changed because the management will be owned by the Client during their meeting with what ever trivial matters there is in the chart.

Jim come out saying true that this is an important point and has to be addressed.

Now the question is What is Jim doing when he dismissed the issue as trivial when a only one year sr. colleague asked him to correct it, but when management remarked he came up saying it was right thing to do and made up an idea to correct it as if he has thought it through all along.

PS: Thing is if management is owned by the client, they will question Jack and not Jim. (if thats necessary for context)

Example:

Jack to John: In the meeting Jim was some one else, I could n't believe he ___________ (spoke contrary to what he was saying to me)


texts: How would you label someone that generates ruses?

texts:
Someone who constantly tells lies can be labeled as a liar.

Is there a word that describes someone as a person that constantly uses ruses(sp?)?

I found that in the definition, if you go to the old english get the following: 1375-1425; late Middle English (noun use of obsolete rusen to detour) < Middle French, derivative of ruser to retreat.

So a liar is someone who lies, a cheater is someone who cheats, what do you call someone who uses the ruse as a common activity?

Also, if possible, I am looking for a word that utilizes the word "ruse." Forgive my attempt but something like a "ruser." (I know that isn't a word)


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "[do something] like Hell"?

texts: The most common example probably being "run like Hell". Now, Hell isn't known for being very active; "hurts like Hell" and "burns like Hell" are the only two that make sense because those are about the only things Hell actually does. I figure there must be some sort of subtext I'm not getting. If you were to run like Hell, drive like Hell, or even LOVE like Hell, shouldn't that mean not doing those things at all, instead of doing them to the fullest extent?


texts: “Suggestion card” vs. “comment card”: Which is more common?

texts:
I am about to launch a new restaurant in my country. I also want to have a small paper of survey to collect data from the customers as well to help me understand my users better. The question types in this little survey can vary such as multiple choice, rating, or even comment box. And it contains no more than ten questions to keep it short.

I am not sure how to name it. Should it be suggestion card or comment card? Or just call it a survey (but I think survey should be something with more detail)


texts: Use of 'any' if 'not' is followed by a noun

texts:
So, I was watching this video (jump to 6:00) where the instructor said: "If 'not' is followed by a noun then the use of 'any' is mandatory."
Does this mean "I do not write letters" is wrong and "I do not write any letters" is correct?
I am really confused.


texts:
Today’s New York Times picked up a line of the comment of Governor of California, Jerry Brown on California's tight budget, which calls for severe spending cuts to deal with a $15.7 billion shortfall as the Quotation of the Day. He said:

"It's a ‘pretzel palace’ of incredible complexity."

What did he mean by ‘a pretzel palace’? Does it mean a labyrinth winding like pretzel?
Is it a popular phrase metaphorizing complexity of the issue?


texts:
In standard usage of the phrase "in the immortal words of...", are there any restrictions on the mortality of the speaker? I typically only hear it used for deceased speakers who once walked the Earth. In my mind it conjures up images of people with great historical significance, but perhaps it's not limited in that regard. Consider the following examples.

Case 1: The speaker is deceased.

  In the immortal words of John F. Kennedy, "Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly."

Case 2: The speaker is alive, at least at the time of quoting.

  In the immortal words of Stephen Hawking, "Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."

Case 3: The speaker is fictional.

  In the immortal words of John Rambo, "I'm no tourist."

Are all of these situations typical uses of the phrase?


texts:
What are the near antonyms of meliorism?

I think the antonym will oppose the belief that the world can be made better by human effort. It can be a disbelief in efforts or humanity, despondency of some sort and likewise.

Is there a word suitable as an antonym to meliorism?


texts: What are comparative strong points of online dictionaries and other useful reference sites?

texts:
NOTE:
  This question was composed in an attempt to follow Guidelines for Great Subjective Questions. I hope I do not fail them too hard, but if you see how the question can be improved please edit it or let us discuss it on chat or meta. Apologies if I failed searching and if this is a duplicate.

There are two sites that I most commonly use as a first stop when looking up words online:

onelook, the reasons are that, for example, looking up a word "dictionary" gives not only quick and short definition (from macmillan), but also links to 44 other dictionaries and to etymonline
wordnik, the reasons for this one are that it gives you immediately on the results page definitions and examples from a few dictionaries that you can compare, however it does not give links directly (compare a lookup for "dictionary" - it gives definitions from four dictionaries, reformatted to consistent look and some examples)

(Both of these are aggregating from different sources, but similiar reasons could be given for specific dictionary sites).

I would like to find out which other dictionaries or sites people are using as the first stop (regardless if they are aggregators or specific dictionaries) and why (in a sense of how or when they would be best used)?

Please one site per answer.


texts: “Straight ahead” vs. “straight as you go”

texts:
Is straight as you go used often? What is the main difference to straight ahead?

I have heard straight ahead in conversations quite a bit, but straight as you go doesn’t ring a bell. Perhaps it occurs only in selective states in U.S.A.?


texts:
I figgered about the Holy Sperit and the Jesus road. I figgered, ‘Why do we got to hang it on God or Jesus? Maybe,’ I figgered, ‘maybe it’s all men an’ all women we love; maybe that’s the Holy Sperit — the human sperit — the whole shebang. Maybe all men got one big soul ever’body’s a part of.’
Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, 1939

So what do sperit and figger mean?


texts:
If I'm not wrong, "rumor" means:

  A story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth

and "unfounded" means:

  Having no foundation or basis in fact

If so, what is the difference between an "unfounded rumor" and a "rumor"?


texts: A question regarding present perfect continuous

texts:
I have been devouring information for the past three months.
I have read that perfect tenses should not be used in sentenced with adverbs or adverb phrases of past time. Is the sentence mentioned above incorrect?


texts: "Short of" meaning in "means of finding an audience short of landing a job as a critic."

texts:
what does the bolded part means?

  An established New York critic admitted to me a certain amount of bitter envy, for when he was coming up in the ranks, there were no outlets in which to express his opinion, nor means of finding an audience short of landing a job as a critic.

Does it mean finding someone who thinks of being a critic as a job or finding an audience who pays for the criticism of a critic or something else?


texts: How do I report speech containing "must not"?

texts:
What's the form for reporting speech that contains must not?
I mean:

I can't come to the meeting on Monday => She told me she couldn't come to the meeting on Monday.
You must talk to me => She said you had to talk to me.

Till now, there's no problem, but what should I use with must not?
I think that I can't do the following:

You must not talk to me => She said that you didn't have to talk to me.

because

Must not <> Have to

Am I right?


texts: Pressed his fingers against/to the window

texts: Which one is correct: "pressed his fingers against the window" or "pressed his fingers to the window"? Or is there no difference in meaning?


texts: Did English ever have Distinct Inclusive and Exclusive 1st Person Plural Pronouns?

texts:
I have always had trouble when people talk to me and say "we" - because I often don't know whether that includes me or not.

"Hey, we're going to the movies." Just by that, how do I know if they want to include me or not without having to ask if I can come, too?

Some languages have this 1st Person Plural distinction of specifying whether the person being spoken to is included or not. Has this concept ever been been a topic in the history of the English language?


texts: I need to know how "Calm" is exactly pronounced (whether the L is silent or not). And I need a good reference as an evidence.


texts: What's the difference between "cabinet" and "cupboard"?


texts:
"We will bid for the 12 projects next week via system, public bidding, the cost competitive pressure is bigger, can you make a concession on those prices?"

Can I say a pressure is bigger? If there is any other mistake in my sentence above, please help correct, thanks in advance.


texts: The usage of the words "different" and "from"

texts:
How is the Coca Cola recipe different in the U.S. from the U.K.?

My question is whether this is the correct form of this type of question or it should be "from in the U.K." or even "from that in the U.K."


texts: When a noun phrase can act as the post-modifier?

texts:
According to Oxford Learner's Grammar by John Eastwood [ISBN:0-19-437-597-8], page 187; it is possible for a noun phrase to act as a postmodifier of the head noun.
Example:

The weather that day was awful.

Here, the noun phrase that day functions as the postmodifier of the head noun weather.
But there is no detailed information on in what cases and what constructions the  noun phrase can function as the postmodifier.
How common is the postmodification of a noun by a noun (or determiner) phrase? Is the determiner necessary? Which determiners occur in such a usage?
Please give only answers including authoritative references.


texts: I'm trying to find a word that describes 'dream come true'. Any help is greatly appreciated. It can be a feeling and not just a direct translation. Basically, a word that just gets the feeling of a dream coming through. Thanks!


texts: Should there be a gerund or a noun in front of the preposition?

texts:
(a) The rise of price of goods burdens the people.

  (b) The rising of price of goods burdens the people.

  (c) The ban of plastic bags is a good way to reduce environmental problems.

  (d) The banning of plastic bags is a good way to reduce environmental problems.

Which form should I use for the words 'rise' and 'ban' before the preposition? Gerund or noun?


texts: What is the meaning of "On Friday evening last"?

texts:
On Friday evening last I received His Majesty's commission to form a new Administration.

This one is from Winston Churchill's speech: http://www.speeches-usa.com/Transcripts/winston_churchill-blood.html

It's also how the 5th book in the Red Rising series starts, which is where I first saw it.

Is this an unusual way of saying "at the end of the Friday's evening" or "on last Friday's evening"? Or does it mean something else entirely?


texts: What's the difference between "be careful about/of/with/in"?

texts:
What's the difference between be careful about/of/with/in?

I am confused about which preposition is correct in the following sentence:

  My secretary is so careful in/of her work that none has so far found any error in her work.


texts: "Know your customers' needs before they even..." - "talk" or "speak"?

texts:
What's the best word for that phrase? "talk" or "speak"?

"Know your customers' needs before they even talk."

or

"Know your customers' needs before they even speak."

The idea is to say "before they even talk to you", but there's no space for that.


texts: What does “Stick it up one’s jumper” mean? Why is it funny?

texts:
I saw the phrase “Stick something up one’s jumper” in Jeffery Archer’s short story titled “Member’s Only,” in which Robin Chapman, the hero was kept waiting for 5 years and has to wait for another unknown number of years for being admitted to be a member of the distinguished Royal Jersey Golf Club in the birthplace of Harry Vardon.
The phrase appears in the following conversation between Robin and his wife before Robin attends his second interview by the Club committee after being listed on the waiting list 15 years ago:

‘Good luck, and don’t even hint at how angry you are. It’s not their fault that Germans destroyed all the club record.’
‘I shall tell them they can stick my application form up their jumpers,’ said Robin.
They both burst out laughing at the latest expression they’d picked up from the mainland.
‘Do they have any idea how old I’ll be in 15 years,’ he added.

From the nuance of the context, I guess “stick something up one’s jumper” is similar to “carry it with oneself always.” But why is this phrase so funny that they burst into laughter when uttered? Does “Picked from the mainland” mean the phrase hasn’t yet established as the currency for a received English phrase?
Yahoo answer defines “stick it up one’s jumper” as

It was a catchphrase of the comedian Jimmy Edwards. In the 1950s it was considered quite rude because it included the words 'stick it up'. It has died out since then.

I don't know if it applies to the present case or not.


texts:
I'm looking for a verb that means "to make something productive".
Example: If someone is wasting their time by doing something that's not productive, I might say **spend your time productively".
In the above sentence, I want to replace "spend productively" by a single word.
So the new sentence would be "____ your time" whereas ___ is the word I'm looking for.
Is there a word (verb) that fits the above description?


texts:
"ISO 14443" is a kind of IT technical standard, but I do not know how to pronounce it.

Should it be pronounced as:

  "I S O one four four four three"?

I think this sounds a little weird..

Is there some trick for pronouncing relayed numbers like the above?


texts: Historic Discussions of Probability and Probability Comparisons

texts:
I was curious if anyone has any resources about how probability and comparisons of likelihoods were discussed in early English, or in other languages earlier in human history. In particular, I'm curious about how these discussions were had (if they were had at all) before the abstraction of "probability" as a mapping of events onto the numbers 0-1.
To be clear, I'm not talking about the history of probability as a mathematical concept, but how language developed to capture an intuitive notion of "likelihood" before the mathematical formalism had been developed. For example, if I’m a farmer in the Middle Ages, how would I talk about the likelihood of a flood, or the likelihood of my feudal lord increasing taxes on my grain this coming harvest season? It seems natural that there would be a way to say "I think [event] is likely" or "I think [event]" is unlikely, but I don't know if more complicated probabilistic comparisons would be possible. For example, was there language to express ideas like "I think it is more likely that my taxes go up than it is that there is a rainstorm tomorrow?"
I could easily imagine a world where this isn't possible or simply isn't done. In particular, it seems like comparing comparing the likelihoods of drastically different types of events requires a certain abstraction of "probability" that might not have been developed yet or widely understood. Comparing likelihood of a tax increase to the likelihood of rain seems more "abstract" to me than comparing different outcomes of dice rolls in early gambling games.
As a comparison, I can easily imagine a language, with only three quantifying words, “none”, “a”, and “some”, we well as one comparison word, “more”. So that “Alice has no cows”, “Alice has a cow”, “Alice has more cows than Bob” are all expressible ideas. However it is clear that saying “Alice has 5 more cows than Bob” is not expressible. Did such a situation occur with likelihood comparisons?
Since the language we use at least partially shapes the thoughts we have, it seems possible to me that these types of comparisons simply weren't made before we had the language to discuss them. I'm very curious about this. Please share any resources about how probability and likelihood were discussed earlier in history.


texts: What does "I can say it or I can eat it" mean?

texts:
I'm reading Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes (Simon & Schuster, 2015). She used to be unwilling to say no to anybody, but tries to change herself, and becomes stronger.

I laughed more. I was bolder. I was brazen. I spoke my mind and spoke it loud. And as busy as I was, I felt like I had more free time than ever; I realized I'd been wasting a huge amount of time and energy on complaining and feeling sorry for myself, being dark and twisty me. Now I wasn't interested in being that person. Not when it was so much easier to just open my mouth and talk.
yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes
I've become kind of obsessed with difficult conversations. Mostly because of how calm life is when you are willing to have them. Also because of how much easier it is not to eat the cake when I'm not stressed out or holding a grudge or full of hurt feelings.
I stuck a Post-it on my bathroom mirror that says, "I can say it or I can eat it." As corny as it sounds ,it's true. I wish I'd learned to say yes twenty-five years ago. Between dieting and never saying what I thought, I wasted a lot of time.

I don't quite get what I can eat it means here.


texts: What's the term for a phrase someone uses repeatedly in conversation?

texts:
In speech pathology, there's a term for a specific word/phrase that someone has the habit of using repeatedly in conversation without knowing it. I'm looking for that term.
A couple of things I've eliminated are:

Hesitation device
Filler word
Crutch word

This term is more specific than both hesitation devices and filler words. And crutch words aren't an exact match either, per this definition (source):

They're called crutch words -- a collection of words we fall back on when we've lost our footing while speaking.

These words aren't really used when people have lost their footing; they're just repeated idiosyncrasies people have in their speech.
An example would be: "It's just interesting." I have a friend who rants a lot, and he interjects this phrase all the time. He frequently rants about things which are borderline conspiracy theories, things that his listeners often disregard. I believe he uses the phrase "It's just interesting" to relate more to the people he's talking to by making it seem like he cares less about a certain topic than he'd like to let on.
Another example is "Anyway." I know someone who gossips a lot, and whenever she finishes telling a story, she'll end that topic with "Anyway...." in a similar way to "It's just interesting", as though she's dismissing the story's importance, either because she knows it's gossip and she shouldn't be sharing it or because she knows her audience doesn't really care.
The people in those examples usually use their respective (insert_speech_pathology_term_here) toward the end of phrases or thoughts, but another example which doesn't follow this pattern is "It's funny."
The person who uses this phrase usually starts a new phrase or topic with "It's funny" (always for things that nobody would find funny or interesting). For example, let's call this subject Bob. A sample conversation would be:

Bob: You know, it's funny, two weeks ago I suggested that John do XYZ, and he disagreed... but today, ABC happened, and he immediately did XYZ like I told him two weeks ago.
Me: Hmm... cool.

Bob also uses "it's funny" a lot when he brings up politicians he doesn't like. Ex:

Bob: It's funny, Politican_I_Disagree_With said X, and then did Y. I knew he would.
Me: That's nice.

What's the term for this kind of repetitively used word or phrase?


texts: Crow collects chunks of glass in a hollow tree

texts:
So I'm reading "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami and I came across this passage this line :

"Like the way a crow collects chunks of glass in a hollow tree."

In context:

"Don't be silly," said Midori. "You don't have to know anything to pass college entrance exams! All you need is a little intuition - and I have great intuition. 'Choose the correct answer from the following three.' I know immediately which one is right."

"My intuition's not as good as yours, so I have to learn systematic thinking to some extent. Like the way a crow collects chunks of glass in a hollow tree."

I'm not sure what he's trying to say here. Is this some strange idiom I'm unfamiliar with? Crows tend to be intelligent creatures, however, I don't believe they are systematic.

What do you guys think?

Thanks!


texts: Is switching between first, second and third person in this context OK?

texts:
As this is my first question here I'd like to make a short introduction. I work in Estonia. As one of very few native speakers I landed a job as a content writer / proofreader. I'm not a great writer, or even a good one, therefore I suspect I will be posting here often!

I'm proofreading a news article for the company's website.

The article starts off by referring to the company in third person - (company name) is pleased to announce (announcement).

It then shifts to first person for most of the rest of the article - I, we, our.

The final paragraph shifts to second person and addresses the reader with instructions and a call to action - your (stuff) approved for you etc.

I've always understood articles should be written from one perspective. Should I rewrite it?

Any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the figure of speech called when there is a conjunction of things that are actually in subset relation?

texts:
For example "animals and cats", "plants and flowers", "stars and suns" etc.

It’s similar to tautology but the things aren’t synonym. Is there a name for this figure?


texts: Why do we say "lowest common denominator" when we mean "greatest common divisor"?

texts:
For example, we could say HTML is the lowest common denominator on the web", because one can be sure all web browsers are able to render HTML (but not Flash or Java). If I want my web page to show properly everywhere, I know I can use maximum set of features shared between all web browsers, i.e. HTML. Yet, we don't say HTML is the greatest common divisor, which would be a correct analogy.

Why is the mathematical term lowest common denominator misused in everyday usage?


texts: Repeating word "Professor" in a list of professors in US

texts:
If I am writing a formal academic text that includes a list of professors, how should I write it? For example,

  The committee finds that Prof. X, Prof. Y, and Prof. Z have
  contributed to the area.

Or

  The committee finds that Professors X, Y, Z have contributed to the area.

Which, between above two sentences, is appropriate? In the second sentence, I feel bit awkward to leave Y, Z without immediate titles of Prof.

Or both versions are acceptable?


texts: Should "the" or "el" appear before a Spanish proper noun placed in an English text

texts:
I have a textbook that refers to the Spanish royal road that linked Mexico City and Santa Fe as "El Camino Real", though the full name in Spanish is "El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro" to distinguish is from multiple other royal roads in the New World. This reference uses "El" everywhere instead of "The". There are English translations of the word, but I want to be precise and avoid confusion, so in my writing use the Spanish name, but I'm writing in English everywhere else. So I want to know which is correct to use:

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was a trade route that linked Mexico City and Santa Fe. Bob was a trader who sold his goods on El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.

OR

The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was a trade route that linked Mexico City and Santa Fe. Bob was a trader who sold his goods on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.

Can I equally use them both, or is one more correct?


texts: Is there a single word for "should probably"?

texts:
I use the term "should probably" very, very frequently in order to say "to the best of my knowledge up to this point, this is the correct way to do X, but your input is still valuable"

I'm currently writing out some spec sheets, and it get's very tiresome using "should probably" over and over again.

Is there a single word which expresses the concept of "you should probably do this"?

If not, is there a word which is stronger than "could" and weaker than "should?"


texts:
The divorce won’t affect the money that has already been given to the
foundation trust, but the couple may devote less money to it over time
than they would have if they had stayed together.

The tail end of the sentence, from a news article, after than describes a contrary-to-fact situation in the past tense (not about the verb form) as the divorce is already set in motion. The author apparently sees this section as a past event, a perspective that I cannot wrap my head around.
But I wonder whether it is possible to describe the situation in the present tense--they would if they stayed together. Indeed, I feel the present tense is more  appropriate in this subjunctive sentence.
Could you please explain why the past tense is applied here?


texts: What's the difference between "pervasive" and "ubiquitous"?

texts:
The words pervasive and ubiquitous seem to mean almost the same thing.

pervasive: existing in or spreading through every part of something <a pervasive odor>
ubiquitous: existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : widespread <a ubiquitous fashion>

Is there a difference in connotation or usage, and if so, what is it?


texts: Is there an established phrase like "Claim a false dollar to get a rightful cent"?

texts:
For example person A believes that person B is occupying 1 acre of person A's land.  Person A claims that person B is occupying 10 acres in the hope that a court of law will award a fraction of the initial claim or in the expectation that person B will settle for a fraction of the original claim. Such fraction equalling the 1 acre which A believes he truly deserves.

The behavior of person A may be seen as dishonest. But person A perceives his behavior as merely "playing the system" in order to achieve his proper rights - i.e. the end justifies the means.

(EDIT)
I have editted the above to exclude the variation where person A hopes to be awarded more than his fair share.  Of course in reality it may be unlikely that person A will be awarded exactly his rightful cent.


texts:
A practitioner of physics is known as a physicist. It seems like it would logically follow that a practitioner of metaphysics would be known as a metaphysicist; yet, in every text I've read, a specialist in metaphysics is referred to as a metaphysician. What is the reason for this distinction?

The OED has an entry for metaphysicist, citing the origin as:

  Late 19th cent.; earliest use found in The Ladies' Repository. From metaphysic + -ist, after physicist.

However, its use seems rare.


texts: "Another of our backpacks" or "Another one of our backpacks"

texts:
I'm not sure which of the following two is correct:

1) "Another of our backpacks..."

2) "Another one of our backpacks..."


texts: "With such stature comes increased responsibilities": is there only a banal typo?

texts:
I was interested in the following sentence which appeared in a news article titled "F.A. Gives Sir Alex the Hair-Dryer Treatment" by Jeffrey Marcus in The New York Times (November 12, 2009).

  Having said that, it was made clear to Sir Alex that with such stature
  comes increased responsibilities. [emphasize mine]

Can someone clarify if the journalist wrongly uses the word "comes", as I think it is?

I would reword "comes" with "come" because, at second look, it seems that the subject of the verb is the plural word "responsibilities", not "stature"; but I'm not quite sure if the journalist a banal typo made  or if there is something into the structure of the sentence that induced him to wrong.

Or, am I wrong (not the journalist)?


texts: How do you describe the feelings of being caught in an act you have previously pulled off many times?

texts:
Suppose you are planning a surprise party for someone. It was a thrilling adventure because you managed to do it under their nose, dodging their suspicious eyes many times. However, you were caught in the act while making a move.
How do you name that feeling of "getting caught"? It wasn't anger, frustration, embarrassment, joy, disappointment, excitement, or surprise. This is different from getting caught for doing something bad.
To explain it a bit more, it was a mixture of feeling funny with an outburst of laughter:

I could have got away if I had made the move a second earlier or later.

It is over.

What to do next?

How to explain away what I am doing? (Trying to come up with an excuse to get away with it)

Should I come clean?

The word would be used in a sentence as follows.

I was setting up Ryan's surprise party, but he was early that day. As he caught me red-handed, I felt _______.

Is there a word/idiom/phrase to describe this emotion?


texts:
What is the meaning of bootstrapped in this sentence?

I’ve built a few software businesses from scratch (all bootstrapped!) and I thought you might find it interesting to hear a bit more about the journey.


texts: What is the origin of "weighing the pig doesn't make it fatter"


texts:
I am translating a text from Russian. I need to render an expression that originally says something like "she flung her eyes open even wider" - but I am not sure this is the right English usage. Is it? And if it is not, what us the best way to convey the meaning?

She could just "fling her eyes open" if they were shut or ajar. But they were already open. "Widened her eyes" seems to lose the atmosphere.

(For those who understand Russian: the original is "она распахнула глаза ещё шире").


texts: What the matter is vs. what is the matter used in the affirmative

texts:
I want to know what the matter is with her.
I want to know what's the matter with her.
I want to know what's her problem.

Is "I want to know what's the matter with her" and 'what's the matter'  incorrect as Cambridge dictionary suggests (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/matter). In their explanation it is suggested that the word 'matter' be replaced with 'problem' as is written in the 3rd example.

Thanks for whatever help you can provide on this.

I've read Rathony's link and agree that his link answered the question about inversion. Now my question is specifically about the correctness of using this wording and if it is correct is there a rule in its usage.


texts: Was the abbreviation "PC" for "Personal computer" in wide use before the IBM PC?

texts:
I am aware of the history of the term PC after the IBM PC, and I'm aware that the term Personal Computer has existed long before the IBM PC. However, what I don't know is if the abbreviation "PC" for "personal computer" was in common use before then.

Can anyone give me any evidence that it was or was not in common use, at least among computer enthusiasts, before this time?

I've Googled around but it's a difficult thing to search for. The Wikipedia page seems to imply that it was, but it's not sourced and is slightly ambiguous as to whether it's actually talking about the abbreviation, compared to the term.


texts: According to Webster, agree comes from Latin ad + gratus. However there are other words such as aggregate and aggression that also come from ad + [something], and these words are spelled with a double "g" while agree only has a single "g". Why does agree have only one "g"?


texts: My friend said to me: " So, there are two things I hate in the world. One is liars, two is giraffes." I say the proper subject verb agreement is "a liar" but he wanted the listed items to be plural. What is the grammatically correct way to say this or was it acceptable to begin with?


texts: Looking for a specific word in the context of data retention

texts:
Some time ago I read a German article that discussed the pros and cons of data rentention. One point that was made was the questionable usage of the data for things it originally wasn't meant to be collected for. For example, phone call meta data gets collected to fight terrorism. Another future government wants the already collected information for its fight against tax evasion. Hence subsequent expansion of usage.

In that specific context, the article mentioned two English words I can't remember, but they specifically described the fact I tried to describe in the second context. (:


texts:
Take the following examples:

That's a stranger.

That's a strange man.

Can these be synonymous? Or does the latter always mean the same as 'weird man'?

Synonyms of 'strange' can be 'unfamiliar' or 'alien', however I can not find examples of sentence number 2 anywhere where they are not meant in the context of 'weird' or 'peculiar'.

And secondly if they can mean the same, would a native speaker ever use 'strange man' rather than 'stranger'? Examples appreciated.


texts:
I am looking for a verb meaning "to make something more robust", especially in a software engineering context.

Is "to robust" correct and understandable? "Robustify" seems to be another candidate but does not seem so common.


texts: Gerund vs infinitive: ‘suggested to me {to get/getting}’

texts:
Can I know which one is correct. I am confused about when to use gerund/infinitive in a sentence.

My brother suggested to me to get a job in bank
My brother suggested to me getting a job in bank.

Can anyone explain the concept of gerund/infinitive in some detail if possible?


texts: Is "muck" used as a minced version of "f———" in Australian English?

texts:
While "muck" deals with the taboo of filth, while "fuck" deals with the taboo of sex, the two verbs can be used similarly in some circumstances in Australian English. For example "muck up", "muck about" and "Quarantine matters! Don't muck with it.".

In Australian English, is "muck" used because of its similar pronunciation with "fuck" while being more acceptable?

Wikipedia mentions that Ernest Hemingway, who isn't Australian, used "muck" as a minced profanity, but doesn't say whether or not it's a one-off thing.


texts: What is the meaning of "all in the matter"?

texts:
The full sentence is: "The priest seems all in the matter, and the people nothing; while the great attention paid to bowing, crossing and genuflexions appears to reduce the whole service to a mere spectacle,--and of all spectacles it is the less dignified or imposing. "
From : AOTOBIOGRAPHY OF A HACKNEY CHARIOT The Athenaeum; Dec 31, 1828; 62; British Periodicals pg. 982
Can you please explain the sentence so that a children can understand? I think the spectacle refer to mass as that was what it was saying before the sentence. I don't know that the less dignified or imposing spectacle is referring to?


texts: What would you call a psychological tool that does more than diagnose?

texts:
There are many types of electronic or automotive tools that can help diagnose a problem, such as a volt-ohmmeter or an OBD scanner. There are different tools to help fix a problem, such as a soldering iron or a torque wrench.

The field of psychology has diagnostic instruments as well, such as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test.

Is there a word for a psychological instrument that not only diagnoses, but can help a subject improve? I was thinking of

  a ?proscriptive instrument

(EDIT: Proscriptive is close wrong. A proscriptive tool would be a forbidden one.)

Here is an example. The Myers-Briggs personality inventory is a diagnostic test that will categorize you as, say, an Extroverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Perceiving (ENTP) person. You may also use the results of the inventory as a _ (fill in the blank) tool to help you understand your own strengths and weaknesses (example) and work better with others.


texts: Proverb that means "Even something done completely wrong might yield a slightly good result (but that doesn't mean it should be done)"

texts:
It somewhere on the lines of "Even a dead clock is right twice a day". The proverb is sarcastic. I know it exists, I have just forgotten it. It describes:

Something that is abused or used not in a way that it was intended to
and hence yields only a slightly positive result. The result is
minimal compared to what could have been.
The proverb is something like "A soon to die man has no worries". Here one can say that a person who is dying doesn't have any worries. But that would be completely out of place because they are DYING.
The proverb is something like "Even a drowning man will have his throat wet" (Here having your throat wet is a desirable thing. Sorry, this is the best I can describe it. But I think it captures the essence of the proverb I am trying to find)
It encapsulates sacrificing or losing something precious and gaining something vain.

It is an ironic proverb.


texts: What is the mathematical term for "incarnation," "form," or "version"?

texts:
The word escapes me for some reason.

Here's a sample (jocose) sentence:

  "He must have been a capable psychologist in some (???)."

Meaning - in a different life, perhaps.

I think it's a mathematical term. I may be wrong.


texts: Causative verbs: Can we say "She went into the kitchen to have got dinner ready"?

texts: Can we use 'have got something done/adjective'. I understand this sentence: 'She went to the kitchen to get dinner ready'. But 'to have got dinner ready' seems strange for me.


texts: Adjective for "composed by trees" (mathematics)

texts: I am currently writing a mathematical article and we are considering some formulas given by a sum of terms that are "codified" (or maybe better, graphically represented) by trees (in the mathematical sense, a type of graphs; irrelevant for the question). I would like to find inspiration for the correct adjective for such formulas. My collaborator proposes "tree-wise" formulas. While this would not be so bad (the suffix -wise is often used in mathematics, also sometimes in places where it doesn't strictly belong), I think we can probably do better. What would be some possible adjectives indicating that an object is "made up by trees" that we could use in our context?


texts: What does 'sun bar' mean in the noun phrase 'Aztec sun bar bracelet'? Does it have anything to do with Sun?


texts:
In the following example:

He had walked away when she looked at him.

If it is correct then which event came first? "She looked at him" should come first before "He had walked away" but here to me, it sounds like he walked away before she looked at him. How would you explain this?


texts: Verb forms in incomplete sentences (e.g. in phone settings)

texts:
I once had a discussion with some of my friends at school about something that is not really referred to by most grammar literature as it is about incomplete sentences/clauses. I'll give you some examples:

"Add WiFi-Network"
"Select language"

Those are options given in the settings menu of all of our phones. When analyzing the verb form nobody could not really identify what it is. One argued that it is an imperative (towards the phone) and therefore it is actually some kind of a complete sentence. Another believed in an infinitive. Another one argued that isolated infinitives always carry a "to" and therefore he opposed the idea of an infinitive in the examples given, although German, Spanish and French clearly use infinitives on these occasions. I believe that due to the need of short constructions the "to" is simply dropped but I cannot give them any proof.

Can somebody clarify the situation?

Thanks to all of you in advance.


texts: Is there a terminology for "one word, multiple distinct etymologies"?

texts:
There's a (very small) number of words that have different etymologies, and consequently different meanings. For example, the word bass can refer to:

Low sound (as in your music player), pronounced "base"
A kind of fish, pronounced "baas"

The first meaning has a Latinate origin, while the second one has a Germanic origin.

It's the only word of this kind that I know. I wonder if

Are there any more examples?
What's the name for this category of words (terminology)?

Note: Words like "present" don't count since both its noun form and its verb form come from the same Latin root.


texts: How to say: after have waited or after waiting e.g. 4 hours ?

texts:
I' like to know which one of these (or maybe there is another correct way to say it)is correct:

after have waited ( e.g. 1 hour )
after waiting  ( e.g. 1 hour )


texts:
Question:

I read this post:
http://answers.onstartups.com/questions/40480/how-much-traffic-is-necessary-to-generate-1000-per-month-in-advertising-revenue

Quote

  I previously had a real estate listings site and was generating around
  $1500 mth with about 3000 unique users per day. Content was
  essentially syndicated but as Google changed algorithm the traffic
  went through the floor.

Now my question:
The expression "went through the floor", in this context, what does it mean, collapse or explode ?
I suppose collapse, since the floor is at the bottom, but with expressions, one never knows for certain...


texts: difference between "to summarize" and "to recap"

texts:
recap: state again as a summary; recapitulate: a way of recapping the story so far | [ no obj. ] : to recap, it’s been a year full of ups and downs.

Is there any difference between "to sum up", "to summarize", and "to recap"?


texts:
"This is an interesting-looking book."

The point of the hyphen is to make 'looking' relate to 'interesting' and not directly to 'book'. 'Looking' modifies 'interesting'…or is it the other way around? Is 'looking' considered an adverb, or is 'interesting-looking' considered one word and one POS? 'Looking' would normally be a participle, which would make it an adjective. Can an adjective modify another adjective?

Oh, and calling it a 'compound adjective' is really just a way of ducking the issue. The point is that 'interesting book' is different from 'interesting-looking book', so 'looking' has modified (in the most literal sense) 'interesting'.

Another point is that 'looking' can't be used as an adjective on its own--'a looking book'…errr...except I just thought of 'looking glass', so scratch that.


texts: Must conditional sentences begin with "if?"

texts:
I've been looking at conditional sentences (conditional clauses).

Every example I've see is along the lines of, "if [x] then [y]."

I've seen alternatives/substitutes for the if part:

were I you (instead of "if I were you")
on condition that
unless
were

Yet, these still follow the same pattern: "condition [x] then [y]."

Is that the only way to have a conditional?
Is it not possible to invert/switch around the structure?
Would it still be a conditional clause (or conditional sentence) if I put the condition after the occurance?

If he eats that, he'll be sick.
He'll be sick if he eats that.
Unless you win this round, you are out.
You are out unless you win this round.

If those are not conditionals, what are they?
Would they be considered as "acceptable" if I were to be editing/rewriting something, or would it be seen as bad/improper/incorrect/having a sufficiently different implication?


texts: What is the term for a common expression that is inaccurate or misleading?

texts: What is the term for a common expression or colloquialism that is inaccurate or misleading, such as the use of "mental math" to mean "mental calculation" or "mental arithmetic"?


texts: Could someone help me understand the grammar of the sentences

texts:
It doesn't make sense to me every time I come across some sentences like the following one that I manage to make up now.

  Why should you be concerned about such a fuss? They are nothing more than a waste of breath.

So, really my confusion is that I don't see the point in pluralising the object which has been mentioned immediately before the same sentence.


texts: Double meaning of "Short" for object dimensions

texts:
Let's suppose you go to Ikea to buy a wardrobe, but you have to make sure it fits in your room.

You find two that are really nice and since you like them so much you decide to buy both of them.

So you measure their length, width and height (just to be sure they fit in your room).

For the width you have no problem: They could be thicker or narrower and would still fit.

However the first wardrobe length is not good. It's too long so you write in comments: Please provide a shorter one.

The second wardrobe length is good but its height is not. This one is too tall so you write in comments: Please provide a shorter one.

Wardrobe A is too large so it must be shorter.

Wardrobe B is too tall so it must be shorter.

Because shorter has two meanings you end up receiving both wardrobes with  incorrect sizes.

Now the question:

Is there a pair of words for length and height that avoid using the same word to mean less magnitude?


texts: Is a badly-written book a book [which has been] badly written?

texts:
This question is prompted by the earlier question Should I use a hyphen after -ly when modifying a verb in the past participle verb? Please don't close this as a dup unless there's a later answer there that answers my specific question (or another relevant question that I haven't been able to find).

My hypothesis is that adjectival "-ly adverb + past participle" combinations are more likely to include a hyphen when they occur before the relevant noun. But my Google-fu is inadequate to the task of establishing whether this is true or not, and my knowledge of formal grammar certainly isn't good enough to know of any "rules" that might be involved here.

Note the [optional] element in the example usage forming the question title. I don't see why...

  Coffee boiled is coffee spoiled.

...should be grammatically any different to...

  Coffee boiled is coffee which is spoiled.

...but I'm prepared to be disabused on that point.

Is the hyphen in my question title any more justified in the first badly written than the second?

EDIT: In case I haven't made myself clear, I'm not asking for answers telling me that the hyphen is never justified. Unless they're accompanied by evidence (not opinion) showing that in fact my hypothesis is untrue anyway, so it's meaningless to ask why the phenomenon occurs.


texts: Nobel prize in literature 2018 - what is "encyclopedic passion"?

texts:
The question is inspired by the today's announcement of the Nobel prize awards in Literature for 2018 and 2019.

The short description for Olga Tokarczuk has been worded as follows:

  The Nobel Prize in Literature 2018 was awarded to Olga Tokarczuk "for
  a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the
  crossing of boundaries as a form of life."
  Source

The expression encyclopedic passion sounds really odd both to me and to the author of this question on Literature.SE: Understanding this year's Nobel prizes, which, in fact, inspired me to ask for help on English.SE.

I will simply quote one paragraph from this question:

  I can't make sense of terms like "encyclopedic passion". "Encyclopedic
  knowledge" is a common phrase that I understand. Encyclopedias are the
  books where one finds the most knowledge. So this term makes sense to
  describe someone who has vast knowledge. But I do not understand the
  relationship between encylopedias and passion.

Collins Dictionary, for example, gives:

  adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
  If you describe something as encyclopedic, you mean that it is very full, complete, and thorough in the amount of knowledge or information that it has.

and

  encyclopedic in British
  or encyclopaedic (ɛnˌsaɪkləʊˈpiːdɪk)

  adjective

  of, characteristic of, or relating to an encyclopedia
  covering a wide range of knowledge; comprehensive

So, how exactly shall one interpret (perceive, digest) encyclopedic passion?


texts: Correct order and terminology for meals in the day

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Lunch vs. dinner vs. supper — times and meanings?

I know there are copious amounts of debates on this matter but is there actually one definitive answer for the order of meals in the day?

For e.g., Breakfast, lunch, dinner or Breakfast, dinner, tea ...

Normally the opinion seems to be based on the area you are from, but does the English language have a definition for which one is actually correct?


texts: Term for being mad at someone for something you know they didn't do

texts:
In particular, if one is mad at a another person for something they did in a dream. For example, I woke up this morning from a dream where my girlfriend hurt me, to see her next to me. I know it was a dream but, but still feel angry or resentful.

Bonus points if the individual knows it's ridiculous or the emotion persists for only a certain amount of time after the brain realizes it wasn't real.


texts:
What would be the correct sentence and why:

He is president of Finland?

or

He is the president of Finland?


texts: Deriving a word for the activity of using a tool from the tool name ("grep")

texts:
In a discussion that involves talking about the program named "grep", the activity of applying the program to some data is often referred to as "greping".
I was writing - still informally - about such a discussion, and was unsure how to write that word, and why.

The activity of using or applying the tool "grep" is called "greping" when speaking. How to write this word, and why?

What about the variants

'greping'
'grepping'
'grep'ing'
'grep-ing'

Are there rules to derive such a word, at least partially?

(This question was motivated by
Why is tac file | grep foo' (piping) faster than grep foo < <(tac file)' (process substitution)?,
specifically by the line
"This question was motivated by "Reverse grepping", about greping a huge file from bottom up.".)


texts: In this phrase, should I use "cheered" or "were cheering"?

texts:
I came across this phrase answering exercises about the difference between past continuous, past simple, and past perfect.

"The crowd _____ (cheer) when the referee _____ (blow) the final whistle."

If I am not mistaken, in the last blank it should be "blew", regardless of the first verb.

So which sounds more suitable: "cheered" or "were cheering"?

Thanks in advance :-)


texts:
I was wondering, because I couldn’t find that information anywhere, which version would be correct.

Let’s suppose somebody is telling me about :-) their :-) friend. I don’t know anything about the gender of that friend yet and I want to know how old... and here’s the question:

  (...) how old they are.
  (...) how old they is.

It’s about one specific friend that I don’t know the gender of.

Of course I could ask: „How old is your friend?” Or „How old is he or she?” but I’d like to use Singular they if possible.

So, should I ask: "How old is they?" or "How old are they?"? Or maybe Singular they doesn’t work here?


texts:
I'm going to open an online store, and weirdly, i'm stuck at naming my collections. Every collection has"name + stuff" in it.

Should it be Dogs Stuff or Dog Stuff?
Same goes for the Cat. Should it be Cats Stuff or Cat Stuff?

Thanks


texts: Can 'pronouns' be considered ad hoc proper nouns?

texts:
The term 'pronoun' itself causes plenty of confusion.
Its etymology suggests that a pronoun somehow stands for a noun:

mid-15c., from pro- and noun; modeled on Middle French pronom, from Latin pronomen, from pro "in place of" + nomen "name, noun" (see name (n.)). A loan-translation of Greek antonymia.

A pronoun, however, doesn't stand for a noun but a noun phrase (NP), as stated in The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language by Huddleston, Rodney; Pullum, Geoffrey (CGEL) (Page 1461):

The traditional term ‘pronoun’ is based on the idea that words of this
class ‘stand for’ nouns. Traditional grammar does not work with a
constituent structure model like that assumed in this book, and hence
does not draw the distinction we do between nouns and NPs. When
adapted to the present framework, therefore, the traditional idea is
that pronouns are words that ‘stand for’ NPs.

But this, being "the traditional idea", doesn't mean it's safe to say that pronouns stand for NPs, either.
Firstly, pronouns such as what, who, I, and you do not stand for any NPs or even any thing, because some such pronouns "[fall] outside the scope of anaphora," as CGEL puts it. For example, none of these pronouns stands for anything:

What do you want?
Who is he? (Looking at a man.)
I love you.

Secondly, pronouns such as "it" can stand for clauses:

If he was disappointed by her response he did not show it. [pro-clause] (CGEL page 1463)

At this point, I wonder how continuing to use the term 'pronoun' can be anything but confusing. But CGEL wants to keep the term:

In the present grammar we retain the traditional category of pronoun,
but introduce a further category based on the idea of ‘standing for’ –
the category of pro-form.

The literal and obvious meaning arising from the term is so incongruous with what the term purports to refer to that it seriously hinders our understanding of what pronouns actually are.
What I agree with CGEL is that a pronoun is a noun because it acts like one, e.g., acting as a subject, an object, and a predicative complement in a clause, and acting as a head of an NP. And a couple of previous questions received answers agreeing that it is a noun:
Are pronouns nouns?
Pronouns: a word class or a subclass of nouns?
Now, if pronouns are to belong to nouns, between common nouns and proper nouns, pronouns seem closer to proper nouns than to common nouns in the sense that they don't take any determiners or, in most cases, any dependents.
Also, while some proper nouns such as America and England refer to the the same thing regardless of context, other proper nouns such as Jones and Mom can refer to different things depending on context. If we call the latter proper nouns ad hoc proper nouns, can we not use the same term for pronouns or at least consider them as such?


texts: Conference call: how to represent oneself?

texts:
Every time when I am on the call we do quick round to state names. When it is my turn I just want to say that I am the only person representing one end and  this part creates some confusion. It is not fully clear for me what the correct form is.  Should I say:

  From my end, we have only myself.

What are other potential phrases that I can use in this particular situation?


texts: English word for when grammatical rules causes words to change ("bend")

texts:
I'm basically looking for a translation for the Swedish word "böja" (literally "to bend") in the context of grammar.

This verb is used generally for when words change according to grammatical rules, here are some examples when I translate literally from how I would use "böja" in Swedish sentences:

In present continuous, the verb "run" bends to "running".

The genitive bending for "James" is "James's"

The plural bending for "umbrella" is "umbrellas"

Etc.

So is there such a general grammatical term in English? Even if there isn't that much use for such a word in English grammar - you don't have to deal that much with words that change according to clear rules - it ought to be practical when studying or discussing other languages, especially ones that have many cases and genders.


texts: What do variations in “a variety/varieties” of “flower/flowers” mean?

texts:
What's the difference between these four phrases:

a variety of flowers
varieties of flowers
a variety of flower
varieties of flower

I can't quite distinguish the difference between variety and varieties.

I understand variety as a number of different types of things and it makes me wonder why the plural form varieties even exists.

I would appreciate some insights into this.


texts: What does the phrase " to push against boundaries " mean as in  "it is important to be able to say ‘no’ to children when they misbehave or try to push against these boundaries"?


texts: what form of grammar is the word "why" used as a pause?

texts:
In this sentence:

  If you're going to take that pie I just baked, why, you've got a lot of nerve.

what role does the word "why" take? I know I've heard it in conversational speech enough to know it's legitimate, but it looks really odd in print.


texts: What do mahjong tiles and menopause have in common?

texts:
In the 11th episode of the 3rd season of House called Words and Deeds, the main character, Dr. Gregory House says the following:

  Male menopause: high estrogen, low testosterone, explains temperature swings, disorientation, endocrinologically similar to female menopause but without the vaginas and mahjong tiles.

What do the mahjong tiles refer to in the above statement? I can't wrap my head around it.


texts: What is a good metaphor/analogy/idiom espousing the virtues of "developing something gradually over time"?

texts:
My question specifically relates to learning a new skill. Which could be used in the following example:

  An aspiring athlete trains for an hour each day without feeling like
  she is making much progress. However....

One analogy that comes to mind, although not terribly elegant, is that if one adds a sufficient number of water drops to a bath tub, it will eventually fill.

Is there any folk here with a better example?


texts: A tense question about the use of modal verbs in the Harry Potter series

texts:
I am reading the Harry Potter series recently and I have difficulty in understanding the following 3 examples:

1) What could he have been thinking of？It must have been a trick of the light.

2)But then it struck Mr.Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt--these people were obviously collecting for something...yes,that would be it.

3)He'd never even seen the boy.It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.

I think these three examples are all expressing Mr.Dursley's mental world by the author's speech, and that's why there's a 'have' after 'must' and 'might' in the first and third example. Likewise, the last sentence in the second should be 'that would have been it.' in my opinion.

Help me out with this.
Thank you all.


texts: Is there a frequency of the use of different parts of speech in English?

texts:
I am wondering if there has been any research on the statistical frequency of the different parts of speech. I'm looking for something like "20% nouns, 13% verbs, 10% adjectives, 11% prepositions, 5% pronouns, 13% articles, 6% conjunctions, 14% interjections, 8% adverbs".
I am using the word statistical because this would clearly not apply exactly to every passage of text. However, this is just general.


texts: Ways to use 'both' in a specific sentence

texts:
Which of these sentences are grammatically correct? Are there even more ways to write the correct ones? Although I'd really like an analysis of why each sentence is correct or wrong, I would be pleased with the shortest of an answer as well. I'd appreciate explanations mentioning noun phrases, determiners and what part of speech 'both' is in these sentences.

It would be useful to note, that deficiency means below 30 and insufficiency below 50 nmol/L of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D.

A) Both the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were found higher in females compared to males.

B) Both of the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were found higher in females compared to males.

C) Both prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were found higher in females compared to males.

D) The prevalence of both vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was found higher in females compared to males.

E) The prevalence of both deficiency and insufficiency of vitamin D was found higher in females compared to males.

F) The prevalence of vitamin D, both deficiency and insufficiency, was found higher in females compared to males.

G) The prevalence of vitamin D both deficiency and insufficiency, was found higher in females compared to males.

H) The prevalence of vitamin D both deficiency and insufficiency was found higher in females compared to males.

I) Both the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency were found higher in females compared to males.

J) Both the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and the prevalence of insufficiency were found higher in females compared to males.

K) Both the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D insufficiency were found higher in females compared to males.

L) The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was found higher in females compared to males

M) The prevalence of deficiency and insufficiency of vitamin D was found higher in females compared to males

A'-H', K'-M') Same as the corresponding sentences, but with "prevalence" in plural and "was" replaced by "were" where it is found.


texts: How to use tenses in participial phrases

texts:
In one of my grammar books, it states -  when using a past part ending (d, ed, en, t) the action takes place prior to the finite verb. You must find the verb first and then make sure the action of past part ending is before the finite.

When using "ing", the action must be at the same time as finite. But my book gives this -

  Having declined in June, the stock market rose in July.

This example did not occur at the same time.


texts: Where is the word "cutlery" in common usage

texts: During a trip to the US I realised that many Americans have never heard the word cutlery before ... however some have. Where in the English speaking world (and in particular where in the US) is this is a common term for knives, forks and spoons?


texts:
What’s the right version of these two?

Half of the students doesn’t bother to show up.
Half of the students don’t bother to show up.

Or are both right?

The related question Is two-thirds plural? discusses some relevant concepts, but the answer is very general, and it's not clear how to apply it here since "half" is a singular noun, while "two" is a plural noun.

Barrie England's answer there says that in "2/3 of the pizza was eaten," singular agreement is appropriate because "the emphasis is likely to be on the amount of pizza eaten, and not on the number of individual thirds. In contrast, in [2/3 of the visitors were men] the emphasis is on the number of visitors who were men, so plural concord ... is required."

What does it mean to put "emphasis" on "the amount" vs. "the number"?  If "half of the students" is just an approximate or uncertain percentage (like "between 51% and 55%"), rather than an exact count, how do I know whether it's appropriate to emphasize the amount or the number of students?


texts: Does the word "crutch" imply a temporary support?

texts:
I recently used the word "crutch" to describe a reliance of online resources as a substitute for actual knowledge.  The exact sentence I used was "How do you ensure that the Internet is a helpful learning tool, rather than a crutch?".

My intent was to discuss how to avoid what I perceived as possible long-term repercussions to children learning to Google for quick answers rather than learn the subject matter to a depth that makes such searching unnecessary.

However, I was surprised to get a response that indicated that "crutch" meant a "short-term" solution.  In support of this position was a dictionary.com reference to this definition of the word: "anything that serves as a temporary and often inappropriate support, supplement, or substitute; prop: He uses liquor as a psychological crutch."

I have never considered the word crutch used in that context to be temporally limited.  Rather, I have always assumed that "a shortcut or tool relied upon to overcome shortcomings" was a valid meaning.  Is my interpretation correct, or does the phrase "relying on [x] as a crutch" always imply a short-term situation?


texts: Good synonyms for concurrence in a computer sciences context

texts:
I'm looking for some good synonyms for concurrence because I'm repeating a lot this word in a text within a computer sciences context.

The meaning of this word in my text is: the fact of two or more processes/events happening at the same time.

Thanks!


texts: Meaning of "within" in a certain context

texts:
What does the word within in the sentence below mean:

  Please log on to Application Web within 5 July 2018 to accept the offer:

If today is 1 July then does it tell the reader that they should accept the offer in only one day which is from 0 am to 12 pm 5 July, or they can accept the offer no later than 5 July?


texts: Can proceed be used to mean an event that occurs after another?

texts:
I've been using the word "proceed" in a manner that I am now wondering if is correct. I use it to describe an event as having occurred after another in the following format:

"Event A proceeds Event B"

i.e. "A funeral proceeds the death of a person."

Is this a valid usage of the word?

My confusion stems from the fact that many dictionaries I use frequently have differing defnitions that aren't entirely equivalent. Here are some examples:

  dictionary.com

  to move or go forward or onward, especially after stopping.
  to carry on or continue any action or process.
  to go on to do something.
  to continue one's discourse.

...the third of which may or may not satisfy my usage,

  merriam-webster.com

  : to come forth from a source : ISSUE
  2a : to continue after a pause or interruption
  b : to go on in an orderly regulated way
  3a : to begin and carry on an action, process, or movement
  b : to be in the process of being accomplished
  4 : to move along a course : ADVANCE

...which doesn't have a definition that really satisfies my usage, and

  lexico.com

  1 Begin a course of action.
  1.1 [with infinitive] Do something after something else.
  1.2 (of an action) carry on or continue.
  1.3 Law Start a lawsuit against someone.
  2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] Move forward.
  2.1 British dated Advance to a higher rank, status, or education.
  3 Originate from.

...where definition 1.1 shares the idea of my usage, but perhaps not the format.


texts: Correct usage of the word "do" in this context

texts:
I have the following sentence:

"In other words, Rule 5 has a balancing test and the limiting factors, which restrict admissibility the same way that 6(a) & 6(b) do."

In this case, what should be the correct usage of the word "do"?


texts:
"My studies showcase special emphasis on cumulative recursive [permutative?] effects of one's hydration, nutrition, self-image, and general cognitive ability."

Basically, each of the four items affects any number of the others, which in turn affects any number of its others...

I would like to describe that each one has an effect that continuously affects the way that one or more or all the others affect it and each other one, which in turn again further ....

recursive permutations seems about right, but I would love to describe the subject 'effects' with a variation of 'permutations' used with 'recursive' as well.

Any ideas?


texts: What do you call the empty/arid zones on both sides of a highway?

texts: I'm referring to something like the brown areas in this picture:


texts:
I'd like to ask about following sentences from Study in Scarlet by Conan Doyle.

  A higher Judge had taken the matter in hand, and Jefferson Hope had been summoned before a tribunal where strict justice would be meted out to him.

For me, the above sentence seems ambiguous.

A: Hope had been summoned before(in front of) a tribunal where～
So Hope is sent in front of an upper tribunal where god handles matter.

B: Hope had been summoned(to the god), before a tribunal where～
So Hope is sent to the god, before mortal's tribunal where human judges handle matter.

Can this sentence be ambiguous or it has only one possibility for English speakers?  Thank you.


texts: Word for politicians truth, really a lie

texts: What is the word for something that is said but isnt true, but because it is said it is believed (by the masses) to be true and is never then undone easily? Often used by point scoring, or wriggling, politicians


texts: Sapiosexual without the sexual connotation

texts:
I have been hearing the word "sapiosexual" referring to a person attracted to another because of the mental abilities, but attracted not in a sexual way, and I believe "sapiosexual" isn't the most accurate term for this context.

Is there a word to describe non-sexual attraction towards another person because of their wittiness/assertiveness/intelligence?


texts:
In English it's considered correct to ask

  I do it like this, don't I?

or

  Why can't I go?

whereas "don't" is an abbreviation of "do not" and "can't" is an abbreviation of "cannot". However, keeping the structure and no longer abbreviating the words, you get

  I do it like this, do not I?

Which really doesn't make sense. Why is this?


texts:
I know that English pronunciation is rather arbitrary. There are still some "rules" that even with many exceptions are useful for non-natives like me.

I'm puzzled about the pronunciation of the very common prefix "tri", meaning "three".

"Tri" is often pronounced /traɪ/. For example: triangle, trilateral, tripartite, trioxide, triode, triad, trilobites, triglyceride, triennium, tridimensional, trigeminal, tricycle, tricuspid, triceps, triathlon.

But sometimes "tri" is pronounced /trɪ/. For example: trigamous, triplicate, trio, trinity, trilogy, trillion, trigonometry, triplet, triple, triphthong, triploid, triptych.

Finally, it seems that a few words can be pronounced both ways. For example: trimester, tricolor.

I can find no pattern at all. Is there any "rule"? Or can you help me in any way to guess the right pronunciation of a new word with the prefix "tri"?


texts: What does “Call things by their name” mean?

texts:
The Washington Post’s (August 12) article that came under the headline, “Emperor offers a regal critique of Japan’s drift away from pacifism” wraps up with the following episode:

  “Earlier this year, as Merkel visited Japan she gave some veiled
  advice (to Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe): Saying that Germany was only able to build a good relationship
  with neighbors by calling “things by their name.”

I’m not able to find the definition of the phrase, “call things by one’s (proper) name" - which is shown in quotes - in English dictionaries at hand, nor by googling.

http://www.goodreads.com.quote cites an axiom, “The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.” as Confucius’ saying.

Google Ngram shows that the phrase has been current since around 1880.

What does “call things by their name” mean? Does it mean to be straightforward or honest?
Is it something like “Call spade a spade”?

Additionally what is the origin of this cliche?


texts: Phrase for wearing clothes that lack any taste, style, distinctiveness, shape, or anything

texts:
I am looking for a phrase for wearing clothes that lack any sort of style, fashion, expressiveness, or anything beyond their basic function. This does not mean that the clothes are disfunctional (as in holes) or socially inappropriate (as in Hawaii shirt in your business meeting). Maoist uniforms come close in being featureless, but even those have got a least a "message" or "meaning".

Perhaps 'burlap sack' comes close to what I am looking for.

  Those school uniforms are so plain –
   why did they pick such _______


texts: Which should be the correct word in the given pragraph: Hermeneutics or Semantics?

texts:
While reading through the book on logics. I came across this paragraph.

Paragraph is as-is from the book: Outline of Logic (Schaum's)

    At this point we give a rigorous formulation of the intended interpretation (semantics) of the five logical operators. The semantics of an expression is its contribution to the truth or falsity of sentences in which it occurs.

I am little bit confuse here with the usage of the word semantics. As far as I know, intended interpretation has more to do with hermeneutics than semantics. Upon looking for the definition of both the words, I got little bit more confused.

Merriam Webster defines hermeneutic as "a method or principle of interpretation." and semantic as "of or relating to meaning in language. "

My Question: Intended interpretation means semantics or hermeneutics?


texts:
Would I rather say

  He would have forgotten about the incident, if it wasn't for the huge backpack

or

  He would have forgotten about the incident, if it hadn't been for the huge backpack

or are even both wrong? (If so, how could I say that the backpack has been the reason for him to not forget about the incident in an equal manner?)


texts: Late/early for numbers other than age/year

texts:
When referring to age or to periods in time, it is quite common to use expressions such as

  He is in his late twenties

or

  The best music was produced in the early eighties

I have recently heard somebody use it in the sense of

  The number of shoes I own is in the late thirties/early forties.

Is that an acceptable use of late/early?


texts:
Sentence example: I got asleep.

PS: I know fell asleep is more commonly accepted.


texts: What does "gig" stand for in "It's your gig"?

texts:
I have heard people say, "It's your gig" when they intend to say, "It's your choice after all." For example:

  I have said all I wanted to say. Now it's your gig.

The intention is that the listener is the one who has to decide then.

What does "gig" mean here? Gig seems to have multiple meanings in dictionaries but I am unable to find what fits well in this phrase. Also, does "It's your gig" have any history or specific etymology?


texts: (Mixing 1st/3rd Person in same sentence) Is anyone knowledgeable in this grammar?

texts:
TLDR: The prompt below contains autobiographical examples that I believe to be incorporating both first and third person in the same sentences; I am unsure of how to proceed.
I am to adhere to the following format for an autobiographical exposé:

Guillermo
Short, Tanned skin, and funny
Lover of video games, beanies, and family
Who feels as if life is a tough puzzle to crack
Who needs to support family before self because those are my priorities
Who gives my love to my family and education
Who fears becoming jobless or homeless
Who would like to see my family and myself own a house someday
Who majors in Construction Technology
Who would like to graduate with an Associates Degree
Castaneda

Thus far I've written:

Blake
Pensive, Impartial, and Curious
Admirer of expression, mindfulness, and delight
Who feels as if life's meaning is but to loiter
Who needs to find ample means concurrent with his favor

My question, is shall I amend "his favor" to "my favor" and continue as such until I am through as was written in the prompt? Or should I write this piece about myself in the third person?
Thank you so very much for your help!


texts: What is the meaning of "N" in this sentence?

texts:
The meaning of "jackrabbit" in Oxford dictionary is:
a large N American hare(=an animal like a large rabbit) with very long ears.
My question is what is the meaning of "N" in this sentence?


texts: What's the difference between the suffix -y and the suffix -ly

texts:
I know how the words are used and which to use based on whether it sounds right or not, as well as that -y is used for adjectives and -ly is used for adverbs but what I'm asking is what's the meaning?

If I remember correctly -y means "with", so in the case I used it'd be "with ease". And -ly... I'm not quite sure.


texts: Fear of smart people/ phobia of intelligence

texts:
Is there a word that describes: having a strong fear of smart people.

I tried to look up "phobia of intelligence", "fear of smart people" etc. but couldn't find anything.

  He has/is __________


texts: Is it correct to say "the truth is" when the rest of the sentence is in the past?

texts:
Is it correct to say:

The truth is, he was a great explorer.

Or do I have to say:

The truth was, he was a great explorer.

Or are both okay?


texts: What's an idiom for "whiling away time"?

texts:
We could say "couch potato" but I want a different idiom which could be used as a verb too..

For example, Though I have a lot of work to do, I was _______ , not caring about it a single bit.


texts:
I've been trying to find an answer to this question and found an article by Grammar Girl where she wrote about capitalizing the 'french' in french fries. She quotes CMoS as follows:

  'The Chicago Manual of Style [also] recommends keeping french
  lowercase because french isn’t being used to literally refer to the
  country.'

Even though she was writing about french fries, I believe this is a rule of thumb which applies to all such usage. So, I needed to find the origin of F/french suits so I can determine whether they literally originate or have to do with France. After a google search, I still haven't been able to ascertain the origin of F/french suits.

So, question is, which of these would be correct?

  He wore a blue French suit.

  He wore a blue french suit.


texts:
In German, repetition is frowned upon. For example:
Instead of the disfavored repetitions

Der Professor betreut die Studenten bei der Ausarbeitung der Bachelorarbeiten und Masterarbeiten.
Der Versand ist zuständig für den Wareneingang und Warenausgang.

it is recommended to shorten to

Der Professor betreut die Studenten bei der Ausarbeitung der Bachelor- und Masterarbeiten.
Der Versand ist zuständig für den Warenein- und -ausgang.

I know that repetition in English is allowed but is it possible to shorten sentences in English the same way as in German, too? Are there any official rules on how to remove repetition if I want to?
How do I avoid the multiple use of the same word in sentence like that:

The professor supervises the students working on their Bachelor Thesis and Master Thesis
The shipping department is in charge of receiving goods and outgoing goods


texts:
I have looked at all the related posts but can't find a definite answer for the following question, so try not to dismiss this as answered:

"John or I will get back to you later"
"Me or John will get back to you later"
"John or me will get back to you later"

Which is correct?

Thank you in advance


texts: verb for dogs moving and dancing around dead corpses.

texts:
What is the verb for when dogs come moving and dancing around the corpses of other dead animals (like say, lions) and they look for food. They can't approach them when they're alive and in their might but they come along when they are dead and dance and gad in a cowardly manner. It is similar to when the battle is finished and soldiers start moving about looking for the injured to finish them off and check they are killed for sure. It has a cowardliness behind it. Even describing the manner in which they cowardly move and scamper for meat.

I'd appreciate any kind of help. Thank you.


texts:
I'd like to know an alternative phrasing of structures like "I want one each of tomatoes, bananas, apricots and pears.

Secondly, what syntactic role does "each" play in this phrase?


texts:
I have the following three sentences:

I am reading it by the end of this week.
I am reading it at the end of this week.
I am reading it in the end of this week.

Which one is more grammatically correct?

I think it’s the second one, but I am not really sure; I ruled out the third one.


texts: Word for a short exhalation, antonym of "gasp"?

texts:
When you're disappointed or upset and rather than say anything you make a short exhalation, how's that called? It's sort of as if you said 'huh' while looking at the floor standing next to the person who have just upset you, but just without saying it.

/Think the "sniker" is what I was after. Thanks everybody.


texts: When and where to italicize a term in text?

texts:
Assume that the following text are excerpts from a book ...

  Book: Fun with Math

  Chapter 1: We will learn about lots of numbers like integers, real,
  even numbers and odd numbers.

  Chapter 2: There are two kinds of numbers: even numbers and odd
  numbers.

  Chapter 3: An even number is a number which is divisible into two
  equal integers.

Of the three locations that even number appears in, where is it recommended to italicize it? Is it when it is mentioned (chapter 1), described (chapter 2) or when defined (chapter 3)? Or is it preferred to italicize it in multiple or all appearances?

A more general question is: is a term italicized when it first appears or when it is actually defined? The locations of these two might be far apart in the text.


texts: I've noticed the phrase 'take a listen' is used frequently on television by news anchors before playing news clips. Would you consider this usage too colloquial, and possibly a lazy use of language?


texts: Can the term evergreening be used outside a legal context?

texts:
I have used the term evergreening in the context of replacing PC systems at a pre-determined rate; that is, that such a scheme would replace every PC in an office every 3 years by gradually replacing systems a few at a time over an extended period.

I cannot however find this word used in this context in dictionaries online and I'm not sure if it's a colloquialism in the IT field or if it would be recognized in the general populace.  If the latter, what are some alternative terms?


texts: Where did the phrase "Give it some wellie" originate?

texts:
I've heard this a few times, and I would presume that it comes from Wellingtons, with the meaning of put some boot to it.

Is there an origin for this phrase?