texts: Is there a name for diseases associated with bone deformation?

texts:
Orthopaedics is a branch of medical science concerning the skeletal system. Examples of orthopaedic disorders include arthritis, fibromyalgia, and lupus -- all of which come under the class of musculoskeletal disorders.

Other examples include scoliosis, kyphosis, and Paget disease, which are all concerned with bone deformation.I was thinking about calling them as bone deformity disorders but was hoping if there is an established 'fancier' name out there in the field for this purpose.

Is there an umbrella term that covers diseases that are associated with bone deformity?


texts: If we have a "second" of time, what's "first"?

texts:
The word second can refer to ordinal #2 (that which comes after first), or a unit of time, 1/60 of a minute.  Ordinarily you might think that this is just a coincidence, but in Spanish, the word segundo also means both a second (of time) and ordinal #2, which suggests that there's some actual link between the two meanings somewhere.

So, why is there a "second" of time but not a "first"?


texts: Why is there a "mean" in "Greenwich Mean Time" (GMT)?

texts:
What's the meaning of the word "mean" in "Greenwich Mean Time"?

Shouldn't we simply say something like "Greenwich Time"? I don't understand what the word "mean" is doing there.


texts: What are the title capitalization rules for rarely used prepositions like "down", "up", "off", etc.?

texts:
In capitalizing English titles, my understanding is that all prepositions of four or fewer letters should be written lowercase, unless part of a phrasal verb.  (I realize that AP style and the Chicago Manual of Style differ on the length of words affected, but I'm going with the "four or fewer letters" standard.)  For the most part, following this guideline is fairly straightforward.  However there are certain rarely used prepositions (or words that rarely function as prepositions), which in practice I almost always see capitalized even though they should (in theory anyway) be written lowercase.

This is especially true of "down" which always seems to be capitalized, even in publications and on websites (like Wikipedia) that normally don't capitalize prepositions of four or fewer letters.  I'm not sure if this is a commonly accepted practice (like the way "as" is frequently written lowercase even when functioning as a subordinating conjunction) or if it's just a result of confusion because "down" is so rarely used as a preposition.  There are a few other words which I sporadically see written lowercase, though not consistently.

I've listed a few examples below.  All spellings are taken from Wikipedia.  Any suggestions on how to capitalize these would be very much appreciated.

Down:
All Down the Line - "down" accented/emphasized; capitalize?
Backs Turned Looking Down the Path
Blowin' Down the Road
Buddy Won't You Roll Down the Line
Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad - phrasal verb? (as in "Going Down to Mexico")
Hasten Down the Wind
Kick the Bride Down the Aisle
Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)
Walk Straight Down the Middle
Way Down the Old Plank Road - preposition?
When My Boy Walks Down the Street
Whistle Down the Wind

Up:
Climbing Up the Walls
Farther Up the Road
Going Up the Country - "to" implied? ("Going Up to the Country")
Halfway Up the Stairs
When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder
Running Up That Hill

On Down / On Up:
(On=adverb, Down/Up=preposition?)
Bring It on Up
Farther on Down the Road (You Will Accompany Me) - never see this written as "Further On down the Road"
Further On (Up the Road)
Move Me on Down the Line
Movin' On Up

Off:
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
Falling Off the Face of the Earth
Get Off the Phone
Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)
Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert
I Came as a Rat (Long Walk off a Short Dock)
Keep Your Hands Off Her
Knocks Me Off My Feet
Take a Load Off Your Feet
Your Phone's Off the Hook, but You're Not - "Off the Hook" used idiomatically; capitalize?

Over:
Already Over Me
Cry Over Me - phrasal verb?
I Don't Want to Get Over You - phrasal verb?
I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day
Look Over Yonders Wall
Meeting Over Yonder
Someone to Watch Over Me - phrasal verb?
Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Till/'Til:
(subordinate conjunction - always capitalize?)
Do Nothing till You Hear from Me
Good Til Now
I Hadn't Anyone Till You
Love Me Till the Sun Shines
Love You till Tuesday
Rub 'til It Bleeds
Tango Till They're Sore
Wait Till the Summer Comes Along
Wait till You See Her
You Don't Miss Your Water ('Til Your Well Runs Dry)

Others:
'bout: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding
'cept: Nobody 'Cept You
out: Goin' Out West - preposition?
past: Whistlin' Past the Graveyard
unto: Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
upon: Once Upon a Time - "Once Upon" an idiom; capitalize?
upon: We Call Upon the Author - phrasal verb?
yet: Seasick, Yet Still Docked - coordinate conjunction, but never see lowercase

By the way, these are all song titles.  Not sure if the standards are different from, say, headlines or book titles.  Thanks for any help with this.


texts: What is the difference between “prophecy” and “fortune telling”?

texts:
Maybe a week, maybe a month; you will meet a tall dark stranger; the next few weeks are going to be hard on your energy levels....

What are the real/inferred differences between “prophecy” and “fortune telling”?


texts: The be- prefix in behead doesn't seem to match similar words like become, besmirch, or befuddle. Of course, the same prefix could serve different roles depending on the word. What role is be- serving here, and are there any other English words that use the prefix in this way?


texts: When using ellipsis to omit list items, is a comma required after the last item before the ellipsis or not?

texts:
Which, if any, format do you consider preferable?

"10, 11, 12, ... 19, 20."

"Violet, Indigo, ... Orange, Red."

-OR-

"10, 11, 12 ... 19, 20."

"Violet, Indigo ... Orange, Red."


texts: Tenses with "until then" - Is past perfect needed or is it optional?

texts:
If I understood correctly, "until now" can be "until then" in the past sentences.

Would this be correct?

  1) It was a new approach that was never successfully performed until then.

or should I use past perfect?

  2) It was a new approach that had never been successfully performed until then.


texts: What is another way to express recidivism but lose the criminal element?

texts: I am writing a web site that performs calculations used to inform business owners how many of their customers are repeat customers.  The calculation will appear in a table, so I'd like the label to be short.  I thought the word recidivism would convey the idea, but I double-checked the definition and see that it applies to an offender's tendency to re-offend.  Is there a word that means the same but lacks the criminal implication?


texts:
I would like to ask you a paricular question. Recently I had a job interview which, as far as I am concerned, went great. However, I might have made a stupid mistake and I would like you to tell me whether it sounds awkward or not.
So, in the final stage of the interview I was asking questions myself. After the last question I said something like: "That's all, thank you very much." I wanted to thank the interviewers for answering my questions, but I didn't add this detail. Now I think that it might have sounded bizzare, as if I was the one who conducted the interview and wanted to finish it. What do you think?


texts: How to describe someone speaking in pain?

texts:
Imagine someone gets hit heavily, or is in excruciating pain; when they try to speak, they sound like they have a sore throat, they are probably cringing.

Mumbling or muttering is speaking with less volume, inaudibly and mostly out of exhaustion. But I am looking for the speech of someone groaning in pain.

What is a word for that?


texts: Is there a word/phrase for being stuck on a problem but unable to put it down?

texts: Is there a word/phrase/idiom for when you're working on a challenging problem and you can't stop thinking about it or put it down?  It's like "having an itch." Would that be an appropriate phrase?


texts:
I'm currently reworking my technical report and was wondering which of the following wordings is correct. If both are correct, which one is the better one?

This means that the behavior of the cmd.exe is accessible [...].
This means the behavior of the cmd.exe is accesible [...].


texts:
I've seen from sources claim that the word "British" can be used to refer to different things. Some say Great Britian, some the UK, and some even the UK including her overseas territories. Which of these is correct? If it refers to people from the whole of the UK (and her territories), then why? It seems natural to assume that only people from Great Britain are British, and I was under the impression that the Britons inhabited what is now known as Great Britain. Here are some examples:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/British?q=British:
"British: relating to Great Britain or the United Kingdom, or to its people or language."

(a poor source, I know, but I've seen it used this way in person)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_people:
"British people, also referred to as Britons, informally as Brits, or archaically as Britishers, are nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies; and their descendants."


texts: 'Pollution affects the environment in many ways' - What part of the speech is 'in many ways'?

texts:
Pollution (S) affects (V) the environment (O) in many ways (?).

Is in many ways a complement?


texts:
How do I write the plural possessive of the acronym COA in APA style (which in general doesn't allow for the use of an apostrophe)?

COA = children orphaned by AIDS

Children orphaned by AIDS [acquired immunodeficiency syndrome] sounds like it ends with an 's', but it actually ends with an 'e' (for 'syndrome').

So do I write:
COA experiences,
COAs experiences, or
COAs' experiences

Which is the correct answer?


texts:
Situation: there are ten students in my room. Some of them have blue books. Some others have red ones. Now, I am telling my subordinate to instruct them all to study the notes in the corresponding books. Which one should I say?

A. Please inform the students with the red books and blue books that they need to understand the notes in the books before the exam.

B. Please inform the students with the red books or blue books that they need to understand the notes in the books before the exam.

AND or OR?

Thanks in advance


texts: How to address a formal letter to a group of women

texts: How do you address a formal letter to a group of women - i.e. the equivalent of Dear Sirs, for women?


texts: What do you call a person that goes to extreme ends to accomplish a goal?

texts:
I've been trying to find a single word that describes a person that will go to extreme ends to achieve a goal.

For example, a person that would harm friends or leave behind a path of destruction to get what they want.

This question about a person that always goes the extra mile was the closest I could find, but didn't answer my question because of its more positive tone.


texts: How to use "yet" to express something hasn't happened until current time

texts:
If I want to tell somebody that something hasn't happened yet, I'm not quite sure how to use/put the word "yet" correctly in the sentence.

Sentence 1: I'm not sure that we will have a meeting tomorrow yet.

Sentence 2: I'm not sure that we would have a meeting tomorrow yet.

Sentence 3: I'm not sure that we have a meeting tomorrow.

Sentence 4: I haven't finished my work yet.

Sentence 5: I haven't finished my work.

Do I need to use "yet" in (some of) above sentences? And it will make their meanings be different with the one not added "yet"?


texts:
I encountered with these sentences :

No work tomorrow because holidays!
Of course evolution is true, because science.

"BECAUSE + NOUN" is a new usage to me. I think 'because' has been used here as a preposition. Could you please explain this usage?


texts:
I can't seem to find a justification either way for this example. Can anyone help me out? Thank you!

In the context of a bomb-sniffing dog, what grammar rule would justify using the (s)? Is it simply a matter of avoiding confusion? thanks!


texts: Referring to the lightness/darkness of colors

texts:
Presently I have 3 different colors.  I am referring to them as:

light (could be sky blue or pink)
middle (could be blue or red)
dark (could be navy or crimson)

Is there a better way to describe the lightness darkness of the colors?

If I had four or five different darknesses that I waned to describe what would be the best way to refer to them?  The best I have come up with would be something like:

very light
light
middle
dark
very dark


texts:
Does the slang my eye in following sentence represent "Surprise" or sadness?

  I heard that you made a high jump of eight feet at the track meet. My eye!

From the paragraph above, I understand that the speaker was surprised/shocked or unhappy  to know his friend made that high jump.

Please correct me.


texts: Formatting a Title of a Book within a Book

texts:
How do I refer to a book-in-a-book?
Which of the following is correct? (as my own writing)

Monte Becket is famous for Martin Blight.
Monte Becket is famous for "Martin Blight."
Monte Becket is famous for "Martin Blight."


texts:
A "bounced check" is a check that cannot be processed by the bank because the party who wrote the check has insufficient funds to cover the amount of the check. (To my understanding it is a non-formal term; in other words, it's not the terminology the bank would use.)

I've heard this term used in the following ways:

The bank charges me a fee for any bounced checks that I cash, so make sure you have enough money in your checking account!
I must not forget to deposit my paycheck today or my rent check will bounce.

A ball bounces, but a check just flutters to the floor. How did the term "bounce" come to mean a check that lacks funds?


texts: "This picture is copyright John Smith" - Is this correct usage?

texts:
Which is better style:

(1) This picture is copyright of John Smith.

(2) This picture is copyright John Smith.

Please explain ...


texts:
There are two things that men should never weary of, goodness and humility; we get none too much of them in this rough world among cold, proud people.

Is this the same as "It should be sunny tomorrow?"

Source


texts: Keep with T or change to C in verb to derived word conversion

texts:
I'm doing some verb to derived word conversions and I'm struggling with keeping the T or converting it to a C in some verbs ended with T:

Exhibit -> Exhibition
Perfect -> Perfection
Benefit -> Beneficial

I have done a bit of research on beneficial and that's what I've found, no common patterns at all.
Is there any rule to make this conversion?


texts: Can we replace the past perfect with the simple past? What are the rules?

texts:
"She was always an infidel," said the Chaplain's wife.
Seeing she had been taken into the church of England at the mature age of five weeks, this statement does not do credit to the Chaplain's wife.

Could we replace had been with was in this sentence? I feel it doesn't make the slightest difference. Is this always the case? How can I decide?


texts:
"Kate, this isn't something that I dreamed up myself. I don't have the authority to hire advisors or authorize joint agency missions, or fly agents from Air Force bases. Are you understanding me? These decisions are made far from here by officials elected to office, not appointed to them."

Please give me some idea... (the way I know about the last sentence, not appointed to them is not relevant to mention their name).


texts: Is there a word for a concept defined by the lack of something?

texts: I have been trying to find a word that describes a concept that is only defined by the lack for something. For example, there isn't really any such thing as cold, it is a concept we use to describe the lack of heat. So is there a word to describe the kind of word that "cold" is?


texts:
Is this sentence valid?

  Access to this content is restricted for our subscribers

or should it be:

  Access to this content is restricted to our subscribers


texts: What is it called when we use "through which" "about whom", "whose", etc

texts:
I would like to know how to refer to the sentance structure that is used in formal contexts, when  "through which", "for whom" etc. are typically used. Are these non-defining relative pronouns?

Sometimes they can can be combined:

  implicates a world amid and with which it proceeds

And often they make sentences more confusing:

  The understandings of action through which doings and sayings are
  linked in practices encompass the understandings of action against the
  background of which doings and sayings constitute specific actions.

Any ideas?


texts: Which is grammatically correct: "woke up by the..." or "woke up to the..."?

texts:
Which is grammatically correct?

  Sophia woke up by the rattling sound of her washing machine.

or

  Sophia woke up to the rattling sound of her washing machine.


texts: 'See him told' versus 'See that he is told'

texts:
I'm curious if both of these mean the same thing:

  I always see him told to do the same thing.

  I always see that he is told to do the same thing.

If not, can you please tell me what the difference is?


texts: What is the adjective for "supersedure" or "primacy"?

texts:
Is there an adjective that can express the concept of a law that supersedes other laws?

I would prefer a single adjective that has legal connotations, although a present participle will suffice. The phrases supreme law and overruling law approximate this concept, but supreme merely seems to indicate significance, and overruling implies direct contradiction, rather than "displacement in favor of another" as supersedure indicates (the laws do not run completely contrary to one another, but one is more appropriate and takes precedent). Also, the phrases the law which has primacy over other laws and the law which supersedes other laws are too wordy and awkward for my intended usage in a paper about a certain contentious Supreme Court decision.

Is there an adjectival form of "primacy" or "supersedure", or another adjective which accurately describes this legal usage? Here is the sort of context in which I intend to use such an adjective:

  The ruling demonstrated disregard for the ________ constitution/law/legal right.


texts: What is it called when someone uses a slightly absurd specific example of something to be humorous?

texts:
For example, "We're competing for attention with teenagers who would rather be playing Angry Birds," or "You need to explain this in a way that your grandmother who thinks the internet works by magic would understand."

What these really mean is, "We're competing for attention with teenagers who would rather be playing on their mobile phones or doing something else", and "You need to explain this in a way that anyone would understand, even if they don't understand how the internet works at all."

The speaker has no idea whether the other person's grandmother understands the internet or is even alive. But they use that phrase in an attempt to be slightly humorous. (The examples above aren't very funny, of course, but they might make people titter if they are said in the right way.)

I thought this might be synecdoche, or one of those other Greek terms, but it's not. I am wondering whether there is a term for it?

Edited to add:

I think it is synecdoche after all, and the best way to describe this exact type of construction is "facetious synecdoche".

(I should have made it clearer that what I wanted was a noun or noun phrase that describes this exact type of construction. I didn't want a word or phrase that describes this type of construction and lots of other ones as well, such as just "facetious".)


texts:
Is it common/correct to say "thanks for having me" after an interviewer says to you "thank you for coming to this interview"?

Thanks :)

Update: I'm referring to a job interview. (Thanks for pointing that out)


texts:
Words like healing and relief often come up, but I don't think they really capture the intensity of a positive experience to the same degree as "trauma" captures a negative experience.

For example:

  Were you traumatised by a horror movie as a child?
  The Guardian

What would be its opposite?


texts: Word for a letter of the alphabet that helps form another letter

texts:
I would like to know if there is a technical term, perhaps typographic, that describes a letter of the alphabet that can be analyzed as partly composed of another letter of the alphabet. This is not all that common in English, but there are examples. If you are teaching a child to make an uppercase R, for example, you might tell them to make an uppercase P and then add a leg or foot to it. That P could then be referred to as "the ______ P within the R."

Thank you.


texts: Question Regarding Usage of Verb "Expect'

texts: People often say things like 'It only expects to get worse.' I just want to be on the safe side. You can place an inanimate subject or pronoun like 'it' or 'the rain' before the verb 'expects,' right?


texts: What is the meaning of "laid by the heels"?

texts:
I am quoting from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Gloria Scott by Arthur Conan Doyle:

It was a prosaic way of forming a friendship, but it was effective. I was laid by the heels for ten days, but Trevor used to come in to enquire after me.

From the context it's clear that Holmes was staying in bed for 10 days, but does being laid by the heels mean that it was his heels which were in pain or is it an expression that is used no matter part of the body is the source of pain (for example may I say 'I was laid by the heels due to a stomach ache')?


texts: What is a word for a review of a review?

texts:
I need a word to describe a review that has been made on a review.

The review itself I will call a "review", but if someone reviews the reviews, what can I call this? I can't call it a review as well as that would be confusing.

I need a short understandable word for it. Any ideas?


texts: How do people actually pronounce "Orange"?

texts:
There are questions on ELU about the phonemic transcriptions of orange in both British and American English in dictionaries.

However, this being a site for linguists and all that, I thought I would indulge myself in a question about how people pronounce orange, in terms of what sounds they actually make and the qualities of those sounds in 'minutiae'.

What are some narrow transcriptions of the word orange that we might expect in standard Englishes (with a segment by segment explanation)? If you have any interesting narrow transcriptions of non-standard English varieties, also with explanations of the finer features, those would be very welcome too.


texts: Letters with Numbers: Hyphen or no Hyphen?

texts:
I'm going to give three examples of numbers being used with letters. All I want to know is if hyphens have to be used with numbers that are attached to letters. Here are a few examples:

  Donald and Putin had a G20 (or G-20) conversation.

  My friend bought the new PS4 (or PS-4).

For my final example, I'm going to mention v2, as in version 2.

  These are v2 (or v-2) plates.

What are the rules for attaching numbers to letters? Are hyphens required?


texts: Does English have a saying for "The person who orders something is the one has to pay for it"?

texts:
In German, we have the saying Wer bestellt, bezahlt, which translates
literally into Who(ever) orders, pays in English. Is there a
corresponding English idiomatic expression or proverbial refrain for this
concept where the person who orders something is the one who has to pay for
it?

The context that made me wonder is the situation
here. Person A is upset by person B who has wrongly parked their car in person
A’s way (on private ground). An answer suggested that A could call a towing
service to remove B’s car. Because it was person A who ordered the towing
service to remove the car, over here the towing service’s bill would go to
person A under the principle of Wer bestellt, bezahlt, so A pays it. It’s
then up to person A, bill in hand, to go after person B for the money which
A has already paid.

The idea here is that placing responsibility for payment on whoever calls
the towing company will safeguard against unnecessary towing or expensive
practical jokes because in such frivolous cases, person A will not be able
to later recover the money they’ve already paid the towing company from
person B.

Another situation where I’d to apply this idiom is the following.  Consider
ordering some custom part, say at a 3D printing service. You receive the
print, but don’t like it after all. It’s not defective, damaged, or badly
printed; you simply find that it just doesn’t fulfil your needs. We’d say,
Wer bestellt, bezahlt: even though you cannot use it, you have to pay for
it.

(As opposed to, say, ordering some off-the-shelf part in the internet and
after physically receiving it, finding it doesn’t suit your needs: that one
you’d return for refund [except for delivery costs]).

Sayings like He who pays the piper calls the tune do not apply in
the situation I’m after.  In particular, if person B comes along when the towing
service is there and shows that they own the car, the towing service will
not tow the car even if person A turns around and pays cash on the barrel. With proof in hand that it’s really B’s car not A’s, the towing company will no longer do A’s bidding regarding the towing of a car that’s not A’s. (The towing company would still charge A for having had to
show up unnecessarily, though.)


texts: What do you call "gift CDs" that you select music for manually?

texts: Is there a special word or phrase for a CD with a carefully picked playlist you made for a particular person, often given as a gift?


texts:
I recently microwaved a plastic glass to get rid of micro-organisms on it. I accidentally dropped the glass after taking it out. I said "Damn it! This glass is not sane anymore!"

Am I right in saying that?

Usually the word sanitary is used in contexts like that. But, is it still right if I use the word sane? Does American English allow me to use the word "sane" it that sentence?


texts: Deadly protests ousted vs. deadly protests WHICH ousted

texts:
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/putin-warns-ukraine-gas-supplies-urges-talks-155039695.html

  Ukraine has been in crisis since months of deadly protests ousted an unpopular pro-Kremlin president in February and set the nation of 46 million on a westward course that prompted Putin to obtain the authority to use force against the ex-Soviet state.

I don't understand the reasons why a relative pronoun such as which or that was not used. My brain naturally wants to add one, otherwise it's difficult to tie the two parts of the sentence together. Don't you think that adding one would make the sentence sound much more clearer?

  Ukraine has been in crisis since months of deadly protests which ousted an unpopular pro-Kremlin president in February and set the nation of 46 million on a westward course that prompted Putin to obtain the authority to use force against the ex-Soviet state.


texts:
In software, why do we talk about line-of-business applications (sometimes abbreviated to LOB)? Why not just business applications?

So it's useful to distinguish between general software (like email or word processing) and mission critical software specific to the business.

But how did "line of ..." come to be used for the latter?


texts:
In Australian retail stores the phrase "Next waiting!" has become an idiom.

As I understand it, it is a contraction of "Can I serve the person next waiting?".

When the idiom is used, it is snapped out in a tone that you might use for "get over here!". Something about its usage jars in my sense of the English language.

My question is: Is the phrase "Next waiting!" by retail staff incorrect grammar?


texts: I would like to know if I can say "We can meet on Monday or Tuesday" in email as a reply to a sales person's email asking for a couple of days options for an online meeting -- a sort of Skype call. I am asking if the word meet is appropriate here and I welcome suggestions for a better reply to this email.


texts: Is the sentence "The novel's language is largely prosaic" logically correct?

texts:
Obviously a novel is a work of prose (Or at least, the one I talk about is), but what I wish to convey in the sentence above is that the novel's language is dull and commonplace, and does not contain any literary or sophisticated words/register.
Is it logically correct to say so, or should I replace the word "prosaic" with something else?


texts: Umbrella term for treasury bills, notes and bonds

texts:
I am using interest rate data for all these treasury securities. Because bills, notes and bonds all are used for a certain maturity interval (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Treasury_security#Directly_issued_by_the_United_States_government). I would like to know if one of the three words can be used as an umbrella term for them.
Should I just use "treasuries" or should I go for the slightly longer "treasury securities"? Additionally, I would like to know if it should be capitalized in the middle of a sentence.


texts: Why is 'lavender' used to reference homosexuality?

texts:
I am aware of Lavender Linguistics, which is a form of Polari and was used by gay men a lexicon 'used in the 1950s and early 1960s by gay men as a secret language which concealed their homosexuality in the face of the repressive society of the time.'

Wiktionary doesn't offer this definition.
Etymonline mentions 'camp followers' (which I presume means homosexuality) but not anything further than that.
Lexico gives a definition of 'Used in reference to effeminacy or homosexuality.'.

I thought Why Lavender? - The University of Nottingham would help, but instead it speaks about the reason a conference uses the term lavender, reiterating its use in the 20th century to denote homosexual people:

  ‘Lavender’ was seen to be a neutral term which would not exclude particular research foci...

In short, I know that it is used in this way, but why did lavender become associated with homosexuality?

I assume it is because purple is regarded as feminine, but can't find anything to back it up.


texts: Period usage when abbreviating at the end of a sentence

texts:
Regarding the following expression, we can realize that the period character is of dual functionality in its nature: partly denoting the abbreviation, partly being used to end the sentence.

  I like rideable animals such as donkeys, horsies, cowsies etc.

Now, if we reconstruct the sentence in the following way, we'll be forced to use separate period characters for each of the functions and it looks pretty weird, at least to me. I wonder if it's the correct usage at all and what a correct alternative might be.

  I like rideable animals (donkeys, horsies, cowsies etc.).

Please note that I'm not in any way asking about how to express the thought contained in the example nor that how to circumvent the situation (by rephrasing it as two different sentences or such).


texts:
Does this sentence make sense?

An experienced writing coach can help you segue through the writing process

I usually think of segue as "segue into" or as a noun, but this is "segue through." The sentence was written by the writing coach being advertised, so she should know what she's talking about with regards to writing. Is it some usage that I've never heard of?


texts:
I've been racking my brain trying to think of a grammatically correct sentence that uses same without the earlier in the same (see!) phrase.

It is the same
It is the very same
I have 10 things all the same
I have 10 of the same things
The same boy as last time did it again
The boy did the same thing as last time

I am discounting same-day dry cleaning and any similar phrases that might crop up because using a hyphen is acceptable which suggests it's an atomic phrase and it sounds awkward if inverted:

They have a same-day dry cleaning service.
Their dry cleaning service is same-day. - Sounds odd but might be acceptable in some situations
Their dry cleaning service is done on the same day. - Sounds better

So I don't think it's possible when same is used by itself. Can someone either explain why same must always have the before it or provide a grammatically correct counter-example?


texts: Why "respect you most" instead of "respect you more" in the following quote by Samuel Johnson?

texts:
"Go into the street and give one man a lecture on morality and another a shilling, and see which will respect you most." British Literature 1640-1789

I can't figure out why Johnson used "most" instead of "more".   Am I missing something here? Is it grammatical as it is?


texts: Is there a word for the "Origin of Gestures"?

texts:
I came across this little nugget of infomation whilst browsing a forum.

  The English archers were so efficient against French knights that whenever the French captured one, they would cut of two fingers to ensure that they couldn't draw a bow string again. A gesture, that today is considered obscene, was originally a taunt to French knights meaning: "Come and get them!".

Wanting to find out more about this, as well as other gestures. I took a step back to figure out if a word exists that describes the study of the origin of gestures, but have had no success in finding this word.

Whilst Etyomology is the study of the history of words, is there a word that specifically applies to gestures or does the same word apply?


texts: I need to write my expectations from a job

texts:
I`m looking for a job as a developer, so I need to write my expectations for the job. Am I right grammatically writing this into my CV?

  I am looking for opportunities for professional growth and for taking responsibility for my job.

I`m afraid of putting 'for' four times.


texts: "I've been working here since two months ago"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Proper usage of “since” and “from” with regard to duration of time
  Is “since I’m” now an acceptable alternative to “since I was”?

With the Present Perfect (Progressive) "since" can be used when a reference point is indicated, e.g.:

  I've been working here since last month.

Can I use "since 2 months ago" as a reference point, as in:

  I've been working here since two months ago.


texts: "...as interesting as you think" vs "...as interesting as you'd think"?

texts:
Speaker A: "You lived in Hawaii? Cool! How was it? Tell me, tell me.

  Speaker B: "Haha, it wasn't as interesting as you/you'd think.

What's the correct option in this case? Or should I have written as you might think instead?


texts: How does 'notwithstanding' mean 'in spite of'?

texts:
notwithstanding =  {preposition} In spite of
  {adverb} = Nevertheless; in spite of this:

  Etymonline: late 14c., notwiþstondynge, from not + present participle of the verb withstand.
  A loan-translation of Medieval Latin non obstante "being no hindrance," from ablative of obstans, present participle of obstare "stand opposite to" (see obstacle).
  As an adverb and as a conjunction from early 15c.

  withstand  = [with object]
  1. Remain undamaged or unaffected by; resisting :

How can I understand 'notwithstanding',  only by thinking in terms of the root withstand?
I try to rewrite notwithstanding below. Did I guess the right definition of withstand  above?

1. Notwithstanding X, Y happens.
2. = NOT withstanding X, Y happens.
3. = Failing to withstand X, Y happens.
(In 3,  Y is suppressed in the adjunct. Expand it as: Y, failing to withstand X, Y happens.)


texts: Which is a more common way, 10+ or 10 then + as superscript?

texts:
I don't know which shortened form of "10 or more" is more appropriate, is it 10+ or 10+ (i.e. with the plus sign as superscript). What do you think?

Extra question, when do we use superscript in English,well, aside from ordinal numbers and references?


texts: guests young and old vs. young and old guests

texts:
I came across the following sentence in an American newspaper.

"Guests young and old ended up loving the fun socks they were given at the party."

Does it make any difference if they say "young and old guests" instead of "guests young and old?"


texts: Does “drape oneself in something” have the meaning of “be armored in”?

texts:
Gabe Rottman , a legislative counsel and policy adviser at the Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union contributed an answer to the question, “Is it wrong for credit card companies to process donations to extremist organizations?” in the Room for Debate section of New York Times (August 8)
- http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/08/08/the-ethics-of-doing-business-with-hate-groups/cutting-off-financing-to-hate-groups-is-unwise-censorship

Rottman says;

  " Credit card companies are private businesses. They generally have the
  right, including possibly the First Amendment right, to refuse to deal
  with anyone. While superficially appealing, that answer is wrong.
  Pulling credit card services helps the haters and hurts free
  expression.

  First, there’s the “martyr” problem. Back in 2010, PayPal
  threatened to cut off Pamela Geller, the anti-Muslim blogger, for
  violating its “acceptable use” policy. Geller immediately draped
  herself in the First Amendment — and put out a call for donations.
  PayPal eventually relented, but it’s clear that the denial of services
  to a “hate speaker” transformed her modest soapbox into a wider
  broadcast."

As I was unfamiliar with the expression, 'Geller immediately “draped herself in” the First Amendment,' I consulted Cambridge, Oxford, Merriam-Webster online dictionary, none of which carries “drape oneself in stg” as an idiom.

Google Ngram shows incidence of usage, ‘drape oneself’ though at low 0.000000032% level during 1930 to 1950, then tailoring down further to 0.00000001% level at present.

What does “Geller draped herself in the First Amendment” mean? Does it mean she armored herself with the First Amendment (or any cause / law / back-up theory), or resorted to the First Amendment?
How popular is ‘drape oneself in stg.” as an idiom?


texts: what to use with "your address", at or on?

texts:
what should we use with the word "your home", at or on?

for example- I have placed an order .... your address


texts:
Is the phrase below correct?

  I have tried to contact the customer without success.

Isn't it "I have tried to contact the customer unsuccessfully"?


texts: The present vs the past (when it comes to a range of possibilities covering dead and living people and if the answer is someone who has died)

texts: Suppose there is a list of people who have been named as the candidates for being the best president ever. On the list are the incumbent and some ex-presidents, some of whom have died. How would we ask which one is considered the best? which of these candidates IS/WAS (or even both) the best president ever?


texts: How to cite a poem, with a quote that is on multiple non-contiguous lines?

texts:
I have to cite a quote from a poem that is on multiple lines that are not next to eachother. How would I do this?

"This is my quote" (line1 - line 2) OR "This is my quote" (line1 .. line2) ?


texts: Difference between lying, misleading, and deceiving

texts: What is the difference between lying, misleading, and deceiving? I know they're really similar but there must be a difference between them.


texts: What is the difference between these two almost identical sentences?

texts:
There are even numbers of good and bad things.

There are an even number of good and bad things.

What is the difference?


texts:
I was writing the following sentence and became lost in thought. I wasn't sure whether to use "of which" or "in which". Are either correct? If not, what is?

  Strict-liability crimes are crimes [of/in] which the burden of proof is reversed.

Originally I had "in which" but I changed it to "of which" after rephrasing the area of concern mentally: the burden of proof of/in crimes.


texts:
Does the last sentence of this paragraph:

"The paper was a hoax, produced to demonstrate that postmodernist, socially constructed analyses of science were based on ignorance, prejudice and hilariously muddled thinking. Peppered with scientific errors, the paper had been accepted without question because it supported the prevailing political and cultural orthodoxy of the journal and its constituency. It was difficult for even the most rigorous cultural theorist to come up with a defense that had any clear credibility in the science world."

mean :

It was difficult for even the most rigorous cultural theorist to defend this hoax paper the way that it may gain credibility in the science world.
It was difficult for even the most rigorous cultural theorist to write papers that enjoyed credibility in the science world.
It was difficult for even the most rigorous cultural theorist to write such a hoax paper without any scientific credibility.


texts: Slang terms for unkempt and badly dressed

texts:
What are some American slang words for someone who is unkempt and badly dressed?

I'm looking especially for terms that girls use to refer to other girls in their social circles in a mean way.


texts: Confusing syntax in sentences with indirect object complements

texts:
Some verbs produce unambiguous syntax when used with an indirect object.

    I brought a toy to Katy. --> I brought Katy a toy.

    I bought flowers for my wife. --> I bought my wife flowers.

Neither of these sentence complements can be interpreted as a single noun phrase or object complement.

But if we use a pronoun instead of a proper noun we sometimes produce ambiguous syntax.

    I brought a toy to her. --> I brought her a toy.

    I bought flowers for her. --> I bought her flowers.

The first sentence is not ambiguous because her a toy is not a sensible phrase, but her flowers is easily interpreted as a noun phrase (poss dt + n) that functions as the single direct object of the verb. Two possible interpretations with very different meanings.

Furthermore, BBC Learn English lists keep as a verb that can be used with OCi/OCd syntax but I can't seem to find a sentence that isn't ambiguous.

I kept the money for you. --> I kept you the money.
I keep the keys for the manager. --> *I keep the manager the keys.
I keep secrets for her. --> I keep her secrets.
I keep secrets for Jill --> *I keep Jill secrets.

Sentences 2 & 4 produce nonsense, and sentence 3 produces ambiguous syntax, where the OCi and OCd merge into a single noun phrase. Sentence 1 seems to work but it feels very awkward to me. But all of these sentences follow the rule of having a beneficiary or recipient of the action using to or for adverbial complement in the standard form.

So what's going on here? Does keep belong on this list or not?


texts: What do you call a unit of beer within a pack?

texts:
This is for academic writing purposes.

I am trying to come up with a word that could indistinguishably describe a bottle or a can within a pack of beer. I cannot say "a unit" because "a unit" in my field means a pack (of beer). For example, when we say, price per unit of beer, it means, price per 1 pack of beer. I, on the other hand, seek to say "price per bottle/can" within such unit. Is there a word that is equally suitable to describe either a bottle or a can?


texts: Is it correct to use 'are' before 'something'?

texts:
In the sentence,

Tell me if opinions are something I should steer away from.

Is the use of "are" before "something" correct?


texts: Is anybody else bothered by the phrase "in the meanwhile?"

texts:
The way I understand the usage, it's  "in the meantime," (phrase) and  "meanwhile," (single word) and they are not exactly equivalent in meaning.

Then about 10 years ago, I started seeing "in the meanwhile" in published books, which makes me cringe like fingernails on a blackboard.


texts: "... gets my goat". What's my goat and why does it get it?

texts:
To get someone's goat is make them annoyed or irritated.

But what is the goat and why does getting it annoy them?

When and where does the phrase come from?

What's the first known use?


texts: How to call the unity of both successful and unsuccessful deals?

texts:
On my site users can make deals. If money transferred to seller and product transferred to buyer it's a successful deal(closed won deal). But if money transferred to the seller, but buyer didn't receive the product, and than the money is transferred back to buyer it's an unsuccessful deal(closed lost deal).

By "deals" on my site I call deals with all possible statuses.

"deals" = "closed won deal" + "closed lost deal" + "draft" + "arbitrage" + "in process".

And I want to find out how to call unity of "closed won deal" + "closed lost deal"?


texts: Should I always use a comma after "e.g." or "i.e."?

texts: It seems that "e.g." is always followed by a comma but "i.e." is not. Why is that?


texts: I've seen questions here and here and also tried googling but it's still kinda confusing to me. Is there any difference between the meanings of "a meeting" and "a meetup", and when can/can't I use one or another?


texts: "How long is the tomorrow meeting" or "How long is the meeting tomorrow"?

texts:
Which of the following is, or are, correct to say?

How long is the tomorrow meeting expected to last?
How long is the meeting tomorrow expected to last?


texts: Ellipsis that results in one word serving as both subject and object

texts:
Quoting from Jeff Atwood's blog:

  [I expanded the team] by adding Kevin, who I didn't know, but had built amazing
  stuff for us without even being asked to, from Texas. And again by adding Robert,
  in Florida, who I also didn't know, but spent so much time on every single part
  of our sites that I felt he had been running alongside our team the whole way [...].

These two sentences struck me as odd. In each of them, the who is "overloaded",
for lack of a better word. It serves as an object ("who[m] I didn't know"), but
also as a subject ("who had build"/"who spent").

Obviously, this is a deliberate ellipsis1; the author didn't want to use "who" twice, as in:

  I expanded the team by adding Kevin, who(m) I didn't know, but who had built amazing
  stuff for us.

I constantly run into this type of ellipsis1 on the Web. I've also noticed the pronoun "that" being overloaded in the same manner on countless occasions.

My question is threefold:

What is the term for this kind of ellipsis1?
Is this a "valid" thing to do in formal writing? Do any manuals of style address this, or can you perhaps even quote, say, Twain pulling off this stunt (other than in jest)?
How recent is this phenomenon? I would guess that it probably wasn't anywhere as widespread back when English was still wearing a tight corset of grammatical cases.

1 Edit: nohat makes a strong case for this not being an ellipsis, but I am leaving my original wording as a courtesy to future visitors who might have a similar question without knowing the correct term.


texts: SVA: Use "is" or "are" with "an odd number of"?

texts:
Which is grammatically correct? (And why?)

(a) "There are an odd number of items in the box."
(b) "There is an odd number of items in the box."


texts: A Word For Someone Who Has Been Hurt By Love, And In Result Hates The Concept Of It?

texts:
So, I know this is a very advanced question, because I've looked everywhere and cannot for the life of me find the right word I'm looking for.

I'm currently writing an album and I need a word that means a hate of the concept of love, however, not in an evil, bad guy way, more so a sympathetic, saddening way. I need a word that can intricately describe the feeling of being hurt by love, and result in hating the concept of love itself because of the hurt it has brought upon. I don't want any conjunctions or dash mark words (-), I want a full word.

If such a word doesn't exist, that sucks.


texts: How to describe someone who often has his own idea and judgment

texts:
Suppose someone often has his own idea, opinon and judgment on a lot of things, regardless of whether his agree with others'. I wonder what kinds of words can be used to describe such a quality/characteristic/personality?

Added: Such a person does not need to show to others that they are strong-minded, or even may not like to speak out their mind on purpose.

In negative way, I think maybe "stubborn"? Honestly, I feel hurt if being called this way. Am I too sensitive? What else is better?

How about in neutral and positive ways respectively? Added: Can "strong-minded" serve the positive purpose?


texts: The relation between verbs and their prepositions

texts:
As we know, we use phrasal verbs in which we put prepositions(and adverbs) after verbs that affect the meaning of the action mentioned in the sentence. For instance, taking the example of the verb run(used in past tense in the examples), we can have the following sentences:-

John ran into his teacher at the theater.
The inspector ran after  the criminal.
David ran away on seeing the ghost.

In all the above sentences the preposition affects the action being performed. However, I see no way to know what should be the preposition should be used after a particular verb.

So, is there any way to determine what preposition may be used with a particular verb?

Note: I am only concerned with the prepositions that come after verbs. So, I have not used phrasal verbs involving adverbs in the sentences.


texts: The expression "by my checks the bet should be winning" is correct?

texts:
Could you please tell me is the expressions "by my checks the match finished" and "by my checks the bet should be winning" are correct?

Many thanks,

Sandy.


texts: I'm searching for a word that would mean an excuse is valid. An excuse sounds like something that is negative, but a valid excuse it positive/neutral. Is there such a word?


texts: Inversion of word order in a clause beginning with "hardly"

texts:
I wrote a sentence:

1." True, a pretty simple model was used, one involving 300 neurons of a creature that hardly anyone would like to have as a pet - a worm, for goodness sake!

Then I re-wrote it:

"True, a pretty simple model was used, one involving 300 neurons of a creature that hardly would anyone like to have as a pet - a worm, for goodness sake!

(here we have inversion in a clause beginning with "hardly")

My question:

Does the first sentence look as normal speech?
Does the second sentence look as normal speech?
Hardly ever will you get this kind of inversion in colloquial speech (rather than in formal writing), will you?

PS. By inversion I mean subject-auxiliary inversion when two words change (an auxiliary verb/operator and subject); I used it (in sentence 2) because "hardly" is an adverb having negative force.

"Answer #3: Never in either case, the inversion is simply incorrect.

Why? An answer to this question implies making a distinction between two styles, formal style and informal speech, and considering the two sentences from two different viewpoints.


texts:
Are these sentences grammatically correct?

"When you jog is a great time to listen to audio books." --> "When you jog's a great time to listen to audio books."

"The way I hear you talk to your coworker is not appropriate in this setting." --> "The way I hear you talk to your coworker's not appropriate in this setting."

"The way you talk is funny." --> "The way you talk's funny."

"Each day we waste is a day we can never get back." --> "Each day we waste's a day we can never get back."

Can you structure sentences using contractions in this way?


texts: Is it correct to say "Answers are more conjunctional with the question"?

texts: I would like to know if it is correct to say "Answers provided are more conjunctional with the question" Is "Conjuctional" a word?


texts: Speaking about two things, should I use "that" or "which" while referring to them?

texts:
Should I use that or which in the following sentence?
Sentence:

Rehabilitation's provision varied regionally and was inconsistent for
other inpatient and inpatient nursing care, which together covered 70%
of the total number of days spent in hospital care.

Rehabilitation's provision varied regionally and was inconsistent for
other inpatient and inpatient nursing care, that together covered 70%
of the total number of days spent in hospital care.


texts: One who breaks in to show the victim's vulnerability

texts: This doesn't necessarily have to be a physical break in, it can also apply to one who creates and distributes a virus that doesn't collect any information or corrupt any files, but alerts the user that they have a virus and should be more careful on the internet.


texts:
In the context of videogames, mostly competitive, PvP videogames, it is at least somewhat common slang to say that using an ability correctly and effectively or frequently is abusing the ability.

This seems to be the opposite of the normal use of the word abuse, where abuse usually carries a connotation of harm and misuse.

Is "abuse" used this way outside of gaming as well?

An example of usage in a videogame context:

  [the ability] boosts [...] damage by 75 if she hits the tip [...], she can abuse the extra 75 damage every 2.5s (or 1.5s with Allegrissimo).

from https://tempostorm.com/articles/math-of-the-storm-orphea


texts: Why do certain consonant clusters occur only at the start of a syllable but others only at the end?

texts:
You may have noticed that in English, some consonant clusters
can occur only at the start of an English word while other consonant
clusters can occur only at the end.
For example, the combination [ts] never starts an English word
but it can easily end one, as it does in bats, [bæt̚s].
On the other hand, [pl] never ends an English word but it can start
one the way it does in play [pʰleɪ̯].
It seems impossible to predict exactly which consonant
clusters can occur only at the syllable onset or only in its
coda but not in both.
Notice how if you try to pronounce [ts] at the start of a word
like tsetse [ˈt̪͡s̪i.t̪͡s̪i], it is rather difficult, but at
the end of a word like stats [stæt̚s], it is not at all difficult.
It also seems quite easy in the middle of words like pizza
[ˈpʰit̚.sə].
Question:
So why is it that certain consonant clusters have a tendency
to occur only at the start of a syllable but others only at the end?


texts: What do you call the sheet (of fabric, nylon, etc.) that you lay on the carpet for everybody to sit around and have a meal?

texts: In some cultures, families who don't eat at a table use it regularly in their houses. It's used almost exclusively for serving food and eating, not for sitting on, covering the floor, etc.


texts:
What does it mean when we say "the perimeter that is exceeded by 89% of parts". I searched everywhere, can't find the meaning of "exceeded by" phrase.

This was from an  online exam that I solved.


texts:
Did I really believe she would agree?

and

  Did I really believe she would have agreed?

What's the difference between the two? Is one more common/grammatically correct than the other?


texts: I'm looking for examples of English sentences written in this way

texts:
Ex) "No rational argument would ever win this battle, and if it had won the battle, the movie would have lost its charm."
As in the above sentence, 'the battle' can be omitted, but in the case when it is written without omission, I want to find the sentence that was written with the previous 'this' changed to 'the' like the above sentence.
It would be better if sentences are from a famous article or paper.
Thank you for reading it!!


texts: I don't understand "there is/isn't no" and "is/isn't there" kind of phrases

texts:
A friend asked me if I thought this phrase was correct:

  "It seems there isn't a free cam, is there?"

I replied I think it should be:

  "It looks like there isn't a free cam, isn't there?"

He objected that the second "isn't" should not be negative, like this:

  "It looks like there isn't a free cam, is there?"

I thought "oh yeah, that's right" and said that maybe this costruction was better:

  "There is no free cam, isn't there?"

Should it be

  "There is no free cam, is there?"

instead? I thought I knew this but I'm doubting it now.


texts: The difference between Present Subjunctive Conditional and Past Subjunctive Conditional?

texts:
I am trying to understand what is the lexical difference between next sentences:

If I went to London, I would see the Thames

and

If I had gone to London, I would have seen the Thames


texts:
There are two places you're most likely to find intersections: in math class(Discrete Math Concept) and in traffic. In math, an intersection is the spot where two lines cross. Those lines share this common point. The center of the letter X is an intersection. The same is true for streets.

What are the near antonyms of intersection for a math and traffic concepts?

I think the antonym will describe something "out of intersection" or those not intersect with the referenced "thing".

Is there a word suitable as an antonym to intersection ?

The closest word I found was "disjoint", "disjointed".

PS:

"Antonyms are only significant when it is a binary word. Antonym is a binary concept. And two non-intersecting lines are parallel only in Euclidean plane geometry; not in solid geometry, and not in non-Euclidean geometry. There is no simple antonym without an equally simple context, which must be presupposed."

Yes, it seems even something dummy(to not say stupid) try to get a word(or words) with the opposite meaning of a non-binary word, who would want to set a non-apple?

The objective of my question is to find some word to clear (self explanatory) give a name for a program method to get an object that doesn't intersect this thing.

I'm just looking forward to find another word to represent "non-intersection".


texts: What is a word for describing web experience which makes you feel you're interacting with a human, and not a robot. Personalized?

texts:
How do you describe web experience which makes you feel that you are interacting with a human, or humans are a part of the process, rather than a robot?

For example, you have two news-letter subscription forms. One is labelled:

-----NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION FORM-----
--------------------------------------
---Email : _______________________ ---
--------------------------------------
-------SUBMIT-----------CANCEL--------

And another one is labelled:

-------------WANT THE LATEST IN WEB DESIGN------------
------------------------------------------------------
-------Just enter your email : _____________----------
------------------------------------------------------
-----Yes, please.----------I am OK being outdated-----

(I picked it from here)

You can see that the second results in much more personalized 1 user experience, and thus develops trust at a subconscious level and the user feels more welcomed.

The way I can describe it is that, well if I were the user, I would feel I was interacting with a bot/robot, whereas in second one, I feel that I am interacting with a human, that there is a human behind the process. A humanly connection is developed.

But how do I describe this? The second one results in a more _______ user experience. Please fill in the blank.

1 I have been thinking that the word 'personalized' will do, but just confirmed from the dictionary, and it means

  Made for, directed or adjusted to a particular individual

So it rather seems to mean that user experience adapts to the preferences of the individual experiencing/using it.


texts: Suitable word for one who looks after one's family

texts: I serve my family by giving them massages. I entertain them. I finance them. I'm the only looker after of my family. What is a suitable word in place of the expression in bold?


texts:
When a product is no longer produced it's said to be "discontinued", but what's the opposite? "Continued" doesn't seem right to my ears, but maybe it is?

I considered "Available" but it doesn't work because a product could be unavailable yet not discontinued. I'm thinking of plumping for "Active" unless someone knows a better word?


texts:
Are the two the same thing? Example:

  “Exploding Whale?” I blurted. “You mean someone blew up a whale with
  dynamite?”

  “Exploding Whale?” I blurted out. “You mean someone blew up a whale with
  dynamite?”

What would be the difference in this case? Maybe none? I checked in the dictionary and there's blurted but not blurted out, however the dictionary example of blurted has and out: "she blurted out the truth".

When I typed blurted out on Google I got this:

  to utter suddenly or inadvertently; divulge impulsively or unadvisedly
  (usually followed by out): He blurted out the hiding place of the spy.

It says usually followed by out. But it doesn't say why or when.


texts:
During an interview of Antonin Scalia by Charlie Rose, Scalia criticized the grammar he heard on a commercial flight:

  "It's required that your luggage is under the seat in front of you"

Would it be more correct to say:

  "It's required that your luggage be under the seat in front of you"?

Why or why not? Thanks.


texts: adjectival/adverbial grammar issue relating to "undisturbed"

texts: In the sentence "The blackbird was singing undisturbed on the outskirts of the wood" Could the word "undisturbed" be seen as both adjectival (qualifying "blackbird") as well as adverbial, (qualifying "singing")?


texts:
Generally, I get to see that such sentences are used to express disgust or anger and likewise feelings. But what is the actual meaning? I am not sure about the actual spelling of the word also.
Example: You are mean!


texts:
I am reading the book "1100 words you need to know" and I face with a strange sentence:

“A little drummer boy grinned in me face whin I had admonished him wid the buckle av my belt for riotin’ all over the place.”

Also, I have another problem with some words such as "wid" and "av" in this sentence. I find a little description for wid in this link that explains wid is dialectal variant of "WITH". It is possible that "whin" and "av" be dialectal variant of "WHEN" and "OF", respectively?


texts: Is there a word used to describe situations in which a child is treated like an adult and vice-versa?

texts: Are there specific words to describe the situation in which adults are treated as children and also when children are treated as adults?


texts:
How can we understand "a torn man"? I found it in Love Is a Fallacy.

  I sat down in a chair and pretended to read a book, but out of the corner of my eye I kept watching Petey. He was a torn man. First he looked at the coat, with even more longing in his face. Then he turned away, but with not so much resolution this time. Back and forth his head swiveled, desire waxing,resolution waning. Finally he didn't turn away at all; he just stood and stared with mad lust at the coat.

Does it mean that the man is easy to change his mind?


texts: When do we use stitch and sew? Can we use them interchangeably?

texts:
Would you use sew when it talks about wound?
I hear some people using stitching while they talked about trousers and clothes.


texts:
I saw "Keep Informed!" written under the social profiles of a Firefox extension in its release notes.

I think, the writer wants to say "keep abreast of all the developments, bug fixes and new features". But is "keep informed" correct? Shouldn't it be "Stay informed"?


texts: What’s a word to describe an opinion given by someone not qualified to give it?

texts: As in, I find your assertion that this issue is of minimal importance to be (————).


texts: encapsulating a positive thing among many negative things

texts:
Is there a phrase that encapsulates 'this is a positive thing among many negative things'?

Context: I need to find a name for an article I am writing - which is about how a person turned everything negative into something beautiful.

Can anyone help?


texts: Is "Emperor of Mexico" the same as "Mexican Emperor"

texts:
Are "Emperor of Mexico" and "Mexican Emperor" true synonyms or is there a bit of a semantic difference?

For example, "Mexican Emperor" could be considered any Emperor, regardless of the country they rule, who happens to be of Mexican heritage, whereas "Emperor of Mexico" can really only be interpreted one way.


texts: meaning of "as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get"

texts:
I came across this sentence which I can't understand in The Kite Runner.

  Hassan’s father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get.

I have two different understanding:

Ali was mad, but the madness is just madness of gentle people like Ali, that is, it could accounted strong madness for Ali, but maybe not for someone else not as gentle as Ali.
How gentle Ali was usually, how mad Ali was at the moment.

Which one is correct, or neither?
Thanks for your help and sorry for my possible blur expression.


texts:
How would you from the noun epanorthosis derive a name describing a person who frequently uses this rhetorical tactic?

An epanorthocian? Eparnorcian? Epanorthologist? Epanorthic? Something else?

The word means the intentional immediate replacement of a word or phrase with a more correct or emphatic one.

Schoolbook example: "Thousands, no, millions!"

Geeky example: "Be nice to this fool^H^H^H^Hgentleman; he's visiting from corporate HQ." (Where ^H is the control code for Backspace.)

More: The Free Dictionary, Wikipedia


texts:
Is it correct to say

I should have gone to the mall and bought that dress.

or do I need to repeat the "should have" part before "bought"?


texts:
What does raise mean in the following sentence?

  The Letter of Credit to be raised as soon as possible after the Contract signature.

Does it mean collecting the money? Or something else?


texts: One word to describe a place's quality of being a prospect to revisits

texts:
Can anyone tell me if there's one word to describe a place's quality which gravitates people into revisiting it in the future? It's not quite attractiveness though, but rather something more specific. I suppose the equivalent of replay value (as with video games).

If this is going to help, I'll be using the word in a feedback form, wherein one criterion is to measure the guest's willingness to return. It should also be ratable by high or low.

Edit. I would be using "revisitability" if only it is a word. (Haha.) It's the closest to what I need.


texts: What's the difference between "he's going to start walking" and "he's going to walk"? Are there any shades of meaning here?


texts: atemporal means not relate to specific time; is there a word for "not related to specific place"?

texts: I can write "the story is atemporal" as a specific "time" (as in setting) can not be established from the context; there must be a word that means 'not specific location" -as in setting also but meaning 'not located place'... do you know such word? Thanks!


texts: Why are ambiguous phrases like "ain't no something" still used?

texts:
There are some phrases in English that lead to nothing but unnecessary confusion and frustration, especially for non-native speakers. For instance, I've seen the phrase ain't no something being used lot more than necessary. Examples:

Ghosts? There ain't no such things.
There ain't no chocolates in my pockets.
I ain't no magician sir, I'm just a technical person.

First of all, two negatives should cancel each other in a sentence. So "ain't" and "no", the two negatives should cancel each other out. So, the sentence There ain't no chocolates in my pocket effectively means There [are] chocolates in my pockets. Yet, in common usage, it is understood to mean There are no chocolates in my pocket. Why all this confusion? Can't you just say what you really mean to say?

EDIT: The linked answer is very related, but not an exact duplicate of what I want to ask. My question is not just about the use of negatives, but rather the confusing or ambiguous meaning resulting out of it.


texts: "post offices can provide many of the same services OF banks"

texts:
The diverse array of successful portal banking systems around the world shows that post offices can provide many of the same services of banks.

This sentence is incorrect, and "of banks" should be replaced by "provided by banks". Although I understand why "provided by banks" is a better sentence to maintain parallelism, why is the original sentence incorrect? I thought it was the most concise.


texts: Is the possessive "its" or "their" after "all of the country's states and territories"?

texts:
Which statement is correct?

All of the country's states and territories imposed travel restrictions on its residents.

All of the country's states and territories imposed travel restrictions on their residents.

Is "its" or "their" correct in accordance with the meaning?


texts: “another book about AI” vs “a different book about AI”

texts:
Disclaimer: I hope my question isn't a duplicate.

The determiner "another" appears ambiguous in certain contexts to non-native speakers of English.

Let's suppose I bought a book about artificial intelligence.

I bought the book because it was what I thought I was looking for. After going through the book, I realized it was not what I wanted. After that, I decided to buy a new one, still about artificial intelligence.

Question

Am I buying another book or a different book?
In other words, am I buying a second book or a replacement of the existing one?


texts: Is "crevice" an abstract or concrete noun?

texts: I can't find an answer to this question that my students and I are debating about. Is crevice an abstract or concrete noun?


texts: Does the casual use of "a la ___" in English preserve the French meaning?

texts:
In English, we use a la carte and a la mode, but it is also common for people to add their own word to the basic construction.

For example, one might comment on someone's dancing:

  He showed us some moves a la 1987.

One might comment on a public address:

  She addressed the assembled parents a la Evita Perón.

This seems to mean "in the style of" or "reminiscent of." Does anyone know if this is consistent with the meaning in French?


texts: Subject -verb agreement with appositive clauses

texts:
When I add an appositive clause explaining subject that is different in term of singular/plural , how to choose verb agreement with the subject. Should I use " these chemical reactions" or " that is the greenhouse effect" as a subject  or should I avoid all along by not adding appositive clause?

  Some greenhouse gases such as carbon-monoxide or water vapor are
  natural gases which exist in the atmosphere already. Nevertheless, when
  we produce too much of the greenhouse gases, they trap the solar heat rays and
  prevent them from escaping from the Earth's atmosphere and surface.
  These chemical reactions, that is the greenhouse effect,
  results/ result in global warming.

Does the fact that these refers to the post-positioned the greenhouse effect affect the choice of tense?


texts: Word for a particular "weird-looking" pose in a photograph?

texts:
By weird-looking I mean something like this, a facial expression that people often use when being photographed.

I checked Thesaurus, but the words--freaky, funky, kooky--don't seem to have the "looking" part. (I'm purely referring to the physical appearance, not the behavior.)

Is there a word/phrase that is close to that meaning?


texts: "...the person or body who..." vs. "...the person or body which..."

texts:
When referring to both natural and non-natural persons (i.e. organisations) at the same time, is it appropriate to use 'which' or 'who'?

For example:

1.

'... request the person or body who has the responsibility for this task..' or
'... request the person or body which has the responsibility for this task..'

2.

'...the person or body to whom the application was directed' or
'...the person or body to which the application was directed'

(There is a reason that 'person' precedes 'the body')


texts: Comma and 'that' omissions in the sentence

texts:
I have four ways to write my sentence:

(comma separated)
The implementation, we have made before, may ...
The implementation, that we have made before, may ...

(without commas)
The implementation we have made before may ...
The implementation that we have made before may ...

Which one is correct and sounds more natural?
Which rules are applied here?
Should I use that here?

In my native language, the part which provides some additional information is always highlighted by commas. It looks logical and more readable for me.

Any assistance would be appreciated. I'll be grateful for a detailed explanation with related references.


texts: Should I read stage directions when reading from a play?

texts:
I will be doing an oral presentation on a play next week. I am not sure if I should read the adjectives in this sentence, because it is followed by a quotation mark.

                                                                                CYRANO

  Ah no! young blade!  That was a trifle short!

  You might have said at least a hundred things

  By varying the tone ... like this, suppose, ...

  Aggressive:  'Sir, if I had such a nose

  I'd amputate it!'

The image is a page from Cyrano de Bergerac, a french play.


texts:
In a resignation letter, would it be right to say:

  Please let me know how I can assist to make a hospitable transition.

Specifically, does the combination "hospitable transition" make sense in this context (or at all)?


texts: Words for resulting task states in computing

texts:
I have a question about naming of terminal states of a task regarding to computing area. Think of a task that is being processed by some system. There're several possible states the task can be ended up in.

I want to find short (one-worded if possible) and unambigous names for these particular states:

When the task is finished with success, i.e. it's completely processed. Options: Succeeded, Successful, Completed, ???
When the task is intentionally canceled by some external "will", e.g. by user or by another system. There's nothing erroneus in this state, because everything was ok during processning and intent to stop was conscious. I think Canceled is the only option.
When the task is stopped because of reaching some invalid inner state (e.g. due to errors) which cannot be properly handled by processing system to continue the task. Options: Aborted/Faulted/???

There's an example of such naming scheme in Microsoft .Net Framework for Task objects - TaskStatus enumeration (look at Members part). According to it the states from the list above are: RanToCompletion, Canceled, Faulted.

But I'm confused with RanToCompletion option (whish corresponds to my 1st item). The description from linked page for both Faulted and RanToCompletion options says that "task completed" (either with errors or without respectively). Therefore I think that RanToCompletion option is kinda ambigous because it isn't clear how successful the "completion" is. Also it'd be better to use one word if possible.

The word Aborted as an option for 3rd list item seems ambigous too for me as I understand it as a generic term for 2nd and 3rd, i.e. task can be aborted by some external or internal event.

Thank you in advance!


texts: As the story unfolds, a malicious rumor about Mr. Simon spreads after the principal suspends a school bully for beating up a female classmate whom he thinks has "cooties."


texts: A single word for the emotion of "relocation depression"

texts:
It's a term used to describe the feeling after you've relocated somewhere else, whether it be from a move to another city/country, a change in jobs to somewhere else, or a shift in lifestyle.  I was wondering if there's a single word to describe the emotion some feel when experiencing relocation depression. When I finished my Bachelor's I felt a small sense of it, but I could not come up with the words to describe it, other than this term I found online.

Is there a single word that could describe the emotion felt when under "relocation depression"?


texts:
How can I describe tournament/championship "capacity" in one word?
Like "tournament word is 10 players max" or "championship word is 5 teams max" or even "game word is 5 teams max".

Can I actually use "capacity" for this?


texts:
According to Wikipedia, y’all’dn’t’ve is a valid contraction.

I am having difficulty pronouncing the L-D-N-T-V consonant cluster, especially since there is no vowel at the end (silent E). Y’all’dn’t’ve any advice or audio samples would you?


texts: We have a word for light red (pink), but not light blue. Why is this? Russian, for example, has specific words for light and dark blue.


texts:
Is there a word for someone who tries to enforce rules without any authority? I will accept similar definitions etc.

For example, I live in a gated community and if anyone does anything, like parks a car in the wrong place or looks after a friend's dog for the day (where no dog's allowed) this lady will come and tell you off irrespective of the fact she has no authority to do so.

I've heard people use Nazi or Gestapo... any other suggestions?


texts: Alternate phrase for "hold the main idea"

texts:
I'm finding words to replace "hold the main idea". It'd be used in the following examples.

  When running a project, the manager should always remind his/her team members to hold the main idea of it.

Or this

  Hold the main idea while drafting. Otherwise, you'd missed something important.

P.S. Maybe these are weird, but I'd be grateful if you edit my examples.


texts: Why is 'used to troll' a potentially bad keyword?

texts:
CharcoalHQ caught a post about appealing a network wide ban on Meta.SE yesterday.

Potentially bad keyword in body

The bad keyword is apparently 'used to troll.' What's toxic or potentially bad about 'used to troll?' Can someone explain why this is a blacklisted keyword?
Also this question was caught by CharcoalHQ just now.


texts:
"All the apples in the basket are good"

vs

  "All the apple is good" [meaning the whole apple is good?].

Are both usages correct?

If yes please explain why. From here it seems both the usages are right, but I was of the understanding that when all is used with a countable noun, the plural noun is used along with its plural verb like in the first statement.


texts: What is the source of the phrase "phony baloney"?

texts:
The term baloney means

  Foolish or deceptive talk; nonsense:
  typical salesman’s baloney
  [corruption of bologna]

[Oxford Dictionaries Online]

Etymonline provides the following derivation

  1894, variant of bologna sausage (q.v.). As slang for "nonsense," 1922, American English (popularized 1930s by N.Y. Gov. Alfred E. Smith; in this sense sometimes said to have been one of the coinages of legendary "Variety" staffer Jack Conway), from earlier sense of "idiot" (by 1915), perhaps influenced by blarney, but usually regarded as being from the sausage, as a type traditionally made from odds and ends.

The term phony baloney (sometimes written phoney baloney, and with or without a hyphen) has a very similar meaning

  —n.
  nonsense; baloney.

  —adj.
  nonsensical; foolish.

[Infoplease.com, attributed to Random House Unabridged Dictionary]

The Urban Dictionary suggests a slightly stronger meaning

  A substitute to the word "lie/s" and to a extent "bullshit". When presented with false-hood information and wanting to declare that all that was said is classified as a lie.

According to Merriam Webster, the earliest noted use of phony baloney was in 1936, but lists no source.

An ngram search doesn't indicate any print usage for the exact phrase before 1938.

It appears in a 1938 edition of The New York Teacher, in a movie review of Angels with Dirty Faces, characterizing the moral ending as phoney baloney.

It also appears in a 1938 book, My Ears are Bent a collection of essays written by Joseph Mitchell, a prominent newspaper reported. However, the collection contains articles previously published by the author in local newspapaers, and the term may have appeared in one of those incarnations.

The two terms appear in close proximity in a satirical song in 1936, New deal ditties: or, Running in the red with Roosevelt by Berton Braley. The song appears to be mocking the policies of Felix Frankfurter, an advisor to US President Franklin Roosevelt.

  We don't, for a fact, like the Frankfurter act Nor care for the Frankfurter role ! " (A Frankfurter role that is just a bit phony — Frankfurters flavored with social baloney!)

Can anyone shed light on the original coining of the phrase?


texts:
What is the difference between  backquote and backtick .
Really, i search on this issue . And it seems that are the same .
`
If so , Is it a synonyms ?


texts:
I made an edit to a question and the portion mentioning the n-gram chart was reverted. I was reading the Wikipedia article about n-grams and added the hyphen based on that usage.  This article says Ngram is just Google’s branding for its Ngram Viewer tool. Which spelling is correct?

In my mind n-gram should refer to the word phrase, and Ngram should be rephrased to Ngram comparison when referring to a chart showing the comparison of n-grams.


texts: Verb in active voice for "being penetrated"

texts:
The context is sexual and the example, straightforward: providing an alternative to "a man's penis penetrates a woman's vagina" where the female organ is the subject of the sentence, and using a verb in active voice. The verb should not have major connotations of passivity, so "accept" cannot be... accepted.

The friend who came up with this question believes no such verb exist, pointing at stereotypical associations between genders and active/passive roles. I couldn't find a valid alternative, but neither of us is a native speaker.

I'm looking for a verb in common or formal language, so no slang!


texts:
I want to say in contrast, X expression is elevated in only pancreas tissue and Y expression is elevated in only pituitary tissue. Can I write something like this?

  In contrast, X and Y expression elevated in only in one tissue: pancreas, pituitary.


texts: What is the difference between 'take a walk' and ' walk'

texts:
Why do I have to phrasal verb 'take a shower' or' 'take a walk'
when we can use 'shower' and 'walk'
What is the difference between 'verb' and phrasal 'verb' in meaning?


texts:
My question is about the following sentence. Punctuation omitted.

  If the man comes back and I am home I will arrest him

In the sentence there is one dependent subordinate  clause and two independant clauses.

I have two questions.

How would this sentence be punctuated, and coördinating conjunctions are said to separate like things. Subjects, verbs, and independent clauses as examples.
Why does it sound perfectly normal that in the example a subordinate clause is being separated by an independent clause using a coördinating conjunction?


texts: Proper pronunciation of ordinal numbers?

texts:
Ok, so these few are easy:

  1st (first)
      2nd (second)
      3rd (third)
      4th (fourth)
      ......

And all other ordinal numbers ending in 1, 2 or 3 have their respective values, except for 11th, 12th and 13th, as far as I'm concerned.

But when you reach numbers like 601st, what is the correct way to pronounce it?

These were options I was going over:

  six hundred and first
      six hundred first
      six hundred and oneth (final thought)

So, which one is it? None of them sound 100% right. Have I missed the correct one out completely? Please help.


texts:
I am reading this The Elements of Style book by Strunk and White, I am confused about rule number 11.

A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to
the grammatical subject

There are several examples given, I understood all except this one:

On arriving in Chicago, his friends met him at the station. (Wrong)

When he arrived (or, On his arrival) in Chicago, his friends met him at the station. (Correct) (according to here: http://www.cs.vu.nl/~jms/doc/elos.pdf)
On arriving in Chicago, he was met at the station by his friends (According to the fourth edition of the book)

For me the third one seems correct, but I am confused about the second sentence. Do you think   it is correct?


texts:
"Knowledge is power. If you could know the answer to anyone's question about yourself or anything else in the world, what would it be? Why?"

This essay question was given by my teacher. As I understand, "it" means "the answer to anyone's question... " but my friend argues that "it" means "the question". Who is right? What is "it" in "what would it be?"?


texts: Word for someone that owns a media house

texts: What is a word for someone that owns a media house? Can I call him a proprietor?


texts: What noun means opposite of "slacker" but is less extreme than "overachiever"?

texts:
Sample sentence: "John was not a slacker. He was reliable and productive. Not quite an overachiever per se but rather a ____. What needed to be done, he always got done. No more and no less."

(Preferably one word noun to fill the blank).


texts: Is this the correct preposition? "... arranged vaccination appointments between employees and occupational health nurses."

texts:
"... arranged vaccination appointments between employees and occupational health nurses."

Q: Is "between" the correct preposition? Or, should "with" be used instead?


texts:
I am using the word modifier to descrive something that modifies something else. What word should I use to describe what is being modified?

For example, in the sentence,

  Fat John ate slowly

Fat and slowly are my modifiers (an adjective and an adverb, respectively), but what word should I use to describe John and ate? Modifiee is not a word.


texts:
I'd like to know what the following means

  "Try to be on the ball to have a ball"

I know "Have a ball" means is "Enjoy oneself enormously" and "on the ball" means is "to be quick to understand and to react to things", but I can't understand what is the meaning of the two phrases combined.


texts:
Can the number and position of non-primary stresses vary depending on the sentence it appears in?

E.g. assuming the word catastrophe, in RP, has a stress on the second syllable

/kəˈtastrəfi/

Can we sometimes stress the 2nd and 3rd, sometimes the 2nd and 4th, and sometimes just the 2nd? Depending on the sentence it appears in.


texts: When do you use the construction seen in "the knights of the round table" to indicate possession?

texts:
This question comes up very often in my language classes, as this particular construction more closely resembles the way you would indicate possession in Dutch. Many of my students use 'the X of Y' rather than 'the Y's X' to indicate possession (meaning they would answer "the car of my dad" instead of "my dad's car" when prompted to indicate possession in some way) because in Dutch you would say "de auto van mijn vader" (which turns into "the car of my dad" when literally translated).

The problem is that my students have (rightfully) remarked that there are times where you would use that construction to indicate possession of some kind, but both my colleagues and I can't come to a conclusive answer as to when you would do that. This particular issue has been haunting my classes for the entire school year, and I would like to be able to offer a conclusive answer to my students the next time this comes up.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Is irony used correctly in the following sentence?

texts:
I came across this sentence:

The most interesting job paid the least, in keeping with the laws of irony.

Someone please explain how is this ironic?


texts: Tense when speaking of someone you knew in your past

texts: Is it acceptable to use the past tense when talking about someone that is still alive but you no longer have any interaction with? "His name was Alex" I always correct myself and use present tense but it feels very weird.


texts: Referencing (multiple) objects within a collection of objects

texts:
In mathematical writing, when talking about multiple objects within a collection of objects, is it correct to say, "This set contains all objects x from the collection C such that x satisfies ."?

Specifically, is the expression "contains all objects x...such that x satisfies " correct? X is treated as singular here.


texts: Word for 'cynical,' 'disdainful,' 'too cool for school'

texts:
I'm trying to summarize an attitude but can't think of the word.
Examples:
When a teen sneers and says, "High school? I'm so over it." Or says, "OK, boomer," and doesn't take advice, or a tradition or heritage seriously.
The closest I can think of are cynical, disdainful, 'over it,'dismissive.'


texts:
As we learned in Meaning of "bully" in the 1800s it meant first rate in the 1800s, Merriam-Webster claims it meant "sweetheart" originally while today it's "is usually one whose claims to strength and courage are based on the intimidation of those who are weaker".

How did this word pivot so much?


texts: Is "boilerplate" a pejorative when discussing legal documents?

texts:
I have taken to referring to some legal documents (not just clauses) as boilerplate documents because they are re-used verbatim. For example, the GNU General Public License, the Creative Commons Attribution License or the Developer Certificate of Origin.

My intention is to explain the benefits of this approach (a common vocabulary), but I've received (some) feedback suggesting that boilerplate is a pejorative rather than a factual adjective. I can see that the term originally referred to copy-and-paste news in the early days of print media, but (it seems to me) it has long-since evolved to simply refer to verbatim re-use, especially in a legal context.

(I saw a reference to a "take it or leave it" attitude in a legal setting, which is not my main point, but does not detract from it.)

Is "boilerplate" in fact a pejorative when discussing legal documents?


texts: What does "I don't mind doing something for you?"

texts:
I asked my teacher to write some recommendation letter for me and he said that "I don’t mind writing a recommendation for you".

I think it means that "I will do that for you" but how good it is?

Does he feel well when he will write it for me?

Does that mean it has no burden for me to do that and I will write it for you?


texts: Which is correct, are staying or stayed?

texts:
Is the use of "are staying" in this sentence correct? I think it should be "stayed" because it is already past tense.

  The loan specialist personally visited the house where Mr. A and Mr. B
  are staying to let the latter sign the documents.


texts:
How could I express that something went through the process of debouncing?

Could I say "An electrical signal has been debounced"?

I can't find any reference that the past of debouncing is "debounced".


texts:
I'm Finnish IT-professional and done front-end -web developement mostly in my past. I like natural languages too and today I started to struggle with difference between two IT-related English word.

Can any linguist tell What's the difference between words "template" and "boilerplate". The most wide-ranged English-to-Finnish online dictionary haven't Finnish translation for the boilerplate. I understand the meaning of the both of words in English and can use them but I'm interested in backgrounds of prefix tem and boiler added to plate at the end of the words.

Examples where computer programmers use these words.

It might be smart move to create beauriful HTML-template for my girlfrined's website.

It could be better to program some kind of WordPress Plugin boilerplate to avoid redundant programming meanwhile I'm gonna save my time and get my job done faster. My boss will be happy.


texts: Holding / Possessing / Earning / Attaining a degree

texts:
I would like to say "people hold a university degree". Can I paraphrase it as "people earned/possess/own a uni degree"?
Also is it possible to say "He attained/achieved a higher degree of education than the others?"
Thanks!


texts:
What's the difference between "strategist" and " tactician"? As a Chinese ,I don't get the hidden meaning of it.

Any answer ?? Help me learn ...


texts:
How would we rephrase the following sentence to be grammatical? :

  10 modulo 3 equals 1.

By "grammatical", I probably mean something along the lines of standard American English.

Initially, I'd thought that its grammatical, but dictionary.com claims that modulo is an adverb and not a verb, so it seems that the above usage is wrong.

What’s the standard and accepted usage of the word modulo?


texts: The property of something to return to its original state when not being acted upon

texts:
Consider a pot of soup. Its contents are static. Once you start stirring it the state of the contents changes rapidly. Once you stop stirring the state of the pot returns to something approximating the original state.

What is this property called?

Most things don't have this property. When you stop smashing your computer with a baseball bat it will not return to its original state.

Edit with a better example: On a farm, there is a certain number of cows. The number depends on the amount of grass on the farm. Once the population of cows is at that number it cannot increase beyond it because there isn't enough food. If the farmer were to kill a lot of cows one year for beef then the remaining cows will have more calves and the population would return to that number.

I guess I could say the system is self-correcting but then that would imply that one state of the system was more correct than the other. I don't want to do this.


texts: Would a specific type of animal be capitalized?

texts:
I did a project on owls. And I had to name 5 breeds, or species, of owls. But would they be capitalized or not? For example, spotted owls. Is it Spotted Owls or Spotted owls or spotted Owls or just spotted owls?
{The project is already done, I'm not cheating, just checking if I am correct, because i did Spotted Owl}
And the same goes for dogs! Like Golden Retrievers. Capitalized or not? Please help!


texts: Meaning of the phrase "two little shops let into one"

texts:
I was reading the story "Quality" by John Galsworthy. There was a phrase in it:   "two little shops let into one". I am unsure about what it means.

I knew him from the days of my extreme youth because he made my father's boots; inhabiting with his elder brother two little shops let into one, in a small by-street--now no more, but then most fashionably placed in the West End.
Quality (1911) by John Galsworthy  [Link]

Does it mean that the shop consisted of two "shops" and there was one entrance into the shop?


texts:
I don't understand " in what became South Korea" means.
In other word, I'd like to know the structure and meaning : in what became South Korea

Yu was born on Dec. 16, 1902, the second daughter of five children to Christian parents near Cheonan, in what became South Korea when the peninsula was divided in 1945, after World War II.


texts:
I am a programmer whose most recent project involves Natural Language Parsing and I need to be able to conjugate English Verbs and Nouns.

I already have a list of Verb Irregulars but I am struggling to find a set of "rules" if you will, for conjugating regular English verbs. I know there are a few, various rules such as: "if the word ends in 'X', then the plural form would end in 'Y'" with the most basic being add an s to the end.

I am looking for the rules for finding the: Base form, Past simple, Past participle, 3rd person singular, Present participle Gerund

Also, I would be looking to do the same for finding the plurals and possessive forms of any given noun, along with a list of regulars. I have had no source of results or luck in my searching in this area and any help with conjugating (for lack of a better word) nouns would be very helpful

Sorry for what appears to be the lack of searching, trust me I have looked.


texts: What's a term for "useless numbers or data"?

texts:
I'm looking for a single word or short phrase that can describe any numbers or statistics that have very little practical value, and are useful only to the extent of "hey look, a number!"

Here's an example from this quite amusing page:

  People at 4:53AM on Monday stayed longer on the site than at 11:36AM

(The images on that page also capture the feeling that I'm trying to find a word for.)

Some other examples:

  You have sat down in this chair 1638 times

  You have pressed the "x" key 973 times

  The most common RGB value in this image is (14, 201, 58)

  The percentage of users of english.SE who have viewed this question is 0.0013%

What's a word or phrase for a number or statistic that is only useful for trivia or amusement?


texts: What word means a rare but destructive natural event?

texts: Is there a word that describes a natural phenomenon which rarely occurs, yet when it does so, it causes widespread destruction?


texts: How can empathy be distinguished from sympathy?

texts:
I typically use "empathize" to mean: "to see or understand something from the other person's perspective." In my use, one needn't have actually experienced the problem in question to empathize with someone who is experiencing it. E.g. I've never had a child of mine die, but I like to think I can empathize with the Mom who has.

However, some've told me that that one can't empathize with someone's condition without experiencing it. This perspective seems counter-intuitive to me. Using it as a guide suggests "sympathize" is the more correct term. "Sympathize" has connotations of "pity", which in turn suggests, "to feel sorry for."  I am a hospice nurse, and I've always seen myself as empathizing -- thoughtfully understanding -- with those in my care, not sympathizing.

What is the correct definition and usage of both "empathy" and "sympathy"?


texts: is this sentence right? is it a slang? or is it wrong?

texts: If I want to say I am good at something but not very good can I say "I am about good" does this phrase considered slang.


texts:
This sentence is from English Grammar Today by the Cambridge Dictionary:

  The floods were rising and it was as if it was the end of the world.

My question is why should it was be there twice in that sentence?

I assume that the first it was refers back to the rising of the floods. Then what function does the second it was do?

Couldn't the sentence be acceptable if it were written as follows?

The floods were rising and it was as if the end of the world.

Or

The floods were rising as if the end of the world.