texts:
I am a member of a Toastmaster club in the Czech republic where people work on their public speaking skills. It is a usual to open a speech by

  Dear fellow Toastmasters, dear guests,...

It is a direct, word-by-word translation of a typical opening in Czech. A friend who is a native English speaker noticed that word Dear should be used only in letters, in written form. It should not be used for the opening of a speech, but one should rather use:

  Ladies and gentlemen,...

What are the rules for an opening of a speech? Is "dear guests" in a speech English or Czenglish?


texts: Is the usage of “night and day” as “completely different” very common?

texts:
There was the following line in December 2nd AP News,

  “Chief White House trouble shooter for healthcare gov.web site says
  the web site is night and day from where it was October 1st. Jeff
  Zients say they carried out hundreds of software and hardware fixes.

I first took “night and day” for “continually,” but later realized it meant the status of web site is compretely different (mproved) from October 1st stage after searching for  the definition of “night and day” other than “all the time,” and found it in Online slang dictionary and urbandictionary:

While all major dictionaries only provide ‘all the time” implication, both Slang Dictionary and Urbandictionary provide “completely different” implication as shown below:

Cambridge Dictionaries Online:

night and day (also day and night)
all the time: [ex.] They've worked night and day to publicize their campaign.

Oxford Dictionary:

all the time; constantly: [ex.]She studied night and day

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

all the time: continually

Dictionary com.:

unceasingly; continually: [ex.] She worked night and day until the job was done.

The Online Slang Dictionary:

completely different.

*www.*urbandictionary

A phrase used to describe a stark difference between two things. Similar to day and night, except it implies an improvement of the situation rather than a deterioration.

So my question: Is the usage of ‘night and day” in the meaning of “completely different” popular, or still on the sideline? Because I don’t find it in any of Cambridge / Oxford / Merriam –Webster English Dictinoary.


texts: What verb should I use for an SMS or Whatsapp message?

texts: So when I say that I sent you an SMS or a Whatsapp message, I say that "I texted you", what should I ideally use?


texts: why use "are down" instead of "doesn't work"

texts:
I got an e-mail in my work where men wrote that something application are down but I`m not advanced in English and could you help me why is use this form? In my opinion I would have written: application dosen't work.

Thanks in advance.


texts: "I am off to Prague". What does it mean? Could you paraphrase it?


texts: I need a word that is suggests both positively and negatively, good and bad. Almost like bittersweet

texts:
This is for a medical essay. It's both good that we have this example, as it lets us learn about the condition, but also bad, because it exists at all.

It's to begin a sentence. For example, instead of using interestingly, as i believe it's insensitive.

"Interestingly, we can see this example in humans too."

I saw in other feeds people suggested agathokakological, however i don't want to make my markers have to look up a word. Never goes down well.

Thank you for your help!!!!! :)


texts: Is there a general word for performing music?

texts:
If someone is performing music with an instrument, I'd say that they're playing the instrument.

If someone is performing music with their voice, I'd say that they're singing.

Is there a word that combines both of these connotations?

"In the band, there are pianists, drummers, flautists, and singers; they _____ together."

I wouldn't use perform in this context, because they're not performing in front of an audience. Practice also doesn't have the right connotation, and playing to me connotes strictly playing an instrument and wouldn't be used in the context of singing. Jamming is a relevant word, but to me connotes only certain types of musical styles. Is there a single word that would encapsulate both singing and playing an instrument?


texts: "one" as a pronoun for uncountable nouns

texts:
Is it grammatically right to use one as a pronoun to substitute for the word water?

  I prefer plain water to sparkling one.


texts: How to distinguish good sense from usual sense (are both common sense?)

texts:
In Portuguese, we have different expressions that are both translated into English "common sense":

"Bom senso" - What one have when is a sensible, wise, sagacious person.

"Senso comum" - The common view of the general public, sometimes wise ("Vox Populi, Vox Dei"), but sometimes mislead by propaganda, anger, hunger, etc.

In English, how can we distinguish these two meanings, or all we have is "common sense" to mean both?


texts: Punctuation of successive imperative sentences

texts:
I was wondering whether the following sentences are punctuated properly:

To show this, multiply the ODE by x; integrate over x, and perform repeated integration by parts, it then follows that: f=0.


texts: Which one's correct? I've seen both claiming to be correct...


texts: Where does "Going out on a limb" come from?

texts: I know that the phrase, "I'm going out on a limb here" means either to take a risk or hazard a guess, but where does it come from? As in, what did it originally refer to before it became an idiom?


texts:
What are your thoughts on the word DevOps? Most big brands in the field (Atlassian, Puppet) use pascal case for all instances of the word, even if it's in the middle of a sentence, as in: "The concept of DevOps is founded on building a culture of collaboration between teams that historically functioned in relative siloes."

And yet I'm not convinced it's a proper noun. There's a technical reason for the D and O to both be capitalised (DevOps combines both development and operations and both are equal players in the methodology). There's also a precedent in IT/coding for pascal case.

I'm still hesitant to sully the English language with unnecessary pascal case if it can't be avoided.


texts: What would a word or words be for horrendous, stressful, controlled "chaos" be? Such as a team working on a trauma in an emergency room setting?

texts: Word for Opposite of uncontrolled chaos such as controlled but stressful emergency setting with a team of emergency workers all multitasking in a combined effort.


texts:
A tweet popped up in my feed recently that posed a really good question. On first blush I thought "Oh, I can answer this!" then upon further reflection I realized I can't.

In the case of "New Yorkers", we add "-er" to "New York". In the case of "Scandinavian", we add an "-n" to "Scandinavia". And so on.

So, to finally propose the question that was asked on Twitter:

  What is the proper demonym for someone from Shreveport?

I assume it's "Shreveporter" but that doesn't quite sound right.

I saw this general discussion, but it doesn't answer this particular question.


texts:
I am wondering about the "double possessive" I have been reading about.

I have a couple of sentences as an example:

He’s a new client of Jane and Kevin’s and a close childhood friend of Steven O’Neill’s.

I thought that the above sentence was correct, because it sounds natural to use the apostrophe S to me, in the same way that we say "he's a friend of mine."

However, I have heard people criticize sentences such as that one above as having a "double possessive" because of the OF as well as the apostrophe S.

Is the above sentence correct or should it be:

He’s a new client of Jane and Kevin and a close childhood friend of Steven O’Neill.

Thank you - any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Break in something or break something in?

texts:
Is it correct to say you will "break in a pair of shoes" or you will "break a pair of shoes in".
I'm not sure if it's regional, or just altogether unimportant, but I've certainly heard both and I was wondering if there is a more technically correct way to phrase it.

Another example would be "To break in a glove" or "To break a glove in".


texts: "...the depth of x, y, and z that currently overwhelm(s?) me."

texts:
Without having gone through what I have this year, I could not possible grasp the depth of love, gratitude, and individuality that currently overwhelm/overwhelms me.

I initially had overwhelm, but then had a friend go over the five-paragraph excerpt that this sentence was included in, and she claims it should be overwhelms. I see where she's coming from, but was wondering if somebody could persuade me fully, because right now I'm not so sure which sounds better. I suppose the question really boils down to whether it is the depth of the noun trio (singular) or the trio of nouns themselves (plural) that is doing the overwhelming?


texts: Difference between "narrative" and "report"

texts:
I was working on English homework and am getting tripped up by the usage of the words "narrative" and "report". What's the difference? It seems to me they both mean to recall events in order.

I also checked WikiDiff Narrative vs. Report, but it doesn't seem clear to me.

Definitions I had gotten from Google:

Narrative: "a spoken or written account of connected events; a story."

Report: "give a spoken or written account of something that one has observed, heard, done, or investigated."

I found this unclear because report appears to be a synonym of narrative. (Google actually lists "report" in the synonyms for narrative.)
Why? Because there exists a story about "something that one has observed, heard, done, or investigated."

So do all narratives count as reports? Or only narratives on true stories?

P.S.
I had originally thought a "report" could only apply to researched, highly scientific articles. But apparently "What My Bike Has Taught Me about White Privilege" by Jeremy Dowsett contains an example of the "report genre".


texts:
Is there a word for spear-like?  I don't mean for the components of the spear or the act of spearing, but the noun.

I want something that can be used in the following context: Her insults were spear-like, rapid, straightforward, penetrating, and designed for maximum damage.


texts: Does the word after a question mark start with a capital letter?

texts:
Should I write it like this? Or perhaps like this?
Should I write it like this? or perhaps like this?

What about after an exclamation mark or semicolon?


texts:
What is a good adjective for something that is ready for use, in the sense that it was prepared in advance (besides "ready" or "prepared")?

Example usage: "This (adjective) document is immediately available for your use" or "This file is already ready because it's (adjective)".


texts:
I'm a programmer looking to name a variable, so extra points for brevity (characters in word) and clarity.

I have many objects which can be aggregated such that one of them acts as a stand in and participates in some process the others do not.  What word can I use to describe a member of the set of objects represented by another object?

"constituent" jumped out right away, but its 11 characters and potentially confusing to non-native speakers who read my code.  is there a shorter / simpler word which is as specific?


texts:
Do I need a comma before and after "of course" in the following sentence?

... that includes of course my mom and Lidia.


texts: 1 year old vs. 1 year of age - is one of them the "correct" form?

texts:
I know that both forms (1 year old and 1 year of age) exist, but when I tried to find some rule about usage, I couldn't (there are several forum threads about it, such as this and that, but they are not really helpful as they do not give ANY direction regarding the difference between the forms (if any)).

I need to use one* of these phrases in a formal context (drug leaflet). Currently the text says: "The medicine is not intended for babies under 1 year of age. For children 1 to 6 years old, the medicine is dispensed with a doctor's prescription only".  My questions are:

Is there any preference to use either form, objectively or contextually?
Is there a preference to use one or the other when stating an age range, i.e. would it be preferable to say "children 2-5 years old" over "children 2-5 years of age", or vice versa?

*I believe the same phrase should be used throughout the text.


texts: "there are tablets for each" or "there is a tablet for each"

texts:
Which is correct? I want to say there is ONE tablet for each emperor and avoid any ambiguity whatsoever. Which one is best？

Inside the hall there are tablets for each of the former Qing dynasty emperors.
or
Inside the hall there are tablets: one for each of the former Qing dynasty emperors.
or
Inside the hall there is a tablet for each of the former Qing dynasty emperors.


texts:
I am writing an academic paper with my colleague (very good English, but not native speaker), who wrote:

  One solution are A systems, which offer high resolution, but at the cost of B and C that have to carefully aligned and calibrated to one another.

For me, from a grammar perspective:

  One solution are A systems, which offer high resolution, but at the cost of B and C that have to be carefully aligned and calibrated to one another.

Is it appropriate to omit be here? Which version is more natural in American English?


texts: Trouble understanding the meaning of sentences with “unless”

texts:
I am having trouble understanding the meaning of sentences using unless. Here is an example:

  Unless I hear from you by 6pm Friday I will send the letters to main office.

What does the above sentence mean? Are they expecting me to reply?


texts: What's an adjective for someone who is quick to comment on a situation but unwilling (or unable) to commit to providing a helpful answer?

texts:
It seems to me that many people exhibit this tendency and I am looking for a good word to describe them.  They love providing feedback but in a passive-aggressive way.  They love giving their two cents but stop short of actually putting themselves in the position of having to commit to an answer.

For example, I might write the following sentence:

  On the English Language & Usage stack exchange, certain ________ people are more ready to populate the comment section than they are to provide answers.


texts: Ways to say "trying hard to arrange enough time to do something"?

texts:
Suppose I am doing several things assigned by different people these days. One of the people feels that my progress on doing his assignment is slow, maybe because I am not interested in doing it.

The reality is that I am interested in doing all the things, but his assignment is a little beyond my capability, and

I need to learn new stuff in order to understand it.
I feel a continuous period of time to focus on his assignment is what I need now, but I also have to do the other things assigned by other people, which breaks my time into pieces.

How shall I explain to him to assure him I am interested in his assignment and trying to give my best to it?


texts: What does "The young graduate student was bright and eager, but green to the power of data structures." mean?

texts:
The following sentence is from the "The Algorithm Manual" book

  The young graduate student was bright and eager, but green to the
  power of data structures.

What does the green to the power of data structures mean?. Since green is a symbol of fertility, does this mean that the graduate student was good in data structures ?


texts: Difference between "Expiation" and "Atonement"

texts: Can anybody explain the difference in meaning between 'expiation' and 'atonement'? Thanks.


texts: Is "loose motion" a synonym of "diarrhea"?

texts:
I heard someone say:

  She's having loose motion.

I couldn't get it. So then asked it from one of my friend, and she said, it's a synonym of diarrhea. Is that a correct noun?


texts:
I wonder that following sentence is correct way to use?

It is updated as the user inputs new information.

Does As adverb is used in right way in that sentence?
Or Do I have to use this sentence like:

It is updated when the user inputs new information.

So which one is more formal?
 Thanks


texts: Where to place 'only' relative to prepositions?

texts:
I know that questions about the placement of 'only', are often asked here; accordingly, I searched for an answer to my question before posting it.

Question

Where are focusing adverbs placed relative to prepositions?

For example,

For his presentation, he needed to talk only about tomatoes.
For his presentation, he needed to talk about only tomatoes.

My Attempt to Answer the Question

In both examples, it seems to me that 'only' is placed close enough to what it is intended to modify (the topic of the subject's discourse: tomatoes) that I cannot see any justifiable misinterpretations.

One of the examples sounds better to me, but at this point in my studies, I am more interested in what the traditional rules of grammar require, than in how the wordings sound.


texts:
Most dictionaries list the verb screen in the sense of showing a movie as a transitive verb, but I have seen the following sentence:

48 hours of movies will screen in the movie theater.

Do you think "screen" is used correctly here?


texts: A student showed me the following sentence in her English textbook. She asked me to clarify why where is used in the sentence. Since I cannot read Japanese, can someone please explain why? I have been taught that where is only used for places or situations. In this case, it seems to be describing the noun (a type of corn, whatever it is) in more detail.


texts:
"Neither light exposes him Nor darkness hides him"

It's used in an Arabic story, and I want to translate the whole story into English , so I wonder If it is right beacause it is a literal translation ! Is its meaning clear to English readers ?
Is there any grammatical error in my translation ?


texts: What is the male equivalent of "damsel"?

texts:
Is there a male equivalent of "damsel" ?

  damsel (dam·sel)
  Pronunciation: /ˈdamzəl/

  noun archaic or literary
     a young unmarried woman.

(from OxfordDictionaries.com)


texts: I don't understand the meaning of the following sentence

texts:
Can anyone explain the meaning of the following sentence.
She will be getting all poshed up for a banquet.
I would like someone to explain or paraphrase it in other words.
Thanks


texts:
What is the proper response to "Excuse my language"?

I don't want to say "not a problem", because honestly, it is a problem. However, I can't think of any other appropriate response.

I'm looking for a response that is casual, short, and non-judgmental or preachy.


texts: A place where no one lives. It looks mysterious, completely ruined by some sort of event that might have happened in the past. The land is barren. There are some ruined structures. It looks like people used to live in that place many, many years ago but some event(like a war or a disaster) completely destroyed the place and the people left, leaving behind these tombs which became ruins with the passage of time.


texts: Confusion about how to pronounce the "dark L" consonant sound

texts:
"Dark L" is "L" at the end of the word or after a vowel sound. Example: ball, pull.

"Light L" is "L" at the beginning or before a vowel sound. Example: light, love.

There are 4 explanations of how to pronounce "dark L":

1st explanation: the tongue tip must contact the ridge right behind the upper teeth.
2nd explanation: before the tongue tip must contact the ridge right behind the upper teeth, you must curl the tongue and make sound like /r/ before make the /l/ as in the 1st explanation.
3rd explanation: just put the tongue between upper and lower teeth is enough to make the dark L
4th explanation: the tongue tip must contact the ridge right behind the upper teeth & the back of the tongue raises up (a British teacher teaches that).

see this vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pejo6YC_BnM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4En7vG1wV4 for more info

So what is the correct way to make the "dark L"?


texts: Where does the phrase "to steal the show" come from? Lately I've heard it used for a movie.


texts: singular and collective noun for included computer source code

texts: In software development, one often has multiple individual files that are referenced or "included" by others. What is the noun for each one of those individual files, and what would you call the collection of them?


texts: Word for feeling of being used by someone

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Word with meaning of “taking advantage of somebody”

Is there a word for the feeling of being used by someone? For example,

  Person X used Person Y for monetary gains.

  Person X after being in love with Person Y, felt used when he/she left him.


texts:
I am a bit confused after seeing some sample sentences. Is it correct not to place commas after the reporting verbs? For example:

He indicated he was happy.
He indicated, he was happy.

Which one is right?


texts: Why is /sɪ/ pronounced differently in "six" /sɪks/ and "sit" /sɪt/?

texts:
six /sɪks/ and  sit /sɪt/

Why do they have the same phonetic symbol /sɪ/, if /sɪ/ is pronounced differently in those two words?

  The main focus in my question isn't the difference in pronunciation of /sɪ/ between accents. More precisely, why is  the same /sɪ/ pronounced
  differently in different words in the same accent?

  I'm an English learner, and that confuses me.

I have made a video for demonstrating the question: https://www.youtube.com/embed/WTabk66hGfk

(Sounds in the video are not mine, they were downloaded from a website)

  More appropriate examples could be: sick /sɪk/ ,  sit /sɪt/ and sip /sɪp/


texts: X could be manipulated and Y [could be?] compromised

texts:
The sentence in question is:

  It is highly improbable that a typical user would understand all the
  potentially invasive ways in which their data could be manipulated,
  and their autonomy compromised.

The alternate way of writing this would be to say 'and their autonomy could be compromised'. Stylistically, I prefer the shorter version but I'm unsure as to whether grammatically it is correct.


texts:
Someone was wrong about something. I explained to the person very kindly and with "social tact" how they were wrong and why the right answer was, in fact, the right answer. Subsequently this person became passive-aggressive in their actions. Now, I am explaining to a third party what occurred, and I want to convey that I was very cordial or congenial while explaining that the original person was incorrect, so as to say that it didn't warrant the outcome.

Would congenial be appropriate here?
Is cordial better than congenial? (What's the subtle difference?)
Is there any other word that would be better suited to convey that I was very socially sensitive and friendly in the way I presented to the person why their answer was incorrect?


texts: What to call something that is used to impart flavour to food, but is not actually ingested?

texts:
What is the generic term for something that is used in food preparation, typically to impart flavour, but is removed from the dish before it is served?

For instance, a bouquet garni is a specific example - a bunch of dried herbs that is discarded after cooking. Another example would be cinnamon stick, or clove ("spice" is not the term I am looking for here).

I'm not really a foodie, but this one has been wracking my brain, and none of my friends can provide an answer.


texts: Is there a word/phrase/euphemism that means "fat" that includes either the word "meat" or "flesh" (used on men)?

texts:
Example sentence:

  He preferred people to call him __ instead of fat or heavy.

I thought of the word meaty. But I think I've never heard of a man being refereed to as "meaty" (Maybe I'm wrong?)


texts: Is English the only language that distinguishes thumbs from other fingers?

texts:
A Russian colleague of mine recently told me that English is the only language that actively distinguishes between fingers and thumbs by having a completely separate word. Her phrasing of it was "English is the only language where you have 8 fingers, in all others there are 10!".

This surprises me. I'm sure that there must be at least one other language out there that does distinguish between them. I did a quick Google to find out if this was true, but the results were inconclusive. Some results supported the conclusion, others went as far as saying that there is even a Russian word for "thumb", but didn't actually specify what that word was. A possibility that I find plausible is that a lot of languages do have such a word, but its use is not very frequent or the word is archaic.

So, do other languages have 8 fingers too, or are we just strange?


texts:
I want to write an email to a professor in English, but I'm stuck at some sentences.

Could you please help me to write it correctly?

  Hope you are doing well and  the meeting with your doctor goes well!
  Could you recall me the name of topic of other group?
  Could you also give me some name of other topic that not took it yet by student  to choice one of them


texts: What is it called when you tell someone not to do something but actually want them to do it?

texts: What is it called when you tell someone not to do something but actually want them to do it, and by you telling them what to not do it provides the means for them to actually engage in said activity? Like during Prohibition, when wine companies made grape bricks telling customers not to leave the bricks for too long or they would turn to wine, and by telling them not to they were hoping for customers to do exactly that.


texts:
Is there a native English word (or borrowed word, or word in another language for that matter) meaning:
A depression resulting from the insight that I will not understand many things.
Example Usage awe-based-depression:
"Upon reading through his classmate's mathematical proof, the profound beauty of the thought process revealed left him with a sense of awe-based-depression."
"After a year of study in medicine she felt a sense of awe-based-depression at the unfathomable complexity of the biochemistry of life."


texts: Is there a single word for "copied & pasted"?

texts:
I'm looking for a single word alternative to "copy & pasted" in:

  I copy & pasted that into the document.


texts: Is this sentence OK? Is the "now" at the end of the sentence redundant?


texts:
I am proofreading a doctoral thesis that has been written by a non-native English speaker (though the English level is quite high). I've never seen "ambition" used as a verb, but I did come across an article which mentioned that historically it was used as a verb with the meaning to campaign.

Here is the sentence: "(The school) ambitioned to join the local elite league and excel in the education of ‘high-achievers’".


texts: What's the technique of using phrases of different meanings separated by a conjunction called?

texts:
I've been wondering this for a while. Here's some examples:
taking lives and orders, made cookies but no conversation. I googled phrases of different types in one clause, but this didn't yield any useful results. This doesn't seem like parallelism, since the phrases have different meanings in context of the sentence. Anyone have any ideas?


texts:
I live in the Northeastern part of the US. We've had a lot of snow recently. Part of living in a snowy area is clearing the collected snow pack from the wheel well so that it doesn't interfere with driving. The snow is usually filthy and ice-coated from where the tires have kicked crud up from the road surface.

We call these snow goblins and most people make it a habit to kick off the snow goblins before setting out in the car.

It's a common expression around here, but I'm wondering how far it extends regionally. Do most snow-experiencing regions in the US and Canada have snow goblins? Or are they called something else?

And I'm not asking what snow goblins are called, because they are called snow goblins, so the "duplicate" doesn't have an answer for me.


texts: Examples that actually mean the opposite of their original meanings

texts:
I have learned that in English, some words have been used to mean the opposite of their original meanings, for the purpose of often negative intensions such as sarcasm, irony, ...

For example

I would think most use of 'way to' these days is used in this ironic way.

In English, single-word replies often denote sarcasm. A common example you might often see in movies and TV is: if someone says a lame joke and someone else replies in an unenthusiastic tone of voice, "Hilarious," it implies that the person thinks that the joke was not funny at all.

In order not to be easily fooled, I wonder if we can provide more examples that are often used by native speakers to actually mean the opposite?


texts: Usage of 'it is' or 'is it' in questions

texts:
Who can tell me what day is it today? Or Who can tell me what day it is today?
Which is correct grammatically?


texts: What is the correct preposition in the sentence below?

texts:
"I made meaningful contributions in the decision-making process of active cases through legal research and analysis."
contributions "in" or "to" the decision-making process? If you could explain why I'd appreciate it.
Thank you!


texts: What is the proper way to quote multiple questions within one sentence without using bullets

texts:
Here is the sentence I am working with:

Some of the reflection questions included are “What do you think is happening here?”; “How do you think the boy to the right feels? Why?”; and “What should the boy in to right say in this situation?”

OR should it be just commas?

Some of the reflection questions included are “What do you think is happening here?”, “How do you think the boy to the right feels? Why?”, and “What should the boy in to right say in this situation?”


texts:
What does "Red tape" refer to?
What does "Red tape" refer to?


texts:
A while ago, I read somewhere that the origin of bend the rules is attributed to a tool called lesbian rule

.............................
To adjust to arbitrary curved shapes a flexible rule (plastic with lead spine) is used. This has no inner tension, so control points did not work properly. Sometimes it was called lesbian rule. Source

Wikipedia says that the flexible instrument, created to measure the circumference of columns and draw irregular curves, originated in Lesbos, and cites a quote from Thomas Moore (1478 – 1535):

"You praise Adriaan for being unbiased, yet you seem to suggest he is no more unbiased than a Lesbian rule, a rule made out of lead which, as Aristotle reminds us, is not always unbiased, since it bends to fit uneven shapes."
The Complete Works of Thomas More, 1963

According to Etymonline, the adjective lesbian  did not refer to a woman's sexual preference before 1825, but to aspects related to the island of Lesbos;  e.g., Lesbian wine, its inhabitants and ...

the principal figurative use of lesbian was lesbian rule (c. 1600 and especially common in 17c.) a mason's rule of lead, of a type used in ancient times on Lesbos, which could be bent to fit the curves of a molding; hence, figuratively, "pliant morality or judgment."

The earliest written instance I found in Google Books is dated 1703 from An Essay, for peace, by union in judgement; about Church-Government in Scotland. (Link)

But when we follow the Scent of the Game into the wood of other Antiquity, it will be easier to lose our Selves, than to find that which we are upon the persute of. Yea, the making Tradition the Rule, even of Interpreting Scriptures ; is to bend the Rule to the crooked Stick, and to make the judge stand to the Opinion of his Lacquey, &c ( which was evident in the Jews Traditionary Glosses on their Law, and the Heathens perversion of the Precepts of Noah )

The modern meaning of the verb bend has been attested since the early 14th century and it is therefore  unlikely that the idiom was coined at an earlier time. Unfortunately,  I have not found any confirmation  that it was derived from the Lesbian rule, although everything seems to fit.
Question
What is the origin of the idiom bend the rules?


texts: What are some non-Greek/Latin hybrid words?

texts:
Most etymological hybrids in English are a mixture of Greek and Latin. I'm interested in hybrids from other languages, French and German, say.

Can you think of any good examples? I'd be especially interested in modifications which cross languages. For example, if "knifelette" was a word it would be a German root with a French inflection.

The older/more established the better.


texts: "hard to distinguish" or "hard to be distinguished"?

texts:
Here is a phrase (slightly modified from the original) that I'd like to discuss.

A) targeting small structures that are hard to distinguish

I have no doubt that this will convey what it means, but I think that the following is more "authentic" in terms of grammar:

B) targeting small structures that are hard to be distinguished

Would you agree or not? Can you explain why grammatically?
I tried to explain why I think B is better, but I'm not sure now.
I think the problem can be simplified to the difference between the following examples:

C) small structures are hard to distinguish
D) small structures are hard to be distinguished

It's about what is the subject for the verb "distinguish". Please help!


texts: Is the phrase "over and out" contradictory?

texts:
Looking at Voice Procedure terms on Wikipedia has left me a bit confused:

Out — I have finished talking to you and do not expect a reply.
Over — I have finished talking and I am listening for your reply. Short for "Over to you."

I've certainly heard the phrase, "Roger, over and out," used in Hollywood and general pop culture, but given what I've read it seems like both terms contradict each other. You wouldn't be listening for a reply if you did not expect one.


texts:
I have a question on whether the below is grammatically correct :
"Imagine breaking the door of the man with the hand that feeds you"
The intention is along the lines of "That man feeds you. Why are you biting his hand?"
Does the above accurately capture that or does it imply you're using the hand that feeds you to break down the door?


texts: Term for completion of a Post-graduate degree

texts:
When someone completes their Bachelors degree, we say that he/she has graduated.

Is their any such term for completion of a post-graduate degree (Masters or PhD)?

Also, sometimes I have heard people saying he/she has graduated, even for Masters. Is this correct?


texts:
I would like to use an expression that refers to a theatre space, a stage space, or any space for performing theatre: the space for a 'scene' in general.

The expression is 'scenic box'. Is it possible to use it for this usage?

I know that 'stage box' is used to describe this (I have found a lot of results in google for 'stage box', but any results for 'scenic box'.)

But I am wondering if this could also be used. I know that 'scenic' also has other meanings like 'pinturesque'.

Could this expression 'scenic box' be understood as a 'pinturesque box', a space for theatre?

Would an English native understand anything by this phrase?


texts: What are typical "emotional absolutes" and why we should avoid them in academic writing?

texts:
I am working on a revision of an academic research paper. We performed some empirical studies and wrote a paper to demystify some common misunderstanding of certain techniques.

One reviewer gave me comments saying that "the authors deal in emotional absolutes." And further point out cases like "widespread and pessimistic views" of technique XXX, and "discouraging findings", "inspiring findings", so on and so forth.

I almost get her point; nevertheless, I am still looking for some concrete definition and examples of emotional absolutes to help me revise the tone and become more neutral.


texts: Why is it "your Majesty", but "my Lord"?


texts: What does it mean by "Window of opportunity"


texts: How to ask if a person has done/had breakfast?

texts:
Is it "Did you do breakfast?"
or
"Did you have/had breakfast?"


texts:
There are a few examples of pairs of words ending with -ee/-er like employee and employer or advisee and adviser. What I was curious about is if there was any rule that would describe the relationship of the objects in a pair like this and situations when it's appropriate to create a counterpart for a given word.

I'll give you an example. It's relatively common in the computer programming world to see the word dragee, which describes an object that is being dragged with a mouse. I understand that this is a relatively new word and could not be found in any dictionary (I've tried). Is that acceptable to make up words like this one or is it just bad English?


texts:
English is my second language and I largely depend on Grammarly for checking grammatical mistakes.

  To create a new app, first, make sure your current working directory
  is  same as where manage.py file is located. After that execute the
  following command.

I don't see any problem with this sentence, but Grammarly alerts me about "Passive Voice Misuse".

Please tell me is there any problem with this sentence.


texts: Is there data on the frequency of occurrence of the greengrocer's apostrophe?

texts: I've heard words such as 'ubiquitous' used to describe how prolific the presence of the greengrocer's apostrophe is, but is there any actual data available on how prolific it is in everyday life ( signs, advertising etc.?)


texts: Short name for rearranging verb and adjective places in a sentence

texts:
The usual "Working Hard?" greeting can be rearranged to "Hardly Working!" reply.

Is there a name for this process?
In the above statement instead of using "rearranging" can one use "permuting" instead?


texts:
Is the following correct usage?
"They didn't want me to ruin the family name. "
What are some other idiomatic expressions or phrases to say something similar?
I am aware of "give a bad name" and "one's name is mud".
What would be the correct usage of idiom " one's name is mud" in this context?


texts: Synonym for good/productive/star employee

texts:
Take the following paragraph, which would be a description of a websites services.

  We want to promote and enable greater talent and potential by
  connecting employers with employees. Whether you're a brand,
  operator or retailer, this is the place to find your next ???????

I need a one word synonym which implies, 'star employee'.


texts: Reported Speech for a sentence with two clauses with 'when' conjunction;one in past continuous while the other in simple past

texts:
What will be the reported speech for the following sentence:

  She said, "I was walking down the road when I saw the accident."

Possibility 1: She said that she had been walking down the road when she had seen the accident.

Possibility 2: She said that she had been walking down the road when she saw the accident.

Please suggest which possibility mentioned by me is the correct reported speech for the above sentence? I am in a great dilemma.


texts: Can king's court be "stationed" in a city?

texts:
I want to say that when the Frederick II with his court, was in the city of Pisa, some person got a chance to see him.

Can I say "stationed with his court in", like so?

  Approximately in 1225 when Frederick II was stationed with his court in Pisa, Milo was granted an audience.

Or does stationed only apply to military units?


texts: How to express this idea of travel back in time naturally?

texts:
Ok, English is not my mother tongue so sometimes I create some sentences that do not sound naturally.

SO here is the idea I want to say.

If time travel were possible, I would want to come back 7 years ago and stop marrying my ex-wife who will be my wife a few months after that, since we got a really terrible marriage (2008 is about 7 years ago, I married a girl in 2008. We live with each other for 2 years and we got divorced in 2010)

How to express the above idea naturally like a native?


texts: Which is the proper spelling: "Adapter" or "adaptor"?

texts:
In my current project we are writing a program to convert a newer protocol to an older one.

These conversion programs are being referred to as adapters, but the team cannot agree which spelling to use: adapter or adaptor.

I personally plump for adapter, as adaptor sounds like its a person (like actor, realtor, etc.) rather than a device.

Is there a case for using one rather than the other?


texts: What does President Obama's “pro-knowledge” remark mean?

texts:
Today’s (May 17) New Yorker carries an article written by Andy Borowitz under the title, “Obama alienates millions with
incendiary pro-knowledge remarks," which begins with the following passage:

  “President Obama handed the Republican Party a gift for the general
  election by making a series of offensive pro-knowledge remarks at
  Rutgers University over the weekend, a leading Republican official
  said on Monday.”

From the following lines;

  “The President’s inflammatory comments, in which he offered
  full-throated praise for such controversial fields of knowledge as
  math and science, are sure to come back to haunt the Democrats in
  November.”

I assume “pro-knowledge” means being in favor of sophistication in math and science, but neither Oxford nor Cambridge English Dictionary carries this word. GoogleNgram doesn’t show “pro-knowledge” either.

What does “pro-knowledge” exactly mean? Is it only applicable to math and physical science? Is the knowledge of liberal arts, metaphisic and social science excluded? Is the word widely used and accepted?


texts: What does the phrase "Words to live by" means

texts:
words to live by

I'm trying to get what the mentioned phrase really denotes. For instance, I have googled it and got only the results of many philosophical texts, not relevant to the phrase I expected.


texts:
Consider the following sentence:

"...both of these options are available in the betting app."

Is it correct to use "in" or "on" would be better? As in:

"...both of these options are available on the betting app."


texts: What do you call the second word in the naming of sporting events, e.g. "basketball GAME," "wrestling MATCH," "track MEET"?

texts:
I'm creating a database of sports. There's a column in this database where we store this second word. We're trying to think of a sensible name for this column. Ideas we've tossed around:

competition type
unit of play
collective noun
noun of assembly
term of venery (this one's mostly a joke)

I'm still wondering if there's an "official" word for this.


texts:
I am translating a TED video and I came across this line. Would somebody help me putting this line in simpler expanded form?

  "You know, it's remarkable how universal the gesture is of handing your camera to a total stranger"

Edit:

Since I was asked for edit. All I want to add at this point is I am not totally sure what that line mean. That is the reason I am trying to understand how one can interpret the sentence. Reading all the comments and the answers I now think this sentence has a clear meaning and implications although one can rephrase this in different ways. But the gist or essence of the sentence is simply the same. Thanks everyone for your contribution. Appreciated.


texts: What to call someone who doesn't care whether the person he talks to understands what he says?

texts: For example, it's the first day at your new job and one of your colleagues is supposed to introduce you to the new working place. The person rants about everything in high speed without paying attention to whether or not you understand what he's saying.


texts: "Like something more" or "like something better"

texts: When people like something more than something else, it's common for me to hear them say they like it better than something else. Is this proper English? I've always thought the word more fits better, but I'm not sure whether or not use of the word better is wrong.


texts: May I get a simpler-structured sentence than that one?

texts:
I totally couldn't understand what is trying to be said because of the complex grammatical structures and ambiguous words. Here is the full sentence:

  God to him was the incarnation of the pure Intellect, a being whose activity was the contemplation of his own perfection, one whom Philosophy might imitate but whom prayers could never move, to the sublime indifference of whose passionless wisdom what were the sons of men, their desires or their sins?

where did the question mark come from? What is the writer trying to say with 'whom prayers could never move'? Move? I'd be glad if you can use simpler phrases, commas and full stops and synonyms to help me understand the sentence.


texts:
The following definition for an Analytical Philosopher is called in a text a "honorific definition".

  a philosopher who tries to argue in support of their claims (source)

What does a "honorific definition" mean?


texts: Word for something that can be validated

texts:
What is a word to describe something that can be validated? From verify we have verifiable. What is the equivalent for valid or validate?

Obviously validifiable is not a word, so what is the alternative?


texts: What is the difference between "Academy for" and "Academy of"?

texts:
It appears that both "Academy for" and "Academy of" are in use (even though the latter returns far more Google hits). Could anyone help me in nuancing the two use cases?

Specifically - would you say "Academy for Project Management" or rather "Academy of Project Management"?


texts: Does the word "luminaria" mean "anything that glows"?

texts:
I came back from one benefit concert, and they announced there "Please stop by at our booth and buy glow rings, glow sticks, flash lights, and other luminaria" (it was dark). I immediately understood what they meant by "luminaria". They had a large display with all things glowing and flashing, like flashing earrings, trinkets, LED bracelets ...

However, now at home I see that none of the dictionaries agree with this meaning. Both Wiktionary and Merriam-Webster say that it is a lantern or vigil fire from Hispanic culture.

Google image search fetches a collection pictures of vigil lanterns, and not much else.

I feel it isn't correct to say other luminaria, because other implies that luminaria is a collective name for all sorts of glowing things, when it is defined as a much more specific thing.

So did they use the word luminaria correctly, and most people, like me, understood them, and dictionaries are missing this meaning, or this isn't the correct use?


texts: I was recently writing a sentence and added the words "more just", only for my extension Grammarly to flag the phrase and suggest "juster" instead. Is "juster" really a comparative form of "just"? If so, is it proper grammar to use "juster" instead of "more just". And just for my sanity, if "juster" is the correct form to use, am I the only one who thinks it sounds really weird? Whatever knowledge you have is appreciated. Thanks!


texts: Is the origin of "butch" really from Polari?

texts:
I've been researching the origin of the term "butch" and noticed that sources tend to be split on whether they mention it originating from Polari.
OED, Green's Dictionary of Slang (adj., noun) and the Online Etymology Dictionary all seem to point to entirely U.S. origins, presumably from a shortening of "butcher" to a stereotypically masculine nickname (~1870s), to a representation of masculinity generally (~1900s), to a gay male masculinity (~1930s), to a lesbian masculinity (~1940s).
Several sources (such as Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang) note that the term originates in Polari, a gay argot spoken primarily in England and Ireland (no time of origination is given, but late 19th or early 20th century is implied).
Did the term originate in the U.S., travel back to England, then travel back to the U.S. again?
Is there a crossing of potential etymologies here? Am I missing a primary resource or reference?
What is the presumed origination of "butch", taking into account Polari and non-Polari descriptions?


texts: word for burrowing, but by a plant rather than an animal

texts: I would like to describe how deeply a tree's roots go underground. Burrowing is a term used for animals. Is it appropriate to use it in describing the extent to which a certain tree can dig its roots into the ground? What would be the correct term?


texts: What's the meaning of the idiom "to lie flat" when applied to a document or project?

texts: I'm encountering this idiom in a government/business context. For example, someone will say that changes to Document A affect Person X's workload, so we'd like to get that document "lying flat" for a while.  From the context, I would expect it to mean either "finished" or "not expected to change." I'm not sure if this is common (or at least common bureaucracy-speak) or if it's limited to my little niche, since I haven't found it in Merriam-Webster or The Free Dictionary.


texts:
In Englishes which allow the usage of ain't, why do we put "no" afterwards?

  I ain't got no money.

  Your dad ain't got no nose.

Is it compulsory to use no  in order to make a proper structure with ain't?


texts:
Is there a single word that can represent the phrase "product or service" as in this sentence:

Companies won't succeed unless they can provide a wanted product or service at a fair price.


texts:
What does the following sentence mean?

Self-serving bias beckons us not to false modesty but to a humility that affirms our genuine talents and virtues and likewise of others.

closely looking at the word humility and its meaning in the sentence.


texts: What does "it" refer to in this John Locke text "...that Nature hath provided and left it in..."?

texts:
... the "labour" of his body and the "work" of his hands, we may say, are properly his. Whatsoever, then, he removes out of the state that Nature hath provided and left it in, he hath mixed his labour with it, and joined it to something that is his own, and thereby made it his property. It being by him removed from the common state Nature placed it in, it has by this labour something annexed to it that excludes the common right of other men. - Locke (1690) in (Spinello, R., & Herman T., Intellectual property rights in a networked world: theory and practice, 2005)

Besides the hard time I'm having with understanding the overall Locke's quote, I am puzzled by what frequent its refer to in the text. I guess they are redundant, giving me the impression that relative pronouns were not so popular in the old days of English.


texts: How do you say "to have sex" in a formal way

texts:
How would you say "to have sex" in a more formal way?

Also, is it to intercourse or to have intercourse?


texts: What is a word describing being well enough off in your own life that you turn to helping others?

texts:
Is there a word that describes a situation where a person becomes well enough off in their other needs that they turn to helping others?

I'm thinking specifically about how celebrities turn their focus on charities and communities once they get to a certain status.  I'm looking for a name for that situation, NOT an adjective to describe the person.

Example: Leonardo DiCaprio has reached such a place in his career that he can focus on philanthropy without the need to constantly work.  His hierarchy of needs has been satisfied to a point where he is now searching for fulfillment in helping others.

The italicized area is the word I'm looking for.  I'm looking for the search for helping others when you no longer have to focus on helping yourself.

Any ideas?


texts:
I am learning this course Stanford CS224N: natural language processing with Deep Learning.

The professor is saying

  on the one hand, whenever you see these pictures you should hold onto
  your wallet. Because there's a huge amount of detail on the original
  vector space that got completely killed and went away.

is it the vector space got completely killed?

what does the phrase "killed and went away" mean in this context?


texts: Why does "The X, the Y" require a comma?

texts:
I was instructed to add a comma between get and the below, but I was never told why:

  The further towards the right you get, the more liberal they will be.

Why are we taught to do this?


texts: Are narcissist and vainglorious the same?

texts:
I was looking up the dictionary to find a word for a person who admires himself a lot like his thoughts or appearance. I came up with two words ,narcissist and vainglorious. Both describe a person who excessively self admires....
My question is what is the difference between narcissist and vainglorious?


texts: If enough people say "supposably" instead of "supposedly"

texts: "Supposably" sounds awful (to my ear) and I'm surprised at how often I hear it said.  How often would it have to be used within the general population for it to become an acceptable alternative pronunciation to the correct word "supposedly"?


texts: Can I use verb "to ride" referring to a car?

texts:
If I'm behind the wheel, "I'm driving". But if I am in the back seat or the passenger front seat what am I doing? Am I riding in the car?"

"I rode 20 miles." (My Dad was the driver.)

"We are riding the through the tunnel."

Are the above sentences common and correct?


texts: What part of speech is "fun" in “Hiking is fun”?

texts:
Please consisder the sentence

  Hiking is fun.

What is each word’s part of speech?

Hiking = gerund
is = verb
fun = _____?

I don’t know what fun is here. Is it

an adverb that modifies the copular verb is?
a predicate adjective modifying hiking?
a noun as a predicate complement in the copula?


texts: What are you being interviewed for when you sit a teaching interview?

texts:
I had a disagreement with a friend over this question.

Which choice is the right one?

  I have an interview for a teaching _____ at the university.

skill,
profession,
career,
post.


texts: What do you call a brand/logo panel that a company often carries along to a trade show?

texts:
Let say there is a company named BlueEvin. The company has an object made of plastic or wood that shows the name BlueEvin. The object could be the size of a PC keyboard or smaller. The company often carries that object to a trade show or a conference and puts it on their table so that potential customers can know the name of that company.

I call it a brand/logo panel, but I think there is a better term for it.

So, what do you call the object like a brand/logo panel that a company often carries along to a trade show?


texts: Difference between "intern" and "trainee"

texts:
I am filling out a form in order to get a J-1 visa to the US.

One question is to say if I'll be an intern or a trainee (among others).

Yes, I could ask the guys that made the form, but my question is more about the general meaning of the two words.

In my case, I am going to work in a company to do my Master's thesis. I would say I'm an intern, but I'm not sure :)


texts:
According to most dictionaries, both the words burnt and burned are past tenses of burn.

What is the difference between the two and can they be used interchangeably?


texts:
I am trying to determine which sentence is correct.

A) Storyboards got their name from the bulletin boards containing cartoon drawings.

B) Storyboards got its name from bulletin boards containing cartoon drawings.


texts:
Let us read the dialogue below between two people, A and B:

  A :   Have you even eaten squid fried?

  B :   Yes.

  A :   How was it?

  B :   Better than when I was sober.

Can the adjective fried be understood to modify either the subject or the object? If so, is there some way to disambiguate the dialogue?


texts:
If I say something is extra spicy, it means it's very spicy. Right?

So why does extraordinary mean special, instead of very ordinary?


texts: What does the phrase "offers no provision" mean?

texts:
The Wikipedia page for Hart Island says that

  The only access to Hart Island is by ferryboat. Hart Island and the pier on Fordham Street on City Island are restricted areas under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Correction. Family members who wish to visit the island must request a visit ahead of time with the Department of Correction. New York City's government offers no provisions for individuals who want to visit Hart Island without contacting the prison system.

I'm not sure what the phrase "offers no provision" means in this context. Offers no assistance? Offers no protection? Will arrest? Oxford defines "provision" as

  financial or other arrangements for future eventualities or requirements

So does that mean assistance? Meaning, if I try to get to the island myself without contacting the prison system, I technically can but the DOC will not help me? Or is there another definition that would result in my arrest?


texts: How can I describe a nudge performed with my leg or foot?

texts:
When my hands are full, I'll often use my leg or foot to help me navigate my environment. For example, when I am loading the dishwasher, I'll use the top of my foot to shut it. I'll also use my knee and shin to open a self-closing door.

The problem is I have two young boys, and when they see me do this they try to emulate me. They'll shout "kick! kick!" and forcefully kick these things, which is undesirable. Right now I am struggling to find a good word to describe what I am doing that is different than kicking. Right now I call it a "nudge," but it doesn't feel appropriate in this context. This is especially true because they can still nudge an already closed dishwasher or open door when no additional nudge is needed.

What is a good word or phrase I can use to describe this type non-violent nudge that fulfills a specific goal?


texts: What's the origin of "hung for a toad"? Where is it used?

texts:
The phrase I have heard most often from my father usually went like this:

  Well I'll be hung for a toad!

Where did this saying come from and has anyone else heard it?  My dad's dad & mother were respectively Scots & Irish if that helps.
He would exclaim that saying when something was a surprise.

It's not mentioned in online dictionaries such as Merriam Webster.


texts: Difference between the use of "resilience" and "resiliency"

texts:
I constantly hear people use the word "resiliency" (especially sports broadcasters and the like). I've always used "resilience" instead. Is there a preferred word to use in any given situation?

As far as I can gather they are exact synonyms.


texts: Synoynms for 'minister' (in a political context) that do not imply leadership of a ministry or department?

texts:
I am leading an initiative in my micronation-state (for information on micronations in general, see Wikipedia), the Republic of Glastieve (see Micronations Wiki and again), which recently launched the Second Phase Initiative (see YouTube).

Until now, the Cabinet has been composed of seven ministers who lead departments or ministries; however, from this afternoon, the ministries will be abolished and the current ministers will remain members of the Cabinet, but without specific individual portfolios.

In the process of seeking feedback from other ministers, two people have raised concerns that the term Member of Cabinet is unsatisfactory as an individual title and that it lacks the dignity or prestige associated with the title "minister." At the very worst, one of them said, this could actually make the Glastieven Government feel less like a real government and damage the Maiestas Project (maiestas meaning majesty, dignity, prestige, etc; not meaning treason).

I was wondering what term we could use instead. We could just keep on using minister, although if a word exists that we're missing it would be nice to use that instead. Thanks for reading!


texts:
Although related to English brave, the German word brav doesn't mean being courageous (any more). It rather has the sense of decency. "Sei brav", for instance, would be translated as "Be a good boy/girl".

I often struggle with a translation for this word. Now I'm trying to find a good translation for "brav aussehen". There's possibly not a single word as it depends on context what brav really conveys, but I'm wondering if there is a word, though.

Example 1:

  Im Schlaf sieht er/sie so brav aus.
  While asleep he/she looks so __.

This could be said about a child. It kinda implies that it's a naughty child, but while sleeping he/she appears like being a good boy/girl.

Example 2:

  Sie mag nicht mehr so brav aussehen.
  She doesn't want to look so __ any more.

This could be said about a woman that usually wears plain clothes and doesn't attract men, and who likes to change that.

The opposite, I guess, is in both cases naughty. But is there a word that would fit in both sentences above?

I tried finding German synonyms (lieb, anständig) and translating those. The results are "good", "nice", "sweet", "well-behaved", "decent", "proper". It seems to me that none of these words is a good translation.

For instance, while "good", generally speaking, is a good translation for brav (cf. good boy/girl), I guess it would differently be understood in both sentences above — good-looking or cute, that is.

Other words, like "well-behaved", do only fit in one context. Dictionaries (Oxford, M-W) define that as "behaving in a polite and correct way" and to my mind dressing in plain clothes is neither polite nor correct. And the Urban dictionary doesn't have a definition for well-behaved, so I don't think that any slang definition would apply here.

For the same reasons I dismiss the other words, too.

So, is there a word that would match both contexts? As a matter of course, the sentences do not need to be a verbatim translation; it's fine to rephrase them.

Addendum: In German it's possible to say "brav wirken" in both sentences. Wirken means to appear, to seem. I tried to get to a solution by thinking about this alternative.

The translations then would be

  While asleep she appears to be __.
  She doesn't want to give the impression of being __ any more.

I feel like the only way to finish the first sentence is "to be a good boy/girl" and I tend to believe that the version with "to look" also requires that and, hence, I'm coming to the conclusion that there's no adjective that would fit the role.


texts: What is the meaning of a parenthetic ‘that one’ in a sentence?

texts:
“It is too ‘eavy, all zis ‘Ogwarts food,” they heard her saying grumpily as they left the Great Hall behind her one evening. “I will not fit into my dress robes!”
“Oooh there’s a tragedy,” Hermione snapped as Fleur went out into the entrance hall. “She really thinks a lot of herself, that one, doesn’t she? (Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.404)[Bold font is mine]

N.B.: Fleur is one of guest students from a foreign school. She is very proud. Hermione is one of the students in Hogwarts, the host school.
I’m not sure if ‘that one’ in this sentence means ‘that girl’ (a noun phrase) or ‘considering what she said’(an adverbial phrase).
I’d like to know the meaning of that one and its function.


texts:
Why do anglophones confuse "it's" with "its" so much often? I mean, I can understand if it's a distraction mistake but I don't know if this is still a mistake or has become an actual rule to put "it's" as a possessive adjective instead of "its", because I even saw the use of "it's" as a possessive adjective in a footnote of a US website a few days ago, so I don't know if this became part of the language.
However, to my knowledge, "its" is the correct possessive adjective, unless I'm proven wrong.


texts: What does it mean "to turn square corners?"

texts:
I came across the phrase in this article:

And "in this case, the law's terms ensure that, when the federal government seeks a procedural advantage against an individual, it will at least supply him with a single and reasonably comprehensive statement of the nature of the proceedings against him. If men must turn square corners when they deal with the government," Gorsuch declared, "it cannot be too much to expect the government to turn square corners when it deals with them."

It seems to deal with matters of compunction in public service, e.g. following rules and procedures to the best of one's ability.  Another source seems to confirm this, citing a little-known "square corners doctrine."  But what does it actually mean, and where does it come from?
My hypothesis is that it's a cousin to "make sure your 't's are crossed and your 'i's are dotted," but catchier and more efficient.
EDIT
It seems it could be the opposite of "cutting corners," though closer study of THAT phrase's origin (whether the cater-corner or the hunting explanation) seems to indicate that this is an incomplete answer.


texts: Which is correct? She said it was more beautiful, didn't she or wasn't it?

texts:
She said it was more beautiful, didn't she?
She said it was more beautiful, wasn't it?

This sentence confused me. Usually we use the tag with the main verb, so "didn't she" is correct, but there are some verbs like believe, suppose, and I don't think for which we use the tag on the that clause. My question is, is the verb say in the same group as suppose and believe?
Many thanks.


texts:
What does the 'after' mean in this sentence?

They called the baby John, after Bill's grandfather.


texts: English word or proverb for expressing a surplus of mental resources in a person?

texts:
In Danish we say that some people have a lot of "overskud" (surplus) or "mentalt overskud" (mental surplus) if they are able to help and look after others, even though they may be very busy themself.

I've found the translation surplus of mental resources online - but it seems like a literal translation and I don't feel it conveys exactly what I mean.

Is there a word or proverb that expresses this better?


texts:
I want to say in a formal and more precise way (academic publication) that since something has been obfuscated, it is really hard to understand.

By "hard to understand" I mean that understanding its internal structure would be complicated by an external person.

However, this formulation is too broad, too spontaneous for what I need to write.
What terms could I use to express this in a formal and concise manner?


texts: Difference between "delight" and "delightful"

texts:
I am wondering if there is really a difference between delight and delightful.

I would like to make a title for a French cooking app and was thinking of this:

  MyApp - Homemade delightful French recipes

Does that sound correct? Or should I use delight instead? Is the order of adjectives used correct too?


texts:
How would I express my ability not to do something?

"I cannot dig" means that I definitely cannot dig. But how do I express my ability not to dig? The first thing that comes to my mind is "I am able not to dig", but I was wondering if there was a better way to express that.

In essence I want to say something like "I can (not dig)"; parentheses are just for clarification.

UPDATE

Ok, so in order to clear things up, I tried to think of a better example. Lets imagine that I am walking in the park and see some big guy bullying a nerd. In this case I would like to say "I am able not to interfere, but I will!" (or in our case what I would like to say is "I can (not interfere), but I will!").

And someone working in the circus might want to say "I can (not fall) while walking on a narrow plank".

And the main question is - is it possible to express those examples using "can"?


texts: What is the English equivalent to the Portuguese word "Crônica"?

texts:
According to the Cambridge dictionary, a "chronicle" is a written record of historical events or part of the name of a newspaper.

In Portuguese, "crônica" can also be used as a written record of historical events but it's more used to define works of a hybrid journalistic genre in which the author kinda of writes an opinion article about some actual theme (normally critic) in the form of a fictional very short story.

I can use "article" to translate "crônica", but it would be too wide.
"Chronicle" is clearly unfit.

So, my question is:

"Is there any word in English that clearly translates the concept of an opinion article, criticizing some actual theme, written in the form of a fictional very short story"?

@edited: Btw, a "crônica", in the Brazilian perspective, can or cannot be political. The key point is it must criticize society or somebody in some way. I found a very small example of a "crônica" with the original in Portuguese and an English translation. I added the link below. Maybe this helps:

Advantage of Being Dumb


texts: I'm looking for the word that means certain words when placed together sound bad. Example: Mary is sad because she had bad luck. Better wording: Sadness engulfed Mary after she experienced misfortune. What is the word that means example numer one SOUNDS awkward?


texts:
Shakespeare's plays are replete with both these constructions.

Is were in these constructions equivalent to the modern would?


texts: What do you call a situation when the traffic is stopped on the part of the road which is being maintained?

texts: It is not a gridlock or deadlock and vehicles do not wait in queues, but it is a situation when you know traffic is ..... because of the road rehabilitation.


texts: Use of singular or plural form for decimal money units

texts:
According to these following articles:

The Chicago Manual of Style Online:Numbers: Q. When referring to decimals from zero to one, are they singular or plural?
Stack Exchage (English Language & Usage):Should we use plural or singular for a fraction of a mile?
WordReference Forums:fraction/ decimal number + noun (singular or plural?)

all decimals use plural form for its units regardless of the integer part being zero, one, two, etc.

i.e.: 0.8 miles, 1.8 miles, 2.8 miles, etc.

Let us now assume we have "$1.01", a decimal with money units. Although the written form contains decimal point, which is the correct way of saying it <A> or <B>?(Note: what is in between "[ ]" below is optional, you can say it with or without it)

<A>: one dollar   [and] one [cent]      =   both singular form of units
<B>: one dollars [and] one [cents]    =   both plural form of units

I believe for "$1.01", although it is in decimal format, <A> is the correct one. This is because the decimal point act rather like a delimiter between 2 units (dollar and cent) with 1 as a value ... rather than as a decimal point with 1 unit (dollar).
Out of curiosity, if someone said "$1.01" in decimal format with 1 unit (dollar), then is the following the only valid way of saying it (with plural form of the units).

one point zero one dollars


texts: What do you call a ticket/pass for several sightseeing attractions?

texts: Assume you are traveling in a place, and there may be several tourist attractions. And you'd like to buy a ticket that can be used for several sites and is usually cheaper than if you buy every single ticket for every single site. Do you have a word for that ticket such as an all-mighty ticket or whatever I guess?


texts:
I was browsing a completely unrelated site and came across the following interesting discussion on the ever increasing proliferation of the phrase, "must of":

... You mean "must have", btw. Or "must've". Spelling it 'must of' is wrong.
I suspect that "must of" is one of those phrases which is on the cusp of changing from "ever so wrong" into something that is perfectly acceptable.

I am interested in finding historical examples of a similar phrase moving to mainstream despite its initial non-aligment with conventional grammatical rules, and would be grateful if anyone could provide some concrete examples.


texts: Help me parse this sentence so I can understand what joke my ancestors played on the King

texts:
I'm reading an old history book about my ancestors entitled "Rulewater And Its People: An Account Of The Valley Of The Rule And Its Inhabitants" published in 1907 by George Tancred. In it, I'm having problems understanding a sentence, italicized below:

  The King issued a peremptory order for
  all Turnbulls in the district to
  submit themselves to the King's
  authority. The principal men of the
  clan immediately made their
  submission, coming before him in linen
  sheets, with withies about their
  necks, and put themselves 'in the
  king's will,' as it was termed. It is said that the King ordered every tenth man to suffer death.

Looking up withies gives me (from here)

  n. pl. with·ies
  1. A rope or band made of withes.
  2. a. A long flexible twig, as that of an osier. b. A tree or shrub having
  such twigs.

My initial thought was that "in the king's will" was a pun on "will". As in somehow my ancestors got themselves written into the king's last will and testament. Now that I see the definition, I wonder if "will" could mean a plant owned by the king? As in how game was owned by the king in the past?

I'd really like to know what my ancestors did, why it was presumably funny to them, and why it irritated the King so much. If it helps, this took place during the reign of King James IV around 1510.

Also interestingly, the word "king" in 'in the king's will' is NOT capitalized, I just double checked. So its not The King its just king. Not sure if this is a typo or an important clue.


texts:
System X is designed as an environment where Conversation Y can be conducted by the members of Group  Z.

Equivalently:

  System X is designed to facilitate the __? __ of Conversation Y by the members of Group Z.

Conduction doesn't feel right.


texts:
I just want to know if it's correct to use "if I may happen" on this example: "If I may happen to have what you're looking for..."
English is not my first language so I'm confused about it.


texts: When I use numbers, when should I spell the word as opposed to just using the number?

texts:
I've just read this in a review:

  Thankfully, the energy efficient Qualcomm chip helped the handset
  reach a best-ever score of 17 hours and 30 minutes in our continuous
  video rundown test. Compared to the outgoing model, which lasted ten
  hours 43 minutes in the same test

The first part uses 17 hours while the second part uses ten hours.  Which is correct? What are the rules to determine when which should be used?


texts: What does quotations around a single word in this sentence signify?

texts:
What does quotations around a single word signify? For example in a letter or email- Thank you for sharing the information. I'm reading it and "listening" (as always).

Does it signify emphasis? As in the person would you like to emphasize to you they are listening to the information provided.


texts:
There was an ad on telly I saw, saying

  Relax, knowing your home is safe

Is this a complete sentence that is grammatically correct? Could this go in an essay? What is the technical word for "knowing"? I know it's a verb. Would you call a present continuous verb and that's it?

What about this sentence

  Become part of this website, exploring new worlds and games

Is this an okay sentence?


texts: Why is "the tail/house of the dog" correct, but "the bowl of the dog" not?

texts:
Upd.: I added the results of Ngram at the ending of this post.

I have some sources below which I can make the next conclusions from:

"the bowl of the dog" is incorrect
"the house of the dog" is correct
"the tail of the dog" is correct

Why are numbers 2. and 3. correct, but 1. not? What is the difference between them all?

Now, in detail:

1) forum.wordreference.com:

  I think "That's a bowl of my dog" is grammatically wrong.

forum.wordreference.com:

  'This is the house of the dog' may be grammatically correct, but it's a pretty unlikely sentence. We would naturally say 'This is the dog's house.'

  'This is the bowl of the dog' ... would sound ... odd.

So, 1. "…the bowl of the dog" is incorrect

2) englishforums.com:

  the double possessive is pretty much always used with people ...: "This is a friend of Laura's" ... a dog isn't a person. So "This is the house of the dog" is fine.

So, 2. "…the house of the dog" is correct

3) english.stackexchange.com:

  Of the two:

  The dog's tail.
  The tail of the dog.

  Grammatically, both are correct.
  […] when writing, it is advantageous to communicate your point with as few words as possible making your point clear and concise. Hence, why "The dog's tail" is preferential in colloquial english as opposed to "The tail of the dog."

So, 3. "the tail of the dog" is correct

Why are numbers 2. and 3. correct, but 1. not?  What is the difference between them all? For me they are all the same.

Upd.:

"house of * dog" vs "dog's house" — Nobody uses "house of * dog":

"bowl of * dog" vs "dog's bowl" — Nobody uses "bowl of * dog" (without taking into account "bowl of dry dog food"):

"tail of * dog" vs "dog's tail" — Sometimes people can use "tail of * dog":

To make it clearer:

"tail of a/the dog" vs "a/the dog's tail":

"tail of my/your/... dog" vs "my/your/... dog's tail":

So, why can people use "tail of * dog" but not use "bowl/house of * dog"?

Thanks!


texts: "Would have assuredly been" or "Would assuredly have been?"

texts:
Where does the adverb go in a sentence like the following? Which is correct?

  I would have assuredly been stranded.

  I would assuredly have been stranded.


texts: Is there any rule when replacing apostrophe intead of some letters?

texts:
In some English songs I found words like:

nothin'
'em
gon'
'bout

Are there any rules to make words like these? Are the words formal? Are there other examples?


texts: Adjective that describes a person avoiding talk about mildly disgusting topics

texts:
Is there an adjective that describes a person avoiding talk about mildly disgusting topics e.g. excrements or vomit?

An example sentence is: "He was so [word] that, when a passenger said he was about to throw up, he put on a blank expression and pretended he had business outside the cabin.".

As someone pointed out in a comment, "delicate" is somewhat related, yet, I feel does not capture the meaning entirely.


texts: What do you call a friend you don't want to name to another friend?

texts:
This may not fall under english language SE, and if not I apologize, but I always wonder when I say "a friend and I did this" to another friend, if that sounds like I'm implying they are not a friend.

Is this what that sounds like? Should I say "another friend?" Or is there a better way?


texts:
I came upon the word postchoice in the following sentence of Time magazine’s (May 28) article titled “The optimism bias,” dealing with the benefits of positive thinking:

  According to social psychologist Leon Festinger, we re-evaluate the options postchoice to reduce the tension that arises from making a difficult decision between equally desirable options.

I could easily imagine that postchoice is a noun meaning the choice made after something, but I was puzzled why it is post-positioned to “options” instead of saying “post-chosen options.”

Furthermore, none of Cambridge, Oxford, Merriam-Webster online dictionaries registers the word postchoice.

Google Ngram shows incidences of “postchoice.” It emerged around 1950 and the usage dramatically declined to an almost insignificant level after 1970. Instead “post choice” seems to be replacing “postchoice” after aound 1980.

Now questions:

1.Is the word “postchoice” still current, because I don’t see it in any of major dictionaries.

2.Is “postchoice” used as a postposition to “options,” or an objective complement in the above quote? Are these usages right?


texts: Can "was" occur twice, consecutively, in a sentence?

texts:
Is this correct?:

"But I guess all there was was such a big lie."

I think I've heard that sentence in somewhere and it sounds to my ears just fine but wanted to make sure if it was still right.

(My question was closed before.)


texts: Difference between the two sentences and why are they used in that particular way

texts:
Is there any difference between these two sentences?

I bought my friends some chocolates.

I bought some chocolates for my friends.


texts:
There's a "hot question" at the moment about the use of the apostrophe in the phrase Baker's Dozen, and it got me to wondering: where did this phrase originate?

Did bakers really offer 13 in a dozen? Is it a joke about bakers being bad at maths? If bakers did offer 13 in a dozen, then why did they start doing it?


texts: Have you been influenced all you can ever be influenced? [How are the preceding and the following clauses connected?]

texts:
How would you rephrase 'all you can ever be influenced'? (In) all (that) or (in) all (where)? To me this 'all' seems like a relative adverb but no old school grammar book has 'all' explained as a relative adverb. Any and all other examples where 'all' is used like this one, not as an antecedent for a relative pronoun, would maybe help me understand this construct.

  If it ever was true, does the possibility even exist for it to be true
  today? At your age, can anyone still influence you in a bad way? Or
  have you been influenced all you can ever be influenced, both good
  and bad? ('The 50-Year Dash' by Bob Greene)


texts: What is the difference between "I have a doubt with ...." & "I suspect there is a problem"?

texts:
In Indian English, it is widely used as "I have a doubt with .....".
While in America English, it is used as "I suspect there is a problem with...".

What is the conceptual difference between these two? Which is recommended/correct way to use?


texts: What does “provisionally” charged with the case of negligent homicide mean?

texts:
AP reports on July 28 that “the driver of a Spanish train that derailed at high speed killing 79 people was provisionally charged Sunday with multiple cases of negligent homicide.”
http://world.time.com/2013/07/27/spain-train-driver-suspected-of-negligent-homicide/

Oxford English Dictionary defines “provisionally” as;

adverb - subject to further confirmation, for the time being: ex. the film, provisionally entitled Skin, is due to be released next year

Is it possible that the train driver in question who is responsible for the deaths of 79 people was charged with negligent homicide only “subject to further confirmation, just for the time being” loosely in face of the deadly disastrous scene and fact obvious to public eyes?

What does “provisionally charged with a case” exactly mean?
What are legal implications of 'provisional charge'?


texts:
It is not possible to keep abreast of the normal tides of acquisition. (Source)

Can someone analyze this sentence?

My first thought was that the infinitive 'to keep' modifies possible, but then I started to doubt myself because if you make the infinitive the subject, the sentence has the same meaning. You can say "to keep abreast of the normal tides of acquisition is not possible".

What say you?


texts: "It's black's turn" or "it's blacks turn"?

texts: Is it black's turn to move in chess, or is it blacks turn?


texts: I see an example in Longman dictionary. For the word of "toolbar", it says, "a row of small pictures at the top of a computer screen that allow you to do particular things in a document". I am confused about it. The subject is "a row of small pictures" while its clause goes like "that allow you..." I think it should be like "that allows you..." Being a famous dictionary, it should be grammatical correct, even when offering a phrase instead of a complete sentence. I see in some small dictionary, an example is, "The first row alone consists of five rooms." Why Longman dictionary says that way?


texts: I have seen both, and now I am unsure when to use which. To the best of my knowledge "rendered mute" is roughly equivalent to "rendered speechless" and "rendered moot" to "rendered irrelevant". But I have also seen usage that contradicts this. Help?


texts:
Is disremption simply another way of writing diremption?
Some examples for usage of disrempt/disremption from books:

... the state as such is not so much the result as the beginning. It is within the State that the family is first developed into civil society, and it is the Idea of the State itself which disrempts itself into two moments.

... this has been the motif since the Kantian disremption of the Pure from the Practical Reason.

The A and B will persist in falling apart , for every attempt to introduce a mediating term ends in further disremption.


texts: How do you write the short form of "you all"?

texts:
The short form is pronounced as "yoll", but what is the actual spelling? Is it "y'all"? Any official mention of the spelling?
Example useage: "Where are you-all going".
Pronounced as "Where are yoll going".
Would it be written as "Where are y'all going"?


texts: Proper usage of "is" and "are" when specifying multiple nouns

texts:
This is one thing I never really bothered looking into, but have always been unsure of.

  punching, kicking, slapping or slashing [is/are] strictly prohibited

That's what I'm trying to determine. Let's say multiple of these specified actions can occur simultaneously. Is it proper to use "is" or "are"?

This is going to be used in a short legal notice.


texts:
If a sentence contains 'long-lasting durability,' is it redundant?

For example: Robust plastic construction ensures long-lasting durability.

Long-lasting and durability, do they mean the same thing?

Thank you


texts: Is this sentence "Two workers are facing the axe" well rephrased?

texts:
Original:

  Two workers are facing the axe.

Rephrasing:

  Two workers are facing a possible dismissal.


texts: Ian McEwan's usage of "must" as a simple past

texts:
Reading Ian McEwan's "The Children Act", I found this sentence:

"If Jack, sprawled across from her, seemed absurd in this conversation, then how much more so MUST she appear to him."

Being italophone, I struggled a bit in attributing the appropriate tense value of "must".

Does it have to be interpreted as a simple past?

If that is the case, what might have been McEwan's stylistic reason in not opting for "had to"?

Thank you in advance for your kind help.

Vincenzo


texts: If a house style outlines that foreign terms should be italicised, how strictly should this be applied to common terms taken from, say, French that everyone is more than familiar with? Italicising café seems quite drastic, so what about words such as crèche? I'm not sure exactly where to draw the line between foreign and English considering the number of French words and terms borrowed by modern English.


texts: If I can say "videos", may I also say "audios"?

texts: Audio and video seem to me very similar words by usage. I often hear the plural form for video, but is there a plural form for audio? Can I say audios? I've never heard it being used.


texts: Is it correct to speak of New York dialect?

texts: Is it correct to speak of New York dialect, or should I use a different term when referring to the particular pronunciation used in New York?


texts:
The origin of vestige is said to be "from French, from Latin vestigium 'footprint'".

vest- means clothes, so does this prefix apply to vestige ?


texts: Confusion about articles before unique objects in math

texts:
I am a graduate math student, English is my second language but we have some courses taught in English.
I often see sentences like There exists *a* unique map/morphism f such that... (for example, when we define some objects by their universal property)
I am quite puzzled by this. We are talking about something unique, there is one and only one map that has desired properties. So based on what I was taught about articles, I would say that the should be used. However, it seems customary to write a and I must admit that when reading aloud, saying it with the sounds funny.
So is this a just a common mistake? And if it is correct, what is the justification for it?


texts:
I'm reading an article about anxiety. The author says that when people feel anxious, they try to make themselves feel better by applying all kinds of coping techniques (e.g. deep breathing). Then it goes on to say:

  Those tools have value, but if you get better at simply tolerating your physical anxiety, and not getting as set off by it, then you won't need to use them as much.

I know what "to set off" means, but isn't it used here as an adjective? Couldn't you say that anxiety makes you "set-off"? Or it is instead used as a normal verb?

Thank you


texts: What is the meaning of "migration" in "Oracle (database) migration"?

texts:
Does the term migration typically imply to or from?

For instance, if I refer to a specific database migration project, where the database is Oracle, would "Oracle migration" refer to:

migrating from another database to Oracle
migrating from Oracle to another database
migrating from one version of Oracle to a different version of Oracle


texts:
If the text I am quoting is italicised or bold, does my quote need to include this special font treatment? If I want to emphasise something in the quote, can I make words italic?

For example, suppose that the text I'm quoting is:

  I love apples. I really love them!

Can I quote that as "I love apples. I really love them!"?

Also, can I quote the beginning as "I love apples,"?

Thanks!


texts:
I'd like to know why this sentence uses "needs" instead of "need":

Even some very popular software sometimes needs a year or two of testing,

I think the subject is plural because it says some is used.


texts: Why use "modestly" to describe Moller in this paragraph?

texts:
I have copied this excerpt from a NPR news transcript below

  ALSOP: Isn't it nice? It's very pleasant and sunny and sounds like
  spring time. And, you know, it really belies the enormity of this
  piece and what's about to happen and the fact that Moller even gave it
  the subtitle - he only used it for the first two performances - but
  the Titan, modestly, as he always did, of course.

Is Titan, Moller here?
And do the last few sentences means something like: "Though this is a masterpiece which he should be proud of, he is still humble"?


texts: Is there a formal phrase for saying that the location of an event changes between two places?

texts: The context of my question is the following. I am involved in organization of a conference which is held every year but in two different places (every second year in each of them). What is the best formal way of saying that the location of a recurring event changes between two places? I want to put it on the conference web-page, therefore I need some nice solution.


texts:
How did "hoose" come to be used to mean "house"?

  Hoose:
  Hoose is a disease of sheep, cattle, goats, and swine caused by the presence of various species of nematodes of the genera Dictyocaulus, Metastrongylus, and Protostrongylus in the bronchial tubes or in the lungs. It is marked by cough, dyspnea, anorexia and constipation. Also called verminous bronchitis.apv

— Definitions.net

  Hoose:
  verminous bronchitis of cattle, sheep, and goats caused by larval strongylid roundworms irritating the bronchial tubes and producing a dry hacking cough
  — called also husk, lungworm disease

— M-W


texts:
I was wondering if it would be grammatically and idiomatically correct to use to begin with in the sense of

  used at the end of a sentence to talk about why something was done or
  whether it should have been done or not

For example :

  If you don’t like her, why invite her in the first place?

  I should never have taken that job in the first place.

Is it possible to say :

If you don’t like her, why invite her to begin with?

I should never have taken that job to begin with.


texts: Is “indifferent to negligent” just a set of word? How different is it from “indifferent and negligent”?

texts:
There was an article titled “The short life and lonely death of Sabrina Seelig” in July 29 New York Times reporting the death of a young woman who was a student of classics at Hunter College. She was carried to a hospital by ambulance after feeling sick, and died there. The article says:

  “The family of Ms. Selig, 22, says she suffered an agonizing death because the care she received at a struggling Brooklyn hospital (Wyckoff Heights Medical Center) was indifferent to negligent.”

I thought the expression, “indifferent to negligent” an idiom. I checked NGram. It doesn’t register this phrase, neither “indifferent and negligent,” or “indifference and negligence” which were obviously used in the following ways:

Could a husband be indifferent and negligent towards a wife during pregnancy...at a time when she has chosen to bear his offspring in her womb? Can he consider her a liability? －Redif com.
President Ilves: volunteers stand like a protective wall against indifference and negligence. Press release from the Office of President of Republic of Estonia 7/12/2012

Is “indifferent to negligent” a simple repetition of synonyms for emphasizing the meaning? Then, how different is “indifferent to negligent” from “indifferent and negligent”?


texts: Is the sentence "how are the names of your dogs?" correct?

texts:
Searching in https://books.google.com, you can find that "how are the names" is infrequent than "what are the names", even than "which are the names".

However, the context in which I founded it, is when the phrase is followed by a verb. For example:

How are the names arranged?
How are the names listed?
How are the names Williamsonia and Wielandiella to be used?

Is the sentence "how are the names of your dogs?" grammatically correct?


texts:
Is the meaning of the phrase "Not for nothing" literal, or idiomatic, and if idiomatic, what does the idiom mean? If you have a reference more reliable than urban dictionary, please share it. Here are two quotes using the phrase in which its meaning seems literal:

  Not for nothing had he been exposed to the pitiless struggles for life in the day of his cubhood, when his mother and he, alone and unaided, held their own and survived in the ferocious environment of the Wild.

  -Jack London

  It is not for nothing you are named Ransom.
  -C.S. Lewis

However, this phrase comes up all the time in Aaron Sorkin's writing, especially the TV show The West Wing, and its usage there seems more idiomatic.
For example:

  Not for nothing, but, you know, we're gonna have to get into the thing at some point.

  Josh Lyman: We elect these people. And not for nothing, but if we'd been the world's policeman in the thirties, you and I...

  Toby Ziegler: We'd have had a lot more relatives.

In the previous two examples, the sentence structure was

"Not for nothing" <verb> <rest of sentence>

but in the last example, the structure is:

"Not for nothing", <but>, <full sentence>

I suspect that the phrase is being used idiomatically in the last example, but I am unsure of the meaning in this context.


texts: Word to describe relationship between "infinitesimal" and "infinite"?

texts: Would infinitesimal and infinite just be antonyms of each other?


texts: "For who so firm that cannot be seduced?" Where is the verb in this Shakespeare quotation?

texts:
He says:

  ... Therefore it is meet
  That noble minds keep ever with their likes,
  For who so firm that cannot be seduced?
  (Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2)

Roughly means that you shouldn't pal around with bad guys, because they'll eventually seduce you into bad deeds.

Why is the verb in the italicized sentence omitted? Was/Is there an underlying rule to that?


texts: The meaning of "with her small bitchs teats", in "100 Years of Solitude"?

texts:
What does "bitchs teats" mean in the the sentence "The adolescent mulatto girl, with her small bitchs teats, was naked on the bed" from the fictional book "100 Years of Solitude"?

The surrounding sentences don't expand on the meaning of this description and mearly add the context of prostitution, and of coercion of both the girl and the protagonist entering the room.


texts: Why does the adjective "suitable" come after "hands-on activities"?

texts:
Please clarify the grammar used in the sentence below.

  Most museums provide hands-on activities suitable for both children and adults.

Question: Why is the adjective "suitable for" placed after the Noun "activities".


texts: Which one is more appropriate? "It'd been/it was in/you were/you'd been in..."

texts: The full sentence: You were absolutely certain that when you fell asleep, [______] your own bedroom.


texts:
I have a co-worker that is always saying "Therefore, A B C" when the "A B C" isn't a conclusion from any sort of deductive reasoning.  For example,

  Me: ... thus, that's how it works.
  Her: I think you are wrong about that. Therefore, I know I'm right.

I was wondering if this use of therefore is appropriate.
Should therefore only be used (much as in the symbolic logic sense) when what's being concluded is beyond a reasonable doubt?


texts: how to answer would you be able to come in for an interview on {date} at {time}?

texts:
how to answer would you be able to come in for an interview on ***date*** at

***time***?

is it okay to use :

I will be available at aforementioned date and time.

or

yes i would.


texts: A word for the feeling of not being able to stand the smell of alcohol

texts:
Is there a word for the feeling someone may have who recently had a blackout or was so hungover that they can't even stand smelling something alcoholic?

You know what I mean; the feeling that makes you throw up if you smell or drink an alcoholic beverage.

Something like alcoholo-phobic?


texts: Difference between 'decline' and 'decrease'

texts:
I have an advanced English student who is stuck on the word 'decline'. I told him 'decline' and 'decrease' are very similar, but are not always interchangeable. It is a business English course and we were talking about what Customer Focus means. I wanted him to say "A company needs to decrease its customer base in order to increase Customer Focus". And instead he used "decline its customer base", which is not correct (right?!).

He then used the example of "stocks declining in the last quarter" to prove that you could use 'decline' to mean 'decrease'.

Does anyone have a good rule or way of explaining when to use 'decline' vs. 'decrease'?


texts: What rules determine the apostrophe placement in "ham 'n eggs" and similar expressions?

texts:
In expressions such as "ham 'n eggs", the conjunction 'n appears to replace and, yet there is only one apostrophe to indicate the missing a and none for the missing d (i.e., no "ham 'n' eggs").

Is there a punctuation rule that governs this or is it just an idiosyncratic case?