texts: "has"+perfect in reported speech of the future

texts:
(1) I will jump out from behind the couch. Then I will tell him: "I have been in the room all along."
(2) I will pronounce him dead. Then I will tell him: "You have been pronounced dead."

The above two are not of concern. I include them only so you see what utterance I'm trying to report in the following sentences. Consider, please:

(3) I will jump out from behind the couch and tell him I had been in the room all along.
(4) I will pronounce him dead and tell him he had been pronounced dead.
(5) I will jump out from behind the couch and tell him I have been in the room all along.
(6) I will pronounce him dead and tell him he has been pronounced dead.
(7) I will jump out from behind the couch and tell him I will have been in the room all along.
(8) I will pronounce him dead and tell him he will have been pronounced dead.

(3) and (4) sound most natural to me: completely grammatically correct. (English is my first language.) (5) and (6) sound like slangy versions of (3) and (4), okay for speech but not, let's say, for a high-school essay.
(7) and (8) sound completely wrong to me. Yet they look to me like the (prescriptive-grammar) grammatically correct ones. After all, the speech is taking place in the future, so you need "will have been" to report an action that, at that moment, will… have been.
So my questions are:
Are (7) and (8) actually the (prescriptive-grammar) grammatically correct ones, or are (3) and (4) (or something else)? And if (7) and (8) are (prescriptive-grammar) incorrect, why?

In case you're wondering why I used two examples, it's because the semantics are slightly different. Or so it seems to me, anyway. In (1) the being has been continuous until the time of speaking, whereas in (2) the pronouncement has occurred at a specific point in the past.


texts:
He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee.

Why is charge uncountable here?

  God gave Joshua a charge.

In this case, it is countable.

I can't find authoritative sources.


texts: What can I use to describe a world that only exists between others

texts:
It's for a story that I'm writing. There are many realms connected by a web, and on the webbing a new realm has been created, but I can't call it a realm because it isn't independent. It exists only between others, and isn't whole by any means, yet it's a world people do pass through and live in.

How might I describe this place in a word or phrase?


texts:
I don't understand the following sentence.

"It speaks to the mindset that a lot of these channels have"

I'm really lost right now, i've tried googling it to no avail, if anyone could help out i would really appreciate it.


texts: What's the difference between fight and battle when they are used as a verb?

texts:
I just cannot understand these two words. I have googled differences of these two words in italky, etc. And many people said "A fight is usually used for small scale things.""A battle is a large scale fight that's part of a war." But my teacher taught me the following ones are correct:
My grandfather fought in world war II.
Doctors are still battling to save the child's life.
I think war is very big scale thing.


texts: Can а verb and related noun be used in the same sentence?

texts:
Here is a sentence: "Without those measurements, we cannot measure if we are progressing in the right direction."

measure is clearly a verb here, but what part of speech is measurement? (abstract noun?)

The use of measurement and measure in the same sentence does not seem like good style to me. Is this good style? I feel like the measure should be replaced with a synonym because measurement is in the same sentence. Is there a style rule or guideline that says this?


texts: Is it considered rude language to omit interrogatives in speech?

texts:
At least, I think the proper word is interrogatives. But, for example, in proper sentence structure, you would see sentences such as,

  Are you still here, Alouicious?

  Is there a doctor in the room?

In informal speech, sometimes you can omit the actual questioning word, but still pass it off as a question, so long as it isn't confused for a completely different query.

  You still here, Alouicious?

  There a doctor in the room?

I know it's probably not sound in terms of grammar, but my concern is, is this considered a rude or uncouth kind of language? Or at least, is it considered far less polite than to use the full sentence?

It also shows up in the case of converting, say, "What the <intensifier> are you doing?" into "The <intensifier> you doing?", but I imagine the politeness of that scenario tends to get clouded by the choice of intensifier.


texts: Comma placement: two prepositions in one sentence

texts:
In the following sentence, should there be a comma in front of "pulsed?"

  Deposited thin films by means of, and prepared targets for pulsed laser deposition.


texts:
But what is surprising, and some would say discouraging, is that adding the statistical realities of the larger hunger problem to Rokia's story significantly reduced the contributions to Rokia.

The bold clause is inserted in the middle of a sentence.

What would be the full sentence of the inserted clause?

and some would say (what is) discouraging

and some would say (it is) discouraging

or anything else you can think of?

Thanks a lot.


texts: There's a German idiom (I think) for a long trip for a small reward. For example, driving from New York to Boston to buy a roast beef sandwich. Has a connotation of taking a trip for the trip's sake. Any ideas? Many thanks.


texts: "very pleased to read your posting" -- pleased=happy vs. pleased=satisfied

texts:
In a formal context, I would like to tell the author (whom I admire) of a posting that I was happy that I discovered/found it because I did not expect it.

  I was very pleased to read your posting in last week's issue of ...

I am concerned that pleased might come across as satisfied, like I am his boss telling him that he did a good job.

I have also thought about

  I was very pleased to have found your posting in last week's issue of ...

Any comment would be appreciated. (I am not a native speaker.)


texts: Subject Verb agreement with comma-aside of a different pluralization

texts:
I ran across an interesting conundrum this morning when writing to someone.  I wrote the following:

  Markdown, or flavors of it, is all over the net these days.

My question is, what is the correct subject/verb agreement there.  Without the aside (bonus question, what's the proper term for the "or flavors of it" part of that sentence?), the verb is clearly singular.  However, since the extra information introduces a plural aspect, I was curious which one controls the verb.

  Markdown, or flavors of it, are all over the net these days.

That just sounds clunky.


texts: What's the difference between a "fen" and a "dale"?

texts:
What's the difference between a fen and a dale?  Are these words used precisely at all?

My question comes from Kipling’s poem The Spirit of England; if you'll notice, each couplet, plain and hill, towns and downs seem to be opposing, and I was wondering if that were true for woodland and fen and dale.

  I summon to battle from plain and hill,
  From woodland and fen and dale,
  From my reeking towns and greyhound downs
  My men to be cast in the scale.


texts:
This is something that really gets my goat; a couple of years ago, the word "App", to the majority of people, meant "Applet" or 'small, simple, mobile application', i.e. software coded specifically for mobile devices. To me, this is a clear, understandable definition.

Previous question from 2011: Appropriate use of “app” vs “application”

Now, however, windows has started annoyingly calling any program an "app" and it seems to be spreading.
Definition from Internet Slang (.com):

The Meaning of APP:
APP means "Application (computer program)"

Definition from Cambridge Dictionary (.com):

ABBREVIATION for application: a computer program that is designed for a particular purpose:
You can run an app on your PC that will find the files and burn them to a CD.

ABBREVIATION for application: a computer program or piece of software designed for a particular purpose that you can download onto a mobile phone or other mobile device:
There are apps for everything, from learning a language to booking movie tickets.

Definition from Dictionary (.com):

An application, typically a small, specialized program downloaded onto
mobile devices:
The best GPS apps for your iPhone.

Origin of app:
1985-90; shortening of application
...
British Dictionary definitions for app

(computing, informal) short for application program

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
...
Related Abbreviations for app:

[software] application

Are these remnants of the original, lesser-known "application" abbreviation, which it seems was mostly used by professionals? Or is it a new meaning, brought forward by the awful desktop/tablet "hybrid" operating systems i.e. windows 8/10? If it's the latter, then to me, it seems that the word is to be made redundant, and there is no longer a common word to distinguish between a desktop program and a mobile device-specific program.
Note that almost all uses of the word "app" on the internet today are referring to an applet. Will this change in the next few years?


texts: Expression for becoming homeless, which has the word 'street' in it? How about "pushed to the streets"?

texts: If I lost all my money and became homeless, what standard expression can I use which has the word 'street'? Would it sound perfectly okay to a native English speaker if I said "I was pushed to the streets"? What would a native English speaker say?


texts: Do punctuation marks take on the formatting of the preceding word?

texts:
If the last word of a sententece is in boldface, should the question mark be bolded as well?

Which example is correct (see below)?

Example 1: How much did your hip, leg or foot hurt?

Example 2: How much did your hip, leg or foot hurt?

What about a different punctuation mark, like a colon, a comma or a period (see below)?

Example 3: Explain: are you currently sick?

Example 4: Explain: are you currently sick?

Example 5: If your hip hurts, please indicate the intensity of the pain.

Example 6: If your hip hurts, please indicate the intensity of the pain.

Thank you for your input!


texts: What's the difference between "i.e." and "that is"?

texts: I'm writing a scientific paper, I want to use i.e. or that is to clarify a term. Are they both correct or either?


texts: "Heard my mom cry/crying", "leave the door lock/locked"

texts:
Two simple examples:

  a. I heard my mom cry.
  b. I heard my mom crying.
  a. Please leave the door lock always.
  b. Please leave the door locked always.

Which one, a or b, is right?


texts: The salutation "hi, Joe," often does not have a comma after "hi." "Hi" is not a modifier like "dear." It is not part of a person's title. "Hi" is an interjection and is normally set off with commas. If one would put a comma after "good morning" in "good morning, Joe," then why is the comma after "hi" omitted so often? Is it proper to omit this comma?


texts:
Many years ago in my first job, I made the mistake of writing "as from" instead of "as opposed to" in a document. To me it seemed normal usage (I must have learnt it from somewhere) but everyone else claimed it was not correct English.

Were they right?


texts: What's a word for someone you don't like?

texts: I'm looking for a noun for a person you don't like, but does not reveal any more information about that person besides disliking them/


texts: What is the meaning of "epic" as an adjective??

texts: Lately, I saw this used many times especially in social media and some people have a caption for there photo with it, so l just want to know its exact meaning as an adjective "that's epic or that was epic"  as search alot for its meaning in Merriam Webster and others but what l found the meaning of the noun but l did not find the adjective meaning.


texts: Word for manufacturers intentionally making their cheaper products inferior even though they use the same hardware?

texts:
As an example, the Canon 77D which I have supports timelapse mode in which the camera takes a series of shots at a predefined interval of time. However the cheaper Canon 200D doesn't have such a mode, even though the hardware is very similar and there's no reason why it couldn't support it as well.

What's the proper word to use for this kind of pricing strategy?


texts: What's the difference between rail against, fulminate against and inveigh against?

texts:
I am a bit lost! Are rail against, fulminate against and inveigh against synonyms or are they different? What do they mean exactly?

My dictionary says: inveigh against= to strongly criticize something or someone. Fulminate= to criticize strongly and rail against: complain angrily.


texts: Need a word that means "the worst that can happen"

texts:
On the subject of weather and climate change, I'm wondering if there's a word that sums up "the worst case scenario"? At the moment I'm stuck on amplitude, as an expression of the field of/variations in outcomes... But I'm looking for something better! Ideally I'm looking for a tidy expression signifying maximum possible effect: The something something... (Not apocalypse etc) I know it exists, I just can't put my finger on it.

Many thanks for any help.


texts:
Here are some examples:

  Meanings have been are still in constant flux. (Source)
  I'm afraid to say that in the past the police have been are too keen to caution people. (Source)
  That's because those overseas clubs have been are able to negotiate those domestic rights themselves and not collectively as the Premier League clubs do. (Source)

Are these sentences grammatically correct? Why was have been not used?


texts: Why did Americans make up their own words for certain things?

texts:
Why did Americans come up with new words for the British English words like "sidewalk" instead of "pavement"?

I only see a reason they omitted certain letters in some words, like "colour" - "color", but I don't see any reason why they would make their own words.

Why didn't they stick with the British words?


texts:
I was just having a conversation with a friend and I said "see how far from the access point each device is, so that I can do some relocation and such forth".

She said that using such forth at that part of the sentence is incorrect. Why?


texts:
Is it acceptable to use a single hyphen as a dash (as the BBC does)?

Example from BBC News:

  Venezuela - a major oil producer - has been heavily affected by the
  fall in oil prices on international markets.


texts: I heard the letter a was pronounced /ei/, and sometimes it was pronounced as /ə/. So, can you tell me when is it pronounced as /ei/, and when as /ə/?


texts:
I have this text from a book that asks to choose repeating or repeated to form the correct sentence.
I think both are grammatically correct but why is repeated prefered over repeating?
The text is:
"...
These are signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)*. It keeps people from doing tasks by hand. Generally, it happens due to [repeating/repeated] wrist actions.
..."
Many thanks


texts: How would you describe something cool and old that you just discovered?

texts:
I recently discovered a piece of entertainment media that's cool, but old - think Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. When I want to tell my friends about the show, I can't say:

  "Hey guys, I just found a cool new thing!"

(because it's not new)

I want to emphasize on the short timeframe between the discovery of the show and the time of speech, but because of English adjective order, the following doesn't fly:

  "Hey guys, I just found a new cool thing!"

Is there a short and simple way to express what I want to say?


texts: English word equivalent of 膩 (sick of something due to overindulgence)

texts:
The chinese character 膩 (nì) is often used to describe when you are sick of something because it's too excessive in some way.

Google translate converts it to "greasy" which is true in the sense that yes, if you eat too much greasy food you get sick of it, but it's not just restricted to oily stuff. If you have a giant steak but there are no accompanying vegetables, then you may not be able to eat much of the steak because all that meat is too "nì."

The concept can be used outside of eating as well. For example, if you play the same game for several hours every single day you may exhaust your interest in it because you've played it to the point where it is now "nì."

I know such a word exists in English because I remember coming across something with a very similar meaning on dictionary.com, but it seemed to be a rather obscure word that I've never seen used in everyday English, and I neglected to write down the word, so I've completely forgotten.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!


texts:
"I am seeing my friends from the club this Saturday at ten o' clock."
or
"I am going to see my friends from the club this Saturday at ten o' clock."

Which phrase is more correct?


texts: What is the verb for dividing something into regions?

texts:
Imagine a piece of paper on which you can draw some "regions". What do you call this act?

These words can probably better tell you what I mean, but I know they don't exist in English:

Regionize: I regionized the paper
Enregion: I enregioned the paper
Region itself as a verb(?): I regioned the paper

In reality, I am a programmer "enregioning" a skin. I would be happier if the verb had clear relation with "region", because that is the technical term I am using for those parts of the skin. That way, the "enregioner" would both have a meaningful name and one that makes users understand it is creating "regions"


texts:
Does the word nationalism  specifically imply a feeling of kindred superiority in a secular sense?

For instance, if country X opposes themselves to country Y based on religious practice or reasons, would we still refer to country X's behavior as nationalism? In this scenario let us assume country X has no issue with a third country where the same religion is practiced as in country Y.

What if country X's claim to their homeland is based on a religious belief, would any behaviors which would have been classified as nationalism now be called something else?


texts: What determines how 'cursed' (as an attributive adjective) is pronounced?

texts:
'Cursed' can be pronouced '/kɜːrst/' or '/ˈkɜːrsɪd/'. As far as I am aware, when used as the past tense of the verb 'to curse' it is always the former ('He stubbed his toe and cursed'). When used as an adjective the former is used for the predicative ('This house is cursed') but either can be used for the attributive ('This cursed house'); to me , as a native English speaker, /ˈkɜːrsɪd/ has an old-fashioned feel; most of the examples I can think of are Shakespearean or religious. When should each of these pronunciations be used for 'cursed' as an attributive adjective? Nowadays, is /ˈkɜːrsɪd/ simply used when someone wants something to sound dramatic and portentous, or is there more to it than that?

The OED, Cambridge and Merriam-Webster definitions each list both pronunciations but don't provide guidance on when to use each; the Oxford Learner's Dictionary, interestingly, claims the first pronunciation is used when something is literally under a curse, while the second is for metaphorical usage (describing something unpleasant or annoying). This would be a nice straightforward rule but it doesn't sound correct to me.

(This question was prompted by one over on 'Science Fiction and Fantasy' about how to pronounce 'The Cursed Child').


texts: What is the proper way to say “Clinton”?

texts:
I have always assumed that Bill and Hillary Clinton's name is pronounced Clin-tun. But during this year's election coverage, I  noticed that a great many people pronounce it as Clin-uhn, with no "T" sound at all.

Is there a correct way?


texts:
Being sensitive to others when taking part in a general discussion is a useful quality to have.

vs

To be sensitive to others when taking part in a general discussion is a useful quality to have.

I know that the first phrase is correct. But why? Can you explain to me?


texts:
In the movie Easy A, Emma Stone's character has the following conversation with her parents:

  Mother: What's the rumor mill churning out these days, anything interesting?
  Girl: You know, not really. Not really, it's a little low on grist.
  Father: Whoa! Clever wordplay. I like it very much. You must be related to me.
  Girl: Only by marriage.
  Father: Give it to me.

I want to know the meaning of 2 phrases:

It's a little low on grist
give it to me


texts: Inquiries Concerning Context Clues, Syllables, and the Use of the Dictionary

texts:
The following are consists of three questions with the possible choices for each along with my reasoning for each question. I ask of you to provide me assistance in guiding me towards the answer for each question and the understanding for why each answer is correct.

Read this sentence carefully.

  The autocratic leader handed out orders left and right.

What kind of context clue would you use to understand the meaning of autocratic?

A Clue provided by contrast with a signal word

B. Clues from your experience or general information

C. A clue offered by an example

D. Clues from another sentence

Reasoning: The given sentence provides a prominent context clue within the predicate of the sentence ("handed out orders left and right"). The predicate gives an example of the action done by the autocratic leader, leading me to suspect answer C as correct.

You're using a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words. Which of these words is least likely to be an entry word?

A. Expedite

B. Frigate

C. Streamer

D. Soberly

Reasoning: This question puzzles me. Please correct me if I am wrong; I believe "entry word" within this particular question refers to the words which is displayed within the dictionary, after which the pronunciation and definition are given. According to my understanding, I think that each answer choice would all be entry words.

Speak aloud each of the following words. Which word has stress on its first syllable?

A. Fol·low

B. De·test

C. Re·new

D. Ob·tain

Reasoning: A tip which I picked up on syllables is to look for the vowel within the word which is pronounced with the highest pitch. Using this tip, I would hold obtain and follow as possible options for the correct answer. Something which I find conflicting about this question is that nearly all words in English are pronounced differently due to one's place of origin. For example, obtain has two different pronunciations even noted by the dictionary (one with a sound much like ubtain and another pronounced like abtain).

Thanks in advance!


texts: Can I show my opinion in negative interrogative?

texts:
I believe
It is not safe to let strangers in.

How do I ask people and find out if they have the same opinion as me?

Is it safe to let strangers in?: It feels like to me that I have no opinion.
Isn't it safe to let strangers in?: It feels like to me that I believe it is safe to let strangers in.
Is it not safe to let strangers in?: Many resources [1][2][3] claim this form is merely a formal form of option 2.

Someone told me to say
Is it unsafe to let strangers in?
How about this one? Is "unsafe" equal to "not safe"? Can you rephrase the question using "not"?

https://www.englishgrammar.org/negative-questions/
Why do not we ask negative questions without a contraction on the not after the verb?
"Do you not" vs. "Don't you"


texts: How to most professionally phrase "distribution company"?

texts:
I want to correctly describe the company I worked for.

It's a printing company who works for other companies, like pizzerias and other franchises, and prints fliers and banners and logos for those companies. What professional phrase can I use to describe a company like that?


texts: What exactly does "my grandfather built this house" mean?

texts:
When someone says that "my grandfather built this house", say now or even 20-30 years ago, do they mean their grandfather literally built that house from ground up?

Foundation, framing, wiring, plumbing, stucco, roofing — the works?!  Or do they mean it to say "My family has lived in this house for 3 generations since my grandfather [paid someone to] build this house?"  Potentially based on grandfather's design/vision.  Sure maybe grandpa put in the floors or a custom bookshelf, but did grandpa literally build the house?


texts: What is the subtle difference between ‘just about’ and ‘only just’?

texts:
I'm curious about the difference between sentences 1 and 2:

  The company is just about ticking over.
  The company is only just ticking over.

I guess the first describes a better situation than the second, doesn't it?
But different people seem to have different  opinions on this.


texts: Is there a word to describe someone who tends to disagree with others only to upset them?

texts:
What's the word to describe someone who acts arrogantly and always disagrees with others unreasonably in order to upset people around him/her?

[I'm not looking for adjectives like unpleasant, annoying, unfriendly, rude, I'm looking for a more specific term like opinionated, didactic, loquacious, gregarious ]

I think I'd come across it before but I've forgotten what it is..


texts: What is the difference between 'would you' and 'could you'?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How to use would or could in English?

This question is about English grammar. I am an absolute Chinese, I can read, write, and speak English, but sometimes I am confused about the difference between would and could. Can anybody here explain the difference and provide examples of each?


texts:
I recently used a sentence similar to the following:

  Curiously, do you prefer black?

Some people found it grammatically incorrect. That was a surprise, for I thought it was perfectly okay. Someone even came with an alternative:

  Out of curiosity, do you prefer black?

Is the second sentence actually better? Is there a real difference (bar the number of characters)?


texts: Is there an idiom about not listening? Or about being rude?

texts:
We have a foreign boss, he isn't very receptive if we broach subjects with him about his mannerisms. However he has been very interested in learning different colloquialisms or idioms. We have been using this as a way to broach hard subjects with him, like when he is being rude.

For instance he has a habit of walking away when someone is speaking to him, is there a saying that we could say in this situation? When he asks what that means we can explain he is being rude by not listening to someone.


texts:
What is the meaning of "and good company to be in" here?

Context:

It is as if artists were rogue mutations in the body politic, sniffing the wind, open to new ideas, makers of new constructs and constructions, sometimes derided for their lack of conformity, but ahead of their time, leading the way in adapting to new conditions and therefore supreme survivors and good company to be in.


texts: What is the proper term to describe the levels of experience for a trade?

texts:
For the life of me I can't recall or even Google the proper term to describe the levels of experience for a given trade.

For example let's say there are 5 levels of experience to trade x:

Rookie
Journeyman
Veteran
Craftsman
Luminary

What hypernym would describe these levels of experience?


texts:
There is a video game titled “The Suffering”. This game stars a character named Torque, who has been sent to Abbott State Penitentiary on Carnate Island off the coast of Maryland. Torque has been put on death row for (seemingly) murdering his ex-wife and two sons. The truth behind their deaths is…complicated.
Shortly after Torque is put in a cell, the other inmates begin talking about him. Some of them believe Torque committed the crimes, while others don’t think so. It leads to an argument so loud and hostile that a correction officer has to break it up through a loudspeaker as follows.

Correction Officer: Quiet down in there! Some of you wanna go back on the loaf? [Beat] I didn’t think so.

I have racked my brains trying to figure out what “go back on the loaf” means. Is it referring to food? Is it referring to some sort of punishment? It could be prison slang for all I know.
If there is anyone here who can explain to me what the phrase means, I will be very happy.


texts: "me's" when referring to another version of you?

texts: Let's say I want to refer to a toy that I had when I was younger.  Would it be incorrect to say "young me's toy"?


texts: Which is the most appropriate verb tense and mood for this text?

texts:
Access or use of this system without authorization or in excess of authorization either express or implied may subject violators to
  criminal and civil action.  On top of that we would probably call you names behind your back.

What tense and mood are required for "we would call"?  Maybe "future unreal conditional plus continuous"?  Should it be "we will call" instead?

I think there's some implied text:

  On top of that,
  if you were to access,
  we would call names.

Looks like it might be a future modal (conditional)?

(Also, how might I have better asked this question?  I don't feel the subject is descriptive.)


texts: What is the word for "understandable by specific group"?

texts: Please suggest the word which means "understandable by specific group". I just forgot that.


texts: Why is it “A first,” not “The first” for U.S Ice Dancing team taking the top spot in Sochi”?

texts:
I heard that the announcer, Tim McGuire reported that;

  “A first for U.S. Ice Dancing team, Gold. Meryl Davis, Charlie
  White taking the top spot in Sochi.”

in February 17 AP Radio News.

I also found ”a fifth / sixth term” in Jeffery Archer’s fiction, “Prodigal Daughter”：

  “It was from George that he learned that Henry Osborne had been
  re-elected to Congress a fifth term. - P57

  At least he had been right in stating that Henry Osborne was returned
  to Congress for a sixth term. - P89

I wonder why it is “a first” instead of “the first” for U.S. Ice Dancing team, Gold. and “a fifth / sixth term” instead of “the fifth / sixth term” for Congressman, Osborne.

I’m under impression that the ordinal number usually takes “the” like “the first time,” “Elizabeth the Second,” and “The Third man.”

Is ‘the’ and “a” interchangeable for the ordinal number? If not, what is the difference between “A first” and “The first” in the context of U.S. Ice Dancing team winning Gold medal in Sochi?


texts: What does "bucking the down draft" mean?

texts:
Barrick Gold and Goldcorp were bucking the down draft to add 1.9
  per cent to $15.11 and 1.4 per cent to $14.99, respectively.

What does bucking the down draft mean here? If it means decline, then why is it followed by to add? Does it mean to add a negative value?


texts:
I always start my email with "As per checking,......" but I found out there is someone else who used to write "As per check,...".

Sentence example :

  As per checking, we found out the issue was caused from our side.

In this case, is my sentence wrong? Should I change to check/checked instead? But checking sounds a lot more suitable than check.


texts:
When a trap is set up to be active, is it "sprung" or "unsprung"?

I'm confused by the ambiguity of the verb "spring". That is, a trap that is set up and active could be "sprung" in the sense that a spring is compressed and ready to launch, but it could also be "unsprung" in the sense that it hasn't yet sprung to action because its spring force has yet to be released. And after a victim walks into the trap and causes it to spring, the same ambiguity (in my mind) seems to apply.


texts:
Is this sentence correct?

Which solution we have planned?

OR

Which solution did we have planned?

OR

Which solution did we plan?

I'm discussing about a technical issue and my question is just a way to start discussing the solution we have planned.

Thanks,
Duilio


texts: I have an incontinence. Would my urine leakages symptom come and go? or stay forever?

texts:
got a question about expression come and go.

some dictionary says it come and go away and never come.

other dictionaries say it come and go and come again and go again. repeat

which one is right expression?


texts: In informal speech, how would you describe a bus that travels from point A to point B by passing through every part of the city instead of using the straight way? When you give someone an advice which bus to take, how would you explain that it's not recommended to take bus X because its route is too long?


texts: What are some good ideas to practice /s/ sound in conversation?

texts:
I have been learning English for seven months. I know the basic grammar rules of final /s/, for example, she like*s* ..., he love*s* ..., and so on.

In Thai language, we don't have /s/, /k/, /t/, and other sounds that flow the air out of the mouth.

My problem is during conversation. I usually forget to pronounce final /s/ and sometimes /s/ at the middle of the word. Even I read aloud to my teachers, I still drop those sound. I want to break this habit. I would like to know some good ideas to practice and retain final /s/ and /s/ at the middle of the word.


texts: Someone who thinks they can do everything but they can't

texts:
What would you call someone who is extremely independent and thinks that they can do everything on their own, but in reality they are getting swamped and cannot handle the pressure without help. Not a loner, just likes to handle things by themselves without getting anyone else involved.
Is there such a word or phrase?


texts:
In the British pantomime 'Principal Boy' has always referred to the main male role e.g. Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin, Peter Pan etc. It has traditionally been played by a female, especially one with fine athletic legs.

At an early date producers found that they needed to provide material for 'all the family', not only for the kids but mums and dads too. One way of attracting the dads in to the theatre, was to have a fine pair of female legs on show throughout the performance. Hence 'the Principal Boy'. (For those who do not know anything about Pantomime, jokes are also contrived so that the same jokes can be understood on different levels, typically double entendre for the adults, and slapstick for the kids.)

For some reason the role of Principal Boy is in decline (something to do with feminism, no doubt). So if Dick Whittington is now played by a male actor, what do we call him. Is he any longer a 'Principal Boy'?


texts: Is the usage of the phrase "give it a read" correct? For instance, "Hey, I have attached my essay. Do give it a read and let me know what you think".


texts: Usage of "to double down" in British and American English

texts: The idiom "to double to on sth" in the sense of "continuing to do something in an even more determined way than before" is mentioned in the Cambridge Dictionary. However, personally, I've heard this exclusively in American English. Thus my question: is this phrase also commonly used in British English or rather just in American English? And if the latter is true, what would be a British equivalent?


texts:
I have stumbled upon this sentence:

  But more pragmatically, the discipline encourages students to analyze complex material, question conventional beliefs, and express thoughts in a concise manner.

Ok so the first thing I understand is how is this:

  But more pragmatically

part of the sentence called? Is this a subordinate clause or how would it be called and why is it grammatically correct?

Now what confuses me is that it is correct. I was given the option to replace this "But more pragmatically" with

  But in a more pragmatic way,

But the answer explanation stated that "But more pragmatically" was correct. How is that correct? Isn't an adverb supposed to modify a verb? So then what is pragmatically modifying?


texts:
I had thought that Jew was gender-neutral, until I heard somebody who was asked if their mother was a Jew and responded, "of course not; she's a Jewess".

Is Jew a gender-neutral form, or does one need to distinguish between Jew and Jewess?


texts: An English phrase for this Danish phrase?

texts:
In Danish we got a good-humored phrase which goes like this:

  Spis lige brød til

Literally speaking it means:

  eat bread to or eat some bread

This of course makes no sense in English
in Danish the phrase means:

  Hey!, calm down, chill man, slow down and so forth

Do you have anything similar in English with the eat bread or eat some bread  included?


texts:
So, in the next phrase:

«I miss you. That's the hardest thing I've got to deal with everyday»

According to that phrase, should it be every day or everyday?
Also, what's the difference between these two, could you please give me many examples?

Thank you! ❤


texts: what is the difference between "seek" or "search" ?

texts:
Can I use a verb seek in this way "makes me seek more rewarding and challenging environment"?
Thank you


texts:
Somehow, I'm very confused with how to make this sentence work. Would appreciate any help.
Should it be

  You will learn what orders person A has made, as well as what things did person B keep in his mind while working on this.

or

  You will learn what orders has person A made, as well as what things person B kept in his mind while working on this.

or something entirely else?


texts: If there is even the English name for this, please tell me.


texts: In physics, we have Coulombic interaction. Why do we have "Coulombic" but not "Coulombian"? At first, I think that because the letter b from Coulomb decides which suffix comes after it, but when I look at the Jacobian word in mathematics, I think that this hypothesis is wrong.


texts: To not want to believe something has happened

texts: I usually hear people use the phrase "I don't/didn't want to believe it," and I've always been curious as to what it meant. Does it mean that the person is in denial of something? Or does it mean that the person does believe something but doesn't want to? How's it different from when people say "I don't believe it?"


texts:
Is there a difference between

  I want divorce

and

  I want to divorce.

And concerning the second one should I rather say

  I want to divorce my wife

And is "to divorce" A verb here or  or object of the verb "want"?


texts: Is there a similar expression to "level the score" in American English?

texts: I'm non-native English speaker and I found the expression "level the score" in dictionary was denoted as "British English". So I want to know if there is a counterpart in the US English.


texts: "Cabbage and beets together sounds good." or "Cabbage and beets together sound good."

texts: Cabbage and beets is not a single dish.  Does the word 'together' make the subject singular?


texts:
What does knee-jerk reaction mean?

From NYT article:

  Another senior Socialist, who declined to be identified, said the party could not afford knee-jerk reactions.


texts: What does "might" exactly mean in the following excerpt?

texts:
This is a excerpt from Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, and I want to know the exact meaning of might regarding the context. Some say by might we mean:

  being allowed to

and some say it means:

  being able to

Of course we are all aware of the first meaning but relating to the later one, I couldn't find anything related. Here is the excerpt:

  And thereupon Isoud fell down in a swoon, and so lay a great while And
  when she might speak she said: My lord Sir Tristram, blessed be God ye
  have your life, and now I am sure ye shall be discovered by this
  little brachet, for she will never leave you.


texts:
Which one should should I use? For some reason I have always used "towards", but I see some people saying "toward", like here:

  A great deal of his work in economic
  theory has been directed toward
  strengthening the foundations of our
  understanding of central banking and
  social insurance--indeed, one of my
  most advanced macroeconomic classes
  was nothing but a set of changes rung
  upon a particular model that Peter
  Diamond had advanced at...

Is there a difference between the two? When should they be used?


texts: Using argumentum ad verecundiam as a verb

texts:
When referring to logical fallacies in code mixed sentences, I typically see them used as nouns:

  "Of course I'm cool, my mom says I'm cool!"
  "That appears to be an argumentum ad verecundiam."

If we use an English equivalent we can substitute argument with appeal and have:

  "Of course I'm cool, my mom says I'm cool!"
  "You may be appealing to authority."

Can argumentum ad verecundiam, or an accepted modification of it, be used as a verb, in a way that doesn't seem forced?

The intent behind this is to debase a rebuttal by making it pretentious and introducing elements of argumentum verbosium. Additionally adding a bit of ad hominem by moving from:

  "The argument might be fallacious"

to:

  "Your action might be fallacious"

Thus focusing more on the person than their argument.

I suspect that this can't be done in a smooth manner due to "argumentum ad verecundiam" being treated as a single word. As such changing it to another part of speech does strange things to its meaning or takes it from uncommon usage to non existent usage:

"You may be argumentuming ex verecundiam" gives something of the impression that I would like, but is in the non existent usage world. Preventing it from giving pretentious but, to some, understandable meaning. And the use of the hybrid word makes it sound forced to me.


texts: How do you properly follow a subjunctive with a related statement?

texts:
I recently wrote the following:

  …even if the story were originally true, there's no way that Obama was
  president when it happened.

And then I stared at it, trying to figure out if the second phrase implied that it had happened. I thought about other ways to phrase it, …when it would've happened, etc, but everything felt more cumbersome than the original. Does the second phrase belie the subjunctive and make it sound as if the story is true? If so, how could I phrase it better?


texts: Is using "fruits" as the plural of "fruit" acceptable?

texts:
I've always understood the plural of fruit to be fruit, not fruits.

I was looking at some marketing material and they used the word "fruits" in the following context:

  A unique infusion made with ... strawberry, raspberry and cranberry fruits

In discussion with someone about this sentence, he described that the plural of person is not necessarily always people, and could be persons. Therefore it's possible that fruits could be a legitimate plural form.

Is fruits used correctly in this context, or could it be used correctly in ANY context?


texts:
I wrote

  when we place our self

meaning each one of us, his or her self -- and was told to use "ourselves" instead. Who is right?


texts:
'Stick no bills' sounds awkward.

Shouldn't it be something like 'Do not stick any bills'?


texts: Difference between "canteen" and "cafeteria"

texts:
Are there any differences between canteen and cafeteria?

In India, usually an eating place attached to an office, factory or school is called a canteen. Of course, in some new offices it is called cafeteria, but government offices and factories still call them canteens.

In US, I have never heard canteen used except for military canteen. Is it the same in British English too?


texts:
Help me please about the exact meaning of the following passage. The words in bold are intended.

"Although the SD had taken the trouble of getting Mayr and Gamotha out to Persia, and although war with Russia had broken out, Berlin was so confident of victory farther west that it did not see any reason for organizing espionage."

Many thanks in advance.

meaning-in-context


texts:
I found in the transcript of the debate between Russell and Copleston the sentence,

I'd like to put the main weight on the metaphysical argument.

Can the phrase "put more weight on something" mean "to attach more importance" to it?
For example, does it make sense to say the following?

Compared to person B, person A puts more weight on psychological aspects.


texts:
In my research, I frequently take an algorithm and improve it in certain ways. In grants, when describing this activity, find myself frequently writing that I will "further develop" a certain method.  Is there a more concise way of saying "further develop?"  Preferably it would be a single verb that has the general meaning of "improve."

Example sentence:

  In this work, we aim to ________ [further develop] diffusion maps as a
  method for dimensionality reduction.


texts:
While filling in a UK form I just encountered the following question:

  How many credit cards held?

This was followed by a free-form text field. So they are either asking

‘how many credit cards have you ever held in your hands in total,’
‘how many credit cards have you held in your hands at most at any one time,’ or
‘how many credit cards have you currently got registered in your own name.’

Judging by the context it's obviously the third.

Next question:

  Current account held? [ ] Yes [ ] No

What? My first thought was that there was a plural "s" missing, and they're really asking how many accounts I have like in the last question, or else the account number of my current account, but they want a binary answer. So are they asking

‘do you have an account at all,’
‘is your account in some nebulous "held" state,’
‘is the account you're currently using registered in somebody else's name (applicable to minors or dependants),’ or
something completely different?


texts:
Would it be OK to say:
"The Subcontractor departs from the certified project" (meaning, that he does not comply with the established work order, stated in the project" and takes his own direction)? Is the word "depart" suitable here?


texts: Is Noam Chomsky correct when he says the rules of a language are made up?

texts: In this video, Chomsky says that the rules of a language are pretty much artificial. How correct is he in regard to English? If what he says is correct, doesn't that undermine nearly every 'correct' answer given on this site?


texts: What should be filled in "Honoring", "Given by" and "R.S.V.P"

texts: In the invitation letters, what should I fill in to the fields "Honoring", "Given by" and "R.S.V.P"?


texts:
If I say, "I don't have a good memory of my childhood", would it imply that I cant recollect it or that I have bad memories (bad stories, unhappy) childhood?

I think that "good memories" implies the latter and "a good memory" implies the former. Is it correct?


texts: Where did the "odd" in "N odd years" come from?

texts: I was reminded this usage by the recent question asking about the origin of "-ish."  Odd is often used in a similar way in the stock phrase "odd years" to mean "around" or "about" a certain length of time.  For example I might say, "250 odd years" to mean "250 years, give or take."  In this usage of odd, I can't really see the connection with its usual given definitions of "strange" or "not divisible by 2."  Could I get some history on the evolution of this meaning of "odd"?


texts: Is there a difference between a spigot and a faucet (usage in AmE)

texts:
What is a domestic tap called commonly in the US ?

-a spigot?

a device that controls the flow of liquid from a large container (MW)

Dictionary meaning aside, I had this understanding that a domestic tap is known as a faucet.


texts: currency in the millions as an adjective

texts:
Would it be:

1) It was a $24-million project.

or

2) It was a $24 million project.

I'm thinking (2), although if I were to write it out as words, I would write "a 24-million-dollar project." But in the "currency symbol" "numeral" format, it's not like "$24" (twenty-four dollars) is modifying "million".

Anyway, any advice/wisdom would be appreciated.


texts: Are "when", "where" and "of" equally valid after "to include the case..."?

texts:
What are the rules for the usage of this construct?

For example, suppose you've written a StackExchange answer, and later you decided edit it so that your proposed solution handles an additional case. If you wanted to say "I've edited my answer to include the case..." would you follow that with when, where or of? What are the grammatical conditions?

I know it must have something to do with the following part of your sentence being "situational", "descriptive", etc. but I'm not sure.


texts: Term for area affected by/endangered by a wildfire

texts:
Is there a conventional term (regardless of its level of formality) referring to the area which is (currently) affected by and/or endangered by a wildfire? — a roughly analogous term in the case of a tornado would be the areas in the path of the tornado†.

†I don't know of a more concise term for this, either, but this seems to be a fairly fixed expression.


texts: What do you call something that blocks radio waves?

texts:
The question is quite self-explanatory. What word can be used to describe something that blocks radio waves?

Edit:
No, I am not looking for some easy word like "block" or "blocker". This is part of a project, and I need a word that sounds sophisticated.

Edit 2:
Sentence example:

_______ has a high attenuation coefficient.

I went to this website looking for an answer. I didn't find one... However, it explains what radio waves are pretty well, though.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-block-radio-waves/

Thanks!


texts:
English is my second language and i can get a little confused with time and dates. My Uni has sent me a email with a given deadline and i want to make sure that i understand it. The email stated the following "you have 14 days from today 5 March to submit your project. Deadline: 20 March 2020."

So i assume that the deadline is at midnight the 19th March. Because its 14 days from the 5th. But the write that the deadline is the 20th? How can that be when they wrote "14 days from today" which would be the 19th. Do they just mean that i should hand it in before midnight? or do i have to midnight the 20th of march?


texts: "The reason for you to ... is ...." What is the question form of this?

texts:
For example: "The reason for you to be in jail is you murdered someone"

If I want to verify it, how can I state it as a question?

"Is the reason for you to be in jail you murdered someone?"

this sound a little weird but is that true?

By the way, I don't want to ask it like I know nothing, like: "What is the reason....?"

Thanks in advance


texts: What are words like henceforth. nevertheless, hereupon?

texts: what are these words? I think they are legal words and I wanna know more.


texts: Should 'First Lady' be capped in all references?

texts:
Should First Lady be capped in all references?

•I spoke with the First Lady, Michelle Obama.
•Do you want to speak with the First Lady?
•Former First Lady Barbara Bush attended the ceremony.

And what about the First Couple and the First Kids?

•The First Couple [Barack and Michelle] arrived in Washington.

•The First Kids [Barack and Michelle's kids] arrived with their parents.


texts:
I would like to get some opinions on this:

The more hours you put into your work, the more tasks you are able to handle, and ultimately, the greater your advantage becomes towards your competition.

My question involves the last part of the sentence: "the greater your advantage becomes towards your competition."

Is there a better way to put this?


texts: Why is it a "night on the town" and not "night in the town"?

texts:
Question as in the title.

I commonly use the phrase "out and about in town" in speech.

I'm not sure if my usage is correct because of the "night on the town" phrase.


texts: What is the word to describe an action taken for ones self?

texts:
I was wondering what is the best way to describe an action taken for one's self without a negative, or positive connotation behind it?

Such as in the action of someone recusing themselves from an activity, the action of recusing is neutral.

I know that an action against one's self that is negative, such as suicide could be described as self-destructive.


texts: When someone phrases a question awkwardly to elicit a wrong response

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase that describes the situation when someone asks a question in a way to elicit an incorrect response. For example:

Alice: Hey, Bob, have you never done drugs?
Bob: Nope!
Alice: So you have done drugs, then?
Bob: Argh, Alice! You know what I meant. That was such a ___ question!

Or something along those lines. I don't care much whether the word describes the question, or the situation, or maybe it's a verb describing what Alice did.


texts: The word order and prepositions in an example

texts:
Background to the sentence: a system activates itself after temperature has been deviated for [X] seconds.

Now I want to describe what X does and I just cannot figure it out. My best attempts are:

  The value X specifies the time period for which the temperature has to
  be deviated.

  The value X specifies the time period during which the temperature has to be
  deviated.


texts:
We use the word "deca" as a combining form to denote 10 like in decade or decahedron.

What is the combining form of twenty?
Is there really a word to symbolize 20?


texts: Are words like 'dog whistle', horse box', etc compound nouns?

texts: Why do we say 'dog whistle' but 'dog's lead'; 'horse box' but 'horse's bridle'?


texts:
In the question "Can you use “including” after an uncountable word?" on the SE.ELL site, forms such as

  He listened to all of the music, including the bad ones.

are discussed. My answer there described this use of "one" as a pronoun. This is supported by listings in the Campbridge Dictionary, the online Oxford dictionaries, the online Macmillan Dictionary, the online Collins English Dictionary,  the Free Dictionary, and  ABA Journal article on "The pronoun one". However, user BillJ objected that

  "one(s)" is actually a common noun, not a pronoun, as evident from the fact that it can take determiners such as "the" and "this", which pronouns can't.

In support of this, BillJ cited the Cambridge Grammar of The English Language, by Huddleston & Pullum, page 1462 (and a few other pages).

I was able to find a version of that page online, and it  does include the statement that "one" is what the authors term a "pro-form" but not a pronoun, and a statement that pronouns cannot take determiners. On that page the authors also call pronouns a class of nouns, which is not standard grammar as I understand it.

Is this distinction between pronouns and "pro-forms" widely accepted? Is it helpful? Will it be helpful to those learning English as a second language, the primary audience on SE.ELL? Is it widely accepted that pronouns cannot take a determiner? Is "one" generally considered a pronoun in this sort of construction?

If it is accepted that pronouns cannot take determiners, then what does one call the use of "one" (or "ones") in the following examples:

  He advised workers around him, especially the younger ones, to be patient.
  Kayla is the one with dark brown hair.
  Make sure the ones that we've got there do what you want them to do.

(All taken from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/one under the section "used to refer to a particular thing or person within a group or range of things or people")

Note that the discussion on ELL was not about the use of "one" in constructions where it could be replaced by "you", such as:

  One should be careful to use correct grammar.

However, the text from The Cambridge Grammar of The English Language p1462 could be read to deny that any use of "one" is a pronoun. Is this correct grammar?


texts:
Does the choice between passive/active voice make any difference in the examples below?

My question relates to your earlier work.
My question is related to you earlier work.
Nerve cells relate to one another through thin fibers.
Nerve cells are related to one another through thin fibers.


texts:
I saw the following sentence in a journal paper.

The base stations, users, and relays are each equipped with one antenna.

I'm sure it means that each of them is equipped with one antenna.
However, I can't understand how the word 'each' is placed there in the sentence above.
I've learned that 'each' acts as a determiner or a pronoun depending on the sentence.
Hence, as far as I am concerned, it should be written as

Each of the base stations, users, and relays is equipped with one antenna.

or

The base stations, users, and relays are equipped with one antenna, respectively.

However, I've seen the structure of the first sentence several times.
Accordingly, I felt there is a sentence structure or grammar that I don't know.
Please explain how 'each' can be placed between be verb and past participle.


texts: More general version of "finger on the pulse"

texts:
From my understanding when someone is "keeping a finger on the pulse of x" that person is keeping a close watch on and has a detailed understanding of the subject or situation.

What would be an expression for someone who monitors a situation to some extent, but doesn't pay attention to anything except major events?


texts:
I have come across "imposing a threat" several times in writing. Having myself always used "pose a threat", I find this usage strange. Ngrams indicate that "pose/posed a threat" is much more common, but "imposed a threat" also exists as a usage. Is it a mistake, because dictionary definitions under impose don't appear to support this usage? If not how does it differ from "pose" semantically?

The long-serving Glen was tautly alert to the threat imposed by Africans, considering them “more dangerous enemies” than either “Indians [or] Spaniards,” since they were “ready to revolt on the first opportunity and are eight times as many in number as there are white men able to bear arms," a "danger" grown greater since Oglethorpe's "unhappy expedition to St. Augustine." (source, by Gerald Horne)
Targeting education towards the community elders may limit the threat imposed by biomedical knowledge supplied by the youth on established hierarchical structures of authority. (source)
We believed that under conditions of high work pressures and unresponsive management, the rewards for group action as a way of warding off the threat imposed by these conditions, regaining control over the environment, and satisfying ... (source)
This kind of art violates accepted links between objects and events, thus imposing a threat to meaning. (source)

There is a lot more examples found on Google Books, seemingly too many to be considered typos/errors.


texts:
I need your help in merging these two sentences in one and short.

  For the evaluation, three statistical criteria were used: correlation coefficient
  (R), root mean squared difference (RMSD), and bias. Global R, RMSD, and bias maps
   were averaged taking into account contrasted biomes and vegetation (via the Leaf
     Area Index; LAI).


texts: What's a blow-up diagram of 3D parts called?

texts:
E.g. Where you've got a photo of the main part (I.e. a circuit board) in the middle, and images of other parts coming off from it, down to the screws and nuts.

What's the name of this diagram?


texts: Often times I hear people say "I got it offline" to mean they downloaded it from the internet, is this an accepted term or should it be "I got it online"?


texts: To raise/lower the blinds or to draw the blinds?

texts: I'm an English learner and I'd like to know which verb should I use when using the word venetian blinds. Do you say 'to raise/lower the blinds' or 'to pull the blinds up/down?' or 'to draw the blinds'? + What would you say if you just wanted to turn the slats - would you say something like 'Close/open the blinds, please.'? It would be really helpful for me if you took the time to answer. :)


texts: I was raised to pronounce "potential" with a long o (ō). This makes sense where the syllables are divided. Yet, the online dictionaries I have checked say it is "puh". Can you comment?


texts: Does "tradition" here mean beliefs or customs?

texts:
"But well-established tradition, and difference of physiognomy, prove conclusively that not all the present inhabitants of the mountains are the original inhabitants of that region"

Does tradition mean beliefs or customs? The Oxford Learners' Dictionary website defines tradition as a belief, custom or way of doing something that has existed for a long time among a particular group of people; [or] a set of these beliefs or customs


texts:
Is that one is correct and the other is not? Or something of brit-english versus us-english? Can I use either?

When I use the Cambridge dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/spellcheck/english/?q=datapoints together, it advises using with a hyphen!

A quick search on the web gives
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/data-point
with a space

I found other references that say that it's just an alternative spelling, but Grammarly doesn't agree with it. Is it wrong to spell datapoints?

you can send us your data points from any hook; or
you can send us your datapoints from any hook;


texts: Why are the words "lose" and "choose" written differently and pronounced the same way?

texts:
I do know that there isn't only one pronunciation for syllables, and I also know that there isn't only one way to write a phoneme, but this intrigues me a lot.

Lose is spelled with only one O, and it's frequently misspelled with two Os.

Choose is spelled with two Os, and it's frequently misspelled with one O.

One of the forms of the past tense of "to choose" is "chose", which is pronounced very differently from "lose", even though both words share the same vocals and ending syllable.

I'd like to see an explanation for this. Even on origin, or something I'm missing out here.

Note: for me, double Os seems way more logical, as every time I read "lose", it seems a little weird.


texts: Use of "do we" in the sentence "Only after 10pm do we actually sort out the mess."

texts:
Consider the use of the words "do we" in this sentence:

  Only after 10pm do we actually sort out the mess.

Can someone give me the technical name for this usage of "do we"? Is it called something? Is there a webpage which explains when this is used?

Thanks


texts: The meaning of "yet" in "Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her galled eyes"

texts:
Here's from Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2.

within a month;
Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
Had left the flushing in her galled eyes,
She married:

I'm wondering about the meaning of "yet" in the sentence above.


texts:
What is the proper punctuation for the following?

Have you heard, I like chocolate ice cream (?) (.)

Should it be two separate sentences?   Have you heard?  I like chocolate ice cream.

Is there a way to create a compound sentence?


texts: Is the phrase "there's no turning back for sure" correct?

texts:
I would like to ask if the following phrase is correct:

  There's no turning back for sure

The meaning of the sentence should be that there's no way to turn back and the for sure at the end should emphasize that who wrote the sentence is sure that that there's no way to turn back.

Is it correct to write such a phrase?


texts: Is there a better-understood word that means "culpatory"?

texts:
I am thinking of the word "culpatory" as defining a system of justice which is more concerned with discovering culpability than explanation (most of them do).

The definition of culpatory per the OED is as follows:

  Tending to or expressing blame.

  1786   H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting (ed. 4) V. 247   If
  adjectives in osus, as famosus, &c. were not most commonly used by
  Latian authors in a culpatory sense.

  1801   W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. 12 588   Eloquent culpatory
  diatribes.

I was watching a documentary of an actual lawsuit where a very poor boy of 14, who had been introduced to cocaine by his homeless mother at the age of 10, and who had only ever known brutalised living on the streets had committed a serious crime. The court seemed to me excessively obsessed with finding culpability rather than seeking understanding of the circumstances.

The only word I could think of to describe such a system is culpatory, but the OED indicates that its use is rare. Is there a better known word or expression that says much the same thing?


texts: How does one use the Latin word “cum” in a sentence?

texts:
Is this usage correct:

The Tim Smith show takes listeners through Tim's day to day life as a broadcasting legend cum podcaster.

Are the dashes "-" necessary?

and is the broadcasting legend too much?  Should it only be Noun-cum-noun?

Thanks.


texts: Peculiar use of the term "rationalization"

texts:
But whatever you call it, [Fordism] has been a system based
  on large-scale standardization and vertical organizations that require a strict division
  of labor and an extreme rationalization of each process. [emphasis mine]

I'm looking for perspectives on what the term "rationalization" might mean in this context - it seems to be a rather unique use of the term, and I'm curious about why it might have been chosen. Let me know if a longer excerpt is needed for more context - I'm curious about what can be deduced from this alone


texts:
Do you say

1) get some food to go from the Italian restaurant

OR

2) get some food to go at the Italian restaurant

or both are Okay?


texts: What do I call a person who is participating in a survey?

texts:
I am writing about a survey I wrote to evaluate the usability of a program. When describing the methodology of the survey, I refer to the person conducting the survey as the investigator. What should I call the other person?

  The investigator gave the [?] a tour of the functions of the application.


texts:
I have a few queries regarding how to write a cover letter:

"make a real contribution as member of your team." or "make a real contribution as A member of your team."
"If I may be a further assistance" or " If I may be of any further assistance"
Should we add references before closing the letter with a signature or after ?
Any site or source where one can check the American English and British English versions ?


texts: "Of course, it cost the companies some money, but also helps increase their profit." Is this sentence correct?

texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct "Of course, it cost the companies some money, but also helps increase their profit."? As I know, sometimes, we can use infinite verb with singular subject to emphasize things?


texts:
Prais’d be the fathomless universe,

  For life and joy, and for objects and knowledge curious,

Does the first sentence means "praise is for fathomless universe"? Is it an old structure?


texts: ranked 2nd out of 124 peers -- Is this sentence grammatically correct?

texts:
I want to say that I ranked 2nd among all the students with the same entrance as mine at my university. I want to say this with as few words as possible. This the best I've been able to come up with:
ranked 2nd out of 124 peers

I would appreciate any suggestions that you might have.


texts:
Is the following sentence right or should I use "changes"?

  The present study aimed at quantifying the change  in surface
  air temperature and monthly total rainfall

Here, by change I meant upward/ downward trend or no trends or any other type of patterns in the distributions of temperature and rainfall


texts: Using 'twice' vs. 'double' vs. 'two times' and 'triple' vs. 'three times' vs. 'thrice' (also adverb vs. adjective)

texts:
I'm wondering in which contexts which of 'twice', 'double' or 'two times' is preferred. Why? The same question applies to 'triple', 'three times' or 'thrice', where the latter is obviously dying.

I have a good feeling which is used in which contexts, but when I tried to put that into words, or find an underlying logic, I failed. My initial idea was that 'twice' is for discrete and 'double' is for continuous quantities. But then again, 'triple' is for discrete things like triple-header.

There is also some confusion of which can serve as an adjective and/or adverb. But also that 'twice' is reserved for doing (aka adverb), while double can never be used as an adverb. 'two times' seems to do both jobs.

Some examples (feel free to add better ones):

My car has 'twice/double/two times' ('triple/three times') the horsepower of X. (continuous)
My car has 'twice/double/two times' ('triple/three times') the cylinders of Y. (discrete)
I clicked twice vs. double-click (discrete, strangely the latter always means in quick succession)


texts: Is "embiggen" considered a formal or slang word?

texts:
If my memory serves me correctly, I first encountered the word embiggen a year or so ago.  I thought it seemed odd, but in context, the meaning was quite obvious.

Since that time I've seen this word with progressively greater frequency.  I tried to Google the word and I can find references to it in both Wiktionary and the Urban Dictionary-- both are not professional, formal dictionaries so that would lend me to believe that the word is certainly slang.

However, in almost every context that I have observed this word in use, it has been within a professional or semi-formal environment.

Is embiggen considered a formal or slang word?


texts: I am wondering which is better to use- utilize or use? What do you guys think? Does it depend on what are you using the word for?


texts: What's the difference between "my love" and "my lover"?

texts: What's the difference between "my love" and "my lover" ? Or do they have the same meaning ?


texts:
I am interested in early versions of English, and while reading I've often encountered the word wottest being used. For example:

  Then he said, "Galahad, son, wottest thou what I hold between my hands?"
  "Nay," said Sir Galahad, "but if ye tell me."
  "This is," said he, "the holy dish wherein I eat the lamb on Shrove-Thursday... Malory's History of King Arthur and the Quest of the Holy Grail, Sir Thomas Mallory

Etymology Online has no entry for "wottest".

My questions are these: What does it mean? When do we use it (if it is still used today)?


texts: Plural or singular after "what .... is / are + plural noun"

texts: Example: "what the researchers are looking for is / are materials that ..."


texts: In which cases can we use definite article before 'God'?


texts: The adverb "away" for continuity or repetitiveness

texts:
I would like to ask about the adverbial particle "away" meaning continuity or repetitiveness (i.e. not  a location, a distance, a change of position etc.).
When used with some atelic verbs, the meaning is "continually, steadily". This part is quite clear to me.

Over the past couple years we worked away on the car in my spare time.
We sat and chatted away till midnight.

The result seems different when away is used with short action verbs, it sounds almost exclusively as "repeatedly" to me. Taking a series of actions somehow differs from going on.

All that can be seen is the silhouette of Macbeth as he stabs away with his dagger.
This reddish-brown bird blends in with the leaves that litter the ground as it pecks away, looking for insects.
No one says a word to me as I bang away on the keyboard.
These feathers serve to brace the woodpecker as it hammers away.
While he rechecked the instruments, getting ready for the afternoon's studies, he licked away at his ice cream cone.

It requires many peck to feed oneself, it would be hard to eat a cream cone with one lick, killing a king requires several stabs.
So, is there such a strict line between the two meanings or is it just me?


texts:
If I'm talking about, say, an exhibition, and it's going to last for a few months, which one would you say?

"The exhibition will continue through to May."
"The exhibition will continue through May."

I even saw it being said this way
"The exhibition continues through May."
and here they're not even talking about a regularly-occurring exhibition, just a one time thing.


texts: "a past that we have forgotten about" and "a lot of pasts"

texts:
I'd appreciate it if someone would answer my question. Thank you.

A:  Everybody has a past and everybody has a future.

B:  And the fallacy comes from idealizing a past that we have forgotten about.
    (from google)

C:  The present moment is made of a lot of pasts. (from google)

I think "a past" in A is a personal past experience, and it's rightly used.

But how about "a past that we have forgotten about" in B and "a lot of pasts" in C?

I've heard such words as "a past that should never have existed" and "a past that has never been present".

Can you really use "a past" meaning a past time related to the whole universe, not an individual person?


texts: "What it did was" versus "what it did is" versus "what it does is"

texts:
I feel a bit uncertain about the use of tense in the above sentence structure.

Which one is grammatically correct and sounds most natural between "what it did was," "what it did is," and "what it does is"?


texts: Don't understand the tense and context of this sentence

texts:
I will study hard until I've gotten a high score on this exam.

Wtf does this sentence mean ? It's not in future perfect and it seems like present perfect although I'm not sure (becuase why to use this tense in this sentence it doesn't make sense ).

Why not to use future perfect - I will have studied hard until I get a high score on this exam or just the present/future simple (like a fact ) - I will study hard until I get a high score on this exam .

Could you guys break down the sentece so I can understand it?.. thanks


texts:
What are some synonyms for right in the/at the?

e.g.

  Get milk right at your doorstep.

  Watch movies right in your tablet.

Or, alternatively, what are some synonyms for "itself"?

e.g.

  Get milk at your doorstep itself.

  Watch moves in your tablet itself.


texts: What does boop/boope means? (Is it a valid word)

texts:
I didn't find this word: boop/boope in dictionary. But I heard it many times in life.

I want to know the meaning of this word and can this word be used in a "cute" context? I want to buy a domain with some "cute" word in it and so I am preparing the list of words that can be used.

Secondly, it is possible that this might be an invalid word because maybe I don't remember it correctly.


texts: Usage of a verb " to need" with to-infinitive or -ing form: change in meanings

texts:
The Cambridge dictionary says that the meaning of a verb "to need" can change depending on what you have used after it: to-infinitive or -ing form.

I haven't comprehended it completely. Could someone, please, give me any examples of this change in meanings.

P.S.: is this related to a fact that need can be sometimes in a role of a semi-modal verb?


texts: Should I capitalize the middle of a sentence broken up by long examples?

texts:
In the context of a technical manual, I need to write instructions guiding users through several standard manipulations. When providing examples of these manipulations, I have written a short sentence containing "before" and "after" examples which appear in (potentially multi-line) vertical blocks of their own. As a result, I am unsure as to whether the middle of the sentence should be capitalized.

With capitalization

Hence, the following code:

camera.start_recording('foo.h264', quantization=25)

Should be replaced with:

camera.start_recording('foo.h264', quality=25)

Without capitalization

Hence, the following code:

camera.start_recording('foo.h264', quantization=25)

should be replaced with:

camera.start_recording('foo.h264', quality=25)

My instinct suggests the second example is preferable, but I'd be interested to learn of any rules surrounding this. For that matter, if there is a better way of structuring such examples which avoids the capitalization issue altogether, I would be most interested!

Should I capitalise "or" between examples? was the most relevant question I could find to this one, and I tend to agree with its reasoning that the lowercase version is preferable. Unfortunately the best suggestion in its answer (to use a bullet list of examples) doesn't really lend itself to potentially large blocks of code.


texts: Other academic field distinctions like math vs maths

texts:
Growing up in the US, I was taught to say "math" and the British "maths" sounded very awkward to me until I noticed mathematics had an 's' at the end, and it occurred to me that it could be considered plural.  (To any British reading this, we use the full word "mathematics" in a singular sense also.)  I suppose from this perspective, algebra is a math, calculus is a math, topology is a math, etc., though it seems to me that a Brit doing only algebra would still say they are doing maths.

From this new perspective, it occurred to me that physics must be plural as well, but I suppose it would be more granulated.  The various physical phenomena themselves (comparable to theorems I suppose) would be too "small" to constitute a single subject (comparable to algebra), and various related phenomena would be grouped together into subjects for study and specialization.  (Perhaps this is why we both abbreviate it as the plural physics ... er, wait.)

I looked around for other examples of singular vs plural fields of study and couldn't find much.  Biology, chemistry, history, etc. all seem to be singular and follow a different naming pattern.  One can study art, or study the arts, and an expert in the field might care about the distinction.

So here's what I'm wondering. Are there other good examples of plural fields of study, especially ones that in various nations (Australia, English as used in India(?), ...) are treated differently with respect to singular/plural?

If someone can publish one comprehensive answer, that would be great, but otherwise I'm guessing the localized info will trickle in from many different people, in which case this will probably work better as a community wiki where we can edit all the various information into one good answer.


texts: Grammatical Names and Grammatical Functions

texts:
What is the grammatical name and grammatical function of the part of the sentence that is in bold?

What the teacher taught was not in the students' text.

The principal ate what was left in the pot.


texts: Hyphenation of four-word sequence with attributive adjectives

texts:
In a particular cognitive task, research subjects are asked to refrain from pressing a button in response to an auditory cue, called a “stop signal.” The time required by the participant’s brain to cancel the response is called the “reaction time.” In the scientific literature, this construct has been referred to as the following:

stop-signal reaction time
stop signal reaction time
stop-signal reaction-time

Which is correct? Easiest to read? How does the meaning change in each case? The presence of three different forms in the literature makes me believe that I’m missing something in this particular context.


texts:
M-W has the following definition for mixed metaphor:

  a figure of speech combining inconsistent or incongruous metaphors

Hence a requirement is that a 'mixed metaphor' contains more than one metaphor.

Eric Lippert comments in another thread:

  "mixed metaphor" is more commonly used to describe the result of
  accidentally combining two metaphors in a way that does not make sense
  as a whole. "For me it was stormy in the great sea of life, but then I
  came to a crossroads."

He does not claim that this is a necessary condition, and I'd agree.

I've just written in another thread:

' "John is a real tiger" works, but "That lion is a real tiger" is best avoided.' Each of these two statements contains a single metaphor.

Does any definition of 'mixed metaphor' apply to the inappropriate (incongruous juxtaposing of tenor and obviously related vehicle) metaphor in the second sentence?


texts: "Interviewer was grinding me down this morning". But if I had to say it in a manner like "I had to go through a lot of grinding in the interview" would it be correct? (without the word 'down' because the phrase is 'grind down'). Or would only 'grinding' here without 'down' would imply something DANCE related? (which isn't what I mean here obviously)


texts:
Physics theory posits, and observations confirm time dilation for reference frames.  In physics, this phenomenon is often described:

  Moving clocks run slow.

Shouldn't it be slowly?

"Drive safe!" is clearly wrong to me: as the adverb/verb pairing is unquestionable.  But the above has two verbs, and despite my instincts telling me it should be "slowly" the overwhelming appearances of the "... run slow." in print leads me to question it here.


texts:
In the following sentence should it be "you who is" or "you who are"?  I can make a case for either in my mind.  For example, if you turn the sentence around a little bit, you could say, "Tonight, you are the toast of the town. Or you could reimagine it as "The toast of the town is you."  Help - not sure which reasoning is correct.  Thoughts?

  We couldn’t be happier that tonight it is you who IS the toast of the town.

or

  We couldn’t be happier that tonight it is you who ARE the toast of the town.


texts: Is it proper grammar to write a number with "th" after the month or only if it is used before the month?

texts: Is it proper grammar to write July 17th or would it be the 17th of July?


texts: Which one is correct? (Past simple vs Past perfect)

texts:
I took an English test today and I wasn't sure about how to fill these gaps:

"After he ... his homework, he ... his bedroom."

finished/cleaned or had finished/cleaned, maybe another option?


texts: How should "Northern Europe" be capitalized?

texts:
Europe should obviously be capitalized, since it is a proper noun. Should the northern part of the example sentence "I was traveling through northern Europe." be capitalized?

In country names such as North Holland, north is actually part of the name and not an adjective, and should therefore be capitalized.

However, in this case, there is no part of Europe officially named "Northern Europe", but is instead just used as a general (and varied, depending on you count them) list of countries roughly situated towards the north. What are the rules for capitalization in such a case?


texts: Is there a phrase to say that someone's hidden intentions are revealed in his/her talk or movements?

texts: Is there an English expression to say "Le jupon dépasse" to express the fact that someone's hidden intentions are revealed in his/her talk or movements?


texts: word for value which is added or subtracted to total value of a sales invoice to round it i?

texts:
Consider I'm going to a shop and want to buy some stuff which costs 1.97$.

Some shops round this value to 2.0$ for the sake of ease in payment by cash/coins.

What is this 3 cents(0.03$) is called in a sales invoice? Is there any specific words for it?


texts: Is there an alternative expression for 'the third/fifth wheel on the wagon'?

texts:
Does anyone know of an alternative to this expression that is more common, please?

Not a 'gooseberry' as that implies a romantic connotation.

Just a way of describing being the 'extra' person in a situation.


texts: What's the difference between 'I would like to do' and 'I would want to do'?

texts:
I would like to do that.
and
I would want to do that.
What is the difference between them? I think these two are almost the same usually?
And if I were to ask someone to my place, should I say 'would you like to come' or 'would you want to come'?


texts:
Does Would it be fine sound natural or not?

Can we use this phrase in formal communication?

For example:

  I am available tomorrow at 3 pm. Would it be fine?


texts: Word that means the barrier or transition between life and death

texts:
I'm looking for a word that can accurately describe the transition or barrier into death from life and into life from death (this is for a video game, so verbs like to spawn and respawn seem appropriate). I don't really want a verb like "transition" or "passing" because both are a little too general.

An example sentence could be:
"Let's animate the ___"

The word doesn't need to be a noun, and a short phrase may work as well.


texts: Does adding the word "ok" to the end of a statement imply a choice instead of a command or order?  Example:  "Wash the dishes now". as opposed to "Wash the dishes now, ok?"  Does this weaken your statement?


texts:
Did I use "albeit" correctly in this sentence?

  Here is the essay (which is word-for-word, albeit some segments I took out).


texts: Can you answer a "did want" question with a "that  " sentence?

texts:
I was recently criticized for the way I worded myself in the following exchange. (Condensed a bit for the sake of brevity.)

Stranger: We can see you edited the episode to make it sound like that.
Me: What did you want? That he contact the creators and have them custom animate, voice-record, etc.?
Stranger: Can you speak English please?? Your sentence had 2 errors: 1: "What did you want?" It should be "What do you want?" 2: "That he contact" it should be "For him to contact".
Me: For #1, I used past tense on purpose. Another way of putting what I said is "what would you have wanted him to do?"
Me: For #2, it's an uncommon construct, possibly even archaic, but not invalid. "What did you want? That he go up there and make a fool of himself?"
Stranger: "That he go up". Are you serious?? I am reading your comments and I see that you know English exceptionally well. So why are you using English that is under your language level?

Is the Stranger correct? Or am I? Am I completely out of my depth here? I'd rather not dig myself a deeper hole, and I have therefore come here to see if you think I should stand my ground or if I should go eat humble pie.


texts: What is the word for someone who helps you finish a sentence (but in a good way)?

texts: You know that feeling when you’re about to finish a particular thought and suddenly someone else, a friend or a stranger, finishes your sentence better than you possibly could have? Is there a word for that in English, or in any language?


texts: Grammatical corrections (use of is and has)

texts:
The traditional power grid is designed 120 years ago and has not kept pace with modern-day challenges like....etc

My question is in the first part I used "is" and lateral I used "has not". Is this grammatically okay?  Similary If I use "can not" instead of "has not". Whats the error.

Thanks in Advance


texts: Is it better to say "We rescued the five people trapped" or "We rescued the five trapped people"? And why?


texts: A quantity followed by a measurement (eg: 200 35mm circles)

texts:
If you have a quantity of items, where the items themselves are described with a measurement, how should you format this so it is unambiguous?

For example, This diagram contains...

two hundred thirty-five millimeter circles.  (looks like you have 235 circles)
200 35mm circles. (only a space prevents it from being over twenty thousand circles)
200× 35mm circles. (looks like the circles are somehow 200mm × 35mm)
200 - 35mm circles.  (looks like 200 minus 35)

A good solution needs to work for various numbers: 200 35mm circles, 129 2.5mm circles, etc.


texts:
What would be a word for non-malicious heckling, as when an audience member shouts something at the performer/speaker, but the statement isn't aggressive or attacking them in any way.
(Brief, unsolicited audience participation.)

I have seen 'heckling' used as a blanket term for this, but without context the connotations of the word are negative.


texts: Is there a word/phrase for "deliberately failing to understand a concept being explained"?

texts:
Related: Is there a word that means deliberately ignorant, choosing to ignore? - but this seems to be more about ignoring things around you (head in the sand and so on).

Let's say that Person A explains something to Person B. If Person B understands this concept then B will need to admit that they were wrong previously.

Obduracy seems close. Willful ignorance seems close.

I'm wondering if there's a better term for it.


texts: What’s a better preposition in this sentence?

texts:
I know the word, “where,” in this sentence isn't correct, but I'm not sure what to suggest:

  Spread joy this season with our exclusive holiday sweater, where 25% of all sales will benefit (charity name) ...

Please don’t suggest a semicolon or new sentence starting with "Twenty-five percent." Is there a simple substitution of a preposition or simple reworking that would make this work?


texts:
I have a problem using two words which I've already written in the title.
Firstly, the word "suggest". Would that be OK if I put it as I did in the following examples?

I suggest (that) we (should) land here.
I suggest to land here.
I suggest us to land here.
I suggest landing here.

As for me, I am likely to say that the first and the last one (or should I write "ones"? Guess I should write just "one") are acceptable, yet I have doubts about the second and the third sentences.
The word "insist". The same question would that be right?

I insist to land here.
I insist on(upon) landing here.

Here, I believe both ways aren't wrong, but everyone can be mistaken.
And, if this wouldn't be a problem, could you explain whether or not there're different ways of writing those words? I mean in the same the examples, however, with an alternative form of the verb.
I really appreciate any help. Besides, I ask for your forgiveness for the mistakes which I've definitely made writing this.


texts: What does “on the stricken” mean in this passage from The Hobbit?

texts:
The following passage comes from The Hobbit, in the chapter “The Clouds Burst”:

  The goblins gathered again in the valley.
  There a host of Wargs came ravening and with them came the bodyguard of Bolg, goblins of huge size with scimitars of steel.
  Soon actual darkness was coming into a stormy sky; while still the great bats swirled about the heads and ears of elves and men, or fastened vampire-like on the stricken.
  Now Bard was fighting to defend the Eastern spur, and yet giving slowly back; and the elf-lords were at bay about their king upon the southern arm, near to the watch-post on Ravenhill.
  Suddenly there was a great shout, and from the Gate came a trumpet call.
  They had forgotten Thorin!

I would especially like to know whether 'the stricken' are dead (this is what I find in two Polish translations of the text, the third one states that they are dead and wounded) or not. Maybe this expression describes a completely different state? I also wonder if it refers back to these 'elves and men' from the same sentence.


texts: When did "faith" come to mean religious belief?

texts:
At some point the word  "faith" took on an extra meaning to indicate any religious belief.  As an example, "She is of the Bahá'í faith".  When did this happen?  In particular, when was it first applied to non-Christians?

I have searched online but have not found an answer yet.


texts: Does English allow "assemblable" to be created from "assemble"?

texts:
I need to convey the idea "able to be assembled," but I'm limited on space so I neeed something shorter than this phrase. Would "assemblable" be correct? Do the grammar rules of English permit me to construct this word?

I've looked in some important dictionaries but it doesn't appear, which concerns me; it does appear in Wiktionary but I'm not sure of the credibility of this site.


texts: Is there an idiom for disappointment caused due to last minute cancellation of plans?

texts:
A couple of days ago, my wife and I had planned a surprise visit to our friends living in a neighboring state on account of their first wedding anniversary.

But at the very last minute, we got notified by our travel operator that there was an impromptu agitation by the farmers of the neighboring state and all transport services were cancelled since the protest was turning violent.

This happened when we were about to board our bus. We'd to return to our homes (some 50 kms away from the bus station) disappointed and angry. We also had to cancel all the surprise events we'd organized for our friends which did some considerable damage to our pockets. I'm wondering if there's an idiom/expression for this scenario?

Possible usage example:

  We were super excited to meet our friends during the weekend but the farmers' agitation brought all our excitement to a grinding halt. We _______________.

A phrase that I considered was high and dry but we were not stranded per se, as the meaning implies.

Is there an idiom/phrase that fits this context?


texts: Technical terms for user-website interaction

texts:
I am making a context diagram of a website and I noticed that the words I used for a user and the website's interaction are not consistent or cohesive.

I have been using the pairs of words below to indicate that a user requests to "see" a webpage:

  a user "visits" a website and the webpage "views" (as a response to the user)

I can't find a more acceptable alternative for these two but I am sure there are better ones out there that I just don't know.

One more, what should I use if the page that a user wants to see is a popup or specifically a modal element (which means a user is not directed away from their current page)?


texts:
What do people mean when they say

  How do you mean?

Are they asking me to explain what I just said? Then how is it different from

  What do you mean?


texts: Has the phrase "holiday season" been around for a long while?

texts:
In American English, has the phrase "holiday season", to refer to the Christmas season, been around for a long while?

I assumed it was a recent politically correct invention to avoid mentioning the dominant religion in the United States. But ngrams has "holiday season" and "Christmas season" reasonably close to each other for as long as they've been used (going back to the 19th century). Am I mis-interpreting ngrams, is there another use of "holiday season", or has the phrase been used for a long time?


texts: Saying or idiom that means learning a lesson from the bad or good experience

texts: We usually get advice from a friend or books or social media or else, and it only becomes a part of our information, we might learn from it and remember it or not, but if we experience it ourselves, and our experience involves with a feeling,like either it hurts our feeling or become very happy,therefore we learn and remember it better and perhaps change our views toward that matter, so is there any saying or idiom to describe that?


texts:
Here is my example (from an SAT question):

  Like his other cookbooks, in his new book Chef Louis offers lengthy explanations of what he considers to be basic cooking principles.

The error was the phrase "Like his". I would like to make sure that it is an error because "like" is informal. Could someone explain if I am right or why it is wrong?


texts: If my name is Alfonso (first name) Barrera Ramirez (last name) what would I write when they ask for family name?


texts: When I was a child, I learned that the term "out of" could be used to apply to a person or thing to describe where he, she or it was from. For example, a ship docked in Miami could be described as "out of Boston" as a means of describing that ship's hailing port, Boston. By the same token, a professional football player on the Denver team, playing in Dallas, might be described as being "out of Purdue" as a means of describing where he played college football. But now, I hear newsreaders say that a company is based "out of" a particular town. For example, they will say, "The Apex Corporation is based out of Philadelphia." This causes me to wonder, "Well, if they aren't based in Philadelphia, then where are they based?" Of course, the newsreader actually meant to say, "Apex Corporation is based in Philadelphia." As best as I can remember, the term "out of" came to be the preferred alternative to the word "in" sometime during the early 1980s, as I don't remember hearing this error prior to that. I'd be interested to know if there is a documented example of it appearing before that time. For those of us who learned the language long before the 1980s, this is especially confusing as the term "out of" means the exact opposite of the word "in." Why would someone use a two word combination (out of), that means the exact opposite of what they really meant to say, when a single word (in), that describes what they really do mean, is a better choice of words?


texts: Have or has in this sentence when talking about "one or the other"

texts:
Which of these two sentences is correct english?

  If you or a loved one has suffered from an injury

or:

  If you or a loved one have suffered from an injury

Considering that it is regarding "you or a loved one".


texts: Meaning of "ubiquitous as the humble sheep"

texts:
In the foreword for a knitting book there's this passage:

  Knitting has become as ubiquitous as the humble sheep.

Which is followed by a couple more sentences on how great it would be to learn how to knit etc. I've googled "the humble sheep", and haven't had any success.

Is the phrase roughly equivalent to "Wool is everywhere nowadays, and wherever there's wool, there's knitting"?


texts:
I'm writing a document with a table including a general statement like 'software supports files of type X.' However, there are certain cases where I do not support it yet and/or I'm not sure. I want to add a link to a section describing the specific things I don't handle currently. There is a word for these kinds of exceptions that I cannot think of.

Words I'm not thinking of but looked at thesaurus hoping to find this word:

exception
clarification
disclaimer


texts: Should I use "somewhere" in this sentence?

texts: "I've lost myself [somewhere] among the dreams that never come true"