texts: Is there a technical term for insideout-ness?

texts:
So the technical term for right or left handedness is chirality.

The technical term for evenness or oddness is parity.

Is there a similar term for inside-out-ness vs right-side-out-ness?

EDIT:
I wish to speak of 2 objects. They have no interesting features except that each could be considered 'inside-out' relative to the other. Except there is no 'right' side. I suppose I could arbitrarily designate one side as Right and the other as In, but there are reasons to avoid doing so.

"Object 1 and object 2 differ only in their _."

I tried both chirality and parity but neither fit.


texts: Why isn't "examine" pronounced like "exhamyne"?

texts:
Since "mine" sounds like: https://translate.google.com/#en/en/mine

Then "examine" should sound like: https://translate.google.com/#en/en/exhamyne

But it does not, why?

To hear the pronunciations click the "Listen" button as you follow the links:


texts: Is there a verb for "walking slowly into water"?

texts:
I need a verb meaning "walking slowly into water" that fits this example:

  She shivered a bit - as the lake water was cold - but then continued to ____ into the deep.


texts: Can an attributive adjective come before pronouns?

texts: For example, the attributive adjective only and pronoun one: can we say "there is only one"?


texts:
Some dictionaries say "in back of" means "behind" in American English, as in "there is a garage in back of the house."

There are also dictionaries that say "in back" means "at or in the back", as in "there are three kids sitting in back", presumably in reference to a vehicle.

I'm wondering whether "in back" without "of" can mean "behind", as in "can you see the garage in back?".

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Word meaning indifferent but with strong opinions on both sides

texts: For instance, "I'm blank to eating peanut butter for lunch because I really love the taste however I always end up with a mild allergic reaction afterwards."


texts: What are the key differences between a liberal, liberalist, and a libertarian?

texts:
There was the following statement in Time magazine’s article (June 14) titled, “The geeks who leak”

  “Both Edward J. Snowden and Bradley Manning (who leaked massive volume
  of military and diplomatic secrets in 2010) had come of age online, in
  chat rooms and virtual communities where this new antiauthority,
  free-data ideology was hardening. They identified as libertarians,
  with Manning using the word to describe himself and Snowden sending
  checks to Ron Paul's presidential campaign.”-

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2145506,00.html#ixzz2W7z2Hqkd:

In trying to find the exact definition of ‘libertarians’ they claim, I came across the following statement in an article titled “Are you liberal, a liberal, or a liberalist?” in uproothealthcare.com” - http://www.uproothealthcare.com/politics/are-you-liberal-a-liberal-or-a-liberalist:

  “Some political scholars assert that the terms "libertarian" and
  "libertarianism" are synonymous with anarchism, and some express
  disapproval of capitalists calling themselves libertarians.
  Conversely, other academics as well as proponents of the free market
  perspectives argue that free-market libertarianism has been
  successfully propagated beyond the U.S. since the 1970s and political
  parties and that "libertarianism" is increasingly viewed worldwide as
  a free market position.”

It may require thousands words to explain what are a liberal, a liberalist and a libertarian exactly, but would you provide me with the basic definitions of these three words or key differences among them in a brief and clear way so that a layman like me can easily understand the meanings and distinguish basic differences of the words? Are they akin, or totally different and irelevant creatures each other?


texts: Can I use word "Thou", "Thee", "Thy" and "Thine" like following

texts:
Firstly I have researched about those words, This answer really help me understand their meanings.

So I believe that those words are singular form of You, you, your and yours respectively.

Furthermore, "Thou" is a subject form while "thee" is the object form. so could someone tell me if I can use them as following.

Who are thou? instead of Who are you?
I have come to see thee. instead of I have come to see you.
What are thy future dreams? instead of What are your future dreams?
I believe this pen is thine. instead of I believe this pen is yours.

Thanks.


texts:
If I am comparing multiple things and grouping them, can I use former and latter?
Basic idea:

A, B, and C performed well, D and E did not. The difference is former has certain trait and the latter has another trait.


texts: “When will you be leaving” vs "When will you leave"

texts: I am confused about the following sentence. I know it is correct to say "When will you be leaving?" But I don't know why they use "will be leaving" instead of "will leave." Can we say "When will you leave" instead? What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences, and when should I use one vs. the other?


texts:
I am describing a chart and got confused about my intuition and Google results.
So I'd usually refer to a "solid black line" and there are  1,130,000 results (with quotes) for that against 320,000 for "black solid line". So far, so good.
When it comes to "dashed black line" it sounds weird to me though it's the same wording order. There are 214,000 for that against 318,000 results for the reverse order "black dashed line".

So, my question is: dashed black line or black dashed line? (considering that I am also mentioning the solid one, I was going for the first option not to break the pattern)


texts: Inviting for wedding reception correct sentence formation

texts:
I am preparing my wedding invitation. Am currently using "The celebration continues with a" , but there is two reception ceremony, one before the wedding and one after. So I got two images implying two venues.

My Question is, is it correct to use "The celebration Continues with a " or "Come join us for the reception of". Had the latter earlier but it didn't sound grammatically correct to me. Please help me forming the sentence.

Thanks


texts:
I have come to assume that....
I have come to believe that...

How would you parse this. Is "come to" a phrasal modal?


texts: Is there another word for "only giving one side of the story"?

texts:
I'm writing a paper about "propaganda", but am having troubles with repeating "feeding you propaganda" too many times. I don't want to use "misinformation" or anything like that, because I'm focusing on the fact that the information only gives you one side of the story. So is there a word for "only giving one side of the story"?

This is the sentence I'm struggling with.

I did not let the senator ______(verb) me, even though this was the first information I’ve received, and from a source I more or less view as trustworthy.

I want to use something like "deceive", but nicer. Like they aren't actively trying to deceive me, it was just natural for them to give their side of the story, but them only giving one side of the story would influence me.

Or alternatively;

I did not let the senator's ______(verb) sway me me,

Like "biased account of events", but again, less.. ugly. Less like they're trying to be manipulative, and more like they're just naturally giving their report as they saw it happened.


texts:
I’m a single female and lately all I do is work, work, work. Truth be told, I’m lonely and bored to tears. Desperate for relief, I decided to take out a classified advertisement but got stuck on the wording. I wanted to communicate that work wasn’t enough, that I needed to recreate, to engage in pleasurable activities. Then I realized that the words “recreate” and “pleasurable activity” might convey unwanted connotations, ahem.

Basically, this girl just wants to have fun, wants to PLAY. But I’m in my fifties, and telling the world that I want to PLAY struck me as somewhat ... undignified.

I began to consider that word, PLAY. Etymonline relates that the modern English verb PLAY stems from the PIE root dlegh - to engage oneself - and developed eventually into the Old English word plegan, plegian, meaning: to move rapidly; to occupy or busy oneself, exercise; frolic; make sport of, mock; perform music. Etymonline further states that the meaning "to take part in a game" is from c. 1200. PLAY employed as an antonym to the verb WORK is attested since late 14c.

As for PLAY the noun, Etymonline relates that, by early Middle English PLAY had come to mean variously, a game, a martial sport, an activity of children, a joke or jest, revelry, and last (bnl), sexual indulgence.

Because the English-speaking world uses PLAY to refer to so many different activities and concepts, I’m turning to you, EL&U. You are my last, best hope. I’m a SWF seeking strong, single-word synonyms for PLAY. Are you game?

For example, in the following sentences, what could replace the verb PLAY most fittingly?

1. The children liked to play cowboys and Indians (i.e., perform, enact, portray seem to lack stress on the whimsical, fantasy element so essential to what we call, “child’s play”)

2. He played alone in his room (what synonym doesn’t require a preposition?)

3. She was playing the violin (again, what synonym doesn’t require a preposition?)

The hypertext link is to The Value of Play I: The Definition of Play Gives Insights, a blog in Psychology Today by Peter Gray


texts:
Growing up there was a friend of my family who would often use son of a gun as a slang term. For example,

  And that son of a gun has a 300hp motor in it.

Like any father, my Dad wanted to raise me right, so he banned me from using the phrase. He implied that the phrase was synonymous with son of a bitch. However in more recent years I've often wondered: What is the origin of son of a gun, and does it really have anything to do with illicit relationships?


texts:
Which of the two is the more appropriate one?

The bag is too heavy to carry.
The bag is too heavy to be carried.

or

The burger is too spicy to eat.
The burger is too spicy to be eaten.

What's the general principle to choose active or passive voice after the "to" in "too...to"?
I'm quite an English beginner and new to this website. Pardon me if I do things wrongly:)


texts:
Is there a generally accepted antonym for Well done! ?

I mean something like :

  "That was lame"

Update

Context: A feedback app in which a bad performance by a user has to be responded with a mild rebuke. So hard luck is not an option. I would like to say something like Bad job.

It doesn't have to be a single word, as Well done is neither. I am looking for a disapproving tone or something that expresses dissatisfaction. It should contrast Well done to the extent that it makes clear to the user that he screwed it up


texts:
Although there are plenty of grammar topics that I occasionally struggle with, there is one that causes the most trouble.
Lately, I have been writing a lot of technical instructions and manuals, in which it's very common to use noun+noun structures like notification service or account management.
In some cases, however, it is not clear whether a singular or plural noun should be used as a modifier.
I have searched the indispensable CGEL, but it only says that nouns that are used this way are not, technically speaking, adjectives and it would be more accurate to describe them as pre-head modifiers.

This is all very well, but are there any rules or guides that define the correct use of such expressions?
I remember reading in some technical guide that similar phrases should be looked up in a dictionary. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of that guide :)

Could you please elaborate on this. Thank you.


texts: Difference in usage between "variety " and "option"

texts:
I recently read my English book and saw this sentence. "Claridge's has taken luxury to a new height by offering its guests more than 30 varieties of water - with prices stretching as much as 50 pounds a litre.

Why don't they use options?
It is stated that the restaurant has sold water from different places such as Norway, Patagonia, New Zealand and Hawaii.
Is this the reason why they use varieties?
If they use water from one same source and turn it into different kind of drinks , May I use option?


texts: Quote/saying to mean "the only worthwhile object of study is Man himself"?

texts:
Looking for a known Greek/Roman quote/saying that expresses the opinion why the humanities are the only worthwhile subjects to study.

  Yes, dad.  I know studying Philosophy is a waste of time but as the Ancients said "____".

Something like the only worthwhile object of study is Man himself.

Googling around Greek, study, man was pretty uninformative, the only result I ended up with was Protagoras' Man is the measure of all things which means something entirely different.

I originally saw this in a work of fiction, but can't remember the phrase, whether if it was a straight out reference to a known quote or  if it was just paraphrasing what was probably the position of ancient Greek scholars.


texts:
Recently I was looking at the X-Men box set and saw that currently five have been released.

I had it in my head that these would be called a quintology but I have seen them being called a pentalogy.

I assume both words are interchangeable, but is one of the terms preferred over the other, or is it a matter of taste?


texts:
I've already learned that "hand in" is a phrasal verb that means "submit".

But I've also seen this sentence somewhere: "The homework is not hand in on time".

I've already checked grammar by several tools (Grammarly, MS Word, ...) and they all said this sentence is correct.

It's "hand in", not "handed in", makes me confused.

What type of phrase is "hand in" in above sentence?


texts: What is the origin of the term "ginger" for red-headed people?

texts:
I'd like to know the etymology of the word "ginger" in reference to red-headed people.

In particular, if "ginger" in this context is related to the plant root used in cooking, I'd like to know how the color red became associated with it. I am only familiar with ginger roots that do not possess any red coloring.

A quick google search yields vague and somewhat conflicting results. An authoritative answer with references would be appreciated.

Edit: Although an answer has pointed out a distinction between the term "ginger" and "red-head" in terms of physical features, there is certainly a tendency to see the term applied to people with hair that is any shade of red. I would be interested to trace the usage history of how the word ginger has been applied in that more broad sense.


texts: Adjectives with Latin etymology when noun has non-Latin etymology

texts:
As a non-native English speaker, I always wondered why, for example, you say moon, but then you say lunar (same goes for side and lateral, hand and manual and so forth): in some cases, the noun is not the base of the adjective, which derives from the Latin root instead.

What is the reason for this phenomenon?


texts: What's a word that means the same as "tumbleweed in a desert" symbolizes?

texts:
Is there a word that adequately describes the same context as invoked by tumbleweed rolling through a desert?

E.g. when someone tells a really bad joke and there is an awkward silence.


texts: Is 'during' one morpheme or is it something like DURATION+ continuity?


texts: Tenses when describing two subsequent past events, one of which (kind of) still goes on

texts:
If someone had been a teacher from 1975-2000, when he writes about it today, does he say:

  I was/have been/had been a teacher from when I (can/could/could have/have) barely remember(ed).

and a slightly different version:

  I was/have been/had been a teacher for more than two decades.


texts: What do you call someone who calculates all their actions based on the future outcome and neglects the present usefulness?

texts:
There are some individuals, when they want to buy something like an automobile or home or similar things think about the future market for selling it, and neglect its present advantages and usefulness, or in the relationship calculate how much they are able to use that individual for their own future interest, even if that person is unpleasant.
I don’t know if the word “opportunist “or “futuristic individual” could be used.


texts: Is there a verb that fits in the pattern: quarter, third, halve (divide), [???], double, triple, quadruple. . .?

texts:
If these were nouns, I would assume "single" fits in between:

1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4 . . .
quarter, third, half, single or one, double, triple, quadruple . . .

Note that each word has a cardinal as part of its etymology: quarter evolved from the Latin quattuor ("four"), double from Latin duplus (“twofold”), and so on.
However, in the case of verbs, is there a word to indicate multiplying (or dividing) by one that fits into this pattern? The closest I can think of is unify, "cause to become one", but it wouldn't make sense in context:

She doubled the number, i.e. multiplied by two.
She unified the number, i.e. multiplied by one.

The word wouldn't necessarily have to have the mono- or uni- prefix, but the etymological root ought to contain the cardinal for one (i.e. "she maintained the number" wouldn't work) in keeping with the pattern.


texts: What is the standard of proof in etymology?

texts: In this question the idea I put forward as a possible etymology for "ta" garnered the response that it is a well known false etymology for the word. That got me to wondering - being strictly a dabbler in matters of language - how are things proven or disproven in a field as fluid as the study of the origins and history of words and terminology? What tools does a linguist have at their disposal to trace words back and how are they applied?


texts:
Smooth is a very common term and has a lot of meanings; my question is on  smooth meaning:

  Ingratiatingly polite and agreeable.

Is smooth commonly used with that meaning and  is it a synonym of 'polite' or has it  different shades of meaning?


texts: Is there a difference in choosing whether to use "cite" or "citation"? For example, when performing a bibliographic search or a bibliometric study, one finds "citations per year", "cites per document", and so forth.


texts:
The distinction between the words blessèd (/ˈblɛsəd/) and blessed (/blɛst/) (see Grammarbook) appears to be wearing thin in modern language, possibly due to reduced accent usage and its resultant lack of different pronunciation between the two terms.

Wiktionary refers to the word as

  poetic, dated

And most damningly of all as an

  Alternative form of blessed (verb)

While I understand that little usage of terms such as blessèd and cursèd cause them to get blurred with their verb counterparts, some adjectives like naked, talented, sacred are still used, always written without the accent. In some legal and political circles†, learnèd is still used for specific traditional purposes but it is now starting to fade.

What is the history behind the distinction in pronunciation?

The reason why some of these words are pronounced with /əd/ is explained by the answers to this question: "Why pronunciation of “Crooked” is “Crook-ked”?"

David G said:

  If the normal form of the word (crook, twist) ends in t or d,
  the -ed is enunciated (such as wanted or bedded).

This explains the pronunciation of talented, but not that of naked, sacred, or blessed. The pronunciation of naked is however explained by coleopterist's answer  to this question: Where does “wicked” get its /ɪd/ from?

  According to A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary and Expositor of the
  English Language, 1839,

    The adjectives naked, wicked, picked (pointed), booked, crooked, forked, tusked, tressed, and wretched, are not derived from verbs,
    and are therefore pronounced in two syllables. The same may be
    observed of scabbed, crabbed, chubbed, stubbed, shagged, snagged,
    ragged, scrubbed, dogged, rugged, scragged, hawked, jagged; to which
    we may add, the solemn pronunciation of stiff-necked; and these when
    formed into nouns with the addition of ness, preserved the ed in a
    distinct syllable, as wickedness, scabbedness, raggedness, &c.

However, the answers to "Pronunciation of "Blessed"" don't describe the historical origin of the different pronunciations of this word as adjective and verb form.

What is the history behind writing these words with accents?

How common was it in the past to write these words with grave accents, and in what contexts did people do this?  There has already been a question about the use of this accent in Shakespeare's work: "Are there any pairs of words like “beloved”/“belovèd”, “learned”/“learnèd” that maintain a semantic difference to the present day?" But it's not clear from that if Shakespeare's original manuscripts use it, or if it something that's been added to modern editions to help readers find out the meter.

Why have these words generally lost their accents?

Has this then lead on to them losing their differing pronunciations?

Finally, should one use a grave accent (è) here or should one just let context dictate pronunciation?

†Interestingly, Hansard don't include accents at all, even when one looks back into the 18th and 19th century records. This may, however, be a result of typewriting and modernising of the records.


texts: How does 'to deport' mean 'to conduct oneself' ?

texts:
2. deport {verb} {archaic} = Conduct oneself in a specified manner:
deport (v.1): late 15c., "to behave," from Old French deporter "behave, deport (oneself)" (12c.), also with a wide range of meanings in Old French, such as "be patient; take one's (sexual) pleasure with; amuse, entertain; remain, delay, tarry; cheer, console, treat kindly; put aside, cast off, send away," from de- "from, off" (see de-) + porter "to carry," from Latin portare "to carry" (see port (n.1)).

OED discusses only the other definition of 'deport', as in expulsion; so I don't excerpt it here.  I wish to dig deeper than the definition, which I already understand and so ask NOT about. I heed the Etymological Fallacy.
What are some right ways of interpreting the etymology so that it feels reasonable and intuitive?
How does "from, off" combine with "to carry" to mean the above?


texts: Theism has words for I don't know, believe, or care. What about I have NO NEED for theism/gods?

texts:
Along the lines of Apatheist (I don't care), Atheist (I don't believe), Agnostic (I don't know)...
Is there a neat little word expressing
"I have no need for a god"?


texts: how to continue a sentence after a line breaking example

texts:
I am writing a technical document in which I need to intersperse examples into paragraphs.  For example I have a sentence like below:

  For example, rather than the following code example:

//This is some bad code

  We should use this code example instead:

//This is some good code

This reads as one sentence: "Rather than [thing A], we should do [thing B]."  My issue is I'm not quite sure of the proper way to handle punctuation or capitalization.  If this is a single sentence, I would think there should be a comma after the bad code example and period after the good code example, but it just seems out of place to have them.  I'm also not sure if the colons are appropriate (though again, it looks weird without them).  Also, I would think that "We" should not be capitalized, because it is a continuation of the above sentence, but that again, it doesn't look right.

What's the proper way to handle this kind of thing?


texts: Meaning of 'terms' in 'in rational terms'

texts:
What does "terms" mean in the following sentence?

  But I believe the theory of a creator of the universe can be explained in rational terms


texts:
Here are some examples:
The far side of the Moon is of particular interest to the scientists.
Anglo is of European origin
Morning exercises is of benefit to your health
So what does "is of" in these sentences mean?


texts: Which verb forms are grammatically correct for this list of actions?

texts:
I've been going back and forth between a coworker over which of the following is correct and I thought that maybe this SE could help.

I have an application with the following message:

  The X algorithm uses color variance to attempt to find a border in the image, surrounds that border using an ellipse, and fits it to a standard size.

However, my coworker says this is grammatically incorrect and it should be:

  The X algorithm uses color variance to attempt to find a border in the image, surround that border using an ellipse, and fit it to a standard size.

My coworker says that the second is correct since the subject the verb is referring to is "color variance", but I disagree, the intended subject should be "X algorithm."

Which of the two examples is more correct?  Or perhaps the sentence should should be changed to reduce confusion?


texts: Usage of 'Thank God' or 'Jesus Christ' as slang

texts:
Would the use of 'Thank God' or 'Jesus Christ' in a non-religious context be considered colloquial?

Example: "Thank God that's over"

The definition of colloquial I found was: used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.

I just want to be sure, thank you.


texts:
For example ;

Ethical reasons such as religion, have a huge part in abortion.


texts: President Obama is called Sleeping Barry. Who in the world is this "Sleeping Barry"?

texts:
Today’s (September 10) New York Times carries Maureen Dawd’s article titled ‘Sleeping Barry Awakes.’
The headline is followed with the following beginning lines:

  WOW, what a relief.

  The president was strong and House Republicans were conciliatory.
  There was only one teensy-weensy problem: The president is weak and House Republicans are obstructionist.

  Congressional Republicans, heeding polls indicating that their all-out assault on President Obama was risky, finally tempered their public comments after the jobs speech on Thursday and stopped acting like big jerks.

I understand Maureen likens President to “Sleeping Barry.” But who is “Sleeping Barry” to begin with? From where it came from? I know all and sundry know “Sleeping Barry” in English-speaking countries. But I couldn’t find the definition on Google Search, though it was flooded with the clips headed by “Sleeping Barry Awakes.”


texts: A term for the extreme strength and skill of "stationary muscle control"

texts:
Is there a single term (preferred) or two-word phrase (acceptable), possibly technical, though not necessarily so, that conveys the idea of a person having extreme strength and skill at stationary muscle control?

By this, I mean able to remain still in a stationary, possibly rather awkward, position for extended periods of time. Think of extreme yoga positions held for some extended length of time (granted, some of those one could not hold for too long; I'm thinking an hour or more, like this abdominal plank record).


texts:
I have problems with learning about "Compound Tenses".

Please help me.


texts: What is the meaning of “runneth” in My Cup Runneth Over?


texts: Stele on the road while approaching a town

texts: How would you call a stele on the road at the city entry like this?


texts:
In the sentence

"The Excel table below gives THE details on THE calculations for THE results"

Which THE is necessary, and which ones are not?
I'm basically trying to say: the Excel table contains detailed breakdowns of the calculations. Those calculations provided me with the results.

The sentence somehow sounds clumsy and I am not sure if all the THEs are necessary, and whether all the nouns need to be in plural forms.

Thanks in advance!


texts:
What is the meaning of the term beer money in the sentence:

  People often ask me to describe in detail how I’ve got to be where I am today, thinking that I’ve spent years earning beer money in local clubs, but the truth is, I’m literally an overnight sensation!

I've searched on the web and found that beer money is a card game. Is this what he is referring to, or is it an idiomatic expression?


texts: What do we call quality management system software?

texts:
Is there a specific name for all kind of software related to quality management system, i.e. ISO 9001.

being more specific, when in business someone talks about an ERP, everybody knows what does that mean, or a CRM.


texts:
I hope this is a valid question to ask. I wondered about the different expressions one can use for heavy or unstable breathing. Rather than being heavy breathing from exercising, it's heavy, laboured breathing due to negative emotions.

Would these work ? :

"uneven breath/breathing"
"quickening breath"

Is there also an expression or phrasing to implement a "breathing that's growing... [rasp/laboured/winded] ?

Are there other expressions to describe the following statement "her pulse quickened". I assume it depends on context, but does this expression implies a positive source or a negative one ?

In terms of regular breathing, can one qualify someone's breath of "steady", or "quite steady" ?

Essentially, how does one breathe in English ?


texts:
Can I omit the comma before "and" since " through December 31, 2020" is applicable to both parts of the sentence? I'm afraid that if I put a comma here readers can think that only the second part is valid through December 31.

The books are available to you for free(,) and we do not charge
commission fees through December 31, 2020.


texts: 'the eigenvalues of A are either 0 or 1 or both'. Does that mean Both 0 and 1 are possible?

texts:
I was asked the following question in a National level exam whose answer will be 'the eigenvalues of A are  either 0 or 1 or both'.

But one option which reads the eigenvalues of A are either 0 or 1 was announced correct by the Exam board. I knew that option meant 0 and 1 both can not be the eigen values of A. That's why I marked that option as a wrong one.

Can you please clear my doubt whether I was wrong or Board has done a mistake?


texts: Is there a word for the spatial equivalent of contemporary?

texts:
From dictionary.com

contemporary: happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same
period of time

I'm looking for something that means existing in the same place, but not necessarily in the same time.
"Neighboring" is close, but it seems to imply both spatial proximity and temporal overlap.
sample sentence.
Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla are contemporary historical, while
Charles de Gaulle and Joan of Arc are ______ historical figures.


texts: What is the right way to frame this sentence?

texts:
The ephemeral nature of humans is being compared to the unchanged and eternal nature of the sea.

I'm not sure if this sentence is grammatically correct and structurally right. Also, I need a replacement for the word nature as it occurs multiple times.


texts: Adjective: attributive "leftover", predicative "left over"

texts:
Wiktionary's entry for left over reads:

Use left over after a verb, in a predicate phrase. When directly
before a noun, use leftover.

Is this a general productive pattern? Otherwise, any reference for this usage note?


texts: Does "approbate one's flaws" make sense?

texts:
I'm going for a little stronger word than accept and I like the word approbate.

  To approbate my flaws.

Does it work?


texts: Word for the opposite of electronic music

texts:
I'm looking for a word to distinguish electronic music from non-electronic music. I'd like to categorize into these two terms and I am aware that acoustic music or maybe even analog music might be the first things that come up everybody's mind.

However, if music is categorized into electronic and acoustic music, where do I put Rock songs? I mean they are not electronic in terms of Techno, Dubstep, House etc., but they are also not acoustic like a String Orchestra or a Piano song, since acoustic means without electronic amplification.

What would you suggest? Will I need more categories to cover everything? Or would you still put Rock music into one of the two given categories without question? If so, why?

Edit: To avoid confusion I'd like to add that my task is to categorize full songs by their genres and group them into the 2 mentioned categories. Although a Techno song may have an acoustic guitar in it, the song would still be classified to the electronic category of course. Now all I need is the right word for the opposite of electronic music and electronic genres, or let's call them digitally produced music maybe. So this other category should contain acoustic guitar songs, Rock music, piano songs, orchestra songs, big band melodies etc. I hope this specifies my needs better.


texts: How to interpret the phrase "no more" in "Don't love no more"(Craig David's song)?

texts:
How should I interpret the phrase "no more" in one of Craig David's songs?
or "no more" in the lyrics of the song shall not be deem as a phrase?
Lyrics -- Don't Love You No More:

I’m sick and tired of this silly game
Don’t think that I’m the only one here to blame
It’s not me who’s been going round slamming doors
That’s when you turned and said to me
I don’t care babe who’s right or wrong
I just don’t love you no more

I've checked the answer from here, about usage of "No more", "no longer", "not anymore"
, I could understand the meanings when those 3 phrase used in the examples. however I'm so confused about the "no more" used in this song, Is it used grammatically right? and how to interpret its meaning here in the song?


texts: What is the antonym of "inversion" as in "the inversion of normal word order"?

texts:
Is there any word for expressing a normal word order, as opposed to an inverted word order?
I prefer the word to be the one mostly used by grammarians.


texts: Indian English: Is this a correct sentence?

texts:
Is this a correct sentence in Indian English?

  It is not very long when my sister will finish their graduation.


texts: "...averted crash" vs. "...avoided crash"

texts:
In the usage given below, "avert" and "avoid" appear to mean the same thing:

  ...averted crash
  ...avoided crash

The words "avert" and "avoid" are different and have their respective meanings. But, going by the given usage, their meanings appear to overlap to an extent.

The research (http://goenglishforever.blogspot.in/2010/02/difference-between-avert-and-avoid.html) does not give a clear picture.

What is correct scope of their respective meanings? Where do they overlap? Where do they differ?


texts: Single word equivalent for short, natural length grass?

texts:
I am trying to describe the length of grass in an area without dwelling on it too much with multiple adjectives or a more in depth explanation. The main point I am trying to get across is that the grass is not unkempt and out of control, but rather short in a natural way though not neat to the extent of a sporting field. It could have been mowed some time ago (depending on how fast it grows) or kept short by livestock. The reason doesn't matter as much it is only the final look that is relevant.
I have included an image as a rough illustration in the first image below, but the look could be slightly longer and less neat as well. I have looked through for landscaping/lawn maintenance terms that may be specific of grass lengths but wasn't able to find anything specific. I have also looked through different types of grass to see if maybe there is a specific one that is always recommended to keep at such a length, but again I've had little success. The only other idea I had was to use natural ecosystems to describe it, like "savanna length grass", which although of course savannas do not all have the same length grass everywhere, it does provide a concise, general idea of the look.


texts:
I am confused on using "act for/on behalf of someone".

What is the difference between "The law firm acts for me in this legal action" and "The law firm is acting for me in this legal action". I have found that both may mean that "currently the law firm is acting for me" rather than "usually the law firm acts for me".

For example:
After the hearing, Holt, who acts for the twins, said: ‘The award will make a very significant difference to the twins' quality of life. (from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/act)

A Dublin-based firm of solicitors are acting on behalf of the parents of over 100 children with autism.  (from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/act)

Thanks for your help in advance.


texts:
What does the part in bold mean?

In one authorial interruption, Robins
generalizes about the experience of a woman writer in her
day: Who shall not say there was no element of courage and
of steadfast strength in the woman who, year in, year out,
sat chained to her writing-table, ceaselessly commemorating
the futile and inept, leaving behind her day by day
upon that sacrificial altar some fragment of youth and
health, some shred of hope, some dead illusion. To sit
down daily to the task of being George Eliot, and to rise
up "the average lady-novelist" to the end, must, even if
only dimly comprehended, be a soul-tragedy of no mean
proportion.
— Elaine Showalter, A Literature of Their Own: British Women Novelists from Bronte to Lessing, 2020


texts: What is the proper way to write a firm's name?  Would it be Someone, Someone, & Associates or Someone, Someone & Associates or no commas at all?


texts: I would like to know if it is grammatically correct to ask the question, "Is it today that you are going to town?" My concern is specifically the "Is it" part.


texts: Can you ever drop the first ‘as’ in “as . . . as” constructions?

texts:
I have wondered if dropping the first as is permissible and grammatical while using comparison:

  Ian Bell was organised and elegant as ever, prospering with several
  uppercuts over the slips.

I believe as organized and elegant as ever  is correct, but is the above formulation also acceptable?


texts: Good term for remaining items after filtering

texts:
I am working on an research app that allows user to specify topics that he is interested in. Say the user is interested in Sports. I have built a filter, that automatically classifies news articles into two categories:

Useful Articles (Remaining articles) -- lists articles from the topic that the user is interested in
Useless Articles (Filtered articles) -- all the leftover articles

Can you suggest a nice term for Remaining articles ? Or better terms for both filtered, remaining articles ?

Edit 1: By useless I mean a subject that I am not interested in.

Edit 2: I will be using these two terms on my website in a dropdown menu so that people can select whether they want to see Useless articles or Useful articles.

Edit 3: The secrecy behind useful wasn't intentional


texts:
"Humanities studies is my zone of interest." Is that sentence natural?
I want to express that I love anything related to the humanities division.

Should I use "is" or "are"?
Is there such an expression as "zone of interest"?
In the phrasing of the title of my question, should I have said "THIS sentence" instead of "THAT sentence"?

Sorry for the tremendous amount of questions :)
Thank you in advance.


texts:
I am teaching English at a high school in South Korea. I am not an American but Korean. Recently, I was teaching adverbial phrase inversion as a grammatical point. My question is which of these following sentences is right:

In the pool were my sisters swimming.
In the pool were swimming my sisters

I just feel that the first one is right, but I am not sure. Would you help me out with my problem? Thanks in advance for the help.


texts: What would be the equivalent of "spam" if referring to face-to-face conversation?

texts: If unsolicited bulk mail in your inbox is referred to as spam, what would be its equivalent for someone  talking indiscriminately, but face-to-face without the intervention of technology.


texts: Is “gaze de naval” English idiom, French idiom or a half-breed?

texts:
I was drawn to the word,“gaze de navel” appearing in New York Time’s (July 6) article titled “Goodbye Old World, Bonjour Tristesse” written by Maureen Dowd).
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/opinion/sunday/dowd-goodbye-old-world-bonjour-tristesse.html?hp&_r=0

It goes:

  Joie de vivre has given way to gaze de navel. The French are so busy
  wallowing in their existential estrangement — a state of mind Camus
  described as “Should I kill myself, or have a cup of coffee?” — that
  they don’t even have the energy to be rude. And now that they’re
  smoking electronic cigarettes, their ennui doesn’t look as cool. It’s
  not that they’ve lost faith in their own superiority. They’ve lost
  faith that the rest of the world sees it.

Merriam-Webster online English Dictionary defines “navel gazing” as “useless or excessive self-contemplation.” Google Ngram shows that the usage of “navel gazing” emerged in / around 1960 and the currency is on a sharp rise. Neither registers 'gaze de navel.'

However, “gaze de naval” sounds to me foreign - somewhat half-breed (Pardon me if this is the misuse of word) of English and French words.

Does “gaze de naval” pass as a chic English idiom that I can try to use in conversation and in writing, or it is just Dowd’s special coinage?


texts: Is there a term or word for solving a problem that oneself created?

texts:
I am looking for a word or term for the concept of solving a problem that oneself created.

An example would be a solution to smog: if there wasn't so much emission and pollution, there would be no problem and so no need to find a solution.

I guess one could say it's solving a problem which was inadvertently created.

First off, many thanks to both Derezzed and Aldfrith for the answers and input.

I suppose auto,- or fault-correcting does in some sense cover the concept but
it suggests an inherent fault in the code or the programming:

  if CONDITION = X result = 'ok' else, if CONDITION = Y then result = 'autocorrect'

In other words the computer fixes the issue because it already knows the problem.

I guess what I'm looking for is different, in the sense that the problem is not inherent
or perhaps fabricated and the solution more reactionary (with, or without intent).

An example with intent  would be creating a computer virus and then figuring out the solution.
An example without intent would be building a bridge and discovering that one of the bases
is threatening or interfering with a local fish population,
thus creating the need to finding a solution for said fish population.

Though the intent was simply connecting point A to point B,
nonetheless a new problem was created by happenstance.
If we would not have built the bridge,
there would be no problem and no need for a solution.

I guess the concept or word would be more in lines with auto-created-problem or,
for lack of a better word :P, serendipitous problem.


texts: How to avoid overusing 'the' in objective writing

texts:
I'm  writing an experimental process description and I feel like i'm overusing 'the'.

  The plastic tube leading out the bottom of the Vayyar equipment (again the tube on the left) is fed through the hole of the data lid and into the sample container
  The syringe is retracted slightly and placed into the holder, the tip of the syringe sits at the far left of the mount (pointing towards the wall) with the handle in the moving part of the syringer

However i can't see what else could be used, does anyone have any suggestions?


texts: Can someone explain the historical background behind this phrase with context to its usage today? There are several versions of etymology, so which version is most widely accepted? I came across this phrase in Act 3, Scene 2 of the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare where Portia says 'Let music sound while he doth make his choice; Then, if he lose, he makes a swan like end'


texts: What does "off the top" mean in this context?

texts:
I was reading a Design Patterns in Java programming book and came across a new phrase. I'm wondering what does off the top mean in this particular context.

Excerpt from the book:

  Keep Learning

  Somehow, you had the opportunity, drive, and ambition to acquire and
  read this book. All we can say is, "Keep it up!" Decide how many hours
  a week you want to spend on your career. Take 5 hours off the top and
  pay yourself first. Spend that time away from the office, reading
  books and magazines or writing software related to any topic that
  interests you. Make this practice as regular as your office hours.
  .....

I've heard of the idiom - off the top of your head.  But what does off the top exactly mean in this context?


texts:
"Simultaneous" means at the same time.

"(Insert Word)" means at the same location.

(For people that like physics out there, I'm studying special relativity...and I hate the fact that my notes say: "Events that are simultaneous and happen at the same location in one reference frame are simultaneous and happen at the same location in all reference frames").

There HAS to be a shorter way to say it.

Thanks!


texts: What does "I can't agree with you more" mean?

texts:
I've recently encountered three sentences:

  I can't agree with you more.
  I can't agree with you any more.
  I can't agree with you anymore.

What do these three sentences mean? Are they the same, or are there any differences?


texts: Should repeated capital letters remain capitalised?

texts:
When one wants to emphasise stress on a particular part of a word by repeating letters, if one of those letters is a capital, should it remain capitalised?

For example, would someone calling out the name Allen be AAAAAlllllen or Aaaaalllllen?

Or another example: David Bowie's "Changes" - Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes or Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes?

Are there any style manuals that address this?


texts: How did "out, away" + "to play" combine to mean 'elude'?

texts:
elude (v.) =
      1530s, "delude, make a fool of," from Latin eludere "finish play, win at play; escape from or parry (a blow), make a fool of, mock, frustrate; win from at play," from assimilated form of ex- "out, away" (see ex-) + ludere "to play" (see ludicrous). Sense of "evade" is first recorded 1610s in a figurative sense, 1630s in a literal one. [...]

How did the 2 bolded morphemes combine to mean the modern definition of 'elude'?

Please help me dig deeper than the definition, which I already understand and so ask NOT about. Please expose and explain this etymology's (hidden and missing) semantic drifts and links, which I struggle to connect. What are some right ways of interpreting the etymology, to understand how the semantic jumps abstracted and severed from the original literal meaning? What bridges the jumps with the original?


texts:
In my English homework, a student gets asked if she would put "Any news your end" in a formal or informal letter.
My class should translate it, but in my native language it means something like "Some news you want to tell before/while dying?" and thats makes no sense to me.


texts: "Can" or "could" in the mentioned sentence?

texts:
Could / Can Happiness bring pain?

The above sentence is not meant to mean the past time. "Could", and not "can", is used for past. So, "can" is preferable in the sentence?

On the other hand, the sentence is meant to ask whether there are possible conditions under which happiness bring pain. Or, does it ever happen that happiness brings pain. So, since it is about future possibility, isn't "could" a better choice?


texts: What is a good English verb that means “to eliminate a term from a text being translated in order to achieve a natural translation"?

texts:
I hope this is the right place for this question. It pertains to speaking about translations in English.

It is often necessary to provide a translation that conveys the meaning and intent of the original while sacrificing certain details in order to sound natural in the target language.

I don't mean the case of choosing a fixed expression like "two peas in a pod" in the target language that roughly corresponds to one in the source, but rather the more common case of a term that is present and literally meaningful in the original but which usually doesn't make it into the target because it would feel unnecessary or awkward.

Is there an English verb that captures this? I find myself wanting to say that such-and-such a term is "glossed out" of the translation, but it seems that the term "gloss" has a different meaning in linguistics (I understand that it means an explanatory note, not a translation). On the other hand, I have also seen translations within Japanese-English dictionaries referred to as glosses.

The background to this question is that I write about the Japanese language for English-speaking learners and frequently have to refer to this sort of thing. It feels natural to me to say terms are "glossed out" of translations, but I want to make sure I'm not misusing terms. Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

Edit: My original question asked about the overall process of providing natural translations. I apologize -- I meant to focus on the act of deliberately eliminating source terms as one part of that effort.

Edit: Someone asked for an example of this. Take this sentence:

机の上に、本が置いてある。
There is a book on top of the desk.

For learners, the last part, 置いてある, takes a little explaining. It is the verb "put" in the active voice but as part of a pattern that does not name the actor and focuses on the resulting state. You can understand it meaning literally "(someone) put it and it is (still in that state)."

It's challenging to translate this sentence in a natural way that preserves the verb "put." Some candidates are:

A book has been put on top of the desk.
A book is put on top of the desk.
There is a book put on top of the desk.

Most commonly, however, "put" just never makes in into the English. I think in English, if a book is on a desk, we assume someone must have put it there, so it feels bizarrely precise to specify that this did indeed happen. Most naturally, it's just "There is a book on top of the desk." In my parlance, "put" gets glossed out.


texts:
Our software works with contract management.
Let's say item A is part of the contract. Our system has two ways of adding
an item A to a contract:

A special tab within the contract window that deals with defining
and adding item A. This requires opening the contract and navigating to the
tab, which for several contracts can be a hassle, and therefore we created
option b which is:
An "outside" window, through which you can specify some base
values, create item A's which all include those values by default, and then
link them to their respective contracts. The point is to save time and not
have to enter each contract to create its item A, rather to be able to do it
"from above".

My inclination was to call this Bulk Item A Creation (for the sake of the
example) - because it is what one would use if he had to make a bunch of
item A's and wanted to save time. But the process itself doesn't create item
A's in bulk, rather it lets me create a lot in an easier way.

Does this pass for a "bulk process"?

And if not - what is a better choice?

Sample sentence:

  To create item A's quickly and efficiently, use the _________________ process.


texts: what is the usage of 'so' in this sentence?

texts:
"It is easy to understand the calendar we use today. It was not always so easy."

In this sentence, what does 'so' mean ?


texts: Can you help me understand the construction of this sentence?

texts:
Can you help me identify the individual components of this sentence, please?

  Asking askers asking askers asking.

I realise the second occurrence of asking is a verb, however, I am unclear on the names of the other parts. I believe that the first occurrence of asking is an adjective and I suppose that the first occurrence of askers is a noun but, given that some of these words are the subject of a verb and some are subjective to the verb (if I have the correct terminology?) I would not be surprised if there are other better ways to describe the sentence parts.

Suggested expansion: The asking askers are asking the askers who are asking.

I suppose that those being asked have earlier asked and are now themselves being asked.


texts: Can parents "educate" their children? Or only teachers?

texts: Many of my Asian students who are learning English say that parents can "educate" their children. However I'm not sure if this is a correct collocation in English. My understanding of "education" is that it is restricted to the classroom and schooling. Though of course parents can teach their children any number of things (and any individual can pursue their own "self-education"), I wouldn't call any of that "education" per se. "Parents educate their children", to my ears, does not sound like proper English. Any thoughts?


texts: Dropping the 'have' before a past participle

texts:
We have heard what you told us.
We've heard what you told us.
We heard what you told us.

As far as I know, the first two are OK. There have been enough discussions here on the subject. The third variation however does not seem right but does seem to be entering into common usage. It sounds better if it's followed by something like "and we did something about it."

Is there a rule covering this?

Clarification as requested by user @RegDwigнt

I work in government in Australia. I see these three forms used interchangeably for the same purpose. The first two are, as have been observed, the same for all intents and purposes (only included for completeness as I note that there have been one or two differences of opinion here...).

So:

"We have heard what you told us and are taking action"
or even...

"We have heard what you have told us and are taking action" (didn't mention that one the first time)

"We heard what you told us and are taking action"

Each means - As a result of the feedback that we have received, we may do something.


texts:
Does the phrase "The holocaust was a unique event in history for two reasons:" mean that the following two reasons will individually cause uniqueness or will in conjunction cause the uniqueness?  Here is the phrase in context:

  Fackenheim argued that the holocaust was a unique event in history for two reasons: (1) The Nazis persecuted the Jews not because of their religious beliefs or practices as in former times, but strictly because of their genetic makeup. (2) The demonic will of persecutors to exterminate the Jews superseded their aims at winning the War.

I feel as though both must be in conjunction to be unique as it is not the first time in history that people have been persecuted because of genes (black people have been persecuted for that reason). Therefore the author must either be wrong or the two reasons must be in conjunction to be unique.


texts: Why is "Thomism" pronounced with a long "o" unlike "Thomas"?

texts:
Why is 'Thomism' (and 'Thomistic') pronounced with a long 'o', while 'Thomas' is not?

I occasionally hear the word mispronounced, and my gentle correction is typically met with disbelief.


texts: The etymology of "religion" comes from "legere" meaning to read + "re" meaning again. Or does it? (more inside)

texts:
The etymology of religion as mentioned in the title comes from Etymonline.

And that's very interesting. It makes sense too.

My question is, how do the phrases, "to read", "to choose", "to gather", "law", and "to bind" all come together to form the phonetic root "leg"/"lig" which constitutes the etymology of "religion". Or do they at all? Also, is there any meaning to the whole "leg" (body part) thing? Does this have something to do with legs and free will? Because that would be interesting.

Other roots with 'legere'

- "intelligence". 'intere': "between" + 'legere': "choose, pick out, read". [2]
- "legal": 'legere':"to gather" or 'lex':"law". [3]
- "ligament": L 'ligamentum': "to bind, tie". [4]

So, given this background, what do you know about the etymology of the word "religion", the meaning(s) of "legere", and, perhaps most importantly, the legitimacy of Etymonline as a source?

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=religion&searchmode=none
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=intelligence&searchmode=none
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=leg&searchmode=none
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=ligament&allowed_in_frame=0


texts: Can the verb "gain" take two complements?

texts:
Is it correct to say:

  The prudent guidance and innovation gained Jane and John much fame.

I think that this sentence is grammatically incorrect because the verb gain cannot take two complements the way ditransitive verbs can.

Despite my misgivings, this sentence was not pointed out to be erroneous. Isn’t this sentence incorrect?


texts: Is there a difference between hypercorrection, overregularization, and overcompensation? If so, how?

texts:
I've heard of the term "hypercorrection", but then I came across "overregularize" in a psychology textbook. I wondered how it differed from hypercorrect and tried to research it. In doing so, I came across the term "overcompensation" too. I didn't find a simple explanation.

Do "hypercorrection", "overregularization", and "overcompensation" mean different things?

  In psychology, or in English in general[?]

The latter, I guess.


texts:
I'm looking for a British equivalent of 'bang for your buck'.

I thought 'power for your pound' , but I'm not sure if that works well.


texts: Interpretation -"The highest as the lowest form"

texts:
There is a similar posting and answers here:

An explanation of the preface in "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Still, I am confused about the expression "The highest as the lowest form". Is it "The highest as well as the lowest"? or "The highest from the lowest"? or other?

Here is the quote and context around it (click to see the context)

The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography. Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.
- Wilde, Oscar, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Gutenberg Edition


texts: What's the difference between 'left out' and 'missed out'?

texts:
There is a sentence:
 Negative comments were left out.

Can I say:
Negative comments were missed out.  ?

What is general different between miss out and left out ?

I'm not sure which tags I should include. Is collocation OK?


texts: Why can't "unless" mean "except if" in "My wife will be angry unless I'm home by 7.00"

texts:
A Practical English Grammar reads:

Unless means 'except if', so it's not used when the meaning is more
like 'because ... not’:
My wife will be angry if I'm not home by 7.00
※ My wife will be angry unless I get home by 7.00
(She will be angry because I’m not home.)

I still can't see why unless can't mean "except if" here.
UNLESS: https://oed.com/oed2/00268144


texts: How can I use "other" in singular and plural?

texts:
What is the difference between other and another?
I know that another is only for singular and other can be used in singular or plural. Can you give some examples?


texts: Is there an epistemological word that means "one who solicits prostitutes"?

texts:
I'm not certain that I'm phrasing my question correctly, but I couldn't think of a better way to word it. What I'm asking is for a word that truly defines to mean a person who solicits prostitutes. I've heard of the slang word "john", but that's not a satisfying answer to me. "Whore" and "prostitute" unambiguously mean a person, connotatively female, who trades sexual favors for money, with whore being more derogatory and prostitute more meaning the actual profession. "John" doesn't quite do this, it's meaning isn't so clearly explicit in the word.

So, is there a word that does this? As a secondary question, if there is not a word in English, is there one in another language?

An example of how this word would be used: We can't keep the blanks away from the new escort service that opened downtown.


texts: Person who is responsible for the political guests in the kingdom?

texts: I'm from Georgia, and I need help with a specific word. In one of the history books I found the word mestumre, and in a translation from Georgian it means a person who is responsible for the special guests or political guests of the royal court. I'm sure that the same position existed in European kingdoms. So the question is. what is the name of the person who is responsible for the "special" guests (royal, political, etc.)?


texts: I am pleased with your answer. Is "pleased" a verb or an adjective?

texts:
Your  answer  pleases  me(Active  voice)

  I am pleased  with  your  answer.(passive voice)

I  think it  is  difficult  to  say  whether pleased  is  a  participle   or  an  adjective in the sentence in the  passive
voice We  know  that  pleased  can  be  a  verb  and  an  adjective  too.

If  somebody  asked  us  to  say  whether  pleased  is  an adjective or  a verb  in the  sentence, what  would  be  our  answer.?

En

I  think  we  will face the  problem when  verbs
such  as  satisfy, please , interest  which   can be adjectives as  past  participles  are  used  as  verbs.

  English  interests  me.( active  voice)

  I am  interested  in English(passive voice)

Here intersted  is  both  a verb  and adjective.

The  problem  arises  when  past  participles  and adjective forms are  the  same.

  He   likes me(active voice)

  I am liked by him(  passive voice)

Here  liked  is clearly   a  verb

Here  is  a links  which  show pleased  as  an adjective. and  please  as  a verb.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/pleased

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/please_2

This  is  not  at all  a  dupiicate  because   staple  is  a  verb  and  stapled  is  the  past  participle  of  staple  but it  is  not  adjective but  pleased , satisfied, and  dissatisfied   are  listed as  verbs  and  adjectives.

Even if  we  change  the  tense  they  are  difficult  to  classify.

  I was  pleased with  your  answer.

  I  was  satisfied with  your  answer

I  will  be  satisfied with  your answer

I  will  be  pleased  with  your  answer

Here  is  a  link  which  shows    staple   only  as  a  verb

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/stapled

Here  is  another  link   which  shows     satisfy as  a verb   followed  by  the  preposition   with

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/satisfy


texts: What does "went after corruption as hard as... " mean?

texts:
Edward Snowden on Twitter commented,

  Imagine if the government went after corruption as hard as it goes after guys who run filesharing sites. Priorities.

What did Edward Snowden mean?


texts: Contract metaphor for preconditions and postconditions

texts:
English is not my primary language but I'm "forced" to write code and code's comments in English. I'm now trying to develop a PHP code (doesn't really matter this aspect) like this:

function divide($x, $y) {}

Which describes a function that divide $x / $y. Now I want to be able to add a comment related to that function listing few pre-conditions such as

@[A]: $x is an int
@[A]: $y is an int
@[A]: $y != 0

and a list of post-conditions (that are verified only if the pre-conditions are respected), such as:

@[B]: returns $x / $y

How should I call [A] and [B] using a contract metaphor?

Something like [A] = "law" and [B] = "assurance" (which is obliviously wrong). How should I better call them to make it appears that

  If you follow all the [A]s I'll guarantee you that [B] will be
  verified.

?


texts:
Is the usage of the phrase "Per se" correct in this sentence?

Sometimes, religion, though not be enaugh per se, may lead to violence.


texts:
What is the word for the state of ignoring something?

For instance, if I am ignoring you, am I in a state of ignorance? Is there a better word with a less negative connotation?


texts: What do you call a person who uses the required amount of resources?

texts:
A person who does work with the maximum care in order to avoid waste.

Example: A wife who cooks only for the number of guests invited at that moment.


texts: Where should the words 'In real life' be put?

texts:
Which of these sentences is correct?

In real life, do we have anything close to the robots showed in Westworld?
Do we, in real life, have anything close to the robots showed in Westworld?
Do we have anything close to the robots showed in Westworld, in real life?


texts: difference between "lickspittle" and "sycophant"

texts:
Lickspittle is defined as:

  a person who behaves obsequiously to those in power.

whereas Sycophant is defined as:

  a person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage

Is this to say that a lickspittle is not looking for favors and has no ulterior motive for his obsequious mien (unlike the sycophant)?


texts:
Looking for a word that means "coming out of hiding."

I mean literally the physical act of coming out, like:

  'something had scared me and I hid under a blanket or behind a rock,
  and then gradually got the courage to ___________ (come back out)'

I was thinking "emerge" but you could emerge for many reasons unrelated to fear.


texts: What a person is called who left most of the thing (or everything) incomplete ? Is there any single word for it?

texts: A person who has a habit of leaving everything or most of the things incomplete, due to any reason. Is there any word of this kind of habit or person having this habit ?


texts: Why doesn't Buckingham Palace require an article?

texts:
There's a whole bunch of them that look as if they would require one, but actually don't:

Times Square, Trafalgar Square, Union Square, Carnegie Hall, Central Park, Hyde Park, Westminster Abbey, London Bridge, Oxford University, etc.

As opposed to:

The Albert Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, etc.

Is there a rule, or some sort of historical reason?

Why this is not a duplicate question: This is not about the general rules about articles; nor am I asking for instructions on how to use them; I already know how.


texts:
In my legal studies class, this word cropped up and the whole class, including the teacher, couldn't pronounce it. They usually tried it several times and then ended up with different results.

Where does the accent on this word go?

  In-validity ?
  In-va-lidity ?
  or
  Inva-li-dity?


texts:
I commonly see "snob someone off", where the word they should correctly use is snub.

Is using "snob" as a verb forever a no-no? Is it creeping towards accepted usage?


texts: I want to write a scientific paper and I am looking for a nice word that can describe a theory can be a basic component or a main tool for another theory. What is the best word that I can use?


texts: Which should I use 'kept studying so far' or 'have been studying'?

texts:
I want to say that 'I learned the language in high school for the first time, and I kept studying so far because I was interested in the culture', and it is confusing for me whether I should use 'kept studying' or 'have been studying'.

  I learned Chinese in high school. Since I was interested in Chinese
  culture, I kept studying the language so far.

or

  I learned Chinese in high school. Because I was interested in Chinese
  culture, I have been studying the language since then.

Which one do you think sounds better?


texts: What was/is the name of the person who phoned/had phoned?

texts:
What was the name of the person who phoned?

I'm wondering what does this question really mean?
Does it mean:

  What is the name of the person who phoned?

but why was instead of is?

or means

  What was the name of the person who had phoned?


texts:
Anne Boleyn had a brother called Tenpin

Can someone explain this joke? It probably has some sort of colloquial meaning I'm missing or some way of pronunciation that makes it funny.
I've found this joke being performed by British comedians and also on some obscure websites.


texts: Does "having ablution" mean "performing ablution" in some contexts ? When I say "she is having ablution" , would it be correct and in the meaning of to perform it??


texts: What are the common English mistakes that native Russian speakers make?

texts:
I've lived in the US for 10 years.  I've never learned grammar formally and usually rely on intuition to guide me.  What really bothers me as of recently is my tendency to really get stuck on a specific type of grammatical concerns during writing.  I have no knowledge of the formal term for this class of mistakes.

Can someone point out to me the common mistakes us Russians make?  Also, what are the proper terms for these mistakes?  Is there a good book or an exercise set to learn from?

This is a sample of my writing.


texts:
As far as I understand, to make an attempt and to attempt mean the same thing, but I'm pretty sure there's still a difference between them that I don't know. Does make an attempt put more emphasis on the thing you're attempting than attempt? Does a person who makes an attempt to do something imply that they're are putting more effort than someone who's just attempting to do something?
(As a side note, I think some of this also applies to other similar phrases, such as make a decision and decide, take into consideration and consider, have a reaction and react, etc.)


texts: Are there standard ways of indicating dialect, as "I 'aven't," I asked 'is name," and especially "It couldn't 'a' 'appened."  Can "have" be indicated with just "a"?


texts: What kind of nouns are 'aircraft', 'cutlery'?

texts: My first thought was that they are collective nouns. However, to be precise, I'm talking about nouns that refer to a group of similar - but not the same - things.


texts:
We gave the new members a to-know-each-other break.
We gave the new members a knowing-each-other break.

What it means is: the boy came back to the break that was scheduled so that guests had the chance to know each other.
Which one is the right version? (I'm also open to others).


texts:
I sometimes see sentences that begin with "In which", but I can't seem to understand the meaning, e.g.:

  In which James demonstrates the presentation he's been working on.

Is this grammatically correct?


texts: What is the "theoretical" counterpart to "hands-on"?

texts:
Situation: an educational event may have two parts. In the first theoretical part, we explain the approach, big picture, some theoretical principles. In the second practical part, we give the participants an opportunity to try it themselves on a few practical exercises.

There is a nice phrase hands-on (http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/83931?redirectedFrom=hands-on#eid2010663) with the meaning of

  Involving or offering active participation in an activity in order to gain practical experience of it; (of experience, training, etc.) practical as opposed to theoretical.

QUESTION: Is there an analogous phrase to express its theoretical counterpart? If I name the second part "Hands-on", what should be the name of the first part to keep the style?

ADDED: I am more up to the same stylistic style rather than matching all the nuances of hands-on. The main purpose is to make the  titles more attractive instead of calling it just theoretical part and practical part.


texts: Adjective meaning "likely to be chased after" or "susceptible to getting chased"?

texts:
In the sentence

  Don't wear that, you are very ______. The bears will chase you.

Is chaseable a word? Would it fit the sentence?

Not a native speaker.


texts: Word or phrase for the state in the morning after drunkenness

texts: I am looking for the (slang) phrase or equivalent of the word drunkenness which contains the word dog. I mean the state of someone in the morning after the hard drunkenness.


texts: Can "the restaurant you told me was not good" used as noun?

texts:
The restaurant you told me was not good.

If there is a sentence like this, it most of the times means that "the restaurant you told me about was not good."

So when can this sentence be used with the same meaning as "the food I thought to be good"? In other words, like a noun?


texts: Does the pronunciation of "either" change with meaning?

texts:
I was watching a video on YouTube and the host of the video said:

  We don't say either of these either.

She pronounced the first either as EYEther and pronounced the second one as EEther. The first one was used to make choice between the two options while the second was used to mean "too".

Is it usual? Does the pronunciation change meaning in this case? Can I substitute one for the other?

I searched the different pronunciations of either (in this site too) but that didn't help me.


texts:
Is there a single word which can be used to describes people who legally moved to your country from abroad but do not have refugee or asylum seeker status?

In current political discourse, the word "immigrant" is used as a catch-all term which refers to asylum seekers, refugees, illegal immigrants and legal immigration through other processes than the asylum system. So it would be useful to have a word to refer to just the latter.

Usage example:

  Immigrants who came to our country as refugees are accepted for humanitarian reasons while [blank] are accepted for economic, diplomatic and/or demographic reasons.


texts: Can you begin a sentence with 'It's because...'

texts:
Someone I work with in an ESL setting is using "It's because..." to begin his sentences and I believe it doesn't sound natural. I am aware that he should be using 'because' to join the sentences but for argument sake I want to know if it is grammatically correct to begin a sentence with "It's because".

An example:

I want to become a fireman.

It's because I want to help people who are in need.

Or

I think students should use eletronic dictionaries. It's because they are more convenient.


texts:
What does 'if any' mean in the legal context below?

When the Registrar receives under subsection 33(1), 34(1) or 35(1)
or (2) an application or notice (as the case may be) from the payee
or payer of a registrable maintenance liability, the Registrar must,
make such variations (if any) to the particulars entered in the Child Support
Register in relation to the liability...

My interpretation would be that 'if any' means that there may be a possibility that the Registrar could decide not to make variations to the Child Support Register.  Am I correct?
Thank you.  Looking forward to your suggestions.


texts: What expression can be used to say that you are willing to work abroad?

texts:
I am translating my resume from French to English and I would like to say that I would agree to (not want to but accept to, it is not required) work abroad. In French I just wrote "Mobilité internationale". Would "international mobility" sound natural to English or American people?
Thanks.

Edit : I'd like a one or two words expression to add to a keywords list


texts: Is a “blue bird” the same as a “bluebird”？

texts:
Is “blue bird” in the following quotation from Lady Chatterley’s Lover referring to an actual bluebird?

  The lush, dark green of hyacinths was a sea, with buds rising like pale corn, while in the riding the forget-me-nots were fluffing up, and columbines were unfolding their ink-purple ruches, and there were bits of blue bird’s eggshell under a bush.


texts: What phrases can I use instead of "don't worry about it" in a semi-formal letter

texts:
Good morning, Stack Exchange! First time inquirer here.

I'm drafting a reply to an email from a scholarly peer, who apologized for not getting something to me sooner. I really don't mind the delay, and I want to express that in my reply without using informal phrases like "No big deal", or "don't worry about it".

What are some alternative phrases that I could use?


texts: How should I punctuate/capitalize the following question?

texts:
Is the following question punctuated/capitalized correctly?

  “What’s that, a dishrag?”

Or should it be two questions?

  “What’s that? A dishrag?”

Or would a third option be best? Thanks!


texts: Infinitive without to: The first thing I do is open my eyes

texts:
I have not been able to find an explanation for this use of an infinitive without to:

  The first thing I do in the morning is go to the bathroom.

  The first thing I do in the morning is open my eyes.

  The first thing I do in the morning is turn off the alarm clock.

Infinitives without to are used in the following cases:

-After modal auxiliary verbs (We can managed it)

-After do (I do admit I was wrong)

-After certain verbs like let, make, see...  (They made me wait)

-After rather, better and had better (I would rather go alone)

-After and, or, except, but, than, as and like (It is as easy to smile as frown)

-After why (Why pay more at other shops?)

[ http://www.perfectyourenglish.com/grammar/infinitives-without-to.htm ]

I have found no mention of using an infinite without to after the verb to be. Are the examples above a special case? Are they very colloquial? Or are they incorrect?


texts: Numeric abbreviations in business quotes

texts:
When writing a quote for an order for products, would you write

25K or 25M to refer to 25,000 parts or pounds or units?


texts:
What is the difference in meaning between "discrete" and "distinct"?

It seems as though discrete indicates a stronger degree of separation between the two things being compared, whereas distinct seems to mean easily discernible.


texts:
My english teacher told me, that is common in England to say "Rabbits" on the 1st of june.

What does it mean?

where does  this tradition come from?

Does the people say it only on the 1st of June?

I hope that I'm at the right place to make that question.


texts: What's the evolution of the phrase "milk it for all its worth"?

texts:
The phrase "milking it" seems to have originated in the context of finance. According to the OED, "milking" can refer to

  The manipulation of funds for (esp. unscrupulous or illicit) financial gain; (more generally) exploitation of resources.

Similarly, given what the physical act of milking some animal is like, it makes sense to think about "milking it" as "getting as much as possible out of a resource."

All of this makes sense. I'm wondering, however, when this idiom started to be used in different contexts. When did it become common to hear "You're really milking that for all its worth" in reference to an injury, for example, or for an emotional slight?

Similarly, which is preferable: "milking it for all its worth" or "milking it for all it's worth"? Should there be a standard, or does it depend on the meaning one wants to convey? I'm inclined to prefer its, as a thing does possess a finite worth (theoretically).


texts: Which is right: “The cream cheese comes with the bagel” or “The bagel comes with the cream cheese”?

texts:
My friends and I got into an argument about which sentence is right:
"The cream cheese comes with the bagel" or "The bagel comes with the cream cheese".

What is the exact meaning of each of these sentences?

Which would be the correct one (or both), if I wanted to say "you get cream cheese if you buy a bagel"?

Also, would the second sentence be right if the second “the” was removed?
"The bagel comes with cream cheese"


texts:
I've learned the meaning of chicken out from the dictionary,  I am curious about its etymology. If any body knows, please explain it to me.

I have done my part of research by Googling "etymology for  chicken out meaning". However, I didn't get any helpful results.


texts: Referring to results in past or present tense

texts:
When I am reporting the status of some results, should I use past tense？ For example, would it be correct to say, when the test result was announced in the past, "Your test result was failed. I am sorry about that." I know we have "backshift" in English. Does this mean that I can use present tense or past tense in this kind of sentence? For example:

Your test result is failed. I am sorry about that.
Didn't you have my message? I had your message. [or] I have your message.

Am I right that it depends on what the time is that is in the speaker's mind when thinking of the action—whether he/she is thinking of now (he/she still has the message) or of the action in the past (he/she had it already)?


texts: Proper use of "has been" versus "have been" after plural reference

texts:
What is the actual "rule," and which one is correct?

  Ports 10-20 have been or has been opened.

I strongly believe that "have been" is correct. I do not however remember the "rule," so I cannot explain why it is correct.

Can anyone give me some foundation to build my case, please?


texts: How do the words "stare" and "gaze" change the meaning of the sentence in the given context?

texts:
Please consider the excerpt below.

  I felt awkward discussing such issues with Aarti’s dad, so I kept quiet.
  “I know how the education business works, Tiwari talks intellectual,
  but he wants his share. I hope you guys won’t get me involved with that.”
  “Not at all, sir,” I said. “Even I don’t deal with that stuff. I only look after the college.”
  “So all such work is done by Shukla-ji’s men?” Aarti’s father asked.
  “Yes,” I said, as I ____ at the floor.

I need little help how the words stare and gaze changes the meaning of sentence in the given context. Please find below the dictionary (ODO) meanings of those words:

  Stare = look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something with one’s eyes wide open.
  Gaze = look steadily and intently, especially in admiration, surprise, or thought.


texts: Which tense should use? Present Perfect or Past?

texts:
Whici of the following sentence is correct?
"I have talked with him today and he said that he is well"

or

"I talked with him today and he said that he is well"

Which tense I need to use at the sentence? Present Perfect or Past tense?


texts: Term for Doing Something Inmoral and Unethical When Deserving a Handicap

texts:
Is there a term for doing the unmoral and unethical thing when you believe you deserve a handicap?

Paul used a reading prompt against the rules because he had a speed and memory impediment.


texts: Is there any word in English where "th" sounds like "t+h"?

texts:
It might be a strange question, but I, as a non-native speaker (Pakistani), have listened to English pronunciations by my native people who have over time developed their own pronunciations.

So, I heard the word "THUG" with the pronunciation "T" + "HUG" (T, as in tyre, tank, tip, etc). But I later found out that the "TH" in thug is pronounced like the th in thought, thin, etc.

Since then, I am trying to think whether the pronunciations of TH as T+H are acceptable anywhere else or not? Is there such a word?


texts:
Is "time" plural in the expressions "all the time" and "all these time"? Which is correct?

The first result I get on Google states that the latter is not idiomatic, but apparently "all these moments" are better... I would like to stick to the word 'time', however.

Context:

Even after all this time, he could still remember...


texts: Word for "collecting money for a special event from a group of people"

texts:
What is the English word for "collecting money for a special event from a group of people"?

For example, say some friends are planing a party. Each one has to contribute some amount of money to the event. What is the word or phrase that can be used to explain this kind of activity?

I have found "fund raising" to have a similar meaning, but I feel it's more along the lines of "collecting money for some charity event". Is that right, and is there a better word I can use?


texts: Using the bare infinitive after the verb "support"

texts: I work for a large nonprofit org with a very talented marketing and writing team. That said, I constantly see the verb "support(ing)" in our blog posts and articles, followed by a bare infinitive. Example: "We support farmers scale their operations," vs. "We support farmers to scale their operations," or "We support farmers in scaling their operations." It drives me crazy, because I am pretty certain it is grammatically incorrect. I don't think the bare infinitive can correctly be used after the verb "support" the same way it is used after the verb "help." I'm trying to confirm this with an authoritative source, but I am coming up empty. Can anyone here help? Thanks!


texts: Part of speech for qualifying adjective which takes NP outside normal domain of noun it modifies

texts:
Is there a specific grammatical term for a qualifying adjective which takes the noun phrase fully outside the usual domain of the noun which it qualifies? For example:

fake money;
skew field (math.);
simulated crash?


texts: How to correctly specify a range of temperatures in both Fahrenheit and Celsius?

texts:
Current icky wording:

  ... they do best in
  temperatures between 40 and 125
  degrees F. ( 5 and 52 degrees C )

Using the "degree" symbol seems correct, but in a range should it be specified for each?  Do Fahrenheit and Celsius have the same symbol?

  40º - 125º F,  5º - 52º C


texts:
"Strange by no means, the bus is actually faster than the train"

or

  "Strange as it may seem, the bus is actually faster than the train."

Thanks!


texts: Looking at forms in financial risk assessment, there is a question 'I'm happy investing a large proportion of my income / capital in a high-risk investment'. Is the '/' here being used as shorthand for '... proportion of either my income or my capital'; does it mean 'either / or' and is there a way to express it without using a '/'? Main concern is whether the / is open to interpretation.


texts: Is “Can you carry this book?” acceptable?

texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say:

  Can you carry this book?

I said this to a friend and this person commented that I need to learn grammar. To me the statement seems grammatically correct and logical. If it is wrong, why is it wrong?

Perhaps the context of the situation might help. I had a bunch of books in my hands and I handed one to my friend asking the question above.


texts: Find the relationship between these two words

texts:
I need to know the relationship of two words for a computer programming problem.

So for example, dog and cat are mammals and animals. Fork and spoon are silverware. GameCube and PlayStation are video game consoles. And so on and so on.

What are the relationship between these words?
Enter and Exit.
Join and Quit.
Coming and Going.

I was thinking the relationship between the words above is presence. But this seems clunky to me. Does anyone have a better suggestion?

Thank you!


texts:
Should there be spaces after a semicolon in a sentence? For example:

"...minimum/standard requirements for a base diploma;there has been..."

or

"...minimum/standard requirements for a base diploma; there has been..."


texts: What is meant by "still alive in kicking"?

texts:
Today I'd like to ask about an expression I heard on Youtube.

I couldn't hear it clearly but a comedian said "He was still alive in kicking" (<-- this part is what I am not sure about)

The story was that one guy has a friend who has some problems in his muscles so that he is not able to move his body properly ( a disabled person). Those who have the same problem, mostly die before 20 years old. But the guy found him still alive (actively)

So the comedian said "he was still alive in kicking"

Did I get it correctly?


texts: Something that takes advices (Technical)

texts:
I have a technical background on this question, so it has a bit of an abstraction. I have a component that can advise another component.

The question is about the component, which is able to take an advice. Is it legit if I call this component Advisable? Is this really abstractly describing something that is able to take advice?


texts:
Which of these would be correctly written -
Writing my friend’s names or writing my friends’ names?

Where the intended meaning is that I have more than one friend and I’m writing their names in a list.


texts:
Some years ago, I started to go beyond being a simple user.

The meaning I want to give to the sentence is that after "some years ago" I'm not anymore a simple user but someone with a higher experience in the subject.

Is this sentence correct? What are alternatives to express the same?


texts:
I am looking over something before posting it online and I have a sentence that simply doesn't seem to 'sound' right either way I write it. Specifically, I am trying to decide whether it is more correct to use 'oasis' or 'oases' in the sentence below.

There are two types of [oasis/oases] in the world.

If it makes a difference, these are metaphorical oases.

Thank you in advance for your help!


texts:
What is the difference between "predominant" and "predominate" and how much do academic writers care? I am writing a paper for Grad school.

I am trying to say "majority" and my text editor, Word, is suggesting both predominantly and predominately.

Example:

    In this case of eLearning, which is predominantly online, ....


texts: Why is it "ladies and gentlemen" instead of "gentlemen and ladies"?

texts: Is there a specific reason for this? After all, it is "boys and girls", rather than "girls and boys". If the boy (male) comes first here, why doesn't it come first in "ladies and gentlemen"?


texts: Use of "off of" or "off" with some verbs in place of "on"

texts: I have noticed a trend among younger native speakers of English to use the proposition(s) "off/off of" in place of "on." The most common one is the verb base. I have just heard it with go, which I can accept. An example would be "I have nothing to go on," which in the newer form would be "I have nothing to go off of." Another verb is build. My question is whether others have noticed this as well. It appears to me that this lexical change will become normal pretty quickly.


texts:
Is this a correct statement?

"The lion and tiger belong to the cat family."

Or should it be -

"The lion and the tiger belong to the cat family."


texts: Is "condition for noun verb ing" correct?

texts:
For example, should I say:
There are two conditions for the box containing a ball.
or
There are two conditions for the box's containing a ball. ?
The second one seems more correct, but I know for sure the following is correct, where there is no "'s"
There are three boxes on the table with the blue one containing a ball.
Is this because of the special usage of "with?"


texts: I saw an American movie in which one of the characters said to the other "scooch over." Do Americans use "scooch over" to mean "shove up"?


texts:
When I read a Children's Illustrated Dictionary, I found an example sentence as this,

Apricot

An apricot is a soft round fruit. It has a big stone in the middle.

How to replace the stone with another better word in the example? core?


texts:
I'm familiar with the expression to feel blue, but I recently stumbled upon the expression to go blue on two different websites in one week.

Vork from The Guild goes a bit blue
Source: http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2011/03/24/in-which-i-discuss-the-topic-of-web-series-with-my-head-on-my-desk

The second site:

Our panel from ECCC last weekend. It went a bit blue. Thanks Wil Wheaton, hehe.
Source: http://felicia.posterous.com/eccc-11-the-guild-panel-part-1

Usually I can track down the meaning of expressions myself, but since Google isn't being very helpful I'm turning to you guys. I'd also like to know if this expression is used widely across the English-speaking world or if its use is limited to certain regions.
(Please forgive me if my English isn't flawless... I'm a 19-year-old non-native speaker.)


texts:
I'm drawing a picture that I want to dedicate to a friend of mine. What's the proper way to write the dedication if I want to point out that I'm the author?

I'm thinking: "To {my friend's name} by {my name}.", but I'm not sure if that's correct.


texts: Clever Statement that can be backed up later

texts:
There are people who are very clever in what they say, especially political and religious leaders. They choose words very carefully. They make statements in a way so that if people oppose the words they can get back to the original words spoken and back it up itself.

Example-

Religious Leader: There is Almost NO evidence against Evolution.

Critic: There is many evidence, how come there is none.

Religious Leader: I said, "Almost No"

I remember a word like "come-back" statement but not sure.


texts: college degree to be awarded after completion

texts:
Consider the situation where a person X is currently studying in a college where they will obtain a degree D after graduating.

Is there a single (or maybe two) word W which is equivalent to saying "degree to be awarded after completion".

It should fit in the following use-case (part of a CV/Resume):

  Degrees awarded: M.S. in Electrical Engineering

  Degrees yet to be awarded: M.S. in Computer Science

to

  Degrees awarded: M.S. in Electrical Engineering

  W: M.S. in Computer Science


texts: “Thanksgiving was in four days”: something sounds funny!

texts:
Can you tell me if this sentence is correct? Here it is, in context (bold emphasis added):

  ...mother and sister to let them know she was deploying. Thanksgiving was in four days, and Peyton had a feeling she was going to miss it...

I keep thinking that it should be Thanksgiving was four days away, or There were only four days until Thanksgiving.

I know everyone uses the first version, but I am seeking expert advice.


texts: Idiom or expression request that would convey same meaning as this Persian set phrase " simple yet impossible to imitate"

texts:
In Persian poetry there is a style which literally means:

  "simple yet impossible"

It implies that the poems have been told using simple words and in a seemingly simple way, yet cannot be imitated by others; the poet has told his/ her poems using very simple ordinary words and compositions so that everybody would easily understand them, however; the poems have such profound meanings and strong structures that no one else would be able to imitate that poet in telling similar poems.

In Persian poetry "Saadi" is famous for using this type of style in some of his famous poems.

Is there any idiom or expression that can convey this meaning? (I need to translate that Persian set phrase into English.)

PS:

1- For those who are interested in Persian I write the name of that style in Persian too:

"سهل و ممتنع، sahl-o-momtane"

2- This set phrase is used an adjective for describing the style used in  creating other pieces of art too. For example; some masterpieces in architecture (like the exterior of a famous building in Tehran that is shown in the picture below, seemingly compositions of simple bricks and tiles, yet creating eye-catching and unique patterns). Besides, it is sometimes used for describing people who are seemingly simple but have profound, admirable and kind of unique characters such as "Mahatma Gandhi".


texts: A common symbol in modern weddings it the image of knot. The phrase "tie the knot" as a euphemism for marriage that is also commonly recognized.  Where does this originate from?


texts:
For example testing a test in software.
Validation or proof are near it, but I think it has not directly that meaning.
Validating a test, or proofing a test, they could imply that a test of the test is involved, but not necessarily.


texts: Does the word ecclesiastical specifically refer to the Christian church or is it commonly used in the context of other religions?

texts: Does the word 'ecclesiastical' specifically refer to the Christian church or is it commonly used in the context of other religions?


texts:
I am writing a narrative essay and I am currently working on the final touches. Right now I am focusing my attention on the title. The essay is a look back on a couple days, several years ago that a friend and I were nearly killed in a motorcycle accident. I am considering the use of retrospective in my title but not sure if I am using it properly.

"A retrospective flash back that nearly killed me and a friend"

"Retrospect on a week that a friend and I nearly died"

None of these sound right to me.


texts: Term for 'branching into separate parts and then recombining'

texts:
For example, when a river bifurcates into two separate streams of water, and then these two streams rejoin further along to become a single river once more.

Bifurcate itself is not generalized enough for the title purpose because (a) it implies a split into 2 parts, rather than n; and (b) it doesn't suggest anything about rejoining.

Example sentence can be as simple as "the river [term] as it travels along the flat valley", with the meaning as above, though the specific form might vary.

Perhaps branching could provide the n-parts concept, but I'm not sure how to incorporate rejoining in an elegant way.  Perhaps also there is some computer science or mathematical term for this idea, since it seems it might be useful in those fields.


texts: What's the meaning of 'baby-belly pooch'?

texts:
I saw the word from some writing related to pregnancy.
It sounds like describing a woman having a slightly bulged belly due to the baby but I am not sure.
Do it describe fat or just its bulged shape? And why there is baby in front to belly pouch?

Here is the writing I saw.

  But some women have a little baby-belly pooch by the end of the first trimester.


texts:
Is "I believe I am ready enough" the wrong way to say that I am ready enough?

I wish to write it with reasonable confidence that I am ready enough to take up a certain challenge. Is there another other way to convey the same?

Conversely - is "I believe I am ready enough" wrong way to say that I am ready enough?


texts: Should I write "any question" or "any questions"?

texts:
Are they both correct? Should there be singular or plural that right after "any"? If they are both correct, what's the difference?

Here, I quote some sentences from the Internet and I wonder if the word "problem" can be changed into "problems" or vise versa.

  I don't think there was any question she wore the pants.
  I can ask you any question, and you will answer?
  We were never asked any questions.
  Any questions about what is happening in mine are put aside until dessert is served.


texts:
There are two different types of dialogue I'm aware of, that for the moment I'll refer to as 'direct' dialogue and 'indirect' dialogue.  However, I know these terms aren't the correct ones, and it's been driving me crazy not being able to remember.

An example would probably be best.

'Direct' dialogue: "I don't want to do that," he said.

'Indirect' dialogue: He said that he didn't want to do that.

One form uses quotes to show explicitly what was said by the person; the other merely states that the person said something, without giving their words exactly.  What are the proper terms for these two methods of displaying dialogue?

Thanks!