texts: When citing a French citation in the original, should the guillemets (angle quotes) be changed? What about punctuation order?

texts:
I’ve come across a puzzling punctuation problem!  I’m working on a
document in US English. It includes a citation of a French text in
the original French, and this citation includes a citation (all in
French).

Guillemets are used in the original French text’s citation. These
are French angle quotes, i.e. « or », which are usually used
in French in places where double quotation marks (») would be
used in US English. Just as double quotation marks (“ ”) are
changed to single (‘ ’) when making a text into a citation in
English, the guillemet («) is turned into a double quotation mark
in French (“). A bit confusing, but hey, they’re different
languages!

I assume that I should change the guillemets (« ») interior to
the citation into single quotation marks (‘ ’) as is typical in
English.

But then should the order of punctuation also be anglicized? This
makes it grammatically incorrect in French, but if you don’t do
this, it looks really weird in an English document, and with English
quotation marks.

Example

In French, the following is the original text to be cited:

  il pourrait donc être dit, [. . .] que ce monde, en tant que
  monde, n’existe pas. [. . .] En ce sens, dire « l’Afrique existe »,
  ce serait dire « le monde n’existe pas ».

Note that commas and periods follow the quotation marks, as is
grammatically correct in French. As I mentioned, when made into a
citation, in French, « and » become “ and ”, just like in
English a double quote (“ ”) becomes a single quote (‘ ’).

For anyone interested, in a French document, the French citation
would look as follows:

  « il pourrait donc être dit, [. . .] que ce monde, en tant que
  monde, n’existe pas. [. . .] En ce sens, dire “l’Afrique existe”,
  ce serait dire “le monde n’existe pas”. »

Now when I cite it in an English document, should it be:

Nothing changed inside the English quotation marks on either end
of the citation:

  il pourrait donc être dit, [. . .] que ce monde, en tant que
  monde, n’existe pas. [. . .] En ce sens, dire « l’Afrique existe »,
  ce serait dire « le monde n’existe pas ».

Anglicized French guillemets (« and » become ‘ and ’):

  il pourrait donc être dit, [. . .] que ce monde, en tant que
  monde, n’existe pas. [. . .] En ce sens, dire ‘l’Afrique existe’,
  ce serait dire ‘le monde n’existe pas’.

Anglicized French guillemets (« and » become ‘ and ’)
and single quotation marks moved to be after periods and commas:

  il pourrait donc être dit, [. . .] que ce monde, en tant que
  monde, n’existe pas. [. . .] En ce sens, dire ‘l’Afrique existe,’
  ce serait dire ‘le monde n’existe pas.’


texts: What's a good word for displayed non-frozen non-canned vegetables in the grocery store?

texts:
Fresh vegetables seem to imply they are freshly harvested. If I say non-frozen vegetables that would include canned vegetables, which I don't mean.

What's a good way of referring to non-canned non-frozen vegetables that are put on a display at the grocery market?

I'm asking because a commenter on my skeptics.SE question said his definition of fresh appeared to be different from how I used it.


texts: Word/short phrase for "timespan has not yet started"

texts:
Is there a word or short phrase for telling that a timespan has not yet started? In this case, I want to apply it to licenses, which have a timespan within which they are valid.

If the current time is after the license's validity period, the license is expired.
If the current time is within the license's validity period, the license is valid.
If the current time is before the license's validity period, the license is ______.


texts:
So I'm quite confused as to what word do I use in these sentences:

That equates to almost over 136,000 cars needing "repairs/repair".
DIY hail damage repair kits really "isn't/aren't" a good repair option.
Are you interested in learning more about our Assisted Living and Dementia Care "service/services"?


texts: What's the Idiom or typical expression when a person "takes a joke further"

texts:
Imagine the use escenario for the typical expression I'm trying to find to describe when oneself or someone else builds upon a joke/silliness that was just made/said, expanding the joke, bringing a new comedic effect, or "committing" even deeper into an inappropriate or dark-humored assertion.

I have the vague impression that the expression I'm looking for is something like "double dive into a joke"....


texts: What does "wouldn't be exaggerating to say" mean?

texts:
Example:

  "It is very potent, which is surprising, actually," said Pandey. "I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say it's a little bit better than dandelion root extract."

Why not just say "It is very potent. It's a little bit better than dandelion root extract." Why the need to add "I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say"?


texts: Usage of comma to separate a sentence that starts with "I look foward to verb+ing"

texts:
Regarding the following sentence: I look forward to engaging in acting classes and in the Film Club to meet people with similar interests

I was wondering if it is possible to split the sentence with a comma like: "I look forward to engaging in acting classes and in the Film Club**,** to meet people with similar interests"

The meaning that I want to convey is "engaging in two things in order to get smth"

I thought that this comma would help making the sentence clearer, but I'm concerned if such addition would be against punctutation rules.

Which one is correct, the original sentence or the one with the comma?


texts: How to properly indicate that last 24 hours data may or may not included in the sentence?

texts:
I have a visual chart on my website and I update this chart once or twice each day automatically. However, I would like to tell my users that this chart (contains data usages) may or may not include last 24 hours. And let them know that I will make sure everything is included when an invoice is issued.
Is this sentence correct?

Data* may or may not contain usages for past 24 hours. Your invoiced total will be displayed once an invoice is issued.

* Data: Represents data in visual chart.

How can I make sure viewers acknowledge this properly?


texts: What word should I use for something that fails intermittently?

texts:
When something works, but it is unreliable and intermittently goes wrong, what could it be called?

I'm actually thinking of computer software. In my work we tend to use the word "flakey", but there must be a better one.


texts: How to drop a pronoun? (pronoun-dropping/removing 'I'/omitting the subject)

texts:
I wrote resume and got stuck in this place. There are recommendations to write your achievements in the short form (without "I"):

"Worked with ... "
 "Created something ... "
 "Collaborated with ... "

At first I wrote my resume as:

"Have created ..."
"Was responsible for ..."
"Created something ..."

Then I found out that people don't write it in such style (Am I right?).
There are three questions:

1) How can I omit "I" in the prefect tense and in the continuous tense.

2) Does this sentence "I bought potato and cooked it" work as "I have cooked potato"? (Because "cooking food" doesn't guarantee result. As I understand there is a perfect tense for this purpose.)

3) As alternative, is it correct to mix sentences as:

"I have created ..."
"Created something ..."
"Collaborated with ... "
"I was responsible for ..."


texts: A Latin word that is like the word "trinity" but for "five fold" or "five as one"

texts:
I read that the word "trinity", a Latin based word, literally translates as "three fold" or more specifically "three as one". That being the case, what Latin based word would I use to express, "five fold" or "five as one"?

Notes: I found a similar question on this site but it had been closed as, "unlikely anyone would be interested in this". Apparently, that is NOT the case. :)

More Notes: I am only asking about the word "trinity". I am in no way interested in the "Holy Trinity", so aggressive Christians need not respond. :)


texts: What's the rule for writing sentences with parallel clauses?

texts:
I've sometimes seen very nicely written sentences that have 2 clauses: the first is a full sentence, while the second, which is supposed to have a similar structure, was shorten into a special structure. Something like this:

"A1 use B1 to do C1, and A2 B2 C2."

For example:

"My brother goes to school by bus, and I by bicycle."
"I'm going to the supermarket to buy a can of milk, and you the hardware store a hammer."

I'm not sure if these are even grammatically correct or not, but just to show what I mean.

Does this kind of sentence structure have a name? What are the rules?

Please forgive my English as I'm a non-native Engineering-based speaker.

EDITED: I've managed to find one sentence: "The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, [...]". Here, "and the storms their energy" was very nicely written. I'd like to know more about how to write such a sentence.


texts: Difference between fish feed and fish food

texts: I'm  asking  what is the difference between fish feed and fish food


texts: Meaning of "Everybody loves a lover" idiom

texts:
While doing homework for "Introduction to Mathematical Thinking" course on Coursera I came across the phrase "Everybody loves a lover". At first I thought that the meaning of it is straight-forward, but then the task description said it was an idiomatic expression. The exact problem description was:

  Which one of the following means "Everybody loves a lover", where L(x,y) means (person) x loves (person) y and a lover is defined to be someone in a mutual loving relationship? (If English is not your native language, you might want to discuss this sentence with a native English speaker before you answer. It's an idiomatic expression.)

I couldn't find the meaning of it on the Internet, so I'm asking here: what is the exact meaning of this expression?


texts: Beauchamp. ..Beacham (phonetically spelled)?

texts:
In London there is a street in Knightsbridge spelled Beauchamp.
The English pronounce it as though it were spelled Beacham.  Why?


texts: Is there a word to describe the habit of acquiring and owning expensive high quality things but usually choosing to use cheap things anyway?

texts:
I know people with a specific habit of buying really good stuff, high end tools, high end wine, clothes, bicycles, sports equipment, etc, but rarely using them. They'll spend tons of money on the good high quality stuff but will almost always use cheaper equipment, cheaper clothes, cheaper tools, etc, only bringing out the good stuff for special occasions, as though it's vital to them to always have the good stuff but not to use it lest they scuff it up or something.

Is there a term to describe this sort of habit? I've been looking for one for years and never found something that really resonates. Frugal seems close but doesn't quite get the part about buying the expensive stuff and not using it.

Thoughts?


texts: Should I capitalize the cardinal direction in phrases like 'western Chicago' and 'northern Sumatra'?

texts:
To the best of my knowledge, we should capitalize cardinal directions in phrases that refer to a region commonly referred to by that phrase; for example: Eastern Europe and Western Hemisphere.

However, I don't know whether we should capitalize cardinal directions in spontaneously constructed phrases that refer to a region; for example: western Chicago and northern Sumatra. Should the cardinal directions in these phrases be capitalized?


texts: Is there a word or a term for the gap of familiarity developed over a time apart from a person or other thing?

texts:
So I began thinking of this concept after I'd met a good friend that I hadn't seen in a few years. We'd picked it up as if we'd seen each other the day before, and even though plenty had changed, the seamless familiarity is what made it feel like there hadn't been a gap between the years. However, we'd met at a bar that I often visit that always strikes me in how dingy and divey it is (which of course is perfect with some friends). Even though I go to this bar often and know that each time it is going to be dingy and divey, there still seems to be a gap of familiarity between each visit.

But it strikes me that there is a common element between these two experiences. In each instance, there is a gap in time (of varying degrees), as well as a gap in familiarity (also in varying degrees). The thing I'm most interested in is when there is a gap in familiarity even when the object itself or the details of that relationship to the object haven't changed.

Take for instance a scenery that strikes you as beautiful even though you see it every day. It seems like this concept is a key element in defining what beauty actually is (whether it is a person, a painting, a scenery, etc.). There's that element of each time seeing something, even if nothing has changed, it sort of feels like seeing it again for the first time.

On the reverse: the opposite of the gap of familiarity can also be a good thing. As with the experience of seeing my friend. Or being able to pick up an instrument after a while and remember it "like riding a bike". It isn't necessarily a positive or negative concept, but more of a concept to use in conjunction to specify how we identify and relate to specific things over time.

This word or term I'm looking for would in context of some sort of reunion. It would be quantifiable by how large of a gap of familiarity it feels between the last interaction and the current, and possibly how long it takes to get back to the old level of familiarity. It would be contrastable to whether or not the specifics of the object or the relation to the object have actually changed. And it would be specifiable to the details of what makes the object familiar or unfamiliar to us.

I hope I could get across this concept somewhat comprehensibly. I understand it is an abstraction on other abstractions which are always hard to pin down. I would welcome any incite on a way to more directly specify this concept though.


texts: Grammatically, why does it seem that 'that' can't follow the verb expressing propositional attitude in this sentence?

texts:
Consider the sentence,

  Together with corroborant documentation, the petitioner must submit his own account of the events that he claims (that) justify the exemption.

That can follow any verb that expresses a propositional attitude. (E.g. 'He believes/expects/knows/says/claims/asserts/ that.')

However, I suspect that something grammatical -something other than stylistic concerns about repetition- prohibits the use of that after claims in the sentence above.

Does a grammatical rule prohibit the use of, or require eliding, that in the way I've described?

Thank you

-Hal


texts: What is the best format to use when writing out dates?

texts:
What format of date is appropriate for different contexts (business, personal) in written English, nowadays?

1st of April, 2010
April the 1st, 2010
April 1, 2010
April 01, 2010
another one


texts: Is there an equivalent to "agnate" for the maternal line?

texts:
An "agnate" (Used both as a noun and adjective) is a person descended from the same male ancestor as another, through the male line. A "paternal kinsman" is also a way of defining "agnate."

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/agnate
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agnate

Is there a similar word meaning a relative through female line, a "maternal kinsman"?


texts: Can there be different degrees of brunt?

texts:
Is it grammatical to feel the greater or lesser brunt, or is it only grammatical to feel the brunt?
I searched but only found a handful of examples and mostly from non-native writers/speakers.


texts: What do we call a person who never spells words right?

texts: Please tell me one word for persons who always misspell.


texts: Capitalization of "sister" and "brother"

texts:
I have seen the question on when to capitalize mom and dad, but I am confused why the rule would not apply equally to Brother vs. brother and Sister vs. sister.

I.e., if the rule is to use capitals when speaking of a specific mom, as in "my Mom", then should the rule compel me to refer to siblings as "my Sister" and "my Brother"?

It looks perfectly acceptable to capitalize parents, but capitalizing siblings looks extremely odd.


texts:
If I were to say,

  Can't I just be wearing my swim suit already?

Would "be wearing" be improper English?


texts: What is the word for "wondering if what you're doing is pointless"?

texts:
I am wondering, in these strange times, if there is a word that describes questioning if the work/project/tasks at hand are actually pointless?

An example: I am creating a document meant as a resource for an event that will most likely be canceled, but it might not be. If it is canceled, it will be moot. But my directive is to create it anyway so I am existing in a state of doubt about its usefulness.

Used in a sentence: As I opened my computer I felt myself sink deeper into "(state of wondering if this was pointless).

Is there a word for this? I keep going back "existential crisis" (What is the point of everything?) but I want to express the concept on a smaller scale.
Thanks!


texts: What are: province, territory, protectorate, state...?

texts:
Often a country will have regions called "provinces" or "states". Other times they are called "territories" and "protectorates".

Is there a generic term for these words?
Is there a full list of words that belong to this group?
What makes them different from each other?


texts: Is there a single word for "Things to do" in different languages?

texts: I'm looking for a single word or a phrase that means "Things to do / tasks". It can be an English word or phrase, or a neologism: todolist, thingslist, etc. Or a word that means "a task or item of work done while travelling".


texts: what is the meaning these below mentioned 5 thats?

texts:
The teacher said that that that that that boy used was wrong.
Please, briefly explain above stated sentence.


texts: Difference between "vision" and "mission"

texts:
Definition of "vision" :
The act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be: prophetic vision; the vision of an entrepreneur.

The school's vision is to develop students into gentlemen of high integrity and robust character.

Definition of "mission" :
An important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction; a calling or vocation.

The school's mission is to develop students into gentlemen of high integrity and robust character.
What then is the difference between in 'mission' and 'vision'?


texts: Is it correct to use "you and me" in this Beijing Olympics song?

texts:
I know we use "you and me" in an object case. But I think in this song, "you and me " is a subject. Lyrics are as follow:

  You and me
  From one world
  We are family
  Travel dream
  A thousand miles meeting in Beijing
  Come together
  Put your hand in mine
  You and me
  From one world
  We are family

Is it right to use "you and me" here? Or it is used here so the song rhymes?


texts:
I'm looking for synonyms for "palette," but the usual Google/Thesaurus.com searches fail pretty hard.

I'm interested in the sense that means "the range of color characteristic of a particular artist or painting or school of art."

I'm actually looking for an alternative term for palette (computing) to avoid confusion with something else that was already called a "palette" in the programming library I am using.

So far, the best synonym I've found is "CLUT" or Color Lookup Table.


texts: A becomes an before a word beginning with a vowel, does this apply to u?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Use of “a” versus “an”
  Is it “a uniform” or “an uniform”

In spoken English we do say:

  He is an unhappy person

But I never hear anyone say:

  He has an user account

I have a lot of exposure to overseas students in Australia, and I am thinking that it is because of textbooks and lack of spoken English that this is now becoming a trend.

Can anyone please tell me if this is correct or not?

It makes me so mad I want to ride away on an unicorn.


texts: Pure verbal nouns/deverbal nouns vs. gerunds

texts:
This is a follow-up to a previous question which I am still trying to understand. I think I'm making progress in my understanding, but I would appreciate feedback to help me refine my thinking.  Here is the sentence:

  Good writing requires hard work.

Originally, I thought that "writing" was acting as a gerund in this phrase.  After reading through the replies to that question along with back posts related to gerunds, I've since concluded that "writing" in this sentence is a pure verbal noun, also termed a deverbal noun.

My reasoning?

—In the sentence above "writing" is modified by "good" and is thus acting more like a noun than a verb.
—It has no direct object.

Is my thinking correct here?  If not, could someone politely help me to refine it?

However, what if I had written the following?

  Writing well requires hard work.
    or
  To write well requires hard work.

In these examples, I'm thinking that "writing" would be a different kind of verbal noun—a non-finite verb acting as a gerund or infinitive, which is one piece of a larger complement noun clause.

The last bit is muddy for me, but I will leave it at that. Thank you in advance for your patience and insight.


texts:
I'm not sure if there should be a comma after 'said' in this situation. I'm picky about punctuation and want to discover what is acceptable. Can't find any similar questions/answers. - Which (maybe both) is correct?

  She quickly said, instead, "Hello."

or

  She quickly said instead, "Hello."


texts:
I think you can see the difference between these:

1 I don't know who an actress is.
2 I don't know who is an actress.

The difference is pretty clear. But what happens when we use the word WHAT? Does the difference remain or not?

3 I don't know what a problem is.
4 I don't know what is a problem.

Again, the difference is clear. At least, I see it this way:
3 I have no idea what is the thing called a problem.
4 I have no idea which thing of these is a problem.
But why do natives say that these mean the same?

5 I don't know what the matter is.
6 I don't know what is the matter.

Technically, they should mean different things:
5 I have no idea what is the thing called the matter.
6 I have no idea which thing of these is the matter.
While 1,2,3 and 4 can be easily interpreted and show the difference in meaning easily, 5 and 6 are resisting to be interpreted with the difference I mention, though, technically possible. What's the matter with them? Where does the problem lie? In the semantics of WHO and WHAT or in the semantics of the article A and THE or the word MATTER? WHat do you think?


texts: "Mr. John s/o Mr. Wagner" vs "Mr. John s/o Mr. & Mrs. Wagner"

texts:
Which one below is correct?

  Mr. John s/o Mr. Wagner
  OR
  Mr. John s/o Mr. & Mrs. Wagner

Is it necessary to affix Mr. & Mrs. in this case? It seems superfluous to add Mrs. because a child is always of a Mr. & Mrs.


texts: When do you answer a question with "would be" instead of "is/are"?

texts:
Sometimes, I hear people answering questions with would be instead of is or are.
For example:

Who is that?
That would be our new teacher.

Why don't they say:

That is our new teacher?

What is the difference between the two answers?


texts: Capital letter “L” in Oxford English Dictionary entry

texts:
I just started Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson and am wondering what the “L.” in the first line of the definition for “virus” means. I checked the online Oxford English Dictionary commonly used abbreviations page but found nothing meaningful.

As a side question, why are there brackets around that definition? Was Stephenson adding his own definition?


texts:
I am trying to replace the term "sponsored" in the following context, with a better term that does not imply receiving funds or support of any kind.

  Project X was sponsored by Company Y.

Any idea?


texts:
I assume usually you don’t say USB flash disk, right?

By the way, in Chinese we call it something more like U Disk.


texts:
I'm polishing and redrafting my novel. But grammar is not my strong suit. I need help with tenses, specifically. As you may already know, stories are usually told in the past tense. But it's not always simple past. There's past perfect, as well. Could you please help me with this particular sentence:

  Megan couldn't remember how long she has been sitting in her armchair, staring at the empty wine glass in her hand.

Should it be "she has been sitting" or "she had been sitting"?


texts:
I learnt a new verb today, namely, vex. I read a lot of example sentences with it, and looked up the definitions. It seems that vex is very similar to annoy.

Are there any contexts where one is applicable while the other is not?

If not,

Are there any contexts where one is more preferable than the other?


texts: Is there a grammar mistake in "Ball Don't Lie"?

texts:
There is a novel titled 'Ball Don't Lie', and a film also based on the novel with the same name (visit: Wikipedia synopsis). Then the sentence becomes more famous in sports world after Rasheed Wallace used it in one of NBA games (watch YouTube video here).

So I'm just curious, isn't there clearly a grammar mistake in this term? Shouldn't it be "Balls Don't Lie", or "Ball Doesn't Lie"?


texts: What is the possessive form of “neither”?

texts:
I’m working on a worksheet and it’s telling me to make up a sentence using the possessive form of the indefinite pronoun neither. It says to use apostrophes on all these pronouns to make them possessive but neither’s doesn’t seem like a word I could properly use in a sentence.

Am I correct and what is the correct possessive form?


texts:
With the Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne approaching, I'm seeing the word Jubilee more frequently than normal.

Is there a word to describe the people celebrating with the same root as the word Jubilee.

  Everybody involved in the celebrations was (jubilee adjective).

On a similar note, what other words might fit there? What describes the feeling of general well-being, neighbourly feeling one might also experience at New Year's celebrations?


texts: A word for "to make more concrete" in philosophical context?

texts:
I am looking for a verb for to make more concrete. Initially, I chose to practialize but it is not an English term according to ispell. Please, come up with verbs of the same meaning.

Example

The situation where I want to use this is in philosophy. The sentence is like this

  XYZ philosophical ideas are meant to make THX issues more practical over long-term but solving the practical problems requires in the first step critical understanding of present state through certain philosophical machinery.

The reason I want to avoid the term practical is that it has a bit of a diverted meaning in this context — the goal is to make abstract ideas to help other people, not necessarily physical things but to transform technical issues into practical.

Even the term practical is a bit diverted here. I am writing a synopsis about a very long philosophical article where the author redefines or moulds the original meaning of practice into reasoning, judging and perception.

Clearly I want to avoid this term because it means something altogether different to normal. I need to find another way to describe the original author's desire for to make things more practical, not by repetitively using practical, but some variety to this process with words having different connotations and background.

Initially, I thought that I would favor scientific terms such as precipitate from Chemistry because of the technical background in my course but I am now unsure, it may make the text too hard to read.


texts: connecting expressions with similar words

texts:
I often face this problem in scientific papers. When writing a title I have two possibilities. For example:

Enterprise and Process Modelling or Enterprise Modelling and Process Modelling
Water Management and Energy Management or Water and Energy Management

Which form is better?


texts: I am used to thinking that "within" can be used interchangeably with "inside", and Merriam-Webster seems to agree. Yet an editor of a scholarly publication marked the phrase "within the unit circle" as a usage error and noted that it should be corrected to "within the unit disk". Is he being too picky, or do the common phrases like "within reason" and "within the realm" hint that those two words are not the exact synonyms?


texts:
For example here the sentence is,
"Consider any sequence of data points x0, x1, x2,... in R"
It messes up my mind when I can't loudly read something.

How is ... (dot dot dot) pronounced in such a sentence?


texts: Is there an adjective to describe someone  with the ability to quickly grasp/see the whole picture out of a few perceived details. This person is not detail-oriented and never fails to see the forest for the trees. Gestalt effect comes close to what I mean but I'm looking for an adjective.


texts: "Vendor" vs. "vender" in Standard American English

texts:
Which one is preferred?

I've always thought that vendor was the only spelling. The question was brought up by a typo, which the Word spellchecker did not correct.


texts: Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature

texts:
I'm wondering if there is a word for a software feature which is not wanted and negatively impacts the software/business using it?

In my mind is not a bug as a bug is where something doesn't work as intended. In this case the "feature" functions as intended, it is just that its intent is misguided and in practice it is problematic for the business and we'd rather that users don't use it.

We would have the "feature" removed from the software, but would it still be considered a feature until it is removed? In my mind for software, a feature is inherently a positive thing. Or am I mistaken?

Example sentence:

  Can you please remove the ability to do XYZ, it is a
  [word-for-negatively-impacting-feature]?


texts:
I often hear phrases such as "infantry were sent in to diffuse/defuse the situation," and I am never quite sure which people are saying, and which is correct.  Both seem to make sense.

To me (a chemist/physicist) the primary definition of the intransitive verb "diffuse" has a very specific meaning: to move randomly through a medium.  I also understand the transitive verb "diffuse" to mean to make something less concentrated, or to lower its energy.

"Defuse," on the other hand, has one clear meaning: to remove the fuse from a bomb (or situation), making it less dangerous.

So the question is, when I hear "diffuse/defuse the situation," is there a more correct word to use, or is this a case where words are both homophones and synonyms?  (Which would be pretty cool.)


texts: What does ''It's 'bout as bad as it could be'' mean?

texts:
It's 'bout as bad as it could be is part of the lyrics of Up! by Shania Twain. It is the first phrase of the song and is supposed to be a single sentence in itself. Below is the beginning parts of the song:

  It's 'bout as bad as it could be
  Seems everybody's buggin' me
  Like nothing wants to go my way
  yeah, it just ain't been my day
  Nothin's comin' easily


texts: A word/phrase for something massively complex

texts:
I am looking for a word to describe something that is so massively complex and poorly organized, that it collapses under it's own weight. Due to a tight word count, I would prefer to use one word, but an appropriate short phrase would still work. Right now, I think I may resort to 'monolithic', but it feels too bland and I am looking for something more descriptive.

Thank you.

EDIT: While I have received and accepted an answer (which I am using), I would still appreciate suggestions. Thanks again!


texts: Can I begin a sentence with, "Unless, that is ...."?

texts:
Given a rather long sentence that finishes with something like:

... and therefore, you need not submit that form.

Is it allowable to start the next sentence with, "Unless, that is, you .....", or will this need to be appended to the line after a comma? The reason why I would prefer to start a new sentence is that the first sentence already is rather long and contains several clauses and conjunctions.


texts: Some compliment nouns are always plural, but other have singular forms - why?

texts:
Some compliment nouns like congratulations, best wishes, thanks, or cheers are always plural in form, but I have seen singular forms like "congratulate  them" or "thank them".
In these 'thank' and 'congratulate' are singular. Why?
Does 'cheers' or 'best wishes' also have singular form?


texts: "How many tables in the picture? " or "How many tables ARE in the picture?"

texts:
Which one of the two sentences below is right?

How many tables in the picture?
How many tables ARE in the picture?


texts: Smart-Shaming: A Threat to the Age of Information

texts: I would like to inquire if the above mentioned title is correct. I will be using it as a title for my article on our school's newspaper.


texts: Interchangeability of idiomatic "wavelength" and "frequency"

texts:
Do these sentences mean the same?

  We don't have the same wavelength.

  We are not in the same frequency.


texts: What does "how unhinged things can become with money" mean?

texts:
I want to translate a text but I don't know what this sentence means...

  It reminds us of how unhinged things can become with money.


texts:
English isn't my native language. I need some help. I look for a word to name a sound.

This sound you can hear when you bend your finger in opposite site.
This sound you can hear in your knees when you are doing squats.

I am trying to say something like this:
"I hear in my wrist (here name of this sound) when I am doing something"


texts:
Unlike in English speaking countries, here in Brazil it is very common to  have names with accents. My own name is an example of it: Túlio.

In my case, in letter u we have an accentuation signal that in my country we call acento agudo (ú).

In spelling activities, it’s very common for people to ask me how to say those "accentuation signals" in English.

I'd appreciate it if you guys could give me this information. What's the most usual and commmon way to name those signals in English, specially in spelling (´, ^, ~ )?


texts: "The" before proper nouns in technical writing

texts:
Should I use "the" before proper nouns?
I would like to skip it, will it be grammatically correct?

Example:
MicroApp receives the SL Recovery Key, the LF Service Key, and the Auth Key to control user transactions.

In my case, the proper nouns are the names for software components.
In comparing with other applications, the names are unique: other apps use different names for software components.
Within my application, the names aren't unique: every name represents the class of objects: LF Service Key is a name for every TL Service Key for every app user.

I am describing software components in general (their functions, threats, compatibility, etc.), not for every user.

Many thanks in forward!


texts: Why is the order for some words that function as ordinal numbers flexible?

texts:
Adjectives, numbers, and determiners have a set order when multiples are used to reference the same noun at once. When cardinal and ordinal numbers are used at the same time, the ordinal always comes first.
However, there are some words that seem to function as ordinals but which seem to be flexible in their order while the equivalent (true) ordinal is not:

The three remaining cookies.  - or -  The remaining three cookies.
The last three cookies.  - but NOT -  The three last cookies.

The three initial cookies.  - or -  The initial three cookies.
The first three cookies.  - but NOT -  The three first cookies.

The three subsequent cookies.  - or -  The subsequent three cookies.
The next/following three cookies.  - but NOT -  The three next/following cookies.

Why do these words that function as ordinals have greater flexibility than their ordinal equivalents?


texts: Where should the comma be placed in the salutation of a letter?

texts:
Sometimes I see a comma after the proper name:

  Hello Mr. Black,

  In order to give you....

But my native language is not English and I think that the comma in this phrase should be placed before the proper name:

  Hello, Mr. Black.

  In order to give you....

What is the correct punctuation in English?


texts: Timeline of semantic change of the term "social justice warrior" (SJW)

texts:
We have a question about the origin of "SJW". I'm interested in how its usage has changed over time. As a rough outline:

It seems to have started out as a nonce-term of praise.
Then, it took on a pejorative connotation towards a particular kind of far-left person active mostly on Tumblr, whose opinions are characterized by

belief in otherkin, multiple systems (i.e., people who are more than one person), and fictionkin,
endorsement of novel gender identities such as "demiboy", and
an intense hostility towards white people, cisgender males, and heterosexuals, to the point of calling for violence against them (an associated slogan is "die cis scum").

The subreddit /r/TumblrInAction was created to mock this kind of SJW on Tumblr.
Its usage then began to generalize as a term of disparagement for any person with a non-right-wing opinion on social issues, such as Hillary Clinton. Simultaneously, /r/TumblrInAction has moved politically from the left or the center to the right and now mocks things like people complaining that women are paid less than men.

Can anyone point to when each of these changes happened?


texts:
While studying I encounter the concept of a 'language isolate' (pl. isolates). I would like to know if 'isolate' is a verb or a noun when appearing after the word 'language'.
As an example let's consider:

"Korean is a language isolate."

I can deduce the following:

"[noun] [verb] [determiner] [?] [?]"

According to the research I have conducted, such as on Wiktionary it is either a verb or a noun.


texts: Etymology/Origin behind using "bitching" in a positive sense

texts:
Etymonline.com mentions this:

  bitch (v.)
  "to complain," attested at least from 1930, perhaps from the sense in bitchy, perhaps influenced by the verb meaning "to bungle, spoil," which is recorded from 1823. But bitched in this sense seems to echo Middle English bicched "cursed, bad," a general term of opprobrium (as in Chaucer's bicched bones "unlucky dice"), which despite the hesitation of OED, seems to be a derivative of bitch (n.).

and then we have:

  bitching (adj.)
  also bitchen, "good," teen/surfer slang attested from 1950s, apparently from bitch (v.) in some inverted sense.

How did the second, positive meaning arise from the first extremely negative (and long) history of the word? What and where are the earliest uses of the word in this newer positive meaning?


texts: Interpunct / middle dot in American English

texts:
British English used to use an interpunct / middle dot "·" as a decimal point, writing twenty-one pounds and forty-eight pence as £21·48.

Was this punctuation mark ever used in American English in a similar fashion?  If so, when?


texts: According to basic grammar, there should be a be verb in front of the Over. So why do all games display Game Over instead of Game Is Over?


texts: Another word/phrase for something being very "push-button"?

texts:
What's another word for something being very "push-button"? What this means is a set of tasks that are made in a way that is very easy and as easy as "pushing a button".

Another phrase is like something being in "pill-form" - something that is easy to do or get.

Sample sentence: "This online advertising service is made in a push-button manner. You just have to fill out a short form, and we'll create and manage the entire advertising campaign for you."


texts: Word that means "to constantly being worried by one's appearance?"

texts:
The closest thing I could think of was self-conscious. According to Wikipedia:

  Self-consciousness is an acute sense of self-awareness. It is a
  preoccupation with oneself, as opposed to the philosophical state of
  self-awareness, which is the awareness that one exists as an
  individual being.

It doesn't seem to refer to one's physical appearance, though.

Is there a word to convey that?


texts: Is it safe to use the British standard for numbering in a novel with a worldwide audience?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Billion and other large numbers

Where I am from (Barbados) I grew up knowing a Billion to = 1000 000 000 000, not 1000 000 000, and it was some years before I learned to use both. Unfortunately, cultural penetration by American standards and culture means that many of our children use the American standard, while some of us (like me at 23, and most people older than myself) are stuck with a mind that thinks in the British standard.

With that preamble out of the way, I am wondering which standard I should use for a novel (which I am writing). Personally I prefer to use the British standard (because that is what I am accustomed to, and it is troubling to use the American standard). However, I don't want to run into problems, so what should I do?

Is it enough to simply put a disclaimer (using an asterisk and pointing out why)?


texts: "would" and "will" after "when" for generalization

texts:
I need help, a second eye to proofread the following:

"This method precludes an instance when the user has/will have their device broken."

AND:

"This method precluded an instance when the user had/would have their device broken."

Which one is correct or "more correct"?

The more I think about it, the more probable seems to have every option correct despite the case of a time clause (c.f. I don't know when he will come home AND I don't know when he comes home). Something tells me, however, that neither will nor would work here as the sentences could suit a manual, a general rule as we see in if-clauses: if + simple presence, + simple presence (If you heat up water, it boils.), or the like... Please help!


texts: Where did the phrase "hack job" come from?

texts: I've been doing quite a bit of reading and research on the etymology of the word "hack" and its off-shoots, but I can't seem to find any evidence of the first instance of the phrase "hack job." I've searched the OED, online etymology dictionary, etc. Anyone have any insights to share? Thanks!


texts: Should a photograph label read “you and I” or “you and me”?

texts:
I had a debate with my friend about this topic because he had a photo captioned:

  Seth and I playing lion king

and I said it should be

  Seth and me playing lion king

Which is correct?


texts: In China, the incidence of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is increasing by 5 percents every year, which is the fastest rising cancer in digestive tract.


texts:
I asked a question a while ago
("If I asked, would she say it were/was time?" Past Vs. Subjunctive) about “sequence of moods” whose top answer read,

Fowler says the past simple is used in clauses that depend on a clause in the past subjunctive .... There is no specific reason why this is so: in fact, the past subjunctive is possible or even compulsory there in other languages, or even in older English.

I didn’t find quite that same quote the answerer did but instead found a passage in which Fowler says, “what is implied in the terms [sequence of moods] is that it may be necessary to use a tense or a mood not to convey the meaning peculiar to it as such, but for the sake of harmony with the tense or mood of another verb on which it depends.” He writes that “the principle has its place, though little is heard of it,” and in fact I can sort of recall its coming up in certain writers whose memory of Latin grammar sometimes bled into their prose. An example from Fowler: “And if exceptional action were needed to prove love, what would after all be proved, except that love were not the rule?”
Does anyone know a little bit more about this? Of course it sounds silly, and especially so now because the subjunctive is moribund. But did it really have its place?


texts:
While writing a paper for English, I stumbled across a weird sentence:

Scout’s father, Atticus, is hired to defend Tom in the trial, and, although it is a lost cause because of the racism of the people of Maycomb, Atticus takes the job seriously and does his best.

Should this be like the one above (looking at the "trial, and, although" part) or should the commas be different? By saying the sentence, it seems both commas should be there, but others have told me otherwise. Please help!!


texts: If you've had your cake, haven't you already eaten it? So why can't you have it and eat it too?  It doesn't seem to make sense.


texts: My question is: Is there a contraction for the phrase 'it was'? Would this contraction be 't'was'? - Thanks


texts: What's the activity called that asks customers to contribute ideas, picks the best idea and then rewards the contributor?

texts: Is there a word or phrase common in use to describe this kind of activity?


texts: Words for deep thought, concern... (Sentence example inside)

texts:
I am writing about a character who is currently pacing around his home in deep thought and concern. There is trouble approaching him shortly, and he is trying to find a solution. He is not afraid or nervous per-say - but he is in deep thought and concentration.

A sudden block of sorts has me searching for the right word for this situation.

Here are some examples:

"Within the dining room of the palace the King was _____ly pacing the floor"
"Knowing the police were on their way, James was ______ly considering his options"

Looking forward to reading your ideas!


texts: Countable and Uncountable Nouns in a List

texts:
Since "information" is an uncountable-noun and "references" is a countable noun, which sentence is correct?

  Please let me know if any additional information or references are needed.

  Please let me know if any additional information or references is needed.


texts: Ungrammatical or Grammatically Incorrect

texts: Which of "ungrammatical" or "grammatically incorrect" is prefered and why?


texts: What is the opposite of a "one-trick pony" or a "one-hit wonder"?

texts: I'm thinking of "a one-shot gun" vs. "an automatic machine gun", or vs. "an all-purpose tool" (although tool lacks oomph). Any ideas?


texts: Programming: what does "to bump a counter" mean?

texts:
I can't figure out the meaning of the word "bump" in the following sentence:

  Periodically, a full sweep is made — large objects are still not copied (they just get their generation count bumped), and blocks containing small objects are copied and compacted.

It seems that it means increasing the variable, but no dictionary contains such definition for this word. And even if it is increasing, what increasing exactly is it? Increment the variable (add one) or add some random positive number?


texts: Is there a word for the action of lifting the mouse to go further?

texts:
Using a computer mouse to point to a far away target and running out of table surface (or hand range), one typically lifts the mouse, moves it in the opposite direction, puts it back down, and continues the movement.

Is there an English word or expression for this action? If not, how would you concisely refer to it in a text? (I thought of rowing or scraping with the mouse.)


texts: Meaning of “The retail stores are a way to help people get exposed to the lifestyle,”

texts:
From http://fortune.com/2015/07/23/bulletproof-coffee-funding/

Asprey sees the coffee shop locations as an important way to hook new customers on the high-calorie concoction. As he said, anybody can buy and brew coffee — any coffee — at home, but Asprey wants to offer a store experience to his customers.
“The retail stores are a way to help people get exposed to the lifestyle,” Scholnick said. “I think that bulletproof has the potential to be a national and a global movement and brand.”

Please explain what the bold phrase in this text means. I think it's either

The retail stores  can affect the lifestyle of people.

or

The retail stores can demonstrate this lifestyle to people.


texts: Can I use "Would" instead of the infinitive?

texts:
In the example, "I expect she will not tell the truth/ I don't expect she will tell the truth," said the judge.
My teacher said that it should be reported this way, "The judge didn't expect her to tell the truth"
But can we report it by saying, "The judge didn't expect she would tell the truth"?


texts:
While editing and improving a question on the Cognitive Sciences site, I came across the following sentence:

  Infants can detect an upside human face right after they are born

This sounded awkward to me and I struggled to improve it. I believe the author's intention was to say:

  Infants can detect a human face right after they are born, as long as the face is not rotated

or:

  Infants can detect a human face (in proper orientation) right after they are born.

But I really feel like there must be a word for "in proper orientation" in a context such as this. What would be appropriate?


texts: Word similar to stigma, but without negative connotation

texts:
I'm trying to describe the way in which generally, ignorant football fans will talk highly of players without having any sense or proper understanding of football or that player.

When it comes to the awarding of "Man of the Match" awards, I am trying to say there is a "stigma" around certain players wherein they will almost automatically receive such awards just because they are "stigmatised" to be deserving of the award, even if they don't perform particularly well.

What would the word be to replace "stigma"/"stigmatised"? Thanks.


texts: Is the use of "be used to" correct in the following context?

texts:
I would like to have an explanation on the use of the structure Be used to. I've always thought that It refers to habitual actions in the present. But a native speaker marked this sentence of mine as a mistake, "It is a pillow developed for sleeping on a plane for those who are used to travelling frequently" and put instead, "..for those who are use to travelling..."

I've never seen this structure Be use to (without the d at the end of "use") before and it does not sound correct to me at all. But I surprisingly found it used very frequently on the internet. So I just don't understand.


texts: I need a word that is used for literature, movies, and books

texts: I need a word that you would use that encompasses all tree of literature, movies, and books. I'm doing an art project and the theme is “words I like”, and I want a word that you can say and it includes all three. I've already thought of Fine Arts or the Arts, but I don't think that works.


texts: When please is at the end of the request, but before a name, should there be a comma before and after the word 'please'?

texts:
I have found similar questions but couldn't find an answer to fit mine, so I am sorry if I have asked a question which has already been asked.

This is an example of the sentence:

"Sit down please John!"

Should it be "Sit down, please, John!" or "Sit down please, John!" or "Sit down, please John!"?

Thank you.


texts: Difference between "repress" and "quell"

texts:
What is the difference in meaning between repress and quell?

Are they interchangeable?


texts:
When somebody uses the phrase "not uncommon", do they mean "common" because of the double negative?

I was recently informed that "not uncommon" could imply that something was anything but uncommon (e.g. rare), whereas I thought that rare would be a subset of uncommon and that saying it was not uncommon must mean it is common.


texts: Identifying verb types, nouns, adjectives and adverbs in a sentence - 5th grade

texts:
While helping my son, who happens to be in the 5th grade, with his English grammar, I have realized that I am confused. The following sentence, that I gave him as an exercise, he has identified the components i.e. verbs/verb-types, adverbs, adjectives and nouns as follows:

Sentence: "Jack is going to have a car of his own."

Identification of grammatical parts:

Jack - Proper noun
is - Being verb
going to - Action verb
have - Possession verb
a - article (not taught yet, my identification)
car - common noun
of - prepositions (not taught yet, my identification)
his - pronoun
own - adjective

Is the above correct identification ? My main doubts are about the verbs and verb types, since I believe that contrary to how my son has been taught to identify verb types, some of the types change contextually, and some of the verbs are contextually adverbs.


texts: Is the phrase ''Regarding my educational journey'' correct?

texts: I want to use it in this sentence '  Regarding my educational journey, it is glaring that studying and doing research are endeavors I would like to engage in even more'


texts: Do I need to put comma if I use "here" in the middle of a sentence?

texts:
Imagine, there is a sentence such as:

The chair here can not be used.

From this question, I get to know that this is a perfectly structured sentence. But should I use a comma before & after the word "here" for formal English? Or is it good to go?


texts: Questions about capitalizing words in titles

texts:
I've got quite a few questions about capitalizing words in titles. I don't know if it's proper to include many questions in one topic, but I couldn't find anything of the sort when I gave the rules a glance. I've been studying how words work in titles and I'd like to think I know most things, but there are a few cases that I can't wrap my head around, as I can't find any specific information on them myself.

EDIT: I've trimmed the amount of questions down from seven to three after checking out some suggestions. The suspected duplicate article helped me out a great bit, and the title case converter was a great help. However, I haven't found a straightforward explanation to any of these remaining questions:

Should the word "the" be capitalized after certain symbols, mainly the ampersand (&)? I haven't been able to find a clear answer to this, I've mostly left "the" without capitalization but for example, writing "KC & the Sunshine Band" looks a bit off to me, so I'm wondering if this is an exception case.
How do you capitalize words before and after commas? For example, if there was a title called "Come on, Let's Travel", should the "on" be capitalized in this case, or would it be considered the last word of a phrase? And in another case, there's a track with the title of "You, on the Dance Floor". Should the "on" be capitalized after a comma, or is it still left uncapitalized?
How do you capitalize hyphenated words? This has been an absolute mystery to me and I can't seem to find many rules on how to capitalize hypnehated words and I can't figure out how they work; sometimes it seems you need to capitalize both parts of the word and sometimes it isn't so.


texts:
In Wiktionary the noun  aid is defined as

  aid (plural aids)
  1. Help; assistance; succor, relief.
  He came to my aid when I was foundering.
  2. A helper; an assistant.
  3. Something which helps; a material source of help.
  Slimming aids include dietary supplements and appetite suppressants.

And then there is AIDS which is

  Acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

I'm not a native speaker, and I may fail to understand a part of the context, so I need to have a clue from somewhere else.

When hearing: "Do you have/want aids?" How can I tell what this person is talking about?

I am not asking about formal context, but oral and possibly joking.

EDIT : I removed the government help part since comments are saying that is a mass noun and so, uncountable.

EDIT 2 : Some are arguing that "aid" in its meaning of help is not used in plural form. I searched on Corpus of Contemporary American English and find 3 examples of "aids" usage on the 200 first results.

I excluded the "{sense} aids" as in @MarkDriver answer to only keep basic usage and not special medical tool.

  Several risk management frameworks and tools have recently become available that will be valuable aids in preservation and curation work.
  I don't see any of those " Per Rialto " or " Per San Marco " signs, my navigational aids, on the sides of buildings.
  On the fourth hour of " The Today Show, " Hoda and Kathie Lee had a conversation about marital aids.


texts: The quality or state of being relevant to the subject under discussion

texts:
I'm trying to nominalize the word "on-topic". The closest I have come is "on-topicness", but I do not think that is a real world, nor have I been able to find anything that suggests it is.

Sample sentence:

  The on-topicness of the post was amplified by the edit.

What is a term describing the quality or state of being relevant to the subject under discussion?


texts: What is right preposition to use before a location?

texts:
What preposition should I use here?

Your initial place of posting shall be in the office located ____ A. Bonifacio St. Brgy. Canlalay Biñan City.


texts: single word to describe "simultaneous rotating and revolving" motion

texts:
The earth (-------) around the sun.

Also, if there is a word to describe motion of an object that is rotating but moving ahead in a straight line.


texts: why + verb+ ing form in interrogative sentences

texts:
I would like to know if this structure is correct? :
Why wearing a school uniform?

If so, what's the difference with: Why wear a school uniform?

I feel like using the ing form, but I found the second form without ing in an article.


texts: "X dollars' worth of Y" construction with "USD"

texts:
My question is similar to "Dollars' worth" vs. "dollars worth" for numerals but for numerals that are followed by a currency abbreviation.

When it's spelled out, it's clear that the "worth of" construction uses a possessive: "It uses 100 dollars' worth of electronics."

But when "dollars" is replaced by a currency code like USD, I'm not sure how to properly form a possessive on the phrase "100 USD."

All of these look incorrect or strange to me in a "worth of" context.  Which is correct?

100 USD' worth of electronics — since the D stands for "dollars" here, maybe, but looks like a typo since there's no visible 's'
100 USDs' worth of electronics — doesn't seem correct unless you're pronouncing "ewe ess dees" out loud (but I would normally say something like "100 American/US dollars' worth," "100 dollars' (US) worth,"  "100 dollars worth (US)" instead); it's not normally written "USDs"
100 USD worth of electronics — best bet?

…or something else I hadn't considered?


texts: Is it "to be sad over" or "to be sad about"?

texts:
I recently found a lot of my friends were using "over" with an adjective describing their well-being/how they felt, e.g. "I'm sad over something/somebody" which in my opinion sounds somewhat off(?). As far as I'm concerned "about" would sound a lot more accurate.

I tried to find some difference between them and the only one I could find till now was that over appears to be used more often when the state of being relates to a person ("sad over someone"). However, I also found that "sad over a breakup" is used quite often as well (which isn't a person since it's "something"). Accordingly, I'm not entirely sure which one is right or rather sounds better.

Moreover, I'm wondering if this construction works with other adjectives like "sad", too, as in "I'm happy/relieved/etc. over something/someone".


texts: Question on conjugations to unknown crowds

texts:
What conjugation of a verb would you use when talking to an unidentified crowd?

Imagine Taco Bell's slogan, "Live más". If you were to translate that into Spanish, what verb conjugation of the infinitive "vivir" would it be actually? Would it be "you" as a plural? Or "they"? Just a question I've had.


texts: It was not an option/It was not in the options

texts:
The online ink blot tests aren't really efficient becuse they have a fixed number of options to choose from.  Someone took a test. One of the ink blots looked like a "dress" to a person,  but it was not something that they had included in their opinions (4 options).
The person can say:

It looked like a dress to me, but it wasn't included in the options.
It looked like a dress to me, but it wasn't in the options.
It looked like a dress to me, but it wasn't part of options.
It looked like a dress to me, but it wasn't an option.

Which out of these four sounds the most natural to you and is likely to be used?


texts: Is "Black Swan" considered as an insult depend on the context it has been used ? For a instance, using "Black Swan" as a name for a company name ?


texts: Ways of saying "to get into a relationship."

texts:
For love you have to fall in love. How about relationships?

I'm not an native English speaker so the only ones I can think of are: to stumble into a relationship and to dive into a relationship (which I believe aren't common at all).


texts:
Hi everyone what does "Anchor the rear hand"?. I just recently started watching the TV series Arrow and on one of the episodes someone said "Anchor the rear hand".

Does it mean to attack the weaker hand?

Source  (about 30 lines in)


texts: Is *holy*, used sarcastically, potentially offensive?

texts:
Do I need to replace holy with sacred in the following formal writing, because a Christian reader might take offense?

  The poor survey design and irresponsible use of the results left the parents and their guests with the impression that the district was looking for a way to back up its positions with some kind of data, any kind of data.  Questions posed about the holy “data” were seen as obstructions of the 504 process.

Description of the survey: the teachers were asked to fill out a google doc.  For each accommodation on the child's 504 plan, each teacher was supposed to say, "yes, should continue to be provided," or "no, etc.," and there was an optional comment field.  There were three major problems with this survey: (1) Data should have been taken on whether providing a particular accommodation seemed to result in fewer incidents of misbehavior, or a better rate of e.g. handing in homework (the child has OCD and hoards completed homeworks in his knapsack; also I can prevent homework assignments from being ripped up or stuffed in the toilet by reducing the repetitive math exercises); (2) the parents and the child weren't asked for their input; (3) the comments revealed that the teachers had not really understood most of the accommodations as written, and many of them were being judged without their having been actually provided.  (Note, I would have loved to meet with the teachers to explain things, but I haven't been permitted to do so.)

I hope this is the kind of context that folks were hoping for, and I hope it wasn't too long.

There was some doubt about this use of holy being understandable.  Here's the definition: "4. Regarded as deserving special respect or reverence" (freedictionary.com).  Add some sarcasm and what you get is not-to-be-questioned.


texts: Word to express idea of subconscious cultural effect

texts:
If a single person does something without fully realizing he did it, or why, it could be said to be done subconsciously.

A group of people can likewise develop a cultural tendency, or meme, without the individuals who propagate the meme being conscious that they are propagating it, or why they do it.  For instance in an area where starvation is more common the idea of 'beauty' may include a heavier set women, a subconscious preference for someone who is clearly not starved and thus likely healthy and financially well off.  While the majority may agree with this vision of beauty they may not be consciously aware of why it is important to them.  The meme has spread through the culture without a conscious recognition of its spreading or what motivated its existence.

Is there a good term to express these sort of memes?  Specifically I'm looking for a word/words to allow me to discuss the cause/motivation of a meme while acknowledging that the culture the meme originated within may not be consciously aware of this cause.


texts:
With David Bowie and Alan Rickman dying within a few days on each other (RIP), I've heard some people say, "Death always comes in threes, I wonder who's next."

What is the origin of this phrase? How did this confirmation bias come about?

  Confirmation bias, also called confirmatory bias or myside bias, is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's beliefs or hypotheses, while giving disproportionately less consideration to alternative possibilities.

I'm just interested to know how did this phrase came into use.


texts: Say you're transcribing a foreign language and it takes you many times before you can accurately transcribe what is being said but as a by-product at least "by proxy" you're improving your listening skill.


texts:
Me getting a hangover is nothing like her getting a hangover.

-

  I'd rather contemplate you singing than him singing.

Is this grammatically correct?


texts: Is the line “Bush never quit figured out how to deal with him, and finished well behind him“grammatically right?

texts:
There was the following passage in Time magazine’s (February 20) article titled, “Watch Jeb Bush’s saddest campaign moments”:

  Jeb Bush’s campaign has fallen short of expectations. At one time the
  Republican front-runner with substantial money behind his campaign’s
  super PAC, the former Florida Governor was the man to beat. Then,
  billionaire Donald Trump emerged as a more serious contender than his
  veteran team had anticipated. Bush never quit figured out how to deal
  with him, and finished well behind him Saturday in South Carolina. It
  was the latest example of Bush winding up with disappointing results
  despite earnest efforts.-

  http://time.com/4231020/jeb-bush-please-clap-saddest-moments-south-carolina/?xid=homepage

I copy-and-pasted the above quote from the text, but I don’t understand what the line, “Bush never quit figured out how to deal with him,” mean. Does it mean ”Bush never has quitted to figure out how to deal with Trump? Is it due to the lack of my understanding, or a simple typo?


texts: When should scientific disciplines be capitalized?

texts:
When writing motivation letters like SoP, or any other formal text, I don't know whether I have to capitalize sciences or areas of research.

For example:

  I have been introduced to Neuroscience.
  I have been introduced to neuroscience.

Are there any criteria for capitalization?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Possessive of a word that's already possessive?

I ran into this issue today. Referring to Queen's University, how would you say "I've been accepted to Queen's MA program?"

Would you move the apostrophe over to make it Queens'?


texts:
I am writing a thesis and frequently I have to use the phrase "we recall that....".
Is there any other phrase to use for better writing? Thanks a lot for the help.


texts: An antonym for "continuum" to describe a limited set of possible options

texts:
I came across this sentence while reading Wikipedia and the second occurrence of "continuum" stood out to me as totally wrong since a continuum is specifically a range which can be divided into an unlimited number of possibilities.

  "Some linguists consider the rough/soft continuum more accurate than the male/female continuum.

So what is the best word to use here to differentiate the very limited number of possibilities?

EDIT

I'm genuinely surprised that so many people find "continuum" a good way to describe a choice between "male" and "female". As a programmer I can best clarify with a programming analogy:

To represent the rough/soft continuum I would use a float type
To represent the male/female choice I would use an enum or a bool type

(apologies to the non-programmers who may be baffled by this jargon)

EDIT 2

I think I need to clarify what I was and was not asking:

I was not asking about semantics or biology or gender identity regarding the existence of points between "male" and "female". I agree such points exist.
I was not asking about semantics or linguistics regarding the continuous range of the subject of the linguists' consideration. I agree that what they are considering is a continuum.
I am asking about English Language & Usage regarding the choice of words of the writer of this sentence which in my opinion poorly contrasts "continuum" to "continuum" in a comparison.

Let me rephrase the sentence the way I read it:

  Linguists generally hold that there is an option between male style and female style, but some linguists consider this inaccurate and instead hold that there is a free range between rough style and soft style.

Whereas it seems to me that some answerers and commenters have read it this way:

  All linguists hold that there is a free range of style and while this range is generally referred to as a "male/female continuum", some linguists consider that calling it a "rough/soft" continuum is more accurate.

To me the first reading seems natural and second reading seems strange. The second reading seems to trust that the writer has flawless skills in English language expression and definitely wrote what he intended. Alternatively the second reading would make sense if there existed a technical linguistic term "the male/female continuum".

Since I can find no use of such a term used by linguists besides this Wikipedia article (but I can find it in other fields such as gender identity), I read it as a sentence from a writer who knew what he was thinking but due to poor word choice did not write what he intended.


texts:
I know et voilà is a French interjection and means there it is.

It is very much used in the US. Why is the use of et voilà so popular in the US?

Which historical fact has made it so popular?


texts:
i asking on behalf of someone.

What is a single word that could mean "hair clog" and is used ubiquitously.

Hair clog that accumulates in pipes (eventually you need plumber)

Thank you.


texts: What can't you describe without a picture?

texts: What do you call objects, or kinds of objects, that cannot be described without visual aids?


texts: What's the difference between just and justice? The internet is not giving me a very clear answer.


texts: Is it redundant to append "bye" to "speak to you later"?

texts:
Are the closing greetings "see you later", "talk to you later", and the like sufficient to end a conversation (especially a phone conversation) or must they be succeeded by "bye" or another word of definite finality?

In other words, is it redundant to append "bye" to "speak to you later" or a similar wish?


texts: Is there an alternate word for "decontenting"?

texts: I am discussing the introduction of basic economy flight class and how it provides a cheaper option through "decontenting", removing the customer's access to the overhead bin. However, I am not sure if "decontenting" is a proper word to use in a report. It is in no way a formal report, but I still wish to use proper diction.


texts:
Is there single word that means "all seeing"?

From what I can tell, omniscient is often used to cover this, but that more accurately means "all knowing". It likely stems from a presumption that if you can see all, you know all.

Nevertheless, I'm looking for a word that means specifically "all seeing". Would it be something like omnivisient?


texts: Ellipsis of "to" in successive infinitives

texts:
Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage reads

When a second infinitive is used after a to-infinitive, the second
(and third, etc.) example is not necessarily preceded by to.
Contrast ‘can be induced to move or to change its orientation’ with
‘I
prefer not to live and work in the same room’

Aren't to move and to change infinives in the first sentence too?


texts: A specific word to describe inverse relationships

texts:
Is there a word that encapsulates inverse relationships? It's probably a theistic term. Something that could describe a profound nature like near and far or without and within.

Edit: The word I'm looking for describes a nature that is, paradoxical? The only example I can readily think of is God. God is described as both near and far, a presence both without and within. Is their a word that describes this contrasting nature?

--> God is _______.

Dichotomy is on the right track, but not quite it.


texts:
Can anyone tell me why sentence (A) is wrong, and (B) is correct?

  (A) "The topic of landmines is very heavy and complicating."

  (B) "The topic of landmines is very heavy and complicated."

To me, both seem to make sense.  In my understanding, 'complicating' in sentence (A) is equivalent to 'confusing,' while 'complicated' in sentence (B) is synonymous with 'complex.'

I did some research and there is no such word as "complicating" in my dictionary; there are only "complicate" and "complicated."  I am assuming it is because "complicating" cannot be used as an adjective - it can only be used as the present progressive form of the verb "complicate."  And if this is the case, can sentence (C) below be grammatically and idiomatically correct?

  (C) "The topic of landmines is very heavy and complicating the
  peace talks."

Thanks for your help!


texts: Why is there no "who" in "ex-soldier turned religionist"?

texts:
I saw a sentence and I couldn't understand why it is right.

  This unique individual was an ex-soldier turned religionist.

I think a word, such as that or who, has to be added between ex-soldier and religionist. Can't it be omitted?

I already typed it in a grammar error detector, but it has no grammar error. Could you explain why?


texts: What do you call a person who shares a lot of information/files?

texts: What do you call a person who shares a lot of information or files such as: pictures, videos, music, fun things,  and so on?


texts: What is the difference between "common" and "mutual"?

texts: What is the difference between "He is our common teacher" and "He is our mutual teacher"?


texts: Is using "an idea" instead of "a good idea" good English?

texts:
In colloquial German, you can say something to the effect of

  Would it be an idea to move the bike shed a bit to the left?

and it is immediately understood that "an idea" is supposed to mean "a good idea".

I tend to use this "an idea" in my English conversations as well, but I am unsure about its validity. Sure, it's never a problem to understand what is meant, but is it commonly used and good style?

Googling seems to suggest that it indeed is valid and relatively broadly used. Is this true? Is it, like in German, a more colloquial thing?

Edit: Note that I am specifically asking about the use of "an idea" instead of "a good idea".


texts: Those who speak do not know, those who know do not speak

texts:
We have this idiom-like saying in Turkish. The idea is that there are certain things, topics, etc., if one talks about it, it strongly suggests that he has no idea what he is talking about, else he wouldn't be talking about it (or bragging about it) at all. Though not a one to one analogy, it is like a man in the bar telling the chicks that he is a spy; if he was a spy, he wouldn't be talking about it.

Is there a similar saying or idiom in English?


texts: usage of preposition in the given sentence

texts:
What will be the prepositions in the blank spaces :

Vidyasagar lived in a rented house _____ forty seven years _____ his life in Kolkata.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is it “that's the same story, know?” or “that's the same story, no?”

Which word should I use in this sentence, no or know?

  you also same college no?

  you also same college know?


texts: A word for someone reporting about other people to the government

texts:
Is there any pejorative word for someone reporting about other people to the government or other power about other people, but who is not working for that power (is no spy)?

That reporting is usually for money, for eliminating rivals, or just because of hate/revange.

Examples:

reporting oppositionists to the secret police
reporting sexual/ethnic minority members that hide from prosecution
reporting that someone is reading forbidden books/watching forbidden movies

Is there a word for such a person? In Poland it's called 'konfident' but in English that word has quite a different meaning.

The translation services give words like 'informer' but they hear quite neutral for me, while Polish 'konfident' is very pejorative.


texts: A word that encapsulates both "person" and "group" (for people going on stage at an event)

texts:
At a conference, a talk can be done by a speaker (person) or multiple speakers (group of persons).
At a festival, a live set can be played by an artist (person) or a band (group of persons)

What's a word that would fit the following sentence regardless of the talk/set being done/performed by a person or a group?

  The ____ will be on stage at 2PM on Thursday.

I've thought of “performer” but it wouldn't fit for a group.


texts: Inversion in affirmative sentences with a complex subject

texts:
I just wrote to somebody almost these exact words:

"I cannot remember when was the last time I felt like this before"

and then it hit me I made a boo-boo as the sentence is affirmative, so I should have gone with

"I cannot remember when the last time I felt like this before was"

Or not? The 2nd sentence sounds awkward, and I vaguely remember somebody explaining that in such cases inversion might be retained...


texts:
CONTEXT:
John has asked Samantha out, and they are going to the movies. John tells Samantha the name of the movie they are about to watch. Samantha has already seen that movie, and she doesn't want to watch it again, but she decides that she'll still watch it out of politeness and in order to keep John company. John says to her: "I'm sure you'll enjoy the movie!". She relplies to him with one of the sentences below.
SENTENCES:

I would enjoy it, but I've already seen it. Anyway, let's go watch it.

I would enjoy it, but I already know what it's about. Anyway, let's go watch it.

QUESTION:
Does "would enjoy" work in the above two sentences?
Thanks in advance.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  'Gray' vs 'Grey'

Which one is correct? Is it "Grayed out" or "Greyed out"? Google brings almost the same number of results for both. Can they always be used interchangeably?


texts: "Miles ran" or "miles run" for axis label in graph

texts:
I'm making a bar graph, where the height of the bar is the distance I ran on a particular day, and there are multiple bars, one for each day in the (historical) date range I'm plotting.

My question is this: for the y axis label, is the correct grammar "miles ran" or "miles run" ?


texts: "Lifting a ban" — why does "lifting" mean "removing"?

texts: In all other cases "moving something up" means creating or increasing something, like in "rising concern" or "erecting obstacles". At the same time "lifting a ban" means effectively removing the ban. What is a historical explanation of appearance of such expression? I can only suggest that this came from the lifting a castle's gates which allows passage. Is this true?


texts:
I am being told that "sports" is a singular noun. This is creating a problem for me (as a teacher) because it sounds 'odd' even if it is correct (i.e. one of the exceptions to the rule).

e.g. Sports has (rather than sports have)...

I always thought sports referred to more than one team activity (e.g. football, rugby, golf, bowls etc.); hence, it was plural.

For example,

  I like playing sports.
  Sports have always been of interest to me.

QUESTIONS

Is sports a collective noun?
Which usage is correct?


texts: How did the term "crayfish" become "crawdad"?

texts:
I am given to understand that "crawdad" and "crayfish" refer to the same creature (or group of creatures resembling small lobsters that live in freshwater), and that the difference is dialectical.

According to Wikipedia, "crayfish" becomes "crawfish" in parts of the US (1), but what brought on the "-dad" ending change?


texts: Is is wrong for the first sentence ? sounds strange to me

texts:
Parents need to relentlessly supervise their children as they are more susceptible to creating more problems and endangering themselves.(A sentence extracted from an essay)
or
Parents need to relentlessly supervise their children as they are more susceptible to create more problems and endangering themselves.


texts: Etymology of "quick" of a fingernail, as in "cut to the quick"

texts:
Part of a fingernail known as the hyponychium is informally known as the "quick".

It is referenced in the saying "cut to the quick".

What is the etymology of the word quick as in reference to the fingernail?


texts: Consider something "to be of importance" - OR - "of importance"?

texts:
Translating agency translated a sentence (a question from an interview) from Czech to English like this:

  "Do you personally consider interdisciplinary dialogue of importance?"

Is it correct? I would rather say:

  "Do you personally consider interdisciplinary dialogue to be of importance?"

(The meaning of the question is "Do you think that interdisciplinary dialogue is important?)


texts: I'm struggling to identify the clause/subordinate clauses in this sentence

texts:
'Today, people can still see some of the marble stones that were used to build the Mausoleum.'

I understand 'that' is connecting the sentence,  but there is no subject after 'that' so im a bit confused


texts:
If war—or anything, for that matter—was impending, people might say "We are up for it," to hearten the spirits of everyone and to ready them for the coming conflict.

1: It looks like it is war.
2: War it is and we are for it (we are its equals/its people)

it's Arabic for  نحن (أهل)لها.
Are there any similar enthusiastic saying in English?


texts:
The common phrase “the fix is in” means that the outcome of an event or process has been covertly manipulated to ensure a result that would otherwise be determined by chance or a fair test of some kind.

What is the origin of this phrase?

Note: I'm interested specifically in the origin of the entire phrase, not in the etymology of the word “fix” as used within it.


texts:
I was wondering if anyone here could help me with this. I had submitted a written IT proposal to a senior member of the team that I am part of, and she corrected the usage of the word 'on' in the proposal.

I mentioned the following sentence in the proposal:
The 'encoding key' parameter value needs to be set to '62154' on ACUE.

She insisted that this is how it should be worded:
The 'encoding key' parameter value needs to be set to '62154' in ACUE.

*** ACUE is a software

Can anyone here advise on which of the 2 sentences above is correct?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
I learned that the historical present may be used to create an effect of immediacy in narratives. I have a question about the historic present tense. Why don't we use the progressive tense instead of the simple present tense?

※My English skill is poor, so my question might sound rude. But I don't mean to offend anyone. I'd be glad if someone could reply to my question.


texts:
While doing a textbook exercise I came across this sentence, please correct it, so as to get the correct usage :-
'The teacher gave me many advices.'


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is using “he” for a gender-neutral third-person correct?

I’m sure this is a duplicate, but I've heard that when the gender is unknown you are to use he instead of he or she.

Are there any references to support or discredit this?  If so, what is the rule?


texts: The verb 'TRY': Transitive or Intransitive

texts:
Consider these sentences, please:

Try to complete the examination

He tried to climb a cliff.

Are the to-infinitives the objects of the verb try Or are they infinitives of purpose?


texts: Verb tense for discussing both an historical author and their writings

texts:
Is there a general rule of thumb for how to use verb tenses when doing, for example, a literature review for how an idea is treated across history?

For example, I'm proof-reading a paper for a friend, and the bolded verbs in this paragraph seem incongruous to me:

  When it came to the miraculous accounts of the Gospels, Strauss also endeavoured to find naturalistic explanations. Jesus may have believed he was performing exorcisms on demoniacs, but for Strauss these people must have been either mentally disturbed or epileptic. He writes, “Jesus cured many persons who suffered from supposed demoniacal insanity or nervous disorder, in a physical manner, by the ascendancy of his manner and words.” Regarding the resurrection and ascension of Christ, Strauss declares them to be “visions or hallucinations engendered by the enthusiasm of the disciples. The ascension, too, is declared to be a myth.” Lacking an explanation, he concludes, “No other rescue for this self-annihilation remains to the anti-supernatural mode of explanation, than to question the verbal accuracy of the history.”

So the writer is both talking about what the authors did and said: how they were received across history and various things they specifically say. One instinct I have is that one should at least use paragraph breaks to separate between using present and past tense regarding an author. Thoughts?


texts: Is there a more confrontational idiom for 'laying [or not laying]' your cards on the table'?

texts:
The context is Enlightenment thinkers wishing to embrace the pagan writer Celsus. Celsus's Platonism was not popular in the Enlightenment, since the Platonists were considered too mystical and irrational. So labelling Celsus a covert Epicurean meant the Enlightenment thinkers could read his works with a more open mind.

The sentence I have so far is

  Celsus was held to be an Epicurean who did not lay his cards on
  the table.

I'm looking for something in English -- if it exists -- closer to the German idiom 'to fight with an open visor' (mit offenen Visier kämpfen). Failing that I would also be interested in other similar idioms.


texts:
Is a protest intended to fight against racism an anti-racism protest or a racism protest?

I maintain that it is the latter, but am curious to know and am having trouble finding an answer with searches.


texts: What does it mean to "sniff at someone?"

texts:
The book series "The Wheel of Time" frequently talks about characters "sniffing" at someone.

Here are a few examples:

  “ ‘Poke the meekest dog too often,’ “ Elayne quoted, “ ‘and he will bite.’ Not that Lan is very meek.” She got a sharp look and a sniff from Nynaeve.

Or this one:

  Her smile became a grin that made Elayne sniff disapprovingly

It doesn't seem natural to think of someone inhaling air through their nose in these situations... So what does it really mean?


texts: Is it appropriate to substitute actor for actress retroactively?

texts:
The Wikipedia entry for actor refers to a style guide that advocates a preference of actor over actress:

  "When the Observer and the Guardian published their new joint style guide in 2010, it stated "Use ["actor"] for both male and female actors; do not use actress except when in name of award, e.g. Oscar for best actress." The authors of the style guide stated that "actress comes into the same category as authoress, comedienne, manageress, 'lady doctor', 'male nurse' and similar obsolete terms that date from a time when professions were largely the preserve of one sex (usually men). As Whoopi Goldberg put it in an interview with the paper: 'An actress can only play a woman. I'm an actor – I can play anything.'"

The terminology section then goes on discussing the issue inconclusively. The intent to prefer actor over actress is expressed often enough in the media and elsewhere. (Here is an ELU post on the topic
and here is a post discussing a related issue.)

I wonder whether it would be natural or appropriate to apply this change retroactively, i.e., when referring to popular female actors of the past decades, who in their time were described as actresses and were presumably happy with that term.

The question may boil down to whether the profession label, such as actor, depends primarily on how the subject of the label choose to describe themselves, or whether, on the other hand, it is predominantly imposed by others.

Would it be natural or appropriate to think of Greta Garbo as a great actor, rather than a great actress? (Currently her Wikipedia entry describes her as an actress).


texts: Recently (September 2011), I hear some people would say "last August", which confuses me a little bit. Does "last August" refer to August this year or August last year? And can we also say "this August"? And what does "this August" mean?


texts: What word can I use for a person/researcher/field who likes to put words in people's mouth?

texts:
For example, someone W (say, historic, like from the 1500's) holds position X because of claim Y (I hate ... because of ...).

What would you call someone A who puts "words in their mouth" (He didn't mean Y, he really meant Z). The issue is that X probably didn't mean Z because Z is an anachronistic/out-of-character for W, while Y actually fits W's weltanschauung. (And, say I'm an expert in this field and A is not at all, so I'm qualified to call him out). What should I say? A is a ...?


texts:
A guy at work said in an email

  I won't capitulate with your demands!

Is capitulate with used correctly? Should it not be capitulate to?


texts: Do compound subjects like "everyone ... and everyone..." take singular or plural verb agreement?

texts:
Here are the examples of compound subjects:

  Everything on the bed and everything in the closet was organised
  in under an hour.
  Everybody who witnessed the shooting and everybody
  in the room were interviewed.
  Anyone on the soccer team and
  anybody on the basketball team was eligible for the scholarship.

Should I also use was instead of were in the second example? Or the first and the third examples are incorrect that I should use were instead of was.


texts: Is "I like [adjective]" acceptable in formal contexts?

texts:
Lately I've seen a lot this "I like [adjective]" structure. I really like this kind of "untranslatable" structures because those are the ones that make me feel I'm really speaking English (and not just a version of another language translated to English). Here are some examples to see what I mean:

This comment reads: Washington is moody... I like moody.
This book reads: A: "Not too bad, just steady"; B: "I like steady"
This book states: It's a silly premise, but sometimes I like silly.
This book goes like: You are silly. I like silly.
In a chapter from The office, Pam says: This is so cheesy. [...] I like cheesy.
The headline of this article is: "I like risky"
A comment from this page is: "I like risky!"
This blog starts by saying: So I like easy.
In this page you can read: I like classy very much.
One of the comments in this thread says: I like classy but I also like...

So my question is: is this structure used in formal speaking?

Note that I'm not interested in knowing how gramatical this is in the strictest sense of the word. What I want to know is whether I can use this structure without being considered too informal in situations when a minimum level of formality is required, or sholud I rather try and do without it in such contexts?

Secondarily, I've seen that the adjective doesn't generally stand completely alone, but it usually follows a sentence with a noun or pronoun (moody and Washington, silly and premise, cheesy and this...), but that's not always the case (I like risky or I like easy). Some have gone a step further and used the adjective as a subject: in the last page linked, someone says "I think classy makes a guy just as hot as trashy".

Can an adjective be used as a subject that way? If so, would such use be considered informal, or also formal?

Finally, I have also noticed all the adjectives end with "-y". Would the same thing apply to adjectives that don't end with "-y", like "nice", "careful", "fun" and such? Could you say: "He's nice. I like nice." or "She's careful. I like careful."?


texts: When to use opening or closing single quotes

texts:
I've been discussing with a colleague which apostrophe/single quote to actually use in what situations.

We've agreed to use the closing single quote ( ’ ) for possession. e.g. That’s his potato.
Or in a quote within a quote. e.g.“Mary said ‘I like cats’ as she walked away.”

What we cannot agree on the following situation (for years):

Dean's List ‘15 - ‘16
Dean's List ’15 - ’16

It looks natural to use the opening single quotes as seen in example 1 but Microsoft Word autocorrects it to example 2.

So which single quote is the correct choice and why?


texts:
Came across the following quote. What does Don't farm it out means in this context?

"When the need arises – and it does – you must be able to shoot your own dog. Don’t farm it out – that doesn’t make it nicer, it makes it worse." — Lazarus Long


texts: Literary and colloquial readings in English?

texts:
Some Chinese languages have the concept of Literary and colloquial readings, where the pronunciation of words, if you will, change between literary readings and vernacular readings.

Does English have this concept at all?!

(Perhaps something like want to vs. wanna?)


texts:
I have the following sentence, but it looks word. How to get it concise and clear?

My friend John, a smart postgraduate, once worked on a project
which was assigned by his professor and was required to finish in three months.


texts: What is the most common word for indicating a source of the citation? (e.g. Source:/Reference:/From:)

texts:
For example,

  The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System.

  From: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun

What is the bestmost common word for the above bold part?
From, Reference, Source, or else?

Not depending on the certain genre or style guide.

The context is a PowerPoint slide like this:


texts: SAT question: “pass on a trait” vs “inherit a trait”

texts:
I'm so confused about this... please help me.
This is a sentence correction question from the SAT:

Giraffes born with very long necks were able to stay alive when food was scarce, __________________.

Which phrase best completes the sentence?

A. and were therefore able to pass this desirable trait on to their offspring
B. and this desirable trait was passed on as a result to its offspring
C. so that their offspring could have this desirable trait passed to them
D. so, therefore, this desirable trait would be inherited by their offspring
E. and therefore have this desirable trait inherited in their offspring

The answer is A, but I don't understand why C, E and B are wrong?


texts: Differences between expressions including [not/no + more/less + than~]

texts:
I have read an article on English expressions of comparison on a website in Japanese, however I am still unsure about the content and would like to check if it is correct.

It gives 4 examples as follows:

I have not more than 1000yen
I have no more than 1000yen
I have not less than 1000yen
I have no less than 1000yen

and also explains the meaning of each sentence in other words, and additionally says it is positive or negative:

I have at most 1000yen/negative
I have only 1000yen/negative
I have at least 1000yen/positive
I have as much as 1000yen/positive

Is this interpretation above correct? I would appreciate your kind help.


texts: Is there a word/phrase/expression to describe a seemingly easy problem?

texts:
I remember my lecturer a few years ago using a word/phrase/expression to describe a seemingly easy problem that is actually quite hard to fix (e.g. if a football team keeps losing games, everyone looks at the problem and goes "oh, well just replace the coach and that'll fix it", when in reality the problem is much more complex/nuanced than that).

Hopefully someone can help!


texts: What is the rhetorical device that modifies a famous phrase, similar to antithesis?

texts:
According to Wikipedia:

  An antithesis must always contain two ideas within one statement

A similar effect (parallelism emphasizing opposition of ideas) can be created in which the first element is implied by some famous phrase that is so well known that it cannot be mistaken. What is the name of this rhetorical device?

I'm also interested in famous examples (which may not exist because once the variant became famous, the effect would be lessened).

Some examples of this device might be:

"the land of the free and the home of the slaves"
"baby it's code outside"
"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Sewer except through me."
"Some men just want to watch the world bloom"


texts: A better way of saying "inventions are invented"

texts:
“It is a great privilege to be born in the century of innovation. This is a time when revolutionary inventions are invented daily.”

I need alternatives, but I've already used "created" as a word, don't really want to substitute any other synonym in.

Or does it not sound bad at all as it is?

Edit:

Sorry, I've gotten a lot of criticism for my question since people say I could just look at a thesaurus. I wasn't clear enough, it's my fault. I'm not really looking for words to replace "invented", I'm looking for an alternative way of writing the same sentence, to get the same meaning across.

Gwendolyn understood what I was asking from her comment: “inventions are invented” is redundant. I would consider re-wording the sentence so it's a different structure. Something like “We see revolutionary inventions daily.” It's concise and efficient.

Are there other options?
Thank you!


texts: Single word for harsh comment without emotion

texts: A single word to describe something said that is harsh but the person does not show any emotion and you are not sure if they meant it or not.  You are left to feel unsure and confused.


texts:
Can you use a colon following a question mark? I am not sure about the colon and/or capitalization when adding the list of characteristics.

  Which of the following characteristics do you automatically associate with women?: Decisive, pushy, assertive, competitive, collaborative.


texts:
I'm developing a web based application that allows people to send email to many customers, for advertisement purposes.

What's the correct name for that? newsletter or mailshot?

EDIT: to avoid unnecessary answers like "spam" please note that customers subscribe to the service first.