texts: Where does the phrase "cheater caught, Peter red" come from?

texts:
Growing up in Pakistan, I heard variations of this. It was either:

Cheater caught, Peter red; or
Cheater cock, Peter red

I assumed it was about a cocky boy named Peter who was either caught red-handed or turned red when caught.

Googling this phrase yields no relevant results. Has anyone else heard this phrase in Pakistan or India?


texts:
Doing some exercises about the passive transformation (rewrite sentences from active to passive), I came up against some problems.

The problem sentences are:

Martin always wears casual clothes

I wrote:
Casual clothes are always worn by Martin.
But it's wrong. The author's book says: Not possible to rewrite the sentence. But I can't understand why.. If the sentence were: "Casual clothes are worn always by Martin", (maybe) I would change the meaning of the sentence.. It would seem like "Martin is the unique person wearing casual.."

Most of the guests had left the hotel by midday.

My sentence: The hotel had been left by most of the guest by midday.

Author's opinion: Not possible to rewrite the sentence.
Again, I can't understand why...

Some parents read to their children every night.

My answer: Not possible to rewrite the sentence, because no object of 'read' is given in the sentence, so it's intransitive.
Author's answer: Some children are read to by their parents.

I reviewed the examples in the book and

They sent me a letter -> A letter was sent to me.
But it's not my case, because here the verb has an obj.
People shouted at the Prime Minister -> The Prime Minister was shouted at. Here the verb is intransitive (like in my case).. Do I have to conclude that if the verb is intransitive and it is followed by a preposition, I can always rewrite the sentence from active to passive?

(I'm studying on "First Certificate Language Practice, Vince - Heinemann")

(Additional question: Is 'casual clothes' singular or plural?)


texts: what is the meaning of "Make a dragon wanna retire man"

texts:
What is the meaning of "Make a dragon wanna retire man" from "uptown funk" song in below:

  I’m too hot (hot damn)
  Make a dragon wanna retire man


texts:
There's a line in the musical Guys and Dolls:

When you see a Joe saving half of his dough,
You can bet he'll be minking it for some doll.

My initial instinct is that this is a verbification of "mink" as in jackets or coats (the Joe is spending his money on mink furs for 'some doll'). Is this a reasonable interpretation or does minking it impart some sort of regional slang meaning beyond that? The musical is set mostly in New York during the 1930s.


texts: When I suggest someone a plan, that person usually answers saying 'I would be up for it.' What does it mean? does it mean 'I am available?'


texts: How to politely say "I don't know anybody"

texts:
I have to fill out a form about scholarship application and there is a case in which I have to indicate name of  contact in that country and  my question is how to say I don't know anybody there politely.
Thank you for considering my request.
Best Regards.


texts: The correct way to write 'The Morgans" on a sign?

texts:
How do you write "The Morgans" grammatically?

Q: Is it "The Morgans" or "The Morgan's"


texts: The meaning of "high-fidelity" in the mentioned context?

texts:
What is the meaning of "high-fidelity" in the following context?

  Over millions of years in the fossil record, hominin teeth preserve a
  high-fidelity record of their own growth, development, wear, chemistry
  and pathology. They yield insights into human evolution that are
  difficult, if not impossible, to achieve through other sources of
  fossil or archaeological data. (Source)

I know the meaning of high-fidelity as it is used in stereophonic businesses. It means highly similar to the real sound. But in the above text, I cannot figure out its meaning.


texts:
The person who marries for money usually earns every penny of it.

...anonymous quote.

What does this phrase mean?

It seems to suggest that if you marry for money, you will earn all of the money you married for, which would be a lot. That doesn't make sense.


texts: What’s the word to describe a person in this role?

texts:
I was watching a prank, and I wonder what they call, or how you describe,
the person in the prank who is not a bystander but pretends to be one.  Is there a noun for this?

He is with the prank-makers and is assigned to purposely act as a bystander to fool other people.


texts: When is it appropriate to use a comma before “which”, “with”, and “who”?

texts:
Is it appropriate to use a comma before which in the following sentence?

  The group has helped me to make new friends and become more independent, which has increased my self-confidence.

Is it appropriate to use a comma before with or who in the following sentence?

  This is an important group, with committed members who enjoy their activities.

I have been looking up restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, and although I understand the theory, I am unsure how to apply it to the two sentences above.


texts: Would you please explain to me the morphology of the word retroviral?

texts:
I cannot understand the morphology of the word retroviral.

  is "re" the prefix?

I think the prefix might be retro, is that true?

  is "al the suffix?

I am assuming that "viral" is the root, is that true


texts:
Is the use of the word "of" correct in the following sentence, or this there a better word?
The meaning should be "which requirement the platform must fulfil".

  The most important requirements of the platform are performance and functionality.


texts: In "experience teaching", is "experience" a noun adjunct?

texts:
In an MIT textbook from 2007 the author, Robert G. Gallager, writes in the preface:

  My original purpose was to write an undergraduate text on digital communication,
   but experience teaching this material over a number of years convinced me that I could not write an honest exposition of principles, including both what is possible and what is not possible, without losing most undergraduates.

Does experience here act as a noun adjunct for teaching (like chicken in chicken soup)? But then if we analyze it from this standpoint, that doesn't make much sense: What kind of teaching are we talking about? experience teaching. Does this  construction make sense? What grammatical role does experience play here?


texts:
Is this how you write these fractions in words?

5/21 is five twenty-ones,
1/21 is one twenty-one. Can someone please clear this for me?

I know 1/4 is one-quarter or one-fourth and 2/5 is two-fifths and 5/25 is five twenty-fifths.


texts:
Can a verb then preposition then noun make an independent clause?

e.g.

  he ignored how much it hurt, and the fear of death.

or

  he prayed for miracles, and the love of god.

I've tried to make it these independent clauses by using them after an independent clause, comma and conjunction. So, I hope to show that they are independent clauses. Apologies if that's made the question worse.

Both seem to contain a noun (death / god) and verb (love / fear), but it's not clear that they make sense on their own, so that the noun is predicated something. Unlike, I suppose

  God loves.


texts: Turning 'free of charge' into a noun phrase

texts:
I am helping a PhD student who makes constant reference to an Internet application he is studying by using a string of noun phrases, specifically

  ...its ease of use, general applicability and free of charge

By free of charge he obviously means it costs the user nothing, but it doesn't fit with the sentence grammar.

My question is how do you turn free of charge, which is adjectival, into a noun phrase?  The freedom of charge is just wrong, and though  free accessability works it also has another distracting meaning. Turning free into a gerund doesn't help in this case either.

In previous cases I've suggested to him a restucturing of the sentence grammar, but I'd be interested to hear some better suggestions.


texts: What is meant by 'overlap in your experience'?

texts: Recently I had a conversation with an employer. I am in IT field. After seeing my works he said 'I'm seeing a lot of overlap in experience'. I am not sure what does he meant by this. Can anyone explain me what he is intending to say?


texts: John Smith Esquire v. John Smith Attorney v. John Smith Attorney at Law

texts:
Which is the most proper way to sign a letter?  John Smith Esquire, John Smith Attorney or John Smith Attorney at Law.

Besides, does each of those categories denote different levels of engagement in the legal profession?


texts:
Can I use of instead of about in the following sentence?

  I'd like to hear your thoughts and recommendations about my decision of
  this company and my resignation petition.

Also, could you tell me whether I can use on in place of of, if using of is correct in this sentence?


texts:
I am trying to find the proper job title since I am working as:
 - programmer
 - database administrator
 - backup operator
 - IT

and I do work alone as IT, among 20 employees in accounting and administration departments.


texts: Usage of "could" showing general ability in past

texts:
For example, I want to tell someone that earlier it was possible to send telegrams through post offices. (Past ability of post office to send telegrams, which is not in service now.) So which of the usage of could can be used to tell the same out of two below options:

  The telegrams could be sent through Post offices in 1890.
  The telegrams could have been sent through post offices in 1890.


texts: "A" or "an" with words beginning with the letter H

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “A historic…” or “An historic…”?

I am wondering when it's correct to use a/an with words beginning with the letter h. For example:

an historian, a history.

I remember reading somewhere that the h is sometimes silent, in which case it's an, and when the h is pronounced, it's a. But then I also remember reading that it depends on which syllable is stressed. And I also think I read somewhere that it might differ between British and American English.

So how do I know when to use a and when to use an with a word beginning with the letter h?


texts:
[i] She thinks of herself as a poet.  (Collins #7)
[ii] People are thinking of her for president. (Webster’s, think of #2.b)
[iii] What do you think of the film?  (Cambridge)

It seems like verb think licenses two consecutive prepositional phrases [PP] as in [i] and [ii]. I’ve not yet found these constructions: ‘think + PP + Noun phrase’ or ‘think + PP + adjective phrase’. So I wonder if ‘what’ preposed from after ‘the film’ in [iii] would replace PP. Does what really replace PP, or is there any proper account?


texts:
I've been visiting this website a lot but it's the first time I needed to sign up and ask a question. So first of all, thank you for all your help so far!

I'm researching and writing on a participatory music performance practice called "parea" and I often refer to those who participate as "parea participants" or "parea enthusiasts". Yet, at times I need a word that is equivalent to "the people who practice this tradition" and for that I have been using the phrase "parea practitioners". English is not my first language so I'm worried in case "parea practitioners" could sound strange--or even be misinterpreted--in English. According to the Oxford Dictionary it stands for "a person actively engaged in an art, discipline, or profession, especially medicine".
Yet, would you think that my use of the word "practitioner" is strange or even wrong?

Many thanks,

John


texts:
I have seen many movies/television serials in which people use handkerchiefs over their mouth and cheeks tied at the back of their head, to cover up their identity while committing a robbery or simply if they are a part of gangs/thugs on the roads. What's that called? Similar to neck scarf, could I simply call it 'throat scarf' (does this even exist?). I am hesitant to use the word 'mask' because in my opinion it would convey that the entire face is covered.

Secondly, how would I say someone to put up the handkerchief like the "mystery word"? (P.S: I don't intend to rob anyone of anything btw)


texts: When you're having lunch and you see someone he can say "enjoy your meal", "bon appétit" or  "enjoy". I can answer him by saying "thank you", for instance. But for example in Spanish we usually say a sentence which means something like "you can join me/us, if you want" (inviting him). Is there any typical sentence in English with a similar meaning?


texts: "Are you sure to delete?" or "Are you sure you want to delete?"

texts:
When a user wants to delete something on a website, I would like to display a message for him/her to confirm. Which of the following is the grammatically correct way to say so?

  Are you sure to delete this item?

or

  Are you sure you want to delete this item?


texts:
I've found "How to punctuate a quote within a quote?" where the correct punctuation for the given example of nested quotes was:

  “He leaned close to me, and said in a gravely and drunken voice, ‘It’s not easy.’”

This shows the obvious point of not doubling the full stop, and having it contracted to the end of the sentence inside the quote.

The question has been closed despite dealing with a matter not answered in any linked to questions (they were either about punctuation within normal quotes or about double quoting but not about both at the same time) - though I understand it might be thought to be obvious if the intuitive combination is the correct one. Unfortunately in my case I really suspect "intuitive" is incorrect.

"It’s not easy" is a sentence and so, a full stop comes at its end naturally. Now, is the same rule true if we use quotation marks for other purposes?

Is the below correct?

  “Why should I ever hear about this... ‘agency?’”

‘agency’ is quoted for being an euphemism here. Normally the quote mark belongs to the outer question. Is pulling it inside ‘’ correct or should it go between ’ and ”?

Next, comes a matter of how to contract multiple conflicting ending punctuation marks. The below example is most likely incorrect, but how would one properly punctuate:

  He screwed his eyebrows, and asked, "Are you sure you heard 'Stop!'?".

If the various quote levels contain sentences that require different punctuation at respective ends, how does one reconcile them?


texts: What would be the reported speech for this We met two weeks ago? My interest is with the word ago and how to use it in reported speech.


texts: "First ever car" or "first-ever car"? "Second best writer" or "second-best writer"?

texts:
Do these two sentences need to be hyphenated? It seems to me that "ever" doesn't really act as an adjective to "car," but I could be wrong.

  "That was my first-ever car."

And

  "She's the second-best writer I know."

My research show both the "first ever" and "first-ever," but it doesn't say if it's style. If anyone is more familiar with hyphens, I would like this to get claraffied.


texts:
“Oh I see what she do
But I can do it better
And the talk of the town be true
That I'll make you forget her”
(And as follows: «How can you hate something that you ain't ever tried / You've got to lose control most every night / You see what they do / We can do it better, yeah, I'm talking to you»)
BE
Could you explain, if it's even explainable, why the form «be» was used here? A lot of people say that in songs authors often neglect the rules. It's true, but it happens when they'd like to make it sound more natural (or to stylize), even if it's not completely grammatically correct. It's not quite natural in a colloquial speech to say BE in the middle of the sentence, is it? Then, for poetry, is the use of BE more rhythmical than IS? I guess no. In the first line, ok, it is )
This is the song by Kylie Minogue, Australian singer, but was written by the English songwriter Nerina Pallot.
So I'm interested in motivation of the «be» here.
My only guess here was: maybe a kind of subjunctive, no?
I'm not an English speaker (of course :-) )


texts: Is there an idiom/phrase which contains the word "head" to mean "thinking hard to solve a problem"?

texts:
I am looking for an idiom or phrase that means "thinking hard by myself to solve a problem". I hope the idiom or phrase has the word "head" in it.

Example: I have been ____ head ______ for the last 5 days to solve this math puzzle.


texts:
I found this sentence:

  They were lucky the linesman raised his flag in the 27th minute
  against Javier Saviola after he was sent clear by Defour.

Unfortunately, I don't know what sent clear means nor have I been able to find its meaning online. Does anyone know what this means?


texts: What is a good term for "common people" in an academic thesis?

texts:
In an academic thesis, what is a good word to use for "common people" that is not condescending?

I am using the term in opposition to "pundits" and "experts."

I need a formal term appropriate for an academic thesis.


texts: What is the difference between "oof" and "oops"?

texts: Can I interpret that "oops" is for when you yourself make a mistake and "oof" is for when someone else has a slip up? Do they share same origin? They seem awfully symmetric.


texts: Is there a way to describe a problem that you don't currently know the answer to?

texts:
This is easiest described via example.  I develop websites for a living and often I'll have a client point out a feature on their website.  I can break these situations into two groups:

1) Point out problem and provide solution, e.g. "People are not noticing the blue button enough.  Change its color to red."

2) Point out problem and don't provide solution, e.g. "People are not noticing the blue button enough." or even more broadly "we need to improve the blue button"

Is there a word, phrase or idiom to describe the second group?


texts:
If we want to explain how important a topic is, can we say:

  No doubt that this topic is important.


texts: The first time each day you meet your housemate or colleague, you say hello, good morning, etc.  The second time,  passing in the hallway,  you push your lips together--not a real smile, not a grimace, not a mouthed word, just an acknowledgement.  What is the word for this silent, minimal exchange upon repeated interaction?


texts:
The sentence below is from an article in the Boston Globe, which talks about a senior-year student's experience as an intern working at the WEEI radio station (WEEI is the name of the station):

  She blogged, called businesses to solicit merchandise for WEEI's Web site, produced ad displays, and sent newsletter e-mail blasts.

Help me understand the part of the sentence in bold. What exactly is she doing? For example, if Joe Smith is a business owner, what does she want him to do?


texts: Should magazine names be written in italics?

texts:
should they be in italics like books and newspapers?
I know about the latter but what about foreign magazines?


texts: Is there a more specialized word for "expedite" for the case where the thing was not making any progress at all to begin with?

texts: For a process which isn't moving quickly enough, one can do things to expedite it. But for something which is a sluggish bottleneck and is not making any progress whatsoever, is there a more specialized word for "expediting" it?


texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  A recent spate of attacks have

or

  A recent spate of attacks has


texts:
In the following sentence, I do not know if the preposition "for" after "required" is correct. I think I can use "to" after "required", but I do not know which one is more grammatically correct? Please help me out with this issue. Thanks!

  Solving the mentioned problems can contribute to finding key answers required for enabling this technology.


texts:
For example, can I say the following?
There are three styles or paradigms to program in Java.
My intention is to be extra sure that the reader understands what I am talking about. The more appropriate word would be "paradigm", but I am also adding its synonym - style so that if the reader doesn't understand "paradigm" they will hopefully understand the word "style".


texts: Repeating determiners: “the X and (the) Y”

texts:
I have a problem with the use of "the" after "and" where you would basically be connecting words. For example, which of the following is better:

  The table and the chairs?
  The table and chairs?

Or are both okay? What is the rule, and are there exceptions to it? Or is the rule just contextual and may vary between the sentences and meanings?


texts: Is there a word to represent "non-Sunday" days?

texts:
We have a word like "weekday" to represent all days from Monday and Friday.

Is there a word to represent "non-Sunday" days (i.e. Monday through to Saturday)?


texts: What is the smile that occurs when a kid asks you for something you really know but you can't explain to them?

texts:
Say a kid reads a book contains a word "Fourier transform", then they ask their father who is a mathematician. He really understands what it is, but he sticks for finding words that his child can understand. All he can do is to have a small smile and say things like "you will know when you grow up" or "this is really hard to explain to you".

What are the words that better capture that smile?

Example: ________ly, he says to his curious child: "it is really hard for me to explain it to you. But if you really want to know that, don't give up. I'll always love you."


texts: Words to Differentiate Meeting Format from Meeting Structure?

texts:
I'm writing proposals for our new committee's weekly meetings. I want to write one proposal regarding everything related to how frequently we meet, where we meet, what time we meet, with whom we meet, etc. I want the other to outline the structure of the proceedings in each meeting -- like the points to cover, order of discussions to be held, what fixed tasks to carry out at the end of every meeting, whether or not we should take notes, etc.

I'm having a hard time finding unique shorthands for the above two proposals. The furthest I've gotten is to call the first one "Meeting Format Proposal" and the second "Meeting Structure Proposal", but this will still be confusing to most people. Even if I don't shorthand the entire thing -- i.e, make the title "Proposal for Meeting _______", I need something to fill in that blank.

Any suggestions? I'd much rather not having to explain each in a few words in the title. In the worst case I'll just use Format and Structure and explain it to everybody.


texts:
I'm concerned that I'm developing a hypersensitivity to dangling modifiers, even if they don't dangle very much.

For context, I have the following sentence:

"From the edge of the rice paddy, Richard watched a man he did not recognize drag a woman he did through the water by her hair."

Stacking prepositional phrases like "through the water" and "by her hair" seems likely to lead to dangling modifiers (i.e., is the water by her hair, or was she dragged by her hair?), but, as I wrote, I suspect I'm overly sensitive to dangling modifiers.

My question is: "If the meaning of the sentence is clear, is the modifier dangling?"

I can think of a couple of different ways to make this sentence more "clear", like

-"From the edge of the rice paddy, Richard watched a man he did not recognize drag a woman he did by her hair and through the water." (I like this one the best, but the construction seems formal)

-"From the edge of the rice paddy, Richard watched a man he did not recognize drag a woman he did by her hair through the water."

-"From the edge of the rice paddy, Richard watched a man he did not recognize drag a woman he did through the water. He dragged her by the hair."

How would you handle this?


texts: Hi I am a teacher of English in Argentina. I teach in 5 th grade ,primary school. I share the same grade with another teacher and I would like to be sure about certain points we teach differently. For example I teach verbs Have dinner , she teaches have a dinner. Which one is correct, both are accepted?


texts: Is the triple quotation mark legitimate (for translated foreign language quote)?

texts:
I was watching Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and I noticed that it seemed that when he was quoting a foreign speaker, but in English, the written quote on the screen used a triple quotation mark:

I haven't seen this before, nor can I find it in the Unicode character chart or as a ligature. Is this something new, or am I misinterpreting what it means? Or maybe it was just a typo?

EDIT: I don't believe this is a duplicate question, as it seems to be simply a triple-quote mark, and not more than one speaker, or a quote-of-a-quote. That said, I did find another clip from the same show that does have the double-then-single quote, used in the traditional way:

The triple quote at the beginning does look identical, so my assumption is that the first picture above is just a typo. I do find it interesting that it almost looks like a ligature.


texts: The right word for someone with a higher rank in military

texts:
What is a general word for someone in the military who has a higher rank than someone or a group of people ?

For example someone can be a commander or captain, etc, but when an officer wants to generally address that person and does not know what exactly that person's rank is, what can he/she say ? like "he is my ...."


texts: Including unrelated punctuation in the quotes

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How should I punctuate around quotes?

I have seen in many places, in many articles on the web as well as in print, the practice of including punctuation inside the quotes, when the punctuation is not related to the quoted content, as follows:

  "We have begun development," the spokesperson told the media.

  Although his response was, "We have begun development," he could not
  share any further details at this time.

The comma at the end quote is not related to the quoted content but it is included in the quotes. Why is that?

Shouldn't the following be correct, with the comma outside the end quote?

  "We have begun development", the spokesperson told the media.

  Although his response was, "We have begun development", he could not
  share any further details at this time.

The next example is about the full stop at the end. This is included inside the quotes.

  "We have begun development, " the spokesperson said, "but I cannot
  give you any further details at this time."

Here there are two functions to accomplish, marking the end of the quoted content as well as the end of the sentence, but only one full stop is used.

Does the full stop, in this case, mark the end of the quoted content, the end of the sentence or both of them?

Is the following correct, marking both with different full stops?

  "We have begun development, " the spokesperson said, "but I cannot
  give you any further details at this time.".


texts: What noun describes a redundant phrase like "temporary pause"?

texts:
The phrase

  temporary pause

is unnecessarily long; just 'pause' is enough.

Does a simple noun exist to use to describe this type of usage?  'Redundant' or 'wordy' are good adjectives but I can't think of a good simple noun. (suggesting 'redundant usage' isn't what I'm looking for).  I'm looking for something analogous to 'oxymoron' but as it relates to the redundancy of the phrase.


texts: What is the difference between Disk and Disc?

texts: I have come across both, but find it difficult to distinguish the difference.


texts: History of the correspondence between nouns and verbs

texts: Have English verbs been used always in plural form for plural nouns or is there a history to this correspondence?


texts:
However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. (Harry
  Potter book 1, p213)

  However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth.

As I’m accustomed to ‘neither~nor’ phrase, ‘neither~or’ above is unfamiliar. Is the ‘neither’ in the first sentence a determiner? And when the ‘or’ is changed into ‘nor’, does ‘neither’ become a correlative conjunction? ; What's the difference of the meaning between the two sentences?


texts: What kind of grammar is this? Question without question form?

texts:
"That's why you did this!?"

That's obvious a question, but no question form is used? Shouldn't it be something like

"is that why you did this?"


texts:
What do you make of this sentence? Thanks!

Even if a potential customer would never have seriously considered switching from a PC to a Mac, the company knew that if they could get them into the store, they had a chance of converting them.

Being a non-native speaker, I’d say there’s nothing wrong with the highlighted bit. At the same time, I am aware of conditional sentences rules: only present, past simple or past perfect (and not “would”) are correct after “if”. Does “even” change things? Would the sentence still be right without it?


texts:
The most common usage for Sundog is a mock sun or parhelion.

I also find ongoing references to a Sundog as "A nomad, without strong group affiliation and the permanent residency it affords" in Bruce Sterling's Schismatrix and Brian Ball's Sundog.

It's not unheard of for authors to make up or re purpose words but I find it odd to see two or more identical usages.

Is there another source for this synonym that I have not found or is this just chance?


texts: difference between “increase of ” and “increase by”

texts: Is there any difference between there was an increase of 2% and “there was an increase by 2%”?


texts:
When you talk about "shrimp" in the plural, there's no "s."
However, how can you explain it grammatically?


texts: Objectivity vs. Objectivism vs. Objectiveness

texts: What are some clear-cut distinctions between objectivity, objectivism, and objectiveness?


texts:
How can I express in an informal way that I've eaten, and ready to continue what I was doing before, akin to saying that my phone's charged up, or a petrol tank has been filled up?

For example:

  User A: Are you ready?

  User B [who's just had lunch]: Yep, I'm ready. I'm [fed up] and ready to continue.


texts: Term to describe the movement in a group of maggots?

texts:
I am a non-native speaker.

What would one call the movement of a large group of vermin (not of an individual)?

For instance, picture a huddle of maggots in cat food. How are they moving?

Creeping or crawling came to my mind, but this rather describes the way of moving of a single maggot rather than the chaotic movement of the group.


texts: What's the difference between an adjective and a past participle?

texts:
I'm really confused about the object

  the doctor specialized will help you

or

  the documents required

How can I tell in the future, if I have to use the past participle or the adjective? And what's the name of this structure?


texts:
Judging from their entries in Miriam-Webster, the meanings of eminent and preeminent are similar:

eminent:

exhibiting eminence especially in standing above others in some quality or position
standing out so as to be readily perceived or noted
jutting out

preeminent:

having paramount rank, dignity, or importance

So when would I use which? Is preeminent simply stronger, or are there cases where only one of them is appropriate?


texts:
Two fires burning opposite each other: one that is kindled to acknowledge god’s grandeur and the other one that reminds us how insignificant everything else in life is; a subtle reminder of the dichotomy of life.

Here, can a dependent clause “Two fires burning opposite each other” be followed by a colon? If not, what punctuation mark should I use?
Please correct.


texts:
I am using Grammarly to check the following sentence:

  To address this challenge, our research thrusts are two-fold.

And receive the warning:

  the phrase "to address this challenge" does not modify the subject

Could anyone shed some light on how to modify the above sentence? I have some sense on what is going wrong here, but still not quite sure. Any suggestion would be appreciated very much.


texts:
Whirring loudly the time machine slowly rose from the cluttered workshop floor.

What is whirring? Noun or verb?

  Petrified, Edward hurriedly hid behind the oak trees as the piercing scream echoed menacingly through the eerie, abandoned house.

What is petrified and what is abandoned? Verbs or adjectives?

  Brightly, the full moon shone through the ancient woodland illuminating the tendrils of mist delicately swirling skywards.

What is illuminating? Noun or verb?


texts: What does "soda" mean in places where it doesn't mean soft drink?

texts:
The title is pretty self explanatory.
"Soda", "Pop", "Coke", etc. all refer to the same thing in different parts of the world.

Where the word for soft drink is "soda", "pop" is a verb, and "Coke" is only a brand.

But what does "soda" mean in places where the beverage is called "pop" (or something else)?
Does it have any meaning at all?


texts: Is it "the business'" or "the businesses" responsibility?

texts:
It's quite common in my company to make a distinction between "the business" and "the IT department".

I think this is the correct way to write what I want:
"It is the business' responsibility to set the policy, and IT's to implement it."

But then my spell checker keeps changing it to this:
"It is the businesses responsibility to set the policy, and IT's to implement it."

Should it be the first one?


texts: Is using the word "snafu" instead of the word "problem" correct?

texts:
Snafu :

Wow, you got yourself into one hell of snafu.

Problem :

Wow, you got yourself into one hell of problem.

Are the both sentences above equal ?


texts: What’s the word for somebody you know (sometimes well) but who isn’t your friend?

texts:
What is the English word for somebody who is not your friend, but you’ve know them even for years.   For example, this might be a neighbor or somebody from school whom you see often enough but whom but only say hi to in passing, with everybody continuing on their way.

The relation between you and this person is neutral. I mean you can have a small talk about the weather and such, like while waiting at the bus stop or something like that, but that’s all.

I’m sure everybody has had at least a couple of similar relationships in their life.

The closest I have come up with is “we know each other”, but I would like to know whether there exists some one-word term for this instead of needing to resort to four words to describe the relationship.


texts: "Due to" is used on a very wide scale as "because of" but some colleagues and friends pointed out to me that this is wrong and "due to" should be used "caused by"...my question is that in the best publications and newspapers I see "due to" as "because of"...is it a matter of style or there is a linguistic rule behind it?


texts: Proper translation/explanation for business sector, business field

texts:
I am German. I am currently developing a system which acts like a data provider for company infos.

A company needs to be assigned to one or more "business sectors". I currently deal with companies doing the following:

Repairing vehicles
Towing services
Handicraft businesses
Motor vehicle experts

The above types I called "business sectors".

Below these can be "business fields", like:

Handicraft businesses

mason
carpenter, etc

So my question is, how would a native speaker call these two levels? So far I've seen industrial sectors, branches, etc... I am confused ;)


texts: Opposite of "Shopping Cart," for sellers?

texts:
What's an appropriate term for a "shopping cart" when you're adding things to the cart and then selling them as opposed to buying?

This is for a web app but to help explain what I mean, the context in a real world example would be a seller that has a warehouse full of inventory. They get an order and say they grab a box and put the things they're about to sell in that box. Then they ship the box.

Is there a more appropriate term for the items the seller is gathering; the subset of their inventory that is just about to be sold?


texts: Lack intellectually or Lacking intellectually

texts:
I came across a phrase on the internet that seemed wrong (surprise):

"[...] especially for those who lack intellectually."

In my opinion, this should say "especially for those [who are] lacking intellectually", and the first quote uses improper grammar. Am I correct, or is the first quote really a proper use of those words together?


texts:
What's the meaning of out in this case?

  Oh and out on watching the vid. I learned my lesson on that.


texts: Is it correct to say "Username and password don't match"?

texts: In computing, is it correct to say "Username and password you have entered don't match"? Won't it sound like username and password should be the same?


texts:
Outside of American English, what gender neutral terms are there for "housewife"? There aren't any children involved, so "stay at home parent" isn't applicable.

For example (when addressing an opposite-sex couple who don't have any children) "Is one of you a [requested term]"?

I first considered "house spouse", as "spouse" is a hypernym for husbands and wives, but ngrams indicates that it's much rarer than "househusband" or "house husband", which in turn is much rarer than "housewife".

I've come across homemaker, but it seems to be more American English than British English.

Domestic engineer is well known as an example of a politically correct inflated job title, but is fairly rare (rarer than househusband), and I suspect mostly talked about, or used ironically, rather than used seriously.

Related question, currently closed: "Housewife" vs. "homemaker"


texts:
I have asked a question at the programming site, but I am not sure about my grammar, so I am going to ask here. Which is correct?

  What are other languages same to F#?

  What are other languages same as F#?


texts:
Are names of diseases ever capitalized?  For example, I'm trying to determine if the following is correct:

  The plaintiff could no longer work due to a health condition called pertussis.


texts: Is there a rule for forming plural compound nouns?

texts:
The the Cambridge dictionary demonstrates that compound nouns can be pluralized by adding an s to the first word.

  a security (FINANCE, STOCK MARKET): a financial investment such as a
  bond or share that is traded on a financial market

  a securities agreement/audit/dealer

  a securities business/company/house

We can figure out that a securities dealer who buys and sells many different kinds of securities.

But, we say "gumball machine" (a machine that holds many different kinds of gumballs), but not "gumballs machine".

This website says there is no rule.

I suspect the following.

It seems that technical or business terms such as "a securities agreement/audit/dealer", "systems analyst", "sales clerk", etc., tend to focus on the accuracy, therefore they focus on the exact meaning. We say "a securities dealer" because it is more logical that a dealer buys and sells many kinds of securities.

But for common terms, not technical ones, such as "gumball machine", "beekeepers", etc. The accuracy is not important. People keep them simple for every ordinary person to use.

Is there a rule for pluralizing compound nouns?


texts:
In the following context, is it okay to say "I ever met" or is it "I have ever met"?

  Three years later you remain the coolest person I met.


texts: Is a question beginning with "How to" grammatically correct?

texts:
How to fix my computer?

  How to save money?

Are these grammatically correct questions?


texts: "With freedom comes choices" -- is this incorrect?

texts:
Despite having written in English for 35 years, I was surprised today to be told that the correct phrase is "With freedom come choices" because if you reverse the sentence, "with freedom choices comes" doesn't scan.

I can sort of squint and see the rationale here, but what's the rule? "With freedom come choices" scans wrong, but when I try some mental parallels...

"With happiness comes smiles"
"With marriage comes a horse and carriage"
"With hunger comes a rumbly tummy"

they all scan correctly, but also scan in reverse. ("With happiness, smiles come", etc.)

So a question in two parts: is "With freedom comes choices" actually incorrect; and what is it about this particular phrase that makes it so weird?


texts: Transitive verbs have objects, Intransitive don't. I get it, but how does that help you when you are learning English?

texts: I'm not asking this in an ignorant way, I'm merely asking how it helps.


texts:
So I know that it's correct to say:

  Jane and I are going shopping

I shouldn't use me here because (as stated on Oxford Dictionaries Online) I is what I would use in the singular form of the sentence:

  I am going shopping

But does this same rule apply if I want to (impolitely) put myself first in the sentence? Should I be saying:

  I and Jane are going shopping

Because this just sounds incredibly wrong. It sounds much more accurate to use me here.


texts:
Can we use two verbs together?

We recognize those who help prepare America's future leaders for a life filled with meaning, purpose and success.


texts: Which is correct use of comma in this phrase

texts:
"I live in Munich", says Carlos

or

"I live in Munich," says Carlos

Which of these 2 punctuations is correct ?


texts:
In terms of using "as". Are the first and the third sentences correct? Or should I just use the second and fourth one?

(1) he plays soccer well as(just like) his father used to.

(2) he plays soccer as well as his father used to.

(3) he is good as his father was.

(4) he is as good as his father was.


texts:
I know that we can say:

  There is only one car on the lot.

But is it possible to say:

  There is only a car on the lot.

In general, are these two words interchangeable? Thank you!


texts: Expression for "intend to help but instead making things worse"

texts:
I want to say "someone (or something) intends to help, but instead it makes things worse". Is there any succinct expression or phrase for this?

Thanks.


texts: How to use three adjectives in a sentence

texts:
I have a sentence where I would like to use three adjectives. Is this the correct way to do it?

  "Moments such as this have allowed me to understand the privilege I
  have been given to be a  first generation, working class, engineering
  student."

Thanks!


texts: Is "coding on OOP JavaScript" phrased well? I want to use it in a CV

texts:
I need to write in my CV that I write on JavaScript Object Oriented Language. So is the following sentence correct?

  Coding on OOP JavaScript


texts: How do I write a question that sounds like a statement?

texts:
Forgive me if the title is unclear.

I am trying to understand how to write two questions, but with the latter question sounding like a statement.

Examples:

  a) Should I go with option A, or option B?

  b) Do you want to stay here? Or do you want to go home.

  c) Can I visit today; or do I have to wait until tomorrow?

The former part of all the examples sound as though they are questions, and the latter part of the examples sound as though they are statements. (It's kind of hard to explain without being able to vocalize it - say example B out loud to see what I mean).

I want to be able to write a sentence that sounds like example B if said aloud, but that is also grammatically correct.


texts: Answering a question "how is your back pain?"

texts: "It is there" was my answer.What is the mistake in it?Please explain.


texts: Is there a word for an opponent who ends up defining a person's identity through their conflict?

texts: I've been thinking about both nemesis and foil, but the problem is that 'nemesis' implies the opponent inevitably wins (or at least that the struggle is endless) and 'foil' (at least in terms of how it's used in philosophical discourse) implies that the opponent is being used to present oneself in a better light. Is there a word for an opponent through whom one defines oneself that doesn't slant one way or the other? "Defining interlocutor" is another suggestion that works well when talking about ideas and identity, but I'd like to find something that would work more broadly, too.


texts: Can I use "any" with singular noun in formal English?

texts:
As far I as I remember, "any" and "some" are used with plural nouns or uncountable ones. I know about exceptions for "some" (Wow, some car).
But can I say the following and be grammatical:

  Is there any other problem?

or should be better this:

  Is there another problem?


texts:
Is there a word that means 'baby eater'? Something like infantovore?

It's for an appeal to the absurd in a philosophy essay.


texts: Is there a word which connotes a sense of solidarity with one's self?

texts: I am looking for a word which can connote the sense of solidarity with oneself.  I've seen the awkward term "self-solidarity" come up in the literature (example linked), but it seems that there ought to be a better word.


texts: British and American most common term for rubber/eraser shavings

texts:
I've been looking for the name of the rubbish left when one uses a rubber (UK), eraser (US). I've come across a plethora of terms but it isn't clear which are more “universal”. (After all, a sharpener can have pretty curious names that are preferred in some areas, but sharpener is generally used in most places.)

So far, I've come across statements that the most common used terms are eraser/rubber shavings, eraser/rubber dust, eraser crumbs, rubberings, and eraser waste.

I'm interested in knowing the most common term in the US and the most common term in the UK. I want a word suitable for children and teens. I've got a couple of kids (7 and 13 year old) who will be moving to those two countries in a few months and they’ve asked me what the name of the little buggers is.


texts:
Should I say "Here are what I want to share with you" or
"Here are what I want to share you with",

which one sounds more natural?

Thank you.


texts: Are "hurt" interchangeable with "harm" in this case?

texts:
The slowing development of the real estate sector will hurt/harm the overall economical growth.

"Hurt" to me is often used with somebody or one's feelings. It has connotation of "pain. So I prefer "harm" to "hurt" in this case, what do you think?


texts: Where did the phrase "jump to conclusions" come from?

texts:
I've been looking for the origin of the phrase "jump to conclusions."
I found nothing more than this:

The term began to appear in the early 1700s in prints.

The Idioms

And how different is "leap to conclusions" from it?
And which one is more popular?


texts: "Check that mate" : OED on usage of 'checkmate'

texts:
In a recent post How exactly is “to checkmate” used as a verb?, the answer given by @WS2 listed some OED examples of metaphorical usage of 'to checkmate'. Among them:

  [1649 A. Ascham Bounds Publique Obed. 58 At this distance he [sc. Jas. I] contrived how to extinguish or check that mate [sc. the Kirk] there.]

(emphasis mine; cannot access OED; unlike other given examples enclosed in square brackets)

I find this example peculiar. In what sense does 'checkmate' occur as a verb here? And what is actually going on in this sentence? Is the word mate as occurring here cognate with -mate in 'checkmate'?

Can anyone shed some light on this? (I cannot even decipher the source.)


texts: It is becoming more popular on American talk shows to say "calculus" instead of "calculation." To my mind, calculus is either a branch of Mathematics or a stone like in the gall bladder. Any comments?


texts: Improving long sentence with possible ambiguous interpretation that sums up three necessary elements

texts:
If possible, I would like some help with the following sentence:

  This vision demands that heterogeneous services, peripherals and
  platforms are provided with an expanded set of security guarantees to
  prevent third-party services from hijacking the platform,
  resource-level access control and accounting and strong isolation
  between running processes to prevent unauthorized access to
  third-party services and data.

This sentence expresses three necessary requirements to achieve a vision. The requirements are not all the possible requirements but all three are necessary.
These are: (i) an expanded set of security guarantees, (ii) resource-level access control and accounting and (iii.) strong isolation.
Written as-is there is some ambiguity/difficulty in parsing  "...hijacking the platform, resource-level access control and accounting and strong isolation..." and the sentence could be improved.
There are two reasons why I avoid splitting the requirements up as above:
(1) I need this sentence in an abstract, so there is a character limit.
(2) I feel like doing so makes it seem like the list is exhaustive, which it isn't.

Any idea on how to best tackle this?


texts: What does this Economist article title “Paris-on-sea” mean?

texts:
I just read an Economist article  titled "Paris-on-sea" which discusses the recent extension of California's cap-and-trade Co2 program to 2030.

What does the phrase Paris-on-sea mean here?


texts:
I've been looking at the adjectives "curious" and "furious", and have been wondering why their noun counterparts are so different.
According to etymonline, the origins of these words are:

"furious" comes from French "furieux" from Old French "furios" from Latin "furiosus" ("full of rage, mad"; related to "furia" ("rage, passion").
"curious" comes from French "curieux" from Old French "curios" from Latin "curiosus" ("careful, diligent"); related to "cura" ("care").

Now, why is it that -- despite these two words having a similar structure at each point in their history -- their English nouns are so different, when their adjectives are so similar?
Why do we describe people as "curious" and "furious" but call these attributes "curiosity" and "fury"? Why not "cury" and "fury"? Why not "curiosity" and "furiosity"?
At what point in the evolution of these nouns did they start to diverge, and why?


texts: Origin of the exclamation "Jeannie (Genie?) Martins"

texts:
My mother often uses the term "Jeannie Martins!" (or perhaps Genie Martins, I've never seen it written, though this seems less likely) as a general exclamation.

  Jeannie Martins, it's cold outside!

I've been unable to find the origins, so can any of you shed any light please?

I've asked my mother where it comes from, but she can offer little more than that my grandfather used to say it. He was born and raised in County Cork, Ireland in 1920 and  moved to North East England in the 1930s or 1940s if that helps any.


texts: Is there a word or phrase for using overspecific, incorrect language intentionally?

texts: A comedian I like calls vampires "Draculas", with the specificity as well as the incorrectness (there is only one Dracula, but many vampires) being a source of humor. Is there a word for this language technique? It almost feels like a relative of synecdoche.


texts:
Each group will receive one pie and one apple per child.
Each group will receive one pie, and one apple per child.

In the first case each group receives many apples and many pies. In the second case each group receives many apples, but each group receives only one pie.
I need to describe the rule that makes it so the comma changes the meaning in this sentence, but I'm not sure what the rule operating here is called, nor what the relationship between these two sentences is called.
(While this is about the use of the comma, I strongly suspect the comma here is delineating two different syntactic reasonings resulting in the same words in the same order, so the grammar tag has been included.  If you object to this use of the grammar tag, you can remove it.  Just at least think about it first :P )


texts: In England, do people use "people" or "persons" more? And do you use the phrase "Keep it on your person"?


texts: Would/Do you mind...? vs. Will you mind...?

texts:
Why is it that you can say "Would/Do you mind...?" but not exactly "Will you mind...?"?
For example:

(1) Would you mind my smoking here?
(2) Do you mind my smoking here?
(3) Will you mind my smoking here? (??)

Is it simply a matter of usage?
Or is there some logical explanation for that?
Specifically, the question might boil down to answering the following questions:
Is (1) a "polite" form of (3) and somehow has (3) lost its usage?
Alternatively, is (1) a hypothetical/unreal version of (2), as in "If you were in the hypothetical situation, would you mind my smoking here?"


texts: The meaning of the English idiom "pot calling the kettle black"

texts:
I would like to know something more about this idiom and how North American or English speaking people use it.

Is the idiom considered outdated or offensive by young people?
When is "pot calling the kettle black"  most commonly used, in formal or informal occasions?

This question was prompted by my teacher who told me that young people were probably unaware of its origins and its true meaning.


texts: How should the following lines be worded?

texts:
I was reading over my partner's uni coursework before her final submission, and a paragraph she's written in the introduction was making me wonder whether it makes sense in the way that it's currently written.

Query 1:

  ...sources including license fees (£145.50 a year)

Should this be per year?

Query 2:

  The reason why it is called public service is because

Is the 'why' necessary in this sentence? It doesn't seem to roll off the tongue as easily with it.


texts:
Forgive me but I'm Italian and I have difficulty to perceiving the function of the word "ware" in everyday life. I found a similar question here but the responses do not meet my needs.
My goal is to create a smartphone app where you can enter an inventory of objects of our daily uses. Through a functional search engine will then can look up the stuff that's been posted. For this the name of the app: "WareApp"
The first thing that came to my mind was 'domestic warehouse', hence the word Ware.
I hope these two photos can give a good idea:

I'm not so far to publish the App but I'm in time to change name and graphics and now my mind has brought forth these questions: is it the right name? will be misinterpreted? Is there something better like Stuff, Article, Record, Object?

Please help, this is not spamming the App is not in the store and also it will be free for anyone.
Thanks a lot.


texts:
Phoebe: We went to a self-defence class today.

Rachael: Yeah, kicking a guy in the crotch all morning, really takes it out of ya!

In Friends, the drama, I saw these sentances but I couldn't understand what 'takes it out of you' means.

In dictanary, it means 'exhausted'.
But I don't know why there is the word 'you' in last of the sentance.

I think exhausted person should be 'me' because Rachael learned the class and it might be made her exhausted.

Why there is 'you' in the last?


texts: An adjective for the condition of a used brush

texts:
What adjective best describes the weariness and disarrangement that starts to show in your toothbrush when you've used it for some time? Nothing severe; just a little out of shape:

It doesn't have to be exclusively applicable to brushes.


texts: Difference between "on sale" vs "on sales"

texts: Just saw a board that said "on sales".  Is it a correct usage when they have several items that goes on sale?


texts:
This has been bugging me as an API I am programming with has isCreateable(), isUpdateable(), and isDeletable()...

My understanding is that the create and update can go Creatable or Createable, Updatable or Updateable, but I couldn't find any reference for Deletable to ever by Deleteable....

Is Deletable every actually Deleteable? And if not, does anyone know what happens with that word that prevents that extra 'e' while similar words like createable and updateable existed with the extra 'e'?

To me, the extra 'e' should always be included as it helps insure long vowel sounds in the words, and deleteable shouldn't be an excuse... or is it just... English?


texts: I don't get what patriotism means. The dictionary says it is the love and devotion for one's own country. I love my country and all other countries. I don't believe in sacrificing anything in the name of the nation. I care for my country because what happens there affects me and my family. Does that mean I am not patriotic?


texts: What do you call someone who always needs to be mentally or physically active?

texts:
What do you call a person that can't just relax, someone who always needs to be working or taking a class or working out? Someone who can sit still in one place but only if they are working on something (mentally), and if they aren't working on something mentally then they need to be physically doing something, like running errands or working out etc.. BUT the specific person I have in mind is very calm, and patient but they cannot sit around doing nothing because they feel lazy, like time is wasted.

Maybe it would help to point out that there is not a physical drive to do these things, it isn't a energy level but more of a psychological need to do these things. Often this person is somewhat tired and usually doesn't get a full nights sleep due to over them being so busy with everything they try to do.


texts: Why do Americans go 'downtown' whilst people in the UK go 'up town'?

texts:
People in London, who live in the suburbs, may tell you they work 'up town', meaning in the City or the West End.

In other large cities in Britain, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds etc., I think people who earn their living in the City Centre (equivalent to Downtown with capital D) will say casually that they work 'in town'. I think I'm right when I say that only Londoners go 'up town'.

So where did the idea of 'Downtown' come from?


texts: What is the difference between "it's up to you" and "it's down to you"?

texts:
I see both "It's up to you" and "It's down to you" in conversations.
So what's the difference?


texts: I'm looking for a better word than "inspirer"

texts:
Julian takes up the idea of his ---- Iamblichus.
I'm translating and drawing a blank. It feels like I'm missing something obvious. There's got to be a better word here than 'inspirer'. I don't think 'muse' quite works either. 'Hero' is probably too much.


texts: Pronouncing the final "‑ing" inflection as [əŋ] instead of as [ɪŋ]

texts:
I’m asking about American English, but feel free to answer about other dialects.

The ‑ing verbal inflection ending is, in the abstract, a phonemic /ɪŋ/. Those phonemes usually get realized phonetically as literally the sounds [ɪŋ] in General American, and this is the way it seems to be pronounced by most Americans.

Even so, there are many Americans I’ve heard pronounce the ‑ing ending as [əŋ].  You can "spot" that pronunciation if the verb ends with a  ‑t like eat. They say eating /ˈitɪŋ/ as one of these instead:

[ˈiɾɪŋ] with a flap for phonemic /t/, or
[ˈiʔəŋ] with a glottal stop for the /t/ and a schwa for the /ɪ/, or
[ˈiʔən] with [n] for phonemic /ŋ/, or
just plain [ˈiʔn̩] with a syllabic consonant

A comical example

My questions are:

How common is that pronunciation?
Is it a regional thing? and if so, in which regions?
For me, [iʔən] sounds a bit dumb and uneducated* (when Americans say it, but not for English people). Do Americans also share that notion?

* I thought this way even before watching the linked clip, but the clip really made that notion strong for me.


texts:
‘Esq’ or ‘Esquire’ is used as an honorific before (or after) the name of a male individual.

Link: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/esquire

Is there any female equivalent to ‘Esq’ or ‘Esquire’?


texts: Degrees of comparison for words ending in "-ly"

texts:
Would you make a word ending in -ly positive, comparative, or superlative?
I'm sort of leaning towards positive at the moment, and if the answer is positive, would you put more and most for comparative and superlative, respectively (e.g., more excitedly, most excitedly, etc.)? Actually, now that I think about it, it doesn't sound like it makes sense...


texts: Use of singular or plural in "the sum of the power consumption(s)"

texts:
Should consumption/consumptions be in singular or in plural here?

The total power consumption of a circuit is the sum of the power consumption of the logic cells making up the circuit.
The total power consumption of a circuit is the sum of the power consumptions of the logic cells making up the circuit.

Can you have more than one power consumption? Or is consumption uncountable like power is here? How can one in general know what kind of a noun one is dealing with? Are there rules governing this that native speakers all know?

Is this particular context some sort of special case compared with normal usage because of its mathematical nature?


texts: What does "honey boo boo" actually mean? Is a rather a good thing when someone calls you that? Is he making fun of you?


texts:
I am trying to figure out the best title for a section of a technical document. I wish to mean tables with 12 columns. Should I write:
12-Column Grid
or
12-Columns Grid
?
Which is correct?


texts: Subject-verb agreement question after WHAT

texts:
I have a question about how the verb LOOK below should be conjugated:

1.There are neatly-dug beds filled with what look like carrots, chard and kale...

There are neatly-dug beds filled with what looks like carrots, chard and kale...

Should LOOK agree with WHAT or with the vegetables?

Thank you.


texts: Better Phrase instead of "Planting a Plant"

texts:
I'm writing a thing where I have to describe and write about the video game Plants vs. Zombies. A bit of an explanation about this game: players must plant plants on their front lawn to defend their house from zombie invaders. The game is focused on the strategy of where the plants should be planted to be most effective. So, in this context, the use of the verb to plant really refers to "choosing a location to place a plant in the lawn".

This game fits in the "tower defence" style of games, but is the first of that kind to feature plants. Other games of this category ask the player to build a tower, or defensive structure, in order to repel invaders. In these cases, the gameplay activity can be abstractly described as "the player must build towers in order to repel invaders", as I described above. However, in Plants vs. Zombies, the words build and towers in the previous sentence would both be replaced with the word plant(s), leading to a repetition of the same word twice in a row. This both looks awkward and sounds awkward, and is something I'd like to avoid.

One alternative that I find myself using is the phrase place a plant (or variations thereof, as in the sentence above). This phrase strikes me as clumsy, and it feels and sounds awkward to me.

I have looked at a thesaurus suggested by a user in the comments. I'll list out some potential variations that don't really work for me:

Bury and cover do not really describe the activity taking place. Nor do implant, pitch, pot, scatter, seed, seed down, set out, start, stock, or transplant. ie. Most of the suggested synonyms.
Raise is promising, but I dislike it as it implies some effort on the part of the gardener, and in the game the player has to put for no effort whatsoever to plant a plant.
Finally, grow has the most potential. Like raise, it implies (to me, at least) some effort on the part of the gardener. However, I prefer it to raise just because it sounds like there is less effort involved with grow than with raise. Maybe I'm wrong.


texts: "Do (the) dirt(y) on/to you"/ "do you (the) dirt(y)"

texts:
Which of the following means she harmed your reputation maliciously and sounds idiomatic?

She did dirt on you.
She did the dirt on you.
She did dirt to you.
She did the dirt to you.
She did you dirt.
She did you the dirt.
She did dirty on you.
She did the dirty on you.
She did dirty to you.
She did the dirty to you.
She did you dirty.
She did you the dirty.


texts: GRE sentence completion question - word ambiguity

texts:
The following is a GRE question from the Hard practice question set of the Official ETS guide, 2nd Edition.

Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete
the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed
sentences that are alike in meaning.

Overlarge, uneven, and ultimately disappointing, the retrospective exhibition
seems too much like special pleading for a forgotten painter of real but _________ talents.

A limited
B partial
C undiscovered
D circumscribed
E prosaic
F hidden

I think C, E and F can easily be ruled out. I picked A and B, but the answers given are A and D. Why is B considered wrong when partial can also mean limited?


texts:
Page 456 of the Collins English Usage reads

When you suggest something, you mention it as a plan or idea for
someone to consider.
You do not 'suggest someone something': you 'suggest something to
someone'.
Nor do you 'suggest someone to do something' unless suggest means
'recommend': You 'suggest that someone does something.'
Beatrice suggested that he spend the summer at their place

I do not understand what meaning other than recommned is being used for the distinction.
Secondly, with the meaning of "recommend", can you 'suggest someone something'?


texts: What do you call it when someone stops you from daydreaming?

texts:
When you're building castles in the air absentmindedly, daydreaming, or looking at nothing with an empty mind, or maybe being absorbed in thought. Then someone comes over and "wakes you up", stopping you from musing on things.

From what I can describe, he might pat you on the back, or say, "Hey, what's wrong?" And you'd be like, getting startled or diverting your sight/attention, or maybe smiling.

Question:

What do you call it, the thing he does and the thing your respond to what he does?


texts:
As I know, the words "Aforementioned" and "In question" have a similar meaning and imply referring to something that has already been mentioned, but when I looked up at the internet i found out that aforementioned was much more commonly used.

Let me demonstrate with an example:

"I want to apply for the English Course of X University. The aforementioned course is highly recommended because of.."

"I want to apply for the English Course of X University. The course in question is highly recommended because of.."

Is there a difference between the two sentences in terms of meaning?


texts: What do you call a person or community that grants refuge?

texts:
I'm wondering if there is a common term for a person or group of people who grant refuge.

I understand that a refuge is a place that provides protection or shelter of some sort, but it is often the case that someone has to grant that refuge.

That someone might be a relative giving their niece/nephew a place to stay while they get back on their feet or a nation exercising its sovereignty by granting asylum to political refugees.

Is there a name for such a person or community?


texts: How did different accents originate in English?

texts: I want to know the New Zealand and Australian dialects in English. Please tell me what you know.


texts:
I got a message from a company, in which they said "you're in the top 10% of our candidate pool".
Please, what does that mean?


texts: Is "Agreed." a complete and correct sentence?

texts:
Is it correct to write,

Agreed.

instead of,

I agree.

I am confused by this single-word sentence.  Why is it in the past tense?  Or is "Agreed" a (past-participle) adjective, like "Gone" or "Done"?
Can I thus write,

Concurred.
Consented.
Withdrawn.
Been.

Sample conversation:

He: "Agreed." is a complete sentence.
She: Concurred.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Do you use "a" or "an" before acronyms?

When there is an acronym such as NSFW (Not Safe For Work) as in the following example

  This is an NSFW link

  This is a Not Safe For Work link

Is it correct to use "a" or "an" when using the acronym? I've assumed that it was dependant upon how you're going to pronounce the acronym when speaking (spelling it out "N-S-F-W" or just saying what the letters stand for "Not Safe For Work"). I see in print

  This is a NSFW link

which to me is incorrect because I pronounce the acronym letters.


texts: Describing situation/strategy used by someone to shift the focus in order to blame the victim

texts:
Suppose person A makes person B very mad because A did something very wrong. B is so mad that, he/she spilled out offensive languages. A took this opportunity to shift the focus of the topic/blaming to B using inappropriate words without addressing his/her own fault.

In English, is there a specific name for this type of argument strategy?


texts: What exactly does this "play a country song backwards" joke mean?

texts:
So I come across this joke,which rather confuses me.

  — What do you get when you play a country song backwards?
  — You get your house back, your wife back, your dog back, your truck back...

I just wonder what the relationship is between a country song and all the others. Can someone show me any background knowledge about this joke?


texts: How does a speaker "parse" his comments?

texts:
It's difficult to dismiss either as a coincidence, given Cohen is a lawyer and has carefully parsed his comments throughout this situation. He has regularly offered what seemed to be denials but didn't totally deny the details of what the Journal had reported.
  Did Trump’s lawyer just implicate Trump in the Stormy Daniels payment?

What's the meaning of parse here?

I've seen similar uses in journalism, where:

It refers more to expression (or even the product of expression) rather than analysis.
There is sometimes a connotation of prevaricate, obfuscate, or dissemble.

To me, the traditional definition doesn't quite fit here:

  Cohen is a lawyer and has carefully examined/analyzed (minutely) his comments throughout this situation.

But I can't think of a synonym for the author's meaning either.

Other uses

The earliest he parsed his words I've found is from 1998:

  Bush parsed his words carefully, unlike a Born Again Christian.

There are many like this from 2000 on (thanks @GetzelR). I hear these as nearly identical to He chose his words carefully.

But there are a few similar to my original passage.

Re. a description of political exile (2004):

  Aristide was very clear that what happened in Haiti was a modern kidnapping […] He was angry and determined, very straightforward and never parsed his words."

Re. Ted Cruz's position on immigration (2015):

  Like a Slick Lawyer, Cruz Parsed His Words on the Question of Amnesty

  […] As one might imagine, the veracity of Cruz’s statement rests heavily upon what he means by “legalization.”

Re. President Trump's travel ban that's not a travel ban (2017):

  Spicer appeared in front of the media in the wake of the first executive order and went out of his way to parse words. […] “That's not a ban. What it is, is to make sure that the people who are coming in are vetted properly … a ban would mean people can't get in.”

Re. James Comey's opening testimony (2017):

  I think the way this is worded, there's something in there for everybody. There's enough in there for Republicans to attack former Director Comey and defend the president, and there's enough in there for Democrats to defend former Director Comey and attack the president. […] There's a lot of parsing of words.


texts: What do you call a '>' relation between two unknowns?

texts:
I know that in mathematics, the relation a = 2b is called an equation.

Is the relation a > 2b still called an equation or is it called something else?


texts: Are "If I could" clauses always followed by "would"?

texts:
I always see

  If I could ... I would.

For example,

  If I could speak English, I would go to English-speaking countries.

Is there a rule against a conditional clause which contains could, being followed by another could in the main clause?

For example,

  If I could speak German, I could understand this essay.

I am a native American speaker but I do not know if the above is actually wrong.


texts: Is it "historical-philosophical" or "historico-philosophical"?

texts:
I was wondering what are the rules for writing hyphenated adjectives, specially those composed by words ending in "-al" such as "historical" and "philosophical".
I have seen both "historical-philosophical" and "historico-philosophical". With respect to these terms: Is one of those right or recommended, or can I freely use both? Are there different recommendations according to the dialect (UK, Canada, USA)? Which term would be the original one?


texts: In several questions and answers on this site I've read phrases that suggest there can be a scale of synonymity between words—something I haven't thought much about before. Some examples I've seen are almost synonymous, nearly synonymous, somewhat synonymous, almost completely synonymous, and absolutely synonymous. I'm wondering if there's a more formal and accurate way to classify these apparent degrees of synonymity. I did find one highly specialized online article on this subject, but it made my head hurt. So I guess I'm also wondering if there's a CliffsNotes version for the layperson.


texts:
Which one is more English when you describe a product to tell people what is included in the packing?

And is there any difference between these two phrases?


texts: what is the technical word for a "de-compounded" phrase

texts: I am curious as to what the technical term for "de-compounding" a word is. For example, if I were to change the word "bookstore," and change it into the phrase, "store of books," what would that "process" of "de-compounding" a word be called?


texts: When someone asks 'No milk?' How should I answer if I don't want milk?

texts:
At the cafe..

I : Coffee please.
Staff : No milk?

In that case, how should I answer if I don't want milk?

No.
Yes.


texts: Is “curate the market” common usage of “curate”?

texts:
I found New York Times (November 25) article titled “Helpful definition of modern author” intriguing. It provides humorous definitions of book-related terminologies such as authors, publishers, publicists, readers, books, bookstores, Amazon.com, etc. For example:

You, Author: Act as Book’s Publicist, responsible for promotion.  Your
Publicist: Acts as your Mom. Tells you that you’re special and
talented but makes you do everything for yourself.  Your Mom: Acts as
Book’s Audience, buying most of the copies.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/helpful-definitions-for-modern-authors/

However, I was drawn to the usage of the word, “curate “in the following sentence:

"Your Publisher creates book’s mold ahead of time, in so far as it
curates the existing market into which book must fit. (Additional
duty: being dumbfounded by that market.)”

I’ve seldom seen the case of ‘curate’ being used as a verb in such a context to mean assess or evaluate. As I checked dictionaries online;

Cambridge English Dictionary defines ‘curate’ only as a noun to mean ‘a priest of the lowest rank, especially in the Church of England, whose job is to help the vicar, with no mention on verb usage.

Oxford Dictionary [Lexico?] defines it as ‘a member of the clergy engaged as assistant to a vicar, rector, or parish priest.’ No mention on verb usage.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as noun: a clergyman (or assistant clergyman) in charge of a parish, and ‘to act as CURATOR of a museum’ as a transitive verb.

Is it common to use ‘curate’ as a verb like “curate the market the book fits in,”?
Can I say just casually “You must carefully curate the offer whether you can fit the job before applying for it,” or “I seriously curated her whether she fits to my life-long partner,” without raising your eyebrows?


texts:
What are the possible meanings of the following sentence:

He can't be coming tomorrow.

I think it has the following two possible meanings:

It is impossible that he will be coming tomorrow.
He is not allowed to come tomorrow.


texts: Usage of "doesn't know what he's saying"

texts:
I understand the phrase when it is used literally in this example.

He's ill and doesn't know what he's saying.

I perceive it to mean that a person is struggling with an illness that prevents him from thinking clearly and understanding his words. However, there have been times where the usage seems more vague to me, particularly when it is directed at an able-minded or sound-minded person.

He doesn't know what he's saying.
I don't think you know what you're saying.

Okay. I think there are some possibilities.

A person uses the phrase as a personal attack on the other person's intellect.

A person uses the phrase to discredit the other person.

A person is implying that the target person is oblivious to a connotation or perception of the target person has said.

A person uses the phrase to expose evidence that the target person is a dilettante.

Perhaps, the phrase means each one in different contexts, or perhaps, it means a combination of them?


texts: Using italics in IT-related diploma thesis

texts:
I'm currently working on a diploma thesis describing a computer program, and I'd like to unify my usage of italics. The problem is, I do not know whether there is an academic standard for using italics on programming-related texts.

What I currently emphasize:

Names of states (my thesis deals with state machines)
Names of variables
Names of methods

What I am wondering about whether to emphasize or not:

Names of processes (As in, individual programs)
Names of data types
Names of classes
Names of macros

I am also wondering whether I should still emphasize a word when it is the only word in a table cell, given it is a word i normally emphasize in the text.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Which verb is used to describe a person who is responsible and organising for doing something?

texts:
I want to use a verb to describe a person who is responsible for doing something, and the person is also the leader, organizer, or initiator of doing a project or something.
Checking the dictionary, it seems I can't say:

He leads to build this website.

So, my question is that is there any verb to describe the meaning as above?
For example:

He [verb] (to) build/building this website.

Feel appreciated for your help.


texts: Is it natural to use “whose” to refer to a thing?

texts:
When I looked it up in the Oxford Dictionary, I learned that “whose” is not usually used to refer to a thing and “of which” is usually used instead. But later I came across an example sentence from a dict app, which said “They speculated in property, whose value now has dropped”.
In my view, “whose” is more simple in terms of expression. So maybe using “whose” to refer to a thing is not very correct on grammar, but still used often?


texts: Antonym of "Condescending" or "Patronizing"

texts:
Are there any proper antonyms for the words "condescending" or "patronizing"? (assuming equivalent definition)

An easy Google search provides "Humble, Friendly" etc. But they don't seem to fit well.


texts: How did cougar come to mean predatory woman?

texts:
The common slang  connotation of the term cougar is that  of an older women who has sexual relationships with younger  men. The expression appears to come from Canada but its origin is still unclear as the following sources suggest:

The origin of the word cougar as a slang term is debated, but it is thought to have originated in Western Canada and first appeared in print on the Canadian dating website Cougardate.com. (Wikipedia)

Slang sense of "older woman (35-plus) who seeks younger males as sex partners" cougar is attested by 2002; said in some sources to have originated in Canada, probably from some reference to predatory feline nature. (Etymonline)

Given its recent usage as a slang term, does anyone have more precise  information on its origin? Did the expression really originated in Canada (the cougar is actually found all over the Americas), and if so, is the “predatory” connotation related to local stories or legend on cougars?


texts: To or For when we want to assign something?

texts:
I'm going to open a ticket for one IT team to change the volume of the old service called IVO to the new one called INO. And my question is, should I use to or for? The subject will be something like this:
Change 100% of the requests to INO service
Looks good, but what about:
Change 100% of the requests for INO service
I'm not sure, but it looks ok. Which is the right and why?
According to espresso English site, I should use to because its kind of "Giving", like this one:
I gave the book to my sister
But to be honest, I'm not 100% confident about it.


texts:
Here's something weird. I made a typo today in an essay and got minus points for writing "noticable" rather than "noticeable".

I thought you drop the vowel at the end of the verb when you add -able.

Why is it "noticeable" and not "noticable"?


texts:
I came across the following sentence in today's NPR news:

  In 2011, boomers start turning 65, the age when Americans traditionally stop working and kick back.

A dictionary at hand gives the definition of kick back as "1. (literally) kick back, retort. 2. pay rebate. 3. relapse into illness. 4. get relaxed, put oneself at home."

Interpretations 1 through 3 are understandable to me. But I don't understand why 'kick back' came to mean definition 4, "get relaxed, put oneself at home." What is the etymology for this expression?


texts: How do you use punctuation when describing something using three words?

texts: "Humans are a large complex organism" how would I correctly use punctuation here?


texts:
There is the following passage in Maureen Dowd’s article titled, “Good riddance, Carrie Mathison” in April 4 New York Times:

  “The co-creator of “Homeland” on Showtime revealed recently that when
  the new season starts, Claire Danes’s Carrie Mathison will no longer
  work at the C.I.A.. The C.I.A. sisterhood is fed up with the flock of
  fictional C.I.A. women in movies and on TV who guzzle alcohol as they
  bed hop and drone drop, acting crazed and emotional, sleeping with
  terrorists and seducing assets.”

I can guess what “bed hop” means, but I don’t understand what “drone drop” means, because "bed hop" doesn't link "drone drop" at all to me.
Is it a slanguage? How can I rephrase it in plain English words?


texts: What is the verb for "pointing at something with one's chin"?

texts: What is the verb for "pointing at someone or something with one's chin (or head for that matter)", if there is one word for it?


texts:
I was watching “Monk”, season 4 episode 3, where at the end Natalie says “Mitch was right. The great ones play hurt”. She was surprised by the “bold” and unusual action by Mr. Monk, but even with this context I cannot figure out what exactly she meant by “the great ones play hurt”, and my guesses in the past haven’t always been right.

Of course I searched online, but no useful results. I have no idea who Mitch is, maybe something I missed in the series. If it’s a pop culture reference, I apologise but I couldn’t find anything that pointed me to it. I also checked the definitions on urban dictionary, which usually contains at least one good explanation of an idiom, but this time it still wasn’t satisfying. If someone could help, would appreciate it!


texts: "Can you send me Fred and your flight information?"

texts:
This doesn't quite sound right but might be right. Consider

"Can you send me Fred and Amy's flight information?" This is correct via The Chicago Manual of Style.

Alternatively,

"Can you send me your and Fred's flight information?"

"Can you send me Fred's and your flight information?

or even
"Can you send me Fred and yours flight information?"

How about some help?


texts: What is the past participle of the word 'prove'?

texts:
Is it "I have proved..."

Or

"I have proven..."?

Or are both versions correct?


texts: Is the middle section of this sentence an appositive?

texts:
"An arrest occurs when a person has been taken into custody, or kept under the control of police, and is not free to leave."

Wanted to see if the middle sentence "or kept under the control of police" is an appositive and requires commas on either side - It was meant to be written as an appositive with "or kept under the control of police" clarifying "has been taken into custody."


texts: Is "mobbing" used in BrE and AmE to refer to harassment in the workplace.

texts:
The concept of mobbing, originally used referring to animals, according to the extract below, is now applied also to human beings, and is used specifically to refer to subtle aggressive behaviours  in the workplace:

Konrad Lorenz, in his book entitled On Aggression (1966), first described mobbing among birds and animals, attributing it to instincts rooted in the Darwinian struggle to survive.

In the 1970s, the Swedish physician Peter-Paul Heinemann  applied Lorenz's conceptualization to the collective aggression of children against a targeted child.

In the 1980s, professor and practising psychologist Heinz Leymann applied the term to ganging up in the workplace. Leymann noted that one of the possible side-effects of mobbing is post-traumatic stress disorder and is frequently misdiagnosed. After making this discovery he successfully treated thousands of victims at his clinic in Sweden.

Mobbing in the workplace:

British anti-bully researchers Andrea Adams and Tim Field have used the expression "workplace bullying" instead of what Leymann called "mobbing" in a workplace context. They identify mobbing as a particular type of bullying that is not as apparent as most, defining it as "an emotional assault". (Wikipedia)

I could not find evidence in any dictionary on the meaning and usage of "mobbing" with the connotation cited above.
The following piece may  help understand why, but it refers to the year 2000, psychologicalharassment.com:

Strangely, recognition of Leymann’s discovery has been slower in coming to the English-speaking world.  Newsweek published a popular summary of research on workplace mobbing in 2000, but only in its European edition. In Britain and America, attention has focussed less on mobbing than on the different but related problem of bullying, and, occasionally, on one of its extremely rare possible results: the outbursts of extreme violence, that from time to time make headlines across the country.

Question:
Is "mobbing"  used in BrE and AmE to refer to subtle aggressive behaviour aimed at discrediting and causing psychological pressure in the workplace or is it still not used as suggested above ?


texts: Need polite phrases expressing disagreement with the information/conclusions of another person, especially an educator

texts:
My classmate told me I should always say, "With all due respect," or "I politely disagree," when disagreeing someone - especially an educator - in order to avoid being perceived as rude.

For example:

  Teacher: This class always infuriates me. Most of you are either absent or
  late for my class. I will give you all failing grades in this subject!

  Me: With all due respect Ma'am, many of my classmates actually do attend your class, and arrive early, to learn something about your subject. I think you should take all those students who attend your class on time and daily, into consideration.

or

  Teacher: There's a higher incidence of suicide in men than women because men choose to hide their suffering or pain without telling anybody.

  Me: Ma'am, I politely disagree with this opinion. According to the most recent studies of the American Psychiatric Association about suicide, more women attempt suicide than men, although men seem to be more successful in their attempts, resulting in more fatalities.

Can you suggest some polite variations?


texts: Article usage in technical texts: a unique and other cases

texts:
Sometimes I write technical texts and wonder which article I should use before adjectives like unique, so-called and given, as English is a foreign language for me. For example, why it is

  there is a unique number such that...

or

  necessary tools include the so-called Bott's formula...

Could you recommend me an online resourse to resolve such ambiguities: a table of adjectives with necessary articles or something like that?


texts:
I would like to say the following:

  Personally, farewell is farewell not matter you say goodbye to small or huge group of people. The more you were attached to them the more tough it will be.

my question is, is it correct to say "..the more tough" or it should be "tougher"

Also if you have any suggestion regarding changing the sentence please do not hesitate.


texts:
In scientific writing numbers are often compared and if something is twice the size of something else, let's say

  A is 13 to 17 times the size of B

this can be written as

  A is 13–17 times higher/larger than B

I often see cases where people turn this around and say

  B is 13–17 times lower/smaller than A

and where turning A and B around makes little logical sense, i.e. the order of B and A is logically correct. The problem is then, how would one best rewrite this since "x times" will, at least mathematically when x > 1, always be larger and not smaller?

Edit: I changed my example to highlight the problems with numbers other than those easily turned into fractions such as half, quarter etc.


texts: I tend to overuse the hyphen as a pause, and would appreciate some feedback on this

texts:
An example of the way I tend to use the hyphen would be:

  Some people are genetically predisposed to build muscle - I am not one of them.

I usually do this more often when I am in a hurry. Still, I use it this way regularly. The comma is not a candidate otherwise I would just make the trailing phrase into another sentence. An ellipsis would seem to be the correct choice to indicate the pause, but I want it to seem as if I interrupted myself out of my own existential angst over it (in that example).


texts: What to say for opening and closing car widnow

texts:
I've come across several ways of saying open or close car window with different comments on the appropriateness of each. Which is the most correct way of saying that, in the casual street language, out of the following: -

Could you roll up/down your window
Could you put up/down your window
Could you let your window up/down
Could you lower/raise your window
or simply could you open/close/shut your window

Thanks


texts:
There is an informal expression used in my native language (Romanian) that may be literally translated to "it takes a look at the human being".

This is used when a person cannot use some kind of mechanism, asks for help to another person which can use the mechanism and the former one tells her this as a joke. It is often used when it is not clear why the mechanism does not work for the first person.

This can be understood by the following fantastic chain of events:

the mechanism is assumed to have some kind of sentience (at least to "see" the person)
a person tries to use it
the mechanism takes a look at the person and does not like what it sees
it decides not to work properly

The most similar idioms I know about are from the software development:

works for me
PEBCAK - Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard

However I am interested in an expression for a more general usages.

Question: Is there an expression or idiom to express in an informal/funny way that it is a person's fault when something is not working?


texts: What does 'their' designate in this sentence?

texts:
From Article 1 of GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES:

  For the purposes of this Agreement: (a) "measures by Members" means measures taken by: (i) central, regional or local governments and authorities; and (ii) non-governmental bodies in the exercise of powers delegated by central, regional or local governments or authorities;

  In fulfilling its obligations and commitments under the Agreement, each Member shall take such reasonable measures as may be available to it to ensure their observance by regional and local governments and authorities and non-governmental bodies within its territory.

My question: what does their designate in the sentence ensure their observance by regional and local governments and authorities and non-governmental bodies within its territory?

One scholar said 'their' designates obligations and commitments, but I think it's grammatically awkward.

Can their observance instead mean observance of them (that is, one(XX) should observe them), not something that should be observed by them(they should observe something(XX))?


texts:
What may be a word for this gesture: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯?

It's kind of a shrug, like when someone asks where you want to go for dinner, but any option will do, so instead of saying anything you just raise your arms like this: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

It's a gesture of indifference, the closest word to it is `shrug'.


texts: "assume to the contrary" vs "assume on the contrary"

texts:
I find that when proving a theorem by the method of contradiction, some authors start by saying "assume to the contrary" while some use "assume on the contrary". According to this post, it seems that "to the contrary" and "on the contrary" have subtle differences. So my question is which one should I use, "assume to the contrary" or "assume on the contrary"?
Below is an example.

Theorem. A is equal to B.
Proof: Assume on/to the contrary that A does not equal B. ...


texts: Categorising eating habits in a single word or short term

texts:
Is there a word or term to describe preferred eating habits (other than "eating habits")? That is to say, a catch-all category to describe the states of being a carnivore, vegan, pescitarian, fruititarian, or vegetarian etc.

The usage is primarily in a programming context, where a food type can be any of the above. However, I'm also interested just to know if such a work exists?


texts:
I was reading a book, and found the the phrase

  cotton on

as in

  "Aha!" he said, when he cottoned on.

At first I assumed this was a misspelling, and it should have been "as he catched on".

But then I find this daily mail article titled "What took you so long to cotton on, George?"

So now I'm wondering, what does "cotton on" mean?


texts: How to use tense when saying something happened several days ago?

texts:
I'm confused when saying something happened in the past, I know the basic rule for using the past tense, like,

  I went to the church yesterday.

But it's always hard for me to write a complex sentence, like,

  I talked with Joe about this the other day, we think/thought it will/would be nice to ask customer if they need/needed this product and how many, but this can/could wait until Sep. 10.

Could anyone help to pick up the right tense and provide some explanation.

Thank you.


texts:
In cooking what exactly does it mean to deconstruct something?

Haven't seen this covered much in dictionaries, etc.

edit: as per @Frank's request

this is everywhere in cooking recently:

  deconstructed shortcake

  deconstructed tiramisu

  deconstructed sauce


texts: Which word should be used to describe this kind of gate [See the picture]?

texts:
It is a gate to the yard of the building.
(Please correct me if there is a proper way to call the area surrounded by the building.)


texts: What is the cutoff between the word banned and suspended?

texts:
I am developing a few apps right now.  And my UX people are giving me language for users who are a nuisance.  They want them suspended based on certain criteria on our app community.

I get back the first designs and the language says Temporarily Banned.  I then google it and it is used in other apps...  huh?  Isn't the whole idea behind the word "Banned" that it is permanent or at least quasi-permanent?

These app bans range from 1 hour to 1 week.  Isn't that Suspended?

What is the cutoff between suspended and banned?  Is the phrase "temporarily banned" even proper English?

I ban everyone from answering my question, for 10 seconds!


texts: who attempted to make sense of every sphere of social life


texts:
What is the history of using the word "say" to start a sentence?

An example is from Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)   -- "Oh, shucks, I'll be just as careful. Now lemme try. Say—I'll give you the core of my apple."


texts: Is there a word for it has a use, but to you it has no use?

texts: For example, the point of pubic hair is to trap pheromones and be a lubricant for sex. In my opinion, it's not very useful. Is there a word to describe this situation. Where it has a use but the user believes that its use is unnecessary and the user would be better off without it, making it essentially useless?


texts:
"The child is not mine. I found out through one of her friends."

"Why hasn't she told you?"

"I don't know. I guess she just felt more comfortable not laying it out there."

"You must be angry."

"I am."

Is the third sentence perfectly natural in American English? Can "laying it out there" mean to mention something to someone?


texts: Word for one who does not see flaw/fault in oneself?

texts:
I have been digging for a word that English seems to have a hard time representing.  If I were to describe the spirit of what I'm trying to convey, it would be one who does not look inward for fault or error.  It's a confidence, a self-belief, perhaps even a self confidence.

The issue I have when trying to isolate a word like this is that often the suggestion is far harsher than what I visualize. The suggestions I get seem to be rooted in arrogance, without blame, or words that suggest a supreme confidence. Instead I'm trying to convey a sort of organic confidence in oneself.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.


texts: Meaning of "have one's fingers in every pie"

texts:
What is the meaning of "have one's fingers in every pie"? I know it is an idiom, but I can't find its meaning in any online dictionary.

Also, I  want to ask if it is a neutral phrase or if it has any negative/positive connotation.


texts: What is the difference between "synergistic" and "synergetic"? I believe they both speak of the cooperation of multiple things to produce an output, but how do they differ?


texts:
The owner of a machine may be a company, while the person operating a machine (push buttons, feed material, etc) may be an employee of said company.

But is the company also the operator of the machine, as it owns the machine with the intent of having it active/in operation/doing work?

I'm trying to avoid confusion between the person pushing the buttons and the more abstract 'commisioning' (does that make sense?).


texts:
Which one of the following is correct?

On the pulpit/In the pulpit.

I Hope it is on the pulpit.