texts:
I am writing my personal statement and came across a question that I can not find an answer for. I am not sure if this sentence is correct:

Despite the enormous 48 % annual increase in the amounts of medical
data generated, rarely gets it translated into approved
algorithms.

or this is better:

Despite the enormous 48 % annual increase in the amounts of generated medical
data, rarely gets it translated into approved
algorithms.

Also, I am not sure if it is evident that by it I am referring to medical data.
I hope my question is clear. Thank you.


texts: Someone who prefers no cussing around them

texts: Extra points if the word implies that the person in question is pious.


texts: I see and hear the term "Free Gift".  Are not all gifts free?


texts: Left to themselves -- is a 'when' needed?

texts:
I read, in Arthur Bloch's hilarious "Murphy's Law", the following corollary to Murphy's Law:

  Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.

Is that grammatical? Does the clause before the comma serve the purpose of an adjective (of things)? If it indeed acts like an adjective, does it need to be hyphenated?


texts: "Have [something] to allow," where to allow means to say

texts:
My mother routinely uses the phrase have to allow as a synonym for "have to say," generally in a context like,

  What did she have to allow?

to request that her interlocutor summarize a conversation. Unfortunately, Googling for any occurrence of this set phrase has proven ineffective, because the literal sense of the phrase is so common.

Has anyone ever come across this? She grew up in the Mid-South region around Memphis, Tennessee, USA.


texts: What do we call yoga lovers? or referring to a healthy lifestyle?

texts:
A group of people who love yoga or work-out, or subscribe to a healthy lifestyle. What are they called? Is there a single-word for this particular group that describes them in a positive light?

I'd also appreciate any equivalent popular/recognized expressions that haven't yet entered any standard dictionary but have been buzzing around for a few years.


texts: Is it correct to say “my oldest child” when you have only two children?

texts:
I remember "oldest" child is more correctly used when you have more than two children - e.g. my older child (assumption that there are only two children); my oldest child (assumption that there are at least three).

I now hear a lot of people saying "my oldest child" when they have only two.  Which is the correct grammar?


texts:
Today I was talking to one of my friends who couldn't process her application. So she told me the following:

  I just don't understand. Why wouldn't they process my application? I was only 5 minutes late.

I wonder if the part in bold is a well established English statement. Shouldn't it be:

  Why didn't they process my application?


texts: word to describe a person who catches the sexual overtone in a normal conversation

texts:
I know there is a word for it — I heard it when I was young. What is the word to describe a person who catches the sexual overtones in a normal (non-sexual) conversation?

Here's one example I have (I said this and then laughed because it was my comment and went over my own head at the time):

I was considering a name for a mobile dog grooming business. I thought 'Doggie Style' was great. Of course, the room full of my husband's friends laughed at me, telling me I'd never get approved for a license with that name. What word would I use to describe them?


texts: Should I write "I taught a combined 50 face to face and online courses" or "I taught 50 face to face and online courses combined"?


texts: Can you use the word "Concomitant" as a synonym for "Coworker"?

texts:
I am writing a novel and I recently discovered this word.

From my understanding, the definition sounds broad enough to be able to use this word loosely in place of co-workers.

For Example:

  With everyone sitting, it was difficult to see Angie, but after a minute or two, her pretty, little head popped up between my concomitants, and I did my best to suppress my smile.

Concomitants, of course, taking the place of co-workers.

The occupation is a politician (Councilman) in a radical Christian dystopian - his co-workers, of course, are also politicians as well.

If this is not correct, I will most likely go with "colleagues" despite wanting something more unique. "Comrades" has a negative connotation to it and words like "associates" and "peers" sound too vague and bland.


texts: Is there an expression or idiom used when someone has done something that hasn't had the desired result after being warned about it, to mean "It was your choice and now it's the result"? Like he can't blame anyone else for that.


texts: Meaning of some sentences from sports pages of newspapers

texts:
I was studying some vocabulary about sports pages of the newspapers from a book. The book mentions that the sportswriters are masters of English language and states how well they attract readers to read on eagerly.

For example instead of saying "win by a big score" some may use "Purdue crushes winless Northwestern."

Sometimes the name of a team is used in an imaginative way. The headlines that follow are metaphors, or figurative uses of names which I get the gist but I'm not sure if I understand the meaning precisely.

Bears Sack the Pack. (Bears won)
Flat Bulls give Rockets a lift. (Flat Bulls won?)
Hornets shake, bake Bulls. (Hornets won)
Hoosiers fake, shake, break Illini. (Hoosiers won)

Question: Are the meaning of sentences true? Do the sentences specify how well did the teams won? Did they won by a big score or they barely got by or none?


texts:
In this context:
"This [subject] [verb clause] by boosting our [body's || bodies'] immune system?"

In this case the writer is using "our" as a generic substitution for "your". The argument went that "our body" is actually short for "each of our body", hence taking the singular form.

I maintain that since "our" is plural, bodies must agree with the number.

My recommendation was to disambiguate by changing "our" to "your". But in the example sentence above without making this substitution, which is correct?


texts: What is "bringing a pinwheel to a prizefight"

texts:
Whats the meaning of "bringing a pinwheel to a prizefight"

I heard from legions of nervous Democratic strategists who worried that using “heal the nation” messaging against the MAGA meme army was like bringing a pinwheel to a prizefight.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/06/technology/joe-biden-internet-election.html


texts:
What is the meaning of this sentence:

  I didn't think you were

Why is 'were' used here instead of 'are'? How is that different from:

  I didn't think you are


texts: Difference between "notable" and "noteworthy"

texts:
Which would be more appropriate in this case?

  I currently do not have any affiliation that would be notable in the context of this election

  I currently do not have any affiliation that would be noteworthy in the context of this election

Or maybe something else altogether?


texts: What is an old legal term for a lease contract that was common in the previous centuries

texts:
It is a word that start with "e" and might be derived from Latin.

If you buy a piece of land, the notary will usually do a bit of research to trace back the ownership and sometimes it happens that they discover that the land used to be owned by some family who lent it to another family for some fixed amount of yearly rent. These contracts are usually very old and the rent, often insignificantly small. For example, on a piece of land that we thought we owned, we were actually supposed to pay another family the fixed amount of 75c per year.


texts:
Consider

  I'm driving the same car.

It sounds like me and someone else share one and the same car. But I could mean that my car is just another copy of the same model of the car. How do I express that?


texts: What is an adjective for something that is both offensive and funny?

texts: At work we were discussing a topic that ended up being offensive and funny at the same time. As a result of this discussion, we decided we need to know if there is an adjective that would mean the something is both offensive and funny.


texts:
Is it fine to use the word "former" when pertaining to an object?

Example:

John's former laptop.


texts: How should I write this: "Hello, Gloom!" he greets. or "Hello, Gloom!" He greets

texts:
I am writing a poem in which I personalize Perfection and Gloom.

I am confused on whether I should capitalize he or leave it uncapitalized as it's one sentence.

It confuses me because I also want to draw people's attention to the fact that Perfection is a person in my poem.


texts: Meaning of “don’t silo and empower a tech savvy team”

texts:
saw this on a slide at work. Does this mean

Don’t silo.  Empower a tech savvy team.

Or

Don’t silo.  Don’t empower a tech savvy team.

In the context it obviously refers to the first but what are language rules around this?


texts: Usage of the word "bang" as in "bang the kettle" (Salvation Army)

texts:
I cannot understand the sentence below.

  As a very small boy, when the Salvation Army missionaries had visited to minister to our Aboriginal crew, Dan had been fiercely attracted to the military appearance of their uniforms and had readily joined up, that he might bang his kettle and pipe in his boyish voice: (Rush oh!, shirley barrett, 2015)

In dictionary, the word bang (Verb) is defined as this:

  Strike or put down (something) forcefully and noisily

What action does "bang sth in voice" mean? Is it a usual phrase? And why kettle? I tried to find some examples but I couldn't. Thank you for your help.


texts: Sentence length in English writing in early 1900s vs. English writing now

texts:
I am reading a book called The Best American Essays of the Century. One thing I keep noticing is a lot of the sentences in this book are very long — 5 to 6 lines. I read a lot of articles on the web, and the difference is obvious to me. In my opinion, contemporary writers keep their sentences short. Obviously there is not one way to write, but what I learned in college was to not make sentences too long and keep varying the length of sentences — not just too short in particular.

Now coming back to the question. What was the reason for this paradigm shift? I understand languages, including English, evolve over time. What was the main reason(s) behind the change?


texts:
In the lyrics for "What are you waiting for" from Disturbed, there is the line:

  Leave nothing left behind

I'm debating whether "left" is superfluous and here only for rythm, or if the expression "left behind" that forms adds meaning to the sentence compared to "leave nothing behind".

Is the phrase correct as-is, and does removing "left" change the meaning slightly?


texts: Does "a fraction of something" always imply less than one unit? Or could it be 4/3 for example?


texts: What does "Give a penny to Belisarius" mean?

texts:
There is the phrase Date Obolum Bellisario which roughly translates to "Give a penny to Belisarius". This is followed by an explanation of Belisarius:

  Belisarius, a famous Roman general during the reign of Justinian,
  achieved notable victories over the barbarians, but in his old age
  incurred the envy of the emperor and for a time was imprisoned and
  reduced to penury.

But I've never heard the expression "Give a penny to X" before and don't understand it in this context. The context of the phrase would be around 1766.


texts: I'm writing something for school and I'm assuming I can't cuss in it. For a sentence I'm writing about how a random ass person approached me. Now I was wondering an alternate cleaner way to say something like "Then this random ass dude approached me from the side of the street."


texts:
I've noticed that quite often Americans will refer to "Making Eggs" or "Making a pizza"

When infact they are cooking eggs (chickens make eggs) or cooking a pizza (assuming its pre-made in a factory)

Specifically its things that are already "made" or do not require combining of ingredients.
As in British English we would never refer to the act of frying 2 eggs as "making eggs"

Why is this so common? as it seems grammatically or just logically incorrect...


texts: Where do the words for daughter, son, aunt, uncle, mother, father, cousin, nephew, niece come from?

texts:
Please see Title. I'm not specifically referring to which language they came from... but if they come from something else. In other words, do they come from words with other meanings.

For example, do words for children come from a word that means "being that comes from one's loins" or something.


texts: Why is a person 'on' public transport and not 'in' it

texts:
A friend of mine recently posted a comment on Facebook saying that the phrase "on a train" is a pet peeve of his since it very rarely refers to somebody literally riding on top of a train.

This got me thinking about the prepositions used for other forms of transport and I noticed a pattern where "on" seems to be used for all forms of public transport even when it sounds like it should be technically incorrect (bus, plane) but only for private transport where it is technically correct ('on' for bike but 'in' for car).

Curious to see if there were any answer out there as to why this is I found a previous question that specifically related to trains "on the train" or "in the train"?. Most of the answers related to what the correct preposition is rather than why but one of the top rated answers suggested that on is used to distinguish between a stated of having boarded a train from being a component of a train. I'm not entirely sure I agree with this answer but it also doesn't really apply to other forms of public transport.

My best guess is that the use of 'on' is a remnant from a time when it would have been correct for most forms of mass transport (cart, boat) but I'd be interested to know if there is any other reason.


texts: How are Japanese words spelt in English?

texts:
When they are writing material in English, I sometimes see native speakers of Japanese misspell English words that were derived from Japanese.

For example, I've seen "tunami" written instead of "tsunami", and "ninjya" instead of "ninja". I've also seen "geisya" instead of "geisha", and "Kyusyu" instead of "Kyushu".

My suspicion is that they know how these words are spelt and pronounced in Japanese, and that they convert it into the latin alphabet in a way that is different to how the word is spelt in English.

For example, with "tsunami", they've taken the first syllable, つ, and rather than converting it to "tsu", they converted it to "tu". Possibly because in certain ways of writing Japanese using the latin alphabet (romaji), the way that つ would be written is "tu".

Are there general rules about how English words that are derived from Japanese words are spelt? For example, are they generally spelt in a way similar to Hepburn romanization, except often without the macrons?

Even if the rules don't apply 100% of the time, rules that apply 90% of the time, with just a few exceptions may be preferable to some than memorizing all such words by rote.

An exception here is for wasei-eigo words such as "salaryman". When converting made up English into English, the English words that were used in the wasei-eigo are used ("salary" + "man", rather than "sararyman")

Any possible answers that a person who is not a linguist can easily understand?

Meta:
I previously asked this on English Language Learners, but it was closed there (currently with one re-open vote), and in this comment on Japanese Language & Usage (not my fault!), it was suggested I ask on English Language & Usage.


texts:
Can the word tenebrous be used to mean ambiguous?

Your statement is ambiguous.
Your statement is tenebrous.


texts: How to hyphenate a phrasal adjective: PCI-compliant

texts:
I have a phrase I use often in my work, but I'm not sure if I'm hyphenating it correctly. As it stands, I've been writing it like this: The PCI-compliant payment gateway...

I think PCI-compliant is a phrasal adjective in the above example, so I'm writing the sentence as analogous to: The razor-sharp wire... (I may be wrong, though!)

However, I'm confused about whether or not to hyphenate in this case: The payment gateway is PCI compliant.

Should PCI compliant be hyphenated in this second case or not? Is it a phrasal adjective here?


texts:
" The birth rate for women in their 20s in 1993 declined rapidly".
In this example, should I use "among" instead of "for"? Which is more natural?


texts:
A source says this:

  There are two distinct forms of negligence: advertent (conscious) and inadvertent (unconscious).

(From "The Distinction between Conscious Negligence and Recklessness" by François Lareau.)

Are there also advertent and inadvertent mistakes?


texts:
I am creating an application that has a small panel that has an "expand" button. When the user expands it, he will be able to shrink it again.

What would be the best antonym of "expand" to use here?I don't think "shrink" is the most formal one.

I have found "diminish", "compress", "lessen", "narrow" and "shrink" but I'm not 100% which one of these would fit best on my case.

Edit: This has nothing to do with programming. I just mentioned where I'll be using the word, so as to help me find the correct antonym.


texts: In the expression The sky is blue, is the adjective "blue" an object? Is this a clause or a sentence at all?


texts:
I'm having trouble understanding this word's meaning. On Google Translate, it means explosion or something like that.

But when I see that word in a sentence, there's no relation, at least for me at my current knowledge.

For example, what does this sentence say?

  In August, Java was blasted as an unsafe plug-in that should only be used...

(Source: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/10/19/apple-kicks-java-out-browsers-in-os-x-update/)


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

texts:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xBNGDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT56&lpg=PT56&dq=%22mimic+the+right+brain+patterns%22&source=bl&ots=hxI38QLf7m&sig=SrxXaDaiFfXOTRNnycyy1UoZ-hs&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiursnAlKvUAhWMDsAKHZdbC3UQ6AEIIzAA#v=onepage&q=%22mimic%20the%20right%20brain%20patterns%22&f=false

The main text:
For decades, researchers believed this activity was the root of addiction: mimic the right brain patterns and you'd create an addict.


texts:
Yesterday, I came across this sentence:

  "I have attended different english language courses in the USA and Great Britain both."

Is this a correct use of the word "both"? If not, how should the sentence be structured?


texts: Year Division by Quarters: any terms to express halves of years or other parts of years?

texts:
Quarters divide years by four. I am looking for the terms dividing years by 2, 3 and 6.

Does there exists terms to express other parts of the years like quarters?


texts:
I'm certain plurals are discussed endlessly, but I haven't located an answer to this specific usage:

In the following sentences I believe the first one is correct because it discusses a singular list or group containing multiple names, where the second one treats the group as if it is "multiple groups." Which sentence is correct?

Once you get the software set up, here is our names: Bob, Joe, Sam.
Once you get the software set up, here are our names: Bob, Joe, Sam.

Thank you and kind regards!

Edited to add the list after the colon. So now that the singular "list" is shown do the answers below still apply? Is "2" still correct?


texts: Is it ok to write coworking in formal english? also it is correct the way I am using the semicolon?

texts:
Please read the following paragraph and tell me if needs some improvement, also if I am using correctly the semicolon:

-Coworking  with local authorities for finding the best response to attend climatic emergencies, such as the severe drought that affected the biodiversity and economy of the region of Casanare in 2015. By studying the information available about the possible changes in the climate of our country for future years, and the recent droughts occurred; my team and I supported the local authorities by indicating them through maps and studies, those areas at a higher risk of being affected by this kind of phenomenon in the near future. With this information, they were capable of identifying those zones where was more advantageous to invest economic resources in order to save more biodiversity.


texts:
I was surprised at seeing BrE speakers calling nurses - sister(s), then I came across this E.SE page:

What is the original connection between "nurse" and "sister"?

which got me thinking:

What current secular professions still maintain titles like 'Sister' and 'Brother'?


texts: What words or phrase can describe the wonder I feel contemplating nature?

texts:
I am looking for another word that implies that the world around us is still mysterious, with so much we have yet to discover.

But I'm not talking about "intelligent design' or creationism.

Rather I would like to describe the sense of wonder I feel in contemplating  how the planets revolve in their orbits or how all parts of an ecosystem fit together.  These things amaze me; that everything is so "right" and it all works.


texts: Are "ball" (formal event) and "ball" (sphere for playing with) etymologically related?

texts:
This is a ball:

source

But so is this:

source

Why do we use the same word for a formal social gathering with dancing and a round toy for throwing and catching?

Is there some kind of shared origin? If so, how did the word come to be used for such different things?

Or do the two similar-looking words actually come from different etymological roots?


texts: In the Abbot & Costello "Who's On First?" routine, what is the meaning of "St. Louis has a couple of days on the team?"

texts:
Video link here
When Costello's character finds out that Today is pitching and Tomorrow is catching, he remarks:

Costello: That's all? St. Louis has got a couple of days on the team.
Abbot:    Well I can't help that!

What is Costello trying to say? Is it something that can be translated into modern parlance? I'm generally clueless as to what he's conveying with this line.


texts: Can "who'd" be used as a relative pronoun?

texts:
I was doing this question:
17. Although pharmaceutical companies that begun to produce the drug learned that taxol could be extracted from the bark of all species of yewr, they soon focused their attention on the Pacific yew.

A. NO CHANGE

B. who’d began producing

C. who begun producing

D. that began to produce

and I answered B. Why is it D?
Isn't "that begun to produce the drug learned that taxol could be extracted from the bark of all species of yewr" an adjective clause. Why can't it be introduced by the relative pronoun who? Is it because of the 'd?


texts:
Strangely, Etymonline.com doesn't give an etymology.

I looked up Dictionary.com, and came up with:

  1565–75;  < Middle French hautbois,  equivalent to haut  high ( see haughty) + bois  wood ( see bush1 )

So, how did this word "high wood" come to mean oboe?


texts: proper grammar of multiple numbers ordered sequentially specifying different things

texts:
I have a sentence submitted to me from someone else that says

One case (8 - one lb. boxes) of...

What is the proper grammar to say eight one pound boxes?  I'm not sure what the best format is for this situation.  Maybe one of these is acceptable:

eight 1-lb. boxes
eight one lb. boxes
8 one pound boxes
8 one-pound boxes
eight one-pound boxes

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
Minimum of up to three years of full-time applicable work experience in municipal solid waste services administration or closely related field.

Is the phrase minimum of up to three years an oxymoron?


texts: What is the history of the oh-so-common English phrase, "come on!"?

texts: I haven’t any idea of whence the phrase come on could have originated. There seems to be little purely denotative sense that can be made of the phrase. What were the circumstances under which it was first coined, and what is the back-story to this interesting phrase  (which I’m sure has some involved history)?


texts: What does the phrase "You don't say" represent?

texts:
In an English movie, Marianne and Bob were talking to each other:

  Marianne: "Joy went to Jordan last week to search for religious sites."

  Bob: "You don't say?"

My question is: What does Bob's reply mean here?
 Was he angry to hear this about Joe or was he surprised to know that Joe went to Jordan?


texts: Looking for a word with a more positive connotation than "infectious"

texts:
I recently was attempting to describe someone's smile. I wanted to describe it as being very 'infectious', or that it spreads very quickly and is contagious. However, as hard as I could try, I could only come up with words that have to do with infections or words that have a negative connotation.

How could I describe a person's smile if it has the ability to 'spread' to other people, as denoted above?

Thanks!


texts:
How do I politely remind a professor about editing an article? Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

I know how busy you are but I very would like to have your valuable contribution and comments  in this article before submit it. Could you please let me know that do your schedule allow to review article?


texts: (noun + verb) data vs (nount + verb) THE data

texts:
In an example sentence, "the" was excluded on the sentence "[Noun + verb] data". But I think "the" should be included. Can anyone please confirm and enlighten me.
Thanks!


texts: Which is the correct way to say this? "Please go on the home page to register" or "Please go to the home page to register"?


texts: Most common damn-words in English are of course the f-word and the s-word, which are - for my best knowledge - considered vulgarisms. The word "crap" may be used as a damn-word, however I'd bet, that it is not vulgar. Am I correct?


texts: One or two words for a person with blind spots?

texts:
We all know people with blind spots. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/blind+spot characterizes blind spots as follows:

  blind spot - a subject about which you are ignorant or prejudiced and fail to exercise good judgment

People with blind spots can be their own worst enemies. They simply can't see themselves as others see them. They don't see or understand the impacts of their behaviors. And worst of all, their blind spots can make it very difficult to get through to them; they can't see it because they can't see it.  Is there a single word for such a person? If not, a two-word phrase?


texts: Is there a single word to mean the process of making someone angry by calling him angry?

texts:
I am looking for the word that describes a situation similar to this:

A person is not angry and is minding his own business, but then someone comes up and starts annoying the person by repeatedly asking him if he is angry. Due to the constant annoying behaviour, the person who was not angry became angry.


texts: One word for "Besides knowing my advantages, I also know my drawbacks"?

texts:
I wish to point out some drawbacks on my own research work after I have praised it.

  As a _____, I am aware of my work's drawbacks, which could be fixed if
  I had more time.

Is there an adjective or noun for this?


texts: What's the word for something that you have to do, even though you don't want to

texts:
What is the word for something that you have to do (mainly because someone is expecting you to do), even though you don't want to do it, but you still do it. In other words, doing something that you are not interested in doing.

Example: Jenny hates babysitting her niece, but she has to do it for the sake of her sister and the love she has for her niece.


texts: What's a good word for 'A short review'?

texts:
This would be a topic in a progress report that would outline what the project is about without going into details.
I'm looking for something that means like 'Refresher' but sounds more professional.


texts: Word for someone who's ready to go at a moment's notice

texts: I'm looking for a word to represent someone who is ready to pack everything up and move out rapidly at a moment's notice. The context is that this will go on an award, as in "[The team name]'s [word] award"


texts: Term for something that appears complex but is actually very simple

texts:
The Japanese have a term for something that appears simple but is actually very complex in detail: Shibui. It should be said that this is only one aspect of Shibui, as with many Japanese words/concepts.

Is there a term for the opposite: something that appears hopelessly complicated, but in actuality is quite simple, whether this is because it follows a subjectively unknown pattern, or because of the subjective perspective of the person?


texts: Interpretation of phrase with imperative

texts:
I want to clear up the usage of imperative in the following sentence:
"Come here to earn a coffee."
Is this sentence equivalent to "if you come here then you will get a coffee"?


texts: Mixing many clauses and phrases immediately after conjunctions

texts:
Let’s say I am compounding a sentence from the two sentences:

A: I do fairly well in that class to show no concern
B: I would appreciate some flexibility

with the conjuction but.

However, I want to spice up Sentence B by adding introductory phrases
and/or clauses to the sentence.

Case A:

If I want to add the introductory phrases and clauses, after all,
since class is important, and if there is such a possibility,
to Sentence B in that order, what would be the correct way to do
it?
Case B:

If I want to add the introductory phrases and clauses, expectantly
and as the university would discourage such behavior on your
part, to Sentence B in that order, what would be the correct way
to do it?
Case C:

If I want to add only introductory phrases, such as deeply and
sincerely, to Sentence B in that order, what would be the correct
way to do it?
Case D:

If I want to add only introductory clauses, such as because the
university would discourage it and if there is such a possibility,
to Sentence B in that order, what would be the correct way to do
it?

Note: This is regarding punctuation — commas.


texts: Is it okay to say "Yes, we do" in answer to "Are you having a good time?"

texts:
How to correctly answer the question "Are you having a good time?"

Imagine a parent coming into a room, in which his 12-year-old son is having his birthday party with his classmates. Kids are really having a good time. So what would be the right answer in that case?

Yes, we are.
Yes, we do.


texts:
What is the meaning of "did time" in this context?

  Then my heart did time in Siberia.

More context:

  When you come back I won't be here
      She said and gently pulled me near
      If you want to talk you can call
      And no it's not your fault

  I just smiled and said let go of me
      But there's something that I've just got to know
      Did someone else steal my part?
      She said it's not my fault

  Then my heart did time in Siberia
      Was waiting for the lie to come true
      Because it's all so dark and mysterious
      When the one you want doesn't want you too


texts: Word or phrase for something that turns out great but wasn't intended as such

texts:
I'm translating a German press release about a product that became a great tool/solution, but it had never been intended to be developed like that in the first place. It more or less happened by accident.*
I came up with this translation:

Few developments that turn out to be good have been intended and meticulously planned from the start.

This is a rather literal translation, but it sounds quite awkward. Is there any idiom for something that turns out better than expected and wasn't planned as such?
* For reference, in German, it's “Nicht alle guten Entwicklungen waren von Anfang an beabsichtigt und penibel geplant. Auch die Initialzündung für XXX geschah mehr oder minder zufällig.”


texts: Is the phrase "I just sucked it out of my thumb" used in American English?

texts:
I was born and raised in South Africa. We frequently used the term "to suck out of one's thumb", implying that an answer was just a wild guess or the notion had no evidence but was rather just surmised. At best it was the product of a personal thought experiment.

Is the phrase used elsewhere? I live in the USA and almost never hear it. Do Americans understand it? Can they figure it out or will they conjure up graphic literal images of my thumb in my mouth?


texts: When a school is registering kids for college, what is that called?

texts:
During last years registration enrollment, we had 1,457 children register.

Is "registration enrollment" the best choice here?

The reason I don't just use the word "registration" is that a registration is a particular student's registration for the school. But maybe that word is applicable to each individual registration, as well as the entire process itself?


texts: Is there a term for the dot numbering system: 10.2.5?

texts:
Is there a general term to refer to what you might call the dot numbering system that computer systems use: Ubuntu 15.10.1  or Mac OSX 10.11.3?

One could call it "build versioning" but wouldn't that also apply to things like "Build 1922" (sequential) or "Build 20160121" (date based) or "Build 55azaw" (coded).


texts: Do "figure out" and "realize" mean the same?

texts:
Talking about noticing something, do both mean the same?

For example:

  I just figured out that the ball is blue.
  I just realized that the ball is blue.


texts: How manieth as an ordinal number question

texts:
Possible Duplicates:
  How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number (e.g., the third prime)?
  How to ask a question to get an ordinal number answer

In my native tongue, Malayalam, there is a question word - "ethraamathe" - which we use to get an ordinal number as answer. In other Indian languages, and also in many foreign languages like Dutch and German, such a question word does exist. But in English there is no one word for such a question.

I have once read in a Phantom strip cartoon book from US a sentence that uses what number. Using this expression it is easy to ask "What number president of America was Abraham Lincoln?" to which one would answer "16th". A professor from Oxford University has said in one of his letters to me that what number can be used in informal speech. In his opinion, "Where in the numerical order did Abraham Lincoln come as President of America?" can be used in writing.

I would like to know whether American and British people use ‘what number’ in their speech.
Some Indians also use how manieth as an ordinal number question.


texts: How to reply a question like this: "We are not doing this, correct?"

texts:
My first reply to my boss for this question was " Yes, you are correct. We are not doing this" .

Can I also reply this way, "No, we are not doing this." ?

Are these two replies both correct? If so, which one feels more like a native speaker?


texts: The two expressions from the title, “I wouldn't ever” and “I would never”, are very similar. But are they completely equivalent or do they bear any subtle differences? If so, how do they differ in meaning, usage, maybe emotional load? Or perhaps one of them feels "more natural" than the other?


texts: What is the term used for a figurine in a board game?

texts: I came across the word meeples in reference to a small figurine used in a board game. Are there other words used for the game pieces that people associate with board games such as Monoply that are figurines representing a person or object.


texts:
I've read and have heard of both 'as per' and 'per' being used conversationally, both with the same connotation of either 'according to' or 'on authority of'

Examples:

"Tell Ron to start molding new rollers for the mecanum wheels, as per me"

"Per Mr. Crane, you need to start the molds for the new rollers."

They both establish the same context by setting that something should be done on the authority of someone else (or the speaker, per the first example (see what I did there?)). Or it acts as a way to cite a source of a statement, directive or fact in conversational speech.

My question is, what is, if any, the functional and syntactical difference between as per and per. If there are no differences, which is apropos to use?


texts: In English, what is a 'being', and what things cannot be called 'beings'?

texts: Maybe this a philosophy question. But this is also an English question.


texts:
From Merriam-Webster

  out- in a manner that is greater, better, or more than something else.
  in a manner that exceeds or surpasses and
  sometimes overpowers or defeats. e.g outmaneuver>

Does outmaneuver literally mean that manoeuvre the opponents out?

How shall we explain outset (meaning beginning) and outtake then?


texts: Is repeating the word "that" ok, if it is technically, grammatically correct?

texts:
E.g.:

  "... with all the sustainability considerations that that entails."

If I'm correct, the above example is relative pronoun followed by pronoun - it just happens to be the same word for both grammatically legitimate, albeit adjacent words.

Or, even an example with three that's in a row:

  "It wasn't that that that was referring to."

The above sentence may even sound natural in common speech if delivered fluently and in a context in which it was fully understood.

So if one accepts grammatical correctness and one is being clear in it being known what the examples of that are adjuncts for, are repeated that's acceptable after all?


texts: What do you call someone who is addicted to a Q&A website?

texts:
I was looking for a term for someone who is addicted to a Q&A website but I came up with general terms like nethead, cybernaut, netizen, internet addict etc. You can think of adjectives like contributive, helpful or even devoted but they are also too general and they don't cover the "addiction" and "internet" part of the question.

Although, I'm tempted to call this person fanatic:

Anyway, I think there might be an online slang term for this specific type of person. For example, there is ask-and-run for someone who posts a question on a Q&A website and never checks back. (Related question: What do you call a Q&A user who posts a question but never checks back?)

It seems like it is a common phenomenon as there are a lot of Q&A websites nowadays:

  There are questions asked related to Stack Overflow addiction:

  Addiction towards Stack Overflow
  How can I keep from getting addicted to Stack Overflow?

  Quora has a section for this phenomenon:
  http://www.quora.com/Quora-Addiction

  There are questions on Yahoo Answers about how to stop Yahoo Answers addiction:

  How do you stop the yahoo answers addiction?
  Yahoo!Answers addiction. What will you do to stop?

So, is there any online slang term for this kind of user?

Related question:
What do you call a person who is always online on the Internet?


texts:
What does the expression "claiming moral dividends" mean in this context?

  Being self-righteous doesn't warrant you in claiming moral dividends
  as if you're doing humanity a huge favour.


texts:
According to A Student's Introduction to English Grammar, Tense is defined as follows:

  Tense. A system marked by verb inflection or auxiliaries whose basic use to locate the situation in time: I liked it (past tense, past time), I like it(present tense, present time).

However, the author also points out:

  ..., English is not one of them: it has no future tense. It does have several ways of talking about future time, and the most basic one does involve the auxiliary will.

These two quotes made me puzzled because, as noted above, Tense is denoted by inflection or auxiliaries and the auxiliary will seems to clearly meet the criteria. In conclusion, my question is

Why doesn't the auxiliary will qualify as future tense?


texts: Do I say: "Hook me up to this nice party!" or "Hook me up on this nice party!"

texts:
Do I say:

  Hook me up to this nice party!

OR

  Hook me up on this nice party!

I am trying to give a connotation that the party sounds good and I want my friend to give me an invitation to go there. Should I say in some other better way?


texts:
I'm looking for a word that means 'weasilish', but similar to equine, aquiline, etc.

The best I could come up with is mustelidic.  Maybe mustelidine?  I need it as an adjective:  "mustelidic communications."

The context I need to use it in is a bit of a joke about using weasel words.  Using 'weaselish' doesn't work because it is too forthright.

It doesn't have to be strict English -- can be a word made up based on the latin word for weasel and existing English rules.  I'm just looking for something that sounds reasonable, obscure, but is also precise.


texts: "Your trip must have been fun" vs "Your trip has to have been fun"

texts:
I think these following sentences are equivalent in terms of meaning.

I'd like to ask if there is subtle difference in terms of meaning?

Which one is more common?Can we say one or other is more formal?

  You are smiling in all your photos.Your trip has to have been fun.

  You are smiling in all your photos.Your trip must have been fun.

And how about this sentence.Is it used/said when we talk about a trip went on many years ago?

  You are smiling in all your photos. Your trip
  had to have been fun.


texts:
I found a phrase, ‘hit rewind’ in the headline of the article of May 29 New York Times reporting that VHS cassettes that seem to be dead long ago are still surviving and widely used among immigrant communities in New York City.

The article reads:

“For movies, some immigrants still choosing to hit rewind.
In this age of streaming movies online and Blu-ray Discs, immigrants' nostalgia and frugality, among other factors, combine to make sure that the bulky VHS cassette endures.”

I assume ‘hit rewind’ means ‘to go back to an old thing and item (in nostalgia way),’ but am not sure of.

I checked Oxford, Cambridge, and Merriam-Webster online dictionaries for confirmation. None of them registers ‘hit rewind’ as an idiom.

Google Ngram shows that the phrase came up around 1980, and its usage is rapidly growing. So it seems to be a relatively new expression.

What is the exact meaning of ‘hit rewind’? Is the words well-received as an idiom now in both U.S. and U.K.?


texts: Is it OK to say something is "buried" in a webpage?

texts: What's the most proper way to express that some elements in a webpage are very undiscoverable? Can "buried in the page" be understood by most people?


texts: Is there a word that describes when you are unable to remember the word you want to say?

texts:
I vaguely remember seeing this word years ago, it started with "log-". I want to know what this word is because I have this problem all the time (as many others do), where the word I am thinking of is right at the tip of my tongue but I just can't remember it.

It's a bit fitting for this situation, isn't it?


texts: Is there a single word (or expression) used to describe a person who does their job only when their boss is watching?

texts:
"Quick the boss is coming, we need to look busy"

Is there a single word (or expression) to describe a person who only does their job while someone (the boss/manager) is watching, but who does everything except work while unsupervised.

We thought "shirker" might be an option, but that is just a lazy person who avoids work when ever possible. We're searching for a word that describes someone who deviously pretends to be super productive & efficient in front of (the "right") people, but actually reverts to doing virtually nothing as soon as people aren't watching.

  Note: we hate micromanaging people or being micromanaged, but there are people who will sit on Facebook or Buzzfeed all day if not constantly supervised... what are they called...?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
Can you explain me the meaning of word "nicy"?

I'm newbie in english, and I've already tried google translate, but I'm not sure. Maybe there is some informal forms, or other ways of using this word.


texts:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the title of the fourth book in the Harry Potter series. However, J.K. Rowling also considered to call it Harry Potter and the Fire Goblet.

I am from Argentina so the translation would be the same to Spanish, but what is the difference in English in both forms?


texts:
Would you call a person who has a personality similar to Lincoln a Lincoln or a Lincolner?

Also, does Lincolner have any political connotations, like someone supporting the Republican party?


texts: Infinitive vs. present participle (time relations)

texts:
I was told that one of the following refers to the past and the other to the future. I cannot decide which is which and would appreciate it if someone could explain the difference between these sentences:

Did you remember locking the door?
Did you remember to lock the door?

It would be especially useful if the difference could be shown using these very examples. :)


texts: "Gamers of platform" or "gamers on platform"

texts:
We're duking it out to come up with a strapline on meta.gaming. Which is correct?

Welcome to Q&A for gamers of all platforms.
Welcome to Q&A for gamers on all platforms.


texts:
Is it okay to say:

  I believe I belong to a greater stage.

Basically, I want to say that I want to transit from my current position to a better one since I think I am skillful enough for the better opportunity.

I know it's usually belong to, but this to here doesn't seem right.

I think the sentence should be fine from the grammar perspective. But do people normally say this?


texts: When should I use "a" versus "an" in front of a word beginning with the letter h?

texts:
A basic grammar rule is to use an instead of a before a vowel sound. Given that historic is not pronounced with a silent h, I use “a historic”. Is this correct? What about heroic? Should be “It was a heroic act” or “It was an heroic act”?

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.

Personally, I pronounce the h, and believe that a is correct. I find that it sounds incorrect to use an and pronounce heroic without the h.

So how do I know when to use a and when to use an with a word beginning with the letter h? Are both acceptable or is there one that is correct?


texts: Why is electrocardiogram abbreviated EKG instead of ECG?

texts:
There is no K in electrocardiogram.  So why is it often referred to as EKG instead of ECG?
(ECG is an acronym for electrocardiogram, and it appears to be used twice as often in English literature as EKG.  The question is why EKG is ever used at all.)


texts: act weird/weirdly vs. act strange/strangely

texts:
According to this ngram, 'act weird' is much more productive than 'act weirdly', which is almost non-existent, but 'act strangely' is more productive than 'act strange', which is not non-existent at all.

I think that the verb 'act' here is not a linking verb as in

  He acted dumb.

Because 'act' in 'act dumb' means 'pretend to be', whereas 'act' in 'act weird/strange' means 'behave in a specific way'.

So, I think that 'weird' and 'strange' are flat adverbs in 'act weird/strange'. If so, the question is:

  why the flat adverb 'weird' in 'act weird' is much more idiomatic than the real adverb 'weirdly' in 'act weirdly' (when the similar word 'strange' is not as idiomatic than the real adverb 'strangely').

Even weirder is the fact that the flat adverbs 'weird' and 'strange' don't seem to work in 'behave weird' and 'behave strange'. What gives?


texts: How to distinguish the pronunciation of "year" and "ear"?

texts:
Can people easily distinguish the difference between the sounds of |O| and |WO|, as well as |U| and |WU|?

By no means have I been able to figure them out, for all of my life. To my surprise, many native speakers I have talked to seem unable to distinguish between them, either.

Can anyone help make my life complete?


texts: Why didn't they use an article ("The" or "A") in this sentence?

texts:
Why didn't they use an article ("The" or "A") before "newspaper" in this sentence from Jacqueline Wilson's Happy Holidays?

Mum made us put newspaper down first so that we wouldn't get piles.

I Think it should be *"put the newspaper".

Full source here.


texts:
In a language arts project, I have the following sentence:

  Grant watched in awe of the spectacular view of Dylan hitting a buzzer beater on TV as he served a Big Mac to his customer.

My teacher thinks that there's something wrong with it; he says that the of the spectacular view of Dylan hitting a buzzer beater on TV acts as a prepositional phrase and thus can't contain the verb "hitting".

Is this true? Please explain.


texts: What do you call a person who always has a pleasant smile on his face?

texts: What do you call a person who always has a pleasant smile on his face. Is there anything better than calling him a "Pleasing personality"?


texts: Did "Dutch defence" pre-date the chess term?

texts:
Did the phrase "Dutch defence" pre-date the use of the term in chess?

The Wikipedia article on Dutch Defence says the concept described by the term originated in the 18th century:

  Elias Stein (1748–1812), an Alsatian who settled in The Hague,
  recommended the defence as the best reply to 1.d4 in his 1789 book
  Nouvel essai sur le jeu des échecs, avec des réflexions militaires
  relatives à ce jeu.

Stuff Dutch People Like claims that Dutch defence is one of those "Dutch words" and was first recorded in 1749, but it doesn't give a citation:

  Dutch defence: a legal  tactic whereby you rat someone out in order to
  get off free (first recorded in 1749)

I've also heard of "Dutch defence" having another meaning:

  Dutch defence: retreat, rather than fight.

The Online Etymology Dictionary doesn't have an entry for "Dutch defence" (or defense), nor does Wiktionary.


texts: Doing A is preferable to doing B. = Doing A rather than doing (?) / do (?) B is advisable

texts:
In that situation I would rather do A than (I would) (do) B.

If the verb 'do' appears after 'rather' it has to be in the bare infinitive, not in the gerund.

How about that other way of expressing the same idea?

  Doing A rather than (do) (?) / (doing) (?) B is the course of action I would choose in that situation.*

The verb 'do' being itself the subject of the verb 'be' has to be in the gerund. If that same verb appears again after 'rather', should it also be in the gerund this time rather than in the bare infinitive?


texts: "Do's" and "don'ts" or "do's" and "don't's"?

texts:
I am making a list to my children telling them what are some of the things they should do and shouldn't. Under one side is "do", and the other is "don't".

Would I write "do's" and "don't's"?

Cause the two apostrophes look horrendous, and I'm not sure that is correct or not. How is it written?


texts: Who is a "person who makes notary action"?

texts:
A notary is a person who certifies documents. Who is "a person who makes notary action"? Is that the notary or the customer who asked for his documents to be certified?

I got this phrase from a local translator who is translating my documents. Here is the complete sentence:

  I explained to the person who makes notary action that the certification of the true copy of the document does not confirm the legality of document content and correspondence of the stated facts to reality.

The original sentence has the meaning that the notary explained to me that if the original document is a sham, then the certification of this copy of that document will not make the original document legal.


texts: You say something but you don't really mean it: an adjective to describe that offer or a phrase

texts:
What adjective do you use to describe something that you say, but you do not really mean it. For example when you make an offer to someone, but you don't really mean it and kind of hope they say no! Let's say in a rather insincere way, although you are trying to be polite.
What type of offer is that? Or is there a phrase or something used to refer to that?


texts: Plural of Latin masculine nouns ending in -o; eg. "folio"

texts: Most discussions I have read on the issue of Latin plurals in English only address words ending in -us, -um, -x and the feminine nouns ending in -a. I would like to know how to make the English plural of Latin masculine nouns ending in -o, such as "folio". I am tempted to say and write "folia" as the plural of "folio", and similarly "bifolia" as the plural of "bifolio" etc, although my Oxford Advanced Learner's only quotes "folios". I am sure I have read both versions of this plural in academic print before. What would you advise?


texts:
I am currently writing a (mathematical) paper, which considers so called paths in graphs.
The start of a path is usually denoted by the letter s and the end of the path is denoted by t.
The whole path is then called "s-t-path" and my question is about which indefinite article to use with it.

The selected answer in Indefinite article before symbols says to just use 'a' or 'an' according to how you pronounce what follows.
This would imply that one should write "a s-t-path", because the s goes with a (a superhero, etc.). When I am actually using the construct in a spoken sentence, however, what I would be saying is "an s-t-path".

There are 39,700 google search results for "an s-t-path" versus 41,900 results for "a s-t-path", which is to show that this topic truly divides the nation ;-)


texts: Is it correct to use 'present' after a noun or pronoun?

texts:
Can an adjective go just after a noun?

  The teachers present in the hall are my life saviours.

In this sentence is using 'present in the hall' right or  should I say 'presenting in the hall'?


texts:
The question is in the title. Simply put, I see no reason why "surfing" in particular was chosen to describe…whatever it is we are doing when partaking in this gigantic network. I can't see any good analogues in this activity to surfing terms either. I see no surfboards (except maybe ipads and similar flat devices), I see no high tides, and there is a distinct lack of surfing terms such as "gnarly", "goofy", "hang loose" and "grommet" in the current usage of Internet lingo (although we have many other Internet-only terms instead to cope with this severely limiting shortage of vocabulary :) ).

So why do we call it "surfing the web"?


texts:
Is this a common phrase? A google search found only 6 pages using this exact phrase. What do you think of this phrase?

What about "time solves everything?"


texts: I haven’t even the strength to swing vs. I haven’t even got the strength to swing

texts:
I have a question regarding this grammatical structure I found in Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth, he writes that:

"I am eight, and for my birthday have received my first mitt and hardball, and a regulation bat that I haven’t even the strength to swing all the way around." (1969; 7)

Could somebody please help me and explain why is it possible to do that? Shouldn't the sentence look more like this? : I haven’t even got the strength to swing?

Thank you!


texts: I want to know the difference between can I and could i

texts: I am learning grammar and I feel some confusion between the usage of can I and could I. Is there some rule I should use?


texts: Idiom for Change in Game-plan or strategy

texts: In light of the coronavirus, I am making a professional presentation about how my company can change its strategy to suit the new situation. Is there a fun idiom or phrase I can use to title this presentation?


texts: Is it correct to say "to buy something in lieu of customer"?

texts:
A customer may buy investment funds on his/her own OR a bank may buy it FOR the customer as per his/her instructions.

In this context, is it accurate and correct to say "to buy funds in lieu of customer"?

If not, what is a better alternative?


texts: Is there a word describing a functionally obsolete design choice?

texts: I'm looking for a word that would describe something like a modern phone that retains a rotary dial.  The dial's design was originally functional, but phone's function doesn't rely on the dial any more - it's just an aesthetic choice.


texts:
Everyone can do it.
  Nobody can do it.

The both sentences are very clear. I understand what they mean.

  Anyone can do it

But I feel a little confused about this sentence. What does it mean?
Is it similar to Everybody can do it? or does it mean Nobody can do it?


texts:
Is there a single word for "unseen characters" in theatre?

Also on-stage characters other than cast or company?


texts: What does “It’s the loyalty (or the economy), stupid,” mean?

texts:
In the New York Time’s (August 12) article titled, “It’s the loyalty, stupid,” Maureen Dowds comments on Hillary Clinton’s calling President Obama a wimp just as he was preparing to order airstrikes against ISIS. She wrote:

“She said that Obama’s “failure” in Syria led to the rise of ISIS and
sniped about Obama’s slogan: “Great nations need organizing
principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing
principle.”
Saying you can’t live by slogans is rich, coming from someone whose
husband’s presidency was built on “It’s the economy, stupid.”
oehttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/opinion/maureen-dowd-its-the-loyalty-stupid.html?hp&action=click&pgtype

What does "stupid" of “It’s the X (loyalty, economy, whatever), stupid.” specifically mean? Does it mean "obvious / without question"? Can I replace ‘stupid’ with ‘period’?
What are spelt out forms of these lines?


texts: What is the difference between "He saw me talking" and "He saw me talk"?

texts:
Can anybody tell me the difference between the following two sentences:

He saw me talking to her.
He saw me talk to her.

Please let me know if both the statements are valid and grammatically correct. If valid, please explain the meaning of both the statements and what is the difference between the two.


texts: "son of fish knows how to swim" meaning and usage

texts: What the saying "son of fish knows how to swim" actually means? does it contain positive or negative connotation? Thank you!


texts: Word suggestion for removing something specific or to hide evidence

texts:
I'm programing an interface for log files which admins can "delete" the entire file, "clean" the file (remove dupes), and another function where the admin can delete specific words out of the file.

I'm trying to think of a one or two word description for the last case of removing evidence or deleting a specific word.

Any suggestions?


texts:
I am currently writing an academic text and need to directly quote/cite text from a paper. What is best practice when I need to add a remark/note to the quote?

For instance, I would do it like this: The authors claim that "we do the best work ever in the area of CS (note: Computer Science)".

So in the above case the actually quoted text is "we do the best work ever in the area of CS", however, I want to add a note which explains the abbreviation "CS".

How should this be done?

Related questions:

How to add contextualizing text to a quotation?

How to indicate "Our remark"?


texts: What do you call a question that is meant to make you look bad?

texts:
What is it called when you are asked a question that has nothing to do with the subject at hand and is sometimes meant to make you look bad?

I think it is a legal term used in a court setting.


texts: A word or words to describe the relationship between humanity and the natural world

texts:
It's a bit of a hard one to describe but i'll try my best, and give a little context too:

So my project is about the way that humans 'use' nature for their own gains. It's more about the feeling that we shape nature around us rather than working with it - even though we rely so heavily on it.

To describe it simply:
Parasitic Interdependence

I feel like this is a bit too formal for me and might come off a bit pretentious but then at the same time I realize what i'm looking for probably won't be in the common tongue.

Any help is appreciated!


texts: What conjunctions can I use in an it-cleft sentence other than 'who' and 'that'?

texts:
Are all of the following sentences correct:

It is me who made you happy.
It is you that broke the pen.
It is a poem which you read.
It was Monday when you called me.
It was my room where he hid.
It was her stupidity why I did not like her.
It was her stupidity what I did not like.


texts: A person who shares or likes or retweets everything they come across?

texts: I have come across a few folks who share, like or retweet everything they see. Is there a word to indicate their behavior/attitude/nature?


texts: To smoke vs Smoking at the beginning of the sentence

texts:
I have been taught that we can use either of "to INF" or "Verb-ing" at the beginning of the sentence as a subject, which leads me to a point of confusion.

Here is my confusion:

  A: To smoke is not good for all.
  B: Smoking is not good for all.

These two sentences both mean the same thing to me.

Could you guys explain the difference and then can we use that explanation to demonstrate  other such sentences with?


texts:
The news is very sad. The guy, Vester Lee Flanagan, was very crazy. (Please see the news: [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3213821/The-inoffensive-everyday-phrases-used-anchor-Alison-Parker-earned-death-sentence-Flanagan-deemed-racist.html][1])

I would refer you to the paragraph:

  'We would say stuff like, "The reporter's out in the field." And he
  would look at us and say, "What are you saying, cotton fields? That's
  racist".'

Why is "cotton field" seen as racist by the murderer?


texts: Can someone give me a few synonyms of "Double-edged sword"? I generally need a phrase that describes a situation that can go good and bad.


texts:
On dictionary.cambridge.org the following two meanings are given for 'stand out':

1) to be very noticable

2) to be much better than other similar things or people

For the 2nd meaning, the example sentence is: "We had lots of good applicants for the job, but one stood out from the rest."

Does the meaning of this example sentence change if I would omit the last three words: from the rest?

I would like to use such a sentence in a cover / motivation e-mail for a job application. With this sentence, but the last three words omitted, I intend to say that the job description is more appealing (stands out) from all other job descriptions I read.


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase: "The malware affects IE9 through IE11(Internet Explorer)"?  Why can't we use "from IE9 to IE11" instead?


texts: Is there a term for a question that repeats something someone just said, followed by a stressed interrogative pronoun?

texts:
Examples:

"She said you were here and saw everything."   "She said WHAT?"
"They are going to Swaziland in November."   "They are going WHERE?"

People stress the interrogative pronoun usually because of surprise, indignation, or even doubt about having heard the right word.


texts:
This is my first question here.
I don't know the difference between"only" and "just".
Can anyone help me please?

Thanks.


texts: What word describes this form of unreadability best?

texts: If a headline is difficult to read because it is written in all-caps and the words lack form but each individual letter is clear, is it illegible, unreadable, or something else?


texts: What's the difference between "Conference" and "Meeting"?

texts:
See:The meeting will be held in a conference room at 10:00 am.

Is there any problem if I change the position of these two words in the sentence like "The conference will be held in a meeting room at 10 am"?


texts: Tomorrow it will have been a year since we came..why incorrect?

texts:
A native speaker (US) told me that this is not right:

  Tomorrow it will have been a year since we came.

I keep wondering why is that? Is it not expressing that by that time (tomorrow) it will have been a year..., i.e. expressing that something will have finished, in this case "being for less than 10" years?

At the same time, this was considered correct:

  Tomorrow we will have lived here for a year.


texts: Is it ever correct to say "turn down the building"?

texts: I'm a non-native speaker of English, and so is my wife. We were talking to a native speaker when at one point, my wife commented, "They should turn down the building." I've never heard of the phrase "turn down" meaning "demolish", so I thought her sentence was unidiomatic. But judging from the nonchalant reaction of the native speaker there, I'm not so sure. What do you say?


texts: How to say, without it sounding awkward, "[something] of choice" where the [something] itself is in a form of "[thing_1] of [thing_2]"?

texts:
I found myself in an email conversation where a friend jokingly said I should become a Buddhist monk in a monastery in India. I wanted to get back to him saying that Japan would probably be a more likely destination as I'm a fan of the Zen flavour of Buddhism.

So I wanted to respond that this flavour is my flavour of choice. However, this being quick email response I wanted to contain all the information in one sentence ending up with

Personally, my flavour of Buddhism of choice is the Zen kind.

However, that sounds somewhat clunky and awkward to me. Is it just my impression or is there a better way to combine the "of choice" and "flavour of Buddhism" phrases?


texts: Best or technical term for the act of including a *purposeful gaff* in writing?

texts:
Although I suspect there are applicable examples in literature and newsprint, the specific context here is the online practice of either including a dud, or excluding an obvious/needed example in a piece, whereby an online viewer is encouraged to make a comment on the bottom of the webpage.  The author is architecting engagement to drive website traffic.
For example:

Purposefully not including Citizen Kane in a piece or list about the best movies of all time.
Cheekily including a Dan Brown novel when discussing or listing the best books ever written.
etc. (but not so obvious...)

Basically, it's a troll move.  A professional tactic of trolling viewership.  I'm positive this is a gimmick used, and may even be taught in modern journalism schools.
What is the best term to use, whereby the largest number of readers would know right off what I'm talking about?  (Or, perhaps an exacting technical term, even if they have to look it up.)

Dissonance writing
Purposeful gaffing
Contrived bounding
Poetic dis license
Hooking the reader
Call and response
?

Note: an obscure cultural cross-reference is the Bugs Bunny cartoon where a bomb has been wired to detonate if a particular piano key is pressed.  Bugs tricks Yosemite Sam into participating in playing, in the same way that I'm talking about an author tricking readers into engaging.

“Booby Trap” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUsJXwE73QU
“Piano Boom”


texts: A word meaning "in the direction toward or away from one's self"

texts:
Because I'm thinking of a certain spatial orientation, consider an example at hand.  You are sitting at your keyboard which is flat on your desk.  The keys ASDFJKL are arranged laterally, whereas the keys MKI8 are arranged [word goes here].

"Longitudinally" in this context becomes confusing, because it appears to mean the same direction as "laterally".  "Laterally" seems most apt as I've used it, because it's used in regards to the orientation of the object (side to side).  "Longitudinally" appears apt only because of the aspect ratio of the object (along the long dimension).

Anatomical terms and simple antonyms such as "medially" seem to suggest a location more so than a direction. Other suggested antonyms like "perpendicularly" or "crosswise" are ambiguous.


texts:
Many people say "thanks for sharing" and seem to mean something positive and meaningful by it.

However, it seems to also have a cold and even sarcastic connotation to it, e.g.:

  "I got married last week" / "Thanks for sharing."

  "I got divorced last week" / "Thanks for sharing."

In fact, the urban dictionary gives this definition of it:

a sarcastic phrase meaning "that was really gross/inappropriate/stupid and you're an idiot." Comes from group therapy, where everyone is encouraged to share their feelings and is recognized for sharing.

Does anyone have any data on e.g. how English speaking populations view this phrase, e.g. well-intentioned or sarcastic? Or perhaps any etymology of the phrase, where it came from, how it grew in popularity, and how the meaning of it started to change?


texts:
During the orientation programme conducted for the resource persons in English in Hyderabad,one of the professors wrote a sentence on the board and it is given below

  The board writes well.

She asked us to say whether the verb write is transitive or intransitive. We could not satisfactorily answer the question.because It did not look like either transitive. or intransitive she explained something which I forgot so I need explanation from the scholars

Another example  is

  He walks the dog everyday

I found the sentence in a text for Tenth class students

The sentences are indifferent from the sentences like he writes well and the dog walks.

I would like to know the function of the verb and the subject in the sentences above,  I know that the two verbs are different

I would like to know whether the topic comes under semantics.

EDIT
This is not a duplicate of the question "The ticket is printing" vs "...is being printed" because I am not asking whether the sentences mentioned above are grammatically correct, my question is focused on their syntax and semantics.


texts:
I read the following sentence in a book. I am confused about the sentence structure.

"She thought she would have survived her first term had she kept good relations with the army though"

Here "had she" confuses me. Can anyone kindly explain the sentence structure and the use of "had she"?

Can i write it like "if she had instead of had she"?

For example

"She thought she would have survived her first term if she had kept good relations with the army though"

Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the word used to describe the redundancy of using two synonyms to define one thing?

texts:
Incorrect: a baby lamb
Correct?: 'a baby sheep', or just 'a lamb'

Is there even one word used to describe this duplication? Or would you just identify the mistake as "a redundant word"?


texts: pronunciation US-UK in words like "semi"

texts: I am trying to find a document that explains pronunciation differences in /E/ and /I/ sounds between UK and US styles. I think US pronunciation has /'sɛmay/ a lot more often than UK /'sɛmi/. Where can I find a document explaining this difference?


texts: Need help with a relative clause from Heart of Darkness

texts:
I was reading "Heart of Darkness", by J. Conrad and I came to this sentence: "A haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness."

My question is: what ran out to sea in vanishing flatness? The haze or the low shores? I don't know if there's any grammatical rule that defines how to recognize the relative clause's antecedent.

Thanks


texts: Can I use two different possessive nouns that are taking about the same possession?

texts:
Can I say:
My friends' and family's reactions when I transform food is funny.
OR
The reactions of my friends and family when I transform food is funny.
The second sentence seems clunky, especially when the "when I transform food" part becomes very long. I don't know if the first sentence is correct.
Any comments?


texts:
I was reading a book talking about who should qualify for military medals and came across these sentences:

"To determine who deserves a military medal, we have to assess competing conceptions of character and sacrifice."

"Post-traumatic stress reflects a weakness of character unworthy of honor"

"At the heart of the disagreement are rival conceptions of moral character and military valor."

I was not so sure about the meaning of the word "character" in each of the sentences.
Are all 1, 2, 3 sentences used it to mean "personal traits or personality"? Or does the word character has another meaning that I haven't thought of?
Especially in sentence3), it does not sound right (at least for me..) if I say "rival conceptions of moral personality and military valor."
Thanks in advance for your help! :)


texts:
When describing the relative position of two line segments, one might use the word alongside to communicate that the line segments are close together and run parallel to one another.

I'm trying to determine how close two line segments need to be in order for alongside to be a reasonable description of their relative position.

For example, if a 13 foot section of gas line runs parallel to a 13 foot long wall of a house, how close would the two need to be in order for the statement “the gas line runs alongside the wall” to be accurate?

If the distance between the two segments is significantly less than the distance between the beginning and end of each segment, could they be considered to be close enough that they run alongside one another? For example, if the gas line in the above example lies 7 feet from the wall, would it be reasonable to say that it runs alongside the wall?


texts:
Should I use wanted or had wanted here?

  Ukrainians wanted to join the EU even before Russia occupied the Crimea and the Eastern Ukraine.
  Ukrainians had wanted to join the EU even before Russia occupied the Crimea and the Eastern Ukraine.


texts: Phrase to describe the state of horror/fear within a country

texts:
I am writing a paper on terrorism throughout social media, yet I cannot find a way to phrase the state of horror within a country. My sentence is as follows,

  "Terrorist attacks are detrimental to the families of its victims as well as the (state of horror/fear) within the country."


texts: Why are the names of one baby separated by a comma?

texts:
When surfing the web I came across this card published by the Prince & Princess of Monaco.

It mentiones the names of their twins. But why are the three names of each child separated by a comma? (My first impression was along the lines of "Six kids? huh?")


texts: Word for sphere of reality surrounding each individual?

texts:
Is there a word for the sphere reality that is being perceived by an individual?

One can consider that there are two parts to awareness, first one is the subject that is aware and secondly what the subject is aware of/perceives, the best description I can think of for that is “sphere of (realised) reality of each individual (cognisant being).”

So if the word cognisant describes the individual in the above model, what word would describe the thing that the individual is cognisant of?


texts:
I thought about posting this in woodworking, but everything there seems to be related to actual problems in carpentry.

I'm trying to describe a kitten’s behaviour:  Frisky's so desperate for an opponent to wrestle with, even the [wall corner] will do.  I want to know if there's a technical term for this kind of corner.  I already tried searching here and also googling convex corner, corner facing out, and wall corner facing out, all without finding the sought after term.

Here's a picture of the actual thing:


texts:
If you search for hold on Thesaurus, you only find synonyms that mean 'holding strongly'. How about the opposite? What are some words meaning to "hold softly"?

Example:

  Sophia [...] my palm and dropped the jewel onto it.


texts: Identifying the sentence structure. Is this sentence a compound sentence?

texts:
I am trying to determine the sentence structure of the sentence:

  Along with every other devoted Aussie trackydack dagger, I beg the federal government to ban these abhorrent, foreign "cuffs" and bring back the loose, flaccid Aussie leg-hole we know and love.

I believe that this text is a compound sentence, whereas my Teacher believes that it is a complex sentence and the majority of my class believes that it is a compound-complex sentence.

Assistance and an explanation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


texts: Why do we use "part of the reason" and not "one of the reasons"?

texts:
As the word reason is countable and one thing can have many reasons, I would imagine that saying "one of the reasons" is more logical than "part of the reason". However, many people (native and non-native speakers alike) tend to use the latter.

My questions are:

1- Is it correct to use "part of the reason"?

2- Is it correct to use "one of the reasons"?

3- If both are correct, is there any reason why "part of the reason" is more common?

Thanks


texts: "It was a really, really big lie that John told." Is this a correct usage?

texts:
A speaker might say things like -

  It was a really, really big lie that John told.

Is this a correct usage?


texts: What do the allusions in this poem mean?

texts:
This is a poem Across by Vikram Seth:

Across these miles I wish you well.
May nothing haunt your heart but sleep.
May you not sense what I don’t tell.
May you not dream, or doubt, or weep.
May what my pen this peaceless day
Writes on this page not reach your view
Till its deferred print lets you say
It speaks to someone else than you

I'm having trouble understanding the meaning of the last four lines. Can someone explain the exact meaning of the last 4 lines?


texts: Is it proper to say, "our mind" or "our minds" as each person has one mind; or is it considered collectively?

texts: Is it proper to say, "our mind" or "our minds"?  Each person has one mind, which causes me to lean towards "our mind".  However, collectively, more than one person has more than one mind (generally speaking), which causes me to favor "our minds".


texts: When I'm writing a very formal academic article or a text at work, I make use of "aim at" in it. My question is: Can I use "aim for" as alternative formal option in my texts?


texts:
What kind of animal is the dodo ?

Is article the right in this question?


texts:
Is it generally permissible to repeat relative pronouns regardless of the type of pronoun and regardless of the relative clause being restrictive or not? What I mean by that can be seen in the following trivial example:

The house which is large and (which) is painted green.

I know that in this case one would not repeat "which", but there might be situations where doing so is recommended, especially if the relative clause is long and contains an "and".


texts: A single word that means "mental reaction speed"?

texts:
I'm searching for a single-word descriptor that means "mental quickness", "mental reaction speed" or very similar with little additional connotation (unlike alacrity or wits).

EDIT: The word has to be able to stand on its own like an icon; I can't rely on context for meaning.  It is an attribute for a table-top role playing game. The character will have a score or rating to represent how mentally quick they are that they will need to call up readily during a game. The word doesn't need to imply that their reactions are correct or accurate, only fast.

EDIT 2: The game is set in the mid-near future and is Post-Cyberpunk in nature. Any words that reflect that setting are especially helpful.


texts: Using "for the light of space" to mean "for the lack of space"?

texts:
The following statement appears in an academic paper I am reading:

  Mathematical derivations are omitted for the light of space.

As a native English speaker, I find the use of light in this sentence highly unusual. Presumably the author (a non-native speaker) intends to say for lack of space. Is the phrase "light of space" semantically correct? Is there such an idiom, or a synonym for "light" that means "lack"?


texts: How did Persian words arrive in English?

texts: Some Indian words which have entered modern English, such as 'bazaar' and 'cummerbund', are of Persian origin. So it seems they have completed a journey from Persia to Western India to present-day United Kingdom. How did they get from Persia to India? Was this due to the migration of Zoroastrians? And were there special linkages between the Parsees (descendants of the Zoroastrians) and the Westerners?


texts: Phrase/Idiom for increasing odds of winning by placing multiple bets

texts: I'm looking for a phrase/idiom that represents when you increase your chances of winning some sort of gamble (or event with multiple possible outcomes) by saturating the field with bets. E.g. shotgunning your resume or playing the field with romantic interests.


texts:
I know that there's no any shortage of controversy about "data" and "datum", but I've recently questioned the validity in the specific case of "I am but a point of data". Is this, under the strict definition of datum and data, grammatically correct, or is "I am but a point of datum" technically better?

I'm torn, because while the former sounds more correct from sheer popularity, in the seemingly analogous case "I am but a piece of pie", "pie" remains singular.

Additionally, if these cases are indeed analogous, shouldn't "We are but points of data" be corrected to "We are but points of datum"? Returning to the analogy: while "We are but pieces of pies" is grammatically valid, it implies something different than: "We are but pieces of pie" which feels closer to the singular.


texts:
This quote from Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees is clearly (from the context) not about shoes:

  This fear, too, had awakened in him a wistful craving for other men's shoes that caused him to take a passionate interest in the lives of his neighbors; that is to say if these lives moved in a different sphere from his own.

It seems to mean something like 'worries' - are there anyone here who knows the precise meaning?


texts: Is the phrase "code swing" valid like "mood swing"?

texts:
When I am coding an application, I like to start by outlining a certain code standard which I follow. However, if I am working on a big project I tend to change my coding standard through the code.

I was just reading over my code, and the thought of a code swing came to mind when I was looking at one function which has a code standard that differs (with regards to programming semantics) from another.

Is this phrase valid?


texts: Looking for a single word that describes "up to but not including x" where x is a number

texts: Pretty straight forward; I am looking for a word that describes up to, but not including a certain number, if such a word exists.


texts: Is "images of somebody" the same as "somebody's images"?

texts:
I was surfing the Internet the other day when I came across this line:

The more I thought about it, the more her images came to my mind.

In that sentence, is "her images" the same as "images of her", or is it just stating pure possession?
Moreover, may I ask whether the "the more" in the second part of the sentence is suitable or not.
Thanks for your answers!


texts: Why are news headlines in present tense if they refer to past events?

texts:
In news papers we see headings like this

"India signs a pact with Russia"
"Sachin hits another century"
"Obama wins presidential election"

These are completed events, aren't they? Then, why are these sentences not mentioned in past tense?


texts: Umbrella term for maximum, minimum, median and average

texts:
I'm looking for an umbrella term for the maximum, the minimum, the median and the average of a sequence of numbers.

For the maximum and the minimum, such a term would, for example, be the extremum (Term for minimum or maximum).

For the median and the average, one could use measure of central tendency (http://www.quickmba.com/stats/centralten/).

A very generic term for all four words would be just measure.

Is there a more specific term?


texts: "Nice little place you've got here" - is it derogatory?

texts: That is, does "little place" imply that the place is small, but pretty nevertheless? When told, would this offend a person owning a large mansion?


texts: Can "shrugging" only be done with shoulders?

texts:
Please compare

  He shrugged.

and

  He shrugged his shoulders.

Is there anything else that can be shrugged, besides shoulders? To me it sounds like duplication when used in this way. I'm aware of constructs like "He shrugged it off." but that's not what I'm interested in, and it also implies the use of shoulders, doesn't it?

So why the need to specify the shoulders as an object?

[edit: I also find "he shrugged his eyebrows" but that's rather rare.]


texts: Meaning of the phrase "Daylight coming in second"

texts: I've come across the phrase "daylight coming in second" several times of late and am not 100% sure of the meaning. Here are several (1,2,3) examples where it appears which leads me to believe it may be an Australian idiom, something akin to "a clear winner". Does anyone know the meaning and origin of this phrase?


texts: I'm looking for a single word to replace a 'lack of response'

texts:
For example usage, on asking a question.

The lack of response was expected/annoying...

Google gave me 'Indifferent' but I believe there must be something else.


texts:
Please take a look at this:

  The sunlight reflected on every wave crest, making the ocean a
  sea of sparkling stars.

I'm trying to understand both of the bold parts, the followings are my research:

1) The word making here is a present participle which has the same subject of the independent clause, the sunlight, to describe an action happening nearly at the same time as "reflected on every wave crest".

2) I have this structure: make something into something here, for example:

  I made grapes into fruit juice.

As you can see, "making the ocean a sea of sparkling star" doesn't have into in it, so is it grammatically correct to use make something "something else"? I remember reading this kind of sentence a couple of times. But I'm not sure.

Can you help me clarify these two points?


texts: can "naughty" be used to describe a child who didn't behave?

texts:
my opinion is "YES". The reason why I even asked is that this American friend strongly suggested never use it since it carries sexual suggestiveness. I, however, believe the usage heavily depends on context.

First explanation of "Naughty" popping up from google says:

  (especially of children) disobedient; badly behaved.

example:

  "you've been a really naughty boy"

only 2nd explanation, and it's used informally, says:

  mildly rude or indecent, typically because related to sex.

Also, I found this video, in which "naughty" was used three times for kids who seem not "behaving themselves":

  The teacher thought he was just a naughty kid
      We are not just naughty, we are just kids with ...
      Not all kids with ADHD just play old naughty

while the video was from BBC, I don't think it's a sole British English thing.

It seems overwhelming evidences support my claims. Still, what do you think of "naughty"?


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to use "as if/though" in the same sentence with an if-clause?
For example, "He wanted to explain himself. As if/though IF they knew the truth, they would forgive him." If not, is there any way to go about it? Could you just omit the second "if" and say: "As if they knew the truth, they would forgive him," implying that that's what he hoped for, but they probably wouldn't.
Or maybe replacing "as if" with "like" would work? "Like if the knew the truth. . ."


texts: Is it right to call it "SEO" and how do you pronounce it?

texts:
Two questions:

I couldn't find a source to decide whether to assume SEO an acronym or not. How should I pronounce it?
SEO stands for "Search Engine Optimization" while it is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines. At first glance and with nothing in mind you would think this word is related to optimizing search engines and not websites! Correct me if I'm wrong. Shouldn't we use something else to refer the optimization of other websites and not the optimization of search engines?! I think this word makes a misunderstanding for those who does know nothing about it!


texts: Is there a name for the fallacy that one vote has no effect on the outcome?

texts:
I often hear this in elections where people justify not going to vote, because (according to them) "their vote doesn't change anything" or the like.

This kind of reasoning is also used to discard vegetarianism, because "if I eat meat or not - that cow is gonna get killed".

Although it seems to be true at first, the decision does have an effect in the end due to accumulation and the butterfly effect. (If everybody would reason that way, there would be nobody doing it.)


texts: Is "Jack of Christ" a common Britishism for Jesus Christ?

texts:
In his poem “If I Were Tickled By the Rub of Love”, Dylan Thomas refers to “Jack of Christ”:

  And what’s the rub? Death’s feather on the nerve?
  Your mouth, my love, the thistle in the kiss?
  My Jack of Christ born thorny on the tree?

Now, I've heard jack used to mean a man (“every man-jack”, etc.) and Etymonline says it is

  Used generically of men (jack-of-all-trades, 1610s), male animals (1620s, see jackass, jackdaw, etc.), and male personifications (1520s, e.g. Jack Frost).

I understand the line to be talking about a representation of Jesus, but I’m trying to get at how common the expression is. If it’s a common substitution for Jesus Christ I think it’s probably less intentionally profane than if Dylan Thomas had coined the usage here to mean just another human being.

Do speakers of British English use “Jack of Christ” as even a rough synonym for Jesus Christ?


texts: What's the meaning of "is there any other way to see it?"

texts:
A: Are you saying accepting your help obligates me?

  B: ls there any other way to see it?

  A: No.

I found this line from the movie, As Good As It Gets, and I'm curious about this phrase "Is there any other way to see it".

Does it mean 'please don't distort my intention. Please see it in other ways'?


texts:
How should I rephrase the sentence:

English cooking isn’t necessarily bad.

using a modal verb?
Is any of the following correct?

a) English cooking might not be bad.
b) English cooking doesn't need to be bad.
c) English cooking doesn't have to be bad.
d) English cooking need not be bad.


texts: Why not present perfect in "Nobody told me"

texts:
There is a song by John Lennon called "Nobody Told Me". It goes like this:

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
/ Strange days indeed

As ESL learners we are told that in the presence of a negation present perfect should be used. The reason that is usually given is that simple past is only acceptable when you can pin a specific point of time to the event in question, which is not possible in presence of a negation simply because the event has never happened.

Considering that, one should expect the lyrics to read:

Nobody's told me ...

Of course, I'm aware of the fact that John Lennon, being a native speaker, is unlikely to have gotten his tenses wrong ... but still, it would be nice if somebody could come up with an explanation for it.


texts: Expression for "pulling out something from the past"

texts:
I am looking for an expression (proverb / idiom) meaning "pulling out something from the past"  in disapproval.

An example of this would be: somebody mentioning a thing of the past, which is not relevant anymore. Do we have a proverb / idiom with this meaning?


texts: What is the difference between "I believe that you..." and "I understand that you..."?

texts:
I'm not a native english speaker and I need to ask a question to an englishman about something that I think he's been working on.So I plan to use a sentence like: "I believe that you're working on this..." or "I understand that you're working on this...".
Which one is correct and/or closer to the meaning of my request ?
Thanks.


texts:
I always thought that "I copy that" was derived from an Italian "capisci" (capire = understand), but today I've read that this may be a radio slang only, not being derived from any other phrase.

What is the truth?


texts: Emphasizing or observing the letter but not the spirit of the law

texts:
Looking for a word that refers to:

The emphasis or observation of a rule (or law) to the letter, in a way that violates the spirit (or original good intention) of that rule (or law).


texts: Excessively critical, zealously judgmental

texts: (Don't you hate it when a word is on the tip of your tongue and you can't retrieve it?) What adjective describes a person who is always policing others; zealously judgmental? Maybe I'm looking for a noun. Is there a psychological personality type that fits this description?


texts: Can the choice between Present Perfect vs Past Simple be influenced by external events?

texts:
What is meant by 'an external event'? For example, death.

Let there be two celebrities, one who is still alive (Leonardo DiCaprio), and one who is dead (Christopher Lee, who played Saruman in the "Lord of the Rings).

Suppose I want to convey the idea "I have seen such and such actor in person".

As a non-native speaker of English, I'm accustomed to thinking that the choice between Past Simple and Present Perfect doesn't depend on the lifespan of a particular individual. I like to think that it only depends on what I consider to be important / where my attention goes.

Thus, I would say the same thing in reference to both actors:

1) I have (or haven't) seen Leonardo DiCaprio in person.
2) I have (or haven't) seen Christopher Lee in person.

However, another non-native speaker suggested that it might be incorrect to say this about the late Mr.Lee. Because, well, there is no way for me to see him in person anymore, no matter how hard I try!

So, this speaker believes that the only acceptable way would be to say:

3) I saw Christopher Lee in person /  I never saw him in person / I didn't see him in person.

Please note that there are no other details, such as "when I was in New York back in 2007" or so.

The situation would be more like two people discussing a video on youtube and spotting a familiar face. One of them says: - Oh, I know this guy! You're not gonna believe it... I've seen him in person!

So, which logic is correct? Does Present Perfect really depend on somebody's date of death?

Thanks!


texts: The best way to write down my English name

texts:
I would like to ask for native English speakers’ opinion on the best way to write down my English name.

My name is Minhyuk Lim(Korean name), and in the most of business circumstances, foreign business partners do not know how to pronounce Minhyuk. In fact, my name, just like the most of Korean names, is consist of two syllables (Min + Hyuk) written in two separate letters in Korean. So I normally use just Min as an English name, not using the second syllable ‘Hyuk’.

I have been called as Min and would like to keep being called Min going forward. At the same time, however, I would like to represent my full name in my corporate namecard or the like. What could be the best way to write down my name among examples as below?

  Min (Minhyuk) Lim

  Minhyuk (Min) Lim

  Min H. Lim

  Min Lim


texts:
I have two related questions about the word "naïve" and its relatives. The first is, shouldn't it be "naïf" if the subject is male? I've been told that it's correct to use the correct ending of foreign words when applied to objects in English with determinate gender (i.e. people).

Second, if not, is the diaeresis absolutely necessary? If "naïve" has become an English word, is the accent still compulsory? (I'm sure there are examples of foreign words whose accents have atrophied away as they become English words)

Third, should the noun from "naïve" be "naïvety" or "naïveté"?


texts: Reported speech WITHIN a conditional clause

texts:
Let's assume the following examples:

[Direct Speech] James to his team: What is the problem?

[Reported Speech] James asked them what the problem was (could also be James asked them what the problem is)

Reply

[Direct Speech] Team : The algorithm fails to calibrate correctly.

[Reported Speech] They told him the algorithm failed to calibrate correctly.

Now if we move to a conditional (hypothetical) sentence, should it be:

If James asked them what the problem was, they would tell him the algorithm fails to calibrate correctly

Or

If James asked them what the problem was, they would tell him the algorithm failed to calibrate correctly

Issue

It seems that in sentence #2 we lose the "present" situation as if the related story were set in the past, which is not the case.

So I would tend to say the correct one is the first sentence. It would mean we should use the reported speech in the if clause but not in the main one (with would)?


texts:
Move fast baby, don't be slow

  Step aside, reload, time to go

  I can't seem to control

  All this rage that's inside me

  Hold it fast, they've been dancing on this

  Branded by fire on the abyss

  Red hot temper, I just can't resist

  All this vengeance inside me

I am not sure I understand what dancing on this mean? Dancing on the rage? And fire on the abyss? Does it mean fire that's burning on the abyss?


texts: difference between affectation and hypocrisy?

texts:
Here are the definitions of the two words:

Hypocrisy: the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.
Affectation: behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress.

However, I'm not sure about the difference between the usage/connotation of these two words? Is there any example where you would use hypocrisy instead of affectation or the other way round?


texts: Good expressions to signify extensive analysis

texts:
I am looking for a way to communicate in a business context that I am carrying out extensive analysis to get to the bottom of something by synthesizing info and insights from various sources to come up with an insightful and clear viewpoint.

The analysis could be described as deep dive, but I am looking for a more profound / sagelike way to express this process (could also be a quote).