texts: The feminine of "He was a leading man of letters"

texts: "William Shakespeare was a leading man of letters".  What if we are talking about Florence Margaret Smith.  Miss Smith was a leading......    Would you, native speakers, say "woman" ?


texts: It doesn't sound right — "...later than 10 minutes before the start"

texts:
Imagine that you are the owner of a comedy club. You need a plaque that informs potential customers that the tickets can't be bought later than 10 minutes before the start of the show.

Here's my version which doesn't sound right:

  Tickets can't be bought later than 10 minutes before the start of the show.

Please help me change it to be grammatically correct. Also, is it the right place to ask a question like this?


texts: What meaning does "within" have in this case?

texts:
So I was reading this scientific article and stumbled upon the following phrase:

  "winL is a subset of partL also containing objects within epsilon of
  r."

It's refering to distances as shown in the picture below (the gray part is winL, which contains the objects positioned within epsilon meters of r).

What exactly does it mean? I'm not a native English speaker and I don't know how to explain this.

Later edit: So I figured out a better, less technical example, inspired from the first answer. What does within mean when you say: "x is within an arbitrarily small distance of r".


texts: Uses of 'after all', 'withal', 'anyway', 'anyhow' instead of 'however'?

texts: Suppose, a sentence is: 'He isn't qualified on paper; however, the interviewer recommends to hire him based on his great potential.' Can I use 'after all', 'withal', 'anyway' and 'anyhow' instead of 'however' in this sentence?


texts: Word for a person who is attracted to the depth of a character or one who likes deep conversation

texts:
What do we call a person, who loves to engage in deep conversations; who is not into silly talks. A person who is attracted to the soul of another person, the depth of his/her character. A person who has so much into his/her mind and thoughts.

In simple words, I would say, what do we call a person, who has a lot of intensity to his character,thoughts and talks

note: Since, the exact requirement of question being confusing for many, i would like to add a character from a movie as an example.

I hope many of you would have seen the film, ***

  Into The Wild(2017)

***, American biographical drama survival film written and directed by Sean Penn. It is an adaptation of Jon Krakauer's 1996 non-fiction book of the same name, based on the travels of Christopher McCandless.

The character of Christopher McCandles portrayed by Emile Hirsch is the one I would pick as an example.

Though the character is of a traveller, whom we would call as a wanderlust.But, I think there is more in his character. The vibe, the intensity that character gives out is much more than that of a wanderlust.

So, In simple terms, what is that beautiful term, with which we can address such a person.


texts: "Curious as to who" vs. "curious of who"

texts:
I'm curious as to who you are.
  I'm curious of who you are.

The person is anonymous and I'm just wondering who it is.


texts: What do you call the revival of an obsolete word for a new meaning?

texts:
Let's say carrot for a shade of orange.

Suppose carrot is not used for the color and I wanted one to describe the vegetable's color. So, I revive the displaced more for the color. What do you call such revival?


texts: Is there a word that means (ac)cumulation over time?

texts:
I’m looking for a word that means (ac)cumulation over time.  The time aspect is important.  I looked around National Geographic articles on ice sheet formation hoping that I would stumble on a suitable word, but didn’t.

I'm trying to think of a more succint publication title. My current (and somewhat wordy) version is

  "A Time-series Accumulation Approach to Soil Moisture Retrieval".

I was looking for an adjective to replace the "time-series accumulation" part.


texts: Cases declined dramatically or The number of cases declined dramatically ---which is correct?

texts:
When is it better to put "A number of"? For example, I know that it's appropriate to say "The number of students decreased" not "Students decreased".  How about when you use the word 'decline'?  Is it the same? I'm specifically asking about these two sentences:

  Cases declined dramatically.
  The number of cases declined dramatically.

Which is more appropriate?  Thank you.


texts: What do you call a person who acts as a substitute for all in a team?

texts:
I have always found myself being “jack of all trades “in skills in a team and able to fill in for some of the experienced ones when they are away.
I can't think of a word to describe me.
I always like being the balance keeper in a team, if I witness we are lacking in something say, X. I will start taking the role for X (just having average skill in X).
Is it common to use the expression “jack of all trades“ in the context described  above, if not what expression is more appropriate?


texts: How to express the time period between now and a year from now?

texts:
I want to say:

  "your current quota is one xxx per year"

But this is not exactly what I want to express since the year I am referring to is not fixed. That is, user will only be given another allotment after one year has elapsed from the time of last usage, instead of at the start of a new year.

How to phrase this elegantly?


texts: Can the word 'applicable' be used bidirectionally?

texts:
I am trying to name fields right now, and I stumbled upon the usage of the word applicable.

I have discounts (i.e. discount codes) which are usable for a certain products. So the discount is applicable to a product. But should I also say the product is applicable for the discount?

My thinking is, that I apply a discount to a product, which suggests an order or hierarchiy. So it wouldn't be precise to say 'these 4 products are applicable to this discount(code)'.

But then, what would be a better word? Valid Products?


texts:
"After an hour I reached a different hotel, which was better than the previous one in every aspect/respect."

I'm struggling with the difference between aspect and respect. What I wanted to say was something along the line "from every point of view" or "no matter how I looked at it ..."

I have seen aspect likened to "point of view" but most other information I have come across online suggests I use respect.

Which one is correct, and how can I tell in the future?


texts: Is it appropriate to skip salutation and just get to the point when you are replying to a potential employer?

texts:
So, I've been sending emails back and forth to this company regarding some job opportunities but I always find it a bit awkward as to how I'm supposed to reply to them.
Say they asked me for my contact details. Should I start with "Dear sir" or something or i should simply go "Thank you for the response, my contact details are XXXXXX"


texts:
What is the complement to a "dealer" or "trader" called?
Is the person who sells something to or buys something from the dealer a "customer"? Even when he sells something?


texts:
The paragraph under consideration has nothing to do with his moral integrity.

The context is about how to understand a specific paragraph  in an article about a rich man.
Can I use “the paragraph in discussion" or "under discussion” to replace “under  consideration”?

Can I say "something in discussion" to refer to the thing being discussed?


texts: Why are "hard water" and "soft water" so called?

texts: I can't think of anything else to say. All I can find via Google is that it's because it's harder to create lather with hard water, but that doesn't seem very convincing to me.


texts:
I'm writing a genre essay on the novel Breaking Dawn, and the beginning of the quote I want to use starts with quotation marks, like so:

"My venom," he answered as he pushed the plunger down.

So when I quote that would it look something like this?:

"'My venom,' he answered as he pushed the plunger down."

if not, please do show me how it would be done, and if it helps, the quote I'm using is on page 354.


texts:
Which is correct: "hover a link" or "hover over a link"?

(context: hovering a mouse over a computer hyperlink)

I'd especially appreciate a reference (like a dictionary citation) so that I learn how to figure that kind of thing out by reading a dictionary.

And what about a hawk hovering over its prey - can one say the hawk is "hovering its prey"?


texts: Is it correct to say "a major overhaul", or the meaning of "major" is actually included in the meaning of "overhaul", thus a combination of these two words is a pleonasm?


texts:
When using the word "also" in a sentence, what punctuation is needed?

Example:
"Changing to diet sodas and other low calorie drink choices also have students thinking twice about beverage choices."


texts: Would you use a period after text: Thank you for helping to build the new building

texts:
My boss told me that I shouldn't have a period after the text:

Thank you for helping to build the new building.

She said that it is not a complete sentence.


texts: 'Every two' as synonymous with 'every other'

texts: In the sentence "a copy for every two people", i.e. 'to share", would every two be synomymous with every other, where the latter would be used in the same sense as it is used in "I used to visit her every other week"?


texts: 'less' is to 'fewer' as 'more' is to what?

texts:
This question is related to the previous one on less-vs-fewer. I prefer using fewer instead of less when referring to discrete items. Something sounds off about less than ten people, in my opinion.

But what about the flip side? The phrase more than ten people doesn't sound quite right either. If less and more are natural antonyms, then what word relates to more the same way fewer relates to less?


texts: How would this sentence be correct in English

texts:
I would like to know how a sentence, "We are looking for a suitable taxi for you" be correct, a native speaker told me it is not. I guess "for you" and "suitable" could be left out, any other suggestions?

Thank you for your answers in advance!


texts: Preposition "in/on" when referring to a date range

texts:
This question is different from On vs At with date and time.

I am trying to write a sentence saying that some conversation happened at a conference "in/on" May 1--6. I am having a hard time choosing the correct preposition. On one hand, it is a more or less small period of time to resemble "on May 1". On the other hand, it is a little "spread around" so that it resembles "in May". Any advice?


texts: when a person says: I am clear on Tuesday save between 9-10am and 3 -4pm. Is this person available in those time or NOT available?


texts: Is there a verb for singing nonsense syllables to substitute for unknown lyrics?

texts:
Someone who doesn't know all the lyrics to a song might sing "la la la" or "dum dum dum" in place of the verses they don't know.  Is there a verb for this?  Similar to "humming" the tune, but with syllables?

I'm aware of the verb "scat," but to me it implies a particular style of fast-paced jazz nonsense vocalization.  I'm looking for a more general word, if it exists.


texts: What is meaning and correct grammar of "looking to lock up" expression?

texts: I have come across a sentence "I was talking about the fourth quarter of game seven, when you're looking to lockup a championship...". I checked in all available dictionaries and did not find meaningful explanation. From a context I guessed it means to win a championship prematurely according to some tournament system, but there are still doubts. Also Google returned me a page that said "Porsche Looking to Lock Up World Championship in Shanghai" without verb be before "Looking". So my questions are: did I guess the meaning correctly and what is correct grammar to use the expression (with/without be)?


texts: What's the meaning of "root" in "you root for the favorite"?

texts:
What's the meaning of root in this context?

  You root for the favorite. You cry when they go away.


texts: What do you call a sentence that reverses parts of the first clause in a second clause that makes sense, too?

texts:
I'm looking for the definition of a phrase like this, where two ideas of thought are reversed and still make sense.

  Nothing too exciting to report, but reporting nonetheless is exciting.

I feel like sentences like this should have a proper name.


texts: What is the term used to describe a person explaining a movie plot scene by scene?

texts:
Let's say I watched a movie and would want to read about it in a textual form. So it would involve someone describing scenes of movie in the order that they were telecasted.

What term should I search on Google to get to that page? Something like "[movie name] plot summary" or "[movie name] synopsis" or "[movie name] summary" didn't seem to get the desired result.

I'm looking for something exactly like this Game of Thrones S06E10 which explains the episode scene by scene.


texts:
The sentence I'm writing goes like this:

  As much as I love the pure sciences, I know now a well-rounded education is valuable.

But the words "know" and "now" are so similar that every time I read it, I keep reading it as "I now know" and go back after realizing my mistake. The sentence comes near the end of my essay, so such interruption really breaks the flow of the writing.

So is there any preferred order or rule in the phrasing? Or is it just me who's having trouble, and other people will have no problem reading it?

EDIT: I think the wording is awkward to read because "I" and "now" have similar vowel sounds, so you automatically expect to read it as "I now know."


texts:
upstream binaries can starve downstream binaries by allocating all requests to be in experiments prior to the requests being sent downstream

I cannot understand the meaning of the phrase "to be" here, is that a mistake?


texts:
There is a sentence in an article which says : "Workers are hard-pressed to finish work during a tight off-service window". Can anyone explain my questions :

1. does *tight off-service* mean *tight schedule*
2. why there is a - between *hard-pressed* and *off-service*.

Any comments are welcomed. Thanks


texts: Expression for 'beating or stopping a hole in ground and another one appears?

texts: I have seen this in many cartoons, where the farmer tries to shut one hole in garden so his veggies are not stolen but another one appears and so on and so forth. One of the most obvious example of these are bugs bunny animation movies, where bugs after eating all the veggies asks the farmer 'What's up doc. ?


texts:
Fastness can be applied to anything.

Characteristics of this person can be:

likes a fast-paced life (in general)
likes things to be done quickly
doesn't like to waste time
doesn't like to spend time on things that may take too much time
if things get slower or if they are not done as fast, he loses enthusiasm
likes people around him to be fast also
likes fast machines/animals (ex: fast cars, cheetah, peregrine falcon)
likes fast internet (who doesn't?)

It is not as simple as being:

punctual
hasty
impatient
quick-tempered
slacker (irony?)

It is like a life style. There is a term "speed freak" but it is too exaggerated and it has other connotations as well. I'm not sure if there is a word that exactly fits but at least it can be as close as possible or a phrase.

fast and furious?

Edit: He is not in hyperactive state. He can enjoy relaxing/keeping calm at times and spending time on the things he likes. It should not be associated with a disorder, it should be associated with a life-style or a culture maybe. Or just a characteristic feature.


texts:
Whilst plodding through Patrick Rothfuss' "The Name of the Wind", I came across:

  Our dinner was nowhere near as grand as last night's. We made due with the last of my now-stale flatbread, dried meat, and the last potatoes baked on the edge of the fire.

I've seen "make do" mangled into "make due" before on the Interwebz. But this is the first time that I've run across it in a professional work. A quick search on Google Books reveals that Rothfuss and his editor are not the only ones who are happy to let this one pass.

Most language sites on the net including this one continue to gently correct the questioner by pointing out the correct form. Yet, there are some which appear to condone this practice with a dispassionate that-is-the-way-language-works stance on the matter.

So, what's the deal? Is "make due" now considered acceptable?

P.S. It might be relevant to note that Rothfuss is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin.


texts:
What other words can I use to replace the following:

  "with his mouth wide open"

I'm trying to describe a person who was shocked by bad news. I need to show, not tell. I have used "with his mouth wide open" twice and want to find another way to describe a person who is shocked. Any suggestions?


texts: 'both in terms of' or 'in terms of both'?

texts:
Truffles are among the world’s most valuable commodities, in terms of both economic and ecological worth.
Truffles are among the world’s most valuable commodities, both in terms of economic and ecological worth.

Is one preferred over the other?
If so, why?
A colleague indicated that 'both in terms of' was grammatically incorrect, but could not state why.


texts: What is the exact word for a vehicle usage statistics?

texts:
I was wondering what is the exact word of a vehicle usage statistics?
For example, what should I call my car's total traversed distance?


texts: Difference between 'obliterate' and 'eliminate'

texts: Do obliterate and eliminate have the same meaning? They are spelled very differently.


texts:
What is -wise in phrases or words that end with it? How do we use it correctly?

  Floor is obscenely expensive computational-wise.

I found a similar thread here
but I don't understand much.


texts: In my native language, we have this proverb: when an ox cart is turned over (or turns over) only then one will see the road

texts: The implication is that when something bad happens, only then one will see the results. Is there a semantically identical idiom in English? Can this idiom be considered as an equivalent to the above-mentioned one ? - Shut the stable door after the horse has bolted ?


texts: Is it possible to have a dependent clause without a verb?

texts:
What with the high prices since the war started, we'll be made up if it lasts.

This sentence has been taken from an app of Oxford Dictionary. I had made a search to find the use of make. Then I got the sentence stated above. Please, discuss the construction of what with the high prices since the war started. I think What with high prices is a dependent clause. But I don't find any verb in it.

I want to say more about my question. Actually, I want to know if there are any kind of dependent clauses that do not have any verb. If there are, please state the rules about how to form a dependent clause without a verb. Also, I want to know whether or not what with the high prices is a dependent clause without a verb.

The sentence stated above is just an example. Please discuss about the answer to my question as well as the sentence stated above in your own way.


texts: How to verbalize a feeling that is opposite to wanting to commit suicide?

texts:
I am searching for a word or a phrase to call a feeling that can be defined as an opposite to wanting to die. I would use it to define a purpose in my life, because I noticed it became important for me to seek increase in this feeling. Perhpaps with a different color, but it may be expressed as enthusiasm to live, opposite to being depressed and not wanting to do things that you once enjoyed doing.

I've checked thesaurus for depression antonyms and enthusiasm synonyms and the closest word I found is zeal - "zeal to live", but I wonder if it works in life context and if there is an alternative without the eagerness part.


texts: Word to denote one who is being harassed simply with an intent to harass another

texts:
Say, for example, one wants to harass Tom so that he runs away from that place leaving behind his legacy. For that end, his kid is being harassed by society or anyone.

Is there any word that can be used for the kid like one can say the kid is being used as a 'xxx' or something like that?


texts:
Could you explain to me the difference between these variants? Could there be more of them? What is a good guide (not a note-ish article) to use the correct prepositions with nouns of time?

Thank you for your time.


texts:
Which prepositions should I need to use when giving an exact time and location?
For example, I want to say the meeting time is 11:32 and the location is Blah, and both are exact locations and time, so normally I would use at for these,

Let's meet at 11:32 at Blah

But it doesn't sound much correct & natural.
Is using double at in a single sentence correct? What is a better way of saying this?


texts: Use of peri- prefix where sub- and super- are commonly used (Or, is periterranean valid?)

texts:
While trying to construct a description of the various train networks of London, I wanted to use the word periterranean to mean "close to the ground", with reference to subterranean (under the ground) and, I suppose, superterranean (above the ground).

I am aware that superterranean would typically cover both the "on the ground" and "above the ground" cases, but I wanted a word to distinguish, say, the Docklands Light Railway (much of which runs on raised tracks) from the London Overground (much of which runs on surface tracks). Of course, both should be distinguished from the London Underground, even though 55% of the Underground is, in fact, above ground.

Extensive Google searches failed to bring up anything of relevance, so my question is this: Are there any examples of periterranean used in the context I have described, and, if not, what would be a more appropriate word?


texts: Is there a word for the combination of efficiency and diligence?

texts: Basically a word for someone who works hard and works smart?


texts:
My son goes out for the day every weekend, so I have to give him transportation fee and lunch money every time he does so.

I'd like to know if the above sentence sounds natural to native speakers. My concerns are:

Is there any way to make the expression "transportation fee and lunch money" shorter? I'm wondering if it can be described as "xx for transportation and lunch".
Is it awkward if I omit "he does so" and put the period after "time"?


texts:
Could you describe about "would have ~ed" & "would have not ~ed".
I know would has the several meanings. But when I was talking with one of my friend who is a native speaker and in this following conversation with him I couldn't understand the meanings he said.

A: I bought strong cheese this morning. Let’s eat it! You like it, don’t you? Because You have stayed in Germany for several months and Germany is famous for cheese.
B: Not really. Because when I was living there I tried a strong cheese and felt so bad afterwards. So I wouldn't have purchased any cheese in Germany at that time.

When I heard it, I got it  that he  has never  bought  any cheese there.
If so, what’s the differences between "I wouldn’t have bought" and "I have never bought"?
I would like to know  the accurate meaning.
Also I found the description like my question online below.

Q:
Hello All,
Could you tell me if I say "He would have done that" what exactly does it mean?
Does it mean that "he just start to do that before something happens and that make him stop to do it.
A:
We need more context, Farheen.
(1) He "would" have done that = he is the sort of person to do such a thing.
(2) He would have done "that" = He would have done something different.
(2) "He" would have done that = He must have been the person who did it.
Can you give us more of the text?

In this Q&A, the answered person answered the question in 3 conditions and I've thought
if would is replaced with would not ,these all sentence will turn into negative condition.
For example in (1)  He "would not" have done that = he is “not” the sort of person to do such a thing.  Is this also right?
If so can I say the following sentence as one of my customs?
For example:

I wouldn’t have shoplifted in my whole life.
I wouldn’t have had a relationship with a lady, not even once

And I have another question.
what’s the differences (1) &(2)blow?

(1)He would have drunk coffee when he was young. = he is the sort of person to do such a thing.
(2)He would drink coffee when he was young.


texts: Why do we say "was supposed to" for "should have"?

texts:
I was supposed to do my homework, but I went out clubbing instead.

On a literal interpretation, supposed to suggests that other people (or indeed, myself) might have supposed (thought, imagined, assumed) that I would do my homework. I could continue the synonyms (expected, demanded, required,...) but they're getting further and further away from the 'core' meaning of supposed.

So far as I know, the verb to suppose only has the 'duty'-related sense when used as a past participle in this way. Is this true, and if so, why?

And how come my Mum can't suppose me to do my homework? If she supposed I was doing it, that doesn't imply she instructed me to do it - just that (in the absence of evidence to the contrary) she thought that's what I was doing.

(Added later) I think all the above would remain valid and still be exactly the same question if I'd asked about meant instead of supposed.


texts: "Despite the fact" implies knowledge of said facts

texts:
I had an argument about the phrase "despite the fact".  The argument was around the headline:

  US Immigration officials deport 14 year old runaway to Colombia, despite the fact that she's American and speaks no Spanish.

When US Immigration officials deported her they did not realize she was American and that she speaks no Spanish.

One of us took the side that this title was misleading because it implies that Immigration officials knew she was American when they deported, which they did not.  The other took the side that this is a perfectly acceptable usage of "despite the fact" and that the title uses a common and acceptable usage of the phrase and is therefore it is not misleading.

Is this title misleading or not?


texts: Word for Excessive Care about Appearance?

texts:
I'm looking for a pejorative word that describes one who cares only about their own, and others' appearances, and cares nothing for personality to the point of obsession. Something that fits in like: "The son had inherited his mother's ______". Shallow is not the word I'm looking for - it wouldn't exactly fit in that sentence (and shallowness seems a bit awkward).

Vanity is the closest word I have to a fit, but it only describes an excessive care of oneself, and not others.


texts: Should I use "is" or "are" in relation to "a ton?"

texts: Which is more correct?  There are a ton of jobs on the company's website...OR...There is a ton of jobs on the company's website?  Thanks!


texts:
Is the word "don" strictly used for clothing on humans?
Can it be used it in a sentence like:

  His room, donning posters of rock stars, was a stark contrast from the rest of the house.

Or is "adorned" a better word for this?


texts: "Sure I am not" — is that valid English?

texts:
Consider this conversation:

  — Iceland has more than 200 rainy days per year.
  — Are you sure?
  — No, I am not sure.

Is it valid or wrong English to say,

  — No, sure I am not.

...in the last sentence?

I am German native speaker and in German both versions ("Nein, ich bin nicht sicher"/"Nein, sicher bin ich nicht") would be valid. The latter version is probably even preferred because that puts emphasis on the sure, as in "I do think that's how it is, but I don't know for a fact".

(It's impossible though to use the second version in an affirmation in German "Ja, sicher bin ich." This sounds like Yoda-speak, much like the English equivalent "Yes, sure I am.")

Edit.

If I would know the grammar of my own language better I could have asked: "Is (sentence) inversion allowed in English grammar?". The second German version above falls under the rule of (Sentence) Inversion and the English translations in the linked article and all answers to my question indicate that such an inversion is not allowed in the English language.


texts: Meaning of "to charm the skin off a snake"

texts:
This is a phrase originated from Dead Run by Erica Spindler. Hereunder is the context in the book that I googled.

Rick’s Island Hideaway was the quintessential Key West bar: Jimmy Buffet on the sound system; killer frozen margaritas; a friendly clientele whose attire never veered far from shorts and Hawaiian-print shirts; walls hung with maritime paraphernalia, including a stuffed sailfish and a signed photo of Key West’s most famous onetime resident, Ernest Hemingway. It was the same photo that could be found in about ninety percent of the Duval Street drinking establishments.
And last but certainly not least,a bartender who could  charm the skin off a snake.

What does "charm the skin off a snake" mean exactly? And how to use the phrase nowadays?


texts: What is the difference between "off" and " off of"?

texts:
I heard somebody say that you get her off of me.
I thought that "you get her off me" is right.
So what is the difference between "off" and "off of"?


texts: I need a description for an inconsistent person

texts:
What do we call a person who says something and then does another thing?

Like, they say 'I hate talking on the phone' and tomorrow says 'I like talking on the phone'.

Another example: 'I can't walk in a sunny weather' and tomorrow will go for cycling in sunny weather.


texts:
I've been looking for a common word for image and video frames but I could not come up with anything other than picture. But I am not sure if picture really refers to video frame.

The word image refer single picture, to refer a single image in a video, the term a video frame is used.

I'm writing a paper, and I am constantly saying an image or a video frame.
For example, "We extract the noise of an image or a video frame to do ..."

What is a better word for those?


texts: A phrase for "Turning a match around" kind

texts: I wanted to know a phrase for the purpose of the doing of an event which is unlikely to happened. Like if a football match is being lost by team A by a huge margin, something like "It's X's time to rise and shine. Can he flip all the coins/turn against the odds...?" A phrase to suit that purpose.


texts:
I was reading about advertiser David Ogilvy, and at some point he gives the following advice:

  Don't bunt. Aim out of the park. Aim for the company of immortals.

What is he referring to? I looked up the word bunt, but all I could find is related to a baseball technique.


texts: Can the modal auxiliary verbs be considered to be in the present tense (form, not meaning)?

texts:
According to Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, modal auxiliary
verbs do not normally have past tenses:

  The modal auxiliary verbs are will, would, shall, should, can,
  could, ought, may, might, and must. Their grammar is different from
  that of other verbs: for example, they have no infinitives,
  participles or past tenses [...] Modal verbs do not have infinitives or
  participles (to may, maying, mayed do not exist), and they do not
  normally have past forms.

So can each modal auxiliary verb be considered to be in the present tense
(in form, not meaning)? Since the modal auxiliary verbs are finite and they
do not have past tense forms (according to Michael Swan's Practical English
Usage), each must be in a present tense form.

Or are will, can, may and shall the present tenses (in form, not
meaning) and would, could, might and should the past tenses (in
form, not meaning)?

What about the modal auxiliary must?


texts:
Please, help me. I am reading a novel and found something I cannot understand:

  He was not aware that he ever stopped crying. In his sleep a voice echoed down the long dark barrel of a cannon. In the morning, he awoke suddenly to a flutter of wings.

In the sentence, I know the meaning of "awoke" and "to a flutter of wings". But
I find it hard to make the connection between the two.

In other words, how did he get up? I looked it up thorough Google, but it seems
just a flutter of wings, meaning the quick movement of wings.

What should I know to understand? Is there a deep meaning of the preposition "to", or something else?


texts: Are there any ambiguities created by merging I and J into one letter?

texts: In some Latin alphabet Polybius squares, the I and J are merged into one letter. Normally, this doesn't really create any problems, as I and J are a vowel and a consonant, so there wouldn't really be a case where they could easily be swapped. The only one I can think of is ion and jon. Are there any more?


texts: Does the title "People in group A are more likely to be in Group B" suggest or imply any causality about being in group A being the reason they are in group B?  I understand that in a dictionary sense it does not, but I'm curious if causation is commonly read into such a statement.


texts: A Term for a writer producing a lot content

texts:
This might be a very straightforward question. I am looking for a word to describe an author who is going through a very creating phase and is churning out a lot of work. I am unable to recollect a very commonly used adjective for this. Usage might look like:

  From 1905 to 1908 he published several short stories and novels. He was a very _______ writer during that time.


texts: On the capitalization of familial honorifics

texts:
We all know that Mom and Dad are capitalized when used in dialogue as a substitute for a name.
But is it the same for big sister, big brother, big sis, and big bro?
One example of the sentence would be this:

Big Sis? No. She gets another point.

Also, what if it include name like this:

Big Sis Tia? No. She gets another point.

I see a lot of novels using sister without any capitalization, but why? Because it’s a common noun?


texts: What does 'laminoe' as used by Gene Wolfe in Peace mean?

texts:
Does anyone know what a 'laminoe' is, as used by Gene Wolfe in Peace?

"And as if by magic - and it may have been magic, for I believe America is the land of magic, and that we, we now past Americans, were once the magical people of it, waiting now to stand to some unguessable generation of the future as the nameless pre-Mycenaean tribes did to the Greeks, ready, at a word, each of us now, to flit piping through groves ungrown, our women ready to haunt as laminoe the rose-red ruins of Chicago and Indianapolis when they are little more than earthen mounds, when the heads of the trees are higher than the hundred-and-twenty-fifth floor - it seemed to me that I found myself in bed again, the old house swaying in silence as though it were moored to the universe by only the thread of smoke from the stove."

It sounds like some kind of ghost, but just curious where he might have got this word from and its exact meaning, if it has one.


texts: Should this discussion result in a definite need for additional funding I will submit a request for additional dollars at that time.


texts: Meaning of "by" when used with dates - inclusive or exclusive

texts:
If, in a contract fr example, the text reads: "X has to finish the work by MM-DD-YYYY", does the "by" include the date or exclude it?

In other words, will the work delivered on the specified date violate the contract?


texts:
I have the text:

  She drove slowly on the narrow road. Her car dipped and rocked through washed-out  sections, though I couldn't remember rains hard enough to cause all the damage.

I can't understand fully what the text in bold is meaning, because of ambiguity of sense in my brains. Can you tell me which is correct?

1) rains were hard enough to cause all the damage.

2) any hard enough rains causing all the damage.


texts:
Is either of these an incorrect or nonstandard way to refer to a question mid sentence? Or are both of them okay?

Our experiment set out to answer the question; is running fruit under water an effective way to reduce the number of surface microbes?
Our experiment set out to answer the question, "Is running fruit under water an effective way to reduce the number of surface microbes?"


texts: Cheering words for friends preparing for the exam

texts:
What do you say to a friend who is preparing for the bar exam to cheer him/her up? I can only think of the sentence "keep up the good work", but are there any other phrases that I can use?
In the above situation, if I also happen to be preparing for the same kind of exam, what would be the common cheering words that I could say to my friends? "Let's keep up the good work" sounds somewhat awkward...


texts: ED endings: Adjective or Past Participle in Perfect Tenses, Passive Voice and after To Be?

texts:
I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this. In the passive voice, we could see sentences like these:

   "The car is heated."

    "His spirits are lifted."

   "The books are packed." vs "The concert hall is packed."

   "The wall is painted."

When such sentences are not in the past, I can't figure out how to identify if the final word is an adjective, a past participle or a verb.

In sentences using the perfect tenses, I understand that we use the past participle, but is this acting as an adjective or as a verb? Eg:

   "He had been broken by the news."

   "They've been bored since Friday." (This I'm pretty sure is the adjective, but I'm putting it in here for completeness)

I've read in some places that we should just call it a past participle and leave it at that, but this is more confusing to me. How can it be a past participle and not act as either an adjective or a verb? Surely it must be a participle acting as a verb or an adjective?

And in a sentence like: "The speaker wants to be transferred," am I right that this final word is an adjective because it is following "to be"?

I suppose this post is just illustrating my numerous questions about this. As you can see, I have many. If there are any resources out there that someone could refer me to, or if someone could offer a detailed explanation about this usage, I would be most grateful.

MA

*** EDIT: I'm supposed to edit this to explain why my post is not a duplicate of two other posts. I read those two other posts and found confusion in the comments  such that the question remains justifiably open for me, and I would suspect a lot of others out there. Specifically, I'm asking:  • Where can one find the rule book on this?• How does the Passive Voice change our assessment of whether it's a verb or an adjective?• How do the Prefect tenses change the way we assess whether it's a verb or an adjective?? Also, isn't is just a little weird that something so complex as participles would be corralled into just one answer on a system like this? Nobody seems to be able to give a straight answer on this, yet I'm supposed to consider retracting my question because it's like another question already asked (but not identical). I don't think that's productive and wonder why it doesn't thrust a dagger into the heart of what StackExchange is trying to do here. This isn't a question about python coding - it's a question of style, which can't be answered simply, judging by the responses to similar posts. You know when you intentionally use a double negative like "Well, it's not not desirable," and some twit shouts "Double negative!" like they caught you peeing in the pool? That's how it feels to have my question linked with those other posts. They're not the same. People are shouting "Same-zies!" before they really take a look at the differences between the questions. What a horrible place this would be if one unanswered question retracted the capacity for a more detailed question to be asked. The other posts don't provide the answer to my questions. At best they give me a little clue towards finding the right approach, but at worst they prove to me that this question confuses everyone and therefore should be asked again in order to resolve it.


texts: Why do we say INcomplete but UNcompleted?

texts:
I'm a native speaker and it's just occurred to me that this is a strange irregularity:

"The work is incomplete." < Fine
"The work is uncompleted." < Less common but still sounds "correct" to my ear
"The work is incompleted or uncomplete  < Both of these sound wrong.

Are there rules (presumably based on the etymological root of the word) governing when we use "un" vs "in", and how does it apply to "complete" here? Why don't we say "incompleted" or "uncomplete"?
Or is it just one of those arbitrary things that isn't supposed to make sense? If there's a difference in meaning between "incomplete" and "uncompleted" I can't think what it might be...


texts: What is the grammatical structure after the comma?

texts:
Even with the proposed budget cuts and new taxes and fees, the city's projected deficit for the next budget year is getting worse: administration officials announced that they believe the gap will be $3.7 billion, a billion dollars more than they had predicted just two months ago.

What is the grammatical structure after the comma (a billion dollars more than... )? I thought it was an appositive but "a billion dollars.." is not really restating another noun. Is it an adjective phrase?


texts: Is there such expression as "Charlie someone out"?

texts:
There is the following exchange in Deadwood series season 1 episode 3

...
Johnny: Al?
Al: Yeah.
Johnny: That cherry New York dude is downstairs askin’ for ya.
Al: No good. Charlie him the fuck out.
(Johnny approaches Al’s side)
Johnny: He keeps talkin’ about the Pinkertons.
...

I am interested in the expression from the title, while meaning is perfectly clear from the context I am wondering is this a real expression (meaning do people actually use it like this).
I have found two (1 and 2) entries in urbandictionary, but they both are neither here nor there.


texts: Word for exchanging several banknotes of small values, with ONE banknote that is equal to their collective value

texts:
When we want to exchange a banknote of a high value (say a $100) with ones lesser in value (say $50 + $20 + $20 + $10), we say: "I want to break this $100".
If you needed to do the opposite, what would be the correct word to use?


texts: What is the meaning of “squirm out of it”?

texts:
I am reading Diary of Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Book 1). But when I read to this page. I get stuck about like that

  I told Mom there was no way we were taking Manny with us, because we were going to hit 152 houses in three hours. And plus, we were going to be on Snake Road, which is way too dangerous for a little kid like Manny.
  I should never have mentioned that last part, because the next thing I knew, Mom was telling Dad he had to go along with us to make sure we didn’t step foot outside our neighborhood. Dad tried to squirm out of it, but once Mom makes up her mind, there’s no way you can change it.

What is the meaning of "Dad tried to squirm out of it" in this situation?
As my understanding. Dad doesn't want do that and he tries to find out some reason in order to not do that.

Here are my research(https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/squirm+out)
squirm + out of + something: To disentangle oneself from some situation, duty, or responsibility, especially through sly, devious,

Examples:
(i) You've squirmed your way out of doing the dishes for the last time!
(ii) Sally always finds some way to squirm out of any trouble she gets herself into

Thank you


texts: Is correct to use an adjective as appositive?

texts:
We youngsters admired our grandmother very much.

You ignorant don't understand what I am talking about.

Can I use an adjective as appositive, as in the second sentence?


texts:
I wrote the letter

  Dear XXX,

  I am writing to inform that I found the workaround solution for
  bug...

and got the answer

  Great! Ship it!

If I correctly guessed, Great! means approval of my solution, but what does Ship it! mean? Is it slang or some special emotion?


texts: Word/term for a stick in the mud authority?

texts:
I've found this Q&A for powerful people

Most of the terms were a bit absolute in their power (godlike, big-brother, etc.)

What I'm looking for is a word that could be used to describe anyone from a head of household, to a loud voice on a committee, or a creator whose project has outgrown them but they won't let go.

The concept is that they are an authority and they refuse to let things change.

Imagine a very old person who sits on a board, has completely lost touch of time, and keeps trying to make things stay the same.

Is there any single word/term for this?

My friend suggested "justice scalia" as a nickname for this type of person.  I'm hoping for something less colloquial.

Example sentence:

  Old Taylor, the head of the HOA, is ridiculous for not letting kids skateboard on the sidewalks.  I've tried my best to go to the meetings and talk some sense into them, and even as everyone I know agrees that kids skateboarding on sidewalks is fine, old Taylor refuses to budge.  It's too bad they've become such a [WORD FOR STICK IN THE MUD OBSTACLE ON PROGRESS].


texts: Is there any word in English for the date after interchanged day and month digit?

texts:
For example, my friend's anniversary is on 3rd August (03/08/2016-dd/mm/yyyy). If I interchange the Month and Day digit and write 08/03/2016 meaning 8th March, is there any special word for this kind of date in English? Like 'Reverse Date' or something. Ignoring the dates after 12th.

Editing: I am not confused about date formats here. Think it like, If I want to wish my friend on 8th of March (instead of 3rd August), what should I say him? Like: 'Happy Reversed Anniversary'!?


texts: till vs. until in "from Apr. 21st till/until Apr. 28th"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the difference between “till” and “until”?

Please kindly advise me on the correct usage of till/until when talking about period of time. For example:

  This offer is valid from Apr 21st until/till Apr 28th.

Also, I would be grateful if you could tell me what variants are possible if I want to squeeze this phrase into a small area? How can I make it shorter? That is, what parts can be omitted? The suffixes (st, th)?
For example:

  Apr 21 - 28


texts: Mixing future tense with present tense to describe events in the future

texts:
I am translating a song from Russian to English. Original lyrics have a dreamy mood and shift (russian) tense from future to present, back and forth.
This is an example that I made up, not the actual lyrics I am working with:

We will walk in the forest,
You will be smiling at me.
Birds are singing,
Sun is shining.
You will give me a present...

This example demonstrates what English tenses I would have used if I had translated lines preserving the shift. I think it feels close to the "historical present", a device that is well described in numerous articles on the web, except that author adds "vividness" to the text which "base" tense is future.
Does it look like a valid stylistic choice for English text or it just confuses the reader? If the latter is true, I will play safe and just convert all the lines to future simple and future continuous. For clarification, my native language is Russian.


texts: Archaic verb conjugation: knowest vs know'st

texts:
When using the archaic 2sg-present conjugation for English verbs, when would you use the longer form (eg knowest) and when would you use the shorter form (`know'st')?

Is it like contemporary English contractions, generally indicating a less formal register?


texts: difference between the prefix "un" and "not"

texts:
is there any plausible way to seperate the semantics of

  undefined - not defined

or

  undetermined - not determined

?


texts: Is “ass-wise” an acceptable English word? Is it a noun, or adverb?

texts:
I was surprised to see the New Yorker’s (February 26) article titled, “Boehner defends decision to remain on ass,” which was chockablock with the word, “Ass.”

  “Minutes after telling the United States Senate to “get off their ass”
  to avoid the deep spending cuts that will take effect this Friday,
  House Speaker John Boehner called an impromptu press conference to
  announce his intention of remaining on his ass “for the foreseeable
  future.”

  Mr. Boehner’s words drew a strong rebuke from Senate Majority
  Leader Harry Reid, who said that Mr. Boehner’s suggestion that the
  Senate get off their ass while he remained on his “seems like the
  height of hypocrisy, ass-wise.”

My question:

Is it acceptable (or sometime welcome) for decent statesmen to repeat the word, “ass” in public, e.g. in a press conference and in mass-media in western world? In our country ass is “A-word,” not suitable to utter in public.
Is “remain on one’s ass” a precise antonym to “get off one’s ass”?
What dose “ass-wise” mean? Does it mean “in terms of the implication of Ass”? Is it used as a noun or adverbially here?


texts: "After power is switched on router" - preposition or a part of the verb?

texts:
In the manual of my router, I have found this sentence. I am quite unsure as to what it means and if it is correct

  After power is switched on router XYZ starts internal wifi network.


texts: Couture and canapé are just another Saturday night until you add a mask. [Why the singular 'canapé'?]

texts:
In an American TV show called 'Gossip Girl', here's a narration by Gossip Girl herself (YouTube video):

  Long ago, when European royals grew bored with palace balls they took a page from the peons, and added some pageantry. Couture and canapé are just another Saturday night until you add a mask. But preparing for a ball is an event in itself. Which is why queens invented handmaidens.

Couture is a non-count noun, so it can be used without any determiner, but why is the count noun canapé in the singular without any determiner? Should it be in the plural as follows?

  Couture and canapés are just another Saturday night until you add a mask.

Is this simply a mistake on the part of writer and/or narrator? Or is there any legitimate reason for this?


texts:
Does anyone know why B is better than A ?

  A. Nowadays, public health is a topic that starts to get growing attentions.

-

  B. Nowadays, public health is a topic that is starting to get growing attention.


texts: analyze the structure of a long sentence

texts:
Thus, a highly-accurate automatic fall detection system is likely to
  be a significant  part of the living environment for the elderly to
  expedite and improve the medical care  provided while allowing people
  to retain autonomy for longer.

The above is the long sentence.

(1) what's the meaning of 'expedite' here?

(2) 'and improve the medical care', what's it before 'and'? I mean which
part is and to 'improve the medical care'

(3) what's the meaning of 'while' here?


texts: Behaviour: countable or uncountable noun?

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

"...in addition to frustrating other instinctive and comfort behaviours."

Or should it be "behaviour"?

Read this somewhere:
“The dictionary says it is both countable and uncountable:

(uncountable) the way that someone behaves.
(countable) a particular way of behaving.”

As per the above, "behaviours" should be correct.


texts: What is the proper usage of "x (read y)" where y is another word/phrase for x?

texts:
I've often seen this used for humorous purposes, but I would assume it has a formal usage as well.

Example:

  Mortos (read mooch) is a demon from the Spooky Realm.

As far as I can tell, it's basically used as an "aka" or "i.e." of sorts, but I didn't want to assume I knew how it worked, and start throwing around all the time while people shake their heads at me silently.
I had no idea how to search for this, so I'm hoping somebody can tell me what this is called as well.


texts:
I'm really curious about it.

Which one is correct ?  Also, are they colloquial English ?

1.My grandmother already passed away, but she lived to comb gray hair.

2.My grandmother already passed away, but she made old bones.

3.My grandmother already passed away, but she lived long.

4.My grandmother already passed away, but she had lived long.

Thank you in advance.


texts: Why do some verbs have "directions" as adverbs?

texts:
I recently noticed how many verbs have "directions" as adverbs:
"look up", "find out", "talk down", "figure out", "walk up", "look down", "point out", "clean up", and so on.
"Talk down" and "look down upon", could be interpreted literally, as one would consider the other person to be inferior, implying you would need to literally talk/look downward.
I was able to find some attempts to explain this use of "up" pointing out that one other possible meaning of the word is to "make it visible" or "make it appear", so looking something up would mean to make the desired information appear by looking for it. However, there was not much progress in figuring out the origin of this use, only that it dates as far back as the 17th Century and possibly a holdover from Proto-Germanic.
For "out", I could find little to no information at all.
This question is roughly on the same topic, although more specific, but the answers only mention this to be a common occurrence. I understand the existence of phrasal verbs, what I would like to know is more on "why" and "how".
Do we know how this came to be a "trend"?


texts: What does it mean to be asked 'can I' answer a question?

texts:
Is the sentence below asking simply if you can answer the problem, or to give an answer to the problem?  * Please do not edit. This way it appears below, is the way it was presented from the initial source. *

  **Can you answer this? There are 5 people in a room, you go in and kill 4 of those 5, how many people actually remain in that room?


texts: Is there a adjective describing something that can be intercalated?

texts: I want to say the property that some layered structures can be intercalated by other species. Perhaps something like "intercalable". Thanks.


texts: Why is the letter "c" pronounced like /s/ when it comes before “e”, “i”, or “y”, but as /k/ elsewhere?

texts:
Could you please tell me why from an historical point of view that when the letter c comes directly before the letters e, i or y in English that we use the /s/ sound, but in other cases we use the /k/ sound?

For example, c represent /s/ in city, center, century, cycling, but it represents /k/ in car, camomile, counter, cabbage.


texts: Name for similar beginnings or endings exhibited by sets of nouns / compound nouns etc (not affixes)

texts:
I remember knowing a term for "beginnings or endings" that are similar in many words. Not suffixes or prefixes.

I knew this term a long time ago but for some reason I can't recall it. I don't even remember examples but I'll try to make some up.

e.g. English Stackexchange, Biology Stackexchange, Chemistry stackexchange.

All these words have "stackexchange" ending. What is this "stackexchange" called? It's not suffix.

Another example: internet, internal, interjection, interest. All these words have "inter" in common. What's it called?

I apologize if there is the same existing question but finding it would be easy only if I knew the name and I don't know the name.

Thanks in advance.


texts: I want to know, do you have to use a comma after a nickname WITH a name? Like would it be "Rose darling, how are you?" or "Rose, darling, how are you?" I'm curious to know what is the correct way to use it.


texts: Congratulate "to" - How correct is this?

texts:
"We congratulate you to this most important result " - I came across this usage in a speech of fair importance, hosted on a distinguished portal. This speech may not have been delivered in English, but I suppose the translations should pass muster as well.

I wonder if this usage is correct - "to" following a congratulatory note?

Update - I came across this while reading the nobel presentation speech honouring Sir James Chadwick.

1935 Chemistry Nobel presentation speech

If we read towards the very end, Sir James is congratulated to the important discovery.


texts: Which is correct "What does this mean or what does this means"

texts:
Please help me understand when should the plural forms be used...
Ex. What does this mean or what does this means ..
       He rides well or he ride well etc


texts:
The context is:

  The blog for all who want to learn German.

I feel like this is not correct, but the only alternative I can think of is:

  The blog for all those who want to learn German.

While just being one word longer this feel boring and stiff to me. Is the original sentence perhaps grammatically correct, after all?


texts: "The more chickens in a farm the more crap and the fewer eggs"

texts:
Consider:

  The more chickens in a farm the more crap and the fewer eggs.

This is a proverb I hear often in Spanish (Cuba). I think it is pretty much self-explained: it is related to productivity and the negative effect of a workplace/task with too many people.

Is there a similar phrase in English? I googled this one and got nothing.


texts: Usage of "could" vs "could have" when criticising someone for doing something

texts:
I was watching a film about a man who had a secret from his family, at some point in the film the wife finds out about it and says:

"How could you do this to us?" - "Could do" in this context is not referring to a certain activity the man was performing, but to the whole process of keeping something secret from his family.

I was wondering if it would be possible to use "could have done" in the same sense, for example:

"How could you have done this to us?" (You kept something so important a secret from us)

In this context, is it possible to use "could" and "could have" interchangeably? If not, what difference in meaning would there be? Is it possible that "could" might refer to a prolonged activity, while "could have" refers to a singular action? The first one seems to be used more often.

I did some googling and some search on this forum but didn't manage to find an answer.

Thank you so much for your help!

P.


texts:
Suppose a group of friends are having a discussion and the turn comes to one of the friends who says the below sentence.

"I respect each and every one of you's opinions"

Is this sentence grammatically correct?

If it is, then is even "Each and every one of you's opinion also correct?


texts:
How dissimilar are "they're not" and "they aren't"?
Is it dependent on context or are these exactly the same?

  They are supposed to be going, but they are not.
  They are not going.


texts: "Does not make changes" or "makes no changes"

texts:
I was thinking of using this sentence on my computer program:

  This action does not make changes on user's machine.

Just to be sure, I checked Google Translate which suggested:

  This action makes no changes on user's machine.

I suppose that both are correct and have the same meaning, but is there reason to use one instead of the other?


texts: What does the line, “The foreign 3 Idiots , 1911, a China-backed war docudrama starring Jackie Chan, bombed. Go figure: India 1, China 0” mean?

texts:
Time magazine's November 10, 2011 article titled “The ChIndian Century, ” deals with the prospect that the combined power of China and India can be a spearhead of global growth in the coming decades.  The article starts with an anecdote that says the 2009 Bollywood flick, 3 Idiots, was well-received by a Chinese audience in Hong Kong:

  ... the majority of viewers, it seemed to me, got the universal moral about breaking free from social straitjackets. They laughed when they were meant to, and didn't when they weren't. While the foreign 3 Idiots was a box-office monster, 1911, a China-backed war docudrama starring hometown celebrity Jackie Chan, bombed. Go figure: India 1, China 0.

I don’t understand the meaning of the ending line. I understand that 1911 was when the revolution to overthrow the monarchy in China took place, and 1911 is the name of a war docudrama. Is 3 Idiots a war docudrama? What does “... bombed. Go figure: India 1, China 0” mean? It sounds like a cipher to me. Can somebody spell out or decode the sentence for me?


texts: Whether I should use “without” or to use “except” in this sentence?

texts:
I have read a sentence in “New Concept English”, that is, Harrison had thought of everything except the weather. Here is the context:

  Harrison lived in Mediterranean for many years before returning to England. He had no sooner settled down than he started to complain about the weather in England because it is always sunny in the place where he lived before. Harrison had thought of everything except the weather.

My question is that if I can use without in the last sentence. In other words, do you think it is acceptable to say Harrison had thought of everything without the weather?  I’m looking forward to know the reasons in detail. Thanks very much.


texts: What is a person who rides on camel-back called?

texts:
A person who rides on horse-back is called equestrian.

I came across the following guidelines:

  "Camel Ride Guidelines:

  XXXXXXXX

  We will do all we can to accommodate riders, however, safety is our first priority. Below are general restrictions for safety and compliance  with USDA regulations:

  A single rider may be paired with another single rider in line at the operators discretion.
  Pregnant woman are not permitted to ride the camels.
  People with back or hip injuries should not ride the camels.
  Riders may not choose which camel they ride.
  Two adults are not permitted to ride together on any of the camels."

  Link: https://louisvillezoo.org/plan/rides-attractions/camel-rides/

Here the people who intend to ride on camel-back are referred to as camel riders (or simply riders). We all know that a person who rides on horse-back is called equestrian.

Is there an equivalent word for a person who rides on camel-back?


texts: While quintessential means 'representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class' [OED], it defines essential as 'absolutely necessary; extremely important'. I have noticed frequent instances of the two being used interchangeably. How did this come about?


texts: What does “The Cruz-Trump relationship goes solid #TBT” mean?

texts:
Washington Post July 21 issue carries an article under the headline, “The Cruz-Trump relationship goes solid #TBT,” followed by the lead copy;

  And now the finale. Tonight is "Making America One Again" night in
  Cleveland, featuring speeches by Reince Priebus, Ivanka Trump, and of
  course, the nominee himself.

Cambridge English Dictionary doesn’t carry the word, TBT. Oxford English Dictionary defines it as [chemical] an abbreviation of Tributyltin.

internetslang com. defines it as an internet slang for “Truth be told,” which reminded me of a corporate slogan of a New York-based ad agency I happend to work there for more than 30 years – “Truth well told.”
I don't know if the company slogan I was familiar with is relevant to "#TBT,” or not.

Is “(#)TBT” a common English term? How can I interpret, and translate “The Cruz-Trump relationship goes solid #TBT” in plain English?


texts:
Someone told that to me, I want to know if its correct grammatically.
Can we quantify sleep? Can we say a sleep?
I think we should say "you need to sleep".


texts: Are "w/o", "w/", "b/c" common abbreviations in the US?

texts:
I remember when staying a few months in the US years ago that I saw some people using the abbreviations below. However, I can't exactly remember in which contexts I encountered them, (whether I saw my teachers using them when writing something on the board, in papers or in personal notes etc.)

So my question is: Are those abbreviations below commonly used and in which contexts is it okay to use them (e.g. formal texts, personal notes,... or better only used in personal note taking?)

  w/o without
  w/ with
  b/c because

PS: Are there similar abbreviations that are commonly used?


texts: What kind of complementation for "be regarded"?

texts:
I'm trying to find where the passive form "be regarded" belongs in terms of transitivity.
In the sentence:
Only a minority of countries would be regarded as part of the third world.

Is the verb would be regarded a 'copula' and the structures that follows it a subject complement?
Or, is it 'monotransitive' and what follows it is an object?

Thank you!


texts:
I've just came up with a verb "capabalize" as a synonym for enable.

  It's main intention is to capabalize / enable the system for...

Is it correct? I could not find it in several dictionaries.


texts: Is there another word for something that is conjured besides a conjuration?

texts:
I have this feeling there is a word for the product of a conjuring related to the word conjure. Obviously it’s not conjugations, but that’s what my brain wants to say. It may not be strictly related to the word conjure itself either, but simply directly related to a conjuring.

Sentence:

  The ______ of last night’s conjuring still danced around the house.


texts: Why is there discrepancy between the pronunciation of words ending with "-ook"?

texts:
There are a significant number of words in the English language that end with "-ook".  Most of them (e.g. book, cook, hook, look, nook, rook, took) are pronounced with "o͝ok"; however, spook, mook, and kook are pronounced as "o͞ok".  Is there a non-obvious rule that is at play here?  Why is there a discrepancy?

Edit: This not a duplicate of this question as was suggested by @Josh: that was a question on HOW to pronounce "oo" words (by ELLs), not WHY they are pronounced this way.


texts: What to call a graduate in Engineering Physics?

texts:
What to call a graduate in Engineering Physics based on the academic background, and why is it called Engineering Physics and no Physical Engineer (like mechanical/electrical engineering)?

https://physics.stanford.edu/undergraduate-program/bs-engineering-physics
https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/academics/undergraduate/curriculum/Majors/eng_phy.cfm
http://engineeringscience.berkeley.edu/engineering-physics/

Physicist Engineer?
Engineer Physicist?
Physics Engineer?
Engineer Physics?


texts: What is the word for "technical usurpation of an old word"?

texts:
Is there a word for "usurpation, rather than merely borrowing, of an old word by later, technical usage"?  If so, what is it?

For example, of old, the English word summer meant "that season of the year in which the sun shines most directly; the warmest period of the year"; or even of older, as our own Peter Shor observes, "the half-year from around April to September."   However, if you use the word today in its ancient senses, it may not be long before someone earnestly corrects you to the effect that "summer" did not start until the solstice, about June 21.

Meghan Barr, Associated Press, June 19, 2012:

  NEW YORK—The official start of summer brought temperatures in the
  high 90s to the Eastern Seaboard on Wednesday....

One does not wish to be too unkind to a busy staff reporter, perspiring at her desk, hurriedly churning pages of copy!  However, the adjective "astronomical" was, of course, available to Ms. Barr in place of the vague "official."  Now, Ms. Barr (as one suspects) and I both agree that her audience would have found "astronomical" jarring in this context; but, you see, that's my point.

Other old words that have suffered as summer has might include nouns like force, energy and power, adjectives like energetic (but oddly not forceful or powerful), verbs like to dissolve, and so on.  Our own FumbleFingers notes the noun train, whose older meanings the heedless locomotive seems to have hauled away.

The word metaphor indicates the borrowing, but does not imply the usurpation.  Is there a word (most likely a word from the Greek, one supposes) that also implies the usurpation?


texts: Pronunciation of seer. Is the CMU dictionary wrong

texts:
I was looking at how "eer" is usually pronounced and I used the CMU pronouncing dictionary (American accent). I saw that most of the time (around 95%) "ee" before "r" is pronounced /ɪ/, but there are a few words like seer for which the dictionary says that "ee" is /i/. However, when looking at the oxford dictionaries (Received Pronunciation), all the words that the CMU says that have an /i/ are indicated as being pronounced with a /ɪ/.
Is the CMU dictionary wrong or is seer (or bucaneer or puppeteer) really pronounced with /i/ while other words like steer, deer, veneer and peer are pronounced with an /ɪ/?
Some links:

Seer, CMU /sir/:
http://www.speech.cs.cmu.edu/cgi-bin/cmudict?in=seer

Deer (~95% of the words with this pattern are pronounced like this), CMU /dɪr/:
http://www.speech.cs.cmu.edu/cgi-bin/cmudict?in=deer

Seer, oxford dictionaries (pronunciation at the bottom) /sɪə/ (non rhotic that has schwa instead of /r/ because of RP, but vowel is /ɪ/)
https://www.lexico.com/definition/seer

Deer, oxford dictionaries (pronunciation at the bottom) /dɪə/ (non rhotic that has schwa instead of /r/ because of RP, but vowel is /ɪ/)
https://www.lexico.com/definition/deer

I know RP and Ame are different, but I'm adding it anyway because it supports a bit the argument saying that seer is /sɪr/


texts: grammar / meaning “They left the house at 6.00 a.m. and would reach Edinburgh some 12 hours later.”

texts:
The explanations of my grammar book is as follows.

“They left the house at 6.00 a.m. and would reach Edinburgh some 12 hours later.” (=they reached Edinburgh)
He was sure that the medical tests would show that he was healthy. (=we don’t know whether he was healthy or not)

I think I understand sentence 2 (from the context of “he was sure”) but how do we know the fact (=they reached Edinburgh) in sentence 1?
And how about saying “and reached Edinburgh some 12 hours later.”? (because we know that the tense is “the future seen from the past” from the time expression of “12 hours later”)
And is it possible for us to know whether something did happen or not in following sentences? Then how or why can we know?

“I was going to do the washing, but we would run out of washing powder.”
The exam was so easy that most people would have finished after 30 minutes.
So in my excitement I arrived early. I would putt some; maybe do some
chipping;

Likewise, how about saying (1)“we ran out of ---“, (2)”finished--- .
I think that “would” in sentence (3) refers to “prediction” and we don’t know about the happening yet until the speaker tell us about the result.
Am I wrong? Then may I know why?


texts: Any English equivalent for the Persian idiom "to play dead like a mouse"?

texts:
I'm looking for an idiom or expression for describing someone who fools or manipulates other people by pretending to be poor/ weak or incapacitated/ ill (=unwell)/  inoffensive / innocent as a tactic to reach their aims or goals, because they know that in such conditions, it is more likely that people react more kindly and thus help them to reach what they intended to gain or receive (for example more money, more salary, more help, more support or attention, etc.)
For example:
1- Two bully students have been fighting in the playground, when they are called to the pricinpal's office one of them keeps silent, and pretends to be inoffensive and just being beaten and not have beaten the other student, in order that the principal not scold him and only the other student would be blamed and punished.
2- Beggars use this act/ tactic to make people feel pity for them and help them more.
3- Sometimes kids act like this in order not being punished by their parents or teachers.

In Persian we use this idiom " to play dead like a rat/ mouse".       (As you know, the mice use this trick as a defense mechanism when facing a threatening situation, and scientifically is called "tonic immobility".)

Like in:

"Come on! Don't trust him, and don't be fooled by his innocent look either. He is just playing dead like a rat!
"Don't be fooled by her, she is just pretending to have low back pain, she is healthier than anyone in the office! Let her do her own job on her own. She is just playing dead like a rat!"

Is there any idiom or expression that can be used for describing these kind of sly and cunning people who reach their aims or goals by pretending to be weak, poor, inoffensive, innocent,...?
I have found "to play the innocent" but it means "to pretend not knowing something", so I don't think it could be used in those situations too.


texts: "As per picture below" or "as per the picture below"?

texts:
Suppose you are sending an email which includes some details in a picture below where you are writing.

Is it correct to say

  As per picture below, the meeting is in (...)

Or is it better/more correct to say

  As per the picture below, the meeting is in (...)

Google returns ~200k results for the former sentence and just ~80k for the latter, but then again, Grammarly marks the former case as incorrect, suggesting to add "the".

Is one of the two preferable over the other?


texts:
I'm a bit confused. Is it correct to use "me too" and "I too"? (Also with other pronouns.)

For example, if I want to say that Juan gives a present to Ana and I give a present to Ana:

  Juan gives a present to Ana, [me/I] too.

Or if I want to say that Juan gives a present to Ana and Pedro gives a present to Ana:

  Juan gives a present to Ana, [him/he] too.


texts:
I am currently writing my cover letter for an application.

In the opening sentence I want to put emphasis on the most important fact about my profile: That I am a statistician and that this is my passion. I am applying in the area of financial statistics. I thought about using the classical "I am writing to apply", but instead somehow a punchline, something like:

Statistics and solving quantitatitve problems is my passion. I studied .....

I am not sure about this sentence, first is this a good idea? Second is the "is" correct? Or is an "are" necessary?


texts: Is there a proper technical term for (physical) sections in a card file?

texts:
Imagine having a card-box that contains, for example, vocabulary. It's organized alphabetically and for every letter there's a larger card acting as a separator for words beginning with that letter.

Is there a clear, unambigous word that describes the bundle of cards behind this larger index-card? I'm thinking of section, but am unsure if it's really the best word. And maybe the professionals in that field are using a special word for this...


texts: The definite article "the" in "under water"/"under the water"

texts:
How can it float in the air ?
The balloon is filled with helium gas which is lighter than air.  It is similar to when we blow air under water.  The bubbles filled with air under the water would go up because air is much lighter than the surrounding water.

My question is about the phrases "under water" and "under the water".  Is it okay to leave out the "the" in the first usage?  And what are the rules to include or exclude "the" in this situation?


texts: Term for a shoe with a spring loaded spike

texts: In movies when you have a bad guy who can trigger a spring loaded metal spike from his shoe to try and hurt you, what is the metal piece and/or the shoe/boot called? There has to be a term for that, I just can't find it.


texts: I am looking for a word or expression to describe those ladies, usually high society ladies, whose main aim in life is to find a good match for marriage and whose main activity is organising lunches or dinners for relatives and friends often to raise money for some non-profit organisation?


texts: What do we call this kind of Summer Jackets?

texts: Is there any particular word for this type of Jacket?


texts:
I'm reading the lyrics of the song So Sick, and I'm puzzled about the following line:

  Gotta fix that calendar I have that's marked July 15th because since there's no more you. There's no more anniversary.

I understand "since" as meaning since July 15th, but "there's no more you" puzzles me for two reasons. First, why is the tense the present simple and not the present perfect, i.e. there has been no more you? Second, is it odd to say "no more you" although we can say "no more milk"? Would it be more natural to say "there has been no more of you"?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
One of the qualities I find most important in food is the taste it leaves in my mouth.

However, the only term I have for this is "aftertaste" which tends to suggest something unpleasant, and has a subtly different nuance than what I'm talking about.

When I eat an Oreo Cookie, it is the memory left on my taste buds that makes me want the next one.  That is the kind of aftertaste I am talking about.

Is there a better word or phrase for this?


texts: What is the English equivalent of the Persian word "Saghi" (ساقی)?

texts:
About the word:

In Persian, Saghi is someone who pours wine and hands it. In Iran, when friends gather to drink wine together, they sit around and one of them (with a rather higher social status among them) pours wine into a glass and first drinks it himself, then pours another one (into the same glass) and hands it to the next person. Then the third person drinks and so on ... until all persons in the circle have their turns, so at the end of the first round, all have taken a gulp of wine. Then, the Saghi starts over distributing wine until they are all done. Sometimes Saghi is not one of the friends in the circle. In these cases, it may be a male or female servant who serves others.

This tradition has been in place for more than one thousand years and there are a lot of poems praising saghi (for his/her beauty or kindness or ....).

I have looked up this word in google translator and it suggests butler that does not seem to be correct. Other equivalents that I have come up with are bartender, barman, and barmaid that do not seem to be correct.

Have you any idea what word can we use when translating texts (especially poems) containing this word? Thank you very much.


texts: "The general principles of the constitution are with us the result of judicial decisions"

texts:
"are with us" just sounds wrong. Is it? I'm not familiar 1885 English.

Anne Dennett. Public Law Directions (1 ed 2019). p. 149.

  Dicey set out his principles on the rule of law in 1885 (Introduction to the Study of Law and
  Constitution) and they are still relevant today. Dicey suggested three views of the rule of
  law based on the supremacy of law and the idea that no man is above the law (‘Englishmen
  are ruled by the law, and by the law alone’). It is useful to know in advance that Dicey did
  not trust wide governmental power.

I skip here.

  ‘[T]he general principles of the constitution (as for example the right to personal liberty,
  or the right of public meeting) are with us the result of judicial decisions determining
  the rights of private persons in particular cases brought before the Courts; whereas
  under many foreign constitutions the security (such as it is) given to the rights of individuals
  results, or appears to result, from the general principles of the constitution.’

  In the UK, rights and freedoms are the result of the common law, not a written constitution
  or code of rights; therefore the UK’s unwritten constitution is the result of the ordinary law
  of the land and is ‘pervaded by the rule of law’. (While this was true at the time that Dicey
  was writing, rights and freedoms are now also protected by statutes such as the Equality
  Act 2010 and Human Rights Act 1998.)


texts: How to reply the two different questions, "Don't you want to play with me?" and "You don't want to play with me?"

texts:
I know similar questions about how to answer negative questions were asked before. But still I am confused.

If somebody asked you "You do not want to play with me?", I thought it's correct to answer "Yes, we do want to play with you", or "No, we do not want to play with you." But then I read this sentence in my daughter's picture book "Elephant and Piggy" (the author is American), they answered "No. We do want to play with you." So I asked one of my American friends, who told me it's correct. My friend said if the question was asked as "Don't you want to play with me?", you have to answer in another way, like "Yes, we do want to play with you" and "No, we do not want to play with you".

From Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems


texts: When two adjectives need two different indefinite articles

texts:
What do you do when two adjectives require different indefinite articles?

Is this sentence correct:
"Here is an easy and fun way to accomplish the task."

Normally, "fun" would take the article "a" in front of it, not "an."

So do I have to write
"Here is an easy and a fun way to accomplish the task"
instead?


texts:
I would like to understand the nuances. What is the correct way to use:
"Therefore, I …"  or "I, therefore …"


texts: A good term for something that sustains itself via a positive feedback loop?

texts:
So just for context, I would like to pose the hypothesis that the US dollar is the strongest currency because it is the global reserve currency and is the global reserve currency because it is the strongest currency.

I want to sum this up neatly, and am looking for a term that describes something that sustains itself via a positive feedback loop of this kind and so seems to lack a "real" external cause.

I would make an analogy with circular reasoning, coherentism, and stabilization (in AI, e.g. http://lukemuehlhauser.com/wp-content/uploads/Hammond-et-al-The-stabilization-of-environments.pdf).


texts: How do you say "officer is downgraded" or "lowered" in status?

texts:
In the corps (Police, army, ...) there are grades that go from Private, lieutenant, ... general.

What do you say when some officer rank is lowered in status?

Say that he is a General and for bad behaviour he is taken back to be a Private.


texts: Using "will" or "would" when we do not know the reality

texts:
If I do not know about something and I just guess about it what verb should be used "will" or "would"? For example in the following sentences I do not know the reality I just guess, so what verb should be used??

The woman sitting next to the man will/would be his wife.
My friend works in a big company, his salary will/would be more than 5000 dollars.
My friend is in love with a girl, he will/would marry her.
The man, who is wearing a white coat, will/would be a doctor.


texts: what is a single word to indicate bringing something up to currency?

texts:
looking to bring an aged computer systems up to latest version and want a single word to represent this action.
This will form the banner line for a 3 phase strategy is, Stablise, bring up to currency, innovate.


texts:
I have seen this phrase in youtube comments:

the *sth* I didn't know I needed

Could you please explain what does it mean and in which cases should I use it?


texts: On the idiomaticity of attributive proper nouns, proper adjectives, and either singular or plural possessives when describing Imperial Possessions

texts:
When talking about something which is owed by an empire or is considered to be a part of that empire, which of the many ways to express this relationship are most commonly used and generally accepted idiomatically?

For example, is it:

The Ottoman war machine
The Ottomanian war machine
The Ottoman’s war machine
The Ottomans’ war machine

Another example:

The Byzantine city of Constantinople
The Byzantinian city of Constantinople
The Byzantine’s city of Constantinople
The Byzantines’ city of Constantinople


texts: Meaning of "jarring sales." Is it negative?

texts:
The first harbingers of Christmas arrive in October when jarring sales and decorations follow fast on the heels of summer.

Does the word jarring here mean annoying, or early/preliminary?


texts: What does “Brooklyn“ mean in “Everyone need to move to Brooklyn. If we don’t stop wasting our time, the economy is going to be in real trouble.”?

texts:
There was the following passage in a bit old article of Time magazine (November 18, 2013) under the title, “Step Away From the Phone Game, Mom” with a sub-headline: People are wasting a lot of time. They should really leave that to the professionals.

  The Internet, it turns out is a bad capitalist. And it’s shrinking the
  1% down to the people Who do things that are so awful, no one will do
  them for free; investment banking, consulting Petroleum engineering,
  using a Bloomberg terminal and being friends with Vladimir Putin.
  We’ve got to stop this domino effect by getting people to go back to
  playing dominoes. And talking in person. And pickling, knitting,
  crafting, making moonshine and- basically we need to find a way to
  move everyone to Brooklyn. Because if we don’t make ourselves stop
  wasting our time, the economy is going to be in real trouble.

Why do we need to move to specifically, Brooklyn, not any other bland places? What does 'Brooklyn' signify in the context of Internet age?


texts:
The following is a sample question taken from the revised version of the ETS-administered Graduate Record Examination (GRE). I normally try hard to understand the logic behind selecting the choices offered by the answer key and often, after a few minutes, I come through. Here, however, I seem to be grappling with the choice and the explanation provided for the last blank; I fail to understand why "symmetry" is indicated as the correct answer.  Can someone please explain the reason for that answer?

  Sample Question:

  It cannot be denied that without creative reasoning it would not have been possible to (i)__ of classical physics. Yet classical physics has no contribution to make to the understanding of (ii)___. This kind of (iii)__ is surprisingly common in logic as well as in life.

  Blank (i)
  A. dispute the value
  B. lay the foundations
  C. understand the basics

  Blank (ii)
  D. creative reasoning
  E. other sciences
  F. the arts

  Blank (iii)
  G. circular reasoning
  H. inflexibility
  I. symmetry

  Correct Answer: BDI

  Explanation:
  The word ‘yet’ is the main clue. It indicates an opposite. Start with the first blank and eliminate choice A. You can also get rid of choice C since you can understand the basics of physics without creative reasoning. Now to form the opposite we can choose D for the second blank. Now we paraphrase what we have: creative reasoning was needed to get classical physics started, but classical physics can’t help us understand creative reasoning. Then we can select the final option. The statements we have so far are parallel constructions (a sort of symmetry) and are not inflexible.


texts:
What Does " Plant your arse" mean? for example in greeting? And Is it Rude and offensive? or is politely?
or if its meaning changes in different situations please explain. And please provide me some synonyms.


texts:
I would like to say to a boy that he is strange and, fortunately, I am strange too, without repeating.

How do I write it with "me too" or "I too"?


texts: Prof Doe in/at the Department of, in/at the Faculty of, at/in the University of

texts:
I am reviewing an edited document in which the editor changed

  Prof Doe in the Department of ... in the Faculty of ... at the University of ...

to

  Prof Doe at the Department of ... at the Faculty of ... at the University of ...

I'm pretty sure I'm right, but I don't want to make arbitrary corrections.

[Use of capitals for names of departments and faculties, and dropping the full stop from Prof not at issue — these are all house style]


texts:
I am non-native in English so forgive me if this question is too low level.

If you are talking about something that belongs to a person you can say "Jacks phone" to mean "the phone of Jack", at least, that is how I pronounce it. However, in writing it could also be "Jack's phone" and you wouldn't notice anything different in the pronunciation. So which one is correct?

I thought the first one, because I would say that the second would actually mean "Jack is phone" (which obviously makes no sense), but as a counterexample I can find many diners that are called "...'s diner" which are clearly meant as "The diner of ...".

Therefore my question is: which is correct? and what is the rule? Should you recognize the meaning of 's for "is" or "his" from the context?


texts: Confused about the grammar of "good mood" and "good spirits"

texts:
consider this  link

"Good mood" here, the word "good" clearly describes the word "mood". As far as I am concerned, I could change the word "good" in any other words that would be able to describe "mood".

On the latter part of the link is were my question comes.

"I am in good spirits" - We know that this particular sentence is correct. My question is, is "good spirits" considered as a compound word here? If not, why did it become correct, even if it lacks a determiner?

just to clarify

As we know, a link here explains that "in a good mood" was the correct usage, but it does not explain why we say "in a good mood" as oppose to "in good mood" just like in good company, in good standing, in good time, in good conscience, in good condition, in good stead which are all grammatically correct.

I really cannot find any suitable explanation for this thing.

By the way I already understand regarding the singular and plural matter.


texts: What's the proper statement I should say when someone keep canceling the meetings?

texts:
have a friend I want to meet up with ; every time I ask her to meet up we scheduled a meeting then she don't show up or cancel the meeting a day before the meeting. Last week she said we going to meet up on Thursday then she canceled the meeting . I know sometimes people get busy or things happen but she keep  repeat it over and over again

. Is there an expression in the English language you could use to show your anger when some one cancel a meeting?
Should I say
Never mind or
Just forget it
Or should i use a different expression
What is the best statement I should say to show my  anger with out  using profanity ?


texts: Which Language does the word Galore come from?

texts:
I would think that it comes from "glorious". So galore is suggesting that one is surrounded by gloriousness, or is experiencing lots of gloriousness.

Is this correct? I ask because I suggested it today and was told "it can't be".

I suppose what I'm really asking is whether or not "galore" has anything to do with "glorious".


texts:
I can't understand the grammar and structure of following sentence:
"YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views"
I think something is omitted, it should be: "YouTube is to remove..." or "YouTube going to remove..."

What's the structure and grammar of the first sentence?


texts:
When I say

  "That dish is very nice. I will make you eat someday."

it strikes me as pretty awkward. Would this be an improvement:

  "That dish is very nice.I will treat with that someday."

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: How to succinctly and clearly connote the reverse of a statement

texts:
Here's a published example of a problem I come across frequently:

  A cop is six times more likely to be shot by someone black than the opposite.

Let us assume that the writer meant to say:

  Events in which a cop is shot by someone black are six times more frequent than events in which a someone black is shot by a cop.

Obviously a concise way of abbreviating the second clause would be desirable.  But is there a way to do it that is not ambiguous?

The problem with the way the author did it originally is that the opposite could mean a number of things.  E.g.,

White (or non-black) is the opposite of black, so did he mean than by someone not black?
Not getting shot is the opposite of getting shot, so did he mean than not being shot by someone black?

Granted those may seem like less likely interpretations, but they are not inconsistent with the original sentence.

My inclination is to replace the opposite with vice versa, but is that truly unambiguous in this example?  I.e., is the original example so amended inconsistent with any interpretation other than the one desired?  Or is there a better solution to concisely convey what I assumed was the intended fact?

For those who find the subject matter distracting please replace the original quote with ScotM's equivalent but less politically hot formulation:

  A bird is six times more likely to be eaten by a cat than the opposite.

Not that it's relevant to the question, but for reference here is the source and context of the original quote.

  Homicide is the leading cause of death for young black men in the U.S., and around 90 percent of the perpetrators are also black. Yet for months we’ve had protesters nationwide pretending that our morgues are full of young black men because cops are shooting them. Around 98 percent of black shooting deaths do not involve police. In fact, a cop is six times more likely to be shot by someone black than the opposite. Race Relations and Law Enforcement — Jason L. Riley


texts: I am looking for a euphemism to be used on a student evaluation form that relates to poor/unsatisfactory/unacceptable performance. I do not want to erode the self-esteem of a special needs audience. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!


texts:
I came across the phrase 'I got this' in an episode of 'How I Met Your Mother'. In the episode, Robin kept saying 'I got this' whenever something came up that needs dealing with. I guess it means 'Leave this to me. I can handle it'. Urban Dictionary says it's short for 'I got this under control.' I think the omission makes sense.

The thing I don't understand is why past tense is used here. When you use 'I got this', you are referring to something in the present, not in the past. Maybe you can get it under control, but you haven't gotten it under control yet. Why do you use past tense?

Here is an example from Urban Dictionary:

  You're are driving a truck full of your stoner friends. The car in
  front of you slams on its breaks and all of your wasted friends are
  screaming that they are going to die.

  You scream "I GOT THIS!!!" and then you stop your car just inches away
  from the car's bumper.

It is very clear that you had screamed 'I got this' before you actually got it under control.


texts: How do I make this sentence grammatically correct?

texts:
As this week’s lesson comes to an end, we have now completed both Unit One and Two, a perfect time to reflect on what we have learned.

I think there is something wrong with the tense here, but I'm not sure how to fix it.


texts: A phrase whose meaning is different from a combination of its constituents?

texts:
The are phrases whose meaning is not what you would get from combining its constituent words (i.e., they violate the Principle of compositionality).

Some are entity names, e.g.,

"weird science" is (usually) a movie, not a kind of science,
"grand theft auto" is a specific kind of felony or a computer game, not stealing a big car

Others are idioms, e.g.,

"kick a bucket" or
"pull a leg" or
"break a leg"

something else which escapes my mind at the moment...

What is the general term for this?

"Non-compositional phrase"?

The only other thing which comes to mind is mass-defective phrase :-)


texts: Are greetings and salutations redundant in an e-mail?

texts:
Do I really need to write my email this way?

  Hi John,

  [My Message here]

  Regards, Jane

The email header already includes the to and from. The recipient should not be confused by who the email is directed at (himself) and who it's coming from if the greeting and salutation are missing.

Some people might say the greeting and salutation are there for politeness. Is this really true? Will you be offended if they're left out? As a website user interface designer, I was always taught by the great usability experts (Steve Krug, Jacob Nielson) that writing more than you need is disrespectful of a website user's time. To me, leaving out the greeting and salutation makes the email easier to read.


texts: "People" was not to be preceded by a number, as in "Fewer than 30 people showed up"

texts:
At one time, some usage guides maintained that people could not be
preceded by a number, as in Fewer than 30 people showed up.
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/people

However, I cannot find any information regarding the reasons for this.


texts: 'within few next days' OR 'within next few days'?

texts:
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct? and why?

  The project will be completed within next few days.

OR

  The project will be completed within few next days.


texts:
I am trying to say that I chose to make an explanation video and that I annotated a copy of the file. But something seems odd about the sentence below. Should there be a comma after video, and then something different about what comes after? I feel like the word annotate is throwing me off, because if it wasn't there and I was simply making a copy of the file, then the sentence would be fine.

"That is why I have chosen to make the explanation video and annotate a copy of the file."


texts:
I was going through some articles about "African American Vernacular English". Article 1. Article 2. These articles give some examples, but they do not clearly specify hard rules to be followed in AAVE.

First of all, I don't even have strong skills in Standard English, so understanding AAVE seems a lot more difficult for me. I did, however, craft a few sentences in both SE and AAVE to validate what understanding I do have. Are the following conversions correct? You don't have to validate each and every item, but rather guide me with rules that I should follow, but didn't, in the following examples.

What the hell are you all doing here?  —  What the hell y'all doin' here?
Hey you! What the hell are you doing man? Stop that nonsense now. Do you get it?  — Hey you! What the hell ya doin’ man? Stop that nonsense now. D'ya get it?
Come on, can't you open your mouths?   — Come on, ya can't open your mouths??
Hey, who's out there?  —  Hey, who out there?
I know, you're listening to us   — I know, ya listenin’ to us
Somebody is out there man. — Somebody out there man.
Wow, it's delicious.  — Wow, it delicious.
Holy crap, who're these people? — Holy crap, who these people?