texts: What does "inspire emulation" mean here?

texts:
I know two meanings of the word "emulation": 1) 'imitation' and 2) 'rivalry'. In the following excerpt, it seems to mean the former, but I do not understand what is meant by "inspire emulation".

  However, there are in the literature of teleology other examples of
  final cause that appear to be actual or particular beings and not
  types. Exemplary individuals are said to inspire emulation and thus to
  bring about imitations of themselves (thus Aristotle’s conception of
  God as final cause of cosmic order).


texts: What is a word that can be used like "socialist," but for capitalism?

texts:
Those who support the ideology of socialism are called "socialists".

However, those who support the ideology of capitalism are not called "capitalists". Instead, those who own capital are called capitalists.

Is there a word I can use to describe those who support the ideology of capitalism?


texts: Term for when work gets passed around instead of being executed

texts:
At work, I see a lot of this phenomena: work gets passed around instead of someone taking autonomy and seeing its execution. For example:

Task: Arrange meetup for grant awardees in the Lounge area.
This task gets executed by doing the following sub-tasks:

Fix a time
Email grant awardees and relevant people to notify the meetup
actually convene at the said time and date.

But my co-worker, always uses words like "we have to decide what time", "we have to decide how to execute this". She terms it "team effort" which I think simply delays execution of task by talking needlessly about things that can get done by one person taking decision and asking for a vote, as opposed to everyone leaving their work and convening for just this "deciding".

How do I accurately phrase this scenario?


texts:
Is it possible to place any word or phrase between a relative clause and the word which is modified by the relative clause? For example, which sounds ok ?

  It is a fault to expect Emily who doesn't like children to be a good teacher.

or

  It is a fault to expect Emily to be a good teacher who doesn't like children.


texts: I saw a book for children with the simple title, "Spot and I". I believe this should be "Spot and Me", since it is not a complete sentence, and both I and Me are 1st person singular pronouns, which means that they are used by one person to refer to himself or herself. I would be the subject pronoun if the words were used in a complete sentence, and Me would be the object of the verb, if, for instance, the sentence was, "Spot and I ran through the field". But this is not a sentence, so I seems wrong to me. Thoughts?


texts: English, Single word for - 'Hard to navigate'

texts: The route was ~hard to navigate~ and soon enough they were lost in the mountains


texts: I can say "An American" or "A Frenchman", however, can I say "A Chinese" like that? Does it sound weird?


texts:
From a part of Pollyanna written by Elenor Porter:

  "There ain't no tellin'," sobbed Nancy. "She lay back that white an'
  still she might easy be dead; but Miss Polly said she wa'n't dead--an'
  Miss Polly had oughter know, if any one would--she kept up such a
  listenin' an' a feelin' for her heartbeats an' her breath!"

In the cited passage, what part of speech is easy, and what is its meaning??


texts:
He was ecstatic to receive an email from the company asking to come in for an interview. It was the dream job he had been working so hard for. With some luck, he might actually get hired.  He could then work with some of the best engineers in the world, and might even be able to afford a nice house.  The possibilities dazzled him.

Would you say the word "might" is used correctly in the passage above?

Many grammar books and style guides say "might" should not be used as the past tense of "may" in Modern English, and suggest using completely different phrases (e.g. "He [might -> was allowed to] ask questions." and "It was possible that the volcano was still active") or replacing "might" with "might have," depending on the context.


texts:
Not sure how to adequately describe a process. Say I want to describe how to bake a cake. Which would be a better fit?

The basic idea of making a cake is to mix up the batter, put the batter in a pan, and bake the cake until done.

or

The basic ideas of making a cake are to mix up the batter, put the batter in a pan, and bake the cake until done.

I am also toying with using The basic process of making a cake is/are..., using process instead of idea.


texts:
I am working on a rubric to grade a presentation, and I am only allowed 4 very short criteria.

After a lot of thinking, the 4 I have chosen are:

Organized & Easy to Follow
Interesting / Useful
Delivery
Overall

My question isn't really focused on why I chose these criteria (although suggestions would be appreciated), but more so on the "easy to follow". I am trying to find a shorter, more precise, way to say that the presentation flowed well in a logical and comprehensible manner. Any suggestions?


texts: Word for a "qualitative statistical property"

texts:
For example, the "center" of a distribution is a ___

The sample mean is a measure of "center", and thus is not a ___

"Spread" is another ___

There are many measures of spread, e.g biased sample variance, biased sample standard deviation, IQR, etc.

Other ___ include skewness and kurtosis.


texts:
One has at one's disposal ...

Is the following an acceptable synonymous phrase?

  One has (the) disposal of ...

It made sense to me initially, if a little more active than the first. But I've now said it so many times it's starting to sound right, wrong, and not like words at all.


texts:
I'm trying to decide if the following is a correct way to use the word portion:

"These are the sites with the least published information and did not portion a significant part of the study."

In this sentence, can portion be used to mean "comprise" or "amount to", as in the sites do not comprise a significant portion of the data?

Hope I'm clear,
thanks.


texts:
"Mercy killing" is an act of killing someone who is already dying and in terrible pain, in order to reduce his or her suffering.

Is there any single word for "mercy killing"?


texts: Which types of clause can be defined as absolute clause?

texts:
I scooped her up. Her belly fit snugly
into my palm ; a low continual grunting pulsed through her body .

These sentences have been recited from the following link:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/2004/07/11/the-goddess-of-flowers/f0ca69bf-fb03-47e2-bd6a-460073fbdf52/

Here, the subject of "a low continual grunting pulsed through her body" is different from the subject of "Her belly fit snugly into my palm". I think the verb of "a low continual...." is "pulsed". Since the subjects are not same, I thought, -ing will be added to "pulse", and "a low continual ........" will act as an absolute construction. But it did not happen. Both of these two clauses are working independently. There might have another reason to add '-ing' with 'pulse', because it was occurring continuously through the body of pig.

Please tell why the later part is not acting as an absolute construction, i.e why -ing has not been added to 'pulse'.

Thanks to everyone.


texts: Can we contract "well have" to "well've"?

texts:
Is the contraction of the term "well have" to "well've" grammatically correct?

For example, can a sentence beginning "I may as well have . . . " be contracted to "I may as well've . . . "?


texts:
What's the word that describes the practice of writing numerals as separated groups of digits, e.g. writing "10,345,119" instead of "10345119".

Also the practice is different in different social groups, most European countries do this "10.345.119" and I think there are other languages/cultures that don't divide by three digits (and this is why I want the word, so I can research it...)


texts: Comma use: Physical therapy hours were derived from the funding codes for rehabilitation, which, for the most part, have pre-defined lengths

texts:
Sentence

Physical therapy hours were derived from the funding codes for rehabilitation, which, for the most part, have pre-defined lengths.

Is it correct to put commas before and after "which"?


texts:
Could someone explain me please exact meaning of phrase 'to mother someone' and in which cases I can use it. As I managed to figure it out, means: to take care of someone or to look after of someone. Am I right?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
I want to communicate (in written language) that "there are more pictures and bigger pictures if you click the link", without writing "pictures" twice and sounding silly.

Is the construction "more and bigger pictures" proper English? Or is "more, bigger pictures" better?


texts: Phrase that means "untranslated, in its original language"

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase that will allow me to say things like this:

  Having learned English allowed me to read more books [in their
  original language].


texts: Are there English variations to ask people to smile other than “Say cheese!” when taking a picture of others?

texts:
We ask people who become the photographing subject(s) to smile when taking a picture of a family, team, and group of people by calling “Hai (Say) cheese!” to them.

I think we imported this practice from English speaking countries. I don’t know other variations of “Hai cheese!” than “Waratte – laugh, meaning “Smile!” in Japanese.

Are there any other variations than “Say cheese” being used when taking a photograph in Anglophonic countries?


texts: a matching phrase or idiom, to the arabic equivalent 'compelled me to the argument'

texts:
If two people were discussing something and they want you to share your thoughts, even more judge. A bit like a lawyer. If someone started with saying something that the other person thinks is unimportant and trivial perhaps because it may play against him. But you say 'no harm in listening to what he has to say, plus, he has forced me to hear him'

Is there a phrase, that is used to mean that 'has forced me to hear him'.
In arabic we say ' ألزمني الحجة', which literally means 'compelled me to the argument'. But I don't think it's suitable.
Any phrases or idioms that are kind of matching in English, maybe even a law terminology or a common saying?


texts: Why "I would like to" instead of "I will like to"

texts:
After trying to explain to my friend that he was misusing "I will like to" in place of "I would like to" and showing him this answer (I apologize for asking again), he still argues he is correct. He argues he is correct regardless of my "American" english despite me explaining that "will" implies, you can, and WILL DEFINITELY do something. I lack the knowledge to properly counter his argument:

I would have loved to do that(past)
I will love to do ( future )


texts: What is the best name for a person who vouches for you?

texts:
For an invite-only website I'm hosting, I'm currently looking for a good word for the person who vouches for the new user. The inviting user is really taking some responsibility for the new user, i.e. that they are a good match for the community etc. If the new one behaves badly, both can be kicked out again.

Think about an exclusive club where not everyone can or should be invited, but only people who are a good match. Somebody who invites somebody new, and guarantees that the match is a good one, is the person for who I'm looking a word for.

English is not my native language, but I'm pretty sure that "voucher" is not what one should use here.

So far we came up with "sponsor" or "bailer" as being the best words - or using the term "vouching user".

What would be best in such a case?


texts: Meaning of a sentence from the novel The Invisible Man

texts:
She had cooked the ham and eggs, laid the table, and done everything, while Millie (help indeed!) had only succeeded in delaying the mustard. And him a new guest and wanting to stay! Then she filled the mustard pot, and, putting it with certain stateliness upon a gold and black tea-tray, carried it into the parlour

What does the bracket mean here? ((Help indeed!)) And also the line

    And him a new guest and wanting to stay.

I'm having a hard time figuring out what these two things mean, so any help would be appreciated.


texts: Single Quote Marks to Denote Plurals of Letters and Words

texts:
I heard that the plurals of letters, numbers and words could be punctuated - with single quote marks on both sides - in this manner (especially in Britain):

'X's
'd's
'5's
'thank-you's
'maybe's
'his's
'as's

I am sufficiently aware that we could italicize the letter, number or word and follow it with an unitalicized apostrophe 's'. We could also use just one apostrophe: x's, thank-you's, maybe's. This makes 'thank-you's and 'maybe's look possessive, not plural. In the two examples I just used in the previous sentence ('thank-you's and 'maybe's), the insertion of a single quote mark before and after each word (followed by an 's') definitively defines the plural of the word as a word. The same logic is applied to individual letters and numbers ('9's, 't's).

Bottom line, is my usage (albeit probably somewhat antiquated) correct?


texts: Where does the phrase "Scare the Dickens out of..." originate from? And does it refer to Charles Dickens?


texts: What is the information called below a data table?

texts:
I can't think very well these days, and I can't figure this out.

I have a table I'm using for a web page. I have some footer information, and text from the superscript in the table, data sources, notes, etc. It's not a simple caption, but actually explanations of the data. I'm either going to have it like an expanding link, or have a modal popup come up and give that info.

My question is: what should that link be called? What is the grouping of information regarding the data in a table?

thanks.


texts:
How would one explain the following headline news in plain English?

  Romney's attack on clean energy: true, with an asterisk


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Are collective nouns always plural, or are certain ones singular?
  Is “staff” plural?

What is correct?
The jury was divided or The jury were divided?
I am told that the latter is accurate because all of the jury do not have the same opinion in the particular case.
Then, how does the subject verb agreement fit in 'The jury is still out' ? I mean, 'The jury is out' would allude to a situation were the opinion on a matter is (are?) still divided.


texts: Does company-wide require a hyphen, or can you use companywide?

texts:
We use citywide, statewide, and countrywide. Is it OK to say "companywide"? Or does that word need to be hyphenated: company-wide?

The sentence I'm working with begins:

  Provide the same data companywide ...


texts: "I understand you" vs "I do understand you"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the difference in meaning between “I play” and “I do play”?

What is the difference between "I understand you" and "I do understand you", and what kind of grammatical structure is the last one?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "X° of frost?"

texts: I ran across this phrase in The Cherry Orchard: "3 degrees of frost," and I assumed it was a colloquialism for 3 degrees AND frost, or something of the like. But I just ran into "45° of frost" elsewhere, so it is not a colloquialism and "of" does not represent "and," for that would be impossible, right?


texts: Do english accents in England have both germanic and celtic influences?

texts: I'm curious about the accents from England about whether its more Germanic or more Celtic because since English come from the Angles,who were Germanic,the accents has to have more Germanic phonetic sounds infused in the language.


texts: what does "harmony" mean in the context in Marshall McLuhan's global village video?

texts:
I found this interesting video here

http://nickbogardus.com/post/10698767773/mcluhan-on-the-global-village

  "The global village is a world in which you don’t necessarily have harmony. You have extreme concern with everybody else’s business and much involvement in everybody else’s life. It’s a sort of Ann Landers column writ large… huge involvement in everybody else’s affairs. So the Global Village is as big as a planet and as small as the village post office."

  Marshall McLuhan

So my understanding is that "harmony" means every chord manages their own, while a global village everyone is connected.

But "harmony" has another meaning, if everyone creates a sound by random it's likely only noise, everyone have to adapt specific sound patterns (e.g. the triad C-E-G ) in order to create "harmony". So in this sense, to create harmony, you do have to concern others.

So is the word "harmony" used properly in the above video context? Or am I missing something here?

Can anyone share more about the usage of "harmony" in daily English?


texts: Is this "over-negation" a grammatical phenomenon or pure coincidence?

texts:
To make things short, let's look at

  famous -- infamous,   glorious -- inglorious

The two pairs both illustrate what I temporarily refer to as "over-negation", in the sense that, for example, in the case of "normal" negation, infamous would mean little-known instead of notorious which is somewhat much stronger than just negating the original word famous. Same with the pair glorious-inglorious.

Is such "over-negation" a real grammatical phenomenon or simply coincidence? And if it's really more than coincidence, what's the proper terminology to refer to such a phenomenon?


texts: Cognitive capacity and (memory) capacity

texts: I'm having difficulty finding the appropriate form of the word memory that would fit my title. It probably isn't memorial as that's a noun. What would you suggest?


texts: In theatre/film -What's it called when a person is talking over the phone but repeats the other person's dialog?

texts:
Has anyone seen a show where the audience can only listen/see one person on the phone but that person repeats what is being asked so the audience understands or at least gets a hint as to what was said on the other side?

Both characters are having a phone conversation, but the audience can only see Jan.

For example:

  Jan: "Hey Eliza"
  Eliza: [inaudible]
  Jan: "What do you mean you lost your salt shaker?!"


texts: Which sentence is better, if I change "in a way that" to "how", should I leave "in"?

texts:
As I am learning English, the more I study, the more I am confused...

  Termite mounds are built in a way that hot air rises out and cool air comes in.

in that sentence, if I want to change "a way that" to "how", should I still use "in" or removing "'in" is better?


texts: What term can be used to describe Yoda's speech?

texts: What is Yoda's speech called? Is there a particular name for it (such as "dangling...")?


texts: What is the difference between "should be cause for concern" and "is cause for concern"?

texts:
Do the two phrases really mean different things? We may compare the following:

‘The mysterious and majestic blue hue’ emanating from Hong Kong seas is cause for concern, scientists say.
‘The mysterious and majestic blue hue’ emanating from Hong Kong seas should be cause for concern, scientists say.

What is the difference, if there is any?


texts: What is the antonym of shadow [i.e. the shadow-casting object]?

texts: I am looking for a more concise expression for a shadow-casting object in contrast to the shadow itself. Is there a generalisable term for something that casts a shadow?


texts: Do you need commas setting off a "when" clause in a sentence?

texts:
As an example:

  In Quantum Physics when particles are observed their behaviour changes in relation to the fact they're being watched.

Does this sentence require a comma before when and a comma before their? In other words, should it be written as:

  In Quantum Physics, when particles are observed, their behaviour changes in relation to the fact they're being watched.


texts: How archaic is the use of a question mark mid-sentence?

texts:
I was wondering how common it is these days to use a question mark mid-sentence to indicate that a sentence contains more than one question, for example:

  How can I get there? and why should I go?

This can be handy from time-to-time, but I'm aware that its use has declined quite a lot.  Is it still widely considered acceptable usage, at least amongst fluent English speakers?


texts: Idioms and other expressions that point to the farm / countryiside origins of a person that now lives in an urban setting

texts: I have to translate an idiom in Spanish, "pelo de la dehesa", which refers to a person who lives in an urban setting but who still has elements of their rural origins. The author who used that phrase is trying to demonstrate in his article that cityfolk associate countryfolk with animals--with the "hair" of farm animals' furs/pelts, in this particular case. And although I know that there are many phrases that allude to a person's countryside origin, all I can think of is, "being raised in a barn". Which is not helpful...


texts:
I saw some people used the word routine as repeating something in specific cases instead of loop or repeat, but for me it's a bit confused and not sure when should I use the word repeat or routine.

The main question is, Is the word routine changable as loop or repeat? If it's correct or not, what's the difference between routine and those 2 other words?


texts:
Idiom to be at loggerheads with someone over sth

The meaning is to be in strong disagreement with someone struggling constantly as in

The two governments are still at loggerheads over the island.

What might be behind this idiom? Etymonline is uncertain and the comment is not very convincing.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=loggerheads&searchmode=none

Supplement: to be at loggerheads

My idea ( a hypothesis) is that "loggerheads" was "lock their heads". Two constantly quarrelling neighbours can be compared to stags in rutting season running into each other with fury.
An expression like "They are at the stage of stags that lock their heads" may have been shortened and a bit transformed to "at loggerheads".
We have expressions such as

to lock horns
to be locked in battle/in discussions.

The already existing word loggerhead (various meanings) may have had an influence in the transformation from ○locktheirheads to loggerheads but I don't think that loggerhead, a tool for melting pitch or a fool, is really the origin for a saying expressing the idea of constant quarrelling.


texts: Is 'Rumbling' an example of an onomatopoeia?

texts:
Is the word 'Rumbling' considered to be an example of onomatopoeia?
I know that the word 'rumble' is an onomatopoeia, but I am not sure if that applies to 'rumbling' as well.


texts: Usage of the modal SHOULD in clauses of condition

texts:
In my grammar it says in clauses of condition should is used to express a supposition that may not be true. For example,
1.If it should rain, they will not come.
2.If he should see me here, he will be annoyed.
I don't understand what the book means by "a supposition that may not be true". Does it mean it is used similarly to the past subjunctive with if, to express unreality and improbability in the present?


texts: Is there another idiom to replace "rolling the dice"?

texts:
Does this sentence sound unnatural?

  The journalist has read the book, written a review and rolled the
  dice.

I know rolling the dice means to "take a chance". But I am not sure if giving something a score from 1-6 is referred to as rolling the dice, so I wonder if there are other idioms I could have used instead? Suggestions are welcome!


texts: What is the basic meaning of 'blueprint'?

texts:
I just want to know the meaning of blueprint.

Some websites say it's a method of printing, some say it merely means a pattern or design used by engineers or architects to document their ideas.

I am really confused. Can someone explain to me the basic intention and meaning that underpins this word? If so, it would be much appreciated.


texts:
So I was having this conversation with a friend about my ex and she asked me, "Who broke up?"

I said, "She"

My friend was like, "It should be her and not "she"?

Could someone please help me out on this?


texts: What's the word for a migration from a manual-based system to a IT-based system?

texts:
For example, a company that has been using traditional mail can switch to e-mail. I want a generic term for such migrations (other example, tracking system, scheduling, etc.). Perhaps also Question & Answer systems ;)

I heard of automatization but it is not exactly what I want here, because the new process might still require manual human actions, it's just that it's computer based so there's less hassle. I'm not sure whether computerization is a valid word and what it means..

Any ideas?


texts: Difference between "novel" and "fiction"

texts: Both novel and fiction refer to a book in which the story is just imaginary. But what's the difference between them and what are the scenarios to use them right?


texts:
Context: In a math class,
Teacher: solve this problem.
After some time, when the students are still trying:
Teacher to one of his students: John, can you solve it? (He is basically asking John whether John thinks his approach till now has been correct and he's soon going to get a solution)
John: Yes, sir. (= I can solve it)
Q: Is there any difference between the uses of "can" in (a) and (b) below?
a) John: I can (=am able to) solve it. (in the context given above; John says this while solving the problem)
b) John: I can (=am able to) see the car. (in response to "can you see the car"; John says this while looking at the car)


texts: "How it feels like" vs. "What it feels like"

texts:
I am not a native English speaker, and I'm always confused by people saying or writing

  "How it feels like"

It doesn't sound right to me, and I am always trying to correct it to

  "What it feels like"

Is it correct to say "How it feels like", or should it be "What it feels like"?


texts: What is the name of the glyph that looks like a dash, but tapers on a single end?

texts:
What is the name of the symbol shown below used to sometimes stylize page numbering or to call attention to an item in the page? It's hard to explain with words, but here's a picture.

Does this have a name? It looks like a dash with a tapered end. I'm looking for the general name of this type of dash, the unicode code, or for information about the font family that it is tied to.


texts: What do you call a road that goes up and down?

texts:
There is a question titled "Does calling a road 'wavy' convey its shape clearly?" which looks like this is a duplicate, but in fact, it's not. In that question, there's talk of a road that slightly bends right and left, not up and down.

So how do you describe a road that is up down and road?

I am confused which word to use. There is one word to describe it. Can I say it is a zig-zag road?


texts: Why in this sentence there is a "be" instead of "are"

texts:
I read a book named Robin Hood and the King from the series of Reading A to Z, and met a sentence that goes like this:

  My name is Robin Hood. We be yeomen of the forest, my lord Abbot, and
  make our home here in Sherwood.

I cannot figure out why a "be" is used after we instead of "are".


texts: What part of speech is "the closest" in this case?

texts:
What is the closest you've ever come to losing your life?

（From : https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-closest-youve-ever-come-to-losing-your-life）

Apparently, it comes from the construction "come close to doing" , so "the closest" should be an adverb (in superlative degree) . But relative clauses cannot modify  an adverb.（I follow the CGEL by Quirk et al.）

Someone would view it as a NP where the noun has been omitted(the closest situation). But this analysis is also flawed, because a NP cannot fit in the relative clause that follows.

Is there a better idea ？


texts: Need help simplyfying sentences containing economic information

texts:
I am not very knowledgeable about economics and am trying to reword these two sentences:

  In 1964 the CDC 6600 cost around $7 million USD, though some sources
  site prices of up to $10 million. Given the relative value of the
  dollar in today’s economy, the machine would cost very much more;
  depending on the economic formulas used could cost $700 million.

All prices are in US dollars. The point I'm trying to make is that $7 million dollars was a lot more in 1964 than it is today, but this is hard to convey because even today $7 million is a lot.

According to here " $7,000,000.00 from 1964 ranges from $39,900,000.00 to $166,000,000.00." today.

When writing money is it correct to write the first part of the number using digits, followed by the word? For example $10 million vs $10,000,000.


texts: I've had a disagreement with a friend over the use of 'on' concerning the the launch of a certain product. He insists it should be 'at launch' while I believe either 'on launch' or 'at launch' is fine. I would greatly appreciate any light shed on this quandary.


texts: When a banner is floating in the wind, its mast slanted, like in the midst of a battlefield after a battle, can one say "A stooped banner was floating in the wind"?  I would like to avoid "slanted". Thanks


texts: Is “have went” gaining common currency in AmE and BrE?

texts:
In the following article from English today there is a survey about the usage of the erroneous, but apparently rather commonly used expression “have went” in place of “have gone”:

... several speakers, all of them American teachers aged between 55 and 64, informed us that they regularly ‘hear[d] people say have went, not have gone’. One of them specifying that she ‘teach[es] in Oklahoma’ noted that ‘[s]ome of my students also say, and write, “I have went”’. A much younger informant, aged 27 and also a teacher, even indicated that she used have went herself.

Interestingly, Google Books  shows a fair amount of usage examples in books and publications, such as:

And I didn't even realise that when I got a knock-back from art school, so I might have went to uni instead of college.” (Dorothy  ...

(from  Losing Out?: Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Experience in Further and Higher Education, by Alasdair Forsyth and Andy Furlong, 2003)

wondered if it were me, would I have the restraint Mr. Washington was displaying or would I have went home and cleaned house with bullet placed in appropriate guilty parties vital organs.

(From Still A Man, by Robert Molden, 2008)

The interesting information retrieved from the attitudes survey raises various questions.
Is the usage of have went on the increase today, at the expense of have gone? Can we consider the expression as acceptable nonstandard English?
Is its use more typical of American than of British usage today?
Related: Should have went vs Should have gone


texts: "Birmingham" or "Manchester" screwdriver?

texts:
I occasionally use the phrase "Birmingham screwdriver" to mean "hammer", but this evening I heard a hammer referred to as a "Manchester screwdriver", by someone with no association with either city.

It set me to wonder which is most common/popular/historic, and if any other city is associated with this popular and convenient tool?


texts: Present Perfect or Past Simple in 'Where have you put / did you put the car keys?' Degrees of annoyance?

texts:
In such a question, what is most commonly done by native speakers of English:

focus on the past action of you putting the car keys somewhere – somewhere not-too-logical-seeming?

  Where did you put the car keys?

or

focus on the present result of me not knowing where the car keys are, of the car keys having disappeared from sight?

  Where have you put the car keys?

Do the two questions differ in the degree of annoyance they might express?

(No grammar book or website I know of, and I know quite a few, is detailed enough to deal with such a point – apart from this website, that is! Flatter than flatter? Flatterer?!)


texts:
You have been asked by your manager to tender on a bid to develop [x]
  for [x].

What does "Tender on a bid" mean in this context?


texts: Is the grammar in this article of this student constitution correct?

texts:
I am currently disputing my eligibility to run for president of my college's Student Government. The grounds on which my opponents are seeking to exclude me from the ballot fall upon the following article of the Student Government Constitution:

Candidacy for the AS President, Vice President and Senate Representative shall be open only to those who currently or have held  previously an elected or appointed  Associate Student Government position in the Associated Students of **** College for at least one (1) semester or sixteen (16) weeks."

While I currently hold an appointed office, I have not held that office for more than 16 weeks.

My interpretation of the part "shall be open to those who currently or have held previously an elected or appointed position... for at least one semester or sixteen weeks" is that there are two avenues to eligibility: First, you can currently hold an office. Second, you could have previously held an office, as long as it was for 16 weeks or more. My opponents argue that the 16 week requirement applies to both current and previous officers.

So, what makes sense grammatically? My first instinct is that the entire article is grammatically flawed. If someone could tell me technically why it's flawed, this would be useful to me. My second instinct is that even if it is flawed, there is a compound avenue to candidacy. The presence of the words "currently" and "previously" seem to imply distinct natures of qualification. Additionally, how can I "currently" hold an office for 16 weeks? It doesn't seem like I can "hold an office for 16 weeks" in the present tense. My term limit is 16 weeks- does that mean that I presently hold an office for 16 weeks?

TLDR:
(1) could you please evaluate the grammatical correctness of the following article:
*Candidacy for the AS President, Vice President and Senate Representative shall be open only to those who currently or have held  previously an elected or appointed  Associate Student Government position in the Associated Students of **** College for at least one (1) semester or sixteen (16) weeks.*

(2) Does the above article seem to open candidacy to those who have previously held office for sixteen weeks or more OR currently hold an office, or do both current and former officers need to have served 16 weeks?

Thank you in advance for your responses. I look forward to hearing back


texts:
If "errored" is not a valid word, then how should I say:

  The program errored at line 44

I guess I could say:

  The program threw an error at line 44

But why is "errored" wrong? Is there a better alternative?


texts: Dangling modifier and the order of the modifier and the referent

texts:
Somewhere else on SE I came across the phrase "As an engineering prof, let me try to guess..." that felt like it had a dangling modifier. I suggested an edit, moving "let me" to the beginning of the sentence, and it started to sound much more agreeable to me, "Let me, as an engineering prof, try to guess..."

Erica Meltzer writes, "When a sentence opens with an introductory phrase that describes but does not name the subject, the subject must be placed immediately afterward. If the subject is not placed immediately afterward, a dangling modifier is created".

Mark Nichol, while being justifiably irritated by "As a member of a political minority in this area, it’s interesting how people here just assume you think the way they do", suggests the following fix, "As a member of a political minority in this area, it’s interesting to me how people here just assume you think the way they do", which does not sound proper to me, there is no subject immediately following the modifier.

Then I compare Nichol's example to the prof's phrase above, and it is the same construct, and if I move "to me" to the front, it sounds perfectly fine to me, "To me, as a member of a political minority in this area, it’s interesting how people here just assume you think the way they do".

So, the question: was the original phrasing by prof correct, and likewise is the fix suggested by Mark Nichol correct?


texts:
Signs that ISIS may be fracturing in some local areas over the strain
  of attempting to function as a state. -CNN Student News

what's the meaning of "over the strain of"?
I looked up in the dictionary, but I couldn't find this phrase.


texts: What's the difference between "bliss" and "happiness"?

texts: What's the difference between bliss and happiness?


texts: The Relationship Between Style Analysis, Tone, and Voice in Analyzing Writing

texts:
Today I was a substitute in a 9th grade AP Humanities class with lesson plans that asked me to present a PowerPoint, titled "Marigolds Style Analysis Structured Paragraph," that asked students to answer the following prompt:

  Describe the voice of the narrator of Marigolds or Tuesday’s Siesta.
  Then, explain how the diction and imagery create this voice (Note:
  these are short stories by Eugene Eugenia Collier and Gabriel García
  Marquez respectively).

In the teacher's slides, it has a section defining tone in written composition as "an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject."

In preparing to present these slides to the class, I realized that I was confused about the relationship between "style analysis," "tone," and "voice." All terms that came up in the PowerPoint (and mentioned above). Researching on the internet I found a University of Maryland webpage stating that style is "mechanical or technical aspects of writing," voice is the "the unique worldview and word choices of the author," and tone is "the attitude conveyed in the writing and may encompass formality, objectivity, intimacy, and similar aspects." But this still confuses me. Didn't the teachers slides state that tone was an author's diction (i.e. word choice)? So why is the University of Maryland including "word choices" in its definition of voice and not tone?

In an article on Quick and Dirty Tips, the author briefly mentions at the bottom that tone can be seen as a subset of voice. Perhaps a relationship diagram could clear my confusion. Can anyone clearly define and explain the relationships between these three concepts?

P.S. I'm having trouble adding "voice" and "Style-Analysis" to this post.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
Is past tense correct here?

What is the difference between the following:

Didn't you know there was an election today.
Didn't you know there is an election today.

Isn't the second one ungrammatical?


texts: I sent ... vs. I have sent ... vs. I had sent you an email already

texts:
Which of the following sentences are correct? If all of them are correct, what are their different meanings?

I sent you an email already.
I have sent you an email already.
I had sent you an email already.


texts:
Likeliness is already uncertain, so saying that an even is likely, is surely the same as saying it appears the event will occur, right? Wouldn't this mean that "X appears likely" is the same as saying "It appears that it appears that X will occur"?

Is that right? If so, does it mean that "appears likely" is redundant?

Btw, I am aware that "appears likely" is commonly used, I'm not interested in whether it is correct by common usage; only whether it is, in a technical sense, redundant.


texts: Differences in the Semantics of Three Tri-Part Phrasal Verbs

texts:
What are the subtle semantic differences in the following three tri-part phrasal verbs:

(1) be up against
(2) come up against
(3) run up against


texts: What does this sentence mean: "Cologne, with its seven and seventy evil savors, was a posy-bed to it."?

texts: This is a sentence from a book I'm translating, the one before that is "The first thing I met was a regiment of the vilest odors that ever assaulted the human nose, and took it by storm." So, what is the author implying by this "Cologne" sentence?


texts:
Is this sentence correct? Grammarly does not take it a mistake.

  There you can see how much the scores will change.


texts: Question regarding pronoun in "Let you and I/me ..."

texts:
In my grammar book the answer for the following sentence is 'me'

Let you and ___ try what we can do ( I,me)

Why can't I use "I"? Both subjects seems to be in nominative case.


texts: The use of "real" in the following cases

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Real quick question

  If you listen real close...

  Can you swing by real quick...

Sentences like the above two are what I often hear in daily life. If I didn't hear them in the real world, I would probably be more ready to say "If you listen really close..." and "Can you swing by really quick...".

Is real being used as an adjective in this scenario? If so, is the usage of adj.+ adj. a common practice in English language?


texts:
Consider the following sentences:

  We live under the shade of the magnetic canopy of the Earth.
  We live under the shade of the magnetic canopy of Earth.
  We live under the shade of magnetic canopy of the Earth.

Which of the above sentences best conforms to the rules of grammar?


texts:
I learned  that i.e means :

  that is or in other words

but how does this make sense? shouldn't it be: t.i in this case?


texts: Why Greek morphemes over Latin, or Latin over Greek? *A Call to Lexicographers*

texts:
Is there a rationale behind why certain English words take Greek morphemes (or affixes) over Latin morphemes, and vice versa? Why do certain Greek morphemes become standard English idiom over Latin ones, and Latin ones over Greek ones? Is it even possible to know why?

  It's "monotheism", not tantumtheismi (the former entirely Greek μονος+θεός, the latter Latin slightly borrowing from Greek 'theism')

  It's "unity", not monity... (unus from Latin)

  "Hydraulic", not aqualic... (ὕδωρ from Greek)

  "Photography", not luxcomentor... (you get the idea)

  "Verification", not aleitheify...

Ought one go back through English's lexical stream, through French, Anglo-Saxon, and so on, to better grasp why Latin/Greek is chosen over Greek/Latin? Was it entirely arbitrary to those who coined those terms?


texts:
From Steinbeck's Cannery Row,

  The nice bouncer at the Bear Flag threw out a drunk, but threw him too hard and too far and broke his back. Alfred had to go over to Salinas three times before it was cleared up and that didn’t make Alfred feel very well. Ordinarily he was too good a bouncer to hurt anyone. His A and C was a miracle of rhythm and grace.


texts: How does one pronounce /oʊ/ in /oʊvərˈsiz/ in American English?

texts:
Today when I checked the Oxford American Dictionary for the pronunciation of overseas, I got this in IPA: /oʊvərˈsiz/.

According to my understanding, the /ʊ/ phoneme is pronounced o or something like put, so the pronunciation of this word would be very difficult, or even meaningless.


texts: Use of 'in pair' or 'in group' in a sentence

texts:
I am really confused about this case now since I can't find a satisfying answer with Google. It is a minor case, but still, I want to understand it better. Please tell me which of the following are the correct ones:

Fadli and Sandy always work in pairs/in pair/in a pair?
Rahmi and Eza investigated the case in groups/in group/in a group

*note: both pair and group are singular in those contexts.


texts: Is there an "official" name for a heading prefix, or qualifier?

texts:
Consider the image below (the red arrow was added by me, if that's not obvious...)

The heading itself is "Budget and Ownership," but there's a prefix or qualifier of "Challenge #1." Those words aren't part of the heading per se, but rather exist just to put the actual heading in context -- to say, in effect, "this is the first of a series of headings."

The heading itself could actually stand alone.  "Challenge #1" just...helps.

Is there an official name for that prefix/qualifier?  My gut tells me..."meta-heading" or "super-heading" (as in, before or above) but I feel like I might be re-naming something that already exists.


texts: Use of definite article before superlative adverbs

texts: What is the rule regarding the use of definite article (the) before superlative adverbs? Is it mandatory, optional, or not required at all to use the before superlative adverbs?


texts:
It is a serious, and sometimes fatal, disease that may become epidemic in crowded, unsanitary living conditions.

I'm trying to find the name of grammar structure (a very technological term, not just something like "parenthetical phrase to add additional information", as I seek to find every information about it) of "and sometimes fatal", a parenthetical phrase and what seems to be a coordinative adjective.

I just do not understand how it is grammatical to wrap that conjunction and adjective in commas like that. Isn't comma supposed to come before the conjunction only when a new independent clause is beginning?


texts: Any existentialist quotes for the acceptance that life is difficult and meaningless, but we must persevere?

texts:
I'm looking for a quote that illustrates the difficulty of life but reassures that the difficulty will come to pass as long as we have the willpower. Particularly, maybe something slightly existentialist even? A light reference to the meaningless of life wouldn't be all that bad.

But if there are no specific existentialist references that match my criteria, I'm fine with any quote that illustrates my point.


texts: In "get married," etc., is "married" a verb or an adjective?

texts:
I am not sure how to explain these phrases to a nonspeaker of English.
Have all these examples the same form?

Get (v) married (v past participle)   or it is Get(v) married (adj)  ?
Get (v) engaged (v past participle)                   engaged (adj)  ?
Get (v) divorced (v past participle)                  divorced (adj) ?
Get (v) promoted (v past participle)                  promoted (adj) ?

Could somebody help me?


texts: I hear it often, and can usually derive a sentence's meaning with or without it. What does it really mean? When would one use it?


texts: Is "He is, and so is Ryan and McConnell" grammatical?

texts:
This is a portion of a recent reader comment for an article in the Washington Post:

"[Trump] leaves himself open to the charge that he is violating his
oath of office"
He is, and so is Ryan and McConnell.

My question is whether the second sentence is grammatically valid.
My gut reaction is that it is not, and it should be written in one of the following ways:

He is, and so are Ryan and McConnell.
He is, and so is Ryan and so is McConnell.

But it really doesn't take much effort to interpret the writer's second sentence as a shorthand form of "He is, and so is Ryan and [so is] McConnell".
My question is whether the writer's shorthand form is grammatically valid.

Updated to show a screen shot of the complete comment from the poster:


texts: Is introvert a derogatory term, or just neutral?

texts: Is introvert a derogatory term? Does it have the potential to offend someone, or is it okay to call someone who enjoys solitude an introvert?


texts: Does the orthography of a book title matter?

texts:
In a comment I mentioned a book by its cover title name, "programming the Z80".

That is also the title used on the inside front cover. However, both the spine of the book and back cover refer to it as "PROGRAMMING THE Z80". The copyright blurb was no help, not even mentioning the title at all:

  Copyright © 1979 SYBEX Inc. World Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be ... without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Card Number: 78-73741
  ISBN Number: 0-89588-013-X
  Printed in the United States of America
  Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The Library of Congress lists it as "Programming the Z80 / Rodnay Zaks". Searching the ISBN online, it seems to be the same, normal "title capitalization", although I found one reference where "The" was capitalized as well. Wiley, which now owns the SYBEX brand, does not list the book as part of their catalog nor even as part of their SYBEX subcatalog.

So in addition to whether capitalization matters technically, should we strive as a matter of respect to represent the name in the way the author wished it to be? It's not that Rodnay Zaks didn't have a choice; he apparently founded SYBEX and wrote several books in a "programming the ..." series.

related: Which words in a title should be capitalized? and Confusion about book title capitalization

This section was originally an off-topic aside. I converted it to an on-topic question in another SE: Why are Library of Congress searches treated as live sessions?


texts: Word that describes something as "built upon a foundation", but which doesn't imply that it's secondary, minor, or inferior

texts:
This is somewhat similar to this question, but a little different.

Essentially I'm trying to find a single term that describes something as being "built upon the foundation of something else", where that "something else" would be labeled foundational.  However almost any word I can think of or can find on thesaurus.com has the baggage of also implying that the non-foundational item is somehow inferior, secondary, or minor.

In fact, in the situation where I'm wanting to use this word, the non-foundational items would, in some ways, be more central and important than the foundational items.  (Of course, that said, without the foundational items, the non-foundational ones would not exist.)  In my specific case, the non-foundational items are in some ways more the actual goal, focus, and object of the project, although it's a bit hard to say that either set is more or less important than the other set.

So what is a term that means "built upon a foundation", but that has zero baggage associated with it?  In the question I linked to above, the same thing was being asked for a word that means "secondary", but in this case, neither set is secondary at all; they're both primary in their own ways.

One caveat though is that the term needs to be able to work well on its own, without being used as part of a larger grammatical construct.  It should be easy to take this term and use it, by itself, as a label on a diagram.  (This question came up because of a diagram.)


texts: What's a verb for discerning boundaries of the constituents of a seemingly amorphous whole?

texts:
Is there a verb for discerning the boundaries of distinct entities that are constituents of a seemingly amorphous whole? "Gaining resolution" is the closest phrase I can think of, but that's a metaphor where I want to be explicit.

  Example of sentence structure in use case:

  Zooming in on the image ____ its contents.
  The professor demystified (???) Newtonian physics.
  Putting on his glasses will discriminate (???) Bob's vision of the forest.

I want to express the idea that a seemingly amorphous entity has had its contents revealed sophisticated and articulate.

The two verbs I know of that could be potential candidates, "discern" and "discriminate", feel awkward. They're usually used in the structure of "discriminate between X and Y" or "discern between X and Y".

To say that "putting on glasses discriminated his vision" feels wrong, and I'm not sure anyone will even understand me if I use that strange wording.

Could there be a better word? Or should I stick with "discriminate"?


texts: How would you call the main software used by a company

texts:
I'm looking for a word designating the main software of a company. I know the term line of business application, but I never heard anyone say "this is our line of business application", only "this is a line of business application."

I'm looking for the term designating the class of software applications that are the only ones to be at the heart of a company. A CRM is in this idea, since we often say "this our CRM software"; however, the software I'm trying to qualify goes beyond customer relationship management as it also takes care of the daily operations.

Any ideas?


texts: The difference between 'credit' and 'accredit'?

texts:
Both verbs seem to mean the same thing -- to attribute 'X' to Mr. 'Y'. On looking it up, I found:

credit - publicly acknowledge a contributor's role in the production of (something published or broadcast).

accredit - give credit to (someone) for something.

Am I overthinking this, or is there really a difference I should know of?


texts: A phrase that basically means 'change your mind a second time to go back to your original idea'

texts:
I am interested in knowing what words/phrase/idioms I can use to express a double reversal of decision.

To illustrate that with an hypothetical example to clear any confusion that may have risen :

  I had the idea of buying a phone for someone, decided against it, and then thought about it a bit more and ultimately chose to do it.

What do you think about saying "I changed my mind, and then I changed my mind back." in that context?


texts:
Marketing emails often come with an unsubscribe link in the footer. This is what Twitter uses:

  You can also unsubscribe to these emails or change your notification
  settings.

"Unsubscribe from these emails" seems far more natural to me because unsubscribing is an act of removal. Add to, remove from. Is there a consensus on this?


texts: What's the meaning of "subject of speculation"?

texts:
He survived 10 attempts on his life, and at 82 his health was a subject of speculation.

What do the people speculate, health or subject ?


texts: Why is this sentence grammatically incorrect?

texts:
I have been practicing sample tests for an English Olympiad and came across such a question:
Decide if the sentence is correct or incorrect.

After you make your payment, the products will be sent to your address.

The keys say this sentence is incorrect. But what exactly makes this sentence grammatically wrong?
Thank you in advance.


texts: I can see us agreeing on many points "in the article" or "from the article"?

texts:
I want to provide a reader with a link to an article and say that we would agree on a lot of points therein. What's the best way to state that, and which of these versions is correct?

  I can see us agreeing on many points in the article.

or

  I can see us agreeing on many points from the article.


texts:
What is the meaning of double dose? For example,

  I wish for you a double dose of health.

Is it used in everyday English? What are its synonyms?


texts:
I always stumble when using abbreviations in a sentence, as they inherently contain a period in them. How do I use a comma or a semicolon after an abbreviation? How about a period?

E.g. (This is an example of my quandary)


texts: 2nd adjective phrase in a complex sentence - comma rule?

texts:
I'm looking for a grammar rule here with regards to a non-essential clause that is in the same place as an adjective and acting like a 2nd adjective. In a simple sentence, the 2nd adjective rule is clear:

  (1) He was a tired, angry man.

But what to do in a complex sentence, when a 2nd adjective becomes a whole clause. Is it just like the simple sentence and without the comma:

  (2)The political background of capitalism is a distinct, although not often explicitly and sharply defined identity among commercial movements in Europe.

Or does it get treated like a non-restrictive clause with a 2nd comma:

  (3) The political background of capitalism is a distinct, although not often explicitly and sharply defined, identity among commercial movements in Europe.

I feel like the connection between defined and identity is quite strong, thus making this non-optional, in the same way angry and man is not optional.

  (4) He was a tired, angry, man.

To me the above sentence is clearly wrong, so why is a comma not wrong in #3?

Help appreciated.


texts: Is there an adjective that means "every two days", i.e. is to a day as biennial is to a year?


texts: How to write name 'Jonas' to force /j/ sound?

texts:
In Poland and many European countries Jonas is a popular name, spelled slightly differently in each language (Jonasz, Jonàs, Jonáš, Joonas). In most of Europe and Africa it is pronounced with initial /j/ sound (as in yes). But native English speakers use /d͡ʒ/ (joy). Polish people named Jonasz hate it when their name is pronounced this way, as it should be /j/.

How can I write this name to be read with the right sound? I think there are few obvious options:

Spell it Yonas. Is pronounced correctly, but looks a bit weird.
Spell it Ionas. Similar to 1.
Spell it Jonas and correct everyone who dares to pronounce it with /d͡ʒ/.
Write it in Russian alphabet as Йонаш or Ёнаш (would be pronounced correctly by Russians). No one will know how to read it, so they will have to ask for correct pronunciation. Disadvantages include being called a Russian spy and missing the point of even writing the name if no one can read it.

Is there a clever solution I haven't thought of? If not, which options looks best to native English speakers?


texts: What is the difference between "better yet" and " better still"?

texts:
Is there a difference between ‘better yet’ and ‘better still’?

This Ngram shows an interesting trend.


texts: Leave someone out. Discard somebody out. What is wrong with this sentence can someone help

texts: In a demo session a demo students said the sentence. Sometimes you just have to discard somebody out. I didn't know how to fix it but I know he meant sometimes you have to leave somebody out. But how would I correct this


texts:
The term southpaw comes to mind for describing a predominantly left-handed person. Is there a similar term for a right-handed person?

Aside from the obvious right-handed and left-handed, or the more archaic dexter and sinister, is there a term for one's dominant hand?


texts: which one is correct, "Master's student" or "Masters student" or "MSc student"?

texts:
I don't know exactly which one is more official and correct?
Master's Student
Masters Student
MSc Student

What is main difference?


texts: My daughter asked me a question in the car the other day, and I didn't have an answer. She asked me about the origin of the expression "get stoned" (i.e. with regards to drug use), and how it might be related to "stoning".


texts: Is "different from" or "different than" more correct?

texts:
"I am different from/than you." (I am not similar to you.)

Is one usage more correct than the other? Or are they two different usages that could mean two different things?

The answers to the other question cited describe the history of the expressions"different from" and "different than," but not the differences in meaning.

I believe that Nanigashi's and Andrew Leach's comments most nearly approximate the correct answer.


texts: How does this sentence structure differ from the normal?

texts:
Is this sentence:

On the Application to Dynamics of a General Mathematical Method previously applied to Optics.

The same as this one?

On the Application of a General Mathematical Method to Dynamics previously applied to Optics.

Is this just stylistic or is there more to it?

Or do these two mean completely different things?


texts:
Is this correct or not. Recently I said this to a person and my brother in law suggested that it was wrong to say so. Instead I should have said
 I am here if you can meet me


texts: Position of linking verb "are" in a question

texts:
EDITED:
Are the following sentences correct in correctly positioning the linking verb are?

What different devices are used in this type of setting?
What are the different devices that are used in this type of setting?

I am asking this to confirm if they mean the same?

EDITS after @Kris 's comment

What different devices are used in this type of setting?
What are the different devices used in this type of setting?


texts: Is there any single word to express `make you understand`?

texts:
Is there any single word to express make you understand?

I often face problem to replace the phrase make you understand when I say something to my audience like,

  "I did it to make you understand the purpose"

What can be the correct word?


texts: Verbs and pronouns in action phrases e.g. me: *smiles*

texts:
An action is usually a verb phrase surrounded in asterisks to show that someone is doing something. When an action is written, why is it using the third person verb conjugation even though the subject is in the first or second person? It doesn't feel right if I use the first or second person verb conjugation. I know that it can also use the gerund form of the verb. But the gerund can be used with any subject.
For example:

me: *smiles* (common)

me: *smile* (doesn't feel right)

It's quite commonly used in memes. Example
It's also found in texting while performing an action or role-playing.

*blushes*

Other examples can be found by searching 'role play texting' on Google Images.
And also why does it use the object form of the pronouns and not the subject form? It also doesn't feel right if I use the subject form of the pronoun,
Example:

me: *smiles*

I: *smiles*

Why is that the case? Has it been this way since a long time ago or is it only done now because of the internet?


texts: Is there a word in English for sticking to a schedule

texts:
For my customer I need to implement a measurement about how well their call center agents stick to the schedule. They need to take a break and return when they are supposed to, so the phones are evenly attended. The German word used to describe this measurement is "handhabung". How would I call this in English?

Edit:
"Handhabung" translates in google to "handling". However, I have never heard handling being used in this context. None of the other synonyms seemed to make sense, either. I came up with the word "strictness", but I wonder if there is a better alternative.


texts:
What is the equivalent adjective of the word different?

It must give a positive feeling and must be opposite to the negative feeling word 'weird'.

I'm writing some dialogs for my short-film where this word is so important.

More than one word suggestions are welcome and thank you all in advance.


texts: Should I use 'the' before the word 'banking system'?

texts: Should I use 'the' before the word 'banking system' when I refer banking system as a whole?


texts: English equivalent to the idiom 'I'll imprint with my ten fingers'

texts:
The Arabic idiom 'I'll imprint with my ten fingers' is used to mean you don't just approve of something but you completely and utterly approve of it without a scintilla of doubt—you are in till the end. Used as a further confirmation and to cut all doubts. For example,

A: Are you with me or not?
B: of course I am and I'll imprint with my ten fingers [like documenting/validating something, when you give your fingerprint].

Are there any similar idioms in English?


texts: How to use the word "mainstream" in a sentence

texts:
Should we use "the" before the word "mainstream"? I have found some sentences on the internet and not sure if they are right and if they right then not sure why they are right without the word "the."

Many North Americans use alternative therapies along with mainstream medicine to treat illnesses.
This notion was largely overlooked in mainstream psychology for many years.


texts: Word for killing group of people based on that group's common age?

texts:
Is there a word that describes killing people based on that group's age?

For instance, genocide is a specific intent to destroy, in whole or in substantial part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. So it is a pretty broad word including those of any subset of those classes.

It would seem to me that age would be a class. Its subclasses could include, with their respective killing descriptors, unborn (feticide), new born (Neonaticide), infant (infanticide), and the elderly (senicide). I imagine there are additional age groups with specific terminology that I cannot recall at the moment.

So would would be the term for killing someone based on age, irrespective of their actual age?


texts: Meaning of "first-level", "second-level" in general

texts:
What do these expressions mean in general: first-level, second-level, ... ?
For example,

  Response rates provide a first-level indicator of advertisement
  effectiveness. Conversion rates offer a second-level indicator of
  advertisement effectiveness.


texts: What's the difference between sign up with and sign up for?

texts:
Is it right to write "Sign up with the organization"?

How about "Sign up for the program"?


texts: Is this prepositional phrase or introductory clause?

texts:
“Out of respect for the rest of the class”

The full sentence is: "Out of respect for the rest of the class, please arrive on time."


texts: Words (especially homographs or homonyms) with different inflection

texts:
Is there a term for words (especially homographs or homonyms of the same word class) that differ in their inflection?

The Latin ēdūcō whose present infinitive is ēducere (“to lead forth, to erect”) or ēducāre (“to bring up; to educate, to train; to produce”).
The Icelandic hór meaning a “hook for a pot, an earmark for sheep” for one declension, “adultery” for a second declension and a “lover of a married woman” for a third declension.

I can't think of any English examples off the top of my head.


texts: Politically correct synonym for "Indian giver"?

texts: The phrase "Indian giver" means someone who gives a person a gift and then wants it back later. It's occasionally a useful concept, but the dictionary says it's offensive and I also think so. Is there a non-racist way to say this?


texts:
Legolas prodded him across the bridge ("You'll beg for mercy, but you'll get none from me, oho no!"), up the beech-lined path ("You'll never work in this country again, I'll bloody well see to that!") Source.
What's the meaning of the expression "I'll bloody well see to that!"? It means something like "I'll make sure of that!" I am not sure what it really means.


texts: "First aid kit" or "medicine box" for home use?

texts:
What term is more widespread and suitable when we speak about box with medicines you keep at home on a regular basis? Every family has such box, where you store necessary medicines, bandages, syringes and etc.
I don't mean kits which are used in hiking, trekking, and other sport activities, as well as bags used by professionals (e.g. emergency physicians). I know "first aid kit" is a must here. But what if we speak about more extended (not only first aid) kit ?


texts: Celebs and royals watch wedding to Jack Brooksbank

texts:
Can you have a wedding to someone? I know you can wed someone or be wedded to someone, and you can have a wedding of a couple, but I am not sure about this.

Wedding is usually used as a noun, but I am wondering if they are trying to use it as a verbal noun here.

Note that I saw this on a link on the BBC news website so I can;t give a stable link to it. They appear to have used different grammar in the article itself.


texts:
I'm not an English speaker.
Q1. In my language, a bumbag is called a "waist pouch," and it includes both the bag part and the belt part. The Oxford Learner's Dictionary puts "bumbag is a small bag attached to a belt..." My first question is - a bumbag points only to the bag part or the whole.
Q2. On some websites, Americans say a US fanny pack is called a "bum bag" in the UK. But on-line dictionaries of Oxford, Cambridge, and Collins have no entry for it. They have "bumbag" and do not refer to "bum bag" as an alternative spelling. Is "bum bag" OK in UK, Canada, Australia, or NZ?
(Number of occurrences in US Amazon: "fanny pack" 84,500 / "waist bag" 70,500 / "waist pack" 46,300 / "bum bag" 12,400 / bumbag" 3,350 ; but I do not think this is the actual usage.)
I would appreciate any suggestions.


texts: Is there a word like "conjugate" that means switching a noun between plural and singular forms?

texts:
Changing a verb to reflect the number of people and tense of the sentence is called conjugation.

Is there a word that means toggling a noun between singular and plural?

ie. "The computer program could construct basic sentences, but it could not pluralify nouns correctly".


texts: Single word to refer to either a university major or minor

texts:
What is the single word to refer to either a university major or minor?? When used, the speaker does not want to emphasize whether that study area is his/her major or minor in the university, but just one subject he/she is working on.

Personally I would use "study area" to talk about this and I think people can understand without ambiguity. I'm just wondering whether there is a more native word that exists.

Is "discipline" an appropriate word for this case??


texts: The modern usage of the term scantily clad

texts: The term scantily clad is commonly defined as inadequately clothed, under dressed, or wearing something that covers too little of the body, but I've seen the term used simply to describe people who are sexy or wearing clothes that are a little less than demure. Is it either lexically or semantically correct and acceptable to use the term in those contexts??


texts:
When i do my homework, I see this phrase:
"About any chance of you being covered".

I dont know why we use "being covered" here. What structure is this?

Please help :)


texts: Why is " significant other" often used humorously according to the OALD?

texts:
I searched Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary for this word phrase " significant other" and it shows that is often used humorously but in Longman Dictionary it is a regular phrase. Which one is correct? I  have used Youglish website to hear natural examples of this phrase but never heard a humorous use of it or may I was not able to recognize that .

Is it often used humorously?


texts: What is the origin of the "-o-rama" suffix (such as in "app-o-rama" referenced by the Wall Street Journal), and how can this suffix be clearly defined?


texts: How to describe "ascribing the actions of the few to the many"? What kind of thinking is that?

texts: Racism being the classic example, but there are many. ACAB (all cops are bastards) is another. I thought reductionist might work here but it doesn't. "Lazy" is too simplistic. "Collectivist" doesn't work either.


texts: "When clause" in past tense when describing a conditional fact

texts:
Please take a look at the following example of using the When conjunction:
We've fixed a bug where an error message popped up when the user clicked / clicks on the Start button.
If the main clause takes a past form (popped up) as in the example above, which is correct between "clicked" and "clicks"? I know that typically the subordinate clause also should take the same past tense; however, this sentence  describes a conditional fact, rather than indicating an actual incident that ever occurred in timespace. Does this rule still work in this case?


texts: What's a word that means "make oneself feel stupid" or "make oneself appear stupid"

texts: Almost like dumbing down, or under utilizing yourself?


texts: “Has he come yet'” vs “Has he not come yet?”

texts:
I referred to the Michael Swan's Practical English Usage, regarding the use of yet as an adverb (chapter 539.3 yet).

The following examples are given below:

The postman has not come yet.
Has the postman come yet?
Is supper ready yet?

He explains that yet is used in the negative sentences and positive questions. He has not explained why it is so. To me “Has he come yet” sounds odd. Why can't we say “Hasn't he come yet?” instead of “Has he come yet?”

Is there grammatical base for this or is it just a matter of usage? If it is possible to use negative question like “Has he not come yet?”, how does it differ from “Has he come yet?”?

Could you please explain?


texts: What does "dog on the sofa moment" mean?

texts: I'm a Brit since birth so a native English speaker but I heard the expression "dog on the sofa moment" whilst listening to the radio and I have no idea what it means. I could have mis-heard but I don't think so. The context was the presenter saying how she had the opportunity to interview a certain celebrity and it was a real "dog on the sofa moment".


texts: Which one is more correct: "works at a university" or "works in a university"?

texts:
My relative is a fairly big academic and works at a university.

Is this correct? or should I have used in instead?


texts: Present perfect or past perfect with "yesterday"?

texts:
I have marked those books yesterday.
  I had marked those books yesterday.

Which sentence is correct?

I know that:

The present perfect is used when an action begins in the past and continues into the present, or holds relevance in the present.
The past perfect  is used when an action begins in the past and finishes in the past, to holds relevance only in the past.


texts:
Are the following sentences with "could not" correct? I want "could not" to mean impossibility.

Peter could not be in the garden now.

Peter could not be working in the garden now.

Peter could not attend the school. The school is closed now.

Thank you very much.


texts: What is the widespread word to name the mouthpiece used by fans at the stadium?


texts: Formal sounding word or phrase for "punish"

texts:
In my writing I encounter topics about regulations and I am forced to use the word "punish" very frequently. The tone of my writing should be formal / professional, and I am at my wit's end as to how to introduce much needed word variety -- seeing as all the synonyms that the thesaurus and my brain can think of do not have the right level of formality.

spank
chastise (formal, but now its overkill)
crack down

This is merely for the general case, but for illustrations sake, consider:

  The regulator _______ the company citing insufficient due diligence.

Question

My last iota of hope hinges on some phrase that retains a formal style that has the appropriate meaning. Thesauruses are not always robust to such phrases, so perhaps the greater community here will have some ideas.


texts: Is there a term that describes the class of words that, if accidentally dropped, completely invert the meaning of the sentence?

texts:
When typing a sentence, accidentally dropping a word is much more common than accidentally adding a word. I do it often enough in long emails that I have to double check any important draft before I send it.

Is there a term that describes the class of words that, if accidentally dropped, completely invert the meaning of the sentence while the sentence retains grammatical and contextual validity?

For example, not, just and if would exist in this "class" of words:

Dropping not: "The 1930s were not Germany's finest political period" becomes "The 1930s were Germany's finest political period".
Dropping just: "Designing space-age rockets was not just hard; it was cool" becomes "Designing space-age rockets was not hard; it was cool".
Dropping if: "If the briefcase is his, you will execute the spy" becomes "The briefcase is his, you will execute the spy".


texts:
Homophones are two words with the same sound, but different meaning, like red and read (the past tense of to read ).

Is there a linguistic term which refers to two or more words which have almost the same, but not quite the same sound? I am particularly referring to the situation which happens in Chinese, in which two words have a similar sound, and would even have the same spelling in IPA, but different tone, for example 到 (dao) which has a falling tone and 岛 (dao) which falls, then rises, so they are nearly alike in pronunciation, not not identical.
Is there a broader linguistic term which both includes homophones and these “almost-homophones”?


texts:
I am applying for a special 2-days business course and I have a couple of questions about the sentence below.

"No one better than me would be able to take full advantage of this unique opportunity."

1) I am not sure about the use of "to take advantage of an opportunity" in this context, since I know that it generally has a negative connotation.  I want to express that if they gave me the opportunity, I would "use" it in the best way possible (it wouldn't be wasted).

2) I was thinking about moving "better than me" to the end:
"No one would be able to take full advantage of this unique opportunity better than me". Which one sounds better?

Thank you in advance for your help.


texts:
Which one of the following is right/ better. I am still not sure after thinking about it for quite a while now. I am talking about the needs of multiple users. The first option (s´) is used when talking about possessions. If I would translate it one-to-one from German then it would be the first option, but I am not sure if English speakers would prefer the second option. Thank you very much.

Research has shown that incorporating feedback into the whole lifecycle can lead to a system, that is better tailored the users’ needs.
Research has shown that incorporating feedback into the whole lifecycle can lead to a system, that is better tailored to user needs


texts: Describing a relationship that is related via a third party?

texts:
How do you describe something where

A does not cause B,

but

C causes A and B.

What would you call the relationship between C and A/B and the relationship between A and B? I'm sure there's some logical terminology for this.

Thanks.


texts: What is the difference between log in, sign in; register, sign up; log out, sign out

texts:
Although they are all over the Internet, but the answers are not fixed and were not asked all 4s at a time causing me to be confused.

Is it accurate if I say:

both login and sign in are the same as authenticate
verb, to validate the user. Otherwise password are not required.
both logout and sign out are the same
log in is to authenticate into a website that has different interface as guest
You cannot use the logged in interface if you are a guest, e.g. Facebook
sign in is to authenticate into a website that has same interface as guest
You can still use the website without signing in, e.g. Google
register is entering your information into the system for your account for serious thing
You need to enter your information like name, address, contact number, etc for domain registration. Another example is company registration.
sign up is to create an account to use
You only need to enter essential information like email, username, password, etc for a Facebook account.


texts:
Compare:

  "He modified the sentence for clarity."

vs

  "He modified the sentence to make it clear."

Any difference here?


texts: Is English becoming easier or harder to learn?

texts:
As we all know, English is evolving.  Constructs considered repugnant 100 years ago are widely-accepted today.  Thousands of words in our vocabulary have fallen into disuse while thousands more have been adopted.

My question: is English becoming easier to learn or harder?  This is especially relevant given that--for better or worse--learning English is fast becoming a requirement for many non-native speakers.


texts:
In your opinion, is the following sentence (the first part of it) grammatically correct?

  "It boggled him Truman manned the Oval Office while they spent the
  last of their meager savings on two hedonistic weeks of sun, surf and
  sex".

Isn't there something amiss - say, a conjunction - between "it boggled him" and the Truman part? Or is the sentence all right as it is now?

And as for the meaning of the passage as well: does it imply that any reckless spending would've been considered paradoxical during Truman's presidency - on the grounds of times being economically tough? or some other reason?

Thank you in advance.


texts: "Continuously" vs "continually": What's the difference?

texts:
What's the difference in the usage of these two adverbs continuously and continually?
Here are some examples:

a) She was told off for continually being late.
b) It rained continuously for three hours this morning.
c) The firemen worked continuously through the night.
d) I'm afraid you continually make the same mistakes.


texts: What does “a body gets stuffed in the closet” mean?

texts:
There was an interesting story titled 'Want a New You? Change Your Name' written by singer and pianist, Alina Simons (Alina Vilenkin by her old name) in New York Times (December 26 issue), in which she introduces how her life changed after changing her name:

“Twelve years ago, I changed my own name to Alina Simone. - - So I know that whenever someone changes her name, a body gets stuffed in the closet. When I think back to my old self, I think of an entirely different person, not altogether likable, whose singular distinguishing characteristic was the chronic inability to follow through with anything she said she would do.”

I don’t understand the meaning of the phrase, “a body gets stuffed in the closet.” What does it mean? Is it a colloquial expression?

By the way, as an associated question, we have professional advisors of name change called name doctor (姓名鑑定士) in our country. They judge, diagnose, and recommend a new name to clients and their expectant children based on the number of strokes of Japanese characters of your name and the date of your birth. Is there similar profession in your country? If there is, how are they called (in English)?


texts:
The night of stark awakening is this a phrase or any kind of common saying?

I want know the meaning of- stark awakening

I found some meaning of the word Stark -

Empty
Simple
Obvious
Completely

But I was unable to put any of these defining word before the word awakening


texts: On the punctuation for introducing a list with a non-independent clause and then proceeding to comment on items of that list

texts:
The grammar of the following sentences may not be correct, but you should be able to get the gist of how I want to structure the sentences.

My question is how to make the sentences grammatically correct (in regards to the use of colon, semicolon, etc..) if they aren't already.

So for example:

Of the required study-prerequisites courseA, courseB, and courseC; he has taken only courseA.
In regards to your choices choiceA, choiceB, or choiceC; I would recommend going with choice B.
With respect to the games: gameA, gameB, gameC, and gameD; I find gameA to be the funnest.

Really, I'm just not sure as to what the grammar should be for any sentence in which one introduces a list (where the introduction is not an independent clause) and then comments on an item of the list with an independent clause.

Is what I have correct? If not, how would it be done?

Additionally, how would one comment (with not necessarily an independent clause) on each item of the list?

So, if the above were correct, would we just do the following:

Of the required study-prerequisites courseA, courseB, and courseC; he has passed courseA; failed courseB; and has yet to take courseC.

Thank you


texts: What's a word for how long it takes to do something?

texts: I'm trying to track how long it takes to do individual tasks throughout the day.  I'm tracking it in Excel and want a single word for the time it took from beginning to completion to use in the column header. Thanks!


texts: "Bring up a topic" or "bring up a subject"?

texts: If I start speaking about something, do I "bring up the topic of [sth.]" or "bring up the subject of [sth.]"?


texts: Correct Usage of Plural Possessive Word "user"?

texts:
Which of the following is the correct usage of the plural possessive word "user"?

  We would like to store a cookie in every user's browser.

or

  We would like to store a cookie in every users' browser.


texts: Word for "to wrong by treating the same?"

texts: I was wondering if there is a word for treating a group the same as another, even though they have different needs. It would be a bit like an antonym of discrimination, but most antonyms of discrimination are positive (fairness, impartiality, etc.) Any ideas?


texts: What is the best word for describing a thing 'to be tracked'? In the vein of employer is to employee as tracker is to ...? I'm using it to refer to the proxy used by a feature tracking algorithm.


texts: Etymology of "modal dialogs" in computerese

texts:
When programming you may deal with so-called modal dialogs — these are windows where you are supposed to provide information before you are allowed to proceed any further. A modal dialog blocks or dims the rest of user interface (UI) until you dismiss the dialog via Cancel or OK-type of a button.

But what's bugging me is — why actually the "modal" adjective is used to name this part of interface?


texts: Is there a single word meaning the same as "to pull the rug out from under one's feet"?

texts: I'm sure there was one, I just can't remember what it is, and the ones I keep coming up with (like "challenge") don't seem to fit.


texts: Why is "bicycle" pronounced differently from other obviously related words?

texts: The word bicycle is pronounced /'baɪsɪkəl/ (bahy-si-kuhl), like sickle. However, the words unicycle and motorcycle both have the -cycle pronounced as /-'saɪkəl/ (sahy-kuhl). Is there some sort of reason for this, or is this just a vagary of English pronunciation?


texts: Can semicolon be used between interrupted quotations?

texts:
This is my last question for this week.

Are both sentences punctuated correctly below?

'It cannot be done,' he said; 'we must give up the task.' (Can we use a semicolon after 'he said' above, and then resume the quotation with a lowercase 'we'?)

'It cannot be done,' he said. 'We must give up the task.' (I'm assuming this is correct as written.)


texts: Coordinative ellipsis with not and unparellel structure

texts:
I worked and did not play.
I worked and not played. ?

For some reason, when the ellipsis is used after the simple past form of the verb with no "to be" used before it, it just sounds weird to me. Is there something wrong with it, or is it just that it is not idiomatical? Or am I the one who's wrong?

I had to control myself and not cry in front of her.

I always thought that second part has been used independently and not connected to the "had to" part, for I thought there should be additional "to" like this
I had to control myself and had to not cry.
Or at least this: I had to control myself and to not cry in front of her. (It doesn't sound very idiomatic... is it acceptable?)
Is the "to" deleted? If it is, why is that?
And also, when I was trying to find the answer for this question, it was clear that everybody was asserting only the parallel form should be allowed for the ellipsis after the coordinating conjunction. For example:

Sarah is [a CEO] and [proud of her job]. - NP + AP
Is Jim [conservative] and [a closet Republican]? - A + NP
He is a crazy man and may drink a lot. -NP+V

These (only the three sentences directly above it) are from Wikipedia, and not regarded as being incorrect. But looking up at the other websites, I find that they say that it is wrong, even though many people, including me, use it this way. They say that it should be parallel like this:

Sarah is [a CEO] and [a person proud of her job]. - NP + NP

Is it supposed to be always parallel?


texts:
What is the word in English getting things after lots of struggle?

In psychology there is a theory that, people give more importance to the things which they get after lots of struggle and effort. When they get it easily, they do not know the importance of it. What is the English word for the same ?


texts: Is there a word meaning “disposed to correct one’s own behaviour quickly”?

texts:
What is the English word for  a person who when they fail and realize their failure, they then regret and quickly correct their own behaviour without any wavering?

Edit: I accepted an answer although the exact word I am looking for has not been found. I will change the answer should one be found.

The closest matches are conscientious, repentant. To express exactly what I am looking for consider the scenario: You have had an argument, then you realize that what you did to your friend is wrong and he was correct. Without any thinking at that very second you run back to your friend saying: "I am sorry I have done wrong." asking for apology. It may take you 2 minutes to correct yourself - maybe you would go over your reasoning a few times to convince a good part of yourself to take over, and you would still be considered repentant and conscientious. But what I mean is a correction without a second thought once you realize you are wrong.


texts: Is it "Sales collateral" or "Sales collaterals"?

texts: My question is whether you use the plural or singular form — or either. Is there perhaps also a different usage in the US and the UK?


texts: "Stories are so much a part of our lives that many people seldom think about them." : The use of 'so' and 'so much' as intensifiers

texts:
There are 176 hits in COCA for [be] so much a part of, including the title and:

  1- It actually is so much a part of life.
  2- Law is so much a part of me, I don't think I'll ever be able to let loose of it.
  3- The computer is so much a part of her sons' lives that they sometimes bring a laptop when they visit family in the East Bay.

Other similar examples from COCA:

  4- it is so much a pleasure to have you here.
  5- And your film is so much a woman's story, a young woman story.
  6- I am so much my mother's child in that respect. I hear myself channeling her in so many ways.

Other examples from COCA featuring so alone:

  7- I go to farmers' markets all the time. Field-to-table is so my thing.
  8- Oh, yeah! This is so my type of wish!
  9- "That is so fucking bizarre," she says. "But it 's so your mom."
  10- Dude, try it. This is so the bomb.
  11- If you want to hire me, this is so the wrong way to go about it.
  12- even though she's dead tired and she's been up all night in labor, the minute her baby calls, she is so there.
  13- He was so here, he pressed with impossible mass against the Earth.

[Be] so much a part of seems to be a special case, or even an idiom†, but I have more general questions:

1- What does so much modify in the sentences above? The verb be?‡
2- If yes, can be be freely modified by so much? If not, when exactly can be be modified by so much?
3- Why doesn't so alone work in [be] so a part of? (There are 2 hits for it in COCA (compare with the 176 mentioned above)) In other words, when exactly can be be modified by so alone?§

Note: In all the examples above, the predicative complements are noun phrases. I think things get more familiar and a lot easier to explain (for me at least) when the complement after so or so much is an adjective or something (but this post is not about that):

-Hi! You're so hot!
+Thanks! You're so much hotter than me!
-I'm so(/so much) in love with you!
+Wow! I'm so married to you!

† You can see that the title and #3 have that after so much, #2 suggests that that, and #1 doesn't have the that. I'm not sure how big of a difference it makes in the meaning, or how relevant it is to my general concerns here.
‡ Note that the verb be is modifiable.
§ One casual theory states that when the situation is gradable (or perceived as such) so much works better, and when it's non-gradable so may be fitter. Compare #2 to #10 for example. (or any of #1-#6 to any of #7-#13)


texts: The correct way of saying that the "decision has been made in my side"

texts:
What is the correct way of saying the following?

  The decision has been made in my side.

We request the people that the decision be made on our side.


texts: Why do Americans prefer to use the term grade instead of class?

texts:
I have noticed that Americans ask  kids " Which grade are you in?" while Indians ask "Which class are you studying in?" .

The typical Indian reply would be say for example :" I am a 12th class student" while I guess an American student would reply :" I am currently in my 12 th grade" (I guess).

What is the difference between them ? Or what is the orgin of the difference between these words?

Why is there a difference in the usage of these words ?


texts: Which is correct, "Indicates" or "Indicates that"?

texts:
Which one sounds better?

"it indicates that the lane is closed" or
"it indicates the lane is closed"

Personally I would go with the first one without thinking, but I am reading a document, where the latter one is used consistently, therefore I started to doubt myself. which side do you pick on this one?


texts: What's the difference between "to brag" and "to boast"

texts:
Sometimes these words are used interchanged in just two consecutive sentences, therefore I don't expect there to be a big and obvious difference. Nevertheless, since people use the English language, words get connotations and that's what I'm asking for.

I recognised that "boast" is being used more often than "brag", see Google Ngram, dict.cc, and Google Search by itself for that.


texts:
Here's a conversation.

"I saw a salesperson there"
"Was it a girl?"

Is it OK to use "it" when you refer to the salesperson?
Or should you use "that" instead of "it"?


texts: Can I 'contrive a plan' ? Would it result in redundancy?

texts:
For example: 'He contrived a plan to thwart his promotion'.
From what I could find , 'contrive' had the meaning 'to invent , devise'. So like we can say that 'He devised a plan'/'He invented a scheme' etc , it should be correct right?
 I could not find any sentences that used 'contrive' this particular way tho.
ELI5


texts: What to call the best student in a class?

texts:
Is there a word in English to qualify the highest-ranked student in a class in a year?

We are talking here about higher education, especially in the context of curricula that keep a given set of students over the course of several years, being ranked at the end of each year, possibly with competitive admission for the following year. The ranking is a weighted average of all marks obtained over the year.

I am looking for a single word, or expression, to quickly designate the one student with the highest ranking. If there is no such thing in English, then let's try to get the most concise and idiomatic definition.

In all cases, it is not emotionally connoted, i.e. not pejorative nor bragging.

For French speakers: I am looking for the translation of “major de promotion”.

EDIT: additional, not as much of a pure “word request” question: is this anything you should mention on a curriculum vitæ in the English-speaking world? If so, please mention whether the given word is appropriate for such a use  :)


texts: clarification of the definition of "Pangaea"

texts:
I found these definitions online:

  Pangaea is a hypothetical supercontinent that included all current land masses, believed to have been in existence before the continents broke apart during the Triassic and Jurassic Periods.
  An example of Pangaea is a massive continent that contained Eurasia, North America, India, Australia, Antarctica, Africa and South America. - https://www.yourdictionary.com/pangaea

  the hypothetical landmass that existed when all continents were joined, from about 300 to 200 million years ago. -https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pangea

My question is if the term Pangaea refers to the name of the "supercontinent" (like todays "Europe" or "Africa") or as a term referring to all the continents coming together to make the "supercontinent".


texts:
I'm aware that imperative and interrogative constructions can take no subject as it's usually implied ("Look this way!!", or "Why look that way?"), but what about an indicative sentence like this one:

  Running through the hallways frantically shoving food down my throat wondering if anyone nearby notices, stopping for a moment to say hello to the principal while wiping food from my mouth, realizing also my shirt was untucked, tucking it in, proceeding through the hall, down the stairs, out the door to the bus.

I've noticed these kinds of sentences in avant-garde literature, especially fiction, and was wondering if it's technically grammatically correct, or if these authors are slightly bending the rules.

I'm just realized that perhaps it could be considered an adverbial clause and thus not an indicative... but if that's the case then there's no verb it's modifying and therefore left dangling... Any thoughts??


texts: Is there a word for a person who can understand difficult concepts or ideas quickly?

texts:
Just as the question asks. Is there a word for a person who can grasp difficult concepts or ideas quickly, especially if they are new? For example:

"That person is new to finance, and seems to have mastered it in only a few weeks. That person is a blank." Or, "That person has an uncanny blank ability in understanding finance."

The best I could come up with was wiz, or wiz kid. But those sound kind of informal.


texts: How do you refer to grouping numbers in lots of 60?

texts:
We have the term "metric" for things measured in decimal or powers of 1000:

millimeter
meter
kilometer

And the term "hexadecimal" for things measured in base 16.

What term describes grouping numbers in powers of sixty, such as used in time or degrees:

23:59:59.999
179° 59' 59.999"


texts:
This question applies primarily to coding. Is there a term that describes input that is valid but unusual?

For example: If I ask for a username, and get @##3i7&*(x]. The code should allow this, but it's not within the realm of expected, username-like inputs.

A similar real life example: going to a restaurant alone and ordering 6 of the same appetizers and a bottle of wine. This is allowed, but abnormal.

The word "strange" comes to mind, but that doesn't feel technical enough.

Thanks for the help!


texts: Which one would be correct to use in a poetic way?

texts:
Can I make an interrogative sentence without using any Helping Verb?

For instance:

  Blood is sticking onto the attire on my body; now what my pocket needs for darning?

I want to say my pocket doesn’t need anything for darning because already blood is sticking onto the atire; how should I make “what does my pocket need...” or “what my pocket needs...”?


texts:
What is the proper way to use if you will?
Here is an example.

  It's like riding a car, if you will.

Is the punctuation right?


texts: At the heart of the party/in the center of the party/at the center of the party

texts:
I have a questing regarding space prepositions.

For instance, if I want to specify that a woman and I are dancing at the central part of a room where a loud party is taking place, would it be correct for me to say “We are dancing at the heart of the party”?