texts:
Someone told me that the English language is special (compared to German, at least) in the way that every noun could be used as a verb. I think this phenomenon is called supine. Is this correct?

Examples:

house → to house
well → to well
phone → to phone
table → to table
lamp → to lamp

At first it seemed to me that this would work with all nouns. But then I thought of the following nouns, and I think they can't be used as a verb, am I right?

person →(?) to person
human →(?) to human
baker →(?) to baker
computer →(?) to computer
example →(?) to example

It seems that nouns describing people (person, human, baker) are exceptions? But it works for "author" ("to author"). Hmm. "Computer" seems smiliar to a person's job to me (could be a human instead of a machine that computes).

But what about "example"? I think "to example (something/someone)" is not possible, is it? What would a native speaker understand/think if someone says:

  He examples.

  I want to example it/him.

Which are the nouns that can't be used as a verb?


texts: From French “manœuvre” to English “manoeuvre”, does “œ” exist in English?

texts:
Sadly, I don’t have much to add from the title to this question: does œ exist in English, such as in the word manœuvre?

The same question may also apply to what the French call the “e dans l’a” (e in the a), the æ, in addition to what they call the “e dans l’o” (e in the o), the œ — at least as far as the French part is concerned.


texts: What is the word for "the way a word sounds to your ear"?

texts: I do not mean "Phonaesthetics" or euphony or cacophony which carry a value judgement. Words have an audio 'pattern', mostly unique and different from other words. This is the unique audio "finger-print" of the word, which does not carry a un/pleasant connotation - it is simply the sound of a (particular word) being spoken. I am looking for the definition or term for the sound of word/s. Does such a term exist? I used to think it was "nomenclature".


texts:
Is it necessary to use an article with the word secret?

For example:

  Teach your children not to keep problems, games, or other activities a secret.

or

  Teach your children not to keep problems, games, or other activities secret.

and

  If your kids go out for ice cream with a grandparent—even though you wouldn't approve—the grandparent shouldn't tell the kids to keep the ice cream a secret from you.

or

  If your kids go out for ice cream with a grandparent—even though you wouldn't approve—the grandparent shouldn't tell the kids to keep the ice cream secret from you.


texts: Phrase or word for describing a basic pricing rationale?

texts:
I'm creating an application where customers can buy things. For some things they are charged based on the quantity of things they buy, but for others they are based on the total weight of the things they buy. Is there some specific term, single word or few words, that succintly describes the way in which something will be charged? For example: "The _____ for this product is the total weight of items." or even just "_____: weight".

I'm actually still unsure whether this word or term will be used in the user interface, but it will definitely be needed in the API of the application, as in there will be a method named something like get[TERM_OR_PHRASE] that will return either "weight" or "quantity".

Edit: For what it's worth, I'm Finnish, and in Finnish the word I'd use is hinnoitteluperuste, but no web dictionary seems to find any translation for it.


texts: What does your sense of language tell you about this blog post title?

texts:
The title is "Boiling React Down to Few Lines in jQuery".

Is it confusing? Is it appealing or bringing attention? Does it feel wrong? And last, are there anything grammatically wrong with it?

Please state whether you are a native speaker in your answer.

P.S. I ask in a such a weird way 'cause grammar could be googled to an extent and I am trying to tap into your sense of language instead.


texts: I am confuse which one is correct between these two , for me both seems correct?

texts:
He is at the library studying for his German test on Wednesday
He is studying in the library for his German test on Wednesday


texts: When you want to say something occurred only one time, it's "once". Two is twice, three is thrice. What's for four?


texts: What is a more formal way to phrase, "but I'm not talking about [something]"

texts: I'm writing an essay, and I need a way to say "but I'm not talking about [something], I'm talking about [something]." In other words, I need a way to acknowledge something misleading and clarify it in some other way.


texts: How come we write drought and draught but pronounce [draut] and [dra:ft] or write enough and though but pronounce [i’naf] and [đou]?

texts: How come we write drought and draught but pronounce [draut] and [dra: ft] or write enough and though but pronounce [i’naf] and [đou]?


texts: Does the etymology of the word "government" mean "to control the mind"?

texts:
I've heard some conspiracy theorists say that government, when broken down into its root Latin words, means "to control the mind".

I'm wondering if this is really true or not. Is it?

Edit: My own research.

Regarding the -ment suffix, Wiktionary says "from -mentum via Old French -ment".

-mentum doesn't support this claim, but -ment might: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-ment#French

Only etymology 1 supports this claim. Etymology 2 links back to -mentum. I am unsure whether this morpheme, as used in government, draws from etymology 1 or 2.


texts: Term describing the practice of anticipating dangers while driving

texts:
When one is driving a car (or any other vehicle for that matter) there is a German term that describes the practice trying to predict situations that might occur. When attempting to translate it I can only come up with descriptions, not with a succinct term. The descriptions revolve around the following:

situational awareness
anticipating dangers
safe driving practice

But none of them feel like the right term to me.

I've also found anticipatory driving being used. But here the context seems to usually be fuel efficiency. I also have the sneaky suspicion that it originated as a translation of the German term I am looking to translate (vorrausschauendes Fahren).


texts: Is the following motto "We do more 100% accountability" a non sequitur?

texts:
The boss wants to use the following motto: "We do more 100% accountability"

Grammatically it sounds like an odd sentence construction to me, but I suspect it is also a non sequitur (if not worse!).

I think what he should be saying is "Constantly exceeding expectations in Accountability"

All comments are appreciated. Thanks in advance!


texts: Difference between 'I would like to be' & 'I want to be'

texts:
I would like to be

and

  I want to be

What is the difference between them?

I think 'want to be' sounds stronger than 'like to be,' but I'm not sure if this is true.


texts: Difference between "She is hot" and "Hot she is"?

texts: Is there any difference on these two usages "She is hot" and "Hot she is" ??


texts:
English isn't my native language. I don't trust my pronunciation too much.

I don't know how to pronounce the domain name jsfiddle.net. There isn't any video about jsfiddle, so I can't learn the pronunciation.


texts: What would you call someone who constantly is thinking of all scenarios/possibilities/outcomes?

texts:
If someone is the type of person who goes into a situation or conversation and before stepping in thinks of all the different things that could happen and how they would respond.

Example: If they ask me about this... I would say that...
If this happens... I would do this...


texts: Synonyms: one-time-purchase (business model) / one-shot deal businesses

texts:
What phrases describe a one-time purchase business plan or a one-shot business deal?

For instance: a restaurant is in Times Square, the food is atrocious but it doesn't matter because there are enough, new, transients everyday that you are sure to have enough customers (that will, obviously, never come back again).

The plan is just to get new customers, passing customers, and not to worry about long-term business.

What phrases are there for this type of business model?


texts: Abdominal; Why isn't it 'abdomenal' (with an 'e'), and is there a name for such words?

texts: Why is the word 'abdominal' formed of an altered spelling of 'abdomen'? I have noticed other words similar, but none spring to mind; is there a name for them?


texts:
write a paragraph of about 150 words on the following topics
Write a paragraph in about 150 words on the following topics

which sentence given above is correct?


texts:
Antonym of "Towards" contained in one word?

The only antonym that I can think of is "Away From", but that is two words.


texts: PC workplace term for personality type of someone who has no interest in doing their job

texts:
I need to describe personality types in the workplace. You get type A personality (perfectionist) and type B (social, enthusiastic).
What do you call the personality type who got a job for political reasons such as nepotism, brownnoser, sucking up but they have no interest in doing their job properly? is there a politically correct/academic/research paper term to call this personality type? I want to say in my company you get type A personality and type ___, the latter has no interest in being a craftsman but just gamified the system for the sake of earning an income. Basically, someone with no skill, no interest in gaining a skill, just have the title.


texts: "Don't know what the name is" vs. "Don't know what it's called"

texts:
What is the difference between saying:

  A: Which meal do you want, Sir?
  B: Number 4. I don't know what the name is.

  A: Which meal do you want, Sir?
  B: Number 4. I don't know what it's called.


texts: How is "officially" used in a non-literal way?

texts:
An article called 'I am Officially Sick of COVID-19' got me thinking about this non-literal usage of 'officially'. I'd be interested to hear some explanations of how to correctly use this.
My feeling is that 'officially' is often used as a kind of emphatic way to demonstrate some kind of strong emotion. It also seems to present a logical conclusion, after you have listed some reasons for your emotion. In the article, the writer lists the many aspects of COVID which have negatively impacted his life. The punchline is then 'I am officially sick of it', implying a logical connection between the list of reasons. A literal usage of 'officially' hints at a systematic process which provides something with validity. The 'validity' aspect seems to carry over to the non-literal usage.


texts: "I would like to know what your name is" instead of "I would like to know what is your name"

texts: Could anyone name the grammar rule that governs how "I would like to know what is your name." should be "I would like to know what your name is." If there isn't really a rule for that, could anyone explain why the verb and the noun should swap places for this type of sentence structure?


texts:
In my language we have an expression that literally translates as: "Straightener for a bender".

The meaning is: When someone did something wrong and someone else is trying to fix it by adding yet another thingy, instead of doing it right directly, they're creating a "straightener for a bender".

Example:

You see that somebody was annoyed by the door with the automatic door closer, so they put in a door stopper. Well, that's a nice "straightener for a bender".
You find in a source code that certain data has been decompressed. You wonder where does the data originate from and you find that right before the call to the decompression function they have been compressed in another function.
You are reviewing recurring transactions on several bank accounts you have. And you find out that there is a loop that transfers money from 1st to 2nd, then from 2nd to 3rd and finally from 3rd to 1st bank account.

Can be also used in software process, DIY projects, car repair, pretty much anywhere.

Question is: Is there an expression/idiom to describe that in English?


texts: How to distinguish the meaning of "repair" and " fix"

texts: Are both the same? When do we use "fix" and when do we use "repair"


texts: What's the real meaning of this part of a poem?

texts:
It is a part of a poem by Ntozake Shange.

  i live in music
  live in it
  wash in it
  i cd even smell it
  wear sound on my fingers
  sound falls so fulla music
  ya cd make a river where yr arm is &
  hold yrself
  hold yrself in a music

What is the meaning of "I cd"?

Thank you


texts: "The leaders were seated [in/on] the apse" - which one is better?

texts: In the context of a cathedral/church. "The leaders were seated in the apse" or "The leaders were seated on the apse". Which one of these is right?


texts:
I write because that's the only thing left to do.

It sounds funny when you read the ending of the sentence out loud. I feel like it's more appropriate to say:

  I write because that's the only thing left doing.

What's the correct way to say it?


texts: Word for travelling, when the journey is more important than reaching your destination?

texts:
Is there some specific word for travelling, when the important thing is the journey rather than reaching your destination?  For example it's more important to go slowly and see the sights, than reaching your final destination - so you walk, bike or drive car; rather than taking a plane, although that get you there much faster...  It could for example be because the journey itself is supposed to teach you something important (about yourself?), and that is the real purpose of the trip...

(Sorry, I got the idea for this question after watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqVD0swvWU ...and they're right, if just getting there and doing their stuff was what mattered, they could've trimmed the story down to 15 minutes rather that three movies...  So obviously, the journey was supposed to teach them something.)


texts: Word for the action or result of expressing a telephone number as letters/words

texts:
You can use the letters on a standard telephone keypad to encode/decode a number to/from letters, eg

439225563 -> HEY CALL ME

Is there a name from either the result "HEY CALL ME" or the action of converting the number to these letters/words?


texts: Looking for a British expression that is similar to "mind you" in meaning

texts:
language gurus!

I came across a British expression while reading op-eds on the Gurdian, which I forgot. It was similar to "mind you" in meaning as in the following sentence:

"They are expensive, mind you, but the quality of their craftsmanship is worth the extra price."

Cheers in advance!


texts: Confused by the syntax or grammaticality used in this quote by Karl Marx. Please help?

texts:
The quote is from the Manifesto of the Communist Party:

  No sooner is the exploitation of the labourer by the manufacturer, so far, at an end, that he receives his wages in cash, than he is set upon by the other portions of the bourgeoisie, the landlord, the shopkeeper, the pawnbroker, etc.

I understand what this quote means, but I do not understand the way it is worded. Marx uses "no sooner" with "so far", "at an end", and "that" before he gets to using "than", which seems to be the familiar construct. Can someone help untangle this one for me?


texts:
I am designing a poster for a sale where the second item is 50% off. As is standard for such sales, the second item's price must be the same as or less than the price of the first item.

My boss wants this conveyed as "second item is of equal or lesser value to the first item", but this seems incorrect to me. Specifically, the "to" sounds like it should be "as" or "than".

To me, "of equal or lesser value" is like saying "of the same or smaller value", and saying "of the same or smaller value to the first item" does not make any sense to me. The sentence is comparing item to item, not value to item or value to value. Consider:

"of equal or lesser value to the first item"
"of darker color to the first item"
"of longer length to the first item"
"of similar structure to the first item"

None of these make sense to me.

Having said that, I went on Google to check my sanity, and as the search results indicate, using "to" is much more common than "as" or "than"!

What am I missing?

Thank you in advance!


texts: What is different of these: Host, Organizers, Sponsors, committee?

texts: I don't know the different of "Host, Organizers, Sponsors,  committee" in the conference.


texts:
This is from a GRE test.

"Modern agricultural practices have been extremely successful in increasing the productivity of major food crops, yet despite heavy use of pesticides, considerable losses to diseases and insect pests are sustained each year."

Please let me know if I understand this correctly.
Here is what I got from the passage:

1.The productivity of major food crops has been successfully increased due to new agricultural practices.

2.The use of pesticides doesn't reduce losses to diseases and pests, which implies that pesticides are not effective in increasing the productivity of food crops.

3.The passage is trying to say that modern agricultural practices are useful, except the use of pesticides.

Thank you.


texts: Interrogatives followed by an infinitive

texts:
I know these sentences work:

We don't know where to put the sofa. (where we should put the sofa)

No one could tell me how to start the engine. (how I should start the engine)

The rules didn't specify who to speak to in case of an emergency. (who you should speak to)

I had no idea what to write my home paper about. (what I should write my home paper about)

But are the followings do, too?

Search for "[yourcity] department of sanitation". They are who to call when there is a dead dog in the road.

Wow so if you need to know anything about the city of Helsinki, what district is good for what, where you can get the best food, the most fun bars – all that – then the staff at The Yard are who to ask.

What I would like to know is whether this pattern serves as a complement, aside from serving as an object in the first four examples.

Thank you very much.


texts:
Why is it unnecessary to put an indefinite article before the word manager in the following sentence:

  She took over as manager when Mr Hunt retired.

Why is it different from the case like this:

  She is a manager.


texts: Binding of adjectives to two consequtive nouns

texts:
Lets say I have a phrase a valid geometry pointer (which might be a little technical but the focus is on adjectives and nouns).

How does the word valid bind to geometry pointer? Does it mean a (valid geometry) pointer or a a valid (geometry pointer)?

Could you also point to a reputable resource that could confirm this? Thank you.

Edit

or maybe its invalid in English?


texts: Word for something that does the opposite of what it supposed to

texts:
Specifically a bad outcome when a good one was meant. I'm trying to describe a cosmetic procedure meant to make you look more natural, which actually makes you look unnatural. Ideally a noun or adjective if there is one.

"He has no cosmetic embedded BLANK accessories. No inorganic betrayal of his humanity."


texts:
We usually speak of the events of a work of fiction in present tense, even though they may clearly have happened in the past: "Macbeth hallucinates a dagger floating before him." This is because the events of the work in a sense unfold as you're reading them, so they are always in the present.

But does this extend to facts about the work itself? Specifically, does it extend to discussion of the work's authorship?

Which of these sentences is more correct?

A Brief History of Time is written by Stephen Hawking.
A Brief History of Time was written by Stephen Hawking.

Does the age of the work in question matter?

Macbeth is written by William Shakespeare.
Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare.

Does it matter if the work is an ongoing series?

Welcome to Night Vale is written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
Welcome to Night Vale was written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.

Are there other subtleties I haven't thought of?


texts:
If one's mother is Jane and their father is Dave, and their name is John Smith, would they say any of the following?

  I was born John Smith by Jane Doe and Dave Smith
  I was born John Smith by Jane Doe to Dave Smith

What's the proper use of "born by.." and "born to.."? Men say that their wife bear them children. How does one mention in this structure the mother and father both?


texts:
Background
I'm reading A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a lot of the dialogues and monologues are rhymes. But some times, these rhymes aren't rhymes at all.
For instance

So should the murder'd look, and so should I,
Pierced through the heart with your stern cruelty

A bit of a stretch to say the least.
There are also cases where the written words end similarly, but spoken, they do not.

About the wood go swifter than the wind,
And Helena of Athens look thou find

Question
Did these word pairs ever rhyme? Was the state of the language ever such that these lines would be spoken on stage and rhyme perfectly?
With "I" and "cruelty", one could pronounce the latter "cruel-tie", and I wouldn't scoff at the idea that this may have been common at some point.
EDIT
The I/cruelty rhyme is perfectly explained in another Q&A: Was the pronunciation of “symmetry” different in the past?
The same question still remains for the wind/find rhyme.


texts: Is it 'concentrated in' or 'concentrated with'

texts:
I find that both usages are abundantly used on the internet and am confused as to which is the correct version.

Example:

  Only a small amount of product is necessary since our formula is highly concentrated in active ingredients.

vs.

  Only a small amount of product is necessary since our formula is highly concentrated with active ingredients.


texts: In programming, a recursive procedure is defined as a procedure which refers to itself in the code. The question is, is "recur" the corresponding verb to the adjective "recursive"? Can I say that a recursive procedure "recurs"?


texts: What's the meaning of "emotional stake"?

texts:
What does an "emotional stake" mean?

E.g: to increase the emotional stakes, I had my favorites in both.


texts: How serious an insult is "wanker" in British English? [NSFW]

texts:
In the spirit of this question, "How profane is it to call someone a
'slag' in British English", how insulting is "wanker" in British English on the spectrum of profanities and vulgarities?  What's the typical usage if you wanted to insult someone?

(I probably ask because as a word it's quite amusing to me.   I don't think it would be unfair to say that in American English, the word isn't very insulting at all; mostly, it would light joshing to me.  But frequently in the British movies I watch, cunt, a very verboten word in AmE, is used as almost a playful opener in the repartee of insults, and things only really escalate into trouble when someone calls the other "wanker!" in an exaggerated style.  So I'm supposing it must be quite a bit more serious over the pond.  On the other hand, they are just movies.)


texts: What is the meaning of "off the beat" as used in the following context?

texts:
"For some reason he and his friends kept singing the same tune the whole way there. They sang it mechanically and off the beat from one another."

Chekhov, Anton. ["A Nervous Breakdown" / "The Seizure" / "An Attack of Nerves" / "Breakdown"]


texts: Looking for idiom meaning "to make many serious or stupid mistakes"

texts:
I'm working on a translation with the guidelines to make it as accurate as possible, so dynamic equivalence is important. My provisional translation is "to screw up royally," but it feels a bit too extreme compared to the original phrase.

EDIT: I belatedly realized I should've explained the context better.

The (Ukrainian) idiom literally translates as "to break firewood." It's meant to evoke the image of chopping logs incorrectly or incompetently, thus ruining them for their intended use. The translated sentence reads as follows:

"Yes, on one hand it may be correct to catch a bunch of smugglers, but on the other, it is possible to break firewood."

The context of the sentence is that simply capturing criminals while disregarding the underlying cause for their existence -- the local population's mentality and socioeconomic status -- is (as the used idiom indicates) a mistake that will carry a repeated or cumulative negative effect.

I hope this explains things better and my apologies for doing such a poor job of it the first time around.


texts:
Is there any simpler or better equivalent of "holistic approach" you can
recommend to use instead?

Please let me know.


texts: Using a comma before “which”, and whether to use “which” or “that”

texts:
I have two sentences in my personal statement which I am not sure about.

Additionally, it will expose me to multiple cultures which will enhance my patient interaction and networking skills, and allow me to become an effective leader.
Also, I would like to establish a research center that will conduct research on different aspects of clinical pharmacy which will improve the healthcare system in my country and make Egypt a leader in healthcare services.

I am not sure if I am using “which” and “that” right or not and whether to put comma before which or just leave it like that.


texts:
I was doing some literature homework today, when I became confused as to whether or not the following sentence is grammatical:

  X and Y should have killed Z to have prevented Z from killing them.

Should "to" be swapped out for "in order to", or is the whole sentence just plain wrong?


texts: How can you exactly substitute an adverb? (Pun intended)

texts:
Adverbs seem unnecessary, even redundant, to many editors. They suggest replacing an adverb with a stronger, more specific verb. I disagree.

Here is a sentence from C. S. Lewis's "Problem of Pain":

  We are not merely imperfect creatures who must be improved: we are, as Newman said, rebels who must lay down our arms.

In that sentence, the word merely has substance behind it, and the word stresses in that context how humans cannot be reduced to just one trait. In other words, in my opinion there is  not a stronger verb which can replace the word merely.

My questions are two:

Should I, generally speaking, replace adverbs?
If so, how?


texts:
They do but flatter themselves.

What is this sentence structure?


texts: On third-person singulars in a step-form algorithm description

texts:
I wonder whether it is necessary to use third-person singulars for the verbs in the step-form algorithm description, which I explain now.

The first version is without third-person singulars.

  The algorithm A has the following steps:

  Compute B=f(A).
  Check whether g(B)=1.
  Output h(B).

The second version uses third-person singulars.

  The algorithm A has the following steps:

  Computes B=f(A).
  Checks whether g(B)=1.
  Outputs h(B).

Which one is more grammatically correct?


texts: Via a quick check in the thesaurus, it returned the terms 'specific' and 'specificity'. What I have in mind is 'specificalization', but that word does not exist.


texts: Word for the sound produced while walking down the stairs

texts:
Here, I want the word pertaining to the sound of human footsteps while walking down the stairs. The word I am looking for, can be contrasted with the word of the sound of footsteps of army marching. I am just looking for that word that denotes the sound of footsteps (hitting on the stairs) while walking down the stairs.

My research suggests two best options; one is adjective to describe that sort of sound, and the other, noun:

1. Click-clacking sound.

2. Clomp.

I am not fully satisfied with the word clomp as it denotes the sound of a heavy tread.

  I heard the ______ of her footsteps when she was walking down the stairs.


texts: Is there a single word to describe a combination of a projected video and a live stage performance?

texts:
We're developing an entertainment module for a conclave. The format agreed upon is this: an audiovisual is projected on the screen, but is punctuated by live performances on the stage. For example, a sequence of a guy driving to work in rush hour is punctuated by a dimming of lights and while the AV fades out, real actors are seen driving on stage, seated in cutouts of cars, while the music changes tempo. The lights dim again and we see footage of the guy entering his office lobby- a 'tableau' of sorts, for want of a better/appropriate word.

My question is, is there a word that describes this type of live-and-screened piece? I googled, and found the Japanese word Rensageki  and New School Cinema. I don't know about the Japanese word, but New School Cinema is far too generic/bland for me.

Is there a single word to describe this better than "Tableau", which is what I've temporarily titled the script? Ideally, I'm looking for a single word. If none exists, a short and descriptive phrase, or a combo word like 'docudrama' will also do - as long as it is succinct/definitive.


texts:
In following sentence:

"...involves the natural conflict between citizens’ expectations and government policy
for data protection and preserving privacy vis-à-vis the need to share information
across boundaries and borders (e.g., government to industry, government to
government, industry to industry) with the intent to enhance security."

"both citizens and government want privacy but there is a need to share" or "citizens want privacy but government needs to share information"?


texts:
Why are your hands so dirty ?
Well,I________ in the garden
1-Worked      2-
Have worked    3-
Have been working


texts: Can the phrase "be necessary to" only be used on people?

texts:
My teacher told me that the phrase be necessary to can be used only on people. For example,

  Something is necessary to someone.

Assuming she is correct, then this following sentence, the one I want to ask, will be incorrect.

  Actually, healthy fats are necessary to our overall well-being.

Which of us is right?


texts: Is the pronoun "his" personal or possessive pronoun at following sentence:

texts: Mike gave Sarah the keys to his house. The website that I study claims that it is a personal pronoun. But since it is his house, should't it be possessive pronoun?


texts:
My friend said to me that making fun out of 9/11 is plain wrong, and then he said it was a joke?

Honestly I don't get the joke? Why would it be plain wrong? Doesn't plain mean nothing? I'm confused.


texts: Which phrase shall I choose, "take part in the project of or process of"?

texts:
Although it was compelled to enter the modern world by the Western countries, now China is taking part in the project of modernization more actively and has completed many great achievements in the domain of economy.

In this sentence will it be better to say  "take part in the process of modernization"? or should I say simply say "take part in modernization"?


texts:
I'm writing my Junior paper and found several powerpoint presentations online. Now, I'm working on the bibliography and my English teacher doesn't know how to cite them and every site I've visited has provided a different response. Anybody know the standard, accepted method? Because, the last time I checked, MLA doesn't provide one.

For example, this powerpoint.


texts: Word for reduction of open positions/jobs

texts:
When we say "reduction of positions", in the context of a company's efficiency plan, are we talking about laying off current employees, or eliminating available positions at a company (e.g. in the future, the company will only be able to hire 4 accountants, as opposed to the 6 currently employed)?

If this is ambiguous - are there better ways of distinguishing between the two?

Thank you


texts: It's called "no-show" if a guest doesn't appear. Is it right to call the opposite "show"?


texts: Is 'to' a part of infinitive when using 'to + verb' and 'to' has the same meaning as 'in order to'

texts:
Please, take a look at the examples below.

I started to cry.
I opened my eyes to see them. ('to' = 'in order to')

In the first example the 'to cry' part is sure an infinitive.
It corresponds to  I started + infinitive formula.

The question is about the second example.
Is it correct that in the second example the 'to see' part is an infinitive too, that is it corresponds to  I opened my eyes + infinitive + them formula?

Or does it correspond to  I opened my eyes to + infinitive + them formula?

Is there an infinitive in the second example? If so, please tell me what it exactly is and explain why.


texts: equivocal vs. unequivocal vs. unambiguous vs. ambiguous

texts:
The word "equivocal" sounds like "talking with the same (one) voice". But in the English language it seems to mean explicitly "ambiguous" (= "talking with two voices/tongues/meanings").

  How can this be understood?

Having thought about it a bit longer, my guess is: "equivocal" means "of the same sound (but of different meanings)", not "of the same voice (= with the same meaning)".

The question then goes into this direction:

Did lat. "vox" semantically evolve into different directions, to mean more of a "sound (vocal)" (transporting possibly equivocal meanings) or more of a "voice" (transporting an unequivocal meaning).

Is there are deeper but comprehensible etymological origin of "vox"?


texts: What's the origin of the expression "(can't) hack it"?

texts:
From Collins:

phrase
If you say that someone can't hack it or couldn't hack it, you
mean that they do not or did not have the qualities needed to do a
task or cope with a situation.
[informal]
You have to be strong and
confident, and never give the slightest impression that you can't hack
it.
hack
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright ©
HarperCollins Publishers

Is it only a variation of  "(can't) cut it" or does it trace its roots
back to another place?


texts: What do you call someone who works on requests?

texts:
I'm designing an application to handle requests from users. Requests will be assigned to all kinds of people. For instance, a "Request for vacations" would be handled by someone in HR. But a request to repair a door lock would be handled by someone in facilities management. In some complex cases, multiple people could work on a single request.

I'm looking for a noun to describe someone who works on requests.

A general term that means "someone who does something in a process" would be fine too.


texts:
I am looking for a phrase that would fit this (kind of) pattern:

  "You know how my friends are, they always XXXXXX so I can't expect an immediate answer."

  "At the restaurant, when I was asked what I wanted to order, I XXXXXX before finally ordering the steak."

  "Stop XXXXXX, this has to be done right now!"

So in general, it should describe someone as being indecisive, taking too long to make up their mind, hesitating before actually committing to something etc...


texts: How to refer to specified 'criteria', as singular or plural?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Criteria” versus “criterion”

Criteria is a word which defines collective recommendations for any entity.

I was drafting an email to my client where I wanted to say "are these criteria same which are defined in the previous email?" and it clicked.

Will it be:

Are these criteria same which IS defined?

or

Are these criteria same which ARE defined?

because to my understanding, I am referring to the word 'criteria' which sounds singular?

Also, how can I miss 'Criterion'? What would be correct usage?

PS: I have sent email which says "are these criteria same which ARE defined in the previous email".

I like to keep my grammar refined whilst communicating with someone. Please advice.


texts: Dictionary search engine by pronunciation

texts: I'm looking for some word search engine that would allow me to search words by their pronunciation. For instance, I want a list of words beginning with "ge", but pronounced as in "get" and ignoring ones like  "Germany" or "gear".


texts:
I hope I put this question in the right place.

Currently, I am working on a huge software project. Within this project, we use a lot of different terms, words and verbs. We want to write down all terms with an explanation of what we actually mean with it. Also, we want to write down when to use which word.

For example, we have the term "challenge" with it's explanation. Whenever you are going to create a new challenge, the button should say "Create challenge". When you are in the form, the button to actually save it should be named "publish".

I am wondering if anyone has some sort of guidelines or an example of how to write the terms with it's explanation down and all rules related to the use of words.

I could of course create a glossary, but where to put all the rules then? Should it be 2 separate documents? Should I put the rules next to each word?

Looking forward to what you all are thinking. Thanks in advance!


texts: Is there a word that describes 'the study of measuring distances'?

texts:
When talking about distances (miles, kilometers, etc...), is there a word that describes the field that specializes in those sort of things.

I remember someone told me about this last week. I Googled it but couldn't find anything.

I would also like to know if that (possibly existing) word is popular or not.

Edit: I'm sorry about changing the checked answer. Next time I'll make my question clearer.


texts:
I'm writing a formal essay, and I'm wondering about the usage of the word "gibberish."

According to Google, the definition of "gibberish" is unintelligible or meaningless speech or writing; nonsense.

I'm planning on saying "When played by the band, the song was reduced to gibberish."

Here, "gibberish" is neither speech nor writing, it's sound - music to be precise.

Is this still an appropriate use of "gibberish?"


texts:
What's the origin/etymology of "[ABC] came at [XYZ] life?"

The definition according to Urban Dictionary is

  A phrase that is used in past tense to describe a situation in which another person knowingly attacks and defiles you as a person based upon an action you have done, resulting in their nasty rebuttle [sic]. Note- Sometimes results from doing nothing at all. Similar to chewing someone out, or personally attacking one's character. Can be used in future tense such as "Don't make me come at your life." Or present tense "I'm coming at your life right now!"...

The definition is dated from November 2010, so it's not new, but not old either.

Searching for "came at my life" on Google brings up 309,000 results, and is mostly on social media sites and forums. It's definitely informal; not very widespread (unlike something like, say, "fleek", which has almost 14,000,000 hits).

"came at her life" brings up 486,000 results, "came at his life" has 517,000 results, "came at their life" has 283,000 results, and "came at their lives" a mere 2 results.

"come at my life" gives us 309,000 results, "come at his life" brings up 4 results, "come at her life" brings 508,000 results, "come at their life" has 6 results, and "come at their lives" has 5 results.

It's worth noting that some of these results are not used in the slang terms, such as this blog:

  Traditionally people talk about New Year Resolutions, it's a time when people come at their lives again, they assess their lives and ask...

My friends and I used and heard it a lot from when we were in high school in Maryland, so it was a natural part of our vocabulary. We all graduated this year and now attend college in District of Columbia, where it appears to be fairly unknown, which is a bit of a shock for us.

Any help with figuring out the origin is greatly appreciated!


texts:
Arson is noun and it means " the criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property " I was wondering if it was verb as well so after rummaging through the internet I came across this definition in the urban dictionary
"1. (verb) To engulf a piece of property into flames, with the intent of destruction. "


texts: What is the term for engraved metal discs showing bearings and distances to other places?

texts:
At touristic vantage points, one can sometimes find engraved metal discs that show the bearings and distances to other visible places like mountains in the area, or to far away cities and places. An example would be the plaque found in Sabah on Borneo:

Image taken from "Expedition to the Center of Sabah" on MySabah.com

Is there a term for these types of discs?

On the blog I linked to, the author uses the term 'metal “compass” plaque', but that's not really accurate, since the marked points aren't "points of the compass" in the sense of divisions of the cardinal directions.

A Google search for "metal plaque distances bearings" or "engraved disc distances directions" or various combinations of those strings doesn't turn up relevant results. The image shown above was found using Google Image Search with "metal plaque directions distance", which also turned up a couple of other images of examples, but no authoritative sites that would be helpful in finding a proper term for these discs.


texts: What is the term when you are replacing a name with a noun?

texts: What is the term used when replacing a name for a noun? Example Mrs. Lewis walked in.---> The teacher walked in.


texts: Is there a word for nut, berry, & seed bars?

texts:
Bars without oats, but rather only nuts dried berries and other seeds are increasingly common nowadays, but is there a word for them?
If not in English, then maybe there is a word that could be borrowed?

Sample sentence: these aren't granola bars since they don't have grains in them; they are BLANK.


texts: Start using something by October 26th, is that "by" "no later than" or from?

texts:
In the sentence "Start using something by October 26th", is the word "by" understood as "no later than" or from that date?

Thanks


texts: Idiom or phrase that describe some of being ordinary

texts:
I was reading an article I don't remember where; it was comparing baroque composers, who is prominent and who is not. Those who are not where described by an idiom (I remember it was something like "day working composer") which meant an ordinary composer.
Can you please help remember this idiom?


texts: "Say" and "said" as transitive and intransitive verbs

texts:
I have an interesting question. Is "say" a transitive verb in the case of direct/reported speech? I understand that it can be a transitive verb in cases like "She said the phrase." or "She says the words quietly.". But what about:

Bob looked at his fried and said, "You are my best buddy."
Or, "I know that," said his friend.

My thought process on this is that the direct/reported speech instance is not representing the use of the verb "say" as transitive, as it is a separate dialogue tag with no direct object. However, I think this all moves into the realm of what we believe the role of speech is in grammatical structure in the first place, which I don't know about you, but I have mixed thoughts on in the first place.


texts:
I'm trying to understand how English tracks a subject between sentences.  I believe the term is known as Coreference Resolution.
I'm wondering if there's a base set of rules which can define coreference and anaphora resolution.
In general you can find the subject by using SVO
The subject in most sentences comes before the verb.

She loves him.

So in this case she is the subject,  however if we add another sentence after.

She loves him. They are happy.

As you can see here the Subject of the next sentence They refers to the subject and object of the previous sentence.
Another example off the top of my head:

She loves him. It was a cold day out.

in this example the subject it doesn't appear to have a relation to the previous sentence: I don't even know what I could classify the subject as?
Just from these few examples I cannot determine a set of general rules.  I don't need to cover all the scenarios but I would like to find a way to cover the majority of use cases


texts: What is the origin of "a cut above/below the rest"?

texts: Where did the phrases "a cut above the rest" and "a cut below the rest" come from? I'm supposing they came from the same source. I feel it something very obvious, but I don't know what.


texts:
If I would like to ask, if someone reads the news on / in the tube?

(btw Tube being the underground in London)

Which one is correct?

Thanks,


texts: How long has the f-word been in use as an abusive term?

texts: When was the f-word 'invented'? Who invented it? Has it always had the derogatory meaning that it does today. Is it a recent invention?


texts: Is the "sorry to [infinitive] " structure always grammatical?

texts:
I'm sorry to be so late.
  I'm sorry to hear about your sick mother.
  I'm sorry to waste your time.
  I'm sorry to make you feel so sad.
  I'm sorry to frighten you.
  I'm sorry to disagree with your decision.
  I'm sorry to call so late.
  I'm sorry to admit what I did.

Is it always correct to use "sorry to [infinitive]" in Standard English? Does it depend on the verb?


texts: Literal & Figurative Meaning of 'Inform approaches'

texts:
I am unable to exactly comprehend the following sentence (word-by-word) as I am not getting what it means by 'Inform approaches' there:
Assessments like 'Uwezo' are being used to inform approaches to scale TARL program across Africa in countries like Botswana.
Also in quest of making my understanding, I went through many sentences in '**https://ludwig.guru/s/inform+approaches%3F**' but I didn't attain a clear understanding yet.
Is it more figurative than literal in meaning?
Hope I will find solace here.


texts:
In Knut Hamsun's Mysteries, the narrator says:

  Genius in the popular sense is not the unprecedented, but merely a
  human apropos; it makes you stop, but not rear up.

Is it grammatically correct to say "an apropos"? I've not seen it used as a noun like that before.


texts: Is "there are so much better alternatives" grammatically correct?

texts: A person used the phrase "there are so much better alternatives" when saying that there are significantly superior alternatives. This phrase is meant as an emphasized version of "there are much better alternatives." I don't know the formal rule, but the "so" seems to make the sentence sound off.


texts: What is a word I can use to describe the personality of a company?

texts:
I am writing a description of my business, which creates websites for companies, and this is what I have so far:

  We think that every one of our clients are unique and deserve a unique website that matches their [blank].

I've thought about using words like values or personality. But I feel like I've heard a better fit before.

What word would you use?


texts:
Could "butcher" work as criticism?

  “I doubt [we'll be hearing from him], especially after we butchered him in that interview,”


texts: What exactly does the process of the birth of difficult words entail?

texts:
One hardly uses these words, they are difficult to either spell or pronounce or both at once, and are not useful in everyday communication. Yet they are found in the dictionary, without fail. They do have their uses, but are very offbeat. These aren't exclusively technical jargon either, because I can at least guess the reasons why those were made.

I'd like to understand the socio-linguistic process behind the birth of such words. I have in mind some words, but if I gave examples, the discussion just might slip into discussing just those words. But you get my drift.


texts: What is the correct use of hyphens and capitals in "Big Brother style pop competition"?

texts:
Not sure it technically should have any, but a Big Brother style pop competition feels like quite a mouthful as it is so I’m wondering whether hyphens might help.

Also want to check the capitalization of Big Brother is accurate.


texts:
I came across a sentence on Cambridge Dictionary. It says

  If found guilty, he faces six months in jail.

They omitted "he is" right ?
And can I say

  If (my computer is) broken , I will fix it.

And can I also use this grammar with an active sentence

  If (you) punch him, he gets hurt

Thanks in advance


texts: Is the expression "most number of participants" correct?

texts:
Which is correct—"most number of participants" or "highest number of  participants"?

In a conference, an award was given to a group that has the largest number of participants. The title of the award is "Most Number of Participants". How can the title be phrased better?


texts: Is the word "until" thought of as belonging to a temporal context?

texts:
I speak German and I'd usually translate "bis" into "until". However, it occurred to me that the word "until" is almost always used in a temporal context. Or at least much more often than the German "bis", which would be used both in the phrase "from here to there/von da bis dort" and "from now until then/von jetzt bis dann". As far as I can remember, most of the time I read it, until seems to denote a date of something to happen.

Is the word until thought of as belonging to a temporal context, as opposed to an abstract boundary?


texts: Idiom or phrase to describe a short-lived reward

texts:
Are there any idioms or phrases to describe a short-lived reward
For example, in a gang robbery incident where the robbers robbed a million, but three days later, all of them were caught with the million, which they did even spent.


texts: Which letter make which sound in the word "queue"?

texts:
As the title says.

queue = /kju:/

I have currently figured out that

"qu-" makes the /k/ sound
"-eu-" makes the /ju:/ sound
the trailing "e" serves as a sound modifier, similar to ton/tone and cut/cute

But I'm not sure how or why. I hope a linguist can help explain it.


texts: What does "perfect" mean in the following context?

texts:
Man sits and holds a baby, and says:

  Look at you, so big, so perfect. I can't imagine a joy of spending every day with her...

So, I'm trying to understand what it precisely means when you say that the baby is perfect. Please, enlighten me.

I'd really appreciate any help on this one. :)


texts: using which in relative cause as an object

texts:
For example, is this sentence correct?
“If your friend isn’t reliable, he/she can use the things which your friend knows about you against you.”


texts: Examples of people that have really low name recogniton?

texts:
Not exactly sure how to phrase the title, but here's the sentence I'm asking about:
Our job? Somehow get XXXXX, (a candidate with less name recognition than _____ ) to the top of the polls.
I was considering using some obscure historical figure (e.g. than the 5th president of Latvia), but not sure if that comes off kinda cringy. Thanks!


texts: When to use (" " , : ; ' ! . ) in sentence. What is exactly significance?

texts:
Kindly enlighten on query to understand following terms.

I will be really thankful.


texts: Why one place on stack exchange is called "area51"?

texts: Why this place on stack exchange is called "area51"? Is it a special idiom in English for some places where things are being developed? Does 51 have some special meaning besides being just a number?


texts: Difference between "but" and "nothing but"

texts:
Every now and then I stumble about a construction like this:

  It was but something....

and I understand it to be

  It was nothing but....

or

  It was only...

depending on the context.

I do know what this "but" means and I do know what else "but" can mean. My question is this?

Is the a difference between "but" and "nothing but" in this context, be it ever so small and hidden in tone or emphasis? Is there such a difference between "but" and "only"? And finally is "but" in this context something you can say or does that make you sound way out there? Thanks a lot


texts: "I came from Italy" or "I come from Italy"

texts:
If I originally lived in Italy and then moved to the United States and currently live in the United States.  Then somebody asked me where I am from.  I say:

  I come/came from Italy.

Should it be present tense or past tense?


texts:
Does it sound strange or funny to have three prepositions in a row, as in

  He jumped out from behind a dustbin?

If yes, is there a simple way to avoid it?


texts: Can the term "etymology" be applied to a phrase or only individual words?

texts: I have always heard the term used in referring to a single word. When browsing questions on this site, I've seen it used applied to entire phrases, and have suppressed the compulsion to edit them and replace the term with origin.


texts:
I have seen this method of quoting a source. It is often used in books and research essays, but I am unaware what it called, or if it is legal in the MLA or APA writing format. I have some screenshots to demonstrate it. The first uses text from The Wheel of Fire: Interpretations of Shakespearian Tragedy by George Wilson Knight:

The second quotes material from from Ophelia's End—A document in Madness from The Riddles of Hamlet by Simon Augistine Blackmore. Boston, Stratford & Co.

I have also seen the quotation bolded and indented.


texts: One word for “saying ‘Farewell’ to someone”

texts:
We have, for example, phrases like, “When I was greeting …” in which greeting is essentially shorthand for “saying ‘Hello’ to someone” derived from a related verb (to greet).

However, to my knowledge, English does not have a term for “saying ‘Goodbye’ to someone” despite all the related verbs (farewell, goodbye, etc.).

Are there any words which come close to fulfilling such a role? If not, is it due to an absence of such phrases in English's primary language influences (Germanic and Anglo-Francophone), or was it a phrase that existed in those contributing languages but failed to persist in Modern English?


texts: Is this valid English: "it can help the learner generalize better"?

texts:
It sounds  a bit off, but I am not sure if it valid or not.  It was likely written by a native French speaker.

After viewing the comments, I am including the full sentence:

  It has been shown to be a good regularizer for supervised learning (Erhan et al.,2010), meaning that it can help the learner generalize better, especially when the number of labeled examples is small.


texts: Female or Male pronouns matter in this case?

texts:
As far as I understand, English nouns do not have a 'gender' so to speak - when I say the word 'manager' I may be referring to a woman or to a man, one cannot infer the gender just by hearing the word. This is different of French, for instance, where you may use directeur to a man and directrice to a woman.

I have been reading a lot of texts and papers on management lately and I have noticed some texts where the authors usually use she to refer to a leader or manager, as in the snippets below:

  The product owner herself should generally not come up with new ideas or changes [...]

Or

  An analyst may work on an upcoming large feature that she feels hasn't received enough attention [...]

Or

  [...] assume that the customer identifies [...] she then selects an additional 30% more work [...]

My question is:- is there any reason as to why the author (who is American) has chosen to refer to customer, analyst and product owner using she? Or does it not make any difference at all and the author could well have used he without any issue?

I am assuming it does have a reason to say she, otherwise the author would've said she/he (she/he feels hasn't received enough attention) and himself/herself (The product owner herself/himself)

Let me just stress out one point case someone gets jumpy:- I am not being sexist - I don't care if the author says he or she or the person or the being. All I am trying to do is understand if there is a special reason as to why he treated those roles as female roles. I may also add that in my native language every noun has a gender, as in French or Portuguese, and therefore treating a noun as a female one in English puzzles me a bit.


texts:
Dictionary defines denial in a few senses, the ones I'm interested in are:

  refusal to believe a doctrine, theory, or the like.
  disbelief in the existence or reality of a thing.
  refusal to recognize or acknowledge.

In particular, I mean unreasonable disbelief in reality of a thing which is definitely, objectively real.

Now, I want to say:

  Denial is a horrible [what?]

trait of character? (not really, it's specific, not encompassing whole personality) vice? (same) belief? idea? (no, it's a property of a belief or idea...)

How would you classify it?


texts: "Upon" at the very beginning of a sentence

texts:
Can a sentence begin with upon? Or should it be changed to on?

For example:

  Upon a decrease in temperature... [Is this grammatical?]
  On a decrease in temperature... [What about this?]


texts: What do you call the sensation you feel when confronted against the immensity of something? (e.g.: the sea, the universe)

texts:
The word I'm seeking is a word used to describe the feeling you get when confronted with the immensity of nature and how little we are. It's what you get when you stand on the beach, watching the ocean when a storm is coming, or looking at the stars at night in the open, it's not fear, though it has some of that, it's a lot of mixed emotions: awe, fear, contemplation, admiration, etc.

It's not a word I made up, I read it a long while ago on a grammar group and now I need it, but I can't remember it.

And it's not a common word neither, it's very specific, it's the name of that mixed feelings you get in the situations I described, neither positive nor negative, a mix of both.

Someone mentioned ¨sonder¨ on the comments, and it's quite near that, but sonder means realizing your problems are minuscule compared to the Universe, which is not the same

And I apologize for not being clear enough prior, English is not my native tongue.


texts:
This is more of a mathematical context (as opposed to literary context). We assume the statement we have to prove to be true (assumption) and on the basis of that we draw deductions from the statement and draw some conditions for the statement to be true and in the end, come to the conclusion that since these conditions (given in question) are imperative for satisfying the answer so the statement is true. E.g.:

  Example 18 Show that if f : A → B and g : B → C are one-one, then gof : A → C is also one-one.
  Solution:
  Suppose gof(x1) = gof(x2).
  g(f(x1)) =g(f(x2)).
  f(x1) = f(x2), as g is one-one.
  x1 =x2, as f is one-one.
  Hence  gof (x1)= gof (x2).

What is this "method" called?


texts: Is the second "t" silent in the word "twenty"?

texts:
I have always pronounced the word "twenty" as "twen·tee" and taught my daughter accordingly. But she told me that her pre-kindergarten teacher pronounced it as "twen·nee", making the second "t" silent.
Which pronunciation is correct? Do we ever have a silent "t" in similar situations?


texts:
I'm describing a shop floor. The total area is 8000 square meters, 2000 of which are ??

Is "covered" the right word? It doesn't sound right to me. What I want to say is that it's an indoor space with a roof on it.


texts: Trying to find the correct word or phrasing

texts:
I'm trying to find the right word or phrasing for a specific action.

Person A, wearing armour, is incapacitated on the floor. Person B (much physically larger) comes along and picks him up by slipping a hand through the cracks of his breastplate and then lifting him off the floor, lugging Person A along him like a luggage bag.

The way I worded it is very clunky and lacks clarity. I'm having a difficult time figuring out how to phrase the action of Person A being picked up. If anyone, who is better at english, can help me out, it would be greatly appreciated.


texts: "He was steeped in a to many people boring book?

texts:
I am confused in the use and name of a class of adjectives similar to the following example:

He was steeped in a to many people boring book.

Which has the meaning of "He was steeped in a book that is boring for many people." Is that grammatically and semantically correct?


texts: What case is the word preceding a possessive "'s"?

texts: In the sentence "I gave Jane's dog to her." what is the case of the word Jane? The only example where I can see that a case might exist would be in the example of "whoever's" vs. "whomever's" where "whoever's" is used, which would indicate a subjective case. However, the words "my", "his", and "your" all seem to be more closely related to the oblique case forms of the pronouns.


texts: Word/ phrase for satisfaction derived from helping others?

texts:
I am in search of a noun or concise, descriptive phrase for the satisfaction and joy one gets from helping others. I do a lot of community service and very much enjoy it, and I get an almost cathartic satisfaction from helping others. It seems to be a combination of empathetic joy, pride, and some sort of satisfaction from improving the general human or world condition. I know this is quite a lot, but does anyone have a good way to express this emotion or some part of it?

Thank you!

Alaina


texts:
Do we say 'the signal (Internet) is not strong enough to stream a video'?

Thanks


texts: Word for making a tentative meeting non-tentative (meaning it will definitely go ahead)

texts:
I am looking for a word for removing the provisional or tentative property of something, in particular meetings.
I would like to use this in the context where I set up a provisional meeting and anyone from a group can make it "definite" and the meeting is going ahead.
Is there a word to describe that action or the outcome (even saying a meeting becomes "definite" does not sound right)? Ideally it would be a word that can be used in a professional context, i.e. most people would know what I mean if I use that word.
An example sentence could be:
"I have set up a tentative meeting for 2pm. It can be ??? by anyone present if the situation deteriorates."
or perhaps
"I have set up a tentative meeting for 2pm. Anyone present can declare it ??? if the situation deteriorates."


texts: What are the names of the two sides of a coin?

texts:
I know one side is called 'flower'. But I don't know the other side's name. And any other common ways of calling them.

Are 'head' and 'tail' right?


texts: Visit us at (the) booth 24, (the) room 56 etc. It's wrong, but why?

texts: I know that "the" is wrong here, but I can't explain why it's wrong to my friend here, and I have trouble formulating a google search to find some descriptive "rule" or something. Help please?


texts: I have heard of the term "Yankee" often referring to people in the Northern U.S. by Southerners. My question is: is this term considered derogatory or offensive and should it be avoided in workplace settings?


texts: Is there a name for a war where everyone fights everyone else? I think that I heard the name "Kephyr" (Turkish? for the name of a war where it's all against all but I could not verify it.


texts: "There is no problem" or "there isn't any problem"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “There is no point in” or “There is not a point in”

What's the difference between there is no problem and there isn't any problem? Are they both acceptable?


texts: Is it correct to use the phrase "drive distance"?

texts:
Is it correct to use the phrase "drive distance" for expressing the amount of distance I drove or intend to drive. Or should it be "driving distance"?
I tried thinking of other examples: "sleep habits" and "sleeping habits" both sound ok, but "eat habits" sounds wrong...


texts: What is the origin of "-ix" as a feminine variation?

texts:
Some words are made feminine by altering the suffix to be -ix. Examples:

dominator → dominatrix
executor → executrix
rector → rectrix

What is the origin of this variation?
From my 5 years of Spanish, and what little I know of Italian/French,
it doesn't seem to me to be from the Romance languages.


texts: Semi-colon or colon?: "Text me your information; I want to stay in touch with you"

texts:
I am studying for the ACT. In my study book it says: use a colon after a complete sentence before a clarification. It also says: use a semicolon to join two complete, related sentences in the place of a conjunction.

Consider the following two sentences:

A. "Text me your information; I want to stay in touch with you."

B. "Soy is used in Japanese cooking: it adds a unique taste to the dishes."

Evidently, sentence A uses a semicolon, and sentence B uses a colon, but in both A and B the second sentence (the one after the colon/semi-colon) clarifies the first sentence (the one before the colon/semi-colon). In A, the second sentence clarifies why I want you to text me your information. In B, the second sentence clarifies why soy is used in Japanese cooking.

I am not sure whether the ACT will test colon vs. semicolon usage with subtle examples like this one.


texts:
Re: the expression:

  "Full of (piss|pith) and vinegar"

Are both correct/acceptable? Is one preferred?


texts: What's the difference between "persuade" and "convince"?

texts: When should "persuade" be preferred over "convince", and vice versa?


texts: What noun encompasses all three of these: a plant, fungus, or insect.


texts: English equivalent of Catalan expression "fer la senyora" for moving heavy furniture

texts:
There is an expression in Catalan:

  Fer la senyora

Which would be translated as moving it "like a lady" defined as the action of moving a heavy piece of furniture (e.g. a wardrobe) that involves lifting from one side, tilting and turning it forward, then letting the lifted side touch the floor and lift it from the other side,  tilt it and turn it again to move to it forward step by step, alternating each side, as if we would be helping the furniture to walk one step at a time. Is there an equivalent to English for that expression?


texts: What is the formal way to use in a IT technical proposal "check, verify or validate''? I'd like to use the word more formally.


texts:
I know that who is used when asking about a subject (Who is at the door?) and whom is used when asking about an object (By whom was the door opened?). How do you determine which one to use when the object becomes the subject of another clause?

For example, take the sentence:

  I gave the prize to ____ deserved it most.

Would it be whomever because it's the object of "gave," or would it be whoever because it's the subject of "deserved"? Is their a hard-and-fast rule to rely on in situations like this?


texts:
I wanted to know if there is an English word to describe the rope used to tie a cow to its place (pole, etc) or a word to describe the process of tying a cow to its place (pole, etc).

I hope I have described it clearly so that you can understand. Please feel free to ask if I wasn't clear enough.


texts: The "as done by/ through" construction confused me a lot

texts:
All these sentences with "as done..." format have been confused me because why not just omitted "as" in these sentences?

Mr. Miller has said he does not support a mandated federal test but
does favor public reports on how college students are learning as
measured through testing.
The New York Times

It seems to me that "...how college students are learning measured through testing" is enough to express the meaning of it, and it meets my perception of English grammar. Why is there an as?

With his wife he went to Mexico to sample psychedelics at their
practical source, as administered by the curanderos and curanderas of
the Sierra Mazateca.
The New York Times - Magazine

"With his wife he went to Mexico to sample psychedelics administered by the curanderos and curanderas of the Sierra Mazateca at their practical source."Can this sentence be written like this? It seems to me it's a structure used to put clause used to moderate objective in end of the sentence, with an "as" leading the clause.

And the Transportation Department would set new vehicle mileage
standards as required by Congress.
The New York Times

We could've just make the sentence "...new vehicle mileage standards required by Congress". Could haven't we?


texts: Is there a word or phrase defining a bad faith argument that something is not worth doing?

texts:
I feel like there is a logical fallacy or bad faith argument for a claim that something is pointless, worthless, or has no effect:

"Contact your congresspeople!"

"There's no point.  It doesn't do anything."

I'm having trouble locating the actual term, though.


texts: Why is the word 'resuscitation' preferred over 'revival' or 'resurrection' in medical contexts?

texts:
this has been boggling me for a long time now. I never heard of what doctors do in intensive care as 'revival', 'bringing up the dead' or something else. If medical staff of any kind is involved, it will always be 'resuscitate'.

I have tried to consult the AMA Manual of Style, but their sign-up process is non-functional, facing technical issues. Browsing dictionaries was no use either, they all list these words as synonyms.


texts: Is there a word for a person who frequently contemplates about how things might be in the future?

texts: I used to think 'futurist' is the word to describe such a person, but then I realized, 'futurists' are highly experienced people who are usually given the title 'futurist', after they prove themselves in the real world. But, how about a person who wonders about the future, say, as a hobby. Is there a word to describe such a person. Anything relatable is welcome. Thank you.


texts:
I am not a native English speaker.
I would like to know the difference of followings, if any

cut the corner
cut corners

I searched the meaning of the two (in English-Japanese online dictionary).

cut the corner: to take shortcuts
cut corners: to take an easy way / goof off

They are not interchangeable. Is it correct?
Or, do you use them interchangeably?

In Merriam-Webster, I found

cut corners: to perform some action in the quickest, easiest, or cheapest way


texts: Why is a tie in Tic-Tac-Toe called a "Cat's Game?"

texts: Back in grade school whenever we played a game of Tic-Tac-Toe (X's and O's) and the result was a tie, we would call it a "Cat's Game." I've never heard this term applied to a tie in any other circumstance and was interested in where this term came from and why it seems to be unique to Tic-Tac-Toe.


texts: What is the grammatical role of "home from the war" in this sentence?

texts:
She’s in love with Claudio, the brave soldier, home from the war.

What is the role of "home from the war" here? I know the meaning of the whole sentence, but I couldn't understand the structure and grammar. What can we grammatically call the phrase "home from the war" here?


texts:
I have faced a problem with my writing which I could really do with some clarification on. My question applies to both British and American English (which is fairly standard on the internet).

Needless to say the context is a website whereby I allow the user to enter a sexuality and it is the English of choosing the sexuality option which is confusing me.

I see many people no longer mention "homosexual" and when you do a Google search for the right term ("homosexual or lesbian") you actually find that many seem to avoid the use of "homosexual" and even have undue prejudice towards it ( http://www.care2.com/causes/gay-and-lesbian-or-homosexual-does-it-matter.html ). Likewise I have noticed that many charities do not include "homosexual" in their material but instead "Gay and Lesbian" (LGBT). Added on top to this, I notice many websites no longer use "homosexual" either.

So is it better in modern English, taking cultural aspects into consideration, that "gay and lesbian" should be used rather than "homosexual"?


texts: What is the best translation for the German word "Bündler", meaning an intermediary merchant for agricultural goods and produce?

texts:
I'm looking for a good translation of the German word "Bündler" which in our context is an intermediary merchant for agricultural goods and produce.
DeepL offered me the word "bundler" but I'm reluctant to use it because I'm finding so few uses of the word.
The "Bündler" is somebody who may or may not have agriculture of their own. They usually have contracts with smaller farmers that will produce for them and in turn can offer larger amounts and more reliable supply to bigger buyers that are unwilling to search for locale produce on their own.


texts:
One of the suggestions that I got in my paper review is just indicated as a mistake in

  There is, however, no proven criterion when to stop.

What is wrong with the above sentence. Word ordering? Placement of "however"? I'm currently implementing the changes proposed, but I'm not sure about this one.


texts: A stylistic question. Can I write "he was long the target of some particularly unrestrained polemics"?

texts:
Can I write "he was long the target/object of..." or do I have to write "he was the target/object of [some particularly unrestrained polemics] over a long period of time".

In the context I prefer the first variation stylistically, but am not sure if it is quite correct.


texts: What would you name this marketing tactics (scam) where an Business institution themselves post question and then self promote?

texts:
What would you name this marketing tactics (scam) where an Business institution themselves (or any institute for that matter) posts a question like the below one on a forum
Can anyone tell me about Brillianz Academy? how genuine is the institute?
And then their employees responds to it positively to attract random forum users to their institute.
I am looking for word or phrase such as clickbait that describes how online links are used to attract attention and to entice users to follow that link and browse. A existing or made-up word of phrase that bring the image of the scam.
In clickbait, the idea is to attract user to click and then bait them into possible business deal. In the above question the idea "posing as users-posting innocent question and self promotion baiting".
I have a feeling there would be a word/phrase for this idea in other fields already that might be apt.


texts:
Contrast:

  In order to develop a relationship between the energy spectra and their corresponding Fourier transforms...

with

  In order to develop a relationship between the energy spectra and the Fourier transforms corresponding to these spectra

The first, in my opinion, sounds much smoother and more natural.  But I'm using a possessive personal pronounce with "spectra".  Is this allowed in a formal document like a research article?

...or is there a better option?


texts:
In the following sentence:

  They neglected the fact that development necessarily is culture and context specific and that the specificity concerns the observer as well.

What does it mean that something is “context specific”? Or did I misunderstand, and it means that development is culture?  Should it be “development is culturally and contextually specific”?


texts: Why does English use definite articles before certain proper nouns, such as the names of ships?

texts:
Over on English Language Learners, a non-native speaker asked a question about adding "the" before movie titles.

I wanted to tell him or her that the rule in English is not to add a definite article before a proper noun, but to keep the article if it's part of the title, so you would have, for instance:

  I went to see The Big Sleep.

but

  I went to see Sleepless in Seattle.

But it occurred to me that there is an exception to this rule: boats, trains, and other means of transportation. My question is, why is it idiomatic to say:

  Tomorrow morning we set sail on the Titanic.

or

  The murder took place on the Orient Express.

when we would never use an article in that context with the name of a person, a city, or a country? Are there other categories of proper nouns that take definite articles, and if so, what if anything is the rule?


texts: Perform magic to children vs perform magic for children

texts:
I've noticed that there seems to be a usage of "to" where I expect "for" in certain dialects of English. The one that caught my eye today was a Reddit submission where the OP used the title "Why you don't perform magic to small children".

Thinking about it, there seems to be something to the usage I'm not really grasping well. Running through various combinations and how they hit my ear:

OK usages

Perform magic for children
Performing magic for children
Perform magic for a crowd
Performing magic for a crowd
Perform magic for a child

Jarring usages

Perform magic to children
Performing magic to children
Perform magic to a crowd
Performing magic to a crowd
Perform magic to a child
Performing magic to a child

However, after replacing 'magic' with 'music' it changes to

OK usages

Perform music for children
Performing music for children
Perform music for a crowd
Performing music for a crowd
Perform music for a child
Perform music to children
Performing music to children
Perform music to a crowd
Performing music to a crowd
Perform music to a child
Performing music to a child

Jarring usages

None?

What is the subtlety that I am missing? Is this just a matter of idiom or is there in fact a rule?


texts: This question discusses formal synonyms for "badass" as an adjective, but I am asking for a noun usable in a somewhat formal setting with the same connotation and meaning. A single word would be preferable, but a short phrase is acceptable.


texts:
Clause
  Run!
  This single-word command is also a clause, even though it does seem to have a subject. With a direct command, it is not necessary to include the subject, since it is obviously the person or people you are talking to: in other words, the clause really reads "[You] run!". You should not usually use direct commands in your essays, except in quotations.

The bold sentence above basically said :

  This single-word command is also a clause, despite the fact that it does seem to have a subject.

Doesn't this imply that clause usually doesn't have a subject? Why does it contradict itself?


texts: Why is the word 'bologna' pronounced like 'baloney'?

texts:
Why is the word 'bologna' (as in a bologna sandwich) pronounced so differently from the way it's spelled? The word 'lasagna' isn't pronounced 'lasagney'...

The American sausage is derived from a similar Italian sausage that originated in the city of Bologna, yet the name of the city is pronounced more like the word 'lasagna', which leaves me wondering where the pronunciation came from...


texts: "I've done everything I can" vs "I've done everything I can do"

texts:
"I've done everything I can"

"I've done everything I can do"

Which of the above is the grammatically correct version? Is the "do" at the end needed?

Thanks!


texts: What’s the difference between “tool” and “utility”?

texts: I find these two words appear together often, especially mentioned as tool and utility for the Unix operating system. So I am wondering about the difference between them.


texts: What does "never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter" quote mean?

texts:
What does the following quote mean?

  Never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter.


texts:
Can someone tell me which, if any, of the following sentences are correct:

  When she walked in, he was laying on the bed.
  When she walked in, he was laid on the bed.
  When she walked in, he lay on the bed

To me, the first two seem correct, but I am frequently confused as to when it is acceptable to use the progressive tense when referring to past events.

EDIT:

To just clarify the purpose of my question.  My intended meaning for this sentence is that "he" was already on the bed when "she" walked in.  If none of the above sentences convey this meaning then how is this correctly phrased?


texts: John has three cups and (a) jug. Can the article be omitted in this case?

texts:
John has three cups and (a) jug.
Jane gave them the notebook and (the) pen

Can the article be omitted in these cases?


texts: Using a semicolon to separate two different scenarios

texts:
Within my free-writing I have stumbled across a roadblock.

My Sentence: "The concepts within a story should not be retained as mere memories; Instead, as ideas."

My Question: Is the semicolon used in the statement grammatically correct?


texts: What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym / initialism?

texts:
For example, if I wanted to write the equivalent of

There are many automated teller machines in this city.

Would it be

There are many ATMs in this city.

or

There are many ATM's in this city.
(could get confused with possessive form or contraction).

or just

There are many ATM in this city.
(assuming the final s is included in Machines represented by M).

Maybe something else?


texts: How to say fractions like "7/8" or "546/823"

texts:
I have come across the following three spoken variants for the fraction ⅞:

Seven by eight
Seven over eight
Seven into eight

I am also aware of seven-eighths but I don't want to use that as it isn't practical for larger numbers. As an Indian, the most common variant I have heard is the first one but somehow that doesn't seem right. Besides, since English isn't our native language, I wouldn't want to trust it. I want to know from native speakers what they use and what's the correct way to refer to such numbers.

To make things even more complicated, most Indians use the third variant to mean something like 7×8, which I guess should be more appropriately referred to as seven times eight.


texts:
I've found several definitions that seem to be incompatible

From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fifth+estate

  A class or group in society other than the nobility, the clergy, the
  middle class, and the press.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Estate

  The Fifth Estate is most strongly associated with bloggers, journalists, and media outlets > that operate outside of the mainstream media

http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/10/16/what-is-the-fifth-estate

  “Fifth Estate” explains our collective ability to share information, to create > communities, and to organize social movements through online networks

Does it refer anyone whose job it is to use the internet to spread news?


texts: Counting nouns using "slew" and the grammatical implications

texts:
Just having a lively debate with a content writer over whether we should say

  There are a slew of reasons...

or

  There is a slew of reasons...

Read this article which suggests that different words are treated differently in this situation, so I'm wondering if slew would behave more like number, as in, There are a number of reasons, or if it would be more like group, as in There is a group of people that believe....

Any thoughts on how one can decide for a word like slew?

Possible duplicate of:
a number of vendors is/are?
Is the sentence "There is a large number of labourers who want to migrate to Japan for work." correct?


texts: Is there a difference between Quotes and Italics?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the best way to mention a word: italics, quotes, or single-quotes (apostrophes)?

Would it make a difference whether I put a word in quotes or in italics?

Is this...
 - Yesterday, I saw an interesting type of flower called an "eggplant"
...the same as this?
 - Yesterday, I saw an interesting type of flower called an eggplant

Here is another example...

The word "apple" is a noun.
Vs.
The word apple is a noun.

Also, are "s the same as 's?


texts:
I want a well formed sentence in english GB and US (two sentences if necessary…) from this french sentence:

  Cette page n'existe pas dans cette langue. Voici son contenu original :

Here is what Google Translate give to me:

  This page does not exist in that language. Here is his original content:

Is this sentence well formed, compared to the requirements that I have outlined?

Thank you in advance for your help!


texts: What is it called when someone asks for an opinion that almost everyone asked is going to have the same answer on?

texts: For example, if someone said, "Who here agrees that cookies are amazing?" on a Youtube channel section for a video that is centered around baking cookies. My brain keeps jumping to the word truism, but that's for statements and is more related to whether or not a statement is factual or not.


texts:
Do I always need a preposition when I say..

"I traveled (in) NY?"

Can I simply say, "I traveled NY"?


texts:
Here is an example situation where the noun refers to something in general-
(General statement) The coconut tree is my favourite tree. It can grow up to a height of 25 meters.
(1) I used to climb them and pick their fruits.
(2) Although it is so tall, I used to climb it and pick its fruits.
(3) Although it is so tall, I used to climb them and pick their fruits.
(4) Although they are so tall, I used to climb them and pick their fruits.
I feel (3) is awkward and am not sure about (2). Can someone give some input and maybe an explanation?


texts: What do you call the fear of forgetting (specifically something one cherishes a lot)?

texts: Is there a word that describes the fear of forgetting? In my case I'm in search of a word meaning fearing to forget a beautiful memory.


texts:
It's unbelievably hard to find relevant information online, as almost every Google search just gives pages of advice and questions regarding citations and referencing styles.

If I use a footnote in place of information I would normally enclose with parentheses, should my footnote body text be enclosed with parentheses? e.g.,

  The (entirely subject-to-change) plan is to ...

If I wanted to move that piece of parenthesis into a footnote for whatever purpose, is the following footnote correct?

  (entirely subject-to-change)

If I shouldn't be using the parentheses, then what should that footnote look like?


texts: Is there a word for words that are closely related but not synonyms?

texts:
I'm looking for a word which means the situation where there are two ideas that seem the same at first glance, but when they are closely looked at, they are seen to mean different things.

Examples I'm thinking of are ideas like "Intelligent & Wise" or "Weather & Climate".


texts:
Phrases like "French cuisine", "Italian cuisine", "Russian cuisine" seem to be used both with and without definite article. Is there any rule to this? I looked at a few hundred results of Google book search and I could not find any pattern.

The definite article seems to be used in a non-negligible minority of cases.

There is one case when the article seems to be required, namely when there is an additional qualifier of some kind (when talking about some specific instance, so to speak, of e.g. French cuisine). Here are a couple of examples:

Maybe it was the high level of the French cuisine she served in her restaurant once a month.
The ambiance there was regal, the French cuisine imperial.

But there are many examples without any qualifiers:

THE most glorious dishes of the French cuisine have been created for chicken.
A visit to France can be your introduction to the imagination, spirit and tradition of the French cuisine.
We sampled various restaurants and enjoyed the French cuisine.

All examples are from Google book search.


texts: When did "I could care less" (rather than "I couldn't care less") become popular?

texts:
What decade? Any particular reason?

This is an etymological/historical question, not a grammar question.


texts: Respectful word that means "desiring power"

texts:
What is a good word to use for describing someone as "desiring power"?

I suppose power-hungry would work. Megalomaniac seems a bit much, but I can see how that works. I was wondering if there was another word, something I didn't know.

I'm using the word to describe a group of people, and I wish to be both descriptive and respectful.


texts: How do I pluralize a name ending in "y"?

texts:
Frequently when I refer to or address a family, I do so by pluralizing their last name, e.g., The Smiths, or The Ramones. But suppose I want to address a family whose last name ends in a "y", e.g., Kennedy. Normally in English, I reflexively change the "y" to an "ies" when pluralizing words in this form, but as a proper noun, I'm not sure this is the right thing to do. On the other hand, The Kennedys doesn't seem right either--the "dys" looks like it would lead to a dysfunctional prononciation. I'm also pretty sure an apostrophe belongs nowhere near here.

So how do I properly pluralize a name ending in a "y"?


texts: Is "any" correctly applied in the example?

texts:
I suppose in this sentence "any" means "all" and/or "every" reference occured in DEF_2 and DEF_3.

  One shall remove any reference to those items in DEF_2 and DEF_3.

Is this correct?


texts: Are the 2 consecutive nouns "tree color" in this sentence OK?

texts:
I am wondering whether this sentence is correct or not.

"The tree color is absolutely beautiful"

and if it's OK then what is the difference between the above sentence and the following sentence.

"The color of the tree is absolutely beautiful"

Thanks.


texts: The meaning of "scoots" as noun in Irish slang

texts:
In the second season, episode 4 of Derry Girls, in the last two minutes, the girls are caught trying to get rid of 'happy' scones, flushing them through the toilet, which gets clogged. In the next scene, someone asks Erin kindly:

  How are your scoots now, Erin, love?

Considering the scene before it, I'd assume scoots here means bowels. But I've never heard this expression. I understand that dogs or cats can "scoot", and that as a verb it's a rather common word. But none of the dictionaries I consulted online (Oxford, Cambridge, Webster, The Free Online Dictionary) mentions such meaning as a noun at all. And it doesn't seem related to its meaning as a verb either.

Is this Irish slang? Or (not so) common use of the word in this meaning in common English? And more importantly, as non native speaker, is there some tongue-in-cheek I'm missing?

PS: Later, same scene, the word is used again:

  Can we please stop talking about Erin's scoots, we're about to have our tea.


texts: What other phrases derive from specific famous crimes, true or fictitious?

texts:
I don’t know what made this enter my mind, but I found it very interesting that the following phrase is so commonplace but comes from a very recent crime:

drink the Kool-Aid
: to demonstrate unquestioning obedience or loyalty to someone or something.
Alludes to the Jonestown Massacre, the mass murder of 909 people in 1978.

I started racking my brain for other examples, and was able to come up with a decent one:

gaslight
: to attempt to make (someone) believe that he or she is going insane (as by subjecting that person to a series of experiences that have no rational explanation).
Alludes to British play Gas Light (1938) in which Jack attempts to convince Bella that she is going crazy in order to hide the fact that he is attempting to steal his neighbour’s jewellery and ultimate that he murdered the neighbour.

Granted, the second example isn’t perfect because gaslight alludes to the psychological manipulation, not the murder, but it’s alright in my book because I’d consider it a form of witness tampering!
What other phrases in English have their etymologies in famous, specific crimes? The crimes can be true or fictitious, and they don’t have to be murder.


texts: What does "d-d" mean? Possible 19th century profanity?

texts:
I have several quotes of late-19th-century speech (by British men) which use the abbreviation "d-d" for a word. I'm not sure what it means, but from the context I assume this is profanity of some sort.

Here's an example:

  It was you brought me up this d-d hill.

Any ideas?


texts: Book: There Are Two Errors in the the Title of This Book

texts:
There Are Two Errors in the the Title of This Book is a book by Robert Martin about philosophical puzzles.

Obviously the first error in the title is the repetition of the word "the". What is the second?


texts: "How's keen to do X" - what's the story?

texts:
I have checked a few idiom places and general google, but found only usages of this construct, not any explanations.

Is this a silly corruption of "Who's keen", or is there something more interesting going on here?

Does it express anything other than "Who's keen" informally?

P.S. Check out the occurrences on the internet - doesn't really look like "how keen are you", and the first few instances occur in otherwise more or less well spelled contexts. In fact, it looks a bit like how "ask" turns into "axe" with some people...


texts: Correct Grammar in : " Applications for employment by the WTO

texts:
I just found this sentence on the WTO, World Trade Organisation, Website.

Applications for employment "by" the WTO are equally welcome from women and men.

I am wondering about the use of "by" instead of "at"


texts: Is this use of "rollback" mis-leading or out-and-out incorrect?

texts:
Suppose you are working with a system that keeps track of edits to a file and can show you a list of the versions.  In this system, available actions are shown following each version, e.g.:

3 Edited  date/time by  whoever  [Edit/Delete]
2 Edited  date/time by  whoever  [Edit/Delete/Rollback]
1 Created date/time by  whoever  [Edit/Delete/Rollback]

One of the functions the system supports is reverting to an earlier version, this is done by clicking on the "rollback" action listed after earlier versions.  So if a file is reverted, the list would look like this:

4 Reverted to version #2  date/time by  whoever  [Edit/Delete]
3 Edited  date/time by  whoever  [Edit/Delete/Rollback]
2 Edited  date/time by  whoever  [Edit/Delete/Rollback]
1 Created date/time by  whoever  [Edit/Delete/Rollback]

Is this use of "rollback" confusing or incorrect?

It seems to me it would be more accurate if the action were labelled "rollback to this version."  "Rollback" by itself sounds like it's an action that should be performed on the current version to roll it back to an earlier one.

In fact, the system that prompted this question is the Revisions page that exists for any post that's been edited on a StackExchange site.  It seems slightly confusing to use "rollback" as shorthand for "roll back to this earlier version."


texts:
A question straight from the football commentary pages :

  X's shot deflected off of Y before finding its way into the net.

What is the correct usage here ?
Deflected off of or deflected off ??

Or, are both usages correct?


texts: Can a conjunction be used to combine multiple meanings?

texts:
Years ago, while taking a college linguistics class, I posed this sentence to my professor:

  I pushed the chair with my mother and a broom.

Granted, this sentence is ambiguous, and I won’t delve into all the possibilities here. Instead, my question is focusing on the conjunction and as well as the word with.

My intended meaning of this sentence had been that my mother had been sitting in the chair (not that my mother had helped me push the chair) and that I had used a broom to push the chair containing my mother.

My professor claimed that the sentence is syntactically correct, but he wasn’t sure if semantically, a conjunction could be used like this to combine separate meanings like I’m trying to do here.


texts:
A person from England said to me that Canada (where I live) is one of his favourite locals.

From my understanding, local means a local person or thing, so a person or thing that belongs to or connected with the place where you live. However, he lives in England, so what does his usage of local mean here?


texts: Are "to it" and "about it" optional in these kind of sentences?

texts:
Examples:

  His story has a ring of truth about / to it.
  His voice had a familiar ring about / to it.
  Their protestation of innocence had a hollow / false ring about / to it.


texts: Meaning of "it pools in a little heart around the meat"

texts:
"When Pop plates it, the liver smells, but the gravy he made to slather on it pools in a little heart around the meat, and I wonder if Pop did that on purpose."

"it pools in a little heart around the meat" - what does it mean?


texts: They're neither hugging nor embracing. What are they doing?

texts:
Here's a fairly famous painting by Gerome. It depicts Pygmalion and his creation who hasn't yet fully morphed (she's still part-marble):

They're neither hugging nor embracing, at least not yet. What are they doing? What's the right word?


texts: What is the word or name for perception of time passing faster on a second trip on a route?

texts:
First some background, to set the scene.

In March last year I entered a road bicycle race.  Distance was 98 km and about 1700 metres of climbing, and it took me 5 hours and 10 minutes to complete.  It felt like an incredibly long trip.

Two weeks ago I repeated the same course as a social ride, on the same roads with the same climbs.  We took 5 hours and 20 minutes, but it felt far faster.

Question: Is there a name for this 'distorted' perception of time passing, when you travel a route for the second time?

Further info:

I've noticed this same change of perception on a return journey as opposed to a duplicate trip in the same direction
Distance between trips seems to be relatively irrelevant - a return trip would likely be on the same day, whereas my ride was almost a year apart.
The main feature is that the trip needs to be along a path that you have never travelled, meaning a road or track, a course or riverbed that is totally new to you.   I have never experienced this on roads that I travelled as a child, (multiple decades ago) and have not travelled since.
The Vehicle seems fairly irrelevant.  I've experienced it on bicycles, in cars/busses, and walking.  For cars, it doesn't matter if I'm the driver or a passenger.  Aeroplane travel does NOT evoke the same sensations, possibly because the scenery is distant maybe?


texts:
In a business context, a silo is a department or task force that works on a specific project or area of the business independently (often with minimal if any contact) from other silos. I have a list of tasks, which need to be split up so they can be distributed among the various silos in the business.

I am going to word the tasks.
I am wording the tasks.
The tasks have been worded.

What is word?


texts: Should the word 'partner' be plural or singular in this sentence?

texts:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_Institute

  The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (), often referred to as the Broad Institute, is a biomedical and genomic research center located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The institute is independently governed and supported as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization under the name Broad Institute Inc.,[1][2] and is partners with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and the five Harvard teaching hospitals.