texts: "To go below a minimum numeric requirement": opposite of "exceed"

texts:
Often for configuration settings we have minimum and maximum numeric values.  An error message might report that one has exceeded the maximum value.  But it seems very wrong to report that one exceeded the minimum value.  Is there an equivalent to exceeded that means went below?

What would be an appropriate opposite of "exceed"? is related, but the answers did not seem to apply well to numeric values.


texts:
I am translating from Middle Egyptian to English. For those who are curious, here is the hieroglyphic inscription:

However, this is not a question about Middle Egyptian, but rather English. The sentence literally translates to:

  He killed seven lions, by shooting, in the completion of an instant.

Or perhaps "in the completion of a moment" meaning "a short interval of time". Of course, this is not an English idiom, so I have changed it to:

  He killed seven lions in the blink of an eye, by shooting them.

However, the expression "in the blink of an eye" seems a bit colloquial to me, although, I am not a native speaker of English. I would like to substitute it with something equally idiomatic, but with a grandiose, majestic, formal and maybe even slightly archaic feeling to it, to reflect the character of the original text, which is carefully composed and somewhat high-flown. Nothing comes to mind, though.


texts: What is the difference, if any, between 'porn' and 'porno'?

texts:
I had never thought of a potential difference between 'porn' and 'porno' until I encountered the following dialogue from Family Guy Season 9 Episode 9(thanks to FumbleFingers for reminding me the correct TV show and episode):

  Priest: Leave this House of God!

  Lois Griffin: But... But I love the Church! It's an important part of my life!

  P: Maybe you should have thought of that before you made a porn!

  L: But Father, I didn't mean - wait, did you say 'a porn'?

  P: Yes.

  L: Oh... Well, that's kind of weird.

  P: Why?

  L: I mean, you either say "You made porn" or "You made a porno". You don't say "made a porn". It just... it hits the ear wrong.

This implies that, as a noun, porn is uncountable meaning pornography in general, and porno is countable meaning a pornographic movie/tape.

Both Merriam-Webster and The Free Dictionary define 'porno' as a perfect synonym for porn. The Urban Dictionary isn't of much help either: the first six definitions are jokes, and the seventh says that it's just another way to pronounce 'porn'.

So,

Is there any difference between 'porn' and 'porno' or not?
Can both be used both as a noun and an adjective? (if yes, provide examples, please)
Can either of them be used as a countable noun? (if yes, provide examples, please)
Are there any differences specific for American, British or any other variety of English?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What does “had had” mean? How does this differ from “had”?

I had had so many interruptions this morning that I scarcely had done any work
or
I had had so many interruptions this morning that I scarcely have done any work
or
I had had so many interruptions this morning that I scarcely did any work

Am confused whether to use, did/ had done/ have done after the adverb scarcely.
I already referred a post on had had usage which is entirely different.


texts: I am creating a title for a table that represents moving in and moving out activities for an apartment building, and I'm looking for something less clumsy than "Move Ins/Move Outs" - is there a more general term for this activity? Unfortunately in this context "Moves" is already taken as it represents the combination of a Move Out (of origin) and a Move In (to destination).


texts: Is it redundant to say iterate over? I cannot think of any other word that you'd use with iterate, so is it acceptable (or correct, even) to drop the over?


texts: Commas around both sides of prepositional phrase?

texts:
I'm not sure what to call this sort of prepositional phrase, but this sort seems to interrupt the thought to add clarification. I almost want to call it an interjectional prepositional phrase.

Some examples:

Are we not in principle taking a risk?
Are we not, in principle, taking a risk?
You in full knowledge allow discrimination to go unquestioned.
You, in full knowledge, allow discrimination to go unquestioned.

So is it permissible and/or preferable to use commas in this situation?


texts: Word for "knowing the feeling from X situation"?

texts:
Yes, I know the same thing has been asked before, but there were no answers that fit the word I'm trying to find.

Anyway, what is a word for "knowing the feeling from X situation"? That would be something like "know that feel" in slang. I am not thinking of sympathy or empathy.

It is more like: let's say someone describes a situation like "and then I feel sad because of what is said", and I know myself from it or I know the feeling very well. Sorry if I'm not very good at explaining. Hope someone knows what I am talking about. If it is of any help, I would say "å føle seg truffen" in Norwegian.

I think I'll stick with something like "I recognize know that feeling" or "I can relate".


texts:
There is a sign outside a shop near us which says 'Parking for loading vehicles only from 7 to 12pm'. Does that mean between 7pm and midnight, or between 7am and noon?

For me 12.00 is neither post-meridian nor ante-meridian, it is either noon or midnight.

Equally when someone says from midnight on the 3rd, do they mean midnight which precedes the 3rd or midnight which ends the 3rd. The precise moment of midnight belongs neither to one day nor the other.

These are crucially important matters as regards flight timetables, and insurance policies. If the policy expires at midnight on the 15th, when exactly is that? It is why many insurance companies now speak of 12.01am on the 22nd or 11.59pm on the 21st.

Should it be insisted that all references to 12.00 state either noon or midnight and how can we express midnight with clarity?


texts: Does "had" necessitate that someone is no longer in possession if something?

texts: The particular usage I'm curious about is "A man had four daughters." As in, he was the father of four girls. Does the usage of "had" necessitate that he no longer has any daughters (e.g. they all died)? I don't think so, but a friend disputes.


texts:
I did use to live in London.
I did used to live in London.

Which one is correct?
According to the usage of emphatic do with past tense (eg "I lived in London/I did live in London"), did should change ‘used to’ to ‘use to,’ but I didn't find anything about it except in English Grammar Today by Cambridge.
However, Cambridge used did with ‘used to.’ Shouldn't emphatic did change ‘used to’ to ‘use to’?

used to
From English Grammar Today
Emphatic did
We can use the emphatic auxiliary did with used to:

We never used to mix very much with the neighbours, but we did used to say hello to them in the street. (Don't use this form in written exams.)

— Cambridge Dictionary


texts: Easy and hard are at opposite ends of the scale. What is in the middle?

texts:
“This is easy.”

“This is ___.” <— what goes there?

“This is hard.”


texts: What's the best word for one ride on a train?

texts:
According to its schedule, a train leaves A and arrives at B. It does it everyday just like, well, trains should. We've all been there.

Now - what's the most natural word for this scheduled journey? Is it a "route from A to B"? "Route" seems to refer to a line in space... Or should we say "today's travel/journey has been interrupted by a bomb threat"? But aren't they too general? Service, maybe?

The context is as follows: "They ensure that the trains are both loaded and unloaded during/within one ______________ as often as possible."


texts:
For example:

  Who looks more younger in this image, me or you?


texts: "hundred" and "pretty" pronounced respectively as [ˈhən-dərd] and [ˈpər-tē]

texts:
Merriam-Webster's A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English gives [ˈhən-dərd], [ˈpər-tē], [ˈtem-pə(r)-ˌchu̇r], [ˈse-kə(r)-ˌterē], etc., as alternate ways to pronounce "hundred," "pretty," "temperature," and "secretary"?

My question is, in which parts of the English speaking world can one hear those words pronounced as such?


texts: Prepone is a great word - it's the opposite of postpone. When you prepone a meeting, you change its scheduled time so that it occurs sooner than originally planned. Has his usage spread beyond India? Would other English speakers understand it?


texts: When to prepose an auxiliary in a sentence?

texts:
I read this at Time.com, and it's in the second line of the third paragraph.

  And wouldn’t you know it, their theory proved to be both true and
  statistically meaningful.

I suppose it means "And in case that you don't know, I tell you that their theory..." because I tend to understand it's structure this way:"And if you wouldn't know it, their theory..." But I only know words like 'were', 'had' and 'should' can be preposed in a subjunctive mood, and they are used to suggest an assumption.

e.g. Were I you, I would go back. = If I were you, I would go back.

And I think sentences like "Somebody wouldn't know something" suggest that He don't know nor care, but this sort of logic doesn't fit the context of the original sentence I quoted.

So here are my questions:

How to comprehend the quoted sentence?
When can/must I prepose an auxiliary?


texts:
How did the phrase/idiom for crying out loud come about? I don't understand what is "for" doing here. For X means that X is a requirement that has to be fulfilled. Why don't you do it *for X* means You should do it in order to fulfill condition X. In that sense, crying out doesn't make sense to me. Also is that a cry like cry in pain or cry in anger?

I have read http://ezinearticles.com/?For-Crying-Out-Loud!-What-is-the-Origin-of-This-Strange-Expression?&id=4533931 but it doesn't answer the question.


texts: When did "More tea vicar?" start to be used after farting? Where did it come from?

texts:
In England when someone farts they might say "More tea vicar?"

When did this start, and how did it come about? It feels unusual enough to have a definite creation - some comedian perhaps? Web searches for ["more tea vicar" origin] or ["more tea vicar" etymology] do return results, but they're low quality and don't answer the question.

(I don't think it's in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable either, although I could be wrong)


texts: I've heard someone saying "Their task in worship is to open the rivers of Heaven", and I understand that it means something like "Their task is to make worship extremely beautiful", but is there a close synonymical expression or something for "opening the rivers of Heaven"?


texts: I've seen this a bunch of times before, largely in TV/movies, where someone will be looking at a job posting and it will say "X need not apply". Does this mean as in "there is no reason for X to apply", or does it instead mean "X MAY NOT apply"?


texts: What is another way to say "be who you really are?"

texts: I am needing a headline title for an article written about being yourself. I would like the title to be similar to "be who you really are." Or make that statement using different words if possible.


texts: "Page Not Found" - is it grammatically correct?

texts:
404 - Page Not Found

Every time I see this error message, I think: is it grammatically correct? Because I have the feeling that the verb is missing.


texts: What exactly is a "dayton" and how did the name come about?

texts:
I was reading an old newspaper article from 1895 and the word "dayton" is used at least twice.

Here's how it's used in the article:

  Shortly after they left Messrs. J. H. Greene and L. C. Barley, who had been employed as counsel for the acccused, appeared at the jail in a dayton for the purpose of having an interview with Poss and Henry.

And later:

  The prisoners when they saw the dayton coming as fast as the horses could run, supposed it was a lynching party in pursuit, and were filled with considerable apprehension until the recognized the lawyers and a friend in the vehicle.

From the context, I assume a "dayton" is some kind of a horse-drawn carriage, and one that can be driven fairly quickly, but searching Google for things like "dayton carriage" or "dayton carriage style" comes up with nothing relevant, and the results are thoroughly polluted with links relating to Dayton, Ohio.

I'd like to know what a "dayton" actually was, and how it got its name.

The original article is from the Alexandria Gazette for December 2, 1895, "Taken to Fairfax Courthouse" and is on the Library of Congress's "Chronicling America" website.


texts: Meaning of "we're rather flat" in context

texts:
From Yellow Slugs by H.C. Bailey:

  He went to the room where Eddie lay. The doctor was there, and turned from the bedside to confer with him. “Not too bad. We’ve put in a long sleep. Quite quiet since we waked. Very thirsty. Taken milk with a dash of coffee nicely. But we’re rather flat.”

What does the boldened bit, “we’re rather flat”, mean?


texts: Is it acceptable to contract the phrase in the subject the way above (at least in a spoken English) without raising eyebrows?


texts: How does one say in English 'one loses essential tool of one's trade'?

texts: In Chinese there is a idiomatic saying 'like a Mandarin who lost his seal' (做官的把印丢了） which generalises to really mean one who lost the essential tool of one's trade (and thereby not limited to those serving in (imperial) Chinese administration).  Is there a rough equivalence in English,


texts:
Please, help me to understand the difference in meaning between "various" and "different".

Example sentence:

  Various methods of inter-process communication are available in Windows.

Is it possible to build this sentence like:

  Different methods of inter-process communication are available in Windows.

Is the second sentence correct?
If yes, what would be the difference between the two?


texts:
I once read that a "turkey walk" was going to be held on a Sunday at 8.00 a.m. in a small town in New England.

I tried to find it in dictionaries and I also googled the expression, but got no results.

Can anyone explain what it is?


texts:
In this article, there was the following quote

  “As we speak, millions of Yemenis are being radicalized against the country they blame for the civilian deaths,"...

I searched the meaning of "radicalized", and I understand it more as how we use the word "transform" in a sentence. For example , "The event has radicalized the children."

I couldn't tell from context as I have no knowledge of Middle East politics...


texts: There are two phases in sequence - correct?

texts:
I know that "in sequence" means "one by one" or "one after another". I want to express that there are two phases (A and B) and that they are exactly in this order and do not overlap.
Would this be correct?

  In this game, there are two phases in sequence: A and B.

Is that correct?


texts: From where does the "s/he" practice originate?

texts:
Is s/he eating enough through the day?

I see this all the time these days. Why do they do this? This means:

Is s or he eating enough through the day?

which makes no sense. Clearly, they meant to type:

Is (s)he eating enough through the day?

Or:

Is he/she eating enough through the day?

Or:

Is [s]he eating enough through the day?

Why do they not realize that "/" means "or"? They must have read this somewhere prominent as it has spread a lot.
Even though I can "interpret" it, it's very annoying to see this and know that other eyeballs are registering it and their brains make "mental notes" for future times when they are themselves in need to express the same thing, and then they use the same practice.


texts: Is there a word that means "not yet open"?

texts:
I'm looking for a single word that means "not yet open". For example:

  Registration Status: (Open|Closed|XXX)

"Closed", while technically correct, can lead to confusion as it implies (in this case) that registration was open at one point in time. Also, due to length constraints, "Not yet open" cannot be used (8 characters or less is preferred).


texts: Word for breaking the fast on Ramadan days

texts: What is the English word used for describing the 'breaking the fast' in the month of Ramadan ?


texts: What does "here's to someone/thing" mean?

texts:
I got an email from an instructor today. Towards the end of email she says:

  "Here is to finishing off the semester in a positive way."

What does that mean?


texts: It appears to derive from the word "spuddle" which goes back to the Middle Ages, but the earliest I could find for "spudger" was 1877. Any additional information would be appreciated!


texts:
I have a question about the preposition for differ in the following context:

  A differs B merely from a chemical element.

Or better to say:

  A differs B by a chemical element.

I will prefer the first one to the second one, because I cannot find a reliable source for the meaning of differ by.


texts: Is there a sales term for how "hot" or "strong" a prospect a customer is?

texts:
I'm pretty sure my grammar is off in that title, because I'm awkwardly writing around a missing word.

If a salesperson has time to call one of two customers, he or she will want to reach out to the one which, based on all the information available, is more likely to be interested in making a purchase.  You could say "the stronger prospect".  Is there a single-word adjective or simple phrase to represent a measure of this "likelihood-to-buy" quality in a prospect?  "[Prospect] strength", "quality", and "score" come to mind, but they're vague, I'm hoping for something more specific to the world of sales.  I'm not familiar with their jargon, I just learned what a "spiff" is the other day.

"Interest" is close, but the context is one of data mining based on factors other than the customers' expressed interest, so I think that would be a little deceptive.

For context, this will be a field in a customer relationship management app.


texts: When you want to learn 'A', but before you learn 'A' you need to learn 'B', and to learn 'B' you have to learn 'C', etc

texts: Is there a term or expression for this besides prerequisite?  The main idea to convey is that the topic is spiraling out of control.


texts: Meaning of “bile” from Great Expectations

texts:
In the book Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the character Joe tells Pip,

  “Somebody must keep the pot a biling, Pip, or the pot won’t bile, don't you know?”

What does the word bile mean in this sentence?


texts:
What is the adverbial form of the word scrutiny? I'm looking for the exact synonym of the "with scrutiny" expression. I've tried searching for the form like scrutinily but I've only found something like scrutinizingly. Does scrutinizingly have the meaning of "with scrutiny"?

The context is that I am trying to describe an act of watching some tv series for my thesis - I had to watch it really carefully in an analytical way and stop the recording every minute or so to write down the sentences I've just heard.


texts: Looking for a word more formal than "hater" but with slightly different definition

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes Person A in the following situation:

Person A pretends to be friends with Person B but when B goes off to start a business, A secretly doesn't want B to succeed (possibly because A feels that only he should succeed and feels threatened by the success of others.)

"Narcissistic" could work but doesn't capture the insecurity of the person. "Jealous" and "envious" suggest that there is already some achievement to speak of. Similarly, being a "hater" typically implies that the hated person is already successful.


texts: A friend from work asked me why he should write meetings room, instead of meeting room. For him it made more sense to use the plural word meetings as several meetings were held in that place. I know it is meeting room, but could not explain him the difference. I would like to know if meetings room is correct or not.


texts: "…didn't finish…yet" versus "…haven't finished…yet"

texts:
If I worked on something yesterday but it was not finished, which tense should I use?

  I didn't finish it yet
   or
  I haven't finished it yet


texts: Can I use 'different different' in a sentence?

texts: Is this a correct statement? - "He asked me different different questions."


texts: How can I despeciesize the word "dehumanize"?

texts: The word "dehumanize" is used to refer to the act of treating human beings without regards to their worth and human rights. In a setting with multiple sentient species, what word could replace "dehumanize"?


texts: Were days ever written as ordinal numbers when writing day-month-year?

texts: I know that the day is written as a cardinal number (1, 2, 3) and not an ordinal number (1st, 2nd, 3rd) in the day-month-year and the month-day formats. But was there ever a time when ordinal numbers were used instead? I remember writing April 2nd, 2019, etc. and I'm curious what happened.


texts:
Is there a better way to describe an app's feature as being dependent on the user's decision than saying it's 'user-set'?

Example

The volume of a video's playback is 'user-set'.
The language is not.


texts: How to describe being embarrassed due to good fortune or success?

texts:
Hypothetical: My friends, family, and village are relatively poor. I own a large modern house on the water with new cars. I don't care about showing off and buy these things simply because they are functional or pleasing to me in some way.

When my friends or family visit they are impressed by my house and are in love with it. They are not overtly envious or angry with me or anything like that and simply are impressed by what I have because they have not seen these sorts of things before.

I feel negative emotions relating to the perspective of others and the social circumstances. I don't think "guilt" is the right word. The closest word I can think of is "embarrassment", but I'm not sure it fits. I don't mind being the center of attention, I don't feel violated, I don't think I've failed or am being criticized, I don't think this is especially awkward in any way, and I don't think I'm necessarily being perceived in a negative way.

What expression can be used to describe this "embarrassment" of having things that others do not?

EDIT: I suppose this feeling would describe any sort of embarrassment due to positive evaluation and not simply due to belongings.


texts: What is the name of the term for character facial expressions showing meaning in a play?

texts:
Last year I learnt the term for a character's facial expressions showing the audience what they feel, as well as their tone of voice in the stage directions when reading a play. I am currently writing a dissertation and cannot for the life of me remember what the terms were, and cannot find anything online; all i remember is that at least one of them started with a 'p'. Could anyone please help me and tell me what these terms are?
Thank you all :)


texts: A derogatory definition for a politician

texts: I am looking for a definition, a negative one, to describe a politician who is not doing politics in the  public interest.


texts:
Is there such a thing?

I know I can use words like anxious, fearful, etc in its place but none of those words capture the anxiety over the future that trepidation does.

Is there some form of trepidation that works?


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

Why do we write 'He has an MA' and not ' a MA' even though MA does not begin with a vowel? Can anybody give me anymore examples like it?


texts: Meaning of ‘feminista’ as used by Josh Lyman in The West Wing?

texts:
In Season 1, Episode 03 of The West Wing, Josh Lymann calls CJ Cregg a ‘feminista’ at 4’01”:

You know what? I think I’m really the best judge of what I mean, you paranoid Berkley shiksa feminista!

Does the word have a specific connotation or meaning that ‘feminist’ does not have, as used by Josh or in general? Why might have Josh used this word in particular?


texts: A phrase/idiom to describe indulgence in previously no-no stuffs after change of belief

texts: After a radical change of belief (religion, political view etc.) people sometimes start to indulge in a thing which is a strict no-no by their previously held belief system. For example after leaving their religion one may start indulging in something considered a taboo food by their previous religion. Is there a phrase or idiom/proverb to describe this type of behaviour?


texts:
I am having trouble with the difference between stockmarkets and stock markets — or should it be stock-markets? In some articles it is introduced as stockmarkets, but that term is not found in the dictionary.

I need more clarification about the difference between them and which one is more correct to use.


texts: Why no article with "service" and "access"

texts:
Simple question, which I'd like a simple (simple enough to explain to an ESL student) answer to.*

  Is there a conference room?

  Is there a non-smoking room?

Okay, so I have no problems with these. But then:

  Is there Internet access?

  Is there room service?

Why don't we use the indefinite article with these words (access and service)?

I've boiled it down to "they're both kinda nebulous things you can't count", but that doesn't help me much. Is it just that they are uncountable? Because I have a feeling I'm going to have a conversation like this:

  Student: Why is "room service" not countable?

  Teacher: Well, there are many services offered - food, laundry, cleaning. The word "service" covers many individual services.

  Student: So why not call it "room services"?

  Teacher: Ah, well, you see, that's because of - Goodness me, look out the window! Is that a tree?!

Similarly, why do we say:

  Is there air conditioning?

I understand that some things are countable and some aren't, but in this case I'm having a hard time figuring out how to explain it to the student in a way that's vaguely logical. I don't want to have to say that it's just the way it is (like spellings and irregular verbs) unless I absolutely have to.

*I'm aware it almost never works this way, but I have my fingers crossed, so you never know.


texts: Present Perfect usage in a sentence; continue with the same tense or move to Past Simple?

texts:
I've been rewriting a known quote:

  Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

I used the Present Perfect and turned the quote into:

  Curiosity has killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

I'm not sure whether it should be "... but satisfaction has brought it back", since I started with Present Perfect. But "... satisfaction brought it back" feels more natural.

I think it makes more sense because the satisfaction just simply "brought it back", it's not something that is continuing to happen in the past, even though the curiosity that killed the cat is an optionally on-going event, so it also makes the next related event to be a part of it and become on-going, although, I also believe the usage of Present Perfect in the beginning gets the rest of the sentence included and for that reason you won't need to double-use Present Perfect.

Uuuh.
Thanks in advance. :)


texts: Are there any disparaging synonyms for 'city slicker'?

texts:
It seems there are many negative terms for people who live in the country and lack urban experiences: hick, bumpkin, hillbilly, yokel, okie, hayseed, etc.

What about the opposite scenario where a person from the city lacks practical experience in a rural environment?

The closest I can come is 'city slicker' but that is a bit clumsy and doesn't quite capture the essence of naïveté I'm looking for. I'm open to non-English terms as well.


texts: Does a colon go before or after parentheses?

texts:
For example,

Shopping (At Whole Foods):
Shopping: (At Whole Foods)

Which one is right?


texts: what happened vs what could have happened?

texts:
What is the difference between 'what happened?' and 'what could have happened?

1) I couldn't see Gina last month. Do you know what happened to her? (or Do you know what could have happened to her?)

2) I couldn't see Gina last month. What happened to her? (or What could have happened to her?)


texts: Word to describe a question with multiple exact correct answers

texts:
Not completely sure, but I don't believe ambiguous would qualify for the exact situation I am thinking of, though perhaps I am over thinking this in general. I have a question in a short story I am writing:

  Why are we driving? Why can't we teleport?

And the main character, in response would ideally reply with something to the tune of:

  Well that question is rather {insert adjective}. Functionally, because it's impossible. They're jamming us. Officially, because the boss told us to. Legally, because teleporting into a classified area without clearance is illegal. Personally, because I enjoy driving and don't like the idea of my atoms being ripped apart and reassembled.

Is there a word (possibly a short phrase) that describes such a situation or would it just be ambiguous?


texts:
I heard people saying something like this:

  We have to "rescrew" [e.g.] a tissue box holster to the wall.

I'm not sure, is the syllable "re" common? It seems this is not too commonly used.

What are possible synonyms / more common terms?


texts: Does one "laugh out of enjoyment" or "laugh of enjoyment"?

texts: Does one "laugh out of enjoyment while watching a movie"? Or does one "laugh from enjoyment"? Or "laugh of enjoyment"?


texts:
It's a little confusing why people use "in" before movies like "Jonny depp played a pirate in Pirates of the caribbean while they use on before series. Like, "Previously on Game of thrones".
Please help me here. Thank you.


texts: when to use 'any' or 'some' in a question?

texts: Could anyone explain the usage of any or some in a question? It seems to me there must be a subtle difference. I know 'any' should be used in a question e.g. 'Do you need any help?' But I've also heard saying 'Do you need some help?' Thank you in advance!


texts: How did phobia ever come to mean hatred?

texts:
I understand the word 'phobia' to mean an irrational fear of something, tracing its roots to the Greek word ῾φοβια᾽ associated with flight, dread, or terror.

How then did this word ever come to embody 'dislike' or 'hatred', as in the word homophobia (I'm struggling to think of others... perhaps this says something)?

I see that the word aversion seems to have similar issues, a word originally meaning to avert or avoid now somehow connoting a strong distaste or antipathy towards something...

Thoughts?


texts: One word to call people that attach their feelings to a concept

texts:
Is there a way to express in one word when people attach their personal feelings to a concept or an idea and then become very vehement at defending it because they consider it personal criticism.

As they inject their own semantics and attribute whatever they want to the word. so if you criticize the label or what you think the label refers to, you criticize their instance of the label.

In some way they become emotionally attached to the concept but how to say it in one word ?

Object Oriented Programming is a good example of concept (is it even one ?) where people attach their feelings to it and then feel personally attacked when criticism arises.


texts: When to use -Ites / Ians / Ish / An / Ni / Ese / Elsh / Er

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Are there any rules governing what we call people from different countries?

I have some confusion regarding usage of suffixes such as -ites / -ians / -ish.

For example:

I have seen some people using the words Kerelite and Mumbaites for people from Kerela (a state) and Mumbai (a city).

Other examples:

Indians (where India is a country)
Spanish (Where Spain is again a country)
American
Pakistani
Chinese
Welsh
New Yorker

So on what basis do we decide what suffixes should be used, or is it very dependent on mood or environment?


texts:
Can we use an indefinite article before an uncountable noun if it is followed by an adjective?

For example:

  I gain a useful information every time I browse the site. We need a strong evidence to believe him as he lied to us many times. He gave me a useful advice.


texts:
Given its first use:

  "I don't know why, it's a perfectly cromulent word."

The verb is "is" (=> it's) and the noun is "word". Since cromulent links them both and directly addresses the noun, isn't that the definition of a Predicate Adjective?

Has it been used in any other way?


texts:
Example sentence: "He ran the fastest (of all) the anchors." - my coworker (an ESL teacher) wants to know specifically why we can't say "He ran the fastest (in all) the anchors".  I feel like it may just be the set usage for superlatives but I was hoping to give a little more information and not just "that's just how it is".

Is that just how it is?


texts: In “We’re going to throw a surprise party for her”, is "for her" an adjectival phrase or an adverbial phrase?

texts:
Consider these sentences:

We’re going to throw a surprise party for her.
I’ll get some flowers for Anne.

In (1) for her is a prepositional phrase. Is this instance of for her
an adjectival prepositional phrase or an adverbial prepositional phrase? Or
is calling it either of those still okay no matter which you choose?

In (2), for Anne is a prepositional phrase.  Same question here: Is for
Anne an adjectival prepositional phrase or is it an adverbial
prepositional phrase? Or are both choices correct?

Do those two sentences mean the same thing as these two respectively mean? Here instead of a prepositional phrase, an indirect object is used instead.

We’re going to throw her a surprise party.
I’ll get Anne some flowers.

If (3) and (4) mean the same thing as (1) and (2), would that alter whether
the prepositional phrases in the first pair should be analysed as adjectival or adverbial
modifying phrases?


texts: "My probation ends this Friday." What tense to use and why?

texts:
What tense is correct to use?

My probation ends this Friday.
My probation is ending this Friday.
My probation will end this Friday.

Thanks.


texts: Why are people from Sunderland called "mackems"?

texts: In the north-east of England, if nowhere else, people from Sunderland are called "mackems". Does anyone know why this should be? Wikipedia suggests a number of possibilities. Are any of these correct?


texts: Is it correct to say: English through sport or English through sports?

texts: This is the title of the workshop where students will participate in various activities related to sports (basketball, football, volleyball, running, jumping, etc.).


texts: What do you call non-standard spellings used by companies that are similar to real English words?

texts: There are many brand names that are misspellings of real English words. Instead of calling them misspellings I would like a more positive term for this type of name.


texts: One word to describe the concept of two counteracting factors

texts: Suppose there are two important factors to a beneficial objective. Bigger values of both factors lead to higher achievement in the objective. However when one of the two factors increases, the other has to decrease. There is a point at which the optimality is achieved. What would be the best word to describe this kind of duality,  and accurately capture the abstract concept of achieving optimality through compromise?


texts: In baseball, is it proper to pluralize "RBI"?

texts:
In baseball, an RBI is a Run(s) batted in.  So it's already "plural".

So if I were to say, Paul Konerko had five RBIs.  Is that correct, or should I say Paul Konerko had five RBI.


texts: United States Military: Should the word "military" be capitalized here?

texts:
I have an editor who is going back and forth about whether or not the word
military is capitalized when used in "United States Military".


texts: Is this a proper use of the word render?

texts:
I'm writing a technical report and one of the sentences is:

  Assuming otherwise would render A a function of B.

With the intention to say that if we would assume otherwise, A would be a function of B. Is this a proper use the word render, or should I use something align of:

  Assuming otherwise results in A being a function of B.

Edit:

According to suggestions this might be better:

  Without this assumptions A becomes a function of B.


texts: Is it ok to use Present Progressive in this construction?

texts:
Recently l came across the following construction:

The river which is afflicted with black lobsters is losing its fish soon.

I am wondering why the writer used 'is losing' instead of the more natural 'is going to lose'. Would anyone clear up my doubts please?


texts: "have a certain kind of air about oneself" meaning

texts:
Taken from the book titled "W is for Wasted" by Sue Grafton:

  He had a courtly air about him.

I unfortunately can't seem to find any good explanation anywhere on the web.
I also don't think this is related to the phrase, I'm trying comprehend.

This is a more detailed excerpt from the book:

  He had a courtly air about him. Maybe it was the dress shirt or the hint of humor in his eyes. I thought he seemed surprisingly intelligent, and then I had to stop and correct myself.


texts: Can "so" and "thus" be used interchangeably?

texts:
Example:

  Although Karla had been in this area many times before, this was the
  first time she'd seen this coffee shop. So she decided to give it a try.

Can I use thus instead of so in the example above? Would that change the meaning of the sentence?


texts:
Water – or at least ice – occurred on all the moons of Jupiter. And there were continuously erupting volcanoes on Io – so it was reasonable to expect weaker activity on the world next door. Putting these two facts together made European life seem not only possible, but inevitable – as most of nature's surprises are, when viewed with 20/20 hindsight. - 2010: Odyssey Two, Arthur C. Clarke

I just don't understand what this 20/20 hindsight is. Is it a parlance?


texts: Where does the term shitfaced come from? I'm aware that it means to be totally drunk, but I'm not sure how shitfaced describes being drunk.


texts: When to use present perfect and when present perfect continuous?

texts:
In my English book it says ''I have done'' is used when an action is ended, but where there are consequences in the future. For example: 'There has been an accident, and as a result the street is blocked'.

I understand how to use it, but I am puzzled about the difference with the present perfect continuous' For example: 'It has been raining (and now the street is wet)'. Why could we not use the present perfect?

Why can't we say ''It has rained''? When should we use the present perfect and when the present perfect continuous?


texts: “The Grimm brothers” or “The brothers Grimm”? “The sisters Brontë” or “The Brontë sisters”?

texts:
Why the "brothers Grimm" but the "Brontë sisters"?

Is there any order to follow?  I’ve heard and read both “The brothers Wright” and “The Wright brothers”; “the brothers Wesley” and “the Wesley brothers”.
As for "the brothers Karamazov" and "the Karamazov brothers", I've googled and found both forms, but many more hits for "The brothers Karamazov"
Is there any rule on word-order here?


texts: What is the meaning of "to vanish from casual view"?

texts:
To provide context, I've come across the phrase in the following extract:

  More than 900 Stone Age circles, or henges, are known in the British Isles, and there were probably many more of which no trace survives. There are also surviving remnants of old wooden buildings, including some at Stonehenge, alhough these have all vanished fom casual view.


texts: What role does 'in' take in this sentence?

texts:
Father: “It may not be exactly the car you want but..” Daughter:
  “It’ll be rubbish, some old wreck that I’ll look totally stupid
  in.” (BBC, The Archers, 2013-04-26 Friday, 8’55”~9’01”)

Does the ‘in’ make adverbial in the text, a supplementive as an adjective, or something else?

source: The Lexicogrammar of Adjectives: A Systemic Functional Approach to Lexis, p201)


texts: "You are wonderful, [everything included]."

texts:
This is for a letter to a person very close to me.
I'm trying to figure out the right way to say the part between brackets:
"You are a wonderful person, [everything included]."

I'm trying to express that the person may have "issues" (in their own words), but that their existence does not change how I think about them.

How can I best say this without altering the first part of the sentence?
What I don't want is to make the sentence about those issues, just gently hint at them.

So NOT: "You have problems, but.."

But more like Xanne's suggestion: "You are wonderful, just as you are."


texts: I want to know the difference between click and press. As we click the mouse and press a button. Where do we use press and where do we use click?


texts:
Is there an English equivalent of the French joie de vivre,
a feeling of pleasure and excitement that comes from enjoying life?

I know that the French phrase can be used in English, but I'm looking for an apt English word/short phrase.


texts: Synonyms of Veteran and Rookie in terms of research methodology

texts:
I am comparing two research methods. They both do the same thing. However, one method performs far better than other primarily because it has evolved over years and is therefore more seasoned:

1) Researchers have worked on the first method for almost 10 years. Therefore its results are very robust and performance very good.

2) Second method is relatively new. Although it does the same thing as the first method, its performance is very poor, primarily because Researchers have started working on it only recently.

Basically, the first method is a veteran and the second is a Rookie. I was wondering, what can be some good synonyms words for saying the same thing for research methods?


texts:
Why did jazz musicians start referring to an engagement as a "gig"?

If any, could anyone provide a couple of quotations from eminent authors to show where a word was first used in this sense?

  gig | noun, a live performance by a musician or group
  playing popular or jazz music. | verb, perform a gig or gigs.


texts: Equal vs Equivalent: Finer differences in meaning and usage? in 4 distinct scenarios outlined?

texts:
Equal vs Equivalent: Finer differences in meaning and usage?

What would be the subtler differences & similarities?

Examples & scenarios where:

Only one can be used
Both can be used
One is more apt
Changing one with the other changes the meaning / specificity of meaning


texts: Which of “press” or “depress” the enter key is the more correct choice?

texts:
I’m reading a manual right now instructing one to “press” the enter key.

However, both press and depress appear to be correct, as explained in the question Why is the term "depressed" often used to describe a button which is pressed?

  Click “submit” or press the enter key.
  Click “submit” or depress the enter key.

I know that depress is the less commonly used one of these two, at least as a verb). But technically speaking, which is the more correct word to use?


texts: what do you call a person who always thinks they are being used?

texts: This person first thought to any question is to react that the other person wants something from them. An example. If you ask them if they want to go to the store that person would say I'm not paying for anything. Or if if you want them to hang out they say do I look like an ATM you are always trying to get me to spend money! Or they would answer you just don't want to spend your money on gas. They don't give you a chance to finish your thoughts or intentions they just group you in a category.


texts: What is the origin of the idiom "have been had"?

texts: I know the meaning of "have been had" is "been cheated".  What is the origin of this idiom?  It is really special in the sense that none of the individual words in this idiom convey the meaning of deceit in any way.


texts: Is this correct: "I am to be dropped at the train station"?

texts:
I learnt (or I think I learnt) that to express the immediate future, you can use to be + past participle:

  I am to make one of the most important decisions in my life.
  She is to be elected as the mayor of the city.

Is it correct or did I make that up?

[Edit: take->make ]


texts: Verb [will] -- "rare" ? ----> 1. (rare, transitive) To wish, desire (something)

texts:
(Bold emphasis mine)

  https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/will

  Verb

  (rare, transitive) To wish, desire (something). [9th-18th c.]
  "Do what you will."
  (rare, intransitive) To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that). [9th-19th c.]

My first reaction was "Rare? It's not rare!"

I checked 4 real dictionaries, and none of them says "rare". Wiktionary entries are usually copied from real dictionaries, right?

Is there any academic basis for these two "rare" labels?

Examples added later:

  How about ... [I'm willing to take this job.]

  My paper dictionary has for vt. (non-aux.) [Call it what you will]

"...he willed himself into winning a game for us."
"...There were eight to 10 games where he basically willed his teammates into winning games."
"...The defensive specialist has willed himself into becoming quite the hitter."

I think that being in a place like Venice — it's this impossible city that, in some ways, shouldn't even exist because it's a city built on water that was willed into existence


texts: Politically correct term similar to "red neck"

texts: What's a non-judgmental way to say a person or group of people are "red necks" in the sense they may hold some very conservative or old fashioned beliefs. For example, someone who doesn't believe autism is a real medical condition? I realize any phrase for it may cause offense, but I'm aiming for the least possible.


texts:
My question is: which one is correct to talk about two figures in my writing?

"Figure A and B are ..."
"Figures A and B are ..."


texts: Is it there are too many to do or be done?

texts:
There are too many of them to count.

There are too many of them to be counted.

Which one is correct?


texts:
I stumbled upon this sentence in the news this morning:

  Witnesses are requested to attend at the Melbourne West Police
  Station, 313 Spencer Street, Melbourne.

As a general matter, when would you use "attend at (sth.)"? I've been thinking about this for a bit now as it does seem to have a different meaning than "attend." I understand "attend at" to mean "come to" in the example sentence, but "attend" typically implies much more than a mere physical presence (a teacher may spend as much time in school as her class, but that doesn't mean she "attends school").

The one dictionary I found that does specifically mention the phrase is OED ("intr. Const., on the proceedings (obs.), at the place"), giving the example "He attends regularly at the City Temple." But the very brief definition leaves me wondering whether "attend at (sth.)" is completely synonymous with "come to" or conveys any additional meaning.


texts: Is there a word to describe a phrase such as "it is what it is"

texts:
For example

  "it is what it is"

This multi-word statement has no real meaning if read literally (or at best a circular meaning), but it does express a meaning that is meta to its lexical meaning (a sense of helplessness and resignment).


texts:
Is there a noun to describe a dish that looks unpleasant & unappetizing. The situation may be that someone makes their best to cook and serve you this dish and this cooking puts this person out too much.

However, it turns out that the result is disgusting and makes you feel sick.


texts: Idiom or saying about doing things well or doing them to the very best of your ability or achieving perfection

texts:
Hi when I set my self a task I usually like to do it to the best of my ability or spend a lot of time doing working on it so that the out come of the project goes well, I have heard a couple of saying that I like to use “ I don’t do things in halves” or “quality over quantity” or “if your going to do something might as well do it properly or not at all” or “it won’t fail because of me” or something like “you’ve put this much effort you may as well finish it off properly!”

Does anyone have any idioms or sayings that they like to use that run along these lines

Thanks for your answers in advance


texts: what is the direct object & the indirect object in the sentence in my post

texts:
I am trying to learn about direct and indirect objects. My question is sadly very simple but I'm unsure.

In the sentence below what is the direct object & what is the indirect object?

She should explain it to me.

So I think the subject is She

Verb is explain

the direct object I believe is it and the indirect object me

Is that correct and if not why?


texts: Word for a pane showing fictional characters in columns

texts:
In the manga/anime world you sometimes come across panes that show some of the characters of a certain manga or anime series arranged into columns. Here are some examples:

Bleach Gotei 13

Bleach Main Characters

Steins;Gate Characters

Is there a technical term for such panes? The closest word I can think of is "character roster", but those usually arrange the characters in a grid, rather than in columns.


texts:
Although the phrase is now somewhat outdated, in British English we sometimes say "I'd like to add my tupp'orth to the debate" - meaning "I'd like to add a few thoughts of my own..." The phrase literally means (colloquially) "my tuppenny worth", i.e. "my two pennies' worth".

What would be the nearest equivalent in US English? (It doesn't necessarily have to be a phrase involving coinage - I'm just looking for a widely-used idiom.)


texts: "Focal" or "focussing" exercises, when training the eyes to focus better?

texts: When doing certain eye exercises, such as looking at the thumb as you bring it to your nose and as you move it away from your nose, can you call them "Focal exercises","Focussing exercises" or both?


texts: "Please use other door" signs are common. But would you ever say this? Or would you say "please use the other door"?


texts:
Which of the following has the correct punctuation:

  Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of,
  "does this Act go far enough?"
  Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of,
  "does this Act go far enough?".

Also, does Act need to be capitalized as used here?


texts: What is the word/rule for nouns that don't require articles?

texts:
For instance, you can correctly say "I want bread." That isn't wrong the same way "I want phone" is wrong. This seems to apply to most foods, but I can't figure out what the rule is.

  I want fish.
  I want water.
  I want coffee.
  I want meat.

I guess these are categories, rather than specific things? Similarly you could say I want red if picking a color for a wall.

I'm not sure what the rule is for someone learning English, how would they know which words this applied to? I also don't know the term for such words, making it hard to look up.


texts: "Rather than defend myself" <--Why are we allowed to use an infinitive after this preposition?

texts:
Rather than defend myself, I took a deep breath and tried to see his point of view.

In the above sentence, than is a preposition. So I thought the verb defend should have a form of -ing like than defending myself.

Why is the verb defend in the plain form?


texts:
I'm looking for a single word which describes something that is not pleasant but is necessary. Moreover, there are no comparable alternatives for that.

Something like a delightful pain.


texts:
Is there a word that is the inverse of "define"? Like taking a definition and giving the word?

For example. If you said "The action of propelling one self from a surface using leg muscles", and I said "Jump", I would have done this.


texts:
Is there a gender-neutral alternative to "Jane Doe" / "John Doe"?

I would like to provide an example of signed form, but how to avoid using gender when it comes to names? Is there some widely-used idiom for this?


texts: Is there difference between the phrases: "To put dog on the leash" and "To put leash on the dog". Are they both valid English sentences?


texts:
I've recently encountered the term "Pedestrianised Zone" (as part of the name of a pedestrian zone, as in "X Street Pedestrianised Zone") and thought there's something weird/grammatically wrong about it.

Wikipedia suggests that in BrE, pedestrianised zone = pedestrian zone. But according to www.gov.uk as well as images of road signs in the UK, "pedestrian zone" is the official term.

I have no problem with using "pedestrianised" in a sentence:

  That zone's pedestrianised.
  There're quite a few pedestrianised zones in this area.

I dunno why, but instinctively I cannot agree with using "pedestrianised" in the name of a pedestrian zone.

Is my instinct right or wrong?


texts: Our coach forbids (us) 'drinking'/'to drink'

texts:
In my grammar book "Grammatica Inglese Facile (Simple English Grammar)"  I read that the following sentences are both correct:

Our coach forbids drinking.

Our coach forbids us to drink.

But the book adds that the latter cannot rewritten in this way:

Our coach forbids us drinking.

However the book doesn't explain its last statement, thus I'm asking if someone can explain whether what the book states true is. If so, why?


texts:
Elsewhere is an amazing word, as you can refer to other places very easily. What about elsewhen? Does such an equivalent of elsewhere for time  exist? For example:

  "Fertility might have fallen among women born between 1940 and 1960, and remained unchanged elsewhen."

Would that be an example of an appropriate use of that word, if it were to exist? If not, is there an alternative, easier way to say elsewhen, so that its existence has been unnecessary?


texts: In the phrase “baker’s dozen”, why does the apostrophe indicate possession of a (single) baker? Shouldn't it indicate possession of all bakers in general? Shouldn’t it be “bakers’ dozen”?


texts: How did "Matron" and "Patron" come to mean different things?

texts:
Matron:

(1) a married woman, especially one who is mature and staid or dignified and has an established social position;
(2) a woman who has charge of the domestic affairs of a hospital, prison, or other institution;
(3) a woman serving as a guard, warden, or attendant for women or girls, as in a prison.

Patron:

(1) a person who is a customer, client, or paying guest, especially a regular one, of a store, hotel, or the like;
(2) a person who supports with money, gifts, efforts, or endorsement an artist, writer, museum, cause, charity, institution, special event, or the like;
(3) a person whose support or protection is solicited or acknowledged by the dedication of a book or other work;
(4) patron saint;
(5) Roman History. the protector of a dependent or client, often the former master of a freedman still retaining certain rights over him;
(6) Ecclesiastical. a person who has the right of presenting a member of the clergy to a benefice.

They both ultimately came from Latin mater and pater, didn't they? And why does Matron have relatively similar meanings while Patron has several different ones?


texts: another phrase for 'far from business and politics'

texts:
Is there any idiomatic expression to convey the meaning such as 'far from a specific topic or an area of activities' in English?

  These survey conclusions summarize opinions of ordinary users that are far away from business and politics.

I want to find a correct phrase because  what I've come up with sounds weird in my opinion.


texts: What does it mean by "Un coup de rouge" in this context?

texts:
This is the subtitle for the subsequent paragraphs in the article. It means "a glass of red wine" in French, but I cannot understand why the author chose this subtitle. Is it related to the left represented by Mr Mélenchon?

Un coup de rouge
Whoever is president will inherit a discontented country. Unemployment has been stuck above 10% since 2012; for young people, it is still above 20%. The economy is growing slowly and does not yield enough tax to pay for the public services that voters believe are their right. Racial and religious tensions run high, exacerbated by jihadist attacks. Dislike of the EU is even stronger than it was in pre-referendum Britain.

The Economist, Apirl 22, The French election
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21721143-french-go-polls-they-are-angry-and-divided-consequential-choice-franceand


texts: Interpretation of "Thou art more lovely and more temperate"

texts:
In sonnet 18, line two

  Thou art more lovely and more temperate

What does the word temperate imply? I googled it up and found that it means less extreme., if so then why compare temperateness with Summer, one of extreme weather, it would have been logical to compare it with a season like Autumn or spring ?


texts:
Which verb should be used with "(college) course"?

The students are attending a course but what is the lecturer doing? "Giving" and...?

Sincerely,
N.G.


texts: How can I describe a "one or more" condition (one that has many options; a "non-boolean")?

texts:
Generally speaking a boolean condition is understood to be an "either/or" relationship; for example, something is hot or cold.

What's do you call a "one or more" condition, e.g. something that can have many colors?

To add a bit of clarification, in conversation most people understand Boolean to be an "either/or" proposition, whether there are two or more conditions, as when you ask someone to pick a single color of paint (red, green, or blue).

When discussing that with non-programmers, I find they perfectly understand that when I describe it as a boolean condition.

However, I don't seem to know what to call a "one or more" condition, for example, "pick any colors that you like: red, green, blue, yellow, orange, purple."

I find my self saying "non-boolean" which isn't all that useful.

-- EDIT --

Rubergly's answer gave me an interesting thought:

Boolean is similar to "dichotomous" and also similar to "binary" (1 or 0). Trinary means set of three... so is "polynary" a word, or is there something similar?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Don’t got” — how common is it in American usage?

Recently, I've started to hear more and more often people use "got" as a present simple form  (obviously originating from I have got -> I've got -> I got -> Do you got? -> I don't got).

Although it is without any doubt absolutely colloquial and not officially accepted as "standard", I'd like to ask you, native speakers of American English, whether it sounds acceptable in a normal conversation (would it be at a similar level as any of the following: I wanna, I gotta, I ain't got... ?), whether it is region based, what the third person of this would be (because of its nonstandard origin, I'd guess it should be he got/he don't got), and whether it would be used even in the past (I didn't got).


texts: Does "Welcome, Campers" require a comma?

texts:
Does a greeting like, "Welcome, Campers" require a comma after "Welcome"?
Or can you write "Welcome Campers"?

This would be for a sign, or an email where the opening sentence is, "Welcome campers!"

I have argued that "Welcome campers" means something different than "Welcome, campers." It could be read as an imperative sentence. But where I work they keep wanting to go without the comma.


texts: Is "to move from people to more abstract things" suitable in this sentence?

texts:
To move from people to more abstract things, the admiration and esteem for teachers can be extended to knowledge and practical wisdom, talent in arts, and scientific creativity. (self-made)

The context is that China has a tradition to revere teachers, but this moral idea is not restricted to teachers, actually it extends to general culture and education.

I am not sure whether "to move from people to more abstract things" makes sense to you people?


texts: What is the difference between a chest and a trunk?

texts: Is a "trunk" more likely to have a "flat top" and a "chest" more likely to have a "rounded top"?


texts: Is "if you're not familiar with X, it is..." or "if you're not aware, X is..." correct English?

texts:
More and more often I read sentences such as the following:

If you're not familiar with Miami's “Golden Era”, this film captures it brilliantly.
If you're not aware of the basics, two teams of five players spawn on corners of a map.
If you're not familiar with it, Pinboard is a bookmarking service that lets you save URLs.
If you're not aware of how to transfer funds from your Main wallet to your Australian
wallet, this explains how:
In case you're wondering, mBio wasn't fooled.
In case you don't know Marco, he was one of Masahiko Kimura's first apprentices.

Are they correct?  Why? If they are not, then what is wrong, and how can they be best corrected?

P.S. By "correct" I mean do they follow Standard English and English Grammar?

P.P.S. Although they're harder to find, I found more examples in the New York Times!  Publication in the NYT means these sentence structures are correct, right?

If you’re not familiar with this little tweak, it’s simple.
If you’re not familiar with your provider’s policy, New York’s Department of Financial Services publishes a helpful chart.
In case you're wondering, the rupiah is the national currency of Indonesia.


texts: What's wrong with asking "can I have a ketchup?"

texts:
My friend corrected me that asking "can I have a ketchup?" Instead of " can have some ketchup?" Sounds wrong and not native.

I understand that because ketchup is not countable but since it was a fixed amount, I thought it'll be okay.

Like some people say "can I have a Coke?/I'll have a Coke" when ordering a glass of Coke at a restaurant. Coke is not countable either but why is it okay to use a before coke?

Which one is correct/sounds more native?

Can I have a Coke?

Can I have Coke?

Can I have a glass of Coke?

Can I have some Coke?

What about when you're ordering a can of coke?
Would it be any different if you were to say Coca Cola instead of coke?

And would you say "can I order a drink?" Or "can I order drink?"


texts: Is it a noun or pronoun or something else?

texts:
Circle the nouns in the following paragraph.

For the first time in her life, Mary was seeing two boys at once. It involved extra laundry, an answering machine, and dark solo trips in taxicabs, which, in Cleveland, had to be summed by phone, but she recommended it in postcards to friends. She bought the ones² with photos of the flats, of James Garfield’s grave, or an announcement from the art museum, one¹ with a peacock-handsome angel holding up fingers and whispering, One³ boy, two boys. On the back she wrote, You feel so attended to! To think we all thought just one² might amuse, let alone fulfill. Unveil thyself! Unblacken those teeth and minds! Get more boys in your life!
— Lorrie Moore, “Two Boys”

Why is the one in "one with a peacock-handsome angel" a noun?

In my opinion, the ones in "she bought the ones with photos of the flats" can't be a noun because it is a pronoun. Also, the one in "to think we all thought just one might amuse" means indefinite or nonspecific people; therefore, it is not a noun, but a pronoun. Is my reasoning correct?

Is the one in "One boy, two boys" not a noun because it is a determiner as in one, two, three, many?


texts: Is the phrase "Take my wife – please!" a paraprosdokian?

texts:
I was reading the wiki page about paraprosdokians and I don't understand why the phrase:

  Take my wife – please!

is classified as one.


texts: Synonym for overdoing something/taking too wide an approach

texts:
I'm looking for an idiom or a synonym for a situation when someone has taken a heavy handed measure that achieves the desired effect, but also goes above this, affecting things that aren't a problem.

For example:

  If one tree is diseased, but the surrounding ones are fine, chopping down all of the trees.

I'm sure there's a phrase for this. I thought of "using a sledgehammer to crack a nut" but I'm sure there's something specific.


texts:
Which of the expressions, "come to think of it" or "comes to think of it", grammatically correct? Or are they grammatical at all?

If it is a short form of,

  When one comes to think of it, I would rather have a cat.

It should be

  Comes to think of it, I would rather have a cat.

But it seems that it is more often used as

  Come to think of it, I would rather have a cat.

Which one is correct?

Grammatically, it neither seems to be a normal sentence. Are there more expressions with similar structure (verb phrase that is not an imperative).


texts:
Isn't the phrase It’s hard to admit that ... ambiguous?

For instance: It’s hard to admit that the sight of these umbrella-wielding infocrats hurrying by, radiating self-importance, strikes me as some kind of affirmation of the human spirit.

What's the meaning after all? It's hard to admit (to myself) that this is so, or it's hard to admit because this isn't so at all (kind of sarcasm)?


texts:
The original question that came to my mind was "How many one-letter words are there in English language?". But of course, I did some research and found out there are three:

A – an indefinite article
I – the first person singular nominative pronoun
O – an interjection, used in the translation of the vocative case of Latin, commonly used in poetry

[Wiktionary]

Wiktionary also mentions that every letter is a word (because large dictionaries list each letter as a single-letter word. Each such word is defined as a noun, denoting the letter with which it is spelled.) and adds that this blurs the use-mention distinction:

mentioning the letter:

"Psychology" starts with a 'p'.

using as a word:

"Psychology" starts with a p.

On the other hand, there are sources out there that list only "a, I, O" as one-letter words or even just "a" and "I".
For example, University of Notre Dame mentions only "a" and "I" in cryptography notes.
Letters being a word seems like a bit controversial. Wikipedia explains letter as below:

A letter is a grapheme (written character) in an alphabetic system of writing, such as the Greek alphabet and its descendants. Letters broadly denote phonemes in the spoken form of the language, although there is rarely a consistent exact correspondence between letters and phonemes.
Letters may be used as words. The words a (lower or uppercase) and I (always uppercase) are the most common English letter-words. Sometimes O is used for "Oh" in poetic situations. In extremely informal cases of writing (such as SMS language) individual letters may replace words, e.g. u may be used instead of "you" in English, when the letter is pronounced as a homophone of the word.

So the questions are:

How many one-letter words are there really?

Can we say that only "a" and "I" are one-letter words in the current vernacular? (Because "O" is considered archaic, though there are exceptions like our beloved "O Canada")

Are informal abbreviations considered as a word (like "u" for "you")?

Are letters words?

Bonus: https://www.wordnik.com/lists/single-letter-words


texts:
I'm reading St. Lucy's School for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell.  I haven't been able to figure out exactly what "Saint-in-the-Box" means (I googled it) in the following:

  'Does Mirabella try to earn Skill Points by shelling walnuts and polishing Saint-in-the-Box?  No.  Does Mirabella even know how to say the word walnut?  Has she learned how to say anything besides a sinful "HraaaHA!" as she commits frottage against the organ pipes? No.'

The school has nuns.


texts: what does that mean Must be something in the air?

texts:
a full sentence is here. speaker A : I can't believe that i'm pregnant again. must be something in the air. speaker B : your legs

what does that mean "must be something in the air" A dictionary says that the phrase refers to someone's having a crush on sb, or something bad, good, feeling that coming something to happen without talking, or rumor is around people, or they are having the same feeling. can you know that? please help me


texts:
As a non-native speaker of English, I was once told in London by a learned British man that I should not use 'maybe' for 'perhaps' in the UK, as by doing so, I'd be following an American usage (so I'll be recognized as not speaking really 'British',  but mixing things up, which is never good, he insisted).

Is it indeed American to use maybe for perhaps, or is just a matter of formal vs. informal (or less formal)?


texts: Is there a term for coining a phrase for a word that already exists?

texts:
Usually a new term emerges and it becomes necessary to add a qualification to an old word for disambiguation.

examples:

"mono sound" versus "stereo sound"
"analog watch" versus "digital watch"
"acoustic guitar" versus "electric guitar"
"slow food" versus "fast food"


texts: Should informal titles such as the "Father of modern physics" be in title case?

texts:
How should text containing descriptions such as the following be formatted?

He was dubbed as the father of modern physics.

Should "father" "modern" and "physics" be capitalised?
Should there be quotation marks around father of modern physics?

If it requires quotation marks, should they be single or double quotation marks (for both British and American English)

Thanks a ton!


texts:
I am looking for an adjective that means privileging the now or to believe the present is more important or better than any other time. Analogous to anthropocentric.

I believe now-centric is clear enough but I'd rather not ignore a more commonly used and recognized word.

Can you use it in a sentence?

"In her study of history she remained very now-centric; nothing mattered except for how it related to the present."


texts: "put the idea out of my head" or "pull the idea out of my head"?

texts:
I want to know, what expression is more correct:

"How can I put the idea out of my head?"
"How can I pull the idea out of my head?"

What I'm trying to say is, "how can I extract the idea from my head and make it a reality?"


texts: 1-D, 2-D, 3-D: En-Dash , Em-dash, or hyphen

texts:
I want to write the word as

  1-dimension (1-D), 2-dimension (2-D)

Which is the correct punctuation mark?


texts: What is the appropriate preposition of "Radio programme"?

texts:
So, in this sentence

  I listened to this conversation (On - In) a radio programme.

What is the appropriate preposition to use?


texts:
I hear it more on more frequently on the news, as in:

  The North-Korean regime has disappeared scores of dissidents over the past twenty years.

Has disappear always been used in such a way, as a transitive verb? If not, can early instances be traced back to some period?


texts: Subject/object in this sentence: "Against no one was feeling more bitter than against Rhett Butler"

texts:
From  Gone with the Wind, Chapter 16, by Margaret Mitchell, 1936:

  Against no one was feeling more bitter than against Rhett Butler.

I understand what it means, but I don't understand how this sentence works grammatically. I am confused about what the subject and object of this sentence are.

To me, it seems like either the object or the subject is missing. Is the "one" in this case referring to Butler or to the people feeling bitter?

Is this just a rare type of grammatical construction, or is there something I'm missing?


texts: Looking for a phrase: a needlessly overcomplicated method of accomplishing a simple task

texts:
In my language, there is an expression for this - you can touch the tip of your nose normally, or you can move your hand behind your neck, across it, then touch the tip of the nose from the opposite side. I can't translate this to a concise and acceptable phrase/idiom, and the descriptive version loses its sheen in the verbose explanation.

So what's a good phrase in English for this? I've heard of some close versions like:

three right turns to make a left
two steps forward, one step back (although this is usually in the context of progress)

But they don't quite get the same feeling across.


texts: In what case can the object be placed at the beginning of a sentence?

texts:
Every word I say is true; this I promise you.

I think the pronoun 'this' is the direct object of the verb 'promise' and 'this' should be  be placed after 'you', but it is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Because this sentence is on a web page about English grammar at http://grammar.yourdictionary.com , I believe this is not grammatically wrong.
Is this an exception? Then, how can it?


texts: "Intents and purposes" versus "intensive purposes"

texts:
I know that "for all intents and purposes" is the correct saying, but I often hear/see people say/write "for all intensive purposes".

I was under the impression that the latter is completely incorrect, but when I discussed this with some friends, we could not reach an agreement.

Is "intensive purposes" considered correct even though it is a deviation from the original turn of phrase?


texts: What do you call someone who gives you the wrong advice?

texts:
I have a co-worker at work who I have figured has given me the wrong advice or wrong impression more than once (like "oh its ok to come by this time" while I found out later it was not permitted by company policy).

What do you call such a person?

EDIT:
Thanks to everyone for the answers. I was looking for someone doing this deliberately.In my opinion the word I would use would be a "deceiver" or a "misleader", as they convey the sense of deliberately giving a false impression or leading in the wrong direction.


texts:
If I want ask my classmate at what exact time did he come to class, which question is correct? I don't want to use "When".
"At what time did you come here?"
or
"What time did you come here?"


texts: Does 'throwback' require an indefinite article?

texts:
Should it be ‘a cheeky little throwback’ or just ‘cheeky little throwback’

Any help would be appreciated


texts: "He drank in his surroundings" is this correct?

texts:
Here's the sentence for context.

"Steel grey eyes drank in his surroundings like a ravenous pit"

is this correct?


texts:
Pikachu strolled along the street blissfully unaware of what lay
  ahead.

or

  Pikachu strolled along the street blissfully unaware of what lies
  ahead.

I feel like I should use the simple past here (correct me if I'm wrong), but I am curious if it is possible to use present simple here (and if yes, then in what situations).

Also, do I need a comma after the word street?


texts: Ambiguity regarding adjective/adverb status in the sentence "I smell bad"

texts:
For sentences like "I smell bad" I'm confused on the role.of the word "bad" and whether it requires a suffix. On the one hand it seems that the properly formed sentence should be "I smell badly" but on the other hand it seems to mean something entirely else.

Are these two different, well-formed sentences (bad vs badly)? Is the first (bad) just a convention of conversation and only the latter form (badly) valid but just ambiguous (do I mean that I smell of badness or that I have no talent for scent?)?


texts: Term describing a group's relatively greater ability to resist capricious law enforcement?

texts:
(This requires a bit of setup, so please bear with it...)

Suppose a malfeasant administration works to pass an unreasonable general law against some commonplace custom as a subterfuge by which to weaken specific groups it regards as enemies.  Ordinarily an unreasonable general law would make such an administration even more unpopular, but the administration knows it can rely on several things to help it:

Propaganda advertising the (newfound) dangers of the commonplace custom.
The targeted "enemy" groups favor the commonplace custom more than the general populace.
Selective enforcement against the targeted groups.
The rest of the populace (i.e. those not targeted), would have, (relative to the targeted groups), some actual or virtual resisting attribute that would usually allow them to avoid arrest or conviction if the law was ever enforced against them.

Is there a good term or phrase in English, (or even a borrowed foreign term or phrase), that describes #4?

Note: "Privilege" is not the word desired, as that's both too vague, and inaccurately connotes something granted, special or unusual, rather than something mundane.  It might be something like having enough money to hire a lawyer, or being part of a group not stigmatized by some terrible societal prejudice, or (supposing a sudden and violent peasant revolution) having strong and callused hands.


texts: Is it bad to start a sentence with "as"?

texts:
My boss doesn't like it when I start sentences with "as", and I'm not sure if it's actually a problem.

A case where I would start with "as" would be:

  As your new account manager, it is my responsibility to . . .


texts: What lexical relationship lies between the days of the week?

texts:
I'm confused, What is the lexical relationship between "Monday" and "Tuesday"?

I mean is the relationship hyponymy, prototypes, polysemy, homophones, metonymy etc?


texts: What is "however" in this sentence referring to?

texts:
No definite mass is identified. However, for further evaluation of this patient given his symptoms, an MRI is recommended.

In the above sentence, does the "however" refer back to looking for a mass or forward to further evaluation of the patient's symptoms?


texts: what is the meaning of 'might get him' in the following sentence

texts: He felt nakedly unarmed, and wondered how far the serrated steak knife by his plate might get him. What is the meaning of this sentence


texts: What is the term for a collection of a species of animals?

texts: For example, "demonym" is the term for the people from a place. Is there a term for describing the collective noun of a species of animals, like a business of ferrets, swarm of bees, or congress of baboons? Say I was making a table with the animal in one column and the collective noun as the header of another column. What would the header of the collective column be?


texts: "None saw this coming." - Is it grammatically correct?

texts:
I understand I can say No one saw it coming but wonder if it is okay to say "None saw it coming."?

Also, is the punctuation correct in the end of the last statement?


texts: How to stop using homophones in written English

texts:
I am not natively an English speaker, though it is a taught language from childhood and I have been using the language long enough. I have a problem though with using homophones instead of the actual words intended when writing. I have since noted that I do this usually when I am typing/writing and thinking something else at that moment (generally multitasking).

Examples
know-no
knew-new

Since I am only ever going to be exposed to more of adulthood, which dictates that I do have many of this multitasking, does anyone suffer from this, and how can I deal with this.


texts:
A funnel is used for pouring something in it such that it can be going out slower/more controlled. From to broad to narrow.

I'm looking for the opposite of the thing "funnel".

Mostly in the context of an app that would take a single signal and spread it out really broadly.

The closest I got was a "broadcast", but that's not really an object.


texts: For words that can be a noun or not a noun, why does the noun have the emphasis at the start?

texts:
There are some pairs of words that can act as a noun or not a noun (a verb or an adjective.

For instance:

rebel
present
compact

Why is it that the noun version of these words have their emphasis on the first syllable and the non-noun version of these words have their emphasis on the second syllable?

Are there any examples where the emphasis location is reversed?


texts: Isn't there a simple adverb for the opposite of 'loudly'?

texts:
I am wondering, isn't there any brief and common adverb (adjective plus -ly) in English that would enable me saying, e.g.

  The transcript is imperfect because over lengthy periods people were speaking very xxxxx-ly

meaning: they did not speak loud enough to be intelligible on the record. They spoke with too low voices. Of course, I could say "... are speaking with too low voices", but I find this inconvenient: why use three words when one could do?

In German, I would simply say "... weil sie zu leise sprechen". I am a bit puzzled that in English I need to use complicated expressions for such a simple thing as the opposite of "speaking loudly".

I suppose, saying "they are speaking lowly" would be misleading. Right?

Note: there are related questions in English.Stackexchange, but none of them focussing my exact problem, as far as I see.

What is the opposite of “Could you talk a little louder”?
Does "speak in a low voice" refer to volume/loudness or to pitch?
Right word to represent "speaking with low audible voice"?

Later addition:

I am adding information here because the question got closed with a notification on alleged lack of preliminary research. Well, so, here are my preliminary attempts to come up with a solution based on a) my active dictionary of English b) various other dictionaries.

quietly - Problem: my understanding is, that "quietly" carries a positive connotation: It would be an indicator of being a person of good upbringing to speak quietly (instead of loudly); in my context of audio records of research interviews it is however a negative thing to speak too quietly. Please correct me if I am wrong.
muttering/mumbling: these describe certain ways of speaking, usually of course in a low voice, but also with e.g. a lack of physical movement of the speach organs. In my context "muttering" or "mumbling" would be over-specific. Moreover, I fear that using such words I would offend my client (to whom I want to communicate the reason for the imperfect transcript). I do not want to tell him "You were mumbling" because a) he was not actually mumbling, he simply spoke with very low voice and b) even if he did it would be too confrontational to use this very word, I believe.


texts: How to correctly say you liked some food?

texts:
Yesterday a colleague gave me a piece of cake. We are both not native English speakers, but communicate in English.

She wanted to ask me if I liked it and wrote:

  'Did the cake taste you?' (1)

She asked me if it's correct English. I told her that I don't know and that probably I would use 'Did you like the cake?' (2) or 'Was the cake tasty?' (3)

Are all 3 correct?


texts: What does "heavy" mean in this sentence?

texts:
The site is a little bit slow because of installed heavy zencart application

What's the meaning of heavy in the above sentence?
Does it mean the application is too large or something else?


texts: What do you call the excessive use of 'I' in speech or in writing?

texts:
As is known, to avoid excessive use of we is not an easy task, especially if we also wish to avoid the passive voice, but some style guidelines says that not only one should avoid excessive use of we, but also the excessive use of I.

Since I found that wegotism is defined as 'Excessive use of the pronoun we; - called also weism,' I'm wondering whether there is a word meaning 'excessive use of the pronoun I'.

I attempted to find 'iism' without luck.

So, my question is, what do you call the 'excessive use of I' in speech or in writing?


texts: What is the usage of the word infinities? Is the term infinite infinities correct, and how is it used?


texts:
Sometimes I see texts (essays?) with titles like so:  "On ......"

For example: "On the transience of human life"

I'd like to find more informations on this kind of titling.  They seem to be more used for philosophical texts or essays.  Are there some rules about this kind of titles?  Are they reserved for certain kind of texts?  I couldn't find much on this subject.

Thanks!


texts: How would I best express this in English?

texts:
I'm new to English writing and, unfortunately, I cannot even find words to describe the problem properly (I guess there would be a special name for this issue).
I wrote a sentence "[...] the assessment of alpha-diversity only requires the distinction between, but not the identification of species" but I am not sure whether this is clear and correct or it would be preferable to wrap the "what it is not"-part (I want to highlight what it is not about, however just slightly ;D) in em dashes. I'm also not sure about the necessity of the "but". But then, should lots of dashes even be used in scientific writing?
So, what's the most appropriate version?

[...] requires the distinction between, but not the identification of species
[...] requires the distinction between—but not the identification of—species
[...] requires the distinction between—not the identification of—species


texts: Which is proper English when using I and me

texts:
If placing words under a picture, which is correct?
Alice and me or Alice and I?


texts: Is “what’s” a correct short form of “what does”?

texts:
E.g. “What’s he think?”

Usually ’s is short for “is” so I don’t know.


texts:
This reference states:

  The two words "wholistic" and "holistic" have very different meanings, but there is some confusion and they are often used in an incorrect manner. The two words have very distinct meanings though somewhat similar in definition.
  Wholistic refers to the whole, a whole item or whole body of a person or thing. The word defines the consideration of the entire structure or makeup, which
  includes the body, mind and the spirit in the case of a human being.
  The word holistic is connected to holism, which focuses on the total entity and the interdependence of the diverse parts of this totality. Holistic has to do with the healing systems that are considered alternative like homeopathy and Ayurveda that deal with the human body as an interconnected whole

And yet another search:

  wholistic
  adjective
  adjective: wholistic
  1. variant spelling of holistic.

Is there any difference?


texts: Word that means allure of the underworld

texts:
I came across a word a while back and am not able to recall it at all though I found that word most useful to know.
It roughly means the allure or attractiveness of the underworld, in particular the gambling, sex, drugs, etc.
The word can be sort of like this.

The _____ of London in the 1960s under the Kray brothers motivated many gangsters to travel there.


texts: Used Postal Stamps and a Process of Stamping Them

texts:
Below is a postal stamp with the... postal stamp on it.

It might sound weird, but a postal stamp on a postal stamp are the only terms coming to my mind when I refer to a used (redeemed?) postal stamp.

Is there any special word(s) in English to refer to an oval/circle/squared black imprint which a post office usually does on a postal stamp?
How do you call a redeemed/used postal stamp?

I hate thinking that there is no special word in English to distinguish between a stamp and a stamp :-)

How do you call a process of... well... stamping stamps? Apparently it must be a verb, for example:

  That USPS clerk has stamped all stamps on my envelope, so I won't be able to use them again.

UPDATE: (after John Lawler's comment)

May I use the term unstamped stamps referring to either new stamps or to those a clerk at a post office did not stamp for some reason?


texts: When talking about possibilities, is it possible to say "what one(s)" instead of "which one(s)"?

texts:
Although I've never heard "what one(s)?" before. But if we talk about many elements, I think that "what" should be used.

Examples:

  A: Do you know that hotel in London?

  B: What one?

I believe there are many hotels in London, so, "what one" should be used.


texts:
My friend used the work indisposable incorrectly, when he was really reaching for the word 'indisposed'.

However, he actually meant 'I was otherwise busy'.... Not the true meaning of indisposed...

What are the alternative words to diverge from 'indisposed' and mean something more like 'I was busy' (and I don't want to go into details)

Is it 'I was otherwise occupied'?  But that sounds deliberately obtuse..(Like I don't want to tell you anything)
Or 'I was busy'? Which sounds aggressive in the sense that 'Don't ask me any more'...

INDISPOSED in the sense he intended, meant 'I was busy taking care of something irrelevant to this context / meeting'....  Not at all aggressive..Just wanting to assuage pertinent questions

(Knowing full well that indisposed means to 'feel a little sick', so slightly diminished in potential...And 'may just stay home tonight' - as I am 'indisposed')


texts:
Source: FreeBSD Handbook

Example:

  Around this time, some rather unexpected storm clouds formed on the horizon as Novell and U.C. Berkeley settled their long-running lawsuit over the legal status of the Berkeley Net/2 tape. A condition of that settlement was U.C. Berkeley's concession that large parts of Net/2 were “encumbered” code and the property of Novell, who had in turn acquired it from AT&T some time previously. What Berkeley got in return was Novell's “blessing” that the 4.4BSD-Lite release, when it was finally released, would be declared unencumbered and all existing Net/2 users would be strongly encouraged to switch.

What does the term encumbered code actually mean?


texts: Why not in present simple? "You're always cadging cigarettes from me!"

texts:
We use the present simple tense when we want to talk about fixed habits or routines – things that don’t change.

And we use the present continuous to talk about actions which are happening at the present moment, but will soon finish.

But sometimes there are some certain statements which make me wonder why the tense does no agree with its own definition.

For example: "You"re always cadging cigarettes from me."
Why not to say "You always cadge cigarettes from me"?


texts: When the reader sees the words "foreshadow" or "omen" does it usually mean good things or bad?

texts:
I'd like to use a word like "foreshadow", or a word similar to it, as long as the reader will understand what is to come is going to be good.

Is the a subjective interpretation of "foreshadow" or "omen" a good thing or a bad thing?

What alternative would mean something positive?


texts: Is "To say which method is better, it's a relative thing" correct?

texts:
Is "To say which method is better, it's a relative thing" correct to express that a method is better depending on the circumstances? Or is there a better way to express that?
The context is:

Q:Which is the more preferred method now (method 1 or method 2)?  I know method 2 is newer but is it better?
A:It is a (relative?) thing to say which method is better. Method 1 can fulfill Kevin's request with minimal change to the current script that we're using; in the contrast, method 2 can provide some more functions in addition to fulfilling Kevin's request. So either one can be better, depending on what you want.

As you can see, there is comparison between method 1 and method 2, And either method can be better depending on the need. What word would be proper to replace "relative", which has similar meaning of "relative"?


texts: Usage of an article in front of the structure "adjective + non countable noun."

texts:
They blamed the accident on shoddy construction.
  They blamed the accident on a shoddy construction.

-

Are both of these two sentences correct?

I think the usage of an article could be possible in front of an uncountable noun, while the abstract uncountable noun is more specified by an adjective.

But, I've never seen this method used before words like research, evidence, information etc. So I'm confused with my shabby knowledge on the word "construction."

How about the usage of an article in front of "shoddy construction"?


texts:
I was watching something and someone said this

  Interior, Outer Space. A distopian future. The year is 1000. An astronaut floats in. His eyes are average, his face fine.

"His face fine" sounds like it is skipping the word "is", like something a caveman would say. Is this good English or was this a mistake?


texts: Is there such a word as repercussionless. Or what word would mean something like that??


texts: What's it called when a speaker has some object reflect someone's feelings?

texts:
I remember this is the name of some rhetorical scheme.  It's hard to explain.  It's like if I say:

"The rain poured down her tears."

Or if I say:

"All I could hear over the whine of the plane's engines was the constant complaining of the passenger sat next to me."

It's kind of like personification and metaphor, or maybe it's a version of those, but those aren't it.

I've gone to websites of rhetorical schemes, but they have so many that clicking through pages and pages of them, I can't find it.

Also, if you know what I'm talking about, are the examples I gave correct?  If not, how do I used it correctly?


texts:
what you say when someone finally does something he wanted for a long time and by that bothers others. Is it correct to say: he did it, he finally spread his venom?

Student A and professor B our somehow opponents. A has an idea and wants to make it public which will destroy B. All of students try to prevent him from doing it for Professor sake. But A finally does it. Now others talk about A and they say: he eventually did it.
Is it common to add?: He finally poured/spit his venom/poison


texts: "I hope there is no error in my essay" vs "I hope there are no errors in my essay?"

texts:
Are both Okay?
I guess the problem is I could have made more than one error, but I could have made only one error


texts: What kind of British English accent is it?

texts: I'd like to ask what kind of accent it is. Is it Geordie of British English? Please refer to this video hyperlink: a British English accent.


texts:
I would like to know which one is correct?

Sara and Jack buy and use a car and a bicycle, respectively.
Sara and Jack buys and uses a car and a bicycle, respectively.

Please note that the original sentences are:

  Sara buys a car and Jack uses a bicycle.

So, each verb is for one person.


texts:
I've only recently realized that the example sentences in many English dictionaries are italicized. And I've yet to find out any other medium that uses italics in examples.

What is the history of using italics in example sentences? Did dictionaries pioneer the usage of italics in examples or were there other forms of publications before them?


texts: Term for implying something is free only to then charge someone for taking it

texts:
Is there a term or expression for when something was implied to be free, only to then be charged for once accepted.

I have seen street vendors do this a lot. I watched as a gyro vendor complimented a young tourist. The teenager acknowledge the vendor's compliment. The vendor then offered him and his friends gyros, they were seemingly free due to the vendor being impressed. Once the gyros had been served, the vendor charged the teenager for the gyros. Looking embarrassed, he paid him.

I have always wondered if there is a term for this, even a legal one.


texts:
Is it ok to use the word Possibility when referring to features of a software application?

As in this example: "In this release, we have added a possibility to display some data..."


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Usage of the verb “provide”
  Is the sentence “It provides people an easy way to communicate.” grammatically correct?

  Can you provide me a mouse pad?
  and
  Can you provide me with a mouse pad?

This seems to convey the same meaning, if I use 'with' or omit it from the sentence.

Is there any difference between the above two sentences?

Why do we use 'with' here and in other sentences of such type?


texts:
Consider a sentence such as the following:

  The new software was designed to increase programmer productivity as
  well as reducing the company's total invested cost.

Note the two separate tenses: to increase and reducing.

Is this a correct form?  Is this more correct?

  The new software was designed to increase programmer productivity as
  well as to reduce the company's total invested cost

Neither sounds optimal to me.


texts:
I'm developing a system in which users can 'link' separate items by using a 'Link' button. In the database, this 'link' is called a 'relation'. I'm inclined to change the text of the button to 'Relate' instead of 'Link' because it seems more correct. However, I fear users might be confused due to popular usage of the term 'relation'.

For example, you often see a list with 'Related terms' popping up on websites. When you look closely, most of the time this is a list of terms that might have something to do with the current term you have selected, but don't have an actual relation to it. I would rather call it 'Similar terms'.

Might 'link' therefore be a better choice after all? Or is 'relation' much more correct?


texts: Who is ‘another champion’ in President’ Obama’s speech "The biggest corporation don't need another champion. You do."

texts:
I heard through AP Radio News the following message of President Obama in his speech delivered in Connecticut two days before the midterm election, in which Democrats suffered a crashing defeat.

He says Republicans are blocking immigration reform and other big issues:

  “The biggest corporation they don’t need another champion. The
  wealthiest Americans don’t need another champion. You do.”

What does “another champion” mean? Who is it? Why the biggest corporation and wealthiest Americans don’t need “another” champion, and the rest of Americans need “another” champion?


texts:
I was quite surprised to know that "break of day" actually means "dawn", that is, the beginning of the day.

But, the phrase "break of day" sounds much more like the end of the day, not the beginning of it. So, I'm quite interested in the origin of it.


texts: How can I correctly reference a source directly in an article under Harvard-style rules for publications?

texts:
I am trying to reference a source directly in an article that I am writing using “Harvard-style” referencing. The source I am using is an article published on a radio station’s “news articles” page. As the author, they have only written “KHTS Articles”.
Would this be a correct way to start a paragraph while referencing the source without any author by using only the radio station’s name?

In their article, KHTS (2020) writes how...


texts: Where does 'cooling your heels' come from?

texts:
I can't think of a possible scenario where one would tell another to cool his heels (the very first time). Even if you walk a lot, only your legs hurt a lot. Why particularly heels?

How did it come into existence?