texts: “Chris Christie may have move to the right” - Isn’t it a typo?

texts:
Washington Post (November 7) carries the article titled, “Democrats begin effort to negatively define Chris Christie before 2016 campaign.” with a caption of video:

  Gov. Chris Christie may be eyeing a 2016 presidential run, but he may
  have move to the right if he wants to appeal to the Republican base.
  Sabrina Schaeffer and Richard Fowler discuss.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-begin-effort-to-negatively-define-chris-christie-before-2016-campaign/2013/11/06/780e4420-4720-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html?wpisrc=nl_most

I cut and pasted the above quote from Washington Post’s online text.

Shouldn’t it be “he may have to move to the right”? Is it a simple typo, or acceptable as a journalism parlance?


texts:
Grammar check. Native speaker's opinion needed.

The sentence "The object that is sent the message is called the target" seems incomplete at best. Could a native English speaker confirm this?

It is hard to know what is meant

A bit confused here.


texts: Are the 'esk' sound in grotesque and burlesque pronounced the same?

texts:
I'm watching episode 4, season 4 of Friends titled 'The One With The Embryos'. In this scene, Ross is testing Chandler and Joey against Monica and Rachel to see which team knows each other better. At some point, Ross asks them this question (0:20-0.24 in the video):

  What is the name of Chandler's father's Las Vegas, all-male burlesque?

Ross pronounces it as \ (ˌ)bər-ˈles \ with the 'k' sound dropped. Consulting Merriam Webster and ODO, they do not drop the 'k' sound' and there is almost stress on the 'k' sound in the second syllable: -lesque.

  \ (ˌ)bər-ˈlesk \ (MW)  /bəːˈlɛsk/ (ODO)

My question is, should the 'k' sound be pronounced in words suffixed with -esque or should it be dropped? For example, the word grotesque, should it be dropped similar to how Ross pronounces it \ grō-ˈtes \ or should the 'k' sound be pronounced \ grō-ˈtesk \?

Personally, the 'k' sound is the last sound my tongue naturally falls onto when I pronounce both burlesque and grotesque:

  \ (ˌ)bər-ˈlesk \  \ grō-ˈtesk \

Are there forms of American dialect where the dropping of the 'k' sound is a normal occurrence in words with -esque suffixed at the end?

From  my research, I've found a similar occurrence with the 'k' sound being dropped in asked and instead pronounced as 'ast'. This is mentioned in this podcast: Dropping the /k/ in 'asked' (HIMYM). In the link, the speaker of the podcast provides audio samples from the TV sitcom: How I Met Your Mother. Please share your thoughts on this.


texts: Interpreting the meaning of "same amount" in a question

texts:
3 containers A B C contain water, milk and acid respectively in equal
  quantities. 10% of the content of A is taken out and poured to B. Then
  same amount from B is transferred to C reference: a mathematics
  question in careerbless

How do you interpret this statement? For me, this can be read in any of the two ways as follows.

  10% of the content of A is poured to B

  10% of the content of B is then poured to C

or

  10% of the content of A (say it amounts to x litre) is poured to B

  x litre content of B is then poured to C

Please help.

Note: This was asked in an exam and answer was 1/121 as solved in the site mentioned (i.e., answer was in accordance with the second interpretation). But I find the question confusing.


texts:
Further to fathom Aquinas on this matter, however, it is useful to remember that, when he explains what goodness is, he typically says that to be good is, quite generally, the same as being desirable. (On Evil, introduction, by Brian Davies)

I think there is ambiguity in this sentence. I can understand "further" to mean "furthermore". Also "further" can be seen as tightly following "fathom". More probably, I think the author means "to fathom further...". If so, I think the word order better remains to be "to fathom further.."


texts:
Assume that somebody has created a test/quiz like this one.

Has he developed the test? put it together? wrote it? something else?

What verb would you use?


texts: What does 'serval days away from' mean in this sentence?

texts: Her cart was nearly overflowing in preparation for several days away from her family, and she still had packing to do at home.


texts: I have a brother who says that the onomatopoeia has created verbs, like, for example, the verb knock was invented because the onomatopoeia did say so. but I think it is the other way around, that first was the verb and then the onomatopoeia. Who has the reason?


texts:
I've noticed that modern English seems to have a very strong bias at the end of verbs towards the spelling "-ill" (i.e. with a double "l") instead of "-(consonant)-il". The overwhelming majority of such verbs (like to will, to kill, to mill, to fill, to spill, to grill, etc) are spelled with double "l". The only exception I could find so far is to bedevil.

Why is that? Is that related to some sort of etymology that shaped these verbs, or some other process like spelling reform?

I've tried to do some research and so far found that there's quite a few of non-verbs which end with "-(consonant)-il": anvil, basil, devil (which in fact brings to bedevil), council, daffodil, evil, stencil, tendril, nostril, until, vigil, pencil, etc.

Their origins seem to be different (Latin, Ancient Greek, Proto-Germanic => Old English => English path, etc), but the majority of them is of Ancient Latin / Greek origin:

usually a noun was ending in "-elus" or "-ilus" in Ancient Latin ("-ελος" or "-υλος" in Greek),
then it was converted to "-illus" in Medieval Latin,
then it lost "-us" ending in transition to Middle English, making it up to "-ill",
then it lost second "l" in modern English, making it up to "-il".

The process for "-ill" verbs seems to be similar, but somehow ends up differently, for example, for to mill:

classical Latin "mola" / vulgar Latin "molinus" / Greek "μυλο"
Proto-Germanic "*mulīnō" or "*mulīnaz"
Old English "mylen"
Middle English "mille" (double "l" appeared!)
modern English "mill" (double "l" wasn't abridged from Middle English)

It seems that losing double "l" is in fact a fairly modern invention: in fact, Middle English tends to spell most of "(consonant)-il" with double "l" and "-e" or "-en" ending, and then some transition happened in a few past centuries. Am I on the right track? Can I read somewhere about these reforms?


texts: How did the term "Judaism" or "Jews" came into usage, who coined this term first?

texts: How did the terms Judaism and Jews came into usage, who coined those terms? Also how and when did the term Judaism begin being used for denoting a religion?


texts:
I noticed that there is people writing words between underscores, such as in the LKML mailing list where Linus Torvalds used to use the following pattern in his message: _hope_, _names_, _I_, _one_ ..

That's not the first time since I have seen the usage, but I wondered the same thing after having found many other people using this form of expression ..

What this kind of formatting is called and when it can be used? Is the usage specific to mailing lists, intended for italic formatting?


texts: What's the term for when two related words are used in a different sense, often one literally and one metaphorically?

texts:
Apologies for the title, I found it difficult to describe.

If I say he took his hat and his leave I believe that is called syllepsis or zeugma. Another example would be he bolted his food, the door, and down the street.

But is there a term for an expression like where the gin is cold but the piano's hot?

Cold is used literally, hot metaphorically. It seems related to the first examples or does it have a more specific name - or no name at all?


texts: I've said it once, I've said it twice, I've said it a thousand times

texts:
I had a student moaning because I insisted he say twice and not "two times". And he asked "But why?" to which I replied, "Because that's how you say it!"
However on reflection, his question was a valid one.
In Latin there doesn't appear to be any discernible pattern

once is semel
twice is bis
thrice is ter
four times is quater
five times is quinquies

but in German the suffix -mal is used,

once is einmal
twice is zweimal
thrice is dreimal
four times is viermal

In French the term fois is repeated

once is une fois
twice is deux fois
thrice is trois fois
four times is quatre fois

In Italian the noun volta (s) volte (p) is used

once is una volta
twice is due volte
thrice is tre volte
four times is quattro volte

In Spanish veces is repeated

once is una vez
twice is dos veces
thrice is tres veces
four times is cuatro veces

And all the following languages follow the same pattern.  In Danish it's gange; in Norwegian ganger; in Polish raz and razy; Portuguese has vez and vezes; and Welsh uses waith and gwaith.

Questions

So why does the English language have three different words for "one time", "two times" and "three times"?
Beyond a shadow of a doubt the English thrice is doomed to exile if not extinction; will twice suffer the same fate? For instance, many Italian speakers learning English do say "two times"—for them it makes more sense.

Clarification:
I am not suggesting that twice is old fashioned, unnecessary or— heaven forbid—nonsensical. But considering the history of thrice, it is possible  that sometime in the future, native speakers  will look back fondly on twice as being quaint and quite rare. My second question is in fact asking if there are signs of this happening now.

Related Questions:
Why has the word “thrice” fallen out of common usage?
Twice vs Two Times
Is there a word for four times as much, analogous to once, twice, and thrice?


texts: What's a more formal term for "van man"?

texts:
Not sure about other countries, but in England we have the term "van man" or "man with a van", to describe someone (typically a man as you might imagine,) who is self-employed, and delivers goods in their van to wherever they are needed.

I don't actually know if we have a formal term for this person, as I want to describe it in a cover letter for a job application. It seems a bit colloquial to include. Any suggestions?


texts:
Today I've learned a perfect word "feetsubishi" - it's a playful term for describing pedestrian movement, here's quote from urban dictionary:

  feetsubishi - an act of pedestrial walk due to lack of public or private transportation.

I've heard it from someone who lives in Kenya so my question would be - is it something that belongs just to Kenyan local variety of English or this word is used and understandable among the majority of English speakers throughout the world.


texts: Grammatical validity of "Why is it, that..., ...?"

texts:
I'm writing a speech, that goes like this.

"Why is it, that in a first-world country, we have second-class citizens and discriminated individuals."

Is this grammatically correct? Is this a question? But adding a question mark make the sentence look weird and incorrect.

Would this be better?

"Why is it, that in a first-world country, do we have second-class citizens and discriminated individuals?"

Rephrasing it to

"Why is it, that in a first-world country, discriminated individuals and second-class citizens still exist./?"

seems more correct to me, though I'm still unsure of the punctuation.

I'm trying to ask a rhetorical question, but it's kind of also a statement and stand. How should I go about this?


texts:
I think I look like Brad Peter.  – Oh, you are damaging my idol. (He
  is far from Brad’s look).

I mean my friend’s words made me feel uncomfortable because my idol was compared to something much lower. I want my idol be there in my mind, just be there. No one shall try to pull it down, or combine it with mean and ugly things. So the idol is very fragile, I must protect it. Is this thought too much for “damage” to convey? May be “defile” is better in this context.


texts:
In a mathematical context, which of the following options is more appropriate?

  Since the fact A is true, we have  B=C.
  Since the fact A is true, we have that  B=C.


texts:
I thought I understood something is "a matter of principle", but I can't figure out what "not as a matter of principle" in this context mean. Could anyone help explain it to me?

It's from a novel I enjoy reading:
" Yes, I suppose there's something nasty about me at times. But not all the time--and not as a matter of principle. On my good days, I'm as sweet and friendly as any person I know."


texts: What follows next in the sequence "unary, binary, ternary..."?

texts:
I looked on Oxford's online dictionary and was able to find the names identifying orders of a given degree:

primary
secondary
tertiary
quaternary
quinary
senary
septenary
octonary
nonary
denary
-- no term for 11th degree??
duodenary

I am curious as to what would be the sequence of terms regarding a set of 'n' items? I have up to four:

unary
binary
ternary
quaternion

but I cannot seem to find anything beyond that. Does anyone know where this list may be?


texts: Why is a cup of coffee referred to as a cup of "Joe"?

texts: Just interested in learning the context behind a cup of "Joe". It seems weird that we'd use a proper noun to name a cup of coffee, rather than anything else.


texts: What to call a person who replies to your comment

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What do you call somebody who asks a question and somebody who answers a question?

In a conversation, if person A replies to person B, what do we call A and B?

EDIT: Sorry I wasn't clear.
I need to know what to call "A" and "B". I'm involved in a project to create a comment system. So, B makes a comment... A replies to B's comment.


texts:
Do those expressions have some different nuance and grammatically correct?

I have seen "in pursuit of" many times but rarely seen "through a pursuit of"

which one would be more proper for the sample context:

sample:
The Western Europeans through a pursuit of / in pursuit of more advanced civilizations and the wealth of the East overcame their fears of the oceans and launched their ships to the seas of Asia.


texts: Word for collective followers of Sisyphus

texts:
I am looking for a single word to describe the group of followers of Sisyphus (or generally any Greek name ending in '-phus'). I am unsure of how to modify the word to achieve this.
Possible guesses: Sisypheans, Sisyphees, Sisyphians.
Example sentence: "Despite their differences, the men were all ____"
Related: The word 'sisyphean' is used to describe an endless or immensley repetitive task, so 'Sisypheans' might be ambiguous as used to describe the followers of Sisyphus.
Relevant research: The OED lists both 'sisyphean' and 'sisyphian' but none of the examples use the word to mean 'people/followers of Sisyphus'. Further, search results for 'sisypheans' yields only references to an album with that name.
The word 'Sisyphians' is used in the Marie Belloc Lowndes 1904 novel "The Heart of Penelope", Chapter II:
"Mr. Gumberg hesitated; words
sometimes failed him, but never for long-'all I can say is he was
the first of those I was the first to dub the Sisyphians ... // ... Those for whom I invented the name of Sisyphians-there are
plenty of 'em about now—well, i divide 'em into two sets, both, I
need hardly say, equally distasteful to me. The one kind cultivates
platonic friendships with the women'-Mr. Gumberg made a slight
grimace."
In this example, 'Sisyphians' is a fictional name given to these people due to their actions relating to or resembling those of Sisyphus, but not as followers of Sisyphus. I am unsure of whether there is any way English meaningfully distinguishes between the two via suffixes.


texts: Is "I like!" a recent idiom? What is its origin?

texts:
Does it seem to anyone else that in the past few years people have been saying "I like!" in a new, playful, ungrammatical way?

I am not plugged in to popular culture so I wonder if some of you could comment on this, and, if you have noticed the same, shed some light on the origins of this idiom.

Here is the context I'm thinking of:
A friend walks into a room that you just finished repainting. They exclaim: "I like...!" Or maybe they are pointing at a bracelet you are wearing.

It seems to me that ten years ago, people would have said "I like that", or some other construction, but not just "I like". Or is it just my ears?

To my ears it almost sounds like someone mocking an Asian accent, or someone speaking pidgin English.

You like?
Yes, I like.
You go movies with me?
No, I no go.


texts: A word that describes a liquid's tendency to form bubbles

texts:
Is there a word that describes the property of a liquid that causes it to tend more easily to form long-lasting bubbles?

These liquids are increasing in this property:

  water < milk < bubble solution < liquid soap

Viscosity or being viscous are a noun and an adjective that describe the property of a liquid/oil's thickness. I'm looking for something similar, but for the bubbly property that I'm describing.

Example usage:

I don't like this mouthwash. Bubbles foam out when I gargle, because it has a higher ___.

or

I don't like this mouthwash. Bubbles foam out when I gargle, because it's more ___.


texts:
I am not sure if this phrase is right: “for the whole France”. Here's the context:

  Sam applied these methods successfully at some sites in France and then was extended for the whole France by Nino.


texts: Word for emotional state of jealous satisfaction from the whirlwind reaping of others

texts:
Consider observing someone getting a taste of their own medicine, reaping the whirlwind or whose chickens are coming home to roost.

In some ignoble, jealous way such situations can be satisfying for observers, particularly if they were, themselves, hurt by the previous state of affairs. Is there a specific term for this hollow laugh of an emotion in an observer?

There may well be a certain cosmic irony to the situation, it might even exemplify vengeance. It exemplifies schadenfreude and, as such, is a lot less noble than the satisfaction of seeing justice done but is, presumably, conveniently mistaken for it.

But none of these seem to be on the button for what seems to be a very common emotional state. Many very precise words for other characteristic emotional states exist in various languages (sehnsucht, hiraeth, schadenfreude, saudade): a loan-word would also be interesting to hear, but this also gives me hope that such a word may exist in English.

Words would be more interesting than phrases, but both will do. (It is, after all, idea easily expressed by description).

Sample sentence: I watched aghast, disgusted and, I admit, with certain a certain sense of X, as the tyrant's great machine -- terror of Megalopolis -- turned, to pin its lifeless, limpid eye upon its own inventor.


texts: Transmit Power vs. Transmission Power, is there a difference

texts:
I was reading a scientific paper, and the authors sometimes use the term "transmit power" and sometimes "transmission power".

Is there a difference in terms of correct English usage?

Examples:

  we propose to adjust the transmission power used for...

.

  we propose to use transmit power control in order to...

.

  a higher transmit power of a sender should not be...


texts: Present or past tense after "he told me that..."?

texts:
My wife's textbook says that these two are the same:

He said to me, "I want you to join the game."
He told me (that) he wanted me to join the game.

I'm not a native English speaker, but in this situation I would say "He told me (that) he wants me to join the game." Maybe I'm wrong, but to me wanted indicates that while he previously did want, he didn't want it anymore when he spoke to me. Or, if the entire story is in a novel or something, I think the past tense would be used.

In which situations do you use the past tense (e.g. wanted) after "told me that"? In which situations do you use the present tense (e.g. wants)? I would appreciate some example sentences as well.


texts: How should often be pronounced in formal speech? "off-ten" or "of-fen"?


texts: In a 'bulleted' list should items that happen to be complete sentences end with a period?


texts: person providing identity for illegal operations

texts:
In electronic theft cashing out stolen money is a large problem: if you hack into someone's bank account and transfer the money to your bank account, the operation is trivially trackable to your name.

The criminals overcome this problem by hiring service from homeless, addicts, and other such 'refuse of the society' - for a small fee, such person creates a bank account, to which the stolen money is transferred. Then they cash out at the bank or ATM, and pass most of the money to the criminals, while keeping a small margin for themselves.

In other cases they manage purchases of items which are legal to own but easily trackable as used in a major crime (plus trackable to the buyer) - for example chemicals used to make drugs, or obtain documents to their name, which are then used by criminals to perform fraudulent operations, providing identity which will make the pursuit futile.

Frequently, they are soon caught, but their social situation makes it obvious it wasn't them who committed the theft, they can't provide much info on the criminals, and merely acting as a minor accomplice of the criminals lands them a small sentence which they serve, while keeping the money (or having them spent even before being caught).

How is such a 'job'/'position' called?

In Polish this is called "Słup", literally a pole the kind like telegraph poles. I'm not sure about the exact origin, but it almost certainly comes from prison slang. And of course, consecutively, English slang name is perfectly okay for the answer.

I've encountered the name 'Smurfs' appearing in the show 'Breaking Bad', but I'm not sure if this is the case - 'Smurfs' were people who purchased small amounts of off-the-shelf drugs which were then used to make illegal drugs. By making small purchases like that, they wouldn't arise suspicions. Here we have a case where the purchase definitely does arise suspicion, for example a bulk order from a wholesale retailer. But since at the moment of the purchase there's no reason to refuse it, the substance is sold, and when the drug on the streets is tracked back to the purchase, the identity of the buyer is a dead end.


texts: “Are” Vs “Is” in the following sentences

texts:
I'm confused what verb would concord in the following couple of sentences:

  The number of students and the number of teachers are/is decreasing
  day by day in the school.

  Either a number of teachers or a number of students is/are
  participating in the college's festival.

According to my understanding the number of is always followed by a singular verb even two the number of are joined with and. Also, a number is always followed by a plural verb. So I think the former will take is while the latter concord with are. But I'm not sure.


texts:
In the poem “Sheltered Garden”, what does precipitate mean on the last line of this stanza?

  Every way ends, every road,
  every foot-path leads at last
  to the hill-crest --
  then you retrace your steps,
  or find the same slope on the other side,
  precipitate.

The annotations linked above suggests it refers to precipitation, implying to go down the other slope. That sort of makes sense, but it isn't a meaning of precipitate that I've heard before. Is there a better meaning behind the use of that word at the end of this stanza?


texts: What is a word that means an instance of a game?

texts: For example, Monopoly is a game, and I own a copy of it. When I am playing it, I am playing a what of Monopoly? I'm looking for a word that highlights that the game is in progress and differentiates it from the concept of the game.


texts: What is the word for making a set of conflicting rules/policies make sense and all agree with one another?

texts:
There is a word for the act of taking a set of conflicting rules/policies and making it so that they no longer contradict one another and instead all agree. However, I can't think of it! Other words like streamline, clarify, restructure, etc. all don't include the connotation that previously the rules were contradictory, and now they are not. "Make consistent" is close, but I feel like there is a single word equivalent which is often used in e.g. business or government contexts. Any assistance figuring out what this word is would be very appreciated - I'd really like a single word/verb if possible.
An example of a sentence: "The new regulator [MAGIC WORD] the confusing mess of archaic policies so that there were no contradictions, and the requirements were now clear."


texts: humorous word for "foot in mouth" expression?

texts: Can someone suggest a humorous scientific-sounding synonym for “foot in mouth”?  I mean in the spirit of sesquipedalian for a long word.


texts: Transcribing long repeating phone numbers

texts:
I always have this problem of telling people my phone number which consists of a series of repeating numbers:

  184 555 5555 (DO NOT CALL, this is just as an example)

I can tell people it is:

one eight four, five five five, five five five five, or;
one eight four, five, double five, double five, double five, or;
one eight four, five, triple five, triple five, or;
one eight four, five, sextuple five.

Is there a prescribed way or a widely practised method of transcribing long repeating phone numbers?


texts: What is a neutral term for discover/invent?

texts:
A mathematician with a philosophical view of their subject will either be a realist or anti-realist (in ontology).

A realist might ask "Who discovered theorem X", while an anti-realist might ask "Who invented theorem X".

Q : If one wished to remain neutral philosophically, what verb would be an appropriate alternative?

(I thought identify would to the trick, but a friend of mine insists that identify strongly suggests discovery.)

EDIT

Please note that I am asking about the general case here.  I have given the statement of a theorem as a particular example of usage.  I could equally have given the example of a mathematical definition, relation, "object", theory, etc..


texts: It is able to be possible/ She is able to have drunk

texts:
If "can" and "be able to" are interchangable sometimes, for example:

She can speak Latin = She is able to speak Latin

Can "be able to" be used instead of "can" in:

She can't have drunk that much coffee = She isn't able to have drunk that much coffee

It can be possible that he has forgotten about us = It is able to be possible that he has forgotten about us ?


texts:
What do contrapositive and contranegative mean and when are these used with respect to positive and/or negative?

I specifically have this article in mind. The word contranegative is used in the fourth paragraph.


texts: Is there a phrase for "I want A with or without B"?

texts:
"How would I go about easily explaining that I'm looking for one thing
  on it's own, OR with the inclusion of a second thing? Not a "And/or"
  or "Either/or" situation, but a "Thing A, with or without Thing B". Is
  there a specific short word/phrase to depict that scenario?"

Was a question posed to me by a friend that I couldn't answer, the only way I could think was to say was what he had already put "I want A with or without B", is there another phrase that could be used in this scenario?


texts: What's an antonym of demonize (other than deify)?

texts:
Propagandists often demonize people they don't like, from Native Americans to Communists. At the same time, truly evil people are often portrayed as patriots, philanthropists or all around good guys.

Can anyone suggest a good antonym of demonize or demonization, other than deify? I'm not crazy about it, because it sounds a little overboard. I don't think many people are truly portrayed as God-like. I'm looking for a similar word that simply describes a bad person who's portrayed as a Good Samaritan.

Here's an example of how I want to use the word (if it exists):

The government demonized Native Americans for several decades.

The corporate media ______ George W. Bush and Bill Gates, portraying them as a patriot and a philanthropist, respectively.

Update

Awesome discussion! Lionize and idolize are among my favorites, though glorify got the most votes by far.

In one of my comments, I mentioned whitewash, which is very clearly a political term (though not limited to politics exclusively). The problem is that whitewash has a connotation of repairing damage; when a person does something bad, we whitewash their record. Therefore, it was hard to imagine how propagandists could "whitewash" a person with a neutral record.

But I took another look at whitewash after AshleyZ suggested it as an answer. In fact, the first definition offered by Merriam-Webster is "to make (something) whiter by painting it with whitewash."

It's clearly referring to an object (not a person) that's being literally painted. The second definition suggests a coverup of a person. But if we extrapolate, I think we could argue that whitewashing can loosely cover the broad spectrum of propaganda designed to make people look good, which can be divided into three areas:

1) Traditional whitewashing, where one is praised as a "philanthropist" or a "patriot" AFTER one does something bad.

2) Pre-emptive whitewashing, where one is similarly praised even before doing anything bad (or before anyone learns that you've done something bad).

3) General whitewashing - where the goal is to simply make a person, organization or group look good. An example might be Christians who think they're "the chosen people."

Of course, this is all personal opinion. Strictly speaking, it would appear that only the first example above is definitively covered by the term whitewashing.


texts: An idiom for "don't buy the first thing you see"

texts:
I'm looking for a colloquialism for:

  shop around a bit before you make your decision


texts: Is the sentence 'How I do is different from how others do' grammatically correct?

texts:
I mean, 'how' can be an adjective or adverb and is used in a different way, compared to 'what' in a sentence.

For example, in the kitchen, people ask me about my recipes and I could say, 'what[the recipe] I do is different from what others do'. In this case, the verb 'do' doesn't need an object behind cuz 'what' is the object.

Then what if I use 'how' instead of 'what'?

For example, "the way[how] I make the dish is different from the way[how] other people do." In this case, we need the object 'the dish'.

Long story short, can I make this sentence shorter like 'how[the way] I do is different from how[the way] others do', or do I need the object like 'how[the way] I do the dish is different from how[the way] others do?' or is it too short and unacceptable?

what I want to ask about is, without any object, whether the sentence 'how I do is different from how others do' is grammatically correct.


texts: "Direction opposite of" or "opposite direction of?"

texts:
Is one of these sentences wrong, or are they all correct, and why? Which is easiest to parse?

  The man signaled with a tilt of his head in the opposite direction of the
  club.

  The man signaled with a tilt of his head in the direction opposite of the
  club.

  The man signaled with a tilt of his head in the direction opposite the
  club.


texts:
what do we call a course you do not need to attend the class and you just attend the exam? I mean you enroll for a course in the university, you study at home, and at the end of the term, you take the exam.
is this something we can see in the US or European countries? and if yes, what do we call it?


texts: soon-to-be ex-wife or soon-to-be-ex-wife

texts:
Is it:

his 'soon-to-be ex-wife' or his 'soon-to-be-ex-wife'?

Do we need that hyphen after the word 'be'? If so, why? If not, why not?

And is it:

'his soon-to-be-ex' or 'his soon-to-be ex'?

Thank you.


texts: BrEng expressions to describe a man who is becoming stupid

texts: I'm searching for British English expressions describing a person who starts to be stupid, crazy or foolish. I mean something like the idiom  to lose one's head and epithets like: You fool! Are there any where animals are used?


texts: "We just need to rename" or "We need just to rename"

texts:
I want to say that just in case we want to rename something (in programming) we should do something. Which of the sentences is correct?

  In case we need just to rename the message...
  In case we just need to rename the message...
  In case we need to just rename the message...

I asked some colleagues but we couldn't agree which is the correct answer for this scenario where I want to emphasize that just in case of renaming we should do something.


texts:
What is the correct wording for a (programming context: PHP, Javascript, HTML, ...) project folder (= a set of files / scripts) someone else can use as a starting point?

Not talking about an empty project folder, but a project folder containing basic files and configuration.

Maybe one of those?

skeleton project
blanko project
blank project


texts: Does OP mean “original poster” or “original post”?

texts:
In an online forum, OP means "original poster," but can it also mean "original post?"

For example, instead of saying

  To answer the OP's original question...

could one instead say

  To answer the question in the OP...

or would this be an improper use of the term?


texts:
Recently, I was told that the word "programming" in the phrase "programming thoughts" is a verb in the gerund-participle form and that the term "gerund" by itself is obsolete in modern grammar. I was confused by this, because to me the construction seems exactly the same as in, say, "Shower Thoughts": a noun being modified by an attributive noun. I understand that it's the same form as the present participle. But it seems to act exactly as a noun phrase: for example, it can be modified by adjectives like "good" or "bad." I know that some -ing words can be analyzed as deverbal nouns; this is described here: what is the difference between a “deverbal noun” and a “verbal noun”?
However, the tests given seem to mainly apply to count nouns; normally we can't pluralize mass nouns, and they can't take the indefinite article a/an. The definite article can be used with programming; for example, in the phrase "the programming of computers."

So why can't it be considered an indefinite deverbal noun? Is that even the right terminology? Is there any terminology in modern theories of syntax by which one can distinguish the "programming" in "programming class" (a class about programming) from the "programming" in "programming grandparent" (a grandparent who programs), or are these not considered to be distinct constructions?

I've read a Language Log article about the concept of gerund-partiple and how it covers some of the things traditionally labelled as "gerund" (Gerunds vs. participles) but the examples of the "gerund" here seem to be more verby than "programming":

  Destroying the files was a serious mistake.
  I regret destroying the
  files.

Also, in a comment, Mark Liberman says

  Huddleston and Pullum argue, in addition, that the traditional
  functional distinction between gerunds and present participles is not
  a coherent one, and should be abandoned. That's not the same as
  arguing that all -ing forms are gerund-participles — this is clearly
  false — or there are no functional distinctions among uses of
  gerund-participles — H & P retain or propose several, just not
  anything that's closely congruent with the traditional split.]

What are the -ing forms that are "clearly" not gerund participles? And what are the names Huddleston and Pullum use for the functional distinctions?

This Wiktionary discussion suggests that H & P distinguish "gerundial nouns" from "gerund-participles" using the following criteria:

  Complementation: Among other things, gerundial nouns take an "of" -prepositional phrase as complement ("the singing of the song").
  Modification: Gerundial nouns take an adjective as modifier, while participles take an adverb. ("Her splendid singing of the song left
  them transfixed.")
  Determiners: Only nouns can take the definite article ("the singing of the song").
  Plurals: Only nouns can take the plural (however, they don't always do so).

By these criteria, it seems to me that "programming" is a gerundial noun, not a gerund-participle. And assuming the term is compositional, I'd think a "gerundial noun" can be called a noun. But I'm not sure I'm getting this right.

I guess the same question applies to words like "cooking" and "writing."

(I know that many dictionaries list "programming" as a noun, but dictionaries can't be trusted to get parts of speech technically correct.)


texts: Logical construction of the word "forget"

texts:
A small story behind the reason for this question.

In Russian, just as in English, many fundamental words are a combination of two basic ones. The verb "forgot" is "zabil" in Russian. It is formed by "za" - in this case most likely in the meaning of "after" - and "bil" - literally "was" or "I am in the past". If you put them together, it forms a logical structure of "after the way I was".

In English we have "forget/forgot". As it happens in Russian, it is formed by "for" and "get" in different tenses. What meaning do these two words logically take (if any), to be righteously forming the word that logically means "to lose something that was known"?


texts: I would use this title for a blog about cloud computing. Which is correct — "on the cloud" or "in the cloud"?


texts: How do you describe someone who isn't attending a certain event?

texts:
I'm working on a software project where we need to label people depending on their presence.

Assume an event and people are attending it, we call them the attendees.

I assumed I would call those who aren't attending the event "unattending", but when I looked it up, I saw that it was basically a synonym for "careless", which isn't right at all.

I figured I could call them "absent", but in our context that could also refer to people who are just temporarily not on site.

What is the proper term to describe people who aren't planned to attend the event?


texts: 'all the following are' OR 'the following are all'

texts:
Which of these is grammatically correct?

"The statement is incorrect when the following are all true:"
"The statement is incorrect when all the following are true:"


texts: What's the difference between "get to school" and "come to school"?

texts:
When I want to say "I arrived at school at 8am," the most natural way to say it is I got to school at 8am, right?

Why can't I say I came to school at 8am?  I feel it's odd to use came in this case, but I don't know why.  Could someone explain it please?


texts: How restrictive should be the use of "start-up"?

texts:
What newly created companies are "start-ups"?

According to the dictionary definition it is "A business or undertaking that has recently begun operation."

But, shouldn't we restrict the use to companies which are technical, or highly innovative?

Or could we call any new company (even a mom-and-pap shop, coffee place) a start-up too?


texts:
Is it correct to say "I will see you when I was at home"?

Or "I will see you when I am at home"?

I am a little confused about the thing will happen in the future.

Thanks!


texts: Word for someone who has experienced the hardships of life too young

texts: What is a word for someone concerned when they should be innocent or oblivious to hardships? I.e. a child worrying about money or when their next meal is.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “In time ” versus “on time”

I don't know if there is any difference. Which of the following should I use?

  I'll be on time to catch the train.
  I'll be in time to catch the train.


texts:
What does the phrase to wax loquacious mean?
The following line appeared in an Indian newspaper:

  It is an attempt to confront the Prime Minister, who waxes loquacious when speaking to the Non-Resident Indians(NRIs) while writers and ordinary citizens are murdered back home.


texts: Why do the titles of scholarly works sometimes begin with the word "on"?

texts:
For example, one of the articles in volume 183 issue 1 (January 2016) of Annals of Mathematics is titled "On the fibration method for zero-cycles and rational points". Why not just call it "The fibration method for zero-cycles and rational points"? Is there any difference in meaning? Conversely, there's an article in the same issue titled "Defining ℤ in ℚ", which could be titled "On defining ℤ in ℚ" with no apparent change in meaning.

My perception is that the leading "on" used to be more common (e.g., the very long complete title of Darwin's Origin of Species actually begins "On the Origin of Species"; but even here, the 1859 title page prints the "on" in relatively small letters, suggesting a certain disposability).


texts: In the sentence "[...] once anger prevails our consciousness we should immediately distract ourselves to avoid its subsequent effects.", I have directly translated from Turkish, but I was told that there is not such an idiom in English(I mean to prevail consciousness). I guess you can easily infer what I want to convey by that idiom, how do I correct it?


texts: In answer to the question, "Do we need any more chairs?" why does it sound correct to say, "No, three's enough." Why does "three are enough" sound wrong?


texts: What does “loud checks” mean in “parading the town at night in loud checks and a false beard”?

texts:
The story collection about the character AJ Raffles, The Amateur Cracksman, written by Earnest William Hornung and published in 1899, contains the following sentence in the story “The Ides of March”:

  Yet it was whispered in the school that he was in the habit of parading the town at night in loud checks and a false beard.

I was wondering just what it is that loud checks refers to in that sentence.


texts: Is there a word for encasing and warming up simultaneously?

texts:
Does any verb exist that describes how someone can be warmed up by eating/drinking something warm and being bundled up in something such as a blanket that's just out of the dryer? I thought of how it would relate to hot compresses, but all I can find is that they're "wrapped" or "applied." I'm really trying to find a word that captures the meaning of being pleasantly encased in and filled with warmth, such as "enraptured." Unfortunately, that word isn't at all specific to heat. I'm not really sure how else to describe it except as a pleasant experience of warmth, maybe with a connotation of safety. If I were allowed to add morphisms at will, I'd call it "enwarmthen," but I know that word doesn't exist.

Ex: Janice was __________ by the warm blanket and peaceful fire after drinking a mug of hot chocolate.


texts: Is there a name for this literary device from James Baldwin and question about punctuation?

texts:
In James Baldwin's essay Everybody's Protest Novel, there is the following sentence:

  It must be remembered that the oppressed and the oppressor are bound together within the same society; they accept the same criteria, they share the same beliefs, they both alike depend on the same reality.

I know that repeating the word or phrase at the beginning of a clause is called anaphora. In this case, that word is "they." Also, I know that repeating the last word or phrase in a clause is called epistrophe. Now, is there a name for repeating a word or phrase in the middle of a clause as is the case with "the same" in the sentence above.

Related to the same sentence, the short independent clauses after the semicolon are separated by commas and there is not coordinating conjunction. Is this common grammatical practice or not?

EDIT: The second part of the question has already been answered here.


texts: Recommendation for English Grammar books?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What are some of the better English reference grammars?

I grew up in a non-English speaking country. During my elementary and middle school years, I self-studied the grammar of English via various books written by the most famous experts in my country, although these were beyond what were required by my curriculum. I am not saying my English is good enough now, but the study from the old days still helps me a lot for my life in U.S. later.

After coming to U.S., I have often got my mind boggled by various usages of English either in talks or in prints, which seem to be inconsistent with what I have learned before. In my guess, the reasons can be a combination of any of the following:

what I have learned is probably
based on British English;
the usage by American is not always
rigorous, which sometimes put me
into the dilemma of which to follow;
I might need some excellent English
grammar books whose authors are
trustworthy experts who are also
native English speaker.

So, my question is, as for my last point, what are your recommendations for English grammar books? I would like to read comprehensive and nice-organized books from being concise, to being detailed. I think books for middle and elementary schools are perhaps not what I am looking for.

Thanks and regards!


texts: Do I need to use 'the' in this sentence?

texts:
I would like to limit  my dissertation to three spheres: economy, politics, and culture of America.

Do I need to add 'the' before economy, politics...?


texts:
Other expression for 'keep/maintain together', in the context: a middle material that maintain the surrounding materials together.
'...while mineral bridges and organic matrix maintain the aragonite bricks together '
Thank you


texts:
So I was correcting an essay of my friend, and when I was reading the conclusion I read this:

  This essay discussed how e-rating teachers by learners can help trainers to ameliorate their teaching strategies and can also provide inaccurate results. In my opinion, grading mentors online by students is a good hypothesis.

I was telling her that I believe that hypothesis is not a good use of the word in this context. For me "form of evaluation, "approach", or even "idea" are better words to use here. She argued that she was corrected by an English tutor and he didn't mention anything about the word "hypothesis" . I still think it is not accurate or well used. Any lights on this?


texts: Is there a name for a word pronounced the same backwards as forwards?

texts: I find it very interesting that Judge /dʒʌdʒ/ is pronounced the same backwards as forwards while it is not a palindrome. Does this phenomenon have a name?


texts: Of all, among all, over all, overall or amongst all

texts:
In the Portuguese language we usually use the expression "de todos" to give emphasis and stand out something...

As I understand now, its equivalent would be "of all", but what about: "among all" or "over all"? Can they be used as well?

And what about "overall"? And "amongst all"? Are they false cognates to Brazilians?

For example, in the sentence:

"Regarding this application, gold is the most employed metal of all"

Only "of" would be correct right?

But, for example, "among all" means "entre todos" in Portuguese:

"Considerando essa aplicação, ouro é o metal mais empregado entre todos"

This sentence would be perfectly acceptable...

And why in this other examples I've found on the web are acceptable, but not in my first example sentence of this post?

These examples:

*What is the most widespread language over all continents?

*Why choose Spanish over all the other languages?

*US educational system is to question the primacy of one language variety over all others

One of the only places I could find talking about this was this teacher on YouTube:

Overall - Over All - All Over - Meaning Overall Explanation Over All - English Vocabulary CAE

He had a funny example.

Thanks in advance!


texts: What word can I use to mean "something which is scavenged?"

texts: I'm looking for something similar in connotation to "curio," "knickknack," or "bauble," but which carries a strong implication that the item was found by happenstance (particularly while looking for something not directly related). I imagine I might remark that an object I keep in my room is "just a _____ I fished out of a flea market" if a friend asks about its origin. Is there a noun so specific?


texts: Which word is used more in the UK: 'gaol' or 'jail'?

texts: I know both words share the same meaning and pronunciation, but I wonder about their comparative usage in modern English.


texts: What's the single word for "dangerous thing"?

texts:
Can you please tell me what is the single word for "dangerous thing" that can be used here:

  He accidentally scarred his hand with a 'dangerous thing', but he still lives.


texts:
I’d like to ask about the sentence from Lion’s Mane by Conan Doyle.

  Summer and winter he went for his swim, and, as I am a swimmer myself,
  I have often joined him.

This “he” is Mr. McPherson, science lecturer who lives in this coastal area, and “I” is Sherlock Holmes.

I don’t know how to interpret the phrase in the beginning of the above sentence, “summer and winter”.  This literally means Mr. McPherson comes to the beach to swim in summer and winter, and not in spring and autumn right? But could this phrase mean all seasons? If it’s “summer or winter”, I know it says that he comes to swim in summer and winter, not to mention spring and autumn. But I don’t know.
Isn’t it a bit strange for someone to choose winter for swimming among four seasons?  I thought like that his job as a teacher there may be busier in spring and autumn than the rest of the seasons, and summer and winter is best time for him, but he seems to go swimming before his classes start so his job doesn’t seem to affect in which season he chooses to swim.
Doesn’t this phrase function like this..  They regard summer as the best one winter the worst one to do some activity. Like in “rain or shine” rain maybe the worst case, and shine maybe the best case. So Mr. McPherson goes there not only in the best season (summer) but also in the worst season (winter), so you can be sure he goes in seasons coming between, hence he goes there in all year round.
The problem is, I couldn’t find “summer and winter” as an idiom, set phrase like “rain or shine” on the net.
Could someone tell me?


texts: Do we pronounce a "t" sound in negative contractions "n't"

texts:
I'm faced with difficulties how to pronounce contractions like don't, wouldn't, and etc. correctly.

Somehow I read from some grammar British student book that "t" is not pronounced but
I didn't pay attention to that just because I think it's may be common for the UK (hi, pronunciation of "got") or depends on people (everyone to his taste).
Watching movies, shows it seemed to me that native speakers pronounce "t" but may be it's not strongly pronounced because of strong pronunciation of "d", "o".
Yesterday I watched a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dthn7A9AmaM where a lady talks we should miss the sound "t" in contractions "n't". I thought that's fine, I'll do.
But the another video I came across was that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3xmedFIhm0 ....
Yes, it has a few views comparing to the previous link. But it has another opinion and the lady from the last video says that we should pronounce "t".
So, I don't know what to think about that. It's really strange. How is it possible ?


texts:
Here is the phrase:

"Your choir’s vocal harmony is top notch; now, the time has come for some visual harmony. "


texts:
For a phrase such as the following:

  each apple and each orange

Is it correct to use "has" or "have" when describing properties of both apples and oranges?


texts: Comparative adjectives in general, stand-alone use (meaning slightly)

texts:
Can a comparative adjective mean 'slightly', 'kind of', without actually referring to another term?

  The understanding of longer texts is necessary for an C1 certificate.

Meaning that you need to understand  moderatly long texts. Not in the meaning of writing longer texts than before.

  I prefer the darker coffee roasts.

Meaning that you don't like either very strong or very delicate roasts, not meaning that you like coffee stronger then the one you are drinking now.

  His new novel can be bought at (the) better book shop(s).

The novel can not be found in every store, but in many.

I feel the second example is correctly used while the third one is a (terrible) contamination from my native language. What about the first example?


texts: Word for increasing complexity or image resolution?

texts:
Is there a word (verb) which means 'increasing the complexity of the structure' or 'increasing the image size/resolution?'

I thought of tessellate but its meaning is not exactly what I need. Also, I think it's more related to surfaces of 3D objects, whereas I'm working with 2D.


texts: How should I arrange my comma(s) in this sentence featuring "as well"?

texts:
I've tried to find similar examples with the appropriate answer, but this sentence is just a little quirky and I don't have a great grasp of how to use as well or where to place my commas.

As is:

"He is moved by this display of bravery as well as the brutal response of the soldiers, who beat the dissenters bloody."

Ideas:

"He is moved by this display of bravery, as well as the brutal response of the soldiers, who beat the dissenters bloody."
He is moved by this display of bravery, as well as the brutal response of the soldiers who beat the dissenters bloody.

I had it written as #1 and my understanding is that the first comma is unnecessary. Is this really true? It feels unnatural when I read it aloud.


texts:
I recently saw the following sentence:

  One is glad to be of service

Could anyone please describe what does that means?


texts: How to say "in the strict ... of the term"?

texts:
I am not quite sure if the following expression makes sense in English:

  in the strict meaning of the term

Is it right? Should the word meaning be replaced by sense?
The meaning of the phrase should be somehow synonymous with "strictly speaking."

A possible example would be:

  I am not a fan of Man United in the strict meaning of the term, since I have been in Old Trafford only once.


texts: What do you call the person who always picks up the phone when you need them?

texts:
Looking for a word that someone would use to describe this person.

eg. "Michelle is my __. She's always there when I need her"


texts: Where should definite/indefinite articles before job titles be used in a narrative style CV (BrE)?

texts:
Here are examples of sentences from a narrative style CV which is not used nowadays so much. It is a text in full sentences which is different from for example: HR Manager, ABC Company, 2002-2003, recruiting, interviewing, hiring and training staff.

I worked predominantly as (an?) HR Manager but attended to other duties too.
From 2011 to 2013, I worked as (a?) Security Manager for (a?) Member of Parliament Mr Michael Smith.
From 2001 to 2003, I worked as (a?) Security Manager for (an?) export company Redimex where I spoke English frequently.
My duties included working as (a?) project team leader, (a?) bodyguard, (an?) emergency squad leader, conducting (a?) surveillance and event security.

Where should articles be used?


texts:
I have been watching a lot of British TV recently and I hear the word "journos" for journalists and "musos" for musicians, but I don't ever hear these words in the US. From my understanding they don't have to be plural, i.e. "muso" might also be used, but I am no expert obviously. Edit: I believe "pol" for politician is another. (Pol is apparently used in AmE also)

Are there any other shortened (collective?) nouns like these in British English? Any particular reason why this isn't done in the US English?

Edit after comments: This question is specifically about nouns that describe a group of people or a profession that are shortened. "Profs" might be one example that is used in AmE, though I don't hear it often, and it doesn't have the same -o ending.


texts: Should I say "These are ...." when I answer a video call with company?

texts:
We usually answer a phone saying "This is ... " to introduce who is answering.

But if I have company and want to introduce me and my company, can I say "These are ..." instead of "This is ..." ?

Or is it OK to say "This is me and my company" ?


texts: Is a comma required between two independent clauses in a compound sentence?

texts:
A colleague in our department has written a comma assessment for our students. One of the sentences in the assessment is

  Instead the topic became one of contention and before dinner was over she had left the restaurant and hailed a cab.

I'm assuming that the correct punctuation would be:

  Instead, the topic became one of contention, and before dinner was over, she had left the restaurant and hailed a cab.

My colleague insists that there shouldn't be a comma after the word contention, even though it appears we have two dependent clauses. Who is in the right?


texts: how to understand "hand me into one of the reunion scene"?

texts:
A sentence from ACT reading:
"Suddenly, as I descended the two steps from the train, the porter hands me into one of the reunion scenes. 'Hi, honey, how was the trip? Did you get any sleep?' 'A little. Been waiting long?' 'Long enough to beat your dad in two games of cribbage...' Glancing back at the train windows. I imagine I am looking into eyes hidden behind mirrored sunglasses."
I could not find the definition of the phrase "hand somebody into..," so what does the independent clause mean?


texts:
I always assumed that the idiomatic phrase home free had its origin in baseball, and at least one relevant dictionary seems to confirm this.

Christine Ammer, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Houghton Mifflin 1997 (online)
home free In a secure or comfortable position, especially because of being certain to succeed [...] This expression probably alludes to safely reaching baseball's home plate, meaning one has scored a run. [Mid-1900s]

But a different dictionary suggests the idiom is used in both America and Australia, which is easily confirmed by examples from Australian publications (emphasis in examples is mine):

Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms, Cambridge University Press 1998 (online)
be home free American & Australian
to be certain to succeed at something because you have finished the most difficult part of it [...]

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
"The servile, unquestioning friendship with George Bush, which dragged our government into Iraq and saw it defend Guantanamo Bay, is just another distant chapter in our feted alliance history. The Australian government lawyers who said it was legal are also home free."

Sydney Morning Herald:
"Another round of Senate estimates questions next week and the week after a new AFP brief to the DPP on possible criminal charges means Reith is still not home free."

Given that baseball is, in my understanding, a little-known sport in Australia, this appears to call into question the assumption that home free originated with this sport. What is the best available information we have about the origin of the phrase?


texts: Is "I will treat you so good" correct? What about "...very good'?

texts:
Is it correct to say this? I mean, I personally would rather put 'very good' at the end of the sentence that has a future connotation. And I'd use 'so good' only if we are talking about past experiences ('I treated you so good').

Do you think 'so good' works perfectly with both examples?


texts:
Thanks everyone for checking this question.

I was reading Great Books of the Western World, and there is a phrase "fall a prey to" and since I didn't know about it so I went to Collins Dict and Google, but all I've got is the phrase "fall prey to" instead of what was in the book.

I was confused. So this time I searched on some Chinese-English Dicts cuz I'm Chinese. OK now there it is - "fall a prey to"!

I turned out to be utterly confused.

Here's the original text from the book:

  We believe that the reduction of the citizen to an object of propaganda, private and public, is one of the greatest dangers to democracy. A prevalent notion is that the great mass of the people cannot understand and cannot form an independent judgment upon any matter; they cannot be educated, in the sense of developing their intellectual powers, but they can be bamboozled. The reiteration of slogans, the distortion of the news, the great storm of propaganda that beats upon the citizen twenty-four hours a day all his life long mean either that democracy must fall a prey to the loudest and most persistent propagandists or that the people must save themselves by strengthening their minds so that they can ap- praise the issues for themselves.

Thanks again for everyone's patience and help here.


texts:
Could you help explain the usage of 'as' in these two sentences?

The parents looked upon their children as their pride and joy.

People looked upon the situation as critical.

In sentence one, 'as' is a preposition since it's followed by nouns. Am I correct? Why is 'as' followed by an adjective in the second sentence?


texts: How did 'however this may be' semantically shift to introduce contrast or contradiction?

texts:
however, adv. : Oxford English Dictionary

  Etymology: < how adv. + ever adv. 6.

  In senses 2, 3, however  is the relic of an original subordinate clause (like those of sense 1), such as ‘however this may be’.

however | Definition of however in English by Lexico Dictionaries

  Used to introduce a statement that contrasts with or seems to contradict something that has been said previously.

How did the adverbs 'how' and 'ever' (in 'however this may be') compound to yield meaning 1 above?


texts:
What is the difference between indefinite adjectives and adjectives of quantity.

Are indefinite adjectives and adjectives of quantity are same.


texts:
I heard this in a documentary about the Peoples Temple. The quote goes exactly:

  These people would be on time, they’d be polite and nice. They were a
  span of ages, a span of races. They were tailor-made for a political
  rally. To a politician, it was like a birthday cake times twelve.

Does it mean that these people would make a politician so happy that every month is like a birthday to them?


texts: Why is "decimate" still linked to its number-specific definition when other similar words are not?

texts:
As any pedant will tell you, decimate means “to destroy a tenth of something.” Of course, its modern usage has been expanded to this:

to destroy a large number of (plants, animals, people, etc.)

to damage or destroy a large part of (something)

(Merriam-Webster)

Almost every modern use of the word decimate is in this expanded sense. However, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, The Free Dictionary, and Oxford Dictionaries all list the historical “destroy a tenth” definition along with the modern definition, and it’s not uncommon for people to argue that this is the only definition that should be allowed for the word--even though the word in that sense is rarely, if ever, used (The British National Corpus gives 23 results for decimate, 21 of them using the modern definition and the remaining two complaining about the use of the modern definition).
However, there are plenty of other words whose definitions have been expanded beyond their original number-specific etymologies, such as alternative and combine, and you don’t see anyone causing a stink about those. Is there a reason why people want to cling so desperately to decimate’s literal definition? What’s the point of trying to enforce a definition that no longer has any de facto existence?
EDIT: Some people asked for examples of people complaining about decimate being used with the expanded definition rather than the historical one. Here are some examples:
This website lists using decimate in this way as an error.
This Oxford Dictionaries blog addresses the "linguistic pet peeve" of people who complain about decimate being used this way.
This NPR article quotes the senior supervising producer of their Arts & Life section, who says,

"I think the people who defend the original meaning of 'decimate' do
so in part because we feel it's sad to lose a word for describing
something so precisely and in a way that evokes such history. I guess
one can substitute 'collective punishment' or 'culling.' But every
time we let word meanings bleed together, it's like a little star
winking out."


texts: "What happened to ____?" versus "What happened _____?"

texts:
I seem to remember my parents, who came from Dublin, Ireland,
saying a phrase like "what happened it" or "what happened him"
rather than "happened to it" or "happened to him".
But it might have been someone else. I lived in NY until I was 4 and after that have lived in California.

Since this is a childhood memory it might have been just another kid who left out the word "to", but I think I've heard it from more than one person and it's an idiom or colloquialism. Has anyone else ever noticed this, and if so, what's the location you're most likely to hear it? Am I just crazy?


texts:
So I've played some fantasy games and I've recently started playing Divinity original sin. Before this whenever I encountered the word Lich I heard it as if it would rime with "itch", "bitch", "Kitsch" etc.

However, in the Divinity series, it's pronounced in a more Germanic language, (I myself am Dutch so it's more obvious to me how to, but I'm sure this is one of those pronunciations that don't work for non-germanic speakers). The best way I'd describe it is being extremely close to "Lick".

I'm hoping someone can help me explain that last part how I'm expecting it could be pronounced.

Also my first question on English, be gentle.


texts: Which is correct: "bored of", "bored by", "bored with"?

texts: I have been asked by a young friend, "Which is correct: bored by, bored of, or bored with?" My instinct is to say that "bored of" and "bored by" are fine, but "bored with" sounds like she is being bored alongside someone else who is also bored. My trusty Dictionary of English Usage has failed me. Any thoughts?


texts: Is the indicative "correct" when dealing with a conditional future?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Which is correct: “what if there was” or “what if there were”?

Someone recently posted to meta.stackoverflow.com about a plural bug on Area 51, writing

  ...it doesn't effect [sic] the functionality of the site, but it'd be nice if the grammar was correct...

I jokingly pointed out that he meant "It would be nice if the grammar were correct."

The user Gilles commented

  ...you picked something that's actually not an error... you don't have to use the subjunctive, the indicative is also correct.

That's not my understanding at all, but I've never studied grammar. We're dealing with a speculative/conditional future, the subjunctive is required, isn't it?

I recognize that language is a living thing, and that in English our use of the subjunctive is decreasing. But surely the indicative is not correct in this case? At least not yet?


texts: Opposite of verb "abstract" and noun "abstraction"

texts:
The opposite of abstract (adj) is concrete, but what are the opposites of other forms of the word abstract, such as:

abstract (v) - E.g.: We can abstract away the implementation details.
abstraction (n) - E.g.: I will provide an abstraction to simplify this.

I'm interested in this from a computer science perspective. Abstraction is an important concept and I often find myself needing the opposite when explaining/modeling something. I'm currently using implement and implementation, but I feel this isn't quite correct.


texts: How did English retain its non-Christian names of the week?

texts:
It amazes me that despite centuries of religion dominating almost every aspect of life in Britain or at the very least exerting a great deal of influence on the public and private sphere, the English language has managed to retain its non-Christian names of the week (with Tuesday through Friday directly referencing the Norse gods and goddess Tyr, Odin, Thor and Frigg, Saturday - Saturn and Sunday and Monday the sun and moon respectively, with the moon personified as a deity).

Was there no effort to replace them? Was there a time when a different system was used?

Note that I'm not asking about the etymology of the names of the week like this question does.


texts: Is "cleared away" the right term to use in this sentence?

texts:
I am posting a photograph of the sky after the super-cyclone Amphani cleared away in Kolkata.
Is cleared away the right phrase to use? (For a natural calamity)

This is the text that I wrote in the body:

Several hours after the super-cyclone Amphan cleared away and the Sky got rejuvenated with Pure Vibrancy!

Any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks


texts: What does the phrase "grain and hair of life" mean?

texts:
from the Wapshot Chronicle by John Cheever:

  For with his maturity, Moses had found in himself a taste for the grain and hair of life.

The context doesn't really help so much in understanding.


texts:
This question may seem to be very simple, but something I get confused whenever I want to speak.

I read a book entitled "re-start your English", and saw a sentence.

  This is a leg. It is part of your body.

  This is a neck. It is 'a' part of your body.

Why didn't they use 'a' in the first sentence?
And why did they use one in the second one?

I'm not a native, so I hope you will please understand,
even if there's something awkward about my question.


texts: What does "bright topaz denizens of a world of green" mean

texts:
Here is the extract from a poem "Aunt Jennifer's tigers" by Adrienne Rich-

Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen
bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree.

In the above extract what does the sentence- "bright topaz denizens of a world of green" mean,
I did not find any relation between the words 'topaz' and 'denizens'.
Please Help!


texts: In Microsoft Word, uncapable is marked as wrong. It sounded pretty alright to me, thus, I checked it up on the Web and found that many dictionaries do not have "uncapable" in their entries, but dictionaries such as Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster list it to be a synonym of incapable. My question is: is uncapable considered a "proper" word?


texts:
Recently I saw a phrase that sounds like that:

  Hurts even with the vest, don't it?

So, the question is: Why there is "don't" instead of "doesn't"?

I've found a lot of usages like that, so it doesn't seem like a grammar mistake.


texts: How is called the philosophy which states that molecules determine animal behavior?

texts:
What is called a philosophy of those who say that all or mostly all human behavior is determined by endorphins or maybe some other biochemical substance?

Is it close to biological determinism?


texts: Use of "as ..., so ..." in negative forms

texts:
Is this sentence OK?

As fish can't live without water, so can't people live without air. (1)

Or should I make some changes:

As fish can't live without water, neither can people live without air. (2)

Fish can't live without water, nor can people live without air. (3)

People can't live without air any more than fish can live without water. (4)

Do sentences 2, 3, and 4 maintain the same meaning as that of the first?


texts: Indifference over forfeiting, losing possessions

texts:
As a former career musician I have witnessed musicians leaving instruments, other possessions, in the care of third parties for extended periods of time (sometimes years), in many cases completely abandoning the item in question.

In all cases the value of the item does not seem to matter to the original owner. In addition, the caretaker of the goods will often assume to now be the owner of said equipment.

Is there a word for this phenomenon?


texts: Which preposition should be used in "married _______ the week after Easter": on, at or in?

texts:
I came across this sentence, where a student has to insert a correct preposition.

For each sentence, fill in the blank with either on, at, or in.
They got married _______ the week after Easter.

The answers say in is correct, but I feel a little confused. Is the book right?


texts: Is it ordinary to use “between” for selection among two or more things?

texts:
AP Radio News (March 3) narrated that:

  “It’s anybody’s guess who win the best picture. It seems to be a close
  race between “American Hustle,” “12 Years a Slave” and “Gravity.”

I was under impression that ‘between’ is used for comparison, selection and differentiation of two things or objects, and 'among' is used in case of refering to more than three things or objects, since I learned so at middle school. As I was uncertain of the accuracy of my memory of more than a half century ago, I consulted dictionaries:

Online CED defines ‘between’ as:

prep, ad. in or into the space that separates two places, people, or objects.

However, online Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines it as:

prep,
: in the space that separates (two things or people)

: in the time that separates (two actions, events, etc.)

: in shares to each of (two or more people).

And, online OED gives reference to the use of ‘between’ for differentiation among two or more things:

At, into, or across the space separating (two objects or regions):
In the period separating (two points in time):
In the interval separating (two points on a scale):
With reference to a choice or differentiation involving two or more things being considered together: ex. You have to choose between two or three different options.

Is the use of ‘between’ instead of ‘among’ for differentiation of, and selection out of two more (five, six, ten) things or objects commonplace today?
Is the distinction between "between" and "among" being blurred today?


texts: Adjective to describe surface like very fine sandpaper

texts:
I am looking for an adjective to describe a surface that feels to the touch like a very fine sandpaper, a bit rougher than the surface of a MacBook laptop, or like the paper used for mass paperback books. When you glide your hand on it it feels both smooth and sandpapery, velvety sandpaper.
Example:

The very fine sandpapery cover of the book.
The very fine sandpapery surface of the wall.

would be replaced by the adjective:

The [adjective] cover of the book.
The [adjective] surface of the wall.


texts: How can I explain to people that the phrase “off of ” is grammatically incorrect?

texts:
How can I explain to people that the phrase off of is grammatically incorrect?

I‘ve heard this phrase used a lot, especially by Americans (though they aren't the only ones).

In my understanding, off of should usually be replaced by off, as in,

  I took the book off the shelf

as opposed to

  I took the book off of the shelf

Am I wrong?  Or is there perhaps some simple way I can explain this to most people?


texts:
I'm trying to identify an effective adjective for someone who is unpleasant to others, mean spirited, and self-centered enough to qualify as a colloquial "a$$hole".

I've looked at this question, but it is focused on people who are critical.  The question itself does offer abrasive, but it doesn't capture the sentient of universal awfulness.

I'm stuck on a neologism of A-hole-ish that just won't cut it.  A word that is not profane is preferable.

  That person is so _____ that they double parked in a handicap spot.

I'm aware that the above sentence can readily be reworded to avoid the need for the adjective, but provide it as a simple use case.


texts: What's the shortest word that can stand for "to leave a legacy"?

texts:
The idea is to represent the concept that while an individual's life is finite and accumulated knowledge or wisdom will disappear after death, the result of one's actions can make a difference for others in the long run, therefore yielding a positive balance of one's existence.

Some expressions may allude to this, such as the classic "standing on the shoulders of giants", but I specifically would like a short word; ideally a one-syllable one, because this is to be part of a list of such concepts that I would want as concise as possible.

Moreover, due to the way I managed to shorten the other concepts, I would need this to be a verb. For instance, some of the other terms I already have are "learn" (for "amassing and sharing knowledge", "keeping an open mind", "constant learning", "preserving curiosity"), and "join" (for "collaboration", "contributing one's 2 cents").

So far, I settled for "mark" (the verb) as a metonym for "leaving a legacy", but I am not really satisfied with it, and indeed after some testing among my friends I've confirmed that the meaning isn't immediately clear for others.

edit: replaced "transcendence" with "legacy" in the question title, as suggested by Jed Oliver's answer (and at least two commenters before). I was thinking about the "transcending death" meaning, but admittedly, it wasn't very clear.


texts: Do you say "I have gone diving before" or "I have been diving before"?

texts:
Which is correct and common expression,
"I have gone diving" or "I have been diving"
"Have you ever gone diving?" or "Have you ever been diving?"

As for skating, snowboarding, snorkeling and snowboarding, should I use "go" or "been"?


texts: Is 'carry' a daily usage or it's an internet word?

texts: In online video games, the strongest player in a group is called the carry. Is it a daily usage? Like in school projects or office team works? If not how is it usually described?


texts:
I would like to know which sentence flows better. This one:

  I was a taken aback by Limei's little confession. In spite of her
  impulsive personality, she seemed like a normal girl, leading a normal
  life. Could she be more exceptional than I thought?

or this one:

  I was a taken aback by Limei's little confession. Other than her
  impulsive personality, she seemed like a normal girl, leading a normal
  life. Could she be more exceptional than I thought?

Suddenly, I'm unsure which one to use.

What I want it to say is that, except for her impulsiveness, Limei seems like a normal person.


texts:
There's a construction in English that allows us to form a compound adjective from a noun and a past participle. Examples:

This is a volunteer-built home.
Our newspaper is student-run.
After the spill, beaches were littered with oil-soaked birds.

The way it works is pretty transparent: [subject noun] + [verb participle] modifies [object noun]. However, it occurred to me that we can't just plug any subject, object, and verb into this formula. Some sound completely wrong/impossible:

*This is a cat-used litterbox.
*I wanted to buy my daughter the most child-wanted toy.
*I was uncomfortable lying down in the hobo-slept bed.

Thinking about it, I couldn't come up with a clear rule that determines why some words can fit this construction acceptably and some can't. Why is that?


texts:
Should there be a comma after the lifespan of Alexander the Great?

When thinking of world conquerers, Alexander the Great (July 356 –June 323 BC), comes to mind.


texts: Should the "respectively" be in the parenthesis?

texts:
Right now, I'm trying to translate a document into English, and while I was working, I noticed that in the original text, the adverb "respectively" was placed outside the brackets. By placing the said adverb outside of the parenthesis, am I correct that the sentence below would be a little confusing?

  "This concurs with the findings of the present study which found that difficulty sleeping has positive correlations with fatigue and anxiety (r = .287, r = .280 : p < .01) respectively."

I think in order to understand which statistic belongs to which variable (fatigue and anxiety in this case), the adverb "respectively" has be placed inside the brackets, am I correct?

I truly apologize for my lack of understanding (especially considering that someone translating something into English should know English!). I won't lie, I'm a complete newbie to English grammar and writing, and even online communication. I would appreciate any help provided to this very infantile user, thanks.


texts: What exactly is the definition of "plural"?

texts:
I used to think plural meant 2+, but what about "0.5 hours"?

Is it more accurate to say "0.5 hour"? I don't think that's right, so my definition of "plural" must be inaccurate.

Even "0 days" seems more accurate than "0 day".

Google's definition shows denoting more than one, or more than two. That seems clearly inaccurate.

Does plural mean any amount other than exactly 1? Or what is a more accurate definition?


texts:
We were discussing the prospect of messing about on the canals yesterday, and I happened to mention that I had spent quite a bit of time, er, doing what exactly with the narrowboat?

I wasn't really driving it

  To guide, control, or direct (a vehicle).

but to say I was sailing it

  To navigate or manage (a vessel).

when the watercourse is narrower than the narrowboat is long seems to be stretching it a bit. Were the boat in a tunnel I might be legging it

  (v. tr.) Obsolete to propel (a canal boat) through a tunnel by lying on one's back and walking one's feet along the tunnel roof

but fortunately narrowboats nowadays are usually equipped with an engine.

So, does anyone know what I am doing while in command of a narrowboat?


texts:
Can you help me understand what my client meant about RP in this context:

  I canceled my application since the payment scheme wasn't validated
  in RP.


texts: Ask her if she will go with us OR Ask her whether she will go with us (?)

texts:
Which one sounds better?

  (A) Ask her if she will go with us

OR

  (B) Ask her whether she will go with us (or not)


texts: What word goes between anticlimax and climax?

texts:
From my undestanding of those two words :

Climax : point of highest tension in a drama.

Anticlimax : Something which might have seem like a climax at some point is finally very trivial.

I am looking for a word that describe something right in between those two words.
nothing seems to stand out, whether it is in a good or bad way.

The joke analogy may clear some things up :

The punch line of a good joke may be refered to as a climax.
the punch line of a bad joke may be refered to as an anti-climax (as it may be disappointing, not fulfilling any expectation).
What I am looking for is the word for the punch line which is not really disappointing, but not funny enough to even make the side of your mouth twitch.

PS : feel free to correct any spelling mistakes present here. The french I am Frenchman in me would be very thankful grateful!


texts: What is the difference between 'Here comes the bus' and 'the bus is coming'?

texts:
I am confused about when to use the two sentences below( in which situations). They look similar to me.

a. Here comes the bus.

b. The bus is coming.

source:
https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130225020139AAkbjkn


texts: What is the correct place to use the word tumbleweed? Can we use it as a metaphor for a person who always irritates us?


texts: What's the (unobvious) meaning of "I saw you coming"?

texts:
Watching an episode of Ruddy Hell, the phrase "I saw you coming" was printed on a shop and the shop owner used it when talking to the rich lady. The context was that he sold stuff second hand and even openly admitted that it was only worth "a fiver" when he bought it. He then exclaims: "But I saw you coming ..." which apparently is the excuse for a much higher price when selling.

Now, I get the approximate meaning from the context, obviously. However, how would native speakers explain the exact meaning of the phrase?


texts: "I was the exposed nail in the meeting room." What does "the exposed nail" mean in the context?


texts: Should 'in' be used in this sentence or 'on'? What is the grammar behind it?

texts:
We will imprint your design, logo or message in any color on any
  shape, to make your unique air freshener.

In this sentence is "on any shape" correct or will it be "in any shape"? And what is the grammar behind the each usage?


texts:
What's the difference between measure and means when they are used to describe "a method"?

Google seems not to help very much because it interprets "measure" as "scientific measurement" and "means" as "mean, mode and median".

I looked them up in the Cambridge online dictionary and my understanding so far is:

"Measure" is a singular noun so it can be used in "a measure of doing sth" or "several measures of doing that", while "means" is a plural noun so you can't say "a means of doing sth", but "I have no means of doing that" is fine.
They generally can be used interchangeably except in the idioms such as "by no means" or "have the measure of sb/sth"


texts: Is it recommended to use "we" in research papers? If not, should I always use passive voice?


texts: One word/phrase for the serene sense after rain or snow

texts:
I am looking for a word that explain the sense of being in the fresh and cool air after rain or snow, such as this situation: After a small rain, no crowd and no noise nearby, someone walks on the road, breathes in the fresh air, feels serene, calm, peaceful and pleasant.

There is a word like 'petrichor' :

  A pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.

But it means a smell, I have looked up synonyms for peace in a theasurus, get some words like 'tranquil', 'halcyon'.

UPDATE

There are some phrases/verses describe the sensation in Chinese, such as

空山新雨后，天气晚来秋。（kōng shān xīn yǔ hòu, tiān qì wǎn lái qiū）

After(后) fresh rain(新雨) in mountains bare(空山)

Autumn(秋) permeates evening(晚) air(气).
灯火阑珊处 （dēng huó lán shān chù）

means somewhere far from the lights(灯火).

阑珊 means there is scarcely any light or lamp.

So I wonder if there is a more suitable word(or phrase even a sentence) for the serene sensation.

ADD

Why I want to look for this word?

I am trying to name my own Wechat Official Account(where I post my writings about book and life, it seems like a blog), I named it with “不热闹”(bú rè nào), because it's a serene place for me to think and learn. So when I name it in English, I want a word to express my feelings. The “不热闹” can be transliterated as "no noise". You know this is not a translation, which can not express the sensation at all.

I found the 'petrichor' when I researched at dictionaries, so I wonder if there are some other words like it, which explains a beautiful and poetic sensation.

Then I asked my first question in this community. Thanks for your help anyway. I really feel thankful and happy (sometimes surprised) here.


texts: Is there an expression to describe a situation where someone could have helped you but they didn't?

texts:
I would like to know if there is an expression that describes a situation where someone, perhaps your friend, was capable of helping you but they didn't or they chose not to?

Eg: He was was free. He could have come over and consoled me. But he __________________ [didn't help despite the fact that he could].

An expression or a proverb applicable in this situation will do.


texts: I'm looking for a word akin to 'cismontane' that refers to oceans or seas. Does this exist?


texts: Meaning of delivering project commitment

texts:
I recently came over a couple of job offers and curriculums where someone delivers project commitment.

Intuitively, I would say this means that someone "commits" to the project by ensuring deadlines are met, milestones achieved, etc. I would appreciate if you could correct me / provide a more precise definition.


texts:
while I was watching Friends season 3, I saw Chandler fell down and Joey commented, "Power saw kinda got away from me there…". For that, I have also searched on the web, but I found nothing there.

What does it mean ?
--> "Power saw kinda got away from me there…"


texts: Is "Being a ..." grammatically incorrect?

texts:
This is a pet peeve - I automatically correct all instances of "Being a (woman/ avid reader/ general irritable person etc.)" to "As a...".

Intuition tells me "Being a " is incorrect. However, I have seen three instances of its use in articles today alone, and many more prior to this - is this a widely propagated mistake that I can continue to (forcefully) correct?


texts: what should be placed in the blank and why?

texts: He as well as his friends _____ going to play cricket in that playground.


texts: Sets of Matrices All Infinite Products of Which Converge

texts:
This is the name of a quite famous mathematical paper by Daubechies and Lagarias.

Could someone explain to me the grammar of this title? For me (German speaker) the title sounds totally awkward.

My question is not about the papers mathematics.


texts: Is there any ellipsis in "The dog is somewhere about, hunting rats"?

texts:
I saw this sentence in a story book.

  The dog is somewhere about, hunting rats

Does it omit [a place] after "somewhere about"? If so, what is this type of ellipsis?

  The dog is somewhere about [a place], hunting rats


texts: What does the phrase "it wouldn't take" mean in this context?

texts:
An episode of Seinfeld has the following dialogue:

  GEORGE: "What day is today? Oh... Tuesday! Damn it. I shouldn't have
  worked out today. Mr. Wilhem has called a big meeting and now I'm
  gonna be sweating through the whole thing."

  JERRY: "Why, you took a shower?"

  GEORGE: "Argh... it wouldn't take." [Audience laughter]

Can someone clarify what this means (and why it is funny?). Thanks a lot.


texts: As the mother of a child or As a mother of a child

texts:
May I know which one of these is the correct answer.

As the mother of a child
As a mother of a child

I have seen both phrases used. However, a child only has one mother, therefore I believe the phrase "As the mother of a child " is correct. However, I have seen both phrases used in many newspaper articles. May I know the difference?

Similarly, these two phrases are also used. However, a football club only has one manager. Therefore, why do people use the second phrase.

He is the manager of a football club.
He is a manager of a football club.


texts: What words (if any) are omitted in the sentence?

texts:
Girls and boys learn to live and work together from an early age and are consequently not emotionally underdeveloped in their relations with the opposite sex. They are also able to learn from each other, and to experience different types of skill and talent than might be evident in a single gender school.

Are any words omitted from the the last sentence? What might be evident?


texts: "Choosing appropriate architectures" - singular or plural agreement?

texts:
Choosing appropriate architectures {are} crucial

or

Choosing appropriate architectures {is} crucial

To my knowledge [choosing something] is a single action, it should be followed by [is].  Please correct me if it is wrong and will be great if you come up with a little explanation...!

Thanks in Advance.


texts: Is there a word or term to describe "persons, hazards, valuables, and/or features of interest" in the context of thievery/spycraft?

texts:
I'm writing a fiction piece where a thief (of sorts) is being "shown the ropes" by a more experienced peer. One of the instructor's primary goals is to instill an awareness of all the elements of a room/building/etc. pertinent to thievery or spycraft: occupants, guards, points of access, shadowy corners, hazards, sensors, squeaky boards, valuables, supplies accessible in an emergency, etc.--generally anything that a covert infiltrator would want to be aware of.

To describe this concept, the instructor uses a word. I've been using the made-up word environmentals (n.) since this particular story has no shortage of made-up words for extremely elaborate concepts with no English descriptors. The word is used frequently enough in the fictional setting that it would certainly be a single word or two-word expression. For example, a conversation might go:

  "What were the environmentals in the foyer?"
  "Two officers at the desk. No windows. Echoic marble floor. Three spaces not visible from the desk. Maybe some keys in the desk."
  "Okay. And what will the environmentals be at 3 PM?"
  "The same. I don't know. Why do I even care about the environmentals?"

I prefer to use recognized English terms (even slang ones) when close matches are available. In this case, neither the words features, hazards, nor any of the synonyms for features on thesaurus.com fit the bill, either because they're too broad, they have ambiguous meanings, or they don't refer to everything in the aforementioned list.

It occurs to me, however, that literature on military tactics, spycraft, covert infiltration, etc. might possibly use an accepted word/term with this specific meaning. Even if it's jargon, using it rather than making up my own word seems prudent.

A compound word would be acceptable. A phrase would not.

I'm not hopeful, but I figured I'd ask.


texts: Is there a list of verbs for starting yes/no questions?

texts:
There are a few verbs that will typically expect a yes/no response when starting a question:

Is it hot today?
Should I learn Latin?
Can we eat out tonight?
Will it rain tomorrow?
Has it ever snowed here?

etc.
Of course, adding or into the sentence can change it to a different type of closed question:

Can we eat out tonight or tomorrow night?

To which the response might be tonight, tomorrow night, yes or no.
I imagine these verbs form a closed set. What are all the verbs in this set? How can I find a list of these verbs?
EDIT
As mentioned in a comment, auxiliary verbs can often be used to form a yes/no question.

be (am, are, is, was, were, being, been), can, could, dare, do (does, did), have (has, had, having), may, might, must, need, ought, shall, should, will, would

However, dare, need and ought don't work very well in this regard:

Does he dare eat that?
Does she need one of those?
Should I go now? (doesn't even use ought)

Also, the past participle and gerund forms don't work.
Are there any other verbs that can be used this way or is this the complete list (minus the few that don't work)?


texts:
Which of the following structure is correct?

  1) You can pass A by doing B, by writing C, and by reading D.

  2) You can pass A by doing B, writing C, and reading D.


texts: What do you call someone who excels at setting and disarming traps?

texts:
Alright, I'm going to just start by saying there probably isnt an equivalent for this, but here is pretty much my line of thought. If you need someone to unlock a door for you, you call a 'locksmith'. Now, suppose you needed someone to disarm or even set traps for you, whether it is for animal hunting, or pest control, you would call a _______?

Words that I can think of: "Hunter", "Trapper".

Is there a professional single word name for people like this? Even an archaic one?

Example sentence: "We needed to trick the dragon, so xxx, an experienced ______,
set out to rig a trap in the next room."


texts: I was watching a series and at one point the police say “there was blood from her wife”. Is it ok to say “blood of her wife" too?


texts: "... any change, or addition, is ..." vs. "... any change, or addition, are ..."

texts:
In the sentence below is has been used, but there is some disagreement in the office over whether it should be are:

  This is necessary to ensure that any change, or addition, to existing
  features is communicated to all relevant parties and that approvals
  are documented.

If the subject is change and it is singular, wouldn't is be correct?  Even though features, parties and approvals are plural, they don't matter for the verb agreement as none of them is the subject. And using or with addition doesn't make the subject two things, it is still one. Am I missing something?


texts: Do long vowels ever get reduced to schwa?

texts: I was taught that any vowel can get reduced to schwa if it is unstressed, but I can't find any examples of a long vowel getting reduced to schwa. Is it only short vowels that can become schwa?


texts: Are "traditional comparisons" still in use?

texts:
When I was a student - and that was more years ago than I care to count - I learned quite a few idiomatic/traditional comparisons.  Howver, I've never heard anyone use them ever since.  I suppose they are obsolete in 2014, are they ?
e.g. As strong as a lion, as good as gold, as pretty as a picture, as cunning as a cartload of monkeys, etc.


texts: Use of objects and prepositions after "do" as substitute verb

texts:
Can we place objects and prepositions after do used as a substitute verb? What are the rules?
For example, "we eat vegetables, as we do fruits" sounds ok, if contrived (bad example). "We go to Paris, as we do to Rome" sounds not ok, perhaps because "doing (something) to someone" has a meaning of its own. "I give an apple to John, as I do to Jane" sounds ok. "I give an apple to John, as I do an orange to Jane" sounds uncertain to my ear.


texts: Question about some equivalents to "inasmuch as" and "holding fast" in this passage

texts:
Could you simplify the highlighted parts in simple English, please? A million thanks in advance.

The essence of these words is this: they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly—their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They should put their trust in God, and,  holding fast unto Him , follow in His way. Then will they be made worthy of the effulgent glories of the sun of divine knowledge and understanding, and become the recipients of a grace that is infinite and unseen, inasmuch as man can never hope to attain unto the knowledge of the All-Glorious, can never quaff from the stream of divine knowledge  and wisdom, can never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake of the cup of divine nearness and favour, unless and until he ceases to regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán
Author: Bahá’u’lláh


texts:
Is there any grammar reason why Cookie Monster is not Cookies Monster, in plural. In other languages, its name is translated into plural, otherwise it could be interpreted as it was made of cookie.

Thx


texts: Do I capitalize s on "son" when it's used casually such as "Say hi to your pa for me, son."?

texts: "Tell your pa I'm here, sonny." or "Tell your pa I'm here, Sonny." (When the boy's name is not Sonny.)