texts: Is "similar in A and B" means equal to "similar between A and B"?

texts:
For a research paper I have a question about the correctness of the following phrases

The mean activities were similar between group A and group B. The study demonstrated similarity in terms of antimicrobial activity between product A and product B.

Is the word "between" correct here？ or would "in" be more appropriate.

Thank you.


texts: By the [point in time] + past simple / past continuous / past perfect

texts:
I've come across two sentences in "My Grammar Lab Advanced" that I found really confusing and made me want to reevaulate my understanding of the expression "by the + point in time" used in conjuction with various past tenses. The sentences are the following:

  By the middle of 2008 many parts of Europe experienced / were
  experiencing / had experienced the worst economic recession for
  decades

and the second one

  By the third month of the war rebel forces took / were taking / had
  taken most of the province

My understanding of the expression By the + point in time (e.g. By the fourth day of the struggle) is that it's quite similar to the expression By the end of + point in time (e.g. By the end of 2010) which, according to a vast majority of English grammar coursebooks should be complemented with the Past Perfect (e.g. By the end of 2010 we had managed to save a lot of money). My question is: are all the three tenses (the Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect) correct in both sentences? Is there any rule governing the proper use the expression By the + point in time with the three above-mentioned tenses?
I'm pretty lost here, any help would be much appreciated.


texts:
I have a point of confusion regarding the use of interrogatives in English, as I am not a native speaker of English.

  I want you to inquire from your teacher of English that are the classes of English punctuation going on or not?

In the above sentence, I think I have made a run-on sentence. Am I right? Or is the sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Single word similar to, but distinct, from 'polymath'?

texts:
As the question says, I'm looking for a word similar to, but not quite the same in meaning as, "polymath".

A polymath tends to carry a sense of either being a generalist (doesn't imply any sense of specificity), or genus (not relevant), or ideal/rennaisance person (not useful).

Portrait of a person I'm trying to describe:

Did a qualification as an engineer.
Decided they wanted to write a software for something they needed personally.  As best I can tell, digested  professional quality and competence at a suitable language for the task, from a standing start, in 4 months (I do mean professional standard - including documentation, naming conventions, comments, explanation being "I might forget what I did"). No interest in other programming or software, as best I can tell this was motivated by needing something not found on the market after wanting such a thing for some years. Pure personal "Make it so".
5 years later got cheated by their employer in a complex area. Took employer to court. Dismissed specialist lawyer saying he wanted to not have anyone else's less-than-needed quality to blame if there was a poor outcome, researched IP law, legal procedure, and case presentation for 3 months (never had any legal background), presented a case that judge commended as one of the best he had heard from a layperson. (Precise and lethal!)
Took up photography as hobby. Placed second in his first Photoshop contest (a moderately well known one) about 6 weeks after deciding to enter, having never used Photoshop or any other significant digital imaging software before. Doesn't seem to have used it other than in a couple of competitions and to help me with family photos a couple of times.

And so on.

This is someone who figures if he needs to know something, he will have absorbed it in a few weeks and be better able to do it than most professionals in 4-6 months (although likely to lack knowhow outside the specific goal that motivated the research). Picks up new fields as life needs it. Doesn't see it as wasted time if not needed for more than the one present task (my guess is, wouldn't have gone that route if he didn't feel the use justified the time).

To be clear, he doesn't do this sort of thing often at all. Maybe a couple of times a decade from what I know. But its a skill he can apply to many subjects if a need arose.

If he was told by a doctor of some odd condition, he would most likely know more about it (including key findings from most of the relevant latest research) a week later, including knowing how best his care should be managed in dealing with it, and would probably be right, including background terminology and general medical views. Would use it to help him discuss it (almost as equals) with his medical consultant, despite never having looked as medical research before and ensure he was happy with a major decision affecting his life and/or family. That sort of person.

So  I'm looking for a word that implies/describes this sort of ability or characteristic - someone has the skill of _ learning new skills across a wide range_, rather than general mastery, genius, or whatever.  Ideally also implies having high levels of competence at them if desired. Polymath seems wrong. Also too abstruse a term for a very down to earth person.

Any ideas?


texts: A word meaning a choice made for self advantage

texts: A word for a choice that is made by someone to his advantage, but somewhat against his principles. Begins with 'co' I think. Not 'pragmatic'. More a suggestion  of manipulation, deviousness, slightly cynical, compromising for gain.


texts: Is 'subject' in 'is subject to considerable debate' a verb or a noun?

texts:
Every once in a while I stumble upon this phrase:

... is subject to considerable debate

Examples are easily found on the web, for instance:

In the context of suspected cognitive disorders, the validity of memory complaints is subject to considerable debate

However, this phrase does not seem grammatically correct to me. I could expect it to be:

... is a subject for considerable debate

in which case 'subject' is a noun, or:

... is subjected to considerable debate

where 'subject' is a verb in past participle.
Still, both alternatives are much less common, judging by the number of occurrences in Google, than the original phrase. So here are the questions:

Is this phrase appropriate for formal writing?
Is it appropriate for less formal conversation?
Finally, is 'subject' in this phrase a noun or verb?

Where should I put the stress when I read the phrase aloud?


texts: Can "show-stopper" have a negative connotation?

texts:
If not, what word do I mean to use when I use "show-stopper" negatively?

It seems that in high-tech culture a show-stopper is a development problem that prevents forward progress, or an unacceptable outcome. (At least in a non-english-speaking high-tech culture.)

My wife called me on it this morning when I used show-stopper in this context.

When I stopped to think about it, I couldn't think of the word or phrase I should be using that I seem to have confused with show-stopper.


texts: Is there a rule for when contractions are not possible?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is there some rule against ending a sentence with the contraction “it's”?

In conversing with non-native English speakers online, I saw someone type:

  Do you know who ****I’m*** ?

This is obviously wrong to a native English speaker, but I don’t know why.  Is there a rule that tells when contractions are not allowed?

Here are some more similar examples where the contraction doesn’t work (with the expansion of the contraction in parentheses following each):

Can you tell who **I’m* by my voice alone?  (I am)
Please, tell me who **he’s/she’s/they’re*. (he is/she is/they are)
If you want to go to the movie, **we’ll.*  (we will)
Will you have some? Yes, **I’ll.* (I will)
I won’t have any, but tell me if **you’ll*. (you will)
I didn’t have the same thing for supper as **you’d.* (you had)
Would you like to go?  Sure **I’d.*  (I would)


texts:
I'm looking for an elegant phrase describing why group brainstorms are effective.

At the moment I have "allows one person to spark ideas in another".

It doesn't seem right, what's a better verb or phrase?

Thanks


texts: From the 4th to the 8th of June - [date ranges]

texts:
In a business letter,
what's the correct or more frequent way to write date ranges?

  from the 4th to the 8th of June 2014, we have been working on the
  project

or

  from 4 to 8 June 2014, we have been working on the project

or

  In June 2014, 4 to 8, we have been working on the project


texts: What is The Meaning of "Single digit body"?

texts:
I am reading a book: "A Man Called Ove". in the first chapter I face with this sentence:"The assistant, a young man with a single-digit body mass index, looks ill at ease." would you please explain what's the meaning of this?

best regard


texts: How «cool confidence» could be understood?

texts:
Context:

  We'll help you answer those questions and others with cool confidence.

I can guess that 'confidence' is like 'certainty', isn't it?  But it's unclear is 'cool' about calm or cold mind?


texts: Using [sic] to correct "etc" without a period

texts:
I am quoting a passage that uses the abbreviation etc. ... except that the etc has no period after it.

I read here that you can use [sic] to indicate a punctuation error, but should I bother using it to indicate a lack of punctuation that should be there?


texts: Is the use of "alternative options" redundant in this sentence?

texts:
Is use of the word "alternative" in the following sentence redundant?

  After examining the different types of beer on the menue, Joe took several minutes to consider his alternative options before ordering...


texts:
I need to report the progress of my work, when I am analysing a problem, which is the correct expressions to synthesize my current status ?

  At analysis stage
  At analysis phase
  Other ?


texts:
Which sentence is more correct?

  As everyone I dream about travelling to other countries.
  Like everyone I dream about travelling to other countries.


texts: Use quotation marks for internal monologue?

texts:
In a similar vein to my previous question on styling written quotes, should I use quotation marks for interior monologue in narrative writing?

It is common to use italics to denote thoughts:

  This won't be easy, she thought.

But I would use quotation marks in this scenario:

  "This won't be easy," she said to herself.


texts:
I've been studying English for a lot of time and if there's a word that I've always struggled to understand, this word is "glib". I've read multiple definitions of this word on various dictionaries, but I still can't fully get it.
CED has, for instance,

glib: speaking or spoken in a confident way, but without careful thought or honesty:

No one was convinced by his glib answers/explanations.

Collins Cobuild , on the other hand, gives:

glib: If you describe what someone says as glib, you disapprove of it because it implies that something is simple or easy, or that there
are no problems involved, when this is not the case.

So, the word glib is usually defined as a way of talking that is smooth, ready, fluent, confident, smart, easy ... but that at the same time do not show much thought, it's shallow, trivializing, lacks understanding ... To me this is ever so confusing. It seems that these two things don't go well together. I wouldn't use it for example to define the way that a salesperson talks, since I wouldn't say that it lacks understanding and that it doesn't show much thoughts.
I mean, it seems to be referring to someone that is very well-spoken, has the gift of gab, silver-tongued ... so everything that I would associate to being clever, competent, knowledgeable ... but instead they are flippant, facile and maybe even dim.
Did I get it? Maybe I'm puzzled because in my native tongue, that's Italian, I can't find nothing that is quite the same. I would be very grateful to whoever will provide me with some examples of ways of talking that you guys find to be glib.
Thank you!


texts:
I often come across this expression and according to dictionaries I've looked up, it can be used in several ways such as to:

introduce something that should be taken into consideration
add something to what you have just said, especially something that makes it less strong
draw attention to an important fact that is important to a statement

but how do you use the expression in a sentence/conversation?


texts: How can I use "fill someone in" passive voice?

texts:
Recently I get to know the phrase "fill someone in". I am not sure the usage of the phrase in a passive voice sentence.

Is this correct?

What I was filled in today is that we are planning a big project!


texts: Word for company that takes bets on illegal events or helps you bet

texts:
As I understand bookmaker in English is a person or company that takes bets on events. But I have two questions related to this word:

Is there any special word for a person or company that takes bets on
illegal events?
What are companies that provide help and tell you
what to bet on (like brokers) called?


texts:
I've been trying to find the origin of the phrase, "[so and so] sacrificed ... on the altar of success." I presume it is entrenched in some sort of religious background, but other than that I have nothing.

Thanks in advance for your help.


texts: How to pronounce Arthurian character "Menw" in English?

texts:
In some Arthurian tales a character named "Menw" occurs, e.g. from Kilhwch and Olwen, or The Twrch Trwyth: (emphasis added)

  And Arthur called Menw the son of Teirgwaedd, in order that if they went into a savage country, he might cast a charm and an illusion over them, so that none might see them whilst they could see every one.

I wonder how this name (of Welsh origin?) is pronounced in English; or if there is a conventional English pronunciation.

I browsed several dictionaries (Cambridge, Oxford, Webster), but I couldn't find an entry for "Menw", nor any similar names or words. There is a Wikipedia article but unfortunately it doesn't include the name's pronunciation.

If I were to guess, I'd pronounce it "Menew" or "Menoo", i.e. /menuː/ – the first part like men /men/ and the last part like flew /fluː/ or boo /buː/.

Can someone enlighten me, please? Am I on the right track?


texts: Difference between venture and adventure

texts:
Is there any difference between usage of words venture and adventure?

Is venture a short form usage of adventure?


texts: Why Lovecraft never used the word "cultist"?

texts:
I've search around the complete works of Lovecraft, and he never had used the word cultist, only worshipper or follower. Today this is the word used to refer to the member of cults in the Mythos universe.

Any idea why the change? Was that a change in meaning of "cultist" or just the case of a word that was created after Lovecraft and was more adequate?

I got as far as the etymology for "cult", but nothing specific for "cultist".


texts: Origin of the South African English word "skadonk"?

texts:
In South African English, the word "skadonk" is colloquially used to describe an old car that is usable, but nearing the end of its lifespan. It is onomatopoeic with the sound that such a car would make (a noisy drive).

I grew up thinking this word was standard English, however recent conversations with American friends indicate that they have never heard it before.

I have done a bit more research and googling online and have really struggled to find an official definition of the South African usage of this word anywhere. In fact, it's very difficult to find it referred to in this way online at all, even though it is used all the time here. Is it defined somewhere, and where does it come from?


texts: According to http://www.word-detective.com/0806A.html ,  'many small children had noticed that a lot of grownups were shouting "gee" at horses and decided that "gee" was another name for "horse."' but according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Gee-Gees , 'The term "Gee-Gee" is taken from horse racing where a Gee-Gee is the first horse out of the starting gate.' Are these correct?


texts:
John doesn't actively participate in class discussion, unlike his
  classmates. He thinks they act a bit overly and he doesn't like to
  woo the teachers.

Woo has two meanings:

  Try to gain the love of (someone, typically a woman), esp. with a
  view to marriage.
  Seek the favor, support, or custom of

In the above example, the second meaning is intended, but I wonder if the wide usage of the first meaning will perhaps make the usage of the second meaning seem weird.

What would you think? Are there better alternatives?

PS: is the usage of "overly" correct in the example?


texts: What is the standard English for “a receipt written in ‘catering short hand’”?

texts:
Ruth Marcus wrote in her article in Washington Post (September 29), titled “Fiscal Trivial Pursuit” describing the waste of the U.S. government’s  disclosed by the Justice Department inspector general recently that ranges from $600 Pentagon toilet seats to $16 a piece muffin billing, and she says:

  "As it turns out, the receipt on which the Justice Department’s inspector general based that assessment was written in a kind of catering short-hand."

I’m not very clear with the meaning of “a receipt written in a kind of catering short-hand,” but can easily guess it implies a receipt in the form of hand-written, scribbled note given by vendors.

Although we have words such as '私製領収書-privately-made receipt' and 'tentatie receipt -仮領収書'usedd only for private, casual and petty cash transactions in Japan, I’m puzzled with the fact that government otentative ffices of a civilized country like America accept a (hand-written) short-hand receipt in contrast to a receipt in official (printed) form. Bureaucrats’ wastes of taxpayers’ money is not uncommon in any countries, but passing- by of receipts in ‘catering short-hand’ form meaning sloppy auditing seems to be unusual to me.

Then my question, what is the short or "standard" English word for “a receipt written in a kind of catering short-hand,” that doesn’t require “a kind of”?


texts: In a case of hyponymy, mention which word is the hyponym; in a case of antonymy, tell what kind of antonymy it is

texts:
Is the relation between "night" and "day"
1/ a hyponymy?
2/ an antonymy? If antonymy, what kind of antonyms are they?
I need quick help.


texts: Is “Light of moon and ray of star” an idiom?

texts:
What is the literary device used for the following quote from The Fellowship of the Ring :

  By light of moon and ray of star

I think that it is an idiom.... I may be wrong!


texts:
How to pronounce "slash" in giving an address, meaning the corner of 2 streets?
I live at 1/9 Park Lane. Should it be read as one slash nine Park Lane?


texts: Pronoun Case in Noun Phrases used as Direct Objects

texts:
When I have a noun phrase that contains a pronoun as a subject (of the phrase), but the noun phrase is being used as the direct object of another verb, is the pronoun in the nominative case or the objective case?

For example, sans noun phrase:

  Please tell him.

With noun phrase:

  Please tell [he/him] who walks through the door.

Or, when being used more as a subordinate clause (?):

  Please tell [whoever/whomever] walks through the door.

Or in a concrete example from literature, I was always under the impression that because the pronoun is the subject of a phrase, it's in the nominative case:

  If ye break faith with we who die

But the actual poem I'm quoting here says:

  If ye break faith with us who die

(The poem being In Flanders Fields by John McCrae)
Is this just a poetic device, or is McCrae correct?

What is the generally accepted rule among "correct" English, and why?


texts: capitalization of the word section, theorem,... if refering using both number and adjective/name

texts:
I have a question related to Capital letters in "Theorem", "Conjecture" etc, Capitalization of "Theorem 1" in mathematics papers, https://mathoverflow.net/questions/27693/capitalization-of-theorem-names, but a bit more specific.

In academic writing, it is common to capitalize the first letter of words like chapter, section, theorem etc. when refering to them by their number. (E.g. "See Theorem 1.3.2 in Section 1.3"). Otherwise, one should use lower case letter (such as in "As a consequence of the last theorem,..." or "In the following section..."). Somewhat a gray zone are named theorems, such as Pythagorean T/theorem (but I guess it is more common to use lower case letter).

But what if I want to combine those approaches. For example, "From Stone–Weierstrass Т/theorem 1.2.3 it follows that..." or "We will get back to this in (the) last S/section 3.5 of this chapter".

I guess that, from a language perspective, it is not a very good style. It would be better to write either "last section" or "Section 3.5" and, if need, write something like "in the last section (Sect. 3.5)". But on the other hand, I find it useful for the reader to see both the references (they might not remember, what was mentioned as Thm. 1.2.3, but they know Stone–Weierstrass theorem, or they do not know Stone–Weierstrass theorem, so they might want to look it up in the text) and I think it is good to keep the text consise without unnecessary repetitions.

So I am asking: How bad do you think it is to write it like this? If it is acceptable, should I capitalize the first letter or not?


texts:
I have seen some people using them while others not. Should I still use a suspended hyphen in the following snippet?

  I have used upper- and lowercase in my script.


texts: Meaning of "You are pretty chipper for a guy who found out they died for nothing"

texts:
This is a dialogue extract from the movie Captain America: Winter Soldier. Can you help me explain what it means?

  You are pretty chipper for a guy who found out they died for nothing.

Please explain its meaning and how it's used. Is it a phrase or something else?


texts: What's it called when you unfairly wrong someone just because you don't like them?

texts:
For example: if a teacher marks a students work down just because they don't like the student. Or if a McDonald's worker only fills your coffee cup half way because they remember the last time when you complained about your chips being cold.

I'm not even sure there is a word for the way that person is behaving - 'Stop being so _____?'.

I want to say jealous/revenge/karma/awkward/mean but those words just don't seem to fit. Thank you for your help.


texts: "I had finished the work on friday" / "I have finished the work"

texts:
Every morning, I have to speak in English. Suppose that today is Monday.

Do these two sentences convey the same meaning?

  On Friday, I had finished the work.

"Had" is used here because it is past perfect.

  I have finished the work.

I.e. the work has been finished without mentioning any timeline.


texts: How do I say the word “bow” in the sentence “I set my bow in the clouds...”?

texts:
How do you pronounce the word "bow" in the following sentence from Genesis 9:13?

  I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of my covenant between me and the earth.

Is it pronounced bow as in a bow-tie, or is it pronounced bow as in bowing to a king?


texts:
I just don't know what's the difference.

When we use in what sense, we mean in different sense, we can conclude different results.
When we use point of view, we also mean in different point of views, we can conclude different results.

So, when we want to say some questions are open, and from different view/sense leads different results then which to choose?

Those two phases are translated to (into?) two similar phrases in my native language (Mandarin).


texts: Why are there different vowels in the words "podiatry, podium" and "pedicure, pedestrian"?

texts:
There are some words like "podiatry, podium" and "pedicure, pedestrian" which are etymologically cognate and very close in their semantics.
At least, the first morpheme in all of them is the same.
Why, then, is there a vowel change?


texts: "Such is life, and every day is getting sucher and sucher"

texts:
Where did this saying come from?

  Such is life, and every day is getting sucher and sucher.

It doesn't make any sense to me, perhaps because I'm not a native English speaker. Can someone explain?


texts:
Is the general word order of this sentence correct?

  We investigate how strong the effect of X on Y is.

Or, as an alternative,

  We investigate how strong the effect of X is on Y.

In a preprint for a scientific publication I came across the formulation:

  We investigate how strong is the effect of XZY.

and now I'm all confused.


texts: Is a comma needed in a sentence containing two clauses?

texts:
Can this sentence be made easier to read?

  "During some of the subjects I had the opportunity to work within a team as during our Science and Physics lessons, we often used to go the school laboratories to do some experiments working as teams of people".

I'm not sure whether getting rid of that comma would make the sentence easier to read or not; what do you think?


texts: A word, when you make anybody fall down with your foot

texts:
I have a sentence to consider:

  I made him fall down with one of my feet.

The sentence quoted above can be made precise if there is a specific verb that denotes making anybody fall down, as in:

  I _____ him.

See that the verb meddle denotes interfering with someone's affairs. Similarly, there might be verb denoting making anyone fall down on a floor, etc. by putting your foot before theirs See the picture below:


texts: In my note to the school should I write "I will pick up my daughter at 2:00," or "I will pick my daughter up..."?


texts: What's the origin of the idiom "don't give it the time of day"?

texts: Twice in the past few hours, I've seen the idiom "don't give it the time of day". Now, I immediately knew and understood what the people using the phrase meant, but then I realized that I didn't know why that phrase means what it means. I Googled the phrase "time of day idiom" because I was particularly interested in the origin/etymology of the "time of day" part. I readily found the meaning (which I already knew), but was stymied as to its origin (which is what I wanted). Thus, I ask: what is the origin/etymology of the idiom?


texts: Is there a female equivalent for "my good sir"?

texts: Is there a quaint-sounding/archaic dual to address women a la "[my] [good] sir" jovially in casual conversation?  I can't come up with an expression that doesn't sound like a moderately intense term of endearment (e.g. my [fair] lady).  Can you even sound quaint but still be modern?


texts: "mind having/doing something" - verb tense

texts: "Would you mind having a look?" - I got into an argument over whether this sentence is in the Present Simple or Continuous. I would like to put this to rest.


texts: What is the difference between "this" and "that"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Using “that” and “this” interchangeably
  Is there a clear delineation between the usages of 'this' and 'that' in American English?

Is there a specific rule about when to use the word "this" or the word "that"? I have heard people say "this clock", and I have also heard people use it in the context "this city". Overall, I'm very confused.


texts: Word for deliberately taking the literal rather than implied message

texts: What is the word for understanding someones implied meaning, but being completely pretentious about it and taking their words for what they literally said?


texts:
In formal writing, should I use an em dash

  The Earth consists of three layers — crust, mantle, and core.

or a colon

  The Earth consists of three layers: crust, mantle, and core.

?


texts: Hypernym for "day", "month", "week", "year"

texts: I would like to know if there is a single-word hypernym for day, month, week and year.


texts: What is the difference between "case" and "operation" in the military context?

texts:
There are some historical battle plans which are prefixed with "case" e. g. Case White (translation of Fall Weiss). Also, most of battle plans are named as "operations" e. g. Operation Downfall.

I live in a nation in which "case" and "operation" are translated into the same word, and thus I find it difficult to acknowledge differences between them in the military context. What are the differences of military cases and military operations? When I searched about "military cases," only results I saw were some shopping pages with mil-spec cell phone cases.


texts: Is "X is a risk of substance abuse" an ambiguous statement?

texts:
I recently happened upon a health assessment quiz with the following question:

Which is not a risk of substance abuse?

Bullying
Death from Heart Failure
Lack of Coping Skills
Addiction

The correct answer is "Death from Heart Failure." It was explained to me that this question is asking, "Which of the following will not lead to substance abuse?"

Does this seem like a good question in terms of wording?


texts: "Compound nouns list" or "compound noun list"?

texts:
I couldn't help but wonder every time I saw such a noun phrase. I've seen both forms used equally often, so I guess both of them can be used interchangeably. But do I guess right?

Some examples:

  Here is a frequently used compound nouns list.

  Here is a frequently used compound noun list.

I usually rephrase them into something like this.

  Here is a reference list of compound nouns.


texts:
Well, here is the situation.
I have four students. They did a test. Suppose that the regulation is a student getting a score below 40 gets the remark "study hard" which is written at the bottom of the work instead of a numerical score. When I want to confirm this, may I say:

They get study hard if their SCORE IS (instead of SCORES ARE) below 40, right?


texts:
Can I say:

  It opens the browser on the URL [X]

meaning that something is opening the browser with the URL [X] already typed in and loading?


texts: Professional word meaning to take a reading from something

texts:
Consider this as a starting point,

  When the electric guy comes, he takes a reading from the meter to see
  how much power the house used.

Here we can use "take a reading" to show that we are getting information (power consumption) via a signal that we can interpret. That part is easy enough, but if one was to use this on something more abstract, it becomes a little less natural sounding, to me at least.

Specifically, the sentence I need to phrase is:

  By carrying out small-venue product launches one can __________
  demand.

If I put "take a reading of (the)", it has the professional sound,
similar to the first example sentence, but it sounds a little too
contrived, less natural. Maybe grammatically it's fine, but my gut is
telling me "take a reading of" is better for physical instruments and
not so much for intangible, abstract things.
If I put "get a feel for (the)" it loses the professional sound I
need, but it does sound a bit better.

Question: Is there a professional and natural sounding word or phrase that would suit my demand example?


texts:
Can this possibly be a correct phrase:

  Green green green green green.

I got it from a Russian demotivator:

I wonder if there is any possible meaning, or whether it shouldn’t be more like this:

  Green green greens green green.


texts:
For example, I want to say:

This book degrades Western culture.

In this form:

This book has been described as ??? to Western culture.

What would the adjectival form be? Is "degradeful" a word, or is there something better?


texts: What are the rules about two verbs in active/passive conversion?

texts:
There are many types in this I suppose. Like two clauses , or verbs with prepositions etc.
e.g -
Smoke and flames engulfed the area and made rescue operations difficult.

What will be it's passive voice ?


texts: What is the meaning of “safeguarding of prospects” in this context?

texts:
What is the meaning of “safeguarding of prospects” in the following context (from Mark Everard, The Ecology of Everyday Things [2020])? Does it mean safeguarding or protection of the future prospects? Does it mean something to the effect of making a better future?

And, who knows, by seeing the world differently and touching our rootedness in nature, we may enrich and inform our own lives, our ensuing decisions, and thereby also contribute to the safeguarding of prospects for the myriad people with whom we are unbreakably interconnected by our common ecological dependences.


texts: Are there big difference in the degree of zeal among "fan, enthusiast, maniac, fiend, geek, zealot”? If Yes, what are they in order of the enthusiasm?

texts:
I saw the word, “language fiend” in a newspaper article yesterday. I thought I saved the text for the purpose of posting this question, but I didn't, so I can’t remember what the source of it was.

When I saw the word, “language fiend,” it prompted me a question – how a language (computer / music / chess /manga/ cosme, whatever) fiend is enthusiastic about the language (computer / music / chess /manga/ cosme, whatever) in comparison with language (computer / music / chess / manga / cosme) fan, enthusiast, maniac, fanatic,and geek.

In Japanese, we have only two groups of xx-愛好者 (aikosha – lover, or fan) and xx-狂(kyo -maniac) to distinguish the level of interest, zeal, and engagiment in an object. In this regard, we are very simplistic. I think I’m English language enthusiast, but won't be a fiend.

Which of them are considered to be the normal 'lover' level and abnormal 'maniac' level? Are there any other English suffixes to describe __ lover or __ maniac than the above?


texts: To use a question mark or not, that is the question

texts:
This is a toughie for me.  Am soliciting input.    Should I use a question mark or not?  Thanks.  (I removed the citation).  I can always re-word but would like to avoid that.
But what church could prosper in the western volatility described so well by Kipling and which played out so often in the Pacific Northwest: “cities that sprang up in a month and in a season utterly withered away.”


texts: The position of an adjective that modifis two nouns

texts:
I suggest you choose a noisy restaurant or a fast food restaurant to study rather than a quiet library.

Q1. I want to express "a noisy restaurant or a noisy fast food restaurant." But if I use "noisy" twice, it'd be too redundant. So I just placed "noisy" only before restaurant. In this case can "noisy" modify a fast food restaurant, too?

Q2. Overall, does the sentence sound natural? Let me know if you have better alternatives, please.


texts:
We have apex predators for animals that have no natural predators.  But it only applies to animals that are themselves predators.

Are there more concise or pithy terms for "animals/organisms with no natural predators" that would encompass herbivores?


texts: Oddly Phrased Sentence: "unreasonably cut consistently"

texts:
Their budget has been unreasonably cut consistently, yet they are the most successful administration in history.

This sentence seems to be phrased oddly, especially "unreasonably cut consistently" part. How can this be phrased to better convey the same meaning?


texts: What is modifying the "i" in Thumbelina and Carolina to alter its pronuciation?

texts: While helping my daughter read (she is 5) we encountered two names in a story, Thumbelina and Carolina.  The way I've come to pronounce the last four letters of "Thumbelina" is "LEE NAH" and the same part of "Carolina" as "LIE NAH".  My question is what is modifying the sound "i" makes in each name?  Is there a name for this rule? Am I just pronouncing "Thumbelina" or "Carolina" incorrectly?


texts: What do you call a slip of the tongue in writing?

texts:
Is there any phrase or word that can be used to describe a slip of the tongue that happens in writing?

Calling it a slip of tongue directly feels awkward, especially when the written text is never intended to be read out loud (for example text from a discussion on an SE site such as this).

I've just read "slip of the keyboard" but I'm pretty sure that this is not (yet?) a common phrase.

"Typo" is a very similar term, but I usually use "typo" more for mis-typed words rather than mistakes that actually change the meaning of the text.


texts:
According to the Wikipedia page for the Oxford Comma, "Use of the comma is consistent with conventional practice" and "Use of the comma is inconsistent with conventional practice." Did the Oxford Comma come before its omission, or was the Oxford Comma traditionally omitted?

It makes logical sense that every item in a list would be separated in the same way: by a comma. If the Oxford Comma is conventionally correct, when and why did people begin to omit it?


texts: metal, meddle, mettle, medal pronunciation in American English

texts:
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English has the following phonetic symbols:

meddle

  / ˈmedl; ˋmɛdl/

medal

  / ˈmedl; ˋmɛdl/

mettle

  / ˈmetl; ˋmɛtl/

metal

  / ˈmetl; ˋmɛtl/

Oxford gives British English usages; in BrE, meddle and medal are pronounced the same and mettle and metal are the same too.

I know that in AmE, t is usually pronounced as d.

Then how are  metal  and mettle pronounced?

Are they pronounced exactly the same as  medal  and meddle in AmE?

Adding to my confusion: please look at how they are pronounced in Merriam-Webster.

meddle

  Pronunciation:     'me-dəl

medal

  Pronunciation:     'me-dəl

mettle

  Pronunciation:     'me-təl

metal

  Pronunciation:     'me-təl


texts: Perfect word for the clicking sound which happens when you stretch your bones?

texts:
What is the perfect word for the clicking sound which happens when you stretch your bones?

When chiropractors try to do adjustments, we can hear a clicking sound on the bones.

What is that sound called?


texts:
I am wondering which is the correct version?

  Furthermore, the official length of my programme of study: 3.5 years
  of full-time study and 16 weeks of internship.
  Furthermore, the official length of my program of study: 3.5 years of
  full-time study and 16 weeks of internship.


texts: What could be the equivalent term in British or Australian English to the American English word “hillbilly”?

texts:
In Wikipedia, “hillbilly” is defined as:
… a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of Appalachian heritage.

I am looking for a term of equivalent meaning  denoting the highly loaded emotional characteristic.


texts: Is there any word or phrase for when someone in fact says the truth while intends to lie?

texts:
Deliberate lie: to tell others something one correctly or incorrectly believes to be false.

Honest Lie: to tell others something one incorrectly believes to be true.

Is there any word/phrase particularly for when one tells others something one incorrectly believes to be false, that is, when one intends to lie but what one tells is, unbeknownst to her, in fact true?


texts: Term or phrase representing all objects inside of a parent object

texts:
I am programming an iOS App and I have an alert popup that asks a user to confirm the deletion of a directory.  I want to show the following message:

"DIR is not empty!
 Deleting this folder will permanently remove all
 [SUB-ITEMS/SUBDIRECTORIES/COMPRISING ITEMS/?????]!"

but I cannot think of the proper term for items (files/folders/etc) inside a directory.

I would greatly appreciate any help finding the correct term or phrase for this message.

 PostScript: Are "subdirectories" and "subfiles" proper english words?


texts:
I’d like to ask about the sentence in The Final Problem by Conan Doyle.

Pray give my greetings to Mrs. Watson, and believe me to be, my dear
fellow,

This is supposed to be the last message written by Sherlock Holmes to Watson.
I haven’t learned and don’t think ever saw the wording like the underlined part before. What’s this?
I think since it’s a farewell message, it has to mean something like “I’m always with you in your heart” or “Pray think I was alive”. I don’t know.
Would someone paraphrase this part to me please?  Thank you.


texts: A Term for a Location Where a Person has Stopped or Idled for an allocated length of time

texts:
I am developing a Geographic Information System where GPS coordinates are gathered and analyzed in a server. I have a module where I collect coordinates/points in a map where a person has stopped for an allocated length of time.

So, my question is what term/word can I used for those points (which will be equivalent to a location) "where a person has stopped or has idled [for an allocated length of time]"? So far I have been using the word "Idled Location" for this which I feel to be grammatically incorrect. I think 'Idled' describes the 'Location' here. So the word must mean a Location where I have been idled for some time.


texts:
While I'm browsing Reddit, I sometimes find a title which contains "to" in the sentence even though it might be totally unnecessary.

What is the difference between :

  Yahoo stops all new development on ...

and

  Yahoo to stop all new development on ...

?

The two sentences mean the same, but which one should I use, and which one is grammatically correct ?


texts: I'm looking for some background on the word "breant"

texts: This quote was written by Henry Kelsey in his journal on August 6, 1691: "this river breants away much to ye Southward & runneth through great part of the Country".  Kelsey was born around 1667 in or near London and worked for the Hudson's Bay Company in Western Canada.  I haven't been able to find any reference to "breant" online.  I no longer (unfortunately) have access to the complete OED.  My speculation is that it means "bend."


texts:
How should I fill these blanks on an agreement?

The agreement starts like this; __ legally represented by _, residing at __ on __ hereinafter referred as "Contractor"...

1)Name

2)as the person not company herself/himself?

3)Address

4)?

Is "residing at ... on ..." a common usage? I searched but couldn't find anyting like this.


texts:
I understand the word nuance means a very slight/subtle difference specifically applies to meanings, sounds, colours, feelings, and expressions. But what about movements, is there a word that denotes a very slight difference in somebody's movements that is not very obvious?

For example, if I'm in a room next to another room and the rooms are so silent that I could hear virtually every movement/action that the person on the other room makes, not only do I hear him walking, moving objects, him eating/drinking, writing/typing, etc., I could also hear the not so obvious/noticeable movements such as maybe him scratching his arm/leg, rubbing his eyes, to him squirming in his chair, just every subtle movements imaginable.

An example sentence maybe, he has extraordinary trained sense organs that could detect a person's every [?] of movement. Or I could hear every [?] of movement he makes in the other room. Is there a word that could replace nuance in this case to describe movements instead?


texts: Which of these sentences using "can" or "could" is better?

texts:
If you could increase your number of hours to 48/week, it will help you become a more fluent speaker.
If you can increase your number of hours to 48/week, it will help you become a more fluent speaker.

The first sentence sounds more natural to me. Which one is correct and why?


texts: What do you call a person who works on old home movies and paper photographs? I'm not talking about someone who operates a camera.  Simply just scans, edits, and creates from photographs and old video (like VHS or Super 8).


texts:
I don't quite know the explanation to this.

When they arrived, they found the door locked from inside.
When they arrived, they found the door was locked from inside

Locked sounds better than was locked. But why?

The never-ending loop, sometimes called an infinite loop, is a common bug in writing code.
The never-ending loop, sometimes is called an infinite loop, is a common bug in writing code.

Again, called sounds better, but I don't really know why. What is this kind of grammar called? I was trying to google it, but i dont know what term to use.


texts: Correct use of "hereby" on a formal letter

texts:
Can I use hereby in this sentece below?

As requested, I hereby state that I do not have life insurance.

Thanks in advance!


texts: What is a good word to describe a large geographical area

texts:
What is a good word (or a phrase) to describe a large, extensive geographical area, spanning several regions?

I am not looking to use this in a particular context, but to help in conceptualizing a product name.


texts:
Let's say I have a sentence similar to

  When a scientist publishes results, she must be careful to not enter the incorrect data.

However, I am confused as to what I should use in place of the "she".

Using a "she" to refer to an arbitrary scientist, to me, seems just as weird as referring to an arbitrary scientist as "he", while "they" just seems grammatically incorrect.

I have been told that the grammatically correct, gender neutral form of the sentence would be

  When a scientist publishes results, he/she must be careful to not enter the incorrect data.

But, come on, I'm not going to write "he/she" every time I have to refer to someone of unspecified gender.

How do I go about dealing with this? I understand that I could simply rephrase the sentence as

  When scientists publish results, they must be careful to not enter incorrect data.

This is what I do in most cases when I am confronted with this problem.

My question is:

What should I do if I want to stay as close as possible to the original sentence structure (for instance, maintaining the singular form of scientist?
What should I do in general when I am confronted with situations like this one? What options are there (e.g. converting to plural)?


texts: What the words "course" and "class" are used for?

texts:
Regarding academic context, I am a little confused about the meanings of these words.

I am going to state my understanding to see if it is correct or not:

Course meanings:

A university course like Calculus1 or Physics2.
The course I've finished is a B.Sc in Computer Science.

Class meanings:

Students who graduated in 2015 form the class of 2015.
I didn't attend the Calculus1 class this afternoon.

Are the meanings above correct?

Are there other academic meanings for these words?


texts:
Is there a noun in English denoting the relation of attending the same school/class? In other words:

Being friends → friendship

Being neighbours → geographical contiguity

Attending the same school → School fellowship?

Attending the same class → Class fellowship?


texts:
Is it correct to use the word Klick instead of Kilometer in the following sentences?

It's about 50 klicks to the next gas station.
The US is about 25000 klicks from India by air.


texts: What's the term for the information you gather from someone before deciding to bring them in for an interview?

texts:
What is another word for the information you gather from someone before deciding to bring them in for an interview? (Salary Requirements, Commuting Restrictions, etc.)

What I'm trying to say is:

  Before we bring in any potential consultants to meet, we like to begin with a brief phone conversation to gather _______.

Any help appreciated!


texts: Is there a word for "the king who has a regent"?

texts:
As the title says: Is there an established word or phrase for a "regent-ee," as distinct from a reigning monarch who does not have* a regent?
From 1811 to 1820, the future King George IV was prince regent and his father King George III was...?
From 1715 to 1723, Philippe d'Orléans was regent and the infant King Louis XV was...?
The Tongzhi Emperor had* regents of one form or another for essentially his whole reign; he was a...?
From a modern perspective we might say king in name only; but I'm interested in contemporary attested terminology, if any.
I could imagine that there might be attested terms for some kinds of regent-ees (maybe along the lines of "king infant," "king invalid") but not a general term; if you have evidence for any such, that'd make a good answer.
* — As a minor bonus question: is it correct to say "King George III had a regent for the latter part of his reign"? Or is there a better verb for the relationship between sovereign and regent? I'd think that anything like "served under" or "was subject to" would be inappropriate, as would "employed" or "retained."


texts:
The following meaning of turn appears to be common mainly in spy stories and, apparently, is present only in very few dictionaries.

From the OED:

  (29. c.) definition of the verb turn (transitive): "To induce or persuade (a person) to act against his country, former associates, etc., esp. as a spy”

From Collins Dictionary:

  (27 - transitive)
  to cause (an enemy agent) to become a double agent working for one's own side. -
  “the bureau turned some of the spies it had caught”

Etymonline has nothing on the above  usage so I’d like to ask:

Was the above connotation of turn coined by spy story writers, or was it first used by journalists in real espionage stories.
When does this  usage date back to? Was it AmE or BrE originally?
Is corrupt a synonym of turn here,  or do they convey different  connotations? For instance, using Collins’ example, “the bureau turned some of the spies it had caught”, if I used “corrupted” in place  of “turned”, would the meaning change?


texts: Complex question starting with 'I wonder'

texts:
I want to ask about some plans, which I want to define in the question. And I want to start with I wonder. So something like:

  I wonder what the plans for the next steps regarding the topic we discussed yesterday are.

Admitting the sentence is not beautiful, I wonder if it is grammatically correct. It seems to be, according to the British Council. But the verb in the end looks too much disconnected from the plans to me. However having a long immersion into German, where it would be correct, I can neither find a better form nor actually recall whether it's correct to do the same in English.

So, is the phrase above correct?


texts: Word for the object that hangs from something else ("hangee")

texts:
From nasa.gov
A satellite is an object that moves around a larger object.

What is the word for an object that hangs from another object?

an ornament on a Christmas tree
a figure on a (baby) mobile

A shirt could be considered the "hangee" of a hanger.


texts: Need right word; don't think "sardonic" is it

texts:
I'm looking for the word(s) that describes a situation where, physically, you'd see someone smiling but shaking their heads, as in "Oh, no, my dear friend has (comically) screwed up again!"  For this situation, I currently use my own emoticon:  : )  : (   : )
I see that some writers use the word "sardonic" to describe the situation above, but dictionaries often attach some cruel connotation to the word.  Thanks for any help!


texts: Is there an abbreviation to denote "f***k You?

texts:
I frequently see people using various facebook expressions in official e-mails or in general text message.

What bemuses me is that most of the time ""F***K you" is written/put as "f**K you".
Please pardon my jarring mind, but FKU is not what I think is an abbreviation.

Is there an abbreviated form that has come into usage?


texts: A word (or short phrase) for "suggesting without prejudice"

texts:
I was having a conversation and decided that "I just though of this certain alternative option for your planning; I don't care which option you take, but know that you have this option." was just too much of a mouthful.

Is there a shorter way of introducing a suggestion, but precluding being offended if they don't take your option? It feels like a pretty frequent issue and I'd be pretty surprised if nobody's come up with a punchy way to say it.

I was mainly thinking about this for social contexts.


texts:
Are these words interchangeable? When would you use one over the other?

For example, is it correct to say you "feel nervous" or "feel anxious"? Is it correct to say you are an "anxious person" or a "nervous person"?

The Oxford Dictionaries website defines anxious as "feeling ... nervousness ... about something with an uncertain outcome" or "... characterised by nervousness". Nervousness is defined as "the quality or state of being nervous". Nervous is defined as "anxious or apprehensive". It seems circular to me.

In fact, one of the example sentences of "nervous" is:

  The days are gone when I am going to get nervous about games or worry about whether or not I play well.

Yet, according to the definition of "anxious", it sounds to me that "anxious" would be a better fit, since it relates to "something with an uncertain outcome".


texts: A word that means: "to break someone's lie"? I want to aggressively point out that she or he is lying

texts:
What word (or expression) can I use that means “to break someone's lie”?

I mean to aggressively point out that she or he is lying.

  She stood up and ___ his lie/that he was a liar.

I'm thinking of debunk, but it doesn't seem suitable here.


texts:
I was confronted with the following sentence

  Pass either exam 480 or 483 along with exam 486.

and wonder, if the options for me are

480
483 and 486

or this:

480 and 486
483 and 486

Is this obvious to the native English reader? And if so, why? It is not obvious to some non-natives including myself.


texts:
I'm trying to find a word meaning "you can't do that" or "you're not allowed".

I thought of impossibility but I do not want it in the sense of being impossible, but in the sense of not being allowed to.

Context:

  The Sneak Out automatically provides you with a guilty conscience and the impossibility of telling people who you saw.


texts: Meaning of a healthy skepticism of too much government

texts:
What we’ve been debating here in Washington over the last few weeks will affect the lives of the students here and families all across America in potentially profound ways.  This debate over budgets and deficits is about more than just numbers on a page; it’s about more than just cutting and spending.  It’s about the kind of future that we want.  It’s about the kind of country that we believe in.  And that’s what I want to spend some time talking about today. From our first days as a nation, we have put our faith in free markets and free enterprise as the engine of America’s wealth and prosperity.  More than citizens of any other country, we are rugged individualists, a self-reliant people with a healthy skepticism of too much government. But there’s always been another thread running through our history -– a belief that we’re all connected, and that there are some things we can only do together, as a nation.  We believe, in the words of our first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, that through government, we should do together what we cannot do as well for ourselves.

Hi,

This is a part of President Barack Obama's Speech on Fiscal Policy at George Washington University.
I am not sure what "with a healthy skepticism of too much government" means, especially, "too much government" part.
I am guessing it might mean "a healthy skepticism about too much management from the government.
Could you please help me?
Thank you in advance as always.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqoxZRRAqkc


texts: Repetition of an idea, for poetic emphasis

texts:
What is the term for the literary device employed in poetry whereby an idea is repeated using different words, in order to provide emphasis? It's common in the Biblical psalms, for example the very first verse of Psalm 1:

  Blessed is the man that
  walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
  nor standeth in the way of sinners,
  nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

This is neither anaphora nor epiphora (as I understand it), because it's not using exactly the same words either at the beginning of the phrase or at the end, but the three phrases mean exactly the same thing (association with the heathen).

The device is not confined to the Bible of course; for example Patrick Barrington's famous comic poem I Had A Hippopotamus employs the lines

  Time takes, alas! our joys from us and robs us of our blisses

and

  ...nothing upon earth
  Is constant in its happiness or lasting in its mirth

The technique obviously predates English by several millennia, but (and I suppose this is a secondary question) was it used in English poetry prior to the translation of the Bible?

Apologies if this is a duplicate of another question. I've searched on 'repetition' in various ways and could not find a question that exactly matched this one.


texts: Is "they aren't playing THAT GOOD BASEBALL" grammatical?

texts: I heard an announcer the other day chide a struggling team by saying, "They're not playing that good baseball right now." This doesn't sound grammatical, but my ears have deceived me before. Of course you could say instead, "They haven't been playing well of late," but I want to know if the first statement is grammatical as is.


texts: Word meaning academic or rational, when describing the style of an argument

texts:
Here's the context:

  Dude's an awful troll. If he wants to express his views, he should
  present them in a more [adjective] manner.

What we're getting at here is that the guy sounds obnoxious, but the controversial opinion he holds could still be expressed in civil discourse if presented properly.

What word works best for that?


texts: What do you call a person who does a very special and rare job?

texts: I am looking for a perfect and general word describing a person who does a very special, uncommon and rare job. For example, what is the best word describing a veteran miller who works in a traditional windmill? In fact, I am looking for something like "rare-job doer". Is there any proper word in English?


texts:
I came across this paragraph reading John Adams by David McCullough,

  Of London, he(Jefferson) thought only the shops worthy of attention, and devoted ample time to them, spending lavishly on shoes, boots, a flintlock rifle, a reading lamp, plated harness and stirrups, and a set of chessmen.

According to Dictionary.com, plate uses as verb means "to coat (metal) with a thin film of gold, silver, nickel, etc., by mechanical or chemical means". So does "plated harness" here mean 'metal-coated harness"?


texts: Can the noun “sheen” denote the simple outward appearance of something?

texts:
When I visited Sweden, I noticed the Swedish cognate sken used to mean the simple outward appearance of something, (see http://tyda.se/forum?id=194961,) and this did not seem at all surprising to me, because I was already familiar with the same use of the word "sheen" in (my native tongue) English.  Here is a made-up example:

  In the 1990s, the company acquired a sheen of legitimacy while retaining its former connections to certain organized crime networks.

However, this meaning of the word does not appear in any dictionary that I know of.  Is this an accepted meaning of the noun "sheen" as I always thought it was?


texts:
I am applying for a job and I will make real good use of the opportunity it will provide me. Could someone give me a good phrase for the following bold part of the sentence:

I would really appreciate and make the best of it should I be offered one.


texts: What does [....] in the middle of a quote mean?

texts: "'I'm simply defending a Negro- his name is Tom Robinson [...] Scout, you aren't old enough to understand some things yet, but there's been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't do much about defending this man.'" -To Kill a Mockingbird (page 100)


texts: Does this sentence use the word 'appliances' correctly? (In the context of firefighting)

texts:
This is an extract from the local news site:

A total of 50 firefighters attended a blaze at a garden centre.
Crews from Shipley and Ilkley were among the six appliances who attended a fire at Stephen H Smith's Garden & Leisure...

Source: T&A, 19-Jul-17, emphasis is mine.
I understand that the word appliances in this context relates to fire engines and equipment, but to me the sentence seems awkward.
My question is, is the word appliances being used correctly in this sentence?


texts: Word for bigotry towards someone of political beliefs

texts: Ageism is the word for bigotry towards people of an age group, racism towards people of a race, sexism towards people of a certain gender, etc.  Is there a word for bigotry towards someone of certain political beliefs, such as towards liberals/democrats?


texts: What's another phrase to use for an empty stare or gaze?

texts: As I'm typing it in the prompt, currently: " The maiden's gaze, empty with no musing, as her thoughts became nil. " Hope there's a better way I can emphasize her dead gaze.


texts:
Which of the following is more idiomatic?

List out the groups you participate in.

List out the groups you're participating in.


texts:
Would you say:

  I don't know anybody who has as much energy as John.

or

  I don't know anybody who has as much energy as John does.


texts: Is there a single adverb meaning 'in common'?

texts:
The adverb commonly in the sense of 'in common' is now obsolete as shown in this wikitionary:

as a rule; frequently; usually

(obsolete) in common; familiarly

Is there a single adverb ending with '-ly' that can be used instead of 'in common'?

Here's an example:

Intersecting lines have one point in common.


texts: When referring to more than one chamber of commerce, would it be correct to say chambers of commerce?


texts: Looking for a verb that means "to fashion letters and words on paper with skill"

texts: I need a single verb that describes what a good calligrapher does.  Something like, "He calligraphed the invitations quite nicely."  Is there such a word?


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

texts:
What does low mean here?

  It is also known as the common shoulder muscle, particularly in lower animals (e.g., in domestic cats). Deltoid is also further shortened in slang as "delt". The plural forms of all three incarnations are deltoidei, deltoids and delts.


texts: I recently read the word "mainstream" as a verb and doubted whether it was the best choice in the sentence. Can you say you want to "mainstream" something? Perhaps it is grammatical but just unadvisable?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Trainer” is to “trainee” as “mentor” is to what?

My employer has instituted a formal mentoring program for new employees. I was horrified (but should not have been surprised) to read the company information that referred to the new employees as "mentees" in the mentoring relationship. Apparently the word has been in use since the 1960's (I don't know where it was first used). Is this word really considered correct English?


texts: Emoticons of Western style or Japanese style

texts:
Today I saw a lot of native English speakers using various kaomojis, emoticons of Japanese style, on YouTube! I had never seen English-speaking people using them, so I was very surprised. Do they often use kaomojis? Which do they use more often, emoticons of Japanese style or those of Western style? Do they understand what feelings kaomojis express?

―10 examples of Western style―

 1. :-)
 2. :-(
 3. :-D
 4. ;-(
 5. :-P
 6. &-|
 7. (:-<
 8. ~:-(
 9. :-Q
10. =(8-O)

―10 examples of Japanese style―

 1. (^_^)v
 2. ヾ(;ﾟ;Д;ﾟ;)ﾉﾞ
 3. ┐(´д｀)┌
 4. (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)/
 5. (´；ω；`)
 6. ((( ；ﾟДﾟ)))
 7. ヽ(*´∀｀)八(´∀｀*)ノ
 8. ε=ε=┏(・＿・)┛
 9. ʕ•̫͡•ʕ*̫͡*ʕ•͓͡•ʔ-̫͡-ʕ•̫͡•ʔ*̫͡*ʔ-̫͡-ʔ
10. ٩(๑•̀ω•́๑)۶


texts:
I wanted to know if -in' is really correct. Because I couldn't found a single article about the -in' ending.
Examples:
-ing
Running
Jumping
-in'
Runnin'
Jumpin'


texts: What kind of adjective is the word 'ALONE'

texts:
I am quite new to the idea or postpositive adjectives, and would like to know if the adjective 'alone'(which is usually predicative) can be placed in that position.

e.g.

 - I alone cannot change this world.

 - I alone can handle this.

 - He alone will save us all.

Or perhaps the examples I gave are grammatically incorrect?

If that is the case is 'alone' a predicative-only adjective/adverb?

Do I need to separate it with commas?
Ie. I, alone, cannot change this world.

Many thanks


texts: Is "Joe, I've been finishing with the task" correct?

texts:
Is this a correct phrase?

  Joe, I've been finishing with the task.


texts: What do you call the sudden burst of loudness that may occur when switching from one audio source to another?

texts:
Typical occurrences

Imagine you’re watching a video on YouTube but you can barely hear the speaker, so you crank up the volume. After the video you switch to your music player application to liste to your favorite band. Since you've increased the volume all the way, you ears are about to get blasted by your music (and probably your neighbors too).

Occasionally this also happens within one piece of media without interaction from the user. Think of a war movie that suddenly scales the loudness from a quiet conversation to a full blown combat screne.

It's also done on purporse, e.g. many commercials are intentionally louder than the shows they interrupt to grab the viewers' intention.

Causes

This happens because different audio sources are not normalized to use the same average or peak loudness. Different applications can also have different volume levels that are not normally synchronized.

What do you call it?

Now I'm looking for words that describe either of the following phenomena:

[technical] the involuntary and enormous change in loudness caused by switching the input source (especially for an increase in volume)
[psychological] the temporaryy shock that the listener suffers from such a harsh increase in loudness

Similar but not quite the same

The medical term audio shock is used when someone is traumatized by loud sounds and suffers serious and persistent consequences such as loss of hearing, vertigo, depression, etc. Regarding the psychological dimension, I'm rather looking for a word that describes the temporary "Man, that was loud!" effect.

Suggestions

Personally, I made up the word "audio bomb" and "volume switch shock" to refer to those moments. Any better words?


texts: Nuancing the prefixes "meta-", "hyper-", and "super-". Any insight that'd help?

texts:
When detailing the definition of these prefixes, I'm usually faced with a deadlock as to which would fit the proper usage. Though, in general, I'd still like to understand each prefix's nuance to each other — to their absoluteness — if there is any, or if they're simply synonymous with one another. For the most part, they seem to be entirely identical.
Dictionary.com (one link given) has:

meta-:  a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek, with the meanings “after,” “along with,” “beyond,” “among,” “behind,” and productive in English on the Greek model.";
hyper-:  a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “over,” usually implying excess or exaggeration
super-:  a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, with the basic meaning “above, beyond.” Words formed with super- have the following general senses: to place or be placed above or over


texts: Are /ɪnˈfɪə/ or /ɪnˈfirəns/ actually used?

texts:
I had a debate with a non-native speaker who pronounced

infer as /ɪnˈfɪə/; rhymes with career
inference as /ɪnˈfirəns/; rhymes with clearance; stress on the second syllable

and claimed that this pronunciation was common (in particular in American English), though they admitted that it’s not the only possible option.

However, all sources I consulted listed:

infer as /ɪnˈfɜː/ or similar; rhymes with refer
¹
²
³
⁴
⁵
inference as /ˈɪnfərəns/ or similar; rhymes with conference; stress on the first syllable
¹
²
³
⁴

On the other hand, I see no way how the first pair of pronunciation should emerge from a mistake: All orthographically similar words I can think of (refer(ence), defer(ence), prefer(ence), confer(ence), circumference) are pronounced in a consistently different manner and I can’t even think of any word that could be used as a blueprint for this pronunciation. This is a hint (but nothing more) that these pronunciations may be real.

Therefore I am asking: Did I miss something and do any native speakers actually use the first pair of pronunciations?


texts:
Are there any sentences where do that is preferable over do it?

  The New Oxford American Dictionary reports when a phrase is informal; it doesn't do that in this case.

  The New Oxford American Dictionary reports when a phrase is informal; it doesn't do it in this case.


texts: what is the difference between swing and shake?

texts:
Is it right to say I watched the leaves swinging in the wind. or I watched the leaves shaking in the wind.
I myself prefer to say the former one. But how about the latter one. Is it right to say in that way. And what's the difference between swing and shake exactly?


texts: What does adding quotes to an expression do to its meaning?

texts:
I always thought it meant sarcasm when someone wrapped quotation marks around a word.

  "Thank you" for coming over...

That thank you now was said sarcastically and was a passive-aggressive way of saying that the writer wasn't truly thankful.

This morning I got a email sent to the entire office from my boss as such:

  "Thank You" for your commitment, dedication and the support

Does it mean sarcasm or emphasis?


texts: Does the position of "while" in a sentence affect its meaning?

texts:
"While I hate to watch TV, my wife loves it very much." (self-made)
When denoting a contrast, "while" is to be in the beginning of the first clause.

I complained about the unfair competition in getting the official position in the government, while my father told me that he was ruled out from the Union because of his ethnicity. (self-made)

In this sentence, "while" means no contrast, just that something happens at the same time. It seems, to mean "happen at the same time", "while" better be situated in the second clause. Is it so?


texts: What does it mean that inserts carry "discoursal meanings"?

texts:
According to Biber's Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English, insterts are one of the three families of words (apart from lexical and functional words).

At some point, the author explains that inserts

  generally carry emotional and discoursal meanings, such as oh, ah,
  wow, used to express a speaker's emotional response to a situation, or
  yeah, no, okay used to signal a response to what has just been said.

Could someone,please, explain in simple words, what does the 'discoursal meaning' mean?


texts:
is there any difference between the meaning of the word "Dear" in the letter as greeting?
For example:

  Dear Dr. Tse,

  Dear Mom and Dad,

I think there might be a difference in the meaning of these two greetings. The first one shows respect and the second one affection. Am I right?


texts: Why don't we double the final consonant in the word cooking

texts:
SO here is the rule I find about doubling consonant

  if a word ends with a short vowel sound plus a consonant, and the stress is on the last syllable, then the final consonant is doubled if you add an ending that starts with a vowel.

I find this rule to be much more powerful than the one I learned at school, aka:V+C, But the rule doesn't seem to apply to cooking, which is not doubled. Is this a contradiction of the rule I quoted above? (I am not so sure about the short vowel but, but simple Google tells me that ʊ in cooking is indeed a short vowel. )

Also, if cooking is indeed an exception to this rule, are there any other similar exceptions that I should be aware of?


texts: Single word for "break" with professional connotation

texts: What is a nice way to explain that performing a certain action will "break" a product?  I have to explain to a customer that use of my product in an unauthorized manner will "break" the product, but I'd like to use a word that has the same meaning but more professional connotation while maintaining the robustness/integrity of my product in their eyes.


texts: Word for excited, non-sexual heavy breathing

texts:
I'm trying to describe a person taking deep excited breaths at seeing something they want with great desire.

Panting doesn't really fit because it's too fast and doesn't convey the wanting sensation.
Heavy breathing sounds a bit too sexually loaded.

I was thinking of breathing haggardly but I'm unsure if that would be a proper fit, because it calls to a scenario of someone who has been through hell and is out of breath trying to it.

What would be a good way to describe the type of breathing I'm trying to convey?


texts: Looking for nouns that describe someone who doesn't ascend/go to heaven

texts:
I'm currently looking for nouns that describe someone who won't go to heaven or someone who was given an opportunity to move on but refused.

I'm currently writing a novel that involves fallen angel characters, and I thought it would be cool to give this group a compelling title.

  Not all embraced the true faith. The ___________ trod a different path.


texts:
How should you understand the expression: "flatter to deceive"?

The Oxford Dictionaries defines flatter to deceive as:

  Appear promising but ultimately disappoint.

Which is all nice and dandy. But I fail to understand the wordplay, nor how "flatter" is mechanically related to "deceive" in this expression.

For a real-life example of usage:

  The podium that Kevin Magnussen scored on his debut was ultimately a case of ‘flattering to deceive.’

[Kevin Magnussen's car scored a good result in his first race, but bad to worse results thereafter. The car flattered in the beginning, and deceived later on.]


texts:
I’m struggling with the use of “continuously” in the following sentence.

  Is it distressing to continuously finish one assignment only to be issued
  another?

Does it describe the act of finishing one assignment or does it describe the whole process of finishing one assignment and being immediately issued another?

I think it’s not needed, but the writer really wants to emphasize the tedious nature of the job.


texts: When did 'want' stop meaning "in need of"

texts: When did the word 'want' stop meaning "in need of" or 'lacking' and begin to refer to desire? (Evidence old phrases with the original meaning like: "want for nothing" or "waste not, want not".)


texts:
In the sentence like "I ate the ice cream, which took only 5 mins."

Isn't it ambiguous in the ways that 'which' can refer to both the ice cream and the time it took to make/serve or the act of eating and the time I took to eat it up?

I appreciate your sincere answers.


texts:
When you want to describe that a change should be made in a manner that is not visible to the observer (in other words, the change should retain the current behavior of the system/process/application), do you use:

  [...] the change should be completely transparent to the user.

or

  [...] the change should be completely opaque to the user.

As a concrete example, consider this: a web application's optimization (improving performance) should be made in such a way that the end user doesn't notice at all that the underlying application code changed. There should be no visible effect or change in behavior, only in performance.

I can argue for either word.

If a change is transparent, it's not visible. But at the same time, transparency is usually used to mean that you operate in plain sight, in an open way that anyone can observe and supervise (see Transparency (behavior)).

Or, if a change is opaque, then it's fully visible (physically speaking, it reflects light). But it could mean that the change is opaque in the meaning of a Black box — you have no knowledge of the internals (which is exactly what this change is about, too — you don't & shouldn't care about the underlying implementation of the optimization change).

(Not sure about my use of tags for this question.)


texts: Can I use 'drenching' to mean 'being drenched'?

texts:
I understand 'drench' means to soak or get wet. Can I say 'I'm drenching in the rain' to mean that I'm standing in the rain and getting soaked by it?
I mostly see 'drenching' being used only as a gerund. That's what had me confused.


texts:
Suppose that Mr. X writes a book that says the following:

  In his essay on biscuits, Mr. Y says "the crux . . . is the apostrophe" which goes to show that you can't trust everything you hear.

Suppose now that I wish to write an essay of my own, and that I wish to embed thecited excerpt from Mr. X's book as an inline quotation in the essay. My essay would then look something like this:

  Via his publications on philanthropic metaphysics, Mr. X has been foundational in the development of modern anthrophysiology. As Mr. X writes in his book Something Fishy, "In his essay on biscuits, Mr. Y says "the crux . . . is the apostrophe" which goes to show that you can't trust everything you hear" (Mr. X, 2015). This book Something Fishy, in particular, has been very well received by the academic and philanthropic communities.

Note that the ellipsis in my essay will not be due to an omission of my own! It will be due to an omission made my Mr. X in his quotation of Mr. Y.

Here is my question: should I make some special note or mark in my essay so as to indicate that the ellipsis in my quotation is not due to an omission by my self?


texts:
I can't tell what the difference is between the following two sentences:

I need to get that figured out.
I need to figure that out.

I heard the first sentence from my friend and he is a native English speaker.

But for me, an English learner, if I want to express the same meaning, I would say it like the second one.

I know the "get" in the first sentence means changing one status into another one.

So it means making that thing be figured out.

However, I think the meaning is the same as the second one.

Could anyone tell me what the difference between them?


texts: Is acquiesce used correctly in the following exchange?

texts:
Joy wants some candy.
  That can be acquiesced.

I have two main questions here:

1) Am I correct in thinking that "That" represents a noun such as "the request", making the second sentence equivalent to "Joy's request can be acquiesced"?

2) Assuming the answer to 1) is yes, and the sentence is essentially "Joy's request can be acquiesced", is the sentence correct? I wouldn't think so, as the person is the one acquiescing, not the request.


texts:
In a post here I found that both following sentences are correct..is that true? Is the first one really grammatically correct?

  A camera of which the wires go through the wall.

  A camera, the wires of which go through the wall.

I thought that "camera of which" is not correct..? Dictionary I have says "changes the importance of which is.."..so could I say "changes of which the importance is..?


texts:
I need another word for opine.  Express the opinion that is too many characters.  (I have tight space constraints.)  Opine sounds too stuffy to me.

Example:

  The expert witness acknowledged the provision was added, but expressed the opinion that it would not solve the problem.

("Solve the problem" is understandable in the context.)


texts: expression for "the small letters" of the contract, as in the nuances and discalimers that will bite you?

texts: Looking for an equivalent of the Hebrew expression "the small letters of the contract" - as in the small disclaimers / minutia / nuances of the contract that if you won't put on glasses and read will bite you afterwards? e.g. "what? you didn't read the small letters of your live organ donation certificate?!"


texts:
I want to describe a process for 'welcoming a new product to the group'. I'm not particularly fond of the word 'welcoming' in this context. Onboarding doesn't seem to be a valid word either. Commissioning is a less favorable option.
I can't seem to find any verb that accurately describes what I want to convey.
Any suggestions?


texts:
I have seen many articles that use quotes from players like:

  We gonna [sic] be working hard over the summer cause we gotta [sic] get better.

What is sic? Where does it come from?


texts:
I am amazed by how friendly these people are.
I'm amazed how friendly these people are.

What is the difference between the usage with by and the usage without?


texts: Phrase request: indicator for undesired outcome

texts:
Is there a phrase that describes that something is an indicator for an undesired outcome?

For example:
The fact that you haven't heard from them yet is ..... (after a job interview).


texts:
Is I always hate that grammatically correct? Is it a common phrase? For example,

  You're always taking pictures of everything. I always hate that.


texts: The bar chart presents the number of male and female who did regular activity in Australia in 2010. The information,according six different age groups by gender,are illustrated in percentage.


texts: Has “if I was” become grammatically correct in a southern US dialect?

texts:
Living my whole life in Arkansas in the United States, I’m certain
that if I were is never used by locals. Instead, phrases like
if I was and you was and they was have all replaced their
equivalents in other regions.
I’ve heard these so often that I think it’s necessary to ask if
they are grammatically correct as a part of a southern dialect.
Does their appearance in a certain region as acceptable excuse
their application in formal writing?
Personally, I indeed believe that anything not found in generic,
“accent-free” areas should not be considered correct. But
officially within a southern U.S. dialect, are these constructions
grammatical?


texts: When using the abbreviation etc., should it be parenthetical, i.e. enclosed between commas?

texts:
I was re-reading The Elements of Style when I noticed a remark I had previously overlooked in the third rule of usage (Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.).

The abbreviations etc., i.e., and e.g., the abbreviations for academic degrees, and titles that follow a name are parenthetic and should be punctuated accordingly.
Eg: Letters, packages, etc., should go here.

I understand why the other abbreviations are parenthetical, but am not convinced whether etc. should be parenthetic.


texts: Where does the expression "cod indignation" originate from?

texts:
I've bumped into the expression "cod indignation" now and again, for example:

  "And just when Ed has upped his personal ratings by proving not to be
  as gawky as the media pretend, he blows it by lathering up with cod
  indignation even as the story is disintegrating."

Source: http://derekbateman.co.uk/2015/04/05/easter-funny/

  Indeed, I can quote much of the script from memory. Cod
  indignation from Groucho as he advises his dinner guest: "This
  bill's a disgrace - if I were you, I wouldn't pay it."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/13541113

I googled around but can only see references to "God's indignation". Is it a corruption of, or a play on "God's indignation"?


texts:
Which preposition is used with common when I mean to say that these features are common in/to all the applications?
Is there another way to write this type of a sentence?


texts: If you want to have a series within an opening dependent clause, how should it be punctuated?

texts:
Perhaps it is because of my computer programming background, but it seems to me that there should be no internal commas in opening dependent clauses.

The following sentence is a relatively simple example:

  When Sarah, Bob, and Frank try to work together, they always seem to argue.

This sentence is easy to understand, but it just feels odd to me to have one or more commas before the comma that ends the dependent clause.

Perhaps the following example is complex enough to illustrate the problem more fully:

  If she has had the account for more than two years, her account balance is greater than $500, and she has never had any overdraft charges applied to her account, then she qualifies for the rewards program.

Obviously, both these sentences could easily be reworded to avoid this problem. In these instances, it would be as simple as moving the dependent clauses to the ends of the sentences, but are they correct as they are? I tend to avoid this construction whenever possible, but it is sometimes the most natural and most easily understood way of expressing the thought, especially when complex conditions must be addressed and understood by the reader before the consequences of those conditions can be fully explained.

I can’t seem to find any authoritative information about this construction even though I have researched it quite a bit. Should such sentences always be reworded? Are the example sentences correct as I have written them? Should semicolons replace the commas at the end of the dependent clauses? It seems strange to use a semicolon in this situation, although that is exactly what is done to avoid ambiguity in the similar situation of a list in which internal commas appear.

Any opinions, especially ones from style guides or other authoritative sources, would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Appropriate use of "app" vs "application"

texts: Can app serve as an accepted abbreviation for application in formal contexts? Is there some context where app is more accepted (for example, when talking about mobile applications)?


texts: Does a comma come between because and although?

texts:
I am editing answer explanations for a school curriculum. The more I read the phrase "because although", the more stumped I become on whether there should be a comma between because and although. Here's a basic example:

After a short reading passage, a question asks for the main idea and then gives multiple choice answers. Let's say Choice A is "The narrator hates lemons." The answer explanation then reads:

"Choice A is incorrect because although the narrator does say she hates lemons, this is not the main idea of the passage."

I've been putting a comma ("because, although the narrator does say she hates lemons, this is not the main idea...") because I regard that phrase as parenthetical and unnecessary. Without it, the explanation would read, "Choice A is incorrect because this is not the main idea of the passage." The antecedent for this is in the answer choice. The use of although is more of a concession to the student who misinterpreted the passage (Yes, it does talk about lemons, but that's not the main idea).

So... comma or no comma?

These are read by middle school and high school students and their teachers.


texts:
I often meet the use of another way phrase both with and without the in preposition.
Both

Let me phrase it in another way.

I will put it in another way.

He is used to building roads in another way.

and

Let me phrase it another way.

I will put it another way.

He is used to building roads another way.

sound reasonable to me and I cannot clearly see any difference in the meaning. Am I wrong? May be there are better examples which do show some difference?


texts: The Mt.Fuji vs Mt.Fuji. When do I use "the"?

texts:
Why do we say The Amazon river and not The Mt.Fuji?

For example,
I climbed Mt.Fuji.

I swam in the Amazon river.

I hiked along the Silk road.


texts: Is there any difference (e.g. regionality) between the two forms of the past participle of melt (melted and molten)?


texts: I'm referring specifically to phrases like, "kissing and shit" or "baseball and shit".  Sometimes it is contracted: "n'shit".


texts:
How does one display a date and a time on one line?

Example:

Sep 25, 2019
20:59

How would this be displayed on one line? Adding another , after 2019 does not look/feel right to me. Is there a rule?


texts:
I'm looking for a shorter way of saying "The far side of the Moon" (meaning that either literally, or by association). Preferably in one word.

"Synthetic" English, Latin and other non-English (i.e. foreign language, not customarily used in English texts) words will do too (sadly, no linguistics.stackexchange.com out there).


texts: Can I use "gilded" with an abstract concept?

texts:
I've perused several examples of how I could use the word "gilded" but I don't see many abstract uses of it. By definition, it means to be covered in gold. Can it also be used with abstract concepts? Here's an example sentence I came up with.

The forests were gilded with the melodious voice of Lady siren

This might not be a great example. Please share one if you have one.


texts: Is it appropriate to use two consecutive "-ing" clause?

texts:
The Cheng-guang (law-enforcement staff) are semi-barbaric, stirring up
  a universal hatred for the government, thus endangering the stability
  of the whole political system.

In this sentence I've devised, I have used two "-ing" structures as clauses describing activities / consequences. Is it appropriate to use two consecutive -ing clauses? Maybe I should create another sentence in which I replace the second -ing clause?


texts: I'm looking for a word or short phrase for putting something non-specific in your mouth (not weird, I swear) [RESOLVED]

texts:
I'm writing a scientific paper for my final year, on taste perception of particular compounds that come in contact with cells in the mouth. I'm looking for a word or short phrase to add to the word 'compounds' or 'substances' to indicate they are in the mouth, and have been put there/do not originate or naturally occur there. Words like 'masticated' that indicate the substance has been chewed are too specific (we don't have to chew to taste something), while to just say the substance 'in the mouth' with no further explanation is too vague. It's important to keep my writing concise and my word count is limited, which is why I'm trying so hard to find something appropriate.

I'm not very good at descriptive writing, grammar and vocabulary so any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm not sure if there's a more efficient way to look for words like this but I've tried several searches and the results are mostly unrelated, dirty or Nickleback.


texts: Admit vs confess vs accept vs recognize vs avow

texts:
Are the following five verbs admit, confess, accept, recognize, and avow synonyms or we should be careful with the replacement of the verbs?

In which context can't I replace one of these verbs by another from these set?

For instance:

The company admits that there are some legal issues with its last patent.
The company confesses that there are some legal issues with its last patent.
The company accepts that there are some legal issues with its last patent.
The company recognizes that there are some legal issues with its last patent.
The company avows that there are some legal issues with its last patent.


texts: There is a friend of mine who sings the song, she isn't a professional singer. It's just that she likes singing. But she ruins the lyrics, comes up with her own, she sings one stanza correctly but, make up the second on her own. So my question is , what will she be called? A "song spoiler/ ruin-er" ?


texts: If I hyphenate first-order conditions should I also hyphenate higher-order conditions?

texts: It seems to me that the hyphens in "first-order conditions" and "second-order conditions" are correct, but I'm editing an article that also mentions "higher-order conditions" and "lower-order conditions." Should these phrases be hyphenated too? For some reason, it doesn't feel quite right.


texts: Is "negotiation room" a correct expression? I'd like to use it in a sentence such as "there is still some room for negotiation on the terms and conditions." The idea is to show that we are still open to negotiate on some specific topics. Thank you in advance.


texts:
Paul Krugman, economist and Op-ed columnist of New York Times wrote in his article under the title, “G.O.P. Candidates and Obama’s failure to fail" - August 10.

  The shared premise of everyone on the Republican side is that the
  Obama years have been a time of policy disaster on every front. Yet
  the candidates on that stage had almost nothing to say about any of
  the supposed disaster areas. And there was a good reason they seemed
  so tongue-tied: Out there in the real world, none of the disasters
  their party predicted have actually come to pass. President Obama just
  keeps failing to fail.
  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/opinion/paul-krugman-gop-candidates-and-obamas-failure-to-fail.

What does “fail (failure) to fail” mean? Does it mean President Obama keeps failing as it has been predicted, or it should have been?

Is “fail to fail” a popular turn of phrase?

What’s wrong with simply saying “President Obama just keeps failing (to deliver his promises)”?


texts: What literary device is used in this phrase? (Opposite of personification?)

texts:
Writing an analysis on a short story.
This line is talking about one of the main characters who plays music throughout the house often.
...it is not "like living with a person at all, it was like living with a sound."
My question is what word/literary device could I use to describe the comparison of this person to a "sound." Objectification? Dehumanization?
Thanks.


texts:
If a character has a lot of questions in their head, but the author only lists a few items, what is the punctuation format?

Example:

  "What happened? Where am I?" and a million other questions ran through her head.

Is this correct punctuation, or is there a better alternative?


texts: "Don't mind what she does tomorrow" but not "Don't know what she does tomorrow" Why?

texts:
Bounty note:

This question is primarily about the acceptability of will in different types of environment. I have used the verb mind in my examples, but if you are an American English speaker, as opposed to a UK one, you might like to substitute this with the verb care (it doesn't make any difference to the question).

The question

Let's suppose that Maria the elephant is going to take part in a performance tomorrow. I am discussing potential acts for her, and my friend responds:

  I don't mind what she does tomorrow.

Now that subordinate clause what she does tomorrow uses a present simple construction. If he'd said:

  I don't mind what she will do tomorrow.

That would have been passable, but feels a bit wonky for this particular conversation. Here the subordinate clause  uses the modal verb will (in what's often called a future simple construction) instead of the present simple.

Now, my friend could easily have said:

  I don't know what she will do tomorrow.

Here the future simple seems perfectly apposite. However this time, in contrast to the examples in (1-2), the present simple sounds positively wrong for this conversation:

  *I don't know what she does tomorrow.

Ok, so far so bad. However, if we deconstruct the differences in meaning between the two sentences, things become yet more confusing. Here's why. Remember that I was discussing Maria's potential act tomorrow, which means that what act she's actually going to perform is completely undecided. Now if we consider this against sentences (1-2), this seems to be part of the problem with sentence (2):

I don't mind what she does tomorrow.
I don't mind what she will do tomorrow.

It seems, to me at least, that sentence (2) would be perfectly fine if what Maria was going to do had already been decided, but is wonky because nobody, including Maria, knows what she's going to do. So the will here would be ok if what she was going to do tomorrow was already known.

We can compare this with (3-4):

I don't know what she will do tomorrow.
I don't know what she does tomorrow.

Here the version with will is fine whether or not we know what Maria's going to do. In contrast, (4) can only be used in some kind of other situation in which what Maria does has already been time-tabled. So if she does the cha-cha on Tuesdays and the high trapeze every Wednesday and so forth, for example, but the speaker cannot remember which specific thing Maria does on a Thursday—and today is Thursday—then sentence (4) is perfectly appropriate.

So my questions are:

Why does "will" sound wrong in the first pair of examples , and why does not using "will" sound wrong in the second pair? (given the situation described).
What is it about the verbs mind and know (or care and know) that causes this difference?


texts: to whether + bare infinitive + or to verb

texts:
I wanted to see whether this phrase is grammatically correct or not. I want to use it in my PhD thesis.

"Customers have more freedom to whether buy a new product or to get their money back. "


texts: Irony in "Every dog should own a man" by Corey Ford

texts:
In the text "Every dog should own a man" (http://thevizslaksentinel.com/index.asp?ID=249), the roles of the dog and the man are reversed; as in this sentence:

  There is nothing like a well-behaved person around the house to spread the dog’s blanket for him, or bring him his supper when he comes home man-tired at night.

My friend mentioned that the narrative voice is an example of irony because the man/narrator is speaking for the dogs. However, I cannot grasp my head around why that is ironic. Is it because of the reversed roles and the use of a situation in which the man is most commonly the owner? In other words, since you would expect the dog to be the pet, but that is not what occurs in the text?


texts: Why do some people say "the reason is is that," with "is" twice in a row?

texts: Does anybody have any conjectures as to why this quirk is so common? For an example, see this TED talk by Kevin Slavin.


texts: Using "such" and "as", together and segregated

texts:
Here are two variations:

I would like you to buy such fruit as apples and watermelon for me.
Can you buy me some fruit such as apples or watermelon?

Is there any blatant difference or a fine one that we should know related to their usage? can both forms be used in place of each other?


texts: "Notepad" vs. "notebook" — what's the difference?

texts:
Can you please tell me the difference between a notepad and a notebook (as in paper, not electronic ones)?

To me, they are the same but I guess there must be some difference.


texts: How should I punctuate the "Shocked" line from Casablanca?

texts:
I'm writing something that mimics the famous "Shocked" line from Casablanca, but I can't find a good way to punctuate the phrase without it looking odd. Any ideas please?

  I'm shocked, shocked, that StackExchange would answer my question.

That just looks like I'm listing all my reactions.