texts: "Federal" is to "Federally" as "State" is to

texts:
If you were to say that something would be taxed by the federal government, you could say it was taxable federally (though you would more likely say it was federally taxable).

If something would instead be taxed by the state government, you could say it was state taxable, but you couldn't say it is taxable stately. Is there a word that would fit in that same sentence structure, replacing federally?

The best I can find is statewise, but I can only find a single online dictionary defining it as rare.

adverb
rare
With regard to the State or a state.


texts:
In the Longman dictionary, there is an example for Compensate as follows:

  Her intelligence more than compensates for her lack of experience.

I am wondering what the grammatical point of using more than before a verb is here. How does it modify the meaning of verb? Could somebody give another example of such usage?

Update: Does the following sentence have the same meaning?

  Her intelligence compensates for her lack of experience more than needed/required.


texts: my first language isn't English and there's a question no teacher has been able to answer me; when exactly do you use "Whom" instead of "Who" and why? Thanks. Also, I'm new here and if you have any tips on how to post my questions correctly it would be of great help. Thanks again.


texts: Synonym for non-psychological calculation

texts:
What would be a synonym or more apropos phrase for a non-pyschological calculation?

For example, imagine a general knows that the best strategy, objectively speaking, might be to defend the low roads and byways, but he knows that the opposing general likes to attack at strong points, so instead he fortifies his hilltop positions. In one case, there is a calculation that ignores the human dimension, and in the other the general includes information about the psychology of his opponent. In the latter case we have a "psychological strategy", but what should the strategy be called that does not include human psychology?


texts:
I just need to have a better understanding of when and how to use the following prepositions with their corresponding word:

Idea about
Idea of
can you use the preposition “about” with the word “understand/understanding”?

Thank you!


texts: Grammar using "because of" in future tense

texts:
Is it proper to say, "he will be absent because of sickness?"

It sounds strange to me and I cannot find the answer.


texts: Is there a word for feeling sad at the concept of a story coming to an end?

texts: The tone of the ending itself doesn't matter, it could be the happiest ending ever written, but the knowledge that this universe has no more stories left to tell, that you don't get to follow these characters that you have fallen in love with any more. Is there a word for that specific feeling?


texts: How to understand which nouns are specific and which ones aren't

texts:
This is how most people would explain it:

I want to buy a new car. You want to buy some car. You don't know which one exactly, Toyota or BMW, which color, and so on.
The car parked near the baker's shop is red. Specific car. That one car.
Hey, Joe. You know, I bought a new car yesterday. I bought some car.

As I know, the third example is correct (as well as the 1st and 2nd ones), but it confuses me. When I buy a car, I buy the specific one. For example, it could have a small scratch on its door.

Why we use the indefinite article there?


texts: On the structure of "search for weapons and bands of pro-Hussein fighters still holding out"

texts:
I came across the following expression:

  The primary task of many American troops in Baghdad has been to search for weapons and bands of pro-Hussein fighters still holding out.

This is from a newspaper called The Japan Times, which is published in Japan.

I don't understand the structure of the bold part.

Is "holding out" a gerund?
If so, is "pro-Hussein fighters" its semantic subject?
Then, how is this sentence different from "weapons and bands which/that pro-Hussein fighters still hold out"?


texts: “Instead of ʏᴏᴜʀ calling” vs “Instead of ʏᴏᴜ calling”

texts:
Which is better:

Instead of your calling, maybe I should do it.
Instead of you calling, maybe I should do it.

I feel like the first one is the better choice here because instead of needs a gerund, but the second sentence seems really common.


texts:
I am going to send a gift to a far away lady I care a great deal about.I want to write her a card just to tell her I will always be there for her when she needs me, so to speak (not in any sexual sense though).

Bear in mind this is not an affair or a date, we have not met each other for the last 28 years and are separated physically by seven thousands miles (we have been communicating for some years now though after she has no SO in her life due to an unfortunate sudden accident followed by chronic illness).

I want to write one sentence.

Should I say: "I will always be your Valentine" or "you will always be my Valentine"?

English being my second language I really do not have a feel for the difference, so to speak. OR should I use a different word other than Valentine.


texts:
Grammar books routinely insist on "the most" as for all superlatives, but I can recall certain cases where 'most' has not been used as 'the superlative' but only as 'a superlative!'

(as in)

  Mr. Simpson said, "this is a most irregular way of writing this
  sentence."

  He is a most brilliant exponent of the bamboo flute.

  But for her extreme lack of discipline, she is a most likeable
  woman.

(tangential musing: how important is a comma, or its omission! Pl. compare these two constructions --

"but for her extreme lack of discipline,  she is a most likeable
woman"

"but, for her extreme lack of discipline, she is a most likeable
woman.")

Added after 15 minutes by edit:

I also recall seeing least and other superlatives being used similarly, as in

  She racked her mind for a least offensive word to describe his
  vile deeds to his children.

  They looked for an easiest and simplest way to convince the old
  person.

  Smoking was banned at the Simpsons' -- they considered it a worst
  offence.

Grammatical giants at EL & U! Do you consider such cases odd usage? (or even downright wrong, I shouldn't be surprised!)


texts: Is there a word to use for a symbol placed across the gap in a gate?

texts: I am writing a story with a wealthy woman. I attempting to describe the fancy double gate blocking her driveway, which has a metal symbol (of a swan) that stretches across both gate-doors. Should I just describe it in detail, or is there a way to say that it is ("draped" perhaps?) across the gate?


texts: I know it originates from "head shrinking", but it doesn't help me a lot to understand the etymology. Why are psychiatrists called that? Is it like "my head is swollen [from anguish, misery, stress, etc.], I must have it shrunk"?


texts:
If I want to express the feeling that other people are very friendly to me, what is the proper way to say it？ Is it okay to say:"I feel you are very friendly"? Is there any better way to say so?

Besides, what does "I feel friendly" mean? Or is it even gramatically correct? Thank you!


texts:
I understand that generally "prose" is used as a mass noun so it should be treated as a singular noun. However, in this context, "is" sounds odd to me. Is my intuition leading me astray?

  On the whole her prose are understandable.

or

  On the whole her prose is understandable.

Note: This is in reference to a single book so proses seems out of place (and sounds awkward anyway).


texts: We use "a close match/contest" to describe a match where the result of the 2 teams is close. But can we use the word "close" to describe the 2 teams instead of the result/match.  Like saying "the 2 teams are close"?  Which word should we use to express the idea that the 2 competing teams perform similarly?


texts: What is the correct way to form a demonym from an acronym?

texts: For instance, what is the equivalent of New Yorker when using the acronym (NY or N.Y. instead of New York)?


texts: Is there a semantic difference between relevance and pertinence?

texts:
The dictionary defines relevant as being

  Closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand

whilst pertinent is defined as

  Relevant or applicable to a particular matter.

Both of these definitions seem to me to be the same, and the dictionary also defines pertinence and relevance as synonyms. However I feel that in my normal usage I apply a further meaning (something I can't quite articulate) to pertinence.

For example, I see a difference between a relevant question and a pertinent one. Perhaps it's that I see a pertinent question as one which maybe alights on some previously unexplored aspect of the matter at hand, whereas a relevant question explores more familiar ground. Almost as if pertinence requires more insight than relevance.

Does anyone else feel that there is a difference between the two?

Update

So, we're agreed that there is a difference, but I'm still not definitely clear on what that difference is. I think there's maybe more to it than Guffa's suggestion that frequency of use causes pertinence to feel more important. I feel that Robusto might be on to something with impertinence being definitely not the same as irrelevance. I will look into this more when I get the time, but in the mean time I appreciate your help.

Update 2

I've accepted Ghoppe's answer, because I think that one sums up what I'm feeling the best. However (as pointed out by Noldorin in the question comments) I appreciate there's not any real difference at all in their meaning.


texts:
Above and below can be used as both an adverb and an adjective to indicate an earlier or a later part of a piece of writing respectively. However, adjective below is rare compared to adjective above (and mostly not a preferred usage).
OED definitions of the adjective forms:
above:

Mentioned, described, listed, etc., further up on the present page or previously in the text. Cf. above-mentioned adj.

Last two citations from OED:

1959        A. Arnold D. H. Lawrence & Amer. ii. 24          Ten days after the above letter was written, Lawrence learnt of the suppression of The Rainbow by the English authorities.
1990       T. Cunliffe Easy on Helm xiv. 120          Should you be faced with the above horror show.., you'll have to use the single controlling line technique.

below:

Mentioned, described, listed, etc., further down on the present page, or subsequently in the text. Cf. below-mentioned adj.
      rare in comparison with above adj.

Last two citations from OED:

1996        Frank 8 May 3/3        David's many Canadian admirers are invited to visit he and Danielle..at the below address.
2016        M. Sofiev & M. Prank in P. J. Beggs Impacts of Climate Change on Allergens & Allergic Dis. iv. 53       In the below analysis, we shall..make some basic statistics based on meteorological past-time data.

There is also the noun usage of above and below (with "the") with a similar definition.
OED definitions:
above:

Chiefly formal. With the: the preceding passage, paragraph, etc.; the person, thing, or set of things mentioned or discussed in the preceding passage, paragraph, etc.

below:

Chiefly formal. With the: the following passage, paragraph, etc.; the person, thing, or set of things mentioned or discussed in the following passage, paragraph, etc.
     rare in comparison with above n. 3.

Why is the adjective "below" rare compared to adjective "above"? (the noun usage also)
Would it be possible to find a historical reason? Could it be related to how frequently they appeared in publications or influential works? Or, could it be related to the distribution of the adverb senses?


texts: Subject/verb agreement when a title ends in a plural

texts:
1) "The book 'The Three Musketeers' is a wonderful example of..." Here we have a proper noun, a title that happens to end in a plural, and I have no sense that the verb should be plural. "Musketeers"/is seems proper/natural/correct, and 'are' not at all.

However, such certainty begins to wane in other examples: 2) "'The Heidi Chronicles' is a wonderful example of..." doesn't completely shake my confidence, but it moves the needle, at least a little bit. But, practically speaking, I wouldn't have a second thought about correcting a student who used 'are' instead of 'is'.

Here's the one that really bothers me: 3a) " 'The Basement Tapes' are a wonderful example of..." I don't think this sounds any less proper/natural/correct than 3b) " 'The Basement Tapes' is..." In fact, 3a seems less awkward than 3b.

Why?


texts: Present Continuous instead of Present Perfect Continuous?

texts:
Is it possible to simplify sentences like:

  "I've been having soy milk for 10 yrs now"

  "I've been standing here for an hour"*

into:

  "I'm having soy milk for 10 yrs now"

  "I'm standing here for an hour"?

Seems like I've just heard something like that on TV, but I may have missed or misheard the "vbin" part.


texts:
If someone is advertising a “reservation discount” of 75000, does that mean

A. The final price will be 75000 or

B. The final price will be original price - 75000

?


texts: "is a function of"... possible ambiguity of usage

texts:
I would like to point to the dependence of love on knowledge (analysing Maimonides' Code, Book of Adoration, Repentance 10:6):

  "according to the knowledge will be the love."

Originally I had intended on rephrasing that as:

  Love is a function of knowledge.

Compare Random House Dictionary (1967), function, 3rd definition:

  a factor related to or dependent upon other factors: Price is a function of supply and demand.

But that creates an ambiguity, as if I were saying that:

  Knowledge does things, performs certain functions--one of them being love.

And that's definitely not my intention.
How do I disambuiguize "a function of"?

PS Ngram Viewer seems ot indicate that usage of the phrase peaked at around 1960, and has significantly dropped since then. I welcome alternatives that would accurately convey my intention.


texts: What is a word for "someone who doesn't share the same enthusiasm"

texts:
The other day I was trying to think of a describing word for "someone who doesn't share the same enthusiasm"

Example usage:

"After getting an A in my exam, I danced around my ______ classmate. He got a D."

I'm looking for the describing word for that classmate who did not share the same enthusiasm.

Edit: The above is admittedly a poor example. Here is another attempt:

  My wife and I took a "which dog are you" quiz. After getting 'pit bull', I began shadow boxing around my ___ wife. She had just gotten 'poodle'.


texts: What is an English equivalent for a Russian word "скинь"?

texts:
Russians have a slang word "скинуть", which means:
- send a message
- send something via e-mail
- download something on computer or a disk
- copy data from the computer to the USB stick
and all related meaning of "sending" and "copying" in computer sphere.
We use this word when we want to get some data as soon as possible.
Example of word by word translation: "скинь мне фото" = throw me photoes

Please, help me find an English slang equivalent.


texts: Word for not being happy with something but having to be satisfied with it

texts:
Is there a single word that describes the state of not being happy with something but having to be satisfied with it?

Example:

  I wanted to split the video into small segments. Programming this would take a lot of time, as there’s no managed interface for C# to the multi media SDK. So, instead of doing it programmatically and wasting time, I’ll have to be satisfied with using the Nero application.


texts: How to properly phrase "can't fall back on anyone"

texts:
I am in the process of asking for a salary adjustment.  I am trying to state in a letter that I am able to accomplish certain major tasks without being able to fall back on anyone for help.  Basically, I have a certain skill that I can't rely on any coworkers for because they don't posses this skill and there's no one else in my role.  How can I properly phrase this without being offensive to my boss, who doesn't have this skill?

I'm trying to demonstrate value by including this and am looking for a single sentence.


texts: Is "door" the direct object of "The cat ran out the door"?

texts:
My friend and I got into a heated discussion about direct objects. While we both understand what they are and how they work, we got stuck on a random sentence that I blurted out. Now, if I say:

"Mary baked a cake."

then obviously "cake" is the direct object.

If I were to say:

"The cat ran out the door."

then it gets a bit more confusing.

She argues that "door" would be the direct object. I argued that "door" can't be correct since the door did not run, nor did anyone do the running to it. Also, you can not put it into the passive and still retain the meaning:

"The door was run (out) by the cat."

versus,

"A cake was baked by Mary."

The various answers here and elsewhere on similar questions on the site mainly mention the two points that I mentioned above: firstly, no-one did any running to the door, and secondly there does not seem to be a passive version of the sentence. However, what I need here is a concrete argument to persuade my friend (or for me to be persuaded with). After all, in the sentence "I have a rabbit", I believe rabbit is a direct object. However, no-one is doing any having to the rabbit. And there does not seem to be a good passive version of this sentence either: "A rabbit is had by me". According to the criteria above this would mean that rabbit is not the direct object of that sentence either - but, I believe, it is.

Can anyone help?


texts: Plural possessives of words not ending in s

texts:
So I know the difference between "the dog's owner" and "the dogs' owner," but I'm wondering how to write the possessive for a word like maxima. Is it as easy as "the maxima's positions" or is there some other weird English exception?

Thanks.


texts: To what extent do 'earn income' and 'generate income' differ?

texts:
I've had a short search on this but may have overlooked an easily-accessible source that differentiates the two. They don't seem synonymous, but I can't yet point to a definition of the two.

To me, earning income relates to an individual or team working for a wage/salary, with the focus on the active, and generating income is via more passive means.

Is that correct? How would you define the two?


texts: A word for “the shelves of candies or mints next to the checkout desk of a supermarket”

texts:
I need a word or a fixed phrase, something short that describes the following:

  the shelves of candies or mints next to the checkout desk of a supermarket

Is there a one-word name for it? I can't find a way to describe it concisely, and I feel like supermarket store culture has, at some point, given a name for it.


texts: Word or short phrase to describe an individual who does not tend towards extremes of emotions?

texts:
I'm looking for a good way to express the concept of someone whose natural predisposition tends towards less extremes of emotion than the average person; they get less sad when bad things happen, less happy when good occurs, less stressed during difficult times etc. I want to describe someone who still has real emotions, not someone who is unemotional or has such muted emotions as to feel unnatural, just with less fluctuation from their 'norm' than the average person. I'm looking for a term that generally has a neutral connotation, describing the trait as a trade-off rather than desirable or undesirable.

If I understand it correctly the original definition of stoic comes quite close to what I want, other than stoicism being about a philosophical approach rather than natural predisposition. However, I don't feel it conveys the concept as well as I would like due to modern use of stoic usually being applied only to enduring of hardships, which only partially covers the concept I'm looking for. While I would want to describe a person who would likely handle hardships better, due to not being as emotionally upset by them, I would like to equally express the trade-off of not being able to enjoy their prosperity/successes as much due to not tending towards extreme moments of happiness or other 'positive' emotions either. I feel stoic is too positive a connotation because it only brings to mind the useful ability to better endure hardships without expressing the trade-off of less enjoyment of desirable situations.

Ideally I would also not want to imply that this person tends towards an emotional neutral, or Vulcan, state—only that they don't have strong fluctuations from their 'default' state. Their default state may be happy, curious, morose, introspective, angry or some more complex combination of emotions, all that they do not tend to be as strongly shifted from their default by situations.

In the past the best phrase I've come up with is "happily stoic" to describe someone with a more positive default state; though "happily" sounds more like it's passing judgement on the utility of stoicism than defining their default state. In less exact, more jovial, terms I've used "an emotional Vulcan", which incorrectly implies a total lack of emotion and "anti-bipolar", which is close but only implies less fluctuation in happiness/sadness while I'm looking for a term which applies to all emotions.


texts:
What is the meaning of the proverb "Few lawyers die well, few physicians live well"?

I think "few physicians live well" has to do with the fact that the salary of physicians was once very low, but what about the "few lawyers die well" part? And the meaning of the proverb overall?


texts:
On ODO,  one of *closet
8's definitions is:

  Used to refer to a state of secrecy or concealment, especially about one's homosexuality.

Though by memory, I remember that it may have been used in other examples. For example, would the following sentence make sense:

  He is a closet gardener.

Does it mean that this person enjoys gardening, but doesn't tell anybody about his enjoyment of gardening?

If this usage of the word closet is correct, is it possible that it would offend anybody, or does it seem alright to use?


texts: Why do lots of people use "seperate" instead of "separate"?

texts:
Catalan: "separar"
English: "separate"
French: "séparer"
Galician: "separar"
Italian: "separare"
Latin: "separo"
Portuguese: "separar"
Romanian: "separa"
Spanish: "separar"
Sweedish: "separera"

Then, why do I see "seperate" lots of times? Where does it come etymologically? Will it become accepted?


texts:
Question for American English - is it more usual to use "prepare food" or to use
"prepare meals" or "prepare dishes"
The whole sentence is:
We prepare delicious dishes (food, meals) with special care and love.


texts: I found in a book the sentence "We would ask you to clear the balance immediately." Is this correct English or should it rather be: "We would like to ask you to clear the balance immediately"?


texts: Can a having + past participle coexist with a present tense?

texts:
I have issue understanding why the sentence below is correct.

  Despite having studied extensively for the exam, the students always perform poorly because the teacher makes a poor test.

I believe it should be:

  1) Despite having studied extensively for the exam, the students performed poorly because the teacher made a poor test

OR

  2) Despite having studied extensively for the exam, the students had performed poorly because the teacher made a poor test

I don't see why "having studied"  can coexist with "always perform" and "makes". Thank you!


texts: The use of superlative as in “the poorest half”

texts: I saw the phrase "poorest half of the population." Is superlative always used with "half"? Is "poorer half" okay? Do you also say the "richest half"?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
What is the proper way of using triple dots and spaces before/after them?

Should there be a space before three dots?
Examples:

I don't know if this is good...
I don't know if this is good ...

Also, as a status message intended for a software user:
Writing results... Done.

or
Writing results ... Done.


texts: I don't want no robot running the empire

texts:
This construction and its variants always sound strange to me. If I was asked to write a sentence with the same meaning, my choice would be:

  I don't want a robot running the empire.

Logically, don't want (...) no robot conveys rather the contrary for me: want a robot.

Can someone please clarify the choice? I had just read it in Asimov's Forward the Foundation.

Thank you.


texts: What is the name for those images with quotes in them?

texts:
Googling for picture quotes results in many images like this one:

It's not about motivation, it can be any type, like this one:

I believe there is a better word for this, but I can't remember it.


texts: Please tell me if president should be capitalized here

texts:
So when I was promoted to president of the club, I took the opportunity to introduce new events.

From my experience as president of Pre-med Club, I can confidently say that leadership is about encouraging constructive interpersonal interactions between people.


texts:
In the following sentence from a programming book, what does the "launch one final assault on the ivory tower" mean (bolded by me)?

  I'll take a fairly opinionated view of what the role of an architect
  is, and hopefully launch one final assault on the ivory tower.

This is the close of the first paragraph of a chapter in the book, to start explanation from the next paragraph.

I believe "ivory tower" is a religious word describing "purity". This could also mean that "ideal but not practical".
And I think "assault" means the attack to it.

So my current interpretation of the sentence is:

"I'll describe my opinion on that, and it's practical contrast to other words from others which are ideal but not practical"

And I think, by putting "one final", he'll trying to express his description could destroy the purity at all.


texts:
What does "years off" mean in a technological background? For example, I have encountered a sentence:

"Scientists had thought that the technology was years off."

I don't quite get what the accurate meaning of the phrase "years off". Does that mean it has pushed the work through a breakthrough?


texts: How can I say "bon appétit" or "smakelijk" in english?

texts: In the most cultures, some people say something before there meal. In French they say "bon appétit", In Belgium and The Netherlands "smakelijk" and in Polish "smaczny". But how can I say the same thing in English?


texts: When should one use something like "conducting experiments in orbit" vs. "conducting experiments on orbit"?


texts:
I am writing an article about a service that is provided by my company and I really want to highlight the fact that it is a non-stop service, since it is active every single day of the year, 24 hours a day. Here is my approach:

  Our service is provided in a 24/7/365 environment.

Do you know a more idiomatic way to express this concept or do you find this solution acceptable?


texts:
My instructor put this in his course materials:

  Although this is an online class where you can avail yourself to your textbook etc.

Is there any circumstance in which "avail to [object]" would be correct?

I checked Oxford (Lexico) and did not find any examples with "to," but I wanted to double-check.


texts: Less than or below when comparing to a limit

texts:
When I am comparing a numeric value to a numeric limit, as in a maximum value, should I say the value is "below the limit" or "less than the limit"?

Specifically, I am saying, "the maximum concentration limit (MCL) is 5 mg/L," and then "the measured concentration was (below/less than) the MCL," but I am not sure which is correct (below or less than).


texts: If the letter J is only 400–500 years old, was there a J sound that preceded the design of the letter?

texts: I understand that the letter "J" is relatively new — perhaps 400–500 years old.  But since there has long been important names that begin with J, such as Jesus, Joshua, Justinian, etc., and which predate the introduction of a special letter, does that mean that the "J" sound predated the letter, or were such famous names spelled and pronounced differently?


texts: Is it correct to say "on accident" instead of "by accident"?

texts: There is a great chasm on these phrases in the US.  The great divide seems to be currently centered at the age of 40.  The younger generation has began shifting to "on accident" for unknown reasons.  What is your view?


texts: What is a word that means to remove from a holster as opposed to putting something back in a holster? I’ve searched deholster and unholster, each with no results found.


texts:
What is the term (if such a term exists at all) for writing something in past passive, but in abbreviated or headline form?  Some examples:

Full sentence: The order was placed.
Headline past passive: Order placed

Full: The movie was shown.
HPP: Movie shown

Full: The files were downloaded.
HPP: Files downloaded


texts:
Below are the example to write a List, which is a right way to write list Item

Example 1 :
4).Upload with File Restrictions

Example 2 :
4) Upload with File Restrictions


texts: How to describe your feelings when someone else is treated unfairly?

texts:
For example, your female colleague experienced discrimination at work. You 'feel for her', and you're mad at the injustice in the system too.

It's more than that you feel sorry for her-- on top of that, I'm looking for a word that conveys the anger and frustration you empathetically share with her.


texts: What do you call different runs of a simulation

texts:
I have a basic scenario that is going to have a 'typical' set of settings (flow rate, temperature, etc).
Then there will also be a  Max flow rate.
Then there will also be a Min flow rate.

For each of the three, I need to do a series of calculations.

I'm struggling to think of a good word to describe the three. There will be 3 "runs" (?) of the scenario?
Configurations?

I've done a fair bit of googling around simulations, not finding anything that sounds right.

'Run' would be acceptable. Just seems like there might be a better word choice.
Any suggestions?


texts: Where did the jive style of slang come from? It sounds pretty funny... specially from that scene in Airplane.


texts: Is the following use of "imperative" good style?

texts:
I wrote the following as part of an article in the making:

  Diverse fields such as medicine, sociology, and marketing require the collection, analysis, and publication of large amounts of personal data. At some stage during this process it becomes imperative, for the protection of individual privacy, that such data be sanitized to remove information that could potentially identify some set of personal data as belonging to a certain individual.

Is "becomes imperative ... that such data be sanitized" good style? Is the above OK, in general?


texts: Punctuation of "what?" in the middle of a sentence

texts:
I'm transcribing an interview and the man says,

  "There were, what, 4,000 people at the concert."

I'm not sure how to properly punctuate this. He's asking "What?" in the middle of the sentence as a rhetorical question or perhaps talking to someone off camera. It's hard to say if the full sentence is a question or not. (He's British, if that helps!)

My ideas:

  "There were, what, 4,000 people at the concert?"

  "There were -- what? -- 4,000 people at the concert."


texts: Is verbosity the same as repetitiveness?

texts:
I have written the following appraisal of my own writing:

  "It is repetitive in parts and verbose in others."

The description characterises a document I have written comprising a number of arguments.

The verbosity relates to the wordiness of one argument, while the repetitiveness refers to another argument which I drum into the ready with multiple examples where perhaps one would suffice.

From Cambridge Dictionary:

verbose using or containing more words than are necessary: a verbose explanation/report/speech/style

repetitive involving doing or saying the same thing several times, especially in a way that is boring: a repetitive job/task

Should I consider this sentence appropriate as is? I think so, although there is some subtle overlap in meaning.


texts: one word that can describe lock / unlock

texts:
I need a word that could be used equally to describe the action of locking or unlocking.

Context is naming a class in a program (code) that would contain both actions of locking and unlocking a record.

My primary language is not English so I cannot think of one or don't know if it exist.


texts: Is there a word or phrase for these specific types of memories?

texts:
I once told my mother about a specific incident that occurred in my highschool French class.

Eight years later, she mentions this incident again and this is one of those things that I would have never remembered unless someone else brought it up. Even if I tried my hardest to remember everything that happened in my French class, I would have never remembered  this one because frankly, it was so inconsequential to my life.

Is there a word or phrase for this type of memory (where you don't remember something until someone else mentions it)?


texts: what's the difference between "Indispensable Amino Acid" and "Essential Amino Acid"?

texts: As I have seen several times of the using of those two words in even the same book. But I don't know what's the difference meaning between those two words.


texts:
Look at the sentences below

Having travelled to Texas, I can say a few things about it.
Having lived with him for 5 years, I know him better. (D I still live with him?)

Does 'having travelled to Texas' mean that I have travelled many times and that I still travel to Texas whenever I get an opportunity. Or does it only always talks about the past and says nothing about what occurs in the present? I am having trouble interpreting the first example compared to the second sentence.

Please help me, thank you.


texts: Better English equivalent for "set of methods"

texts:
In the philosophy of science, there are three terms which are used to describe three different related notions. In both Polish (pl) and German (de), these three terms are unique such that there is no risk of equivocation. Briefly:

metoda (pl); Methode (de)
an ordered sequence of actions chosen to economically and efficiently achieve a desired end
metodyka (pl); Methodik (de)
a set of methods chosen for the purpose of achieving a common end or related ends (e.g. the cluster of methods used in molecular biology)
metodologia (pl); Methodologie (de)
the science whose proper objects of study are the previous two

In English, metoda is method, while both metodyka and metodologia are methodology. In English, we have the word methodic, but this is an adjective, and if I were to invent a word such as methodics or the noun form methodic, it would appear, given the Greek etymology of similar terms (concerning the -ikos ending, e.g. mathematikos, logikos, physikos) and the meanings of words with similar endings in English, that the word would suggest a field of study. Oddly enough, methodology, etymologically speaking, does concern a field of study and is thus the wrong word to describe the second term above.

Is anyone aware of an alternative that would work? If no such alternative exists, any ideas about what new word could be coined to better suit the intended meaning?

EDIT: If anyone is able to read Polish, here is a PDF   with definitions supplied by Herbut.


texts: Is it true that it's OK to omit the pluperfect (past-perfect) in casual speech?

texts:
The pluperfect is used to indicate what is relatively earlier than the compared clause. But in conversation I hear people omit it all the time. Examples:

I haven't spoken to the President since the inauguration. We had a few
conversations before that.

vs.

I haven't spoken to the President since the inauguration. We'd had a few
conversations before that.

Or,

The incident occurred yesterday, but things started deteriorating
before that.

vs.

The incident occurred yesterday, but things had started deteriorating
before that.

If I were writing something I would take care to include the pluperfect, but in conversation I often don't have time to do the comparison. It seems to be omitted a lot by people. Am I correct in this perception?


texts:
I can say in Spanish,

  Yo jugaba al tenis cuando tenía 8 años,

which means

  I used to play tennis when I was 8 years old.

I could also ask,

  ¿Jugabas tú al tenis cuando tenías 8 años?

whose English counterpart is

  Did you play tennis when you were 8 years old?

Sometimes I get stuck, though, since it's hard to ask

  Did you use to play tennis ...

Is there a real way to ask a question in the imperfect using the "used to" form of the imperfect?


texts: What's the rule for doubling 't' in verbs like 'getting' vs. 'targeting'

texts:
In verbs that end with "et", what is the rule for doubling the final consonant for present participle?

Examples where doubling is used:

getting
typesetting
forgetting

Examples where a single 't' is written:

targeting
marketing
pocketing


texts:
How is the word 'recursion' pronounced?

Oxford learner's dictionary lists it with /rɪˈkɜː(r)ʃn/  but Google serach shows /rəˈkərZHən/.
never heard the later one anywhere else.


texts: Can "prodigious" be used with language skill?

texts:
From the homework written by my student:

  With his prodigious English skills, he can get a decent job in a foreign company in Shanghai.

I found the first part of the sentence problematic, there may be two reason. First, prodigious is about something really unusual or great, speaking and writing good or perfect English does not count as being truly great. Second, the structure of the sentence makes it sounds a neutral narration. It will be more acceptable to say: his English skills are prodigious, this helps him get a wonderful job in a foreign company.

Is that correct?


texts: What is another term for left-minded people?

texts:
I want to address people who are mathematical, logical and analytic; left-minded, let's say. But I find the left- vs right-minded theory trendy and biased (just the opposite of the people I'm trying to address).

My phrase goes something like: "This course is focused on left-minded individuals...".

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: How do I quote in a paper a quote that someone else used in a book?

texts:
I'm writing a paper using Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy. Huxley doesn't use a single word when he quotes, his book is full of complete quotes that aren't a part of a sentence or a paragraph, and he uses the quotes as supporting evidence to what he has said. For example, take this as a paragraph from the book. End paragraph.

 He who suffers for love does not suffer, for all suffering is forgot.
                                                          -Eckhart

How do I quote this quote in my paper?


texts: Word that describes a dramatic device that disrupts equilibrium

texts:
I am seeking a word, should it indeed exist, that describes a dramatic or literary device found when a new character is introduced into a story which disrupts the natural equilibrium, driving the story.

For example, in J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls, there is a natural equilibrium at the Birlings' home. This exists, however, until the Inspector arrives - disrupting the natural order, it seems, and goes on to defining the narrative.


texts:
Page 1595 of the CambridgeGEL reads

In writing the bare genetive has the form of an apostrophe at
the end of the word: dogs’. In speech it has no realisation at
all [...]; an optional bare genitive is found in certain types of
proper names, where it is more likely in writing than in speech.
It's obligatory with plural nouns ending in s, regular or irregular.
Nouns like species which have identical singular and plural forms
with final s take it in the singular as well as the
plural, and in writing this will apply to nouns like chassis
too.
The bare genitive is the only possibility in fixed
phrases with sake : for convenience’ sake has a spoken /s/ but
not written s.

As is clear, there are several contradictions in this page.
According to the text, the singular species (ˈspiːʃiːz —some speakers pronounce the singular with -ɪz, the plural with -iːz) also takes a bare genitive, species', unlike the example given by the author in the same page quiz's (which follows the usual rule). Therefore, one cannot never know whether species' refers to the singular or plural.
Furthermore, chassis' for both the singular /ˈʃæsi/ and plural /ˈʃæsiz/; why not the usual rule for the singular one chassis's /ˈʃæsiz/?
Must bare genitives be divided into spoken and written forms? Otherwise, what characteristics define bare genitives?


texts: "my brother, *who/whom* she later married": Which is correct?

texts:
I know very well that my question is in the duplicate department, but I need to be sure on the usage of "Who/Whom" in this particular example.

  She met my brother, who/whom she later married.

Please strike-through the wrong option.

The source where I encountered this example states that both options are valid.

My understanding is that we say "She married to him", so "whom" is the correct option.

Please advise.


texts:
"Part-Time" in the beginning of this sentence is technically a compound adjective to employment, but it is separated by "or temporary." Do I still hyphenate "part-time"? The same question holds for "full-time."

Employees who transition from part-time or temporary employment to full-time, regular employment..."


texts: Comma, quote needed before "quoted" material?

texts:
Which punctuation, if any, is correct:

A.  Did you ever ask Barb, "Hey, what's the matter with you?"
B.  Did you ever ask Barb, hey, what's the matter with you?
C.  Did you ever ask Barb, Hey, what's the matter with you?
D.  Did you ever ask Barb, "Hey, what's the matter with you"?


texts: Why do words that end with "gue" sound different?

texts:
Why do some words ending with "gue" sound different from other similar words?

Examples: rogue and argue.

Rogue -> /'rəʊɡ/
Argue -> /ˈɑːɡjuː/

They both sound different. What's the reason?


texts: Is there a preference between 'submissible' and 'submittable'?

texts:
When referring to something that can be submitted, is there a preference between 'submissible' and 'submittable'?
If so, does the preference vary by geographic region?
Related: Is "submittable" a valid word?


texts:
I am following some repositories. (I am a programmer).
I want to call them "followed repositories". Is that correct?


texts: What's the meaning of "you are a shell"?

texts:
This is an excerpt from the song "Full Circle" by Creed:

Keep burning bridges while you're buying your new friends
A day of reflection hits, you're a shell, skin and bones, counting costs
Is it worth your soul?

From my understanding, the lyrics say that this person is "skin and bones" and "counting costs" because they've used all their money to impress his/her new friends, right? What does being a shell mean though?


texts: Is there an idiom that means to "slow" or "stop the hemorrhaging"?

texts:
I have two related words in my head, “flow” and “haemorrhage” (US hemorrhage), but I can't remember the exact phrase (or idiom) that fits perfectly.

It should suggest impeding or blocking the flow of something. It can be used literally but for my purposes, it's going to be used as a metaphor. I want to say

  Our major concern should be _________ of Italian talent/intelligence/academia (etc.)

I feel there is a more idiomatic way of saying “stopping the haemorrhage”. Maybe the answer lies in migration?

Failing that, is there a striking idiom that evokes the dramatic situation of young and not-so-young talents abandoning their native country in search of “greener pastures” (i.e. seeking greater recognition/wealth/prospects)?


texts: Substantive idiom for "a shoulder to cry on"

texts: I believe there is an expression to call someone (a friend) to whom you complain about something, generally a relationship problem. Could someone point to such an idiom?


texts:
We have a choir in the town of Ako called Ako International Students Choir. The choir is directed in English and is indeed international, but by no means limited to International Students.

I am confused to where the possessive should lay in the name. Should it be:

  Ako's International Students Choir

Or

  Ako International Students' Choir

I want the emphasis to be Ako International Students Choir, more than Ako International Students Choir or even Ako International Students Choir.


texts: Word or short expression to describe basic foods as a dish ingredients (like rice, potatoes or pasta)

texts:
Is there a word or a short expression to describe such basic foods like potatoes, pasta or rice in a context of dish ingredients? So you can say for example:

  "Broccoli isn't usually eaten as a __".

Edit:
Originally I used a word meal instead of dish, what was probably confusing


texts: "It works for you" vs "it goes with you"

texts:
Example:

  "I like your nickname. It works for you."

  "I like your nickname. It goes with you."

The first one has 3 hits on Google Books. The second has 1. But, still I'm a bit confused.

What's the difference between the two? What sounds more natural for native English speakers?


texts: Can I say "Nice!" to a "How are you?" greeting?

texts:
Some friend told me that "Nice!" can't be used as a reply to "How are you?", instead, she suggested "Good!".

Is it really so strict on the word choice in questions like "How are you?"


texts: It seems that a certain type of flute (like the wooden one children are often given in school) is called "recorder". How did that happen?


texts: that and who(or which) usage for a noun phrase

texts:
I think I read from somewhere(I think it was 'element of style') that below one is more appropriate. but I'm not sure that I remember correctly.

all the guitarists, that I admire, are bald. I'm pretty sure that I'll become a good guitarist sooner or later.
all the guitarists, who I admire, are bald. I'm pretty sure that I'll become a good guitarist sooner or later.

am I right? is there a more natural way to put in? can this be considered a noun phrase?
Thanks in advance!


texts:
Then Hitler came up with his "Final Solution" the Holocaust.

This sentence feels as if it needs something between "Final Solution," and the Holocaust, but I know it isn't a comma. Would it be a : or ;? If it is a comma, and I'm wrong, just let me know. I'm in 8th grade and I am working on a Holocaust project, so any help is appreciated.


texts: Is there a gender neutral term for a single animal of the Bovine species?

texts:
A single female is a cow
A single male is a bull
A castrated male is a steer
An unbred female is a heifer
A juvenile is a calf

All of those terms can be pluralized according to normal conventions.

There is also the collective cattle

But what I don't know, is if there is a word for a single individual of the species that can be applied regardless of sex.  Something like "pig" which can be applied to any individual swine.


texts: Something that is more easily created than destroyed

texts: What is a single word used for describing a case where something is easier to create than to destroy. Which is the opposite of something that is harder to create than destroy (e.g creating a RC plane is hard but destroying it is easy).


texts: Does the verb 'rain' belong to some special class of verbs since its subject is always 'it'?

texts:
The subject of the verb 'rain' is always 'it' when the referred sense of the verb is 'rain fall'

It rained heavily last night.
Do you think it will rain again this evening?

It looks as though the pronoun 'it', despite functioning as the subject of the verb 'rain', is merely acting as some sort of structural complement without adding anything to the meaning of the sentence.
Does that make the verb 'rain' distinctive and add it to a special class of verbs?


texts: Is this expression a well-established proverb or just a slight variation of a well-established one?

texts:
I'm referring to this one:

Any man who is his own translator has a fool for an editor.

The resemblance that this expression bears to the one about any individual who chooses to represent himself/herself in a legal case is undeniable. Yet, even when the meaning of the latter expression is pretty clear to me, I'm not sure I get the point which whoever made up the translator/editor variant of the proverb was trying to make... I would be really glad if, in addition of getting an answer for the question in the title, you could help me unravel the meaning of the expression under consideration.

Let me thank you in advance for your learned replies.


texts: I have a question about a very simple sentence

texts:
'I don't want your hands over me.'

Is 'being' or 'to be' omitted?

'I don't want your hands being over me.'
'I don't want your hands to be over me.'

Or does 'want' just qualify the phrase 'hands over me'?


texts: how do you say disillusioned using a word "fantasy"?

texts:
I am writing an essay, but I am having a hard time using the word, fantasy, right.

"I had fantasy about living abroad, but when I arrived there, my fantasy was "

I want to continue with that sentence, I want to use that word, fantasy, since it's a keyword in my essay.

Can I say

my fantasy was broken
my fantasy broke
my fantasy was shattered

What sound most natural to you, native English speakers?


texts: Should I use who or whom in the following situation?

texts:
"I do," said Mr Takeda.

  The priest repeated the same question to the bride who/whom gave the same
  reply.

  They exchanged rings and the priest declared them husband and wife.

What should I use in this case, who or whom? How to deal with this kind of confusion in the future?


texts:
One answer for Is there an etymological explanation for the silent ‘g’ in “paradigm”? mentions that words such as
align,
apophthegm,
arraign,
assign,
benign,
campaign,
consign,
deign,
design,
diaphragm,
ensign,
feign,
foreign,
hypodigm,
malign,
phlegm,
reign,
resign,
sign,
sovereign,
syntagm
all have a silent "g" due to the final nasal.

All of the words ending in "-gn" (I'm not concerned with "-gm") ultimately come from Latin, and most have consistently had a "g" since Latin:

assign: from Old French assigner, from Latin assignō
benign: from Old French benigne, from Latin benignus
consign: from Old French consigner or directly from Latin cōnsignō
deign: from Middle English deignen, from Old French deignier, from Latin dīgnō, dīgnārī, from dīgnus
design: from Old French designer, from Latin designō
ensign: from Old French enseigne, from Latin īnsignia
malign: from Old French maligne, from Latin malignus
reign: from Middle English regnen, borrowed from Old French regner, from Latin rēgnō
resign: from Anglo-Norman resigner, Middle French resigner, from Latin resignāre
sign: from Middle English signe, sygne, syng, seine, sine, syne, from Old English seġn and Old French signe, seing; both from Latin signum

The "g" in the following words can be easily explained:

campaign: from French campagne, from Italian campagna, from Late Latin campānia, from Latin campus
foreign: from Middle English forein, from Old French forain, from Vulgar Latin *forānus, from Latin forās. The spelling altered perhaps by analogy with sovereign.
sovereign: from Old French soverain, from Vulgar Latin *superānus, from Latin super. Spelling influenced by folk-etymology association with reign

However, the following words get a "g" for no clear reason:

align: from Middle English alynen, alinen, from Middle French aligner, from Old French alignier, from Latin lineare
arraign: from Old French araisnier, from a- + raison + -ier or from Vulgar Latin *adratiōnāre
feign: from Middle English feynen, feinen, from Old French feindre, from Latin fingere

Note that Latin fingere is spelt with "ng", not "gn", which then changes to "nd" in Old French before changing to "n" in Middle English and finally "gn" in modern English. I couldn't find the missing etymology.

It looks like perhaps a Middle English spelling with "yn" is a predictor of "gn" in modern English which is why I highlighted all of signe, sygne, and syne as well, but that could be a red herring. How did this final set of words end up with a "g" in them?


texts:
I know I have to use out of when I'm speaking about position:

I took the beef out of the fridge.
I took your trousers out of the closet.

Also, I know it's used when speaking about more abstract concepts like "this situation is out of control" and so on.
On the other hand, there is another way of using "out of", which I personally don't entirely understand:

She called you  out of curiosity.

He only did it out of duty.

Five out of ten students took the final exams twice.

Ten out of fifteen kids liked my apple pie.

She made a shirt out of old fabric.

She made a cake out of passion fruit.

According to the dictionary I use,

in sentence 1 and 2 "out of" means "because of"

in 3 and 4 it means "from among"

in 5 and 6 it means "made from".

Because of, from among, and made of  are terms I understand and can deal with, but I need to know if "OUT" can be left out in any of the sentences above or if they could even be rewritten keeping "OF" but leaving out "OUT"?


texts: What does "consumer discretionary" mean in this context?

texts:
I can't get my head around the exact meaning of the word "discretionary" in this context.

My dictionary says that "discretionary" is an adjective that means "decided according to the judgment of a person in authority" but I can see that here it is used as a noun and probably with unrelated meaning?


texts:
I am developing a position titled "Fine Art Registrar/ Fine Arts Registrar"

I am wondering whether or not include the "s". Is art countable or uncountable in this situation? The position oversees the care of artwork (sculpture, painting, ceramics, for example..)


texts: What is the correct word or words that matches the given info?

texts:
Good day!
What is the word that describes a person who operates within a specific land or area without the permission of the owner of that area/ land?

In case it might help, here's the background of my question:
In our province, we own a land that is mainly used for agricultural purposes, but there is also a group of people who tends to invade it and harvest it for themselves, and planting their own crops there. We legally own the place. Now we want to right a formal letter directly to our central government to request aid for this issue, but we are having a hard time coming up with a word that best describes the situation.


texts: Does any dialect of English pronounce "sojourn" with emphasis on the second syllable?

texts: I used to think that sojourn was pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable (So-Journ'), and until now that's how I'd heard it,  then I heard from some learned people that it's on the first syllable (So'-Journ), and I checked dictionary.cambridge.org and indeed, emphasis on the first syllable.  And that makes me wonder: is pronouncing it So-Journ' a mistake?  Is there anybody that pronounces it So-Journ' and is correct to be doing so?


texts: "Social media post" or "social-media post"?

texts:
Should "social media" be spelled with a hyphen in the phrase "social media post"?

To me, the hyphen looks wrong, but I would like to be able to provide some grammatical rationale to explain why.


texts: What's the recommended way to refer to the September 11 attacks in formal writing?

texts:
September 11 attacks, September eleven attacks, September eleventh, Nine-eleven? None of the above?

What's recommended for formal writing?


texts:
Which of these are correct?

All I see is iPhones.
All I see are iPhones.

I've seen Rihanna wrote: All I see is Signs. Some people use are like: All I see are Cliffs.

Could someone explain when to use "is" and when "are"?


texts:
The bridge is built over the Charles River.

Can some one explain the tense of "is built"?

The bridge was built over the Charles River.

I think this is passive. If not, can some one describe the tense of "was built"?

Thank you!


texts: I'm looking for a word that describes how simply measuring something changes it

texts:
An engineer friend of mine said something once like “when you measure something, you need to take into account that sometimes the measuring of the thing affects the thing’s performance…”  Sort of like putting a wind speed monitor on a plane might affect its trajectory or power…

Is there an engineering term for this? Measurement impact?  Measurement affect?


texts:
I grew up in Australia being told:

We don't eat cookies - they are biscuits!

Now you could split hairs on the distinctions, but culturally this was important at the time.
Now there is a French soup called a bisque. This lead to the following conversation that I recall:

I'm cooking a bisque
That sounds yum! How long until it comes out of the oven?

So you have to be careful with the pronunciation.
My question is: Is there any connection between 'biscuit' and 'bisque'?


texts:
While taking a practice ACT test, I came across a confusing grammar problem.  The sentences given in the passage are as follows:

  "Many people believe that language is the domain of human beings. However, cats have developed an intricate language not for each other, but for the human beings who have adopted them as pets."

The bolded text would best be replaced by:

NO CHANGE
developed, an intricate language
developed an intricate language,
developed; an intricate language

The answer is very obviously not 2 or 4.  The supposedly correct answer is 1. NO CHANGE, but I do not understand why answer 3 is not correct.  A pair of commas is used to set aside information that adds to the sentence, but is not necessary for the sentence to be understood.

The book where I came across this problem states that there is no need for a pause, thus making answer choice 1 the correct answer.  Why, then, do I feel like the sentence flows better with a comma before "not"?


texts: A word for "asking for directions only to find you're almost there"

texts:
Is there a word for "when you ask for directions and you find you're almost there"?

For example,

"After the battery on my GPS died out I drove around looking for the party only to pull over and ask someone where you lived. They pointed to the house just down the block I'd been circling around for what felt like forever."

"Wow, you really had a (...) moment."


texts: Phrase indicating recruiters should not offer services in response to a job opening

texts:
In Dutch, there's a specific phrase / idiom you can use when posting a job opening to indicate that it's not appreciated if recruitment agencies offer to find a candidate for you ("Acquisitie naar aanleiding van deze vacature wordt niet op prijs gesteld."); i.e. you only want direct applications.

Is there a similar phrase or idiom for this in English? The automated, literal translation doesn't seem quite right, nor can I think of- or find a phrase for this.


texts:
Okay, so jeans and pants are referred to as plural.  When we refer to a brand of jeans, we pluralize the brand by saying and writing things like:

  "I got Girbauds for my birthday." (a pair of Girbaud jeans)

  "She's going to wear my Lees tonight." (a pair of Lee jeans)

  "I'll wear Armani Exchanges." (a pair of Armani Exchange jeans)

However, when it comes to Levi's jeans, the name is possessive.  In my head, it seems like we should say:

  "John's wearing Levi'ses." (a pair of Levi's jeans)

That's not what we say, tough.  We say it with a single S.  But how do we write it so that it conforms to the rule of pluralizing?

One thought I had was "Levis'," but that's not the name.  The name contains an apostrophe and that apostrophe goes before the S (i.e., Levi's jeans).

Anyway, I'm writing something and I really need to figure out how to write "Levi's" in a context like shown in the three examples above. I don't want to stilt the language by rewording it.  I want what I write to reflect what was actually said.

Any help you might give would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, this is different than a question I saw on here about McDonald's because when we pluralize McDonald's, we actually say the second S (i.e., McDonald'ses).


texts: Is there an idiom or slang for "When you put all of your efforts on something but it doesn't even meet the minimums"?

texts: I was wondering if there are any idioms for situations when you have tried your best for doing something, but it doesn't even meet the minimums or it's too simple and valueless in comparison with others works.


texts:
In the following sentence, broke-up is an adjective, correct?

  Brad and Jennifer broke-up with their friends

Now if we remove the hyphen, i.e:

  Brad and Jennifer broke up with their friends

what is the parts of speech for 'broke' and 'up' ?


texts: Indirect Form for perfect modals (past modals)

texts:
Is the question formation correct?

Could she have killed her?
What could you have possibly eaten?

How about in these?

I was wondering if she could have killed her.
I was wondering what you could have possibly eaten.


texts: What's the difference between "onto" and "on to" and where should they be used, etc?


texts: What's a better word for sole in this expression?

texts:
I want to say 'in comparison to merely increasing of X,...'

what would be a better word for sole here? (It should be formal, I'm writing it in my paper)

compared to sole increase of X,...

Thanks in advance.


texts: What's the name for the phenomenon of hating attitudes similar but not identical to your own?

texts: There's a thing where people will tend to hate those that almost agree with them more than they hate the ones that completely disagree with them. Is there a term for this? Has it been studied?


texts: Is there a specific way to describe over-grown, old, tough vegetables?

texts:
One term that seems maybe suitable is overripe, but this seems to be
specific to fruits which when overripe exhibit different changes
compared to those of vegetables: overripe fruit destructure and
decompose, but the vegetables that I’m looking for an adjective for
often become tougher, woody perhaps, more difficult to chew, etc.

So it’s not so much that they’re overripe because these qualities may
essentially prevent it from even properly ripening.

I also like overgrown, but that usually describes vegetation that
has grown out of control, so overloading the meaning of this word seems
problematic due to the overlapping context.

An adjective I usually do see used for this is old, but that doesn’t
seem to really capture the concept specifically enough.

Maybe late harvest or past due? These compounds do the job to
describe it but seem not straightforward to use in a sentence like
adjectives are normally used.


texts:
Is the semicolon in the below sentence acceptable?

  How to Thrive & Create Joy at Work; the major conference hosted by Google, seeks to inspire...

I feel like it's not, but I see sentences like this everywhere, often by people who write professionally, so I'm trying to validate my understanding.


texts:
Is there any verb which means that I lost something but actually you're sure that it isn't lost forever? So I don't know where is it now but if I was looking for it, I would find it. Or, I put it somewhere but now I don't remember where and I can't find it.
Examples:

I _____ my car keys in the hurry.
I _____ your book but I'll give it back as soon as I find it.

Or should I just simply use "lost"?
(In my mind "lost" is permanent, and I'm looking for a word which means the same but only temporarily.)


texts:
Suppose you have a fair coin. Then tossing it has two possible outcomes, both equally likely.

Before you flip the coin, these possibilities are undecided. These could be called future possibilities.

If you flip the coin without looking at the result, then the outcome is decided, but unknown. There are still two possibilities for the outcome. These could be called present possibilities.

I'm looking for a word or short phrase to distinguish between these two different uses of the word possibility.

I don't think present possibility and future possibility clearly describe this usage. Decided possibility seems like an oxymoron, and undecided possibility seems redundant.


texts: Are articles in the middle of titles considered when alphabetizing?

texts:
I know that articles ("a", "an", "the") at the beginning of titles are ignored when alphabetizing those titles.  What about articles in the middle of a title?  For example, what is the proper order of these titles:

"Spider-Man and the X-Men"
"Spider-Man and X-Factor Shadowgames"

Does "the" precede "X-Factor", or is it ignored so that "X-Factor" precedes "X-Men"?

FYI, this example came up while organizing a comic book collection.  I expect the same rules apply for books, movies, and other works.  I doubt the rules for this are regional, but if it matters, I am interested in the US convention.


texts:
One of my favorite movies is Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler.

One of the lines in the movie is "Listen to them not!" Said by one of the townsfolk in the beginning when they were being hanged.

Is this an example of an anastrophe?

The terms aren't inverted from "Do not listen to them" in fact, 'do' is omitted completely.

Is there another term that would suit what is happening in this sentence? Or similar sentences?


texts: What do you call the professions that produce an end product and a material for the end product?

texts:
Is there a separate technical term for professions that produce an end product and professions that produce a raw material?

For example (let's simplify things):

A miner produces copper. Copper cannot be used just like that - it needs to be processed, first.
A guy who makes cables uses the copper from the miner to make a copper cable. The cable is now an end product that you can use right away.

Is there a technical term for the type of profession the miner and the cable guy have that illustrates one makes raw material and the other a finished product?


texts:
I'm looking for a word for how far someone can think ahead, or simply the act of thinking ahead and playing out different scenarios in your head? Some examples this could be used for is how many moves ahead you think about in chess or how many years ahead in life you have plans for.

Some words I've thought about that aren't quite there are:

Foresight: doesn't really talk about the act of planning.
Discernment, insight: doesn't talk about the future.


texts: Is there an alternative to the phrase "Going Native"?

texts:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/go_native  defines the meaning of the phrase "Going Native" this way:

(idiomatic) To adopt the lifestyle or outlook of local inhabitants,
especially when dwelling in a colonial region; to become less refined
under the influence of a less cultured, more primitive, or simpler
social environment.
(idiomatic) Of a contractor or consultant, to begin working directly
as an employee for a company and cease to work through a contracting
firm or agency.

Am I alone in thinking that this phrase has a pejorative connotation towards aboriginal cultures of colonial regions? Is there an alternative to this otherwise useful phrase?


texts: Why do 'get' and 'have' work similarly in 'get/have sth done" but differently in 'get sb to do sth' and 'have sb do sth'

texts:
Why do 'get' and 'have' work similarly in

  I got/had my car repaired.

but differently – that is are not complemented in the same way although they still mean the same – in

  I got someone to repair my car.

and

  I had someone repair my car.


texts:
So I always presumed the term "vig" or "vigorish" (meaning, at least how I perceive the meaning, a bookie or loan shark's "take", or reward, for facilitating a deal of some sort) to have a Yiddish origin; maybe just because of the way the word sounds.
I came across a Russian person on another Stack Exchange site whose name was "вы́игрыш", which has a meaning akin to the English word and idea of "prize". вы́игрыш is pronounced "Viglesh". Could our slang term be derived from the Russian word for "prize"?


texts: How many articles should go in "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!"?

texts:
On the very first Christmas card it was written as "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year..."
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/christmas-card-sayings-and-phrases.html

In Wiktionary that same general phrase is "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year"
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Merry_Christmas_and_a_Happy_New_Year

A few quick searches in Google show that many people use it without any articles at all:

  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Does anyone have a source explaining if one of those phrases is more correct than others and if there's any difference implied by the number of articles used?

Edit just to make it more clear: I'm asking for the case when you design a Christmas card, for example, and you have to write the phrase on the card — not personally to anybody, but rather as an impersonally commercial message to the general audience.


texts: Can "pussy" be pronounced with /ʌ/ (uh)?

texts: My friend insists it can be. Here is a video he provides as a proof (watch it cautiously, brain damage is possible). Is this nonsense or not? Maybe it is a local phenomenon? Or just a speech defect?


texts: Why is "poison" in English pronounced so differently from French "poison"?

texts:
Why is poison in English pronounced so astonishingly differently than the French pronunciation of poison? Considering that they have exactly the same origin. Is it just randomness or is it on purpose just to not sound "like the French"?

  From Old French poison, from Latin pōtio, pōtiōnis, from pōtō.


texts: Is there any bad connotation when we say one thing is cheaper than another?

texts:
I'm aware that when we say things like:

  It's a cheap cell phone.

  That's a cheapo, throw it out.

It does mean something is clearly of bad quality. But how about when comparing things? for example:

  Those shoes are cheaper than these.

  That hotel is cheaper than this one.

Does it give the impression of lower quality, too? How subtle is it? Should I avoid it in any case?


texts: Use of two sets of parentheses, side by side

texts:
I have a sentence that uses two sets of parentheses, side by side:

  Thank you for your letter of October 27, 2015 in which you outlined questions regarding the development of the new Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) (Attachment 1).

Is it appropriate as written above, or is there a protocol for this?


texts: If culinary is a word related to cooking or food, like a 'culinary experience', what would be a similar word for shopping?


texts: What does 'What kind of mischief are you up to?' mean?

texts:
One of my US users asked the following questions when she got information about my resignation from my manager.

  What is this rumor I hear? What kind of mischief are you up to?

I am not sure whether she is asking what I did wrong or what others did wrong by taking the resignation decision.

Can somebody explain me the meaning of this sentence in this situation.


texts: Should I use verb or verb + ing in the following case?

texts:
Marla glanced at her watch. Half past four. She'd been in the subway
  since morning, doing nothing in particular—just watching trains come
  and go, people getting on and off. A typical commuting scene.

My first impulse was just to write getting instead of get. But after reading the sentence again I said: wait I wrote come and go shouldn't I write get instead? But after replacing it with get something seemed off.

So I'm a bit confused, should I use get or getting?


texts: When to use decline for polite refusal and when not to

texts:
In a business English class:

One of my students said: "I decline your report."

I said that was wrong, but I couldn't think of a concrete reason, or rule for when I can use decline as a polite refusal.

My question is, is there a rule for using decline as a polite refusal? (For example I can say: "Your credit card is declined.", but I can't decline your report).


texts:
I've come across the phrase "take tea" in some sentences, and reckoned it is used as an idiom and not meant literally.

For instance, "Children to compete for chance to take tea with the Mad Hatter."

That sounds like an interesting pun.

What does it mean, and what are its origins?


texts: What's the difference between 'fellow' and 'prig' in connotational meaning?

texts:
What's the difference between 'fellow' and 'prig' in this sentence from Michael and Mary (1930) written by A. A. Milne?

Then tell me: Why are you the devil of a fellow if you like drinking whisky, and the devil of a prig if you don't?


texts: I need a word or expression to describe the attitude of "Since they do it, it shouldn't be a big deal if we do it"

texts:
I know the title is extremely vague so I'll try to explain it with an example. For example, if a company makes some errors, and then instead of acknowledging the responsibility for their mistakes, they instead say things like: "Even Apple makes mistakes, how can you expect our products to be 100% error free". What kind of language is this called?

It's a form of negative language. Other words I thought were "pessimistic" or "accusatory" or "complacent", but I'm not entirely sure if these words can be used to describe the example I gave most accurately.


texts:
This link  claims that one cannot be sure of origin of this phrase.  Three explanations are given here, but they are not very convincing (I am not a native speaker).

In one of our newspapers, someone gives an explanation. Apparently,

  Duke of Wellington, the man who defeated Napoleon Bonaparte in the
  Battle of Waterloo in 1815, though quite the ladies man, wasn’t really
  much to look at. The most prominent feature of his not-so-handsome
  face was his rather long nose. The officers and the men who served
  beneath him began to affectionately refer to any nose which was
  unusually long as ‘duke’. With the passage of time, this word began to
  be used to refer to any nose; of whatever size. Since human fists are
  notorious to be employed in fights to put a ‘duke’ out of joints,
  fists began to be called ‘duke buster’. Soon, the word ‘buster’ was
  dropped, and everyone started referring to fists as ‘dukes’.

This sounds like a great story, but he did not cite any references. Since this explanation is so very different from many others available on-line, I wonder if there is some reliable reference in support of his claim.


texts: Can somebody explain me the meaning, in this particular case, of “like, actually”?


texts: How to write £1 million where style guide clashes

texts:
I am writing the figure of £1,000,000 in a presentation but finding that my style guide clashes with what looks right.

'Million' must be spelled out.
'£' must be used instead of 'pounds'.
Numbers one to ten must be written out and not expressed in numerals.

As such, it appears that I should present £1,000,000 as £one million but this looks so odd. Any suggestions?


texts:
I re-wrote sentences to start Unclear below. Correct if I move "unclear" to end?

From poverty-stricken to government-funded:
on the the diachrony of English noun-participle compounding.
Martin Hilpert, Université de Neuchâtel

  There is some initial evidence to suggest that noun-participle compounding are, in
  synchronic usage, independent from the English passive. First, not all passive sentences
  have counterparts in idiomatic noun-participle compounds, consider for instance
  unattested formations such as ?car-transported (The cargo was transported by car) or ?
  guest-preferred (The guided tours were preferred by the guests). Second, forms such as
  Atlanta-based or work-related do instantiate noun-participle compounding, but these
  formations correspond to predicative constructions (The company is based in Atlanta;
  The problem is related to work) similar to the German Zustandspassiv, rather than to
  canonical passive sentences. What is [U]nclear is if these more problematic examples
  represent a recent development or whether they are in fact central members of the
  constructional category.

If these more problematic examples
represent a recent development or whether they are in fact central members of the
constructional category, is unclear.

First Language Phonetic Drift During Second Language Acquisition. Charles Bond Chang - 2010. p. 171.

  Thus, just as there seems to be a “sweet spot” of distance from L1
  for inducing assimilatory phonetic drift, so too might there be a “sweet spot” of
  distance from L1 for inducing dissimilatory phonetic drift: an L2 sound has to be
  distant enough from L1 sounds to be considered a “new” sound, yet not so distant
  that there is no L1 sound within its vicinity. What remains [U]nclear is if there is
  indeed a degree of distance from L1 that qualifies as too far to cause dissimilation.
  Moreover, the SLM’s formulation of the basis for cross-language dissimilation in terms
  of segmental categories implies that dissimilation can only occur at the segmental
  level, but whether this holds true remains to be seen.

If there is
indeed a degree of distance from L1 that qualifies as too far to cause dissimilation, remains unclear.


texts: Word for a mage who protects his kingdom

texts: I am looking for a title for a mage or wizard who has sworn to protect the people in his kingdom. He does not reign over the kingdom himself, but is rather their protector. Is there any established word or title from history or fantasy stories this mage could be called?


texts: Is size inherent in the meanings of "plant" and "factory"?

texts:
I always had the impression that a plant was bigger than a factory and that a plant might contain several factories, but we wouldn't say that a factory contains several plants.

According to oxforddictionaries.com,

plant: a place where an industrial or manufacturing process takes place
the company has 30 plants in Mexico
factory: a building or group of buildings where goods are manufactured or assembled chiefly by machine

Not very specific.
Disregarding adjectives like "small plant" and "large factory," just looking at the words plant and factory, is one bigger than the other to the average native English speaker?


texts: If a poem is written in iambic tetrameter without using any rhyme scheme, will it be considered to be a formal verse?

texts:
I'm a non-native speaker, interested in understanding metrical patterns in English poetry.

I know that formal verse refers to a poem written with a strict metre and rhyme scheme.

I am also aware that a poem employing iambic pentameter without any rhyme scheme is called blank verse.

However, I was wondering if using iambic tetrameter (or any other iambic meter that is not pentameter) without a rhyme would qualify as a formal verse.


texts: Add more adjectives to "[noun] is both [adjective] and [adjective]" structure

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Equivalent of “both” when referring three or more items?

Consider this statement:

  Salads are both tasty and delicious.

Is there a natural way to use that construct with more than two adjectives?  I can't come up with anything that sounds right to me.  Two things that came to my mind were:

  Salads are all three tasty, delicious, and healthy.

This one doesn't sound natural to me.

  Salads are each tasty, delicious, healthy, and cheap.

I'm not sure if this is even valid English.

If someone can come up with a better title for this question, please do (and then remove this comment).  Thanks!


texts:
What would be the proper way to phrase the sentence?

When an employee has the flu, they should call in sick.

When an employee has the flu, they should call out sick.


texts: Would it be better to quote someone with their stage name or their real name?

texts: I found a quote by an artist that I would like to use as an inspirational quote, however I don't know whether to reference them with their real name or their stage name. Can someone help me with this problem? Thank you in advance!


texts: Can anybody define the meaning of the word "Inspiron"?

texts: As you are familiar with the Dell inspiron laptops, I was wondering what does it actually mean , its origin..


texts: Digital is to digitise, as analogue is to ..?

texts:
If I'm converting something from analogue to digital, I digitise it.

What am I doing if I convert from digital to analogue?


texts: Noun clause structure "student enrolling"

texts:
There was not as many students enrolled in A as in B

Is this sentence correct?

Why it is "students enrolled", not "students enrolling"?


texts: What is a colorful non-profane synonym for "batshit crazy"?

texts:
I would like to describe something (that I did) as batshit crazy, but that term may not be appropriate in my workplace. (I'm a college professor.) Is there a vivid but non-profane synonym? Even better would be a term that doesn't reference mental illness. (I'm a liberal arts college professor.)

Ten years ago, I would have used the term "ridonculous".


texts: Word/phrase for getting people to do something because people in that bucket/group exhibit positive behaviours

texts:
Scenario: We are a supermarket that has a rewards card program and customers using this program exhibit positive behaviours (e.g. increased spending at our stores). It is assumed this is beacuse they are more engaged in the brand.
We want to increase spending for non-rewards customers (they generally spend less), therefore it has been suggested that we force everyone to get a rewards card in the hopes it will increase their spending too.
However these customers aren't as engaged in the brand, therefore their spending may not increase as expected.
To summarise, is there a word or phrase for the following sort of logic/process of thinking?

Trying to get people into a certain bucket/group because that bucket/group exhibits desired behaviours and expecting them to behave the same, even though they are different types of people.
This is of course doomed to fail as these are different types of customers and aren't going to suddenly change their behaviour.

A possible usage sentence may be (it's hard for me to guess since I don't know the word/phrase)

Although getting more people to use our rewards card to increase spending sounds like it would work, I think your idea falls victim to the following_____________.


texts: When did presidents start using their middle initial (e.g., John F Kennedy)? Was that common of the general population?

texts:
For example John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson (and hence JFK, FDR, LBJ). There was an uninterrupted stretch: Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson but the trend seems to have ended with Nixon. I don't know when it started, but there were a few examples in the 19th century as well.

Was it just presidents, or politicians, or the general population?

It does not seem to apply to the general populace. Think of writers, film stars, jazz musicians, scientists. It was very rare. The few other American politicians I can think of from this era (Adlai Stevenson, Joe McCarthy) - I don’t know their middle initials.

Questions

How did this styling originate?
Did these presidents adopt the middle initial only when they achieved office? Is it a style they adopted themselves or was it established by the press?


texts: Past and Present Perfect tenses in a sentence. Sequence of events

texts:
I have a question concerning Past and Present Perfect tenses/the sequence of events.

"As my school project, I have written a 44-pages-long research paper in which I had analysed the risk behaviours of 110 students and gave the assessment of the risk of future occurrence of cardiovascular diseases by my own developed risk assessment models."

I am not sure if this is the correct way to say it. I would appreciate every piece of advice.


texts:
'Happy Christmas to all, all be epicures too.'

Can anyone explain what, if any, precisely means, or adds, 'all be epicures too' after 'Happy Christmas to all'? Is it idiomatic English?


texts: Using an abbreviation for noun AND verb (community garden/ing)

texts:
I am writing a paper about community gardening and use community garden(s) and community  gardening extensively. I would like to abbreviate both as CG. I can't find guidelines on if this is allowed (APA Style). My plan is to just list both community garden/community gardening as the definition in my abbreviations list. Thoughts?

Also, while I'm here. I know the general rule is to write (CG) after the first mention of community gardens and then abbreviate it afterwards, but is there any rule that I must always use the abbreviation after? For example, in my research question it seems more appropriate to write it out even though I have already defined CG before I introduce the research question. TLDR; can I choose not to abbreviate after defining the abbreviation?

Ok, and one more. If I have a direct quote that includes the written-out community gardening, should I abbreviate it within the quote or no? My gut feeling is no, but again can't find any info on this!


texts: How do I describe even values of the tenths digit of a number?

texts:
How can I describe the following numbers?

0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8

Can I call them "even tenths"?

For example:

"If the maximum value in the data set is 1, then the values displayed in the bar graph are the ______." I am pertaining to the numbers above.


texts: Q: New Englanders habitually mute or diminish the R phoneme (?) in many words, (park, car, Harvard, etc.). What is the name of this characteristic of their speech? So many of the patterns of New Englanders' speech (as distinct from many other regional US dialects) strikes me as a close mimic of the speech of our friends ‘across the pond,’ that I’m curious if the diminished R of BrE is noticeably distinct from that of NE AmE, and if so, where or amongst whom, in the UK is that distinction most pronounced?


texts: A sports team that has a consistent record of beating another one

texts:
I am looking for a word or a concise expression for a sports team A that over a period of time has a consistent record of beating a rival sports team B.

It is not necessary that A are better than B. Perhaps B has more achievements, cups, championships, is higher in the league's table, has higher payed players, whatever.

But when they play against each other A wins.

In Spanish they would say that "A has B as their sons" (los tienen de hijos). Or that A is B's father.

I am looking for a similar expression (preferably a single word) in English.


texts:
A professor criticized the language in a presentation. In particular he said that English preferred a noun phrase such as a comparison of  to a gerund such as comparing.

For reference the entire sentence follows.

  Comparing prominent symptoms in drug addiction with models of aberrant learning may help us understand how those symptoms arise

I have seen both forms used in the technical literature but his point was more one of general usage. I don’t intend to argue the point with him. I merely want to know if his point is more than one of personal preference.


texts: Does the verb to write as used in "write a song" refer to only the lyrics (words) or does/can it include the composition of music?


texts: Where to learn about commas (academic/mathematical writing in particular)

texts:
I have recently tried to learn how to place commas properly when writing in
English, but I experienced a great difficulty in finding some good material on
the subject.

My goal is to be good (or at least okay) at placing commas in English text in
general, but it is mainly my academic writing I am concentrating on to begin
with.  More specifically, I am a mathematician, and it is in connection with
my mathematical writing that I most of all would like to learn to place
commas.

So far, the literature have had the following shortcomings:

They only cover 'compound sentences' and 'complex sentences' but not
'compound-complex sentences' of which there are tons in mathematics.
Instead of teaching you about long-and-complicated sentences, they tell you
to write/rewrite in short-and-simple sentences.  This is often not possible
in mathematical writing.
They are mainly books on grammar and punctuation, and often only have a
small amount of information about placing commas.  I realize that you
cannot write about placing commas without discussing grammar, but it would
be nice if the commas where treated more thorough.
Some focus a lot on direct speech which I do not use at all in my
mathematical writing.
Some literature seems to be a quite subjective opinion to comma placing,
which does not necessarily agree with other places.
Many places they give examples instead of rules.  This said, examples are
good, and there should be a lot of them, but they should accompany
rules/guidelines.
They do not tell you when rules are definite rules (as much as they can be)
and when they are not, that is, when there is a lot of exceptions.

What I am looking for are some good textbooks (or other means) from which I
can learn about placing commas.  Preferably avoiding the shortcomings I
mentioned above.  Especially the last point above would be nice to avoid.  I
looked at the The blue book of grammar, and in this book the author lists 21
rules about placing commas, but do not mention whether there are exceptions or
if some of them are just guidelines.  My impression is that some of them are
not definite rules (though I am clearly not an expert).

So far, I have tried books such as Oxfords guide to English grammar, A
student's introduction to English grammar and a few others.


texts:
I often told you we'd go there when
  spring arrives.

That sentence seems funny to me. It means that in the past the speaker would often promise the listener that when spring arrives they would go to a certain place together. Is it grammatically correct?

What about these alternatives?

  I often told you we'd go there when
  spring arrived.

I'm not sure if "arrives" or "arrived" should be used.


texts: it's important that he... -- it's important for him to

texts:
I'm always struggling with these structures:

1) It's important/vital/essential that + subject + (should +) verb

It's vital that you (should) do exactly as I say.
It's important that they (should) attend every day.
It's essential that everyone (should) be here on time.

2) It's strange/natural/interesting/curious that + subject + should + verb

It's curious that they should offer him the job.
It's strange that he should be late.
It's only natural that parents worry about their children.

Even though I know these sentences are grammatically correct I find them a little complicated and cumbersome with all the "shoulds" and subjunctives and everything, so I tend to avoid them and say:

It's important/vital/strange/natural/etc. + for + pronoun + to...

The thing is I'm not sure this is always correct. Do you think it's possible to change the sentences above this way?

It's vital that you do exactly as I say. → It's vital for you to do exactly as I say.
It's important that they attend every day. → It's important for them to attend every day.
It's essential that everyone be here on time. → It's essential for everyone to be here on time.
It's curious that they should offer him the job. → It's curious for them to offer him the job.
It's strange that he should be late. → It's strange for him to be late.
It's only natural that parents worry about their children. → It's only natural for parents to worry about their children.

So can I think of this as a rule that works (at least) most of the time?

Thanks.


texts:
Aside from the normal uses of whose, i.e. for people, animals, or inanimate objects, can it also be used in regard to a motive, reasoning, or any other intangible attribute/characteristic of an action or decision?
e.g.

Annually, egregiously lavish feasts are held in memory of his late father, which (is something) I don't understand.

Now, for the sake of concision, or a more literary approach, can it be paraphrased like this:

Annually, in memory of his late father, egregiously lavish feasts are held, whose reasoning I don't understand.

(whose referring to the feast being held/the decision behind it, or even why people would attend)
Another example:

To appease her fanbase, she started wearing black lipstick, which (is something) I don't understand.

Similarly:

To appease her fanbase, she started wearing black lipstick, whose appeal I don't understand.

Meaning, I don't understand why people/her fanbase would be attracted to it. (whose referring to the allure of "black lipstick", and the excitement it provokes.)
It sounds a bit off, but I found myself using whose within similar contexts so as to completely convey my meaning within one formal statement. Is there any other way to question the appeal/reasoning behind an action or decision, which is more formal than the former statements (using which + something), but not as odd sounding as the substitutes?


texts: Is "what on earth" still commonly used in real life? Is there any alternative that is not cursing or obscene?

texts:
I'm a non-native speaker. When I was at school, we were taught that "on earth" is used for emphasis in questions such as:

  What on earth are you talking about?

However, from my experience (English movies, TV, online discussions, etc.), I seldom see people actually use the phrase "on earth".

From what I see, the most commonly used phrases that express basically the same meaning are "What the fuck..." and "What the hell...".

I don't like cursing or obscenity (call me old-fashioned), so here are my questions:

Is "on earth" still commonly used in real life?

Is there any alternative that is not cursing or obscene?


texts:
What does "to cave to" mean?  An example sentence I read about is:

  They can continue to implement the successful non-lethal model that has helped Oregon's gray wolf population grow - while also decreasing conflicts with livestock. Or they can cave to special interests and declare that a species with less than 100 individuals in the state doesn't need protections.

I can of course guess what it mean, probably to concede to, to give in etc. Which of "cave"'s meanings in OED apply to this usage?


texts: Meaning of the phrase "difference is transparent"

texts:
Does  "difference is transparent" mean something like invisible, not apparent?

For example: "Like a char device, each block device is accessed through a filesystem node, and the difference between them is transparent to the user."

Does the above line mean that user doesn't see any difference between the char and block devices?


texts:
I just came across this sentence -

"Scientists have long believed that comets and, or a type of very primitive meteorite called carbonaceous chondrites were the sources of early Earth's volatile elements -- which include hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon -- and possibly organic material, too."

I was wondering what does "and, or" mean here?
Does it mean either comets, or meteorite or both?


texts: 'I don't like fish.' 'Me, too.' Is this natural?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Can “me, too” be used to reply to a negative statement?

'I don't like fish.'  'Me, too.'  Is this sentence natural or unnatural?
I mean not the grammatical but the communicational.


texts: Is there a word, phrase or expression similar in meaning to sophistry, but with a much greater implication of utter lack of morality?

texts:
This question is prompted by the movie Operation Finale, about the capture of Adolph Eichmann by Israeli agents in Argentina.

Important scenes in the movie show Eichmann arguing that his acts in WWII were those of someone defending his country against its enemies, and were no different than those of the Israeli operatives who captured him.  They, too, were defending their country (Israel) against its enemies.  Eichmann was clearly equating his role in the Holocaust (a word I don't think he used  in the movie) with the Israelis capturing him in Argentina and extracting him to stand trial in Israel.  At a minimum, and ignoring torture and starvation, Eichmann was off by a factor of 6 million.

As I listened to this, I thought what sophistry!  But sophistry isn't strong enough for the moral tone-deafness of that argument. Just going from the portrayal in the movie, I would say he is actually insensible of the difference.

Sophistry, from Oxford Dictionaries:

  The use of clever but false arguments, especially with the intention
  of deceiving.

  ‘trying to argue that I had benefited in any way from the disaster was
  pure sophistry’

The synonyms for sophistry from Dictionary.com are even more wishy-washy:

  deception, fallacy, misconception, subtle argument

Further synonyms from the same link, also wishy-washy:

  casuistry:   overgeneral
  reasoning///chicanery///deception///deceptiveness///
  delusion///equivocation///evasion///fallacy///lie///oversubtleness///sophism///
  sophistry///speciousness///spuriousness///trick.

Is there a word, phrase or expression which expresses the moral repugnance of this argument and the monstrous moral cognitive blindness (in the phrase of @MetaEd?

Obligatory sentence:  Eichmann's arguments were the absolute nadir of _________.

If there are uses of sophistry in a commensurate context, that would be a useful answer.


texts: What would you call a phobia of endlessly looping GIFs?

texts:
When you share a GIF on WhatsApp, it runs in a loop three times and then stops.

When you share a GIF on Facebook Messenger, however, it runs in an endless loop.

The thought of a GIF running endlessly until the end of time makes me anxious, so I refrain from using them on Messenger.

What might a phobia of GIFs (or similar things) that run in an endless loop be called, assuming there isn't such a phobia already?

I was thinking maybe vrochophobia (meaning "fear of loops" - "vróchos" being the Greek word for "loop").

Any ideas?


texts:
At 3 months old, AJ starts to smile.

Or

At 3 months old AJ starts to smile.


texts: Explanation for "them's" as in "them's the rules"

texts:
Recently someone said to me:

  Them's the rules

I thought he had the sentence wrong, but as it turns out it is slang. I am learning English as a second language and I would really appreciate if someone could explain what it means and in which context I am allowed to use it.