texts: Logically, could the word "University" mean the opposite of "Diversity"?

texts:
DI- twice; two-; double.
  DI-VERSE: showing a great deal of variety; very different.
  DI-VERS-ITY: the state of being diverse; variety.

  UNI- one; having or consisting of one.

While, by definition, "universe" means "the cosmos," and "university" means a college, would it be wrong to use them in a sense meaning the opposite of "diverse" or "diversity"?
i.e. The university of the establishment is quite the opposite of its diverse counterpart.


texts: What does the expression "till Saturday week" mean?

texts:
I'm a native speaker of American English.  But sometimes when reading a book by an English author or watching television shows broadcast on BBC I hear unusual (to my ears) expressions and am not entirely certain of the meaning.

I'm going to guess that the expression "till Saturday week" means "till Saturday a week from now".

A web search has brought up plenty of examples of this phrase being used, but I can't find anything that clarifies the meaning.


texts: Is it "Victory is mine" or "Victory is mines"?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  Victory is mine.
  Victory is mines.

I'm not sure if mines is even being used correctly here.


texts: What is the difference between these "distancing expressions"?

texts:
There are a number of words that mean "generally believed to be true but not necessarily true" but their connotations differ tremendously.

Some examples of these are

allegedly
putatively
supposedly
seemingly
ostensibly

So, if I wanted to say something like,

  FOIA requests seem to be for the protection of the American public, but what is the government actually hiding?

I would intend it to imply something more sinister.

In the past, I always thought it was more appropriate to use the word ostensibly. Likewise the expression allegedly is also fine in the following because an allegation is often used when charging someone with breaking the law. For example, "The Plaintiff claims that Defendant broke into the home where he allegedly stole several items."

Whereas seemingly is reserved for more neutral statements: "The water is boiling seemingly because of the presence of steam."

Is there a generally accepted usage of these words that can be placed on a sort of continuum of connotation? Or do these words resist or defy any classification?


texts: What is the phenomenon called, when things start resembling what you are thinking about?

texts:
like when Tom is hungry he sees jerry as a hot dog. When you are searching for something every other thing appears that it is the very thing you are searching for.

EDIT:

So as suggested in the comment here is what I want exactly:

I want to give title to this event which happened: On 31st December as I looked into an old message which my friend had sent me, I got surprised as to when he sent me a Happy New Year message, when suddenly I realized that it was written "Happy to Hear"


texts: Name for number format used in "Section 3.2.1"

texts:
Does that kind of numbering style have a common name or names? To be fair, it is really more of an "identifier" since it certainly not a scalar (one-dimensional) number. It isn't fair to call it a floating point number either.

If I were to hazard two guesses, I would say:

a document identifier (but that seems so vague)
a multi-dotted number (silly, yes, but it gets the points across)

So in reality, I've got nothing.


texts: Is "prohibition against," a double negative?

texts: "Prohibition against stealing," was the phrase that was being used. I get what the speaker was trying to say, but I'm just wondering if it is grammatically correct or if it could have been worded better.


texts:
There is a sentence in this article:

  Continue reading to begin your crash course in PC spec-speak.

Googling gave some links to MaximumPC and another article with the title «Architectual spec-speak».

I'd like to know what does this word exactly mean? Does the meaning depend on context? And the hyphen, is it optional?


texts: Accurate Writing of Scientific Abbreviation

texts:
It is quite normal to abbreviate long terms usually more than 2 words to simplify the scientific text and reduce space in scientific manuscripts, i.e., conference papers and journal articles. For instance, Service Oriented Architecture is SOA or Mobile Cloud Computing is MCC.

However, my question is how to write them properly. I know that when we abbreviate, we should first put the full form followed by abbreviated form in parentheses. Every repetition of the term afterward must be in abbreviated form.

But, I have seen two different ways of writing them. The first one is (no capitalized initial):

service oriented architecture (SOA)
mobile cloud computing (MCC)

the second is (capitalized initial):

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC)

Which one is correct or more accurate?


texts:
OED says that:

  Middle English buryel, biriel, incorrectly formed as a singular of byriels, buriels n., q.v.; in later times associated with nouns in -al from French, such as espousal-s.

Etymonline.com says that:

  "act of burying," late 13c.; earlier "tomb" (c. 1200), false singular from Old English byrgels "tomb," from byrgan "to bury" + suffix -els;

emphasis mine

How is the word burial incorrectly formed? What would be the correct form if it wasn't incorrectly formed?

According to OED, buriels was used but it is obsolete now.

Here is the etymology of buriels from OED:

  Old English byrgels strong masculine, cognate with Old Saxon burgisli neuter, < burg- ablaut-stem of bergan bergh n. to protect + suffix -isli- ; compare Old English græfels quarry, fætels purse, etc.


texts: One verb to replace 'be a member of' a club

texts:
I need to make a diagram and I got stunted on the verb to use for a club. In this case, 'club' is supposed to be as wide a term as possible, so it could mean anything from a book club to swimming practice (at an actual sports club, for example) or even to Sunday School (assuming it as a religious 'club activity').

I've got:

(Person A) works at (work place)
(Person A) studies at (school)
(Person A) volunteers at (association)
(Person A) ???? at (club)

I know the expression to use would be 'is a member of', but I need an action verb. For now, I'm stuck with 'participates' but it doesn't feel right.


texts: “Searches revealed that” vs. “Searches revealed”

texts:
I would like to know whether the word that can be removed in the following sentence:

  Searches revealed that Johns was awarded a grant by the Chilean Innovation Program.

I read in other threads that that can be omitted in sentences like “She said they won’t come.” But is this the case with the above structure?

Is it correct to say:

  Searches revealed Johns was awarded. . . .


texts: "you" versus "You" as polite form of writing

texts:
Is it correct to write "You" with a capital Y as a form of politeness?
If yes, should I use that form throughout the entire letter/document, or only at specific places?


texts:
Suppose I have two events A and B, and I want to say that exactly one of them will occur.

Which of the following is grammatically correct:

  "Exactly one of A or B occurs."
  "Exactly one of A and B occurs."

Doing a search for this question online has only led to a multitude of probability theory assignments, in which both options appear.


texts: The definite article 'The' is necessary for the following bold lines?

texts:
Maehara et al, 2011 conducted a research on isolated endophytic fungi/sp from the quinine bark.

What is the specific reason if I have to omit 'the' in this context?


texts: What preposition to use when fitting data?

texts: Do we fit data with, by, or as a linear function?


texts:
There seem to be a not-insignificant sample of usage of "awareness on" in publications ranging from reference to academia.

What separates it from "awareness of"? My first thought was that using "of" would be a binary "I am either aware or unaware of something", whereas "on" might point to nuanced knowledge of a field", but usage does not seem to bear that out.

Is this usage valid, and if so, what separates it from the more common case?


texts: Who is the author of "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"?

texts:
I would like to know more about the proverb Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

History notes

The history of the proverb is proving quite interesting. In his literary work from 1650, Epistolae Ho-Elianae or Familiar Letters, the polyglot Anglo-Welsh writer James Howell observed that

  “Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.”

I was much enamoured of this letter of friendship when I read it: it appears to be a declaration of deep affection and love addressed to a man — specifically, it was sent  from Amsterdam to a certain "Dan. Caldwell, Esq." on April 10 1619. The sentiment and nostalgia behind those words are extremely touching. Was Howell the first British author to equate distance and absence with affection and fondness?

Some claim that Absence makes the heart grow fonder first appeared in William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice (1596-1598):

  ... but I dote on his very absence,...

I'm not terribly convinced, though; isn't this merely the same as saying, "I miss him terribly"?

Another theory I read said that an anonymous poem published in Francis Davison’s Poetical Rhapsody in 1602 is the origin of this proverb. I checked online, and this was the closest example I could find. Indeed the following line could have acted as a source of inspiration.

  For hearts of truest mettle
  Absence doth join, and Time doth settle

Has anyone ever unearthed the true identity of the author of this proverb?

source: Epistolae Ho-Elianae
the familiar letters of James Howell  published 1907


texts: Term for "will consume time and almost certainly yield nothing"

texts:
Can anyone point to an eloquent word or term that means "will consume time and almost certainly yield nothing"?

Could be used in response to:

  I'm going to have one of the developers contact Apple and ask them to add a new feature to Apple Maps.

The effort has a tiny chance of being successful, but if you knew how the sausage was made, you'd know that asking the question isn't even worth the time.

At first I thought "invading Russia" might have been apt, but that kind of implies that you're going in with a lot of firepower only to slowly lose and retreat.  It's also competitive in nature.  That's more more appropriate if someone said "I think we can take Amazon.com head on."

The only other thing that came to mind was "mining for unobtanium".  I'm open for better, though.


texts:
"I go to school"
Because 'to' is a preposition then is it correct to write "I go to watching the movie"?

If not, please explain why. Thank you.


texts: What is the correct way to write this long sentence?

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

  My abilities to work as a part of a team, to lead a group of people,
  to have the courage to admit my mistakes and learn from them are the
  best qualities I would bring with me to the program.

There are two specific questions:

Because I am using abilities, I need to use are in the end. Is this correct?
Should "learn from them" be "to learn from them" to preserve parallelism?


texts:
Is it correct to say:

The party is at my house in the garden.
OR
The party is in the garden at my house.

Thank you in advance


texts:
In which English accents do they put an h before every word that starts with wh?

Example from Youtube. Notice his pronunciation of whisky.


texts: Stress and intonation in "I'm proud of you"

texts:
When I pronounce the phrase: "I'm proud of you" to communicate that I'm proud of the person I'm talking to, do I only need to stress the word "proud" a bit?

I think that stressing the pronouns "I" and "you" are only needed when we want to make contrast between people, but it's probably less common. Am I right? The common stress pattern I think is something like: da-DA-da-da.


texts: Which syllable is stressed in the English word 'romance'?

texts:
Whenever I google it the results are mostly about Romance languages. Google itself gives two versions r'omance and rom'ance.

Are they used interchangeably for both the noun and the verb or r'omance is the noun and rom'ance is the verb?


texts:
A is 8 times older to B

Does this mean (a) A's age = 8 * B's age or (b) A's age = A's age = 8 * B's age + B's age?

Similarly what is the meaning of A is 8 times older than B?


texts: Is there a phrase called "flip the switch" or "flip one's switch"?

texts:
I was reading a novel when I came across this line:

Just by looking at her face, I felt as if the switch inside my head was flipped.

I want to ask: is the phrase "the switch inside my head was flipped" or "flip the switch"/"flip one's switch" a real phrase?
If not, can you suggest some alternatives?
Thanks for your responses!


texts: Difference in pronunciation between "won't" and "want"

texts: Which is the difference in pronunciation between "won't" and "want"?


texts: Does 'The two movies permeate pop culture' make sense or should it be 'have permeated pop culture'?


texts: How to express a "simple past" idea that could happen in the future?

texts:
Ok, Let's see this conversation.

Tom & Mary are working in a shop right now. It is 4 pm NOW. Normally the working hour will finish at 5 pm.

Tom: There is not too much work today. Can I leave at 4.35?

Mary: You can leave at 4.45 because if you leave before 4.45, the boss will ask you, "Why did you leave so early?"

Now my question is that how can we change the sentence if we omit the double quotation mark?

If I write the sentence like this (You can leave at 4.45 because if you leave before 4.45, the boss will ask you that why you left so early.), then will it break the universe?


texts: Is the object necessary in “It teaches (all) to think”?

texts:
What are the differences between:

It teaches to think.

It teaches all to think.

I have found in a book that the 1st sentence isn’t correct. Is that right?


texts: I have met a kind of expression that I am unable to understand. The full sentence I met is "Most of the automotive stock analysts were, and are, happily riding along with the windows down." I myself have tried to google it but I just understand the original meaning as "driving with the windows of the car down". But it doesn't make sense in this sentence. So how can I understand in this context?


texts: Is it correct to write  "scientests can test a hypotheses" even though hypotheses is a plural?


texts: A word that encompasses both hypermasculinity and hyperfemininity?

texts:
I'm looking for a noun that encompasses both hypermasculinity and hyperfemininity.

The characters portrayed in movies such as Grease are strong examples of _________, as all the men have a heightened sense of masculinity while the women have a heightened sense of femininity.


texts:
I am having trouble writing a seemingly simple sentence. I am organising an event where three kinds of food will be served:

hot beverages
cold beverages
finger food

My trouble deals with putting these three items together in one sentence. I have tried several ways, but all of them seem wrong:

  Hot and cold beverages and finger food will be served at every meeting (two and)
  Hot, cold beverages and finger food [...] (it looks like hot is a complete item)
  Hot beverages, cold beverages and finger food [...] (redundant beverages)
  Hot beverages, cold drinks and finger food [...] (dirty trick; I don't like it)

Putting finger food in front does not help either. What would be the right way to write this sentence?


texts: Although very often the present perfect simple and progressive forms can be used interchangeably. Why is the simple form necessary here. "They have completely restored their home " is it because of "completely "?


texts: Why is "a 100% increase" the same amount as "a two-fold increase"?

texts:
and is such interpretation the norm?

When something went from 4 units to 8 units, most authoritative sources seem to agree with the use of "a two-fold increase", even though what was actually increased is more like "one-fold", i.e. the original quantity.

But if the "two-fold increase" is the correct usage, why most people seem to interpret "a 100% increase" the same thing?


texts: What's the difference between these two sentences?

texts:
Health facilities reported 1000 people killed and 3000 wounded since March 19.
  Health facilities reported that 1000 people were killed and 3000 were wounded since March 19.

Isn't 'killed' an adjective in the first sentence and a verb in the second? I'd be grateful if anyone could please explain in detail. Thank you.


texts: Which modal verbs mean bigger or less probability of something to happen?

texts:
I would like to know a degree of probability wich modal verbs indicate when used. If there is any probability scale for these verbs from the lowest probability to highest. I am also interested in how repetitive actions are related to the usage of the modal verbs.
Here are some examples of sentences that imply probability and repetitive actions but I am not sure about a degree of probability

1 It won't start - I think the battery's flat.
2 I asked him to park it somewhere else, but he wouldn't move it.
3 I wish  he would turn it down.
4 We can watch the match on the balcony if you'll just help me take it out there.
5 It would keep her amused on long car journeys - but we insisted she have the sound off.
6 He'll play with it all morning, his eyes glued to the tiny screen.
7 That'll be Mike. Don't answer it.
8 They'll have got there by now. Give it to me  - I know their number.
9 He will keep forgetting to turn it off. It gets so hot in the kitchen!
10 It would go wrong now, wouldn't it! Just as I put the meat in to roast.
11 There's no more room in it. Where shall I put the chicken?
12 Shall I defrost it now or when we come back?
13 I'll set it up for you if you like. It's the same as the one I use at work.
14 Shall I defrost it now or when we come back?
15 That would/will be my wife.

I would also like to see some examples with probabilities of could, might, may and other modal verbs.


texts: Articles, prepositions, and conjunctions in acronyms and initialisms

texts:
"Federal Bureau of Investigation" becomes FBI, instead of FBOI. Meanwhile, "Theory of Mind" becomes ToM or TOM, instead of TM.

Is there any rule regarding inclusion of articles, conjunctions, and prepositions in acronyms? What should I do with such phrases below, then?

"And Then There Were None" - ATTWN or TTWN
"The Lord of the Rings" - TLOTR, LOR, or LR
"The Minority Report" - TMR or MR
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" - ATSS or TSS


texts: Hyphenating/capitalizing values and coordinates

texts:
I'm translating some software from German (where there's a correct way for everything) into English (my native language, but also where I do so much more just by feeling) and I'm stumped by things like:

  T value
  X coordinate
  Y coordinate

My sense is that all three should not be hyphenated or capitalized (though I'm not sure about at the beginning of a sentence.)  I should have made it more clear in writing the original question that I'm talking about capitalizing the words 'value' or 'coordinate.'

Some examples (not real, but of the sort I'd have to translate) might be:

Transform T value
X value out of range
Enter Y coordinate

Just recently the topic came up with my boss and she asked if that was the rule in English and I truthfully told her I didn't know. Is it the rule? Is there a rule?


texts:
Say, I want to talk about village that belongs to a particular city. How to express it:

The village of X in Y
or
The village of X of Y

And my confusion also applies to a population belonging to some city:

The people of X
or
The people of Y

Which is the correct option?


texts: Is Theodore Roosevelt's writing ungrammatical?

texts:
Here is an excerpt from chapter 8 of Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris. Morris quotes some of Roosevelt's writing and calls it ungrammatical. Can you explain what is ungrammatical about the passage?

  Musing on the behavior of screech owls, he produced one extraordinary, if ungrammatical, image:

    They come up to the house after dark, and are fond of sitting in the elk-antlers over the gable. When the moon is up, by changing one's position, the little owl appears in sharp outline against the bright disk, seated on his many-tined perch


texts: Is it rude to say commands or imperatives without saying please?

texts:
I've been wondering that for a long time. And if it is rude, then why does everyone say commands/imperatives without saying please? I personally phrase them into questions, or say "you have to","you need to","you can't"...and such. Does anyone else do that? Just me? I feel like everyone is bossy but me lol.

Also, I was wondering if saying "come on" is rude. It sounds mean or just negative when people do. Also when people say "let me" it also sounds mean-ish because it sounds like you are commanding permission from someone without them having any say.


texts:
I came across the following multi-choice question in a bank of past exam questions of ENG1001 (taught as a compulsory subject in my university):

Randy is a very good swimmer, so he .......... swim better than I do.

A. can
B. would
C. may
D. is going to

No answer key is given and almost all friends of mine prefer Option A. This raises two questions in my mind.

Is Randy's ability to swim better than I do the consequence of his being a very good swimmer? Rather, they are, I think, two facts simply coextensive with each other, and as such should be joined by 'and' instead of 'so'.
Is the sequence "can swim better than I can" more appropriate than "can swim better than I do"?

Is there anything wrong with my reasoning?

Thank you.


texts: Is the English language used by the European institutions the British one?

texts:
I find here an article on the use of English within EU institutions.

It says: "our publications need to be comprehensible for their target audience, which is largely British and Irish, and should therefore follow a standard that reflects usage in the United Kingdom and Ireland" (page 4).

Is it true that the target audience is UK and Irish native speakers? Is it not English the lingua franca of Europe and therefore is it not the non-British (and non-Irish) audience which is the larger target?

Is there an academic guidance at EU level concerning the use of English as European lingua franca?

(That is: is Euro-English to be more than subject for jokes like this one?)


texts:
I'm translating some Buddhist texts to English and I'm wondering if there are any subtle differences in usage between the words deity, divinity, and god (in the lower case sense)?

What is the word for their "earthly" counterpart (by which I mean "natural being" or "ordinary people")?

Thank you!


texts: for words ending in "ing", what parts are stressed?

texts:
For words ending in the -ing suffix, is the suffix stressed? Unstressed? Does adding the -ing suffix affect the stress of the other syllables?

Example: (u is untressed, ' is stressed)
Deteriorate is (U ' U U '), is deteriorating (U ' U U ' U)? Is it (U ' U U ' ')?


texts: 'the computation' or 'the computations'?

texts:
See this sentence: The computation of strains, stresses and axial forces in the bar elements is straightforward.

Why not use computations here? I think since there are several different types of items mentioned after the preposition 'of', it makes more sense to use 'computations' instead of the singular form. In practice, especially in academic writing, how to determine whether use 'the + singular-form noun' or 'the + plural-form noun'?


texts:
Is there any notable difference between the two? Example:

  Whenever I was depressed, sounds would amplify themselves ten or
  twenty times, to the point they became indistinguishable from physical
  pain.

  Whenever I got depressed, sounds would amplify themselves ten or
  twenty times, to the point they became indistinguishable from physical
  pain.

Does the meaning change? Or maybe one of the options is incorrect/not idiomatic?


texts: Can "allophone" be used to mean "nonnative"?

texts: Do you use allophone in replacement of nonnative? And, do you have more expressions meaning nonnative?


texts: What's the difference between "a picture of the king" and "a picture of the king's"?

texts:
A picture of the king.
A picture of the king's.

What exactly is the difference between the two?


texts: The [City] station vs [City] station ~ Definite article

texts:
I have an easy question about the usage of the definite article in a context like: " the station of [City name]"

What are the differences between these sentences?

A) The station of Rome is one of the biggest in Italy.

B) Rome Station is one of the biggest in Italy.

C) The "Roma Termini" station in Rome is one of the biggest in Italy.

D) Rome's station is one of the biggest in Italy.

They are all correct, aren't they?

My teacher of English told me it's incorrect to use the possessive case with city names even if you can find it on books etc.


texts: Idiom for saying "You are making someone go mad/angry."

texts:
First, a bit of context.

Richard Stallman, father of the free software movement, has struggled all his life trying to explain that the "free" in "free software" is a "free" as in "freedom", not as "free beer".

Now, let's say someone argues that the main reason for adopting free software is that it has no cost (free beer). How can I tell him that he would make Richard Stallman go mad by saying this?

Is there an idiom that could communicate this effectively? (Obviously, this is a language question, not a free software debate.)

Edit: I just realized that I am looking for a version of "to turn in one's grave" for alive people :)


texts: What word could I use to confront a friend who defends the behavior of a gossip?

texts:
I would like a word or a phrase to use to confront a "friend" who glosses over the harmful gossip of another "friend." I think she defends the gossip because the gossip is influential in town.

My friend says that she is being "objective." I want to tell her otherwise.


texts: What does it mean to "put as much arm as she could into hers"?

texts: What does "put as much arm as she could into hers" mean?


texts: Expression "that's the top and bottom of it"

texts: What is the meaning of the expression "that's the top and bottom of it"? In which situations can it be used?


texts:
I am filling in this form and on page two there are 2 questions (Q11 and Q12) that seem the same to me but probably are not.

Q10: Your date of leaving UK
Q11: Are you resident in the UK for the tax year up until the date at question 10?
Q12: Were you resident in the UK for the tax year before departure date?

What is the difference between questions Q11 and Q12? Aren't they asking same thing: if I was a resident in the UK before leaving it?


texts:
Me and my mother had a long discussion yesterday about when you are allowed to write that you are "available for hire".

At the moment I am sending out job applications, and I end them by saying that I am "available for hire" but my mother says that you can't write it like that, since you can't be "for hire" when you're looking for a full-time job only. She says that "for hire" is only for smaller tasks or jobs.

What do you think?
What could be a good alternative, if necessary?


texts: What does a "lips and teeth" diplomatic relationshp mean?

texts:
I have seen this expression to describe the China - North Korea relationship, but not with enough context to know what it means:

  China, while not pleased about the nuclear advancement of North Korea, also has a historical “lips and teeth” relationship with North Korea and is Pyongyang’s largest trading partner"

it was also used as a headline:

  "Lips and Teeth: It’s time for China to get tough with North Korea."


texts: Should I put articles in the headlines of a CV?

texts:
For example, here:

My contribution: Front-end development.

(The) Project: Our team realized the most popular news resource for a big city.


texts: ability in editing text and researching - has or have?

texts:
The following sentence:

My ability in editing text and researching [has or have] been developed during my time at the University.

Another construction I can think of is:

My abilities in editing text and researching have been developed during my time at the University.

However the latter seems unnatural to me.


texts: Why is "service" pronounced the way it is?

texts:
Why is service pronounced the way it is and not like device even though the last 4 letters of the words are identical?

I would think that if they end the same way, the same pronunciation rules should apply as well.

I also checked Wiktionary.org and it says both words evolved from Old French where 'service' originated from 'servis' and 'device' originated from 'devis'. Again identical end of the word spelling.


texts: That-clause as an object after transitive verbs like "infer" and "inform"?

texts:
I came across an example sentence on Cambridge Dictionary of the word "infer", which is a transitive verb.

He inferred that she was not interested in a relationship from what she said in her letter.

I wonder if the logic of this usage is to make the that-clause a direct object to "infer". If it's the case, can I also say something like:

He informed that she would no longer attend the meetings.

instead of

He informed us that she would no longer attend the meetings.


texts: Reported speech with conditional sentences

texts:
Could you guys please help me rewrite this sentence

He said: "if i had a permit, i could get a job"

Which one below do you think is correct:

• He said if he had a permit, he could get the job.

• He said if he had had a permit, he could have got the job.


texts: Exact one word for "Eligible for modification in future"

texts:
I was writing a kind-of technical document for commercial company.

The product/item which we are writing about may or may not undergo some changes and we needed to document this point clearly in our product documentation.

So, I am looking for What exactly is the correct word for

  The product may or may not be modified in future


texts: Do you "convert money" when you are exchanging with a foreign currency?

texts:
I was in the bank the other day and the teller asked me how much of my money I wanted to "convert" into USD.

Is this the right form of usage? Cambridge dictionary defines convert in many ways but all of them somewhat relate to a change of essence of whatever is being converted.

However, I think my money is not changing its essence, I'm just exchanging with money in another currency which is arguably similar buying milk from the grocery store. (Exchanging money vs money or money vs good)


texts:
Spain mulls action over blame for E. coli outbreak

Source: Reuters


texts:
I would like to know the meaning of the phrase "pitch adds up" as it appears in this phrase from an article in Fast Company:

  None of [the applications] fit the bill, and the pitches add up quickly.

According to dictionaries, pitch has a whole range of meanings, and I don't know which exactly applies in this case.


texts: How would I go about including a he-said/she-said statement?

texts:
I’m writing a book where in the beginning, we’re introduced to the couple by a conversation they’re having. I’m wondering how I can phrase it correctly?

  "It's like I don't even know you anymore, Warren! You talk about doing
  big things, but when push comes to shove, you always find a way to let
  people down... and I'm tired of being let down. I love you Warren, I
  do. But I'm just not sure I want to be let down anymore. You're not
  the same person." [said Nastia at the dinner table].

I just don’t feel like it makes sense to start a new sentence with said. What are some suggestions?


texts: What is the head noun in 'the number of' phrases?

texts:
What is the head noun in the noun phrase 'the number of koalas'? My concern is with the non-defining relative clause and the assignment of 'which' to one of the nouns in the NP.

My sentences read:

  The number of koalas, which are native to Australia, is declining alarmingly.
  The number of koalas, which is declining alarmingly, needs to be addressed by the authorities.

Are both correct?


texts: Replacing a comma with a subordinate clause

texts:
Can I add more information to this sentence

  To achieve efficiency and tangible results, motivation of the workers
  is important as it can help them improve their performance and
  happiness.

and make it like this without it being wrong grammatically?

  To achieve efficiency and tangible results**, which are critical in any
  workplace,** motivation of the workers is important as it can help them
  improve their performance and happiness.

If i remove the which clause, the sentence will only make sense when a comma is also added, like in the original sentence.


texts: Punctuation for the phrase "including but not limited to"

texts:
When using the phrase "including but not limited to", how should it be punctuated?
When used in the following (no punctuation):

There are many activities including but not limited to running jumping and swimming

My first try:

There are many activities including, but not limited to, running, jumping, and swimming.

Then I thought... maybe I need another one? Is this, or perhaps the previous version correct?

There are many activities, including, but not limited to, running, jumping, and swimming.

Eh, maybe that's too many.
Does this justify a colon?
Is it orthographically correct?
With or without the first comma in parens?

There are many activities(,) including, but not limited to: running, jumping, and swimming.

No? Then what about this?

There are many activities, including - but not limited to - running, jumping, and swimming.


texts:
I am trying to think of synonyms for two similar descriptions but where the length of the actual description is different. I have checked this thread, but I want feedback due to the nature of the lengths in question.

The first is a word for a very short description of something, like a single sentence in length.

  Highland events in the south-east promote tourism.

I was thinking tagline, but tagline seems to be associated with marketing or advertising.

The second is a word for a more detailed and lengthy description of something, more like a paragraph in length.

  The Highlands’ events also include some of Scotland’s most popular music festivals including Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival and RockNess. The legendary Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival always promises to be a memorable weekend, with lots of tastings, demonstrations and live music.

I was thinking excerpt, but this seems to apply to media in being a direct quotation rather than a description.


texts: Preposition "to" use necessary: The aims of the study were: (1) to evaluate, (2) to present

texts:
I am writing study aims. Are the "to"-s necessary or redundant in the following sentence?

Article "to" use necessary: The aims of the study were: (1) to evaluate, (2) to present ...

Article "to" use necessary: The aims of the study were: (1) evaluate, (2) present ...


texts:
I hired a private detective to see if I could cut a deal

In the above sentence, why do we cut a deal? Should I replace it with make a deal? Is it a popular idiom in the native English world?


texts: Is "will never have been" valid English?

texts:
I was reading this phrase "will never have been" and I was wondering what grammatical structure does it belong to / is it grammatical? I'm not sure why but it sounds weird.
What is the difference between "will never have been" and "was never"?

1 Kings 3:12 (NIV)
I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

PS: This question is about English usage, and no, this question has nothing to do with exegesis.


texts: Is "I Hope All goes well" Appropriate here?

texts:
Is the response for this dialog appropriate or even correct with "I hope all goes well with your project"? (the conversation happened through text message, so I believe it wasn't very formal)

Business Partner (Friend): We have a very busy week ahead, Very important project, I'm afraid we should cancel our following meeting.

Me:Thanks for the update, No problem, I hope all goes well with your project.


texts:
Which is correct, "be embodied in" or "be embodied within"?

  There is hope for the future of the great river, and it is embodied within the reverence with which she is still held. (from a documentary film, Ganges, by Darren Flaxstone)

Reverence is in people's heart, in this sense. It is a feeling, which has no extension. Therefore, is it not more natural to say that hope is embodied in the reverence?


texts:
The "conditional if" plays a role of a subordinating conjunction.
While I haven't found a source to say so, I gather that this may be freely paired with "then" in the standard "if-then" clause. The correct comma punctuation would seem to be:

If it's a square, (then) it's a rectangle.
(Then) it's a square if it's a rectangle.

(I think use of "then" in front is uncommon, but I don't know if it's ungrammatical per se.)
I found a few places on the internet where "if-then" was categorized as a correlator, but I am inclined to disagree. There is no parallel structure, and the punctuation does not match up.
I am guessing that "if-then" is sometimes mislabeled as a correlator when some people ineptly conclude that "correlative conjunction means a pair of conjunctions".
Can anyone review these thoughts and offer any details I overlooked?


texts: Does the phrase "The hills have eyes" predate the movie?

texts: I'm under the impression that the phrase "the hills have eyes" predates the movie (including the 1977 one), but I can't find any use of it on Google.  How can I find out if the phrase existed first?


texts: What is the technical term for the area within a fort?

texts: I would like to know what is the name of the area within a trace italienne fortification, i.e. item 38 in the image here below (which unfortunately was omitted in Wikipedia):


texts: What part of speech are the words in the phrase “as well as”?

texts:
In the sentence:

  My car as well as my lap top were stolen last night.

What part of speech are the words in the phrase as well as?

I believe the first as is the preposition of the phrase, that well is an adverb, and that the last as is again a preposition. But I am not sure.

Or do the three words function together as a syntactic element? If so, what would that be called?


texts: Is it 'Save time IN your morning routine' or 'Save time ON your morning routine'?

texts:
I need help on this.

Do I say

  Save time in your morning routine

or

  Save time on your morning routine

?

The context: a beauty procedure that simplifies women's makeup routine.

Thank you for your answers.


texts: Single word for something that receives a request or response

texts:
Something that sends Requests, can be called Requester, but is there a single word to denote a Handler / Receiver?

      Request Sender  > Request  > Request Receiver
AKA   Requester                    ? (Single Word Exists?)

      Response Sender > Response > Response Receiver
AKA   Responder                    ? (Single Word Exists?)

Is there any single word for the Request/Response Receiver?

Request Sender = Requester, Response Receiver = ? (if there even is one)


texts: Word for when something takes place within the team

texts:
If you wanted to provide training for a team you managed, but that training came from within the team, is there a single word you can use to describe this?

I.e. a senior member of the team is training the rest of the team, instead of an outside source.

Off the top of my head something like "innerteam training" implies what I want, but isn't a real word.

Ideally a single word, but a phrase could work as well.


texts:
In America, it's pretty much universally pronounced "moll" but in the UK, I have heard a few different ways of pronouncing it:

Mall (rhymes with pal)
Maul (rhymes with ball and hence the American pronunciations match up)
Moll

It may depend on accents but which is the correct way?


texts: What are alternatives of "a better way" in academic writing?

texts: I want to say "A better way to analyse the .. is to understand its underlying structure". What are the alternatives to saying a better way?


texts: Would this be correct grammar: "(place) is a must-do for anybody who considers themselves a vacationer."

texts: I'm really asking about the must-do in the middle.


texts: A word for "somebody who is sponsored"? Sponsee?

texts:
Is there a word that means "somebody who is sponsored"?

E.g. if I sponsor somebody, that person is my ______?

Google results for sponsee have scattered definitions in unreliable sources, so it does not appear that is a real word. I'm looking for something similar, a single word, preferably American English.

The specific context is a social group membership application where new members must be sponsored (as in definition 2, here - "one who assumes responsibility for some other person or thing") by existing members. I am looking for a single word to describe the target of such a sponsorship.


texts:
"At the time of this video's upload"

Is the "Upload" functioning as a noun adjective?

Also why is it written upload and not uploading, becuase in the sentence ("at the time of this writing") it's "writing" and not "write".


texts: A literary term meaning reversed repetition?

texts:
A quote from The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss lists

  "actors and acrobats, musicians and hand magicians, jugglers and jesters"

My first thought on reading it was that "hand magicians and musicians" (ABAB) would have a more quippish tone than "musicians and hand magicians" (ABBA), but upon reflection I decided that such a phrasing would be too singsong, whereas the inversion feels more cleverly poetical to me.

Is there a literary term for the inverted repetition of similar sounds?  I've come up with ABBA internal rhyme or with chiastic parallelism, but I'm wondering if there's a single word that describes this pattern better.


texts: What is another way of saying "back then"?

texts:
Such as referring to a previous time or the past.

For instance,

  "The reason why is because back then, instead of drinking raw milk
  as a staple food, they turned most of their milk into cheese."


texts:
In about good habit & bad, I run into the sentence like

  Doing something over and over again until you don't have to think about it is how actions become habitual in the first place

Could you explain more easier expression?


texts: What is a difference between "what if" and "if"

texts:
My English teacher asked me what's the difference between what if and if last week.
I can't search anything about that. What only I know is what if is a question sentence. And if is a general(?) sentence.

Is it related with class word (a part of speech)?


texts: What is the correct way to introduce and write a list?

texts:
In technical papers I often see text like this.

  Finally, the goal is to determine x. The three ways of achieving this
  are the following: The blue method involves tying your
  shoelaces. The pink method requires you to first go to the shops and
  buy a bunch of bananas. The purple method is really quite
  complicated and will take a long time to describe.

What is the proper way to write this? In particular, should the colon simply be a full stop, should the sentences read more like "The pink method, which requires[...]" and should the final sentence start differently?

I should perhaps have added that this needs to all be in one paragraph. There is not enough space to set it out as a numbered list.


texts: 'She had begun by saying' = 'She had begun to say'?

texts:
"You should have a shop," she had begun by saying, loading Miss Bartlett's plate with scones and home-made ginger jam, "properly equipped and converted ..." [phrase ends after the direct speech]

I do not quite understand the clause 'she had begun by saying' here. Is it idiomatic and equivalent in meaning to 'she had begun to say', or is the object of 'begun' implicit (, or both)?


texts:
I'm reading The Round House by Louise Erdrich. I've came across to this expression and I know it normally is a racial slur about white people. The book is about Native Americans and the term is used by one, but I feel like the author meant a whole different thing and used it for an object rather than a person. He says people sit and gape at this round white cracker. Is it the sacrament? For context, the tribe is Ojibwa and the narrator is in the hospital with his parents and calls his aunt and her husband to let them know but they won't answer. Here is the paragraph it's in:

  But there was no answer. So I knew my aunt
  had taken Edward up to adore the sacrament, which got them out of the
  house on Sunday nights. He said that while Clemence adored the sacrament,
  he meditated on how it could be possible that humans had evolved
  out of apes only to sit gaping at a round white cracker. Uncle Edward was
  a science teacher.


texts: What is the proper preposition in this context? steps in/of/for

texts:
I have the following sentence which I want to perfect:

  This document describes the basic steps (of/in/for) creating a new
  document.

What is the correct word to use?


texts: Is Yiddish a creole language? And if not, what is it?

texts:
A "creole" language is formed by the merging of two parent languages, usually through an earlier rudimentary mixture of the two. Does this make Yiddish a creole language? Was English itself a creole language in the century or so after the Norman Conquest?

My question is really about what constitutes a creole language: what are its hallmarks and most distinguishing features, and do creole languages ever evolve to become "proper" languages (whatever that may mean) in their own right?


texts: Is there a word or phrase for language and culture combined?

texts:
Mr. Doe is committed to learning and teaching language and culture.

Is there a term that embodies both language and culture? I want something concise, as I need to state it multiple times.

I considered "linguistics" as a possibility:

  Mr. Doe is committed to learning and teaching linguistics.

... but that doesn't really embody the customs and cultural side of the issue. I'm looking for a word that encompasses that aspect, as well as language.


texts: What is the origin/meaning of "get off my cloud" and will it change?

texts: What is the etymology of this phrase, and might the meaning change due to cloud storage?


texts: Can the second 'I' be omitted in 'I am ... and I am ...'

texts:
For example, if I want to say

  I am grateful to have been offered a place on the program and I am very happy to accept the offer.

Is it better or not to omit the second 'I'?

  I am grateful to have been offered a place on the program and am very happy to accept the offer.

Omitting the second 'I' looks a bit strange for me..


texts: Is "but on what grounds did not appear" ungrammatical?

texts:
You can see the quote beneath on Google Books, but I've double-checked it on Westlaw.

The highlighted dependent clause looks wrong to me, as I can't pinpoint the subject of "what did not appear"? "on what grounds" is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverbial adjunct.


texts: Word to describe something which exists both in the mortal world and the afterlife?

texts:
I'm trying to find an adjective to describe something - a thing, concept or idea - that transcends the empiric "mortal" world and exists in the afterlife. Specifically, the word should describe the object as not just existing simultaneously in both worlds, but also bridging the gap between them.

To give an example of such an object, love could be considered this, since sometimes even after a loved one dies the love between the two people still exists.

Any ideas? I'm stumped. I feel like there's a really good, simple word to convey this feeling that I'm just overlooking because it's 2:30 A.M. right now and I literally can't think.


texts: Future tense or future perfect tense, which one should be used in this sentence?

texts:
by 2050, time travel .... possible.

a) will be

b) will have been

which answer is correct? is it wrong to use "will be" in that case?


texts: If I attain a Master's degree, how do I refer to myself?

texts:
This is in reference to holding an MLS degree. Am I a "Master"? Would it be correct to say

  When I become a Master of Library Science, I would like to...

That sounds somehow kooky, but I can't think of a better way to say it.


texts: A word for a person who always needs there to be a problem?

texts:
I spoke to a woman who had several issues dealing with a common process we go through at work. I gave her several solutions to her issues and even explained that one of her main issues was not really even an issue, just something she wasn't understanding fully and actually had the power to manage and maintain. She fought me throughout our conversation and kept repeating that she was having these issues, even as I tried to reinforce that these were solvable and manageable problems. After it was completely clear that everything had been explained and taken care of, she was obviously hesitant to accept that things were actually okay and seemed to want to not be okay with everything, just sighing and repeating, "Well... okay. But.... okay."

It was like she just wanted to be mad, perhaps because she was just foul-tempered, but also like she did not want to let go of the problem. I talk to these people every now and then who just seem unable to let go of that pessimistic mindset and want there to be a problem. Is there a word for this kind of person or a suitable adjective? The words I've come up with that touch on what I'm thinking of are argumentative, irrational, disagreeable, and dramatic, but none of these fully encapsulate that certain quality of just seeming to NEED there to be a problem.


texts:
I was filling this cloze test from a book (the bolded words are answers):

  There are many methods of mining, each of which is based upon
  where a mineral deposit is found in the earth. While some mineral
  deposits are far ... , others lie at or near the earth surface.
  Several different mining methods are used when deposit occur close
  to the earth's surface.

Here are the choices for the blank:

  a. away
  b. deep
  c. from
  d. underground

I chose underground as the answer because it seems very logical and I don't suppose it will cause a grammatical error; however, the book says the correct answer is away.
I can't find any way to relate far away to depth. Are there any? Or is the book incorrect?
Any help would be highly appreciated.


texts: Is it right to ask "Where is the world's most fresh water?" without using the word found or located?

texts:
Is it right to ask this question:

  Where is the world's most fresh water?

Can I ask this question without using the word "found"

  Where is the world's most fresh water found?


texts: I just read about a house that had a "busybody" What is a busybody?

texts: I was reading O'hara's 10 North Frederick and in describing a house he mentions a dumb-waiter, a speaking tube and a "busybody." What exactly is a busybody?


texts: Can I use "any" with an object expressed in plural?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  "Any letter"

  "Any letters"

  Let me provide the context:
  "Are there any letters in the post box?"


texts: "Abandoned" as an antonym of "Abstemious" (adj) ?

texts:
Can we use  "Abandoned" as an antonym of "Abstemious" (adj)?

Please explain your answer.


texts: rewriting "trying to get out" with verb DO

texts: In rewriting the sentence "where there was a stampede of people trying to get out" I am asked to write a sentence with simimilar meaning using the verb DO in this precise form. Any suggestions?


texts:
Which is grammatically correct?

  He woke up late this morning because he had a party with his friends last night.

Or

  He woke up late this morning because he had had a party with his friends last night.


texts: Verb Agreement in "There is/are a stapler and a pencil"

texts:
There ____ a stapler and a pencil on Mrs. Ford's desk.

I believe I would use the word is to match up with stapler, but I can't remember why.


texts: Do I need "the" before the name of my university?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Definite article before proper nouns

I was updating my LinkedIn tagline and thinking about whether I should put the article before the name of the university.

  Student at the University of […].
  Student at University of […].

I am leaning towards the former but I am not sure.


texts: Achievement Verbs with the Progressive Aspect

texts:
I was reading a grammar and saw this.

Achievement verbs describe actions that occur instantaeously.

He solved the problem.
He spotted the airplane.

These verbs fall into two classes - one is 'punctual', and the other 'change of state'

(..cut..)

Change of state - find a solution, cross the finish line - This involves a preliminary activity that culminates in the act denoted by the verb. Thus, a person searches before finding the solution, and runs toward the finish line before crossing it.

(..cut..)

With change of state verbs, progressive aspect may or may not be possible, depending on whether the activity leading up to the achievement is treated as being the same activity

For example,

'His train is arriving at noon.'  is acceptable
'* She is recognizing the thief.'  is not acceptable.

I feel that 'She is recognizing the thief.' is strange, but as I don't understand the bolded part, I can't get the reason. Would you help me with this?


texts:
for a book I will write a chapter on what the utopian literature said about a certain technology which is commonplace nowadays.
Would something like "XYZ in the rearview mirror" work or would there be a great idiom.
Thanks, Oliver


texts: Word or phrase with a similar meaning to 'statistical difference '

texts:
I am explaining my results in my paper. I am looking for a word or phrase with similar meaning to 'statistical difference'.

If one performs a statistical test for a difference in the mean or median of two data samples, and the test rejects the null hypothesis (at some significance level alpha), then there is 'statistical difference' between the two samples. I am looking for  another way to say this.


texts:
I came across the verb muse, which roughly means to be absorbed in thought about any given thing. I wondered, when specifying what someone was musing about, would it be better to say:

  I muse about what happened that day.

Or:

  I muse on what happened that day.

Which is correct, or better?


texts:
I am composing a letter to the owner of my company.  In the letter I am trying to describe a situation where a problem occurred due to a confluence of failures.  E.g., our tom-foolery server crashed, because the backup failed and the widget was faulty and the wickets were rusty and the elbows weren't bent enough.  The system wouldn't have crashed, but for this coincidence of these specific failures.

The phrase that first came to mind was "Perfect Storm" which is defined by MacMillan Dictionary as follows:

  a very unpleasant situation in which several bad things happen at once

My example sentence

  Normally the server can handle a backup failure without crashing, but that was not the case today due to a ________________.

I am worried that Perfect Storm may not be easily understood in this context.  I am hoping that I can find a word or phrase that will be understandable and professional.

I searched all of the major dictionary sites for synonyms to Perfect Storm but I couldn't find any at all.  Next, I searched Stack Exchange for similar questions.  There are a couple of questions here on ELU that are related to the phrase Perfect Storm, but unfortunately none provide a synonym.

I am hopeful that you can help me.  Please feel free to reword my example sentence in any way you would like that will provide a professional understandable synonym for "Perfect Storm" in the context outlined above.

What is a synonym for “Perfect Storm”?


texts:
I was recently talking to someone who said a restaurant was spraunce, meaning it was well-presented and high-quality (that being the sense I was familiar with). We briefly discussed the fact that he thought spraunce also implied expensive, whereas I wasn't aware of that connotation.

I was surprised when it turned out none of several other people in that conversation knew the word at all. Even more surprised to find out later that it doesn't seem to be in any dictionaries. And positively gobsmacked after going online and discovering even Google doesn't seem to know it.

It took me several minutes to unearth this single reference, where it's actually to spraunce up. That clearly suggests alliteration / confusion with to spruce up. I'm happy to accept that as being a possible component of the origin, but it doesn't really feel like the whole story.

Does anyone else know the word? Or anything about its origins and usage?


texts: Word for a redundant, repeated action that has no effect on the outcome of a task

texts:
What is the word for something where no matter how many times we repeat an action, it has no bearing on the outcome?

e.g. pressing the 'close doors' button on an elevator repeatedly doesn't make the doors close faster.

e.g. repeatedly clicking the mouse when your computer freezes doesn't help it unfreeze.

Example sentence:

"Repeatedly pressing the 'close doors' button in an elevator is a [insert word here] action"


texts: What does historical average mean as a general statistics concept related to history?

texts:
Does it simply mean, 'whatever this average is for, it's from the beginning of it historically up till today'? For example, 'historical average of stackoverflow main page clicks', is this simply from the foundation of it till today?
I've been seeing some news saying 'X city's historical average death count in April was 1k up this year.' and no context is provided. What history?
Also, I feel like there should be an entry for this phrase in the dictionaries or some encyclopedic entry. Thanks!


texts: What's a word for the exact opposite of regret?

texts: I know you can say you were "super glad you did something," but I'm looking for a word that expresses this in nominal form, i.e. the opposite of "my biggest regret." (my biggest ___ ) Does a word like this exist?


texts: How do you say that a food and a sauce 'harmonize'?

texts:
One time I told my friend that I ate a piece of bread with honey (not jam, real honey from the bottle) and my friend asked me if the honey is good with bread.

Sometimes you say to two people (usually they are a couple)
"You two look good together"

In a similar way, I wanted to say something like
"Honey and bread are good together". The problem with this is, I think the bread is the main element and honey is like a sub-element. But here, they seem to be in the same rank/position:

"Honey is pretty good on bread"
"Honey is good with bread"

Is there any common expression for this?


texts: Usage of "against" in "progress against our strategic objectives"

texts:
I have one more question concerning Lucy Kellaway’s 2012 Golden flannel Award .

The another contender of the Preposition Award was a usage of against.

  The first was shown to advantage recently in a statement from Lloyds: “We have made substantial progress against our strategic objectives”, which suggests the bank is moving in the wrong direction.

This usage of against sounds completely wrong to me. Do you think this is deliberate ? If so, what is the intension of the author ?


texts:
Typically, you structure MLA:

  John Smith
  Professor Adam Houser
  English 105
  3 December 2015

(Page Header: "Smith 1")

How would you arrange this for a co-written paper? I could not find any clear definitions online. My assumption is that it goes like this:

  John Smith
  Kayla Ellsworth
  Professor Adam Houser
  3 December 2015

(Page Header: "Smith & Ellsworth 1")

Is this how it works? I need help with the proper formatting.


texts: A single word for a person who can speak many languages

texts: Please suggest me a single word for a person who can speak many languages.


texts: What is the word called which is sad about ending but also happy for good things happened in the way

texts: I felt that feeling in avengers endgame movie, I was sad about retiring Avengers but satisfied about good things happened in the way


texts: Indicate direction or point to object by gesture of the head. Visually, it is a short jerk of the head in the said direction. Say a SWAT team leader silently directs his men to go to the left. Would you say "nods at"? There has to be something better.


texts: Is it appropriate to use "I" multiple times in one sentence?

texts:
Consider the following sentences.

I want to say I like this book.
I have noticed I have a knack for problem solving.

They sound somewhat wrong to me. Are they grammatical and appropriate?
Is there way to say the same without using multiple "I"s in the same sentence?


texts: How to communicate the idea of a "brown-noser" without the vulgar connotations?

texts:
What term would communicate something similar to "brown noser", without the vulgar connotation?

(Here's one citation of the term being used by WWII soldiers, but I'm guessing it was used before that.  In any case, the term is used by people in American culture today.
From the link to WWII Vocabulary: "Brown-noser: Ass-kisser. To curry favor, or “boot-lick.” Variation: Brownie"

What term/phrase communicates 'speaking or acting to please those with authority or position to gain favor', without the crude connotation of the term 'brown-noser'?

Example sentence:

  "Did you hear what Bob said about the company track record in our employee meeting yesterday?  He's a ______"


texts: Does the word "comparatively" require two operands?

texts: Comparatively is similar to relatively.  When using relatively it is common that you are comparing against general knowledge or an aforementioned entity(ies).   When using comparatively, do you need to include the things getting "compared"?


texts: Using "will" after "when" referring to the future

texts:
I'm going to send an email to a professor. There is a sentence that I think may be wrong because I'm not sure about using will after when, even though it obviously refers to the future.

  But definitely I would love to join to your team and I hope you have an open position when I will apply for the next year.

What are the rules here?


texts: Is 'sometimes', 'obviously' too informal in scientific writing?

texts: Is 'sometimes','obviously' too informal to appear in scientific writing? Should be it replaced by 'usually', 'typically' etc?


texts: I am looking for a word that describes the mistaking of a word for one that sounds similar. For instance "you aren't allowed to do that, but I guess we can make a deception." Obviously, "deception" should be "exception." The words don't sound the same, but they're pretty close.


texts: English equivalent of "to not scratch one's ear on something"

texts:
We have an idiom in Urdu language which translates to:

Translation into English: I don't/won't scratch/rub my ear on that.

Meaning: We use it to mean "I will just ignore this because it does not interest me or it is dull or I do not take it seriously".

Example sentence: My friend A told me something that was annoying and another friend (B) heard it. Then after some time, B privately told me not to get angry or upset about what A said, I said "I do not scratch my ear on that" (I don't take it seriously and will ignore it).

I know it is confusing but if there is any English idiom with any of its meaning, please let me know.


texts: What are the meanings of "in fact or in desire" and "outlook" in this sentence?

texts:
This is the sentence that I'm trying to understand, written around 100 years ago:

  Material possessions, in fact or in desire, dominate our outlook, usually to the exclusion of all generous and creative impulses.

You know that "in fact" can mean actually or as a matter of fact. But when "in desire" comes with "in fact" in this way I can't be sure of the meaning of either of them. Also, I wasn't able to find any definition for "in desire" in any dictionary that I looked it up in.

Maybe part of the problem arises from the fact that I'm not sure of the meaning of "outlook" here. To me, either of these two dictionary definitions for "outlook" could be acceptable here:

a person's point of view or attitude to life
the prospect for the future

(definitions from Concise Oxford English Dictionary)


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Term for minimum or maximum

Is there a word that can apply to both ends of a range; for instance, either the youngest or oldest child in a family, or the largest or smallest number of a group of numbers?


texts: What is the correct way to show tiered possession?

texts:
When there are multiple places where possession is shown, how are the words structured?

A few examples:

Greg's son's laptop is on fire.
Mary's friends' boat is sinking.
Thomas's neighbor's cat ate a mouse.
Apple's Stock App's stats are useful.
Microsoft's Xbox 360's games are fun.

Are these the correct ways to express possession?


texts:
My students were asked, in an exercise in their published workbook (in which there are sometimes mistakes), to identify the noun or nouns in a sentence within a passage about carrier pigeons being used for scientific research. The book said that "Each bird carried a GPS satellite tracking receiver on its back."(Punctuation as written: i.e. no commas.) The answer book identified 'GPS', 'satellite' and 'receiver' as separate nouns within the sentence.

I am confused. To me, 'GPS', 'satellite' and 'tracking' could be regarded as adjectives describing the only noun in the sentence, being 'receiver'. Either that or all four words could be forming a compound noun: the name of the object in question is a 'GPS satellite tracking receiver', rather like a 'bedside table' being one physical object but with two words to describe it.

I am sure that the answer book is wrong and that these are not separate nouns, but I am unclear whether there are three adjectives and a single word noun in this sentence, or whether there is a four-word compound noun and no adjectives.


texts:
Do words with "ij" (strijf, whijt, prijs, wijf, lijf, lijk, chijld) relate to Middle English?

They are used in Wycliffe's Bible, but I don't see them at etymonline or wiktionary


texts: What is the word that means "visibility far beyond the line of sight"

texts: Here "Visibility" is used metaphorically. Something which is physically not visible but can be monitored as if it is present in our line of sight(using technology)  Example, GPS trackers fixed in vehicle can track the activities of the vehicle(speed, direction, location etc.) beyond our line of sight. Even though vehicle is not physically present in front of our eyes, we can keep track on movements.


texts: Word or phrase for ‘unique phrase that a person habitually says’

texts:
I am looking for a word or phrase to denote such a unique phrase that somebody habitually says. This phrase could for example fill the following gap:

  My buddy Bill always exclaims “oh wow” whenever he is surprised. “Oh wow” is a _____ of his.


texts: Is "of" needed here? "I have no idea of what to do"

texts:
I have no idea of what to do.
I have no idea what to do.

Q1. Can we use both expressions? Are both grammatical?
Q2. Is 'no idea' in apposition with 'what to do'? What is the relationship between them?


texts: Confused by "comes down to" and similar phrases

texts:
I'm confused by the following sentence, which I encountered under the entry for advantage in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:

  When it comes down to working from home, you have to decide if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Can someone explain what it means?

I'm confused because in my understanding of English, the phrases "when it comes to", "come to", "come down to", and "when it comes down to it/that" all have different meanings, and I'm not sure which is being applied in this sentence.

It would help me understanding of you could provide other examples based on "when it comes down to doing something …" .


texts:
These two phrases have been widely used by my mates and me:

  My computer is working fine.

  My computer doesn't work properly.

However, for some weird reason, it seems to me like these phrases are just wrong but I cannot say why:

  My computer is not working fine.

  My computer doesn't work fine.

  My computer works properly.

  My computer is working properly.

Some thoughts about that?


texts: Origin of the phrase "drink you under the table"

texts:
I have often heard people say

  I could drink you under the table

or

  Mary drank Joe under the table

This typically means that someone could drink more alcohol than someone else.

What is the origin of this phrase?

It doesn't seem to make much sense to me at face value.

Sorry, I couldn't find any public uses of this phrase as I have never read it, I have only heard it used in conversation.


texts:
Which sentence is more grammatically correct:

  Jack’s predilection toward competitive sports resulted in him becoming a great tennis player.

or

  Jack's predilection toward competitive sports resulted in his becoming a great tennis player.


texts:
I was reading the about me page on an author of a poker strategy website and on one of the passages he describes himself as a pretty cool guy:

  This is the page where you get to read a little more about me and subsequently find out that the guy behind such a sophisticated Texas Hold em website is actually really cool.

I looked up the meaning of cool and it seems like when it's used to describe a person, its meaning is negative. From OALD cool used with persons means:

  not friendly, interested or enthusiastic
  calm and confident in a way that lacks respect for other people, but makes people admire you as well as disapprove

So what does he mean when he describes himself as "cool"?


texts: Where is a verb in "a troll out cold with a bloody lump on its head"

texts:
a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a
bloody lump on its head

This is a quote from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter (emphasis mine). I wonder whether the two words "out cold" is an adjective or "out" is a verb? Sorry I'm really confused how to read this phrase.


texts:
In the following paragraph:

  This plot is a stray evidence of how Pearson correlation coefficient is often incomputable and hence ineffective.

What does the expression "a stray evidence" mean?

Could you give some more examples?


texts:
A short piece I'm trying my hand at.

  "Don't you attempt to strangle me!" he screamed as her hands closed around his throat "I'll sue you for grievous bodily harm". The scream had its effect — the hands around his throat wavered, then withdrew. One hand went to cover her own mouth as she burst into laughter —the peals ringing throughout the caravan for the first time in weeks, dissipating the built-up tension — the other hand holding onto a nearby rack, keeping her upright. Amid tears of mirth streaming down her eyes, as she almost bent double from laughing, came her gasping rejoinder: "How do you propose to sue me after you've been strangled?"

Here's my confusion -

Do I use strangle/strangled, or strangulate/strangulated? How are the two different?


texts:
What's the relation of the word "fallout" with the hypothesis of a nuclear disaster? There is that famous game called "Fallout", and all the post-apocalyptic environment has its roots and causes in the word "fallout".

Is it corret to say:

  The ideia of a nuclear fallout frightens everyone.

?

"fall + out" reminds a nuclear disaster? It makes no sense at all! Maybe the word "fall" carries some negativism by itself (downfall, for example), and the adjective "fallen", and everything related.

But it's still strange.

What are the meanings and usage of the word "fallout"?


texts: Is there a word that conveys an extreme distaste to the point nearing phobia?

texts:
I'm a strong swimmer, and I enjoy recreational lap swimming in pools.  I enjoy sitting by an outdoor pool on vacation, and swimming to cool off.

But, I detest swimming in natural water (lakes, rivers, oceans, etc.). I will go out of my way to avoid it.

I'm not afraid of doing so. I've never had a traumatic experience. My parents didn't drown. I'm not afraid to go over bridges. I've enjoyed sailing and motor boating.  I've even swam in the ocean, lakes, and other bodies of water without incident.

My distaste for it is more based upon the feeling I get while in the water.   It is not at all a panicky feeling. It is not fear. I just feel unpleasantly dirty and disgusted. I dislike the feel of stepping on seaweed or mossy bottoms. I hate sand, and particularly wet sand.

Is there a word to describe this level of irrational hatred for something?  People always think I'm describing a phobia, but as I've said it's not fear based. I want a word to describe my utter revulsion that carries the same gestalt as phobia but, distaste rather than fear based.


texts:
Suppose the name of a newspaper is Pirate Times, without an article. Which of the following is then correct, and why?

  During the recent General Assembly, Pirate Times met…
  During the recent General Assembly, the Pirate Times met…

Is there a general rule for the use of articles before newspaper name?


texts: Is there any verb for "keeping someone from seeing something"?

texts:
Example:

His realistic view keeps him from seeing the significance of human right considerations.

Is there any verb to be used instead of "keeps him from seeing" in the above sentence?


texts: An English word rhyming with perfection, meaning happiness, success, enjoyment, etc

texts:
The reason why I might have a very low self-esteem  has to be the fact that I tried all my life to go for perfection, so I never saw my strengths, I just looked for faults and issues to correct. Other people, on the other hand, who enjoy a great self-esteem, focused on elevation, thus making any strength they discovered or developed work in their favor. Ultimately, I suppose they sought happiness, while I sought perfection.

I am looking for an English word harmonious with perfection, and it should  mean something like happiness, enjoyment, achievement, pleasure, etc. It is to put it in the place of elevation in the paragraph.


texts: Is there a term that describes words like "Amerikkka" or "Obummer"?

texts:
On many political forums, I see commenters write terms like "Amerikkka" or "Obummer" in an effort to be derisive. What's the word for this sort of thing?
 They're often repeated in lieu of an argument, so maybe it's a sort of meme?  It's a bit more specific than a portmanteau. "Shibboleth" comes to mind, too, but I'm not sure if it's the best fit.


texts: What is a noun that means "the skill of being able to use technology efficiently?"

texts:
What is a noun that means "the skill of being able to use technology efficiently or easily?"

Thanks


texts: What's the opposite action of “rounding a number”?

texts:
Looking this up on Merriam-Webster these are the only definitions to, unround

1: to pronounce (a sound) without lip rounding or with decreased lip
rounding 2: to spread (the lips) laterally

I'm putting together a mobile application that is gesture based (Tap to Round). Looking for a word that appropriately fits the opposite action.
Example of action:


texts: Why is it "five-barred gate" not "five-bar gate"?

texts:
Is the "bar" here a past participle? Why it needs to be added an "-ed"?

Another example I recently encountered is "pink-haired girl". "Hair" is a noun, why add "-ed"?

And we always say "5-year-old boy" not "5-year-olded boy", right?


texts: What's a good word for the way an aperture closes?

texts: I'm working on my story for NaNoWriMo (naturally) and I've just had one of my characters pass through a hole. It closes behind him, but I want to evoke the image of an aperture closing. As in, multiple pieces sliding together, precisely like the aperture of a camera. The first word that came to mind was "sphinctered", but that doesn't seem to be a "real" word. Is there a precise word that describes the way a camera-like aperture closes?


texts: "the below-identified person": Term for this style and any style guides regarding

texts:
Are there any technical terms to specifically describe the two styles (A and B) below? Also, are there any prescriptive style guides that say which is preferable?

My own preference is for style B below because style A seems to be forcing a pseudo-precise legalistic tone, and I aim for the "plain English" style (i.e., avoiding legalese and bureaucratese), but that is merely my individual feeling.

A

  the above-referenced report

  the above-described substance

  the below-cited data

  the below-identified person

B

  the report referenced above

  the substance described above

  the data cited below

  the person identified below


texts: "An" versus "a" before a bracketed word that starts with a vowel followed by a non-bracketed word that doesn't start with a vowel

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “A/An” preceding a parenthetical statement

Which of the following is right/preferred:

  The request is fulfilled by an (ideally) close by node.

or

  The request is fulfilled by a (ideally) close by node.

I'm not sure, as if you skip over the bracketed word when reading, then "a close" would be correct, but if you read the bracketed word, then "an ideally" would be correct.


texts:
If a sentence is based on speculation by the speaker and is formed like the following,
"What if they killed my mom and dad"
Would it follow like this?
"What if they killed my mom and dad, then laid in wait and murdered me when I came home?"
Is this the appropriate use of lie/laid?


texts: Style clarification for date superscripts, th, st and nd

texts:
I wanted to know, while writing dates such as 1st April or 2nd March; do we need to superscript the st and the nd as 1st April and 2nd March, or is it ok to write them without the superscript formatting. When to use superscript for dates and when not to use it?

I couldn't find any guidance regarding this in my style manual. Any guidance on this as per the Chicago or the Oxford Manual will be very helpful.

Thank you.


texts:
Do I need to use "is there" or "there is" in the following sentence?

  It is natural to ask under which conditions is there a subtype
  relation between two given arrow types.

If I change "is" to "be" the order is clearly "there be".


texts:
In this fragment from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, what does but or ever mean?

  I looked to heaven, and tried to pray;
  But or ever a prayer had gusht,
  A wicked whisper came, and made
  My heart as dry as dust.


texts: the meaning of "all the way down ...." in following sentence?

texts:
I am reading the book Guess How Much I Love You.

What does "I love you all the way down the lane as
far as the river. I love you across the river and over the hills" mean?

Does it mean "When I am walking along the lane, I say that I love you as far as the river. When I swim across the river and I walk over the hills, I think that I love you"?


texts:
I'd like to express that I will advise my partners in different fields.

Can I say it like that:

Consultation with partners in the four partner countries for the selection of suitable areas.

Or is the word consultation not fitting in this case? Should I rather use "advise" ?


texts: What is a word for a person, being copied?

texts:
I am working on a programming problem and I need to name the roles, that a user can take. I have copiers and I need to think of a good name for the person, that is being copied by the copiers. A first choice would be a leader. The problem is that this name has already been taken, as I also have followers, who follow leaders. Other options I thought of are:

copy_leader
originator

Yet, I would like a better word for this.


texts:
On this page: http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=27645

There is a sentence:

  All these database servers allow this, so what's the hangup?!

What does what's the hangup mean?


texts: Meaning of "drawn by hunger and pride" when describing a face

texts:
When Rayber had first opened the door in the middle of the night and had seen Tarwater's face - white, drawn by some unfathomable hunger and pride - he had remained for an instant frozen before what might have been a mirror thrust toward him in a nightmare. The face before him was his own, but the eyes were not his own. They were the student's eyes, singed with guilt.
Flannery O'Connor, The Violent Bear It Away

What does the adjective "drawn" mean here?

In his daily life, the sleeping boy is being pulled towards something (salvation, realization...) by hunger and pride

or

The lines of his face were set down by hunger and pride

or even

The boy's aspect is tired/exhausted/tense/strained?

Thank you!


texts: The linguistic origins of English suffixes

texts: Many English words have Greek origins, eg an octopus has 8 legs and in Greek octo means 8.  Do English suffixes such as -able, -er and -ful also have Greek origins?


texts: What’s the word for the habit of writing “play’d” or “revolv’d”?

texts:
I’m working on an 18th-century manuscript, and I’m trying to explain to others the use of ’d in past tense verbs.

Is there a word that encompasses the usage of ’d in early 18th-century manuscripts? I’m thinking of words like play’d instead of played, or revolv’d instead of revolved.


texts:
I'm wondering if "I reminded myself that..." is correct expression in English and if English speakers use such expression at all or if this is replaced by something else.

Let's take this dialogue as an example:

A: How many apples did you buy?
B: Ten... no, wait, I reminded myself that I bought five more on the way home.

Google Translate and other suggestions:

"I was reminded of..." (but this sounds like someone else reminded me that)
"I just recalled that I bought" (this sounds nice as well)

Which one would be the most natural one?


texts:
Please consider the following:

  I knew the building (IS/WAS) thirty feet tall.
  They realized I (AM/WAS) his son.

My question: both those clauses contain general truths. So, do I need to use the present, or the past?


texts: Does this use of the semicolon make sense?

texts: I am writing my cover letter and currently I am writing "I am also a quick learner; I was able to learn Python in two days." But it doesn't seem to be very smooth. How can this phrase be better?


texts: Would the slang version, yessir, of yes, sir, be deemed as derogatory, offensive, or simply disrespectful to someone your senior?

texts:
I use yessir as a slang form of yes, sir all the time.

Is it even a word?
Would the slang version, yessir, be deemed as derogatory, offensive, or simply disrespectful to someone your senior?


texts: Tricky middle school pronoun case question

texts:
My younger sister is reviewing for an upcoming exam using quia, which her teacher suggested.

She ran across the following question:

  Help me carry _______ boxes into the house.

The options are 'those' and 'them.' The service indicates that the correct answer is 'them,' which is utterly baffling to me. I am not particularly great with grammar, but I don't think this can be right -- it is nearly painful to my ears.

What is the correct answer? If it is 'them,' then what is the explanation.


texts: Synonyms for "to be" in the context of "representing"

texts:
I would like to state the following:

"Another simple class/type/kind of A is the one of B"

One possibility would be to write

"B constitutes/represents another simple class/type of A",

but this doesn't stress enough that we are dealing with another class of A and hence doesn't fit the context. This is why I would like to start the sentence with "Another simple class of A", but I am missing a good word for is, because I don't think that it is the correct word.

Concrete example:

"Another simple class of spanning graphs is the one of Hamilton cycles."

I do not like the repeated appearance of "of" here.

Thank you very much for your help.


texts: The term "you guys" is so widely used, I'm surprised it doesn't have a possessive. I hear "Your guys'es" all the time but surely that's not correct. What should be used for the possessive of a group of people.


texts: Does "not that you would know" make sense in English?

texts:
Today I was teasing a colleague of mine who keeps forgetting things.
I said "You forgot because it's Friday today... Well, not that you would not forget any other day". I am not sure if it was correct. Also, would past tense be here, e.g. "not that you would not remember if it was Tuesday"?


texts:
In what situation would you use 'so' instead of very? For example,
I'm very sorry.
I'm so sorry.
(When you apologize to someone)

Does 'so' sound natural in the context?
Is he an old man?
Yes, he is so old.
How old is he?
He is seventy years old.


texts:
This is a bold statement, but this is normal.

The first clause is written in bold. Should the comma be bold or not?


texts: Ironic phrase for something becoming more complicated specifically because of efforts to 'simplify' it?

texts:
My linguistic skills fail me and I'd like some advice.

I have a project that currently works exactly as intended, short and sweet, yet a higher up has changed their mind and are asking for it to be done a certain way in order for it to match their concept of "simple". Ironically, this is making the whole thing far more complicated and less stable.

I feel like there's a phrase or idiom in English that expresses this well.

"Too many cooks spoil the broth" I don't feel is appropriate, since the fact more people are looking at it isn't the problem, this person's been involved from the start of it.

"Swatting flies with a sledgehammer" or similar Rube Goldberg type phrases don't seem like a good fit either, since I'm looking to draw more attention to the fact we've already got something that works, rather than attacking the new method.

Ideally I'd hope there's something not too rude, as I don't wish to intend this as a personal insult on this person.


texts: "Don't hold me against your decision"—grammatical?

texts:
There's a fairly common expression: "Don't hold it against them", meaning "Don't blame them for what has happened".

But does this exact phrase make sense: "Don't hold me against your decision"?

Context

The other day I didn't do something that I wanted to do, because I knew it would annoy my friend. Talking about it later, she said I should have done it, and "don't hold me against your decision".


texts:
In one of today's nydailynews headlines, the writer writes the following:

  India reminds world of cross-border terror faced by Kabul.

The face by usage doesn't seem to convey the right meaning here because it assumes that Kabul is the performer or initiator of the action. However, that doesn't seem to be the case as the article goes on to state:

  Tokyo, July 8 — In a veiled reference to Pakistan, India Sunday told the international community of the "existential threat" Afghanistan faces from terrorism emanating from across its borders.

Is this the right usage?


texts:
Max prepares the tea with an electric heater  in his shop every day.

Max prepares the tea in his shop every day with an electric heater.

I am bit confused about how to use these kinds of sentence.


texts:
How one can describe correctly the procedure of making a histogram.
I want to replace the sentence "distributions of reconstructed energies of events taken with the same initial momentum in the same test-beam
experiment are fitted..." into two sentences: one for describing the "histogram making" and the second to describe the fitting method.


texts: What word/phrase describes the act of "pulling the chair when someone's sitting"?

texts:
Is there a word or phrase that succinctly describes the act of pulling the chair when someone's sitting?

If there isn't a word or phrase that describes this act is that (pulling the chair when someone's sitting) an appropriate description of the act?


texts: Is "chaperon" versus "chaperone" a US versus British English thing?

texts:
I've noticed that "chaperone" can also be spelt "chaperon", without the "e" at the end.

Is this a case of American English simplifying a British English word, or something else? The original French seems to lack the "e".

Wiktionary mentions the two spellings, but doesn't explain why they exist.


texts: Modern equivalent for "arrah", or for its Irish version, "yarrah"

texts:
I was reading an article on dialect discourse markers, and I came across one, namely "arrah", the meaning of which I couldn't fully understand. It was said that it is in some sort a "defensive" discourse marker, used in tense conversations, especially when there is a difference in social status between the speakers. Below is the example, provided in the article, it actually contains the Irish version of "arrah" - "yarrah", but it doesn't really matter. Could you please suggest an equivalent for "arrah", which can be used nowadays?

"Dan Shiel, you little starved-looking spalpeen, will you come up to your Illocution? - and a purty figure you cut at it, wid a voice like a penny thrumpet, Dan! Well, what speech have you got now, Dan, ma bouchal? Is it, 'Romans, counthry, and lovers?'"
"No shir; yarrah, didn't I spake that speech before? 'tis wan, masther, that I'm afther Pennen' myself."
Stories from Carleton, 1889


texts:
On StackOverflow I wrote :
It often comes that a XML API reorder tags without our will.
(API : Application Program Interface)
Is "a XML API" the correct sentence or "an XML API" ?


texts:
Below is an example of how I normally use semi-colon in sentences and I truly do not know if it's correct.

Open the gate; let the dogs out, then close the gate.


texts: What is the lingustic term for a language's usage conventions?

texts: Every language has usage conventions that cannot be deducted from a basic dictionary. For example, to describe highly concentrated tea, English speakers will usually use "strong tea". Is there a scientific/linguistic term for such conventions/word pairings?


texts: What is an informal term for a person who can't do anything right?

texts:
In Russian we have the term "рукожоп". I would translate it as "asshands" which literally means that your hands grow out of your behind and you can't do anything right (or do anything at all).
Example:

Dad: "Hey son, can you hang up this picture on the wall?"
Son: "No dad, my hands grow out of my behind, I'll probably end up hanging it upside down" (Or "I am a _____" - i.e. the term I'm looking for.)

Is there anything similar in English? Is the term "screw up" the one? Or are there any other ones? I want slang specifically, preferably American.


texts: What are the differences between 'like' and 'alike'?

texts:
The two boys are alike in looks, but not in personality.
He's like his brother.

These two sentences have been taken from Practical English Usage by Swan. He said that use of alike in second sentence is wrong, but he didn't explain it. Please tell me why only alike is suitable for the first sentence, while like for the second.


texts: A formal way to say "I don't want to sound too cocky..."

texts:
Allow me to clear the situation. I was talking with my professor about a piece of software that I had developed. While we were discussing, I wanted to say something like

  I don't want to sound too cocky, but my code is way much more efficient
  than what we have right now.

But I didn't because I thought "I don't want to sound too cocky" is too informal.
What is a formal way of stating such a phrase?


texts: What could be an alternative meaning to the word "planets?"

texts:
I am reading a speech delivered by Sir Edmund Pendleton who was a public servant of Virginia, US.

I would like to know what he means when he used the following words in boldface.

  But the power of the Convention is doubted. What is the power? To propose, not to determine. This power of proposing was very broad; it extended to remove all defects in a government: the members of that Convention, who were to consider all the defects in our general government, were not confined to any particular plan. Were they deceived? This is the proper question here. Suppose the paper on your table dropped from one of the planets; the people found it, and sent us here to consider whether it was proper for their adoption.

I am clueless as to what the word "planets" is referring to.

  Who but the people have a right to form government? The expression is a common one, and a favorite one with me. The representatives of the people, by their authority, is a mode wholly inessential.

Does the word "mode" here refer to a medium or vessel (representative) through which authority is exercised?


texts:
I keep seeing this expression a lot:
I'm learning Italian, or I'm learning German.
Understandably, they mean it's their recent project.
But how about
I learn German.?
Not I study German.  Learn.
The question is, what are the situations or conditions (examples) in which present simple of 'learn' could be used naturally, not just grammatically correct.
One of them is : They learn German at school. Because, it's the constant activity of the school, not just the recent project of the students.
Things like 'Dogs learn quickly' or Birds learn to fly by themselves don't work for me. Coz those describe features and common facts.
I need more of a 'I go to work' kind of examples. Things, that happen regularly.
I tried Cambridge and Longman. They mostly have past or infinitive forms for 'learn'
It doesn't seem to get used in Present Simple a lot.
If you're British, don't just pass by, throw your five farthings.


texts: What does the idiom "to sound a little off" mean?

texts: What does the idiom "to sound a little off" mean in American English?


texts:
Should I use "a noun" or "nouns" in this sentence?

  We use any before nouns to refer to indefinite or unknown
  quantities or an unlimited entity.

Or:

  We use any before a noun to refer to indefinite or unknown
  quantities or an unlimited entity.


texts: What's an expression meaning too drunk to remember what happened?

texts: What's a British English term (slang or casual) for having forgotten events due to being drunk or stoned?


texts:
Are these questions grammatically correct?

Have you no shame?
Have you no money?
Has he a friend?

or it is not allowed to use have and has (in this situation) to make a question?


texts: Consistency. If I write 'recognize' with a 'z' do I have to write 'characterize' with a 'z' too?

texts: I'm translating a book and need to keep the English orthography consistent. I'm a native 'British English' speaker. I know in British English you can often use either 'ize' or 'ise' endings. My problem is that instinctively 'recognize' feels right, but 'characterize' looks wrong. But for the sake of consistency do I have to write 'characterize' (or alternatively change all the endings to 'ise' and write 'recognise')


texts: Are English language books translated to contemporary English?

texts:
Were Shakespeare books translated to contemporary English? Which version is more common? Is there a rule to choose which books will have its language updated? Are poems updated too?
From which year I should expect that books have a "translation"?


texts: "That is an interesting question." vs "It is an interesting question, that."

texts:
I am not a native English speaker and I tend to construct sentences like "It is an interesting question, that.". My girlfriend who is a native English speaker always tells me that I am talking like yoda everytime I construct such kind of sentences. So I wonder if grammatically speaking sentences of the type just mentioned are correct or not. I guess it could also be that it is just a matter of style. I think I have seen this pattern of sentences in some academic books, specially from the 90's.
So my doubt is essentially whether the two following sentences are both grammatically correct.

  (1) That is an interesting question.

  (2) It is an interesting question, that.

Based on some comments, I think it might be helpful to know that I am a Spanish native speaker, and in Spanish such pattern of sentences are common too. So I guess my Spanish could be interferring with my English usage.


texts: Which form is correct: "the fruits that no one likes" or "the fruits that no one like"?

texts: Should "no one" be followed by the singular or plural form of "like"? I know that "no one" is generally followed by singular verbs, but would being preceded by a plural noun make this an exception?


texts: Is the "Roman alphabet" what we use for English?

texts: I understand that the alphabet for the English language is not strictly English as languages such as French, Dutch and many more use the same alphabet, with few additions in other languages. Is Roman alphabet the common term to refer to this set of symbols for writing texts?