texts: Is there a single word for 'beyond the hype'?

texts:
I am trying to phrase "beyond the hype Cloud computing" tersely. I've been racking my brains for a single word, trying to get it into the form:

  [word] Cloud Computing

I thought of:

  Real Cloud Computing

But I want a word that hints at the fact Cloud is a buzzword and inverts it. Intuitively I feel the word is out there somewhere!

Btw, this is for a writeup/report, not for advertising. The full context might be a statement to the effect that such and such carry out [word] Cloud Computing.


texts: Personality that is loved extremely or hated extremely (word request)

texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe a person that has contrasting opinions about them and their opinions are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
The words controversial and dividing are not suitable.
Examples

Kyle could not fathom what people think of him, as he either was very popular with loads of friends who could get stuff for free, or very unpopular with no one wanting to talk to him as he was classed as boring or a sociopath. The differing love and hate he received depending on the environment, was at polar extremeties.
Alex on Monday was gossiped about in a good way by several people boosting her status by becoming one of the few people worth talking about positively, but she was shunned by one of her classes.
Sheridan gave a look, and Kayleigh didn't know whether to hug him or slap him.  She could never decipher his true intentions. He was _______


texts: Comma required for attaching optional information to the end of a phrase

texts:
What are the rules regarding grammar for adding an optional piece of information to the end of a fully formed phrase that contains important contextual information.
E.g., "In Ancient Rome, children born with disabilities regularly died at an early age possibly by their own parent's hand."
What is the correct punctuation to attach "possibly by their own parent's hand." Should there be commas both before and after "possibly"


texts: Is the past tense for the word "earn" "earned" or "earnt", and does the word "earnt" even exist?


texts: What is the meaning of "should" in the following excerpt?

texts:
This is my first question so I apologize for some inadvertent mistakes.

My question revolves around an excerpt from book called "Between Churchill and Stalin The Soviet Union Great Britain and the Origins of the Grand Alliance" which I am reading right now. What bothers me exactly is this particular fragment:

  “What did we gain by concluding the non-aggression pact with Germany? We secured our country peace for a year and a half and the opportunity of preparing its forces to repulse fascist Germany should it risk an attack on our country despite the pact. This was a definite advantage for us and a disadvantage for fascist Germany.” “Germany ...,” Stalin claimed, “has lost politically by exposing itself in the eyes of the entire world as a bloodthirsty aggressor.”

I am asking for explanation of the meaning of "should" in this context. Is it expressing possibility, describing purpose or condition. Is it adding emphasis? I am puzzled and hope you'll find a solution.


texts:
Sentence transformation from a PET sample paper:

We haven't been to the theatre for a long time.
It's a long time since we ........ to the theatre.

My solution: went
Textbook solution: have been
Are they both correct?


texts: Can I say "towards November" instead of "towards early November"

texts:
I am not sure when the project will finish.
but I know it is going to be in November.
Can I say "Towards November this project will be ready"
or it only works "Towards end of November this project will be ready"


texts:
Which of these is correct?

  Shall we paint the room red, or do you want to consider more colors?

or

  Shall we paint the room red?  Or do you want to consider more colors?

I tend to think that both of these are correct, and I would usually prefer the latter.  But I'm wondering if there are any reasons why one is better than the other, if one of them is grammatically wrong, or if one of them is objectively preferrable.


texts: Run "as" normal user vs. Run "with" normal user

texts:
On Linux Mint 19, I have a Makefile with a command which should output a sentence:

  Target 'distrib' has to be run as normal user!

in case the user has run it as / with the root user.

Since I am not a native English speaker, I now hesitate if it would be better phrase it like this:

  Target 'distrib' has to be run with normal user!

Clarification will be much appreciated!

I will only add, that I am here for the first time, so please, if I have written anything not under your guidelines, feel free to comment or edit my question directly.

Research:

At least on Windows it is common to use Run as.

Note:

I am interested in US English wording if that matters.


texts: Which grammar rule allows us to modify a clause with an -ing?

texts:
In the sentence below, what function does "including" serve? What do I need to learn to be able to create these sentences on my own?

  Most jobs, however, require at least a bachelor’s degree; majors of
  transportation planners are varied, including fields such as
  urban studies, civil engineering, geography, or transportation and
  logistics management.


texts:
Etymonline shows

orange
c.1300, from O.Fr. orenge (12c.), from M.L. pomum de orenge, from It. arancia, originally narancia (Venetian naranza), alteration of Arabic naranj, from Pers. narang, from Skt. naranga-s "orange tree," of uncertain origin. Loss of initial n- probably due to confusion with definite article (e.g. une narange, una narancia), but perhaps influenced by Fr. or "gold."
...
Not used as the name of a color until 1540s.

I am really interested in more details on why 'orange' (fruit) was chosen to represent the color. Also, if there are sources that systematically deal with names of colors in different languages or changes over time that would be very interesting, too. Colors are an example of a very stable (static) concept with corresponding terms ('main' colors) for which throughout history there had been a need (more or less important) to have words for.
Bonus question is — what was orange called before 1540s in English?


texts:
Sentence:

"The Function itself does not use this value; rather the value in this register is used by device drivers and operating systems."

Does it mean the value in this register is used by device drivers and operating systems? or it means the value in this register didn't be used by device driver and operating systems.


texts:
what does 'the roll of duck tape' mean ?
Would you please give me some examples to know how to use it?


texts:
I have two doubts in the following sentence:

Plastic has the lowest production cost but the best efficiency against other materials.

The first one is if it's correctly written because I want to say that plastic has lowest production cost and the best efficiency at the same time. So if there's a better way to write it, please tell me.
The second one is if I should use "and" instead of "but" and why.

Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks.


texts: American English equivalent of "revise" (as in studying)

texts:
Today, I discovered that the meaning of revise to do with studying is used in British, Australian and New Zealand English, rather than American English:

  (UK, Australia, New Zealand) To look over again (something previously
  written or learned), especially in preparation for an examination.

  I
  should be revising for my exam in a few days.

What would be the American English equivalent?

To look for equivalents, I tried looking for synonyms, and I couldn't find any synonyms of this meaning of "revise" in Merriam-Webster.com's thesaurus section, thesaurus.com, wordnet online or the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus.


texts:
Say, somebody wants to visit a doctor who is a woman or a doctor who is specialist in treating women. I wonder if there are specific terms for

(a) A doctor who is a woman
(b) A doctor who treats only women

Three terms ring in my mind: woman doctor, lady doctor, and women doctor.
Although ngram results show “woman doctor” overtook “lady doctor” in early twentieth century, I am confused as to what it means (a or b).


texts: Is there a word or term for an attempt to simplify but which complicates instead?

texts:
Specifically something which seems simpler than an alternative at first glance but is actually complex on a closer examination.

There are some things that have been coming up at work that fit this description, but I feel like if I had a good word or term for the phenomenon people would better heed my warnings.

Edit: My particular situation is in software development, but isn't exactly scope creep or over-engineering. I'm not at liberty to provide a detailed example, of which there have been several, but the one that motivated this post is the selection of a tool. The tool that a coworker has recommended has a very simple interface. The fallacy that I'm trying to describe is that the tool will make easy tasks easier at the expense of making harder tasks harder.

Edit 2: A better example (for the software engineers, anyways) would be duck-typing like in Python. At first glance, it should make things easier, you don't need to declare a type for every parameter and variable. In large projects (IMHO) this adds complication because its harder to track which parameters expect which data types.


texts:
Swaziland has recently changed its name to eSwatini. The unique capitalization structure, similar to iPhone or eBay, is unique for the name of a country. While brand names have an established set of rules (How do you capitalize a proper noun such as "iPhone"?) (Capitalization of names that begin lowercased, at the beginning of a sentence), an iPhone is not a sovereign state, and I'm not sure whether eSwatini falls under the same set of rules.

If I were to write a sentence such as, "eSwatini is a beautiful country.", should I maintain the unconventional capitalization? Or would it be better to restyle the word as "ESwatini" or "Eswatini"? Wikipedia uses the latter at the moment, regardless of where the word appears.

It is worth noting that other locations have differently-styled capitalizations, but none begin their name with a lowercase letter like eSwatini does. This article  lists some examples (I'm ignoring the provided example of las vegas, which was restyled for a marketing campaign).


texts:
Which one is the correct preposition to be used with workgroup word?

I am interesting in Working inor at your workgroup?


texts: Is it recommended to remove articles from the beginning of a paragraph in academic writing?

texts:
I have the following sentence in the beginning of my abstract:

  The scattering of light due to the presence of aerosol particles along the path of light waves causes atmospheric haze in images.

And I have received the remark that I should omit the article "The" from the beginning because this sentence is the first one in the abstract/introduction.

Is this right or wrong?


texts: "Done with the task" or "Done with task"?

texts:
Which is the correct form:

"[are you] Done with the task?" or "[are you] Done with task?"

It feels to me that the first form is the correct one, as it implies the specific task that was assigned earlier on.


texts:
Just encountered a compound noun "cocktail-plus" in an online article. Would like to confirm if it means a cocktail accompanied by some other drinks/ food in the reception?

The sentence is as follows:
"A dressy bag with a chain helps you hold crudités and a cocktail-plus, it lends a cool edge to evening wear, says stylist Cher Coulter."

Source: https://www.instyle.com/fashion/50-best-fashion-tips-all-time#3093620

Can "-plus' be added to any nouns to imply some more stuff of the same category?


texts: Why are 'student' and 'suspend' not pronounced as written?

texts: I am a Chinese student beginning to learn English. I am curious to know why the word student is pronounced with the sound of d instead of t. Likewise, why is the sound of b used instead of p when people say suspend?


texts: What's the word for "overly proud of your education"?

texts:
A friend and I are trying to remember a word to describe someone who is overly proud of their education. An example usage would be:

  Does that email make me appear too ___?

Where the ___ is the word I am looking for, in case that is not obvious. He thought the word was "erudite" but when that appears to just mean educated, it doesn't convey the sense of condescending pride we are looking for.

What is the word I we are looking for?


texts: How do I quote a paragraph that already has a footnote?

texts:
Suppose I have the following paragraph that already has a footnote in it:

  This was a misunderstanding from some imprecise writing (and was related to #14 above). The argument is with respect to the size of shoots not needles. \footnote{This has been clarified in the discussion at great length.}

How do I quote the above paragraph with quotation marks? What do I do with the footnote in the paragraph?


texts:
He is browsing for potential acquisitions in magazines.

This sentence looks odd. Should I replace "in" by "from", or should the sentence's structure be changed entirely?


texts: Something which clearly shows the signs of previous work done on it

texts:
What is a single word for Something which clearly shows traces of previous works, or work done by different approaches on it. Or something on which many people have worked and traces of each individuals work is clearly visible.

I used to know this word, but it just slipped off my mind. I need to use it somewhere and can't get hold of it. It's quite a 'complex' word. And though it means "signs of previous work / work done by different people", there is a definite negative connotation.


texts: Is "sophisticated" appropriate in formal documents?

texts:
In German the word sophisticated is sometimes used as Anglicism in order to describe a very fashionable person, e.g. carrying a dog in a handbag ("It-Girl"). However, when looking up the word in a dictionary, I get rather normal (unsophisticated) results.

Is it acceptable to use the word in formal texts such as a technical paper?


texts: why is there a difference in the usage of "neither...nor" in similar sentences?

texts:
look at these two sentences:

neither the coach nor the players are going to the beach.

neither the players nor the coach is going to the beach.

why does one sentence use "are" while the other has "is"?

does it have something to do with the arrangement of subjects or is there any other reason?


texts:
Why do we say undeletable instead of indeletable. Sometimes with other words we use an in prefix, such as with indefatigable.

I'm curious about un vs in.


texts: Does one of the designations indicate that one of the partners is dead vs. divorced? First vs. Former


texts: Do schools produce/raise/educate/graduate students?

texts:
My question here stems from a lack of idiomatic phrase knowledge.

Let me proceed with an example. I am looking for a suitable verb for the sentence below:

As a university taking the 21st century requirements into account,  our mission is to __________________ students who can think critically .......

I came up with this sentence for the sake of an example only, but I think I've made my point clear: What do schools do? Do they produce students? I know they educate them but I am not sure if it quite corresponds to what I am trying to say here. I want to convey the meaning of a student's graduating (from) a school with the school itself being the subject. To be more precise, does a school graduate students, too?

In Turkish, schools literally "raise" students just like parents raising children. Would it make any sense if I used it in English?

Thank you!


texts: Word for somebody that is prejudiced against people who identify as non-binary?

texts:
What is the most specific way to describe somebody prejudiced against non-binary individuals?

For context on what I'm looking for:

A person who hates somebody because of their race, is racist
A person who hates somebody because they are transgender, is transphobic
A person who hates somebody because they are homosexual, is homophobic
A person who hates somebody because they are non-binary, is (?)


texts: what is the proper capitalization of "hors d'oeuvre"?

texts: Possible options  include capitalizing either the "h", "d", and/or "o". Are any of these options considered either correct or incorrect?


texts:
I was reading Isaac Asimov’s Foundation recently when a phrase stuck out to me: “penetrate at a bound [to].” In context, with boldface added:

  “The best men on the planets of the kingdoms are sent here to the Foundation each year and educated into the priesthood. And the best of these remain here as research students. If you think that those who are left, with practically no knowledge of the elements of science, or worse still, with the distorted knowledge the priests receive, can penetrate at a bound to nuclear power, to electronics, to the theory of the hyperwarp—you have a very romantic and foolish idea of science. It takes lifetimes of training and an excellent brain to get that far.”

From the context, it seems clear that “to penetrate at a bound” is to understand both how something works and why. (I know that “penetrate” can be used to mean “understand,” as in “a penetrating intellect,” but “at a bound” has me at a loss.) Is my reading correct? What is the etymology of the phrase, and was it ever particularly common?

Asimov was American. I believe this passage was written in 1942–44, although it may have been edited somewhat in 1951 when the short stories of Foundation were combined into a book. The text above was taken from the Kindle version.


texts: Word Formation: Noun Suffixes and their Spelling and Stress Shift Rules

texts:
I've been having a real hard time trying to gather information about word formation in English, more specifically about the rules involving suffixes that turn verbs and adjectives into nouns. But not only that, because I also need the rules about the changes in spelling and the stress shift in the pronunciation regarding these noun suffixes.

So far I've got a list of "all" suffixes that turn verbs and adjectives into nous and their meanings. However, I haven't found much information about the other topics: spelling changes and stress shift.

Could you help with that, please?

Example:

  ADJECTIVE - sociable / NOUN SUFFIX: -ity / NOUN SUFFIX
  MEANING: condition, sate or degree to / SPELLING CHANGE: sociable
  - sociability / STRESS SHIF: sociable - sociability


texts:
I was thinking about an emotion that consits of a desire for achieving a goal which appears in a person when they observe others having achieved this same thing.

examples:

A friend tells me they successfully ran the marathon. I start thinking how much I would enjoy having the skill to do this as well and doing it. I realize that I don't know how to achieve this goal - like I don't know how to train to have that much stamina.
I meet somebody who is fluent in a foreign language. I have been trying to learn the same language for a while, but I see the other person is much better than me and I wish I could do that as well.

Can the word envy be used to describe this emotion? Is there a better word? I have always associated envy with desire to be in a better state than others - either by taking away something they have or being better than them at what they do. To say it in a different way, I associate envy with negative emotions toward another person. I'm not a native speaker, so I don't know if this is accurate.


texts: What is the difference between "Therefore, I was wondering" and "I was, therefore, wondering"?

texts: What is the difference between "Therefore, I was wondering....." and "I was, therefore, wondering....."?


texts:
What is the etymology of cast in the sense of type cast in programming languages?
I found nothing suitable in Merriam Webster.


texts: What's an elegant single word for "A new beginning" or "Fresh start"

texts:
What's an elegant single word for "a new beginning" or "a fresh start"?

A good example would be a ceo of a company just filed chapter 11,  writes in an email

  We are looking to restructure our company … Looking forward for a ________ with our enterprise transformed into a cutting edge hi-tech...


texts: Is it possible to use 'last ... ' or any past simple adverbs with the past perfect?

texts:
To illustrate what I mean, I give the following example:

  I had drifted off to sleep last night.


texts: What is the word for something that is pronounceable when reversed?

texts:
A palindrome is a word or phrase that's read the same way forwards and backwards (eg. race car). Is there a word for something that is pronounceable both forwards and backwards, but not necessarily the same word (or, conversely, a word for the opposite case where things are not pronounceable both forwards and backwards)?

Eg. in English speaking countries we call a certain large international organization "NATO", while in French speaking countries it's "OTAN" (both of which are easily pronounceable). Maybe there's a word specific to acronyms even if there's not a general word?


texts: "The spell can cause much damage to enemies with special effects on them": is it ambiguous?

texts:
It is a description about a skill of an hero in a game and it goes like this:

  The spell can cause much damage to enemies with special effects on them.

After I wrote it down, I wondered: would a native English speaker understand its intended meaning? I'm concerned that there may be two ways to understand this sentence:

This spell would cause damage to enemies who already carry special effects on themselves.
This spell would use its special effects to cause damage to enemies.

I want to express the meaning of the first sentence. Is the original wording ambiguous? Is there a simple way to make it unambiguous?


texts: Is this sentence using proper grammar? - "The money was and is not a loan."


texts: What is a female or gender neutral form of gentleman that relays the same tone of respect?

texts:
At my office when referring to customers or external vendors I often use the word gentleman. I do this in effort to show that I’m speaking respectfully about them so the content and tone of my statement is less likely to be mistaken. For example, “I spoke with the gentleman about the issue he was having and it turned out he forgot to turn his computer on.”

However, when the subject is a female the use of the word lady doesn’t seem to project the same level of intended respect.

Is there an alternative female or gender neutral word that I could use in these cases?


texts: Completed action in the past lead to an ongoing action - which tense to use?

texts:
I am a bit confused about the proper tense for the following situation. I try to make an example:

A couple of weeks ago I talked to someone. We have not talked or communicated in any way again since then. So this action is completed and lies in the past.

This talk lead to an action that takes place right now. So it is ongoing and in the present. Which form is grammatically correct:

After a talk with Y, I write this sentence.
After having a talk with Y, I write this sentence.
After a talk with Y, I am writing this sentence.
After having a talk with Y, I am writing this sentence.

or even

After having had a talk with Y, I write / am writing this sentence.
After I had a talk with Y, I write / am writing this sentence.

Thank you very much in advance for your answer!


texts:
I need to modify a picture with pink color.

Or

  I need to modify a picture by pink color.

Or

  I need to modify a picture using pink color.

Which one is right?


texts: How can I say "Staff Only" with a formal warning sentence?

texts:
I need to write a door writing that states formally, "students are not welcomed in this kitchen, please use the café..."

I've drafted some examples but I was wondering if there is a formal sentence which may sound more formal (like a warning from the principal) and also more native.

z.B. "staff only"

"Students are not allowed"

"We kindly request students to use the ... Cafe provided." or What about
""We kindly request students to use the other areas(opportunities) provided for the tea service."


texts:
Am I using the that-clause in this sentence properly?

  "Watching just the first episode of the anime will surely get you hooked that you would want to marathon the whole series in a day."

Or should I add to the point as in "will surely get you hooked to the point that you would want to marathon the whole series in a day"?


texts: What is the correct plural form of LEGO: LEGO or Legos?

texts:
I've seen many people make reference to LEGO as Legos. E.g. "I enjoy playing with my Legos".

But from my understanding, this is incorrect and they should be referred to simply as LEGO (in capitals as per company standards). E.g. "I enjoy playing with LEGO".

There is no reference to the term Legos in any official material on LEGO's site at http://www.lego.com, although there are hundreds of mentions in LEGO's official message board (search site:lego.com +legos).

I also don't want to accept that individual pieces of a LEGO set can be referred to as Legos, as the official site refers to these as "parts". (See here.)

Also, a collection of LEGO sets can't be referred to as Legos as these are also referred to as "sets" by the LEGO company.

Is it correct to refer to LEGO in any denomination as Legos?


texts:
In the following statement, why don't we consider red as noun even though it is the name of a color.

  The apple is red.


texts: What is a better way of saying modest budget?

texts:
I am trying to come up with a word or words to describe someone's financial situation that is not too low or too high.  In other words, they can afford nice things (not low end), but they don't have or want to spend a lot of money on over-the-top, high-end items. I don't want to imply they have little means or are cheap.

I am writing a blog on interior design, cooking, and lifestyle.  On my "About Me" page, the first paragraph states the following:

  Creating a rich lifestyle on a modest budget can be challenging but also rewarding. I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a well-designed home and pleasurable experiences you love sharing with family and friends.  Inspiration and ideas are everywhere -- at a museum, outside in nature, online, in a book or at a restaurant.


texts: What do you call a person who keeps talking about art; studies art, criticizes art, and thinks he'd be amazing with it. But he doesn't practice it

texts:
I've come across this word before. It's not "hypocrite". But the definition of the word was very specific. Basically it's an adjective, it's something you call a person who's really into art; like for example movies and film making.

He keeps talking about it, loves Stanley Kubrick or Jean Luc Godard. He studies the craft and technique, and he criticizes his colleagues' films. He thinks his taste is superior, and that if he given a chance, he would shake the industry. But in reality, he doesn't practice it. He's all talk, but no walk.

What do you call that person? (It also applies to other art forms like music. - "Our local musician sucks. He just does covers of John Mayer and Jason Mraz songs. That's why our music industry doesn't progress because of people like him. I listen to David Bowie and The Beatles, if I knew how to play a guitar, I would totally rock it out". ... )


texts: English / Spanish parallels and confusion

texts:
In general, I'm pretty confident and familiar about all typical uses of the past perfect tense. However, I noticed a compelling case while studying Spanish years ago. In Spanish, there's the pretérito pluscuamperfecto de indicativo tense, which is supposed to be used in similar cases. However, it can also be used in situations where a speaker wants to highlight how quickly an action has been performed. For example: 'Yo pedí un periódico y al poco rato ya me lo había traido'. In can be literally translated as 'I asked for a newspaper, and soon he had brought it to me'. Although, I feel like 'I asked for the newspaper, and soon he brought it to me' sounds more natural in English.

Well, I've always thought that it's something that solely relates to Spanish. Some weeks ago, however, I found another interesting case in English: 'I used to keep fit, but since I started working as an architect my lifestyle had become mostly sedentary.'

Is it OK to use the past perfect here? Or is it a grammar mistake and the present perfect has to be used instead?


texts: If I am referring to one thing, but multiple people, is it "is this _ one of yours?" or "one of you all's"?


texts: Is it polite to say "as a gesture of goodwill"

texts: When offering something based on good will, is it polite to convey to them that this is being done as a gesture of good will?


texts:
I know this is a computer science problem, but I am about to blow a gasket over the meaning implied or inferred here.

Does this not refer to a single linkedlist that can be inferred from the adjectives used? It is not necessary to know what a linkedlist is in order to understand the meaning, I think.

  Write a function called Maximum that determines the maximum value of the integers in the linked list. The function should also output the maximum value. Write a driver function to insert the following integers (15, 20, 30, 7, 8) into the linked list. Call the Maximum function from the main to determine the maximum integer in the linked list.


texts:
Where does the phrase "walking on eggshells" originally come from?

Research indicates that there is no consensus on the idiom's origin, except that it is from the 1800s.  Can anyone explain possible theories or early citations of the phrase or its precursors?


texts:
I bought a pen and a pencil yesterday. What is surprising is this is
more expensive than that.
In this sentence, I am not sure what "this" and "that" are referring  to.
I first thought that "this" refers to "pencil" and "that" refers to any pen that is distant from the speaker.
How can I infer what 'this' and 'that' represent here? Can the represented element of both be inferred from what precedes, ie "a pen and pencil"?


texts: Got/Gotten- Which one should I use and is there a trick?


texts: What is the correct order for using the conjunctions or and and

texts:
In a job posting one of the mandatory requirements is:

A degree from a recognized University and experience in financial management or an accounting designation.

Does this mean: (A degree and experience) or (a designation)
or              (A degree and experience) or (a degree and a designation)

Thanks


texts:
Can someone explain to me in the following passage (bold type):

  "Being a person who read little and therefore took what he did read seriously, Buck was distressed by the normally studious Lorinda’s vacation liking for novels about distressed princesses, and when she airily insisted that they were better guides to conduct than Anthony Trollope or Thomas Hardy, Buck roared at her and in the feebleness of baited strength, nervously filled pipes and knocked them out against the stone mantel."

I don't know what vacation and baited mean in this context.


texts: Idiom, proverb for "the closer the more expensive it is and the farther the cheaper it will be"

texts:
What is the idiom or proverb for what John is saying in the dialog below :

Jim: The neighborhood garage estimated 200$ for the car's AC repair, so I went to the garage market's locality and found many garages charging 100$ for the same job.
John: Of course the nearest guy will cost you more and the farthermost the garage is the cheaper he will be.

This could be a theory in accountancy or commerce or economics studies too.


texts: Term for the amount from which commission is calculated

texts:
I'm looking for a word for the larger amount from which a salesman's commission might be calculated.

Something like sale price presupposes that his commission is calculated from that particular figure.

I have used principal before because it's a very similar concept to interest being calculated from the principal of a loan, but it's technically incorrect for this purpose.

I've considered dividend (i.e. dividend ÷ divisor = quotient) but this has other connotations

Whereas multiplicand (i.e. multiplicand × multiplier = product) is too obscure.

Anyone got a winner?


texts: From thence vs. thence in the Apostles' Creed

texts: In the Roman Catholic Church, the Apostles' Creed says, "From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead." I am unsure whether "from thence" is correct or if it simply should be, "Thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead." This is based on a rudimentary understanding of the antiquated "thence" as being equivalent to modern "from there".


texts:
What does "I only rent out full month" mean when said by a potential landlord?

At first I thought it means that the apartment can only be rented starting at the first day of a month, but now I think it might mean that it is only rented out for one month at a time. Is it a standard phrase in English or should I ask the person who said it to clarify?


texts:
Obviously, wot is the present tense, and wist is the preterite, but what is the auxiliary form of this verb? I have always assumed it to be wist, so I have always said, ... have/had wist, but I am unsure of if this is correct. I checked Wiktionary and they included no mention of the auxiliary form. I checked another website and it clearly just used a script to decline English verbs.

I am wondering about this specifically, but I am asking broadly.


texts: "Above your pay grade" or "beyond your pay grade"

texts: Which is correct: above your pay grade or beyond your pay grade? If both are alright, which is better?


texts:
I have some problem to understand the true usage of “would”. I have already reviewed many forums and websites, but I have not managed to come to any conclusion upon which it can cover all cases I am facing with the usage of "would". As I have got so far, the “would” can be used in these circumstances:

“Past Habits”: When I were child, I would play soccer a lot.
“Past refusal”: I asked him for help, but he wouldn’t.
“with Wish”: I wish she would leave
“Conditional”: If he were here, I would ask him.
“Future in past”: I knew it would rain.
“Politeness marker”: I’d like a coffee please.

But still there are some sentences I cannot figure out why "would" has been used.

How much would a taxi cost to travel 50 miles? It would cost you $99.
Small flourishing companies would be harmed by increase in the minimum wage.
No man alive would believe it.

From those 6 types of “would” aforementioned, which type are these ones?


texts: What is the paper created by a plagiarizer?

texts: If a man plagiarizes by copying from other peoples' work, what do we call the document (e.g. research paper) that he creates based on this, which contains the copied research?


texts: Which tense to use when describing a blueprint of sorts?

texts:
I thought I might ask here as well.

So I'm writing a paper and I want to define the experimental process. I have two challenges.

Firstly, when I define the experimental process, I want to write it in a way that is independent of its execution, i.e., a generic process definition. So, which tense should I use? Past doesn't sound right, because it's actually a blueprint for an experiment and not something that was already done. I was thinking present simple? For example, I don't want to say "In the first step, participants had to answer the question" but something in the manner of "in the first step, participants answer the questions". I'm not sure which tense to use.

Secondly, I want to state that the experimental process was executed three times. What noun should I use? I'm using the "instances" noun, e.g., "Three instances of the experimental process were performed across three days". Is this an OK choice for what I'm writing about? Also, I want to stress that the same experiment was completed three times, once each day and not that one experiment lasted for 3 days.

Thanks for the advice!


texts:
What is the Biblical meaning of unto? I have looked it up in Dictionary.com. But I am not satisfied with the answer. Jesus said in the New Testament

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28.


texts: Are they “in a good mood" or "in good moods"?

texts:
Just now I was walking my dogs down S St. in Sacramento.  We were gaining on a woman walking in front of us, when she turned around to see who was behind her.

"Sorry," I said.  "We aren't going to run you down."

She smiled.  "No, it's just that I heard this jingling behind me, and it was getting closer.  But they aren't menacing," she said, referring to my dogs.

  "Well, sometimes they are.  But they're in a good mood right now."

Was my last statement entirely accurate?

Certainly it was crystal clear to my interlocutor and me—both of whom, if it isn't obvious, are fluent English speakers—but was there a logical and/or grammatical looseness in my language that we both tolerated, or was I, strictly speaking, correct?

Let me restate my question: In saying that my dogs were in "a good mood," did I imply that they were in a single good mood?  What I meant to imply is that each of the dogs was in a good mood—which may or may not have been exactly the same good mood.

Consider the following phrase offered by user WS2 in the comments:

  Hilda and Charles were both in good moods this morning.

Therefore, should I have said my dogs were in "good moods," leaving open that the moods might have been, in a subtle way, different?


texts:
I was wondering which is the correct form for expressing this simple concept in a formal way: " my hometown is a good place FOR LIVING IN / TO LIVE ".

Grammatically I would say that "my hometown is a good place for living in" is correct, but I see a lot of people that write "my hometown is a good place to live".


texts: Right construction of sentence in a wedding reception invitation card

texts:
I would like to print an invitation card for the wedding reception of my son. I am unsure of what to use - a proposition ("to" or "with") or a conjunction ("and") in the following sentence:

"..... reception to celebrate the wedding of Anthony to/with/and Bethany"

Any advice or inputs on what is more appropriate will be welcome.


texts: Yoga terms in English and the capitalization thereof

texts: I'm editing a manuscript in English that contains numerous yoga terms for poses, concepts etc. These are generally derived from Sanskrit, if not actual Sanskrit transliterations. My publisher requires Chicago Style, however a search yields nothing helpful with regard to capitalization of these terms. For instance, is the word yoga itself to be capitalized? In some instances but not all? What about yoga/yoga concepts, like Dharana? Capitalized? Always? I'm in a pickle.


texts: "Movie film" : hybrid word or just a tautology?

texts: Could anyone please explain me if there is a difference between words 'movie film', 'film', and 'movie'? When it is appropriate to use a 'movie film'? I thought it was a mistake to say so, but then discovered Wikipedia article titled "Movie film format".


texts:
Is it correct if I use "grant on" instead of "agreed on"? I wrote:

  It means all the standard setters around the world should grant on a specific, high quality accounting standard.

I just want to know is this sentence correct?


texts:
When writing names for .mp3 and .pdf files (songs, books etc.) in Windows, do you use hyphen, en or em dash to separate an author and his/her work?

Ex.

"Linkin Park - In the End" or "Linkin Park – In the End" or "Linkin Park — In the End"

"Edgar Allan Poe - The Black Cat" "Edgar Allan Poe – The Black Cat" "Edgar Allan Poe — The Black Cat"

Also, do you put a space between a hyphen/dash and two words?

Ex.

"Vanessa Mae—Storm" or "Vanessa Mae — Storm"


texts: Late 1800s, arrogant or bombastic to use ten-dollar words?

texts:
TL:DR. In 2020, I don't think anyone uses these bombastic words in a town newspaper! If you write or speak them, I think you look arrogant and pretentious! But did newspaper readers in late 1800s react the same? Did they find these ten-dollar words arrogant and pretentious?
Detail
In Jan 11 1870 for British Colonist  "Ayers's Cathartic Pills"  ad uses ten dollar Latinate words like "purgative", "viscera", "derangements" You can't find these in ads in 2020!

Regina Morning Leader
March 19, 1915, p.1 uses "anent" instead "about".

What the Government proposes is in a sense a war measure, and if we are to make effective the business sense of the province which, we believe, is that in this time of war less than any time can the province stand the drain of the traffic, then the plan of a plebiscite is impracticable. The taking of a plebiscite will now have to wait until after the war, and the Government and Legislature will have to take the onus of whatever action is deemed advisable during the period of the war. To take a referendum before acting will mean too much delay.
The Government's proposals anent [my emphasis] this liquor question put in brief and concrete form are the following:
1. To at once issue proclamation cutting the hours of retail liquor sale to 7 o'clock in the evening beginning 1st April.
2. To convene the Legislative Assembly as early as possible in the month of May and submit to the House a measure of which the outstanding features will be the abolition of all bar and club licenses from 1st July, 1915, until the ending of the war, and the taking over by the Government of the wholesale liquor business throughout the province immediately.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What's the Difference in Usage Between Using Single and Two Quotation Marks/Inverted Commas?

There are two quote signs, :

  '
  and

  "

Is there a difference between these two and are there are occasions when one is used and not the other?


texts: Commas after date element when followed by a parenthetical

texts:
In the sentence below, does a comma need to be placed after the parenthetical since a comma would normally come after 2020 in a full date?
Comma?
Review the document I gave you on May 2, 2020 (the May 2020 Document), for grammar and punctuation errors.
Or no comma?
Review the document I gave you on May 2, 2020 (the May 2020 Document) for grammar and punctuation errors.


texts: What is the word to describe a level of understanding that is in between in-depth and average?

texts:
For instance:

  It requires a _____ level of understanding to work on X,Y and Z.

I'm looking for a word that is slightly less than in-depth but more than normal. It is to be used in a work/business setting.

A certain level seems ambiguous.

A substantial level sounds odd.

A moderate level appears average.

Any other suitable words other than basic, intermediate and advanced level?

Is level of limiting the choice of word?


texts: Are there pangrams shorter than ‘the quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog’?

texts: Do you know pangrams shorter than the traditional ‘the quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog’ ?


texts:
In German the verb fragen takes 2 direct objects. Is it the same in English?

  I ask you something.

Or is the person being asked considered an indirect object?

If so, can I reformulate it using  to?

  I ask a question to you.

Also, are there examples for verbs that take two direct objects?


texts: Individually meaningful building block of a complex word

texts:
If there is a complex word that consists of two simpler words, what would you call each component, or individually meaningful building block, that the big word consists of, relative to the big word?

E.g., the word makeshift consists of the words make and shift.  What would you call each of those two words relative to makeshift?


texts: What does "the Catskills have hardly sunk to them" mean?

texts:
What does Henry David Thoreau mean here when he says, "the Catskills and Highlands have hardly sunk to them":

  We get a dim notion of the flight of
  birds, especially of such as fly high
  in the air, by having ascended a
  mountain. We can now see what
  landmarks mountains are to their
  migrations; how the Catskills and
  Highlands have hardly sunk to them,
  when Wachusett and Monadnock open a
  passage to the northeast; how they are
  guided, too, in their course by the
  rivers and valleys; and who knows but
  by the stars, as well as the mountain
  ranges, and not by the petty landmarks
  which we use. The bird whose eye takes
  in the Green Mountains on the one
  side, and the ocean on the other, need
  not be at a loss to find its way.

  http://www.thoreau-online.org/a-walk-to-wachusett-page8.html


texts: Are "I hope you're feeling well." suitable words for common greeting? I mean doesn't it sound odd if there have been no troubles with friend's health and I just want to know if everything is fine with him?


texts: Is it sometimes appropriate to use past tense when stating a fact?

texts:
Is it appropriate to use past tense when stating a fact in the context of the past but remains a fact until now?

Which of the following is correct?

  I didn't go to school because I was lazy and the school was too
  far.

or

  I didn't go to school because I was lazy and the school is too
  far.


texts: Use of "dd" instead of "of" or "dated" in constructions of the type "Document Version 4.0 dd 21-April-2020"

texts:
I'm a translator and at one translation bureau where I work one of the editors changes the preposition "of" or the word "dated" in time-related constructions to "dd", in this way:

  "Document Version 4.0 dd 21-April-2020" (instead of "of 21-April-2020")

I have a twopartite question:

Would this be readily understood by the native speaker?

If not, how can I persuade them that the standard way is to write of or dated?

I came across this statement on Proz.com: "d.d. (or dd) is a pretty standard English business acronym meaning "dated" but I personally have never come across this acronym in my life before I started working at this translation bureau.


texts: Can one use a hyphen to form 2 words with same prefix

texts:
Consider this part of a sentence:

  [...] the development of neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory
  disorders.

I'm wondering if it is acceptable to omit the "neuro" prefix before "inflammatory" and put a hyphen (-) before "degenerative" to indicate that the next word also begins with this prefix (this is to save space). Saving space is actually important as this is for a grant proposal with limited number of pages/words allowed.

Therefore I want to know if this sentence is grammatically correct:

  [...] the development of neuro-degenerative and inflammatory
  disorders.

I hope this is not a duplicate I did not know how to properly search for that situation.


texts: Zero article before nouns in the commonest sense

texts:
I am interested in whether the article can be omitted in a phrase like The Ideas About a Woman in Roman Literature (as in the name of a scientific article). Is the article needed here at all, since the noun is used in its commonest sense?
Some references can be found on websites of doubtful trustworthiness:

Before a common noun used in its commonest sense:
Man is mortal.
Iron is a useful metal.

But the first case has already been discussed here on StackExchange. And the second one is just a mass noun.
A detailed set of rules for the use of zero article is provided in Longman English Grammar, but it states nothing at all about the omission of articles before nouns in their commonest sense. Neither do the Cambridge Grammar of English or Collins COBUILD English Grammar.
Obviously, if we say the concept of 'woman', the article will be omitted, but if there are no quotation marks, as in the ideas about [a] woman in Roman literature, is there a rule which allows omitting the article or which explains why the article is mandatory?
P.S. Here is an example where no article is used in a paper by a native speaker, Prof. Maggie Gale.


texts: Which definition of commitment is correct in this sentence?

texts:
According to Macmillan Dictionary, the word "commitment" has these 5 definitions:

a promise to do something
strong belief in something
enthusiasm
duty/responsibility
use of money, etc.

Which one fits the following sentence?

  "The manager attributes the Conservancy’s success to having a local presence and a commitment to working with local residents."?


texts: Music Hall or music hall for the general type of British theatrical entertainment, rather than any particular entertainment centre.


texts: What are some nice words to describe one's body language when surprised?

texts:
I constantly use the expressions

He opened his eyes wide
His jaw dropped
He gasped in surprise

What others words/expressions can be used?

EDIT:

In this case, I'm looking for surprised in a good way


texts: The meaning of "What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her"

texts:
Title - Feel It

Artist - The Tamperer ft. Maya

  You got it on the side
  A little one night thing
  I thought it over and this time I will forgive you
  Well I'm not letting go
  But don't forget I know
  You made your bed and she was in it, no no no

  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?
  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?
  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?
  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?

  Well I'm not blaming you
  But she's still hanging around
  And she's so crazy, tell ya now I just don't trust her
  She thinks she's right on time
  But I think she crossed the line
  And I'm ready for the ride, I'm ready, yep, just biding time

  What she's gonna look like with a chimney on her?
  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?
  What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?

What is the meaning of What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her?


texts: What adjective (single word) means 'having/using a willingness to learn'?


texts:
I've consulted different dictionaries but I've not found the usage of this structure like in the following example:
''I'm down to sell records but not my soul''
is it slang? What does it exactly means?


texts: Is "What did you just say" grammatically correct?

texts:
Should I say:

  What did you just say?

or

  What have you just said?

I find the first one more common.

The English grammar textbooks I've read emphasized that "just" refers to the present therefore you should use present perfect tense in such situations. For example, in an affirmative sentence, you'll definitely say "I've just finished reading this book" rather than "I just finished reading this book", right? Then what about questions like the one above?


texts: British upper-class pronunciation of words like "what" and "when"

texts:
More from the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House.

I've noticed in these sort of movies, when some very upper-class speakers talk, like the lawyer in the series, Mr. Tulkinghorn, they have a distinct way of pronouncing "wh" in what and when; the "wh-" sounds seems to be prefaced with an almost sharp whistling "h", so that it sounds like they are really saying hwat and hwhen.

I'd like to know three things:  First, what is the specific name of this phoneme, as would be given by linguists? Secondly, what's the difference in articulation, in terms of tongues and throats, between this hwh- and wh-?  And finally, the most difficult question of all:  Is the hwhat these upper-class speakers produce a direct-line preservation of Anglo-Saxon pronunciation, through these many centuries? [I ask because I have seen the construction "hwæt hwæt" used playfully as an example of Anglo-Saxon speech, and figured that the "hw-" sound must have prominent in that language.]


texts:
Words such as rather and quite are characteristically used in English to modify meaning,
According to Paul Baker in Lancaster University:

complex and understated forms of speech are in decline.
Guardian
He has said that he is rather fond of such “gradable adverbs”, stating that:
"Some words are starting to be drastically eroded from English – especially a grammatical class called “gradable adverbs” which consists of boosters (that emphasis another word or phrase, otherwise known as intensifying adverbs) like frightfully & awfully and downtoners (that reduce the force of another word or phrase) like quite and rather."
Guardian

On the other hand, Google ngram shows little ground for this concern in British English, either for the boosters or the downtoners. Here are the downtoners rather and quite:

And here are the boosters I mentioned:

My question to you is: what is your own experience of the claimed change in our language? And with which source does it agree – Professor Baker or ngram?


texts: Why does "I was happy to do my homework" work, but "I was tired to do my homework" doesn't?

texts:
I'm teaching ESL, and I came across a question from one of my students that I don't know how to answer.  Using the form "{subject} {verb} {adjective} {infinitive phrase}" we've been going over sentences such as "I was happy to help you."  (More specifically, "I helped you. I was happy. -> I was happy to help you.")

One of my students then suggested "I was tired to do my homework."

Now, as a native English speaker, I know that this is wrong.  I'm even college educated and actually trained in ESL (which included grammar classes)... and yet, I have no idea WHY this is wrong.  It SEEMS to fit the form our textbook was teaching ("I did my homework. I was tired." -> "I was tired to do my homework.") and yet I know it's wrong.

What's the difference?  Why doesn't this work?


texts:
Is there a word meaning something along the lines of weary, haggard or generally not at one's best after a long journey? Something like travel-worn, but better?

As a compelling motivating example, I offer you my twelve-week-old son on return from his grandparents':


texts:
I came across a picture that was meant to be funny, but puzzled me instead:

http://www.searchquotes.com/sof/images/picture_quotes/31525_20131204_091308_christmas07.jpg

"When the boss is a way work becomes a holiday"
I was expecting away in one word.
Is this a pun (that I am missing) or obvious typo?


texts:
What is correct, Multi-day or Multiday?

I have checked the collins dictionary and it does not have an entry for Multi-day but does for Multiday (link)

Despite that, almost every browser or device I use suggests that Multiday is wrong, instead, it encourages Multi-day.


texts: Looking for a good title for specific job

texts:
A friend of mine is trying to sell his products, but he has no shop for selling them. In this case he want to hire someone for advertising his products by going to shops and stores and convince them to buy the product. He wants to announce this vacancy on his website but he didn't come up with a good job title for this.

Is sales person is a good title for this job or are there any better alternatives?


texts: Should the noun 'dressing' be plural after a list of adjectives?

texts: When offering multiple salad dressing choices, should it be "ranch and Italian dressing" or "ranch and Italian dressings"?


texts: Is there an English counterpart for the unit of time `5 minutes` (一个字)?

texts: There's a unit of time that is used by some Chinese speakers as 一个字 (let's call it Z for now). Each Z is equivalent to 5 minutes and there are 12 Zs in an hour. This comes primarily from my understanding of Cantonese; I don't believe this unit of time exists anywhere else outside of Cantonese.


texts: How do I say, "I am willing to relocate", in my CV?

texts:
I'd like some help with my CV. I want to add one sentence below my name, telling the company that I am free to relocate to any city.
I am not a native speaker and I am not sure about this.
Can anybody tell me how to say it? Which way is proper and professional?


texts: What does the nation "Jolted into civility" after an incident mean?

texts:
I found the following caption and lead copy in today's New York Times.
Does 'jolt into civility' mean 'get calmed down quickly," "resume normality soon after the incident"? Is "jolt into" civility, normalty, composure, recovery, whatever, a frequently-used phrase?

After Tucson, Is the Anger Gone?
In the past, the nation has been "jolted into civility." But it's unclear whether this will happen after the killings in Tucson.


texts:
I'm trying to find a word referring to an idiom that gives advice (e.g. "Fake it till you make it"). "Nugget of wisdom" is kind of what I'm looking for, but I want a single word, not another idiom.

Edit: I should specify that I'm looking for a word that describes "Fake it till you make it".


texts: Is 'peaceful demonstration' an oxymoron?

texts: Oh, we know the standards: Jumbo Shrimp, Real Phony,Living Dead..... is peaceful demonstration in the list: reasons why/not are, of course unexpectedly anticipated.


texts:
Which one of these sentences is correct?

For an academic paper

The third theme resulting from focus group interviews was cultural barriers.

The third theme resulted from focus group interviews was cultural barriers.

what about these phrases?

Table 4.1 Themes resulted from the interviews of step 1

Table 4.1 Themes resulting from the interviews of step 1


texts: Idiom to describe something that is 'Just Right'

texts:
I am doing an English Project and am trying to decide for a title. I am analysing movie which I thought was really well done, and hence was trying to decide on an idea for the article I am writing.
I came across the phrase 'Just the right amount of everything', since the movie was all-round well done and had great features without being too over-done. However, I want something a little more catchy to readers. After doing a bit of research I came across the Swedish word 'Lagom', which means exactly what I what I was aiming for. However, it is unfortunately in a different language which is a little annoying...
Can anyone suggest a similar idiom or catchy phrase that could be used in this situation?
Thank you!


texts: traveller's cheques; customer's requirements: use of the singular Saxon genitive (and the plural attributive) for association

texts:
May I ask if the following sentence is grammatical?

  Our remit is to conduct research on customer's requirements.

In my understanding, as 'customer' is a countable noun, so the plural form 'customers''' should be used instead for this general reference (without specification of certain customers).

However, I know that we can say 'traveller's cheques' - e.g.,

  Traveller's cheques are available at the bank.

In this sense, actually can we say 'customer's requirements' in the first case?


texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences:

1 ) Please tell me why is it like that. (should I put question mark at the end)

2 ) Please tell me why it is like that. (should I put question mark at the end)


texts: superior "at" vs "in" which preposition to use?

texts:
(which is the best sentence to use between ( 1 or 2) and (3 or 4) :

1- He is superior at all things. (means he is the best)

2- He is superior in all things.  (means he is the best)

3- He is superior at Math.

4- He is superior in Math.


texts: What's the difference between "insulated" and "isolated"?

texts: I don't know the difference because they have the same meaning.


texts: How common are "arrove" and "arriven" (vs. "arrived")?

texts:
So to start things off, I know that the proper past tense of the word arrive would be the word arrived.

And that sounds fine for me if you are singularly referring to yourself, such as:

  I have arrived at my home.

But when I try to use the word to refer to a group of people, such as:

  We have arrived at our home.

It just peeves me for some reason. It feels more natural to say:

  We arrove at our home.

Or even:

  We have arriven at our home.

They both feel far more natural to me than arrived does for some reason.
Wiktionary lists arrove as a non-standard alternative to arrived, which indicates that at least some other people have felt the same way. How frequently are arrove or arriven used? What region(s) does this dialect belong to?

Me from the future: To anyone interested, I have discovered that Google Docs recognizes 'arriven' as a word but not 'arrove'


texts: Is the word "Shinobi" an accepted English word?

texts: I've been wondering if the word "Shinobi" is an accepted English word. As far as I know, its synonym "Ninja" is an accepted English word where "Spy" is the nearest common English.


texts:
I always think when you use hear, of should follow it like heard of anything. But I saw

  I haven't heard anything from him.

Is that correct, or should it be

  I haven't heard of anything from him.


texts: Hemingway: "to put your hat on even under the canvas at noon"

texts:
Welcome,

recently I bought a book called "Winner take nothing" by E. Hemingway. As soon as I started reading I came across rather weird sentence, as follows

  Hadn't you ought to put your hat on even under the canvas at noon?

I understand every word separately but as a whole I cannot comprehend it. Is there any manner or habit which is foreign to me?

PS: English is not my native langage.

EDIT 1 :

From what I know it is Safari, they celebrate killing the lion and his wife speaks to him like that.

More text from this SITE

  Margaret, his wife, looked away from him and back to Wilson.

  'Let's not talk about the lion,' she said.

  Wilson looked over at her without smiling and now she smiled at him.

  'It's been a very strange day,' she said. 'Hadn't you ought to put
  your hat on even under the canvas at noon? You told me that, you
  know.'

  'Might put it on,' said Wilson.

  'You know you have a very red face, Mr. Wilson,' she told him and
  smiled again.


texts: What is the rare word that describes something that is impossible to attain yet it is still desired?

texts:
I have only run across this word twice in my life and it was used to describe something that was deeply desired by a person, yet for them it was impossible to ever attain. Therefore, the word in question described what this thing was to them. For example:

  "Given the problems with Dave's past, a healthy relationship with his dad is ___________. "


texts:
Had a discussion with a colleague on the following sentence today:

  By default situation A will happen, unless you choose to activate option B.

I have set the comma as indicated above, but my colleague is convince the comma should be after the "unless".

As a non-native speaker I don't feel I have the authority to overrule my colleague but my gut says the comma should be as indicated above. Can someone help me? Thanks.


texts: I am stuck in a debate with an American over the use of the word SOME in "I want to change some money." In the UK, we would use the word 'some'. I'm told it's often omitted in the States. I'm fine with that - except now she dismisses  the use of 'some' as vernacular. What do you think?


texts: Can we reduce this adverb clause? "In winter, the Magdalen Islands are almost as isolated as when they were first discovered by Cartier."

texts:
Can we change it to "...as when first discovered by Cartier"?

Is " when they were first discovered by Cartier" an adverb clause? Or does the adverb clause start with "as isolated as..."?
Is either one of them reducible?


texts:
Over the cemetery a cloud always hangs, a thick grey one.
  Over the cemetery a cloud always hangs; a thick grey one.
  Over the cemetery a cloud always hangs—a thick grey one.

Which of these is preferable?


texts:
In Russian, ember is used as a metaphor of something fading or dying (for example, love). Likewise, "to make the ember burn again" is a metaphor for bringing something back from near death.
Is there a similar metaphor specifically related to coal or ember in English?


texts: Is "he runs like a cheetah" a kind of metaphor?

texts: To make a metaphor about somebody's running speed, should we say "he is a cheetah" or "he runs like a cheetah"? Why?


texts:
Can the word petrify be used correctly in the sentences below?

  He was petrified with exhaustion!
  He was so petrified he slept without moving a muscle.


texts:
Can you help me paint the hall this weekend?
  Can you help me to paint the hall this weekend?

Do we add "to" the second verb (paint) because it's in the infinitive?


texts: What does "thot" mean and when was it first used?

texts:
The word thot is all over Twitter.

The @lovihatibot Twitterbot routinely finds it in searches for "I love the word [X]" and "I hate the word [X]", in fact it's the most hated word and third most loved word (presumably use in one category feeding the other).

Similarly it's the second most common in @favibot's searches for "[X] is my new favorite word" (up from number 5 in October).

What does thot mean?

Where does it come from and when was it first used?

Was there a single person or event which popularised it, and when was it?


texts: What is "herself" or "himself" on IMDB, when you click on filmography of an actress or actor

texts:
What is "herself" or "himself" on the IMDB website, when you click on filmography of an actress or actor?

  Stephen Hawking

  Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor (TV Movie)
  Himself (as Professor Stephen Hawking)

  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0370071/


texts: "a question impossible to answer" and "a situation possible to arise" Are they grammatical?

texts:
To be possible/impossible can be followed by an infinitive verb  only when the subject of the finite verb is the introductory "it".  With any other subject the infinitive would be wrong, so I've learnt.

For instance, it is correct to say

"It is impossible to grow oranges here." or "It was impossible to hear the lecturer."

but not

"Oranges are impossible to grow here." or "The lecturer was impossible to be heard."

However, I've read (in newspapers) or heard (from native speakers) sentences that do not follow the rule, as for example:

"A result not possible to foresee."

"A question impossible to answer."

"A situation possible to arise."

Are these examples grammatical?  Should they be, then either the rule has exceptions or there is no such rule. Should they be wrong, then are the three last sentences colloquialisms, or are they really wrong?


texts: What does the term empirical praxis mean?

texts:
I don't know why but more than often I am encountering the phrase "empirical praxis".

Does its meaning have any relation to the phrase "empirical truth" ? What is it exactly about ?

Sample usage -

  More and more companies are discovering that empirical praxis is the only long term energy supply in business.


texts: Another word for "theory" or "belief" that doesn't quite rise to the level of either. An atheist's "theory" of creation

texts:
Theory isn't the right word because my "theory" is nothing but an idea that works for me that would take forever to explain. Actually, explaining my "theory" is exactly why I need the word :) Since the subject is creation, I don't want to call my "theory" that word because it's completely non-scientific, hardly salt to the Theory of Evolution's pepper.

Belief isn't the right word either. Again, my thing doesn't rise to that level. I believe in global warming, evolution, apple pie and that Jon Snow will live until (maybe even THROUGH) the end! I don't believe in God in any sense that I've ever heard preached or that I've read. Faith doesn't work either. The word "faith" fits better to the Jon Snow reference above.

My degree of certainty that my "theory" is correct is kind of nil. I guess I can describe it as something my scientific psyche can accept and that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I'd like to think my thingy is right.

So, what can I call it?


texts:
I often hear this word 'game'. One of the questions in the site talks about the meaning of "I am game". Users have replied that "I am game" implies that I am up for the challenge.

But I would like to know the exact meaning and context regarding the usage of the word 'game'. I've also seen it being used in Eminem's rap songs saying "I am married to a game".

So what exactly is this word word 'game'? What is its context and usage?


texts: Term for the depressions left by a pen tip on an underlying paper sheet

texts:
Is there a specific term for the depressions / indentations left on an underlying sheet of paper caused by the pressure applied from the tip of a pen or pencil writing on a sheet of paper above it?

(Like something from an Agatha Christie novel...).


texts: An adjective that would substitute "underfunded" here?

texts:
Tom remains underfunded to start up a business.

The context is that this man has an excellent business plan and entrepreneurial spirit. But the bank wouldn't lend him money in absence of collateral.

In my view, the word "underfunded" properly stresses the fact that Tom lacks capital. However, according to Collins Dictionary, this word in most cases modify an organization or services. Are there any words that would fit in better?

To clarify, Tom LACKS enough funding. Still, he may turn to other institutions other than banks, a solution not very practical because the former ones charge exorbitantly high interest rate.


texts: my bank just sent a statement titled: Banking Done Different

texts: Is it ever correct to write Banking Done Different?  I am surprised to find this printed at the top of my savings account statement


texts: "who is entitled" or "whom is entitled": which is correct?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What's the rule for using "who" or "whom"?

Which is correct?

  A certificate is a statement that states who is entitled.

  A certificate is a statement that states whom is entitled.

Is who a subject?


texts: How would embedded quotations be used when quoting from passages/sources within an essay? What would be the difference between normal quotations and embedded quotations?


texts: Should "in-cabin" be hyphenated in "the dogs must ride in-cabin on the airplane"?

texts: Would the term in-cabin be hyphenated or not? As in, the dogs must ride in-cabin on the airplane.


texts: What is the difference between "irreligious" and "non-religious"?

texts:
Irreligious (Dictionary.com 1st definition):

  not religious; not practicing a religion and feeling no religious
  impulses or emotions.

Non-religious (Google definition):

  not relating to or believing in a religion.

I've looked at definitions and synonyms for both, but I can't seem to find the difference between the two.

It appears "irreligious" has some kind of negative connotation directed at religion in general, while "non-religious" skews more to the "indifferent" definition.

However, I can't find any reliable sources that differentiates the two.


texts:
Here's from Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2
(The Arden Shakeseare edited by Harold Jenkins)

  Fie, 'tis a fault to heaven,
  A fault against the dead, a fault to nature,
  To reason most absurd, whose common theme
  Is death of fathers, and who still hath cried
  From the first corse till he that died today,
  'This must be so'.
  (Emphasis added)

I understand the grammar structure of this sentence except "To reason most absurd".
I guess it means "it is irrational", but I can't analyze it grammatically.


texts: Word request: 催婚: encourage/urge/press + marriage

texts:
I am working on a translation and looking for a word or phrase for the Chinese: 催婚.

催婚 is made up of two parts:

(1) 催 which essentially means encourage/urge/press; it can also be used to mean things like expedite

(2) 婚 which means marriage.

KEY says its a VO (verb-object) meaning:

  (usu. of a person's parents) put pressure on one to get married

The concept is not all that foreign. Pressuring somebody (around their 30s) to get married (because everyone thinks they already should be!) - but I'm not sure if there's a good word / wording for it.

Any ideas?


texts: A friend claims that the phrase for free is incorrect. Should we only say at no cost instead?


texts:
I am referring to the idiomatic expression “I don’t buy it” meaning I don’t think it is true. This connotation of the verb buy appears to be from the ‘20s according to Etymonline:

  Meaning “believe, accept as true” is attested by 1926.

I couldn’t find any evidence to support this usage in the early decades of the 20th century, and looking at Google Books it appears the expression actually took off from the ’60s.

My questions are:

When did the above connotation of the verb “buy” actually come into usage?
Is its meaning origin somewhat connected to the spead of TV commercials from the ’50s or ’60s?
Was it originally an AmE or a BrE expression?


texts: Which form should be used for attributive nouns like “student union”: singular or plural, or possessive singular or possessive plural?

texts:
When should a noun that’s used attributively to describe another
noun be plural, and when should it be singular?  And when should
it be possessive, like baker’s dozen and when should it be
plural possessive, like farmers’ market?

In other words, why do we say teachers union rather than teacher
union?  And why do we say wedding planner rather than weddings
planner?

Which of these variants is or are correct?

  student union
  students union
  student’s union
  students’ union

What about community values versus community’s values?

Please note I am looking for a general rule or at least some tips.
These are only examples.

Update: It seems even native speakers follow their personal
style to write such compound words. I wonder why in the IELTS
listening section, the language learner has to write a specific
form and there is no rule for this.


texts: What term did Hugo Chavez use after losing a constitutional amendment?

texts: Huge Chavez used an obscure term, when referring to his opponents beating him in a national referendum, that means "you think you want it but it turns out to be a bad thing" after losing an bid for an amendment for a constitutional amendment, and I can't remember what it was he said. I know this is super vague, but if you were paying attention to Venezuelan politics sometime between 2010-2012, you would have read that he quoted that the opposition won a [something] victory, or something. This is driving me nuts. Please help me remember what he said!


texts: A word for the effect that brightness has on someone who needs to sneeze

texts:
Whenever someone has to sneeze my family tells them to look at a bright light. This makes most people sneeze.

Recently someone told us that there is a special word or phrase for this.

Is this so? Does anyone know the word?


texts: (almost solved) "all I had to see me through": Explain & how to look up?

texts:
Edit: Supplemented "through" in the title. I tried an intermediate summary after the original questions.

It seems that "all I had to see me" simply means "all I had", or "all that was available for me". Am I right? Edit: I saw a sentence like "[In the desert] the muddy, brown water was all we had to see us through the next few days."
By web search, I find this phrase is almost always followed by "through". This "through" is sometimes a preposition, like "through the week", but it can also be an adverb, i.e., followed by nothing. (If the period is obvious?) I also found an example of "along" instead of "through". Any comments?
How would a dictionary give the entry? I mean the last pronoun. "Verb + oneself" (reflective) is common, but in this case, it's not oneself. And under which word is it listed?
Is it possible to analyze the phrase? My impression is this "have" is similar to let, make, etc, not "have to", but it's yet peculiar; all such uses I know are in the form "have him help them" and "have it stolen". "See" here means "encounter?"
Web search shows only several cases for each combitation of the subject and the tense. Is this expression so rare? (But it certainly is in use.)

Thanks beforehand.

Edit: In fact, "see someone through" was what I should ask. I overlooked it in dictionaries, being distracted by the nearby "see through so/sth", which I'm familiar with. Thanks a lot, Frank and Håkan Lindqvist, for giving aids to my ambiguous question.

As suggested by the answers, if _someone_ sees another through a period, they give support during difficulty.

But (Am I right?) if there's _something_ to see you through, you've got it to live with, but the emphasis is on how much. So it's likely to be used like: "I only had something to see me through" or "there was enough to see us through". In the former, you can at least survive, but you probably want more of it.


texts:
I am looking for a word that has the same meaning as "life experiences."

I tried to use legend, but I think it is too big for an individual person like me.


texts: What are the criteria for allowing repeated bare NPs in coordinate structures?

texts:
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Pages 409-410):

8.5 Restricted non-referential interpretations of bare NPs
[...] This time, however, our concern is with bare NPs. We confine our attention to singular count nouns, which normally require a determiner.
(a) Bare role NPs
...
(b) Fixed expressions or frames
...
vi arm in arm, back to back, day after day, mouthful by mouthful, side by side, mile upon mile [repeated nouns]
vii from father to son, from beginning to end, between husband and wife, mother and child [matched nouns]
...
The examples in [vi–vii] are illustrative of a number of expressions involving repetition of the same noun or contrasting nouns; [...]. Similarly, in coordinate structures, bare NPs can optionally be used in repetition: We searched endlessly for a spring or a cave to spend the night, but neither spring nor cave could be found.

I don't think spring and cave are "repeated nouns" in [vi] or "matched nouns" in [vii]. [vi] only discusses "repeated nouns" connected with a preposition. [vii]'s mother and child, the only one without any preposition, is different from neither spring nor cave in that spring and cave cannot be said to be matched nouns like mother and child can.
Although it starts with "Similarly", therefore, the last sentence seems to be discussing a different category from [vi] or [vii]. If so, what exactly does CGEL mean "in coordinate structures, bare NPs can optionally be used in repetition"?
If that statement is to be literally accepted, the following variants of the example sentence should also work:

(1) We searched endlessly for spring or cave to spend the night...
(2) We searched endlessly for spring and cave to spend the night...
(3) ...but spring or cave could not be found.
(4) ...and finally spring and cave could be found.

But none of these works for me. (Please let me know if any of these works for you.)
Therefore, there must be some other implied criteria for allowing repeated bare NPs in coordinate structures.
What are the criteria?
The only criterion I can think of is that the repeated coordinate structure has to be preceded by the coordinating marker such as neither, both and either as in neither spring nor cave. Are there any other criteria?


texts: Why you're laughing vs Why are you laughing?

texts:
Recently I was talking to my friend in English. He started laughing and I asked him Why you're laughing man?

Someone told me you should say Why are you laughing? and this one is totally wrong.

I got a little bit confused. I know "Why are you laughing?" is correct but I can't wrap my head around it fully that mine is totally wrong.

I represented what I meant through intonation of the sentence and my buddy had no problem understanding it. my question is:

The form I used was totally wrong? and I should stop using it?

I'm guessing in written English this form is wrong and if I use it, it's gonna represent a statement, but in the spoken language, since we have intonation I thought it might be unnecessary to emphasize on being totally grammatically correct for every sentence I'm saying.

Am I wrong?


texts: They are like pieces of a puzzle in that they complement one another to form the whole

texts: Does in that make my sentence formal? If so, how can I change it to be more neutral?


texts:
I’d like to ask about the sentence from The Retired Colourman by Conan Doyle.

  It chanced to be my old school number, thirty-one, and so is stuck in
  my head.

I’m not sure of this school number thing Dr. Watson brought up. Would someone tell me which is more likely..
A: A number given to each student while they belong to the school.
B: A number to distinguish each school, as in 87th Precinct.

Thanks.


texts:
From what I learned, we could use imperative to [verb]ing, but when I read my book, I see this sentence:

  An accurate analysis of surveys is imperative to building a good understanding of customer needs.

Why do we use building here?

Please help :)


texts:
Is this a valid usage of have?

"As I was waiting in line I was having a lady next to me disrespected very badly."

Does the example above make any sense? If so what exactly does it imply?


texts: History of 'acronym' versus 'initialism'?

texts:
Nowadays on the internet there's a contingent who make a strong distinction between 'acronyms', which they say must be pronounced "phonetically" (for lack of a better term), and 'initialisms', which are pronounced as disconnected letters. -- Call "FBI" or "TNT" an "acronym" online, and there will likely be someone who will pop up in the comments to "correct" you.
But from my understanding, this sort of distinction wasn't/isn't always the case. Indeed, the first attested use of "acronym" according to the OED is one of separated letters: "Pee-gee-enn. It's an acronym [Ger. Akronym], that's what it is. That's what they call words made up of initials."
Current online dictionaries are somewhat equivocal about it. Wiktionary saying "... sometimes exclusively ... when pronounced as a word" (with corresponding usage note). The OED has two definitions which cover each case, and no indication either is preferred/discouraged (though notes that it itself uses "initialism" for the pronounced-as-letters variety). Lexico only seems to recognize the "pronounced as a word" variant. Dictionary.com has both definitions, but does discuss the distinction with initialism in a usage note. Collins Dictionary has a number of sections, with pronunciation not being explicitly treated in the American English section, but with "a pronounceable name" being explicitly mentioned in the British English section. Interestingly, it also defines "initialism" in British English as "an acronym in which each letter is pronounced separately" (emphasis added). Merriam-Webster has a main definition which seems to imply the fluid pronunciation definitions, and treats the pronounced-as-letters definition as an "also" note. -- None of the dictionaries, however, seem to treat how the distinction has been treated over time, aside from that implicit in the OED's dated usage examples.
I don't know if there's any "historical" dictionaries online, but the one hard-copy dictionary I currently have access to is the 1997 Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (tenth edition), which has basically the same definition for "acronym" as the current online version (minus the "also" note, rendering it more ambiguous), but defines "initialism" as "an acronym formed from initial letters" (differing from the current online definition, which uses "abbreviation" instead). Google Books Ngrams seem to indicate both words took off starting in the 1960s, but with a greater preponderance of "acronym" to "initialism", though "initialism" seems to take a (relative) upswing in 2013. However, I'm not sure if there's much you can infer from that.
All of which is a long-winded and somewhat pointless background to my question: How has the definitions and usage of "acronym" and "initialism" changed over time? Was the pronunciation distinction prevalent from the start? If not, where did that separation originate from, and how did it spread? (With a particular interest in the prevalence among the internet pedant-erati.)
Note: When analyzing definitions, please make the proper allowance for a distinction between being a word and being pronounced as a word. It does not follow a priori that when someone else says something is a word that they necessarily mean the same thing that you mean when you say it should be pronounced as a word. It might, but I'd say it's a fallacy to take that as a given.


texts: Word meaning "honorably accepted into group"

texts:
Looking for a word of positive sentiment that conveys something being purposefully or honorably added to a group, especially a person.

After years of loyal knightship, he was finally _______ into the King's inner circle.

Close but doesn't capture the idea of being honored: selected, welcomed, included, consolidated, assimilated.


texts: In third conditional sentences, if the conditional clause precedes the independent clause, should a comma precede the independent clause?

texts:
(conditional clause with past perfect + comma + independent clause containing modal auxiliary + have + past participle)
I learned this rule many years ago when I was a high school student, but I noticed there are some people who no longer use a comma in third conditional sentences. There are a few answers about third conditional sentences on this website, but they contain extra variables. The following sentence is an example of a third conditional sentence with a comma.

If this area had been blank, it would have been intentional.

The next sentence is without a comma.

If this area had been blank it would have been intentional.

Which one is correct?


texts: Can someone give me more insight between the difference of 'Contrast' and 'Compare'?

texts:
When we juxtapose two things and compare them i.e 'Xbox and PS4 ; how do they compare?'  are we looking for which one is better? Somewhat by the same token, when we say 'Mastercard and Visa card ; how do they contrast' what are we insinuating ?

  I saw that compare doesn't necessarily mean that we look at similarities between the two/more things , so why use 'contrast' at  all ?


texts:
I am looking for a correct and common definition of the glass that you can see through from only one side, like those you see in detective TV series.

I could find the definition:

one-way mirror from the AHD :

  A mirror that is reflective on one side and transparent on the other, often used in surveillance. Also called two-way mirror.

The definition corresponds to what I am looking for but I don't understand the part I put in bold.

It looks like it means  that it is called both one way and two-way mirror.

Does it make sense? and could it actually create a misunderstanding? What is the appropriate, unambiguous way to call it?


texts: Is "ran" transitive or intransitive in "The boy ran a long distance"?

texts:
The sentence was "The boy ran a long distance."
I answered that the verb "ran" was intransitive. Is it correct ?


texts:
I understand (and please correct me if I am wrong) that 'soon' simply means 'a short period of time'. With that in mind, I would like to relate a conversation I recently had with my wife.

"I gave the baby her medicine just before you came home," my wife told me.
"How soon before I came home, did you give the baby her medicine?" I asked her in response.

What I meant to ask was, what was that short period of time which had elapsed between these two events. According to her, this is incorrect because 'soon' can only refer to something which will occur in the future.

Which one of us is correct?


texts: Looking for a negatively connoted word meaning "female" for a translation

texts:
I am translating a volume of poems from German into English and am having trouble translating the German word "dämlich" - which means stupid but comes from "Dame" meaning woman or dame.

I need a word in English that has the same connotations - femininity and a negative put-down.

Any ideas would be much appreciated!

In case anyone is wondering, it's not a sexist poem, quite the contrary. Here's where I will use the word:

  The female decides whether a male is successful in the game of procreation, whether she is going to let him have a go. Those without success have compensated this with two words, autocratically calling it _______.


texts:
I just heard it from two people trying to set a place for their first date.

  Boy: Where you wanna go?
  Girl: Steakhouse.
  Boy: Ok, I'm down for that.
  Girl: We can "Hit mill"?
  Boy: Sure, let's go.

Any idea?


texts: How do I write this interesting sentence?

texts:
Throughout my life, I have often heard narrators say a very interesting type of statement. I am wondering how to effectively write it in a formal way. It looks something like the following.

"Sometimes there is a thief, a thief that you can trust, a thief that won't let you down even though he is a thief."

I am most curious about the "thief, a thief you can trust, a thief" part. Is commas the correct punctuation, or should a semicolon or an em dash be used somewhere in that sentence? We have all heard people speak like this, but I have never learned how to write it formally and correctly. Please help me.


texts: Correct word for the act of getting on/off some public transport

texts:
I'm looking for a pair of words that represent the act of getting on or off some public transport (bus, train, ship, etc.) for an app. It should be:

Single word, not and expression like "get off".
As much generic as possible
Doesn't matter if it's not used regularly

Thought of embarkment/disembarkment, ascent/descent, boarding/deboarding.


texts: Why is the sentence: "There is not anything in the box" wrong?

texts: I know the proper way to write that is "There isn't anything in the box" but why? I had the impression that isn't was just an abbreviation for "is not"


texts: Is grownup, grown up, or grown-up the correct usage (as a noun)?

texts: When used as a noun (meaning an adult), is "grownup", "grown up", or "grown-up" more appropriate?


texts: Is there any expression that is the opposite of "slippery slope"?

texts:
Slippery slope is a subtle and powerful English expression. Are there any expressions that are opposite or contrasting of that expression?

The sense of slippery slope I have in mind is Small compromise, e.g. moral, leading to debasement of principles. So an opposite sense might be fortitude in the face of laxity leads to greatness.


texts: Natural way of asking for ordinal position in athletic events

texts:
For the long jump event at my school athletics carnival, people nominate and then get arrange in a certain order. I am looking for a natural way of phrasing a question to get someone to tell me where he fits in that order/sequence. One a native speaker would causually use. For example, if you're person A, and you want to elicit the following response:

B: I am the nth jumper, just X more people and it'd be my turn.

I remember asking "Do you know where you are in the jumper order?" which sounds stilted and awkward (and I don't think I am using the word 'order' correctly). How can this question be properly framed? Also, I have looked through questions relating to ordinal numbers on this site, but just about all of them are related to birth order, and doesn't quite answer my query.


texts:
I've seen it used by non-native English speakers as some form of leadership infinitive (not sure why it is not just "leading") but I am not sure if it as actual word (or special form or conjugation).

I've seen it used for example like: "Diploma in leadering"


texts: Use of "save" or "save for" in sentences

texts:
Take the following example sentence:

  There was nothing there save for the warmth of the immeasurable light.

Is this the proper use of save for?  Is there ever a proper use of save for?
Can someone explain to me the correct usage, if there is one, and possibly some etymology of this phrase?

Examples of other correct use would be appreciated, though not critical.


texts:
Some friends and I have been debating for a while now the significance of the word "typical", more specifically the pejorative connotation that, they insist, is inherent to this word. To them, for example, "this is very typical of Bob" automatically implies a reprehensible or unpleasant behaviour on Bob's end, whereas I've always used it to express a recognizable characteristic or pattern in Bob's behaviour.

I would like to settle this once and for all.  Please share your thoughts on this matter.


texts: Are these mispronunciations by my British English text-to-speech engine a reflection of an actual British English usage?

texts:
A little context: I'm a native speaker of American English. I use Google's text-to-speech engine with the British voice, as I find the roboticness (roboticity?) of delivery to be less distracting in a less familiar accent. However, I'm occasionally left scratching my head over particular pronunciations.

Some of these are clearly based on English language formation rules--for example, for some time the proper name "Ian" was said as just a sort of swallowed /n/ sound, likely because of a system rule about words ending in -ian (such as logician or Hessian; presumably there was some other rule governing guardian and the like).

However, two of these have me stumped. "M'" (as in m'lady or m'lord, but NOT m'self) is pronounced something like "MASHna" (/ˈmæʃ-nə/), and "hon" (the short form of "honey", as in "can I get you a warm-up on your coffee, hon?") sounds to me as if it is pronounced "cur" (/kər/). The US engine does not produce these pronunciations.

I've looked these up as abbreviations, both with a general google search and in the OED online, since the TTS engine frequently defaults to words as abbreviations (for example, the common name Ed always becomes editor, and the word "no" at the end of a sentence would be read as "number").

If this were the case, I would think "honourable" would be the obvious default British pronunciation of "hon", or possibly "honorary".

For M', something relating to machines or mass seems possible, but they don't seem like the first association (the OED has six other definitions for M preceding the mathematical symbol for mass, and does not include machine at all). These also don't explain where the second syllable comes from.

So, my questions:

  Is there an English rule, or a British usage, that explains the
  pronunciation of m' as /ˈmæʃ-nə/ and/or
  Is there an English rule, or a British usage, that explains the
  pronunciation of hon as /kər/?

I'm willing to accept that this might just be a bug in the engine (which would be out-of-scope for ELL), but most mispronunciations are clearly the product of over-regularization rather than pure error.

Clarification of why I believe this question is on-topic here:

I thought I was clear about this, but I'm NOT interested in the mechanics of how TTS engines work, nor am I assuming that the engine's pronunciations are "correct" for any variety of English. Rather, I am interested in what over-regularizations produced by machines relying on the rules given it by English speakers can tell us about English. (Similarly, linguists have looked at the over-regularizations produced by children learning to speak a language to identify underlying structures of the language.) I am also interested in the differences between American- and British-English usage, as occasionally (incidentally) revealed by listening to a TTS engine predicated on British English input.

Clarification 2: One more piece of information that may help understand why these examples, in particular, are of interest to me: Ordinarily, if the TTS doesn't "know" a word (most "common" words were apparently entered wholesale, rather than relying on "rules"), it will either sound it out using fairly basic rules—which in the case of "hon" I would expect to produce something like hot-ending-with-an-n or con-starting-with-an-h or similar—or else it simply spells out the word, in cases where it doesn't follow normal patterns of English spelling (common with loan words and uncommon names). In these two cases (out of thousands of unique words I've listened to), neither of these strategies was employed and I have been unable to identify a logical reason. For comparison, "'ave" as in "'ave a good day, guv'nor" is pronounced "avenue" by one TTS engine, and "ah-vay" as in "Ave Maria" in another; both of these examples are clearly comprehensible based on English usage, even if a native speaker would not make that mistake.


texts:
I want to know what is the meaning of "but" in this combination: "thought of as but" like in the following sentence:
"Conscious thinking
and actions might be thought of as but the
outward manifestations of that whole person".


texts: If you lost your signifcant other or a partner, but you weren't married, are you still a widow/widower or what is the correct term?

texts:
If you dated someone and lived together, built family and had kids for e.g. 10 years or more, but you weren't married, they weren't your spouse, what does that make you when they pass away?
Definition on Wikipedia says:

A widow is a woman whose spouse has died and a widower is a man whose
spouse has died.

I'm a foreigner and I can't figure this out, what is the correct word, is it still widow/widower?


texts:
What is the antecedent of the relative pronoun who in the following sentence?

  Hector Berlioz is one of those French composers who is famous for his operatic music.

Is it one or is it composers? I vote for one which is in the nominative case; composers is in the objective case as the object of the preposition of. Does the nominative case take precedence over the objective case in this instance?


texts: Which do I need to use, 'who' or 'that' in this sentence?

texts:
I am writing something and I am confused as to which one of these below are correct: "I am often called as one of the society's masses, that/who enjoys helping people with their..."

Also, should there be a comma right before it as I highlighted as well? I would greatly appreciate the help here!


texts: "If anybody answer this question" or "If anybody answerS this question"

texts:
What is correct -
"If anybody answer this question please let me know"
or
"If anybody answers this question please let me know"

Thank you.