texts: The curious case of "These following + a plural" vs "The following + a plural"

texts:
From my understanding, the following + a plural generally serves as an introduction, letting the reader know that they're about to be presented with a list of some sort.

Example:

  The following questions are exceedingly difficult.

This phrase is often seen in exams or when a set of data needs to be presented in a scientific paper, among other uses.

However, if I change up the example by just a little bit:

  These following questions are exceedingly difficult.

Now the sentence becomes strange, and seemingly ungrammatical.

Native speakers tend to lean more towards the first example rather than the latter. This is further supported by Google Ngram, where the number of usages for the following surpasses that of these following by quite a margin.

One might think that this is an opinion shared by most native speakers, and that these following + a plural is only used by those unfamiliar with the language. However, the phrase does appear in several publications throughout different periods, many of which seem to have been written by people with extensive - or at least some - experience in writing. Here are a few examples:

Chemistry: A World of Choices, by Paul B. Kelter, James D. Carr, Andrew Scott, published by McGraw-Hill in 2003.

The History of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of London, by William Herbert, published in 1836.

Eighty Years Progress of the United States, by multiple authors, published in 1861.

Following Searle on Twitter: How Words Create Digital Institutions, by Adam Hodgkin, published by University of Chicago Press on Feb 21, 2017.

Due to the significant number of usages present in books throughout different periods, I do believe that these following is entirely appropriate and grammatical. Judging by how they're used, I'd say it's also identical to the following when it comes to meaning, too. For some strange reason, however, these following seems to have fallen out of favor, as seen in Ngram:

Here are my questions:

Are there any differences between the two that I might not have noticed which could affect how they are used?
If so, then what exactly are those differences?
If not, then why is these following not as widely used as the following despite being so close in meaning to each other?


texts: Compound adjectives verb+verb or verb+ and+verb

texts: In an article published online I found recently 'smash and grab' as an adjective of raid (?not sure). In lists of compound adjectives this combination (verb+and+verb) rarely appears. I can also remember 'fly and drive and 'hit and run' which are quite frequent. I do remember seeing also verb+ verb as a possible compound, but at present cannot recall an example. Can you help me here with other examples and confirmation of relatively frequent use of such compounds in modern day English?


texts: How is 'fixture' a count-noun when 'furniture' is a mass noun?

texts:
Fixture is defined in the LEXICO Dictionary as:

A piece of equipment or furniture which is fixed in position in a building or vehicle.

Here're a couple examples from the dictionary:

Cathedral ceilings, antique light fixtures and furniture that looked as though it had come straight from the twenties.
During assembly, the glass is first positioned in a fixture with several sensors around the sunroof.

So, fixture seems to be a count-noun, albeit usually used in the plural.
But as its definition indicates, fixture is similar in meaning to such mass nouns as equipment and furniture in that it encompasses different objects with different shapes and functions that can be subsumed under a single category. And I thought this kind of special meaning was the very reason for treating equipment and furniture as a mass noun, so I was wondering how fixture is treated as not a mass noun but a count noun.
Is there anything with fixture that distinguishes it from the equipment/ furniture types of mass nouns that makes it a count noun?


texts: A saying for 'using the right tools to do the right job'

texts: Any ideas for a saying that means the opposite of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Basically I need something that means if the problem is big, then don't underestimate it, and make sure you have the right tool


texts:
What does this clause "...because vocabulary is not the same thing as feeling and plot is light-years from the truth as it is understood by the mind and the heart" mean?
I am confused by the latter part of the clause - "plot is light-years from the truth as it is understood by the mind and the heart".
Is this a truncated clause? If not, how else can it be written such that it still conveys the same meaning?


texts:
After stumbling across this term, and looking up it's corresponding definition, I find myself very dissatisfied with how it's defined.

For example, the official definition is this: 'in fact, whether by right or not'.

I first read that as saying that it means to state a fact whether it is right or not (which of course makes no sense), but then noticed it said 'whether by right or not'. So then I wondered what on earth this 'right' is. Upon further reading, from other sources, it says that it is some sort of fact that is true regardless of human constructed law, or more bluntly, it is right whether we like it or not.

The primary issue here though, is that every example/explanation of the term is far from clear, as it's riddled with complex terminology and ambiguity.

What's needed, I feel, is a very simple, down to earth example of 'De facto' and/or a definition with which the everyday man can understand.


texts:
I'm not sure if I need to add S to "elaborate" here.

"Each of the subsequent paragraphs elaborateS on these functionalities in order."

"Each of the subsequent paragraphs elaborate on these functionalities in order."

Why is your answer the case?


texts: Does PSY attribute his fashion to his district Gangnam? I've been hearing people nowadays going 'I have the Gangnam Style'. Are they meaning they have adopted the cultures of Korea, Gangnam?


texts: Meaning of "running stationary radar down"

texts:
I heard this in a true crime show. The whole quote goes like this: (He's a police officer btw)

At approximately 10 pm, I was sitting here running stationary radar
down towards the Circle K.

So what was he doing exactly? Was he operating his radar? Why towards that place? I have no idea what he means here.


texts:
I recall back in the late 1980s and perhaps early 1990s a library that was available in a number of forms that achieved excellent hyphenation in many/most languages.

I seem to remember it was called the xxx and yyy hyphenation libraries but sadly my age is getting the better of me and I cannot remember its name.

Anyone?


texts: The meaning of "I would as soon that remain a mystery"

texts:
So in this Garfield strip I found a sentence that's giving me a hard time fully understanding it. Although the meaning seems to be quite clear from the context, I'm not getting the phrases / expressions used.

In a response to a question whether he'd like to know where eggs come from, Garfield replies "I would as soon that remain a mystery". I'm especially not getting the "as soon" part: I can imagine the response being e.g. "I would prefer that remain a mystery" (or 'remained' ?).

What am I missing here?


texts: Ways to convey a sense of attentiveness and responsiveness to something beyond your control?

texts:
What are metaphors or English sayings for conveying a sense of attentiveness and responsiveness to something?
I am particularly interested in something akin to "emotion surfing" as it conveys:

the waves are out of your control,
you pay attention to them so you can respond to them
you do it by choice (often because it is important to you).

I want to find a metaphor (that isn't overused) to convey staying in contact with something in an attentive way so that you "get something out of it" like a surfer rides a wave. It's important that there is an element of "going with the flow" because struggling against it is as futile as trying to control waves on the ocean. It would also be helpful to capture a sense of temporality in the same way that ocean waves perpetually rise and fall.


texts:
what does "putting moon glow on something" mean? I mean in this sentence I want to know what it means?
"I know I'm putting all this fucking moon glow on it now,like it was special and all."  I read it in a play.


texts: Has elision revised the standard spelling of any words in the past century?

texts:
Elision ("the omission of one or more sounds in a word or phrase") produces the following:

  going → goin(')
  going to → gonna
  Worcester → Wuster (ˈwʊstər)

However, this hasn't affected the accepted standard spellings of the examples above. Are there any cases in the past century where the standard spelling has changed? (Note: I'm not looking for a list, just the existence of a documented change.)

If not, are there any notable trends that indicate we may see a spelling shift in the near future for certain words or phrases–perhaps due to the increasing acceptance of txtspk and informal English in previously "formal" communication?

A concrete example or two would suffice, but I'd prefer a link to a study or paper if one's available. To reiterate, I'm looking for a change no earlier than the 20th century.

In the early 20th century, there were multiple efforts to simplify spelling (most unsuccessful). Arguably, it was to make the written word closer to speech, in which case elidid words may have been good candidates. Historically, that seems to be the case, yet it seems elided words don't catch on other than in informal speech. Still, at least one example of an elided word replacing the original exists, albeit centuries ago:

  In speech, commonly elided in he, him, his, her in unstressed positions, especially following a consonant: What did 'e do; Tell us 'er name. This elision affected the spelling and pronunciation of the Middle English pronoun hit, resulting in Modern English it.

Lacking any concrete examples, perhaps someone can answer why does pronunciation not appear to pressure orthographic changes? Why do elision-based spellings, while noted in dictionaries, remain "informal" or "colloquial"?


texts: Usage of possessive pronouns in subordinate clause or main clause?

texts:
To my knowledge, personal pronouns and the noun they represent can be inter-swapped. So both these sentences are correct. (I may be wrong, I'm not sure.)

"Unless she arrives here early, Susan will be fired."

"Unless Susan arrives here early, she will be fired."

However in the case of possessive pronouns is such a rule/ understanding also the same? My question is, simply put, must the noun be in the main clause always and the possessive pronoun in the subordinate clause? Are both iterations correct or is one more popular/grammatical than the other?

"Due to his poor memory, Richard forgot about the appointment."

"Due to Richard's poor memory, he forgot about the appointment."

One proponent suggested to me that the noun must always be in the main clause, since the main clause can stand alone as a sentence. Is this true? Anaphora or cataphora?


texts: How can one decide whether to use the compound form of a word when the one- or two-word versions are acceptable?

texts:
This question is an attempt to find an abstract answer to every "one word or two?" discussion.

My problem is exemplified by this scenario:
My text editor's spellchecker recently corrected me on my use of "video game" because it felt "videogame" was proper. Searching the Internet, however, led me to feel "video game" was proper, despite there being many credible sources using "videogame". As I'm writing this now, the spellchecker in my browser wants me to use "video game".

Along my search, I found a quote in a forum from a Wired magazine editor saying they always join words whenever possible. That person credited their book, "Wired Style: Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age", for that decision. I thought this was interesting.

It seems it's up to me to decide what form I want to use. How can I make such a decision? What factors should I consider?


texts: On what juristic basis are students corrected when making mistakes in an English class?

texts:
I've learned that there is no authoritative dictionary for English. I wonder on what juristic basis students are corrected when making mistakes in an English class. How can someone say that whatever the student did wrong is not considered correct English by other people.

In German schools, students may only be "punished" (by getting a bad mark) when they had the chance to know better. For example when they have violated a rule in the official German dictionary. That is impossible when there is no official dictionary.

How do schools in Britain or the US handle that issue?

Note: There is no official reference of the German language either. However, authorities in Germany are advised to use the German language as specified in a dictionary called "Duden". Pupils in Germany are graded using the "Duden" dictionary. Other German-speaking countries may use other dictionary.


texts:
In fields like geometry and numerical methods for solving differential equations we often use words like sub-face and sub-edge, referring to parts of a geometrical object. For instance, a cube has 6 faces and 12 edges. It is often necessary to refer to parts of these objects as sub-edges and sub-faces.. In the academic literature, all three forms ("sub edge", "sub-edge", and "subedge") are in use.. What would be the correct/preferred form to use?

(The word "sub-edge" cannot be found in the Oxford Dictionary, whereas "subface", can be found meaning "The undersurface of a rock formation", which is not the meaning of subface I was looking for..)

See also:
Should I use hyphens with prefixes like “sub” and “semi”?


texts:
There is a sentence:

  I am grateful to Mr. White for A and B[,] and to Mr. Black for C and D.

Should I put a comma before "and to Mr. Black" or not?


texts:
When we want to report a sentence we change both simple past and present perfect verb into past perfect.
What if the sentence we want to report has past perfect element itself. For example
How do we report this sentence:
I had been a teacher before I went to the USA.


texts: What's the word to describe work that is a waste of effort?

texts: I am looking for a word to describe projects, work that is insignificant? I can't remember that. It has to be just a word that describes "work that is a waste of effort".


texts: "To live and die against all manner of folks?"

texts:
I came across this oath taken by Prince of Wales in the ceremony of investiture,

  I, Charles, Prince of Wales, do become your liege man of life and limb
  and of earthly worship, and faith and truth I bear unto thee, to live
  and die against all manner of folks.

I don't really understand the latter part of this oath. 'to live and die ' not in the same manner as ordinary folks? Does that mean he is somehow different and superior?


texts: To read something to the end (which verb to use)

texts:
I am looking for the verb that means to read a book (a newspaper article) from the beginning to the end. Is there such a verb in English?

  Yesterday I encountered an interesting article about chondroitin drugs. I [...] in one breath.

Thanks.


texts: what's the word to convey the meaning of 'un-understandable' in English?

texts:
In context:

  His confusion about English usage is ___, because he is a native speaker and he is an English expert.

I find the word 'incomprehensible', whose defination in Collins dictionary is:

  incapable of being understood; unintelligible.

That seems doesn't fit the meaning of a word I am looking for to fill that blank, I want a word that mean 'it almost doesn't make sense to understand', not because 'it's too difficult (like a math puzzle) to understand.' is there a more precise word for that?


texts: Can a word be monosyllabic and polymorphemic?

texts: Is it possible? If yes are there any examples? I'm stumped.


texts: Does "carnival barker" mean the opposite of "barker"?

texts:
I saw the following line in an article in Forbes (April 27) dealing with President Obama’s release of his long-form birth certificate:

  "We're not going to be able to solve
  our problems if we get distracted by
  sideshows and carnival barkers."

-President Obama, on the controversy,
stoked by Donald Trump, over whether
he was born in the United States

As I was unfamiliar with the phrase carnival barker. I looked for the meaning on on-line dictionaries, and found the definition: "one who hangs out outside a party and warns people not to go in for any reason" (my emphasis) at Urban Dictionary.

Barker, as I understand, means "a person who stands outside a place where there is entertainment and shouts to people to go in," as Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines.

I was puzzled why barker, who is supposed to solicit people to come in, comes to mean one who warns people not to go in simply by being prefixed with carnival. Can somebody explain to me why? Is the definition at Urban Dictionary right?


texts: Singular or plural use of to be verb in the following instance

texts:
Which is correct?

A woman and her clothes was serious business

OR

A woman and her clothes were serious business

Please provide an explanation.

Thank you


texts: What is an expression for something you particularly like?

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker. I want to find the English equivalent of

  ho un debole per le ragazze svedesi

that, in Italian, basically means "I particularly like Swedish girls." (It's just a random example; it might apply to many other things as well).
The point is that you want to emphasize the fact that you like, in this case, Swedish girls more than others.


texts: Is there a word for an road/path that splits specifically into three directions?

texts:
According to Wiktionary.org and Dictionary.com, one of the definitions of a fork is the something that divides into two or more branches.

Wiktionary.org provides an alternative definition that is more specific:

  "An intersection in a road or path where one road is split into two."

Is there a word that specifically means: an intersection in a road or path where one road is split into three?  I thought of trifurcation but am trying to find something more specific to a road or path.

An example sentence would be:

  "Turn left at the trifurcation in the road."


texts:
Is it possible to say "proofreading can avoid mistakes"?
This is a quote from an online article. I would say "proofreading can prevent mistakes", but I want to understand the word usage.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is “data” considered singular or plural?

I was reading a book in which the author has used the sentence as follows:

  Data show that unemployment in America is in smaller states where farming is
  the main occupation.

But when I am searching in the internet it reveals that Data shows is used more frequently.

Can anyone explain the correct usage?


texts:
I am more accustomed to seeing the term "cover letter". But one company I'm looking at now says "covering letter".

Is there a difference? (Perhaps British vs American?)


texts:
What is the antonym of black mark as in:

  It was another black mark against her that she had not gone to the last meeting.


texts:
In German there is a pattern for counting items from the end of a list. The last item is "das letzte", the one before is "das vorletzte", the one before that is "das vorvorletzte" and for each other item there's just another "vor" added.

While searching for an English translation for the German word "vorvorvorletzte" I came across several translations and discussions but none of them showed any usage pattern. Furthermore I didn't find any indication of which variant ("to", "from", no preposition) is used most nor to what area of the world those translations apply.

So I am still wondering:
When there are items 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, how can/will item 2 be called?

third from last?
fourth from last?
anteantepenultimate?
fourth-last?
fourth to last?
the last but three item?
the last but four item?

Is this a question of dialect/local use?


texts: Meaning of "Between now and then" in this context

texts:
A teacher is saying to her students:

  Between now and then, observe yourself. Bring in information. Be committed, constant and fair to each other.

Does it mean "in this time period"? or it means "sometimes"?


texts:
In a situation when I talk with someone about setting up a schedule, can we use "totally" with a phrase like the title?
I know that the meaning of totally itself is basically used for emphasizing the expression. And I also know that completely sounds more polite and also a little old.　But what I just want to know is whether native speakers use "totally" in this kind of situation or not.
Does it sound normal? Or do you have some other better suggestions?


texts:
For example:

  Ask a grammatist, she or he will possibly know how to solve this question!

Is it possible to replace the she or he part with a single word - probably something not gender dependent - in this kind of sentences?


texts: Idiom for "wanting to win without doing the work"

texts: I can't think of them right now, but there are some really hilarious ones. Please halp


texts: Word for reason people won't do things that have consequences

texts:
What is a word that I could use for "fear of punishment". Not in a phobia sense, but more of a reason that people won't do something that results in punishment/consequences.
An example sentence for this word would be "Jason forced Erik to do something, using Erik's [insert word here]."
I feel like fear of punishment/consequences sounds very bulky, and I want a concise way to say that. I have also already tried searching it up on google, but got no rresults.
A small compound word or phrase would be acceptable.


texts: What's the difference between "well-lighted" and "well-lit"?

texts:
This question has been on my mind since I first read Hemingway's story, "A clean well-lighted place".  I have never heard "well-lighted" in my life other than in this story.  I have heard that a room can be "well-lit" however.

Does anyone know why Hemingway chose to put it this way?


texts: He isn't biologically my son but I love him as if he were

texts:
So, I'm new here; and I know the title of my question may be confusing but let me explain.  I'm a writer, I've been writing nearly full-time for a year now and I am in the midst of writing a story that has an older gentleman who has taken a younger gentleman under his wing as if he were the younger man's son.

Since both are adults, the legality of adoption is not feasible; but as many people experience in life, they bring people into their lives and 'adopt' them anyway as either Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, or even secondary parents...

My question is: what would be a good word that would describe their relationship?  I thought I had a good word for it but for the life of me I cannot seem to get it out past the tip of my tongue.


texts: Is there a word that means news or delivering news or searching for news that starts with "s"?

texts:
I am looking for a word that means news or related to news that starts with "s".

Are there such words?

Thanks.


texts: word that means "to understand deeply on an intellectual level"

texts: I often have trouble expressing when I understand something on an intellectual level vs. on an emotional level.  Is there a word in English (or another language) that would allow me to differentiate these meanings?


texts: Word For "Working In The Business" As An Employee Would?

texts:
I'm trying to think of a better way to say "working in the business" as opposed to "working on the business", but what kind of work is that called?

Some ideas I have:

technical work
front line work
employee work

This would be in the context of a business owner talking about different tasks within a business. Let's say an employee is behind or the company is short staffed, the business owner steps in and does [blank] activities.


texts:
What is the origin of the word 'Walkie-talkie?' And why that word sounds so childish. For me it is associated with a toy phone for kids or something like that.
Walkie-talkie seems to be a serious thing, but it sounds foolishly.


texts:
As it came in the sentence:

  Internally focused and at the same time disseminated, they’re inclined to unexpected contrasts of behavior where shyness and apathy are replaced by emotional elevation, determination and activity, a melancholic look - or inspired/joyful.

What does it mean for a person to be disseminated?

resource:
http://www.the16types.info/vbulletin/content.php/14-Type-and-subtype-descriptions-Meged-Ovcharov


texts: Is this an instance of personification or is it a simile?

texts:
I've been sometimes a little confused on how direct personification must be. For example, consider the following phrase used to describe a river:

  Like a snake it winds through the craggy mountainside.

Is that simply an analogy comparing a snake to a river, or is it an instance of personification/anthropomorphism?


texts:
The principal told me to arrange a meeting. Which of the following (if either) is correct, and why?

  The principal says I'm to arrange the meeting.
  The principal says to me to arrange the meeting.


texts: What part of speech is "that" in these two sentences:

texts:
I believe that pigs can fly

I think here "that" is being used as a conjunction to combine the independent clause (pigs can fly) with the dependent clause (I believe)

  That the boys painted the pig green annoyed the pig.

This one I'm not so sure about. "The boys painted the pig green" is an independent clause, and "annoyed the pig" is a dependent clause; but in this case "that" doesn't join them.

Any insight?


texts: How to reword a negative question into a positive one?

texts:
I found out one of my training dates has been moved up and I asked the following question to clarify: "So it's not going to be on June 17th?"

And they replied: "Nope, the date has been changed because of reasons."

I realized through the help on this site I asked a negative question which gave me an ambiguous answer. How should I reword this question to get straightforward answer?


texts: Ambiguity in meaning of experiential pseudo-passive and causative

texts:
Native speakers of English language, What meaning (s) do you infer from the following sentence?
Bob had his child abducted.
Does it mean:

Bob did experience the abduction of his child.
Bob paid someone to abduct his (Bob's) child.
Any other meaning?


texts: When you care but don't act on it to make it right

texts: For example people genuinely care about homeless people but most don't do anything to try and make a difference, is there a word to describe this?


texts: I'm trying to make a tagline for my website, can I say "download files at super fast speeds"? Is this grammatically correct?


texts: Most of us are acquainted with this line: "The shepherds were sore afraid." Recently, in reading mysteries by C.J. Sansom, set in the time of Henry the Eighth, I see his characters using phrases like "sore cold" and "sore tired," leading them to request to sit by the fire or suggesting another might offer a place to rest.  In other words, it is causal, as in "I am sore disgusted by the smell that I must leave this place."  This suggests that these were such uncomfortable times that "soreness" or addressing Maslow's basic caloric need or safety need motivated much human behavior.  It further suggests that the word "sore" might be the source of "so."  I sorely need to know if this is so.


texts:
I have to write something quite informal while being AND staying in a formal context. For this sake I used a lot of punctuation marks without being certain I did this the right way. Is the following snippet correct?

  Forgive me, I didn’t get the chance to take a look at that book of yours (you can blame school for this one – I know ‘lol’, life sucks being an adolescent).

I know this sounds weird but whatever, how would you guys formulate that?


texts: An n-orthotope is a fancy name for an n-dimensional cube. I'd like to describe an object that has this quality. Which is the correct adjective: orthotopic or orthotopal?


texts: Confused between Past continuous and Past perfect continuous

texts:
In these following sentences, which one is grammatically correct?

  They were playing football since 10 o'clock.
  They had been playing football since 10 o'clock.

According to this reference link:

  Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express a continued or
  ongoing action that started in past and is continued until sometime in
  past. There will always a time reference like – for a few days, for
  ten months, for 2 years, since Wednesday, since 2011, since January
  etc. If there is no time reference, then it is not a Past perfect
  continuous tense. Without time reference, it is Past Continuous Tense.

But I saw the following example, which has used with time reference.

So, I am confused between past continuous and past perfect continuous. Please someone help me.

Thanks in advance.


texts: How are you spelling, or how do you spell?

texts:
I have just given my surname to someone on the telephone, and they asked me as do most people these days How are you spelling the name? It always sounds as if they think I change my name every day and they would like to know how I am spelling it today. In any case I wasn't spelling it, I was saying it!

Why is the time honoured How do you spell your name, please?, only rarely used? It seems to be a more logical way of asking, since the way I spell it today is the same way I have been spelling it for decades - and I suppose that's the same with most people. It is also the way my eighteenth-century ancestors spelled it.

Is it perhaps that the latter sounds too direct a question to ask someone and how are you spelling seems less brusque and more polite. Or is it just a daft affectation that has caught on?


texts:
It is believed that word yougurt has Turkish etymology, and in Turkish phonology stess "is complicated" (you can listen different Turkish native speakers at forvo.com).

Why in English yougurt has first syllable stressed, while many other languages have last, and word has same Turkish etymology?


texts: word for : something that is obtained after purification process

texts:
Imagine a liquid mixture containing many components and now by some process vital element in the liquid is seperated from the rest of the mixture.
What term do we use for the obtained element?. If I know correctly Arabic word for that is safa.

Purified, distilled, condensed are some of the words which I can think of. Any suggestions will be helpful.


texts: Single term to include children from multiple births

texts: I’m wondering if there is single term to indicate that a child is a twin,  triplet,  quadruplet, etc., without specifying the exact number of siblings in the multiple birth. For example, a “multiple-birth child”.


texts:
What is the difference in usage between amber and yellow, when it is the color of traffic lights or some derived meaning? Is this purely a difference between British English and American English, or does the context matter?

For example, on each side of the Pond, if you're driving, is it an amber light or a yellow light that announces an imminent red light? When indicating a status between red (no go) and green (ok), is the status amber or yellow?

EDIT: I already know that the UK has amber lights and the US have yellow light, this is not what I am asking here. What I am asking is whether there is more to it than a simple US/UK distinction. How unusual would it be to use the wrong word? Is the usage for traffic lights the same as for derived meanings such as traffic light rating system? What prompted this question was finding that the Wikipedia article on the rating system uses amber — I don't know if this reflects US usage as well, or if this is merely due to the article having been written by a BrE speaker, or if the RAG rating is a purely British notion and AmE speakers would not think to use a red/yellow/green rating system.


texts: Emotion noun "from" an event/another noun

texts: I'm having some trouble with the use of "from" in constructions like "pride from the victory" or "happiness from the achieved goal". I'm not a native speaker and I can't figure out another way to word these nor can I seem to find an effective way to search for this particular issue. Edit to add: is "from" actually used correctly in these examples?


texts: What is an 'iderteca' and how do you spell it?

texts:
At the start of the film Red Dragon, Anthony Hopkins describes Ed Norton as an 'iderteca' which is a word used to describe someone who can empathise or connect with the thoughts of others.
I am unable to find the correct spelling of the word, and the definition - can someone help?


texts:
“Please, don't mock me.”
  “Oh, no, I don't! I’m not! I'm completely serious about that.”

This is a correction I received from a proofreader of my story.

How does that work? What happens here so that "I don't mock you" should be replaced with "I'm not mocking you"?


texts: use of commas with conjunction reduction

texts:
I wimped out in answering this question, dropping the commas and going to parentheses in this sentence, because I was not sure of the placement/correctness of commas in this construction. Now I'd like to get clear on how to use commas in this sentence (without reformulating it...no moving "poems", for example), and why. I'm not even sure that conjunction reduction is what causes the awkwardness here...

Wimp version:

  I like Lord Byron's (and also enjoy a number of Percy Shelley's) poems.

Now I'm asking, if you use the comma, do you use both commas? It looks mighty strange with "poems" out there by itself:

  I like Lord Byron's, and also enjoy a number of Percy Shelley's, poems.

...Or is the comma even required? I don't like this, but is it correct?

  I like Lord Byron's and also enjoy a number of Percy Shelley's poems.


texts: What does "Crossing the straights" mean?

texts:
I am reading a screenplay of movie Interstellar. At the beginning of the movie the actor is shown trying to control his buffeting aircraft. He is given the following instructions from the control room:

Crossing the Straights ... shutting
it down, Cooper. Shutting it all
down ...

What does "Crossing the straights" mean in above sentence?

See link to watch the corresponding clip LINK


texts: Which one is right "Think bad of someone" or "Think badly of someone"?

texts: In my opinion, "Think badly of someone" is right. But when I was watching a Vietnamese film with English subtitles "Think bad of me" was used.


texts: Appropriateness of usage of the phrases "and such forth", and "so hence forth"

texts:
I have a colleague who frequently uses the phrases,

"and such forth" and "so hence forth" in conversations with clients.

I find particularly the use of "and such forth" to be nonsensical and inappropriate, however need some justification for my profound dislike of the usage. I'm thinking my dislike of "so hence forth" is more to do with my dislike of the person themselves, but am seeking the appropriate way (if any) to use these phrases in conversation.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
In Frankenstein, Chapter 15

  I cherished hope, it is true, but it vanished when I beheld my person reflected in water or my shadow in the moonshine, even as that frail
  image and that inconstant shade.

Monster's hope vanished when it saw its horrible image.

But what does ", even as that frail image and that inconstant shade."  indicate here?

Does the "even as" and "that" in this sentence serve for?


texts:
Word for when: two people are attempting to use a doorway at the same time.
I'm sure this is an all too common phenomena we have all witnessed. Either you are trying to exit/enter someplace when at that exact moment someone is trying to do the same so you are stuck in a game of who goes first, until someone initiates and someone cedes.

This came up as I  working on actually documenting this phenemonon. I happen to be a student studying sociology, ie people interacting with other people, when i realized there is no word for this phenomenon. I thought how could this be! Surely the internet must know! But alas here I am.

I will surely cite anyone who can answer my quandary in my paper!

Thanks


texts:
Recently I came across the word 'extra' in following meaning: "a person engaged temporarily to fill out a crowd scene in a film or play".

I have a strong feeling that there should be some synonyms/other words with this meaning.

What are the synonyms for extra as in the above?


texts:
Have the Three Graces actually been paid? Is that the origin? I found it in the lyrics for a song, where it doesn't seem to make sense at all:

  I had an impulse to clear it all away
  oh I used the tactics, make everybody pay
  just something that I knew I had to do
  But through it all I kept my eyes on you

  Oh, I keep it all clean
  I've paid the graces there
  No Kings of Misuse
  No sellers of flesh
  Just something that I knew I had to do.

The Song's called "The Kill", so I guess someone's been killed and the killer leaves the scene clean, or didn't kill the person too gruesomely, but how does that have anything to do with paying the graces?


texts: A better word for "commoditization" when a type of shop becomes widespread

texts:
In the UK, Pound Shops (like dollar stores/99c stores) used to be small, unique and independent.

Since the financial crisis in 2008, large chains such as Poundland and Poundworld have come into more prominence, and in some cases have out-competed the independent stores, forcing them to close.

I could call this process the "commoditzation" of the Pound Shop, but it's not quite right. It has become more common but has not really become a commodity. I can also think of "homogenization" but I'm looking for even better words.

Can anyone offer a good alternative?


texts: Is there a form and/or synonym of "spelling" that can be put into an adverb position such as that of "grammatically"?

texts:
That is, how would I go about converting the word "spelling" (as in the spelling of a word) to an adverb that actually sounds right in the blank of "_____-inept"?

I'm pretty sure "spellingly" isn't a word, and likewise "spellatically" doesn't sound remotely close to any actual word (I suspect in both cases that it's something to do with the fact "spelling" is a gerund, not an actual noun), and I'm not what actually does work.

As always, all help, constructive criticism, and other constructive input is welcome.


texts:
Is there a way I can structure the following sentence to avoid using "means"?

  The nature of the model means it automatically accounts for all
  environmental factors such as consumer confidence and interest rates.

I find myself using "means" a lot when writing the following types of sentences.

  The existence of X means that Y is the result.

I don't believe there's anything particularly wrong with using 'means' but I'm looking for hopefully a more formal alternative.

Means here has a definition like "makes necessary"; Y necessarily follows from X. None of the synonyms given at thesaurus.com for the verb mean fit this definition at all.


texts: I was accepted for membership "to" or "at" Sunnyside Country Club?

texts:
Which is correct:

I was accepted for membership to Sunnyside Country Club.
I was accepted for membership at Sunnyside Country Club.


texts:
What is the point in using the structure "To be + past simple verb"?
Example: "For the first time in connection with
the plagues, God specifically noted the discrimination to be made—Israel
would be untouched."


texts: How to pronounce vowels when spelling out a word

texts:
As vowels have various pronunciation in English, when spelling out a word (for example: A93B4J), should I use a word that starts by the vowel in the same (don't know how to name this, long or short pronunciation)

For example:

A as in Age
A as in Apartment

Should I use the first one? The second? Whichever?


texts: Single word or short phrase for 'people in service occupations with whom one deals as customer'

texts:
I am looking for a single word or short phrase describing the people with whom one deals in everyday situations (attendants and workers in shops, hair salons, banks, bying tickets, etc.). The problem is to contrast this group of people (as a separate entity) with other groups: friends, relatives, colleagues, acquaintances, online friends.

Example made-up sentence: I find it easy speaking to my colleagues, friends, and other people I already know, but I have a problem with maintaining normal communication with Xs.

Xs - is for the term I am looking for (people serving customers in shops, malls, banks, etc.)


texts: What's the meaning of "as it did" in this sentence?

texts: Islamic law is the result of an examination, from a religious angle, of legal subject matter that was far from uniform, comprising as it did the various components of the laws of pre-Islamic Arabia and numerous legal elements taken over from the non-Arabnpeoples of the conquered territories.


texts:
Translating a title of a paper from another language, I’m debating between

Remote Access to a Computer System
Remote Access of a Computer System

This is a title, so it should stand on its own, without extra context.

Which is correct? If both are valid English, what’s the difference in meaning?


texts: Past perfect in reported statements of complex sentence

texts:
If the sentence is reported statements, whether both parts of the sentence have to be in Past Perfect or only the first one?
For example:
"I had loved her for more than half of my life," she said.
And here:
She said she had had someone she loved.
OR
She said she had had someone she had loved.
Which one is correct?


texts:
The entry on Cambridge online dictionary provides two meanings:

  The salient facts about something or qualities of something are the most important things about them
  [not gradable] most noticeable or important

The dictionary says "not gradable" explicitly in the second explanation, but the word's meaning seems to suggest "the most important" already so I think this adjective is not gradable.

If you search on this website, you'll find some posts that say "more salient" or "the most salient."

I believe in a more casual and informal situation, using it in a gradable way is fine; but strictly speaking, is it gradable?

Edit: I don't think my question is a duplicate of Are the rules regarding absolute modifiers too absolute?. That question seems to ask whether that grammar rule is overly strict, and my question is asking whether this particular word "salient" should follow the mentioned rule or not.


texts: Are wh-words conjunctions when they begin a dependent (wh-) clause?

texts:
According to "A glossary of English Grammar" by Goeffrey Leech:

  "The wh-words are: who, whom, whose, which, what, how, when, where, why."

In the paragraph where Leech defines the term conjunction he gives some examples of subordinating conjunctions:

  "In practice, 'conjunction' refers to two rather different classes of words: coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but and sometimes nor) and subordinating conjunctions (if, when, because, and so on)"

In the following example sentences, the subordinate clauses in square brackets begin with wh-words. Are the wh-words (what, where, when, which), which begin the subordinate clauses, conjunctions or not? Or can they be considered as conjunctions?

[What you do] does not concern me.
I didn't ask [where you live]
I’ll phone you [when I arrive].
She told me a story [which made me laugh out loud]

Edit:

In "Practical English Usage", the author Michael Swan uses the term "Interrogative conjunctions":

  Interrogative conjunctions like who, which, what, where, whether can
  follow prepositions.

  -We discussed the question of [who to appoint as manager].

  -I may be able to come: it depends on [which day you are holding the meeting].

  -They were not at all interested in [what I thought].


texts: Understanding a sentence about electrical switches

texts:
Obviously, an LBS does not support the protection over the costs of a CB, as it is designed to meet the requirements of IEC 60947-3 only.

So how should I understand this correctly? I need to translate this sentence to Estonian, but i find it difficult to understand. What is meant by not support protection over the cost.
As I see it, the author of that text is not a native English speaker.
Below I is the full context.

Large savings are allowed with a disconnector switch used as an incomer.
Obviously, an Load Breaking Switch does not support the protection over the costs of a Circuit Breaker, as it is designed to meet the requirements of IEC 60947-3 only. For example, if the cost of a CB is approximately 1$/A, a switch should be 0.3 $/A. On a 2 MVA installation the cost saving on the entire sub switchboard amounts to several thousand dollars.
At this point, this strict compliance to the standard and the operating constraints results in having a LBS disconnector as the sub switchboard incomer. This solution is optimised as far as the standard requirements, operation and costs are concerned.
If we use a CB as an incomer nonetheless, there will be several consequences.


texts:
How does one go about taking a name (or word) from another language and making it an English name? I know of examples such as Yeshua being turned to Joshua or Yonatan turning into Jonathan, but I do not know the rule itself.

Edit: To help specify my question:  I am trying to change is the Malayalam word for "Heart" (Hrdayarn) I want to use it as a name but it sounds just a little off.


texts: I would like to know whether "How do you do?" Must be used to say "nice to meet you?" Or whether there is a case that we can use "how do you do?" As a replacement of "hello". Thanks!


texts: Is there a more specific word than "linguistics" for the study of idioms?

texts: I've tried my hand at Googling this answer through various terms, and have come up dry. Is there such a specific word for this field? If not, what would could be coined as such?


texts: Are the “paraphrase brackets” (*not* square brackets) used in English?

texts:
Unicode has the two following characters:

⸜ (U+2E1C LEFT LOW PARAPHRASE BRACKET)
⸝ (U+2E1D RIGHT LOW PARAPHRASE BRACKET)

According to the categorization, this is the order which they are used
as well (initial then final). So although I don’t know what they are
supposed to be used for, I guess one example might look like this:

  ⸜Hello.⸝

We have all seen square brackets being used to paraphrase or slightly
alter text in some way. For example turning this:

  “She was not home.”

Into this:

  “[Jill] was not home.”

What I’m wondering is:

Are the above punctuation characters used in English? Or do they
belong to other languages?
Are they used to paraphrase things similar to how square brackets
are used? Are there use perhaps interchangeable?

I wasn’t able to find any information about the character itself except
for the technical Unicode data. So I was not able to find out what the
history behind it is.

Images of the brackets for those whose browsers do not render the characters:


texts: "... one of its kind..." or "......a one of its kind."

texts:
I am really confused what to choose in the following sentence.

"We are one of its kind app that extends you exciting offers."
Is this correct, or should I write
"We are a one of its kind app that extends you exciting offers"?

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/one-of-a-kind

In the above website, they haven't used 'a'.

I tried looking for an answer in this link: "one of a kind" idiom, but couldn't find anything.


texts: what does this phrase "tell dick from" mean?

texts:
can anyone please explain what this phrase "tell dick from" mean?
Is it the same as "tell from"?


texts:
I met a kind person

As far as I know:

subject = I;
met = verb;
But seems like "kind person" is a direct object.  Is there no indirect object?


texts:
[1.] [OED:] acute, adj.    [=]    A. adj.  1. Med.
  a. Of a disease, symptom, etc.: coming quickly to a crisis or conclusion; of rapid onset and short duration; of recent or sudden onset; contrasted with chronic adj. 2a; cf. subacute adj.
  2.
  In similar contexts: severe; critical. Also in figurative context.

  [2.] Etymology:  < classical Latin acūtus  [=]  sharpened, pointed, sharp, tapering, having sharp needles, keen, discriminating, keen-witted, shrewd, nimble, quick, pungent, acrid, high-pitched, piercing, shrill, treble,  ...

  [3.] [Etymonline:] late 14c., originally of fevers and diseases, "coming and going quickly"
  (opposed to a chronic), from Latin acutus "sharp, pointed," figuratively "shrill, penetrating; intelligent, cunning," past participle of acuere "sharpen" (see acuity). ...

How did the Latin acuere "sharpen" evolve into definition [1.] above for 'acute'?
Sharpness can be quick or long. So how does sharpen connect with quick?

I am confused because OED states this definition for quickness for the Latin acūtus, but Etymonline doesn't broach quickness until the later reference to fevers and diseases.

Footnote: I read this other post on 'acute'.


texts: Is it possible to write an infinite sentence that is grammatically correct?

texts: I was wondering if this was technically possible in English. I did not know if there are specific grammar rules that would make an infinite sentence impossible.


texts: Syntactical ambiguity in introductory phrase reference: reference to main verb vs. object

texts:
Motivated by A, we outline our proposal for B.

Does "Motivated" refer to outline or proposal? It seems to me that a reader could infer one of two statements:

A motivated us to create this outline, or
A motivated us to create this proposal

As the author of this sentence, I am struggling a bit in how to fix the ambiguity, especially if (for other reasons) I would like to keep A in an introductory phrase.

From common sense, I suspect most readers would infer meaning #2 --  the intended one by the author. But, from a grammar point of view, I am not sure if the introductory phrase has to refer to the verb (outline) or it could just as well refer to the object (proposal)?  So does such a construction always modify the verb? Or how could we specify if we wanted to modify the object only?

I.e., how could we cleanly manage the ambiguity in favor of meaning #2?


texts: Is there a comma *after* a list with an Oxford comma?

texts:
Explanations of the Oxford comma often use examples that either consist of the list alone or a sentence that ends in a list, e.g.:

  red, white, and blue
  To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.

What is unclear from these answers is whether there should be a comma after the last list item, when using an Oxford comma:

  When my mom, my dad, and my sister came home ...
  When my mom, my dad, and my sister, came home ...

Is there a comma after a list with an Oxford comma?

If possible, please provide a reliable source.


texts: In some of the previous posts, I read we should say "something is available TO someone" (when talking about people). Yet, I have just come across this statement: "Special rates are available for school groups" (when talking about admission to galleries etc.) and now I am confused. Any explanation? Should we used to or for?


texts: American accents where /æ/ becomes [eɪ] before /ŋ/. Does /æ/ become [eɪ] before /m/ and /n/ too?

texts:
I know that in Californian accent, /æ/ is sometimes realized as [eɪ] only before /ŋ/. So words like hang, bang, rang, sang, gang, which normally end with /æŋ/, end with [eɪŋ]. The reason why it happens is usually attributed to the effect of the following "nasal" sound [ŋ], but I'm not certain about the reason. Also I have only heard it for words with /ŋ/, not other nasals.
I have two closely related questions (to which I didn't find an answer by searching cursorily):

Does /æ/ become [eɪ] before other nasals like /m/ and /n/? Or does it only happen before /ŋ/?
Is there any other American accent where /æ/ is realized as [eɪ] before nasals?


texts:
What's a good verb for when someone is expressing something in a cryptic or ambiguous fashion?

Specifically:

  In re the quotation "...somebody has told Heruvimov that Rousseau was a kind of Radischev...", the first footnote to the essay "Hearts and Minds" says: "Scholars have seldom paired the two authors except to offer a cursory antithesis."

I would like to replace the word "says" in the above sentence with a verb that connotes "says, but so elliptically that honestly I'm not sure exactly what she means".

(Since this seems to have been confusing: The above quotation is a direct quotation. The footnote literally says the text in the quotation. But the quoted sentence, IMHO, is cryptic, gnomic, unclear, ambiguous. I'm looking for a way to indicate that IMHO the quoted sentence is cryptic, while still directly quoting it, and I'm looking specifically for a verb that I can use in this context. This is a [single-word-request].)

I'd like to avoid negative connotations; i.e. I'm looking for a verb form of cryptic, gnomic, delphic, ambiguous but not obfuscated, roundabout, obscure. Not that I have any of the latter lying around, either, though...

One might also say that in the song "Things are seldom what they seem" (HMS Pinafore, Act II), Buttercup and Captain Corcoran are verbing proverbs at each other; when Buttercup verbs "Skim milk masquerades as cream", the poor Captain cannot fathom her meaning.


texts:
I read like twenty years ago that the word "church" (clutch, hatch, match) is undoubtedly one syllable when written but that an argument can be made that it's two syllables -- CHUR-ch -- when spoken.  Actually I don't think the book put it in such ambiguous terms as much as I've yet to find anyone who would so much as entertain the notion.

Does anyone know what book I'm talking about (perhaps a Norton's Guide to... type book) or have any insight into this phenomenon?  Like maybe a name for such a word?  Other examples?


texts:
" I know you're having a big test next Monday, but don't work yourself so hard"

In this sentence, Can I possibly use "too hard" instead of "so hard"? Thanks in advance.


texts: Etymology on the phrase "One's (your, our) very own."

texts:
Salutations,
I am working on a play based in the 17th century and desired the use of the phrase "one's very own" or "your very own" which is the emphasization of "belonging to" when regarding "sole" or "devote" ownership of something or someone (if "devout")
I looked on Meriam Webster and of course, the ever so virtuous "Etymonline," as well as briefly on the "phrase finder" and also on Google Books (which I did discover the phrase being used as early as 1664) But am unable to find, of yet, any distinct regard on the basis of the phrase's origin of being first conceived in our English tongue.
Any insight would be of most gracious welcome and thanks.
VINCENT


texts: An appropriate phrase/idiom/ word for "trying hard to understand"

texts: What would be a good way to say "I have been trying hard to understand the solution for a long time"?


texts: Is the verb "jimmy" related to "Jim Crow"?

texts:
The verb "jimmy" is more often used in American English than other dialects, and the main thing you "jimmy" is a crow bar.

Is the verb "jimmy" derived from the American English phrase "Jim Crow", which is rhyming slang for "negro"?


texts: What does Jane Austen mean by the word 'alloy' in Sense and Sensibility?

texts:
As dear Austen had written on page 6, volume 1, chapter 1, I quote -
"But in sorrow she must be equally carried away by her fancy, and as far beyond consolation as in pleasure she was beyond alloy. "


texts: What is the typography term which refers to the usage of bold, italics, and underline styles simultaneously?

texts:
I remember seeing such a word before, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. I'm googling and having no luck.

The classic web comic Pokey the Penguin used this technique quite a bit.


texts:
For this sentence...

Are you a collector of art?

Can someone tell me the different parts of it please?

I think...

Are is the verb.

you is the noun.

What is a collector in the sentence?

What part is the verb phrase?

What part is the predicate?

What part is the subject?


texts:
I'm a native English speaker, and I'm trying to explain to my Russian friend what the difference is but I just can't.
I asked her if she would like for me to send her some songs that could help improve her English (she already has a very advanced level) and she said "I'd like it!". I know that in this situation, "I'd like it!" doesn't sound too bad, but it sounds a bit more unnatural to me than "I'd like that" would.
Any explanations?


texts: Target or Subject of a Requirement or Criteria

texts: What would be a good term for the subject of a requirement? If one has a requirement applied to them, they would be the [word] of that requirement. I'm looking for something more descriptive than subject or target. Constrained seems like a good fit, but it feels a bit unwieldy?


texts:
When should I use can? When should I use could?
What is right under what context?


texts:
Do the names of chemical elements need to be capitalized?

For example, in running text should it be hydrogen or Hydrogen?


texts: Does "generosity"/"generous" - as character quality - imply connotations "giving of your OWN resources, not someone else's"?

texts:
The question is about the context attached (or rather not attached) to the term "generosity"/"generous" (defined in Merriam-Webster as "liberal in giving").

The question is, is there a widely/universally understood context of "giving of your own resources" (and NOT someone else's) when using the term?

Please note that I am asking for an answer that can be supported by an official/scholarly reference, not merely an opinion. E.g. a dictionary definition precise enough to include/exclude such contexts; or a scholarly article discussing the topic.

Due to the fact that there are a lot of different meanings to the word "generous", I will clarify specifically the ones I mean/don't mean:

This Q IS about the use of the term "generous"/"generosity" pertaining to a personal quality of an individual's character; specifically used as an opposite of "being greedy"
This Q is NOT about the archaic "nobility"/"class-status" meaning of the word.
This Q is NOT about the use of "generous" as indication of size (as in "generous slice of the cake"/"generous amount of help").
This Q is specifically about the use specifically of the word "generous", not some other positive quality. E.g. we are NOT discussing whether you are good/nice/well-meaning when wishing to give other people from resources that are not yours. Only whether or not you can be called a generous person based on such.

Here is a very specific example to illustrate the question precisely:

Situation 1: You go to a restaurant; you pay for dinner and add extra $50 tip to the waiter on top of the customary 15% tip, despite the fact that the service/dinner was quite ordinary, not deserving of extra tip on merits. In this case, you can obviously be said to be generous to the waiter; or committing an act of generosity (in your attitude, NOT the large amount).

Situation 2: You go to a restaurant for a dinner event paid for by the company you work for (therefore, ultimately, paid for by the company owners - who are NOT you and are not present). It is now the time to decide how much of a tip to give to the waiter.

QUESTION: Would advocating for an extra $50 tip (on top of the customary 15%, despite the fact that the service/dinner was quite ordinary, not deserving of extra tip on merits) still be considered an act of generosity (as opposed to general good will), even though that extra $50 would be paid for by people other than you and will have no measurable financial impact to yourself?

I'm not asking for moral dimension of this - merely of whether in this specific second scenario the word generosity is a valid term to use to describe your personal attitude about extra $50.
I am not asking about whether the extra $50 tip can be called generous - I am asking about whether your behavior in giving such a tip can be called generosity.


texts:
retarded[ri-tahr-did]

  adjective

  characterized by a slowness or limitation in intellectual understanding and awareness, emotional development, academic progress, etc.
  Slang. stupid or foolish

  noun

  (used with a plural verb) people who are slow or limited in mental development (usually preceded by the)

  new schools for the retarded.

Usually the word retarded, or it's synonym handicapped, is considered a sensitive word/topic. When being misused or used as slang, it is considered very offensive. It is also considered being disrespectful to the crippled. When was the slang term of the original word, retard, first used? What is it's origin?


texts:
Is the usage of slashes, en-dash, and parentheses in the following line OK?

Objective: Working as a translator (English/Spanish/Portuguese–Arabic)

*It's part of a resume.

Thank you for your assistance.


texts:
Do they mean the same? Or they mean slightly different things?

Example:

  They both had passion for music, so, (even) though their tastes differed,
  they never ran out of topic to talk about.


texts:
How can I abbreviate the word customized? Or could I use the word custom instead, without changing the meaning?

I want to say customized database.


texts:
What is the meaning of word "pitch" in this sentence?

Job hunters are increasingly open to technological pitches, he noted.
http://nrn.com/hr-training/tech-tools-help-restaurants-recruit-retain-workers?page=1

I found a lot of meanings in the dictionary, but they all do not seem appropriate.


texts: When I am trying to say I'll hang on and persist through tough situations, I first thought of 'sticking through', but today when I think about it, I am not sure if this usage is correct so I found its definition https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/stick+through, which isn't what I thought. Am I right about this usage?


texts: What do you call someone who believes strongly in justice, and will do anything to uphold it?

texts: Any when I say justice, I mean the higher principle of justice, not just the physical law, but someone who believes in the higher meaning of justice, almost a nobility....but will fight to uphold it.


texts: What is the difference between lists and checklists?

texts: I found this material online but I did not understand the difference between lists and checklists.


texts: When you want to say : I'd like to bring not all but some parts of a conversation in here or I'd want to retell a conversation , what would the possible expressions be, instead of retell or bring in?


texts: Is it acceptable to say "badly efficient"

texts: If you didn't want to say someone is "inefficient", how would you concisely describe someone who has bad efficiency - badly/poorly efficient doesn't sound quite right, or is this ok?


texts: Swapping the order in an idiomatic expression

texts:
I may have sounded general in the title but my question is very specific. Recently I was writing a poem and I needed it to rhyme this way

Some will stand to watch you go down quick
But no one will follow you through thin and thick

It didn't seem right to me to change the order in the expression "through thick and thin". Is what I have done acceptable? Or should I stick to the right order?


texts:
Washington Post (May 22) reported the victory of the 35-year-old Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky Democratic primary to position her as the challenger to 72-year-old Senate’s GOP leader, Mitch McConnell in November election.

It says;

  Alison Lundergan Grimes says it everywhere she goes. She said it at
  dozens of stops in Kentucky over the past week. She said it at her
  victory speech here Tuesday night after securing the Democratic
  nomination for Senate. And she plans to say it again all the way to
  November. She’s not an “empty dress.”

  “I am not an empty dress, I am not a rubber stamp, and I am not a
  cheerleader,” she said in a speech Tuesday night after she and
  McConnell each easily defeated primary opponents and officially began
  what is shaping up to be one of the year’s most heated political
  battles.
   - Source

None of OED, CED, Merriam-Webster carries “empty dress.” Google Ngram shows existence of the word since mid 19 century, but at a very low incidence ratio (0.0000002% in 2008)

Urban dictionary defines it as “Usually used in regards a woman. After you get past all the glamour and glitz, there is nothing worth staying for.”

Does it mean ‘outdated and unattractive woman without substance’? What is an alternative short word to “empty dress” used in the context of Alison Grimes’ victory speech? What is the men’s version of “empty dress”?


texts: The process by which Middle English developed... or WAS developed?

texts:
From an answer on Quora:

  "...the phrasal verbs are usually Germanic, and Germanic words in
  English are more often colloquial, whereas Romance words are more
  often formal. The colloquial/formal distinction (linguists speak of
  colloquial and formal registers) traces its origin, or so I have heard
  it theorized, to the process by which Middle English developed out of
  peasant Anglo-Saxon and elite Norman French."

To my understanding, according to this sentence, Middle English was affected by the process so is passive. If so why doesn't this sentence have a "was" in it? I mean isn't "the process by which Middle English WAS developed..." the correct one? Can you explain it to me?


texts: Word for "thing not to disclose" in an NDA

texts:
Is there a word to describe "the thing you're not allowed to disclose" when talking about an NDA? For example, how would I complete the following sentence:

"Non disclosure agreements are required when a party wishes to prevent the other from disclosing information about [...])"


texts: Is the usage of 'personally' in 'I personally don't like something' redundant?

texts:
What is the difference between the following?

  I personally don't like wax museums.
  I don't like wax museums.

The adverb personally does not seem to emphasize anything here. Is it redundant?


texts: What do you call a person who craves fame and fortune?

texts: What do you call a person who craves fame and fortune, or wants to be recognized for something?


texts:
What does the bracketed capital letter indicate in the revised version below? Is it essential, per the rules of proper punctuation, to do so? Are the ellipsis points (i.e., the spacing of the dots) spot on in that sentence to indicate the omission of one or more sentences?

Original quotation
"It need hardly be said that shortness is a merit in words. There are often reasons why shortness is not possible; much less often there are occasions when length, not shortness, is desirable. But it is a general truth that the short words are not only handier to use, but more possible in effect; extra syllables reduce, not increase, vigor."

Revised quotation
"It need hardly be said that shortness is a merit in words. . . . [S]hort words are not only handier to use, but more possible in effect; extra syllables reduce, not increase, vigor."

Thank you.


texts:
It has a little journal on it that seems to be written by the founder, and it begins "My lasting memory of that trip to France in 1952, is of sensuality. Today, one would have to step off an aeroplane on the other side of the world to experience such an impact on the senses. There was a strangely exotic smell...."

It sounds as if in 1952 people didn't have to go to France to experience the exoticness of France, but it doesn't make sense at all.

What am I missing?


texts: which tense to use in the following situation?

texts:
Can you tell me which tense you will use in the following sentence?
Children who (to come) to the cinema tomorrow?


texts:
I have seen people saying it is a bad use of grammar when someone says 'more perfect' or 'most perfect', since something that is perfect can't be better if you look at it literally.

However, we do use it in our daily communication or when we want to express ourselves in a more romantic way, be it because you are writing poetry or for some other reason.

In my case, I'm translating a text from German in which the word volkommener appears midway, and this word itself translates to "more perfect" or "more complete". As I am wishing to translate it literally, as "more perfect", I came across this doubt, should I write "more perfect", or "perfecter", ignoring the fact that, if something is already perfect, there's no room for improvement whatsoever.


texts: a word that means harm or damage is being done to someone without the person realizing

texts: for example, if someone was using a medicine that on the outside was helping them but was actually causing long-term harm. I seem to think it begins with the letter V?


texts: My passion, however, is art, and I try to see as many exhibits as possible.


texts: Does "will you stop here, please" express a command or exhortation?

texts:
Will you stop here, please.

Does the sentence express a command or exhortation?

Is it equivalent to say, "Stop here!" or does it have an additional/different meaning?


texts: What is the correct phrase for "shortened words"?

texts:
What I'm referring to is sometimes called slang, but I wanted to know if there is an actual name for these kinds of words.

For example, some words might be

Admin (Administration)
Fridge (Refrigerator)
Uni (University)

I was thinking they were abbreviations, but the wiki article on abbreviations seems to say otherwise

  An abbreviation (from Latin brevis, meaning short) is a shortened form of a word or phrase. It consists of a group of letters taken from the word or phrase. For example, the word abbreviation can itself be represented by the abbreviation abbr., abbrv. or abbrev.


texts: Why don't people understand me when I speak English with a non-rhotic accent?

texts:
My name is Arnau and I'm from Barcelona.

Over the last few years, I've been exposed to the British culture a lot (I have British friends, I've been living in Brighton for a while, I watch British TV shows, etc.) and I've kind of 'developed' a British accent. Obviously, I don't speak like a native speaker but many Brits have told me that my pronunciation is pretty good.

However, I've recently noticed that whenever I speak with non-native speakers of English (my classmates at uni, foreigners, my friends, etc.), they tend not to understand me if I speak with my 'default' accent which is non-rhotic. And in order to make them understand me, I need to repeat what I said in a rhotic accent.

So, for example, the other day I was answering a question that my math teacher asked (who's Spanish) and the conversation went like this:

  MY TEACHER: What is wrong with these propositions?

  ME: You have to change the order (/'ɔː.də'/).

  TEACHER: Sorry?

  ME: You need to change the order (/'ɔː.də'/).

  TEACHER: You need to change what?

  ME: The order (/'ɔː.də'/). (I pronounce it slowly and she
  doesn't answer anything. So, I repeat 'order' again with a rhotic
  accent.) The order (/'ɔːr.dər'/).

  TEACHER: Ah! The order (/'or.der/).

Another situation. I was talking to a friend from France.

  MY FRIEND: I don't think I'll ever pass the exam.

  ME: Maybe you need to work (/wɜːk/) harder (/'hɑː.də/).

  FRIEND: I need to what?

  ME: Work (/wɜːk/) harder (/'hɑː.də/).

  FRIEND: I don't understand you.

  ME: You need to work (/wɝːk/) harder (/'hɑːr.dər/).

  FRIEND: Ahh okay! Yeah, you're right.

You see what I mean? Why does this happen? Is it because when they teach us English, they only teach us the rhotic variety of English?

Any thoughts?

Thank you.

P.S.: This only happens to me when I speak to non-native speakers. If I talk to my British or American friends with my non-rhotic accent, I don't have any problem being understood.


texts: How come “enemy mine” be a short version of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”?

texts:
I have found at several places (e.g., here) that

  Enemy mine

is a short version for the proverb:

  The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

This makes little sense to me, as the essence of the proverb, i.e., the double enemy relationship, is lost in enemy mine.

My best guess so far is that this once was

  Enemy of mine

and the double genetive (see, e.g., this question) really indicated a double dependence. But I am neither really happy with this nor can I confirm it.


texts: Can gallons be used for measuring size? And if so - how many inches is it?

texts:
I have found the following passage in a book.

"Stack 12 (based on the participation of 22 children) gallon-size, resealable plastic bags together. Staple them across the bottom to make the binding of the book. Cover the staples with a 2-inch-wide strip of colored vinyl tape. Make a cover for the book (you may want to list children’s names on the back of the cover) and slip it into the first bag. Make a back cover to slip into the last bag. Slip children’s artwork back-to-back into the other bags."

I understand the idea of the bag book, but I cannot figure out the "gallon-size" bit. I know there are 2 types of gallon for measuring capacity, but how can it be applied for size? Or am I missing sth obvious here?


texts: Onomatopoeia/interjection for snatching something?

texts: E.g. "the dog went [?snatch?] and away it ran with the Frisbee". The word indicates a sudden and unexpected move made to catch or grab something.


texts: What is a word for someone speaking out of turn?

texts:
Okay, so I was wondering if there is a singular word for when someone is speaking out of turn. Like when someone answers a question not asked of them.
Example:

Kim: (speaking to Ryan) Do you know what time it is?
Jasper: 1pm

Does anyone know what Jasper would be called, due to speaking out of turn?
Example sentence:

Jasper is a {word}, always answering questions even when they're directed at someone else.


texts: What is the term for fear of getting fired from one's job?

texts: Is there a term for the irrational fear of being fired or laid off from one's job? If so, what is it?


texts: What is the equivalent proverb/idiom for Hindi saying in English?

texts:
Muh mein ram ram bagal mein churi

It means

  Speak praise on the face and stab him from behind.


texts: Why `kitchen` instead of `cooking room`?

texts:
Most room names contain room, like

bedroom
bathroom
living room
dinning room
sunroom

Why kitchen instead of cooking room? :p


texts: What is the word used to describe a forced choice

texts:
I am looking for a word to describe a certain situation where you must choose one  option or the other, as in it's either me or her.

For example:

  If you stay friends with her we can't be in a relationship, but if you're not friends with her then we can stay a couple.


texts:
Here is a sentence quoted from a news report online:

New trade deal is the best we could hope for.

I'd like to know the meaning of "could hope for". Does it mean that the speaker once actually hoped for that deal?


texts: What do you call open gaps inbetween teeth, systemic throughout the mouth?

texts:
You would think this would be something a dentist knows.  I've asked scores of dentists this very question and no one has an answer.  It's got to have a name.

It's fairly common.  The teeth don't touch the ones adjacent.  There's a tooth and then an open half space and then another tooth and so on.  The whole mouth is like this.  LOL  I'm sure there MUST be a name for this.  I've been trying to find the name for this for more than 20 years.

I acknowledge that this is, surely, a genetic condition but I left "genetic condition" out of my title.  It may or may not be an esoteric medical term.  I just want to know what it's called.  Further, I'm not talking about people with gaps, Elton John style, between their two front teeth.  I'm talking about gaps between every tooth in their head.


texts: "hold on" vs. "hold up" in informal English

texts: To convey "wait a second" I always thought that "hold on" was the right phrasal verb. However I saw an American cartoon yesterday repeatedly using "hold up" to express the same. Is that correct or was it just part of the parody?


texts: Looking for a better term than 'benign envy' or 'mudita'

texts:
Often when I'm happy for someone's good fortune or success, I find myself using the words envious or envy.

In casual speech with friends, voice tone and familiarity help deliver my positive intent, but I don't like the negative connotation of the word - especially the part where it intends others harm.

Benign envy is a non-starter for me and mudita is far too obscure to use for my taste, despite being the closest word I know for the sentiment I wish to express.

Am I missing some obvious single words or phrases in more common usage than mudita that express a positive feeling i have that is directly related to the positive feelings of another? Shared joy is the closest literal phrase, but it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue for me.

Here is a simple diagram that maps the the state of two people’s happiness in relation to each other - envy, pity, mudita and schadenfreude. The other 3 words stand well alone and are defined by my happiness in relation to another's, but perhaps this is more that mudita needs to be adopted as schadenfreude has already been.

Am I missing a decent alternative to mudita?


texts:
Source: p 319, A Concise Introduction to Logic (12 Ed, 2014), by Patrick Hurley

  in propositional logic it is usually simpler to equate “unless”
  with “or.”

In and using only ordinary English (and no Logic), how can 'unless' be interpreted to mean 'or'? Can semantic change explain how 'unless' = 'or'?

I wish to understand how 'unless' = 'or' directly and intuitively. So please do not refer to or use the alternative (Stipulative) definition that 'unless' = 'if not'.

  unless = †1. prep.phr. On a less or lower condition, requirement, footing, etc., than (what is specified). With preceding negative, expressed or implied.

PS: I quoted the obsolete definition above, because I wish to understand 'unless' from first principles and because all the other definitions use some variant of 'if not'.


texts: Can the word "dehydration" imply "thirsty"?

texts:
As far as I know, dehydration means the condition of a body from which the water has been removed. Can the same word imply that the body is thirsty?

Simply put, is "I am thirsty" the same as "I am dehydrated"?


texts: Is "more informed decisions" or "better informed decisions" the more correct form?

texts:
I'm writing some copy for a marketing campaign that promotes the use of a software testing tool by demonstrating how the results of the tool provide you with a greater wealth of information on which to make business decisions.

In relation to this, I'm using the term "informed decisions" and my initial wording included the phrase "help you make more informed decisions".

The phrase "more informed decisions" is one that is common to me and from a Google search appears to be common in the context in which I am using it, that is to denote that with additional evidence a decision can be more informed than without.

I considered whether this phrase runs the risk of being misinterpreted or being confusing due to a slight ambiguity.

The phrase "more informed decisions" could be interpreted as meaning decisions that are more greatly informed, or it could be interpreted as a greater number of informed decisions (e.g. here is one informed decision, here are more informed decisions).

I then considered the phrase "better informed decisions". I feel this has the same intended meaning but removes the above ambiguity. It could refer to decisions that are better informed or it could refer to informed decisions that are better. Both are on subject and would be fine to me.

A quick Google search suggested that the phrase "more informed decisions" is significantly more commonly used than "better informed decisions".

I have a feeling that "better informed" is more grammatically-correct than "more informed" although I have no formal basis for this.

Out of the phases "more informed decisions" and "better informed decisions", is there a more correct form?


texts: Does 'contact number' in BrE refer to the act of contacting or to an electrical telephone contact?

texts: It is common in BrE to use 'contact number' where AmE would use 'telephone number'. Does the 'contact' in 'contact number' refer to the act of making contact, or is there a more technical origin, as in the number of a specific electrical contact in the telephone system?


texts: Does English possess a term for the study of all aspects of language in primary/secondary schools

texts:
Does academic English employ a concise/idiomatic term corresponding to the Russian term словесные дисциплины (literally, "verbal subjects")?

The Russian term is from 19th century academic circles (well, it is still used) and included the teaching of reading/writing/rhetoric + foreign languages.

Is there a good, overarching academic field or recognized English term that covers them all together, as far as education is concerned?


texts: One word for brief interactions with strangers

texts:
Is there a single word for a brief interaction with a stranger, for example, when someone offers you their seat on the bus or holds the elevator for you?

Edit: The interaction needn't necessarily be polite or courteous. It might even just be somebody tripping over their own two feet and bumping up against you at the bar.


texts: Better word for someone who has grown physically but not mentally

texts: I don't mean someone who is totally mentally challenged. I am referring to ones whose mental growth is not proportional to the physical.


texts: Newton's first law, unless + past participle

texts:
I was reading Newton's first law:

  An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in
  motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon
  by an unbalanced force.

In the part:

  unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

The meaning is clear (because I have already read this law in my native language) but I had never seen this construction:

unless + verb (pp)

Is this construction correct?

Also if you can explain all the grammar of this last part (unless....) I would appreciate it so much


texts:
The state's ACLU branch reached out to the Massachusetts State Police requesting records regarding the acquisition and use of robotics.

Should there be a comma before "requesting" ?
Is the "requesting" phrase a gerund or participial ?
What does it modify ?


texts:
Are there any good books or articles on the etymology of dermatology-related terminology and/or cutaneous condition names?

This list is an example of some of the conditions/terminology I am referring to.


texts: Synonym for "It is easy to acknowledge accuracy to be a very important feature"

texts:
What is an alternative expression for : "It is easy to acknowledge accuracy to be a very important feature".

The word Accuracy should remain in the sentence.

In an academic context.


texts:
One of my peers insist that one should say "install a patch". I believe on the contrary that "apply a patch" is more natural and one can only "install a program" when it comes to piece of software.

A quick search in google tells me that the words apply and patch are more often associated as the words install and patch. There is nonetheless a lot of result for it, and searching for "install a patch" is more succesful as searching for "apply a patch".

Knowing that a google search is not ideal to find an answer in this domain, I would like to know when using apply is favored, and when it is better to use install with the word patch.


texts:
In the film Star Wars: Return of the Jedi there's a line:

  Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes.

According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, it means:

  Watch without getting involved: Cameron was looking on and making no move to help

But the above definition doesn't seem to fit in the context. Many people tell me that it's just poetic, emphatic and emotional version of "look at".

Is that true?


texts: Which is the more appropriate word to use "stupidity" or "idiocy" in a medical context

texts: I have encountered this problem while i was trying to translate a medical text to English. The text was about the newly discovered virus that can cause mental and cognitive problems


texts: What do you call the automatic bike pedals in English?

texts: I mean those kind of bicycle pedals where you have special shoes and engage the sole to the pedal. In Spanish it's pedales automaticos and in German: 'Klickis' or 'Klickpedale'.


texts: What is the opposite of retired in computing?

texts:
In some companies there are some hardware, like PCs, that are out of use (stored in the warehouse), and we say they are "retired".
What is the opposite? How can we name the PCs in use, and what is the verb to refer to the action to make some PC usable.
In Spanish is Alta/Baja, and the verb is "Dar de alta / Dar de baja".
Thanks.


texts:
The sentence is:

Neither of the two girls said their prayer before going to bed.

Since we use a singular verb after "Neither" in this case, should the determiner before "prayer" also be singular? I have the following options in mind:

said her prayer
said their prayers
said their prayer

I have a doubt about 2 and 3 as well. Since both the girls will say their respective prayers, is usage of "prayer" wrong in this context?


texts: Is it understandable if we say "run me ragged" or "run me exhausted" (in both of these expression "run" doesn't mean literal "running")?


texts: Why is "liquorice" pronounced (or spelt) so strangely?

texts: Liquorice is pronounced ˈlɪkərɪʃ. But every other word I can think of ending with -ice is pronounced differently (such as police or rice). How did liquorice get such a strange pronunciation, or alternatively, to be spelt like that?


texts: Why are the French pejoratively referred to as frogs?

texts:
As the title says - why frogs?

A common answer is that the French eat them - but I'm not convinced by that, because it's only become specific to France in recent times, with the rise of gastronomy and tourism (both in the 19th century).

I have read versions that the epithet was first applied to inhabitants of the low countries, who were marsh-dwelling, then became applied to others like Jesuits and eventually the French. The clearest is linked from this question - but there is no source for the information, no indication of where that may be recorded, and it also mention non-existent frogs on the Paris coat of arms.

Has anyone got better documented origins for the word?


texts: Should the clauses in these two senses be joined?

texts:
In reading the contents of a card, I have come across the following doubt regarding joining the two clauses with a semi colon or keeping them as two separate sentences.
The phrase is the following:

  Thank you for all of your help these past days; without which, my study would not have been as successful.

The doubt is with the semicolon. As you can see, the first clause stands alone as a grammatically sound sentence: "Thank you for all of your help these past days".

However, my doubt is about the second part: "without which, my study would not have been as successful" can not necessarily stand alone in the same sense.

My question is: Does the fact that the second part of this phrase begins with the preposition without permit the use of the semicolon? Or, is it more grammatically sound to split the sentence into two separate sentences in which the without which refers to the time in the first?

Any insight?


texts: Are there any English one-word equivalents for "je ne sais quoi"?

texts:
Wiktionary defines je ne sais quoi as

  An intangible quality that makes something distinctive or attractive.
  She has a certain je ne sais quoi about her.

Is there a single-word equivalent?


texts:
Just unsubscribed a bunch of emails and found a lot of sites would finally prompt "unsubscribe successful". The meaning is very clear and the expression is very concise. However, a verb + an adjective seems not grammatically correct here. I saw a few would say "...have been successfully unsubscribed" though.

So, why is this expression okay to use on most sites? Convenience overrides grammars?

EDIT:
Exception: 'Unsubscription' found!


texts: “To be in use” vs “to be at use” vs ”to be of use”

texts:
What’s the difference between “to be in use” and “to be at use”?

I have impression that former states that something is being used, while the latter means something proves to be useful — the same as “to be of use”.


texts: U vs. Non-U words in contemporary British English

texts:
The Wikipedia page on U and non-U English describes the nature of these two "sociolects" and gives a number of examples in a table. What I find intriguing is that most of this examination of the difference between the practical vocabulary of the middle and upper classes occurred in 1950s Britain/England (when Ross and Milford wrote about it). A great deal of time has passed since then, so I'm curious if anyone (scholar or otherwise) has examined these sociolects in the present day.

I am personally a middle-class Brit, with very limited interaction with the upper classes (perhaps just a bit at university), and furthermore, since the BBC and the like stopped insisting on "Queen's English" (both the accent and arguably the use of U English) in the 80s/90s, it has become harder to judge, I reckon. Perhaps Queen's Speeches can still give the everyman a glimpse into U English though! In any case, the table on the aforementioned Wikipedia page gives some pairs of words that I can clearly identify still have a U/non-U distinction (with the upper-middle classes these days often using the U form), but also some where I am tempted to say the non-U form of previous decades has become the U form. Here are some of those developments that I posit:

Looking-glass -> Mirror
Ice -> Ice cream
Wireless -> Radio
Schoolmaster -> Teacher (perhaps with the former U word still used for teachers of a higher rank at a public school?)

In brief, I would be interested in any essays/works confirming some changes like the above (or even personal experience), as well as additional examples.


texts: Can anyone please explain me the difference in usage of the word 'found' and phrase 'found out'?


texts:
I am really confused with these sentences. I don't know the technical explanation for these. I am studying English and I do not understand what's wrong with the sentences.

You just have to be mindful of using verbs in your sentences.
However, please be mindful of articles and word choices.

I was told that when should be used for the first sentences. Both sentences are grammatically correct, however, the second sentence is okay and parallel. Also, both are non-standard. Is this correct? Are there any other explanations for this? Also, what are the alternatives for mindful? Thank you for your help!


texts: What is the difference between `-` and `--`

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When should I use an em-dash, an en-dash, and a hyphen?

Is there any difference between:

-

and

-- or in some cases, a long dash

I have seen these two used lots of places but I really don't know the difference.


texts:
I am not sure if this is the place to post this. If it is not, forgive me. But I need your help.

I need to create some instructional videos and do not have the budget to hire a voice talent to dub it in english. Someone suggested I do it myself, but I am not sure about how good my pronunciation is.

I selected this random text from the web and gave it a shot.

Here is my voice saying the text. Forgive the speech flow, because I am seeing this text for the first time now. Focus on the pronunciation. How good is it on a scale from 0 to 10, being 10 the best?

Thanks.


texts: What is the correct use for "practised"?

texts:
Which use of practised is correct, if any?

I practised my singing.
I practised at singing.
I practised singing.


texts:
Two-part question. We say magic wand and magical creature, and swapping the adjectives would definitely be wrong.

Are there rules about which one to use, or is this a classic "use whatever sounds right" situation?
Can anyone explain how a single adjective comes to be "modified" like this depending on context? Is there a linguistic term for this?


texts: What does "... ..." mean over chats or posts?

texts: I wonder in a text what does "... ..." mean? For example, someone comments "... ..." on a picture. I tried looking at Urban Dictionary, but it didn't work.


texts:
Is there any (even the most subtle) difference between the meaning (or connotation) of that is and i.e.?

I used to be convinced that they were synonyms, until an editor of a scientific journal changed all occurrences of i.e. into that is.


texts: Two good things put together create a bad thing

texts: I had this word as a vocabulary word in jr high I think.  The definition is things that are good individually but bad when put together.  I cannot think of the word!  The example was ketchup and ice cream.  Good individually, disgusting together.  Help!  And thanks!


texts: How do you refer to a group of statistical variables? The 'statistical measures', or what?

texts:
I'm looking for a simple synonym that essentially means 'statistical measures'. Here's the context, sory if it's a little confusing. The real example is only more complex.

I'm using a classifications scheme like 0 through 5 = low, 6 through 10 = high. I'm applying that classification scheme to the minimum, mean, and maximum of sets of calculation results. In describing this, I'm wondering how to refer to those statistical measures? As in, what do you call a group of variables like minimum, mean, and maximum? "Statistical measures" or "statistical variables" might be the answer but is there any other simpler term for those entities as a group?

Example use where the minimums for all study sites happen to be classified as 'low' and the means all as 'high':

"Each case fits into the classification tier shared among all sets for each statistical measure."

What I'm trying to communicate is that for all test cases, if we're looking at the minimum all cases are classified as low, if we look at the mean all cases share the classification of high. This is worth saying, as it could've been that within the set of minimums for all test cases, some could've been classified in different ways, as low or high, but it worked out that all test cases share the same classification when looking within the same set of statistical...measures?

What is a clear and concise way to refer to these statistical measures?


texts:
Is there a verb for "agreeing to meet" or "deciding to meet"? As in

A: Would you like to get together on Friday?
B: I can't, Dan and I agreed to meet (that day).

or as in

Q: Did we agree to meet on Tuesday or Wednesday?

only less cumbersome? It doesn't really have to be a single word, but if it's not then it should be something that flows (unlike "deciding/agreeing to meet").
One possible answer is to just use the verb meet (or see or get together etc.), as in "I can't, I'm meeting Dan" or "Are we meeting on Tusday?". But it doesn't really mean the exact same thing; for instance, you can say "I agreed to meet him on Sunday but I plan to blow him off", where obviously "I'm meeting him on Sunday but I plan to blow him off" is somewhat nonsensical.
I hope this is an appropriate place to ask this; I've seen similar questions around here, so I thought it'd be okay.
EDIT
I tried to look for it in Thesauruses and dictionaries, but unsurprisingly "agree to meet" was not in entry in any of them. I googled it as well but couldn't find similar questions (at best I found definitions and synonyms of the verb "meet", at worst articles on Putin). I asked quite a few people but no one could come up with anything.
I hope this is enough... If not, I apologise.


texts:
I have a couple of questions about the following passage:

  Kant explained that through a free-play between intuitive imagination and conceptual understanding, especially if mediated by feeling, we can be moved by the beauty of a work of art and come closer to the essence of nature.4 This vision of the Sublime can be discerned in many of Turner’s paintings and in the astonishing vistas of wild American territory in the Hudson River School paintings of Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church, although there is an element to the latter which suggests that they express not simply wonder at the overwhelming beauty of the landscape but a desire to control and own it, indicative of the confident expansion of the New World, and, indeed, of other parts of the world, in the nineteenth century.

Does here "latter" refer to "Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church's paintings" in comparison with Turner's paintings?
What does "confident expansion" man here?


texts: Punctuating lists with multiple sentences per item

texts:
When each item of a list is composed of several long sentences, can you just separate them with a point?

I have the feeling sometimes the next connector (“second”, “then”, “next”) gets lost and the list is not easy to read anymore. Can I use a semi-colon (“;”) before “second”, “then”, “next” to separate the items clearly?

Example:

  Today I did many things: first, I went shopping with my sister. I bought a jean and a jacket. A special product for washing the jacket was offered to me for a cheap price. Second, I called Maria. Maria is always in a good mood although she was fired last month. She told me the next week she will travel to Paris. I think her friend Paula lives there. Next, I took the tram and went back home...


texts: What is the origin of the expression "never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel"? I heard it on the news and I would like to know who coined the expression.


texts: Difference between prepositions in "...killed during/in the war"

texts:
I'm studying prepositions. In this part of speech, I'm confused between the use of 'in' and 'during':

Rani Laxmi Bai was killed during the war. (❌)
Rani Laxmi Bai was killed in the war. (✔)

How is the first one incorrect?