texts: Can 'on one occasion' and 'at 5am' be called sentence connectors /conjunctive adverbs?

texts:
In the given examples:

He never invited anyone. On one occasion, somebody came.

Does "on one occasion" act as sentence connector here acting as conjunctive adverb?

He has a tight schedule. At 5 am,  he starts his day.

Is "at 5 am" a sentence connector acting like conjunctive adverb?

Thanks


texts: "How do we call (something) in English?"

texts: Is it really wrong to say "How do we call something in English?" instead of "What do we call something in English?"? The former's not unusual in Philippine English at all (probably it's because of the influence of Spanish, which was the national language for almost 400 years). Indeed, it's quite interesting that in many European languages, they tend to say "how". Anyone who can explain this? Thanks a lot.


texts: What word would be used to describe the action a person would do when taking a story and changing the story to fit their needs?

texts: I am writing an essay and I cannot for the life of me think of the word that is used to describe this action. It would do me a great deal of good if you guys can help me remember the word.


texts: Subject in "Over there is where I'll be."

texts:
Here's a conversation between a receptionist of a hotel and a man wanting to meet a girl living in the hotel:

Man: Is she in?
Receptionist: Just missed her, actually, but you're welcome to wait.
Man: Okay. Maybe I will. She probably won't be that long, right?
Receptionist: Once she went out and didn't come back for six months. But feel free to sit. Over there.
Man: Over there is where I'll be.

In this context, what is the subject of the last sentence? Over there or where I'll be?
If it's Over there, is this an instance of a prepositional phrase being a subject?


texts: What's the correct way of writing a higher education title (MSc or M.Sc.)

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Should I write “PhD” or “Ph.D.”?

I see that PhD is written PhD while the undergraduate degree is written B.Sc.

What's the reason for this?

Should I write the Master of Science MSc or M.Sc.?

Is Scott Aaronson's CV inconsistent listing his degrees as "B.Sc." and PhD"


texts: Is there always a comma before and after a year in a sentence?

texts:
What is the correct punctuation of comma usage for the following sentence?

  I began my general studies in June 2010 at OTC in Springfield, Missouri.


texts: Wrong usage of “myself ”, or just putting emphasis on “me”?

texts:
I was writing the following sentence, and I realized it somehow sounds odd:

  I am constantly trying to remind myself to think carefully before speaking, but those moments I forget to do so end up hurting others and myself.

Does it sound somewhat awkward, and if so, how would I have to change it?

  I am constantly trying to remind myself to think carefully before speaking. However, there are few moments where I forget to do so, and end up hurting others and myself.

Could above be an alternative? but is there a way to write it in one sentence, putting emphasis on me, and still not making it sound odd?


texts:
How would you describe a person who is the total opposite of cynical?
I thought of 'idealistic' or 'straightforward' but they don't seem right.


texts: What do you call the "ear speaker" in a mobile phone?

texts:
We have a call/messaging app that can use three different ways to get sound to the user:

Bluetooth
Speaker
Ear...speaker...thing...?

What does one call the speaker for the ear in a mobile phone, in contrast to the [loud]speaker and a Bluetooth device?

(I'm a native English speaker myself, but I'm having trouble coming up with a good term.)


texts: Is "to reprove" a synonym for "to vindicate"?

texts:
I cannot understand the meaning of the word reproved in the following verse of King James Bible:

  And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand
  pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto
  all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. - Gen. 20:16 AV

I looked to reprove up in dictionaries and found that this verb has negative connotations, meaning to condemn, to scold, to censure, etc.

Not sure about the meaning of the verse, I referred to another translation - English Standard Version - and it seems to have apparently opposite meaning:

  To Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces
  of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are
  with you, and before everyone you are vindicated." - Gen. 20:16 ESV

According to this Sarah was vindicated, i.e. exonerated or absolved.

I wonder how these two translations of the same passage can be interchangeable. And if they can is "to reprove" a synonym for "to vindicate"?


texts: Meaning of Roll sevens or Rolling sevens

texts:
What is the meaning of the phrase " you rolled them sevens with nothing to lose " ?

In the song entitled " The weary kind " which is a sound track of the "Crazy heart" movie , there is a line that i can't understand.

    Your heart's on the loose

    You rolled them sevens with nothing to lose,

    there's ain't no place for the weary kind

Could you please help me to understand that phrase ?


texts: Meaning of an English sentence on a Punjabi painting

texts:
With the dawn sparrow's tweet, as bogged in woes  I trun and churn.

This sentence is written below a painting at my friend's house. The painting is Punjabi and depicts a woman using a machine to make butter or yogurt (not exactly sure which).

I know the meaning of the words (though I'm not sure about "trun"), but I don't know what the sentence means, especially the latter part. I'm guessing the first part of the sentence basically means "in the early morning".


texts: What does "Every once in a while, however, you’ll find yourself crafting " mean?

texts:
My English is not good and I'm trying to improve it.  I came across this sentence while reading an article, and I want to know what it means:

  Every once in a while, however, you’ll find yourself crafting.


texts:
James: I make 10000 USD a month.
  Alice: Wow, you have a highly paid job.

Is the phrase “highly paid job” correct?

I think yes, but also wish to ask the native speakers here.

I assume that “high paid job” is an incorrect alternative.


texts: Isn’t something missing in the sentence, “Best for a mom with years of child rearing ahead to cut her losses now.”?

texts:
The latter half of the following sentence of Time magazine’s article, “Playing Favorites” (October 3), which deals with the commonly observed favoritism of parents to one particular child, is puzzling to me:

  My father’s hostility toward my baby brother ought to have doomed him in my mother’s eye too. A child who’s already being ill treated by one parent has hurdles to overcome just getting out of childhood in one piece, much less making it to a procreative adulthood. Best for a mom with years of child rearing ahead to cut her losses now.”

I have two questions:

I don’t get the idea of “one piece.” Does it mean “one brood” - a group of siblings?
Is the last line — “Best for a mom with years of child rearing ahead to cut her losses now” — a valid sentence? Isn’t something (verb) missing? My MS Word spelling-checker keeps marking it as a “fragment.”


texts: With on the brink/verge/edge of, is there a distinct difference between these, or do they have more or less the same meaning? Which one is the most informal? Is it all about context?


texts: this *was* a mistake vs this *is* a mistake

texts: I have the sentence: "He immediately thinks of XYZ". Is it proper to say "This is a mistake", or "this was a mistake"? The character is trying to think of a happy image to sedate negative thoughts. The image he thinks of (XYZ) ends up triggering more negative thoughts; so choosing this image (XYZ) as a "happy" image was a mistake; his choice is a mistake.


texts:
When I play a video or audio file using a media player like VLC, should I say play in VLC or play with VLC?

Which one is correct?


texts: Do I need a "with" in the following sentence?

texts:
Usually, I know the answer. But the following sentence confuses me:

  Was he the man she had shared her flesh and feelings (with) for four
  years?

Is the with necessary? Why or why not?


texts: Do "to pony up" and "to pungle" come from the same Latin root?

texts:
For to pony up, etymonline.com says

  1824, in pony up "to pay," said to be from slang use of L. legem pone to mean "money" (first recorded 16c.), because this was the title of the Psalm for March 25, a Quarter Day and the first payday of the year (the Psalm's first line is Legem pone michi domine viam iustificacionum "Teach me, O Lord, the ways of thy statutes").

(which in itself is one awesome etymology if true)

For the more rare, although in use everywhere from Huckleberry Finn to modern San Francisco Chronicle, to pungle (up), Merriam-Webster says,

  "Pungle" is from the Spanish word "pongale," meaning "put it down," which itself is from "poner," meaning "to put" or "to place," or more specifically "to contribute money." The earliest uses of "pungle" are from the 1850s

But does that Spanish poner as in "to contribute money" come from the same slang Latin pone?


texts: "Undaunting faith and courage"--Is this usage correct?

texts:
I came across a sentence in a published book (A Light Kindled: The Story of Priscilla Mullins):

"His voice echoed the urgency of the situation, yet it was strengthened with the calm resolve that only a man of undaunting faith and courage could display at such a moment."

Is this a correct usage of undaunting to modify faith and courage, or should the sentence read:

"His voice echoed the urgency of the situation, yet it was strengthened with the calm resolve that only a man of undaunted faith and courage could display at such a moment."

"Daunt" means "to overcome with fear; intimidate" or "to lessen the courage of; dishearten", which seems to imply that someone other than the party being daunted is doing the daunting. Therefore, the way the sentence is now structured makes it sound like "his" faith and courage is undaunting to someone outside of himself, whereas if the sentence read "undaunted faith and courage," it might better convey the intended meaning--that "his" faith and courage was undaunted by the circumstances.

I know my explanation is a bit jumbled, but I hope you get my drift. The way the author is using undaunting to mean unmoving or something of the sort. But I don't think this is the correct use of the reverse of daunting.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Use of “a” versus “an”
  “A” becomes “an” before a word beginning with a vowel, does this apply to “u”?
  Is it “a uniform” or “an uniform”?
  Which is correct — “A Year” or “An Year”?

I noticed an ad on Stack Overflow featuring another StackExchange site and the title of the question had this in it:

  Allow an user to...

But shouldn't it be

  Allow a user to...

Am I wrong or is this just one of those exceptions?


texts: Meaning and usage of "There is a lock for every key"

texts:
The other day I was watching a television series called The Big Bang Theory on Netflix, and in season 5, episode 6, which is entitled The Rhinitis Revelation Mary Cooper said the following:

  Now you listen to me. I know you feel like you can’t find someone, but
  there’s a lock for every key. Back home, there’s a girl works at the
  Wal-Mart. Tall, tall girl. Woman could hunt geese with a rake.

What does the phrase "there's a lock for every key" mean, and when should I use it?


texts:
I have several written papers, jumping from one topic to another, and I want to connect some of them by indicating that an argument will be deeply exposed elsewhere in the text.

What I want to write must express that something "continues on page (...)"; I guess I should write "continued on page (...)" but I'm not sure, so I wonder:

How to use "continued" at a bottom of a page?


texts: "In Britain the price of a new drug for cystic fibrosis has provoked fury, as has the government’s refusal to pay it." What does "as has" mean here?


texts:
If somebody doesn't know something very simple and you are shocked by their silliness, how can you express that with one word?

  I was ... because she didn't know president of Russia


texts:
I want to talk about multiple people, each of whom is an actor's actor, i.e., an actor well-respected by other actors.

Two plausible pluralizations seem to be:

actors' actors
actor's actors

Which way makes more sense?


texts: Nouns of plural form preceding another noun

texts:
I was reading Computers, Communications, and Information A User's Introduction (Seventh Edition) by Sarah E. Hutchinson and Stacey C. Sawyer.

The authors consistently used such terms as communications hardware and applications software. I thought we should use communication hardware and application software instead. Why did the authors use nouns of plural form this way?

EDIT: As far as I can remember from English grammar courses, a noun should typically be modified by a single noun preceding it. Rarely have I seen such usages as in the book.


texts: Origin/reason for the expression "on the bus" instead of "in the bus"

texts:
This is sort of a follow up to my question here.

I was told a while ago that the reason why we use "on the bus" instead of "in the bus" is because back in the day buses were open, that is, they didn't have a roof.

Is this story correct or is there another reason why the correct expression is "on the bus", in spite of the fact that when one gets on the bus, he is actually inside the bus?


texts:
According to grammar books, at all means 'in any way' and is NOT used in affirmative sentences. But in the example

  It is essential to democracy that any group of citizens whose interests or desires separate them at all widely from the rest of the community should be free to decide their internal affairs for themselves,

which is from "Political Ideals" (1917) by Bertrand Russell, it is used in an affirmative sentence.

What does at all mean here? And is this usage considered to be acceptable today?


texts:
I'm looking for a noun from English folklore.

It should describe a place where unusual, mysterious, possibly magical, occurrences happen.

The locals shun and avoid this place. Its influence might be beneficial sometimes, but it's unpredictable - only the desperate, mad, or naive would seek it.

I suppose archaisms and obscure words should be fine.  I need it for a translation of a fantasy game.

The Polish noun I'm looking to translate is "uroczysko" - in case some of the answerers know Polish.

The sites in question aren't one-of-a-kind so unique names starting with capital letters, like Shangri-La or Xanadu, won't do.


texts: Is the use of "as", "to be", or "ø" interchangeable in the following context?

texts:
Are all these expressions correct and do they carry the same meaning:

"Shareholders found the terms of the settlement unsatisfactory"
"Shareholders found the terms of the settlement as
unsatisfactory"
"Shareholders found the terms of the settlement
to be unsatisfactory"

Or:

"I deem her fit for that position"
"I deem her as fit for that position"
"I deem her to be fit for that position"

I often find sentences lacking either "as" or "to be" inserted between a verb and an adjective. Can it be said that spoken/informal english permits such constructions, or are they acceptable in general?

Thank you!


texts: Is there a term for the phenomenon of not being able to pass the car in front of you?

texts: During my commute to work, I primarily drive on a two lane road in a rural area. Every day, without fail, I get stuck behind someone driving at or below the speed limit and it frustrates me. I would simply pass them, but it seems EVERY time there is a passing zone, there is oncoming traffic preventing me from passing. Is there a term for this phenomenon?


texts: Past Perfect with an emphasis on result of an action in the past

texts:
As we all know, one of the main ways of using the Present Perfect is describing actions which happened in the past, but are still true or have a very important result (from British Council):

  We use the present perfect:

  <...>

  for something that happened in the past but is important in the present:

  I can't get in the house. I've lost my keys.

  Teresa isn't at home. I think she has gone shopping.

So, the question is: can we use Past Perfect the same way? Is it possible to think about the tense as a transition of Present Perfect to Past tense?

For example:

  I couldn't get in the house. I had lost my keys.

  Teresa wasn't at home. I thought that she had gone shopping.

I searched thoroughly and found (had found?) no mention of using Past Perfect this way. The common ones which are mentioned are only:

  A finished action before a second point in the past (something else happened after). For example: "When the police arrived, the thief had escaped."
  Something that started in the past and continued up to another action or time in the past (an action was true at the mentioned point in the past). For example: "When he graduated, he had been in London for six years".
  Third conditional. (unreal things in past). For example: "If it hadn't rained yesterday, we would have gone for a walk".

This was a summary I made from revising this page (British Council), this page (Grammarly), this page (ECEnglish) and this one (Perfect English Grammar).

The result, which Grammarly mentions, is a result of a condition, not of an action. By mentioning result of an action in the past I mean something like this:

  I was trying to open the door, but then realised that I had had the wrong keys (so it was impossible to open the door).

So, again, is it possible and is it grammatically correct to use the Past Perfect this way? Can we rephrase a Present Pefect rule of use like this...

  We use the present past perfect:

  for something that happened in the past but is was important in the present... afterpast, if I may say so (we have a word afterdark anyway...):

  I can't couldn't get in the house. I have had lost my keys.

  Teresa isn't wasn't at home. I think she had gone shopping.

Edit for the question not to be opinion-based: Does any book or web page provide such information?

Please accept my apologies if it looks like that I'm trying to be sophisticative.


texts: Word to specify short in the longitudinal sense only

texts:
I'm writing a text about rectangular plates (skirts) that are mounted to semi-trailers, as shown in the image below:

Source
In the text, we want to emphasize that our products are shorter (in the longitudinal sense) than those used before. At the moment we describe them as 'shorter', but we got feedback from our proofreaders that they associated 'shorter' with the vertical length (height).
I thought about 'shorter length' skirts, but I'm wondering if there is an alternative. I repeat this feature several times, so it would be good to have some alternatives to avoid word repetition.
Is there a way to describe 'shorter in the longitudinal sense' in a brief way?


texts: Is there a name for words that define socio-economic groups?

texts:
I was wondering if there was a name for the words that define classes by labeling individuals within socio-economic structures, such as "serfs" or "masters" in a line like:

  "Masters
      in the colonised world
      will seek
      to realise their brilliance
      through the organization
      of their serf(s)."

I hesitate to call words of this nature "stereotypes" as they are descriptive of real social phenomenon, I guess I am seeking a grammatical mechanism to distinguish between a specific few individuals of a particular social rank and the entire body of that class.

I hesitate to call these words "labels" as the do not define who or what people are but rather how they relate to others given these casts from a structure, a structure constructed of varying components of this type.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.


texts: What's the word for "autosuggestion" when it's done by someone else?

texts:
autosuggestion
n. influencing one's attitudes or behavior through self-suggestion

What's the word if it's someone else doing the suggestion, as often happens in cultish 'brainwashing'? E.g., a group of people meditates. As the leader lulls them into a semi-awake state, he drops ideas into their subconscious mind. Then they begin to see things as suggested.


texts: Eye-related phrase or idiom for seeing too many good things

texts:
When one sees too many good/tempting things at the same time, it can be said that their eyes __________ ?

Is there such an idiom in English?

In Russian one says: глаза разбегаются (lit. eyes scatter)

For example: There are so many ice cream flavors to choose from, my [eyes scatter] (глаза разбегаются).

The only similar English idiom I know is "like a kid in a candy store", but it is not eye-related.


texts:
I heard a person saying, “That place is not any more riskier than this place”. (And it wasn’t about time- like how it has changed from earlier to now) I thought it’s grammatically incorrect to say so.

Anymore can refer to any longer as in “I was doing it but I am not doing it anymore”, or it can be any more with a space like “some more” as in “I have already eaten so much. I do not need any more of it”

But in the context I mentioned earlier it is not about time.

And riskier is already a comparitive and adding more before that makes it incorrect.

This is what I feel but I am looking for an expert answer to know if I am right and if yes, I am looking for a solid explanation as to why it is incorrect.


texts:
Is there a word for when two people really like each other, but aren't dating, don't want serious relationship?

EDIT

No, they aren't involved at all. They do not engage sexually with each other.


texts: "Sleep through a single night" vs. "sleep a single night"

texts:
For the next two weeks he did not sleep through a single night.

Can we recast the sentence as follows?

  For the next two weeks he did not sleep a single night.

That is, is the use of through mandatory? Is there a difference between these two sentences?


texts: OSASCOMP soft warm or warm soft? Does NOSACSCOMP offer the needed guidance?

texts: Winter continues to chill us in Colorado. I enjoy lounging in my warm, soft sleep pants. Or are they soft and warm? I couldn't figure out which OSASCOMP category warm belongs in. To me, soft seems like a material. I found Adjectives  Word Order Woodward English, which adds number and condition to opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, and purpose: NOSCASCOMP. Can I trust the NOSCASCOMP guidance? In that case, maybe it doesn't matter because warm and soft could both be considered the condition of the pants. Or was my first instinct correct, that soft belongs to the material category?


texts:
I need to translate a sentence and I cannot figure out a good way to do so. Can I use the word 'persevere' like this, or are there better ways?

  Vincas consistently deepens his knowledge, he is not afraid of any difficulties that may arise, but perseveres by means of determination and work.

Do I need to change the highlighted part to anything else, or is it good as-is?


texts: Liquid Metaphors in the World of Finance

texts:
I want to use the terms in bold, to illustrate how these aquatic expressions can be used to a student of mine who is a trader. Obviously, I've exaggerated and greatly simplified the theme but I would like to ask your opinions as to whether the terms have been used correctly. And if there are other liquid metaphors, equally appropriate in the field of finance, which I may have left out.

  Liquid assets can be turned into cash which you can channel into a business; if that venture is particularly successful, investors will
  pour funds in, and, if the cash continues to flow, you'll find yourself riding on the crest of a wave and swimming in money.  But there are certain drawbacks.  Primarily, an overflow of cash can lead to CEOs being careless and overly greedy. Foolish investments and extravagant spending could drain resources, and create a significant gulf. Consequently, the company might have to liquidate their creditors, and if the economy hits a rocky period, the source of their revenue could run, literally, dry overnight. In the most dramatic cases, (the dot-com bubble)  companies will sink without trace

  In reality; however, the vast majority of businesses will experience the ebb and
  flow or typical fluctuations that exist in a company's economic cycle.   Some companies will decide to merge, and the new company will be able to draw on a huge pool of resources. The most successful businesses will have no shortage of floating assets, and will wisely plough back their profits.

I realize this question might be closed for being off topic; perhaps POB (primarily opinion based) and proofreading; but I'm willing to take the risk, and besides I really do need to know if I have used these terms correctly.

Financial English is a new territory for me, I need help!


texts:
A is as good as if not better than B

Explanations for this phrase I got are a bit controversial. Some say A≤B, some, A≥B, but others say it could be A≤B or A≥B depending on the situation.

The phrase "not better than" may mean "worse" or "almost the same." When you take the phrases "worse" and "almost the same," the sentence above expresses A≤B and A≥B, respectively.

The word "if" also has different meanings: concession and giving a hypothetical situation. When you take the "if" in the sentence shown as concession, the sentence seems to express A≥B.

I would like to know whether and how the sentence shown may be saying A≤B, A≥B, or A≤B or A≥B depending on the situation.

PS.
user867 pointed out that this phrase is a fixed idiomatic expression. I would like to know your thoughts about this.


texts: What exactly does it mean for one to “…bleed on the page…”?

texts:
This question is spurred by some quotes I found connected to George Lucas and the creation/writing of Star Wars that I used in this answer on the “Movies & TV” Stack Exchange site. Specifically this line which I believe comes from a 1974 interview with George Lucas on page 18 of Sally Kline’s 1999 book, George Lucas: Interviews; bold emphasis is mine:

  “But I don’t have a natural talent for writing. When I sit down I
  bleed on the page, and it’s just awful. Writing doesn’t flow in a
  creative surge the way other things do.”

This usage of “…bleed on the page…” confuses me. To me, when one “bleeds” on the page the implication is a positive thing: They are pouring their passion and life into a project and this is a good thing. But in the context in which George Lucas is quoted as using it, seems to be portrayed as a negative; as if “bleeding” means he’s straining himself too much.

Was this a usage of the phrase “bleed on the page” that might have been more common at one point in the past? Or a usage I am casually not familiar with?


texts: How can I explain a word used in a previous sentence?

texts:
I am defining a "thing" with an adjective.

Example:

  X is a small y.

Then I want to give a clean and simple explanation for the adjective small --because it can mean several things and I want to make it clear.

So I'd like to continue the sentence with something like:

  .. small y. What "small" here means is ...

My question:

What is the correct way to continue with that second sentence in English?

Can I say:

What "small" here means is, that, X [verb (is, doesn't etc)] .. or;
What "small" here means is X [verb (is, doesn't etc)] ..

By correct, I mean, should I use that? Should I use a comma?

Thank you.


texts:
I have searched the Internet and know about using or not using commas before 'such as'. If the phrase is nonrestrictive, then a comma is needed otherwise not. However, at certain times I am still confused.
Please see the following sentences - I would like to know if a comma is needed before 'such as' in the following two sentences. Can the intent of the writer also decide whether a comma is needed before 'such as'? What if in the first sentence, I specifically want to refer to 'dogmas', 'doctrines' and 'beliefs'? Do I still need to use a comma before 'such as'?

Humanity has been enslaved by man-made concepts such as dogmas, doctrines, theories and beliefs.

The big basket contained a wide variety of fruits such as mangoes, bananas, apples and grapes.


texts: Can 'floccinaucinihilipilification' be considered a real word?

texts:
Can 'floccinaucinihilipilification' still be considered a real word?

The only context that I have ever seen it used is as an example of one of the longest words in the English language.

Also how would you use it in a sentence?

Do we have to use literally in a context where estimating somethings value is being done, or can it be used more metaphorically where it is argued that something is meaningless (ie has no useful value (like arguing a word is useless)).


texts: What do you call a person who's grading exams?

texts: I've recently had a job where I've read exams and graded them. I'm now going to put this on my CV but I have no idea how I should label this kind of work. What have I been? An examiner?


texts:
That's some 3rd world begging skill right there. Obviously she isn't from here, but that's low as f***.

The comment was made based on this video.


texts: What is “a place with a lot of wind“ called in English?

texts:
I am looking for a word or a discourse for a place with a lot wind if any exists in English.

“We had a hard time on ______(s)”.

Some languages (i.e. Turkish) already have a common word for it. For instance, it is called anafarta1 2 3 in Turkish. If "anafarta" was an English noun, we could have a sentence like that:

"We had a hard time on anafartas".


texts: What is the function of "such as" in this sentence?

texts:
You should take an AP class, such as U.S. History or English Literature.
Many countries, such as Canada, New Zealand, and Switzerland, have more than one official language.

In a sentence where such as is used to precede a list of examples, what function does the such as serve? It seems sort of like a conjunction because it links together two parts of the sentence, but it is not included on any lists of conjunctions I have found.


texts: Verb to use when light enters quickly into an enclosed space?

texts:
I wrote the following:

  A creaking metallic sound awakened Erin. Raising her eyes, she looked
  to the front. It came from the door. Someone was opening the elevator.
  She waited expectantly while the struggle continued on the other side,
  her heart pounding with each bang. There was a screeching sound. Then,
  finally, the door clanked open. The bright light that (...) in blinded
  Erin.

I could only think of come and stream. But I think they don't give the feeling of light coming in "abruptly." I though of rush. But I think it's not very common to use it to describe movement of light?

What verb to use to describe light coming in rapidly?


texts: Adjective of having multiple "arms" in technical/engineering context

texts:
Imagine an object, which has multiple 'slots', which are used to connect that object with other objects. Except that these are not inward pointing slots but the counter parts called 'tangs' (according to this answer).

How would you describe that object, if it has for example 4 tangs?

In German I would call it 'vier-armig' (roughly translates to 'four-armed') since it has four 'limbs'. But four-armed sounds somewhat strange, especially since armed also means carrying a weapon.

Here is a picture to make things clear:

How would you classify the two objects on the right?


texts: Is it correct to say "Master student in Statistics "?

texts:
Currently I'm a student for Master (M.A) degree in Statistics and I need a title for my resume,  does it correct to say "Master student in Statistics "?

thnx!


texts: What is “narrative nonfiction”, exactly? Isn't every nonfiction narrative?

texts:
I came across the term “narrative nonfiction” in the New York Times article titled “What should children read?” (November 22). It seems to be a journalist’s and book editors’ favorite jargon from the following sentence:

  What schools really need isn’t more nonfiction but better nonfiction,
  especially that which provides good models for student writing. Most
  students could use greater familiarity with what newspaper, magazine
  and book editors call “narrative nonfiction”: writing that tells a
  factual story, sometimes even a personal one, but also makes an
  argument and conveys information in vivid, effective ways.

What does “narrative nonfiction” really mean? I recognize it is immediately followed by a definition, but I feel like I am still missing something crucial. Why the qualifier "narrative"? Isn’t it a given that nonfiction (story) is narrative on its own, obliterating the need to expressly mention "narrative"?

What is a typical format of “narrative nonfiction”? Or is this perhaps some kind of umbrella term for personal essays on daily matters and private diaries on the one side, and news reports and expository comments on the other?


texts: Having an -ing with an object in a sentence

texts: I was told that ing can be used without an object e.g "the manager forbids smoking" while I know this is true, I want to ask if it can also be used with objects e.g., "I love making lasagne" or " the manager forbids smoking in his establishment." can the ing form be used like this also?


texts: Why does gasoline have the word "gas" in it, if it's never gaseous?

texts:
The etymology according to Dictionary.com:

  gasoline
  coined 1865 as gasolene, from gas (q.v.) + chemical suffix -ine/-ene. current spelling is 1871; shortened form gas first recorded Amer.Eng. 1905. Gas station first recorded 1932.

Why was it originally called "gasoline"?


texts: Is there a word that means "a force that formed the universe from an original chaos?".  I found this description surrounding the word "nous" in the past, but it doesn't look like it held on the wiki.


texts: Does unsparing have a negative connotation?

texts:
I was reading definitions of unsparing

Not merciful.

Not frugal: unsparing generosity.

It seems that unsparing has two entirely opposite definitions.
I guess its meaning would be clear in context. I have a feeling that in the second definition, it has a negative connotation? Is this right?


texts: Are there guidelines for mid-sentence code blocks and bulleted lists

texts:
Question
Are there guidelines for the placement of nonstandard typography in the middle of a sentence?
I'm working on a blog that will have multiple authors.  Should we bother with style consistency across authors?  If so, is there an authority I can reference for this type of thing?
I'm referring to examples like the ones in the section below.
Examples
Don't require ssh key authentication unless you've checked that

the permissions on your keys are correct, and
you won't be locked out once the setting takes effect.

You can list the running processes with ps aux

First,
$ git add <the file you changed>
$ git commit

and then describe your changes in the editor.  Saving the buffer will create the commit.


texts:
On-premises ... On-premise

I see these terms frequently used to describe software systems hosted within a company's datacenter vs. software systems hosted externally by a third party (in the "cloud"). The term is also frequently abbreviated to "on-prem" or "OnPrem" or similar with the same meaning. The full spelling is the issue.

I take "premises" means the environ of a company or organization, whereas I take "premise" means the basis for a logical argument.

Is there any valid usage of "premise" sans "S" to mean a company, or is it simply slangy misspelling of "premises"?

Related: As the plural of "premise" in the logical argument sense is "premises", does this cloud the issue a little?


texts: Idiom for scientific charts & graphs on a subject

texts:
I have many charts & graphs which represent a single topic from a diverse points of views, using various parameters.

For example, on the subject of Building a House:

Graph which represent the cost ($) against the time
Graph which represent the cost ($) against the eco-friendly level of the house
Graph which represent the number of rooms against the work which needs to be invested per-week in order to clean them.

and many more.

In the example, the parameters are: cost, time, eco-friendly level, number of rooms etc.

How do I define this set of graphs in a couple of words?
Is it called "statistics"? "Cross-section data"?


texts: What do you call the people who like themselves?

texts: How do you describe a person who appreciate himself ( kinda love himself) or really talk about himself in a way of selfishness ?


texts:
I understand that essentially a word is "archaic" if it is old and not really used much today. What I'm interested in is if there is something quantifiable that makes a word archaic or not. For example,

Must it be at least so many years old (e.g. I wouldn't call "golly" archaic, but I would call it old and out of use)?
Must it currently not have a use that is superseded by a different word (e.g. "fortnight" always seemed archaic to me, but there is no modern word that replaces it, which might be why dictionaries do not list it as such)?
Apparently the replacement word does not have to be newer (e.g. "to" predates "unto"), which certainly confuses things.

What are the quantifiable measures that make a word "archaic" and according to what authority?


texts: Is the phrase "the ease at which / the ease by which ..." correct

texts:
1) ** Is it correct to follow "ease" with "at which" such as in  "The **ease at which you can carry this bag depends on the angle you hold it from"

2) Does anyone have a good source recommendation for the rules of using different nouns with along with the word "which"?


texts: Name and list of words with common sounds that share common meanings

texts:
There are some words that have similar sounds, though they seem to not share any particular root, and have general connotation. For example, gl-, in gleam, glitter, glisten, has something to do with shiny things. That's the only one I can think of, but I saw an article with one or two other similar "root"s.

Is there a name for words/sounds/roots like these?

Is there a good resource for a list of them? Could be fun to learn them all and use them for poetic effect.


texts:
What is ridin in "We're ridin' with Biden"?

Source: [Dantri.com]


texts:
Today, I received a folder of Recruiting candidate CVs from one of our HR. In this folder, there is a sub-folder named "pass". Question is does this "pass" mean the CVs inside are OK or not OK?

If I want to mean the CVs in the folder that are not OK, what exact word should I use?


texts: Is what you "transcend" singular or plural?

texts:
I'm working on making changes to some text for a project that I'm on. One of the proposed changes is to the following:

  [He] has fostered creative
  environments that attract diverse talent who understand how to
  transcend medium and know how to intuitively build community around
  brands.

The part in bold has had a proposed change to "transcend media" (going to plural, instead of singular).

Which one is correct? If they both are, are there situations where one would be favored over the other?


texts:
Can you please read this sentence:

  Our solutions meet the requirements industry security standards from different governing bodies around the world.

Is there a mistake in "requirements industry security standards"?


texts:
As a non native english speaker i wonder which one is the correct form to use ?

to think outside the box ?
to think out of the box ?

is there any difference in meaning ?


texts:
To my knowledge, transition is (also) a rarely used intransitive verb. To transit seems a lot more common.

I'm trying to understand the difference between them.

Personally, transit seems mainly linked to transportation, while transition rather applies to a change in the state of being.


texts: Academic alternative for "It is obvious that"

texts:
It would be appreciated if somebody provides a few alternatives for "it is obvious that" which can be used for academic purposes (e.g. thesis).
Thanks indeed.


texts: Can I use although and but to connect 3 subsentences

texts:
My question is: is the following structure correct?
ALTHOUGH subsentence A, subsentence B, BUT subsentence C.

I know it's not correct to use "although and but" to connect 2 subsentences, but how about 3?


texts: Looking for a dictionary that would provide information on the "flavor" of the word

texts:
I'm working on my chatbot program and it could really use an extension to its vocabulary. Currently it picks words out of a list of just a few hundred, all entries containing data like the word itself, the context this particular entry applies for, how polite, blunt, fancy or aggressive (and many other characterizing attributes on a scale of 0 to 1) it is. All painstakingly filled out by myself.

Since by my estimate, to cover the whole of commonly used English, the database would need at least 600,000 entries, doing that my myself would be madness. I'm looking for resources to pull on, anything that describes words with numbers or at least booleans (like for instance this word is nice and this one is not so nice). Doesn't matter if the format is ready to be fed into a number crunching machine, I can build my own parser for that. Thanks in advance.


texts: Word to denote someone who is easily dominated or insulted but is helpless

texts:
Say, a guy Tom lives with his family. He is completely ignored by others at home. His wife harasses his kid and if he says something, his wife just says rubbish. Whatever others want, they do without Tom's consent. If Tom interferes on wrong things & comes in their way to stop the wrong, he is manhandled. So, others can do whatever they want and he can't do anything to stop them. Whenever others want to harass his kid, they do and later Tom, who cares a lot for the well being of kid, salves her (the kid). So Tom does everything for the happiness  of the kid from his side but can't stop others of their hooliganism. He is just brushed aside.

What word can be used for him to signify his status  at home?


texts:
I see "forgo" used quite a bit, and "forgone" is quite common too.  I can't say I've ever seen or heard of "forwent" and in fact, I had to look it up to make sure it even was a word at all.  Is it used much?  Is there an alternative that is more common?

I suspect it's more common to say, for example, "I decided to forgo treatment" rather than "I forwent treatment."  But why?


texts: Antonym for "evangelist" (in modern/technology industry usage)

texts:
The term "evangelist" gets used a lot by tech companies as a job title to describe those who try to push knowledge, use, and acceptance of a product, service, or company in a way which promotes the product/service/company. I was wondering what would be appropriate antonyms for this sort of usage. Given the very literal definition of relating to religion by most online dictionaries and thesauruses, antonyms are either not appropriate (such as layman) or non-existent. Given the pretentiousness of the term, I think an equally "weighty" term is most appropriate as an antonym.

Words that came to mind were: denouncer, antagonist, or decrier. I'd be interested in any thoughts on these terms as antonyms or any other suggestions.


texts:
Where is the subject in a sentence that starts with a prepositional phrase. For example the preposition phrase beginning with after below:

  After breakfast the boys wandered out to the garden.

Is the subject the boys only or After breakfast the boys,
and why?

It would be helpful if someone did a tree diagram and explained the function of the prepositional phrase.


texts: How can you tell the difference between subjunctive and contrary to fact?

texts:
My GMAT book, GMAT Ultimate Grammar, has different sentence structures for present subjunctive form and present contrary to fact form. However, they both seem identical to me because in the examples given of each form, they both talk about something that isn't true. The book gives an example of each:

Subjunctive: She would rather that the plane leave early in the morning.
Contrary to fact: Debby would rather that her boyfriend spent Friday nights with her.

After stating the contrary to fact example, the book says that the sentence implies that Debby's boyfriend does not spend Fridays with her. However, couldn't you argue that their example for the subjunctive case implies that the plane will not leave early, making it contrary to fact?


texts: Please Sir, I want to know if it is right to say; "you always get cheated because you have not opened your eyes”.The verb after NOT: is it supposed to be in present or past tense?


texts: What is the origin of the idiom "like pulling teeth"?

texts: I would like to know more about the idiom "like pulling teeth". For example, does anyone know its origin and first usage?


texts: Word for someone who finds oil reservoirs

texts: This question may be way too specific, but what is the word for someone who surveys land in search for Oil (for petroleum). I think it might be a scientific word, like one that ends with -ist (like biologist)


texts: Word meaning "reduce chances of occurrence"?

texts:
In the aftermath of a significant problem I'm trying to express that the necessary steps have been taken to reduce the chances of it happening again. I can't guarantee it won't happen again, otherwise "prevent" would be perfect. The only other word I've been able to come up with is "mitigate" which incorrectly conveys that the effect of the next disaster will be diminished, not that it's less likely to happen at all.

"We've taken measures to ______ another disaster."

I'd prefer a single word, but a phrase is okay as long as it sounds less awkward than "We've taken measures to reduce the chances of another disaster occurring."


texts: Phrases with as many different letters as possible

texts: I remember there was a term for such sentences. Does anyone know what they are called?


texts:
I don't want to use the word 'being'.  How would you rephrase the following sentences?

Instead of being a run down, derelict building, Coral Tower is positively vibrant.
Far from being a sedentary person, Tyler climbs crags and dives into gorges for fun.


texts: Term for the "extreme-extension" version of a straw man fallacy?

texts:
Take the most obvious, unimpeachable statement imaginable:

  Drinking water is good for humans.

I am looking for a word that describes the action of taking the argument, applying some unreasonable logical extreme to it, then shooting that extreme version down.  An example of such a response:

  There was an ancient torture practice of using a hose to force a person to drink so much water that their belly would explode and kill them.  Too much water is deadly and should be avoided.

Of course the problem is the response doesn't address the argument.  The response addresses an extremist form of the statement that was never made.  The implication is the original statement was The more water a person drinks the better or something similar.

My first thought was this falls in the class of a straw man argument, because it is shooting down a statement that was never made.  Generally, the statement is made, just not such an extreme version of it.  Of all the straw man derivatives, I thought nut picking was the closest:

  nut picking refers to intentionally seeking out extremely fringe, non-representative statements or individuals from members of an opposing group and parading these as evidence of that entire group's incompetence or irrationality

This isn't adequate, however, because nut picking requires the extremism to be present elsewhere.  What I am curious about is when it is derived as some wildly unchecked extensions of the original argument.

Is there a term more specific than straw man that describes this action of taking a statement to an unreasonable extreme and responding to that extreme version?

Just so folks don't get too hung up on the water example, I'll throw out some others here.  Try to avoid focusing on the example and more on the concept of taking a statement to an unreasonable extreme.

If I got a raise I would feel less financial stress. Lottery winners get lots of money at once and are significantly more likely to file for bankruptcy.
Citing your sources is good practice. If every single sentence was cited the paper would be unreadable.
Gasoline is helpful for modern transportation. If you filled an entire car with gas not only would the driver pass out from the fumes, but the whole car would explode and kill everybody.


texts:
Longman Advanced Learners' grammar says: (p 27/7)

Dad would always help us out financially when we were
at university, however difficult it was for him.

Is it correct to use 'would' in this context?

Or should it be:

1b. Dad always helped us out financially when we were
at university, however difficult it was for him.


texts: The pronunciation of two consecutive O's

texts:
I came across such a sentence (‘Cakes and ale: or the skeleton in the cupboard’):

  She looked no older than when last I saw her six years before.

And I stumbled over this ‘no older’ reading it aloud (just as an articulation exercise). Should it sound /əʊəʊ/? I doubt it. Or is it just /nəʊɒldə/? By the way, I can't pronounce the former one without pausing on a little bit.


texts: Concise way to express the Spanish saying “it is preferable to be the head of a mouse than the tail of a lion”

texts:
I came across this vivid Spanish expression today and have been wondering how it might best be said in English:

"Más vale ser cabeza de ratón, que cola de león" which, literally, means that it is preferable to be the head of a mouse than the tail of a lion.

The sense of it is that it is preferable to be in charge of little things than to be an insignificant assistant in a grand enterprise.

Various related phrases come to mind. Few, for example, want to be a 'cog' in a machine. Some like to 'rule the roost'.

The closest I can think of is to say that 'it is better to be a big fish in a little pool rather than a little fish in a big pool'.  Except that this seems to me only to be a contrived and laboured way of explaining the Spanish saying.  It does not have the ring or snap of the original.

Any suggestions?


texts:
In the Indian subcontinent, the first sale of the day by a shopkeeper is considered very auspicious. I am sure it would be the same in other countries as well. Is there a single word or phrase for it?

The users with Hindi as their native tongue would understand that I am talking about bohani.


texts: What's the appropriate response to the "door knock" when you are in a fitting room?

texts:
I'm an international student and I have had this question for a long time:

When I'm trying on clothes in a store fitting room, the store employee sometimes knocks on the door to see if the fitting room is occupied.

How should I response to that?

Also, is there another way to refer to the people who works in the store other than"store employee"?


texts:
I want to write the sentence "start date of the period being aggregated over"

However, I know one is not supposed to end a sentence in a preposition.  I can't think of a good alternative to this sentence that doesn't sound incredibly awkward.

I thought of something like "Start date over which the period is being aggregated?" But it isn't the "period" that is being aggregated; it is the "data" in the period that is being aggregated.

Any suggestions?


texts: Is "I just might have a chance" grammatically correct?

texts:
I would like to know if, "I just might have a chance" is grammatically correct. Consider the following sentence:

  "If you just knew what I feel for you, I just might have a chance to be with you."

Trying to stress that I might have a chance but just might not be sure of it.
I found this Quora post which says that this construction is wrong but I would like to get a second opinion.


texts: What is the name of the era for Queen Elizabeth II?

texts:
Given the Elizabethan era and the Victorian era, and the duration of Queen Elizabeth II's reign of Great Britain, it seems likely that there will be an era named for her.

What is that name? Is there a protocol for such a thing?


texts: Word meaning 'The seeking out and assimilation of information.'

texts: Such as the hungering after of knowledge, but in a singular word. My thanks.


texts: What is the meaning of these two sentences in David Copperfield?

texts:
There are two sentences in David Copperfield that I don't quite understand, with regards to their (possible) figurative meaning.

Chapter XIII:

  [...] a muslin curtain partly undrawn in the middle, a large round green screen or fan fastened on to the window-sill, a small table, and a great chair, suggested to me that my aunt might be at that moment seated in awful state.

What does "to be seated in awful state" mean?

Chapter XXXVII:

  [...] I would sit sometimes of a night, opposite my aunt, thinking how I had frightened Dora that time, and how I could best make my way with a guitar-case through the forest of difficulty, until I used to fancy that my head was turning quite grey.

What does David mean when he says that he imagines his head "turning quite gray"?


texts: Concise word or phrase for someone who is good at using knowledge or concepts across disciplines?

texts: I am struggling to think of a word for this to be used if you are to describe someone who has an aptitude for using experience in one field, say mechanics and applying it to say biology. This adaptability. Maybe it's a just a description of the knowledge itself. Can anyone help me out? This word or phrase escapes me


texts: Will vs Would? Can both of them be used for future

texts:
I doubt she will do anything.
I doubt she would do anything.

Which one is grammatically correct?
Please also mention if there is any grammatical error in the following sentence:
"The lady listened carefully to my complaint but I doubt she will do anything about it."


texts: Is there a single word for a hypocrite that believes themselves?

texts:
Is there a single word for someone who firmly believes themselves to act in one way, but whose actions are contradictory to their beliefs?
Think of someone who advocates for moral behavior and believes themself to adhere to it, but can be observed to regularly violate that behavior.
Hypocrisy is close but it seems like Hypocrites feign belief rather than have it sincerely.
Inconsistent is accurate but not specific enough to be ideal.
Similar phrases;

Lacking congruence between belief and action.
Lacking self-awareness.
Unintentional hypocrisy.


texts: 'With' vs 'by' - where to use these two preposition in an English sentence?

texts:
I am confused with use of word with or by in a sentence. For example, if I say:

  The letter was written with ball pen.

this is correct. And if in another sentence I say:

  The letter was written by Sam.

this is indeed correct. But now this next sentence creates confusion:

  Sam is angry with John.

In the previous sentences we used with with nonliving things, so why are we using it here in this sentence with living things?

What is the difference between the use of with and by? How can I tell when to use them correctly?


texts: Question Word +TO-infinitive +Complement : Can this pattern be used for a direct question?

texts:
On the internet I have found some titles of articles that use the following pattern of construction:
Question word + TO-infinitive + Complement

I know that such structure fulfill different functions, but I am not certain if this same pattern can be used for direct questions. So, for instance, the following cases:

How to learn German on your own.
How to avoid eating fat.
What to do during an earthquake.

Are all of these examples questions? or do they belong to a different grammar category? The cases that I have found on the web never use a question mark but rather a period in the end.


texts: Do we use a singular or plural noun when referring to a common thing that many things have?

texts:
For example, in this sentence:

  Remind employees to write their name/names on the schedule/schedules on the lid/lids of the photocopiers.

How do you think it should be written?

Personally, I think the following is best:

  Remind employees to write their names on the schedules on the lids of the photocopiers.


texts: Need help understanding the use of possessive noun for this particular sentence

texts:
100 Mn raised by 52 parents for their baby's treatment of extremely underdeveloped organs.

or

  100 Mn raised by 52 parents for their babies' treatment of extremely underdeveloped organs.

Need to convey that each parent has a single child and they all raised a particular amount for their child's treatment.

Which is correct? Kindly help me out to understand.


texts:
Is this question grammatical:

  Are those a new [object]?

I know that the singular form of that question, "Is that a new [object]?", sound perfectly fine but the collective form of it sounds odd, at least for me?


texts:
What should I write if I mean the time before and after 1900 (summa summarum about 30 years).
I am not a native speaker that's why I am not able to decide which expression is right.
My ideas are:
- at/around the turn of the 19th to the 20th century
- at/around the turn of the 19th - 20th century
- at/around the turn of the 20th century
Thank you in advance for your help!


texts: What is a less ambiguous word for "confuse" in context of describing two similar things?

texts:
What is the most natural way to express "confuse" in the sense of "unable to tell apart" as in following sentence:

  John always confuses the twins and is never able to tell them apart.

I don't want it to sound like he is making the twins confused.

To make the question clear, I would like to add one more sentence where this discussion might be applicable
"Do not confuse activity with productivity".


texts: What's a word that means "cost-effective" in the monetary context?

texts:
"Cost-effective" is a generic term that can be used to describe anything that is "productive relative to the cost" whereby cost is a very vague term which can refer to either time, money, or human resources, etc.

"Time-effective" will be a specific case of "cost-effective", in the context of "time".

What may be a word to mean "cost-effective" in the context of "money"?


texts:
What is the meaning of this sentence?:

  I think few will be found to gainsay the assertion that where he trod,
  his daughter need not be ashamed to follow.

Source: There is no Death

I think the daughter is following someone, but I don't know the meaning of the first sentence.

Thanks for any help.


texts: Did a "spliff" originally refer to a mixture of tobacco and cannabis or just cannabis?

texts:
This question occurred to me as I was attempting to form an answer to this question:
Where does the word “spliff” come from?
In answering his own question, tchrist points to multiple sources arguing that the word is a portmanteau of "split" and "spiff."  This theory makes a lot of sense based on the contemporary use of the word to mean "a mixture of cannabis and tobacco rolled with paper."  It would then be similar to the etymology of "joint," which GDoS ascribes to the "joining" of cannabis and tobacco, although "joint" is now often used in contemporary slang to mean only rolled cannabis.
On the other hand, Jonathan Green in Green's Dictionary of Slang suggests the word derives from the verb spiflicate, and discusses the theory in more depth in an interview with Prohbtd:

"Spliff"—the first recorded use of the word goes back to 1930s Jamaica and the West Indies. I suggest that spliff could have come from "spifflicate," which means to beat up, but I’m not sure. That’s one word I never worked out fully.

Whether the split / spiff etymology holds any water seems to depend on whether the term originally referred to mixing cannabis and tobacco, or if it was simply referring to rolled cannabis only, and later came to refer to mixing cannabis and tobacco (somewhat the opposite of the drift in the word "joint").
I can't find evidence suggesting whether the original meaning referred to the mixture or not.  The earliest reference in both GDoS and the OED is:

Here is the hot-bed of ganja smoking ... and even the children may be seen at times taking what is better known as their ‘spliff’

1936 - Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 3 Oct. 35

No other early citations in either dictionary make it clear which was the original meaning.  It is clear from the citations that marijuana is involved in a spliff, but there is no explicit mention of a mixture with tobacco.
Neither definition provided by the dictionaries clarifies the meaning either:

OED: A cannabis cigarette, spec. one rolled in a conical form; a smoke of cannabis.
GDoS:  (orig. W.I., esp. Rasta) a marijuana or hashish cigarette.

Does the word "cigarette" imply that tobacco is involved?  And more to the point, did "spliff" originally mean specifically a mixture of tobacco and marijuana, or just marijuana?


texts: Citations: How to deal with error in the original text caused by repeated word or misspelling?

texts:
I'm reading an article I could potentially use for my thesis, but I've come across several errors already. I'm curious on how to do it if I really had to use the words from the original text.

I wouldn't want to use [sic] as How to deal with quoting a grammatical error? suggests, because it's distracting and makes me look mean.

So if the original text says "Finally, we may have puctual obligations" would it be within the norm to just write it as "Finally, we may have [punctual] obligations"?

Another problem I see is if the original text repeats a word (or forgets a word from a different formulation). So what if the text said "Finally, we may may have punctual obligations"? Dropping the word would be a misquote, but adding (...) wouldn't make sense and again would distract the reader.

This isn't really a problem I need to deal with, because I think the solution in this case would be not to use a direct citation and use my own words instead to avoid repeating the mistake. However, it's possible that error like this may appear in text which cannot be rewritten.

This is the source material: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5625356/


texts: After verbs, how does 'from' compare with 'of'?

texts:
(TL;DR) 1. I've been plagued by the postverbal use of the preposition 'of'. After verbs, when describing attributes like origin or source, what are the differences between 'from' and 'of'?
The verbs exemplified (in OED) below, can be followed by both 'from' and 'of'; so what differs?
Does the (choice of) preposition change anything?

2. Etymologically, what caused of's prevalence over 'from'?

  [Optional Reading] [OED:] III. Of origin or source. Indicating the thing, place, or person from which or whom something originates, comes, or is acquired or sought.

  8.
   a. Expressing ancestral or local origin, descent, etc.: following
  arise, be, come, descend, spring, etc.; be born, be bred, be derived, be propagated, etc.

  †b. Expressing the origin or derivation of a name. Obs.

  9. Following certain verbs and verbal derivatives.

  a. With borrow, buy, gain, get, have, receive, steal, take, win, etc.
  Now replaced by from, or arch. and regional, except in take advantage (see advantage n. Phrases 2a), take leave (see leave n.1 2a), etc. See also off adv. 3..

  b. With ask, beg, demand, desire, expect, inquire, request, require, want, etc.;
  also hear, learn, understand.

  IV. Of the source or starting point of action, emotion, etc.,
  in respect of motive, cause, reason, or ground.

  11.
   a. Indicating the mental or non-material source or spring of action, emotion, etc.: out of, from, as an outcome, expression, or consequence of.


texts: Word for an inaccurate work by an artist, who ineptly misrepresented their subject?

texts:
What's a word for an inaccurate artistic representation that doesn't retain all the qualities or features of the original subject?

For example: There is a painting of a king but it doesn't have the expected semblance. It looks like him but there are oddities, like an elongated nose, or bigger eyes and ears.


texts: Is there a more distinguished word for "forget"?

texts:
There's the kind of forgetting where you once had information in your head that you can no longer retrieve. The phrase "it's on the tip of my tongue" captures this kind of forgetting nicely.

What I'm looking for is a word or phrase for the situation where the information is still accessible, but wasn't triggered in the moment you needed it.

Examples

"At 1:00, I'll turn off the oven." You get caught up in another task and check the clock too late.
You go to the basement to get a tool only to return minutes later empty handed
"Oh! Today is May 5. I should stop reading Stack Exchange and wish Soandso a happy birthday!" You reach for your phone and realize you left it in the basement. You find yourself browsing Stack Exchange on Monday again and realize you never sent that text.

Ideally, this would be a single word or phrase you'd use in everyday conversation. Ex: "Sorry, I ____." Or "Sorry, that was ____."

Note that "Sorry, I forgot" can also mean that you don't remember ever being told about that. So "forgot" is too vague for what I'm looking for.


texts: Difference in the usage? ; It "can / could / must" be something serious

texts:
I'm teaching English in Japan. I'm using  "Grammar In Use Intermediate Workbook" (Cambridge). The following is the question in the workbook:

Complete the sentence. Use can, could, must or (be) able to + verb in parentheses.

A: You have chest pain? I'll take you to the emergency room. It (   ) (be) something serious.

The workbook says the correct answer is "could".
But students said to me that "must" and "can" also seem to be correct.
I also think that the correct answer will change depending on the context.
Could you kindly give me some advice if we can use both "must" and "can" in this situation? What's the difference, and how can I explain it to the students?


texts: Is there a single word that means "self flagellation" or "self punishment"?

texts: In the back of my mind, I'm almost certain there are at least several individual English word that means to punish one's self. It doesn't have to be physical, necessarily, but it must be some kind of self-punishment. Are there such words? Clinical words are also accepted (i.e. psychological terminology).


texts: Is following sentence technically and grammatically correct?

texts:
In a marketing or business communication - such as marketing slogan -,
is it appropriate to use something like

"On time, on quality, on budget " ..

I'm not a native speaker. Somehow I stumbled upon this sentence -words - and my point is about correctness, learning to use language -English- right way.


texts: What's the difference between "I look forward to" and "I'm looking forward to"?

texts:
I just don't get the reasoning behind which one is correct in which situation.

Typically I use the wrong one, or I use them when I'm not supposed to.


texts:
I'm going to translate the following sentence into a language in which there may not be an exact equivalent for the word 'ghetto'.

  He taught ghetto kids in New York's public school system.

(Update: In this sentence, the pronoun 'he' refers to Henry Spira, a benevolent leftist activist. The text highly praises him. And, by the way, the author is the Australian philosopher Peter Singer.)

Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines 'ghetto' as

  1) a part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group.

  2) [historical] the Jewish quarter in a city.

Now, I'd like to know what adjectives and concepts the phrase "ghetto kids of New York"  brings to the mind of a native English speaker most strongly at this moment in time.


texts: Hyphenation of a multiple adverb-past participle phrase

texts:
I am editing a research article, and I came across a phrase that I am having some trouble hyphenating:

"the detoxification of both endogenous and exogenous derived acetaldehyde."

My thought is that it should be "endogenously and exogenously-derived acetaldehyde." Is this way correct?  In my search I saw some rules that said to omit the hyphen after adverbs that end in -ly, but it seems like it makes more sense in this phrase to include the hyphen.  My only other question is should there be a hyphen after endogenously?

Thanks!


texts: Is there a word which describes the tactic of labeling something you agree with "pro" and therefore implying the opposite point of view is "anti"? For example, pro-life, pro-choice, pro-transit vs anti-car, etc.


texts: How did the word "settings" acquire its modern meaning?

texts:
When did it pass into common usage to refer to a device's "settings"?

It makes perfect sense to call them that, since you "set" them, but such things didn't really exist until the age of electronics.

When and where did that term originate?


texts: Idiom for depth of knowledge is harder to obtain as one gets deeper

texts:
In some subjects it is easy to learn a small amount about it, but hard, or time consuming, to learn everything about it. Chess for instance, one can learn how the pieces move around in a few minutes. Learning some basic tactics in an hour or two. An opening in a day. Pretty quickly they'll get to a point where each new step takes weeks or months to really understand and apply.
A more generic way to look at it would be "the law of diminishing returns as applied to learning". This however is overly fatalistic for encouraging conversation. Is there an idiom that describes this sensation? Perhaps an apropos quote?


texts: Difference between "inspiring" and "inspirational"

texts: What is the difference between the words inspiring and inspirational? In which context should one choose one over the other?


texts: What does it mean to be "born into the right house". Sample: "He is born into the right house".


texts:
What is the origin of the phrase "to go apeshit"?

An example usage would be:

  And then he went apeshit over the prize he just won.

Obviously there is a strong visual associated with an angry ape, but is there a known history to the phrase as it is used today?


texts: particle vs preposition? How to know the difference?

texts:
I tried to research the difference beween particle and preposition in phrasal verb, but the information on this website is not very clear.
According to the website, in "She is making up excuses" up is called particle, but in the sentence "stop picking on your brother " on is preposition because the information comes immediatey after the phrasal verb completes a prepositional phrase. Without these prepositional phrase, the sentence would be incomplete. Can't the same be said about "she is making up excuses"? Without the preposition, the sentence would also be incomplete. I would appreciate greatly a more detailed explanation.


texts: Does "month ending January" mean the end of January, or the start?

texts:
I file reports that cover monthly periods of time. I thought that the heading at the top that says "Month ending February" would refer to the report including all of February. (I am writing this in February.) So I would complete it on March 1st or so.

It depends on the emphasis: "month ending" as one phrase means the end of the month in question, but if I emphasize "ending", it could mean, the month that ends when February begins. That to me is wrong.

Which is correct? I think the heading of the report should be changed to just say "Month: February" and leave the "ending" thing out of it.


texts: Using "easily" at the beginning or middle of a sentence

texts:
Grammatically, is there a difference between how things are worded in the following two sentences?

Easily create your own games with GameMaker 2000.

or

Create your own games easily with GameMaker 2000.

I would prefer the word "create" to be at the beginning because I feel it draws attention to what the sentence is about. However, the word "easily" seems a bit awkward in the middle.

Are both of these sentences grammatically correct? Is there a reason that one would be preferred over the other?

*Disclaimer: GameMaker 2000 is a generic term I am using in place of the actual product name.


texts: What's the meaning of bold sentences? I have difficulty in getting the meaning of thesese sentences, especially the second bold sentence

texts: He went off to work and it was just one mad panic. I knew, if I didn’t go that night, I wouldn’t do it, I just wouldn’t do it. And so, technically, yes, it was planned and I had support and back-up from me family. But if I hadn’t, I’d never have gone. If I didn’t…if I hadn’t said, right, I’m going on that Sunday night, when he’d gone off to work, I wouldn’t have done it. I couldn’t get anything [together]. It was like, you thought this, oh, right. And that was going on all day. I’ve arranged to go on Sunday, so I’ll just pack a few suitcases! Do you know? You can’t do that! Because, if he’d found out, I wouldn’t have been able to leave. So, when he went off to work on that Sunday morning, it was just a mad panic. QUICK! NOW! And we were putting things in bags and we just left. We just left. (Stacey)


texts: Difference between “bunch of” and “group of” with regard to people

texts:
What are the contexts for using a bunch and a group when describing a handful of people? Please take both spoken and written English into account.

For example, when is it more appropriate to use "a bunch of people" vs. "a group of people"? And are "a bunch of people" or "a bunch of friends" appropriate in an essay? Under which circumstances would either be preferred over the other?


texts: How did "everloving" become a completely generic intensifier?

texts:
Most of the uses of the word everloving I can think of involve either vulgar or violent contexts, so you must excuse the following example:

  He'd finally crossed my last nerve, so yesterday, me and my buddies caught him out and beat the everloving snot out of him.

When I look up the definition of everloving at Wiktionary, it gives me the following three definitions:

  Which loves unceasingly or unconditionally
  Of or related to one who is everloving (1), or to everlasting love
  Which is loved unceasingly

And the fourth states, "generic intensifier."

So I have to two questions:  First, is the premise of my question wrong?  Is there a phrase where everloving is used as an intensifier, and still manages to add a meaning more than making the phrase stronger?  Secondly, how did everloving assume this role? How is the fourth definition of everloving connected to its first three definitions?  Can anyone find or draw a plausible path?


texts:
Can you use "Isle" like "Island" when referring to a non-specific Island?

For example, in

  "We took a trip with his new boat and made a stop at this small isle just a bit off the coast"

...does this work?

It sounds wrong to me to not use "island" in this scenario, but I really don't know if it's technically correct to say "isle" and it just sounds off or if it's incorrect to use it like this.


texts: Word for an animal that has been ridden too much?

texts:
Example:

  That man is as tired as a [...] donkey.

I thought of the word overridden but I think it means something else.


texts: Word choice and usage: adherence/compliance with the international guidelines

texts:
I have a question about word choice and usage. There is a subtle difference between adherence and compliance. My work is about analysing brain trauma management in a country, trying to answer the question of whether the medical practice is according to the recommendations of international guidelines and standards. However, it is hard to choose between the two words.

The aim is to evaluate compliance with the international brain trauma guidelines.

The aim is to evaluate adherence with the international brain trauma guidelines.


texts: Referring to the phenomenon of people using different styles in different contexts

texts:
How can I best describe this phenomenon (I do need a brief term).
Would "differential style" be OK? or should it be plural ("differential styles")? or something quite different such as "style differentiation", or "differentiated styles"?


texts: English word for superstitiously negative self assumption

texts:
Is there an English word (or psychological condition), which describes the negative, fearful, superstitious mentality of immediate self application or assumption?

For example if I was to say "my grandfather has been diagnosed with cancer", then their internal response may be "I'll probably get cancer".


texts:
Does a definition need to provide a unique or near-unique description or can non-unique descriptions also be categorized as definitions?

For example:

Is the statement "An apple is a fruit" a definition of apple?

Is the statement "A car is something that gets people from place to place" a definition of car?

Are these simply descriptions (or categorizations) of the objects in question or are they also poor definitions?


texts: Are stingrays' barbs poisonous of venomous?

texts:
I understand that when a snake bites you and you die, it's venom, and when you bite a snake and you die, it's poison.  What about stingrays' barbs? They don't bite you, they kind of shoot at you, but you don't bite them either.

At first I thought it would be poisonous, because it's outside of it's body and it doesn't bite you. The poison is kind of injected.

Then I thought it's venom, because the animal itself makes an effort to attack you with it.

So, are stingrays poisonous or venomous?


texts: Basically, what I want to say is: "new pictures are constantly added", but I need to omit "constantly", so how would be grammatically correct to say this phrase meaning constantly: "new pictures are added" -or- "new pictures are being added"?


texts: Is there no subject in a sentence like "Under the tree is a dog"?

texts:
I was trying to find out sentences without a subject, only object, and I came across
this
where the poster gives following sentences as an example

  Under the tree is a dog.
  Next to the park stands a clock tower.
  Underneath his jacket was his white tucked in t-shirt and jeans.
  Deep beneath the sea lies the mysterious kingdom of Captain Nemo.

Aren't the subjects in them: "the tree", "the park", "jacket", and "the sea" respectively?


texts:
The word I'm looking for is probably a synonym of 'discouraged' or 'disheartened'.
Context: You are working on some project, and it has been going smooth so far. Suddenly a problem or challenge presents itself, and you feel that you are ill-equipped to deal with it or that it seems "too difficult". As a result you feel less than good, you lack confidence that you can do it, and you try to either procrastinate or side-step it.
Example sentence: In the above story, John felt ___.
What's the best word to describe this feeling?
'dishearten' as it is defined -- "to cause to lose hope, enthusiasm, or courage" -- is not a bad word, as in this context one does lose enthusiasm as well as confidence (courage?) in proceeding. But bear in mind that the word I'm looking for is in project-context (of a knowledge worker) rather than any dramatic life context.
Above all, it is a word to describe the feeling. To put a precise label on it.
Clarifications
Why not a generic word (like 'discouraged')?
"discouraged" is a fine generic word to describe this. My desire to be more precise however arises from motivation of affect labeling.
I think "discouraged" doesn't quite capture the faux inevitability of the situation. If I did not feel overwhelmed, I would not be discouraged. I would not be dispirited, but rather kept on feeling spirited when presented with an seemingly insurmountable challenge.
Related concept in psychology
This word connotes a mindset that people tend to have, on easily giving up on a challenge (the word itself refers to the feeling engendered by it). Carol Dweck calls the opposite mindset as "growth mindset".


texts: Someone who only believes the parts that they want to believe but not the whole

texts: What is a word that you would call someone if they only believe the parts of the truth that they want to believe?


texts: "The likeliest problem" vs. "the most likely problem"

texts:
The likeliest problem vs. the most likely problem:

are they both correct?
do they mean the same thing?
is one preferable over another?


texts: What's a good word for a person that's being followed?

texts: Wondering what the correct word to use for a person who is being followed. All I can think of is a followee, which doesn't seem correct. It's being used in a twitter like system of followers and people being followed (followees).


texts: I'm trying to spell the word that sounds like "heath" meaning weightiness?


texts:
Today I encountered this question on StackOverflow and saw the word amletic, which I've never come across before (as a native speaker).

  ...and I have an amletic doubt about one thing.

I looked it up and it doesn't appear in any dictionary that I can find.  However, it does have a respectable number of hits on Google, all with a similar usage as in the original question (in doubt, question, or otherwise asking advice):

Amletic problem
Amletic question!
Amletic question
Amletic doubt
Which Distortion?? (Amletic dillemma from Italy)

Is this just some bizarre case of a perfectly cromulent word that somehow grew out of nothing?


texts: difference between "engage with someone" and "engage someone"?

texts:
What is the difference between "engaging with someone" and "engaging someone"? For example, what is the difference between these two expressions:

How do you engage with your employees?
How do you engage your employees?


texts: Why did the author use "muttering" instead of "mutters" in this sentence?

texts:
"He wanders away from the group, muttering something about fingers and toes." - The hunger game, Mockingjay.

And can you give me the name of this grammar structure? Is it short form of relative clause?


texts:
In a coffee processing plant I dealt with they had a sequence of machinery. Large bins of coffee would be brought in from farms. The bins had doors at the bottom you could open.

The bin would be placed above a chute that dropped coffee into another permanent bin. Water would be mixed with the coffee in this bin. Then the mixture would be fed into a machine that removed the skins.

The container in the middle of this would only hold things for very short periods. It was used for transient storage only while processing was running. When the machines were off there was never anything in it. I imagine other assembly lines and processing streams have containers that serve the same purpose. In an electric circuit a capacitor roughly does this -- gather some amount of something from one end, at some point release it to the other end.

Is there a term for this kind of transient container in a processing stream?

It has an input. It has an output. The speed of input and output can each be controlled independently. You can close the output and let it fill up if you want, to be used shortly.


texts:
I would be very grateful for some advice on how to decide whether to use an attributive noun or the "of genitive" (periphrastic genitive).

It seems to me that an attributive noun is generally preferable, except when it leads to ambiguity, often due to the combination of several modifiers with mixed dependent relationships.

Additionally, the of-genitive, when used stand-alone, seems to impart a more formal tone, a higher register.

Simple examples (preferred first, less-preferred second):

The department secretary vs. the secretary of the department.

But:

The excellent secretary of the department vs. the excellent department secretary.

Any additional guidelines would be most welcome.


texts: When quoting a quote, does the period go at the end?

texts: “I, Joe Smith, a Director of ABC Company, hereby swear and affirm that the original ‘Unanimous Consent of the Board of Directors By Way of Written Resolution of ABC Company, Passed on February 13, 2000 by circulation’ was presented to the below Notary Public for the State of Texas on ______________ , 20.  The copy attached is a true and correct copy of the original ‘Unanimous Consent of the Board of Directors By Way of Written Resolution of ABC Company, Passed on February 13, 2000 by circulation.’”


texts:
I am reading a book and I am finding this kind of expressions:

-'Why, people in perfect health act in the same way too,'

-'Why, are you all afraid of me?'

-'What nonsense he is talking! Why, you are in a sentimental mood today, are you?'

-'And why should they compensate me? Why, he was drunk and threw himself under the horses'

My wondering is about the use of the bold "why". I understand it as an expression, perhaps equivalent to "ah?" or "what?", but I am afraid my understanding is not correct or inaccurate. Help please!


texts:
Descend is intransitive when meaning

to have a specific person or family among one's ancestors (usually
followed by from):
He is descended from Cromwell.

Is descended an auxiliary to form the perfect aspect (as in He is finished, and He is gone)?
According to https://ahdictionary.com/, be descended from is an idiom.


texts: Difference between "per month" and "monthly"

texts:
I've referred Is there any difference between “monthly average” and “average per month”?

But I want more clearer answer most difference of it.

Per Month - I've to pay $100 per month  as wages.
Monthly -  I've to pay $100 monthly as wages.

My understanding:
- Per Month   - I've to pay on each month.
- Monthly -  I've to pay once in a month.

Seems no much difference but which once is preferable in that context?


texts: Word for "a person looking for a match"?

texts: I'm writing up some code and I'm having some trouble naming my variables. You say, "I'm looking for a match." So your supposed partner who has similar attributes is your "match". Then what are you called?


texts:
“Do you want to come with Lucy and I?”
“Do you want to come with Lucy and me?”
When do we say “I” instead of “me” and “me” instead of “I”?
Thank you


texts: Can I use two prepositions in this example, or is one better?

texts:
I want to say "the reality of and outlook on crime in Europe" without using two prepositions.

Can I say "the reality and outlook on crime in Europe?"
Can you lead me to a grammatical reference for this issue so I can read further?


texts:
I got baffled by his reaction.
Being expelled from school literally baffled me.
I don't know what baffled me more: if his words or his body language.


texts: When modifiers precede, is ‘wounded’ used without ‘the’?

texts:
. . .she tended Hungarian wounded returning from the Russian front
  and casualties wounded in American bombing raids. (The Telegraph)

When there are modifiers before 'wounded,' is it used without ‘the’ to denote 'wounded people'?


texts:
Usage of "%"

I'm almost positive it's a prepositional phrase since it's really means "per cent" or "per 100".

So in a sentence like:

  90% of my street are doing lawn work.

It would be "are" and not "is" because both "%" and "of my street" are prepositional phrases and therefore cannot contain the subject.

Am I right?


texts: Using a question mark without a question word

texts:
Today, I came across this sentence in an article. My question is, how come there is a question mark without a question word?

"These strategic responses all sound familiar?"


texts: Is "What is bounty?" grammatically correct?

texts: Jeff Atwood argues that "What is bounty?" is correct here, but is this really the case?


texts:
Which one is correct in this context?

  Person A:  I think Apple will displace Google.
  Person B:  Please explain.

Should he say/write "Explain please"?


texts: What are the differences in sentence meaning caused by the placement of 'not' in these two sentences?

texts:
I'm translating a sentence of character dialogue from Japanese to English, and came up with two possible translations for the final sentence of the dialogue. Below is the translated dialogue.

  "His ability to speak his native language for instance, is because it’s what he may see and understand. Even so for him, when regarding himself he doesn't comprehend in the slightest. Not his name, his family, his friends… he lacks the ability to remember any one of them."

The last line (名前も、　家族も、　友人も…… 何ひとつ思い出せません。) can be translated as either

  His name, his family, his friends… he lacks the ability to remember not one of them.

or as shown above in bold

  Not his name, his family, his friends… he lacks the ability to remember any one of them.

What are the differences in sentence meaning caused by the different placement of 'not' in the above two sentences?


texts: Living in a high-rise building: how to describe that you share the same entrance with another person?

texts:
Suppose you live in a condo (a 24-story residential tower block). There are many entrances to the building. Let's say, six.

People who enter the same entryway and cross the same entrance space (or hallway? - it's where the mailboxes are) use the same elevator to access their apartments on different floors.

Now a friend of yours lives three floors below you.

Is it possible to say he or she is your "downstairs neighbor"?

How can one underline this relative proximity, the state of "living next to each other in the vertical dimension"?

To me, a next-door neighbor would be someone living on the same floor (a horizontal proximity).

But what if I need to speak of someone living above me or below me? Not necessarily one floor up or down. Could be several.

I specifically mean those who share the same elevator with me. People who are fellow residents of the same condo, but who use a different entrance to the building, must remain outside my scope (because we never see each other and never cross paths).

Thanks for considering this scenario.


texts:
What does "Thundering typhoons" mean?
Actually it was in the 2011 movie The Adventures of Tintin.


texts:
Today I came across the following sentence:

  We asked for help and were given none.

It feels and sounds right to me.  However, after decomposing none into not one, it becomes apparent that you can't have one help in this context.  So is none the right word to use originally?

If so, what does that say for the none = not one equivalence?  If not, then what is a better way to phrase it?


texts: Is the use of "what" over "which" correct in this sentence?

texts:
I was filling out an application form, when I had noticed this sentence:

  If bilingual, please provide in what languages.

If I was writing this, I'd form it as which languages, instead of what languages. Is the sentence above correct?


texts:
Every time you call a customer service center they say: let me pull up your account, please. Is it correct to say that? Oxford dictionary explains pull up a little bit differently:

pull up 1 (of a vehicle or its driver) come to a halt: he pulled up outside the cabin. 2 increase the altitude of an aircraft.
pull someone up cause someone to stop or pause; check someone: the shock of his words.

Ideas?


texts: Synonym / Alternate expression for "for fear that"?

texts:
Can anyone help me out here? It's been nagging me all afternoon, scrounging around in my head for it and plumbing the Web--I swear I've heard a more literary alternative for this one before.

I'm looking for a synonym or different expression for "for fear that".

Something like "God forbid" comes to mind, but that's not quite it: too idiomatic. Though it has a completely different meaning, "by dint of" keeps presenting itself I think because the one that's eluding me is also a prepositional phrase, maybe three words.


texts: In Britain the word 'normalcy' is ridiculed

texts: Does anyone use 'normalcy'? It is ridiculed in Britain as an American affectation, especially since there is a time-honoured word which means exactly the same thing i.e 'normality'.


texts:
I've been searching the internet, but have not quite found a satisfactory explanation between an act and a deed.

Both seem to have kind of a meaning of something done, though through my google and etymology searching the only apparent difference I can find is that "act" slightly hints at something more in the process of being done. (although not necessarily)

Surely there should be more of a difference between the two words. If they mean the same thing surely there would be no need anymore for two words and I also know act and deed can not always be interchanged in sentences, but what is the difference exactly then?

I'm left utterly confused, hope someone can help me and explain the difference...


texts: Adjective that means under constant / frequent change

texts:
I would like to find a suitable adjective to describe a leader board that has changed frequently. Of course the leader board can change, but it doesn't have to -- the possibility of entrenchment / solidifying positions is also a distinct outcome. With this in mind, I want to draw attention to the fact that it has in fact changed this time around.

A ______ leader board suggests firms are ramping up operations.

I considered using "dynamic" / "volatile" here, but dynamic sounded too vague and volatile seemed a bit unnatural.


texts: What is the difference between "excuse me" and "forgive me"?

texts:
I am hesitated when I use the sentence "forgive my fault, please." instead of "excuse me, please." because the word "forgive" has a religious theme and probably carries some additional meanings. Also it seems the usage of the word "forgive" for apologies depends on the social rank of the people in the conversation too.

Question: What are the differences between "excuse me" and "forgive me" in current and historical meanings and usage? Does the meanings of these phrases change when the social rank of audiences changes? Which one is more frequent among literate speakers?


texts:
I'm trying to reference a business process in which a document has to be approved by several different people before it is finalized. I want to be able to say things like:

  We've modified the workflow to include an additional step.

and

  The workflow currently requires approval by three people.

Merriam-Webster Unabridged does not have an entry for "workflow", but I see many people using it anyway. Is it a word or not? If so, is there a good dictionary definition of it?


texts: Is there a name for a song that describes a dance?

texts:
Some pop songs contain lyrics which describe the steps to a dance. Examples include The Loco-Motion, Time Warp, and Cha Cha Slide.

Is there a specific word for a song of this type?


texts: What's the difference between "incoherence" and "inconsistency"?

texts:
I find those two words a little confusing, so what are some contexts in which it's appropriate to use the word "incoherence/incoherent" rather than "inconsistency/inconsistent"?

Also, can the word "incoherence" be used like this "The Incoherence of X" to imply X not having a solid logical ground?


texts: Word for escalating a situation needlessly

texts:
What would be a word that one could use to describe a person, or if more accurate, a situation, where one person goads another into an act of aggression, knowing that in doing so, the person will eventually lose his wits, but is hopelessly outclassed.

For example, Mr. Smith is walking home from work late at night, and to reach the last bus in time without having to pay for a cab, takes a shortcut through a rough neighbourhood, where Mr. Smith encounters a skinny, short vagrant. The vagrant produces a knife and demands Mr. Smith's wallet, but Mr. Smith can tell by the way the vagrant shakes and stutters and holds the knife, he is not a real threat.

Instead, Mr. Smith insults the vagrant, goading him, trying to call his bluff. Mr. Smith is heavily armed, and has a military background, and if the vagrant attacked him, Mr. Smith could kill him effortlessly, and get away with it in court, provided he didn't confess his intentions to the jury, but just his actions, and (insincerely) claimed to be afraid for his life to the court.

Background: Trying to find some good words to describe a crime-drama scenario for a GTA fanfic.

I've considered "calling one's bluff", but that just seems to be an element of the scenario. I've also considered "forcing one's hand", but the vagrant has a conscious choice to flee as well. I had also found news articles about a middle-class guy in the US a few years back buying a gun and intentionally getting mugged at a train station so he could score a symbolic victory by shooting the random muggers who assaulted him, but the only terms described there were along the lines of "vigilantism", which again doesn't seem to fit, as Mr. Smith's sadistic intent was only pre-meditated after the weapon was pulled on him, and not prior to that involuntary confrontation.

Thanks!


texts: Is there such a variety as "Standard Black English”, spoken by educated African Americans, or is it just a racist phrase?

texts:
Standard Black English – (1980, coined by Orlando Taylor) The Standard English of black Americans.

  Taylor points out the fact that most educated African Americans speak “standard black English”.  They adopt the grammar of standard English, with all the necessary inflections, but do so with distinctive black English phonology.  (John Baugh, 1990)

The possible duplicate at Why is there "Black English" but not "White English" addresses the dialect as spoken in ghetos, but not the English of educated African Americans. In addition, although we can always listen to educated African Americans on TV these days, from Mr Obama to Oprah Winfrey or Colin Powell, and make up our minds about the subject, I would like to learn what is consensual among linguists.


texts:
I have come accross "per each" several times when editing scientific papers, but it sounds unnatural and even redundant.

Doesn't "per" mean "for each" already, thus making "per each" redundant or incorrect?

Example:
"The video sample has three audio channels per each section."


texts:
Example:

  Tufy was our Chihuahua. He'd been in the family (ever) since I was
  born.

Would adding ever change the meaning of the sentence?