texts: How should I correctly write the term 'get well soon card'?

texts:
My instincts tell me that the examples below may be correct; however, I could not find in corroborating sources online.

  She received many 'Get Well Soon' cards.

  He opened the mail to find yet another 'Get Well Soon' card.

I would like to better understand the rules relating to this topic.


texts: Question about a sentence in OWL Exercises

texts:
About the Exercise: Adjective or Adverb Exercise 1: #3 They proved to be perfectly exact measurements...
Isn't this an impossible fact; consequently a incorrect sentence otherwise what is supposed to be according to OWL?


texts:
Is /l/ in 'whole' dark or clear?

I know that a clear (palatalised) /l/ is in a prevocalic position; nonetheless, I also know that the dark /l/  (velarised) is usually at the end of words.


texts: What can constitute a dictionary entry for "be the poorer for something"? I know what it means but I can't find any dictionaries contain it so to explain it to someone else. I found it very peculiar that there was no online source about that expression.


texts: When an adjective modifies a noun, can either "look" or "look like" be used?

texts:
As far as I know, we use "look" with adjectives and "look like" with nouns, but I came across this sentence in Oxford Dictionaries:

  That looks an interesting book.

Well, I was told that when we want to modify a noun with an adjective, use must use "look like", but this doesn't happen here. I don't know why. Maybe both "look" and "look like" can be used when an adjective modifies a noun.


texts:
I want to understand if we need to keep using past perfect in a long sentence. (in speaking and writing english)
For example,
"I want to tell you a story that happened to me in summer. I started to hang out with a girl in July, we had been friends for about 3 years at that point, we had even dated once in 2017"
or
"I want to tell you a story that happened to me in summer. I started to hang out with a girl in July, we had been friends for about 3 years at that point, we even dated once in 2017"


texts: What is a good antonym for "redundant" (engineering)?

texts:
What is a good antonym for redundant?
The definition I am looking to find an antonym for is:

Source: Dictionary.com
Redundant
adjective

Engineering.
...
d. (of a device, circuit, computer system, etc.) having excess or duplicate parts that can continue to perform in the event of malfunction of some of the parts.

Wikipedia has a page that uses this definition. Wikipedia defines this kind of redundancy as "duplication of critical components".
Used in a paragraph, "A software product can be installed redundantly or [non-redundantly]. The purpose of installing the product redundantly would be to allow for high availability. If one side goes down, then the other side immediately takes over. This is common practice in hardware and software industry."
I prefer a single word, but a phrase is also acceptable. I also prefer neutral or positive connotations. "Low availability" has negative connotations.


texts:
Which of these clauses are correct?

"People of different kind"

or

"People of different kinds"

A sample sentence:
This brings up the issue of how well our sample represents people of different kind[s].


texts: How would one describe tightly pulling on your coat to feel warmer in winters?

texts: It's like when you try to button up your shirt but pull the shirt too far- such that your back completely hugs your shirt and there is no space between your back and the shirt, or when you have a shirt that is one or two sizes smaller, but for coats, and you are doing it intentionally to try and feel warmer.


texts: Noun order: "He and we..." or "We and he..."? Similarly, "...him and us" or "...us and him"?

texts:
It's convention and polite to always list yourself last in a list. I say "John and I went to the store" and not "I and John went to the store."

So does that mean that I should always list myself last, even in the case when the pronoun that represents me is first person, plural (i.e. "us" or "we")? In my case, I'm writing a recommendation letter about my experience on a team with "John," who is the highlight of the letter. I hit a point where I was about to write something similar to:

  John and we got a lot of experience working on the project.

or

  That project's experience really benefited John and us.

Clearly, he is mentally separated from the others of us who were on the team, at least in this context, so I was just wondering if there were some grammatical conventions to govern this situation.


texts: When a quotation is interrupted by someone finishing the quotation's sentence, should the second part be capitalized?

texts:
My question has to do with the following example:

“And remember to turn off the stove after using it in the mornings,
and—”
“Put up all the ingredients,” I finished for my mother with a
little bit of a smirk. “I know, Mom; I won’t forget.”

Should the word put be capitalized in the second line? Thanks!


texts:
This is a quote from The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss:

  It was felling night, and the usual crowd had gathered at the Waystone Inn.

I have not seen the term felling night elsewhere before; was it made up by the author?


texts: Can someone tell me if this sentence uses parenthetical expression?

texts:
When he returned as the day was ending, a little earlier than the previous day, I was expecting him.

Is "a little earlier than the previous day" parenthetical expression?
Thanks.


texts:
I want to get across the idea that I can't work with this person because I don't agree with the amount of pay he has written in the contract (or just contract terms in general). I just think writing it like this sounds like the work is out of my skill set which is not the case.

  I would love to work with you guys but
  I'm afraid what you want is beyond my
  scope.


texts: What does the concept of "apposition" mean precisely?

texts:
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language makes a clear distinction between ascriptive and specifying supplements, and categorizes only the former as apposition. I believe that answers to similar questions should refer to the diversity of opinions on what constitutes apposition. For example, the Wikipedia (yes, I know!) article includes the following examples:

  The first to arrive at the house, she unlocked the front door.

and

  A staunch supporter of democracy, Rob campaigned against the king's
  authoritarian rule.

Do these examples fall under what is designated as "apposition" among linguists?


texts: Spicy-hot and temperature-hot single-word-request?

texts: 'Hot' has more than one meaning. Is there a separate word for hot when talking about spicy food supposed to temperature-hot? As it is awfully confusing when talking about Indian food. In Indian cooking food can be spicy with many spices but is not 'spicy-hot'. Masala Chai is spicy tea with no 'spicy-heat'! It is also served piping hot meaning the temperature is high.


texts: What is the best way to express relations between one party on one side, and two on the other

texts:
I recently read the following sentence:

  He helped normalize relations between the US and Vietnam and Laos.

Assuming Vietnam and Laos already had normal relations with each other (which they might not have, but that's another question), how would one write this sentence less awkwardly, or is this the best way to write it briefly? I'd like to have the implication that the US had a similar relationship with Vietnam and Laos. If the numbers on either side were different, I would have no problems. Should a comma go after "US"?

Apologies if this has been asked, but I don't know how to phrase it searchably.


texts: Can vowels be combined in English without forming diphthongs?

texts:
Usually all combinations of vowels in English function as diphthongs. Are there any combinations of vowels in English that do not function as diphthongs? if there are no such examples - I would be grateful to you if you mention the source, where this restriction is mentioned as a combinatory rule for English vowel phonemes.

  You are absolutely right -my question didn't sound precise. I meant
  the phonotactics of Old English - were there any cases of vowel
  combinations within one morpheme that were not diphthongs? Something
  like CV+VC or CCV+V

(A later comment from the original poster)


texts: "You hear but you don't listen" or "You listen but you don't hear"?

texts:
My teacher introduced the quote:

  You look but you don’t see. You hear but you don’t listen.

But I also saw books saying:

  You look but you don’t see. You listen but you don’t hear.

So which one is correct? I am between a rock and a hard place.

In terms of grammar, I think the second one is right because it is more
parallel as look and listen are both intransitive while see and
hear are both transitive.

But the first one also sounds reasonable to me as listen implies the
person is doing the action intentionally. You can hear a foreign
language without knowing it but you can only listen to a foreign
language if you understand it, right?


texts: Is there a name for those iconic wild west single-street american towns?

texts:
Is there a term that describes these (see pictures below)

Used in sentence:  X now serve as great tourist attractions OR X are iconic symbols of the western american frontier


texts: Using the comma as a list of things vs two related thoughts

texts:
Recently I sent a mail wishing a friend well. I ended it with the following sentence.

  Please take care, and call me if you need anything.

The comma was included because the two were separate thoughts with the latter as an add-on to the former. Consider it without the comma.

  Please take care and call me if you need anything.

While grammatically correct, it sounds like a to-do list--please do the following things: (1) Take care, (2) Call me if you need anything.

Would you agree? I see this cropping up in a lot of writing here and there.

  I phoned my wife, and slept for 2 hours

seems to be a description of the list of things I did this afternoon, while

  I phoned my wife and slept for 2 hours

sounds like I'm reporting a very boring conversation.


texts: Exact meaning of "star" for laypersons, meaning a celestial object?

texts:
I'm not a native speaker of English.

The word "star", as a celestial object, is usually (or nearly always) defined as, well, e.g. the Sun, Sirius etc in dictionaries.

However, it seems unnatural to me, being "too technical" despite of the very elementary nature of the word "star". In fact, it originally meant, and remains to mean today, any bright dot in the night sky. (cf. shooting star, morning star... See also the first definition of Wiktionary)

What does the word "star" exactly mean for ordinary people? For example, suppose an adult friend of yours says "Look at that star!", and you reply "No, it's a planet," can it sound like you're looking down at them? If it is a child who says so, isn't such reply too difficult? Or even most 6-year old kids ditinguish the notion of star from that of planet? (Anyway visual distinction is a different matter.)

EDIT: Maybe my question can be summarized as: "Is it wrong/strange to count planets, commets and perhaps meteors that you see as stars?"

BTW in Japanese, the word 「星」 means "any" stars, while the word 「恒星」 is for nuclear fusion stars. The letter 「恒」 means "constant", so the literal meaning of 「恒星」 is close to the word "fixed star". (I guess 恒星 was coined as a translation of "fixed star".)


texts: Why "homophobia" and not "sexualism" or similar?

texts:
A phobia is an irrational fear of something. An intolerance to something is usually an -ism, not a -phobia, as in

sexism
racism
ageism

Yet people who object to homosexual practices or discriminate against homosexuals are labelled "homophobic" and their intolerance is labelled "homophobia". But homophobia should logically be an irrational fear of things that are the same (and indeed is listed with both meanings in this list of phobias) and an intolerance to a particular sexuality should surely be sexualism, sexualityism, or a similar word.

So... how did the "sexualism" meaning of "homophobia" come about? Is there another word for intolerance of / discrimination against people of a particular sexuality that doesn't imply irrationality or fear?


texts: Recent derogatory usage of the term ‘inkblot’?

texts:
I have observed the use of the term ‘inkblot’ in online forums for criticizing writing which is deficient in coherent logic and/or elucidation, e.g. “your incoherent inkblots notwithstanding.”
In this usage it may insinuate the writer is clueless or unaware (e.g. of salient facts) in addition to or instead of implying weak articulation or scholarship.
The metaphor is of written text being as informative as an inkblot.
Yet I don’t find this meaning listed on any online dictionary or slang dictionary accessible via my Google searches.
Can anyone corroborate the (in?)significance or degree of prevalence of this distinct metaphorical usage and/or cite any examples online or in printed media?
Thank you. I want to check my sanity. Am I hallucinating?


texts:
Which of "on par with" and "on a par with" is the more correct way of saying that two things are of equal value, and why?

Examples from a couple of google searches:

"His verbal intelligence was not on a par with his maths"
"Arctic sea ice melting on par with 2007 record"


texts:
How would the phrase "but only if" be labeled grammatically in the sentence:
I will go to the store, but only if you give me money.


texts:
For example, how would you convert

  He made cunning remarks more frequently.

to

  He ____ his cunning remarks.


texts: How to remove "this question" and punctuate the sentence "Answer this question ..."

texts:
In the sentence "Answer this question, what is eleven times nine?" How can I remove "this question", punctuate properly, and still keep the imperative "Answer".

How about: "Answer this: what is eleven times nine?"


texts: Can you please explain what "Not to say" means here:

texts: Can you please explain what "Not to say" means in the context of the following sentence.  "Not to say I might not be up for going tomorrow".


texts: Alternative to “to be” in copulae that cannot be understood as defining

texts:
In particular in scientific writing, copulae using to be can not only be used to describe the properties of something but also to recapture a definition, to define something or to indicate complete identity. For example, the first of the following sentences gives the definition of a prime number, the second one just describes its properties:

A prime number is a natural number with exactly two divisors.
A prime number is a natural number.

Usually, it is clear from context how a copula is meant to be read, but now I am facing a case where it isn‘t. More specifically, I want a copula or syntactically similar construct to be clearly understood as describing only properties. I am thus looking for verbs or phrases meaning to have the property of being or similar (but less convoluted), i.e.:

A prime number has the property of being a natural number.

I searched thesauri (1, 2) for synonyms of to be and found no satisfying answer as only other meanings of to be, such as to exist, were covered.
I am aware, that as a last resort I can completely rephrase the sentence, e.g.:

Prime numbers are a subset of the natural numbers.

Finally note, that the above are only examples (my actual problem is more complicated and requires background knowledge), so I am not looking for answers specific to this.


texts: Should the first letter in a sentence be capitalised when it starts with a lower case name?

texts:
Some names are lowercase for example names of programs like grep, ls and vi. If any of these names starts a sentence, should the first letter be capitalised?

  Linux has many nice programs. vi is a popular editor. grep is a system tool.


texts: the meaning of the phrase 'a bit of a bust'

texts:
I came across this phrase 'a bit of a bust' in an article. Here is the context:

  Reddit was a bit of a bust for us, as rather than using my own Reddit account, I created an XDStudios account. This was a really bad idea, because... This was a rookie mistake, and I'm sure Reddit could have been a valuable tool for us if it had been handled properly.

I don't understand the meaning of "a bit of a bust"


texts: /z/ sounds like an /s/ ? What's the pronunciation?

texts:
I've heard many times in movies and Youtube videos that the /z/ sound is pronounced like an /s/ sound, especially with female voices.

For instance, I believe I've heard that hiss sound, followed by a little /z/ sound, with words like "please" and "business". So, the word business, sounds like /bɪsz-nɪs/, please sounds like /pli:sz/

Am I correct about this? Is it proper to say so?


texts: Subject and object while using passive voice

texts:
My English teacher and an overwhelming majority of my English class insists that in the following sentences the bolded words are subjects and the italicized words are objects.

I ate the cake.
The cake was eaten by me.

The first sentence is obviously correct, but I'm fairly certain that in the second sentence "cake" is the subject and "eaten by me" is the object.

The cake was eaten by me.

May I have some concrete evidence proving or disproving my point?


texts: Gender-neutral equivalent for "Take it like a man"

texts:
I'd like to find some gender-neutral equivalents of the phrase

  Take it like a man

I'm not looking only for existing phrases -- any interesting ideas for expressing the sentiment "be tough", without implying that only one gender or the other would be tough, are welcome.


texts: "book an appointment" in a more casual way

texts:
I'd like to ask what would be the most casual/common way for you to book an appointment for a haircut. Let's say I've been to one particular hairdresser several times already and "Can I book an appointment with you tomorrow" sound a bit official to me (maybe I'm wrong here though). What other phrase can I use?

All I can think about is "can I sign up for tomorrow" or "do you have a free place for tomorrow"

Thanks a lot!


texts: Name for second mail accounts used only for unimportant websites to avoid being spammed

texts:
As the title suggests, what is the name or the best way of referring to the second mail accounts many users on the internet open only for unimportant websites in order to avoid being spammed.

Disposable mail addresses are another thing, and spam mail accounts is too generic and would conflict with thousand of results searches for "how to avoid spam on my mail account".

EDIT:
They also are not throwaway addresses or temporary emails because people use them for extended periods of time and even forever as "unofficial email" just for unimportant websites.


texts: Is "Announceable" as a noun an Australianism?

texts:
I just heard of the word "Announceable" being as a noun. This word was announced as a Word of the Year candidate in 2011 by the Macquarie Dictionary. An example from 2010, albeit using sneer quotes: Less spin, more heart, PM Julia Gillard vows

  The Prime Minister has told her MPs at their first caucus meeting
  since the election that Labor must renew its sense of purpose, and she
  assured them that she would not be looking for an "announceable" for
  the six o'clock news.

Doing an anonymous search of google.com (not google.com.au) and of Twitter mainly got hits from Australia and Australian twitterers. This sounds fairly plausible, because Australians love to mock the spin of our politicians (The Hollowmen, Utopia (known as Dreamland elsewhere)). But I'm not sure where to find confirmation.

Is "Announceable" as a noun an Australianism, more common in Australian English than British and American English?


texts: Poor but not financially, rich but not through money

texts:
I'm thinking of these concepts, because I'm writing an article:

Some people are poor financially, but they act like ladies and gentlemen. In other words, they have kind hearts, big spirits, profound knowledge and beliefs, and many other things.

Some people are rich financially, and they have a lot of money, but they're far from being humanitarian, they won't help other people, they're not kind to their employees, they don't spend money for their family, etc. etc.

What I'm trying to convey is that monetary richness/poorness is something different to non-monetary states. And while they're correlated and effect each other, i.e., rich people are usually more modest, more knowledgeable, etc., but they can occur without the other one being present.

But I'm stuck at good terminology that can convey what I have in mind in the best way. I thought of rich vs. wealthy to denote that rich is someone who has money, but wealthy is who has lot's of good attributes, one of which might be money. However, I'm not content with them.

Can you help me picking out these four terms:

Poor financially
Poor non-financially
Rich financially
Rich non-financially


texts: Is there a catch-all term for the sector of “non-business” employers: NGOs, non profits, professional societies, government, etc.?

texts:
Note: I asked the same question in the Workplace forum but it was closed and I was asked to re-ask here.

I am looking for a concise and professional-sounding expression to use in my resumes and bios to explain that my career history covered "non-business" employment as well, in addition to businesses. This is to emphasize my diverse experience, but without going into too many details (as my ultimate focus will be business-related).

When I say "non-business" I mean: NGOs, NPOs, government, professional societies, institutions.

I already discarded "non-profit" as that hints at "volunteering" — which is not the only thing I did. I have done a lot of contract work with local government branches and authority as well as professional societies. "Public sector" would exclude private not-for-profits.

Do you have any suggestions?


texts: "Code of Alabama" usage in this sentence

texts:
From Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird:

  Atticus’s office in the courthouse contained little more than a hat rack, a spittoon, a checkerboard and an unsullied Code of Alabama.

Isn’t Code of Alabama a law code without actual physical appearance? Is this an abstract usage which means Atticus's life is full of Code of Alabama or something?


texts:
Facial tissues are the generic term for Kleenex; cola is the generic term for Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

Is there a generic term for a deli-counter numbering machine?


texts: Why is the noun form of "permit" "permission"?

texts: The noun form of permit is permission instead of permition. Why isn't it permition?


texts: Is there a name for the meetings between kings and peasants?

texts: In the middle ages, or in fiction, when the king holds a ceremony of sorts to meet with commoners and disscuss their issues one by one, is there a word for that, or a common name that could be assosiated with this "meeting". Or can anyone think of anything that would sound good?


texts:
When Presidential race and caucuses are close, the candidates seem to be busy in “working a lope line” as in the following examples:.

  Wolf needs to work on his rope line speed. - www.pennlive.com/.../gov - Jnuary 20. 2015
  Caucus Click: Romney works the rope line. After his campaign event in Mobile, Ala., was canceled due to rain, Mitt Romney spoke to
  supporters who waited outside along the rope line. - New York Times
  March 12, 2012
  Ever see Bush work a "rope line"? Remember when we had a president who did? - Democratic Undergroundcom.

Though it’s imaginable, but what does “work a rope line” exactly mean?

Does it refer to candidates’ shake-hands, hugging, and speaking to supporters in line? Is “work a lope line” an idiom? Is it applicable to “rope line work” with fans of personalities such as actors / actresses and singers other than politicians?


texts:
Suppose I have a picture of me hanging out with Bob, and I want to add a caption to it. Is one of the following more correct than the other?

"Bob and me"
"Bob and I"

More generally, do grammar rules apply to sentence fragments at all?


texts: When was the "do form" introduced in the English language?

texts:
The following might be standard textbook question, but not being a native speaker I am unaware of the origin.

In ancient English, as well as in other Germanic languages, questions were posed exchanging the position of subject and verb, a structure that still holds nowadays for auxiliary and modal verbs.

Examples:

why speakest thou?
how goes it?

whereas nowadays such ordinary verbs require the "do" as in "why do you speak?" and "how does it go?", respectively. Likewise for the negative forms, that used to be defined accompanying the verb with the negative not (as in speak not of the subject and similars).

When was the "do form" introduced in the English language (and how come)?


texts: I need a list of geographical places where the article "THE" is used

texts:
I need a list of places where the article "THE" is used

For example:

The USA but not "the" India"

Why does one country have the article the and the other not?


texts: English-language equivalent for не от хорошей жизни

texts:
I am looking for any equivalents/approximations to this Russian expression: не от хорошей жизни ("not from a good life"). This is an expression mostly used as a vague and/or cynical/humorous way to NOT specify what the real explanation/real reason for something is OR if the real explanation/real reason is even known.

For example:

  "She left her husband ____________ [not from a good life]."
  Or, "he began drinking ____________ [not from a good life]."

This doesn't specify WHAT the real reason is behind leaving or if the speaker even knows it. But it alludes to something in the situation being "off."

Any thoughts and ideas appreciated!

Katya


texts: Can you explain the usage of "can have been" in the context?

texts:
While reading Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays
by George Orwell, I stumbled by the sentence

  When this episode happened I do not think I can have been less than twelve years old.

(Source)

Can you explain the usage of can have been in the context?


texts: Is "[I am] possessed of impeccable grammar" correct, idiomatic, or ironic?

texts:
If it's a correct, non-idiomatic usage, is "possessed" an adjective, or...?

What is "of" under that circumstance?


texts: What is a word that means both "reject" and "detest"?

texts:
Korah and 250 leaders rebelled against Moses and Aaron, God detested
  and rejected them, and made the earth cleft asunder and swallow the
  rebels.

1) Can I use one word to convey the meaning of "detest and reject"? Do "shun" and "spurn" work?

2) Or does the word "reject" itself here already contain the meaning of "detest"?


texts:
The boy who ate fruit came.
The boy came who ate fruit.
Here both sentences have relative clause "who ate fruit" and a principal clause "the boy came". Here is my question: Both sentences convey same meaning right? If they're different what is the difference in meaning? And could we use verb of principal clause after a relative clause as in sentence 1 and word order of sentence 1 is correct?


texts: "I'm going to go to the store" vs "I'm going to the store" to communicate that I am leaving right now

texts:
When I talk to someone and I want to finish the conversation and say that I am heading out to the store right now, should I use "I'm going to go to the store" or "I'm going to the store". Is there a difference?

What about when I am on the phone? What if I am in chat? Would it be clear to the person (if he can't see what I am doing) that I am leaving now and not on my way already?


texts:
March 15 had never been that cold. It amazed me. Was global warming fake?
March 15th had never been that cold. It amazed me. Was global warming fake?
Which one is correct when writing a short story.


texts: Would you use single quote marks around an awarded title like 'Hottest Designer of the Year'?

texts:
The sentence is: Randi proved herself to be worthy of the title of Hottest Designer of the Year with her gorgeous designs.
Does it make more sense as: Randi proved herself to be worthy of the title of 'Hottest Designer of the Year' with her gorgeous designs.


texts:
Is there any single word describing Time off in lieu ?

This is to add section in our employee portal to users to add Time in lieu they did and time off they took.


texts: Is there a generic name for public transport interchanges? For example: railway stations, bus stations, ferryports, airports, tram stops.


texts: difference between "get along" "get by" and "get on"

texts:
I cannot really understand the difference (if there's a difference) between :

  He gets along fine with it

and

  He gets by fine with it

And what about

  "get on" ?


texts: correct word for "proving a prediction false"?

texts:
Which word should I use to say that " A is trying to prove B's prediction wrong"?
For example, in the recent United Nations water scarcity report, UN predicted that in 10 years from now, two-thirds of the world population will be facing severe fresh water scarcity problem. We people have to prove that UN's prediction is wrong (of course, one has to wait for 10 years to see whether the prediction became true or not).

Before that, what word should I use in the below context?

  To disprove the UN's prediction, we have to build desalination
  plants.

or

  To prevent the UN's prediction, we have to ....

or

  To invalidate the UN's prediction, we have to ...

or please suggest a better word(s).

click here for word reference.


texts: An appropriate phrase for sameness in politics

texts:
The sentence that I am writing is

Such a presumption assumes [sameness] in political dynamics across countries which is certainly not true.

The intended meaning is, to point out the person's argument is derived from the notion that politics in countries are more or less same, so laws in one country are suitable for another.

However, the phrase "sameness in political dynamics" does not seem sensible. Seeming is certainly subjective and thus I don't really have evidence to demonstrate why it is insensible. So please let me know if it goes with the context, and if it doesn't what a better alternative could be?


texts: I found this on SO and googled the idiom "suit yourself", but I couldn't find a matching translation. The context was that the questioner was nitpicking and the answerer lost his patience.


texts: When I want to write the story about little puppy, I have found on the street, should I use it or other gender?


texts: How to say the opposite of "It can be a pain"

texts:
This maybe a bit of Chinglish thinking.

For example you can say

  It can be a [noun]

meaning

  It's possible that this is a [noun]

Using pain as an example:

If you want to say the opposite, not sure should you say

  It can not (to?) be a pain

since that feels like "It's not a pain" but not what I want to express:

  It's possible that it is not a pain

I think this might be a better example:

I want to express the opposite of

  You can choose this one

Which is:

  You can choose not to choose this one

But I am after a shorter version of it.

I feel one way would be to say

  You cannnnnnn, short pause, not to choose this one


texts: Is There a Shorter Way of Saying/Word for "Person who gave birth to you"?

texts: When you're born and given up for adoption, what do you call the person who gave birth to you? I do not like the phrase "Birthmom" or "Birthparent" or anything like that since the person who gave birth to me is not actually my mom. She didn't raise me, so I would like a shorter way of saying this or a certain word for this? Thank you in advance!


texts: What is the present participle of "stop, drop, and roll"?

texts: In a verb phrase, such as stop, drop, and roll, how do I conjugate this in the present participle? Stopping, dropping, and rolling? Stop, drop, and rolling?


texts: If only had I known it! / If only I had known it!

texts:
Could you help me, please?

A question for the native speakers (desired) of British English or American English.

Which variant is correct and why? Or it's possible to use either of them)?

If only had I known it!
If only I had known it!


texts:
Is there a word that describes a person whose given name and surname each contains but a single syllable?

Some examples are:

Mae West
Bill Fold
John Doe


texts: Is there a word for an object which is utility based but beautiful?

texts: Perhaps this is a bit too unspecific but, is there an adjective which describes something built for a mechanical or technical purpose rather than for beauty, yet has a pleasant aesthetic appearance nonetheless? Perhaps somewhere in adjacency to utilitarian or pragmatic.


texts: Nouns constructed out of an adjective and a suffix?

texts:
I experienced a bit of interesting language-building this past weekend. A post about "subtle -isms" (i.e. subtle sexism, subtle racism, etc.) had various commenters who used the phrase "subtle-ism" (no space), and even one person who used "subtleism" as a noun on twitter:

"... 'subtleism' = lowlevel *-ism that hurts in aggregate"

Obviously "subtleism" is a long way from being a "real word", but I do think it has a very interesting and unintuitive construction: subtle (adj.) + -ism (suffix) -> subtleism (noun).

I'm wondering if there are any other words constructed similarly (through rebracketing, de-hyphenation, etc) in the English Language.

Edit: I don't think "subtleism" is a particularly well-constructed or intuitive word, but someone did use it and I'm interested in seeing if there are any similar words. Thanks!


texts: What is the difference between "justice served" and "justice given"?

texts: I read a statement somewhere that said "Justice will be given" rather than the usual "Justice will be served". Even though I understand that both statements mean the same, there is certainly some subtle difference between the two. What is it?


texts: Word denoting a short description of the event

texts:
Is there any English word having the meaning of short description of the event? It could be quote, saying, proverb or just simple sentence showing the real or hidden meaning of what happened.

For example, I would like to describe event of girl leaving my friend for other guy as "no woman, no cry" and say that "no woman, no cry" is an appropriate _____ for the event.

Is there word for that in English?


texts: Can not understand the meaning of the sentence

texts:
I'm watching BBC's Sherlock. In one of the episodes, he is saying:

  ”Don't want to be doing roast pork, not if you're slicing up cadavers."

but I can't understand what does it mean. Could you rephrase the sentence?


texts: Is correct expression "gone her/him/me"?

texts:
I've watched the movie "gone girl".
However, I thought that how about "gone her".
Then, I'm not sure that correct English expression "gone her".

There is the move title, "Despicable me". That word is constructed Adjective + Objective Pronouns. That means "gone her" is also constructed same with the above case. However,  "gone" is kind a past adjective and doesn't not express a emotional feelings but expresses action or situation. I think Adjective + Objective pronouns case is a kind of limited expression.

Please answer me "gone her" is correct English expression.


texts:
There were two sentences I wrote:

We did a science experiment where we dissected frogs.
This is the last day where I'll be waiting for you by your locker.

I'm not sure if where can be used as a conjunction... I've been using it as a conjunction, but this is the first time I've actually noticed it.

If using where as a conjunction (in the form I wrote as above), would it be grammatically correct? If so, please explain why. Why can where be a conjunction if the word means location? And, what do you have to put a comma before where if it can be used as a conjunction?


texts: In BrE, is the comma correctly placed outside the ending quote mark in this sentence?

texts:
In British English, is the following quotation punctuated correctly, specifically the comma outside of the quotation marks after 'I'?

  'I', she said, 'am deathly afraid of snakes.'

To me, the sentence is:

  I am deathly afraid of snakes.

Not:

  I [comma] am afraid of snakes

So the comma logically goes outside of the ending quote mark (after 'I'), correct?


texts: Usage of kh in transliteration of Cyrillic, hebrew and others

texts:
I'm not a native english speaker and I'm sometimes baffled by the appearance of "kh" in Russian names and other words (for instance the russian lunar rover "Lunokhod"). In this case, the sensible transliteration would be "h", as it is in the original Cyrillic and in most transliteration for other languages (this is why this English transliteration looks very alien and hard to read compared to slavic languages with latin script, even though the pronunciation is almost the same).

In this case, the pronunciation is very close to the hard "h", as in "hospital", "Hungary", and to "ch" in "loch".

I assume "h" was not used because people may choose to interpret it as a silent letter. Am I correct about this?

"ch" is also problematic, because in some other words ("technology") it's pronounced as "k" (again in contrast to most other languages that have a version of this widespread Greek-based word that is pronounced with "h", as is the greek letter χ).

"kh" seems like the least suitable choice, as it explicitly suggests "k", as in "Khan (Wrath of Khan)". Trying to pronounce it phonetically results in Klingon-sounding sputtering noise.

So, what is the reasoning for this weird combination of consonants and what are the arguments against other reasonable choices that are already used in other English words that have the same phoneme?


texts: What is the term for someone who hates themselves on the behalf of others?

texts: Many forums have addressed this and none to my satisfaction. A narcissist loves their ideals, or something about themselves, just as a sociopath. Those who loathe their own existence do not always hate, more so they love others. It is our connection which pushes these poor souls away. A label may do no good, or exist, but it is truly an experience many endure.


texts: which is more correct? "of my own age" or "of my same age"

texts:
I really faced that problem a lot. So, I want to end these frustrations and make it clear for me in order to improve my English

Thanks in advance.


texts: Accidental usage of a complicated tense structure

texts:
Here I found myself, on the second day of new year, writing a comment, in which I unintentionally used an overly complicated tense structure, that left me clueless.

  Lately there have been plenty of new Cyberpunk books being released, that haven't yet managed to garner as broad an audience as the genre classics have over all those years.

If I want to stress the continuity of new books sprouting to this very day, can I put this the way I did? And is the sentence structure correct, or should I change the order of some words?

How else would you change it to make it sound more natural?


texts: What's a word for someone who needs to always be flustered about something?

texts:
A word for a person who if left in an impossibly perfect environment, would find a way to be upset with how perfect it was.
Someone who will invent issues to be offended about. Someone who is never satisfied.
I found a similar post here but it's not quite the same: A word for a person who always needs there to be a problem?
I'm not talking about someone who holds onto problems after they're fixed, but someone who must always have a problem at all times, no matter how small.
Drama Queen is close, but not quite right.
Entitled is very close.


texts: How to define a sense of bitter satisfaction (or ironic bitterness) at having resigned over a principle - which was then upheld after you left

texts: Tracey Crouch, UK Sports Minister, resigned because the government delayed a ban on gambling machines. More than a week after her resignation, the government changed its position - and acted upon her earlier insistence. Is there a phrase to encapsulate her situation and sentiment? A sort of inverted schadenfreude...?


texts:
It seems that I am once again confused about the finer points of metonyms. The example I give  my students is the phrase Today, Ottawa announced..., where Ottawa is a metonym for the Canadian government (because the two are closely-associated concepts).

But what about They went to the bedroom and had a good time? Is to have a good time a metonym for to have sex (aside from also being a euphemism)? Speaking of which—are euphemisms metonymic by definition (or at least a subset of metonymy)?

Also, I bought some sort of medicinal drink at Safeway yesterday and it's called "Hot Lemon Relief"—can relief be a metonym for (medicinal) drink?


texts:
how to spell in English the amount ? 409383 us dollars
i like to know if it is right: four hundred nine thousand, and three eighty three hundred US Dollars


texts: Has there ever been a word for someone who has a thousand pounds?

texts:
If someone who has a million of a particular currency is called a millionaire, and someone with a billion is called a billionaire what do you call someone with a thousand?

I realise that nowadays this would mean almost everyone, so the word wouldn't be used much. But in the past owning a thousand dollars would have been more notable so perhaps there would have been a word in common usage.


texts:
Does a triple negative make a positive?
eg "Ain't nobody gonna eat none of my jellyroll."


texts: What is the meaning of to 'gain one's ends'?

texts:
I was reading a paragraph which quoted Johann Von Goethe. It said:

  The only means to gain one’s ends with people are force and cunning. Love also, they say;
  but that is to wait for sunshine, and life needs every moment.

I tried searching on google but could not find its meaning.

And also, could you please explain its meaning? What is the meaning of "wait for sunshine" and  "life needs every moment"?


texts: Does using two negatives in a line work into giving a positive meaning?

texts:
Can the sentence Dan Brown isn't my favourite writer for no reason mean that he is in fact my favourite writer?

The context is that someone else had just pointed out how thrilling she found Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.


texts: One word verb meaning "making use of currently unused resources"

texts:
I'm looking for a verb to be a project name (i.e. Project <Verb>). The project is basically about making use (or getting value from) a bunch of resources we have that are currently not being utilized.

Some I've thought of are "Leverage", "Exploit", "Capitalise" but they all have slightly negative connotations (and also are a bit "business jargony" which I want to avoid.) I want to get across the idea of using idle capacity.

Another option is to name it after a person / event which has a clear link to the project purpose. (e.g. We have "Project Giuliani", relating to a zero-tolerance project to eliminate minor inefficiencies, pertaining to his zero-tolerance approach to cleaning up NYC.)


texts:
Browsing through one page I have stumbled upon a quote whose meaning I can't fully understand. This is the citation:

  If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in queer to work: 'Hey can't work today, still queer'.

I can't come up with the meaning for 'call in queer to work'. It would be helpful if someone could elucidate me its meaning.


texts: A synonym for galvanise, without the shock factor

texts:
I'm editing a paper and the author is using the word galvanised in this way: "Fair trade, community-supported agriculture, and microfinance are just some examples of market systems galvanized by moral concerns and societal aspirations."

I feel like galvanised is inappropriate: market systems are not jumping to action because of moral concerns etc. What would be another word to use in its stead?


texts:
He looks younger than his age.

How does one say a guy looks younger than his actual age?


texts:
If I wanted to talk about treasure owned by multiple explorers, how would I write it?

  The explorers' treasure.

OR

  The explorer's treasure.

Is the plural form of explorer considered irregular?


texts: Are "gossip" and "rumour" perfect synonyms?

texts: Are the words gossip and rumour perfect synonyms or is there a fine distinction between them? The only difference I'm aware of is that the second one is spelled differently in British and American English.


texts:
Guess I will multiply threads, but sorry, I'm still confused:

at Jan Kazimierz University in Lwow

or

at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lwow

I've found the second one more common, though I feel the first one is more appropriate because the university is named after a person (Polish King Jan Kazimierz)? I mean, you don't say at the Stanford University, do you?


texts: Differences between "stupid to the last drop" and "stupid"

texts:
My colleague was screaming You are stupid to the last drop at another colleague who accidentally formatted her hard disk.

Is there such an expression as stupid to the last drop? Are there differences between stupid to the last drop and stupid?


texts: What are the arguments behind the "literally"/"figuratively" usage divide? When should one use either word?

texts:
I remember reading, some time in grade school, that there was a controversy about proper usage of figuratively and literally when used to denote meaning of a word in its strictest sense — but I've totally forgotten what those arguments said.

Some my questions are: What are those arguments? Are they taken very seriously by pedants? When should I use either word?  I remember figuratively being pushed, but I've never really heard it conversation....


texts:
Can food be described as 'nice'?

  This food is nice;
  This dish is nice.

I always thought it could be, but I was speaking to a few friends and they argued (and strongly may I add) otherwise.


texts: What does "pedigree" mean in this context?

texts:
"He constantly punishes himself psychologically. In his eyes he is inferior in pedigree to those very confident college graduates against whom he competes."

The context on the story is the person who the book is talking about is from a poor family and when he grew up he tried to keep up with the rich college graduates by working hard, making big income, and buying expensive things like a $5000 watche.

I don't understand meaning of pedigree in this context.


texts: Singular or plural noun in a sentence after using both in a related conjunction?

texts:
Occasionally when I am writing a sentence, I end up in a situation where I do not know whether to use the singular or plural form of a noun because I used both just prior to it in a conjunction.

For example:

  The worst, and one of the most common, problems is […]

  One of the most common, and generally worst, problem is […]

Should problem be singular or plural in those sentences? Is there a rule for situations like this? (It certainly doesn’t help that for one of the most common problems is has is instead of are right next to a plural noun.)

Update

Here is another example which (along with its non-contraction versions) does not fit the currently accepted answer.

  JavaScript / Bookmarklets don’t work […]

  Bookmarklets / JavaScript doesn’t work […]

In fact, the sentence before the above example with the parenthesized segment is itself confusing as to whether the next word should be does or do.


texts: What do you call the behavior of someone being a regular customer in English?

texts:
In my mother tongue there is a verb called '帮衬', which means someone being a regular customer of (a store, merchant, etc.) of another person to support her business, satisfy their own needs and save money.

Is there any similar behavior in your country in which someone regularly go to a shop(or other commercial place) and consume?  in order to support that shop, enjoy the needed goods/service and save money.
(he regularly___that shop because the boss is nice, the goods/service is of high quality and the price is reasonable) .

What do you call that behavior in English?(it doesn't necessary be a verb, phrase work well if it convey similar meaning in English.), thanks.


texts:
What does "skin" or "skin in the game" mean in the following sentence?
"make sure that everyone has skin in the game".


texts: How would you abbreviate surnames starting with Mc/O/D?

texts:
On my sport team, when we communicate we would like to use first name plus initial last name initial, e.g. John S. for John Smith, however I always wonder how I should abbreviate some of the Gaelic / Irish / Italian names.

McDonald (M.? MD.? McD?)
Macdonald (M.? MD.?)
O'Donnell (OD.?)
D'Arco (DA.?)
LaPat (LP.? L?)


texts: Word for country in which parents were born

texts: I am looking for a word that refers to the country in which one's parents were born. Something similar to mother-tongue except for location instead of language?


texts:
On page 155 of his 1976 book, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, author Bruno Bettelheim writes:

"Unfortunately, some moderns reject fairy tales because they apply to this literature standards which are totally inappropriate.

Fırst I thought it talked about applying some literature standards, but then I realized the singular/plural disagreement. As it writes "apply to this literature standards" Does it mean to "apply standards to this literature"?


texts: How should I understand "a hundred years on" in this sentence?

texts:
I learned the following sentence from The Economist.

  A hundred years on, superconductors have found widespread use in just one technology, magnetic resonace imaging, which lets doctors peer inside patients' bodies.

How should I understand the phrase "a hundred years on"? There are so many meanings of the preposition "on" in the dictionary. What kind of dictionary should I refer to when I have similar problems?


texts: Why is it unnatural to say "He is as clever as rude"?

texts:
(1) He is more clever than rude.
(2) ??He is as clever as rude.

I've learned (1) is natural and that (2) isn't.
(1) means "He is clever rather than rude".
Then, why can't (2) mean (2b)?

(2b) He is clever as he is rude.

In other words, why is (2) unnatural when (2b) is natural?
EDIT
The question used to ask why (2) is ungrammatical, but people here seem to agree that (2) is grammatical but just might be unnatural in Present-day English.
Questions

I'd like to know why (2) is unnatural, not whether it's unnatural.
Also, how natural (1b) is and why?

(1b) He is more clever than he is rude.

Addendum
The Cambridge Grammar (p 1121) says this is grammatical:

(3) Ed is more old than middle-aged.

and that this is not (p 1122):

(3b) *Ed is more old than he is middle-aged.

So, the Cambridge Grammar specifically says that the insertion of he is in (3) is what makes it ungrammatical.
BTW, the book calls this construction metalinguistic comparison.


texts: How do we use two 'as..as' pattern together?

texts: What is difference between as big and as noisy as their car and as big and noisy as their car. Which is more accepted usage among English speakers? How do we use two 'as..as' pattern together.(as big as and as noisy as?)


texts:
I was thinking about using the word brute-forceable to describe something that is able to be brute-forced. I know that brute-force is a verb, and that certain verbs, such as bear or break can be transformed into adjectives like bearable respectively breakable.

And even though I was able to find the word enforceable, I did not find the word forceable.

Question: Can I use brute-forceable? Or does that not make any sense?


texts: plus; no distortion in it / plus, with no distortion in it, plus; there's no distortion in it

texts:
Which form of tis text is better?

"Why are you so busy with Torah? The Quran already gives you whatever is in the Torah, plus; no distortion in it, so read it instead!"

or

Why are you so busy with Torah? The Quran already gives you whatever is in the Torah, plus; there's no distortion in it, so read it instead!"

or

Why are you so busy with Torah? The Quran already gives you whatever is in the Torah, plus; with no distortion in it, so read it instead!"

or

Why are you so busy with Torah? The Quran already gives you whatever is in the Torah, also with no distortion in it, so read it instead!"

or

please offer any form that you think works better...


texts:
When do you use want as "desire" and as "lack?" It appears quite often in texts, and I have a hard time differentiating the two.
For example:

The want of Miss Taylor would be felt every hour of every day.

The great family characteristic of the Stanhopes might probably be said to be heartlessness, but this want of feeling was, in most of them, accompanied by so great an amount of good nature as to make itself by little noticeable to the world.


texts: Why did "sceptical" become "skeptical" in the US?

texts:
Compare the following two Google Ngram Viewer charts for sceptical vs. skeptical in American English and British English:

British English

American English

My interpretation of these charts is that:

Before the 1910-1920's, sceptical was used in both American English and  British English more than skeptical.
Something happened in the 1910's in American English that made the usage of skeptical become much more common than sceptical. This change never happened in British English.

Why did this change happen in the US? What was its trigger?

Note that while etymoline.com states that the sk- spelling is preferred in the US, it does not explain why it became so more common than the sc- spelling, in particular since the 1910-1920's.

  skeptic also sceptic, (...)
  The sk- spelling is an early
  17c. Greek revival and is preferred in U.S.


texts: I know that uauslly we do not think of judging as 'labour', but if we wished to do so, would you prefer saying "judiciary labour" or rather "juridicial labour"? Do both of them sound just too odd?


texts: "Stick it in the boot." "Er, don't you mean the trunk?"

texts: Does anyone know the etymological history or the reason behind the different names that British and American speakers use to refer to the automobile's largest storage receptacle, or more plainly, the boot or the trunk?  Perhaps a prominent company's advertising or a prior related usage on either side of the Atlantic influenced this divergence?


texts: Is there a difference between them? I saw yesterday "back yard" when I thought you could only write "backyard".


texts: the act of using one word to refer to another

texts:
we use the word "suits" to refer to policemen.

What is the word that describes this action? I had read this word in the book "HHhH", but for the life of me, I can't seem to recall it...


texts: What's the difference between using single and double quotation marks/inverted commas?

texts:
I'm quite unsure regarding the usage of single quotation marks (') and double quotation marks (") in English.

I had thought that double quotation marks were usually used to quote sentences from passages/given sources, nouns/things ("Westminster Bridge", "alliteration", or "voice" regarding its usage in poetry), as well as some less common/important uses including being snarky and using them to indicate a sarcastic remark.

Someone had told me today that you were supposed to refer to things with two inverted commas (") instead of one.

Which one is correct? Could someone explain the usages between the two different types of quotation marks?


texts: Within X days from due date / till the due date

texts:
we are issuing invoice as a company and in our templates we have:

In the event that the issued invoice is not paid within 7 days from the due date defined on the invoice, Supplier shall have the right...

OR

In the event that the issued invoice is not paid till due date defined on the invoice, Supplier shall have the right...

My understanding is that if it is period of more days, we should use "within" however if it is one exact day, we should use till due date and using this:

In the event that the issued invoice is not paid within due date

would be wrong.

Am I right?


texts: Singaporean Makan  Centre <<transcript question / listening question

texts:
Can anyone who is familiar with Asian cuisine help me with a food word?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYFe2-hqA2Q

"One thing unites all Singaporeans; food.  It’s the national obsession.  For an authentic Singaporean Makan experience, follow the satay smoke to the nearest < Hoken?> centre..."

What is that word at 1:54?  Hoka Centre?  Hoken Centre?


texts: Who are “them” in the sentence “Awards honorees were a group of upending types who took expectations, and showed them the door.”

texts:
I’m a bit perplexed with the interpretation of the ending line of the following sentence in the December 3rd Time magazine’s article dealing with this year’s Kennedy Center Honors award winners under the title, “Kennedy Center Honors Letterman, Led Zeppelin, Dustin Hoffman”

  “The Kennedy Center Honors, in their 35th year, are lifetime
  achievement awards for those who have upended or embodied culture as
  we know it. - - Past honorees range from Fred Astaire to Johnny Cash
  to Yo-Yo Ma. This year’s pack of legends was an especially eclectic
  group of upending types who took expectations and spectacularly
  showed them the door.”

What does “an especially eclectic group of upending types who took expectations and spectacularly showed them the door” mean?

Who or What does “them” here represent for? Is it “eclectic group of upending types who took expectations” or “expectations”? If it is the latter, can we show "expectation” which is an impersonal entity to door?

According to en.wikitionary, “show someone the door” means either (1) To escort someone to the exit of the premises, which I take a cordial manner, or (2) To expel (kick off) someone from a room, gathering, etc., which I take a cold-hearted manner. Which of (1) and (2) is applicable to the above ending line?

I’m curious of if this is good writing I should emulate or not.


texts: What's wrong with this sentence? ("which should have made" vs. "making")

texts:
Hiram Bingham first crossed the Andes Mountains in February 1909, the wettest month of the year, which should have made his travels difficult.

Apparently, the correct sentence is:

  Hiram Bingham first crossed the Andes Mountains in February 1909, the wettest month of the year, making his travels difficult.


texts:
What does the expression, "You have got some kind of grit," mean?

Is it sarcastic, like being a bit crazy?


texts: I can't understand that is "wouldn't it be more sensible to leave before the traffic gets bad?"

texts:
I found this example "Wouldn't it be more sensible to leave before the traffic gets bad?" in online dictionary, and It's hardly understand to me.
So, please let me know what that means. and I'd like to get some good examples(with basic word) about 'wouldn't it be' or stuff like that.


texts:
I'm watching a program from VOA from here. In the 48th second of the video, there is a sentence:

I can't wait to get out there!

I'm confused about this sentence. Does it mean "I will get out from there and will go to some other place" or "I will get out from some place and will go to there"?
Thanks.

Edit:
Can I use get out followed with a place, e.g.:

I want to get out school.
I want to get out this room.


texts: Is there a positive opposite for Perfection?

texts:
There most fitting opposite (IMO) for perfection is imperfection. This however does carry some negative connotation. What I would like to express is that imperfection is actually a good thing.

What word exists that means "not perfect" and at the same time conveys encouragement and acceptance?

UPDATE:
An example sentence would be:
"Imperfection allows room for flexibility and adaptation." The context here is intelligent systems.


texts: The use of "keep" to mean "put away" (possibly dialectal or novel usage)

texts:
In Welsh, cadw, the verb corresponding to the English verb keep can be used to mean put away or store (something) in its appropriate place.

Welsh-speakers will sometimes be teased for transferring this usage into their English, for example:

  keep the dishes will you?
  I've kept the laundry and now I'm ready to leave.

However, a close first-language English friend of mine from the Midlands swears that she uses keep in the same way, and that usage is considered normal in her area.

I've not found any evidence of this in the OED (despite scrolling through all the different meanings assigned to keep), or in any other dictionary. As keep is such a common word, it's hard to find anything relevant on Google.

There is, however, some independent corroboration in this post:
Can keep be used as a replacement for store?

(I suspect they may have been asking the same thing, but without the Welsh dimension to the question).

I'm wondering if any non-Welsh English speakers are familiar with this usage? Is it found in certain dialects, or could it be a new pattern that's emerging in the language?

Thanks in advance.


texts: What do you call this profession in English

texts: During any cattle market (afaik) there is a guy who makes note of who bought or sold what animals at what prices and who makes sure everybody sticks to the rules. The German word for this is "Marktaufseher" or "Marktvogt". I'm looking for the English term. Below is a picture of such a guy which I took in Ibri, Oman.


texts: What is the correct expression for the word "dearth"?

texts:
Should I say:

  There are no dearth of aspirants for this job.

(plural form)

or should I say:

  There is no dearth of aspirants for this job.

(singular form)

Which is the correct version?

Just one of those silly doubts which creep up while writing. :)


texts: Comparison after colon; use "and" or "or"

texts:
does the following sentence make sense?

  In general, triple combinations are better than double: melphalan,
  prednisone and thalidomide (MPT); bortezomib, melphalan, and
  prednisone (VMP); or melphalan, prednisone and lenalidomide (MPR), are all
  better than melphalan and prednisone (MT) alone.

Is that an ok thing to say that a; b; or c is better than d? Or should it be, a; b; and c are all better than d?

I am not sure how to explain, but is the sentence ok? Thank you so much for your help!


texts: Is there an English dictionary that distinguishes words as either abstract or concrete?

texts:
The words that express the tangible and visible things of our experience, such as sand or sea, are all nouns, as are those expressing intangibles such as love or idealism.

Also, some nouns, like field or grain, can be imagined both as tangible and intangible.

People, generally, refer to these nouns with the terms concrete (tangible) and abstract (intangible).

That being said, my question is, is there an English dictionary that—as well as identifying a word as a noun—additionally identifies the noun as either “abstract” or “concrete”? Are there any other resources that do this?


texts: Should I use a period at the end of a headline?

texts: I am working on copywriting for my website, and am wondering whether or not I should use periods at the end of my headlines. The headlines will probably be used both as headlines for news articles, and as calls-to-action in a marketing sense to promote the new features of the website.  So I am curious both as to whether it is "proper" to use periods, as well as if there is incentive for or against it in terms of marketing and persuasive writing. An expert opinion? :)


texts: Adjective for objects (graphs, networks or polygons) having the same number of edges

texts:
I am looking for an adjective form to describe similar geometric objects (graphs, networks, polygons) that have "the same number of edges" (for a technical audience, a scientific paper). [EDIT] Based on comments, I should add that I understand polygons as possibly open: a square without one edge (U-shaped) possesses the same number of edges as a closed triangle. I am more informated in a adjective related to a count than to a shape ("morhp-").

This expression ("having the same number of edges") occurs several times, and I would like to have variations. A typical sentence would be:

  We thus compare two networks with the  same number of edges

Starting from equal-sized and the like, I thought about  "equally-edged polygons" but this does not sound correct to me. Indeed, a graph can be described by different sizes: the number of edges, and the number of vertices. So  equal-sized is ambiguous.

I would like a construction that could also apply on "having the same number of vertices" or "having the same number of facets" if possible.


texts: Where does the term Cracker come from, and how disparaging is it?

texts:
My grandmother from Georgia openly refers to herself and other white southerners as "Crackers", and sometimes adds a state as in "Georgia Cracker" or "Florida Cracker". She says it means simple folks who can only afford to eat crackers. I've also heard it refers to a cattle rancher who likes to crack their whip... but of course it invokes the image of a slave-master.

How broadly is this potentially pejorative expression used? Does anyone know where it really came form, or how disparaging it is?


texts:
The sentence is: "When a static or dynamic function call FC is evaluated with respect to a static context SC and a dynamic context DC, the result is obtained as follows.". This sentence is quoted from 3.1.5.1 Evaluating Static and Dynamic Function Calls

I can't understand the verb "call", shouldn't it be used in the present tense "calling" here?


texts: Word for sadness at something ending, but excited about new

texts:
Is there a word that describes the combination of feeling sad for an ending of something, but excited at new prospects. The closest I had was "bittersweet change"

Examples:

  1) At the end of a holiday, I'm excited to go back home, but sad that the holiday is coming to an end.

  2) I'm coming to end of my placement year job and sad that it's coming to an end, but excited that I'm going back to university.

I hope this satisfies the requirements of the QA here, if not, comment for me to correct.


texts:
What's the name of these "banners" used in Japanese restaurants?

I'm interested in both Japanese name and English name (closest approximation).

Thank you.


texts: Fair and Reasonable: Is there a difference?

texts: Is it possible to be fair without being reasonable? Or vice versa?


texts: Is "to" inclusive in “I worked at company X from April 2012 to April 2013”?

texts:
I have a question about the use of the word to as a time proposition. Is to inclusive in the following sentence?

  I worked at company X from April 2012 to April 2013.


texts: What is a friendly way to say ' Now processing'?

texts:
I'm developing software something like iPhone's 'Siri'. If I call its name, it will answer,

  What can I help you with?

If I say "Turn on the TV", it will answer,

  Now Processing ...

But, I think "Now processing ..." doesn't sound friendly. So, isn't there a more friendly way to say "Now processing"? For example,

  I'm turning on TV, processing, please wait


texts: Why is the word “so” in the line, “To a ill-informed person I would have so answer yes,” shown in Italic to stress the word?

texts:
I am interested in the word, “so” in the following sentence in Jeffery Archer’s novel, “The Prodigal Daughter.”
Florentina Kane who is the chairman of an international hotel empire she succeeded from her father, and stood as a candidate for the Congresswoman for Illinoi State in late 1960s is asked question by a journalist at the press conference:

“Do you consider it a disadvantage to be a woman when seeking public
office?”
( She answered:)
“Perhaps to a limited or ill-informed person I would have so
answer yes, but not with any intelligent voter who puts the issues
before outdated predudices. Which of you if involved in a traffic
accident on the way home today would think twice if the first doctor
on the scene turned out to be a woman?- The Prodigal Daughter(Published by St. Martin's Press) P.293.

Naturally I  read the bold line as “I would have to answer yes,” as most of you do, but then noticed that it is clearly and distinctly written as “so” in italic to emphasize this specific word.
What does “so”  mean in the above sentence? How does “so” here function grammatically?
Logically and empirically, it's hard to believe such a reputed author as Lord Jeffery Archer deiberately put "so" in Italic to show off his error.


texts: "former" vs "last" as in "my former, only and last husband"

texts:
I was reading a book and found this expression:

  [...] my former, only and last husband.

Could anyone tell me what are the differences between former and last in this case?
Also, would former and only suffice to express this idea?


texts: What are the parents of your uncle's wife called?

texts: Your parent has a sibling who is married. Is there a specific term for the sibling's spouse's parents? Or are they still your grandparents?


texts: What's the word for driving together to work, but not in the same car

texts:
Suppose you person A and person B work at the same place. You meet at a certain point and both drive to that point. Then from that point you drive together to work in your separate cars. Is there a word for this? It's like carpooling, but not exactly the same.

To fit single-word-requests:

Person A and Person B "insert word here" everyday to work.


texts: "Place the pot somewhere where it is 20–22 degrees warm."

texts:
Place the pot somewhere where it is 20–22 degrees warm.

The double where sounds a bit silly. Is there a better way to word this sentence? "Someplace 20-22 degrees warm" sounds too informal.


texts: Should the plural form of "daphnia" be used if there is more than one?

texts:
For my science fair, I am confused on if I should write, "daphnia", "daphnias", or "Daphnia" regarding to the species, especially multiple of them.

Is there a certain time to use the word in upper case, italics, etc.?


texts: What is the difference between remember and remind

texts:
Could someone explain the difference between these two words? Here is an example of using each.

Your hair and eyes remind me of your mother.
I can remember    people's faces, but not their names.


texts: Difference in Ambient air and Environmental air

texts:
Is there any difference between the followings?

Ambient air
Environmental air

In the case we denote the air surrounding some objects (e.g. building), which is appropriate to use?

Are they differently used for different scale of the air(e.g. 10m and 100km)?


texts:
According to Garner's fourth edition,

'd have liked to should be followed by a present-tense infinitive, so 'd have liked to (٭have done) is wrong; nor is correct 'd like to have done because the sequence
of events is then off.

What does the author mean exactly by the sequence of events is then off?


texts:
what do you call something that was created to solve a problem?
Let's use the operating system as an example:

Before the operating system was invented, developers needed to implement really basic programs for each application, like getting user key input and displaying corresponding texts on the screen, resulting in high cost of developing software...

The operating system was invented in order to solve this problem.

Its solution to the problem was to provide programs that had basic functionalities that every application needs.

So, you can say, the essence of OS is "a set of programs that have basic functionalities that every application needed".
QUESTION
In this example, solution is "to create and provide a set of programs that have basic functionalities that every application needs, which is, the operating system". I don't want "to create and provide" part. I just want a word that just means the operating system in this context. Not a solution coz it includes verbs too. I am feeling like this needs to be explanatory, like "a thing that was created to solve a problem".
I don't even know how it's called in my mother tongue actually.


texts:
I have a question on the usage of infinitives in news titles. While infinitives are seemingly used to indicate that something will be happening in the near future in news headlines (as discussed in this question: Infinitive in news headlines), in this headline, it just looks confusing for me:
“Buddy, first dog to test positive for COVID-19 in the U.S., has died”
Can someone please help me understand how the phrase “to test positive” is used in this context?


texts: Proper usage of commas when listing items in a sentence

texts:
In the gas company flyer, it says "We will not disconnect gas service for non-payment if you can prove that a permanent resident of your home is 62 or older, handicapped or that being without gas service would be especially dangerous to someone living in the home."

Does that mean a resident 62 or older and handicapped, or does it mean 62 or older or handicapped?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "hurt(s) like a bitch/motherf***er/bastard"?

texts:
Intuitively, what would make a 'bitch' hurt? Perhaps calling a woman 'bitch' after she breaks up with you, hence it 'hurts'? A 'motherfucker' hurts, for good reason (no one likes their mother to be fucked). A 'bastard' seems to make some sense too. No one wants a bastard child. But what makes these phrases so interesting to me, is that they are usually used in the sense of cursing physical pain, and yet the first thing that comes to mind when reading these kind of phrases is the mental pain that is connotative of being around these undesirable social roles.
Google ngrams results:

All three seem to have originated around the late 60s but obviously, could have been earlier in spoken speech. 'Hurts like a bastard' is the earliest derivative according to Ngrams:

hurts like crazy ~ 1950 Leslie Stephen
hurts like a bastard ~ 1967 John O'Hara
hurts like a bitch ~ 1969 Myles Ludwig
hurts like a motherfucker ~ 1970 Charles Davis
hurts like shit ~ 1970 Walden Leecing
hurt like buggery ~ 1970 Stanley Winchester
hurt like fuck ~ 1986 Clive Barker

fucking hurts ~ 1978 Kyle Reich

The fact that all of these derivatives seem to have common written origins in the late 60s, likely means there is a common link or instigating source. Perhaps the Vietnam War brought about the release of tensions in the form of a bigger leniency toward the use of creative new swears?
Interestingly, all of these derivatives are incorporating undesirable social affiliations (and thus the mental anguish associated with them) and conflating them with actual physical pain. This makes me think that there's no coincidence that these specific words were used. Not many other swear words would fit in this phrase: i.e. 'hurts like a shit', or 'hurts like a fuck', or 'hurts like a cunt', or 'hurts like a damn'. Amazingly, it's the precise fact that the words 'bitch/bastard/motherfucker' have no association with physical pain that actually makes them, counter-intuitively, a better fit for this phrase 'hurts like a -----' than most other swear words.
A possible origin could be 'hurt(s) like hell', or 'hurt(s) like the devil', or 'hurt(s) like the dickens' which were around all the way since the early 1900s:

But I don't think this explains why the common forms 'like a bitch/motherfucker/bastard' all commonly seemed to spring up in the late 60s.
Going back even further, let's examine the root form 'hurt(s) like': and we can find what was used before 'hurt like hell': 'hurt(s) like thunder' and 'hurt(s) like blazes'.
Other than these two, 'hurt like' only yields one-time similes.
There is evidence to suggest that the phrase 'like blazes' derives from the phrase 'like hell' (blazes originally meaning fire but then started to be used euphemistically for the 'fires of hell'), but the phrase 'hurt(s) like hell' derives from the phrase 'hurt(s) like blazes', with the 'hell' variant only becoming popular in the early 1900s, and the 'blazes' variant starting from the mid 1800s. Although a factor could be that 'blazes' was being used as a euphemism for 'hell' being too obscene.

"Beginning in the 19th century, however, “blazes” began to be used to mean specifically “the fires of hell” and, by extension, things similarly intense and merciless. Thus were born such phrases as “like blazes” indicating great intensity or force (“The horse … went like blazes,” 1812), as well as the use of “blazes” as a euphemistic synonym for “hell” (“How the blazes you can stand the head-work you do, is a mystery to me,” Dickens, 1837) or “perdition” (“The moral of A party had gone to blazes,” 1924)."


texts: Should the s in spirit of Christmas be capitalized?

texts: Should the s in spirit of Christmas be capitalized when in a sentence?


texts: A word like "engooden", for converting something from negative to positive

texts:
And I don't refer to the baseball player.

I was asked today for a word which would indicate the changing of something considered bad into something good. But this isn't about "improvement." This is about the transformation, that singular inverting moment. The example given to me was "xxx did not deny he was a racist but insisted that racism, more than a necessary evil was a good thing." His action of recontextualizing or reunderstanding a negative as a positive -- does that have a word?

I could say phrases like "he turned it on its head" or "made it its opposite" or "converts his gyves to graces", or I could just coin the titular "engooden" but I'd sort of like a real word which, as a specific verb, explicitly crystallizes the idea.


texts: Whats a verb for "making one's thoughts and ideas happen"?

texts:
While someone is making an artwork, he is expressing his thoughts in a form that it is understandable by others. What is a verb or phrasal verb for this practice?
Is "actualizing his thoughts" correct?


texts: what is the meaning of 'as recent history goes'

texts:
I heard some conversation about England football.
And one guy said "Manchester was red once again although not for long as recent history goes."
in this sentence, what is the meaning of the 'as the recent history goes'?
is it the same meaning as 'as time passes'?


texts:
In this sentence "After 2 years of contribution, the staff held an internal meeting with the director to request that his salary be increased to 2000$ monthly"

I wonder why we use "be" but not "to be" in this case? And please kindly help me explain this grammar point and other simmilarity usages, I've been stuck with this issue for many years.

Thank you so much and Best regards.


texts:
In indirect speech present perfect tense is back shifted to past perfect tense.
For example -
John said, "I have written a letter." (Direct speech)
John said that he had written a letter. (Indirect speech)

But why I see in news articles that the present perfect tense is often not back shifted to past perfect tense ?

For example -
The President said that investigators have conducted hearings on different issues. (Direct speech - President said "The investigators have conducted hearings on different issues"

Why often I see in news articles that present perfect tense is not back shifted to past perfect tense though in almost every book its written present perfect tense is to be converted to past perfect tense in reported speech ?
Please advise me on it.
Thank You


texts: Researchers and universities are to Academia as covert operatives and secret compounds are to...?

texts:
The domain or the world of academics - teachers and researchers in universities and colleges - is referred to as academia. What do you call the domain of secret agents, spies and covert ops teams, with secure and secret compounds, under-the-radar government sections and the like?

Note: If possible, a term with a Latin flavor would be nice.


texts:
I need to tell about a search process that returns a certain number of results from the most recent ones. In this case, which of the following sounds natural or idiomatic? Or any other alternative?

(1) It will retrieve the most recent entries up to the entered number.

(2) It will retrieve as many entries as the entered number from the most recent ones.


texts: What word describes someone who never acts thoughtful but blames others for not being thoughtful

texts: I have a friend who always expects you to be fully understanding, considerate and thoughtful, but when you expect her to behave in the same way, she says you are too picky, a drama queen, and not being thoughtful by asking her to be thoughtful because she is either busy or stressed.  Is there a word that describes this type of behavior or person?


texts: Do I need to use gerund after the "it wasn't until..." structure?

texts:
I need help with the grammar relating to the "it wasn't until" phrase.

  It wasn't until I heard him speak/speaking that I recognized his voice.

Which is correct, speak or speaking? Why?

I would also like some helpful examples of usage.


texts:
Could somebody paraphrase the last two sentences in a more understandable way for me, and explain the italicized words, please?

One important response to building's negative impact
on the environment is environmental certification. “Green”
buildings are better for the environment as they generally are energy
efficient, water conserving, and use environmentally
friendly building materials. They also seem to have positive
effects for the occupants, for example, “green” buildings are associated
with a high workplace satisfaction and seem to have
psychological and behavioral benefits. Furthermore,
there seems to be a preference bias for an indoor environment in
buildings disclosed as environmentally certified. More specifically,
people assign higher comfort ratings to an indoor environment if
they are told that the building is environmentally certified,
compared to people who rate the same indoor environment
without that particular information.

Thanks in advance


texts:
"plumb" as far as I know is a predominantly American usage, as in "That was just plumb crazy!"

I thought plumb meant some kind of weight in bricklaying or such like, so how did it come to mean "absolutely"? What was its origin and history?

Edit:
After Callithumpian's answer, I have a little addition:

Why is it a US usage chiefly, and why do not the British use it as much?


texts:
In each quotation beneath, what happens if I replace with for which determination? Does anything change?

In Current
Sailing a resultant has to be found for two simultaneous courses
and distances. Oblique Sailing is a term applied to those cases for
the determination of which an oblique triangle has to be solved.
The above is the accurate use of the term "Plane Sailing", but it is
sometimes loosely used as a synonym for the equally ill-used term
"Navigation", as contrasted with "Nautical Astronomy".

Glossary of Navigation: A Vade Mecum for Practical Navigators
by J. B. Harbord. p 305.

The Supreme Court, reversing the Circuit Court, held 1
that the act was valid and enforceable. The irrigation of
really arid lands is a public use, and the question whether
any particular land will be benefited is one of fact, for
the determination of which the act made suffcient provision.

A Treatise on the Power of Taxation, State and Federal, in the United States
by Frederick Newton Judson. p 447.

If Mill were taken literally the whole definition would
end up as a mere tautology. For in order to discover how
often a certain sum of money changes hands in effecting the
sale and purchase of a given quantity of goods, it is neces-
sary to know the average price of the goods in question,
which is precisely the quantity for the determination of
which the (amount and) velocity of circulation of money
are to be utilised. In other words, velocity of circulation
as defined by Mill could not be regarded as an independent
factor in the determination of average price.

Interest and Prices by Knut Wicksell. p 51.


texts: Why the verb "wage" is always used in a context of war?

texts: Why people don't use: "To carry out" instead? And I've never seen such a verb being not used in a context of war.


texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe people who are attending an event, or who have attended, and would like a less formal term than attendee.

I would strongly prefer a single word to a phase, but can be flexible.

Any suggestions?


texts: Design a question (addressing the chronological order involved) which is answered by say 'Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States'

texts:
In my native language of Malayalam, we have a word 'എത്രാമത്തെ' which denotes the chronological number/position  of something. It crudely translates to 'How much'th'. As far as I know there is no English equivalent to this word.
Can you design a question, whose answer would be the above? A question that addresses the chronological part (16th president); Feel free to be creative. The answer is NOT, "Who was the 16th president of the Unites states''
The closest that I have come with the intended meaning is
Word to word Malayalam to English translation: 'Abraham Lincoln was the 'how much'th' president of the Unites States?'
A more cohesive translation would be: 'Chronologically, what number does Abraham lincoln occupy, in the line of US Presidents'


texts:
I just want a confirmation because it sounds weird to me...
Is the following sentence correct, or is there a better word than "used"?

  This picture is used twice in this book.

I can't tell you why but this "used" doesn't seem to be right at all...


texts: Origin of the "triple comma" or "comma ellipsis"

texts: Occasionally I see someone write out sentences,,, like this,,, with exactly three commas.  The first time I saw it I thought it was a personal idiosyncrasy, but I've seen it enough times now that I wonder: is there some obscure origin or history to this practice?


texts: Where to position "never" in a sentence?

texts:
The following is a quote from Mr. Trump's statement.
Is it grammatical to say "We should have never been in Iraq"?
Shouldn't it be "We should never have been in Iraq"?

  "We should have never been in Iraq,” Mr. Trump said. “They lied, they
  said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none and they
  knew that there were none.”


texts: Résumé formality: "Struck a deal that resulted in savings of XXX"?

texts:
I am not sure if the paragraph below is a bit too casual for a résumé:

  Responsible for negotiating the purchase of XXX. Struck a business deal that resulted in savings of 12,000 EUR/month

Is there a more formal way of saying "Struck a business deal?" in a CV? I am concerned it may sound too colloquial.


texts:
In my studies of both theoretical and applied English linguistics, we studied English modals more than once. So a question came up on this site earlier today. I explained that "need to" is a modal. One of the users claimed that it is not.

Question: Is not "need to" a modal?


texts:
Please, could you explain why we should put in the sentence below the gerund of the verb give:

  As an educational consultant, I lead workshops on digital media at schools around the country, giving me an unusual glimpse into the hidden world of middle and high school students.

What does GIVING refer to - to the pronoun  I or workshops? Is it a relative sentence or complex sentence (reduced adverbial)?

Thanks a lot!


texts: Passive voice for sentences using modals and "used to:

texts:
I always have some problems with changing an active sentence which contains used to into a passive sentence, for example:

  Mr Green used to teach languages at school.

What is the passive form? Is it

  Languages were used to be taught at school.

or is it

  Languages used to be taught at school.


texts:
I have the following sentence:

"Method A has drawbacks that limit its applicability in real-world environments"

Can I use 'in' here or do I have to use 'to'? I'd appreciate every comment.


texts:
I'm wondering what "real practice" refers to in the fragment below?
In "Silly Novels by Lady Novelists," Eliot denounced the covert victories of feminine values, the fantasies of instant intellectual mastery and intuitive spiritual authority. She understood that the habits of the professional were at variance with the indoctrination of women, but, in literature, as in other activities, she wished women to substitute "the hard drudgery of real practice" for feminine fantasy and self-indulgence.
Source


texts:
I am not very good at speaking and listening English.

Can someone please suggest some songs, which have clear pronunciation of English words, to listen and understand the songs too and also I can use them to improve my vocabulary.
Actually very fast music, especially those with too many and loud musical instruments never helped me understanding the lyrics.


texts:
I have come around that expression a few times and as a non-native speaker, I am unsure as to whether it is actually "correct" and if yes, how and when it would be appropriate to use it?

I know what "bonkers" means by the context of the usage examples and other occurrences that I had come around the information on Google, originating from the Oxford Dictionary. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/bonkers

But I have a hard time comprehending the grammar of the expression, e.g. "calling x on y". Is "Calling bonkers on" a unique idiom or can the expression be generalized? E.g. could I "call awesome on this".?

Usage examples found in text online:

"If you're about to call bonkers on this [...]"
https://www.sott.net/article/419511-Here-we-go-again-Israeli-opposition-leaders-phone-reportedly-breached-by-Russian-hackers
"I still call bonkers on this. [...]"
https://thumped.com/bbs/threads/john-terry-fired-by-chelsea-fc.88472/post-1482607


texts: Use of the expression "have to" in a sentence

texts:
Tasting Mediterranean cuisine is a “have to” plan in Oia

Is that expresion correctly used in this sentence, or is it wrong?


texts: Word for the "life/world" outside phone calls, text messages, and the Internet?

texts:
Example:

  She ignored my phone calls, text messages, and emails. As for [...], she also seemed to have
  taken measures: she quit our shared classes and stopped
  frequenting the places where we used to cross paths.

I searched for the antonyms of virtual but I think they sound a bit weird. As for real life/world? As for actual life/world?


texts: Use of preposition to demonstrate direction

texts: "Someone saw me coming in the opposite direction / someone saw me coming to the opposite direction??"Which one is correct and why?


texts: something is capable of to be p.p. or being p.p.?

texts:
Manual: small, helpful book capable of being carried in the hand.

What is the difference between to be carried and being carried in this sentence?


texts:
Please tell me if this sentence is correct or incorrect.  If incorrect, please say why.

I wouldn't like to not have children.

Thank you.


texts: What is the difference between "particularly" and "in particular"?

texts:
Is there any difference between particularly and in particular?

When should I use each one of them?


texts: 'Exemplary' but with a negative connotation

texts:
If 'exemplary' describes behaviour that is a good example of what to do, is there an adjective that describes behaviour that is a good example of what not to do?
e.g.:

He was famous for his exemplary behaviour.
He was infamous for his [ ... ] behaviour.
The comedian was outrageous. His performances were exemplary.
The comedian was boring. His performances were [ ... ].

My first guesses would be inexemplary and nonexemplary but I can't find a reference for either of these.


texts: "Good thing... " - negative connotation?

texts:
I am wondering if "Good thing... " has a negative connotation or is it neutral in nature?

For example "She sings poorly, good thing she is cute." Is the speaker being sarcastic here? Like she is just a bad singer with good face?

Can I say something like:
"He is not handsome, good thing he has a tender heart."
Or "It is raining heavily, good thing you brought an umbrella."

Also, is there any dictionary out there which also tells learners the connotation of words? Thanks a lot! :)


texts:
In the following sentence, "consumers" means "consumers of education." Is this a metaphor, or an ordinary use of the word?

Education Ministers ought to have placed the interests of consumers—that
is to say pupils—first.


texts:
What is the correct sentence between these two forms:

  "the 10-years evolution show..."

or

  "the 10-year evolution shows...".

?

Both answers seem okay to me. Also, what about the dash between 10 and year?


texts: Phrase for "able to concentrate for long periods of time"

texts:
I am looking for a word or phrase that describes someone who is able to concentrate and work for long periods of time without taking a break. An example would be a computer programmer who can sit in front of the computer and write code for hours without getting distracted or needing to take a break.

Edited to clarify:
I am looking for a word/phrase that describes the positive attribute of someone who is able to do this (along the lines of "diligent" or "assiduous"), not a phrase that describes someone who is actually doing it.

Example: "John is responsible, diligent, and ___. "


texts: A word to describe a person whose wishes or desires never comes true

texts:
Is there a word that can be used to describe a person whose wishes or desires never come true? In other words, the person in question never had any of his past wishes or desires fulfilled. The word could be a noun or an adjective.

Example Sentence:

In the last 20 years, John had made several wishes, mostly related to his career growth and physical well-being. However, in all these years, none of those wishes ever came true.

With respect to the above example, is there a word to describe an individual like John, whose wishes/desires never came true?

  John was ____.

OR

  John was a _____.

While researching this question I was trying to figure out if words like unlucky or unfortunate would fit in this case. Probably they would, but as such these words can be used to describe any situation where the outcome of an event was negative. It does not necessarily have to do with the fulfillment of past wishes or desires.

For instance, heavy snowstorm delayed the departure of my flight by 5 hours. But I never had a wish that my flight takes off at the right time. So in this case I can use words like unlucky, unfortunate to describe myself with respect to this situation.

Similarly, can we probably use the word cursed to describe such a person? However, a curse is a wish for something evil or unpleasant to happen to someone or something. It is not necessarily related to some unfulfilled wishes/desires. Unless of course someone is cursed that his wishes/desires will never be fulfilled.

I'm looking for word/s that can specifically be used with respect to past wishes, desires never being fulfilled.


texts:
I received the following message and I was confused.

"Will you be free to have the ABC meeting rescheduled to Monday?"

Which is the correct interpretation of the question,
- the speaker ask me if I can reschedule the meeting to Monday? or
- the speaker ask me if I am available on Monday to attend the meeting?

I wonder if the question was ambiguous?

Thanks


texts: "Music with rocks in" - British English?

texts:
I've been reading a multitude of Terry Pratchet books lately, and been exposed to some British terminology that doesn't generally make it over to the states.

The book Soul Music refers to rock music as "Music With Rocks In". That bothered me at first. As an American, I expect there to be a pronoun at the end ("Music with rocks in it").

Is this merely a quirk of Pratchet's writing, or is it common to drop the pronoun at the end of a phrase like this? Might a British purchase order a "burger with cheese in"?


texts: Did "A F" exist as an intensifier prior to social media?

texts:
"A F" is short for "as fuck". It popped into my lexicon a few years ago, when I started hearing it in Youtube videos. (See this video as an example, although this wasn't where I first heard it.)
The earliest entry in Urban Dictionary I can find is from 2011.
Looking at USA Google Trends for "A F", "A. F." and "as fuck" show "A F" has been used for something (possibly Air France?) since at least 2004, which is pre-Twitter, but post MySpace. It also shows an uptick in "as fuck" from around November 2009, which might coincide with the introduction of "a f" as an intensifier. The "a. f." line is pretty low.

This seems impossible to search for in Google Books, because A F are initials. Using the ngram viewer with "A F_ADVERB" gets no hits.
It doesn't appear in the OED online, and Greens Dictionary of Slang lumps it in with "as fuck". I'm at a loss for where to look.
Is there any evidence out there that "A F" was coined before the advent of social media? Perhaps in military slang?


texts: What is the noun that corresponds to the verb "to miss"?

texts:
Is there a noun that precisely describes the emotion of missing someone/something?

There is longing, but I don't think that's quite right. You can feel longing for something without missing it. I know this word exists in another language (Hebrew - געגוע), but I'm not sure if there is an equivalent in English.


texts: Use of commas and "thus far" in the "The Gettysburg Address"

texts:
It is for us the living, RATHER(should here be a comma or no comma) to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have THUS FAR so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.....

The above is a excerption of the Gettysburg address, so here's my two questions:
1. As I mentioned above, should it be with or without a comma after the word "rather".   Actually, I searched on the Internet, it has different versions, some have a comma after rather, some don't.
2.  The second one is, can the phrase "thus far" be replaced by "so far", if it could, doesn it mean that these two are totally interchangeable; if not, where's the difference?


texts: "Those that couldn't let go" is the title of a quest in an online MMPORG. Is this correct or should it be "Those whom..." or "They that ..."?