texts: Can I say "Where can I find 'a' post office"?

texts:
It's a question in a grammar app.
"Where can I find _ post office please?".
I chose "a", but it says "the" is the correct answer.
Same problem with this question:
"Let's go to _ cinema tonight."
I know the answer is "the", but I don't know why "Let's go to a cinema" is wrong.

I thought when you specific mean which cinema or which post office you should use "the", otherwise "a/an" is also okay.

Could someone please help me?


texts: Is there a term for metaphors built upon double entendres?

texts:
I was thinking deeply about figurative language today, and I read a sentence that must be an example of a specific type of figurative language, but I didn't remember learning about it and couldn't find it on a reference I use.

The sentence, from Street Love by Walter Dean Myers, is:

  Could it even withstand the voltage of / His mother's shock?

Myers builds the metaphor of voltage off of one definition of the word shock, while also calling the other to mind, since the mother would be surprised/upset at this event.

It seems to me that there ought to be a word for this! Any ideas?

I found a similar example, too. It was used as an example of parallelism on the site I was referencing:

  She liked sneaking up to Ted and putting the ice cream down his back, because he was so cool about it.

It ins't a metaphor, but it similarly uses both meanings of the word (cool, in this case). I thought it might be helpful as a clarifying example.


texts: Answering a phone call with "Yes, XX, tell me"

texts:
I have heard a lot of people pick their phone and go "Yes, XX, tell me" (highly used in India).

I think the right way should be "Hey, XX, what's up?" or "Hey, XX, what's going on"? But does this work in a professional environment?


texts:
Let's say you're in an interview and the interviewer leans forward and says:

"I want to get to know you better."

In this context, which is the verb? My initial reaction is:
Want  - auxiliary verb
To get - main verb
To know - modal verb


texts: If you have a collection of something, is the something writen in plural?

texts:
A collection like in:

A list of users
A group of cities

When attaching this as we do in software development to name variables, should it be named

userList vs usersList
cityGroup vs citiesGroup

which one is syntactically more correct?


texts:
They only stamp academic documents versus they stamp academic document only: which one is correct and what are the implications of the non-correct form?

(Context: university office that does other businesses but also stamps academic documents.)


texts:
I'm watching "The Great British Baking Show" and I heard a host use the phrase "It's hotting up."  Later, a contestant said it was "heating up".

It seems they both meant something similar, but did they mean the exact same thing?


texts: One adjective to describe "having fast regeneration"

texts: What adjective should I use if I want to describe an animal that has a fast regeneration? I need a one-word adjective. Thank you very much!


texts: In British English, is there a difference between a match and fixture in football?

texts:
Or are they synonyms?
My guess is that fixtures are matches that haven't been played yet...


texts: Name for gerund + past participle combination

texts:
I've noticed that this passive verb construction is especially prevalent in English translations of Scandinavian and German literature. Is there a formal name for it?

Example: Being walked is my dog's favourite activity.


texts: Can some words serve as both adjective or adverb?

texts:
In the following sentences:

I can move quicker than she can.
She moves quickly, but I can move quicker still.
Between us, I move quickest.
Between us, I move quicker.
I am even quicker than she.

I am apparently trying to modify the verb "move" with the adjectives "quicker" and "quickest".

It seems to me that I have been speaking like this all my life, but just now I've been told that adjectives may not modify verbs, and that these sentences are grammatical garbage.  Yet, when it comes to:

I can move quicker than she can.

vs

I can move more quickly than she can.

The first sentence sounds just as good as the second, to me, at least.  Cannot the word "quicker" serve as both adjective and adverb?


texts: meaning of - rite - at the companies names

texts:
There is bunch of companies that use rite at theirs names, like Rite Aid or Shop Rite, I was thinking about it like

Right => Rite

They looks like similar to pronounce, and you could think Right Aid or Right Shop

but later on I found really meaning for rite that obviously makes the sense.

So I wonder what's the right meaning:) that usually native speakers keep in mind when they think about Rite Company?


texts:
There is already a Q&A regarding experiment setup and experimental setup, where the setup, a bunch of instruments, is used to measure properties of something else and the instruments themselves are not under test. It was proposed, that there is a convention to use experimental setup while experiment setup is actually more precise.

However, my non-native speaker supervisor (who has given a lot of great advice) also insist on experimental repetitions  and experimental iterations although the meaning is repetitions/iterations of an experiment. I prefer experiment repetitions/iterations. Which is correct and why?


texts: Does this sentence make any sense to you?

texts:
"Never play the podcast from anywhere but the start"

What does this sentence mean to you? By podcast I mean a house music episode that is one hour long.


texts: "That's no reason." or "That's no excuse."

texts:
-Look，the boss is very angry with Alex．

  -Well，he came late again．But that's no______ to shout at him．

  A. excuse

  B. reason

Our teacher told us that the answer was B.

There’s no further context for this question.

I chose excuse and I think That’s no excuse... conveys almost the same meaning as That’s no reason....

What's your opinion?


texts: Use of acronyms or initalisms as adjectives of nouns

texts:
I have always been curious about the use of acronyms and initialisms in scientific manuscripts. For one, take the following example.
An author has abbreviated "continuous infusion" as CI, with regard to the administration of anesthetic propofol.

In this example; it was written
"A catheter was introduced for the CI administration of propofol"
If we expand the abbreviation, it would read as:
"A catheter was introduced for the continuous infusion administration of propofol", which doesn't make much sense as infusion already implies that propofol is being administered.

Nonetheless, if read as "CI administration", it makes sense because CI is being used as an adjective of the noun 'administration.'

Could someone tell me if, when an abbreviation is used as an acronym, the expanded meaning of the acronym is ignored?


texts: Need help breaking down this sentence: "I took action to make my plan come to fruition."

texts:
So far I have "to make my plan come to fruition" as a subordinate clause, but I'm having trouble defining its components. Is "come to fruition" modifying "plan"? How is the infinitive functioning here?

If anyone can break down the whole sentence that would be super helpful too. Thanks!


texts:
Let's say that A and B are two different kinds of foods. Which is grammatically correct?

  A goes good with B.

  A goes well with B.

If they're both correct, then which is better?


texts:
I am looking for an old/obscure term meaning to possess simultaneous or concurrent ways of being. Specifically, this term could apply to someone who holds multiple jobs.
Thanks so much!


texts: Is 'I was climbing down the road' correct?

texts:
My friend Thomas asked me to come in his home with my brother Solomon. So me and my brother were on the way to his house. Thomas called me (on the phone) while I was on my way over and asked me "where did you reach?"

Then I replied, "I'm climbing down the road". As soon as I said that sentence, my brother started laughing and pointed me out that it is not a correct sentence.

Actually at that moment I was very tired and that road was also very steep (hard slope). And I was having difficulty walking down that road. So I was trying to express my tiredness to my friend. My question is whether it is correct to use 'climbing down' instead of 'walking down' in a sentence?


texts: When someone says, "I have no words," what does it mean?

texts: I contacted a former friend to tell her about a rough situation in my life, and she said to me, "I have no words." What did she mean?


texts:
A nice little oddity which I thought I'd ask about.

I stumbled across the delightful word 'Boustrophedon' in relation to the scanning actions of some printers (inkjet/dot matrix). I believe that this roughly derives from the notion of 'As the ox ploughs the field'.

I mentioned this to a colleague who had a farming background. He stated that in older times, this isn't actually how an ox would have ploughed the field, owing to the direction the plough would have turned the earth.

Apparently, the field would have been ploughed in spiral pattern to ensure that meeting edges of the plough lines would have their earth turned in the same direction, or 'like the spider builds its web'.

Which got me thinking. Is there a colourful noun of some sort that describes this sort of pattern/action?


texts: Is the expression, "...it extended miles and miles around..." correct?

texts:
Example:

  The forest extended miles and miles around the house.

Is that expression grammatically correct? Does it make sense?


texts:
I want to use taint in a positive context, something along the lines of:

  I will have the opportunity to taint my life with the culture and experiences of others.

What would be a better word for this purpose?


texts:
Are the following sentences both grammatical (under the intended sense)?

"Hello" is "aloha" in Hawaiian.
"Aloha" is "hello" in Hawaiian.


texts: Word for a moment of unexpected emotion?

texts: I can't seem to find anything, any help is appreciated.


texts:
Does the following sentence sound right?

  Read the operating instructions for directions on replacing the housing.


texts: Synonym of bad effect or bad situation - one word

texts:
I want to use a noun to describe the bad effects of AIDS on the population of a country. The context of the word is this sentence:

  In this report, we also provide some statistics on the bad effects
  of AIDS on the population.

However, it seems that bad effects  are not the appropriate words.


texts: In what senses are 'at' and 'all' used in the phrase "at all"?

texts:
I understand that the phrase at all means in any way or in the slightest, e.g. What is the opposite of “to stink” (v)? Is there one at all?, or Not bad at all

I don't understand how the individual words come together to make that meaning.

I understand the use of at as a preposition, e.g.

  Are there any apples here?

Can be written as

  Are there any apples at this place?

But then what meaning does all take on?

  Are there any apples at all?

All is not a place, as far as I can see.

I tried to think of at in the sense of rate

  Cornering is not hard at 100 km/h

and that sort of makes sense if you take all to be a shortening of all rates

  Cornering is not hard at all

but that doesn't seem to fit the generally understood meaning of at all.

Is there a way to break down the phrase at all into its constituent words that adds up to the same meaning?


texts: "to successfully complete" or "to complete successfully"?

texts:
A Google search yields 41,200,000 results for the former but only 3,150,000 for the latter.

Are split infinitives really to boldly be avoided in English grammar, or are millions of people just unaware of / uncaring for their existence?


texts: abbreviations for "standard deviation" when used as an informal unit

texts:
I am looking for some advice for abbreviating "standard deviation" when it is used in an informal sense as a mathematical unit, especially with regard to financial usage. This often crops up when the unit of measure is measured in another quantity.
I note a previous question 1 seemed to be asking for capitalisation advice, presumably within normal text.
An example would be, "the typical bid-offer spread of Heating Degree Day futures is 0.7 [Standard Deviations]"
Standard sources (Greenbook.org or the APA style guide) favour or "sd" or "Std. Dev.". The first looks to have the right typographical features but just doesn't feel sufficiently well used to be a standard (at least in this application). The second has the drawback of punctuation within a unit, which looks undesirable. It could be further reduced to "stddev"  but the double d looks not quite right.
I have seen others use the Excel function name, with capitalisation, "STDEV" but this looks too accommodating to Excel users.
Perhaps the most satisfactory would be the simple lowercase Greek letter, sigma, which I think would be likely understood by most relevant readers. However, this limits the text being readily electronically copied.
I would be grateful for any opinions on the subject.


texts:
I would swear that years back I saw a definition of the word bury and it contained a noun, not only a verb. If my memory serves me well, the noun meaning was associated with church.
Today I cannot find even a trace of a noun bury — only verbs. Could anyone definitely confirm or deny such noun exists, please?


texts: Why do words like mean (in the context of '__ means ___') require an s?

texts: I am trying to help a friend of mine from Thailand with his English, and before I correct his usage of 'mean' I'd like to be able to explain the why and wherefore of what I am telling him.  He often sends me messages that say things like "That mean..." and I can't for the life of me determine why that word requires an s in that context.


texts: Can I use a comparative adjective as a noun?

texts:
Can I use a comparative adjective as a noun, as in the following sentence:
"The older told him to stop."

Or do I have to use "one", as in:
"The older one told him to stop."

Thanks in advance!


texts: Expression for loading more work on someone who is already busy

texts:
I'm looking for something you'd say to a co-worker when you're asking him/her for help, even though he/she is already super busy.

Something like:

  "I don't mean to _____ , but ...".

Thanks in advance!


texts: comma in this specific case of "considering"

texts:
I was wondering if I should place a comma before "considering" in the following sentence only to clear things out.

  For investigating the effect of structural uncertainties on the damage, fragility curves are generated separately, considering deterministic and probabilistic parameters for the structure.

Here is another sentence with the similar concern. I am wondering if I punctuated this complex sentence correctly.

  Fragility curves for controlled structure, which is controlled by semi-active FLC, and uncontrolled structure, considering deterministic parameters, are shown in Fig. 9.


texts: In the parallel structure, should I omit "become" if the subject is noun

texts:
(1) The deeper the river becomes, the greater the danger is.
(2) The deeper the river, the greater the danger.
(3) The deeper the river becomes, the greater the danger.
(4) The deeper the river, the greater the danger is.

Which one is correct?


texts: Why is "n----r" considered extremely offensive while "n---a" is not that much?

texts:
Specially considering that they are pronounced similar if not the same.

I know "nigga" is also considered offensive by a lot of people but I think on general terms, you're likely to offend more saying "nigger" rather than "nigga".

Why is this?


texts: What is an adjective for something that can anticipate any input?

texts:
For example:

  "Form A" is able to anticipate any kind of input. Like, can take in
  Japanese characters, block illegal characters, and any other sort of
  characters. Hence, "Form A" is _____ble.

Basically, i am trying to replicate something like:

"Superman is able to withstand a super nova.  Hence, he is invincible."
"David saved a kitten.  Hence, he is admirable."
"Rob was a able to solve the problem.  Hence, the problem is solvable."

If there is not really any word, any other suggestions?


texts: What is the term for an incorrect word used in a sentence

texts:
My brain has drawn a blank.   What is an adjective I can use to describe someone's use of a word that is similarly spelled, but not even close in definition to the word they intended to use.

Example:

  I don't take myself too seriously but I can be a bit of a
  contraction at times, a good or bad person.

I am almost positive they were going for something along the lines of "contradiction".


texts: If I am talking about what I like to do with my friend, can I say "I like doing such-and-such together" (not "together with her") or does it have to be "WE like doing ... together"?


texts: Word for collection of religion's essential writings

texts: I'm looking for a single word to describe the collection of all letters, scriptures and books specific to a religion, something like teachings but with a stronger emphasis on the written aspect.


texts:
I may not be spelling or using it correctly, but I often use the word "pying" to say one is seeking out something that belongs to another. Perhaps the word is altogether nonexistent and I have completely fabricated a word which I have been using in several essays. I nearly always follow the word with "for" as the letter Q is followed by U. Maybe a word like this exists and I have substituted it for a make believe one. It carries the meaning but not the arbitrarily assigned mashup of letters attributed to it.

Example uses:

"By then, their hunger had set in and were all pying for bread and coin."

"With all these companies pying for your money, it leaves a detrimental..."

"Prying and prodding and pying for a rare peek into the secret life..."


texts: Is this usage of the verb "conclude" appropriate?

texts:
I have these three sentences:

  Throughout human history, mental illness has been stigmatized beyond
  belief.  Individuals that have been diagnosed as mentally ill have
  been subject to social opposition.  Stigma researchers from University
  of Chicago, Patrick W. Corrigan and Amy C. Watson, conclude these
  statements and believe that public and self-stigma both affect the
  society diagnosed with mental disorders.

Is it ok to use the term "conclude these statements" as in the third sentence above?  I am asking this because that phrase doesn't seem accurate to me.


texts: Successfully submitted vs Submitted Successfully

texts:
When data has been submitted through a form online, which sentence below make the most sense to use? Is one grammatically correct more than the other?

  Your information has been successfully submitted.

                                                                              or

  Your information has been submitted successfully.


texts:
I’m already aware that nicknames are usually incorporated into the larger name between the first and last names — John “Jack” Doe, for example — and that this is essentially standard usage.

When you don’t wish to provide a last name, only a first name (e.g., for online privacy), do you put your nickname last (i.e., after your first name, which is the only other thing)? Is this still considered “proper” usage?

Consider, for example, two of my friends, Sage and Mary (full names fabricated for privacy and the sake of example). Online, their typical aliases/usernames are Strida and Synoque. As stated in my first paragraph, convention would say to format their names as:

Sage “Strida” Johnston, and
Mary “Synoque” Lu.

If they didn’t want to reveal their last names online, would:

Sage “Strida”, and
Mary “Synoque”

still be considered grammatically sound and/or properly formatted?

Pure curiosity — this doesn’t really affect anything other than my own peace of mind. I have my own display name already formatted elsewhere as [First Name] “[Nickname in Quotes]” and simply wanted to know if this formatting makes sense, since I’ve never seen it used elsewhere like this.

Alternatively, if anyone can provide an example of another first name and nickname formatted like this, please do so.

Thanks!


texts: What is the meaning of "absolutely-ed" in this sentence?


texts:
I would like to modify the following sentence to change the location of the promoter to the opposite side.

"TK promoter in front of the ICP27 gene in both vectors"

Would it be as following??
"TK promoter at back of the ICP27 gene in both vectors"


texts: Can a person's name be used to represent a group of people?

texts:
Can a name of a person (usually from stories, or history) be used to describe a group of people? For example, can Cinderella be used to refer to girls who are poor and have difficulties in life, but who are then lucky to marry a wonderful husband?

Also, are there any more examples like this in the American culture?


texts:
How do "prejudiced" and "biased" exactly differ? Sometimes, they are used interchangeably.

Upon consulting the dictionary, I find that "prejudice" is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as −

  "...an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge". http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/prejudice

And "bias" is defined in that Dictionary as −

  "...supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment". http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bias

While the words appear overlapping each other at one point, they appear different at other point.

What is the real scope of meaning of each of the two words? Can anybody shed some light.


texts: Why does the US judicial system use the emphatic mood so much?

texts:
At my university we receive mandated "Clery Crime Alerts" whenever various crimes are committed on campus. The police officer who writes these always uses the emphatic mood:

"The perpetrator did take the victim's bag", instead of
"The perpetrator took the victim's bag"

More examples can be found by googling the common phrase "the defendant did knowingly". Example (of >10000 hits):

  "... the defendant did knowingly and unlawfully possess one plastic
  straw containing heroin residue ..."

Westchester County District Attorney

Why not "the defendant knowingly and unlawfully possessed"?

Is there some historical or technical justification for this usage or is this just traditional in the judicial system?


texts: Should I use 'follow lemma (1)' or 'follow from lemma (1)'?

texts:
In mathematical papers,  some theorems are proved based on some existing lemmas.

Then, should I use

  Following lemma (1), we prove...

or

  Following from lemma (1), we prove...


texts: "One ones are one" is grammatically wrong?

texts:
We say

  "Two threes are six"

And

  "Four fours are sixteen"

when talking about multiplication tables. We also say

  "One ones are one"

But one isn't plural, so we should say "One one is one", right?


texts:
What does the word "afford" mean in this passage from an online article? I'd appreciate some synonym as well.

Email Limits What You Can Do
You do things with people. How you talk is what you do.
There is a theme amongst the best software thinkers I know, and it goes like this: Architecture is everything. I don’t mean how the code is structured. The architecture of how the software fits, limits, and affords the human mind.

I tend to think that the 3d definition of "afford" from the online Merriam Webster dictionary is closer, but still not very accurate:

to be able to pay for (something)
to be able to do (something) without having problems or being seriously harmed
to supply or provide (something needed or wanted) to someone


texts:
I want to learn the difference between "cope with" and "cope up with". Is the second one wrong or in use?
Thanks in advance.


texts: What word, like 'alviary' is the name for a list of all words in a language?

texts:
I thought it was called an 'alviary' or 'alveary' (poss. 'alvary'), but I can't find anything on any search engines for it (they're mostly interpreted as bee-keeping expressions or names).

I'm sure there is a word that sounds similar, that means 'a list of all (or most) words in a language'.  e.g. a dictionary without the definitions.

Totally stumped on this one.


texts:
The Oxford Dictionary lists the word overtake as a verb only, however I commonly see that it is also used as a noun. For example, this article on BBC does several times.

  Hamilton produced an overtake that will go down...

Is it OK to use it as a noun or should I use "overtaking" instead?


texts: What is a less litigious synonym for "plaintiff"?

texts:
I'd like to say something like "the complainer" for a one-off incident where a person complained about another person, but without implying that they complain habitually (i.e. complainer), and without implying there were legal proceedings (i.e. plaintiff, complainant).

plaintiff - the person in a legal proceeding who makes a charge of wrongdoing against another
complaintant - the party who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding
complainer - a person who makes frequent complaints usually about little things

Example sentence: The ____ accused Mrs. Jones of taking her keyboard. The ____ then proceeded to raise her voice at Mrs. Jones.


texts:
Only when is the green light on vehicles may cross the train track.

Only when the green light is on vehicles may cross the train track.

which of these is grammatically correct to use, as I have learnt the word only at the beginning of the sentence followed by auxiliary verb(inversion), but it sounds a bit odd to me.


texts: A better phrase for 'construction of mock-up objects by following historical recipes'

texts:
I'm looking for a better phrasing for use on a poster describing a scientific project. In this project, we will examine recipes of varnishes and lacquers from old recipe books. We will follow these recipes to recreate the varnishes, and paint these on small glass plaques (the so-called mock-up objects) suitable for chemical analysis.

Our initial phrase was 'construction of mock-up objects by following historical recipes', but this does not really describe what a mock-up object is very well. Another attempt was 'reconstruction of historical recipes as mock-up objects'.

This sounds wrong because we are not 'reconstructing' the recipe as such, it is already there. Rather, we are 'reapplying' or 're-executing' the recipe, but neither of those words sound right.

I think I'm looking for a better re... word, but other suggestions are very welcome.


texts:
I am developing a search control, where user types in and it returns search results. When I get no matching result what message would be correct in that case?

a)  0 result

b)  0 results


texts: Word for the act of administering therapy

texts:
I'm looking for a word describing the act of administering therapy or of giving therapy to someone.

e.g.

  The job of a therapist is to ________


texts: Should you use quotation marks when transcribing an interview in which the speakers are identified before each quote?

texts:
I apologize if the title is unclear, as I couldn't find a great way to phrase this.
What I'm asking is, which of the following would be correct?
Interviewer: Good morning, thank you for joining me.
John Doe: It's my pleasure.
or
Interviewer: "Good morning, thank you for joining me."
John Doe: "It's my pleasure."
Are the quotations marks necessary, should they be left out because the [Name] followed by [:] intro supersedes them, or is including them optional? Is there a specific rule that speaks to this? I've seen both formats used.
Thanks


texts:
Exact Duplicate:
  Can anyone tell me what the suffix “-fu” stands for in the following sentence?

I was reading an article on MSDN where I found a mention to google-fu. It says, “To search for C++ delimeters and code snippets is going to take a little Google-fu on the reader's part.” what does google-fu mean?


texts: How to simplify "noun phrase" + "noun phrase" structure

texts:
Example 1: User 1 and user 2 have the same request.
In this example, I would like to remove the second "user" to shorten the sentence. I wonder if I need to change the first "User" to be "Users". If not, then I do not know how the following writing style is correct.

In our technical writing, we often use "Figs. 1, 2, and 3" to mean "Figures 1, 2, and 3". Since I cannot find a related grammar for such a usage, can anyone give me some hint or tell me which one is correct. (It will be better if there is an explanation)

Another example is to simplify "from user 1 to user 2." I do not know which one of the following two writing is correct: "from users 1 to 2" and "from user 1 to 2."

Thanks!


texts: Single word, please, preferably one derived from someone's name.


texts: Negative and ironic alternative to "unbelievable."

texts:
I want to use a word similar to unbelievable, but with a completely negative and ironic sense.

What word could I use and how would I use it?

Example:

  The fact that you do that is
  unbelievable for me.

I feel that unbelievable sometimes carries a good and interesting image—similar to crazy and awesome. Is it just a matter of expression and accent?


texts: From Avocadoes to Asparagus, from kangaroos to koalas

texts:
What is the name of this literary saying? People use this figure of speech in order to express a wide coverage or variety of a certain class, such as vegetable species available in a market for purchase or animals on display at a zoo. However, would it not make more sense to reference two things with as distant first letters as possible, (like the saying "from A to Z") as opposed to using the same first letter? What logic lies behind this figure of speech?

Addendum

  What motivated me to ask the question was actually an advertisement I heard on the radio for a clinic that treats "bronchitis to back problems" and "sciatica to sore throats," if I remember the exact illness correctly. However, I've seen similar usage in other instances where the same first letter was used. So, there is not an established name for this type of saying, I presume?
  source


texts: Is President of USA same as "leader of the free world"?

texts:
I have seen and heard many people refer to the President of USA (POTUS) as "leader of the free world". e.g. (link)

  Poor Samsung. Even the leader of the free world won’t spare them from
  ridicule.

What is the historical significance of this phrase? Where is the usage of this phrase acceptable? Can it be used in serious publications, perhaps an official document etc.?


texts: I want to know how to pronounce the name, Suzanne. I check dictionary but I don't find anything please help me right now


texts:
Can anyone please describe the use of "be it   or " grammar, I have checked internet but couldn't find anything that me help.

with regards


texts: Does the word "indefatigable" have positive or negative connotation?

texts:
Example usage:

  Terence, you have indefatigable enthusiasm. The effect it has on people is inspiring.

In the sense of exuberance, but you feel positively about it.


texts:
The sign says "bonjour," meaning, "hello."

Where should the commas be? Are any commas required before or after the word "meaning?"


texts: What is the background of the phrase "To get one's house in order"?

texts: I know humans used to have "Houses" comprised of people rather than structures, similar to the Klingon fashion. House of Mogh, House of John, etc.  Is this house of people the house that needs to be put in order? What is the origin of the phrase, and what terms might I use to learn more about these houses?


texts: Is there an equivalent to a 'quarter' for twelfths?

texts: I've heard of quintants, septants, octants, and quandrants, but I can't find a word for a sector of a twelfths. Any ideas?


texts: What am I implying with the expression: "Let's meet so we can get a better feel for each other" in a dating context?

texts:
Just want to make sure I don't say something silly or nonsense. I am not a native speaker and the expression "have fun" is translated as "have fun" in all other language but in English is means let's have sex! Can someone give me the context of what this statement "Let's meet so we can get a better feel for each other" implies?

Thanks!


texts: Taiwanese Chicken vs Chicken in a Taiwanese Style

texts:
I have a friend translating a menu and she would like to know how best to  translate dishes that are from a certain region vs dishes where the main ingredient comes from a particular place. Names like 'Taiwanese Chicken' could be interpreted as either the chicken is from Taiwan, or the dish is cooked in a Taiwanese style. I would think in that example most people would assume it means chicken cooked in Taiwanese style. For other dishes e.g. 'Australian Wagyu Beef Tenderloin Carpacio', I would interpret it as the beef  being from Australia. I can think of other examples which I could interpret either way e.g. 'Italian Goats Cheese Salad'.

Obviously it's possible to put down 'X cooked in a Y style', or 'Y style X', but both of these sound clunky to me.

Im not even sure how I would clearly indicate I'm talking about the ingredient case either - I can only think of something like 'Noodles with Taiwanese Chicken', which still feels a little ambiguous, and indicates incorrectly that the noodles are more important.

My questions are:
- Is this really as ambiguous as I think? Do you need to know the context of the dish to understand?
- Is there a better way to express that the place refers to the style of the dish?
- How best to indicate that the place refers to the ingredient (whilst keeping it as the first ingredient in the title)?


texts: Meaning of sentences in form "Nor...,as"

texts:
What does a sentence mean in the form of "Nor..., as"?

For example, consider the following sentence:

  The usage of the material is not limited by its appearance. Nor was the usage limited, as some scholars insist, to the modern period.

Although what the sentence is trying to convey is clear: the usage of the material is not limited by both its appearance and the modern period, I am having difficulty understanding the role of the scholars.

Do the scholars insist that the usage was limited to the modern period (which means the scholars are criticized by the author), or do they insists the usage was not limited to the modern period (which means the author concurs with the scholars)?


texts: What is an adjective for a very large negative number?

texts:
A number that is very large (but not infinite) such as 1,000,000,000,000,000 could be called huge, enormous, large, big, gigantic, etc.

A number that is very small such as 0.000000001 could be called little, small, infinitesimal, minuscule, etc.

But what is a word that can describe a number that is large in the negative, such as -1,000,000,000,000,000?

If we were talking about dates, I might use the word early — but is there a term that applies to numbers generically?


texts: Idiomatic expression about the insignificance of details

texts: I'm trying to find an idiomatic expression that discards the importance of little details for seeing at the big picture. In Spanish we have a saying that goes something like "Sometimes the trees do not let us see the forest." I was wondering if there is a similar expression that's used in written English.


texts:
I occasionally see the participle "proven" in mathematical texts, instead of "proved".
Of course I realize that this a deliberate archaism, but I wanted to know if this is still used in books or articles in the USA, and whether  a young American  would find the  form proven odd in 2012.

(I'm asking because I have a not completely finished project for an article that would end with: we have thus proven that the zeros of the zeta function are on the line...)


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is “used in anger” a Britishism for something?

Several years ago, a British friend of mine introduced me to the phrase "use it in anger."  Until that time, I had never encountered the phrase in my limited travels in the United States.

My understanding from his usage is that it means to really use something, or try something out completely, or apply something to its fullest extent.  (Feel free to correct me on this.)

I must confess, I actually like the phrase and tend to use it myself.  My question is simply, where did it come from?  I am guessing it is of UK origin, but what what the first use of it in anger?


texts:
I'm curious about the concept of vernacular vs lingua franca. Historically there is a negative connotation to the word 'vernacular,' where it was used to refer to an inferior language (of the slaves) and hence subservient to a higher, more common language. Whether this connotation remains today, I don't know.

But could you illustrate with examples from other countries? Can German, which is the mother tongue in Germany, be a vernacular in other nations? And for a tongue to be a lingua franca, must it necessarily be an outside language that's gained currency?

Lots of points, but I'd appreciate any inputs/debate on this.


texts: American English: "walk with" meaning "bring"

texts:
Is it idiomatic or slang American English to say "I am walking with a small suitcase" to mean "I am bringing a small suitcase"?  Other examples I've heard: "I didn't walk with enough supplies for this trip".  Meaning the person didn't bring enough supplies.

I can't find any references on Google for usage of such an expression in the English language.

If someone can give me a precise answer backed up by English grammar or other documentation it would be great.


texts:
Which of the following examples is grammatically correct?

There was someone at the door. It WOULD BE the milkman.

There was someone at the door. It WOULD HAVE BEEN the milkman.

If both are possible, do they mean the same thing?
Thank you very much for your kind help.
Paolo


texts: instead of "you're in my hair", someone said "you're on my hair", is that right? or different meaning?

texts:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0SVsbHJN5Z/
It seemed a hilarious one, but I just don't get it. If it wanted to say same as  "I love you but you're annoying a little bit", why did it use "on my hair", or it's totally different meaning?


texts: Vocabulary – ice hockey etc – does one ' "score" two assists'?

texts:
In ice-hockey, we score goals. What verb do we use with assists?
Can we say "He scored three points in the game: two goals and one assist" or "he scored two assists in the game". If not, what verb do we use?


texts: Single word for "led my team to victory"

texts:
I need to submit my achievements for purpose of an interview. But the questionnaire format is such that I need to use as few words as possible.
I want to convey "led my team to victory in ABC XYZ competition".
Is there a way to write this as "<word> in ABC XYZ competition"?
Edit:

yes, a shorter punchier phrase would work
ABC XYZ is a fitness competition within the company i was working, where we had to log our daily activities, worth double when we did in group. We were organised into teams of 8 each. My role was to nudge people into doing more, and encouraging them to work out in groups.


texts: Verb to be before pronoun in declarative sentences

texts:
I saw this sentence in a newspaper cartoon:

  Not only are you dysfunctional — you appear to be completely spineless as well.

Is the verb are in the right position?


texts: What does "Let me know if the problem persists" exactly mean?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When are “if” and “whether” equivalent?

Which one is the correct meaning of "Let me know if the problem persists."? Or is it ambiguous?

If the problem persists, let me know.
Let me know whether the problem persists or not.


texts:
Whether our work be finished, daylight is fading. We're done.

Is this wrong? Is it too American? If so, how or why, please?

Would you suggest a concise, well-written alternative to "We're done"?

A NOTE REGARDING WHETHER THIS QUESTION IS A DUPLICATE

At a casual glance, my question looks like a duplicate. However, I do not believe that it actually is. I do not mean it to be a duplicate, at any rate.

A question almost like mine has been asked at least twice. However, this question implies that the work had been finished, which is explicitly not what I imply here; and, perplexingly, this question asks what I have asked, but then accepts an answer which (as far as I understand) answers a different question.

So, years later, I think that we have room for another go at this.

(If I am technically mistaken, if my question actually is indeed a duplicate, then would you help me to edit it so that it is not? The point is that the answer I seek does not yet, as far as I know, exist on this site; and that it will probably never exist until the question is more precisely put, as I have tried to do here. Thanks.)


texts:
I know to make a call and this makes sense to me. But recently I read in an article:

  [...] if you are actually placing calls.

I wonder about the verb to place. NGram Viewer shows that this phrase is in use for about 100 years now. Where does it come from?


texts: "A sensible person like you" vs. "a sensible person like yourself"

texts:
What is the difference between you and yourself in the following context?

  My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name.
  My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like you can call him by his name.


texts:
My dictionary defines the following:

yarn: thread that has been spun, used for knitting, weaving, etc.

I am unsure of the meaning of the plural form "yarns". To illustrate, I'll use two examples:

A. "He sold yarns of many colours---red, blue, and white."

B. "She found that five yarns corresponded to a width of one centimetre in the knitted fabric."

After consulting with people that speak English well, I get two different answers:

"yarns" refers strictly to several different types of yarn, as the word is used in example A. However, "yarns" can not be used to refer to several threads of yarn as in example B. (This makes the "yarns" somewhat similar to the "peoples".)
"yarns" may refer to both several different types of yarn and several threads of yarn. Both example A and B show correct usage of "yarns".

Which of these definitions of the plural form is correct? (Or maybe the answer is something different?) If "yarns" cannot be used to describe several threads of yarn (as in example B), then what should example B look like? Is the term "threads of yarn" ok?

The text I am writing is rather formal, so I would appreciate answers that are appropriate in a formal context.


texts: Is there an elegant word for "after we finished the project"?

texts:
I am trying to concisely say, "Trained and coached high value hires after we finished the project."

One attempt: "Trained and coached high value hires postliminary."

Postliminary is the right idea, but it doesn't seem to read well.

"We trained high value hires who took over the project after we finished the job."

That attempt seems clunky and long.


texts:
Logo/Linguaphiles, I am in need of your guidance.

What were you taught when it came to phonics of words that start with the letter "I"?

When is a short/long "I" sound used and what are the rules for determining so?

Why are "ice", "Ireland", "iron", etc. pronounced with a long "I" sound while "indigo", "internet", etc. pronounced with a short "I"?

Now some of you might say if the "I" is followed by a consonant and vowel the "I" takes on a long "I" sound, but how does that rule apply to words like "imagine", "inadequate", "iridium", "Italy", etc.?


texts: judge somebody/something (on something)? or judge somebody/something (by something)?

texts:
I saw 1 English teaching material written by a non-native English speaker said "shouldn’t judge others by their clothes".

However, there is a structure

  judge somebody/something (on something): Schools should not be judged
  only on exam results. Source

Then, Should "shouldn’t judge others on their clothes" sound better?

So, "judge somebody/something (on something)"? and "judge somebody/something (by something)"? Which one is accurate?


texts: "is the most logical order" vs. "is in the most logical order"

texts:
My English teacher used this sentence in his question.

  Which of the following is the most logical order?

The question contained five answer choices (1,2,3,4,5), with each choices indicating a particular order of a,b,c,d (e.g. b-a-d-c).
However, in my opinion, "Which of the following is in the most logical order?" is better English, since it is one of the choices (one through five), not the order itself, that is being asked in the question.
From the perspective of a fluent native speaker, is there any grammatical, or contextual error in the first sentence?


texts: 'Keeping up-to-date on' or 'Keeping up-to-date with'?

texts:
I recently replied to someone who was informing me about my application for something. I replied "Thank you for keeping me up-to-date on my application". Afterwards I wondered if I should have written "Thank you for keeping me up-to-date with my application".

Which is grammatically correct?


texts: How to identify the object in a sentence?

texts: What is the object in the sentence, "We went down the slope."


texts:
Grammarly says hyphenating is necessary for a compound adjective before a noun as follows.

The municipal government is funding a community-based education system.
Wind-powered generators can be excellent sources of electricity.
Many veterinarians find meat-fed cats to be quite healthy.

But when is hyphenating necessary for a compound noun? Grammarly recommends checking a dictionary.

Mother-in-law
Master-at-arms
Editor-in-chief or editor-at-large

Are there detailed guidelines if dictionaries say nothing? For example,

Wikipedia: A flight-to-liquidity is a financial market phenomenon occurring when investors sell what they perceive to be less liquid or higher risk investments, and purchase more liquid investments instead, such as US Treasuries.
Barron's: Even gold is getting hit in the flight to liquidity, losing $13 to $1215.
Bloomberg: In addition, there were few signs of a flight to liquidity within the asset class.
MarketWatch: Gold prices on Wednesday dropped back to their lowest settlement since December, signaling a flight to liquidity by investors will continue to outweigh the metal’s traditional haven appeal as equities see another round of heavy losses on worries over the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Are the hyphens in the first Wikipedia example necessary?


texts: How is the word 'possible' used in this sentence?

texts:
"My job is important because it makes the best use of nature possible."
I'm not sure how the word 'possible' is used in this sentence.
I've looked up the dictionaries and thought of possible usages.
First, I guess it could be a way used after adjectives to emphasize that something is the best, worst, and so on as the sentence "It was the best possible surprise anyone could have given me."
Otherwise, it could be used to modify the word 'nature' as post-modification.
It's quite confusing. I would appreciate if someone answers this question. Thank you.


texts: 'Absolutely no right' and 'no absolute right' difference?

texts:
I have stumbled upon a (for me) fascinatingly obscure semantic debate. Having used 'no absolute right' in a hypothetical sentence, I read it over by mistake as 'absolutely no right.' I had heard both variations used but was not certain of the difference.

  You have no absolute right to a reply just because you posted a Q on ELU!
  (I interpret: We are not bound to give you an answer)

  You have absolutely no right to a reply just because you posted a Q on ELU! (I interpret: We will decide at our sole discretion whether or not to give you an answer)

I could locate no sources online that seem to have addressed this difference, but found this amazing legal transcript regarding the right of civil servants to a pension, where the crux of the incredibly long and detailed argument was whether or not 'no absolute right' in the wording of the particular rule should be interpreted as 'absolutely no right'

  Argument for the civil servants (petitioners): Just because the rule is worded as 'the civil servant has no absolute right to a pension', we cannot infer that he has 'absolutely no right,' as the State contends. (paraphrase)

  Counter-argument by counsel for the State: Since the civil servant has 'no absolute right' to a pension, he has 'absolutely no right' to take legal recourse to secure the same, because the rule implicitly leaves the decision of granting a pension to the sole discretion of the State. (paraphrase)

http://www.singaporelaw.sg/sglaw/laws-of-singapore/case-law/free-law/court-of-appeal-judgments/13182-tee-soon-kay-v-attorney-general-2007-3-slr-133-2007-sgca-27

In short it is no small matter. So can somebody tell me what is the fine difference?


texts:
This question was asked by my son:

  Why do we pronounce 'Mother' as 'Mather' but we write it as 'Mother'?

I don't know what to say. He keeps on writing 'Mather'. He is not agreeing. Please suggest to me how to convince him. He says that we spell and write 'Father' the same, why not for Mother as Mather?


texts: Word for semi-open structure used for making braais in South Africa

texts:
I'm looking for a word for a semi-open structure that is traditionally used for making braais (barbecue) in South Africa. The one I have in mind had a thatched roof, but I reckon that is not necessarily a rule. The building stood in the backyard. The building had one wall on each end, and the space where the other two walls should be was open. the building was of rectangular shape, but I don't think that mattered. I saw many like that when I was in Joburg and Parys. They referred to it with a particular name, but I cannot remember what that was. It was not shed, gazebo, lapa/lapha,   rondavel, mokhoro, fale, cabana, chickee/chikee, Tiki hut (or any other kind of hut), palapa, pergola, ramada, barn , shelter,cottage or shack.

For a sample sentence: "Hey, should we have a braai (BBQ) in the *(missing word)".

It looked a bit like this (except that the thatch did not hang this low on the left side - on both sides the thatch was levelled like on the right side of this picture - and the walls on both ends were made of concrete).

Thanks


texts: What does an 'ice run' means in Heathers?

texts:
There is this scene in Heathers (1988), where Veronica and JD sit in her car discussing a murder they commited the night before. Veronica is upset by being fooled, but Jason reassures her it was all for good. After that she asks him if they could make an ice run before funeral.
Veronica: God!
JD: Football season is over, Veronica. Kurt and Ram had nothing to offer this school but date rapes and AIDS jokes.
Veronica: Sure... Could we make an ice run before the funeral?
He then shrugs and answers positevely. I considered a drug reference, but it doesn't seem to fit in the movie. What can it possibly be?


texts: Difference between "insensitive" and "not sensitive"

texts:
Is there any subtle difference implied when using "insensitive" as compared to "not sensitive"?

I am writing: A is insensitive to changes in B.

But someone suggested that it conveys a strong conclusion (and would need more explanation) and instead I should use "not sensitive".

ngram


texts: "Genealogy" for relationships between teachers?

texts: Is there an equivalent word to "genealogy" that describes relationships between teachers? Like the relationship between a teacher, their student and their student's student, etc.?


texts: A one-word verb meaning to "make use of"

texts:
I'm struggling to find a concise one-word verb (for a paper title) that means "to make use of". The context is that I have a material—let's call it "Thulium"—that people don't think is very useful. I'm writing a paper that discusses how Thulium can be quite useful.

I would prefer the title to be of the form "[verb] ing Thulium".

I have thought of the following:

"Leveraging Thulium" (sounds too mechanical and is clichéd in my area)
"Harnessing Thulium" (refers too much to controlling, not enough to making use of; plus since my Thulium is quite boring, it sounds a bit like "Harnessing Grass")
"Consuming Thulium" (doesn't clarify a benefit)
"Exploiting Thulium" ("exploiting" has too many negative connotations)

Any other suggestions?

Ideally the verb should convey a sense of excitement about using Thulium.


texts: It-cleft : "It was the Americas that Spaniards brought horses to." is grammatically right?

texts:
The original sentence is "The Spaniards brought horses to the Americas."
I recently have made a final-term test question like this:
Q: Where did the Spaniards brought horses?
A: ______________________________________(Make sure to use the 'it-cleft')

Not a few students answered like this: "It was the Americas that the Spaniards brought horses to."
But, I think that only "to the Americas" is a right answer. Does the preposition 'to' need to be next to the noun? So, Separating 'to' and 'the Americas' seems to be awkward.
What do you think about it? I'd really appreciate it if you could help me...


texts:
I have seen a photo on the Internet of a customer filling a large empty jug from a soda fountain at a fast food restaurant. It had caption that someone is "gonna nig". What does "nig" mean?

Among general reference sources:

It's not in Cambridge or OxfordDictionaries at all.
There's no verb meaning in the Wiktionary entry.
I couldn't view its definition in Merriam-Webster because of the paywall.
The only verb definition in Dictionary.com lists it as a synonym for "nidge", a term used in masonry that makes no sense in context.
"Nig" as a noun is a clipped racial slur (as seen at YourDictionary and at TheFreeDictionary, which mirrors a Wikipedia disambiguation page).

Is this related to "renege"? Or if it's a verbing of the clipped racial slur, what meaning is implied?


texts:
This stems from an answer on the Bicycles StackExchange site: https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/a/28633/1464

I think many people have heard of driving (or riding) "defensively."  I understand this to mean driving (or riding) in a way which mitigates risks that other road users (or hazards) may pose.

But until today I had not heard of riding "defensibly."  I proposed a correction to "defensively," but was rebuffed and accused of being an American.

The question: is the adjective "defensible" applicable to driving or riding in the sense I have outlined above, or is only "defensive" defensible?


texts: How to determine what an attributive clause modifies

texts:
I was wondering how to determine what an attributive clause modifies?

For example:

  It has been associated with
  neoclassical economics and with the
  neoclassical synthesis, which combines
  neoclassical methods and Keynesian
  approach macroeconomics.

Does "which combines neoclassical
methods and Keynesian approach
macroeconomics" modify "the
neoclassical synthesis"?
If without the second with, i.e.,

  It has been associated with
  neoclassical economics and the
  neoclassical synthesis, which combines
  neoclassical methods and Keynesian
  approach macroeconomics.

How can one tell if the attributive
clause modifies "the neoclassical
synthesis", "neoclassical economics
and the neoclassical synthesis" or
"It has been associated with
neoclassical economics and the
neoclassical synthesis"?


texts:
I have two questions about the following two sentences:

(1) "One explanation should be accepted over another if it can explain the evidence better."

(2)  "One explanation should be accepted over another if it can explain the evidence better than the other."

Question 1: Is "it" an ambiguous pronoun in either sentence?

Question 2: Does replacing "it" with "former" in sentence 1 make that sentence better?

Thanks for your opinions.


texts: Reflection from/in/off/on a mirror/lake/...?

texts: In scientific fields it is usually "reflection from a mirror". In MW it is used as in "reflection in the mirror" or "reflection ... on the lake". What sense is conveyed by each usage? My guess is that "reflection from" is used to talk about the light that comes back, "reflection in" is used to talk about the image behind the mirror, and "reflection on" is as if we talk about an image painted on a surface.


texts: Do native speakers use the following structure?

texts:
I have come across the structure below in an exercise book for non-native speakers of English.

"Let your teeth be brushed every day."

My question is: do native speakers use this structure? Actually, l feel that it is formal or old-fashioned, right?


texts:
When using "need" is it of or for
For example:

no need for extra money

or

no need of extra money

Which one is correct and why?


texts: Are we using the term 'apocalypse' in wrong way?

texts:
What I read about the term apocalypse on Wikipedia was

  In the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, the revelation which John receives is that of the ultimate victory of good over evil and the end of the present age

  Today, it is commonly used in reference to any prophetic revelation or so-called End Time scenario, or to the end of the world in general.

This really confused me that why we are comparing the victory of good over bad with the end of the world. At one place the New Testament is defining Apocalypse as the victory of good over bad and on other hand we are using the term for the earth destruction.

Does the victory of good over bad mean the end of the human race? Is that's all?


texts:
As a part of my academic paper, I wish to use the "Sequence" word.
Here is the problem:

As you can see in the picture, the "Start Time" of each note is mentioned on the time axis. I want to measure the time differences between A,B,C, and D but I do not know which terms fit in this context.

The sequences of notes' start time
The sequences of starting time of notes
The sequences of music scores

In another part, I trace the time differences when users press the piano keys. Again the same problem

The sequences of key-pressed events

I would be grateful if you guys could help me to find a suitable term for this context.


texts: The subjunctive: The ever-present confusion between tense and wish

texts:
I've been an editor for many years. I have the following question because it's so utterly frustrating: Am I plain wrong, have people changed their ideas about acceptable usage, or are people just careless while using the subjunctive? A seemingly reputable site tells me about conditionals in the context of wish / potential:
#1: Present: If I have the money, I will visit Japan.
#2: Past: If I had the money, I would visit Japan.
For these, I'd say (OR "I'll say"?):
#3: Present: If I were to have the money, I would visit Japan.
#4: Past: If I were to have had the money, I would have visited Japan.
What never fails to perplex is the seeming interchangeability, for many people, between tense and potential. Referring to the above sentences insofar as the subjunctive serves to indicate potential, #1 sounds plain goofy. About #2: For me, saying "If I had" implies I did indeed have; I reserve it for cases such as "If I was rude, it was only because..." Along the same lines, statements of the form "If I was King, I'd ban smoking" occur so often as to make me wonder whether I have it all wrong. Shouldn't it be "If I were King"?
In sum: How can "If I was King" even exist as a phrase indicating a wish/potential?


texts:
Which one is better, I am sending one attached file to my manager.

Please find attached technical detail document of the test.cls file.

Attached is the technical detail document of test.cls file.


texts: What does "liberal's idea of a model" mean?

texts: What does "no Ameican liberal's idea of a model" mean in the sentence "South Carolina, no American liberal’s idea of a model, has pursued a notably enlightened reform to the sentencing of non-violent offenders"?


texts: Were tongue twisters meant for fun? Or were they intended for improving speech?

texts:
Of late, I have been reading and saying out loud a few tongue twisters in English after picking them up in one of the Facebook shares. While tongue twisters probably exist in all languages ever spoken, I have always considered them as a way of having fun with the language and some lollygagging with your friends. Yet some recent reads{1}{2} that I have done seem to suggest otherwise. That tongue twisters in English can play a big role in improving speech and articulation.

Were tongue twisters in English (also) created for the purpose of speech training?
Can regularly saying tongue twisters aloud help in improving my articulation?
While most articles suggest what a tongue twister is, none of them seems to clearly explain how they came into existence. What is the origin of tongue twisters?

The Wikipedia article on Tongue Twisters doesn't appear to have any support towards this argument (that tongue twisters have serious purposes beyond "for the lulz"!).

References:

{1} - Tongue Twisters as a speech training aid

{2} - In Speech Therapy


texts: A verb to combine “to prove” and “to disprove”

texts:
Suppose there is proposition p, and the sentence is:

[1] That [whatever it is] neither proves nor disproves p. [In a sense, it is irrelevant.]

Can I state it in one verb, like:

That does not [verb] p.

Some possible candidates (but not what I am looking for as it contains the word “truthfulness”):

[2] That does not affect the truthfulness of p.
[3] That does not verify the truthfulness of p.

Or, is it the case that:

[4] That does not disprove p.

implicitly contains [1]?


texts: case when "both ... and ..." is used with the single form of the verb

texts:
proofreadnow.com:

  If the subject consists of two or more words that are connected by "and" or by "both...and", the subject is plural and requires a plural verb.

forum.wordreference.com:

  What is required is both talent and hard work.  (pseudo-cleft sentence)

  It is both talent and hard work that are required. (it-cleft sentence) [...] "it is" is a mismatch for plural "that are", so it is wrong.

  It is both talent and hard work that is required. [...] is correct

On the one hand I understand something, but on the other, could you explain to me please the latter box contents the more understandable way?

So:

1. It is both talent and hard work that are required.

2. It is both talent and hard work that is required.

Why is 1. not correct?

Why is 2. correct?

Let's put "both" out:

3. It is talent and hard work that are required.

4. It is talent and hard work that is required.

Which of them is correct and why?

Thanks!


texts: Which preposition can I use with a verb?

texts:
Certain verbs go with certain prepositions. How can I find out which preposition goes together with a verb? Specifically, can "to" be used with "display"?

  John displayed the slideshow to Mary.


texts:
(This is coming from a discussion over at ELL, but the specific nuance below fits here I think).

Consider two statements about a dog:

The dog has brown fur
The dog has aesthetic appeal

and two alternate formulations:

The dog's fur is brown
The dog's appeal is aesthetic

Is it simply idiom, or is there something technical about the role of "aesthetic" in the underlying proposition that makes 4 rarely if ever used?


texts: How to phrase this in one sentence: developed applications and clients were satisfied with the result

texts:
I am in the midst of writing a job resume and would like to write one sentence that captures the following sentences:

developed applications and
 clients were satisfied with the result (happy with the final applications).


texts:
I'm pretty new to English StackExchange, and English is not my first language, so I'm not even sure what tags to look for. So, I apologize if this has been discussed before.

I'm writing up a blog and somehow I got confused with the proper grammar for a sentence that compares one thing to another thing of a different category.  For example, I want to compare Dodge Chargers, the car, with Cheetahs, the animal. Which one is the proper sentence:

Dodge Chargers are equivalent to Cheetahs in the animal kingdom.

Dodge Chargers are equivalent to Cheetahs in automobiles.

Do I use the category from the first or second subject?


texts: How to break sentences to get clear understanding?

texts:
Sparva, unlike Treland’s other provinces, requires automobile insurers to pay for any medical treatment sought by someone who has been involved in an accident; in the other provinces, insurers pay for nonemergency treatment only if they pre-approve the treatment. Clearly, Sparva’s less restrictive policy must be the explanation for the fact that altogether insurers there pay for far more treatments after accidents than insurers in other provinces, even though Sparva does not have the largest population.

My understanding of this passage:
First sentence: Insurers in Sparva are paying for medical treatment, but not paying in other provinces.
Second sentence: Insurers in Sparva pay for far more treatments.
Here I have difficulty in understanding, because in first sentence person is demanding for paying, but in second sentence saying insurers are paying far more for treatment.

It is really confusing...........


texts: Paternity vs. Paternal vs. Parental Leave

texts: Which one is the most commonly used to describe a leave taken by a father in the United States?


texts: "As smart as you may be" means "However smart you may be"?

texts:
As smart as you may be, there are always difficult problems making you in trouble.

In this sentence does "As smart as you may be" mean "No matter how smart you may be"?

So, the first as is a conjunction?

If that means however, then should it be just However or "No matter how"?


texts: Does being in the accusative case guarantee the existence of a direct object?

texts:
I want to clear this matter up once and for all. Even though I have already asked a few questions on the site related to the nominative case and the accusative case, I still get confused by one particular kind of example.

Let's take a simple sentence to consider my problem:

  The book is on the desk.

According to the grammar book I am quoting from in the sentence I've just cited, desk is in the accusative case governed by the preposition on.

In the next exercise, there is a question which asks to find the object in this sentence:-

  The boy stood on a burning desk.

I applied the same logic and thought that here burning desk must be the direct object since, as previously noted, it is in the accusative case governed by the preposition on.

But the book says that this sentence doesn't possess a direct object!

Is it because being in accusative case is different from forming a direct object, or is the "case" something else?

Please keep in mind that because I have only recently started studying basic grammar, that I will be unable to unravel extremely sophisticated, advanced analysis.


texts: How does “rest easily” differ from “rest easy”?

texts:
The New York Times (August 17) reported that the N.F.L. has decided to cracked down on several players who wear fierce and funky face masks to make them look tougher or cooler under the headline, “Uniform police give face masks a closer look.”
The N.F.L. considers the use of such accessorized helmets without a legitimate medical reason violates the league’s uniform policy. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/sports/football/NFL-uniform-police-give-face-masks-a-closer-look.html?ref=sports?src=dayp&_r=0

The article reads:

  “Gone is Brian Orakpo’s corrugated headgear, modeled after the Batman
  villain Bane, and Darnell Dockett’s square-bottomed mask, which looked
  oddly like a panini grill.  Tuck’s face mask fans, however, can rest
  easily. He provided N.F.L. officials with documentation, signed by the
  team doctor and head athletic trainer, certifying that his mask
  protected his neck by preventing opponents from grabbing it.”

I was drawn to the phrase, “Tuck’s face mask fans can rest easily.”
I can find the idiom, “rest easy” in the meanings of “(1) not to worry - CED” and “(2) go to sleep without worries – OED” in any of English dictionaries at hand, but no dictionary carries “rest easily” as an idiom, because I think, it’s a simple combination of verb and adverb.

However, I’m interested in what’s the difference is between “rest easy’ shown in “This insurance policy will let you rest easy “ shown as a sample in OED and “rest easily” in “Tuck’s face mask fans can rest easily” in the above quote.

Does the addition of two letters - ‘ly’- make any difference? If it does, what’s the difference?


texts: What do "take ground" and "vested in" mean in this context?

texts:
Here is an extract from the headnote of a case [1] I am trying to understand:

  The defendants, who were wharfingers, agreed with the plaintiff for a
  consideration to allow his vessel to discharge and load her cargo at
  their wharf, which abutted upon the River Thames. It was necessary in
  order that the vessel might be unloaded that she should be moored
  alongside a jetty of the defendants which ran into the river, and that
  she should take ground with her cargo at the ebb of the tide.

Additionally, if anyone could help illuminate this next part for me, I'd be most grateful:

  The bed of the river at the point where she took ground was vested in the Conservators, and the defendants had no control over it, but it
  was admitted that they had taken no steps to ascertain whether it was
  suitable for the vessel to ground upon.

[1]  “The Moorcock”,  The Law Reports. Probate Division in the Courts of Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division, Great Britain, Volume 13, page 157 (July 1888)


texts:
I work for a company who, for sake of argument, are called Scottish Chickens.

When writing to our customers, should we write that "Scottish Chickens is planning to carry out work to improve the situation." OR should we write that "Scottish Chickens are planning to carry out work to improve the situation?

I prefer the latter but would appreciate your view on this.

Regards, GRL


texts: Where did the phrase "bury the carnival" come from?

texts:
I first saw it in a lyric in the song "Who are You" by Tom Waits:

  Are you still leaving nothing but bones in the way?

  Did you bury the carnival, with the lions and all?

At first glance it seems like a turn of phrase Waits coined himself.  But I found a few uses on Google books, as far back as 1883, that seem to carry a similar meaning:

  On the first day of Lent Barcelona marches out into the country to bury the Carnival, and then the inhabitants, having taken their fill of pleasure...

The Spanish Reformers Their Memories and Dwelling-places By John Stoughton, 1883

  The last party was given by H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Marie of Leuchtenberg, 'to bury the Carnival,' as the Russians said. Dancing commenced at three o'clock

Reminiscences of Court and Diplomatic Life, Volume 1 By baroness Georgiana Liddell Bloomfield

  Shrove Tuesday is also called Violet Tuesday, but internationally it is also known as Pancake Tuesday or Mardi Gras. This day is the end of carnival. There are many different rituals to finish the carnival. In some parts of Germany the people “bury” the carnival.

http://traditiongerman.blogspot.com/

Apart from that, I can't find any information about this phrase.  So if Tom Waits didn't coin the phrase, then where did it come from?


texts: do I need this comma in " ...techniques for fighting fires, in space or at future..."?

texts:
In the SAT Practice Test 8, (question 44) I don't understand what difference having the comma after the fighting fires bit in the sentence.
"Better combustion-rate models may even lead to the production of more fuel-efficient engines and improved ____________________ on the Moon and Mars."

techniques for fighting fires, in space or at future
outposts
techniques for fighting fires in space or at future
outposts

The correct answer is the one without the comma, but I don't understand the explanation that it is incorrect "because the comma between the noun "fires" and the preposition phrases "in space" and "at future outposts" is unnecessary"


texts: Term for surveys to confirm pre-determined outcomes

texts:
I've just finished responding to an alleged "survey" conducted as part of a PhD student's work in pursuit of that award.

The document itself was little more than a "vegan" propaganda rant, dismissing any contrary view by simply not allowing non-supportive responses. The "researcher" climed for instance, that the reason that we call cow-meat "beef" is purely commercial - were it called "cow" people would see the light and become vegans.

This type of survey is unfortunately not uncommon. So much for the value of the qualifications obtained from grants from the public purse - to say nothing of the "validation" it provides for future researcher able to cite Dr. Jo One-eyed's 2014 study which found...what was intended to be found.

So I wondered whether there was a term for such surveys. I'd be tempted to call it an Appleby for obvious reasons - but why coin a term when there's a perfectly good one already?


texts:
In the English translation of Oswald Spengler's Decline of the West that I'm reading, they use the word ant-industry. I tried to google it and also used online dictionaries but found no answer to the meaning of this word. I'm guessing it is some kind of composite but something like anti industry doesn't really make sense to me in the context. The full sentence is

  All genuine historical work is philosophy, unless it is mere
  ant-industry.

More context can be found on google books.


texts: Persistently low lab values vs persistent low lab values?

texts:
I cannot seem to find the best way to express this, both in terms of grammar and "correct sounding" feel to English/American readers (which I am not).
So, this is the scenario: the serum concentration of two peptides, peptide A and peptide B, is measured in a group of patients. The level of these peptides can be either high or low. Patients are tested for both at time zero and after 6 months.
Our interest is on a subgroup of patients who have low levels of peptide A, and not peptide B, at six months. Thus, per our definition, this subgroup of patients includes:

those that have a low peptide A (and not peptide B) level at six months, AND
had either low peptide A/normal peptide B OR low peptide A/low peptide B at time zero

How would you refer to this group if you wanted to include in one sentence both the persistence of low levels and the fact that this only affects peptide A?  I’d like for it to sound natural.
Additional examples for clarity's sake:
Normal range for pep A is 10-20, anything below 10 is considered low pep A, anything more than 20 is considered high pep A.
Same goes for pep B, identical normal range, identical cut-offs for low and high.
+---------+-----------+-----------+--+--+--+-------------+-------------+
|         | time zero | time zero |  |  |  | at 6 months | at 6 months |
+---------+-----------+-----------+--+--+--+-------------+-------------+
| patient | pep A     | pep B     |  |  |  | pep A       | pep B       |
| 1       | 6         | 11        |  |  |  | 4           | 15          |
| 2       | 6         | 2         |  |  |  | 4           | 4           |
| 3       | 6         | 2         |  |  |  | 4           | 16          |
| 4       | 3         | 11        |  |  |  | 6           | 14          |
+---------+-----------+-----------+--+--+--+-------------+-------------+

Patients 1, 3 and 4 would be included in my group.
Patient 2 would not be included because despite having low pep A both at time zero and at 6 months, pep B is also low both at time 0 and at 6 months.
Note that patient 4 is included in my group despite having an increase in pep A levels: this is because despite the increase he still has low levels (below the normal range).
Would I use persistently decreased or should I use persistently low?
In the latter case, would the following expressions work:

Persistent low levels of peptide A-only;
Persistent A-only hypopeptidemia

(Peptide A is a fictional name, the real name would be similar to hypoalbuminemia and could be styled similarly).


texts:
The caged eagle, whose gold-ringed eyes cruelty has extinguished,
  might look as looked that sightless Samson. (Jane Eyre)

Is as a relative pronoun that has the caged eagle as its antecedent?
(It seems as-clause is a complement in the whole sentence, and it is also a subject in its clause. So it could be said a nominal relative clause. This idea seems plausible, yet I can’t find the use of as.)


texts:
I'm trying to express the following with the verb laugh:

  Given a certain condition (that has not been met yet), I will be happy.

So:

  When she laugh, I'll be happy.

However, I'm unsure if the verb goes like above or with the "s", as in "laughs"? I feel like "laughs" suits this sentence:

  When she laughs, I'm happy.

But that is not the meaning I want to convey.

I know that many times, there's more than one answer, so I'm happy to hear all opinions regarding informal and formal conjugations.
If it helps in any way, this is what I'm trying to say in Spanish:

  Cuando (ella) ría, seré feliz.


texts: Part of speech for non reflexive "oneself"

texts:
The words myself, yourself, himself and the like usually function as reflexive pronouns. However, they are also used in context that do not fulfill the common definitions of reflexive. Neither the "agent = patient" paradigm, nor the "agent = grammatical object" definition.

  The author read the book himself.

What part of speech are those self referential words and why?


texts: Term for reference to ambient surroundings when creating a work?

texts:
Is there a term in English (or borrowed from other languages) that describes the moment wherein an author mentions what is happening whilst creating the work one is reading?

As an example, consider the following verse in Bob Dylan's Blind Willie McTell:

I’m gazing out the window
Of the St. James Hotel
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell

My interpretation is that he is gazing out the window when writing the lyric: an intimate moment that bring us even closer, and may describe the inspiration.

Personally, I find that moment absolutely chilling. Is there a name for it?


texts:
Assuming it is possible for "very" to occur naturally as a standalone answer, for example in

  'Was the movie good?'

  'Yes, very [good].'

could it also be used to provide an answer to a question such as

  'Do you like ice-cream?'

  'Yes, very [much].'

i.e. in pretty much the same way that "absolutely" or "totally" could be used to answer it?

I am asking because I remember I heard it on a series I was watching, but when one of my students asked her aunt's Irish friend she said this could never be the case. FYI I am a speaker of American English, so it instictively sounds natural to me for the sake of elliptical speech, though it may not be 100% grammatically correct. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


texts: Saying involving "Spurring an old horse"

texts: Is there a saying like that? I'm thinking it's something along the lines of working something too hard. I don't want to attempt to word it because I'll most likely butcher it horribly.


texts:
While creating this proposal I was struggling to find the right words for olfactory impressions.

Is there a neutral word for an olfactory impression?

smell seems to have a negative connotation
aroma sounds more like having to do with dishes or spices
olfactory impression well, ... that's not a word, it's two. And two that rather focus on the perception of the smell, than on the smell itself.
odour?
scent?


texts:
In US foods and other products, "organic" simply is a federal certification guaranteeing a set of standards are met. Within the organic product space, differentiators include fair trade, local sourcing, no animal testing, and other practices that appeal to the "conscious consumption" aspect of the field.

What is a way of saying "the 'organic' of X," where X is a field NOT associated with actual organic products? Implying conscious differentiators without spelling them out.


texts: Political affiliation discrimination, a one word answer

texts: Politics: When a person discriminates on sex they are sexist, race we call it racism, what is called when someone discriminates based on a political party?


texts: Global socially acceptable way of acknowledging that I'm being a "pedantic w****r"?

texts:
I'm Australian and would not hesitate to call myself a "pedantic wanker" in public (because, well... I often am!).

There is a very small chance that someone (most likely elderly or particularly conservative) may be offended. IMO though, it's quite socially acceptable, and unless you are in a particularly formal setting, the risk of it being considered offensive is extremely low.

However, I work with a lot of people, from all over the world. Whilst my colleagues know me and have learned the context of my speech patterns, I also realise that the casual Australian vernacular can be a little harsh for those that are unaccustomed.

I'm pretty casual by nature and wish to be authentic. So I am looking for something that is not too formal or contrite and maintains a sense of playfulness. I.e. I'm denigrating myself, but mainly as a tool to soften the impact of my critique of someone else, rather than seriously putting myself down. So I'm looking for something that I could say in a similar tongue in cheek way.

Explicitly, I'm wondering how I would best rephrase a sentence such as "I just wanted to be the pedantic wanker and point that out!" [that = a mistake you made that doesn't really matter].


texts: I am interested in the etymology of the term "low key" (in the sense of "being restrained"). I found two theories online - one is that it comes from a photography technique often used in noir movies where the "key light" is placed in a low position which causes hushed tones and shadows. This seems to be the more substantiated version (see here and here for example). The other theory is that it arises from the world of music where lower keys sound more restrained (see here). Which of these is the correct etymology? Any references would be much appreciated.


texts: What do you call a person who conducts seminar workshops?

texts: If a resource speaker or guest speaker is someone who makes usually formal public speeches; a trainer is someone who trains; how about someone who conducts seminar workshops?


texts: A colleague just asked about comparing values "case sensitively". I see those words together on technical sites, but nowhere else. I myself see no problem with the phrase, though it sounds a bit awkward. Is there a better single-word substitute for "in a case-sensitive fashion"?


texts: Why (and since when) is prostitution called “the world's oldest profession”?

texts:
According to Wikipedia, the phrase the world's second oldest profession is "spying" and the world's oldest profession is prostitution.

I was always raised with the understanding that prostitution was the world's second oldest (first could be trading), until I had a conversation today and went to go look it up. Now I see that I'm probably wrong. I've always used "second oldest" and never gotten a queer look regarding my use of that particular phrase, not even by English professors or literature enthusiasts.

Where did that phrase originate and about when? Have we always had it in English? Does it derive from an ancestor language?


texts: Why are these questions structured differently?

texts:
How many rooms does your apartment have?
How many rooms have carpeting?

I'm a native speaker of English teaching at a language school. Recently I was stumped by a question made by a student.
It was:

How come in the first sentence, the question is structured the "regular way" i.e. auxiliary (does) + present simple of the verb (have), whereas in the second sentence we don't use an auxiliary.

I have a feeling that it might be related to subject / object, but honestly I'm not sure. Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
Can I replace between with amid here?

  The engineers need to design the relationship between these function blocks.

Turning into

  The engineers need to design the relationship amid these function blocks.


texts: Do I say "I am going" or "I will be going"?

texts:
Which sounds more correct?

I am going to the post office in 2 hours
I will be going to the post office in 2 hours

Is there any difference between the two sentences?


texts: What is the difference between "ostensibly" and "probably"?

texts: Most of the time ostensibly and probably are used interchangeably. What is the difference between these two words?


texts: An unpleasant adjective for each of the five senses

texts:
I'm looking for a negative adjective to match each of the five classical senses. Each word should be short, simple, well known, the sort of word that would appeal or be known to children, and preferentially end in -y in order to form a nice set.

hearing - it sounds noisy
sight - it looks ugly
smell - it smells smelly
taste - it tastes yucky
touch - it feels yucky

I'm looking for two words to replace yucky for taste and touch.

I've thought of slimy and dirty for touch, but I can't think of anything for taste, i.e. the opposite of tasty or yummy. The words should immediately or overwhelmingly evoke the sense it is linked to. That's why I don't like yucky; it's too generic.

Each word should work by itself: it is noisy (obviously hearing, discounting poor fashion sense); it is ugly (obviously sight), etc.

Suggestions?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When should “into” be used rather than “in to,” and vice versa?

I often get confused about which one to use: in or into? Kindly tell me what the difference is between the two.


texts: Is there a term for a word that is the same upside-down?

texts:
I know palindrome is the term for a word that works backwards and forwards, but is there a similar term for a word that can be flipped/reversed and remain the same?

For example, the word SWIMS or the number 6009.


texts: Is "cast the balance to some/someone's side" a standard usage or a figure of speech?

texts:
...this biass, though, perhaps, it may not appear in a few throws, will certainly prevail in a great number, and will cast the balance entirely to that side. (David Hume, Of the Rise and Progress of the Arts and Sciences, I.XIV.3)

The meaning of this sentence is clear. But is the style of “Cast the balance to that side” a very literal one? Can I use it in scholarly writing?

For example,

  China has concentrated government, huge population..., but in her competition with America, she must be the loser, because democracy and freedom will cast the balance entirely to America’s side.

Is “Cast the balance to some/someone’s side” a standard usage or a figure of speech?


texts: Punctuation at end of sentence containing a title in quotations

texts:
If the title of a song ends a sentence, whether a statement or interrogative, where does the period or question mark go?

For example, is it:

  The Beatles sang "She Loves You."

or

  The Beatles sang "She Loves You".

Is it:

  Did The Beatles sing "She Loves You?"

or

  Did The Beatles sing "She Loves You"?


texts: Describing the sound of liquid hitting the floor

texts:
I'm searching for a word describing the sound of liquid hitting the floor, nothing like water — more like milkshake/vomit.

I know this sounds strange, but I was thinking of plunge. Only to discover that it's more in use for people diving into water...


texts:
"While playing off the hype of the TV show reboot "The X-files," the CIA broke down the cases into two categories, whether you side with Agent Mulder or Agent Scully."

I'm studying English and I can't get the meaning of "play off" here.
Please enlighten me.
Thank you.


texts: How to format a parenthetical citation in a parenthetical phrase?

texts:
Specifically, in APA style. I'm talking about this, for example:

  ...where there has been a long history (artefacts have been found (Smith, 2006)) of such matters...

Is it okay to have double closing parentheses like so? What's the proper formatting otherwise?

Thanks!


texts: Positive antonym for trendy in fashion or overall personal appearance?

texts:
How do you describe someone's fashion sense in a positive way when it is the opposite of 'trendy'? By opposite of trendy I mean that it may still be considered to 'look good' (even though this is subjective), but not popular (many may not like it), not contemporary (it may borrow from old fashioned styles) and not generally in style (but unique and individual). A good example of this could be any of the many alternative fashions, however the extra challenge here is if you want to describe not based on labels of pre-existing alterntaive fashions, but just to emphasize that it's not trendy.
This may come down to providing a more detailed description, but I thought I would try to see if there is a more concise way to describe this.


texts:
Is there a synonym for a car's interior? E.g. 'cockpit', 'cabin', etc.
"He sat quietly in the _____ and waited."


texts: "Holding her finger" vs "holding on her finger" vs "holding onto her finger."

texts:
Mary peered down at the beach, and holding her index finger, she sank back to her seat with a sigh.

  Mary peered down at the beach, and holding on her index finger, she sank back to her seat with a sigh.

  Mary peered down at the beach, and holding onto her index finger, she sank back to her seat with a sigh.

(Mary is travelling to have a surgery on her finger. So, as she becomes aware that she is reaching the airport, she starts unconsciously holding her finger.)

Do the sentences above mean the same? If not, how do they differ?


texts: What does 'graft probe’ mean? Is it well-received word?

texts:
I found the word ‘graft probe’ in the headline of a Associate Press news in today’s Washington Post (April 11) reporting that former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak is presently in detention in Sham El-Sheikh in Egypt.

Though I guess ‘graft probe’ means investigation of criminal act such as bribery, corruption and abuse of authority, I can’t find the word in any of English Japanese dictionaries at hand, Merriam, Webster Free Dictionary and Cambridge Dictionary Online. What does 'graft probe’ mean? Is it a day-to-day English word?

The article begins with the following line:

"Mubarak detained for 15 days in graft probe: Egypt’s prosecutor general has announced a 15-day detention for the country’s former president to investigate accusations of corruption and abuse of authority."


texts: An expression for law students using "tuppence"

texts: Has anyone heard of an expression, from the Renaissance or older, containing the word "tuppence" which describes a student of the law or someone without a great deal of experience or training in it?


texts: How can I say I am unable to attend in a professional way?

texts: How can I say "I cannot attend to the award ceremony since Im in abroad" in a professional way.. to ask how can I get my certificate if I unable to attend..


texts: Why are almost all vowels pronounced "i" in New Zealand English?

texts:
One thing I always notice when I'm hearing Kiwis speaking English is the fact that almost every vowel turns into /ɪ/. Here's a video which illustrates the point (listen to them when they speak vowels).

Example words that video whose vowels I hear changed:

  Has (sounds like 'his'), neck (nick), men (min), death (dith), centre (cintre), yanked (yinked), says (siz), said (sid), etc.

How did this vowel change come about? It doesn't even seem to exist in Australian English, and it seems rather unhelpful as I find this pronunciation makes many words harder to understand.


texts:
What kind of sentence structure is this?
"Too little arousal and one is dull, ineffective."

I don't understand why We can grammatically put the word "ineffective" at the end of this sentence?

Source of this sentence


texts: Why is a w a "Double u", but an m is not a "Double n"?

texts:
My 4 year old son just asked me this, and I have to say I am totally stumped.

I hate not telling him things, so here's hoping you guys can dig me out of this hole.

You can't fault his logic!


texts: Can you (native speaker) write a sentence (have a conversation) without using articles for nouns?

texts:
If you are forced to stop using articles with nouns, would you find it difficult to write or have a conversation?

It is not a question about your feelings, but when you are using an article with a noun, does it come as part of thinking or how you "suppose" to talk/write?

Example:

  As complimentary service, we will give you free license to our
  software.


texts:
Is there a word in English for "the quality of being susceptible of being bounded"?
Is "boundability" an acceptable word for that purpose? (It does not seem to appear in either Webster, Oxford, or Cambridge dictionaries.)
Just to clarify, "boundedness" (the quality of being bounded) does not work in my (mathematical) context because I need to distinguish between "the quality of being bounded" and "the quality of being susceptible of being bounded", which is precisely the key point in the argument.


texts: Is the verb suffix -en (as in light->lighten) rooted in German? German verbs in their infinitive form always end in -en.


texts: Singular or plural when the numeral for an additional item [eg 1 (+1) apple/s] is in parentheses?

texts:
Suppose I have a list:

2 oranges,
3 kiwis, and
1 (+1) apples.

The second apple was added to the basket by someone else, but is of equal importance.
Is the plural of apples correct, or should it be singular?

I have searched and could not find an answer, but I am also not sure how exactly to search for this question. I think these are similar questions, but am not quite sure how to relate it to this case:

Singular or plural verb when pluralisation is used in parentheses
When a sentence uses a parenthetical plural, should the rest of the sentence treat it as singular or plural?

Finally, this question Should I pluralize based on an item in parentheses is very similar, but in my case there is no flow to break, and both apples are the subject (?).


texts: What does "what has changed with" means here?

texts:
What has changed with this tragedy is people’s willingness to
  recognize that religion really does make people do terrible things.

This is from the latest New Republic, the author means that as the Charlie Hebdo slaughter happened, our opinion changed with regard to the relation between religion and terrible behavior. I can figure out his meaning, but am not sure about its semantic sense. How can the “is” link up the subject of change with the result of change. It seems to me what he exactly means is like “what comes into being because of the tragedy is..”. Does “change” also means “come into being”?


texts: It's "application on" or "application in"

texts:
Which one is correct:

  We show its application on

Or

  We show its application in

"its" refer to something (e.g. method).


texts: Punctuation: Dialogue that trails off and picks up again

texts:
How would you correctly punctuate dialogue that trails off, but then picks up again?

A:

  "Something about the way she smells ..." The man breathed in deep, a smile spreading across his face. "... just drives me wild."

B:

  "Something about the way she smells ..." The man breathed in deep, a smile spreading across his face. "Just drives me wild."

C:

  "Something about the way she smells—" The man breathed in deep, a smile spreading across his face. "—just drives me wild."

D:

  "Something about the way she smells—" The man breathed in deep, a smile spreading across his face. "Just drives me wild."

Note: I'm not looking to rewrite this particular example. I'm asking specifically how to punctuate this type of example correctly.

Thank you for your time and any insight on the matter!


texts: Is there a good word for "unsurpassability"?

texts:
I hope that this is a good forum to post the query below, and please excuse me if it is not -- this is my first visit.

I am looking for a noun that describes a state of not being surpassable or exceedable (similar to how "impossibility" describes the state of not being possible).  Is there such a word? "Unsurpassability" seems very awkaward.


texts: Pronoun to use in a one-person report ("I", "we", something else)

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Style Question: Use of “we” vs. “I” vs. passive voice in a dissertation

When I am writing a report I usually use we.

What if the project is done by only one person? Should I use I? It sounds a little bit arrogant.


texts:
The word provenance is used in the sense of denoting the origin of a thing or things. However, can it be used in the sense of asking about the origin of an expression or a word?

Can you ask about "the provenance of", for instance, the term "turn-key", or would that be inappropriate and we should only ask about "the etymology of" the expression?


texts: Can a question starting with "how" be answered with a "when" reply?

texts:
So how did this lying issue start? Well, it began the
  night of my wedding.

Can I answer that "how" question in that way? If not, what would be a better option?

(Now that I think of it, I'm not sure if the answer is a "when" answer.)


texts: Is the usage of "I couldn't tell X apart" correct?

texts:
Example:

  The forest was dark and the trees too many. I could hardly tell shadows apart.

Is the usage of apart correct in the passage above?

(I'm wondering about this because a Google Books search returned only one result).