texts: Does imperative + semicolon + declarative necessitate a causal relationship?

texts:
For instance, take the sentence "Go wash the windows; I like green bears." Given that the two clauses must be closely related because they are joined by a semicolon, is there any other way to interpret this sentence besides it being a command to wash the windows because the speaker likes green bears? Alternatively, if the order is reversed ("I like green bears; go wash the windows") is there any other way to interpret the sentence besides "I like the green bears, so go wash the windows"? I'm asking this question as it pertains to a 19th century British poem, so I'd like to know if the usage in this particular case is any different for that time/location.

This would be different from instances where a semicolon could have multiple specific meanings, like "Go wash the windows; don't break the ladder" (the semicolon could be replaced by "and" or "but") or "Roses are red; violets are blue" (ditto). (Are there other interpretations for those sentences as well?)


texts: Subject and Verb Agreement - When to use Singular / Plural

texts:
I see below suggestion in Grammarly on Subject and Verb Agreement.

"The verb needs does not seem to agree with the subject that. Consider changing the verb form."

And they give below examples on this as suggestions:

***Incorrect**:
Tom and Jenny loves entering trivia contests.
**Correct**:
Tom and Jenny love entering trivia contests.*

***Incorrect**:
The book, including all the chapters in the first section, are boring.
**Correct**:
The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring.*

As an explanation, they say "A singular subject requires a singular verb, and a plural subject requires a plural verb. "

But in the above example that is not the case, Tom and Jenny are two people and they use love and not loves. Can anybody clarify me on this? Thanks


texts:
I'm interested to see what combinations of letters sound like each other - there are of course the obvious ones:
c --> k or s
-ory --> I (pronounced ee)
f --> ph
What other ones are out there? I'm interested to explore some of these (I'm not sure exactly what the technical term is). What can you think of?


texts: How to understand "has, so far, been unascertainable" in this sentence?

texts:
This comes from "The history of western philosophy" by Bertrand Russell.
"Like theology, it consists of speculations on matters as to which definite knowledge has, so far, been unascertainable." What confuses me is "has, so far, been unascertainable", what is the subject of the has here? And how to understand as to which?


texts:
I am looking for an idiom that satisfies the idea of giving away your second option instead of your first.  For example you could have a really nice basketball and a not as nice basketball to play basketball outdoors with.  Instead of choosing the really nice basketball (so as to not risk its quality) to play with you choose to play with the not so good one.
Basically you do not want to give away or risk your best "thing".
"Somewhat" along the idea of Mark Twain's “Don't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.”


texts: Which is the correct spelling of mom/mum in the UK?

texts:
People are saying that Mom is the correct spelling and that it's not American, while others are saying it's Mum and that Mom is American.

So which is the correct spelling for the UK?


texts:
I'm looking for a descriptive words to indicate  "smaller than the standard version".

Example:
I have a html form with some inputs. The inputs come in sizes (eg small, normal, large). Those sizes have a specific width.
Now, I have a version with a small button (in this case an X to delete). That button has a small width. I want the previous mentioned inputs to be a bit smaller, but "smaller" is confusing as it can also mean 'a smaller input' which can be confused with the input[size=small].

[--------------------] <- large
[-----------------][x] <- large + ??

[---------------] <- normal
[------------][x] <- normal + ??

[-------] <- small
[----][x] <- small + ??

Two words could be used in it really has to, but you work like this:
<input class="normal someWord" />


texts:
A google search came up with almost nothing.  Am I just imaging things?  I could have sworn one could use the term "on-parade" to mean a succession of something.
For example:

Life is an on-parade of unexpected events.

or something like that.


texts: Word for the nuances that only an expert might see

texts:
For example, two techniques might appear very similar to a casual viewer - maybe because their names sound similar - but if one understands their detail, they are very different.

I'm sure there is a word to describe the differences, nuances, intricacies that only an expert might know... but I can't remember it.

Any ideas?


texts: Killer Queen. The usage of noun sequences of length two and more. Ambiguity of nouns phrases in English

texts:
I have a question about nouns triplets like "sofa box container" and I'll formulate it at the end. I have some reasoning and I want to make sure I'm correct.

First of all consider the following sample. Common sense helps understand the meaning of these words but I want to know the general rule for understanding the meaning of noun sequences.

Spider man — a man who is also a spider
Killer Queen — a queen who is also a killer
Blade Runner — a man who runs on the blade
Tiger lily — lily of "tiger" type

These are well-known examples. But I suppose the first two should be written with hyphen: spider-man, killer-queen.

Following the logic I tried to create sensible examples of 2-nouns combinations:

  Killer queen — a queen of killers
  Killer's queen — a queen, who is killer's
  Killer-queen — a killer who is also a queen
  Queen-killer — a queen who is also a killer
  Queen killer — a killer of queens
  Queen's Killer — a killer, who is queen's

  Blade runner — 1) a runner who is like a blade (blade as adjective) — 2) someone or something who makes the blade run
  Blade's runner — the runner of blade's property
  Blade-runner — a blade who is a runner (blade and also a runner)
  Runner-blade — a runner who is a blade (runner and also a blade)
  Runner blade — 1) something that blades (verb) a runner — 2) a blade of type runner (what kind of blade? — runner)
  Runner's blade — a blade of runner's property

Suppose we have 2 nouns A and B. The possible combinations of these nouns are:

  A B
  A's B
  A-B
  B-A
  B's A
  B A

Now the question:
How do I interpret combinations of length more than two?
What does "sofa box container" mean? Is it "boxes containing sofas" or "container of boxes where sofas were inside"? And does "sofa container box" mean "boxes which contain sofas" or "a box for a container of sofas"? Any other versions?

And finally, how do I say without prepositions "the machines which contain databases"?

I'm so confused by noun sequences. Any help is greatly appreciated!


texts: Can i use past continuous for past habits?

texts:
I know that we use used to or would for past habits but i've seen many times past continuous in sentences where it does not show annoyance or it's not the background of a story. for example, is the following sentence correct? would a native speaker use that?

i was buying a lot of books when i lived in Paris.


texts:
What does drive-in teller mean in the following sentence?

  It's as those pneumatic canisters you see when you go to a drive-in
  teller at a bank.


texts: "Roger was asking for help to heavens" is wrong sentence?

texts: I'm not a native but I'm working as a writer, writing American gossip news. My boss told me that "Roger was asking for help to heavens." is a wrong sentence. What is wrong with it and what's the correct phrase? Because I've subscribed to grammarly and it didn't find any mistake on the grammar. Thanks before.


texts:
My wife was reading me this poem for our kids' homeschool

  A city plum is not a plum; A dumb-bell is no bell, though dumb; A statesman's rat is not a rat; A sailor's cat is not a cat; A soldier's frog is not a frog;

Sing Song - Christina Georgina Rossetti

I know what a dumb bell and a captain's log are (weights and a diary), but what's a city plum; what is a statesman's rat; what is a sailor's cat; and what is a soldier's frog?


texts: Is there any AmE/BrE difference when describing intermediate colors?

texts:
Is there any difference (AmE vs BrE) when describing intermediate colors, that is, pairs of colors to get the color in between?

For example:

•   Red-blue appearance

•   Reddish-blue appearance

•   Necrotic cartilage is recognized by its dark blue or reddish-blue appearance.

•   On sectioning, hemangiomas show a typical red-blue appearance with a spongy or honeycombing surface.

This question is not specific to red and blue color only. It could also be for any other color mix such as gray-white or grayish-white.


texts: "handy" instead of "mobile phone" (non-Germans)

texts: Does anybody (non-German) ever use the word handy instead of mobile-phone in English?


texts: Why is “bloody” considered obscene in the UK but not in the US?

texts: Why is the word bloody considered obscene in the UK but not so in the US?


texts:
I would like to know what is the basic use of "be to" mainly in reference to the present or future. Any suggestion is highly appreciated.
 like:

  How is this to be avoided?
  You are to come tomorrow.


texts:
After reading a question wrongly posted on programmers.SE and especially the post at PR Daily quoted in one of the answers, I have some doubts about the usage of ellipses.

In French, ellipses are also used when there are several elements in a list, but only a few are enumerated. Example:

  Stack Exchange websites include Stack Overflow, Server Fault, Super User...

I always thought that in English, the usage of ellipsis in this context is not very correct, would never be used in books or press, and must be replaced by "etc.", but is still used in email communication. At the same time, the quoted post from PR Daily doesn't mention this usage.

So:

Are ellipses used in emails by English-spoken people at the end of unfinished enumerations?
If yes, what are the guidelines for this usage of ellipses? Is it totally wrong to use them for unfinished enumerations?


texts: With "I bid you farewell" being a normal phrase, would the phrase "I bid you sleep well" also be correct?

texts: I'm trying to pinpoint the correct application of the verb "to bid" in order to use it in unconventional situations


texts: A word used to describe someone who loves to be photographed

texts: I am trying to figure out if there is a word to describe a person who loves to be photographed.


texts: Long sentence with 'warranty' - from 1871 UK

texts:
[Penult Para, J Blackburn's judgment:] But the second direction raises the difficulty. ♦ I think that, if from that direction the jury would understand that they were first to consider
  ✓ whether they were satisfied that the defendant intended to buy this parcel of oats on the terms that it was part of his contract with the plaintiff that they were old oats, ✓
  so as to have the warranty of the plaintiff to that effect, they were properly told that, if that was so, the defendant could not be bound to a contract without any such warranty unless the plaintiff was misled. ♦ But I doubt whether the direction would bring to the minds of the jury the distinction between agreeing to take the oats under the belief that they were old, and agreeing to take the oats under the belief that the plaintiff contracted that they were old.

How would you analyse/parse the second sentence (that I've bounded with ♦)? I don't know how to decompose it, to begin to understand it. Did I (at least) correctly group the clause bounded with ✓?


texts:
It strikes me that the way we use 'with' is more complex than we may think. So I have two questions:

Can the preposition 'with' be used to mean 'about' or 'in relation to'? (sentence a and b).
And also:
Can the preposition 'with' be used as 'among' (sentence b)

  a) ... because in a moment, we need to get back to my point with Eliot

  b) He has become very popular with the people

  c) The world has not responded in ways similar to what we have seen with
  other crises like the Hawaiian earthquake

These sentences are taken from public lectures 'with' well established writers and political commentators.


texts:
Example:

Your conclusion can be withdrawn only if your prior papers are.

Is repeating the verb at the end required? Like:

Your conclusion can be withdrawn only if your prior papers are withdrawn.

One suggestion would be to replace "are" with "can", but this seems to change the meaning:

Your conclusion can be withdrawn only if your prior papers can.


texts: What does "legal jumping jacks" mean in the marketing context?

texts:
I came across the expression "legal jumping jacks" in a sentence from a sales pitch text which is explaining why that company is good to buy a service from.

The sentence is like as below:

    We(the company) have partners who understand the legal jumping jacks used by commercial vendors.

I consulted the internet but couldn't find a meaning of jumping jack other than the exercise which is obviously not what it means in the above sentence.

Could anybody please help me understand this?


texts: meaning of phrase "what the Meno wrought"

texts:
I am trying to read The Mind's New Science: A History of the Cognitive Revolution by Howard Gardner. The title of chapter 1 is "Introduction: What the Meno Wrought". I don't understand what the chapter title means. The chapter also has, as an epigram, this quotation from Plato's dialogue, the Meno, that I don't understand:

  One thing I would fight for to the end, both in word and deed if I were able—that if we believed that we must try to find out what is not known, we should be better and braver and less idle than if we believed that what we do not know it is impossible to find out and that we need not even try.

Could you explain these sentences a little for me, please?


texts: Can "prior" or "previous" be used to describe the same month of last year?

texts:
If I want to show the comparison between rate in 2010 Jan and 2009 Jan, which of the following should I use?

  Comparison of rate between 2010 Jan and its prior month.
  Comparison of rate between 2010 Jan and its previous month.


texts: Separating Clauses in Garden-path Sentences

texts:
While Nancy was dressing the baby played in the garden.

I'm not sure where the first clause ends! After baby or after dressing?

Please, suggest some way I can improve that sentence.


texts: Omitting the last "to" in "All {I need to / have to / must} do is (to?) do something"

texts:
I remember I learned a structure like the one that this post’s title mentions:

All I {need to do | have to do | must do} is do something.

But is it correct to use "to do something"  after the "is" —  as compared with just plain "do something" without the "to"?
Or to be more specific, which of the following sentences in each pair is correct, or are both version correct?  The second one in each case adds "to" to the formula:

Pair #1:

All I must do is prepare myself for the test.

All I must do is to prepare myself for the test.

Pair #2:

What we should do is teach children how to think.
What we should do is to teach children how to think.

As far as I could remember, both forms should be fine.  But it seems that all the materials, texts, and articles I've read so far use the first form only.
Furthermore, I'd really appreciate it if you could show me some references, like webpages or some book, where I could find more information about this point.


texts: Should simple present "get" be used here, and why?

texts:
Here is the sentence:

  You're looking for Bob. Nobody is sure where he is but you get some suggestions.

Why is get used?

I think it should be got or are getting.
Please explain if that's right.

Update: This is from Murphy's "English Grammar in use".
This text appears above a box where a person is asking where Bob is and people are replying with suggestions where he may be.


texts: Omission of ‘that is’ in English sentence

texts:
In the sentence:
“it is a culture very comfortable with silence”

The “that” and “is” is omitted, anyone know what this is called or why it happens?


texts: "You 're telling me" - What kind of expression is this?

texts:
In normal everyday language we use hundreds, if not thousands of special formulas which are ready-made or fixed expressions and that we use in a very specific situation and that don't fit in any other situation.

The ability of communication is to a high degree bound to the mastery of such formulas. Though this class of formulas is of high importance there is no standard name for it. I have been studying this sector of vocabulary for a considerable time and invented the term Ugf ( umgangssprachliche Formeln) to have a name for this class of formulas.

But I have no English name. My best invention is

"Fixed situational expressions/Fse".

What would you suggest or are there already some terms that are used for this class of formulas?

Another related question. My private collection of what I would call Fse consists of some hundreds of such formulas, I guess. But I would like to know how many Fse we use as an average. I think there must be about two thousand, perhaps even more.

These Fse are different from normal idioms. If you don't know a special idiom you can take a similar one or say it with normal words. But it is very hard to replace an Fse by another expression. Almost impossible. Either you know the Fse or you can't use it.


texts: How can there be any indicative if-clauses?

texts: As far as I know, if-clauses always describe theoretical situations. Sometimes the theory is very obvious and self-evident, but it remains a theory. So how can we use the indicative in if-clauses all the time? Is that not the mode of facts and statements? We do have a mode for theories; why don't we use it? Why doesn't every sentence with an if have to contain at least one verb in the subjunctive?


texts:
I did something stupid yesterday. "What a ruggit", I said to myself, meaning a stupid person. It occurred to me I hadn't heard the word for a while, so I looked it up, and found this source here

  Someone a little mentally ambivalent - i.e. 'simple.

But I noted the etymology given

  (Ruggits was the local 'special' school)

and I don't think it's right. I remember hearing the word in the mid-seventies, and the explanation I heard then was the same (a 10-year-old etymologist!), but I can't find any trace of a school with that name and don't believe it exists. Also, the source notes it as a south-western English term, and I was living in the south-east of England at the time; a school can't be 'local' to both areas.

A possibility is that it is related to the Manx ruggit, new-born, but that seems a little farfetched. Or perhaps a corruption of rugrat.

So, can anyone shed any light on the matter? Does anyone know why a ruggit is so called?


texts:
I want a proverb, a metaphor, or a figure of speech about someone who collects non-selectively and carries a heavy load that hurts him. He wants to quickly unload it. In Arabic, we say a night haystacker. He works at night so all he can do is collect hay without being able to select the good stuff. Also, that the load hurts him, he wants to quickly unload.

This is a title of an article about beginning translators who choose any offer and are in a hurry to deliver to the customer and relieve themselves from the pressure.


texts: Does the concept of “breaking scene” exist?

texts:
The idea of breaking character is a common concept in English.

Wikipedia explains breaking character as:

  In theatre (especially in the illusionistic Western tradition), breaking character occurs when an actor ceases to maintain the illusion that they are identical with the character they are portraying.

Does the idea of breaking scene exist?

That is to say: destroying the illusion of the entire scene of work - as opposed to just a character.

Is there a more apt term?


texts:
I came across this construction that was being said by a native English speaker (AmE):

  Usually actually at this point, you don't really know what the Git
  repository is going to be so I'm not sure if I would ever know
  this question.

Is that a grammatical inaccuracy, or is the "If I would" construction correct in some contexts?


texts: Why do we say "apologies to" when we quote someone?

texts:
I just replied to a comment on StackOverflow, writing: "I know of nothing but miracles (apologies to Walt Whitman)"

But then I got to wondering: why do we apologize to someone for quoting them? Shouldn't it be "kudos to Walt Whitman" or "hats off to Walt Whitman" or "here's to you, Walt Whitman" or so?

Especially when the person is dead (such as WW), it seems odd to apologize for quoting. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?


texts:
Consider the following example sentence:

  The ball often hit the tree and never the man.

I am trying to represent this sentence as a constituency-based parse tree, but I am having a hard time deciding where to put the adverbs often and never.

For the sentence The ball often hit the tree. it is simple:

Even the coordination of NP can be represented easily:

Where would the constituent never be added to the tree? It is connected to the noun phrase the man, but at the same time adverbs never belong into noun phrases. What structure is generally used to represent this special case where adverbs of a verb phrase belong to a noun phrase?


texts: Is there a symbol used with AD and BC to mean "possible date"?

texts:
When historians are writing, they use BC and AD with the date, e.g.:
Robinson discovered the island in 202 BC.
If historians are uncertain about the date, is there a simple and short notation they can add to the date, to indicate the uncertainty? I'm looking for something like this, but more professional:
Robinson discovered the island in 202 BC (?).


texts: What is the noun to refer to the 64- or 32-bit -ness of an operating system

texts:
I know that "processor architecture" can be used to refer to whether the processor is 32-bit or 64-bit (or something else), but what word can be used for the operating system? Note that it's not necessarily the same as the processor architecture, e.g. I can install a 32-bit OS on a 64-bit machine.

Also, this is for a business document for non-technical people, so I'd like to avoid an overly technical terminology.


texts: Single word for "refusing to move to next activity unless present one is completed."

texts:
A perfectionist is defined as follows:

  a person who refuses to accept any standard short of perfection.

But I am looking for a noun which describes a person who refuses to move forward in
an activity or thought unless the present one is sorted out. Kind of like having a mental block to move ahead, but by choice.


texts: Is "apocrypha" plural? These are extra-canonical books of the Bible. Is a singular one called an apocryphum or apocryphon or something like that?


texts: Use of *obviously*, *apparently* and *evidently* as qualifying words while reporting what someone said -- what is the difference?

texts:
Jack from India: what sort of country is USA?
Tom: the USA is a very big country, and very democratic!
Jack from India later tells a friend: I asked Tom; USA is ......

I asked Tom; USA is a very big country, and obviously very democratic.
I asked Tom; USA is a very big country, and apparently very democratic.
I asked Tom; USA is a very big country, and evidently very democratic.
I asked Tom; USA is obviously a very big country, and apparently very democratic.
I asked Tom; USA is apparently a very big country, and evidently very democratic.
I asked Tom; USA is evidently a very big country, and obviously very democratic.

In the specific context of something not originally or directly known to the speaker, but heard from someone else and later reported, how do obviously, apparently and evidently modify the meaning of such statements, especially in terms of conveying the speaker's level of confidence in the veracity of what someone said?
Please note: I do not use 'apparently' here to mean 'looks so, but is not really so' as in "he is apparently a honest man (but not really one)", but in the sense 'I wouldn't know to begin with, but so-and-so says so', as in mathematics is apparently a very challenging science (I wouldn't know, but Tom says so!)


texts: Is 'worse' the only comparative that has neither -er nor more?

texts:
There was a question recently about comparatives and it got me thinking about how comparatives are formed.

There are those that take -er and those that use more to indicate comparison, but is worse the only comparative in English that is intrinsically comparative? That is, it is not necessary to modify it by adding a suffix or a helper.

Why is this the case? Looking at Etymonline seems to indicate that it came into English as a comparative already, which would I think explain its irregular form, but I don't know enough about etymology to know if that is a good guess. Are there other words like this, or is worse unique?


texts: What is a noun that means the target of advocacy?

texts: If I'm an advocate, for whom or what do I advocate?  What do we call that thing for which I'm an advocate?


texts: Word for a web site that can be used on mobile/tablet/PC/others

texts:
I'm creating a presentation for a dashboard system and I cannot figure out a word that describes a system that can be used on multiple devices or multiple peripheries. This dashboard is a web application, which means it can be viewed by mobile/tablet/PC/others.

What is single word (or variant) for multiple devices in this context?

Example context:

  Dashboard is _______ as it can be viewed from both phone and computer.

Also I considered the words "adaptive" and "adaptable", but these are too general, and might have different meanings.


texts: Is "The blue boat is an extension of my legs" a metaphor?

texts:
In the book "The Kayak" by Debbie Spring comes the sentence, "The blue boat is an extension of my legs."

Is this phrase an example of a metaphor?


texts:
I know there is a word or two-word phrase (i.e. xxx-cost) that can be used in a business context to describe the cost of duplicating an item, but I can't remember it.

For example; for software this cost is near zero, whereas for diamond rings it is high.

Can anyone help me here?


texts:
Each of us is responsible for their conduct. or: Each of us are responsible for their conduct.
Is this correct? Or I have to use the verb in plural?


texts: Take the medicine as prescribed.  As there is no verb to be in this sentence, is it passive because it is implied? ..i.e., Take the medicine as (it was) prescribed.?


texts:
I`m just curious about how to speak "anti-" is correct?

it`s like ant/ai/ or ant/i/??


texts: what is the story behind the word 'Sky' meaning 'the most amazing girl you can ever meet'?

texts:
I researched this question on this site. I saw the word  sky used in a way I never heard if. I searched on google and saw these definitions on The Urban dictioney (https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Sky) that include
"the most amazing girl you can ever meet. She's nice, funny, undeniable, and caring. A great lover and friend. will put a smile in your face and make you laugh until you pee." (2010)

and "The perfect girl. Has wonderful stories, makes you laugh any chance she can, and is absolutely gorgeous. Sky is the perfect girl because she cares about you and how you feel. She is shy, yet social at the same time. She is beautiful, and it seems as though she is the only ray of light in this world of darkness. She is perfect." (2019)

And I never heard of this usage.

May I ask the story behind this usage. To narrow that down, I guess (1) the origin I(as close as close as possible) and (2) how widespread it is.

Thank


texts: How did the term "esquire" come to be used for lawyers?

texts: Esquire, as I understand it means "mister." But in modern usage it is an abbreviated American appendage to names that indicates one is a lawyer, and it is used for men and women.  How did that happen?


texts: Suppose a person is after something or somebody. For example, Tom wants to be with Jane, but somebody else wins her heart, and Tom says, “She was ugly/fat/... anyway.” Is there a word or idiom to describe Tom's reaction?


texts: Paste data in/to/into the Excel-based calculator

texts:
I am writing an instruction for an Excel-based calculator. Which preposition should I use?

Paste data in/to/into the calculator


texts: Question is self-explanatory. Just curious and want to expand my knowledge of English.


texts: How strong/vulgar is using "to bitch" in the meaning of "to complain"?

texts:
I understand that calling a woman a bitch is a very strong language. However, is the word vulgar per se? Specifically, when used as a verb to bitch in the meaning of to complain (see What's the meaning of "bitching"?), is it also so strong? Could you use it in front of your grandmother? :)

ADDED: Is it acceptable to use it towards kids?

As a parent:

  Stop bitching about the food.

As a teacher:

  If you keep bitching about the homework, I'll give you even more.

As a bonus, could you place here some examples of to bitch in the above mentioned meaning so the wider context (such as prepositions which may follow etc.) is made apparent?


texts: References explaining the term "fire in the belly"?

texts:
What is etymology of the phrase "fire in the belly"? What is known about what it refers to?
Thank you.


texts:
Are the uses of commas correct? Or should I use semicolon instead.
I don't think this sentence is grammatically correct, esp. the part in bold.

  The term Holon is the combination of Greek word “holos”, meaning the
  whole, and the suffix, “on”.


texts:
The animal ate the father of Jay, who was an engineer.

So who is the engineer here? Father or Jay? How can I use which, that, who to refer to the whole object or only to parts of the object?


texts: As a non-native English speaker, I have a bit of trouble finding the plural of the word 'lettuce'. In my own language (Dutch) it doesn't have a plural at all, and 'lettuces' simply sounds funny to me. Is that just a feeling, or is this word actually not really being used? Would there be another way of expressing the same thing (i.e. bunches/pieces of lettuce), what would be the word of quantity for lettuce?


texts:
Today’s（September 25）Time magazine reports that:

  Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is feeling "fine" following a brief medical scare during an evening speech. Yellen was speaking at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst when she abruptly stopped her address due to dehydration, according to a spokesperson.

From Time.com.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the word, ‘medical scare.’ I don’t find it in English dictionaries at hand, nor its definition on google search.

Is it a physical symptom something like anemia or dizzy feeling? Is it a medical term? Is it a relatively new word? Apparently it should be different from ‘medical threat.’


texts: Can the eldest sibling of three males call his younger brother "my older brother"

texts: Had this conversation with a 26 year old male.  He has finished a degree at Uni and told me I was wrong when I said you cannot call your younger brother your older brother.  He is only older son to your mother who would refer to her three sons as "my youngest son, my older/elder son and  my oldest/eldest son. He was so passionate about this (my three sons also told me I was wrong) I had to stop but at 47 I am wondering what is correct.


texts: Word for somebody who participates in a riot?

texts: I could not find an official definition of rioter anywhere, so I am unsure if that is the correct word. I'm looking specifically at a word for someone who is actively participate in a riot, so not necessarily just a protester.


texts: what does the second "it" refer and how to understand "should we so choose"?

texts:
We meet at a time of both of immense promise and great peril. It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights，or let it fall into a valley of disrepair. We have it in our power should we so choose to lift millions of poverty,to help citizens to realize their dreams and ensure that new generations of children are raised free from violence, hatred and fear.

This part comes from the address of Donald Trump at UN general assembly. I am little confused what does the thick it refer to, does it mean a word or a sentence? From my view, I think it refers to "whether we lift the world to new heights，or let it fall into a valley of disrepair".Second, why does should be in front of we? how to understand "should we so choose"?


texts: Is there an English word for a skill which doesn't require voluntary actions?

texts:
In the  Merriam-Webster dictionary skill is defined as

  1.

  a: the ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance

  b: dexterity or coordination especially in the execution of learned physical tasks

  2.

  learned power of doing something competently : a developed aptitude or ability

In Russian there are two words for different kinds of skills, "умение" (umeniye) and "навык" (navyk). The first word designates skill in the above three (1a, 1b, and 2) senses. The second word designates the kind of skill which doesn't require voluntary actions.

For example, a basketball coach teaches a kid to shoot a ball: the coach shows how to put a ball in a hand, how to locate and move an arm, how to use legs, how to release a ball, etc. After few attempts (let's assume that the kid is very talented) the kid is able to execute a shot in the way the coach taught him/her. The kid has acquired a shooting skill in the sense of умение (umeniye), because the kid still has to pay attention to his/her body position, arm movement, releasing technique... But after several days of practice the kid doesn't have to pay any attention to those things, because all these movements are done automatically (unlike, for example, shot selection). So the skill in the sense of умение (umeniye) became the skill in the sense of навык (navyk).

So I'm wondering is there a word in English to designate this notion of skill.

I have considered several options, but I’m not sure of their accuracy. The word ‘habit’ seems like the closest one.  However, the main distinctive feature of the word ‘navyk’ is automatic or involuntary trait of an action, so the English analogue has to have the same feature. To me the main feature of the notion ‘habit’ is an inclination to do something in a particular manner. For example, I could say ‘I have a habit to eat eggs for breakfast’. Habit in this context doesn’t require any skill, while shooting a basketball does. Moreover, I could lose a skill (or even ability) to do something, but a habit could remain, I just won’t be able to satisfy my habit (or it would be more difficult if I lose a skill in the sense of 'navyk').

Update.

The word "skill" could be applied not only to physical activities, such as shooting a basketball, but also to mental activities. For example, we can say “communication skills” or “mathematical skills” etc. And the distinction between the two types of skills I mentioned in the original question is applicable for mental activities as well.

Let me give an example of what I believe is called a spelling skill. For most of the words we use we don’t have to think about how to spell them, because we read or wrote them too often. But in some cases we have to think about the correct spelling by remembering some rules or etymology of a particular word. Here, again, we can distinguish two kinds of skills: first is the one I called “navyk”, and the second one is “umeniye”.

This example illustrates that the notion of muscle memory, which has been offered, doesn’t really fit the concept I’m trying to find a word for.


texts:
A person who says that everything in this life is not permanent / is a lie.
A person who believes in things only after he has seen/experienced them.


texts:
I was reading a traveling novel and came across this sentence:

  We all caught the metro back to the centre of town at about midnight, drunk and very happy. It goes without saying that the carriage was crammed full of people drinking beer and snogging.

The native-English author used "goes" instead of "went." My question is: Would it be awkward to say "It went without saying..."? I've googled both. Although "goes" appears a hundred times more than "went," there're still around 692,000 results of the latter.


texts: I use these two words together fairly often as it has a nicer ring to it than “conjecture” on its own, but it recently occurred to me that it may make no sense at all. Thoughts?


texts: Should there be a comma, full stop or semi-colon after 'reality'?

texts: It takes a while to bring myself back into reality, the last few moments having past with such violent surrealism.


texts: I usually use the sentence "On a serious node". Is it correct?


texts: Negating both the primary verb and a relative clause

texts:
The photo caption in a recent New York Times article stated the following:

"Artist rendering. This is not a photo of Johnny Depp with his best friend who is a lizard!"

I believe that the writer wished to communicate that Johnny Depp is not best friends with a lizard and that the image included in the article is an artist's rendering, not a photo. However, the caption makes it sound like it's true that Johnny Depp's best friend is a lizard, but false that the image in the article is a photo of them together. Is the original caption correct? If not, is there a grammatical way of concisely expressing the intended meaning in a single sentence?

Ignoring the fact that the first two words are not a complete sentence, I considered:

"Artist rendering. This is not a photo of Johnny Depp with his best friend who is not a lizard!"

However, this seems confusing and still implies that the best friend exists (and is simply of a non-lizard species), which is not necessarily true. What is the appropriate way to negate the untrue parts of the sentence?


texts:
I didn't know he was/is such a good person.

Which is correct in the above sentence. Is/was and why ?

(Assume the person is still alive and is still a good person)


texts:
As I am dubious of your authenticity here (a mailing list), I cannot spend
  any time with you

Is he dubious that I'm not a real user or I'm not a expert?


texts: An event in 2009, disconnected to the present day, yet present tense is used. Why?

texts:
The following is an extract from Competition and Investment Laws in India

  Facts: "A" filed a complaint in 2009, before "X" alleging that "Z" was abusing its dominant position in currency derivatives trading, and is deliberately waiving fees in the currency derivatives segment to kill competition*

This is a 2009 case and judgment was delivered in 2011. My question is, why have they used present tense? Can past perfect be used instead of was and past tense in place of is?


texts:
I don't understand the part in italics. I have no idea what message the writer is trying to convey. I'd appreciate an explanation on this.
Another important metaphor for Maggie is the
gypsy queen, a fantasy that Eliot realistically and humorously
undercuts. The myth of the gypsy camp, which Eliot
along with Bronte and other Victorian novelists adapted
from romantic poetry and painting, stands for an escape
from the zero-sum game of Victorian social codes, at the
price of such amenities of civilization as tea, books, and
groceries. Maggie's contact with this world, briefer, more
disillusioning, and more humiliating than Jane's experiments
with rebellion, is instructive.
A literature of their own, Elaine Showalter


texts: Do you ever use 'is' in a past tense narrative?

texts:
It's a story written in the past tense, but once I named the characters I found myself saying 'is' instead of 'was' and couldn't decide if it was right or wrong.

IS:

  Mom loved our movie nights and made sure there was one at least once a week. Her name is Sarah Marsh. My last name is Bertrum. Bertrum was my mom's maiden name, but after she married Brice's father, Weston Marsh, seven years ago, she changed it.

WAS:

  Mom loved our movie nights and made sure there was one at least once a week. Her name was Sarah Marsh. My last name was Bertrum. Bertrum was my mom's maiden name, but after she married Brice's father, Weston Marsh, seven years ago, she changed it.

'Was' just looked so bizarre to me, but is it the correct choice in this case?


texts: Should this phrase be put at the end of a paragraph or at the start of a new one?

texts:
The phrase is 'now onto the science.'

Context:

We first set up the bunsen burner and locate an appropriate flask. We then wear our goggles. Now, onto the science.

Now, onto the science. We expect that the rate of change of the effect of the catalyst to be blah blah...

Where should the phrase 'Now, onto the science' be put?


texts: Is this appositive adjective a misplaced modifier? E.g. He lived on the edge of a mountain, ancient and forgotten

texts:
I do not think "ancient and forgotten" would be associated with the subject "he", but I still want to be sure.

I'm learning about appositive adjectives, and I saw this on a website:

  The castle, ancient and ruinous, stood on the edge of the cliff.

I am curious, if I were to switch the adjective around to the end, would it be considered misplaced? I feel that this second example would be, but the example sentence in the title question would not be, since I am referring to the mountain.

  The castle stood on the edge of the cliff, ancient and ruinous.


texts: The symbol (or whatever classifies it): |


texts: What is the word with the definition: "One that is modulated"?

texts:
If I employ someone, then they are my "employee".

If my computer program modulates other computer programs, then they are my computer program's _____.?

I can't find any reference to "modulatee" anywhere. What is the word that I should use?

Is there an alternative word that captures that definition of "modulate" (monitor and alter when needed)  and can be used in this way?


texts: A question about the use of the subjunctive mood

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences and which one is correct? If both be correct, when should I use the one over the other?

"If people who seek food were able to produce enough food by themselves, they would no longer need help."

"If people who seek food were to be able to produce enough food by themselves, they would no longer need help."


texts:
I heard someone use the words mistaken as rather than mistaken for.

Is this correct? If it is correct then what is the difference between the two? Is it ever wrong to use mistaken as, and if so, why?

I ask because I was recently advised about something:

  It shouldn't in any way be mistaken as an academic judgement.

In dictionary definitions and usage guides, the preposition used is given as for, not as. However, there are other examples with as, such as ones in comments below, as well as in books on the internet.


texts:
I have only seen this word in the book "Differential and Integral Calculus" by Augustus De Morgan and in letters relating to this book. e.g.
 On page 108 of the above book, (lines 8, 9, 10 from the top) : "By [the integral of] UdV we mean ... p. 102. where the values of ΔV in the several terms are different. but comminuent."

Thus I might suggest it is a mathematical word, yet I cannot immediately make sense of it as an adjective derived from the Latin comminuō.
Thank you for your help.

Edit: The book was wrongly named as 'Elementary Illustrations of the differential and integral calculus' - thanks go to @MetaEd for the correction


texts:
I'm writing a list of political policies, which I'd like to see the government enact.

On my blog where I'll publish it, I don't want to call it a political manifesto because... that word has associations with political kooks who blow buildings up.

Is there an alternative phrase or word I can use?


texts: What do you call the feeling of knowing something is going to happen but not knowing what?

texts: For an assignment I’m trying to find a word that describes a particular feeling. I’m not sure what word describes the feeling of not knowing WHAT is going to happen but still expecting something to happen at the same time.


texts:
I just this web page and found towards the bottom a claim about ambiguous sentences, which doesn't seem right to me.
According to the website:

"Sitting by the fence, the dog growled at the cat" is an example of when zeugma goes wrong. [...] Due to the placement of the word "sitting," it is unclear as to whether the dog, the cat or both of the animals are sitting near the fence.
Another example of such a construction is as follows: "Walking by the tree, the child waved to her friend." Again, who is walking by the tree? One child or both of the children?

So as far as I'm concerned, I think in this case, "the dog" would do the "sitting" and "the child" would do the "walking" (according to what I was taught in school. When the subject "dog" did both the action "sit" and "growl", you can cut it down and make it a Gerund-thing =)) sorry I'm not a native speaker)
Is the website right that these phrases are ambiguous?


texts: The spiritual usage of the word "revelation"

texts:
I translate some spiritual texts and this word revelation is very tricky to translate to another language that really does not have a similar word. For example: "God has sent a new revelation to the world." What could be good synonyms for it in a general (non-Christian) spiritual context, where I am coming from.
The original text is in American English.

Possible translations:

New message
New information
Insight

What else?

Dictionaries mainly refer to Bible and book of Revelations, but that is just confusing, because this text is not about Bible and should not be confused with it.


texts: Is it "allowed" to use a translated quote like as if they were said in English?

texts:
As far as I learned you need can quote word by word, showing changes like this:

Albert Einstein: "The Internet is a great invention."

Albert Einstein mentioned, that "[t]he Internet[sic] is a great invention." (Source)

OR you quote indirectly, like:

Albert Einstein is of the oppinion the internet is a great invention, as stated in the source.

But what if Albert Einstein, like the German that he was, spoke it in German? Would I be allowed to quote the translation word by word or would I have to paraphrase and do it the second way?

I was just curious becaus, especially in history in school, I saw a lot of English quotes translated into German, but still quoted as if they were spoken in German, which I was just curious if this is really allowed since school books should live up to those rules, shouldn't they?


texts: Is this a literal interpretation of "without reason"?

texts:
There was this quote in a movie:

  Men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with.

There are many interpretations of "without reason"

It could mean that the person is mentally affected and cannot reason logically at all. "Without reason" is taken to mean "without any reason at all". His brain is faulty and causes him to kill.
He has reason to kill, but in his/her anger, the speaker say he has no reason. Suppose the speaker and the person being referred to are kings and bitter enemies at war. Both have valid reason to kill, but you still say "without reason".
He has no proper logical reason, but he/she is not mad. Maybe he/she is a slightly insane terrorist who believes in a reason that is logically invalid.

Interpretation 1 is literal. Interpretation 2 is non-literal and contextual. Is Interpretation 3 literal?

P.S.

I'm rather new to this site. I have nothing to do with English, I'm just curious.


texts: Present or Past when talking about a book's content

texts:
I came across an English exercise yesterday and I wasn't sure about the answer. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you. The sentence is as follows:

I borrowed a book from the library last week. It  ______(be) about Wright Brothers.

Just wonder should the answer be 'was' or 'is' since the content of the book doesn't change over time.


texts: how to describe the owner of something embedded inside them?

texts:
I have the following sentence in my story

  Almost everyone has implanted under their skin a sensor that monitors
  their vitals and health in real-time and could alert the wearer of
  potentially hazardous health events. It can detect whether the wearer
  is unconscious and automatically call medical services.

I'm wondering if "wearer" is the appropriate word to describe the owner of the embedded sensor or if there is a better word since the sensor is technically inside them? I don't think "owner" describes it appropriately.


texts: What are "real stores" called in English, as opposed to "online stores"?

texts:
In a piece of software, what would I call a store that sells items to the public in real life as opposed to an online store (ie. a health-food store).

It will look like this:

  ____ Store
  Online Store


texts: what's the expression for people who give moralistic lectures, but often are guilty of the same "sin"?

texts:
People who give bible-thumping/koran-thumping moralizing lectures about various "sins", but often indulge in the very same sins they lecture against. For example, many anti-gay preachers often turn out to be gay themselves.

Is there an expression, idiom or figure of speech to describe such people?


texts: Is using "rather" and "instead" in the same sentence tautology?

texts:
I was in the process of writing an email to my university project supervisor about several meetings we need to schedule for the upcoming weeks. I wanted to ask him if one meeting is sufficient, or if we should rather split them into two. So I wrote the following sentence:

  Should we rather schedule a second meeting specifically for project clarifications and questions in a couple of weeks instead?

I know I could drop either the "rather" or the "instead", and it would be correct. However, is using them both, as I have above, considered tautology or a pleonasm? It kind of sounds fine to me, but it kind of sounds like saying "more stronger".


texts:
The following is an excerpt from the book "Algorithms to Live By" by Brian Christian. (p. 230)
...; so that each competitor has to pick, not those faces which he himself finds prettiest, but those which he thinks likeliest to catch the fancy of the other competitors, all of whom are looking at the problem from the same point of view.
I understand what the phrase means, but I'm not so clear about the grammatical structure.
Is "be" verb being omitted as in "those which [he thinks] (are) likeliest to..."? I assume "he thinks" is a mere inserted phrase, so "be likely to" should be the main verb. If so, the goes "He thinks the faces are likeliest to catch..." But how come could the "be" verb be possibly omitted?
My second-guessing goes "think likely." Can you use "think likely" in a similar way to "is/seem/appear likely"? In this case, the structure goes "He thinks the faces likeliest to catch..." I suppose this goes parallel with the previous phrase: "He himself finds (not) the faces prettiest, but he thinks the faces likeliest to..."
Which one should be the answer? Or is there another sentence structure going on?


texts: "Inputs are invalid" vs. "Inputs were invalid"

texts:
Applications send a warning message if the received inputs from the user are invalid.

Is "are invalid" correct or should it be "were invalid"?


texts:
"Person A shall not be interviewed unless he/she and person B is present, and have been advised of and understand the consequences."

In the above sentence, what does the comma placement mean?

If both parties understand and accept the consequences but then person B chooses not to be present for the interview, is it invalidated?


texts: Is the sentence "X is located in Y" active or passive voice?

texts: It looks passive to me, due to the structure to be + past participle. However, if I take Z as a doer of the verb locate and change it around as in Z locates X, I am very confused with the meaning which I feel different from that in the "passive" format. I need to explain this to my students.


texts: Is there a word for the person you aspire to be?


texts: Alternative for the word "options" as in "extra purchase possibilities to go with a booking"

texts:
Is there a better alternative to the word options when referring to "extra purchase possibilities next to a booking you have already made"? For instance, you can think of food and beverages, audiovisual equipment and parking spots.

I think the word options in that context is a bit too vague, since it also refers to options on a stock exchange or choices one can make.

I was thinking about add-ons, or items. Do these suit better? Is there a more apt word still?


texts: Does saying "I was stolen by my sleep" make sense in English?

texts:
In my native language, we say "my sleep stole me" when we unintentionally fall asleep. I'm guessing it's more of an idiomatic expression.
My question is, can it work in English?


texts: Is this Stack Overflow question title correct?

texts:
I asked question on Stack Overflow with the following title:

  Is reading or writing directly from boost::asio::ssl::stream::next_layer() bypasses SSL decryption and encryption?

A friend of mine told me that the sentence isn't correct and I have to use bypassing instead of bypasses in it. Then the whole sentence will be:

  Is reading or writing directly from boost::asio::ssl::stream::next_layer() bypassing SSL decryption and encryption?

I asked another friend for his opinion and he told me the following:

  Personally I would write would bypass, but bypasses is OK. Bypassing is wrong because this way there is no predicate.

In his variant the whole sentence will become:

  Is reading or writing directly from boost::asio::ssl::stream::next_layer() would bypass SSL decryption and encryption?

No one of us is native speaker and I'm wondering which is the correct way?


texts: What “a man who is happy to lie in the gutter, and watch while other climb mountain” is like?

texts:
In Jeffery Archer’s fiction, “The Fourth Estate,” there is a scene Keith Townsend, one of two heroes featured as the owner of the largest communication empire in Australia responds the questions fired by a young female journalist (Kate Tulloh) about his sacking Sir Somerset, ex-chairman of Sydney-based newspaper company he aquired in the interview:

  “Didn’t Sir Somerset suffer roughly the same fate when you took over
  the Chronicle? --

  He once described you,” said Kate, “as ‘a man who is happy to lie in
  the gutter and watch while others climb mountains.”

  “I think you’ll find that Sir Somerset, like Shakespeare, is often
  misquoted.”

  “It would be hard to prove either way,” said Kate, “as he’s also
  dead.” – P339

Though it must be a metaphoric expression, what does “a man who is happy to lie in the gutter and watch while others climb mountains” mean in a couple of words? What character is it like?

Why in heaven’s name would an aggressive, ambitious young media mogul be happy to lie in the gutter and watch while others climb mountains? It should be the other way round. I have no idea.


texts:
In the song Old Chisholm Trail, a famous cowboy song there's the following line:

  I started up the trail October 23rd
  Started up the trail with a 2U herd

(emphasis mine)

For lyrics.

I know 2U can be "to you", but it can't be that slang here.
I've come across U meaning a rack unit in computer lingo. So the only explanation I can imagine is that this U in the lyrics means "unit".
Would then a "2U herd" be a herd with two heads of cattle? But then, why just not say "two heads"? (OK, ok, syllable count and rhymes in versification).
If not, what does it mean?

If I'm right, I'd like to know if cowboys usually count their cattle heads as "units"? And if this use of U for "unit" is relatively common.


texts: Idiom or expression criticizing people who ignore you right after getting what they wanted/ were after

texts:
There is an idiom in Persian that literally says: "(to be ignored right after) somebody's donkey has crossed or passed (over) the bridge"

We use it in situations where someone (now feels relieved and) ignores or treats us much differently after:

We have helped them to overcome or reach a solution to a problem, but as soon as they feel relieved, they start treating us as if we are now strangers or even annoying to them! (i.e. They totally forget the help they received.)
We have provided them with something they needed (like a piece of information or news, a confirmation, an acceptance or agreement, money, etc), but since their need has been met, they don't think twice about ignoring us.

As you know, donkeys are stubborn and when they perceive danger, you can't force them to do anything. So I think the origin of this idiom might have been like this: someone's donkey refrained from crossing the bridge, so they asked a friend to help them get the donkey over the bridge, but after being on the other side, they forgot about their friend or treated them ungratefully.

Example scenarios:

Your friend calls and desperately asks you to lend a large sum of money otherwise they will go to jail. They promise to pay back the sum in two months. You lend the money and they say you are their best friend.
After three months they still haven't paid you back. You need the money, so you call and ask them when they would repay it.  They promise the following month! A month goes by and still no sign.  So you call them again on the 6th month. They get angry and scold you about why you have called them over that trivial (!!) sum of money and ask you not to waste their precious time with these annoying phone calls since they would definitely pay you back as soon as possible! At this point you say:

  "Okay, you are talking like this because your donkey has already passed over the bridge and you feel safe and relieved now, but are you sure it was your last problem??! I will never help you anymore even if you are about to be executed!"

Joe and Jane have been dating for five years, during all those years Joe's behavior has been exemplary; he really wanted to marry her (so he was just acting according to Jane's wishes and requests).
After Jane accepted his proposal of marriage and they got married, Joe started to show his other side and gradually ignored Jane's requests. So Jane told him sarcastically:

  "Oh, yeah! now that you've got my "yes", you are ignoring me and the reason is clear: your donkey has just crossed over the bridge!"

Is there any equivalent idiom, expression or proverb in English to criticize such people?


texts: What is the netting dressing for a deep cut called?

texts:
When there is a deep cut we use some sort of netting dressing to pull the sides of the skin together so the healing process is shorter and leaves no or smaller scars.

What do we call it? Is it just "netting dressing" or is there any special name for it?


texts: "projective activity" in cognitive sciences context [RESOLVED]

texts:
I'm was not sure what is meant by projective in this context.

  As in the case of understanding spoken or written language, an enormous
  amount of general knowledge is constantly mobilized in service of
  this projective activity, which freely utilizes any and all relevant sensory
  data available to it. (The Irreducible Mind, Kelly, et al, p.40)

As I explained in comment, just the previous para. makes clear what "projective activity" means. That's the process of our mind "projecting" its past models on sensory data to recognize them without having to pay attention to all the details. I quote the previous para. here:

  A separate tradition dating back at least to Kant and the early Gestalt
  theorists, and carried forward into the modern era by psychologists such
  as Neisser (1 967, 1 976), has been sensitive to the presence of "top-down"
  influences, both within and between sensory modalities. Although a few
  perceptual subsystems (such as those that engender the Miiller-Lyer and
  other incorrigible visual illusions) may be truly autonomous or "cognitively
  impenetrable" in the sense of J. Fodor ( 1983), these seem to be isolated and
  special cases. A very different overall picture of perceptual synthesis is currently
  emerging in which top-down influences predominate. On this view
  40Chapter 1
  perceptual synthesis is achieved not from the input, but with its aid. This is
  necessarily the case for example in regard to ambiguous figures, where the
  stimulus information itself is not sufficient to determine a uniquely "correct"
  interpretation. More generally, we routinely ignore information that
  is present in the input and supply information that is not, speed-reading
  providing a characteristic example.29 Something within us, a sort of cosmogenic,
  world-generating, or virtual-reality system, is continuously updating
  and projecting an overall model of the perceptual environment and our position
  within it, guided by very limited samplings of the available sensory
  information (Simons & Chabris, 1999; Tart, 1993).


texts: Is the title "Acts of the Apostles" treated as plural or singular?

texts: When I speak of one book titled Acts of the Apostles, should I say: "Acts of the Apostles contain" or "Acts of the Apostles contains" ?


texts: Shakespeare's omission of 'as' before 'single' in 'When sorrows come, they come not single spies...'

texts: When Shakespeare wrote: "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions", why didn't he put an "as" before "single spies"?


texts: Name of the archaic "F" character used for an "S"

texts:
Into the 19th century, accepted orthography often used a letter character that resembles an F (but is not in fact identical to an F) when today we would invariably use an S.

What is this character called?
What were the orthographic rules of its usage?
Was it inherited from the German language?


texts: Is the cryptographical meaning of "nonce" a backronym?

texts:
In cryptography, a nonce is a random sequence of bytes added to data to ensure the same message won't be encrypted the same way twice.

This seems to fall under the definition of "a word made up for the occasion", but Wiktionary's etymology is:

  Contraction of number used once.

This seems like a (poor) backronym to me and unlikely to be the true etymology. I haven't been able to find a definition specifically for the cryptographic sense in any other online dictionary so far, or on etymology online. Is there any further information available?

EDIT

Based on the responses here and discovering the original text from whence the claim came, I outlined my reasons for changing the Wiktionary entry, which were agreed with and applied by another editor. So the link will not show the etymology as I saw it when I posted my question.


texts: "I remember watching Dallas," vs. "I remember us watching Dallas."

texts:
I remember watching Dallas.
  I remember us watching Dallas.

I know that both are common usage.
What I don't understand is exactly what role "watching" has in the second sentence. It is clearly a gerund and direct object of "remember" in the first. In the second, "us" is clearly an object, as it always is. I think most people will tell me that "watching" is then an adjective or adverb ("I saw John walking down the street"), but this doesn't sit right with me, because the act of watching is still the main thing, and "us" is actually only providing more detail about it. But, grammatically, "us" and "watching" cannot both be nouns.

Some will say it is an adverbial phrase, but that should have a comma: "I remember us, watching Dallas." It just seems unlikely to be using "watching" there in a completely different way than when "us" is not there.

Another example:

  We must address the issue of children using mobile devices in class.

The issue is not so much children as it is the usage.

  "It ended with me calling you to find out the security code."
  "How do you feel about Putin winning another term?"
  "One wrong move could mean you going to jail."
  "This is me walking out."

Edit: The answers to the question linked as a possible duplicate treat the word "him" as the subject of a clause, which it categorically cannot be. This is incorrect and an improper understanding of the grammar of the sentence.

To further illustrate, the kind of phrase I'm talking about can be used as a subject:

  Children using mobile devices in school is becoming a serious problem.

Now, would you replace "children" with "they," as you would have to if it were the subject?
They using mobile devices in school is becoming a serious problem.
NO. That would be incorrect. So "Children using mobile devices in school" is not a clause, as claimed in the answers to the other questions, since a clause requires a subject and predicate.

Others would say:
Their using mobile devices in school is becoming a serious problem.
But, putting children back in, this would mean:
Children's using mobile devices in school is becoming a serious problem.
And "using" here cannot be a deverbal noun as it has a direct object.  I would say:
Them using mobile devices in school is becoming a serious problem. OR
Me marrying you was the best thing that could have happened to you.


texts: Ambiguous plurality ("One or more items was/were skipped")

texts:
Given a sentence in this format, which would be correct?

  One or more items was skipped.

  One or more items were skipped.

I'm leaning towards the latter, but maybe it doesn't matter? (Hey, that rhymes!)


texts: The difference between company and enterprise

texts:
When i go to one company, i always encounter with Company term(ABC company, JSC). But when i work with solutions, i always encounter with Enterprise term(ERP, solution for enterprise,...).

Are there anyways to separate them?


texts: What are the historical processes of preposition coining in English?

texts:
RegDwight's excellent answer showing the historical usage of despite got me thinking about the processes by which new prepositions are coined. Prepositions are generally considered a closed class, and there are no active derivational processes for generating new ones--yet new prepositions do occasionally arise.

The 17-century examples in the linked question show despite being used as a sentential adverb taking a complement with of, though contemporary usage has despite as a preposition that directly governs its object. At some point the of started to disappear from "despite of", and the word despite was reanalyzed as a preposition rather than an adverb. This got me thinking:

What other words are documented to have transitioned from adverbs to prepositions?
Do any words other than adverbs ever make this leap? Are there any nouns or verbs that have somehow transitioned to prepositions?


texts: Is it considered proper English to say "You best be..." or "You'd best..."?

texts:
Often, I hear people say something like this:

  You best be going.

Or:

  You'd best sweep the floor before you leave.

Essentially, you'd best/you best be just means you should. Is it grammatically correct to use these phrases?


texts:
The nature of the beast is a well-known phrase or saying which means something like an essential property of the thing, particularly when the property is a vexatious one. For example:

  I don't like the fact that people always downvote my answers on StackExchange, but that's the nature of the beast.

What's the origin of the phrase? Is it biblical? Does it stem from some Hobbeseian metaphor?

I had a look online, but couldn't find anything about the origin, and my copy of Brewer's is five miles away.


texts: I have never understood a word Alice "has said" or "said"

texts:
I am not sure about the use of present perfect in the subordinate clause. I want to say I've never understood Alice for as long as I've known her, so should I use the present perfect aspect in the subordinate clause or the past tense?

  I have never understood a word that Alice has said.

or

  I have never understood a word that Alice said.

To me, the first sentence sounds like I haven't understood what Alice has just said.


texts: What's the meaning of "staring into the Ark of the Covenant" as a analogy?

texts:
Like in here, to describe something horribly ugly?

  So Microsoft purchased a bit of middleware and fashioned it into
  Direct3D Version 3. It was universally reviled. And with good reason;
  looking at D3D v3 code is like staring into the Ark of the
  Covenant.

https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/60544/why-do-game-developers-prefer-windows


texts:
A Japanese student told me that when she chose "job" in the sentence below her teacher corrected her and said that "work" is the correct one.

However difficult it may be, I decided to do the _____(work, job).

But I don't really understand why either of them would be wrong. I can understand that depending on the context one of the two might be more appropriate but there is no way of checking that since, as far as I know, no other information is given.

What does everyone think about this?


texts: I am writing an Introductory page for my book. Being that it is the last sentence on the page, would it be OK to say, "Let's get on with the story... " or would I write "Let's get on with the story."? And while I am at it: Are the punctuations in this question placed where they should be? Does it look like I need to brush up on my punctuations?


texts:
Haircut is a relatively recent term, considering that Romans began to cut the hair about A.U.C. 454, when Ticinius Maenas introduced Barbers from Sicily: (Etymonline)

  also hair-cut, 1887, "act of cutting the hair," from hair (n.) + cut (n.). As "style of wearing the hair," by 1890. (Ngram haircut)

The term  haircut is also used in finance with the following meaning:

  In debt restructuring agreements, a haircut is a percentage reduction of the amount that will be repaid to creditors. For example, when Argentina defaulted on its bonds in 2001 it agreed restructuring terms with over 90 per cent of its creditors which involved haircuts of between 45 per cent and 75 per cent. (lexicon.ft.com)

According to Wikipedia:

  Haircuts have been used for almost 200 years in American commercial finance.

But this seems to refer to the practice and not to the term of which, as Ngram shows, there is no evidence  before 1880.

The expression is unfortunately becoming more and more common given the precarious financial conditions of a number of states around the world, among which Greece, probably, stands out:

  Greek Debt Deal Will Force Bondholders To Take 'Voluntary' 70% Haircut.

My questions:

1) What's the origin of the term? Why is the cut of hair used as a metaphor of a debt reduction?

2) When was the term first used metaphorically with reference to debts?


texts: Do 'learn by heart' & 'learn by rote' mean the same?

texts:
Here in India, both the phrases learning by heart and learning by rote are taken to have the same meaning, i.e., blind memorisation without true understanding.

However, some sources say that to learn something by heart implies that one knows something so well that it has been thoroughly internalised and imbibed.

So is it wrong to conflate the two?


texts: Is it correct to say Person A is the "spitting image" or the "splitting image" of Person B?

texts:
I understand that when trying to describe a person who has a resemblance to another, the common term is spitting image. As in:

  Person A is a spitting image of Person B.

Here's my issue, I've recently heard some people saying splitting image as opposed to spitting image and upon thinking about it, splitting image makes more sense. That may be because I am unaware of the etymology of spitting image.

My thinking is that Person A looks so much like Person B, that they have appeared to "split" from the same person, hence splitting image. Wouldn't you agree?


texts: Is there a name for inverting word order to accomplish a different meaning?

texts:
There are many sayings that invert the word order to convey a different meaning.

e.g.

"Do you live to work or do you work to live?"
"He who fails to plan, plans to fail"

Is there a name for this type of saying?


texts:
I know the separate meanings of the words penitential and austerity, but what do they actually mean when used together, I'm not a native English speaker, so I have some problem stitching the meaning together.

  No other contemporary poet’s work has such a well-earned reputation for
  near impenetrability, and there are few whose moral vision is so imperiously unsparing. Of late, however, the almost belligerent demands of his severe (difficult) and densely forbidding poetry have taken an improbable turn. This new collection is the poet’s fourth book in six years — an ample output even for poets of sunny disposition, let alone for one of such penitential austerity over the previous 50 years. Yet for all his newfound volubility, his poetry is as thorny as ever.

source:
The Official Guide to the GRE Revised General Test by ETS


texts:
The expression "I'd fry first" is from the 1941 film Maltese Falcon. In a scene where a detective calls his secretary to inform her about the death of his partner (colleague) the conversation goes like this:

          Hello, Effie?

          It's me.

          Now, listen, precious.

          Miles has been shot.

          Yeah, dead.

          Now, don't get excited.

          Yeah.

          You'll have to break the news to Iva. I'd fry first.

          And keep her away from me.

          That's a good girl.

          Now, get right over there.

          You're an angel.

          Good-bye.

The full script can be found here.

So what does "I'd fry first" mean in this context? I cannot really connect any of the definitions listed here to this context. Thus, I believe this should be a slang of some sort?


texts: Use of 'both' and verb-subject agreement

texts:
"I have heard two immediate reactions to it and both connotes sadness, which are certainly well founded."

I am concerned about the use of 'both' as singular and of verb-subject agreement.
Also: Do I need to use the preposition 'of', as in, "I have heard OF two..."


texts: Difference between "meeting" and "meet up"

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  Can we skip the meet up this week?


texts: Is there a substantial difference between what someone would call a "quotation" or "quote" versus a "saying"?

texts: It can't simply be that the word "quote" seems more formal than "saying" can it?


texts:
I'm wondering whether the word dictator should be capitalized.

Is it just an adjective and not an (official) title?


texts: Is there a difference between "I would love you to come" and "I would love for you to come"?

texts:
Is there a difference between:
"I would love you to come" and
"I would love for you to come"?


texts:
Lately I have been hearing the word awesome used in many places.  I'm trying to figure out how it is used. It has already been discussed on this site a bit.  See

"When I'm sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead"
"Awesome" vs. "Awful"

Wordnet says "inspiring awe or admiration or wonder" and gives a few examples:

  "New York is an amazing city";
  "the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring
  sight";
  "the awesome complexity of the universe";
  "this sea, whose
  gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath"-
  Melville;
  "Westminster Hall's awing majesty, so vast, so high, so
  silent"

Merriam-Webster says "expressive of awe; inspiring of awe; terrific, extraordinary"

Urban dictionary gives more definitions of awesome (see also awesomeness):

Something Americans use to describe everything.
formidable, amazing, heart-stirring, wonderful
A 'sticking plaster' word used by Americans to cover over the huge gaps in their vocabulary. It is one the three words which make up most American sentances.
An overused adjective intended to denote something as "cool" or "great" but instead winds up meaning "lame." This is actually a reflection of the lameness of person using the word, the degree of which is directly proportionate to difference between the user's perspective of the so-called awesome object / person / situation and that of a reasonably sober, well-informed observer.
You

Examples themselves are awesome:

"Bono is awesome."
"This pizza is awesome" (when the pizza in question comes from a food court at the airport)
Veronica Mars fans are awesome. They love the show so much they hired a plane to fly a message over Hollywood to show their support for renewal.

We can watch AwesomenessTV or read motivational calendars:

The world's longest waterslide (Auckland, NZ) is awesome.  There is a blog 1000 Awesome Things:

  #821 When the public bathroom has paper towel instead of hand dryers

  #822 When there’s still time left in the parking meter when you pull up

  #823 When you find out what was making that horrible smell and get rid of it

  #824 Finding the TV remote after looking forever

More examples at The Book of Awesome. The Awesome Foundation is giving $1000 grants, to projects that it likes

So, how is "awesome" being used today?  In contrast to cool.

Was there anything particularly awe-inspiring about these projects?  Sometimes it's serious and sometimes it's sarcastic.  My guess is it has to do with being extraordinarily good or extraordinarily bad in some way.

Possibly related:

What makes "like" and "so" popular?


texts: What is this kind of "___ of ___" syntax called?

texts:
I'm wondering what the technical term is for this kind of syntax:
"It is not wrong to say that the use of dairy in cooking results from marketing."
Often I see it in sentences like "the idea of____ stems from X," or "the point of ___ reminds us to..."
Or more generally, "the ___ of _____ (verb)..."
What is this called? Thank you!


texts: Which is right: dad's corner or dads' corner? I see dad's corner used regularly so I am assuming that's right, but in my mind dad's is singular whereas the corner belongs to multiple dads as it's a place for dads to go to meet.


texts: What's a word or phrase for "a point on a spectrum"?

texts:
Suppose two people are arguing.  One says: "It is wrong for the university to cancel Professor X's speech because of his political views."  The other says: "Professor X has intolerable views that mustn't be given a platform."

I was thinking, instead of arguing about Professor X, they could argue about the range of possibilities for the university's policies on speeches. The extremes in either direction.  On one hand the university could allow everyone a platform (including Hitler).  On the other hand, no one is allowed a platform.

So I came up with the sentence below, and I'm looking for something to replace "point on the spectrum".

  We need to define the high and low ends of the spectrum and pick an
  agreeable point on the spectrum.


texts: Word for a type of question that's founded on a misunderstanding of a concept?

texts:
Suppose someone asks the question:

How long ago did humans evolve from monkeys?

Since humans did not evolve from monkeys, this question is unanswerable as it is based on a misunderstanding of the concept of human evolution.
Is there a technical word for these types of questions founded in a misunderstanding of a concept?  As in you would respond to this by saying:

I cannot answer that because you've asked me a _______ question.


texts: Single Word Request for Orders "Sent Off" to Another Company for Processing

texts: I am looking for a word to use in an order management application to name orders which have been "sent off" to a second company and are awaiting shipment. We use "PROCESSED" on our end for this. I suppose something like "DELEGATED" would work, but it seems slightly off in this context. I would like to stay away from phrases like "AWAITING SHIPMENT" because it is ambiguous (which company is in control of the order?). Hopefully there is a word I have simply forgotten or do not know that conveys this adequately.


texts:
I am not sure whether we can use build and construct interchangeably in the following sentence:

  The report said that the loss of natural disasters has increased
  tremendously because we do not respect the environment and
  build/construct unsafe cities.


texts: What word would you use to describe a situation where words are not necessary?

texts: Example: "Their love was so strong that it was unspoken. Words were (replace) 'not necessary' for them to display their affection towards one another.


texts: What is the difference between 'making a trip' and 'taking a trip'?

texts:
Germans make all their trips. We take some trips and make others.
What is the difference for English speakers between "making a trip" and "taking a trip"?


texts: Word for product that changes a society?

texts:
I am looking for a word or phrase meaning a product which fundamentally changes a society.  Examples:

The iPhone popularized smart-phones in the United States, transforming the country to rapidly become much more connected.
The introduction by the British East India Tea Company of opium to China catalyzed social unrest and ultimately lead to the First Opium War, leading to the ceding of Hong Kong.

My question is similar to this one, which asked for words/phrases describing the opportunity to have a significant impact on a society.  The principal difference is that I am looking for a word or phrase that means a tangible good/product/export/commodity which has this affect.

Usage:

  Portuguese firearms proved a ______ in the Sengoku Period of Japan, permanently changing the operation of war in that country thereafter.


texts: Is "curious if" improper to use compared to alternatives such as "curious as to" or "curious whether"?

texts:
Consider the following line, which I've heard this particular construction frequently:

  "I’m curious if other people feel like I do."

The construct specifically is that of using "I'm curious if" to preface something that the speaker is curious about.

I was recently told by someone that this is improper English, as it implies a conditional - that is, "If other people feel like I do, then I am curious". The proper way suggested was "I'm curious as to whether other people feel like I do."

I can see where it's coming from, at least that the former can be read in that fashion and that the latter is unambiguous. However, is it actually improper or logically incorrect?

Prior to asking this question, I did a quick check on this site - there were at the time 48 instances where users used the phrase "I am curious if (some situation is true)", while there were 46 instances where users used the phrase "I am curious as to (whether something is true, where the rule works in this fashion, etc.)". So they both look equally used, and the users using them ranged from new users to reaching the 20k reputation level, so it struck me as not something about being improper English. Rather, it struck that if anything it might be considered maybe a colloquialism or otherwise casual lingo.


texts: What is this word spoken in this video and what does it mean?

texts:
Prior to the word/s I can't understand there was a discussion on what the historical sources of British individual civil freedoms have been. A few of the reasons given for these British values have included things such as the Magna Carta, the Parliamentary system etc.

Along comes Peter Hitchens and says:

  It's fascinating the way all these British values merchants are so coy
  about the real basis of the liberty which we enjoy, which is the
  particular form of Protestant Christianity which this country adopted,
  which created in people the strength of conscience, the
  self-restraint, the belief, very strongly, that law should be above
  power because the law derives ultimately from God. That is what
  actually makes this country what it is, but they won't talk about that
  because many of them are not Christians, many of them are active
  secularists, and many of them are nominal Christians and they don't
  really believe these things. That's what made us what we are and made
  us the kind of country we are, and to try and generalise this into
  some human rights (incomprehensible) is to make a fundamental mistake
  as to how it came about...

The word I can't understand is marked (incomprehensible) in the above transcription.

The word definitely sounds French to me. I first thought it could possibly be "melange", but I don't think he's saying that. Then I discovered there's a French dessert called blancmange, which actually is pronounced in a way resembling the words he spoke, so it's possible he's said this. However I can't find any definition of "blancmange" other than:

  (Cookery) a jelly-like dessert, stiffened usually with cornflour and
  set in a mould Collins Dictionary

I've checked a bunch of dictionaries and this is the only definition I can find. "Blancmange" comes from the French "blanc" (white) and "manger" (food/eating).

If he is actually saying this word, I can't understand a metaphoric way in which it's used. I really don't understand. Does anybody understand what he's saying?

Here is how "blancmange" is pronounced.

And here is the video in which Peter Hitchens speaks this word.

Note, both Peter Hitchens and his late brother use/used a wide vocabulary when speaking, and many terms are obscure or foreign or just generally hard to catch sometimes.


texts: Why can we omit a phrase that ends up changing the meaning of the preceding statement

texts:
I'm certain my terminology is wrong. Sorry in advance.

I'm working with a student trying to understand a tutorial on 3D modeling written in English. The student is Japanese. The translation is not the issue, just why a particular sentence works the way it does.

In the tutorial's introduction we have:

  3D imposes more demands than any other medium, because very little information can be left out.

The tricky part is the end, since it's a negative; we can't leave out the information, if we do we get problems.

As is expected, feeding this into various machine translators totally miss this, at least judging by the back translation:

  Since most of the information can be left out, 3D imposes more demands than any other medium.

If I add:

  without compromising the end result.

then the back-translation comes out to:

  Since little information can be omitted without compromising the final result, 3D imposes more demands than any other medium.

Can someone explain to us what's going on here?


texts: What is the word that means a person has confused two terms with one another?

texts:
Is there a better verb than "confuse" in this passage:

  Joe has confused the terms A, B, and C. When describing B he used the attributes of A. Also, Joe used attributes of C when discussing A.


texts: Commas Between the Subject and the Verb and Predicate - A Mistake or Acceptable Usage?

texts:
I have always believed that the placement of a comma between the subject and the verb and predicate was an error (as in "Whoever is capable of forgetting a benefit, is an enemy to society."). However, recently I have come across such usage in edited academic prose - incidentally all in legal scholarship. To give a few examples:

  "One approach would potentially have any military operation between
  the state forces and active members of group X, seen as part of the
  armed conflict." (Noam Lubell & Nathan Derejko, “A Global Battlefield?
  Drones and the Geographical Scope of Armed Conflict”, Journal of
  International Criminal Justice, vol. 11, no. 1 (2013), p. 82).

and

  "The status of the individuals targeted or the attributes of the
  objects targeted, will then be relevant as to the lawfulness in
  accordance with IHL (as opposed to its applicability)." (Ibid., p.
  83).

and

  "Thus, if a non-state armed group that is based in state A, commits
  hostilities that amount to an armed conflict on the territory of the
  High Contracting Party B, the protocol requirements are satisfied." (Sandesh Sivakumaran, The
  Law of Non-International Armed Conflict, Oxford University Press,
  2012, p. 231).

The commas before "seen", "will", and "commits" strike me as classical mistakes. Am I missing something here? Do these commas serve a function that I'm unaware of? Is this perhaps part of academic usage? I am yet to find any style guide that endorses this type of comma.


texts: Is "all in all" the right choice for the following sentence?

texts:
(Long description about the person.)

  All in all, he didn't look like an army man.

Maybe I'm wrong but I think all in all is more commonly used to give a good-and-bad judgement? Example:

  All in all, the restaurant didn't suck so much.

Am I mistaken? If not, what would be a better choice for the first sentence?


texts:
In the sentence like: she shielded herself from disquiet by mocking arrogance.

What's correct? By or with? Is there any difference if they both are acceptable?


texts: Is there a technical or semi-technical expression for occasionally misreading words?

texts:
I occasionally misread words.  I estimate the error rate is roughly one in 25,000 to 50,000 words (roughly 100 pages), or a misread word several times a week.

  Examples:

  undeserved:  should be underserved

  The Appian Way was lined with crocuses:  should be The Appian Way was
  lined with crosses.

  mouse:  should be moose

The very low error rate seems to rule out dyslexia, plus I have none of the other symptoms of dyslexia.  There is also a condition called  Primary progressive aphasia (PPA), but according to the linked article, I don't have PPA.

I'm not looking for a medical diagnosis -- an error rate of 0.004% does not call for that.  I suspect that this is a fairly common occurrence in healthy people of all ages who read a lot, so please don't suggest senior moment. :) As I said, I am looking for a technical or semi-technical phrase for this occasional glitch.  I think of it as a low frequency distant cousin of the verbal Spoonerism, but in reading, and only sometimes with a predictable pattern of transfer of letters.


texts: Can I use " for " instead of " as" to sound more natural / informal

texts:
Like in this example
It's such a shame for our school to have that brazen man "for" a teacher.

Does it sound natural and used in informal language?

I mean if we say "for a teacher" instead of saying " as a teacher
Is that used in informal language ??


texts:
I have injured my ankle.
I have damaged my ankle.

Could you tell me the difference?

How can I use injured/damaged correctly?


texts: Are the words 'empirical' and 'experimental' interchangeable?

texts:
Are the two words interchangeable in the academia, specifically in the field of physics and engineering?

I am currently reviewing an engineering paper, and the author has used the word 'experimentally' in a context where I would personally use the word 'empirically':

Simulation parameters are set experimentally.

Naturally, I've tried searching on Google, and I've found a published book that uses both the words 'empirical' and 'experimental' in the title. This got me into thinking that the two words have different connotative definitions.


texts: What is the right option for the sentence?

texts:
Mayot had a horrible surprise when she _____________her e-mail that morning.

Select one:

a) has checked
b) checked
c) had checked

I have chosen c) and got it wrong.


texts: "He is John's dad, whom may be coming." -- is this sentence grammatical?


texts: Why don't recipes use the word "of" as in "1 cup milk" instead of "1 cup of milk"?

texts: It really confuses me and I can't seem to find the reason for that. It's amazing how it apparently never bothered anyone.


texts:
What is origin of word airfoil (e.g. wings of the airplane)? Why it has part "foil", which is a very thin metal sheet.

"Dictionary.com Unabridged" says only "Origin: 1920–25; air 1 + foil 2" (© Random House), and "foil 2" is defined by them exactly as thin metal, e.g. aluminium foil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foil_(metal)).


texts:
Unrequited, according to the most influential dictionaries, is a term mostly used in reference to love. As the following source notes:

  Unrequited is used almost exclusively in the context of romantic love. If you love someone and they don't love you back––that, my friend, is a case of unrequited love.

As noted here, the term is quite old and was originally used in reference to money:

  Unrequited love is so painful, most people feel they are the first person in history to experience it, but the word unrequited has in fact been around since the 1520s, when it was invented, like many good words, to talk about money. It derived from re- 'back' + the Middle English quite 'pay up.'

(Vocabulary.com)

Though it is true that unrequited is also collocated with other terms expressing feelings and emotions such as hatred, anger, lust etc., love is by far the term unrequited is most often associated with. Please see here.

What's so idiomatic about the term "unrequited" to be so closely and exclusively associated with "love"? Was it, perhaps, often used by writers and poets in the past to talk about love pains to make it a set phrase?

Or is the connection via the original  "money concept" in the sense that it originally referred to "paid" love?


texts: What is the word for knowing how to use something (phone, car, etc), but not understanding how it works?

texts: I'm looking for a word which encapsulates the above concept. An example: when someone knows how to use their phone, but doesn't understand how to take it apart, put it together, etc.


texts: Is "go" an acceptable pro-verb for "be (at a specific place)"?

texts:
I'm the TA for an ancient philosophy class. A student used the following sentence in his paper.

  Accordingly, Anaxagoras believes that the movement we observe  is the effect of the cosmos’ guiding intelligence moving its constituents to wherever it judges they ought to go.

I expected to see be in place of go. I considered the sentence, and concluded that I preferred go over be. However, I don't know whether formal English allows writers to use go as the student did.

Did the student use go grammatically?

(The answer won't affect his grade.)


texts: Grammatical explanation for the different use of ‘continue’ and ‘continues’

texts:
My Vietnamese friend was signing a wedding card and wrote, “I hope your love continue to grow”. I pointed out that she should have said ”continues to grow”. She replied that someone else wrote, “May your love continue to grow”.  I replied that this was correct but couldn’t explain why one expression used ‘continue’ and anther ‘continues’.

What is the grammatical explanation for the different use of ‘continue’ and ‘continues’ in the following two expressions:

I hope your love continues to grow.
May your love continue to grow.


texts: How to say that "not watching a movie continuously"?

texts:
I feel awkward when I am trying to express this. Sometimes when we watch a movie on a computer, we don't watch it from the beginning to the end. In this case, is there a verb or phrase that native speakers of English uses to say something like

  I didn't watch the whole movie, I just ___ it on my computer.


texts: Is there a character or sign for 'with', similar to & for 'and'? Also, for 'without'?


texts: Question mark after a comma and a second sentence?

texts:
A non-English native friend has just said that an English speaker told him the question mark should NOT be used after a pair of sentences separated by a comma. Something like this:
"Could someone else have done that, as she was on holidays"
I am also a non-native speaker and am not a language expert but I find this construction quite strange. I would use the question mark here, even if the second sentence is not interrogative. From my point of view, the question is in the first sentence but the second does not act as a separate statement.
Help?
Many thanks for your thoughts.


texts: Which is correct: "eucharistic" or "Eucharistic"? Or is there no hard rule?

texts:
Recently I have been writing a question at https://christianity.stackexchange.com. I have noticed that browser underlines word "eucharistic".

As I am neither English nor catholic, I do not know any rule for capitalisation of the word.
Is there some rule for that or is it just a catholic custom to appreciate the idea behind the word?


texts: What is the term for deliberately forcing a not-quite-grammatical parallelism?

texts:
There is a fairly common figure of speech where one deliberately imposes a parallel structure that is not quite grammatical. For instance, consider the question "Is A less, equal, or greater than B?" This is ungrammatical, because while the correct preposition for less and greater is indeed "than", the correct preposition for "equal" is "to". In fact one never says that "A is equal than B." And yet, using this parallel structure is terser and arguably more pleasant than asking "Is A less than, equal to, or greater than B?"

I know there is a (probably Greek) term for this rhetorical device, but for the life of me I cannot remember it. The closest I was able to find was "zeugma", but that doesn't quite seem to fit. Does anyone here know?


texts: "Wear and tear is" or "wear and tear are"

texts:
I just wrote the following sentence:

  Normal wear and tear is not considered damage to the property.

MS Word suggested that I change the sentence to:

  Normal wear and tear are not considered damage to the property.

I think that Word understands wear and tear to be a list of things, but I think wear and tear is considered as one "thing". Which one is actually correct, and why? Or might both actually work?


texts: Rule about order in modal + adverb + to be

texts:
I am currently reading a book, where I found the following sentences:

The X can be also applied to Y

Later in the book, I find

The X may alternatively be spread over two Y

My question is relative to the different ordering of modal verb + adverb + infinitive, as in "can be also" vs. "may alternatively be", and what is the exact rule.


texts: Is it incorrect to use a sentence fragment to answer a question?

texts:
In an English essay, I wrote:

  What am I looking at? People enjoying themselves?

I lost points for using a sentence fragment. Is it truly incorrect to use a sentence fragment this way?