texts:
You will probably get mugged if walk through that part of town

or

You will probably get yourself mugged if walk through that part of town.

Can I use "have" instead of "get"?


texts:
Often on advertising material, one will see instructions to "quote (phrase) for a discount", for example when booking a hotel or other service.  Examples here, here and here.

How would one be expected to quote such a phrase?

  Hello, can I quote (often odd-sounding) phrase please?

strikes me as awkward.


texts:
I was taught in school in the UK  that it was either "more important" or "importantly," never "more importantly." We say "interestingly" or "more interesting," not "more interestingly".

Is "more importantly" good English?


texts: Is there something grammatically strange about the expression 'To blame'?

texts:
Is there something unusual about the phrase: 'He is to blame'?
It seems to be a shorter form of the passive 'He is to be blamed'. Does this make it some kind of adjective with a to-infinitive form?
Are there any other phrases that follow this pattern?


texts: Using have or has and was or were correctly in the given sentences (singular/plural)

texts:
What is the correct form (singular or plural) of the following two sentences:

A particular amount of students has/have access.
A particular amount of students was/were selected.

In my opinion, it could be either referred to "amount", which would be singular (has/was) or to "students", which would be plural (have/were).


texts:
Just out of curiosity, what is the verb form of inception?
My (uneducated) guesses are incept and inceive.


texts:
Is saying much more grammatically correct?
For instance, some purists argue that this is wrong:

  I'm much more comfortable with A than B

and that it should be:

  I'm more comfortable with A than B

or, to emphasize:

  I'm a lot more comfortable with A than B

Much more does sound colloquial but I've seen it used in newspapers and articles so I was curious.


texts: Associative property of cardinal adjectives

texts:
Would you say, e.g., 'ten fingers and toes' to convey ten of each, or 'twenty fingers and toes' to convey their total?

Does the implied number change if the items are not analogous (e.g., 'fingers and toes'), but instead wholly unrelated (e.g., 'fingers and flowers')?

I did look at an ngram of the two phrases in my first example, but it doesn’t seem so clear cut—and a quick sampling of the corpus does not necessarily reflect proper grammatical usage, which is what I would like to understand.

And, yes, I realize saying 'ten fingers and ten toes' would improve clarity.


texts: Is it correct to write "a 5-mm-thick layer"?

texts: Do I need hyphens? Should I use the indefinite article or zero article?


texts: What is the difference between had and got?

texts:
Are there any significant differences in uses or meanings between these two words? Between the two example sentences below, does one sentence have a slightly different meaning compared to the other, or are they fully interchangeable in all situations?

I got my hair cut.
I had my hair cut.


texts:
I have come across a video in which the speaker says something like

What the Commons is, though however, is ...

Why use 'though however' together? Is the sentence with double 'is correct?

You can hear the whole utterance here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8101854.stm


texts: Is there a difference between 'on your account' and 'on account of you'?

texts:
Consider the following sentences:

Get thee hence, lest we too die on your account!

Get thee hence, lest we too die on account of you!

My intuition is that the two are identical in meaning, the former merely sounding more melodious. However, since I know others who disagree, I am looking for a vaguely authoritative source (preferable descriptive, rather than prescriptive; i.e. giving examples of usage to prove its point).
The argument I have heard is that 'on your account' is equivalent to 'for your benefit', and cannot mean 'because of you', unlike 'on account of you', which can. This seems to be corroborated by Google's dictionary, but not by the Cambridge English Dictionary.
An ideal answer would cite a discussion of this particular topic, or provide real usage examples (from reputable sources).


texts: How to identify a determiner in a sentence that uses 2 determiners

texts: In the sentence, "This is a flower." How can we both say that the "a" refers to a general noun (flower), yet also account for the presence of the specific determiner, "this?"


texts:
Idiom: in my neck of the woods (AmE)
The meaning of this expression is: in the region where I live.

I once tried to find out how a word that referred to a part of the body could later develop into an expression where it meant region. I have just had a look at etymonline but there's nothing concrete about the origins of neck, except older variants that do not explain much.

As we have experts in etymology on EL&U, some of whom know exactly what is what, even in ProtoIndoEuropean, I thought I might ask if someone has read anything useful or has an idea
that might explain this semantic change.

Added, June 19, 2015
Prompted by Jeff's encouraging post I found out Middle English spellings of the word edge and found interesting incidents in the Middle English Dictionary of the University of Michigan.
See egge, also agge and neg, number 3.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/m/mec/med-idx?type=byte&byte=47498511&egdisplay=compact&egs=47512662

In 3a we find egge meaning edge of woods, and the ME form a wodeegge (wood-edge). Interesting also that beside the ME egge and the variant agge there is already a variant with n: neg.
Unfortunately I'm not familiar with search functions of the MED, but it might be possible to find something like "in mine egge of the wode". Old English ecg means corner, edge, point.


texts: Hypocritical: usage and definition confusion

texts:
The Oxford dictionary defines "Hypocritical" as:

  Behaving in a way that suggests one has higher standards or more
  noble beliefs than is the case.

However I derived word Hypocritical from personal experience to mean something along the lines of:

  Going against your own word.

Or as Itolet put it: "does not practice what they preach"

Can someone shed light on the matter, as to how the Oxford definition translates to the more popularized "going against one's own word" usage of the word?


texts: Criteria used to determine if a "Chinese inch" is an "inch"?

texts:
This is a follow-on question to "Term for construct in which adjective completely changes the meaning of its following noun?"

Is a "Chinese inch" an "inch" or something entirely different in which the only correct term is the compound "Chinese inch"?

The English language word "inch" has been intended to indicate a specific length with a significant degree of rigor, even though both the definition and determination of precision has been refined over time.

"Chinese inch" is a term for a unit that is similar in magnitude but is significantly different from an "inch" in actual length (apparently, 1 inch = 0.762 Chinese inches; authority of definition not determined; appears to have multiple, inconsistent definitions.)

So, is a "Chinese inch" a type of "inch"?  It has a degree of transparency: both are units of length of similar magnitude.  It could also be considered completely opaque: use of "inch" instead of "Chinese inch" could result in the embarrassing fit of clothing, the disastrous misdirection of a Mars-bound spacecraft, or tragic surgical results.

I can't determine if the compound "Chinese inch" is endocentric in that the sense of "unit of length" is preserved, or if it is exocentric since the length is indeed appreciably different in the same manner that a "kilometer" differs from a "mile."

Has there been a semantic change, so that "inch" is now a class of length units instead of a specific unit of length?  To be specific, must one now use "English inch" or "American inch"?

Is it correct to advertise a tape measure using the "inch scale" if the scale is really in "Chinese inches"?


texts: Which one is correct? "Explain me" or "Explain to me"?

texts:
Which of the following expressions is correct?

Explain me.

Explain to me.

I know that explain it to me is correct, but I want to know which one of the above is valid.


texts: Is there a word for "property manager" that also includes landlords?

texts:
I'm trying to communicate something along the lines of:

  Your property manager or landlord should be available in the event of an emergency.

I'd like to make "property manager or landlord" more concise.  Property manager works well for condos that are owned by a company; landlord works well for properties that are individually owned; but I don't know what word to use that clearly applies to both.


texts:
In Dutch there is the expression "Nee heb je, ja kan je krijgen." This roughly means that being told "no" after asking for something is only as bad as never asking in the first place.

Is there a more convenient English expression for this?


texts: How to properly write multiple abbreviations

texts:
I have been taught that if you want to use an acronym or abbreviation you should write it in full the first time like this:

  World Health Organisation (WHO)

But what happens if there are two or more different abbreviations which you are going to use in your text. My programming brain wants me to write the following but I am pretty sure it isn't proper English!

  World Health Organisation (WHO | WHOrg)

I know my particular example is nonsense, it was just for illustrative purposes.

The actual reason I need to have multiple abbreviations is for defining mathematical symbols as well as acronyms. So an example would be:

  Collision cross section (CCS, Ω)


texts: Does this sentence begin with a dangling participle?

texts:
Is this a dangling participle? If so, is there a way to fix the first clause to eliminate the dangling participle? Should I add the word “When”? Or is it okay as is?

  Confronted with failure on a regular basis, how business professionals respond to failure dictates whether they’ll ultimately achieve success.


texts: Meaning of gritty, biting in a musical context

texts: What is the meaning of gritty, biting quality with regard to the sound. for example 'gritty, biting bass sound' or 'gritty, biting harmony' in a musical text?


texts: If one pays for transportation of oneself a fare has been paid. What is paid if the transportation is of a non-person object (a parcel, a letter, a vegetable, a box of rocks)?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "caught red-handed"?


texts: What does "drawn" mean in "Hung, drawn and quartered"?

texts:
I've always assumed the "drawn" in "Hung, drawn and quartered" meant eviscerated (remove the entrails of; disembowel).

A friend insists it refers to being drawn/dragged to the gallows, which doesn't make sense to me since it comes after "hung" in the stock phrase.

I started trying to Google it, but my friend (who isn't good at Internet searching) has cried foul in case I'm selective about the evidence I produce!

What's the bottom line on this one?


texts:
Example Sentence: The children of the category.

What does category become in this format: The categor(ies|ies'|y's) children?


texts:
So recently I have stumbled upon a phrase :

  let's even the odds.

I have googled it without any help. If anyone can explain it for me I will be grateful.


texts:
Would it be acceptable to write the following using the hyphens below:

I am trying to get back to my pre-secret-mistress bliss.

Or should it be:

I am trying to get back to my pre-secret mistress bliss.

Is it ok to write:

It's taunting me like some just-out-of-reach nirvana.

Any advice would be appreciated. I have read a style guide on the subject and am now second-guessing myself. Thank you!


texts: Is it grammatically incorrect to say that someone desires ambiguous brevity?

texts: Brevity is a noun, is it not? So, ambiguous, being an adjective, should be able to modify it, correct? That was the first thought I had regarding the subject, but for some reason it just doesn't sound quite right. In the past, that's normally been a good indicator to me that something in my writing isn't quite right. Is there actually something wrong or am I just slightly paranoid?


texts: I am curious to find out information about the semantics of ungrammatical phrases like "Suddenly Susan" (a film title) or "Purely Pickles" (a food brand), where an adverb modifies a noun. Any information would be helpful. Thank you!


texts: Is "So simple a beginning" the same as "A beginning so simple"?

texts:
There are two parts to this question:

Is "A beginning so simple" structurally (grammatically) correct?
If the above is correct, does it have the same meaning?


texts:
The name is on the tip of my tongue.

What's the name for the pop up logo/introduction image while software loads?


texts: I was sat thinking why you were stood there before I was took away by the word police

texts:
I know my sentence is dreadful but everyone now uses these words in this way, including my eight children aged 19—26. Yes, they are from Manchester but my husband uses he was took and he’s from Leicester.

This was never used when I was younger. Is there an easy way to explain why it is wrong, or do I have to accept it?


texts:
Often I get confused when to capitalise the word state. In the following three different meanings of the word, when should the letter S be capitalized?

Synonymous to the words country, nation or government. Even though there are subtle differences among them.
1st-tier administrative division of a country. Examples: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Baden-Württemberg.
Status of something. Examples:

  The state of education in this State is pathetic.


texts:
When I watched "how I met your mother" season 5 ep15, Robin said: "Dibs on his wings" when she saw Barney was on TV, showed his phone number for any girl to call if that woman wanted to sleep with him. What does Robin mean when she said that?
PS: Is there any mistake in my grammar?


texts:
Is there a word which describes a statement which is completely redundant, as its opposite would clearly be ridiculous?

For example

  Our Party aims to reduce levels of crime.

I've considered: Tautology, truism, etc., but they don't really fit.


texts:
During these sessions, the court could rule on major issues, this time around that includes the case about whether race should be a factor when colleges decide which students to accept.

For ‘this time around ... which student to accept’, what’s the subject and verb?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "cut and dried"?

texts:
How did the phrase "cut and dry" come to mean clearly decided or settled in advance? Sometimes referenced as "cut and dried". Also used when when referring to something that is ordinary.

If something is "cut and dry", it is said to be completed without debate, question, or argument.

Example: The rule about running near the pool was cut and dry, but the boy broke the rule and ran anyway.


texts: Where does "to keep fingers crossed" come from?

texts:
When someone says they keep their fingers crossed, it means they wish or hope for a good outcome for someone or something.

Where does this idiom originate from? Why do people fold their one finger on another to hope for the best?


texts:
I'm translating a document into English, and the sentence structure is tempting me to use the word costwise in the sentence.

Example: "high-quality, costwise competitive services." This would refer to services that are of high quality and are also competitive with regard to cost (cf. competitive with regard to quality or availability).

Does costwise qualify as a word? Would it be spelled that way in British English?


texts: Is there a word for the person who hides truth in order to deceive?

texts:
Let's say I caused a minor car crash some time ago and today I meet a woman. The conversation goes:

  Woman: Hey, I remember that car with the scratch from the crash last
  week, you must be the one who caused it.

  Me: Are you sure? It didn't
  necessarily have to be me, I see a car with a scratch like this almost every
  day.

What I was referring to was that I see the car every day when I drive it.

Is there a word for this?


texts: Must in past. Obligation versus deduction

texts:
If you can use "have" as a modifier to make modals past tense, why can't we apply them across the board.  For example May/Might in past "you might have known."  Or "He must have been here."  These are perfectly acceptable examples, but when we come to obligatory usage the structure is more important.

For example:  "Do you have to insult my mother every time you see here?" Is interchangeable with "Must you insult my mother every time you see her?"

Conversely why can we say "Did you have to insult my mother every time you saw here?"  This use in the past is grammatically correct and conveys an action that used to happen, but no longer happens, for instance the mother in question died.

The main question is why can't we say "Must you have insulted my mother every time you saw her?"  I am a native speaker and I would understand that question without thinking the speaker was using my language incorrectly.  This is from the perspective that as long as language follows syntactic patterns there is room for correct usages that may not be codified in books, but still can be used to convey meaning.


texts: What does "let it bleed" mean in this context?

texts:
What does 'let it bleed' mean in the following sentence?

  Though the actors give their all, notably Stellan Skarsgård as the brother of the missing Harriet and Joely Richardson as an estranged relative, the film hangs back when you want it to come out swinging. Only Mara lets it bleed. Her defensive, bruised-animal performance inexorably draws you in.

Is it common enough in daily conversation or English texts?
I have seen it before, but it also in a film review (and The Rolling Stones album). Could you give me another example of its use in a sentence? If possible, the origin of the phrase would be nice too.


texts:
This is the kind of drama that I wanted to avoid.
Because of this drama I decided to not be in a relationship.
How do I combine these into a single sentence?
Are any of these correct? Is there a better way to say it?

This is the kind of drama that I wanted to avoid when I decided not to be in a relationship?

This kind of drama is why I decided not to be in a relationship.


texts: Is there an English words that means "excessive amounts of laughing"?

texts:
Are there any English words which mean "excessive amounts of laughing", "long-term laughing" or "laughing maniac"?

Example sentence:

  The doctor said "I'm sorry, but your brother has an abnormally incurable disease called 'excessive amounts of laughing' disorder which affects him to make himself commonly laugh abnormally 10-50+ times per day.".


texts: What is the appropriate word to define the state of emotion in the following scenario?

texts:
I was having dinner with my friend and all of a sudden my friend told me, "Oh my god, it is Good Friday and I am having chicken." He is Christian and he thinks it is not considered proper for a Catholic Christian to have a non-vegetarian meal on a holy day, but that's totally his choice. My question: What is a word for his "state of emotion(s)" when he uttered that particular sentence?
Is it proper if I say, "Why are you sad/upset/annoyed?"


texts: Is a comma needed after an italicized thought as it is with a quote?

texts:
I'm trying to sort out whether the same rules apply to thoughts as quotes in this context. Also curious to know if using italics for this in the first place is proper.

  I wish I knew how to write thought Bob as he smeared his chest with peanut butter.

or

  I wish I knew how to write, thought Bob as he smeared his chest with peanut butter.


texts:
My aspiration for Dartmouth is to let it soar with its strengths,
  which are many; become the best it can possibly be around those things
  which it already does so well.

  -Jim Yong Kim, World Bank President-

In the above sentence , what does a word 'around' means and how does it work in this sentence?

I thought it is a preposition with the meaning "together with" or "along with".

Is this correct?


texts:
Should a semi-colon or a comma go before the 'then'?

  John ate an apple,/; then he ate an orange.

From what I remember, 'then' should follow a semi-colon when between two independent clauses; however, I also remember something about using a comma before 'then' when it represents 'next in line' when regarding the order of actions in time.

Anyway, just a bit confused and could use a definitive answer.

Thanks!

((I understand there may be other ways to construct that sentence, but I'm really just after a clarification on the rules regarding punctuation and 'then'))


texts:
What is the rude/angry way to say "ask away"?
As in:

  A: I have a question.
  B: Ask away.

When, for instance, you don't feel like talking, or you want the person to ask the question quickly, etc.


texts:
Quote:

  The Whisky Goggles Effect

  There seems to be some evidence that Agile and Scrum can nudge the
  marginally incompetent into being marginally employable. I call this
  the Whisky Goggles Effect: it turns the 3s and 4s into 5s, but it
  makes you so sloppy that the 7s and 9s want nothing to do with you.
  Unable to get their creative juices flowing under aggressive
  micromanagement, the best programmers leave.

From: https://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/why-agile-and-especially-scrum-are-terrible/

Looks like some sort of distorted perception that is happening when you drunk or something but I can't fully understand what does it mean exactly.


texts: Is it correct to use "congratulate" for someone's birthday?

texts: "I'm not going to congratulate her birthday because we're not on speaking terms"? And if not, what do we say? Thanks a lot.


texts:
I was inspired by What is the meaning of “one-half meter”? to ask this follow-on question.

The article at the following link uses the phrase "up to" in a possibly ambiguous way.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/03/inside-nasas-daring-8-billion-plan-to-finally-find-extraterrestrial-life/

    And Clipper will provide an amazing set of eyes, flying to within 25km of the surface in long, looping orbits and returning images with a resolution of up to one-half meter per pixel. By comparison, even the best images of Pluto captured by New Horizons were about 70 meters per pixel.

I believe that the intended meaning is that the resolution of the images will be at best 0.5 meter per pixel.  Therefore, no images would have a resolution of 0.1 meter per pixel, but some images might be at 1 meter per pixel.

However, a literal interpretation could be that "up to" refers to "one-half meter".  Therefore, 1 meter per pixel could not happen but 0.1 meter per pixel could happen.

Is the article poorly worded, or is this a correct usage of "up to"?

---------- EDIT ----------

I thought of an example that I think suffers from the exact same ambiguity, but that doesn't have the complexity of the technical meaning of "resolution" confusing things.

    From an ad - Each of our products are on sale this week at amazing prices of up to 70% of retail.  Compare these prices to our competitor's prices of 90% of retail.

Based on that ad, could there be a sale price of 60% of retail?  How about 80% of retail?  I don't think that the second sentence of the ad removes the ambiguity.

Maybe I'm just being too literal though.


texts: Is Gordon Ramsay right to use the term "plank" for an "idiot"?

texts:
In this video clip, amateur reality TV-chef Gordon Ramsay says,

  I think you're a plank. [...] Plank means an idiot.

Is this a real definition of plank? Dictionary.com doesn't acknowledge it. Is Gordon Ramsay just calling people a slice of a dead tree?


texts:
Is this OK to use the following:

  Looking into the photograph the girl said, "It's me before 5 years."


texts:
Do I need to put a comma after done in the sentence

Well done indeed!


texts: Is Did + second form correct in this sentence?

texts: If I say, "How did she knew about it?" Would it be correct? If you use search engine for "did knew", you get hundred thousand results. Are they incorrect? I'm confused about this grammar structure.


texts:
"This beauty product features two peptides working in synergy to
  produce an even skin tone."

Is the usage of synergy in the above statement wrong or an acceptable hyperbole?

*Merriam-Webster defines synergy as a mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of distinct business participants or elements (such as resources or efforts).

It leads me to think that it should only be used in reference to business entities or people working together.


texts:
Can anyone please tell me what " short of quitting" mean in the following sentence:
The characteristics of bad managers run the gamut from micro managing, to bullying, to just plain ineffective. And, short of quitting, there isn't much you can do since it is unlikely that your boss is going to change.

And I'd also like to know if it is a fixed expression, what I mean is that can I use it in another example?

Thanks in advance :)


texts: What makes be intransitive? How to tell one meaning from the other?

texts:
The STATEMENT MADE BY NATIVES:

be is not transitive, that’s why “Whom can he be?” and “Who can be
him?” are wrong.

If it’s true, why is this correct?

I don’t want to be him.

My first language is not English and the two makes perfect sense in my language and mean different things.

1 Who can be him?  = (Who is able among all these people to be him?)
2 Whom can he be? = (Which person (whom) of all these people is he
able to be?)

Do you confirm that 1 and 2 are wrong? If you do confirm that, then we are left with these:

Who can be he? – who is the subject. (Who can be Jack?)
Who can he be? – he is the subject (Who can Jack be?)

Do you agree that the difference in meaning should be conveyed through the word order if the objective case of pronouns is not allowed to be used?


texts: How to explain the use of "We're talking " in this example?

texts:
What is the daytime temperature like?

Very hot! We're talking 50 degree temperatures here.

(Note: This question is about the unique usage of "talk" in a special context such as this one here to mean "talk about". It's nothing in common with the one already asked)


texts:
I’m translating an English novel into Italian but I’m stuck on the meaning of one sentence and I was wondering if you could help me:

  Why—his voice seemed to draw out soft and subtle, it penetrated her nerves—why, what do you think it is?


texts: How many "monophthongs" are there in RP? Do all the varieties of spoken English in the UK have the same number?

texts:
A monophthong is a pure vowel sound. The monophthongs can be contrasted with diphthongs, where the vowel quality changes within the same syllable, and hiatus, where two vowels are next to each other in different syllables.  While "pure" vowels, or monophthongs, are said to have one target articulator position, diphthongs have two, and triphthongs three.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monophthong

Do all the varieties of spoken English in the UK have the same number of monophthongs ? What about in the U.S.?


texts: What do you call the birthday of an organization?

texts: I need a noun for the birthday of an organization. Thinking of something like "Declaration Day", "Foundation Day" but none really feel right.


texts: What is the correct way to define an acronym when its first appearance is plural?

texts:
The question and answers posed in What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym? deals very nicely with acronym (and possibly initialism) usage. What about the case when you are defining the acronym?

For example:

...automated teller machine (ATM)... - Easy enough.
...automated teller machines (ATM)... ?
...automated teller machines (ATMs)... ?

If the singular form will be used later then option 2 seems poor.  Generally option 3 appears to be best, but is it clear to the reader that we will write the singular form as "ATM"?

This idea is touched upon in Defining an acronym when using the plural of the term? but it is not complete.


texts: Meaning of "within 30 days of [a certain date in the future]" in context?

texts:
I am required to submit a certain form "within 30 days of [a certain date in the future]". I suspect that the form's author actually meant to say something like "at least 30 days before [a certain date]". However, a literal reading of the statement would suggest that the form must be submitted "sometime during the 30 days before or after [a certain date]". In context, is that a correct (or at least reasonable) interpretation of the statement? Alternatively, is there perhaps some idiomatic meaning of the phrase "within x days of" that I am not aware of?

Please do not mark this question as a duplicate. I know that vaguely similar questions have been answered, but they do not quite address this specific issue.

Thank you in advance for your help!


texts: What does the phrase "trying to snow" mean?

texts:
What does the phrase trying to snow mean? E.g.,

  Trying to snow the audience ...

I think it is more of a slang usage. I am looking for a meaning other than weather related.


texts: Use of conditional tense/sujunctive mood

texts:
I am discussing with a friend (over email) the pros and cons of various interview styles. At some point in the email I write:

  "Ideally the candidate will demonstrate X."

Then in the next sentence I want to describe, by comparison, what action by the candidate would not be ideal. I was initially tempted to write:

  "What would be bad would be if the candidate did Y"

but the bold-text "would be" sounds wrong as used here. Instead I feel I should write something like:

  What would be bad is if the candidate did Y"

because I'm saying that [the action that would be bad] = Y, as opposed to [the action that would be bad] would be Y. In other words, I know that the action Y would be bad.

Neither phrase sounds perfect though. I would appreciate any explanation of a 'correct' phrasing! Also I am from the UK, but living in the US so I am interested in usage in each place (if there is a difference). Finally, I apologize if I have mis-tagged this question - it seems to me to be a question about use of either the conditional tense or the subjunctive mood, but this could be wrong.


texts: Confusing uage of present perfect infinitive where past perfect should be used

texts:
In one of the renowned grammar books I've come across an example of confusing usage of the perfect infinitive, where in my opinion past perfect should be used instead:

He is thought to have been deeply depressed at the time, but recovered later.

The above sentence is placed in the past, so why there is perfect infinitive? I'd say the following sentence is more logical:

He is thought to had been deeply depressed at that time, but recovered later.

Can anybody explain it to me, please?


texts: Inverted sentence/ reduced relative clause?

texts:
My student once asked me about one sentence he read on one particular site. It says " Attached is the receipt." He asked about what kind of grammar is used in the sentence. I am not sure if it is really an inverted sentence, but while surfing the net for answers, I accidentally saw something that could help me figure it out.
One of the commenters in a much closer topic with mine said that it is what we call reduced relative clause. Please help me.


texts: Why is it correct to say "to negate a double"?

texts:
In programming you can negate a double. At least Google hits tend to that, but there are, though, a lot of hits for invert a double.
While the definition of to invert is clear

to invert:
to change the normal position of something, especially by turning it upside down or by arranging it in the opposite order

the definition of to negate seems to have a bit different meaning

to negate:
1 to stop something from having any effect
2 to state that something does not exist

Other dictionaries like merriam-wesbster back that up:

to deny the existence or truth of
to cause to be ineffective or invalid

Having said that I wonder why there are so many Google hits for to negate a double. We neither make it invalid nor we cease its existence.
I found one definition that goes into the direction of turning a value to its opposite but the definition fits more to a boolean than a double because NOT 5 is unequal to MINUS 5.

Computer Science: To perform the machine logic operation NOT gate. thefreedictionary

But the noun negation fits at all:

negation:
the exact opposite of something; the act of causing something not to exist or to become its opposite

So, why do we negate a double instead of invert a double?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Capitalize X in x-ray?

I see in the OED and on wikipedia that 'X-ray' can be both 'x-ray' and 'X-ray'; is there a preferred version for American English?


texts: I am supposed to clock in at 8 am every day to work. I was late today, just like every day, but today I was only late by 5 minutes, less than every other time. Is saying "earliest I've been to work" correct? Even though I was late?


texts: Is there any difference between the -logic, -logical, and -logous suffixes?

texts: For example: tautologic, tautological, and tautologous.


texts: Should "from" always be paired with "to" in descriptions of time ranges?

texts:
Back in school I was taught that "from" should always be paired with "to" to indicate time ranges, as in

  Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901.

But now, I frequently see a dash used instead of "to," following "from":

  Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901.

Is that combination of word and dash correct?


texts:
Careful writers are punctilious about which word to use from among a bevy of related words. Somehow they are always inch-perfect as regards finer points. If one looks up words in dictionaries, distinction between near synonyms are hard to come by. I suppose same could be said of thesauruses.

Could anyone please suggest some proper sources that highlight such distinctions?
Now while I am writing this, I am positive that a more careful writer would replace bevy with a proper synonym of the word that would sound better in this context. bevy just sprang to my mind as I was writing and so I went with it. But I think it isn't  the relevant synonym of, um, group. And that's basically what my question is all about.
Thanks in advance


texts: Help with Sentence Structure and Grammar

texts: The following Federal dispatch case requested did not qualify for an automated dispatch creation. Please create the dispatch manually.


texts:
My wife and I were discussing whether it is allowable to put an adjective in front of "of them". For instance, I could say "I want 5 cats" and "I want 5 of them". However, while it sounds perfectly normal to say "I want 5 new cats", "I want 5 new of them" doesn't roll of the tongue very smoothly.

If it is incorrect to place an adjective in front of "of them"?


texts: Lost in translation... but lost in time instead?

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase similar to "lost in translation", except in relation to time, meaning a sentence or word loses its original meaning over time and it morphs to mean something different than what was meant in a different time period. Is there a word or phrase like that?

Example: the phrase "Blood is thicker than water" supposedly used to mean that "ties between people who've made a blood covenant were stronger than ties formed by the water of the womb", but over time it changed to mean the complete opposite. How would you refer to such a change?


texts: Using phrases in email to prof (academic)

texts:
1. "I hope you are doing well"

Will be it polite, if I write it in an email to Proff/start an email with it?
He was ill, and we wrote me about it

2. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to meet with me

How to use this sentense in past tense?

3. I am writing you to let know, that ...

"to let know", is it polite? I woul like to write about what I have decoded according to Proff' suggestion?


texts: The wikipedia article on the history of the metric system uses the adjectives meridional and meridianal (as the metre was derived from the length of the meridian passing through Paris). Which is better? According to online dictionaries, meridional is correct and meridianal does not exist. However, I suppose few readers, except geographers, have meridional in their vocabulary.


texts: What's the difference between "these" and "those"?

texts:
First of all, I'm not a native English speaker, but in school I learned that these is used if referring to something near, and those is used when referring to something far away (temporally or locally). But now I'm sometimes watching English movies and notice sentences like "Have you seen those boots?" while the boots were only centimeters away. Is this just not correct, or have I learned the wrong rules?

Another question is, what if I'm referring to something abstract such as ideas or thoughts so that I can't say if they are far away or not. Should I use those or these?

Edit

So it can't be really wrong in any case if I use these respectively those?


texts: Pronunciation of the chemical element lead

texts:
How is the chemical element lead pronounced in British English and American English? This seems to be difficult to search, because of the verb lead. Merriam-Webster lists

  lead
  noun \ˈlēd\

but the audio pronunciation is \liid\.


texts: A word/phrase for someone who is very sensitive to slights/injustices committed against him

texts:
I am trying to think of a word, or if necessary a phrase, to describe someone who is extremely sensitive to minor injustices committed against him. Think of a person who will challenge anybody to a duel who treats him unfairly, even if the offense is slight.

The word proud comes to mind, but it has other connotations and doesn't capture the sensitivity I am trying to express.

I am not looking for synonyms for sensitive, like thin-skinned, etc. I am not talking about someone who can't handle a joke or the rough and tumble of normal conversation. I'm talking about someone who will never take an injustice lying down, even if it's so minor most people would say "let it go".


texts: What is the female equivalent of "warlock"?

texts:
What is the female equivalent of a "warlock"? It seems that other male-only words for paranormal practitioners have female equivalents:
Wizard/Witch
Sorcerer/Sorceress
Enchanter/Enchantress
Warlock/???


texts: Does issue as "Offspring, progeny; a child or children" have modern usage?

texts:
When looking at the word "issue" in the thesaurus I noticed that children was given as one of the definitions. Having not seen issue used in this context before, I decided to do some investigation. Sure enough the Oxford English Dictionary (Online Edition) lists one of the definitions of issue as:

  Offspring, progeny; a child or children; a descendant or descendants.
  Now chiefly in legal use or with reference to legal succession.
  †Formerly sometimes with pl. issues. (Rarely used of the young of
  beasts.)

However, I see example usage such as:

  1850   H. Martineau Introd. Hist. Peace II. v. ix. 344   No issue from
  this marriage survived.

which seems to stop at around 1871. Is this just an older usage of the word, or does it also hold in modern day usage as well? I'm having trouble finding examples.


texts: What are good alternatives to: 'dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for'

texts: I'm sick of hearing the phrase 'dramatically lowers the barrier to entry'. Please help the world out by suggesting a simpler phrase or word to use instead.


texts:
From what I understand the word "personify" is defined to "represent (a quality or concept) by a figure in human form." The word I am looking for is the opposite. More specifically, I am looking for a word that "represents a human by a quality or concept." This is how I want to use it:

  "When life hands you lemons, you make some lemonade." The preceding quote depicts adaptability and flexibility. It, in a way, personifies me.

The bolded word is what I am looking for.

Note: A similar question on "personification" on this Stack Exchange was not of very much help.


texts:
While most of the nouns denoting parts of the day are used either with "at.." or "in the.." prepositions (in the morning / afternoon / evening / daytime; at nighttime / noon / night / midday / midnight / dawn / dusk / sunrise / sunset / sundown / daybreak / nightfall)

"daylight" and "twilight" seem to go beyond the dichotomy:

At daylight on the 7th of October 1813 he crossed the Bidassoa...

In daylight, he was almost approachable.

Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy.

..legions of these delicate minute flies fill the air at twilight..

We are always living in twilight..

..farmers starting for Boston in the twilight..

So what's the difference between the three patterns: "at N", "in N", "in the N"?


texts: What is it called when you replace a word with a phrase?

texts: Replacing a word with a phrase, but not in the case of a euphemism. Example: replacing "United Nations" with "Headquarters of Peace" so the sentence would be, "It would cause war in the headquarters of peace."


texts: There is no headache strong enough, that a good coffee won't relieve

texts:
I heard this phrase today and I'm pretty sure that there is something wrong with it. I do not know if it is the grammar or the syntax or the meaning of the words. Can you please tell me what the problem with this phrase is? Would a native American or British use it? If it's not correct, can you please tell me the correct alternative?

I hope that you get what she was trying to say: a good coffee can always be used to battle a bad headache.


texts: I am looking for an adjective to describe "painful reality"

texts:
I am wondering which adjective could describe something is unexpectedly tough but pretty fair (I have "neutral" attitudes toward it).

For example:

I found the final exam was so ***. I really should have worked harder.

Edit: I also want to use this adjective formally, like:

Although the test is a fair game, I have never thought it could be so tough.

Edit: I am so sorry for “nitpicking”. I would use this word in the emails to the professor who made that test, so I want to be as neutral and polite as I can.


texts: Is "buffeted" the AmE version of the BrE word "buffetted"?

texts:
I am referring to the use of the verb "to buffet" meaning

  "(especially of wind or waves) strike repeatedly and violently; batter."

The use of "buffeted" and "buffeting" is widespread.  However use of "buffetted" and "buffetting" still occurs.  There is, incidentally, a huge ratio in favour of the single "t" (about 4:1 200 years ago, currently about 60:1).

However, to my British eye, the single "t" looks wrong though, in a similar way to "travelers" and "travellers" being the AmE and BrE spellings.

Some websites list the double "t" spelling, but I've yet to find any that qualify it as being British.  Nor do they label it as obsolete, archaic or any of the other indications that I should ignore my feelings and accept the single "t" as the currently accepted spelling. N.B. I am deliberately avoiding the word "correct" :-)

Curiously, I've just found a 1764 English - French dictionary that translates "buffetted" as "soufleté" in French, a word which is now spelled with a double "f" as "*souffleté" (meaning "slapped" or similar). I love how fluid language is over time.


texts: Is there a name for the place where a street name changes on the other side of an intersection?

texts:
I think this is a common enough scenario in the US.
Imagine an intersection of a North/South road and an East/West road.
On the East side of the N/S road the E/W road is named something like 13th St. On the West side of the N/S road the E/W road is named something like University Ave.
Perhaps more common is the simple change of something like East Main St. to West Main St., but I'm not sure that's considered the same, or if there's a different term for that.
Does a term or phrase exist to describe this type of intersection that seems to define the cut-off points for different legal names for a continuous stretch of road?

Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia on street names, which talks about this:

Where a street crosses or forms (straddles) a boundary, its two sides sometimes have different names. Examples include Seton Avenue (Bronx) / Mundy Lane (Mount Vernon, New York); Station Road (Portslade) / Boundary Road (Hove, East Sussex); Lackman Road (Lenexa) / Black Bob Road (Olathe, Kansas); Nieuwstraat (Kerkrade, Netherlands) / Neustraße (Herzogenrath, Germany), both names meaning 'New Street'.

But it also lacks a term or concise phrase for this convention.


texts:
Why is “wavelength” one word when “wave height” isn't?

As another example, wave speed is two words. But wavelength is only one word.
What is the reason for this?

In Swedish and other contructs, both words are only one word:

våglängd (wavelength)
våghöjd (wave height)


texts: Why is it that "racist towards" and "racist against" have the same meaning?

texts:
"He is racist towards black people."

"He is racist against black people."

"Towards" and "against" are antonyms, so why do they mean the same thing here?


texts: Disturb "the function" or "the functioning" of the device?

texts:
I have in my quantum physics lab report

  The system cannot disturb the function of the device.

but my friend proposes

  The system cannot disturb the functioning of the device.

I think the latter one is broader than the former, involving whether the system is working or not, while the former involves just one function.

I mean in this example sentence that the main purpose of the system cannot be disturbed i.e. its main function.

Which is correct here, "function" or "functioning"?


texts: "To try oneself in something" template usage

texts:
For example,

  I'd like to try myself in farming.

Is this grammatically correct? I want to express that I never have done farming before and wish to begin doing it.


texts: Do capitalization and punctuation fall under the category of grammar?

texts:
I've just read something that implied that capitalization falls under the category of grammar. After looking at the definition ("the whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general..etc"), I think he may be right, but...

I feel like I've only ever heard "grammar" used to refer to someone using words correctly in terms of the... meanings of the words(?)

I think some examples might help me more here.

I've always thought something like

  "I didn't saw him."

would be a grammatical mistake but that

  "i didn't see him"

would not fall under the category of grammar. I know it's capitalization, and I think it might also be considered punctuation. But I've always assumed that something like that would not technically be a grammar mistake. I thought punctuation was completely separate from grammar, except perhaps in scenarios where a punctuation mark would changes the meaning of the words, like with "were" and "we're".

Can anyone clear this up? Are capitalization and punctuation both part of grammar?


texts:
Is there a term for a group of people arranged in such a way as to appear from an aerial vantage as a specific shape, picture or word?

Examples:


texts: What is the origin of using the term "lease" to signify a financing agreement with option to buy out an asset, as opposed to simple rent?

texts:
A formal definition of the word "lease" makes a lease out to be very similar to "rent" in meaning:

noun \ˈlēs\
Definition of LEASE

a contract by which one conveys real estate, equipment, or facilities
for a specified term and for a specified rent...

a piece of land or property that is leased

a continuance or opportunity for continuance

Examples of LEASE

They took out a five-year lease on the house.
We hold leases on both of our cars.

But there is a problem with the second example!
When a modern American talks about leasing a car, he most likely means something completely different: a financing-like agreement, with a leasee's option to buy the asset for depreciated price at the end. In effect, they use the word "lease" to mean "Closed-end lease".
So, my questions are:

Is my impression correct that modern American colloquial usage of the verb "to lease" largely stopped meaning what the original "lease" meant and now means "Closed-end lease" (which, despite the word 'lease' in it, has significantly different attributes).
I specifically mean the verb, since as a noun any legal rental agreement document is frequently called a "lease"

If my impression is correct, is there any source that actually documents it? My googling didn't find any confirmation for the above point, despite the fact that I have not heard anyone in the last 10 years use it to imply that verb as anything other than "to enter into or hold a closed-end lease".

If that is correct, when did the phenomenon start?


texts: Is it correct to say "in which to", "from which to", "on which to", etc.?

texts:
I see these kinds of phrases used sometimes in articles and books, and they sound weird to me. Here are some examples:

This is a great environment in which to read and work.

The book offers many fascinating perspectives from which to look at society.

The book offers a ton of profound principles on which to base your decisions and actions.

Are these correct?


texts: When to say "a proof", "the proof" and just "proof"?

texts:
My friend asked to check his work, and he had written:

  I think Asimov is proof that being prolific is at least as valuable as being talented.

He writes simply is proof. Did he write correctly without an article? In which case would one write is a proof or is the proof?

I've probably seen all three forms of this but I don't know what the meaning of each one of them is. Can anyone explain?


texts: What to say when someone's answer is not related to our question or at least we think it's not?

texts:
I would say: "How's that related to my question ?"
Please answer for both formal and informal cases


texts:
In the following example:

  Eri stared at date on the screen, but all she saw were white pixels.
  Only when she recovered from her shock that she became aware of its
  meaning.

Do it have to add "it was" before "...only when..."? Or it's not necessary? When to use only when and when to use it was only when?


texts: Where does the phrase "on the lam" come from?

texts:
According to the Online Etymological Dictionary, lam means:

  "flight," as in on the lam, 1897, from a U.S. slang verb meaning "to run off" (1886), of uncertain origin, perhaps somehow from the first element of lambaste, which was used in British student slang for "beat" since 1590s.

Does anyone know of any other explanations?


texts:
Using only a single word in each case, I'm attempting to describe two different variations involving constancy of a certain attribute:

Variation of an object without changing its weight.
Variation of an object without changing its length.

(For those interested in the context, the object whose variation I'm considering is a weighted mathematical knot.)

Words like "isobaric" and "isothermic" immediately spring to mind, but obviously they won't do here.  "Isometric" is close to describing case 2, but since it's already attached to a precise mathematical definition that slightly differs from case 2 I'd like to avoid using it.  I've searched through lists like those found here and here, but these lists are not exactly short and seem to contain mostly technical language specifically related to biology and chemistry.

Does anybody know of words that could end this search for me?  They certainly don't need to use the "iso" prefix; I simply thought that would be a good place to start.  Any advice whatsoever is most appreciated.

I would use such a word as follows: "The next theorem presents a first-variation formula describing the isobaric variation of any weighted knot."

Essentially, I'm looking for a legitimate way to say "isolength" and "isoweight".


texts: Is there a verb meaning "to come back from fishing without any fish?"

texts:
In A Grammar and Dictionary of the Samoan Language there is a verb that means "to return from fishing without any fish."

  Taufua, v. to return from fishing without any fish. Syn. ʻAsa.

My question is, how is "taufua" translated into English?

I'm looking for a single word which renders that meaning in English, but I will accept an expression, too.

A bit of searching came up with "duffer" (an incompetent, ineffectual, or clumsy person) but it doesn't seem strictly related to fishing, and it isn't a verb.


texts:
first thing first I hope this is not off-topic.

So here's my problem: my spoken English is quite good, to the point that I'm sometimes mistaken for a native (American) speaker. However, there are words I still tend to mispronounce, especially when the English phonetics structures are not present in my mother tongue (I'm Italian).

For instance, a couple days ago somebody brought to my attention that I pronounce "ice" and "eyes" virtually in the same way, and these are the kind of things that are really hard to notice until a native points them out to you.

In other words, I feel like I reached a plateau in my learning process and I'm not sure how to proceed from here.

I should also mention that I get a lot of exposure to the language and I use it on everyday basis, so that alone is not helping anymore (or not helping fast enough).

I figured I could start reading about linguistics, and take a more structured approach to learn English (maybe learning the IPA would also help?), but I'm not sure is a good strategy.

Do you have any recommendation, books/websites/topics I should check out, or know anything else I could try? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.


texts: What is the correct expression of "melancholic/blue man"?

texts: Just to mean someone is in melancholic/blue state. Not sure about how to express it properly in English


texts: Is there a proverb in English to convey the meaning "Attempting to catch a flying bird by accidentally releasing the one in hand."?

texts:
Attempting to catch a flying bird by accidentally releasing the one in
hand.

For example, pursuing other attractive objects for getting more benefit but accidentally losing the benefits from the existing owned objects.
Is there such a proverb in English with the above meaning?


texts: Word to describe applying human name to actions

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the term for giving an action or phenomenon somebody's name, e.g. “Doing a Lord Lucan”?

Is there a word to describe applying a human name to actions? For example, if you had a friend called Tony who consistently got too drunk and threw up everywhere, then you could describe somebody performing those actions as tonying.


texts: Indefinite article: Turn traitor vs become a traitor

texts:
The man turned traitor after he was arrested.
He became a traitor.

Why is there an "a" in the second sentence but not in the first?


texts: Use of "have had" , "had had", "has had"

texts: How do you use "have had", "had had", or "has had" grammatically correct?


texts: Why include “to” when speaking about verbs?

texts:
I cannot grasp any semantic difference, in discussions of grammar matters, between quoting full infinitives (with “to”) or bare infinitives (without “to”). Thus I do not understand why the longer form is used at all.

In which circumstances is it better to speak of “the verb to dance” rather than “the verb dance”?

Where does the custom of using the full infinitive originate?

Dictionary entries for verbs do not seem to include “to”; for instance, in the Merriam-Webster and the Collins (current online editions), “dance” is an entry, but not “to dance”, nor “dance (to)”.


texts: Colon or comma: there are plenty of options [: , ] from X to Y

texts:
Is a comma or a colon the correct punctuation of the following sentence?

  There are plenty of meals from which to choose /// from pasta to steak.

At the break between clauses, denoted by /// it seems a colon is warranted as what comes before is a complete sentence, and what follows is explanatory details and not a complete sentence.

But a comma also makes sense, as it turns the last portion of the sentence into a modifier. But the modifier from pasta to steak would not be modifying the thing that comes immediately before, so it seems to violate that rule.

I see a similar question here: Comma, colon or either in my text? but that question's modifier clause does not contain the from x to y structure, and as such the answer to that question does not fully apply here. We would not replace the colon with words such as namely, that is, as, for example, for instance, because, as follows, because the word from would make that awkward: options namely from pasta to steak


texts:
He wounded himself.
He pinched himself.
He stabbed himself.
He looked at himself.

In all these cases the action proceeds from the agent (which is also a subject) and is directed at this very agent. Let's call this phenomenon an "short-circuit action" (I am sure there should be a correct grammatical term for this). In all these cases the short-circuit actions are expressed by using '-self'.
I wonder if there are such verbs in English that would also express short-circuit action, but '-self' would not be needed then? I know there are such cases in other languages.
Can you come up with such verb?


texts:
Say, I want to tell my readers to come visit the U.S. and enjoy American lifestyle (such as eating American hamburgers, watching football games, playing Beerpong, etc). Then which of the followings will be the best expression? (if I can't paraphrase it)

Enjoy American's daily life.
Enjoy American daily life.  (indefinite article?)
Enjoy Americans' daily life.

[as a foreigner] enjoy (an /the /[blank]) (American's daily life/ American daily life/ Americans' daily life)

This is so subtle and seems like there is no meaningful difference in this context.


texts:
For example, "The system is too complicated for computers; you couldn't possibly encode every ________ about the system into a program."

I'm looking for a word that's not technical.


texts: What is the antonym of the verb "to depend"?

texts:
I've found in this community this question and this other question mentioning the antonym of the adjective dependent, which is independent.

What I wanted to know is how to use a proper antonym verb for to depend, since there is no such a thing as to independ?

This would be used in a context like:

  The figures also show that the convergence behavior [independs] on the number of terms.


texts: What is the opposite of "call someone's bluff"?

texts: I mean, what verb should/can "call" be replaced with to obtain the opposite?


texts:
I am currently reading "A Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle. On page 33 is a sentence I don't understand:

  Well, if a man can stride four and a-half feet without the smallest effort, he can't be quite in the sere and yellow.

What does "in the sere and yellow" mean?

Note:
It seems to be related to this part of Macbeth:

  I have liv'd long enough: my way of life
      Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf;
      And that which should accompany old age,
      As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,
      I must not look to have; but, in their stead,
      Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath,
      Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not.


texts: Progressive or simple: How to correctly talk about what's happening (what someone's doing)

texts:
I don't know how to analyze the grammar of the following two statements:

"I don't want to keep listening to you sniffle."

vs.

"I don't want to keep listening to you sniffling."

To the point, I haven't been able to figure out if one is more correct than the other or if there's really any difference in meaning.


texts: Devoicing 'Voiced consonants' to their counterparts

texts:
So, lately I've been really interested in devoicing voiced consonants to their counterparts. I've been studying painstakingly, so I would like to share it with you, and you can tell me if you agree with me or not.

So, I'll start:

1. I have two bookshelves. In this case the word 'have' is pronounced with /v/ sound. However, due to the fact that the next word starts with /t/ sound, it becomes /f/ sound.

'Bookshelves' is pronounced with /v/ sound and ends with /z/ sound, however, due to the fact that it is at the end of a sentence, the /v/ and the /z/ sounds will transform into a very but very ultra week /f/ and /s/ sound.

So the sentence /aɪ hæv tu ˈbʊkˌʃɛlvz/ actually becomes /aɪ hæf tu ˈˈbʊkˌʃɛlfs/ (It's how Google translator pronounces it)

2. Vegetable -> /ˈvɛʤtəbəl/  pronounced with /ʤ/, however, if you try to pronounce 'vegetable' with /ʤ/ sound, it is possible but it's hard, and not only that, but it sounds unnatural.

So, due to the fact that the next sound is /t/ sound, it means that the word 'vegetable' will actually become /vɛʧtəbəl/. The /ʤ/ sound will convert into its voiceless counterpart /ʧ/. Google translate

3. The phrase you've changed a lot. The /ʧ/ sound is actually a mix between the /t/ sound and the /ʧ/ sound. So it means that the preceding sound (/v/) will be devoiced and will become a weak /f/ sound rather than a hard /v/ sound.

Not only that, but it seems like the /ʤ/ sound in 'changed' will become a very weak /ʧ/. So you've changed a lot (/juv ʧeɪnʤd ə lɑt/) becomes /juf ʧeɪnʧt ə lɑt/. Not only that, but it seems like the /d/ in 'changed' will become more of a /t/ sound. Keep in mind, they're becoming very weak counterparts. Here is the audio.

4. He's trying. The same will happen here. He's is normally pronounced with /z/ sound, however, due to the fact that the next word starts with /t/ sound, it will actually become more of a /s/ sound.  And it's more common to pronounce the /tr/ cluster as /ʧ/ sound, so /hiz ˈtraɪɪŋ/ will become more like /hisˈtraɪɪŋ/. Audio

5. I moved, same thing happens here. 'Moved' is at the end of a sentence, so it means that the /v/ sound in 'moved' will become a very ultra light /f/ sound.

The /t/ and /ʧ/ sounds seem to devoixe many sounds.

'You move to me', 'I have to go', 'I've been engaged twice' (the /ʤ/ sound will become more of a /ʧ/ sound)

It also happens at the end of words. Never in my wildest dreams -> The /z/ in dreams will actually be a very ultra light /s/ sound, so light that it will sound like a little whispery /s/ sound.

Same happens with 'I have a page' -> the /ʤ/ sound will become very ultra /ʧ/ sound, since it's at the end.

However, if you say 'In my dreams I see you', then the /z/ sound will be strong.

If you say 'I'm gonna change my name', then the /ʤ/ sound in 'change' will be strong.

'I'm gonna move again', in this sentence the /v/ sound will remain and it won't change to /f/ sound.

One last more: It won't change to /f/ sound. In change to, the /ʤ/ sound will actually change to /ʧ/ since the /t/ sound devoices it.

Same with, I have a garage, when it's at the end it seems it becomes a very ultra light /ʧ/ sound instead of the /ʒ/ sound. But if you say 'my garage is big', then /ʒ/ will not change to /ʧ/ and will remain strong.


texts: A host of competitive offers has / have been received

texts:
Singular or plural verb?

A host of competitive offers have been received. (The sense is plural, so should we use 'have'? Or should it be 'has' to agree with the singular subject 'host'?)

Thanks.


texts: Do native English speakers always stress content words rather than the final important word of a sentence?

texts:
I’ve watched lots of videos and read lots of articles that talk about this subject. However, I couldn’t understand because almost every article says something either new or different.

So, I’d love to know the answer to this question. Plus, would love to know how this question would be stressed.

I do realize it depends on the accent so to make the question clearer, I'm interested in American English.

Another thing I'd love to say, in music, they tend to stress the final content word of a sentence, that’s what I’ve been noticing. However, I’ve heard that there’re lots of stress patterns and you can choose whichever you want, is that true?


texts: Is there a positive counterpart of "Showing one's true colors"?

texts:
Showing one's true colors applies to a situation where a person did something that you perceive as negative.

For instance: I thought Jake was a nice guy, but at the club, he showed his true colors.

Is there an idiom which would convey the idea that what a person did led you to perceive them positively thereafter?
Consider: Tim was initially shy, but once we worked on that he proved to be an amazing guy.

If not, is there a better way to say this?


texts: What is the phonological error pronouncing /θ/ as /s/ called?

texts:
How can I explain the error of pronunciation in the sentence

  I sink I'm going to bed

where the word pronounced sink is actually think?


texts: Why appear, appearance are spelled with "ea", but apparent, apparently are spelled with "a"?

texts:
For the word appear, the verb and noun are spelled with "ea", but the adverb and adjective are spelled with "a", why do they have different vowels given that they have the same root?
Verb:      appear,
noun: appearance
While
Adjective: apparent and not appearent?


texts:
In the following sentence , should locally owned have a hyphen?

A fun, causal way to sample the sights, stories and flavors of a cross-section of locally owned restaurants.


texts: Is "track adequately down" a correct phrasing?

texts:
According to Collins Dictionary:

  If you track down someone or something, you find them, or find
  information about them, after a difficult or long search.

Now, I want to put some more emphasis in the phrase. Can I say:

  We have to track adequately down to the original source.


texts:
I am supposed to go to Point A which is some two miles from a traffic signal, on the other side from where I am. I have to give instructions for this. Can I say the following?

  Go across the signal and drive down the road for 2 miles, it will be on your right.

Is using across here right?


texts: "Working-level talks" meaning in a news about negotiations

texts:
What is the meaning of working level talks?

It is in a headline about U.S and North Korea negotiations.


texts: Is recipient more correct than receiver for someone who gets an email

texts:
Which name is best for a variable that contains the email address or name of a person to whom a computer program will send email? Recipient, receiver or ...

I'm computer programmer and try my best to make the variable names as clear and meaningful as possible so other people will be able to understand my programs.
Some times this makes me scratch my head.


texts: Is the word "mid-shelf" applicable to any merchandize being sold at retail shops more than liquor?

texts:
There was the following sentence in Time magazine (September 16) titled “The world according to Vladimir Putin”:

  The nation that put the first man into space has given the world no distinctly Russian export under Putin except for mid-shelf vodka and Kalashnikov assault rifles.

As I’ve been unfamiliar with the word “mid-shelf” (though it’s easy to relate it to store shelf) I checked online English dictionaries. None of Cambridge, Oxford and Merriam Webster Dictionary carries this word.

Google Ngram Viewer shows the emergence of the word in or around 1970, and its currency is on notable decline (to 0.00000011 in 2008) after peaking in the 1990s (0.00000024).

I think the following answer to the question “What in the heck is mid-shelf liquor?" in Yahoo Answers is relevant to “the mid-shelf vodka” in the above quote, and I conceived ‘mid-shelf “is most often used for liquor.

  “In every category of spirit, you will have at least 3 tiers. - Top shelf liquor is the expensive stuff and bottom shelf liquor is the cheap stuff. Mid-shelf liquor is the good yet affordable stuff.”

But, I was confused when I came across the definition of “mid-shelf” in Urban Dictionary:

  mid-shelf: A magazine that isn't pornographic enough to be top-shelf, but is still sold more or less with the purpose of providing (something else). Often contain women who believe themselves to be famous for something other than their breasts.

Is the word, “mid-shelf” applicable not only to liquor but any other merchandise found on the shelves of retail shops?

Is it better for nonnative speakers like me to say “middle class” or “ordinary liquor” than affectedly calling them “mid-shelf” when speaking with native speakers?


texts: How exactly is "to checkmate" used as a transitive verb within the game of chess itself?

texts:
Merriam-Webster has this definition of checkmate:

  checkmate transitive verb

  1: to arrest, thwart, or counter completely

  2: to check (a chess opponent's king) so that escape is impossible

How exactly can the word be used as a verb in the context of the chess game?

My colleague who is British said he would not used it as a verb, only as a noun.

Can I use the following sentences?

About people:

  Yesterday we played chess and I checkmated George twice.

About colors:

  The white checkmated the black.

About the chess figures:

  The king was checkmated by the bishop.

A combination (people and figures):

  Can you checkmate the king now?

It may be also interesting to know if there is a difference between the usage within the (native) chess players community and among the muggles.

EDIT:

From your comments and answers it seems like there are discrepancies. Some stay that the verb cannot use as its object a person, but some give quotations where a person is in the position of the object.

Could it be that in the world of the chess players the verb has a different usage than when used figuratively, as in the WS2's example

  1868 E. Edwards Life Sir W. Ralegh I. xxvi. 665 Some..had their own reasons for checkmating the Spaniards in relation to Ralegh...


texts: Hyphenation Query (Compound words hyphenated alongside adjectival phrases?)

texts:
Not sure if I've correctly titled this query; my grammatical lexicon is severely wanting.

The phrase in question is from a short story, and is as follows:

"More likely a second—floor-apartment existence."

My heuristic understanding is that the phrase "second-floor apartment" (sans existence) would be correctly hyphenated, and that the phrase "empty-apartment existence" would be correctly hyphenated (to disambiguate from an empty apartment-existence). What happens when you have, as in the example in question, two words which independently should be hyphenated, and a third which should be hyphenated with them collectively, but not with any of them individually?

I've applied an em dash followed by a hyphen, to distinguish 'second-floor' and 'second-floor-apartment' as separately hyphenated entities... Is that correct?

If someone could articulate why that approach is/isn't correct, it would be greatly appreciated.

Edit* Just to be clear: I am the author, and the phrase refers to an existence characterised by living in a second-floor apartment.


texts: What is the meaning of "get held under the water"?

texts:
"You pull in the barrel and then you eat it and you just go spinning
  and get held under water forever"

I read it but I didn't really get it. I mean does it means that he drowns? Please help me with this one.


texts: Difference between "convert" and "transform"

texts: In the dictionary, the words "convert" and "transform" both have the meaning of changing the form of something. So how should I distinguish them? In what situation they are of the same meaning, and in what situation they are different?


texts:
My friend with a C2 in English says that "Could you please deal with it" sounds rude and it is better to use "Could you please take a look at it" or "Could you please fix it" because that's more polite.

Do all these sentences have the same meaning?

And does the first one really sound rude?
Because I don't see anything rude in it.


texts:
Does anyone know the etymology of this expression?

  "He ran down the street in five seconds flat"

I found this explanation of meaning at Wordreference but would like to know where the expression comes from:

  "In seconds flat" is an uncommon way of saying in no more than a few
  seconds.

What kind of word is flat in this instance? Is this a UK expression or used worldwide?

Sorry, I know that's 3 questions, but they're all connected.


texts: How to express happiness on someone's failure?

texts:
Documentation of StackOverflow is finally gone, and I am happy about it. StackOverflow was meant to be a Q/A site, and it is, in fact, the top site in its category. But Docs is not something it should be doing. Every project have their own documentation which is good in itself.

I want to express the feeling that I'm happy it is gone. Happy is so generic for this. Grin is also not one of it. Please also note that I have a negative context.

And please, I really like SO, I don't hate it. I just want to improve my vocab.

EDIT:

This question is not as same as What do you call a person who takes pleasure in the success of others? because that question completely different. It deals with happiness which is caused by the success of others, and this question is more like happiness in the failure of others.


texts: Shoulda I say 'I've watched it in 3D' or "I've watched it on 3D"


texts: Describing someone who has a great potential but is not aware of it

texts:
What's the best idiom/phrase/word to describe someone who has a great potential to do something while he/she is not aware of that potential. For this reason, (s)he underestimate her/his capabilities and asks others to do so for her/him.

Update:

There is a huge difference between my question and What would I call my friend's personality? In my case, they are not aware of their abilities but in the mentioned question, they lie about themselves. So, this is another question.


texts:
per se

These are the meanings I have found for per se; by itself, by himself, by herself, basically ...

Does that mean the following sentences are correct?

  you should not have let him go per se (by himself).
  per se (basically) the color of it is blue.
  you will have to submit that tomorrow per se (itself)


texts: Is there a widely-accepted opposite of "as the crow flies"?

texts: "As the crow flies" describes the distance between two points if one could go in a straight line without needing to follow the constraints of existing roads and paths. Is there a standard phrase for the distance if one does need to stick to existing roads, that parallels "as the crow flies" and is used to contrast with it? I've only ever heard humorous "antonyms" like "It's ten miles as the crow flies, but fifteen miles as the Toyota Camry drives along Route 119."


texts: What does it mean to patch cables or devices together?

texts:
In the below context:

  Finally had the time over the weekend to patch everything down and sort out the sockets.

  ...

  I managed to get my trusty router patched in with the phone line coming from the hallway to the cab via the CAT6 cable.

What does the term patched mean, and what is its origin? It's clearly AmEng, but as a Brit I can't be sure whether it simply means patching in the normal IT sense of connecting two systems together, or whether it has a more nuanced definition that has temporary connotations.


texts: Identifying that generic words are used with a specific meaning

texts:
I am writing a white paper about a software product. This software product uses some common names in a specific way. For example, there is an "Actions" palette that contains items called "actions". There is a "Slides" palette that contains items called "slides".

When first referencing these items I can do as I did above, put the word in quotes. However, when I later continue to reference these terms in a manner that may be confusing to the reader how should I format them to best remind the reader that these are the specific items discussed earlier? There are also cases where the same word is used not as a reference to these items, and so I want to disambiguate the usages.

For example:

  All user interaction is handled through triggers known as “actions”.
  […paragraphs later…]
  Conditional interactions are accomplished by placing actions only on specific slides for items in the interface.
  […pages later…]
  SCXML supports actions on state entry/exit, actions on transitions, …

The bolded usage of "actions" above refers to the specific term. The two italicized usages of "actions" above are (somewhat confusingly) references to a different concept.

Should I capitalize the reference? e.g. "…accomplished by placing Actions only on specific…"
Should I quote the reference? e.g. "…accomplished by placing 'actions' only on specific…"
Should I italicize the reference? e.g. "…accomplished by placing actions only on specific…"
Should I bold the reference? e.g. "…accomplished by placing actions only on specific…"
Should I leave the reference alone? e.g. "…accomplished by placing actions only on specific…"


texts: business competition purposefully attack the competition

texts: What is it called when competition businesses purposefully attack or slander the competition?


texts: Would someone who is not a professional but knows a subject (such as automotive repair) in depth and offers advice and hands-on assistance with repair procedures be considered a mentor? Is the act of giving advice in this context mentoring?


texts: Origin of "off the meter" idiomatic phrase

texts:
When and how did the phrase "off the meter" become established as an idiom?

Urban Dictionary defines "off the meter" as the condition of being "very good, awesome, great".
I have heard and said it on impulse to mean the great extent.


texts: I have a question regarding present perfect and simple past

texts:
I have this example:

  Have you ever lost something valuable?

  The answer is : No, I haven't, but my brother ___ his camera on a
  trip once.

My question is this.  With what should I fill the space? When should I use present perfect and when should I use  simple past? Do I write lost or lose? I am confused between them.


texts:
The OED has made a public appeal for help in tracing the history of some English words, including:

  DIY

  abbreviation earlier than 1955

  DIY is of course an abbreviation of do it yourself, and both terms refer to the carrying out of a task by oneself, especially around the home. The entries for these terms are currently being revised by OED editors. The earliest use of do it yourself as a phrase found so far dates from the nineteenth century (without the later associations with home improvement):

    1845 Richard H. Barham Ingoldsby Legends (1905) 288 If it’s business of consequence, Do it yourself!

  By 1910, the phrase being used as an adjective:

    1910 Popular Science Monthly May 493 At the Boston Tech a method has been in vogue for long that is there deemed highly satisfactory—it is known as the ‘do-it-yourself method’.

  But our evidence for the initialism DIY currently goes back only as far as 1955:

    1955 Titusville (Pa.) Herald 22 July 8/4 (advt.) DIY means ‘Do It Yourself’ and you can.

    1955 Practical Householder Dec. 203/1 A central pool such as a ‘D.I.Y. Club’ from which..tools can be hired is the obvious advantage.

  We suspect that earlier evidence for DIY may exist. Can you beat our DIY efforts?


texts: The precise meaning of "to have something more to do with somebody/something"?

texts:
There are other questions about the meaning of "to have something to do with somebody/something". My question here is about "to have something more to do with somebody/something". There is a sense of comparison in this phrase as in the following sentence:

  The truth about genealogy is that, although you might believe it has something to do with history, it actually has something more to do with geography. Source

In the above sentence comparison follows the following pattern:

  A has something to do with X, but it has something more to do with Y.

That much is clear. But my question is whether it also may mean comparison in the following pattern:

  A has something to do with X, but B has something more to do with X.

Or otherwise put:

  Compared to A, B has something more to do with X.


texts: Card with 10 tickets. What is it called?

texts:
I'm looking for the English word to describe a card which can be sold to a customer which contains several tickets. For instance, in a fitness center you can buy a card which allows you to participate in classes 10 times.

The closest thing I have is "punch card", but not having English as my main language, I'm not sure if that is correct.


texts: Verb "abound" to ask someone to develop a subject

texts:
When you're having a conversation, maybe you'd like your counterpart to speak more about what she/he is talking about.

Of course, you could simply say: "could you develop your point?", or something like that; however, in Spanish we have "podrías abundar al respecto?", which roughly translates as "could you abound on it?" or "could you be more abundant in the development of that subject?"

I'm not sure if I can use the verb abound in that way. What would be a good alternative?

Thanks!

==========================================================================

Wow! many great answers! I wish I could select more than one right answer.
I selected "expound" because I never had heard of it; so, it has extra points for increasing my vocabulary. I also like it because it sounds very much like "abound", the one I wanted to use originally.

Thanks to all!


texts:
I have the following sentences:

This was made crystal clear by President Franklin Roosevelt, the principal author of the "Four Freedoms" and the Atlantic Charter.
This was made crystal clear by no less a person than President Franklin Roosevelt, the principal author of the "Four Freedoms" and the Atlantic Charter.

What's the meaning of the expression "no less a person than" ?
What's the difference in meaning between sentence #1 and #2?
When do you use the expression "no less a person than" ?


texts: Is there a name for the game where you can ask a question only after answering one?

texts:
In Roger Zelazny’s Blood of Amber, Merlin and Vinta Bayle are playing the mutual interview game, in which one gains a right to ask an opponent a question by first answering the opponent's question.

Is there a name for this game?


texts: Two grammatically correct, similar sentences with different meanings?

texts:
I have been given a brain teaser that asks to choose the properly formatted version of the following sentence:

  The road runs beside the red houses and the green house and town houses are nearby.

The two options are thus:

The road runs beside the red houses, and the green house and town houses are nearby.
The road runs beside the red houses and the green house, and town houses are nearby.

It seems to me that both answers are grammatically correct, but with two different meanings; either the road is beside only the red house, or it is beside the red and green houses, with the town houses nearby. The question asks which one is grammatically correct.


texts: Are the phrases "in times like these" and "in times like this" both correct?

texts: They both seem to be widely used. There is the variant "at a time like this", which is clearly correct, but I'm curious about the mismatched "times like this".


texts: what is the grammar explanation for the following?

texts:
You will have to have been a member for at least 5 years.

How can I explain "have to have been" to a student?


texts:
Could you explain what this sentence means?

Well, for one thing, they both ought to have been fatal and weren't,
although that was pure luck.


texts: Which is right: "drop-down" or "drop down"?

texts:
What is the proper way to write this term when writing product documentation? Hyphenated or not?

  drop down list

or

  drop-down list?


texts: Word to describe a picture within a picture within another and so on

texts:
I believe there is a word to describe a situation where a picture contains a smaller picture, a smaller version of itself, and so that contains an even smaller version and so on.

Does anyone know this word?


texts: Can a remote conditional have "might" in the protasis?

texts:
In the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language by Huddleston and Pullum, the authors write:

  A remote conditional must have a modal auxiliary as the apodosis verb
  (usually would, should, could, or might) and a modal preterite or irrealis were in the protasis.
  (p.739)

A remote conditional is a conditional sentence using past or past perfect subjunctive mood.

I'm wondering if "might" can be used in the protasis of a remote conditional.
I could find examples of remote conditionals whose protases use "would, should, or could",
but could not find an example using "might" in the protasis.


texts: Alternatives to "I lived the wrong way"?

texts:
If someone has realized that he made a wrong decision in life or has had the wrong beliefs for a long time, he might say I lived the wrong way. What are alternative ways of phrasing this?

It doesn't need to be religious.


texts: What does "third leg of the stool" mean?

texts:
What is the meaning of this idiom?

  At price points for a cluster that start below $45,000, a VxRail appliance is the third leg of the stool.


texts: Different etymologies for spoken and written forms

texts:
I know a word in another language which appears at first to have a highly irregular spelling that does not match the pronunciation. However, further examination suggests that the spoken and written forms have different - and unrelated - etymologies. Are there any examples of this in English?

The example in another language is the Scots Gaelic word leugh /lʲeːv/ which means "read". Dwelly. Even without a knowledge of Gaelic orthography it can be appreciated that /v/ is a strange rendition of gh. The expected form would be /lʲeəɣ/. Leugh is clearly similar to the Latin lego ("read") from which it is assumed to derive. This fits with the introduction of reading by Latin-speaking monks. So where does the /v/ come from? It was inevitable that the monks introduced reading and books at the same time. The Latin for "book" is liber and the French livre demonstrates that b can change to v /v/. The corresponding word in Gaelic is leabhar /lʲevər/ (except that /v/ and /w/ are interchangeable, as in many languages). It seems that /lʲeːv/ is simply the verb backformed from /lʲevər/, as if /lʲevər/ "book" is simply the thing you use to /lʲeːv/ "read".

In short, the anomaly has arisen because of the close semantic link between reading and books, and the co-incidental similarity of the words, leading to confusion.


texts: What exactly does "it's down the street" mean?

texts:
When giving addresses, what exactly is the meaning of "it's down the street" ?

  Go straight along the street and it's a little further.
  It's at the end of the street.
  It's somewhere in the end.


texts: Is the /eə/ sound related to the /ə/ sound in British English?

texts:
Lately I'm into improving my English (UK) pronunciation. I'm using the IPA chart for such purpose.

I was wondering if there's any relationship between the ə sound and the several diphthongs that involves the "schwa" symbols, in the pronunciation (for example eə)

I mean is there some similarity to take into account?


texts: Is a response that poses a question with an obvious answer considered rude?

texts:
Disclaimer: While this question can relate to any language, there may be common interpretations specific to the English language.

We have two people (denoted A or B).

Say Person A poses a question, perhaps, "How did you find us?"  (in reference to a Hide and Seek game). Now Person B responds "Well, I did see a ribbon on the ground that I know belongs to you. Wouldn't you think that indicates something?"

I am focusing on the latter part of Person B's response, "Wouldn't you think that indicates something?" Obviously, the answer is yes. The ribbon that belongs to Person A would indicate that Person A has near the spot of the ribbon.

However, I am unsure of whether that question Person B posed should be considered as a question to emphasize the point of Person B's response (the point that the ribbon was the reason Person B was able to find Person A) or a question breaking down the response into more understandable terms (by making the reasons on why Person B found Person A more obvious), which then assumes the unintellegence of a person (which can be considered rude).

Now, bringing this back to the global scope. Are questions that have an obvious answer appropriate in responses to someone else? Generally, are these questions considered to be emphasizing the point or considered to be deeming the other person as unintellegible (by breaking down the response to a point where the other person will have no trouble understanding it, due to the obvious answer that can be formed in regards to the posed question)?


texts: what does "in quiet sophistication" mean here?

texts:
"it strikes me as the last word in quiet sophistication."

I have two questions here.

First, I do not understand the meaning of "quiet sophistication." I know that sophistication is a trait regarding being smart, articulate, sensible, and sensitive. But I do not know how this trait can be quiet. So, I do not understand the noun phrase "quiet sophistication" altogether.

Second, I do not understand what is the function of "in" in the "in quiet sophistication." As I said above, sophistication is a kind of trait. Then, I do not understand how "the last word" could be "in" the "quiet sophistication" and I do not know the meaning also. Help me


texts: Why are fishermen(women) referred to as 'Anglers'?

texts: I teach fishing, at a local community college - recently was awarded a Master Baiter honorary certificate,  and one of my students asked me "Why are fisherman called Anglers"?  I floundered around for a few minutes but could not come up with a conclusive answer - help?


texts: Equivalent of Bon Voyage to those staying behind?

texts:
I am organizing some farewell drinks as we are leaving.  I am wondering what is the equivalent of Bon Voyage to those staying behind, i.e. I am trying to say Bon Voyage drinks.

Maybe something like parting drinks would suffice but it doesn't convey any sense of levity, joviality or good wishes.

Does anyone have any suggestions?


texts: The idiom used when a bad situation is not fully resolved and can escalate easily again

texts:
Is there an idiom or expression in English to describe a situation where a bad situation is not fully or correctly resolved and it can happen again, may be even worse.

For example, when talking about people's feeling/wrath regarding the government that recently suppressed their protests instead of answering to their requests. in such a situation, in Persian, we say people are fire under the ashes.

Thank you


texts: What is appropriate term for Hostel/PG where both boys and girls can live ?

texts:
I'm wondering why we call it "co-ed" hostel !
Co-ed is an acronym for co-education I guess. But what if it's just a hostel where working men and women live. Should we call it a dormitory ?
I need a proper term to speak when I'm referring to a hostel where both men and women live.


texts: Need colorful synonym for "dumbfounded" or "baffled"

texts:
I need a colorful synonym for "dumbfounded" or "baffled".  It's on the tip of my tongue.  It's a multi-syllable word.

Context: "I checked with xxx and yyy (experts).  They were both as dumbfounded as I was by So-and-So's letter, saying they've never heard of a request for m being treated as n.

(An administrator had confused two completely different rights and their legal underpinnings.)

Hornswaggled is the closest so far.  (The dictionary I consulted said hornswoggled, and it gave a very different definition.)  But I think there's something that's just one notch more mainstream than that, only that I can't remember it.

I'm seeing some suggestions that don't mean the same thing as dumbfounded/baffled.  Here's the definition for dumbfounded: "to make speechless with amazement; astonish."

Here's a made-up similar context:

  I double-checked with my botany professor.  She was as ____________ as I was by your lecture notes, saying she's never seen a maple confused with an oak before.

EDIT:  Guys, "hornswaggled/hornswoggled" is colorful.  Astonished (for example) is not colorful.


texts: Peace among countries or between countries?

texts:
A more comprehensive research program would look for historical cases
  of stable peace between countries that are not democracies, or between
  states only one of which is a democracy.

Stable peace among nations,
by Arie Marcelo Kacowicz

Here, the author discuss generally about all countries, why he use “between”. He is ruling out the possibilities like world war two? Or he is emphasizing the abstract structure of war:  two opponents, two polar opposites? According to N-gram, peace between countries is much more frequently used than peace among countries. What is your explanation?


texts:
I want to use the word "dominates" in a positive context.

Basically, I'm writing about a movie which is influenced by a certain culture. In this context, I want to write that this culture dominates the first half of the movie. However, the word "dominates" can be taken negatively, hence I'm searching for another word.

P.S. I don't want to use the word "influenced" because I'm already using it in a previous sentence and I would like to avoid repetition.


texts: Word that "sounds" like its meaning, not onomatopoeia (ex. twinkle)

texts:
Hi this is something I've been looking for an answer to for a while now,

What I am looking for is a word that describes words that are read with a sound representative of their connotation. To my understanding this would differ from an onomatopoeia in that onomatopoeia's deal with the denotation of a word. This is hard for me to explain (also hard to google) so I am going to give some examples:

Twinkle
Sludge
Bell
Splash (this might just be an onomatopoeia)

These words sound like the things they mean when spoken without explicitly meaning their sound.

Contrast this to onomatopoeias whos meaning is only their sound:

Bang
Boom
Tic

I am convinced that at some point I knew the answer to this question but I have since forgotten it.

Since I have tagged this as a single word request here is a sample sentance:

  "The word Twinkle is a ------- because it sounds sparkly and light when spoken which is appropriate to its meaning, but not directly connected"

Thanks in advance for the help, let me know if I can clarify this at all!


texts: What is a similar word to "comprehensive" that doesn't suggest absolutely everything will be covered?

texts:
I'm putting together a proposal for a website and one of the things that we're providing is a knowledge base for users to find solutions to their problems.

I'd like to imply that the KB will have a lot of information in it, but don't want to suggest that it'll cover everything the user could ever need, as comprehensive does. Vast also feels like it's implying that the KB will be ... well, vast, which it won't necessarily.

Is there a more suitable word?


texts: Nuance of accordingly and request for its equivalent phrase

texts:
I'll arrange the schedule accordingly.

The situation is I was asked to arrange a schedule to welcome a guest to our office from a US branch and I just got his preferred date and time to visit.
I was told my answer sounded a bit strange because "accordingly" is old-fashioned and too polite.

Is it true? If so, could you tell me any other suitable phrases for this situation?


texts: What does "how to sell your way through life" mean?

texts:
I just came across this "how to sell your way through life" (the name of a book written by Napoleon Hill), but I don't really get what it means. Anyone please explains it in details, and please help me understand the expression or kind of sense in "your way through life".

My personal opinion is, it is like "the art of selling yourself" or sort of "the art of selling what you have", or it could go like "the art of life in salesmanship/selling", etc.

I'm quite lost since I can't feel the sense of language in that sentence.

Many thanks!


texts: Expressing "I" "me" with self-effacement

texts:
In many cultures, one is not supposed to say the counter parts of "I" or "me" to another person of higher rank, say a king. Instead, they would say something like "your servant", "the humble one" etc.
I wonder if in the royal courts of ancient times, there are any examples for one to self-efface himself when talking to a king/emperor etc, other than just call the other with “your Majesty”, “your grace.”
I have seen in the novel a song of ice and fire by GRRM that a slave called himself “this one” when talking to a queen， but I am not sure if this happened in real history.


texts:
Is there a rule of thumb on how to deal with apostrophies in the following cases?

Group name vs. Group's name
Car brand vs. Car's brand

And pretty much anything similar.


texts: Is there an equivalent for French "CQFD"

texts:
In French, when concluding a demonstration, we say "CQFD", which stands for "Ce Qu'il Fallait Démontrer" (What was to be demonstrated).

Does English have an equivalent for this ?


texts: An English or French word that summarizes 'A very attractive or seductive looking woman'

texts:
I'm looking for a word (English or French) which summarizes 'A very attractive or seductive looking woman'. Also looking for a word or term that explains the Women Beauty.

Edit: Out of my research, I found that the word 'Peach' also means 'A very attractive or seductive looking woman'. I would like to find out is there any other word that gives the same meaning.

In short, a word that refers a beautiful and attractive woman.


texts:
After some research, I have become more confused than before. Which is correct?

The students were writing at their desks. But upon closer examination, the writing on the paper turned out to be illustrations.

The students were writing at their desks. But upon closer examination, the writings on the papers turned out to be illustrations.

The students were writing at their desks. But upon closer examination, the writing on the papers turned out to be illustrations.

Thank you.