texts: Why doesn't {in love with} fit in the sentence: When I was a teenager, I fell _____ this Italian guy

texts:
My answer was {in love with} but it was marked wrong.
Yet Cambridge Dictionary uses a very similar example in their entry for fall in love

He fell in love with a young German student

Can anyone fill the gap and explain why theirs is the correct solution
but mine {in love with} isn't?

When I was a teenager, I fell _____ this Italian guy. I was so in love that I spent all my money on a ticket to Rome

P.S This is not a request to proofread, I have clearly identified the problem that is making me confused.


texts: Can the preposition 'in' be used before the noun 'abroad'?

texts: Can the preposition in be used before the noun abroad? Can I write the following sentence: Your friend in abroad?


texts: What would you call a person who doesn't want to learn anything new?

texts: What would you call a person who doesn't want to learn new things and even maybe thinks that this is unnecessary since he knows enough already?  An ignorant person?


texts:
What does back-slap mean in this sentence?

  Back-slap someone in Korea and they will be offended.


texts: How to use the question mark in multiple choice questions?

texts:
Which one of the following three forms is correct for a multiple choice question?

  Do you prefer the blue dress? or the red shirt?

  Do you prefer the blue dress or the red shirt?

  Do you prefer the blue dress? or the red shirt.

The first form seems the most syntactically adequate, as both "blue dress" and "red shirt" are equal options of equal value in the sentence.

The second form also seems adequate, as the question mark is marking the entire sentence as a question. However, it is ambiguous whether "blue dress" and "red shirt" are two separate choices, or "the blue dress or the red shirt" is a single choice.

Finally, the third form is the one that represents the spoken form most accurately. However, it looks somewhat strange for a question sentence not to end with a question mark.


texts: Which is correct? uploaded to or uploaded on

texts:
Attached please find all the documents that I have uploaded on my cloud so far.

or

Attached please find all the documents that I have uploaded to my cloud so far.


texts: What's the word that means the opposite of the phrase rock bottom?

texts: Another phrase that means the opposite of it isn't really what I'm looking for but anything is better then nothing.


texts: "I have no sources to back me up" versus "back myself up"

texts:
In Latin, it is preferable to use the reflexive pronoun when appropriate. Is this also true of English?

For example, I recently wrote this sentence. "I have no sources to back me up." Would it be more correct to say, "I have no sources to back myself up"?

The first sounds better. But the second looks more grammatical. Of course, I am bringing my Latin biases into the English language. Is my prejudice unfounded?

Is it not a strict requirement, in the English language, to use the reflexive when appropriate?


texts:
Reading a article I've noticed the phrase in the sentence which i don't understand.
here's this sentence "A lot of us like a small, sleek computer case to get us by but such a case can be extremely hard to find".
What is this "to get us by"?
Please explain the meaning of this phrase.


texts:
Context:

"I SUBMIT FOR your inspection one John H. Watson: medical man, late British Army surgeon, raconteur, journalist, connoisseur of women, Knight of the Battered Tin Dispatch-Box, valiant and loyal friend.

He has suffered mightily at the hands of scholars and the public since the 1887 appearance of A Study in Scarlet in Beeton's Christman Annual, calumniated on the one hand as a tanglefooted incompetent and on the other as a boozy Bluebeard, to say nothing of sundry slanderous impostures his admirers have had to endure, beginning in 1905, when Sherlock Holmes and his indispensable biographer made their slient-screen debut. (We will ignore the 1900 vignette Sherlock Holmes Baffled , in which Watson was ungraciously not invited to appear.)"

It is used in  book Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories.


texts: a question about past conditional clauses

texts:
I was wondering all the time, how I can express just 'past' with 'if' in English?
And finally I found one sentence,

if you watched and listened to the previous podcast, you'll find that our favorite teams were Arsenal and Manchester United.

I don't think this is a 'if + past tense and would/could/should sentence.
this is talking about just the real past with 'if', not imagination and unreal.
this is not fixed sentences such as 'past tense + would/should/could or had p.p + would/should/could have p.p.
in common sense, if you use 'if + past tense', the following sentence should be with would/could/should and it also means unreal and a rare possibility. However, the above sentence just indicates the incident in the past with 'if'
LSS, Here is my question.
If I want to talk about just the past like the above sentence with 'if', which tense should I use for the following sentence?
the above sentence uses 'will' which I guess makes a difference with 'would' (unreal conditional)
and it also uses 'were'. Can I just use 'are' instead? does this make a difference?
I also, while searching, found out 'Past real conditional' which says 'if past tense + simple past tense', but I don't think this explains my question.


texts:
I'm struggling with a phrase and need help with that, it's from the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (Random House, 2018)

  Eric had been fascinated with the Tarahumara since an athlete he’d
  trained for Leadville returned with amazing stories about fantastic
  Indians flying through the Druidic dusk in sandals and robes

What does the author means by “Drudic dusk”? I searched a lot about the world Druid and know that it’s a term related to ancient Celtic cultures, but at the end can’t find any meaningful relation between this world and the world dust.


texts: Again on "Either"... does it mean "both"?

texts:
I'm aware that the meaning of either can be:

Any of two options
Both the options

It depends from the context ...
This is the context, an official rule from the UK government:

When you arrive at the UK border you’ll need to show either:

a printed copy of the document attached to your confirmation email
the document attached to the confirmation email on your phone

Now,
should I have with me BOTH the documents or just ONE ?
What is the (English grammar) rule here to identify if either means any or both?
[Update]
I read the answers in "can either mean both any and both" but I was still not sure because:

the usage here is not "Either OF these options".
The "both" meaning is an historical/old usage doesn't really matter.
Google translator translates the phrase in Italian using "entrambi", that means BOTH, without any ambiguity!


texts: With possibly/probably/arguably the most diverse student-body

texts: I know these are all similar, but what kind of connotations does each have? Which one is the strongest (to say it is actually the most diverse, while trying to remain "politically correct")?


texts:
Is it right to use the word crippled as a verb with the sense disabled/unable to do things?

An example sentence:

  I am crippled to complete my tasks as I didn't receive the
  credentials.


texts:
Is there a Gender-neutral equivalent of "to a man"?

I mean the expression "to a man" in the sense of "each and every one".

For example:

  The skydivers, to a man, felt they had taken all necessary precautions

Is there a similar expression that would be a good substitute without implying a gender?


texts: Word for not just taking credit for someone else's work, but believing that you're also the hero

texts:
So, there's taking credit for someone else's work, and then there's a kind of credit taking that is merged with ego in certain way, and I'm trying to find out if there's a word for this.

It's when, say, a team of people do 99% of the work to get something done. Then someone else comes along, drops the last 1% in to make everything fit together, yet the person who only contributed the 1% walks away convinced that without them nothing would have been accomplished. It's the ego that you not only took credit, but believe that you swept in at the last minute, like a hero, and miraculously saved the day. However, the reality is closer to being in the right place at the right time, but if you hadn't shown up that last 1% still would have fallen into place, it just would have been someone else.

So ... is there a word for that specific kind of credit taking, combined with the ego that makes one believe they were the hero?


texts: Origin of the phrase, "I got to talking to..."?

texts: Where does it come from?  Is it universal or specific to a particular region?


texts: What's the hand stacking gesture called?

texts: What is it called, the gesture whereby a team stack their hands on top of each other's with their palms face-down, then swing their arms quickly backwards, and go "Yeah!" or something, before they enthusiastically engage in some sort of teamwork activity?


texts:
What is a word (specifically ONE word) that means "to complete someone" or "to fill the emptiness within someone"?
This word will be a title.


texts: A word for all groups in university of the same specialty graduating in the same year?

texts:
Basically what I wanna to say is that one of the students was the best among all others of his specialty in the year he graduated, not like the best graduate, but the best in his specialty.

Right now all I can think of if the word batch: "best of his batch". But is this the the right one, or there should be another one? Clean and simple way of saying it in a few words would be very much appropriated as well.


texts: I think there was an idiom to describe 'lots of people', and the expression was related to truck... like tons of truck? or loaded by truck? I can't remember what it was. Does anybody know? If there is no such thing, is there any idiom to describe lots of people that will make a long line or that will fill all the big trucks?


texts:
I asked a similar question earlier but this one is more specific in the example.

  Growing up with a brother who did X and was the only healthy sibling, and another brother who did anti-X, made John very good at management.

My sentence expresses that the brother who did X was the only healthy sibling of John. However, it is still clumsy in structure especially in the first part "a brother who did X and was the only healthy sibling."

How can this sentence be improved? Is the comma after sibling correct?

(Since it is of the structure "Growing up with A and B" and we don't put comma after A in this sentence)


texts: Term that describes one who is an expert in a subject without having any first-hand experience?

texts: I learned about this in college, but have since forgotten over the decades. An example is an anthropologist who has learned about a tribe but has never actually visited and studied the tribe first hand.


texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct grammatically ?

Can I know the procedure for booking rooms in the department, for Teaching Assistant(TA) to hold office hours.
Can I know the procedure for booking rooms in the department for Teaching Assistant(TA) to hold office hours.
Can I know the procedure for booking rooms in the department by Teaching Assistant(TA) to hold office hours.


texts: "What happens when" or "what happen when"?

texts:
Should I write "what happens when" or "what happen when"? Does it depend on if I know if the "what" that happens is plural or singular, or is it always the same?

Provided "what happens" is correct in all situations, how about this:

  "What happens when [something]? Two things: [one thing that happens] and [another thing that happens]."


texts:
Here are some lyrics from the song "comethru" by Jeremy Zucker

  I might lose my mind
  Waking when the sun's down
  Riding all these highs
  Waiting for the comedown
  Walk these streets with me
  I'm doing decently
  Just glad that I can breathe, yeah

  I'm trying to realize
  It's alright to not be fine on your own

  Now I'm shaking, drinking all this coffee
  These last few weeks have been exhausting
  I'm lost in my imagination
  And there's one thing that I need from you
  Can you come through, through
  Through, yeah
  And there's one thing that I need from you
  Can you come through?

What's the precise meaning of 'Can you come through?' in this song?


texts: What is the difference between "could've" and "could of"?

texts: I have seen people using could of instead of could have. Are both of them correct?  Is there a difference in meaning between them?


texts: Why does "Why doesn't it work?" become "Why does it not work?"

texts:
When you uncontract doesn't in "Why doesn't it work?" the not moves to "Why does it not work?"

This confuses me even more when I use a longer phrase instead of the pronoun it like below:

  Why doesn't this simple code example work?

Why does the word order change when we use a contraction?


texts: Has anyone noted this phonetic variation in /ə/?

texts: Schwa /ə/ is a phonetically variable sound. It may be [ɪ̈]-ish (or reportedly even [ɨ]-ish), depending on position and dialect, while oftentimes it is [ə] (or [ɘ] in New Zealand English), and for at least some dialects it can be [ɐ]-ish (or even [ä]-ish; not a native speaker) word-finally and before plural and possessive /s/ ('-er' too in some non-rhotic dialects). Before [ɫ], it may be (near-)back, precisely [ɤ]-ish or [ʌ]-ish, which is evidenced by misspellings in which 'e' (representative of /ə/), 'u' (for some speakers; representative of /ʌ/), and 'a' (representative of /ɔ(ː)/) are confused before [ɫ]. It can be voiceless in some words too. I wonder if anyone noted that variation, and if so, if it has been properly studied.


texts: A word/phrase for "previously asking someone about how she would want to be treated in special conditions"

texts:
In some societies there are some agreements people sign about when they are in special conditions. For example, those who like to are asked to sign an agreement that after their death their body can be used for medical research or for helping patients in need. Or, maybe in some societies there are something people can sign in advance if they would want euthanasia in case their conditions are overly bad. The same kind of agreement might be required for other cases and conditions.

My question is if there is any word/phrase for such sort of asking people in advance to see if they agree with a certain kind of treatment in special conditions which might be the case in future.


texts: What is a word or a phrase that means "interactive and amusing stuff?"

texts:
I am redesigning my website to have fewer categories, but I am running into problems with the "Games" category. I have a few things that are interactive, and fun, but not necessarily games. For example, a fireworks simulator.

I am trying to find a word that means "fun interactive stuff," or "games and other amusement." It needs to be fairly short, because it needs to fit in one of my tabs, so it can't be more than 15-20 letters or so.

I was thinking about "interactivity," but that doesn't really capture what the category is about (interactive and fun stuff).

Just "fun" might work, but I think it's too vague. Music, video, etc. can be fun, too.

A phrase would work too, as long it's not too long.


texts: A question on sport commentator sentence

texts:
This is a quote of a sport commentator Ray Hudson:

  "Waaahhhhh..... are you kidding me? This man is absolutely mainline to pure footballing magic that belongs in a different galaxy altogether that we are living in."

My questions:

What is the meaning of "mainline"? (I am not even sure if that was the word used)
Should "belongs in" be "belongs to"?

Video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qOfdRAnxB1E


texts: Difference between "all the" and simply "all"

texts:
In a mail from my professor, I read

  you need to specify all the fields.

Here, he gave us a form with about 25 fields. He asked us to fill out the fields.

I'm skeptical about the usage of the in his statement. I assume that it's used when we are particular about a single object, not for a group of objects (plural).

I smell something odd with professor's sentence. Am I right?


texts: "Well" as an introduction to an argument

texts:
Say a child says:

  I want some ice cream!

The parent's response is:

  Well, you can't have ice cream right now, we need to have dinner first.

Why is the word "well" used as a conversational introduction to an argument? Is it a shortened form of another phrase?


texts:
I often have problem with hanging modifiers. In the sentence:

  This project's vision follows from its predecessor's.

Is the reference "its" referring to the project or the vision? My intention is to refer the word "its" to the project. But I am not sure if the referent has gotten across clearly.

If this is correct, then what should I use if I want to refer to the vision instead?


texts:
Your Honor, Mister Walker has access to resources both monetary and
  logistical.

The speaker(a prosecutor) thinks Mister Walker is very rich and famous
and his crime is serious.
So, the juddge set higher bail based on what the speaker said.

One translater translated 'logistical into 'reputation'.
But it seems like it doesn't make sense.
Of course I googled it, but I can't get it.

Please help me to understand it perfectly!
(My native language is not English. Please be kind to me. :-))


texts: What does “you blue blistering barnacles” or "Billions of blue blistering barnacles" mean?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What does “Thundering typhoons” mean?

What does "you blue blistering barnacles" or "Billions of blue blistering barnacles" mean?


texts: What does "overcome" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I'm trying to understand the following bolded sentences. These have been copied from a legal document regarding the outcome of a patent application linked here.

DECISION
The sole outstanding objection to application 2013204646 has been
overcome.  I accept the patent request and complete specification
relating to that application.
The objection of manner of manufacture in relation to application
2013204658 has been overcome.  Pursuant to regulation 13.4(1)(g), the
application will not lapse for failure to gain acceptance until 3
months from the date of this decision.  Aristocrat has the remainder
of that period in order to address the objections of lack of inventive
step.

What is "overcome" referring to here? Is the sentence saying that the "objection of manner of manufacturer" has succeeded or failed?
I'm confused since overcome is defined as the following by Google.

overcome (verb)

succeed in dealing with (a problem or difficulty).
defeat (an opponent)


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How small does a land-mass have to be before you live “on” it, rather than “in” it?

  I grew up (in or on ) Long Island.
  (in New York)

I've been hearing both versions. Please explain which one is correct and why.


texts:
Is there a word for using a word twice to imply something different? eg.

  Are you done, or are you done done?


texts: Origin of the interjection "shock horror"!

texts:
I am familiar with the phrase Shock Horror! which is usually used ironically to announce something that is not, in fact, at all surprising.

I believe it derives from the style of tabloid newspaper headlines and first occurred in the 80s, but I am wondering if there was a specific headline that actually used these words, or whether it is just an invention.

I have searched it, but nothing came up.


texts: What is a word for someone with no scientific background?

texts:
The word

  Scientifically Illiterate:  The condition or quality of being ignorant or unknowledgeable in a particular subject or field related to science.

seems to work, however, it seems a little over the top to call someone an ignorant. Is there another word that does not have this connotation?


texts: I'm trying to enumerate some things in the middle of a sentence

texts:
I'm currently writing my thesis paper and i'm trying to enumerate some stuff in the middle of the sentence.

It goes like this.

"The results of the study will be able to describe and give useful insights on the call centers and their human resource practices in Iloilo City to greatly benefit its stakeholders namely, call centers, call center agents, prospective call center agents, and other potential stakeholders."

or should I separate it into two sentences like this?

"The results of the study will be able to describe and give useful insights on the call centers and their human resource practices in Iloilo City to greatly benefit its stakeholders. Call centers, call center agents, prospective call center agents, and other potential stakeholders."


texts:
Joe, the senior developer in a team of six, has a problem with his program. He studies
  it for hours, with increasing frustration, but cannot figure out the source of the
  bug. He wouldn’t think of asking any of his peers to help because they all have less
  experience than he does. Finally, though, he is at wits’ end and gives up. Sighing, he
  picks up his phone and touches an extension: “Sandra, could you come over here
  and take a look at my program? I’ve got a problem I can’t figure out.” Sandra stops
  by and, with the quickest glance at Joe’s program, points out what should have been
  obvious to him long ago. Hurray! The program is fixed, and Joe expresses gratitude,
  but in fact he is secretly embarrassed.

What does touch an extension mean?


texts: What do you call a word that is used overtly to mean something besides its actual meaning?

texts:
Inspired by this q/a and the comments on it.

I'm not even sure how to describe this, so my research hasn't yielded much.

Take for instance the figure of speech "A million little things", which doesn't really mean literally one million things, but rather "a heck of a lot of little things".

What would you call "million" in this context?  It has a meaning of its own, but it's used to just mean "a lot" rather than "a million".  Bonus points I guess if the word can also be used to describe words without a meaning, like "gajillion".

Sample sentence: "In this context, 'million' is a ____, used to mean 'a lot'."

I may be muddying the waters here, but I think other examples would be words like "brother", which is sometimes used to refer to non-brother relationships, and "peanuts", which can be used to refer to non-peanut things that are perceived as insignificant.

With the latter two examples, "slang" seems appropriate, but calling "million" "slang" seems to be off the mark.


texts:
Does anyone know if one should use "in a restaurant" or "at a restaurant" ?

Ex: Having a romantic dinner in a restaurant or having a romantic dinner at a restaurant.

What is the difference between the two ?


texts: Idiom for "nothing bad will happen" or" nothing bad will not happen"?

texts:
I just was talking with my Enlish friend and I wanted to use a construction:

  If yes - ok, if not - nothing bad will happen, right?

I am Russian and I am unsure if there is such idiom in English. It means that if not, no bad things will happen.

Also, did I used it correctly? Does "Nothing bad will happen" = "Nothing bad wouldn't happen"? (In my "Russian" mind it is stated this way.)


texts: Does the em-dash replace a subordinating comma?

texts:
If it were not for em-dash, we would no doubt keep the subordinating comma:

"It was only to be expected that Troy should fall — and fall emphatically, its very location effaced and, for millennia, forgotten —, because the Gods and heroes on the Greek side were among the most powerful in the Greek pantheon."

— modified from Understanding appositives and the use of the m-dash ( — )

ps thanks to Dinesh Kumar, for shortening the title. However, I don't see which 40 characters were added to the body. Can you assist?

pps other threads along this line have not resolved this particular point about using both em-dashes and the subordinating  single comma. I retain this thread, because it is an example that cannot be fixed by simply moving the subordinate clause, or by dropping punctuation.


texts:
Consider the sentence:

  Here comes the guy.

What would be the best negative form of this sentence--not normal negative like "The guy doesn't come here", but both inverted and negative?

One possibility is:

  Not here comes the guy.

in the sense that Not here is used as an adverb clause and the positions of subject and verb are switched. Does that sound right or is there a better way to have both negation and inversion?


texts: Subject-verb agreement with plural nouns

texts:
I am confused about numbers. Which one is correct?

  Goals is what makes me feel alive.

or

  Goals are what makes me feel alive.

And another example I am confused about:

  Another factor is his enemies...

or

  Another factor are his enemies...


texts: Origin of the usage of "Man" as a word of exclamation

texts:
What is the origin of the usage of the word "Man" as a word of exclamation?

  Man this curry is delicious!

  Man my feet hurt!


texts: Rule for adding "and" or hyphens between numbers that are spelled out fully in text

texts:
For example, take the number 342. It could be written out a number of different ways when spelled out fully.

Three hundred forty two
Three hundred and forty two
Three hundred and forty-two

What is the most correct form for spelling out that number in full text? What is the rule for adding (or leaving out) the and? When does one use hyphens? Does the context matter, e.g. writing out the amount on a check vs. a news article?


texts: What does 'Hot lunch' mean when that's what a man calls a girl?

texts:
A clip of the movie "Trolls" has this dialogue:

Prince Gristle Jr.: I love it!
Bridget: I think you look "Phat".
Prince Gristle Jr.: What?! [They stare at Bridget]
Poppy: "P-H, Phat". Then, strike that pose.
Bridget: P-H, Phat. Ohh.
Prince Gristle Jr.: Hot lunch. Total Honesty from a total babe. (at 0:11)

The last line starts at 11 seconds into the video.
The prince seems to be referring to Bridget as "Hot lunch".
In context, what does it mean?
Also, is this expression commonly used among native speakers in everyday conversation?


texts: Why does the word "incident" have a negative connotation associated with it?

texts:
I'm trying to find why we consistently use the word "incident" with a negative connotation. All definitions of the word state something to the tune of:

  an individual occurrence or event.

By this definition, I should be able to say "That birthday was quite an incident!" right? However, if I used that sentence in a conversation, someone would think a bad thing happened at the birthday.

Which brings me to my question, why do we use incident with a negative connotation?


texts: What is noun to adjective conversion called?

texts:
Are there any terms used to describe the conversion of a noun into an adjective and vica versa?

redundant -> redundancy

Synonyms are when two words mean the same thing.  Is there a term similar to this for these purposes?


texts: When we build software using Make or a similar build tool, is it correct to say "We did a make"? Also, do we need to say "The files were built using make" instead of "The files were made"?


texts: The meaning of "earth" in 18th-century chemistry/mineralogy

texts:
Just today I came across an article describing origin of the name for Yttrium (an element in the periodic table of elements)

  In 1787, Karl Arrhenius came across an unusual black rock in an old
  quarry at Ytterby, near Stockholm. He thought he had found a new
  tungsten mineral, and passed the specimen over to Johan Gadolin based
  in Finland. In 1794, Gadolin announced that it contained a new 'earth'
  which made up 38 per cent of its weight. It was called an’ earth’
  because it was yttrium oxide, Y2O3, which could not be reduced further
  by heating with charcoal.

The source is here.

What do "earth" and "new earth" mean in this context? Is this what elements were called before Mendeleev, or is it a synonym for "mineral"?

Thank you.


texts: How best to punctuate a list of quoted questions?

texts:
This may not show up in common usage, but I write assessment reports and will often have to document the patient has several remaining questions for their physician.  Since the report will be kept forever and could even be subpoenaed, I try to quote many statements exactly so there is no confusion.

Example 1:
She reported two remaining questions for the treatment team: “What is the recovery time?” and “What will I be able to do or not to do?”

When there are many questions, I will usually make a list:

Example 2:
She reported several remaining questions for the treatment team:
 1. “What is the recovery time?”
 2. "What will I be able to do or not to do?"
 3. "How will the leads be placed?"

But when the patient has only one or even two questions, the list seems too much.  But those are my two examples.  So the dilemma, these are actual quotes that are also questions.  Are commas or semi-colons needed, and if so do they go inside or outside of the quotation marks.  And when the quote is a question, what about the period at the end of the sentence.

I suspect that I have changed my reasoning a few times over the years, but this is bugging me.  For a while, I definitely added commas or colons after each question but then there is the dilemma of the final period.  What is the correct way?


texts: Is it correct to say "Getting out of schedule" or "Going out of schedule"

texts:
Let me put some context: We have a day of tech sessions, so what I'm trying to say to a partner is that he better prepare well his time (about 60 minutes per session) so he won't run out of time because we don't want the sessions to overlap.

So, instead of saying

  We don't want the sessions to overlap

is it correct to say

  We don't want to get/go out of the schedule

Many thanks.


texts: One word for the person who is not serious about his or her career in life?

texts: As I am not serious about my career. I don't know what I want to do in life. And if I plan to start work, laziness pulls my feet back. So, what will be the one word for me.


texts:
I have written a paper and the reviewer said me that I must change "a more desired solution" to "a more desirable solution". I am not sure about the differences. I have also some similar usages of this combination. It would be grateful if you could suggest me which one is more applicable.

N.B: I have a number of solutions (points) that the data publisher checks them and selects one of them, or in another scenario, she first states her preferences, and our algorithm finds the best one for his.

Similar usages:

... or even direct the method toward a desired point.
He checks it with different parameters to attain a desired trade-off between A and B.
... which usually results in an  undesired quality degradation of published data.
with the possibility to direct the anonymization process toward a more desired trade-off point.
it to reach a desirable trade-off point.
results in the desired partitioning.
After applying X, the desired partitioning is produced.
...explicit expression of the desired values of the objective functions makes the algorithm more effective.
It can converge toward the desired point in an effective manner.
...to achieve a desirable trade-off point.
...that usually results in an undesired decrease of information utility.
... and capture some undesired information.
... to reach a desired point.


texts: Using 'except for' in front of a bare or to-infinitive

texts:
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language by Huddleston and Pullum says (Pages 641-642):

Some prepositions appear with a wide range of complements that are licensed not by the preposition itself but by an element in the matrix clause to which the PP in question bears a modifier relation. One clear case of a preposition of this kind is except, as illustrated in the following examples:

Among the examples are these two that I'd like to focus on in this question:

[21vi] There is nothing any of us can do except be cautious.
[21vii] I don't intend to do anything except to wait for news.

My question is whether you can use except for instead of except in these two examples as follows:

(1) There is nothing any of us can do except for be cautious.
(2) I don't intend to do anything except for to wait for news.
(1') There is nothing any of us can do except for being cautious.
(2') I don't intend to do anything except for waiting for news.

In (1) and (2), only except has been changed to except for.
In (1') and (2'), the verb forms are also changed from be and to wait to being and waiting, respectively.


texts: word meaning anticipatory disappointment

texts:
We were setting up a long-awaited, much anticipated new stereo the other day. When we initially turned it on, the sound was terrible. I immediately got that sinking feeling and started to think that the stereo might turn out to be a lemon (it wasn't).

Afterwards, I was looking for a word to describe that creeping feeling of dread that a much desired thing or event might turn out to be less wonderful than anticipated. The best I could come up with was "anticipatory disappointment" and that's not even a single word. The word I'm looking for describes that combination of fear and hope that might have one both praying and swearing at the time. Any thoughts?


texts:
One purpose of that is to “express a wish or regret.” Even so, can that be removed from the following sentence and still leave it OK?

  It is crucial that you be there before Tom arrives.


texts: Is there an idiom like the Russian's "Untilled field"?

texts:
"Непаханое поле" - a [big] amount of undone work.

Updated example: a kid is leisurely watching TV while there a lot of undone homework (which he hasn't even started).

Note: the example below is probably misleading. The thing that something is overlooked, the lack of information is an artifact of the example, not inherent to "untilled field" Russian expression.

For example, a person does some finalizing, "polishing" bits of a work (or just lazying about) not realizing that actually the scope is bigger and he should be doing the intensive, more real thing instead.

Imagine someone removing snow from some ground who keeps cleaning up little bits of remaining snow, not knowing that he has missed a chunk of ground with "untilled" snow.


texts: a box of sweets- British / American difference

texts:
I'd like to know what "sweets" means as in "a box of sweets", particularly
in American English. Does it necessarily mean "candy"?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Best expression for place where dogs are born, something like maternity ward is for humans

texts: What is the expression for the place where dogs are born? Could I say that we have a breeding station with canine maternity kennels or maternity ward? I want something like what maternity ward is for humans.


texts:
I seem to remember reading a definition for a word that conveyed the idea of "an instance of doing something that prepares one for something else". Something like a lemma but not restricted to mathematics.

Did that describe a word you know? I'm 95% sure there's actually a simple noun that specifically denotes something that you use to get ready for the more challenging version of the same thing.

My question isn't limited to what I'm writing right now, I'm just curious - but here is a little more context: I'm introducing the reader to game theory. I take her through two games. One prepares her for the other. It isn't practice, it's just getting familiar with it. I'd liken it to the climb to Everest base camp. In fact, you could use that, "The climb to Everest base camp is a ___ for the climb to the summit."


texts: Does having a master's equal being a Master?

texts:
If an English major graduates from college, must one say,

She has a Bachelor of Arts?

May one instead say,

She is a Bachelor of Arts?

He has a master's

is certainly correct, but might one say,

He is a Master of Science?


texts: Generic term for songs, movies, TV episodes, etc

texts:
For the model of a software project, I need a generic term that is abstract enough to encompass a single song, TV episode, movie, audiobook, etc.

The word content comes to mind, but it is plural. The words entity and item are much too ambiguous.

Any ideas?


texts: Meaning of "textbook Launch" in given sentence?

texts: In a post-launch address from the Sriharikota launch port, K. Sivan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO), hailed the event as a textbook launch of a very important and complex satellite.


texts: What is the difference in meaning between these four constructions?

texts:
It is usual that some adverbs can be used in different positions in a sentence, which causes a change in meaning. And this can be difficult for a non-native speaker to understand. Here is an example which I really don't understand:

  Really, I can't sing.
  I really can't sing.
  I can't really sing.
  I can't sing, really.

Would you please show me  the difference in meaning between these constructions?


texts: '>' vs '+' in describing 'larger/more than'

texts:
If I wanted to use a symbol to describe the weight being 'more than' 10kg. Which of the following is more appropriate?
When weight is > 10 kg

or
When weight is 10+ kg


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "Signal Advance?"

texts:
I posted this question, “Signal Advance”: Unsure of meaning or contextual use, on Biology SE, as the phrase was used in a biology text that I am reading, Recombinant DNA; Genes and Genomes - A Short Course - Third Edition by James D. Watson, et. al. I came across this paragraph in the discussion about discrete factors of inheritance in Mendelian genetics:

  The character shown by a plant depends on the pair of factors it receives from its parents. If both factors it receives are the same, that is, two dominant (yellow seed) or two recessive (green seed), then the plant exhibits those traits - yellow seeds for the former and green seeds for the latter. If one factor is dominant and the other recessive, then the dominant character is expressed; in this case, a plant with a factor for yellow seed and one for green seed will show the dominant trait, yellow seed. But the factor for green seed persists, even if the plant is yellow, and can reappear unchanged in later generations. This was a signal advance. In the 19th century it was believed that the traits of parents were blended in their offspring and, once mixed, the contributing traits could not be recovered. At the time, this was a severe problem for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection. His critics pointed to that any favorable variation arising in an individual would have no long-term effect, because it would immediately be lost by blending.

I had never come across the phrase signal advance before and wasn't sure of its meaning based on its context in this paragraph.

The context was difficult to ascertain, as the first part of the paragraph referred to a genetics concept, where signal could be a noun and advance could be a verb, but the second part of the paragraph discussed the hypothesis and how it provided evidence to change the thinking of the day.

However, after reading the question in the comments, I am beginning to think that signal was possibly being used as an adjective and advance was the noun that it modified.

I looked for the definition of signal when used as an adjective, and this definition may be applicable:

  unusual; notable; outstanding: a signal exploit.

If that is the case, then the sentence likely means this was notable progress.

I'd appreciate any feedback, especially if someone has come across this usage in scientific writing.


texts: Is there a word for fake company history?

texts: I'm looking for a word to describe history made up by a company for marketing purposes.


texts: When is it correct to postpone an attributive clause?

texts:
Normally, the attributive clause precedes the predicative phrase:

The bag that he bought cost forty dollars.
Those verbal valency complementations that are referentially identical with some of nominal complementations are expressed.

The second sentence is hard to read—the attributive clause is too long. In such cases, the predicative phrase is sometimes put before the attributive clause:

Those verbal valency complementations are expressed that are referentially identical with some of nominal complementations.
Those types of things are indicators that are going to heighten our safety awareness
Those angles are equal that are opposite the corresponding sides
Those things are morally wrong that are so unreasonable (according to the greatest happiness principle, as far as we can see that it applies) that it would be reasonable (according to the greatest happiness principle, as far as we can see that it applies) for us to punish those who did them

To what extent is this inverted structure common in English? (Except for "Those verbal valency complementations...", the examples are from the Web.) Are there any rules about its usage?


texts:
It bore an engraved escutcheon, a herald's wording of which may serve for a motto
  and brief description of our now concluded legend; so sombre is it,
  and relieved only by one ever-glowing point of light gloomier than the
  shadow: "ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES"

I looked them up (the words in bold) in online dictionary websites but I could not pick up the most correct meaning they have to fit into the above sentence.

Could you explain the meaning in the sentence in italic ? Thank you.


texts: Can an interrupting phrase be used after a possessive term?

texts:
Is this sentence grammatically incorrect?

  The cat's—who was still sleeping—bowl is filled with milk.

If not, what does it imply?


texts: What does the cause for your feeling like “downing a quart of Red Bull” mean?

texts:
Again in the Time article (June 29),“Roberts Rules: What the Health Care decision means for the country” that many of my familiar ‘teachers’ criticized the style of writing as too pretentious and the analogies too outdated, there is the following sentence:

  “Romney wasted little time in reacting (Chief Justice’s ruling). – Our
  mission is clear,” he said. “If we want to get rid of Obamacare, we’re
  going to have to replace President Obama.” ---Polls show little
  appetite for repeal among independent voters, but for the Republican
  base, the Roberts ruling was cause for downing a quart of Red Bull.”

I know Red Bull is an energy drink brand, but what does the writer want to say by using this phrase? Does it mean Republican voters are angry with Roberts’ ruling? Does it mean that the Republican base need to rouse themselves to repeal Obamacare?

In what particular occasions is “down a quart of Red Bull” used? Why should it be Red Bull? Can’t I replace it with other drinks such as beer, whisky, vodka, juice, or just water?

Furthermore, is “downing a quart of Red Bull” a popular phrase?


texts: In or at the department of English and American Studies?

texts:
Which of these preposition ( in or at) is correctly used with the noun department?

Is it correct to say: I was one of the interviewees in the department of English and American studies at the University of X for a position...?


texts: Does the English "Forseek" have any ties to the NHG. "versuchen?" Can the English word be spoken with the same sense as the NHG. one?

texts: I've stumbled upon the English word "forseek"  https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/forseek. The word itself is from Old English "forsēcan" http://old-engli.sh/dictionary.php (though the OE word does not have the same meaning that "forseek" does today). Today it means "to seek out, to seek thoroughly for [something]." I was wondering if "forseek" has any links to the NHG. "versuchen" (to try, attempt) since they are both made up of the same word-bits "for- => ver-" and "seek => suchen". Can "forseek" be spoken with the same sense of the NHG. versuchen? "I tried to do it => I forsought to do it?"


texts: Is 'major' in a musical context a noun or an adjective?

texts:
In the question What are the notes in the D major scale?, I'm trying to work out what type of word major is.

A scale just means a sequence of notes with defined intervals between them, and these intervals are not identifiable until the scale is qualified with a name.. major, blues etc.

Is it an adjective because it describes/qualifies what 'kind' of scale, or is it a proper noun because it is an 'instance/subclass' of 'scale'?

I'm trying to think of a metaphor.. the common noun 'tree'.. brown is the adjective that describes it, and 'Cedar' is the proper noun, correct?

So for my phrase, 'major' seems to do both jobs. I'm confused...


texts: How to use an independent structure to modify a sentence within a sentence?

texts:
After one year, I quit my job, said goodbye to my friends, went to Beijing to study philosophy, participating in a lot of classes given by professors, but never having been registered as a formal student. [self-made]

Will it be ambiguous to use "participating", since it is not clear in this sentence that the phrase following participate  modifies "to study philosophy". So maybe it is necessary to divide it into two sentences?


texts: A day or festival dedicated to a town or city

texts:
Is there such a thing as a day (festival or celebration) dedicated to a town or city in Great Britain or the USA? What would such an event be called?
For instance, I live in Mtsensk, Russia. Each year on a certain date there's a celebration dedicated to Mtsensk, as there are for other towns and cities in Russia. Each town/city has its own holiday once a year.
Can I call it, in my case, Mtsensk Day? Is there such a term as a "town/city day" in general? Is there New York Day? Is there London Day? I've never heard of such celebrations in Great Britain or the USA.


texts: how to differentiate between Singular and plural (to a reader) when using a second person pronoun to ask a question?

texts:
Are you Rich ?

Could be asked to one person or a group of people.

is there a way to signal its singularity or plurality by itself.

a Solution For Ex: (  is you rich ? ) would definitely mean one , ( Are you rich ? ) would mean a group. provided it was grammatically correct

or

a completely different pronoun that represents different numbers ?


texts: the correct term for the killing of an entire species

texts: in research of this word, I don't believe there is an exact word. But I'm looking for a word with the suffix "-cide" at the end. If we go by other words in a similar formate like genocide (Geno being greek for race) then it's possible it would be: eídoscide (Eidos being greek for species). The correct term has to cover all of any one species, but only the one species. (so no, omnicide or mundicide)


texts: Describing the type of family a person belongs to

texts:
Okay, trying to come at this from a different angle...

I need a more concise way to say "Families for which you are a child and therefore show your siblings and parents" – something that would be suitable for a title of a table/listing. Additionally, I need a more concise way to say "Families for which you are a parent and therefore show your spouses and direct descendants." Again, something that would be suitable for a title of a table/listing.

Ideally I'm looking for a single word to precede "Families" for both titles, but 3 or 4 words at most would be okay as well. I just don't want to put a full sentence as a title.

Originally Asked:

I'm listing two types of families. One where the person is a parent and the other where the person is a child. The title for the section listing families where the person is a parent I'm using "Parental Families". I'm not sure what to use for the title for the section listing families where the person is a child. I really don't thing Childal is a word :)

Per Bradd Szonye's comment:

  Are there specific terms for your immediate family including your children, versus your immediate family including your parents?

If there are no specific terms, what the best way to title the two grouping on a report?

Example 1 (Parental Families):

*Person* & Spouse 1 (divorces)
    Child 1
    Child 2
    Child 3

*Person* & Spouse 2 (so there are 2 families)
    Child 4
    Child 5

Example 2 (??? Families):

Spouse 1 & Spouse 2 (first marriage)
    *Person*  (biological)
    Child 2   (biological)
    Child 3   (biological)

Spouse 1 & Spouse 3 (2nd marriage)
    *Person*  (adopted or step)
    Child 2   (adopted or step)
    Child 3   (adopted or step)
    Child 4   (biological)


texts: One “airing” or one “broadcast” of a TV commercial?

texts:
How should I describe a singular appearance of a commercial in television? Should it be

  one “airing” today and seven “airings” in total in this week

or maybe

  one “broadcast” today and seven “broadcasts” in total?

Or maybe there is a third, better word?


texts: What's a side remark called when it's meant as something sarcastic or secretive?

texts: What do you call the gesture when someone makes a sarcastic or parenthetical side-comment? It's usually something related to the original comment that's said quietly to someone else, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes secretive. In movies, the person puts their hand at an angle near their mouth and usually raise an eyebrow if it's sarcastic. I know there's a name for that kind of gesture -- anyone know what it is? I found "side remark" in the thesaurus but it doesn't have any words that indicate something quietly shared away from or about the source comment.


texts:
I was wondering what the correct form is, or if both of these forms are correct:

  The IBM is the most common disease of skeletal muscle in patients
  over 50 years old.

  The IBM is the most common disease of skeletal muscle among
  patients over 50 years old.


texts:
In the movie Donnie Brasco, Al Pacino shows a jeweler a diamond and tells him

  "I'm asking you to middle a diamond for me here."

What does it mean "to middle"?

I cannot found 'middle' as a verb in any English dictionary-only as an adjective or noun.


texts: not a moment too soon - is it fast or slow?

texts:
Is this late or early? It's a bit unclear to me.

Because this question body wasn't meeting good quality standards of this site, I had to write this additional sentence.


texts: According to this entry in the Urban Dictionary on "Whilst" (2nd definition on this page: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=whilst), it can only be used in mid-clause. I have skimmed other questions on this exchange regarding the use of "whilst" and "while", but they more or less arrive at the conclusion that they can be used interchangeably, with the only distinction being in style. Nowhere have I found anyone pointing to a distinction in correct semantic placement. However, come to think about it, I've never encountered a single sentence that starts with whilst. You always find it in the middle.


texts: Capitalising the second word in a compound role-title

texts:
When a title, made of two hyphenated words, is followed by a proper noun, is the word after the hyphen capitalised?
Eg. I understand that the following statement is correct:

He killed King Ravan.

But, which of these is correct?

He killed Demon-king Ravan.
He killed Demon-King Ravan.

British English rules are what I, as an Indian, would prefer.
Thank you. :)


texts: how to attribute a singular property to a plural noun?

texts:
Please consider the following examples:

The size/sizes of the planets is/are written here.
The door/doors of a 100 houses is/are 100Kg.
Men's nose/noses is/are bigger than that/those of women.

Which ones are correct? Is there a rule? In every example the attribute is singular. Every planet has only one size. Every house has only 1 door. Needless to say, every man or woman has 1 nose.

I encourage you to google the phrase, "sizes of planets." You will find both usages, "size" and "sizes".


texts: Is there a connection between wans't/wanst and wasn't?

texts:
Wasn't is the contracted form of was not.
But wanst/wans't was an archaic adverb meaning once:

  "Be the bye, I wanst knew art ould woman of that name. She was my darling Tibbie, but a notorious drunkard". 1

  "Now, shut your eyes, and turn round wanst" whispered the Grey Man. Shawn did as he was desired; but, when he looked about, he was struck all of a hape to find himself standing in his own bawn.... 2

1 1863, Roger Quinn, The Heather Lintie: Being Poetical Pieces, Spiritual and Temporal..., page 167

2 1838, Charles Dickens et al, Bentley's Miscellany, page 308

NB: I originally came across the contraction wans't (sic) here, which led me to wanst. So I'm wondering if there is any connection between wanst or wasn't or even wans't.

For example, sha'n't was the dated spelling of shan't, but shalln't is the archaic form of shan't. Are there cases where the apostrophe was missed out but was intended to mean "shall not"? (shant and shallnt)

Instances where wans't is used in place of wasn't (though this is rare):

The Missouri Yearbook of Agriculture ...: Annual Report ..., Volume 32 (1900)

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZKlJAAAAMAAJ&q=%22wans%27t%22&dq=%22wans%27t%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqvpndr8zbAhUNmrQKHXwrArQ4jAEQ6AEIUjAJ

Proceedings of All Ohio Safety Congress, Volume 11 - F.J. Heer Print. Company, 1940

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=c8k2AQAAIAAJ&q=%22wans%27t%22&dq=%22wans%27t%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZsu7FrszbAhXSL1AKHcBMBqM4bhDoAQhOMAk

New Times International, Issues 26-39; New Times Publishing House, 1991

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=WmQpAQAAMAAJ&dq=It+wans%27t+for+nothing+that+Nikolai+Leskov+wrote%3A&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=wans%27t+

Even, The Washington Post (1984)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1984/06/10/history-was-on-gary-harts-side-but-that-wanst-enough/5c74923d-67e6-491a-94bf-14ac664bdb60/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.379ce6a0edc2

Wans't (or rather wanst) as eye dialect from the Domestic Engineering and the Journal of Mechanical Contracting (Volume 84, 1918)

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1armAAAAMAAJ&q=%22wans%27t%22&dq=%22wans%27t%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjawsapt8zbAhWIYVAKHeBmA4w4FBDoAQgmMAA


texts: What is a secondary school graduate called?

texts:
I think graduate indicates only a university graduate in British English, but in American English can it perhaps also suggest a high-school graduate as well?

Could anyone tell me something about that?


texts:
Is it right to use chair, but not chairman in this example?

  He served as the Department Chair from 1995 to 1999.


texts:
I'm searching for a good antonym for "symbolic."

I'd be using it in a sentence like:

  In Beowulf, the different manifestations of courage, both symbolic and actualized, present an area of synthesis between the real and the imagined.

Is "actualized" a good antonym for symbolic? I've also considered "applied" and "action-based." The above is just a throwaway sentence.

Edit: I suppose I'm trying to get at the difference between courage symbolized through an object and courage performed through a valiant act.


texts: ambiguity of antecedent of participle modifier in a GMAT question

texts:
Below is a GMAT sentence correction question, regarding the proper usage of "include".

\begin{question}

As an actress and, more importantly, as a teacher of acting, [Stella Adler was one of the most influential artists in the American theater, who trained several generations of actors including] Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro.

(A) Stella Adler was one of the most influential artists in the American theater, who trained several generations of actors including

(B) Stella Adler, one of the most influential artists in the American theater, trained several generations of actors who include

(C) Stella Adler was one of the most influential artists in the American theater, training several generations of actors whose ranks included

(D) one of the most influential artists in the American theater was Stella Adler, who trained several generations of actors including

(E) one of the most influential artists in the American theater, Stella Adler, trained several generations of actors whose ranks included

\end{question}

The correct answer is (C). However I see (A) as equally competent. The reasoning behind the choice between (A) and (C), according to this link, is that "including" in (A) is supposed to modify "generations" as opposed to "actors", whereas "whose ranks" in (C) more unambiguously modifies "actors". While I agree that (C) has less semantic ambiguity because "whose" typically refers to people, is (A) correct by itself?


texts: Interestingly I couldn't find a similar existing question here, so I'll ask. Why is "pronunciation" spelt thus if the root word is "pronounce", with an "o"? In other words, why is it not "pronounciation", as some people are inclined to write (and say)?


texts:
I'm having difficulty with understanding this phrase:

  sorry, I've been in a fairly deep recently

Is this statement cut off as not making greater sense to me? That was a response to my message.


texts: Why can the word "fusion" mean either "combining" or "breaking/melting" in different contexts?

texts:
The word "fusion" is at times confusing because in a way it has two opposite meanings:

Combining things together, for example "nuclear fusion".
Melting/breaking things, for example, "latent heat of fusion" (here "fusion" means melting and hence bond breaking), "fuse" (an electric component which breaks when it overloads to protect the circuit).

Of course, we often need to break something before combining them together, so the two "opposite" meanings are somewhat related. But is there better explanation for the use of the word "fuse"?


texts: Is there a word that means "removing noise from communication"?

texts:
I'm trying to find a way to describe improving the Signal to Noise ratio of a communication/message succinctly.  Using the entire phrase over and over gets clunky.

Phrases that are close, but don't have as much of a technical connotation as I would like:

"Tuning" as in tuning a radio
"Demunge," but it implies the message is scrambled, and I think it's programmer jargon anyway


texts:
I am looking for a word that describes an explorer who travels the world in search of rare items. I'm thinking Indiana Jones, going to far off places in search of magical things...

Any help will be greatly appreciated!


texts:
Can someone help out with this:  the first one seems wonky and so does the second one!

"Not all headsets are created equal"

"Not all headsets are created equally"

It's a common phrase (the top one), but why does it seem wrong?

Which is correct?!


texts:
In Sinhala the name Suminda means calm disposition from the words Samya (calm) + Indu (faculties).
In the case of English, how does one understand the meaning of names? E.g. names like Ann, Tom, Dick, Harry, Edward, etc. does not have an easily identifiable meaning or are related to any identifiable English words.


texts:
Is the following sentence right?

"There's a table stands in the corner."


texts: Is there a word for "explaining away the problems of a piece of art because you like the artist"?

texts:
Is there a word for the phenomenon of explaining away the problems with a piece of art because you like the artist, aesthetic, or something else other than the actual quality?

I'm as guilty of this as anyone. A perfect example is Star Wars. I love Star Wars (although not George Lucas particularly). Whenever people make fun of Han Solo saying "I made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs" because parsecs are a unit of time, not distance, I explain this away by claiming that Han didn't regard the people he was talking to highly so he was being a dickish rogue to them when he assumed they didn't know what a parsec was. Another example is Metal Gear. The storyline in that is retarded, but I really really like the gameplay. So I'll try to explain away it's silliness by delving into wikipedia and coming up with explanations for every retarded plot hole and deus ex machina.

"Explaining away" isn't quite a descriptive enough phrase to describe this phenomenon. Is there a word for this? I feel like there's gotta be a French or German word for this. If there's not, let us please start referring to this as "French-wording a piece of art" (ie "stop french-wording Star Wars bro") or just call it "austining" cause that's my name.


texts: Arrange, settle, reconcile — could these words be used before "their differences"? What are the differences in meaning?


texts: Why is the apostrophe positioned differently in "ones' complement" than "two's complement"?

texts:
There is a concept in computer science which deals with how to demonstrate negative binary numbers. Two methods for achieving this goal are ones' complement and two's complement.

Since I got acquainted with these methods, this question never stops coming to my mind that why the apostrophe is placed differently in ones' vs two's? I also saw many articles using one's instead. Even Google suggests that I might be mistaken!

So I want to resolve this issue once and for all. Is it a stylistic preference? What causes this difference? And please provide more examples of similar usage.


texts:
Sample phrase:

  Use the item for those purposes, only.

vs.

  Use the item for those purposes only.


texts: Why "it" instead of "them" in "make it into"?

texts:
In this report news, there is a sentence about ports:

  Seven Chinese ports made it into the top 10 ports in the world in
  terms of container throughput in 2018.

Why "it" is used? Should we use "them" because "ports" is plural?


texts:
I am attempting to create a user interface to allow for exploring the connections between each of the variables used by a large set of equations. While examining any particular variable, I display a list of variables titled "Determinants", which contains those variables that affect the examined variable when they are changed. I am struggling to find an appropriate, preferably single-word name for the other list of variables that I'm displaying, which contains those variables that will be affected when the examined variable is changed.

For example, if y = x + z, then I'm referring to x and z as determinants of y. But what word describes y in relation to x or z?


texts: Word meaning "ad hoc unofficial police force"?

texts: I've completely forgotten the word I'm looking for, but it basically means an "ad hoc unofficial police force" that is formed by citizens to enforce the law when the state can't or won't. Closest words I can think of are paramilitary and lynch mob, but it's neither of those. Can anyone jog my memory?


texts:
By bidirectional I mean, if word A is synonymous with word B, does it follow that word B is always synonymous with word A? Are there any common exceptions to this rule?

Extending this - if word A is synonymous with word B, and word B is synonymous with word C, word C may or may not be synonymous with word A?


texts: Why do we say " talk show" not " talking show"?

texts: In English, why do we usually say "talk show" not "talking show"?


texts: Is there an idiom or phrase set for completing a task, or completion of an event?

texts: I actually know quite a few idioms and other phrases for completion already as I am a native speaker. I am just wonder if there are any examples that relate to something that is formal such as an event. EXAMPLES: Round out, wrap up, finish out, finish up, sum up, end of the road, come to an end, tail end, end of the line, and let out.


texts:
Example:

  I wonder if his [...] has something to do with his craziness.

The only word I could think of was attire. But I think attire only refers to what the person is wearing now; not to the way he or she usually dresses.


texts: How do native English speakers decide whether to use "began" or "started"?

texts:
This is something that has been puzzling me for a while. For example:

  He started to run.

  He began to run.

In common/informal speech, how do native English speakers decide when to use the former and when to use the latter?


texts:
After this similar post, I have another question regarding the use of the word 'media.'

I recently saw the phrase, "... it was a good general point about representation and how some medias seem to be handling it."

This doesn't seem right to me, and it very likely is answered in the correct answer to this question.  The slight difference here is that this author is referring not to the media as a collection of all media, but select 'medias,' such as television, movies, and comic books and how they handle minorities.  It is not referring to media as a whole.

Is it correct, in this rare instance of singling out several, to use medias?


texts:
Intransitive verbs have no objects, so they can not be used in passive voice, but I have seen many people using intransitive verbs in passive voice sentences. I am much confused how is it possible.
The words "listen", "laugh", "work" and "look" etc. are intransitive verbs, but why are they used in passive sentences with preposition "to", "at" and "on" etc.?
He laughed at me [I was laughed at by him]
I worked on the computer [The computer was worked on by me]
I listened to him [He was listened to by me]
I looked at him [He was looked at by me]

The important point which I want to ask is that;
When intransitive verbs are used with prepositions (laugh at, listen to, work on etc...), are they considered as transitive verbs?


texts:
What is the etymology of the term "Quantum Leap / Quantum Jump"? Doesn't 'Quantum' mean small and discrete?
Dictionary.com:
 says:

A dramatic advance, especially in knowledge or method, as in Establishing a central bank represents a quantum leap in this small country's development. This term originated as quantum jump in the mid-1900s in physics, where it denotes a sudden change from one energy state to another within an atom. Within a decade it was transferred to other advances, not necessarily sudden but very important ones.

But how came Quantum Leap to mean sudden and conspicuous change?


texts:
Someone who is not a native English speaker wrote this in an email to me. I didn't get it clearly in the beginning, so I just asked for the meaning and he replied back he meant "he answered immediately".

Later I searched a little bit on the online dictionaries, and I got the feeling that "he answered zip" is more closer to "he answered nothing". So my first question is what's the actual meaning of "he answered zip"?

Despite the fact it was my first time I saw such a combination, is that a common phrase or not? Is that even correct? And if it is correct, does that carrying a positive message or negative?


texts: Addressing a formal letter to multiple people with unknown names

texts:
What is the most appropriate way to address a motivational letter for a graduate program? Multiple people will read the letter. How should I address it if I want to avoid the "To whom it may concern" phrase, and salute the female reader? Is it appropriate to write "Dear Madams, Sirs?"

P.S. Many of the salutation posts are marked as duplicates, or closed but I did not see this question answered.


texts: Does "supposedly" have a negative connotation?

texts:
Put another way, would using "supposedly" in the following sentence upset a neutral tone?

  A variant of qi gong is external qi gong, wherein a qi gong master
  supposedly directs the flow of qi through other people's bodies
  through his or her own energies.

In the example above, I am not sure if the word is necessary. This example is a part of a larger description of indigenous alternative medical practices. I would think that people reading this description would understand that the things stated are not intended to be read as fact.


texts: What's a good word for a category of non-technical blog posts?

texts:
I have a website mostly devoted to technical blog posts. In the main navigation there are links for JavaScript and CSS, which take you to a list of posts about those topics.

My question is, what should I call the link for my non-technical blog posts? I was thinking of just using the word "Blog," but really, the whole thing is a blog, so it doesn't do a good job of describing what this section is. I was also thinking about calling it "Personal," but I don't like that either, because they aren't all personal posts, they are about a bunch of different things, the only thing they have in common is being non-technical.

I don't have much experience with the tags on this site, so please edit them if you want.

Thanks.

Here are some words I have been considering:

Bulletin, Prose, English, Writing, Verse, Essays


texts:
I'm having a difficulty using the right preposition with the phrase "make headway". When I looked the word up from online Oxford and Cambridge Dictionaries, I found they use different prepositions.

they appear to be making headway in bringing the rebels under control

So far it seems that negotiations are not making headway on a key issue.

I'm trying to learn to drive, but I'm not making much headway (with it).

Little headway has been made so far in the negotiations.

Haven't I noticed the use of "with, on, and into" prepositions, I would normally use the preposition "in". Is there a specific rule?


texts: on the bus, in the car etc. vs. on a bus, in a car etc

texts:
I realize a lot of questions have been asked about buses here. While the thing with the preposition usage was resolved for me a long time ago, the usage of the articles is still confusing me.

For example, which article would be more appropriate, if you were traveling in a vehicle and your phone rang and you wanted to avoid a conversation:

  "I can't talk. I'm on a / the bus (in a / the car, on
  a / the train) right now. I'll call you back later."

My logic is:

In a situation when we're not talking about the specific bus/car etc. and just stating the fact that we're traveling in a vehicle, the indefinite article should be used.

So I would use "a". However, Google gives plenty of examples of both "a" and "the" used in similar situations. "The" seems to prevail, though.

Can you please explain the difference between "a" and "the" in these phrases?


texts: Is It “Category URLs” or “Categories URLs”

texts:
I want to talk about several categories. Each category has only one URL.

Which one is correct and why?

Category URLs
Categories URL
Categories URLs


texts: Name of "a period of time worked offshore" (usually 21 days)

texts: I thought of shift but it didn't sound right given it's a longer period of time.


texts: Is "agnostic" an appropriate substitute for "indifferent"?

texts:
Recently, a co-worker used the term agnostic to indicate that he had no strong preference for either of the two options under consideration. I don't remember exactly what the discussion was about, but his statement was essentially:

"I am agnostic as to whether we go with A or option B."

I would use the term indifferent or, less formally, I don't care. Is this an appropriate use for agnostic?


texts: Is there a hidden meaning of "swinging the club"?

texts: Does "swinging the club" have another meaning outside the world of golf ?


texts:
When one writes a noun after a dependent clause, should that noun be preceded by an "a" or an "an".
"That was an, to be quite clear, extremely clever idea."
Or: "That was a, to be quite clear, extremely clever idea."


texts: A term for an ending that makes a subject from a verb?

texts:
I was looking up "wallah" and the OED said "from the Hindi suffix -vālā ‘doer’" and I was wondering if there was a term for suffixes like this. I suspect the answer is really trivial

More English examples would be -er which transforms kick into kicker or jest into jester.


texts:
A similar structure to She's worth two of him is used in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
Is this still grammatical? Is it related to that makes two/?four of us?
TWO: https://oed.com/oed2/00260784


texts: Ability in past for positive and negative sentences

texts:
I have doubt about the correctness of the following rule.
If it is correct then is there any reason behind this?

Rule:

  Not all abilities are general. Some abilities happen only once (or a certain number of times) in a particular situation.
  In positive sentences, we can only use "was able to" for the specific event / occasion

Examples:

  I was very tired but I could stay awake all night. - This is according to the rule I am investigating syntactically incorrect
  I was very tired but I was able to stay awake all night. ✓

If the sentence is negative, we can use could or was able to interchangeably .

  I couldn't hear him because of the music. ✓
  _I wasn't able to hear him because of the music. ✓

Why are we able to use both "could" and "was able to" in negative sentences, but not in positive ones?


texts: Can I wish someone on new home as " my cordial wishes to your family on new home"

texts:
I would like to wish my boss on her new home. Is the below statement correct?

  My cordial wishes to your family on new home


texts: Is there a term for a child born after the death of its sibling?

texts: A couple loses their only child and some time later they have another child.  Is there a term for that second child? I once heard a parent use a phrase to describe it, but can't remember anymore.


texts: Does "of complete honesty" mean exactly the same as "completely honest"?

texts:
The structure to be + of + noun is usually taken to mean the same as to be + the relevant adjective. For example,

  The speech is of complete honesty.

means the same as

  The speech is completely honest.

Yet, I feel a slight difference between their meanings. It might be due to difference in emphasis. But I cannot spot the difference. Do they mean exactly the same? Is it like that one is sometimes preferred over the other?


texts: Antonym of "upright" to describe the position of a phone

texts:
I have an issue with describing the following way of holding a telephone.

As held in the picture below, I would describe it as "upright"

However, I need to describe what it is like when it is held like this

The definition I've found for downright, which seems to me as being the correct word, is as follows (from Merriam Webster):

  Definition of downright

  1 archaic :  straight down

  2 absolutely : downright handsome downright mean

  3 obsolete :  forthright

which doesn't seem to fit the meaning I want to convey.


texts: "Leaving flowers on your grave / Show that I still care": why is there no Present Simple S to the verb in this sentence?

texts:
In The Offspring's song "Gone Away" there is a line that goes:

"Leaving flowers on your grave
Show that I still care"

and the same goes with the new cover by Five Finger Death Punch, the exact same lyrics that is.

My problem is that: "leaving flowers on your grave" is a noun phrase, a gerund phrase to be exact, with the head word being leaving, so the verb that follows show should have an S added to it, is it not so?

Thank you.


texts: What is the difference between "recognize" and "hereby recognize"?

texts:
I recognize Mr. Smith.
I hereby recognize Mr. Smith.

My question is as follows:

a) What is the meaningful difference between the two sentences above?
 b) Do the two sentences above carry the same meaning?


texts:
Which of these two sentences is more appropriate in a given situation?

I am tired.
I am feeling tired.

I know this might be a very childish question, but English is not my first language and I just want to know more about authentic English.


texts: Breakdown and understand sentences containing contradictory(or somewhat opposite sounding) phrases

texts:
While I was reading today about the items that are sold in a 7-eleven, I bumped into this a sentence(5th sentence from top) like below on this page:

Because Twizzlers ingredients do not include extracts of the licorice
plant, they are referred to as licorice-type candy.

It's just me or the sentence is consisting of 2 contradictory sounding phrases and raises confusion and question instead of clarifying the idea ?
The question being "Why would the possibility of the Twizzlers containing or being made-from the extracts of Licorice plant, would prevent them from being referred to as licorice-type candies ?"
Also how can someone break it down and completely grasp the true meaning conveyed in these type of sentences that contain opposite sounding phrases ?


texts: What is the adjective for a child who has finished kindergarten education?

texts: Preschool seems to be the word typically used for children's education before they enter elementary school. But how do we call a child who has finished preschool education? Is it valid to use preschooled? I just Googled for this term and found no such usage.


texts:
I'm writing a fanfic and I need to know this because I have a lot of lines where this gets brought up. These are the lines in question:
"Cole is cheerily running around the house, looking for Hank to take him to school."
"Usually, Hank takes him to school, but Cole can’t seem to find him anywhere."
"I will take you to the parent-teacher conference today."
"I should’ve let someone else take you to school."


texts: What does "one more step from the future" mean?

texts:
I'm not sure it's a correct English sentence.
Can it be interpreted as "bringing something back from the future and advancing the present"?
Maybe it would be better to use "one more step to the future" to convey a similar message?


texts: What should I call the "list of answers" a student gives in a test?

texts:
I'm programming an e-learning web application. Among other things, it involves tests (examinations).

On the context of this application, a Test is a list of Questions. Each Question is a list of Options, of which only one is correct.

When a student performs a test, he must choose the options he considers as valid for each of its questions. I can call every selection an Answer, but I'd like to find a name for the "list of answers" of the student, just like a Test is a "list of questions".

Is there an English word for that? Right now, I'm using "AnswerList", but I'd like to make it more concise.


texts:
I am a uh, designer of websites, and I would like to use the phrase for my profession correctly.  Unfortunately, webdesigner is flagged by Google Chrome's spellchecker as a misspelling, and web designer and web-designer are suggested as alternatives.  Dictionary.com only suggests web designer, not even web-designer.

Is webdesigner a misspelling?


texts: "Scathing" to describe cutting effect of sugarcane blades on skin

texts:
Would that word "scathing" be correct, if used to describe the effect of the blades of sugarcane or millet leaves cutting incisions into the skin (like on exposed hands and feet), as one ran through a dense plantation of these?

Could there be a better word for the same?


texts: Is it correct to call an Apple Mac computer a PC (Personal Computer)

texts:
From the original meaning of the initialism, PC (Personal Computer), it would make perfect sense to call a Mac a PC, as it is just that, a personal computer.

However, the vast majority of people distinguish a PC from a Mac - due to clever marketing. This distinction is so embedded in people now, that both PC users, and Mac users do not consider a Mac to be a PC.

So would I be right to start referring to Macs under the blanket term "PC", or would the fact that most people no longer consider the term to refer to Macs make me wrong?


texts: What does "matriculated" mean in following para?

texts:
The Doctor, seeing his client more attentive than alarmed,
was greatly surprised. He must be matriculated, said he to himself—
' A h ! ah!' added he aloud; 'you have been obliged to shave off the
lock. You have been prudent; however you need not have done so,
when putting yourself under my hands. The case is serious; but you
don't know what I have courage to do in a time of need.'
To understand this mistake of the Doctor's, it must be known,
that at that time, bravoes by profession, and villains of every kind,
used to wear a long lock of hair, which they drew over the face like
a visor on meeting any one.


texts:
Is the use of mooted correct here? I keep thinking the author wanted bruited. Yesterday I heard an economist in the UK use it in the same way.

  Coffee mooted as a breast cancer preventer.


texts: Looking for a word describing "habits which lost their original purpose"

texts:
I know there is a certain word which could describe rituals/habits which are being practiced despite the fact they lost their original purpose. I saw it in context of practicing some religious rituals.

It's not floccinaucinihilipilification".
It's not shibboleth.


texts:
One could say:
I was so tired that I slept for ten hours.

You could also say:
I was so tired, I slept for ten hours.

The second one is more colloquial I think, but is it acceptable grammatically?  If so, is a comma the correct use of punctuation there, or does it have to be a semi-colon maybe?  Or no punctuation at all?


texts:
A number of sources define the expression pipe dream as an Americanism from the 1890s:

any fantastic notion, hope, or story:
Origin: 1895-1900, Americanism

(Dictionary.com -  Random House Dictionary)
From the Phrase Finder:

It's strange then that 'pipe dream' comes from none of these (BrE) sources but has an American origin. The early references to the phrase all originate from in or around Chicago. The earliest I have found is from The Chicago Daily Tribune, December 1890:

"It [aerial navigation] has been regarded as a pipe-dream for a good many years."

and also the OED, as suggested by Andrew Leach in a comment, cites as earliest usage the one from the American Chicago Tribune in 1890 .
Etymonline does not say where the expression is from, but it dates its usage earlier, from 1870:

1870; the sort of improbable fantasy one has while smoking opium; from pipe (n.1) + dream (n.).

and actually, there is BrE usage from that precise date in
"Tales of Life and Death", by Grantley F. Berkeley ,  1870:

... as if he had some reason or other for dreading a tête-à-tête, lively in his remembrance — perhaps the unwelcome conclusion to his last night's pipe-dream. On this account, therefore, conversation, as between Mr. Hastings and Mrs, ...

There could be earlier usages but I couldn't find any, but

is it really an Americanism (specifically from Chicago) as suggested above or was the expression originally  a Britishism?


texts:
I have been working on some piece of code recently, and I noticed a subtle tweak in the usage of a word. When creating a method about setting things in place, I noticed it was called setUp.

In this domain, this is called Camel Case, and it means that it should be read in two parts. So it is supposed to be read set up. However, I always used this as a single word, setup.

Is there any difference between the two? Is one of them wrong?


texts: The nuances of the limiting modifier "only ever"

texts:
I have heard and seen "only ever" used to put emphasis on "only". But in the following sentence I feel it's the other way and it is used to put emphasis on "ever".
"Maps are only ever partial; not only are they out of date as soon as they are made, but they are also never the same scale as the territory."
Am I correct?
If yes please elaborate on the case.
Thanks in advance.


texts: Is there a word to refer to a group of people who have mutual negative feelings for a certain person or thing?

texts:
Basically, a word to refer to a group of people who discriminate against something/someone. Something that is more unique than, say, plain sexism/racism.

Pretty much a word like cult, but not specific to religion.

Example:

  Are you really part of this ____?


texts: What is the English word for "street along a river bank"?

texts:
What is the English word for a regular city street that happens to be situated along a river?

(For the record, the Russian word is набережная, but I can't seem to find the appropriate translation.)


texts: Does English have an equivalent for pinakalast?

texts:
Last from English; final, ultimate, last person to arrive.

pinaka- creates superlatives.

Though pinakalast can be both comparative and superlative.

More final than final

Most ultimate


texts: How is the word "nay" used in this sentence?

texts:
I've been trying to figure out the meaning of the following quotation from the Discourses on Livy by Niccolo Machiavelli, translated by Ninian Hill Thomson:

  The mass of mankind accept what seems as what is; nay, are often
  touched more nearly by appearances than by realities.

In particular, I don't understand the use of the word "nay" here. What does it mean?


texts: Idiom for: "We should attend it even if we have to borrow money."

texts:
I'm translating a script and I should cut this line down by about half it's syllables. I should match to the lip movement of the actors on video, and so that would be about 7 syllables. It doesn't have to match exactly but I couldn't think of a phrase, idiom, or word that I regularly use that can match. Can anyone give me a hand?

"We should attend it even if we have to borrow money."


texts: Does a phrase "I'm gonna raise a whim flag on this one" make any sense?

texts: Does the phrase “I’m gonna raise a whim flag on this one” make any sense?  Put simply, I want a phrase to have the same meaning as “I’m going to resign from further engagement in this matter”.


texts: What are alternate words for the exclamation 'hooray!'

texts:
"Hurrah!" seems like a different form of hooray.

"Yippee!" is the only other one I can find.


texts: "Whether or not..." vs. "whether... or not"

texts:
I'm confused with the placement of 'or not' with 'whether' in a sentence. E.g.

  I'm not sure whether I should go or not.
  I'm not sure whether or not I should go.

  Whether you stay or not, you will be charged.
  Whether or not you stay, you will be charged.

Can someone please advise which one is correct? If both are correct, is there certain situation where to use one or the other?


texts:
There was a question of the "grey eyed" epithet of Athena on Mythology recently, and one of the answers related to Athena's perceptiveness.

(The choice of "grey eyed" by translators is both poetic, and relates to a proposed connection between the Greek word of own and an adjective used for the color of the sea.)

What interests me here is the quality of perceptiveness, which enhances information gathering and analysis, leading to Athena's superior judgement and wisdom.

How is "grey eyed" related to "steely eyed" beyond mere color?  What are early appearances of "steely eyed"?

Note: I don't agree with the common definition of steely eyed, which seems to miss the point of the idiom.  My understanding of steely eyed, based on context and usage, is related to realism, rationality, and canniness drawn from experience. Toughness/determination is merely the affect or appearance, and doesn't get to the root of the usage.  That said, toughness and determination are traits also possessed by the armored, steely-eyed Athena. Where the common definition intersects with the deeper meaning is in regards to "mindset" (The mind is also the domain of Athena.)  The determination connoted by being steely-eyed comes from a realistic assessment of a given situation, which is to say, analysis.

Part of what leads me to this conclusion is that, in this case, the adjective is applied very specifically to an organ of sense, which is to say perception.  This is quite distinct from merely being determined as in having a "grim visage" or other idioms, and distinct even from "having a thick skin", which is also sensory.

To further this point, steel can be keen (have a keen edge) and it is notable that definitions of keen in include "sharp or penetrating", where sharp is also a term for mental acumen, and penetrating can be applied in the context of perception.  (In Hermeticism, the sword is a symbol of intellect.) Even the use of keen for enthusiasm requires intellectual engagement.


texts: Is reducing a complex, or technical, idea into a colloquial label, phrase or expression correctly described as an abbreviation?

texts:
I hope someone can tell me if there is a formal, or technical, English word or phrase that describes the result of summarising a complicated (technical, or obscure, apply equally well here) idea into a much simplified colloquial (but equivalent) phrase?

For example, "too big to fail" is a colloquial label for a technical theory that suggests some firms pose a risk to financial stability by virtue of their very large size, relative to other firms, and their interconnectedness within the economy. To the extent that, letting them fail is potentially more problematic than the possible moral hazard created by using public money to rescue such firms.

Is "too big to fail" described as an abbreviation? I also thought of "sound-bite", but I know that is incorrect, as it does not capture the equivalence of the label and the technical idea it represents.

Not a very good example, I know. English is not my first language, so apologies if this question has an obvious answer.


texts:
What word means that every outcome is worse than where you started,

For example, You must make a choice but the choices are a worse situation than your current one.


texts:
Must have been can have two meanings— it depends on the text.
Must have p.p. doesn't always mean that, for instance, something did not occur— it might occur.
For instance:

Clerks must have been in the garden.

Clerks who have to be in the garden, but they were not.

Clerks who have to be in the garden were in the garden.

Am I right?


texts:
I needed to break up the tasks of an estimate.

I needed to breakup the tasks of an estimate.

I needed to break down the tasks of an estimate.

Which one of the above is correct and Why?

When to use "break up", "breakup" and "break down"?


texts: Can or can’t the Three Mile Island meltdown be described as a farce in “tragedy / farce” rhetoric?

texts:
There was the following sentence in the Time Magazine article (Mar. 25, 2011) titled “The Real Cost of U.S. Nuclear Power.”:

  “When Karl Marx wrote that history unfolds first as tragedy, then as farce, he got U.S. nuclear history backward. America’s initial experiment was a cartoonish disaster, with construction timelines doubling and costs increasing as much as 1,000% even before the Three Mile Island meltdown. In the 1980’s, the industry required bailout before bailouts were cool. But the U.S. industry has matured and learned from its mistakes.”

I interpreted “American initial experiment (requiring doubled timeline and 10 times as much cost even before the Three Mile meltdown)” as meaning a farce, and “the industry bailouts in ‘80s” as meaning tragedy, in the above Karl Marx allegory.

My friend said, “No, no, the serious accident like Three Mile Island meltdown can never be described as a “cartoonish” disaster. “The initial experiment with construction timelines doubling and costs increasing as much as 1,000% is liken as a farce, and the Three Mile Island meltdown is a sheer tragedy. The sentence “In the 1980’s” and thereafter is the separate line from “farce / tragedy rhetoric.”

Is my interpretation wrong? Is it very clear at a glance which is tragedy and which is farce in the above sentence to you, native English speakers?


texts: Does omitting a relative pronoun change the meaning?

texts:
One of my students asked me if omitting relative pronouns like "that" changes the meaning of the sentence.
Here's the issue, in the books I have read mention that in spoken English (assuming this means less formal English) "that: is omitted when it can be omitted (according to the grammar rules) and still make sense. However, when we go to school and start writing essays we are told to omit "that" if it is not needed to be more concise. So this makes the removal of the relative pronouns when not necessary more formal. Though, I do know that academic papers have a word requirement and the ideal academic paper submitted is concise and follows this rule, but we all know that we do not live in an ideal world and academic papers may be padded by the author adding or not removing unnecessary relative pronouns.
In short, is it formal or informal to remove relative pronouns in both speech and writing? Why? Where is the source? Does anyone really know?
My research yielded little but an interesting on article on Garden-path sentences via Wikipedia.


texts: Why is Q used in some words instead of K or C

texts: For instance in words Iraq and Qashqai? Are there any historical reasons for that?


texts: Capitalization of explanation of abbreviations

texts:
I'm writing a rather tehnical report with a lot of abbreviations such as QoS (quality of service), AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code).

When should the explanation of the abbreviation be capitalized? For example, should it be quality of service or Quality of Service? How does one know what to use for the vast majority of technical abbreviations?


texts: "Far enough removed" vs. "far removed enough" vs. "removed far enough"

texts:
Which of the following word orders is grammatical?

  Games based on real life are sometimes not far enough removed.
  Games based on real life are sometimes not far removed enough.
  Games based on real life are sometimes not removed far enough.


texts: How to describe a mistake or tendency that seems to keep popping up

texts:
I'm looking for a succinct way of describing a mistake or tendency that pops up a lot.  It's just a common error that a wide range of people seem to make over and over.  The specific context I'm thinking of is software training and consulting but it could be used in other training/teaching scenarios.

Sample usage:

  Many people will use the first setting but in reality the second option is
  the appropriate choice for this application.  Especially as you begin
  to use the software, you will want to be aware of this _____________.

I thought of pitfall but it implies a hidden danger due to the software being ambiguous or poorly designed.  The fault isn't so much in the software but in the misunderstanding and tradition of the user.

I thought of pet peeve but that implies the lecturer is personally annoyed with the mistake which is incidental from the trainee's perspective.

I thought of simply saying common mistake.  But, I wonder if there is a more colorful and succinct way of describing it.  Maybe a single word?  Or, maybe an impactful, memorable idiom like "pet peeve" but without the connotation of an annoyance.


texts: Is it polite to use "delinquent" for a colleague at work?

texts:
I received a mail from a colleague saying that he had noticed that I am a delinquent for not filing something in time.
I found it offensive. Is it alright to use the delinquent for someone who has missed doing a particular task? Is it polite and professional to do so in formal communication?


texts:
My understanding of contractors and clients is something like:

Party 1
   |
   V
Party 2
   |
   V
Party 3

Legend:
  "->": "employs"

From the perspective of Party 1:

Party 2 is a contractor
Party 3 is a subcontractor

From the perspective of Party 2:

Party 1 is a client
Party 3 is a contractor

From the perspective of Party 3:

Party 1 is a ???
Party 2 is a client

What is Party 1 to Party 3? Is there an accepted word like "superclient" that Party 3 can use to refer to Party 1?


texts:
Which is correct: "...despite you're not wanting..." or "...despite your not wanting...?"

I read a post where the writer said he didn't want to get anyone's hopes up and I wanted to reply that he had. I'm not sure whether to use the possessive "your" because it's his thought that I'm referring to, or the contraction "you're" because it's a verb. I think "your" is correct in this example but I'm not at all sure.


texts: What's the difference between scam and fraud?

texts:
I hear a lot about Sim lim scam but not Sim Lim fraud, as in this story. (Sim Lim is a shopping centre in Singapore.)

So basically a customer signed a very deceptive contract and lost a lot of money.

Is a scam basically a fraud that's technically legal? I tried to find this somewhere on the web and couldn't find it.

In particular I want to know:

Why do many people call the Sim Lim case a scam, instead of fraud? A search in Google for "Sim Lim fraud" yields no results.
Is a fraud always a scam, or the other way around? Which one is bigger?


texts:
Recently I started learning english on busuu.com.

In on of the elementary exercices "Colours", that I performed, the following phrase was stated as the correct answer:

"I like the colour blue"

while my answer "I like the blue colour" was treated as incorrect.

I would appreciate an explanation about a difference that might exist beetween these two phrases.

Thanks.


texts: A word which describes an external add-on that provides new essential functionality

texts:
As the title says, I'm looking for a word to describe some clip-on module which provides a new ability that improves the base concept/entity.

Some context, such a word could describe:

A warp drive module on a space ship
A standalone plugin which provides a completely new feature set

If possible, the word might imply a necessity, that without such an add-on the entity is lacking and incomplete.


texts: Usage of the phrase "We have been made."

texts:
I was watching a TV show in which they showed this two friends who were hiding in disguise to escape from bounty hunters. Then one friend upon realizing that the bounty hunters have recognized them says to the other  "We have been made.".

I can understand the meaning of this phrase from the context but I would like to know more about its usage. Being a non-native speaker i find this phrase quite odd and elegant at the same time. Is this a common phrase used in that context? Is this considered proper English or a slang? Is it considered American English?