texts: Any (old?) print literature use of 'codecessor'?

texts:
Summary: Is there a (possibly old) print literature/use of the word codecessor?

Background: I intuitively used the word assuming it exists in peer-reviewed publications first around 2008 only to be told recently that codecessor does not exist in English dictionaries. Nobody complained and I was told I was understood when I used word. I then searched myself extensively online to come up with the conclusion that mine was the only predominant use of the word. I've found that strange as I naturally assumed back in the day the word existed and never meant to create a neologism or some such.

Since the word appeared in recent print, I've then gone to Wiktionary and added its definition I meant the word to have. The suggested use of it was either as a noun or an adjective. The Wiktionary entry has been called a protologism since been moved. My definition was:

  A (technically) co-descendant notion or concept, but not necessarily a close sibling to concepts alike emerged around the same timeframe from the same or similar predecessor concept(s).
   The X is based in part on its Y predecessors and codecessors, such as Z, A, B, and C.

(Other terms I would use would be co-descendant or co-successor, but they didn't end up being used.)

Thus the main question if anyone here has ever come across codecessor elsewhere, such as older print literature, and if yes, what is the reference and a possible definition.


texts: Before a man gets married he is referred to as the 'stag'; what are his comrades called?


texts:
If the act of deleting is deletion, is there a word for the act of disabling something?

We're extending an existing UI that has buttons such as Confirm Deletion and Confirm Addition and are stuck on what to put for the disable confirmation.


texts:
"The lessons coming out of Baltimore, the lessons coming out of France's large cities, the lessons coming out of all our societies show that neighbourhoods matter, place matters, where you live matters." - Tharman Shanmugaratnam

The author has used the phrase "the lessons coming out of" three times. Which set of rules make the last two grammatically correct? Why is there not an "and" between "place matters" and "where you live matters"?


texts:
I.e. is used when we would like to use a situation as a kind of clarification.

Suppose I was to write something like this:

  Nano-boxes are used in medical science i.e. cancer treatment, where the nano-boxes are used to inject drugs into cells.

The problem, however, is that I would like to refer to an example regarding the cells. How would I write it? Like this?

  Nano-boxes are used in medical science i.e. cancer treatment, where the nano-boxes are used to inject drugs into cells i.e. cancer cells.

However, I've been told that you cannot have an i.e. within an i.e.

Are there suggestions on how to write it?


texts: "In this paper, we describe the/an environment..." — should I use "the" or "an"?

texts:
I am trying to decide which should be more correct grammatically in the abstract of my paper.

  In this paper, we describe an environment. . . .

or

  In this paper, we describe the environment. . . .

Since I am writing about custom made tool/environment, should I use the or an?

By environment I mean custom tool/application to perform common measuring activity (for engineering topics). So, I guess I can not decide if I should use the because it is a custom tool, or an because it made to perform common measuring tasks.


texts: Does 'I took the trouble' have a negative cognotation?

texts:
Example phrase: When I became aware of IBM I took the trouble to learn more.

Does the idiom "I took the trouble" have a negative connotation in business writing?   Does it convey a thought of laziness or arrogance.

Update: Thanks for the points of view, as I cannot risk how it will be interpreted by the audience, I decided to be cautious and edit. Interesting enough the original owner is British.

When I became aware of IBM I took the initiative to learn more.


texts: Which version of English is most common in Switzerland?

texts:
Since I'm from South Africa (a former British colony) and attended a British school, I mostly write English in a British way. Given that there are also Americans in Switzerland, one also comes across American spellings in written text. This had me wonder which version of English would be "most standard" for use in Switzerland.

The country only has four official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh) so English, as usual, is not prescriptively standardised. It means we need to select an appropriate sample of people and go for a more descriptive answer. Maybe what's most relevant is what kind of English spelling is taught in Swiss schools? Do Swiss schools tend to use textbooks from the UK or from the US? If a Swiss person were to read the Bible in English, which translation would they be most likely to choose?


texts:
I am not asking about the meaning of the idiom "Line one's pockets". It is clear.

  Line one's pockets:

  to make much money, especially in an illegal or
  questionable way.

I wonder what line means here, and how it came to give the meaning above with the rest of the idiom.

Is this idiom that common today? Pick the scale you want.


texts: Is "you are looking at the clock through the mirror" correct?

texts:
Mindy: That clock on the wall is so strange!
  Henry: What’s so strange about it?
  Mindy: Its minute hand is moving in counterclockwise direction.
  Henry: No, it’s moving in clockwise direction!
  Mindy: No, it’s moving in counterclockwise direction!
  Henry: Hey, you are looking at the clock through the mirror!

Is the last sentence in this dialogue correct? If not, what's the best way to point to Mindy on her mistake here?


texts: “Incur companies multimillion dollar losses”

texts:
I am struggling to formulate the following sentence

  Bad decisions lead to bad results, that would incur companies millions dollars losses.

What I want to say is that bad decisions will lead to multimillion losses. Does my sentence make sense? Have I used the nouns, millions, and dollars correctly?


texts: How is "winded" pronounced in "he winded a horn"?

texts: Either "wɪnd" or "waɪnd" is acceptable, according to Dictionary.com, but merely being acceptable doesn't satisfy me. "Wɪnd" seems better to me, due to the connotation of blowing wind, etc, but apparently "waɪnd" is preferred, being listed first.  Which was originally intended?  (Or does it really not matter?)


texts: I just realized that I pronounce 'accepted' more commonly as " uh-sep-ted" than "ak-sep-ted". I'm nowhere near home (Maryland, USA) so I can't listen to see if it is a regional thing. Anyone familiar with this pronunciation possibility? Google seems unfamiliar with it.


texts: Is there any equivalent for this Persian idiom: "Like a cow with a white forehead"?

texts:
The Persian idiom like a cow with a white forehead is used when one wants to characterize a person who is very well known in a crowd or even in a society.

Although it has a negative meaning, it does not mean notorious or ill-famed. Also, this definition that a person with a white forehead is someone who is very famous is not exact but not necessarily wrong. We use this idiom when we want to say that the person has done some works or has made some mistakes that have made him or her known. He or she has betrayed himself or herself.

This word is often used in a political context, when you want to say that this person is well-known to police and other security organizations.

Example:

  We can not rely on him. He  is __________ [like a cow with a white forehead] and
  may be arrested.


texts: What's the difference between "don't + verb" and "verb + no"?

texts:
For example:
"Dead men tell no tales" and "Dead men don't tell tales"


texts:
Which is most appropriate? "Only do this with {management/management's/managemental} approval."

I get that the word "management" can be singular or plural.  But, can it also be both possessive and plural at the same time, or is the "'s" required when used like this?  Or... is it more appropriate to add the "mental?"


texts: In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Education has devised a new type of examination for those who flounder or stumble in some school subjects because of illness or family circumstances. My question is: Is there a specific name for such an examination? I have tried to figure out some names such as 'stumbling examination' and 'floundering examination', but I am not really sure if these terms are valid.


texts: **Primary English**Tony thought that his mother / already gone to work

texts:
Could any English master please help explain why the underline is HAS rather than HAD? Everything happened in the past, so I thought we should use had. Thanks a lot.
Tony loves dogs. He has two dogs. One is called Bobo and the other is called Coco.
Yesterday, he woke up late. After having breakfast, he wanted to feed his dogs. He looked around his house but he couldn’t find them.
Tony thought that his mother _______ already gone to work. His father was sleeping at that time and Tony did not want to wake him up.
He sat on the sofa and started to cry. He missed his dogs very much. His father heard him crying and woke up. About an hour later, his mother came home with his dogs. She took Tony’s dogs out for a walk an hour ago.


texts:
Either a word or brief phrase describing the fixation on the part of ordinary people and the media on a small segment of society living an extravagant lifestyle.

Example sentences:

What's behind America's [obsession with the rich and famous]?
A left-wing blogger called out the New York Times for its [glorification of the .0001%] in its lifestyle columns.

Related questions:

What do you call a person who craves fame and fortune?
Word for people who buy things because they are more expensive/ for the brand

These do not answer my question because I am interested in a word describing the way the media lavishes attention on the lifestyles of people who are wealthy but not otherwise newsworthy.


texts: What's the difference between "jelly" and "jam"?

texts: I've seen both words being used (peanut butter and jelly; peanut butter and jam), but I was wondering whether they were both words for the same thing, or if there's actually a distinct difference between the two.


texts:
I want a phrase where you can say that one thing implies another, one thing existing implies the existence of the other (implies in the non-mathematical sense)

Well, arrogance ______ insecurity

This person may be arrogant because of insecurities.

Paranoia _______ cowardice

Because someone is paranoid, they are probably a coward.
What phrase may be able to be used here?
The relationship doesn't have to be causal, I think the phrase I want can also be used in:

Strength _____ failure.

Because strength cannot exist without the precipitating failures.
Rejected similar:

go hand in hand (too assured, not cheeky enough)

I think there may actually just be a single word for this, like "betrays", but actually correct and idiomatic.


texts: "something that the author is praised for not permitting"?

texts:
The sentence is from the Official Guide for the GRE General test:

  Here, we must determine what word should indicate something that the author is praised for not permitting.

I can not fully understand this sentence. I tried to rephrase it into two shorter sentences, but I failed to manage the second one:

  We must determine what word should indicate something.
  Something ...

How should I understand the clause "the author is praised for not permitting"?


texts: What does it mean to "pay X on the dollar"?

texts: When I hear money laundry lingo in TV crime-series, people sometimes fence stuff for so and so much "on the dollar". What does it actually mean? And where does the expression originate from?


texts: Something dangerous that you can't go without?

texts:
I'm looking for a noun that means something dangerous, but it is still a necessary danger so you keep using it anyway.

Examples:

A power-tool might be necessary for a mechanic, even though it could kill them.
Someone who is on powerful drugs might regret having to take them, but still take them, as the risk of addiction is better than the immense pain.

Sentence: "I don't want to use it, but the ___ might be our only/best option."


texts:
The maps, or the sequences, are just the start of many lines of research, polyphiloprogenitive, multiply multiple genome projects. (source, Nature magazine)

The part "polyphiloprogenitive, multiply multiple genome projects" does not seem to follow the first part of the sentence.  Is this wrong grammar?


texts: What does it mean to describe someone's chin as "pugnacious"?

texts:
If one were to describe someone's chin as "pugnacious", what would that chin look like?

EDIT: In the context where I read it, it was used as a purely physical description I believe; it wasn't situation-specific.  Therefore, I don't think it means simply thrust out.


texts: Subjunctive mood - what is the tense of the verb following a conjunction?

texts:
Which verb is correct?

  If the world were perfect, workers would wear respirators even when dust levels were/are low.

"If the world were perfect" is an impossible condition/situation, which makes it subjunctive, correct?

Does the subjunctive mood only refer to a verb or does it refer to an unreal/imaginary/impossible situation? Example:

  "If the world were perfect . . ."
  vs.
  "In a perfect world . . ."


texts:
I'm having difficulty understanding when to use Past tense and past perfect together. For example:

I had to do that pose because there were no other poses to do.
I did that pose because there were no other poses to do.

Which one is correct? Because of my understanding Past perfect is something that happened before past tense. Example: when i entered the room, she had already left. Which means she had already left before i etered the room.
But in the number 1 sentence it feels so right... I don't know. Please help


texts: Clone, replica, etc. - what are the differences?

texts:
Is clone and replica exactly the same?  Do they both convey an exact likeness in all properties?  Or is one or the other indicative of an exact likeness while the other indicative of a rough likeness.

I will be using the term in an IT context: is one of these terms better for two computers that share the exact same functionality (including operating system and installed and running applications) but may differ in terms of hardware?

Is there an alternate word anyone can think of (I obviously looked at a thesaurus but could not find anything that to me stood out as appropriate).
10x.


texts: Is it "house is on fire" or "fire on the house"?

texts: What are the origins behind our use of "house is on fire" as opposed to "fire is on the house"?


texts: Is there an antonym for beneficiary that is not simply "giver" or "payer"? I'm looking for a word that roughly mean someone who loses financially in the case of an event.


texts: A word to describe setting-up (or preparing) the basic attributes of something

texts:
Let's say we are making something, say, a picture, and we want to set up (prepare) the basic things such as the size, the material, the shape and the color of the canvas. Or if we are making a wooden figurine, we want to prepare a piece of wood of an appropriate size and color.

Is there a single word to describe the process of setting up those? I thought about "styling", but it occurs to me that "styling" has a slightly different meaning, more like "developing the design concept" or something.

If it is impossible to say it in one word, what would be the shortest phrase to describe that?


texts: How to pronounce or hyphenate the word 'value'?

texts:
Should it be val-ue or va-lue?

Is there a rule for this kind of thing?


texts:
What is the difference between:

  Did you remember to sign the letter?
  Do you remember signing the letter?

and

  He didn't need to call the doctor.
  He needn't have called the doctor.


texts:
I have encountered this sentence in an editing assignment

Many patients continue to have pain and limited function and require some other forms of treatment.

I was wondering if this is equivalent to the following sentence?

Many patients, who continue to have pain and limited function, require some other forms of treatment.

Are these two equivalent in meaning? If so, which one seems better? I thank all helpers.


texts: Any of four combinations are true? "Both X and Y are A or B" could be wrong?

texts:
I want to write a sentence to mean that any of the following 4 situations are true.

X = A and Y = A,
X = B and Y = B,
X = A and Y = B,
X = B and Y = A.

The following sentence,

Both are A or B.

means only the first two cases in the list above. In other words,

Both X and Y is A or both X and Y is B.

So, I could write a sentence,

X is A or B and Y is A or B.

Am I right, or is there a better or concise way of writing a sentence for meaning that any of 4 situations are true?

Thank you for any answers.

P.S. Please, edit tags for this question if needed. I am not sure what tags are appropriate for this kind of question.


texts: When was the noun 'labour' first used in relation to childbirth?

texts:
Royal baby: Duchess of Cambridge goes into labour

BBC TV 23rd April 2018

The first reference I can find that is a reliable use of 'labour' in regard to childbirth is in the King James (Authorised) Bible of 1611:

And they iourneyed from Bethel: and there was but a litle way to come to Ephrath; and Rachel traueiled, and she had hard labour.

Genesis 35:16 Textus Receptus
The OED has a few quotes before that (see below) but they do not seem as clear to me (in relation to childbirth).
However, in 1623 Shakespeare, no doubt influenced by the KJV, uses the noun in relation to childbirth:

Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. i. 18   The Queens in Labor They say in great Extremity, and fear'd Shee'l with the Labour, end.

And there is a metaphoric use of the noun in 1634:

T. Heywood Maidenhead Lost i. B 3 b   My brain's in labour, and must be deliuered Of some new mischeife.

So was it the KJV bible which first used the word 'labour' as a noun in relation to childbirth?

OED references earlier than 1611:

1472   J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 452   God spede yow, and Owre Ladye hyre to hyre plesure, wyth as easye labore to overkom that she is abowt as euyre had any lady or [gentyll]-woman saff Owre Lady heer-selffe. And soo I hope she shall to hyre greet joye and all owres.
?1529   R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives Instr. Christen Woman sig. Kivv   Wherfore she was worthy to beare a chylde with great payne and werynes: and in her labour to be delyuered of her chyde [sic] and her lyfe both.
1580   T. Newton Approoued Med. f. 84 v   In the tyme of the byrthe & labour bounde to the Leage, it bryngeth forthe the chylde wythout payne.
1595   Spenser Epithalamion in Amoretti & Epithalamion xxi. sig. H6   Sith of wemens labours thou hast charge, And generation goodly dost enlarge.


texts:
I am wondering why would someone say "I can't seem to" instead of simply saying "I can't". Is there any specific difference between the two? Is the former usage informal? Is it correct to say that the following two phrases are equivalent?

  I can't seem to do something. It seems that I can't do something.

Some sample sentences:

  I can’t seem to subscribe to a Google Reader ‘starred items’ feed that
  I’ve created.
  I can't seem to stop arguing with my partner.
  I can't seem to make friends.
  I can't seem to transfer my videos directly from one playlist to another.
  Client: I can’t seem to find the search box, can you please make sure it’s working? Me: The search box is in the top left hand corner of every page. Client: Is that on your left or my left?


texts: "I specialize in system programming by using C++"

texts:
I specialize in system programming by using C++.

This is a résumé of an applicant. Is it grammatically correct?


texts: Is "The Walking Dead" a personification?

texts:
Personification (or anthropomorphism) is attributing human features to non-humans.
Technically, a dead human is not a human and we give the attribute of walking to the dead. So, Is "the walking dead" a personification?
Also, can we say that "the walking dead" is an antonomasia (a kind of metonymy) for zombie?
Note: It can be a contradiction or oxymoron also in a neutral sense.

Furthermore, this phrase can be analyzed for other figures of speech, also within the scope of the comics/tv series "The Walking Dead".
There is a major spoiler so I will use the spoiler syntax for the sake of humanity:

 In "The Walking Dead", the protagonists find out that they all have the virus in their body and when they die, the virus turns them into a zombie. So in this sense, "the walking dead" can be interpreted as both the living humans and zombies.

So can we say that there is a doublespeak here?

Doublespeak is language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., "downsizing" for layoffs, "servicing the target" for bombing), in which case it is primarily meant to make the truth sound more palatable.

And lastly, I think there is circumlocation and allusion.

Circumlocution  refers to ambiguous or roundabout figure of speech. Ambiguity means information that can have multiple meanings. Roundabout speech refers to using many words  to describe something for which a concise (and commonly known) expression exists.
Allusion is a figure of speech, in which one refers covertly or indirectly to an object or circumstance that has occurred or existed in an external context. It is left to the reader or hearer to make the connection; where the connection is detailed in depth by the author, it is preferable to call it "a reference".

In summary, what are the figures of speech in the phrase "The Walking Dead"? (regarding to the comics/tv series or not)
Do the figures of speech that I mentioned fit?


texts: "The partnership with Companyname" vs "Companyname's partnership"

texts:
Which of the following sentence is correct?

We hope that Companyname's partnership will help us scale up
faster.

We hope that the partnership with Companyname will help us scale up faster.


texts: Is this ok to write A of B as a singular noun of plural nouns?

texts:
As a non-native speaker and an engineer, I'm always confusing with these kinds of expressions. Can anybody help me understand clearly?
I have a specific example.

A of B: When A and B are nouns, but B is plural.

example 1) The modulus of sample 1, sample 2 and sample 3 are measured by a tensile machine.

In this case, is the modulus ok or should I say the moduli ?

Thanks so much.
Best,


texts: "Two are better than one" or "Two is better than one"?

texts: I just came across the phrase "Two are better than one", but I had always heard it in my head as "Two is better than one". This is partially due to the Boys Like Girls song. Which one of these is actually correct?


texts: Is the term "krapfens" popular/well-known in English?

texts:
The word krapfens means "donuts": in Italy it is quite common to see it in German as well as in English; I guess that's because Italian borrows many original expressions from foreign languages.

It seems to me that in in England, in America and in other countries where English is the official language, the situation is different: people don't borrow many original words and expressions from other languages and consequently they like words which are easy-to-spell, therefore non-English words may be less popular.

Given that, I guess donuts is more popular than krapfens to point out the same object. Am I wrong?

Which is the most used between "krapfens" and "donuts", in English?
Or, alternatively, if I say krapfens to a native English speaker, does he/she immediately grasp what I meant to point out (as if I said "donuts") ?


texts: The correct way to refer to a drop list on a computer window?

texts:
For example:

  Type in the description for the event (or use the droplist to choose one of the predefined choices).

My spellchecker is offering:

drop list
drop-list

Isn't droplist valid?


texts: What's a word that means does not belong, and doesn't matter at the same time?

texts:
The word can be used to mean that something doesn't belong (i.e in this category) or something that has nothing to do with something, but also doesn't matter.

I know there is a word for this in my head but I can't think of it. The definition of the word belong is to be rightly placed in a  specified position.

As a context; there was a comment posted on a forum where someone said "so that's what people do in the south" and then that person has a photo of a truck and the person standing next to it (while there was also a video about something silly people might do in the south). I wanted to ask if the comment was a joke because she actually lived in the south (and I was thinking this is possibly true because of the photo). So I wanted to ask if that's true or (then addressing the photo) if the photo of the car _______?

Fill in the blank:

  Is this a joke because you're from the south? And this seems weird to you.  Or is that car photo ________?

It has to be one word that means doesn't belong and doesn't matter. I was thinking irrelevant, unrelated, inapplicable, unconnected, unassociated, uncorrelated, etc. Which one fits best? Is there something better? Because I feel like none of them works.


texts:
The times in my life when I've floundered occurred when I was thrashing around, typically trying to stay afloat or get back to the surface

I now hear that I also floundered when I failed - presumably just a confusion of two similar-sounding words.

Has the the confusion become standard English?


texts: "increase of" vs. "increase in" in connection with abstract quantities

texts:
I'm aware of two other questions with a similar title (here and here), but I'm not sure they answer my specific question.
An editor of a journal has changed

  The observed increase of x ...

to

  The observed increase in x ...

and I would like to know if only the first variant is correct. As a non-native speaker, I am willing to accept that "increase in rainfall" is correct whereas "increase of rainfall" is not, even though both sound correct to me. However, does it make a difference that "x" in the above example is an abstract mathematical or physical quantity (for example, the velocity of an object)
rather than something tangible such was water?

A reputable source regarding the underlying rules would be much appreciated.


texts: Is "Are you there only ?" grammatically correct?

texts: My friend sent me this. I'm wondering if it is correct. What is the use of "only" here ?


texts:
The widening of Sunnyville Drive *for two lanes to four lanes will take six months.
The widening of Sunnyville Drive *from two lanes to four lanes will take six months.

Which sentence is more appropriate?
Thanks.


texts: Nouns that describe actions but are not verb nouns

texts:
So I had a little semantics argument about English verbs, where the other side claimed, let me quote:

  They are one in the same, every action is a verb, every verb is an action.

I disagree, but not being a native English speaker, unlike my opponent, I'm having problems catching up. I could disprove the second part easily using verbs "like", "have" and "want".

But as of the first part, an action that is not a verb... I know one: action It's an action actually, because you "Take action." But is there anything else?


texts:
Here is a sentence from The Old Man and the Sea:

  It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast.

The sentence could be rewritten as:

  To see/Seeing the old man come in each day with his skiff empty made the boy sad and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast.

The rewritten version is less powerful because the emphasis on "made the boy sad" is lost. Is there a name for this kind of sentence? Is this it-extraposition? I am familiar with cleft sentences but this is not a cleft sentence.


texts: Street corner, street-corner, or streetcorner

texts:
Is there a universally agreed upon way to refer to the corner of a sidewalk?  My fingers immediately went to 'streetcorner,' as a compound word, but very few spellcheckers acknowledge this spelling.  Merriam-Webster only lists 'street corner,' which would seem to be the end of it, except Wikipedia herself (which I thought had standards for this type of thing) uses "Streetcorner" as the name of the related page, and then both 'street corner' and 'street-corner' throughout.  Indeed, while Google searching, only an aggressive quoting strategy will get me anything searched except 'street corner,' but both 'street-corner' and 'streetcorner' will occasionally pop up in autofill suggestions.

So are 'street-corner' or 'streetcorner' correct?  'Street-corner' feels like something only my hyphen-happy brother would use, but I don't know anything any more.  And does any of this change when I use it as an adjective, like 'street corner proselytizer,' 'street-corner philosopher' or Rob Thomas's 'Streetcorner Symphony?'


texts: What do you call it when you come up with a phrase to fit an acronym?

texts:
You see this in marketing sometimes, where a product or company with an acronym name later comes up with a phrase that fits the acronym for an ad campaign or a related product.

For example, if your company name is QP, after the founder Quincy Peterson, your marketing department might make a "Quality Products" campaign. Or they might name the new adhesive product "Quick Plastic."

Is there a word or phrase that describes this?


texts: The concept of countries/a country/ the country/ country

texts:
Which one is correct "the concept of countries", "the concept of a country", "the concept of the country" or "the concept of country"?

I thought that "the concept of country" is correct because "country" is used here as a conceptual idea and not countable.
But, today I realized it seems to be wrong thanks to Google.

Would you please give me some explanation on this question?

.

FIRST EDIT:

Thank you for your replies.
I understand I should have given some contexts.

"What is the concept of a country" - "A country is not a set of persons."

"What is the concept of countries" - "A country is not a set of persons."

"In this world, even cats form a country" - "What is the concept of the country?"

"What is the concept of country" - "A country is not a set of persons."

Are the sentences above correct?


texts:
A friend plays Debussy's "Maid with Flaxen Hair" in a different key, and wants to call it a different name. I suggested "Lad with Flaxen Hair", but I'm not sure whether "lad" is exactly the male equivalent of "maid", as "boy" is to "girl".

I googled it, but few answers are relevant. I think the "maid" here is something just a little different from "girl", so what would you guys suggest as its male equivalent, please? Thank you!


texts: I need a word for a non-urgent, not-so-important task

texts:
When I make task lists, some tasks are important, some tasks are urgent, and some are neither.  I need a word to describe tasks that are not urgent, not so important, but can't be ignored because they really do need to be done at some point.  Like filing of personal papers, or cleaning the windows.
I wish to emphasize these are tasks that aren't urgent enough to be called urgent or important enough to be called important; but they are not so little of either that I can just forget about them.
I'm also looking at maintenance task, filler task, staff task, or housekeeping task.
Note: The kind of task I'm talking about may be a prerequisite for some other task, then again, it may not be. Prerequisite status is on a different axis than urgency or importance; although if it is a prerequistite for something else, it has to have at least as much importance, urgency, or necessity as its postrequisite, and therefore might no longer be able to be described by the kind of word I'm looking for.
(As I usually do, I will wait 24 hours before selecting an answer to give enough time for everyone to respond.)


texts: Where does the expression "dialled in" come from?

texts:
As an engineer, woodworker and model helicopter pilot I often hear the phrase "dialled in" to refer to a thing which has been perfectly set up.
Examples include: a table saw is dialled in when it has a perfectly square fence and a table which is perfectly aligned with the saw blade; a helicopter is dialled in when it is perfectly balanced and has the control input sensitivity "just right" for the pilot.
I was just wondering if anyone knows where the phrase "dialled in" came from? One wild guess is that it comes from the use of a dial indicator to make very small adjustments to achieve a high level of precision.


texts: Should a comma come before 'you' in this sentence?

texts:
I'm wondering whether a comma should precede the pronoun 'you' in the sentence examples below:

That's not how the computer works, you fool.
Thanks for the assignment tips, you saviour.

Whenever I usually write, I always place a comma before the pronoun in sentences like the examples above. However, I haven't really found anything that corroborates the notion that this is 'correct practice'. It is just something I have seen and copied. It would be helpful if someone can correct or explain this to me.

Any responses are much appreciated.

P.S. As an extra piece of help, is the pronoun 'you' an object in the first sentence and a subject in the second sentence? Is it an object pronoun in both? Thanks in advance for any responses to this as well.


texts: "This is what I understand" or "This is how I understand it", etc

texts:
Which one of the following statements is correct or do all of them make sense?

  System A works independently and does not affect System B. This is what I understand.

  System A works independently and does not affect System B. This is how I understand it.

  System A works independently and does not affect System B. This is my understanding.


texts: What is the history of the suffix -itute, as in constitute, prostitute, institute, restitute, and substitute?


texts: "area" vs. "areal" to describe an estimate of space

texts:
E.g. an areal/area estimate of corn in Iowa

"Areal" is commonly found in remote sensing and land cover literature (this article, for example). Which is most appropriate to describe the estimation of corn area?


texts: Party organized by the students of a department

texts:
At German universities, there student councils, called "Fachshaft", which is an extracurricular representative structure for students.

Each year (or semester), the student councils organize parties for students of their universities, called "Fachschaftsparty", in order to collect money for serious things and to provide socializing activity for the students.

How do you translate "Fachschaftsparty"?


texts: Proper grammar regarding "write only" or "only write"

texts: Do you say, "Write only the answer" or "Only write the answer"?


texts: Difference in meaning between "booking is amended" and "booking has been amended"

texts: What is the difference in meaning between "booking is amended" and "booking has been amended"?


texts: Where does the term "fun fact" originate?-- namely, not with the compositional meaning but rather with the idiomatic usage to introduce some sort of unusual, esoteric, absurd or otherwise "controversial" fact?


texts: What is the VP in a subject-dependent inversion?

texts:
A canonical declarative clause consists of a subject and a predicate, the former normally being a noun phrase (NP) and the latter mostly a verb phrase (VP). Therefore, a canonical declarative clause is divided into two large chunks: NP + VP.

In a subject-dependent inversion, on the other hand, the clause has the construction of 'dependent + verb + subject' as in:

  Under the table lies a dog.

Where 'under the table' is the dependent, 'lies' is the verb, and 'a dog' is the subject.

Now, is this inverted sentence also divided into two large chunks? If so, what is the VP in this case? Is it 'Under the table lies' as follows?

  Under the table lies (VP) + a dog (NP)

Or should this sentence be divided differently with a different VP?


texts: What is a gender-neutral word(s) for the word "maternity"?

texts:
The word maternity as in the sentence "the maternity wear is over there. If you'd like to follow me..." is typically the go-to language when describing, talking with, or about pregnant persons' wear, but this is not inclusive towards people who are not women and or cis who can get pregnant (e.g. trans men).

So, what is a word(s) that is operatively gender-neutral and which can replace the term maternity?

We have the word parental to replace the word maternal to describe a person who is not a woman who is parenting a child, for example, but what about the word about which I am asking?


texts: What is the difference between a "vapor" and a "mist"?

texts:
What's the difference between "vapour" and "mist"?

I ask because I was reading the Wikipedia article for Electronic Cigarettes and there is a lengthy and acrimonious discussion.  I don't want to get involved! But I do want to know if there is a difference, and what it is.


texts: Why do the British “swear blind” while Americans “swear up and down”?

texts:
The following two expression have the same meaning and the first appears  to be typically used BrE while the second in AmE: swear blind (british)  or swear up and down (american) :

If someone swears blind that something is true, they insist that they are telling you the truth.
He swore blind that he hadn't taken the money. He swears blind that he bears no grudges against Manchester United for sacking him, but I don't know if I believe him.

(Collins Dictionary)
According to  the site  theanswerbank.co.uk the "earliest recorded use of the phrase 'swear blind' is from John Fowles' novel, The Collector, published in 1963", but as evidenced by   Google Books there are much earlier usages of the expression which date back to the beginning of the 20th century.
Early usage exemples:
From Rickerby's Folly by Tom Gallon 1905 -

if I was to set 'em digging up the body, ten chances to one but what they'd go an' swear blind I'd murdered 'im, an' buried 'im meself

From The Fast Gentleman by Keble Howard  - 1928 -

I shall swear blind I never touched their old boat ! An' I didn't, neever. I on'y cut the ropes an' let 'em go. An' a good riddance, I sh'd sye !

I couldn't find details about their  origin which is probably linked to the meaning, maybe obsolete, of blind and up and down.
Can anybody provide more information about these two expressions and their origin?


texts: Is there any reason why English doesn’t add respectful words in every sentence?

texts:
My mother tongue, Korean, and its neighbor Japanese have postpositions for expressing honoring the opposite in each sentence when we say to seniors or strangers if these are younger than the speaker. While English has no such postpositions or whatever that is to attached to each sentence.

Now I have a question. When you English native speakers say to seniors or strangers if these are younger than you, do you think that you are honoring the opposites by saying at times some respectful words, just like in the math we calculate A * (X + Y + Z) into A * X + A * Y + A * Z? Or is there any reason not to use the words that the two languages do?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  ‘Had’ or ‘has’ to describe a past condition which is still present?
  Tense change: previous actions on something that's currently true

  The employee was injured while at work, and the court decided that employees are able to sue.

Can you check the grammar and style, and tell me how you'd revise this, if at all?


texts:
What is the hypernym of Destination & Source?  For example,

  The information will be verified to fit all relevant criteria at all [source and destination points].


texts: Help identifying an error type "tried to help me learning"

texts:
I have a friend from Russia who is trying to learn English and recently used the sentence "He tried to help me learning..." (implied: the English language)

It is obviously wrong and I corrected it telling her that she was supposed to say: "He tried to help me learn.", but I have a hard time explaining to her why it is incorrect since I'm not an expert on grammar either.

Is it a case of confusing the present simple and present continuous or does it have something to do with gerunds and infinitives? Any help would be highly appreciated!


texts: Is a country's name a metonym - and when? E.g.: "The White House" / "Washington" / ..."The U.S.?"

texts:
I'm interested in figurative language and metonymy in particular. Sometimes it seems hard to tell if a term qualifies as a metonym or would be considered linguistically "literal."  One case is when using the name of a country.

The White House opposed the plan...
Washington opposed the plan...
The U.S. opposed the plan...

The White House is commonly cited as a metonym for the U.S. executive branch government.  It's the type of metonym "where one thing contains another."  Washington is also used this way, using a broader structure to describe U.S. government entities.
If we go even wider in scope, we get to The U.S.  Does "The U.S." qualify as a metonym in this context? It seems to function like one, but references to certain aspects of a country by using the country's name seem so common that it sounds odd to think of that as figurative language.
BONUS: If "The U.S." is a metonym in this case, where is the boundary for a country's name being figurative vs. literal?  It seems like the only case where the country's name is inarguably literal is when referring to its geography. In other cases I can think of where a country's name is used, it appears to be a placeholder for some part of the country (its government, economy, agency, military, electorate, demographics, etc.). Is that true, or are there other rules or cases?

"A refugee lives in the US,"
-- literal.
"A refugee went to the US."
-- literal.
"The US took in a refugee"
-- metonym or literal?
"The US sent back a refugee" -- metonym?


texts: when is a new river named when two rivers join

texts:
Sometimes when two rivers join a river with a new name is formed and at other times this doesn't happen. For example the Barwon and Culgoa Rivers join to form the Darling River (in Australia) while the Darling  River is a tributary of the Murray River (ie the Murray doesn't change its name after been joined by the Darling).

I wants to know if this is, as I suspect,  an arbitary naming convention as for rivers versus creeks (e.g. the Thompson and Barcoo Rivers join to form Coppers Creek).


texts:
Could you guys tell me if these sentences are ok?

1) I graduated, in 2014, as a Industrial Designer;

2) This area of work brings me to achieve, every day, technical and mental skills improvements.
I visualize that as a challenge, for which, I can provide with a new strength for the company, to reach the needs of common goals.

3) Developing and improving my skills are goals that I would like to achieve with your team and most of all, collaborate at Yours projects,
which have a high level of professionalism and they are an inspiration for me.

Thank you


texts: Should I use "authoress" for a feminine author?

texts: Often I come across the term "female author" rather than "authoress". Which is the correct usage? "Female author" sounds wrong to me as other words that end in "-or" take a sex.


texts:
With regard to the use of commas around 'though', which of the following is correct or deemed more appropriate?
'It is interesting, though, as I've done a lot of work in...'
'It is interesting though, as I've done a lot of work in...'
'It is interesting though as I've done a lot of work in...'


texts:
Is there a comprehensive list on the web where I can find the names of common symbols? Google unfortunately doesn't search on symbols, so it is pretty much useless there.

Specifically, what is ` called (the symbol to the left of 1 on US keyboards)?


texts: What is the word for the place/address a person lived, or is identified with, most of their lives?

texts:
I know this word exists but I can't remember it. It is like saying current address or last address but has the meaning of the address a person lived most of their lives or is identified with most.

Thanks for any help :)


texts: Who would say “letters of love” as opposed to “love letters”?

texts: From what part of the world would a person refer to love letters as letters of love?


texts: Using em-dash instead of parentheses and commas

texts:
Let's say I have the following sentence:
"I didn't like the cake (the cookies were better), but I absolutely hated the egg rolls."

Would it be grammatically correct (and colloquially okay, to someone who would be reading it) to change it to this:

"I didn't like the cake—the cookies were better—but I absolutely hated the egg rolls."

because I think it's okay to use em dashes instead of parentheses (according to other questions I've read), but I'm taking out the comma before "but" too. Is that okay?


texts: I'm stuck on a sentence I wrote in which I described a ball as having 'careened off a wall'. The more I look at it the more I wonder if it's poor usage. Various definitions suggest the word describes an almost out of control path veering  back and forth, but can it also be used to describe a sudden change of direction? I had thought that perhaps 'careered' might be a better choice, but I'm not sure on that either as the definitions suggest it's a speedy and uncontrolled passage in a specific direction. If all else fails I'll just fall back on 'deflected'!


texts: Can prepositional phrases be subject complements?

texts:
I’m an ESL teacher without much formal training (at this stage). I have however Googled grammar questions many times and been redirected here, so this time I'm actually posting. I’m trying to explain to students what follows “to be” when it acts a main verb, but I’m stuck on one point.

I know that predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives can be subject complements as they describe the subject.

I also know that sometimes prepositions act as adverbs after “to be”, eg. “She’s not up yet”), and that position words can act as adverbial phrases after “to be”, eg. “I’m not there yet”).

As these prepositions and adverbial phrases are describing the position or state of the subject, and not any action, would these also be considered subject complements? If so, is there a special name for them?

Also, would a prepositional phrase such as the one in “He’s in the kitchen” also count as a subject complement as it describes the position of the subject and not an action?


texts: Is it redundant to say a 'unique nuance'?

texts: Is it redundant to include 'unique' in this expression if I'm discussing the irregularities of surfers' waves?


texts:
Which one is correct:

  Today, she talks to me by phone from the middle of Italy. What is she doing there? She is working on her novel.

In the first sentence, is the tense correct, with the sentences that come after it?

Or should it be:

  Today, she is talking to me by phone from the middle of Italy. What is she doing there? She is working on her novel.

Should the simple present be used or the continuous? I have to use "today" even though I know that at the moment or right now would have been a better choice.


texts: Is it incorrect to begin a question with some qualifying phrase or statement?

texts:
A few example questions would be:

If you're not too busy, can you wash the dishes when you're done?

I don't think I can; can you wash them?

I've done them too many times this week, don't you think?

The first example has a (preposition?) that can't stand on its own as a complete sentence, and the last example adds a question that would be a fragment on its own, whereas the second example could be rephrased as two separate sentences and read mostly the same. The crux of my question is, if I may make an example of it in itself, are all or any of these sentence structures right or wrong, and should I be rephrasing them as separate sentences? Also, right or wrong, can you provide the terms for those parts of the questions and sentences so that I may better reference them in the future?


texts:
When Petruchio invites Katherine to sit on his lap, she replies, "Asses are made to bear, and so are you."  (Taming of the Shrew Act II, Scene 1.)

The denotation is clear, donkeys (Equus africanus asinus) are used as beasts of burden, and "bear" loads, and Petruchio resembles a donkey.

But is Shakespeare making a Joycean pun, 300 years avant la lettre? Something about bare bottoms?


texts:
I have a question about why a parenthesis is necessary in a sentence instead of a relative clause:
Why it should be:

Such an impact, many scientists believe, would have blocked the planet with debris.

Instead of:

Such an impact many scientists believe would have blocked the planet with debris.

I think I can understand the second one as "Many scientists believe such an impact would have blocked the planet with debris.
byw, it is a question from ACT English.


texts: Irregular plurality situations in English

texts: Why do some nouns in English not take the plurality suffix in the plural form? Could you give me a list of plural nouns which don't take "-(e)s" suffix? For example, I know about "fish" and "sheep".


texts:
Collins Dictionary:
  If an event, game, series, or discussion kicks off, or is kicked off, it begins.
  The shows kick off on October 24th. [VERB PARTICLE]
  The Mayor kicked off the party. [VERB PARTICLE noun]

  Macmillan Dictionary:
  1. [intransitive/transitive] informal to begin, or to begin something
  The show kicks off this week at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco.

I learned from several dictionaries that the phrasal verb “kick off” is both transitive and intransitive. In that case, in the eighth sentence of the following paragraph, do both “kicked off” and “kicking off” sound natural to you, native speakers of English. I mean can I use both expressions interchangeably in the context of the following paragraph?

  Although, volunteer positions in Hustai are available year-round, most volunteers choose the spring, summer, and fall months, because winters in the Mongolian steppes are bitterly cold and inhospitable.
  Perhaps the very best time to visit is July, when herdsmen come from miles around to participate in the three-day Naadam Festival, an ancient and colorful competition of horse racing, archery, and wrestling-once called the "three manly games."
  The Naadam Festival started a religious event but has evolved into a celebration of Mongolian statehood.
  The horse race, with thousands of horses competing, takes place not on a track, but over high-altitude Mongolian grassland.
  The race is a long-distance one, (kicked off/kicking off) with a special song ("Giin-Goo") that all the horses know.
  The jockeys are children, ages 7 to 12, who wear colorful costumes. The top five winners are celebrated in poetry and song.


texts: Which has a stronger sexual connotation: "corset" or "bustier"?

texts:
Our fashion content writers are trying to choose the word that describes a fashion triend, but has the least sexual connotation. (Corset and bustier seem to be used interchangeably when it comes to fashion trends.)

Is there any evidence for one having a stronger sexual connotation over the other?


texts: Ne'er cast a clout till May be out. Meaning?

texts:
Today across southern England, it was one of those glorious May mornings of which the poets wrote. The darling buds in bloom, the scent of the blossom hanging like nectar in the air, and the sun up in a clear sky, temperature in the mid-twenties.

Yet I took a pullover with me when I went out. Why? Because I have never forgotten the old English proverb taught to me by my grandmother 'ne'er cast a clout, till May be out'.

The earliest written version is that of Dr Thomas Fuller in 1732. But the argument has never been settled. Does it refer to the month of May? Should we not leave off an item of clothing until June arrives, or does it refer to the 'may flower' on the hawthorn which blooms along the 200,000 miles of English hedgerow from late April?


texts: I know that in English there is a difference between these words, but since I'm a Portuguese native speaker and we have just one word for that (that would be 'restrições') it'd be good to ask: do you, in your routine, use them interchangeably? Or the difference just pops up dealing with scientific articles and researches?


texts: The wall was built "from bricks" or "of bricks"?

texts:
The wall was built from bricks.

The wall was built of bricks.

Which sentence is more correct and is there any difference?


texts: Words/phrases meaning in/out of one's direct line-of-sight?

texts: When I am not looking at something, I say that it is in my peripheral vision. When I am looking at something, I say that I am looking right at it - i.e. it is in my line-of-sight. Are there words or phrases that describe this other than the ones I gave? My examples seem a bit wordy to me.


texts:
Why does unremitting mean going on without interruptions?

Here I think un-  means opposite.

remit means "send back". So remitting means the action of remit. There seems no issue of whether interruptions are involved.


texts: What is the thought process to solving anagrams à la Countdown

texts:
I'm not sure if this best belongs on this Stack Exchange site, or some psychological one, but here goes. I'm wondering what the thought process behind solving anagrams is, as in, pulling words out of random letters, like in the game Countdown.

I am never very good at this game, and I think it's because I'm not going about it in the right way.

I look at a letter, "D" for example, then think of words I know that begin with D, and go through them ruling each out as a letter in the word isn't in my group of letters. It's obviously a very poor way of doing it.

How do you find words in a collection of letters?


texts: end up doing something VS. end up with doing something VS. end up in doing something

texts:
What is the difference between:

end up with doing something
end up in doing something

and simply

end up doing something

Here is the context that triggered the question for me:

  The net result is that they [= those long-term heavy users of the internet or computer] suffer serious loss of vision, back pain, and obesity. It is true that many people finally end up with struggling with deteriorating health.

My take is, the first one tends to involve a trouble one has to deal with, while the second one is about an undesirable situation where one has no other choice than what has just come up, and the third one is a general usage.

One last thing: I found a similar question here, but it is not identical to mine, although some answers seem to work.


texts: I am a Portuguese speaker and in my mother tongue there is something called 'verbal regency', and I think there ought to be something similar in English! Since I am also an English teacher I told one of my students that the verb 'AFRAID' is ALWAYS followed by the preposition 'OF' and never with 'TO'. You see, I am afraid of being mistaken! Could you guys clarify this issue for me? And also, if it is indeed possible to say 'afraid TO', what is the semantic explanation behind it?


texts: Is there a term for a question that is only a question because of a question mark?

texts:
I sent a friend a question in the form:

  Just trying to remember how we know each other?

That is a "statement" without the question mark at the end. Is there a term for this? Since it does not begin with a "How", "Why", "Where" etc..


texts: How to write this quote in a motivating way, for a poster?

texts:
"Success doesn't come to you, you go to it!"

Does this sound right? I feel that something is wrong with it, but I, as an ESL can't really figure what is wrong. How to properly phrase this sentence?

Please tell me if such questions shouldn't be asked on StackExchange English. I am new to the website.


texts: Is “corrosion” an instance of onomatopoeia?

texts:
I mean, obviously "corrosion" isn't actually onomatopoeic, because corrosion doesn't make a sound (or at least not one that humans can hear). Yet it seems to me that the word corrosion sounds like its meaning, in some hard-to-define way.

Is there a term for words that suggest their meanings, without necessarily recreating the sound, but that aren't quite onomatopoeic? There are a lot of similar ones, like grind, shuffle.


texts: Origin of Doobie (joint, marijuana cigarette)

texts:
OED says:

  doobie: a marijuana cigarette
   Origin unknown. A relationship with dobby has been suggested.
   dobby/dobbie: A silly old man, a dotard, a booby. Dialectal.

  First citations:
   1967   J. B. Williams Narcotics & Hallucinogenics. Dubbe, Negro slang for a marijuana roach.
   1982   A. Maupin Further Tales of City 95,  I smoke a doobie at lunch.

But I just chanced upon What does the "dooby" in "scooby dooby doo" mean? in Yahoo Answers (don't laugh! :) where someone posted:

  "It's obvious that Shaggy's a stoner, I'm sure he's been feeding Scoob a bit of his hash and whatnot."
   Scoob = Scooby Doo, cartoon "pet" dog of constantly-hungry hippie/village idiot Shaggy (from 1969)

I'm not entirely convinced that 1967 dubbe was necessarily a significant factor in the appearance of a doobie = a joint since around 1970 (the hippie era, some might say).

So I'd like to know whether it's credible to claim the usage arose (primarily?) through association with the TV show (specifically, the two characters therein closely associated with marijuana).


texts:
How did Peter, the surname, Johnson, and the nicknames for William(Willy) and Richard(Dick), come to mean penis?  Was the first instance of these usages, related to a specific person?

Are there more examples in this area? Is this exclusive to English?


texts: Ebb - is it right to say "ebb toward", or does this word have negative connotations

texts:
"[company name] is a company of specialists who ebb toward new and innovative technologies.."

I'd like to use the word ebb in the above sentence, although the dictionary tells me that it has negative connotations "a point or condition of decline".

So my question is, does the word ebb have negative connotations, and can I use a preposition ebb toward as a way to direct its connotation?


texts: What is the term for a structure, unconnected to the main building, on an estate?

texts: For a large property, or estate, what is the term for buildings other than the main residence that are separate and unconnected?


texts: Is it possible to rephrase for better understanding?

texts:
I read a book and which contained the following paragraph:

A special case of data distribution is called the normal distribution,
also known as the bell curve, which is symmetrical and where the mean,
median, and mode are identical; approximately 68% of all the data
values lie within one plus or minus standard deviation from the mean,
95% lie within plus or minus two standard deviations from the mean,
and nearly all data values lie within plus or minus three standard
deviations from the mean [41].

From the word "approximately" to the end I couldn't get the point and meaning. Is is possible to rephrase these four lines (the bold words) to make it clearer?


texts: Word for one that is constantly scheming / plotting, but in a good way

texts: I'm looking for an adjective that describes someone who is never at rest; they are constantly thinking of / planning to do something positive. 'Scheme' or 'plot' would work, but those two words have an inherent negative connotation.


texts: "fail to do" or "failure in doing", which is better in this case?

texts:
I went to live in the small village to seek a simple life after my
  failure in finding a decent job in the metropolis.
  I went to live in the small village to seek a simple life after I fail to find a decent job in the metropolis.

Which sentence is better?  Or neither is better or worse semantically speaking, and the difference is a matter of personal choice?


texts:
I was recently speaking with a non-native English speaker and they asked me a question as to when we use the word 'the'.

EX: I will see you in the class vs I will see you in class. Is there a rule as to why the latter sounds more natural.


texts: "Reply to this mail is _not_ necessary" - Can this be considered negative in any way?

texts:
A year back a person had once told me that he doesn't want to have any conversation with me at the moment.

Today I sent him a kind of apology mail and added the sentence (in tile of this thread) at the end of the mail. I wanted to make sure that he doesn't assume that I am trying to bait him in to a conversation.

Now, when I think of it, I am not sure if that statement can be considered as
"Do not reply."?


texts:
Is it correct, the use of look for + in?

Example:

  I looked for in the list of countries...

If not which ones will be the alternatives?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is it OK to use a forward slash '/' between words other than the obvious 'and/or'?

texts:
I don't want to get into the proper use of the phrase 'and/or', but rather to investigate the use of the forward slash between other words. Examples:

I have an interview with him/her this afternoon.
He has a large binder/notebook.

And even separating just letters:

I connected the i/o ports. (input/ouput)
Mark the field as n/a. (not applicable)
I did it w/o her help. (without)

It seems as thought the forward slash can be used to indicate an option, display ambiguity, shorten 2 words and shorten 1 word (and others).

Is it OK to use a slash to separate these words/letters (yes, that was intended), or is it better to explicitly say 'his or her'? One more thing, is it correct to 'chain' these phrases together? I'm horrible with examples but here's one:

I don't open letters/mail that aren't/isn't addressed to me.


texts:
The discount is here to save you money.
The discount is here to save your money.

Which one of them is correct?


texts: Word to describe a company that pretends to do the right thing?

texts:
What word(s) would you use to describe a business or company that pretends to do the legal/right thing regarding employees, but in reality the company does not care.

This issue pertains to legalities in the workplace, and the company in question is barely doing what is "legal" about this problem so they don't get sued.  In fact, they are doing nothing at all to resolve or fix this problem.

I need some words or short descriptions I could use in a court of law, and on legal documents to describe this company.


texts: What would you call a person who keeps on boasting about himself and is jealous of others' achievements?

texts:
I have come through some words like schadenfreude and envy, but am still looking for a better word or a phrase, or a group of words that will do the trick.

Actually I'm trying to explain the nature of a character in a story; for that purpose I need a sentence which describes the character.


texts: Why do people write "Hellooo" instead of "Heeello" to show a prolonged sound?

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, so I don't know what to search for on Google and similar.

In chats I often read words like 'helloooo', or 'sureeee'. And as I understood it, it's meant to mimic the sound of the spoken prolonging of the word. But I always wonder why people don't write it like: 'suuuure' or 'heeello', as this at least is how it sounds to me.

Is it a personal matter of habit?
And if so, why is it that most people seem to use the first form?


texts:
This is my gmail email signature

Best Regards,
Rory

Recently it's started to bother me. I feel it might be improper english. Is it?

Is it an acceptable sign off?


texts: "One of this and that" or "One of this or that"?

texts:
I am wondering which is the proper way to say that one thing or the other is required.

  Only one of passport and national id is required.

or

  Only one of passport or national id is required.


texts: What do you call a "hidden" shape denoted by a dashed line?

texts:
Is there a word (or short phrase, preferably two words) that describes a shape which is not visible, but whose presence is indicated (e.g. in an illustration, by a dashed line)? Particularly, an object that is behind the viewer?
So far, the closest words I've come up with are: silhouette, phantom, occlusion, overlay.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about:

Here, the objects (conceptually, skylights in a map of a warehouse) are represented by a dashed line, but an umbrella in a video game that turns transparent when the player walks under it would be another example. (Note that the helpful red arrows are only pointing to two of the four such objects. This is because I am lazy, not because the ones on the left are somehow different.)


texts: Can we use the present continuous form to make a general statement?

texts:
Considering it is a general statement, which of the following sentences sounds more natural?

I watch a lot of English speaking movies, because I'm always trying to
improve my English.

I watch a lot of English speaking movies, because I always try to improve my English.

As far as I know, the present continuous with "always" is often used to convey annoyance (e.g., in "You're always forgetting your keys!"). Can it be used in certain contexts to convey generalization and more emphasis?


texts: Is there such a thing as a future infinitive in English?

texts:
I am currently working on the English idiomatic phrase "Someone is said (to do/to be doing/to have done) something," and, try as I might, I cannot find any worthwhile piece of information about the question I am asking myself.
Provided that…

"It is said that John is a spy." becomes "John is said to be a spy." (Simple Infinitive)
"It is said that John is having an affair." becomes "John is said to be having an affair." (Continuous Infinitive)
"It is said that John spent some time in jail." becomes "John is said to have spent some time in jail." (Perfect Infinitive)

what, then, does "It is said that John will leave for good." become? Is there anything in English like a future infinitive?

John is said to be to leave for good. (?)


texts: Is "Monday" a proper noun or a common noun?

texts:
I can understand why Monday is an abstract noun (it isn't something we can perceive with any of our 5 senses),

But is Monday considered a proper noun or a common noun?


texts: A non-geographically connotated phrase to express "too localized"

texts:
Background (may be skipped):
Over on Crypto.SE we're currently reforming our custom close reasons and as a result of this, we want to create a close reason that captures both "request to analyze a chunk of data which will help nobody else" and "request to fully peer-review a self-invented scheme which will never be used, never be useful to anybody else, is too broad and beyond our capabilities", i.e. something like "too localized" while avoiding this specific wording because it was retired by SE itself and comes with too much connotation for "geographical", "timely" and "language-bound".

This results in the following needs:
I'm looking for a word or a phrase to (elegantly) express "too localized", i.e. that something is very specific to one person and will likely never be used / needed by somebody else.
I thought about "too localized" but I'm sure it will be misunderstood in a geographic, language-bound or timely manner, like "this is 20 years old (or only exists in north korea), nobody cares about it, it's too localized" is the kind of thing I want to avoid.


texts: "in that way" - Which of the following three sentences is more correct to convey the desired meaning?

texts:
I'm not asking for a proof reading. And to further clarify, the Context is there to only provide context. I ask you to please ignore any perceived mistakes in the Context (located underneath the titular numbered sentences below).

  1) Mary spoke with a smooth tone, and in that way finished her sentence.

  2) Mary spoke with a smooth tone and in that way, she finished her sentence.

  3) Mary spoke with a smooth tone and in that way finished her sentence.

Context:

Narrative first person character (Nar) is speaking to Mary.

  Nar:
  “……Are you okay with this? Even your life was on the line, wasn’t it?”

  Mary:
  “Because their purpose in keeping me alive is to kill people. Because it’s my time to die when I’m unable to kill.”

  Sentence (1) (2) or (3), based on which best fits the desired meaning below

I want the placement of "in that way" in the second clause to mean that the second-clause's topic focuses more on the speaker and less on the action she is doing. I understand that there are Grammar rules for writing correct sentences in English, which is why I'm searching for clarity on the nuances of the italicized phrase in only sentences (1) and (2); seeing as in (3) it's being used as a descriptive conjunction for the two clauses.

Edit: The context and numbered sentences are translated sentences. I currently lack the original text; due to my copy of the original file being on my home computer 2,000 miles away from me.

(Currently typing this edit on my phone; I apologize for any typos)

When I again have access to the above file, I’ll cross-reference the information gained here with what is on the original on my own (as posting the original here might be mistaken as requesting a proof-read; a translation-request; and other off-topic infractions).


texts:
He felt anger rising inside him.

I saw this sentence in the OED; the definition indicates that "He" and "him" refer to the same person.
Under the circumstances, "himself" is commonly seen rather than "him".
I viewed previous posts relating to this topic, but they didn't tell the same thing.
Why "him" not "himself" appears in the above sentence?
Can “him” be substituted by "himself"?


texts: "What I'm doing is watching TV." — Why does it have to be the gerund-participle ('watching')?

texts:
What I do is watch TV.
  What I did was watch TV.
  What I had done was watch TV.
  ...

But,

  What I am doing is watching TV.

The only possible form of watch in the last sentence is the gerund-participle, which cannot occur in the previous ones:

  *What I am doing is watch TV.
  *What I did was watching TV.
  ?What I have done is watching TV.

Do you agree? Why does sentence #4 refuse the general pattern?

(There might or might not be other ways to rephrase these sentences (e.g. to watch in 1, is I'm watching in 4, etc), which I'm not concerned about right now.)


texts: What gave "terrific" a positive connotation?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How and why have some words changed to a complete opposite?

I have noticed that:

horrible means bad
terrible means bad
horrific means bad

So why does terrific mean good?


texts:
I am looking for a phrase synonymous with 'pay it forward' so as to convey how expressing gratitude is a self-perpetuating concept.
I'd like to avoid anything too cliche.


texts:
From Oxford Dictionaries:

  geezer noun
   1. a man (British informal)
      he strikes me as a decent geezer
   2. an old man (North American informal , derogatory)

I think in British English the word has connotations beyond meaning simply man.

Etymonline raises more questions than it answers:

  geezer
  1885, variant of obsolete Cockney guiser "mummer" (late 15c.; see guise).


texts: What do you call a cylinder with a hole down the center?

texts: Imagine a 3D cylinder, like a can. Now imagine that almost like an axle spot for a wheel, there's a hole shaped in a perfect circle going down the cylinder. That's the shape I have to figure out the name for. Mathematical names are preferred, but any name works!


texts:
I had seen the following excerpt from this poem in a rhetoric workbook a while ago as an example of a word construction:

  They said, "You have a blue guitar,
  You do not play things as they are."

  The man replied, "Things as they are /
  Are changed upon the blue guitar."

My question is regarding the use of the word "upon" in the last line.  Is this usage ever correct, or is this just an example of creative license in poetry?


texts: What word would best represent a combination of being alive, thinking differently, and having atmosphere

texts:
I know it sounds pretty hard to find such a word, but I'm needing a title that flows and is pretty, and attractive. This is a title for a project.

The word I'm trying to think of would try to express to someone the act of thinking differently, or thinking out of the box to a whole new level. In that, it also has to give off the meaning of it being alive (or non-static so to speak). Then on top of that, I also need this title to give off the presence of some aura, atmosphere..perhaps combining this with being alive..establishing the concept of this word representing an experience on many levels. But like I said, on top of it all, the most important part is expressing the idea of thinking off the beaten path and trying to approaching things differently by looking at the bigger picture as a whole and being fresh.

I realize this is relatively complicated and pretty vague so my apologies. I'm struggling just to figure out what exactly I'm looking for. And actually technically because it's such a wide number of meanings for one word, I have the flexibility to have two separate titles if need be.

For instance, I'd also go for something like this:

First word: expressing the idea of thinking off the beaten path and trying to approaching things differently by looking at the bigger picture as a whole and being fresh / thinking different, taking out of the box thinking to a new level.

Second word: expressing the atmospheric and being alive part and somehow mixing it with being fresh.


texts: What are some nice words to describe a very old age of a person

texts:
I wonder what some nice words are to describe a very old age of a person?

I guess directly using the word "(very) old" may be interpreted as being impolite, such as following:

  Are you saying your grandma still has grandparents? They must be very
  old.

So I am looking for an alternative but nice way to show my surprise on the age.


texts: What is the grammatical function of 'that' in Shelley's poem?

texts:
I am trying to determine the grammatical function of that in the line:

The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.

from Shelley's Ozymandius.
I want to work out if 'that' is being used as a pronoun or an adverb.


texts: What does "To get on a high horse" mean?

texts:
Here is the phrase:

I'm going to get on a high horse here and say that it worries me that developers think client-side rendering is faster.

I think I can understand the meaning of the whole phrase, but I would like to know the specific meaning of this expression so as not to misuse it.


texts:
When user is presented with a checkbox on a webpage. What can he/she do with it in order to place a little birdy inside it?

check (Please, check the checkbox...)
tick (Please, tick the checkbox...)
mark (Please, mark the checkbox...)


texts: What is the meaning of Political Oratory in Aristotle's Rhetoric?

texts: I have understood 'Forensic Oratory' to mean courtroom persuasion. But what is the meaning of Political Oratory in Aristotle's Rhetoric? Is it just like presidential campaign speeches? Does it have a broader meaning?


texts: Non-repudiable vs non-refutable vs non-reputable in computer security

texts:
In computer security there is a concept known as: non-repudiation

"Non-repudiation refers to a state of affairs where the purported maker of a statement will not be able to successfully challenge the validity of the statement or contract." - wiki

Without going into too many details, it's like having a receipt that proves that data has not been altered.

Now if I had something like a letter, and was able to apply techniques of non-repudiation to it, what would be the best word to describe the letter?

There seem to be three terms used by experts in the field: non-repudiable, non-refutable, and non-reputable

I'm inclined to think that non-repudiable is the most correct; however, the other two seem to be more commonly used in that context.

Any thoughts?


texts: What word best represents "academic status"?

texts:
I'm working on a project for a college that involves students who have done poor academic work, and I'm looking for a way to succinctly describe the various academic status codes that these students belong to (both in meetings and internally to the project, as I'm also the programmer).

In the past, the college referred to these students as "probationary" or "on suspension", but the new academic standards policy expanded its definition of these students from two groups to four (or six, or eight, depending on how rigorously you interpret the policy).

Currently, I'm just using "academic status" as a placeholder, but it's become awkward. I've considered using terms like demerit and disposition. However, demerit is a discrete noun, and while disposition more accurately describes the process-oriented nature of the new policy, it's a little too generic for my taste.

Can anyone suggest a more specific term that could describe a student's academic status, or am I close enough with demerit or disposition?

Edit:

To be clear, I'm looking for a word that would describe the student's overall, college-level academic status (as in, your cumulative GPA qualifies you for [insert poor academic status descriptor here]).


texts:
Walking in the country the other day, I heard the report of a shotgun. I started to wonder why this word is used. Merriam-Webster has report:-

  An explosive noise: the report of a rifle.

and the etymology as:-

  [Middle English, from Old French, from reporter, to report, from Latin
  reportāre : re-, re- + portāre, to carry; see per- in Indo-European
  roots.]

This doesn't to me have any suggestion of loud bang in it anywhere. So why is report used to mean the noise of a firearm? Does anything other than a firearm emit a report?


texts: Idiom/word for "Doing the wrong thing to achieve a good goal"

texts:
How would you describe someone doing something that is for the common good (well-intended), but is very inefficient, and possibly even harmful to what they're trying to achieve?

e.g.

The new mayor is finally serious about climate change, but he wants charge all petrol cars $2000 a month, starting today!
To incentivise more women to join our company, the CEO is offering double the men's salary for women who apply for the same role.
The IT department so paranoid about company security that every website must first be signed off by the IT manager before entering.

Pretty much situations that make you think "I agree with what you're trying to do, but that's not how you do it! You'll only end up upsetting people, and make them NOT want to support your ideals."

I've looked at:
Counterproductive, hindering, Barking up the wrong tree (too focused on being wrong), misguided, off the mark, carry water in a sieve, bikeshedding, etc., but nothing fits.

Thanks in advance!


texts: What is the difference between "twenty-four-hour shift" and twenty-four hour shift"?

texts:
Just read somewhere about this puzzling puzzle:

What is the difference between:

I'm doing a twenty four-hour shift tonight.
I'm doing a twenty-four hour shift tonight.
I'm doing a twenty-four-hour shift tonight.

I know number 1 is 20 x 4 hours.
Number 2 and 3 is the same as far as I know. Is this true?


texts: Relative clauses: How do that-clauses differ from what-clauses?

texts:
Sometimes I can't see which clause fits the best. What "check-up" could be done to make sure which one is the right one?

For example,

1) He will do anything that is needed. or He will do anything what is needed.

2) They always ignore that is so obvious. or They always ignore what is so obvious.

3) All that I have is yours. or All what I have is yours.

My take is the correct ones are 1) that 2) that 3) what/that???

But I am not sure. I think it has to do something with different types or dependent clauses, but I don't know how to go about them in this case. Any suggestions?

Here is an interesting example

How do I know what I think, until I see what I say? VERSUS How do I know that I think, until I see what I say?

I think both are correct meaning two different things.


texts: How to refer to different "sleep time" of multiple people?

texts:
The lengths of time periods are different.
Should I use "..., whose sleep times are different"? Or just "..., whose sleep time are different"?


texts: Is there a common expression for someone who "always holds a mobile phone in hand"?

texts:
I would like to know if there is a typical expression or phrase, used by native speakers, for someone who always has their mobile phone in their hand.

I would prefer a spoken expression rather than a formal one.


texts: Two grammatical problems in the lyrics of "Colors of the wind"

texts:
I recently listened to the song “Colors of the wind” by Vanessa Williams and I’ve found two grammatical problems in the last verse that I don’t understand.

  You can own the Earth and still
  All you’ll own is Earth until
  You can paint with all the colors of the wind

My first question is why the first Earth follows a the and the second does not.
My second question is about the usage of until. Shouldn’t it be a “not...until” usage here?

Shouldn’t it be something like,
“You won’t own the earth until you can paint with all the colors of the wind”?

The original lyrics sounds to me as if they mean the opposite, because what I understand from the original lyrics is, “Once you can paint with all the colors of the wind, you’d stop owning the earth.“

Is my understanding of the usage of until wrong?


texts: What is the crack in the middle of a book called?

texts: If you open a book and open it to halfway through, there's a crack in the middle.  Half the pages are on one side, half are on the other.  What's the crack called?


texts: adjectives and past participles used as nouns

texts:
In general,
'the + adjective' and 'the + past participle' could be used instead of a plural noun phrase.

  The good die young.

  The damned will bury the dead.

I think in certain cases that structure could be used instead of a singular noun.

  'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly'

  I was not the hunter but the hunted. (the hunted one)

Also, the structure is sometimes used with a possessive or an indefinite article instead of 'the'.

  An accused

  A condemned

  God's chosen

Three questions:

Is this structure is ever used for non-humans?
Is it ever used for non-living things?
Is it ever used with a determiner other than 'the' when we don't have a past participle, but an adjective?


texts: "Dragging me to ... places" vs "dragging me around to ... places."

texts:
What's the difference between the two? Is one more common than the other?

Example:

  He's always dragging me to spooky places.

  He's always dragging me
  around to spooky places.


texts:
Is there a word for "something that pursues goals"?

Animals pursue goals, but so do humans, and we can even say that bacteria pursue goals, or even governments and companies.


texts: How to Use Singular/Plural in this Respectively statement?

texts:
I am thinking which statement is correct.
Statement 1

Cat and Human has four and two legs, respectively.

Statement 2

Cat and Human have four and two legs, respectively.


texts: A word that means "of or related to an agenda"?

texts: I'm looking for an adjective that would most closely mean "of, or related to, an agenda" - or, a nontrivial phrase (e.g. not just "agenda related").


texts: "I am back to city" vs. "I am back in city"

texts:
Which is the correct usage when I tell someone that I am back?

  I am back to [some city]

Or

  I am back in [some city]


texts: Alternative expression for "bang for your buck"

texts: I have been hearing the expression "bang for you buck" many times a day and I find myself distracted when I or others use it. In an effort to be an attentive listener, what is a good alternative succinct phrase that has roughly the same meaning?


texts: I'm proofreading my thesis, and found that TeX in its infinite wisdom had decided to hyphenate prerequisite as pre-req-ui-site. I've replaced it with pre-re-qui-si-te, but I'm a bit unsure what the proper hyphenation is and couldn't find any good sources. Anyone know what's the correct hyphenation?


texts:
I have a website where the users have an amount of money on their account and they can ask for it to be paid... What is the best way to call this action?

Also, for example, the admin can "cancel the pending withdrawal request" or "cancel the pending payout request"?


texts: Speaker biographies/ Speakers' biographies/ Speakers' biography/ Speakers biographies

texts:
I just browsed a page about a talk on the National Gallery's website, which includes the biographies of some speakers:

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/calendar/start-the-weekend-23-march-2018-1830

The biographical information is put under the title of 'Speaker biographies' ─ I was wondering actually if it can also be titled as the follows?

A) Speakers' biographies
B) Speakers' biography
C) Speakers biographies

Many thanks!


texts: "But for all his foolish pranks, he was worshipped in the ranks"

texts:
But, for all his foolish pranks,
  He was worshipped in the ranks

The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God

As a native English speaker, it was always clear to me that Mad Carew was worshipped "despite" his pranks. But my wife (a Swede) assumed that it was "due to" the pranks.

So, assuming that my reading is correct:

How did I know this intuitively? The context doesn't seem to help.
What can my wife look out for to spot this unusual meaning of "for" in the future?


texts: Is there a semantic difference between "need not contain" and "do not need to contain"?

texts:
This question already outlines what the syntactic differences between "need not" and "do not need to" are.

However, a discussion unfolded below this answer about the following quote from this document:

  [...] In order to cause [the] preprocessor to be invoked, it is necessary that the very
  first line of the program begin with #. Since null lines are ignored by the preprocessor, this line need contain no other
  information.

Now the question is, which of the following meanings does the emphasised part of that quote have?

  The first line is

  required not to contain
  not required to contain

  any other information apart from the initial #.

Personally I feel like the first option is the correct one, but I can't rationally reason why. Could it be that the meaning of "need not" has changed to be more prohibitive in modern English?


texts: For all the products or For all products

texts:
I have an eCommerce website which has variants of products like for  eg.

Shirt - Green and small,
        Red and medium,

After selecting the color and  size, the user is required to fill in the quantity for each variant he is willing to purchase.

What should the help message read?

"Please enter quantity for all the product variants"

OR

"Please enter quantity for all product variants"


texts: Term to describe a phrase so obvious that subtext is expected?

texts:
I am trying to convey an idea that seems so obvious to people that their mind struggles to find some alternate meaning or subtext to latch on to when they hear it conveyed.

Consider "It is June". This statement has a very obvious and straightforward meaning. So obvious that if you hear it you will likely think "there's no reason to SAY that unless you're trying to convey some additional information; what connotations does 'June' have? Is he a [sport] fan and commenting on the impending start of the season? Is he celebrating the end of spring semester? Is he reminding me that our friend's birthday is this month? There's gotta be something, no one would ever just observe the current month for no reason."

Is there a word or phrase to describe this situation?


texts: Difficulty with trying to describe the quantity of something

texts: I am trying to write a word problem, and am having trouble with the wording of one part. Let's say for the sake of example that there are 10 apples and 20 oranges. Call them both items. I am trying to say something like, "there is a whole number of apples, and a whole number of oranges," but without the redundancy. I am currently considering "there is a whole number of each item." Is this grammatically correct and unambiguous?


texts: Possibilities to combine "drop-dead" with an adjective

texts:
What adjectives can you combine with drop-dead to emphasize?

There's drop-dead gorgeous, can you also combine others like "nice" and "simple"?


texts: Can a noun (such as “duct tape”) be used as a verb?

texts:
I found the phrase “duct-tape together” in the following sentence of a Washington Post (June 21) article written by Chris Cillizza under the title “Gingrich campaign hit by more departures.” The sentence in question is a quote from Newt Gingrich’s former spokesman, R.C. Hammond:

  “We are going to duct-tape together one coalition of Americans after another that believes in his large, bold vision of change.”

As it was the first time that I came across ‘duct tape’ being used in verb form, I consulted several dictionaries at hand and online dictionaries to check whether it can be used as a verb or not. None of them shows the usage of ‘duct tape’ as a verb.

For example, Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia simply defines it as

  n. duct tape is cloth-or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene.

Audio English Net. defines it

  a wide silvery adhesive tape intended to seal joints in sheet metal duct work but having many other uses

without any mention as a verb.

Is it normal or taken for granted to use ‘duct tape’ in verb form as quoted in the Washington Post article?


texts:
Anticlimactic is often used to refer to a disappointing ending to an exciting series of events. So, (not being a native speaker) I cannot decide whether it sounds natural to use the word at the start of an event.

Say some exciting events happen that lead to the beginning of something or maybe some epiphany causes you to resolve to go through a painful transformation. But then for some reason the start itself is the opposite of thrilling.

In that case, does it feel natural to read:

  After the anticlimactic beginning, however, ...

or is some other word more suitable?


texts: Differences between no child vs no children

texts:
a) They have no child.
b) They have no children.

Are both a) and b) correct? Though b) seems more common.


texts: When spelling something phonetically, how do you convey letter case?

texts:
Say you need to read someone their password over the phone and you spell it phonetically so that there is no confusion between M and N etc.

Now that is straight forward but what if the password is mixed letter case?

Let's take this password: "AbcDe".

What is the correct way to spell out this password so that the user at the end of the phone knows which characters are upper case and which are not?


texts:
In one of the commentary tracks for Hellsing Ultimate OVA, English dub director Tallison Jaffe boasts using a few rare words now and then, so the fans have something to look for in their dictionaries. I couldn't find the word he was talking about, and in the context in doesn't really make much sense to me.

—Growing old seems so awful.
—Nonsense. Cromogenism is a traditional pleasure for English gentlemen.

The context implies this word is related to aging.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Order of “not” with infinitive

When negating verbs that are commonly followed by the infinitive, is there a difference in meaning between placing the "not" before and after the "to"?

e.g.

  I try not to care

or

  I try to not care


texts:
I would like to know if a native english speaking person would find this sentence grammatically correct.

'You owe yourself appreciating your efforts.'

Thank you!


texts:
I searched for the following two expressions and came across both being used in various places.

She smiled at me at the grocery store.
She smiled to me at the grocery store.

What is the difference between the two?


texts: Counting contractions as one or two words

texts:
I read this in a product review, and it has been bugging me all day.

  Three words: it's really cheap.

"It's" is obviously a contraction of two words, but does it count as one or two words?


texts: Etymology of the phrase "the whole shebang"?

texts: What is the etymology of the phrase "the whole shebang", or "whole shebang"? I only know the term "shebang" from a computer science standpoint, but I'm not sure of any other uses of it outside of this phrase. So, I was wondering if that's where the phrase originated.


texts: Cards containing personal information which revolve around a device by the name of

texts:
In one of the episodes of "Person of Interest" a sci-fi TV show currently popular, one of the main characters "Harold Finch" uses a quote, something similar to the following combination of words:

"Don't worry, we have more names in our ...".

The part with the dots is an unusual word which I immediately looked up (I forgot the exact name of the device). The device mentioned was something that was used post second world war and no longer popular, it contained cards with personal information of whomever, which you could slide over the device one by one. In some sense it could be seen as a personal phone book sort of thing, except more geared towards just information like address, zip/postal code, city, etc. What is the name of such a device?

I hope this description is not too vague. (I'm also uncertain about the tagging, so feel free to edit that.)


texts:
I am not a native english speaker and I find it   difficulty to  identify some of english words with long vowel sounds.                        I read rules concerning long vowel sounds but there are some words with vowels of long sounds which i think they should have short sound and i don't know why they pronounce those vowels long. May be there are other rules which i don't know.
                      Forexample which rule makes vowel "a" in words like "brazen" and "flagrant" to have long vowel sounds?


texts: use of "of" or "from" when it comes to years

texts:
Which preposition is correct in this case?

In the “Subdue” series of/from 2008, he photographed the daily life of urban centers.

(The "Subdue" series is a series of photographs that was created in 2008.)

Thanks a lot for your help!


texts: Either or Neither in sentence with another negative

texts:
I am writing something where I want to say the following:

  I have never visited either Scotland (n)or England.

I couldn't find information about this on either this site (n)or any other site on Google, including the other questions I found on this site, to answer this question specifically. Most other sources never touch on this subject with a negative already in the sentence somewhere else.

As far as I understand, nor should only occur in combination with neither, so in that case my sentence should have or, but I'm not completely sure if that's correct.


texts: Breaking down the sentence "This is my pen"

texts:
In the above sentence...
1) Is "This" pronoun or demonstrative adjective?
2) Is "my" the adjective(if yes, which kind)?

Thanks!


texts: Is it ever appropriate to use "where" instead of "because" or "since"?

texts:
I work at a large company (4,000+ employees) where a lot of people use the word "where" in a way that I firmly believe is incorrect. They use "where" at the beginning of a sentence instead of using "since" or "because". Here is an example from an official internal communication that went out this morning (the entire thing makes me cringe):

"We requested that all links be redirected. However, at this time, it’s not feasible. Where the changes are planned for Monday, July 25, we want to ensure all staff are aware."

People have also gotten into the habit of using it in conversation. For example, "Where you have not done this before, let me know if you would like me to demonstrate it for you." Or, "Where there is a lot of work on our plates right now, we have decided to take on an additional staff member."

I had never heard the term "where" used in this way before I started working here, and it really irritates me whenever I hear someone say it. Is this an acceptable use of the word?


texts: Inability to pronounce certain variation of the letter "T" in a word

texts:
I have a problem where in I am unable to pronounce certain words which has the letter "T" correctly. Is there a term that defines this problem. It would help me in my future conversations with people if i let them know my issue.

Example:
Word: THREAT
Issue: "TH" is easy to pronounce but the ending "T" is the issue. When i say it the ending "T" also sounds like "TH".

Note: I'm assuming "lisp" is an issue with "s"


texts: "I wouldn't have  if you wouldn't have " not commonly heard from natives, why? Wrong or uncommon?

texts:
In my native language we often use complex sentences expressions like this: "I wouldn't have gone there if you wouldn't have told me to go there".

Now when I say that in English it feel a bit verbose and weird, and it's very rare to hear that from native speakers.

Is this a completely wrong form?

The other thing is, despite I've been practicing English since long now, there is in my brain almost no trace of what I would commonly hear in place of that (or only a weak trace, possibly having something to do with the use of the Gerund [ing] somewhere ☻, but I don't know really), the reason being, in my opinion, how the English commonly spoken form requires, in this case, a totally different brain-wiring, compared to the language I speak natively.

This is when languages become hard. And this is where I can't but ask for your help :)