texts:
The sentence is:

  This policy ________ against insider trading and market manipulation.

I want to say, "protects" but that sounds too generic. I'd like something more lofty sounding, ideally anyway.

If needed you may omit against.


texts:
An immovable property may be subjected to a servitude by virtue of which the owner of such property is bound.

I would like to know how “which” is being used in this sentence and what it refers to. Thank you


texts: Use of two tenses in one sentence ("That's when I heard his voice...")

texts:
In the book " Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" the author writes the following sentence.

"That's when I heard his voice, kind of squeaky(...)"

Is it correct to say "that is" in in the same sentence of a verb used in the past tense?

The use of both tenses confuses me, can anyone explain what rule that is?


texts: A word for extreme care, attention, dedication towards words or a language

texts:
I'm looking for a word or a phrase which suggests the treatment of words or a language with extreme care, attention, and devotion -- like on StackExchange for example.

I thought of pamper e.g. words are pampered on this site. But I think the word pamper carries a rather negative connotation. I'm looking for a word with positive undertones.


texts:
A philologist I know constructed a sentence like this:

The choice of language was determined by the need of integration of the module in the system, and by the fact that [language] has a large number of open libraries that make it possible to work with [...] technologies, what is an advantage in the [...] processing.

She's sure that the usage of "what is" is the sole correct option in this situation, while I'm sure that the correct way would be to use "which is".
Neither this philologist nor I am a native English speaker.
What is correct in this situation? And what is the rule for this?
Edit: Made the sentence more specific. I cannot publish it in full, so some parts were omitted.


texts: Is this grammatically correct? "Martin heard footsteps rushing towards his office."

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

"Martin heard footsteps rushing towards his office."

I think something's missing between footsteps and rushing.
By adding were, I believe the sentence becomes grammatically perfect, but while writing novel where authors loves to break rules in order to maintain fluency, the sentence breaks the fluency of the paragraph.
So I wanna keep this sentence as this is in my novel if it's really grammatically correct.


texts: Can the word “personnel” ever be singular?

texts:
Can personnel be used in reference to a single person?  See the example below:

  Testing must take place by a qualified personnel other than the requestor.


texts: Does the expression 'quiet like a Sunday morning' have a Christian connotation?

texts:
I was reading an excerpt from the book  'The Last Lesson' by the French novelist Alphonse Daudet for my class when I came across the expression 'as quiet as Sunday morning'.

My first guess was that the expression is implying that Sunday mornings are quiet because it's a holiday and everyone is at home, possibly sleeping.

But can the expression also mean that everyone is in the church for the church service (I'm from India, so I know very little about Christianity).

Here's the expression it's proper context -

  Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be
  heard out in the street, the opening and closing of desks, lessons
  repeated in unison...But now it was all so still! I had counted on the
  commotion to get to my desk without being seen; but, of course, that
  day everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning.


texts: "Have you ever gone to Europe?" is corect?

texts:
I want to know the meaning of these two sentences and the differences
"Have you ever gone to Europe?"
"Have you ever been to Europe?"
(As one of the fellows said, it is not like the mentioned duplicate because it has the ever word)


texts: "Three following examples" or "Following three examples"

texts:
As the title implies, when introducing a list of a definite number of examples, do I write the number before or after "following"?

Personally, I use "Three following examples". However, "following three examples" also exists, but feels wrong for me. Searching for the "three following examples" and "following three examples" in Google, it shows there are more of the second example than the first.

I would assume that in "Three following examples", "following" is treated as an adjective, thus uses the rule where quantity precede all other adjectives. This is why I prefer this one. But I have no idea why "following three examples" is prefered.

Alternatively, I know "the following examples" exists, but I want to see if there's a rule for the definite number.

Example 1:

"Today we're talking about poetry. What's poetry?"

Please read the three following examples:

or

Please read the following three examples:

Example 2:

"I'll read the first question. Number 1:"

Which of the three following examples are correct?

or

Which of the following three examples are correct?


texts: What is a word that means "trouble with opposites"? (read for detail)

texts:
As in, the person has trouble telling right or left, up or down, positive or negative, west/east

The word in my head is pronounced "---lysic".


texts: What is this idiom: "I'm going to start taking names and..."?

texts:
There is some idiom that starts out like,

  "I'm going to start taking names and..." I can't remember the rest of it. What is it and when is it used?


texts:
Which is more appropriate to use?

  I graduated at Harvard university

Or

  I've graduated at Harvard university


texts: What does “With the perspective time gives” mean?

texts:
Please help, I've tried everything but still can't make out what this clause means. The full sentence is:

  With the perspective time gives, I now realize that the most fitting statement Don Juan  made about dreaming was to call it the “gateway to infinity.”

The official explanation is something like “Looking back, I now realize...”, but I can't see why.


texts: Can “radgie gadgie” be used for an old man who is angry at grown-up's misdemeanor?

texts:
Recently I found a word, “radgie gadgie” in an old post in EL&U by Brian Hooper (September 13, 2012), asking the origin of “They don’t know they’re born,” that began with the paragraph;
“Practicing today for my forthcoming role as radgie gadgie, I was having a little rant about modern youth; “They don’t know they’re born.”

As I was unfamiliar with the word, “radgie gadgie,” I checked its meaning on online dictionaries. I failed to check it both in Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries, but got definitions in two sources;

Radgie gadgie: A bad-tempered old man. - Wikitionary

Radgie gadgie: An angry person, typically an old man, most often angry at the   shenanigans of children and teenagers. - urban dictionary

Though “radgie gadgie” applies to any angry old man in Wikitionary, but it refers to an old man who is particularly angry at children's or teens’ misdemeanors.

Is it improper to use “radgie gadgie” to an old man who is angry with grown-up’s breach of etiquette or misdemeanor, such as littering trash in the street, manspreading in the bus, and cutting into the waiting line at the service counter? If it is, what is the alternative expression that applies to the old man who is angry at a neighboring  adult's uncivil behaviour?


texts: Is there a word to describe sudden massive alterations to the terrain?

texts:
Terraform comes to mind at first, but technically it is not correct. Terraforming is when you alter another planet's terrain or atmosphere to make it more hospitable to terran lifeforms.

I wonder if there a succinct way in a word or two to describe what happens to land when something catastrophic happens, like an impact crater or a flood. What if we directed something like this to happen intentionally in order to recreate a new landscape?

I recently bolded the last sentence because people seem to gloss over and ignore it. So to clarify, I am trying to find a word that describes when we do this artificially and suddenly.


texts: Is there a difference between "select" and "selected"?

texts:
When flying, I often read phrases like the following:

  Special Meals only available on select flights […]

Then again, wouldn't it also make sense to say

  Special Meals only available on selected flights […]

What's the difference between these two? When should I use one over the other?


texts:
I am having difficulty with this, or maybe my brain has just shutdown. Can you follow a compound adjective with another adjective and then the noun? Or does it always have to be adjective + compound adjective + noun (i.e. the compound adjective directly before the noun). I did search the forum and saw a similar discussion regarding adj + adj + noun, but not compound adj + adj + noun, which is why I am asking the question.

Consider the following sentences:

  The band have achieved great success with their self-penned, positive lyrics.

Versus:

  The band have achieved great success with their positive, self-penned lyrics.

Are they both correct (including the use of commas)?

I searched the forum and saw a great tip: if the adjectives can be switched around or if you can place an "and" between them (and they still make sense), then you need a comma. However, I don't know if they can be switched around, as I'm uncertain as to whether it makes sense with "self-penned" before "positive lyrics".

The reason I got confused was because I read something in a dictionary that said the word "feel-good" has to be placed directly before a noun e.g. "positive feel-good music" and not "feel-good, positive music". Wondered if this applies to compound adjectives like "self-penned".

Thanks.


texts:
I was taught a word once by a linguist. I can't remember it, but it would be very useful for a Google search I am trying to do to solve another question on a different StackExchange.

It was a similar word to vocabulary, but rather than refer to all the words a person knew, it referred to the set of words a person would choose to use in a particular situation. English speakers from different regions might select different words from the set of swimmers, trunks, cossies, bathers,  while understanding they are all referring to the same thing - they are all in their vocabularies, but not in their [blank].

My recollection was the linguistics term was also a common English word, like class or style, which made it confusing when I first encountered it.


texts: Is there a single word for a rational fear?

texts: If a phobia is an irrational fear, is there a word for a fear that is rational?


texts: The origin of the derogatory usage of Guido

texts:
Guido:

is a slang term, often derogatory, for a working-class urban Italian American. The guido stereotype is multi-faceted.

Originally, it was used as a demeaning term for Italian Americans in general. More recently, it has come to refer to Italian Americans who conduct themselves in an overtly macho manner.The time period in which it obtained the later meaning is not clear, but some sources date it to the 1970s or 1980s. The term is not currently used in Italy. (Wikipedia)

Is there a reason why, among different typical Italian names of early Italian immigrants, Guido became the one  used to refer to Italian immigrants with a  negative  connotation?
Was "Guido", perhaps, associated with a specific person?  or was, possibly,   the unusual sound of the name that made it a common derogatory term?


texts: What does it mean: "to write in large box letters"?

texts:
in this sentence:
ask everyone to write in large box letters.


texts: What does the expression "Ring the bell for lemons" mean?

texts: Google search doesn't tell me - it occurs in two George Eliot novels, from context I think it means "act cheerful in a disappointing circumstance" - does anyone have a dictionary of phrases/sayings that lists it?


texts: No article before a noun (spoken language?)

texts:
I've recently noticed that in some cases, the article before a noun is dropped. I assume this is only characteristic of spoken interaction. The first time I noticed this was while watching a gameplay on Youtube. This is the sentence that caught my attention:

Family pic used to hang here. I...wow, I can't actually remember which one.

As far as I'm considered, it there should be an article before picture, either "a" or "the".

I can't access Youtube right now to give you more context.

Here's another case which I noticed today while watching Mr. Robot on Prime Videos (Amazon):

He definitely got it from radiation at the company he worked at, though I couldn't prove it.

Now he's dead.

Company's fine, though.

Since "company" is known from previous context and is mentioned again, I would expect to see:

The company's fine, though.

Initially I thought that the article is pronunced carelessly so as not to be audible but now I actually think it's just ommited. Am I correct?

Sorry if this is a duplicate.


texts: How to use two parenthetical qualifiers on the first mention of a noun?

texts:
I'm writing a paper that includes a reference to the University of North Georgia. The first time I mention this university, I'd like to add a qualifier stating its commonly-used acronym "UNG" that I intend to use later in the paper, in place of the fully spelled-out version. But there's something else I'd like to add parenthetically on the first mention of the university – the fact that it used to be called "Gainesville State College."

I'm not sure how to correctly add these two parenthetical qualifiers on the first mention. Should I include both in the same set of parentheses so that it reads something like, "....enrolled at the University of North Georgia (formerly known as Gainesville State College and hereafter referred to as UNG)..."? Or use two sets of parentheses? Or do something completely different?


texts:
While all states face similar industrial waste problems, the predominating industries and the regulatory environment of the states obviously determines the types and amounts of waste produced, as well as the cost of disposal.
A. all states face similar industrial waste problems, the predominating industries and the regulatory environment of the states obviously determines
B. each state faces a similar industrial waste problem, their predominant industries and regulatory environment obviously determine
C. all states face a similar industrial waste problem; their predominating industries and regulatory environment obviously determines
D. each state faces similar industrial waste problem, the predominant industries and the regulatory environment of each state obviously determines
E. all states face similar industrial waste problems, the predominant industries and the regulatory environment of each state obviously determine

This is a GMAT question. One option is correct among the five options given.
Correct Option: E
I have questions about predominant and predominating. Which one is correct here and for what reason?


texts: Omitting "when" or "where" in a time expression

texts:
During study, I was reading about the definition of "Age" at the "Cambridge Dictionary".

Age is:
the period of time someone has been alive or something has existed:

Can I put "when" or "where" after time in this sentence ?
For instance: The period of time when/where someone has been alive.

I checked the "Google NGram Viewer". All three versions seem to be used frequently.

Another idea: Age is the total number of years that someone has been alive.


texts: Difference between "rule" and "law" in scientific context

texts:
In general, according to an article in DifferenceBetween.net

  The main difference between rules and laws is the consequences
  associated with breaking them. While each is developed to invoke a
  sense of order, fair play, and safety, the weight of a law is much
  heavier than the weight of a rule.

However, in scientific context the situation seems to be somewhat different. For example, in scientific publications we can see  Shannon's rule,  Shannon's law and  Shannon's formula and theorem that all refer to the same concept.

So, the question is what's difference between law and rule in a scientific context, if any?


texts:
At 2:35 of this video, Sheldon Cooper says

  For the record I have genitals. They are ...

How can a person have more than one genital? Is it alright to use whatever grammatical number in casual speech?

As a Japanese who doesn't have the concept of grammatical number, I find it fascinating that a native English speaker can confuse the number and count his genital as not one.

Are there other reasons behind that?


texts: What's the infinitive of the verb when I say "I should go," or "I shall go"? Is it a verb actually, now that I think about it? If not, what is it?


texts: I was confused about “to be + past participle"

texts:
Why does the following sentence use "to be reinforced" rather than "was reinforced"

  The fact that organisms evidently inherit the capacity to be reinforced by certain kinds of
  event does not help us in predicting the reinforcing effect of an untried stimulus.

and in what case should I use  to be + past participle?


texts:
He proposed that this meeting to be held annually instead of monthly.

Should to be omitted or kept?


texts: When Things Used To be "Worth 'X' Millions"

texts:
I was reading Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely, and a character described a rich man as

  "Worth 20 millions".

At least in AmE, we don't use "millions" in the plural anymore in this context. Nowadays, a person is "worth 20 million" or "20 million dollars".

A cursory ngram search shows that this usage dropped off in the mid 1920's. It definitely sounds dated to me, and I wonder why. It seems a bit of an arbitrary change, especially since a phrase like "worth five thousands" or "worth five billions" sounds completely foreign and produces zero results in any google search.

So, was this just a stylistic flourish with the word "million(s)", or were there other ways in which a numerical value was expressed in the plural in the following structure?

  verb+number+numerical denomination.


texts:
Is there a difference between "way of doing something" and "way to do something"?

It is on purpose that I did not write "a way of doing something" or "the way of doing something" and "a way to do something" or "the way to do something"… because I feel this is where the answer lies.

Michael Swan's Practical English Usage (third edition, page 607) reads:

  After way (meaning 'method/manner') we can use an infinitive structure or of … ing. There is no important difference between the two structures. There is no way to prove / of proving that he was stealing.

I, on the other hand, think there must be a difference, however slight… !


texts: I have been arguing with friends on this. Is it right to say 'go by a bus' or 'go on a bus'?


texts: What is the difference between the two, and when should I use one or the other? I have seen "stratagem" used to describe "under-the-table", or negative/sinister strategies. Is this true in general?


texts: Mass noun Question: "survival"(uncountable) , "struggle(countable)"

texts:
generally "survival" is uncountable, however "struggle" is countable. In my guess and definitions in dictionaries "survival" is a state and continuing sense. struggle is a fact or a unit. does it make sense to understand the difference? or is there a fast-track to distinguish them?
i am wondering whether mass noun generally has stronger meaning as well. For example "I like food" ,"I like a biscuit". food can include biscuits, cookies and etc. is there any sense for a native speaker to figure out the mass noun?
thank you!


texts: How do I succinctly refer to the night between 6th of June and 7th of June?


texts: Difference between "theorem" and "theory"

texts:
What is the difference between a theorem and a theory? The two words seem to be used to describe very similar things, but yet do not seem to be interchangeable.

For example, we have Pythagoras' theorem and Einstein's theory of relativity.


texts: Do participial phrases have aspect by default?

texts:
Take this quote from Hillary Clinton:
"I think there should be a much broader agenda and I know it`s difficult to imagine having the Congress work on so many issues at the same time. Because it does require a level of organization and follow-through that is hard and I know that having been there." (emphasis added)

In this case, readers can clearly see the perfect aspect being used in the participial phrase "having been there". My question is simply how to describe the aspect in a participial phrase that lacks such clear marking. For instance, in "I saw the car pulling out", does "pulling out" have its own continuous aspect or does it simply borrow the aspect of the verb in the clause it belongs in?

If so, would it be correct to describe "I am sitting" as having continuous aspect, but "I am, sitting" as not?


texts:
Going through a document for proof reading, I came across the phrase "In this stage, the model is put into operation" and was kind of confused. Mostly I had heard "At this stage ...", i.e. "at" instead of "in". I had a quick look over the net, and could find "In this stage ..." has been also used, however, I am doubtful about:

This particular usage
What is the proper use cases of these two phrases


texts: In some parts of America, do people commonly use a flap after /n/, e.g. /ˈwɪn.t̬ɚ/?

texts:
I noticed that, in some American dialect (maybe in the South of America), people may use "flap T" after "n". For example, "/ˈwɪn.t̬ɚ/" source

Other example, "ninety" /ˈnaɪn.t̬i/Source

So, my question is, in some parts of America, do people there COMMONLY use flap T after n?


texts: What is a hiking trail consist of stones called?

texts:
I am looking for a proper word, which can be used to describe a trail, consisting of small stones.

Sample Sentence: Since the trail has several steep climbs and consist of stones (what is the proper word here), it is not an easy hike.


texts:
The following phrase is part of a narrative in past tense. My mind has been going in circles around it, so any help would be appreciated.

He sighed and replied quickly, as if he had had only a few seconds'
time before John changed his mind

I'm not sure about the items marked with bold font, above. Something feels wrong. Any input?


texts: Alternatives to "you can't shoot/fire a cannon from a canoe"?

texts:
In YouTube videos and online articles about sports and sports training, I have come across the expression, "You can't fire a cannon from a canoe" (or "You can't shoot a cannon from a canoe"). It means that you need a stable foundation for many types of movements.
For examples, see

Tom Kelso: How To Shoot A Cannon Out Of A Canoe:

Shoot a cannon out of a canoe and it will be a dud because the force of the cannon shot (the action) will not be countered by the weak opposing force of the canoe and water (opposite reaction.) Launching a cannon shot from solid ground will create a better result due to the greater opposing force supplied by the stable ground. (...) So the message for you athletes is to improve the strength of your lower body to optimize your launching ability regardless of your sport or event.

You Can Not Shoot a Cannon from a Canoe on fitgolf.com:

There is an old saying that you can not shoot a cannon from a canoe. The reason is that if you do so the cannon exerts a downward force when it is fired and blows a hole through the canoe and it sinks. However, this downward force is exactly what you want to create when you start the downswing in your golf swing. It is created by feeling that you are actually sitting down.

Veronique Roberts: Shooting a cannon from a canoe, Core Strength, Redefined:

An unstable spine is like shooting a cannon from a canoe. It wastes energy, which creates energy leaks. Those energy leaks can lead to overuse injuries over time.

I like the expression but I'm still curious to know whether there are other idioms with the same meaning.


texts: Is there any part omitted in the following sentence?

texts:
The sentence is:

"Despite its ability to hijack your senses and immerse you in hyper-realism, the real power of VR may lie in its ability to foster quiet intimacy so realistic it’s unsettling."

I'm really confused with this sentence. I think there is an omitted part after "realistic" or something else. I assume it should be "so realistic that it's unsettling" without omission, am I right?


texts: Person whose recorded voice announces upcoming content on radio

texts:
Is there a word/term for a person whose recorded voice on the radio announces the upcoming content, for example, musical piece, on radio?

I am not sure host or narrator would be quite correct, since they seem to imply more dynamic or extended engagement, respectively.

For example, the voice could say:

  And now, interview with Mr.X

And then the interview is carried out by a completely different person. Then the voice will say:

  Ludwig van Beethoven, piano sonata no.X

And the music will play.

Is there a specific term for this person's occupation?


texts: The places at which a journey begins and ends

texts:
In the nomenclature of travel and transport, what are the most common terms to describe the places at which a journey begins and ends?

I think that "destination" is likely to be the latter—but how do we describe the former?  My mathematical mind wants to say "origin" or "source", but I suspect those from a less scientific background may find those terms awkward; is there any better terminology?


texts: Is there a verb for identifying a married woman who is known by her maiden name?

texts: Whenever the maiden name is different from married name for women, is there a verb for identifying a married woman who is known by her maiden name?


texts: Is there a word to describe mature or adult plants?

texts:
I know that adult is most often used to describe a mature human-being, and that mature is a broader usage word, describing everything form animals to cheese. Also that a young tree is a sapling....is there an equivalent word for a mature plant, tree or shrubbery? Or are we stuck with using mature/adult?

Is there a technical terms for when a plant has stopped growing in height, and is first able to produce fruit/flowers?


texts:
I know the use of "this" and "that". In the case of referring to ideas, I can't understand the use of "this" and "that". Here I give the rules taken from the site below:
Sometimes, the difference between this and that is quite subtle. We often use this to refer to something (e.g. an idea or suggestion) that you are about to say and we use that to refer something that you just mentioned:

Let’s go to the cinema. What do you think about that?
What do you think about this? We could go to the cinema.

1a. "Let’s go to the cinema." here the event did not happen yet so why "that" used in the first example?

2a. "we could go to the cinema" here the event already has happened so why "this" used in the second example?
source:http://www.nativespeakeronline.com/confusing-words/what-is-the-difference-between-this-and-that


texts: Is "cause" instead of "because" becoming Standard English?

texts:
Nowadays, I'm seeing a drastic increase in usage of cause in place of because, especially in written English. People are in such a hurry, that a statement like below passes off like Standard English:

  It rains cause clouds form in the sky, and that happens cause of water vapor, and vapor forms cause of trees and forests.

Is this particular use of cause in place of because in danger of getting into the Standard English Dictionary? Do you think it is correct?


texts: Is there a difference between "you two" and "you both"?

texts:
We can say "Thank you both for coming" or "How did you two meet?" but the other way around just seems wrong: "Thank you two for coming" or "How did you both meet?".

I'm having difficulty in explaining the difference between these two phrases.


texts: Clarity in sentence usage regarding subject and predicate

texts:
Allen's friend bought a bag for his girlfriend on her birthday.
  The next time he meets her, she has the same bag with her.
  He compliments the bag and asks her, "where did you buy the bag from?"

For some reason, when I read the sentence above it seems like Allen and not his friend met the friend's girlfriend.

What's actually being said - "Allen's friend being as absent-minded as he is, forgot that he bought the bag as a gift for her."

Would you say the first paragraph is correct grammatically and doesn't imply what I am deriving from it?


texts: How to arrange in alphabetical order by maiden name but include married name

texts: In a class list, what is the correct way to arrange in alphabetical order by maiden name but also include married name, so that someone who doesn't know the person and does not know the list is in alphabetical order by maiden name would be able to tell which is which?


texts:
"But otherwise" means"except for what has just been mentioned".  In the sentence below, what does it mean?

  Galicia, on the Atlantic coast of northern Spain, is the homeland of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, but is otherwise famous for being a place people try to leave.

Galicia is famous for being the homeland of Generalissimo Francisco Franco and a place people try to leave.
Galicia is not famous for being the homeland of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, but famous for being a place people try to leave.
Galicia is famous for being the homeland of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, but is more famous for being a place people try to leave.
Galicia is famous for being a place people try to leave, but is more famous for being the homeland of Generalissimo Francisco Franco.

Is there another meaning but otherwise could have?


texts:
I wonder to know is there any word which is the antonym of "armiger"?

armiger: one entitled to armorial bearings (Webster).

  A noble who has not a coat of arms is called a ___

There is a possible heraldic system in ancient Iran. Some nobles in ancient Iran had arms and some of them had not. I need the word to describe those without arms.


texts:
Can something be "better clarified?"

I discussed the phrase with a coworker, and I believe the word "clarify" does not need a modifier. In essence, when you say clarify, you are implying that you have better clarified.


texts: How is the distinction made between adverbs and nouns in adverbs which are representative of the thing of whose adverbial quality they also represent?

texts:
Adverbs of place, among other adverbs of the nature mentioned in the question, confuse me. Saying that "wherever" is an adverb when "wherever" functions both as the representation of the place and also as the quality of the place's ambiguity seems improper. "I'm going wherever."  "I'm going that way." "I'm going to London." The only difference I can see is that "to" is used to modify the verb "going" in any such sentences as the latter, while, in using adverbs, one does not make this addition for lack of specificity. "I'm going north." In this case, north is a real, concrete course--a thing, not a quality--and yet is considered adverbial. Why is this? Is the sentence "I'm going to the north" nounal? If so, how is there a semantic distinction which justifies the distinction of the words form?

An example of this which does not use an adverb of place is in the sentence "I'm going bankrupt." "Bankrupt," in the form 'bankruptcy,' is a fathomable thing, it is also a quality of what one is "going," thus, by this rule which I am questioning, is considered adverbial in nature. "Bankrupt" is not in any of its forms defined as an adverb. It is merely for the fact that it is a quality of a state that one is actuating by way of verb that it is considered adverbial when, simultaneously, it is nounal, representative of a thing that one is going--but it is foremost considered adverbial. Why?


texts: Word or Phrase for the artificial accumulation of deadlines or restraints through levels of management

texts:
For instance, let's say state law allows minors to work until 11:00PM on school nights. Company policy says that minors can work until 10:30PM to be safe. The regional manager then dictates that minors can only work until 10:00PM so they don't risk violating company policy. Your local office then makes a policy that minors can't work later than 9:45PM. Finally, your shift supervisor hurries the minors out the door 5 minutes early, and encourages them to clock out by 9:30PM. The restriction of the 11:00PM clock out became 9:30PM as it progressed through levels of management.

Is there a word or phrase to describe this artificial accumulation of restrictions?


texts: Metaphor similar to "one apple spoils the whole bunch"?

texts:
I am trying to describe sectarianism that starts from the oldest generation and seeps down to their children and grandchildren and I am getting major writer's block when trying to find a metaphorical way of describing this.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!


texts: What is the meaning of "length of my face" in : "Don't be disheartened Mr Pycroft : said my new acquaintance, seeing the length of my face"

texts:
I am quoting from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Stockbroker's Clerk by Arthur Conan Doyle.
I gather from the context that that Mr Pycroft is referring to his disappointment by "the length of my face" but I couldn't find the expression in dictionaries or even on google.


texts: What’s the correct term to describe this?

texts: What’s the correct adjective to describe something that has the ability to make someone feel bad about themselves or lose their confidence?


texts: Is there a correct answer to this 12th Grade English question, listed below?

texts:
This was published on BuzzFeed as a supposedly 12th Grade English question

Should you change this sentence to make it grammatically correct?

"We took shelter in the middle of the night when my twenty year old brother Rob finds an inn called The Glosglore."

The 4 answers to the multi choice question were:

We took shelter in the middle of the night when my twenty-year-old brother, Rob, finds an inn called The Glosglore.
We took shelter in the middle of the night when my twenty year old brother, Rob, found an inn called The Glosglore.
We took shelter in the middle of the night when my twenty-year-old brother Rob found an inn called The Glosglore.
No change.

My question in this case is; should it not be After the Inn was found as opposed to when the Inn was found.
According to The Cambridge English Dictionary
When: We can use when to introduce a single completed event that takes place in the middle of a longer activity or event. In these cases, we usually use a continuous verb in the main clause to describe the background event.
However in the answers above I do not see the finding of the Inn as taking place in the middle of the event but before the event.
Am I correct? and are all these answers incorrect?


texts: Is it correct to use a single object phrase with multiple verbs, when the phrase only partially applies to each of the verbs?

texts:
In order to construct a shorter, more efficient sentence, I am combining multiple verbs with a single object phrase.  Take the following sentence, for example:

"Sally discusses an automated system having an apparatus for scanning and transmitting bar codes from a remote location to a central computer."

This is more compact than the following sentence:

"Sally discusses an automated system having an apparatus for scanning bar codes at a remote location and transmitting the scanned bar codes from the remote location to a central computer."

But is the first construction grammatically correct?  It seems that there is some problem, as "scanning" an "transmitting" do not connect with the object phrase "bar codes from a remote location to a central computer" in the same way.  That is, "scanning" applies to "bar codes" but "transmitting" applies to "bar codes from a remote location to a central computer."  Is this a problem?


texts: Why does Facebook have "like's" instead of "like"s?

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, so I'm sorry if this is obvious but I can't find an explanation.

Why are "like"s usually referred to as like's on Facebook? (You can see many instances here.)

To use a "word as a word" I would put quotes (if convenient using the apostrophe character in electronic text) around the word and place the plural -s outside them, and it seems that is the norm  except on Facebook, e.g. "like"s.

By the way it seems the same applies to the "Discours particle" use of like, as @simchona says in the comments.


texts: "Leave open the possibility of a stretch-mark fetishist"

texts: Can anybody explain to me the meaning of this sentence?


texts: Which is the subject of 'nothing but' sentences?

texts:
When writing the 'nothing but' kind of sentence, which is the subject? Nothing or what follows the but?

  An Example:

Nothing but blue berries grow in this village!

Or,

Nothing but blue berries grows in this village!


texts: Is there a term for when the "d'" is dropped in a "not" contraction?

texts: Actors Josh Radnor and Michael Weston pronounce shouldn't like "shunt" or wouldn't like "wunt". Is there a proper linguistic term for this pattern of pronunciation?


texts: One word for act of anchoring an event/seminar

texts:
I feel it's pronounced "camp-our-ing"(not correct)

I tried searching a lot but couldn't find the exact word.
Could someone please help me


texts: Should I use "you will again be given" or "you will be again given"?

texts:
I'm describing a situation which is similar to the situation in the previous paragraph, which of the following alternatives are more correct? In general, is there a rule for this?

"You will again be given N things." vs. "You will be again given N things."


texts:
This is a dialog from The Graduate. 1967
-Where is Alan St?
-Alan st? It's 6 blocks up and 3 over.


texts: When using initial caps, which words should be left un-capitalised?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Which words in a title should be capitalized?

Initial caps, otherwise known as title case, e.g. "When Using Inital Caps, Which Words Should Be Left Un-capitalised?".

Which words should be un-capitalised?

Edit I gather this differs between UK and US ...


texts: Can you use a negative tag question after a sentence with 2 words that make it negative?

texts:
We always use kind of the opposite meaning of the main sentence in tag question. For example:

  He hasn't eaten yet, has he?

But what should we do when there's another word that makes a sentence negative in it? For example, which of these 2 is correct?

He hasn't got any children, has he?
He hasn't got any children, hasn't he?


texts: Correct preposition or word: "I want to evaluate your opinion and comprehension of/about ..."

texts:
What is the correct way of saying the following?

I want to evaluate your opinion and comprehension of/about this image?


texts: Any question bank of Rewriting sentences without changing the meaning

texts:
I am having Grammar exam in a week so I am looking for nay reference on a collection of large number of questions like rewriting sentences without changing the meaning, etc.

Our textbook is not good enough so asking for help here.


texts: Some weeks ago I was in BC, Canada and I saw a lady walking her dog and I asked if I could take a picture with her dog. She was genuinely kind, even asking me if I wanted to get hold of a leash, and when I stood up after having taken a picture, she asked if I wanted to go down the lake with the dog. I said "(It's okay) you can go on your way" as when I first met her she was not going to the same way I was and I didn't want to take more of her time, but after we parted I wondered, was it a polite thing to say? Most cases I've seen it is used as in "none of your business, you go on your way" and obviously I didn't mean like hit the road..! I wonder if the expression has some impolite connotations, and additionally what was better way to say what I wanted to mean?


texts: What do you call a person who is always online on the Internet?

texts:
Is there any specific word for a person who is always online on the Internet?

I am just curious to know because staying online is like a profession nowadays.


texts:
What exactly does the phrase 'Woe is me' mean? A google search returns many results ranging from FML to just having a bad day. There are many references to the phrase being grammatically incorrect and thus meaning nothing, but it seems like it is in use. So, is the phrase acceptable in common English despite being grammatically incorrect? Or is it, infact, grammatically correct?

Edit: What I was able to find using Google:

Phrases.org.uk: "I am distressed; sad; grieved."
onlinecollege:  "Woe is me: It sounds a bit like Yoda-ese, but instead of saying FML, go biblical with "woe is me."
UrbanDictionary: "Both answers that tried to explain are incorrect in explaining the grammaticality of the phrase. The verb "to be" is an intransitive verb, meaning it cannot take an object." (Refer to the link for complete text)


texts: What kind of dash should I use to end dialogue abruptly?

texts:
My character is trying to speak,but she is interrupted by another character.
Here is what I am trying to say.

“I no longer care!” Leah was upset with her cousin, and she didn’t know why, but she had other pressing matters on her mind. “I lost Rose, my younger sister! I need to find her. Madam was hurting her and this is where I am trying to insert some sort of punctuation”

"I saw her." Abraham said


texts: A Ph.d in anatomy asked me this question: Why is the expression "bodily fluids" and not "body fluids"?


texts: What do you call this specific way of "running/jumping"?

texts:
I can't seem to come up with what this "way of running/jumping" is called.

You start by standing straight, then bending the right leg, then jumping forward by using your right leg, then landing on your right leg first, followed by the left one. Then bending the left leg and then jumping forward by using your left leg, then landing on your left leg first, followed by the right one..

I used to do it a lot when I was a kid while playing, though I never knew what it was called.

Following the accepted answer, I found a good video showing the exercise(known as power skips) as I remember it.


texts:
I will be telling my employers that I am moving which could complicate life for them but it is a great step for me; a leap in fact.

I am searching for a word that will help me deliver some news that is good for me but bad, or not so good, for the party receiving the news.


texts:
Is it correct to make a sentence interrogative only with question mark (and tone) and without following essential grammatical rules?

For example, people usually say

  You are going to the stadium?

instead of

  Are you going to the stadium?

But, what about writing? I think doing so in writing may be problematic.
Is there any specific rule for that?


texts: "Their body" vs "Their bodies" when referring to people of similar type

texts:
I know that for "a group of people", it seems to be treated as singular ([a] group).

However, given the below:

  Gymnastic teachers, who serve as role models for others, should keep their [body/bodies] in a peak state.

For that, "teachers" is plural, so it would make sentence to use "bodies" there. However, if "gymnastic teachers" is viewed as a collective group, "body" would be used instead.

Does that mean either is correct? Or should it not be viewed as a single group, but instead as individuals?


texts: What is the word for the portal/lens in Heaven that God(s) watch Earth through?

texts: It has the same sort of function as a witch's crystal ball, where God(s) in heaven can zoom in on different humans, and watch their life and what they are doing.  It has been used in old paintings and several sci-fi movies, but I cannot find much reference or a word for it.  It's been represented as a large glass circle, sometimes cloudy, sometimes with stars.  Does anybody know if there is a term for this type of portal / lens used to watch the earth through?


texts:
Here's what Merriam Webster has to say about clued-up:

  "British, informal: having a lot of information about the latest
  developments: He's totally clued up on/about the latest computer
  developments "

Longman , and Oxford also list clued-up as specifically British and say "clued-in" is the American version.

Is this right? Isn't there any difference between clued-in and clued-up?

For Instance, here's an example from Oxford:
  - "I'm not too clued-up on turtles' habits"

Can I replace this with " I'm not too clued-in on turtles' habits" without any change or loss in meaning?


texts: Is it necessary to use "will" twice on the text below

texts: Thanks for your feedback. We will make the changes and be ready for tomorrow’s call


texts: Is there a name for this type of sculpture?

texts:
On a recent outing I discovered a number of these.

Essentially, you look through the hole in the middle and you are facing a landmark, city, specific location, etc.

Whilst this one is clearly modern, I am sure this type of thing existed historically.

Do they have a name?  The place I saw them doesn't have them named anywhere I could see.


texts: Assuming a question is relating to one's own culture

texts:
So if I read, for example a question on SE, and I automatically assume it is related to my own culture rather than another, what is that called?

I thought it would be ethnocentric, but it seems to me that word has a negative connotation. If there's no disrespect intended and the context of culture isn't relevant, I wouldn't think the assumption would be considered negatively.

This question was triggered by a question titled "Red Cross appearing on top of [...]" - to which my first inclination was to think American Red Cross - which isn't relevant at all, but not disrespectful, in my opinion, either.

Similarly, I'm sure most of us have read questions on various SE sites and thought of answers relating to our own lives, whether we have a single cultural point of reference or multiple.

Am I just reading that ethnocentrism has a negative connotation when it doesn't, or is there a better word for this? Maybe it's only the American dialect that has this problem.. or is that just me being unbias? The question of a proper antonym would be an entirely different question.


texts: Use of the term Hans in an American name in the 1700's

texts:
I'm doing some research on family history.   I am trying to track some people that came to the U.S from Germany in 1737 on the ship "Charming Nancy".  Here's the link:

http://www.progenealogists.com/palproject/pa/1737cnan.htm

Close to the bottom of the list are the names:

Thomas Spiri
Sara
Anna Eva, 27
Hans Peter, 26
Hans Henrich, 24
Hans Jacob, 21
Hans Thomas, 20
Hans Nickel, 16
Johan Jacob, 14

I'm trying to decide if the term "Hans" is an English/American version of a German term for men of some age (maybe 16?) or older.   For example, the first name "Thomas" with no age given might be a very young boy (under the age of 14?).  Where, Sara with no age might be a young girl.   And, Johan Jacob, 14, a boy, does not have the "prefix" Hans.

Can anyone point to a source/reference for this problem?

Edit (08/01/2011) ==========================================

After more research, it is possible that the first two names (both without an age) in the list are the names of the parents of this group.   They didn't make the trip to America, but it could have been the names that would have identified "the group".


texts: Why don’t we write poetry like Beowulf any longer?

texts:
Beowulf, the Old English epic poem, uses a characteristically Germanic style of poetry in which the number of strong beats per line is what counts. Instead of counting syllables, strong beats alone were counted. There were always exactly four such strong beats per line, and there was always a pause (called a caesura) between the two pairs.

These strong beats may have made it easier for the pre-literate bard to recite long verse, and for one to pass along these unwritten minstrel poems to later generations. Other Germanic verse from the oral tradition also followed this scheme, such as the Norse Eddas.

However, today this form of poetry is virtually never seen in English any longer.  Instead, as our language grew explosively in vocabulary through the admixture of Romance terms, many with stress patterns that were alien to Old English, we also began to adopt a more Romantic style of composing our poetry, whether written or oral.

Now it is only with training that the old forms are even recognized for the poetry that they are, even though any schoolboy can recognize a Petrarchan sonnet as a poetic form. And it need no longer be written in Italian for them to do so, either. It just “seems” like poetry to us now; the other, not so much.

And my question is:

Did we lose our old poetical form of Beowulf, the alliterative poetry of the scops (Anglo-Saxon equivalent of the skalds), as a direct result of English gaining phonemic stress?  Does phonemic stress somehow fit our current style of poetic meter in a way that breaks the old style? Does phonemic stress interfere with the old alliterative form in some fundamental, mechanical fashion?

I am looking for a discrete answer, not a long opinion piece. I figure that if the answer to my question is that yes, it does, then this will be easily demonstrated — and conversely, that if it cannot be easily demonstrated, then it may well not be true.

PS: Although I am thinking here more about basic meter here than I am about rhyme schemes, I have also wondered whether switching from the so-called “head-rhyme” of alliterative verse with occasional assonant rhyme intermixed that we find in Beowulf to the so-called “tail-rhyme” of what is called full-rhyme in  modern metered verse in English from Chaucer onwards might be related to the loss of the Beowulf style.  Or not.


texts: What's the difference between "boast of" and " boast about"?

texts: What's the difference between "boast of" and " boast about" ?


texts: "'There is'/'There are' several ..." in this sentence

texts:
I was interested in the following sentence which appeared in an article titled “HORSE MARKET" in The New York Times (Dec. 4, 1861).

  There is several first-class draught horses in market, held at
  $150@$175 each; very slow sales.

Can someone clarify if the fragment "There is several first-class draught horses in market" is ungrammatical, as I think it is?

As the sentence is dated on 1861, perhaps the grammatical rules governing this form are changed meantime. Are they?

However, nowadays, I would reword "is" with "are", but I'm not sure on this correction because the presence of the word "several" confuses me.

(Apologize in advanced if the question is not good for this site. If so, please delete it. Thank you.)


texts: Is 'to smoke' a complement or adjunct in this sentence?

texts:
I hope you are all well.

He stopped to smoke.

Is to smoke a complement of stop or is it an infinitive-of-purpose adjunct?


texts: General word for the property of something that describes how full something is

texts:
I'm looking for a general word.  A few examples to help illustrate:

If a class has 10 spots and 4 people have registered, the class' ____ is 4.
If you're filling up a container of unknown capacity and it takes a while and someone asks on your progress, they may inquire about the container's current ____.
If a battery or capacitor is 50% charged, its ____ is half.
If a progress meter or a loading indicator hasn't progressed very far, its ____ is low.

The closest I've come up with is "fullness" (or "level" in the container example, though that's usually used along with a reference to the thing filling the container, as in "water level" or "the level of the dirt").  But those don't seem quite right.  I think something more generic that could be used in these and other similar cases is what I'm after - any place you have a total and you're after the current amount filled, whether or not the total or the current amount are specific numbers or general amounts (like nearly empty or nearly full).


texts: In the format of A.B. Name, which is the given name and which is the family name?

texts:
For example, Bill Henry Gates, which of following is right?

Bill H.Gates
B.H. Gates
H.G. Bill
Gates Bill
B. Gates
H. Gates
BHG
HGB
GHB


texts: Is on/before 15 July better than by 15 July if I want to be precise and unambiguous? Which is the more common form?

texts: When the last day of registration is, let's say, 15 July, we currently say "please confirm your registration before 16 July" but students often send their confirmation on 16 July, rather than 15. I guess it's the date itself that's misleading.


texts:
Is contentual a proper word? I saw in Wiktionary that it is considered to be a proper word:

contentual
adjective
Relating to content (as apposed to context)

However, I have not seen it cited in any major dictionaries (Websters, Oxford, Collins etc.).
If the reason it is not in these dictionaries is because the word "contentual" is not considered to be a proper word, why is this so?


texts: How do archaic words affect on English native speakers?

texts: I wonder why I need to know words like thereby, thereunto, wherewithal, hereonafter, thenceforward and others. I understand that I am unable to use them while writing an essay, because these words are abstruse. From my perspective, they can be used in legal English and in literature (books). I would like to know if they can be boring for native speakers to hear. And how do they affect upon English native speakers?


texts: Is “Can I persuade you?” a common word to expect acceptance from somebody?

texts:
I came across the phrase, “Can I persuade you?” in the following sentence of Jeffery Archer’s popular novel, “Kane & Abel” in the scene a Harvard graduate, ex-marine Bostonian, Henry Osborn invites the young widow of Boston millionaire, Anne Kane to concert:

    " She is delighted, though not entirely surprised, when he telephoned
    her the following morning. ‘Boston Symphony Orchestra, Mozart,
    conducted by their flamboyant new maestro, next Monday – Can I
    persuade you?’”

Is “Can I persuade you” a common or well-used word for asking someone for the consent or positive answer, or just an ad hoc expression invented for this occasion?

Can I say “Could I persuade you?” instead of asking somebody “Do you agree with me?” after haranguing him?


texts: Which phrase is correct on Canaries or in Canaries when it's about group of islands.


texts: What does "Sport Utility Vehicle" actually mean?

texts: Everyone knows what an SUV is, but what's with the name?  What does a vehicle that can't decide whether it wants to be a car or a truck have to do with either sports or utilities?


texts: Why do "bomb" and "tomb" have different pronunciations?

texts:
For example, "womb" comes from old English, whereas "bomb" and "tomb" come from old French. I'm not sure what impact etymology has on pronunciation, but I was just wondering if there is any reason in particular for these differences.

Is the explanation as simple as bomb came from later French?


texts: Word to describe someone who is inspired

texts:
Is there a single word to describe someone who is inspired by lots of things?

Or/and in awe of the world around them...

Thanks


texts: Word for person who shops for others as a profession

texts:
Someone who has a great taste in fashion could help others with their shopping, but as a profession not as a hobby.

The inspiration for this question is from the movie "In Her Shoes".


texts: Why do we say that an obscene joke is "off-color"?  Is a G-rated joke "on-color"?  What color?  When and how did this idiomatic expression come from?


texts: Past tense in a dedication (page) for a recently passed away family member

texts:
My grandfather recently passed away, and I want to name him in my dedication page of my thesis. At my university, one should first hand in the thesis and after that defend it for your supervisor and second reader. That is why I wonder if the past tense is suitable:

  ''This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my beloved grandfather [name]. Although he was my greatest motivation in finishing this thesis the past few months, he was unable to see my graduation. This is for him.''

Any other comments are also welcome.


texts:
Does the expression take the way signify that you take a particular route with a specific destination? The sentence I came up with is

  He took the way to the stadium.

Is that correct?


texts:
I edited the sentence so it gives better sense to you guys & thank you:

These effects are rather as of the psychic forces of the body not being brought into cooperation with the physical forces, that have been first, primarily, a karmic influence. This means because of former activities, former relationships, brought about that, as to meet or to be met in self that which was condemned in another.

Was condemned in another - I can’t really understand this words combination in the sentence

Could you please translate for me the meaning of the whole sentence and especially the end? I am not a native speaker, thank you!!!!

Kristyna from the Czech Republic


texts: Correct way to reference sub bullet list

texts:
d. Include documentation of rating ______

    i. Show rating of ______
    ii. Include overall ______

        1. Provide relevant documentation ______

In the example above, how would the last 3 lines be correctly cited back?

The only way I could think of would be  (dI, dII, d1)

Would that be incorrect?


texts: Term for word created after observing something new that is now outdated?

texts:
Astronomy is full of terms that were developed phenomenologically without a real understanding of the physical processes behind the phenomena.  Science marches on though, and many of these terms are now outdated as we've developed a better understanding of the physics behind the phenomenology.  Unfortunately, these outdated terms are still used rather than being replaced with new terms that better represent what is actually happening.

An example will help clarify what I mean.  Galaxies come it two main types: elliptical galaxies and spiral galaxies.  Elliptical galaxies are often called "early-type galaxies" and spiral galaxies are often called "late-type galaxies" because many decades ago it was believed that elliptical "early-type" galaxies gradually change into spiral "late-type" galaxies.  However, there is a large body of evidence that now shows that the evolutionary picture of a galaxy is not so simple, and if anything it is the "late-type" galaxies that change into "early-type" galaxies.  The terms "early type" and "late type" have far outlived their usefulness, yet they are still used by astronomers today.

I am wondering:

What is a good word to describe terms that are now outdated and no longer accurate/useful?  Example sentence:  "Terms like early type and late type are ..."
What is a good word to describe the phenomenon of such words still being used, even though everybody knows the terminology is unnecessarily confusing and inaccurate?  Example sentence: " ... in astronomy confuses many inexperienced young astronomers."


texts: Response to "What's up?" in various conversations

texts:
Exact Duplicate:
  What is an appropriate response to “what's up” greeting?

What should be the response to "what's up"?
I don't get satisfied and often confused with my answer saying "fine/working/chatting".

There are various situations and time of conversations such as

chat with a friend
chat with a business partner
chat with your boss
etc.

So, what should be the response that would satisfy the questioner?


texts: Practice of foster care for illegitimate children

texts:
Apparently there existed a practice of sending bastard children to "foster care", typically a village, where village folks received some money from unacknowledged father (?) in some countries during the early modern period.

The context is a very old newspaper article arguing that the above was a social ill.

Was there a corresponding practice in English-speaking world?

Is there a name for this practice?


texts: What would it mean when a vehicle description states "no remote start provisions".


texts: What is correct: "bind to" or "bind with"?

texts: What is a correct phrase:  “bind to”  or “bind with”? If both are correct, when should I use the first form, and when the second?


texts:
Source: From Alexander Hamilton to Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, 1780 October 11

  ... [Major John André] he ought to be considered as a spy and according to the laws and usages of nations to suffer death; which was executed two days after.
  [11]   Never perhaps did any man suffer death with more justice, or deserve it less. The first step he took after his capture was to write a letter to General Washington conceived in terms of dignity without insolence and apology without meanness.9

'Perhaps' sounds like a hedge word; so I just ignore it in this question. Perhaps (repetition intended) the cited text confuses me because negatives still mangle my reading comprehension.

1. What does with more justice mean?  Is this ambiguous?
1.1. That  never ... did any man suffer a more deserved, rightful death (because André was spying)?
1.2. Or that André suffered [= tolerated (See ODO Defn 2)] death 'like a brave man' ?

2. If 1.2 is right, then is justice here the aptest word? Or did its meanings differ in the 1700s?

3. How do you determine or deduce the antecedent of it?

Footnote: I tried a gloss from p 8, American Sympathy: Men, Friendship, and Literature in the New Nation,  By Caleb Crain PhD. I first encountered the excerpt above on Wikipedia.


texts:
I'm having a hard time understanding the purpose or meaning of the definite article, the in the common phrase, Time is of the essence.

My first thought is that it refers to the task that is time-sensitive, but certainly time or timeliness is not the essence of that task (unless perhaps the task is to set a clock).

Can anyone shed light on this formulation?


texts:
I lighted upon the word cretinosity today. The Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms has a sentence:

  If you read the English media or watch the cretinosities of television, you would think that the country is going to the dogs.

Google searches seem to link the usage of this word to a range of facetious websites, which makes it difficult to tell whether it is a real word.

What does it mean? Where did it come from?


texts: word or phrase for 'collective serendipity' or win-win situation

texts:
I'm looking for a word or a phrase which describes, a change in situation
having positive effect
or being equally beneficial to both parties involved.
eg. one fears not being able to make it to a scheduled appointment,
and the other party involved calls asking if you could perhaps re-schedule said appointment.
resulting in a mutually beneficial situation out of a potentially bad one.
Kind of like collective serendipity one could say,
I guess somewhat related to 'making the best out of a bad situation'.
Or better yet, thanks to ed86 for the great suggestion; win-win.

So basically, is there another word or phrase for a win-win situation arising
out of a potentially bad one?

many thanks in advance,
K!P


texts:
Which is correct or most preferred?

  insert the item at the beginning of the list

or

  insert the item  to the beginning of the list


texts: I can make it, I will leave. What's the precedence and ambiguity?

texts:
Here's a scenario. I am confounded when after a discussion with a friend, they arrive at my place on Saturday, here's the transcript.

her: I can make it on Saturday.

me: Ok, see you then anytime!

her: I will leave on Monday.

me: Ok.

her: Booked!

--- time passes ---

her: Where were you on Saturday?

me: I thought you where leaving on Monday.

her: I told you I would be there on Saturday!

So she thought she would come on Saturday, and stay until Monday.
I thought she meant that she would leave to arrive here on Monday.

Is either or both or none of us grammatically correct with our arrival date, why?
What is the correct precedence of "can" and "will" in this context?
Where is the ambiguity that lead to two different interpretations?

Some interesting insights from #English

smgs: "Modals aren't that simple"

mun: "[Can/Will Precedence?] I just read the passage in chronological order and interpreted it as [offer/assert arrival date] [offer/assert departure date]"


texts: Can anyone please give a detailed pronunciation method for the word laboratory? I mean, is it labo-ra-tory or labo-ra-to-ry?


texts: When are Roman Numeral suffixes appropriate for number abbreviations?

texts:
This question was asked and closed last year as general reference. However, it did not attract the caliber of answer I expected it to. I suggested the following content as an edit, but it was rejected for "changing too much" (even though I believe "the original meaning or intent of the post" was well preserved). Additionally, "what is the correct abbreviation for millions, billions and trillions in a financial context?" touches on the topic from a financial news writing perspective without touching on financial documents. And this question admits to the commonness of M and MM, but merely concludes not to mix the two. Therefore, I am posting this question because I believe it would benefit from a canonical, thorough answer.
It is a common accounting practice to use Roman Numeral suffixes to abbreviate numbers that are in the thousands and millions. See this google search, which includes this article1 as the most authoritative explanation.

The Roman numeral M is often used to indicate one thousand, and MM is used to indicate one million. For example, an expense of $60,000 might appear as $60M. Sales of $3,000,000 might be written as $3MM. Internet advertisers are familiar with CPM which is the cost per thousand impressions.
In recent years some people began using k to represent one thousand. For example, an annual salary of $60,000 might appear as $60k instead of $60M.
In a recent business publication I saw million represented by mn and also by m (both lower case). This means it is possible for you to see $1,400,000 expressed as $1.4 million or $1.4mn or $1.4m or $1.4MM or $1,400k or $1,400M.

Wikipedia's article on Roman Numerals implies that this is no longer the case:

Roman numerals however proved very persistent, remaining in common use in the West well into the 14th and 15th centuries, even in accounting and other business records...

Even while the article on the number Million mentions it is still in use.

[One million] can be abbreviated MM in some financial contexts.

And neither article (or the references) provide any guidance to what situation each abbreviation is more suited to. The only hard rule I know of is the advertising world where cost-per-impression is typically abbreviated CPM for cost per thousand impression. Clearly, the first wikipedia article linked would be more accurate to say that Roman numerals persisted into the 21st century.
As an author, how can you decide when it is appropriate to use metric abbreviations or roman numeral abbreviations? When writing a quote for an order for products, would you write 25K or 25M to refer to 25,000 parts(or pounds or units)?
As a reader, how can you decipher whether a document is using metric or roman numeral abbreviations? If all the numbers are in the same range and abbreviated the same way (i.e. there are no occurrences of k or MM elsewhere), what other clues can you use?
1: Accounting Coach, accountingcoach.com by Harold Averkamp, who claims CPA and MBA status. Retrieved 2014-08-25 19:25 UTC.


texts: Word for curiosity that gets one into trouble

texts: Is there a term that describes a person's quality of being curious but getting into trouble because of it? For example, Odysseus in "The Odyssey" wants to see the cyclops so he decides to stay in the cave but because if it his crew almost dies. I am looking for a word that I can use to say: "Because of Odysseus's [insert word] he makes several decisions that nearly lead to the loss of his crew".


texts: Is using *Our mind remembers* wrong English?

texts:
I said to my teacher-"Our mind remembers...". He said this is wrong and the correct is-"our minds remember...". I told him that if we keep the verb as 'remembers' my statement seems correct. But he said I am wrong. But I don't understand why. Is this really incorrect?

Thanks for any help!!


texts: Should "state" be capitalized when it refers to a national government? I am editing documents about censorship written by native Chinese and they frequently use the term "the State" to refer to the Chinese government as a whole. Not sure which way it should be written.


texts:
How do I write the past tense of FedEx?

For example:

  I FedEx'd the package to you yesterday.

  I Fedexd the package to you yesterday.

  I FedEx-d the package to you yesterday.

I am transcribing verbatim so I can't change the wording.


texts: Why doesn't a that-clause follow "in spite of"?

texts:
I'm trying to think of an explanation as to why we don't use a that-clause after "in spite of". For example:

In spite of the fact that I hadn't studied much for the exam, I passed it with flying colors. (correct)
In spite of that I hadn't studied much for the exam, I passed it with flying colors. (wrong)

We usually do the same with "despite", i.e. add "the fact that". I know that the expression "despite that" does exist, but it is archaic.
Is "in spite of that" a grammatical error, or is it simply non-lexical?
Edit: The only explanation I can think of is that "that" is often used as a conjunction following a noun, a verb or an adjective, which "despite" and "in spite of" are not. But I'm not quite satisfied with this explanation.
Thanks for your help!


texts:
I have the two sentences:

  If you can't beat them, join them. Once your opponents realize they
  have no chance of defeating you, they'll join you.

I feel theres a word missing that could link those two sentences to the transition into the second sentence make sense.

I am thinking of maybe adding the word

  hence,

so it becomes

  If you can't beat them, join them. Hence, once your opponents realize
  they have no chance of defeating you, they'll join you.

But I feel there is an issue somewhere.


texts: Is there a word to describe something that is bad/harmful, yet needed/imperative?

texts: I am trying to describe the nature of pesticides. Although they are mostly harmful, we need them in order to produce the amount of food the world requires. Is there a word or phrase besides "necessary evil"?


texts: Does "One example of that would be it's trophic cascade" make sense?

texts: I'm trying to write a paragraph for a question for my biology class.  The question is "How are organisms (and non-living things) interconnected within Serengeti National Park?  He wants us to include "Trophic Cascade" and "Keystone Species" from our vocabulary list.  I know what I'm going to write, I just don't know if I'm using this sentence correctly.


texts: When does 'okay' work as an answer to a question to replace yes?

texts:
For example, asking a question like: "Do you want to go to the shop with me?" can be answered with "Yes", but can it be answered with "Okay"?

A similar example that I think doesn't work is: "Do you like ice cream?", which wouldn't seem to work with "Okay", but would with "Yes".

Where is it and isn't it proper English to answer a question with "Okay" in the place of "Yes"?


texts:
Which of the following phrases is correct grammatically?

  burst in laughter
  burst into laughter

Or are they both correct (this is my guess)?

I'd think that to "burst in laughter" could translate to something like "burst in a state of laughter." Is this correct?


texts: What's a single word for 'within an experience'?

texts: We can talk about pre-experience (i.e. the period before an experience begins), and post-experience (i.e. the period after the experience completes), but is there a word that describes the period during an experience? Is 'intra-experience' acceptable? Or is there something better?


texts:
On Monday, October 13, 2014 about 09:30 hours John Barlow - Male Negro,  Age 22 years A Joiner of Lot 194 Pike street Kitty, Georgetown, reported that Mark Jacobs Male Negro, Age 22 years unemployed of abeam, dealt him several cuts on his face with a knife at church St Georgetown, due to a misunderstanding over money he had borrowed a week ago.

Who is "he" in the passage?


texts:
I'm looking for a good term for removing line-breaks from a piece of text and replacing them with a special line-break marker. (Like how, when quoting poetry, we use "/" to represent a break; though my case is in a software context, the goal being amenability to line-oriented tools like grep.)

Since various RFCs use the term "linear white space" (LWSP) to refer to within-line whitespace (namely tabs and spaces), I'm considering the term "linearize"; but I'm afraid that it might be too opaque, since there are so many other kinds of linearization. I want to use this term as the name of a function/method/procedure/subroutine that performs this transformation, so it should ideally stand on its own and convey at least a rough idea of what the transformation is.


texts: Meaning of "more original computer science"

texts:
If I write

  Knuth has written more original computer science than anybody else

does it mean computer science that is more original or more computer science that is original? It seems like it should take on the latter meaning. Is there a good way to clarify this with a hyphen or comma? Should I rephrase the sentence?


texts: I was watching a TV show and a man was talking about a singer and he said that singer was a left to center artist. Clearly it was a compliment but I kind of got lost there. What exactly does that mean? By the way, I'm sure this is not related to politics, not in this specific case at least.


texts: In what circumstances are people's names shortened and given an '-ers' ending?

texts:
The Test Match Special team are known variously as Jonners (Brian Johnson - deceased); Aggers (Jonathan Agnew), Blowers (Henry Blofeld), Tuffers (Phil Tuffnell) etc.

This laddish public-school nomenclature, outside of cricket, is seldom heard nowadays, in my experience. Does anyone else know of where such chummy banter is exchanged today?


texts: "for someone to do something" in the beginning of a sentence

texts:
For people to change their minds, first, the Church needed to....

is this a correct usage?

what i am trying to say is people will change their minds if the Church does but the Church's changing is a necessity...


texts: Which of "couldn't", "can't", and "doesn't" for 13/13/13?

texts:
I recently came across an English learner saying that 12/12/12 is the last time such a repetition of day/month/year (or month/day/year, or year/month/day) will occur in the Gregorian calendar for a long while "Because 13/13/13 wouldn't exist."

I don't know whether "couldn't", "can't", or "doesn't" would the best word to use, from a prescriptivist perspective.

Based on personal recollection, I assume "can't" would be suitable for a real object that is unable to do something:

  My car can't start

Or you could use "don't" for something that's possible, but doesn't happen:

  I don't travel via the tollway.

But the problem is that 13/13/13 is not like a car. As well as being an abstract noun, it's also a logical contradiction. Does that mean I should use a subjunctive?

Assuming that "couldn't" and "wouldn't" are subjunctive, this answer seems to suggest "couldn't" would be a better fit than "wouldn't", as it's an "Equivalent of "can" (possibility)".

Also, what would be the most common expression from a descriptivist, as opposed to a prescriptivist, perspective? Based on a google search of "13/13/13 * exist", it seems to be "doesn't" - does that sound plausible?


texts: Non-affecting the main the property of interest

texts:
Suppose that we analyse the speed of a car. Then important (lower level) properties of a car to consider are: an engine, aerodynamics, weight, etc. But there are also other properties of a car that are important for some other use, but do not affect the speed of a car in a direct way, e.g. the availability of airbags concerns the safety (rather than the speed) of a car.

Note, here the properties of the speed and safety are at the same level of an abstraction of a car. The properties lower from them, an engine and an availability of an airbag are at the same level of an abstraction of a car too.

I would like an English word (a noun or an adjective) for a property that:

does not affect the main property P1 of interest,
has a clear purpose and affects some other property P2 where the properties P1 and P2 as attributes concern the same level of detail.


texts: What word could be used for a thing that holds a measure that lies between true and false?

texts:
In fuzzy logic a value can be partially true so I could present it as a degree of truth.

However, I'm looking for a word for this thing that contains a measure that lies between true and false.

The quality of the measure might be called fuzziness or it might be called a fuzzy value.

However, in conventional logic there's a boolean that can be either true or false.

So is there a word for the fuzzy equivalent? Or can you think of way of expressing this otherwise?


texts: When did Indo-European descendants stop speaking Old English? What were the influencing factors in the shift from Old English to Modern English?

texts: There is Old English, and there is the English we speak now. When did exactly did the British (or Americans) change from speaking Old English to speaking the current form of English?


texts:
The sentence is as follows:

"Knowing these truths and yet not knowing how to make my voice heard was torturous."

What I am trying to convey is that I knew about certain things (i.e truths) but didn't know how to make people listen to me and understand, and this was driving my crazy.

I feel that the whole sentence is not as clear as it could be and using the word torturous just seems weird.

Any ideas on how to improve it?

Any comment would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Seyed


texts: Are the tenses used in the sentence correct?

texts:
From http://dilbert.com/strip/2015-07-31:

  I'm going to call you Carlos from now on. And it would help if you grew a beard and walked with a limp.

Shouldn't it be grow a beard and walk with a limp in this sentence?


texts: If "it is a good read" is correct, is "they are good reads" grammatically correct?

texts: I can describe a book as "a good read." But can I describe a number of books as "good reads?"


texts: a word / idiom for pulling something closer for a sniff?

texts:
This is where I am:

"Gliding at a low altitude, his fingers reached for a flower, plucked it and pulled it closer to his nose" / ... to smell"

I'm not looking for anything too exotic, but would still like to hear any idea, to learn


texts: Can the following sentences both be correct meaning different things?

texts:
"Ron dedicated his whole life to educating underprivileged children."
And
"Ron dedicated his whole life to educate underprivileged children."
In the first sentence, "to" is used as a preposition, which is why it is followed by a gerund. Does the second sentence (infinitive of purpose) make sense too? And if so, how different is the meaning?


texts: "less" or "fewer" for countable and uncountable infinities

texts:
I feel like this is too grammatical for the math stack exchange, but I am sorry if it is too mathematical for this stack exchange.

In math there are several different types of infinity, some of which are known as "countable" and others which are known as "uncountable." I have always heard that one should use fewer to denote instances where one can count the objects to compare and less when one cannot count the objects.
A beginning math student will often make the error of saying that the number of integers which exist is smaller than the number of rational numbers which exist.

Would it be proper for this student to say "There are less integers than rational numbers," or should he say "There are fewer integers than rational numbers"? Both of these sets are countably infinite, so one could theoretically count them. However this student may make a similar error, saying that there are fewer numbers between one and two than between two and three.

Would this student be correct to say "There are fewer numbers between one and two than between one and three," or should he say "There are less numbers between one and two than between one and three"? Both of these sets are uncountably infinite, so one could not count them.

Do the definitions of countable and uncountable make a difference in this case? Which would be the correct versions of these sentences? This is not a question about the general definition of the words "less" and "fewer," it is a question about whether the mathematical definitions of "countable" and "uncountable" will hold for the standard English definitions of "countable" and "uncountable."


texts: What are these silent H's in place names in England?

texts:
I went to England and heard people pronouncing place names weirdly.

For example,

Caterham was pronounced "K-ter-rum" or "K-trum" instead of "K-ter-ham"
Selhurst was pronounced "SEL-lust" instead of "SEL-hust"
Clapham Junction was pronounced "CLAP-pam JUNK-tion" instead of "CLAP-ham JUNK-tion"

It seems like that the H in these names are silent.

I have never seen this behaviour in other English words. Why does this happen? Is this a British accent thing? Is there any English words that have this kind of silent H?


texts: Use of -s at the end of verb when using ”would”?

texts:
I want to know how the -s is supposed to be used with she/he/it + would.

While trying to say that it would be great for someone/something to allow something, I came up with this sentence, which I think is incorrect:

  It would be fantastic if the teacher *allows us do certain action.

But...

  It would be fantastic if the teacher allow us do certain action.

doesn’t seem right to me either, so what would be the proper way to say that someone or something would (potential) + some verb inflected with that verb’s third-personal singular -s present-tense inflection?


texts: Is there a term for an issue or activity that occurs only until the moment that you ask someone else to watch?

texts:
Is there a term for the coincidence that occurs when an issue ONLY occurs until the moment that you ask someone else to watch or help you resolve it?

For example, having an issue with software until you try to show someone, then it stops being problematic.  Or an issue with the computer/phone that resolves as soon as a help ticket is put in.

The final example is when you have a problem with your car (funny noise, etc) - you hesitate taking it in for weeks because you know it will disappear as soon as the mechanic drives it...then it does.

This is different than a Heisenbug, where the action of applying a debugger, for example, changes the behavior of the activity being watched.  It's also different from a 'works on my machine' scenario, where only the original user has the problem.

What is it called when a problem resolves itself just by the mention of it?  Jinxing the issue? :)

I see this every day supporting my software product -- the users are experienced and are not making mistakes at one time then doing something different when I watch.  The problems also truly resolve (coincidentally) as soon as they ask for help - they do not reoccur.  I guess it's a case of synchronicity?


texts: How to use "Seemed like (something) had not (something)"

texts:
I found the following sentence in Marguerite de Valois by Alexandre Dumas

  His body seemed like that of a corpse had not a light breath stirred
  the fringe of foam on the lips.

It looks like a conditional sentence but it doesn't have would/if.

I would appreciate very much any information about this use of "had not".
I used a similar pattern in the following sentence, is it correct?

  The sculpture's wings seemed real had not been made of stone


texts: What's the meaning of "Fairytale meets beat meets counterculture"?

texts:
The first sentence of the article The brilliance of Richard Brautigan by Sarah Hall reads as follows:

  Fairytale meets beat meets counterculture: bursting with colour, humour and imagery, Brautigan’s virtuoso prose is rooted in his rural past – and that’s what draws me in

In another part of the text we can read the following:

  Surrealism meets folk meets scat?

What's the explanation and meaning for a structure of the type "X meets
Y meets Z"?

English is not my native language.


texts: Difference between accounting, finance and budget

texts: What's the difference between accounting, finance and budget? Are some of them included in the others?


texts: How to parse "Do you have the time?" correctly

texts:
When someone asks "Do you have the time?", my first instinctive response is: "The time for what?"
I have to think for a few more seconds to realize that the question was actually "What time is it?"

I find this baffling, because I'm otherwise fluent in English; for some reason, though, I always find this question instinctively jarring and confusing.

I was wondering if someone could point me to information that might help me understand this phenomenon better, and/or help me figure out how to train myself to parse these sentences correctly the first time. Some questions on my mind are: is there a name for this kind of "mis-parsing" of such a sentence? Are there known similar examples? Is my reaction normal from a linguistic/grammatical standpoint (e.g. is the intended meaning completely grammatically correct)? Is this confusion common among learners? How about among native speakers?


texts: Scan through the video versus scan the video

texts:
As I was writing a plan for a video software which requires me to automatically scan the video. What is the right phrase to use? It seems I have heard both.
scan through the video versus scan the  video

EDIT

By automatically, scan the video, I meant scanning the video using a computer vision methodology.


texts: Is there another one-word substitute for officialese?

texts:
I wanted to use a one-word expression for a written communication (short or long) which is a response to a question. It is deliberately worded to evade answering the question, using very distinctively official language. In short, it leaves the reader confused whether the question was answered at all. If yes, then what actually was the answer.

My sentence would be something like:

  "He has mastered the art of .....  "

or

  "He has mastered the art of using ....."


texts: Term for strengthening the bond between an employee and his organisation

texts:
Edit: added one-sidedness of 'Employee retention' as an issue

I'm looking for an alternative to 'Employee retention'. Intuitively, I interpret 'retention' as a defensive term, while I mean to emphasise (strengthening of) the bond between an employee and their company in a positive way.

Additionally, 'Employee retention' is a one-sided term, in that it is primarily applicable when considering the bond from company's perspective.

In Dutch, we have the (to me) more neutral term medewerkersbinding. In German, there's the equivalent term Mitarbeiterbindung (Wikipedia, using Google Translate).

Does such a term exist in English?


texts:
I am trying to learn JavaScript, but my English is not that good.

While reading Simply JavaScript by Kevin Yank & Cameron Adams, I came across this paragraph, and I want to know what one sentence in it means:

  Thanks to the wide adoption of the Document Object Model (DOM) standard, accessing HTML elements in your JavaScript code works very similarly in every browser. If only the same could be said for every aspect of JavaScript! As it happens, running JavaScript code in response to an event stands out as one of the few remaining features that are implemented in wildly varying ways in current browsers.

What does "If only the same could be said for every aspect of JavaScript!" mean?


texts: How to tell how a vowel should sound like in words?

texts:
Why does the 'A' in the word "cat" sound different to 'A' in the word "car"?

If I want the 'A' in a foreign name like 'Pardis' to sound like the 'A' in cat, how should I write it?


texts: "I have" = "I've". Is that always correct?

texts:
Duplicate:
  Is it appropriate to use short form of “have” ('ve) when it means possession?

I feel uncomfortable saying sentences like the following:

"I've a car" instead of "I have a car"
"He's a pen" instead of "He has a pen"
etc

I ask this because I read something like that in a book.

Are they correct? and what is the rule?


texts: How and when did American spelling supersede British spelling in the US?

texts: Considering that Webster published his first dictionary in 1806, is there a recognised tipping point (year, decade, etc.) that marked the move from traditional British spelling to Webster's American? Was this shift a gradual but chaotic process or was it a deliberate and possibly collective decision taken by the educational institutions, the media, or the government of the time? In other words, how did the shift come about?


texts: Definite article in the question "What is the time?"

texts:
I am not a native speaker.

Could you please explain to me why we use the definite article in the following question:

  What is the time?


texts: Is the word 'varsity' capitalized when it follows the proper name of a school and sports team?

texts:
I'm wondering whether I should capitalize the word varsity in a sentence like this one:

  Dalton has continued playing football since then and now plays on the Newnan High School Varsity team.

In this situation, is capitalizing Varsity necessary, optional, or incorrect?


texts: Counterpart to Confidante: Word for Someone Crying out for Help

texts:
I'm seeking a word the opposite end of the conversation to a confidante. Somewhat like the opposite end of the conversation to a confessor  and indeed any word used in this religious context as the counterpart to a confessor might be a good figurative fit.
I am describing the solace that a hurting human being can find in having someone sincerely listen to the story of their distress, without judgement, moralizing or "advice". Just finding someone who will empathize with them sincerely.
All the usual words I can think of (like "supplicant", "pleader", "petitioner", ....) are in roughly the right neighborhood, but imply someone who seeks a particular goal or someone perhaps seeking gain.
I want a word that conveys the vulnerability of a pleader in this case. Someone who just needs to connect sincerely with someone else, without material gain.
For context: i am writing about trauma someone like a cancer patient or a parent of a child with a profound disability sometimes experiences when they cannot find someone who will simply sincerely listen without needing to judge or solve the problem, the latter being a behavior that i feel many people unconsciously slip into to soothe their own awkwardness with the situation of the person seeking comfort. Here is my sentence in progress:
"They .. sometimes seem to have little  concept of the solace that a hurting human being can find in having someone else listen to and quietly acknowledge that person’s story, however awkward a listener might find it, without judgement, dogmata,  moralizing or 'helpful advice' ('I was only trying to help!!!') that many use to soothe their own discomfort at the imperfect and awkward situation of their interlocutor."
I'm looking to replace "interlocutor" (which i so hate but it's all i can come up with) in this sentence.


texts: Parentheses or quotations for English name (foreigner)?

texts:
My English name is Michael (my name is Minh, so Michael and Minh have some similarity).

Should I put my name as: Minh "Michael" Nguyen or Minh (Michael) Nguyen (on a résumé, business card, email signature, etc.)?


texts:
From what I've found the typical form of this phrase is

  X is not dead, it just smells that way.

Can "that way" be replaced with a so in such a position?

  X is not dead, it just smells so.


texts: Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clause Question

texts:
I realize that American authors typically use "which" in nonrestrictive clauses, and "that" in restrictive clauses. But I frequently have a problem deciding whether to make a clause restrictive or non-restrictive, particularly when the clause  describes an object in a figure.

I was therefore hoping that the grammarians here could tell me which one of the following hypothetical sentences was correct or more correct than the others:

(A) The object on the right in Figure 1 resembles the object on the right in Figure 2 that indigenous artists used to represent their god

(B) The object on the right in Figure 1 resembles the object on the right in Figure 2, which indigenous artists used to represent their god.

(C) The object on the right in Figure 1 resembles the object, which indigenous artists used to represent their god, on the right in Figure 2.

(D) The object on the right in Figure 1 resembles the object that indigenous artists used to represent their god on the right in Figure 2.

Thanks very much.


texts:
Is there any difference between the two terms 'often' and 'oftentimes'? They seem to be used interchangeably but is one more appropriate in certain situations than others? Is 'oftentimes' an older term that is commonly replaced by 'often' nowadays?
Consider this sentence:

Physiological tolerances can be measured indirectly by quantifying species’ occurrences along environmental axes (citation), which is often the only way such information can be recorded for large numbers of species.

Physiological tolerances can be measured indirectly by quantifying species’ occurrences along environmental axes (citation), which is oftentimes the only way such information can be recorded for large numbers of species.


texts: Is it two or three ellipsis when using it with a question mark?

texts:
When using ellipsis with a question mark, how would it be written?

Would it be written as this:

  "So are you going to close the door..?"

Or would it by written as this:

  "So are you going to close the door...?"

My first example shows two of the ellipsis, while my other examples shows three. Which is correct?


texts: Why is it incorrect to say "I lonely walked around the park."?

texts:
And how do I say it right?

This should be an explanation:

but I still don't understand that why does the sentence "I lonely walked around the park" does not make any sense


texts: Is it okay to say "easier" after a verb?

texts:
Is it correct to write 'browse easier' and 'search easier'? When I use my Word grammar check, it doesn't correct them.
Edit: Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned the grammar checker at all. I was looking for verification that the terms above were incorrect. I didn't want to write the following letter until I was sure. After reading your responses here, I sent it. In case you're curious, here it is:
Hello XXXXXXXX,
I am a XXXXXXXX customer who just received your letter promoting the new XXXXXXXX. I'm happy to learn about the changes that are coming. I'm writing because your letter says, "Browse easier" and "search for the shows and movies you love easier". 'Browse more easily' and 'search... more easily' are the way to write those sentences. Perhaps this was an honest mistake because no one who read the letter before it got mass-mailed knew better. In that case, please disregard this e-mail; (you may want to hire a better proofreader.) I'm writing in case XXXXXXXXXX knew it was incorrect but thought its customers needed words to be simplified to the point that they are wrong. We are not stupid. Most of us have an elementary level education, and therefore are familiar with adverbs. Wrong is not more attractive, ie. (XXXXXXincorrectly spelled product nameXXXX), it's just wrong. In the case of customers like me, it actually makes the company sending the letter less attractive.
Just a thought,
(Signed)


texts: "from far away" and "from afar" do they have different nuances?

texts: I have seen the phrase " from afar" more frequently than "from far away." like in "He walked from afar." I just think it might be because the former has a bit of poem like. What do you think? Do the both have the same meaning, and can they be used in the same way? Please answer my question.


texts: I just heard some one saying "it seems promising". I did not get its sense. Where and how is being used?  I tried googling as well but could just find meaning of promise (agreeing on doing / saying something), how and where to use it.


texts: What is the word/ expression for 'when the content received via an information medium is transferred to another medium'?

texts:
I have viewed this answer but none of the answers quite match what I am looking for.

The German term for this word is 'Medienbruch'. The translated definition on the corresponding wikipedia page is:

  A Medienbruch[literally translated as 'media break'] occurs in information processing when the content received via an information medium is transferred to another medium in the transmission chain of a process and has to be generated again.

One example would be having to print out a form filled out online to give to a different department.

An example usage could be:

  The online forms are processed on a centralized platform without any [word here]


texts: Two words or names describing something which cannot exists without each part

texts:
I am looking for two words/names/terms that refer to something that as a whole cannot exist without each of the two. I am not looking for a term for the "whole" as this "whole" may not have a known name itself, as it is commonly defined by its parts. Each part is as important as the other. The two terms may have not an actual meaning, but if then it should be neutral or positively connoted.

The best I could think of was Ying and Yang. Are there other suited terms?

Ideas I discarded are given below [+ argument against]

Alpha   +  Omega   [implies beginning and end]
First   +  Second  [implies ranking]
Mother  +  Father  [implies gender]
Good    +  Bad     [implies good & bad]
PartA   +  PartB   [implies lack of imagination]
Part    +  Tarp    [implies failed attempt at being imaginative]