texts: Grammarly flags passive sentences for consideration to be changed to active as default. Why is this? Is there a rule advising active rather than passive when writing? Does it apply to certain types of writing (academic, formal, etc.)


texts: "Concatenate" vs. "merge" vs. "join" in scientific text

texts:
I wonder what the difference is between concatenate, merge and join from the lexical point of view.

These words are often used in scientific or programming text. It seems to me that different authors use any of them with slightly different meaning. How should they be used from the language point of view?


texts: A word or idiom for being offended for someone else

texts:
Is there a word or idiom to describe being offended for some one else?

For example, Person A makes an off-the-cuff remark that person B is 'trailer trash'.  Person B knows that person A means it as a joke and isn't offended. Person C then gets offended at the remark and jumps to person B's defence even though the remark had nothing to do with them. Person A and B often make these remarks to each other.


texts: Should Sporadic usage of Definite Article be placed in the middle of cataphoric usage and zero article usage?

texts:
I read from A Comprehensive Grammar of English Language (Quirk, 1985) that sporadic usage of definite article "the" indicates about  about location but not a specific one, but an institutionalized one. "We call this the sporadic use of the, because reference is made to an institution which may be observed recurrently at various places and times". When someone says "My sister goes to the theatre every month", with situational usage, we said that his/her sister goes to a particular theatre. But with this new sporadic usage, we can't ask which theatre his/her sister is going to because it will be inappropriate Quirk says in his book.
But now I read another part of the book, "We have already mentioned (cf. 5.33) the use of the in noun phrases with 'sporadic' definite reference, as in the radio, the theatre. In other cases, however, the sporadic use has become so institutionalized that the article is not used." This says that when the same word is used without article (zero article), it becomes quasi-locative (not indicating places, but something abstract). For example:
Be in prison = becoming a prisoner
Walk in the prison = casual visitor walking in the prison
About "Walk in the prison", the book says that the definite usage in this sentence uses cataphoric usage but "Be in prison" is in zero article usage because it is so institutionalized.
Now we got disconnected idea about sporadic usage. Sporadic usage is different from Cataphoric usage, but when it becomes so institutionalized, Zero article is incomparable to cataphoric usage, which now doesn't include the sporadic usage. So, should sporadic usage be placed in the middle of zero article usage and cataphoric usage, or in "very institutionalized" usage of zero, we can attach "the" to reduce its institutional meaning to become close to locative meaning?


texts: Syntax - Giving proof something is a subject

texts:
So I'm trying to figure out how to provide proof that something is a subject of a sentence. I know to prove something is a noun, you can put determiners in front of it, and pluralize it (if it's a count noun). For verbs, you can inflect it. For adjectives, you can scale it with modifiers like "very."

So what are two ways you can prove something is a subject of a sentence?


texts:
I'd like to know which expression (and why) should I use in this sentence:

  I wish I hadn't had Acrophobia.

This doesn't seem correct but is it just "hadn't", "wouldn't have" or "didn't have" instead of "hadn't had"? Or something completely different?

Thank you


texts: Is there a word for the act of subduing something?

texts: I'm referring to military forces subduing another group of military forces. Subduction is what I initially thought of but that specifically refers to the geological process involving tectonic plates. I'm trying to say that "the ... (act of subduing) the x guard was legitimate and legal" but was hoping for a word (like subduction except it doesn't mean what I want it to mean) instead of a phrase. Thank you!


texts: How to distinguish between Principal clause and Subordinate clause in a sentence?

texts:
How can I distinguish between a principal clause and a subordinate clause in a sentence to use a subordinating conjunction?

I saw him, I stopped my car.

I know I have to add when before I saw him. But how do I know which one is the subordinate clause? I want to know because I have read that subordinating conjunctions are used only in subordinate clauses.


texts:
What does this "solely" explain?

"NPR is solely responsible for its content."

Is it, "NPR is responsible only for its content, so we don't know about other info."

Or

"Only NPR is responsible for its content, so CNN or other media companies are not involved here"??


texts: Confusing sentence on Instagram app submission page

texts:
I'm working on an Instagram app that fetches media based on a tag, ideal for events such as weddings and parties.

Instagram has very strict rules on what kind of third party apps are allowed, the app must fall in one of their three use cases.

To make a long story short, my app was declined because it wasn't a valid use case.

My app used this use case:

  To help broadcasters and publishers discover content, get digital
  rights to media, and share media with proper attribution

I found more detailed description on this use case, but it doesn't really help.

  This use case is meant for products that don't have a public facing
  login integration, but are gated to broadcasters and publishers. The
  product must support either multiple broadcasters and publishers, or
  multiple users within a single broadcasters or publisher organization.

Is it just me, or is this sentence really confusing? Could someone explain what they mean by broadcasters and publishers in context with Instagram? And what proper attribution means?

Thanks!


texts:
I have long 3 names that i want to shorten so people can pronounce it easier, the initials of my full name are "M.E.Z", which sound a little heavy to pronounce letter by letter, do name initials have to be pronounced letter by letter (M.E.Z) or can they be pronounced as a whole word (MEZ) which sounds better and easier to say

I appologize for my english


texts: Relic as a verb: why the spelling relicing, reliced?

texts:
I just discovered the verb relic, meaning “to make something look worn” and used as far as I can tell only about guitars. (Examples: 1 2 3 …) I was surprised to see that its participles are pretty consistently spelled relicing and reliced, not *relicking and *relicked like other verbs ending in -ic (mimic → mimicking, traffic → trafficking, etc.). No matter what general rules might tell us, for this particular verb, it is clear that putting hair pests back onto a guitar is a thing (hundreds of independent hits) whereas applying one's tongue again isn't (only 7 hits, all of them using relicing as well).

Are relicing and reliced consistently pronounced re-lick-ing/'d as the formation would suggest and not re-lice-ing/'d as the spelling would suggest?

How did this spelling come about? Did the verb forms spring from a specific source or did they evolve “naturally”?

Are there other recent verb formations (I believe the verbing of relic dates from the electric guitar era) that are spelled this way, or is this an isolated case?


texts: How to distinguish between temporary and long-term hate/hating?

texts:
When I say I hate someone in could be in a heat of a moment. "I hate him." (right now, because he ate my chocolate). However I could "I hate snakes." (all my life).

It is still the same word.

Are there synonyms we could use to distinguish the meaning? Or some other way?


texts: How to rewrite "I passed a good week with you."

texts:
I have a problem to rewrite the sentence, "I passed a good week with you."
I thought of "I spent a good week with you." or "I had a good week with you."
The direction says not to change the wording or meaning of the original sentence so much.
Are my sentences grammatically okay? Does it sound naturally to native people?
If there is a better way to say so, please let me know. Thank you.


texts: What is the style of art in which small numbers are used to paint pictures called?

texts:
We know that, for example,

  impressionist painting is a style of art which uses small, thin, yet visible brush strokes,
  cubist painting is a style of art that stresses abstract structure,
  and so on.

So, my question is, what is the style of art in which small numbers are used to paint pictures (as in the picture below) called?


texts: What is it called when someone doesn't want to share stuff/feelings to others, even close ones, in fear of being judged?

texts: Is there a phrase, word, or a term for this condition? And I'm not specifically talking about fear of intimacy, I'm asking for something more general. Such as not sharing stuff with friends, family, in fear of being judged.


texts: Is this redundant phrasing a rhetorical device? Does it have a name?

texts:
I'm wondering if there's a name for this particular kind of redundant phrasing:

  So what I'm going to do right now is, I'm going to . . .

or

  So what you want to do is, you want to . . .

I notice this most often in tutorial contexts (classroom lectures, YouTube videos) or sales pitches.  In a tutorial context, it projects a lack of confidence or knowledge; in a sales pitch, it comes off as a deliberate distraction or verbal confidence trick.

Would this be considered a type of speech disfluency?

Note that I'm not asking for a general descriptive word like circumlocution.  I'm looking for a name for this specific pattern of speech so I can find out if anything scholarly has been written about it.


texts: Reflexive pronoun: direct object or predicate noun?

texts:
In the sentence:

  He considered himself wise.

I would parse this as

  He - subject
  considered - transitive verb
  himself - direct object
  wise = object complement adjective

My kids ask me why himself is not a predicate noun.  I am not sure how to answer them except that considered is not a linking verb and you need a linking verb to have a predicate noun/adjective.

It still doesn't make sense to them.  Is there a rule or just common knowledge about reflexive pronouns that can help me out?


texts: Can/Should a comma be used after "Sometimes"?

texts:
I've seen conflicting answers on other websites about whether or not it is grammatically correct to add a comma after the word "Sometimes" in examples such as:

  Sometimes, we are unable to provide assistance.

Is the comma in the above sentence correct?

I looked at this post on Quora. Answers range between commas being for readability to being used to distinguish emphasis. I looked at questions on this site discussing when it is appropriate to use commas, but they did not answer this question. To clarify my question, would the quoted sentence have the same meaning and be grammatically correct regardless of the comma?


texts:
Yesterday, my friend and I were discussing the word "motivate"; she says it's only for the use of motivating yourself and other people but I say it's for that and for questions, e.g. why should you win? motivate your answer, motivate, why should we hire you? Instead, it should be discuss she says.

Which is correct?

I'm from Sweden so this is not my native language I can be wrong. In Swedish, though, you say motivate your answer so I thought it would be the same.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Neither Michael nor Albert is correct” or “Neither Michael nor Albert are correct”?
  Is “either you or [third-person]” followed by a singular verb or a plural verb?

If a noun phrase is made of two noun-like words that conjugate differently, then which conjugation do you use?

Consider:

1) He nor I has...
2) He nor I have...

"He" and "I" are connected with a conjunction. Between 1 and 2 which is correct? Are they both correct? Is neither correct?


texts: How did 'undertake' evolve to mean 'take on'?

texts:
What's an intuitive derivation behind ODO's definition that helps to remember its meaning:

  undertake = [with object]
  1. Commit oneself to and begin (an enterprise or responsibility); take on:

  Etymonline: c.1200, "to entrap;" c.1300, "to set about (to do)," from under + take (v.). Similar formation in French entreprendre "to undertake," from entre "between, among" + prendre "to take." The under in this word may be the same one that also may form the first element of understand. Old English had underniman "to trap, accept" (cognate with Dutch ondernemen, German unternehmen).

How does the prefix under- mean 'on'? Etymonline mentions the French entreprendre, but how does this help? First, entre- is a different preposition. Second, I also don't understand how 'between/among + take' evolves into 'take on' ? I tried Etymonline's page on under- to no avail, esp. because it refers to other languages. Is there a simpler, more intuitive explanation?


texts:
What is a good word(s) for someone who excessively asks for information that they have no business knowing?

This person constantly asks what other people have on their schedule. This same person (and I apologize if I am getting too personal) was recently caught rifling through other employee schedules. I have terminated the employee and was issuing a termination letter.


texts: Question about punctuating the following sentence

texts:
Are the commas correct in the following sentence.

In the essay A Plague of Tics, the author, David Sedaris, addresses the people who had to put up with his obsessive-compulsive behaviors when he was younger.

I am unsure about the comma after Sedaris.


texts: What is the most appropriate word in this case?

texts:
When you see an error in an app or in a software, what is the most appropriate word for the title: "Warning", "Caution", "Attention", "Beware"?

I saw many examples with these words on the Internet (especially for "Caution" with a yellow sign) but I didn't find a final answer when the context is about to show an error to a user. I would use "Warning" but I'm not sure, may be it's out of context.


texts: Is saying “X it is” too informal a response for a casual workplace environment?

texts:
When choosing between options, people often say X it is. For
example:

Dick: What do you want to eat?
Jane: I want pizza.
Dick: Pizza it is.

I am curious whether saying X it is is just slang an
expression that’s so far “below the level of standard educated
speech” that it would be considered inappropriate language
for workplace use, or whether in contrast X it is can be used
formally enough that it’s indeed suitable for use in a casual
workplace environment after all.


texts: What is positive state of 'anymore' or 'no longer'?

texts:
I am usually facing situations which I need to use word 'anymore' or 'no longer' when writing. But, I want to use this word's meaning in positive sentences. However, they are being used in negative sentences as far as I know. So is there any equivalent word of 'anymore' or 'no longer' for positive sentences?

Thanks in advance.

Note: I think there is a word which is close to the word 'anymore' and 'no longer' in terms of meaning: "hereafter". Am I right? If I am right, please notify me.


texts:
I have learned that liquids are uncountable, except for measurements such as "three cups of water."

So, does "three lattes" in this context refer to three cups of latte?


texts: Phrase for a feeling of relief upon finding a solution to a long term irritant

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase that would explain the feeling of relief that one sometimes feels when removing a minor irritation, whether physical or mental. For example, settling into a nice bubble bath to wash off a day's dust and sore muscles.

I imagine the phrase I'm searching for would be similar to 'take a weight off my mind' but that one has connotations of being stressed or worried, rather than just annoyed.

I've thought of 'like removing a bur from under the saddle' or 'like pulling a splinter' but I'm having trouble phrasing it as 'I felt like ___ when I (learned how to do something easier/bought a convenience item/took a break for self care/etc).

Is there a common phrase or word to fit this idea? Or is there a way to phase it that would immediately make sense to the audience?


texts: "From hands, I pray, will never bereave"

texts:
When someone dear serves you a drink or a cup of tea/coffee, the recipient may offer this polite saying. It's very difficult to translate it to English. It should be something like: "From hands that I hope I will never be deprived of or that will never be taken away from me/never absent".

It's an Arabic kindhearted wish which is used mostly in the Levant.

Is there something similar said in English?


texts: Was I “laying” on the bed, or was I “lying” on the bed?

texts:
Should this sentence use laying or lying?

  Last week at this time, I was ____ on Sarah’s bed.

Can someone fill in the blank for me?


texts: Can you call a cheeseburger a hamburger? I am eating self-made ones.


texts:
My gut feeling tells me that sentences such as

  Own mistakes have to be dealt with first.

  Own experience matters the most.

  We present own results.

are not correct, and I would supplement "own" with, for example, "your" or "my".

Is the above use of "own" just unusual, or is there a general rule saying that "own" always requires the possessive of a noun or a possessive pronoun?

The Oxford dictionary at least suggests that "own" cannot be used after an article:

  Own cannot be used after an article:

  I need my own room. (Not: I need an own room.)

  It's good to have your own room. (Not: It's good to have the own room.)

Are there other words for which that is also the case?

("own" without a pronoun is often found in English texts written by German native speakers, because in German it is perfectly fine to say "Eigene Fehler ...".)


texts: What's the term for the inner perimeter of something?

texts:
Say I have a building with a sidewalk on its outside. To walk it I might say something like:

  "I'm going to walk the perimeter of the building."

Now say I want to walk around the perimeter of the building again, but this time I'll be inside the building. How would I express the notion of "inner perimeter" succinctly? Is there a single word to describe it?


texts:
I have a question about the following paragraph from this article:

  We’ve compressed the grand scale of the March on Washington—which took place on August 28, 1963, fifty years ago this coming Wednesday—into succinct quotes, a vine of grainy footage of Martin Luther King, Jr., at the crowded dais, and a dream metaphor whose ubiquity is matched only by its anodyne appeal.

I don't understand "matched only by" as used in this sentence.
It means to be on the same level... but it doesn't make sense here.

Thank you in advance.


texts: Is the word "epic" being used correctly these days?

texts:
You know what I mean. The word "epic" has been overused for quite some time now.
I was recently referred to Wiktionary as a trusted source, and I see this example in use:

(colloquial) Extending beyond the usual or ordinary; extraordinary, momentous, great.
The after-prom party was epic.

I can't help but think that this was written by someone who is personally guilty of abusing the word themselves. I see this definition on Dictionary.com:

heroic; majestic; impressively great: the epic events of the war.

Is it fair to say that the word's meaning is being very much stretched in the first example, and in the way you would commonly hear it lately? (That pizza was epic!, I had an epic hangover.)
I would love to tell people as a matter of fact that the word doesn't mean what they think it means due to my personal annoyance with its overuse, but I don't know if I have a leg to stand on.
Has this usage always been technically correct? How about appropriate? If I am mistaken, I will forever hold my peace.


texts:
Recently I read about a sentence on a test.

  "Men suffering anxiety are twice as likely to get cancer."

I wonder if I can also use 'twice more likely' in the sentence. If not, please tell me why 'twice more likely' is grammatically incorrect.


texts: Can a singular noun be used to represent a category of things in a sentence subject?

texts:
Specifically, in following sentences, which ones are correct?

Elephants are huge.
The elephant is huge.
An elephant is huge.
Elephant is huge.

I think 1 and 2 above are correct, but how about 3 and 4?

Can we refer to a specific kind of objects/things in life using a singular noun? Can use sentences like "Car is ..." or " University has ..." ?

Thank you.


texts:
I wrote a sentence, but I have my doubts that the punctuation in it is wrong. Please help me fix it.

Here's the sentence:

  "First, comment, then see what others commented."

Explain what's wrong and if it's correct, please explain that as well.


texts: Young native-speaking males emphasizing deep voices

texts:
Recently a possibly new speech pattern has come to my attention and I am wondering whether it is genuine or whether I am mistaken. It is young, male native speakers emphasizing a deep, "rough" voice.

I've heard e.g. Americans and Australians do this, it can sound quite a bit forced and not genuinely "hulkish" (like when the natural voice may be higher), and sometimes even perplexing (such as in this recording, where an ex-soldier with PTSD reports how a drug used in his therapy makes him feel "like being hugged by everyone who loves you while lying in a bathtub full of puppies licking your face"; I call this perplexing because to me there is an odd mismatch between that voice and the message.)

My question is this: has this been observed before, i.e. are many young, male native speakers indeed laying on distinctive deep voices, or have I perhaps just encountered some random, unrelated cases?


texts: Identify individual months within quarters

texts:
To identify months in 2-months-intervals one can use "odd months" and "even months".

How would one most concisely identify individual months within quarters (other than the obvious "every second month within each quarter", referring to February, May, August, November)?


texts: What is better terminology for the phrase 'Accelerate success'?

texts: What is the correct  terminology for a person or group to 'accelerate the success' for an entire organization?


texts: Does it sound odd to say "I'll go to bed" instead of "I'm gonna go to bed"?

texts:
I just know that "I'll go to bed" sounds unnatural but can't tell why.
Though, I believe I can use this sentence if I have things to do very early in the morning and think that it would be o good idea to go to bed now to get enough sleep.

But outside any context, does it sound odd to form such a sentence if I've decided to go to bed right at the time of speaking?

I really find it hard to explain the difference between "will" and "going to" at times.


texts:
Does 'play on the computer' sound natural? For example, in a sentence like "Kids play on the computer too much these days ignoring other ways of having fun".

I know that I can just say 'computer games' or 'video games', but I'm interested in that word combination precisely.


texts: Should LOL be LA? "Aloud" and "Out loud", a history

texts:
Is out loud a corruption of aloud or did it develop independently?

(This question is not actually about LOL; it is simply about aloud and outloud.)

Out loud is a much newer formation than aloud and out sounds enough like a- that I could believe speakers mistakenly heard the one for the other. The preposition out, though, also makes sense (though maybe I only think so because I am used to it). That it makes sense, though, is not necessarily an argument against the corruption case.

Aloud first appeared in the 1300s according to the OED.[1] Out loud didn't appear until the mid-19th century.[2]

Google Ngrams gives a picture of how out loud has grown in popularity over the past hundred years, though never surpassing aloud.

[ 3 ]

Side comment, not the question at hand:
Interestingly the use of aloud declined in the 20th century faster than the use of out loud increased. Was another synonym more frequently used? Was there some reason speakers were less inclined to define whether a remark was silent or aloud?


texts:
It is a question that follows up on the one posted today:

  "My hometown is a good place to live in."

  "My hometown is a good place to live."

"Live" is usually used as an intransitive verb when it means:

  [no object, with adverbial] Make one’s home in a particular place or
  with a particular person: ‘I’ve lived in the East End all my life’

[Oxford Online Dictionary]

If you rephrase the example in the dictionary to:

  It's the East End" that (it is a relative pronoun) I lived in all of my life.
    It's the East End in  which I lived all of my life.
    It's the East End which I lived in all of my life.

Unless you are using "where or that" as a relative adverb, you should not omit "in" in the abvoe sentences:

  It's the East End where (or that) I lived all of my life.

Questions:

As @chasly from UK's link (in the previous question) shows, there are many usages dropping "in" after "to live" and could you explain the reason why in terms of grammar and connotation?
If you think it is all right to drop "in" after "to-infinitive/to live", what do you think about dropping it after "a relative pronoun"? Can we drop "in" in the above three rephrased sentences?


texts: What is the most pejorative phrase we can come up with for soccer foul fakers?

texts:
You know the ones: association football player flailing on the ground in world-class screaming agony; yet the TV replay shows he was not even touched – and it's an Oscar performance bid.  60 seconds later he's up and running full speed and as effective as ever.

What is a phrase that captures the magnitude of the shamelessness and pathetic nature of this phenomenon?

Is there a phrase you know of that stands out as perfectly descriptive of this?

“Chutzpah” comes to mind.


texts:
What verb represents acting with optimism, enthusiasm and vitality?
As in an admonition, "Go forth and ______."  "A leader must be seen to _______." Perhaps it is a word similar to vivify, vitalize, strive, thrive, prosper or inspire.


texts:
I know it's no longer used much, having been replaced by the more clinical "cleft lip".

The spelling makes me suspect it's named for the animal, as rabbits have a similar feature on their faces, but couldn't find any decent evidence thereof.


texts: In dingdong  , "dong" is the subscript but what is the name for "ding"? Base perhaps!


texts: "And you?" or "And yourself?" as response to "How are you?"

texts:
If someone asks "How are you?", which of the following is grammatically correct?

"I am well, thank you. And you?" or "I am well thank you. And yourself?"

'Yourself' sounds more formal, and is used frequently in everyday language (at least in my surroundings).  However, I've been doing a little bit of investigation into the use of my vs myself and you vs yourself and it seems that it is only used reflexively to reflect back to 'you' or 'me' as the subject.  E.g., you hurt yourself.  In the case of "and you/yourself?", you/yourself is being used as the subject, in which case it would seem that the correct version would be "And you?".

Any clarification on this would be great!


texts:
I'm a guy and I change my appearance to look like my female counterpart just so that I can physically see someone that could understand and relate with me even from just the mirror. I would wear feminine clothes if I could, but I wouldn't want to wear them always, neither am I gay. I'd probably wear them, look at the mirror then take 'em off afterwards.

What am I called?


texts: Are there any rules for missing words in English questions or affirmative statements?

texts:
In some sentences we don't use some words:

For example:

Instead of:  "Do you want a ride?"

We say:      "Want a ride?"
Instead of:  "I'm just coming. Hang on!"

We say:      "Just coming. Hang on!"

Is there any rule for how we can make them short?


texts: "light at the end of the tunnel" earliest occurence

texts:
I could ask this question on German.SE and probably a number of different indoeuropean SE sites as well, but here's my question:

When looking at various online resources the metaphor "to see light at the end of the tunnel" is dated around 1800. For example, here, from user d_r_siva on Yahoo! Answers:

  This metaphoric expression dates from the 1800s, but became widespread only in the mid-1900s.

However I recently came across the painting Visionen vom Jenseits (Ascent of the Blessed?) by Hieronymus Bosch:

This painting dates from from the 15th century, and one can clearly see a tunnel to paradise or the beyond or next world.

Since when does the metaphor exist and where does it come from?


texts:
Is there one word for a harmful idea/plan? (All that comes to my mind is evil/wicked idea, but it's two words, and anyway it's actually a synonym for brilliant/cunning idea.)

The whole idea to slander John was... blah, blah...

Thank you guys. Plot, scheme, and intrigue will do. Scam is fine as well, only a bit too informal for the context I need.


texts: Is there any difference is placing a question mark before the exclamation mark and placing a question mark after the exclamation mark? More like... the speaker is astonished more or confused more?


texts:
Is there a word to describe when you use an idiom to describe reality ?

Examples : Raining cats and dogs and it is actually raining cats and dogs, Boxed in and you are actually surrounded by boxes.


texts:
Can I use about and for interchangeably? If not, when should I use either? Which is more common?

  I'm sorry for/about yesterday.
  I'm sorry for/about my bad English.
  I'm sorry for/about that.


texts: I found this expression: to put on the thinking cap, What does it mean and how to use?


texts: To specify an object while using the phrasal verb "put on"

texts:
When the object is obvious, do you usually cut it out?
Examples:

Put your glasses on (your face).

Put your shoes on (your feet).

Put your watch on (around your wrist).


texts:
"Please, put the books over there"
"Do circuits run back there?"
"Let's get away from there"
"Sam sold his computer to my friend from there"
I am confuse on classify the word "there". Sometimes it sounds like an adverb, sometimes it seems to be a pronoun. How can i distinguish?
The problem is: I think "there" replaces a noun phrase. For exemple, in the 4th sentence. I could replace "there" by "Londres". Is it a pronoun?
In the 1st and 2nd sentences... Are "back" and "over" adverbs or prepositions?


texts: Comma rules for sentence adverb placed in the middle of the sentence

texts:
Why writer has not used comma before or to join these two independent clauses.
"Had anyone actually told her that or had she merely assumed it?"


texts:
In this question, the OP wrote this:

She must leave early, mustn't she?

But I read this sentence here:

You must go, needn't you?

I read about must have here, but it doesn't say explain a lot about must as present modal. I only found this sentence:

He must use the lift, mustn't he?

Which one is correct here?
Also, these are confusing me too:

You must be tired, ____?
That guy must be rich, ____?
You must visit me every day, ____?
You don't seem to be a happy couple. You guys must fight a lot, _____?

According to what I can understand, the word must has several forms of tag questions.
I have googled and read some references, but the explanations seem to be overlapping.


texts: What is the adjective for this kind of presentation of data?

texts:
For example, one can state

  Jane is a student. She is 20 years old. Jane likes swimming and reading. Jane's closest friends are Carmen, Mia and Alison.

Otherwise, this can be stated as

  Name: Jane

  Occupation: Student

  Age: 20

  Hobbies: Swimming; Reading

  Friends: Carmen; Mia; Alison

How I can correctly describe this second method with an adjective?


texts: How to describe something that on one level is ironic but on a deeper level is actually extremely apt?

texts:
For example, I was reading a book on my Kindle last night when this happened:

Of course, counterproductive does not mean "not helpful" but rather "having the opposite of the desired effect" [SOED].  However, in giving this definition, they themselves are being counterproductive by misleading people.

In their attempt to define counterproductive, they both fail miserably and succeed amazingly.

So, this is some "Inception-level" irony:

1st level) Incorrect definition given by an app feature called “Word Wise”.

2nd level) The act of misdefining the term actually defines it quite well through example.

All I know is that my head is spinning and hope someone on this forum could help cure my dizziness.

Is there a word or phrase to describe this phenomenon?


texts: Words or expressions describing really bad modern music

texts:
I need some words, or expressions describing tuneless, jarring, thumping, off-key music. The best word I know is cacophony. Are there better words, are there words describing the worst of specific genres?
The word describes some really bad music blaring at a bar in a scene of my novel. The music can be of any genre, but the bar is a student bar in the typical American small university town.


texts: "Neither Billy nor Suzy look" vs. "neither Billy nor Suzy looks"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
“Neither is” or “neither are”

Say you take a photo of Billy and Suzy, but they both end up looking funny. Would you say

Neither Billy nor Suzy look like themselves?
Neither Billy nor Suzy look/looks like themselves/himself/herself?

I'm confused because usually with singular subjects, I would use a singular verb, saying "Neither Billy nor Suzy is coming to the party," but this sounds off when I refer to the subjects with a pronoun later in the sentence.


texts: Is it ever correct to write "doorlight" as one word?

texts:
Would it be proper to write "doorlight" without a space? If so, how is it different from "door light" in terms of its definition and usage?

I've mostly seen "doorlight" written to describe light coming through a doorway. I want to spark the mental image of that type of light when someone sees the word(s). Visually, I find doorlight more appealing but I don't think it's correct.

There is no entry for "doorlight" in any of the dictionaries indexed by OneLook Dictionary search.


texts: How did “dial back” come to mean “to reduce pressure on sth”

texts:
In a recent article from CNBC, they say: ”Trump will dial back his trade pressure if markets tank.”

Dial back/down is defined by Longman Dictionary as an AmE phrasal verb meaning:

  to reduce something or make it less extreme.

Etymonline doesn’t mention the meaning of dial back/down, while The Grammarphobia, in an interesting piece on the evolution of the meaning  of “dial”, cites:

  (“Dial down” showed up in its literal sense in 1935, and figuratively in 1988, according to citations in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

It is not clear what “literal sense” referred to,  anyway I’d like to know how the figurative sense of “reduce pressure on something” evolved out of dial adding  back or down.


texts: How should lists of questions be punctuated?

texts:
If one wishes to pose a series of questions in the form of a list, how would one go about punctuating that list?

For example:

I write to a colleague asking for an update on a project he is working on. I phrase my request like so:

  Dear xxx,

  How are you doing with regard to:
    - Sourcing the moose hair
   - Reticulating the splines
   - Extolling the virtues of silk underwear
   - Estimating the project completion time

In this case, should question marks be placed after each bulleted item? Or should one only be placed after the last item? If this is the case, should semi colons be placed after each item?

E.g.

  Extolling the virtues of silk underwear?
  Estimating the project completion time?

or

  Extolling the virtues of silk underwear;
  Estimating the project completion time?


texts:
I am going to share some words of God irregularly on my Facebook page. So I want to give a name for this series of posts. A friend gives me a title: God's Word for Today.

Because I am not a native English speaker, I don’t know if this title can express my intention.
What does “God's Word for Today” mean to a native speaker?


texts: Pragmatics and subtle differences in meaning 'good' vs 'all-right', 'ok' etc

texts:
I've heard and noticed that the word 'good', when used in conversation, has connotations that may not be obvious to an L2 user.
'Good' can be taken to mean, that the person using it is hierarchically superior to the one this is said to. That is, while 'good' is approval, it somehow also says that the person saying it is the boss of the situation. Vs 'all right', 'ok', 'sure' etc. In some other languages, 'good' simply means that it's 'all right' or 'cool', and differences in nuance can be difficult to get in second language.
Example

A: I finished the task I told you about.
B: Good (Thanks for doing your job. Now that your task is done, we can move on. I'll tell you what to do next.)
A: (Why on earth would you be bossy about it - we're equals!)

Vs

A: I finished the task I told you about.
B: Great/Nice!/Cool
A: (Cool thing, let's keep working on this.)

Is this so, and are there any authoritative references to point to on this? Is there some general reference on these hidden meanings of common conversational words?
I found one source in this same forum, but 'good' was not addressed: Difference in usage of "all right", "ok", "very well"


texts: Can anyone break down this sentence into more modern terms?

texts:
A sentence from this letter from Paul Morphy to Fiske confuses me.

  It is, to be sure, a most exhilarating sport, but it is only a sport; and it is not to be wondered at that such as have been passionately addicted to the charming pastime should one day ask themselves whether sober reason does not advise its utter dereliction.

I understand the rest of the letter, but that bolded part completely melted my brain, particularly the bit between 'such as' and 'have been'. I feel like there's a missing noun there.


texts: Looking for a word to symbolize readiness for battle

texts:
Specifically, I’m looking for a word that would imply readiness, if not giddiness, for a battle, fight, or war. In this particular instance, this person has the odds against them but is absolutely ready, with a smile on their face and determination in their eyes.

Example:

  I looked over and – just from a brief glance – knew that he was ________________.


texts:
What would be an antonym for endorsement?  E.g.

  His poor performance and results served as an (anti-endorsement) of his technical method.


texts: "when I clicked on video file nothing has happened"

texts:
when I clicked on video file nothing
  has happened.

Is that correct?


texts: How to phrase "contained within earth" without being obvious about the earth's center

texts:
Perhaps this question is a bit specific, but I'm trying to make a pub quiz right now, where one of the questions I want to ask is what the most common liquid present in earth is, without it being obvious that I'm talking about the liquid core of the Earth.

I was thinking of phrasing the question like this:

  What is the most common liquid found in our planet, other than water?

but that already puts too much emphasis on the word "in". If I'd replace it with "on our planet", it'd be technically incorrect, as the earth's core is absolutely not above the Earth's crust.


texts: Using "there're" to abbreviate "there are"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is “there're” (similar to “there's”) a correct contraction?

Since using there's for a plural object would be incorrect, would it be possible to use there're to abbreviate there are?

e.g.

  I've been told there're many different ways to solve this problem.


texts:
Example:

  What was worse: doubt or the uncomfortable
  truth? I was delving into this/these boredom-triggered [...] when my phone rang.

I thought of dilemma but I think it's kind of a different thing. More like a problem.

What's a better alternative?


texts: Why do we sometimes use "when" instead of "if"?

texts:
Which sentence is correct ?
1) When there are no clouds, then there is no possibility to rain.
2) If there are no clouds, then there is no possibility to rain.
Do these sentences have a difference in their meaning at all ?
thanks in advandace


texts:
Is there a convention for indicating the year of a monetary amount?

Because of inflation citing a monetary sum is rather useless without specifying the year: $20 in 1900 is very different than $20 in 2000.

Is there a standard way to indicate years?

I would expect one of the following, but I haven't found anything to back one up

$20 (2000) but this could be confusing in disciplines that use years when citing sources.
2000$20 or 20 2000$ after currency conventions like US$, but these could easily confuse the reader into thinking 2000 is a sum, not a year.
$20 (in 2000 dollars) is perhaps more clear, but is a bit redundant with the two mentions of dollar, and still isn't that clear because it could be interpreted as some kind of fraction ($20 per $2000).

This may be especially useful for charts when indicating axis units.


texts: What is a person (not a company) who provides a service called?

texts:
I need the correct English word for someone who provides a service.

The word "service provider" seems obvious but it is not correct. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a service provider should be defined as an ISP. According to Wikipedia, a service provider is not a person but a company.

There should be a word for a person who provides a service (such as cleaning your house, fixing your car, teaching you a new language, taking care of your pets, etc.) which is the context where I need this word. A sample sentence:

  If two persons (working for the same company) provide a service for me at home, then there are two ______.


texts:
I'm Italian so I don't know English very well.

While listening to Bob Dylan songs I've heard some strange use of progressive tense (is that the correct term?), the title of this question is one example. Why "the times are a-changing" and not "the times are changing"? I heard other examples (always in Bob's songs), but now I cannot find any.

Is this some sort of ancient English? Slang? Metric trick?


texts: Recently Oxford Dictionaries named the Tears of Joy emoticon as word of the year. What is the difference between a symbol and a word?


texts: Why is "implementational" not listed in dictionaries

texts:
I just noticed that the word implementational is not listed in any of the major online dictionaries (such as Oxford or Merriam-Webster). Why is this word not listed and is it thus bad practice to use this word for e.g. scientific papers? Google shows over 120,000 hits, many of those in scientific publications.

Here is a book chapter that uses this word extensively.


texts:
I received mail from my colleague. He wrote,

  Please be reminding that...

I am confused about this. I think it should be more passive, like this,

  Please be reminded that...

Which is correct?


texts: Meaning difference when a word can be both a Noun and an Adjective

texts:
Does the meaning of "unknown" change depending on whether it is used as a noun or an adjective?

  The cause is still unknown.
  The cause is still an unknown.

Although "unknown" is used as an example, I want to know in general how will people choose the noun form or adjective form

More example:

You are pretty
You are a pretty


texts: When labeling people in a picture, should I label them as they were or as they are at present?

texts:
Let's say I am labeling a picture of me, my wife and my stepson, but the picture is of an occasion before we got married.
Is it misleading to label the picture: "me, my wife and my stepson" which is true now, but was not true at the time the picture was taken?
Edit:  Let's say in the context of a picture album that subsequently included our wedding pictures?


texts: A common term for a kitchen that is used for training purposes

texts:
I am surprised to be facing a problem finding an established term for a kitchen that is used for education and training purposes.
In German we have the very common term Lehrküche (teaching kitchen). This means a kitchen in e.g. an adult education centre or in a regular school where people can learn cooking, etc.
I checked in various resources and dictionaries. Stunningly, my large printed German-English dictionaries simply do not have the word.
In "Linguee" (a database of translated texts) I find all kind of expressions used, e.g.

demonstrational kitchen
teaching kitchen
instructional kitchen

or sometimes even

Lehrküche

(yes, the German word; obviously I am not the only person missing an English word). I get the impression that everybody just invents a word for Lehrküche because there is no established expression in dictionaries...
Question: What would be the most "normal", common term for such a facility in British and American English?
Note: demonstrational kitchen seems the least appropriate for me, as the idea is not the students getting something demonstrated, rather they will practice there, i.e. doing things on their own.


texts: "On a lighter note": what is the meaning of this and how to use it?

texts:
If I say:

  Wow! Diwali party, that sounds great; on the lighter note, who is sponsoring it?

Am I correct in using "on the lighter note"? I am using it as saying something funny/witty.
Please let me know, if it is wrong, the correct usage of it.


texts: Can you respect a belief you don't agree with, and that you find morally reprehensible?

texts:
In in a debate with theist three words kept plaguing the conversation,

Respect
Agree
Understand

We were both satisfied with the communication using agree, and understand,

  I understand what is happening, and the reasons for it but I don't agree with it.

But, when respect was introduced all things went ape shit,

  I understand what is happening, and the reasons for it but I don't respect it.

How does respect relate to agreement and understanding? And, when speaking of moral matters can you ever respect something you find morally reprehensible?

Specifically, the context of this was

  Theologically, I can understand why Mormons deny Baptism to children of gay parents. But, even if homosexuality was a choice, I can neither agree with nor respect the notion of burdening a child because of the sins of a parents' choice.

The person I was talking to thought not respecting a religious tenant was wrong, and I can't figure out what kind of definition of "respect" you'd have to employ to make sense of that kind of statement.


texts:
I have a question regarding the use of -ing in conditionals. Is it possible to use these. Most sources I found say you should use the simple form in, for instance, the first conditional. Can I make conditionals with -ing? And does it matter if the -ing is in the if clause or the main clause?

For instance, are the following sentences grammatically correct?

If they are lying, they'll be punished.
If I'm meeting them, I'll let you know.
If you were meeting them today, you would have gotten to know them better.
If I had been talking with him, I would have told him.


texts:
"Quiet! We eat when I say we eat!"
"OK, we wait for your say-so."

  Why can we omit the first "will" in sentences such as:

"We will eat when I say so!"
"We will eat, when I say 'we eat'!"
"We will eat when I say we will eat!"
?

What do we call this?
Does it change the meaning?
Are both correct?
Are there examples in which one can be used, while the other cannot?

I search and see several examples of this in books and movie quotes.


texts: How is possible to use participles gramatically after verbs such as "want" or "would like"?

texts:
I see the uses of them in the following sentences in some articles:

What are the questions you want answered before you die?
Do you have any questions that you would like answered?


texts: Word/phrase that can be used to say that a particular word doesn't describe something

texts:
John says he's swimming, when he is treading water.

By definition, swimming involves voluntary movement of the body.

What word or phrase can we use to tell John that he can't be swimming because he's not moving himself?


texts:
What synonyms are there for "curate", as in (to quote here) to

select, organize, and present (suitable content, typically for online or computational use), using professional or expert knowledge

I'm from the UK – I just passed a sentence under the eyes of a US friend who said it didn't sound quite right. The best alternative we could come up with was "pick and choose".
I'm wording a press statement, so I'd like something succinct. The contexts are

Blah today introduced Blah, a revolutionary experience on the Apple® iPad that curates the best ... for the user.
Blah learns what you like, and curates streams of it for you


texts: Trying to remember a synonym for a "fixed smile"

texts: I remember reading this word in the writings of Anthony Burgess. I think it began with an 'r' and could also be used in a medical context when describing facial paralysis. Can anyone help me out?


texts: Relating more than two entities with phrase similar “different sides of the same coin”?

texts:
For example:

  A, B and C are different sides of the same coin.

Would sound odd since a coin only has two sides. Is there a better phrase for such situations?


texts: I don't understand the explanation to the answer of this practice composition question. Can someone advise

texts:
Explanation: "Each" is a singular subject. The possessive noun "pageant's" as well as the following pronoun should also be singular.

Question:("All of this requires hard work, determination, and taking the time to research each beauty pageants rules as well as their history.") should be rewritten as follows:

Answer: All of this requires hard work, determination, and taking the time to research each beauty pageant's rules as well as its history.

It makes sense now, however i'm still perplexed. How would I have known to locate "each"  and not "pageant's" as the sentence's subject?


texts:
Some people did me a big favour. What should I ask them after their help?

I have tried to ask directly, using the following sentences:

  What would you like me to do to pay back what I owe you?
  What would you like me to do to make it up for you?

I can only think of two of such ways to ask them; I am not sure if I am rude to do that, but in my culture it seems alright.


texts:
According to the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL) by Geoffrey. K. Pullum and Rodney Huddlestone, there are four different uses of the present perfect tense: the continuative, the experimental (or existential) perfect, the resultative perfect, and the perfect of recent past. (2002 :143-145)

Not so long ago, I came across a grammar book, in which the present perfect tense was explained differently. It states that – "when we can not make a present tense sentence with a similar meaning, we do not normally use the present perfect (even if we are giving " news ").

My question is – why cannot we use the present perfect tense, to be more precise, the perfect of recent past when we are giving "news"? For example:

  Granny hit me!

Instead, why can't we say:

  Granny has hit me!

Especially if the impact of the hit is visible on the body? Can we remember this as a rule of thumb? Does it sound okay to you?


texts: From Latin prefixes and suffixes and its usage, does "absolute" denote "freedom" or "away from freedom"?

texts:
First of all, I would like to apologize for my title's awkward formulation. English is not my mother-tongue.
I am looking at the word "absolute", which, according to Dictionary.com, has the definition

(4) free from restriction or limitation; not limited in any way: absolute command; absolute freedom.
(5) unrestrained or unlimited by a constitution, counterbalancing group, etc., in the exercise of governmental power, especially when arbitrary or despotic: an absolute monarch.

and

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English  < Latin absolūtus  free, unrestricted, unconditioned (past participle of absolvere  to absolve), equivalent to ab- ab- + solū-  loosen + -tus  past participle suffix

I understand that the Latin prefix abs- means "away from" or "opposite to". However, when abs- is combined with solū, or "loosen", the meaning seems to become "away from being loose" or "restricted" -- the opposite of being free.
I also understand that words like absolutism or absolute power imply the object has ultimate  freedom to rule even though its subjects are restrained, but then, say, if we describe the "law of conservation of energy" as an absolute principle of physics, then there is neither freedom for interpretation nor an "absolute ruler" who possess the "freedom" to legislate. (After all, it is commonly regarded as the universal truth and none "arbitrarily made up" the law.)
Then where does the freedom in "absolute" go, since there is no recipient to the freedom and everyone else is subject to the restriction? I am still confused about whether absolute conveys freedom or its opposite.


texts: Can "earlier this year" be used with past progressive?

texts:
I am struggling with the correct tense for the following sentence:

  Some of you might know me already as I was interning for six months at this company earlier this year.

Since "earlier this year" refers to a specific point in the past, past tense comes to mind. However, "for six months" indicates a longer-lasting activity, requiring the progressive form of the past tense. Is my train of thought correct or do I need to use another tense for this sentence?


texts: What are the differences between "mimic" and "copy"?

texts: I found this thread on wordreference.com in which it is claimed that "mimic" has frivolous connotations and "copy" has derogatory connotations.  Specifically I am wondering how this distinction may relate to interpretations of Wittgenstein.  If one can mimic another's gesture or expression, can one also copy it, and vice-versa?


texts: My professor told me famous can't be used with most, because famous is already superlative, just as brilliant or excellent is .  But I  wonder if his speaking is true. Hope some native speaker will help me !


texts: What is the correct term for the style of writing used on resumes that does not have a subject?

texts:
On resumes, I frequently see a style of writing like the following:

Acme Corp -- Contraption Designer
Designed systems for catching road runners. Coordinated with clients for delivery in remote locations. Collected statistics on system efficacy.

The writing here does not actually include a subject, instead the "I" is implied. This is similar to an imperative sentence but instead in the past tense.
I found one source that called this "first person implied", but the source does not seem to be very reputable.
Is there a term for this sort of writing? Are there any style guides for it?


texts:
My company has released a big upgrade to our flagship software.

There are 5 key features that would motivate the user to upgrade.

Is there an adjective that is commonly used to describe those features?

"Motivating?" "Big?" "Key?"


texts: By definition, can you believe in something that's not true?

texts:
Just wondering what people's thoughts are on this.

If something isn't true - can it be believed?


texts: Is ‘smart alec (aleck)’ a gender-neutral noun?

texts:
I happened to find the origin of the word, ‘smart alec (aleck / alick)’ as I was checking the spelling of the word in a dictionary.

Merriam Webster English Dictionary defines ‘smart alec (aleck / alick)’ as:

An obnoxiously conceited and self-assertive person with pretensions to smartness or cleverness.

And its origin as;

Aleck, nickname for Alexander

First Known Use: 1865.

Now that knowing ‘smart alec’ being a shortened form of ‘smart Alexander,’ I became a bit ill at ease, because I’ve used the word for both sex thus far without any reflection on its origin and gender.

Is there a female counterpart to smart alec? Is it alright to use ‘smart alec (aleck / alick)’ as usual for both a man and a woman?


texts: Should I use a singular or plural verb in ", which VERB/VERBs"?

texts:
I have the following sentence, and I have a question about it. I’m wondering if there’s something so simple that I’m just overlooking it or whether there is some super-sophisticated tenet of grammar that I’ve not ever learned before.

  Two other studies with follow-up times of five or six years revealed similar findings [104, 105], which suggests that physical activity can delay onset of dementia by elevation of the threshold to be exceeded before pathology is exhibited.

Question: I know that singular suggests is the right verb by the sound of it,  not plural suggest despite the two studies, but what is the technical reason?


texts: How should I understand these lines from As You Like It?

texts:
I am currently on my second reading of As You Like It. I am having a really hard time comprehending lines 22-25 in Act 1, scene 2. Here are those lines as they appear in the version I am reading (The Norton Shakespeare, 3rd edition):

"Marry, I prithee do--to make sport withal. But love no man in good earnest, nor no further in sport neither than with safety of a pure blush thou mayst in honor come off again."

This is Celia's response when Rosalind asks her what she thinks of "falling in love" (1.2.21).

I have attempted to paraphrase her response, but this is all that I can come up with:

"Oh, I hope you do--in spite of all [that is currently bothering you], enjoy yourself. However, don't be too serious about falling in love, no more in good fun than..."

The bit that comes after "good fun than" is just going way over my head. I think what is throwing me off the most is the "nor...neither than" construction. Also, I am not sure I understand the terms "Marry" and "withal" correctly. I would greatly appreciate responses that include a paraphrase of the lines in plain English. Thanks!


texts: what is the name of this parts of speech adjective + preposition

texts:
what is the name of this parts of speech? Adjective + preposition
and how can we use "availabvle of"


texts:
What kind of starting pay do you have in mind?

I've learned the above sentence today.

But I don't understand how 'what kind of' comes with 'starting pay'.

I think using 'how much' looks more natural like this.

  How much do you have in mind for the starting pay

Am I wrong?


texts: Word for telling about events of a movie/book etc

texts:
When someone reveals details about surprising events which will happen in a movie or book to someone who doesn't know about them, we nowadays say that's a 'spoiler.'
I'm looking for a verb for that, which is less colloquial and less awkward than 'to spoil.'
Ideally, it would be a transitive verb, so I'd like to be able to say 'He Xed Y,' where 'X' is the verb I'm looking for and 'Y' would be the thing that was revealed.


texts: Which expression is used to refer to the "most recent technologies"?

texts:
I need some expression to refer to "top technologies".

Google translator gives me the following expression: "Cutting-edge technology".

Is this expression standard English?

Please, help me to know the best expression for this situation.


texts: What word could I use for a person with similar interests?

texts:
I need to make the following sentence smaller using least words but having exact meaning.

  In Search of someone with same interests? If You're, Let's Chat

For that I was thinking to replace "with same interests" with a single word. I could use "someone similar", "someone common" or "someone alike". Could any of this word describe a person who has same interests? If no, then please suggest some more


texts: "Reduce the amount of water" vs. "reduce the water amount"

texts:
The first "sounds" better to me but I'm trying to figure out if there is a formal rule regarding which one is more proper in American English:

reduce the amount of water

reduce the water amount.


texts: Which one is correct? With a comma or without a comma

texts:
I was writing a sentence, and I later realized that this sentence might need punctuation. Which one would be the correct sentence: with a comma or without a comma

Below are the topics we will be covering on Day-1.
Below are the topics, we will be covering on Day-1.

I think a comma is required after "topics" because "Below are the topics" is a dependent clause and the next clause is independent.


texts: What does 'break down' mean in this sentence?

texts:
I wasn't able to find any suitable meaning for 'break down on' in any dictionary. From context I would say I should be 'relates to' or 'concerns', but that was not mentioned in any dictionary. Can anyone help me explain this?
Here is the text (it's from a podcast):

DUBNER: That is really the basis of his argument – which is that most smokers want to quit, but can’t, and to refuse to hire them is therefore discriminatory or at least unethical.
RYSSDAL: Does this break down on socioeconomic lines?  Is there a low-income, low-wage worker versus high-wage, high-income person thing?


texts: "Every interest and faith is..." vs. "Every interest and faith are..."

texts:
Please tell me which of the following options is correct:

  Option 1: It is also imperative to respect different beliefs, making sure every interest and faith is suitably represented at all times.

  Option 2: It is also imperative to respect different beliefs, making sure every interest and faith are suitably represented at all times.


texts: What's the pro and cons of using "though" at beginning and at the end of a sentence?

texts:
For example:

(1) They have been talking for months. Though there is still no deal.

(2) They have been talking for months. There is still no deal, though.

Are they equal? Or should one of them be preferred to another one?


texts: What is this type of unwarranted assumption called?

texts:
If Jim is taller than Susan, all tall people are named Jim.

In this condition the protasis has an apparent relationship with the apodosis, but regardless of whether protasis is true or false, it has no bearing on the validity of the apodosis.

I'm trying to find the term to describe this unwarranted assumption.

The following terms are close but don't quite fit:

false implication - A related, but assumed implication that is not necessarily true.
counterfactual condition - a condition where the protasis is presumed false (but may not actually be so) and the apodosis describes what would have been if the protasis were true.
false dichotomy - a apodosis that assumes only two possible options when more are possible.


texts: Charge payment "to", "on", or "against" a credit card/an account; charge a credit card/account/a person "with"an amount

texts:
Are all of these options acceptable and in current use to denote payment with a credit card?

E.g.

Please charge this amount on me/my credit card/my (credit card) account.

Please charge this amount to me/my credit card/my (credit card) account.

Please charge this amount against my credit card/my credit card details (or information).

Please charge me/my credit card/my (credit card) account with this amount.

And also:

"Thank you for providing us (with) your credit card and for authorizing us...

to charge it with a deposit;

Or

to charge a deposit (to it);

Or

to charge a deposit (on it);

Or

to charge a deposit (against it)."

Thank you.


texts: What is the best way of conveying respect to elders in English?

texts:
In Afrikaans, it is considered very disrespectful to use "you" ( "jy") when referring to someone who is above the level of a peer. Instead,  it is expected that you use "u", which is a very respectful form of "you". Also you can talk in the third person "How is ma'am today" would be the equivalent.

I cringe internally when I say "How are you" to someone older than me, because in Afrikaans it would be very rude. I was bought up to only ever refer to my parents in the third person. "how is mom today", "what is dad doing" when speaking in Afrikaans.  The lack of English equivalent feels very wrong and disrespectful.

What is the best way to convey this in English?  I have been reassured that saying "you" to a parent isn't rude, and I understand that this can be cultural, but I'm particularly looking for what options English offers in this regard, as far as existing vocabulary, that convey respect. I'm in South Africa.


texts: Is there a word for "environmental needs"?

texts:
I am looking for a word that refers to the environmental needs of a species for survival (think of climatic conditions, but not necessarily restricted to climate).

My native language is not English, so maybe I am missing some obvious terms.


texts: Is there a difference between 'mysterious' and 'perplexing' when used with regard to some unexplained phenomena?


texts:
I have been studying Raising and Controlling, but it seems quite hard to understand its function and uses.
I would like any of you to analyze this explanation and tell me whether I got it correct or not:

Subject-control verbs are verbs that take a to-infinitive phrase as its complement and its subject is the same who performed the main action, for example:

  The man tried [to run faster]

In the sentence above, the subject of the to-infinitive phrase is the same who performed the action of trying (The man).

Is it correct?


texts:
The context:

  Spearheaded by female reformers Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucy Stone, a national organization for a newly coined term “Women’s Suffrage” started to emerge, dubbed the NAWSA, standing for the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

Spearheaded by female reformers Susan B. Anthony,

Is there supposed to be a comma after reformers? I don't think so, but I am not sure.


texts: Is the word "bespoke" associated with Southern American English, kind of how "bonafied" is in my mind?

texts: Is bespoke associated with the American South, as "bonafied" (bona fide, properly) is to me?  When I hear the latter, it brings to mind aristocratic Southern gentlemen sipping mint juleps; when I hear the former, it brings to mind some Negro sharecropper telling his son, "we're gonna get you your first bespoke suit..."  I can't recall where these images come from, exactly....


texts: Is it "inactive contacts", or "deactivated contacts"? My teacher told me that using "inactive contacts" is incorrect, and I should use "deactivated contacts" instead for the contacts who don't seem to be active in BBM (Blackberry Messenger). But which one do you think sounds better?


texts:
"He turned off the lights in the kitchen."

I never see the singular "light" in these kinds of sentences even when referring to only one light bulb. Does this mean that "lights" can mean either singular or plural?


texts: Which of the following sentences are correct?

texts:
Can someone please tell me which of the following sentences are correct and which are the differences between them?

  Prove me wrong.
  Prove I'm wrong.
  Prove me I'm wrong.
  Prove me that I'm wrong.
  Prove to me I'm wrong.
  Prove to me that I'm wrong.


texts: Which usage is correct for the word Rebel?

texts:
Which is the correct version, Rebels Outpost or Rebel Outpost? Doesn't the "s" signify that its multiple rebels? And rebel meaning "To rebel"? Rebel could also be used as plural couldn't it, in third person context?
Used in a sentence. Become part of the Rebels Outpost team or Become part of the Rebel Outpost team.


texts: A word for treating all deviating instances in the same way

texts:
I want a word for when you apply the same treatment to any object that possesses some measurable quality, regardless of its measure.

For example, we work at a potato chip (crisp) plant and are tasked with inspecting the bags. If we find that some bags deviate from the expected weight too much, we throw them in the trash. I wrote

  A lot of chips are lost because we discard the deviant bags without scrutiny.

But we are scrutinizing the bags, we just aren't adapting our treatment of the bags according to their individual properties - for instance, if a bag weighs too much instead of too little, maybe it would be smarter to eat it for lunch or do whatever with it. But we're just throwing them in the trash, without _______.

  Or perhaps we are wondering what film to watch tonight. We apply the rule "only movies with a 90%+ rating on RT", ignoring the rest without ______.

Closer inspection? Doesn't really work for the same reason - we may be identifying the deviant bags/low-rated films after super close inspection. What's interesting is what we do after inspecting them.


texts: Is there a word that combines aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial?

texts: I know that something suitable to both land and water is called amphibious but I am looking for a word that describes something that is suitable to land, air, and water. I don't believe such an animal exists but I am still curious as to whether there is a word for it.


texts:
Because deer feed at the edges of forests, these deer will be attracted to the spaces alongside the new roads being cut through Pataska Forest to serve the new residential areas.

In this sentence, what 'cut through' what?

I just wanted to change 'being cut through' to 'cutting through'.


texts: Comma after introductory discourse marker

texts:
When beginning a sentence with "well", do you put a comma after it?

  Well, you know I was wrong.
  Well you know I was wrong.


texts: When to use "has lived" vs. "lived" vs. "had lived"

texts:
Jim has lived there.
Jim lived there.
Jim had lived there.

Are there any differences?
When do I use one or the other?
I'm trying to teach this to a foreign person and am having a hard time.


texts: Where does the accent used by the actor who plays Mazikeen in the Lucifer series belong to? I can tell it is American, but I don't know what region in there. Here is a scene from the series where she is talking: https://youtu.be/mq8t7IVF7IM?t=21


texts:
I need to use two words to distinguish between two types of events (or timeblocks in a timeline).

Some of them have a duration: e.g.: From 20:00 to 21:00 is a {word1}
Some of them have no duration: e.g.: The 3rd of March is a {word2}

Are there some English words that would express this difference?

I thought to use discrete event for word2, but it seems a bit clumsy. And what about word1 in that case?


texts:
As a Spanish translator, I struggle with MANY Spanish sentences that include a preposition followed by a list of numbered (e.g.) activities. The lists can be long or short. An example would be:

  The manual was redesigned to (i) include blah blah blah and (ii) exclude blah blah blah.

In the Spanish "to" is always followed by a colon, and as far as I can see other translators working for the same organization keep that colon in their translation. But shouldn't the colon be excluded after a preposition?

Also, would one include a comma between (i) and (ii) in the above sentence? I think not, but presumably if there were a (iii) then 2 Oxford commas would be appropriate?

Then, what if it were a much longer list, perhaps of even longer descriptions of activities? Would commas still be appropriate (assuming no commas in the list items)? Or should one switch to semicolons simply to make it clearer?

Thanks!

P.S. Here's another slightly more complex example:

  This feedback provided the foundation for conducting an in-depth review of the modules, in which: (i) entirely new modules were added, such as one relating to technical quality management; (ii) the legal framework, governance, and environment module was eliminated and its questions redistributed across the other modules; and (iii) questions and conditions were adjusted in each module.

And another:

  The purpose of this review was two-fold: (i) to make the questions clearer; and (ii) to ensure that all key project management functions are covered. (Semicolon, or comma?)


texts:
Splicing factors have oncogenic properties. However, their expression patterns and practical priority in gastric cancer and the difference of them between gastric cancer and colorectal cancers are unknown.

I'm not a native  speaker. In the sentence, the intended meaning of "them" is "their expression patterns and practical priority".
If I use them, is it odd? What word should I use. If I use those instead of them, it it right? Please let me know the word (one word, if possible) that could indicate "their expression patterns and practical priority"


texts: Do "I want to be unhappy" and "I don't want to be happy" mean the same thing?

texts:
I understand "I don't want to be happy" as that you don't CARE about being happy - not that you want to be unhappy.

If someone asked me "do you think that people are dumb?" and I said, "no," I mean that I don't care about it - not that I think the opposite: people are not dumb.

But I feel that people always understand it that way: as I mean the opposite.

It's like a "is it a boy or a girl?" - "yes" situation.
the question is (often?) asking for the gender of the baby, but it can be interpreted as asking if it's one of the two (boy or girl) and not like a reptile or something.

So, am I wrong? Is there a way to clarify this so there's no room for misinterpretation?

Thanks!


texts: What does "I'm trying to get a hold of Mrs Who?" mean?


texts:
There is a very productive suffix in English coming from Latin: '-or': doctor, actor, aviator, etc. meaning 'the person that does the thing'.

It is spelled '-or' but is pronounced to rhyme with the English Native spelling of the similar meaning '-er' or in IPA for American English as from the NURSE lexical set: /ər/ or /ɚ/ and in non-rhotic BrE /əː/.

Pretty much all words ending in '-tor' are pronounced this way.

/'dɑk təɹ/
/'æk təɹ/
/in 'ven təɹ/

Except for 'mentor'.

/'men ɔɹ/

It is pronounced with the 'NORTH' vowel: AmE /ɔɹ/ and BrE /oː/.

There doesn't seem to be any logical (similar history) or phonetic (rule based) reason for this. From an automated search of words, only 'guarantor', 'or', 'nor', and 'tor' had the same final syllable pronunciation, but none sharing the same stress pattern with 'mentor' (and the last three are not the suffix anyway). And 'inventor', which is very close except for the first syllable, does not share the last syllable.

Can anyone throw any light on this? Was 'mentor' imported or created special? Is it a 'spelling' or 'faux-highbrow' pronunciation like sometimes 'actor' or 'realtor' might be pronounced? Or is it just an anomaly as they happen sometimes?

Note: for pronunciation reference I used the CMU Pronouncing dictionary for automating the pronunciation search and facilitating making general categorical statements like 'There are no other words like...' . It has only one pronunciation for each word (i.e. no variants), and only AmE (so I'm unsure about some of the BrE versions).


texts: A single word for labelling someone a disbeliever in a particular religion despite them adhering to it

texts: Can anybody provide a single word for labelling someone a disbeliever in a particular religion despite them adhering to that religion?


texts: Expression for the connection between RNA strands

texts:
I'm searching for proper expressions that mean connection of RNA strands.
Up to this time I came with strands connection, strands conjunction, and strands ligation.

Are my expressions proper, or do you know other expressions?


texts: Does one use spacing before and after a / slash in a sentence?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Should I write “comma/period” or “comma / period”?

I'm trying to figure out what the correct spacing is for using a slash in a sentence.

For example the question: "How do you deal with characters leveling up too quickly for the module, due to side-quests/random encounters?"

Does one put a space before and after the slash>?

"word / word"

Or do you not put any spaces?

"word/word"

Or is the answer something else?


texts: Meaning of "It flaming spread" in a Tolkien poem

texts:
Tolkien wrote a poem called “Over the misty mountains cold”, which is featured as a song in the first Hobbit movie. In this poem there are those verses that made me scratch my head:

  The pines were roaring on the height,
  The wind was moaning in the night.
  The fire was red, it flaming spread,
  The trees like torches blazed with light.

I don’t understand what “it flaming spread” means. To me it looks like a mistake and should be “its flaming spread”, referring to the fire. But it doesn’t seem like it bothers native English speakers, so there’s probably something I don't get.

Any hint?


texts: Hyphenation of "-goer" as a suffix (conflicting suggestions)

texts:
“-goer” is labelled as a suffix by the Cambridge dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/goer) (UK and US English). In particular, the example it uses is “moviegoer”.

Merriam-Webster doesn’t return a result for “-goer” – instead, the query returns with the verb “go”.

Google Dictionary (yes, I know – not to best source), says both forms (hyphenated and unhyphenated) are correct. For instance:

churchgoer or church-goer
moviegoer or movie-goer

I can’t find any explanation, apart from an unanswered forum post, on the Chicago Manual of Style website regarding this question. I found a tweet by the AP Style Book (struggling to find the link) that says no hyphen should be used with “-goer”.

What makes it more confusing is that certain “-goer” compounds (unhyphenated) in MS Word are marked as spelling mistakes when others are not.

What is considered best practice when you’re trying to construct a “-goer” compound when the noun is not usually used with such a construction? For instance:

seagoer / sea-goer (unhyphenated is incorrect in MS Word)
restaurantgoer / restaurant-goer (unhyphenated is incorrect in MS
Word)

Additionally, is it correct in any situation to write “goer” without a hyphen (for example, “theater goer”)?


texts: Is there a generic term for words "subscription" and "account"?

texts:
Is there a general term designating both "account" and "subscription"? Is that "contract item"?

Context example: in AWS, you can have "accounts" and "master account". In Azure, you have an account with subscriptions.


texts: Lecture/presentation/event: “conduct" vs. “carry out” vs. “hold”

texts:
When talking about a lecture, presentation, or event, what verb should be used?

As far as I understand, any of conduct, carry out, or hold are possible here. What’s the difference, and which of them (if any) is the best option?

I’m particularly interested in something like this:

  Professor A is going to [INSERT VERB] a lecture about B next Thursday, February 14th.


texts: On the expression "some... and not others"

texts:
I want to ask a simple question.

One often uses some and and not others or but not others together. For instance:

  (1) Why does cancer attack some tissues but not others?
  (2) Why do interventions work in some places and not others?

Is and not others or but not others put after some just to emphasize the noun after some?


texts: How do I express "hope you become less busy"

texts: I have a friend who works at law firm. I suggested to him to have dinner with my family this weekend but he told me that he just got staffed on an new thing that will have him working through the weekend. I want to tell him that I hope deal he is working on closes soon so that he will become less busy (less assigned work to do). What would be the common expression to use?


texts: Word/phrase for "staring at two things alternately"

texts:
Example:

  When Liza and Josh told me their crazy plan, I did nothing; just
  [...].

I thought about glance, but I think glancing is more like looking briefly, rather than staring in bewilderment.


texts:
Peace treaties concluded after cessation of hostilities were usually considered to be valid because of preceding warfare.

preceding means "come before (something) in time"
warfare means "engagement in or the activities involved in war or conflict."
what is combination of these words?


texts: "Goumin, a pet-services portal, says China has 73.5m cat- or dog-owners, a group approaching the size of the 90m-strong Communist Party." What does "90m-strong" mean here? Thanks.


texts: What does the expression "body shop" mean?

texts: I recently encountered the expression "the man in the body shop", and I have absolutely no idea what it means. All help is welcome.


texts: Natural tendency that adults have to take care of their small ones

texts: I'm looking for a word or expression, either everyday or scientific, for the natural tendency that adults (people or animals) have to take care of their small ones.


texts: What is a verb to the noun "shortage" or the adjective "scarce"?

texts: Is there any verb to use that means "to create a shortage" or "to make scarce". Scarcify? Shorten? They sound weird and I would be surprised if there was not a word for this. Was unable to find anything until now.


texts:
Some languages, such as Sinhala, have a three-way split for demonstratives: close, distant within sight, distant out of sight.

We generally have a two-way split: close (this, these), distant (that, those).

We also have the rarely used word yonder meaning "distant but within sight". Is there a single word or an idiomatic phrase that means "distant and out of sight"? I found hinter as in hinterland, but that doesn't seem to be an independent word in English.


texts: Why do I need "a" in "a mere 5 percent"?

texts:
Examples (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mere)

Sixty per cent of teachers are women, but a mere 5 percent of women are heads and deputies.
Tickets are a mere £7.50 at the door.
Its online business increased sales by a mere 1 per cent.

Question

Why do I need "a" because I think "percent" is uncountable?


texts:
Can I say part data instead of splitting data?

"To keep tracking of this, part data, checking incoming packets, generating header, etc, many mechanisms are available to facilitate the communication between the client and server."

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=part+data%2C+split+data&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cpart%20data%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Csplit%20data%3B%2Cc0


texts:
Let me preface this by saying that I am trying to come up with an interesting-sounding name for gamedev purposes. I'm looking for a potentially imaginary word that can be given a logical definition.

"Heliophyte" is a word that seems to be the combination of the prefix "helio" (meaning sun) and "phyte" (meaning seed or plant), and is defined as (according to dictionary.com) a plant that grows best in sunlight. While browsing this list I discovered the prefix "noct" (meaning night), which I attempted to swap with the prefix from "heliophyte" to form a word with the opposite meaning: "noctophyte" (plant that grows best in the night). I'm not really sure where I got the 'o' from, it just sounds better than inserting another vowel such as 'i' or 'e' (I'm assuming you would need to add a vowel since "noct" ends in a consonant). Google returns zero results for "noctophyte", so it seems the word does not exist.

I.e. "A sunflower can be classified as a type of heliophyte." "A moon flower can be classified as a type of noctophyte." (I have no idea if that is factually correct)

[I chose the English Language & Usage forum because I'm more interested in the construction/creation of such a word than the biological classification/equivalent.]

Is there a word similar to what I am looking for? If not, could "noctophyte" be a grammatically correct, imaginary term?


texts:
Modifiers, whether adjectives, adjectival clauses, adverbs, etc, are functioning to restrict the range of reference of the words they are modifying (be it nouns or verbs). Correct? That's the whole point of modifiers: they are restricting the meanings of the words they're attached to.

So can somebody explain how some modifiers can be non-restrictive, and thus need to be set aside by commas? Surely if a modifier is not restricting the meaning of the word(s) it's attached to—the very definition of a modifier—it's not a modifier. Am I just visualizing this all wrong?

I don't understand the reasoning that the non-restrictive is just not essential for the rest of the sentence to make sense, which is the usual answer I receive when I search for an answer to this Q online.

If anybody could point me in the right direction, I'd much appreciate it.


texts: Ma'am: Is it as in "ham" solely for the Queen, whilst it remains spoken "ma"+"um" (less any glotal stop) for all others?

texts:
It's become conventional wisdom that, when addressing the Queen after introduction, one must be sure to address her as "ma'am" as if it were to rhyme with "ham".  Only "ma'am" and "ham" don't rhyme.  Or they haven't done, not traditionally.  Well, save for in America, but one hardly imagines the Queen (or anyone else of the Estate really) wishes to be addressed as that travesty of elocution.  In fact, women in America are said to disfavor being addressed as such, perhaps pigs too if not for being dead, smoked, and biting an apple on their dining tables, but I digress.  Nevertheless of Americans, Britons certainly haven't traditionally rhymed these words, not even in RP.  Yet, here we are.  Because of some "movie" apparently.

In any instance, the question is this: Does "ma'am" as in "ham" apply generally speaking or only in reference to the Queen?  Has anyone stopped to consider that the pronunciation of "ma'am" remains as it always has been, with a rather tall "a" that slightly lingers sans glottal constriction into a rounded "um"?  That this "mam like ham" policy only applies, if it applies, when saying "ma'am" in reference to the Queen to the Queen* directly?

It is the Queen's English after all.  More especially, it is Her Majesty's pronoun to receive.  Presumably, One can have it pronounced at court as One wishes.  It's entirely her prerogative to ask to be called as she prefers, which is no different to anyone else really.  Frankly, she could very well order her staff to instruct her audience pronounce it "codfish".  Only, unlike with individuals of the general public making such a request, the Queen would likely be obliged, at least somewhat.  If it were indeed the case, it would perhaps be easier and less confusing addressing her as "codfish" than some permutation of the existing word "ma'am" which the people thusly presume applies generally and possibly shouldn't do.

Then again, perhaps it's the Queen's intent to "leave her mark", as it were: to prescribe a new pronunciation to this word most personal for her that will remain in indelible writ as legacy imparting.  Then again again, perhaps it's not the Queen at all, rather some uppity menial who enjoys messing visitors and dignitaries about as they are on their way to meet the Queen.  Personally, I blame the butler, but who knows?

No, really, who knows?  For I would like to.  With every basis for this pronunciation beating a path that leads straight back to Buckingham Palace and seemingly Queen Elizabeth II, it begs a question.


texts: "the dynamics is" or "the dynamics are"?

texts:
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, dynamics is a noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction.

A Google search reveals that "the dynamics of * is described" is almost as common as "the dynamics of * are described".

How does one decide whether to use singular or plural?


texts: What is the meaning of " Milk doesn't sit with me well"?

texts:
For example, in this sentence:

  Milk doesn't sit well with me before or after tough workouts.

And also I like to know synonyms for this idiom.


texts:
So, fine with me is the standard way to say it.

But fine by me is ok, and dictionaries confirm that. The only mention that it should not be used is here: https://english.stackexchange.com/a/37205/19577

But what is the background of fine by me? Is it rude/redneck/chav/kid/archaic/odd ?
What would be an impression about the speaker, when the person is using fine by me?
Can you use it in business correspondence ?


texts: What's the meaning of "When you rock the boat, there will be waves"?

texts: Does this phrase mean "When you cause a problem, people get upset."?


texts:
I'm trying to write out an document of sorts though I need the word for "someone who warns". I've done a bit of searching but couldn't find anything.

I initially thought it was "warner" though it doesn't show up in the English dictionary and doesn't exactly sound right.

So I ask, what is the correct word if there even is one. If there isn't a correct word, what would be best to use as surely, "someone who warns" can't be?


texts: If Christopher is a "carrier of Christ" then what is Jennifer carrying?

texts:
I was told in a Latin class that the name Christopher has Greek roots that mean "one who carries Christ".  I assume that the Latin connection here is fero, which is the verb to carry.

With that in mind, does the name Jennifer have a similar derivation? If so what would she be carrying?


texts:
I would like to ask a question about an abbreviation about for weighing silk and goatswool in a commercial manuscript. The abbreviation using like on the photos. Can you please help me what is the meaning of these abbreviations.
Any suggestions are welcome.


texts: Do you have a better way to cater to the need to express something as being "uncatered" to?

texts:
I needed "cater" as an adjective today, and I didn't enjoy how it worked out; and not only due to the spell checked thumbing its nose at me.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/uncatered appears to indicate the word is kosher, but in the following paragraph it felt like a speed bump.

  I've come to be mildly annoyed by all of them over time: they're each good for something, none is good at everything, and I still have plenty of uncatered to problems.


texts: When to use "to take a walk" & when to use "to walk"?

texts:
This website says

  used with a noun instead of using a verb to describe an action. For
  example, if you take a walk, you walk somewhere

So "to take a walk" & "to walk" can be used interchangeably right or should they be used in different situations?

Ok, here is a saying in Hannah Montana

Hannah said "I'm taking a walk on the beach."

Is there any subtle difference if she said  "I'm walking on the beach."


texts: Success : Successful :: Failure : _____________

texts:
Is there an adjective to describe "full of failure(s)"?  Most often heard it's that s.o./s.t. is a failure, but I'm looking specifically for an adjective.

Edit:  I'm looking for a word that encompasses an ongoing pattern of failure, not just a one-time event.  Note that while possible, "unsuccessful" doesn't usually imply failure.

  She married her childhood sweetheart, built a profitable multi-national corporation, and founded several humanitarian NPOs.  What a successful woman!

vs.

  She ran out on her family.  She was arrested for embezzling millions from her own company; ousted by the board of directors.  Then she blew all of her savings on gambling and drugs.  What a _____________ woman!

I feel like "failed" and "unsuccessful" don't correctly capture the weight of this context.  You could say "failure of", but that's not an adjective.


texts: Friendlier way to express you paid for a person's drink/dinner and expect it to be paid back

texts:
In Dutch we have the word voorschieten. In English it translates — according to Google Translate — to "advance, lend, disburse". The Dutch word voorschieten is used in an informal setting between friends where you pay for that friend's dinner or drinks and expect to be paid back later.

Do you say in English "Mary loaned John money for the drinks"? or "Mary advanced money for the dinner"? or do you use another expression? Loaning sounds a bit heavy to me. It's like "A loan for a car".

A friend from New Zealand came up with "Mary spotted John money for the lunch", but I wonder if it's understood in the US.


texts:
It was the first time we had been to Brasil or
It was the first time we had been in Brasil.


texts: Is it OK to omit 'that' after 'however, in the middle of a sentence?

texts:
I know it is generally okay to omit 'that' which introduces a sentence, but I am not sure if it is OK to omit 'that' right after 'however' which is put in the middle of a sentence as follows.

  I have to admit, however, that I was wrong.
  I have to admit, however, I was wrong.

Is the second sentence okay without 'that'? At first, I thought it would be all right, but on second thought, it is not correct if I drop it because 'that' comes after a comma.

'That' right after a comma should not be omitted, should it?


texts: Is it possible for a word to have multiple different syllable counts? If so what is an example?

texts: to further clarify, for example is it possible to have one word that has one pronunciation that is 2 syllables and at the same time the exact same word has another pronunciation that is 3 syllables


texts: Are the subject and complement inverted in "Perched atop a high mountain on the other side [...] was a vast castle"?

texts:
In this example, are the subject and complement inverted, or could it be possible to understand that ‘The thing’ or something of the subject of verb ‘was’ is dropped?

  Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.


texts: Are there any rules governing what we call people from different countries?

texts:
people from China = Chinese
  people from Japan = Japanese
  people from Australia = Australian
  people from Lebanon = Lebanese
  people from Sweden = Swedish

Are there any rules that govern this? Like people from asian countries all end with an "ese" or something? Or maybe some rules within the name of the country?


texts: What is a good one word theme instead of "Treasured memories"?

texts: What is a good one word theme instead of "Treasured memories" ?


texts:
A Wall Street Journal headline from May 7, 2019 reads

  Pence to Announce U.S. Will Lift Sanctions on Venezuela Gen. Manuel Cristopher Figuera After He Broke Ranks With Maduro

What does will lift sanctions means in this expression? I thought that lift sanctions would mean increase sanctions over something. Apparently it's the opposite.


texts:
Is there an expression that means a member of a political party, who
often comments rashly in a way that contradicts the party line?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
I recently stumbled upon the phrase spring lobster.  Never having heard of such a phrase, I tried to find a definition of it online, but nothing definitive surfaced (although an entire industry does seem to have been built around it in Maine, other parts of New England, and Northeastern Canada).
Can anyone tell me what spring lobster is and how it differs from other types of lobster?
Context:
"Spring lobster" first caught my attention while I was adding to my Turkish for English speakers memrise course. I was doing a section on seafood you might see on a restaurant menu. Using Tureng.com as a resource, I saw a listing for "spring lobster" but the Turkish name given for it was "böcek," which oddly enough, I'd just learned also means "insect" in Turkish. Naturally, that piqued my curiosity. When I went searching for it online, however, I came across these articles that, as tchrist mentioned, seemed to write about spring lobsters as if they were something some look forward to every year.


texts:
"This I know today, but back then..."

What does this word order show? What's the rule?


texts: Does "whereabouts" function as a singular or plural noun?

texts:
His whereabouts is unknown

vs

  His whereabouts are unknown

Which is correct, or is this simply a matter of preference?


texts:
He has  yet to receive an appointment.
  He is yet to receive an appointment.

Is there any difference in meaning? Is one more correct than the other?


texts: word for the act of each person in a group put in some money combined to buy something

texts: What's the verb/phrasal verb to describe the act of giving/putting in a share of money towards a total amount to buy something as a group where each of the other members in the group put in their share as well, like buying a lottery ticket as a group or some other purchase. I.e. "we all _ for the lottery" or "everyone _ $2 for the lottery ticket"


texts: What does 'provision' exactly mean in a legal document?

texts:
Now I'm asked to look at a legal document(here) and answer the question that which provisions apply to a certain case. However, I don't know what the word 'provision' means in a legal context. (English is my second language and I hardly read law-related material at all.) So I looked up the meaning of provision and according to Tanslegal it means:

  a statement in a contract or a law that a specific thing must happen or be done

That's still vague to me. First, for the document I'm reading it seems to me more like:

  a statement in a contract or a law that a specific thing must not happen or be done

The document I'm looking at have some sections, and some of the sections are talking about formal sections.

For example, section 8 of the document says

  8.(1)

  A person must not, in the course of a commercial activity, install or
  cause to be in- stalled a computer program on any other per- son’s
  computer system or, having so installed or caused to be installed a
  computer program, cause an electronic message to be sent from that
  computer system, unless...

This should be a provision, which I understand. However, section 9 is like this:

  9.

  It is prohibited to aid, induce, procure or cause to be procured the
  doing of any act contrary to any of sections 6 to 8.

Is the text under section 9 also a provision since it's about something that must not happen?

Section 10 goes on to explain some terms used in section 6 to 8. So these aren't provisions, right?


texts:
When did the term "my thing" as in "that is my thing" come into usage?

Merriam-Webster offers very little help and limits itself to saying

  thing
  7 a : something (such as an activity) that makes a strong appeal to the individual: forte, specialty

  letting students do their own thing —Newsweek
  I think travelling is very much a novelist's thing —Philip Larkin

and further on

  10 : an action or interest especially that someone enjoys very much

  Music is my thing.