texts: Is there a word for those random spots/patterns you see when you enter your home after playing outside on a sunny day?

texts:
I am not sure how many of you have experienced this but coming from a very hot region (South India), I have experienced this numerous times. Especially when I enter my home after spending long duration playing outside on a bright sunny day.
I sort of hallucinate(for lack of better word) and see patterns of rings, bubbles and ellipses floating in front of me. I have to either rub my eyes a few times or wash my face to get rid of them!

Is there a specific word/phrase to describe this?

My search revealed psychedelic but I am not sure if that's the word I am looking for.

  Having intense, vivid colours or a swirling abstract pattern

[ODO sense 1.2]

More details on the phenomenon I experience:

The patterns that I see are initially very bright because my pupils are still small. As time progresses, the brightness of the vivid patterns starts to fade. I see the patterns with my eyes open. Sometimes I also see them when I rub my eyes. The walls at my home are light, so yes light colored (I haven't been in a room that is dark colored {except for cinema halls, of course}). Not only on walls, I see them on empty spaces right in front of me as well. Yes, they throb and move. They don't change shapes but sizes(expand and contract). The patterns are random. The moment I enter my home, they are everywhere (all over my field of view). Gradually they are at different spots and they fade away. All this lasts for may be 4-5 seconds.


texts: What is the correct word order with the verb 'to move'? 1) I moved with my mother to Spain. 2) I moved to Spain with my mother. Thank you

texts:
everyone.

I moved with my mother to Spain.
I moved to Spain with my mother.

Is 'word order' correct in both sentences? If not, what is the grammar rule that applies here?
Thanking you in advance.


texts: What is the difference between “group” and “band”?

texts:
What is the difference between group and band when applied to assemblages of musicians who play music together?

According to Wikipedia,

  A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name.

For example, ABBA is described as being a pop group by the Daily Telegraph but as a pop band elsewhere on the Internet.


texts: What to refer to elementary, middle, and high school in one word other than "K-12"?

texts:
I need to refer to school for grades 4-12, thus the usual K-12 is not suitable, and it would be ideal to do this with a word rather than the numbers "4-12". What word generically refers to the schooling associated with K-12?

I don't want to use K-12 itself because that is misleading since it implies K-3 is included, but I do want a synonym in word-form to generically refer to that entire segment of schooling as opposed to college or technical schooling.


texts: Is there a word for a person that is tender, as well as strict?

texts:
Is there a word for a person that is tender as well as strict at times or as per situation?

A word that could be used for a teacher or maybe a mother.

  Although she was (like)  ________, she was the best.

I usually compare them to being like a coconut (hard from the outside but soft in the inside) since I don't have a better alternative.

Please add suitable idioms if available, I'd be extremely grateful.


texts: Combining "whether ... or" and "if" clauses in a sentence

texts:
"We can’t tell whether he did 'this' or 'that', or if he was on vacation."

As far as I know, a "whether ... or" clause can typically be replaced by an "if"-clause, which is often just a matter of style. Now, considering the example sentence above, would it be okay to write it like this? The first clause would allow me to distinguish between 2 options ("this" and "that"), which is why I'd prefer "whether ... or" over "if."

Alternatively, would it be better to rewrite such a sentence, for example:

"We can’t tell whether he did 'this' or 'that', or whether he was on vacation or not."


texts: "All users at/in/of LocationX": What should it be?

texts:
I'm creating a software and need help for naming user groups in a generic way. Each name includes a user role and a location description.

Examples of user roles:

Administrator
Author
Reviewer

Examples of location names:

Chicago, IL
Sidney Navel Base
Albacerky Chemical Plant
Plant no. 6

Now, which of the following examples do you think works best?

Example 1

All [LOCATION] users
All [LOCATION] administrators
All [LOCATION] authors

Example 2

All users of [LOCATION]
All administrators of [LOCATION]
All authors of [LOCATION]

Example 3

All users in [LOCATION]
All administrators in [LOCATION]
All authors in [LOCATION]

Example 4

All users at [LOCATION]
All administrators at [LOCATION]
All authors at [LOCATION]

Example 5

All users at the [LOCATION] site
All administrators at the [LOCATION] site
All authors at the [LOCATION] site

Example 6

All users of the [LOCATION] site
All administrators of the [LOCATION] site
All authors of the [LOCATION] site

Example 7

All users located at [LOCATION]
All administrators located at [LOCATION]
All authors located at [LOCATION]

I think the right choice is between examples 2, 3 and 4, but I'm unsure and can't explain why.

Thanks!


texts: Can you use the word penultimate to refer to December Thirtieth?


texts:
Can someone breakdown the meaning of:

  The reason for the unreason to which my reason is subjected, so
  weakens my reason that I have reason to complain of your beauty.

From Don Quixote Ch.1


texts: Is Windows (as in MS Windows) "it" or "them"

texts:
As in "This is MS Windows, do you like it?" vs "This is MS Windows, do you like them?".

Or "My MS Windows crashed, what should I do to fix them?" vs "My MS Windows crashed, what should I do to fix it?".

Which one is correct?


texts:
[original question] Do any words words exist that are a countable and an uncountable noun at the same time?

Are there any nouns that are both countable and uncountable?
Are there any words which are uncountable and uncountable at the same time?


texts: Meaning of a sentence from a news article

texts:
This is an excerpt from NYT news article. (http://nyti.ms/1mCPmPy)

  But the drop in production is not happening fast enough, especially with output from deep waters off the Gulf of Mexico and Canada continuing to build as new projects come online.

I have trouble comprehending the bold part of the sentence. Would you tell me which of the following has the closest meaning to the original?

with output from deep waters off the Gulf of Mexico and (output from) Canada continuing to build as new projects come online.
with output from deep waters off the Gulf of Mexico and (deep waters off) Canada continuing to build as new projects come online.
with output from deep waters off the Gulf of Mexico and (with) Canada continuing to build as new projects come online.


texts: Why the "give" in “I don't give a flying f***”?

texts: I’m not a native speaker. I know that I don't give a flying fuck means "I don’t care", but how did it come to mean that? Specifically, why does the verb give mean "don’t care" here?


texts:
Can you help me about the exact meaning of the following passage?

  Homayoon, himself an eminent journalist, had worked to get past a press law to balance the press freedom with responsibility—in vain, as events evolved.

The phrase "get past" is especially problematic. Does it mean to pass a law, or skip a law?


texts: Which one is correct "XYZ movie has released this week." or "XYZ movie has been release this week"?

texts:
i am confused  between "has been released" and "has released". I don't know which one I should use. Here is the example:-
"XYZ movie has released this week."
"XYZ movie has been released this week."
which one is correct


texts: Can a statement be "hissed" without any sibilants?

texts:
Is using hissed as a replacement for said technically acceptable in dialogue without the presence of any sibilants?

  "You fool!" she hissed.

I understand that hissed could be used to indicate a certain tone, but I wonder if there's any documented grammatical argument that might make this unacceptable.


texts: What is a better alternative to the word rickety?

texts: My sentence is "The system was so badly designed that it has now become rickety. Even a minor change could cause the entire system to collapse". Rickety just doesn't seem to fit well.


texts: A word for something that is currently relevant

texts: I feel like there is a word on the tip of my tongue for something that is particularly relevant in the current climate but I can't quite get it. Can anyone help me out?


texts: Qualifying weights. Are they "higher", "bigger"?

texts:
In a mathematical context (e.g. when talking about a weighted average), how should I qualify the word weight? Which one should I use? "Greater", "higher" or "bigger"?

Examples:

"... and that can be achieved using greater weights for such instances?"

"... and that can be achieved using higher weights for such instances?"

"... and that can be achieved using bigger weights for such instances?"

Obs: I did read a similar question, but I not sure if it's answer can be applied here.


texts:
The title is clever describing 2 presidents during the transition but what I don't understand is the need to put in quotes "I's" If we assume that someone used the word transition therefore it could be in quotes I can understand that. Basically, the whole thing is confusing.

Maybe there is logic to this title but I need help with understanding its punctuation.


texts: How to express something given to a customer for "free in a non-immoral, non-sexual, non-promoting context"?

texts:
I'm not sure what English word(s) to use for the German noun "Naturalrabatt" in the case of giving a retail customer a product for free in a non-immoral, non-sexual, non-promoting context.

rebate/bonus of kind
give-away
freebie
free goods
other?

I was told that "rebate/bonus of kind" might easily be misunderstood as an immoral/indecent proposal by native speakers (is this correct?).

The "give-away" and "freebie" seem to be used in promotion/advertising actions mainly, but the free product is not given for any promotion/advertising reasons in this case.

The "free goods" seems to be unreasonable, because it is mainly used in a duty-free context (afaik), but the free product got nothing to do with any duty/toll in this case.

Well, I'm lost^^

Any ideas?

EDIT:

Matt Эллен, Kitḫ, Kris, here are some more specific reasons/contexts.

Example #1: something between retailer and customer went wrong. Say, the retailer promised to deliver within 2 days, but failed to do so. The retailer wants to compensate/apologize by handing out a free product (but not by money).

Example #2: a customer noticed a bug in the retailer's web shop and reported it. This unspotted bug made the retailer sporadically lose conversions. The retailer wants to thank/reward by handing out a free product (but not by money).

Example #3: the retailer doesn't want to work with tier prices. Instead, if a customer buys 10 pieces of a product, he gets a coupon code which can be used to either get a 11th piece of the same product for free, or to get one different product, for free.

In German, all of those three examples qualify as "Naturalrabatt".

Is there a generic english term covering those three examples, too?


texts: For example - there are client-server applications. The application of this type runs on one machine (client) and conntects to another machine (server) in order to work. What can I call an application that to work only needs one machine?


texts: Is it grammatical to split either/or into different sentences?

texts:
I came across the following sentence in Wikipedia:

  The bitangent lines can be constructed either by constructing the homothetic centers, as described at that article, and then constructing the tangent lines through the homothetic center that is tangent to one circle, by one of the methods described above. The resulting line will then be tangent to the other circle as well. Alternatively, the tangent lines and tangent points can be constructed more directly, as detailed below.

It took me a while to parse it because I was hopelessly looking for the missing or. Leaving alone the fact that this passage is clumsy, is it grammatical according to the rules of standard English?


texts: I've noticed that people from the Washington, Oregon area tend to omit "to be" when describing something that needs to be completed.  For example, just today one of my consulting engineers sent me an update on a construction project wherein he stated, "The raw water line still needs tested."  He did not make a typo.  Is this just a grammatical form used by folks in this area?


texts: Pronunciation of "er" in "farmer" vs. "earth"

texts:
I'm confused about the difference in pronouncing "er" in words such as "farmer" and "earth". I hear them the same, but they have different phonetic symbols. Is there any difference in pronouncing "er" in these words?

example:


texts: Multiple 'as' (subordinate conjunction) in the same sentence

texts:
Performance is poor as losses have increased and are projected to remain negative going forward as the company works through problem assets and realizes related expense.

Is this sentence correct? If not, why? I couldn't find much on the internet in regards to utilizing multiple "because", multiple "as" or multiple subordinate conjunctions in general but I feel that this sentence is a bit "off".


texts: "Let's bring it down in scale a bit", What does it mean?

texts:
Context (Source: History of the world by Andrew Marr - Episode 8)

This is a big story (The author indicates the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima). Let's try and bring it down in scale a bit.

It made me feel like it means "let's analyze (or let's talk) about it a little bit". After that, the author showed how people died in the World War Atomic bomb in Hiroshima.

This is a woman's watch, hands fused to the time of the blast. Around 400 young children were here with their ten teachers when the bomb went off, and all but one was burned to death immediately. In a three-mile radius of the blast, almost everybody suffered fatal burns,..

I've look up the phrase "Bring sth down" in many dictionaries but the meanings they  give didn't fit to the documentary.


texts:
It seems obvious that undertake is intransitive in such sentences as

undertake to learn to swim
State senators undertook to use federal funds for improving schools.
To join the club, you have to undertake to buy a minimum of six books a year.

However, this is belied by several dictionary sources, including Merriam Webster and Macmillan, which define the verb along with this usage as transitive. Why is that?


texts: Which is the correct way to refer to the letter "Z" — "Zee" or "Zed"?

texts: So I am giving a presentation to an American audience tomorrow, and I have rather cluelessly labeled some components on a Powerpoint slide using the alphabet. When I talk about "component Z", I want to say the right thing. It's too late in the night now to re-label with numbers. I grew up calling it "Zed", but noticed many Americans prefer "Zee"; I want to be correct, not herd-minded.


texts:
I've only heard it from Kiwis, but I am told it's used in other countries as well: "I can't be arsed" means (IIUC) "I can't be bothered".  Where could the expression come from?  It's the only expression I know of that uses "arse" as a verb -- assuming that is the correct spelling.  Is it from "arse" (British English for "ass") or some weird mangling of "ask" or something even stranger?

Also, do the Brits even still say "arse"?


texts: does “all” mean “everything” in this expression?

texts:
there’s a common British English expression:

  If all goes to plan

in some way it seems to me that “all goes” doesn’t make sense, because I usually come across “all” as a plural


texts:
I belive that your company will give me that exposure I need to contribute my skills.

OR

  I belive that your company will give me the exposure I need to contribute my skills.

Which one is correct?


texts: I've read the thread about the use of in and on with street names in BrE and AmE, but I'm still wondering what the preposition with "seafront avenue" might be. I did use in, but at sounds familiar too - probably because of the "seafront"?


texts: Is there a way to specify a person just by hair color?

texts:
You can say:

"Look, there is a blonde woman."

or

"Look, there is a gray woman."

If I am talking about hair color. But at the moment I say brown or black it is about skin color. And red just sounds strange. I have been thinking about this for a long time, and couldn't figure it out.
Of course 'brunette' is possible, but not with a word like 'woman' behind it.
So is there a good way of saying this, without suggesting skin color?


texts: Can 'I would say' always replace 'I think'?

texts:
There is a question about 'I guess' and one answer is comparing 'I guess', and 'I would say'.

  I would say characterizes what follows as a personal opinion or judgment: From what I know of him I would say he is coming.
  I guess characterizes what follows as a conjecture or inference: Well, if he were coming he'd be here by now, so I guess he's not coming.

My question is I am bored of 'I think' every time I wanna tell my idea, so can I use 'I would say' instead of it? As an non-native English speaker, I feel 'I would say' is more aggressive than 'I think', is that true?


texts:
Amazon says my package is "delivered". Is this correct English, if the package was not brought to my address yet?
When I google deliver, it is defined as:

bring and hand over (a letter, parcel, or ordered goods) to the proper recipient or address.

However, on Amazon's website, they use a different definition (I have added italics for emphasis):

packages may say delivered up to 48 hours before arrival.

This latter definition seems to imply that a package can be delivered but has not arrived. How can this be the case? According to Google's definition, the package was handed over or brought to the proper address. So has it not also arrived there?
Am I missing some nuance about the word delivered, or is Amazon bending the language? In what way does Amazon's use of delivered help the purpose of clear communication?
Update. Well, it turns out, in this case, that the package was actually delivered -- and arrived -- on time, and I had simply lost it. So the delivered vs. arrived question feels a bit more hypothetical now, and I certainly feel embarrassed. Nonetheless, they do have that sentence on their website, so maybe it could have been an issue for someone.


texts: "to require someone to do something" vs "to require that someone do something"

texts:
Professor required his students to return their papers typed.

vs

  Professor required that his students return their papers typed.

Which of the examples is correct? Do they have the same meaning?
What is the preferred usage?

http://oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/require and http://www.thefreedictionary.com/require do not mention any usage differences


texts:
Can "definitely" somehow pair with "will be able to"? For example:

  If you go to school, you will definitely be able to meet her.


texts: What is the term for an incongruous phrase like domestic violence, where the word "domestic" softens or alters the meaning of "violence", or Big Brother, which is not literally an oxymoron but is so in its definition?


texts: "You should know" is it going beyond respect?

texts:
I'm going to start a informatic video series named

"#YouShouldKnow"

inspired from "Did You Know"

but I think the name is getting little harsh and disrespectful, but I am confused

Is this name Ok (with respect)? or I have to think another name to attain a respectful manner?


texts:
Do I need an article in these sentences (marked in bold)?

  And in the message, I asked for her e-mail address and suggested the time and place.

  A list of items required at the interview (such as a resume, medical records, personal and family assets...)

What is the rule for articles that follow such as?

  A few weeks ago, I asked that girl out for hot chocolate after we had been bantering for  a few days. And in the message, I asked for her e-mail address and suggested the time and place.  Only today she sent a reply, consisted of  her e-mail,  without any indication if she was willing to make plans or even acknowledge my request. "C'mon lady – you're only boarding 7, ah, barely. And in that range, I already have a queue of girls on OKC waiting for their turn!" Nothing is more exciting than dealing with, as ever, revolting  flakes of mass proportions. I am considering to accumulate flakes, and send out a mass e-mail; obviously CC’ing all them. In the e-mail, I will indicate available time slots, requirements, and a list of items required at the interview (such as a resume, medical records, personal and family assets,  recommendations, copy of IQ test, etc).


texts: Should a note be addressed with "Hi all" or "Hi All"?

texts:
It is common to begin an email with the greeting "hi all" when the note is addressed to multiple recipients.

What, however, is the correct capitalization of "all" in this context?  Does it become a proper noun?


texts:
Example sentence:

  I wish I had a public transport ticket valid until eternity.

In general, if you refer to something that is supposed to last forever, can you use until eternity or is there a better expression?


texts:
I can obtain knowledge by studying physics, which is nice.

In the above sentence, does nice refer to knowledge or to physics?
How can I make refer it to specifically to "knowledge"?

Thanks


texts: Can we say "I am friends"? If not, why can we say "I’ve been friends with..."?

texts:
I’ve been friends with the Murkets for twenty years.

This is a sentence from Longman Dictionary.

How can we explain this?
I thought when the pronoun was "I" we must say a friend not friends. I understand the meaning, but what about structure?

I think there should be subject and complement agreement.
Sorry I cannot say what I mean in a better way!
I hope you understand what I mean.


texts:
I wanted your opinion as to whether the semi-colon in the following paragraph is acceptable; my instinct is to use a colon instead. Is either OK?

  Such a clause is unlikely to comply with the Act’s requirements if it is buried in the depths of the policy wording; to be effective, it should be at the forefront of the documents provided.


texts:
What exactly does "quality stand-down" mean? For example,

  We will have quality stand-down on the following work.

I came across this expression in the context of software quality assurance.


texts:
The sentence I was writing is:
"I thought tubes and bike ... synonymous"
is it:
"are" or "were"?
Thought process is, I am reporting what I thought at the time, which is that they are synonymous, but as a native English speaker it sounds wrong.
edit: I think I answered my question in the first sentence but I'll wait for an official answer...


texts: Origin and Literal Breakdown of "Court-Martial"

texts:
The term "court-martial" refers to military institutions whereby those accused of breaking the law are brought to trial.

This word is used in both the way we would use "trial" to refer to the proceeding ("I went to trial/I face a court-martial"), but it is also used like a verb ("I was court-martialled").  I have seen reference to "courts-martial" as is standard for pluralizing hyphenated terms.

Usage of the words "court" and "martial" is fairly simple.  The former referring to the institution and/or the physical location, while the latter is a modifier to make something refer to war/military/fighting:  martial arts, martial law, etc.

It is the combination of the two is where I would like some additional insight.  It seems to me that "Martial Court" would be the natural way to link the two concepts, but here we are with a hyphenated word...and I would otherwise expect a more formal term than "court-martialling" to use as a verb for so severe an action.


texts: Does "The UK" mean the state or its citizens?

texts:
When I have expressed criticism towards the UK government saying

  The EU policy is crystal clear ... The UK as usual in their bizarre anti freedom ways

and I got an (obviously) UK citizen pissed at me saying they were personally offended. As English is not my first language -- did I just address the people instead of the state?


texts: Word for allowing/sanctioning someone’s feelings

texts:
I’m thinking of a word that I would use to describe a situation in which one person (she) is listening to another talk about his problems and instead of shutting him down by saying his feelings are invalid, she just listens and says something like, “Yeah, that must be terrible for you.” (This is a good thing not a bad thing). I was thinking of something along the lines of

  She _______ (validated/allowed/sanctioned?) his feelings

I just want to say that she did not deny what he was feeling and didn’t try to tell him not to feel it


texts:
If you are sitting in traffic and you know it is because of an accident.  Do you say;
there is an accident ahead
or
there is an accident in front


texts:
Would you let me know the difference between the following sentences?

  The company’s third loan payment is expected from ABC Bank on Friday.
  The company’s third loan payment is expected by ABC Bank on Friday.
  The third loan payment is expected from the company on Friday.

I think #2 and #3 have almost the same meaning, but I can't understand #1.
I don't know why 'from' is used in #1. #2 and #3 is much more clear than #1.
(Sorry, there is no context, so please make up some contexts for the above sentences.)


texts: What does "stand submitted upon" mean in a law document?

texts:
I am reading a document issued by a court, but I fail to get the meaning of "stand submitted upon" in the following sentence, especially the word "stand".

  The Order will stand submitted upon the filing of the response to the Order to Show Cause. Failure to respond to the court's Order may result in the dismissal of the action.

Does it mean that the Order itself will not be submitted until the response is filed? Thank you!


texts:
I read the phrase "pre-summoning evidence" in the Times of India newspaper (5 October 2015); it was describing something legal, but I am not sure about what may be its proper meaning.
The phrase in context:

A Delhi court today recorded pre-summoning evidence in a criminal defamation complaint filed against [person #1]...
The [person #2], who has filed the complaint, appeared before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate [person #3] and recorded his statement in support of the allegation.


texts: Term for words that appear to mean something that they don't?

texts:
Is there a name for words that appear to mean something other than their actual meaning?

For example:

A "paper boy" is not a boy made of paper.
A "greenhouse" is not a house that is coloured green.


texts: Idiom expressing quickly realizing there's nothing much to learn

texts:
In essence, I'm looking for an equivalent of the European "hitting the ceiling". The context of usage will be similar to "I decided to be a cook aid, but I quickly started hitting the ceiling prompting my decision to become a cook".

I tried my "google-fu" but the only references I was able to find were to a definition of "hitting the ceiling" as "being angry".


texts:
I want to know, is there any difference between "stop + v.(ing)" and "stopped to + v.". These are example sentences.

  I stop working for a month. vs I stopped to work for a month.
  I stop watching movies. vs I stopped to watch movies.
  I stop cooking for a year. vs I stopped to cook.

I read “I like to do (be) something” vs “I like doing (being) something” but I still don't understand what is the difference or when and how to use them.


texts: Plural error or set phrase? -- a Games for everyone

texts:
This job ad posted by the London 2012 Organising Committee ends with the sentence:

  London 2012 is a Games for everyone, so we want you to apply regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.

Is "a Games" a set phrase?


texts:
Reading Ellery Queen's The Murderer is a Fox, I came across this passage:-

  When Fox asked me on the phone to deliver a bottle of 100 aspirins, I
  said: "Say, Mr Fox, what do you do with that stuff - eat it?" You
  know, cracking wise. But he gets sore and wants to know what "right" I
  have talking to him "that way", and a lot more gilhooley like
  that.

I can guess from the context what it means (something similar to codswallop, I'd say). But I can't find out anything about the word. Green's Dictionary of Slang doesn't have it, and the only definitions I can find on-line are proper names. Can anyone confirm what it means, and offer an etymology? Or is it just a nonce word?


texts:
I have been directed here, so I hope that this question is allowed.

I need English feedback on this sentence about computer programming, please.
I'm helping a friend in Poland with his résumé, but I do not have a background in computer programming, and his English is not fluent. He would like to add the below sentence to his résumé and is asking if it makes sense in English/Computer Science-ese. Again, it's not my background, so I would like to ask anyone with a programming background if the following sentence makes sense and is written correctly in English:

Software integration and data integration expert who builds and provides solutions successfully embedded in customer systems and processes.

Thank you!


texts: Is there any difference between 'type of message' vs 'messagetype'?

texts:
I have seen many times with non English speaking people the use of this expressions, but I don't know whether there is any difference.

Type of message
Message type (or Messagetype)

Is there any difference in meaning or can we use them without any distinction?


texts: What does "to present a foil against something" mean?

texts:
Doing some translation for my friend, I met the following sentence.

  For Foppe Ten Hoor, it presented a foil against Anglo-American — and
  not coincidentally, Arminian, subbiblical — ways.

It is from a book titled "Reformed Theology in America: A History of Its Modern Development." For its context, see this capture, which I capture from Google Books.

I couldn't figure out what "presented a foil" means, so checked online dictionary.

Merriam Webster has three entries for foil as a noun;

  foil
  noun (1)

  1: very thin sheet metal aluminum foil
  2: a thin piece of material (such as metal) put under an inferior or paste
  stone to add color or brilliance
  3: someone or something that serves as a contrast to another
  acted as a foil for a comedian
  4 a: an indentation between cusps in Gothic tracery
  b: one of several arcs that enclose a complex
  figure 5: HYDROFOIL sense 1

  foil
  noun (2)
  1: a light fencing sword having a usually circular guard and a flexible blade > of rectangular section tapering to a blunted point — compare ÉPÉE, SABER
  2: the art or sport of fencing with the foil —often used in plural

  foil
  noun (3)
  1 archaic : DEFEAT
  2 archaic : the track or trail of an animal

I guess the definition in 1-3 seems fit to this case. Do I understand its meaning right? Or could you propose a rephrase for 'present a foil against'?

Thank you.


texts: Can the verb 'be' be modified by a prepositional phrase?

texts:
There's a question about whether it's possible to modify the verb be, but the main focus there is on modification by adverbs, not prepositional phrases.

I found some legitimate instances of be being modified by a prepositional phrase:

  Are you Mr. Thomas, by any chance?
  She is here by choice. (Although it sounds less natural than She came here by choice.)
  From now on, I am the boss.
  Well, at any rate, the next meeting will be on Wednesday.

But it seems to me that prepositional phrases mostly modify other verbs. Compare:

  The door was opened by me.
  ?The door was open by  me.

So my question is, as a general rule, when is it possible to modify the verb be with a prepositional phrase and when is it not?


texts: Relations by marriage after the married person dies

texts:
Let's say Alice is married to Bob. Alice died. Is Alice's mother still referred to as Bob's mother-in-law? Let's say Alice also had a brother Charlie. Is Bob still referred to as the uncle of Charlie's children?

In other words: does the title survive the death of the family member whose marriage created the relationship in the first place?

Edit to add: I just want to add that individual families will do whatever they feel is right based on their situation. I'm asking about the technical definition.


texts:
Measure has a lot of meanings, but I am not sure whether it is or is not a partial synonym of measurement.

Let's say that I have an algorithm, and I measure its execution time under different conditions, hence obtaining different execution times. How do I call those execution times I have measured: measures or measurements?


texts: The word king alone is not an adjective. And since it is countable it should be either a king or the king. So the expressions like "money is king" or "the Lord is king" are ungrammatical. How would you explain it, and what meaning king bears here?


texts: If you send an email that you already sent, can you say you "resent" it? Same as "resenting" someone?

texts:
I resent my email.
I resent my mother.
I resent my email to my mother.

Odd, isn't it?


texts: Term for a person who complains about his supervisor to organization

texts: What is the right term meaning synonym for a person who complained about his/her boss or supervisor to the organization that they are working. That is the person. Finds out his supervisor's instructions are not relevant to the work and so stops following and inform the organization


texts: What are the jimmies that are being rustled?

texts:
This rustles my jimmies

seems like a commonly used idiom recently to denote being annoyed, angered, touched. Still, every idiom has some origin, and I wonder what is the original meaning of this one.


texts: "I have no story to be told" or "I have no story to tell"?

texts:
The former one is what I heard in Adele's song Rolling in the Deep, is this a common usage?
Or is it just for rhyme?

update: to make my question more specific:

Is the former one grammatically correct? I am only taught the latter form in school.
If correct, is there any difference, maybe slightly, between them?

The rhyme thing is just my guess.


texts: Does standard English include non-trivial sentences which admit no verb?

texts:
One of the interesting aspects of the Maori language, as I understand it, is that it includes a class of sentences which not only have no verb, it is positively wrong to form them with a verb.

Does standard English include any non-trivial sentences which have no verb, and are not simply ellipses of sentences which do include a verb?

African-American Vernacular English includes sentences like, "Where you at?", that have no verb. The corresponding sentence, "Where are you at?", doesn't sound like African American Vernacular English. Adding the verb "are" seems to transform it into White American English.

Phrases like, "Hey!" are interjections, and don't meet my threshold of being non-trivial. Answers like "Tomorrow." to "When will you file your story?" seem to be ellipses; in this case, of the verb-laden "I will file my story tomorrow."

I found a related question here in in EL&U, Is a sentence always grammatically incorrect if it has no verb?. The title notwithstanding, the question actually seemed to be asking for an explanation why a certain phrase was in fact not grammatical.

I realise that "standard English" is a bit of a contradiction. Sorry. I refer to any of the mainstream English language dialects, steering clear of pidgins and creoles, where no doubt lurk all manner of interesting grammatical structures.


texts: Word to describe a painting by the materials that were used in its creation

texts:
Alessandro Magnasco, Bernardo Bellotto and Claude Monet are artists or painters.

Oil on canvas, oil on wood, oil on paper on canvas, oil on card mounted on paperboard, oil on canvas on board are ???.

Source where I found these: https://images.nga.gov


texts:
I've got this little doubt over the pronunciation of "tr" in words (trial, attraction,  actress). I recognized two ways of reading it - either as ch (like CHoose) + r or as t (as in Ten) + r, which I use interchangeably.
Is one of these pronunciations correct, or are there rules as to which one to use in which situations?


texts: is there a replacement word for "previous of previous"?

texts:
I want to describe a situation that happened two levels earlier.
I use the bash shell to navigate through directories.

Say I started at the directory /home, and then I moved to the directory /home/Downloads, and finally I moved to /home/Videos.

Now I'll describe how to navigate to earlier directories:

To go to the previous directory type cd -.
And to go to the previous of previous directory type cd --

As you notice, previous of previous sounds odd.

Is there a replacement word for "previous of previous"?
Or how would you paraphrase it to make it sound grammatical?


texts: How to rephrase so I don't use "I" or "you" or any other pronouns?

texts: I hope I helped you see this situation more clearly is the sentence that I need to rephrase, and my English teacher shot down the idea of this should help everyone see the situation more clearly because she said that I can't tell the readers that that they should see it clearly. You know what I'm saying? Oh, and one more thing. The essay is a compare and contrast essay about contacts and glasses, so the words see and clearly have to be in the sentence, to make it a pun. Thanks for all of the help!


texts:
Can I use the phrasal-verb "settle down" in the following contexts:
"I have to settle down what I learned" - to study more deeply, to review subjects that were previous learned
"If the computer won't settle down call us again" - recover from an issue, to work normaly again
"With this medication the symptoms will settle down" - to decrease the intensity, recover from a disease
Thanks


texts: How to determine the answer to this reading comprehension question?

texts:
I took an English reading comprehension test that was marked as 'advanced' as I am studying advanced English at the moment. Wanted to know at which level I am currently at.

The test asks a series of questions about this passage:

The canopy, the upper level of the trees in the rain forest, holds a plethora of climbing mammals of moderately large size, which may include monkeys, cats, civets, and porcupines. Smaller species, including such rodents as mice and small squirrels, are not as prevalent overall in high tropical canopies as they are in most habitats globally.  Small mammals, being warm blooded, suffer hardship in the exposed and turbulent environment of the uppermost trees. Because a small body has more surface area per unit of weight than a large one of similar shape, it gains or loses heat more swiftly. Thus, in the trees, where shelter from heat and cold may be scarce and conditions may fluctuate, a small mammal may have trouble maintaining its body temperature.  Small size makes it easy to scramble among twigs and branches in the canopy for insects, flowers, or fruit, but small mammals are surpassed, in the competition for food, by large ones that have their own tactics for browsing among food-rich twigs. The weight of a gibbon (a small ape) hanging below a branch arches the terminal leaves down so that fruit-bearing foliage drops toward the gibbon's face. Walking or leaping species of a similar or even larger size access the outer twigs either by snapping off and retrieving the whole branch or by clutching stiff branches with the feet or tail and plucking food with their hands.  Small climbing animals may reach twigs readily, but it is harder for them than for large climbing animals to cross the wide gaps from one tree crown to the next that typify the high canopy. A macaque or gibbon can hurl itself farther than a mouse can: it can achieve a running start, and it can more effectively use a branch as a springboard, even bouncing on a limb several times before jumping. The forward movement of a small animal is seriously reduced by the air friction against the relatively large surface area of its body. Finally, for the many small mammals the supplement their insect diet with fruits or seeds, an inability to span open gaps between tree crowns may be problematic, since trees that yield these foods can be sparse.

One of the questions is "What does the author indicate in paragraph 3?"
There were four alternatives, one of which was 'larger size is an advantage'. I thought it was correct but instead, the correct one was allegedly 'small animals require proportionally more food than larger ones'.

How is that so? Am I missing something? Thanks!


texts: As a nurse Jane Doe once said / As nurse Jane Doe once said?

texts:
I am having difficulties deciding whether to use an indefinite article when quoting a person with their job mentioned as per the title.

As nurse Jane Doe once said: ...

or

As a nurse Jane Doe once said: ...

I cannot find any good reference online.


texts: Are there differences between "all-day lunch" and "all day lunch"?

texts:
What are the differences between:

All-day lunch
All day lunch

for example:

  all-day lunch from 12.00-18.00

The dictionary say all-day means available throughout the day, but is the hyphen necessary?


texts: What does "don’t pave the cow path" mean in this context?

texts:
I came across a new phrase while reading description section of a webinar topic on Operational Best Practices in the Cloud here.

Excerpt:

  Don’t pave the cow path. Cloud infrastructure is very different from
  traditional infrastructure and requires different approaches to really
  harness cloud value. From dev/test/prod lifecycle management to
  deployment automation, patch management, monitoring and automation for
  autoscaling and disaster recovery...

What does don't pave the cow path mean, in general and in this context?

I couldn't even find the meaning or an idiom entry in The Free Dictionary.


texts: Word choice: rut, dent, groove, hollow, ridge, channel

texts:
My American friend gave my daughter a self-assembly toy and I want to ask her how to assemble it. I found the words rut, groove, ridge, channel and hollow. I want to describe the cuts or dents in some parts that are used to attach something to it. Is "dent" okay? I feel like this word is used for damages. I also saw pictures of 'grooves' on a vinyl record so I'm not sure if it is the proper word.
Can you please also tell me in what situations I can use the other words?
Thank you.

Please see the picture below. What do you call the hollow one and the protruding one that go together?


texts: "States Party to" or "State Parties to" or "States parties to"?

texts:
When discussing a treaty or international agreement, which is correct?

"There are 100 states party to the treaty." (for example, as used here)

Or:  "There are 100 state parties to the treaty." (for example, as used here)

Or: "There are 100 states parties to the treaty."  (for example, as used here)


texts: Did the term "money shot" originate in the mainstream film industry?

texts:
The Wikipedia entry on money shot indicates that the phrase originated in the film industry in general, not just in pornographic films.

  Originally, in general film-making usage, the "money shot" was simply the scene that cost the most money to produce.

By contrast, Collins indicates it originated in the porn industry. To be fair, that entry only talks about the pornographic meaning of "money shot".

Where did it come from? Did it exist before the porn meaning arose? Did the porn industry take an obscure term and make it more popular?


texts: Is there a word for "drab" with a positive connotation?

texts:
Let's imagine that I want to say the following, replacing the word drab:

  This painting is beautifully drab.

I'm particularly thinking of when you describe a piece of art. Usually something lacking in color is drab, but occasionally the lack of strong colors is appropriate and positive, if that makes sense.

I have searched through the thesaurus for synonyms of "drab" and antonyms to synonyms of "colorful". As far as I can tell all of the results are generally negative in meaning.

Is there a word or am I searching for something that does not exist?


texts: singular or plural form in the following sentence

texts:
We use the aforementioned eight factor models and report the numbers of significant factor coefficients of the different factor models in Table 2.

OR

We use the aforementioned eight factor models and report the number of significant factor coefficients of the different factor models in Table 2.

The context of the sentence is that I ran 25 regressions using 8 models, respectively. Every right-hand variable have 25 coefficients among which some are not significant. I need to report the number of significant coefficients for such a variable.

Really appreciate any help.


texts:
From indefatigable:

ADJECTIVE
(of a person or their efforts) persisting tirelessly. ‘an indefatigable defender of human rights’
Origin
Early 17th century: from French, or from Latin indefatigabilis, from in- ‘not’ + de- ‘away, completely’ + fatigare ‘wear out.'

Is the de- the same as in deactivate? The origin of deactivate is not given in that dictionary.
I'm wondering why the word is not simply "infatigable" or even "unfatigable." Why is de- there? What is its function?


texts:
I've read/heard people saying "all of this" and "all of these" where this and these both refer to some plural entity. Are there any differences in using this and these in this way?

I'm guessing that the answer is that it doesn't matter, but wanted to make sure.

For example (taken from here)

  Participants commonly report increased mental clarity, improved quality of sleep, higher energy levels, and better moods. You can achieve all of this WITHOUT ...

Shouldn't it be "You can achieve all of these"?


texts:
Is there a word meaning "without consequence" or better yet, a word meaning
"the power to act without consequence"


texts: The phrase "the reason has to be because XXX"

texts:
Husband asked, "Do you think it's true that men use 15,000 words a
  day  and women use double?"

  The wife replied, "I think so, The reason has to be because we
  have to repeat everything to men."

Is "the reason has to be because" a common usage in colloquial conversations?

Another question!

Does "A have to be B" mean the strong guess(A must be B or I'm sure A is B)?

I learned "the reason is because S+V" is grammatically wrong (although many people use it) as far as I remember my SAT writing class materials correctly.


texts: Difference between "this" and "that" when referring to a previous sentence

texts:
I have checked this site.

  We use this or that to refer to something with special emphasis – indicating an interesting new fact has been mentioned.
  We use this or that to refer to a new topic, often the last thing mentioned. The reference could be a word, phrase or clause.

Are the uses of "this" and "that" below both grammatical? I think "that" also can be used in the sentences. I'd value your opinions.

Could any native speaker please answer this?

Apple is going to release a new operating system. This/that will be a huge step in merging the laptop OS with the iPad and iPhone OS.
AppleCar wants to market its auto in the United States first. This/that will allow the product to be tested before introducing it to the international market.
Heavy rains and stormy conditions throughout the summer have led to severe shortages in strawberries and other soft fruits. This/that has led to price rises in many supermarkets and shops


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say "better able to" or "able to better"?

This applies to any usage I can think of, but the sentence that prompted this question is:

  Users are [phrase] understand and improve their health.

Which is correct?
Users are better able to understand and improve their health.
Users are able to better understand and improve their health.

When I attempt to break down the sentence and think about each part, both uses seem as though they are technically correct. Both are saying that the users are able to understand and improve their health more so than before.

It almost reminds me of the distributive rule in math. Both are saying something is able to be done, and both are adding a qualifier to the something that is able to be done.

Better able to something == better(  able to( something ) )
Able to better == able to( better( something ) )

Is "better able to" like saying something was able to be done before, but now it is easier to do; while "able to better" like saying something wasn't able to be better done before, but now it is?

Regardless of my rambling thoughts, which is correct?

Should you say:

  "Users are able to better understand and improve their health."

or

  "Users are better able to understand and improve their health."


texts: Can "have a feeling that" be used to state a fact?

texts:
I have a feeling that you are angry with me.
  I have a feeling that George Washington was commander in chief of the Continental Army.

Can I have a feeling that be used to introduce a fact?
If it can be used, what is the difference between the the following sentences, and the previous ones?

  I think that George Washington was commander in chief of the Continental Army.
  George Washington was commander in chief of the Continental Army.
  I know George Washington was commander in chief of the Continental Army.


texts: What is it called when novels don't start at the beginning of the storyline?

texts: Reef, by Romesh Gunesekera, essentially starts in the middle of the character storyline - what is the literary term name for this?


texts: Is it appropriate to say directly "x belongs to y (a category)"?

texts:
You belong to the cleverest human being. (self-made)

Is this clear enough, or should I say: You belong to the category of the cleverest human being.


texts:
Looking at usage frequencies in Google:

"in polar form" - 162000 occurrences

"in the polar form" - 85100

"in a polar form" - 26200

The context I am interested is math and it seems that most occurrences I see in Google belong to it.
Same for "Cartesian":

"in Cartesian form" - 33700 occurrences

"in the Cartesian form" - 26900

"in a Cartesian form" - 162

I am not asking which one is correct, since it seems that all of them are correct. I am asking which would be the subtle difference in meaning between the three.

I am familiar with the theory of articles in English and have improved my confidence considerably, but still cannot figure it out in this particular case.


texts:
As a Canadian, I feel that our spelling tendencies—sometimes British, sometimes American—fit quite well with our geographic, historic and cultural placement between these two bigger countries.

I have enjoyed this question about differences between Canadian English and American and British English, especially the quite extensive answer given by user @ghoppe.

But @ghoppe's answer got me wondering why there are some quite consistent tendencies to American or to British spelling in Canadian English. For example, why do we tend to standardize on -ize endings rather than -ise? Why do we tend to favour -our endings rather than -or endings?

I took to the internet to find if there are historic reasons.

On this blog post I found the following comment by a reader:

  the fact is, Canadian English was rapidly becoming American in the early 19th century, thanks to massive immigration into Canada from the States […]. Prominent Canadian cultural authorities intentionally re-established some British norms as standard, most notably -our and -re words, partly for patriotic reasons […].

That's a start, although it is not referenced. Wikipedia's page on Canadian English has another tantalizing little detail:

  Canadian spelling conventions can be partly explained by Canada's trade history. For instance, the British spelling of the word cheque probably relates to Canada's once-important ties to British financial institutions.[citation needed] Canada's automobile industry, on the other hand, has been dominated by American firms from its inception, explaining why Canadians use the American spelling of tire (hence, "Canadian Tire") and American terminology for the parts of automobiles (for example, truck instead of lorry, gasoline instead of petrol, trunk instead of boot).

As you can see, Wikipedia has determined a citation is needed on the first part (the second part comes from the Canadian Oxford Dictionary).

I'd love to know more than just these little details. Is there an article or book out there that lays out more comprehensively the whys of Canadian spelling?


texts: What is the correct preposition in this sentence?

texts:
What is the correct preposition in the following sentence?

  Rapid convergence in the media and entertainment industries is blurring the line between “who does what.”

Is “between” correct here? Or should it be “in”? Or do you think the sentence needs rewriting?

I think when you use “between,” you have to name two items — “between this and that.”


texts: What does "put the imprimatur of the State itself on an exclusion" mean in the following context?

texts:
Many who deem same-sex marriage to be wrong reach that conclusion based on decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises, and neither they nor their beliefs are disparaged here. But when that sincere, personal opposition becomes enacted law and public policy, the necessary consequence is to put the imprimatur of the State itself on an exclusion that soon demeans or stigmatizes those whose own liberty is then denied.

Does "put the imprimatur of the State itself on an exclusion" mean "the State approves of excluding the gay marriage" or "exclude the State from approving of gay marriage"? What confuses me specifically is the definition of "exclusion" here.


texts:
My co-worker sent me a message with the text below:

  "description to follow"

Actually this is the only text inside of the message where there are some pictures attached.

I got what it says "Description will follow" or similar to that but what I want to learn is which grammar rule can explain this type of usage?


texts: Can I use the word "Applicator" to describe a person in the following context?

texts:
Here's the context in question, please read on:

"The final proof is in the listening and John knows this. This knowledge makes him a designer in constant dynamic relationship with what he makes, rather than an applicator of proven scientific knowledge."

Can I use "Applicator of knowledge" to describe a person? How does it sound to native speakers? If it does not sound right, how else may I write the same sentence?

Thanks a lot,
Maryam


texts: Should I use "who" or "whom" as the only word in a sentence?

texts:
I understand that "who" is for the subject and "whom" is for the object. However, sometimes they are used as the only word in a sentence. For example:

Person 1: Yeah, he ate the entire cake.
Person 2: Who(m)?

Which form is correct?  I can see it being short for both "Who is the person who ate the cake?" and "Whom are you talking about?"


texts: Are 'next Friday' and 'this Friday' the same?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Which day does “next Tuesday” refer to?

To me, they both mean the same thing, the upcoming Friday, but I know people who say that 'next Friday' is the one after this Friday.

Is there any canonical view or common usage that can help clarify?


texts: What are the differences between "unto" and "to"? It seems that in many contexts where the word "unto" is used, "to" could be substituted and would be perfectly correct. It reminds me of flammable/inflammable, where "flammable" came into use because the "in" in "inflammable" caused people to think that it meant not inflammable. Is this a similar situation?


texts:
I saw this sentence somewhere, and since I am not native speaker, this seemed weird to me.

The part "are many" made the sentence not complete in my eyes and made it weird. Did they use it correctly?

  The techniques and tools we use to defend our castle are many, most of them not available to random people.

Please don't mind that the sentence does not make much sense in general.


texts: Is there a single word for a person who overreacts?

texts: I'm looking for a single word that describes a person who often overreacts to things.


texts: Use (or not) of appostrohe when making an abbreviated plural

texts:
We had a discussion the other day that needs settling.
I am a medical student and in our "industry" we use a lot of three letter abbreviations such as: CPR (Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation), PUN (Patient Unmet Need), PEN (Practitioner Educational Need) etc. You get the message.
Now, the other day our tutor wrote in a presentation: PENs, PUNs, CPRs and I argued (who am I to argue with the tutor?) that it should be PEN's, PUN's CPR's as we are pluralising an abbreviation.
What is the rule (if any) about pluralising abbreviations?
Dan


texts:
what's the meaning of "discreet sanctuary of love" in this phrase

"If one does not wish biotechnology to interfere with questions which are situated within
the discreet sanctuary of love, one must make this decision first and above all for oneself."


texts: Pronunciation of "intermediate" as /ɪntə(ɹ)ˈmiːdʒɪt/?

texts: I've heard both "intermediate" and "immediate" pronounced /ɪntə(ɹ)ˈmiːdʒɪt/ and /ɪˈmiːdʒɪt/ respectively in Indian English. Wiktionary has /ɪˈmiːdʒɪt/ as an alternative pronunciation for immediate for RP but not for intermediate. Is /ɪntə(ɹ)ˈmiːdʒɪt/ a legitimate pronunciation?


texts: How does parenthesis affect grammar, would it be "a (incorrect) report" or "an (incorrect) report?"

texts: Would it be "a (incorrect) report" or "an (incorrect) report?"


texts: Sense verbs (see and hear) used in the progressive form (specific contexts)

texts: I have a question about sense verbs used in the progressive form, namely "hearing" and "seeing" in the contexts like the ones presented in the attached images (the underscored fragments). Is there any way to explain such a usage? I know that neither of them can be accounted for by the special meanings depicted in Swan's PEU or some dictionaries ("hearing things" - to hear sounds that are not real or "seeing someone" - to have an appointment). So, is it just an emphasis on the emotions of a speaker (surprise/disappointment) or the immediacy of an action? I presume that this usage is quite widespread because I've heard similar constructions in television serials/movies and I've seen them in other comics.


texts: Is it proper English to say "allocate [someone] among [something]"

texts:
Searching on the Internet one can find plenty of sentences where "allocate [something] among [someone]" appears, for instance (Google Books):

The Congress amended the law to require OPOs "to allocate donated organs equitably among transplant patients according to established medical criteria."
It becomes effective if and when norms and categories for the distribution of insufficient capacities have to be established in order to allocate scarce resources among several needy persons through competition.

But, if one tries finding a fragment like "allocate [someone] among [something]" the search results begin more scattered, almost like it is not proper or idiomatic English to use "allocate" that way. An example of this kind is (Google Books):

If the solution to a problem can only be expressed in whole numbers, as would be the case if the problem involved how to allocate people among various tasks or departments, then linear programming models can't be used.

So, is it proper English to say  "allocate [someone] among [something]"?


texts:
A while ago I used the word blackmail in a situation, just to learn that the word didn't fit. I am left wondering whether there is a better choice. I probably have to explain the situation (I'll try to keep it short).

I was playing a board game online. At some point it was sure that I had won the game (and by that I don't mean that I had an edge but that I literally had won). Unfortunately this doesn't mean that the game ends immediately, but it goes on until some criterion is met which ends the game. Under normal circumstances this happens rather quickly but my opponent found a way to artificially prolong the game leaving me with two options:

a) I could accept a draw, even though I already had won.

b) I could continue playing, probably for hours, doing the same repetitive moves over and over just to collect the win eventually. Normally the game is quite casual and doesn't take longer than 15 minutes.

I said that he was "blackmailing" me. However he insisted that I was using the word wrongly, since it is biased to situations where monetary benefit is involved. As you can imagine there was a lot of tension already and the end of the story is not important, but I was left with the question whether there is a better word for this situation.

I discussed this question with some friends (including American, British and Australian native speakers) and all agreed that the word isn't really right, but that there is probably no better one. Extortion was another candidate but this word seems to be too harsh.

Any ideas?


texts: Which preposition to use with “sentiment” to describe an opinion on a topic?

texts:
Which preposition(s) can be used with “sentiment” in the following context?

  The general public’s sentiment [preposition] environmental issues changed over time.

I am aware of the following options, but am not sure which to use, whether any is appropriate, or whether this list is exhaustive:

sentiment about an issue
sentiment towards an issue
sentiment on an issue
sentiment concerning an issue

As far as I understand sentiment for would express something close to a feeling of pity, rather than the more general concept of emotions people express in relation to a topic.


texts:
I have a doubt regarding the correct preposition usage for the word absolve.

For example,

  The court has absolved him from all the charges leveled against him.

And another example,

  I absolve you of all your sins.

I googled for a bit and found this answer Proper preposition for "absolve" but the confusion remained.

Could someone tell me why the two prepositions have not been used interchangeably in these sentences?
And are there any markers which can help one identify the correct preposition?


texts:
I found this sentence in http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lesser

  “He was feared by other, lesser, men.”

is this sentence correct in grammar?

I can't make sense out of it.
I suppose it should be "He was feared by other lesser  men".
is my opinion correct? thank you


texts: Is “tame the infinite” becoming the popular expression or buzz word to mean challenging a difficult question?

texts:
I came across the phrase, “tame the infinite” in the following sentence of the article of New York Times (May 4) Travel column, titled “Easy China, 3 Ways”:

“For the first-time visitor to China, planning a trip to the most populous country on earth can be an exercise in trying to tame the infinite. Where to begin? Since most people will be flying into Beijing, Hong Kong or Shanghai, we suggest basing yourself in one of these three cities, each in its own state of frenzied transformation.”

I guessed “tame the infinite” means “It’s a very difficult question like challenging the infinite of mathematics” from the context of the sentence, and checked the phrase with Cambridge, Oxford and Merriam-Webster online dictionaries to make sure of its meaning. None of them registers “tame the infinite” as an idiom. Google Ngram shows no incidence either.

I found however, the book written by Kim Stewart, titled “Taming the Infinite - the Story of Mathematics” on amazon.

Does the use of the phrase (an exercise / attempt /plan to) “tame the infinite” by the New York Times writer suggests that the phrase is getting currency as a popular phrase or trendy expression?


texts: What is the term for paraphrasing an idiom (for humorous effect)?

texts: For example, paraphrasing "Devil's advocate" as "Satan's lawyer" or saying that something would "cost several limbs". I'm pretty sure there is a term but I can't remember it or Google it successfully.


texts:
In a question on Hermeneutics.SE recently, we were discussing a phenomenon in the Hebrew book of Job where the author repeatedly uses a word that standardly1 means "to bless" to denote an action generally translated "to curse".2 One of the Classical Hebrew lexicons indicates that a similar usage is possible in English:3

  bless, with the antithetical meaning curse...from the greeting in departing, saying adieu to, taking leave of; but rather a blessing overdone and so really a curse as in vulgar English as well as in the Shemitic cognates4

I presume by "vulgar" he means "common" rather than "obscene", but either way I'm either not familiar with this English usage, or at least I'm having trouble recalling it. (The ODO entry provides no help.) The lexicon was published in 1906 so it may be something specific to that era. Can anyone help me identify what expression(s) this refers to and/or examples of such usage?

1. Over 300 times in the Hebrew Bible, with little variation in translation.

2. Perhaps most famously, Job's wife's advice to "Curse [lit. bless] God and die."

3. Brown, F., Driver, S. R., & Briggs, C. A. A Hebrew and English lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906. It's the last subentry (#5) under piel ("Pi."), about two-thirds down on the left column of page 139.

4. Now generally spelled Semitic. The lexicon was likely referring primarily to Arabic and Aramaic.


texts: I'm looking for a noun which roughly means "the little chores" in life, something similar to mundane tasks (such as fetching groceries, doing the laundry, etc), but a bit more generic than "errand". Preferably something that implies that the action could be repeated.


texts: What does “Every Jewish mother will die, a fact many are not exactly famous for playing down” mean?

texts:
The New York Times (May 20) carried a review on a revue, “Old Jews telling jokes”, currently being performed at the Westside Theater, under the title “Such a tradition of humor, and this is only a revue?”.

I was unable to get the idea of its beginning line:

  Every Jewish mother will die, a fact many are not exactly famous for playing down, but the Jewish-mother joke will live forever.

What is the plain English for “a fact many are not exactly famous for playing down,” which looks to me somewhat winding?

The associated question :

The beginning block of the article ends up with the following line;

"The show, whose title has as firm a grasp on its audience’s desire as “Girls gone wild,” is a winning concept executed deftly with affection. Would it kill you to pay a visit? "

I guess “Would it kill you to pay a visit” simply means “Why don’t you try to pay a visit.”

Is “Would it kill you to do something” a popular phrase to substitute for recommending somebody to do something? Does it sound awkward or over-the-top if I say to my colleague “Would it kill you to have a drink,” instead of saying “Let’s have a drink” after work?”


texts: A situation when two or more people speak at the same time

texts:
The word or phrase I am looking for is quite opposite to that of the situation when people, such as students or sports players, sing their national anthem with the same tone and words.

I want a single word or even phrase that can describe the situation when two or more people speak at the same time with different tone and words . . . and at the end, the listener cannot get what they are saying. This situation can be found while debating, telling a news about any incident or even while complaining.

  Due to _____ , the teacher could not get what they are saying.

If it's not feasible to find a noun or phrase for such situation, then here I request to have an adverb standing alone to describe how they are speaking, for instance, what is the adverb for "at the same time"?.

Here is how, I want to convert sentence 1 into sentence 2.

  They spoke at the same time, and the teacher could not get what they are saying.
  They spoke _____ , and the teacher could not get what they are saying.


texts:
"To be alone with her. She ashed her cigarettes and put them out in an empty Coke she had been drinking, and when I bit into the sandwich, she said:"

"To be alone with her" - Does it just describe a situation? However, the author said above that the main character is alone with her.


texts: Origin of the of the phrase "feeling blue"

texts: Where did the expression "feeling blue" come from?


texts: What do you call a person who doesn't feel guilty telling lies

texts:
There are some frequently used quotes people use on Facebook which go like: "Be what you are and you shouldn't change for anybody", "Do not change to impress somebody", etc.

Those quotes sound good, but not from a chronic liar. My question is what do you call a person who doesn't at all feel guilty for his/her lies and instead uses them constantly?


texts: Do you say concordance of A and B, concordance of A with B, concordance between A and B, or something else?


texts: Word for continuous waiting for the next new person who arrived to finish

texts:
A couple of people are having coffee.  When they are about to finish, another person joins.  Now they have to wait for that person to finish.  When person 3 is about to finish, another joins.  Now they have to all wait for the new person also to finish his/her coffee.

Is there a word for this continuously prolonged process of waiting?


texts: "On the other end / side" of the phone line

texts:
What's the proper way to reference somebody who're you talking with by a peer-to-peer phone line, usually if you don't know who's there exactly?

Russian language, for example, has the idiom

(они) на другом конца провода

which is literally

(they, who appear to be) on the other end of the [phone] wire

Note that it is in plural and it can be used even for wireless (i.e. cell) phones. What is the proper way to say that in English? I've stumbled a couple of times to usage "(at/on) the other end", "(at/on) the other side" in some texts, but I'm not sure that they're authentic, correct and relate to precisely what I'm talking about. I've checked the dictionaries, but I couldn't find anything relevant.

Possibly related, but still doesn't give the exact answer on telephone line specific case:

"Our end" vs. "our side"

Definitely not related:

"On the one/other hand" vs. "on the one/other side"


texts: Could you please update something in a way

texts:
I would like to ask somebody to update something using the phrase "Could you please update something" and I would like to add some explanation on what I expect as a result from that update but I'm not sure how to do that.

I was thinking about the following:

Could you please update something so it will {some explanation}?

does it sound natural?

Thanks


texts:
My question is

A million dollars' worth of shipment is missing

and

A million dollars' worth of shipment has been lost.

Which sentence is correct?


texts:
I would like to ask, if there is any word describing public space in front of a theater. Something like vallation, but specific for theaters.

I need to do architectural research, but can't find any corresponding word.

Thank you.


texts: "At the most difficult times" or "in the most difficult times"

texts:
In the example below which preposition is appropriate: at or in?

  Family will be there for you [at/in] the most difficult times no
  matter what.


texts: Verbs that change meaning depending on object position

texts:
I was writing a text and I stumbled upon the differences between:

Lily slipped and threw up her keys
Lily slipped and threw her keys up [in the air]

For a moment I was finding phrase 1 more natural to hear but then I realized the meaning there is completely different.

Is there a name for this phenomenon in English (if this is not an exception), in which a verb+adverb change completely its meaning by repositioning the object on the sentence?

Should I learn some rule in order to be cautious when using this composition?


texts:
How was is used in sentences with first form or with second ?

For example what is correct:
I was not fractured ?
or
I was not fracture ?

Similarly in another example:
I was failed or I was fail ?

Will same for verbal and written English ?

Thanks


texts: "Why didn't (or did not) somebody do something?" or "Why did somebody not do something?"

texts: I was wondering which one is grammatically correct between "Why didn't (or did not) somebody do something?" and "Why did somebody not do something?"


texts:
"Shambles" is one of the few singular nouns in English that blatantly resembles a plural noun. What is the origin of "a shambles"? Why do we really need to prefix an "a" in front of "shambles"? Which of the following is perfect?

The country's economy is in shambles.
The country's economy is in a shambles.
The country's economy is a shambles.


texts:
I am referring to goods as in services and goods provided. I came across this definition (emphasis mine):

tender document:
A written invitation sent to potential suppliers of a good or service to inform them about the information required for the buyer to choose among them. Issuing a tender document typically begins the tender process by which a business selects qualified and interested suppliers based on such things as their price, availability and proposed delivery terms.

The use of good as a countable noun seems wrong to me. Is good used correctly here, is it a countable noun? Can one provide a good?
EDIT:   Google returns  9,790,000 hits for "suppliers of a good". Does that mean I have to accept it as "correct"? Does no one else feel it is wrong?


texts: The definite article usage with objects that have names

texts:
For example, I have a database and several tables in it. One of the tables is named Clients for this example.
When I speak about a table and need to mention its name do I have to use the definite article?

  Insert a record into the Clients table.

or

  Insert a record into Clients table.

Which one is correct?


texts:
I'm writing a report for my master thesis and I'm pretty unsure when to use italics. I have found some guidelines in the internet but I still have some questions.

I'm using abbreviations like ROC for receiver operating characteristics and AUC for area under the curve or CSV for comma separated values. These abbreviations are in common use but I'm also using my own defined abbreviations.

Should the abbreviations be given in italic?

Second, currently I make algorithm names, like RelieF, italic. Is this correct? ReliefF is the name of an algorithm presented in a paper.


texts: Word for "to use someone's own tactics against them"

texts: I'm looking for a word to describe using someone's own tactics against them. A formal word is preferable but a colloquialism will work as well.


texts: Since English is a stress-timed language, why have poets chosen to write in iambic pentameter? Doesn't the language already have a natural rhythm without resorting to meter? And isn't that natural rhythm already quite close to iambic pentameter?


texts: How is the word SNOB considered by English speaking people?

texts:
I am not a native English speaker. I am looking for an answer to this question to be sure to use the correct sense of this word snob.

Actually this word snob will be part of my new company's name and I would love to call it "POSH & SNOB". It's a designed product shop.


texts: The holidays are a good time to be with family

texts: is the phrase grammatically correct? or should I say "The holidays are good times..." ? can we use "a" after "are" ?


texts: A recurring but elusive observation, felt over a long period of time

texts:
I'm looking for a word or phrase I think I've heard or seen, meaning something like, "a curious thing," but lighter, less forward. Like a passive observation one makes, of a handful of instances over a decade, but only lately worth acknowledging a pattern.

It's always been there, a ______, but ...


texts:
First, thank you Edwin Ashworth and RegDwigнt♦ for your comments.
I was able to learn and recognize my mistake, obscuring the point of question.

Here is as to I've wanted to discuss about:

He was uncertain as to which road to take.
(Example given by Ediwn Ashworth)

Obvious though this is for you, I, as not a native, cannot get how this can possess the meaning, about. I suppose that these two prepositions, as and to, independently have several meanings depending on context they involve - meaning, roughly, such as "like", "while", et cetera of as. And there comes my question: which meanings of these, as and to, make such meaning, about, in the sentence above? How do they "converge" into such meaning?

Could you give me two sentences that have as or to whose meaning is used to make the meaning - One sentence that has as whose meaning of above, and another sentence that has to whose meaning of above.

Again, thanks.


texts:
I'm a little confused on when and when not to capitalize academic titles.

For example do you say

  "I am a Finance major."

or

  "I am a finance major."

Also does it change if it is

  "I am majoring in Finance."

or

  "I am majoring in finance."


texts: What is the linguistic purpose of 'one' as an adjective preceding a noun?

texts: For example, I have heard people say 'remember when we saw that one guy?', or 'my one exam just got postponed'. Is it a form of hedging?


texts: Synonym for table stakes in a business context?

texts:
I dislike 'table stakes' to describe the bare essentials. Looking for a better way to describe it. For example:

  Email and SaaS applications are just table stakes. Custom enterprise software gives your business a sustainable competitive advantage

Any ideas?


texts: Are commas necessary between coordinate adjectives?

texts:
to reach a mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution that would ensure Iranˈs nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful.

As I see, in the noun phrase a mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution, all the three adjectives describing the head noun are coordinate. Then, shouldn't there be commas between them making it look like a mutually-agreed, long-term,/and comprehensive solution? Is putting a comma between coordinate adjectives a must? If so, what has happened here?


texts: What does "dirty" mean in relation to a drink?

texts:
I saw in a movie a girl asking for a "very dirty" drink. Did she want higher alcohol content?

I searched definitions of dirty but I couldn't find any related to a drink.


texts: Word for something that can be jumped off of

texts: Is there a word for something that can be jumped off of?  For example the ground can jumped off of, but you can not jump off something which is falling through the air. I'm looking for an adjective.


texts:
In the song "The next right thing" from the Frozen 2 soundtrack there is a strange part in the lyrics:

Take a step, step again
It is all that I can to do
The next right thing

Why "can to do", is it even grammatical? It there some sort of special meaning or "feel" to it?
And it is not required by the melody, I mean, it could very well do without this extra syllable, so I'm assuming it was put there on purpose.


texts: What is the phrase to describe the problem of mass participation?

texts: What is the phrase used to describe the problem where a solution does not work unless all stakeholders volunteer to participate in the solution and individual stakeholders are de-incentivized to participate because they can still reap the benefits of the solution without participating?  For example, recycling is difficult to incentivize because people who don't recycle still benefit when others recycle, but recycling as a whole doesn't really work unless everyone recycles.  This phrase is commonly used in study of politics or social sciences.


texts:
Is a there a noun that means an object that is 'evil' or is anti-life? I am looking for a word to characterize a bullet that killed an innocent person.
I have found some adjectives such as heinous, atrocious, nefarious, and malevolent that can accurately describe the bullet, but I am looking for a noun. Characterizing the whole shooting as an atrocity is another solution, but I am looking for a word that is more of an object than an act. Thanks for all help

For example:

  The bullet is nothing but a _______


texts: Correct Usage: But for your charm or But for your charms?

texts:
Are both of these correct usage:

But for your charm I wouldn't have stayed back.
But for your charms I wouldn't have stayed back.

If both of these are correct usage then are the meanings same in both the cases?


texts:
I’m writing a paper that has a number of figures that compare two images, and I’m constantly debating whether it’s necessary to repeat the figure number when I compare those images in the text.

For instance, if I write “the object on the right in Figure 1 is an abstract version of the object on the left,” is it necessary to write “on the left in Figure 1,” “in that figure,” or “in the same figure?” Or is it obvious that I’m talking about Figure 1?


texts:
I know that diacritics are often retained in loanwords in formal writing (cf. naïveté), but I haven't seen this done with direct adaptation of Latin words; i.e., per se.

In Latin, per sē comes with a macron, indicating the longness of the vowel. This practice is uncommon (unused?) in English, but so are accents and diæresis marks, which are retained in the aforementioned naïveté.

Is there any attested usage or relevant guideline regarding the adaptation of macrons from Latin?


texts:
For example, is this sentence correct?

  The requested goods must be delivered within 5 business days upon receipt of a request (or simply upon request).


texts:
This morning we crossed a street named Pineburr.  Note, there is no space; it is one word.  We've looked for that word on the web and in dictionaries without any luck.  Anyone know its meaning, derivation and usage?

Wes


texts: 'Took a lot of breakin' down' in Yellow Slugs by E.C. Bailey

texts:
He gazed at Bell with large, solemn eyes. “His wife! He’d schooled her thorough. Ever hear anything more miserably appealing than her on her dear babies and poor old Mrs. Wiven? Not often? No. Took a lot of breakin’ down.”

A part of Yellow Slugs by H.C. Bailey.

The dialogue was between the detective and police superintendant, after the detective solved the case. In many cases, Bailey's style is too brief, omitting subject or verb in the sentences.

But what's the real meaning of took a lot of breakin' down in this paragraph?


texts: Inversion: "It holds fast as a principle Occam's Razor"

texts:
I want to write a sentence with the same meaning as:

  It holds fast to Occam's Razor as a principle

A simpler version of the above is:

  It holds Occam's Razor as a principle

I want to arrange the phrases to make something that sounds like this:

  It holds fast as a principle/Occam's Razor

(where the "/" indicates pause in pronunciation) How would I be able to write such a sentence?

If you want more context: It's character talking in first person about how his mind still operate by the principle of Occam's Razor (The principle rejecting complex theories when a simpler one of equal quality is present) even though wild conjectures crowds his mind.

  At times, multitudinous conjectures of the utmost wildness crowd my mind, However, tattered and constitutionally feeble my rational faculty may be, it holds fast as a principle Occam's Razor.


texts: Is "The lake is going to be busy all weekends" correct

texts: Title sums it up, it sounds weird, but is it worded correctly? As well as grammatically correct?


texts:
While this question talks about the meaning of the word "pseudo", I'm wondering what the rules are for hyphenating words that start with this prefix.

For example, would it be correct to call someone a pseudointellectual, or a pseudo-intellectual?  I asked Google, and he showed me plenty of examples of both, so I figured I would ask the experts.


texts: What's in between "single" and "double"?

texts:
I'm trying to think of a word that basically communicates something in between a single and a double.

Is there such a thing as half of a tuple?

How would you communicate something that is in between a single and a double?


texts: Single word request: something does not disconfirm the superiority of the most widely used practice

texts:
I analysed different nonoperative management practices and all of them showed worse outcomes than surgery.
The sentence I am writing:

None of the nonoperative management practices disconfirms the superiority of surgery.

Is "disconfirm" the correct word to use or there are better options?


texts:
Is "that that" or "that, that" redundant in sentences such as this:

  The reason we are late is that that we had an accident.

or

  The reason we are late is that, that we had an accident.

Is it ok if I just say:

  The reason we are late is that we had an accident.


texts: Is "Why Steven Sinofsky is out at Microsoft" correct?

texts:
The title of this Ars Technica piece reads:

  Why Steven Sinofsky is out at Microsoft

Concretely, I'm wondering why (if) "out at" is correct – I initially thought "out of" would be the correct option.


texts: Which is more correct? Plenty of room or Plenty of rooms

texts:
I want to understand the difference between "Plenty of room" and "plenty of rooms".

For example
Of course, you must stay with us. There’s plenty of room and we’ll pick you up at the airport.


texts:
I’ve read this in older books, and I get the impression that it means “not at all”, but the construction doesn’t make sense.  Am I right as to the meaning?  And how should I interpret the form?

Here’s one usage:

  And that’s the reason why, if a man speaks his mind too freely against the gospel according to Saint Mat Thew, the Devil-a-bit does Mat care about it.


texts: Where did it come from?  What is the history of the idiom? I read it could from several different places but none of them seem like the right answer. Anyone got a good guess?


texts: Future usage of "will" and "be going to"

texts:
I need some clarification about the future using "will" and "be going to".

Please, describe which variant sounds as a plan, that I planned in advance and it will definitely happen.

I'm going to move in America to permanent residence.
I'll go to London in September.

As I understand, 1) is sounds like a plan for the future, that may be happen, but it's not clear yet.
And the point 2) sounds like that will happen definitely.

Am I right?
Thanks.


texts: How would you describe a person that has many achievements?

texts:
I've thought of achiever, but I need an adjective.
For example: Todd has many achievements; he is ___________.


texts:
The Encyclopædia Brittanica still uses the symbol "æ". However, I still hear everyone pronounce it as "Encyclo pee dia", when their spelling suggests more along the lines of "Encyclo pah dia" or "encyclo pay dia". In a more general sense, should æ or Æ always be pronounced as a long e sound? When I see it used, it is in dæmon, æther, or æon.

The wikipedia page makes it clear that they should be pronounced with another sound along the lines of ah or eh... confusing because I want to pronounce it as "ai" or "ay". Given the name "Aion" as a recent videogame, and the common pronunciation of a CS mailer-daemon as "Daymon", clearly others behave the same way.

The problem lies in that  æ used to be pronounced as ah/eh, and now seems to be pronounced as ay. Encyclopædia is the only exception... being pronounced as ee?

How do I pronounce it when seen in English? ee, ay, or ah/eh?


texts: In the early 19th C. when the eldest daughter married, did the second oldest daughter become the "Miss Whatever," or did she continue to be identified as "Miss Whoever Whatever?'


texts: "Because" followed by an infinitive, comma or no comma?

texts:
A co-worker who corrects my writing used this phrase:

  Because utilizing the optimal yield of solar panels, it frequently happens that installing them outside the predetermined safe zone is required.

Is it me, or does that sentence weird and unclear because

A) It needs a comma after "Because"

B) The order of the phrasing "installing them outside the safe zone is required" is not correct?

If it matters, the original phrasing was:

  Usually, however, quite a lot solar panels are required to achieve the desired energy savings. For this reason, solar panels are often placed outside of the safe zone as well.


texts: Regarding the use of the present perfect tense

texts:
What tense is being used in the following sentences?

I have been here.

How often have you been in love in your life?

There has been an accident.

I think these sentences use the present perfect tense. My first question regarding the first example: Is been being used as a past particle or as a helping verb? If so, my second question is: What part of speech is here?
By the way, I took my first two examples from Michael Swan's Practical English Usage, and the third from a book on grammar by Raymond Murph (all three are covered under "present perfect").


texts: Need some help to understand the meaning of this sentence

texts:
I am reading an article and it has this sentence:

  However, given the nature of laws protecting victims of rape, it will
  be a very difficult and highly technical legal battle to show that the
  accuser did not simply lack sufficient evidence to obtain a
  conviction, but actually engaged in malicious conduct designed to harm
  the reputation of the accused and subject him to possible criminal
  sanctions.

What is the meaning of the accuser did not simply lack sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction here?

It does not really fit what this paragraph is trying to say. I think it makes more sense to say

  the accuser not only lacked sufficient evidence to obtain a
  conviction, but actually engaged in malicious conduct designed to harm
  the reputation of the accused.


texts: Can altruism be used in a negative context to show a person doing something bad but unselfishly. He did such and such quite altruistically actually. Its meant to be tongue in cheek. Does that work?


texts:
What is the best idiom to describe improper investigation?
Scenario- the investigation was improper and hence prejudicial to the accused.


texts: Which prepositions should I use after "do your best"?

texts:
I always have been having problems how to understand which preposition to use. Of course there are examples, in which the preposition is obvious. For me the problem occurs when "Do your best in/on/at x." means "Deal with x as effectively as you can.". Which grammar rules or methods should I use for this case?

Examples of phrases I have this problem with include the following:

I'll do my best on the TOEFL preparation so I'll get a higher score on the exam.
I'll do my best on the test tomorrow.
Do your best in achieving this goal.
Do your best in the planning of our weekend.
Do your best in filling out the form.

The following phrases were changed according to suggestions by Robusto, so now they don't have this problem:

I see these questions for the first time so I haven't prepared for them. Should I just do my best to guess the right answers?
You will have only 15 seconds to prepare so do your best to use them effectively.

Should I ever write or say "I will do my best at x", when I use it in the meaning "I will cope/deal with x (as good as I will be able to)"?


texts: Are we instructed to re-roll or re-roll-off?

texts:
In the Warhammer 40k Kill Team Core Manual pg 20 it tells us how to deal with roll-offs:

  ROLL-OFFS

  Some rules instruct players to roll off. To do so, each player rolls a D6 (or 2D6 if there are more than two players), and whoever scores the highest wins the roll-off. In the case of a tie, those players re-roll their dice -- if the second and subsequent rolls are also tied keep on rolling until a winner is determined; this is the only time players can re-roll a re-roll.

The problem lies with the following sentence:

  In the case of a tie, those players re-roll their dice

I interpret it two ways. The first is what I think it is instructing us to do -- in the case of a tie you are using the re-roll to determine the position of just the tied players. However as we are being instructed to re-roll the dice not re-roll-off, it reads that these new results could overtake existing rolls.

Take the following situation:

  Person A rolls a: 5
  Person B rolls a: 4
  Person C rolls a: 4

  There is a tie, and so B and C re-roll. Resulting in:

  Person B rolls a: 6
  Person C rolls a: 4

With the former interpretation the winning order is; A, B, C, as A won the round with the tie. However as it only specifies that you should re-roll, not re-roll-off, the winning sequence would be; B, A, C.

Which way are we being instructed to roll-off?


texts: Is there a word to describe the relationship between words like 'unicycle' and 'bicycle'?

texts: Pretty much what the title says. Some other examples would be twosome and threesome, triangle, rectangle, etc.


texts: Is there a single word that means a person whose sole reason for existence is to annoy and aggravate others"?

texts:
I was told by someone that it was

  nimnal, nimnle, or nimnel

but I can't find it nor do I know how to spell it.

I hope that someone knows and that there actually is a word for this type of person.


texts:
I have a partner who lives sumptuously in a different time zone.

I've been wondering which is the correct way of putting it:

  11 p.m. in your time

or

  11 p.m. at your time

Thank you!


texts:
I have a bodyguard in order to protect myself.

I was told that I cannot have a stative verb in the required condition:

  I have a bodyguard

But I don't understand how "I need to study in order to pass the exam" is correct when "need" is stative.

I was also told that the subject has to do the infinitive, so the following is wrong:

  in order to protect myself.

I was told the sentence should be written as:

  I hired a bodyguard in order to stay protected.

Is this correct, or is there no problem with my original sentence?

My question is about in order.


texts: Is there a single term for "nieces and nephews"?

texts: I find it handy when talking about my sons and daughters I can just say my children.  It's nice to say nieces instead of sibling's daughters. I wonder if there is a similar term for nieces and nephews together? I imagine I could say sibling's kids but I was hoping for a single word.


texts: Is there a formal name for when the same word appears twice (or more) in a row?

texts:
Sometimes I read, write or speak a sentence where a single word appears twice in a row. For example:

  The book he had had a torn cover.

I was curious if there was a formal term for such a pattern.

Thanks


texts: What is the meaning of "it was to this"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "it was to this" in the following sentence?

It was to this remote, impregnable fortress that Hitler, and a coterie of his most fanatical supporters, intended to retreat when the Wehrmacht was beaten.
-Catherine Bailey Fey's war-


texts: What is idiom suiting the statement "the office boy has more importance than the manager"

texts:
What is idiom, expression or proverb suiting the statement "the office boy/office peon has more importance than the manager, so you have to bend before them"

As in it is far more important to be in good books of the office boy/office peon than the manager or the authority. More often Managers or seniors in large or government organization have limited power and thus remain a figurehead or a mouthpiece.

It comes with connotation that since office boy/office peon in third world countries do lot of file forwarding from departments to departments they have know-how of the right connections to go to rather than going to the long bureaucratic process which does not promise the desired outcome too.


texts: What is the etymology of "…kick ass and take names"?

texts: Inspired by What is this idiom: "I'm going to start taking names and..."?, but that question doesn't actually ask for where the expression originated. I Googled around, but couldn't find any reliable source. Surely the expression originates in a major or cult movie or literary work of some kind or another?


texts: Can I put the question word "where" at the end of a question?

texts:
I got this sentence from a Primary 5 student's worksheet.

  According to this passage, this creature can be found where?

Some of the parents think that the sentence should be "..., where can this creature be found?" One of the teachers said that "where" can be put at the end of the sentence, too.

All of us, the parents and the teacher, are non-native English speakers. Please enlighten us.


texts: Why does "Please approve it" sound wrong?

texts:
Whenever I read an email like this, the English sounds incorrect to me.

"I would like to take tomorrow off. Please approve it."

I want to say that "Please approve" is more natural, but why is that?


texts: Explaining the apostrophe in this quotation

texts:
Stumbled upon The Case For Mitt Romney:

  So far, under Obama, private sector job growth has vastly outpaced the public sector. And the big public unions, like the teachers', have been directly challenged.

I couldn't wrap my head around the apostrophe used after teachers— marked in bold. So, is there anything implied that I don't see or is this a type of apostrophe that I am not aware of?