texts:
I found some lines in an article. I have failed to understand them fully. Can I get some help?

  The novels of the Nigerian author Amos Tutola have on one side been extolled as daring forays into an artful subversion of novelistic structure and on the other been unfairly disparaged as little more than a retelling of Nigerian folktales, which liberally and carelessly supplies embellishments that undermine the integrity of the original story.

I have understood the summery of these lines. They say that, the novels of Tutola have been both extolled and disparaged as they think that those are just retelling of old stories with integrity of those stories being undermined.

But what does author actually mean by- has been extolled as daring forays into an artful subversion of novelistic structure ??

I have understood the meaning of extol (praise), forays(raid or attack) and subversion (destruction). It means some "raid or attack to destroy the novelistic structures". But how does the author relate "Praise" (extol) with destruction? ?

Please explain someone.


texts: Describing something that was the best solution in its time

texts: What's the word/phrase/idiom for describing something that  was the best solution, product, etc in its time. However, after a while, for example a decade, it's proved that it is not as efficient and working as thought.


texts: Examples of Ancient Brythonic words in modern English?

texts:
So, from a cursory understanding of English history (and I am very happy to say that) I was able to, one might note that the cultural history of those who lived in England might proceed:

  Britons who spoke Brythonic
  Romans who spoke Latin
  Angles, Jutes, Saxons, et. al. (Anglo-saxons) who spoke various Teutonic dialects
  Normans (ironically, from the same stock as the former, but trained in French)

My guess (and correct me if I'm wrong) is that the Latin influence in English was more to do with the Church and the Normans than it was to do with the Romans directly, but I was wondering if there are words which may be shown to be direct descendants of the ancient Britons' tounge?


texts:
I know I can say I'm having downtime.
How would you say it about a computer (system). It has/ it's on downtime every night from 2 till 5?


texts: What is the grammar structure? "I am not going to stand here watching you do it"?

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  I am not going to stand here watching you do it.

I saw it in an article. If it is - and I think it is - why is "watching" a gerund? What is the grammar structure? Is it a subject complement or something similar?


texts:
At the sports website XtraTime.in, you can find the phrase:

  Barcelona had no difficulty in thrashing the Spanish second division Hercules 7-0 to advance to the last 16 of the King’s Cup. At home, the team secured the elastic score without Messi, Suarez and Neymar – the trio Won off on Wednesday.
  (reference link)

Does elastic score mean that the team won by a big difference?


texts:
I was reading the book The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells when I came across the word, stror. I can't find it in the dictionary. I want to know what it means. The original sentence is :-

  "This stror, sir, if I might make so bold as to remark—"

If anyone wants to look for context, see page 10 of The Invisible Man (PDF)


texts: How to reference individuals in a non-mutual relationship based on perspective

texts:
I am having difficulty with how to reference individuals on two sides of a non-mutual relationship based on perspective.

For example, consider two people in an extreme scenario: Person A and Person B. For reasons unknown, Person A sees person B as their friend. However, Person B thinks of Person A as an enemy.

If I want to categorize the participants of relationships, I need some way of explaining how Person A thinks of Person B without ascribing the same viewpoint to both of them. In this example, it would be improper to say they are friends, just as it would be improper to say they are enemies. Instead, I want to establish the relationship from the perspective of how Person A views Person B and vice versa.

My question is, what is the term to describe the person whose perspective the relationship is viewed from and toward?

The best similar example I can come up with involves employment. You have an Employer and an Employee. You know that the Employer is the one projecting employment on the Employee. Is there a proper way to describe this in terms of a relationship?

The Employer is projecting employment of construction on the Employee.

The _______ is projecting a relationship of friendship on the _______.

Edit:
This is pretty abstract... perhaps a use of this would be in a book about relationships. A part might read something like:

  "Perspective in relationships is critical to understanding personal drivers and motivations. The _______ of the relationship needs to understand that the ________ does not always agree with the terms of the relationship."

Some ideas with the best words I could come up with:

The projector is projecting a relationship of friendship on the recipient.

"Projector" is ideal based on the definition of one that is projecting something. But it sounds awkward. Synonyms don't seem to be any better.

The instigator is projecting a relationship of skepticism on the recipient.

"Instigator" is not ideal because it contains intent, but it's another attempt. Ideally, the word would be without any hint of intent and could be used in any relationship.

I looked up antonyms for "recipient" (which appeared to be a fitting receiver for the relationship) but nothing fit the bill for the "projector".

Thanks for any help in this!

EDIT:

After reading quite a bit more into this, I may have found a more suitable word combination... Would it be correct or acceptable to use the terms "actuator" and "receiver"?

So my example use would read:

  "Perspective in relationships is critical to understanding personal drivers and motivations. The actuator of the relationship needs to understand that the receiver does not always agree with the terms of the relationship."

Actuate

Do actuator and receiver make sense in this context? Now receiver seems out of place.


texts:
I don't know what the following sentence means for sure: "The only jokes I tell are the ones that I hear from you."
Does it mean that "I don't tell so much jokes and the very jokes I tell, which is little in number, are mainly those I hear from you", stressing the number, or it doesn't implicate "little in number", but rather puts "completely" instead of "mainly"?
Thanks, in advance.


texts: what does it mean: "Lowess smooth" in following picture


texts: Answering "Have you got" questions with "I do"

texts:
For the question "Have you got any ice cream?" which is correct:

Yes I do
Yes I have

or inversely

No I don't
No I haven't got any


texts: Why did Americans make "Z" sound just like "C" when it was already "zed" in British English?

texts:
I've always been annoyed by how Americans say "Z". They say "zee", which to me sounds identical to "C", "cee". It's a very subtle difference if at all.
"Colour" turned into "color" makes sense, but why blur the distinction between "Z" and "C" like this?


texts: Word for "number of times a value is copied"

texts:
I am looking for a single word for "the number of times a value is copied".

Context:

My company makes software for plant breeders. Breeders do observations on plants and when they create a new generation of plants, e.g. by crossings, they copy observation values to this new generation. Of course, when this is done several times, the values become less reliable because of genetic changes. So we want to show a table with values and a column with this "number of times a value is copied" (to a new generation) as a short header.


texts: which or that? One thing I keep wondering about

texts:
How do you decided when to use which as opposed to that?

It never felt too important to me to be able to make this distinction, but now, I do want to get this right.


texts: "The number of residents has grown" vs. "the number of residents have grown"

texts:
Duplicate:
  “A number of students” vs. “the number of students”
  “Number of attempts per question is unlimited” or “are limited”?
  “A number of questions has been asked” or “have been asked”?

  The number of residents has grown.
  The number of residents have grown.

Which of the above sentences is grammatical? Since has should stick with singular nouns and have with plural ones, I guess (2) should be correct, but I'm not sure.


texts: Can the past tense be used in a relative clause in a conditional?

texts:
The second sentence below uses the past tense in a conditional, relative clause. Is that incorrect? If so, why is it incorrect?

If I could go back in time, I would be a girl who never leaves her hometown.
If I could go back in time, I would be a girl who never left her hometown.


texts: Can I replace "to conquer" by "conquering" in this sentence?

texts: The green, the result of men’s toil to conquer nature, is wheat fields blown by the breeze into green waves.


texts:
My coworker uses "for" in a way that just doesn't look right to me and I want to know if he is using it correctly.  Examples below:

"Let me know, for I’ll need to change the purchase order."

"May I have your contact, for I received different information and they need to be placed into the PMM system."


texts: What specific meaning does 'just' have in this sentence?

texts:
Lewis Carrol, the creator of Alice in Wonderland, was said to have 'a just
 horror of the interviewer' and he never consented to be interviewed.

In what sense is the word 'just' used here?

Can you give me any different examples where 'just' is used in the same sense as the above sentence?

(Below is the picture of text from which the line is taken). Thanks to all.


texts: I'll check we have this medicine in stock

texts: Why is there no "if" or "whether" in that construction? Is that sentence correct? How common is it?


texts: Are the commas correctly used in this sentence?

texts: Even though there were lots of scientific, philosophical, and medicinal advances in the Baroque era, strict rules, established manners, and careful dress codes were placed on society.


texts: What allows the omission of subject relative pronouns?

texts:
“There’s some men wouldn’t look at a girl with a baby.” (Ken
  Follett, Fall of Giants)

  There is a young student comes here some evenings. (James Joyce,
  Dubliners)

  “That’s a smell could raise me out of a concrete grave.” (East of
  Eden)

  “I guess it was Cal asked Lee.” (East of Eden)

  I have a friend called me yesterday. (The Syntactic Phenomena of
  English)

There are sayings that subject relative pronouns can’t be omitted. But from the examples above on novels and a syntactic book, the construction seems not a rare case or wrong. What allows them the omission?


texts:
I've always found it a bit peculiar that Apple's marketing refers to iPhone without an article. There is a question here which discusses why it feels more natural to use an article, but I'm wondering what the actual grammatical status of the word "iPhone" would be.

  Buy iPhone at your favorite Apple Retail Store.

My initial impression after reading this would be to interpret "iPhone" as its own plural, like "deer".

  Now iPhone is even bigger on productivity.

Now it can't be exactly like "deer", as you would expect to see "iPhone are", "the iPhone" or "an iPhone".

So looking at both examples together, my next thought would be that perhaps "iPhone" is a mass noun, like "data". Substituting "data" in either sentence seems acceptable.

  ...we could have sold many more iPhones...

Now they've made "iPhone" plural. I'm not sure how you could fit "data" into this sentence other than the slightly odd "datums".

  The new iPhones include iOS 8...

...and now "iPhone" finally has an article. The only word I can think of that can go in all of these sentences now is "coffee", but I'm not sure this is actually the same. "Coffee" seems to have the odd property that "a coffee" is different from "coffee", "a coffee" always means "some coffee in a vessel", and "coffees" is always the plural of the "a coffee" form even if you omit the article (as in "Coffees are expensive.", which is distinct from "Coffee is expensive.").

(All quotes were taken from official Apple correspondence, here and here.)

So what category does the noun "iPhone" fall under? Is it equivalent to "coffee"? (And if so, what exactly is going on with the different forms of "coffee"?)


texts: How is 'get' being used in these sentences?

texts:
What grammar structure is this?

Bob got/had me drunk.
She's got me spending.
Get moving!
Get going!
That music gets/has me dancing!
He had/got me stumped.
She had/got me stoned.

Is it possible to say: She has/had me spending?


texts:
So, I recently found this article detailing the peculiarities of a one sentence paragraph. One of the examples they gave of a one sentence paragraph at work was the preamble to the United States Constitution:

  We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

In this grammatically correct and relevant sentence, the ideals and ambitions of an entire country is laid out in one solitary sentence.

This got me wondering if there is any kind of limit in the english language that would prohibit one from writing an entire news article, essay, or dissertation in just such a way. Essentially, is it possible to construct one sentence that discusses the merits of an issue or idea as effectively as a traditional writing piece with multiple paragraphs of several sentences each?


texts: What word best describes wronging someone who you had previously done positive things towards?

texts:
I am looking for a word which can be used to describe the situation where someone has previously done good deeds towards another and then subsequently wrongs them in some way.  This is NOT betrayal.

The best way to clarify the situation I mean is to constrast it with it's opposite, which I would call "redemption", i.e. the scenario where someone has previously wronged another and then does something to make up for it.

An example to clarify; if John beats up Bob, and then subsequently saves Bob from getting run over by a car, we would say that John has redeemed himself, that this was an act of redemption.  If, in an alternative universe, John saves Bob from getting run over by a car, and then at some point down the line beats him up, we recognize that John has negated his good deed and Bob is no longer in his debt.  What is the word that best describes this act?

The best I can come up with is some form of the phrase "negated goodwill", but I was hoping to find a single word that would fit this meaning.  Edit:  A better phrase would be good too.


texts:
Where do I put commas in a sentence like this....?

  Mom told me to buy butter milk a dozen eggs and six apples at the
  store.


texts:
I need to express the following: an application user is allowed to mark a file as "favorite". He then can execute the reversed action of "unmarking a favorite file".

Is it all right to use the terms "favorite" and "unfavorite" as verbs (for example, "user favorites file xyz" and "user unfavorites file zyx")?

I am aware this is rather an abuse of the language, but I really need to shorten my documentation and this is only one situation from the many situations I encounter while capturing the requirements for an application.


texts: How about yourself or what about yourself

texts:
Does the following conversation make sense?
"How are you?"
"Great. What about yourself?"

My question is whether "What about youself?" works instead of "How about youself?"


texts:
Todays Alpha males are MMA/Jits fighters not meatheads who gas 15-30 seconds after raising their heart rate. This aint the 80/90s bro.

Is this some kind of thing bodybuilders inhale? How does it work?


texts: tell me where I am or where am I? In this situation

texts:
So couple of my classmates are chatting in a group & ...

A: Turn off your GPS, now everyone knows where you are!

B: Ok then tell me where I am/where am I?

Which one is correct in this situation?

My thought was because she already knows where she is, tell me where I am is the correct response here.


texts: What would be the best word for a single sweepstakes within a set of sweepstakes?

texts:
We regularly run sweepstakes that include daily drawings as well as grand prize drawings. Example rules define it like this:

  "Lorem Ipsum Sweepstakes” (the “Sweepstakes”) is a sweepstakes comprised of a grand prize sweepstakes (the “Grand Prize Sweepstakes”) in which one (1) winner will be awarded a $1,000 gift card at the end of the Sweepstakes, and a daily drawing sweepstakes(the “Daily Drawing Sweepstakes”) where three (3) winners per day for twenty-five (25) days during the Sweepstakes will each be awarded a $50 gift card…

As we discuss setting up promotions like these with clients, we find it confusing to talk about the sweepstakes that comprise the larger sweepstakes, because 1) we're using the same word, and 2) the word is in plural form whether or not it describes a plural.

Is there a suitable word to describe a single sweepstakes in a larger superset of sweepstakes that maintains clarity? "Sweepstake" in singular form is not clear enough, as it appears as a typo, or can be easily misheard over the phone. I was thinking "sweep" or "stake," but the former feels like invented language and the latter is a stretch of the meaning, as it's more a gambling term. Is there anything else out there?

Strictly speaking, sweepstakes are neither contests, games, nor lotteries, so these terms are definitely out. We must not conflate these different legal terms with our clients.


texts: When an anthropomorphized animal eats/is eaten by a human, is there a word similar to *cannibalism* that applies?

texts: Occasionally, I find myself writing about stories (especially children's stories) where there is a theme of eating characters. For example, Little Red Riding Hood is eaten by the Wolf, and Peter Rabbit's Father was put into a pie. Is there a specific word for this kind of consumption? I don't think "eat" or any of its conjugations really work since the animals are anthropomorphized, but I still don't feel "cannibalism" is the right word either.


texts:
Recently, I saw this statement on a poster: "Don't be safe, nor sorry". I felt that it was not correct and should be: "Don't be safe or sorry".

Am I right?

Here's a photo I took at the shop (in case that rings a bell somewhere):


texts:
In Italian, we say that something holds "definitivamente" for a sequence if it is true for all the elements of the sequence from a certain starting point on (to the limit if it exists). What is the equivalent in English?

PS Is this question more appropriate on Math SX perhaps? If so, I'd be thankful if it were migrated.


texts: What fallacies are these? (because someone said so)

texts:
What fallacies are these arguments? If they are.

Statement: The earth is flat.

Argument (1) You're incorrect! The earth is round because NASA scientists/geography experts/etc. said so. (Experts from the related fields)

Argument (2) You're incorrect! The earth is round because those coders at StackOverFlow said so. (Irrelevant people)

Argument (3) You're incorrect! The earth is round because many people said so.


texts:
I've heard people using this idiom, such as "each day is better than the next", or "you hope that each experience you have is better than the next" (heard this one on a TV show not long ago), apparently in a positive way.

However, if taken literally, I find the meaning very negative - if the current thing is better than the next, then the next thing must be worse, so things would just keep getting worse and worse. How do you explain this phrase/idiom?


texts: Is there a word to describe being mentally fatigued?

texts: "I'm tired" or "I'm exhausted" usually convey physical fatigue (or are ambiguous between physical and mental fatigue). What I'm looking for is an efficient way of conveying mental fatigue.


texts: What can be a single word for a "valuable learning experience".?

texts: I am looking for a word or two that elegantly expresses the idea that the projects I did were a valuable learning experience. Here's the sentence: While I was doing my bachelor's I was a part of some .......... projects.


texts: If B is a spiritual successor to A, then what would one call A in relation to B?  The obvious answer would be spiritual predecessor, but that seems inaccurate, since spirit seems to refer to intent - B was intended as a successor, but A is not now intended as a predecessor in retrospect.  Are there any alternatives?


texts: "I would like that he was normal"; is this sentence correct?

texts:
I would like that he was normal.

This sounds a little awkward but plausible. Is it valid English?

How about another example:

  I would like that he bathed before going to sleep.

It sounds a little better with that additional clause.

Both sentences sound normal with it if replacing that:

  I would like it if he was normal.

  I would like it if he bathed before going to sleep.

Is it just a matter of preference? Are both valid and it if instead that just sounds more natural?


texts:
I remember my grandfather giving examples of "lest" like

  ...lest you should fail.

Is "lest" always followed by "should" because I see "lest" all the times without being followed by "should" in some articles and novels, but I am not sure if they are grammatically correct.

Please provide examples of such exceptions.


texts: What is the best way to track down the origin and grammar of this quote?

texts:
The best way to know a man is to walk a thousand miles in his shoes. That way, he's a  thousand miles away and has no shoes.

I'm willing to bet it's a Jack Handey quote, as it's rather in that vein of thinking, but the question came up, and since "walk a thousand miles in [his] shoes" is so vague, it's hard to pin it down on [insert-random-search-engine-here].

So what's the best way to look up a quote like this (and bonus points for the source attribution / correct quote on this one)?


texts: what is customer/sales/product lead? very confused the word "lead"?

texts:
I am working in online advertising industry, and many time people use the word lead is kind of something that a company should achieve. Lead sometimes means a customers who actually bought products or services of the company, but sometimes it also means a customer can just needs to provide his information like name, address, phone to the company.

For example, say, our company got a website about game. In that website, we got a form to ask customer to provide their personal info like email, phone, address... After signed up, the customer can see some demo of the game, but they can not play the game. They can only play the game if they actually pay for it.

So that customer who only signed up the info without paying for product or service is called "customer lead" or something like that.

So what does "customer/sales/product lead" mean?


texts: Word for an account that is managed by an organization

texts:
Related, but not equivalent questions:

What is the word or phrase of the relationship between an account and a bank?
Word for a computer user without administrative access/privileges

Background
I'm developing a web application. There are several ways in which persons can use our application: they can sign up individually and get a private account, or they can sign up through an organization. Accounts signed up via an organization are 'managed by' that organization (similar to the first link above). These organizational accounts come in two flavours: there are 'basic' accounts and administrator accounts (who can 'do stuff' with the accounts of their organization).
Now, for an account with administrator rights for organization X, we say:

This account is an administrator of organization X.

Question
I'm looking for a single word to express the relationship between the organization and a non-admin account that is managed by the organization:

This account is a [term] of organization X.

This term would also apply to admins, because admin accounts are managed by the organization as well. So admins have two roles with respect to the organization.
More information
If it helps, we're talking about e-learning software.

Words we have considered are 'student' and 'learner' (because of our domain). But these don't capture the precise meaning: an account that is 'managed by' the organization is not necessarily also learning anything (it may only do administrative tasks, for example).
We're looking for a term like 'learner' and 'administrator' that only captures the property of 'being managed by', without being domain-specific. The meaning should ideally also be transparent to end-users.
We want this term to have the same grammatical properties as 'administrator' in order to keep our code and the signature of our endpoints consistent. (I can expand on that if necessary.)
Compound words are acceptable if they sound natural; phrases are not, due to the point above.


texts: What's the onomatopoeia for human cackling?

texts:
What's the onomatopoeia for this?

  cackle
  laugh in a loud, harsh way. "she cackled with laughter"

Like laughing in an harsh, evil way (but that isn't muhaha).


texts: Is there a single word for "person being questioned"?

texts: A person who questions is a 'questioner' or 'interrogator'.  Is there a word for the questioned, or interrogated, person?


texts:
In the following expression, whom does 'who' refer to? The friends of the participants or the participants themselves?

"The friends of the participants who were told to order soft drinks"

This was an option in a multiple choice question and I suggested that it was ambiguous, yet the professor insisted that it clearly referred to the friends of the participants.


texts:
Five percent VS The five percent.

Which one is correct and why?

Because i.e. this page exists http://www.thetwopercent.com/ or the famous slogan ;) "we are the 99%.".

However, on the official apple website: http://www.apple.com/environment/renewable-energy/

is this without the article:

By the end of 2012, we’ll meet the energy needs of our Maiden, North Carolina, data center using entirely renewable sources. To achieve this, we’re building our own facilities that will provide over 60 percent of the clean power we need. It’s another example of Apple’s commitment to designing for energy efficiency — from the ground up.

or here:
http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/survey-81-percent-teachers-think-tablets-help-students-84895

Unfortunately there is some bad news as well: Only about 22 percent of the teachers said that they have access to the right level of technology. Nearly two-thirds — about 63 percent — explained that budget issues are the "biggest barrier to accessing tech in the classroom." (In low-income communities, that statistic jumped to 70 percent.)

And these are the well known websites apple and nbc. I do not understand at all.

Are both ways correct?

When should I use the definite article and when I shouldn't?


texts: 'Who' versus 'what' when talking about relationships between two people

texts:
I'm taking an intro Spanish class and we learned the phrase "qué es ella de ti" to ask how someone is related to someone else. "Qué" is the equivalent of "what".  I was confused about why you wouldn't use the equivalent of "who"... I considered what would be appropriate in English but I'm still confused.  I guess "what" makes sense since you're actually talking about the relationship and not directly the person.  However, because a person is involved I think "who" sounds more natural; to me, this seems especially true in past tense. "What" also makes sense because the reply "it is complicated" seems to fit.

Consider:

(Looking at a photo)
Who is she to you?  She is my grandmother|friend.
What is she to you?  She is my grandmother|friend.

(In reference to a dead person)
Who was she to you?  She was my grandmother|friend.
What was she to you?  She was my grandmother|friend.

Even if it is an awkward way to ask the question, which is correct and why?  Not too sure how to tag this question.


texts: Word to describe being apprehensive about the possibility of something you’re excited about NOT happening?

texts:
Is there a word to describe the emotional state of being simultaneously excited about the prospect of something and dreading the prospect of it not happening? The closest thing I can think of is "disappointment" but I don't think that covers a future tense hypothetical.

The use of the word would be something like:

  "I am excited because I think they're going to offer me the job but I'm worried that they won't."

Would transform to:

  I am (word or phrase) about the job offer.


texts:
Auxiliaries
Hi there, please help me with this issue. I have been checking the Web for a clear answer, but I haven't found one yet. Is verb 'to be' considered an auxiliary in 'be going to' ?
Thank you


texts: I am trying to come up with a word that classifies companies that Im corresponding with

texts:
I am updating my resume. I am trying to say as part of my job description that I did email corresponding with customers and "other companies", but Im trying to be more professional with the term "other companies". As an example the people you work with are your "co-workers". People you go to school with are your "peers"
How would you classify or name the people/ companies that  you corresponded with?


texts: quotation mark to indicate possession after quotation marks indicating the title of a short story

texts:
Would it be wrong to write, for example:

"Slight Rebellion Off Madison" 's characters, plot, and themes develop in the same way as chapter 17 of Catcher in the Rye, only its point of view is different.

(Not wanting to say Salinger's characters for reasons of repetition from previous sentences.)

Or:

Some critics have written that "The Lottery"'s bleak mood evokes a tension comparable to that moment in John 8:7 when a group of scribes and Pharisees gathered to stone a woman found guilty of adultery.

And how would one handle the spacing between " and 's ?

[[these are just an examples, mind you]]


texts:
I'm writing a history essay, and I don't know what tense to use in a case such as:

  In A.D. 7, Dave kills/killed a cow.

Is it supposed to be killed or kills?


texts: "Take something as read" - very old meaning of read?

texts: Take (something) as read is described as an idiomatic expression. But I am wondering if read has its original meaning of advise, interpret here? Is there any etymological evidence for how this expression came about or do we just accept it as idiomatic?


texts:
I have problem with sentences structures.

I have sentences:

  He possesses wide span of skills and specialized knowledge in
  design, implementation, management, and maintenance a fully
  redundant high available fault tolerant wired and wireless
  production network architecture.
  He possesses wide span of skills and specialized knowledge in
  design, implementation, management, and maintenance a fully
  redundant high available fault tolerant production wired and
  wireless network architecture.

I am not sure, which sentence is grammatically correct?

Thank you in advance for your help.


texts:
For instance, can I say:

  I'm not sure if it was a deception of the moon, but the field looked
  brown.

In this case, "deception of the moon" means "illusion caused by the moon". Is it common to use "of" in that way?


texts:
I edited this phrase:

the farther the negative from the lens, the more light needed to expose it properly and the longer the exposure

to read:

the farther the negative from the lens, the greater the amount of light needed to expose it properly and the longer the exposure

I am sure the former is not grammatical but I am having a hard time explaining why the edit is necessary. Can someone help?


texts:
So Google defines condescension as "an attitude of patronizing superiority; disdain." Is there a word for patronizing disdain for the upper classes and general elite things? Background: I was talking to a friend about how I've always wanted to go to the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show and she made a grimacing face. She likes flowers well enough so I asked her why she didn't seem to approve and suggested that the long royal fancy pants name turned her off. Bingo.

Edit: An example sentence would be "I always wanted to go to University, but my father regarded higher education with [X], and said that those professors spent so much time being clever they had forgotten how to tie their shoelaces."

Edit: My friend demonstrated her ______ feelings when she was turned off by the flower show's florid and posh name.


texts: Differences between using Further and Farther, specifically in Ford's logo

texts: How about Ford's logo:  Go further. Shouldn't it be:Go farther


texts: When did it become fashionable to drop t's in certain words?

texts:
I first noticed certain video bloggers pronouncing button as "BUH-ehn", with a distinct glottal stop between syllables, sounding like an overt attempt to avoid enunciating the "t". While button is the most egregious example, I've heard t's dropped in other words as well. I've even noticed coworkers doing this now, so it seems to be catching on. To what can we attribute this phenomenon?

[Later note]: Maybe it has been around awhile, but maybe I wasn't clear about the exact sound. There is a marked effort to pronounce "ehn". Most people say "BUT'n": no release of the T-stop, with a glottal stop between the t and the n. The pronunciation I "recently" noticed (and am hearing more often) is "BUH-ehn" — no T-stop at all and minor emphasis on "ehn". It almost sounds labored, like extra effort to avoid the T for some reason.


texts: Word or phrase that is used to deconstruct another word

texts:
I am looking for a word for phrase for when a word (usually a noun) is broken down into "simpler" words. It might also have derogatory undertones but that is not necessary.

Example 1: Soccer is just "guys kicking a ball"

Example 2: Origami is just "folding paper nicely"


texts: Is the phrase, "called police on..."proper usage?

texts: I saw the phrase: "called police on..." (a black couple, etc) frequently in newspapers. Is this proper usage?


texts: Pronunciation of "i" in the words like "direct", "organization", etc

texts:
I'm a nonnative speaker of English and I've always been unsure about the pronunciation of "i" inside words like direct, organization, etc. I was thinking that it's a matter of choice between American and British usage to pronounce that "i" as ɪ or aɪ, or even ə, but looking at some dictionaries made the situation more complex for me. For instance, MacMillan dictionary gives the American English pronunciation of "indirect" as

  /ˌɪndɪˈrekt/
  /ˌɪndaɪˈrekt/

whereas the British English pronunciation is given as

  /ˌɪndəˈrekt/
  /ˌɪndaɪˈrekt/

So both of them include two versions and ɪndaɪrekt in common. I thought that only British English had ɪndaɪrekt.

The same dictionary given the pronunciation of "organization" as /ˌɔrɡənɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/ for American English and /ˌɔː(r)ɡənaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/ for British English.

Is there a prevailing rule in international English for this kind of pronunciation?  What do native speakers think and suggest?


texts: How to properly spell "belonging to a virus"?

texts: In a SU topic about computer viruses I wanted to write a sentence starting with something like The ability of a virus to.... So I started writing A viruse's ability to... and realized that viruse's doesn't seem quite right. Nor does viruss' or anything else I can come up with. What is the proper way to write this word in this context?


texts:
I have developed a method of removing chronic pain and train people to be able to help others. When I train them I demonstrate on a "volunteer" member of the public. I also like to arrange one volunteer per trainee to work on at the end of the training. The thing is that it works with a 97% reduction of pain on average, so this isn't being a guinea pig or a test and when I promote it for free and ask for "volunteers" it doesn't get much response. I believe "volunteer" has a negative feel, like being asked to do something for no return.

Is there a better word I can use that suggests that it is a win-win situation, that they stand a very good chance of leaving pain-free and that the newly trained practitioner gets a lot out of working on their first client under supervision?


texts:
Which is grammatically correct for using on the website?
New password and confirm password "doesn't match" Or "don't match".


texts: What is the meaning and usage of “erstwhile”?

texts: What is meaning of erstwhile and where is it used?  How   can I use this word in real life while texting, talking, and so on?


texts:
Suppose I know a lot of people in a particular place — let's say, Singapore — and they can help me.

How can I express it through a short sentence to let someone know that he has found the right person for spreading his products?

Should I say:

  I have a good network in Singapore.

or

  I have good connections in Singapore.

or something more applicable?


texts: What is the appropriate usage of the idiom using 'set ..'?

texts:
I came across the following question in a textbook.  All are about the idiom using 'set', and the answer was found to be "set out". I looked each over in the dictionary and I found 'set out', 'set in' and 'set off' all have the meaning 'to start'. Why is only 'set out' correct in this case?

Question: Choose the appropriate words to fill in the blank.
In this book, the author ____ ___ to prove that the inhabitants of the islands came from Japan.
Choice of words:  sets in  /  sets out  /  sets off  /  sets up


texts: "place that I need to search" or "place where I need to search"

texts:
What's the correct usage for the following sentence:

"I haven't found my watch. The last place that I need to search is the living room."
"I haven't found my watch. The last place where I need to search is the living room."

I'm having a little problem understanding the usage of "search" and the idea of place in that sentence.
Cheers, folks!


texts: i have been booked for a room/room has been booked

texts:
I have been booked for a room
The room has been booked.

Which sentence should I use?
And what is the difference?
For me, latter one is familiar.
Thank you so much. :)


texts: Is there a better word for the place that is "indoors" in the context of a large site or property?

texts:
I am looking for a word that would contrast with "grounds" when referring to various parts of a site or property. Essentially, the "inside" part of a building or structure.

I don't really like "indoors" because it presupposes doors and feels more like a state of being than a place.

I was initially thinking of the word "proper," but according to my dictionary that doesn't make sense.

edit:

I think the comments have indicated I need to be a bit more specific. The word I am looking for is effectively the opposite of the word "grounds". Say, you're taking a tour of Washington D.C. Part of your tour might take you on the White House grounds. Another part of the tour might take you inside, and you would be touring the White House _.

In many cases, you can just say "White House" alone and this will make sense, but I am wondering if there is a word to specifically refer to the place that is NOT the "grounds".


texts: what does "I will step into the ring for you" mean?

texts:
The sentence comes from a song.

Leonard Cohen  I am your man
....
If you want a boxer
I will step into the ring for you
......

What does "step into the ring for you"? Someone can explain it for me. Thanks


texts: Which word is correct for this sentence?

texts:
I don't know which one is accurate.  They all sound right to me.

The cameras need to be mounted in spots that intruders can’t reach.
The cameras need to be mounted in spots where intruders can’t reach.
The cameras need to be mounted in spots which intruders can’t reach.


texts: How to use the “not only . . . but also” construction?

texts:
I’m trying to create the following phrase:

  It is important not only to ____ but also to ____ in general.

But the way I’ve written it above doesn’t sound that good to me. Since I’m not a native speaker, could anyone please help me to improve this?


texts: Contraction "-'dn't" from formal English "would not"

texts:
Can "wouldn't" be reduced to the clitic -'dn't when attached to any other pronoun besides y'all, such as she'dn't or you'dn't?

(Appearing for example in "y'all'dn't've" from formal English "you all would not have")


texts:
Is it correct when using reported speech to say: Jan said that on the weekend she cycled and went hiking rather than Jan said that on the weekend she cycled and had gone hiking?

Tks Jan


texts:
What is the correct preposition in the sentence:

Let Ω  be a domain in/of Rⁿ.

Is there a different meaning for "in" and "of"? Both seem to be commonly used, Google gives about 200.000 hits for both, "domain in RN" and "domain of RN".

(Disclaimer: I'm a non-native speaker)


texts: When we are making a project in a group, how can we say that sentence?

texts:
Hello I'm preparing a CV in English. What is the formal way of saying I'm in an project? This sentences below are valid or not ? Thanks.

I'm included to a project.
I have been enrolled to a project.
Something else.


texts:
Over lunch recently, my colleagues and I were discussing the term "hardcore," and speculating on its origin. Our speculations evolved into "What has either a hard or soft core, where the hard cored thing would be used by professionals and the soft cored one by amateurs?" because this is where we figured the terms originated.

Following this discussion, I did some research and found that the origins of hardcore (by way of Etymology Online) are most likely from the original definition of hardcore:

  material such as stones and broken bricks used as the foundation for buildings, roads etc.

rather than having to do with a fruit or ball as our lunch group had envisioned.  The foundation connotation is presumably the important connection between these usages.

However, looking into softcore has produced less satisfactory results. I found this description from 1875, which explains hard-core and soft-core and says that soft-core is essentially compostable garbage.  What I don't understand is how this word came to be associated with its current, more familiar meaning, which is as a milder or watered down version of "hardcore."

Given their relationship, I expected there to be a more explicit connection between the two. For instance, that soft-core was a layer applied after hard-core or that inferior roads used soft-core instead of hard-core, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  What is the connection here?


texts: What do these two sentences together mean?

texts:
He does not know anything. He pretends ignorance

I have to join these two sentences without using and, but and so, but i do not understand their combined meaning. It seems senseless to me. How can one pretend ignorance when he does not know anything?

I want to know what the two sentences together mean.


texts: What is the word for popular brands becoming nouns in common lexicon? For example, Kleenex, Xerox, q-tips etc


texts:
I have been wondering in my head when is it more appropriate grammatically and more appropriate in terms of the English language to use word selfsame instead of same.

The research that I have done suggests that 'same' can be used as an adjective and a pronoun and as an adverb. While selfsame can only be used as an adjective. So comparably it would appear to be only a subset of grammatical cases where its used.  That being said, I am having still having trouble imagining a sentence or a set of rules to follow that indicate when you should use selfsame instead of same.

Google define gives this example:

  He was standing in the selfsame spot you're filling now.

But I can easily see 'same' replacing 'selfsame' without an apparent change in meaning of the sentence.


texts:
I've gone through a lot of rules on conditional sentences in English and couldn't find the answer.

What time should I use in the following comment to a source code?

# Rebuild databases if 'exampleFile.sql' has changed
# Rebuild databases if 'exampleFile.sql' has been changed
# Rebuild databases if 'exampleFile.sql' was changed
# Rebuild databases if 'exampleFile.sql' is changed
# Rebuild databases if 'exampleFile.sql' changed

The required meaning is "Perform a check. If, and only if, it is (?) detected that a certain file is (hmm?) changed due to some external forces, a script (that rebuilds a database) should be executed right after the check."


texts: What's the etymology of the noun "temper tantrum"?

texts:
Can anyone tell me where the phrase temper tantrum came from?

I found a couple of my usual online sources that just say "origin unknown".


texts:
What exactly does fix mean in this context:

  ...a prearranged signal to Arnold Rothstein that the fix was on.

I'm from Germany and I understand to fix in this context as to doctor, to manipulate or to change.

Another reference from "The Great Gatsby":

  He's the man who fixed the World's Series back in 1919.

Actually the question was raised when we had to rule out words that cannot be used together or should not be used together. One phrase was "to fix a (weather) forecast". I said "fixing it" would mean to say it's raining tomorrow although I know that the sun will be shining. My teacher didn't understand that.

The task was:

  3.1 Action words for business Verbs are the action words you need in business English. But do you know how to use them? For each verb
  below, pick the noun which does not typically go with it. ... to fix
  a) a time b) a price c) a forecast d) a deadline ...

Is it correct? My English teacher said basically "no". But how else can you understand it?

Sources: Wikipedia, shmoop.com


texts: Point, points, or points' distribution in space?

texts:
Let's say there are 10 points on a plane, and I'd like to describe their distribution as homogeneous. Which of the following is correct?

  The point distribution is homogeneous.
  The points distribution is homogeneous.
  The points' distribution is homogeneous.

I have heard the 1st a lot. I tend to use the 3rd as it sounds more logical to me to maintain both the plurality of the points and to use a genitive, but I have the feeling the 2nd is correct when I rephrase it using 'people' instead of 'points'. In that case the choice would be between

  The person distribution is homogeneous.
  The people distribution is homogeneous.
  The people's distribution is homogeneous.

What is the correct way to say it?
Thank you.

Edit: it's been pointed out that this question is in matter the same as "A mice problem" vs. "a mouse problem". But I believe my doubt goes beyond the choice between single and plural attributive noun.


texts: How to tell someone that I got some information from a third person

texts:
How do I tell that I got some information from a third person - is it correct to say

"I learnt from team ABC project live date is 10th August" or "I know from team ABC that project live date is 10th August"?


texts: Smartphone, Cell phones, Mobile phones, Handphones, Cell

texts:
When writing a "legal" document in English which term is more appropriate (between Handphone, Smartphone, Cell Phone, Mobile Phone, Cellular phone, cell, etc) and can be safely (& correctly) used to address the mayority of today's "mobile phones" generation considering the legal aspects of things?

Some of the issue I have is for example the "smart" phone yesterday may not be considered to be a "smart" phone tommorow. In which case for a document to address it as such would be inconvinient.


texts: Which is correct — 'the students will be provided a pencil for the exam' or 'students will be provided pencils for the exam'?

texts:
This is a problem that has been bugging me for a while, and I'm just trying to get an authoritative view on this question.

Say we're trying to convey the following: 'each of the students will be provided one pencil for the exam'.

Is this sentence acceptable: 'the students will be provided pencils for the exam'? If yes, doesn't this sentence create a potential linguistic (without using common sense) ambiguity, since it is possible that some students MAY each have more than one pencils?

To resolve this ambiguity, can we say: 'the students will be provided a pencil for the exam'? If yes, doesn't this risk creating the misunderstanding that ALL of the students will be sharing ONE pencil for the exam?

This may seem pedantic, but I suspect it can be an issue in, for example, legal documents.

I've been trying to search for an answer, but I don't really know how to technically describe my question. I defer to your wisdom, you who are so wise in the ways of the English language. Any authoritative reference will be much appreciated!


texts: How to find stressed syllables in English text as a non-native English speaker?

texts:
I am a non-native English speaker and I recently learned about "stressed syllables". As a non-native speaker, I mostly cannot find stressed syllable while reading English text.

My goal is to read English poetry and be able to correctly find stressed and unstressed syllables.

Can you recommend me a solution or a technique that I can use to easily identify stressed syllables?

I will really appreciate all help. Thanks in advance.


texts: Where do we put the question mark in a long question/statement?

texts:
Without the question mark, it is simple...

  Can we make it in one hour — as I want to eat my dinner now.

(I like the dash as a clear separator for the question and statement parts of the sentence)

Adding a question mark, it looks wrong to me in all permutations. What should I be doing with this?

  Can we make it in one hour as I want to eat my dinner now?
     Can we make it in one hour? as I want to eat my dinner now.
     Can we make it in one hour — as I want to eat my dinner now?
     Can we make it in one hour? — as I want to eat my dinner now.


texts:
He is an artist who makes sculptures

Reduced adjective clause:

He is an artist making sculptures

Is there any rule to rephrase as it should be? thanks!


texts: "A dream where I was walking" vs. "a dream when I was walking"

texts:
I often find it hard to choose between "where" and "when". For instance:

  One time, I had a dream when I was walking...
  One time, I had a dream where I was walking...

Should I use when, since I initially mentioned a period in time ("one time")? If so, under what circumstances should I use where?


texts: In an essay for the IELTS test, I tried to say "The second group's opinion is better" and I wrote, "The second group makes a more rational point". Is it correct to say it this way? can I use fair instead of rational? or should I say, "makes a fairer point"? Is there another way of showing this superiority?


texts:
I've recently seen some people use absent as if it were a preposition. One example, which I found in the Christianity forum of Stack Exchange, is as follows:

  A Sinful nature provides an irresistable [sic] compulsion to sin, but even absent that, one can still partake in sin.

I cannot find the prepositional use of absent in any dictionary. Is it a new usage?


texts:
Does formal English grammar require that appositives be in the same person?  For example,

  John, my friend, works at the diner.

Here both John and friend are in the third person.

However, what about a sentence such as this:

  I beg you, the reader, to give these writings a chance.

Here we have the third person reader in apposition to the second person you.  Is such a sentence outside the realm of formal grammar? Or is there no grammar rule requiring appositives to have identical persons?


texts:
The current high school debate resolution is “Resolved: In the United States criminal justice system, jury nullification ought to be used in the face of perceived injustice.”

Although the resolution doesn’t seem to have a generic bare plural, is it correct to only talk about one kind of injustice? For example, if a debater decided to only focus on racial injustice, would this be a semantically correct interpretation of the topic? Is the word injustice an example of a mass noun?


texts: Is the phrase "full bloodied punch" a common expression?

texts: What does the British expression "full bloodied punch" mean?


texts:
Why are "and/or" constructions in English not considered grammatically correct?
Consider, for example, the following sentences:

"Multi-organ failure can be attributed to confusion, fatigue, and/or
delirium not attributable to any other cause."
"Multi-organ failure can be attributed to either confusion, fatigue, delirium, or all of them, not attributable to any other cause."

Also, suggest any other way to avoid/reword such constructions.


texts: What do you call unclean water that you can't see through? Probably contaminated with dirt, prolonged stagnation or mineral erosion, almost pale brown, like stagnated water on a rainy day.


texts:
I'm a bit confused as to why some thesauruses, e.g. Oxford Dictionaries, state that puppy is a synonym of dog. To me they are related but not a synonym.

  dog

  hound, canine, mongrel, cur, tyke;
  male dog;
  bitch, pup, puppy, whelp
  informal: doggy, pooch, mutt
  Australian informal: mong, bitzer
  ENGLISH THESAURUS

Can anyone shed some light on the matter please?


texts: Is the construct “Strength cannot beat MORE strength without ...” correct?

texts:
Is the following quote correct English?

  Strength cannot beat more strength without ju jitsu


texts: What do you call the feeling you get when you're satisfied to the point of nausea?

texts:
So you're craving something, say a particular chocolate or sex with one very attractive person that you desire. Take the sexual encounter one for example. You sleep with the person so many times until you are fulfilled. But it gets somewhat "nauseating" to enjoy that thing again (the sex or the chocolate) because you've overindulged earlier.

Now what is that feeling called, the feeling of being overly "satisfied" or "quenched" to the point of nausea?

I wouldn't say what I'm looking for is satisfaction or quench. Is there a more specific term?

Example sentence:

  "I've been eating T-bone steak all day yesterday. I had leftovers today, but I couldn't eat them - I'm just so ____ towards (or from) steak right now."


texts: What is the meaning of "{plural verb} {plural noun phrase}" vs. "{plural verb} {singular noun phrase}"?

texts:
Do the following two sentences have the same meaning?

The robots perform their mission.

The robots perform their missions.

In grammar-wise, are both correct?
If not, what is the difference in meaning between them?


texts: The word dossier has, at least to my ear, a vaguely negative connotation, although it refers to a file or bundle of papers.  Does anyone know how the word acquired this connotation?


texts: Is "push a button" correct English? (as opposed to "press a button")

texts:
My intuitive understanding of the English language (I am German) would correlate with the following quotation:

The word "press" means to exert force on an object, but no motion of the object is implied.
The word "push" also means to exert force on an object, but there is an implied sense of movement of the object being pushed.

(Source from an online forum)
Therefore, "press a button" is what I consider correct English if the intention expressed is that, e.g., a human hand is lowered onto a button in order to trigger a certain mechanism.
Meanwhile, "push a button" is what I would understand as a button sitting on top of a table when a cat enters the scene and decides to shove it off the table for its own amusement.
An associate corrected me today, stating it would in fact be "push a button" or else the song "Push the Button" would be grammatically incorrect. While I do not take the Sugababes [sic!] as the standard by which I measure correct speach, it made me wonder; is there any rule that makes one of these two options incorrect or are the both of us free to anarchically make use of any of these two choices?


texts: Term for faking or taking advantage of an incident to push an agenda?

texts:
I'm not sure if there's a proper term for this, but I'm looking for a word or phrase that describes the act of taking advantage of a (presumably negative) situation (that may have been staged) in order to justify another action that might not have been as well received if the incident hadn't happened.
For example,

A government stages a terrorist attack against its own nation so that it can declare war against another nation. The citizens are less outraged and more supportive because it's seen as an act of retaliation instead of an act of aggression.

It seems like describing it as a form of propaganda would be fine, but I'm not sure if there's a more specific term that could be used.


texts:
I'm studying for the GRE and came across the following question:

"Recent years have witnessed the posthumous inflation of the role of the hobbyist Alice Austen into that of a pioneering documentarian, while ..."

The word "inflation" in this context most nearly means - A. exaggeration, B. distortion [there were other answer choices, but these are the two relevant ones]. Answer A is the correct one according to the key.

While "exaggeration" fits the meaning most closely, I have never heard/seen anyone use "exaggeration of X into" or related variants such as  "exaggeration into." I was wondering if this usage is considered grammatically nonstandard, because a quick Google search turned up only one result that used "exaggeration" in this manner.

Technically, I suppose that this grammatical concern is not relevant to the GRE question, so I should have picked "exaggeration" regardless, but I'm curious whether "exaggeration" would actually fit in place of "inflation" in the above sentence.


texts:
What are the different nuances of both terms?

I'm repeatedly hesitating as to which one I should use.

Thanks!


texts: What does "Mrs" mean when used with a man's name?

texts:
As far as I know, the abbreviation "Mrs" is applicable only to women.
Though, when translating an article from an old British paper I found this sentence about marriages:

  On the 2nd March, at the British Embassy, Paris, LIEUTENANT GENERAL NAPIER CAMPBELL to CAROLINE MARGARET DUFF (Mrs. HENRY PRICHARD), daughter of the late Deputy Surgeon-General Charles Murray Duff

Can anyone tell me what "Mrs" means in this context? As I understand it, Henry is only a male given name.
I thought that maybe this is just the person conducting the marriage, but this discrepancy between "Mrs" and the name confuses me.


texts: what is the different between "urge" and "craving"?

texts:
"Smokers often start the habit in their teens. During puberty, the urge to fit in is enormous."
Can I change "the urge to fit in is enormous." into “the craving for fitting in is enormous."


texts: What are some ways to say, "a return to what things were"?

texts:
I would like to say:

  He learned that a well-written apology could make things return to what they were.

But I feel that the sentence is awkward. I'm not a big fan of the phrase, make things return to what they were. Is there a better way to express this idea? Some turn of phrase, perhaps?


texts:
"One of the things that I hate is that some people like to spread rumors."

Hi there :), I would like to know if it's okay to not put "that" after "is"

"One of the things that I hate is (that) some people like to spread rumors."

thanks a lot!


texts: What does " in accounts of" mean in this context? And i don't understand the sentence

texts: He even told Rieux that it was really a great improvement on the deathcarts driven by Negroes of which one reads in accounts of former visitations of this sort.


texts: Term for Word used by Public with a Technically Incorrect Definition

texts:
First off, I'm not referring to malapropism.

I've heard and read a word used before to describe a word in which it is in the situation of being misused; The public thinks it has one meaning, and now this meaning has become the accepted meaning (by the public), thus it is misused in a all the time, when in reality, that meaning is incorrect.

The situation in which I first heard this word used was the GNU/Linux naming controversy. People often use the term "Linux" to mean an actual operating system or refer to the combination of GNU userland with the Linux kernel, when in reality (textbook definition, I guess) it's a kernel, but since it is so widespread, calling it GNU/Linux or something else would be strange to some people.

If it helps, I believe the word started with a 's'.(Maybe not, but I could have swore it started with s....)

Edit: I believe the word I was looking for was metonymy. I suppose my placement of stress on the fact that the use of the word is a misuse, when for a metonymy, it doesn't neceassrily have to be (I believe), might have misled some of you. I'm not sure if metonymy is the word, but I'll look a little bit more before accepting the answer.


texts: Can "considered" be used as an adjective?

texts:
Whilst translating a piece of English copy to Dutch, I came accross a sentence that used the word 'considered' as an adjective:
"It is an elegant and considered shirt." I honestly don't know what to make of that. Any suggestions?


texts: What is the word for people that tries to oversell something. They often uses words like excellent, fantastic, exciting, Great (used it 7 times). For context, this particular list of words is from a recruiter in a single email.


texts:
It hasn't explicitly been taught to me what the rules are after speech, especially regarding capitalisation.

"Hello?" called June to the yellow figure.
"Hello?" Called June to the yellow figure.

I'm pretty sure #1 is correct, but should the second one be corrected?


texts: What do people mean by "measurable definition?"

texts:
What is the definition of "measurable definition?" What does that mean? I have interns who are victims of verbose, academic language, and they frequently use terms that I don't think they even understand.

In an online pdf titled "A Measurable Definition of Resiliency Using 'Mission Risk' as a Metric" I read this in the abstract, "Part of the problem...lacks
a clear definition that supports measurable metrics that would allow two like systems to be compared against each other."

It seems there is no such thing as a "measurable definition," rather there is a phenomenon that can be defined and measured.


texts: What do you call a word that is an example of itself?

texts: For example, "word" is a word, "adjectival" is adjectival, etc. Is there a term for this? Something like a set that includes itself, but not quite. I want to call it "autoinclusive"; would that work linguistically?


texts:
whats is this sentences means? (in medical domain or hospital).
acuity of admission

main paragraph is:
Each instance of the data set is represented by attributes or features; for example,
in a particular project dealing with patient readmission, an instance of a patient
might be represented by (1) age, (2) gender, (3) length of stay in the hospital, (4)
acuity of admission, (5) Charlson comorbidity index, and (6) the number of
emergency department visits in the last 6 months prior to the current admission


texts: Can we use "nice to meet you" on the phone?

texts: I just heard a friend of mine talking on the phone and she was like "nice to meet you". Is this commonly used through the phone?


texts:
Reading an article today I stumbled upon this sentence:

A day before we first speak, Page will talk to his mom about this
interview and she will tell him, “I’m just so proud of my son.”

I was wondering if anyone can clarify to me what is the form (or construct) corresponding to "will" usage in this case. My intuition is that it's used to describe a future action in the past or something like that. I would have probably used "would" instead of "will" to achieve that. I've tried googling such constructs but with no luck.
Thanks a lot!


texts:
One of ‘we’ is under his Invisibility Cloak, not both of them. It seems I can’t see the meaning of ‘emerge’. Or is it ‘we’? I’d like to know the meaning of ‘we will emerge’ in the following context. What’s the true meaning of the part?

  ”It was carefully planned. My father led me and Winky up to the Top Box early in the day. Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sit there, invisible. When everyone had left the box, we would emerge. Winky would appear to be alone. Nobody would ever know. (Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.686)[Bold font is mine]

N.B.: The speaker was a wanted person. He is confessing the truth after arrested

N.B.2: He went watching the World Cup of a magical sport with his father and a servant called Winky while at large.

N.B.3: The speaker was wearing his Invisibility Cloak, but Winky wasn’t.

Why am I asking?

A dictionary defines emerge as 1-3. Italicized lines are my thought.

  to come out of something or out from behind something

Likely, but wait a sec, the sentence says ‘we’, not ‘I’.

  to stop being involved in a difficult situation or period of time

Likely, but I don’t know for sure what the whole sentence means. Does it mean, by any chance, everyone’s leaving the box means their emerging from the difficult situation?

  to become known

Impossible


texts: What is the meaning of "as much as anything"?

texts:
This book is mine as much as anything!

What does this mean?

Does this mean, "This is REALLY MINE!!"

I would want native speakers' opinion.


texts:
In a case study

Scattering of light affects the image captured by camera.

Now how to write

The scattering affected image...

Or

The Scattering effected image...

And

Image affected by scattering

Or
Image effected by scattering...

Which one is correct?


texts:
I am applying for an internship and I am struggling with the subject of the cover letter.

"Re: Application for an internship as (name of the position) at (name of the company)"

What do you think about the sentence above? Is that correct? Would you rephrase it?


texts: Correct Placement of Nouns in "Referring" And "Introduction" Sentences

texts:
I've a client A, for whom I did some work. After some time, a person contacted me and said that client A told me to hire you for this project. The person became my client B.
Later, when I want to thanks client A then do the following sentences will be correct?

"Thank you very much for referring client B to me."
"Thank you very much for introducing me to client B."


texts: Which is preferable, simple past or present perfect, in situations like this one: I had a conversation with my friend and we planned to do something; shortly afterwards I call him back to announce the accomplishments. My biggest doubt about simple past is that perfect aspect is used to indicate past action (accomplishment) with current relevance, at the same time I'm not sure if I'm allowed to use present perfect, because there's a gap between accomplishing and the current moment, which is a characteristic of simple past.


texts:
So I learned from a dictionary that

ABIDE is when you bear something but still do it. Like you don't want to do what your employer tells you but still do.
OBEY is to follow a command.

But it looks like they are interchangeable for me. Can someone explain differences, pls.


texts: Progressive form required for "as", "while", etc.?

texts:
Are both forms grammatically correct?

As I was entering the shop, I saw her.
As I entered the shop, I saw her.


texts:
The lines going from pole to pole of the earth are meridians.

I know that the horizontal lines of latitude can be called "parallels." Is there another word for these?


texts:
I'm looking for a word that sums up one's journey from beginner to master in any given field. Let's say there's a pianist who practiced from childhood 10 hours a day for 20 years to become a master.

What would that journey be called? Archaic/nonstandard words are fine.


texts: A single word meaning deep love of reading

texts: Not bibliophile, or really anything "biblio-" because that means a love of books, which might mean a collector or someone who loves the books themselves, but not necessarily their content.  Also, not words like bookworm, because they refer to the person who loves reading, whereas I'd like a word that describes the act or state of loving to read.


texts: Terminology for differentiating models which are stationary versus which imitate functions of the original

texts:
If I have a model ship, car, aircraft, railroad, etc. what is the correct terminology to differentiate the following:

a stationary model, which is inert and does nothing, for example it has no moving parts even if the real life example would have. Is that the correct name, "stationary model"?
a functioning model, which is powered, and has motors etc. and for example can be remote controlled. Is it "functioning model" or "functional model", or is there a better word for it?


texts: Is there a word for place and year of birth and death?

texts:
Imagine a form like this one:

year of birth:
place of birth:
year of death:
place of death:

How would you name that form?


texts:
What does the term "class act" mean? For example, The club is lucky to have such a class act and he is lucky to have the club.
What does "class" and "act" mean respectively in this set phrase or word combination of "class act"? Does "class" here as the adjective modify the noun "act"?


texts: "Can live no more" vs "can no more live"

texts:
Is there a difference in meaning between the two versions of this famous phrase/quote:

  "Man can live no more without air than a fish can without water"

vs

  "Man can no more live without air than a fish can without water".

Incidentally, this phrase seems surprisingly hard to find on the web. Is it wrong?


texts: Is there a word or phrase that means "both literally and figuratively"?

texts: The question is simple:  is there a word or phrase that means "both literally and figuratively", aside from the one I just used?


texts:
Does the word "tailoredly" exist? I mean it as a synonym of "specifically."

For example,

  "the man responded tailoredly to the criticisms"

instead of

  "the man tailored his responses to the criticisms"

It seems plainly obvious to me that it should exist as a word, but I can't find a single dictionary entry on it, and it's never been used by the NY Times, Washington Post, or LA Times.


texts: Comparative Adjectives without Than or Object

texts:
I am writing a scientific paper which concerns itself with "short" texts, like the ones we encounter on social media platforms and so.

Other literature uses the same term "short texts" to refer to sentences of no more than 6 words on average, which is too short in our context. This also caused some confusion for some reviewers.

I suggested using "shorter texts" instead as a lesser extreme variant; the paper's title becomes something along the lines of "Deep Learning on Shorter Texts with Methods A, B".

Is it an acceptable usage of English to use comparatives without than + object?


texts: Short phrase for providing and taking care of technical aspects of an event

texts:
I'm translating a local company site into English and I'm struggling to find a nice and compact way to describe one of the company's services.

Basically, if you are an organizer of an event of some sort (e.g., a conference), you can hire the company to provide all the technical equipment you need (microphones, interpreter consoles, projectors and similar), take care of the sound of the event (e.g. speakers), and provide staff who install the equipment and operate it during the course of the event. In a nutshell, the company takes care of everything related to technical issues.

I'm looking for a short phrase that could serve as a headline under which a list of references could be displayed. I've come up with some suggestions, but none sounds right to me:

technical assistance with events
technical coverage of events

Thanks in advance!


texts: The use of "so" instead of "thus" in reported speech

texts:
Is it common for native speakers to use the adverb "so" instead of "thus" in reported structures? For example:

Alan said," The chemist diluted the syrup, thus it lost its effectiveness."

Alan said that the chemist had diluted the syrup, so it lost its effectiveness.


texts: Is there a name for text that reads the same upside-down?

texts:
This is similar to a palindrome but, instead of a word/sentence that reads the same forwards and backward, is there a word for words/sentences that read the same right side up and upside-down?

See picture below where the word "yeah" is written in cursive:


texts: cannot be held responsible for responsibility or accountability, hold harmless - single word request

texts:
In the context of being held responsible or accountable for your words, is there a single word that describes a being without accountability or responsibility?

Specifically, the state of always being held harmless for anything they say because of their job position, say a comedian or an entertainer.


texts:
I've found both versions, She lives in such-and-such a street AND She lives in such-and-such street
Are both uses of the determiner? Which is the right one?
OED entry for such


texts:
I mainly associate scholar with scholarship. But what's its etymological origin? On scientific websites both scholar and scientist seem to be used with the same meaning; A graduate working actively on a scientific topic. Is it a AE/BE thing or does scholar imply the graduate is doing a phd/postdoctoral degree or gets financial aid (scholarship).

Also, how do these terms relate to researcher? You don't need an academic degree to be a researcher, e.g. a journalist does research before writing an article. But in my opinion researcher also often implies someone has an academic degree. Is this right?


texts: Does Early Modern English Have Ablative Case?

texts:
I was thinking the other day, and a phrase popped into my mind that sounds as if I have heard it before, and I quickly realized it is not grammatically correct {on the surface.} It is:

"Get thee mee hence."

If this is a real phrase, {which it be,} is it an Ablative case-form?

Grammatically correct, that should be "Gettest thou, mee, hence," unless of course one were to use the verb "get" in a manner similar to "push," I would think.

If it is not ablative, and purely a scrambled brain-child, then I shall probably use it in poetry as an ablative case.

UPDATE: I know where I heard this from, Matthew 4:10, in the Authorized Translation Bible, but my question stands.

  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Which is closely related to Matthew 16:23:

  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.


texts: Is defining the first use of an acronym within parenthesis allowed?

texts: I don't see a rule against it, but defining an acronym within parenthesis does not seem correct (e.g., Awkward Definition of Acronym (ADA)). Does defining ADA like this break rules?


texts:
When working in a 2D coordinate system you could say that X is the horizontal axis and Y is the vertical axis.

Extending this to 3D, is there a similar word for the Z axis?

(I'm aware of Width, Height and Depth, but obviously horizontal and vertical aren't synonymous to width and height, which is why I don't want to call the Z axis the depth axis.)


texts:
Mark is no longer an employee and he resigned. After that Mark was registered in a tournament by someone. Two people are talking about how Mark was registered in the tournament. Is it:-

No. Only one person could have registered Mark after he has resigned and given him explosives.

or

No. Only one person could have registered Mark after he resigned and given him explosives.

or

Both are correct.


texts:
King comes from Old Norse konungr, and prince is from French principle, but I have found no definite etymology for queen as we know it. I have found assumptive connections such as to keenan and gna, but nothing definite.

Is there any definitive etymology on *queen?


texts: I've tried looking into this, but mostly I just get "factual"  I'm looking for the opposite of a person who is a legend for doing good things.  What would the opposite of Odysseus be?  Kind of like for famous there's infamous.  What's a person who's a legend, but not for good reasons?  Is there a word for it?


texts: Word(s) for cardboard box whose flaps slide into slots to hold lid closed

texts: What is the word(s) for the type of cardboard box whose lid can be held closed without tape. Specifically, the sides have slots and the lid has flaps that slide into the slots to be held in place by friction. These types of boxes are commonly used as product boxes for computer motherboards, hard drives, and feature phones.


texts:
As a native English speaker, I am often asked by friends and colleagues to correct their manuscripts. One of the most common mistakes I find is the use of the noun evidences. Now, the dictionary definitions I have read state that evidence is a mass noun, that it is not countable. For example, this one:

  noun [mass noun]

  the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid:the study finds little evidence of overt discrimination

  Law information drawn from personal testimony, a document, or a material object, used to establish facts in a legal investigation or
  admissible as testimony in a law court:without evidence, they can’t
  bring a charge
  signs or indications of something:there was no obvious evidence of a break-in

However, I came across (don't ask me how) this article: 101 evidences for a young age of the earth and the universe

I had firstly assumed that this was either an outright error or at best a usage that is specific to christian literature, but upon further analysis things get more complicated. On the one hand, most google hits for evidences seem to be from the christian fundamentalist and/or creationist literature, on the other hand this article has collected multiple examples of its use citing such luminaries of the English language as William Shakespeare, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Indeed, this google NGram shows that evidences used to be quite common (note that I am searching for "many evidences" which should filter out most uses of evidence as a transitive verb):

Finally, I also found a definition in the online Oxford Learner's Dictionary which includes the following line:

  (technical) The cave contained evidences of prehistoric settlement.

While I have encountered this use in technical literature (my field is biology), it was always used by non-native authors in whose language, as is very often the case, evidence is probably countable (e.g. ES: evidencias, FR: évidences).

So, my question is, is evidence countable? The two quoted definitions contradict themselves. Evidences as a plural noun sounds horrible to my native's ear. Apparently, it is indeed a valid archaic usage but is it grammatical today?  I don't have access to an unabridged OED or any other dictionary of similar status and quality, what do they suggest?


texts: Soft or more euphemistic way of saying "suffer"

texts: One word I can think of is "bear". Any other words for it? I hate the idea of repeating the same word again and again. I want to use it for trivial things which make your life inconvenient but not hell.


texts:
Say a friend wants to schedule a time to hang out, but I'm not sure when I'll be available, so we set a place-holder time that may be when we hang out or may not. What is this called? I feel like there's a word starting with 't' that works, but 'temporary time' doesn't sound right.

Eg "I'm not sure when I'm free so lets set a * time and we can see if we need to change it"


texts:
I have learned that in the second sentence, I can't use the present perfect as in the first one.
I'd like to know the reason. Yes, she is dead. But from my point of view (my perspective), she has been to France once. Isn't that right?

My mom is still alive. She has been to France once.
My mom is dead. She went to France once.


texts: Need Help Understanding A Sentence Using "In Part"

texts:
I'm reading a book and I've encountered a sentence:-

  The state of a process is defined in part by the current activity of
  that process.

I can't understand what's the point of using the words "in part". Do the above sentence means the same as:-

  The state of a process is defined by the current activity of that
  process.


texts: Where does "Don't bogart that joint" come from?

texts:
I've looked on Google for several minutes, but I can't find a plausible reason, nor any immediately useful things to follow up.

(I understand "Don't bogart that joint" to mean "Pass the [cannabis] joint over to me!").

Any explanations as to where it came from?


texts: What is the correct spelling of "X, schmX" to indicate dismissiveness (e.g., "evidence, schmevidence")?

texts:
There is a curious construct in American English in which a word is stated and then repeated with the prefix "schm-" or "shm-" in order to indicate the speaker's dismissive attitude toward a concern that somebody else has. For example:

  "Smokers have lower life expectancies? Correlation, schmorellation—I'm going outside for another cancer stick."

Is the commoner or more "correct" spelling "shm-" or "schm-"? Is this construction used outside the US? What is its origin?


texts:
I need to express the idea that the act of adopting certain idealization produces the effect of increasing the uncertainty of a certain conclusion.

To say that that the idealization has an uncertainty-fying effect is wrong though. Alternatively, uncertainty-increasing effect is cumbersome. Any suggestions for an adequate term?

Thanks!


texts: Charles Dickens' "for good and for evil" and "superlative degree of comparison"

texts:
Charles Dickens' "Tale of Two Cities" starts with the words:

  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

I have a problem with understanding the last part of that, ie

  the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

What does he mean by "for good or for evil" and "in the superlative degree of comparison only"? I understand every single word he says but not that part.


texts:
I have a complex sentence with multiple subordinate clauses: Can one subordinate clause encapsulate another or is each subordinate clause equal and independent to each other:
I will go running when it is sunny outside only if I feel energetic.
Does the "Only if I feel energetic" place a condition on everything before it "I will go running when it is sunny outside" or does it only place a condition on the nearest subject and verb which is "it is sunny outside"? My guess is the former but I would appreciate any explanation as to why the latter case is not true.


texts: Word starting with P that indicates strengthening of a bond?

texts:
I'm currently writing a very much tongue in cheek book which involves ancestors bonding with newborns. There is something in my book that I currently refer to as Burial Soil that I'm trying to give a more scientific name for. Basically, it's what made the ancestral bond possible and can strengthen it when ingested.

Since it's tongue in cheek, I want something that has the same abbreviation AP as Applied Phlebotinum, a literary device that makes the plot move forward.. The A is easy, I can use Ancestor or a derivative word for that, but the P is somewhat harder. I considered Plotinum or something similar and might use that if nothing better comes up here, but I'm hoping for something that is more indicative of bonding and/or strengthening of a bond. It should also preferably have earthy connotations, since it's soil.

Example sentence: 3300 years ago, an ancient urnfield was turned into Ancestral {Word here} in what we call the Gallitrix event, kickstarting our civilization.

After reading the answers, I decided to use "pactite" as the name for the material itself. Since the person who recommended the word pact didn't post this as an answer, I decided to accept the answer that mentioned "to permeate", because I could use this for another aspect of the central theme as well.


texts: How would you name this phenomenon? (about presidents' popularity drop)

texts:
Whenever a new president comes, he is
  always more popular in the beginning
  than at the end of his term. No matter
  how good he is and how successful he
  has been, there will always be more
  negativity and criticism toward him
  from the people of his country toward
  the end of his rule. It is almost a
  law. I would call it a law of ...

How would you name this "law" here? You can substitute phenomenon for the word law

EDIT:
I am sorry if I again didn't explain my thought clearly enough. (As I can see from the first two answers here - I really didn't) I want a term that would describe the phenomenon of inevitable drop in popularity toward the end of a politician's term, not a term describing his high popularity in the very beginning of his service.


texts: What is the exact meaning of the line, “No closure. That word should be stricken from the English language"?

texts:
I’m a little bit hesitant to post this question in view of the gravity and seriousness of the matter to those who are directly involved with the 9/11 tragedies. But as a newspaper reader, I would like to understand the exact meaning of the words delivered by the mother of a firefighter who died on duty in the 9/11 attacks, when she learned that Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S Military forces on May 1st.

She said:

  I cried. I took a look up at the sky
  and said 'They got him!' Now the day
  has come, and it's a mixed emotion.
  It's sad; it's triumphant. I feel
  absolutely fantastic. I hope it brings
  some comfort to the families. No
  closure. That word should be stricken
  from the English language.(New
  York Times May 3rd. Today’s Quote)

Could you explain to me the line - “No closure. That word should be stricken from the English language,” so that a non-native English speaker can understand it?


texts: Pipe invert and obvert: Why is it called invert?

texts:
In civil engineering, the words invert and obvert are used in the context of pipe elevations. I gather that invert means: interior bottom elevation of pipe, and obvert means: interior top elevation of pipe.

However, using the word invert in this context seems strange to me. To me, none of these definitions fit:

  Invert (Merriam-Webster)

  a: to reverse in position, order, or relationship
  b: to subject to inversion
  a: to turn inside out or upside down
  b: to turn inward
  a: to find the mathematical reciprocal of
  b: to divide using fractions, invert the divisor and multiply

What does the word invert have to do with pipes?
What has been inverted?


texts:
What does "weaker for it" mean? Look at this context, for example:

Those of us in the tourism sector have traditionally ignored this reality, and we are weaker for it. Thus, once the members of the relevant population/community have been defined, it is important to identify the values that underlie the kind of tourism they wish to develop for the destination.


texts:
Consider these two sentences:

  It will be storming all day tomorrow, we need to go shopping tonight.
  It will storm all day tomorrow, we need to go shopping tonight.

The difference being "will be storming" and "will storm".

What exactly is the difference between these two sentences? Could they possibly mean something different (even if slightly)? If they are different, when to use each one?


texts:
I am not sure if the usage of comma and articles are correct in the sentence below. More specifically:

is the comma justified in '... a Master of X degree, from XYZ ...'
does 'a Master of X degree' makes sense?

  Hence, I earned a Bachelor of X degree, followed by a Master of X
  degree, from XYZ in 2010 and 2012 respectively, with full tuition fee
  waived and stipend from the Government of PQR.


texts:
Got a small question.
Consider a phrasal verb within a sentence, such as : make up.
As in : She made up her mind.
Would you consider :

up as a preposition, and so, her mind is an object of preposition.
up as an adverb and so, her mind is a direct object ?

Would you say that when considering phrasal verbs in general, their particles are in fact complements of the verb ?
Much obliged.


texts:
Many people around the globe elevate the value of travelling abroad between several countries upon a belief that such activities could expand their horizons.

My question particularly is about how to express an idea based on belief which refers to a specific conclusion?

In another word:
Many people around the globe already believe that travelling abroad could expand their horizons. As a result, they elevate the value of travelling abroad between several countries.

Am I correct or should its formulation change?
If there are any other ways to express about thoughts please share it


texts:
I have to express that my friend is coming to visit me in my town and I'm waiting for him, what would be the differences and what would be the best between these two phrases?

  I'm waiting for my friend to come to town

or

  I'm waiting for my friend to come in town


texts: What's the antonym of "serendipitous"? I couldn't find any anywhere.


texts: Word that means 'requiring a high degree of trust'

texts:
Something like the reciprocal of 'trustworthy'.

  'You need to understand how [requiring a high degree of trust] it is
  to get to know the code to the safe. John has only told three people
  that code ever because of the power of what's behind the vault's
  doors'

Almost 'sensitive' but with 'power' and 'responsibility'

  'The position of babysitter is not a trivial one, as it is a
  [requiring a high degree of trust] relationship.'

Almost 'sacred' but not quite--it needs to convey the level of responsibility and power that a babysitter has over a child.

  'A pediatrician must not only be knowledgeable but kind as he holds
  the wellbeing of a child in his hands, his position is [requiring a
  high degree of trust]'


texts: What to call a patient's close relatives, friends and family members in one or two words?

texts:
It's connected to a scientific paper for a public health topic.  I need to name a patient's surrounding of caregivers which can include family members,  friends,  close relatives.

I came up with a term 'immediate environment'.

Can anyone natively speaking English or knowing scientific nomenclature comment does such term makes sense, don't hesitate to propose other.


texts:
I've just come across the following sentence:

  If you were born 50 years earlier, how would your life be different now?

Wouldn't it be more precise to say:

  If you had been born 50 years earlier, how would your life be different now?

or

  If you had been born 50 years earlier, how would your life have been different?

(providing the person spoken about is old, and the 50 extra years would mean they'd be dead by now)?

Or - and I think that was what the author may have meant:

  If you were 50 years older, how would your life be different now?

or maybe

  If today were (1965+the current age of the person), how would your life be different?


texts:
The company would demand a payment since she (missed)/(had missed) the last.

'had missed' is correct here because it happened during some time in the past before scecific event(deadline of period when it's allowed to pay).

But is 'missed' ok to use here? This is like single event in the past.

If needed, there's full sentence:

Out of that there was food to buy for the two of them, Estella's school fees, plus rent of the tiny flat they lived in; also the finance company would demand a payment since she (missed)/(had missed) the last.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the correct spelling: wrapable, or wrappable?

My mother "corrected" me and said "shouldn't shippable be spelled as shipable"? My gut feeling said two p's, but I couldn't think of a reason why. So I googled it and it is spelled with two p's, but I still don't know why. As far as I am concerned it could just as well be spelled with one 'p'.


texts: What type of variant is "protection" when compared to "protect"?

texts:
You have variations of Protect such as

third-person singular simple present protects
present participle protecting
simple past and past participle protected

So what would you call protection?


texts: Word for liking and not liking something at the same time?

texts: What's a word for the feeling of liking something, but not liking it at the same time? I love the way the Spanish speak, but it bothers me at the same time. I've looked through and dictionaries asked teachers, but i can't seem to find the right word. I would really appreciate the help, thank you.


texts:
Does “overachieving” have negative connotations?

I was considering using “The Overachieving Subconscious” as a title for an essay.

I am trying to convey that ‘your subconscious is a very powerful tool’ with this title; however, reading it aloud has me second-guessing the title’s effectiveness.


texts: Correct word or phrase for "outsourcing" within company

texts:
A definition of outsourcing is to contract work to a third party, often overseas. However, I'm looking for a word that would describe "moving jobs within our company to a third-world nation such as India". Here's an example of a sentence describing the situation:

"We are looking to save money and can find much cheaper labor in India than
 we can in the USA. Because of this, we will be laying off 100 employees
 in our US office, opening a second office in India, and hiring 100 employees
 there."

Because the work is still being done within our company (and not a third party) I feel like the term outsourcing would not be correct for this. Is there another definition of outsourcing that would include the above situation? Or, is there a better word to describe this?


texts: Since "amn't I" is so clunky, is "aren't I" grammatically correct?  Or is the only way to say this "Am I not"?


texts: degrees, minutes, seconds OR degrees minutes seconds OR ...?

texts:
I am revising my dissertation, and in my methods section I have the following sentence:
"I used an online converter [ref] to determine UTM coordinates from GPS coordinates given in degrees minutes seconds."

One of my committee members has suggested "degrees minutes seconds" should have commas between each word: "degrees, minutes, seconds"

She may also be suggesting to put "and" before "seconds," but I'm not sure if I'm reading the squiggle correctly.

I have not had any luck locating a rule for this, and have seen it both ways in different publications.

I also saw it written "degrees-minutes-seconds" in a response to a different question on here.

Does anybody know if one way is more correct than the other?

Thanks!
Liz


texts: An idiomatic alternative to "familiar with the matter"

texts:
The common expression "familiar with the matter" is generally used to refer to people who have information  that is not yet available to the public and is to be confirmed.

Google Books

For instance:

  An agreement will soon be reached by the two big companies according to people familiar with the matter.

Is there another "idiomatic" expression that can be used instead of "familiar with the matter".


texts: What is the right term for students admitted to the school in previous years, if you are also a student? Do you call them "elder students"?

texts:
Say I am a third year student. I find myself frequently need to refer to "some student" in their fourth year and fifth year. For example,

"A student of higher year than me" helped me with project.

What is the right term to replace those in the quotes?

If you guys know Chinese, there is simple term for this purpose, "xue zhang" or "xue jie". However, I seem not able to identify a corresponding term in English.

Thanks!


texts: What is a good adjective that describes the quality of "having a growth mindset"?

texts:
I'm struggling to find a single word that conveys what is shared in the following statements

Have a growth mindset
Be a lifelong learner
Be a student of the game

Is there a good single adjective that can communicate these in the sample sentence:
Be adjective.
(the most obvious is "Be growth minded." but that sounds odd to me and I'm hoping for a single word)