texts: Word for larger system that is more than the sum of its constituents

texts:
I’m driving myself crazy because I’ve forgotten a word that I used to know.
The word describes the phenomenon of a larger organised system that does more or has another function than the collective sum of its constituent parts.
Or the other way round when lots of bodies that have individual functions take on a new macroscopic role as a collective.
Does anyone know what the word I’m looking for is. I’ll recognise it when I see it and I appreciate there may be more than one word for this. It might be a scientific and/or psychology specific word.


texts: Why is nigger so offensive that people refer to it as the N word? After all, a lot of Negroes came from Nigeria, and therefore nigger could just be considered an abbreviated form of referencing a person from Nigeria.


texts: What is the word describing renaming an event or process with a symbolic phrase or word?

texts:
For example, in an aerospace business setting we are trying to find a title for the process to get approval for a new good or service.  We are suggesting names like: green light, take off, launch pad, etc...

What are these names called?  Is there a word for it?
They are not euphemisms because we're not referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
It's not stenography because we're not trying to hide anything.

Usage example:
I don't like "green light" as a (word) because it's too vague.
I think a better (word) would be "take off".

I'm thinking maybe jargon is the right word for it.  It would not be industry-specific or even company-specific jargon.  I think the phrase I'm looking to identify with the word would be department specific.


texts: What is the difference between "bracelet" and "strap" when talking about watches?

texts:
I talked to my friend about his watch. I used the word "strap" to refer to his watch's strap while he used the word "bracelet."

Is there any difference between these words? Can I use them interchangeably?


texts: Metonymy in Professional European Football (Soccer)

texts: Wikipedia has a great definition of metonymy here, but I have a more specific question.  Can I have a list of metnonyms used in Professional European Football (Soccer), particularly the English Premier League (EPL)?  I'm relatively new to EPL fandom and want to understand more of the references used in commentary and conversation about the sport.


texts: Scientific article style: present or future

texts:
This question often pops up when writing scientific articles. Which of the two is preferred?

  This issue is described in detail in Section 4.

or

  This issue will be described in detail in Section 4.

(Assuming, of course, that the current Section is 3.)

Can anybody also give reasons? Please note that English is my second language.


texts: Should we use IS or Are with 'Fifty meters (is, are) the length of this pool.' etc?

texts:
Fifty meters (is, are) the length of this pool.

Ten dollars (is, are) too much to pay for a book.

One sixth of the cake (was, were) eaten.

One half of the students (is, are) going.

Kindly help me to answer those questions please..


texts: Adjective to describe very abusive language or nature

texts:
I would like to know appropriate adjective(s) to describe a person's abusive language or nature used describe swearing at somebody.

Edit: I want a more British and formal English. Something that can be used in formal writing like opprobrious.


texts: Word for disappointed and dejected (slightly irritated too?) at the same time

texts:
So imagine you ask a person a serious question, and they make light of it.

You feel a certain emotion which I'm trying to find the name for. Your shoulders may slump. Face and body seem to relax. Eyes half-close in a kind of tired/dejected way, and you look at them pointedly, having expected something else but are not surprised. Perhaps you even expected to be disappointed in a small way. Lips may purse slightly.

Another situation where a person might react this way is if they observe someone else's behavior they dislike, but not to a great extent, and they're tiredly resigned to the other person behaving that way. So they just watch with the above-described expression on their face.

Other than being disappointed and mildly dejected, there might be a tiny bit of something like irritation without the anger, just resignation, but all of these emotions are too mild to be the right word for this reaction.

Despite the fairly significant bodily reaction (i.e. the facial expression, body relaxation, etc), the person recovers quickly with a "Darn you!" or "There he goes again" feeling, and could just go on with their day afterwards with hardly any lingering feeling at all.

There must be a word for this, but for the life of me I can't think of it!

EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that single-word-request requires an example sentence, so without further ado, it might go something like this: "For the umpteenth time, when she asked him a serious question, he just laughed it off and changed the subject. She looked at him, ____________."

For a long time, I thought the right word here was "nonplussed," but I recently discovered it is not. It is not befuddlement or being unconcerned, though the physical expression may actually be quite similar to when nonplussed is used in a sentence.

Here's an example of something like it in the "Got Milk," "Did you think I wouldn't find out?" commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnzK9l5MGCo (At 6 seconds in.)


texts: Correct usage of was/were on the object of a sentence

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Wasn't” vs “weren't”

On a Tuesday morning, which of these sentences is the better way to express that I already want it to be Friday?

  I wish it were Friday.
  I wish it was Friday.


texts: "Suggestions as to how to" vs "suggestions how to"

texts:
Which should I write?

He has made several suggestions as to how to improve the situation.
He has made several suggestions how to improve the situation.


texts:
The following sentence comes from https://android.googlesource.com/trusty/app/storage/

The key value is a hash of the file name and is the same size and the
block number size for the file system.

Does "is the same size and the block number size for the file system." mean 1)The key value is the same with block number size
Or 2) "Every key value is the same size. And it is the block number size."?
Which interpret is right? Why the author use "same size and" here not "same with"?


texts: How is melagra described in contemporary English?

texts:
The noun MELAGRA stands for rheumatic or myalgic pains in the arms or legs. This is the word I found which is closest to describing the kind of pain that one feels all over the body during fever or sometimes on a rainy day. In my native language, they say something like "my arms are being bitten/eaten away."

How do you say such a thing in English? The word melagra sounds too formal/medical. How do native English-speakers describe the pain that feels like being nibbled on?


texts:
What is meant by hardline?

A commenter named Ed asked,

  "I am very concerned as that was definitely our garage that slid into the Batavia. My mom has a hardline phone in the house but probally does not realize it is a cordless requiring power. She is 70 and alone. We have not heard from her since 9:15 this morning."  -- CNN


texts: Is there a better phrase than "rules list" to imply something you need to read without carrying bureaucratic/procedural connotations?

texts:
I'm looking for a substitute word or phrase for "rules list." I find this phrase has a key problem: it carries heavy bureaucratic or procedural connotations, and can dissuade people from joining the discussion.

No matter how it's phrased, a "Hey, mind reading the rules first?" carries such a connotation, and I'd like to be rid of it. However, it still needs to communicate the idea that it's a document you need to read, so phrases like "help document" or "FAQ" are out - those imply that you consult them when needed for reference.

Is there a good substitute for "rules" that implies it's not some procedural/formal/bureaucratic process, but also implies it's still necessary to read?


texts: How to request for getting down from a cab first?

texts:
How do I request fellow car pooling members so that I am dropped at my destination first?
Is 'Can I get down from the cab first?' correct?


texts: Is “illustrationist” an existing word? Or should I use ‘illustrator’ instead?


texts: Does the punctuation work in these specified ranges?

texts:
As a matter of style, could these pass muster to you in terms of conciseness and punctuation - yes or no? I think they are clear and uncluttered.

5-10 year olds

5-10 year old prodigies

10-15 year mortgage

1-2 inch laceration

$2-3 million a year contract

$5-10,000 per year savings


texts: "Longer running time" vs "high performance"

texts:
I am always confused about the correct usages of words like longer, less, higher, high etc., for comparing performance of two programs. For example, if a program A completes its work in 10 seconds, while another program B completes its work in 20 seconds, i.e., A gives high performance compared to B, then which one of the following sentences is best to express both A is better than B and The short running-time program is better? Maybe the following sentences are bad. If so, please provide me your suggestions to improve them.

I have seen that people use short sentences in parentheses as shown below in technical research papers. Can I use parentheses as below? I have also used google and google ngrams, and I could see that the words longer, short, low, etc., all are used along with running time.

  B has a longer running time compared to A and therefore A gives high performance.
  A gives higher performance (low running-time) compared to B.


texts:
Longest word in English
What is the longest word in English?


texts:
When you are delineating a set of statements which come one after another, could you use ordinal numbers but omit some of them in between ? For example, consider I want to describe the limitations in my study:

  However, these results should be interpreted considering certain
  limitations existing in the study. First, the small sample size ... ... . In addition, our sample consisted of young people residing ... ... . The third limitation is that ... .

Is this style correct ?


texts: Expectaltee: A person who expects something

texts:
The word of the day:
† expectaltee, n.

Obs. rare. A person who expects something. [OED]

You might ask how on the earth expectaltee is a word. Well, apparently it is a word but the origin is uncertain according to OED.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Apparently ultimately related to expect v.
Perhaps compare Spanish expectante person who awaits or expects something, use as noun of expectante that expects or awaits something (both first half of the 15th cent.: see expectant adj. and n.), although if this were the etymon, the alteration of the ending would be difficult to account for.

There is only one citation in OED and it is also one of the two results from Google Books.

Peeces compiled..out of Plutarchs fulness and Seneca's quickness, would undoubtedly fill the mouth of the most gaping Expectaltee among Readers.
1654, R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία Pref. sig. a,

The other result in Google Books is from the book Studies in the Lexical Field of Expectation, Volume 90 by Louise Sylvester and here is the relevant excerpt:

As we might expect, French and Latin together account for all but one of the borrowings from Romance languages: the remaining item (expectaltee 1654, to be found in I.1 and with two citations from a single author in the OED), having been borrowed from Spanish. The Spanish borrowing clearly never became sufficiently acclimatized in the language to admit of foreign affixes or to be used to form compound.

Questions:

Can we conclude that it is coined by R. Whitlock? OED gives only one citation but the book Studies in the Lexical Field of Expectation, Volume 90 claims that OED had two citations from the same author (I don't know if OED deleted the other one) and mentions another citation also.

How is this word formed?  Might it be malformation based on the pronunciation of Spanish expectante? I'm not sure if any other word ends with "altee" (if we can even consider it a suffix).

Spanish has the suffix -ante (-nte, -ente, -iente) that forms adjectives and nouns from verbs. For example, English borrowed vigilante from Spanish as is. The same suffix -ante is used in French and Italian and we borrowed words like confidante and dilettante.


texts: Why is it "wherever" instead of "whereever"?

texts:
The popular question words how, when, what, why, which and some more all have their accompanying word ending in -ever, like however and whatever.

It seems to me that the word wherever is somewhat inconsistent in this context, as it omits one e — either the last letter of where or the first letter of ever.

Is the spelling of wherever a simple exception, or is there a (probably not limited to these question words and the -ever ending) rule that can help me to figure out when to omit a vowel without googling for it?


texts: What's the origin of "all the livelong day?"

texts:
I was humming the folksong "I've Been Working on the Railroad" when I hit this phrase... What's its origin?

I feel that livelong establishes that the day may feel like an eternity. But I noticed that the adjective doesn't seem to be used in positive circumstances. That makes my ear want to supplant it with goddamn: I've been working on the railroad, all the goddamn day. Is there any truth here?


texts:
Neither Nancy nor Loma remembered to bring _______ camera ]

Her
Their
Them
Neither

In this questions option C "their" was given correct answer but I need an explanation to it as I read the rule that the pair "Neither + nor" agrees with the nearest subject.


texts: Is "all together" a valid alternative to "altogether" in US English?

texts: I'm British. I am editing a document, and I was going to correct a use of "all together" where the author clearly meant "altogether" (as in "entirely"). But then I realised this might just be a British distinction... is it? Do Americans accept "all together" as a valid alternative to "altogether", i.e. "entirely"? (The document is for an international audience.)


texts: What exactly does "All Items Not On Sale" mean?

texts:
Here's a quote from Bill Bryson's "The Mother Tongue":

  Imagine being a foreigner and having to learn ... , that a sign in the
  store saying ALL ITEMS NOT ON SALE doesn't mean literally what it says
  (that every item is not on sale) but rather that only some of the
  items are on sale, ...

Is this true? Is it a common sign for indicating that not all items are on sale? Wouldn't it be more natural to write NOT ALL ITEMS ON SALE?

I am asking because I don't really want to blindly believe Bill Bryson, since his books, although very interesting and entertaining to read, contain a lot of factual errors (intended or not).


texts: Divide and conquer terminology for improving / troubleshooting hardware

texts:
I'm looking for the proper word to name a kind of "divide and conquer" approach when improving / troubleshooting hardware. The described process follows these steps:

Measure the system performance
Modify a subpart of the system
Measure the modified system again and determine if the modification has improved the performance
Start again at (2) with another subpart

Thanks!


texts: What is the accepted definition of the following words in this sentence?

texts:
Quoting DailyWTF:

  The Matrix! No, not the the uburbulous deprodication errebelously conceived by “The Architect”.

What is the accepted definition of the following words in the preceding quote?

uburbulous
deprodication
errebelously


texts:
Most grammar rules state that will shouldn't be used after if.

Here is my sentence, I am wondering whether it is correct.

  It may cause an exception if there won't be a valid character in the
  stream.

Is this sentence correct? Or I should use if there is no valid?

Thanks


texts:
I am looking for a precise meaning of this expression "to work people".
I feel like it is similar to "to be friendly to people", "to handle people with tact", "to be good at conversing with people", but I need a confirmation from an expert/native speaker.
Thank you.
A quote from the movie "The Big Short":

-- Are you being sarcastic with us, Mike?
-- Lawrence, I don't know how to be sarcastic. I don't know how to be funny. I don't know how to work people. I just know how to read numbers.


texts: Looking for a verb that describes the movement of a breeze

texts:
I am looking for a word that descibes how a breeze travells over a beach.

It it was a wind, it could be blowing over the beach, past the rocks and gras, but blowing seems too fast for a breeze. My Intention is to convey a sense of movement, but more gentle and less directional then "blowing".

Could a breeze be roaming the beach?

Usage:

  The coastal winds were still asleep and only a soft breeze was gently (roaming?) the beach.


texts: Is "on the pretext of" more correct than "under the pretext of" or vice versa?

texts:
Is "under" or "on" more correct in this instance?

I would like to say "Sysco has had all the business for quite some time under the pretext of a program which they have been grandfathered into."


texts: Does the word "character" in "character development" refer to a fictional character or "character" as in the psychological qualities of someone?

texts: Basically, does the term mean that the character is developing or that the "character of the character" is developing?


texts: Is "one of those" grammatically considered a generalisation?

texts:
If one says "he is not one of those weird  people" is that considered a generalisation of the group mentioned??
I argued against because by saying "one of", it is implies a subsection of the group in question.


texts: Should I use a hyphen in the term "in(-)situ visualization"?

texts:
The term in(-)situ visualization denotes a visualization or graphics that is depicted in place, for instance, a sparkline that is embedded into text.

As the dictionaries tell, the adjective or adverb in situ is written as two words. But for concatenated terms in scientific language, oftentimes, in-situ (with a hyphen) is placed in front of the main noun. Searching for the term in Google and Google Scholar, I find both alternatives about equally frequent. Also, the COCA Corpus lists both versions for related terms such as in(-)situ burning.

What is the correct spelling of in(-)situ visualization? Is there a specific rule that applies?


texts: Word for a person with the same opinion on everything?

texts:
There's a person I know who has the same opinion on everything. It never wavers from "very good" e.g.

  That was a very good movie

  Brazil played a very good game

  The weather was very good yesterday

They're not really an optimist per se, as a term such as the one I'm looking for could easily apply to someone with the opposite "very bad" opinion of everything.

What I'm wondering is there a particular term for someone who has the same opinion on everything?

This is a similar (but not the same) question, and although some of the answers here (such as yeasayer) could work in certain contexts, they don't fully answer my question.


texts:
I'm not sure if the comma before the word "and" is properly used in the sentence below this paragraph. I believe a comma is not needed because the second clause is a subordinate clause, but I am not completely sure. I'm trying to improve my grammar and would appreciate any help or advice. Thank you.

"Your country's moral superiority is a scam, and has been exposed as what it is numerous times".


texts: ¿Compulsory? Use of Determiners when Pre-Modifying Uncountable Nouns

texts:
I have (maybe a silly) question about the grammar of determiners and nouns which I can never seem to elucidate correctly. When we have a countable noun we use a determiner be it premodified or not:

  A man. A great man.

But what happens with UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS when they are pre-modified? Think of this:

  A person of () wealth, but An enormous wealth of knowledge

Does the fact that the uncountable noun is pre-modified imply a certain degree of determination and perhaps that is why a determiner sounds appropriate?


texts:
"You were the one who was surprised you liked it"

What is it about this sentence that makes it sound clumsy?

I'm not sure about specific grammatical rules that should be applied to this sentence, or if there is simply a more elegant way to express the meaning here.

The intention of the sentence being that:

Roger recalls that Susan recently tried banana muffins for the first time and liked them.

Susan suggests presently that Roger is a fiend for banana muffins and can't eat enough banana muffins.

Susan says to Roger: "You do like your muffins, don't you dear."

Roger would like to remind Susan that she too liked banana muffins, maybe even more so than she would care to admit.

Roger says to Susan: "You were the one who was surprised you liked them".


texts: What are the pronunciation and etymology of the dog's name "Tige"?

texts:
"Tige" was apparently a popular name for American pet dogs even before Buster Brown (1902). I just ran across the same name in chapter 32 of Huckleberry Finn (1884):

  "Begone you Tige! you Spot! begone sah!"

All other dog-names I can think of have relatively transparent meanings: "Fido" for "loyal", "Rex" for "king", "Spot" for... well, "spotted". But I have no idea what "Tige" means, or even how to pronounce it! Can someone point to an authoritative source on the subject?

I know that tige is a French word meaning "stem" (cognate with Latin tibia); it's pronounced /tiʒ/ "teezh". But I can't imagine how the dog-name would be related to the French word.

I also know that many people on the Internet assume that it's some colloquial shortening of "Tiger", so they would presumably pronounce it /ˈtīɡə/ or maybe /ˈtīɡ/. But are there any examples of dogs actually being named "Tiger", let alone a shortened version of "Tiger"?

I found a TV commercial for Buster Brown Shoes whose jingle pronounces it /ˈtīɡ/; that's pretty authoritative on the pronunciation (at least if the pronunciation didn't change between 1884 and 1950-something), but it doesn't say anything on the etymology.

And speaking of dates: Given that Buster Brown didn't originate the name "Tige", how far back does the name go? Any examples from the first half of the 19th century? from the 18th century? from countries other than the United States?


texts:
I'm specifically thinking of nihilism as defined here:

Nihilism is the philosophical viewpoint that denies or lacks belief in any or all of the reputedly meaningful aspects of life.

Not nihilism in the pessimistic sense, but rather in the sense that a nihilist doesn't have specific beliefs, or thinks having specific beliefs is futile. The definition of this antonym would be something like:

Someone who has specific convictions, positive or negative, on a given subject.

This word shouldn't be constrained to morality, but could apply to any field (e.g. religion, philosophy, stock markets). Opinionist is a promising contender, but doesn't quite work because it typically connotes someone with contrarian views. Conceptually, it would be something like specifist or convictionist (these aren't real words).
Sample sentences:

Unlike nihilists, ____ have specific beliefs.
The decline in active investing suggests there are fewer ____ than ever in the market.


texts:
I'm just curious because we call 10 years a decade.

  The word (decade) is derived (via French) from the Ancient Greek dekas which
  means ten.

As sighted from wikipedia: Decade

Is there another similar way to say 10 months?


texts: Term for words that have different pronunciations depending on the part of speech

texts:
Is there a general term for a word that has different pronunciations depending on which part of speech it is taking on in a sentence?

For example, "attribute" here is used as a noun

  She has many good attributes; I think I will ask her out.

.. and here as a verb

  I attribute her good looks to the expensive face lotion she uses.

However, the typical pronunciation is different in either case (the stress is on a different syllable).


texts: Which one should I use when; ' to verb' vs 'verb(ing)'?

texts:
I came across a question in my ACT practice test which got me really confused as I was unaware of this rule. The question was:

I simply feel better to know a pen is handy.

a) No change

b) to know that

c) known that

d) knowing

Option 'd' is the correct answer but why can't I go with option 'a' or 'b'. I know that option 'c' can be ruled out but why does the answer need to be 'd' where 'a' and 'b' are valid as well...I think. Is there rule that can help me in future questions like this?


texts: "Ask for directions", "Ask directions" and "Ask the way"

texts: It seems that the phrase "ask for directions" is more frequently used than the other two. Is it OK to say "ask directions"? And does it sound strange if I say "ask the way"? I'm an ESL learner, and not quite sure about whether I've asked the question on the right site. I would be very grateful if you could kindly point out any possible grammar mistakes or bad word choices in my question.


texts:
Wikipedia tells me that indicia is the plural of indicium meaning an indication or sign :

  Harry Potter names, characters and related indicia are copyright.

But indicia is also :

  A preprinted marking on a mailpiece which shows that postage has been paid by the sender.

(The plural of indicia - in this case - is indicias, apparently.)

Wikipedia

Thus one homonym is singular and the other is plural.

Is there a term for this and are there any other examples of this in English ?


texts:
Recently I've been seeing a lot of articles regarding the genocide of the North American indigenous people by the European settlers. I've also heard claims that this genocide continues to this day due to institutionalized colonialism.

All morals aside, can the word "genocide" correctly be used to refer to something that doesn't involve killing?

Google defines it as

  the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of
  a particular ethnic group or nation.

however the UN defines genocide as

  any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole
  or in part, a national , ethnical , racial  or religious  group, as
  such:

  killing members of the group;

  causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

  deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to
  bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

  imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and]

  forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

I am unclear with this definition if these different criteria have "AND" or "OR" between them; for example must all the terms be met or any single one of them?

Sorry for the unpleasant topic.


texts:
What's the difference between "life time" and "lifetime"?
According to this Yahoo! Answer (which definitely isn't an authority):

lifetime: life: the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death); "the battery had a short life"; "he lived a long and happy life"
life time: which takes place in real-time as the surgeons perform an operation that must be completed within 22 minutes

I'm more interested in the "life time" meaning. Is it correct?


texts: Can the word 'child' be pluralised : 'childs two, three and four'?

texts:
The question "Can 'childs' ever be the plural of 'child' in standard English ?" produced answers which agreed that it could not.

However, I notice today that, in Court, children, who had been named for the sake of anonymity as 'child two', 'child three' and 'child four', had been collectively referred to as 'childs two, three and four'.

  Earlier in the inquest, the court heard Shukri had gone down to the river after school with Child One and three others — known as Childs Two, Three and Four.

Bolton News 26th February 2020

This appears to me to be perfectly correct.

Are the Court, the newspaper report and myself all wrong in thinking that this is a 'standard English' way of properly referring to the children in question ?


texts: What should I conclude from this - A gay man

texts:
I fell in love with this course, from an American university, and wanted to enroll in it.

But, when I went to the professor's page, to request him to let me in,
 I saw this - I am a gay man and use he/him pronouns.

I do not have any problem, I just want to ask what does being a 'gay' imply here.

A 'gay' man doesn't need to use she/her ?
     OR
Is the author telling that he is cheerful ?

PS - I am a student, and I have nothing against straight/LGBTQ/Other living beings.


texts: Getting peanut butter out with the back of a spoon

texts:
I like wiping the back of a spoon on peanut butter to get it out of the jar, instead of scooping it out the normal way. Could this action still be described as “scooping out”, but with the back of the spoon?
What about “pulling out peanut butter with the back of a spoon”? Does that sound right?


texts: Is it ok to eliminate the "I" in informal English (e.g. "Am sorry" vs "I am sorry")?

texts: I have seen writing where "I" is being dropped in sentences. For instance, "Am on my way" vs. "I am on my way". Is this acceptable usage?


texts: Apostrophe usage in the Iliad (Lombardo)

texts:
I'm taking a classics class, and we're currently reading Lombardo's translation of the Iliad. It strikes me incredibly odd how possessive and plural nouns are formed:

  The met by the ancient oak tree. /
  Lord Apollo, Zeus' son, spoke first
  (7.15-16)

The professor of the class says, for the purposes of our paper, to always use an " 's " to clarify the possessive form of the noun, even if the noun ends in an s.

  Achilles's love of battle...

Just to make things perfectly clear, the way that I understand usage:

Single: "Greek" or "Achilles"
Plural: "Greeks" or "Achilles" (For more than one Achilles, we have to infer plurality)
Single Possessive: "Greek's" or "Achilles's"
Plural Possessive: "Greeks'" or "Achilles'" (Once again, for something belonging to more than one Achilles, we have to infer plurality in the sentence)

And the pronunciation, as I understand it, is as follows:
Single: "Greek" or "Achilles"
Plural: "Greek-s" or "Achilles-s"
Single Possessive: "Greek-s" or "Achilles-es"
Plural Possessive: "Greeks"  or "Achilles-es"

Am I completely off base here, I'm so confused. Can someone shed some light on this?


texts: Is it acceptable that 'fuel' is pronounced as 'fju:ə'

texts:
One of my colleague have kept pronouncing 'fuel' as 'fju:ə'.

There is omission of the 'L' sound. In the dictionary, phonetic transcription of 'fuel' is 'fju:əl'

I'm not a native speaker (living in Korea speak of which), but I can say that sounds very weird, so I told him that it doesn't sound natural. And I let him listen to the standard pronunciation from an electronic dictionary. The 'L' sound is weak but can be heard.

He kept saying that he has been praised on his pronunciation by a native speaker.
I'm not trying to judge, but the pronunciation is still awkward.

Is it correct to pronounce 'fuel' as 'fju:ə'?


texts: New Yorker Dieresis Rule; prosaic, unionized?

texts:
There are lots of informal references to the traditional / "New Yorker" style of using diereses to disambiguate runs of vowels, however I have yet to find a definitive guide.
See, for example:

New Yorker
Diaeresis - Wikipedia
What is the standard rule for using or not using hyphen and diaeresis on the word? - ELU

My major question is: Is there a definitive reference that one can consult for proper traditional use of the dieresis in English? The accepted answer in last link above outlines some cases (e.g., no dieresis in "coalesce" or "react") but notably does not provide a reference to an authoritative source.
My minor questions are:

Is it appropriate to use a dieresis in "prosaïc?"

How does one most correctly differentiate the two words spelled "unionized" ("union-ized" about the formation of a group or "un-ionized" about how many free electrons a material has)? Assume for a moment that you have to write both within the same document.


texts: what is the meaning of " Pressure Containing and Structural Castings"

texts: Does it mean " Pressure Containing castings and Structural Castings" or  "Pressure Containing-Structural Castings"?


texts: Why is an apostrophe used in the genitive “-’s”?

texts: The English possessive isn’t a contraction, but rather a relic of the grammatical case system, so why is an apostrophe used in (most) forms of the possessive?


texts:
I just saw two sentences like

  Doing this is right. Or is it?

To me it looks like the first sentence rephrases a common belief while the second announces the belief to be proved wrong later. Am I right?

The strange thing about this construction is that both sentences are positive. Logically I'd expect the question to be something like "Or maybe is it wrong at the end?" - this way it could be expressed e.g. in German. Is there an explanations while the English construction goes "the other way round"?

OK, it's metanoia, but I'm still stuck with the exact phrasing. Nowhere I've seen this form. Would a phrase like

  Doing this is right. Or isn't it?

be correct as well and mean the same?


texts: how do I use a hyphen when defining an acronym in the middle of the term?

texts:
Example:

"Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) level unemployment"

I need a hyphen between "Area" and "level".  Later in the document the term appears as "MSA-level".

Should it be:

"Metropolitan Statistical Area- (MSA) level unemployment"  [note the spaces/lack thereof]

or

"Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) -level unemployment"  [note the spaces/lack thereof]

or

"Metropolitan Statistical Area-(MSA) level unemployment"  [note the spaces/lack thereof]

or

"Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)-level unemployment"  [note the spaces/lack thereof]

or

"Metropolitan Statistical Area-level (MSA) unemployment"

or

"Metropolitan Statistical Area level (MSA) unemployment"  [no hyphen at all]

or

???

Note: this is the first instance of the term/acronym being introduced within the document, so definition here is necessary.  (Or is it?)

Thoughts appreciated!


texts: I have a research paper that uses the word "macroplant", but I can't figure out what specifically that means, other than "big plant". Specifically what is a macroplant? Is it just something relatively big, like sunflower, saguaro, etc.? I can't find it in any dictionary and it isn't coming up in many searches. I can assume it means "big plant", but there must be a more nuanced definition.


texts: How do you most correctly use the word "than"? (SAT writing question)

texts:
The Piraha people of Brazil communicate(A) almost as much by singing, whistling, and(B) humming than(C) they do(D) by pronouncing consonants and vowels. No error(E)

I had chosen E, no error, but the correct answer is c, than. Why is C the right answer?


texts:
I am a reading Jane Eyre book published by Oxford Bookworms.

I have found this sentence:

  [...], while I lay awake all night, trembling with fear, and eyes wide open in horror, imagining ghosts in every corner.

I do not know when to use "-ing" like trembling and imagining. There is no be verb before them and I cannot distinguish any relative clauses (I know be verbs can be omitted in some cases when there is relative clause.).

Would you please guide me a bit in this case?

Thank you in advance


texts: A word for "able to cause empathy or sympathy"? Sympathizable?

texts:
I feel like there's a word that's buried in my head that's refusing to answer my calls, that means to "elicit empathy".

Any help would be appreciated. It might be a word that doesn't have the word "able" in it. Something like "poor", but without the connotation of being depraved. The best I can come up with is "relatable".


texts:
Could you help me understand the meaning of "be it practices" in the context below?

  People will always find some aspect of another culture distasteful, be it practices, a way of treating friends or relatives, or simply a food that they can not manage to get down with a smile.


texts: What does it mean to say ( I’ll get right on it) if someone in a really terrible situation and being offered a help and he replied ( I ‘ll get right on it )


texts: Indefinite article + superlative adjective

texts:
There can no more be a best possible world than there can be a largest number.

What does "a largest number" mean here? What is the difference in that sentence between "the" and "a"?


texts:
I'm currently editing a Paranormal Fantasy romance novel. The book starts with this sentence:
Bathing in the blood of one’s enemies was an invigorating way to start the day.
I discussed with some of my editor friends about the use of "one's enemies" here since it's not established how many enemies the female character has. Also, "one's enemy" would be colloquial anyway. It's the very first line in the novel, and now I'm ready to pull my hair out. My question is: Is use of "one's enemies was" correct or should I suggest another way to pull off this sentence?


texts:
I see that busyness is in the ODO, but is it an accepted, established, honourable, respected noun in academic, formal contexts? How can I check this?

'Busyness' is an acceptable word nowadays [I bolded this]...
seems to suggest otherwise, and compels me to determine all its implications. Does busyness connote anything hidden, insinuated, ulterior? I don't want to sound cheeky or strange, so to learn about its historical use, I purposely searched its use from 1700-1900, but what does this reveal?


texts: What is the common expression to describe position starting from the last one?

texts:
Suppose we have letters: a, b, c, d, e, f ,g.

I want to describe the position of letter "e" starting from right hand side, what should I use?

"e" is the last third letter.

"e" is the third last letter.

"e" is the last but two letters.

Which one is commonly used? Or other ways to describe it?

Thanks!


texts: Possible semantic roles for direct object

texts: What are all possible semantic roles of direct object in English? also is there any dictionary which tells us about semantic role of direct object for transitive verbs?


texts: What is a better way to express, "right at this moment in time or this exact second"?

texts:
Example context:

  I am probably looking at the most beautiful person in the world right at this very moment.

I can only look at something one thing at a time and that's exactly I want to say. Please help, not a native.


texts: Why doesn't "campaign" have the meaning of "countryside" in English?

texts:
The English word campaign comes from the French word campagne, which has two basic meanings:

battle,
countryside.

It seems that when this word came to English, only the "battle" meaning was kept (and later extended to political battles), while the "countryside" meaning somehow was lost.

Is there a term in linguistics to describe such behaviour? Is this common?


texts: Which spelling should I use: "grass roots" or "grassroots"?

texts:
Both Oxford Online and Merriam-Webster dictionaries show grass roots with a space between the two words in the compound noun.

But this ngram shows substantially more hits for grassroots without a space separating the two nouns since the 1990s.

Which if either spelling is best to use today, and why?


texts: adverbs modifying noun phrases and licensing their own complements

texts:
[i] Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
[ii] Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
[iii] The plane crashed killing all 157 passengers aboard. (OALD)
[iv] The black men have long since hidden themselves aboard the Flying Squadron, and I'm not at all convinced that the mob won't content themselves with a redheaded dwarf instead. (Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants)

The examples have an adverb that works as the peripheral modifier. or postmodifier, or postnoun modifier (source: CGEL,p436; English Grammar,Angela Downing, p509; Understanding English Grammar, Koll and Funk, p160), I think.
From the examples, I got the feeling that the adverbs, the modifiers are very similar to adjectives in semantic and syntactic aspects - they seem to have even their own complements like in [iv]. From said aspects, I don’t find any difference between adverbial and adjective. But there seem to be some differences, for they don’t have adjective examples in dictionaries. How do I have to understand that adverbs modify noun phrase and license their own complement.


texts: How to punctuate a quoted question within a question?

texts:
How would I punctuate the bold portion?

"Who are you?" she asked.
"Wait," I replied, "did you just ask me Who are you?"

I would use the following:

"Wait," I replied, "did you just ask me, 'Who are you'?"

Comma before the quote

Quoted with single quotation marks (instead of italics, which I'd consider another option)

Closing quotation mark before the question mark

Only one question mark (for my question, not the quoted one)

Is this correct?


texts: Word for when someone tips/tilts their head from side to side in lighthearted disagreement

texts: Basically what the title says. Just a piece of body language I see, but I have no idea if there's a word for it. It's often accompanied by a merging of someone saying "yes" and "no" at the same time. When they wag their head from side to side, it's almost like their using body language as a metaphor for their brain weighing the two arguments/stances up against each other.


texts: How to pronounce number, say 1024, in programming world?

texts:
This is a 1024-byte length string.

How to pronounce the sentence above?

  This is a one-thousand-and-twenty-four byte length string.

or

  This is a one-oh-two-four byte length string.


texts:
I'm trying to understand what does "Go and into" mean here. The frame is approximately this one: there's a skater getting her trainings in front of a TV camera (which is supposed to create media interest around her) and her trainer is inciting her to do some skating figures and moves. At a given point the trainer orders this: "Go and into the jump".

What does it mean here?
Thanks in advance!

EDIT Audio clip here ( the sentence in the title is at 00:40 ).


texts: What do you call a person who is given money to cash your check, usually using force, when the indebted people refuse to give your money back?

texts:
There are times when you have received a check from somebody, but there is no money (or not enough money) in their account to cash it. Then you have to resort to asking someone (criminal or something) to tackle the problem and hopefully get the money (or part of it) one way or another.

Is there a word to refer to such a person (criminal)?


texts: Is there a word for "Someone who/Something that caches"?

texts:
Cache is defined as:

  noun
  a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place : an arms cache | a cache of gold coins.

and has the following synonyms:

  hoard, store, stockpile, stock, supply, reserve; arsenal; informal stash.

I'm looking for a word for someone/something that does the caching, my first thought was that they are a "Cacher" but that doesn't seem to be a word. This makes sense to me though as you have a "Hoarder", "Storer", "Stockpiler", "Stocker", "supplier" etc.

Does anybody know the right word?


texts: "wrench" is to "works" as "crimp" is to what?

texts:
It's commonly said that one puts or throws a "[monkey] wrench/(BrEng) spanner" in the "works", but what does one put a "crimp" into?

CRIMP Google Image

the act of crimping.

a crimped condition or form.

Usually crimps. waves or curls, especially in hair that has been crimped.

the waviness of a fiber, either natural, as in sheep wool, or produced by weaving, plaiting, or other processes.

a crease formed in sheet metal or plate metal to make the material less flexible or for fastening purposes.

Idioms

(chiefly US) put a crimp in: to interfere with; hinder: His broken leg put a crimp in their vacation plans.

(Random House)
put a crimp in noun phrase
To thwart or hamper; block or interfere with; stymie: How can we put a crimp in this guy's plans?
[1896+; from the notion of a severe pinching-in as an obstacle] (emphasis mine.)
crimp noun
A restriction; obstacle : He kept putting crimps into my plan
verb
: I'll crimp him good with this nasty new rule (1896+)
(The Dictionary of American Slang)
Dictionary.com

Since one can also put/throw a wrench in someone's plans, I'm looking for another word than "plans," a word analogous with works. This doesn't necessarily have to be idiomatic.

WORKS
(Mechanical Engineering) the interior parts of the mechanism of a machine, etc. the works of a clock.
Source: Collins English Dictionary

Please, consider the following examples:

We were hoping to get the project started in June but the funding was withdrawn so that rather threw a spanner in the works.
We were hoping to get the project started in June but the funding was withdrawn so that rather put a crimp in the [word].

-and-

The sudden withdrawal of the guest speaker really threw a monkey wrench in the works.
The sudden withdrawal of the guest speaker really put a crimp in the [word].

Source: Cambridge Advanced Learners' Dictionary


texts: Sentence connector after hardly/barely emphasizing the lack of ability/resource

texts:
What is the sentence connector that fits best in the following examples?

He could hardly even make a profit with two employees, ..... three.
She could barely even eat one pizza slice, ..... two.
They hardly had enough brains to write the script for the school play, ..... the script for a Broadway play.
The bear had hardly enough food for two days, ...... two weeks.


texts: What's the difference between public and private venues?

texts: I'm trying to understand what's the exact meaning of public and private venues. From what I understand, a public venue would allow anyone to go to an event, and a private one would require you to be on a list. Is that correct?


texts: "boilinghot" vs "boiling-hot" vs "boiling hot"

texts: As the title indicates, these three forms of words/phrases can be quite confusing to me sometimes. When should they be written as one word ("boilinghot"), when should they be written in two words ("boiling hot"), and when should they be written as a hyphenated compound ("boiling-hot")?  Does it make any difference which is used?  There are other terms like this, such as blackboard/black board/black-board; swingman/swing man/swing-man etc.


texts: What does a series of dots (elipses) mean after a sentence?

texts:
For example you send an email to a acquaintance or friend. "I've been busy. Recovering from unexpected surgery. My recovery is going well. I will send information on that hobby to you soon. Hope you're day is wonderful."

Their response. No problems. Thanks for the note. Hope surgery went well....  Rest up...

What do the dots signify or mean?

Thank you for your input! :)


texts:
Does one say

  Plugging in that value into the previous equation...

or

  Plugging that value in the previous equation...

or something else?


texts:
As far as I understand, both "attempt" and "try" describe active measures towards achieving a goal. Words like "aim", "seek" are listed as synonyms, but seem not to indicate active measures.

What is the difference between:

  I am trying to fix the car

  I tried to fix the car

and

  I am attempting to fix the car (sounds unnatural)

  I attempted to fix the car

Personally, I think that "attempt" indicates one shot quick look (attempted, but was too much effort) and "try" indicates prolonged efforts (done everything I could)


texts: What do you call a manager that can't hire or fire personnel?

texts:
Jon Taffer calls him a Stupidvisor. But I'd like to think that's what you call a phony supervisor.

But is there a more direct word to refer to a phony manager?

I mean my work has phony supervisors and phony managers. I say that because only the owner can fire/hire so we don't listen to them. We like to call the supervisors; Stupidvisor. But I would like to call the managers a different name, to distinguish them.


texts: How did antonyms "ungodly" and "unearthly" come to have the same meaning and usage today?

texts:
Inspired by the debate on this question,

unearthly has the original meaning from 1610s, of "heavenly, sublime" which makes it an antonym of ungodly.

Today both have the meaning of outrageous or ridiculous and are used in similar phrases as "ungodly hour" and "unearthly hour"

How has this developed?


texts: Why we need two uppercase in last name McKay? Why not Mckay?

texts: Convention? Any historical reasons? This seems to be a little odd for me. I'm not a native English user. I thought only the first letter should be the upper case. What's so special about this last name?


texts:
What is the name of the clause stating that the expected result did not follow the cause stated in the main clause?

"He did not succeed although he worked hard."

concessive clause

(1st clause = absence of expected result; 2nd clause = presence of potential cause)
"He worked hard but he did not succeed."

What is this clause called?

(1st clause = presence of potential cause; 2nd clause = absence of expected result)


texts: What verb can I use for, for example when a real estate agent goes to a house and adds that real estate to his inventory with noting some specs, address etc.


texts:
Should there be a comma in this:

providing young adults access to drugs grants younger teens complete access, which can not be accepted given the consequences that would follow


texts: Is there a word that means "to keep away"?

texts:
Example sentence:

  Mary shifted her hands from the chair to her eyes,
  keeping away every
  particle of light.

Is there such word?


texts: Using only a direct object with the verb "give"

texts:
Is it possible to use the verb give with only a direct object? For example,

  Could you give the definition?

Or need I to add an indirect object, so the sentence becomes

  Could you give me the definition?


texts: Examples of absolute phrases with adverbs instead of participles

texts:
I'm looking for examples / explanation of absolute phrases with adverbs instead of participles.

What about the following:

She walked into the room, gracefully.

Is the adverb, gracefully, an absolute phrase

  An absolute phrase is a modifier (quite often a participle), or a
  modifier and a few other words, that attaches to a sentence or a noun,
  with no conjunction.

Obviously you would normally want to say

She walked gracefully into the room

But I wondered if shifting the adverb like that made it absolute.

I am especially interested in whether any authority on grammar would claim it is an absolute phrase.


texts: Usage of the phrase "couldn't help myself"

texts:
I am getting confused at the usage of the phrase "couldn't help myself."

For example, let's say I played soccer in the evening. What should I say?

I couldn't help myself from not playing soccer.
I couldn't help myself from playing soccer.

I'm getting confused with two negatives in the same sentence.

Which one is correct usage?


texts:
I know i.e. and that is are equivalent, but I have seen a ...that is: also. Does this construction differ in meaning?

See:

  It does not regard politics as a separate or primary goal, that is: as
  a goal that can be  achieved without a wider ideological context."

vs.

  It does not regard politics as a separate or primary goal, i.e., as
  a goal that can be  achieved without a wider ideological context."

Looks exactly the same to me, yes? Is this just the authors particular style that I'm reading?


texts:
I read a sentence 'Most animals lived very close to the margin of survival.' And the writer wanted to say:

  'Most animals lived in conditions that were hard to survive.'

I wonder whether his sentence is awkward or not.


texts: Whether the word "furn" in English language is meaningful or not?

texts: whether the word Furn meaningful or not?


texts: What is the job title of the person who tries to get people to come inside a restaurant?

texts:
Most of us have seen this: a person standing outside a restaurant, sometimes holding a menu, trying to entice passersby (usually tourists) to come in to dine.

Is it a "host/hostess"? Is it a "hawker"? What's the correct title for this person's job?


texts: Is there anything wrong with using "hopefully because" in this sentence

texts:
I thought that the following sentence was fine: "I assumed that you fed your  dog, hopefully because you realized it was hungry, rather than because you felt guilty for leaving it alone for so long."

But a friend of mine rewrote the sentence in the following way: "I assumed that you fed your dog, because, hopefully, you felt sorry for it, rather than because you felt guilty for leaving it alone for so long."

I was therefore wondering whether people here thought there was anything wrong with the original sentence, or whether the revised sentence sounded better for some reason.


texts:
Explain the different interpretations possible from the following ambiguous statement:
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed meeting your brother.


texts:
Question regarding plurals:
Let's say I own a restaurant, and each day I feature two new soups.
Are these soups called soups of the day? or soup of the days?

Then, let us say my restaurant only features one soup of the day, and I need two bowls of it... do I also call "please get me two soups of the day"?  Would I then get a snarky remark from some college bound cook that we only feature one soup of the day?

Please help clarify, and note that I am most familiar with the Chicago Manual of Style


texts:
In this sentence:

  Thanks, John; that's duly noted.

what other word can you put instead of duly noted


texts:
The following excerpt has been taken from the poem Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka. What does 'pipped' mean here?

  Voice, when it came,
  Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
  Cigarette-holder pipped.
  Caught I was, foully.


texts: Am I misunderstanding the definition of a connection in this context?

texts:
In the following paragraph, taken from a Quora question, what exactly is the connection being made here? It’s my understanding that for a connection it has to be between two things, but I don’t see what two things are being connected here or what specifically is the connection.

  Another connection I've made is broad and widely applicable. When a field has lots of experts, the field is actually poorly understood and the current best thinking is probably wrong. The fact that there are so many experts on business, politics, economics, diet, nutrition and health is a strong indication that this subject matter is not well understood. When things are well understood you don't need many experts. You just need reference material.

httlps://www.quora.com/As-someone-with-a-high-IQ-what-are-some-connections-that-you-see-that-others-have-missed


texts: I need a word like "confound," or "confuse" but with an important nuance

texts:
The word needs to mean confound or confuse, but with ignorance on the part of the confused that they are indeed, confused. We as spectators can tell they are coming to wrong conclusions based on misinformation or reasoning, but they as the subjects are unaware of this and are bumbling forward.

I thought about "misinformed" but that doesn't entail the process of the continued bumbling, but only shows the cause. Basically, I want process but with ignorance.

Illus: Picture an out of touch boss having a meeting with his workers. He is ignorant of the state of his company and doesn't have the skills to lead anyway, but he confidently gives a 3 hour meeting on what should be done. Eyes roll. I'm looking for words that describe the boss's continued misguided presentation. Maybe that's it...."misguided"


texts:
In these sentences:

“You have been riding the same bus for years, but only now have you noticed what the driver looks like!”

And

“It's better than the rubbish you listen to.”

The prepositions “like” and “to” are the ending of sentences. If I want to put them before “notice” and “listen”, how can I do this acceptably?

If do like this:

“You have been riding the same bus for years, but only now have you noticed like how / like what the driver looks!”

And:

“It's better than the rubbish to which you listen.”

are these acceptable?


texts: Punctuation of a question preceded by a semicolon

texts:
Is this sentence properly punctuated ( specifically the ending question mark)?

  "Having said that, it is again unlikely to ponder deep  into a
  question; Is it too late to make a move?"


texts: What is another way to say "Mature in thinking"

texts:
So my sentence is

  X has showed me a maturity in thinking beyond his age.

However, I find it very weird. Do we have another way to say the sentence ?


texts: Is it "our work and that of others have demonstrated" or "our work and that of others has demonstrated"?

texts: Do I use a plural or singular verb in this sentence? Is one more accurate than the other?


texts: Word that means to buy and cease operations

texts: I am looking for a word that describes the behaviour of some large companies to buy another company with only the intent to cease operations of the company. Example usage: This company is infamous for their (word) of other companies.


texts:
I came across an article talking about the difference between state and country, when they mean nation, like United States of America, United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland and Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The article says that the USA and the UK can be referred to as country while North Korea can only be referred to as state.

The rationale behind that is

  country means people with citizen rights + elected government + land

while

  state means only government.

Because in my native language, there is no difference between state and country when they are translated as nation, I am curious to know whether the point the article tries to make is true or not, or to what extent it is true.

Edit:

The people in Libya are now fighting for their rights. When they say we love Libya, they certainly do not refer to Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

How to distinguish that Libya from the GSPLAJ? According to the article, the former may be called country while the latter may be called state.


texts: placement of descriptive clause in the sentence?

texts:
S1. X can be done to handle the unsavory practice by Y, which limits growth.
S2. X can be done to handle the unsavory practice, which limits growth, by Y.

In this sentence the descriptive clause "which limits growth" is supposed to apply to the unsavory practice. Does that mean S1 usage is incorrect?
Question update:
What's the best way to rewrite or express the idea that the non-restrictive clause applies to unsavory practice?
I see both S1 and S2 confusing and not easy to read. Furthermore, this problem seems to be very common whenever some X has both a descriptive thing and a restrictive clause and you want to express it in just one sentence. For example:

John grew up with a brother who worked in construction and was John's
only healthy sibling, and another brother who worked in government.

"who worked in construction" is restrictive clause. "John's only health sibling" is non-restrictive.
Another way to rewrite it is:

John grew up with a brother, John's only healthy sibling, who worked in construction,
and another brother who worked in government.

Both of these ways to express the idea are clumsy. Any better way?


texts: "high school", "highschool", or "high-school"

texts: In English usage, should one use high-school, high school, or highschool? (Assume American English; I understand that the Brits call it secondary school.)


texts:
I read a book, and I noticed in it a sentence in which I do not understand what do the part of the language refer a word to?
A story plot is this: one man has busted the groups of people which are bug busters. Then another man says to him, "I saw your busting of the bug busters."
I'd like to know what is "busting" here. Is it a 'gerund' or a 'noun?' My reasoning says what is a gerund. In addition, it is a complement ("your busting") without preposition. Right?


texts:
Here is an extract from a short story:

  When Pushkin broke his legs, he started to go about on wheels. His friends used to enjoy teasing Pushkin and grabbing him by his wheels. Pushkin took this very badly and wrote abusive verses about his friends. He called these verses 'erpigarms'.

I guess the word "erpigarm" here is a pun, but I cannot really figure out the meaning. It clearly has something to do with "epigram". But what else?

Note 1: The word appears to be "эпиграммами" in the original Russian script.

Note 2: It's from Incidences of Daniil Kharms (translation by Neil Cornwell). The pun is translated into English as "erpigrams" in another translation by Matvei Yankelevich (Today I Wrote Nothing).


texts: “It were” versus “were I”: the proper subjunctive for this statement

texts:
I wouldn't have been surprised to learn it were already named Lingua Mathematica, and I submit that as the best reason to give it that name (and not some other).

Based on my understanding, I think this is correct, but it sounds worse than common uses of the subjunctive I'm already familiar with (e.g. “if I were an Oscar Meyer weiner…”). Is it correct?

Note: I'm interested in prescriptivist English grammar here, not meaningless practicalities like being understood by people. There's no need to remind me that I'll be well understood only by saying “to learn it was.”

I am more confident of “I would not have been surprised if I were to learn it is already named Lingua Mathematica…” and not quite as much more confident in “I would not have been surprised were I to learn it is already named Lingua Mathematica…” which sounds extra hoity-toity.


texts: Is it correct to say, 'your loan has been approved in principle' or 'your loan has been approved in-principle'.


texts: Use of future progressive tense in a specific context

texts:
I'd like to ask about a specific use of future progressive tense.

Context:
I am at a restaurant and I go to the bar to order my food.
There is a waiter at the bar and he asks whether I am eating at the restaurant or taking away. Then I reply as '' I will be sitting outside.'' The waiter then replies: ''Please take a seat, we will come to you and take your order.''

Instead of simple future tense as such 'I will sit outside', is it correct and natural for a native speaker to use future progressive in this context and say 'I will be sitting outside?'

If my intention was to guide the waiter where to find me in a large restaurant, while they are looking for me the phrase 'I will be sitting outside' would be appropriate.

However it is a small restuarant where seatings outside are quite visible from inside. Nevertheless, outside is crowded whereas inside is pretty unoccuppied. In order to accelarate my service in case there might be new clients inside that they can take care first, can I stress where I sit this way and use future progressive?


texts:
Help me with this question, please.

I know that if we use mean+gerund it means having a result (can be replaced with 'involve') as in Working from home means being able to keep work-life balance.
If we use mean+infinitive it means having intention as in I didn't mean to hurt you.

However, I found the following example in Oxford dictionary - Do you have any idea what it means to be poor?
According to the rule we should use -ing in the sentence.

Why is an infinitive used in the sentence?


texts: Can you speak metaphorically if you're using similes?

texts:
If someone is speaking and just used a simile, can you say they are speaking metaphorically even though they are using a simile and not a metaphor?
Ex:
"I'll be all over you! I'll be like peanut butter on toast with you!"
Can you say the above is metaphorical even though a simile is being used?
Thanks


texts: Word meaning “convalescing” their mental health

texts: Is there an alternative to the verb convalescing for someone recuperating from a mental breakdown, as opposed to convalescing after a physical illness?


texts:
Please consider the following sentence:

  "Will I be satisfied with the depth of relationship that I have with each member of the team?"

Does the word "that" refer to "the depth of relationship" as a whole, or does it refer to the word "relationship" only?

i.e. is it:

  "Will I be satisfied with (the depth of relationship) that I have with each member of the team?"

or is it

  "Will I be satisfied with the depth of (relationship that I have with each member of the team)?"


texts:
i am confused between these two , which one is more accurate -
1). I saw him smiling .
2) . I saw him smile.


texts: I can't understand what does "OFF of" means?

texts:
Well, I am a freelancer and not a native English speaker.

I am taking a look at job requirement what my client sent to me.

Here is what I am asking.

"We want this product built OFF of XXX platform".

Client brought XXX from a marketing site.

As seen above, OFF is being with upper-case letter that seems like my client is going to emphasize something that is most important.

I can't understand what is client's need really and exactly.


texts:
What's the word to describe an insult that is thrown indirectly?

E.g. "Hey are you still considered the fat one? I mean I myself am used to being called that when I'm at parties."


texts: Are there nouns that embody adjectives+verbs? (Not asking about attributive nouns)

texts:
I'm not sure if there's a better way for me to word my question. I've sorted through "noun" + "adjective" search results here on SE, but found nothing approximating what I'm after.

I'm trying to think of an example of a word that means something like "person/role who is so closely associated with adjective X that there is a specific word for such a person/role". In other words, it's a noun that's the quintessence of an adjective + verb combination. In particular, I'm after adjectives closely related to emotional states, but with nuances about behavior — such as "uninhibited" in the context of being direct and not backing down when challenged about one's wishes.

For example, "person who is courageous". Which I can't think of a noun for. Edit: I found one! Braver is an adjective-verb ("exhibiting greater courage; facing danger/pain/fear courageously"), and a noun ("one who acts bravely"); where the noun is so closely tied to the adjective and verb senses that it's an embodiment. This kind of noun is exactly what I'm looking for.

Ingenue is close to the type of word I'm looking for, as it's a noun closely associated with several characteristics — some of which are descriptive of personality or emotions.

For comparison, consider "person who repels enemy attacks" as being defender. (What I'd describe as a verb giving rise to a noun.)

We have these kinds of words for psychological states in some cases (e.g. "manic" for someone with very high energy, erratic behavior — which is indicative of psychological struggles), in which the word seems to be a mix of noun, adjective, and verb. That is, we can say "She is a manic." or "She is manic." — and be referring to an idea of a type of person: a description of what someone is (noun; medical term), a description of what someone does (verb; actions), and a description of the type of behavior they have (adjective; degree).

Words like "paladin" may be associated with specific adjectives, but they don't seem to embody them — which is what I'm after.

Does anyone know of any, or better yet what the term for them is? Or does anyone know of a site that has lists of them, or a way to search for them?

(Thanks to RegDwigнt for the punctuation standardization. This is my first time visiting the site.)


texts: "I knew this would interest you as much as it did me"

texts: Is this the correct way to write this sentence? I thought about saying, "I knew this would interest you as much as it did myself", but wasn't sure if 'me' or 'myself' would be correct.


texts: Can "sitcom" be considered an "acronym"? A Syllabic Acronym? Or a Hybrid Acronym?

texts:
ACRONYM - An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/acronym

Much has been written about acronyms and abbreviations here at EL&U. See  Difference between an acronym and abbreviation? However, I see no mention to this type of acronym where the first half of a word is joined to the second half of another.

  Sitcom - a situation comedy, certainly doesn't fulfill the classic criterion for an acronym.  But it might be a variety and might be called by a diferent name. Is it?


texts: When to Recycle, Recycles, Recyclables, Recycling

texts:
I always feel like I pick the wrong "recycle"-based word. When do I use what?

Confusing examples:

Is it a recycle bin, recycles bin, recycling bin?
Do I take the recycles out or the recycling out?
Is it recycling day or recycles day?

Especially in contrast to "garbage" and the analogous forms of garbage in the above examples.


texts:
I would like to know your opinions regarding the use of the term "contracted forum".

The context is a long-term project for which steering committee meetings are being conducted. At one time, the meetings would all follow the same format, and include the same representatives. However, a decision was reached, under which there would be alternating sessions - an "expanded/extended session", which would include a wider representation and participation, and more subjects covered, and a "contracted session (?)", which would involve less participants, and be dedicated to a handful of topics.

Is "expanded/contracted" the correct adjective to use? Are there any better alternatives?

Thank you!


texts:
I'm a student from Korea. I was watching the drama Van Helsing, and I came across the following line, whose meaning I do not understand:

  Might as well be on the other side of the moon, all the good it does in here.

Literally translated, the Korean subtitle says:

  Come to think of it, I'm relieved to be in here.

Is this translation right? Does it even make sense?


texts: What is the word for judging someone blindly?

texts:
Judging blindly- making assumptions or conclusions about a person without knowing them. This is usually based off stereotypes or other such things.

I'm looking for a synonym for this or what you would call someone who does this.

Examples in a sentence:

"So you're obsessed with rocks," Mary judged blindly.
Judging others blindly can/will lead to injustice.
You have only known him 5 minutes, yet you are already blindly judging him.

Judging blindly or blindly judging sounds awkward in a lot of sentences. It can also get repetitive. This is why I would like to know a synonym for it.


texts: Is "Wile E. Coyote moment" mainly an economic metaphor?

texts:
The metaphor of Wile E. Coyote moment has been recently used by Ben Bernake suggesting that the U.S. economy might face a real slump in a few years.

 (Google images)

Checking with Google it appears that the metaphor is recent and commonly used only in economic/financial contexts.

The cartoons actually date back to the late '40s, I wonder when it was first used and in what contexts, rather than economic ones.


texts: What can be the full synonym for "fitness enthusiast"?

texts: What could be a single word to "fitness enthusiast" ?


texts: What do you call those man-made "wooden paths" that are usually found in mountains?

texts:
This what I'm referring to:

I guess the starting section can be called wooden steps, but as it goes further, it's no longer a step but a "path." What do you call the whole structure? (I'm looking for a common-easy-to-understand term, rather than a technical one).


texts:
I realise it's probably an outdated form, but this exchange (from Master and Commander) makes me wonder:

  Captain: Killick! Killick there! What do you have for us tonight?

  Cook: Which it's soused hog's face.

  Captain: Eh?

  Cook: Which it is soused hog's face!

  Captain: My favourite. My favourite.

I really don't understand, from a grammar point of view, how those words go together as a (correct) sentence. Can someone please elucidate?


texts:
I'm not a native speaker. Is it good English to say

  the result is (still) open

meaning that for whatever reason the result (e.g., of a study, of an examination) is not available yet, but will be in the future?


texts: Is there a term/word for using an incorrect homophone

texts:
What would you call the following:

  Speak now or forever hold your piece.


texts: A word of sudden and shocking realization

texts:
I am preparing a thesis for the rhetorical analysis of a photograph, and I and looking for a word (adjective) that could be used to describe a realization. It should include the meaning of words like ‘shocking’ and ‘sudden’. Such a word would fit well in this sentence:

  It was as she noticed the dark connection between her greatest
  mysteries, the _______ realization set in.


texts: Two words related to "anachronism" but having exclusive references to past and future

texts:
I'd like to identify two words related to anachronism: one having an exclusive association to past, and the other to future.
According to Lexico, anachronism means:

A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned

I realize that in common usage, anachronism typically refers to the past because time travel to the past violates our current understanding of physics—however, I'm looking for words that are exclusive to past and future, respectively.

Edit: Adding more clarity to the question, via @FumbleFingers' comment below: I want to

split anachronisms into two "subtypes". One where the "anachronistic" thing appears at an inappropriately early time (soldiers in the Roman empire using machine-guns, say). The other where something appears later than its "proper" time...


texts: one word for one who is not really a photographer but with more interest in it?

texts: Is there a single word for a person with great interest in photography but not really a photographer? who is an enthusiast for photography or atleast who is going to be one soon?


texts: Two-word verbs described with One-word nouns

texts:
I've noticed that certain (compound?) verbs are combined into one word when the process is used as a noun. It seems to generally be processes with a preposition in them. If the noun isn't combined into one word, it's usually at least hyphenated, which seems to be a pretty standard English word progression (two words, hyphen, one word).

Is there a name for this phenomenon? Do we know why it happens? Do the verbs stay separate or will they eventually combine like the nouns?

Examples:

I log in using the login form.
You can make up for the missed test with the makeup quiz.
From this lookout tower, you can look out for miles.


texts: What is the correct pronunciation of the word "Islam"?

texts:
Some people pronounce the S in Islam as Z, and others pronounce it as S.

Which is correct?


texts: Does the subject of this sentence make sense, even when split by the clarification?

texts:
I'm trying to be as terse as possible in expressing a few points, so I've ended up with the following sentence:

  During the summer, my sister and brother, younger by five years and older by two, respectively, and I lived with our mother.

Is this grammatical and does it sound strange to read? Is there a better way to write it?


texts:
When Americans talk about farmers what do they mean?

In Britain a 'farmer' is someone who either owns the land that he or she works, or is the tenant of the land. It is the person who decides what crops to grow and has overall management of the enterprise.

People who work the land as employees of the farm are known variously as farm workers, agricultural labourers, or simply employees.

I have the sense that when Americans talk about farmers they mean something wider than we do. Is that the case?


texts: Meaning of sentence "People you are social distancing with"

texts:
We have a text for kids with a box for a drawing that reads "People you are social distancing with", we have been thinking about the meaning of the sentence and we're not sure about the meaning, it should be one of these:

People whom you are NOT keeping distance from (such as family members)
People that you cannot see because you have to keep the distance (such as your friends)

We lean towards the first meaning, but we're o sure..
Some of you requested for the source to get more context, it's the pdf here (a time capsule exercise for students, page 2) here


texts: Can ungradable adjectives be used as gradable?

texts:
I was under the impression that ungradable adjectives cannot have comparative forms in any circumstances, because there are no degrees in those adjectives.

But I found a quotation from George Orwell containing an ungradable adjective "equal" and since then I wondered if there are other ungradable adjectives that can be used in comparative form.

  "Some animals are more equal than others." (George Orwell)


texts: Why can positive statements end with a negative question and vice versa?

texts:
I had a hard time phrasing the actual question title—hopefully this doesn't mean it's too subjective—, but I'm curious about why positive (or negative) statements can be terminated by negative (or positive) questions:

  You do like apples, don't you?
  We can't all be rich, can we?

Why is it (arguably) common to turn a general statement into a question like this when the intent remains the same? Is this a common use of a rhetorical question? If so, what is afforded by not simply making a statement without turning it into a question?


texts:
A person who wears a hijab is sometimes called a hijabi, a person who wears a niqab is sometimes called a niqabi. Is there an equivalent term for someone who wears a burqa? According to Wiktionary hijab, hijabi, and niqab are directly from Arabic, and burqa is indirectly derived from Arabic, which is why I suspect there is an equivalent term.

The word would be used like this:

  All the newspapers had photos of the (word for burqa wearer), but none had photos of the person criticising her.


texts:
Please help me, I am confused.

As you know some times we can 'of' in a noun phrase by reversing the nouns order eg.

a train of goods => a goods train

If I want to mention a definite  'goods train' I can say

the goods train

now, the question, if I need to mention a  a particular train carring a  a particular goods

Do I have to say "the train of the goods"? or I can say "the goods trains"

thanks a lot


texts: What does “the contender to late-night-punch line” mean?

texts:
Today's New York Times carries an article titled, “Mark Sanford’s path of Most Renaissance” followed by the lead-copy on its home page:

  “The South Carolina governor went from potential presidential
  contender to late-night punch line. Now he’s a junior congressman
  trying to find his way in a divided G.O.P.”

Apparently, a strident conservative David Brat Sanford emerged from “the place where nobody wanted to even acknowledge your name,” as he told in a press interview to the position to influence on G.D.P’s destiny and its policy.

None of CED, OED, and Merriam-Webster carries this word, nor can I find it on Google NViewer.

I think this requires some knowledge about the situation of U.S. politics and the background of U.S. politicians. But what does the word, "Presidential contender to late-night-punch line”? Does it mean that he came up from the unknown to the well-known, then up to the popular object of late night show topics and quips?


texts:
One of my students wrote a sentence, shown hereunder in italics, and I can't seem to be able to tell if it is correct or not?
Andrew has thought good of creating some company and setting it up abroad.

Here's the larger context:

"Hey, Jake, hold on a second. I've got something to tell you."

"What now, Marry?", sighed Jake.

"I think Fred's gone and gotten himself in quite a lot of trouble..."

"How come?" Jake put in, briskly.

"Well, as you know Fred's been talkin' about how he's tired of working for slave-wages and how there's no chance in hell he's going to die in poverty forever now. And guess what he did today!? He quit his job, you know the one that your brother got him after he got out of jail, and then he said to me: "Andrew has thought good of creating some company and setting it up abroad. I don't know what it is, but he's going to pay me 30 grand to go to South America and set it up for him down there. Andrew gave an advance. 10 grand. But, I am gonna need your help, sis. Can you come along with me? I mean, I am going to need someone who can speak Spanish well down there."


texts:
I have, to the best of my recollection, only ever used or heard:

  He was bleeding from the arm.

... but my student informs me that she learnt it as:

  He was bleeding at the arm.

The latter sounds a little off to me, but I couldn't tell you (or my student) why. I did a quick Google search, and found numerous instances of both. So my question: Are both usages interchangeable, or is there a subtle distinction I'm not aware of?

I'd especially like to know why the former sounds so much more "correct" to my ears, though I'm willing to accept that it is just me being weird.


texts: What's the appropriate word for informal events in which friends meet to talk over a coffee or a beer?

texts:
What's the appropriate general word for all informal events in which a few (let's say, 3-10) friends meet at home or in a pub for a beer, dinner, coffee, card game etc., and have a conversation? I don't mean formal large reunions, but these everyday gatherings, and I need a single noun that fit all different kinds of meetings, that would fit in a text whose register is formal, even academic. Would "friends' gatherings" work? (or is it "friends gatherings" without an apostrophe? or maybe "friend gatherings")?
Also, would "family gatherings" work to describe regular meetings with one's core or extended family over a dinner or over a coffee?


texts:
I noticed whilst looking in the OED (online) that the term bare-bones only exists meaning 'a lean or skinny person' (first use, 1598)---not the meaning many other dictionaries quote as 'the minimum required for something to function'. From 1657 however, the phrase 'Barebone's Parliament' begins to occur (named after the person, 'Praise God' Barbon), and means to run a parliament at the minimum required capacity.

Does anyone have any insight on if the modern usage of bare-bones is actually derived from this second entry or not?


texts: Since the terms 'Briton', 'Britain', etc., seem to be exclusionary towards the Irish and other non-Britons, what would can we use instead?

texts: As per usual, I have used the Internet, Oxford English Dictionary, etc., but, alas, it was all to no end, as the only thing about which I could read with respect to this issue was the disputes that have been held over this divisive issue, e.g. some people's claiming, typically Britons, that the Irish are X and not Y, etc.


texts: Saying the value is in between the other 2 values

texts:
I'm preparing for Ielts test. Its writing part is the most difficult for me.

So far, I'm learning about comparative between numbers, and I stuck.

  Let's say, there was a given bar chart giving 3 bars, red, blue, and
  orange.
  The length of the blue was the longest and the orange's was the shortest.

This could be described as:

The blue had the biggest/largest/greatest/(the most) number of people/(internet users) at 1,000 units.
The orange had the smallest/(the least) number of people/(internet users) at 380 units.

The question is how can I properly and formally describe the red one which had value in between the blue and the orange in one sentence?

  Example: The red had greater/bigger/larger/(more) number of people/(internet users) than the orange, and/but smaller/(less) number of people/(internet users) than the blue. (This is 2 sentences)

  Example: The red had the number of people at 550 units which was/as the second place.
  < Correct || Incorrect >

  Example: The red had the number of people at 550 units which was/as in between the blue's and the orange's.
  < Correct || Incorrect >

Any of your advice would be very helpful, thanks :)


texts: When should I use "in the Internet" and when "on the Internet"?


texts: Is there a similar word to 'twain' but meaning 'three' instead of 'two'?

texts: I would like to split something into three parts. Is there a phrase I can use with similar overtones to "cleave in twain"?


texts: "Support team lead" or "support team leader"

texts:
Which is correct: support team lead or support team leader?

I think team leader should be correct since leader is a persona while lead looks more like a verb. But I see some multinational companies use team lead in their job description. Is there something I am missing?


texts:
On most of the accounts, life of a farmer is very hard.

Is the use of the phrase 'on most of the accounts' right here? If not, what will be the best substitution?


texts: Function of verb “to let someone do something”

texts:
Is there a difference grammatically between sentences like “I allowed him to play” and ones like “I let him play”?
“I allowed him to play” is clearly just “[subject] [verb] [direct object] [infinitive],” but in the second sentence, is “play” still considered an infinitive phrase, or is there something else going on?


texts: Word that denotes the belief that women are inferior to men

texts:
Is there a single word that denotes the belief that women are or should be inferior to men? For example,

  That ideology advocates murder, rape, slavery, homophobia, xenophobia and [insert the requested word here].

The word patriarchy comes to mind but I am not sure if it fits in the sentence above. I am also thinking of sexism, but it denotes prejudice based on sex, which, although in practice usually against women, can work both ways.

Any suggestions?


texts:
In the passage Lesson 13 from "400 Must-have words for the TOELF" by McGraw-Hill, there is a sentence that I don't understand.

"According to legend, his arrogance invoked the wrath of God, who condemned the lost crew members to battle the waters off the Cape of Good Hope for eternity.

I'm wondering that to battle the waters off is equal to to fight the waters off or it's just a typo and supposed to be to battle the waters of the Cape of Good Hope

I tried to google "battle off" but I got very limited results, not sure if it's correct.


texts: Can word-hyphenation ever be semantically significant?

texts:
I was prompted by this question (difference between ecosystem and eco-system) to wonder whether word-hyphenation can ever be semantically significant.

My gut instinct is to say that since hyphenation is normally an intermediate step before a compound form becomes a single word, the answer should be "No". But if my experience here at ELU has taught me anything, it's that opinions often differ in matters of language usage.

I hate to ask something that looks like a request for a "list". A single undisputed example would do. Does the presence/absence of a hyphen ever change a compound word's meaning?

EDIT: I was specifically thinking of cases where a single "compound word" either does or doesn't have a hyphen, not where two component words may or may not be separated by a space. I understand whiteboard has a specific meaning distinct from white board - but if white-board exists at all, I at least can't distinguish that from whiteboard.

Cases such as rusty-nail cutter vs rusty nail-cutter also turn on which pair of the three words are "compounded", rather than whether the hyphen is present in the compound form.

More tellingly, I now see (hear?!) that, for example, re-creation and pro-verb are distinct from their unhyphenated equivalents. In the absence of contradictory examples, I'm starting to think any difference in meaning can only exist if it's accompanied by a difference in pronunciation.


texts: You know how when you drink something freezingly cold you experience a brainfreeze, what about when you eat something extremely hot and you feel the burn in your esophagus. What is that called?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “In time ” versus “on time”
  “On time” vs. “in time”

I am confused between usages of "On" and "In" in following sentence:

  Let the task be done _____ time.

Should I use "On" or "In" in this sentence?


texts: meaning of "critcally analyse the relationship between a high level tolerance of ambiguity by a small business..."

texts:
Critically analyze the relationship between a high level tolerance of ambiguity by  a small business owner and success or failure in the business.

What does this sentence mean?


texts:
Poker: I'll grind until I have 20k

PC game: I spent all night grinding for that level-up

What exactly does it mean and when else can I use it? What are some other examples of it?

And what is the etymology? Is it related to grinding gears? Or grinding joints (arthritis)?


texts:
how to use the word imperative when referring to plural and not singular?
the above mentioned issues are imperative to the growth of the economy
or
the above mentioned issues are imperatives to the growth of the economy


texts: Synonym for "follow-up" meaning the most experienced waiter as a noun

texts:
I used to work for a restaurant that had waiter teams. There were three roles: Aid, Lead, and Follow-up.

The Aid was basically the busboy.
The Lead greeted the customers, took the drink orders, got the drinks, and took the food orders (most of the time).
The Aid and Lead were often out of sight to the customers, getting stuff outside the section.
The Follow-up handled the flow of the service, quality control, customer relations, and getting paid. The Follow-up never left the section, and was usually the most experienced waiter. Described here it sounds stilted, but it wasn't: it worked very well.

I am looking for a word to replace "follow-up" that is more elegant to hear and see, and that reflects the seniority and sophistication of the role.


texts: Origin of "Everybody is smarter than anybody"?

texts:
Who said this:

  Everybody is smarter than anybody.

I have been trying to find the origin of this phrase with no success. I think I first heard it from a speaker on an IT subject (but I am not sure if its origin is from a person with a technology background).

I would like to use this quote but won't use it if I can't give a proper attribution.


texts: How do I know what a participial phrase is within a sentence?

texts:
Recently, I have realized that there are huge gaps in my knowledge in terms of grammar, so I have begun learning some of the basics. One thing I am trying to learn is the participial phrase. I understand that a participle is a verb that can be used as an adjective which is used to modify a word, phrase or clause, but sometimes it confuses me. For example, in the sentence...

'Leaping over the hurdles, Cindy appeared as graceful as an antelope."
I understand that 'Leaping over the hurdles" is the participial phrase since it modifies Cindy, but why is "appeared as graceful as an antelope' not a participial phrase aswell? From what I see, it describes Cindy being as graceful as an antelope, plus the word 'appeared' is a past participle isnt it?

Thank you so much.


texts: Does "give" as in "capacity to bend" derive from "to give" or another word?

texts:
I looked up the etymology of "give" on etymonline and it didn't say anything about the noun form. When I say the noun form, I'm speaking about "give" used in this context:

  The building foundation has some give to mitigate the effects of earthquakes.


texts: What does this mean: "understanding you is like smelling the colour 9"?

texts:
I saw a quote that read as

  "understanding you is like smelling the colour 9"

what does it mean?

As it suggests it may mean finding something or someone hard to understand but why it's called smelling the colour 9?

What's the origin of this saying?

A descriptive information will be highly appreciated.


texts: "What about you?" versus "How about you?"

texts:
E.g.

  I'm going straight home after work.  How about you?
  I'm going straight home after work.  What about you?

They both seem to work interchangeably, but there feels like a subtle difference and I can't quite pin it down.

Similar but a little bit different from "How about" vs. "What about", the same arguments do not apply because we are always referring to "you".


texts: How do I express the proportion of filled time slots of a calendar?

texts:
I was about to ask an English speaking colleague "how does the calendar occupancy look from a schedule perspective" but then I realized "occupancy" is used for rooms/buildings' actual space and how many persons they can accommodate.
How should I express instead the proportion of filled time slots of a calendar?


texts: The usage of "if" in sentences that deal with what is possible to happen in the future

texts:
I recently came up with a problem to form sentences with a particular structure. I thought that I already knew how to form such sentences subconsciously, but by listening to native speakers conversations and also getting more detailed in my own usage of words, I'm suspecting whether this unconscious feeling is true.
The question is this: If we want to talk to the second person pronoun (you) about an event that is likely to happen in the future and we want to suggest him what to do in case it happens, how must we say the first part (the if part) of our sentence, present or past? For example:
1) If you found the problem difficult to solve, simply skip it and go to the next question.
2) If you've found the problem difficult, simply skip it and go to the next question.
3) If you find the problem difficult to solve, simply skip it and go to the next question.


texts: What's a term for what a "surrogate" stands in for?

texts:
I'm not exactly looking for an antonym, however I am searching for a general term which refers to that which the surrogate stands in for. For clarity, I am using the term surrogate to mean to "put in another's place, substitute."

The best I can come up with is "original," as in: "the surrogate comes to occupy the position of the original." The issue with "original," "genuine," "real," and "true," is that it implies a lack of originality, reality, truth, or a genuine-nature of the surrogate.

Is there a word that works better in this instance?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Which tense do I use when describing the past in a story that's written in simple present?

texts: As mentioned above, the story is written in simple present. The character, however, has an internal monologue about the past. Do I use simple past or past perfect?


texts:
I know that 'back in the day' can be used as a four-word temporal modifier:

Back in the day, we all used to meet down at the gym.

Whereas 'back in the days' is not used on its own and always has a qualifier (e.g. "when ...", "before ..."):

Back in the days when a loaf of bread was only a nickel / two shillings, you could....

But I do hear some people say 'back in the days' without a qualifier.  Does this really matter in casual spoken English?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the distinction between “role” and “rôle” [with a circumflex]?
  What is the significance of the “ô” character in “rôle” in this work?
  What is the standard rule for using or not using hyphen and diaeresis on the words like reelect , reexamine, and cooperate?
  “Whereäs” as an alternative spelling of “whereas”

In an English science book written by an American, I saw some questionable spellings:

rôle, with a circumflex accent (^) over the o;
coïncidence, with a diaeresis (¨) over the first i but not the second.

Can anyone explain this? I am not a native speaker and don’t understand this culture.


texts: Using a preposition with the word 'grant'

texts:
Obedience he had secured, and honor had been granted him...

My question is why is it 'granted him' and not 'granted to him?'


texts: What non-alphabetic characters are valid in English spelling?

texts: Is ' (the apostrophe) the only character which is not part of the English alphabet that can appear in the correct spelling of an English word?


texts: How do you know if a derivative word is actually an English word?

texts:
For example, "recidivistic" can be found in Merriam-Webster as an adjective derivative of recidivist.

How do I know if "recidivistically" is adverb form of "recidivistic"? It is not listed in Merriam-Webster, but it can be Googled.


texts: Comma before "respectively" — Is it needed?

texts:
Is the comma before "respectively" needed when "respectively" is the last word in a sentence?

Garry, Michael and John scored 10, 26 and 18 points, respectively.


texts:
This video covers how an airline with the word pacific in its name accidentally wrote paciic on their airplane.

While very amusing, the lady in the video pronounces the mistaken ‘pasiic’ like Pacific, just without the f, like ‘pacic’, if you will.

Is that indeed the write way to say it, or does its pronunciation change? (According to the rules of English-?-)


texts:
I came across this sentence:

  What confidence can we have that the result is anything more than a self-consistent skein of prejudice?

What does the phrase 'skein of prejudice' actually mean?


texts: Is "like" used as an adjective by native speakers?

texts: Do native speakers use like as an adjective?  Is it a preferred usage?


texts:
I'm watching a TV show about midwife, two ladies are taking:

A: next year I'm gonna work Christmas because I'm getting married in the new year.

B: are you? Is that when it is? Am I coming to the night do?

What does the night do mean in the context?