texts: Need confirmation of usage of apostrophes

texts:
i often saw sentences like

  Inside we have the Curve’s, a cleaning tool, and 2 pairs of Comply’s.

is 's meaning the word being possessed or abbreviation?


texts:
What do I call my brother's son, who is 4 years older than myself?

I was on a visit to Canada and immigration officer asked me who am I visiting and I told him my Nephew but he is older than me, the immigration officer told me he is my Uncle. Please help me out.


texts:
What is the correct term to use, or what is the difference between the two?

For instance, if you describe yourself as a founder in a resume it sounds like you founded something alone. In plural form (founders), it suddenly seems more like co-founders - that you didn't do it alone. But I don't know if co-founder alone maybe sounds as if you didn't have a leading role in the founding part.

Hope anyone can clear up my confusion here! Thanks

CC (From Denmark - if the grammar isn't perfect I apologize in advance ;)


texts:
I am trying find a phrase or just a word that expresses the friend who travels with you along your trip or journey.

  You are my best ____ .

How can I call this person?


texts: Capitalizing Personal Titles as Substitutes for Names

texts:
[I am unable to write "Hello, English scholars" as the first line without it deleting it.]

There is obvious contention between style guides on the subject of capitalizing personal titles when they are used in the place of a name, such as "I heard from the Minister of Justice today". The Canadian Style Writing Guide advises this usage., and so does the British MHRA.

Assuming that this convention is being accepted, and such proper titles are capitalized in this way, I am still curious about substituting names with non-formal common titles, such as "The assistant gave it to us today". The position of assistant does not bestow a title, and so it would be lowercase preceding the name; however, in this hypothetical context, it is understood that there is only one assistant. The question is whether to capitalize "assistant" when it is being used as a name substitute, or leave it as lowercase.

For reference, all of these are correct in my setting:

• I bumped into the Professor yesterday. [Referencing a single professor, in substitute of their name.]

• You will be introduced to a professor soon. [Lowercase because of the general reference to "a" professor.]

• Hello, class. My name is Professor James. [Capitalized because it is used as a title with the name.]

• His assistant is named Julie. ["Assistant" is lowercase because of the possessive.]
(EDIT: Bad example. Here's a replacement: "I'll go ask our assistant."

• Hey, Assistant! Come over here [Capitalized because of the direct address.]

I'm hoping we might have some useful discussion on this, pulling reasons for the varying styles from guides. I am constructing a short document for my workplace to serve as a style guide on a few contentious grammar/mechanics points.

Note: Mods, please don't mark this as a duplicate. There is no other substantive post with this specific question. :)


texts:
I've always used the word (spelling) homogenous to describe things of similar nature. However, when I started university I heard everyone use the word homogeneous (pronounced "homo genius" or "homo jean us").

This article suggests that homogenous has evolved from having a specific meaning in biology (having a similar structure due to common ancestry) to becoming the most common spelling of the word, and that only "careful writers" try to keep these two spellings separate.

However, The Oxford Guide to English Usage says that homogenous is a "frequent error for homogeneous", and my browser agrees, declaring every instance of homogenous in this question a spelling error.

In my own opinion, homogeneous sounds pretty strange because of the stress on "genius" despite having nothing to do with intelligence.

What is the current status on these two words? What is their relationship, and what is correct usage?


texts: Is there a pithy adjective for "shedding profusely"?

texts:
I'm currently cat-tonguing looking for a word to describe something or someone that sheds a lot of hair; my instincts went with dis-/ex-pilitive/-pilious, but those entries are null in the dictionary.

Examples:

People with dander allergies usually can't keep ___ pets.
My ___ roommate is constantly clogging one drain or the other.


texts: Is the term "would-be" just an Indian usage or universal?

texts: I've noticed that Indians use the term would-be in place of fiancé/fiancée. Usages like "Meet my would-be" and "This is my would-be" are common in introductions. I used to wonder if this is just an Indian usage or if we got it from the British. I have never heard it being used in American movies or on TV. (I also used to wonder if people used "He/she is my would-have-been" if the wedding was called off after the engagement. :-))


texts: A soft substance that can be used to seal a seam between a bathtub and a wall

texts:
I need to go shopping for a certain thing, but do not know a proper English word for it.

It is a soft substance usually sold in a tube that can be used to seal a seam between a bathtub and a wall. It becomes harder and watertight soon after it is applied, but remains elastic enough so that it does not crack because of small bathtub movements.

How is it called?


texts:
One had as good be out of the world, as out of fashion.

It's by someone named Colley Ciber. Lived a long time ago so his quotes are a bit hard for me to understand. Thanks in advance.


texts: "The committee has" vs. "the committee have"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is a company always plural, or are small companies singular?

I have two statements like this:

  The committee has approved expenditure of hundred crores.
  The committee have gone on holiday.

The uses of has and have in the above statements confuse me.

Can anyone explain me why has has been used in the first sentence, why I shouldn't use have in the place of has in first sentence, and vice versa in the second statement?


texts:
learnersdictionary.com:

(1a) All contestants should have to follow the same rules.
(2a) No one should have to tolerate that kind of treatment.

My variants without "have to":

(1b) All contestants should follow the same rules.
(2b) No one should tolerate that kind of treatment.

I don't know the difference between a- and b-variants in translating them into my language (Russian).
Could you explain to me what's the difference between them in English? Thanks!


texts:
I got burned from being in the sun for a few hours.
I got burned by being in the sun for a few hours.

In the above examples, I am confused by the prepositions by and from. I started Googling this out of my curiosity and seem to find both phrases being used equally. Is there a correct version, or are both equally acceptable?

It happened from being in the sun for two hours.
It happened by being in the sun for two hours.

In this above  example, I'm more inclined to use from, but not totally sure.


texts: When to use I Or Myself as the object of the sentence

texts:
Which is correct?

  "I made lunch for my wife and I"
  -or-
  "I made lunch for my wife and myself"

--I hear both of them used.


texts: Is "spoon feeding" a widely accepted usage?

texts:
In India, "spoon feeding" is widely used in context of education where the students are taught in a manner by which they do not have to do much on their own. Everything will be done by the teachers, and the students just have to understand the notes.

Is this phrase used in other parts of the world also? Specifically, if I were to use it in a conversation with people from other cultures, will they get the meaning of the phrase?


texts: What is the word for a specific release of an academic journal?

texts: For a journal which is published periodically (e.g. monthly) what is the world for a specific period's published version?  For example, "The past ten _____'s of Nature have each contained an article on colloid synthesis."  Maybe "release," "edition," or "publication?"  None of those seem quite right: I associate "release" with something more like a press, movie, or album release, "edition" with a variant of the method of publication or a book with relatively minor revisions from the previous edition (as opposed to a journal, which has completely new content every time), and "publication" with a specific article within the journal.  A specific release of an academic journal is usually indicated by the journal number (e.g. "Nature 5, [page] 514 (1983)"), but it sounds funny to describe a specific release as a "number."


texts: Where does the phrase "in good nick" come from?

texts:
The term "in good nick" meaning "in a good condition" came up in conversation and I realised I had no idea where it came from.

Searching online seems surprisingly fruitless- there are several roots for nick as it is used in different contexts but none of them to explain why it came to mean "condition."

The closest thing I can see is "in the nick of time" where nick derives from the same root as "notch" or "niche", but that doesn't seem to connect directly to a mark of quality or condition unless it comes from marking notches to measure time (which the "nick of time" seems to derive from) and means "in good condition for its age" which is an interesting conjecture with, so far as I can tell, no substantiating evidence.

Does anyone have any clear origin for the term?


texts: Is this considered a passive voice misuse?

texts:
"She was sleeping while the boy was tasked to clean up the house."
I came up with this sentence, it sounds right for me, but Grammarly keeps telling me that it's a passive voice misuse. How can I fix this?


texts:
There are numerous small animals like field mice and voles which you do not see.

In the above sentence, how do you determine if which modifies voles or field mice and voles?


texts: Correct answer for the following question? What is the reason?

texts:
I have come accross a multiple choice question in which I mixed up for what the answer might be. I am aware that we could use a gerund after help but not sure so much.
Here I add the picture of the question  and please tell me why you would choose that.

The teacher helped us .................. Some of the questions.
a. answering
b. answer
c. write
d. to write


texts:
I don't understand a phrase (use some triage with sth) in this sentence--"He knew the system administrators would notice his attack and deny him access so he quickly used some triage with the exploited machines in order to find out where to install a persistent backdoor."
First, I'm not sure whether it is a phrase or not since I didn't find the meaning of the phrase online. I have tried to understand this part in these ways:

I just delete "triage with"in the sentence. This sentence becomes like this: "He knew the system administrators would notice his attack and deny him access so he quickly used some the exploited machines in order to find out where to install a persistent backdoor." I'm not sure if ignoring two words would distort the original intention of the sentence.

Does it mean to use some triage and the exploited machines together? This sentence would become like this: "He knew the system administrators would notice his attack and deny him access so he quickly used some triage and the exploited machines together in order to find out where to install a persistent backdoor"

I typed "use with" into a dictionary. The dictionary shows that the meaning of "use with" is "use sth in (some/a way)." This further confuses me. How could the exploited machines become a way to use some triage?

Moreover, I'm not sure which meaning of the word "triage" should be used in this sentence. 1.'the action of sorting items'. Does it mean "categorize"? or 2. 'the process of determining the most important people or things from amongst a large number that requires attention.' Does it mean "prioritize"?
Many thanks,


texts: "Hardware-counter-based tools" or "hardware-counter based tools"?

texts:
Possible Duplicates:
  Chainsaw-equipped or chainsaw equipped?
  How to connect a word and a phrase with a hyphen?
  "One-Day Only Promotion" or "One-Day-Only Promotion"

Which is more correct?

  Hardware-counter-based tools

or

  Hardware-counter based tools

I don't even know exactly if I should put hardware-counter or hardware-counters.


texts: Adjective for a decision that had no real alternative

texts:
I'd like to express the fact that there were no viable alternatives to a decision I took.

  My decision to attend university X was stringent / without alternative
  / a no-brainer / objectively necessary because it was the only one
  offering the course in which I am interested.

I'm not sure whether stringent in this context is appropriate. The rest of the listed phrases in italics are passable for my taste but I'd like to use a single word to express the notion of having no real alternative.


texts: Is there a word or synonym for "turning inside out?"

texts:
I am trying to find the word for the act of turning oneself inside out, with respect more to showing one's feelings on the outside instead of supressing it.
The closest words I can come up with are explode, expound, expand, express. Extricate? Is there a word that starts with Ex....? I can't remember, it's probably a word I learnt in childhood but for the life of me I cannot remember.
Thank you!


texts: I use both interchangeably. What's the difference?


texts: Can I use an adjective as a modifier at the beginning of a sentence?

texts:
For instance,

Angry, I smashed his head into the wall

Or should it be

Angrily, I smashed his head into the wall


texts: Is there an English word containing the vowels ɤ or ɐ, and if not, which similar-sounding vowels are there in English?

texts:
I need examples for English words which contain the sounds ɤ (close-mid back unrounded vowel) and ɐ (schwa, an unstressed neutral vowel). But I am not sure if there are such words at all. If there aren't, I'd like examples for words which contain similar sounds. As I don't understand phonetics well, I can't think of such words by myself. My best guess is to use words like duck, which to me sound very similar, but are actually written with ʌ.

Some background details for the question: I want to explain (in chat) to an English speaker (who reads Cyrillic, but doesn't speak Bulgarian) how the letter ъ is pronounced in Bulgarian. None of us has any education in phonetics. So while I have found out that it is pronounced as the close-mid back unrounded vowel ɤ when stressed and ɐ when not stressed, this doesn't mean anything to him.


texts: To set somebody up, meaning in this context?

texts:
Here is the context: I'm translating a movie and the plot is about two young friends, one of whom is going to move abroad to study after attending an english class. The two girls had an argument and to make up one of them decides to arrange a "lunch date" for her friend with the english teacher, so that the latter manages to get a discount on an english class from the teacher (yeah you read right). After the date the two friends meet each other and they have the following conversation:

Girl A: Happy now?
Girl B: He will give me a discount for his class.
Girl A: But you don't plan to go anywhere, why study English?
Girl B: To become his wife.
Girl A: Slut.

[music plays here]

Girl A: It's beautiful. Whose song?
Girl B: I wrote it myself.
Girl A: Really?
Girl B: I wrote it for you. Just because you set me up, doesn't
mean I'm still not mad at you.

What does "set somebody up" mean in this context?


texts: What is the phrase for "weakness in courses"?

texts:
I am describing my students and want to say they do not know much about the courses that they passed last year.

How can I say it in English?

E.g. My students are weak in science, so I can't teach them advanced materials.


texts:
When you're playing Yahtzee or any other dice game, is it correct to use the verb "dicing" when you want to notify whoever is listening? Or is "dicing" a slang word ? Or is it neither? Could it be my not-native-English-speaking fantasy that I may just imagine whatever seems like a possibility?

Anyway, it seems like the English-speaking people I played with did understand it, so it might be a real word, or just as likely it could be that I like to play with words.  Maybe I should keep that to words in Swedish, my native language.


texts: Pessimism idiom - opposite of rose-tinted glasses?

texts:
In Hebrew, we say "pink glasses" to mean optimistic observation, and "black glasses" for pessimism. I was trying to figure out how popular the literal translations are in English. I found "rose-tinted glasses" as a popular equivalent to express optimism. But is there an analogous expression for pessimism?

Googling "looking through black glasses" made it seem not to be a popular phrase. Is this in fact a recognized idiom? Is there a similar, more common one?


texts:
Can a document, which is not finished, but has its structural skeleton in place, be called a carcass? As in,

  I already have some sort of a carcass of the document you requested.

Dictionary definitions imply a lot of morbid stuff such as dead animals, but one of the meanings is:

  an unfinished framework or skeleton, as of a house or ship.

However, a colleague of mine, who is a native speaker of AmE, maintains that a "carcass of a house" implies that the house is demolished, whereas a "skeleton of a house" implies the house is built. And therefore, the usage of carcass to refer to an unfinished document is not proper. To what extent is there truth to this?


texts: What prefix should I use to address individuals younger that 18 yrs?

texts: Many summer programs/university applications require me to provide a prefix I would prefer to be called by. I always type "Mr.", but as I'm younger than 18, is this appropriate usage? Should I just leave it blank? In other words, what's the correct prefix I should call people under the age of 18 by?


texts: "make me a cup of coffee" vs "make a cup of coffee for me"

texts:
Actually, it's all in the title.

  Would you make me a cup of coffee, please?
  Would you make a cup of coffee for me, please?

Is there any difference either in the meaning or traditional usage?


texts:
I was having a debate with my family about the differences between the usage of extract and extricate.

For example, can one extricate a non-living item? Can one extricate a hair? We have heard of extricating oneself, but can one extract oneself? Or extract a living person?

And dictionary.com does not do this justice, unfortunately.


texts: What other word can we use in place of "helpless"

texts:
I am looking for an English word I can use sometimes in  place of helpless. I have the word in my language, but I am not able to find it in English.

The word which we say sometimes if we feel that we can't do anything as we don't have control over it, or if you have to do something as you have no choice left, or you have to do it because if you don't someone will kill you.

Something like:

  I am sorry my friend I didn't want to do it, but I was _____.


texts: Is there a better Idiom to explain airing grievances to someone who has it worse?

texts:
I was recently speaking with my boss about how I dislike my new commute to work. I also know she has a commute longer than mine. I was going to tell her I knew I was "preaching to the choir" but that doesn't seem to fit. As I understand it, that idiom is used to demonstrate attempting to convince someone who's already convinced. I wasn't trying to convince her "long commutes are bad" I was trying to point out that she'd be able to relate to my situation, even though she has it worse. i.e: "You understand, you have a longer commute than I do!"

I have searched for "preaching to the choir" synonyms and antonyms but I take the same issue with anything I find. At the end of this question the user suggests evolution of "preaching to the choir" to represent my situation, but nothing else I found supports this, and it seems to me that's just improper usage.

Am I wrong that "preaching to the choir" doesn't fit my situation? If I'm not, is there an idiom that represents it better?


texts: Is there a name for the emotional response to cuteness?

texts:
What do you feel when you see this?

We all know the feeling of seeing something adorable, of wanting to hug it, take care of it, and let our speech degenerate into mindless babble and squealing. But does it have a name? Adoration isn't quite it, and that's about as close as I seem to be able to get. For such a common and powerful emotional response, I find it baffling that there seems to be no word for it. If there's no English word, we should re-purpose a foreign one, as we're wont to do.


texts:
I have never heard of this phrase, and am assuming it is not idiomatic, which Google also seems to agree. I came across it in an academic paper. My question is which idioms is it closest to in meaning? Even out? Average out? Using non-standard expressions seems to be a plague in academia.

  Specifically, we compute an officer’s lenience toward minorities relative to his own treatment of white drivers, differencing out the treatment of each race by non-lenient officers and adjusting for other features of the stop, and treat that difference as the officer’s discrimination.


texts:
I just want to know if my sentence is correct using the word "collated".

  Please see attached file for our Question bank collated during our meetings.

Is the message of the sentence correct?

If not, could you provide me with a better sentence?


texts: What does camping on foods mean in American English?

texts:
I saw two guys joking around, the first one had had a Cheetos bag. Here is the conversation that took place between them:

First guy: Do you wanna little snack?
Second guy: Yeh, actually, it's one of my favorites. (He took the whole bag.)
(The guys kept chatting for a while ... and the second guy was enjoying the Cheetos in the meantime).
First guy: I think you're probably High, (laughing
...) you just camping on the Cheetos.
Second guy: (Laughing out loud)
Hahaha.

I know what camping is, and based on that I would guess camping on foods means to keep eating while you're allowed for tasting only? Am I correct?


texts: "One of my most dearest, and closest friends"?

texts:
When wanting to note a very close friendship, is this appropriate?

  One of my most dearest, and closest friends

Or should it be

  One of my dearest and most closest friends

Can 'most' simply not be used?


texts: "It is only me that is" or "It is only I that am"

texts:
It is only me that is confused.

or

  It is only I that am confused.

The first one sounds more natural to me while the second one appears to me as grammatically correct. Which one is correct?


texts: Word for "the question this one was closed as a dupe of"

texts: Is there a simple term for the question this one was closed as a dupe of other than "the question this one was closed as a dupe of", because "the question this one was closed as a dupe of" is pretty long and unwieldy and much in need of a simpler term than "the question this one was closed as a dupe of".


texts: So I happened to watch 500 Days of Summer which was started by the narrator saying this is a story of boy meets girl. For a non-native speaker, I would rather say this is a story of boy meeting a girl as this is how the grammar becomes intuitive to me, but how does the former one can be grammatically correct too?


texts: What’s the English equivalent of the Danish word “tovholder”?

texts:
I’m looking for something similar to the Danish word tovholder (literal translation: rope holder) which means something like a micro-manager for a single specific task but without the negative connotation that the term micro-manager carries with it.

What I would like to express is who is responsible for task X gets done today.

  Martin is (replacement for tovholder) for making sure the latest version gets deployed today.


texts: What is a good way of including question examples in a sentence?

texts:
I'm looking for a good way of including question examples in a sentence.

For example:

Unlike traditional studies which have focused on financial solvency, e.g., "Can the library afford to pay its librarians and buy new books?", these studies will focus on how well allocated money is being used, "e.g. Does it make sense that a library is spending 20% of its income on parking?".

Any suggestions on changes to punctuation, or other ways of writing this sentence?


texts:
In the following sentence, is the usage of also considered grammatically correct, or is there something wrong with it?

  Write something also on an alternative approach to this problem;
  explain the pros and cons of that alternative.

The sentence doesn't feel right, but I thought I would seek the input of the well-informed before jumping to conclusions.

I would like to make it known that I am not the one responsible for this sentence, nor will the person responsible ever know of this inquiry — it is purely for the sake of self-satisfaction.


texts:
English moves left to right. Hebrew moves right to left. Both then move top to bottom.  Mongolian moves top to bottom, and some Philippine languages move from bottom to top.

Is there a word that names the idea of these conventions?


texts:
Is there a traditional or established word or phrase for the way one scatters food when feeding chickens or other animals that like to scratch, scrape, and search for food?  I’m translating a story and need a word/phrase to fill the following the gap:

  She fed the little hens, ___ing the corn.


texts: Are or is? May be a simple question but I am confused

texts:
Which of the following sentences are grammatical?

  Being egocentric and selfish are dangerous in a world where karma is always with you.

  Being egocentric and selfish is dangerous in a world where karma is always with you.

According to the top answer on this thread:

Agreement With Compound Subjects Joined by And

I can use either: it depends on whether 'X and Y' are considered like a single thing or individually. However, one of the comments below says that for the other question this is true, but in this case I do NOT have a choice. The grammar here is different.


texts: "didn't need to have done" or "needn't have done"

texts: The sentence, "The examination has been cancelled. You needn't have done all the revison, after all."means that the student didn't have to do the revision, but he has done that. Can "need't have done" be changed into "didn't need to have done", by all means, "didn't need to have done" seems grammatical-corret.


texts:
Do you think all of the conjunctions below are acceptable? I just feel that 'for' may not work. Thx!

Bullying is unacceptable    because   it is against the school rules.
                            as
                            since
                            for??


texts: I am searching for a word, an adjectival form of the word "argument" in its sense as: "a statement or series of statements for or against something." The word "argumentative" does not work. I am looking for an adjective that can replace "opinion" in the following sentence: "It demonstrates most of the features of opinion writing and ... " I am not at liberty to rephrase the sentence, but a different adjective -- if there is one more precise than "opinion" -- could be used. Would anyone recommend using the word "argument" as an adjective?


texts:
Can someone assist me with this doubt? In many sites I have seen it written as "IP's" and in other as "IPs".
What is the correct form to refer for the plural of IP?


texts:
As you know "seam" has several different definitions in English.
But I can't understand its meaning in this context:

  How to deal with seams

  a. There is no seam. We've finessed the seam so
  thoroughly, you can't even tell. This doctor knows everything about
  the situation as seen by the last doctor, no need to worry about the
  handoff. You can't tell where one part of the railing ends and the
  other begins. Your place in the queue and your records and your status
  are so clear to the next agent that it won't matter a bit to you that
  there was a switch.

  b. There is a seam. That was one color, this is a different one. That
  was yesterday, this is today. She was your last teacher, I'm your new
  teacher.

  As you might have guessed, the problematic area is where you try to
  hide a seam, and you fail.

  Seams are a promise, an opportunity, a fresh start. Own them or make
  them invisible.


texts: Juxtaposing (more than) two sentences that can include "and" by using "and"

texts:
QUESTIONS:

Is the comma used in the below sentence necessary?

Is it okay to use different forms or parts of speech for juxtaposed elements?
I.g. In the below sentence, a noun "development" and gerunds "reducing and lowering" are juxtaposed.

Engineers should contribute to increase of revenues by proactive development of good products, and reducing and lowering cost in each step of their development cycle.


texts: What is the name of the study of animal mind and behavior?

texts:
Is there a term for the knowledge domain that deals with animal mind and behavior?

Initially, I'd thought that it is "Zoology", but it doesn't look like a fit.

Basically I was wondering if the study of human mind and behavior is called "Psychology", what is the name for the study of animal mind and behavior?


texts: As I understand it, trans means "an individual whose gender identity is different than what they were designated at birth". However, I also hear the terms transgender and transsexual used for similar meanings. I know that personally I only refer to myself as trans or rarely transgender, and never transsexual, and the latter sounds very odd to me. I'm interested in why there are several words for roughly the same meaning, and if they do have different meanings or simply based on geography and time period.


texts: When using ex. in a sentence to provide an example, should the E be capitalized?

texts: For example:  "To group your information, drill down on your columns. (ex. In a date field........)


texts: Ashen / pallid / sallow / pale (/ livid)

texts:
I have these words in my spaced repetition system (Anki). However, when I am trying to guess the translation from my mother tongue, I always guess one of the other three.
Looking for pictures on google I found that they showed very little difference among these. Are they completely synonymous? Can they be used interchangeably?
Livid seems to indicate more  bluish or reddish tones, when talking about an angry person. The other three however all seem to be about feeling sick and looking yellowish, whitish.


texts: What do you call it when a name/word is better known by a pejorative?

texts:
A while back, the US Congress passed a bill called the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”. The bill quickly became known as “Obamacare”. During the time prior to when cannabis was made illegal in the United States, proponents of its prohibition called it “marijuana”.

In both cases, a thing with a proper name became known by a pejorative to the extent that many people wouldn't even recognize the proper term for the thing.

Is there a word or expression in the English language for describing the situation where a thing becomes best known by a pejorative term?


texts: Morphological comparison of adjectives ending in "-ic"

texts:
Page 267 of Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage reads

Adjectives ending in -ic (comic, rustic, etc.), -ive (active,
restive, etc.), and -ous (famous, odious, virtuous, etc.) do not have
-er and -est forms except in special circumstances.

What special circumstances is the author referring to?
Secondly, what would such forms be for comic? comicker/est?


texts:
It is my first question on any stackoverflow site, so sorry if I have not researched the current available questions and answers enough (I tried), but I have thoroughly searched both the internet and the english stackoverflow site as well as I could (I was not sure as to what tag I should have searched to get the correct answer to my question).

That aside I am stuck as to whether I am using a possessive noun or a non possessive noun.

The question is pretty simple which sentence is correct.

Many other online IQ tests rely on knowledge orientated questions to test ones IQ.

Or

Many other online IQ tests rely on knowledge orientated questions to test one's IQ.

I understand one is correct and one is not, but it would be most helpful if someone could explain what the true difference between the two is, and when I should use one and not the other.

I am no English language expert, and I am sure this has been answered many times on this site but I could not find it, I am sure as I continue to use the stackoverflow websites I will become more efficient at finding answers to my questions. If anyone has any tips on how to do this I would be most grateful, maybe a little FAQ on how to search?


texts: How to formally say "we make this no longer the case"

texts:
In a document I'm writing there is the following sentence:

  [That problem] has remained only as a theoretical significance since
  then. In this paper, we show that this is no longer the case.

I would like to specify that "we make this no longer the case" (instead of "we show..."), but this sounds weird to me.

Is there any better way to say that?
Thank you very much in advance for your help!


texts: What would I call this computer science dilemma?

texts:
In computer science, programming languages like Java, C++, and Python are considered to be very popular. C++ is considered low-level, Java is considered mid-level, and Python is considered high-level.

Most people would assume that Python is the hardest as it is high-level, but in fact the opposite is true. High-level means that it is closer to regular language (when coding) and usually it cannot do as much things.

On the other hand, C++ a low-level language, which can do more than Python and Java (and usually faster and in this case especially Python) is considered the "best," where it can do the most and things faster, but is much harder. C++ is considered "difficult" and usually recommended after learning Java or Python (yes, there are other programming languages).

What would be the word or phrase to describe this phenomenon, where things are counter-intuitive with Python (the weakest) being called high-level, which makes people assume that Python would be the best (as I did when I was first introduced to computer science three years ago)?

I know of opposite and inverted, but is there a better way to phrase this?


texts:
Which is the correct form?

  I'd like to try CoolStuff 2.0 on a project

or

  I'd like to try CoolStuff 2.0 in a project


texts:
I think the following sentences are all grammatical.  So I am wondering whether there is a phrasal verb "rub on" that has the same meaning as "rub"-as-a-transitive-verb.  If there is no phrasal verb, I guess I don't know how to describe the grammar of sentences 2 & 3 below.

You should rub some lotion on your hands.
You should rub on some lotion.
You should rub some lotion on.


texts: Which article to choose in this situation?

texts:
On our company's website there's a list of projects. One of them can be chosen by clicking on the button Choose the project. In my opinion there should be a instead of the, because we are not pointing on a specific project.

Am I right or wrong? And why? Unfortunately, rules can't clarify this question for me.(


texts: Voiced or voiceless cluster in "Brexit?"

texts:
I was watching American national news coverage of the "Brexit" poll, and it seemed to me that none of the news anchors nor commentators used a voiced consonant cluster in their pronunciation of the word. That is they all pronounced it /bɹɛksɪt/ and not /bɹɛgzɪt/. Upon discussing the poll with two American friends, I realized that they too use the voiceless pronunciation. The older of the two even defended his rendering of the word, saying, "It's spelled with an ex."

Merriam-Webster, the Oxford English Dictionary, and Dictionary.com list the voiced version of "exit" first, so I would assume it's the more popular or traditional one. Although the spelling and latin origin would lead me to believe the voiceless pronunciation is conventional, "exotic" and "exhaust" both have those qualities too and only have the option of a voiced cluster.

What is the frequency of the voiceless consonant cluster, /ks/, versus the voiced one, /gz/, in "exit?"


texts: What's the meaning of ninja in a technological article?

texts:
I always saw some articles which use ninja to refer to a person. What does it mean in a technological article?

  True path to become a JavaScript Ninja

I guess maybe it means master or guru. If that's true, why not just use guru instead?


texts: Agency recommended that she 'not face' charges?

texts:
An excerpt from the sub-headline of a recent article in the WSJ:

  FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday explained why his agency
  recommended that Hillary Clinton not face criminal charges for her
  email arrangement while serving as Secretary of State.

I'm not a native English speaker but "not face" sounds wrong to me.

Why is it "not face charges" instead of "not faces charges" or "not to face charges"?

Update:

I don't consider this question a duplicate of "When should I use the subjunctive mood?". The question here asks to identify the grammatical rule. The other question asks about the usage of the grammatical rule.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  0.25 mile or 0.25 miles?

When writing out a quantity and then a noun what is the correct form for decimals?

1 day
2 days
.5 days?

It seems that if you were to say "half day" then the singular is reasonable but if you were to day "point five days" that also seems correct.


texts: Is there a word for a person who believes all events - past, present and future - have all been predetermined?

texts:
Such a person believes that whatever you did or do has been predetermined by a god or another omnipotent force. It's as if free will didn't exist.

e.g. "It's no use trying to discuss it with you. You are ..........


texts: Word for flower that blooms and wilts in one day

texts: I’m looking for the botanical term for a flower that blooms and wilts in the same day.


texts: Did orphan ever refer to the losing of a father?

texts:
It seems that a lot of the ideas of an "orphan" in ancient times only referred to the loss of father, rather than the loss of both parents.

In Chinese too it seems that the idea of an orphan (孤) originally only meant the bereavement of a dad.

Wiktionary does hint at its origin (emphasis my own):

  from Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, “without parents, fatherless”)

but I'm not seeing whether or not this meaning evolved into English.

Did the idea of an orphan in English only ever refer to the loss of both parents?


texts: Is "best gear this project to you" a proper saying?

texts:
In an email today I had included the following:

So that I can best gear this project to your expertise, can you tell me how much experience you have with list of technical skills?

I asked someone to review this email before I sent it and they didn't understand/had not heard of this usage of "best gear."
Since I've picked up some interesting sayings, some of them due to mishearing (like 'nip it in the butt' instead of 'nip it in the bud'), and searching for various usages of "best gear" is pulling up nothing of value, is this proper English or a known saying?
The meaning I'm hoping to convey is:

I want to define, or setup, or prepare, this project so that it aligns with your (technical) expertise.

Thank you.


texts: Can "under" and "within" mean the same in a quantified context?

texts:
We use "under" for the measurement of time and weight, like this:

The egg was boiled under 12 minutes.
The bag was just under 10 kilos, so I was able to bring it on the plane. [from here]

In the sentences quoted above, I think that "within" can also be used in place of "under", as they both imply the same meaning of incomplete time or weight:

The egg was boiled within 12 minutes.
The bag was just within 10 kilos, so I was able to bring it on the plane.

So, can we use under and within to mean the same in such context? And is it appropriate to use them interchangeably?


texts: What makes 'admix' different from 'mix'?

texts:
A friend of mine (who, as far as I know, doesn't have English as a first language, though is fluent) mentioned how odd it was that English had the word admix, and quoted a dictionary definition that stated that it was a synonym of mix. I supposed that an admix was a mix made just by adding two materials together, whereas a mix involved stirring.

This is the entry I found:

  ad·mix
  tr. & intr.v. ad·mixed, ad·mix·ing, ad·mix·es
  To mix; blend.

Am I right that the word is redundant, or does it have another use?


texts:
What's the meaning of "terror behind the wheel" in the following context?

  As I write these words, this book hasn't yet gone to press, and
  already there are so many people working to support it. Sheryl Johnson, who is a
  great publicist and a terror behind the wheel. Buzz Yancey, who tried to create, well, buzz...

(taken from Acknowledgements of "A Dog's Purpose" by W.Bruce Cameron)


texts: Alphabetizing band names when the name includes a member's name

texts:
When one is alphabetizing band names which are named after a member of the band, do you put the last name first?
For a few examples, the following bands are names, but not of actual people:

Pink Floyd -> under P
Jethro Tull -> under J

And of course we have performers who record under their own name:

Billy Joel -> Joel, Billy (J)
Michael Jackson -> Jackson, Michael (J)

But what about bands whose name includes the name of a member? Like the following:

The Alan Parsons Project
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
Ben Fold's Five

Is it a rule that these should be alphabetized according to the band name (A, B, B respectively above) rather then the person's name (P, H, F respectively), or is it a convention adopted ad hoc?
Of course, there could be all kinds of strange variations of this - what about a band named "Herman Melville"? What about a band named "Herman Melville" who has a person named "Herman Melville" in the band? I'm not so concerned which how musicians can drive librarians crazy, but just if there is a rule, what is it?


texts: synonym for zero sum in the world of food

texts:
Is there a phrase that describes drinking a diet coda and eating a candy bar together? I thought of zero sum game but it is not exactly what I need because it involves more than one person. I am sending a Secret Santa gift and I need a phrase that describes the habit of eating diet foods along with junk foods.

I have tried talking with some colleagues. I work at a public high school. I do not want to overdo asking others my question because I am concerned that my Secret Santa identity will be compromised. I have tried various internet sites and your site appears to be the most promising in terms of a suitable answer.

My recipient is an IB English teacher.


texts:
"Queen Victoria a fine engraved portrait showing the Queen in profile looking into a book. She is dressed in her familiar black (which she wore for the rest of her life after Albert died) with her white veil. Boldly signed underneath the image and dated in her hand 1877. This image came from the personal possessions of a Royal Lady in Waiting."

It is made of paper and looks like a black and white photo.


texts: Non gender oriented way to replace husband/wife

texts:
I’m creating a list of families that lists both partners’ names, ages, wedding date, and divorce date if there is one. To do this I have been using:

Husband    Age    Wife    Age    Marriage Date    Divorce Date

My cousin got married, and because he is gay Husband and Wife no longer apply as appropriate titles for the list of families. I’m not sure how to replace Husband and Wife. I could use Husband and Spouse but that won’t work where the couple are both female. Using Partner A and Partner B would seem to negate the “family” aspect of the relationship, considering that you can have a partner and not be married.  Also, partner seems very business-like to me — as in law partners, business partners, etc.

Is there a way to replace husband and wife in a family relationship that still carries the family connotation but is gender neutral? Spouse seems to fit one half the couple, but I’m not sure what then to title the other half.


texts: Article after "as" and before a scientific term or a proper noun

texts:
Usually one uses an article after "as", such as "Music as a weapon". However, does this rule apply when the noun after the "as" is a scientific term/method (proper noun?) ?

Let's say I want to reference Slashdot effect. Which sentence is correct in this particular situation?

[...] - this is known as a Slashdot effect.
[...] - this is known as Slashdot effect.


texts: Dodging a moral, metaphysical or otherwise abstract question by answering the mechanics of the situation

texts:
The example that made me wonder if there's a word for this is that my bandmate can't enter the building where our rehearsal space is located on his own anymore, because the landlord took down the old keycard system and installed an app-based one instead that you need a rather new phone to run properly, which some of the tenants don't have, and don't want to spend money on.

When my friend expressed his frustrations to the landlord, he said that there was no solution to this problem and started explaining the mechanics behind the app not working on his phone.

Is there a word for this diversionary tactic?


texts: the meaning of "alloy" in Jane Austen's Emma Chapter I

texts:
The real evils, indeed, of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself; these were the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments. The danger, however, was at present so unperceived, that they did not by any means rank as misfortunes with her.

What does Jane Austen mean when she writes "which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments". I get the general meaning, but I would like to know the exact meaning of "alloy", is it a noun or verb? How does it function in the sentence?


texts: What does “upstage card” mean in “If I play bridge, I will refer to playing my chosen suit as using an “upstage card.”?

texts:
There was the following paragraph in an article written by Joel Stein under the title “How Trump went mainstream (and you can too)” in Time magazine (May 26).

  “We should also be aware of our complicity in normalizing the
  dangerous. So until this election is over, I vow not to invite Donald
  Trump to my house. I will also not pour the bottle of Trump sparking
  wine I own, even in a mimosa where no one would know. If I play
  bridge, I will refer to playing my chosen suit as using an “upstage
  card.”

I’m curious to know what the “upstage card” mean. Does it mean a “strategic” card promising you to win the game, or the card that upstage you in terms of status, position, wealth, and whatever?

Why is it put in quotes? Is it a special usage of the word?


texts: Is my syntax correct and is there a better version?

texts:
Here is the sentence:
"Why is a conjugated system bigger, the smaller the atomic electron transitions?"
I mean that when a conjugated system gets bigger, the atomic electron transitions get smaller, and I want to know why is that.
Thank you :)


texts: Is/Are list with 2nd person and 3rd person

texts:
Should you use is or are here:

  I can't tell is you or Amanda is/are the best.

I know with you it would be are.

I know with Amanda it would be is.

And I know with a list of Amanda and Dave it would be is.

But I'm unsure in this particular situation, mixing 2nd and 3rd person.


texts:
I was cycling with a friend a few weeks ago. When we arrived at the top of the climb, I said

  I am pleased we have come here.

He corrected me by saying that I should have said

  I am pleased we came here.

In my opinion, the present perfect is better suited to the context since I wanted to focus on how the action connected to the present, how it changed things for me in the present (I am pleased). Moreover, we were still there when I said that. I think that if I had said it after we had left that place, the past tense would have been appropriate: "I am pleased we went there". But for unfinished time frames, I think the present perfect should be used.

Could you, please, let me know your opinions about this?

Thanks,
Dan


texts: What would be a good adjective to describe someone who sends/publishes digital artefacts without thought. For example: someone who likes participating in flame-wars, or someone who replies to an e-mail before prior thought (even if not rudely). In short, a "keyboard" version of "trigger-happy".


texts: Start + Gerund vs Start + Infinitive: is there a subtle tense difference?

texts:
Is there a subtle difference between these fragments:

Jack walked over to the car, opened the door, and started to look for the aspirin vial in the glove compartment. Jill looked on skeptically.
Jack walked over to the car, opened the door, and started looking for  the aspirin vial in the glove compartment. Jill looked on skeptically.


texts:
In the phrase make <someone> {adjective}, it implies changing that person's emotion, but make <someone> be {adjective} implies forcing that person to comply.

Why does the word "be", which only has to do with a subject's state of being, make so much of an implication difference?


texts: What word was used before 'follow-up' emerged in 1905?

texts:
Did a single noun precede the hyphenated compound noun 'follow-up'  (whose emergence is in 1905 is asserted by Etymonline)?
Did a single verb precede the phrasal verb 'follow up'?
If the answer to 1 or 2 is 'no', then what nouns or verbs (respectively) had been used?

None of these synonyms proposed by ODO or Thesarus.com  synonymise sufficiently.


texts:
This is a French (south of France) expression: "cela va durer la vie des rats".

It means "it will last very long". Probably because, in ancient times, rats were very difficultly eradicated so that they seemed to be nearly everlasting...

Is there an equivalent in English?

(this is my first post in this SE site, I hope my question is meeting the rules here).


texts: Commas when explaining what another sentence "says"

texts:
I was editing some text for an open source math book today, and came across this sentence:

  The previous 8 axioms have basically said "these numbers are all natural numbers." This next and final axiom states "these numbers are all of the natural numbers."

I was going to suggest putting a comma after the words 'said' and 'states', because of the normal usage in dialog. But this isn't really dialog, and it doesn't really seem like it should require the slight pause that the comma indicates. What's the convention here?


texts:
I received an email today, which seems to well and truly have done the rounds. It begins with the following: "I don't know what you guys are paying for Petrololine", and goes on to mention both Petrol and Petroline (both in title case), in a seemingly interchangeable manner.

I have never heard of the word petrololine, and cannot, for the life of me, find anything remotely close to a definition for it online.  For the most part, Google just returns links to sites all over the place, in which the monologue (for want of a better word,) has been duplicated.

In the course of my browsing, I have seen sites in which petrololine and petrol are listed in the same sentence, in such a way as to indicate that they are entirely separate substances. On the other hand, some sites seem to use petrololine directly in place of petrol, (such as in describing petrololine engines as opposed to diesel ones).

Does anyone know what petrololine is, if it bears any difference from run-of-the-mill petrol, and whether or not the word is in fact a trademarked term that should be capitalised in writing?


texts: Single words for denoting a desired number of "a count to be reached" and "the actual number obtained"

texts:
I'm currently designing a software library. There are only two hard problems in computer science: Naming things, Cache invalidation and off-by-one errors.

And at the moment I'm struggling with problem 0: Naming things. The whole thing is for a data collection device. Before the device is started one sets a number of records that shall be collected. While the device is running it can be polled for the number of records obtained so far, or – if a timeout was reached or the process aborted – how many records there are in total.

Now the question is, what (single) words to use for denoting "this is the number of records that shall be taken" and what word for "this is the number of records we have"?


texts: Could the word "and" imply order of occurence or precedence?

texts:
For instance, is there an implied difference between saying

"Jack and Jill came home."

and

"Jill and Jack came home."

Could the first one imply that Jack came before Jill, and that Jill came before Jack in the second?

This would be similar to using "then", but in a more subtle way.


texts: What does "tweak business establishment" mean here?

texts:
everyone, I have difficulities in understanding the following sentence.

  All the while, the flamboyant and irreverent Mr. Branson has tweaked the business establishment, particularly in Britain, and displayed a good command of publicity and showmanship to gain priceless cachet for the Virgin brand.

(source: https://www.strategy-business.com/article/13416?gko=74f03)

I have two questions:

The first one is: what does "business establishment" mean here? Literally, it means the place that a business is conducted. But it doesn't seem to fit here. It should be the way of doing practice since he is irreverent, or something like that.

Second question is: does publicity and showmanship means the same thing. Basically, he has a good command of the interest of the public, so he can lead their opinions (showmanship).

Thank you!


texts: Is ‘misunderestimate’ a received (American) English word?

texts:
I found the word ‘misunderestimating’ in the article written by Peter Catapano under the caption 'Don't stop believing' in Opinionator’s Column section of New York Times (April 29).

The word is not entirely unfamiliar to me, because I think I’ve seen it in Sarah Palin’s speech before (if my memory is correct). However, as combination of ‘mis’ and ‘under’-estimate seems to me somewhat redundant, I checked up several English Japanese dictinaries at hand together with Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Cambridge Online Free Dictionary, and found that none of them carries the word, ‘misunderestimate.’

Are ‘misunderestimate’ and ‘misunderestimation’ received English or received American English? - - because, it’s been used by big guns like Sarah Palin and NYT columist.

The word appears in the following ending line of the above article:

  “Or what does it say for us? Are we
  misreading the man that Spy magazine
  famously dubbed the “short-fingered
  vulgarian” way back in the 1980s? Are
  we misunderestimating the man who
  has monopolized an outsized portion of
  a vast media space in recent weeks and
  forced the hand of the President of
  the United States?


texts: etymology and pronunciation of bowline knot

texts:
The wikipedia article for bowline gives two pronunciations /boʊlɪn/ or /boʊlaɪn/.

The history section says:

  The bowline's name has an earlier meaning, dating to the age of sail.
  On a square-rigged ship, a bowline (sometimes spelled as two words,
  bow line) is a rope that holds the edge of a square sail towards the
  bow of the ship and into the wind, preventing it from being taken
  aback.

This is what I was expecting; yet, we pronounce it as /boʊ/ not /baʊ/.

The same section goes on to say:

  The bowline knot is thought to have been first mentioned in John
  Smith's 1691 work A Sea Grammar under the name Boling knot.

What does "Boling" refer to? How is it pronounced?
If it is pronounced /boʊlɪŋ/ then I can imagine the 'g' being dropped in usage,
producing /boʊlɪn/, which was somehow applied to the spelling "bowline".

When and why did /boʊlaɪn/ (as opposed to /baʊlaɪn/) become a coherent pronunciation?

-- IPA --

/ɪ/ = i in pit
/аɪ/ = i in ride
/aʊ/ = ow in how
/oʊ/ = o in joke


texts: What does it mean to be the 'voice of reason' in a group?

texts: What role does the 'voice of reason' play in the group?


texts:
I am writing an academic paper, and I don't know which of the two forms are more suitable and/or correct.

"The question should be dealt with using different tools and methods."

or

"The question should be dealt with different tools and methods."

Thanks.


texts:
I often encounter a problem with adding "the" or not. I had a proofreading teacher last year that gave us a concrete example as follows:

Cows eat grass = Cows, in general, eat grass
The Cows eat grass = Those specific cows eat grass

Yesterday I was writing an email and hesitated in adding "the" or not in this phrase:

"Although weeks 31 and 32 are not problematic anymore, we still need volunteers for weeks 34 and 35."

I finally decided to add "the" as I think it was a request for specific weeks...


texts: Are "many", "few", and "numerous" adjectives or determiners?

texts:
So, at first I found some inconsistencies between online dictionaries, with some like Merriam-Webster saying "many" is an adjective, while  Wiktionary saying its a determiner. Eventually I had stumbled on to this english.stackexchange question, though I felt like the answer was somewhat vague and inconclusive.

I also realized, when followed by an adjective, there was no comma. For example: "the many brown rabbits" instead of "the many, brown rabbits." This made me lean more towards the determiner side of things, but I did some more digging.

Eventually, I decided to try similar words such as "few" and "numerous". Like the "many" search, Merriam-Webster said it was an adjective while Wiktionary said it was a determiner. This time, Wiktionary did provide me with more information to its interpretation though. The first definition under "determiner" began was "(preceded by another determiner) An indefinite, but usually small, number of." I thought I had found the answer but then I realized, Wiktionary considered "numerous" an adjective, but it had the same comma thing as "many" and "few".

I googled it and the results I got suggested "the numerous brown rabbits" is used in place of "the numerous, brown rabbits."

I'm very confused now, and I would really like to put my mind at ease.

Side notes

First off, I regard Wiktionary and Wikipedia as good references for information. While, the potential for alteration discredits them as a citation, the information itself on non-controversial matters (i.e. not religious or political subjects), is cited to actually credible sources and typically high quality.

Second, this question is not a duplicate of the one I mentioned. That question was asking if "the many" was grammatically correct. The consensus is yes, it is correct to say that. My question is what are these words?


texts: Computer vision, image processing software algorithms for identification, synonym, segregation of english & american words & terms images

texts:
https://www.google.com/search?q=words+difference+between+american+and+british+english&oq=Words+difference+between+american+eng&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i22i30i457.20248j0j7&client=ms-android-lava&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
Are there computer vision & image processing software algorithms which will recognise, detect and segregate british english & american english terms, words, synonyms?
Input dataset : Individual images of english terms & words.
Output : Identify the equivalent american word or term, synonym & vice versa.


texts: Generic term for dates not present in some/all calendar months?

texts:
Some days/dates are not present in all (Gregorian) calendar months. Specifically, five months of the year do not have a '31st', and February does not have a '29th' (except in Leap years) nor a '30th'.

Is there a generic term for these days/dates that are present only in selected months?

Example sentence:

  If recurring event would fall on a [date-not-present-in-that/all-calendar-month(s)], its occurrence will fall on the last day of that month.


texts: Using an ellipsis to show omission, when we skip complete sentences. 3 or 4 dots?

texts:
Imagine I want to quote this text (the parts in bold):

  If there were such a thing, I think I'd be a champion. You know, baking under dangerous conditions, high-speed frosting... all hypothetical examples, obviously. Of course assuming I don't live in a madhouse.

Should I quote it with 4 dots, because I'm skipping a full sentence?

  If there were such a thing, I think I'd be a champion. . . . Of course assuming I don't live in a madhouse.


texts:
Based on the definitions, yare1 seems like a subset of nimble, that is to say, anytime you could use yare1, you could use nimble1 instead, but nimble2 and nimble3 are clearly (I think) distinct from yare1. So when would you ever use yare1 specifically over nimble1?

Also, I think what is adding to my confusion is that the "archaic" yare3 definition includes nimble as a synonym.

I am of course not conidering yare2 (or really even yare3) in the context of this question, just yare1.

From dictionary.com:

  Yare

   quick; agile; lively.
   (of a ship) quick to the helm; easily handled or maneuvered.
   Archaic. ready; prepared.nimble; quick.

  http://www.dictionary.com/browse/yare

  Nimble

  quick and light in movement; moving with ease; agile; active; rapid:nimble feet.
  quick to understand, think, devise, etc.:a nimble mind.
  cleverly contrived:a story with a nimble plot.

  http://www.dictionary.com/browse/nimble

also want to include where I came across the weird word in the first place:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=yare


texts: What's the Best English word for 6 months in this group: daily, weekly, quarterly, 6 months, yearly?

texts:
While writing programs, I need to create a drop down for setting periods, like daily, weekly, monthly, etc. Using one year as a time frame. This question is driven by lack of a better word. I've had some trouble coming up with a one word adjective for 6 months. I do have the following:

1 day - Daily,
1 week - Weekly,
1 month - Monthly,
3 months - Quarterly,
6 months - ?
1 year - Yearly or Annually


texts:
What does "unsexy skills" mean in following sentence?

Tackle the unsexy skills that are rarely addressed but highly important for transitioning into a professional setting.


texts:
Is the following sentence correct
"could messi have scored that goal?"


texts: Correct term for "primary" and "secondary" hand

texts: I'm looking for the correct term for a right-handed person's right hand, and a left-handed person's left hand, and same for their other hand, where one term signifies one's "primary" hand, and the other one's "secondary" hand.


texts: Tense that I need to use to reply to someone on a request?

texts:
Say there is a technical ticket for me, and the user is asking "Please reset the password for xyz account..."
after I reset the password should I reply
"Your VPN password is reset."
or
"Your VPN password has been reset"
simple tense use to telegraph about a fact so if I am not wrong the first sentence means
there is this fact that I am sharing that your account password is reset. by who we didn't mention, when? we don't know, but we know it's reset, so you are good to go. is that silly or odd type of responding to this?
the present perfect however says, your vpn password was reset at some random time in the past and it's still in that state..


texts: when there is a new invention, there is a new name for original object, what is this called?

texts: IS there a term or lingusitic device for a name change of a noun / object that has had to change its name because of a new development. For example the invention of the electric guitar, meant the humble guitar became known as an acoustic guitar? Thank you.


texts: He is in the same school as John or John's?

texts:
This is probably easy, but I'm confused right now and I was too clumsy to find an answer through Google. Which sentence is correct?

He is in the same school as John
He is in the same school as John's


texts: Is the acronym PIGS (or PIIGS) offensive?

texts:
To my Spanish ears, the acronym PIGS (for Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) or PIIGS (for Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) sounds offensive. The Spanish equivalent “cerdo” is a strong word rarely said in jest. In other cultures, the concept is perhaps even more vexing.

It puzzles me that the international magazine The Economist, a political correctness champion most of the time, keeps using PIGS or PIIGS and apparently thinks nothing of it. Is there a linguistic explanation to what I see as unexpected insensitiveness by this magazine?


texts: A proper universal name for any city or town, regardless of its size

texts:
I'm facing a pressing issue with choosing a proper way to call a place (city, town), regardless of its size.

1) Has to describe places of any size (from pop. 5 to 5 mil.)

2) Must describe any location that is inhabited and/or has any administrative boundaries

3) Should be easy-to-understand by Americans specifically

Basically, things like "locality", "community", "municipality", "administrative unit", "metropolitan area" etc cross my mind, but I am not too sure how exactly it will be perceived - which one is more common, and which one will be the best fit for a native ear to hear to describe both NYC and a village of 2 houses (given it is on the map).

Thanks in advance for your options, which I hope will be a great many for me to choose from! :-)


texts: What is the verb agreement for "singular subject OR singular subject THAT"?

texts:
I have the following sentence, but I'm not sure if the verb should be conjugated as do or does:

  ... this means moving away from a convoluted collection of Excel spreadsheets or a cumbersome software that do/does not truly lend...

Excel spreadsheets and convoluted software both refer to outdated ways of doing things, so they share the same semantic purpose in the sentence; they should be grouped. A company could be using either a collection of Excel spreadsheets or a cumbersome software package to solve this problem. They wouldn't use both at the same time, so or is appropriate. The software would solve the problem, but it does the job poorly. Excel spreadsheets also solve the problem, but poorly. Therefore, the two are related but are not packaged together.

My gut feeling is does because each subject is singular, but when combined with or, they become plural, so do makes more sense.

Which is correct?


texts: A word with multiple definitions, one of which is dominant

texts: What is the term for a word with more than one definition, but where one of the definitions is dominant? When the word is used in conversation, that 'dominant' sense is assumed even when a different sense of the word is intended.


texts: Why are the people of the United States called "Americans" when the whole continent is "America"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why are the United States often referred to as America?

Is it because there wasn't a proper adjective like "United Staterns" or something?

Why are Canadians not called Americans (or the rest of the inhabitants in the continent for that matter)?

Isn't it like calling France Europe and French people Europeans and implying that British people, Spaniards or Germans are not Europeans although they do live in "Europe" ?

I have always had this question.


texts:
Is there a word or a term used for someone who hops from idea to idea?

More specifically, for someone who jumps from idea to idea without ever really completing any of them.


texts: "sic" with "explicitly" (and other adverbs)

texts:
I was reading a Wikipedia article on Fermat's principle that quoted some older English text, and one bit confused me:

The principle of Fermat, although it was assumed by that mathematician on hypothetical, or even imaginary grounds, is in fact a fundamental law with respect to undulatory motion, and is explicitly [sic] the basis of every determination in the Huygenian theory...

The use of "sic" is tied in the source code to the word "explicitly," by the way. I thought this might have been a one-off thing, but when you search "explicitly [sic]" you find a host of other examples, most of which seem fine to me:

...there is just one non-Hebrew document from Syria-Palestine which speaks explicitly [sic] of the Hebrews... [2]

'Velikovsky explicitly [sic] predicts the presence of frogs and flies in the clouds of Jupiter...' [3]

He does not claim, and in fact explicitly [sic] denies, that suppositions of like universality attach to critique or textual interpretation... [4]

What's going on here? Is there something wrong with these sentences, or is it some extension of usage?


texts: Can I say, "He goes on to say" in an academic paper?

texts: I have already used, "He states/asserts/postulates" in my paper quite a bit and I don't want to repeat myself again. I want to add another quote by the same author, but I'm not sure if this is acceptable: "He goes on to say, '......' ". Is this okay for an academic paper? What are some other common academic phrases we could use for "He said" and "He also said"?


texts: Unlike British English and other varieties, American English does not double the letter "l" in words such as "traveled", "canceled", etc. However, it does with the word "controlled". Is there any logical explanation for this contradiction?


texts: What would you call a person who gains a sense of godlikeness, but uses their knowledge and omnipotence for what they feel is the good of others? I ask because I'm wondering what to call myself. I have decided to pursue psychiatry to have power over others but only to make them and their lives better; it is that feeling of making someone infinitely better that I crave so what am I???


texts: Grease quote explanation "Pinkslips ownership papers?"

texts:
My son loves Grease and watches it over and over.

So I am starting memorizing it all, but there are some phrases I don't understand.

Please explain exactly what this part means (it is before the car race between Danny and Leo - Scorpion's leader):

Leo: Good, 'cos we're racing for pinks.

Danny: Pinks?

Leo: Pinks, you punk! Pink slips! Ownership papers!

Danny: Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!


texts:
What is the correct way to say "Line of Businesses" or "Line of Business"?

if you want to say multi or ten, twenty ie quantity. how do you add line of business?

is it "10 line of business", "10 lines of business" or "10 lines of businesses"?

"The partner company has 10 lines of business operating independently to serve customers. "

Here, the partner company has different departments such as financial, IT, HR etc. These are more or less departments within the company but they generate revenue as well. That is why they are called LoB.

Thanks.


texts:
Can you tell me which ones are grammatically correct and why?

  Students must study for 20 hours per week.
  Students must study for 20 hours each week.
  Students must study for 20 hours every week.

  Students must study 20 hours per week.
  Students must study 20 hours each week.
  Students must study 20 hours every week.

I am also not sure is it necessary to have "for" after study.

Please help thank you.


texts:
Would it be grammatically correct to write

  Mister X is father to a son and a daughter

or should one preferably choose the preposition of?

  Mister X is father of a son and a daughter.

If both are correct, is there a difference in meaning? Could a step-dad perhaps only say that he is "father to a son" but not of him, if he is not the son's biological father (along the lines of expressions like "he is like a father to me")?

Is there any reference in BE/AE with respect to "father to" vs. "father of"?


texts: What is a complex/difficult example of English tenses?

texts:
I'm a native English speaker, and while learning other languages, I've learned that English has more complex tenses than other languages. I don't know what all of the English tenses are, but the most difficult one I can find is the past perfect continuous, i.e. "I had been hoping". But I know I have seen more complex examples before of how confusing tenses can get in English, I suppose by combining multiple tenses into one complex sentence. But I haven't been able to find these examples.
I'm trying to illustrate how complex tenses can become. What are some good example sentences that illustrate the complexity of tenses in English? I'm not looking for realistic sentences, but rather for bizarre examples.


texts:
s following th is really hard for me. My tongue is never fast enough.
I wonder if there is any reduction here. How do you pronounce it?


texts:
In technical writing, when describing how the software performs the action of completing a field on a screen, do you describe the field as being 'automatically populated' or just 'populated'? Does 'populated' inherently infer 'automatically'?

What is the difference between using these two terms, and in what situations is one preferred over the other? Are there any rules to distinguish the use?


texts:
I have seen the word crosswalk (cross-walk) used as a transitive verb in the sense of align, compare, connect, link, relate, etc. ("Crosswalk your labor categories to the tasks in the statement of work.") ("We will crosswalk your estimated costs to each of the contract tasks.") I cannot find this usage in any dictionary, but I have seen it in some legal decisions and government documents, and I have seen some scholarly articles that mention or describe various kinds of "crosswalk analysis."

When did this usage begin? In what field or profession?


texts: Is "no other" + comparative grammatically correct?

texts:
There is no other harsher critic than yourself.

I'm really stumped on this one. The more I read it the less correct it sounds. I think the word harsher is making the sentence sound fairly off putting.

Other variations include:

  There is no harsher critic other than yourself.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!


texts: Does racism include both race and gender, or just race?

texts: Recently someone told me that racism means that it means both race and gender discrimination. However, I think that sexism is the word used for gender. Am I correct?


texts:
Is there a word for the deliberate mispronunciation of words in order to confuse people, or to start a new trend of pronunciation?

Ex. He often tried to impress us with his wit and wordplay, but his speech was so full of ___________ that we had difficulty understanding him.


texts: When and why is the word "transnational" used instead of "international"?

texts:
US President Trump today referred to the need to take measures against "M-15" and other forms of "transnational crime."

Online search defines "transnational:"

  trans·na·tion·al [tran(t)sˈnaSHnəl, tranzˈnaSHnəl]

  ADJECTIVE extending or operating across national boundaries.
  "transnational advertising agencies" NOUN a large company operating
  internationally; a multinational.

I know that the "trans-" prefix is indicative of change, but when can we tell whether it is more appropriate to write "international" or "transnational?"  Is there a reason the U.S. president did not refer to "international crime?"  Does "transnational" imply a change or shift in the location of the subject, as the "trans-" prefix usually suggests?


texts:
I was talking to someone earlier today, and while trying to relate with them, I suddenly found myself trying to decide between "I too" and "me too". I can't quite grasp their differences.
As I understand it, "me too" is valid only on its own, in response to someone's statement.

Person 1: I absolutely love that new album
Person 2: Me too! Doesn't everyone?

Whereas, "I too" works (I believe) in both that scenario, as well as at (is that wording correct?) the beginning of a response phrase.

Person 3: I too, enjoy the album you mentioned.

Regardless of whether I am right or not, can someone please explain the mechanics behind this?


texts:
In the sentence 'Are those english newspapers?' the word 'those' is a demonstrative adjective or pronoun?
My english book says that a demonstrative is an adjective if it is followed by a noun (like in 'those newspapers are interesting'), is this true also for questions like that one?
Thanks in advance


texts: Words for the scalability and lack thereof of object properties

texts:
All the objects are red, so the group is red.

All the objects are small, but the group is not small.

Color is ___, while size is ___ .

I'm trying to remember the words for this distinction regarding properties and collections, but I am struggling to do so.  The words are most frequently encountered in philosophy, I believe.


texts: "Frequent absence" versus "frequent absences"

texts:
One of my English tests required me to complete the gaps with words formed from the words in capital letters.

  It is a love story about a man with a disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably, and about his wife, an artist, who has to cope with his frequent _____ (ABSENT) and dangerous experiences.

I wrote "absence" there but was told it should instead be "absences" as it is used along with "frequent". Is saying "frequent absence" generally acceptable? Is it fine to use in this sentence? If not, why?


texts: What's the opposite of "cost" when downgrading and you get some of the money back?

texts:
For example, I'm playing a game where it costs $5 to upgrade one of my weapons.
Thus I have an "upgrade cost" of $5.

When I want to downgrade my weapon and I only get $3 back for it, what would be the opposite word for cost?

Upgrade cost of $5
Downgrade X of $3


texts: Is it correct to write the telephone abbreviation as "Tel" when the number refers to a mobile phone?

texts:
Really, I don't know whether in other countries (English speaking) there is a difference between telephone and mobile phones numbers. If there is no such difference, then this question makes no sense.

But if there is (as in Spain where telephones start by 9 and mobile by 6), is it correct to write "Tel: mobile number" or should I write "Cell: mobile number"?

I'm particularly interested in formal writing, i.e. CVs, resumes, signatures...


texts:
The journalist's purpose is to deliver the facts, and not to manipulate them. This requires non-adherence to editorial lines.

What does "editorial lines" mean in this context?


texts: Are there common etymological links to the words "judge", "Jew", "Jude" and 'justice"?

texts: Are there common etymological links to the words "judge", "Jew", "Jude" and "justice"?  One source cited "yew" and/or "yewes" as possible Proto-Indo-European links to "Jew".  How about "jewel" amd "jewelry"?  Latin "iustitia" helps with "justice", but because of the shared Roman/Jewish history(Latin and Hebrew/Aramaic), I'm looking for good scholarship on the possible links between and among all these words.  Thank you.


texts: What are "stocks" called in English for online shops?

texts:
In a piece of software, what would I call a place or building where products may be stored before their export or distribution for sale, particularly for online stores (such as Amazon.com)?

It will look like this:

  Small Independent _____ has 200 item(s).
  Books, Electronics and DVD/VCD products in the Medium Owned _____.


texts: "The Departments of Mathematics and Economics". Make sense?

texts: I wish to list several academic departments in one essay. Initially, I wrote them in full as "the Department of Mathematics, the Department of Economics, the Department of Philosophy". However, it is long and seems verbose. Can I just abbreviate them as "the Departments of Mathematics, Economics, and Philosophy". Does this abbreviation make sense?


texts: What is the antonym of "assemble a team"?

texts:
in the context of the computer software industry, what would be the opposite of "assemble a team"?

a colleague of mine (who is a native english speaker) suggested "dissemble", but looking up the word meaning yield:

  Dissemble
  Conceal or disguise one's true feelings or beliefs […]

… so it seems she meant "disassemble":

  Disassemble
  Take (something) to pieces […]

since i don't question her lingual skills, i wonder; could "dissemble" be used in that context, interchangeably?


texts: When to use "1" vs. "one" for technical writing?

texts:
I currently am in the middle of a discussion about the proper use for when to use the numeral "1" versus "one".

There are two sides to this argument:

1) In technical writing, numerals should always be used.

The company hired 4 interns, but the fifth 1 left

Patch management is 1 of the best ways...

The client should create a 1-way trust

2) When using it as a pronoun or as an unspecified measure, "one" should be used.

One of the things to consider

The assessment met one common standard

Can someone please provide some insight for clarity? Thank you in advance.


texts: A word for an argument which is tentative?

texts:
It seems, prima facie, that A is true. But if we suppose that A is
  true, then it follows that B is false.

The above argument is based on a hypothesis. The argument is not firm but prudent and tentative. Is there any word or phrase for such sort of argument?


texts: I need a word which means “not bound by time or space”

texts:
I need a single word which means "not bound by time or space"

Words such as "timeless," "eternal," "atemporal," ",forever," or "incorporal" either means "not bound by time" or "not bound by space" but I need a word means both.

Here is what I am writing:

Either way, regardless of how powerful we, humans, become or how technologically advanced we will be, or how much knowledge we will accumulate, the concern which will forever haunt humanity is still the same: how will we, humans, put our power to use? We could even invent the time machine today. We could discover the secret to teleportation today. We could all move to Mars today. We could produce a weapon that is even more destructive than a nuclear bomb today. And none of that would answer how humans ought to put these great tools to use. Here, the more powerful humans become the more we are prone to causing our own destruction. Power is something which none of us should take likely. The question of how we ought to use our power is a crucial question which humanity must answer and must answer correctly. Regardless of how powerful or powerless we are, regardless of what context we might find ourselves in—from talking to our loved ones all the way to making a decision that could affect millions, regardless of whether it would be right at this very moment or ten thousand years from now, there is just not a time nor space which this question isn’t relevant.

The purpose of my research aims to solve and answer this [A WORD WHICH MEANS NOT BOUND BY TIME OR SPACE HERE] question.

PLEASE DO NOT GET INTO A PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION. I JUST WANT SUGGESTION OF POSSIBLE WORDS + EXPLANATION. THANK YOU.


texts: Does 'some' necessarily imply 'not all'?

texts: If some X's are Y's, does that imply that some X's are not Y's?


texts: There is a continuity problem with (a film)

texts:
So if there is a continuity problem with X (for example a film), what is the way of describing it?

  It is not continuous

but that doesn't work because "continuous" means

  forming an unbroken whole; without interruption
  -e.g. a loop of string.

I imagine is would be pronounced "kəntɪ'njʊəs", or "con-ti-newus" with emphasis on the "newus", rather than continuous - "kənˈ-tɪn-jʊəs", with empasis on the "tin".

What is the word for something which has a continuity problem?


texts:
English is not my first language, so I'm not sure what you commonly call one of these:

I'm trying to choose between blackboard, white blackboard, or maybe just 'slate'.


texts: Is there a difference in meaning between "List of Xs" and "X list"? For example, does "task list" means the same thing as "list of tasks"? What about grammar? Can they be used interchangeably in a sentence?


texts: What preposition should be in the blank? “Follow-up notes ___ (to/on/of) the quiz booklet”

texts:
The question is clear in the title. Also, if it matters, I’m using this as a title to my notes, obviously. I’m currently going with my guts and have written “to.” Please provide examples/counter-examples to back your answer. Thank you.

Edit: From comments below it seems like “on” is probably wrong in the context. “Notes on a Scandal” is alright but the “notes” I’m referring to are not “about the booklet” but rather have been taken out of the booklet with modifications. So, “Follow-up notes on the quiz booklet” feels wrong. But no one is sure yet. Also notice the article “the”. Hopefully, this clarifies the context.


texts: Inversion with adverbials: when do I need the auxiliary?

texts:
I'd like to know why some inversions need an auxiliary and others don't need one.
For example:
"Little did I know about her" auxiliary + subject + verb
Why not "Little knew I about her", which is also an inversion?

But Here comes the sun; Adverb + verb + subject
or down came the rain: Adverb + verb + subject
Why not "Down did the rain come"?

They are all inversions, but some use an auxiliary and some just the verb.
Thank you so much in advance!


texts: Simple meaning of "A mellow edge isn't an oxymoron"

texts:
I got this as my astrology prediction.

  A mellow edge isn't an oxymoron. Buy
  their drinks. Show them why you're so famous.

What oxymoron means is

  A figure in which an epithet of a contrary signification is added to a
  word; e. g., cruel kindness; laborious idleness.

Still kind of confused regarding this sentence.

What does this phrase actually mean in simpler language?


texts:
I read this sentence in an article -
" black people have claim upon everything as whites " .
Is this sentence grammatically correct and what does it imply


texts: Positioning of comma when assumptions are added to other people's information, as in "I assume"

texts:
In a passage of my book, a character tells another that he's "dead". Now, this scene is quite intense, propping up what seems like an imminent fight. The character being threatened has picked up on this, and asks a question in return regarding the information given, with an assumption added. My question is where the  comma should come.

Here are the two alternatives (as I see it):

  But tell me Gussy, how do you intend to support this claim of my, I assume, imminent death?

Or number two:

  But tell me Gussy, how do you intend to support this claim of my, I assume imminent, death?

The first alternative feels much more natural, especially considering how I'd say it. But the second one feels like it makes more sense. I feel it makes more sense because his assumption is the imminence, and not the "death" part. Though, this is quite obvious, considering the "death" part has already been explicitly stated. The imminence on the other hand, is strongly implied. Yet, the first alternative still feels syntactically wrong (if it even relates to syntax). But the first one is also the one that feels the most natural to write. Also, separating the sole adjective of a noun with a comma seems weird.

So, which alternative is correct? If both, which is most common and/or grammatical (if grammaticality is even a factor in such a case)?

EDIT: If I have understood the comments correctly, people are telling me that an alternative could be:

  But tell me Gussy, how do you intend to support this claim of my (I assume, imminent) death

That alternative might be a misunderstanding of what the commenters were trying to communicate, but I guess that'll be revealed soon enough.


texts:
I am a bit confused about differences in the usage of articles before ordinal numbers.
Technically, it would be logical to always use "the" for instances like "the fourth time I did this" or "the tenth city to host this conference", but I've also encountered such phrases as "The show was renewed for a second series."
How does this work?


texts: Prepositional phrasal verbs in passive voice

texts:
I wanted to clarify the question of prepositional phrasal verbs for myself.
I have faced a tricky sentence, and I would like to discover if I can change the location of the preposition 'at'. If not, I would like to understand why. Here is the sentence:

He is handsome enough to be looked at by any passenger.

Can the sentence be changed to:

He is handsome enough to be looked by any passenger at.

The verb 'look at' is a prepositional phrasal verb. It is intransitive in the active voice: 'I look at you'. Can we turn this into the passive voice as: 'You are looked by me at'? Does the preposition 'at' turn into an adverb in that case?

Thank you.


texts: Is the "Secret Policeman's Ball" an allusion to bribery?

texts:
The Secret Policeman's Ball were a series of benefit shows.
However, is the phrase "buying a ticket to the Secret Policeman's Ball" an allusion to paying a bribe?


texts:
Is there a word or term to describe attempting to discredit an organisation/movement/group by association of certain members involved?

For example, when discussing the Peoples Vote campaign among certain people I often here it being discredited by having Chuka Ummuna as the leader, Anna Sourby as a co-chairperson, and now Roland Rudd as supposedly being involved. All unsavoury characters no doubt about it, but bringing them up does nothing to discuss the merits of a second vote and only seeks to close down debate.

Edit
Written as a more abstract example:

  Person A and Person B are discussing whether the UK should have a second referendum on Brexit as campaigned for by the "Peoples Vote" pressure group.
  Person A is in favour of a second vote.
  Person B is against a second vote.
  Person B explains that Chuka, Anna and Roland - people who both A and B agree are unsavoury characters - are involved in the Peoples Vote group, two of whom in high profile positions. Person B uses this as a reason for why the entire Peoples Vote group is illegitimate and ultimately that because the Peoples Vote group is illegitimate that the UK should not have a second referendum on Brexit.
  Person B has not raised any points to do with the merits of the Peoples Vote objective - to have a second referendum - other than to discredit the group by association of some of the individuals involved.

I have been calling this "a sort of ad hominem" attack up till now, however, as I understood it the definition of ad hominem is to attack the claim maker so I think I am wrong in saying this. Person A in this is not making any claim. The entity being attacked is a third party - the Peoples Vote group.

This seems to be happening a lot nowadays, especially when discussing something political.


texts: Is "Time is short and the water's risin'" a Southernism?

texts:
My Georgia-born mother used to say, "Time is short and the water's risin'."

I think the expression was the title of a recent memoir, but couldn't find it on Amazon.

Is anyone familiar with its origin?


texts:
Dinkum as a noun means work, especially hard work. As an adjective, like fair dinkum, it means honest or genuine.

Other than saying it's chiefly Australian and New Zealand, the OED simply says "Origin unknown" and has a first quotation from 1888  for the noun and 1894 for the adjective.

But why dinkum? What is its origin? Are there any older quotations?


texts: Is it OK to drop the periods in abbreviations?

texts:
When I was in school, strictly every abbreviation had a period after each (capitalized) letter, as in U.S.A. These days, it seems ok just to capitalise, as in USA.

Is this a new rule? It does look jarring to have those periods everywhere, and it's annoying to type.

Related: Omitting periods after title abbreviations (Mr, Mrs, Dr).


texts: One word that describes customer, business and vendor

texts:
Is there one word that can describe the following words?

  customer, business, and vendor.

I am working on a system, and I need to somehow fit all the above categories under one page. Currently, I have thought about putting them under "Entities", but this just doesn't sound right to me...


texts: Is it correct to say 'Do you know him in person?'

texts:
I came across a discussion on another forum where they are discussing different ways to ask if you actually know a person.

'Do you know him personally?

Did you meet him in person?

Do you know him in person?'

There's a debate going on as to whether 'Do you know him in person?' is correct English. One person stated that 'in person' requires an active verb [action verb; EA]. I understand action and stative verbs to some extent but I do not quite understand this. Do you agree with this person?

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/lo-conoces-en-persona.3238389/#post-16711884


texts:
I believe I've heard a phrase such as

  Steven Stevenson of Microsoft

or

  Kylie Kyleson of StackExchange

How frequent is it to refer to someone in this way, or in other words, does it sound too pretentious, or is it a valid way to add credentials?


texts:
Is it correct to use "starboard side" to refer to the "right-side" of a land vehicle (e.g. cars / trucks / lorries / motorcycles) ?

Wiktionary seems to accept specifically ships, boats, and aircrafts, but I've seen people using it to describe trucks (link, expand the comments).


texts: So, I know 'dose of your own medicine' is an older version of 'taste of your own medicine'; but which one is widely used nowadays? Are both of them correct, or did people stop saying 'dose of your own medicine'?


texts:
Is councilor the spelling used in the U.S., while councillor the spelling used in Canada, UK, and most places internationally?

Hilariously, Google will use both councilor and councillor in the same definition.


texts: Is 'amenable' a derogatory description of a person?

texts:
I'm asking someone for a reference letter, and almost used the word amenable. Looked it up, and definitely hesitated when the definition was "easily persuaded or controlled".

I would like to list you as a reference, if you are amenable to that.

I don't want to call a professional "easily persuaded or controlled". Call me crazy, but I thought that the connotation of the word was 'a pleasant person'. Any opinions here?


texts: What does "Keep it real" mean in this context?

texts:
All:

It is 9:00PM, one of my coworker said to me:"Dude, keep it real..".

I am curious about what does that means? I thought that phrase only has negative meaning( like true to urself. behave your true self,  etc.. I can not find any positive meaning about this phrase),  so I am wondering does he just tell me to relax and chill( be a REAL human and do not push myself unrealistic hard, because I started work from 8:30AM to now) or this is a ironic joke( like he does not believe I am working but just wasting time pretending working)?

Since He said that directly to me, so this makes me so confused! Im still learning English, and I do not make any misunderstanding to anyone or by anyone, please help.

Thanks


texts: Are there words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently depending on whether the initial letter is capital or lowercase?

texts:
There are some pairs of words that are spelled the same, aside from capitalization, but pronounced differently. One example of this is Polish - polish.
I remembered another pair but forgot it. Can somebody help?

The following question is related, but not the same because it only asks about words with different meanings, and doesn't specify that they must have different pronunciations: "Words that change meaning when the first letter is capitalized"


texts: "On which to unload those most unbelievable yet haunting of fairy-tales"

texts:
I met the following line: "of listening ears on which to unload those most unbelievable yet haunting of fairy-tales" in the novel Waterland, written by Graham Swift.

I began, having recognized in my young but by no means carefree class the contagious symptoms of fear: ‘Once upon a time …’
Children, who will inherit the world. Children to whom, throughout history, stories have been told, chiefly but not always at bedtime, in order to quell restless thoughts; whose need of stories is matched only by the need adults have of children to tell stories to, of receptacles for their stock of fairy-tales, of listening ears on which to unload those most unbelievable yet haunting of fairy-tales, their own lives; children – they are going to separate you and me. Lewis has seen to it. Forgive this emotion. I do not deserve your protestations. (We need our Cricky and all that stuff of his.) I do not expect you to understand that after thirty-two years I have rolled you all into one and now I know the agonies of a mother robbed of her child.… But listen, listen. Your history teacher wishes to give you the complete and final version …
And since a fairy-tale must have a setting, a setting which, like the settings of all good fairy-tales, must be both palpable and unreal, let me tell you

Below, is the line which has prompted me to ask the following questions.

"whose need of stories is matched only by the need adults have of children to tell stories to, of receptacles for their stock of fairy-tales, of listening ears on which to unload those most unbelievable yet haunting of fairy-tales, their own lives"

Does the sentence “... of listening ears on which to unload those most unbelievable yet haunting of fairy-tales ...” mean: "The adult have the need to unload those most unbelievable yet haunting of fairy-tales on the listening ears"?

Does the word yet mean "used for emphasizing that someone or something is even bigger, better, worse, more etc than someone or something else" in yet haunting of fairy-tales?

Is the word haunting an adjective?

Does the word haunting mean "sad or beautiful in a way that is difficult to forget"

Does the word "of" in “haunting of fairy-tales” have the same meaning as the word "of" in the sentence "It is very nice of you to say that"?

Does the word "of" in "haunting of fairy-tales" mean "used to indicate that someone has behaved in a specified way"?

Thanks a lot for everyone's help in advance.