texts: Is “What goes around comes around” African-American?

texts:
The famous aphorism, (and a Justin Timberlake's song) what goes around comes around,  appears to have originated in the United States. It refers to a completed cycle, and normally carries a negative connotation.

Merriam-Webster defines it as: “if someone treats other people badly he or she will eventually be treated badly by someone else”

Dictionary.com confirms and adds the ominous foreboding, “Retribution follows wrongdoing; justice may take time, but it will prevail” and suggests the proverb dates from the 1970s.

Oxford Dictionaries simply states, “The consequences of one's actions will have to be dealt with eventually.”

According to this answer on Quora, the earliest instance is from 1962 and the phrase is used repeatedly among the pages of a novel entitled Burn, Killer, Burn! by Paul Crump

  “Okay, Joe, this round is yours, only remember, what goes
  around, comes around, cop?” He edged out of the booth, pulling the girl with him.

  “Yeah, I cop. But just so you don't make any mistakes when it comes around, the name is Guy, Guy Morgan, not Joe or Jim.”

However, in a periodical called Science & Society, printed in 1978, the same precept is used, only this time its sense carries a far more positive message.

  What this means in human terms is not only that the poor pay more (as Caplowitz tells us), but that the poor share more as well. Stack's monograph contains richly textured descriptions of the way that food, furniture, clothing, appliances, kids and money make the rounds between individuals and households. She subtitles one chapter, "What Goes Round Comes Round," and describes the velocity with which pooling takes place. People try to give what they can and take what they need. […] The pleasures and pressures of such survival networks are predominantly organized around the notion of family.

The anthropologist and author of All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community, (1974) Carol B. Stack, wrote a groundbreaking account of African-American ghettos in the 1970s

  The result was a landmark study that debunked the misconception that poor families were unstable and disorganized. On the contrary, her study showed that families in The Flats adapted to their poverty conditions by forming large, resilient, lifelong support networks based on friendship and family that were very powerful, highly structured and surprisingly complex. source

Questions

Did the aphorism, or phrase, originate in the African-American community; is it AAVE (African-American Vernacular English)? Is the 1962 citation, cited in Quora, the earliest known instance?  And finally, did “What goes around comes around” originally have a positive interpretation, as suggested by Stack's study, or not?


texts: What is the opposite of "counter-rotating"?

texts:
Two objects are termed "counter-rotating", if they rotate in opposite direction, i.e. one rotates clockwise while the other rotates counter-clockwise. (see: counter-rotating propellers)
Is there also a word for objects rotating in the same direction? I though of "corotating", which however seems to have different meanings.


texts: Punctuation for a story read aloud within a story

texts: I have written a fairy tale in which another person reads a story aloud within the tale itself. Do I need quotation marks around the entire story within the story? If I need to at all, how do I punctuate it?


texts: Phrase for doing something unexpectedly fast

texts:
I want to know if there is such a phrase. What I mean is doing something "over the course of a night", but of course it doesn't have to be that short.

I think it could have something to do with things which ended unexpectedly fast, you did it in unbelieveably short period of time. This is a phrase from another language, I didn't want to translate it in a plain way. I hope there is something similar in English.


texts: What is the meaning of " bless their little pea-pickin' hearts but TMW has done it again"?

texts:
What does this sentence mean, especially the usage of 'but'?

Well, bless their little pea-pickin' hearts but TMW has done it again.

Also what does TMW mean?


texts: How did the word 'Gang' come to represent the switches in a light switch

texts:
When referring to light switches those that have two switches are known as 2 Gang, three switches 3 Gang... and so on.

Etymonline doesn’t give details in that respect, nor do other online dictionaries.

Where did this usage come from?


texts: Is the ellipsis made in the following sentence fine?

texts:
The point is way more clear in the first scenario than it is in the second.

Is there any problem that I omitted "scenario" after the second?

I could also say this way:

  The point is way more clear in the first scenario than it is in the second one.

But the first way seems better to me as it has more brevity.


texts: Using 'few months back' and 'few months ago'

texts:
While I have grown up knowing that 'ago' is the word of choice while referring to an earlier timeline.now I have become quite confused with the regular use of 'back' in its place.

Many say that 'ago' sounds better when used in 'many a millennia ago' or 'many years ago', 'back' is more suited while saying 'a couple of months back' or 'a few days back'.

I am, somehow, not convinced. Please help.


texts: Is there a word meaning, "the one who is responsible." Perhaps "responsiblant" as in, "She is the initial responsiblant of this task."


texts: meaning of "farmers who receive state subsidies" in context

texts:
Western involvement in Africa should go far beyond the purchase of oil and minerals, and requires sacrifices from all wealthy countries, Western and non-Western. The matter of agricultural subsidies ranks high in this category. The majority of Africans today make their living as commercial farmers, and for them, any unfair competition on free markets has devastating results. African farmers earn very low per-hour wages, and they are able to market their tea, cotton, cacao, and bananas at very low prices. But, they cannot compete with farmers who receive state subsidies to plant, harvest, export, and market their produce. It is up to the rich countries to gradually stop these subsidies-if they really believe their own words about free trade-and to give African farmers their chance.

Q) Just with the given passage above, it seems impossible to figure out whether "farmers who receive state subsidies ~" in the passage refers to those in rich countries or those in Africa but receives subsidies from rich countries (either African or rich state nationals). The author talks about a problem arisen by agricultural subsidies which, in fact, lead to unfair competition on free market. But whether the "free market" refers to world market or domestic market in African states is not clear to me. For this, it seems impossible to know whether farmers who create an unfair competition by receiving subsidies are those from rich countries who are now in Africa, those in rich countries, or African farmers in Africa who receives government subsides originated from rich countries. Am I missing something? Or it's the passage?

Depending on which one is correct, I guess the whole point of the passage changes because the problem the author talks about can be understood in two different levels: the problem in the level of world trade (world market) and the problem in the level of domestic market that leads to poverty in Africa.

Is my problematique valid? Thanks in advance.


texts: Difference between "is like nothing else" and "is not like anything else"

texts:
"Anyone who has visited Paris knows that this city is not like anything else"
"Anyone who has visited Paris knows that this city is like nothing else"
Is there any difference between these two sentences, and which one is the most appropriate variant?


texts:
Which one is correct and why?

  To my right is Alex.
  On my right is Alex.

What is the difference between on and to here?


texts: What is a word that describes a perfectionist that only judges their own work?

texts: That person doesn't need to do everything perfect but only specifically focused on the things they're talented in. Also that person doesn't care what others think of their standard or judge another persons standard.


texts:
I have seen this phrase many times, yet when I tried searching for coursing, the phrase was nowhere to be found. Example from The Free Dictionary:

  Coursing is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight and not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy, and commoners with sighthounds and lurchers. In its oldest recorded form in the Western world, as described by Arrian, the sport was practised by all levels of society, as remained the case until Carolingian hunting law (Forest Law) appropriated hunting grounds, or commons, for the king, the nobility, and other land owners.

I can imagine this meaning fit into the phrase, but that still doesn't explain the utter lack of any information on it, at least on the web.


texts:
I am reading A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen. Here's one paragraph from chapter 2:

That afternoon I headed to a local pet store and got him (my cat) a couple of weeks' worth of food. I'd been given a sample of scientific formula food at the RSPCA and tried it on him the previous night. He'd liked it so I bought a bag of that. I also got him a supply of cat food. It cost me around 9 pounds, which really was the last money I had.

What does "scientific formula food" mean here?


texts: Why did ‘off-the-shelf' come to mean ‘in stock, ready-made, and easily available’?

texts:
I came across the word “off-the-shelf” in the following sentence of Time magazine’s article “The 50 Best Inventions of the Years (Nov.11 issue).

He (inventor of the first synthetic cell) started with ‘off-the-shelf chemical’, and managed to reconstruct the genome of bacterium that successfully ‘booted up.’

I checked out the word “off-the-shelf” with a dictionary at hand, which defines it as “in stock, ready-made, easily available.”

Although this may be a naive question to most of native English speakers, it casted me a question, why does “off-the-shelf” which sounds to me “off the store-shelves” akin to “out-of-stock” on its face come to mean ready made and easily available? Can somebody explain it to me?


texts: Is describing someone as “higher-educated” awkward?

texts:
I’m updating my résumé and would like to convey in a condensed manner the fact that I have a Masters degree in a particular branch of the humanities (politics and society of the Middle East, but that’s not necessarily relevant).

I completed the program in 2006, though, and have gained a good bit of professional and field experience since then, so it sounds kind of wrong to refer to myself as a recent postgraduate even though that’s actually a nice, punchy formulation of the concept I’d like to convey . . . if only it was recent!

Then again, calling myself a postgraduate might not be fair because it could connote that I’m currently undertaking study, which is not the case at all.

I could call myself higher-educated, but that just sounds awkward and contrived to me. What do others think about that phrase? Can you think of any alternatives?


texts: Are there too many their in my sentence?

texts:
Travelling around the world for tourism and business gave me the chance to meet many people in developing countries. When I hear about their lives in their home countries, I can relate to their desire for better lives.

Should keep the first two "their"s, as I have bolded.

P.S is it better to say "Travelling around the world for both tourism and business" ?


texts: Pronunciation Deleting /t/ Between Consonants

texts:
When I pronounce the phrase:

"Look, it's the first day. I don't wanna be late."

I think that the /t/ in the words "first" and "don't" can be deleted. Am I right? I'm talking about casual speech.

Below is the phonetic transcription. I stressed the content words (the bolded words) without shifting stress for special meaning. I deleted the /t/ in both words, though.

lʊk, ɪts ðə fɜrs deɪ. aɪ doʊn wʌ nə bɪ leɪt.


texts:
I'm looking for a term or word for someone who is certain there was a God,  but is no longer around. Maybe God died, went away, or just no longer keeps an eye on us.

I thought agnostic,  but that seems to be someone who is unsure if god ever existed.


texts: What do you call the person whom you ship your product to?

texts:
This person receives your product but they MAY or MAY NOT be your customer (maybe someone who can deliver it to your customer like their relative or friends but not some delivery company). Also, their details are added to under 'Shipping Details' by the customer maybe because your customer doesn't have a permanent address yet.

What do you call this person? Some names I thought of were 'receiver' or 'referee' or 'trustee' but I don't think they're accurate enough in business terms.


texts: My home town has a charity which maintains our parks - called the “Parks Trust”. I recently got involved in a Facebook debate as I’ve always maintained that it should be “Parks’ Trust”. My main opponent argued that as the parks belonged to the trust (which I’m not sure they actually do) rather than the other way round the apostrophe wasn’t necessary. Was either of us correct?


texts:
There is an idiom that seems to be distinctly British: "---- this for a game of soldiers" where the dashes are replaced with various swear words.  For example: "Sod this for a game of soldiers."  It usually seems to involve profanity but there are some cleaned-up variations such as "Stuff this for a game of soldiers."

The basic meaning is clear: "---- this" expresses disapproval of a situation.  But I'm curious about the modifying phrase.

My guess, and it is only a guess, is that the phrase is expressing a preferred alternative.  "---- this, I would prefer to play a game of soldiers."  My reason for this is that there is an alternative formulation, "---- this for a lark" where "a lark" means "a fun and carefree activity".

I have done Google searches and haven't found any authoritative source.  Most sources seem to agree that there is a meaning of "this activity is not worth the trouble" or possibly "this activity is no longer worth the trouble".

I have found several sources suggesting that "game of soldiers" is somehow referring to the unpleasantness of war, which would suggest the meaning "---- this, the current situation has become an unpleasant one."  But this seems highly unlikely to me as the related phrase cannot possibly be construed that way: a "lark" is never an unpleasant situation.

What does it mean?  And where did it originate, did this come from the military, or what?

EDIT: Since posting this, I have come to think that maybe the overall sense of the phrase is "this activity is not worth my time," which may be a British understatement for some usages.  (I saw this phrase in a web comic where explosions started happening and a character ran for his life shouting "Sod this for a game of soldiers!")  "a game of soldiers" and "a lark" might both simply be metaphors for an activity with no real benefit.  Thus, if someone waits for almost an hour for a late friend and then says "---- this for a game of soldiers" it could mean "to continue waiting would be as unprofitable a use of my time as playing soldiers" or more simply "--- this, it's not a good use of my time."


texts:
As far as I know it is wrong to say "birthed", isn't it?

I am asking since I read it in a post on a blog I follow.

The post: www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/03/12/austin-kleon-show-your-work/

The phrase: "ideas are often birthed by a group of creative individuals"

As an English foreign language speaker I was taught that we say" born" and I recall "birthed" is grammatically wrong.

Is the word correct or is new in the Internet age?


texts:
I read a sentence below.

  Discussions with the delegate are going better than planned.

I was just wondering why is just "planned" put in the sentence without noun?
What words were omitted here?
(I'm not sure which is correct between "than (it is) planned" and "than planned (one)")


texts: Who are the witnesses in a court hearing?

texts:
Among the witnesses called by petitioner were Mr. Allen; Ms. Farrow; Dr. Susan Coates, a clinical psychologist who treated Satchel; Dr. Nancy Schultz, a clinical psychologist who treated Dylan; and Dr. David Brodzinsky, a clinical psychologist who spoke with Dylan and Moses pursuant to his assignment in a related Surrogate’s Court proceeding.

My question is: Mr. Allen is the Petitioner and the witnesses called by petitioner at the same time?


texts:
How should hypokeimenon be pronounced?

P.S. For the curious, a sci-fi book I'm reading used several words I did not know. When I looked them up, I also ran across hypokeimenon and wondered about it.

supernal
dolose
haecceity
morological
accipitrine
limbus
Odobenus rosmarus

These last six were within two pages. I only knew anything about one of them.


texts: How do i define short decades for 2000 and 2010?

texts:
80's is the eighties  1980 - 1989

90's is the nineties  1990 - 1999

Is it 00's and 01's?

How do i define a decade name for the 2000 and 2010?


texts: "Enterprises engaging in foreign trade" or "Enterprises engaged in foreign trade", which one is correct, thanks!


texts:
I was reading Martin Amis' 'London Fields' and I came across this sentence -

  'The sky was also empty, blown clean, an Africa of blue'.

I could not understand it. So, can anyone explain to me what it means?


texts:
Can I use hiring in this context?

  I improve the work prossess by hiring the communication technologies.

or

  I improve the work prossess by deployment of communication technologies.


texts:
I have found a similar topic addressing the use of "comprise" but my question is not exactly in line with that one. I  did ask this question there to keep the topic related to the use of "comprise" but it was removed since I did not follow protocol. So my apologies if this seems like a duplicate entry.

When does one use "comprises of" and when "comprise"? Are they interchangeable?

For example:

"My name comprises 5 letters"

"My name comprises of 5 letters"

Which is correct? Or are they both acceptable?


texts: What's the meaning of 'tote a megaphone'?

texts:
I think it literally means carrying a megaphone but I don't know why it is written there.
Please tell me.

  So that tiny voice in the back of your head telling you "I need a seat on this overcrowded bus -- stat!" is suddenly toting a megaphone, which helps you go with your gut and do what's best for you and your baby.


texts: When a person says ONE thing to deflect attention from something ELSE

texts:
What is the term when a person says ONE thing to deflect attention from something ELSE being said or done  by the same person.

Like someone does something wrong, but talks in circles or creates another story to redirect attention from what he did or said in the first place, so the original ill is noticed less.


texts:
Is it correct to ask "What time have you kept your money for?" as a question to mean "Why have you saved your money?"?
The answer is, "For a rainy day!"


texts: Another way to say "is not best addressed"

texts:
I need to write a text for programmers around the central idea that "performance is not best addressed at the code level".

This is a somewhat polemic issue, and I'd like to make my point as clearly and authoritatively as possible. I dislike the phrasing above because I feel there must be a more direct and natural way to say it, perhaps without the explicit negation "not best addressed".

Is there a better way of saying it?

Thanks,


texts: Is it bad to start a sentence with a citation

texts:
e.g.   [14,6] give 3 and 2.4-approximations for the FVS problem.

Also when do you not use numbers from one to ten as worded.

e.g.  The earliest algorithms had an approximation factor of 16, later algorithms improved the approximation factor to ten, 9.5, eight, 6.5 and three respectively.

The cited questions is about why my 2nd question is about the convention and whether or not it applies to a continuous quantity when it takes discrete values
e.g. does the rule apply to continuous variables e.g. The height of the ball is maximized at time 2e, four, 4.4,3, 2\pi, 2.5e, eight, 3e, 3 \pi and nine

and yes [14,6] are references listed in my bibliography I've found numbered bibliographies to be quite common but I'm not sure where it is okay to start the sentence with a citation.


texts: Why is subject-verb agreement violated in the following dialogue?

texts:
Hello :) I was watching Big Bang Theory and there's a scene where Sheldon's brother says like this; I know life has been hard for you... that don't mean it's been easy for the rest of us.
When I googled "that don't" certain verbs seemed to come after it like "that don't mean," "that don't impress," or "that don't sound." Maybe there's some nuance that this subject-verb agreement violation implies but I couldn't get any information. I'd really appreciate it if you could help me understand it. Thanks so much :)


texts:
I know the title is a bit confusing, English is not my first language.
Basically, I'll explain what I mean with a few examples below:

Gramograms - words that sound like letters.(i.e 'are' and 'R', 'cue' and 'q', 'bee' and b. You get the point)
Homonyms - words that sound alike but have different meanings('accept' and 'except', 'die' and 'dye', etc)
Palindromes - words that are spelled the same backwards. ('racecar', 'radar', 'level', are all spelled backwards the same)
Misnomers - a word or term that suggests a meaning that is known to be wrong('Funny bone' isn't a bone but a nerve, 'French Horns' are actually German, 'Koala bears' aren't beards, etc)
Autonyms - word that expresses a property that it also possesses("word" is a word, "English" is in English, "pentasyllabic" has 5 syllabels, etc)

I have two question:

Is there a full list of these? What others do you know of?
Is there a word for words that describe words?


texts: Difference between "no more used" and "no longer used"

texts: You can say not used any more just as readily as not used any longer, but it is no more used seems quite wrong compared to it is no longer used. Why?


texts: Find a word for 3rd person interference in telephone call

texts:
Let suppose following situation:

There is a company private/internal telephone network. The network has got a special feature, that a private telephone call between two office workers can be monitored by a supervisor/manager. That said supervisor can also interfere into the call in a way that he can say something into a microphone that will be heard by both office workers.

What would be the best matching word choice for the given situation?

Example sentence:

  <...> into private call took place on Monday at 01:15 PM o'clock.

(The preposition 'into' could be of course replaced or removed depending on proper grammar collocation)

Already found: interference or intrusion does not sound good because of subjective opinion. (Has got a pejorative expression)

Edit

To clarify, we can suppose that so called manager is already listening the call (this process is already named as monitoring). I'm going to find a word describing an event when he starts to say something.

I also prefer words from formal language (not any slang).


texts:
I was talking to my boyfriend about this but I wanted to get some more opinions.

"Comparable" can be pronounced as:

COMP-er-uh-bul (which is how I usually pronounce it)
Com-PAIR-ah-bul (which usually makes me blink and tilt my head)

Is there a specific case where one pronunciation is used over another? I tend to think that version 1 deals more with similarity than version 2. Version 2, to me, feels like it's more about the fact that two elements can be compared.

Also: can both words/pronunciations be used interchangeably (granted that my guesses toward the meanings are correct)?


texts:
What's the meaning for engage in the conversation below:

  Are you engaged, Margaret?
  Of course I'm not. Why do you ask, Nicholett?
  I only wanted to practice my English.
  Oh, I see. You want to make use of me.

Is Margaret busy doing something, or did she agreed to marry somebody?


texts: “Perfect pitch” equivalent for someone with a good visual sense

texts:
If someone with a good sense of tonal hearing can be described as having perfect pitch, what is the equivalent phrase or word for someone who has a good visual sense?

Meaning:

  Jane is great at color coordination and color balance. She has good
  sense of _____.

Or:

  Joe’s ability to detect fine detail in works of art make him a ____.


texts: Why can 'so' be a conjunction, but not 'hence', 'therefore', 'thus', ...?

texts:
While so can be an adverb or a conjunction, as the latter, it  can mean 'therefore': see ODO Definition 1.  Yet why did ^synonyms of so fail to become conjunctions as well?

^Footnote: 'hence', 'therefore', 'thus', and other 'final or illative conjunctions' are listed here, but my grammar teacher insists that they're formally only adverbs.


texts:
Today when i said "she could have gotten an accident ,if she had not gone  potty."
Then an english speaker corrected me and said "you mean she would have gotten an accident?"
In these sentences, i quite didnt understand why i couldn't use could, there was a possiblity that she could have gotten an accident.
Can somebody please explain it to me


texts: The use of "therefore" before an imperative

texts: Is it correct to write "therefore do not" in a sentence? Obviously I've seen it being used in the Bible but not a lot else where.


texts: What does "stick a bulls-eye on your back" mean?

texts:
What does this mean?

  It's too bright up there, you might as well stick a bulls-eye on your back.

From the movie Judgment Night (1993).


texts:
This word is rarely used in Russian. I only know that we can say "overwhelming majority".

Could you explain the defition of this adjective giving some examples?


texts: Capitalising a sentence whose first word is explicitly lowercase

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Capitalization of names that begin lowercased, at the beginning of a sentence

Let's say that you have a word that should be typed with leading lowercase letter. Perhaps it's a computer command. Perhaps it's an Internet nickname. I can't find any more serious examples.

When you put that word at the beginning of a sentence, should you capitalise it?

  cat allows you to display contents
  of a file.

The convention is that commands are typed in fixed-width font, so this doesn't stand out as much.

  soccer_boy_89 turned out to be my
  sister's account.

This does, though.

Of course you could paraphrase the sentence such that the problematic word is not the first one, but that's not the point here.


texts: Is “flatter than a mashed cat” a common phrase?

texts:
I became interested in the expression but can’t find out whether it has original or common forms. Why is it a cat?

  From the very first note she was horribly, hopelessly, irretrievably off key, and with each high note the problems were exaggerated. “Good God,” I would yell to myself, “you’re flatter than a mashed cat!” (The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart)


texts:
Is there anything wrong in this sentence?

  "I would go to work tomorrow if the buses were plying."

I know it is not wrong to use 'would' in hypothetical sentences in the past and present tense:

  "I would finish the project by today if I were you."
  "I would have made the necessary changes had I been the leader."

But what about the future tense, as shown in the first sentence?
Is it incorrect? And if it is, what would be the correct way to say it?

P.S: See what I did there? ;) :P


texts: What does "well you" after a comma mean?

texts:
Your body size doesn't make you well, well you!

What does “well you” mean in this sentence?


texts: What do you call a bathroom with no toilet?

texts:
Might seem like a trick question at first, but I'm serious.

When the toilet is in one room by itself (let's call this the "restroom"), and the place with the sink, washing machine, shower room and bathtub, is another room... what do you call that other room?

This is a common layout in Japanese houses and apartments, but it's not easily described in English. Because in the West the toilet and bath are together and described as a "bathroom", leading to the term "bathroom" being used loosely to label any toilet room. Which would be fine, except in the case where their actually is a room for taking a bath and washing up, but it has no toilet. So what do you call it?

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that "shower room" describes the specific enclosed space where one takes a shower, so we can't call this larger wash space a shower room. Furthermore, "washroom" is synonymous with "bathroom", so we're back to not having a name to describe a room for only bathing and washing hands (and sometimes laundry).


texts: Why should the verb in this sentence be present tense vs. past tense? (GMAT problem)

texts:
The following was the correct answer to a GMAT sentence correction problem. I was wondering if someone could explain to me why the verb following "when supplies" should be "are" instead of "were". It seems to me that the usage of "could" here indicates a hypothetical situation which would indicate that the verb should take the second conditional form which would be past tense. Please let me know why I'm wrong.

  Coffee prices rose sharply Monday, posting their biggest one-day gain in almost three years, after a weekend cold snap in Brazil raised concern that the world's largest crop could be damaged at a time when supplies are already tight.


texts:
I was torn between posting this here or on finance SE. I feel it's more likely to get useful answers here, if you disagree please comment.

It is common for the UK pound (£) to be referred to as GBP, which I feel safe in assuming stands for "Great Brit(ain|ish) Pound"

But Great Britain does not include Northern Ireland, indeed the full name of the United Kingdom is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" which makes that pretty clear.

Since NI uses the same pound surely it would make sense to refer to the currency as UKP rather than GBP.

My assumption would be that the term GBP was coined before NI became a member of the UK in 1922 but I cannot find any evidence to support this.

Can anyone confirm if this is the case? If so, why was it never changed? It's been nearly 100 years now...

If my assumption was wrong, what other reasons are there that we do not refer to it as UKP?


texts: What is the difference between "job" and "work"?

texts:
When is it better to use "job" and when "work"? For instance I am writing text on the logo saying "Still do your job manually? Then ask us to help you." Is it correct to use "job" here or "work" is more suitable one? Why?

What is the general rule of using these two words?


texts: Constructing long and detailed sentences, and the correct use of punctuation

texts:
I've had a browse of some of the questions here on commas and can't see if this has been asked. I have been fastidious about my punctuation and grammar, but find the advent of online social networking and texting is really taking it's toll on maintaining these lifelong habits. I am not an expert, but have (what I thought) was a sound basis of English usage.
I'll use some example sentences:

I think, sometimes, that my use of commas, and, occasionally, exclamation marks, can be excessive. Whenever I add a word or expression, not necessary, to the sentence, just like I did with the "not necessary" and like I am doing right now, I always include these words, well maybe not always, usually include these inserts between commas; so, basically, I enjoy writing long sentences, joined with lots of commas and, frequently, semi-colons and, often, colons (and have been rather prone to using brackets, as well).
When writing lengthy, detailed sentences, I find, sometimes, I can get carried, or at least I think I do, and can join two, three or sometimes more, usually, related, but separate ideas, that could be separated into individual, perhaps less interesting, sentences.

Is my use of commas, and other associated punctuation, correct?
Have I explained my rationale  behind my usage, well enough?


texts: Should British r be spoken out in liaison?

texts: For example, the r in "better" is not pronounced in British English. How about the "r" in "a better idea"?


texts: Completely ignoring the sexist aspect of the word, is using "he" as a gender neutral pronoun grammatically correct or incorrect? I'm well aware that using "he" may come off as sexist or politically incorrect and that it's better to use "they" but grammatically is it correct?


texts: What would a 1940s audience have understood from the phrase "wired for sound"?

texts:
Another question asks for the meaning and origin of the phrase "wound [i.e., 'winded'] for sound." The obvious conclusion over there is that "wound for sound" is likely a rhyming variation on the older phrase "wired for sound." There's also general consensus that "wired for sound" at some point had the slang meaning of "high on amphetamines," leading to the modern sense of the word "wired."

Someone on PhraseOrigins points to the Cliff Richard single "Wired for Sound" (1981) and claims it has something to do with portable music players (as in, headphone wires)... but frankly even Cliff Richard's song isn't about portable music in particular. ("I like small speakers, I like tall speakers...")

Also, the phrase itself goes way far back. I first encountered it in Irving Berlin's lyrics from the movie This is the Army (1943):

  When the night is clear, and the bombardier
  Drops a bomb that's wired for sound,
  How I yearn to return, with my head in the clouds,
  To the one I love on the ground.

Actually, a Google Books search (which sadly I cannot figure out how to link to, but you can click the search links at the bottom of the Ngram Viewer page) shows pretty conclusively that the phrase comes from movie theaters being "wired for sound", as in "having wiring installed for the purpose of playing talking pictures." Which I think means I've answered half of my own question.

The other half is, what was the original slang meaning of "wired for sound", such as in the song lyrics above? In that context, does it just mean "a bomb that explodes loudly," with a subtle positive connotation toward modern technology? or was there a more specific meaning that 1940s audiences would have picked up on?

I specifically think I might be missing something because I know vaguely that some bombs have wires attached and some bombs make sounds as they fall.


texts: Is there any rule of order for time, date, place, building, etc?

texts:
I sent an email to confirm my meeting with a person which specified time, date, place, and building on the email like below:

  I would like to meet you at 5pm this Sunday in KFC on the first floor in USA Shopping center.

There are two things about this sentence.

It's overly complicated for me.
The order of time, date, place, etc doesn't look right.

I wonder if there is a rule of order when writing about time, date, place, etc.


texts:
According to Wiktionary, stint comes from an old English word meaning "to blunten". I don't see how this could have evolved into "a period of time" and I was wondering if it's related at all to stund, which is found in many other Germanic languages.

What is the true etymology and how does it make sense?


texts: Pronunciation of "scald" and "old" (or "ol' ") in West Ireland

texts:
Martin McDonagh's play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, is obviously set in Leenane/Leenaun, Connemara, County Galway in the west of Ireland.

In the script, the two words "scald" and "ol'" (short for "old") are spelled by the playwright, "scould" and "oul."  Despite the identical "oul" spelling of both, I can't imagine that these two words, which 'ought to be' from two different lexical sets (THOUGHT+/l/ and GOAT+/l/, respectively) are pronounced exactly the same.

Would anyone familiar with the area have any insight into this?  My guess would be roughly /skaːʊ̆ld/ and /ʌʊ̆l/.  If you have any well-informed adjustments to those, please help!


texts: What is the correct way to answer a general question?

texts:
Is it considered rude to answer a question with a question?  For instance: Q. Did you eat those cookies? A. Why?
Would the correct response be "Yes I did (or no I did not), why do you ask?"


texts: Someone said to me, "Your text is monotone in fashion" and I just simply can't wrap my mind around this statement. If I am wrong, that is okay. Assume it's a metaphor, can this make any sense?


texts: Can anyone give me an example of a sentence or phrase in which it is possible to change which words are pluralized yet is still makes sense?


texts:
In order to combine "nationally" and "top-ranked" would the resulting qualifier be written as "nationally-top-ranked" or "nationally top-ranked"?

Edit:
I do not immediately see the applicability of this question, because that particular question does not address the case of having more than three adjectives that, when written two at a time (two at-a-time?) would be hyphenated (e.g., nationally-ranked, top-ranked).


texts: I have come across the usage of 'throne' for a lavatory. Is there any special etymology to this? Is it simply because a throne is a seat? Or does the equivalence have any royal *under*pinnings to it? ;)


texts: Is there a word/term for "verbs which indicate the underlying sentiment of a statement"?

texts:
Sorry, I'm not sure the best way to describe this, but hopefully you understand what I mean. Something like the result of the verb(to say) and any adverb(insultingly) = verb(to insult).

Another way of putting it: to "insult someone" is an example of what?

Examples: To compliment, to question, to inspire, to insult, to demean, to be sarcastic, etc.

Again, I'm wondering if there is a word or term that describes words such as these. The best I can think of is "methods of conversation" but that's vague.


texts:
I am writing a project for college about smart phones.

Which would you say is correct in a possessive context?

  Windows Phone's applications

or

  Windows Phone' applications

My thoughts say the top is correct as Phone does not end in an S, but it just sounds horrible and wrong. The bottom one sounds correct but in my head is grammatically incorrect.


texts: Are "worth" and "value" interchangeable?

texts:
Say I was to describe someone (or something) as:

  "Having a lot of value".

Could I also say:

  "Having a lot of worth"

and mean the same thing?

Edit, another example:

  "This document has value"

vs

  "This document has worth"


texts:
The one thing that confuses me the most are the AIR and EAR sounds as in AmERica and ExpERiment.

What exactly is the AIR/EAR sound? The AIR sound is basically a short E or a long A sound controlled by an R, correct? And the EAR sound is just a long E controlled by an R, right?

What is the official name of these sounds? How would I explain them to other learners? When do we use them?

More examples:
AIR: ERic, SquARE, bARE, mARried, mERry
EAR: bEER, mERE, fEAR, hERo


texts: A word for "zone out frequently to think of your problems despite the happy occasion"

texts:
When someone has a lot on their plate attends a party, a wedding or whatnot; and can't help zoning out frequently and becoming deep in thought to try finding solutions for their many problems. Is there a word/expression in English to refer to that situation?
e.g. "On my wedding, he constantly kept 'X'. He was deep in debt, probably that was why". What would the word 'X' be?


texts: Noun for for u-shaped bend on electrical component's pin (wire) to aid in placement (Beading / Ribbing / Crimp)?

texts:
I'm trying to find the correct noun for a u-shaped bend in an electrical component's pin.
Is there a generic technical term that may usually refer to a deformation to reinforce e.g. an (angle) bracket made of sheet metal, where the 90° bend has been given a groove?

If you provided a few sentences using potential synonyms I would be grateful.


texts:
How did the English language come to this?

  The play was awful.

Is the complete opposite of

  The play was awesome.

But if you break it down to awe followed by ful or some, it doesn't make sense at all.
Can someone shed a light on this?  Is there a rule to this, or is it one of those things you need to just memorize?


texts: Does using abbreviated/vernacular spelling affect reading speed?

texts: The spelling in an average text message is quite bad ('u'=you, 'r'=are, 'l8r'=later, etc), and intentional abbreviations are often used for space concerns. Has the effect of this on reading speed and comprehension been studied formally? According to Elements of Style such abbreviations actually have a negative effect on reading speed, but there is no evidence given to support the claims.


texts: Is there a word in English language that means "every eight weeks"?

texts: Does a word exist in the English language to mean "every EIGHT weeks", like biweekly for every two weeks, and triweekly for every three weeks, etc.?


texts:
I'm a little confused by the verb 'go'. I know that it is intransitive. My issue is that I intuitively feel that it may have some transitive uses when used in the context of activities. For example:

Let's go fishing.

It follows the template 'subject verb object' so I would assume that in this context "go" is transitive.
Can someone please explain to me why my intuition is wrong?


texts: Sentence containing a series of 'questions' and answers: semi- or colon?

texts:
I was reading a story and noticed a sentence structure I instinctively thought was wrong, yet the story has editors and thought it's time to learn something new.
This is how it was written:

  I learned some facts about him today like his favorite color; green, his favorite food; pizza, and what he wanted to be when he grew up; a teacher.

This usage of the semicolons seems off to me. Is it grammatically correct, or should they be colons, or even something else?


texts: Instrumented? What is a good explanation/definition of the word. (English: Tech Jargon)

texts:
What is a good explanation/definition of the word Instrumented?

as in "Good code needs to be instrumented..."

I did a brief web search, but the few places it pops up seem to also be full of jargon, so I'm still confused.

Is it a real word, is another word better, is it really related to Java programming, or other programming languages?


texts: Why do I have a different vowel in "scarf" than I have in "scarves", and how come nobody talks about this?

texts:
So in my opinion, scarves is pronounced as the dictionary has it: with a Short O or /a/.

But I believe that scarf and other "ar" words that are followed by voiceless consonants, are not actually pronounced by most people with a Short O or /a/.  I think they are pronounced with a Short U as in fun.  (a short U+R, to be exact).

I think we open our mouths less on a "ar" before a voiceless consonant.  I can't find any data for this, but I feel it.   Am I crazy, or have I been pronouncing scarf, lark, art, harp, etc wrong all these years?

I was born in the American Midwest.


texts: What is a good, short, word to describe a software engineer?

texts: What should I call a person who write software, computer programs ? I know he/she is a software engineer, can I call him/her as "Coder"?


texts: Is there a difference between "purpose" and "objective" and "scope"

texts:
I'm reading an IT book. It says the purpose of the "activity X" is to do this... And the objective of the "activity X" is to do that... Finally the scope of "activity X" is this, this, and that....

I'm not a native speaker so I was wondering if there was a difference between those three words (especially for British people since it's a British book I'm reading

Link showing where instances of those words are seen in the context I'm studying

Why am I having a problem to understand this ?
I went of the website wordreference.com but the translation given for these words are the same. In french they mean objectif and this is the first translation/meaning for all of them.

scope in french

objective in french

purpose in french


texts:
"If I'm having lessons with you, I won't have to do Occlumency lessons
  with Snape, will I." ''Professor Snape, Harry — and no, you will not."
  "Good," said Harry in relief, "because they were a —" He stopped,
  careful not to say what he really thought.

  "I think the word 'fiasco' would be a good one here," said Dumbledore,
  nodding.

In that excerpt, Dumbledore replaces a word Harry has not said with 'fiasco'. Not being a native speaker myself, however, I've been wondering: what's the word that Harry would have said, had he not considered it inappropriate?


texts:
What are the correct singular and plural ways to list pita bread?

Possibilities I can think of:

one pita, two pitas
one pita bread, two pita breads
one piece of pita bread, two pieces of pita bread

Are those all correct and equivalent? Are there other correct ways?


texts: By his return to the States,John had travelled a lot. OR : On his return to the States,John had travelled a lot. which is correct?


texts: Countable vs Uncountable: "charge" and "payment"

texts:
I've noticed that the word 'charge' is marked in the Macmillan Dictionary as both countable and uncountable in the same meaning:

  charge [COUNTABLE/UNCOUNTABLE] an amount of money that you have to pay, especially when you visit a place or when someone does something
  for you

I was wondering what that's supposed to mean and what sort of implications does it have? Should I use the indefinite article 'a' in front of it or not?

Also, I had a question about the word 'payment.' Many dictionaries say that when it is used in the meaning of a sum of money paid, it is countable. But I've seen it used in the same meaning as uncountable. So is there any difference, for instance, between 'an additional payment is required' and 'additional payment is required?' And if yes, what is it?

Many thanks for your help! Look forward to hearing from you!


texts: Name-calling: definition and technical name

texts: What is the technical name and definition for name-calling? Examples, calling someone who has committed a crime a "monster", "predator", "perpetrator", "rapist"?


texts:
Which one is correct? What is the main differences between them?

I saw him play football
Or
I saw him playing

Thanks


texts: "I did this, which together with that, HAS/HAVE given me a foundation"

texts:
I am currently working on a letter and I wrote a sentence similar to this:

  I created my own goals, which, together with my studies in mathematics, has given me an excellent foundation for this program.

I believe this is a correct sentence, but my friend claims it has a plural subject. I believe that "my own goals" constitutes a singular set, so "has" is correct. My friend argues two things: "my own goals" is plural and "together with…" makes a compound subject. I disagree on the first because I am considering the whole, not the parts, and I disagree with the latter because it is not part of the subject. It is a dependent clause just to point out the fact that this isn't the only reason I have an excellent foundation for the program. While I believe one could treat "my own goals" as a plural group rather than a singular set, I think the compound subject argument is completely false. I thought about replacing "together" with "along" because it may be less likely to cause people to think this is a compound subject.

Which is correct? Which do you think is better and why?


texts: How do I identify a Nominalization so I can replace it with an Action Verb?

texts:
I'm taking a course on Plain Language and they state that Nominalizations are bad as they make a sentence longer.  (There are a whole 12 people taking the course).
The course states that Nominalizations are nouns with Verbs hidden with-in them; but I've been unable to identify the nouns within the sentences as they all seem to me to be verbs.
I understand nouns to be person, places or things...but I keep identifying these Nominalizations as verbs...but I still don't think I'm doing it right since when I find an example, I identify the wrong words as the Nominalizations and they don't match up with the examples.
My goal is to shorten sentences by replacing the Norminalizations with Action Verbs...but I don't know how to identify Norminaliazations to begin with.


texts: The one who's being celebrated (e.g., @ a BD party) (sometimes referred to as the birthday boy/girl)

texts:
Is there another term to specify who is being celebrated - e.g., @ a BD party?

('Celebrant/celebrator' could be anybody celebrating, I believe. But isn't there a term which will specify the one/ones being celebrated?)

Is there, e.g., such a word as 'celebrantee,' or 'celebratoree'  (&, if not, oughtn't there be (the situation comes up repeatedly))?

Thank you.


texts: Difference between coin (v.) and term (v.)

texts:
I am working on my scholarship exam but, as a non-native, I found this question pretty confusing.

  Some critics say the 1990s saw what could be (.....) a computer
  revolution. By the mid 1990s the number of people buying personal
  computers increased significantly. (A) changed (B) coined (C) termed
  (D) viewed

The answer key provided is (C) termed which I think that makes sense by the definition of term (verb).

  to give something a name or to describe it with a particular
  expression

However, I think "coined" is also correct by the definition of coin (verb).

  to invent a new word or expression, or to use one in a particular way
  for the first time

Could you please elucidate why "coined" is inappropriate for this question?


texts: Why is "living room" two words, yet "bedroom" is one word?

texts: Is there an origin difference or English reason why "living room" is two words, but "bedroom" is only one?


texts: If you are talking "on behalf of" you and someone else, what is the correct usage?

texts:
If you are talking on behalf of you and someone else what is the correct usage?

On behalf of my wife and me
On behalf of my wife and I
On behalf of me and my wife
On behalf of myself and my wife
On behalf of my wife and myself
...

My understanding is that after that phrase you would carry on talking in first person.


texts: Which is correct? "Did you know?" or "Do you know?"

texts: In asking a question, which is preferred, "Did you know?" or "Do you know?"


texts: What's a word for the feeling of fulfilling a dream?

texts:
I'm trying to think of a word for the feeling someone gets when they have been working towards achieving a dream, and they finally make it.

Example: Andrew has been working to be signed with the Yankees his whole life, and he finally makes it. What does he feel during his first game?

When they finally get to that stage and they're performing. It's like a feeling of freedom, exhilaration, gratefulness, fulfillment.. one word for it?


texts: What term describes tribes that lived in a winter home and a summer home?

texts:
Some indigenous tribes were nomads, moving from place to place, following game.
Some tribes were sedentary, staying in one place to farm.
Others created two places to live, usually one place in the summer and one place in the winter.
What term describes the last group?


texts: What is the meaning of the expression, "I'll cut you in" for something!

texts:
here the examples to show you what I need to know ... and Is it a phrasal verb? and is this word used informally as slang?

  The proposed across-the-board cuts for all state agencies will total $84 million.
  I cut you for a 100$


texts: Why is the "up" in "sign-up" related to "creating a new account" but "in" in "sign-in" refers to a existing one?

texts:
What is the difference between in and up that causes the meaning of sign to change?

Research: etymonline's entries for sign-in and sign-up don't help much.


texts: Why does "big cheese" mean someone important?

texts:
This is one of those common phrases that I have never really questioned until now.

According to the free dictionary, "Big cheese" means an "important person".

But what on earth does "cheese" have to do with being important? Where did this phrase come from?


texts: "Fig. x depicts" vs. "As depicted in Fig. x" in scientific publications

texts:
My boss doesn't like it, if I use phrases like "Fig. x depicts" or "Fig. x shows" in scientific publications and wants me to use passive form instead. However, I didn't find any reference that the use of active form is actually wrong and would really prefer to use the active form.

Is there any "official" rule in this regard? Both forms seem to be common in scientific publications, as I see it.

Edit: To clarify, english is not our first language. Thus, it's not an issue of "He who pays the piper may call the tune" (as indicated in the comments), but a question, if said active phrases are wrong.


texts: Is "low physique" idiomatic? If not, what is the adjective to be used with physique?


texts:
I am a bit confused about which of the following two sentences are correct (if any). I searched online but could not find any good example. I will be grateful if you can help me on this.

In addition, the continuation of low price environment in 2017 means that cost reduction will remain as one of the key priorities for the industry.
In addition, the continuation of low price environment in 2017 means that cost reduction will remain to be one of the key priorities for the industry.

Also, should I use would instead of will in the above examples?


texts: Do the words "jail" and "prison" refer to different things?

texts:
In everyday speech, the terms jail and prison are used interchangeably in many situations. However, my understanding is that, at least in the US, they actually refer to slightly different things. For instance, it appears to me that it would be rather unusual for an American to use the expression federal jail. He'd most probably say federal prison instead.

Am I right? What is the correct usage of jail vs prison? Are there any (historical or legal) differences between the US and the Commonwealth?


texts: Is there any other way to say 'Sent Successfully'?

texts: The actual message is 'Message was sent successfully'. But, we are not sure that the message was delivered to the person or the person has read the message. Is the use of 'sent successfully' correct?


texts: What verb would sound more like a legal term (to be used in documents) if one wants to write that he fires a worker from director's position? To fire? To terminate position?


texts: Parsing a sentence with a causative verb

texts:
I am an ESL teacher trying to help a student prepare for a test that will have a lot of sentence parsing. We are both stumped by the second verb in causative sentences. For example:

She asked the child to read a book.
She made her dog take a bath.

I've read that both the verbs "to read" and "take" are infinitives--the "take" is just a "bare infinitive." But how do you parse these verbs? To me, they seem like adverbial infinitive clauses, modifying the main verbs "asked" and "made." But other sources say that they are actually infinitive phrases acting as objects of those verbs.

I know there are similar questions on this website, but I appreciate your patience in explaining this phenomenon to me again. I didn't totally understand the reasoning behind the other examples.

THank you!


texts: Is there a word or term to describe mispronouncing a word due to someone else's accent?

texts:
In college, I had a Japanese linear algebra teacher who was not a native English speaker. The subject matter was new and difficult, so with new terminology to learn, it was sometimes to difficult for my classmates and me to understand certain words through his accent, mainly because they were new words that we had not heard before, or heard in proper context. Also, just like most of my college professors, he didn't have the neatest handwriting on the whiteboard.

So the one I will always remember is a "Arfa". It was just a squiggally unfamiliar symbol on a whiteboard, some new mathematical entity called Arfa, no big deal. Eventually, we came to learn that this was the greek letter "alpha," but there were a few classes where several members of the class were referring to it as Arfa because that's what we understood that symbol to be called. Eventually, someone figured out that it was the letter "alpha" and we called it that from then on.

So, is there a word or term for this type of mispronunciation? (Not the professor's, but the students' mispronunciation)


texts:
Two apples are plural.

When I refer to a number of items only by their count, is the count singular?

For example: "Two is enough."

Is that correct?


texts:
Is the usage of "broker" correct in the following sentence?

Your lawyer will broker a meeting between you and the defendant's car insurance company.


texts:
What is the meaning of "Malcolmite." in the following text?

  Edward Ingram's In Defence of British India should be mentioned as one of the most extraordinary examples of the deliberate ignoring of the whole episode of the massacre in the Russian mission. The author describes in great detail the conflict between the Malcolmite MacDonald, Griboedov's British counterpart, and the Harfordians Willock and McNeill. He even lists Harden's publication on Griboedov in the bibliography; however, his name is never mentioned in the narrative. Instead of at least mentioning the reason why Griboedov's successor, Count Simonich, arrived in Persia with a reinforced entourage, in the context of the tragic story in the Russian mission, Ingram explains it by “the fallacy of MacDonald's claim that he needed only one assistant,” by means of which MacDonald tried to get rid of his nasty subordinates. It seems that this happened because this extremely biased book was written by the most consistent and aggressive anti-Malcolmite.

Malcolm was brother-in-law of John Kinneir MacDonald. I think Malcolmite is an adjective, but I am not sure. If so, anti-Malcolmite should be enemy of Malcolm? or "Malcolmite MacDonald" should means MacDonald inclined to Malcolm!


texts: Feminine version of "gentleman and a scholar"

texts:
Although I've often heard use of the phrase:

  You are a gentleman and a scholar

I have never heard a version appropriate for the fairer sex. I guess you could say a lady and a scholar?


texts: Term for noun phrase containing contrasting things

texts: For a sentence along the lines of "There were celebrations and not-so-celebrations among the people." what would the correct term for a this phrase? I thought it may be a comparison or something along those lines but I am not sure.


texts: What is being in a state of being subdued called?

texts:
In geology, subduction is the process that takes place at convergent boundaries by which one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate... (Wikipedia)

Now I understand that quite literally, subduction is a process whereby one thing goes underneath another; and while figuratively an emotional state being subdued by another state or a more pressing need as enforced by the superego might be considered a careful use of literary license, I would like to know if there is a less grandiose word for this state.

How can I describe the mind state of when one emotion is subdued, perhaps subverted, by another? In particular, this is in reference to the state where one wants to become aggressive, but ends up despondent because the vulnerability of aggression subverts its exercise.


texts: Shall I put the adjective behind the noun in this case?

texts:
"Function"  means the performance of something, so it is on a level different from "project".(self-made)

Here what I mean is that the two words are on different levels, the first may refer to potential things, the latter refers only to real things. But I do not know exactly how to use "different from" properly. Shall I say directly that "it is on a different level from "project"?


texts: Difference in usage between "beware of" and "mind"

texts:
I am trying to understand the difference between beware of and mind when they have the meaning of to be on one's guard.  Are they always interchangeable ?

I'll try to explain what bothers me, but these are only examples and I would welcome any other examples to explain the difference between the two.

If someone said to me without further context: "mind the dog" I would understand this person is going away and wants me to look after her or his  dog.  But could we say indifferently :

Beware of the dog, he bites.
Mind the dog, he bites.

In this other instance:

Beware of falling rocks.
Mind the falling rocks.

I have no hesitation (perhaps because falling rocks do not need to be looked after?)

I had always seen : mind the step, and mind the gap but I have just googled beware of the step and beware of the gap and had lots of hits for both.

And I am even more puzzled because google even returned some hits with beware of your head which sounds really strange to me. Does it sound strange to English native speakers too?


texts:
I've been looking, but I have not come across this 'whom' related question anywhere.
Specifically in this circumstance, I feel 'with whom' flows more naturally but I remember someone suggested that 'whom with' is actually the proper order since it is referencing 'the people'

  I am looking to find a friendly environment where I can enjoy my work and the people whom with I work.

Or

  I am looking to find a friendly environment where I can enjoy my work and the people with whom I work.


texts:
Could someone tell me what’s wrong with this sentence?

  She also goes on dates with herself, and she ends these nights with bubble baths.

Is the comma here wrong? Any other issues? How would you write it?


texts: Is "Old lady what" grammatical or idiomatic?

texts:
I was telling a joke to one of my friends.

  —Knock knock
  —Who's there?
  —Old lady
  —Old lady who?
  —You don't need to yodel!

Problem is, instead of asking "Old lady who?", my friend asked "Old lady what?", thereby ruining the joke, but more importantly, making me wonder: is it actually correct (grammatical and/or idiomatic) to say that? Does it change the meaning at all?


texts:
If infinite is the opposite of infinitesimal, and small is the opposite of large, then:

infinitely large ---------- Means "very large"
infinitely small --------- Means "very small"
infinitesimally large ---- Means "very small"
infinitesimally small --- Means "very large" ???

However my interpretation of the last situation doesn't seem to match how people use the phrase, even though there is sort of a double negative present.

Can the 'negativeness' of the adverb cancel out the 'negativeness' of the adjective, or does the adverb make the adjective stronger?


texts:
I came across this word "definacy" in an article by a grammarian who uses it to refer to the quality brought about by the definite article in English. Problem is I can't find this word in any dictionary, not even the OED.

Source: COPYRIGHT: © Cambridge University Press 1995

If this is a misspelling what is the correct term for it?


texts: What does ‘Break out the corsages’ mean?

texts:
Further to my question I posted yesterday about the meaning of ‘Good hair’ of Sanate dignitaries who show up at the State of the Union occasion, I came across another strange phrase, “Break out the corsages” in the following Washington Post article (January 23) . I checked this phrase with a couple of dictionaries at hand in vain. What does it mean?

  Who’s your date? Pairing off for the
  State of the Union: Lawmakers on the
  Hill haven’t quite broken out the
  corsages — yet — but the high school
  level drama is on as senators and
  representatives scramble to find
  suitable across-the-aisle seating
  partners for Tuesday’s State of the
  Union address.


texts:
What is the origin of the phrase “Psych!!!” like when someone is saying something jokingly and they’re taking it back?

Often believed, by those who don't understand the term's origin, to be spelt (or spelled, for the American audience) 'sike'. Deriving from the word psychology, psych is a term used to indicate that whatever the person speaking just said was done so purely to mess with the listener's mind, to 'psych' them out, if you will.
"I hate you... PSYCH! you're awesome!"

This is all from Urban Dictionary but I don’t understand why it comes from “psychology”?


texts:
Spam filters replace obscene "Ass" for "butt"

Meanwhile, in literature, newspaper articles, forum posts, sayings, proverbs,  etc. I am encountering many more expressions with ass but not with butt.

Why is ass considered obscene?

What is the difference between ass and butt?


texts: What is the word for a person who does animal husbandry?

texts: As the question says, is there a word for a person who is into the profession of management and care of animals for profit.


texts: 'All my life could be described as a chain of failures'. Is this sentence grammatically correct?

texts:
I'm a non-native speaker of English. Perhaps my question would seem a little bit silly.

All my life could be described as a chain of failures.
It seems to me that all my life is a disaster.
All my life has been dedicated to helping people.

I'd like to know if the use of 'all' is grammatically correct in my sentences. Some people say that it is redundant in examples like those above, and it's better to change the phrase to 'the whole of my life' or to 'my life is/was/etc.' But I distinctly remember that I have seen many phrases with similar usage of the quantifier. 'All my life' acts here as a grammatical subject, not an adverbial (Compare with: All his life Tom has worked with enthusiasm) - my life at every turn and stage has been dedicated to helping people.
It would be great if somebody could help me with this structure.


texts:
What I mean is the act of "coughing" something that you don't actually want to (or rather dare) say outright.  So instead of writing, say, "Miss Parker", you'd write "*cough*Ms Parker*cough*" or fake a cough that sounds very much like "Miss Parker".

Written and spoken differ in that of course, when written is absolutely clear what that "coughed" term is, while when spoken it's "hidden" in the cough (which the written form tries to express).

Never heard it in conversation, only heard it in movies or read it in books, though my contact to actual English native-speakers is (sadly) limited.

Is there a linguistic/rhetorical term for that?


texts: Including a comma at the end of a list before a dependent clause

texts:
I have this sentence on my resume:

  Develop the front-end of a platform using HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap to connect people and systems

Is there a comma after Bootstrap? I wanted to elaborate on the reason for building the application rather than simply listing the programming languages I used.


texts:
I looked at several related questions (here or here) but still am not sure if this is a correct way to use which:

  Papers were only kept for the review which explicitly discussed or applied the proposed software.

I believe another way to say this would be:

  Only papers which explicitly discussed or applied the proposed software were kept for the review.

My main question is: is the first formulation correct?

And then, are there better ways to express this?

Thanks for any advice!


texts:
Is it correct to say:
I promise we are going to spend an unforgettable weekend.
Or
I promise we are going to have an unforgettable weekend
Or both are ok?


texts: Meaning of "native bottoms" in Thoreau's Walden

texts:
I'm not sure what native bottoms means in this paragraph from Thoreau's Walden. Is it a nautical term? Would someone kindly shed some light on this? Search results on the matter are... ahem... questionable.

  I have always endeavored to acquire strict business habits; they are indispensable to every man. If your trade is with the Celestial Empire, then some small counting house on the coast, in some Salem harbor, will be fixture enough. You will export such articles as the country affords, purely native products, much ice and pine timber and a little granite, always in native bottoms. These will be good ventures.

Thank you!


texts:
I'm trying to decode what word-type each word is in the following sentence, please correct me if I'm wrong.

  The things you own end up owning you.

I have it decoded as follows:

The (det) things (noun) you (prep) own (verb) end (noun) up (adverb) owning (verb) you (prep).


texts: Reporting past action in present tense - Minutes production

texts:
Ms. Smith reported staff has no objection to the request.

or

  Ms. Smith reported staff had no objection to the request.


texts: pre-customer inquiry/ post-customer inquiry

texts:
I'm translating titles of paragraphs from Japanese to English. A pragmatic translation of the titles can be: "Before Receiving Inquiries from Potential Customers" and "After Receiving Inquiries from Potential Customers". Underneath each title there is a description of the processes of what to do before and after contact with potential customers.
I would like to make the titles as natural as possible and am considering changing them to:

"Pre-Customer Inquiry" and "Post-Customer Inquiry"

Including the use of the dash, do the above sound natural to native speakers? Or should I stick to the original pragmatic translation. Thank you for your help.


texts: What does "society's finest" mean in this context?

texts:
In this particular sentence...

  Well, it was either leave her outside at the mercy of society's finest or bring her unconscious body in here

who are the "society's finest"? Does it refer to police or to good samaritans, or to something else?


texts:
While watching episode 3 of season 2 of "Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father" I came across the the following sentences, all by the same native (British) English speaker (aged 78 at the time of this writing):

  Would you tell her, I'm trying to find him a wife? [...] I'm looking for an
  attractive young woman. And also, ideally, somebody who goes like a
  rattlesnake.

That question has apparently been asked over here before prior to the release of season 2 of the show, but the answers there are all just guesses. I'm thinking perhaps with the wider audience at StackExchange I can get an authoritative answer here with additional examples of its use and meaning.

My first guess from the context was also that this carried some kind of sexual connotation, perhaps, but oftentimes as non-native speakers idioms are lost on us.


texts: If beautiful is full of beauty then why is awful a negative and not a positive? If it fills one with awe, should that not be a positive? (Awesome and awful seem to be the same)


texts: Is the following a correct use of "which in itself?"

texts:
The tree was thick and tall as a watch tower. Its branches resembled twisted arms,
  and they had so few leaves you could count them with your fingers.
  Like some kind of parasites, moss covered almost the totality of its
  surface—which in itself was filled with curves, holes, and other
  deformities.

I'm not sure why I placed it there. At first I only wrote which, but I felt something was missing.


texts: Which is correct: "first ever loss" or "first loss ever"

texts:
Consider the following two phrases

  Microsoft reports first quarterly loss ever
  Microsoft reports first ever quarterly loss

Which of the them is correct?


texts:
Is there a verb form of "pride"? For example, is there a concise way to say something like

  She read her own paper with great pride

I'm looking for a more concise verb that still indicates that self-masturbatory feeling of being proud of one's own work. Something that could fit the sentence:

  She [prided] over her paper


texts: Is "Sheath" the right word for describing exterior covering of the plane?

texts: Can I use this word? Or is there a more suitable one?


texts: A verb meaning "to look around making sure no one sees you"

texts:
Imagine a group of people trying to rob a safe, or two people having sex where they should not. Afraid of being caught, they look around every few seconds to make sure no one sees them.

Is there one verb (or maybe a short verb phrase) to capture that sort of looking-around? I need a way to express that concisely and formally.


texts:
How do I use "What" in a sentence as a pronoun?

For example,

  I dread to think what will happen next.

In this sentence, is "what" acting as a pronoun in the second clause and as a conjunction?


texts:
Where to put words like either or too when we are using fronting in a sentence? Take for example the sentence:

  She is a nice rhinoceros, too.

Will too remain at the end if we put the object first?


texts:
I am doing an exercise Rudolf Flesch's "The Art of Plain Talk." It's point is to change as many nouns, infinitives, gerunds, and participles into "active verbs" or finite verbs. I have spent the past hour trying to rewrite a sentence to use finite verbs, but I cannot figure out if my result is actually using finite verbs or just other infinitives.
Here's the problem sentence:

The conundrum is whether your unseasonable green-gourd personality is directly related to organic or glandular subnormality – which is staying your physical development more or less at child level – or whether it is, rather, the outpicturing  of subconscious stubborn reluctance to grow up and thus take lasting leave of the special prerogatives and adulation you may have enjoyed as a charming child prodigy.

Here is my attempt to make verbs finite:

I ask myself: Is your development kept at a child's level by your biology? Or is your subconscious refusing to grow up and abandon the prerogatives and adulations you may have enjoyed as a charming child prodigy?

In the first sentence, "kept" appears to be a past participle and not a finite verb. I have tried rearranging the sentence to say something like "Is your biology keeping you from developing..." but "keeping" appears to be an inifinitive because it doesn't hint at the actor.
All the examples of finite verbs that I can find online are of statements and not questions.
How do finite verbs work in questions?


texts: Polite alternatives to "as soon as possible"

texts: I’ve found myself writing the phrase “as soon as possible” just too often. Sometimes I wonder if it sounds a little rude. How can I convey the same meaning in a more polite way but without losing sense of urgency?


texts: between (year) and (year), by which time

texts:
"In a study in the Bahamas, lionfish abundance was found to have increased rapidly between 2004 and 2010, by which time lionfish accounted for nearly 40% of the total predator biomass in the system."

I'm quite confused with the exact year or years that 'by which time' refers to.
Does 'by which time' mean 'by 2010' or 'the period of 7 years from 2004 to 2010'?

Based on the connotation that the context shows, I guess it means the former but I'm not quite sure. If the sentence was written "from 2004 to 2010, by which time ...", I could have better understood. But what about "between 2004 and 2010, by which time..."?


texts:
The following is an excerpt from the transcript of a podcast:Tut Shares Tomb with Former Fungi.

  Mitchell thinks this evidence indicates that King Tut was buried in a hurry. Because the paint on the walls was probably still wet. And that moisture, along with the body and the food buried there, would have fed the wall fungus, until the tomb ultimately dried out. But why the hasty funeral? Just another bit of intrigue surrounding the boy king.

I am totally confused with the word "intrigue" here. When it is a noun, it means "a secret scheme". But what's the "scheme" supposed to be here? It seems that it's better to understand it as a verb--"If something, especially something strange, intrigues you, it interests you and you want to know more about it." But it is a noun here.

So here is my question:

  How to understand "another bit of intrigue" here?


texts:
Take an umbrella in case it may rain. can anybody tell me why this statement was wrong?
and the right one is

Take an umbrella in case it rains.


texts: Is the word 'request' by itself a polite form of asking for something?

texts:
Is there a difference in the degree of politeness between saying 'I request that you...' and 'Could you, please, ...'? I realize that I could say 'I kindly request...' or 'I would like to kindly request...'.

WHY I ASK FOR CLARIFICATION:
Someone is using word 'request' on a regular basis without words 'could you', 'would you', 'please' or 'kindly' and whom I suggested to consider using softer forms of language in communication with others (not necessarily with me).

That person sent me back the following explanation:

re·quest

/riˈkwest/

Noun
An act of asking politely or formally for something.

Verb
Politely or formally ask for.

Nothing "rough edge" about that, is there? This is actually a word used often everywhere, as I had received communications with it from my OT school and jobs and from friends. So perhaps maybe it's just rough edge for you?


texts:
How does the original meaning of racket lead to the following metaphoric meanings?

an illegal or dishonest scheme for obtaining money
a person’s line of business or way of life


texts: Can I say "until the dawn" instead of "until dawn"?

texts:
It would be something like "the baby was born at midnight, she cried until (the) dawn".
I believe the more natural way of saying that would be without the "the", just "she cried until dawn", but I want to know if it would be icorrect, if desired, to say "she cried until the dawn". Also whether or not "until next dawn" sound weird in that context.


texts: Is there a word or phrase to describe a state of mind within an arrogant person who has been overwhelmed in a debate by another person who is humble in his/her demeanor, but armed with the truth to the convincing of the majority present. I am looking for something more descriptive than simply embarrassment.


texts: Accustom vs accustomed? Which is proper usage here?

texts:
I'm using accustom in a sentence like so:

Users are already familiar with YouTube and are accustom to its expansive music catalog.

I'm wondering if this is an incorrect use of the word accustom. Should it be accustomed? I'm thinking accustomed is incorrect because it is present tense and not past tense, but maybe this is an exception to the language.


texts: Is there an adjective for someone who looks like a vampire?

texts:
I'm describing what an opiate addict looks like before recovery. Instead of saying "he looked like a vampire," I'd like to say something like "he looked [vampiric]."
I actually just found out vampiric was a word, but I want something that sounds better (more colloquial/natural, I suppose) and covers a variety of traits (pale, emaciated, sickly, etc).
———
Why I don’t just use "vampiric":

As @chepner commented:

I think the idea is to find a word that isn't so "circular", and doesn't refer explicitly to vampires or require knowledge of vampires in context. If someone were to ask "What does a vampire look like?", then "It looks vampiric/vampirish" wouldn't be terribly helpful.

I don’t want to explicitly refer to drug addicts as vampires. I just want to capture those traits in the best way.


texts:
Can anyone tell me if I should use inspire or inspires in this phrase?

  An extraordinary leader whose vision, values, integrity and boundless curiosity inspires all who follow in his footsteps.


texts: What would be your reply if someone asks you, "How do you do?"

texts:
What would be your reply, if someone asks you

How do you do?


texts: Is it alright to have a sentence with a parenthetical remark that has an "i.e." and an "etc."?

texts:
An example would be "The first field is the number (i.e. A001, A013, etc.) in accordance with..."
The actual details of the sentence do not matter, it is the parentheses that is being referenced in my question.


texts: Pluralization of proper nouns: regular or irregular?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Family name pluralization

If a proper noun is a homograph of a common noun, is the proper noun subject to the same usage and form rules as the common noun, especially if the rules are not standard?

I’m specifically interested in pluralization. For instance, if there are several people whose first names are Company, would I refer to them collectively as Companies or Companys?

Or, if I have several unique things named Equipment, would they be collectively referred to as Equipment or Equipments?


texts: What is the equivalent of "cuckold" for women?

texts:
Well, the question is in the title.

I want to know what do you call a woman who has an unfaithful husband but chooses to ignore it.

I searched a word for it but could not succeed. I just do not understand that are there only unfaithful women? What about men?


texts:
Is there an order in which sentences with the adjective "rife" should be constructed? For example, searching for "rife" in Google gives the following example under the definition:

  "male chauvinism was rife in medicine" Google

Can the sentence be turned around to the following form?

  "Medicine was rife with male chauvinism"

Are the two meanings equivalent? Are they exactly the same? Is one favoured over the other?

In general, are "x is rife with y" and "y is rife in x" equivalent and both correct? [If only one question is allowed, then this last one if key.]


texts: What does 'lazy' mean in the sentence 'They bought the mansion for a lazy $10 million.'?

texts: It seems to me that 'lazy' in this context suggests a humorous, off-hand attitude to a sum most would consider serious money. Is it a jocular minimisation of the amount, almost the opposite of the maximisation implied in 'a cool $10 million'?


texts: "go well" vs "went well" in the past tense

texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  Did everything go well?
  Did everything went well?

Intuitively I think it is 1). But one my colleagues asked me to explain the reasoning, and I am unable to do so. Also

  Everything went well?
  Everything go well?

Now intuitively, I think it is 1).

How come addition of "Did" changes the "go" to "went". Which rule are we following here?


texts: Which is correct? 1. for nagging me to apply; or 2. for nagging me into applying

texts:
Which is correct in the context of "special thanks to him":
1. for nagging me to apply; or 2. for nagging me into applying.
If neither, let me know as other options also come to mind.

I recently posted a lovely photo from my citizenship ceremony, so this phrase was in reference to my brother as "also special thanks to my brother for successfully nagging me to apply"


texts:
I am German, and we have a completely different comma system. Due to various reference on this great site here, I bought The Penguin Guide to Punctuation and worked through the comma section. What can I say, I'm shocked about my lack of knowledge, although the comma rules in English are far more easier than in German. I instantly took one of my books and verified correct commas there.

There was one sentence, which I believe was incorrectly punctuated:

  Memory can be implemented by delays, and wiring by various walls to guide the one extra bit per site needed to represent the walls.

In my opinion a gapping comma is missing, because the phrase can be implemented was left out in the second part. Therefore, I would add a comma

  Memory can be implemented by delays, and wiring, by various walls to guide the one extra bit per site needed to represent the walls.

Now we have to commas. The first one joins the two complete sentences, and the second one marks that between wiring and by various a phrase is missing.

Can someone tell me whether I'm wrong here?


texts:
I would like to know what's the standard way to say sequential/continuous/continued/parallel multiplication or addition for calculation like 3 * 5 * 10 * 2 * 11 and 1 + 5 + 3 + 2 + 4 + 100.
PS: Glad that this question attracts some attention. I asked because in Chinese there are effectively specific names: 连加 and 连乘 where 连 means this, 加 means addition and 乘 means mutiplication.


texts: Does the word 'inherent' in right position in the clause "The dangers inherent in bicycle riding "?

texts:
Because the word 'inherent' is an adjective, is it in right place in the clause

"The dangers inherent in bicycle riding"?

I think it should be "inherent dangers" because it's an adjective.


texts: X "poses" or "provides" or "presents" challenges to Y

texts:
What is the correct (better) way to say that Y will be challenged by multiple aspects of X:

X poses new challeges to Y

X provides new challenges to Y

X presents new challenges to Y

Any other suggestions ...

Thank you


texts:
Would there be a comma in the sentence after 'therefore'?

'These pipelines run for long distances and therefore(,) are susceptible to both natural and man-made phenomena. '


texts: Difference between "prima facie" and "preliminary" evidence

texts:
I came across many sentences in empirical economics papers using the term:

  prima facie evidence

Is there any difference between "prima facie" evidence and "preliminary evidence"?


texts: Sentence structure "What is common to [..] is that"

texts:
What is common to all these types of services is that the process of their delivery is subject to our internal control of quality.

I am not sure about the sentence structure indicated above. I wonder whether this structure is unusual for native speakers of English? Google does not clear up this question.

Here I am speaking about the common feature of the services.


texts: In correspondence, what is the correct way to refer to two people with the same first name but different last names?

texts: I have received an email containing the following statement, "tell John Ford and Smith that their proposal is due". As both individuals share the same first name, what should the correct directive state ?


texts: Prepositional phrase agreement with the rest of the sentence

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

  Our testers are actually very nice people with a soul.

Assuming it is grammatically correct, is it logically correct? Am I implying that all of our testers share a single soul?

I understand that there are less confusing alternatives, such as

  Our testers are actually very nice people with souls.

... but I'm only concerned about the correctness of the first sentence.


texts:
What do truxtop and thumb tax mean?

I found them mentioned in this quotation from English Words History and Structure, 2nd edition (p. 113):

  The replacement of the sequence [ks] by x is a spelling convention. It has no effect on the
  pronunciation of the consonant cluster. This replacement practice has given rise to attention-getting facetious spellings like thanx, truxtop, thumb tax.


texts: Merging words into one. When is it allowed?

texts:
There are several words in the English which have been created as a "merging" of multiple existing words.

  e.g. Insofar- Merged from words "in, so, far".

How do such words come about?

It surely can't simply be a matter of a mistake growing in usage so much that it is eventually accepted as valid, because there are so many examples for which this has not happened.

  e.g. "alot"- This is not a valid word, although it is commonly
  written.


texts:
what does "to apply a distancing objectivity" mean?

Context:

It is an unsettling experience but at the same time the participant cannot help but apply a distancing objectivity to monitor its effectiveness and ponder where she really is in time and place


texts:
What does the author of this sentence (from a GRE practice test) mean by "public relationship"? :

  The governor has long been obsessed with excising the media from the politician public relationship. That's been the unifying aim of all her seemingly disconnected ventures since entering public life: a determination to erode, and eventually end, the media's hold on political communication.


texts: Looking for a word that means helpful but not needed

texts:
This may be an odd word (not even sure if one exists), but I will give some context and maybe someone will be able to point me in the right direction.
I am writing an essay on technology that is implanted into a human but is not vital to their lives. As I am writing, 'extraneous', 'augmentation', 'non-vital', and 'cosmetic' have been some words that I have used, but I don't feel like any really capture what I am looking for. I guess augmentation is the closest for this, as it means to add, but it doesn't really capture the idea of adding something that will be helpful but isn't necessary. I can provide more context if needed, but I'm hoping that someone knows a word that will just hit the nail on the head.
An example of one of these technologies is the new tech coming out where you can implant a digital key into your hand so that when you open the door to your house it will automatically unlock. While this may be cool and helpful in some ways, it is obviously not necessary and the surgery to get this technology would be - just for fun (? I am struggling on this word!). Any help is appreciated!


texts: Is this correct in American English: It has helped me developed

texts:
I've come across a brief overview about a Canadian sales representative that says :

  I grew-up in a family business specializing in short-term rental
  accommodations. Our resort, Tyrolean Village Resorts, was built by my
  father and uncle in the 1960’s and is now managed by my brother and I.
  This unique experience has helped me developed my 15-year real estate
  career in selling and buying short-term rental accommodations and
  working through the requirements to establish and operate such
  properties in the area.

I've noticed that he used "present perfect and past simple at the same time" ( has helped me developed ).'

Question:

I'm wondering, what is the grammar rules used here? and if I were to change it to "has helped me develop", would the meaning change?


texts: Should there be an apostrophe in "Ladies' Coats" on the sign in a shop selling ladies' coats?

texts: I work in a charity shop and we sell coats for ladies. Should the sign read "Ladies' Coats" or "Ladies Coats"? I argue for the apostrophe but some of my friends argue that as the coats do not belong to the ladies yet that there shouldn't be an apostrophe.


texts: A brief history v. the brief history - what explains the difference in function?

texts:
I'm puzzling over a difference in sense between two expressions as I've seen them in titles of texts. Here they are with examples:
A Brief History. Brief modifies history, which here seems to refer to the genre of text being written - history as overview or as a narrative focused on progression over time. It is a brief history, the indefinite article denoting that other histories may be written, but this is one of them. Time is not brief; the history is brief relative to the thing being written about. (For time, "brief" is a whole book! For the internet, that's a few paragraphs.)

A Brief History of Time
A Brief History of Triplet Repeat Diseases
A Brief History of the Internet

The Brief History. Brief modifies history, which here seems to refer to the actual span of time or series of events in question: "Americanitis," Volumetric Filmmaking, and the city of the Dead are all brief phenomena. The focuses on this concept: there is only one definite history of this concept, and the title specifies that it tells this history.

The Brief History of "Americanitis"
The Brief History of Volumetric Filmmaking
The Brief History of the Dead

What creates this difference feels subtle in a way that goes beyond conventional article guides. The article is definitely involved in creating a difference, but I have trouble generalizing to other examples. So I have two related questions:
A. What explains this? Is it:

History referring to both a kind of text and a kind of narrative?
Brief, as an adjective, highlighting how a quality of history might be understood differently?
A or the, as articles, signalling whether history is more likely to be indefinite or definite?
Attributable more to context (title convention), idiomatic patterns, or other things?

B: Are there examples of this principle working with other article+adjective+noun combinations, or is it distinct to this?


texts: On official forms, does the present perfect imply that the situation is ongoing or has not yet concluded?

texts:
I have a question specifically about present perfect usage in legal and “bureaucratic” writing. On official forms (for example, application forms from US government agencies or IRS forms), I sometimes see questions worded using present perfect, for example:

(1) "Since establishing Hawaii residence, have you received a job offer from a foreign government?"
(2) "Has your employer closed permanently or temporarily due to the
COVID-19 emergency?"
(3) "Have you become a full or part-time student since leaving the Armed
Forces?"

In each of these cases, would the correct answer still be "yes" if the present perfect action happened but the situation had already concluded? For example:

For (1), you were offered a job by a foreign government after establishing Hawaii
residence, but you already declined it.
For (2), your employer closed temporarily at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has
since reopened.
For (3), you were a part-time student for one quarter after leaving
the Armed Forces twenty years ago, but are not a student any more.

I understand that present perfect is used for past actions that are either continuing in the present or relevant to the present, while the simple past is used when the action was completed and has no ongoing relevance. This does not answer my question, though, because even if the action has no ongoing relevance to the answerer, it could easily still have relevance to the agency who is asking for it. Should these questions be answered with “yes” or “no”, and why?


texts: "the only one of + plural noun" = singular or plural verb? (focus on the only)

texts:
He is one of the candidates who is/are willing to debate the issues. (it is 'are' due to the relative pronoun)
He is the only one of the candidates who is/are willing to debate the issues. (what should be used here?)
I am focusing on "only" here.If we go by 'only' then its a single noun but if we go by the relative pronoun rule then who refers to candidates and that calls for a plural verb. I need to know this strictly in terms of grammar please.


texts: I am writing a short reflection and I'm describing a situation where I am joking around with someone. What I mean by "joking around" is playfully teasing. Would I just write, "I joked around with my friend"? Would I just use playfully teased instead?


texts: Which can be true? The importance of + Ving or the importance of + ADJ + Noun

texts:
I am confused about the sentence below. Which structure  is used:  importance of + Ving or the importance of + ADJ + Noun ?

  In recently years, there has been growing awareness of the importance of preserving the world's  biological diversity.


texts: What's the most common way to say "male chauvinist?"

texts:
Unless "male chauvinist" is the most common way. For example, in Spanish we just say "machista." I'm looking for something short and common, like that. I checked on Google but the only thing I found was that: male chauvinist. The other alternative is sexist. But that's a little different. The word should mean: the belief that men are superior or more important than women.

Any other suggestions?

(e.g., For instance, to be used in a sentence like: "Your ideology sounds a bit male chauvinist to me).


texts: A Term or Expression for Recursion in a Lucid Dream

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I occasionally have lucid "false awakening" dreams (the most recent occasion being this past night) where I know I'm dreaming, I have the conscious will to wake up, and when I attempt to wake up it seems as though I've succeeded, yet I remain dreaming.

After the false awakening, I spend time attempting to establish that I am awake (always with the strong expectation that this hypothesis is true). Either in the course of this analysis, or in a subsequent attempt to "go about my business", I shortly become aware that I'm still dreaming, I again attempt to wake up, and the process repeats itself (in some instances, such as the most recent, well over 20 times).

The process is frustrating and upsetting, although I wouldn't characterize it as a nightmare.

My question is whether there's a term or expression for this particular kind of lucid dreaming, perhaps from the scientific study of dreaming, or from mythology/antiquity, or from a pop culture reference to a story where "inability to wake from a dream" features prominently as a plot device?


texts: What does "give someone the jumps" mean?

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While reading Algernon Blackwood's "The Willows" I came across this phrase. Here is the context:
«"And, for Heaven's sake," I went on, "don't keep pretending you hear things, because it only gives me the jumps, and there's nothing to hear but the river and this cursed old thundering wind."»
I suppose it means to annoy or to irritate someone, but I'm not sure. Could you help me, please?
Edit: There's a phrase "get a jump on sb/sth" in the Camridge Dictionary that means "to start doing something before other people start, or before something happens, in order to win an advantage for yourself". But it's quite different from my assumption I made here.


texts:
With the lack of a good etymology search engine that I know of I'll ask this here.

In classical music, the trumpet is often used to communicate a sense of victory, glory, or triumph. To my linguistically untrained ear, the words trumpet and triumphant sound uncannily similar. Also, the verb form of trumpet is related, roughly, to the idea of triumph.

Is there some common origin that these two words share, or is it just coincidence?


texts:
If you are using a word that normally wouldn't start with a capital letter, should it be lower case after an e.g.? Also should e.g. have a capital E at the start of a sentence?

Example phrases:

  Should I always plug in electrical items? e.g. Electric hairdryer, phone charger...
  Should I always plug in electrical items? e.g. electric hairdryer, phone charger...
  Should I always plug in electrical items? E.g. Electric hairdryer, phone charger...
  Should I always plug in electrical items? E.g. electric hairdryer, phone charger...