texts: Business Language for "Good looking out"

texts:
I am looking for a business language alternative to the slang "good looking out" meaning something similar to "thanks for looking out for me" but with a more familiar tone appropriate for use with a colleague. Some versions I've kicked around:

"Thanks for looking out for me" - Too formal, seems like this person is a guardian or overseer to my work and not really appropriate for a colleague.
"Good catch, thanks" - It's not really a catch, so much as them giving advance notice of something that could be an issue. They're catching an issue sure, but it's not so much a "catch" as much as it is a warning of possibility.
Simply, "thanks" - I'd like my coworkers to be a bit more open with me than just a "thanks" to end the conversation. I'd like it to be a collaborative effort to keep the team going, so a droll "thanks" does't seem to do the trick.

What is a good business alternative for the slang, "good looking out"?


texts: What is a word that describes cities, towns, and villages?

texts:
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a city is "an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village"; a town is "a compactly settled area usually larger than a village but smaller than a city"; and a village is "a settlement usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town".

One can deduce from these definitions that the word "city" cannot be used to describe a town or a village, and that the word "town" cannot be used to describe a city or a village.

If, therefore, one wanted to speak of both a city and a town, as for example, "The city of Philadelphia and the town of Hershey", what word could he use to describe both of them, in saying, for example, "Both of these [] are in Pennsylvania"?

Thank you.


texts: How should I pronounce ACoA - the acronym standing for Adult Children of Alcoholics?


texts: Meaning of "My high kicks are not done in a line!"

texts:
My high kicks are not done in a line!

The above sentence appeared as a legend in a T-shirt I saw once. It accompanied the caricature of a soccer player warming up, but I didn't get the pun intended. When I told a friend of mine about this, he said that the joke might have to do with a certain expression from ballet ... I hope that you can shed some light on this enquiry of mine.


texts: When is creating punctuation appropriate?

texts:
I recently saw the character '‽' (the interrobang, a mashing of '!' and '?') in an answer's comment and it got me thinking about another character I've seen recently: the sarcmark. In my estimation neither are 'official' punctuation characters; nevertheless the former must be part of Unicode for it to be used in my browser so easily.

At what point is the creation of punctuation appropriate? Is it a matter of popularity, or is necessity the mother of invention?


texts: What formal phrase is used when someone started speaking and behaving in a very angry way?

texts: If go off on someone is informal, what is formal?


texts: What is the proper grammatical terminology to describe this parenthetical remark?

texts:
The following sentence appears in this book review:

  But this idea has been a driving force in mathematical logic and computer science since Alan Turing, A. N. Kolmogorov and Emil Post (he of the "tag" system, of which more later).

Indeed, there is a "Post tag system" which is mentioned later in the review.

Now, I understand what this sentence means just fine, and I feel certain it's grammatically correct, but the parenthetical remark seems somewhat stilted, or at any rate it employs constructions I don't think I see very often.

Can someone explain what is going on in the parenthetical remark, grammatically speaking?
Also: What are some good alternatives for expressing the same meaning?


texts: A word for "intimate friends" without any kind of romance?

texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe that a particular situation where two people (a man and a woman) are probably the best of friends but have no romantic inclinations towards each other. They may invade each others thoughts periodically but aren't really in a relationship per se. What would be a good word to describe this?

I'm aware of "platonic" but am wondering if there is another word?


texts: Why is "vacuum" pronounced [ˈvæ.kjuːm] and not [ˈvæ.kjuː.əm] when other -uum words like "continuum" retain the vowel?

texts: Per the title, why did "vacuum" (apparently) suffer syncope when words like "continuum" did not?


texts: In two verbs I want to omit one and convey the meaning of recognition using Do

texts:
For example:

  Whether the doctor knows me or not but she knows me

Should I make the second clause  something as' *Whether the doctor knows me or not but she does me.' Is this way correct to use and conveys the meaning of the same as above the example


texts: Usage of the "non" word when describing something which does not belong to a project (or any organizational group)

texts:
The dictionary contains many words which start with "non", e.g. non-acceptance or nonacceptance (with a hyphen and without it).
I tried to find out if I can build a new word by using the word "non" and a project's name (we can also generalize the project to any organizational group, but I'll use the term 'project' here), but didn't find enough useful information, therefore I'd like to ask you.

If I want to say that something does not belong to a project and the project is called "ABC", then is it correct to say:

  This is a non-ABC thing.

?

Or maybe you have some better proposals how such things can be described in a shorter way than

  This is a thing which does not belong to ABC.

I mean in this situation something what is not a part of the project ABC, i.e. is not contained in the project ABC.

Please note that the name of the project ABC is a noun and not an adjective. My main concern is that maybe the nouns have to be treated differently in order to build a "non-..." word.


texts: In the context of work, is a report and direct report the same thing?

texts:
Essentially what I'm asking is whether or not a report and a direct report are the same thing --- are the words synonyms?

Oxford Dictionary defines a report as someone who reports to a fellow employee, so in my estimation the answer is yes.


texts:
Please suggest how to correct this sentence, particularly to fit in the bold part

However, ****, it is still necessary to provide solutions with the optical mouse as most existing computers use it.


texts:
Is this question correct?
What is the chronological order of John as the president of our country?


texts: What is the origin of 'many a [singular noun]'?

texts:
What is the origin of the weird phrase 'many a [singular noun]'? It's extremely odd: for one thing, 'many' here is a predeterminer (very unusual), for another, it goes with a singular noun. What is the explanation for this bizarre structure?

additional question you may not answer: Is it stylistically neutral? How would it sound to a native speaker's ear? Isn't it something literary?


texts:
This comes from The Newsroom S01E06, about 51:48.

Will comments on a large black bodyguard's advancements on McKenzie:

Will: Dress up like a tailback and he won't be able to lay a hand on you.
Bodyguard: Shrimp boat, if I wasn't being paid to keep you alive…

It's obviously received as a witty and offensive joke, but what is its meaning? What does tailback mean in this context?


texts: Is there an English equivalent to the Indian proverb-"If you have the ability, even grass can be your weapon"?

texts:
The original Indian saying (in Tamil) is வல்லவனுக்கு புல்லும் ஆயுதம்  (Vallavanuku Pullum Aayudham)

Translation : For the capable, even grass can be a weapon

Meaning: If you have the ability and talent, you can achieve success with whatever (minimal) resources available at your disposal.

Something exactly opposite to the proverbial - "A bad workman always blames his tools"TFD

So what does a good (skilled) workman  do?


texts: What is the term for the kind of laugh that Ernie makes on Sesame Street?

texts:
On the children's television show Sesame Street, Bert and Ernie are iconic characters.  Ernie has a distinctive laugh.
I would not call it a "deep belly laugh."  That laugh I would write as "Ha ha ha!"
I would not call it a "giggle." That laugh I would write as "hee hee hee!"
Is there a term that captures the kind of laugh that Ernie has?
I'm looking for the right word to use in a sentence like this:

Earnest gave his distinctive laugh, a ________________. "Heh heh heh heh heh."

For those not familiar with Ernie's laugh, I have included a link to a Youtube compilation of scenes where he laughs, eighteen seconds long.
Note: This doesn't have to be a single word.  A phrase comparable to "belly laugh" would fit.


texts: Origin of New Jersey idiom "down the shore"

texts:
As a native Midwesterner, I was very puzzled to hear my wife (who is from northern New Jersey) use that idiom. I understand what it means, and as far as I can remember I understood what it meant from the beginning; but I thought that my wife's rapid speech was eliding the "to".

My usual sources for etymology (Merriam-Webster.com and Etymonline.com) are designed for word etymology, not phrase etymology, and I don't see (after some search) a question here, so I'll now put the question:

What is the origin and history of the New Jersey idiom "down the shore", used to mean "in the area along the southeastern coast of New Jersey?"

Note The related question, here, correctly identifies the expression as being a local idiom, but doesn't address the question of where the expression came from (For example, was there a local dialect which used "down the" to mean "in the direction of"? If so, by whom was it spoken? Where? Does it survive in any other expressions? Is it at all related to the northern New Jersey accent?) I'm specifically looking for historical origins, which are not addressed in the previous question.


texts: Impartial or generic word for both stretch/dilate and squeeze/compress

texts:
Is there a word that refers to squeezing/compression or stretching/dilation while being impartial to the "direction"? For example, shift does not denote which direction is being moved in.

Malleate doesn't quite work and is quite obscure, given by Merriam-Webster as "to beat or mark or dent (a metal) with a hammer in working or decorating". It also has no synonyms given anywhere I can find.
Transform is how it is referred to in mathematical settings but doesn't work for other situations.
Adapt or alter are not specific enough in what is happening to the object
Edit: Scale or resize do not work as they imply that only the size of the object changes and not its shape

Sentence examples:

The object was __ by the atmospheric pressure
Please __ the square peg to make it fit in the round hole

(The object could have been made smaller or larger in either scenario.)


texts: Is it correct to say "double eight" or "triple nine" when spelling a number?

texts:
I hear from indian colleagues

  my TeamViewer password is six, nine, double-eight (to say 6988)

or

  my telephonenumber is three, five, four, triple-nine, six, double-eight, two,
  one (to say 3549996882)

My queestion is: using

  double N

or

  Triple M

is it correct?

I would like to know if it is common in the US and UK too.


texts: "Get intoxicated" vs. "become intoxicated"

texts: I was on the Islamic site of Stack Exchange which is currently on beta. We are preparing the website for new users, and one of the moderators and I are confused about some grammar. My answer said "with the insignificant amount of alcohol it is impossible to become intoxicated" and it was edited to "get intoxicated".  Would one be more correct or are they equally correct?


texts: Does using "diminish" instead of "reduce" place an emphasis on the process of reduction?

texts:
I have an essay assignment and the prompt looks like this:

  Without application in reality, the value of scientific findings is greatly diminished.

My teacher insists that the use of "diminished" instead of "reduced" implies that the decrease in "the value of scientific findings" is a gradual process rather than just one moment.

I am not perfectly sure about this. Although "to diminish" can mean to disappear gradually, but I think the two words mean the same thing. Well, do they?


texts: What's the adjectival form of "evangelist"?

texts:
I have a question about how to write the following:

  1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus are commonly known as the "pastoral epistles" because they're allegedly written to pastors. However, the recipients were evangelists (2 Timothy 4:5), which are distinct from pastors (Ephesians 4:11). Therefore, they could more accurately be called the [BLANK] epistles.

The [BLANK] is the adjectival form of evangelist, but I don't know what that would be. What's the adjective for evangelist as used here? Thanks!


texts: What does the Middle English "un" ending mean?

texts:
As I understood the Middle English "un" ending means possessive Pronouns (ourun), third-person plural past participle (fallun, comun, wonnun) or having the quality of (wollun, lynun, goldun, stonun).

Why "un" ending are used in Middle English "eirun" eggs?

Wycliffe's Bible
Job.39:14
Studylight:
"which ostrige forsakith hise eirun in the erthe, in hap thou schalt make tho hoot in the dust"

King James Bible:

"Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust…"


texts: Is it redundant to use "troubleshooting" and "problem" in the same sentence?

texts: Is it ok to say something like "Troubleshooting hardware and software issues", or as troubleshoot already implies there is a problem, the sentence is somewhat redundant


texts: Confidentiality is to confidential as integrity is to... what?

texts:
In a piece of technical writing I need to write the following sentence:

  [...] as more confidential (or less X) information is
  [...]

Where X is to integrity as confidential is to confidentiality. However, I'm unable to find a suitable word for X.

Integrity is in the context of information security. I don't think integral is the right word, as that would refer to something being important or essential, right?


texts:
Write tenses and formations

I always get told off for saying I wrote an email and told I should say I have written an email. Why? When should you use these different tenses. Or point me towards a good cheat sheet.


texts: Is "not at all" still alive and doing well?

texts:
I was taught to use "not at all" as a rather polite, standard reply to "thank you".
However, I don't see it being used at all nowadays. Can I still use it? Would it
be widely understood? Should I be aware of any differences between using it in British,
American, Canadian, and Australian English? (As in, are there better alternatives in any particular dialect?)

Edit: A (German) friend of mine who spent a year studying in Edinburgh says "not at all" is still fairly common there.


texts: Usage of a commonly accepted proverb to disregard someone's opinion

texts:
I am looking for a term (or a sentence) that would describe a figure of speech where one individual use a commonly accepted proverb (or thick concept or other) in order to disregard someone's opinion on the matter.
Example
Obviously some things look better than others. If for example we consider two cities one commonly considered ugly, one commonly considered pretty, and ask 100 people which city they find more aesthetic we have likely to have a result very far from 50:50.
Yet, the proverb "beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" can be used in a speech to disregard one's personal opinion about aesthetic as being too subjective and to not matter as would not represents most people's opinion.

Alice: I went to this restaurant last week. The food was sooo bad!
Bob: Well you know... There is no accounting for tastes! You may not like it but that's only your opinion.

In such circumstance it will be hard for Alice to convey her point as she would necessarily appear as being not open-minded (whether the ratatouille was burnt and the vegetable rotten or not) to the eye of her audience. How do we call (or describe in a few words) Bob's figure of speech?


texts: When was "it" first used in weather sentences?

texts:
It is raining.
  It's a sunny day.
  I hate it when it rains.
  I'm prepared if it snows.
  It can be mighty cold at night! ... etc.

My questions:

When did English speakers start using "it" when referring to weather conditions / activities?
Or has this always been the case?  Did people use to say "There is rain" and the language changed?


texts: "the deed" "the mortgage" can they convey general meanings?

texts:
I reckon there are three types of general meanings in English using the definite article:

(1) The I-phone is a popular gadget nowadays.

(2) The steel industry is the business of producing steel.

(3) The Mediterranean (Sea) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean.

Then, in which category would these examples below fit?

"The deed is the basic document used to transfer an estate or other interest in land during the owner's lifetime."

"The mortgage is viewed as the transfer of an interest in real property."

Both of the words convey general meanings, but how? My guess is that these are similar to (3): there were other words after 'deed' and 'mortgage' but we often omit them.


texts:
I think this is an idiom/expression referring to happiness or relief, but it might also be a sailing term used by sailors. It's from Christopher Columbus’s journal (1492), as he writes about approaching (what he thought was) India from the Atlantic Ocean.

  They saw petrels and a green bulrush near the ship. The men of the caravel Pinta saw a cane and a stick, and took on board another small stick that appeared to have been worked with iron, and a piece of cane, and other vegetation originating on land, and a small plank. The men of the caravel Nina also saw other signs of land and a small stick loaded with barnacles. With these signs everyone breathed more easily and cheered up. On this day, up to sunset, they made 27 leagues.


texts: Correct usage of "switch between A and B"

texts:
I want to show that a switch between A and B, and vice versa, is not allowed in a specific situation. Is "Between A and B" the correct usage in this case?

I've been told that omitting "vice versa" might make it open to misunderstanding. What would be the correct usage here?

Edit: Yes, I see "Switching between" as distinct from "Switching from", since in my opinion, "between" includes both directions, whereas "from" only includes one direction.


texts: "I don't buy no drinks." Grammatically correct?

texts:
I don't buy no drinks.

I saw this phrase in a song, and I'm not quite sure if it's correct I hope you'll help me find the answer. Thank you in advance.


texts: What is the meaning of "versus" in this sentence?

texts:
There are phrases like "Use pipe or loop reactor vs. batch reactor vessels" and "Use continuously stirred, flow-through systems vs. batch reactor vessels."

In these cases, what is the meaning of "vs."? Does it mean we better use pipe or look reactor instead of batch reactor vessels?


texts:
I found the term "anti-example" when googling for a word that means "example of what not to do" but I've never heard of it being used in common usage and googling it doesn't seem to lead to any dictionary entries. A "bad example" seems me to mean "an example that's not very representative of the subject matter" rather than "an example that conveys the exact opposite meaning".

Is there a commonly used word that most people would agree means "example of what not to do"?


texts:
"I was the First Lady of the United States of America—a job that’s not
  officially a job, but that nonetheless has given me a platform like
  nothing I could have imagined. It challenged me and humbled me, lifted
  me up and shrank me down, sometimes all at once."

  BECOMING, by Michelle Obama

I couldn't find any reference on the web for "Shrinking someone down" What does it mean here? Is it an  idiom?


texts:
What would be the expression to describe making something "not unpleasant"/"less unpleasant"? Specifically, not making it pleasant (adding comforts) but minimizing the expected discomforts.

Let's say, a convict is being put in prison. The stay will not be pleasant, that much is known, but the guards learn facts that make them feel sympathy for the convict, so given the little wiggle room they have, they will try to make it as non-unpleasant as possible.


texts: Word for "induce someone to disavow an idea"

texts:
What word would you use in the following context:

  We need to _____ him from the idea that he can buy it at that price.

I believe there's a word that exactly describes the idea of getting someone to abandon an idea, and I believe it starts with "dis-". Would "divorce" work in this context?


texts: What is the plural form of "the name of which"?

texts:
Consider we have a sentence:

  I have a box named "A".

rewritten as such:

  I have a box, the name of which is "A".

How should we rewrite the sentence if now there is more than one "item"?

  I have three boxes, named "A", "B", and "C".

Is the sentence below grammatical? :

  I have three boxes, the names of them are "A", "B", and "C".


texts: Word for "Trying to be funny in a serious situation"

texts: You know when someone messes something up or does something stupid and all eyes are on them, so they try to defuse the tension by being funny (which usually backfires and makes people even more angry). I need a word to refer to that situation.


texts:
If someone asks, "What day is it today?" and it is 10 pm, is it correct to respond with

  "Today was Tuesday."

since the day is over and it's night? Is that response incorrect? Should the correct response be

  "Today is Tuesday."?


texts:
I read this sentence in The Life of Samuel Johnson:

  "The booksellers who contracted with Johnson, single and unaided, for the execution of a work, which in other countries has not been effected but by the co-operating exertions of many, were Mr. Robert Dodsley, Mr. Charles Hitch, Mr. Andrew Millar, the two Messieurs Longman, and the two Messieurs Knapton."

I am not certain about the meaning of "but" in this context. "But" means "only" OR "however". I can skip it and still understand the whole sentence. However, I want to know exactly about it because I am learning the English language.


texts:
I am sorry that I couldn't come up with a more appropriate and specific title. But my questions are:

I was thinking about talking about (something)

Is this structure correct? It does seem awkward but I don't see anything in this sentence for it to be grammatically wrong. And how about this:

I was talking about talking about (something)

If I was talking about a specific thing one week ago and I just talked about how and what I was talking that day yesterday, so now I am telling one of my friends that yesterday I was talking about talking about (that thing). Is this grammatically correct?
For example;

1st.December.2020- A famous group was talking about disbanding(within themselves)
7th.December.2020- They revealed it to the public that they were talking about disbanding.(They didn't actually as they decided not to)
10th.December.2020- I see someone rewatching the video of them of 7th.December and I asked him "3. Isn't it where the band was talking about talking about disbandment" because in that video itself they are not talking about disbanding they just said they were talking about it.


texts: Every single logo, advert, presentation and video IS or ARE?

texts: I know that every single is followed by singular, but what if there are different units after "every single"?


texts: A word to describe local versus global radiation

texts:
I am writing a paper, in which I perform experiments with electromagnetic radiation. In some tests, I radiate interference all over the target, while in others I use a very directed antenna to radiate on a precise location of the target. I am looking for noun that could describe this differentiation (local radiation versus global radiation). I thought of "extensiveness" but it sounds too philosophical for me, is there a more fitting term?

I can't provide an example sentence since it would be used as a column header in a table.


texts: Here's the sentence I'm wrestling with: "Chances are most of your customers are..." Is this correct? Or should it be "Chances are that most of your customers..." or "Chances are, most of your customers are..."?


texts:
After reading "Is everyone" singular or plural?", I would refrain from asking this question, but the husband of a colleague of mine (English professor, native speaker of British English) stated against it, so I am looking for further enlightenment.

He advocates some should be solely used to refer to plural forms. Thus,

  some non-existent towns

is perfectly correct, but

  some non-existent town

should be replaced by

  a non-existent town

Is that true?


texts:
At one time, in 1973, Winston had held in his hands evidentiary proof that certain people who the Party deemed never existed had actually existed.

Is a comma required before "in 1973"? Because "in 1973" looks like essential information to me.


texts: Idiom to express someone is getting something they don't need/won't be able to use

texts:
Context: Someone is trying to purchase an expensive product they not only don't need but won't have much use for. The result they are expecting to get can be achieved in a much simpler way without the involvement of said product, but they insist on getting it anyway. Think of a not-exactly-technology-savvy-grandma eager to buy a laptop to write down her shopping list.

In my native language, I would say they're buying roller skates for a fish. Is there an English equivalent?


texts:
Liquidation is the process of resolving a company's assets into cash.

Is the word resolve used correctly here?


texts: I've seen this in a movie and I guessed it meant "every thing is bad", but I just want to know the exact meaning of it.  I tried to search in many dictionaries and websites such as Merriam Webster and free dictionary but I couldn't find the answer.


texts: Single Word for an Unfortunate Coincidence?

texts: Is there a single word that is able to be used instead of the phrase "unfortunate coincidence"?


texts: "Prices vary state to state" vs. "prices vary from state to state"

texts:
Prices vary state to state.
  Prices vary from state to state.

Is either more appropriate or ungrammatical?


texts:
Is it more correct to form a sentence such as

  John went to academic conference by the bus

using by as the preposition indicating what he took to the conference, or is using on the correct way? Better yet, could both of them stand for the same meaning?


texts: Explain this pickup line: "If Bangkok invaded Djibouti, would Greece help?"

texts:
I was at an Model UN conference and often notes like the following get passed. As I'm not a native speaker, I assume that this has to do with some pronunciational issue. Can you please explain what's so funny about this sentence? (Djibouti seemed to be often used in such context.)

  If Bangkok invaded Djibouti would Greece help?


texts: What is a good verb to describe the pleasant sound of rain?

texts:
Last week, I was up the whole night working in my house in my ultra-quiet neighborhood. Around 3 am, a thunderstorm started and broke the silence of the night. I enjoyed the sound of rain on my window and my roof. The next day, I was telling the story to a friend, but I couldn't find a good word to describe the sound of rain. The closest thing I had in my mind was the word impinge, which I had seen in a sentence from James Joyce.

  "I heard the rain impinge upon the earth" -- James Joyce

Impinge precisely captures all I want to convey about my experience with the sound of the rain, but it is too formal for a conversation with a friend. Is there a good word to describe my experience?


texts: Are there any rules for the pronunciation of Ch words. In words like, for example, chess, chemistry, school, etc. I want to know when should we pronounce 'ch' as "K' and when this has to be pronounced as "tʃ" as in chess.


texts: How to say that a user has "taken" a reward?

texts:
What are the ways of saying that a user has taken a reward?

I need this for a website I'm working on. It offers rewards to users, and they need to select the ones they want. This text will be used throughout the site, on buttons, etc.

I was thinking about the following:

Claim this reward / Claimed rewards / etc.
Collect this reward / Collected rewards / etc.

What verb is the most appropriate for use with "rewards"?

Thanks!


texts: When are relative pronouns omitted in a sentence?

texts:
"For someone used to the tiny creatures we get in England it was something of a shock."

I think, in this sentence, relative pronouns before some words have been omitted. I know rules of omitting relative pronouns, but in this case I have failed to understand before which words relative pronouns can be placed to understand the sentence perfectly, which has been stated above. Please, explain the rules of omitting relative pronouns with the help of the sentence stated above, so that I can be able to understand this type of sentences easily. You can also use other sentences to explain this fact clearly.

Thanks to everyone.


texts:
Okay, of course I've used different popular online dictionaries and the translation makes sense in the most cases.

Sometimes I find usages of 'though' where I don't get the meaning of the word.

An example I've found on twitter

  That face, though. [Image of a dog looking weird]

The tweet came without any context or conversation.

When I translate this example to my native language - german - this makes absolutely no sense. At least for me.

So is the above usage some kind of slang?
What is the meaning of though in this case?

For the completeness an example that makes absolutely sense for me

  Though he tried very hard, he failed the course.


texts: What does it mean to say you are doing something "over the next 3 weeks"?

texts: What does it mean to say "over the next 3 weeks"?


texts:
What is the difference between Anglia and England? When it's used.

Some examples of modern usages:

probably coincident, but Anglia in Polish language is England,
there are regions called East Anglia, Mid Anglia and West Anglia,
there are schools such as Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, The College of West Anglia, Anglia Ruskin Students' Union,
Anglian Water in the UK, Anglian Bus,
Greater Anglia trains and Anglia Railways,
and similar


texts: What does my coworker mean that our company doesn't support "Comp"?

texts:
I was talking to a coworker that said that our company doesn't support "Comp".

We were talking about taking overtime to complete a project this weekend.
I searched for comp in relation to jobs and work and only found references to "Workers Compensation" or "Workers Comp", which I'm pretty sure doesn't apply to this situation.

Is he just using "Comp" as a short way of saying "Compensation"?  And if he is, how does that apply?  The company does support compensation or we wouldn't be getting paid for our work.


texts: Word for a quote that was never actually said

texts:
Many well-known quotes such as "Elementary, my dear Watson" were never actually said by the person they are attributed to.

Is there a specific word that means this kind of quote? If not, is there a more general word for commonly held belief that is wrong?


texts: Is “the exchange (between Perry and Romney) was not the clear winner” a common English expression?

texts:
I noticed the line “the exchange was not the clear winner” in the following sentence of the article titled “The Take: Perry’s challenging road ahead” appearing in Washington Post Sept. 24 issue:

“On Thursday, Social Security was a principal point of contention between the two, and it illustrated Perry’s problems. The exchange was not the clear winner that Romney might have hoped, but that ‘s largely because Perry’s position remains something of a muddle.”

To me, the expression “exchange = (not) clear winner” sounds somewhat illogical, because “the exchange” can’t be equal (or not equal) to “the clear winner,” though the result could be. A person can be a winner or loser, but can the abstractive noun like 'exchange' be a winner or loser, unless used as a metaphor?

Shouldn’t it be something like “The exchange did not show (prove / result in / turn out) the clear winner.

Maybe I’m nit-picking, but I wonder if this kind of expression; “His argument was a winner,” “Ryo Ishikawa’s play was a loser” “Obama’s Middle-East talk was a loser,” “Sarah Palin’s speech was a creater,” are common English expressions?


texts: What does "subtle" mean as a single-word reply?

texts:
I am watching US Open these days on its website. There are advertisements by a company called "esurance", where a man showed to a woman a huge check and started to introduce "esurance", and then the woman replied "Subtle!", if I am right about what I heard.

I can understand some usage of subtle as part of a sentence. But I was wondering what "Subtle!" means as a reply generally?


texts:
I seem to recall having heard some people use "post" as a past tense form of "post", rather than "posted". However, this sentence structure is remarkably difficult to google for examples of, let alone representation in dictionaries and similar sources.
"I post flyers every day" <-- present
"I post the flyer yesterday" <-- past
Is this use at all common? And how might I figure that out on my own online?


texts:
What does the phrase "go for adds" mean?

I ran across it here:
http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=7772


texts:
What does fancy-ass mean in the following sentence:

  And after that, getting hired by some "fancy-ass".


texts: 'Picked as an each - sold as an each.' Grammatically correct?

texts:
Is"Picked as an each - sold as an each" grammatically correct?

I came across this sentence somewhere and it struck me as sounding odd.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Shorter way to say “conversational partner”

What's a good word for something or someone who is holding a conversation? Or perhaps a bit broader, someone who knows how to hold a conversation with someone or something.

Need a name for something or someone who knows how to hold a conversation with something or someone.

Was thinking Conversationist, but that doesn't seem to be a word :p


texts:
My native language is German, and I also speak English quite well. But there is one thing that has puzzled me for years, and I still haven't found an answer.  It's about the names of times during a day. I give you a list, with rough times, the German names and the English names, and then my question:

6:00 -  9:00 Ger: "Morgen", Engl: "morning"
9:00 - 11:30 Ger: "Vormittag", Engl: ?
11:30 - 13:30 Ger: "Mittag", Engl: "noon"
13:30 - 17:30 Ger: "Nachmittag", Engl: "afternoon"
17:30 - 23:00 Ger: "Abend", Engl: "evening"
23:00 -  6:00 Ger: "Nacht", Engl: "night"

The absolute times may vary for +/- 2 hours or even more, so please don't take them too serious.

My question is about the period between 9:00 and 11:30. What do you call this time in English? The literal translation of the German word "Vormittag" would be "beforenoon", but that doesn't seem to be an English word. Is there another word for this time of day?

I do believe, that you call this time "morning" too. If this is true, then how do you translate this sentence:

  Maria stand bereits am Morgen auf, aber Peter erst am Vormittag.

When I try to translate it, I get:

  Maria already got up in the morning, but Peter only in the morning.

I think you know what I want to express without understanding the German sentence, but I also think that you agree with me, that this English sentence doesn't really tell that Maria got up early and Peter some hours later.


texts: Singular subject followed by verb without "s"

texts:
This is the sentence I wish to construct:

  When the show finishes, someone remind the ice-cream man to start
  picking up the garbage.

The verb in question is "remind".  Should it be "remind" or "reminds"?

I have a hunch that it should be "remind".  If so, why is the subject and verb not in agreement?  (Normally "someone reminds" is considered correct.)

Is there a grammatical term to describe this type of usage?  Any reference would be helpful too.

Thanks


texts:
I have found at least twice the adjective “infamous” used, apparently, to mean “very famous”, rather than its actual, opposite meaning, both times in non-humorous texts:

The first, a historical essay about ancient Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus:

  At some point between the late eighth and mid-seventh century BC ... a new constitution came into force in Sparta; known as the Great Rhetra, this constitution was, by the fifth century BC, associated directly with Sparta's infamous lawgiver Lycurgus...

And the second, a popular science article about the Goodyear blimp:

  3 June 1925: The infamous Goodyear blimp first flies. These would go on to be a regular part of sporting events in the US.

Is this a new use of the term? Or were those most likely plain oversights?

If it matters, both texts are by British authors.


texts: Looking for a connector word between sentences where the second sentence gives more detail to the first

texts:
I'm looking for a connector word between these two sentences along the lines of where, whereas, whereby, etc. Couldn't quite come up with the appropriate word here.
"In the cli, the keywords relevant to ldaps are 'ssl-connection' and 'protocol'. Setting the latter to 'ldaps' or 'starttls' automatically enables the former."


texts: him/his - what is the right one and why?

texts:
I'm not sure what is the right answer:

  I'm looking forward to him/his visiting me next week.

Many thanks.


texts: 'I thought', 'I would think', 'I would have thought'

texts:
I'm going to show you three examples.

 1. A - Have you got any change?
    B - Do I have change? What for?
    A - For the vending machine!
           I would have thought that was pretty obvious.
 : I think it's sufficient to just say,
  "I thought that was pretty obvious."
  because literally 'I' thought so in the past, which is a simple fact, but now I don't.
  And "I would think that as pretty obvious." is possible in the context?
  If so, what are the differences among them?

 2. Let's say there are two kids playing in the garden
     and their mum comes out to tell them in for dinner.
     But the kids have gone somewhere, so she starts going around for them.
     In some minutes, she finds the two and says.
     "I would have known."
     Why does she talk like that? What's the nuance?
      I think it will do to say,    "I knew you would be here."
      I wonder if "I would know" is a possible subsitute for the highlighted sentence.
      If it could be, what are the differences among the three?

 3. A - Was the party great?
     B - I don't / wouldn't know. I wasn't there.
 : I think if B goes for "I don't know",   it will mean he's just saying the plain fact that he wasn't there.
  What if B replies, "I wouldn't know"?  What's the difference?
   And is "I wouldn't have known" possible here?
   If so, what are the differences?

I hear 'would do / would have done' structure is closely related to a hypothetical if,
but I can't seem to figure it out.
I was guessing 'would have done' might mean speculating about the past,
I've come to think it can't explain 'would do' option.

 Help me out with this.
 Thank you all.


texts:
I'm currently writing a scientific article and thus, I need to be very careful with my English.

In this article I usually show graphics and describe them:

  "Fig. X show the temperature variation...".

Then, I write my conclusions with:

  "It can be seen that/It is shown that the temperature fluctuates..."

However, I am using these expressions way too often, so I need some sort of a synonym for them.

Since I'm not a native speaker, can someone help me out with this?


texts: Is this a valid sentence? "Should there be any issues need to be clarified, please contact me"

texts:
Is this a valid sentence?

  Should there be any issues need to be clarified, please contact me.


texts: Sound changes of "wild" and "wilderness"

texts:
I'm having a heated a discussion with a friend and we cannot really get on the same level.

In the original pronunciation of the word wild, the "i" was the short sound that we have in the word wilderness today. How has the vowel sound in wild changed up to its present pronunciation and why hasn't the "i" in wilderness changed in the same way?


texts: Is it ever appropriate to use a space before and after an ampersand?

texts: A colleague and I have a difference of opinion. I believe our department should be abbreviated as "L&D." She believes it should be "L & D," which just looks silly to me. I never see spaces used before and after an ampersand when the term is an abbreviation (two distinct words, yes, but an abbreviation, no), but I haven't been able to find a rule pertaining to this particular issue. Is there one?


texts: Is there a difference between the usage of "this" or "that" when referring back to an idea in the previous sentence?

texts:
In the following two sentences, is there any difference in what "this" or "that" would indicate about the previous sentence? Would one of them be less accurate than the other?

We may run out of gasoline before the finish line. This would create a problem that isn't easily resolved.
We may run out of gasoline before the finish line. That would create a problem that isn't easily resolved.

I suspect that "that" is more useful when referring to distant things or uncertainties, whereas "this" is more useful when referring to direct, actual instances of something, but I may be wrong.
I would like to know the difference between these two words in any given situation instead of merely knowing the correct usage for this one example that I've provided.


texts:
I am not sure whether or not we can, for "duration of the time", write just "duration".

Here is the text which I encountered the problem in writing:

  The expressions "bosom friends" and "bosom buddy" refer to the closeness of relationship between two or more persons as friends; the expressions do not refer to the time from when such relationship subsisted. I think the crux of the question is not the closeness of the relationship, but the duration of the time during which such relationship subsisted.

Reference: see my comment to the answer of BiscuitBoy to the question entitled "Term or idiom to describe a best friend since your childhood". Link: Term or idiom to describe a best friend since your childhood

My question is: could I have written just "duration" for "duration of the time"?


texts:
One of my colleagues in Britain keeps addressing me as "Armen boss" in mails and skype.

Like,

  Hi, Armen boss. Can you please verify...?

I am in no conceivable way his boss and our relationship is restricted to occasional work-related correspondence. Does this form of address mean anything in British English or is it an idiosyncrasy I will have to either silently accept or get the courage to ask him about directly? As far as I know, he's a native speaker of British English.


texts: Word to describe another hypothesis that could explain the same outcome

texts:
I'm curious as to whether there is a word that describes another hypothesis that is accounted for by the same evidence.

To be more clear, we may have a hypothesis A, and data X. Data X is consistent with A. However, data X is also consistent with some other hypothesis, B. B may or may not be consistent with A. Is there a special word to describe B?


texts:
Are there any difference in meaning between "take heed" and "pay heed"?

I notice from Google Ngram that "pay heed" is becoming more common as "take heed" is becoming less used. However, it seems that "pay heed" is somewhat redundant, since "heed" can be defined as "pay attention to". The fact that "give heed" is also used lends favor to "take heed".

My question is, is there a difference in meaning that gave rise to "pay heed", and which is preferred?


texts: Word for amount of time to be subtracted

texts:
What might be a word or short phrase for a period of time intended to be subtracted from a given date?

  The beginning of the term is calculated by subtracting the _____ from the current date."


texts:
When using a subordinating conjuction between two independent statements, do I use a comma? For example:

  Arriving near the noble’s personal quarters, Haru saw an irritable Fujita leave the noble’s room(,) as she threw her arms up in defeat and muttered under her breath.

As is the subordinating conjunction, and both clauses could stand alone. So would I use the comma?


texts: "There's something wrong among us" or "There's something wrong between us"?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “between” vs “among”

If I, for example, have a misunderstand with my partner, and talking with another person about it, should I say "There's something wrong among us" or "There's something wrong between us" (to mean "she and me")?


texts:
Where does the compound word "get-go", as in the phrase "right from the get-go" come from?  None of the dictionary definitions I've seen try to explain it, and the Etymology Dictionary doesn't even have a reference to it.

The only thing I can think of is that it's short for "GETting GOing", but that doesn't explain its use as a noun.


texts:
One oddity in the difference between UK and American usage is that Americans say "I went to the hospital" but British people say "I went to hospital".

Is there an explanation for this grammatical divergence? Does it have a name?


texts: Correct meaning of 'for the sake of brevity'

texts:
What is the correct understanding of 'for the sake of brevity'? I have heard it in various contexts, being used to refer to very different kinds of meanings. Some have used it to mean 'in short', and sometimes as 'we are (feeling) brave enough to skip over this part' (obviously, these are my understanding of the usage).

For example, in a recent PhD defence, the student did not explain a portion of his work, with the above preface. I thought he meant that he is taking a (somewhat) brave chance that people will still follow the rest of the talk, given he is omitting to present the said part.

In any case, the real meaning is not clear to me. Is it to be taken literally?


texts: phrasal verb or preposition at the end of a sentence?

texts:
"That bullet point is simply in place to ensure that projects are followed through with."

I got blasted for ending the above sentence with with, and I feel it's a phrasal verb so is okay.  Am I correct?  The disclaimer here is that I'm terrible with the English language (probably seen in my question itself).

Thanks ahead of time for the assistance


texts:
It is not given to all to do this job with celerity.

What is this "it is not given to do" construction?
Where is it in the dictionary?


texts:
In Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita, right at the end of the 10th chapter, there is the following line that managed to perplex me:

  [T]he vacuum of my soul managed to suck in every detail of her bright beauty, and these I checked against the features of my dead bride. A little later, of course, she, this nouvelle, this Lolita, my Lolita, was to eclipse completely her prototype. All I want to stress is that my discovery of her was a fatal consequence of that ''princedom by the sea'' in my tortured past. Everything between the two events was but a series of gropings and blunders, and false rudiments of joy. Everything they shared made one of them.

Now, it's the last sentence in this fragment that bewilders me. What did Nabokov (or Humbert, for that matter) want to say with this construction? That everything the two events (the encountering of a young girl in a princedom by the sea in his youth, and the stumbling upon Lolita now) shared brought them together and merged them into one? Or that everything that sprawled between these two extremes contributed to the making of one of them? I confess, this phrase confuses me, and this book frustrates me. What does it actually mean?


texts: A single word for "a quick passing of sound"?

texts: We have the word "flash" for "a quick passing of light". Do we have the equivalent for our auditory sense?


texts:
I am working on a quarter paper in which I compare two adaptations (adaptions?) of Romeo and Juliet. However, I am not entirely sure what word I can use as the noun form of faithful. My teacher said fidelity would do, but are there any other words that I could use to avoid repetition?

  My teacher expressly prohibited me from using faithfulness, so don't post that as an answer.

Thanks in advance!


texts: What is meant by the 'predicative position' when it refers to a part of a sentence?


texts: Is there a single word for ability to hide complexity  or ability to hide details?


texts: Syntactic , semantic and change the meaning

texts:
He set the apples down and took her by (the arm) or (by arm).

If I used (by arm), are syntactic semantics acceptable? Does the meaning change?


texts: What's the status of voiceless "t" in AmE?

texts: The theory has it that in the US people tend to voice intervocalic "T" like in writer sounding more or less like rider. My question is - how do Americans perceive voiceless pronunciation? (Not only in the word I used as an example) Does it sound how? Careful? British? Snobby? Regional?


texts: "Say for someone to do something" in colloquial AE

texts:
In colloquial prose, is the idiomatic "say for" an appropriate substitute for "tell" in "tell someone to do something" whatever the context?
E.g.

Have I ever said for you to pretend to be someone you are not. source
We concluded the conversation with my saying for him to contact me in six months.source
Now I am saying for you to sit down...source
May I say for you to call... source
We parted with her saying for me to be safe.  source
Didn't you say for him to call his probation officer and tell him he was terminated? source
I think he might be saying for us to reach out to Muslims... source
I never said for him to rot in hell, that is God's decision after death. source

It sounds like what is meant in the last example is something like "I never wished for him to rot in hell" or "I never said he should rot in hell" rather than "I never told him to."
Does this sort of more obscure meaning of "say for" have any currency in colloquial speech and writing?


texts:
How should the phrase "Let it be done" be interpreted grammatically?

What confounds me are the following assumptions, some or all of which may be wrong:

"Let" implies imperative
"it be done" implies a subjunctive
the lack of an agent implies passive
section 5 of this reference says that the "let" indicates the desire for a hypothetical situation and is hence part of the subjunctive - I'm thinking that this "let" could be either a desire and a command but at this point I'm probably wrong

Given the above is "Let it be done" a correct passive transformation of "Do it"? Is this a passive-voice imperative-mood construction (in which case what about the subjunctive?), is it a passive-voice subjunctive-mood construction? Is it somehow in the active voice ?

The original query was intended for "Let the cake be eaten", which I had assumed to be a passive transformation of "eat the cake" the title and rest of the question are an attempt at generalization. Also note that I'm looking at this from a purely grammatical point of view, whether such constructions are silly or not is another matter.

related questions here and here


texts: Grammatical structure of "cease to exist"

texts:
Merriam-Webster lists cease to exist as an example of a transitive use of the verb:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cease

Dictionary.com doesn't include the category transitive/intransitive verb, but it lists cease to exist as a use of the verb without an object (thus making it intransitive?):
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/cease

I'm pretty rusty on my verb-verb interactions. I have:
cease (transitive verb)
to exist (infinitive acting as direct object).


texts:
I got confused when I was reading this sentence.

He was of Libyan descent and investigators say he recently spent three weeks in Libya.

Why does this sentence use "was of" and not just "was"?

Thanks.


texts: Are equations to be treated as parts of sentences?

texts:
In much literature I found, punctuation (comma, period, etc) follows an equation when necessary.
However, in this book, there is no punctuation after an equation, as far as I understand from reading it.
Is this a difference between American and British English? I like no punctuation after the equation because it looks clean. My friend thinks there should be punctuation because it is a part of a sentence.


texts: "With/under the guidance of the world-class faculty"

texts: I am writing my statement of purpose. Which is better: under the guidance of the world-class faculty or with the guidance of the world-class faculty?


texts:
I'm sending an e-mail to schedule my internship.
Is this sentence, "I would like to know if I can cover up Thursday's by working extra hours on other days." sounds informal?

Is there a better way to ask this kind of question in a nicer and formal way?

Thanks!


texts:
Which sentence is grammatically correct or preferred?

  Emerald is a delicate and brittle gemstone.
  An emerald is a delicate and brittle gemstone.

My kids and even one of their teachers have challenged me on this question!

I voted for #2 while the rest voted for #1.

Cheers,

Forrest (The dad)


texts:
I'm writing a scientific paper (on an unrelated subject), and the need arose to refer to Robin Hood stories in film, literature and folk culture in general. I would like to use the expression "the Robin Hood mythos", but was advised to consider using "the Robin Hood lore" instead.

I've always thought that "lore" refers to common wisdom, things that are actually "known". It makes me slightly uncomfortable to use the word in relation to legends and (probably) fictional stories.

Is "lore" correct here, or should I stick to "mythos"? Or would yet a third alternative be even better?

Edit: As requested, here's a bit more context:

"As written, the case text is notably terse in describing the full complexities of Robin’s situation. However, the Robin Hood mythos has been thoroughly explored in literature and film, resulting in an extensive shared mental model. This mental model was used to construct an imaginary Robin Hood and Merry Men. These constructs were then interviewed in order to complement the information presented in the case. Although the answers supplied were naturally ultimately made up, it was fairly easy to remain faithful to both the mythos and the case text."


texts: I remember reading something about a type of compliance that was also an act of defiance. It was basically complying with orders you don’t agree with, but following them so literally that it essentially is noncompliance. I forgot what it was called though, it was ________ compliance but I forgot what the first word was.


texts: What are the differences between practical implications, insightful implications, and limitations of a research study?

texts:
A reviewer asked me in three separate questions about each of these sections. However, I do not understand the differences between practical implications, insightful implications, and limitations of a research study. It seems that practical implications and limitations refer to the same things, but if this is true, why did the reviewer ask in different comments about each?

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: What’s the difference between “to VERB” and “to be VERBed”?

texts:
What is the difference between these two statements:

A new version of Java is ready to install.
A new version of Java is ready to be installed.


texts: How to distinguish the object of adverbial phrase?

texts:
The example is :

SETI scientists are trying to find a life form that resembles humans (in many ways).

What is the subject of the adverbial phrase in bracket? Is find or resembles?


texts: Using `but` as a conditional limit on a clause. Also implied or omitted `if`

texts:
I wanted to communicate the following with someone:

  I would do this thing, if I could do it.

However, always trying to be clever and using amusing, possibly archaic grammar I wanted to type:

  I would, but I could.

It's not clear to me this is correct in any way. Altering this again it makes more sense, reminding me of a line Shakespeare might write.

  But(if) I could do this thing, then I would.

Is sentence three (3) grammatical, and does it make sense to most people? Does this construct with but meaning if have a name? What about sentence two (2) which seems to me like a shortened version of three (3). This SE question offers details about implied if, which could be related.


texts:
I'm proof-reading a thesis by one of my friends and there's some recurring construct which I always mark as false but I'd like to check with you.

In the comments I was told that the example I provided didn't really match the sentence I found in the thesis therefore I'm adding the actual sentence from the thesis. I'm sorry for the confusion; I'm not a native speaker/in the field of language and thus didn't really see the difference.

So here we go. Which of the following is preferable?

  To illustrate the necessity of some steps a bad representative of the taken radiograms is used.
  To illustrate the necessity of some steps a bad representative of the radiograms taken is used.

I'd use the latter because it is closer to "[...] of the radiograms taken previously is used".

Original example

In the English language, one can use the (past) participle of a verb as an adjective, this allows for example to express that I'm creating a scrapbook using the pictures that I have taken previously.

What's the correct way to state this?

  I'm doing a scrapbook from the taken pictures.
  I'm doing a scrapbook from the pictures taken.

I'd use the latter because it is closer to

  I'm doing a scrapbook from the pictures taken previously.


texts: Is “get + person’s name + ed” a common usage in English to mean “become the person like somebody”?

texts:
I saw a headline, “Hillary Clinton Gets Gored” in today’s New York Times (September 6) article.

In this article, Paul Krugman, the author compares the current political position Mrs. Hillary Clinton is placed in regard of e-mail scandals with the position Mr. Al Gore was placed in 2000 U.S. Presidential race in regard with a false accusation that he had claimed to have invented the internet, which he never did claim.

Is “get + person’s name + ed” like “Hillary Clinton gets Gored” a common usage in English, providing the character of referred name being a well-established one?

Can I use “ get + name of place + ed” instead of a person’s name, like “get Fukushima-ed” to describe a disastrous situation like the accident of the collapse of a nuclear power plant at the time of M9 Magnitude Tohoku earthquake and tsunami taking place in 2011?


texts: What is the origin of the expression "brassed off"?

texts: Brass bands were being discussed today which naturally led to someone claiming to be brassed off about something, meaning disgruntled or annoyed. Does anyone know the origin of this expression? Michael Quinion over at World Wide Words suggests the phrase may have arisen from the Royal Navy's use of cleaning brasswork as a punishment, but that doesn't seem altogether convincing.


texts:
The moon was smaller than yesterday.

Is this correct, and the "how large it was" was just omitted and implied, as in

  The moon was smaller than (how large it was) yesterday.

or is this a faulty comparison, comparing something, "the moon," and an adverb, "yesterday"?


texts:
What would be the best way to describe soldiers with which you did not serve directly in this sentence:

  “who plans a similar attack to avenge his colleagues, annihilated in the false war that followed...”

I found compatriots or comrades. Any other one-word ideas?


texts: Any words or expressions to describe this situation

texts:
I am interested in someone at my workplace and want to concentrate on tasks,but unconsciously take a glance at the person again and again. Is there any word to describe the situation? It would not be close to the following words that i came up with such as "concern"or"she has been on my mind".

Much appreciated if you could give me an example and best choice word.


texts: submit me the requirements or submit the requirements

texts:
Please advise which sentence is correct.

Do not submit me the requirements that are stated in the attachment.

Do not submit the requirements that are stated in the attachment to me.

Thank you


texts: So hard "that" I can't tell the difference

texts:
I have always been doubtful about whether  I have to put " THAT"  when I want to give an explanation or reason for something happening or not.

" I'm so tired I can't even stand up"  or "I'm so tired THat I can't even stand up"

His  biggest problem at the interview was he didn't know to read.

His  biggest problem at the interview was THAT he didn't know to read.

My only problem was I needed money I didn't have

My only problem was THAT I needed money I didn't have.

This is so disappointing I don't even wan to say a word about it.

This is so disappointing THAT I don't even want to say a word about it.

I know I can leave out "That" when another  subject goes immediately after the first verb, but when I'm trying to explain the reason for something happening, I find THAT useful. Is that correct grammar?


texts: Things that go "hand-in-hand" to make me resign

texts:
Looking for a formal sentence to explain the reasons for leaving my previous job, and for some reasons i insist on using the phrase "hand-in-hand" in the sentence. Is it formal and grammatically correct to say:

"Interpersonal conflicts, discrimination, gossips, harassment and bullying, all went hand-in-hand to make me quit/resign"

Appreciated.


texts:
What if any is the adjectival form or complement of the word 'aspect'?

I was thinking of using "aspectful" but it seems a bit ugly.

To provde a bit of context, I am working on a framework and trying to name an interface. All of my other names are adjectives and the convention seems reasonable. Forgive me if this is too contrived, but I am looking for a single word and trying to avoid the use of a compound phrase here ("aspect-oriented") if possible.


texts: "Do not rely" on something, does rely focus on never using "something"?

texts:
So, I was talking with a friend of mine a little while back about what "relying" on something means.

His take was that to "rely" on something was to completely depend on the "something", as in only the something and not any portion of "something else".

My take was that to "rely" on something meant to primarily depend on the "something", where you can use a portion of "something else", but it can not provide more utility than than "something"

With that in mind, if you are instructed, "do not rely" on 'something', would that mean that you could not use "something" in it's entirety ( like my friend would argue ), or would it instead mean that you can utilize 'something' so long as it does not provide the greatest amount of utility? (like I would argue)

Websters Dictionary, Dictionary.com, and our phone dictionaries did not help clear the matter up at all as they vaguely state "to depend confidently" or "put trust in".

So Gurus of English Stack Exchange, what's the correct meaning?


texts: Is "grab" an informal way of saying "learn"?

texts:
I am writing to someone who is a sort of respectful person and I wanted to form a sentence such as below and I am wondering if using grab instead of learn or get is informal and looks odd.

  I'd like to invite you to Somewhere where you will be able to grab a lot of cultural and historical artifacts.

Grab should mean "learn", "experience", etc.


texts: I have a vague idea of the three words kill, murder and slay, but I am not sure exactly what makes the verbs different (as well as the nouns killer, murderer and  slayer). When do we use each of them?


texts:
I'm quite surprised there doesn't seem to be a question about this yet. Depending on where you hail from, you've probably heard the word innit, an abbreviation of isn't it or ain't it. You may also have heard it used as a placeholder for any negative tag question, such as isn't he or don't you, much like the French n'est-ce pas.

I get how innit could be understood as something like isn't that so, but I can't quite bring myself to use it that way. So what to do instead? I inflect it:

Aren't I → areni ['ar(ɛ)naɪ]
Aren't you → arencha* ['ar(ɛ)nʧə]
Aren't we → arenwe* ['ar(ɛ)nwɪ]
Isn't he → innhe* [ɪni]
Isn't she → innshe [ɪnʃi]
Aren't they → arenthey* [ar(ɛ)n(ð)ɛɪ]
Don't I → dunni ['dʌnaɪ]
Don't you → doncha* ['dəʊnʧə]
Don't we → donwe ['dəʊ(n)wɪ]
Doesn't he → dunnhe* ['dʌni]
Doesn't she → dunnshe ['dʌnʃi]
Don't they → dunney ['dʌnɛɪ]

Those marked with asterisks are those for which I can find references via Google. I found it interesting that third-person female forms (-she) haven't shown up at all, though I excluded spellings such as dontshe for obvious reasons.

Granted, I don't actually use these all that often, and I'm quite uncertain of how to spell some of them (I keep thinking that the -i ones should end in -igh), so I don't really have a perfect way to search for usage. I don't really know which modals to exclude, either, as pronunciation changes in running speech are commonplace.

So where might I find pronunciation, usage, and spelling information on these words?


texts: Did people ever use the word "cock" as a euphemism for "God"?

texts:
English has a lot of surprises.

When I was checking the etymology of "cocksure", I found this entry in Oxford Dictionaries:

  1 British A male bird, especially of a domestic fowl.

Below is another definition from "An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English"
 By Ernest Weekley (originally published in 1921):

Moreover:

  By cock and pie: an adjuration equivalent to "by God and the service book."

Questions:

How in the world is/was cock a euphemism for God? And how is it related with God?
Are there any references to this in the current vernacular?
Are there any connotations to vulgarism also?


texts:
"In X, few had been to town Y. Even fewer aspired to go to town Z."

Are these two sentences together correct?

Few technically means a small number that could be as low as zero. Based on that, does "even fewer" in the second sentence makes sense?

@Araucaria : Exactly right. "few" is entirely different than "a few", which means a non-zero number. But when only "few" is used, it can communicate a very small number, if any. (so it can include zero).

@mitch, tromano, dusty, oldbag:
In the first sentence above, "few" can mean zero. There is lot of solid literature behind it i think based on a quick search.

So, using "even fewer" in the second sentence then incorrect/correct; why?


texts: When did Americans begin to use “practice” instead of “practise”?

texts:
I am writing an historical novel, and I try to have my characters speaking and writing as everybody did at the time. But I don't know when we in the US began to use practice as a verb instead of practise.

Could you give me an approximate date?


texts: Continue sentence after enumeration — comma needed/advised?

texts:
I have a sentence that continues after an enumeration, such as the following:

Due to X, it is difficult for researchers, lecturers and students,
but also expert engineers, to apply Y.

I'm wondering whether or not the comma after engineers is needed. My gut feeling says yes, for the reason that it separates the enumeration from the continuing sentence.

Unfortunately, I can't find any source that discusses this situation. Does anybody here know a source, or has good arguments for/against the comma?


texts: What does "Help and Company" exactly mean?

texts:
I have just watched a movie named "The Equalizer 2". There is a scene when the main character asked an old friend's wife to lift him to a station and then she said "Help and Company". What does it exactly mean?

The scene is at 2:43 and here is the link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BgZFaMJRxM


texts: Word for a phrase that is very commonly used to describe something

texts: What is a word to describe a phrase such as "Anything can happen", which is often made in reference to baseball.  This is frequently said, but "platitude" and "cliche" aren't the right terms.  What type of phrase is this?


texts: Preparing for metric dominance: alternatives to idioms using imperial units

texts:
Related to this question, are there any metric alternatives to these idioms:

  He inches closer to her.
  a. meters? - too far
  b. centimeters? - too weird
  c. scoots? - don't use units
  By then, she was miles away from him.
  a. far away? - again, don't use units
  b. kilometers away? - maybe
  c. light-years away? - probably better, preserving the hyperbole
  This is an amazing foot-long sandwich.
  a. half-a-meter-long? - not accurate
  b. dong-long? - even less accurate. It rhymes, though
  c. about-a-third-of-a-meter-long? - pretty accurate, but not very marketable
  I went the whole nine yards.
  a. the whole 8.23 meters? - ...No
  b. all the way? - again, don't use units
  An ounce of common sense is worth a pound of theory.
  a. A gram/a tonne? - preserve the weight comparison, but even more hyperbolic
  b. A little/a lot? - again, don't use units

Any suggestions? I mean, I've never seen any idioms using obsolete units like chain, furlong or league, but I'm sure there were some when they were in common usage.


texts: Technical term form 'real' (non-test) software system

texts: Apologies if this is not the right forum for this question. I'm not an IT person, but I need to describe a 'real' software system, as opposed to its test version. However, I can't seem to find the correct technical term for this – can anybody point me in the right direction?


texts: If 'helper' means 'someone who helps', then what is 'someone who got helped'? Whom does the helper help? Is there any term to define it?


texts:
On a sister site, there is a difference of opinion where each claims the other is a grammatical error (look at revisions 4 and 5).

Option Ω:

  …, with a similar effect on humans to Wolbachia in pillbugs, …

Option ζ:

  …, with a similar effect on humans as Wolbachia shows in pillbugs, …

Are either of these wrong?  If both correct, do they mean different things?

The Worldbuilding SE is filled with better than average writing and caters to a more literary audience. So it’s a serious question, and following up on these things will reflect in later published works.


texts: "Died in an accident" or "killed in an accident"?

texts:
When speaking of someone who lost their life as a result of accidental circumstances are the two phrases below interchangeable?

  He was killed in an accident.

  She died in an accident.

I've seen both used and I'm wondering if there is a rule here. Would we say was killed when the victim was affected by someone or something else?  If so would we then say simple s/he died when the victim was the source of the accident?


texts: How did the term "to favor" come to signify a limp?

texts:
Often in athletics, horse racing and when you encounter a person with an injured limb or other thing it will be said "He seems to be favoring his right leg" by which a person/commentator/etc means "He seems to be having trouble with his right leg". This seems counter to the typical meaning of "to favor" which would mean "to show preference towards" in fact an injured leg often means preferring the other leg.

How did this meaning come about?


texts: 'Calm, cool and collective' vs 'calm, cool and collected'

texts:
What is the difference between calm, cool and collective and calm, cool and collected?

What is the meaning of collective or collected when used in this way?

I checked the dictionary but still do not get it.

  collective [kəˈlɛktɪv]
  adj
  1. formed or assembled by collection
  2. forming a whole or aggregate
  3. of, done by, or characteristic of individuals acting in cooperation
  n
  1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy)
  a.  a cooperative enterprise or unit, such as a collective farm
  b.  the members of such a cooperative
  2. (Linguistics / Grammar) short for collective noun


texts: What do we call the GUI "box" which groups elements together?

texts:
What's the English (non-technical) word we use to refer to a GUI "box" which groups different elements together?

For example, we can see a Performance "box" in this image:

What's an alternative (non-technical) word to use instead of calling it a "box"?


texts: In an English-speaking country, how would a household employee address their female employer?

texts:
Would it be Miss? Mistress? Madam?

Or, should she be young (underage and/or unmarried): Young Miss? Young Mistress? Young Lady? Young Madam?

EDIT (to clarify):

How would a butler, chef, chauffeur, housekeeper, etc, address someone whom he/she works for in a wealthy family?

If the employer is older, is it Miss? Or Mistress? Or Madam?
Or if she is young, Young Miss? Young Mistress? Young Lady? Young Madam?


texts: A syllable-initial consonant is semi-vowelized before a semivowel?

texts:
In English, a syllable-initial consonant is semi-vowelized before a semivowel?

For example, what's the IPA pronunciation of the word music?

/mjuzɪk/

or

/mʲuzɪk/


texts: What's the difference between "requester" and "requestor"?

texts:
Both are in dictionaries. I've heard people insist "requester" is correct for a person who requests something, and that "requestor" is wrong there, leaving me to wonder how it is used. Requestor happens to be marked as an error in my browser's spellchecker.

COCA for requester/requestor indicates that requester is used for people and requestor is used in technical senses like a part of a program. A google ngram for requester/requestor shows that requester is also a bit more common.

Some online discussions suggest requestor may have a meaning in law or be more common there, but I can't find that.

What's the difference in usage? Should requester be used for people, or is it more nuanced than that?

Note: These related questions discuss "creator" and "updater" and discuss -er and -or endings overall.


texts:
I'm trying to remember a certain quote representing the concept of miscellany (or randomness perhaps). I can't give much information except that it is of the form "Of ... and ... and ... etc.", contains various 'unusual' words, and has a rhyming scheme. I could swear it is attributed to Lewis Carroll, but I could well be wrong on that.

Regretfully that's all the information I can give for now; Google is not being terribly helpful with this! If anyone has an idea, please by all means post it.


texts:
Which of the following two variants is correct with reference to some email attachments?

  I am unable to open them.
  I am unable to open up them.


texts: Is there an idiom suggesting the following fact: The name of the book belies the theme in it.

texts:
E.g.: I answer a question on ELU based on the subject line, however, I realise later that the body of the question provide a different input altogether.

The name of the book belies the theme in it.  E.g. The title of the book hints of Mystery but the story revolves around family drama.

Is there an idiom suggesting the above fact?

Requested: Idiom/ phrases/one-word


texts: Could someone explain to me the grammar of this sentence?

texts:
"My train arrives at 7.30 tomorrow".. or "My train will arrive at 7.30 tomorrow"
Which one is gramatically correct?
Usually I use the future but I heard a lot of people that use the first sentence and I don't understand why.
Thank you in advance


texts: Can I always replace 2nd conditional with were to + verb

texts:
I'm wondering if I can, for most of the times use -> were to + verb to start an if sentece for example:

If I were to have money, I would buy a car

instead of:

If I had money I would buy a car
If I were to build a house I would have my own property

instead of

If I built a house I would have my own property
If I were to have a pen I would take notes

instead of

If I had a pen I would take notes


texts:
Can anyone help me find a little bit more polite way to say "I am pissed off at you"?

I know this is used to show anger or irritation, but this is bit harsh.

So, do you have any other option?


texts:
Can I say
Mr. Smith is a teacher that I really like.
OR Mr. Smith is a teacher whom I really like.


texts: Is there a name or term for these types of statements that avoid over-generalizations?

texts:
In the news, whenever a reporter or commentator talks about police violence, specifically towards minorities, and they imply racist motives behind police brutality, they also tend to add something like this:

Now of course we don't mean to say that all police are racist or aggressive.

or like this...

let's get something straight. Not all cops are bad.

I used to refer to these statements as qualifiers but now I'm thinking that it is incorrect.

Is there another word, term, or word phrase used for these types of statements in discourse that avoid over-generalizing a people, profession, or group? It's unfortunate that journalists or people in general have to say these because unless they do it mean that the speaker is understood to be painting this group with a broad brush.


texts: Is using "those" to refer to "something" (a pair) correct?

texts:
Is "Those shoes don't seem like something you should buy" correct?

I'm assuming it's ok because the "something" is a pair (plural)?


texts: Is there a word or phrase that’s the opposite of “drinking the kool-aid”? That phrase means you’ve been “on the inside” for so long that you can only see the good things.  I’m looking for a phrase that means you’ve been on the inside for so long that you can only see the bad things.


texts:
I have heard people using two words that are nearly similar or with a subtle difference. The examples include 'each and every' & 'until and unless'. Is it correct to use these words in English? What if I use only one word of those two in the same sentence? Does the meaning change?

Explanation with examples will be better.


texts:
As "lousy" is a pejorative for someone or something being infested with lice, why is it pronounced with a "z" instead of an "s" sound?

OTOH, when a person is called a "louse," the "s" sound is used.

Doubtless most people who use the word (lousy) don't really know what they're saying, thus the mispronunciation, but how did it get started in the first place?


texts: Should "differentiate" be plural in this sentence?

texts:
What we know how to do and what we have done differentiate us from others.
 or
What we know how to do and what we have done differentiates us from others.

Can anyone explain to me which is correct and why?


texts: Pronunciation of "have" in "I don't have to" [do something]

texts:
Normally when I say "I don't have to do that" (meaning I'm not obliged to), I find that as well as putting heavy stress on the word "have", I pronounce if haff.

Is this common? If so, why does the trailing consonant change from "v" to "f"? Are there any other contexts where this or a similar change occurs?

Edit: It's starting to look like have to in the sense of "must" is almost a completely different verb to the standard have. That allows it to conjugate differently, which explains why in "I had to to that", I often say hat.

Edit2: We seem to have identified have, use, and suppose as verbs that can undergo significant changes in pronunciation when coupled with 'to' to indicate a special meaning (the required, habitual, and requested/ordered senses). Per @PPL's comments, there's also the ought/owe pair, and various (often dialectal) changes with some forms of go, want and get. Any more?


texts: How do I submit a villanelle in MLA style?

texts: I understand how to submit essays in MLA styles, but how do I submit a villanelle?


texts: Is "Sent from my iPhone" correctly punctuated and capitalized?

texts:
I'm sure everyone has seen this phrase at the bottom of many e-mail messages. My question is about the combination of punctuation and capitalization.

The capitalization of the first word makes me think this phrase was intended to be a complete sentence, but when we get to the end, there's no period, as you might expect when reading a mere fragment.

Is this widely considered wrong? It feels they are half in the water and half out.


texts: In the phrase "common sense", in what sense of the word is "common" used?

texts:
As I understand it, there are several definitions of common, but I can't find any source that can highlight the etymology of the phrase.

The linked definitions are pretty rigorous, but a less strict, collapsed version might boil down to two relevant definitions:

Common, as in shared amongst many in the group (a common goal)
Common, as in general, appearing frequently; widespread (a common sight)
"4c : just satisfying accustomed criteria : elementary "
(The third definition is cited directly from M-W at coleopterist's suggestion)


texts: A word that describes something you shouldn't have said

texts:
I remember it being a Latin or French term. It must be a synonym for bêtise–“a foolish or ill-timed remark or action.” But I can't find it anywhere now.
It describes a moment where you said something inappropriate, showing a lack of awareness in reading the room.


texts:
In writing a technical paper, I'm wondering about the correct use of proof-of-concept.

In short, the situation is that we have developed an application/tool to show the feasibility of a new approach to a problem, i.e. a proof-of-concept.

Now in the paper itself, which of the following would be better to use?

  Therefore, the proof-of-concept tool proposed in this paper...
  Therefore, the proof-of-concept proposed in this paper...

I'm not sure how to formally say this in English, but I guess the question is: can proof-of-concept be used to refer to the thing itself, or is it used as an adjective?


texts: When did "optics" begin to mean "appearance" or "perception?"

texts:
Before this century I had never heard the word optics used to refer to the way a situation is perceived.  E.g., "The official hiring his son created terrible optics."

And when I first heard it used that way I found it quite grating – perhaps because I have an engineering background and often discuss the science of optics and optical devices.

Can anyone find indications of the emergence or earliest acceptance of the use of the word to mean "appearance?"


texts: Definite article use. Baseline characteristics of (the) included patients

texts:
Could you help me with definite article use in a table caption. Should I use or not "the" there?

Table 1. Baseline characteristics of included patients.

Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the included patients.


texts: "for notary"? "green hub"? Please help me dictate this video

texts:
I was trying to dictate this video, but there are some words I am not quite sure about, thanks for your help in advance.
The video link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIoQs4QpecU
There are 3 places I need help, I put the word in question in double quote, for the 2nd one, I can't make out the word at all, so I just write down what I heard.

1）0'24'' -  When I first came here I didn't know what to expect, I
thought it would be either for "notary" (0:24) or just a normal
summer camp.
2）0'32'' - "miyou"(0:32) is more than just a summer camp
3）1'15'' -    What I love about nyma was probably the survival course
when we learn    how to make a bow drill and the “green”(1:15) hub


texts: diffirence between "i have no..." and "i've got no..."

texts: Is there a diffirence between 'i have no evidence' and i've got no evidence'?


texts: Speaking for the sake of saying something

texts: Is there a word or phrase that describes the act of saying something for the sake of it?


texts: Is there a word to describe a feeling of devotion or love to or being a fanatic to a country that is not my own?

texts: Patriotism is the word that describes a love or devotion to a person's own country. I'm looking for a similar word except one that describes this same feeling when it is not your own country you’re feeling this towards but rather another country that is not your own.


texts: Origin or explanation of using "the same" when you mean "it"

texts:
I just got this error message from some software

  Request does not fall under your permitted scope. So you are not authorized to update the same.

This "the same" construction was particularly odd to me. I've been hearing it more and more in corporate contexts.

Can anyone explain where it comes from?  My instinct was that it was military phrasing (or other government/public agency).


texts:
Let's consider this sentence:

  The postponement of marriage in order to accumulate credentials or job experience, the willingness to move to further career goals, and — in the case of bohemians — the willingness to accept incomes too low to support children in order to be an avant-garde writer or artist or revolutionary sets intellectuals and other elite professionals apart from the working-class majority whose education ends with high school and who rely on extended family networks for economic support and child care.

(Excerpted from Michael Lind - aldaily.com)

In the above sentence, the subject consists of three components separated by two commas. However, the main verb of this sentence, "sets", does not agree with the subject (since it contain three parts). Therefore, can someone elucidate this sentence for me? Thanks!


texts:
I often use the first construct in my writing to others to mean (elongated) Person A and, or not, Person B (i.e., The first person comes with or without the second person).

An English major I know states that it should be the second construct, as in both people come, or the first person comes instead of the second person (and vice-versa), but not both people coming or Person A coming without Person B. Please be nice in your comments/answers, I shall be providing a link to this Q&A onto this person.

Yes I am a in IT and the use of the first construct conforms with Boolean logic used in programming, however if most others read "and/not" as just "not" I am going to have to change.

Is the first and second construct valid in English? Do people think the latter should be used, instead of the former. Extra brownie points for linking to an authoritative webpage on this subject, which I spent time, but couldn't easily find.


texts: “Numbers” or “number?” Which sentence is correct?

texts:
Which sentence is correct? Why?

In 2000, the number of Vietnamese students studied in Russia and France was around 3 million and 3.5 million respectively.
In 2000, the numbers of Vietnamese students studied in Russia and France were around 3 million and 3.5 million respectively.


texts: Are there rules for pronunciation of words ending in "-ton"?

texts:
Here are 4 words ending in "_ton":

  Proton - /ˈprəʊ.tɒn/
  Cotton - /ˈkɑt.n̩/
  Mutton - /ˈmʌtn̩/
  Wanton - /ˈwɒntən/

Even though the words end in -ton, the pronunciation varies.

Is there a name for this phenomenon?
What are the general "rules" for pronouncing these words, when encountering for the first time?

A list of words is here, where we can see that there is a great variation in pronunciation :


texts: Non-metaphoric term for "selling snake oil"

texts:
Is there a single verb that denotes promoting or proselytizing an idea to a victim who stands to lose in some way if fallen prey to it? Other than "politics"...

An idiomatic or metaphoric expression would be "selling snake oil". But is there a single verb that means the same?


texts: Word for the instance of something that makes you appreciate things like it

texts:
I'm looking for a word which describes the instance of a thing that causes you to become interested in that thing more generally.

For example, perhaps you are a person who has never cared much for sandwiches, then you have a sandwich that you find particularly delicious. Now you love sandwiches. You live for them.

Example sentence:

"That was the NOUN/ADJECTIVE sandwich. Now I'm a connoisseur."

The best word that I can find is "gateway," as in a "gateway drug," or in this case a "gateway sandwich." But I think this meaning is only colloquial. I don't see gateway having this definition explicitly in any dictionary.


texts: Functionality is working "fine" or "as expected"

texts:
Here the functionality is related with web Site responses.

Now I'm looking for a sentence which would be preferable when,

  ABC functionality was not working before, (Explanation of some
  work has been done to fix the functionality) and now is working
  fine or as expected?.

I studied this thread here.
In my case though, ABC was not working, it is fixed and now it is working. Should I use fine here? Or something else you could suggest?


texts: What is the context for calling someone "bones"

texts: What is the context for using the term "bones" to refer to someone. I have seen that in the original "Star Trek", Kirk calls Dr. McCoy as "bones" and this word was translated to portuguese, my natural language, as "magro", that means "thin"... and I am not sure if this is the correct translation.  I have also seen this word being used on the TV Series "Bones" with a different context.


texts: Difference between a verb and an adjective that looks like a a verb

texts:
How do you tell the difference between a verb and an adjective that looks like a verb?

For example, "he is working." To the best of my understanding, "working" could function as either a verb or an adjective depending on the meaning of the sentence. How can you tell which it is?


texts:
I often address people of all genders as "dude" but a female coworker said that dude has origins only pertaining to males and is therefore itself male. She challenged me to find a word to address all genders that has feminine origins. Any ideas?

Edit: I'm not necessarily looking for a feminine alternative, nor am I trying to convince my coworker that dude can be male or female. Her larger point was that dude was originally masculine and is used for all genders (same goes for buddy, et all). She didn't think there were any terms with female origins that are now used for both male and female. That's what I'm looking for.


texts:
If we had two uncountable nouns with and , would we use a singular or plural form?

How much flour and butter is/are needed to make a pizza ?


texts: Single word which refers to restaurants, bars and clubs?

texts: I need a word that refers to restaurants, bars and clubs. Places where you usually talk with friends, go on dates, or dance. I thought about "Spots" or "Places" but I'm not sure if people will associate them with travel.


texts: Can you use semicolons to separate clauses that are not part of a serial list?

texts:
I don't understand how the two semicolons are being used in the following sentence from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man:

  And I stand as for an answer and see in my mind's eye the cabins surrounded by empty fields beyond red clay roads, and beyond a certain river, sluggish and covered with algae more yellow than green in its stagnant stillness; past more empty fields to the sun-shrunk shacks at the railroad crossing where the disabled veterans visited the whores, hobbling down the tracks on crutches and canes; sometimes pushing the legless, thigh-less one in a wheelchair.

The semicolons aren't separating independent clauses and they aren't separating different elements of a list. Are they being used as a sort of "super comma" to string together different dependent clauses?


texts: Comma placement for a direct address of a noun

texts:
This may be a pretty unusual sentence, but I am curious to get some feedback on how it should be constructed, to improve clarity. The sentence is:

And, time, it never did me the favor of fully folding back in on itself to meet me.

Should the word "time" be offset from the sentence by two commas, like it is? Would this be considered a direct address? I don't think it is an appositive. I don't think no commas on either side is correct, and I'm pretty sure only one comma and either side wouldn't work either. Appreciate the feedback

Note : I'm aware that, for clarity's sake, it could be rewritten as "Time never did me the favor...", but this is a stylistic preference


texts: Using 'would' or 'used to' with a time reference in a different sentence

texts:
In a test there are such sentences:

"When I was little, I shared a bedroom with my sister Catherine. As I was eight years her junior, I obviously
(used to go / would go) to bed earlier than her."

The test says that the only correct answer is "used to go".

I've read in the rules that we can use would "to talk about repeated past actions". Also the rules say that "would should not be used unless it has already been established that the time frame is in the past, while used to does not require this" (http://www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/the-difference-between-used-to-and-would).

But doesn't the phrase "When I was little" set a time reference? Or it's not related to the second sentence? Or it should be in the same sentence? Or maybe there is another rule I missed there?

My question is: can we use would go there, and, if not, why?


texts:
What is a word that describes the process of speeding up a lengthy process, so that it can be described as instantaneous? In a sense of to remove any delay.

Instantiate comes to mind, but it is also a programming term, which may sound confusing. Is it the correct word, though? If not, what is?

Example: "The reaction takes 4 seconds to complete, but I bet we can make it instant".

What verb can be used to turn "make it instant" into "(verb) it"?


texts: "Further established in" vs. "further established by"

texts:
Are both these usages correct, and if so, is one preferred?

  ... and was further established in follow-up studies (e.g., Doe et al., 2013).
  ... and was further established by follow-up studies (e.g., Doe et al., 2013).

The intent is that the follow-up studies helped to confirm/establish the original premise. I am uncertain if "in" or "by" is more appropriate. I personally think both are fine, but I am far from an expert in English and may be overlooking an important nuance.


texts:
I have seen the following paragraph in a sample IELTS writing test but don't understand its grammatical structure. Why is it in question format but affirmative?

  To conclude, some say that we can get to know a country and its customs from the internet or TV, others believe that by going to those countries can we gain a deeper understanding.


texts: Why are decisions "made" instead of "done"?

texts:
Typically when we've decided something, we say we've "made a decision". But why is a decision associated with the verb "to make"? Nothing is being made. If anything, it seems a decision should be "done", and associated with the verb "to do".

Why do we make them instead of doing them? Or deciding them?


texts: The use of "to attain" with reference to age

texts:
When I use the word "attain" for "reaching a particular age" in order to sound formal , does it sound natural?

  Surveys reveal some of the teenagers develop the habit of smoking
  before they attain the age of legal smoking, which is 16.

or

  Surveys reveal some of the teenagers develop the habit of smoking
  before they attain the age of 16, which is legal age to start smoking.


texts: The plethora of environmental issues are rising or a plethora of environmental issues is rising?

texts:
"The plethora of environmental issues are rising at alarming rate due to exploitation of nature by human kind."
Is this sentence grammatically right? I am confused if this sentence is right or I should write as "A plethora of environmental issues is rising at alarming rate due to exploitation of nature by human kind."
I am writing this sentence as general statement to begin the essay.


texts: Differences between ways to express future actions

texts:
I asked this question on a different site but I haven't gotten a useful answer. Could you tell me the difference in meaning between these sentences?

  Do you think you will visit them next week?
  Will you visit them next week?
  Are you going to visit them next week?
  Are you visiting them next week?
  Are you going to be visiting them next week?
  Are you planning to be visiting them next week?
  Do you plan to visit them next week?

Will there be any difference in the answers?

  I think I will visit them next week.
  I will visit them next week.
  I am going to visit them next week.
  I am visiting them next week.
  I am going to be visiting them next week.
  I am planning to be visiting them next week.
  I plan to visit them next week.

Can I use "planning to" instead of "going to"?  (E.g. "Are you planning to visit them next week? — Yes, I am planning to visit them next week.") Which of these sentences show that the subject of conversation has already been discussed? For example, I talked with a friend of mine about my plans to visit somebody. So my friend is aware of my plans.

And my last question. Which of these seven sentences express that the action will certainly take place?


texts: Is it not that big a deal vs No big deal

texts:
I was just checking an advanced grammar and learned that the following is possible:

  It is not that big a deal

1) The book says I cannot skip the article. But how come in "ordinary" version there is no article, it is because it is common and became a phrase?

  No big deal

What about this sentence:

  It was too stupid question

2) Is this correct or I must use "too stupid a question". What if I used "That":

  That was too stupid question.

3) Do I still need to use the article?


texts:
I saw this sentence:

  The tea tastes better if you drink it hot.

Since 'drink' is a verb, it really confused me why the adj 'hot' is used here rather than the adv 'hotly'?


texts:
Does "next player's turn" mean "next turn of the player" or "turn of the next player"? Or can it mean either depending on the context? In this particular case the context is a two player board game such as chess (but not chess) where players alternate to take their turns.

Meta: also I'd appreciate some help with the good question title, as mine clearly is not good.