texts: Where does the phrase "It's just business" originate?

texts:
I have been a bit of a movie buff lately, and I have noticed the same phrase in several movies I have been watching lately (with some minor variation):

  "It's just [good] business"

This has occurred in multiple movies, which to my knowledge are completely unrelated, such as "Lego Movie", "Monsters vs. Aliens", "Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest"* and "Pirates of the Carribean: at World's End"*, as well of a few others.

So where does the phrase come from?

*these are related (clearly), they are just a repeat by the same character in two parts of the same series.


texts: Is it rude to tell someone "do whatever you want"? does it mean you care less?

texts: Would it be impolite to tell someone "do whatever you want" if you have been asked "what was the right thing to do"? does it mean you care less?


texts:
In the following sentence, what parts are incorrect or ungrammatical?  (GMAT related)

  The new “e-waste” salvage company collects electronic waste items, such as old cellular telephones and broken personal music players, discarding them as trash, to transport them to state facilities for recycling.

What does "discarding items as trash" refer back to, the salvage company or music players? Are there rules that apply here?


texts:
I encountered this phrase:
...a sound understanding of [something]

and here are my questions:

Why is the indefinite article used for the uncountable noun "understanding"?
What is the origin of this phrase? I'm trying to understand the meaning of "sound" in the phrase


texts:
"We are migrating our core systems into (1) The Cloud ... or (2) the cloud ... or (3) the Cloud???"

I've googled (Googled?) this and found the usual range of differing opinions but as yet no compelling answer so thought it would be worth posting here.

Am currently leaning towards (1) to distinguish it as the "one and only" cloud. But could probably be persuaded otherwise and would be interested to see what the general consensus is on here...


texts:
What does lay down mean?

  One of my closest friends is 24 and clears $100k welding stainless. No
  degree, loves his job, but he worked his balls off to get there.

  Hardly unskilled labor. He chills in a warehouse all day listening to
  music and laying down sick welds.


texts: A word for helping but in excess, creating another problem?

texts:
Here's a quote from the bible:

  “He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’
  ‘No,’ they answered.
  He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’
  When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” - John 21:5-6

The bible is quoted for the sole purpose of being an example for where this word would be applicable. It isn't though because the disciples get their fish to shore and some story goes on, making all people happy and satisfied. Read the book, and don't judge Jesus from a passage.

So, Jesus here is attempting to help his disciples by getting them more fish, but it results in more fish than they can handle, so the help caused them to have another problem to haul the fish. The help simply does not help because it's too much of it.

Another made up example would be someone getting help with his job where the one who's helping finish all of his work, leaving the person jobless, or somehow unemployed. Fail to help by helping.

Is there any word in English (or any other language), that has this meaning or similar?


texts: Looking for a single word (adjective) to describe when a person expects something (yet to happen) so strongly, they act as if it is a fact

texts:
Looking for an adjective that describes when a person expects something (that has not happened yet) so strongly, they act as if it is a fact (to them). This specifically involves not saying "IF" such and such, but rather just "such and such" (accepting it is a fact and refusing any other alternatives):
For example: In the film A Cinderella Story, Austin Ames does not want to play football, but his father wants him to play professional football. It has never occurred to him that Austin does not want to play football, but the idea is so strongly drilled in his head, he believes Austin want to play football, so much that he says things like
"WHEN you [get to football school/make it in the team]"
and
"You ARE throwing away your dream" (When Austin decides to leave the qualifying football match half way)
instead of saying
"If you make it in the team" (element of uncertainty)
and
"Aren't you throwing away your dream?"
The former are firm statements that completely lack any uncertainty as if what the speaker thinks, is true, whereas the latter shows the speaker has some form of uncertainty.
The important key is this complete lack of uncertainty/questioning (as far as the person, and only that person, is concerned, it is that way and only that way, there cannot be an alternative, even if reality is different) and the fact that this 'expectation' is forced onto the victim. The person is so certain that the thing they want (the other person to do), they don't even question it, in their mind, there is no doubt what they think, is fact (even if it is not). The adjective should also be able to be applied to the action and/or the person, such as "Austin's father was completely expectant that he will play football", or "Austin's father inundated him with --- comments every day."
I have thought of 'expect' and 'anticipate'.
The problem with 'expect' is that there is an element of uncertainty. Same with anticipate, but it sounds a little closer.
"Knew" would imply that externally, it is a fact (the word should make it clear that it is only a 'fact' within the speaker's world): "Austin's father knew Austin wanted to play football..." would mean Austin does indeed want to play football.
I thought of "anticipatory" but I would like something stronger. For example, those comments are anticipatory comments (Austin's father anticipates that Austin will play professional football).
This adjective would be frequently applicable to parents who ---- their children will become a lawyer or doctor, for example.
eg: take it for granted/just know/accept as a fact...
Thank you


texts:
I want to write a sentence about international crime. Which one is the correct way to write the sentence:

  International crimes, which are occurred around the world...
  International crimes, which occur around the world...


texts: What is the term for someone who doesn't want to know?

texts: I am looking for a term for someone who is purposefully not learning information - usually bad information. Goes hand in hand with people who want to "hide their head in the sand" or have the "wool pulled over their eyes"


texts:
"As I returned to my seat, my heart (was) still racing, other kids started to talk to me."

Is the "was" necessary at all? As an ESL student, I was rather confused as to why my teacher had marked me wrong for omitting the 'was", since I have seen the same sentence pattern in some English books.

Thanks in advance! Sorry for any silly grammatical mistake, I'm still learning...


texts:
What is the term for the relationship between two words when they have similar but not identical pronunciation? For example the words "cheat" and "sheet", "core" and "sour", "think" and "thank", "tough" and "cuff" sound very similar. I am not talking in the context of poetry but to clarify these words may be used in poetry.

PS:
The only thing I care about is how two words sound in ear. I don't care if there is a category to which a pair of words mentioned above belongs or if such a category does not exist: "core" is similar to "sour" because a human can understand it and can understand "core" is far from "black" without providing any reason.


texts: How to distinguish between idiom and idiolect?

texts:
How would you classify language as being used by a single individual? As an individual's language is formed from a unique combination of sociolect, dialect and idiomatic influences.

Do idiolects even exist and if so, how do other people understand them if it is unique to that individual?

Furthermore, idiom is defined a "a form of figurative expression that is particular to a certain person or group of people."

According to my poetry teacher, Seamus Heaney uses idiolects:

  By God, the old man could handle a spade.    Just like his old man.

Would the noun phrase 'old man' be an idiolect here? (I've heard Americans use 'old man' or 'pops' on television before). And, would the idiom here be, 'the old man could handle a spade'?


texts: Is using the possessive 's correct in "the car's antenna"?

texts:
I know that to mark possession of an item you can use 's like in the following example:

  The user's password shall not be blank.

However, is it correct to use the following:

  The car's antenna is embedded in the windshield.

I seem to remember that possession must only be used for people but I'm not certain really.


texts: Phrase for something that causes your battery to drain fast?

texts:
I am familiar with the phrase battery hog.

Is this a common phrase?

Is there any better expression?


texts: Is there an idiom/proverb about stray dogs?

texts:
I somewhere read a line about the relationship of two people. I'm looking for the exact words. It was something about one being like a stray dog, that you hate him, but you feed him because you think otherwise it's on you if he dies.
I couldn't find it anywhere on the web. Thanks!


texts:
I am not a native English speaker. Maybe the question is stupid...

Each consumer chooses one of the two options: (1) buying one unit; or (2) buying a second unit. When I want to say some consumers (plural) who choose the option (1) or option (2) will do something, is it correct to say: Those who buy one unit will blablabla..., and those who buy a second unit will blablabla...

It is indeed correct to say: someone who buys one unit will blabla..., and someone who buys a second unit will blablabla.... When aggregating multiple consumers, should the "unit" also be aggregated as plurals or not?

Thanks!


texts:
I am writing a text in English and unfortunately word "use" is used very often (like in this statement:) ).

So I decided to replace it with other words where it is possible.

For example there is such expression in the text (it is about programming)

  to demonstrate his skill to use loops

Could it be replaced with the following expression?

  to demonstrate his skill to manage loops.

Do they have the same or at least close meanings?


texts: Is there an established suffix like -phobia that expresses dislike but not fear?

texts:
These days there are a host of words constructed with -phobia that express dislike towards a class of people or things. As far as I understand, in common parlance, -phobia technically encompasses any dislike, whether fearful or not. However, in spite of this it has acquired certain connotations:

Clinical phobias have captured the lay peoples' imagination, and armchair psychiatrists have grown fond of over-diagnosing "phobias" on trivial grounds (eg. one who prefers taking the bus becomes "car-phobic", someone who orders a veggie burger is "meat-phobic", someone who finds cell phones impractical is "technophobic" and so on), whether such phobias are even recognized by the mental health community or not.
Not all dislike is grounded in fear. For instance, one may dislike wearing cumbersome clothes not because he is terrified of becoming enveloped in them, but simply because they are not very comfortable.
An occasional rhetorical tactic is to attack an opponent's dislike of a thing by suggesting this dislike is grounded in irrational fear instead of arising from logical conclusion. A person on the receiving end of this, by the mere act of using the word, is implicitly submitting to this attack, making even sound arguments for the alleged "phobia" sound self-defeating.

Because of this, I feel like there is a gap in vocabulary in certain cases when one wishes to describe "mere dislike" of a thing without necessarily fear of that thing.

Is there a suffix that can, in analogy to -phobia, be used to express such "mere dislike", but unlike -phobia, not carrying any connotation of fear?


texts: Struggling with simple past/present perfect in "Author X (2016) showed/has shown"

texts:
In my research article, I have many phrases that go like

  "Author X (2016) showed/has shown that"

  "Author X showed/has shown 2016 that"

  "The authors (X & Y, 2016) stated/have stated in their article that"

present perfect if the action was done in the past, but it does not matter when and already ended in the past or has no consequences to the present time
simple past if the action was done in the past at a certain time (yesterday, last year, 2016) and has already ended.

Following this logic, I would prefer present perfect in 1) and 3) but simple past in 2). However, reviewers suggested "showed" instead of "have shown".
What is your opinion of that, what would you prefer? I am writing using APA style by the way.


texts:
I wrote the following sentence at Wikipedia concerning Bob Wian who later founded the Big Boy restaurant chain:

  His father's furniture business bankrupt, Wian washed dishes in the school cafeteria to pay for lunch.

Another editor made this correction adding "went", which I see as unnecessary:

  His father's furniture business went bankrupt, Wian washed dishes in the school cafeteria to pay for lunch.

(If a verb would be necessary, it is "having gone" or "being", not "went".)

In my sentence the word "being" is implied but not need be written as it seems to weight the sentence down.

  His father's furniture business being bankrupt, Wian washed dishes in the school cafeteria to pay for lunch.

I could write the sentence (which isn't much different from the original):

  His father's furniture business now bankrupt, Wian washed dishes in the school cafeteria to pay for lunch.

But the original sentence feels right. Less is more. Opinions?


texts: When and where did the  present tendency begin for interviewees on the radio to preface many answers to questions with the word 'So'?


texts: Is it acceptable to repeatedly add the pronoun "others" + adjective, without a verb, when describing multiple kinds of elements?

texts:
I'm not an english native speaker and I had a doubt regarding the usage of the pronoun "others" + an adjective (without the verb) when describing multiple types of a given thing.

For example:

  Other important episodes exist in my life: some of them are fun, others
  interesting, others plain ridiculous, others straightforward epic.

In spanish it would be fine, as it is understood that there's an omission of the verb ("are"), and you keep going with the additions.

Would it be fine in english as well?

Many thanks for your help,


texts: Does "could" always mean something less likely than "can", even in backshifted subordinate clauses?

texts:
Does the could version always show more uncertainty/doubt than the can version in each of ⑴, ⑵, and ⑶?

You can/could get very nasty skin diseases from bathing in dirty water.
You can/could get into even worse trouble if you’re not careful.
Bobby Reynolds did not win at Wimbledon on Thursday, or did he?

The scoreboard showed the world № 1 Novak Djokovic defeated Reynolds, 7–6 (2), 6–3, 6–1, on Centre Court, and after winning three qualifying matches and a gutsy five-setter in his opening round, Reynolds’s 2013 singles campaign at the championships was over.
He lost to a better player. He won in every other way one can/could imagine.

Or could it be that the could in ⑶ is simply the past-tense version of can so that it matches the past tense used in the two preceding verbs won and lost?


texts:
This is ‘English’ toast

And this is some posh toast

  Pain Quotidien offers rye, walnut and sourdough toast at £2.95 for two
  slices, while Gail’s bakery chain, which opened its first café in 2005
  and now has 15 branches and stocks Waitrose, charges £2.50 for two
  slices of toast.
  The Telegraph

And this is Italian toast. It's really a toast sandwich but Italians call it a tost. Italians rarely eat slices of toast with butter or jam, and if you ask a waiter or the person serving behind the counter for some "toast", that's what you'll get.
Further evidence here.

  Toast: culatello cotto, crema di fontina valdostana. (Toast: culatello cooked ham, Fontina cream cheese.) Certamente non un toast qualunque. (Definitely not ‘an’ everyday toast)

Now the word toast is uncountable (aka mass noun), which means we don't use the indefinite article ‘a’ or add the suffix -s . But if we look at the first image, although it is clearly "one toast" that phrase is considered ungrammatical. Instead in English we say and write: “one piece of toast” or “a slice of toast”. The second image shows "two toasts", but we say “two pieces (or slices) of toast”.

Oxford Dictionaries provide this example:

  My breakfast is always the same: two pieces of brown toast with slices of banana on top, a cup of tea and an apple juice.

Note that although apple juice is generally considered uncountable, in this instance  it's not. That's because we think of an apple juice being contained in a glass, cup, box or carton; and containers are countable. However, if we were to spill the apple juice on the surface of a table, we might say: “Oh! I've spilt some apple juice” And finally, we call the food toast, and not ‘two toasted/browned pieces of bread’.

My question is very simple.

Why is toast uncountable?

Bonus: The song Toast sung (spoken) by the British pop band, Streetband, in 1978.


texts: British English alternative term for Chinese Whispers

texts:
Chinese Whispers, in British English, would be broadly recognised as a game that children play where the starting person whispers a word or phrase to another person. This is in turn whispered to another person. By chaining these together you will find that after several attempts the phrase has changed dramatically.
The wikipedia definition seems to have a similar definition. There is also an example of this in this classic episode of The Simpsons.
It is also a useful metaphor in business where a process has many steps, has many people involved, and the original message becomes confused.
However the term seems needlessly nationally dependent and I would like to avoid using it in particular.
In US English this game seems to be sometimes referred to as Telephone, however anecdotally in British English this name would not be widely recognised and potentially contextually confusing.
I am looking for a word, term or phrase that is similar in meaning to the metaphorical usage of the game.


texts: Overuse of the verb "to be" and reference to the "deity form"

texts:
Several decades ago, I remember a humorous but insightful story or article about the verb "to be" in English, referring to it as the "deity form" if I remember correctly.  I suspect it was on National Public Radio.  It encouraged, in a tongue-in-cheek way, the use of more active verbs than is/was/will be/are/were/will be/be under many circumstances. The term deity form suggested that many uses of the verb to be seemed like inappropriate God-like assertions about the world.

For example, the sentence "The sky is blue" might be reworded as "The sky appears blue" to refer to an observation, or "The sky remains blue" to emphasize the aspect of time.  Various other verbs could clarify other meanings.

Does anyone remember this story or have a reference to it?

Is this general advice about avoiding overuse of the verb to be discussed elsewhere, without the "deity form" reference?

I remembered this while reading an interesting debate about the active voice vs. the passive voice in scientific writing.


texts:
First, I am not sure whether it would be ok to ask a question like this in this category. If it is inappropriate, I'll erase it.

I bumped into Aaron Copland's saying, "... all American music could
not possibly be confined to two dominant jazz models: the 'blues' and
the snappy number."

I didn't know what "snappy number" was, so googled it in many contexts but still can't figure it out.

It seems like a genre of Jazz, as the word "snappy" suggests, but is also combined with the "number", which makes me more blurry.

Can anyone help me figure out what that is?

Thank you.

Wonil


texts: Meaning of "to fail at one's peril" in a legal document from the Elizabethan period

texts: I do not know what "to fail at one's peril" means. The phrase appears in legal documents until the 19th century (at least this is what Google suggests). I cannot deduce its meaning no matter how hard I try.


texts: Am I understanding this sentence by Tolkien correctly?

texts:
I hope that my inadequate knowledge of Swedish - no better than my kn. of Dutch, but I possess a v. much better Dutch dictionary! - tends to exaggerate the impression I received. The impression remains, nonetheless, that Dr. Ohlmarks is a conceited person, less competent than charming Max Schuchart, though he thinks much better of himself.
[Wikipedia]

Does the "less competent than charming Max Schuchart" part mean that Dr. Ohlmarks is less competent than "the" charming Max Schuchart? Or something else? Can you really leave out "the" there?
Why does Tolkien use "kn." for "knowledge" and "v." for "very"? (Assuming that's what the "v." means.)
Is "a very much better" really correct English? I assume so, since it's Tolkien, but it sounds very strange to me.


texts:
Is there a difference between "the path of something" and "the path to something"? I'm confused.

Here are two examples:

The paths of spiritual life growth (1): Be Quiet Before God and Pray With a Single-minded and Sincere Heart
The paths to spiritual life growth (1): Be Quiet Before God and Pray With a Single-minded and Sincere Heart


texts: "I better not ask," vs "I had better not ask."

texts:
Example:

  Speaker A: Thanks for the fish, I'll feed it to my crocodile.

  Speaker B: Your crocodile? I (had) better not ask.

I better not ask sounds better to me (2,480 results on Google Books). However, the one with the most results is I had better not ask (23,1000).

Which one is the most common idiom? (I'm open to other suggestions.)


texts: When you use "means of" as a way to say a method eg. means of identification, do you always use means and not mean? Or does it depend on the subject? I have googled it but am still not sure.


texts: Is supercalifradgilisticexpealidocious In the oxford dictionary?

texts: My problem is that my ‘friend’ does not think that supercalifradgealisticexpealoidociouS is a word.


texts:
I am not a native English speaker and never lived in an English-speaking country, so I wonder how you would apply this word.

Would you apply the term "meat" to the following things?

Muscle tissue of a cow
Liver tissue of a cow
Brain tissue of a cow
Muscle tissue of other beasts (swine, goat, rabbit)
Muscle tissue of a bird (chicken, quail, turkey)
Muscle tissue of a fish
Muscle tissue of mollusks, such as oyster, squid, shellfish, snail
Tissue of polyp, medusa
Tissue of a sponge
Tissue of a mushroom
Tissue of a plant


texts: Origins of the gaming term "cheese strategy"

texts:
In a gaming scene the word cheese is used to describe strategies or ways of playing that are really powerful and do not require much skill from the players side at the same time. The term is widely used both in video games and tabletop games alike.

It is extremely subjective, there's no strict definition of what is "cheese" and what is not, but that's besides the point.

What are the origins of it? What has cheese to do with "undeserved" victories, cheap strategies, etc.?


texts: Does Shakespeare use the word "whence" incorrectly?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is “from whence” correct? Or should it be “whence”?

From the Shakespeare's Sonnet XLVIII,

  ...  From whence at pleasure thou mayst come and part;
         And even thence thou wilt be stol'n I fear,
         For truth proves thievish for a prize so dear.

Isn't the definition of whence is "from where" or "from what place" which when converted from the phrase above will be "From from where at pleasure..."? Does Shakespeare use the word whence incorrectly?


texts:
Here are two sentences:

The training examples get labels 1 or 0 based on the tactics being
useful or not for the proof state.
We take the inspiration from the paper and implement an online version
capable of incremental optimization.

My English teacher told me that for the first sentence, either "tactics being useful or not" or "tactics which are useful or not" is fine. However, "tactics useful or not" is awkward in her opinion.
For the second one, she said we could use "an online version capable of incremental optimization" instead of "an online version which is capable of incremental optimization".
Why in the first case, we cannot ignore "which is" or "being"?
I cannot understand why after we removing "being", the sentence "The training examples get labels 1 or 0 based on the tactics useful or not for the proof state." sounds awkward? For me, "on the tactics useful or not" is just an abbreviation of "on the tactics which are useful or not". I think the meaning of "on the tactics useful or not" = "on the tactics which are useful or not" = "on the tactics being useful or not"


texts:
Is prejudice required to be bigotry?

  big·ot·ry
  ˈbiɡətrē/
  noun

  intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself

So, if you like having sex with little kids and in your 'opinion' you think it's ok, but I think you're a lunatic and a felon, I'm a bigot?


texts: Customer Technical Support or Technical Customer Support?

texts:
I am part of a customer support team.
When answering a new email request from a customer I start my reply with an introduction:

  Hi, John Doe here from the [What-goes-here?] team at Such-and-Such-copmany-name, ...

My question is what would be correct (instead of the 'What-goes-here?' above)

  Customer Technical Support

or

  Technical Customer Support

Can't seem to make up my mind, what works better / sounds correct.

Update: The reason I am in this dilemma is because I want to distinguish the type of 'Technical Support'.
We support only paying customers, there is also Professional Services (payed by the hour doing customization and large deployment), and Sales level support which isn't provided by the field sales teams.
There are also sales/lead support which answer trial software users.

I would like the name to distinguish this.


texts: What is a hypernym for different fields of expertise?

texts:
It was only after he mastered psychology, philosophy, history, spiritualism, prophesizing and religion, in his old age, that he knew his know he could be at peace. He mastered all these ____ (collective word).

The best fit I can think of fields but could mean anything really and is too generic. Sciences sounds better since he researched it from a fundamental point of view but history, prophesizing and religion are not sciences. It's not in school or academic, and spiritualism is not a subject, so subjects doesn't sound correct. Is there a better word for fields that sounds more high-brow?


texts: Capitals after a quotation when describing the quotation as having been heard, not said

texts:
"Yes?" she asked.

Here, she has no capital, because "Yes?" is an element of the same sentence, which describes what is happening said element.

"Noooo!" He fell to his knees.

Here, He is capitalized, because it's the start of a new sentence, describing what happened after the implicit "[whoever] said" of the quotation.
OK, but is the following correct?

"Why?" she heard him ask.

The reason I'm not 100% sure is that the part after the quote is not describing him asking, but instead describing her hearing him.
If that's wrong, then fixing it by capitalizing she would be awkward, because then the separate sentence might imply that there's a second thing being asked.  So then you'd have to go further to refer back to the quote as this, but that's also awkward:

"Why?"  She heard him ask this.

You would probably want add something to make it worth using heard over said in the first place, making it something like:

"Why?"  She heard him ask this, but then everything went black.
"Why?"  She heard him ask this.  I could tell by the puzzled look it elicited from her.


texts: A word to describe a sudden urge to work

texts:
I was wondering if there's a term for a person feeling an unusual drive to be productive, as well as for the feeling itself.
Some example sentences could be:

I just drank four cups of coffee, I'm _____, bring it on!

Johnny is really excited to start working here. He arrived early and with such a(n) _______.

I'm looking for something such as psyched, but relating to work or study, instead of leisure.
As for context, I don't mind it being informal, but I'd like something that doesn't sound demeaning to the subject.


texts:
(Note: This might be better suited for a different stack site, but since literature closed, I thought this was the closest related site).

I've recently been re-reading Great Expectations, and, in chapter 15, Pip introduces Dolge Orlick:

  Now, Joe kept a journeyman at weekly wages whose name was Orlick. He pretended that his Christian name was Dolge - a clear impossibility - but he was a fellow of that obstinate disposition that I believe him to have been the prey of no delusion in this particular, but willfully to have imposed that name upon the village as an affront to its understanding.

I'm wondering why it's obvious that Dolge couldn't be a Christian name. Is this something about Victorian English that I'm missing?


texts:
is there a nominalization of the verb "to address"?

As in "They have addressed the issue in a recent statement. What is their ____ ?"

Thanks


texts: Can I say "subscribe by Facebook/Twitter"?

texts:
I have a website. I have 5 subscription options in my site.

As of now my titles displayed like this:

subscribe by email
subscribe by rss
subscribe using facebook
subscribe using twitter
subscribe using googleplus

My 3, 4, and 5 instructions look a little too long. Can I use the preposition "by" instead of "using"?

For example: subscribe by facebook, subscribe by twitter, and subscribe by googleplus.


texts:
I teach the UK GCSE and AS/A Level curriculum and I need to know if it is still common practice, in 2020, for British English to omit the full stop after honorifics (Mr, Mrs, Ms, etc.)?

I ask this because I've noticed both the omission, and usage, of the period in English and American texts, and I want to be concurrent with Cambridge curricula.

I've searched through the forum, and while I have found similar threads (and read through them) the questions were either published about eight years ago (How to correctly assimilate dots, if at all? ; Is it proper to omit periods after honorifics (Mr, Mrs, Dr)?) or they don't quite answer my question (Addressing an unmarried woman, 1930s; Say thank you to multiple professors and doctors). However, if there is a more recent post (or multiple) that I have not noticed, then I apologise in advance for the duplicate.

If anyone has an up to date (up-to-date?) website or grammar e-book (preferably congruent with British grammar) they can recommend to me, free if at all possible as my country does not allow for easy online international payment, I would be sincerely grateful.

edit
Many thanks for everyone's help.


texts: How to express reduction by a specific amount?

texts: The word "decimate" literally means to reduce by eliminating 10%.  If there is a general way to express reduction by eliminating a percent or fraction, I can't think of it.  How would you express reduction by eliminating 1/4 or 1/2?


texts: I have heard the phrase "feeding the dragon" used to describe pouring time, resources, and energy into a situation that is self-perpetuating, caught in a positive feedback loop with negative consequences, or is growing out of control because of actions being taken. I think "giving a mouse a cookie" has similar meaning but with much less harsh connotations. Searches for the phrase online reveals many hits on Chinese economics and references to another phrase, "chasing the dragon" none of which shed some light on the meaning of "feeding the dragon". I have not been able to find much else. What is the etymology of this phrase?


texts:
I have a question, but I don't know how to ask it correctly.
Can you help me to choose and explain it please?

I want to ask the next question:

If Kate and John are students, then who [(am I) or (is me)]?

I think, that "am I" is correctly, but not sure.


texts: Which is the word that means neither "believer" nor "atheist" but somewhere in between?

texts:
What word means neither "believer" nor "atheist" but somewhere in between?

The word starts with the letter 'A', I tried "agnostic" but according to my instructor there is another one.


texts:
In the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, Huddleston and Pullum use the term "determinative" for the lexical category of words like the, etc. And they use "determiner" for the grammatical function that is characteristically filled by determinatives (but which can also be filled by things such as genitive noun phrases).

In an older generation of reference grammars, however, notably Quirk, et alia's Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, the use of these terms is exactly reversed. That is, "determiner" is the lexical category and "determinative" is the grammatical function.

The difference has been bugging me for a long time. Can anyone provide a principled explanation as to why we should prefer one over the other? I'm sure Huddleston and Pullum had a motivation to alter terminology that's been in use since Bloomfield's day, but I can't find any discussion in their work.


texts: Any examples of where a full-stop can't replace a semi-colon?

texts:
By virtue of separating two closely related but separate thoughts, the semi-colon can generally be replaced by a full stop. I don't mean in the beauty and sound of it, but just grammatically. Can you think of any examples where the full stop, if used, changes the meaning or sense from what the semi-colon would provide? Again, I don't mean in terms of poetic license or what would make for better writing. I just mean in terms of meaning of the 2 thoughts.

Of course, if you believe that my first line itself is contentious, discuss it. But if you do get my drift, then think up some sentences please.


texts: 'I will miss everyone when/if I leave my job.' Can the sentence with 'if' and the one with 'when' really mean the same?

texts:
A course book for learners of English I have to use (New Total English, Intermediate, Student's Book, page 57) says:

  'For First Conditionals, we use when rather than if to show that something is 100 percent certain to happen.'

And an example appearing in the exercises where this rule is applied reads:

  'I will miss everyone when I leave my job.'

which should then mean

  'I will definitely miss everyone / I am sure of missing everyone / I am sure to miss everyone if I leave my job.'

Whether or not I leave it? Or does the sentence necessarily imply that I will definitely leave my job at some point in the future?

What is '100 percent certain to happen': my missing everyone or my leaving the job or both?

If it is both, as I suspect, then isn't the clause a simple time clause, not an if clause, since there is nothing hypothetical about it?


texts:
Can anyone say what type of clause this is — noun, adjective or adverbial?

  I am glad that you have passed the test.

Some people say that it is a noun clause. But I am not sure.
What is the syntactic relation between glad and the that clause?


texts:
A coworker insisted that this sentence was incorrect but I argued that it is correct. Here is the sentence in question:

  There are potholes that need attended to right away on southbound I-75
  near Dearborn Street.


texts:
When is Pat going to call you?

I' am expecting him to call sometime ______ the weekend.

a)in
b)on
c)over


texts: How to write `damn it` in a better way for a third person?

texts:
I don't want to write Damn It.
Instead I want to write something like -> He squeezed his eyes with an expression of 'shit-I-forgot'

You know, like ->
She: Hey, how are you?
He: Hey, I'm good. What's up?
She: Did you do the homework?
He: Damn it! I forgot.

But in my case, the character doesn't say anything, just makes the expression one would make in such a scenario. How can I better phrase it?


texts: Founding father/mother or founding figure?

texts: I'm quoting an author who is known as the "founding father" of a scientific discipline. However, I feel that I want to make it sound less patriarchal. Of course, many disciplines had women leaders, but I have seldom heard "founding mothers". I was wondering if it would be better to talk about influential people in these disciples as "founding figures" than "founding fathers/mothers"?


texts: What is the difference between therefore and hence?

texts:
In the following two sentences, what is more appropriate and why - hence or therefore?

I Missed the bus hence I had to take a cab
I Missed the bus therefore I had to take a cab

Or they can be replaced for each another?


texts: What is the meaning of "... to felicit you ..."

texts:
Recently I have received some comments about my work, and it used "... felicit you and your work".

What is the meaning of this word?

Is is positive or negative?


texts: Is there a grammatical term for moving a word to the front or back of a sentence?

texts:
There is a function in Arabic grammar where you may bring forward in sentence order a word - as well as deferring it.

For example: if the sentence order is Subject - Verb - Object, you can bring the object forward to be before the subject,  yielding Object - Verb - Subject or Object - Subject - Verb.

Similarly, if you have Noun Phrase - Verb Phrase, you can move the verb phrase forward so you get Verb Phrase - Noun Phrase.

This is used to add emphasis to the item brought forward. The same applies to moving the item to the end of the sentence.

Is there a grammatical term in English that represents this function or functions?


texts:
My friend's grades are twice as high as mine.
My friend's grades are twice higher than mine.

What is the difference between them or which one is more suitable to use


texts:
I know that we can use very + noun to indicate the precision, particularity.

Once I wrote this sentence:

  I felt like I was with my very family.

My teacher said this sound very colloquial, not written language. I'm not a native speaker, so is my teacher. Please help me to judge this case!


texts: What does "wound for sound" mean and where did it come from?

texts:
This is a figure of speech that's been in my lexicon virtually forever. I'm not sure where I learned this, but to me it means "keyed up and ready to go". A combination of high energy, tension, and preparedness. I assume the etymology does come from winding a speaker coil and means something similar to "ready to rock".

I used it in something that's being translated to another language and the translator is asking me what it means. I wanted to fact check myself and, surprisingly, I could barely find a whiff of it on the Internet. Is this an unusual colloquialism?


texts:
Is there a past participle equivalent of absurd? More specifically, is there a verb meaning to make absurd that has a past participle form (made absurd)?

This is similar to how the word inverted operates in the phrase the inverted world: covering not just the description of the world as currently being inverted, but also the implication that in the past the world was not inverted, but was made to be at some point.


texts: "...cut right to the heart of French society"

texts:
What does "...cut right to..." mean in the following context?

  In France, the modernized and centralized state that emerged in the
  Third Republic united the nation and allowed a mass media culture to
  emerge. The entire population, receiving the same information and the
  same interpretation of the news, was galvanized by various events,
  such as the Dreyfus Affair, which cut right to the heart of French
  society.


texts:
Is it correct to say "I feel painful" to mean "I feel pain"?

Please note that I mean only those cases, in which the phrase is a complete sentence. There should be no words after the last word in each quote (like in "I feel painful pulses in my head", "I feel painful burning sensations in my stomach", etc.)

If it's correct, what is the slight difference in meaning there?


texts: It is sort of like "Bear with me for a second." It would mean to keep listening while an idea is explained, or accept a premise while the explanation is happening. I'm pretty sure it starts with a p, and it's sort of like "patronize" but with less implicit skepticism. Thanks!


texts: Was making 'dyslexia' hard to spell, a sadistic act?

texts:
Dyslexic (n.) is first recorded 1961; dyslectic (adj.) from 1964.

My point is this - the Latin "legere" was already sufficient, "lexis" was contrived (I jest) out of the 'confusion' (see image) of "legere" and "legein". Unnecessarily I would suggest.

The word could have easily been "disleger", without any confusion of readability or spelling whatsoever.

Although some negative connotative association surrounding leg removal may have arisen.


texts: Why is "Rosen Plevneliev" pronounced with a /z/?

texts:
As I have told you in my previous question, I have heard the CBS news about the Bulgarian president visiting the US here. I don't know why, but the way the reporter has pronounced his name makes me smile. I know that that isn't an issue since we speak different languages, but I was wondering why she pronounced it that way. His name is Rosen Plevneliev. In Bulgarian there are duplicate consonants like s in sauce and z in zebra. In Bulgarian we pronounce it with clear s sound while this reporter has used the z sound.

My question is: What is the rule in English that makes her pronounces it that way.


texts: Does this sentence sound awkward, in terms of verb tense or preposition use?

texts:
Just a couple of quick questions:

  Though not all my students grappled with the same issues that I had faced...

Does this phrase sound off at all? I'm trying to imply that I still struggle with my own set of problems, and though my students do not face the exact same issues, I can still help them. I first wrote "...issues as I had", but are they both correct in this context?

  In order to share my enthusiasm for writing, as well as my own struggles in learning a new language as a child of immigrant parents, I worked as...

In the above, I want to say that I took up a leadership position to share both my love of writing and my experiences learning English. I think I say what I want to say, but whenever I read it over, I get tripped up by "my own struggles". Is it the same for anyone else, or am I just going a little crazy with revising?


texts: What is the nominal form of the verb "to give"?

texts:
Normally one can add -tion or -ation to a verb to make it nominal, but that nominalization doesn't work for "give". Is there a nominalized form of "to give"? If not, is there a word that could serve the same purpose?

In other words, what word means "the act of giving"?


texts:
What is the proper way of writing an exclamative question:

  What are you doing!?
  What are you doing?!

or is it better to just leave it as a simple question?


texts:
The  Cambridge Dictionary transcription for the word barn is /bɑːrn/

If someone says this word as /baːrn/ (open front vowel), will this sound foreign to you? Will you notice at all? What will your thoughts be on the speech of a person who changes his /ɑ/'s with /a/'s in words like this?

Wikipedia phonetic alphabet; vowels

I'm not sure what I'm doing but here's me saying /bɑːrn/. and then /baːrn/ : Vocaroo speech example

Can you try it yourself as native speakers?


texts: What is the meaning of "Artisanal landlord price hike sale" ?

texts:
I came across this phrase in an article today, I didn't get the sense of the whole sentence together. would anyone break it into pieces for me please.
bundle of thanks in advance.


texts: What's the difference between "you" and "one" in the indefinite?

texts: English, especially in the colloquial, often uses you for generic statements about people. For example, When you are angry, you act less rationally is not necessarily a statement about the listener, but about people in general. However, it's also correct (as far as I know) to say When one is angry, one acts less rationally. Is there a difference between these two forms? Is one of them more correct than the other?


texts: What is an idiom for being engaged in something?

texts:
I am looking for an idiom to express someone is completely engaged in or busy with an activity.
For example,

When all my peers were busy preparing for the upcoming exam, I had to assist my mother in the shop.

Is there an idiomatic expression that expresses the "busy doing something . . ." part to emphasize the peers were solely busy with their exam preparations and could not think of doing anything else?


texts: Are "not uncommon" and similar phrases double negatives? Should their use be avoided?

texts:
When I think of double negatives I think of phrases that grate on the ears, like:

I'm not going to do no homework.
I'm never going to not go visit Graceland.

There are some phrases that appear to technically be considered a double negative, but seem more common and are, in my opinion, actually pleasing to the ear. And I've seen such uses in newspaper articles, magazine articles, and other edited content.
I'm referring to phrases like:

It's not uncommon for two people to meet serendipitously.
Baseball is not unlike golf - both are boring to watch without a beer in hand.
It's not unusual to be loved by anyone.

Are the above examples of double negatives? Should their use be avoided?


texts: "Will all be" or "will be all" or "all will be"?

texts:
Which one of these is correct, if I want to say something akin to "everything is going to be okay":

This will all be over soon.

This all/These all will be over soon.

This will be all over soon.


texts: Tuttugu answered by burying the wedge of his blade in the man’s sternum.


texts:
"Mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled."
What does this mean?


texts: The context is a comparison between Bach and a certain twentieth century composer who only wrote 50 minutes of music for quartet in his entire career.  Although it is an event in the past, nobody knows exactly how Bach spent his days and how much music he wrote on any given one.  What I want to say is that I believe he was capable of writing more than 50 minutes of music on a good day.  "I suspect there were many weeks when Bach wrote more than fifty minutes of music.  Perhaps he could do it on a good day." Is that "could do it" a good form to use or is there a better?


texts: What is the difference between "We are going to study" and "We are going to be studying"?

texts: I want to know when we use "be going to" + be + ing?


texts: Could the infinitive phrase "to go" be a complement of the noun phrase "a coffee"?


texts: How to ask if a tutor is ~welcoming~? new students

texts:
I'm going to ask the online teacher if she is expecting new students to come and start studying with her.

What's the good way to ask her that? I'm not sure that my own option "Are you welcoming new students?" even sounds correctly to a native-speaker :)

Thank you


texts: "There's a missing page" vs. "there's a page missing"

texts:
Sometimes we see the adjective "missing" used before nouns and sometimes after nouns. What is the difference in usage in this regard? For example:

  There is a missing page in the book.
  There is a page missing in this book.

What is the difference between these sentences?


texts: How is the usage of "guy" different from "man"/"boy" in these sentences?

texts:
The word "guy" being used other than with an adjective seems odd to my ears. Is there a rule or explanation as to why that is?

These sentences sound ok with either "guy" or "man" or "boy":

He's a big guy/man/boy
That guy/man/boy is looks tired (That being the adjective here)

Whereas these don't. Replacing "guy" with "boy" or "man" seems more natural :

A guy is coming this way
One guy is enough to bring the wall down

EDIT: Is it all about familiarity? If you know the man or if at least, it's a specific man, "guy" seems to fit. In the example "A man is coming this way", you presumably don't know the man. In "One man is enough to [do X]", it's not about a specific man. Any man could do X. And more often than not, you'd use some form of an adjective for a known or specific person, which ties back to my feeling about the adjectives..


texts: When does a prepositional phrase modify a subject vs a linking verb?

texts:
The bold words are the words being modified by the prepositional phrase.

According to englishgrammar101.com:

The crystal glassware is from Carlsbad.    (Is this a subject complement?)

Jessie's new apartment is on the third floor.     (Is this a state-of-being?)


texts:
I am told that these three sentences imply the same meaning and I can put them together: any idea pleas!

 Still, domy and duny products have not been evaluated to date with respect to the
 most recent products(smhs) at a global scale. That motivates us to do global inter-
 comparison between domy and duny products using smhs products.Our study evaluated
 domy and duny products with respect to smhs products during the 1989–2000 period.


texts:
So I was taught that I should use apostrophes when something possesses something else, but I'm not sure about the use of it's in the following situation:

  ...and they found their way to a castle.  It's walls were made of pure gold.

My question is, should I use It's because the apostrophe means that the castle has possession of the wall, or should I not because it's is generally understood to be a concatenation of "it is"?  Or perhaps I should use Its' walls?


texts: "Tried to" versus "try to": The -ed suffix as an intervocalic tap

texts:
This question isn't answered here:

Differentiate between past and present just by pronunciation when word is followed by d- or similiar sound

That question asks about what happens when the following word begins with a consonant in general. This one is asking about the various possibilities for an intervocalic tap if a following word is an unstressed function word beginning with /t/. It's also asking whether there's any possibility for regressive assimilation here.

I read this in American accent book. I quote the text exactly how it is written in the book:

The suffix -ed is not pronounced precisely when it is linked to another consonant. For example, mailed the sounds very much like mail the in the following sentences:

I already mailed the letter.
I will mail the letter.

The suffix -ed is not heard at all when it is linked to /t/ or /d/. For example talked to sounds identical to talk to in the following sentences:

I talked to her yesterday.
I talk to her every day.

Okay but then my question is, how do Americans distinguish between these two sentences:

I try to call you.
I tried to call you.

In the first sentence the /t/ will be realised by a voiced tap because it occurs between two vowels. In the second will we get a regular [t] and then a voiced tap? Will we get a double tap or a double length tap? Or will we just get a single tap? Or maybe here we will just get two regular /t/s?
Do native speakers differentiate between "I tried to call you" and "I try to call you" from the context?


texts: A way to express that less expertise in a field is necessary to achieve similar results?

texts:
I am a student mastering in machine learning. When I read papers describing older
machine learning algorithms and frameworks, I often see that a lot of very advanced domain knowledge is poured into these methods. When looking at newer methods, a lot of that specific knowledge is no longer directly needed as newer machine learning models learn more complex representations than before. A great deal of the engineering is replaced by statistical models.

What would be a phrase (or word) to describe that one can achieve today better or similar results than one with more domain knowledge could have years ago?

Example of a sentence:

  The method presented in [paper 1] {insert comparison here} [paper 2]. Indeed, the authors show improved performance while alleviating the need for complex engineered feature extraction methods.

For example, "is easier than" could work but it does not carry a scientific tone nor does it specify what makes it easier (even though that is understood from the following sentence).


texts: A word or term for someone who likes to insult other people?

texts:
I'm wondering if there's a word or term for a person who looks for an opportunity to insult and berate other people.

I'm sure you've all been there; you're using an online public forum, like Facebook, to voice an opinion. There's always that one person who gets completely offended, or they take things completely out of context. They then proceed to publicly scold and shame you - excessively, it seems. It makes you wonder if maybe they're just looking for something to complain about, or if they enjoy being abusive? Maybe they just get a kick out of making you look bad, and want everyone else to dislike you?

"Troll" and "butthurt" seem to fit fairly well, but I was hoping to find a more traditional English equivalent.


texts:
Because of its length, the two towers of the Verrazano Bridge are not parallel: they are [???], accounting for the curvature of the earth.

There's a bunch of terms that come close, such as:

  Radial from the center of the earth.

Okay, but this only covers vertical lines.

  They're skewed.

Close, but no cigar. "These two lines are skewed." Huh?

Is there an exact term?


texts: What do you call a person who's just been released from jail?

texts: Is there a specific word for a person who has just been released from jail?


texts: The child, I am sure, was part of the appeal...What does it mean? difficult to understand :(

texts:
Can't understand this sentence:

"The child, I am sure, was part of the appeal", what does it mean?difficult to understand :( Anyone can help me?


texts:
The plural "guys" definitely is, at least here in San Francisco — I'm often hearing all-girl companies here being greeted with 'Hi guys, how are you doing?'.

How about the singular guy? Is it universally assumed that 'the guy who will be doing this' can be either guy or gal?


texts: Use of "many good wishes 'to carry with you'"

texts:
In "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" there is two times this phrase: "many good wishes to carry with you":

And the Winkies gave them three cheers and many good wishes to carry with them.
But he at once unlocked their spectacles, which he put back into the green box, and gave them many good wishes to carry with them.

I think is not a so common phrase to listen to. Googling for that it seems to be nowhere out of that book.
Are there some regions where is used or other similar expressions?
Of course I mean the second part 'to carry with you/him/them'


texts: Saddle-point problem vs saddle point problem

texts: I work in computer science/applied math, and I frequently see sentences such as "We wish to solve a bilinear saddle point problem." My problem is that this does not seem correct based on my understanding of compound adjectives. I personally prefer "bilinear saddle-point problem" because I see bilinear as a modifier of "saddle-point problem" whereas I see saddle-point as a compound adjective for "problem."


texts: Exaggerating the pronunciation of a vowel or consonant

texts:
Is there a word for exaggerating the pronunciation of a vowel or consonant by holding it longer than normal? When conveying this in writing, does it fall in the same category as an accent or dialect (even though it's neither) or are there other rules I should be aware of?

Examples:

Heeere's Johnny
lllet's get ready to rumbllle
Halloooooooooooooooooo!


texts: Idiom for having a strong conviction that turns out to be false

texts: Say a scientist believes very firmly in an hypothesis despite limited evidence. After years of research, he stumbles upon a piece of evidence that entirely crushes his ideas. Is there an idiom describing such a development? I want to emphasize the excitement and hope the scientist feels while 'chasing' said idea, as well as the anxiety of finding out that his idea might be wrong.


texts: To use "not" or "don't" in a noun clause?

texts: As in this sentence: "We ask that you not take anything you read here as final.", why "not" is used instead of "don't"?


texts: Does the appositive in this sentence need to be set off with commas?

texts:
On the freelancing website Upwork, there is a US Punctuation and Mechanics test one can take to boost credibility on one's profile for potential clients. These tests are administered by third-party companies that often hire non-native English speakers, so they're known to have some inaccuracies. Unfortunately, because you're allowed to retake the exams after a certain period passes, the correct answers are never revealed.
One of the questions on this exam is the following:

Richard’s wife(A) Abigail(B) is an incredibly talented cook(C) and gardener.
Comma at (A)
Comma at (B)
Comma at (C)
Comma at (A) and (B)
No commas needed

I answered "No commas needed", but I suspected afterwards that the answer key was looking for the answer choice above it, "Comma at (A) and (B)". After searching this question online, I found a website with answers for the various questions on the test, and the site claims that "Comma at (A) and (B)" is in fact the correct answer for this particular question.
Is the answer key wrong? I feel like there's really no need for any commas, but on the other hand, the appositive Abigail isn't restrictive because it doesn't offer terribly "essential" information, suggesting it could be set off by commas.


texts: Is it incorrect to use a comma as a pause in this sentence:

texts: "That, has been a long time coming!" A friend of mine insists that I should have used an ellipsis.


texts: The passwords have been used for the second or more time

texts:
Is there any word/structure in English for the following usage?

  Here we calculate the total number of times that account passwords have been used for the second or more time (third, or higher number of times).

Is there any other way of putting this in English other than the following?

  Here we calculate the total number of times that account passwords have been used twice or more.


texts:
I was recently speaking about a design challenge. This person felt that a side table was required and while I felt no side table was required, I said a shelf could also be used. This person then said that I "suggested" a shelf. I clarified saying I was not "suggesting" it and I was just throwing out an idea. I explained that when I hear the word "suggestion" the implication is that I am a proponent of that particular idea. This person then insisted we look at the dictionary.

The definition was:

  an idea or plan put forward for consideration.
  "here are some suggestions for tackling the problem"

  synonyms:   proposal, proposition, motion, submission, recommendation; advice, counsel, exhortation, hint, tip, clue, tip-off, idea, piece of advice.

  ”there are some suggestions for tackling this problem"

This did not bring us any closer to a resolution. I understand that the word suggestion can (probably) be used if you are not a proponent of the idea (in some bizarre and unusual cases), so I do not entirely disagree with the other person's definition. But I don't think my definition is incorrect either.

However, the other person accused me of playing word games and said my definition (that it implies I am a proponent of the idea) is indisputably incorrect. When I asked whether my definition could at the very least be construed as "reasonable". This person disagreed.

Please let me know what your views are.

Is my definition correct? Is the other person's? or are both definitions reasonable?
If the other person's definition is correct, is my definition so far out that it is justifiably considered to be "game playing"?

Thank you.


texts:
What does the phrase up to mean in the following?

That sketchy character is up to something.
That sneak is up to no good.

How does that differ from up to it in the following?

I'm sick, but if I'm up to it I may do the dishes.

Or this:

I feel like I'm up to my ears, trying to learn all these English idioms.

Are there other uses of this phrase?


texts:
Some words used to have a different meaning. For example, according to this link, here are a list of twenty words that originally had a different meaning from the connotation that we associate it with today. One example would be nice. Before nice meant silly, now nice means that a person is kind or the antonym of mean. Is there a single-word or phrase that describes the phenomenon. It kind of reminds of a paradigm shift in science, when an idea that was thought to be true is changed. For example, the heliocentric theory replaced the geocentric theory.

The link:http://ideas.ted.com/20-words-that-once-meant-something-very-different/


texts: Is there a technical name, grammatically, for the use of "it" in a non-specific way?

texts:
A year or more ago, someone on this website used a word which I cannot now recall. He or she used the word to describe how the word it is often used in a non-specific way and with no clear referent.

My first question is:

  What might have been the descriptive word--or words--this person used to describe that particular use of it?

My second question arises from a verbal habit I've been trying to break myself of lately, and that is the overuse of the word it, particularly when the word has no clear referent. My second question, then:

  Is my attempt worth the effort?

Frankly, I've sort of enjoyed the process of wording sentences without using the word it overmuch, but as with my effort of limiting my use of the locution "due to the fact that," I am beginning to wonder, however, if my efforts are worth it. (Oops, I've used the word it unnecessarily! As President Reagan would say, "There you go again . . ..")

To ground my question in reality, here are a couple of sentences which use the offending word it somewhat amorphously, each of which is followed by a sentence without the offending word:

  How far is it from New York City to Los Angeles?

What is the distance between New York City and Los Angeles?

  To me it seems the idea is quite do-able.

I think the idea is quite doable.

  Whenever it occurs to you, please write me a letter.

Whenever you think of writing a letter to me, please do so.

The above sentences are the best I could come up with on short notice, so they may not be perfect exemplars, but I hope they serve at least to illustrate the "amorphous it."


texts: Can an infinitive phrase itself be used as a proper sentence?

texts:
I found 1a on a Jr. High EFL listening test. Is the punctuation here in 1a acceptable in this context?

  1a) There are many things I have to do on Saturday. To clean my room and to water my garden.

I agree that there are better ways that 1a could be written. But my question is, is it acceptable to treat an infinitive phrase as a complete sentence like this?

Please answer with a reputable source.


texts: Natural selection "intent": eg humans are not "designed" to work in zero-G

texts: If one subscribes to the principles of natural selection, then the phrase "humans are not designed to work in zero-G" is incorrect; natural selection does not design anything. What word could be substituted for "design"? Or perhaps some other concise phrasing?


texts: Adjective describing the increase of a value achieved by forfeit/default of another party/value

texts:
I'm very interested in all things related to energy production and its future.

I'm looking for an adjective that would describe the return of the USA as the world 1st oil producer, not because of much increased US oil production, but rather because the current world oil production leader, Saudi Arabia, saw its output greatly decrease.

In the same vein I'm trying to convey the idea the US power production could indeed reach 50% of renewable energy soon, but mostly because the overall fossile fuel power production could fall and renewables would increase in proportion while not increasing in number (think about a salesman getting a  meagerly increased fixed income & a greatly reduced bonus).

  A _________ ["Forfeitful"/ Defaulting / Profiteering / Ptoseic (greek
  Ptosi: Fall/Decrease) / proportional /
  Decrementing / Demoting / Decreaseful / "Princeps Minutus"] rise?

I'll be grateful for any answer or suggestion you might have.


texts: One word for simplicity, expressiveness, and error avoidance?

texts: Is there a good word to describe all three of them? Currently, I'm writing my thesis, and it's about designing an API. So one of my goals is to achieve all of these: simplicity, expressiveness and error avoidance. Meaning, that the API should be self-explanatory, be expressive and help the programmer to produce less errors. Any ideas how to combine all of these in one word?


texts: Long, hot soaks in winter are a classic mistake

texts: Why 'a' is placed after 'are' ? Why 'a'  'is used for the plural 'soaks' ? Why it's 'a classic mistake' not 'classic mistakes' ?


texts: suspicious "it" in "too adj to V" construction

texts:
In the "Subject be too adj to V" construction, there seems to be no need to use a pronoun as the object to the verb:

The box is too heavy to lift. (natural)
1'. The box is too heavy to lift it. (unnatural)

The subject "the box" is the semantic object of "lift". But one Australian
inserted "it" in the following:

Life is too short to live [it] in the same way, so you should do something different once in a while.

The intended reading is "life is too short to live repetitiously." So this "it" in #2 is dubious; it doesn't pattern with #1.

Do you have an explanation?


texts: What is the correct spelling of "dependent"? Which preposition should follow it?

texts:
Dependant or dependent really confuses me when to use, especially with the combination of, on, from or to.

Mike was dependant to/from/on his mother.
The states are dependent to/from/on the federal government.

When to use what term with what?


texts:
I read this expression from John Adams by David McCullough,

  I quitted my own carriage, and took my seat by his side[she wrote]. We rode on to Bristol, where I had previously engaged a dinner, and there upon the banks of the Delaware, we spent the day, getting into the city at sunset.

This snippet is from Abigail's dairy, documenting her meet with her husband outside Philadelphia. According to Merriam-Webster, "engage" when used as a transitive verb mostly means "attract, hold or hire". It seems I cannot find any fitting definition in this context.


texts: Is A Particular Type of Corrosion a Proper Noun?

texts:
There is a particular type of corrosion called 'stress corrosion cracking'.

Is this a proper or common noun?


texts:
This is old news ...but I am having trouble understanding why some of Alanis Morisette's examples from her song 'Ironic' are not ironic.

For example: "An old man turned ninety-eight.  He won the lottery and died the next day."  In this case, isn't there an incongruity between what he expected and what happened? He was hoping to win the lottery his whole life...but when he finally did, he ended up dying. Isn't there an outcome in this case that was opposite to what was expected?

Another example: "It's meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife."  Isn't this ironic because she tries hard to find the right guy but then finds him and that he is married. Isn't his married status opposite to what was expected?

Thank you for answering these questions.


texts:
I have a web site that manages issues with a building. I'd like to be able to sort the issues by

"Last updated" - the most recently updated issues.
"Opposite of last updated" - the issues that have not been updated recently.

I tried "Stale" and "Inactive" but they don't quite capture what it means to be the opposite of "Last updated".

Is there a direct opposite or should I maybe look for another way to describe "Last updated"?


texts:
Recently a student of mine made the following mistake :
"I want my family don't need anything".
I corrected it to "I want my family not to need anything". But when asked why I used "not to" instead of "don't", I couldn't explain why.

Can anybody help me with this?

Thank you very much.


texts:
I've been learning English for many years and recently found this word 'skrt'.

I think people with hip hop background use this word a lot. And some use it as an adjective. From my understanding this word is a mimetic word, which has similar meaning of 'cool' or 'awesome'.

Can someone explain more about this 'skrt' word? What's its true meaning, how to use it, etc.

Thanks a lot.

Edit: Just found out that 'skr skr' is a misspelling of 'skrt skrt'. It is commonly used in hip hop culture.


texts: What is the difference between Coaching and Mentoring?

texts: I know coaching is all about the client potential and not being directive or giving solutions, but how does it different than mentoring?


texts: Can "but also" be split in "not only ... but also"?

texts:
I think I generally agree with the statement

When using not only . . . but also in a sentence, parallelism should be the goal. It means that the words following both parts of this correlative conjunction (i.e., not only and but also) should belong to the same parts of speech.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/parallelism-with-not-only-but-also/
However, the Cambridge dictionary has an example that is not 100% parallel in my eyes, as "but also" is split:

Not only did she forget my birthday, but she also didn’t even apologise for forgetting it.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/not-only-but-also
What I would expect, with maximum parallelism, is

Not only did she forget my birthday, but also she didn’t even apologise for forgetting it.

Is my expectation wrong? Is my formulation acceptable?


texts: "Retrieves and let you print" or "Retrieves and lets you print"?

texts:
Speaking of some program, which of these sentences is correct?

  Retrieves and let you print...
  Retrieves and lets you print...


texts: How to define common word for health places?

texts:
I have these words : Public hospitals - Pharmacy store - Doctors clinic - Gym club training & gym supplements store - Makeup artist room & store.

Is there a common word for : store-clinic-club-hospital?

Example: (Apple-Banana-Mango)= fruits


texts: Polite/technical way to say "user ineptitude"?

texts:
Here's the deal, I work in tech support, I've to fill reports on what is the most common problems and what caused it...
Sometimes, I get requests from users who lack basic computer knowledge, which makes them seek help in order to fix simple problems, which means their ability is the root cause of the problem.

So.. I'm trying to find a way to write "user ineptitude" without sounding so crude, any ideas?


texts: Did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle coin the proverb "A change is as good as a rest"?

texts:
The proverb a change is as good as a rest is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as:

  A change of work or occupation can be as restorative or refreshing as
  a period of relaxation

Cambridge Dictionaries Online says

  You can get as much good from changing the work you do as from having
  a rest

But none mention the proverb's origins. The website Phrase Finder has nothing, and neither does Wikipedia. So far, so bad.

But I did manage to unearth something on the website Wise Old Sayings, which attributes the proverb to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930).

Is that true? Was it written in a personal letter or in one of his novels? Is there evidence to suggest that the British author was the inventor of said adage?

When is the earliest mention of: “A change is as good as a rest”?

Sources:
 Oxford Dictionaries, Cambridge Dictionaries Online, Phrase Finder, Wikipedia, Wise Old Sayings


texts: Batman vs. Maxwell Smart. Who said, "Good thinking, ...!" first?

texts:
Recently, I've come across the catchphrase, "Good thinking, [name/noun]!" three times on ELU.
The first was in a question referring to Terry Pratchett's catchphrase "Good thinking, that man!" 1

The second was FumbleFinger's answer where he affirms that the former is a homage to the popular American catchphrase, Good thinking, Batman! Made famous in the American TV cult series, Batman.

The third, I happily stumbled upon myself and posted in  “Definite ninety-nine” - UK English meaning. The catchphrase is taken from an American spy sitcom, called Get Smart about two secret agents; Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, and his beautiful and intelligent female partner, Agent 99. The series, devised by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, was responsible for coining a multitude of catchphrases, one of which was:    Good thinking, 99!

Data

Get Smart was broadcast between 1965–1970 but despite my cursory attempts, I couldn't pinpoint the year the catchphrase was actually launched.

Batman appeared on television screens a year later and ended its run in 1968. According to Wikiquote the phrase Good thinking, Robin! was used in season two, episode 27.  (At least that's my understanding)

Established the fact the catchphrase, "Good thinking!" originated in the US, and its popularity became worldwide thanks to the exportation of American TV shows in the 60s and 70s. I would like to know:

Who said it first, Batman or Maxwell Smart?
Was there an earlier TV or radio show with the formulaic catchphrase: Good thinking, + (name)+! anytime in the mid/late 50s?
Finally, what about Australia? Were either of the catchphrases popular during the 60s? I also recall reading on the Internet that Good thinking, 99! is still being used there. Is that true?


texts:
What does the following quote by Stephen Covey mean ?

  Not a day goes by that we can’t at least serve one other human being
  by making deposits of unconditional love

Especially the part "serve one other human being
by making deposits of unconditional love"


texts:
I'm an iPhone developer and I've recently changed the price of my app from $0.99 to free.

Wordnet defines sale as:

  an agreement (or contract) in which property is transferred from the seller (vendor) to the buyer (vendee) for a fixed price in money (paid or agreed to be paid by the buyer);

In this case there is no price in money, so I guess I shouldn't use the word sale. What should I use, then? "A giveaway" doesn't sound nice.


texts: What does "should" mean in the paragraph? Is it because of grammar rule? Can we omit it? Will the meaning be different?

texts:
"Looking back, they appreciate the benefits of the tough times, which made them stronger and should enable them to go further in their dancing careers."

Thank you!


texts: "it rains something" - is it an idiom and when is it used?

texts: I think I heard somewhere expressions like "it rains apples" or "it rains ideas" which could possibly mean there is a lot of apples and ideas, but I am not sure. Is there anything like that in English?


texts:
The following is a passage from an article on the origin of the idiom basket case:

  The origins of this idiom are somewhat grisly. In World War I, there were cases reported which involved soldiers who lost both their arms and legs in battle. Any soldier in such a condition would be especially helpless, and other soldiers dubbed them "basket cases" in reference to the fact that they would have to be carried around by others. As such, the original origins of the phrase caused it to invoke physical helplessness.

"other soldiers dubbed them "basket cases" in reference to the fact that they would have to be carried around by others." I know what a basket is, but what is the case of basket case? All I could think of a case is those container or covering used to protect or store things, but wouldn't make sense that both basket and case go together?


texts: How did "on the house" become a synonym of "free"?

texts: question as in the subject. Noticed such an expression at least in two occasions...


texts:
Is this English sentence grammatically correct? What about its construction? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated:

Some people give to it the name that best represents for them the sensation.

Thank you


texts: What is it called when you stay at hospital?

texts:
When you stay overnight at the hospital (in the UK, at hospital) for a period of time, for whatever reason, what do you call it?

A hospital stay?


texts: Usage of prepositions with the word "difficult"

texts: Just wanted to know if there are any rules on usage "to" or "for" with the word "difficult".


texts: How does the apostrophe work (examples inside)?

texts:
Which of this is correct?

Excels logo look like a book
Excel's logo look like a book

How does the apostrophe change the above sentences meaning?


texts: Do I need quote marks when I quote myself?

texts:
Hello language lovers,

English isn't my first language and I would like to know if I need to use quotation marks when I quote something I said in the past.


texts:
a beach wedding attended by Mrs Feeney's father...
In this sentence attended is a past participle part of a passive or adjective?


texts: What adjective describes a hospital with a broad specialization?

texts:
In Austria there is a big hospital called General hospital (Allgemeines Krankenhaus) with general meaning that in that hospital many different diseases are being treated.

Is there a word better than general and universal to describe a hospital, where virtually every possible ailment is treated?


texts:
Can the word "address" be used figuratively, to mean a place that people turn to (for help, advice, etc.).

If not – what would be a better word for this connotation?

Thanks!

EDIT: I'm looking for something that would be applicable here:

  The Wonderland Building Center is the country's main ** address ** for any Wonderlandian seeking advice on building or renovating his or her home.


texts: 'Well' after: How to use 'well after' in a sentence?

texts:
She waited till well after midnight.

What does well after signify here? There are 51 definitions of well at the Merriam Webster Dictionary. It is not immediately obvious which one applies here.

Which part of speech should I be looking at? What part of speech is the word well in well after?

Lastly, can one say It was well far? If not, why not?


texts: How do you use commas when referring to a person and yourself in a sentence while naming the person?

texts:
The sentence is:

  My wife, Anne, and I are going to the dentist this afternoon.

I am unsure with this because it sounds like the sentence is talking about 3 different persons: (1) Wife (2) Anne (3) I. But what I really intend for it is that  it is talking about only 2 different persons. (1) Wife whose name is Anne (2) I.

Is the use of the commas in the sentence correct?


texts:
Out of the two sentences :

I should've  written rather a diary.

I should've  rather written a diary.

Which one's correct if I want to convey the meaning that I wrote something else earlier and now I feel that I should've written a diary ?

Are both sentences grammatically correct?

If so, then is the meaning different in both cases?


texts: Should "there was became" be worded differently?

texts:
I was writing a story, and I wrote the following line:

  The little wind there was became calm as the sun prepared to set.

How do I make it clear that the noun is "The little wind there was" rather than "The little wind there"?


texts:
I've heard folks use "stood" as a kind of past-participle of the verb "stay" - as in: "I shoulda stood in bed". I had always thought it was some kind of uneducated regionalism...

But, it's New Years, (Happy and Healthy, y'all) and I'm watching the 'Twilight Zone' marathon on TV, and Rod Serling just used it...

Rod Serling!

So, my question is...

Is there a reference here? Was it an expression coined at one time (like,"A little dab'll do ya") in advertising or another medium? Or, is it a literary reference..? Does anyone know?


texts:
I came across a sentence recently: Before I turn 40, I want to have written a book.

Could someone explain to me what does it actually mean?

I'd rather say: Before I turn 40, I want to write a book. but I'm not native speaker.

I understand the meaning of the perfect infinitive in sentences below:

If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake.

Someone must have broken the window and climbed in

but I can't grasp the difference between:

Before I turn 40, I want to have written a book vs Before I turn 40, I want to write a book

Thanks for any help
Marcel


texts: Why don't we pluralize "foot" in measurements?

texts:
For example, to answer the question, "How tall are you?" valid answers include:

Five feet.
Five foot three.
Five feet, three inches.

Why the discrepancy between feet and foot, seemingly only in the second case.

This question is inspired by this question: "Forty foot" or "forty feet"?

edit: I do not believe the answer to this is related to the other question. The explanation for the other question is because of how adjective modifiers work. My question is a very different case, unrelated to adjectives. My observation is that I am asking about a particular exception case which applies only when "foot" is followed by a number which is assumed to be inches. That's extremely specific, and I doubt that the etymology has any relation to why we leave adjective modifiers singular.


texts: What is the comparative of "I am broke"?

texts:
I am broke

In slang it means to be without money, but how would I say (facetiously) that my economic situation is worse today?

  a. I am broker today
  b. I am more broke today

Solution b) sounds less ambiguous to my ears because in a) broker means someone who buys and sells goods or assets for others. And it also sounds like (to me) someone who is now more broken in spirit than before. Yet, grammatically speaking, broker should be correct:
broke --> broker --> the brokest

  broke
  ADJECTIVE
  informal
  predicative Having completely run out of money.
   English Oxford Dictionaries

Question
What is the comparative form of “be broke” in colloquial speech?
Is it “broker” or “more broke”?

This question is inspired by a quote from the novel Educated by Tara Westover, which was posted on ELL as
What's the meaning of “be broker than the Ten Commandments”?


texts:
Which sentence below is correct? Or, are they both wrong?

  a) I hope the sign means for a good news, not a bad one.
  b) I hope the sign means for a good news, not for a bad one.


texts: Word for sudden feeling of tiredness and wanting to sleep

texts: A sudden feeling of hunger and wanting to eat may be called a hunger pang. Is there a word for a sudden feeling of tiredness and wanting to sleep?


texts: Does the phrase 'tongue bath' have sexual connotations when used to refer to sycophantic behavior?

texts:
When I first heard this phrase as a teenager (late 90s/early 2000s), it was being used to describe sycophantic talk or fulsome praise of someone. At the time, I figured the phrase originated as a comparison with the way a dog might lick its master profusely when it is scared or wants something. I haven't used this phrase in a long time, and recently, I used it. I suppose it's an unfortunate consequence of living in a hypersexualized era, but a while after the conversation, I got to wondering if I should have used that phrase (I was talking to someone older, whom I respect), because it might have a connotation that is quite different from what I originally thought.

Edit: Prompted by Jason Bassford, here is a relatively recent example used by a well-known online publication, The Huffington Post:

  All The Hard-Hitting Questions Sean Hannity Asked Donald Trump At A ‘Town Hall’ This Week - In which we watch a televised tongue bath so you don’t have to.

Among mature, educated speakers, does this phrase have any vulgar or sexual connotations?


texts:
I must admit that I don't use semicolon lists very often. (In some instances, I probably should have.) I will also admit that I'm neither-here-nor-there with the use of an Oxford comma. Sometimes I use it and sometimes I don't, depending on how clear I think my sentence is without it. (I suppose I default to not using it, as is (ironically) the British/Australian custom.)

But I couldn't seem to find a definitive answer on this site for whether there is a semicolon version of the Oxford comma. That is, in Commonwealth English, do semicolon lists go:

  Blah blah blah; so and so; and yada yada yada

or:

  Blah blah blah; so and so and yada yada yada

or (in the case of potential ambiguity?):

  Blah blah blah; so and so, and yada yada yada

I found these two sources, one British and one presumably American.

bristol.ac.uk (British)

  In complicated lists.

  The semicolon can be used to sort out a complicated list containing
  many items, many of which themselves contain commas.

  Have a look at this example:

    In the meeting today we have Professor Wilson, University of Barnsley,
    Dr Watson, University of Barrow in Furness, Colonel Custard,
    Metropolitan Police and Dr Mable Syrup, Genius General, University of
    Otago, New Zealand.

  In a situation such as this, only the mighty semicolon can unravel the
  mess.

    In the meeting today we have Professor Wilson, University of Barnsley;
    Dr Watson, University of Barrow in Furness; Colonel Custard,
    Metropolitan Police and Dr Mable Syrup, Genius General, University of
    Otago, New Zealand.

^ As seen, no ; and is used.

grammar-monster.com (American)

  Look at this list:

  John
  Simon
  Toby

  This list would be written like this: John, Simon, and Toby.

  Now look at this list:

  John, the baker
  Simon, the policeman
  Toby, the architect

  This list would be written like this: John, the baker; Simon, the
  policeman; and Toby, the architect.

^ As seen, ; and is used.

Furthermore, the British example lacks an Oxford comma in the non-semicolon list, and the American example contains an Oxford comma in the non-semicolon list.


texts:
This recent article from The Sun states that the term pregnant, in this specific case referred to Meghan Markle, is considered vulgar by the Queen.

According to a recently-resurfaced Us Weekly feature, the term is one of Her Majesty's pet peeves.
The piece - which was published back when Prince George was a baby - quotes a Palace source as saying she finds it "vulgar".
So, what will the 92-year-old be calling mum-to-be Meghan?
The article states that she'll be telling people she's "in the family way".

Apart from the Queen's personal preferences,   I found that the term pregnant:

Retained its status as a taboo word until c. 1950. (Etymonline)

from which, probably, its perceived "vulgarity”.
The above statement apprears to be confirmed also by the following article from tv.avclub.com:

More than 60 years ago, a pregnant Lucille Ball couldn’t call herself “pregnant”.

The script for “Lucy Is Enceinte” famously had to dance around saying the word “pregnant,” a term CBS deemed too vulgar for air.”

Questions:

why was the term considered vulgar?

and what more commonly accepted expressions were used to refer to someone who was "pregnant” in the '50s.


texts: Is there a word to describe words that can be spelled different ways?

texts:
Is there a word in English to describe words that can be spelled more than one way?

For example:

colour and color
favourite and favorite

However, this shouldn't be limited to words spelled differently in different dialects, though I'm not sure what other case there would be.


texts:
Have in mind what you want to take a picture of beforehand - shoot a
  single shot rather than taking many random pictures.

I came across this sentence and I'm confused about the verb following "rather than", it's in the -ing form but is it possible to have it in the infinitive as well?

I looked it up in my grammar book and it says that when using "rather than", the words before and after it should match, so the format should be infinitive-rather than-infinitive.
But this is in the imperative. What is the rule for this?


texts: Combining imperative mode with the implication of the action

texts:
I have two sentences:

1) Do something.
2) That (the action you performed) will make another thing happen.

I'm trying to combine these sentences into one, as they sound dumb to me when used separately. So far I think it should be like this:

Do something, which will make another thing happen.

but I'm not sure if it's correct.

EDIT: Actually, I'm asking for a general rule, but the specific example is:

Press the button. That will make a list with country names appear.


texts:
In the Song "Ten Foot Cock And A Few Hundred Virgins" Tim Minchin uses the phrase "it's a sin to take it up the date, even if it's great, even with your cowboy mate". I'm not a native English speaker - I have lived in the UK for a bit and consider my English to be quite good for a foreigner, but have never heard "date" used this way. Is it used in English in that way, am I mishearing it, is it an Australian thing, or did the singer just make it up to have something that rhymes?

Link to that moment of the song (most likely not safe for work):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXfmjMlPEic#t=85


texts:
A few months ago my professor mentioned a word that essentially went beyond being optimistic...
He said that optimistic people were simply hopeful, but this adjective that he mentioned meant someone who takes action to make the change that they envision.

I wrote down the word down as meadialistic (that was clearly wrong)
I tried to google so many different ways it could be spelled, but I think I was so off in the spelling that I won't be able to find the answer on my own...
Any help would be appreciated

thank you!


texts:
For instance you're driving and there's a car ahead of you, it is very slow and hesitant. You find it irritating, what do you call the driver?
Is there an expression to describe him or her?


texts: Question about someone who tries to shift attention

texts: What is it called when someone always tries to shift the attention to someone else when theyre being told they are doing something incorrect? For example: A manager is telling an employee that they are taking to long with a project and that employees response is always "well what about so and so? What are they doing?"


texts:
Is a comma needed after the word "months" in the following sentence?

  Over the course of several months he was subjected to a battery of diagnostic tests and assessments.

Thank you!


texts: What's the term for an unsecured wifi network that requires logging in through a browser?

texts:
Is there a name for the kind of wifi network that is open (doesn't have WEP or WPA protection or whatever; you can connect to it freely), but which requires you to log in (through a local web page) before you can use the internet?

This is the kind of set-up used in a lot of airports, cafés, and on my company's "guest" wifi network (for visitors).

Is there a short name for it?


texts: Is there a word that means "having beautiful hair"?

texts:
I know that "callipygian" means "having beautiful buttocks"... so I was wondering if there is an English word that means "having beautiful hair".

I tried googling this but couldn't find anything so far.


texts: What is the meaning of the term 'jazz-hands'?

texts:
The book "Greetings From Witness Protection" has the following sentence:
"I never saw an adult make jazz-hands before."

What in the world does that mean?


texts: Is "question" pronounced with an "s" or with an "sh" sound?

texts:
In all dictionaries the word question is pronounced
 /ˈkwɛst͡ʃən/, with the sound /t͡ʃ/ (like the ch in church) corresponding to the written ‹ti›.

I wanted to know if any phonological change happens when pronouncing the word in colloquial language, whether in the sound corresponding to ti, or in the preceding s.

I remember I heard an American articulate the word as something like /ˈkwɛʃt͡ʃən/, pronouncing the letter ‹s› as /ʃ/ (the sh sound) followed by a ch sound.


texts: "Pick up something" or "pick something up"?

texts:
I have difficulties with word order:

  I have picked up the pencil from the floor. [says my dictionary]
  ?I have picked the pencil up from the floor. [could be?]
  ?I will pick up it. [sounds weird]
  I will pick it up. [sounds right to me]


texts:
Is there a word for the joy a smart aleck feels when they point out to other people how stupid they are?  Prideful seems too general.  I want a word that points to intellectual hubris but also compels people to actively seek out people "stupider" than they are, just so they can try to humiliate them?  Some sort of sick, warped, sensual pleasure out of being an intellectual?

an example sentence might be:

The professor would spend his evenings on Facebook, debating religion and enjoying the feeling of ___________ that came from punishing stupid people for their idiocies.


texts: phrase to mean "giving the exact answer"

texts:
I was having a coversation and part of the conversation, the person asked me which part of the world I was from, and I answered him exactly "the western hemisphere". Then I asked him the same question and he replied that he's from north India.

In contrast to mine, he gave a specific answer. I was looking for a reply to him to emphasize the way he got down to the specific answer. Is there a phrase that means "to give/get down to the exact/precise answer of something"?


texts: Do Americans have their own unique way of referring to 'the summer'?

texts:
Across the world summer is a season of the year and we all talk about 'the summer' - do you have plans for the summer ? etc.

But In America it is often taken to refer to the period of college vacation when students take temporary employment etc. e.g. She did charity work over the summer. This would not imply necessarily the climatic summer season, so much as the college vacation.

It is my belief that we do not use summer in this way in Britain, unless we say something like What are you doing over the summer break?

Can anyone supply further insight into this different nuance which is placed on what is simply a season of the year?


texts: "Some champagne for my real friends, some real pain for my sham friends."

texts:
Some champagne for my real friend, some real pain for my sham friends."

Is there a name for this kind of sentence?

Note: I'm not sure the origin of this, but it is a line in Spike Lee's movie, 25th Hour


texts:
You will never really know the corporate culture before/until/unless you have worked at a company for a number of months

I have two questions:
a. Can I use "before" here?
b. What's the difference between them? Which one is the most suitable?
Thanks!


texts: Is the sentence "We see this problem be unsolvable." grammatically correct?

texts:
This is supposed to be the correct answer to one of the exercises from a B2 textbook written by a non-native author.

It struck me as odd, but my teacher (also a non-native speaker) told me that such constructions are acceptable in formal written English. Is she right?


texts: Whats the word for the supposed content of an inventory?

texts:
Assume I have a stock of sorts and I have a list of stuff that is supposed to be in there.

The sentence I have in mind is:

  compare the actual with the [nominal inventory]

The words in brackets indicate the word that I'm looking for.


texts: Why is New York City also called "the Big Apple"?

texts:
I have heard many times people say the Big Apple to mean New York City.

What is the origin of this nickname?


texts:
Recently I've heard American TV commentators say "[a person] was literally decimated" and "[a Senator] was literally thrown under the bus". In the first case I think the person was not actually 10% killed, but in the second, I believe they meant that 57 members of the US Senate carried #58 onto Constitution Avenue and threw him under a (hopefully moving) bus.

Are usages like these normal or acceptable now? I find them grating, myself.


texts: Isn’t the expression, "I'm not inclined to be a supporter of Newt Gingrich's having served under him for four years” confusing?

texts:
I found the following line in today’s (December 4) Time magazine article titled, Coburn Speaks Up:

  “On "Fox News Sunday," Sooner State Sen. tells Chris Wallace he would have trouble supporting Gingrich.
  Coburn: "I'm not inclined to be a supporter of Newt Gingrich's having served under him for four years and experienced personally his leadership. I found it lacking often times."

To the eyes of a non-native English speaker, and as a bigoted septuagenarian, Coburn’s remark looks as if Newt Gingrich has served under Coburn and Coburn experienced personally how excellent Newt Gingrich’s leadership is.

Is it wrong to say:

  "I'm not inclined to be a supporter of Newt Gingrich's. Having served under him for four years and experienced personally the lack of his leadership, I found it lacking oftentimes,"

though the repetition of 'lack' might be redundant?


texts:
Which of the following sentences is more correct?

  Listen to Deep House and other electronic music on XXX for free.

  Listen to Deep House and other electronic music for free on XXX.


texts: I like to be like my father in the future. What would he be called?

texts:
Not something like inspiration / motivation
There is a word for this, right? Thanks a lot for helping.. ^^


texts: What does “the line turns on somebody’” mean?

texts:
I came across the phrase ‘the line had turn on us’ in the following paragraph of the article titled “Running in the red: How the U.S. on the road to surplus, detoured to massive debt,” appearing in Washington Post (April 30.)

  “Still, Hoagland (CBO analyst, William Hoagland), said, the abandonment of fiscal discipline in the wake of the surpluses clearly didn’t help. ‘Nobody pushed for paying for this stuff,’ he said. Not even after “it became very clear in the middle of 2003 that the line had turned on us. And the surpluses as far as the eye could see were no longer there.’”

I searched for the definition of ‘the line had turn on somebody,’ through Google to find no entry of this phrase. Isn’t “the line turns on somebody’” an idiom? What does ‘the line’ here stand for, and what does this phrase mean at all?