texts: Why do you use "to ever happen" and not "that ever happened"?

texts:
Is there a rule for this I can learn? We read a text yesterday, and the sentence contained the phrase "the biggest disaster to ever happen". The full sentence was:

  "The sinking of the Titanic was one of the biggest maritime disasters to ever happen.."

Why do we not say "The biggest disaster that ever happened" if it was in the past? Is there a difference between the two?

Thank you.


texts: Does anyone know how to compile a list of words that differ by adding/removing one letter?

texts:
Examples of couplings being cold and cod, or amber and ambler.
Any ideas on how to get a complete list of these would be much appreciated.


texts: What is the difference between an apocalypse and a cataclysm?  I've been told that an apocalypse is an act of God, but we seem to use it as a generic term for any grand disaster.  What is the difference in original and current usage?


texts: Usage of twice and two times with "size"

texts:
Below are taken from a grammar book.

a) The Earth is about **four times as big as** the moon.
   = The Earth is about **four times  bigger than** the moon.

b) The Earth is about twice as big as Mars.
   ≠ twice bigger than.

If (a) is correct, then how come I cannot use twice in the same way in the example (b)?

I have taken a look at

Has the illogical "three times bigger" replaced "three times as big" in common usage?

and

"X times as many as" or "X times more than" .

Especially on the second link I can totally understand the logic and I agree. But in these examples, it is size and I cannot really figure out why.
The last example being;

c) That cable is only **half as long as** this one.
   ≠ half longer than.

On this last example, I can totally understand why it is not equal. But when it comes to (b), I simply cannot explain. Aren't twice and two times are same things?

While searching I also found this; Does this ‘twice’ mean two times, or double in quantity?

There is a difference between something being "two times longer than...."
 and "two times as long as... " Say something is 10 ft.

If above statement is true then how come (a) is correct?
A clarification would be great as I am having a terrible headache because of this.


texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes the tragic hero's journey. Basically I want a word that parallels the word "odyssey" but entails a tragic fall at the end. The way I want to use this word is in

  Winston* embarks upon a tragic _____, eventually dying as an individual

I've considered using the word "odyssey" but to me that sounds wrong and connotes a sense of an epic hero, whereas I'm arguing Winston* is a tragic hero.

*For context, Winston is the main character from George Orwell's 1984.


texts: What does "leaves you wanting more" mean?

texts: For eg. Sony Z1s: It's Got the Look, But Leaves You Wanting More.


texts:
Here in the UK I have observed an odd change in perhaps the last five years and I’m curious to learn whether we have drifted away from or arrived at the correct pronunciation.

It seems that the “H” in historic has now become silent, e.g. this was an ‘istoric victory.

When I was at school I used to study “history” not “istory” so why the change? Surely the “H” should be silent in both instances or neither?


texts: Stating "Because of private meeting they didn’t let me post more stuff." in a formal form

texts:
I would say “in consideration of private gathering, they didn’t let me post more stuff on my IG stories” OR “ in light of private meeting, I couldn’t ... “
Is it well formed? Or natives saying in another way?
Thank you in advance


texts: "Whatever it costs, it doesn't matter" - Conditionals with "whatever"

texts:
What is the usage of whatever? Can I both use 'noun' and 'SVO' after 'whatever'?

  Whatever the motivation , haphazard clinical practice led to death.
  Whatever it costs, it doesn't matter.

Thank you


texts: Changes *in* the weather VS Changes *of* the weather

texts:
Given the following statement:

Let's hope for a change in/of the weather.

I know the answer should be in the weather but I cannot explain why this is the case. What is the rule here?


texts: What does it mean when after Mrs is used the first name?

texts: In one of social network the name of my teacher was written using Mrs + first name. She is 30 year old. I know that Mrs was most often used by a woman when married, in conjunction with her husband's first and last names. So does it mean that she is divorced, or ... ?


texts: "Last straw on camel's back" but positive?

texts: Is there an idiom that is similar in meaning to the last straw that broke the camel's back, except with positive connotations? For eg., how do I idiomatically express that "the My Little Pwny mount was the final factor that helped me decide to install HotS"?


texts:
Is it better to say:

  What's wrong with something?

or

  What's wrong in something?


texts:
I've just been corrected by one of my friends when I pronounced "margin" as  /ˈmɑːɡɪn/. Indeed, I looked it up and dictionaries only give /ˈmɑːdʒɪn/. Does anybody really pronounce it the way I did it? I can't explain why it felt so natural to use /ɡ/ instead of /dʒ/?

dictionary.cambridge.org
www.collinsdictionary.com


texts:
In an article that gives general work advice, I've seen the following sentence

Don’t take your complaint to your boss when she’s running between meetings ...

There is no context that states the gender of the boss, the author however has chosen to use she to refer to boss. Is the author here implicating that boss is feminine? Or does this have to do with the gender of the word boss?


texts: Does "to share" the verb imply "without compensation"?

texts:
Growing up I was often taught to share things. I think I just implicitly thought it meant in some part "to give away".  To share an object (toy, bike, hammer, scissors, ...) often means to give it to someone else for a period of time meaning during that time it's not in my possession. To share some food generally means to give them a portion which you will not get back. Of course it can also imply to use together.

Now-a-days we have the "sharing economy" which is suggesting that having someone pay you to use your spare room is "sharing your house" and driving people around the city for money is "sharing your car" and picking up food at a restaurant on delivering it by bike for fee is "sharing your bicycle".

Did sharing ever imply "without compensation" or was that just my imagination? If it was my imagination than are hotel's also sharing rooms, restaurants stores sharing food and tables, and taxi drivers sharing cars? If those 3 examples are incorrect English is there a rule to distinguish when between those and the examples in the previous paragraph?

Based on the comments I think the important part boils down to the previous 2 paragraphs.

Is the normal business practice of a hotel (charging money for a room) "sharing" in the same sense that someone renting out their bedroom on AirBnB is "sharing"? Are those 2 things distinguishable such that one is sharing and the other is not or are both "sharing"?

Similarly does sharing describe both "A driver for uber offering rides for money" and "a taxi driver for yellow cab offering rides for money". Are both "sharing"?

It doesn't feel like "sharing" has ever been used in the past in the hotels and taxis cases. Just coincidence? If the 2 are the same then what does phrase "sharing economy" describe if there is no distinction between the "sharing" of rooms by landlords (apartments) and the "sharing" of rooms by owners of homes? (airbnb)


texts: Should capitals be used when verbing trademarks?

texts:
When using a trademark as a verb ("hoovering", "xeroxing", "photoshopping" and "googling"), should it be capitalized or uncapitalized?

Strictly speaking, Google and Adobe are opposed to their trademarks being used as verbs or as generic trademarks, but that's a separate topic.


texts: Is it correct to say, "I lost my bus," when you miss a bus? I have seen it commonly used.


texts:
Again in my exam paper I had to fill this missing sentence:

Many critics also belive that television shoukd be used ...(38) constructive purpose as well as for entertainment.

Which word is correct to fill that missing statement no. (38), socialize, socializing, or neither?


texts:
this is a question most suited to British speakers!
I am aware of the difference between the British and the American "get" conjugation (got-gotten). Now, I have come across the sentence "My cough has gotten worse." This makes sense for US speakers. Do British speakers then say "My cough has got worse"? I have never consciously seen this use of "to get + adjective". I know that this can be avoided by saying "has become", but I am interested in this specific phenomenon. Is "has/have got + adjective" as a present perfect grammatically correct and used?

Thanks in advance!


texts: What preposition should I use in the following sentence?

texts:
I'd never taken a glass-bottom boat. To be honest, the idea intimidated
  me at the beginning. What if the glass couldn't support the
  passenger's weight? What if a shark swooped [...] and broke the glass?

I searched on Google and found that swoop in is the most common phrase. But I don't know, maybe I should write swoop up since the glass is at the bottom of the boat?


texts: What causes the pronunciation "nucular"?

texts:
What is the name of the phonetic shift behind the common mispronunciation of the word nuclear (nucular)?

Or, if the answer is "none", then I would appreciate learning the origin of the pronunciation.


texts: using these sentences in a letter of intent

texts:
Are these sentences suitable for a letter of intent:

1- .... is to become an expert in my field through proceeding for the doctoral studies.

2-A great example of such an approach came just this month from ......

3- I look forward to establishing successful innovative collaborations with .......


texts:
I remember being taught that the correct order of adjectives in English was something along the lines of "Opinion-Size-Age-Color-Material-Purpose."

However, it's been a long time and I'm pretty sure I've forgotten a few categories
(I think there were eight or nine). Can anyone fill them in?


texts: I would like to know the exact origin of the "blow hot and cold" idiomatic expression and when it was first used in English. The following source says it is of Greek origin.


texts: What is the word for adapting a saying to another purpose

texts:
Suppose I want to adapt a saying or a well known phrase to another purpose. The original meaning and context are not preserved, but nevertheless the original source remains deliberately evident in the adaptation.

What is a good word for that?

I originally thought of the word paraphrase, but according to the Wikipedia that is defined as a restatement of the meaning of a text or passage using other words.

But I want to do the reverse; I want to use similar and familiar words for a different meaning.

The source phrases are by Carl Jung who wrote "No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell", and by Aldous Huxley who coined the term "the doors of perception".

And I adapted it into: "Computation is a magical tree — its roots are in the mechanical and its leafs are at the doors of perception."

Edit, Dec 28 - I would like to note the background for this question.

The word paraphrase has been imported into my native language, Hebrew, as paraphrasa (פרפרזה), but in Hebrew it is often used in the sense that I am interested in — that is, using a modified but familiar phrase for a different meaning.

However, the source phrase is generally one that can be attributed to an author and not just a figure of speech.


texts: What is the plural of "BlackBerry" (as in the handheld device)

texts:
Is the plural of "BlackBerry", BlackBerries or BlackBerrys?

I am asking, because I'm altering the underlying brand name to look more like the food and less like the product, leaving the reader to infer it from context.


texts:
You're in an elevator. Does the door open on the 4th floor or to the 4th floor?

You're on the 4th floor waiting for the elevator. Does the door open on you or to you?

I can go on with other examples, but is there a general rule?
Does it matter if "open" is used as an adjective or a verb?


texts:
In all of the places that I've ever lived (various parts of the western US), the modal verbs shall and will are almost perfectly synonymous, and will is preferred by an enormous margin. Shall is used largely to give a note of pomposity or archaism to an utterance that would otherwise have will.

However, I gather that this isn't the case in all parts of the English-speaking world. Does anyone know of a study or reference that shows the distribution of shall/will preferences? Are there any regions that maintain a rigorous semantic or grammatical distinction between them?

(Note: this is not a poll. Please don't answer with "Well, I say this.")


texts: What is the word for a university student who has a job at university?

texts:
I have to produce a copy of my CV in English and I don't know how to properly describe the position.

When I was a Master student, I was employed by a professor at our department, for whom I did some software development, some research, and anything the researchers didn't want to do by themselves (yes I had to clean the coffee machine). I think that such positions are regulated by law (at least they are here) and have a special, generally recognized name. Only I don't know that name in English.

If there are regional differences, I will need an American English variant.


texts: What part of speech is "to" when attached to an infintive?

texts: For example, in "to see", what part of speech is "to"?


texts:
"Can I come and stay with you and Dad?"
  "Of course, dear. How long do you think you [____] (verb to stay)?"

The question is, is it "are going to stay" or "are staying" (or some other choice), and why?


texts: A real important dream, like XXX, is worth every possible effort to guard

texts: I wrote that sentence in my composition but I really feel that it doesn't sound natural.  What will you write to express the meaning?


texts:
If I wrote "you cant fix a broken plate or a hole in the wall. However, you cant fix a broken heart"
Can the word "however" work here? If it cant what can i use instead?

Please i need an answer as soon as possible...
Thank you.


texts: Pumpkin Noodles is a thing or are a thing?

texts:
Which of the following is correct?

How come pumpkin noodles is not a thing?

or

How come pumpkin noodles are not a thing?

I want to post one of the above statements to Twitter with a picture of a bowl of pumpkin noodles i.e. the stuff that comes out of a hollowed out pumpkin.


texts: Is there a difference between "opportunity for", "opportunity of" and "opportunity to"?

texts: Writing a personal statement for an application, I came to the dichotomy of writing "opportunity for", "opportunity of" or "opportunity to". According to my searches, it seems that there is no significant difference between these two forms. However, I wonder if there is any subtle (or even significant) difference in their use in English.


texts: difference between "take a flag down" and "get a flag down"

texts:
Can anyone tell the difference between these two phrasal verbs above?

A soldier took the flag down from the flagpole.
A soldier got the flag down from the flagpole.
My father took the electric fan from the wall.
My father got the electric fan from the wall.

To me, these four sentences look exactly similar in meaning.

In Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the phrasal verb "take down" is used as "disassemble" or "pull to pieces" :Take down the building, take a rifle down.

Is it possible for the phrasal verb "get down" to be used as "disassemble"?


texts: Business English Semantic Shift of "Abreast"

texts:
My coworker just sent out an email asking someone to [please] keep abreast for a response. My understanding is that the phrase is keep abreast of x, and that it is used to mean actively keeping up with x, which is supported by the idiomatic definition. (Edit for clarification: The intended meaning in the email is "wait for a response".)

I am aware of the phenomenon of words taking on different meanings in business contexts, but this is not one that I have come across before (in my admittedly short time in the corporate world). Is this commonly used elsewhere?


texts:
What's the difference between "unorthodox" and "heterodox"?

The dictionary I use roughly states that "heterodox" means "not orthodox", and "unorthodox" means well, "not orthodox".

Are they perfect synonyms?


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, so to me these three phrases sound ok:

This system consists of NFC codes sticked to the tables.
This system consists of NFC codes stuck at the tables.
This system consists of NFC codes glued to the tables.

I have the impression that not all of them are correct. What is the best way to say this?

I'm also confused with the words at and to. Which one should I use in this context?


texts: Citations in Chicago Style For Direct Quote and Subsequent Paragraph - Two Citations and "Ibid.," or One?

texts:
I apologize for the political nature of this quote, but this is what I'm working on. I am using the Chicago Manual of Style. I am wondering if, when quoting a comment in a medium-length section that will also be cited as coming from the same source, it is necessary or preferable to include two endnote citations, or only one. The text is as follows:

In the 1990s, Trump engaged in rhetoric about Native Americans to launch his own private “aggressive war on the expanding Native American casino industry, which posed a threat to his gambling empire.” Trump covertly invested $1 million dollars of his own money to run ads that insinuated that Native Americans provided a haven for organized crime, that reservations were filled with criminals, and that dark-skinned Natives were fake Indians.

Would it be appropriate to only have an endnote citation after "Indians," or would it be more appropriate to have two, one after the quote and the other after "Indians," with the citation after Indians being "Ibid."?

Thank you in advance for your help.


texts: Is there a name for configurations such as "I will have had..."?

texts:
Consider these two examples,

I will have had eaten by that time.
I will have had been working there for five years.

To me, the first sentence seems to express the proposition that, it is the present (t1); I will begin eating in a future moment (t2); finish eating by sometime after that (t3); and that eating will be relevant to the time referenced in the sentence, "that time" (t4).

Whereas, to me the second sentence seems to express the proposition that, it is t1; I will begin working somewhere at t2; I will continue working there until t3, at which time I will stop working there; and my time working there will be relevant to a later time that the speaker is discussing, t4.

Are these configurations grammatical? Do they have names?


texts: A prefix for to describe doing something in close distance

texts:
When we want to describe an action which is done over a (physical) far distance, we attach the prefix 'Tele-' to the proper word related to that action: TELEvision, TELEphone, TELEgraph etc.

I am looking for a prefix to describe an action which is done in a close distance. Is there any prefix in English or Latin that can be used for such a purpose?

In Persian language, we use the prefix 'Door /du:r/' equivalent to 'Tele': /du:rnega:'r/ = Telefax and we use prefix 'Ham /ham/' for describing any kind of close (in distance or in meaning or in function): /ham-ota:Gi/ = roommate, /ham-kela:si/ = classmate


texts: English equivalent of Greek saying which roughly translates to: "The thief screams to frighten the landlord"

texts:
My Greek friend has told me a Greek saying, which roughly translates to:

  The thief screams to frighten the landlord

Effectively it means: You are only making a fuss so that nobody accuses you, and you are the one who is guilty.

This seems like a very universal concept, and I was surprised to realise that I couldn't think of the English equivalent to this saying. Is there one?


texts: What does it mean "absorb or absorb onto"?

texts:
I wonder if this article is similar to my question.

Double Trouble: Marine Plastic Debris Absorbs Toxic Pollutants
....Researchers from San Diego State University and Oregon State University deployed small pellets made from different types of plastics in San Diego Bay to simulate plastic debris in the marine environment.They analyzed changes in concentrations of toxic pollutants called PAHs in the plastic over time to investigate whether plastics leached or accumulated these contaminants...
http://oceanbites.org/double-trouble-marine-plastic-debris-interacts-with-toxic-pollutants/

Does the plastic debris absorb chemicals in the ocean?

* original question
What does it mean "absorb or absorb onto(the debris)?
The speaker simply wanted to say,
chemicals in the plastic debris attach to the debris in the water?

What I study is the chemical component or the toxicity of plastic debris to organisms. So I research the chemicals in the plastic debris either through manufacturing or that absorb or absorb onto the debris in the ocean.


texts: 'Today afternoon' vs 'Today in the afternoon'?

texts: Which adverbial phrase of time is more grammatically correct: 'Today afternoon' or 'Today in the afternoon'?


texts:
Can we use the word little in front of an adjective the same way we can use the word in front of an uncountable noun? For example we can say:

  "Give me a little money"

Can we also say:

  The movie is a little funny.


texts: Is there a word for "to consider [something] a virtue"?

texts:
For example, many religious traditions consider austerity and renunciation from material pleasures a virtue. Randian libertarianism characterizes selfishness as a virtue.

To consider as divine is to deify, to declare as innocent is to exonerate, to hold as a virtue is to —?


texts: What would be the adjectival form of the word "sonata"?

texts:
Richard Wagner, it is said, looked down on "sonata form" as being too constraining. Roughly speaking, he objected to the long music passages with unchanging rhythm, with repeating cadences, that could be called algebraic. Specifically, he claimed he was not at all interested in Beethoven's pieces written in that style, such as the "Quartet in C Major", preferring those in which his predecessor deviated from it.
He referred to the portion of Beethoven's legacy composed in that style as the "sonata-form Beethoven," or "sonata Beethoven," which sounds kind of awkward in English.
Is there an adjectival form of the word "sonata" that sounds more natural?


texts:
What's a verb that is the opposite of "belong [as a part] to"?

e.g.

A belongs to B.

I belong to my group.

then

B __ A?

My group __ me.

I initially thought about "contains". But I'm not sure if "contain" is an accurate word for describing this part-whole relationship. ("My group contains me"??)


texts: Why do they say "love fifteen," in tennis?


texts: Is there a shorter synonym for "extra-curricular activities"?

texts: I always find the expression "extra-curricular activities" very clumsy.


texts:
I'm looking for an alternative to expressions of the form "X and I's Y", where X is a person/group and Y is a noun. Examples include:

My partner and I's project was well-received.
My family and I's trip went well.

I'm not even sure if the above two sentences are gramatically correct, but even if they are, they sound awful. What's a better way to say these sentences?


texts: What's the meaning of "pence" in this context?

texts:
This is a comment from a discussion on The effects of exercise on depression:

  For severe depression, this actually is pretty much the treatment routine. Pills to get just the tiniest amount of motivation, cognitive behavioral therapy to pence that motivation towards positive activities like regular exercise instead of suicide.

  Sounds severe, but that's how problematic deep depressions often are.

What does pence mean mentioned above? I've looked it up, but I couldn't find an entry in the dictionaries that defines pence in verb form.


texts: So in The Chosen by Potok. One of the characters named Danny Saunders is a super fast reader. I have to write a Character Analysis report and turn it in before next Tuesday (16 Dec.). I was wondering what is a one-word ADJECTIVE that describes a fast reader? You see for this assignment you have to choose either one characteristic (adjective) for three people or three characteristics for one person.


texts:
I am a British English speaker and often use "shall" and "shall not". When I contract "shall not", I pronounce it [ʃɑlnt] -- that is, the "l" sound remains. My question, therefore, is how do I spell it?

I would naturally spell it as "shaln't". I see on Wiktionary that "shalln't" (with two "l"s) is listed as an archaic spelling and shouldn't be used. All other resources I've found indicate that it should be "shan't" -- with no "l" -- but this is the American English pronunciation, to me.


texts:
Example:

Maybe it's the old story, maybe he just sees me as a friend.
Maybe it's the same old story, maybe he just sees me as a friend.

Which version is more commonly used by native speakers of English in cases like this?


texts: Use of the article "the" with proper nouns

texts:
I'm writing a leaflet for children from primary schools who will visit our school.

Is it correct to write:

  the "amerigo vespucci" school is waiting for you!!!!

Is the use of the definite article correct in this case? I am defining which school is waiting for them, I'm saying we and no others but us are willing to meet them?


texts: Is the sentence "what he did was climb a tree" grammatical?

texts:
In the textbook An Introduction to Language (10th Ed.) by Fromkin, Rodman and Hyams, the authors used the sentence

  What he did was climb a tree

on page 7 to illustrate the difference between a sentence and nonsentence.  The authors claim that the quoted sentence is grammatically correct, but I disagree. The problem I feel like is the word "climb". The quoted sentence has the basic structure of "subject + linking verb + predicative expression". Therefore what comes after the linking verb "was" can either be a gerund ("climbing the tree") or a clause ("that he climbed a tree"), but not another verb. Also, it doesn't make any sense to interpret "climb" as a noun because I don't think the verb "was" can be followed by two predicative expressions.

So my question is: is the quoted sentence grammatically correct, or am I right in claiming that the verb "climb" is used incorrectly?


texts:
Question: Is correct to denominate a group formed by students as:

"Optics Students' Group"

or do we need to call it:

"Optics Student Group"

so that "Student" is regarded as the type of element of the group instead of the group ownership?


texts:
While the normal pronunciation of "cursed" is in one syllable, I have seen it used as a two-syllable word, "curs-ed". The Cambridge dictionary lists this pronunciation as an alternative in UK only: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cursed

Is the two-syllable version valid for use in modern poetry, or is it restricted to real or simulated Early Modern text, like thee/thou usually are?


texts: How popular is the phrase “What’s eating you?” Is it an interjection?

texts:
I saw an American English teacher introducing the phrase, “What’s eating you? in a TV English conversation class this morning by warning audience not to confuse it with the question asking what food you are eating.

As I was unfamiliar with this expression, I consulted with OALD. It registers this as an idiom used to ask what sb is annoyed or worried about.

Wikidictionary defines it an interjection meaning “what is annoying you?”

However, Googlebooks Ngram Viewer doesn’t register “What’s eating you?”

Is “What’s eating you?” a popular phrase both in Britain and United States?

Is it an idiom or interjection as defined by Wikidictionary in the same sense of “Oh my God,” “Look out,” and “Watch it”? To me it looks a plain interrogative sentence.

What is the origin of “What’s eating you?”


texts:
In a book I'm reading there's the following phrase:

  In the study, her computer, a top-of-the-range wafer of stainless
  steel, is protected by civilian security software...

My question is what does wafer mean in this piece of text?

From the context, my guess is that it's sort of extra-slim laptop. But it's still a guess.

Googling was not helpful, for the word in question has too many meanings in the world of electronics, computing etc.


texts: A state or feeling of being ready to fill an obvious void

texts:
Like when the teacher is talking and you already know the answer way before she finishes asking the question. You are in a state of ...

I'm trying to think of the word or words that best describe this state of mind. It's a state that I want to create as a teacher where I repeatedly give students more explicit examples of a concept over time, but I wait until the very end to point out the obvious concept that connects all those examples. I want the student to have a sense of anticipation and excitement that they already know what concept I'm referring to before I ever state it explicitly. I'm hoping this teaching exercise will build their confidence in the material. I just don't know the best term to use to describe this state of mind that I'm trying to induce in the student.

I have considered using the words obvious or suspense but I am looking for something a little more specific to the cognitive aspect of the meaning. It's almost something attune to a mental itch that you really, really want to scratch.


texts: Comma usage in complex sentences with 2 conjuctions

texts:
TL;DR - Can we use 2 commas if there are 2 conjunctions in a sentence.
Hi Everyone,
I apologize if this has been asked before, but I need to know if the comma usage in the following sentence is correct. I would also also appreciate if you can suggest a better way of writing this sentence.

I'm already at the Senior Consultant level, but I have seen different
titles at different companies, so this will help me evaluate the fit.


texts:
On an average Sunday, you might find yourself

In the sentence above, the possibility of the person reading finding themselves doing what it says is pretty high. It's almost certain. Should I use may instead? Might still sounds better when the sentence is read.

I often find sentences where may might be more appropriate but might sounds better. Even in this previous sentence I used might even though what I'm describing is much more likely than not.


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker.

For example, there is a sentence:

  "They made an example out of me".

How can I say it the other way, like:

  "I was made an example out of"?

Do these sentences have the same meaning?


texts:
I am trying to translate a book into Portuguese and came across this sentence which meaning I cannot really grasp. Maybe someone could help me understand the meaning of:

"It cannot be too firmly realised that every soul in incarnation is down here for the specific purpose of gaining experience and understanding."

From what I know from the author (Edward Bach) he intends to emphasise the fact that 'every soul in incarnation is down here for the specific purpose of gaining experience and understanding', so the first bit of the sentence "It cannot be too firmly realised that" is probably one of emphasis.

I am struggling however to write this first bit in Portuguese, so maybe could you write it using different words and maybe then I'll get some ideas?

Thank you so much!


texts:
I ask this question because Webster runs a lot of top 10 lists that interest me from time to time. The current list I was browsing is called "Ten Painless Ways to Improve a Conversation". The second word of the list is the adjective "cavalier", meaning "disregard" or "showing no concern".

This puzzled me since the noun means somebody who is a gentleman or a type of cavalryman. Why would the two words have such differing meanings? This led me to search for the etymology of cavalier, the noun having come into use in the 1600-1700s by the French and Englishmen.

The etymology for the adjective is confusing at best; here a quote from EtymologyOnline:

  Sense advanced in 17c. to "knight," then "courtly gentleman," which led to adj. "disdainful" (1650s); earlier "gallant" (1640s).(snip)

How on earth could "courtly gentleman" lead to the adjective "disdainful"?


texts: Which preposition is used for the subject "school"?

texts:
In our official English vocabulary book I found two sentences with identical semantics but different prepositions used for school. I am curious whether both sentences are syntactically correct or if there's a subtle difference I missed:

  In 1954, the Supreme Court decided that racial segregation in schools was against the constitution.

and

  The US Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation at schools was unconstitutional.


texts: Word or expression for when a person not under pressure is able to see an issue easier than the person under pressure?

texts:
Is there a word or expression for how it is easier for someone not under pressure to make a decision versus someone that is under pressure.

One example is how a person looking over someone's shoulder while they type may determine an answer faster than the typist.

Another example is how a passenger in a car may come recognize a dangerous situation faster than the driver because the driver has more responsibilities than just observing the situation because they are physically operating the vehicle.


texts: Meaning of "He every instant fancies ..."

texts:
"Besides the good things which he possesses, he every instant fancies a thousand others which death will prevent him from trying if he does not try them soon."

In this sentence, I didn't grasp the meaning of the part that says "he every instant fancies a thousand others". Could you explain it by dividing sentence into subject predicate and object?

This is taken from Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America. Originally published in 1835. Translated by Henry Reeve in 1841. The author was a French observer of the United States in the nineteenth century.

https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/schleifer-the-making-of-tocquevilles-democracy-in-america


texts: What is a word that is stronger than beautiful but not quite perfect?

texts: When we see women, sometimes we say they are average looking, above-average looking, pretty, beautiful, and perfect. Assuming we rate the attractiveness of women out of 100, what is a word that means almost perfect but is not perfect. For example, what if we felt an attraction of 97 out of 100 for Jane Doe? If beautiful was an 80-89 and perfect is 100. What word would I use to describe those who are believed to have a rating of 90-99? Currently, I have only thought of near-perfect/almost perfect, but I was wondering if there was a single word that described that phrase. When doing a google search for synonyms of beautiful, things like gorgeous, pretty, prepossessed, charming, delightful, handsome, good-looking, and charming come up. For me, gorgeous and prepossessed is equal to or less than beautiful. Also I don't really like the word, gorgeous. Charming and delightful can be attributed towards women, but I usually think of them as gender-neutral and about their personality exclusively. Handsome and good-looking are usually attributed to males (not sure about good-looking but definitely handsome). Preferably, this word should usually relate to women.


texts: Do the words with non-palatalized pronunciation of g/c ("get", "give") always have a Germanic origin?

texts:
In English, ge/gi is sometimes pronounced as [ge]/[gi], but mostly as [dʒe]/[dʒi]. The second form is explained as palatalization in the topic
What is the origin of the different pronunciations of C and G before different vowels? The topic connects palatalization with Roman languages.

Does the non-palatalized [ge]/[gi] pronunciation as in get, target, git, give and many other words typically mean that the word has a Germanic origin (and is traceable back to the Old English), whilst the palatalized [dʒe]/[dʒi] is a sign of a later Norman ("Latin"/"French") origin?
Of course I don't mean modern loan words such as geisha, ginkgo :)

Are there (non-Greek) words in English where ce and ci are pronounced non-palatelized [ke]/[ki]? If so, can they also be connected with the Old English (Germanic) origin?


texts:
Last year I read that American Congressperson Ocasio Cortez aka AOC (OK Boomer) used the term to bring to task some older members of US Congress who seemed to be ignoring the wishes and desires of the Millennial generation.

More recently, I read an article by Eli Pariser entitled "Hello Boomer", and for me it sounded a little condescending.

Admittedly he goes on to express concern for older adults, but it sounds as if  he believes those over the age of 60 are... well, helpless in basic web skills.

Does the "Millennial generation" consider this phrase to be disparaging, and do "Boomers" consider it to be condescending? I know I do.


texts: J.A. Gagarin's flight vs J.A. Gagarin flight

texts:
1) Is it Ok to leave the initials or would you drop them? Writing his name in full seems odd since it isn't Gagarin who is the point of discussion.
2) Is it Gagarin's or Gagarin? Is there any difference between the use of the possessive case in titles and not, with well-known names and not?


texts: Do abbreviated names need a period after them if they have a comma after?

texts:
I learned that when abbreviating a word, such as "tomorrow" as "tom.," we should place a period right after it. But what about when it's a name? For example, which sentence would be correct? (The abbreviated name is "Gavin.")

With the period:

  "Gav., what are you doing this Saturday?"

Without the period:

  "Gav, what are you doing this Saturday?"

Do abbreviate names need a period after them?


texts: Is there a verb for "thinking someone deserved what he got"?

texts:
Note that i am not talking about this in the sense of "he deserved what he got", but rather, "i THINK he deserved it".
Basically, when you see someone with a nice car, or when you see a bad person receiving punishment, there is a verb in german and you say: "Ich gönne es ihm" - Literally translated as "I grant it to him" in Deepl, but that doesnt mean the same. It literally means "I think what he has is justified" - it is mostly used in the positive sense when someone who has been through a hard time finally gets something good in life, and you feel happy for him. I was wondering why there is no english word for this, at least i cant find one?


texts: 'sold at an auction' or 'sold in an auction' [or ...]?

texts:
I was asked what preposition should be used in the following sentence in an English exam:

  The antique furniture was sold _______ an auction.

I think it should be 'at an auction', but several students told me 'in' is more appropriate.

Can anyone please say which one is correct (in/at) and explain why?


texts:
I am looking for a synonym for "media item" by which I mean a single photo, article, video, document, etc. I need one term as a handle for one of any of these types of items.

I am honing my domain vocabulary for communicating with public affairs clients on software development projects.  I find "media item" a little clunky, and I am wondering if there's a better handle out there.

Unfortunately, "publication" can't do, as this leads to some confusion given the way I need to use the term "publish" for non-media items.


texts: Punctuate a clause-example-clause-example in a sentence

texts:
I'm proofreading a colleagues work, and ran across a sentence which contains two examples with clarifications. I do not believe this should be broken out into two sentences.

The original (nouns changed to protect the innocent):

  In this way, all Jabberwockies have a "foo", meaning the bar associated with that foo, and a "fizz", meaning the buzz of where the Jabberwocky is.

I believe this would benefit from an em-dash, but the comma between the two "parts" of this sentence seem off:

  In this way, all Jabberwockies have a "foo" - meaning the bar associated with that foo, and a "fizz" - meaning the buzz of where the Jabberwocky is.

Is this second version the best way to portray the sentence?


texts: Is there a term for horses with white inside the legs?

texts:
More specifically than the question title: Is there any traditional word in English for the color pattern of a black horse with white on the inside of the legs?  I mean just the inside, so it is not coronet, socks, or stockings.
I have searched "horse colors," and "horse markings" online and found several horse sites and related Wikipedia articles.  They have no such terms.
I am asking because I want a translation of a Classical Chinese term which a dictionary written around 100 CE defined as a black horse with white thighs.  And this was traditionally interpreted as meaning inner thighs.


texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes the behavior of someone who is avoidant or bashful about performing some task, with a pejorative connotation; like timid, but annoyingly so.

A: I know you can do this. You have the talent and the education, and it will only benefit you to perform this task.

B: You're right...but I don't feel confident in my abilities.

A: You are starting to get on my nerves. You are being so ____!


texts:
Exploring the significant characters, consider their strengths and weaknesses.

Is this a dangling participle?  Currently, my two English teachers disagree.  One says that the subject is implied and it isn't incorrect grammar, and the other says that there is no subject.

Does anybody know for sure?


texts: A or an before slash phrase? A or an before parenthetical phrase equivalent to slash phrase?

texts:
NOT A DUPLICATE!

The other question only asks about parenthetical phrases, not slash phrases.

The other question's parenthetical phrase (answer(s) explained that it's not really a parenthetical phrase) is a separate word. Mine is an intra-word parenthetical prefix. That's different!

  Extreme votes on a Stack Exchange post often indicates that there was a(n) (dis)agreement.

  When you see spam on Stack Exchange, you should cast a(n) upvote/flag.

  The ship traveled across a(n) sea/ocean.

The first example's parenthetical thingymajigger is equivalent to the slash phrase "agreement/disagreement."

What's the correct singular indefinite article to use before slash phrase (this/that) and parenthetical phrases ((a)sexual, (de)criminalize)?


texts: Is "paper cutter" still used as a synonym of "paper knife"?

texts:
The Oxford Dictionary and Merriam Webster tell me that "papper cutter" is also a synonym of "paper knife". However, so far I've found only examples for this usage from the 19th century. Is "paper knife" prevalent these days? (Maybe the OED is clearer on this, but I don't have access to it right now.)

These are the three examples I had found:

  We were far from sanguine about the result of our adventure as we ran
  our paper-cutter through the sheets: the event crowned the aphorism —
  that such as expect little shall not be disappointed.

Google Books

  At first, indeed, as I skimmed the leaves, while dividing them with my
  paper-cutter I thought that fourteen shillings for two duodecimo
  volumes with handsome blanks at the end of each chapter, and about
  three hundred lines of quoted poetry as mottoes was rather an
  exorbitant sum.

Google Books

  The beak, from a side view, has the appearance of being blunt at the
  point, but is so compressed laterally as to be but little thicker than
  an ivory paper-cutter, admirably adapted for being pushed in between
  the shells of muscles, oysters, and other bivavles, the soft animals
  of which are the principal food of this species.

Google Books


texts: Which abbreviation to use for the current observed time in Central Europe?

texts:
When I talk to colleagues I want to write "Let's meet 10am London / 11am Europe", but I want to use an abbreviation.

I used to write "10am GMT / 11am CET". But if it were daylight savings time this would be incorrect, and has tripped me up many times, like when I type into Google "10am GMT in CET".

This website claims that CET in common usage means either so that I am correct to use it:

  Warning: Many sources define CET as a constant UTC+1. In common usage however, CET usually refers to the time observed in most of Europe, be it standard time or
  daylight saving time.

There was another question on here for US, that said PT is the correct term for the observed time in the Pacific time zone region, compared PST and PDT that depend on the time of year.

However, from http://mm.icann.org/pipermail/tz/2015-October/022798.html:

  Generally speaking, CET = UTC+1, and CEST = UTC+2.  Though in some contexts, CET may be used to identify the pair.  It's slightly different than the US, as we have the generic term Pacific Time to cover both PST and PDT, but Europe doesn’t have such a generic term.

I am really surprised how difficult it is to find an acronym for the current observed time in a time zone region.

Also, if a time zone is the time in a region at a particular time of year, what is the official term for the geographic region that a time zone applies to?

There seems to be an official standard for an area Europe/Berlin, but what I am looking for is an acronym for a group of areas that respect the same time zone.


texts: Does “everywhere and nowhere” mean “irrelevant”?

texts:
An Italian student, a young man of twenty, came to me today with a bunch of papers in his bag. It was the questions and answers to a multiple choice English quiz. We're talking hundreds of questions. He needs to pass this exam really well if he has any hope of being accepted in a military academy.
We go through the questions and answers that he is unsure of until we reach this one…

Choose the alternative which is closest in meaning to the word in brackets and which does not change the meaning of the sentence. “The question is [irrelevant]”
[ ] not respectful
[ ] hard to answer
[ ] inappropriate
[ ] very important
[x] everywhere and nowhere

He reasoned that "inappropriate" was the best choice but the so-called correct answer is the one marked x. I don't think either one is right, the "correct" answer is an idiom with which I am most unfamiliar. The expression that I do know is “neither here nor there”
Wiktionary defines it

Having no significance or influence on the question at hand.

The synonyms listed are: beside the point, betwixt and between, irrelevant, unimportant, unrelated, impertinent
But it has been many years since I lived in the UK, and maybe “everywhere and nowhere" is used nowadays. Google tells me it is the title of an English 2011 film, which suggests that the idiom(?) is used but it is not listed in any of the main dictionaries I consulted.
Oxford Dictionaries
Collins Dictionary
Merriam-Webster
WordNet

Is the answer “everywhere and nowhere” in the multiple choice quiz right or wrong?  Please provide supporting evidence.


texts: I wrote this sentence: "The scientists dealing in complex systems have proposed...." But then I thought 'dealing with' would be correct. Are they interchangeable?


texts:
After reading an article recently, I wondered when one should use contemplate over consider.
I searched for the issue on Google and found that:

In that context, they're essentially the same.
Contemplating is more reflective, thinking about problems that aren't solved, puzzling >over mysteries.
Considering is more like analyzing known choices.
You'd contemplate the mysteries of the universe, you'd consider what kind of car to buy.

(wordreference.com)
Yet, the article I mentioned above, contains the following sentence:

As Iraq erupts in civil war and America again contemplates intervention, that unfinished business should give new urgency to the question of how the United States military controlled the media coverage of its long involvement there and in Afghanistan.

I would say that the possible intervention that is contemplated here is a known choice more than a mystery.
When should I use contemplate over consider?


texts: Why is the sentence "millennial-tinged"?

texts:
I recently came upon with a sentence:

  In her office at Oxford University Press, Paton was drafting a brand new entry for the Oxford English Dictionary. Also in her in-tray when I visited were the millennial-tinged usage of “snowflake”, which she had hunted down to a Christian text from 1983 (“You are a snowflake. There are no two of you alike”), and new shadings of the compound “self-made woman”.

I think "millennial" here refer to people of Generation Y. What I fail to understand is why the saying "You are a snowflake. There are no two of you alike" is tinged with millennial features? Does it reflect something specially linked with Generation Y?


texts: How to Write an Address in a Single Line?

texts:
Not sure about the punctuation and I am finding conflicting resources online. Also, any opinion on whether I should spell out "South" or "Street?"

Here's what I've got so far (not my real address):

  4 S. State St., Suite 6, Penfield, N.Y. 14611

P.S. This is for an email signature and the footer of a website.


texts: What do you call it when someone repeats part of a sentence?

texts:
What do you call it when somebody repeats part of a sentence?

For example:

'I like walking I do'


texts: is this temporal phrase with and/or ambiguous

texts:
If checked, box 1 does not include loan origination fees and/or
  capitalized interest for loans made before September 1, 2004.

Does the phrase "for loans made before September 1, 2004" modify capitalized interest only, or does it also modify loan origination fees?

Is the statement equivalent to

If checked, box 1 includes neither capitalized interest for loans made before September 1, 2004 nor loan origination fees (for loans made at any time).


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Which term correctly identifies those who enjoy programming/technology: “geek” or “nerd”?

I'm somewhat perplexed on the usages of these terms. Most references appear an ambiguity as to the definitions of the individual terms and the clear distinctions between them. Some sources would describe all these three terms as being similar while others differ.

For example, google definition states that a nerd is "foolish or contemptible" and is also "boringly studious", while Wikipedia article on nerds made no mention of such characteristics at all, but rather although can be "socially impaired and shy, is overly intellectual". Wikipedia also defines dork as "a slang word for a stupid or inept person; similar to nerd or geek"; however, its articles on the other two terms made no mention to such traits.

So what are the common perceptions of a nerd, geek, and a dork?


texts: What word to use for "logically paraphrase"?

texts:
I am an engineer and often work with logical procedures or other constructs that can be written in terms of other procedures. I have to explain how they can be "reinterpreted" in different terms. For example:
The messaging paradigms publish/subscribe and request/response can both be (logically paraphrased into or written in terms of) send and receive actions.

However, none of the following the words or phrases fit my context:

rewritten  (too associated with words and language, and written does not make sense for these constructs)
paraphrased (same as above)
simplified (it isn't about making it more simple)
clarified by writing as (it isn't about making it clear)

The phrase written in terms of, most often used in mathematics, is the closest thing I can think of that suits the context. Another one I thought of is logically paraphrase but I feel it is pedantic.

Any ideas?


texts: Word for "Trying to confuse people with Scientific and technical jargon"

texts:
There's a word for the following expression:

To confuse people by using Scientific/ Technical/ obscure words (may be in an attempt to prove something or convince them of something.)

This word was on my vocabulary a long time ago. I haven't been able to remember it for a while now. I am pretty sure it's a single word.

For some reason if you think this might be a phrasal verb please feel free to include them in your suggestions.

P.S. Words like bombastic, pompous, grandiloquent etc are not the one's I'm looking for and clearly these doesn't properly match the meaning. Other than these, if you can stretch the definition a tad bit and point a word, it's fine.


texts:
Solve starts with /s/ sound and when a prefix re- is added to it, it is pronounced with /z/ sound. Why does it happen?

Solve -> /sɒlv/

Resolve -> /rɪˈzɒlv/


texts: Can the word mnemonic be used adverbally?

texts:
A mnemonic is a memory device for reducing something diverse and complicated to an easily -remembered pattern. For example, for the order of planets in the solar system, I learned as a boy the sentence:

Men very easily make jugs, serve useful necessary purposes; to give Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

Is there an adverb mnemonically, as in I am able to recite all the kings and queens of England, mnemonically.


texts: A Question about a sort of 'future in the past' usage

texts:
I hear this use of "would" many times when recapping a sporting event and was wondering what tense this would be, and if the usage is even proper.

The following describes events that happened in a game earlier in this day:

"In the fifth inning, Smith would homer and Jones would follow with a triple.  The pitcher would strike out the next three batters, and so the Dodgers would get out of the inning without further damage."


texts:
I ran across the word hypocoristic for the first time today, in an article on gender in languages and its relationship to sex:

  In several of these dialects, nouns denoting girls and unmarried women (irrespective of age), and including hypocoristics, are of neuter gender.

I had never heard this word, so Googled it. Wiktionary and Wikipedia both have articles on the term, but from their definitions and examples, I can't seem to tell if it is a synonym for diminutive, or if it merely overlaps. Other sources don't help either: “Denoting, or of the nature of, a pet name or diminutive form of a name.”

So, I'm wondering if there is a difference between hypocoristic or hypocorism and diminutive (when used to refer to a form of a word or name; obviously dimunitive can also refer to something physical, while hypocorism/hypocoristic appear to exclusively refer to words or names), or if they are just synonyms in that usage.


texts:
In  my textbook I met an expression explaining the difference between modals must,have to,can etc. But my question is about stylistic with the usage of word only.

You can only smoke here.

Is there any difference  in meaning if I say:

You can smoke only here

Does it change my sentence or may be  its  not correct at all?


texts:
I have a document that I'm drafting that, at the moment, has a sentence that reads something like:

  Remove X from all company computers. Deliberate failure to do so constitutes grounds for punishment.

"Deliberate failure" is bugging me. I want to imply that a person has to knowingly, willfully, and repeatedly misbehave, but I don't want to imply that simply forgetting once is going to get them in trouble. "Failure" specifically makes it sound like mistakes will be punished.

How do I restate this so that I clearly and explicitly imply that flagrance is the key here, in simple, concise terms?


texts:
I'm looking for a word that means someone is redirecting the blame or attention of something. I have a feeling it starts with an "a" or "i", but I'm not sure.

By the way, it's not "divert", I already thought of that.

Here's an example sentence:

"The Yankees Management had instituted a way of ___ to the players..."


texts:
‘Go on’ has a lot of meanings in dictionaries, which makes me confused. What’s the omitted words and meanings of ‘go on’ in the following scene?
(They are gambling on a sport in the magical world.)

”I’ve already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first – I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland’s front three are the strongest I’ve seen in years – and little Agatha Timms has put up half shares in her eel farm on a week-long match.”
”Oh … go on then,” said Mr. Weasley. “Let’s see … a Galleon on Ireland to win?”

(Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.88)


texts: Which is or are grammatically correct: "Cats are carnivores / carnivorous or carnivorous animals"?

texts:
Cats are carnivores
  Cats are carnivorous
  Cats are carnivorous animals

I often hear people say those sentences and I wonder which among them is/are correct. And are there any differences in meaning or focus among the three sentences?


texts: circa abbreviation after a period - to capitalize or not

texts:
I keep getting called out for not capitalizing "ca." in image captions. When I look up in Chicago Style, I see it NOT capitalized. However, when I write a caption I often make it a sort of sentence and then I am criticized for not capitalizing the letter C. Am I wrong either with the capitalization or with the way that I am writing captions?

Example: Seattle Space Needle at sunset, looking west. ca. 1970. Negative # C Linsey AR-3659872 (Courtesy of University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections)


texts: When and Why did "Sooner than Later" become a thing?

texts:
Three times in the past week or so I came across somebody writing "sooner than later" when what they obviously meant was "sooner rather than later." The first time I saw it, I thought it was a typo. The second time was by the same writer, and I realized he was doing it deliberately. So I thought it was just a quirk of this cat; then I saw it again by someone else.
I'm not against change, but "sooner than later" doesn't even make sense. How did it become accepted practice to drop the "RATHER"?


texts:
Is it true that the expression "catch my drift " comes from the blizzard of 1888?
The drifts were so high that store owners put signs on top of drifts so customers could locate their businesses.


texts:
My mother sometimes packs a treat for us

What does this sentence mean?
I don't understand treat in this sentence.


texts: How to express gratitude to an interviewer regardless of the interview outcome?

texts:
I'm drafting a thank-you note to the recruiter after a series of onsite interviews with the team. And wondered if it might seem less polite or render a discounted feeling if I included the following phrase.

As you and the team determine the potential next steps, and regardless of the outcome, it's been a privilege to be considered for the opportunity.

I do want to emphasize that I'm looking forward to hearing from the team on the next steps while also being grateful for the process that I just went through with the team. But don't want my curiosity to learn the final outcome oversize the core idea (gratitude) of my email. Any thoughts?


texts: I was asked to review a book, titled "The Phenomena in [kind of physics]". I responded that the leading "The" should be removed from the title. However, when the author, a non-native speaker, asked me if I could explain why the title as given was erroneous, I had no idea. What rules of grammar does the title violate? If none, why does it sound wrong?


texts:
Should a comma be used before 'then' when it's the last word in a sentence?

•Bob said, "If she goes, I'm not going, then."

The example below appears to be incorrect.

•Bob said, "If she goes, I'm not going then."


texts:
Which is more formal in register, opt-out of something or withdraw from something?

Are there any more formal ways to phrase the idea?


texts:
This is from Light in August, by W. Faulkner, Chapter 18:

  He began to breathe deep. He could feel himself breathing deep, (...)

This confused me deep.

(This is related but not an answer to my question. Read especially the comments to the accepted answer.)

EDIT. As noted in the comments and in the title: the question is indeed why deep and not deeply? Even if it does not feel too wrong, the second statement certainly confuses readers deep. Even if the use of deep as an adverb is widely accepted in formal speech, one does not expect to hear from the narrator in a novel.  [This is an adverb, right? Because like I said, I am confused.]

For rerefence, the rest of the sentence is:

  He began to breathe deep. He could feel himself breathing deep, as if
  each time his insides were afraid that next breath they would not be
  able to give far enough and that something terrible would happen, and
  that all the time he could look down at himself breathing, at his
  chest, and see no movement at all, like when dynamite first begins,
  gathers itself for the now Now NOW, the shape of the outside of the
  stick does not change; that the people who passed and looked at him
  could see no change: a small man you would not look at twice, that you
  would never believe he had done what he had done and felt what he had
  felt, who had believed that out there at the mill on a Saturday
  afternoon, alone, the chance to be hurt could not have found him.

The full text can be found here, page 168.


texts:
I have the ideas but I cant pen them down.I get the following problems while writing an essay:
1. I dont know where to start or end.
2. I cant maintain continuity in my essay.
3. my language skills arent impactful at all.
I know the solution lies in practising writing . but maybe it will be easier if I can get some tips.
thank you in advance :)


texts: what's the difference between "important to" and "important for"?

texts:
When do we use important for and important to? What's the rule?
For example:

  It's important to me.

Or

  It's important for me.

What's the difference between the two sentences?


texts: What is wrong with phrasing like "configure how"?

texts:
I'm doing some editing and one sentence I'm navigating says "You can configure how the thing appears." (That's a paraphrase.) I think it is wrong because "configure" is a transitive verb and needs a direct object. "How" is not an object.

I'm not entirely sure that that's the clearest explanation of why this construction is wrong, however.


texts: "You are smarter than you appear" or "....than you appear to be"

texts:
I couldn't decide which one is grammatically correct.

"You are smarter than you appear."  Or

"You are smarter than you appear to be."


texts: Word to describe 100% success in an exam

texts:
I'm trying to find a word (preferably a verb) that signifies getting every question of an exam right and therefore scoring 100%.

For example, here are some other ways to describe success or failure in an exam:

I attempted the exam
I flunked the exam
I completed the exam
I passed the exam

I can't think of a good way to express any greater extent of success than "passed". One option would be "I did really well in the exam", it does signify more than just passing, however it's rather inelegant and doesn't precisely signify 100% success.

The best I've come up with so far is using an adjective to modify the verb, as in: "I flawlessly passed the exam", which does at least express the meaning, but is still quite clumsy.


texts: Is there a single word that can be defined as "the ability to provide (fiscally)"

texts:
I thought 'providence' might work, but it doesn't seem to quite fit the bill. The sentence I'm trying to complete is:

"Needs are those things that preserve life, health, home, and [word-goes-here]."


texts:
I wonder whether it would be correct to say:

  I try to practise writing on a daily basis without fail.

or should the order of the phrases be changed into:

  I try to practise writing without fail on a daily basis.

Are there any rules concerning the order of prepositional phrases?
Thank you.


texts: Mentioning "hacking" as a hobby without the negative connotation

texts:
When talking to people and in documents, I prefer to summarize my specific interest in computing and collaborating with others online and software development under one term: hacking.

From Eric S. Raymond's How To Become A Hacker:

  There is a community, a shared culture, of expert programmers and
  networking wizards that... originated the term ‘hacker’. Hackers built
  the Internet. Hackers made the Unix operating system what it is today.
  Hackers make the World Wide Web work. If you are part of this culture,
  if you have contributed to it and other people in it know who you are
  and call you a hacker, you're a hacker....

  Hackers solve problems and build things, and they believe in freedom
  and voluntary mutual help.

From this definition, I definitely feel that I belong in this group and am in line with a hacker's values and goals.

However, I do not know how to briefly explain the difference between the popular definition of hacking (to break into computer systems) and the hackers' "correct" definition.

Are there any alternative terms I could use in a resume or other document where I can only make such a remark about my interests and hobbies very briefly?

I read the question "Has “hacker” definitely gained a negative connotation?" but it does not suggest any alternative terms beside "ethical hacker," which means someone who ethically breaks into computer systems.


texts: Word similar to "indecisive" but more conflicted

texts:
I was trying to describe the facial expression in this GIF and couldn't come up with a single word.

On the surface, it looks like the feeling expressed by this character is indecisiveness, but it seems more conflicted. I actually found this GIF when it was a top response on a question on Reddit that was something like "How would you feel if the Westboro Baptist Church was attacked by terrorists?" It summed up the feeling of the entire thread perfectly (e.g. any sort of violence and terrorism is inexcuseable, but... it's one extreme group hit by another).

Is there a single word for this specific feeling?


texts: Which one is correct "died of" or "died from"?

texts:
I read that died of disease is correct in context of disease and died from  is correct in context of accident. but I read in news that died from is also used in context of disease for instance:

  Happy Days actress Erin Moran believed to have ‘died from stage 4 cancer’ according to police statement.

Which one is correct ?

"Is died from cholera" correct sentence?

Link to news


texts:
I don't know why many people say "I would agree/disagree" when expressing their agreement regarding point of view or statement, while would is intended to express incertitude of action in the future.

Why they don't say simply "I agree" as they talk in the tense of simple present.

When to use "I would agree", and when "I agree"?


texts: Can a compound sentence have an implied second subject?

texts:
I've been learning about compound sentences recently while writing a web serial and came across this sentence in one of my chapters (for context, Ralphie is a superhero who has just been told the costume she made for herself looks like a dress, and she's not happy about it because she wanted it to look like a tunic):

'Confused, Ralphie looked down at her costume, and moaned.'

I don't want to omit the second comma, because the pause shows that Ralphie regards her costume for a moment before moaning, but I'm not sure that this is grammatically correct since from what I've learned (or think I've learned), you shouldn't put a comma before an 'and' unless it's the second independent clause of a compound sentence. 'And moaned' has the implied subject of Ralphie, but I don't think that makes it a full-fledged independent clause. So, there's my question: can a compound sentence have an implied second subject in the second clause?


texts:
How is it grammatically correct to say "Did you hear what I just said?"?. Is it also possible to say something as "Did you hear what i say?"?. I mean, that direct following the past simple grammar incline me to the second option, but  I tend to use the first one by intuition,  because two parts of the question look very "separate".

Could someone explain this on solid  grounds? Thank you in advance!


texts: The act of speaking excessively or continuously is referred to as verbal diarrhea. How about speaking very little? Is there a word for it?


texts: "control of the company" or "the control of the company"?

texts:
I saw the following sentence in OALD:

  He was forced to relinquish control of the company.

Despite having studied English for years and having consulted some advanced grammar books, when writing in English, in some cases I don't still know if the definite article 'the' should be used or not. For instance, I'm not sure if it's grammatical to write

  He was forced to relinquish the control of the/that company.

But it doesn't sound incorrect to me.

Which one sounds more natural/correct to native English speakers? Which one is preferred by grammarians?


texts:
Need help replacing "connected" with a more informal word in the following line:

"Preeti connected with neighbors on Chats and Discussions."

Connected to me sounds like a very "enterprise" term.

Please suggest.


texts:
Alternative names, like groundnut and earthnut, make sense. In German, peanuts are called Erdnüsse, literally, earth nuts.

Where did the word "peanut" come from, and how did it become the dominant English name for Arachis hypogaea?


texts: Is "Find out how we can partner your company" correct?

texts: I need to send out a business emailer which ends with the above phrase. Which version is grammatically correct: "Find out how we can partner your business" OR "Find out how we can partner with your business"?


texts:
This is the first sentence of an introductory paragraph

  Translation of scientific texts has a long history in North Africa.

Does it sound right? Should it be:

  The translation of scientific texts has a long history in North Africa.

Could you please explain why it should or should not be used here?


texts: Figure captions starting with "An example"

texts:
I've just observed that many of my captions start with "An example illustrating..." or "An example of..." or "A diagram of..." and so on:

  An example illustrating basic tree terminology.

  An example of a matching-directed bipartite graph

  A diagram illustrating the intuition behind Lemma 1.2.3.

The first impression is that they seem silly—it's obvious these are examples or diagrams, they do not add anything substantial.
On the other hand, I find it hard to make the caption read natural and properly describe the contents of the figure without such a noise.

It's easier to fix when the caption is longer, however, I use special short versions of captions for the list of figures. Not only this is harder to fix, but the list of figures appears really bad, because all the "An example" and others are lined up.

One difficulty is that omitting "An example" has a different meaning, for example

"An example of a flow network for Lemma 1.2.3." says that this is just some flow network used to illustrate how the proof works.
"A flow network for Lemma 1.2.3." means this is a way of realizing the flow network described in the lemma and all such flow networks look essentially like this one (where "essentially" is clear from the context).

I feel foolish for being caught between René Magritte's pipe and
having wrong out-of-context short captions.
Is there any technique to phrase the (short) captions to avoid the repetitive "An example"?

P.S. I'm not really sure about the tags, sorry if I picked them wrong.


texts: Usage of "on" in the phrase "on our team"

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct:
"Alice on our team has been excellent in managing tasks."

I'd rather substitute "from" or "in" instead of the "on" in this sentence. Can someone please help me understand which usage is correct in this example.


texts: “...where it’s at.” - Is that grammatical?

texts:
I stated to a customer, “They can tell you where it’s at” (regarding the office location of an appointment). The customer then asked if he could correct my grammar, to which I consented. It was an older gentleman; he was simply being talkative, so I didn’t mind. He said, “You do not have to say ‘at.’ You can say, ‘They can tell you where it is.’”

Was my statement grammatically acceptable?


texts: What is the adjective that describes the way someone speaks as if it was obvious?

texts:
This is my first post so please tell me if I am making any mistakes. I am searching for the word that can be used in a format similar to this:

"asdf," he said in a _____ way.
or
"asdf," he said ____ly.
to give the same meaning as "He looked at me as if it were obvious."

I think it's kind of like condescending but instead of pure arrogance also a bit of irritation? I found the term "matter of factly" but that feels like it's mostly just unemotional?

I put this under the single-word-requests because I need a tag but it can also be a phrase.


texts: Is there a single, opposite word to “alibi”?

texts:
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines “alibi” as 1. evidence that proves that a person was in another place at the time of a crime and so could not have committed it. 2. an excuse for sth that you have done wrong.

Is there an opposite, single word (not like ‘evidence of presence’) to “alibi” denoting evidence that "positively" proves that a person was in the place at the time of an event taking place regardress whether it's associated with or not? For instance, I want to prove that I was "there" at a dinner party last night, not at another or other places, or I want to show off a picture taken at a dinner show together with movie stars.

If there is no opposite word, or antonym to "alibi," it's fine.

P.S. I checked the list of past ‘Is there single word for xxx” questions. I didn’t find the same question. However if there is, I’m willing to delete this question.


texts: What is the origin and meaning of the phrase- some good bones

texts: Where does the expression ‘some good bones’ come from, and how is it primarily used?


texts: "I could not" vs "I would not be able to"

texts:
Does I could not do X have the same meaning as I would not be able to do X?

It seems to me that the first can mean the second, but it mainly means: I tried and I was not able to do X. Is that so?


texts:
For example:

clickcub
clickcube
clickcrab
clickcrate
clickcone

In which of those cases do you read the 'c' and not?


texts: Differences between serendipity, and fate, destiny, fortune and coincidence?

texts:
What are the differences between serendipity, fate, destiny, fortune and coincidence?

Serendipity is similar to fate and destiny in that the occurrence is controlled by some "god" or some unforeseen force.

Serendipity seems similar to fortune and coincidence in that the occurrence is accidental, not controlled by people.


texts: can't help + gerund, can't help myself from, can't help but laugh at

texts:
Are all the three following sentences paraphrases of the sentence:
It's impossible for me not to laugh when he starts singing.

I can't help laughing when he starts singing.
I can't help myself from laughing when he starts singing.
I can't help but laugh when he starts singing.


texts: Should I use these, those, or their in the following sentence?

texts:
With these thoughts, I closed my eyes. All I could hear now was the
  hooting of an owl, and the leaves rustling on the ground outside.
  These/those/their sound/sounds gradually soothed
  me--and before I knew it, my mind drifted into a deep, dreamless
  sleep.

Should I use these, those, or their in the sentence above?


texts: What does the phrase "Keep those cards and letters rolling in" actually mean?

texts:
How would I explain the following phrase/expression to an ESL learner?

"Keep those cards and letters rolling in"

I actually don't know where this comes from, or what it exactly means.

Any help is appreciated!


texts: A word that says a person is both female and your friend

texts:
It's often confusing for me to talk about my friends, especially my female friends. This is because in Dutch there are words for both male ("vriend") and female ("vriendin") friends. In English however, there's as far as I know only the word friend, which can mean both a male or a female friend.

For this reason I was wondering if there is a word to say a person is both female and a friend.


texts: Is using progressive first person incorrect in a first person narrative?

texts:
Awhile ago I had to write a short first person piece in my English class- everyone did- and then we could volunteer to read them out loud. Since no one was doing anything, I decided to act and read mine. It wasn't very good at all, but there was a particular moment that caught me off guard.

I was describing myself finding a letter and how I felt about it and then my reaction upon reading it, and I got to a part where I was saying how I had been anticipating this letter, and that's when the teacher stopped me, and a kid from the back called out "that's first person progressive"

Never having heard of progressive before, I was extremely confused, but got no clarification from him or the teacher. Instead, the teacher just motioned me to continue and I did.

I've since looked up what first person progressive is, and I'm pretty sure I understand it, but I don't understand why they stopped me in my story. (This was two years ago)

So, like my question states, is it incorrect to use a progressive line in a first person narrative? Does it differ from first person? It just seems weird to me, because in writing first person, it's almost like you're just talking. Kind of like how I am now, and we say things like "I will do this" "will be doing this" "had done this" all the time. But grammatically speaking I guess, is it okay to use in narration?


texts: What would be the scenarios were I should use "no joke this time" or "no jokes this time"?

texts: I would like to know if someone could provide me some examples of the usage of those phrases?


texts: Number of genitive object in a nominal compound

texts:
Which of the following options is better? Do the two choices reflect any difference in meaning?

"Matters regarding comments deletion"

or

"Matters regarding comment deletion"

--Assuming the intended meaning is "Matters regarding [deletion of comments]"?

Running list of related and duplicate questions:

Pluralization rules with prepositional phrases

Plural nouns in nominal compounds

When are attributive nouns plural?

https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/85654/how-can-i-explain-to-a-non-native-why-the-plural-of-a-noun-isnt-used-adjectival


texts:
Do you want to live to be a hundred?
I know him to be an honest man.
I assumed him to be a thief.

What types of infinitive are these? As we know that these are not the infinitive of purpose. Are these the infinitive of result? Could you help me understand the matter well?


texts:
I've been using this software for quite some time now. Not once until yesterday did I question the authenticity of its 'Grammar Check' reports.

Yesterday, I tried to test Grammarly with a piece of writing by Bertrand Russell from a Routledge compilation of his called 'Why Men Fight'. I've been a loving reader of Russell since childhood.

Grammarly reported 26 writing issues in the following text. The following piece was awarded a little over 50 points out of 100. I don't have anything else to say. Do you think that software like Grammarly can ever be precise?

  Lay on, Macduff, And damned be him that first cries, Hold, enough!

  But such strength and recklessness of impulse is rare. Most men, when
  their impulse is strong, succeed in persuading themselves, usually by
  a subconscious selectiveness of attention, that agreeable consequences
  will follow from the indulgence of their impulse. Whole philosophies,
  whole systems of ethical valuation, spring up in this way; they are
  the embodiment of a kind of thought which is subservient to impulse,
  which aims at providing a quasi-rational ground for the indulgence of
  impulse. The intellectual impulse of curiosity, leading to the desire
  to know and understand. But most of what passes for thought is
  inspired by some non-intellectual impulse, and is merely a means of
  persuading ourselves that we shall not be disappointed or do harm if
  we indulge this impulse.

  When an impulse is restrained, we feel discomfort or even violent
  pain. We may indulge in impulse in order to escape from this pain, and
  our action is then one which has a purpose. But the pain only exists
  because of the impulse, and the impulse itself is directed to an act,
  not escaping from the pain of restraining the impulse. The impulse
  itself remains without a purpose, and the purpose of escaping from
  pain only arises when the impulse has been momentarily restrained.


texts:
Many people use "let, let's and lets" in conversation

What's the difference between them?


texts:
"Bright" is listed in the OED as an adjective. However, in front of a color being used as an adjective, it performs as an adverb since adverbs(not adjectives) modify adjectives.

  Ex. "The bright red car..."

In this situation, what part of speech is "bright"?


texts:
Source: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-04-04/putin-s-rejection-of-the-west-in-writing?cmpid=yhoo

  In fact, after Moscow's Crimean adventure, the West seems out to prove this point of view correct. By talking of "containing" Russia and breaking off all kinds of cooperation, from trade and visa liberation talks to Group of Eight meetings to joint programs with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Western governments cast themselves in the role of wolves shedding their sheep's clothing.

What does the West seems out to prove this point mean?


texts: What is the word for reserving something for yourself before others do?

texts:
In English-speaking TV shows, characters sometimes say something similar to dips to say to other people they are taking something for themselves before others do.

Neither Google, Wiktionary or Urban Dictionary give positive results for this so the word may be misspelled.

What is the word and what is its origin?


texts:
Context:
I want to indicate people who keep travelling around the world (sometimes as part of their jobs and sometimes to volunteer during a crisis) without settling down at a single country.

I came across terms like Global Citizens / World Citizens, but I want to know if I can use Globalite, albeit as a neologism, such that it will be analogous with Localite

Merriam-Webster does define localite, but not globalite

localite (noun)

  a native or resident of the locality under consideration


texts:
My question has to do with the placement of "most" before or after the verb.  Is the following sentence correct/acceptable?

I most like apples.

Alternatives:
I like most apples.
I like apples most.


texts: What is the difference between a map tile and a map section?

texts:
We are translating the great OpenStreetMap editor JOSM to Hungarian and arguing on the translation of "map tile".
Some of us state that it should be literally translated, because map tile and map section are different things, map tile being an online, scalable form of a map section. Others argue that it should be translated to the equivalent of map section, because it's the established term.
So what is the difference between a map tile and a map section?
Is map tile really an online, scalable form of map section?


texts:
Let's say I have a title "full legal names of all sellers"

Should I capitalize it as

a) Full Legal Names of all Sellers

or

b) Full Legal Names of All Sellers

?

I have doubts as "all" is not a noun here but rather a modification for a noun "sellers". Am I wrong?

And yes, I've read Which words in a title should be capitalized?


texts:
It is quite common to use "yet" and "however" in contrastive constructions, but l am not certain if they have the same sense.

John failed. Yet, he's tried his best.
John failed. However, he's tried his best.

My question is, is there any difference in meaning between the two constructions mentioned above?


texts: A word describes things that can be used only once

texts: I am wondering if there is a single word that describes things that can be used only once. My focus is links that usually sent to our emails in order to activate accounts or reset passwords. However, I do not mind to find a word for all kind of items that can be used only one time (e.g. Bullets, bombs, diapers, baby wipes, pads ... etc.


texts:
Where should my commas be placed in the sentence below for proper punctuation?

When the market place is expensive meaning higher prices the result is a low demand, since the same amount of money can buy someone less of a particular good or service, additionally even if consumer wants to buy, they might not have the wealth to buy at high prices.


texts: English term for switching phonemes between words?

texts:
Is there the English term for switching phonemes between words, creating something like Freudian mistakes?

For example, changing 'lumberjack' to 'jumper's luck'.

As fair as I can remember, one of Gummi Bears from children's TV series was permanently using such constructions.


texts: Word for a hope for something that is unlikely to happen

texts: What is a word that can be used to describe the feeling of looking forward to something that probably will not happen? preferably one that might refer to an experiment


texts: Word or phrase for postponing the inevitable

texts:
I'm looking for a word or phrase which means "postponing the inevitable"

Ex :

  "Doing this action is merely postponing the inevitable"

  "This action is _____"

  "Trying to stop me is only postponing the inevitable"

  "Trying to stop me is _____"

There are words like "futile" but it doesn't fit exactly.


texts: Is there a single word for 'in keeping with the times'?

texts: For example: 'The book is racist, in keeping with the time it was written.'


texts: "Up with the... " (complete the saying for waking up early)

texts: If you wake up early, what is the saying for this? Beginning with the words: "Up with the..."


texts: Expression for a situation which you’re forced to be in but would still choose over something else since you’ve gotten used to it with time

texts: For example: isolation and not having anyone in life is an issue many are forced to have in life at a time. They do crave for intimacy and lack of this monotonous lifestyle. However, even if they daydream about things being different, they don’t yet go out of their way to pursue something else in order to get out of the circumstances. They get used to this way of life and stay this way yet feeling forced and feeling like a victim.


texts: Is it possible to say "to or fro", or only "to and fro" is acceptable?

texts:
Could I use the following sentence, please:

According to the timeStepDirection value (+1 or -1), change the current program number to or fro along the time axis.

If not, is it at least possible to use such combination in a totally informal sentence?

Or "to and fro" is an absolutely immutable idiom?

Sorry, my example was very bad. Eventually I changed "to or fro" here to "appropriately".

But could such form be used in another context?


texts:
A friend who is learning English asked me this question today and I was unable to give a definitive answer on grammar.

The phrase constructions below are quoted verbatim from them :

An English person generally has a pet
English people generally have a pet
English people generally have pets

Posibilities of tidying up the  phrase construction aside, specifically in terms of the grammar:

My thinking is:

(1) is incorrect, although I am toying with the idea that perhaps (at a push !) with a more specific subject it could be acceptable (e.g. a blind person generally has a guide dog)
(2) and (3) are largely interchangeable, but if you were being strict about grammar, (3) would be the correct answer because of the plural subject.

However I would be interested to know what the specific grammar rules are in relation to generic constructs (both for my own interest and that of my friend).


texts:
Are both of these sentence correct? If so which is preferable or most clear? Thank you.

(1)The color of Lake Superior is bluer than that of Lake Huron.
Or
(2)The color of Lake Superior is bluer than Lake Huron's.


texts:
Google tells me it is the former, and it does feel more nature to say "on exam day", but if I do some grammar analysis, it seems quite puzzling. "day" is of course countable, therefore should either take on a plural form or a definitive article "the", according to

P.S. I am trying to write something like, "on exam day, you should bring your ID card and a bottle of water."


texts: How do I make stronger connection between the sentences

texts:
I am writing a book and the audience could easily get confused and assume the meaning differently.
Below is my effort to explain what is GraphQL to the audience:

GraphQL is a language-independent specification for client-server
communication. It also serves as a runtime for fulfilling queries with
your data (that is what QL means i.e., Query language). GraphQL is
often referred to as a declarative query language — declarative
meaning that it lets the developer specify what needs to be fetched.

I asked my peers to read and tell me what they infer from it and each of them picked a different meaning as per different lines. can anyone suggest to me what should I do and transform the above para to so that they are more connected and makes sense?
Answers given by my friends after reading the above para.
Me: What is GraphQL
Friend 1: It is a specification.
Friend 2: It is a query language.
Friend 3: It is just a declarative way of fetching data.


texts: What is the difference between "individualism" and "egoism"?

texts:
Looked these two words up but unclear as to how they might differ or if one is a specialisation of another.

individualism: The moral stance, political philosophy, or social outlook that promotes independence and self-reliance of individual people, while opposing the interference with each person's choices by society, the state, or any other group or institution.
egoism: The belief that moral behaviour should be directed toward one's self-interest only.

I posted about this on a Q&A site and the conclusions were that:

They are almost the same or even inseparable.
Ethical egoism says you should only do stuff if it makes you feel good and individualism says you can only do things for the sake of individuals with “society” or “country” or “humanity” being fictional abstractions.
Individualism is it is about freedom of individuals with an egoistic nature and behaviour that is positive in not being selfishness or selflessness.
There is confusion about ethical egoism in that some people fail to recognise that the ego can extend beyond one's self in practising altruism for the personal benefits it can give.


texts: The use of "of" at the start of a sentence

texts:
Of the tropical storms that occur each year in the North Atlantic,
  only about five, on the average, are powerful enough to be called
  hurricanes.

Why does that "of" appear at the beginning of the sentence?


texts: How/why was the word "organic" chosen to represent natural foods or foods without chemicals?

texts:
I've always understood an object or item to be organic when carbon is a component of its composition, as noted in the difference between organic and inorganic chemistry.

Now I see organic foods, and official organic certifications--all tomatoes have carbon in their makeup, so it should all be classified as organic.

Who/when/why/how was it decided that even though all food is organic, we will refer only to foods without pesticides or other non-natural chemicals as organic?

Or has the carbon been removed from any food that is not classified as organic?


texts: A phrase for 'a free, informal space for learning'

texts: What could be a short phrase for 'a free and informal space for learning?'


texts: What parts of speech are GIVEN and THAT in the phrase "Given that...."

texts:
I'd like to know which parts of speech given and that are in the following sentence:

  Given that the dress is small, I couldn't wear it.

In the answers here, one poster said given that is a subordinating conjunction. They also said that the clause following the phrase is a subordinating clause.

Another user said that the word given is a verb and that the word that is a complementiser belonging to the following noun phrase and that the noun phrase is a Complement of the verb given.

Someone else suggested that given is a preposition and that is a subordinator. In fact, prepositions was the first tag I used for this question. Merriam-Webster also say that given in given that is a preposition.

On the other hand, Cambridge Dictionaries, has no entry for given that, which suggests that it is not a single item. Oxford Dictionaries say that it is a subordinating conjunction.

And in fact, M-W includes elsewhere:

  given [adjective]

  ... 3b granted: given that all are equal before the law

Small wonder that some users argue that dictionaries are not good places to look to find out parts of speech.

What do other authoritative grammar sources have to say about this?

To sum up:

What parts of speech are given and that in the example sentence, and what supporting evidence is there for allocating them to these parts of speech?


texts: Is there a word in English that decribes a relief and rupture at the same time?

texts:
In the Persian language, we have a word (گشایش)(goshayesh) that means both a rupture and a relief.
We use it when we want to say that from a breach in something, a new thing emerged, that is better than the first situation.
clearly speaking, some intellectuals use this word to describe a revolution.
something has been destroyed and something new and more suitable has replaced it.
In these days I am translating an article into German (German is as  my mother tongue) and have had some problem with original text. The author is like me, not a native English speaker and has had a few poor word choices. For example, he has the word  rupture in this text, while it is not, in my view,  the most suitable word here. because it simply focuses on the breach of a harmonious situation and does not pay attention to a positive aspect of the case. Do know another word to use here?

  While there are a number of plausible labels that might be attached to the 20th century, in terms of social history it was clearly the age of the working class. For the first time, working people who lacked property became a major and sustained political force. This rupture was heralded by Pope Leo xiii—leader of the world’s oldest and largest social organization—in his encyclical Rerum Novarum in 1891. The Pope noted that the progress of industry had led to ‘the accumulation of affluence among the few and misery (inopia) among the multitude’; but the period had also been characterized by the ‘greater self-confidence and tighter cohesion’ of the workers. [1] On a global level, trade unions gained a foothold in most big industrial enterprises, and in many other firms too. Working-class parties became major electoral forces—sometimes dominant ones—in Europe and its Australasian offshoots. The October Revolution in Russia provided a model of political organization and social change for China and Vietnam. Nehru’s India set itself the avowed goal of following a ‘socialist pattern of development’, as did the majority of post-colonial states. Many African countries spoke of building ‘working-class parties’ when they could boast no more proletarians than would fill a few classrooms.


texts: Is it gramatically ok to say "pay me attention"?

texts:
I have recently debated with my English teacher if its ok to say:

"Stop playing and pay me attention!"

Any insight will be very much appreciated.


texts: Word for someone who appreciates vintage items because of history behind them

texts: What is a word for someone who appreciates vintage items because of the history behind them? For example: someone who enjoys listening to records and wonders who in a past life listened to it, what they were doing when listening to it, etc.


texts: Is there a word for the form of a word that means "pertaining to"?

texts:
For the sake of this question, let's call types of words forms "onym"s, as in "demonym" or "retronym". (Note: I don't know the word for those kinds of words, either.)

I'm looking for the "onym" that means "pertaining to".

For example, literally is the __onym of literal.  Functional is the __onym of function.

Does such a word exist?

Edit:  Sorry, it doesn't actually have to end in "nym", I'm just not very good at articulating this sort of thing.


texts: What's the meaning of "to make a point"?

texts:
Could you please tell me what the meaning of "to make a point" is in this case:

  It’s three in the morning, and we are making our way from southern to
  northern Utah, when the weather changes from the dry chill of the desert
  to the freezing gales of an alpine winter. Ice claims the road. Snowflakes
  flick against the windshield like tiny insects, a few at first, then so many
  the road disappears. We push forward into the heart of the storm. The van
  skids and jerks. The wind is furious, the view out the window pure white.
  Richard pulls over. He says we can’t go any further.
  Dad takes the wheel, Richard moves to the passenger seat, and Mother
  lies next to me and Audrey on the mattress. Dad pulls onto the highway
  and accelerates, rapidly, as if to make a point, until he has doubled
  Richard’s speed.

Extract from Educated by Tara Westover


texts: ", and is available for download" or ", and is available to download"?

texts:
what is mistake? i try but all version sound to me as incorrect...help

Geostorm is a free-to-play, puzzle and action game developed by Sticky
Studios, and is available for download on both iOS and Android devices.

mybe this is correct?

Geostorm is a free-to-play, puzzle and action game developed by Sticky
Studios, and is available to download on both iOS and Android devices.

thanks


texts: Is there any relationship between the "theo" in "theoretical" and that in "theology"?

texts:
The title is rather self-explanatory, but the notion that "theory" has some etymological connection, remote or intentional, to concepts of God i.e. "theology", is intriguing to me.

If they're entirely unrelated, ah well. But I would like to be informed.