texts:
I have frequently seen the word crypto-portrait popping up in articles on Wikipedia and elsewhere, but I was not able to find a definition for it. Apparently there used to be an article on Wikipedia but it has since been removed (there are dead links to it).

Here are some of the places you can see the word used:

http://thelostdutchman.hubpages.com/hub/The-Van-Eyck-Cryptogram
http://www.discoverbaroqueart.org/database_item.php?id=monument;BAR;cz;Mon11_F;7;en
http://www.desipientia.nl/archief.php?nummer=41


texts: What do you call a fire panel with tools?

texts:
In Russia we have these "fire panels":

So, they have tools like a bucket and a spade, so you can dig up some sand with the spade in the summer and extinguish the fire with it. Or in winter you can use the bucket to scoop up some snow and extinguish the fire with snow...

Word for word translation for this type of fire panel would be "fire shield".

What is it called in English? Or do you not use these over there?


texts: I was born in East Tennessee and have traveled extensively in Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee.  I live in South Florida and have visited Northern California.  Does anyone know why there is a difference in the construction of the modifiers to the state names?  East Tennessee, and so forth, are part of the Tennessee State Constitution.


texts:
there, I got a sentence when I watched the televison "Lost". The sentence is "Please respect me enough to spare me the pretense that you are actually offended."

I am confused with "spare me the pretense", what's meaning of "spare" here? I looked up dictionary, but I still could not get a proper meaning for this sentence.


texts: Is there a whitespace in spoonfeed? I have to choose between writing Spoon Feed Code and Spoonfeed Code.


texts: Does the term "Asian" have different meanings among various English-speaking countries?

texts:
I have always had the view that the term "Asian", when pertaining to cultures, primarily refers to the cultures of the Far East. Recently I have been told that it also includes Indian and other cultures located on/around the Indian subcontinent.

For reference, I am a native speaker of American English. Would anyone be able to shed some light on whether there is a generally accepted usage in the various English-speaking countries?

For example, it seems unnatural to me to refer to a person from India as "Asian", even though I am aware India is geographically located within the continent of Asia.


texts: Help with meaning of "the difference narrowing the longer women had the vote"

texts:
In the quoted passage below, I came across a sentence I don't understand:

  In 1955 Maurice Duverger published The Political Role of Women, the
  first behavioralist, multinational comparison of women’s electoral
  participation ever to use election data and survey data together. His
  study analyzed women’s patterns of voting, political candidacy, and
  political activism in four European countries during the first half of
  the twentieth century. Duverger’s research findings were that women
  voted somewhat less frequently than men (the difference narrowing
  the longer women had the vote) and were slightly more conservative.

Does the italicized sentence mean the difference of men and woman voting rates narrows the time that women have for voting?

Why shouldn't the sentence be "the difference narrower, the longer
women had the vote"?

Thank you so much.


texts: Where can I get the list of diminutive forms of first names?

texts: As the title suggests, where can I get the list of diminutive forms of people's first names? Like Mike for Michael and Dave for David.


texts: Why do cricket and baseball each use the term 'pitch' but in different senses?

texts:
I should say from the outset that I do know the answer to this question, because I have just researched it. But it is so interesting that I felt it was worth an airing.

I am not clear if it is 'off-topic' to ask a question to which one knows the answer, but if it is I have no doubt whatever that someone will say so.

In baseball a 'pitcher' throws a very similar ball to a cricket ball directly at the batsman (if that is what he is called). The ball does not strike the ground first. Yet he 'pitches'.

In cricket a bowler delivers a ball at a wicket by first making it strike the ground somewhere in front of the batsman. (It doesn't have to strike the ground. If it hits the wicket without doing so the batsman is said to have been 'yorked').

But 'pitching' refers to the ball striking the ground (the pitch). We talk about short-pitched and long-pitched deliveries, of balls that pitch on the leg stump, or outside the offstump etc.

It long puzzled me why the person delivering a baseball was called a 'pitcher', because the ball does not 'pitch'. But now I know the answer. Does anyone else?

Edit. I should add that the word is also used in golf, with the same meaning that it has in cricket.


texts: Credible vs Credulous. Is their meaning similar or contradictory?

texts:
I was taking a Wonderlic test and got somewhat confused by one of the questions. The question was:

  CREDIBLE CREDULOUS - Do these words...

  [] Have similar meanings
  [] Have contradictory meanings
  [] Have unrelated meanings

Now, I do know the definition of each word. Credible means trustworthy, easily believed by others. Credulous means gullible, easily believes others. But are these meanings similar (both have to do with one person believing another) or opposite (everyone believes you vs you believe everyone)?
I feel like either answer could be easily argued both for and against, but as a non-native English speaker maybe I'm just missing something. They are neither synonyms nor antonyms, so what's the best answer?


texts: a verb that means inhabiting the desert by large numbers?

texts:
I want to know if "conquer the desert" is the right way to talk about inhabiting desert by large numbers.Also,if there is any other verb that can be used other than "conquer" like "invade" or "overrun".

EX:To face the problem of overpopulation,it is necessary to conquer the desert.

P.S:A verb that doesn't refer to a negative or militaristic meaning.


texts: In Polish you can use sic to indicate not only erroneous spelling (uncorrected for  editorial reasons), but also to note that the sentence should be as it is when it comes to its meaning (e.g. "The lecturer brought an axolotl (sic!) to the lecture.", "The flight was cancelled because the pilot forgot his lucky dime (sic!)."). Can you do that in English?


texts: Tom admires Martha as a politician. Who is a politician?

texts:
'Tom admires Martha as a politician.'
Can this sentence have two interpretations?

Tom is a politician and admires Martha.
Tom admires Martha because she is a politician.

Does the interpretation change when we move the pharse 'as a politian' to the beginning of a sentence?
As a politician Tom admires Martha.


texts: Is there a term or word for someone who fears homophobes?

texts: Can you think of a single term or word for someone who dislikes or fears a homophobic person?


texts:
Which of the following is correct?
Does the is/are depend on the total number of things in the list, or only on the thing immediately following the is/are?

  There is 1 apple and 1 orange available.
  There are 1 apple and 1 orange available.

Also, would it make a difference if one would put the is/are near the end, like so?

  1 apple and 1 orange is available.
  1 apple and 1 orange are available.


texts:
What word can be used to describe a large quantity or amount in a way that it would sound like an antonym for "thimbleful". Preferably a word that rhymes with it or starts with "t". As in:

I had a thimbleful of patience and the task required "?antonym?".

I am looking for a word that has a highly positive connotation, and can be used in formal writing; in praise of someone.  I did not come across any entries in places like thesaurus.com for this word. Figurative usage does not seem to be defined even though examples are occasionally given.

Edit:

I chose "torrent" (plural "torrents"), hoping that it would be correct to use it as a unit for measuring something that is essentially limitless and unbounded, something that is overflowing,  as in a blessing. Example: He had torrents of true skill and good will.

Another possibility, in line with tchrist suggestion below is "tower" , from the list of terms of venery.

Also, according to Collins Dictionary, thimble is occasionally used for thimbleful in British English.


texts: If I want to be posh, old school, when I'm writing, and decide to use "thee" then what is the correct technical usage for it? Does it simply replace "the" ?


texts: Alternative phrase to "Let your friends direct your movies"

texts:
I have taken to saying:
"Let your friends direct your movies"
It is paraphrased from the parody song "The Star Wars That I Used To Know", by teddiefilms.
Where the lyrics say "Have your friends direct your movies and they will turn out better"
where it is saying that the Star Wars movies George Lucas didn't direct himself turned out better.

I think this is a very useful idea: that just because you started something, doesn't mean you are the best person to keep doing all of it.
It particularly shows up around creating "things", someone has and idea makes a first version (or so) and lots of people get excited, the bussiness or community grows and eventually there are lots of people who can develop the idea further and better than the original creator, but they are hanging on longer they they should.

Example usage:
 - "Isn't it time you let your friends direct your movies?"
 - "Joe Smith is still designing every building his firm works on, he really needs to learn to let go and let his friends direct his movies".
 - "It's not like Bill Gates wrote the source code to Windows Vista, he learned long ago to let his friends direct his movies."

But being that this phrase is a reference to a parady song, i feel like it is too obsure so I am looking for a better alternative.


texts:
The subjects were two groups of 10 male volunteers sealed into a mock spaceship for two simulated flights to Mars.

（source：https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/mdcf-mcf041117.php ）

I have a quesiton here. Does "two groups of 10 male volunteers" mean:
(i) There were two groups of subjects, with 10 male volunteers in each group; or
(ii) There were two groups of subjects, with 10 male volunteers in total.

I have read the article, but it does not mention this infomation in other parts.

Thank you!


texts:
In English, we often use logical/physical pair to describe something, like in powerdesigner,

there are two type of data models:

  logical data model and physical data model

what's this words means?


texts: What is the word for this type of hypocrisy?

texts:
What is the word for a person who freely uses an example, a quote, or a line of logic whenever it supports his own cause or argument, but sneezes at them if they are likely to undermine his cause or argument?

For example, person A says that four out five people do [whatever]. And whatever that is, it supports his argument. In another occasion, when he is presented with statistics he quotes Bertrand Russell's, “The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.”

I guess there many general words that could describe this attitude, for example hypocrisy. But I am looking for a word (or perhaps an idiom or a phrase) that specifically focuses on this type of hypocrisy.


texts:
I'm looking for a word that means compulsively or habitually unclean people; those sort of like hoarders, but not specific to that compulsion.

I could not find anything in a thesaurus that suited what I was looking for.


texts:
I feel really confused with the sequence of tenses sometimes. I am trying to explain where my problem is. Suppose, I have three different sentences which I want to express in two sentences.

1) I played cricket on Sunday.

2) I watched a movie before playing cricket.

3)I met my cousin on Sunday morning.

After joing first two sentences, we get :

"I had watched a movie before playing cricket on Sunday. "

Now for the third sentence which I want to join in the second line, which tense should I use?

Will it be past perfect again as it happend before another action?

"I had watched a movie before playing cricket on Sunday. I had met my cousin on Sunday morning. "

Even after 5 or 6 sentences if I want to say something which happend even beofre Sunday,  which tense should I use?

Could someone please explain how I can solve my problem?


texts: How to express utter exhaustion with a topic

texts:
What is an idiom or a saying to express utter exhaustion with a topic? Like "fed up with beating a dead horse", only pithier, and doesn't seem to condone cruelty to animals?

For example:

  ab2 is {fed up with beating a dead horse} over [single-word-requests]

Credit to ab2 for the question. And no, "covfefe" is not an acceptable answer, I want a real one.


texts: Referring to a character in a text as 'The [Last Name]'

texts:
I have scoured the internet and am yet to find the reason why.
I am in process of helping a friend out and would like to know why we refer to them as 'the [Last Name]'. Eg. 'The Beaker slid across the room.'

Edit as requested:

"As the messenger came to run up to the small village off in the corner of Cearundel, he looked for the Ludovicus."

"As soon as it arrived, it was opened with eager hands by the Herand,[...]"


texts: Word for stealing the voice of the people and misrepresenting it for nefarious purposes

texts:
Say a group of people vote for a leader in an election but the leader then goes on to "speak for the people" but actually he's speaking for himself and his cronies. I'd like it to be clearly in a derogatory sense.

  "Mr ..... claimed he was speaking on behalf of the people who voted for him but he was actually [stealing] their voice"

What word would best fit here?


texts: Using 'Good Morning' in e-mails, fora, etc

texts:
Good Morning English experts!

I'm confused about using the salutations such as above. I know 'Good Morning' should be used before noon, and then 'Good Afternoon', and 'Good Day' is considered obsolete, but what more formal greeting to use in e-mails?

'Hi' is commonly accepted in not fully-formal e-mails, but when I write e-mail to help support, I don't think that 'Hi Help Support' is appropriate. 'Dear Help Support' sounds strange for me (Dear Human Being Which Name I Don't Even Know). I'd like to use something like 'Good Morning', but...

Well, I usually write e-mails in the evening so I could use 'Good Evening', but I don't know when the mail would be read. Probably early morning, but I can't be sure.

So, what of 'Good Something' greeting forms is the most acceptable in such e-mails? Or is there some similar alternative?


texts: Word or Phrase Meaning False Self-Criticism

texts:
Is there a word or phrase that means "self-criticism that's actually self-praise"? For example, saying something like:

  My kids are so spoiled! It's all my own fault, I just have too much money to spend on them and I give them too much of what they want.

I'm not talking about "first-world problems," which are real (or ironic) complaints about very minor problems.  I'm talking about brags that are worded as apologies.


texts:
Good morning!
First of all, I'm not a native speaker and i'd like to know which sentence is correct and why.

"I hate you for not be informed"
"I hate you for not being informed"

In my opinion, I "feel" like the second one is the right one, but I can't tell my friend why the first one is not correct.
Thanks for your help!


texts: Relation between parent of son with his father or mother in-law?

texts: Is there a word for the relation between the parents and parents-in-law of a child?


texts:
the renowned sprinter and track-and-field personality Carl Lewis, who had known pressure from fans and media before but never, even as a professional runner, this kind of pressure, made only a few appearances in races during the few months before the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, partly because he was afraid of raising expectations even higher and he did not want to be distracted by interviews and adoring fans who would follow him into stores and restaurants demanding autographs and photo-opportunities, but mostly because he wanted to conserve his energies and concentrate, like a martial arts expert, on the job at hand: winning his favorite competition, the long jump, and bringing home another Gold Medal for the United States, the most fitting conclusion to his brilliant career in track and field.

This is an excerpt of what is considered a good long sentence. I've started it at the main clause. I just wanted some basic clarification on the highlighted parts. The first bolded line- this kind of pressure- just doesn't sound right and wondered if it matters (I think it would sound better without it), and just in general what type of dependent clause would we class the last line after United States. It's dependent but what type is it.


texts: Is "A list which its items are..." wrong?

texts:
I'm writing a piece of documentation for a program, I want to specify the return value of a function.
For sake of simplicity, I've assumed here that the function always returns a list with two items inside (i.e. [1, 2]).
For the "Return" part of the documentation, I need a sentence which indicates that

The return type is "list"
Items of the list are 1 and 2

What I wrote was

  Return: A list which its items are 1 and 2

But one of my colleagues believes that

  Return: A list the items of which are 1 and 2

is a better representation.

I want to know that:

Is the first sentence wrong?
Is the second form preferred?


texts:
My friend and a girl were talking and I heard her say to my friend "You stinker!"

What does this term mean?


texts:
Could you tell me how the following sentences are different?

Alice and Bob are not both in the room.
Alice and Bob are both not in the room.

Updated:

Could you divide the sentences into a set of grammatical chunks and point me how each chunk affects to another?


texts: Should I use articles and capitalization in code comments?

texts:
When I watch programming video tutorials I noticed that different people (native EN speakers) use different styles of commenting the code when it comes to articles.

Some use the headline style without article and capitalizing every word like:

<!-- Code To Set Right Block Color -->
background-color: red;

and some write it as a normal text:

<!-- The code to set the right block color -->
background-color: red;

My question is which of these two comment styles (or some other?) is more appropriate when commenting programming code when taking English rules into account ?


texts: What does a patient and doctor "got off" to a rough start mean?

texts:
To a non-native English learner like me, understanding of, and familiarizing with the wide scope of usages of idioms associated with basic verbs such as “do, get, go, let, make, and have” are always a great headache. For instance, there was the following sentence in New Yorker’s (July 11) article titled, “How to tell someone that she is dying”:

  “This raises a fundamental question about the doctor-patient
  relationship: Is modern medical practice all about “patient knows
  best?” or do physicians still need, on occasion, to cajole their
  patient into doing the right thing? The encounter between Elizabeth
  and her oncologist got off to a rough start and only got worse.”

What does the patient and doctor’s encounter “got off” to a rough start mean? Doe it mean they went or diverted into a rough start? What is a single word (verb) to represent for “got off” used here? Why is it "get off to," not "get off from (a rough start, and got worse)"?

CED defines “get off” as an idiom to mean;
1. escape a punishment, be acquitted.
2. go to sleep.
3. (usu. get off with) have a special encounter.
4. (usu. get off on) be excited or aroused.

Collins Cobuild English Dictionary defines “get off” as an idiom meaning;
1. not punished, or given a very small punishment.
2. leave a place because it is time for you to leave.
3. tell someone “get off” when they are touching you don’t want them to.

Which of the definitions of CED and Cobuild does the “got off” of the above article come under?


texts:
I'm searching for a word (singular or plural) to refer to a time of testing. A time when a person (or organization/civilization) is put to the test and, if they pass, they will come out of it changed for the better and stronger than ever.

Some examples:

They were testing times for the greek, but they became even stronger
and more resolute after their _____________.
I have my finals next week. You could say it's gonna be my ___________.
Next month, the company is under a goverment inspection. It's gonna be a ___________ to them.

The words provided don't need to fit perfectly in those examples; minor variations/rephrasing is allowed


texts: Meaning of "resp." in Debian acpi command

texts:
I was recently reading the documentation for the Debian ACPI client's acpi command, and came across the following line that I was unsure of the meaning of.
$ acpi --help
Usage: acpi [OPTION]...
Shows information from the /proc filesystem, such as battery status or
thermal information.
[snip]
  -d, --directory     path to ACPI info (/sys/class resp. /proc/acpi)
[snip]
Each of those directories contains information pertinent to ACPI information (that is, about system components like the battery and fans), but are not identical and are structured directly. I am specifically confused as to the meaning of "resp." in this snippet. My first thought was that it stood for "respectively", but that would usually precede the list elements, and this flag only takes one argument, not two.
With this said, does anybody know what the author of the acpi command intended? I'm at a loss here.


texts:
When you refer to "a man killed in a murder case", I understand you'll say "the murdered man" instead of "the killed man."
Why isn't the expression "the killed man" used?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  'Thanks and Regards,' or 'Thanks and regards,'?

In emails, there are greeting words such as Best regards and Best wishes. Should we capitalize the second word, so that they become Best Regards and Best Wishes?


texts: Is present continuous necessary to describe a current ongoing process?

texts:
I realize that idiomatically the present continuous is used to describe a current ongoing process, but is the tense necessary? Could the present tense with a current adverb suffice?
Is it grammatical to say:

I study English now.
Or, I study English currently.

Do I need the present continuous?


texts: Infinitive and present perfect together?

texts:
I am not sure if the following sentence is correct

Nonetheless, I consider that living with and have trained my own dogs have helped me to gain hands-on experience

Can somebody please help me?

Thanks


texts: What is the word for someone who hates confrontation?

texts:
Such a person doesn't mind losing or winning; however, they dislike having to experience resistance/confrontation.  To clarify, such a person does not necessarily "fear" confrontation but thinks confrontation is too much of a hassle.

Let's make a point that finds confrontation too much of a hassle is the primary meaning.

— A clarifying treat for those who get it; otherwise, insightful nonetheless:

"If I don't have to do it, I won't.  If I have to do it, I'll make it quick."


texts:
When auxiliary verbs are used, must tense agreement always hold? For example, which of the following is  grammatically correct?

  Yesterday, I realized that I can solve puzzles.

or

  Yesterday, I realized that I could solve puzzles.

I have this question because I was working on an SAT Writing problem, but came across the problem

  In the fifteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci suggested that defective vision can be corrected by placing a lens in direct contact with the eye.  No error

and the answer key says that the "can" should be "could".


texts: Can you tell the truth while saying a false statement

texts:
When someone is lying according to Wiktionary's definition they must be making an intentionally false statement

  1. lie (intransitive)
  To give false information intentionally with intent to deceive.

However, standing by English Oxford Dictionaries' definition, truth is also:

  truth
  1.2 count noun
  A fact or belief that is accepted as true.

does the semantic range of telling the truth include unintentional lying in America? If the speaker is unaware that the statement is false, are they telling the truth?


texts: Are there other verbs that work like “dare” and “need”?

texts:
The verbs dare and need do not require auxiliaries when used in the interrogative; for example, “need I?” is as acceptable as “do I need?”

Excluding the auxiliaries themselves (like be, do, have),
are there any other such verbs that work that way?


texts: Is "to" missing in the following phrase: "civil liberties be damned"?

texts:
I am currently reading a column by Thomas L. Friedman titled "We're always still Americans," published on December 11, 2014 in International New York Times.

  If there had been another 9/11 after the first 9/11, many Americans would have told the C.I.A. to do whatever it wants, civil liberties be damned."

I clearly get what the author is trying to say, but the more I look into the sentence, the more confused I become with its structure.

At first, I thought "would" was omitted between "liberties" and "be," thus having a parallel structure with "many Americans would have told the C.I.A. to do whatever it wants."

many Americans would have told the C.I.A. to do whatever it wants.
civil liberties would be damned.

But, then I realized that it wouldn't make sense because the conditional clause "If there had been another 9/11 after the first 9/11" requires the main clause to be "would + the present perfect" tense like below.

many Americans would have told the C.I.A. to do whatever it wants."
civil liberties would have been damned.

So, my next guess was the following:

many Americans would have told the C.I.A. to do whatever it wants and civil liberties to be damned.

Now, I am more convinced with my own second guess, but I don't know if the "to" is grammatically allowed to be omitted. If so, why?

If my second guess is wrong, can somebody explain the structure of the last phrase?


texts: Does "or", "and" at the end of a list determines meaning of the list?

texts:
I am confused with usage of "or" in a list. I found a similar question, Is it correct to use the conjunction “or” more than twice in one sentence? but this is not what I am looking for. Here is an example:

I want to say Ms. A wants to marry Mr. B or Mr. C or Mr. D.

In this case, is the following sentence correct? Ms. A wants to marry Mr. B, Mr. C,  or Mr. D.

Does the "or" at the end says that the list is connected by or?

I know that if were "and" in place of or (Ms. A wants to marry Mr. B, Mr. C,  and Mr. D), the sentence completely changes in meaning and means Ms. A wants to marry Mr. B and Mr. C, and Mr. D.

Thus, the coordinating conjunction "and", "or" at the end of the list determines whether list elements are connected by "and" or "or"?


texts:
The sentence is -

  They called their goodbyes and the train pulled out of the station.

The answer given in the book is -

  They having called their goodbyes, the train pulled out of the station.

Is it correct? I really doubt whether the book is correct.


texts:
the apparent image of a fishwife is one of a grouchy, rude, loud mouthed woman.
So I thought about being this woman.  Smelling of fish 24 hours a day, every day of my life would make me grouchy.  Sleeping with a man who smelled like of fish 24/7 would make me even grouchier.  Watching people come to me to buy my fish, and then stick up their noses at the smell, would make me rude.  Because I am not the only fishwife selling my husband's catch, I know the one with the loudest voice will get the customers.  Perhaps this is how the image became set.


texts:
In my English Wren and Martin Grammar book, the following sentence is converted from active to passive in the following way:-

Active:He kept me waiting.

Passive: I was kept waiting.

But I was wondering why can't you say 'I was kept waiting by him'. Is it just a just the way it is or is there a reason why the sentence I wrote is linguistically incorrect? Thanks in advance


texts: Another way of saying "as if it didn’t even exist"

texts:
This will be the opening sentence for a book chapter, so please forgive me for being a little hypercritical here... And it's also an important statement:

  'X' may be the most important invention in Computer Science, but most
  developers behave as if it didn’t even exist.

My question is: is there a better way to say "as if it didn’t even exist" in the sentence above? What's bugging me is the contraction, plus the sentence looks wordy and sounds convoluted to my simple ears.

Thanks!


texts: How to wish "get well soon" in the 3rd person

texts:
How to I convey "get-well soon-wishes" to a mother for her child.

Is there a more idiomatic expression than "I wish your son to get well soon"?

I am looking for an expression that can be used in emails and is professional but not too formal.


texts: English idiom equivalent to the German Gretchenfrage "wie hast du's mit...?"

texts:
In German, a Gretchenfrage is:

  Compound of Gretchen (diminutive of the given name Margarete) and "Frage" "question". In reference to Goethe's "Faust" (published 1808), where the character of Gretchen asks the protagonist, who is secretly in league with the devil, ''wie hast du's mit der Religion?'' "what is your take on religion?".

  [...]

  Any question going directly to the core of an issue.
  A crucial question that usually has a difficult or unpleasant answer.

So you could say, for example: "Wie hast/hältst du's mit dem Kapitalismus?"  "What's your take on capitalism?" (Often used when referring to a somewhat controversial topic.)

Is there a similar idiom in English?


texts: How does using a semicolon or a full stop change meaning?

texts:
Federal agencies and Wal-Mart are investigating the charges; C. J.’s Seafood did not respond to The Times’s request for comment.

In this statement, what is the effect of semicolon in the meaning and what would the change in meaning be if we used full-stop (period) instead of a semi-colon?

I would like to know a general rule for how the meaning changes, how it would affect similar sentences, etc. If you know of tutorials on this subject, I'd be most grateful.


texts: What is the correct use of idioms in the following sentence?

texts:
Choose the correct answer, Jeff made _ his neglect by taking Jane out for dinner next day.

  a) in for
  b) up for
  c) up against
  d) in against


texts:
Please tell me what sentence is right:
1) There was so much to read;
2) There was so much to be read.
Thank you


texts: Word for that speedy, agile class of fantasy heroes (rangers, ninjas, thieves, etc)

texts:
If knights/warriors are STRONG and wear armor, wizards/mages are INTELLIGENT and cast magic, then what do you call that class of fantasy heroes defined by their SPEED? (Rangers, monks, assassins, ninjas, thieves, swashbucklers, etc.)

In video games, they're often called "agility heroes", or defined as "leather armor wearers."

The best I could come up with is "specialists," but it's too vague. "Commandos" is too modern-military. "Ranger" is too specific: in fantasy contexts it means a Legolas-type. "Speed freak" is the only technically correct term, but it's ridiculous. "Athlete" invokes sports images. "Runner" invokes 80s sci-fi movies.

I'm tempted to just call them "agiles", but I'm afraid it's too weak. ("The knights and agiles leered at each other from across the bar." "While the knight battled the skeleton, the agile dashed for the crystal.")

Maybe there's a good foreign-language word...?

Any help is appreciated!


texts:
Here's a sentence that expresses an expectation for an object:

  I've been expecting your email.

How would it work if it had to express an expectation for an action instead?

Would the following be correct:

  I've been expecting you to write me.


texts: A word for somebody who is familiar with the ocean?

texts: Not looking for a word like "sailor" or "pirate"


texts:
I heard a native speaker say these words.
Looking at his watch, this gentleman said to someone:

  I have been all the time since lunch.

What makes this sentence grammatical ?
Is there more to it than meets the eye?


texts: What is the verb omitted in an idiom like "back to the drawing board?"

texts: "Back" is used in many expressions. For example, something like "Well, it’s Monday morning. Back to the salt mines" is often said. Would the full sentence be "I'll be back the salt mines" or "I'll go back to the salt mines?" Is future tense even used in expressions like these? If I say "It failed. Back to the drawing board" am I saying that I will go back to the drawing board or am I already back to the drawing board? As another example, for an expression like "back to the playground with you," what would be the omitted verb?


texts:
It is said [10] that
  whilst distilling nitric and sulfuric acids in his
  kitchen, Christian Friedrich Schönbein spilt his reaction mixture and mopped it
  up with a cotton apron... Clearly, a tidy soul, and doubtless not
  wanting to vex Frau Schönbein, he washed the apron,
  and hung it up to dry above the stove.

What does the author mean by tidy soul?


texts: Difference between "have had" and "having"

texts:
What is the difference between the following two sentences?

  I have had a headache since this morning.
  I am having a headache since this morning.


texts: managing difficulties but not simplicities?

texts:
Is there a word for a person or for the phenomena when a person can manage and complete a difficult task but he cannot perform simple tasks?

For example, it is easier for me to create a color image than it is to create a black/white image even though a color image is technically more advanced.

Or for example, if I can complete a Ph D in mathematics, which is difficult, but I can't know or perform something simple e.g. go shopping or answer the phone.


texts: Is it “grammar error” or “grammatical error”?

texts:
We say “spelling error”, which seems to imply it would be “grammar error” since both spelling and grammar are nouns, whereas grammatical is an adjective, but I can’t help think “grammatical error” is what I would say, and feels more correct. But it bothers me that the two phrases don’t have the same grammatical structure.

Similarly, I don’t think I would ever say “typography error”, but instead “typographical error”.

There is, apparently, “orthographical” as an near-equivalent form for “spelling”.


texts: Does the word “uzi” need to be capitalized?

texts:
"Uzi" is not contained in any Scrabble®  dictionary that I can find online. I am assuming that the Scrabble®  powers that be are treating it as a proper noun. However, after reading the Wikipedia article on the Uzi, I do not understand why it would be a proper noun. Here is the description from Wikipedia:

  The Uzi (Hebrew: עוזי, officially cased as UZI) /ˈuːzi/ (About this soundlisten) is a family of Israeli open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns....The first Uzi submachine gun was designed by Major Uziel Gal in the late 1940s.

To summarize, "uzi" is not a brand name, does not refer to a specific gun (it refers to a class of weapons), and does not refer to a specific manufacturer. The name is derived from a specific person, but does not refer to him. Why is this a proper noun?!

I understand that Uzi is often capitalized, but I don't understand why it should be. Furthermore, the official scrabble rules dictate that "words always capitalized" are not permitted. So another way of posing the question is this: is it permissible to write "uzi" (instead of "Uzi")? If not, why not?


texts:
I wonder what the following fragment of lyrics of the song "Ticket To The Moon" by Electric Light Orchestra means:

  Ticket to the moon

  Flight leaves here today from Satellite Two
  As the minutes go by, what should I do?
  I paid the fare, what more can I say?
  It's just one way (only one way)...

I suppose it may mean either it is the only right solution or *one cannot come back from moon", is it right?

P. S. English is a foreign language for me, so you're welcome to correct this question if something is wrong.


texts:
Anxious means 'very eager' or feeling nervous . Can you please explain the difference via an example.
I'm interested to hear other people's opinions on this.


texts:
What's the meaning of "a non-normative document"?

Does "non-normative" mean "casual"?

What's the significant difference between a normative document and a non-normative one?


texts: What "degrees" of consideration are there?

texts:
I am seriously considering taking English lessons

Are there other degrees of consideration that are a little less serious?


texts: "Both the first and the last [plural]" vs. "both the first and the last [singular]"

texts:
There is a recorded announcement I hear several times a day on the trains I catch to and from work. Here is part of the announcement:

  This train contains quiet carriages. Both the first and the last carriages are quiet carriages.

To me, this always sounds wrong. It feels like it should be

  This train contains quiet carriages. Both the first and the last carriage are quiet carriages.

This feels more apt, since each of the carriages being mentioned are singular. You would say for instance

  First and second place both get a medal

rather than places. Once you go to three or more things, then it is pluralised

  The first three places get medals.

Is this all correct? It's been bugging me for a while.


texts: What does 'hush your mouth' mean when Elton John says it?

texts:
In Elton John's song 'Porch Swing in Tupelo' when the following lyric is sung.

  There's a porch swing in Tupelo
  In the shade of the south
  Where the sweet honey drips off that   > old hush-yo'-mouth

I know that 'hush your mouth' means 'be quiet' but I'm not sure in this context.


texts:
I have a hyphenation problem.  I thought I understood the rule of when to insert a hyphen, but it's a term used so inconsistently I can't be sure.  For for the sake of this question, I will write the word hyphenated even though I am not entirely sure.  The word is:

  micro-endoscope

I see it written as:

micro-endoscope (which I favour because micro is a qualifier that is pertinent to describing what kind of endoscope it is)
microendoscope (then again this could be valid, because micrometer isn't hyphenated, and micro is still a qualifier...)
micro endoscope (I personally doubt this is correct)

And most frustratingly, I see all three used even in a single paper, which to me is sloppy.  Unless there a grammatical use rule I am missing that describes when a word like this is hyphenated...


texts:
Could you please let know why "to" Preposition is not used in first sentence, however in second one it is used.

  1) I welcome John.
  2) We welcome to “Veeru" junior.

I request you to please let me know when to use it ("to" Preposition) and when not to use in such type of sentences.

Thanks,
Charmi


texts: "It was a litany of gratitude to put an Oscar-winner to shame."

texts:
What is the meaning of the above sentence?

It was used in "Life after Noynoy," an article appearing in the August 1, 2015, issue of The Economist.

Extract:

  IT WAS a litany of gratitude to put an Oscar-winner to shame. In his
  last state-of-the-nation address to the Philippine Congress on July
  27th, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino thanked God, his late parents
  and political allies, along with his social secretary, hairdresser and
  clothes stylist. “We are”, he added, “only in the first chapter of the
  great story of the Filipino people.”


texts: Asking female employees to come to my room

texts:
I have a few female employees working at my office, and being a manager, I need to text them via Skype or Messenger to come to my room.
How can I ask them politely to come?

Please come to my room
Please come here

I don't find either of these formulations helpful; what is appropriate?


texts: What does 'fooling around' mean to a 1st Grader?

texts:
In English, when I say don't fool around with that, am I saying You are stupid!

I mean, my son came back from school today with a note from the teacher:

  Dear Dad,

  I was fooling around with a paper today and I go my clip moved. I was
  suppose to be paying attention to the teacher's lesson. 3 times she
  told me to stop fooling around and to put my hands on the table but I
  didn't. I'm sorry that I was fooling around in class.

  -Jon.

How do I explain this phrase to my son:

  Basically your teacher said you are stupid. That it is stupid to get distracted and play
  with a paper. While your teacher gives a lesson in front of class. That is what a stupid
  person would do. Don't do that again or she is going to think you really are stupid.

English is my second language so, before I tell my kid, Yea that was stupid to do! How do you explain that phrase?


texts: How do you differentiate between "in order to", "so as to", "so that" and "to"?

texts:
When we use the phrases so as to, in order to, and so that, we simply mean with the aim or
purpose of doing something. The first two phrases are always followed by an infinitive to.

Will I not be altering the meaning of the sentence, if I put both phrases in order to/so as to in one sentence, and also the phrase so that separately in another sentence? As in:

We took off our shoes so as to/in order to avoid scratching the newly finished floors.
We took off our shoes so that we can avoid scratching the newly finished floors.

Explicitly asking, which one of these phrases are informal and which one, not?

And is it okay to simply put the to-infinitive in written exams?

We took off our shoes to avoid scratching the newly finished floors.


texts:
Once upon a time in America, particularly during the 1970s, if you asked an American whether they ‘fancied a shag’, they might well have thought of this:

And therefore declined the offer for fear of rug-burn.
Meanwhile their kids, being still innocent, would have likely assented to the request, hoping that Scooby might be part of the offer:

But then the British Invasion poisoned all such bucolic memories once Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me hit the American cinema:

Lest any doubt remain about what is being discussed here, the following scintillating dialogue should wipe all those away:

Vanessa Kensington: Look, I know I'm being neurotic, but I can't shake off this suspicious feeling about that Italian secretary. You know, Miss Fagina. I don't want to sound paranoid, but I've had some bad relationships in the past, and I have been known to be jealous. I'm sorry.
Austin Powers: No, don't be sorry, baby. You're right to be suspicious. I shagged her.
Vanessa Kensington: What?
Austin Powers: I shagged her rotten, baby, yeah!
Vanessa Kensington: I don't believe you, Austin! I mean, she was repellant.
Austin Powers: Saucer of milk, table 2. Meow.
Vanessa Kensington: Well, did you use protection?
Austin Powers: Of course. I had my 9mm automatic.
Vanessa Kensington: You know I meant 'did you use a condom'?
Austin Powers: No. Only sailors use condoms, baby.
Vanessa Kensington: Not in the 90's, Austin.
Austin Powers: Well they should, those filthy buggers. They go from port to port.

My question is, where did this sense of shag come from? The OED calls this copulatory sense “of obscure origin” and provides a first citation dating from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue of 1788, in which the modern sense is first given.
But where does it really come from? Surely if it made a vulgar dictionary in 1788, there must be possible antedatings of the written not merely oral form.


texts: meaning of "the impossible" in this context

texts:
Well, I see in the Empire Building something else – passionate skill,
arduous and fearless idealism. The tallest building is a victory of
imagination. Instead of crouching close to earth like a beast, the
spirit of man soars to higher regions, and from this new point of
vantage he looks upon the impossible with fortified courage and dreams
yet more magnificent enterprises.

This is from Hellen Keller's letter saying what she saw on Empire State Building. I can't exactly understand what 'on the other bank' implies here.
I wonder what 'the impossible' refers to here. Is it the people with fortified courage and dreams yet more magnificent enterprises?


texts:
For example, I'm in an office and I want to see a certain person. How do I ask at the reception to ask this person to come down?
In other words, would those sound correct?

Can I ask for Peter, please?
Would you please call for Peter?
May I see Peter, please?


texts: I just heard this on BBC Radio 4: “We could not necessarily have predicted the pandemic”. Am I right in thinking that “necessarily” is meaningless in this context?


texts:
What does "junk-food-scoffing masses" mean? And what does "scoffing masses" mean here?

  Europe is now the biggest market for organic food in the world, expanding by 25 percent a year over the past 10 years. So what is the attraction of organic food for some people? The really important thing is that organic sounds more ‘natural’. Eating organic is a way of defining oneself as natural, good, caring, different from the junk-food-scoffing masses. As one journalist puts it: It feels closer to the source, the beginning, the start of things.'

  Organic food: why?
  Reading Practice IELTS


texts: The correct usage of to and in when asking if this is a person's first time in a city

texts:
I'm not sure how to explain this to my student. He is asking which of the following sentences are correct:

Is this your first time TO Tokyo?

or

Is this your first time IN Tokyo?

I'm thinking the 2nd sentence is correct but I'm not sure how to explain it. Any insights would be great! THank you in advance!


texts:
I am having an argument with someone over the following text:
"Please don't come into our home. We are Russian. We don't talk, we shoot"
He claims that saying "we are Russian" is grammatically incorrect in general and "we are Russians" should be used instead. I am 100% certain that in this particular context it makes more sense to say "we are Russian", rather than "we are Russians" but I am having a hard time convincing this person since we both aren't native speakers.
I appreciate your input :)


texts: How to express must be in past tense in an inference

texts:
How do I express something like below in correct grammar:

If he is 21 this year, he must be 20 last year.

The problem is that I want to express that his being 20 is in the past tense. It doesn't feel right to say he must have been 20.

Searching around in ESL, I found related questions (but the answers don't apply): Past tense of "must" when meaning logical probability , whose answer suggest to use must have been; Is "must" ever grammatical as a past tense verb? , whose answer suggests to use had to. But he had to be 20 doesn't sound right either.


texts: "get along" er "git along" or "go along" (does vehicular usage matter?)?

texts:
Why is that individual (quote attached as screenshot for evidence, servant turned their back to face away before issuing the command, to/for the conductor to drive) saying "get along" and not "go along"?
Is the carraige/stagecoach the reason for why they're saying get instead of go?
Strangely wording at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/get_along does not by definition, but https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/git_along does by definition, and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/go_along definitely says "to move along or proceed".
The actual wording from reading/watching Jane Eyre (BBC) steaming from Hulu is "Get along!".
Is that just how they actually spoke back then, did the editor/transcriber/writer/subtitler/captioner act correctly or make a mistake there, did the speaker slur the command "get" with "git" (like saying "ride") because of the horses present or being around horses so much, was rider/conductor/speaker's social class/status relevant to the usage, or were other factors defining that as passing for actual functional English?
If the vehicle moved, that means the code I mean language worked?


texts: where are the descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar used?

texts:
I understand the difference between these two approaches(prescriptive and descriptive?), but I need to know where or how do we use each them?
When is prescriptive is better to use?


texts: When is it more correct to say 'did not' and when 'didn't'?

texts:
I noticed multiple times, when writing in Microsoft Word that the program suggests a correction, from either form to the other.

I can't seem to follow the logic.

When is it better to say did not, and when is it better to say didn't?

Feel free to add or suggest relevant tags, as I am unfamiliar with the word for this subject in English.

EDIT:

above: Word tries to tell me what to do


texts: Word that means "periodically purged" or "cleansed by fire"

texts: What is a word that means "periodically purged" or "cleansed by fire"?


texts:
I read this phrase:

  My son cracks me up. He's had me laughing all day long. Must have taken after his daddy.

I want to know what after means in this construction, and if there is some formal construction equivalent to this one.


texts: What is a term for recent that covers the past week and the next week?

texts: I have a software user interface that toggles between the full schedule and a schedule that covers the most recent weekend and the upcoming weekend. Any idea what to call this?


texts: I wonder if the speaker of the speech is native or not

texts:
I'm a student studying English as a foreign language that means I'm studying English in the place where everyone else doesn't speak English at all.

So it is really hard for me to have a chance to use English.

I want to ask a question to native English speakers.

I was watching this video as the material of studying English(https://youtu.be/btb9wLkiKPE),

but i'm not sure whether she speaks like a native speaker.

How do you think?

P.S. The contents of the speech is very inspiring and moving. It touches your heart. :)


texts: What’s the original sense of the term “alveary”?

texts:
Lexicographer John Baret published, in about 1574, a dictionary of the English, Latin, and French languages, with occasional illustrations from the Greek. The dictionary  was called An Alvearie, or Triple Dictionarie.

Nowadays most dictionaries define the term alveary as beehive while  Lexico  provides only the following definition:

  A repository, especially of knowledge or information. Originally as the name of a dictionary encompassing several languages.

The term derives from Latin alvearium, from alveus (“hollow, belly, vessel, beehive”).

Apparently the term alveary in the multi-dictionary sense was an English usage (I couldn’t find this usage in Latin or other related languages).

My question is:

Did John Baret first introduce the term alveary into the English language with his dictionary or was the term already in use with the “beehive” sense at that time?


texts: What's a word for someone who wants to voice opinions but not have them challenged?

texts:
I'm trying to find the right word to describe someone who wants to voice their opinion about subjects (especially controversial ones or ones where the speaker is going against easily-provided facts) but who doesn't want those opinions challenged directly and gets angry if they are.

I'm looking for words with a negative connotation. I'm aware of the word "obstinate", but it doesn't really feel like it does the concept justice, perhaps because it can also be used to mean "not easily controlled" and can be interpreted as a positive. Also, obstinate seems to mean that someone won't change their mind in response to an argument and leaves out that the person explicitly forbids an argument from being presented in the first place. It also leaves out that the person not only won't change their mind about a subject but also wants to make sure others know what their opinion is.

Either a word or a phrase is fine. I'm just having difficulty finding the right words that fully capture the idea.

Edit

I don't feel like the question at Word for someone that always has to be right quite captures what I'm getting at here, though some of those answers might apply.

The need to be right isn't so much the important part as much as the unwillingness to discuss at all. The type of person I want a phrase to describe is the one who says, "Here is my opinion. I'm not looking for a debate." This type of person doesn't just say this about one issue, but about all issues, especially ones that are likely to entice others to discussion and debate.

It helps if the word or phrase describes someone who holds opinions that fly in the face of facts, but it's not strictly necessary. The cutting discussion off at the pass is more important than the ignorance.


texts: Is there a term that describes an always-newbie person?

texts:
I'm trying to find a term which describes a person that, although he/she is constantly learning through life, is aware of his/her own ignorance the more the person knows.

Does it exist?

Example sentence:

  "The truth is I thought that I was an expert in my field before
  starting at university, but as time passes I realize how little I
  know: I'm just a ______."


texts: Looking Forward for someone to doing something

texts:
I was wondering about "looking forward to" usage but adding in another subject. Is the following correct:

I am looking forward for Peter to go (/going/be going) on holidays?

I understand the basic usage (I am looking forward to going on holidays), but what about squeezing in another subject?


texts: A word for "Let's see if you and I have got the point for this ongoing conversation ..."

texts:
My friend and I are talking about an idea (like a chemistry lesson).

After the conversation goes on for some minutes, I need to check that what I said and what my friend said are really deeply understood by ourselves up to now.

So I repeat something we recently said (maybe in form of a question), to get a confirmation or verification (if there is one) to ensure that we have understood each other.

Is there a word (specially a verb) for this action?


texts: What is another way to say 'to keep tabs on someone'?

texts: What is a word to describe keeping track of someone? To know where they are and what they're doing, being completely responsible for them.


texts: Has the use of the subject pronoun after the verb "to be" become archaic?

texts:
"Is that your wretched husband on the phone again, my love?"
"Yes, of course it's him!"

Well, we all might think the use of "him" instead of "he" is wrong, but following "is" with "he" in contemporary language, especially dialog, is probably worse. What would my English teacher say? And what about poor "whom," that has all but disappeared?


texts: Grammatical term for a noun phrase which consists of an alternate descriptor of the object

texts:
(EDIT: It's called a noun phrase, not a clause)

I'm wondering what the correct term for this type of clause is, and what the appropriate punctuation is. For example:

  "I have lost my red hat, the hat I got for Christmas."

Is a comma the correct punctuation mark here, and what is the term for phraselike the one after the comma?


texts: One word which can mean "synonym" and "translation"

texts:
I'm working on a dictionary which can translate words between two languages. It can however also "translate" between the same language, which means that it finds a synonym.

In this context the definition of "synonym" according to Merriam-Webster is:

  1 :  one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses

The definition of "translation" in this context according to Merriam-Webster is:

  1 :  an act, process, or instance of translating: as
        a :  a rendering from one language into another; also :  the product of such a rendering

This means that both words are directly conflicting. I am looking for a word that can mean both.


texts: Use of "when about" as colloquial alternative to "approximately when"

texts:
If I wanted to ask someone approximately when they would be doing something, for example arriving, I could use

  Approximately when do you think you could do that?

Would the following be a correct and acceptable colloquial alternative?

  When about do you think you could do that?


texts: Expression/term for space between door and floor/wall

texts: Let's say smoke is escaping through a close door. It would be escaping through the space between the door and the floor or the wall, or perhaps between door and the jamb. Is there a term for that? Or is there an expression for that (perhaps: smoke seeping through the door? but that would suggest that it goes through door, rather than the space between the door and the floor or jamb).


texts: Meaning of "The nature of your imagining makes the claim that there couldn’t be a hearing of the imagined sort seem mistaken"

texts:
I need help with understanding this sentence:

  The nature of your imagining makes the claim that there couldn’t be a hearing of the imagined sort seem mistaken.


texts: Using active voice without personal pronouns

texts: When writing scientific research proposals I have been advised to try and stick to active voice because passive tends to sound indirect and to imply doubt.  However, when writing in active voice, I find it difficult to not use personal pronouns.  Does anyone have any tips for maintaining active voice without using personal pronouns?


texts:
My car manual says:

  To prevent  damage, NEVER hit or pull on the head restraints.

I understand pull on here as pull towards yourself, because it is the only way I can imagine the head restraints can be damaged.

I wonder if there is any difference between pull on and just pull. What is the additional semantics of on here or is it just redundant?


texts:
Does "credit" in the following sentence mean

  2) money that you borrow from a bank?

Or

  5) a sum of money paid into a bank account?

(OALD)

  Finally, in our progress toward a resumption of work we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order; there must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments.


texts: "Which" instead of "whose" for inanimate objects

texts:
Someone I know strongly insists that the usage of "which" in the following type of sentence

  I'm living in a country which language I have been learning for less than 5 months.

is perfectly appropriate, after I attempted to correct them by suggesting to replace "which" with "whose".

I am aware that some people frown upon using "whose" with inanimate or non-person referents, seeing it as a form of "who", which is generally reserved for people or personalized animals; that is not what I am specifically concerned with (I don't care much either way), but if the speaker elects to avoid "whose" in a sentence like the above, they should obviously replace it with something grammatical, and I do not think "which" qualifies.

They also insist that the following paragraph, which we randomly found on the web while debating it and searching for related examples,

  Schedule 3.23 sets forth list and description of all insurance policies currently owned by the Company relating to the Development Work or the assets of the Company, which policies are in full force and effect, and the Company is not in default under any of them.

is akin to the former sentence in its (presumably correct) usage of "which", strengthening their stance.

I think the two are completely different, as the latter is a list of things that "Schedule 3.23 sets forth", and not a relative clause; I also believe n-gram searches like this or this one are clear evidence that even if "whose" might not be ideal in these cases, "which" is certainly just unusable.

This also logically follows, in my opinion, from the realization that "whose" is semantically equivalent to "of which", except for style and for the fact it is mostly used with people, and "of which" clearly cannot be equivalent to "which" alone.

So, is the initial quotation I provided acceptable in English as the other person claims? Are my objections to that valid?


texts: What is the longest palindrome word in English?

texts: I want to know what the longest palindrome word is.


texts:
? She cracked an egg into the frying pan.

In this sentence, should cracked be replaced with broke?
I take that to crack means to break, but without causing a complete separation of the parts.

  The windshield of this car was cracked.


texts: Should I use singular or plural to describe the steps applied to a list of items?

texts:
Example:

  She told me that her father worked in a manufacturer of recycling
  equipment. They exported their machines practically all over the
  world: Australia, Germany, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina,
  among other countries. Since her father was the only one in the firm
  who spoke fluent English, he was the one responsible to fly to the
  site, sell the machine, and provide basic training on how to operate
  it.

Or should it be?

  She told me that her father worked in a manufacturer of recycling
  equipment. They exported their machines practically all over the
  world: Australia, Germany, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina,
  among other countries. Since her father was the only one in the firm
  who spoke fluent English, he was the one responsible to fly to the
  sites, sell the machines, and provide basic training on how to operate
  them.


texts:
The phrase "Can anyone of you" is often found on the Internet. If I paste another word instead of "you" into this phrase in the search box, I get results close to 0%.

  Can anyone of the native speakers of English give advice about this
  phrase?

or

  Can anyone of the grammarians here explain to me what's wrong with
  this example?

Is it correct to use this phrase with the words other than "you" after "anyone of"?


texts: Why is the term "aboriginal" never applied to Native Americans?

texts: It seems that the term is almost exclusively used to describe pre-colonial Australians, but most definitions that I found don't specify any given ethnicity.


texts: The sentence 'I use this way' sounds weird?

texts:
In the dictionary the word 'way' is regarded as a noun but is most of the time used as an adverb.
For example, I cook the meat in this way or this is the way I cook the meat
So, here is my question. If I say, 'I use this way in making cocktails', does this sound weird?
There might be many ways to make cocktails and I use this way.
'I' is a pronoun, 'use' is a verb, 'this way' could be a noun, which is a perfect sentence?


texts: Why is he saying ”This is us” when it means “This is ours”?

texts:
I found two examples of this kind in Harry Potter so far and in both cases, the speaker is Mr. Weasley and the listener is Harry. Does it add some nuance? Is it his habit of saying?

(In a lift of the Ministry of Magic building. They reach their story.)

  ”This is us, Harry,” said Mr. Weasley, and they followed the witch out of the lift into a corridor lined with doors. “My office is on the other side of the floor.” (Harry Potter 5 [US Version]: p.130-131) [Bold font is mine]

(They are looking for the camp site they booked in advance.)

  ”Always the same,” said Mr. Weasley, smiling. “We can’t resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this is us.”
  They had reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field, (Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.79) [Bold font is mine]


texts: What is the word for discrimination based on nationality?

texts:
Discrimination based on race is racism, discrimination based on sex is sexism. However, discrimination based on nationality is not nationalism because nationalism is pride for your country.
Here are some examples of discrimination based on nationality:
Ex. 1: You won't befriend a British man because their country used to have control over your country.
Ex. 2: You charge higher life insurance rates for an American man solely because they are American; you think they're all obese gun carriers.
Ex. 3: You want to work with a Chinese man because you think Chinese people are smart.
So, what would the word for discrimination based on nationality or country origin be?


texts:
In American English, à la mode means:

in fashion, up to date.
with ice cream.
(of beef) braised in wine, typically with vegetables.

While the first meaning matches the French meaning, the other two meanings are different. Why does à la mode have also the last two meanings, in English?


texts: What does ‘Move the bar on somebody’ mean?

texts:
According to Maureen Dawd’s article titled “Field of Dashed Dream’ appearing on August 16 New York Times, President Obama took a strong verbal punch on the chin from a woman supporter at a town hall meeting at the Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa.
She asked the President "what had gone wrong" with him, and continued:

  “So when you ran for office you built a tremendous amount of trust with the American people, that you seemed like someone who wouldn’t move the bar on us. ---
  And it seems as if your negotiating tactics have sort of cut away at that trust by compromising some key principles that we believed in, like repealing the tax cut, not fighting harder for single-payer. Even Social Security and Medicare seemed on the line when we were dealing with the debt ceiling.”

I don’t understand what ‘move the bar on somebody’ mean. I checked the meaning of this phrase on the Google, but couldn’t find out any definition.


texts: Is there a more general word than "type" or "kind" or "style" that fits these sentences?

texts:
Is there a particular word that satisfies the below sentences?

Low sodium is a ____ of soy sauce.
Extra strength is a ____ of medicine.
Hatchback is a ____ of vehicle.
Steel-toe is a ____ of boot.
Rechargable is a ____ of flashlight.

I think it's something like "type" or "kind" or "style" but it doesn't sound right using each one for each example.  Is there possibly a word that contains all these words as "subsets"?  (Like all frogs are amphibians)


texts: "Don't even get me nests than the client admitted to"

texts:
I'm trying to understand this phrase. What does it mean? Is it even grammatically correct?

Context:

  "How was the hunt though? Worth it?" the blond countered.

  "Don't even get me nests than the client admitted to, gore everywhere,
  and a pittance in payment." the lady hunter ranted and went into more
  detail.

This appears to be a quote from fanfiction.net. Lady Monotogari's Her Day. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4796968/1/Her-Day-Lady


texts:
I know that Latin and old French are implicated, but where does the old English "offrian" come from?

I mean: what is the word evolution from the root? Which root exactly: why this "ian" ending?

Wiktionary says it's from "offero", but I still don't see why "ian", and why, if old English has this word directly from Latin, it abandoned it to borrow an old French word "offer" in replacement.


texts: What do you call a person who is dogmatic in their opinion until someone they see as an authority has an opposing view, and they then flip?

texts: I used to think this was actually being dogmatic, but when I actually wrote that the other day I decided to check myself, and it doesn't appear to be the case, however I'm fairly certain there is a word for this behavior, this deference to select authority (e.g. someone doesn't believe in climate change regardless of the scientific consensus but then some radio personality he/she listens to starts espousing the danger and suddenly the person then believes in climate change).


texts: What is the word meaning: The best example of something? Not epitome. I heard someone describe a word, latin base?, with this meaning

texts:
This word was mentioned in a discussion about words that had once been used in history.  I believe he said that this word had a Latin base.  I believe, after capturing my attention a little late, that the word started with sak(?) and ended with ger(?).  It was a word he believed should be brought back into usage.  I agree.  Epitome, for me, just doesn't have the connotation best suited for certain, such, 'examples' that i have in mind.

Wouldn't we think that there should be at least a few words that would describe such a noteworthy thing in life and living?  The Best Example, Representation, of a thing, of something, of a condition, of a situation, of a sense, a feeling, a belief, a POV/Point of View?


texts:
One of my colleagues starts his email with a sentence like

"I send the pdf file I just received from the bureau."

every time he sends a file as an email attachment.
The use of the present tense (i.e. "send") always strikes me as odd and if I had to use the same verb, I would write:

"I am sending the pdf file ..."

But then, for some inexplicable reason, the verb "attach" seems to work fine in the present tense just as well as it does in the progressive:

"I attach a draft contract for your consideration."
"I am attaching a draft contract for your consideration."

Would you agree that "I send" sounds unnatural? Could any one shed light on why "attach" works in the present tense but "send" does not?
Thank you.


texts: Are there any words that were pejorative but are now used in a positive way?  Obviously, there are slang words that have changed meaning, but are there any others?


texts:
In this sentence:

  Five birds landed on the branch.

Is the word “five” an adjective? Why or why not?


texts: "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?"

texts:
What do delve and span mean in this quotation from John Ball's sermon addressing the rebels of the Peasant's Revolt?

  When Adam delved and Eve span,
  Who was then the gentleman?

It doesn't seem to fit the usual meaning of delve as in "to dig into," and I have no idea what Eve would be spinning in the Garden of Eden.


texts: Why does "love child" imply "out of wedlock"?

texts:
The etymology of love child says it derived as a polite form of "love brat" which was used around the 18th century.

My question is when two people are in love and they have a child, could you not call him/her a "love child"?

Edit: Why does it have to have the (rather negative) connotation that it is outside of marriage, when love itself is a positive emotion?

Funny enough, "love child" makes sense in Indian English, where there is a concept of "love marriage" and "arranged marriage" - as has been earlied posted.


texts: Isn't a “gonner” or “gonna” slang for a person about to die?

texts:
(I think this "blank" moment of mine is what is called in AmEng a brain fart, so be it)

Isn't ‘a gonner/gonna’ slang for a person who is about to die? It's said in situations where, potentially, someone risks getting themselves killed. Maybe children also use it when play acting. I'm sure there must be something similar but the dictionary entries tell me that ‘gonna’ is a contraction of "going to" and ‘gonner’ is not listed in The Free Dictionary.

For example:

  If you do that (a dangerous thing) you're a gonner

I presume a gonna or a gonner (or something similar) is short for “a person who is going to die”.


texts:
Often we say that an organization was founded a particular year. For example:

  The supermarket where I work was founded in May 1999.

But I've sometimes seen "founded" in the sentence above being replaced with "formed":

  The supermarket where I work was formed in May 1999.

Is it correct to say that an organization was "formed ..." instead of "founded in May 1999"? If so when?

Does it imply that the supermarket was formed by merging two existing supermarkets? Does it even imply that the supermarket is a cooperative?


texts: Is "less bad" correct usage of the language?

texts:
If an outcome is not as bad as the alternative. Is it correct to use "less bad" to conclude a comparison?

A: I've got bad news, her brother was in a car accident.
B: Is he hurt?
A: No, but the car is in bad shape.
B: Less bad.

edit
@RegDwigнt The car being broken is less bad/worse than the possibility of her brother having gotten himself hurt or dying. In Portuguese we say "less bad" as a conclusion and I wonder if it applies to English.


texts:
I am confused while writing a mathematical definition. Do we say

A set of functions whose derivative is equal to 1, or
A set of functions whose derivatives are equal to 1?

I would prefer the first option but it feels grammatically incorrect.


texts:
Here is a definition of generics, given by C.Lyons in "Definiteness" (1999):

"Generic noun phrases are those in which reference is made to an entire class, or, perhaps more accurately, which are used to express generalizations about a class as a whole* – the class in question being that consisting of all the entities satisfying the description inherent in the noun or nominal".

Now look at the following examples:

(1) There was some money in the jar;

(2) There was money in the jar;

In his article for the journal "Linguistic Inquiery (Vol.14, No,1 , Winter, 1983)", Erich Woisetschlaeger mentions Robert Fiengo, who treats "money" in (2) as generic:

"Fiengo (1974) is surely right in treating some money as having specific reference, and money as having generic reference".

I fail to see how money in (2) is a generalization about a class as a whole, rather it is a reference to a certain quantity of something, that fits the description of money:

There was some money in the jar --> there was something that fits the description of money (not all money);

My question is:

Does a generic reference include this idea of "something that fits the description" (and Lyons just happens not to state it explicitly) or are Woisetschlaeger and Fiengo plain wrong?


texts: What part of speech is "telling" in "that would be telling"?

texts:
In the phrase "that would be telling", what is the word "telling"? I think it would be either an adjective or a verb, but which is it?

Neither seems to be obviously wrong. I think the former would give a connotation of "If I were to disclose that, it would reveal too much", and the latter, "If I were to divulge that, I would be telling more than I could or would like".


texts:
Isn't a comma needed after "aggressive" in the sentence below? If so, what would the rule be? I think it's for a brief pause, but I cannot find a solid answer on Google.

Through the years my media intake became more aggressive averaging around 10 hours a day spent just on my phone.


texts: "a" verus "an" for abbreviations starting with 'U'

texts:
My friend is implementing an app for Amazon Alexa which currently speaks the indefinite article "an" in noun phrase acronyms which start with the letter 'U', for example:

(1.) *I found out he was an U.S. president.

My idiolect prefers "a" here instead, presumably because my aggregated experience of the "a/an" contrast perceived this as a rare (unique?) case where English formally licenses a syntactic alternation (insofar as spelling is overt syntax, and syntax is formal) driven by phonotactic considerations.

So much for the grade-school rule-of-thumb about "whether the spelling starts with a vowel." In any case, I'm a native speaker and it does seem to be the case for me:

(2a.) I'm an unhappy camper.
(2b.) Bob is a used car salesman.

Since "U.S." in sentence (1) is pronounced in as in (2b), I prefer the phonologically reduced form:

(3) I found out he was a U.S. president.

Apparently contradicting this idea is the evidence of native speakers who insist on "an" for words starting with 'H'.

(4) ?It was an historic victory.

I marked (4) questionable to indicate that it's not in my idiolect. My question is, without devolving into a prescriptive/descriptive debate, are there other considerations beyond what I've mentioned here that could explain or underlie the observed alternation?


texts:
We will get bashed if we did that.

Is this sentence grammatically correct? I am somewhat confused with the sentence structure.

To be more specific, I just want to make sure if the usage of 'did' here is correct. Is it also possible to say 'do'?


texts:
I noticed on Wikipedia there's always a 'The' before 'Ohio State University' but nothing before 'Arizona State University'. My findings were mirrored by search results of a corpus that includes articles of authoritative news outlets such as CNN, The Economist, BBC.

How come the use of the definite article is inconsistent between these two state universities?

Edit: My question is different from the one re [without THE] X University vs THE University of X. My question is: why for the same pattern ie X State University, it's THE Ohio State University and [without THE] Arizona State University? Does it mean the use of 'THE' can be arbitrary and prescriptive?


texts: The meaning and the origins of "everything's gone pear-shaped."

texts:
I've recently heard this phrase spoken twice on a British television show, and I assume it means something along the lines of, "everything's fallen apart," generally meaning, things are bad right now. Is this correct?

Two follow-up questions:

1) What is the history of this idiom?

2) Is it commonly used in other countries?


texts: No article in the prepositional complement of this prepositional phrase? Why?

texts:
The back of my VIP card reads: Present this card before payment

Why is there no any article before 'payment'? Shouldn't we add 'the' before 'payment'?

I understand in this case, maybe there is no article because 'payment' is uncountable, but are there any other reasons? (i.e. what if the word is countable, like 'before lunch / bath'?)


texts: what is the meaning of this sentences please tell me

texts: what is the meaning of this sentences, please tell me--""That she should forget me so quickly was rather a shock.""


texts: when differences stand in the way of further contact

texts:
What is a good adjective for differences when they stand in the way of people continuing seeing each other?

in a sentence:
"The differences are to '[adjective]' for them to continue to meet."
or
"Their '[adjective]' differences will cause them to grow apart."


texts:
Can we begin a sentence with 'referring to the Email below'?

E.g.: Referring to the Email below, I have sent all the required data to you.


texts: please let me know the nuance and teach me which is correct

texts:
This new sports complex is _________, so people can enjoy the games whatever the season is.
(A) encased (B) enclosed (C) encircled (D) enveloped


texts: agreement with compound subject, with an intervening prepositional phrase

texts:
I am struggling with a sentence, as in a condolence note:

Your kindness and friendship to both my parents [was/were] so special.

If I omit the "to both my parents" bit, then we have a compound subject that sounds natural with "were":

Your kindness and friendship were so special.

But when I add in the "to both my parents", my ear grates at the "were" and wants a "was" there. Which is correct, and what has changed?

I suspect that adding the phrase "to both my parents" in this way (without commas) creates an adherence between the "kindness" and "friendship" and effectively fuses the compound into a singular entity?


texts: Is ride-hailing the same as hail and ride?

texts:
I am not a native English speaker. I need some experience straight from the horse's mouth.
Today I read an article with the word 'ride-hailing' (and I posted a quote below this paragraph).
I got curious what ride-hailing is, so I opened my dictionary and tried to translate the word into my language. There have been no answers. There seem to be no equivalents in my language. I decided to add this word to a user-contributed dictionary. But, first, I need to understand the idea behind the word. This might help find a similar word in my language. So, I needed to understand what 'ride-hailing' was, and I googled it.
I have found no reliable sources to explain the word. However, there was a big Wikipedia article on ... hail and ride! The other serious-looking results were mostly about ... 'ride-hailing' and there is even an online dictionary article. Suddenly, I got an idea, an insight. What if both words - hail and ride and  ride-hailing are the same thing simply written in different words?
In this case, if the connotations - the words - are the same, than ride-hailing means hail and ride and, so I can continue with my little research.
THE QUESTION IS: are ride-hailing and hail and ride the same thing?

HERE IS THE QUOTE from TheGuardian with the original words:

  "Uber tripled federal lobbying efforts in 2016, spending $1.36m – a
  whopping $890,000 more than in 2015. These efforts focused on
  modernizing existing laws, including pushing to allow federal
  employees to use
  ride-hailing
  services when traveling on official
  business."

So, here they are talking about taxis, and not buses!

But, then, Wiki talks buses:

  In public transport in the United Kingdom and Australia, hail and ride
  is boarding or alighting a mode of public transport by signalling the
  driver or conductor that one wishes to board or alight, rather than
  the more conventional system of using a designated stop. Hail and ride
  is used primarily in bus transport.

Please, help me with your expertise. I understand you can speak different versions of English, so, it would be useful if you mentioned your part of the world.

P.S. The images in this article were borrowed from Business Standard and Transport for London. Also, I got puzzled by the Google image search results where ride-hailing was mainly about taxi, while hail and ride was about both buses and taxis.


texts: How to designate a human production which enables/stimulates/fosters reflection on a given topic?

texts:
I am wondering how to designate a human production (e.g. a book, a film, a painting) which manages to enable, to stimulate, to foster reflection on a particular matter or debate. Note that the intent of the work is not to provide a clear-cut answer to the foresaid matter, but rather to make you think about it, maybe by being ambiguous and displaying (explicitly or implicitly) various sides of the debate.
Some terms I have thought of are:

A support, e.g. her new novel about Eskimos and Berbers can serve as a support to think about the potential consequences of climate change on our daily lives;
A vector, e.g. the film served as a vector to reflect on the inequalities between men and women on the workplace;
A catalyst, e.g. Mondrian's paintings catalysed my reflections on what art is.

But they do not sound very "elegant" (i.e. literary) to me. Is there a more precise word for what I want to say?


texts: is there a specific word to call a situation if two keywords are performing tasks opposite to each other

texts: I have 2 keywords lets say "foo1" and "foo2" , these both keywords corresponds to some function they are assigned but I was performing some tests and noticed that I select "foo1" the program was performing the functionality of "foo2"and vice-versa, now I have to inform my boss in an email and I guess "mix up" is not a correct terminology to use , is there a specific term that I can use to report this "mix up"?


texts: Word to describe being grateful in an understated way?

texts:
I'm writing a letter asking for feedback from someone who is an expert on the topic. I would like to indicate that I am grateful for their input, and possibly how useful it is for me so as to praise them, but I don't want to give the impression that I am begging them to do something or that they would be making a huge sacrifice or to otherwise use hyperbole. Here are some phrases that I thought about and rejected:

  I would be honored/privileged/blessed  (too over the top, begging/groveling)
  It would benefit me enormously(too selfish, I want to indicate that their input is valuable not how much I get from it)
  I would love(somewhat better but doesn't really praise the expert or indicate how valuable the input is)

Is there a good word that fits my (vague) criteria?

edit: I would like to put the expert in the mindset that they would be demonstrating their expertise (which they might be more inclined to do), rather than just doing me a huge favor (which they might be less inclined to do).


texts: What’s the diminutive form of “reindeer”?

texts: Could you please tell me what the diminutive form of reindeer is? How do children call it? A pig is 'piggy', a dog is 'doggy', a reindeer is ... 'reinee'?


texts: Word for "less far" meaning the opposite of "further"?

texts:
Is there an equivalent like "further" of "less far"?

  "I still have energy, so I want to run further."

vs

  "I am out of energy, so I want to run [word meaning less distance]"


texts: Antonym of petitioner or "target of a request"

texts:
I am looking for a way to describe the target of a request/petition. This could be a person, an institution or a machine (common in the tech world). The word "receiver" is not specific enough for my taste and I feel it not only implies some kind of transfer but also a specific direction. I am trying to avoid this connotation because the target of a request could be requested to provide something, thus making it the opposite of a receiver.

I tried to google several variants of "word for target of a petition/request", but couldn't find anything useful. Then I decided to look for antonyms and thought "petitioner" would be a good search term.
I looked at thesaurus.com, but it doesn't show any antonyms for my request. Neither does Merriam-Webster. I did find 13 antonyms at Power Thesaurus, but the only one that seems to have some semantic match is "responsor", which Merriam-Webster in turn defines as

  the receiver component of an interrogator

This question goes in a similar direction, but has not been answered.

This question also goes in a similar direction, but then takes a computer-specific turn.

This question has almost the same basic idea, but has also not (really) been answered.

Is there even such a word in the English language?


texts: Need a word for 'spiderfy' or confirmation that spiderfy is OK to use in Technical Documentation

texts:
Question

Is spiderfy a word? Is it OK to use in technical documentation for software? Is there a better alternative?

Context

I'm using the Google Maps API and there is this concept that many developers in the GIS community refer to as spiderfying that resolves ambiguities between features (icons) on a map that exist at the same coordinates, or that are too close together to be easy to distinguish or act upon (click/touch) when the map is zoomed out. Often the markers are spread into a circle or a spiral with lines connecting each marker to the geographic point, and thus resembles a spider web, sort of.

Example

"Click on a cluster to spiderfy the markers so that you can choose your desired hotel."


texts: Word choice: An example that is used throughout a thesis

texts: I am writing a thesis in which there is an example that will be used throughout the thesis (repeatedly) to illustrate various methods or various aspects of the theory. I will introduce the example in the first chapter and want to use an adjective for it to emphasize the fact that it will be used throughout the thesis. But I don't know the word. I'm thinking of "standing example" or "recurring example" but they don't sound right to me. Which word should I use in this case?


texts: Some useful tips for/of learning English and any other languages?

texts: Should I use "for" or "of" for the sentence in the title? It feels right in both cases. I did some research on the internet but still I am having trouble deciding which one is correct. I would really appreciate some one to help clear things up for me.


texts: What’s the role of ‘because’ in this conversation?

texts:
I’ve lost track of the logical flow of the following conversation between Lucius Malfoy and Harry.

And still, behind his back, Dobby was pointing, first to the diary, then to Lucius Malfoy, then punching himself in the head.
And Harry suddenly understood. He nodded at Dobby, and Dobby backed into a corner, now twistng his ears in punishment.
”Don’t you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?” said Harry.
Lucius Malfoy rounded on him.
”How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?” he said.
”Because you gave it to her,” said Harry. “In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn’t you?” (Harry Potter 2 [US Version]: p.336)[Bold font is mine]

N.B.: Dobby is a kind of servant of Lucius Malfoy, Harry’s enemy. He conveys the fact by gesticulating that Lucius is the culprit who gave Ginny a kind of jinxed diary. He punishes himself for the betrayal of his master.
To be honest, I can’t understand why I can’t understand. I was thinking it was because I didn’t understand “Don’t you want to know -”, and asked.  But I still can’t get why Harry is saying “Because -”. It seems that they have a talk in a secret code.
How does the conversation progress? What reason is Harry conveying by saying because? I’d be glad if you could guide me through the conversation.


texts: Best word for portfolio / projects / references?

texts:
what would be the best word to describe finished projects / websites / applications?

It should be for company web page and it should be clear that after click person will see list of projects / websites / applications done in past.


texts: Which is correct: "full context" or "complete context"?

texts:
"For the full context, see this."

vs.

  For the complete context, see this."

Are both identical in meaning?

Do I need the article "the"?

Please explain.


texts: I need a word to describe the quality of a rectangle that is "upright"

texts: I would like a more formal word that describes the rectangle on the left as opposed to the slanted one on the right. For some reason, I can't seem to think of a description without being wordy...


texts:
In the novel A Day Among The Liars by Edward Page Mitchell, there is this sentence:

  "My rod creaked and bent double," a stout, red-faced gentleman was saying, "and the birch spun like a testotum."

Please can anyone explain the meaning of "birch spun like a testotum"?


texts: What does "come in" mean in the following context?

texts:
where does the Pro in iPad Pro come in?
Microphones come in an assortment of configurations to meet a variety of uses.

Does it means to function as some kind of contributor? Or does it mean to become available or be usable?


texts: Is it correct to use two present participles sequentially?

texts:
We are currently in the process of finishing planning for the outage.

It the preceding sentence grammatically correct?
Is the preceding sentence ideally structured?
If not, what would be a better way of saying it?


texts: What's the grammatical function of a registered number of units?

texts:
Consider this sentence:
The damage extended 400 yards either side of the island.
Should 400 yards be considered as the object of 'extended', an adverbial of extent, or subject complement to 'the damage'?


texts: Prefix "a-" in abash, abeyance and agape

texts:
From Wiktionary,

"abash" means "To make ashamed; to embarrass; to destroy the self-possession of, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, mistake, or inferiority; to disconcert; to discomfit."

"abeyance" means "Suspension; temporary suppression; dormant condition"

"agape" means "Being in a state of astonishment, wonder, expectation, or eager attention; as with mouth hanging open. "

In the given links, I found that

in "abash" and "abeyance", "bash" and "bey" both mean gape, i.e. open mouth wide. In the three words, are the meanings and reasons of "gape" the same?
"a-" in "abash" means "ex- (“out of”)", and in "abeyance" means "to". I am not sure about "a-" in "agape" ( meaning "in")?

Why do the three words mean so differently, given that they basically have the same prefix "a-" and root "gape"? I haven't understood yet, but the above is what I have found.


texts: I'm looking for a word that describes someone who sees themselves as a custodian of the land - working to do what is right rather than what is easy


texts: One word for an activity a person does to get close to someone

texts:
Is there a single English word for an activity a person does to try and get closer to someone? This someone might be:

  Someone they get a crush on, so they're like trying to be her/his boyfriend/girlfriend.

    or:
    Someone they want to know deeper. Like what a teacher does to her student, a mum does to her kids, a friend does to another friend.

In Indonesian we would call it: pendekatan.

In English, I can only think of:

  trying to get closer (which is not one word)
  approaching (which is merely translated to English)
  flirting or seducing (which is not the kind of approaching I'm looking for)

I suppose there is a more "English" word for this. (?)


texts:
Which sentence sounds better:

"Who is she speaking to?"

or

"To whom is she speaking?".

As I see, the both are grammatically correct, whereas books have the former example and in speech I notice the latter.


texts: how to say it if you used a wrong window on you instant messanger?

texts:
Can I use - oops wrong window? Sorry, I meant someone else? or...?

I'm talking about very informal situation when you are (text) chatting through Skype or other IM with several friends at the same time and every single conversation is displayed in a separate window. By mistake, you write and send something what was intended to someone else. :)
Thank you.


texts: Best regards - used more frequently in e-mail by non-native speakers?

texts:
I'm British and have lived and worked in Spain for several years. I continuously correspond in English with people from many countries. I find that emails written by people from non-English speaking countries commonly end with 'Best regards', while this valediction is uncommon in correspondence with native speakers.

The questions, answers and comments proposing the use of 'best regards' on this forum and other places from my Google search appear to be posted predominantly by people with non-English sounding usernames.

I have nothing against 'best regards', but my recommendation to advanced English users in non-English speaking countries who want their emails to look as 'native' as possible is to substitute 'best regards' with 'kind regards' or 'best wishes'. Is this a valid suggestion?


texts: Can you hyphenate paste tense verb for typesetting purposes?

texts:
One way to deal with line breaks is to have ragged justification (like in MS Word). Another is to vary interword spacing and use hyphens where necessary. I much prefer the latter. I am not 100% certain of the rules for this, however, and this isn't the sort of thing they teach anymore so I haven't been able to find an answer to my question.

That would be "Can I hyphenate words like 'stopped' as 'stop-ped' or perhaps 'stopp-ed' when they come at the end of a line?"


texts: What's the meaning of "age-in-cohort" in the following quotation?

texts:
I don't understand what "age-in-cohort" means in the following partial sentence:

  "gender differences, age-in-cohort differences and differences in the experiences"

Can someone explain?


texts: word for someone who leaves one society for another

texts: I'm looking for a word that doesn't have such negative connotations as defector, dissident etc, but still implies actively turning from one set of ideas in favour of another.


texts: How to use upper case for plural and commonly used abbreviations in thesis title?

texts: Suppose my PhD dissertation title is "small RNAs and gene silencing with RNAi". The university manual says I have to have uppercase title in my dissertation which then becomes "SMALL RNAS AND GENE SILENCING WITH RNAI". In this case, the upper case title could be confusing as it doesn't properly reflect what "RNAi" and "small RNAs" mean. What would be your suggestion? Thanks


texts: A word for the level of disagreement/complaining that is socially acceptable?

texts: Say you are on a committee and you disagree with almost everything that the committee does. There is a certain level of dissent that you can get away with before people begin to ignore you and it stops being constructive. This "complaint quota" is what I'm trying to find a word for. If there is no word, what is another way to phrase this, specifically when you have "run out" of "complaint quota"?


texts: What does "their" refer to in this sentence?

texts:
I'm having a hard time with this sentence:

  Professional bodies will monitor, and if necessary, discipline members who do not adhere to their ethical principles.

Does 'their' refer to the members or to the professional bodies?


texts: "We liaise very close" or "We liaise very closely"?

texts: I've seen "we liaise very close" in a textbook. How come an adjective is used?


texts:
The abbreviation cf. according to Wikipedia should be read as compare. Which, therefore, of the following would be a more correct statement:

  1) The properties of the electric field are given below (cf. with the magnetic field).

  2)The properties of the electric field are given below (cf. the magnetic field).


texts: Difference between Pragmatics and Sociolinguistics

texts:
I have been doing some intense research on sociolinguistics and pragmatics and am becoming more and more confused as to what the distinction between them is.

If someone could describe both concepts and then highlight their similarities and differences, that would be greatly appreciated.