texts: Is `composability` a proper word in English?

texts: Is composability a proper word in English ? Suppose I have a set of elements and can compose them to create different structures. May I call this property of the set "composability" ?


texts: Is it appropriate to use short form of "have" ('ve) when it means possession?

texts:
I feel uncomfortable saying sentences like the following:

"I've a car" instead of "I have a car"
"They've a great time" instead of "They have a great time"
"He's a pen" instead of "He has a pen"
etc

I ask this because I read this sort of thing in a book.

Are they correct? And what is the rule? Can you use such forms in a formal setting?


texts:
(1) A: Where are you from? B: I'm from the U.S.
(2) A: When do you leave? B: I leave a week from tomorrow/July 7th/this coming Sunday.

Traditional grammar classifies where and when in (1) and (2) as adverbs but some modern grammars (such as The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language and Oxford Modern English Grammar) classify them as prepositions.
I was wondering if it would be possible to classify them as pronouns, in part because, as shown above, they seem to correspond to noun phrases such as the U.S., a week from tomorrow, July 7th, this coming Sunday, etc.
Hence the question: Does any grammar (book or theory) classify 'where' and 'when' as pronouns?

Although the above examples are interrogative clauses, relative clauses can also be discussed.

Traditional grammar's classification of where and when as adverbs is problematic because too many words whose POS are hard to classify are lumped together as adverbs. By the same token, I believe that CGEL and OMEG's classification of where and when as prepositions is also problematic because too many words whose POS are hard to classify are lumped together as prepositions.
So there may well be some grammarians/linguists who are trying to find the middle ground between the two extremes, hopefully.


texts:
I have been wondering, how would I state this:

"Loading Bitmaps Settings"

It seems weird if either of them were singular, but it looks weird the way it is.

A second example:

"It roots plants"

"It favors pears"

Also, actually are a bit different...

"who steals products that are broken"


texts: Equivalent of 'open mic', but for web camera

texts:
A lot of us who are WFH are still learning how to adapt to the current situation. I am printing up some warning signs for our "crew" who are stuck in the house with me and sharing space.
What is the equivalent of "open mic" for cameras? i.e.

Don't walk behind me because everyone can see you on my web cam.

The sign would read:

Do not disturb
open mic, [cam on?]

How do I refer to the 2 separate prohibitions? The umbrella term "On Air", however useful, does not actually refer to "on camera". In other words, it is possible to be quiet, but still intrude in the "on camera".


texts: Is there an online site or API that provides definitive, uncensored translations of internet slang words?

texts:
I am a computer scientist studying on sentiment analysis. I need to retrieve uncensored translations of internet slang words such as wtf, lmfao. There are some websites that provide translations for slang words but they censor some letters if the translation contains "nasty" words.

Your recommendations are highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: Since I am developing a software, there will be no human-aid during translations. So what I exactly need is a service that provides first (most well-known) meanings of slang words.


texts:
In a mathematical context (explaining a formula just written) the following seems  unobjectionable: "The set of unitary polynomials has been denoted by P".
My question is whether it sounds right to skip the preposition "by", so that the sentence would read: "The set of unitary polynomials has been denoted P".


texts: "s" suffix usage for words "electronic" and "communication"

texts:
Specifically I want to know in this context:

Electronics and Communications Engineering

Electronic and Communication Engineering

Electronics and Communication Engineering

Electronic and Communications Engineering

Which is correct?


texts: Is it ok to say "fill in the blank spaces"?

texts: There is a dispute between two guys in our village. One guy says "fill in the blank spaces" is not right and instead "fill in the blanks" should be used. Now I know "fill in the blanks" is right but is there something wrong with saying "fill in the blank spaces"?


texts:
Help my sister peel oranges.
Help my sister to peel oranges.
Help my sister peeling oranges.
Help my sister with peeling oranges.

Which of the above is/are correct, and why are the others incorrect?


texts:
This is from Michael Lewis's book, Liar's Poker:

  I’m not sure any of them had what you’d call genuine ethnic identity. But they were an oppressed minority. And they shed rather than acquired airs. They were back-row people to a man.

What does "And they shed rather than acquired airs." mean?

The definition of airs is:

  affected or unnatural manner; manifestation of pride or vanity; assumed haughtiness:

But I don't understand what does "they shed" mean.

Thanks for the help!


texts:
When telling the time, are the following expressions legal or natural to native speakers:

e.g.:
1. It's thirty past six (without adding "minutes").
2. It's half an hour past six (adding "an hour").

Also, are there any difference or restrictions between using after and past (Are they ALWAYS interchangeable)? And is it common to use preposition to in "It's twenty-three to seven"(weird for me because 6:37 is definitely more straightforward, so why bother say it the other way round)?


texts: Is the use of the word “terrible” in a positive sense at all common?

texts:
I recently had an argument with one gentleman where he charged that he had heard the word terrible being used in a positive sense, as if something was good, or great. I had lived in the States for over 12 years where I was exposed to different strata of society from PhDs to lowly construction workers and warehouse serfs one of whom I was as well. I have heard people talk of all sorts of bad, brutal, sick, even ill, and generally awesome things, but I had never encountered the word terrible being used that way, even in this age of ironic hipsters.

In the question about the origins of the word, few people pointed out that in French the word terrible does have a positive colloquial meaning, which is confirmed by several dictionaries. Likewise, English dictionaries acknowledge different meanings for the sister word terrific pointing that the meaning of fantastic and the like is informal, and the meaning of inspiring terror is archaic. But no respectable dictionary I had checked does mention any sort of ambiguity in regards of terrible.

The only source known to me as yet that acknowledges the positive sense of terrible is Urban Dictionary, and even there it has been consistently downvoted. Yet, it still received some votes, so at least some people think there is a legitimacy to this claim. Is there anything to this at all? Is that some sort of new phenomenon, or is it utterly misguided? If it is indeed real, are there any examples of such usage in popular culture?


texts:
In the following phrase, we are debating if a possessive genitive form should be used or not:

  "Such mapping enabled the use of the classical statistical mechanics' tools"

Should "classical statistical mechanics" be modified with the apostrophe to express a genitive form?


texts: "I wanted to" vs "I want to" when referring to the future

texts: Why do people say "I wanted to" instead of "I want to" when referring to a future event, as in "Tony wanted me to go out with him tomorrow night," instead of "Tony wants me to go out with him tomorrow night"? Is this some form of subjunctive?


texts: Can someone please explain the syntactic rules at work here?

texts:
I'll use an example statement that's currently being used in a radio commercial for American Family Insurance (paraphrased.)

  They all told me that I couldn't build my dream home by myself; but, I didn't.

Can someone please lex this to identify why but, I didn't is referring to the fact that the dream home was built and it was not build by myself; whereas and, I didn't would introduce ambiguity as to whether the dream home was built or not; or that it was built but not by myself.

To state my question another way: if I were to attempt to automate a lexical analysis of this statement -exactly as it has been provided- to conclude that the house was built with the help of others, what rules would I need to consider?

Apart from bare assertions that the sentence parses a different way, can anyone see any alternative interpretations?

[Edit]

I see the but as an adverbial conjunction and that's why my parsing is conflicting with that of others who are seeing it as a coordinating conjunction.

  They all told me that I couldn't build my dream home by myself, only I didn't.

With this understanding, it is clear to see that this is the structure they are using.  The question now is...is that the proper structure of an adverbial but?  It feels natural to me, but by the responses below, others seem to disagree.


texts: In my grammar book (English Grammar, HarperCollins Publishers), I read that none is occasionally treated as plural, but it is usually regarded as singular. Can you give me an example of sentence where none is used as plural pronoun?


texts: Archaic gradation words/constructs synonymous to "more" and "less"?

texts:
Are there any adverbs/pronouns (or sentence constructs) that fulfilled the gradation role of more and less in Early Modern English, that currently fell out of use or exist only in marginal, archaic or domain-specific speech?
example: how could one rephrase these sentences into Early Modern English, so that they don't use the the words 'more' or 'less'?

You did more for me than you imagine.
Less gawking, more helping!
I should study that some more.
I meant that more... figuratively.
Pour me some more coffee, please.

(note, if there are no such words, an answer that states so is perfectly acceptable)


texts: Can "nepotist" mean the recipient of nepotism?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describe someone who benefits from nepotism.

My initial thought was "nepotist," but I've only ever seen that word used to refer to the giver of benefits, not the recipient. Merriam-Webster defines it simply as "one who practices nepotism," but I think its a bit ambiguous as to whether the family member receiving the benefits is actually "practicing" nepotism.

So can "nepotist" be used to refer to the recipient of benefits? If not, are there other phrases or words I could use?


texts: Does smiles all over mean smiles are ended?

texts: It is silly but I got confused over does it mean smiles are ended or does it mean smiles are everywhere?


texts: The phrase "We've got ~" spoken by British people

texts:
I sometimes hear British people say "We've got ~" just like "We've got an apple", instead of " We have an apple."
And I wonder if British people use "We have ~" or not.
Is this phrase used in conversations in daily life?


texts: When did replacing "yes" with "absolutely" come into common usage?

texts:
Replacing simple, concise words with longer, more obscure ones has long been a hallmark of bureaucratic reports and student papers.  Consider the response "yes" (and its other less formal variants) being replaced by the word "absolutely".

I began noticing this in my daughter's informal speech several years ago, and since then have noticed it in guest interviews (mostly on public radio shows) in places where the particular character of "absolutely" is not needed, and "yes" would be (at least, in my opinion) a better word choice.

My best hunch is that this usage began with some particular character in a serial on television or similar, or in a movie. But I don't do television, or movies, so don't know where the usage began. Any ideas on this: who, why, where, or a more precise "when"?


texts:
Is it well?

  When is the post office close?
  What time the post office close?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Is "I want to learn how to swim" the right expression, or should I have said so:
"I want to learn to swim."?


texts: Australian English: developed or developped?

texts:
According to https://proofreadmydocument.com.au/writing-tips/spelling-tips-the-doubling-up-rule/ and https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/resources/view/resource/20/, we should spell the past participle of "develop" as "developed", and the present particple as "developing" (mult-syllable, unstressed final syllable of the stem). Goolge prefers it, too. Still, it provides us with over 23800 references for

  site:.au "developped"

Are they all wrong?

As for Bing,

  site:.au "developed"

and

  site:.au "developped"

have approximately the same counts.


texts:
This must be a simple question for a native speaker.

I know that we use "on" with dates: I'll see you on January 1st.

And we use "at" with times: I'll see you at 17:30.

But what preposition has to be used when we speak for date and time:

I'll see you on January 1st at 17:30. looks ok.

But what in this case: It happened on 2014-01-01 17:30.

Is "on" correct when we are specifying the date and the time?

The date-time comes as a ready text as 2014-01-01 17:30 and I cannot modify it. I can only put text before the date-time string or after it.


texts: Is it correct to use water pool instead of swimming pool? In some hotel descriptions I have found water pool, but it looks like it was a mistake.


texts: "Czar" vs "tsar" - origins and pronunciation

texts:
How did the word come into English with the two variants czar and tsar?
The 'ts' spelling is a transliteration of the Russian 'царь', but the 'cz' spelling is what interests me more. To me it looks Polish, where 'cz' is common, but is pronounced as English 'ch'. Where did this second form come from?


texts:
The expression "sleep together" has a sexual context, but I'm looking for the expression when two or more people are literally sleeping together. Is there such an expression? The usage would be for cute fictional character stories.

  They both climbed into the bed, snuggled up like cats and slept together.


texts:
"Fine" as an adjective means:

of very high quality; very good of its kind.
very thin or narrow.
[in Cricket] directed or stationed behind the wicket and close to the line of flight of the ball when it is bowled.

I found the following usage of the term "fine" in my textbooks, that say:

I am fine.
Fine adjustment screw [the part of microscope]
Throughout history, people have cut up the bodies of living things to find out what is inside. Their study was limited to what the eye could see, the fine details inside the organs were unknown.

Which sense (from the definitions mentioned above) does these three usages suggest?

Does saying "I am fine" really mean I am having high quality?

Doesn't that mean thin or narrow when I say "fine adjustment screw"?

How can a detail be of a highly quality when I say "...the fine details inside the organs."?

What are the other usage example of "fine"?


texts: recommend you to try or recomend you to trying?

texts:
Should it be:

  I highly recommend you to try tea with ginger and squeezed lemon
  or

  I highly recommend you to trying tea with ginger and squeezed lemon


texts: Is there a word that describes "ranking up a position"?

texts:
Is there a good word to describe "ranking up a position"?

For example, say a programmer: A junior programmer _____s into a senior programmer....

Ranks up doesn't sound that good, and I'm looking for a single word (if any exists).


texts: What does "the reactor core inventory" mean?

texts:
I found the following expression in New York Times:

  On the International Nuclear Event Scale, a Level 7 nuclear accident
  involves "widespread health and environmental effects" and the
  "external release of a significant fraction of the reactor core
  inventory."

In this sentence, I couldn't understand what "a significant fraction of the reactor core inventory" means. I think this refers to radioactive materials. Is that right? But if so, I don't know why such an expression is used.

According to Longman dictionary, "inventory" means "a list of all the things in a place".
And "fraction" means "a very small amount of something".

Then, it follows that the phrase in question means "a small significant amount of a list of all the things in the reactor core". Is it correct to interpret this means "radioactive materials".  If not, could you tell me "a significant fraction of the reactor core inventory"?

Also, significant modifies not "its amount" but "its quality". Is that right?


texts:
My student wrote in his essay

  it gives her face a peculiar charm?

I tried all the dictionaries at hand (hard-copy and electronic ones) but did not find a definite answer whether this phrase sounds English. Could you please help me?


texts: A song "cheap thrills", what's meaning of it?


texts:
Hi smart English people!
I'm writing a sentence in the active past tense describing a notebook. The wording is awkward.
"I treasured my mint green, pocket-sized notebook designed with silhouettes of songbirds perched on daisies."
"I treasured... notebook" is a complete thought, but the rest of the sentence seems to long and wordy of a clause. Would the sentence make more sense if I changed to "I treasured my mint green, pocket-sized notebook that was designed with silhouettes of songbirds perched on daisies."?
I want to keep writing in the active voice, so this isn't the perfect solution. Any suggestions? Is my original sentence correct?


texts: What causes the predominantly female gendering of objects?

texts:
In English, objects are not generally gendered, as we have neutral pronouns used specifically for that purpose. I've noticed that when gendered pronouns are used for non-gendered objects, though, people generally tend to use female pronouns.

e.g:

"New Amsterdam", by Moondog:

  "[...]For she's [New York] been loving to me/And I'm the better for
  having met her."

Airplanes
People referring to boat names as female, in general

Why does this phenomenon happen? Is there any specific reason or meaning for these constructions?

Note: English is not my mother tongue, so please, if this is actually a common english mechanism for native speakers, tell me so I can post it at ELL.


texts: What is the Old English(Ænȝlıſc/Eald Englisc/Anglo Saxon) Word for "Grammatical Case?"

texts:
I am curious as to what the Ænȝlıſc word is for "grammatical case." I remembered hearing a man say it before, but I cannot remember for sure. If I recall, he said something along the lines of "ſe Fæle," which is the same gender as, and very similar to the German word: "der Falle."

I thank any for any in advance.


texts: What would you call the opposite of hypocrisy?

texts:
If a person prescribed themselves a set of what is morally allowable, and that set was larger than what they prescribed to other people, I would call that person a hypocrite.

For example, suppose Johnny chooses to get circumcised (it's in his set of morally allowable actions), but he tells others it is wrong to be circumcised. So his set of morally allowable actions is larger than others, making him a hypocrite.

If a person prescribed themselves a set of what is morally allowable, and that set was exactly the same size as what they prescribed to other people, I would call that person morally consistent or something like that.

For example, Johnny has chosen to get circumcised and he tells others it is fine to get circumcised.

Finally, and this is my question, what if a person prescribes for themselves a set of what is morally allowable, and that set is smaller than what they prescribe for others?

For example, Johnny feels like it would be wrong for him to get circumcised, but he tells others it is fine to get circumcised.

What would I call this person?

Principled? But that won't highlight the imbalance here.
Inconsistent? Irrational? Self-loathing? Those seem to give a unneeded negative connotation.
Isolationist? Empathetic? Morally generous? Convicted?


texts: Is it correct to start a sentence with "Ad question one..."?

texts:
I'm pretty sure I've read "Ad question one..." in the sense of "Addressing question one..." before, but the only usage on the web I find is by someone with a Hispanic name and m-w.com doesn't seem to know it.

I've always thought it was derived from a Latin expression and (therefore) sophisticated.


texts: Difference between wing chair and armchair

texts:
What's the difference between wing chair and armchair?

I searched both with Google images and they looked almost the same -- chairs with sides where we can put our arms on them.

Thank you in advance!


texts:
I am creating an ad for a newspaper and want to emphasize a word. Can I use a capital for the word and follow with an exclamation point in the middle of a sentence?

Here is what I am saying:

  CRC is Preventable!


texts: Do I have to put ,Inc. every time I mention our company in a single article?

texts:
I write blogs for our company website, often commenting on what services our company provides, so I will usually mention our company name a few times in the article. It is a local company, but it is incorporated and the official name of the company includes ",Inc." at the end.
I always include the full name of the company in the first instance in an article, but because our full name is a bit long, I've been shortening it in the rest of the article. Is that bad grammar or improper etiquette?
Example: if our full name is "A-1 Safety & Training, Inc." can I say the full name once at the beginning of the article and then just say "A-1 Safety" in the rest of the article or should I use the full name in every instance? What is proper?


texts: "X is dreaded by Y", who is the one causing the dread - and who is on the receiving end?


texts: Meaning of 'be upset', angry or not calm? Maybe evolved after decades?

texts:
I've thought for years that when you are upset, it means "you've just heard some unexpected news or something shocking, and as a result, you're not calm and probably you can't judge as correctly as usual." (I think it's a common translation found for the word "慌てた" in Japanese-English dictionaries.)

But I find in many English dictionaries, in paper, or online, it's said to mean "be irritated" or "be angry". Was I wrong, or is my explanation not wrong but a rarer usage?

If it means "be angry", let me ask two more questions.

Has the meaning changed? Older English dictionaries don't tend to explain much in this regards. They only say "disturbing" = "vomitting" or so.
Are there any English word that corresponds to my "old" meaning? "lost calmness" or so?


texts:
So I am reading an essay by George Orwell. The essay is written in first person (I) but what I
cannot understand is whether that is Orwell speaking in the essay or some random speaker that speaks in first person. Basically what I am asking is whether that is possible for there to be a narrator of a story who talks in first person without it being the author of the essay.


texts: Book Title With Exclamation Mark Followed by a comma

texts:
I was wondering if the following sentence is written correct for an essay:

  From 1607 to 1700, according to Eric Foner in his book Give Me Liberty!, over half a million people migrated to America from England.

The title of the book I am referencing is Give Me Liberty! with an exclamation mark in the title. Is the comma following the exclamation mark correct? Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Nick


texts: Why Are Baseball Metaphors Popular for Corporate Jargon?

texts:
Why are sports metaphors (football, baseball) so popular in western corporate cultures? I find that sports metaphors are frequently used as popular jargon there.

It seems like they're less used in Europe. It is really hard to explain why western cultures use them so freely, and also why sports metaphors are so popular and natural to them. Why are some cultures more attracted to using them? Are people in the UK also into using sports metaphors?

Why do some cultures not use them? Is it due to some fundamental cultural difference? Like, some cultures may have trouble understanding the corporate environment in that lens or see why applying such idioms reflects deeper cultural stuff. I have a lot of trouble explaining why they are so endemic and natural in western environments, even to people who don't play sports. And why that is reflective of their cultural lens.


texts: Difference between "be promoted soon" and "soon be promoted"?

texts:
You have done well and you will be promoted soon.
  You have done well and you will soon be promoted.

What's the difference? Is one of them grammatically wrong?

EDIT: I asked one of my friends and he gave me a vague theory that adverbs of time should come before the verb if they occur before it. In this example, the time "soon" should come before "be promoted" because the time which is appropriate for his promotion would come before his manager signs his promotion.

If anyone has ever heard of such a rule then kindly enlighten me.


texts: Which tense should a verb take when parentheses could alter the tense?

texts:
In the following sentence I'd like to convey that "I don't know what space an item currently takes up or what space it will take up at some undefined future time". I contracted the sentence using parentheses* to read:

  I don't know what space it (will) take up.

My memory of primary school tells me that a sentence should still make sense if the bracketed section was removed, meaning I would have to conjugate "take" as if it were present tense. When I read this, however, it sounds wrong.

  I don't know what space it (will) takes up.

Should I always favour the way the complete sentence reads, in this case, conjugating for the future tense?

*brackets [BrE] but my programmer mind is often tuned to AmE alternatives.


texts: "The base of this decision is on..." or "The basis of this decision is on..."?

texts:
I was reading an email and I came across the sentence

  The base of this decision is on the overall performance.

Is this correct?

Should it be the following?

  The basis of this decision is on the overall performance.


texts: Can I use latter when there is only one option?

texts:
In this sentence, "latter" sounds good to me (but I am not a native English speaker).

Over successive stages of the model the urban population evolves to the optimal solution. The latter is reached when there are negligible
changes in the dynamic of each individual.

If it is not correct, what would be a good choice? The context is the model of demographic evolution.


texts: Single word request for not liking to be touched

texts:
Please what is one word for not liking to be touched? It could be for whatever reason (pride, hygiene, hostility, etc.). It includes all touches especially from strangers from taps on the back to pokes. The person not liking the touch may show facial expressions of displeasure, irritation or frustration.

Example:
That king doesn't like being touched. He slapped a peasant for touching him.


texts:
In a sentences like this:

  I know people who are good at this and who can help you.

I can drop either the second who or and the sentence will still be ok and make sense. I can't drop them both though. I'm pretty sure about it. Correct me if I'm wrong

What I'm not sure about is this kind of sentence because we've got 2 kinds of relative clauses

  I can name a few people who I'm friends with who got a job in that company.

Does it sound ok and correct?


texts: What is the plural of "copy" when applied to the output of copywriters?

texts:
If a Copywriter produces several articles for printing, what are his works collectively known as?

I feel the answer is not copies as this would indicate it is several articles reproduced from an original.

I wonder if it might be copy, a bit like how data is plural?


texts: Can I use "this" instead of "the" in the given example?

texts:
I had an English exam today and there was this question:
"The settlers moved onto the Indians' land, and while ____ two groups sometimes got along, they fought when food became scarce.

a) the
b) a
c) this
d) that"

from this text:
http://s4every1.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-big-day-for-america.html

I answered "that"; the right answer is "the".
Is it right? Isn't it matter of choice?

Thanks.


texts: Does "zero configuration" need a hyphen when used attributively?

texts: If you're talking about a piece of software that does not need to be configured, would it be a "zero configuration app" or "zero-configuration app"?


texts: Are there errors related to grammatical number in this sentence from an English textbook?

texts:
Children always appreciate small gifts of money. Mum or dad, of course, provide a regular supply of pocket money, but uncles and aunts are always a source of extra income.

This is a sentence from "New Concept English", which is the most popular English textbook in China. But I have two questions about the grammar.

Shouldn't we use "provides" instead of "provide"?  (Because "dad" is a singular noun.)
Shouldn't we use "are always sources of" instead of "are always a source of"?  (Because "uncles and aunts" are two sources, and there is an "are".)


texts: In the famous speech from the film "Network", he says "Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel belted radials", what are steel belted radials?

texts:
'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone.'

I looked on google and apparently 'steel belted radials' are a type of tyre. However I thought until I googled it that he was be referring in this speech to an old style radio which have radial dials, which would fit in with him naming three appliances found in the home.

What is he actually referring to? Is it a way to refer to his car, perhaps?


texts:
Medical professionals are worried that too many general practitioners are overprescribing them, which will cause bacteria to build up a resistance.

Or

  Medical professionals are worried that too many general practitioners are overprescribing them, which causes bacteria to build up a resistance.

a. Which sentence is more grammatically correct in terms of verb / tense consistency?
b. Is Sentence 2 better at conveying the same point?


texts: Usage in defining an action because of someone else

texts:
I was at the bar and got a beer because my buddy typically drank them.

I stated "I ordered this beer in his image". But I feel there is an expression to say "I performed this action because it's typical of someone I know well."

Any thoughts?


texts: What is a word for something that hurts and helps all at once?

texts:
I need a word to describe something that is both good for you and hurts you at the same time?
Sample sentence: "


texts: Meaning of "as close as you can get with safe sex"

texts:
What does "as close as you can get with safe sex" mean? I read this sentence in "Hannibal" from Thomas Harris, the original is

  Our informant's close to the family situation, like, he's very close, as close as you can get with safe sex.

Is this phrase an idiom?


texts:
I am interested in this sentence: "I am used to collaborating with other people".
I am not sure if this form is correct, maybe "I am used to collaborate with other people" is more correct?


texts: "Put me in touch with whomever created it"?

texts:
He created it.  Put me in touch with him.

So which is correct and why:

Put me in touch with whomever created it.
Put me in touch with whoever created it.


texts:
Send an invitation and let the user create their own password

In this sentence user is singular, and their is plural. So I am confused whether this sentence is correct or not.

Is this sentence correct? If not how can I correct it?


texts: Queueing, tagging for turn, or ask for order in turn

texts: How do we say if we want to be someone's next turn? Iike "I want to use this next, after your turn. Is there any simpler sentence to express it?


texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe the complement of "to create art". I'm trying to describe the act of being affected by it, or by "receiving" it. Specifically, I want to fill in the blank for the following sentence:

  I want to create art that I also enjoy ___.

So far, the best I have is "consuming". However, I do not like that, as it implies the destruction of the art in the process, which often does not apply. Similarly, I rejected "receiving" as it implies an exchange.

I want to stay away from visually-biased words like "seeing", "viewing", or "observing", as much art is not visual. (Think music, food, etc.)

I struggled with "partaking" for the title; I think it's not at all what I want. It also implies activity; what I want is a bit more passive than that.
"Appreciating" is often used in this context, but I find that very awkward, especially when partnered with it's near-synonym "enjoy". I don't find that it conveys my intent well.
Simply leaving it as "[…] that I also enjoy" isn't ideal either; I want to emphasize the dichotomy with the creation, which is also enjoyable.

Does anyone have any ideas?


texts: Is there a way to noun a prepositional verb phrase?

texts:
I'm not precisely sure how to ask this. I can turn certain verb phrases into nouns, and they sound good. The major reason to do this would be facetiousness but the grammatical aspect intrigues me. Some examples:

I like to hit home runs. -> I like home-run-hitting.
I often attack bears. -> I often go bear-attacking.

However, with prepositional verb phrases, it doesn't seem to work out.

I enjoy standing on desks. -> I enjoy on-desk-standing*.
He's good at taking care of things. -> He's good at of-things-taking-care*.
He is known to rely upon God. -> He is known for his upon-God-relying.

Are the first two productions correct, and if so, what's the technical term for them? And, is there any way to get a correct result for the latter three productions and others like them?


texts:
How to pronounce "Qty"?

ku-ti-ai

or

ku-ti-why


texts: I'm very doubtful about the use of the subjunctive mood in this particular case. I wrote "I was wondering if it were correct" and someone said it's wrong because I should've used "was" instead of "were". Is it true? and where can I read more about this?


texts: What is the feminine noun for 'benedict'?

texts:
I came across the word 'benedict' recently:

  Benedict: A name for a newly married man, esp if formerly a confirmed bachelor

Is there an equivalent feminine noun for a newly married woman? 'Bride' won't do, as we need to refer to woman after the marriage.


texts:
Is it correct to use "here" as a conjunction in written English?

For example:

  In comparison to first-generation devices, here, the system is built
  from digital components.

Thank you.


texts:
I know that would can't be used to refer to a past state, while used to can.
How about in this sentence?

  When he lived in Paris, he _____ walk on the banks of Seine River

I find that both would and used to can be appropriate to fill the gap. What is the correct answer, because the question only allows 1 answer.
Thank you


texts: What is a person who has a lot of unimportant ideas in his head called?

texts: What do you call a person who has a lot of ideas, unimportant things, all at once?


texts: What is the difference between a "legation" and an "embassy"?

texts:
I notice that history books dealing with pre-WW2 times frequently refer to the place where diplomats are to be found as a legation, but nowadays everyone calls this building an embassy.

Is there any particular reason for this change?


texts: "Can I help you, love?" Love as a form of address: is it used regionally to talk to strangers?

texts:
I've been reading a chapter about the vocabulary of the Yorkshire dialect in the UK.  Among other interesting curiosities ("child" plural "childer", "lad and lass" for "son an daughter") I've come across the frequent use of "love" as a form of address.

  "It's time to go, love."

My question is: Do they use it when talking to strangers?  For instance, if I enter a shop or take a cab, is the shop-assistant or the cab-driver likely to address me as "love"?


texts:
On online boards I've seen some people claim that "stupider" is ungrammatical.  I can't see any reason why it would be, and it seems like it's commonly used.
It's also in online dictionaries, including Dictionary.com, The Free Dictionary, and Wiktionary.
So what's the opinion here?


texts:
British English makes the distinction between 'practise' (verb) and 'practice' (noun).

Based on this, I would judge the following sentence as incorrect:

  In practise, computers often crash.

Nevertheless, I see it frequently. Could 'practise' possibly be a verb in this phrase?


texts: How does it work the use of the past participle done instead of the past tense did? Where is this form used? Only in southern U.S.? How often?


texts:
Toby remembered Rachel telling him that parents who sub out y’s for i’s in the middle of their girls’ names, and vice versa at the end, are not giving their daughters much of a chance in the world.

Could anyone help me understand what y’s and i’s mean in this sentence?


texts: Is "Very many mails in the mailqueue" grammatically correct?

texts:
Does the following phrase use the plural form 'mails' correctly?

  Very many mails in the mailqueue.


texts:
I'm kind of confused as to how I should punctuate the following sentence:

  A land as old as time and whose history defies any simple description.

The author added a comma before "and", but i'm not convinced. Can "whose history defies any simple description." stand on its own as a sentence?


texts:
A straight shooter gives information in an honest way.

One could say, "He (the straight shooter) gives me the ...".


texts: Use of "them" as an article, not a pronoun

texts:
I've seen a lot of times the pronoun them used like an article. For example, in the title of the Delta Rhythm Boys Them bones, or in the first sentence of "Money for nothing":

  Now look at them yo-yo's, that's the way you do it.

I know that it's not "proper English" (i.e., not something you'll use in a serious writing), but I'd like to know when it's commonly used, and why. Is there any difference between using it and using the?


texts: How can I describe three items in sentence?

texts:
I have three methods such as

  Method A, method B, and proposed method

They have similar properties, and thus they show a same drawback. I would like to write the sentence to express that issue. This is my sentence

  Both method A, method B and proposed method utilize ID information, which makes these methods depends on number size.

My problem is that "both" often uses for two items. But my sentence has three items. Is it fine, if I use both to group 3 items as the above sentence. Do you have any word to express three items?


texts:
This question is related to LaTeX, however, the question itself is about English.

I am using LaTeX for a document, but since it doesn't use smart quotes or things like that, a question arises:
In a basic phrase like people's, should the apostrophe face forward or backward? (Forward means the end of a subquote, backward means the beginning)


texts:
Which of the following is correct, and why?

Dad has allowed me to purchase a car.

Dad allowed me to purchase a car.


texts: Jarring comma usage in "Freedom of the Will"

texts: I'm reading "Freedom of the Will" by Jonathan Edwards, and I'm finding a lot of comma usage that seems jarring. As I understand it, the comma is generally used to indicate a pause in thought (among other uses), but there are commas placed in the text where a pause feels unnatural. Is there an older/archaic rule for the comma that Edwards is using, or is it just a style that is no longer used?


texts:
I think "1 hour’s worth" is the correct way to write this. Therefore, in the plural case, I assume the correct choice is "2 hours’ worth". Which one is it?

Just wondering because someone edited a question of mine to remove these apostrophes.


texts:
Recently a friend of mine had to take a workplace safety quiz, and one of the questions asked:

"Discrimination is a form of workplace bullying protected by legislation. True or false?"

The answer was 'true'. I live in a fairly progressive country, so I can only assume that the sentence is not meant to be read literally, since there probably aren't laws intended to protect people who discriminate in the workplace. How should sentences like this be interpreted, and why on earth is it written this way?


texts: Do we say and write 21 / 31 / 41 item or itemS?

texts:
I've been wondering, since these example numbers end with 1, isn't it natural to use the following noun in its singular form?

From what I've been seeing around on the web this does not seem to be the case. All numbers except for 1 are followed by plural nouns.

In some languages you do need to use the singular form with the numbers ending with 1.

How is it supposed to be in English?


texts: Is there a word for "guessing in favor of someone"?

texts: Is there a word for the situation when you don't know the truth but you decided to guess the best for one person. Such as in "I don't know if she has washed her hands or not, but let's just believe she did."


texts: Dashes to provide parenthetical information to an item in list - example from BBC?

texts:
Quoting the BBC website at https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-51047186

It was understood the couple would continue to receive money for a time from Harry's father under the new agreement, although it is unclear whether that would come from the Duchy of Cornwall - a vast portfolio of property and financial investments - his personal wealth, or a combination of the two.

I read this as a list of three options:

Duchy of Cornwall i.e. a vast portfolio of property and financial investments
his personal wealth
a combination of the #1 and #2.

The text feels wrong to me. Should the second dash be a comma ? Or is it okay to end item #1 with the second dash?
I am sure the BBC know what they are doing so have I misunderstood the text?


texts: "Animal skin treated" - what does "treated" mean in this context?

texts:
The skin of animals like cows, buffaloes, goats, crocodiles, snakes and camels are treated and used as leather to make belts, shoes, bags and purses etc.

Can you please explain the meaning of treated in above sentence?

I saw this sentence in my book chapter.


texts: Would one say "...a vendor who..." or "...a vendor that..."?

texts:
What is the correct way to form a relative clause after the word "vendor" in the following sentence?

Our machines are serviced by a third party vendor who checks the machine during regular service.
Our machines are serviced by a third party vendor that checks the machine during regular service.


texts: German and Dutch have their own distinct word for "science". Whereas, in English, "science" is borrowed from Latin/French, with all Romance languages having a word that is similar to it (I.e ciencia).


texts:
According to this link and this one, in adjective/relative clause we should use the before the noun we are defining, that is because for example in the sentence below,

  I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat.

even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.

Whereas i found a sentence which contains adjective clause but didn't use the:

  A woman who fell 10 meters from High Peak was lifted to safety by a
  helicopter.

My first question: why doesn't above sentence use the even though it is using an adjective clause?

My second question: in the sentence below,

  The books that have red covers are new.

Do we use the because of mentioning that have red covers or because we are talking about some specific books, for example the books on the table?

I mean do you agree with the order below for the last sentence?

First we have The books, so we are talking about some specific books (e.g. on the table) ,Then we restrict those books to the ones that have red covers and at last we add some more information about them(are new).


texts: What is the relationship of my brother's son to my wife's brother's daughter?

texts: I need to introduce my nephew (my brother's son) to my nieces (my wife's brother's daughters). They're related, but only through marriage. How do I introduce them?


texts:
I am doing research for three different questions and I am going to present one single thesis statement for each question. Would I refer to all three statements as 'thesis statements' or as 'theses statements'?

Intuitively, I would choose the latter as both the total number of statements and questions are plural. Which one is correct though?


texts:
I'm a Russian native speaker.
I've been struggling with "perfect tense" for a long time.

Can we say that word "have", besides it's root meaning (posession), has 2 distinct (that is we can separate those in speach) fucntions in English?

Namely:
1)Showing that a process has completed.
Ex. "Did you pay or have you paid? Is the transaction over?"

2)Showing that a is still underway and has some relevance to "now" moment.
Ex. "I have lived in England" (I still live here).

So looking at this list, one might say: "This is absurd! 1) says that a process HAS completed, but 2) says that it is still not completed.

And another question: What is so perfect about "perfect tense" if we easily see that the process of living is still underway? Perfect seems to be a misnomer for such a "tense".

P.S.
Any articles with deep research (history, etymology, latin roots of english) of "perfect aspect" will be much appreciated. Thanks.


texts: How should I (or Should I) reply to 'Enjoy' mail?

texts: I sent out a vacation mail to my office group. And a colleague of mine replied to the mail with "Enjoy!". Now Should I reply to this mail?. If yes what would be a proper response to this?.


texts: Expected is to actual as expectee to what?

texts:
A value that is expected might be nounized to an expectee awaited by the expector.

Is there a formal term corresponding to that for the adjective actual?

  A value that is actual might be nounized to a what received by the whom.

My suggestions for what are either actual or actuee and for whom they're actuator or actuator. Am I anywhere close to being correct? Is it understandable to NSEs (if yet a bit artificial and formal)? What'd be a better way to express these formally?


texts:
I came across the following sentence in Kurt Vonnegut's book Slaughterhouse Five.

  “Trout would have gone upstairs if Billy hadn't asked him not to.”

If this sentence is considered independently, without putting it into the context of the story, I want to ask the following:

Does the tense imply that Trout did not go upstairs? (Explanation: The author writes "would have gone", does this imply that he didn't go after all?)
What does Billy want? What does (doesn't) he ask of Trout?
Does (doesn't) Trout respect his wishes? Does or doesn't Trout go upstairs?

While I am sure that double negatives must have been discussed several times on Stack Exchange, I hope that my example being different will prevent this question from being a duplicate.


texts: Can I use "and" more than once in this case?

texts:
Take a selfie that changes with your feelings based on your biometric input and social media and other real-time data in you region.

"Social media" and "real-time data" is apart of your region-- "biometric input" is not.

The alternative is,

  Take a selfie that changes with your feelings based on your biometric input, social media trends and other real-time data in you region.

But I feel like this way it reads as social media trends isn't apart of "in your region". Am I wrong?


texts: What is it called when something can be seen in different ways, whether it be taken wrongly or rightfully how it was meant. Like when someone gives you a look that's questionable.


texts: Why do "do you feel like you're" and "does it feel like you're" mean the same thing?

texts:
I just realised that these questions

Does it feel like you're dying?
Do you feel like you're dying?

Mean the same thing. Maybe other English speakers can notice differences in nuance, but I can't. I guess an argument could be made that the first is less personal, but that doesn't really stand out to me.

How come these mean the same thing?


texts:
What does the word "version" means in association with building? The whole sentence is this:

  In Canada, the version for existing buildings is owned and operated by BOMA Canada under the brand name 'Go Green'


texts: How would you hyphenate a 4 word phrase?

texts:
The context is "...how self-uncertainty affects attitudes toward non-group-identity-affiliated topics, such as..."
For some more context, "group identity" is a phrase in psychology. So my two thoughts are:
1) hyphens between every word
2) two hyphens: non-group identity-affiliated

Any thoughts?

edit: maybe I should just rephrase it to"...how self-uncertainty affects attitudes toward topics not affiliated with group identities, such as..."


texts: husband-and-wife team or husband and wife team?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?

Referring to a sentence from an online magazine:

"Lonely Planet was started in 1975, when the British hippie husband-and-wife team Maureen and Tony Wheeler self-published a guide to cheap travel in Southeast Asia."

I have noticed that in other resources also: that "husband-and-wife" team is used instead of "husband and wife" team.

What is the right usage?


texts: Origin of the phrases "out back" and "out front"?

texts:
I'm going through the Song of Ice and Fire books, and although it's mostly written in what appears to be British English, very occasionally Americanisms sneak in. One example that I just noticed is "out back", referring to a thing's relative position to the rear, often behind a building. Another version of this is "out front", meaning in front of the building or other point of reference.

For example, "The yard is out back, and the street is out front."

I can't seem to find anything about this pair of phrases on the internet, such as when and how it came into American English. Unlike a lot of American phrases, I've never heard a fellow Englishman use either in my life, so I believe that they must have originated somewhere else. Can someone fill me in?


texts:
Is there a single word to express "in connection with"? Example:

  He experiences many troubles [in connection with] this problem.


texts:
Is the usage of the word 'already' in the following sentence correct?

  We have used an already calibrated camera fixed on the robot.


texts: Which one I should use? Infinitive or present participle?

texts:
Which sentence is grammatically correct?

I think it is good for students to have cellphones.
I think having cellphones is good for students.


texts: Does "ook" as onomatopoeia for the sound a monkey makes originate with Terry Pratchett?

texts: I just recently ran into someone making the claim that the use of "ook" to represent the sound a monkey makes is a reference to the librarian from the Unseen University of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. I can't find any source that actually confirms this, but I can't find any usages of the word that predates the 1986 release of The Light Fantastic either. Does anyone know one way or the other?


texts: A word for old-fashioned, dirty bar/place (spit-and-sawdust)

texts:
Is there a (common) single word for an old-fashioned, non-modern, simple, dirty, untidy bar/place ?

A noun would be preferable.

Details:

There is an informal British term:

  spit-and-sawdust Used to describe an old-fashioned or simple pub or bar, of a type whose floor was originally covered with sawdust.

First of all:

Is this word only used as an adjective? Can it be used as a noun?
Is it a common word? Can it be used for places other than
pubs/bars?

Secondly:

Is there any AmE equivalent of this word? or a common word both in
BrE and AmE?
Can we say that "shabby" is an equivalent?


texts: Is the use of "for" where "because of" would fit allowed?

texts:
Take the following example:

  You probably couldn't see for the lights but you were staring straight at me.

I get that the for there could've been replaced by because of to the same effect, right?


texts: Rationale behind pronunciation of "subtle"

texts:
I've read pronunciation, yet I'm still irresolute about the exposition/logic behind the pronunciation of subtle. Why is the b not pronounced?

subtle = subtil(e) in French, in which the b is pronounced. That website avers:

  "By the 18th century, however, they smartly dropped the silent b in dette, and doute, and decided to begin pronouncing it in subtil.

The deletion of b in these French nouns may explain the silent b in debt and doubt in English.
Yet why does this not extend to "su*b*tle"?

In French, dette and doute have no b (and thus b sound). Would this explain the silent b in "debt" and "doubt"?

In French, the b in subtil(e) is pronounced. Yet the b in "subtle" isn't? Why does this differ?


texts: Guide for when a word ends in 'or' or 'er'

texts:
Is there a rule or guideline for when a word ends in 'or' or 'er'?
For instance teacher vs professor.


texts: Is there a word/idiom for a saying that explains "including something simply because you want to, even though it is not necessary"?

texts:
For clarification I will provide an example:

Assume that I've prepared for some test that is about X and Y.

When the test is handed to me, the questions are solely about X. I then want to jam/cram in my knowledge about Y, even though it is entirely irrelevant to the X-related questions.

Is there a saying for this, or would I just have to say, "doing something simply because you do not want it to go to waste"?


texts: More inclusive/formal synonym for "grandfathered in"?

texts:
The expression "grandfathered in" or similar expressions like "grandfather clause" aren't always immediately clear to people for whom English is a second language.

But I'm hard pressed to come up with a synonym that captures the same meaning while also being easy to comprehend, and preferably more inclusive (the history of grandfather clauses isn't that great, and the notion that someone's grandfather would need special exemption seems less than ideal).

Is there a synonym (either a single word or a phrase would be fine) to express the idea of something being allowed or special-cased for existing instances but for which future instances are prohibited or discouraged?


texts: Are there english/anglish words for raw meat?

texts:
Are there any words for raw meat?
This can mean raw fermented meat, raw cultured meat, raw fresh meat, raw high meat, raw spoiled meat.
And can include specific types of meat, such as poultry, pork, bacon, beef, fish, etc.

I'd like to go back as far as possible, to Old-English/Anglish, and even Germanic origins if possible. As an aside, I am curious whether the Germanic peoples were consuming raw meats going back to antiquity.

The only word that I can think of, is Carrion.


texts:
Recently I had to write the following to indicate significance of both the urgency and completeness regarding some task to be done:

  We would like to be able to install as many parts of the system as possible, as soon as possible.

I would like to know if this is acceptable, or are there any better ways to express this without repetition of possible in the phrase as ... as possible, as soon as possible?


texts: "How to [...]?" and "Where to [...]?" Questions that are not questions. Is this defensible?

texts:
Adding a question mark to the end of a "How to" or "Where to" sentence appears to be quite common. Here are two examples from this very site:

How to punctuate a list of questions? (link)

Where to put the periods when using a parenthetical sentence? (link)

In my mind, the question mark doesn't belong at all, and it bothers me.

Am I being unreasonable? Is this practice defensible?


texts:
What expression can I use instead of "in case" in the following sentence?

In other words, in case the plants suffer from a small period of water stress, plants grown on the new substrates will not decrease their capacity to conserve water.

Thank you


texts: Is "tri-quarterly" a real English word meaning 3 times a year? Are there any other words that mean 3 times a year?


texts: What is a term for a system with rules without any exceptions?

texts: What is the term for an organization or social/political system rigidly governed by rules without any exceptions?


texts:
[Source 1:] 'an anastrophe is always a type of hyperbaton, but a hyperbaton is not necessarily an anastrophe'.

  [Source 2:] Anastrophe is most often a synonym for hyperbaton, but is occasionally referred to as a more specific instance of hyperbaton: the changing of the position of only a single word.

Please explain Source 1? What if 'hyperbaton' reorders only a single word but at different places? Are there any examples?


texts: "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good" vs. "greed is, for lack of a better word, good"

texts:
Which of the two usages is correct? Do both of them imply the same meaning?

  Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.
  Greed is, for lack of a better word, good.

I perceive a subtle difference between the meanings they imply, but I would like to be sure.


texts: I have heard sometimes the [æ] vowel in either concil [kaʊnsl/kounsəl] or counsellor [kaʊnsələ(r)/kouns(ə)lər], as in this British pronunciation of counsellor. It sounds rather like cat [kæt] than cow [kau], but I'm not sure if it's really [æ]+[u]. Am I hearing wrong?


texts: Unisex word (or short phrase) for "little black book"

texts: Although it seems like this phrase is already unisex, something about it gives it a feminine tone. I'm looking for a phrase that means "a list a lovers" but can be used by both men and women in contemporary language, leaning towards slang. Any ideas?


texts:
I am trying to write the following sentence but have some doubt on the use of gaining popularity

In contrast with other technologies, we decided to get rid of this technology in favor of gaining popularity agile-based systems.


texts: Is it acceptable to omit the last period of an acronym?

texts:
After reading this post, I was struck by the omission of the period (full stop) at the end of the acronym given.

  A.V.C

I've never seen this before here in the States.  Is it permissible here? In England? Elsewhere?  Is it common anywhere?


texts: Etymology of "Green Paper" and similar expressions

texts: Is there any other similar expression beside White Paper, Green Paper, Yellow Pages and Blue Book? What is relation between their color and their meaning?


texts: Difference between participal adjective and relative clause

texts:
I saw someone explained that participal adjectives have the same function as relative clauses. If that is correct, what is the difference between them?

for examples,

  a bill requiring approval of the committee
  a bill that requires approval of the committee

1 is a participal adjective, 2 is a relative clause.

Do those sentence have the same meaning?


texts: Name for the repetition evident in "How much larger should it be to be secure?"

texts:
I'm editing a post that has the sentence:

  How much larger should it be to be secure?

I've come across other situations where there are repetitions in a sentence (such as that that) and am hoping for a word to describe this occurrence and a generalized approach to rethink it so the sentence becomes clearer.


texts: What is a "temporary mental apparition"?

texts:
From The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry:

  It was, as Bill afterward expressed it, "during a moment of temporary mental apparition;" but we didn't find that out till later.

What is meant by it?


texts:
Jump To Conclusions is noted in the free dictionary's entry for jump a few different ways:

  To form an opinion or judgment hastily: jump to conclusions.

  to proceed abruptly, ignoring intervening steps or deliberation: to jump to a conclusion.

  jump - pass abruptly from one state or topic to another; "leap into fame"; "jump to a conclusion"; "jump from one thing to another"

  jump to conclusions / jump to the conclusion that
  to form an idea without making sure of the facts. He saw my case in the hall and jumped to the conclusion that I was leaving. llegar a conclusiones precipitadas

I have only ever used and heard this expression used to refer to negative things, but according to the whole hasty and without evidence meaning it could surely be used for good things as well? Assuming you were wrong in the end...

Can one jump to good (unfounded and wrong) conclusions?


texts: What is the meaning of “only other time”?

texts:
What is the meaning of “only other time” in the sentence:

  But it’s only been a month since we met and the only other time I’ve said those words out loud to a girl was over a year ago.


texts: Does 'lending' an object require its relocation?

texts:
I was recently in an argument with a friend who - equipped with an apparent understanding of the etymology of the words lend and borrow - insisted that to lend an object required not just the temporary exchange of its possession, but also a geographical displacement.

He compared the words lend and borrow to take and bring which involve a transition to/from one's locus, which are apparently linked (though I can't independently verify) to our subject words grammatically.

I argued that to so strongly stipulate (as he did) that an exchange was not a lending because the relocation was not significant (ie; it did not leave his personally defined location), is foolish given the complete generality / ambiguity of the word location. He insisted he could not lend me the salt-shaker as it traveled from his hand to mine because we were both common to the location 'this house', though I remarked that we sat in different locations; our respective chairs.

After much debate, we concluded that to require lending to constitute a relocation is a poor definition, since there are (according to him) obvious stipulations as to the definition of the location.

So...
is any of this actually correct? Does lending actually have any requirement for a displacement of the lent object?
If so, what exactly are these conditions (or rather, if they are as contextually defined as we both probably expect, what is a more appropriate word than 'relocation'?)?

(I finally remarked that language is defined by the understanding of its speakers, and that I'd personally never heard a relocation was required in the lending of something. I also think the phrase "lend me your ears" doesn't beckon for their displacement...)


texts:
Page 271 of Practical English Usage reads

Inversion is not used after "not far/long" so we say Not far from
here you can see foxes, or
Not long after that she got married

Why don't these phrases trigger inversion like similar negative and restrictive expressions as in Not a single word did he say?


texts: Word means to make something better or worse?

texts:
Sorry I'm not a English speaker.So my English maybe have some problem.
I want to ask if there's a word that means making something better or worse.
For example if you use this on a happy person,that means he become more happy.
But use on a sad person,it means he become more sad.


texts: Question 100,000: What will English look like in 500 years?

texts:
What will English look like in 500 years?

English started off on a small island off the northwest coast of Europe in the Early Middle Ages with some German tribes swimming across the channel and conquering a bunch of poor Celts. Then some Vikings conquered some of them, and then some French (who had recently also been conquered by Vikings) conquered some of those guys. So a lot of conquering happened, but as of the early third millenium it feels like things have settled down for a few hundred years.

The conquering may be constant but other things never stop changing. Nominally, early modern English is dated to late 16th century, for example Shakespeare. The vocabulary and turns of phrase are only slightly different, we're used to the fancy biblical syntax and might be able to read that with study and thought, but I think it would take some time to be able to understand that speech out loud.

New patterns are adopted, old ones are slowly forgotten. Ask not what people can say in speeches, ask what your speech will say to people. Kids say things strangely these days, but then they think old people talk funny.

What do you think English will be like at the end of the next 500 years?

Consider anything: the classic linguistic areas like phonology, morphology, syntax, vocabulary, dialectology, etc, but also sociolinguistic things like how world politics or science or the internet might change things, or really anything at all.

Please attempt to be scientific. Yes, this is entirely speculative, but there are principles of language change that are clear from study of the past trends that can then be extrapolated going forward. As to future history, try to be both plausible and original (it's probably easier to do both if you're boring).

For example, under the sociopolitical assumption that the UN structure stays the same (no border changes or mass population upheavals), I conjecture things like:

local variations will completely disappear, and AmE, BrE, AusE (or their future versions) will remain distinct (I'm not sure about Scots)
words with 't' in the middle will drop the 't': water->/wor/, bottle->/bal/, button-> /bun/
"y'all" will become the only remnant of AAVE/Southern American English, but it will become the formally used second person plural.
just like how Constantinople became Istanbul and Istanbul became Stamboul, Atlanta will be pronounced 'lanna


texts: "On a Desert" or "In a Desert" and Common Usage

texts:
I was reading to my daughter the other night and came across an awkward passage in Crockett Johnson's "Harold's Trip to the Sky":

  "There was nothing to see. He was in the middle of a desert. No wonder he was so thirsty. But, luckily, he had brought his purple crayon. And he knew where to find water on a desert."

In my experience, common usage finds one "in a desert" rather than "on" one. Honestly, this is my first time encountering this particular usage anywhere.

Is it more common to say (verbally or in writing) that one is "in a desert" or "on a desert"? Has common usage of this phrase shifted since the book's original copyright date in 1957 or are there other reasons for this difference in usage? I have already seen other questions similar to this one such as "On a page" or "in a page" for a web page and I understand that prepositions are used interchangeably in some situations. My question is not about correct usage but common usage. Any examples from other written works would be appreciated.


texts:
I'm struggling to think of an appropriate name for these:

Reflexology
Deep tissue massage
Acupuncture

And a corresponding appropriate name for these:

Reflexology for 30 minutes
Reflexology for 60 minutes
Deep tissue massage for 45 minutes
Deep tissue massage for 1 hour 30 minutes
Acupuncture for 30 minutes

If the first group can be described as 'treatments' I wouldn't know what to call the second group, and vice versa.

Can anyone help?

Edit 01/04/17 - Additional Part to Question

If X is the collective name for the first set of bullet points, then so far I have asked for names for:

X
X + Duration

What about:

X + Duration + Specific Date/Time.


texts: Looking for a word meaning "of the nature of being a species."

texts:
I am looking for a word meaning "of the nature of being a species."  The cold and unforgiving logic of grammar suggests this word would be "specieal," but beyond not being a word, it would also be confused as a misspelling of "special."

An example of what I'm looking for would be "integral," meaning "of the nature of being integrated."  In a sentence that would be, "that gear was integral to the operation of the motor."

Likewise, in a sentence I would use my new found word as such:

  "Swinging from tree branches is _________ [specieal?] to Howler Monkeys."

Edit for Mitch

The word I'm looking for means something more than "intrinsic to" or "specific to."  It's really not exclusive in nature.  It describes something (often a characteristic) that identifies or is common to a species — even though it might also be "endemic" to another species.  Let's use humans (homo sapiens) as an example.  "The gift of reason is _____ to homo sapiens."  Whatever the word is (and the examples below aren't bad, though each has its pros and cons), it would be equally used for "A nose central to the face and protuding to protect the nostrils is ______ to homo sapiens."


texts: "if we were to offer you" in the context of a job interview

texts:
As a non-native speaker, I always cringe when I hear the job interviewer asks me "if we were to offer you the job" ....

Strictly grammatically speaking, "if we were to" simply implies uncertainty, which is fair in the job interview context. But does it also imply, implicitly, that the job interview was not impressed by the interview performance and thus chose to put the sentence in an uncertain manner.

Q1. has any native speaker ever used "if we are to offer you ..." ?

Q2. How often is "if we were to offer" neutral ?


texts: What word am I thinking of when you're careful what you say?

texts:
I am trying to think of a word you would use instead of the word 'careful' in this sentence:

  "I'll be _________ [careful] what I say"

Take the example of when you're talking about adult content in front of young children - you would use limited vocabulary.

I'm not thinking of the word 'cautious' or 'subdued' or 'limited vocabulary'.

What advanced word could be used instead of careful and not listed above?


texts: 'Move to a new place' - different way of saying it

texts:
I want to find a way of saying something like...

  [...] I am willing to fund my move to [insert country's name here] myself to make up for [...]

... in a natural way.

I am pretty positive a native English speaker would understand what I mean by 'my move' but I am not sure whether it sounds natural - or even it is correct.

I know many ways of saying similar things in English, such as I am going to move to Ohio or I moved to Canada last year but I don't see how I can put it in a way where the act of moving is a 'noun' (?) so that I can say I'm willing to fund it myself.


texts: Etymology and meaning of "to throw a bean ball at someone"

texts:
I was reading an online article when I came across this phrase (condensed to highlight the point in question) :

Context: Jack and Jill are having a heated argument...

  Jill threw a hard bean ball at Jack that left him exasperated.

Did Jill actually throw a bean ball at Jack? Or is it a metaphor?

What does throwing a bean ball at someone mean? What is its etymology?

Note: I did search for bean ball and I understood that it is a baseball term. Nothing more.


texts: Alternative for "to recap" to end a presentation

texts: I need a find alternative to "to recap" so as to conclude a presentation in a decent way. Can you please provide your alternatives?


texts: Is "concatenation of errors" an acceptable phrase in english?

texts:
I know that "concatenation of events" is used in the English language, I therefore wonder whether "concatenation of errors", a direct translation of the German "Aneinanderreihung von Fehlern" is appropriate as well.
Example: "The large deviation from the theoretical value is caused by a concatenation of errors, in particular by [...]"


texts: Is there a word/term for a distant acquaintance?

texts: Let's say I know and have met a person about 2-3 times and we know each other only on first-name basis(a distant acquaintance if it is), and I am trying to contact a mutual friend(a close friend of my acquaintance) on email and want to refer to this distant acquaintance by one word. Is there such a word that doesn't seem like an overkill.


texts: How to write a question with a suggested answer at the end

texts:
How do you properly convey in writing a sentence where a question is asked and followed by a suggested answer? For example, the question "What are we having for dinner?" is asked, and the guess "lasagna?" is given. Which is grammatically correct:

  What are we having for dinner? Lasagna?

  What are we having for dinner, lasagna?

or something else.

I guess I should also  ask, is it grammatically correct to say

  What are we having for dinner — lasagna?


texts: Meaning of the word "any" in "ineligible for any exemption"

texts:
An important legal result hinges on the meaning of the word "any" in this sentence:

"If the effect of the domiciliary requirement under subparagraph (A) is to render the debtor ineligible for any exemption, the debtor may elect to exempt property that is specified under subsection (d)."

My opposition argues that because the debtor is still eligible for some exemptions, he cannot elect to exempt property that is specified under subsection (d). I argue that the effect of the domiciliary requirement rendered my client ineligible for some exemptions, therefore I can elect to exempt property that is specified under subsection (d). It seems like it should be a simple issue, but it has now confused judges all the way up to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
In other words, one party argues that this sentence means: As long as the debtor is eligible for at least one exemption, the [result occurs].
The other party argues that this sentence means: If the debtor is ineligible for at least one exemption, the [result occurs].
Which is correct, and why?


texts:
Fair is a word that suggests the idea of something right, proper, correct or reasonable, but in the following case it has a different connotation:

Fair -  (adjective):
(before noun) quite large:
We've had a fair amount of rain this week.
We've had a fair number of applicants.
It's a fair-sized garden.
We've come a long way, but there's still a fair way (= quite a long distance) to go.

From Cambridge Dictionary
The above connotation appears to contrast with its main usages, where does this meaning come from?


texts:
I am writing a description for one of our internal repositories of knowledge we have at my company, and I want to describe one of them as being "a hub of FYIs to keep all teams up to date on the latest news, alerts, etc."

I was wondering if there's a better noun other than "FYI" to describe nuggets of information that isn't necessarily urgent, but is there for reference? I tried to replace "FYI" with "information", "knowledge", but it doesn't quite have that implication that these are short, and are just there for other people's reference.

Thank you!


texts: Definite article use: The generalisability of our results

texts:
This sentence is summing up an article's strengths. Should I use definite article in the beginning of the sentence or not?

The generalisability of our results is increased by a complete analysis of stroke patients' care.

OR

Generalisability of our results is increased by a complete analysis of stroke patients' care.


texts:
Listening to a song, I've met one interesting sentence with indirect speech, but it's a song. An author can use whatever words he needs to get into rhyme, so I want to ask if this is right to write like in that case. There're two examples (the first one was in the song, the second one is that how I think would have been right):

So I said this is the worst day of my life.
So I said it was the worst day of my life.

As I believe, this is right to use one tense back (didn't know how to say it more appropriately, but I hope you understand what I meant) when we have something to do with an indirect speech, although there're always exceptions of any rule, and we have to work with context. I reckon the first example isn't that bad if we're speaking about the day that isn't over yet. However, anyone can be mistaken.
And, please, accept my apologies for my non-grammatical speech.


texts: Is there ever a time when "in order to" is good to use?

texts:
I don’t like the phrase "in order to." I think it’s superfluous, and I almost always delete it whenever I see it pop up in something I’m editing.

I’m just wondering — is there a compelling reason to use it in certain circumstances? When might it be necessary? If it isn't necessary, are there times when it might be better to keep it than delete it?


texts: Is the omission of the verb "To be" in informative sentence

texts:
I have the following sentence:

File (is) larger than allowed.

Is the verb "to be" required here?

Is it correct English to use "File larger than allowed."?


texts:
To me, using Present Perfect form means the event can occur again. So, saying

  someone has died

may not be grammatically correct.

Also, I noticed (it might be just coincidence):

  passed away

is used more often than

  has passed away

Is using Present Perfect correct here?


texts:
A large number of humorous titles seem to be of the form "in which ...". For example, a quick Google search turns up: In which I form the suspicion that I am not Nature’s intended audience.

What's the origin of this form?


texts: What's the word for those video rectangles of each person on Skype?

texts:
In a group call on a Skype or Zoom session, there are these video screens for each person:

What are these video containers called?


texts: Connective phrase between a negative and a positive result

texts:
Research papers in computer science often contain both positive and negative results. A positive result is, usually, an algorithm that solves a certain problem. A negative result is a proof that an algorithm does not exist.
I am looking for a phrase to use when moving from the presentation of a negative to the presentation of a positive result, or vice versa.
Usage example:

The above theorem showed that an exact solution to problem X does not exist.
[requested-phrase-here], an approximate solution does exist, as we show now.

Another example:

We have just proved a lower bound on the run time of any algorithm solving problem Y.
[requested-phrase-here], we now prove an upper bound.

I can use "However", but I want a phrase that emphasizes that we move from the negative part of the paper to the positive part. Maybe something like: "On the positive side", or: "The good news are that...". What do you suggest?


texts: "Process of Shipment" vs "Process of Shipping"

texts:
Which one of the two expressions "Process of shipment" and "Process of shipping" seem correct?
The NyTimes seems to be using both of them:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/opinion/100-75-50-years-ago.html

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/06/independent-retailers-object-to-jay-zs-distribution-deal-for-new-album/


texts: Adding a word accidentally to another, changing its meaning

texts: A colleague accidentally keeps adding the word case after referring to a project called basket, thus referring to it as "basket case". Embarassing. But what is this linguistic phenomenon called, i.e. accidentally adding a word which changes the meaning so that the connotation becomes negative?


texts: Are "dual" and "duel" necessarily homophones?

texts:
The pronunuciation of the words dual and duel is generally given in dictionaries as /ˈd(j)uːəl/.

Thus the two words are homophones.

However, saying these words to myself, I think I detect a slight difference.  For me (a native speaker from the northeastern US), duel is more like /du:l/.  That is, it would rhyme with fool or stool, instead of with fuel.

Two questions:

Does anyone else make this distinction?  Is it a dialectal pronunciation?
Does anyone know of English minimal pairs that contrast /-u:əl/ and /-u:l/?


texts:
The definitions I found for this word was all art/drawing related.

  Oxford dictionary: (in drawing, painting, and engraving) mark (a surface) with numerous small dots or specks.

  Cambridge dictionary: to draw or paint something using small spots or
  marks

Which doesn't seems to apply in this context.

  He’s wearing the uniform of the Guardians, but his cap is tilted at a
  jaunty angle and his sleeves are rolled to the elbow, showing his
  forearms, tanned but with a stipple of dark hairs.

Please provide me with a definition, thanks.


texts: Meaning of "constitution" in strange context

texts:
The following passage is from the first chapter of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (1847):

  He’ll love and hate, equally under cover, and esteem it a species of impertinence to be loved or hated again—No, I’m running on too fast—I bestow my own attributes over-liberally on him. Mr. Heathcliff may have entirely dissimilar reasons for keeping his hand out of the way when he meets a would-be acquaintance, to those which actuate me. Let me hope my constitution is almost peculiar: my dear mother used to say I should never have a comfortable home; and only last summer I proved myself perfectly unworthy of one.

(emphasis mine)

The text then goes on to describe the previous summer, wherein the narrator displays timidity, thus unintentionally snubbing someone he loved.

What is the meaning of constitution in this sentence? I've looked at the OED for constitution, n., and the definitions seem to include the following:

the action of constituting
a decree or law, or the action of effecting such a decree
composition; the way something is made up (its constituency, if you will)
physical nature and temperament

None of these definitions appear to readily fit the passage. Could someone define the word in context and explain what the sentence means?


texts: Word request: awareness of one's own lack of awareness

texts:
This word is related to the Socratic paradox, which is the phrase "I know that I know nothing."

I'm looking for a word which describes the extent to which one is aware of one's own ignorance. A techno mumbo jumbo, unsexy way to say this would be one's "Dunning-Kruger index", where, for example, the higher your index, the more ignorant you are of your own adequacy.

I feel like there exists a French or German sounding word which I can use here. Kind of like "naivete", except this word would describe the extent to which one is aware of one's own naivete.


texts: A more formal way of saying "to manage to do something"

texts:
I always think there must be a fresher, more elegant way of saying to manage to do something. I find myself simply avoiding the expression when I come across it, and now I would need again a solution. When I look for synonyms of this expression, dictionaries like powerthesaurus do not provide many interesting choices.
There is always the other option of to succeed in doing something but I find it has too many words and rather encumbers the sentence.
I am looking for other ways of saying this in general, but I will still give an example:

If we (manage) not to lose hope, we will be able to give hope to others.

What verb could replace manage here?
Note: I need a verb which can be followed by to do something.


texts: Idiom for "doing an entire team's job alone"

texts:
Is there an idiom for saying something like:

I did an entire team's job all by myself.
He did a job which usually a team of specialists would be required to do that.
...


texts:
This statement is false: What does this one liner mean?

I just read this in a site of one-liners. Though this is grammatically correct, I wonder if it will have a solid meaning. Can we use such a sentence?


texts:
The following sentence is from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. I'm wondering if it's correct and what it means:

  “Give me a couple of dates are good for you.”

Shouldn't it be “Give me a couple of dates that/which are good for you.”


texts: What is the most appropiate word to name thr group between 55 and 75 years old?

texts: I am creating a blog for people 55 and older to encourage them to share their experience and knowledge on the internet. Maybe it could be the Baby Boomers group, but that group goes around every year. I want to know what would be the most appropriate term to name people between 55 and 75 years old.


texts: What’s the meaning of ‘tickled them in exactly the right place’?

texts:
In the sentence, what’s the meaning of ‘tickled them in exactly the right place’?

  There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending.


texts: If a board is called a Council, and those on it are now called Council Members rather than Councilmen and Councilwomen for the purpose of gender neutrality, please explain if there is a difference between the title of the position and the title by which they are addressed in conversation at meetings. Would it be appropriate to refer to them as Councillors? Are attorneys sometimes called Counsellors? Does this seem confusing if both are interacting at the same meeting?


texts: What's a word for father and mother without the "family" connotations?

texts:
Is there a word to refer to "father" and "mother" without the family connotations?

For example, there was a guy who refer to his parents using the terms "sperm and egg bank":

  They were my sperm and egg bank. That’s not harsh, it’s just the way
  it was, a sperm bank thing, nothing more.

What other more grammatically correct alternatives are there?


texts: In my work I often see the term "fully mitigated". This does not seem correct to me. If mitigate means to reduce or lessen then can anything ever be fully mitigated? Would a more correct term be remediated?


texts: Is there a less awkward way to address spouses as "husband" and "wife"?

texts:
For example, instead of saying "Good morning, Wife," or "Husband, where are you?" are there alternative words to address one's husband/wife in their capacity as a spouse, without using names?
I'm looking for pairs of words that are equivalent for both wives and husbands. Gender-neutral terms work too.

I've tried looking at a thesaurus for "wife" and "husband", but the synonyms (spouse, partner, mate, etc.) are all similarly clunky when used as a proper noun. "Wifey" feels a bit derogatory, but it also doesn't work because there's no male equivalent.

Thank you.


texts: a word that means something like a "seal of approval."

texts:
I visited my doctor for discharge summary and asked her if she could pinpoint the cause of the cancer. when she started to speak, she was lost in search of a word that would fit in the blank in the following sentence: your cancer might be because of this virus but nobody yet has put a _____ on it.

she was lost and so was I. usually when we buy a product, there is a seal on it that suggests authenticity. I am looking for a word that could mean a seal or mark that proves something is authentic. In this case, it would confirm that the cause of the disease is X.

Is there a word that would suitably fill in the blank spot?


texts: What do you call it when it's the ladies who invite to dance?

texts: is there something called the "American quarter of an hour" meaning that it's a specific part of the evening at a club when it is the ladies who invite the men to dance? I am translating from French where they call it quart d'heure americain, i.e. the American quarter of an hour, but not sure if that will be understood in English?


texts: Synonym for "pivotal" but with a negative outcome connotation

texts: Am I mistaken that the word "pivotal" has a positive connotation?  The outcome that is the subject of the pivotol thing is typically a positive outcome?  If so, is there a synonym for pivotol, but where the outcome is negative?


texts:
While I answered a question, I wrote the following sentence to say that I agreed with the solution given by the OP.

  It seems to be correct for me.

Then, I wondered whether the following sentence would be better or not:

  It seems to be correct to me.

It seems that both are used on the Internet, but is one of them incorrect? or maybe with difference meanings?


texts: Difference between indignation and umbrage

texts:
Indignation

   anger, because of something that is wrong or not fair

Umbrage

  a feeling of being upset or annoyed, usually because you feel that
  someone has been rude or shown no respect to you

Definitions from Cambridge dictionary.

The distinction between them seems to be that umbrage can be used when something actually offensive or unjust is done to arouse anger, while indignation would be used only when there is a perception of injustice.

I want to know if the two words have the same connotation.


texts: Is “workingest” used as often and casually as “hardest working” and “the most hard working (or industrious)”?

texts:
I found the phrase America is “the workingest nation” on earth in the following sentence of Time magazine’s (November 14) article titled “Whatever happened to upward mobility.”

  For the first time in 20 years, the percentage of the population employed in the US is lower than in U.K., Germany and the Netherlands. “We like to think of America as the workingest nation on earth. But that’s no longer the case,” says Ron Haskins, a co-director of the Brookings Institution’s Center on Children and Families.

I know the word “working” as an adjective, but I don’t think I’ve come across the word being used in the superlative degree like this. MS Windows 7 spell-check on my PC keeps demanding to correct “workingest” into “work ingest” and “workings” when I'm posting this question.

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines “working” as an adjective, meaning;

Having a job for which you are paid.
Having a job that involves hard physical work rather than office work, studying etc.
Connected with your job and the time you spend doing it.

Plus five other, situational definitions.

Is “workingest nation, (people, men, women, laborers, students)” used as often as “the hardest working” or “the most hard-working nation, (people, men, women, laborers, students)” in the world?


texts: Should "anymore" be used only in a negative statement or question?

texts:
I don't know why this is so, but I've always believed that the word anymore should only be used in a question or negative statement.

  Do you go there anymore?
  Don't do that anymore.

But I often hear people use it in a declarative sentence, such as

  Anymore, I eat pizza with pepperoni.

To me this is just wrong. Am I wrong?


texts: describe a bedroom "filled" with furniture

texts: I need a word that will give the illustration of a room "crowded" or "filled" with furniture. I know those words are not correct, so could someone give a more eloquent way of describing the room?


texts: What's the oddness of statements like "some of them but one failed the exams"?

texts:
If "some of them but one did something" is an odd sentence in english, how could one rephrase it so that it makes sense?
What exactly causes its meaninglessness?


texts: Should there be a semicolon after the third name and title?

texts:
Should there be a semicolon after the third name and title in this sentence (names and titles are not real), or is a single comma sufficient?

Join John Smith, President and CEO, X Corporation; Mark Jones, CFO, Y Corporation; and Doug James, CMO, Z Corporation, as they discuss changes in the corporate world after the pandemic.


texts: What do "former" and "latter" refer to, here?

texts:
Here I am trying to peer into the meaning of this below paragraph (full version here).Being a non-native English speaker I am struggling in making sense, especially the bold part.The paragraph :
Gautier was indeed a poet and a strongly representative one – a French
poet in his limitations even more than in his gifts; and he remains an
interesting example of the manner in which, even when the former are
surprisingly great, a happy application of the latter may produce the most
delightful works. Completeness on his own scale is to our mind the idea
he most instantly suggests.

What are the semantics associated with the former and latter mention in the bold part?

A more general question, how one can tackle such confusing sentential structure in English?


texts:
I am designing a logo for a client. She is an artist who wants to sell her paintings online. Her business is named "Art by Nita."

However, I'm not sure why she calls it "Art by Nina." What is the difference between "art" or "arts" in this context?


texts: Is the phrase "Why did you so love me?" correct?

texts:
A friend of mine asserts that the phrase

  Why did you love me so much?

can be rewritten as

  Why did you so love me?

The meaning of the latter is clear, but is it grammatically correct, strictly speaking? In this case, I am unsure if the word so properly corresponds to the intensity of the word love.


texts: What is another way of saying "and more"?

texts:
What is another of way saying "and more" in this sentence?

Throughout my life, I have discovered the love for science, mathematics, and literature, all the way to visual arts, badminton, and more.


texts: What is the English word for husband of the daughter of my brother?

texts:
What is the appropriate word for husband of the daughter of my brother?

That is, son-in-law of one's brother.


texts: What is a word to describe complicated background works, internal works or behind-the-scenes works? These works are complicated and often people wouldn't want to know about it. An example is the complicated internal processes of a machine. All the phrases mentioned sound awkward and long.


texts:
1) I found myself [nodding with him], agreeing with things I knew to be true.

Is this a complex sentence with a transitive verb?

In this sentence, ''nodding with him'' seems to modify ''myself'' Because, ''I found myself'' could mean ''*I found my soul, my spirit while I was traveling.'' However, with the modifier, it could also mean, I was surprised to discover that we had so much in common. Furthermore, there is no presence of ''be'' which if am I correct reflects a transitive complex sentence. Furthermore, in the past tense, the sentence would be: I was found nodding with him – with the presence of ''be'' it could now be a transitive complex sentence. Moreover, nodding with him respond to a question in Who not in What - With who did she found herself? - Because I had no difficulty to transform the sentence in the past tense and ask a question in Who, I would go for a transitive complex sentence. What do you think?


texts:
Let's say there is a conversation being analysed, and the people in the conversation are being divided into two groups: The people who speak and the people who hear.

If the people who speak are called "speakers", will the people who hear be called "hearers"?


texts: What weather! What a pity! - phrases with and without article - why?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Are there any simple rules for article usage (“a” vs “the” vs none)
  ‘… the weather’ vs. ‘… weather’
  “Bad weather doesn't exist” vs. “The bad weather doesn't exist”

I've been learning English for over 10 years now and still don't understand the rules for using articles in phrases like:

What weather!
What a pity!

Why does one have an article and the other one doesn't. In both phrases we are dealing with abstract, uncountable nouns.


texts:
I'm looking for an expression to describe the action of someone suddenly walking away in the middle of a conversation with another person, because, for instance, s/he has been offended by something that was said. I thought one could say "to walk off on someone" or "to walk away on someone", but I didn't find many examples with that sentence construction online. Are those expressions correct or is there a proper way to say this?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Was the language used in Shakespeare's plays commonly used among people at that time in normal speech? I know that iambic pentameter was commonly used in formal, pre-prepared speeches at the time, but was the vocabulary and structure of normal speech similar to that shown in Shakespeare's plays? I ask this because I do not understand sentences in his plays from time to time, even when they were meant to be comedic. However, someone told me that the jokes he told were very popular and well-understood at the time. Does this mean that they were more educated than us in the English language?


texts:
Non-native here, is addressing a guy as just "guy" considered rude?

Like, while addressing a pet-store clerk: "Hey, guy, how many mice will $13 buy?"

Also, how long has it been in use?


texts: "I never went to poker yesterday" - Is this grammatically correct?

texts:
A colleague of mine often pulls me up on my awful grammar, earlier today I said "I never went to poker yesterday" and she told me that it was grammatically incorrect.

I understand that I could/should have said "I did not go to poker yesterday" but I would like to know whether my original statement was technically a grammatically correct statement, because in my head it makes logical sense.

Thanks


texts: Is "Each person should do their own work" really not logical to say?

texts:
I am taking English Language Studies as my bachelor's. It happened when one of our subjects' professor, Advanced English Grammar professor, said that the sentence "each person should do their own work" is not logical to say because of "their"'s usage -- or it is grammatically wrong based on prescriptive grammar's view. I think I kind of get it, but I am not satisfied nor convinced with her explanation. Can someone justify why or why not it is not logical?
Thank you!


texts:
Is it possible to end a statement with a person's name, without the name being a direct/vocative address?
For example, I say, "Please hand me the jar, David." It is clear that I am addressing the statement "please hand me the jar" to David.
But if my character has a tendency to end emotional upsetting statements with the phrase "Lord in heaven", even if she is not addressing the preceding statement to the "Lord in heaven", by grammar rules and convention, by default, does the "Lord in heaven" become a direct address/vocative address?
For example, my character says, "This month has been so tough for this poor family living without central heating Lord in Heaven." She added the words Lord in Heaven as an afterthought and as a habit she does whenever she is saying something emotionally disturbing or distressing. However, can the "Lord in heaven" be seen as an afterthought or does it by default become a direct or vocative address?