texts: The meaning of "line mattress and pillows if you are allergic to dust mites"

texts:
I found the following sentence in this link and I'm having a hard time understanding the meaning of it.

"Line mattress and pillows if you are allergic to dust mites"

What does it mean to line a mattress or a pillow? I have found two possible definitions in this context for the verb "line", but I don't think either one of them is the "exact" definition in this case:

To fit a covering to the inside surface of.
To cover the inner surface of.

(The inside or the inner surface of a matress or a pillow?)

Thank you!


texts: According to me, a "crushing defeat" and a "thrashing win" are opposites. I have always seen the usage of these two terms in sports. But I have seldom seen the usage of "thrashing defeat". Is "thrashing win" an oxymoron? Should "thrashing" not be used along with victory? What is a better way to phrase a huge win where the opponent team is crushed?


texts:
I don't speak German but was fascinated to learn that in (Swiss or I believe Bavarian) German Rahm means cream, but Rahmen means frame - despite adding "-en" being the normal way to make a singular word plural. Rahm apparently has no plural (and/or is the same in the plural, like the English "sheep") and Rahmen is the same (i.e. the words for frame and frames are the same).

So I set out to find similar examples in English, i.e. where:

Word 2 looks like the plural of Word 1, but is not
Word 1 either is its own plural or has no separate plural
Word 2 either is its own plural or has no separate plural

The closest I can find are:

physic (medicinal drugs - apparently it's own plural - or the study of medicine), and physics (the branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy, having no plural).
corp (corporation) and corps (body of people). Doesn't quite work as if "corp" is a word, I think it has "corps" as a plural which would break rule 2.

Can you do better?


texts: The history and use of the term "moth hour"

texts:
I had never heard or read the term moth hour before, but am reading the American author Jan Karon's book "In the Company of Others" and she uses it several times. The book is set in Ireland, and there are entries from an old diary scattered throughout the story. Here is one excerpt:

  I remember how she slit the throat of a Hedgehog which she commanded me to capture & bring to her in a sack--the creature was rolling in fat for the spring & summer had been especially wet & lush and I had often seen him outside his Burrow at the moth hour surveying the land.

I searched and found that William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) used the phrase in his poem The Ballad of Father Gilligan Here are the first two stanzas:

    The old priest, Peter Gilligan,

    Was weary night and day;

    For half his flock were in their beds,

    Or under green sods lay.

  Once, while he nodded on a chair,

  At the moth-hour of eve,

  Another poor man sent for him,

  And he began to grieve. ...

I can see from this NGram that the height of the use of the term may have coincided with the publication of Yeats' poem. But would he have coined it, or was it in general use and he borrowed it?

I also noticed that there is a Moth Radio Hour, sometimes known as the Moth Hour, which is all about the art and craft of story-telling . See "Why The Moth?" But it's not really related to the term I'm interested in.

So, after all this, I presume that moth hour is an Irish and maybe British expression. Did Yeats coin it? Is it well known and is it still used? (Do any of you Americans use it?) I also presume it means the hours around dusk, when the moths come out. Is that so?


texts: What do you call it when someone exposes themselves by speaking first out of tension when addressing a group of people about a culprit?

texts:
Example: Someone in a group committed a crime or a wrong doing. No one saw them doing it it.

Upon discovery of the wrong doing, everyone is brought together to bring the matter to light.

The speaker addresses the group that this and that happened and so forth but doesn't say who did it.

During a pause, the culprit is the first to breaks the silence. Obviously due to unbearable tension. They don't confess, but rather just say anything to distract or lighten the mood.

What do you call this phenomenon?


texts:
What's the difference between may and can in the following context?
1- Our company has decided to organize a online quiz competition for students all over India on this Monday at 7:00 PM. Those who are interested may/can register their name online at www.xyz.com before Sunday.


texts: Idiom for taking absolutely everything from someone

texts: In Finnish, there is an idiom for taking everything from someone which translates roughly to "taking even the ashes from the stove". Is there an equivalent saying in English?


texts: Is "I am still taking fun of it" correct usage?

texts:
Is

  I am still taking fun of it

correct usage? I want to mean that it is still funny to me.


texts: What is another word for "boss" for a company with a flatter hierarchy?

texts:
In today's more modern companies (especially IT startups etc.) that have a flatter hierarchy, the word "boss" seems to be outdated and doesn't describe the job role of someone who takes care of a team, making sure they have everything they need, making sure they stay on target, meet deadlines, but also has a superior role (e.g. can hire and fire) etc.

I'm looking for a word for the sentence when writing a client, "I'll be coming to the meeting with my _."

boss: too out-dated
manager: a boxer has a "manager", he's not my personal manager, sounds odd, or sounds like we work in a warehouse
supervisor: sounds to high, as if he tells me what to do, as a child needs an "adult supervisor"
team-leader: sounds odd and he doesn't really "lead", sounds like the army

The best I can think of is "team manager" but if he only has two people that he takes care of, it's a bit misleading to call us a "team", plus it has the same connotation as "manager" as if I can't "manage" things by myself and need someone else to do it. And "assistant" sounds as if he follows me around gets me things I need, which also isn't the case.

What is the best word for someone who takes care of the needs of e.g. developers so that they can get their job done more efficiently but also has the ability to hire/fire and highly influence decisions on which projects they work on?


texts: What is a generic word for a person being visited?

texts: I am looking for a generic word for a person who is being visited.  The opposite of visitor according to thesaurus.com is host.  That's not what I'm looking for.  A couple examples: an employee being visited by a guest; a student being visited by their parent at school.  I can't think of anything except "visitee" and I couldn't find it officially used anywhere.


texts: Is this correct: "I'd have to have had..."

texts:
This sentence makes my head hurt a bit, and it doesn't seem right, but perhaps you guys could help me sort it out.

  "If I would've gone to Canada, I'd have to have had some kind of winter gear."


texts: What is the exact difference between the two?


texts: Is there a word or phrase that encompasses both infidelity and open relationships?

texts:
When it comes to married couples or people in a dedicated intimate relationship, there are (essentially) two ways to describe one person in the relationship being intimate with someone other than their spouse/significant other.

If it's without their partner's consent or knowledge, it's Cheating or Infidelity.
If it's with their partner's knowledge and consent, that's an open marriage or (in some cases) cuckoldry.

But, is there a word, term or phrase that can be applied to both of these scenarios? Something that describes straying from one's 'commitment', but does not imply unfaithfulness or maliciousness?

EDIT: Finish this sentence-

  Michael cheated on his wife. Ben was intimate with another woman because he is in an open marriage with his wife. Both are _________.


texts:
We hear a lot of idioms and phrases involving BARREL.

The Link in "thefreedictionary.com" shows a lot of idioms using "barrel" as a noun and a verb.

"Barrel" is defined in Merriam-Webster as a noun:

  a round usually wooden container with curved sides and flat ends.

  the amount of something in a barrel.

  the part of a gun that the bullets go through when the gun is fired.

One thing very interesting to me is when you use "hit someone with both barrels", it is not very difficult to understand what it means and that the third definition is used. But, why they use "both" and "barrel" together. Why just two? Isn't it the more, the better and stronger?

Would it sound weird if someone says, "Hit someone with three/four or even five barrels"?


texts:
In the following sentence,

  He [the verb] apoplexy a few years back and was suffering from numbness on the left side of the body, hence the need for a cane to walk.

what is the appropriate verb for "apoplexy"? Is it "get" like some other diseases? I checked some online dictionaries but none of them has an example except for one that used "suffering" as an example which is not what I am after because I'm referring to the very moment that it happened.


texts:
Your carbon footprint is the total carbon sum of your actions, be it when you travel, when you shop, when you eat, when you bathe - any action that uses up fossil fuels such as oil, coal or gas. [Source]

What does "be it" mean in the above context. What can be use instead of "be it" there?
I need some simple example to understand that usage of "be it".


texts: Why is the plural of “deer” the same as the singular?

texts:
Why is the plural version of deer identical to the singular version?

If mouse became mice, then why did the singular deer not change to something else in the plural?


texts: Word With Similar Meaning to Wiki but Not Community Driven

texts:
I want to add essentially add a series of informational pages and pages that I will add to overtime.  It will be a Sub-domain of the existing site.  A am looking for a good word to call this Sub-domain and the site menu button to get to it.

I am hoping that these pages may in the future be used by Engineering and students. It will contain information on standards, facts and design recommendations.

I initially had planned on 'Wiki' but this will not be open to the general public for editing.  The site will look very much like a wiki type site where a page containing information will link to several pages with similar relevant information.  Other words I have brainstormed were: Information, Info, Design Info, Resources, Library.


texts: Page/paragraph references within quotations

texts:
I work as a proofreader in a patent firm and am struggling to find a concrete answer to a punctuation problem I see almost every day.

It's probably not a situation that pops up commonly in regular English, but a patent consists of a list of claims (succinctly written), the content of which is backed up by a more verbose "detailed description". When a patent examiner rejects a patent application, he/she will often quote the claims of a similar patent that exists, and include references to the supporting paragraphs in the detailed description of that patent.

My question is, as the references to the support paragraphs are not actually written in the original claims being quoted, how is the best way to include the references within a long quote. My work consists of reviewing documents which have been translated from Korean, and this doesn't seem to be an issue in Korean, but the following example looks a little off to me:

  The features of the invention of the application correspond to the
  features of the cited reference of "a frame supporting a net and
  positioning the net as a spaced relationship from a vehicle and a
  structure (see paragraphs [0044], [0045]; and Fig. 3); and hard points
  disposed at least at select nodes (see paragraph [0077]); the hard
  points including: a multi-sided body with a cavity therein behind a
  front face thereof (see paragraph [0021]), and a plug received in the
  cavity locking a net node in the cavity and securing the hard point to
  the net node in a pivotable fashion (see paragraph [0021]).”

In this case, the parts like "(see paragraphs [0044], [0045]; and Fig. 3)" have been added by the examiner, but are not in the original document being quoted.

I'd considered putting the information is square brackets, but as our company style guide insists on square brackets being used for paragraph references, that would look a little messy. I'm wondering whether italicizing the paragraph references would be acceptable? i.e.

  The features of the invention of the application correspond to the
  features of the cited reference of "a frame supporting a net and
  positioning the net as a spaced relationship from a vehicle and a
  structure (see paragraphs [0044], [0045]; and Fig. 3); and hard
  points disposed at least at select nodes (see paragraph [0077]); the
  hard points including: a multi-sided body with a cavity therein behind
  a front face thereof (see paragraph [0021]), and a plug received in
  the cavity locking a net node in the cavity and securing the hard
  point to the net node in a pivotable fashion (see paragraph
  [0021]).”

Or, whether simply breaking it down into multiple mini quotes like this would be best? (I'd prefer to avoid this as long examples can often include more than 25 such references)

  The features of the invention of the application correspond to the
  features of the cited reference of "a frame supporting a net and
  positioning the net as a spaced relationship from a vehicle and a
  structure" (see paragraphs [0044], [0045]; and Fig. 3); "hard points
  disposed at least at select nodes" (see paragraph [0077]); "the hard
  points including: a multi-sided body with a cavity therein behind a
  front face thereof" (see paragraph [0021]); and "a plug received in
  the cavity locking a net node in the cavity and securing the hard
  point to the net node in a pivotable fashion" (see paragraph [0021]).

Thanks a lot for any suggestions provided!


texts: Word for someone who is clever and smart but book-dumb?

texts: What is a good adjective for someone clever/smart but book dumb?


texts:
I want to say that I work for Company A or represent it. I see 2 ways to express this:

I am from Company A
I am with Company A

Which way is correct one? What are other ways to say it?

Specifically, I am using it as username in e-mails to distinguish my e-mails from others that used simply name so recipent of my e-mail sees it in their inbox before opening e-mail.


texts: How do you pluralize abbreviations of metric names (e.g. "kilo")?

texts:
Metric names are sometimes abbreviated, e.g. Kilogram as kilo, megabyte as mega and nanosecond as nano.

Is it correct to add an "s" as suffix to the plural form of abbreviations?

For example:

  The total weight is 10 kilo.

(as kilo is here an abbreviation of kilograms)

OR

  The total weight is 10 kilos

Note:
The questions is restricted to the abbreviations, not the metric symbols. It's clear to me that symbols like km (for kilometers), s (for seconds), etc. do not end with 's' in plural.

EDIT

The first comments and answers here brought to my attention that 'mega' and 'nano' are not really common abbreviations. Moreover, they are probably incorrect. I'm sure I've heard them already, but it's possible that it was always from non-native speakers like me.  Correct common abbreviations (besides "kilo" for "kilogram") are "meg" for "megabytes" and "gig" for "gigabytes".


texts: Capitalisation Question Regarding Awards

texts:
I have written this sentence and am unsure whether or not I should capitalise "math" or "science".

At my grade eight graduation I was presented with the Head Boy award, the math award, the science award, and the Principal’s Award for Student Leadership.

OR

At my grade eight graduation I was presented with the Head Boy award, the Math award, the Science award, and the Principal’s Award for Student Leadership.

Thanks


texts: Word for dismay about what someone is about to say?

texts:
What is noun that can be used to express weariness or dismay about what someone is about to say? I looked at a few different sites and no words came up.

Example:

  Howie looks at his brother with _________, but holds his tongue, knowing what his brother is about to say won't be nice, but not wanting to start trouble beforehand.

I originally used the word "consternation," but I don't feel as if that is the right word to describe this situation.


texts: What are the little wells (dimples?) called that occur in a waffle.  These correspond to the raised areas inside of a waffle iron.


texts: I have heard that two letter verbs are the shortest verbs in English. Is this totally true? Are any of the letters official recognized as verbs?


texts:
An extraordinary supply of goods was available, but the warehouse did not have enough space to store it.

In this sentence warehouse is singular or plural? Shouldn't it be has or something else.

Thanks in advance


texts: What is the meaning of the word 'should' in the following paragraph, and how does it function?

texts: You might also be curious why the productsList variable is initialized as new list of strings at the start of the method, only for it to be overwritten by the code in the try block. This is a defensive mechanism that ensures that the productsList variable is always set to a meaningful value should the code in the try block fail for some reason. You will see an example of how such a failure might occur in Chapter 3.


texts:
Does the sentence

  It requires full orchestra and progressively adds each of the four brass bands

need the between "requires" and "full"?


texts: How can I describe a person who does not get to the point?

texts:
When a person talks about something, s/he doesn't get to the point but starts with a pun, intending to let us figure out its purpose.

Someone told me I could use reserved to describe that person, but I checked ODO which says this means slow to reveal emotion or opinions. I guess it's not quite correct here.

Is there any better word for such a person?


texts: Reporting an event right after it takes place

texts:
When reporting an action that's just taken place, would it be okay to use simple present and present perfect?

  She wishes to buy some clothes, so I've placed an order for her.

I feel like I should talk like the above sentence, but would it be more grammatically correct to say "She wished to buy some clothes, so I've placed an order for her"? But I want to convey that she just  wished to buy some clothes and that I placed the order soon after.

Edit: Okay, how about this? Let's say that I'm writing an email to the merchant AS I'm placing the order because he/she is one of those merchants who only take email orders. Then will my above example make sense?


texts: Comma or no in a two item list where those items are phrases

texts:
I am editing some copy, and I'm not sure how to handle these examples. Here is the structure that concerns me:

As a consequence of the magic curse, the cakes dance the salsa[,] and the birds eat peanut butter.

Now, because "the birds eat peanut butter" is an independent clause, it would normally gain a comma (,and the birds...). However, one could also perceive this as a list of two consequences of the magic curse. A two item list generally receives no comma.

Thoughts? The style guide offers no opinion.


texts: "a consistent representation" VS. "a representation close to reality"

texts:
Despite the accurate descriptions in the pastoral visits, in the canvas of **** the church appears to be located more southerly; this is may be due to the artist's will, who in such way would seem not to care about giving to it a consistent representation / representation close to reality.

Which would you use?


texts: What is the name of a "role" in a family tree?

texts:
I have two questions concerning family trees:

What is the name of the initial person in a family tree? For example, if you want to know the family tree of a certain person, you have that person in the center and then draw lines from that person referring to all of that person's relatives, ancenstors, descendants, partner  and siblings. Is it called individual?
What is the name of the role a certain person has in a family tree? For example a sister, mother, father, aunt, etc?


texts:
I was born in United States but at a young age my parents decided to take me and my siblings to Turkey.

It looks right to me, but my English teacher always (and I mean always) points out mistakes with I/me.

I remove the "and my siblings" and it becomes: my parents decided to take me to Turkey.

That sounds about right to me, but English isn't my first language. Can you give me a hand?


texts: Meaning of the sentence "A gentleman is someone who does not what he wants to do but what he should do'

texts: May I know the meaning of the sentence "A gentleman is someone who does not what he wants to do but what he should do"


texts: Subject-Verb agreement in sentences with "all I see," "all he hears," etc,

texts:
In sentences like "All he can think of is this moment," all is taking singular is. However, in sentences where there is more than one subject, does all still take singular is?

All he can hear is the wind, the sound of the rain, and the thunder.

All that's present at the end of the hall is the storage and another room.

Do both these sentences take "all...is"? Could this be explained with a grammatical rule? In these sentences, is all referring back to predicate nominatives?


texts: Is it correct to say "a new" or "the new"?

texts:
That's the whole question.
Example:

  I'm creating a new version of the program

Is there a set of rules one should follow?
Thank you!


texts: What is the etymology of "[computer] terminal"?

texts:
I suspect it's something to do with the fact that back in the Olden Days of computing, a terminal was connected to a mainframe computer system, and thus a user would be sat at the terminal end of the connection. Unfortunately I can't find anything to back up my suspicion!

Can anyone confirm/refute this?


texts: Any language of person who enjoys reading or loves reading and loves books

texts: What is a word or definition of someone who loves to read?


texts:
Is it okay to say that "part-author" is synonymous with "co-author"? If not, how are they different?

"George Peele has often been proposed as a possible part-author of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus."


texts: When diagramming "You heard me sing," would you form a clause as the direct object, with me as the subject of the verb sing (even though me is an objective pronoun)? Or, would you think of sing as an infinitive (to sing) modifying me?


texts: Can the verb "bias" not be used as a verbal in a sentence? (American English)

texts: Whenever I see the verb "bias" being used in a sentence, it is always used as a verbal. Can it be used as a verb (example please!)? If it cannot, is there a special name for verbs that can only be used as verbals, and are there other cases of this scenario with different verbs? For example, bias can be used as "The boy was biased" or "The biased argument was quashed." I have never seen the verb as "I will bias you after I state my argument."


texts:
Example:

  I fell in love the moment I saw her.

Is this considered grammatical as it is, or is it some kind of ellipsis?


texts: What's the meaning of "stare down defeat"?

texts:
"Staring down defeat, Danny tries another plan."
Does it mean that because Danny does not want to admit defeat, he tries another plan? Or maybe after Danny outfaced defeat, he is now trying another plan?
Question update: I just found out that people sometimes say "staring down the barrel of defeat". I'm not sure if it means the same as "staring down defeat".


texts: How would you describe the semantic phenomenon that allows this joke?

texts:
Groucho Marx had a joke that's long been a favorite of mine:

  I've had a wonderful time; this wasn't it.

I assume he's using the present perfect to say I've had a wonderful time.

But, when he tacks on this wasn't it does it change to past perfect?

Or was it past perfect all along because of the have had construction?


texts:
What is the difference between "do more harm than good" and "has more bad to it than good"? Do they literally mean "have more disadvantages than advantages"?

Are they informal?


texts: Grammatical rules describing use of "um", "so", "basically" in spoken language?

texts:
Use of filler words seems to be proscribed as bad or incorrect, yet they also seem so common that they are part of spoken language.  Whether desirable or not, are there grammatical rules that describe their empirical use?  For instance, has a modern-day William Bullokar observed current spoken language and established rules for when you begin a sentence with "so" vs "um" ("so, great job today!" vs "um, great job today!") and the order in which you can combine them ("um, so basically like, ahem, ...")

Is it bad behavior to add filler words such as "so", "um" in business speak?


texts: what does "are organized" mean in this sentence?

texts:
By 2013 the theoretical and practical courses are organized

Is it already organized or is it about to get organized?
I mean, is it past or future?


texts: What’s the proper punctation for: “Work”, you ask?

texts:
I’m writing a tweet that starts with:

  Put on a tie today. “Work,” you ask?

But I’m not sure where the punctuation should be. Is the above correct? Or, is it something like:

  Put on a tie today. “Work?” you ask.

Or something else?


texts: Do you use a semicolon or colon before the word “that” in a sentence?

texts:
I just wanted to ask if a semicolon or colon is appropriate before the word “that” in a sentence.
For example,

I want to tell him that maybe it is the fact that I have been guarded every second of every minute of every hour of every day that I have been here; that I cannot even relieve myself when nature calls without my guards knowing.

This is from a book I read. This has itched my mind a lot since a semicolon isn’t supposed to be used when there is a dependent clause.


texts: "Who are the neighbors of who?" : is this grammatically correct?

texts:
Temporary reopen note:

This question may appear at first blush to be about whether to use who or whom. However, the naturalness and grammaticality of this phrase has to do with the periphrastic genitive versus the saxon genitive, not whether to use nominative or accusative case. For this reason this is both a useful question and not a duplicate of the linked-to post here:

What’s the rule for using “who” and “whom” correctly?

The Question:

Just to give a few details: I am writing an answer to an exercise, the exercise describes arranged objects, I want to state that the provide information allows one to deduce what are the neighboring objects.

How do I say it in one sentence - "who are the neighbors of who?" It does not sound correct to me...

I would appreciate if someone could point out if this is correct and would be grateful if there is a way to break this down or compare with similar language construction to help get familiar with this type of sentences.


texts: On khan academy, it is Shays's. However on wikipedia, it is written Shays'. I am confused as to which one is grammatically correct. Thanks!


texts:
What is the meaning of below sentence

Life is a problem that will be hard if not impossible to solve.


texts: Can I write a comma straight after a dot? in business card

texts:
Firstly please excuse any grammatical errors I might have while writing this question, English isn't my native language nor is it my first but I'll try my best.
Alright to the question,

I'm about to print business card and I don't have enough room to write Street so I write st. I saw many business cards that every piece of information is being divided by a comma for example, Rothschild 22nd Street, London, United Kingdom, P.O.B. 23123

Now in my case I don't have enough room to write the word street (btw, should I write St. in a business card or does it make look less professional when I shorten the word?)
So for example my address would be Rothschild 22nd St., London, United Kingdom, P.O.B. 23123 Is that correct formatting for a business card (using , after .?)
And is using st. rather than street makes it look bad?


texts:
Is "flu" the only disease usually accompanied with "the"? From what I understand, you don't usually use "the" with diseases / illnesses / disorders ("have Alzheimer's / diarrhea / claustrophobia / dyslexia, etc." not "have the..."), but it's perfectly normal to say "have the flu". Is the flu the only exception?

Edit (this is only a side part, and can be glossed over if you will, so it's not a duplicate imo): What's so significant about the flu that other conditions don't have, so that it's entitled to "the"?


texts: Payed or paid, is there a rule for this change in vowels?

texts:
Why do some verbs combine the "y" and the "e" in the past tense, while others retain "ye"?  For example, pay to paid, but flay to flayed?

Is there a rule for this change?

Any help would be appreciated.  Thank you.

JRH


texts: Can someone write "we embraced" to mean "we embraced each other?"


texts: What do you call these area outside premises for employees to hang out?

texts: Some business premises have these small areas just outside the building that employees can go during break to sit, smoke, and hang out. It has benches or picnic tables, garbage cans, and a cover for protection from rain, etc. What do you call these areas? Is there a name for them?


texts: Perhaps I'm not educated in this subject, but if vowel harmony means "all the vowels in a word to be members of the same subclass" then does this mean that English has vowel harmony too? For instance, words like lambaste, parka, almost, also, dollar/scholar/colour (AUS/UK English), eerie, collage/montage, follow/swallow/hollow, finish, folklore, borrow, moron, ardor, although, diminish, etc....use the same vowel class in their pronunciation or spelling. Isn't that a "vowel harmony", in a way? Or am I missing something?


texts:
The Chinese term 抓耳挠腮 means something along the lines of: scratching one's ears/cheeks/head in embarrassment or tweaking one's ears and scratching one's cheeks (as a sign of anxiety or delight).

Here are some examples:

What English phrases fit the description?


texts:
I need alternatives for the expression

  finding your feet
   or
  getting used to something / doing something

Can anyone help?


texts:
This sentence is from a story I'm reading. It's from a child's point of view and she's talking about a cat.

  He got big and kind of snobby, and he didn't want to sit in my lap anymore. He would, for a second, if I hoisted him up and made him, but once I got settled, he'd wiggle, jump off my lap and prowl around the hallway instead.

What does made him mean?


texts:
I'm trying to communcate the idea of 'Last full week'. That is, the most recent Sunday through Saturday range that has totally finished.

    October 2014
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
          1  2  3  4
 5  6  7  8  9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31

Some examples

At 11:00am on Wednesday the 29th, the last full week is the 19th - 25th.
At 1:00am on Sunday the 26th, the last full week is the 19th - 25th.

Is there a more clear phrase to represent this concept?


texts: Difference between adverb and adverbial adjunct

texts:
He arrived today.
He arrived.

Could we call adverb today as an adverbial adjunct because it still complete the meaning of sentence without it?


texts: What is the word for "history of the study of the subject"?

texts:
Suppose the subject is nutrition. Is there a word for the history of the study of nutrition?  Or the history of the study of a science for that matter? I thought it was one of those epi-ology words like epistemology but I was way off.

You know how if you go to a Wikipedia page on any of the natural or social sciences, they'll have a "History" section. Is there a better word for that?


texts:
I don't the know the exact receiver for the job.I don't even know the company's name because i found the job position online.I only know the email.How should i start the letter?
I read that for that kind of salutation, the proper way to start is with "Dear Mr.Lastname", but i don't know the name.


texts: What's the difference? The dictionary definitions sound awfully similar.


texts: "80% of what I listen to is/are K-pop groups"

texts:
Which one is correct? The "80% of [it]" part is what has me confused.

a. 80% of what I listen to is K-pop groups.

b. 80% of what I listen to are K-pop groups.

Should I perhaps just say "K-pop groups are 80% of what I listen to"?


texts: I was taught since primary school we don't "watch tv" but "watch tv channels / programs" since our focus is on the thing displayed rather than the tv itself. Yet, I've seen widespread usage of "watching tv" so I'm wondering is it grammatically and contextually right? Sorry if I'm asking a stupid question, but it's bothered me for a while.


texts: Is "More than one teacher..." singular or plural?

texts:
I encountered a problem:

More than one teacher is/are going to bring the students to a trip.

Can you help me with this? Any help would be appreciated.


texts: The Present Perfect Progressive with the modal verb "must."

texts:
I do not know how would it be correctly to use the Modal Verb Must in the meaning of supposition in the  Present Perfect Progressive?

For example:
1) He must be sitting there already two hours.
2) He must have been sitting there alredy two hours.

The Present Perfect Progressive expresses that the action began before the moment of speaking but it's still in progress.

3) Is it correct to say alredy for two hours?

Please could you point out other my mistakes if i did in the questuion?


texts: Preposition usage, "for" vs "in", in the context of a "For the purpose of * in/of *"

texts:
I'm preparing the title of my PhD dissertation and have lost confidence in the use of my prepositions.

The title is "A Study on the Near-Surface Flow and Acoustic
Emissions of Trailing Edge Serrations"
The subtitle is "for the
purpose of noise reduction in wind turbine blades".

Suddenly that last "in" feels like it could be "of" (despite feeling it would lose some nicety in how it sounds).

What do you think is grammatically correct though?


texts:
In formal writing (in this case an abstract in a scientific paper), is there a difference between the sentences:

  We report the applications of an uncommon interpretation of x to the field of y.

and

  We report on the applications of an uncommon interpretation of x to the field of y.

I'm tempted to say that perhaps only the second sentence is acceptable, but I'm unsure.


texts: Which verb to use when sentence has both singular and plural nouns

texts:
For example:

  The floor plan and room numbers __ updated

I want to say are because of room numbers.  However floor plan is singular.

The room numbers and floor plan is updated and The floor pland and room numbers is updated does not sound correct.

What is the rule?
In my example there is technically one floor plan which has many room numbers, if it matters.


texts:
teachers
I have a question about the use of a verb "bake"
In this sentence "bake" may be used differntly from the way I normally understand the word.

In fact, we use metaphors every day. They are baked right into our language.

I looked up the word in the dictionary and found the expression "bake in/into" which means' to include as an inseparable or permanent part'. Can I accepy this definition of ' bake'  to understand the sentence above?
I also found another definition which is 'to harden by heat' but it doesn't seem like a right definition for the sentence above.
I'm very confused.  What does the sentence exactly mean? Please give me the righht definition of 'bake' in the sentence or rephrase the sentence in a easy way. Thank you in advance.


texts: Good, Better, Best vs. High Higher Highest

texts:
The comparison in question isn't so much about Higher/Highest specifically, but why do we start with Good and not go to Gooder, Goodest?

Edit: I was flagged a duplicate despite previous searching.  I think I got a more satisfactory answer than has been previously provided.


texts: Guide to living well vs guide to live well

texts:
For Example:

  Your guide 'to living' well with diseases. 'To living' your dream life.

Why use living instead of live?

I would like to know how to use and why to use a gerund instead of an infinitive following to.


texts: I am looking for a correct expression for an activity when a person is injured or in a bad leath condition for any reason and is doing special exercises to feel better. Is it reeducate? Rehabilitate? Vindicate? Thank you.


texts: Why "An HTML editor" not "A HTML editor"?

texts:
I always see An HTML editor but surely it would be A HTML editor as the H isn't a vowel nor does it sound like a vowel.

Why is this?


texts: My spell checker shows that both "time zone" and "timezone" are correctly spelled. Which one of these is the correct one to use?


texts: what does "at best minimally successful" mean

texts:
I think it means "just barely meeting the targets and that's it! nothing more than that", or does it mean that somebody did such a great job that successful is too small to describe it? I'm a bit confused.

thanks


texts: When should I use "is", and when "does"?

texts:
I know this is really basic, and I know the answer internally, I just find that I can't articulate it. When would you use "is", and when is "does" more appropriate?

E.g. "The sun is green", vs "The computer does work".

I'm looking for a really concise and easy to remember explanation, not for the entire theory of tenses.


texts: phrase meaning "to progress through an outlined set of steps/time"

texts:
How do you refer to a person continuing along an outlined path through time? Specifically, what do you call the actual action of progressing from the earlier stages to the later/older stages?

I'm trying refer to the path a person takes through college (year 1, then 2, then 3, etc.), and what you would call the act of going through those steps/ progressing to the later ones.

The sentence I'm trying to complete is "it is common for students to do this as they _____." It needs to mean something like "progress through their years at school" or "get older", but "older/aging" only in reference to them rising through the grades. I just don't know how to say that in a shorter, more concise manner instead of literally stating "progress through their time at school".
I know there has to be some better phrase that means "the act of someone moving through this specifically outlined set of time".


texts:
What is the meaning of the phrase saved my sanity?

  I attempted another sip and winced. He smiled and poured more water in my drink to dilute it. It ruined the scotch but saved my sanity.

The general meaning of sanity is having a reasonable or healthy mind, or showing good judgment and understanding. Does it mean saved my health or saved my pain?


texts: when to use the expression "hanging from the rafters?"

texts: I've heard of the expression "hanging from the rafters" but I am unsure when is it appropriate to use. Has it got any negative connotations?


texts: What is the white smoke-like fog called?

texts:
It's not really fog, mist or haze. I used to think that it's mist, but from what I've read here, it turns out that it isn't.

It's the white smoke-like fog that is close to the ground. I've seen it recently above a couple of small ponds (and ground) in a damp forest. It was almost as white as smoke, you can barely see through it, but it is close to the ground, from 20cm to a meter or so.

Since it isn't fog (which is a cloud that you can see, say from a mountaintop, and if it's not mist (which is more like 'rain'), then what is it?


texts: a adjective meaning sufficient, more than enough

texts:
I am looking for an adjective meaning sufficient, more than enough in the following sentence.

I have a _____hour to get there.

I want to suggest in this word that an hour is more than enough for me to get there.

I was thinking a full hour. But it sort of lacks the connotation I am looking for.

Is there a better fit?

Thanks.


texts: What is the difference between translation and transliteration

texts:
It's always intrigued me what the difference is between these two terms.

I can guess that translation is a contextual translation whereby the original foreign text is maintained with any language idiosyncrasies intact, whereas transliteration is translating the text verbatim, during which any context may be lost.

Any help clearing up this would be appreciated, and an example from another language would be awesome!

Thanks is advance.


texts: Does "on earth" replace "on the earth" in modern English?

texts: I am a non-native English speaker. Since school, I was taught "on the earth" is equal to "in the world", and "on earth"'s meaning should be "indeed". But nowadays, I find "on earth" has replaced "on the earth" in many articles. So I want to make sure is it right to use "on earth" to replace "on the earth"?


texts: When "especially" is at the end of a list, does it apply to the whole list or only the last item

texts:
English is my second language, so be gentle if this seems silly ...

This sentence puzzles me:

  China's prolonged silence about its destruction of the Feng Yun 1-C satellite, which it launched in 1999, has been almost as unnerving to its potential enemies (America, Japan and Taiwan especially) as the experiment itself.

In the parentheses does especially apply to only Taiwan or all three countries?

And how about in this sentence?

  China's aim is to signal to America and its protégés in Asia—Taiwan
  and Japan especially...


texts: Meaning of "Perhaps these offences might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honesty in admitting scruples about our relationship"

texts:
The following is a sentence from the novel 'Pride and Prejudice' and I'm not able to comprehend its meaning. To add some context I've added their (Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's) previous dialogues as well leading to that sentence.

Elizabeth: And what about Mr. Wickham?
Mr. Darcy: (surprised) Mr. Wickham?
Elizabeth: What excuse can you give for your behavior towards him?
Mr. Darcy: You take an eager interest in that gentleman's concerns.
Elizabeth: He told me of his misfortunes.
Mr. Darcy: Oh, yes, his misfortunes have been very great indeed.
Elizabeth: You ruin his chances, and yet you treat him with sarcasm.
Mr. Darcy: So this is your opinion of me. Thanks for explaining so fully.    Perhaps these offences might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honesty in admitting scruples about our relationship. Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?

The bold sentence is the sentence that I'm talking about. I know 'scruple' means conscience but what would I make of this sentence.


texts: What is a better word for "treatment" in the given statement?

texts:
When I try to convert from English to Russian the following statement:

  If you are going to contact someone you should use either his or her exact name or the common form of treatment.

then Bing translator considers the word "treatment" as a medical treatment.

Is this statement correct and clear or ambiguous?

If the statement is confusing but its sense is clear for you then how is is better to rewrite it?


texts:
Sometimes a noun can describe another noun (ex. mountain bike), usually adjectives are used to describe a noun. But there is also a possibility to create an adjective from the noun.

What makes that sometimes it is valid to use a noun instead of adjective (even this which was derived from the noun) ? Why we say for example "golden bridge" instead of "gold bidge", what is the difference ?


texts: Difference between 'we both have' and 'we have both'

texts: What would be the difference in meaning between the phrase "We have both noticed a change in your demeanor." and the phrase "We both have noticed a change in your demeanor."?


texts: Grammatical clarification on ''recognises needs to be crushed'

texts:
I'm a bit confused on how the grammar works here in terms of 'recognize', it should be "recognise something", right? What's the role here for 'needs', it's a noun or verb?

Should the sentence be "recognise the arrogance which needs to be crushed" or
"recognise the arrogance as needs to be crushed"?

  His arrogance, as reflected in his contemptuous statement, “Who is the Lord?” is what God recognizes needs to be crushed.


texts: Idiom, analogous to Russian "to soap the rope" -- as intention to (figuratively) "kill somebody"

texts:
There is an idiom in Russian "to soap the rope". It refers to the action performed prior to hanging someone: if rope is greased with soap, noose knot will slide better.

In the case of My boss is soaping the rope it's pretty similar to "My boss is gonna hang me". But there is more to this idiom:

I'm soaping the rope -- it may be used by person who anticipates bad things will happen almost inevitably (exam is coming, but person is unprepared). OR If person feels depressed or physically/intellectually suffers (in pain, overwhelmed by work, very tired). All in all, declaration of suicidal thoughts, but without genuine desire to commit suicide.

Or it even may be used in positive context. Say, as "ROFL": I'm laughing so hard, I'm gonna soap the rope (I'm gonna die). Or Can't wait for this party, I'm already soaping the rope (party will surely be awesome).


texts: Verbal constructions with "on" in colloquial AE

texts:
Are verbal constructions with "on" somewhat more typical of AE than BE?

e.g. beat (up) on someone, miss out on something, pass up on something, check (up) on something, catch up on something, someone, etc.


texts: "Like the coward I was" vs " Like a coward "

texts:
It says " If he was glaring at me, I would skip Biology, Like the coward I was."
why not use " Like a coward " ?


texts:
I came across a sentence in my advanced book:

"Mobile phones are a public nuisance and should be banned."

I am aware of the structure
"The mobile phone is a ~"
Where the is used to refer to all mobile phones. Is the meaning of the second sentence the same?


texts:
Do I need an apostrophe-s in reference to major concepts?

For example, I see both versions as in:

Planck’s constant
Planck constant

Are both forms considered correct?


texts:
if the company is listed on/in the list of the survey/study etc, is it 'we were listed in the...' or 'we were listed on the...'

there are few discussions on this already but no grammar explanation that I can find.

thank you!


texts:
Please clarify should I write group's subsidiary or group subsidiary? what is the correct way to write this? Could you please also clarify the rule?

I see, there are a lot of similar situations, for example, management representation or management's representation, management report or management's report


texts:
What's the etymology of "drawback"?

Most sources I've found give a date all the way back to the 1720s 1, but with only vague explanation apart from the date.

Etymology Online says:

  "hindrance, disadvantage,"1720, from draw (v.) + back (adv.). The notion is of something that "holds back" success or activity.

Though that feels more like a definition than an etymology.

There's an earlier reference to a compound word verb form with at different meaning dating all the way back to the 1400s 2 but it's unclear if there's any relation, and there's similarly no explanation.


texts: What is the difference between "to thump" and "to punch"?

texts:
I would like to know what is the difference between to thump and to punch?

For example:

  I punched him and knocked his teeth out.

or

  I thumped him and knocked his teeth out.


texts:
In the film "Falling Down":

Foster: Good! Good, freedom of religion. Now you get the swing of it. Feels good to exercise your rights, doesn't it? (opens fire).

What is D-fens try to say?


texts: Can we use "it" as a generic reference for a human being?

texts:
I was watching a Hollywood movie few days ago. In one scene the son says "See, Mama: it's Dad," using it for a human. Is that right? How?

In another case, when one of my colleague was explaining some scenarios, he started explaining in this way:

  The user will click on a website link, then he/she should see a pop-up "Sign up now", then he/she should fill the form ...

Why can't we use the word it instead of he/she? We don't know who the user is to be, male or female. If we cant use it in place of he/she, which word should we use?


texts:
Between 'pay' and 'give' I guess you are most likely to choose 'give' for the blank below. However, 'pay' sounds more suited for the second 'attention.' I wonder why. Is it because the second sentence is in the negative, or because the first is in the order of (person) (attention), not the other way around: (attention) to (person)?

  All of us were supposed to [pay/give] Chris our undivided attention for the next hour, but I didn't pay him much attention because I was not at all interested in the topic.


texts: Are there rules how 'g' is pronounced as /j/ or /g/?

texts:
I'm not an native English speaker, and sometimes I'm confused with the pronunciation of 'g' and 'j' in words. It seems that 'j' is usually pronounced as /dʒ/ for example "job", "jaw". But 'g' can be pronounced as /dʒ/ or /g/. For example "gorgeous" is pronounced as  /'ɡɔrdʒəs/, but "georgia" is pronounced as /'dʒɔ:dʒjə/. So I have two questions:

How could I know whether I should pronouciation as /g/ or /dʒ/ if I see a word start with letter 'g'?
How could I know whether the word starts with a 'g' or 'j' if the pronunciation start with a /g/?


texts:
Related to More formal word for the chronic state of being in a snit

Suppose someone is doing extensive speaking -- perhaps presenting to a group, or testifying in a hearing.  Suppose her hostile attitude leads her to contradict herself and say a lot of nonsense.  Really stupid things that a person with her training and title should know better than to say.  How can I express

nonsense

in more formal language?

I tried the thesaurus but the words I found there weren't formal enough (e.g. tripe, claptrap, hogwash, etc.).


texts: What are other ways to say "virtually impossible"?

texts: What are other ways of saying "virtually impossible"?


texts: What's the earliest reference to a non-article word that still exists today?

texts:
Assuming around 1800 is "par" for "earliest mention" of an English word by most of our esteemed GR (GR: General Reference) text, is this for any particular reason strongly cut off at that time?

I'm not entirely certain where to post this question, but it seems as if the questions with "oldest reference" seem to hover around late 1700s/early 1800s.

The point of this question is to find out if this is (or there is) a practical age limitation with respect to this on behalf of available texts to define the English Language or that a demarcation point had been defined where English began to be more formalized.

From a comment I posted:

Is the cut-off point of an etymology site related to the availability of a corpus or simply a factor of the state of the English language at the time? If the etymology sources are authoritative, is a source that predates the referenced source by 100 years or more valid?


texts:
In computer programming, low-level means something used as a base upon which to build more complex mechanisms.  To the untrained ear, I think the term might imply inferiority, which is simply not the case.  I'm worried that people will think it is synonymous with basic, which is just plain wrong!  (Indeed, low-level programming can be extremely complex.)

Is there a better term I could use?  It should, in a nutshell, describe something that is necessary to form more complex things.  A slightly technical tinge to the word is preferable, but not strictly necessary.


texts: What does this mean: To be thus is nothing; But to be safely thus

texts: This is taken from Shakespeare's Macbeth, and I am having difficulty comprehending what this means. Can someone please put it into normal English, with all explanations?


texts: Is it clear in the following sentence the distinction between the "individual" and the "whole"?

texts:
Is it clear in the following sentence the distinction between the "individual" (a single person), and the "whole" (nature, universe...everything around, etc)?

"People want to be eternal as an individual because they forgot how to be eternal as a whole."

I wrote that as an indirect way of saying: People created the soul to be eternal because they forgot that they were already eternal with nature, the universe.


texts: Why are "dynamic" and "deontic" modalities so called?

texts:
It is said that there are three types of modality: deontic, epistemic and dynamic.
Here are sample sentences for each type of modality:

(1) You can stay as long as you want. [deontic]
(2) You may be right. [epistemic]
(3) He can drive better than you. [dynamic]

The first two names are said to be derived from the Greek for "biding" and "knowledge", respectively.
As far as 'epistemic' is concerned, the meaning derived from the Greek is such that I can easily understand why linguists who coined these terms did so.
As for 'dynamic' and 'deontic', however, it's not as clear to me why 'dynamic' and 'deontic' are chosen to coin the term 'dynamic modality' and 'deontic modality', respectively.
Specifically, what's so 'dynamic' about sentence (3)? (3) represents the subject's ability. I mean, what has being 'dynamic' got to do with anything about the subject's ability?
And what's so 'deontic' about sentence (1)? (1) represents the speaker's permission, and not any sort of 'duty' as expressed by the word 'deontic'.
Hence these question:
What's the specific meaning of 'dynamic' in 'dynamic modality' that is descriptive of this type of modality?
Why use the difficult word 'deontic' when it doesn't actually represent the whole picture of the type of modality that it's supposed to represent?


texts: What does “boots” mean in this context about making technological improvement and making work easier?

texts:
I encountered this usage:

  We can do massive training closer to the operator on a smartphone, using their own device, right now, we’re doing tests in plants, so people have boots and computers and they can test themselves.

Here, they are talking about technological improvements that could help making work easier.

I only find one meaning of boot in dictionaries regarding the technological context: The process of starting a computer and putting it into a state of readiness for operation (Oxford Dictionary). However, I think that this meaning is not referred to this context.

Do you know any other meaning of boots that could fit this context?

Some context of the source text, this is what the member says right before:

  Last year, I told you about the digital learning lab we had created, the platform and that we started 30 online training modules that were accessible on computers, in English only, for M&Ps. This year, we have something accessible to everybody with an email account, around 45 000 people and this is growing daily.

  This year we have about 130 digital trainings, we hope to include operators next year. We are now moving to other languages than English, though most of those in the Group and trainings are now available on iPad, computers, iPhones, without a password, people can train themselves on their mobiles.

  I believe we now have an infrastructure that gives full access to 45 000 people, the goal for 2019 is for everybody to have access.

  We are really ahead of the competition, we are really pushing the game ahead in terms of massive access.


texts: Word for "correct" that means "wrong" when halves are reversed

texts:
I have two identical electrical plugs which fit side-by-side.  It is important to get them the right way around as they will both fit in either socket.

I would like to write something on each of the two plugs to remind myself which way they plug in.

I could write COR on one and RECT on the second, so that when plugged in side-by-side they will read CORRECT.  When plugged in the wrong way around they will say RECTCOR which is obviously a mistake, so this is one possibility.

However I am wondering whether there is something better - two groups of letters that will mean correct/good/safe when placed next to each other in one order, but when the order is swapped the meaning will change to become incorrect/bad/dangerous instead.

(As a side note, the plugs and sockets can change orientation, so "left" and "right" don't work as holding the thing upside down means left and right become opposite.  There's also no room to write anything on the sockets, only on the plugs.)


texts: Are there nouns for being secondary/tertiary/etc. like "primacy"?

texts: I'm just wondering, as I've used primacy quite a lot but have never thought of other words like it.


texts: Is "data" treated as singular or plural in formal contexts?

texts:
My non-native English speaking friend just asked me: "Data is..." or "Data are..."?

I said both but that's because I've been desensitized from reading/writing both (especially from writing code and adding quick comments).

My question: Is it acceptable to utilize either for a university paper? Or is one safer than the other (when confronted with stickler professors)?

Related questions:

Is the word "data" now considered singular? If so, what about "datum"?
Data is/are in a global context


texts:
how can a ‘stressed schwa’ exist?
In ‘Applied English Phonology 3rd edition’ (page 85), ‘herder’ is the example of the stressed schwa and it is manifested as ‘3’(with r-coloring tail).
As I’ve seen so far, a schwa is so light that the syllable containing it cannot be stressed despite the following coda.
Thank you


texts: What happens when you have a break in a sentence?

texts: If I say "'And now-' here she paused for dramatic effect '-I will show you my dog!'", where does the "-" go? Does it go after or before the quotation marks in the second section of the break?


texts: What's a word for someone who "jumps on the bandwagon"?

texts: I am looking for a word (the word, as I know it exists, but I cannot remember it) that characterizes a person who blindly follows the crowd. It is a noun, and I believe it starts with an L – monosyllabic – disparaging – might fit nicely in the phrase: the _________ of Wall Street.


texts: Can "Sure" be used to respond to "Thanks"?

texts: I often hear "Sure" in response when I say "Thank you" or "Thanks" to someone. I don't know — is this correct usage? If it is considered good, I'll use it someday.


texts: A GRE verbal question -- I think the given answer is wrong

texts:
According to my understanding the choices to this question is only A. But the answer sheet says the correct choices are A and C. The question asks the conceptualization about gender in western culture.

In choice C it says:

  The idea of male/female binary gender is not generally considered the norm of contemporary Western civilization.

I don't know if I understand the word "norm" here correctly. If I understand it correctly, and the choice C is correct, I think it means in general western consider a third gender in their culture.

And the explanation to choice C even confuse me. It feels to me that the explanation contradict with choice.

I think this passage is quite simple, and maybe I misunderstand some key words. So please help me.


texts:
Does

  Post-Freudians have reminded us how we are burdened by repressions resulting from our early family life, Marxists and Foucauldians by the power of the political hegemonies we labour under or subscribe to.

Mean:

Post-Freudians have reminded us how we are burdened by repressions resulting from our early family life, Marxists, and Foucauldians and by the power of the political hegemonies we labour under or subscribe to.

or

Post-Freudians have reminded us how we are burdened by repressions resulting from our early family life and how Marxists and Foucauldians are burdened by the power of the political hegemonies we labour under or subscribe to.


texts: What is changed in 'guerrilla' and 'guerrillas' usage during the last two hundred years?

texts:
"guerrilla: a member of a usually small group of soldiers who do not belong to a regular army and who fight in a war as an independent unit" (M-W)

Surely there are specific historical reasons behind the peaks #1, #2 and #3, and it is not difficult to see that the peaks #2 and #3 are connected respectively to the WW2 and to the Vietnam War.

I don't know what is due peak #1, neither I want to know that.

Instead I would like to know the reason why, contrary to what happened during WW2 and VW, during 1860 to 1870 the plural guerrillas was more common that the singular.


texts: can we say "they have suggested to them"

texts:
I am narrating a situation whereby some group A of people suggested something to another group of people B. Can I say "They suggested them" or "they suggested to them to use" bla bla bla..

Thank you for your help


texts:
I have been seeing the word c'tee frequently. Here are some examples:

Sports minister sets up c’tee to find solution to football crisis
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/08/sports-minister-sets-up-ctee-to-find-solution-to-football-crisis/
Trajtenberg C’tee Presenting Final Recommendations Today
http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/english/news.aspx?boneid=918&objid=9925
ADIA - National C'tee Meetings
http://www.adia.org.au/meetings/national
Safety & Equipment Audits - YNSW Special Regs C'tee Reports
http://www.rpayc.com.au/sailing/safety-equipment-audits/page-7
Ramelton Fever Hospital C'tee meeting 1905
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/history-heritage/heritage-towns/the-heritage-towns-of-don/ramelton/ramelton-fever-hospital-c-1/

From the context the word seems to mean either a [political] investigation or a [government] minister. I cannot find any English-English or English-Hebrew dictionary definitions, though. Using Google Translate I cannot find the word in French, German, nor any other obvious European language. What is it, exactly?


texts: Which words are better substitutes for naive and naivete when referring to a person who just begins to study a technical subject？

texts:
I wrote

I find that it’s difficult to explain from scratch to a naive reader a lot of concepts in differential geometry which have long been visualized in my mind, like bundles over a manifold, integrable distribution, parallelizability, spin structure, Lie group, etc. Though these concepts each have a clear image in my mind, when it comes to introducing them to a reader who doesn’t have the rudiments of differential geometry, I find that it is really not an easy job—it’s really difficult to recover my naivete when I just began to learn differential geometry.

My councel in academic writing admonished me to substitute some words for naive and naivete for the two words suggest simple-minded. She suggested to replace naive with nonprofessional but hasn't suggested a substitute for naivete.
I don't feel nonprofessional is an apt substitute for naive because I intend to refer to a person who just enters the profession in question.
I searched some web dictionaries for appropriate words, finding no words which seem to serve my purpose. innocent, ignorant, unsophisticated sounds not sematically different from naive. The same is true for innocence as a substitute for naivete.
So which words can substitute for naive and naivete in my context without suggesting simple-minded?


texts: If something is not an Oxymoron, what is it?

texts: If "jumbo shrimp" is an oxymoron is there another term to describe phrases like "small shrimp" "bad wreck" "tough problem" and "most favorite"?


texts: What is the name for someone who obsessively exercises slight power?

texts: "Give a man a hammer, and everything he sees will be a nail," is an astute observation of human behavior. What is the name for someone with slight power, for example, the power to vote to close a question on this site, who exercises that power obsessively and gleefully?


texts: Can an infinitive be used as an indirect object?

texts:
Is it possible to use an infinitive as an indirect object?

For example, in the sentence 'I persuaded him to go there,' I guess that 'him' is the direct object and 'to go there' is an indirect object. Is this right?


texts: What is the correct way to punctuate this sentence?

texts: Is it "Anyone who wants to can." OR "Anyone who wants to, can."?


texts: Dictionary program/website that has IPA+recording for as many words as possible

texts:
I usually use Wiktionary as my English dictionary. The main things that I'm interested in are (1) IPA transcriptions and (2) voice recordings of each word.

The problem is that Wiktionary doesn't have those for as many words as I would want.

Is there a more complete solution? A dictionary which has those 2 things for more words?


texts: Is "Cutting Across the Afternoon of Life" grammatical?

texts:
I'm using this for a title of short story. The title has to reflect the last line of the story, which is as follows:

  A long, dark shadow cuts across the countless cubicles.

I've thought of "Cutting Across the Afternoon of Life"

'Afternoon' here represents the later years of life (wrt the riddle of the Sphinx)
'Cutting Across' used here in this context: (cut across) pass or traverse, especially so as to shorten one’s route. Ex: the following aircraft cut across to join him

But, I'm not sure if 'cutting across life' is grammatical. Any ideas?


texts: What kinds of educational institutions do people call "school"?

texts:
It often confuses me when english speaking people say something about their "school" and later I discover that what they meant is some kind of college. In Russian language, which I am a native speaker of, the direct translation of the word "school" means the facility with 11 grades, which most children start going to at the age of 6-7 and finish when they are 17 or 18. After that come different kinds of universities, institutes and colleges, and noone would call those with the russian word meaning "school".

I don't know a lot about how education on english speaking countries works, so I think that's one of the reasons of this confusion.


texts: Difference between 'I need a minute' and 'Just a minute'?

texts:
Is there any semantic difference between "I need a minute" and "Just a minute"? I have no context.

I guess that the second phrase is a request of waiting to a few minutes: 1, 2 or many minutes. It's an unofficial style.

'I need a minute' has the more exact length of time. It isn't 2 or 3 minutes. It is punctually, official exact one minute!

Am I right?

Update1. I completed a little survey... So, I found out that 'I need a minute' is very exact. I have fear to post references to different sites for evidence (can be off-top).

Update2. Just a minute (idiom) = wait a minute. In other words. This imperative mood can't be polite.


texts: "View data" is to "observance" as "control data" is to what?

texts:
To view data is practising observance, to control data is practising...?

I'm not looking for the antonym of observance, I just don't know the "looking:observance::doing:?" word.


texts: Can "prognosis" ever be correctly used outside of the medical meaning of the word?

texts: i.e. would it be correct to ask about the 'prognosis' of an ongoing engineering project?


texts: Does this sound vulgar or have sexual connotations?

texts:
I'd like to ask you to help me clarifying if a brand name sounds sexual/vulgar/queer for native English speakers.

It is "I Job You" which is a social job recommendation site. However, we had some feedback about the name that is has some sexual connotation (blow job? hand job?)

How do you see it? Does it ring any sexual bell for the first read? Can it be used on a native English market?


texts: How to use a quotation as an extraneous part of a sentence?

texts:
I've been trying to use a quotation as an extraneous part of the sentence and wanted to see if there is any grammar convention surrounding it.
Sample sentence:

Her answer, “I don’t demand ‘new year, new supplies’ I am content with the things I have,” emboldens a teaching in judicious usage.

I want it to sound like:

Her answer, “I don’t demand ‘new year, new supplies’ I am content with the things I have,” emboldens a teaching in judicious usage.


texts: Why does "how" not follow the structure of the other interrogatives?

texts:
Most interrogatives start with wh- and come with the demonstrative pronomina:

where - there
what - that
whence - thence

But "how" is different. Is there a simple reason for this?

(I posed a similar question on German Language and Usage:

https://german.stackexchange.com/questions/1333/gibt-es-einen-grund-warum-das-antwortwort-zu-wie-namlich-so-nicht-mit-d-be )


texts:
When do I use avocation and when do I use hobby?

Or can I use them interchangeably?

I need to choose between these two words or a url. Would www.kunalthehobbyist.com sound better or www.avocationistvyas.com?(My name is Kunal Vyas). I am planning it to be a blog like site for penning down opinions/tutorials/anecdotes on categorised topics, all of which are my hobbies/avocations.

Feel free to recommend me any better alternatives.


texts: What's a word like "disregard" or "bypass" that means "hides"?

texts:
Imagine that someone skips a step, with the hope that the audience will never know that it existed.  I was thinking extends or circumvents.  I'm not sure if these words are on the nose; I am looking for a word that really shows intent to conceal.

Here's a sample sentence:

  Any plan of action that ______ preservation of human life is, at its core, flawed.


texts:
Consider the following sentences:

Cooking is my favourite activity.
Cooking apples are essential for this recipe.

Cooking functions in the first sentence as a gerund. How does it function in the second?

A similar question could be asked of the term cleaning lady. However, while a cooking apple represents an apple which is (itself) cooked, a cleaning lady represents a lady who cleans (something else). Is there a difference?

Other examples:

Talking point vs. Watering can
Reading material vs. Cutting board


texts:
What is the word for a person who sets up a new business / foundation, etc. Founder would be too basic and does not imply setting up the structure of the organization. Same for initiator? In Dutch we use quartermaster but I have not seen this in non-army context.

11 March:
Interesting read and thanks for all the imput. Trailblazer or Groundbraker come close to what I’m trying to express. An entrepreneur invests in a company and mostly with the aim to make a profit.. Founder implies foundation only. Early or first employee implies an employment contract. The job I’m trying to describe - in one word - comes between founding / investing in a new enterprise / department and hiring regular staff – and is done on project basis mostly. You'd set up structure (organize the ‘line’ of admin, operations and finance) maybe look at the market in the broadest sense. Once organization frame of the enterprise / department is clear and set up, you’d not be involved anymore. You’d have done your job of ‘trailblazing’ ‘groundbraking ‘ ‘quarter making’ and move on to the next job.


texts: Do "developing countries" and "underdeveloped countries" have derogatory connotations?

texts:
Is there any derogatory or negative connotation with the words "developing countries" and "underdeveloped countries"? Should I avoid using them?

I read somewhere, don't remember where, that they have a colonialist connotation which might be disrespectful. Is that so? If so, what are some better word choices?


texts: Word for a sudden flow of ideas? Is 'brainwave' good enough?

texts: Imagine you are thinking about a problem you need to solve, nothing's coming to mind, and all of a sudden you get a dozen different ideas at once. Is there a word that expresses this sudden flow of ideas? I could only find brainwave although I'm not sure if it refers to a flow of ideas rather than just one clever idea. I'm looking for a word that's commonly used.


texts: Expression "to arrive at a place with your hands hanging"

texts:
In Spanish language there is an expression "llegar con las manos colgando", that can be literally translated to something like:

  If you are invited to a friend's party or social gathering, you need to
     bring some food or drinks, you can't just show up "with your hands hanging"
     (from your arms).

This is to express that if you are not holding anything in your hands when your host greets you, then you are empty handed, so your hands are just hanging from your arms, which can be considered bad manners.

Is there an equivalent expression in English, other than the generic being "empty-handed"?


texts: Would the phrase "Would you have interest?" be grammatically correct?

texts:
Is using the phrase "Would you have interest?" grammatically incorrect? I also include in the subject line the name of the company, the job title, and location right after the question (see example below).

My boss told me it is grammatically incorrect? I am a native English speaker with advanced English skills. The emails have already gone out, so I'm not looking for an alternative phrase. I believe this to be a grammatically sound question for an email subject line because it has a subject and a verb and the details follow the question. My boss said that "it's bad grammar" and that I should have written no question at all and give a long string of information in my email. I believe she also instructed me that saying "Would you have an interest" would have been better. Below is the example subject line with slight modifications for simplicity and to leave my employer's name out.

My subject line:
Would you have interest? AAA Company Technical Writer Opportunity in San Diego, California

Sometimes I alternated with the question, "Are you interested?"
Are you interested? AAA Company Software Engineer Opportunity in San Diego, California

Boss's suggested subject line:
CompanyName / Job Opportunity Title / Division/ Division Location / Reference to Travel

I believe my version (just the question) was grammatically correct (for a subject line), but I could have chosen better words. I wanted to start my subject line off with a question because people feel inclined to answer questions.

I don't want a suggestion of a new sentence as I will construct it the way my boss wants. The boring answer will be exciting to me.

References: this site, Google, Grammarly. I couldn't find information to the contrary, but couldn't really find any information to support my stance either. This is why I decided to sign up to this forum and ask my very first question. I also skimmed the FAQs and read similar questions, not finding the answer. If this is still off topic, please let me know what would be on topic for this forum.


texts: Plural form after "with" (common property of multiple objects)

texts:
When I describe several objects with a common property, do I denote that property in the plural like:

  several samples with large surface areas

or do I use the singular form, since it's one property each?

  several samples with large surface area

What is the corresponding rule I could look up for these cases?


texts:
Let's say me and a colleague are going to a meeting and I want to make sure his responses to the questions raised are similar to mine, that we are in agreement and we will responde in a similar manner.

Can I say: "Let's make sure our responses are aligned" or, "Please let me know your views cause I want my responses to be aligned with yours."


texts: What does the phrase "with suspect allegiances required to combat a powerful enemy" mean exactly here?

texts: "It [The Tragedy of Othello] would rewrite Henry V by offering another version of the story of an ambivalent heroic warrior with suspect allegiances required to combat a powerful enemy, who is pushed to his physical and emotional limits and marries outside his community." (Jerry Brotton, This Orient Isle- Elizabethan England and the Islamic World)


texts:
Is this correct: Representation of a 4 to 9-node-quadrilateral element?

and this: which is the case of a multi-degree of freedom problem?


texts: Subject phrase: 'Both of us' like sailing

texts:
I'm unsure whether or not 'both of us' and 'we both' are subject phrases. They are clearly in the subject position but in the first sentence 'both' is also a predeterminer, as far as I understand it, which would leave me with the object pronoun 'us' as the subject. Can someone help to unravel the grammar, please.

Both of us like sailing.
We both like sailing.


texts: Words for previous or next day for an organisation

texts: Curious if there are words for yesterday or tomorrow in an organisation sense.  If an organisation works Monday to Friday the weekend days would be excluded. One could refer to previous or next working day or subsitute the word working for business. I'm interested if there is a single word to achieve this.


texts:
Does the following sentence structure require comma?
S(pronoun) V(thought|wished|felt|knew|…) S V.
As in:

“He wished it would go away.”
“I feel it is all so wrong.”
“He thought it was hilarious.”

Or should it be:

“He wished, it would go away.”
“I feel, it is all so wrong.”
“He thought, it was hilarious.”

Or is it a matter of style?
Thanks,


texts: Which expression is more polite? Could you or can you?

texts: If I can't find something in a grocery, which question is more polite? "Could you tell me where I can find the mouthwash?" or "Can you tell me where I can find the mouthwash?"  And I'm not sure "Could you tell me ...." is a common expression for asking or needing help.


texts: Is there a term for the people who walk around with their phones in their hand?

texts: Everyday I see them and probably you do too.  People, generally under thirty, walking with their phone in hand, quite often with no other visible burden, no wallet, no purse.  Presumably they're ready to instantly answer a call or a text or whatever.  Is there a term, preferably non-pejorative, for this behavior?


texts: What did Jane Austen mean by "employ for captivation"?

texts:
I read the phrase employ for captivation in Jane Austen’s 1813 Regency novel, Pride and Prejudice:

  “Undoubtedly,” replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, “there is a meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable.”

But I don’t understand what it means. Does it mean to try to captivate someone?


texts: Does "Wish to God" suggest a sense of exasperation or irritation?

texts:
Here's a remark by the late Charles Babbage:

  “I wish to God these calculations had been executed by steam.” (1821)

This is quoted in the book "Understanding the Digital World" (2017). Below the remark, the author states that "You can sense his exasperation in the quotation above."

I wonder if the phrase "wish to God" usually implies a sense of exasperation or irritation. Or, can it be interpreted as such because the remark was made in the old time?

If you could help me with this, I'd be grateful.


texts: How to translate "other than" and "rather" in a sentence?

texts:
I have trouble with some of English phrases, such as other than and rather. I am not sure about the meaning of them. There are two sentences which include these phrases:

1- anything ending in a filename other than ‘index.html’
2- I would rather not say.

Does the other than in first sentence means except and rather in second sentence means prefer?


texts:
I've stumbled upon "angular art" in following sentence:

  Everywhere there is something to delight the eye — not tchotchkes, but art. Eccentric art, angular art, modern art, all a signifier of personal style.
  — From an article in Palm Beach Post, January 12, 2013

Though I can understand that "angular art" is an art style and get an idea what sort of art it is by googling "angular art", I was not able to find more or less clear definition of this art style and when it and its name entered the language.

Probably this question is more about art than about English but anyway maybe somebody can clarify this for me.


texts: Difference between "thrown under a bus" and "thrown to the wolves"?

texts: Is there any difference between the phrases "thrown under a bus" and "thrown to the wolves"?  As far as I can tell they mean basically the same thing, but the "bus" phrases came into existence after the "wolves" phrase was already fully established, so maybe there's some connotations I'm missing.


texts: How can " A smell leapt out so horrid that it seemed to colour the air " be correct?

texts:
A smell leapt out so horrid that it seemed to colour the air.

I thought this sentence should be "A smell so horrid leapt out that it seemed to colour the air." Which one is right?


texts:
A youngster literally pulls himself up by his bootstraps; finds a hero; establishes a dream; and then goes for it.

Is a semicolon the correct punctuation here?


texts:
The honeybees had ___ vanished from their hives.

  a) Suddenly b) Gradually

This is a question I'm having a trouble solving. Which one is the correct answer to that blank? I think both of them are kind of right in that sentence, but it says only one of them is correct. Which is correct, and why would it be?


texts: When should I use "a discussion of" vs. "a discussion on" vs. "a discussion about"?

texts:
“A discussion of”, “a discussion on”, and “a discussion about”: When is each phrase used in preference to the other?
If context is important, I want to use it as a subheading on a piece of non-fiction.


texts:
Today I was reading a programming book and I encountered the following sentence (emphases mine):

  In this case, for example, the type that all three compilers report
  for param are incorrect.

I'm not an English native speaker but since the very first moment I went through that statement I felt like something didn't flow smoothly:

the subject of the sentence (the type) seems to be singular, however the verb that refers to it (are) is plural. Am I missing anything here?


texts: "What methodologies are implemented " VS "Which methodologies are implemented"

texts:
Is it correct to write:
"What methodologies are implemented " or "Which methodologies are implemented"?

I did a little research and found both. Is there a rule? I personally think "what" sounds strange, but can't apply anything on it.

For the usage in a paper.


texts: What does "the Gettysburg Address would have stinkethed" mean?

texts:
I came across the word stinketh in the following sentence of the article titled, An American King: Noah Webster’s Holy Bible in New Yorker September 29 issue.

  Abraham Lincoln, born in 1809, sucked the King James, and good thing. “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” If Lincoln had been weaned on Webster, the Gettysburg Address would have stinkethéd.

I checked dictionaries at hand and Google search for the definition of the word in vain.
What does stinketh mean? Does it have something to do with stink? Is this a popular word? Or did the writer, Jill Lepore, deliberately use a flourish word to keep the tone of her writing in tune with the theme of Noah Webster’s scorning the King James Bible?


texts: Etymology of "Points" as a mark or unit of scoring

texts: What is the etymology of the word "points" when used as a mark or unit of scoring. (i.e. "If you answer this question correctly you will get points").


texts: Why and when did 'Down's Syndrome' change to 'Down Syndrome'?

texts:
Having watched a charming video of 'Carpool Karaoke' with mothers and children on the World Down Syndrome Day website, in preparation for the twenty-first of this month, I noticed that 'Down's Syndrome' has been changed to 'Down Syndrome'.

Such is the wealth of information online about the syndrome that I have struggled to find among it a reason for the change.

Vivid memories remain from childhood of a remarkable young man who achieved much despite his condition but I have always called it 'Down's' and I assumed it was named after a doctor involved with its documentation. But the change makes that seem unlikely.

Can anyone help?


texts: When can "very" modify a prepositional phrase?

texts:
In Hamlet, when Hammy Jr. asks Polonius whether a cloud looks like a whale, Polly replies,

  Very like a whale.

In contemporary English, however, "very like ..." feels ungrammatical. You instead have to epenthetically say "very much like ...".

Interestingly this restriction doesn't seem to apply to some similar constructions; I find the following all acceptable:

"Very whale-like" (PP replaced with adjective)
"Very similar to a whale" (synonymous phrasal preposition)
"Really like a whale" (synonymous adverb)
"Exactly like a whale", "Truly like a whale", "Somewhat like a whale" (different adverb)
"Nothing like a whale" (adverb replaced with a word of arguable lexical class)
"Very near a whale" (different preposition)
Cerberus pointed out (in chat) that "That is so very like you" is also acceptable (different argument to preposition)

But these still unacceptable:

*"Very by a whale", *"Very in a whale", *"Very inside a whale", *"Very toward a whale" (different preposition)

But "Directly by/in/inside/toward a whale" are fine.

What determines whether "very" can modify a prepositional phrase?


texts:
This sentence is supposed to be ambiguous. However I cannot see the ambiguity.

"We heard Mr. Vaughn’s voice on the loudspeaker"

My interpretation is:

We: SUBJECT

Mr. Vaughn's voice: DO

On the loudspreaker: ADV.ADJUNT


texts:
I'm currently struggling which of the following two versions (I anononymized them) is the correct grammatical form for the title of a publication:

Evaluating Safety, Cleverness and Fastness of Masking Systems
Evaluating the Safety, Cleverness and Fastness of Masking Systems

We are currently using the first version. Is it missing "the"?


texts: "Cherry picking" - What is the correct usage?

texts:
Cherry picking

A quick Google search yields the following definitions:

Definition One

  Cherry picking is the act of pointing at individual cases or data that
  seem to confirm a particular position, while ignoring a significant
  portion of related cases or data that may contradict that position.

Definition Two

  To pick out the best, or most desirable items from a list or group,
  especially to obtain some advantage or to present something in the
  best possible light

My Question:

Does the term cherry-picking necessarily imply that one is ignoring significant data?
Or does it merely imply that one is selecting the best items from a list or group?


texts:
I passed a TEFL certificate test,  and there was a sentence:

"We are going to stay with our family in Aberdeen."

And I had to choose whether it was "Future SIMPLE with "going to"" or "Present Continuous used as a future form", I chose the latter, as it was the closest ( the best answer would have been ""be going to" as a future tense/form (not SIMPLE)". And it says this is the wrong answer. The comment I got from them is this:

am/are/is + going + infinitive of main verb
(NB: 'I am going to Paris' is present continuous as a future form with 'going' used as the main verb; it's not future simple with 'going to' as long as 'Paris' is not a verb).

It's not Future Simple, Future simple is about will and shall. There's a reason we call all those tenses "Simple", isn't there?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “I like to do (be) something” vs “I like doing (being) something”

Hello,

Is there any difference of meaning between these sentences?

I like to get up early
I like getting up early

UPDATE

One teacher of mine suggested in his class that one of them (I can't remember which one)  meant that "I like it and I do it" while in the other case "I like it but I usually don't do it". t was justt to see if this difference really existed.


texts:
I know all these words have the same meaning and refer to some kind of plant.
Also, as far as I know, weed is the slang for marijuana or cannabis. (Correct me if I’m wrong).
What I do not understand is the difference between these words. Is cannabis a formal word, and marijuana and weed both informal?
Does one or two of these words originated from South America — for example, has a Spanish root — and the others originated from elsewhere?


texts: How to change this first person sentence to third person

texts:
I am having trouble with not using the first person in a sentence. I know that the first person sentences have "I", "We", "Us", and whatnot. But that is my problem. I am trying to change my sentence towards a third person.

My sentence:

  In my opinion towards the articles, I both agree on the point of view towards society.


texts: Why do you write setter and getter with double t

texts:
If you care, setter (plural: setters) and getter (plural: getters) are parts of a computer programms that get (or retrieve) and set (or store) values in memory.

But why do you write that words, that are, anyway, rather artificial (do they have uses in other contexts?) with double t?

You don't do it with other words such as producer, consumer. Even words that finish in consonant (reader) or in t (eater) are just added the r or er suffix.

Please clarify this non important issue to me.


texts: A term for a particular or general skill that needs to be improved and acted on?

texts:
The title says it all.
I'm unable to come up with the term for something you have as a part of a skill-set that needs to be further improved upon. It may be something very simple that is also at the tip of my tongue.

I wouldn't think it would be "In-capabilities", or "Deficiency".. it's something more precise than that.

thank you all for your contributions!


texts: What word can be used to describe someone you're following?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What’s a good word for a person that’s being followed?

For example, a Twitter user can have many followers. Twitter refers to the users that another user is following as following, more in a verbal sense of the word.

  @johndoe is following 283 users

What one word could be used as a noun to label those whom one is following? I thought of followee and a coworker came across guide, of which I’m not sure how it works.


texts: Pronunciation of double G: soft "gg" versus hard "gg"

texts: When I was a student, I was taught double G is normally hard, as in "agglomerate", "aggregate", "foggy", "aggressive", "dagger", "trigger", "niggard", "doggerel", etc, the exceptions being "exaggerate" and "suggest", the latter in BrE. Any other exception to this rule?


texts: What is the literal meaning (and the origin) of "v"?

texts:
“And that hashtag is wrong. It should always be v not vs. The ‘v’ never stood for versus, it stood for ‘vel’, meaning ‘or’. As in, ‘The gladiator or the lion is coming out of that arena alive.’” #WIvsENG

https://twitter.com/ucsoldboyscc/status/1094362086216482817

  “And ‘versus’ wasn’t even the way to say ‘against’, in that sense. That probably would’ve been ‘contra’. So it’s ‘v’ not ‘vs’ or ‘versus’. And yes, I still think Root should be at 3 with everyone else at 8.” #WIvsENG

https://twitter.com/ucsoldboyscc/status/1094362736799219715

Is there any truth in this (particularly in the "vel" bit)?

The few dictionaries that I consulted maintain "versus", but I'm still curious... (The Latin "vel" does or can mean "or", so there's that.)


texts: General expression for the role playing game phrase "Bad-Wrong-Fun"

texts:
This question on rpg.se asks for the meaning and origin of the phrase "Bad-Wrong-Fun" or "badwrongfun". RPG.net lexicon defines it as:

Illegitimate enjoyment. Saying that a game is "bad wrong fun" indicates that the game is somehow broken, unplayable, poor quality or weak - in ignorance of the fact that many groups are playing and enjoying it regularly. As such, this is not normally something that a person will say themselves, but something they will accuse other people of having said. For example, "John said that d20 is bad wrong fun" indicates that the speaker believes John's criticism of d20 to be foolish given the large number of groups playing and enjoying it. Rifts is often cited as a "bad wrong fun" game. Often written as a single word, badwrongfun.
"Bad wrong fun" is also often used in a more light-hearted sense to indicate the gamer equivalent of a guilty pleasure. "I know it's bad wrong fun, but I loved every minute of it!"

The earliest reference I can find to its usage is from RPG.net in 2004.
It is clearly a concept that is not peculiar to role playing games. For example, football matches could be badwrongfun for people who prefer opera (or, of course, vice-versa). In a more general sense, it encompasses a concept where the enjoyment of one social group is derided as not "proper" by another social group.
This is not a "guilty pleasure" because that implies that the participant themselves considers that there is some sort of illicitness in the pleasure. To the participant this is a perfectly acceptable way of having fun, it is only the observer who finds it offensive.
Is there a general term or phrase for this phenomena? Alternatively, are there other phrases that encompass the concept in other social settings?


texts: What do you call someone who has a 'problem'

texts:
I need one word(or two) for somebody who has a problem. Any problem. For example, when the person to whom an address belongs (in a letter) is called an addressee(not entirely correct)
So in similar terms, what's the person with a problem called?


texts: Is there a word which actually means the common incorrect usage of the word "reactionary?"

texts:
People often use the word "reactionary" to mean: "quick to react or jump to conclusions based on scant evidence."
For example:

People who think that this athlete is over the hill based on a single poor performance are simply being reactionary.

Of course, the word "reactionary" does not actually mean this. But is there a word which does have this meaning and could be used instead?


texts: How to properly identify adverbial modifiers?

texts:
I do not fully understand what they mean by structure of the adverbial modifier or type. Does 'type' mean the question it answers i.e. where, when, how? Below I listed the adverbial modifiers which I think qualify as adverbial modifiers, but I am not 100% sure and am confused. Any help to understand these is appreciated. Thank you

1. hard - How?
2. every morning from ten till two - When?
3.
4.
5. well - how? , like a child - how?, be bellowed with laughter - how?
6. on one leg - how?
7.
8.


texts: One word for 'something that can be overlooked'

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I am looking for a single word for something that can be overlooked.  Does a word like 'overlookable' exist?

Google throws up only Urban Dictionary or Wiktionary suggestions which I suppose are not standard English grammar websites. Please help.


texts: Term for derogatory words that are only "offensive from the outside"

texts:
In this post,  Dan Ray notes that the word "Jew" may be offensive but "only from the outside".  I can think of many other examples of terms that are neutral (or even affectionate) if spoken by individuals within a group, but are offensive or derogatory if spoken by someone outside of the group.

Is there a term describing such a word?
Note, I am not asking why this phenomenon exists, only if there is a word for it.


texts: About pronunciation of 'g' in words ending in -ng

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Some people pronounce the g at the end of words like spring and listening as  [g] (as in guard) instead of [ŋ]. First, I thought only some Russians tend to do this, but the other day I heard a British person doing the same thing in a recording.

Now I'm confused. Which is correct?


texts: Choice between past tense and present tense?

texts:
Todd is asking Dan about his concept of slow travel. The following passage is part of  Dan's reply.

  Yeah, I mean especially maybe because I'm a blogger, we're always
  seeking to define things in unique ways. And there’s a lot of terms
  out there. There’s expat; people that have left their native country.
  There’s backpacker, which is someone who tries to keep their cost very
  low and they’re continually moving from place to place. There’s flash
  packer, which is a term that means you still have income from
  somewhere and you have more tech and toys, and you stay at maybe nicer
  hotels.

  But what I did was always a little bit different, which is I would go
  and get long term leases or medium term leases at apartments. So I
  would go and get a house or an apartment in a place for anywhere from
  one to six months, and enjoy what it feels like to actually live
  somewhere.And that to me is so exciting, you know. Although the
  sights and everything are cool, and hanging out with tourists can be
  fun, I much prefer to go down to the local café, open up my laptop,
  talk to the people that are working there, and really get a sense for
  what it’s like to live in a city. (From
  http://www.elllo.org/english/1301/T1325-Dan-Slowtravel.htm)

At first the speaker is using the present tense (the entire first paragraph). Then he suddenly starts using the past tense(did, would go, would go), and then returns to the present tense again.

The speaker could well have said the following instead to keep the tense consistency.

  But what I do is always a little bit different, which is I go and
  get long term leases or medium term leases at apartments. So I go
  and get a house or an apartment in a place for anywhere from one to
  six months, and enjoy what it feels like to actually live somewhere.

I want to know why the speaker chooses the past tense over the present tense in the beginning of the second paragraph.  Thanks for the comments and the answer which help me clarify my question.


texts: Ending a sentence with verb and adjective

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What's the term for a sentence that ends with a verb and adjective like the example below? Note that I'm not trying to modify the verb, which would necessitate an adverb, but the subject. Is this a technically appropriate construction?
Example:

He smiled, happy.