texts: A single word for non-domesticated animals that live among humans?

texts:
Is there a specific, single-word adjective for animals that live among human beings but are not pets, livestock, or work animals? Examples would be insect pests living in a house, like cockroaches or ants; birds that live in the trees in a supermarket parking lot and feed off of human refuse; or rodents or deer that live near human settlements and feed off of plants cultivated by humans.

They are not quite wild, in the sense of living apart from humans in a "natural" state.
Nor are they domesticated, in the sense of being tamed and put to specific purposes for the benefit of humans.

These animals could be described as opportunistic, and in some cases could be called commensal, but is there a more specific word than those?


texts: Does English have a way to express a simple moral statement?

texts:
Ancient Chinese have a philosophy which holds that some names have substantial content, i.e., moral requirement for humans.

For example, the word human carries with it the meaning of compassion; if you want to be reckoned as a human being, you must show compassion. One fundamental expression in ancient texts of this philosophy is something like "humans ought to be (like) a 'human being'".

The basic structure of this sentence is "individuals or particulars + be + an embodiment of the species". In Chinese, the phrase is composed of two repetitive nouns. For example, maybe I shall say "a man shall act as a man" (人人) or "things shall be treated as they should be" (物物）? Do these sentences succeed in expressing a moral?

How would English phrase a statement like this one?


texts: Fractions as phrasal (compound) adjectives

texts:
Is there a difference between a written-out fraction that serves as a noun:

  He gave me one half of his sandwich.

and a written-out fraction serving as an adjective:

  I gave her a one-half share of my cookie.

I say a fraction serving as a modifier should be hyphenated as a phrasal adjective. A fraction serving as a noun should not. But everyone I work with hyphenates fractions no matter what their part of speech.


texts: Is the verb phrase "to save face" a calque of an Asian idea?

texts: Is the verb phrase to save face a calque of an Asian idea?  The reason I ask is that I'm not aware that the sense of the word face, as its being used there, is used with any other word than save, and I see it nearly always applied towards Oriental peoples.  So, then, is it a calque, a word-by-word translation of an Asian idea?  If not, the derivation seems a little mysterious to me from the ordinary sense of face — does anyone know if face in the given sense was used before sustained European contact with the East?


texts: “that ”at the beginning of a narrative sentence

texts:
That I don't know if I am good at making friends.

I'm not sure if this sentence is grammatically correct, but I've noticed this phenomenon several times where a “that” is added at the beginning of a sentence. Could you tell me what grammatical use it has, or what impact it has on the meaning of a sentence？


texts: "One of the main problems was/were people doing X"

texts:
In the sentence from the title, is it was or were?

To me, was sounds weird because there is a plural form coming right after, but were also sounds weird because it is one problem.


texts:
I always get confused when I have to use plurals in sentences like the following:

Please specify circuits and boards wirings identifiers.

Is it correct to add the "s" at the end of all of them?
Or is there some overuse here?


texts: How do I choose between “was” and “were”?

texts:
Should I use the singular “was” or the plural “were”   in the following sentence?

  The first thing that I noticed was (OR) were the street performers singing near the main entrance of the park.

If I reversed the order, should the verb agree with its antecedent the street performers, which is a plural noun, or with singular noun “thing”?

  The street performers, singing near the main entrance of the park, were (OR) was the first thing I noticed.

I could change the singular thing into things but I am uncomfortable with saying “the performers” are “things”.

  The street performers, singing near the main entrance of the park, were the first things I noticed.


texts: Why does national geographic use "live curious" instead of "live curiously"? I suppose we should use adverbs to describe verbs.


texts: How to punctuate groups of school grades: "3,4,5 students and teachers"

texts:
I cannot seem to find the style guidance for mentioning groups of school grades in a sentence. In this case the school uses mixed grade classrooms, i.e. Kindegarten, 1st and 2nd grade students are in one classroom; 3rd, 4th and 5th—in another and so on.
My first inclination was to use the en-dash: "K–1–2", "3–4–5" etc, but then I realized that it's probably wrong since these are not ranges but enumerations (K–8 and K–12 makes more sense).
I saw examples in school's writing which used comma without spaces to reflect the way people pronounce the grades in a sentence: "The other day, 3,4,5 students and teachers talked about rules for kickball". Is this an acceptable way to do it? If not, what would be a better way? Hyphens maybe?


texts: Why is “all . . . not” apparently more common than “not all ”?

texts:
For example, All that glitters is not gold is sort of a fixed term, and people often use the same “all . . . not” form when talking about things. See also the question “Is it wrong to use ‘not’ in sentences that have an ‘all . . . not’ form?”, which concludes that it is illogical and actually ambiguous.

The proverb implies that everything that shines cannot be gold, which is in stark contrast to its meaning that not everything that shines must inevitably be gold — logically Not all that glitters is gold, which seems rather uncommon.

Why is it that people prefer the “illogical” construct over the “logical” one, at least in English?


texts: I am using both words 'Earth' (in the sense of the planet Earth) and also 'earth' (in the sense of land, minerals,soil, etc) and the proofreading software shows an error asking me to make them both consistent. Please let me know if it is okay that I use both the words 'Earth', 'earth' or do I have to make them consistent. I believe that when refer to the earth as a planet then you should capitalize it.


texts: What is the best term to indicate people's opinions seeing something as "not important" and "less important"? Please help

texts:
I got trouble in determining the simple noun for describing the percentage of participants that answers "not important" and "less important" over several items distributed in my questionnaire.
What do you think about the following options to name that description:
(1) Number of disapproval responses
(2) Disapproval rating
(3) Number of negative answers
Or, do you have any additional views regarding this specification system?
Help me, please. Thank you in advance.


texts: How can I explain the difference between "thrifty" and "stingy"?

texts:
Both the words "thrifty" and "stingy" have obviously different meanings - for example, the fictional character Scrooge is stingy, while someone following a budget is thrifty.

Both imply saving money; how could I explain to someone what the difference is between these words, say, in a single sentence?


texts: What is a similar phrase to "scratch that"?

texts:
On Twitter, a reporter tweeted a phrase similar to "scratch that" once he realized he had made a factual error in his original tweet -- I cannot for the life of me remember what that phrase was!

Any suggestions as to what two-word phrase could have the same meaning as "scratch that"?

It wasn't nix that, forget that or never mind - it was something more fancy.


texts:
Should I use a colon, parentheses, or none of them to introduce the word "Arabic" in the following sentence?

  I am passionate about languages —including my native one: Arabic— and a fan of accuracy and perfectionism.

The other option would be:

  I am passionate about languages —including my native one (Arabic)— and a fan of accuracy and perfectionism.

but Word doesn't agree to this one. It corrects it to have a space between the parentheses and the second em-dash.


texts:
In a spiritual phrase the segment says

  ...have mercy on me, a sinner.

could you use "upon" rather than "on"?

I feel that using "upon" personalizes the phrase better.

Or is my grammar failing?


texts:
I'm working on a sentence (example below). It doesn't quite feel right:

  I tried to count the number of cars driven during 1980-1990.

Specifically, the issue here is about usage of the preposition 'during' with the time period '1980-1990'. I'm not so sure how to treat that period as a grammatical object.

I've considered some alternatives:

  I tried to count the number of cars driven throughout 1980-1990.

(Doesn't sound good.)

  I tried to count the number of cars driven between 1980 and 1990.

(Ambiguous due to not specifying that the range of years is inclusive.)

Any suggestions on how I should do this?


texts: What does "throw the dog on the curb" mean?

texts:
What does "throw the dog on the curb" mean here?

  So Heather, she can't talk to her friends because she's afraid that they will judge her for still loving Nick, and everywhere she turns, she gets the same advice: Leave him. Throw the dog on the curb. And if the situation were reversed, Nick would be in the same situation. Staying is the new shame.

Source: TED Talk by Esther Perel, "Rethinking infidelity ... a talk for anyone who has ever loved"


texts: Single word with same meaning as phrase: "Power goes to head"

texts:
I am looking to replace the [] in the sentence:

  The regime is showing signs of [power going to their heads].

Namely, I would like to use a single word, or two at most. A scientific-sounding noun would be great. Or if there is no such noun, I would still like to see what is the closest we can get.

I originally considered "autocracy," but it has only a loose connection with power going to heads.


texts: How do I ask someone if their name represents a singular entity or a collective entity?

texts: In a website I am programming I present the user with the option to name their website site, which can be a singular entity "Mel Tormé" which would present the menu options "About me", "Contact me" or a collective entity like "The Velvet Fog" which would logically change the menu to "About us", "Contact us".  I would like to give the user the option to choose "collective or singular" but I'm struggling with how to phrase the question.  Any ideas?


texts: Questioning the plural form on this sentence

texts:
I wrote:

  Would 7 pm work for you?

My editor corrected me:

  Would 7 pm works for you?

English is not my first language, but I can't get around the sound of the plural works in the sentence. Is it correct?

Would it be correct if I write:

  Does 7 pm work for you?

Thanks.


texts: In or for ? "One of my goals" in/for this summer?

texts:
In or for ? "One of my goals" in/for this summer is to... ?

Does the meaning change if I use for instead of in?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why is “xxxx doth not a yyyy make” considered valid English?
  Proper usage/origin of the generic phrase “[action phrase] does not a [noun] make”
  “Two films don't a revolution make”: is this sentence grammatically correct?
  “Dazzling images do not a shining nation make”
  Is employing hyperbaton correct in English?

The following sentence is from the book "Practical Common Lisp":

  A single record, however, does not a database make.

It sounds somewhat strange because of the word order: Subject-aux.verb-object-verb. Instead of this order I would expect the following:

  A single record, however, does not make a database.

Is this a common practice? Does the first order alter meaning in any way? Maybe it mimics some other text or a way of talking?


texts: Is a question the only thing that can be asked?

texts:
I will admit that I am clueless about all grammar-related terminology (prime example right there), but I'll try to explain as best as I can.

Conceptually, there's a difference between these two forms:

To ask for something
To ask a question

For the latter form, is a question the only thing someone can ask? It bugs me that I cannot think of a single other alternative!


texts:
What is the meaning of the word "pod" here?

  This is a good tactic to balance out a particular salesly email. So,
  if you've linked to a product page with one email pod, why not feature
  a YouTube video in another.

https://econsultancy.com/blog/67214-email-marketing-finding-the-perfect-blend-of-content-product

The free dictionary made put the idea in my head that perhaps the author uses it on the analogy with peas or beans pod. But I want to be sure.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pod


texts:
The book I'm reading contains the following excerpt:

  He thought of men he knew, junior to him but with better luck or better interest, who were now lieutenants in command of brigs or cutters, or who had even been promoted master and commander: and all of them snapping up trabacaloes in the Adriatic, tartans in the Gulf of Lions, xebecs and settees along the whole of the Spanish coast. Glory, professional advancement, prize-money.

It's apparently a simple question that should be possible to answer with a simple Google... but it isn't! No dictionary I've looked in contains a definition. Nothing appears on Google. I might believe it was a mistake by the author if the same word didn't also exist in some naval diaries from around the time the book is set. Clearly this was once a word that was in use... but I just can't find it.

I'm assuming it was a type of boat (like xebecs and settees), but can anyone find me a definition? Thanks!


texts: Do you "prevent somebody doing something", or "prevent somebody [from] doing something?

texts: It seems to me that the "from" is unnecessary and perhaps redundant.


texts: What part of speech is "righteous" in this sentence?

texts:
I'm wondering about the word class.

  It does not mean to make righteous just, but to declare or pronounce righteous.

As far as I know the word "righteous" or "just" is an adjective. But in the sentence above, "righteous" seems to be located in position for objective, behind "make" and "declare". Is this sentence right? Then how is it possible?


texts: How to express connection between several items

texts:
I want to express a connection from one thing to several other items in one phrase. Specifically, how can I correct the following paragraph:

  Ghahremani et al (2013) showed that a significant negative
  relationship exists between hindering factors, psychological, social,
  cultural, managerial micro-scales, facilities, equipment and sport
  participation of female teachers.

to mean that there is a negative relationship between

"hindering factors and psychological, social, cultural, managerial micro-scales, and facilities and equipment"
and
"sport participation of female teachers"?

Can "between" be used here or is there another way to say this?

May I also use "with" to re-phrase the above paragraph? e.g.
..showed that there is a significant negative relationship between hindering factors and psychological, social, cultural, and managerial micro-scales, and facilities and equipment WITH participation of female teachers.


texts: Difficulty understanding how the word "actual" works in "...actual problems that you face."

texts:
My question is about a sentence that I found in another SE site's help center, and I'm genuinely befuddled because I am having a hard time understanding how many ways the word "actual" can function in this sentence, and if that can lead to different interpretations.
While I'm a native English speaker and haven't successfully learned any other language, I regularly find sentences that leave me puzzled because I simply fail to understand how words work in certain situations.
This Space SE meta question (for background only) begins:

The help center's What types of questions should I avoid asking? says near the top that:

You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face.

I'm trying to understand how as written this sentence applies to problems that I am actually facing. In other words, if I ask the following:

Is my question based on an actual problem
Is my question based on something that I am actually facing (as apposed to just thinking about hypothetically)
both: Is my question based on an actual problem that I am actually facing

Which of those questions have to have "yes" as their answer before a literal reading of the sentence in the help center is satisfied?


texts: Did I hear "indiscreet or in discreet vs indiscrete or in discrete"?

texts:
I was watching "Miss Marple" on pbs and there is one conversation between inspector and a lady as one of house member. A lady was showing specific room to an inspector who is looking for some pictures as an evidence.
"Should I leave you, if you want to be in discreet?"
Or, "Should I leave you, if you want to be indiscreet?"
Did I hear something wrong?

Another question I have is, is there any different meaning between "discreet" and "discrete"? I looked up dictionary but I am not sure because one of dictionary explain its same but some are stating difference. Thank you


texts: 'Investigation of' or 'Investigation into'?

texts:
I have a phrase:

  Investigation of catalytic phase structure using SEM and TEM methods

I always thought that "investigation of" is a correct way of saying it. But I am told that it is actually "investigation into".

Browsing the net, I could not find the answer about the difference of these two.

So my question is: does "investigation into" even exist, and if so, what's the difference between it and "investigation of", and where can each be used?


texts:
I searched this on the Cambridge dictionary but it doesn't sense for me in following expression:

  As a freshly minted Linux administrator.

My guess is newly skilled but I'm not sure.


texts: "Seductive" as an adjective for describing snake

texts:
I would really appreciate if some native English speaker help me in clearing my doubt.

Recently, in one of Indian English newspaper the column writer wrote the following: "A scary sci-fi scenario. And one which could have its roots in a long-ago Garden where a seductive serpent offered Eve an Apple with a capital ‘A’."
My point is how much correct is the word choice of "SEDUCTIVE" in stead of "DECEIVING" to describe the snake especially in case of Adam and Eve story. Here is the full article: http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/jugglebandhi/summing-up-thanks-to-machines-we-can-no-longer-add-two-and-two-together/

Thanks.


texts: I have always said, "Our hope and prayer is..." but was recently corrected by my husband and told that the correct grammar would be, "Our hope and prayer are...".  Which one is correct?


texts: Different words for incoming and outgoing delivery

texts:
In German there are different words for Incoming Delivery and Outgoing Delivery (Anlieferung and Auslieferung).
Are there some words in English that have similar distinction?
The closest match I could find is Supply for incoming and Delivery or Shipment for outgoing.


texts:
I want to give some examples of a special type of clause.

  1) Too tall to enter the room, he remained standing at the door.

  2) Whether successful or unsuccessful, he always puts his best efforts in his work.

  3) To nervous to move, she stood on the floor, trembling.

  4) Laughed at, they lose heart.

  5) He declares the meeting open.

This are the some examples of verbless clause. I want to know more about verbless clause. I searched in net a lot, but unfortunately what I found were not sufficient. Those were not enriched with proper description. I want to know the ways used to express verbless clauses into other way. I want to learn how these clauses are being formed. Please mention some useful links/PDF files that are related to this topic and able to fulfill my demand.


texts:
I couldn't find a synonym because Thesaurus doesn't offer any synonyms: http://www.thesaurus.com/misspelling?term=reprimandable.

What's another alternative of the word? Example sentence:

  The clerk sat across from Mary, a __ action if a manager saw.


texts: Is it impolite to say "thou" instead of "you"?

texts: Would native English speakers feel offended if I address them by "thou" instead of "you"?


texts:
I've written the following sentence:

  It were those vespertine saunters that made him survive the work week

My grammar checking tool would like me to replace 'were' with 'was'.

Is this correct and if so, why?


texts: What's a word for the shape of the space among the trees in a forest?

texts:
I'm writing a proposal that contrasts systems with two different geometries. I'm looking for a word or short phrase (preferably non-technical), that would describe one of the geometries, which is space analogous to the space under a forest canopy and among the trees plus the gaps in the canopy and clearings, i.e. all the air space in the forest.

For comparison, the other system I'm describing is the vertebrate circulatory system, which can be described as a tree of vessels.

Some words I've considered are anastomosing and reticulum/reticulated but both words miss some aspects of the system I'm trying to describe (the clearings/gaps in the canopy) and also describe some parts of the system I'm contrasting it with (the vascular system).


texts: Other word for person who does something to others but does'nt like it done to them

texts:
This is a duplicate question but has still not been answered for me. I'm so close to the exact word - I know there is one out there - but the closest word I can find is a hypocrite --

  a person who claims to have certain moral principles or beliefs but behaves in a way that shows they are not sincere.

The word I'm looking for is a person who does not claim things, but does thing to another and they consider it wrong or immoral to have done to them.


texts: Modifying a whole list of nouns by attaching modifier to the first noun only

texts:
With sentences like:

I visited the parks in the area, museums, and shops.

We enjoyed dancing on our wedding day, chatting to guests, and listening to the band.

He spoke to all the boys in the school, the girls, and even the teachers.

My contention is that most English speakers would take the meaning to be as follows:

I visited the parks in the area, museums (in the area), and shops (in the area).

We enjoyed dancing on our wedding day, chatting to guests (on our wedding day), and listening to the band (on our wedding day).

He spoke to all the boys in the school, the girls (in the school), and even the teachers (in the school).

Am I correct in my assumption? Is it safe to say that in English, a modifier attached to the first noun in a list sometimes modifies the entire list?
I suppose that ideally we would rewrite sentences like this to remove any ambiguity, but let us say that for whatever reason, we cannot do so. Is it acceptable? Is it bad grammar but likely to be understood? Or is it completely incorrect and likely to be misunderstood?
Perhaps this is related to ellipsis? The Chicago Manual of Style has the example:

One lump or two?

Which the listener interprets as:

(Do you want) One lump or two (lumps)?

Do you think it is related? Or is this a separate issue?
My feeling is that this type of clause is not ideal but acceptable, although I have been unable to find any references, articles, or even forum posts that provide a good answer to the topic. If you are able to give me any references (e.g. the rule number in the Chicago Manual of Style) or tell me what terms to search for to find the answer to this question, I would be very grateful indeed! Thank you in advance for your help.


texts: Origin of the adverbial phrase “all but” meaning “very nearly”?

texts:
The definition of “all but” means “very nearly,” but this makes no sense logically. For instance, if someone says “That word is all but forgotten” it means that whatever word the speaker is referring to is almost forgotten. But if you take apart the phrasing you’ll see that it means almost the exact opposite. By saying that something is all but forgotten, one is really saying that the thing is everything but forgotten i.e. it may be other things,  but it is very much remembered. How is it that “all but” came to mean “very nearly” when really all should be negated by but, and that which comes after but should be in the affirmative?

(I understand that this may be worded in a slightly...abstruse manner. I apologize if this is the case. Perhaps someone can word it better?)


texts: Using more than one tense in one sentence

texts:
I want to ask how to use more than one tense in a sentence.
In the sentences below, which are correct?

I have to take a picture of the cake before it is gone.
I had to take a picture of the cake before it is gone.
I had to take a picture of the cake before it was gone.


texts: What is another way to say "Issues arose", as in "Some issues arose during the testing phase of the project."


texts:
The sentence:

This pertains to the offer [of , by] Mr. Hyde yesterday to help in our investigation.


texts: An American space traveler is called in English an astronaut.  A French space traveler is called in English an astronaut (not l'astronaute).  A Japanese space traveler is called in English an astronaut (not uchū hikō-shi).  A Chinese space traveler is usually also described in English as an astronaut.  So, why are Russian space travelers called in English cosmonauts?


texts: What is the correct preposition---"no objection in/at/to"? Also, advise on other aspects of grammar in the options provided

texts:
Which of the following options is grammatically correct?

The undersigned has no objection in the foreclosure of the work
The undersigned has no objection at foreclosing the work
The undersigned has no objection in foreclosing the work
The undersigned has no objection to foreclose the work

Background: The undersigned wants to convey to the higher authority that he does not have any objection if the work is foreclosed.


texts:
I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but I'll do it anyway. I am a student from Austria and one of our professors has given us a task which seems rather demanding. He wants us to analyze English in history/change on the example of Ridpath's Boethius translation from 1785 in a proseminar paper.

The problem is I can't get my hands on a text that has been written a little earlier (e.g., Johnson's Boethius translation) to compare them, but only on a text that has been written very much earlier by Queen Elizabeth. And no, I can't ask him for help, he's a confusing, kind of mean guy, who keeps telling us he expects students to be able to organize themselves.

Thanks in advance for helpful advice.


texts: What tense to use here (sending an email)

texts:
What should be the correct tense:

Dear XY,
As agreed, I am sending / I send this email so you can find...


texts: "One of the most crucial problems that..."—"exists" or "exist"?

texts:
Which one of the following sentences is correct?

One of the most crucial problems that exist in industrial countries such as ...
One of the most crucial problems that exists in industrial countries such as ...


texts: Difference between "except" and "besides"

texts: What is the difference between except and besides? When do we use each of them?


texts: When to use possessive "'s" or "of the"?

texts:
This is one topic that I thought that I have already known well, but sometimes when I am writing a text or something like this it always come up the doubt of what should I use in the sentence to indicate possession. One example (stack in those sentences mean the abstract data type used in computer programming languages):

"The stack's top will have the value "0x3000."
"The top of the stack will have the value "0x3000."

Well, for me both are right. However, I don't know what is the best choice. What's the most "polished" way to say that? Is there a real difference between those two options?

I've already searched the web but I couldn't find any trustful information that I can accept as a good answer to my problem. I saw that when you are relating a parto to a whole you should not use "'s", is this really true?

Is there any good way to remember the cases (or the logic) to use one of those forms?

In the cases that you can use both forms, what is the difference? Is there a informal and a formal way to say, or there is no difference at all?

Please correct any mistakes that I may have made in this text.


texts:
So my understanding is that all morphemes are either "free" morphemes (can exist on their own as words with meaning) or "bound" morphemes (can't exist on their own as words, which means that every bound morpheme is thus some type of affix).

So what about the word LIVER then? We can separate the word LIVER into "live" (which can stand by itself as a word with meaning, and hence fulfills the requirement of a free morpheme) plus "er" (a universally recognized suffix), but neither "live" nor "er" have any lexical relationship to LIVER.  So is correct to say that LIVER consists of the two morphemes "live" (free) + "er" (bound), or is liver a one-morpheme word? My suspicion is no, it's a one-morpheme word, but I wanted to get some experts to confirm...


texts: Is there any difference between "student" or "pupil"?

texts:
I am a little bit confused, when somebody told me that a student is the same as a pupil. Would it be correct, if I said "He is a pupil of MBA."?

Which of the following expressions is the most appropriate?

  He is a student of MBA

or

  He is a pupil of MBA

And which situations should I use either words?


texts:
I am wondering if there is a generic term to refer to the number of a book within a series, but not so generic as number.

As an analogy with TV Series, we can use the term episode, for example: episode 1 of Top Gear Season 2.

It seems there are some specific terms depending of the type of books, for example issue for comic books: issue 3 of The Sandman.


texts: What is the word that means the way that a word feels in the mouth when it is spoken?

texts: I have found some words for pleasant sounding words, such as mellifluous and phonoaesthetics. However I am seeking a word, either in English or any other language, that means the feel of a word as it is being spoken. The closest I can get is mouthfeel, or phrases such as rolls off the tongue or feels good to say.


texts:
I want to express

  X is prohibited. Of course A is prohibited. Of course B is also prohibited.

Should I use

  X is prohibited. Not to mention A and B.

or

  X is prohibited. Not to mention A or B.

?

(Note: The intended readers of these sentences are computer-scientists.)


texts: Some types of nouns feel ungrammatical in "His every [noun]"?

texts:
Abstract nouns, specifically nouns related to feelings, feel natural:

  Set A: His every {whim, desire, need, wish} should be satisfied by the council.

However, concrete nouns feel wrong.

  Set B: His every {photograph, watch, "piece of jewelry"} was placed in the safety deposit box.

Are the examples in "Set B" grammatically correct? If not, could you point me in the right direction to learn more about why they are ungrammatical?

Thank you.

Edit: How about a more clear example (without the passive voice)

  Set C: "His every song is good" (said another way, "I think all of his songs are good.")


texts: Is there a single word in English that can be used to describe a person who never misses tasks like appointments, deadlines etc.?


texts:
I'm reading a key for a writing exam, and it says,

  Historians in the future may look back on our time and wonder why we allowed such a dangerous and inefficient form of transportation to persist unchecked.

And that sounds weird to me because "transportation" is an object that can not act on its own.

Should it be a passive voice "to be persisted" instead of "to persist"?


texts: Blending Two Individual Words Together That Share the Same Consonant Cluster

texts:
I've noticed that this phenomenon is common in fast speech. I have searched and searched on the internet for the official name for this, but I cannot seem to find it. Here are some examples:

With this (pronounced withis).
Watch Changes (pronounced Watchanges).

These seem to me to be almost like portmanteaus, but they're not. Is this just lazy speech? Does anybody know what this phenomenon is called; I'm just curious.

Thank You.


texts: In regards to food, fresh is used in a number of different ways. It can mean not stale, as in fresh bread, but it is also used in regards to meat, vegetables, or fruit. People talk about having fresh fish, but how would they say that they have un-fresh fish?


texts: I have yet to find a good description of the difference between ontology and ontography. Can anyone help clarify?


texts:
You not loving me is my nightmare.

Is this sentence correct?
If not, would you please tell me the correct form?


texts:
I've noticed that there are some sounds like:

Animal sounds
nature sounds e.g. raining sound

what are these called in English?


texts: How much use did the word 'delete' get before the technological boom?

texts:
For as long as I can remember, I've only used the word 'delete' in a technological context. I'm fairly certain, most kids--or the generation before them--know exactly what the word means.

Did this word get much use in other literary works?


texts: To whose 'salt' is the idiom, "worth one's salt" referring to?

texts:
Worth one's salt- worth one's pay; something or someone that deserves respect and support.

Mark: That journalist is biased. I don't like the way she interrogates our mayor.

Dale: Every journalist worth his or her salt should ask probing and challenging questions.

Does the "salt" here referring to the journalist or the person the journalist is interrogating?


texts: Could you please do X vs. Could you do X please

texts:
I'm an English teacher, and I heard a student say "could you please open the window" the other day.

To my ears, "could you please open the window" as a construction sounds exasperated, even irritated, whereas "could you open the window please" sounds polite and friendly.

If I sent an email saying

"could you please file the report by Thursday"

to me that construction almost carries an implicit:

"could you please file the report by Thursday, not late like you usually do you jackass"  or "could you please file the report by Thursday and for God's sake don't make me ask you again".  I'm exaggerating more than a little for effect of course, but my point is, it sounds a lot more insistent to me, whereas "Could you file the report by Thursday please" is simply a polite request.

I haven't been able to find anything on this, do people agree with me, or is this entirely in my head?


texts: What does "to the height of a saddlehorn" mean in the mentioned context?

texts:
What does "to the height of a saddlehorn" mean in the following context? First, I don't know what "saddlehorn" mean and how height is "to the height of a saddlehorn". Second, is the sentence saying that the trees in question are getting shorter?

  Since then I have lived to see state after state extirpate its wolves. I have watched the face of many a newly wolfless mountain, and seen the south-facing slopes wrinkle with a maze of new deer trails. I have seen every edible bush and seedling browsed, first to anaemic desuetude, and then to death. I have seen every edible tree defoliated to the height of a saddlehorn. Such a mountain looks as if someone had given God a new pruning shears, and forbidden Him all other exercise. In the end the starved bones of the hoped-for deer herd, dead of its own too-much, bleach with the bones of the dead sage, or molder under the high-lined junipers.

Context: Thinking Like a Mountain By Aldo Leopold


texts: Is there a term similar to girlfriendship / boyfriendship?

texts:
Sorry if this question is rather dumb.

Is "girlfriendship" or "boyfriendship" actually a term, or is there a suitable replacement?

I'm using "partnership" in the badly worded sentence right now:

  Even Equality's love interest, of whose partnership is a transgression
  in its own

But is there something more accurate?


texts: What's the correct way to express the possibility of one event happening before another?

texts:
I'm struggling to find a way to express the idea that it's possible that something was done before something else was done.
I'm not sure if I'm just tired, but the idea is this:

In the present perfect, you would say "it has been done before". When you add "may" it becomes "it may have been done already".

In the perfect past, you would say "it had been done before". How does that sentence look like when you add "may" to it?
"It might have been done before"? "It may have been done before"? Or even "it may have had been done before", as clumsy as it sounds? None of these sound particularly correct, so I'm at a loss as to what the solution here is.


texts: What to do with a list of verbs with different prepositional needs?

texts:
For example:
The community was not supportive of, or happy with the result.
The community was not supportive or happy with the result.

So when using two sets of verbs and prepositions (listing) in a sentence, do you need to state both prepositions?
I think yes.  If the preposition is the same, then no.
Am I correct?


texts: Syntactically correct, semantically incorrect sentence

texts:
How would I answer the following programming exercise? It's trying to emphasize the difference between semantics and syntax.

  Write an English sentence that has correct syntax but has semantic errors.


texts: what is the meaning of a phrase " Or so some have argued" in the following sentence?

texts:
they do not expect to learn something about the nature of
morality itself. If you want to know what makes wrong acts wrong, ask a
moral philosopher, not a psychologist. Or so some have argued.


texts: What's the name of this construct - "We went to SuperFunTime, but it really wasn't"?

texts:
Where the missing clause is assumed to be a [a super fun time].

Or "Unfortunately, the elastic wasn't". Here it would be wasn't [elastic].

I did try to search, but if this has already been asked it's not easy (for me) to search for.


texts: Definite article use when writing about global population?

texts:
This is the first sentence in my work.

Steadily ageing global population is leading to a crisis of noncommunicable diseases.

In most cases, the first mentioning is not preceded by a definite article. However, is this case an exception as there is only known "global population" for us? Therefore, the sentence should start with a definite article?

The steadily ageing global population is leading to a crisis of noncommunicable diseases.


texts: Has "segway" become an acceptable substitute for "segue"?

texts:
For a long time, I used the word segway in relative contentment, as a useful word to mean "to transition to."  As in:

  We're getting off-topic.  Let's segway to the next discussion point, shall we?

Then one day, and to my surprise, I was shocked, after making a comment on somebody's blog, to be haughtily corrected and informed that correct usage was actually segue, which apparently comes by the Italian seguire, meaning "to follow."  I was additionally told that segway was a vulgar imitation used by know-nothings, a sort of word like bonafied that instantly revealed one's class and relative ignorance.

Wow! I had little doubt that the use of segway was substatially bolstered by the hype and general pop-cultural awareness of Dean Kamen's famous flop, but back then, I'd always thought he'd fittingly named his vehicle after the word itself, and it was strange to me to learn that the Segway  was in fact knowingly named after a corruption.

On the other hand, this is a mistake I continually hear lots of people, even educated people, make — cf. for example, whoever Joel is talking to at the 61st minute of the latest podcast.

So has segway become acceptable as a replacement for segue? Can segue be considered all but dead? To be clear, as this is StackExchange, I'm not looking for, "ooh! I say it this way", and "no, I say it that way!" responses;  I'm looking more for quantitative data, usage by established authorities (is the NYRB using segway?), and perhaps discussions from those who have written on this before.


texts: enjoy it [as much as possible] or [to the utmost] or [immensely]

texts:
Suppose that John has prepared some food for you. You're now eating it.  He asks you, "Why are you eating so slowly? Which of the following three replies is best?

(1) "Because I want to enjoy it to the utmost."

(2) "Because I want to enjoy it as much as possible."

(3) "Because I want to enjoy it immensely."

The first two versions are mine.  My non-native English speaking friends prefer version (3).  Whose version is best?


texts: Phrasal verbs meaning stop being consistent in doing something?

texts:
I would like to know some commonly-used phrasal verbs referring to the action of stop being consistent in doing something. A phrasal verb that sounds natural and can be used in the following context.

e.g. I  started to work out four times a week last spring, I was doing great,but I (gradually stopped doing so) lately.

Thanks for your help!


texts:
I was meditating this morning and this came to me. Hear me out:

A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.

An adjective on the other hand is something which describes a noun.

My name is Jesse. If my name denotes me, am I the noun or is my name? If my name is the noun, then what happens when I change it? I can't call a building a car but I can call a building hot or cold. If my name is an adjective describing me, why can't I use it on anyone else?

I've read answers on how Shakespeare is a noun while Shakespearean is an adjective. This sort of touches on the issue but doesn't answer it completely.

I could separate me the object from me the idea but I can still describe me the idea with a new name, let's say Jordan, which would be a pen name. My idea stays the same.


texts: Article use in sentences with multiple "of" phrases

texts:
Do you have any simple-to-follow rules for a case given subsequently? When different options should be preferred?
A
The three-month period was chosen to limit the use of personalised data of study patients.
B
The three-month period was chosen to limit the use of the personalised data of study patients.
C
The three-month period was chosen to limit the use of the personalised data of the study patients.


texts: "Carve-out" vs "Carve out" (as an action)

texts:
In the following sentence:

  We are confident we can carve out a comfortable portion of the market.

Is carve out without a hyphen the only correct way of writing it? Or can it also be written as:

  We are confident we can carve-out a comfortable portion of the market.

I'm asking because I feel that, in context, the second example reads more easily, but that generally the hyphenation of carve out (specifically) would be reserved for its usage as a noun, and not an action.

I am under the impression that hyphenated actions — where used to avoid confusion, or improve readability — are merited in terms of artistic license.


texts: When everything is blinking, what’s still will be shown. What does this expression mean?

texts:
What does this expression mean?

  In a world of clutter, simplicity rules the throne. When everything is
  blinking, what’s still will be shown.

("Zen and the Art of Email Design," by Cameron Conaway, at LinkedIn)

I am partuculary confused by the word "blinking".
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/blink


texts: How do you use apostrophe +s to full words with acronyms attached?

texts:
It's no issue if I were to attach it to to the acronym directly, but if I were to introduce an acronym for the first time in my writing I would have to use the full name with the acronym first, and that's where I'm stumped.

E.g. SWOT's (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats) usefulness is debatable.

OR

SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats)'s usefulness is debatable.

Which?


texts: "Rick was to ... taken.". Should it be "be" or "have"?

texts: On my last english exam there was a question to fill in the gaps. One of the sentences to complete was "Rick was to ... taken.". What would you put in here and why? I think there should be "have", but some of my friends say "be". Would that sentence mean anything when filled with "be"?


texts: First printed use of the word "diagram" in English

texts: I’m trying to track down the first printed use of the word diagram in English. Can anyone tell me the name, author, and date of the publication in question? It would be especially valuable, on top of that, to have an excerpted passage containing the word, in order to infer its intended meaning from its context.


texts: Is there a heavy usage of the word "bonfire" in English?

texts:
I wonder if the word "bonfire" is very often used in the English language. Maybe in different contexts than just the burning of something for fun, which is the main translation as I understood. I consider this a kind of exotic word if I think about the usage of the word in my native tongue (German).

I came across this, because I noticed that my son is now learning this word in school (sixth grade) and I remembered that I have learned the word "bonfire" in my school time (some 30 years ago) too in a somewhat early stage of learning English. This seems to indicate some basic usage or importance of this word, since it is delivered to learners on a beginner level.

It seems to me that the use of this word is rather limited and I didn't came across this word very often myself in the last 30 years. Though I have to admit that I am not using the English language very often in conversation with native speakers. I mainly use English by reading and a bit by writing, mostly in a tech context.

So I am really curious if there is something more about the "bonfire", that I have not recognized yet or if maybe there is some mysterious affection of German school publishers to this word.

As an anecdote from the past, I can tell that I found it cool that I knew the meaning of the name of the then somewhat popular German band "Bonfire" :-), but my son does not have a gain like that, since the band is maybe a little out of fashion, at least for the younger ones...


texts: American vs. British English: meaning of "One hundred and fifty"

texts:
I've noticed that Americans do not say "and" when speaking numbers: for example, 150 would be pronounced "one hundred fifty".

I and most other British-English speakers would pronounce it "one hundred and fifty".

I've seen a few different arguments on the net about which is "better", and something that is often asserted on the American side is that the "and" represents a decimal point - so "one hundred and fifty" would be interpreted as 100.50.

This struck me as odd, since although I see a lot of American movies and TV, I don't think I've ever heard anyone actually do this.

So my question: is this "and = decimal point" actually used in the USA, and can anyone cite some examples (maybe on youtube?)?


texts: What is the exact nuance of 'a bit' in this sentence?

texts:
Would that I’d begun a bit sooner, but one always assumes one will
  have more time

If you see only this sentence, what feeling does 'a bit' give? Can I interpret it the speaker hopes she didn't start too early?


texts:
I text-messaged my friend on his cell phone last night and this morning I got a reply saying, "I had saved your number, ...but I didn't check my cell until now.."

Is "didn't check until now" okay, or should it be "hadn't checked it until now" ?


texts:
The example:
"Be not alarmed, Madam, on receiving this letter" - Jane Austen

what is the difference between "Don't be alarmed" and "Be not alarmed"


texts: let him do the job, what will be the tag question of this?

texts:
For the sentence starting with "let" we usually use "shall we?" or " will we?" or "won't you?"
in this case, what should be the tag question of the following sentence?
let him do the job, will you?
or
let him do the job, won't you?
which one is correct and why?


texts: What is the difference between 'rich' and 'wealthy'?

texts:
I am studying the difference between "rich" and "wealthy".

According to the dictionary they can both be adjectives meaning having a lot of money or nouns meaning the type of people.

I have read online that rich people only have money while wealthy people in addition know how to make money.

Is it like that?


texts: When using the preposition "for" should it be followed with the subjective or objective case?

texts:
The activity we engaged in was good for she and I.

or

  The activity we engaged in was good for us both.

or

  The activity we engaged in was good for her and me.


texts: Word or concept for "credit system" in context of "topping up" an account

texts:
The word or concept I'm after is the system where a user of a service can transfer real money to their account (top-up), receive "credits", use those credits somehow inside the system, and then exchange the credits back to real currency (check-out). These "credits" wouldn't officially be recognized as a currency.

The concepts that I think are closest to what I'm looking for are complementary currency and scrip, but neither seems to be correct in my opinion.

Update:

No matter how I try to read credit's wiki definition, the 'provides resources to another party and arranges to repay those resources at a later date' doesn't seem to fit. As told, the purpose of these "credits" for which I try to find a better word for are, to be used as a form of currency inside the service.

This made me think of casino chips, which led me to another interesting contender: exonumia, which unfortunately appears to only be used in the context of physical items.


texts: What's the proper answer to the question "Is Eri's host family kind to her?"

texts:
A friend of mine is an Assistant Language Teacher at a junior high school in Japan. The textbook for the grade eight class has the question "Is Eri's host family kind to her?"

If I were to answer that question, I would use a plural and say "Yes, they are." But the main teacher of the class says that the proper answer is "Yes, it is," because the question is asked in the singular form. This seems really unnatural to me.

Which of these is correct, and why? The main teacher will not be satisfied with anything other than an answer that's backed up with proper rules of grammar.


texts:
I was reading an article and suddenly stumbled on a strange use of the word "jive":

  Since 2014, according to the report, hundreds of ambulances have been called to the factory to treat workers.

  This portrayal doesn’t quite jive with Musk’s world-changing vision.

Google provided the next reference about meanings of the word and I do not see anything appropriate to the example from the article:

  jive /dʒʌɪv/

  noun: jive; plural noun: jives; noun: jive talk; plural noun: jive talks

  a lively style of dance popular especially in the 1940s and 1950s, performed to swing music or rock and roll.

  swing music.

  a style of dance music popular in South Africa.
  a form of slang associated with black American jazz musicians.

  North American informal; deceptive or worthless talk.

  verb: jive; 3rd person present: jives; past tense: jived; past participle: jived; gerund or present participle: jiving

  perform the jive or a similar dance to popular music.
  North American informal; taunt or sneer at.

  talk nonsense.

  adjective: jive

  deceitful or worthless.

  Origin
  1920s (originally US denoting meaningless or misleading speech): of unknown origin; the later musical sense ‘jazz’ gave rise to ‘dance performed to jazz’ (1940s).

The meaning of "to jive with" from the article must be something like "to correlate with", but there is nothing similar in the Google reference.

So my questions are:

what is the meaning of "to jive with" in the article?
whether this meaning is widespread and common or is it some exception?


texts: I've started using English language about 4 years ago after I moved to England. I came across this practice a few times: when people speak about their health or similar things they say this and touch a wood nearby. What does this mean and is there a historical story behind it? Appreciate if anyone could explain this.


texts:
Is there a single word noun for something that splits something info pages? At a guess I came up with:

paginator
pager

Paginator seems right, but it doesn't look right, while pager looks right, but seems confusing, while I've heard programs such as more, less and nano described as terminal pagers, I can't see anywhere else that the term pager seems to mean this.


texts:
What is the difference between in work and at work?  Does in work imply that the person is busy and immersed in his work?

I am at work.
He is in work.


texts: How to define & differentiate, "on hand", "to hand", "at hand"?

texts:
An English learner asked me a question what's the difference between:

on hand
to hand
at hand
in hand

And how to identify the difference and use them correctly?
All these phrasal verbs are so close to each other in terms of the definition that English learners get confused about understanding them. How to easily define and differentiate them?


texts: Looking for a perfect word to replace my phrase in the lyrics

texts:
I am working on a lyric.

This is about a girl who smiles at a boy whom she is interested and also ignores him on the other day .. she wasn't sure whether she want him or not.

To accomplish this scenario, I wrote the line as

  You smile a day and ignore other day !!

I prefer to replace the word "ignore" and so wrote "hurt". Still I am looking for a better word.

  You smile a day and hurt other day !!

Opposite of smile - Keeping the face in an anger mode or ignorance mode.


texts: Single adjective meaning "does not use much energy"

texts:
Is there a single adjective that means "does not use much energy" / "not using much energy"?

I do not mean "efficient".

Efficient means something that does not waste much energy - something efficient could use a lot of energy for a specific purpose, yet not waste much energy on actions that do not achieve that purpose/not waste energy as heat or sound or whatever.

However, something *word I seek* may or may not be efficient, i.e may waste very little, or very much energy, in trying to perform a task, but does not/will not use or consume much energy in trying to perform the task - whether some of this energy is wasted or not.


texts: Could I use 'this' to introduce a person?

texts:
Which of the sentences below are correct?

  This’s my best friend, William.
  Those’re my classmates, James and Harry.
  That’s my teacher, Mrs Wilson.

UPDATE: I just took an exam. The correct sentence is the last one, but I don't understand why.


texts: What is the meaning of "the same - than"?

texts:
I'm working as a Software Engineer in US, and I'm a non-native speaker. I am familiar with the phrase "same as".

When I read the following wiki page, I encountered a phrase consisting of "same" and "than". I am copying and pasting that sentence at the bottom of this question.

I do not clearly understand what it means. Could anyone please tell me whether the following sentence makes sense? If so, could you explain to me what it means?

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friend_function:

  In object-oriented programming, a friend function, that is a "friend" of a given class, is a function that is given the same access than methods to private and protected data.


texts:
Is there any significant difference between sortation and sorting?

Amazon's local distribution center is called "Amazon Sortation Center". I hadn't seen sortation used before.


texts: Non progressive verbs. Was seeing, was looking good

texts:
Non progressive verbs are not used in continuous, right?

But what about, for example, sentences like:

  "Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realised what he was seeing." (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban),

or

  "She was looking good" (Rajesh in the "Big bang theory").
  Can it be concluded, that non progressive verbs actually can be used in Past Continuous?


texts:
Speaking of Richard Henry Dana, at the end of his study, D. H. Lawrence states:

Dana lived his bit in two years, and drummed out the rest.

Could we say that "lived his bit" is akin to "sow (one's) wild oats"?


texts: A word for a bad company/firm/work of employment

texts:
I'm looking for a single word or two words that would describe a bad company/firm or place of work. It could be bad working environment and/or place that produces bad results.
If possible the word should be non-archaic and not belong to a very concrete type of company (like horse-stall-keepers or radio-controlling that would not have place in the modern world as much ). It would be great if the word would be understandable by today's native English speaker (American or British) without looking into a dictionary ( something that was in common use no longer than 100 years ago hopefully! ).
Examples of use:

Why did you join XXX, you know it's a ______.
Don't mess this project up, or we'll be known as a _______ [company]!
XXX takes pride in what it produces, we're not some ________ [company]!

The word/phrase can incorporate the meaning that it's a company or to be used as an adjective.
EDIT:
I want a very strong, powerful word, that would mean the place is really a hell-hole of firms. While amateurish or incompetent has a flavor of being bad - not all amateur companies are bad. I also don't mind common sayings like in Russian it could be something like "шарашкина контора" that has a meaning of a firm being untrustworthy, not serious, shady etc. Or similar.
I would also like to avoid words that doesn't mean that the company is bad but rather illegal or simply incompetent. I want to find a word or a common phrase that would mean a bad organisation. A synonym for "bad company" if you will.


texts:
Can someone tell me if I should keep these semicolons as my teacher suggested, or revert to commas as I had originally?

-This is where I went wrong; I forgot the

-This realization doesn’t just apply to staying hydrated; this same mentality helps me

Thanks


texts:
1.Rama married Sita

2.Sita was married by Rama

" The Teacher's Travelogue " prepared by the Regional Institute of India, Banglore discussed the use of active and passive voice.

It goes on to say that the passive voice( sentence 2) is grammatically correct but different in meaning from the active voice ( sentence 1)

According to the book the sentence 2 means Sita was married not to Rama but to somebody else.

It explains that Rama became a priest and performed the marriage rituals of Sita.

The example is shown with illustrations too.

I have taken the example because most of the students and some teachers passivize the active voice in the similar manner unknowingly.

I know that the correct passive voice is "Sita was married to Rama".

Do native speakers understand the sentence in the similar way and agree that the change of preposition makes all the difference ?


texts:
I was handed an example of a formal letter, which was written in reply to an advertisement.  This is the starting sentence:

Dear Mr Madrick,
With reference to your advertisement in "The Times" of 6th January last,...

Is this sentence correct? Especially the final word, 'last', seems to be misplaced.


texts:
How do I say this more concisely and more effectively in one sentence?

"The baseball and the basketball(s) should have the same shape, or the shape of the basketball(s) should be the same with the majority shape."

To make things clear, I don't know the majority shape yet. Also, "(s)" means I don't know whether there will be many or just one basketball made.


texts: In "out of", is the "out" considered a preposition or an adverb?


texts: Word: Tacky Rich People/Trashy Wealthy People

texts:
Is there any single word to describe, as the title says, tacky rich/trashy wealthy people?

The word nouveau riche describes this pretty nicely, while ODE lists the following as synonyms:

  the new rich;

  parvenus, arrivistes, upstarts, social climbers, vulgarians.

nouveau riche does describe what I'm looking for pretty nicely but it's not something I've ever heard used and the synonyms don't exacty describe this properly.

Any ideas?

Edit: maybe new money is the term I'm looking for...


texts: How to handle non-standard capitalization in formal letters

texts:
I am writing a letter to apply for entry into a graduate-level university program through my company. I am struggling on how to write the name of the company in the letter. The company's trademark is to write the name in capital letters (and we are encouraged to do so in work communication) but this seems out of place to me in the formal letter.

Example:

"... to apply for entry to the MYCORP Leadership program beginning in..."
"... to apply for entry to the Mycorp Leadership program beginning in..."

I'm currently leaning toward option #2 even though this isn't consistent with the company's preferred branding.


texts:
"I woke up tired."

We have subject/(phrasal) verb/adjective.

So this looks like a linking verb with a predicate adjective. ("I am tired", "I became tired", "He seemed tired"). But since when is 'woke up' a linking verb? Is there a finite list of linking verbs or is it open? And I thought that a linking verb wasn't a 'doing' verb but 'woke up' seems like a 'doing' verb.

Note also that "I woke tired" or "I awoke tired" doesn't seem right. Why does the phrasal verb work but not the single word versions? Is it just usage?

And please don't say that 'tired' is an adverb because plainly it isn't, for any number of reasons--morphology being just the obvious one.


texts:
What do we call a small pond of rainwater that usually appears on the street after rainfall?

Can we call them a pond?


texts:
Are the following two constructions synonymous?

◇ The guests had so good a time that they wouldn't leave.

◇ The guests had a good time, so they wouldn' leave.


texts: Idiom or phrase for "getting hatred/abuse after giving care to a person"

texts:
For example, despite loving my son and taking his care, all I receive in return is hatred...
or despite serving the society, all I get in return is abuses...


texts:
Since October 2017 when the movie producer, Harvey Weinstein, was accused of multiple acts of rape and sexual violence in the US and in the UK, the term “sexual misconduct” has been constantly in the news.  At the last count, the number of women who have spoken up, and denounced Weinstein has risen to 82.

During this time, several legal terms assigned to sexual have been used by journalists, whose meanings seem to overlap; sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.

According to Wikipedia, sexual misconduct comprises all of the above, and it is defined as any conduct of a sexual nature that is without consent, or has the effect of threatening or intimidating the person against whom such conduct is directed. Wikipedia does not mention when this broad term was first created nor if there are any exceptions. I was wondering if the following case could be an exception.

On January 2nd, 2018, the American senator of Minnesota, Al Franken, will resign from the Senate due to accusations of sexual misconduct by eight women. The first of the eight accusations–and the most damning– was a photo showing the then-comedian Franken pretending (there was no actual physical contact) to grope a woman's breasts while she was sleeping. The photo was taken in 2006.

I wonder if he had drawn a moustache on her face, or duct-taped her and a man to their seats, would the term sexual misconduct still have been used? I have a feeling it would have. Although I would classify these pranks as being childish; disrespectful and potentially humiliating for the victims involved, somehow the term “misconduct” seems to be used ubiquitously and has recently earned darker and more sinister overtones.

For elucidation I searched on Etymonline, while the entry for misconduct is brief and to the point, the dictionary completely fails to mention its related expression, sexual misconduct

  1710, "bad management, neglect;" see mis-  + conduct (n.). Meaning "wrong conduct" is attested from 1729.

What is the current meaning and history of the term sexual misconduct?
Is its meaning changing in light of recent events?
Did this phrase originate in the UK or in the US?


texts:
My native language is Swedish and I work as a web-developer. I am currently working on a real estate website, which is written in English.

I am wondering what you call the yearly costs of a property (for example the cost for electricity, for heating the property). I am looking for a word that describes "The property's yearly costs" (in US-EN).


texts: Verb for a tail "slipping" out of a piece of clothing?

texts:
Is there any specific verb (or anything that sounds more natural than "slip") that could be used in the following sentence:

"Its tail slipped underneath its skirt."


texts: Difference in pronunciation of "a team" and "A team"?

texts:
I noticed that I pronounce the A  differently based on the intended meaning:

  I belong to the A-team. (like ey in they)

and

  I belong to a team. (like a in apple)

Are the pronunciations supposed to be different or is it an artifact of how I have learned to pronounce the alphabet and the article?


texts: American native speaker and perfect tenses

texts:
Yesterday I sent my friend a useful gift in online game. Today I can see he has not accepted it yet. Which sentence is grammatically correct and most natural in American English?

  "You didn't use the Gift I gave you!"
  "You didn't use the Gift I had given you!"
  "You haven't used the Gift I gave you!"
  "You haven't used the Gift I had given you!"

Somehow option 1 seems most natural, and yet is the least consistent with what I remember from English classes. Option 4 should be grammatically correct, but 2 perfect tenses in one sentence seem a bit odd.


texts: 'engaged in developing' or 'engaged in the development of'?

texts:
XXX is engaged in developing and commercializing therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer's patients.

or

  XXX is engaged in the development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of cancer patients.

I want to know which one of these sentences is grammatically correct, pertaining to the use of a continuous verb after engaged in.

Is there a difference between the two sentences?


texts: A word or phrase to describe documents that can expire

texts:
I'm looking for word or phrase that describes documents or credentials that by definition have an expiry date.
Examples of such documents can be:

Passports
Certifications
Licenses
Credentials


texts:
Let's say that I want to communicate that a particular website is the first result when googling cool ringtones. Normally I would say it like this:

  This website is the first Google result for "cool ringtones".

But Google understands quotation marks and "cool ringtones" is not the same as cool ringtones. People might not be sure which one I meant in the above quote. Normally I would use italics like I'm doing here, but I can't do text formatting. What are my options?


texts: I was just having this conversation with a friend. Where does the word "the" come from?


texts: After a semicolon what follows isn't capitalized like at the beginning of a sentence. However, what if it were? Would that be incorrect?


texts:
What is intergeneric writing?

I did a Google search to no avail. I am interested in learning about this genre, or something else that I could search for to draw more knowledge.


texts: Can the word "that" be used to refer to people?

texts:
I came across this SAT Question of the Day:

  Unbelievable as it may seem, many individuals that fought in the
  American Revolution were still alive in 1839, the year the world was introduced to photography. (choose the error - the 'answer' is in bold)

It noted that the reason "that fought" is wrong is that 'The relative pronoun “that” may not be used to refer to people (“individuals”) and should be replaced with the relative pronoun “who.”'

I had thought that the word "that" could refer to both people and objects (while which was reserved for objects and who reserved for people). Am I wrong?


texts:
I found two adverbs, between which indefinite article, in TVTRopes site:

  Upon reading it, the host concludes that it's actually a really old joke that everyone knows.

Is it grammatical to use two adverbs in the way used above? I think, it should have been like this:

  Upon reading it, the host concludes that it's actually a old joke that everyone knows.

Or, like this one:

  Upon reading it, the host concludes that it's really a old joke that everyone knows.

I also found the same usage of adverbs, barring indefinite article in Bustle site:

  Here are four zodiac signs that seem tough on the outside, but actually really sensitive, according to astrologers.


texts: Which synonyms for “stated” can I use in a legal context?

texts:
In our law essays we are often required to quote different judges. It becomes really monotonous to use the word "stated" all the time. I have also used "advocated" and "declared". Are there any other words which could suffice in the place of these words?

Example:

  In the GCHQ case Lord Diplock stated / advocated/ declared that illegality, irrationality and procedural impropriety are the three heads of judicial review in the English law.


texts:
In an attempt to prevent an edit war over on Skeptics.SE, I'll defer to here.

Which is preferred - or are both correct?:

  Was South Africa better run during apartheid?

or

  Was South Africa better run during Apartheid?

Does apartheid refer to a government system like democracy (common noun) or does Apartheid refer to a specific government (proper noun)?


texts: Is "quaver" a blend word of "quake" and "waver"?

texts:
Dictionary.com has this etymology for quaver:

  1400–50; late Middle English quaveren  (v.), blend of quake  and waver

But Wiktionary disagrees:

  From Middle English quaveren, frequentative form of quaven, cwavien (“to tremble”), equivalent to quave + -er. Cognate with Low German quabbeln (“to quiver”), German quabbeln, quappeln (“to quiver”). More at quave, quab, quiver.

Given these differences, I am interested which statement is right.


texts: Is the verb "are" missing in this sentence?

texts:
I have a question about a possible grammatical error in this sentence: "We hope you find our toilets in good condition". I came across it lately on one of the mall's notice boards. In my opinion this sentence is lacking the verb are. I mean: "We hope (that) you find (that) our toilets ARE in good condition". Could somebody be so kind as to explain why are is missing?
Regards.


texts: Comma placement following a coordinating connector

texts:
Is there a de jure standard in print media for comma placement following a coordinating connector?

The situation is perilous, but if we are prepared to act promptly, there is still one chance of escape.

Vs.

Josie originally wanted to be a teacher, but, after finishing university, she decided to become a lawyer instead.
Josie originally wanted to be a teacher, but after finishing university she decided to become a lawyer instead.


texts:
Is there a verb that expresses in one word to say/utter something in a contemplative manner, maybe with a hint of melancholy, with one's mind wandering off and thinking of the whole irony of being....

E.g. Sic transit gloria mundi, he ____ (said contemplatively).


texts: Is "Bob did what he could in his capability to appease them" a positive or negative comment about Bob?


texts:
We were discussing the merits of buying a team collaboration tool (Confluence) today, when we were completely sidetracked by the pronouncation "wiki".

Most of the folks on the team say it's pronounced "whicky"; that's what Wikipedia calls it, Wikileaks, etc.

However, a few stalwarts insist that, since its etymology is Hawiian, it's actually pronounced "weekee". They say the "big brands" like Wikipedia who insist upon calling themselves "whicky-pee-dee-ah" don't change the fact that "wiki" is pronounced "weekee".

Anyway, given that this is a neologism, what's the proper pronuncation? Is it an accent/regional preference?


texts: Does a comparative always need to compare with something?

texts:
As I understand it, comparatives compare with something. So something that is colder is more cold than another thing. However, can't a word like colder be used as an adjective without being compared to something else? For example, is it ungrammatical to say the following?

  People who live in colder climates should be careful about their
  heating bills.

The adjective cold could be inserted in place of colder, but I think the meaning would be different. To me colder sounds like 'somewhat cold' as opposed to 'absolute cold.'
So my questions are as follows: 1. Is this use of colder grammatical?
2. If so, is it still considered a comparative?
3. Do you agree with my understanding of colder vs. cold in the example?


texts:
Why sometime we see 'Save As' while sometime we see 'Export' when dealing with file(s)

Are 'Save as' having the same meaning as 'Export' when dealing with file(s).

Suppose, I want to save this particular file to another file, I will 'Save As' to another file. Same goes as 'Export' if I want to export to another file.

Any Insight?


texts: What are the rules of capitalization and article usage with building names?

texts: What are the rules for building names? In particular, does the word "building" need to be capitalized when a part of a building's name? How about article "the" - what are the rules for using it as a part of the name, and does it get capitalized in the middle of the sentence? For instance: is it "the American Radiator building" or "The American Radiator Building" or "American Radiator building"? How about when the address is the name of the building, like 7 World Trade Center?


texts: How should we write the phrase "one of a kind"?

texts:
I have seen both forms, so I am confused. Which of the following is the most appropriate way to write the phrase?

  "one of a kind"

or

  "one-of-a-kind"


texts:
Can I say " This machine is used by Robert" or do I have to use the word "being"
Thanks


texts: What is another word for a weak or unsatisfying (to the viewer) smile?

texts:
I'm writing a poem about someone who smiles in a very vague way that leaves something to be desired. I've thought about words like unreadable, empty and vague, but not really "enigmatic". Their smile is mysterious and hard to read, but not in a way that they are hiding something or there is something that they aren't saying. It's more that their smile is disappointing to the viewer, as if they wanted more from that smile. Any ideas?

Here is some context:

  ...I grabbed her hand and she smiled her unreadable smile but didn't squeeze or withdraw...


texts: "separate" and "terminate" for "dismiss/discharge" from employment in AmEng

texts:
According to Oxford Dictionary Online,

separate

  US Discharge or dismiss (someone) from service or employment.

terminate

  chiefly North American End the employment of (someone); dismiss:
  Adamson’s putting pressure on me to terminate you

  MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES

  The Plaintiff testified that she was shocked that she was terminated from her employment.

  An at-will policy allows employers to terminate workers at the company's discretion.

  When someone is terminated, sit down with each employee individually and tell them why that happened, Duffy says.

My question is, by analogy with Adamson's putting pressure on me to terminate you/to lay you off and I've just been notified through the mail that I've been terminated/laid off, is it acceptable to say, Adamson's putting pressure on me to separate you and I've just been notified through the mail that I've been separated?


texts: Formal and polite way to tell someone "if you had told me"?

texts:
What's a formal and polite way to tell somebody "if you had told me in advance?"
I'm writing an e-mail to someone who asked a month ago for a copy of a document delivered by postal mail. Turns out a pdf sent by email would've been just fine.

So I want to say "If you had told me in advance a pdf was just enough I would've send it immediately a month ago" without stepping on anybody's toes.


texts: Countable Attributive nouns in plural context

texts:
There are a lot of topics about this question. All of them explain the form (plural, singular) of the attributive noun coupled with a main noun in the singular form, for example:

  ladies room
  steel bridge

To show the plural form, we should change the form of the main noun (right?), that is:

  ladies rooms (many rooms for ladies)
  steel bridges (many bridges)

I've discovered a pattern: in most cases, such nouns are compounded with an uncountable attributive noun. But when we try to modify the main noun with an uncountable noun, and want to show plural form, it leads to ambiguity. For instance:

  subnet identifiers

In this case, subnet has several identifiers. But if I want to show that there is more than one subnet, and that each (one) of them has several identifiers, is it correct to write:

  subnets identifiers

Or in such situations, should I prepositional expression, such as:

  identifiers of subnets


texts: A phrase/word for a Logical Jump in argument

texts:
I'm looking for a word or phrase to describe the following thought.
While analysing someone else's writing I found that their arguments had some problem.
For example let's say someone argues that a particular house has slippery floor. So all houses all over the world, that has the same floor-tiles are also slippery. So most household accidents all over the globe happens because of this particular brand of floor tiles.

Although the example I mentioned is extreme, but I want to know how should I explain this.
The phrase that comes to my mind is
The writer made some "leaps" in argument But I'm told this might not be right. Is it right?
The writer has "significant discrepancies" also doesn't clearly espress my thought. He has discrepancy that's okay. But what I want to mean is that, he's jumping from a narrow point of argument and drawing conclusion on a much broader scale. So how should I express this?
And Thank you for reeading this.


texts: Is it ok to use fraught in a sentence without saying what the thing is fraught with?

texts: Ex. is it ok to say such and such is fraught. Full stop? In a case where the context makes it clear what its fraught with?


texts: Is there a suitable idiomatic expression for a situation in which a person tends to dabble in extremes? For example, he might wake up at 4:00AM on some days and wake up at 11:00 AM on others and so on...


texts: Does the term "criminal" imply conviction?

texts:
Note: I am writing this in England. Assume the legalese to have a British bias.

Does the term "Criminal" (def: 'a person who has committed a crime') imply that this person has been convicted of a crime or just that they have performed it?
Is "committed" a term of art in this instance – that is, does an action cross the line from "doing an illegal thing" to "committing a crime" only once it has been recognised by formal process?
Can someone who has performed an illegal act – whether or not any other person saw it or whether or not they were convicted, tried or punished for it – be classified as a "criminal" or is it a protected term?


texts: Confusion about "would it not be better if" vs "it would be better if"

texts:
non-native speaker here and I have problems with the following sentence.

'My friend asks if it would not be better for you to come here.'

Does the sentence mean

a) 'My friend thinks it would be better if you come here.'

OR

b) 'My friend thinks it would be better if you not come here (and stay there).'

And is the usage of "not" in the sentence correct or does it make it ambiguous?

I have an argument with my girlfriend (also not a native speaker) about this, so please help me solve it. :-)

Further info for the German-speaking crowd here: I am trying to translate the expression 'wäre es nicht besser wenn ...'.


texts: I'm looking for a word describing someone that felt undermined, stepped on by an action I did. It would work in a sentence like "I am sorry if I (word) you". I'm looking for a softer word than "offended", something with a more emotional connotation.


texts: If his son is dead: "His son was John Smith", "His son is John Smith"

texts: If someone's son has died, would you say: "His son was John Smith" or "His son is John Smith"? Dying stops you from being, but would that stop someone from being someone's son?


texts: "I have told" vs "I have been telling" (past participle or past continuous)?

texts:
I have no clue about the difference between "have p.p" and "have been -ing".
Could you please explain the difference in detail to me..?

======

I keep telling everyone that whose fault it was and everyone keeps asking me a lot of questions regarding that.

I started telling the fact a few weeks ago.
Since then, everyone keeps asking me questions.

=======

a) Although I`ve been telling everyone that it was his fault, I have been being asked a lot of questions as to whose fault it was.

b) Although I`ve been telling everyone that it was his fault, I have been asked a lot of questions as to whose fault it was.

c) Although I`ve told everyone that it was his fault, I have been asked a lot of questions as to whose fault it was.

d) Although I`ve been telling them that it was his fault, they have been asking me whose fault it was.

e) Although I`ve told them that it was his fault, they have asked me whose fault it was.

Out of (a)~(d) which sentence represents my intention better?
Please help me...


texts: One sentence with two meanings! "The door was locked"

texts:
I'm learning English.
I think the sentence "The door was locked" has two meanings!. I'm very confused.

First of all, let's look at this example:

I broke the glass (Active)
The glass was broken (Passive)

========

Now, this:
(Change Active Voice to Passive Voice using above method):

A)
I locked the door (Active)
The door was locked (Passive)

Now, The past simple of the sentence "The door is locked" is "The door was locked" Again!

B)
The door is locked (Simple Present)
The door was locked (Past Simple)

========

Can you understand what I mean?
I think the sentence "The door was locked" has two meanings. Am I right?
Maybe I'm wrong. Why the English language is very confusing?


texts: What is the linguistic term used when a place is associated with building or historical figure(s)

texts:
What is the linguistic term used when a place is associated with a particular building or historical figure(s)?

For example Westminster is associated with the Houses of Parliament and the Prime Minister, such that, when you think of Westminster you instantly think of the Houses of Parliament).


texts: What are the least common letters to start words?

texts: What letters of the alphabet least commonly appear as the first letter of a word? I'm looking in particular for the 4 least common, but however many you want to give beyond that is welcome.


texts:
I often write medical copy and have always used 'gynecologic' as the descriptor, as in 'gynecologic oncologist' or 'gynecologic disorders.'
However, I am editing something where the writer uses 'gynecological' in the same way, and cannot seem to find the rule that says that is incorrect.
Can you guys help me?


texts:
Signee is the person who signs the contract, but what is the word for the person who gave the signee the contract in order to have it signed.
For instance, if someone asks you to sign a confidentiality agreement you are the signee and the other person is the ...?
Signor doesnt sound like the right word...


texts: What do we call a person who is really smooth at talking?

texts: Some people are really good at conversations and they can run a conversation perfectly without having to reach for words. They always find the right words to say in any situation and as a result, people enjoy their conversations. What is that person called in English?


texts: "I'm a student and I work at Burger King" or "I'm a student and work at Burger King"?

texts:
Is is necessary to use the Subject Pronoun in the sentence below?

  I'm a student and I work at Burger King.

or

  I'm a student and work at Burger King.

Which one is correct according to the English grammar and what does it demand in cases like this?


texts: The day started off incredibly terribly?

texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say:

  The day started off incredibly terribly.

My reasoning is that it is, since this is correct:

  The day started off terribly.

The manner in which the day started off was terrible - it started off terribly. Then "incredibly" modifies "terribly".

However, it sounds a bit weird, so I'm not sure.


texts:
Suppose I want to say something like

  "The author draws a parallel between the spider and the man by doing this...".

Is there a word I can use in place of "draws a parallel between"?


texts:
I'm writing my thesis and need to write: "[...] and a/an I0 of  [...]" and am puzzled about which indefinite article to use.

I(q) is a symbol for intensity as a function of the momentum transfer q and I assume the indefinite article before intensity would be an. I0 is the intensity where q=0 and is also known as the "forward scattering", and I would assume the forward scattering would have the indefinite article a.

So dependent on whether you see I0 as the forward scattering or the intensity at the point where q=0, I would use a different indefinite article. I read it in my head as forward scattering so the an "sounds wrong", but when I look at the page I think that the a "looks wrong". Are there any defined rules?

Thanks in advance and please bear with me as English is not my first language.


texts: usage of to.. in the form of "noun+to+verb"

texts:
I have some problems understanding the accurate and precise meaning of the expressions following : "water to drink.." Here We understand that water is for drinking by someone.The action "drink" is supposed to be done by someone or a living entity.What confuses my mind is that what become of the meaning when we say " water to be drunk".. "icecream to be eaten"  ".
Now as for my second question which is related to what I said above in a way.I gave examples in which noun that comes before "to" is sth not living.My question is that :a husband to be, a girl to marry , a woman to sacrifice , student to get high mark"... Is the way of usage of "to"  correct here? The noun before to is sometimes subject and object of the verb that follows "to".How can we differentiate them?

If so, doesn't it contrast with the way of usage in my first question? Because , we suppose that the action of "drinking" for example, is done by someone who is NOT mentioned in the expression.But here , the action(mary,sacrife,be..) is supposed to be done directly by a husband , a girl , a women,...? .. Thanks for your lightining answers in advance..


texts: I use the word “Seedy” quite often in my daily speech, mostly to describe how sick or poorly someone is feeling (I.E. “I’m feeling quite seedy today.” “Are you feeling seedy?”) or describing something of poor quality or standard (I.E. a seedy Wi-Fi connection or seedy driving skills). However, I am unsure if I am using the right word. The only examples I could find were things that described places (seedy bar, seedy motel) and attire (seedy clothes). I also use it when describing something dodgy or shady (a seedy website).


texts: generic term for "A-hed"? (quirky article at the bottom of the front page of the Wall Street Journal)

texts: The Wall Street Journal usually has a quirky article on the bottom of the front page, on anything from paper clips to tugboat racing to borscht manufacturers. Their name for it is an A-hed. Is there a generic term for this? (I've seen a similar concept in other papers, on a less regular basis)


texts: Is it "Not so well educated" or "Not as well educated"?

texts:
Note: I originally posited this on Writing, but someone told me to post it here because the question is grammatical in nature and not about the writing itself.
I am writing a scholarship essay and one of my sentences is "Although both of my parents have bachelor’s degrees now, they were not as well educated or stably employed when I was growing up." There are probably other things wrong with this sentence, but when I asked someone to read it over she suggested that I use "so" instead of "as". I looked it up, and I found that generally negative comparisons use "so" (but maybe can use as?), so it would be correct in this context, but one does not necessarily sound better than the other and I do not know which is more grammatically correct.
Bonus: she also suggested replacing "or stably employed" with "with stable employment". What about "and not stably employed." Thoughts?


texts: Is it necessary or even correct to put "in" after the verb "cause"?

texts:
Recently, I encountered the sentence below.

  Implicit copy constructor copies an object bit by bit so pointer address will be copied causing in two different objects sharing same memory location.

I'm still scratching my head about the expression "causing in". Why do we need "in"?


texts: Use of hyphens when writing repeated compound words that have common parts

texts:
In my native language, Norwegian, one uses hyphens when stating two or more copulated compound words that has common parts (words). In a thesis I'm working on, should I write

  test specimens, test setups and test results

or could I write (like in Norwegian)

  test specimens, -setups and -results?


texts: Do give up and give in imply different meanings?


texts:
Isn’t this sentence a case of double negative?

  No, failing at something doesn’t mean you can’t be happy.

What are some other cases where double negatives may work or where they may not actually be double negatives in the first place?


texts: Is there a word for the feeling like you have a spider on you?

texts: So, sometimes when you see a spider, or walk through a spider web, you have this terrible sensation of having a spider crawling on you, even though you know for a fact that it isn't happening. Is there a word for that feeling?


texts:
Can you use the phrase ”the fact” without “that”?

Consider the two sentences:

The fact that it’s Sunday means that I can sleep all day.
The fact it’s Sunday means that I can sleep all day.

Clearly the first sentence is correct and in common use.
The second doesn’t sound right to me, but I can’t find clear evidence to prove (to someone) that it is indeed wrong.

Apart from answering, I would really like a reference, or an English rule, showing that the second is correct/incorrect.


texts: What does this sentence from Shakespeare mean?

texts:
Can someone kindly help me translate the following sentence from Shakespeare's language to Modern English through a context:

  "Prithee, would'st thou stay and sup with me in yonder chamber?"


texts: "Shnide"? "Schneid"? Which is it and what's this term's origin?

texts:
"Getting off the shnide." (Obviously I'm not sure of the spelling.) It's an expression I hear almost exclusively in sports commentary to indicate a team has finally won a game after a protracted drought at the beginning of the season. (Example: "The Detroit Lions started the season oh-and-six, but finally got off the schneid by beating Green Bay.") It has been popularized by Chris Berman at ESPN. He didn't invent the term (I don't think) and he is primarily where I hear it from.

How do you spell it?
What is its origin? (I'm guessing Yiddish based on the "shn" combination, but I don't really know)


texts:
The term student body is used to describe the collective students attending a school.

  Of the student body, more than half went to get jobs in business and industry.

But I feel that body can have connotations of being dead and sounds morbid.

  The student body was found in a ditch.

Is there an alternative for student body without any bodies?


texts: What's a word for somebody you’ve never met?

texts:
I’m trying to think of a word for somebody I’ve never met, but who has influenced me.

Like Steve Jobs, I’ve never met him, but he continues to teach me.

He’s like an invisible hand to me.  An unmet teacher.  I can’t nail the word down!


texts: What's the word for not wanting to repeat a semantic atom?

texts: In other words, what's the word for not wanting to repeat a word? I find attempts to avoid repeating a word are generally ham-fisted and unnatural. I know there is a word for the act of not repeating a word, but I can't remember what it is.


texts:
Example:

  The dog climbed the fallen tree, then slipped and entangled his chain
  on/in/with it.

What's the right choice?


texts: Is there any difference between due to and owing to? Are there some specific situations when owing to is to be used rather than due to?


texts: Does this sentence have two different possible meanings?

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker and when I read the following sentence (which is taken from a roleplaying manual) I find it to be very confusing because of two possible meanings.

  Any "shaken" opponent hit by you is "flat-footed" to your attacks.

This is not exactly the original text: I've removed complicated concepts specific to the game like when the attack should be done or how long the flat-footed condition lasts and I've replaced a list of possible conditions with shaken - I want to ask about the structure of the sentence, not the game (I already have asked about it at RPG.SE and I discovered mt problem is not in the rules but in the language).
It's also very important to understand that shaken and flat-footed are different conditions in the game.

So, I initially read that as
"Any opponent that is shaken and I have hit is now flat-footed"
(While the opponent I have hit is shaken, it's also flat-footed)

The vast majority of people reads that as
"Any opponent you hit while it was shaken"
(If I have hit the hopponent while it was shaken, now it's flat-footed)
...and I see that their option is valid too.

I think it's a sentence parsing problem with the two options being equivalent to:

Any shaken opponent hit by you is flat-footed to your attacks.
Any shaken opponent hit by you is flat-footed to your attacks.

Where the subject of the sentence is bolded
Someone also tells me my interpretation is not a viable choice or not how it works, and I'd like to know if they are right.

Is my vision plain wrong because of some English sentence structure rule I'm not aware of?


texts: Is there a term-of-art for 'to take in art'?

texts:
Philosophers agree that emotional elicitivity is an essential element of art. Often, whether a work elicits emotion in a given person continges on the satisfaction of two conditions:

the person observes the work, and
while he observes the work, he, in some sense, allows the work to elicit whatever emotions it will elicit in him.

As such, the verb observe doesn't entail the satisfaction of the second condition.

I considered the verb appreciate; however, the satisfaction of the two conditions doesn't necessitate that the observer appreciates the work.

Hence my question: is there a term of art that means 'to take in a work of art'?

I'd favour answers that mention a term that isn't a metaphor and that doesn't entail the sense that the observer uses to observe the work.

Thank you,

-Hal


texts: Does English have words to describe the lowest rank member of society?

texts:
For example, in Indonesia we have "rakyat". In English we may have citizen but the word actually has power connotation rather than powerless connotation.

Another word is peasant. But that seems to mean those living in village rather than the lowest ranking  people in society.

Here, when I say lowest rank, I mean lowest rank in political power. Most of us, for example, are just "people" no matter how rich we are.

So what's the word for the lowest rank member in English?


texts: What's the most elegant way to say "surmountable objection"?

texts:
"Surmountable" sounds so much weirder there than "insurmountable"..

As in:

  Was that a rejection? At the time it seemed like maybe he just had a few surmountable objections...


texts: Does "hosting a dinner" mean it is paid for?

texts: Does "hosting a dinner" (in the UK) mean it is paid for, or just that it is being organised on behalf of the attendees?


texts: Neither vs either in a negative statement

texts:
Is it correct to say:

A: You can't say a word to anyone.
B: Yes, but you can't say a word to anyone either.

or

A: You can't say a word to anyone.
B:You can't say a word to anyone neither.

Neither a person A, nor a person B can't say a word. Shouldn't it be neither?
(In the example I found it's either)


texts: compare difficulties of two experiments using much more

texts:
I would like to compare two experiments in term of their difficulties. I do not like to repeat the words in my sentences. For the comparison, I would like to use _much_more_ to show significant difficulty. I learned that much and more used for uncountable things, for example, sugar.

Here is my sentence:

The second experiments add extra computation which results in much more difficulties in comparison with the one of the first one.

Does use _much_more_ is acceptable in English sentences?


texts:
Can I say "hit the bushes" to mean escape?
I simply want to verify if this expression exists. I know "beat the bushes" to describe a thorough search.


texts: Is a comma necessary before "for which"?

texts:
Is a comma needed in this sentence?
Is for which used correctly in this sentence?

  We define message codes for which security is well defined.


texts: Preposition 'in' or 'at' regarding -front side

texts:
if there is '-side' after front, what is correct?
In the front side OR
At the front side

As we all know, we usually use 'in front of' BUT, if there is '-side' thereafter, what now then?

Thx.


texts: Is there an olfactory counterpart to quiet?

texts:
I would describe a faint sound as being quiet, and recently I wished to express the idea of quietness for smells.  I wanted a word like faint but specific to smells (or smells and tastes if such does exist).  An example sentence might be

  This tarmac is _____ after the rain

Does such a word exist?

This similar question asks about things that have no smell at all.  While similar I am seeking to describe something that does have a smell albiet a faint one.