texts:
I'm looking for a term for 'la douleur exquise'. What I want to capture is the frustration of wanting to be something that everyone loves but knowing you can never be that, where frustration means a weird balance between blissfully imagining you are that and knowing that not being it makes no real difference, but wanting to be it so bad you physically hurt.

Edit: Apparently there isn't a phrase that translates directly to describe this, so I'll just have to work on my descriptive language.


texts: When and how did the word "dimension" take on the popular connotation of "parallel universe"?

texts:
Especially in the mid-twentieth century, popular science fiction would often talk about "creatures from another dimension" and use similar language that suggested that a "dimension" refers to some kind of parallel or alternate universe. This usage is extremely different from the way that the term is used in actual mathematics, where "dimension" simply refers to the number of independent coordinates required to specify a location within an object. Loosely speaking, in the technical mathematical usage a "dimension" is more like a direction than a location. (It also doesn't really make any sense to talk about a being living "in" a particular dimension in the mathematical sense.)

How and when did "dimension" come to take on this connotation that seems completely unrelated to its actual technical meaning?


texts:
SAD(seasonal affective disorder) is a response to the shortening of daylight hours and lack of sunlight in winter.
The sentence above is extracted from the book that I'm studying by myself right now named Grammar and Vocabulary for Advanced by Martin Hewings and Simon Haines. The answer is shortening,however, I cannot understand as I think we can use shortage in this case.
Can you please help me?
Thanks


texts: "produce best output" versus "produce the best output"

texts:
I've heard people say both:

  Try and produce best output.

or

  Try and produce the best output.

Which is the right one?


texts:
I've found the following on the internet (https://www.jstor.org/stable/43344096) :

(1). If he comes, I shall go.
(2). If he come, I shall go.

Here, the first sentence is in indicative mood, and the second one is in subjunctive mood.
What's the difference in meaning between these two sentences?
Edit: Though the second sentence seems ungrammatical to me, I have also found these in a school grammar book, "The Best Guide for Madhyamik English" by A. K. Chatterjee. Therefore, I would like to know what the native speakers think of these.


texts:
In the following sentence:

  Suddenly, the ring of the phone sounded.

I believe that it is grammatically correct. But, "sounded" doesn't sound too good.

  Suddenly, the ring of the phone rang.

doesn't sound that great either.

  Suddenly, the ring of the phone echoed.

It somewhat fine, but the ring is not particularly "echoing", just "sounding".

Would there be any more sentences that would flow better yet keeping the same meaning, ie. I know I can do something like:

  Suddenly, the phone went off.

But I want to, generally, keep the original format without changing much.


texts:
When helping my son with the homework in (non-native) English, I got stuck by  sentence.

What is correct: "You are spoilt!" or "You are spoiled!" or both alternatives?

If it matters, this part of the book treats British English
I do not wish to influence any answer, hence I keep my thoughts and the text for my self (for now)


texts: What does it mean to ‘stay true to type in a spat’?

texts:
I came across the phrase, ‘stay true to type in a spat’ in the following sentence of the Washington Post’s article (July 27) titled, “Tim Pawlenty struggles to step out of Michele Bachmann’s shadow”.

  Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann are staying true to type in a spat between their presidential campaigns: He offers a cautious slap over her lack of executive experience, and she smacks back with dramatic comparisons between him and President Obama. This is more or less how it has always been for the two Republican lawmakers from Minnesota, where Bachmann’s passion and conviction outshone Pawlenty’s more cautious, methodical ways from the moment she stormed the state legislature nearly a decade ago.

I know the meaning of ‘stay true to,’ but I’m at a loss to judge whether ‘type’ here is a noun meaning ‘stay true to their own types (or styles)’ or used as a verb as ‘type in.’

Although I’m inclined to interpret ‘stay true to type in a spat ‘means tenaciously adhere to their own styles (in the spat between them), I’m not sure. Is it ‘stay true to type (in a spat)’ or ‘stay true to type in (a spat)? In net, What is the exact meaning of the line,“Pawlenty and Bachmann are staying true to type in a spat between their presidential campaigns?


texts: Do you write "here is some stuff" or "here are some stuff"?

texts:
I am new here so sorry if this question has been asked before.

Which one is correct "here is some stuff" or "here are some stuff" ?


texts: What's the difference between when, as, and while?

texts:
I think choices 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Is there any difference?

I saw a boy.........I was driving.

1)when
2)as
3)while
4)since

Thanks


texts: Appropriate title for a committee member responsible for monitoring conflicts of interest

texts:
This is in the context of a sporting body that has occasionally had problems with officers getting too friendly with business interests associated with the sport.

The body is thinking of creating a new seat on its committee to monitor and report on these conflicts of interest, but isn't sure what this person's title should be.


texts: "atheistic scientist" vs "atheist scientist"

texts:
I know that it's "atheist scientist" but "atheistic regime", "atheist YouTuber" but "atheistic channel" in common use but I can't find out why. When do we use "atheistic" and when "atheist" and why?

Example:

Dawkins is one of the ____ scientists, who are organizing to fight organized religion and dogma.
XYZ is a pretty good ______ youtuber.
Communist regimes are usually _____.

Edit: Comment to "English Student". It's too long so I added here instead as further thought:

My problem with this is I have never heard "atheistic scientist".  I have heard "atheist regime" or  "atheist channel".

So it seems it is considered all right to use "atheist" or "atheistic" in cases where noun being modified is abstract and the implication is that atheism is part and parcel of the said abstract noun.

But "Noun-as-Adjective" form is always used when talking about a person and the implication is that this person just happens to be an atheist.

This can't be a coincidence. There has to be some underlying rule. Maybe the semantic difference I explained IS THE RULE or we're missing something.


texts:
Does anyone have a good definition of female empowerment?

It'd be extremely helpful if this came as a quote. Please link if possible!


texts: "I wish I won the lottery", standard or not?

texts:
Having read some threads on another English learners site, I noticed that there was a disagreement as to whether "I wish I won the lottery" is correct or not. Some mention it is perfectly normal and standard (US), while others suggest:

  I wish I could win the lottery.

It is not intended to refer to a past, one-off event (so no "had won"), rather than a present wish with a very look likelihood of happening.
To me, "I wish I won the lottery" sounds like if the person saying that implies "I do not win the lottery", which sounds a bit weird as a habitual action.

Also, how would you (and why) say this naturally, using "wish"?


texts: As what does "very much" function in "to be very much"?

texts:
wikipedia.org:
The predicative expression accompanying the copula, also known as the complement of the copula, may take any of several possible forms: it may be a noun or noun phrase, an adjective or adjective phrase, a prepositional phrase or another adverb or adverbial phrase expressing time or location.

According to Wikipedia, "very much" isn't an adverbial phrase in the sentences below because it doesn't express time or location:

macmillandictionary.com:
1. We’re very much a family, and we stick together.
2. Palmer is very much the man in charge of the team.
merriam-webster.com:
3. The company is still very much an important part of the community.
4. She is very much in control of the situation.
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com:
5. The emphasis is very much on learning the spoken language.

How does "very much" function in these sentences?
Thanks!


texts: What is the meaning or origin of the idiom "a Shakespeare and a Scott"?

texts:
I came across this idiom, "a Shakespeare and a Scott," which I have found in several different writings, and haven't been able to ascertain its origin, meaning, or an appropriate synonym.

"Poetically classic ground does not, alas! occur with us, as on the shores consecrated by a Shakespeare and a Scott." - Sir Samuel Ferguson in the Ireland of His Day, p. 100.

"How extraordinary that a great and powerful empire like Great Britain, uniting as she does every facility and requisite for its cultivation and development, should be so insensible to its value—a country which has produced a Bacon, a Newton, a Milton, a Shakespeare, and a Scott—a country which has excelled in every other walk of human genius and enterprise!" - Remarks on Ancient and Modern Art, pp. 394-395

"The reason why they omit it is that it is impossible for any but a Shakespeare and a Scott to touch it with any kind of life, spirit, delicacy, and truth." - The Token and Atlantic Souvenir, p. 274

Shakespeare is obviously a reference to the playwright, and it appears Scott refers to Walter Scott, a renowned English novelist.
My guess is it is a way of emphasizing the difficulty of a task, capable of being successfully completed only by one with profound intellect and skill, and as for a generic synonym, perhaps genius? Is anyone familiar with this idiom and its origin?


texts: What is the meaning of 'is' in this sentence?

texts:
I'm reading 'Black as Snow' by Nick Nolan and encountered this sentence.

  "It's never easy." Libby laughed while clinking her cup with is. "But it works."

What's the meaning of 'is' in this sentence?

Plural 'i'? Typo?


texts: "Can't it also be" or "Can't it be also" in a question?

texts:
They both have plenty examples available, but which one is preferable?

"Can't it also be" — 1,310,000 Google results
"Can't it be also" — 1,430,000 Google results


texts:
Is "have understanding" right to use? Or should it be replaced with "understand"?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Where does the term "Scandihoovian" come from?

texts: I hear this phrase used to describe people who are sort of nordic, but where does it come from?


texts: Adjective & Adverbial forms of "Conspiracy"

texts:
I tried looking up its synonyms  (plot, scheme) and then their adjectives, but they didn't quite cut it. Any word that can be used as its adjective and adverb?

The place that I would like to use it is this:

  Keep your conspiracy-theory-like ideology to yourself, and don't spread what you can't prove.


texts:
I would like to write out (1.5) in words and also (5.0).

How would I do that?


texts:
I would like to know the difference between the following two sentences:

If I had money, I would have gone to the USA.
If I had money, I would go to the USA.

Which of the above two would you classify as the second conditional sentence?


texts: Term for a tech geek who is also a Neo-Luddite

texts:
Neo-Luddite is used to describe those who are considered to be anti-technology, or those who dislike or have a difficult time understanding and using modern science and technology.

Now, I am a passionate geek, who uses technology and enjoys using it. Writing code, using softwares, tweaking my gadgets — all of this excites me and gives me happiness.

However, often I am quite afraid of the future. I often ponder as to how technology eliminated the need of human muscles in the previous centuries, and how in this century pretty soon human brains are going to be weeded out soon. But, I do not actively protest against it. I use it actively, even teach people around me. But, consciously, I know that this world is going into a deep state of shit where humans are going to be completely useless.

So, what would one call me? Can I call myself neo-luddite? Or is there any other term?


texts: Difference between 'at' and 'by' for percentages

texts:
Please confirm the difference between these two sentences:

Salad is the most popular dish by 43%.
Salad is the most popular dish at 43%.

Is the meaning of these two sentences same or different? (this sentence came directly from an electronic dictionary. The full text is:

In America the most popular business lunch is a salad by 43% over a meat dish at 26%.)

Does it mean that a salad is 43% more popular with a popularity of 69%? Or is the usage of the preposition by simply a mistake in this sentence?


texts: Why people use past tense when talking about something always true

texts:
Examples:
xxx was the founder of ...
xxx was the first ...

This does not limit to living person/person passed away, but also items.

To me the status of the first, the founder of etc. does not change and stays there forever. Its always true.

Something that changes e.g. yyy was the fastest computer makes more sense as the fastest can be replaced with something more modern.


texts:
What is the exact meaning of the following passage? It is from the book “Persian Gulf Command” by Ashley Jackson, p. 3:

For the British, the region had to be defended because of its oil, and through the fog of war London descried a new moment in the Middle East, an historic opportunity to flesh out its territorial claims across the great arc from Suez to the headwaters of the Persian Gulf. What transpired was an impressive last hurrah of British imperialism before its precipitate post-war decline.


texts: What can you call someone who does not have a say in choices that completely affect him?

texts:
Something to call someone who doesn't have a say in the choices that affect him the most?

Think 'a major stakeholder who has no voting rights,' ha!


texts: Weinstein: Why "Winesteen", not "Winestine" or "Weensteen"?

texts:
I am constantly bemused by American pronunciation of German names. How did it come to be pronounced "Winesteen"?

The German pronunciation, of course, is Vineshtine. I can understand the consonants changing to the English form that corresponds to the spelling, but why are the two vowels pronounced differently?


texts: How are AR devices called that are not dedicated to this task?

texts: Hololens and HTC Vive etc are dedicated Augmented Reality devices. However there are AR applications for smartphones and tablets as well. How are devices called, whose primary purpose is not AR but they still support AR applications? Second class AR devices?


texts: Difference between "condo" and "apartment"

texts: I have never really understood the connotation of someone calling their domicile a condo over the word apartment.   I have a vague feeling the former is fancier and more up-scale, but are there any real differences I'm not aware of?


texts:
What is the literary device for giving a human un-human attributes? For example, a picture of a woman driving a car really quickly saying "She's flying down that road!". What is that literary device?

Also, if this isn't actually a literary device, please let me know what it would be.


texts: What would you call someone who has an urge to repay debts / favours?

texts:
I'm currently trying to describe such a person who would feel very guilty if they didn't repay a small debt or favour through forgetfulness.

e.g. a friend buys the person a drink the last time they met, but the person forgets to return the favour when they meet again.

A one word description preferably, but any help or suggestions would be appreciated.


texts: What is the difference between "I forgot" and "I had forgot"?

texts: I forgot versus I had forgot. What is the difference between the two phrases?


texts: What is the meaning of "sanity" in "sanity check"?

texts:
The phrase "sanity check" comes up often in programming, e.g.

  It's a good sanity check before attempting to decrypt the key.

Usually, its context is one in which a commonly assumed state (e.g. no memory corruption) is being tested, explicitly. For a long time, I interpreted "sanity" as the state opposed to "insanity", e.g.

  It's a good check to make sure we don't lose our minds before attempting to decrypt the key.

Because of the many instances I'd spent hours, or days, debugging a mysterious bug, only to find the cause to be some uncommon state in the environment or data, this interpretation made sense to me; a sanity check would have saved my sanity.

But then I realized that "sanity" had a more canonical meaning: cleanness, e.g.

  It's a good check for cleanness before attempting to decrypt the key.

Which is the interpretation meant by the phrase, "sanity check"?


texts:
I'd like to know if thing is the most general in meaning among the nouns. In other words, is there an entity that can not be called as a thing? I know being refers to all the lives (animals and plants), substance can refer to all the  materials in the world, and idea refers to pieces of thought in the mind. But lives, substances and ideas can all be called things.

For example, if we want to find a word for all entities in the world with the white color, we can say the everything is white, or snow is white, where white is adjective and the object is known as a subject complement. But what is for noun? Can we say that snow is a white thing? Of course, we can say that snow is a white substance. In addition, we can say a polar bear is white or a polar bear is a white being. But can we say a polar bear is a white thing?

Generally, this relies on whether a subject complement can always be replaced by a noun (phrase). If so, thing is (probably) the best candidate of noun to be used.


texts:
when can we remove 'that'? I've heard different opinions

I bought the book that is required for this course
I bought the book required for this course

I recommend that you take my advice
I recommend you take my advice

I know that you are correct
I know you are correct

the report that was approved by the board was written by Susan
the report approved by the board was written by Susan

We are studying advertisement strategies that other companies use to recruit minorities
We are studying advertisement strategies used by other companies to recruit minorities


texts: Am I wrong in thinking that a phonetical language, for example Spanish, is a language where the words are spelt as they sound


texts: Why "no" rather than "not" in "Life is no Nintendo game"?

texts:
I've just seen this sentence on the internet...

  You don't get another chance. Life is no Nintendo game.

If I had to say something like that, I would say "Life is not a Nintendo game."

Why did he say "no"? What is more correct? and what is the difference?


texts: What's the difference between "work on" and "work at"?

texts:
What's the difference between work on and work at for this sentence?

  The children work hard on/at their homework.


texts: Difference between "explain" and "describe"

texts: What is the difference between "explain" and "describe"? When to use one over the other?


texts:
Can a person be described as "fugue" or is it reserved only for a state? Can the word be used as a modifier for something other than a living thing's state?

Fugue: (from merriam-webster.com)

  a disturbed state of consciousness in which the one affected seems to perform acts in full awareness but upon recovery cannot recollect them


texts: What effect do neighboring vowel-letters have on the pronunciation of the letters "sc" in a word?

texts:
Consider these words, with standard pronunciations from Oxford
Dictionaries Online using in the worldwide-standard International
Phonetic Alphabet:

conscious, pronounced /ˈkɒnʃəs/
eschew, pronounced /ɛsˈtʃuː/ or /ɪsˈtʃuː/ or according to Merriam-Webster, also /ɛsˈʃuː/ or even /ɛsˈkjuː/.
confiscate, pronounced /ˈkɒnfɪskeɪt/
muscle, pronounced /ˈmʌsəl/

In confiscate and miscellaneous, sc is preceded and succeeded by
a vowel, yet the sound of sc is completely different.
In conscious and eschew, both have one vowel and one consonant
surrounding sc, yet there are multiple pronunciations for eschew
and a fixed one for conscious.
Do vowels effect the pronunciation of sc in a word?
Why does eschew have so many
pronunciations? Wiktionary says of it:

UK: /ɛsˈtʃuː/, /ɪsˈtʃuː/, /ɪʃˈtʃuː/
US: /ɛsˈtʃu/, /ɪsˈtʃu/, /ɛsˈtʃju/
US, sometimes proscribed: /ɛˈʃu/, /ɪˈʃu/ or /ɛˈskju/
Garner’s Modern American Usage prefers /s.tʃ/,proscribes /ʃ/,and does not recognize /sk/.


texts: Evaluation of Inhabitants on/of/based on the Influence of Media?

texts:
I'm currently translating an abstract for personal purposes, but I'm not sure how I'd translate this part. I translated it as this:

  Self-Evaluation of Inhabitants on (the) Influence of Media (the rest is not important)

What I want to know is if it's better to put something else instead of on, of sounds off to me, based on might be fine, on the topic of sounds like there's too much happening.

Also, if there's maybe a better way to say evaluation of inhabitants (maybe assessment?) or maybe a way it sounds better (can I say Inhabitant Evaluation?), please let me know.

Thank you in advance! :)


texts: What is the grammatical name of the part of the sentence that is in bold?

texts:
SEWING the cassock,John pricked his finger.
Mercy and Mary like smiling.
The Municipal Assembly has a towing car.
The boys are playing their roles well.


texts: What do you say to wish your fellows a good lunch?

texts:
It's lunch time, you joined a table with people, you are about to start eating, but just a moment before you do so, you want to wish everyone a good lunch.

If they were French you would say:

  Bon Appetit

If they were Russian you would say:

  приятного аппетита

And for Israelis it's:

  בתאבון

But when I asked my friend how would he say it in English, he shook his head.

Help me out, how to wish a good lunch in English?


texts: Is "One of the most important" (without a noun) still grammatically correct?

texts:
When I was reading an article in a medical magazine of the George Washington University, I ran across a sentence in the article that:

"Brugmann says her relationship with Moody is one of the most important in her career."

As far as I know, "one of the" should be followed by a noun or a phrasal noun, so the above sentence would be written as " ... is one of the most importance in her career", or "... is one of the most important things in her career". I think that "one of the most important" is still incomplete, but a writer of a prestige university magazine hardly makes a basic grammatical error like that. I don't know the structure "one of the + an adjective" (without a noun) is still grammatical or not.
I hope everyone can explain to me. Thank you!


texts: Using an adjective to describe something that is already intended

texts:
Is there a word that describes the case of using an adjective to describe a noun that already suggests as much?

Examples

  the pretty model won all of the awards
  the smart genius answered every question
  the dangerous monster ate the man
  the fast jet
  the floating buoy

Some of these examples might not be the best, but I hope they give the right idea.  I know they are superfluous, but I'm not trying to define the adjectives themselves, but the act of using them.


texts: Setting up a comparison to make one thing look appealing

texts:
Is there a term for the (unethical) sales practice of:

Customer requests product of a certain level of quality
Salesperson provides two options.
Option 1 is clearly inadequate, falling well and obviously short of the requirement
Option 2 is also inadequate, but far superior to option 1
You pick Option 2 as in comparison it appears to be the best choice

Presumably this allows the salesperson to unload products at a higher price than they were really worth.

I think the word "foist" has a similar idea in mind but I am not sure if it is really specific to this situation. Also I do not think this is a "bait and switch".


texts: Yesterday, I came across the word "un-PC" while reading a book, and I couldn't find it in a dictionary. Can anybody explain it, please?


texts: Can 'nook' be used outside the saying 'nook and cranny'? Is it common?

texts:
I'm looking for an English word that describes something comfortable: a safe space that one prefers to chill out in quiet solitude, and something that depicts a sentiment of familiarity.

I would like for the word to be informal, as per something you would say to a good friend of yours: 'And this is my little corner here.' 'Little corner' can be a good candidate but I'm looking for a single-word term.

By reading up on the thesaurus and the dictionary, I stumbled upon the word 'nook'.

So, I wonder, is the use of this word by itself appropriate? Or is it unidiomatic? I always used to hear it in the saying 'nook and cranny', and I wonder whether it's uncommon to have only 'nook' in a sentence.


texts: abbreviation of units of measure: 'hours' vs. 'minutes'

texts:
The abbreviation for ‘hours’ is hrs.
The one for "Minute" is 'min'. It is a unit of measure, which have standard abbreviations, and they do not change in plural nor have a final period. So, the correct abbreviation for minute(s) is "min".
My question is: why this discrepancy and not 'hr' in line with 'min'?


texts:
I want to say this french sentence, in English. I hesitate between

  Can we not dream?
  Can we don’t dream?
  Can’t we dream?

I want to ask for is it possible to not dream?


texts: What is the single word for "someone who is exceptional at one thing but horrible at everything else"?

texts: There was a single word for that but I couldn't remember what it was. I'm using it in a piece of fiction as a way to describe a character. I'd appreciate the help.


texts: Are Yiddishisms strongly associated with a certain group or are they general to American English?

texts:
There are quite a few words of Yiddish origin in English, for example some more common ones (at least to me):

chutzpah
dreck
shlep
shmooze
shmuck
shtick
spiel
tuckus

However, is there a significant correlation between certain social groups and their (non-)usage? In other words, is belonging to a particular social group indicative of using these words? I already know that this is (supposedly) restricted mainly to American English. Moreover, I personally understand many of these words but only rarely use them actively-- I'm unsure if this is typical or not for most speakers of (American) English.


texts: The indefinite article – does local pronunciation change when I should use a/an

texts:
I have a question about how different pronunciation of words and how this affects the use of indefinite articles.

My example is the technical abbreviation URL, meaning "uniform resource location". A common way to pronounce it is "you-are-ell", and to use the indefinite article a because of the consonant "y". -- Which is correct — a URL or an URL?

However, since it is an abbreviation, I have always pronounced it word-by-word "u-are-ell", and I have used the indefinite article an with this word.

I would like to extend this question to any word that have a different pronunciation as there are many different dialects.

Is it accepted to chose the indefinite article (a or an) based on how you pronounce a word?


texts: Correct capitalisation of 'jargon' words used as acronyms

texts:
In a technical role at work we use many three letter acronyms to describe 'things' that we work with or processes that we follow.  When writing these up, I'm unclear if capitals should be used or not.  There's some discussion about whether these 'things' should be considered as proper nouns or not.

For example we carry out an impact assessment.  There is a specific document or artifact which is the 'Impact Assessment' document, which has a commonly understood meaning and which is often abbreviated as IA.

As such, when writing a process document describing this should I refer to the impact assessment document, or the Impact Assessment document?  I think the former, as it is not a proper noun, but would appreciate guidance.  I'm in the UK, if that makes any difference.

So far, two answers with different advice, with same upvotes.  I'm tempted to go with capitalisation, as it does seem to help people draw a distinction between names of documents and the surrounding text, even though it feels incorrect to me.


texts: Is there a word for "not thinking clearly because of anger"?

texts:
For example: two are arguing and one makes a personal attack. They both become angry causing neither to speak reasonably.

Any word for this?

EDIT: In my example, instead of 'angry', I should have used the word 'indignant'. I wasn't looking for extremes, like 'seeing red' or 'blinded by rage'.

I also find 'enraged', 'infuriated', and 'apoplectic' not suitable. I'm looking for "a state of irrationality, caused by indignation."

From the responses so far, I think the best expression is "Their judgment became clouded by indignation."


texts: Looking for a verb that means division into multiple branches

texts:
I am looking for a verb that describes division into multiple branches. The context is an academic report that describes a graph that contains four curves over the range of -3 to 3. Over half the range all curves are identical, but starting from 0, each curves follow a different trend.
I know that bifurcation describes a similar situation with two curves.


texts: What does the expression "If + subject + was/were + infinitive" mean in American English

texts:
I just want to ask you guys about the general meaning of expressions that use the following pattern in colloquial American English:

If + subject + was/were + infinitive, ...

Examples: (Written by native American Speakers)

If I was to make a booking, which rooms are the closest to the pool?
If I was to say what I am, I'd be a Labor man.
If you were to buy the iPhone 8 plus, will you be able to get it activated through Boost?
What would happen to a cactus if it was to be planted in a rainforest?

And here is what I think it means: It’s a way to express a condition that didn't happen, and it could also be used to express a condition that is likely to happen in the future as in the first example.
Is that right, do Americans use the expression often?
Please, correct me if I'm wrong.


texts: "The lack of consensus impedes the process of necessary enhancements"

texts:
America's infrastructure is crumbling, and a lack of consensus in the government impedes the process of necessary enhancements that should be carried out nationwide.

I'm not too sure about the bit in bold. Obviously I'm not interested in whether it is true, but is it grammatical and idiomatic?


texts:
Does "Blind pride" in the following context mean "too much arrogance that people prefer not to believe the truth even if it is before their eyes"?

  Context:

  Unbelievable. Even when they're presented with the naked truth, they
  would rather believe the lie. Or at least that it was too complicated
  to be figured out by a pair of boys after it confounded everyone for
  sixty years. Blind pride can be a useful thing.

It's an excerpt from a comic, click here for more context.


texts: What is the phrase for something which you determine in advance as going to turn out bad?

texts:
Can you suggest a phrase for the following:
You determine in advance that something is going to turn out bad; setting yourself up for it; cynical.

Not a premonition, but begins with "pre" and I think it is of two words.


texts: Meaning of "care" in " my care is like a shadow in the sun"

texts:
In the poem “On Monsieur’s Departure” attributed to Queen Elizabeth I of England, we find this passage:

  My care is like my shadow in the sun
  Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it,
  Stands and lies by me, doth what I have done,
  His too familiar care doth make me rue it.
  No means I find to rid him from my breast,
  Till by the end of things it be supressed

What is the meaning of care as it appears in these two places?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "grease the skids"?

texts:
What is the origin or derivation of the phrase "greasing the skids?"

The phrase connotes preparation, in such a way as to make the subsequent activities easier. Definitions are available various places (e.g., The Free Dictionary, Askville). The latter suggests a derivation (or derivative) "skid row" without citation.

I had always assumed the derivation of "skid" (that which is being "greased" in this sense) was a rather literal description of lubricating pallets or skids for moving or sliding them, or a skidder machine, but I can't find any good reference.

This blog suggests two other derivations that are somewhat similar: greasing the parts of a winch system over which items would be dragged, or in shipbuilding to grease the parts along which a newly-constructed ship would slide into the water.

Other phrases are at least superficially similar but perhaps unrelated, such as greasing the pan (but seeming to connote a specific, necessary prerequisite; in fact a comment on this answer also refers to "skid greasing"), or greasing palms (connoting bribery).


texts: If I drive a car and ride a motorcycle, what do I do with a boat?

texts:
Once we have specific verbs to refer to the action of operating a vehicle, my question is:

What verb should I use to "drive" a boat/ship?


texts: Question Tag using had better or would better

texts:
Which of these two is the correct option?

1. He'd better try harder, wouldn't he?

I think this is the correct way, but I am not sure. In this case, is this the long form of the sentence?

He would better try harder, wouldn't he?

2.  He'd better try harder, hadn't he?

I think this option is not correct, because the long form would have to be:

He had better tried harder, hadn't he?

Which is the correct option?
Thank you very much in advance for your help!


texts:
This sentence is giving me trouble:

  For several days I (have/had) not had the chance to see her until a
  few hours ago.

I think had is correct because the time reference is a few hours ago, which is in the past.

What do you think?


texts: Word for reoccurring time things like "monday" or "the 15th" or "9 o'clock"

texts:
What "monday", "the 15th" and "9 o'clock" have in common is that they repeat over and over. Every week has a monday, every month has a 15th and every day has a 9 o'clock. Is there a word for such a phenomenon?

I'm a programmer trying to document a feature of the syntax used to enter these types of things. A specific word would be really useful as I keep having to explain the concept every time I mention it.

So if a specific and unique point in time could be signified by "date" or "datetime" then what would I call these specific but reoccurring points in time?


texts:
Good day. I'm translating to English the term "lazos olvidados" (from Spanish). It applies to a group of youths that are children of immigrants in a certain country, which go back to their parent's country of origin, in order to restore a bond with a country that they come from in blood and/or from early childhood, but they don't know anymore due to having lived their whole lives in their adoptive country.

My question is which term is better for this concept, the bonds have been "neglected" or "long-forgotten"? I'm not very sure about using 'neglected' because I see a little negativity in that term.

Can anyone help me to clear this issue?


texts: Is criminalisation the right word to describe the involvement of criminals?

texts:
In the Indian media and public discourse, the phrase 'criminalisation of politics' is often used to indicate one or more of the following:

The nexus between organized crime and politics
High, and still increasing numbers of politicians with criminal cases pending against them.
Corrupt practices committed by politicians.

Apparently, the third form of usage isn't unique to India, as this wikipedia article talks about the United States.

OED says that criminalisation is "The action of turning an activity into a criminal offence by making it illegal." Clearly, by this definition, politics has not been criminalised in India. Criminalisation of politics could be said to have taken place in countries where formation or membership of political parties is illegal.

Countries with strict drug laws could have been said to have criminalised drugs, jurisdiction with strict laws on firearms usage and possession could have been said to have criminalised firearms, while those places with restrictive business laws could be said (not literally) to have criminalised business.

I request people to check if my understanding of the word criminalisation is correct, and that the Indian media uses it incorrectly. If that is the case, what would be correct and succinct words or phrases which mean (1), (2), and (3) in the first paragraph.


texts:
I often hear the word vertice (pronounced VER-tee-cee) used as the singular of vertices instead of vertex.

Is vertice an acceptable singular for vertices? If so, how is it pronounced?
On the other hand, is vertexes an acceptable plural for vertex?


texts: What is the difference between to repeat & to recur?

texts:
As google says,both means to say or to do something again. So how can I distinguish which one and when to use?
Just tell me the difference okay


texts: In "living out", is there a link sound between the two words?

texts:
I just came across a listening practice and heard a sentence

  People spend their lives working for money, rather than living out their dreams.

It seems that the word 'living out' was pronounced like' 'livi-nout', because as far as I know, the ng sound can not be the start of a syllable.

What's going on?


texts: What is the difference between 'number' and 'numeral'?

texts:
I've always learned that the difference between 'number' and 'numeral' was that number is the idea and numeral is the representation. But after a discussion with @terdon in chat, I'm not so sure anymore. Different sources say different things.

Like, Merriam Webster defines numeral as:

  a conventional symbol that represents a number

But lists 'number' as a synonym.

And in their number entry:

  a word, symbol, letter, or combination of symbols representing a number (definition 4)

The top Google result says:

  A numeral is a symbol or name that stands for a number. Examples: 3, 49 and twelve are all numerals. So the number is an idea, the numeral is how we write it.

So what is the difference between 'number' and 'numeral'?


texts: Question about the phrase "if not almost every night"

texts:
After their first date, very often Susie came to the sea to meet him, if not almost every night.

Can you identify the name the bold part? Is it an adverbial phrase? Strangely, I have never encountered it before. I searched on Google, and the results contain the similar structure "if not almost", but I don't know whether any of these websites are well-written ones.

Two other questions:

"Very often" is also an adverbial phrase; is it correct to have two of them in a sentence?
I see that people often add a comma after "very often"; is it okay not to put a comma here?


texts:
How do you pronounce the << operator?

For example it is used in here.


texts: "...are what matter" vs. "are what matters"

texts:
I have no idea which of these sentences is correct:

  Technical analysis and debate are what matter.

or

  Technical analysis and debate are what matters.

The first sounds right to me because it's similar to the simple sentence "Technical analysis and debate matter." But looking at the direct object alone, "what matters" sounds more correct than "what matter".

Both usages look pretty common on Google.


texts:
Which one of the following is correct?

1) Its strong faculty and motivated students are all appealing to me.

2) Its strong faculty and motivated students are both appealing to me.

Thanks!


texts:
If someone has the wrong end of the stick it means they've misunderstood something.

If they've got the shitty end of the stick it means they've got a bad deal in some bargain or share-out. This doesn't seem particularly close to the wrong end meaning - so unless someone convinces me different, I'm not inclined to think these idioms share a common origin.

Does anyone know where either or both of these expressions come from?


texts: What does “But it's no more the negroes than I can fly” mean?

texts:
The following extract appears in Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee:

  They are all trying to tell me in some weird, echoing way that it's all on account of the Negroes… but it's no more the Negroes than I can fly and God knows, I might fly out the window anytime, now.

I don't understand what the bolded part means. What does no more than [verbal phrase] mean?


texts:
A lobbyist is a person tries to influence the votes of legislators on behalf of a special interest. What would the correct term be for the legislators being lobbied? Lobbyee might be a logical conclusion, but it looks and sounds terrible (at least to me).

Note: If the word you suggest has more subtle connotations, e.g. it describes a legislator that is particularly easily swayed lobbyists, please be sure to mention that.


texts: What is the correct of saying between you and I?

texts:
I was taught that it is correct to say "between you and I," instead of "between you and me." Which is correct?

I forgot to mention that my father said if you left out the other person. the correct word will be "I" not "me'.  A person doesn't said "me" went to the store. A person would say "I" went to the store.


texts: There "is" or "are" a wealth of opportunities?

texts: Which is correct: "there ARE a wealth of opportunities" or "there IS a wealth of opportunities?"


texts: The difference between "given that" and "provided that" (CAE book reference)

texts:
I don't understand the difference between "given that" and "provided that".

  The tour wasn't as pleasant as we thought it would be, given that the
  coach broke down on the way.

[Source: CAE Book]

Why can't I use provided that in place of given that in the above sentence?
What's the difference between given that and provided that?


texts: I'd like to use the expression find sanctuary instead of find refuge. Would it be fine?


texts:
I have a hard time telling what's the difference between using "implication" and "explanation" in the following passage:

Even fatal pathogens can achieve evolutionary success. One implication
is that a pathogen's virulence is a function of its mode of
transmission.

Even fatal pathogens can achieve evolutionary success. One explanation
is that a pathogen's virulence is a function of its mode of
transmission.

Would someone help explain how these terms change the meaning of the passage?
Thank you very much.


texts: What is the difference between "I work in a project" vs "I work on a project"?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Preposition usage: on, in, and at

I guess the difference is that when you say "I work on a project", it shows that your are the owner of the project, whereas "in a project" shows that you are the member of a project. Is my guess correct?


texts: Wordplay that thwarts expectation by applying a description to a different object?

texts:
Example:

A news show puts an image of donald trump holding up a fish on the screen.  The announcer says: "Here's a photo of a slimy, scaly, reptile -- and he's holding a fish, too."

I'm not sure if you'd classify this as a specific genre of joke, or wordplay, or pun.  But I'm curious if there's a term specifically for it?


texts: "What I'm looking for is/are [plural noun]"

texts:
Which one of these is correct, and if both are correct in certain contexts, which is preferred?

  What I'm looking for is methods that help...
  What I'm looking for are the methods that help...

I know this may seem a duplicate of previous questions like Is it “5–6 weeks are a lot of time” or “5–6 weeks is a lot of time”?, but I think this is — not being about collective/mass nouns(?) — a somewhat different question.

(No, I'm not a native speaker of English.)


texts:
In a contract made between company A and B:

"Company A undertakes to procure the product requirements exclusively from company B"

What is the meaning of that expression?


texts: what is the meaning of 'to leave somebody's side"?

texts:
I found this phrase in some poetry. The lines are as follows,

  ...
      a rose on the other side of the room,
      side of the rose on the wall of the other room inside,
      the side of the slide that opens on the wound
      I leave her side on a rose of blood
      ...

another one is like,

  I will never leave your side.
      Even if you push me away, and tell me it’s not right.
      These are times and moments, where love takes a stand.
      ...

I want to know the possible meaning of the phrase "to leave someone's side".


texts: What does "Quantum shifty no-comply...." mean?

texts:
Afraid I must take a detour. I’m going to crush Hiro, champion of cheaters, at the time and place of my choosing!! QUANTUM SHIFTY NO-COMPLY OF FORBIDDEN ENLIGHTENMENT!
Ha! Typical! I land the greatest inter-dimensional trick ever and no one is here to witness it! Argh! All because of Hiro!

I understand most of this paragraph but the sentence "Quantum shifty no-comply of forbidden enlightenment!" It doesn't make any sense to me. Please explain for me.
The context is that he is skating on a skateboard in a hyper-dimensional pathway.


texts:
If I wanted to start a sentence with "hey" and follow that with someone's name, would a comma go after the name too? Here's what I mean:

1:

  "Hey, Thomas, I'm staying home today."

2:

  "Hey, Thomas. I'm staying home today."

Is it wrong to have the comma after Thomas?


texts: Using "the" without referring to something before

texts:
I was surfing the Internet when I saw this sentence:

From there, you can see the beautiful scene where the sunset's reflecting over the ocean.

As far as I've known, "the" is used when you already have something written above, and you're referring it; or when you want to describe "only" things (e.g. the Moon, the Sun).
Is it correct to write the sentence like so? If not, will replacing the "the" in "the beautiful scene" with "a" fix the sentence?
Thanks for your answers!


texts: Single word for someone who likes to party

texts: What is one word that can be used to describe someone who likes to party and go to clubs?


texts: Catch-all adjective for "edible" and/or "drinkable"

texts:
This is similar to another post, but for adjectives instead of nouns.
I'm looking for an adjective that describes objects that are safely edible and drinkable, and are meant for consumption (e.g. something that is explicitly called "non-toxic" would not be covered).
"They're advertising <adj> supplies for camping."


texts: What's the correct word to categorize/refer to the Top 1% in a distribution?

texts:
I've a chart where I'm graphing how much the top 1% of political contributors (the 99th percentile) donate, vs the rest. You can see the graph here, by clicking on "View by" in the top-right corner, and selecting "Percentile." If done correctly, you should get this view.

Technically, "Percentile" is not the right word (and it's the term I'm asking about in this question---how to replace it), since what is known colloquially as "The 1%" is actually the 99th percentile; hence, I'm not sure how to navigate colloquial understanding vs. the correct understanding.

So, what's the correct term for that "View by" entry?


texts: what does 'do correspondence with' mean?

texts: I receive an email from a person I know and I am reporting back some important ideas, it says 'keep doing correspondence with me,' what does that phrase mean? Does it just mean keep emailing him or I should speak to him directly?


texts:
I always thought it was a todo list, and quite a few places online refer to it as todo, but various spell checkers are telling me it should be to-do.

The only meaning I could find was a reference by dictionary.com which is different from the use I need for the word.

Which is correct?


texts: Verbs for when asking someone(e.g designer) to do a job(logo design) for you for a fee

texts:
I would like to use a verb to describe the above situation. There are many professions like consultants,web designers which charge fees on project basis.

Example answer for above question would be :

I assign Max(freelance designer) to design a logo for my new coffee shop at 100$.

Are there any more fitting verbs other than assign to describe the situation?
The closest word I found to describe is consign but it isn't expressive enough for what I would like to say.


texts: What does it mean when someone has 'issues' with something?

texts:
This seems another of those fashionable expressions (like awesome) which may not stand the test of generations. But when someone tells you that Suzannah has 'issues with self confidence', what does that mean?

Is it a euphemism for saying 'she lacks self confidence'?

What are the limits to this expression?

Could I say:'In a moment I will have an 'issue' with the clock, as I have to go to a meeting', or perhaps: 'In the car yesterday I had an issue with another driver, and my passenger is now in hospital', or 'the doctor thinks there is an issue with Fred's heart', (it has stopped beating).

How far could we go with this?


texts: What’s the normal software-engineering adjective which means that a function tolerates bad input?

texts:
There's a term used in software engineering that I can't recall, but which usually describes a subroutine that tolerates bad input.

For example, let's say there's some method that converts raw string to an enum:

T StringToEnum<T>(string rawValue) where T : enum

How would you describe this method if it tolerates rawValues that are not present in T, in which case it just returns the parsed int value, which works only thanks to the fact that enum is an integer?

It's not "tolerating", not "forgiving", but something else...what is it?


texts: How do you interpret "as the eyes" in this sentence?

texts:
suppose that, in the context of a list of instructions to make a snowman, there is the following sentence:

"Stick a pair of small pebbles into the head above the nose as the eyes."

I mean that the pebbles represent the eyes of the snowman, and that later instructions referring to "the eyes" actually refer to those pebbles.

In this sentence, is the way I'm using "as the eyes" correct and understandable?


texts: What do you call "rhymes" which are spelt but not sounded the same way?

texts:
Here is an example from T. S. Eliot:

  And even the Abstract Entities
    Circumambulate her charm;
    But our lot crawls between dry ribs
    To keep our metaphysics warm.

I expect most people would say charm and warm do not rhyme, but their placement here suggests they are intended to be considered a rhyme on the basis of spelling.

What is this "rhyming" type called? I see it a lot. In some cases I wonder if it represents a shift in pronunciation. In others, such as this, I suspect not.


texts: Word for controlled/controlled through use of laws by the government

texts:
y'all I'm writing about sexuality. In one sentence I am speaking about how the government can directly control sexuality through the use of laws and I'm trying to find the right word. This is the sentence as it is right now (it's not a complete sentence).
"So often, sexuality is legislated by the government..."
Right now I'm using the word legislated but I'm not sure if it's right for this context or if it can be used in this way. I had little luck finding clarity about that online.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!


texts: Why no Future Perfect in "At the end of the year there will be an exam on everything you've studied"?

texts:
At the end of the year there will be an exam on everything you've studied.

I'm just wondering why  not use the Future Perfect tense here, as in:

  At the end of the year there will be an exam on everything you'll have studied.

Sounds better to my ear... Will you please explain it to me?

I wouldn't have been bewildered if one of my American friends hadn't told me that the sentence is better with the Present Perfect.


texts: What does "our bone chattering" mean in this excerpt?

texts:
What does "bone chattering" mean? For example when someone says: "our bone was chattering".
I am not talking about teeth chattering.

  After, only six Little Fish survive. Me and Siv and Kha and three others, we huddle back at the camp, our bone chattering, waiting for the Kymer Rouge to tell us “good job.”

From the Novel, Never Fall Down By Patricia McCormick


texts: What is a term for a reliable, sustainable, lucrative source of income? Similar to "cash cow" but not something you have to wait for.


texts:
Why is the noun company here followed by the verb in plural? Does this actually mean - one of the companies, and is it how it should always be written ?

  "... to use the services of a web hosting company who charge a fee..."


texts:
Which is correct in modern day grammar (email context)?

I am reviewing this, now.

I am reviewing this now.


texts: Is it possible to use the relative pronoun "which" to refer to people?

texts:
All of the grammar books I have consulted indicate that who(m)/that are the only relative pronouns to be used with people.

I thought that you could use "which" when you point out a specific person in a group.  Is this not acceptable/ is there a situation where one could use "which" to refer to a person directly?

A quick google search for "the man which" revealed several bible passages with this combination, but nothing in the line of grammar explanations.


texts: Is it correct to use "embrace" speaking about time?

texts:
Is it correct to say "Normally, a sprint embraces 2 weeks" ?
Saying that I mean following "A regular sprint takes 2 weeks".


texts: What are the differences between "hoarse", "husky", and "raspy" when describing a person's voice?  Which should describe someone with a cold?

texts:
What are the differences between hoarse, husky, raspy, ..., when describing a person's voice?
When a person is sick by cold, which word from above is used to describe his voice? Suppose if he goes to see a doctor, what is the word to describe his voice more professionally?


texts: Non-sea salt sulfate or non-sea-salt sulfate?

texts:
Atmospheric sea salt particles contain sulfate but also other sources of atmospheric sulfate exist. In scientific studies on particulate sulfate air pollution it is common to split between sulfate related to sea salt emissions and sulfate related to other sources. The sulfate from other sources is denoted as non-sea salt sulfate, non-sea-salt sulfate, and non-sea-salt-sulfate in the scientific literature. Thus, there is no consistent usage.

I assume that non(-)sea(-)salt is considered as adjective to sulfate. Therefore, non-sea-salt-sulfate is not correct. Based on answers to the question Pluralization rule for “five-year-old children”, “20 pound note”, “10 mile run” and on the answer Eleven-year-old boy rule. I would assume that non-sea-salt sulfate is the correct way of writing it. However, from my subjective feeling, non-sea salt sulfate is more commonly used.

My question is: Where do hyphens need to be placed in American English?

If there are differences in British English, I would be also interested in them.


texts: Meaning of "That sort of says something"

texts:
What does "That sort of says something" mean? What says what?

One man tells another:

  He used to say when his wife died it killed the whole family.
  That sort of says something, sir. That you kept yours together.


texts: A mentat is the name created for the human computers of the fictional universe in the book series Dune originally written by Frank Herbert. Has this book series become popular and common enough to use the word "mentat" in a written work outside the Dune universe?


texts: Is ‘smaller-bore’ proposal (or plan) an ordinary expression?

texts:
I found the expression (Obama needs to present the Congress) smaller-bore job proposal in the August 22 article of Washington Times written by Chris Cillizza under the title Economy has Obama facing major political test — and Democratic strategists divided.

The text reads:

  Some suggested that Obama needs to think big when it comes to his jobs proposal. -- “Go long and big,” said Steve Rosenthal, a senior party strategist. -- Others advised him to take it one step at a time, forcing a series of votes on smaller-bore jobs proposals rather than going for one major victory.

I understand that bore means diameter of a pipe and tube and caliber of a gun, hence it means sharply focused proposal on job creation. However, it’s the first time for me to see the word small bore being used as “smaller-bore proposal (or plan).” Is this just a casual expression in English, or rather a stylish expression of the writer? Can I use “small-bore” casually, like ‘He made a small-bore remark on the nuclear power issue,’ instead of a hard-edged remark?


texts: Which of the following sentences are grammatically correct?

texts:
Could you please explain which of the forms of the following pairs are correct? I find it difficult to understand how do they differ.
(I)

I cooked dinner
I have cooked dinner

(II)

I am cooking dinner
I have been cooking dinner

(III)

I am studying since 2 AM
I have been studying since 2 AM


texts: What is the difference between 20$ and $20?

texts:
I am seeing both 20$ and $20 usages. (20 is nonessential to this question.)

What is the difference between them?


texts:
I know we don't use a preposition when we say smth like 'Join our Facebook group...'
But which preposition should I use when I want to specify whom you'll join when you become a member of a Facebook group? I tried to find some examples on Ludwig (it returns the results from different reputable media), and it returned me only 1 more or less relevant result with the preposition 'on' (see the screenshot). Can a native speaker help me confirm the preposition 'on' sounds natural in this context?
Example of a sentence:
Join your fellow researchers/students/HR specialists on the official Facebook group


texts: Generic word for hyphen, dash, minus sign, etc.?

texts:
I look for a proper English word that could be an informal generic term for “bar-like” typographic marks such as hyphens, dashes, minus signs and so on.

Is it bar? line? stroke? or another?


texts: Compound words: what real compound word is composed of most words?

texts:
I was looking at this question about the word albeit and it got me thinking... what is the most compound, non-hyphenated, real word in English?  Strictly speaking, albeit might not be counted as a compound word because all dropped a letter, however there are other example - for instance nonetheless.  Is three sub-words the limit, or can someone think of a compound word that has more sub-words?

(Note, I excluded hyphenated compound words because you can make whole sentences into words if you go that route.)


texts: I'm working under contract for an insurance company, can't divulge much more due to NDAs. On one form they state they will cover a service if it is "medically necessary" but not if it is "non-medically necessary." I think it's clear that it's the necessity they're talking about, but the phrase "non-medically necessary" sounds to me as if it's necessary, just not medically. Wouldn't "medically non-necessary" be better English?


texts: A word that means 'excessive encouragement'

texts:
I'm looking for a word that means excessive encouragement.

Example:
"We encourage our kids to study - but when does encouragement become excessive encouragement"?

punishment? overzealousness?


texts:
My question is about similar (for me) question forms "don't I know you" and "do I know you". Is there any difference between them or can they both be used in the same context without any exceptions?

Same question on "Don't you want" and "Do you want".


texts: Are there words that specify that a number was pronounced 'six double zero ' vs 'six zero zero'?

texts:
Are there words that specify that a number, say 600 was or is to be pronounced 'six double zero ' vs 'six zero zero'?
How about six double oh vs six oh oh? Would that be the same word?
How about when you are spelling something, e.g. 'double el' rather than 'el el' for 'll'.
Also, should you say 'capital double el' or 'double capital el' for 'LL'?


texts: Which one is grammatically correct: "wood door" or "wooden door"

texts:
I have a grammar which says that:

"The 'noun+noun' structure is normally used to say what things are made of."

"A few pairs of nouns and adjectives are used as modifiers with different meanings. Generally the noun simply names the material something is made of, while the adjective has a more metaphorical meaning."

a gold watch - golden memories;

a silk stocking - silken skin

I've also heard that the "-en" ending is used in a poetic sense. But when I looked up at my dictionary for the word "wooden", it brought as an example "wooden bench"; even though "wooden" wasn't being used in a figurative nor in a poetic way. Furthermore, I don't know whether to use "wood door" or "wooden door", meaning that the door is made of wood.


texts:
Following on from Meaning of "bully" in the 1800's, and Mr Lister's comment, this article mentions:

  I want to buy bread-and-butter, hoop-skirts and waterfalls for some person of the female persuasion during life

Source: Harper's Weekly, September 2, 1865

Why on earth did he just not say girl/woman/lady/female? For example,

  ... for a lady during life.

Was this, per chance:

a tongue in cheek expression;
an attempt at humour, or;
a way of making the advertisement stand out from the others in the lonely hearts column?

I am sure that I have heard this expression elsewhere, but, for the life of me, I can not remember where. I think that I have heard Person of the X peruasion, where X could be some other character defining attribute, but not female... it is an odd expression, as one can't really be persuaded to be a female, one either is, or is not.

Presumably waterfalls are a type of clothing or some other type of accoutrement, that, at that time, a gentleman would gift to the lady in his life, and not an actual physical waterfall? If the writer does actually means real cascading waterfalls, then surely the whole sentence is rather tongue-in-cheek?


texts:
So I looked up the term contempt and found this definition:

  The feeling that a person or a thing is worthless or beneath consideration:

I also found a synonym, disdain

  The feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect

Then I found scorn and things got sort of confusing

  A feeling and expression of contempt or disdain for someone or something:

Can someone explain, to a non-native speaker, when each variant would be appropriate?

I am aware of the different word classes. Oxforddictionaries.com clasifies scorn as a mass noun as well, though. Hence, I was confused if there are subtle, different connotations

Edit
Also, how would I use them? Do I possess scorn towards something? Or would I rather feel it for it?


texts:
I am reading a license agreement and there is a strange combination of words for me as I am not a native English speaker. The direct quote is here:

  If you are a direct competitor, and you access or use the software for purposes of competitive benchmarking, analysis, or intelligence gathering, you waive as against Microsoft, its subsidiaries, and its affiliated companies (including prospectively) any competitive use, access, and benchmarking test restrictions in the terms governing your software to the extent your terms  of use are, or purport to be, more restrictive than Microsoft’s terms.

I have googled, what "waive" means and found:

  to refrain from claiming or insisting on; give up; forgo: to waive one's right; to waive one's rank; to waive honors. Law. to relinquish (a known right, interest, etc.) intentionally. to put aside for the time; defer; postpone; dispense with: to waive formalities.

I can suppose that the whole sentence means that: "if you use the software for competitive benchmarking - you give up to Microsoft any competitive use", but I am not sure. Especially when the prase is "waive as against". Clearly, it's some legal stamp, but it would be nice if someone could explain it more clearly.


texts:
In a sentence like this:

I did not find it [to be] ...

1) hard

2) anything hard

3) hard to do

4) anything hard to do

5) etc.

when is including [to be] necessary, desired, acceptable, not acceptable?

For example, comparing "I did not find it hard to do" vs. "I did not find it to be hard to do" - which one is right? And if both can be right, is the meaning altered by including to be?


texts: "within the context" of a workshop - synonyms

texts:
For the acknowledgements of my thesis, I need to thank my advisors. They invited me to a workshop where we worked on my topic for one week. Now I would somehow want to write the following:

The author is greatly indepted to ... and ... for suggesting this problem, several valuable comments, and many enlightening discussions, also "within the context of" the workshop in ..., where a non-negligible part of the ideas emerged.

I am grateful for any suggestions (not only for the synonym). Thank you!


texts: So, why isn’t hear an action verb, like its sensory siblings? I can write, “That feels disgusting” and substitute feels with looks, smells, and tastes, but “That hears disgusting” doesn’t make sense; we replace hears with sounds in such constructions.” Why is this so?


texts:
I've read Essential Grammar in Use Raymond Murphy's book. some page of the book was told me:

  Do not use "the" with:

  television

  breakfast/lunch/dinner

  next/last + week/month/year/summer/Monday/etc.

e.g.

  Did you have a holiday last summer?

My question is can i speak:

  Did you have a holiday in the last summer?

Is it really that i can not use a or the with all of them above?

for example:

  a television, the television, the last month, ...

I'm a little bit confusing. Is that rule depend on its context or it is always true?

Note that this question might be duplicated but i expect the answer that emphasise on the additional explanation according to the context above that i referred from the book to make it more clear.


texts: Is there an appropriate synonym for "laser-like focus" in the following sentence?

texts:
The sentence is  as follows:

  I am convinced that the academic freedom and laser-like focus on undergraduate education will allow me to...

This is from my college essay and since the college only has undergraduate degree programs (i.e. no Grad school), I would like to appreciate this feature by saying that saying that the college only focuses on undergrad students etc.
Laser-like sounds rather informal, so I am looking for a word that is a bit more formal and also conveys the message clearly.


texts:
This sentence is part of a somewhat formal essay I am writing. I am describing what 'He' has been up to.

  It had been ten days since he had set off on an errand at his manager's request and there hadn't been any updates from him until that moment.

Is the expression "set off on an errand" idiomatic? I believe its meaning is clear, but how does it sound to a native's ear?


texts: Looking for a word attributing the state of revealing the past

texts:
Words like "prophetic" and "visionary" explain situations in which someone or something can predict the future. Nonetheless, I am looking for a word that embodies the ability to reveal information about the past. Here is the context:

  the development of knowledge sheds light on the [word I am looking for] capacities of blood. For example, a blood test could detemind who had syphilis.


texts: It seems to me that some Americans will say hoop.


texts: Does "Friday midnight" refer to the beginning of the day on Friday or to the end?

texts: I always thought it would be end of the day, but I'm not sure.


texts:
This is the second time i hear songs with it don't instead of it doesn't. The first time i thought that it is just music and the singer made that change in order to let it fit

This is the first song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMwcoaZNauQ

but now even Adele in here new Hello song, she says it don't

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQHsXMglC9A

What is going on? is that normal? is it like old English rule? or just because of the music ?

As always: It is not duplicated for that question (listed) this is about it not about he.


texts: Is there a name for a rhetorical technique where a deceptive exaggeration is used openly and with admission in order to effect a desired emotion?

texts:
I'm talking about a specific usage of language where the deceit is passive and consistent - an arguer might use an exaggerated word, or a word entirely incorrectly, to alter an audience's reception to an argument, but without actively maintaining the deceit of argument. Importantly, a person employing this technique is knowingly and intentionally being deceitful - it is not just a difference of opinion.
It is perhaps much easier to explain via example:
Arguer A: "We should no longer associate with Person C, as they screamed at us over this simple misunderstanding."
Arguer B: "Person C did not scream at us. I was present, and Person C only slightly raised their voice."
Arguer A: "That is just how I define the word 'screaming.' We don't need to associate with someone who will subject us to screaming conniptions over simple misunderstandings."
In a way, I am almost thinking of a dysphemism - in this case the word choice is used to intentionally increase the emotional impact of the word, even though it is understood to be a lie. If the use of exaggeration to alter the truth is confronted, the arguer might openly admit to the exaggeration, but then continue to use the exaggeration anyway because it will give the audience a certain emotional impression regardless of the deceit being laid bare.
A more insidious example might be:
Arguer A: "Person C is a felon, and can not be trusted to interact safely with the public if we employ them."
Arguer B: "Person C was convicted of possession of cannabis, and has no history of violent crimes."
Arguer A: "You're right, but person C is still a felon, and you can't trust felon criminals to respect people's safety."
Here the word "felon" is not an exaggeration, but is still being used deceptively to give listeners a certain impression about Person C, even though the arguer admits to the deception. By continuing to use the word, the truth of the matter is dulled by the emotional response the word inspires.


texts: Is there any relation between the meanings of the word "cataract"?

texts:
Oxford defines "cataract" as "a steep waterfall" as well as gives the more common meaning of the word i.e. the medical condition that causes a loss of sight.

Also, "cataract", as meaning "waterfall", is used in literature. The following is from Wordsworth's Intimation of Immortality

  And I again am strong:
  The cataracts blow their trumpets from the
  steep

This is an odd pair of meanings being of the same word. Is there is any reason why "cataract" means both "waterfall and "loss of sight"?

Thank you.


texts:
There's one aspect which is confusing me, especially because of how it's done in my native language which is ukrainian.
So question is how singular and plural forms are used with numbers ending with 1.
- 1 view. No questions asked.
- 11, 211 views. No questions asked either.
- 0, 2, 5, 13, etc views. No questions here either.
- 21, 101, 91 view or views?
In ukrainian, it will be 21 view, 101 view and 91 view. What is right in english?


texts:
Some types of letters — i.e., messages that you write on a piece of paper and send to someone — have their own name.

In fact, for example, we call 'note' a short letter to someone, 'rejection' a letter that tells you that you did not get a job or were not accepted by a school, 'response' a reply to any question or letter, and so on.

Even a letter sent regularly to members of an organization, containing news, has a name, 'newsletter', which is, as in the cases already mentioned, a single word.

That being said, my question is, is there a single word which one can use to refer to a 'love letter' — i.e., 'a letter telling someone how much you love them'?


texts: What tense to use when referencing "unknown past" from the future?

texts:
In class, we conducted an experiment where we filled dialysis tubing with sucrose solutions of unknown concentrations, then placed them in distilled water to let osmosis take place. In my analysis of the experiment, I wrote this:

  The dialysis tube with the highest percent change in mass after the experiment will have contained the most concentrated solution before the experiment.

At first, it seemed unnecessary to me to write "after the experiment" and "before the experiment," but I think that it is actually needed because the concentration of sucrose in the tube changed over the duration of the experiment.

I also think that "will have contained" sounds incorrect because it uses the future "will" and the past "contained," and I'm not sure which tense I should actually be using.

How can I make this sentence grammatically correct and easy to understand?


texts:
Although it has been already discussed:

  The word “who” only refers to living beings. For non-living beings, “which” is used instead.

I just wonder if "who" could be used for not living characters in a story, to put emphasis on their role:

  This is the story of a wooden puppet who had a friend

I'd be glad to hear your opinion on that,

Thanks


texts:
How do you Spell: Smused, Smoosed?

As in: "Bill Smused the clients. Warming them up for the spiel from marketing."


texts: Why is "doesn't" a legitimate starting word for a sentence?

texts:
Doesn't is the contraction for does not.

From my knowledge, the sentence Doesn't Tom like Sally? is legitimate.

Why is this so?

If I expand the sentence, it becomes Does not Tom like Sally? which starts to not make sense.


texts: How did something comprehensive fail to be comprehensible?

texts:
According to Wiktionary the etymology of "comprehensive" derives from Latin "comprehensivius" (via French) which in turn means comprehensible.

However I often find comprehensive sources to be very hard to comprehend, or to put it another way: I don't find them comprehensible.

So when and how did "comprehensive" change from meaning "comprehensible" to "completely covering"?


texts: Term for asking a question to create context

texts:
Sometimes to start a conversation or to bring up a subject I ask a question. I ask it in hopes that they know the answer, I'm not seeking knowledge or an explanation, but instead I'm looking to create a context for the conversation.

An example question might be something as simple as "Remember yesterday when we talked about [something we talked about yesterday]?" Obviously I don't expect them to just say "yes, I remember" and that's that. I'm bringing that conversation into mind as the context for this conversation. I imagine it's a question and not a command or a statement because 1) they may not actually remember the the conversation from yesterday and 2) courtesy.

Is there a name or phrase for this kind of question?


texts:
I was asked which team I would want to win a given game, so I answer something like:

  I wish TEAM_A wins (the game).

However, it does not sound quite right to me, should I have rephrased the answer above to something like:

  I wish TEAM_A to win.

What about when answering with I hope instead of I wish, should I use the same structrue of 1. or 2. ?


texts: What image do you recall when hearing 'Fluffy'?

texts: In Harry Potter’s story, Fluffy is a monstrous looking dog with three heads. But if I look up dictionaries the word might have the meaning of ‘very cute fluffy dog’, I thought. So I like to call him ‘bok-shee-ree’(복실이) in Korean – it generally means a cute puppy or a kind looking girl. I wonder what kind of images do English natives recall, except the Harry Potter’s Fluffy, when they hear the word?


texts:
From USADA RTP: The Notification Process | U.S. Anti-Doping Agency:

  When athletes are added to USADA’s Registered Testing Pool, or RTP,
  it’s usually because they are among the highest-performing athletes in
  their sport, and as their performances increase, so to do their
  anti-doping responsibilities.

Shouldn't it be "so do" instead of "so to do"?


texts: What animal makes this sound vs What kind of animal makes this sound?

texts:
I am Chinese, a children's English teacher. What is the difference between these questions I might ask my students?

"Meow." What animal makes this sound?
"Meow." What kind of animal makes this sound?"


texts: Hyphen in Anti-malware but not Antivirus

texts: Why is there a hyphen in Anti-malware but not a hyphen in antivirus. I have found nothing, no matter how far I have searched hence my presence on this site.


texts: Why is the phrase "should have went" so widely used?

texts:
Rarely do we hear "should have gone" in common speech.

Some background: My father immigrated to the US in the late 60s. He learned English first overseas, British English. Then he studied extensively in America.

He always corrected me and my brothers on us saying "you/I/they should have went".  And after the 2,762nd time, finally I say "should have gone"

The reason I think it's a valid question is that go/gone/went are pretty ABC words. My guess is that the contraction "should've" is partly to blame - i.e. we speak so fast that we pick the more natural-sounding thing.


texts: What is the best word to describe confusing two words?

texts:
I am writing a speech and describing two words that are often confused for each other, "religion" and "faith". I have written this line:

  Faith and religion are often mistaken to mean the same thing.

I am trying to decide which is the best word to use (shown in italics): mistaken, misconstrued, confused? What is the best word to capture the idea of mistaking the definition?


texts: Is there an old, rarely used word which means "an archaic word"?

texts: I seem to recall from my youth, when my vocabulary was many times what it is today, learning a word (started with an 'a' I think) whose meaning was "an old, unused, or archaic word" or something roughly to that effect.  I believe it was an adjective though it might have been a noun. This would be quite fun as an autological term.  Does anyone recall such a word, or am I deceiving myself?


texts: Verb for defeating someone or something in a video game by using cheap tactics

texts:
I lost in street fighter by getting low kicked to death.

I tell my opponent

  you _________ed me (to death)

or

I beat a difficult boss in a video game by exploiting a glitch.

  I beat UberBoss by __________ing him.


texts:
May one use inquire with instead of the somewhat overly official and potentially archaic inquire of?

It would be best if you could go through all the correct propositions commonly used with inquire with example sentences.


texts: Bridge over the river or bridge on the river which is correct grammar usage


texts: What would be a good way for referring to the property of being a Home/Visitor Team?

texts: Is there a word to define the property of being the Home Team? In Brazil we say that the Home Team has the "Mando de Campo" which means "Field Ownership", as in the Home Team HAS the Field Ownership as the Visitor Team does not, I don't know if that helps.


texts: How to purge references to me when referring to project I made

texts:
There is a project I have been working on in my free time, named the
********. The primary objective of...

In the above sentence, I would like to remove the 'I', but I'm not sure how. The structure of the sentence may be changed, but the fundamental meaning should stay true: That I'm working on a project.
NOTE: Things like 'my' will not exactly solve my problem. As I'm looking to remove all references to me. However, any answer you have is welcomed.


texts:
I was wondering if the following was a dependent clause:

  There weren’t enough beds, so I had to sleep on the floor.


texts: Punctuation inside of apostrophe in "Rus' "

texts:
I am doing a research paper on Kievan Rus' (note the apostrophe) a political state of the 10th century. How would I format punctuation with this nation's name?

Option 1 (period outside apostrophe):

  Olaf I was raised in Kievan Rus'.

Option 2 (period inside apostrophe):

  Olaf I was raised in Kievan Rus.'


texts: Which word/phrase describes best the period of a lifetime: of all time/total/lifetime?

texts:
I am going to show the comparison of data within different periods of time. The data I am going to show in the table are: earnings, completed hours, completed orders.
There will be three periods of time: "Lifetime", This month, This week. Lifetime should show the data starting from the registration date of the user until the present moment.
I don't feel like using "lifetime" because it sounds a bit technical.
Is using "all time" as the name of the column correct and sounds natural? Or should it be "Of all time"?
My other variant is "total", but it doesn't describe the period of time as opposed to "This month" and "This week".


texts: A word for someone who intentionally makes vague negative comments and then refuses to explain them

texts:
How would you describe someone who intentionally makes vague negative comments and then refuses to explain them?

For the purpose of getting others to ask them about the comment and being able to withhold that information.

For the purpose of making other people want to know what they are thinking.

I'm looking for a word that describes either the person or the behavior.

here is an example of a conversation:

  Alice: I shouldn't have told her that story about hitting those cars.

  Mary: She probably wasn't listening.

  Alice: Well, if the whole story was told she would. She would probably tell you to never talk to me again.

  Mary: There's more?

  Alice: Yes, what happened was not good.

  Mary: Which was?

  Alice: Not telling.

Here, Alice is not talking about a crime or something incriminating they are just withholding for the sake of withholding.


texts: Name for the cognitive bias of seeming to not need something when you have it, but needing it when you don't?

texts:
An example of what I'm talking about is buying a snow blower because the past few winters have been very snowy, only to find that the next several winters after buying have hardly any snow, i.e. "it stopped snowing because I bought a snow blower".

Another example is finding yourself often carrying an umbrella just in case it rains, but forgetting it once it actually does rain, i.e. "it rained because I forgot my umbrella today".


texts: Is there a better word for "Enabledness"?

texts: I just ran across the phrase "button enabledness" in a technical design, but that doesn't look right. Is it a valid word? Is there a better way to express "the state of whether or not something is enabled" (even if it doesn't derive from enabled)?


texts: What age ranges constitute a "tender-age child?"

texts:
Hollywood police procedurals frequently show officers calling for support or emergency medical attention for "tender-age children," but I can't find a good definition of what ages that phrase is supposed to encompass.

(Closest I found was a possible origin for the phrase in the common-law "tender years doctrine", but the age ranges encompassed by that vary drastically by jurisdiction, and it seems disconnected from common usage of the phrase in question.)


texts: Cashews are excellent sources of magnesium?

texts:
A mistake I've heard many English learners use happens to be really hard to explain, so I'll give some examples:

Scissors are major causes of blindness among irresponsible children instead of "Scissors are a major cause of blindness among irresponsible children" (hopefully false)
Cashews are excellent sources of magnesium instead of "cashews are an excellent source of magnesium"

The pattern seems to be cases when all things of a certain category are described as a certain way, where the things happen to be plural. As a native speaker, I know that treating the subject as singular sounds far more correct than treating the subject as plural. The sense is that we're not describing individual items from a category, which would be plural, but rather the one category itself which is singular.
Is there a name for this type of grammatical construction and is there a general rule indicating in which situations it applies?


texts:
I'm completely confused when it comes to the combinations with over / down / out:

  Thank you for coming over / - coming down / - coming out.

  Come over here / - down here / - out here.

  Over there / Down there / Out there.

How do I decide which one and when to use?


texts: A proverb to state someone who likes neither the thing nor its opposite

texts:
Is there any particular expression, proverb, colloquial slang or the like to state a case when someone likes neither one thing nor its opposite?

Example 1:  "I don't like cold weather because it's cold, but I don't like warm weather either because it's too warm."

Example 2: "I don't like when you don't let me decide what to do. If you do let me decide what to do, I don't like it either because I don't want to decide what to do."


texts: Looking for single word definition for a question or riddle that seemingly has no answer. Designed to confuse. Not paradox or conundrum. I.e "What is the sounds of on hand clapping?"


texts: Is "an archives" correct? If so, is it an exception or are there others like it?

texts:
A friend recently posted a photo he took of a sign at the LBJ presidential library that used the word "archives" as a singular noun. According to a Smithsonian Institution Archives blog post, this is perfectly acceptable. It says:

  First of all, unbeknownst to most word processors, "an archives" is a
  grammatically correct phrase. "Archives" is one of those words that
  can be either singular or plural, though it is relatively common to
  drop the "s" when referring to the singular. "Archives" can refer to a
  collection of archival materials, the facility in which the materials
  are stored, or the organization that collects and maintains them.

Are they correct? And is this a lone exception or are there others like it?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Fire (at, on, in, to) target

I saw the following sentence on Guardian.co.uk:

  US navy fires on boat near Dubai port.

Is on being used here as a preposition to make a link between the fire and the boat, or is it part of the phrasal verb — if it exists — fires on?

Can you give some examples where on is being used like the one referred above?


texts: Meaning of “the parties are directed to discuss in respect of any order or direction applied for, the purpose of the hearing...”

texts:
Context is Children's Act 1989.
The full sentence is this, I especially have a hard time understanding the bold part:

The local authority having indicated it wishes to apply for an urgent interim care order, and this is to be dealt with at a separate hearing to the case management hearing, the parties are directed to discuss in respect of any order or direction applied for, the purpose of the hearing, any directions that will be applied for, whether any part of the hearing will be contested and the length of the hearing, and the local authority shall inform the court in writing by 1.5.19."


texts: What's the alternative of saying "delivery guy" or "UPS truck driver" if, for example, you are leaving a note and you want to make it sound less menial? I guess you can say "UPS truck operator" but how would you call a "pizza delivery guy"? "Pizza delivery operator" sounds somewhat silly, right?


texts: Have written and wrote. They mean the same thing?

texts:
I have written a letter.
I wrote a letter.

Do they mean the same thing or there is a difference?

If there is a difference then where should I use "have written" and "wrote"? (I'm also talking about every other verbs)


texts: adjective to describe what should have been

texts:
Is there an adjective in English that describes an expectation specifically of something that already happened?

E.g. "Yesterday we sold €500 worth of goods, but given how many customers were in the shop, we should have sold about €1000." You could say the "€1000" here is the expected revenue. However, expected does not convey the fact that the revenue already occurred. Is there an adjective that does?


texts:
Just me, a schizophrenic and a petty arsonist.

How many people are there in the above sentence? Is it ambiguous?


texts: What is a word for a piece of cultural heritage?

texts: Something that could be a book, a video, a song, an idiom, and so on - anything that someone might consider a piece of their culture. This is in the context of uploads to a website but I am trying to avoid using something generic like "file". I thought of "artifact" but that seems to imply something old.


texts: What is the right verb for expressing a feeling before correcting someone?

texts:
In a meeting someone says something that's totally wrong from technical perspective. I know what the correct concept is.

I feel the need to correct them. However I want to start with an exclamatory statement expressing my feeling first. Something like

  Mr. X's statement intrigued me. Let me clarify that ....

What's the correct verb (if any) in place of intrigued just being used as an example here.

It's like I know what he said is wrong, and I want to share the correction for benefit of everyone.


texts:
Which is proper/best?  Are neither proper?

  As the market evolves into commodity based pricing the low cost
  providers will dominate.

  As the market evolves to commodity based pricing the low cost providers
  will dominate.


texts:
I have a simple question of the title in the cover page for TIME this week. It is described that “we are not frayed at the edges - we are ripped at the damn seams”. This is one of the sentence of special topic regarding the inside the new American way of war, but I did not understand what this sentence stands for. I guess this is a kind of euphemism, but does anybody explain about this?

Here is a link to the journal;
http://time.com/5042700/inside-new-american-way-of-war/

Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the origin of "Act your age, not your shoe size"?

texts:
I have been thinking about this saying a lot in the past week (and yes I saw Prince in concert 30 years ago, and the Ramones the same night), but I have heard it since I was a child. I guess I find it amusing because my European shoe size is 48 and I have only been older than that for a few years. I finally grew up, apparently!

So, where did the saying "Act your age, not your shoe size" come from? US? UK? Can't have been from EU, unless they changed their shoe size units recently.


texts: Should there be a comma after "throughout this paper''?

texts:
Throughout this paper G is assumed to be simple graph.

or

Throughout this paper, G is assumed to be simple graph.


texts:
I was talking to a teenager and he told me that his eyes change colors a lot.

And I asked him how's that? Why's it change? I questioned him saying "it's an illusion probably? from light exposure?"

Did I use the word exposure correctly?
What I wanted to say is that, could the color change be an illusion from being in different lit areas, such as the sun.


texts: Bring is standard and good verb and collocation for "Excuse"?

texts:
Do you think "bring" verb is a suitable and correct verb and collocation for using with "Excuse"? I didn't see it in any famous dictionaries, including Oxford Collocations Dictionary and I guess it's non-standard and partially wrong.

The below example is the sentence that I read and considered about and now I'm asking here. Also "the" definition article needs to goes before the "excuse" doesn't it?

"She is telling her mom how to bring excuse to school for skipping"

Best,
Masoud


texts: What does "ticket puncher" mean in this sentence?

texts:
Mature ticket-punchers are more "adult" or specialized in their interests; Tend to do OK academically but socially they subsist outside the mainstream (they ask less and add less).

This is part of a larger "Archetype map" diagram that divides MBA students into 4 groups based on two axes:

"Identify with the dominant culture" vs. "Identify with a microculture"
"Academic Pragmatist" vs. "Academic Purist"

Mainstream MBAs are focused on why they're here and what they want; The most likely to be satisfied with the status quo.

Happy Wanderers tend to find their niche in the Darden community but may struggle to get placed in internships/jobs.

Map-Makers are challenged to find community (must make their own maps); Have broader expectations and more diverse needs; Least likely to be satisfied at Darden

Here is the Google Books link to the book where I found this idiom: Designing for Growth: A Design Thinking Tool Kit for Managers, by Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie


texts: Please, explain the meaning of the phrase "in these cases use is the best guide". I can't find it in a dictionary. No context. thanks in advance)


texts:
Besides gaining my career, the course will surely contribute to our country’s wealth.

Is this use of besides correct?


texts: What is difference between "Environment does matter" & "Environment matters"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Difference between “does have” and “has”
  “did shoot” vs “shot”
  'Did see' and 'Saw'
  “I understand you” vs “I do understand you”
  What is the difference in meaning between “I play” and “I do play”?

Is there any specific scenario where the "Environment does matter" used ? Actually, its a tagline of a product.

Guys any ideas?


texts: What does it mean 'to shoot oneself in the foot'?

texts:
In the First World War soldiers in the trenches on both sides would sometimes give themselves a non-fatal wound ( intentionally shooting themselves in the foot, whilst making it appear as an accident, being a favourite). The purpose was to get themselves medically repatriated and out of the way of possible more serious harm, or death in action.

Often I hear people use the term 'he has shot himself in the foot' to refer to someone who has  unintentionally harmed his own interests whilst in the process of trying to damage someone else.

What is the understood meaning of the metaphor 'to shoot oneself in the foot'?


texts: One word for the phrase "depends on the context"

texts: When asked about one's belief/opinion on an idea/issue, instead of answering with the cliché "it depends on the context", what word would be appropriate?


texts: Is there a word for fear of hearing foreign languages?

texts:
I am looking for a word that specifically describes people who hate it when hearing other people speak foreign languages. It is similar to and subsumed under xenophobia, but manifests mainly in a strong aversion to foreign tongues.

Unlike xenoglossophobia or foreign language anxiety, which describes the anxiety arising from the learning or speaking of a second or foreign language, my targeted word is about the negative reaction to being surrounded by foreign language speakers. I know xenophobia already covers it, but I am looking for something more specific.


texts: Is it ok to say “I used to live in London for three years.”?

texts: Is it ok to use “I used to live in London for three years.”? I feel a bit strange to use “I used to...” and “for...”.


texts: Apostrophe or not —“Iraqi Translators Association” or “Iraqi Translators’ Association”?

texts:
I found apostrophe use differs among association titles—"American Translators Association" has no apostrophe, whereas
"Iraqi Translators' Association" does.

Therefore, I need to make sure which one of the following is correct:
"Iraqi Translators Association" or
"Iraqi Translators' Association"?

.


texts: Is this grammatically correct? I have to receive my son from the school bus

texts: Is this sentence correct? I have to receive my son from the school bus. The school bus drops him off at the stop and I have to receive him. But I want to use a single sentence to say this.


texts: Where does the use of "why" as an interjection come from?

texts:
Examples:

  Why, I'd love to.
  Why, of course!

I get the concept of starting a sentence with a word not completely related to the overall response, but this one seems to be a particularly odd choice — is there any semantic meaning I'm missing?


texts:
"The less I prayed, the spirits would appear to me more."

Could this sentence, although not formally correct, make any sense at all, in the context of song lyrics ?


texts: Using of colon ( : ) and comma ( , ) in a sentence

texts:
I have the following situation:

  Person1: Please check my website if it looks good. Here's the link: http://example.com.

  Person2: I checked your website: http://example.com, and it looks good.

 So in the Person2 sentence, I used : and ,, is my usage of colon and comma in that case correct?


texts: How do you separate 'and so' from the main part of a sentence?

texts:
He has no control over what happens there, and disappointingly so. (in the sense that had he had some control, it would be a lot better)

Is the usage of 'and XXXXX so' right? Does it need a comma before 'and'?


texts:
My heart was ripped, you sewed it with your thread of love.
  And when you saw other ripped heart  you asked me for your thread and unsewed my heart and left it ripped again, I saw you as a stitcher but I should have know you were a needleworker with only one thread and too many needles which you first use for stitching and then for pricking

This is a quotation written by me. Can I use ripped here? Let me know if there are other grammatical mistakes too.


texts: What's the job title for temporary position when the real one is not in the office?

texts: Mr.A is the CEO of the company. Mr. B will be in charge when Mr. A is away for vacation, business trip, or etc. Is there a word or prefix to call Mr. B, for example, temporary CEO, acting CEO?