texts: Word(s) that emphasize or magnify the separator rather than the separated

texts:
One can say, “Trees separated by fences”, or “Posts split by comments”; or use the active, “Fences separate the trees” and “Comments split the posts”. The mind's eye may see posts with the first passive expression, and see comments with the second active, but the comments don't necessarily get any denser or longer in the mind's eye with those verbs.

I'm trying to find words or verbs that, when used, make the mind’s eye see the separator or divider more than the divided, and also see the divider bigger or magnified, just by the verb describing the dividing. For example, even if the trees are thicker than fences, the posts may not necessarily be longer than the comments, so I'm wondering if there is a word I can use to describe the division or partitioning while giving the impression that the divider, the comments for example, are longer, thicker, and denser than the divided, the posts.

Please don't get hung up on the examples used, the posts, comments, trees, and fences; they're just examples. I'm more interested in whether there is a verb or words that can deliver the meaning on my mind. It can very much be literary or metaphorical.


texts: Is there a gray area between scrumping and foraging?

texts:
A user on The Great Outdoors chat forum asked whether picking a neighbor's berries from bushes that were near her boundary fence was scrumping or foraging.  So naturally, I looked up both words.

Scrump, from Oxford Living Dictionaries:

  Steal (fruit) from an orchard or garden.

  'I remember Gordon scrumping apples from the orchard next door’

  [no object] ‘they used to go out scrumping and thieving’

Forage, according to Oxford Living Dictionaries:

  (of a person or animal) search widely for food or provisions.

  ‘the birds forage for aquatic invertebrates, insects, and seeds’

  1.1[with object] Obtain (food or provisions) by searching.

  a girl foraging grass for oxen’

  1.2[with object] Search (a place) so as to obtain food.

  ‘units that were foraging a particular area’

So if someone was wandering about, picking berries from several gardens, without venturing far into the gardens, would that be foraging or scrumping in general (not necessarily legal) usage, or could it be either or both?


texts: Word for "that which shows the reality behind a phenomenon"?

texts:
Is there a word for a tool, or concept, that allows you to see the reality behind a certain physical phenomenon, or a tool that exposes the behind-the-scenes details? For example, backstage would be one of such words.

A totally made up word is perfectly fine!


texts: How could I reword this sentence to exclude I?

texts:
I am writing a report for choir, and I will get docked points if I use the word "I" or "you." So, I need assistance in figuring out how to reword this sentence to get rid of the I, but in a way that will still make sense... "The musical performance that I attended was..."

Thanks for the help!


texts: In a math problem, what does the word "long" refer to?

texts:
For example:

  Bill drives 346 miles from home to the beach. He stops for lunch after driving 180 miles. How long does it take him to drive the rest of the way home?


texts: Is there a generic term for Lovecraftian horror that doesn't use the words "cosmic" or "horror"?

texts:
I'm working on a comic book style universe which features a number of different genres, and I want to have official "tags" for what sorts of genres particular stories fit into.

Cosmic and Horror tags already exist; Cosmic being stuff with aliens and space and yadda yadda, horror being ghosts and vampires and such. "Cosmic horror" is a common term for Lovecraftian horror, but I don't like that it clashes with both of those other tags.

So far the best I can come up with is "Eldritch", but that just feels weird to me on its own.

The rules for single-word-requests say an example sentence is required. I don't know that makes sense in this context, as I wouldn't be using this word in a sentence, but here's an attempt.

"This setting is most commonly used in [Lovecraftian horror] stories."

Any suggestions?


texts: What are the parts of speech of "at" and "least" in "at least"?

texts:
As in “It travels faster than sound at least.”

After considering the alternative at the very least, I'm thinking at is a preposition, and least is — well, stumping me. Can we have it be as normal, a superlative adjective simply standing in place of the noun phrase a preposition calls for? Or is it somehow a noun, or do prepositions not always require noun phrases, or do I just need to count *at least— as two words that somehow form an adverb?

The last option would be difficult, as I'm doing some part-of-speech tagging for a corpus I'm building. CLAWS web service auto-tags this phrase as at_AV0 least_AV0, which would indicate both words are adverbs, but that seems very wrong, unless that's what they mean by it. But then I don't know how to distinguish tags indicating “these two words are one adverb” from “these are two adverbs”.


texts: According to this description of the English phonotactics, the schwa /ə/ doesn't occur in stressed syllables. But Cambridge Dictionary Onlines, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary and Longman Pronunciation Dictionary say otherwise: the word "because" has been variously transcribed as /bɪˈkəz/ or /bəˈkəz/. So in which source should I believe? Or is there any error in transcription going on here? Or is "because" the only exception? And are there others?


texts: Someone who takes credit for others work

texts: Is there a specific word for someone who takes credit for other people's work?


texts: Can someone explain when to use "relevance" and when "relevancy"?

texts:
Okay, so today I first came across the word relevancy in written. I grasped its meaning without problem, checking in a dictionary that my hunch was right.

So it would appear that relevance and relevancy both mean the same. They only differ in one letter and both are nouns (i.e. there is no distinction like adjective vs. adverb here).

All that said: what are the actual differences, however subtle, in the meaning of the two words? E.g. in what situations would I use one but couldn't use the other? Is one or the other used only in particular dialects of English (e.g. American vs. British vs. Australian)?

Are there even any differences? My rationalization for encountering both words would be that there must be a subtle difference as explanation why both words exist concurrently/


texts: What word do we use to talk about doing a project?

texts:
in the following sentence what word should I use?

Many of the projects are .... well but not maintained very well after being submitted to the clinets.

conducted / carried out / done / Operated or what?

Thanks


texts:
This is going to sound so stupid, but what word am I thinking of?

My mind is telling me that is sounds something like platonize and it means to take advantage of a certain group (racial minority, lower income families, etc.) and exploiting them in some way for personal gain.


texts: What are some words that are similar in meaning and pronunciation to aeolist and sciolist?

texts: Aeolist and sciolist are two words that share the same suffix and have very similar meanings, I was wondering if there are any other words to continue this series.


texts: A word for a symbol which has outlived its origin

texts:
I am quite sure that there is a word for a symbol which was originated by a real-life, physical prototype but has since then outlived its origin.

Most notable example: the save button with floppy drive on it. Also, to a lesser degree, envelopes in email clients, and so on.

The "anachronism" or "metonymy" are close, but not exactly what I'm searching for.


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

  I have been working here for 20 years.
  I have worked here for 20 years.

The present perfect tense is used for repetitive or constant actions that began in the past and continue to the present. The perfect progressive tense is used for continuous actions that began in the past and continue to the present. But I really don't see the difference here.


texts:
Here is a quote from Bertrand Russell's The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism.

  I have never met a personage so destitute of self-importance. He looks at his visitors very closely, and screws up one eye, which seems to increase alarmingly the penetrating power of the other.

I can't imagine what "screws up one's eyes" looks like. It is even more difficult to imagine "screw up one eye." I think only ostensive definition can help. Please kindly provide a picture.


texts: Is the diphthong /aʊ/ generally realized as [ɑʊ] in British English?

texts:
I noticed that the diphthong /aʊ/ is pronounced by most British English speakers as [ɑʊ] (I may be inaccurate here).
You can see the vowel /a/ on the vowel diagram below:

I understand this diagram quite well and the vowel /a/ is located at left bottom, so when I pronounce the diphthong /aʊ/ with the vowel /a/ (as shown in the diagram), it doesn't sound like the one pronounced by native British English speakers at all. But when I pronounce the diphthong /aʊ/ with the BATH vowel (Southern British English BATH: /ɑː/), it sounds quite normal.
Also listen to the following YouTube videos you will observe:

"found out about her"
"about"
"round about"

(copied with exact time)
Is the diphthong /aʊ/ generally realized as [ɑʊ] in Southern British English (also called "Modern RP")? (I would also be interested to know how American speakers pronounce it generally.)


texts: What is the origin and prevalence of the term "server" meaning "wait(er/ress)"?

texts:
In a comment on this question, the term "server" is used to refer to the guy working at the register in a pizza restaurant. I have never heard this usage before (in Australia), and was only able to guess the intended meaning from the context. Is this a US term?

I would refer to him as the cashier or, if I was eating at the restaurant and he brought the pizza to the table, the waiter.


texts:
I remarked to a friend, "It's too bad I have to wake up early," and he responded "those are the breaks."

What does this mean? Isn't it a bad thing to wake up late, which would be the opposite of a break?


texts: The meaning is "first chance", for example, "I gave my oldest son first crack at trying to fix the car"


texts:
Being a native German speaker, I just came across the word "Rhenish" (as a translation of German "rheinisch", belonging to the Rhine).

I am a bit confused about this, and am at a loss for the proper "language words" to describe it... I have long since ceased to think about either German or English in grammatical terms, going by "feel", and it's just not clicking here.

The German transformation from Rhein to rheinisch follows the "usual" pattern for such transformations (e.g. Logik -> logisch).

But the English transformation from Rhine to Rhenish "feels" awkward, and the result looks like a rather mangled attempt to spell the German rheinisch. The dropped / missing "i" looks especially weird. Going with my "gut feeling" I would have expected something like rhineish...?

Sorry for not being able to put my finger on it, but... can somebody explain what is "going on" here with Rhine -> Rhenish?


texts: Is there a word similar to "racism" when referring to an ethnic group rather than a race?

texts:
I called out someone's comments as racist when someone decided to correct me and say that the term was incorrect.  According to this person, the word racism only seems to apply when referring to another race (e.g. Sub-Saharan African, White European, East-Asian, South-Asian, Native American, etc.)

What is the similar term then for hatred towards a particular ethnic group?  (E.g. Italian, Serbian, Sri Lankan, etc.)


texts: What is the difference between words "psyched" and "thrilled"?

texts:
For people like me, non-native English speakers, it's really hard to figure out the differences in their meaning between words "psyched" and "thrilled". Are they interchangeable?
Is the meaning actually different in the following three sentences?

The children were thrilled to go to the circus.
The children were psyched to go to the circus.
The children were psyched about going to the circus.


texts: Is there a word or phrase referring to man's increasing realization of a humble place in the universe?

texts:
The "Copernican Shift" often refers to the shift in belief from the Earth being  the center of the Universe to the Sun being the center of the Universe. As a result, it can also be used as a phrase reflecting man's increasing realization of their humble role in the universe.

There has a similar process happening to mankind itself - first we thought we were the only planet, then the only solar system, then only galaxy, then the only creature that used tools, then the creature with the most number of genes etc. etc.

Is there another word, phrase or expression that could describe this increasingly humbling trend or position?

"Mankind had again suffered a ____, discovering our humbler role in nature than previously believed."


texts: What's the difference between the infinitive, bare infinitive and base form?

texts: When I say "Adam will travel tomorrow." what form is the verb 'travel' in compared to "Adam didn't travel." and "Alex made Adam travel."?


texts:
Which is correct?

  The Chrysler building was the highest building in the world.
  Today, it is the seventh highest building in the USA.

or:

  The Chrysler building was the highest building of the world.
  Today, it is the seventh highest building of the USA.


texts: What do you call a group of people that move a lot?

texts:
I can't think of the word to describe it. Something similar to "wanderer" or "roamer".

It's often used to describe people that don't stay in one place... not "migratory"...


texts: Which word(s) does "nuclear" modify in "by nuclear action or radiation or radioactive contamination"

texts:
Is the word nuclear assumed after the "or" in the following sentence?

"by nuclear action or radiation or radioactive contamination"

In other words, does the or assume that the nuclear applies to radiation and radioactive contamination?


texts: Position of "only" in “We  have two possibilities”

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between the three following sentences?

We only have two possibilities.
We have only two possibilities.
We have two possibilities only.

I have already read
Correct position of "only" and I know that the position of only and the emphasis (written or oral) may change the meaning of some sentences, but I am not sure if it does here.

Note: It is clear that “only we have two possibilities” has a different meaning. My question is restricted to the sentences I’ve listed above.


texts: Consider the sentence, "Most of the apples are fresh."  Is it incorrect to say that apples is the antecedent of the indefinite pronoun most?


texts: Can I say that "unremarkable transverse peculiar velocity" is "vernacularly dissonant"? Is there a better description?

texts:
In the Astronomy SE question What does “unremarkable transverse peculiar velocity” mean exactly, and how is it calculated here? I made the following comment:

The peculiar phrase "unremarkable transverse peculiar velocity" is vernacularly dissonant, but parenthetical clarifications in the body of the paper help with that

I feel that in common spoken English when we say something is peculiar it is unusual, and we are making a remark specifically to indicate said peculiarity. So calling something both unremarkable and peculiar within the space of a few words is dissonant.
Of course taken in context, the term peculiar velocity is well defined in galactic astronomy:

In galactic astronomy, peculiar motion refers to the motion of an object (usually a star) relative to a Galactic rest frame.

and in this context it just means that this parameter is unremarkable, it's not too high or too low for its location.
Question: But was my remark that it is "vernacularly dissonant" correct for what I'd wanted to say, or should I have said "vernacularly contradictory" or something else instead?


texts:
I know that like is a preposition but why not using it as conjunction?

Examples:

  It's as if I'm walking on air
  It's like I'm walking on air

What is the difference?


texts: Term for Performing Action Early to Account for Delay of Transmission?

texts:
In sports, such as football, a player will throw the ball to a spot early, so the ball arrives as the receiver arrives.

This concept is relevant outside of sports. For example, I could send a letter to one city while you're still in another city, but you'll receive it just as you arrive. I can add more technical examples if necessary.

Is there a term for this action? I've used "quarter-backing" in the past, but I've found myself in a situation where I need to describe this concept in a professional environment.

Example Sentence

I don't know if this is a single-word-request or phrase-request, but here's an example sentence:

  I sent the email on Friday, so I could ____ it as you arrived on Monday.

It may or may not fit with this sentence syntax.

  I quarter-backed the email on Friday, so you would receive it as you arrived on Monday.

Obviously this term sounds silly.


texts: To catch a thief: intentionally leaving something of value out to entice a thief to steal

texts:
One trick to catch a thief is to intentionally leave something of value out in an effort to entice a thief to steal. For example, you might leave a sparkly set of cuff links out on your desk at work to see if anyone has stick fingers.

Two-part question:

Is there a word which identifies the item left out to entice the thief? "Bait" comes to mind, but I hope for a word more specific to this situation.
Is there a word/phrase/idiom which identifies this technique? The action of leaving something out to entice a thief to steal.


texts:
If he had not supported me, I would not have been standing here in front of you like this.

Is the above sentence gramittically correct or not.

Regards,
sri.


texts: I have not heard or used this phrase before, but can I use the sentence "please mute your voice" in conversation?


texts: Using modal verb 'could' for simple past

texts:
If I form a sentence like:

  I could read the book if I hadn't wasted my time.

Would it be considered a past perfect sentence with the part I could read the book being in simple past for context in the sentence or does it only show a possibility?


texts: "I'm going to help you like I promised." Good English? Informal? Only colloquially acceptable? Wrong?

texts: I've often heard this kind of sentence where one substitutes the conjunction "like" for "as".  Is it acceptable in written English?  Is it considered wrong in spoken English?


texts: What is the difference between "He is polite" and "He is being polite"?

texts: Can any one please explain the usage and meaning of "He is polite" and "He is being polite".


texts:
I am having trouble understand why the first part of the sentence provided is part of the complete predicate?

  From the Appalachian Mountains, the land falls gradually to great
  river valleys to the west.


texts:
This may not be the correct site for this question but I couldn't find a better alternative.

How do I respond to this kind of question;

  So I'd like you to be the pianist for my funeral. Is that ok?

What is the polite way to respond to this if I decide to say yes? Something tells me that replying with:

  Of course! I can't wait!

...might just be frowned upon (ok...so REALLY frowned upon), but at the same time I want to be friendly about it. If I just say yes and walk away I might appear to be cold and perhaps not willing to do it.

Is there some thing I could reply with to lighten the mood?

Note that the person requesting my services is by no means about to die (this isn't like a deathbed wish), but is merely, let's say "older" - in good health but in the latter half of life.

EDIT: I am a college student who has known this person for about 15 years. We are not close friends but merely know each other from the fact that we both frequent the same groups.

Thanks!


texts: What do you call the second chunk of an address?

texts:
Say I have an address like:

123 Main St., Bldg. #456
Schenectady, NY, 12345

I know the chunk I put on first line is called the "Street Address", but what is the chunk I put on the second line called? I just call it the "City/State/Zip", but I want a more general term, especially for international addresses where there aren't states or zip codes, like:

PO Box 4001 Stn A
Victoria BC V8X 3X4

1-5-3 Yaesu, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 100-8994.

3 Edgar Buildings, George Street
Bath, England, BA1 2FJ

I find that most addresses, if not all, can be separated into these two parts:

A very granular piece that answers questions like "What building on what street?" and "What room in that building?" It's usually no less precise than a hundred meters and can stand alone without any more information to pinpoint a location.
A very general piece that answers questions like "What part of what country?" "What district?" This one's usually no more precise than a few kilometers, and can generally be exposed publicly without violating privacy.

I was spurred to find this term when tasked with creating a form where a customer must input their address. I started by modelling it off established paper and online forms like these, which have "Home address", "Address Line n", or "Street address" in distinctly separate fields from the city, state/province/city, and zip/postal code:
Voter registration forms

Employment Applications

Certificate Applications

Basic shipping address forms

Ad nauseum. The examples are easy to find by Googling "example _______ form".


texts: Can, could, or be able to in a B1 question

texts:
I was reading through an English B1 question paper, and came across this:

"I ____ drive as long as I take driving lessons" - Fill the gap with "can, "could", "be able to", or any of their negative forms.

Even though I have been speaking English as a second language for about 15 years and have lived in the UK for the last two, I have no clue what the answer is. I've read several articles trying to explain the differences but none seem to be relevant to this question. Could someone please help?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
Which one is best:

Defining of the settings is enabled when...
Defining settings is enabled when...
Definition of the settings is enabled when...
(some other form)

?


texts:
We are writing a book about an amateur dramatic group called 'Richmond Players'. The title is "The Richmond Players Story".  There is a hot debate in the group about whether a possessive apostrophe is needed after "Players".  One school of the thought is that one is not needed because of the inclusion of "The".

Thoughts?


texts:
I know that the verb  “reduce”,  which is often followed by an object,  can also be used intransitively, as dictionaries show very clearly.  What I am unsure of, however, is whether “reduce” could actually be used  to replace verbs like “decrease”, “fall” and “drop” in sentences such as the ones below:

The number of complaints has decreased sharply in the last quarter.

The company’s profit will probably  fall 4.5 %  next semester.

Domestic sales dropped 10%  last year.

Foreign investment has been decreasing steadily over the last years.

The use of “reduce”  in these sentences does somehow sound very strange to me, indeed it sounds wrong, but I wonder if, even if perhaps unusual,  it is in any case grammatically correct.

I got a bit confused when I saw these examples in the Oxford Dictionary, to illustrate  the meaning  “become smaller or less in size, amount or degree”:

The number of priority homeless cases has reduced slightly.

At the same time the number of senior managers has slightly reduced.

The report says that the amount of summertime rain will increase by 20% in the west while slightly reducing in the east.

Instead the amount of the loan reduces with the depreciation of the sum lent, commonly at the rate of 4% per annum for five years.

The cover reduces from year to year as the loan amount repayable drops.

Criminal damage reports also reduced, falling from 30 in June and July to 14 in August and September.


texts: I was just wondering what the origins of "breaking news" or "we broke the story" are.


texts: I read the definition of hypochondria, but it does not say: is it correct to use this word, for instance, about parents who worry too much about their kid(s) being sick?


texts: "Demolishing and rebuilding of house." -- are the -ing words gerunds?

texts:
I am working with a local government system into which people submit proposals to modify real estate and the phrasing they use is sometimes somewhat odd e.g.:

Demolishing and rebuilding house.
Demolition and rebuild of house.
To demolish and rebuild house.

As far as I know 'to demolish' in infinitive form no. 3, a noun in no. 2 but I find no. 1 somewhat confusing as most of the grammar examples online use conversational speech, is it a gerund or perhaps something else please?


texts: What do you call a person who asks for an appointment and the person who was asked?

texts:
Andrew wants to make an appointment with Sally but Sally needs to determine
      whether the time Andrew stated is suitable for her.

What do you call Andrew and Sally? I found words like appointee, appointer, subject but they all don't seem to fit.

I think Sally may be called object but I'm not sure about Andrew.


texts: Alternate for "drop" in context of "A taxi will drop you to that place"

texts: Is there a decent alternative for the word "drop" in context of helping someone by giving them a lift to a place?


texts: What is a word for "returning a feeling"

texts:
"You don't have to remind me of that every time, son. This isn't our first mark, and it won't be our last," Dr. Evans replies. Rhea understands what this is now. It's how Dr. Evans imagines it will be once he has the kids under his control. Even so, only in his dreams would he ever be able to call Colton "son" without getting hit. Colton replies with a terse nod, showing that he doesn't desire to return the feeling.

I would like to substitute the phrase "return the feeling" for another word, but I don't know of one that would fit. At first, I considered using the word reciprocate, but it didn't seem correct in context.

Which word could be used here?


texts: why is this sentence in interrogative form?

texts:
Can you think of a real world example or context that would it make sense for x and y to represent, and produce such a graph?
  If not, can you change the graph and make it simpler to fit with a scenario you can imagine?

Why does "would" precede "it" instead of just following it?

The text is from Microsoft Math (limit example 1).


texts: Why is a successful period for someone or something referred to as their "heyday"

texts:
I'm interested as to where the word heyday comes from, and how has it come to mean what it does.
The definition is:

hey·day 1
[hey-dey] noun

the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime: the heyday of the vaudeville stars.

Archaic . high spirits.

Dictionaries seem to suggest it is linked to the phrase "high day" (meaning a holy day or festival day), but I don't know which came first. Also why would a holy/festival day come to mean a successful period?
Does it mean "hey" in the sense of an exclamation (e.g. "Hey, that's great!").
I must be honest... until I looked it up, I thought it was spelt "hay-day" and had it's origins in farming somehow. Guess that's not likely.


texts: A term for words that change pronunciation with part of speech

texts:
I'm talking about words like:

construct: CON-struct(n.), cun-STRUCT(v.)
present: PRE-sent(n.), pre-SENT(v.)
record: RE-cord(n.), ri-CORD(v.)

They are pronounced differently based on whether they are a noun or a verb.

Here are the terms I DON'T think would apply:

Homograph: same spelling, different meanings: for example, bark (the sound of a dog) and bark (the skin of a tree).
Homophone: same pronunciation, different meaning: for example, to and two
Homonym: same pronunciation and spelling, different meanings: for example: bank (river bank or savings bank)
Heteronym: same spelling,  different pronunciations and meanings: for example bow (the front of a ship) and bow (a ranged weapon)

Bow is particularly interesting. It is a heteronym based on the two nouns I described. But in the sense of the body movement, the noun and the verb are pronounced alike (rhyming with wow), thus, not belonging to the category I've explained.

In fact none of the terms explained here on wikipedia satisfy my requirement.

I'm looking for the term for words that have same (or related at best, NOT different) meanings, same spelling and different pronunciation.

Specifically, different pronunciation depending on the part of speech. As against the words which have the same pronunciation in different parts of speech like bill, turn, case (or bigger ones like manoeuvre)

TL;DR:

Fill in the blank:

  The noun and verb forms of construct are pronounced differently
  because the word construct is a _____

or

  The noun and verb forms of construct are pronounced differently
  because they are _____s.


texts: Is there anything wrong with the folowing phrase: "Man [placeholder] is so awesome, being awestruck at every minute!"

texts: I'm not very familiar with how punctuation works in the English language so that is a big problem for me when trying to form a phrase like that, any other mistakes you could point out would be much appreciated.


texts:
Can any one please explain the saying:

"For those that like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like"

Does it mean:

When someone likes some sort of thing, that sort of thing is actually what he or she could or should like? meaning that what you like reflects your personality?


texts: Difference between Infringement and transgression

texts:
Here is the meanings of these two words according to the online Cambridge English dictionary:

transgression: "the act or process of breaking a law or moral rule, or an example of this: (...)"
infringement: "an action that breaks a rule, law, etc.: (...)".

Both of them are same.
Could anyone explain the key difference with examples ?


texts:
Many years ago while perusing one of Barnhart's dictionaries of new English, I came across a two-word (as I remember) Japanese military term which in English connoted the overrunning of an enemy's defensive position by sheer numbers.  That is: the assumed Japanese tactic would be to send 1000 men against a machine gun nest that only had 900 bullets, or something like that.

Possible usage, depending on what part of speech it turns out to be:

  The enemy ________ our position
  or
  The enemy performed a ________ against us.


texts: Plain language phrase for a group whose members are not interchangeable

texts:
There is a well known part of speech called "adverbs". However, many adverbs are not grammatically interchangeable with each other. From Wikipedia:

Adverbs are traditionally regarded as one of the parts of speech. However, modern linguists note that the term "adverb" has come to be used as a kind of "catch-all" category, used to classify words with various different types of syntactic behavior, not necessarily having much in common except that they do not fit into any of the other available categories (noun, adjective, preposition, etc.)
Adverbs as a "catch-all" category

She gave birth naturally.
Naturally, she gave birth. different meaning of "naturally"
Perry is very fast.
*Perry very won the race. only some adverbs can go in this position
The sock looks good there.
*It is a there beautiful sock. only some adverbs can go in this position

What can we call groups like this?

Adverbs are not always grammatically interchangeable because they are ____. This means we have to classify this word group into specific subgroups before they can be truly useful.

I'm looking for a generic term, not one specific to linguistic terminology. Noun, adjective, it doesn't matter. Feel free to completely reword the example sentence as long as the phrase is relatively simple. It would be good if the phrase could also be used as a label:

Adverbs (____)

Heterogeneous has the meaning I want (not all the members are the same, but some can be; different from all members being different), but neither it nor any of its single word synonyms are plain enough for me:

Wiktionary Thesaurus:heterogeneous
thesaurus.com: heterogeneous
synonym.com: heterogeneous

I think it's unlikely a single word will get the meaning across in a way that most people would understand, so a phrase seems more likely. The best I can come up with so far is "uneven group":

Adverbs (uneven group)
Adverbs are not always grammatically interchangeable because they are an uneven group.


texts: Is 'useable' preferred in certain regions, or just an alternate spelling of 'usable'?

texts:
I rarely use spell checkers, but today when I did use one, it suggested changing the word 'useable' to 'usable' (i.e. to drop the first 'e'). This seemed immediately intuitive and I thought I'd just made a typo, but at second glance I wasn't so sure.

I haven't been able to find anything definite, even after searching this site, which surprised me a little. I've searched dictionaries and most seem to have "useable" as an alternate spelling of "usable" or simply link to it. But since my first instinct was to write "useable", I'm wondering whether "useable" is perhaps preferred in British/Australian/NZ English while "usable" is more American. This site seems to suggest the latter, but claims that both are used in British/Australian/NZ spelling. Or is "useable" perhaps simply a more archaic form that is less popular nowadays?

Could anyone shed some light on this?


texts: Why are you "reading" a particular subject at university?

texts:
I've always wondered why the verb "read" is used to basically mean "study" when describing somebody's university course.  They might say:

  I'm reading History at university.

And it might be said of them:

  He's reading History at university.

Why "reading"?  Traditionally, university has been about more than just reading; in the past perhaps even more so than now, a lot of it was about face-to-face tutoring.  How did "reading" become synonymous here with "studying"?  Also, why does it always seem to be used in the present tense?  People don't tend to say "I read History at university 10 years ago"; once they've got the degree, they're more likely to say "I studied History at university 10 years ago".

This usage of the verb "read" may be peculiarly British; it is certainly widespread here in Britain; not sure about elsewhere.


texts: He uses my car for one hour every day. vs He has been using my car for one hour every day

texts:
What is the difference between Present Simple and Present Perfect Continuous when we use them for "something that happens again and again in the present".

Ex:

He uses my car for one hour every day.

He has been using my car for one hour every day.

I work here.

I have been working here.

Thanks in Advance.


texts: Capitalization of the word "the" in "the Lord" / "The Lord"

texts:
Should I capitalize the word "the" when speaking of God as "the/The Lord"?

  I praise the Lord.

or...

  I praise The Lord.


texts: Why is 'Where's it' Grammatically incorrect?

texts:
I want to explain to the Spanish developers of a website why this text label sounds wrong:

  If your column isn't country data, where's it?

IMHO, you have to say "Where is it?" - but I don't know why.

EDIT

For context, the meaning of "where's it" here is "in which country are the regions represented by the data in your column?"

And to be clearer, I'm not asking about when it's ok to use contractions in semi-formal English. To my (native Australian) ear, "Where's it?" sounds wrong in any context. Not "informal", but wrong.

EDIT 2

There is a near-duplicate question What's this? What is it? but not What's it? - Why?. I think the difference between "what" and "where" is significant enough to not want to merge the two.


texts: "Canalized" usage in "a great impact which can also be canalized"

texts:
I'm in doubt if this is the correct usage of the word canalized:

  In the US a researching team found that pure entertainment, such as TV series or movies, have a great impact which can also be canalized towards educational needs.


texts: Which word to use, "again" or "anymore"?

texts:
I'd like to describe an action which I'm used to do but I won't do it in the future. Which word is correct, for example:

Just a little more work, I'll never need that tool again.

Or:

Just a little more work, I'll never need that tool anymore.

If there is any better way to describe it, please help me to correct my sentence, too.


texts:
rely on it
put it on

At times I feel confused about usage of some phrasal verbs ending with an adverb or a preposition. Just like the above two examples, the usage of "on" is different. Some prepositions can serve as adverbs; it is difficult to distinguish between them. Are there hints?
How do I know if "on" is a preposition or adverb in those two examples?


texts: Why did “ctte” become the popular abbreviation of “committee”?

texts:
The word “committee” is a long and tedious one to type or write; I can easily understand the motivation to invent an abbreviation.

When and why, though, did “ctte” become popular? What alternatives were competing with it before it became popular?

Moreover, what principle is at work, if any, in the choice of letters to drop? Most abbreviations drop a consecutive sequence of letters, either in the middle (“international” → “int'l”), or at the end ("regarding” → “re.”). This is obviously not the case for “committee” → “ctte”, so how did it come about?


texts: Can the word "proxy" be used as a preposition?

texts:
At the end of a sentence, I want to insert the following (parentheses included):

  (proxy my parents, of course).

E.g.,

  I sent my brother to his room (proxy my parents, of course).

But this doesn't sound right. I know that the preposition "via" is used this way quite frequently:

  I accessed the internet via my school laptop.

My gut tells me "(with my parents serving as proxy, of course)" is definitely idiomatically/grammatically correct, but it also gives me the feeling that that usage is tacky, and just doesn't sound like good writing.

So what can I do in this situation to both use "proxy" correctly and also form a well-written sentence that's nice on the ears? Can I use "proxy" as a preposition like I originally did?


texts: I enjoy kayaking, hiking, tennis, volleyball, skiing; and I really want to learn how to snowboard this winter.


texts: English pronunciation symbols – why so many systems?

texts:
I wanted to improve my English pronunciation. But I just realize that I cannot understand the symbols in my English dictionaries (including some online dictionaries). There are so many, just look at this table.

My first question is for my general culture. Why are there so many? And which system is used the most?

My second question concerning a website teaching the pronunciation: http://pronuncian.com/sounds
Do you know a dictionary (including online dictionary) using the same phonetic symbols?


texts: Why CIA’s operation directed to suspicious people associated with terrorist group is called “Signature strike”

texts:
There was the following article in the Time magazine’ (February 11) titled “Drone home,”

  “According to reports in the New York Times and elsewhere, the Obama
  administration conducts so-called signature strikes, which are aimed
  not at specific high-level targets but at any person or people whose
  behavior conforms to certain suspicious patterns."

I understand that what “Signature strike” means with the line modified by which clause after the words, signature strikes in the above article and with the following statement in the Wired (11/04/11)

  The CIA is now killing people without knowing who they are, on
  suspicion of association with terrorist groups. The article does not
  define the standards are for “suspicion” and “association.” Strikes
  targeting those people — usually “groups” of such people — are called
  “signature strikes". –wired 11/04/11

I’m curious to know the etymology of “signature strikes.” I mean, why CIA operation aimed at any suspicious people who are judged to be associated with terrorist group is called “Signature” strikes?

OALED defines “signature” other than 'your name as you usually write it at the end of letter'as:

the act of signing sth.
a particular quality that makes sth different from other similar things and make it easy to recognize.

I can’t relate either of the above definitions to the definition of “signature” strikes given by both the Time and the Wired.


texts:
I'm searching for a short label (preferably one word or a few short words) on a computer interface which simulates a traffic control. If a car is in front of a traffic light and the traffic light turns green, there is an option to delay the car for a few seconds so that it doesn't drive off immediately (to simulate the driver's reaction time).

It would be a nice and simple checkbox, but unfortunately in English the term "drive off" contains the word "off", which might confuse users:

[ ] delay driving off

It might also seem that checking this checkbox turns an option off.
It's especially annoying because there are other checkboxes nearby which contain the word "off" for exactly this purpose: for example, "turn lights off after (some event)".

In other languages this interface is shown in, it's not a problem, because their translations of "driving off" don't contain the equivalent for "off".

My problem is that other synonyms don't unambiguously mean the same. Just "departure" seems forced, isn't it mostly for trains or buses leaving a station?

"delay driving away" might be a compromise, but I have never heard it in the context of a car driving off in an intersection after the lights turn green. Merely "starting" is not good, as the engines are already running, there is nothing to start.


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say "X person turned to Y person"?

texts:
Here are some examples:

  Erica turned to him

  Erica turned towards him

  Erica turned to face him

  Erica turned to look at him

I'm not sure if the first one is grammatically incorrect and/or ambiguous?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "long odds"? What does the "long" refer to?


texts: When to use "we" and "us" — specific SAT example

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
I can run faster than _____. (1) him (2) he?

I am confused about the usage of the words 'we' and 'us'. I am using a Princeton Review 11 SAT tests 2011 edition, practice test 7, section 6, number 29 (just in case anyone actually had that book).
This question was a "find the incorrect word or phrase in the following section" question. For those of you who don't know, this kind of question gives you a sentence. Four different phrases or words are underlined in that sentence and labeled A, B, C, and D respectively. The objective is to find the phrase that is incorrectly used. The particular question I need help with says:

As finalists, Mark and I were both shocked by the decision; it seemed to us that the winner of the contest was far less talented than we.
A: both shocked
B: it seemed
C: far less
D: we
E: No error

So of course, everything seemed right till I got to that last word. My thinking was to use 'us' instead of 'we'. However, the answer in the back of the book says the answer is:

E. There is no error in the sentence as written. The we in (D) may sound strange, but the subject pronoun is correct here.

Can someone please explain this to me? Why am I wrong in saying that the word us should have been used instead?


texts: Is "My grandmother passed away from cancer last night" grammatically correct and acceptable?


texts:
I'm working on a web development/design agency and English is my second language. I wanted to know if the usage of this phrase suits the purpose: "tailor made". In our case, we want to say that our code is so unique that people would feel it as if it were done by a tailor.

Thanks!


texts: Words for refering to the first and second decade of the new century, a la 20s or 30s

texts: How can we refer to the first or the second decade the new century, a la 20s or 30s?


texts: Why is it not "Sorry" instead of "Excuse me" after somebody sneezes or does something that is improper to people around?

texts:
I've seen people saying Excuse me after sneezing in public, but should it be Sorry instead?

An answer to Difference between “Excuse me” and “Sorry” says that:

  "Excuse me" is asking for permission. "Sorry" is asking for forgiveness.

So, if you want somebody's pen, you will ask like:

  Excuse me, can I borrow your pen?

And, if you found a pen but you didn't find its owner and, due to your emergency, you used it and later explained it to its owner like:

  Sorry, I had to use your pen in your absence. It was an emergency, sorry again.

So, following the above concept, saying Excuse me after sneezing will be like doing something first and asking permission for it later. What is wrong with saying Sorry here instead?


texts:
If I am referring to the alternatives of a quiz (with a limited number of options) and I want to ask someone the correct alternative, should I say:

What is the correct alternative?

Or

Which is the correct alternative?


texts: What would you call this "double entry" principle in English?

texts: There is a system for entering the number of the ball that falls out in a lottery game. It consists of two computers operated by two different people. They each have to enter the ball number they see so it is double-checked. What would you call such thing in English? Double-entry? Double-check?


texts: "More thicker hair"? Is it correct to use 'more' with comparative adjectives?

texts:
I was watching a YouTube video the other day and I found a sentence that intrigued me. The woman, Jessica Vill, was talking about her wig collection and when describing one of the wigs she said

  There's no shine whatsoever to it, um, and, it's so much more thicker.

Obviously, she should have used a regular form of the adjective in that case ('more thick') so the sentence seems incorrect. The woman in the video is a native speaker of English from the United States and grew up in Florida. Additionally, this is not the first time that I heard a native speaker of English use the word 'more' with a comparative form of the adjective, which brings me to my question:

Is it correct to use 'more' in combination with comparative adjectives?

Also, I am wondering if some of you have ever heard a similar sentence before? Is such a structure being frequently used among speakers of English?

Link to the video (around 7:18 mark)


texts: Unsure what follows after "even if" when the direct speech is transformed into indirect speech

texts:
This is the original phrase:
"I am very anxious to see the new apparatus anyway even if I do not see it fly." (text written in 1905)

Can I transform it like this:

In 1905, he was very anxious to see the new apparatus anyway even if he did not see it fly(ing).

I am unsure about the right tense that must follow "even if" to keep the exact meaning of the original.


texts: What do you call all the pieces of a song minus the lyrics

texts:
I think there must be a good word for this, but can't think of what it might be.

Harmony and Melody are pieces of it, beat seems simplistic, Instrumentation seems too scientific and dull.

Any Ideas?


texts: Polite/professional auto-acknowledgment email for support inquries

texts:
I am trying to create an auto acknowledgment email for support requests we receive. I want it to look polite and professional, but I find it a bit difficult to word properly since I am not a native speaker. How does my email look?

  Subject: Your message is received

  Thank you very much for your message! [optional(a): We know your time is valuable and we would like to acknowledge that we have received your request.]

  We work hard on answering every support message as quickly as possible
  and usually respond within a few hours or less. Occasionally, [optional(b):
  due to the high number of inquiries we receive,] we might not be able get back
  to you right away. While you are waiting, another great source for
  answers is our FAQ section: http://www.example.com/support

  Thank you for your patience.

  [optional(c): Sincerely,]

  Support Team


texts: Why do we say "0.5 days" but "1 day" when both refer to a singular day?

texts:
Unless I'm just using bad grammar I guess, it feels more natural when talking to someone to say "zero point five days" when referring to 0.5 days; conversely, it sounds more natural to say "one day" when referring to 1 day.

A similar question might be relevant: Why do we say "half a day" when describing the value, but "zero point five days" when being numerically specific?


texts: Describe something will be made to do smth in short

texts:
Good day, all!

I'm writing an IT specification for adding a new feature to some existing functionality. Let's say some "sender" plugin will be improved in a way it'll be able to access attributes of items created by some "storage" plugin. So I want to come up with a short title describing the whole new feature and indicate that "something will be able to do something". What grammar form is best applicable here:

"Sender plugin to access attributes of items generated by storage plugin"
"Sender plugin is to access attributes of items generated by storage plugin"

Are other short forms possible?

Thanks!


texts: What's another word for 'centre' that starts with the letter 'S'?

texts:
Centre - (noun) the point from which an activity or process is
  directed, or on which it is focused. Like a shopping centre, sports
  centre, etc.

I'm looking for another word for it but starts with a letter "S". So far just able to come up with 'stage' but it seems a bit far off.


texts: "How" vs. "that" in "You know how we have pizza on Thursdays, right?"

texts:
From time to time I hear sentences like this:

  You know how we have pizza on Thursdays, right?

Here, how doesn't mean exactly how those guys eat pizza, it is something like "that" in this context.

So what is the difference between using how, that or just skipping the conjunction?


texts: "Connection to/with the server was/has been lost"

texts:
Which one is correct?

  Connection to the server was lost.

  Connection to the server has been lost.

Also, should to or with be used with server?


texts: Phrase for a slight discomfort necessary to move forward

texts: As the title says, something that gets across that doing or starting something is unpleasant even though the subject is aware that it will help them in the long run. Less akin to long term commitments and more related to short term things like doing the dishes or brushing your teeth.


texts:
I've always been told that verbs can show action and state of being .

Can anyone of you folks tell me what a state of being is ?


texts: Is the word, "Council" singular or plural?

texts:
This question came up in regards to recording meeting minutes.

Which is proper:

  MOVED by Councillor Edmonds that Council accept the updated Snow
  Removal Policy: Policy #S-45-1.

or:

  MOVED by Councillor Edmonds that Council accepts the updated Snow
  Removal Policy: Policy #S-45-1.

Another example:

  MOVED by Councillor Peavoy that Council direct administration to
  carry out a plan of action for all the things discussed in the 2016
  Council planning session, and to carry forward tasks emergent from the
  planning session assignments.

or:

  MOVED by Cllr. Peavoy that Council directs administration to carry out
  a plan of action for all the things discussed in the 2016 Council
  planning session, and to carry forward tasks emergent from the
  planning session assignments.

In my mind the former sounds correct, but if it is, then I need an explanation as to why it is correct.

If both are proper, then what is the difference between the two?


texts: Is this is an “either/or” statement or an “either/and” statement?

texts:
I’m currently applying to jobs and ran across this statement in the qualifications section of one listing:
“Not currently enrolled in or completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in a digital marketing related field.”
Are they saying applicants should not be currently enrolled nor should they have completed their degree? Or are they instead saying they want someone who either isn’t enrolled or who has completed their degree already?
*For clarification: This is actually the full statement copied and pasted. It is listed as a bullet point under the “Minimum Qualifications” section.


texts: I am confused about the usage of this word. I know the meaning it conveys. Help?


texts: Is this sentence correct using the right choice of words?

texts:
Does the way I wrote the following sentence make sense?

  The story begins with Olaf speaking about his experiences and
  perception of life.


texts:
Is one of these sentences more correct than the other? Are they both poorly written?

Version 1: We learn of a traumatic event that happened on February 13th, the bombing of a shelter in Baghdad, where her parents died.

Version 2: We learn of a traumatic event, the bombing of a shelter on February 13th, where her parents died.

Both sound strange to me, and I'm not sure if it's grammatically correct to place the phrase that begins with "the bombing..." after the "February 13th..." since the phrase is technically describing the event, not the date! Also, what is this kind of phrase called in grammar? Is it an adjectival phrase?

Thanks for any of your advice!


texts: The meaning of 0% and 100% as opposed to other percentages?

texts:
Oftentimes, percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. A $49.99 item may be marked 50% off, even if the price becomes $24.99 (it should be 50.03% off). However, I have come to notice that this rounding rule does not seem to apply with 100% and 0%.

For example, certain soaps will say that they kill 99.99% of bacteria. If a (pretty bad) soap killed 39.99% of bacteria, there would be no problem with advertising as 40%. So how come soaps that kill 99.99% cannot be advertised as 100%? Why is it that the percentages of 0 and 100 are always implied to be exact, and not allowed to be rounded?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  I can run faster than _____. (1) him (2) he?

Which is grammatically correct?

  My friends seem to be having more fun than I, Me, Myself, and Them

Also,

  Good people are always ready to help those who are not as fortunate as Theirs, Them, They, Us


texts:
I'm wondering what is the correct way to formulate the following sentence:

  If the trekkers had chosen a shorter route, they would have been in trouble now, but fortunately they didn't.

or

  If the trekkers chose a shorter route, they would have been in trouble now, but fortunately they didn't.

or

  If the trekkers had chosen a shorter route, they would have been in trouble now, but fortunately they hadn't.


texts: preposition choice: on; close the gap on

texts:
"Wal-Mart says it wants to double its stores in China by the end of
  2006 to close the gap on its rival Carrefour. -CNN

I'm unsure if the preposition 'on' was properly used in the line quoted above. Shouldn't it be something like 'close the gap between it and its rival'?


texts: syllable stress in pronunciation of frequently used expressions

texts:
I think that the first case in which stress in a frequently used expression starting to gnaw at my mind occurred after hearing someone pronouncing a noun adjunct in a way deviating from the way I was used to, defensibly correctly. The expression was "world trade center". My investigation of further cases in which the wrongly placed stress is nonsensical or confusing yielded quite a few. And today I hit upon another, having erred myself for four months, doing "functional programming" (in a computer language) and pronouncing the latter expression wrongly all the time (however, being not altogether sure about it this time). The other examples of are in the expressions "public relations", "human trafficking", and "objective function" (from operations research).
The correct stresses should be, in my view, with the stressed syllable preceded by an apostrophe ('), 'world trade center, 'public relations, 'human trafficking, ob'jective function, and 'functional programming. But one all too often observes the pronunciations world 'trade center (suggesting a global center of trade, whereas "world trade" is term for a special kind of trade), public re'lations (having sex in the roundabout?), human 'trafficking (as opposed to aliens driving our buses?) -- and, well, objective 'function may have existed in my mind only. I could not find any critical comment on the exemplified kind of mispronunciation, or any other place except the present to ask for one. My question is: How come? Do we witness acquiescence to majority behavior here?


texts:
I guys, I'm wondering to make a tattoo but I have been struggling a bit for the words to use; the first idea was "until it's worth" (abbreviated like 'till it's worth) but the meaning that I'm looking for is not like "play the game untill is worth then stop", rather "work untill all the struggle is not invain"
It has to be as short as possible, so maybe "make it worth"?
Any other slang that match the meaning?
I really like the "untill" construct but I'm afraid the meaning will be the opposite


texts:
I am reading The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle.
And in the fourth chapter we have this part:

  "It all could have been arranged. Mr Douglas was an American, or had lived in America for a long time.
  So had Mr Barker."
  "Ames, the butler--"
  "What about him? Is he reliable?"
  "ten years with Sir Charles Chandos--as solid as a rock. He has been with Douglas ever since he took the Manor House five years ago. He has never seen a gun of this sort in the house"
  "The gun could fit into any box. How could he swear there was no such gun in the house?"
  "Well, anyhow, he had never seen one."

And according to Advanced Learners' Grammar by Mark Foley & Diane Hall - Past Perfect is usually used in: actions and states before a time in the past, a sequence in the past, or to describe unfulfilled intentions.

But in this sentence "he had never seen one" I do not really feel the usage of this tense.
Is it implied that:- he had never seen one (before we spoke with him)"?
Or are there any other explanation?


texts:
Which is correct, "I worked on a project" or "I worked in a project?"
Should I say "when I was at the university I studied math" or "when I was in the university I studied math?"


texts:
I don't quite understand this part

  "Poitras, who profiled another celebrated data warrior, Edward Snowden, in Citizenfour, filmed with Assange from 2010-2012"

The commas are confusing. I know that "Edward" links to the celebrated data warrior but I am confused with which part "in Citizenfour" links to and the part after it. Please give a thorough explanation of the entire sentence which tells the connections between different parts. Thanks a lot.


texts: "Questions" have "answers". What do "problems" have?

texts:
If questions have answers, then problems have ____?

I know it sounds simple but I am not sure what the best word is.


texts:
I wonder what is the English idiom with the following meaning.

"There are two opinions and only time could decide what is true".

It should be something like "survive time's exam" or something like that.


texts: What's the role of "Opening" in the given excerpt

texts:
This is a sentence from a very famous book on learning English called "Headway".

  "But after making hundreds of millions of dollars opening duty-free
  shops at airports in the 1960s,Feeney's later return to a simple life
  was all his own choice."

I'd like to know the role of "Opening" in the sentence above.

Is it a Gerund or is it a Present participle?
What are the possible missing words in the sentence? I mean the ones which are removed before opening.

Thanks in advance.

The whole paragraph is shared below as a picture. You may study the whole paragraph to get a better notion of the text.


texts: What is the difference between "subscription" and "membership"?

texts:
A friend of mine is trying to coin the correct English word for the people paying for his company's services.

My initial choice was "subscriptions", but I'm not so sure about "membership".

Do you know what the difference between these two words is?


texts:
As far as I know, "if not" normally means something in the vein of "perhaps even", such as in the example phrase "We might be able to hunt down three, if not four rabbits with the ammo we have".

But I've encountered an example of usage where I'm not sure ifthe user's intentions reflect the phrase's intended meaning. The excerpt is:

"A newly initiated practitioner of the dark arts, Arcanus is taking his first steps down the path which he hopes will lead him to power and glory. Strong in mind if not body, he has concentrated his time in pursuit of magical knowledge."

Necromancers in that particular game (it's Might & Magic 8 btw) are the frailest and physically weakest class by design, as is generally common with spellcaster classes in RPG games. The usage of "if not" in this case therefore wouldn't be justified in having vibes of "strong in mind, and who knows, maybe even body?" I would be sooner inclined to understand it as another way of saying "so strong in mind that it's no harm done that he's weak in body".

What are your impressions?


texts:
I wish to present my education for a potential employer. If I had the chance to phrase a whole sentence, I would go for "I received my PhD from University X", as suggested in other answers to related questions. However, the information needs to be put in bullet point style. I am not sure about the correct preposition here. My thoughts:

PhD at University X

or

PhD from University X

Please not that this information is not connected to a date (as in "2012: PhD from University X"), merely the fact that I earned a PhD is listed.

Thanks for your help in advance!


texts: Why are article sometimes omitted with words such as "legendary" and "British"?

texts:
I noticed that the definite article is sometimes omitted with the word "legendary":

A collaboration between legendary game designer Richard Garfield and
Valve, Artifact offers the deepest gameplay and the highest-fidelity
experience ever seen in a trading card game. (Steam store)
The Bellezza Nera and its sister model, the all white Bellezza Blanco,
are the result of a particularly unusual collaboration between
legendary British guitarist Eric Clapton and Japanese trendsetter
Hiroshi Fujiwara.
(Robert Shaw. Hand Made, Hand Played: The Art & Craft of Contemporary Guitars.)

Furthermore, as user user150719 correctly indicated in a comment to the following question the indefinite article is sometimes dropped before nationalities, e.g. the seconds example above or:

The story would open in 1969, when Cobham met British guitarist John McLaughlin in the seminal fusion band of Miles Davis (The Mercury News)

Google agrees with this article-less use showing over 100 results for "met British guitarist" but only 4 for "met a British guitarist."
I'd like to know why these omissions take place. Is there any grammar rule that covers these cases?


texts: What’s the adjectivealform of “odaxelagnia”?

texts:
All I can think of is “odaxelagniac” like “mania” and “maniac” but I’m not positive.

Edit: What’s the word, if one exists, for someone who suffers from odaxelagnia, a form of paraphilia? Also, is “paraphiliac” a word?


texts: If the subject changes its number within a sentence but it's the same thing after all, how do I deal with this kind of ‘plurality’?

texts:
Terminology clarification first. Let's say, plurality herein means the quality of being plural; the state of being plural or not, which is not the dictionary definition. I couldn't find another appropriate term for it. Well, grammatical numerity? Hmm.

In this sentence, the number (plurality) of the subject changes at the middle of the sentence. The subject was singular, but soon becomes plural.

It's split into two and merges/merge back into one a hundred times.

We can also think of an inverted version of it. The subject was plural, but soon becomes singular.

The two are merged into one and (are)/is split back into two a hundred times.

How do I deal with this kind of plurality? What should I assume its plurality is? Do I have to break it down into two or more sentences?


texts: If someone holds your jaw aggressively and threatens you, is there a specific word to describe this action or situation?


texts: Alternative to "can't trust him farther than I can throw him"

texts:
I'm hoping to find a more colorful version of "which members of the Board are not to be trusted farther than you can throw them."

So far I've found one: "not to be trusted farther than you can spit."

"Spit" is a little yucky for me, for personal reasons, which I'd rather not get into.

Can someone provide another alternative?


texts: What is the term for a type of residence when I live at my relatives' place?

texts: I'm translaing a CV from Russian to English. There is an item on applicant's residence type. I translated two other options as Owned and Rented (Собственное жильё и Арендованное жильё in Russian), but I can't figure out the term for the kind of tenure in the subject case (in Russian, that would be Жильё родственников).


texts: What is the difference between adjust and adapt?

texts:
I know the basic similarities between adjust and adapt, but I would like to know more about the differences between them. For example, which of the following sentences would be true?

  It took time to adjust myself to fatherhood.

or

  It took time to adapt myself to fatherhood.


texts: What is a word for someone who is speaking in a way to gain sympathy from you?

texts:
If someone was trying to persuade you to do something, you might say "he spoke convincingly."
What is a similar word for someone who is speaking in a way to gain sympathy from you?
Hope this makes sense.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  A depends on B, is A dependant, or is B dependant?
  “Employee” is to “employer” as “dependent” is to what?

A and B are two persons. When A is a dependent of B, what of A is B?


texts: Can the word "fruit" be used as an invariant plural as in "the fruit are" and "two fruit"?

texts:
Background:
Over here on this forum for English speakers learning Chinese, there is debate on which ones among the following are correct English:

the fruit is
the fruits are
the fruit are *?

Other questions on this site are about the regular mass noun (the fruit is) vs the regular count noun (the fruit are), but using the singular form "fruit" also as the plural form is only tangentially touched on once that I can see. I'm looking for a canonical answer on this specific point.
Do dictionaries, English grammars, or style guides list "fruit" as its own plural? Is it considered correct or incorrect?
If it's a nonstandard usage, where is it used? American English? Just some areas? It sounds wrong to me as a native Australian English speaker.
Is it correct to say "two fruit"?


texts: Is using 'would' correct in this situation?

texts: I am currently writing a project report for my university project and I have the following question. In the introduction, I mention that in a following section I would explain my progress. My teacher corrected this usage of 'would' to 'will'. Which one is correct?


texts:
OK so I was writing a sentence to explain that there are three holes at the same angular position on a wheel (different radii).

I started to write; 'there are more than one hole at each angular position...' But... it sounds wrong. Don't you agree? 'There is more than one hole...' sounds much better.

The construction 'there is' or 'there are' is used to indicate existence of a single thing or a plurality of things (countable nouns) respectively.

In this case, it seems that the thing that you are indicating the existence of is whatever 'more' is referring to, not the 'one'. Which is, in this case, two holes (on top of the first, three in total). So why does it sound so bad?

If there were two holes in total, then sure, 'there is more than one' would make sense, since the 'more' is one hole.

Is there some kind of special rule in English to say that we always say 'there is more than one' because there is at least one more?

Otherwise, why would we say 'there is' when referring to a plural, countable noun like in the above example?


texts: What is the difference between trip and journey?

texts:
I have read the following example online:

  The journey there took three hours. (correct)
  (A) The trip took three hours (wrong)

All dictionaries defined a trip as a short distance travel while journey it takes a lot time to achieve, i.e. to travel for a distant area by a vehicle. This already is understood and no question to ask more but I had this example:

  (B) We went on a three-week trip to Scotland.

Now my question is:
Why do they limit the use of the term (trip) to be for a short-time travel as in A sentence, then it is for three-week tip to _______ as in B?

Here apparently confusion will occur not only to a non-native speaker but to the native speaker as well. I wonder how this duality in English language! I fear and wary off! This is a mistake, the very error to deal with

"A trip to Scotland lasts three weeks" is (correct) but to say:
"The trip took three hours" (wrong)!

Another question:
Does the trip in the sentence

  We went in three-week trip to Scotland

mean going and returning home?


texts: Verb meaning "to satisfy a definition in an unsatisfying way"

texts:
I'm sure I've heard a verb that means this, but it might be colloquial, and possibly quite specific to a certain group of people.

The context is that person 'A' has tried to give a precise definition of some grand concept. For example, 'A' says "life can be defined as any system that maintains a low entropy by degrading an energy source" Person 'B' then gives a counterargument along the lines of "ah, but under that definition, wouldn't a candle flame also be considered alive?" In other words, 'B' has satisfied 'A's definition, but not in a way that 'A' will like, thus forcing 'A' to change her definition. 'B' can then be said to have ____ed 'A's original definition.

As Brian Donovan points out in a comment, the classic example is that when Plato defined 'human being' as 'featherless biped', Diogenes produced a plucked chicken, causing Plato to amend his definition. (To 'featherless biped with fingernails'.)

The word might also refer more generally to giving someone what they've asked for, but according to the letter rather than the spirit of what they said, thus not actually being what they wanted at all.

Invalidating a definition in this way is a special case of reductio ad absurdum of course, but I'm looking for a word that specifically describes this case.

I'm also not looking for general words meaning to invalidate or disprove; the word I'm thinking of (if it exists) refers very specifically to the case of showing that a definition is more broadly applicable than was originally intended.

The word I'm looking for (still, nearly three years later) might be somewhat humorous in nature.


texts: Why are "he", "she", and "it" distinct in the singular, but all "they" in the plural?

texts:
Other languages have gender-specific third-person plural pronouns (e.g., ellos and ellas in Spanish).  English does not, despite the masculine/feminine/neuter distinction being obligatory in the singular.

Is there a historical reason for this situation?  Was there a time when English had gendered versions of "they"?


texts: What's that word? Does it mean "circular reasoning"?

texts:
This is really a two part question. How do you find a word that you forget, but you remember its definition? I have this problem routinely. I usually try googling "word that means fill-in-words-from-the-definition-here. But that doesn't always work.

For example, there is a word which means circular reasoning. What is it? I tried googling (that is, searching) word meaning circular reasoning, with no luck (on the first page of results). Same results at Bing. I also looked up "circular reasoning" on dictionary.com. That site had a definition, but no synonyms.

I know for a fact the word I'm looking for exists (I've seen it). You'd think Google could find it. I thought the word was tautology, but that seems to have a slightly different definition.

P.S. Example: So-and-so, on Fox News is a right-wing partisan (am I displaying my bias here?).

How do you know?

Because they're on Fox News.


texts: "It was from that moment where" vs. "it was from that moment when"

texts:
Now that I think about it, it was from
  that moment where I started to have
  doubts about him.

Would it be better to use the word "when" instead of "where," or are they both equally valid word choices? Is there any difference at all?


texts: Correct form of possessive for surname "Woods"

texts:
The golfer Tiger Woods's clubs...  -or-

The golfer Tiger Woods' clubs...

The last name Woods is not biblical, etc.  It is singular when it refers to the person, Tiger Woods.  It is plural when it is the word, "woods".

I have, literally, seen it both ways, online and in newsprint, and ask which is correct. (I'll go out on a limb and say that the first example seems right to me, and yet it is the second example that I see more often in print and online)

Thank you very much for any education you can provide me on this matter.  Sincerely, Sven


texts: Unknown Grammar (or passive continuous infinitive)

texts:
Here is a sentence I have trouble parsing:

  A member of staff objects to their image being used in a particular way.

I cannot find a grammar reference according to such sentence. Is it passive continuous infinitive? But why do we put their image after to?


texts: Word or sentence describing one who presents no facts or supporting arguments in a debate

texts:
What would you call someone, or what sentence would you use for someone who does not present any additional facts or supporting arguments for a debate.

Example of argument

"I think marijuana should be illegal because it has been shown to be harmful to brain development" - (just an example, I have no idea)

Example of what they might say back

"You are so wrong, it's funny!"

What is a good descriptive word or sentence for this?


texts:
I run across a phrase of "You are brand new to GitHub" on the web.

What makes me confused is the word "brand"; is it a noun, an adjective or an adverb?


texts:
I realized that many Indian languages also use the "going to verb" construct, like "going to sleep". However, this phrase is not used in Japanese.
How far back in time, can we trace this "going to ..." phrase? Could it be that the British picked up this phrase from Indian Pidgin and carried it back home or does it have its roots in the Proto-Indo-European languages?

EDIT: Japanese also has the "going to verb" phrase. My bad. Ikemasen


texts: What does “presidential president” mean?

texts:
I was drawn to the expression, “presidential president” appearing in Washington Post’s (August 12) article titled, “What a presidential president would have said about Charlottesville.”
It follows:

  “Here is what President Trump said Saturday about the violence in
  Charlottesville sparked by a demonstration of white nationalists,
  neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members: We condemn in the strongest
  possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence
  on many sides. On many sides.  Here is what a presidential president
  would have said: “The violence Friday and Saturday in Charlottesville,
  Va., is a tragedy and an unacceptable, impermissible assault on
  American values. It is an assault, specifically, on the ideals we
  cherish most in a pluralistic democracy — tolerance, peaceable
  coexistence and diversity. ….

Of course, I've heard expressions such as Presidential candidate, Presidential campaign, Presidential speech "Presidential agendas," and "Presidential advisor" to be sick 'n' tired, but I don’t think I’ve heard such a usage as “presidential president” very often.

Mr. Trump is a legitimate president apart from potential criticisms. Why does it need to be “presidential president.”?

Does “presidential president” mean a desirable / ideal /president-like president? Is it a common expression?
Do you say 'vice presidential vice-president, 'chairpersonal chairparson,'directorial director,' 'managerial manager, 'doctoral doctor,''paternal father, maternal mother,' 'childish child,' and likewise?

Appendix:

In response to some of community members' behest to include the research I’ve done for this post, the followings are what I did and found before posting this question.:

I checked:
Readers English Japanese Dictionary published by a Japan’s leading English dictionary specialist publisher, Kenkyu-sha Publishing (2nd Ed), Oxford Advanced Learners English Dictionary (2000), Oxford Concise English Dictionary (10th Ed.), Oxford American Dictionary (1980), and Collins Cobuild English Dictionary (2003 New Ed.) all at hand.

Being an octogenarian, I admit all English dictionaries I had bought and presently own are pretty or very old as I am. I bought most of them before retiring more than 20 years ago.

Readers English Japanese Dictionary defines ‘presidential’ simply as ‘of president.’

OAELD shows it only as an adjective, without definition.

OCD shows ‘presidential’ as an adjective, derivative of president, without giving its
meaning.

Oxford American Dictionary shows ‘presidential’ as an adjective of ‘president’ without showing its meaning.

Collins Cobuild English Dictionary defines ‘presidential’ as presidential activities or things relate or belong to president. ex. Peru’s presidential election.

The above results resonate the comments of some users that they have hardly, or never heard of the usage of 'presidential' made in the manner of the above quote. I noted even a respectable answerer, J.R says he 'hasn't seen the phrase "presidential president" very often, either,' much less for an old non-native English speaker like me who've never resided in any of English-speaking countries even only for a short period.

After posting this question, I checked online Oxford Dictionary (ODO)  though it was a kind of after-thought, and I found that it provides the second definition of 'presidential as: “Having a behavior or demeanor befitting a president. Dignified and confident,” as I stated in my comment in response to @Clare’s comment.


texts:
I was watching a movie 21, and I saw this interesting expression. Check this out,please.

Mike and Tom, two best buddies, are playing basketball when a gorgeous girl passes by. Mike takes quite a shine to her, and his heart keeps pumping.

Tom suggests Mike ask her out but he's hesitant 'cause Mike believes she's out of his league.

Trying to encourage his friend, Tom says to Mike, with his finger pointing at the girl,

  'You know, you say you want a life experience, right? Well, I'd say getting down with that would definitely qualify.'

Not knowing what 'get down' with something means, I checked the dictionary and found out in Wiktionary that it means to become good friends with somebody.

So, let me rephrase what Tom said:

  'You know, you say you want a life experience, right? Well, I'd say if you become one of her good friends, it will surely meet the requirement of a life experience.'

I guess Tom was saying, like,

  'You want a life experience, and asking her out is the very experience that you've been looking for. Go for it!'

Especially I wonder if he meant 'getting down with that girl'
when he mentioned 'getting down with that'.

Hoping that I could find an idiom 'get down with someone', I tried to look up
all the dictionaries, which was fruitless.

I'd appreciate any comment. Thank you.


texts: A word to describe the feeling that you are forgetting something?

texts:
Is there a word (or short phrase) that describes the sinking feeling that one is forgetting something, but but doesn't know what the "something" is?

For example, I'm looking for a word that describes the following feeling: Leaving to go on holiday, and two hours into your journey you feel sure you have left something important at home but just can't think what it is.


texts:
I'm trying to write a list of features available in my product, and I'm confused what the title should be:
Should I say "Features List" (features are plural) or "Feature List" (feature is singular).


texts: “…the city of Berlin was divided ________ the USSR, the USA and the UK”

texts:
After the second world war, the city of Berlin was divided ________ the USSR, the USA and the UK.
Options

by

with

between

among

My Approach: I am not able to solve this question what will be the best suited one and why?
Though I think "between" is the best suited one. What do I need to know in these types of questions?


texts:
I'm not sure who is stabbed and who is snarling here.

" Ralf launched himself like a cat; stabbed, snarling, with the spear, and the savage doubled up."

Thanks in advance


texts: Is it correct to say "There's many a ..."?

texts:
Today on GUARDIAN life&style is this teaser:

  There's many a garden outbuilding crying out for a makeover.

I'm wondering if this sentence is correct. I think there either should many be deleted (i.e. There is a garden outbuilding) or is should be are, the a should be dropped and an s should be added to verb outbuilding (i.e. There are many garden outbuildings).

Or does the sentence make sense in any way I don't recognize?


texts: Is there a word for "If you really want to know..."

texts:
I'm looking for a word that I can use to start a sentence which would indicate that the rest of the sentence gives information which isn't really important.

For example:

  If you want to know, I saw that same black car yesterday on the parking lot.

The only word I could think of is the word Informatively but it doesn't really have the same tone like in the example.


texts: Difference between intrusion on/upon/of/into

texts:
Different dictionaries suggest different answers.
One example,  suggests that all of them, except for of work.
However, as we can see here  the of structure is also possible.

There must be a difference between these four prepositions, because the following exercise (it's a part 2 -gap text, CAE task) allows into as the only possible answer:

  The camera images were checked with the national facial recognition
  system and it has been confirmed that you were the driver. This
  increasing intrusion into our private lives will force us to consider
  the balance between personal freedom and the power of the state.

What is the difference in meaning between the other three possibilities - of/on/upon?

Is there a difference between them?

Why is this the only possible answer?


texts: Verb form for the word "ubiquitous or widespread"

texts:
the sentence I am trying to create is used everywhere in this report I am trying to proofread and semantically goes like this: "Increasing the use of internet" or "making infrastructure establishment widespread across the nation"
I am looking for a verb more practical than "making sth. widespread" or a proper verb version of "ubiquitous"
I have used "spreading" but it just does not sound correct to my ear.

I'd be glad to get some answers. Thank you.


texts:
I assume that "future conditional subjunctive" is not really a term. But that's pretty much what I'm asking about.

I often find myself addressing the scenario where (x) one thing "A" may happen in the future, and (y) if "A" happens, "B" will result.  Often, this occurs while I'm arguing that "A" should not be allowed to happen.

I would like to write:

"If A happens, then B will result."

My colleague insists that, because we don't want A to happen, we must write:

"If A were to happen, then B would result."  (Sometimes he will try, "were A to happen, . . . ")

I think both "were to happen" and "would result" are incorrect.  And "were to happen" seems unnecessarily awkward.

Similarly, I'd write:  "If you don't stop A, then B will happen."  Colleague would write "If you don't stop A, then B would happen."

And, finally, when generally discussing what A would cause, I would just write "A will cause x, y and z."  Colleague would write "A would cause x, y and z."

Colleague's reasoning is that because we do not want A to happen or B to result, we need to use the "subjunctive."  Otherwise, if we use the indicative, we are somehow conceding that A will, in fact happen.

My thought is that we want to make an unambiguous statement that A will result in B.  We don't want to introduce any doubt that A will not result in B.

And, I've read that there is no future subjunctive in English.

Is there a correct answer?


texts:
Is there a difference in meaning between the words 'explain' and 'explicate', or are they interchangeable?

It seems that explicate is just a very formal (pretentious?) version of explain, that is used in philosophical and artistic contexts. Every time I've seen the word explicate used, it could be replaced by explain with no loss of clarity.


texts: What's the Appropriate Word to Say You're 'Dazzled' by a Nice Smell?

texts:
Imagine there's food being cooked on stove and you feel the pleasant smell and it somehow makes you mad! You want to keep smelling or walk to the kitchen and get some of it to eat.
What verb would you use to explain the situation?
The only verb that comes to my mind is dazzle, but I check it in the dictionary (LDOCE-subscription only) and the second definition is:

to impress someone very much by being or doing something very exciting and unusual - used especially in news reports
The Princess’s off-the-shoulder dress dazzled the waiting crowds.
As a speaker he would dazzle listeners with his brilliant wordplay and witty remarks.

And that doesn't seem to be right for this situation and we also know that the other meaning is when you're dazzled by a light of some sort.
Checking the Thesaurus I notice the other verb to be knocked out, but again I don't think it's appropriate.
In Persian we have a general word for being drunk and we'd use it for pleasant smells as well, so what's the smell equivalent of being dazzled or drunk in English?
To explain this a bit more, I'm looking for a word that would describe the images below:


texts:
As a foreigner it's normal for me to use graphist, calling a graphics designer.
But it's odd for me to find out it's not used very much online.
Why is it so?
Is graphist a valid English word?


texts:
What is the meanings of "in the sense that"? Does it mean "that it means"? I tried Oxford, Cambridge and Longman online dictionaries, but there aren't anything. Here are some examples

Screwy in the sense that two of college basketball's most historic programs are playing for a national title game and it's blowing people's minds.
Is the English Language becoming more generic, in the sense that English is distinguishing less between masculine and feminine?
In other words, the information is lost in the sense that it is almost impossible to interpret, but it isn't actually destroyed.

Resources: (1) google translator, (2) english.stackexchange.com, (3) newscientist.com.


texts: Should I say "more exact"/"more precise"?

texts:
My understanding with the words exact, precise and accurate is that they are absolute. Meaning, there cannot be less accurate or more accurate. Is my understanding correct? If it's exactly 1 meter, then there cannot be more exact than 1 meter. Also, are these words (exact, precise and accurate) exact synonyms? I have read their meanings in the dictionary and they are, well, the same.

I am writing a blog that has a title "Love and Lust". I want to point out that it is more accurate/precise to say that the title should be "Romantic Love and Lust", as there are three kinds of love.


texts: He "called himself Bob" / "said his name was Bob." Natural wording? Alternative expressions?

texts:
I think the sentence "When Alice met him, he said his name was Bob. (But I suspect it may be a pseudonym.)" makes sense. But I'd like to know if there are more natural expressions, or alternatives. What I'd like to know is for a one-time action, not for a custom.

How about "called himself" and "styled himself"? (I think the latter is not informal, at least.)


texts: What do you call something that is not first in a sequence?

texts:
Is there a word to describe something that is not the first element in a sequence, but can be in any other position? A synonym of "not first", in fact.

  This element is __ in this sequence.


texts: What is the meaning of "beat somebody to the punch" . Could you please explain to me in a simple way. English is not my mother tongue. Thanks :)


texts:
What does "Discrimination  which prevents people from getting out
of their society what they contribute is unjust" mean in the following context.

  The nonwhites live in American society, fight for American society in
  disproportionate numbers and contribute cheap labour to American
  society, thereby enabling others to live disproportionately well. But
  the nonwhites do not share in  the benefits of the American
  society in which they live and for which they fight and to which they
  contribute. 41% of  Negroes fall below the poverty line as compared
  with 12% of whites. Infant mortality is three times as high among
  nonwhite babies as among white. Whereas, Negroes make up 11% of the
  nation’s work force, they have but 6% of the  nation’s technical and
  professional jobs, 3% of the managerial jobs, and 6% of jobs in
  skilled trades. Discrimination  which prevents people from getting out
  of their society what they contribute is unjust. The disproportionate
  number of African-American who fall below the poverty line is being
  cited as evidence that  minorities in America are not treated equally
  to the White majority.


texts: Combining two sentences with a "subject verb-ing" clause

texts: Is this sentence correct? "2020 has passed, another journey ending".  If so, what is the grammatical term for "another journey ending"? If not, how can I fix it without sacrificing its conciseness too much? Thanks.


texts: What is meant by 'dwelt on by' in this context here?

texts:
Here is an excerpt and an associated question choice:

Currently, technology that would capture carbon dioxide emitted by power plants and sequester it harmlessly underground or undersea instead of releasing it into the atmosphere might double the cost of generating electricity. But because sequestration does not affect the cost of electricity transmission and distribution, delivered prices will rise less, by no more than 50 percent. Research into better technologies for capturing carbon dioxide will undoubtedly lead to lowered costs.

The passage implies which of the following about the current cost of generating electricity?

And one of the choices appears as: (emphasis mine)

It is dwelt on by policymakers to the exclusion of other costs associated with electricity delivery.

Source: GRE General Test: Verbal Reasoning Sample Questions
Have searched for the meaning(s) of dwelt on in TFD. It could mean attracting attention or to expatiate.
However, I am not able to relate either of these meanings to the text to the exclusion of. Does it mean the policy makers have expatiated about the costs of generating electricity to exclude the other costs? Doesn't make sense to me.
Please help.
PS: The question is not about whether the option is the correct answer or not. It is about the interpretation only. Further, even though my doubt was already cleared by 'Qaz' in his comment, I am approving the answer by 'Robbie' as it is the closest to what I was looking for, and Qaz didn't add an answer.


texts: Should I prefer "my" or "our" when the object (a kid, a house) is "co-owned" by two people both present?

texts:
I was sitting on a couch between the wife and the husband of an old married couple (native English Londoners) and they were showing me pictures of their kids. They kept using phrases like

here is my son during his holiday
my daughter is the first person from the right

It took me some time before I realized they had been speaking about the children they had together. In my language I would for sure have used our.
The question is:
Is it OK (or even preferable?) to use my in situations where the "co-owner" is sitting next to me, like when talking about our common kids or about a house we both own together?
There is a similar question "Our team" or "My team"? but I think it covers slightly different use case.
I am aware that English uses possessive pronouns much more often than many other languages, often just as a form of article. When you say I am wearing gloves on my hands you probably do not intend to emphasize your ownership of that pair of hands (in many languages the translation can get by without the my, it even sounds redundant).
Could it be that in the connection my son the possessive pronoun my is perceived as rather just a complement needed just for grammatical correctness of the sentence, and not the actual expression of the possession?


texts: Is "You can invite the user to the workspace with the admin role." grammatically correct?

texts:
The following sentence looks awkward to me:
You can invite the user to the workspace with the admin role.
I think a good way to put it should be:
You can invite the user to the workspace and assign the admin role to the user.


texts:
I came across the following sentence in a text-book:
"Sign the list, take your voting paper and go to the cabinet."
I've checked my dictionaries whether a cabinet also means a voting booth or not but I couldn't find anything.
Maybe the writer meant "cabin". What do you think?
I guess, in this sentence we can either use "voting booth" or "polling booth".


texts:
I commonly use the word 'guys' to refer to a group of males colloquially. It's colloquial but not rude, off putting, condescending, patronizing (though I wouldn't use it with a group of men at a board meeting (hypothetically of course), unless I knew them). So, some that I would not consider as replacements would be

buddies: too old-fashioned
dudes: too informal
boys: too patronizing
men, gentlemen: too formal or false respect

I realized that I had also been using it for any group of people, males and females, even just females. It worked for me and I didn't think of the gender implications, that women might not care for it. No one ever complained, directly or indirectly (rule of life: sometimes people don't complain about things they should).

But it occurred to me (maybe by reading something that sparked realization) that the intended hearers might not all care for it.

What might be a female gendered or non-gendered version of 'guys'?

Some that I've considered don't feel right about (though these may be reasonable answers) are:

dolls: too old-fashioned
babes: too informal
ladies: too formal or I've heard from women, too creepy
women: too factual
girls: too patronizing (as much as 'boys')
everyone, you all: too bland
y'all: perfectly non-sexist but too regional (might work, but not everywhere)

Hopefully I haven't eliminated all the possibilities -- any suggestions?


texts:
I came across a word that I am not sure if I ever came across before: valuably

I believe the context was: "She contributed valuably to the discusion..."
I would normally have said this as "She contributed to the discussion in a valuable manner..."

The second sounds more correct- but is the first sentence also grammatically correct?

Many thanks.


texts:
I am not a native English speaker, but the recently uploaded video on the CBS News channel seems to contain a typo in the title.

I have seen effect used as a verb, but I am fairly confident that affect would be the right choice in this case.


texts: If Aesthetic means 'visually pleasing'. What is a word that means 'aurally pleasing'.


texts: The first paragraph of "Leviathan Wakes" is driving me crazy. What do you think about it?

texts:
I feel like the author gets his tenses all mixed up as soon as he finishes the prologue. At the very least, the first paragraph is difficult to parse. Check it out:

A hundred and fifty years before, when the parochial disagreements
between Earth and Mars had been on the verge of war, the Belt had been a
far horizon of tremendous mineral wealth beyond viable economic reach,
and the outer planets had been beyond even the most unrealistic
corporate dream. Then Solomon Epstein had built his little modified
fusion drive, popped it on to the back of his three-man yacht, and
turned it on. With a good scope, you could still see his ship going at
a marginal percentage of the speed of light, heading out into the big
empty. The best, longest funeral in the history of mankind. The
Epstein Drive hadn't given humanity the stars, but it had delivered
the planets.

I'm having a hard time figuring out what the author is trying to say. Did humans get the Epstein Drive 150 years ago and start exploring the asteroid belt at that point? Or did they get it earlier, so that they already "had the planets" 150 years before the events in the prologue? Could you still see Epstein's ship with a telescope 150 years ago, or at the beginning of the story?


texts: How to use refer to previous literature/researches in research papers?

texts:
I am talking about the topic Singapore English and I want to briefly survey the previous researches on the same topic. Do the following sentences sound natural in English?

In literature on Singapore English, Crew (1997) was among the first
to observe non-standard tense marking. Subsequently, Alsagoff and Ho
(1998) ...
Previous researches on Singapore English, Crew (1997) was among the
first to observe non-standard tense marking. Subsequently, Alsagoff
and Ho (1998) ...
Previously, Crew (1997) was among the first to observe non-standard
tense marking.  Subsequently, Alsagoff and Ho (1998) ...
Crew (1997) was among the first to observe non-standard tense
marking in Singapore English. Subsequently, Alsagoff and Ho (1998)
...

How else could I start a paragraph that intends to briefly survey/overview previous literature on a certain topic?


texts:
On a list of "How To" articles, should the title be "How Tos" or "How To's"?

I think "How Tos" is technically correct (no apostrophe for plurals) but it reads like "How Toss" or "How Toes".

"How To's", while incorrect (I think), seems more intuitively readable.