texts: “…easy enough, except…” Is this correct?

texts: I heard this line in the movie "The social network". The full line is "The truth is she has a nice face. I need to do something to take my mind off her. Easy enough, except I need an idea." What I know is that the meaning of the word "except" means "not including" or "other than" . I am sure he is not saying "something except an idea". How does this line make sense?


texts: Phrase for a problem that resolves itself shortly after giving up

texts:
I feel like this is a not uncommon series of events when I’m faced with a problem:

I have a problem.
I try to fix the problem, to no avail.
I resign myself to the problem being unsolvable.
Shortly afterwards, the problem is resolved with minimal effort on my part.

For example, suppose I’ve lost a set of keys. I spend a while searching the flat for them, to no avail. I give up, sit down and perhaps call somebody to whinge about it – and then spot them sitting in front of me. Complaining about it is often the precursor to discovering it’s been fixed.

Is there a phrase that describes this feeling, of a problem that solves itself shortly after you’ve given up?

I’ve often said Murphy’s law or sod’s law of the universe to describe this sort of event, but I don’t think that’s accurate – this isn’t a bad thing (far from it!), it’s just a shorthand to say “it’s a weird quirk of life”.

I considered the term heisenbug, but (1) that seems a bit technical, and (2) the problem is solved, not reproducing intermittently. To me, a heisenbug is still a concern even if it doesn’t reproduce on demand, because it might recur later. That’s not the case here.

Perhaps this is some form of irony? I was thinking perhaps situational irony, but I’m aware that this is a heavily overused term, and I’m not sure if it’s accurate here.

I’ve tried googling, and looking back through old phrase-request questions, to no avail. I’m not sure if there’s a term I’m not finding, or if this is just less common than I think.


texts: Automated word counting is often performed in parallel, resulting in multiple counts for a given word, which need to be summed in post processing; this is similar to the binning process of building a histogram. The best word I can think of for this word-by-word combining of counts is aggregation. Someone else used collate but that doesn't seem to fit. Can you think of a better word or word pair?


texts:
I've been tasked with copy-editing some text that includes the following:

  [...] makes it easy for you to cook with the maximum nutrition.

I'm unsure about the correctness of the phrase "maximum nutrition". I've always considered nutrition (in this kind of context) to be of a qualitative nature where "good nutrition" refers to a good balance of nutrients in a meal or diet and "bad nutrition" the opposite.

"Maximum nutrition", though, seems to treat nutrition as a quantitative concept, implying that more nutrition is better which doesn't seem right.

Is there a definitive answer to the question of whether nutrition should be considered qualitative or quantitative in the context of health/diet-focused writing, and is the concept of "maximum nutrition" a valid one?


texts: Is there a single noun in English for 'jerry-rigged?'

texts:
Gambiarra in Brazilian Portuguese means a device, solution, or means to an end made impromptu, usually in a sloppy way and lacking care.

I was wondering if there was a single word in English for such a concept.

The closest I found was the two-word verb 'jerry-rig,' but I couldn't find a noun for it.


texts:
Does "safety level" mean the same thing as "level of safety"?

I suspect that the former is used as a technical term, with exact definitions of different safety levels. This would be similar to biosafety level, which talks about biocontainment of hazards. In such a scenario, it's describing what (or how much) safety precautions are required.

By contrast, I think that "level of safety" is a vague term, which you would use to describe a "high level of safety", or a "low level of safety", such as in this news article College Prep School Demands High Level Of Safety. And that it means that something is either safe, or unsafe.

onelook.com doesn't have an exact match for "safety level", nor for "level of safety".

Is my suspicion that the phrases have different meanings correct?


texts:
Most Christmas pudding recipes call for both sultanas and raisins.

It is my understanding that a raisin refers to any dried grape.

A sultana is both the name of a seedless grape, originating from Smyrna in eastern Turkey, and the name of the raisin deriving from that grape.

I think Americans call them all raisins anyway, so that the Australian breakfast cereal Sultana Bran is known as Raisin Bran in the USA.

But I am still puzzled as to why recipes specify both sultanas and raisins. The sultanas are much nicer than the seeded raisins, and I can't think it would be to the detriment of the Christmas pudding if you included all sultanas.

And before some boring individual observes that 'this is off-topic because it is about cookery, not the English language', I would also be interested to know if the origin of sultana has anything to do with the wife or concubine of a sultan. The OED supplies nothing on etymology.


texts:
annual growth of [over 7 percent]

What do you think the part of "over" is?

Is "over" considered the preposition of the object "7 percent"?

  over [7 percent]

Or, is "over" considered the adverb modifying the adjective "7" in front of the noun "percent"?

  [over 7] percent

Which one is right?


texts: Which one sounds better: schedule at a time slot or schedule to a time slot?

texts:
Which one sounds better?

  schedule something at a time slot

or

  schedule something to a time slot


texts:
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 335) says:

  A count noun denotes a class of individuated entities of the same kind. Boy, for example, denotes the class of boys. The individual entities are atomic in the sense that they cannot be divided into smaller parts of the same kind as the whole. A boy consists of parts -- head, arms, legs, etc. -- but these parts are not themselves boys.

So the singular count noun boy denotes a class of individuated entities of the same kind (e.g., the class of boys).

Now, does the plural count noun boys denote a class of individuated entities of the same kind (e.g., the class of boys) as well?

Or does it denote individuated entities of the same kind?

If a plural count noun such as boys doesn't denote a class of boys, does it mean that CGEL's statement about a count noun denoting "a class of individuated entities of the same kind" is applicable to singular count nouns but not to plural count nouns?


texts: Are there connotations of subtotals in the phrase "add up the total"?

texts:
Does the phrase "add up the total" typically have a connotation that, from the list of all the numbers being added, there are some particular subtotals that either have already been calculated or at least could in principle be calculated?

Or is the phrase often used in cases where there are no meaningful subtotals that one could be interested in calculating from the list of numbers?


texts: Is there a term for the silent letters in a word?

texts:
Such letters are employed in spelling but are not pronounced, and English offers a wealth of examples more than any other language .

most final "b's" preceded by "m" (dumb, climb, thumb, etc)
most "k's" followed by "n" (knob, knight, knee, etc)
most "gh's" followed by "t" (night, thought, right, fight, etc)
most "l's" in "al" followed by "m" (calm, palm, almond - BrE, psalm, qualm, balm, alms, salmon, etc)
the "h" in certain words (hour, heir, honor, honest, ghost, exhausted, vehicle, etc)
etc.

Is there a phonetical term for them?

EDIT - The above examples have been given only for the sake of illustration.  The question is about a phonetic term for silent letters.


texts: Grammatical term for topicizing in English: Thing, question/statement about thing

texts:
I'm looking for the name of a style of sentence construction.

"That word; I do not think it means what you think it means."

(I know that is not the correct quote. Moving on)

ASL has a common structure of topicizing: presenting the emphasized part of a sentence first, and then talking about it: "CAT, DOG CHASE" means "The dog chased the cat", or more accurately, "The cat, the dog chased it". This emphasizes the cat rather than the more straightforward "DOG CHASE CAT".

Is it just anastrophe or do we have a more specific term?


texts: What's the difference between "general" and "generic"?

texts: What is the difference between them? Do they have different meanings? When should I use "general" or "generic"?


texts: I would like to know whether these phrases "English Department" and "Department of English" have the same meaning. Thanks!


texts:
I once came across a word in English that is used to describe the following situation:

When a word in one language means something rude when pronounced the same way in another language. An example could be "kiss" in English which means "Pee" in Swedish.

I've desperately tried to find out what that word is but with no luck.

Can anyone help?


texts: A single word for someone who is fluent in only one foreign language?

texts: I know you can say bilingual, trillingual, multilingual. But what if I want to emphasise the number (only one) of foreign language, rather than the total number of languages one can speak?


texts: Using the gerund as an English analogue of Russian verbal participles

texts:
Could you please verify that using the gerund is normal as an analogue of Russian verbal participles in the following phrase:

The device automatically estimates calories, consumed from food, basing on data from bioimpedance sensor.

**UPD:**So, the main thing is that
"...estimates ... based..." seems like there have to be NOUN instead of "estimates"
and "...estimates...basing..." looks very similar to gerund, like in
"I like skating"/"I estimate basing"


texts: what are the differences between "past week" and "last week"?

texts:
What are the the differences in meaning between the following phrases:

  past week

And

  last week

Please try to explain it with as many examples as possible!


texts:
Which of the following statements is correct?

a) 7 is the smallest and 9 is the greatest number

or

b) 7 is the smallest and 9 is the largest number

The research so far indicates that both terms largest and greatest are used in educational material. Largest implies size, but greater implies value, so greater seems more appropriate when dealing with abstract concepts. I am interested in why one may be more appropriate than the other when dealing with young learners, keeping in mind common misconceptions that children can make.


texts: Is there a term for the stereotypical Japanese ghost girl with a white dress and long black hair that mostly covers her face?

texts:
There were a slew of Hollywood remakes of Japanese horror films that featured a similar ghost archetype. The most notable examples are (warning, links are images of examples)  The Ring and The Grudge.

The common traits are:

White dress
Long black hair that mostly covers her face
A small girl
Stilted movements
Usually has really dirty clothes, hair and skin
Usually out for revenge of some kind

Is there a term for this type of character that is more specific than "ghost"? When I think of "ghosts" in American culture I don't think of these girls.


texts: What is the difference between “serious” and “self-serious”

texts:
I encountered this descriptor in an essay about "bitcoin carnivores":

  The idea is simple: Use only Bitcoin, eat only meat. The espoused benefits are as much spiritual as they are financial and physical, and its advocates are self-serious. source

None of the dictionaries I ordinarily consult have a definition for self-serious, though Wordnik has some examples:

  the show is ostensibly set in Portland, OR, but acts more broadly as a parody/homage to the "self-serious liberal" culture that can be found in many towns.

  Presented without commentary, the most absurd, comical, self-serious and/or humorless moments from the pilot episode of "Smash."

  After all, if ribbing of the sort Huddleston gets from @PrezHuddleston whose true identity remains a mystery to its muse stakes its humor on the notion that college presidents are stodgy and self-serious, then attempting to silence those satirists outright might reinforce the stereotype.

It seems like it has something to do with how seriously something takes itself, but I'm uncertain how self-seriousness is different from regular seriousness. Can something be self-serious but not serious, or serious but not self-serious?

Is self-seriousness actually a descriptor for a distinct kind of seriousness, or is it more a way for the writer to demonstrate a negative opinion about the seriousness? That is, by describing something as "self-serious" does a writer mean to say the subject takes itself seriously but the writer does not?

Is there a formal definition of self-serious in any particular field of study or inquiry, or is its use entirely informal?


texts: Tasks for tutorial class sessions, not at home

texts:
Writing worksheets for students at university, I'd like to distinguish tasks intended to be solved in tutorial classes from tasks intended as homework. What would be the appropriate term to refer to non-homework tasks intended for class?

So far my worksheets have been in German, and the term I used was “Präsenzaufgaben”, meaning tasks (“Aufgaben”) intended for when people are present (noun “Präsenz”) in class. But your solution need not be a close translation of this as long as the meaning is clear or the term is established. Preferably both.


texts:
I have recently completed a 'Lean' project on enhancing customer experience in a Hospice.
Before submitting my report, I was taking a stock of the various signage at the hospital.

A few of them read as follows:

Wheel-Chair-Area
Disabled batch holders only
Spastic Center
Disabled people

Are there some commonly-identified-substitute words which would appear politically correct and does not emphasize on the impairment?


texts: Is there a word with the meaning to mix "s" and "th" when pronounced?

texts: I remember I have met a word which means people cannot distinguish "th" from "s" when they speak but now I can't recollect it. So I need some help here. Does anyone know that word? P.S. It is a single word~


texts: Did gamblers get their lingo "hijacked?"

texts:
The earliest reference to "hijack" that OED lists is from 1923.

  1923   Lit. Digest 4 Aug. 51/3   ‘I would have had $50,000,’ said Jimmy, ‘if I hadn't been hijacked.’

But the etymology is listed as unknown.

Interestingly, I found several newspaper references to a poker game robbery in 1920 that seem to antedate the OED quote, although they all used a hyphen.

The Democrat-American 09 Jan 1920, Fri (paywall)

Looking further, I found a 1916 newspaper reference to "hijacks," also referring to a poker game.

Muskogee County Democrat (Muskogee, Oklahoma) 30 Nov 1916, Thu (paywall)

Given that these references are poker-related, my immediate hunch was that the term may have originated as a gambling term.  This doesn't seem far-fetched to me; Winning a poker hand with a high-card jack would be a figurative robbery of sorts in some poker variants.

Etymonline offers an alternative explanation:

  American English, perhaps from high(way) + jacker "one who holds up" (agent noun from jack (v.)).

This explanation makes sense but appears to me to be a little bit misleading.  It makes it sound as though "jacker" meant "someone who holds people up," i.e. robs them, but it actually seems to refer to "jack" as in "to hoist something up on a jack."

Having researched this into the two separate directions, I thought it was time to post a question.

Is there any corroborating or invalidating evidence to the theory that "hijack" could have started as a gambling term?
Is there evidence beyond speculation that it derives from hoisting a stolen good up with a jack?


texts: Is developing an insight for someone the same as accepting them?

texts:
A definition of insight is:

  The capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing.

So according to this, if you develop an insight for a person, it means you've developed an understanding of the person. And an understanding of someone can lead to acceptance? For example, would it be correct to say,

  After refusing to accept Ben as his son for years, Jack finally developed an insight for Ben (and accepted him as his son).

Edit: Can you develop an insight for someone? After rereading, that part seems a little iffy.


texts: Plagiarism: How to cite the citation of your source?

texts:
I am being prosecuted by my school for plagiarism. However, I had no idea I was plagiarizing. They claim I incorrectly cited my source. But I beg to differ.

Generally, how does one cite a source's quote that is cited elsewhere in said source?

The example for which I am subject to prosecution:
Talking about the negative effects of pornography, I found the article  “7 Negative Effects of Porn”. In this article, I found the following quote:

  As men fall deeper into the mental habit of fixating on [pornographic images], the exposure to them creates neural pathways. Like a path is created in the woods with each successive hiker, so do the neural paths set the course for the next time an erotic image is viewed. Over time these neural paths become wider as they are repeatedly traveled with each exposure to pornography. They become the automatic pathway through which interactions with women are routed

In the article above, the author cites this specific quote as (Wired For Intimacy, 85). So, as that does not belong to the author of the article, that is how I cited that quote in my project.

If anyone has insight into this exceedingly peculiar and special case, please share. I am really looking for some clarity.


texts: Use and position of the adverb "instead" when introducing the second of two items

texts:
Is the use of the adverb instead appropriate, and correct, in the last of the following three sentences?

  The top half of the figure shows the service provided by the system in
  a first, generic scenario. It is easy to see that the system …. The
  bottom half of the figure shows instead the service provided by the
  system in a second, more complex scenario.

If the adverb instead is appropriate in the last sentence, must/should it however be moved elsewhere, or must the sentence be changed in some other way?

If it is not correct to use instead in that sentence, what would be the best ways to introduce the second item in the above example?

Thanks.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How should I punctuate around quotes?

How does one punctuate a sentence that contains a quotation in the middle?

For example, is it:

  1) Those who say, "My system is foolproof," are underestimating the ingenuity of fools.

or

  2) Those who say, "My system is foolproof" are underestimating the ingenuity of fools.

or

  3) Those who say "My system is foolproof" are underestimating the ingenuity of fools.

?


texts: "Write in the language you are writing" or "... you are writing in"?

texts:
So, I'm watching this lecture. One of the slides (at minute 27) in that lecture contains this sentence:

  "Write in the language you are writing."

But shouldn't it be:

  "Write in the language you are writing in."

It's about a programming language. Programmers write in that programming language. They do not write that programming language.


texts: Difference between he/him in nominative case?

texts:
So I sat through a presentation on APA wherein the professor was stressing to us the importance of proper writing as pertaining to turning in assignments (which I think was basically telling the lowest common denominator of the class not to turn in papers riddled with "LOL IDK" but it had some decent points too).

One of her example grammar slides was a true/false question of whether the phrase The president should be him. was correct. I would argue that it is not correct, since "should be" is a form of "is" and thus the sentence would be in the nominative case and the pronoun would be the predicate, thus making the sentence The president should be he. instead, able to be flipped around to say He should be president. I believe she thought that the pronoun was the object of the verb in the accusative case and she was simply incorrect.

Is either of us right in this case, or is it something that has just blended into relative obscurity whereby it really just doesn't matter colloquially? I couldn't find any examples online that used similar structure.


texts:
It is far easier to provide an example for what I am trying to describe than to try and articulate it:

Example:

Scholar A: "Wow. That new study from University X is getting a lot of attention."

Scholar B: "I don't get what's so great about it. It doesn't seem that revolutionary to me."

Scholar A: "It's not. It's only receiving this much attention because University X is so prestigious."

Scholar B: "Ah. You mean the blank effect?"

I can't quite place my finger on it, but I know there is some pithy expression to describe this phenomenon.

Note:
"Looking for idiom/expression to describe an instance where one makes something seem better than it really is" is not quite what I am referring to, as the study was not deliberately "fluffed up".


texts: The property of a variable that is either discrete or continuous

texts: For example, the arity property of a function might be unary or binary.  The (???) property of a variable might be discrete or continuous?


texts: What is the origin of the slang term “book” meaning “leave” or “hurry”?

texts:
This verb is used in expressions such as “I’ll see you later – gotta book now”.

Dictionary.com has:

  Slang. b. to leave; depart: I’m bored with this party, let’s book.¹

Anybody know the origin of this slang term?


texts: The position of ‘constantly’ in "would be being used"

texts:
Personal computers first made their appearance in the home in the
  1970s, but surely few people would have been able to
  imagine then that the home computer could evolve into the
  super-fast, super-sleek machines of today. Nor could they have even thought that handheld mobile gadgets would [use constantly] by
  all of us, in our desperation to keep up with everything
  from office correspondence to world news.

The answer key to this exercise mentions only 2 correct answers–'would be being used constantly' or 'would constantly be being used' both of which sound really awkward to me and like something I'd never say. I'd prefer

  Nor could they have even thought that handheld mobile gadgets would be used constantly by all of us

What is wrong with this answer? I'm sorry but to me, this sounds like the most elegant and the only possible answer yet the answer key disagrees. Any thoughts on why?


texts:
I have a question about the pronunciation between “I die” and “I’d die”. If I consider linking words and link the “d” in “I’d and the d in “die”, the pronunciation of I DIE and I’D DIE would be the same. Would I only get either by the context?

Thank u.


texts:
After beginning a sentence with "The question is," should the question itself use inverted or straight syntax?

  The question is, when is it worth doing, and when is it not?
  The question is when it is worth doing, and when it is not."


texts:
I remember something like "fighting fire with fire", but I'm not sure if it's a common saying in English, or in my native language. Are there any other sayings that explain this kind of siutation?

Thanks,


texts: American English: Must I always use a singular pronoun with a collective noun?

texts:
Here's the stretch of text that I'm struggling with:

The [company] team and the [client] team will formally
introduce themselves and explain their roles to one another. The
[company] team will share its preferred ways of working and
map out the phases of the project for the [client] team to help
it understand what will be expected of it.

Have I used the correct pronouns here? I'm used to using UK English, so it sounds much better for me to use plural pronouns (i.e. "share their preferred ways of working" and "help them to understand what will be expected of them". But I'm writing for a US audience. Does American English have a different approach to pronoun usage?


texts: Is virus a countable or non-countable noun?

texts:
I have read that virus is both a countable and non-countable noun. I am therefore unsure which of the following is grammatically correct.

There are six types of computer virus available.
There are six types of computer viruses available.

My initial thought was to go with the first. The second simply doesn't seem right to me. Also to clarify, I'm referring to a computer virus.


texts:
A student I have been volunteering with wrote the following in his essay:

  We really enjoyed the cruise and also the islands where we visited last week.

To  my ear the use of where doesn't sound right. I would use which.

However, after searching various resources I found a couple of websites which stated that we use where when it is followed by a subject/ verb pair and which is used when it is the subject.

This doesn't seem to work here.

Can someone please tell me why.  Thanks


texts: When saying, for example, "Isn't that your mother?" versus "Is that your mother?" Is the former  sentence more effective because of the negative?


texts: What does 'do not insist that' means in this context

texts:
We also do not insist that you type your solutions. As usual, you are responsible for ensuring your submitted solutions are easily legible.

After some search on internet, I found following similar sentenses

do not wish that
do not contend that
do not argue that
do not allege that
do not suggest
do not say that
do not recommend that

Does this means it's better to type the solution, but we don't have to type it; or it means not recommend to type the solution?


texts:
The following is from LSAT 45, LR1, Question 16, Answer choice C:

Most successful writers' judgments of their recently completed work is unnecessarily harsh and is often later revised.

Shouldn't "is" be "are" in both instances?


texts:
What is the meaning of "to be next into the breach" in the following examples?

  There's a blue flame from, I think, an oxygen tank. Carter finds Lisa
  on the floor and asks her if her neck is okay; she nods. Luka is next
  into the breach, and asks Carter whether Lisa's airway is clear[.]

  The idea that English has more than one declarative “mood” has been
  dismissed as superstitious by empirically-minded grammarians of
  English for centuries [. . .]. Let me be next into the breach.

  But let's be of good cheer: looks like Newt the execrable is next into
  the breach as the transitory not-Mitt.

I can sort of grasp the overall meaning—it seems to me that a simple next would do the job in all the examples above—but I can't figure out its connotation: what does "into the breach" add to the sense? Does this idiom change its meaning according to the context?


texts: What's the correct pronoun for "people like us"?

texts: In the sentence "people like us never wash […] hands", should the pronoun be "our" or "their"?


texts: What website will give me the frequency of a word in the English language?

texts:
Is there a website that will give me a frequency of a word in the English language?
I am looking for some thing like this: I would type in the word, and it would give me a frequency rating.

I have seen one before that had something like 80,000 words, but I just can't seem to find it anymore.

Update:
I think the problem with these frequency lists is that they are not accurate enough, because some words are also used as Proper Nouns, and that skews the numbers. For example, the word "bracken" is rarely used in its original meaning "fern", but it is frequently used as a last name. If you take that into consideration, then you can see a more accurate number.


texts:
I googled "doublespeak", and I got this:

  A false Etemology?
  The word "doublespeak" wasn't "coined in the early 1950's" (I'm on shaky ground here but I doubt if anyone can show me a cite much before 1990)

  I guess this could be checked in LexusNexus or similar. Mememe 14:28, 26 Sep 2005 (EDT)
  Interestingly, this apparently goes back to 1974:

I also looked in the dictionary, but it gave the date of:

  Origin:
  1950–55; double + speak, by analogy with doublethink

I looked further and came up with this:

  Because of my erroneous memory, I thought that 'doublespeak' actually appeared and hence was defined in 1984. But from the Wikipedia entry, I learn that it "was coined in the early 1950s", and is "often incorrectly attributed to George Orwell" (as was done by me).

Which stated that George Orwell did not come up with this phrase. But then the following really confused me:

  •"Doublespeak is not a term invented by George Orwell, but we surely nod to him for its origin, since he did invent 'doublethink' and 'newspeak' for his political novel 1984"
  (Paul Wasserman and Don Hausrath, Weasel Words: The Dictionary of American Doublespeak. Capital Books, 2006)

So what exactly is the origin of the term "doublespeak"?


texts: 3rd conditional form ("If I had X, I would ..."?)

texts:
If I had learnt that, I would have been doing much better right now.

Is that correct? If not, how do you say it correctly?


texts: What is the meaning of this sentence. Is it just like "I understand you", or like "I agree with you".  Does it implies only that you´re getting what the other person says or that you feel the same way?


texts: A word to describe someone constantly seeking bewilderment

texts: So, Jason Silva coined the noun "wonderjunkie" to define this exact thing. However, I'm wondering if there's any adjective in ANY language to describe someone who is in constant search of awe, someone who constantly seeks to be in a state of bewilderment. Anyone????


texts:
From the ECMAScript language specification ECMA-262 page 1 Section 4

  This section contains a non-normative overview of the ECMAScript
  language

The text goes on to say

  ECMAScript is an object-oriented programming language for performing
  computations...

What does "non-normative" mean in this context?


texts:
Is there any idiom to describe something that happened recently? I am looking for something exactly synonymous with "recently", I googled it alot, however i didn't find what exactly i was looking for.

Example Sentence:

  It happened ____________ [recently].

(please provide a accurate replacement of the word "recently", A word or idiom that could be used as an exact alternative)


texts: Comma after a dialogue tag to avoid confusion?

texts:
“Joe,” I called, the moment I could open my mouth. “An army. There’s an army out there."

My beta reader is unsure about the comma after 'I called'. I think it should be included because 'I called the moment...' could throw the reader, if only for a second. However, he found the comma very jarring.

Should it be included or not?

Note: I looked at the help center, and I believe this question is on topic, as it is a specific question about a particular point in my text, as mentioned under 'How can I ask about checking my text?' However, if it's still off topic, just let me know.


texts: Can you please help me to find the noun of the verb "is" in the following sentence?

texts:
I can not tell what the noun for the verb is in of what is is here in this long sentence from an eponymous 2001 book on Andy Warhol by DHD Buchloh:

  I shall, however, want to claim that there is a dominant trend toward the representation of a body-in-pieces, of what is, in Kleinian theory, termed the part object, that runs, like an insistent thread, a sustained subtext, through much of American artistic production (and through its painting and sculpture, in particular) in the 1950s and 1960s.


texts: Are there previous formulations of this quote from George R.R. Martin

texts:
I love this quote from George R.R. Martin — 'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.'

I just learned today of a similar formulation from St. Augustine - 'The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page'

After many google searches I've been unable to find a quote that more closely matches Martin's but predates it.  Confirmation that Martin originated this form would make me equally happy as learning of another earlier phrasing of the quote.

I should make it clear that I am interested in similar meaning as well as similar phrasing.  I find that the frequently mentioned quote from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is almost opposite in meaning: 'Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.'


texts: Which is the past participle of spit: spat or spit? And how many examples can we come up with where a verb is changed in the simple past but unchanged(spelt like in the present) in the past participle?


texts: Difference between retiring and withdrawing a sports team from a season

texts:
What is the correct verb to say when a sports team decides to not take part in the running season: withdraw or retire?
Is there a difference between withdrawal and retirement of teams in the sports context?

Update:
The regarding sport is handball. Sometimes during the season, teams break up or lose players because of injuries or when many players leave a team.
The context is not a single game, but over the time of a season.


texts: Faulty Parallelism3: to 'while' or not to 'while'

texts:
The problem sentence:

  I have always liked thinking through complicated problems to find
  creative solutions, be they in a mathematics class or while
  helping a friend.

I wrote this sentence for a personal statement; however, someone pointed out that the portion after the comma (bold) was incorrect. He said that the phrases on each side of the 'or' should be parallel in structure. So, if I was using 'in a mathematics class' (a prepositional phrase) before the 'or', I should use a prepositional phrase after the 'or' as well. He recommended that I drop the 'while' altogether (because it's not a preposition) or replace it with a preposition. Is he correct or should I leave the sentence as is?


texts: my friend (he's from Europe, white in his 20s) was in the U.S. a while ago and went to a diner a few times. A woman there (in her late 40s, most likely), kept calling him ''honey'' and ''sweetie'' every time he entered the diner. He did not know how to respond and found it polite, but kept wondering if it's not giving him some sort of emasculating treatment at the same time. To be fair, he does have a bit of feminine features, but nothing in-your-face. So, what do you think? Was it just politeness or was that also a show of dominance, some sort of weird flirt, maybe? Cheers!


texts:
Words ending in -icious seem to be almost entirely negative.

vicious
malicious
pernicious
avaricious
suspicious

I can think of "delicious" which doesn't follow the negative connotation pattern.
The -cious ending is pretty sibilant, which I know is generally associated with evil.
But I wonder if these words all have some common origin? Why are they so disproportionately negative?


texts: Alternatives - I am successful now "thanks to" my friend

texts:
I would like to ask which words can be used instead of thanks to in such as sentences that carry affirmative connotation as in the following.

  I am successful now thanks to my friend, who has been always kind to
  me.

Especially what I am asking is which ones are suitable for affirmative sentences : owing to, due to, because of,for the sake of, on account of or other words


texts: How to create inline reference to all preceding items?

texts:
I need to create a list of items where each item is associated with a descriptive clause that comes at the end of the list. One way to accomplish this is with formatting. E.g.,

  If Client does not pay, Provider may immediately suspend Client's account which may include:

  revoking user access;
  suspending any open campaigns; and
  excluding Client's content

  in connection to the purchased services.

Each numbered clause should be read in conjunction with the "flush language" (i.e., the descriptive clause at the end of the list). So "revoking user access ... in connection with the purchased services." The question is, if I wanted to do this all inline (with no indents or formatting tricks) what punctuation would be best?


texts: "Amendment" or "Addendum" for book correction

texts:
A clarification of a European building code has been issued, therefore a separate correction for the book is released. What would this correction be called?

I have had the words amendment and addendum suggested from different sources.


texts: Where did we get the "fours" in "on all fours"?

texts:
To walk or crawl "on all fours" means to get about on hands and knees like a four-legged animal, or the process of locomotion by such an animal itself.

The word four can be used as a determiner to describe a quantity of items, in which case the noun is plural: four bricks, four beers, four colors. But somehow, in the expression "on all fours" the plurality has shifted from the noun (presumably legs in this case) to the determiner itself. I can think of no other case where this has happened.

From Etymonline's entry on four:

  To be on all fours is from 1719; earlier on all four (14c.).

So somehow it got from a shortening of (again presumably) "on all four legs" to "on all four"; then at some point during the next several hundred years, mirabile dictu, somehow the s migrated from legs to fours.

I'm looking for where and how this could have happened. Please do not respond to tell me what the phrase means or anything like that. I only want to know how the s got transferred from noun to number, or examples of other words that have undergone a similar progression, should any exist.


texts: Should I use "the" in domain name ant slogan?

texts: I have a slogan "Learn from the best" for my project and have bought domain name learnfrombest.com. While I'm not a native english speaker, I'm not sure it sounds good enough. I chosen domain name without article "the", but does it will be OK to use slogan also without "the"? it would be "Learn From Best"? Does it sound good? Thank you!!


texts: What is called when someone tries to change another into their ideal?

texts:
This question did not give me the answer I am looking for.
Recently, I watched an episode of an anime called 'Jaku-chara Tomozaki-kun' and seeing how the female lead was acting towards the male lead made me uncomfortable. From the first episode, she is seen imposing her ideals on him. I went on to a related site and I found out that she is trying to turn him into her ideal man. What I wanted to know is that what this behaviour is called is there a word for it? Something that came to mind was 'Indoctrination' but it didn't feel quite right so I wanted to ask here.


texts: Should I use a semicolon or a comma when listing the features of a room?

texts:
I have two options:

  Features: Hot water; Cold water;

or

  Features: Hot water, Cold water

Can someone explain why I should perhaps use one of these instead of the other. I have looked for more information on this but what I find so far only really applies to clauses and not to one or two word strings.


texts:
In order to refer to something across all the sub-projects or areas of the project.
What else could be one-word or an efficient way of saying, "You are going to work pan-project"?


texts: Is the word "psithurism" really used in English?

texts:
 I have seen people using this word to refer to the sound wind makes  as it moves through trees. However,
1. No reputable dictionary seems to have acknowledged this term as a valid english word.
2. Even Google Ngram seems to agree on its oddness.


texts: Name for an item that is out of tolerance or over a threshold

texts:
I'm looking for a word to name an item that is outside a set tolerance. For example, I have to place a signpost within 3 feet of a building but I put it 4 feet away. That signpost is outside the tolerance, it goes over the allowed threshold, it is a(n)...

I was thinking it's "an outlier" or "a deviant" but those don't seem to quite meet the case, and a thesaurus search didn't turn up anything else.

It's for a term in a software dialog, so I'm looking for something short and sweet. Like "Process Deviants (Y/N)" - but not deviant because a) it sounds stupid, and b) it doesn't imply over a tolerance limit (which is important here).

Any suggestions? I'm hoping that there is such a word and that someone knows it!


texts: Which verb defines the tense of a sentence?

texts:
I need to categorise an assortment of statements based on their tense and a few of them I am struggling to categorise.
Take the following sentence:

John needs to make a slight improvement to achieve the grade he was aiming for in Mathematics

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe there are three verbs tenses in this sentence:
needs to - future present tense
achieve - present tense
was aiming for - past tense
Which verb in this sentence defines what tense it is? Is there a simple set of rules one can follow to define the tense of a sentence?
Thank you.


texts:
The body of this question is divided into four sections: Exercise, Theoretical context, Answer and Questions. I believe this is the right site to ask given that this is a question about "word choice and usage" (from the help center).

Exercise

In this textbook I'm working on, I encountered an exercise in which I must choose one of the following sentences:

  a) I will do my packing this afternoon, if I can find my suitcase.

  b) I am doing my packing this afternoon, if I can find my suitcase.

There is no more context surrounding this sentence, it's a multiple choice question.

Theoretical context

In the relevant grammar section is says the following about the two tenses.

  Will + infinitive

  to predict what is going to happen based on past
  experience or opinion

    You must go to India - you'll enjoy it.

  in more formal contexts for arrangements which have
  been made in some detail

    The tour will begin at 9. 30 and all visitors to the site will
    need to wear good walking shoes.

  for decisions which are made on the spur of the moment

    I think I'll go to Paris next weekend.

  Present continuous

  to talk about activities or events which have already been
  arranged or are definite. The future continuous can also
  be used in this context. It is a little more formal.

    I'm travelling on the Orient Express to Venice.
    I'll be travelling on the Orient Express to Venice.

  to avoid going to + go we can use the present continuous
  form of go instead

    He's going climbing in the Alps next summer.

  for surprising or unexpected events

    Paula is taking her mother on her honeymoon!

Answer

Given that it's not a prediction, not a formal a context, nor does it seem to be a decision made on the spur of the moment, I lean towards the use of the present continuous.

Investigating the present continuous gives me even greater confidence that this is the right choice, since we're talking "about activities or events which have already been arranged".

However, the solution given in the book is a), "will do".

Questions

Isn't the book contradicting itself by choosing a)?
What is the correct answer?
What did I miss?


texts: "Didn't want to do X until Y happened" vs. "hadn't wanted to do X until Y happened"

texts:
Which answer is correct?

  Tony _______to have children until his little daughter was born. After
  she won his heart, he decided he wanted a big family.

  A. didn't want.
  B. hadn't wanted.

This is a multiple choice question from the Understanding and Using English Grammar Workbook 3rd edition by Betty Azar. To me, both answers are correct as I cannot see the diffrence. Please show me the wrong option to delete.


texts: Improved variations of the word "comicist"?

texts:
I believe the word comicist is a valid word (for one who is a follower of comics), but it doesn't sound right to me.

Example sentence:

  He was an accomplished comicist after decades of working in the industry.

ist definition:

  a follower of a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy, typically a political ideology or an artistic movement.

Some words sound natural with ist, such as cartoonist and scientist. But the ist added to comic sounds contrived.

Are there any alternatives with the same meaning? Are there rules for adding letters to ist to improve pronunciation?


texts: How to use "We do not [list of items]" with "nor" suffix for emphasis correctly

texts:
I have a sentence of the form:
"We do not [action1], [action2], nor do we [action3]"
example: "We do not eat apples, pick oranges, nor do we care for pears."
Is this grammatically correct? How should I use the nor at the end for emphasis?


texts:
In a comment to a recent question, a user explained that while the verb swing may mean "to move backwards and forwards on a seat called a swing", he went on to say that "[n]ormally, people in the UK say 'They're going on the swings' / 'She's playing on the swing' rather than describing the actual motion."

This is all very confusing to me, because in my mother tongue we directly describe the motion and do not use constructions like "go on" or "play on". So I'm wondering: If the verb swing does have the cited meaning of sitting on a swing and moving, but it is not commonly used to express that meaning, in what contexts would one actually use the verb swing with that meaning.

If, for example, a parent from the UK wanted to ask their child whether she wanted to sit on a swing and swing, would they say:

Would you like to swing?
Would you like to go on the swings?   (is the plural correct)
Would you like to play on the swing?   (why singular here?)

I tried googling these and similar phrases, but the results were unconclusive.


texts:
A juxtaposition of two of today's questions,
Hyphenate or not and What does "zazzy" mean?, prompts this one. Shouldn't one use a hyphen? Or is there a pun I'm missing?


texts: When a person is completely entranced by the monotony of - for example - a road

texts:
I remember reading about a psychological effect that can happen to - for example - drivers, when they are driving on a monotonous road, where they are completely entranced by the monotony of that road. This most often happens at night, because it makes drives even more boring. The effect can lead to accidents because the driver is oblivious to what's happening around them.

I just can't remember the word. Any ideas?


texts: Who uses 'inveritable' and 'inveritably'?

texts:
Does anyone here use inveritable in the sense of unavoidable, or the usual occurrence?

I have heard people say things like:

  It was inveritable that the manager would have to leave after the team lost 10-0.

People will speak of an 'inveritable outcome'.

  He inveritably arrives half an hour late.

Perhaps I am confusing this with invariably?

I was surprised to find that I could not find the word in a mainstream dictionary, only in an on-line urban dictionary.

Does anyone else use it in this way?


texts:
A question in an English exercise book puzzled me.

The instruction is "Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first, using the word in bold. Use between two and five words."

The question is

  I'm certain Emily realises that she's made a mistake.
  must
  Emily _____________________ that she's made a mistake.

The model answer reads "must realise"

"Must realise" sounds like "has to realise" here to me. I am not sure whether my judgment is correct. I am more inclined to "must have realised" (though the tense has changed), followed by "must be realising" (continuous tense for realise is not quite natural to me) .

My question is, can "Emily must realise that she's made a mistake" mean "I'm certain Emily realises that she's made a mistake"?


texts: What is the term when a phrase means just the opposite of what it used to mean?

texts: 'At glacial speed' used to mean something that went very slowly, but with global warming, the glaciers are retreating at a much greater and increasingly faster rate. What is the term that describes this change in phrase usage?


texts: "floors curving upward" vs. "floors that curved upward"

texts:
Is the phrase "18th century wagons had floors curving upward" grammatically correct?

Does curving need to be a different tense? Why or why not?


texts:
I have known for years that sentences do not have to contain the objects. But there are some problems I am facing with great difficulty. For example, sentences below make perfect sense.

  I missed by a big margin.

  I played with passion.

  I wrote like a real writer.

  I sat.

But some of these sentences without objects do not make sense AT ALL.

  I got.

  I made.

  I show.

Not only do these sentences sound like cavemen, those sentences do not seem to be grammatically correct. Why is that?


texts: What are the differences between "impolite" and "unpolite"?

texts:
Definition of impolite in OD:

  not having or showing good manners; rude.

Definition of unpolite in TFD:

  Not polite; impolite; rude.


texts: The future perfect continuous - prediction what was happening in the past

texts:
Here it says that the Future Perfect Continuous can be also used to predict what was happening in the past.

  “What do you think the men were doing in the store room?” “Don’t
  worry. They will have been unpacking boxes.”

  What do you think those men were doing in Charles’s garden yesterday?
  I expect they’ll have been doing some gardening.

How come a future tense describes the past?
Are there any good alternatives? I mean different tense for the particular exemplary sentences.


texts: English equivalent for the german term "Bestellrunde"

texts:
The German term "Bestellrunde" literally translates as "order round/turn" or "a round/turn of orders".
It implies a request to consumers/customers to place their order within a given period of time to take part in (what I would call) a bulk order, often orchestrated by a single person or entity.
This may happen multiple times (thus the connotation of rounds/turns) but always in a discrete fashion.
As an example: Think of a group of women at a Tupperware party. The Tupperware "consultant" takes each guest's order that night (the first "Bestellrunde"). Weeks later the "consultant" would contact that night's guests by phone, offering them a chance to place another order (the second "Bestellrunde").


texts: Is there a preposition that combines "to" and "from"?

texts:
I am looking for a word to use in a class name (programming).

To make the example more meaningful in this community, let's say this is about language translating.

Let's say there is one class that is called EnglishToFrench, which can translate from English to French, and another class EnglishFromFrench (or FrenchToEnglish), which can translate from French to English.

Now I want to create a new class that can translate in both directions.

The best I can come up with so far is EnglishVsFrench. But this is not really it.

Is there anything closer to what I am looking for? Ideally something short and catchy..

Notes:

I think in my native language (German) there is no such preposition.
The real use case is something like type casting, so StringToObject, ObjectToString, String?Object. But don't spend too much thought on this.


texts: My question is about the definition and use of the words 'have' and 'been'

texts: I have been trying to explain the words 'have' and 'been' to someone who has learnt English as a second language.  In trying to explain them, I've realised I don't really understand the meaning or function of the words individually, myself.  Having only ever spoken English, I just know that a whole sentence using the words will mean something but I am struggling to define the words seperately.  For example, 'I have been sent a letter.'  What do the words 'have' and 'been' actually mean in this sentence?


texts: When writing a formal report is it bad to make up names when giving an example?

texts:
I was giving an example and was trying to immerse the reader in the experience as much as possible and made up a man's name.

  Consider the following example: Joseph is testing a program built for
  Windows XP.

I was told not to use the name Joseph but use "the client". What difference does this make and how do I know when it's inappropriate to use people's names when giving an example?


texts: Is "I wish to" more peremptory than "I would like to"?

texts:
Would you say that "I wish" carries some sort of peremptory tone, or none at all?  The difference being in the context of a presentation:

"I wish to introduce an idea" vs. "I would like to introduce an idea".

Which one would carry less hesitation?


texts: Implying the idiom "just shy of (something)" with hyphenation

texts:
Since, I am constantly redirected to this site for my many, many questions and I am an aspiring author, I shall make my first post a query.

When using the idiom "just shy of (something)" would it be incorrect to simplify or imply the idiom with hyphenation?  And if so, why?

(The rest was just shy of an hour and revitalized him.)
vs.
(The hour-shy rest revitalized him.)

Thank you for your wisdom and time.
~e


texts: What is the origin of the phrase "There goes the neighborhood" and does it have racial connotations?

texts: I understood the meaning of the phrase to be relatively benign and mostly used facetiously. Can it be viewed as offensive in contemporary conversation?


texts: "Feasible", "possible" or "potential" solution

texts:
I am trying to understand the difference, if any, between feasible, possible and potential. Most online dictionaries report them as synonyms. Is this right?

More specifically, I want to use these terms in the context of a maximization problem (that is a mathematical problem where a user-defined function should be maximized with respect to some input variables). Referring to all the input combinations of the function, which term should I use? Or is it simply a matter of style?

The phrase reads:

  The variables define the search space which includes all the ... voltage patterns.

*I control the voltage patterns. The goal is to find the voltage pattern that maximizes my function.

P.S. I have also encountered the term candidate solutions to describe the possible solutions.


texts: Is there a known style guide or documented set of stylistic rules for the English language that Queen Elizabeth II and/or her office uses in emitted correspondence?  Is there any way to know how QE2 would write something without digging through old correspondence for similar uses?


texts: Is it spelled "propeling" or "propelling" in American English?

texts:
Since travel becomes traveler and traveling in AmE (no double l), I thought that the same rule applied to propel.

However, reading and writing propeling feels awkward. (And propeler feels even more awkward...)

What is the correct spelling in American English?

(Google seems to definitely favors propelling, but I thought it best to ask the experts.)


texts: I have four children - Simple Present Tense or Something else?

texts:
I'm studying english and have been reading about Tenses.

It is my understanding that Perfect tense sentences use HAVE, HAD or WILL HAVE as auxiliary verbs. Some examples of different tenses have been given to me and the following one in particular has be quite confused;

I have four children.

I don't think HAVE is an auxiliary verb in this sentence. I think it is the main verb, in which case there is no auxiliary verb here.

My gut tells me this sentence is an example of Present Perfect, but it doesn't follow the rules. I this instead an example of Simple Present, or something else altogether?

Your help is much appreciated.


texts: Specific vocabulary question: quotidian and tenebrous

texts:
I wondered, do most native English speakers use the words "quotidian" and "tenebrous"?

I use these words in my writing, but also speak fluent French, so for that reason, I know instantly what they mean and can no longer tell if it's the French helping me, or if these are just words understood by almost everyone.

Can anyone give me their opinion as to whether these words are easily understandable to them.

Example of use:

These quotidian sounds vibrated through me roughly.

He stared at me, his eyes tenebrous and angry.

Thank you.


texts: "constructing proofs directly by hand" or "directly constructing proofs by hand"

texts:
There are two alternatives for a sentence

Nevertheless, developing automatically verifiable proofs by proof assistants usually takes more time than constructing proofs directly by hand.

and

Nevertheless, developing automatically verifiable proofs by proof assistants usually takes more time than directly constructing proofs by hand.

Someone told me that "constructing proofs directly by hand" was better than the other representation, but I can not understand the reason.
Much appreciation to anyone who would like to give me some help!


texts: Is determiner 'a' needed in "one would call such a value a constant"?

texts:
I read the following in a computer programming book:

  In other languages, one would call such a value a constant.

However, the following appears grammatical:

  In other languages, one would call such a value constant.

Which one is correct?


texts: The maximum number of active participants HAS exceeded or IS exceeded?

texts:
For the following text:

The input shows an invalid red error box if the maximum number of active participants ___ exceeded.

What should go in the ___ ?

Some options that I can think of are:

Is
Has

I am curious if there is an option above that is incorrect grammatically?


texts: Difference between "should" and "ought to"

texts: What is the difference between  You should go and You ought to go? I rarely use the latter.


texts: Final /s/ vs /z/ sound at the end of verbs/nouns issue

texts:
So, I've seen this rule at several English books about how if a word has a voiced final sound (e.g. r, voiced th, l, m, n..) then added 's' is pronounced more like /z/. If the final sound is voiceless (e.g. t, p, k etc) then it's pronounced like /s/.

(https://tarlespeech.com/rule-for-using-the-s-versus-z-sound-at-the-end-of-verbs-and-nouns/)

But, in practice, I see this rule violated often for several instances, at least in GenAmE (standard/General American Accent). Examples:

  Some words ending with L/N sounds:  Falls, malls, aliens, holes
  (sounds like final s is still /s/ not /z/ in falls, malls, aliens,
  wells, holes)
  Doesn’t seem to happen in some words ending with ‘m’: E.g. dreams,
  problems, times
  Doesn't happen for some words ending in ‘r’: E.g. truckers/f**ers
  seems to be pronounced with /s/ at the end rather than /z/

I can see some people still using slight /z/ sound (not full blown /z/ but somewhere in the middle of /s/ and /z/) but I think many standard US english speakers still would be pronouncing them with more of /s/ than /z/ sound in the final position for these words. It also seems like people aim for /s/ sound but since the final sound in the word was voiced, a slight /z/ (not full-blown) may sneak in, which may give the impression of a slight /z/ mixed with /s/. Still, in these cases, the "Rule" doesn't apply and is more of an aberration than the standard practice.

Questions:

Why is this then stated as a 'rule' when clearly it's not so cut-and-dried?
Can someone explain the basis for this so-called 'rule' when there are so many instances of standard american speech pattern deviating from it?


texts: Difference between "take off", "take from" and "take out"

texts:
What's the difference between these three sentences?

  Let's take this part out of the picture.
  Let's take this part off the picture.
  Let's take this part from the picture.


texts:
Which of these is the grammatically correct form:

Where are you going to apply?

Where are you applying?


texts: Please tell me, is there any difference when saying take his photo and take a photo of him? To me, the first one sounds awkward.


texts: A scale of intensity for synonyms of the word- "lying"

texts:
Can someone arrange for me the words- "Dissemble, prevarication, lying, equivocation, waffle" on a scale based on the intensity of the meaning they convey?

(Scale: least to most i.e. euphemism to slang)


texts: What is the correct punctuation when quoting a question in the middle of a larger sentence?

texts:
There are several questions here on quoting a question within a sentence, but most of them deal with the quote being at the end of the larger sentence. What if it's in the middle?

  In many cultures, "How are you?" is often asked at the beginning of a conversation.

I can't really think of any other way to write this, except maybe to add a comma immediately after the quote, but having a question mark in the middle of a sentence just kind of niggles at me a bit. Is this correct?


texts: Is the following: "The people of USA has..." correct?

texts:
I know that the word "people" can be singular to refer to a specific unit, be they nationality, ethnic, or tribe. With that being said, is it correct if I write in my essay:

  The people of USA has

I've consulted dictionaries and all the websites pertaining to English grammar, but not even one gives me a clearer idea on this usage.


texts:
I’ve remembered that I read somewhere the word technie means technical guy. However, I couldn’t find that definition “on the internet”.

Seems like technie is “slang”.  Does technie really mean technical guy?


texts:
Let's say you have a sentence below.

"These presents are only for the people who have 2, 4 or 6 coins."

How can I paraphrase the sentence using "specific number(s)"?

(1)"Presents for the people who have specific number of coins"?

(2)"Presents for the people who have specific numbers of coins"?

(3) Both above are wrong and here is the answer!

Thanks in advance!


texts:
Can someone explain the structure of the following sentence?

  Not till he got home did he realise that he had lost his mobile.

Why we are doing inversion here ?


texts: What are the differences among ‘Rules’, ‘Standing Rules’, and ‘Bylaw’?

texts:
Recently I was given a document titled Standing Rules of an English speaking club of a local community, which was written in English, and asked to study the contents.
I wondered what difference between standing rules and rules is. Why can’t we simply put rules when there exists no other version of the club rules. So I checked dictionary.com, which showed me an example of the California State PTA.

It says

  The standing rules direct the administration of the organization. They are more flexible than bylaws and are adopted by the membership as a need arises. Standing rules are procedural rather than parliamentary.

With the Rules of California State PTA, I found that there are rules, bylaw rules, and standing rules in regard with administration of an organization.
Can anybody teach me the basic difference of these three rules in a easy to understand way? Or give me brief definitions of these three words. By the way, do we always need to affix standing to rules for club rules?


texts: Meaning of "growing up" in this sentence "how many of us here today saw our dads enough growing up?"

texts:
I'm a beginner.

I'm confused about what grammar is about the "growing up" in this sentence.

Shouldn't it be "when you're growing up"??

  How many of us saw our dads enough growing up?


texts: Why is a sentence with "what about","how about” but has no predicate correct?

texts:
e.g.
What about correcting the misunderstandings in the responses to your thread?
How about you?
Thank you! Any answer will be appreciated!


texts:
This turned up in my Tumblr dash yesterday.

  I work at a state park where we have some rather large grindstones/kettlestones set up around our visitor center. I get this question almost every day from 70 year old elderly folks, to 40 year old parents, to 5 year old children, even though we have giant posters explaining that they are very round rocks that helped carve out our potholes/kettleholes years ago.

Source

I cannot find any reference to the word "kettlestone" beyond Kettlestone, England.

So, my question is

Is "kettlestone" an accepted word with an accepted definition?

What my research has turned up:

I've searched multiple dictionaries, Wikipedia, and etymonline.com and have found no reference to this word.
I did find kettle hole. A kettle hole is a shallow, sediment-filled body of water formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters, according to Wikipedia. This suggests that a kettlestone is a naturally occurring stone which digs out the hole.

As a tacked on question: Can a grindstone be a natural formation? My definitions say no, but combining it with kettlestone is confusing.


texts: Is "ho"/"hoe" basically an equivalent of "whore" which differs only stylistically?

texts:
On Russian SE we had a discussion about some Russian intentional misspelling one can encounter in Internet. As an example of such phenomena in English I've pointed to the following example: using "hoe" instead of "whore".

An native English speaker first denied this but ironically provided a link to an article where following is written:

  ho (also hoe) informal, derogatory "A prostitute"; 1960s representing a dialect pronunciation of whore.

Other user stated though:

  Ho(e) originated as a variant of whore (just like mo’ is a variant of
  more), but their meanings have diverged somewhat. It’s not uncommon
  slang to call your girlfriend your ‘ho’ (and just mean ‘girlfriend’),
  but if you call her your whore, you are actually saying she’s a
  prostitute.

My question would be: is it so? Up to this day I was sure that it's an internet slang and nothing more.


texts: word choice - relative clause for person

texts:
I know how to say the following in other words but I would like to know how to make relative clause for it:

  A boy, the search for whom took a month.

or

  A boy, for whom the search took a month.

Additional question regarding word order:

  I know him for what he is.

Will the negative clause be like this?

  I do not know him for what he is.

And question:

  Do you know him for what he is?


texts: Any special meaning in the phrase "out to the edges"?

texts:
I was watching ted lecture about cryptocurrency and the future of money.

Then the lecturer remarked as following :

  With programmable money, we decouple the need for large, trusted institutions from the architecture of the network. And this pushes innovation in money out to the edges, where it belongs. Programmable money democratizes money. And because of this, things are going to change and unfold in ways that we can't even predict.

In the second sentece of above excerpt I am little comfusing about the meaning of "out to the edges"

Any guidlines?


texts: "So that Federer won there" is this correct grammar?

texts:
This sentence in the Heading of this news article just did not sound right to me and I'm confused if it's correct grammaticality?

What made it more confusing is the last line of the article, "so that he could win there". This wording sounds right to me.

Which one is correct?


texts: Word for a description of the physical characteristics/range/habits of an animal or plant species?

texts: i.e. is there a word for something like an entry in a natural history dictionary? I poked around trying unsuccessfully to find one, and I'll probably just use "description", but I still have a nagging feeling that there's a word for this, something similar to using "morphology" or "pathology" as countable nouns.


texts:
I watched a video on Youtube about the pronunciation of the phrase "It's up to you": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaZrkhCqWbk and it says that "up" is the stressed word.

I think that "It's" can be reduce to "ts" in fast speech. I noticed this in American movie especially with phrases such as "It's okay" (pronounced as: tsokay).

I would like to know if we need any stress on the last word the pronoun "you" or not? The video doesn't mention anything about the word "you" for me it seems that it doesn't require stress in a normal conversation.

Any suggestion appreciated. Thank you!


texts:
“Some people, like me, don’t look disabled, but the disabilities are real,” Hardiman stated. “As more of us age, disabilities will increase and many people will rely on service dogs.”
“Some people, such as me, don’t look disabled, but the disabilities are real,” Hardiman stated. “As more of us age, disabilities will increase and many people will rely on service dogs.”

Or is it something else?


texts: how to refer a person with undefined sex?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is there a correct gender-neutral, singular pronoun (“his” versus “her” versus “their”)?

The title is a little confused because I don't know how to explain in one line,  so:

I have a Portuguese phrase like this:

  Marque alguém como amigo(a). Ele(a) receberá uma notificação.

which literally translated to English means:

  Mark someone as friend. He(or she) will get notified.

In Portuguese, the “(a)” means the female version of the word. How can I do that in English?  Does this work:

  Mark someone as friend. He/she will get notified.


texts: Is there a word for that which is edited?

texts:
My question is similar to this, but not quite the same goal.

"being edited" or "in process of editing" or "in edit" in one word

I want a word to indicate that which is edited by an editor. Editee comes to mind, but pretty sure that's not a word. I don't want to indicate change, or incompletion. I just want a word for content that is being (or is to be edited) and can't think of a good one.

Edit (more details):
The thing that is actually being edited is a record of a person. It's actually for a code variable while doing a permission check. Whether person A, one doing the editing, has the right to edit person B's data. I just went with editee for now, hope the next programmer to work with this won't go, wtf?!. Feels weird to use "content" when the content in question is another person. Also don't want to use something like this as a variable name $user_whose_info_is_being_or_will_be_edited

function permissionCheck($editor, $editee){


texts: How do we write the names of the cities?

texts: We write New York as separate, not Newyork. But we write Newtown as compound noun and not separate. This is a problem in tests like IELTS. How do we know when to write the names separately?


texts: Is the word "Until" used to show entailment? For eg.: An event doesn't happen until the third day. Does it entail that the event happens on the third day? Is there a possibility that the event may not happen on the third day? Can I say that the event does not happen on Day 1 or Day 2 and it may or may not happen or Day 3?


texts: Can we use "Now" (not until now or until then) in past tense sentences

texts:
I wrote this to my friends a few days ago:
(1) It used to take 5 seconds for me to reach Youtube, now it only took me 2 seconds to do it.
I used "now" to refer to the moment when I installed a faster connection hardware. I come up with this question, because I think the use of "now" in sentence 1 is informal and it is like a colloquial conversation.
I am sorry my friends. Back in those days I was taught (by my English teachers, non-native speaker) that now must use in present tense, so the use of now sometimes confuses me.


texts: I’m writing something and I’ve decided to take out the comma in the following sentence: “He would let his lover construct, if not talk in complete openness about a life of his own.” Originally there was a comma after “about,” but I decided that it sounded too awkward to pause it there. Yesterday a bunch of friends came over and I took up the topic with them, and they all told me to include it. I personally am opposed, and now not a small bit torn. Opinions? Thanks!


texts: Umbrella term for Invoice, Debit Note, or Credit Note

texts:
I would like to find a generic term for a transaction of type Invoice, Debit Note, or Credit Note.

The term transaction is already reserved since the context involves other sorts of transactions different from the aforementioned ones.


texts: What is the opposite of an electronic document?

texts:
I need an all-encompassing term that covers all kinds of written documents, except electronic ones: printed (on a printing press or the result of a computer printout) as well as hand-written documents.

I've used various alternatives in the past, documents in writing, documents on paper, documents in paper form(at), but none of them are really satisfactory. When it's obvious that hand-written documents can be omitted, I've usually used the term printed documents.

Edited to add:
The context involves official documents and specifically the introduction of legally binding electronic documents. However, at times these need to be differentiated from hand-written documents from before the invention of the typewriter.


texts: Does "bend over backwards" have bad meaning?

texts:
If my boss asks me if I can help him to do something,
I reply: I'll bend over backwards to do it.

Does this reply literally have a meaning of flattery?


texts: "Three time's a charm" vs "third time's a charm"?

texts: The most commonly used one is "third time's a charm". I googled it and couldn't find "three time's a charm" in usage. So is "three time's a charm" considered incorrect?


texts:
A poster reads something like:

  7:30 p.m., Alexander Hall

How un-stylish or incorrect is that?  Is it actually incorrect to write "p.m." in lower case?


texts: A way to describe my interest in getting to know people's stories

texts:
I want to be able to phrase the interest I have in meeting new people and talking to them about their life stories and experiences.

It is a level deeper than just an extrovert, who would be someone who likes to meet new people. I like getting to know them better.

Though it's also not someone who likes to make a lot of friends. Just meeting people, have great conversations, and move on ahead.

It is for an application of sorts and I want to be able to mention this specific interest I have.


texts: What does : ca. 1828 mean? ca. before a date?

texts:
Could you tell me
What " ca. 1828" mean? ca. before a date ?
Thanks for your answers


texts: Does this sentence require a comma after published?

texts: Random House has published America, a story, a new book about...


texts: The reasoning behind the present progressive representing a future event

texts:
I'm leaving next week.

As shown here, the present progressive can represent an event that will happen in the future. I'm wondering what's the reasoning behind this feature.

The one I can think of is that in English the act of "leaving" can start when you've decided in your mind that you will leave or when you've arranged for your leaving, either of which can be some time (e.g., a week) before your actual leaving.

I'd like to know if native speakers agree with this reasoning. If not, please articulate what you think is the reasoning.

EDIT

Both the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL) by Pullum and Oxford Modern English Grammar (OMEG) by Aarts clearly say that the progressive futurate (i.e., the present progressive indicating a future event as in I'm leaving next week) does not have a progressive meaning to it.

OMEG on page 270 says:

  It is important to be aware of the fact that [the progressive futurate] is not aspectual, that is, the situation is not regarded as unfolding over time.

I'd like the answers to be in accordance with this analysis that the progressive futurate is not aspectual.


texts: Does "to cook leeks" imply anything about the method of preparing them?

texts:
This question is inspired by but unrelated to Is "Know how to cook leeks" an idiom.

I'm Dutch and the English "to cook" is a bit confusing to me. The Dutch "koken" is used in a general way as in English (I'm going to cook dinner), but also as a specific method of food preparation, namely to put something in boiling water until it's done. I think that's boiling in English.

So to me "to cook leeks" sounds at first as if someone is going to boil them, which is not how I would do it. I know the English term is more general than that.

What I'm vague about is -- does using "to cook leeks" put any limit on the method of preparing them at all, or can it mean boiling/frying/barbecuing/sauteing/grilling/chopping them to use them raw in a salad/et cetera?


texts: Comma in "Tomorrow, I will go to the store"?

texts:
I seem to remember being taught to use a comma after introductory phrases, such as in Tomorrow, I will go to the store. However, a friend of mine says a comma is not needed here. Is the comma correct, incorrect, or optional?
Would it make a difference if the introductory phrase were longer? After breakfast tomorrow, I will go to the store.
Thanks!


texts:
I need to refer to a user of a certain service and would like to avoid a perticular gender such as his/her and not use one either.
Could I say "The user attempts to maximize own capacity.", instead of "The user attempts to maximize his own capacity"?

Thanks a lot.


texts: Does "grim" share an etymology with the surname "Grimm"?

texts:
People have often punned about Grimm's fairy tales being very grim. For example, TV Tropes has the trope Grimmification about tales being made more grim. (The Brothers Grimm didn't engage in Grimmification - they didn't need to. In fact, they Disneyfied.)

Are the two words "grim" and "Grimm" etymologically related?

The English edition of Wiktionary does not have an entry for "Grimm", nor does the Online Etymology Dictionary.

Wiktionary states that grim came from Old English, which came from Germanic. And Grimm is used as a surname in Germany.

Grimm has an entry in the German Wiktionary, but even with Google translate I can't tell if it's talking about a name, a noun, or both.

One person I talked to about this said that "Grimm" meant "hooded", which would explain "The Grim Reaper" (apart from it only have one "m"). Is that true?


texts:
I have a problem identifying certain structures of the sentence; sometimes it is hard to tell whether I'm dealing with an argument or adjunct.
Adjunct is said to be optional;, that is, its omission will not change the meaning of the predicate. At the same time, the argument of the sentence is a mandatory syntactic unit that completes the meaning of the predicate.
What does the "meaning of the predicate" designate?
Does it simply mean, that with the complement being omitted the predicate becomes ambiguous?
Please consider my reasoning below:

Put the cheese back on the table. --> Should I put it on the table, in a purse or put it on as a hat and wear it to work?

Here, "back" appears to "complete" the meaning of the verb "put", whereas "on the table" can be omitted, because it doesn't affect the predicate in any way, and therefore can be thought of as structurally dispensable.
More examples:

He stood in silence --> "in silence" must be complementing and therefore mandatory (but I don't know why).
I live in Bristol --> complement?
I'm running in the hallway of the Bristol University --> "in the hallway" - and "of the Bristol University" - both feel to be adjuncts;
The bag is under the table/round - "under the table" and "round" determine the state of the bag (i.e. whether its location or shape is in the focus)".

Am I getting it right? Does the argument help to identify the meaning of the predicate?


texts: The meaning of 'feel out of' and 'kick out of'

texts:
The below is an example of these expressions.

The parts of the brain called the limbic system, which includes the regions of the brain that give you a rewarding feeling out of taking a risk, a kind of kick out of taking a risk, and an emotion out of taking a risk, are developing more quickly than the part of the brain called the pre-frontal cortex, which inhibits risk taking.

I understood that 'feel out of something' means feel that something is not mine or feel cut off from something. However, in this example, it might have an opposite meaning. Could anybody explain this?


texts: What's it called when you use the characteristics of a noun as an adjective?

texts:
Please feel free to edit this question so it makes sense.

For example, if you're saying:

  He has a bearish personality.

We're using the qualities of a bear, (big, grizzly, perhaps dangerous), to describe his personality.

  The party was very British.

Conjures images of cups of tea, and polite reserved conversation; it's not saying the party was literally made of up British people.

These aren't similes or metaphors. Is there a term for it?


texts: Can the verb "include" be followed by a clause?

texts:
Is this structure correct?

  We guarantee to everyone high-standard care, which includes,
  for example, our client centre is open for you even of weekends and technical support is available non-stop.


texts: A friend from the USA says that we don't ride same day, we saddle. Does he mean we have a time difference? I know the meaning of ride and saddle, but I don't know the meaning in context.


texts: What would be the adjectivalform of something related to "sound"?

texts:
An example sentence would be:

There is some music that is the ____ equivalent of poetry to me.

It's not quite "musical" since I want the word to be more closely related to sound whereas music is a kind of sound. I thought of "sonorous," given its Latin root, but the definition of that is "(of a person's voice or other sound) imposingly deep and full" and I'm looking for a word that is more neutral. I also thought of "phonetic" but that is more closely related to speech.


texts:
Is there a single word for the act of a believer temporarily ignoring, or failing to worship, (any) God?

For instance: "God is becoming vengeful due to your [lack of worship]."


texts:
I am unsure whether to use comma after the example list while using e.g. Any ideas?

  these functions, e.g., delay, capacity, throughput, represent better...

or

  these functions, e.g., delay, capacity, throughput represent better...

There are other similar questions, but I couldn't find this particular answer in either of them.


texts: Is the term writing still acceptable in the digital world?

texts:
I find it awkward to say, "I'm typing this in the passenger seat while my husband is driving". Would it sound better if I said, "I am writing this"?

Technically, I'm not writing it, nor am I typing it. Actually, I'm not even sure what you call it. I just use my phone a lot to "write/type" blog posts.

Help?


texts:
I’m confused about how to construct a past progressive sentence.
If I say these:

I was walking in the park.
I was singing in the bathroom.

Would these sentences be considered to be in past progressive?

It seems to me that they are missing some context e.g. a certain time when the events occurred.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say:

I was walking in the park yesterday.
I was singing in the bathroom when the phone rang.

Edit:
I found that this site has no mention of similar examples I posted.


texts: What is a word for someone who tries to comfort their mistakes by trying to reason with him or herself?

texts: Is there a word for someone who feels guilty about something they are doing but knows that he or she can't help it so they try to make logic of it and comfort themselves with the reasoning?


texts:
I'm currently translating from French to English and can't decide how to translate a sentence without the repetition of their being weird.

  All around the world States are thinking about and are seeking out their "competitive advantages". Where can they make a difference in the big globalisation game? How can they maximize their image and therefore their influence? Should they take advantage of their demography, their inventiveness and their creativity, their economic and financial wealth, the strength of their armies, the influence of their ideas and their ideals, the generosity of their social models, or in a more subjective way, their capacity to arouse the dream, through for example their mythical cities?

Thanks a lot in advance for any help!


texts: How do I make "X is the thing I wanted to win" unambiguous?

texts:
When I say, StackExchange is the website I wanted to win (in an implied context of best website award), it sounds like I wanted to win (own) StackExchange, whereas I'm trying to imply that I wanted StackExchange to win the best website award. Am I wrong?

Is the following statement: StackExchange is the website I wanted to win the award correct?

How do I communicate my wish for an entity to win, without sounding like I wanted to own them, in the same pattern, [Subject] is the entity I wanted [verb??] win, and without explicitly mentioning that it's the award that I want them to win.

I'm looking for a structuring of that sentiment that is unambiguous, rather than a solution which requires more context in or around the sentiment itself.


texts: Examples of lenition and fortition usage

texts:
The latest XKCD comic is titled Intervocalic Fortition. The latest Explain XKCD says:

  The linguistic processes of lenition ("weakening") and fortition ("strengthening") refer to a sound becoming, respectively, either more or less vowel-like. Intervocalic means "between two vowels." An unvoiced consonant like f in between two vowels (which are almost always voiced) is more noticeable and takes more effort to pronounce than the voiced version v of the same sound in that position, so a change from v to f in this context would be an example of fortition.

Can anyone give me some examples of lenition and fortition used in a more conventional way to help me better understand these concepts?


texts:
Is the expression "follow after", e.g; "He followed after her", grammatically incorrect or an awkward phrasing?
I use the phrase "follow after" to put an emphasis on the action, it also gives me a subtle impression of dependence, as if, the subject is following the other person either very closely or is "following at the heels" of that person, and if they had lingered in the previous room, for instance, they'd run to catch that person.

I have googled my issue, and found one site (wordreference.com) with a thread on this and with various answers. I'm also guessing that the answer technically lies in the definition of "follow". However, I kept seeing this phrase used several times in different books, and I have been using it myself.

I have seen that it might be:

Sloppy English. Yet numerous works seem to use it? I wouldn't have picked up on it, otherwise.
Might indicate tagging along
Might imply following someone without their knowledge.

As you can see, I've interpreted this phrase completely differently. I have also seen that "follow" is a statement of sequence in space or time and follow after is a statement of volition, of active pursuit (which contradicts with the statement that it implies following someone without their knowledge).

Could you guys offer some clarifications and a final say on what follow/follow after actually mean/imply?


texts: What is the trail of logic in the sentence

texts:
Consider the sentence

  You don't need to patronize me.

To patronize is an infinitive. But I can't understand why use of me is right. Is it the object of the infinitive or of the need verb?  Can an infinitive phrase have its own object?


texts: Polite expression for saying something in short

texts:
I'm looking for an expression that is used when you have a lot to tell about a specific matter but you will say only a short summary, usually due to courteousness towards the conversation partner, e.g. I am writing someone an email stating something. I have sent him multiple emails before regarding the same subject. So the email will go something like this:

  I will not repeat here the points I stated in my previous emails. I will _______ with saying ...

I also believe the general form for the expression is "I will _______ with saying ...", where ______ means something like being content with.


texts:
This question is related to the plural of "octopus" (yet another ancient Greek loanword animal):

What is the plural of "mantis"?

Oxford Dictionaries suggests "mantis" or "mantises".

Merriam Webster and Dictionary.com suggest "mantises" or "mantes".

This page from the Iowa State University Entomology Department suggests "mantids" (emphasis mine).

  Praying mantids (preferred plural form of mantis) have never been
  numerous in Iowa and historically they were only common in the far
  southeastern corner of the state.

Personally, I use a mixture of "mantises" and "mantes" and find the usage of "mantids" strange, but what is the most etymologically correct / most recommended plural for the animal?


texts:
Consider the following sentences:

Long ago, "fuego" started with an "h" instead of "f".
There is connection between the words, "bishop" and "episcopal".

Is the period used correctly after the closing quote in both sentences? Or should it go inside the quotes?


texts: A/An question: 'a humanitarian' or 'an humanitarian'?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When should I use “a” versus “an” in front of a word beginning with the letter h?

What's the proper wording here, neither one sounds right to me:

  "Chevra, an humanitarian
  organization..."

or

  "Chevra, a humanitarian
  organization..."

My instinct says it follows the same rule as "an hour", but the 'h' sound is more pronounced in 'humanitarian', so I'm unsure.


texts:
I'm writing a novel and still getting use to rules for commas. In my novel I have this:

"Well, she better not eat any of my customers,or I’ll be having cougar tonight."

does this comma before the well look correct? I'm confused because I thought you could only have commas between independent clauses but at the same time it feels right.


texts: Book accommodation at your hotel? is it right?

texts:
I was wondering if saying "book accommodation at your hotel" is right

or should I say, "book the hotel" or something like that.

thanks


texts:
It seems to be used like "Thanks for inviting me". But it sounds like "Thank me, cause I was there".

Looking for a better explanation and situations it should be used in.


texts:
I found two expressions used quite a few times in a text, which I am translating as:

the fatherly house / the fatherly embrace

and it seems to me that I can use these expressions to mean

the house/embrace of the father

For example

The son claimed the share of his inheritance and left the fatherly house as fast as he could.

Oxford languages defines fatherly as:

relating to, resembling, or characteristic of a father, especially in being protective and affectionate.

But can it also mean possessed by/belonging to the father? Is it used in standard English with this meaning?
Can adjectives like motherly, brotherly, fatherly have this possessive meaning?


texts:
I feel like I'm always bristling at Word's suggestions to remove commas. Here's the sentence I'm currently unsure about:

  Virtual social events are a good way to meet new people, and hosting a virtual party can keep your social network strong.

Word wants me to remove the comma. But aren't these two independent clauses?

Thanks!


texts:
I am familiar with the phonetic sound of 'ng' together ( I am sorry I don't have a phonetic keyboard) and that there is a special way to pronounce it but some, including me, pronounce both letters and stress on them like in (king, ring, thing, sing, song, wrong....etc.). However, even the verbs that end in 'ing', I often hear people stress on the 'g' at the end. What is the proper way to pronounce it, should I pronounce the 'g' or just omit it.

Another question, when do I use the apostrophe in verbs. I get quite confused when people write (rainin') or (gettin'). Is that a rule or something colloquial?


texts: "Better have it get fired at someone" - get fired?

texts:
I know "get" has so many meanings but I just do cannot figure out the right one here:

  If you establish a gun in Act 1, you better have it get fired at
  somebody by Act 3.

Would it not work without the "get"? What does it express here exactly? It does not seem to be (to me) change of condition (as in get married) or a replacement for "be".


texts: "Not bad either" versus "not bad neither"

texts: There are more Google matches for the first sentence, but the last one sounds better to me. Which one is correct?


texts: The words in a language that weren't borrowed.


texts: If I want to make a statement that everything is as you said... I use 'Just like said'. is this right?

texts: This is just to make a statement. A shortened one but does it completely justify or give a picture that this is what i meant ' just as you said or just like you said'.


texts: Hypernym for numbers like 10, 100, 1,000, and so on

texts: What is an umbrella term for numbers like 10, 100, 1000, 100000 etc?


texts:
If I were to write...

Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism is the majority religion in China.

Is this correct, because from what I remember the verb is, is suppose to connect the sentence with the last item on the list, and since it's singular, then IS, is correct.


texts: Explanation of "I am as smart as I am humble."

texts:
When a character replies to "Are you smart?" as:
"I am as smart as I am humble."
Is there a logical explanation as to whether the character means that he/she is smart or not smart, or it could mean either way?


texts:
I keep trying to make this sentence sound better but I can't figure it out. It's part of an essay I wrote.

"We are threatening ourselves by destroying the plants and animals that we have only recently become cognizant of and the great potential that they may hold in curing the illnesses that have threatened us for centuries."


texts:
It is my intuition, that the origin of the letter y comes from ij based on the usage in Dutch where it very closely resembles ij in both sound and shape. I would go so far as to say it looks like a contraction.

I am particularly interested in this right now, as a company has translated a foreign name into English, and included iy in the name – which strikes me as unusual. If I were transliterating their name, Bafiya seems wrong – and I feel it is better as Bafya or Bafia.

It is hard to justify my opinion, so I was curious about the usage of iy. I can not think of any words that contain iy in them. Are there any?


texts:
The following is a excerpt from William Cowper's translation of Homer's Iliad (Homer being the Greek poet, not the cartoon character, in this case):

  So saying, he cast his sceptre on the ground
  Studded with gold, and sat. On the other side
  The son of Atreus all impassion'd stood,
  When the harmonious orator arose
  Nestor, the Pylian oracle, whose lips
  Dropped eloquence—the honey not so sweet.

The way I see it (correct me if I'm wrong) the last two lines mean that each time Nestor made a speech, it was a masterpiece that touched everyone deeply: sweet, oh, so sweet. Sweeter, in fact, than honey.

So why not just say "honey"? Why does Cowper say "the honey" instead? The honey. Some concrete honey, a specific amount, probably in a jar - did someone bring a jar of honey to the conference? Who? Ajax? Achilles? To what end? And where is it now? Or have they already eaten it all?

Please explain.


texts: Word for when two people type the same thing at the same time in chat

texts:
I have the distinct feeling there's a word often used when two people type the same thing at the same time in Internet chat contexts. Not necessarily exactly the same words, but closely related.

Maybe I've even come across it myself but forgotten it. All I can think of now is "Snap!", but that sounds a bit lame in this day and age (who plays cards nowadays, with all these video games?).


texts: Is "interesting" a negative or positive phrase?

texts:
When someone tells you something like:

It's interesting to have such a feature.
It's interesting to look.

Is it a negative or positive phrase?
It sounds like a positive phrase but I think it may be a negative phrase because if we wanted to express a positive phrase then we wouldn't use "interesting". We would use a more appropriate phrase like "it's good", "it's nice", etc.


texts: Meaning of "share with each other" Vs."share with others"

texts:
Right off the bat I will state that I'm neither a linguist nor an etymologist, but I am a serious English language enthusiast.

On to my question: I have a need to convey that a specific group of people share something (e.g. their wisdom, knowledge, wealth, etc.) with other people that are not necessarily part of said group.

If I said, for example:

  Philosophers can share their wisdom with each other.

I would imply that sharing should only take place within members of the Philosophers group.

Since I need to convey that such sharing should also take place with members outside the Philosophers group my thinking is to change the above sentence to:

  Philosophers can share their wisdom with others.

I am concerned, however, that this may create the impression that wisdom can be shared only outside of the Philosophers group and not between their members, which is not my intention.

Is my concern valid?


texts:
I've been spotting what seems to me misplaced modifiers in professional writing, so I would love to get some tips on the following examples:

  He'd sit until the last moment, watching them draw near.

Isn't "watching them draw near" modifying he? Then shouldn't it come at the very beginning of the sentence? It looks misplaced, but I'm doubting myself since the sentence was in a story written by a professional writer.

  There is the sound of rain on the roof, intensifying, hammering at the gutters.

Is it okay if the participle and the noun are separated by a prepositional phrase?

  my spirits are dreadful, owing entirely to the Horrors of every night

It seems to me that in this case, the participial clause is describing the state of my spirits being dreadful. Is it possible for a participial phrase to describe not just one word, but the entire clause?

  The number of new UC students from other states and nations will continue to increase this fall, extending a trend that university officials say is financially necessary...

This seems to have a similar usage as above.

Would love any kind of input!


texts:
Can one use the word contrast in the following way?

I brought the yellow balloon into contrast by darkening its borders.

Or does one have to adhere to in contrast to... or contrasted with...?