texts: An expression to describe 'holding back on doing something until the last (and completely useless) moment'...and then fail

texts:
Recently, New York  Governor (D) Andrew Cuomo pointed out that the US Federal government had 20,000 ventilators in stockpile; however,  for some reason the Gov.  were holding back on distribution until some ill-defined moment of criticality when the actual critical moment was the then "now".

Taking it a step further, I have seen this kind of situation occur   in my own country in the past: emergency supplies donated by EU benefactors during the last emergency (well, take your pick..there were several)  were held back from distribution until the exact need had been identified by province and village.

Unfortunately, and due mainly to bureaucracy, the exact and perfect moment never arrived, and the much needed supplies languished in a warehouse until they ultimately expired, and then were discarded.

Is there a phrase to describe this short-sighted and wasteful practice?

  "Closing the barn doors after the horses have already bolted"...

does not quite capture the idea: I need a phrase that describes the "waiting until the last moment, fail , and be a waste of resources and time".


texts:
As a programmer I've run into the issue of  what to name the opposite of the "set parameter" function.

Unset is the only word I can think of, but it feels very clunky.

It would be used in "/word/ Parameter" to mean opposite of "set Parameter"

I am interested in opposites even if they are unfit for programming use due to their rare usage.


texts:
How is the prefix "quasi-" pronounced?

Are there any situations (e.g. depending on the word it prefixes or is part of) in which it would be pronounced differently?


texts:
I have seen the rule put forward that

  We need a direct object to form a passive sentence.

The following sentences don't have direct objects according to some schools of thought, they have prepositional phrases. But are these sentences passivisible?

  He is playing with me ["with me"= prepositional phrase] no direct
  object in this sentence

  John is sitting by me ["by me"= prepositional phrase] no DO in this
  sentence

  I slept in the bed ["in the bed"= prepositional phrase] no DO in this
  sentence

  Mary arrived at school ["at school"= prepositional phrase] no DO in
  this sentence

  He fell on the ground ["on the ground"= prepositional phrase] no DO in
  this sentence

There are questions I feel can't be asked in isolation:

  Can a prepositional phrase like these act like a direct object?

  Should it be called a direct object?

  Are there exceptional cases?

  How does all this bear upon passivisability?

I will be very grateful to you If you provide the reasonable answers of my questions.
Thank you so much!


texts: Using punctuation within a question to create a pause

texts:
Is it possible to create a long pause (confusion) in the following question.

'You're maybe wondering how could that be. That she is considering running away?'

Between 'be and that', I was considering using an em-dash to create a prolonged pause, if possible.

fyi,
I believe that the first clause requires a period (indirect question).


texts:
According to freedictionary, the verb forbear is often followed by from or an infinitive.

I ran a search on ngram with the specific example I need (with the verb think) and found out that the most used version is actually the one that uses a gerund (without from).

I have two questions:

1. Can I even use the verb forbear as an imperative?

I know that I could use refrain or hold back, but I need to sound archaic.

For instance:

  Forbear desiring your neighbour's wife.

2. Which of the three options is the most appropriate for an imperative?

  Forbear desiring your neighbour's wife.
  Forbear from desiring your neighbour's wife.
  Forbear to desire your neighbour's wife.


texts:
The following is a test of mba entrance

Why is there a 's after RNA in number 2 ?

PS: the number 2 should change to

  RNA's direct

according to the answer sheet.


texts: Everyday alternatives to future perfect tenses [AE]

texts:
Every grammar book has a section about Future Perfect tenses, but as this article and the comments point out, I don't really hear this type of language constructions from Americans (including in an office setting). Would be really nice to know what a native speaker would do/say/use in a normal conversation in situations like these (even if it's not grammatically correct or has not exactly the same meaning):

The film will already have started by the time we get to the cinema. [example from a British Book]
The company will have spent all their training budget by the end of the month.
They won’t have arrived by the time you get there.


texts: Practical English Usage by Swan - tense simplification in subordinate clauses - main verb terminology

texts:
in the entry 580.1 "reasons for tense simplification" in Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, he wrote:

"If the main verb of a sentence makes it clear what kind of time the speaker is talking about, it is not always necessary for the same time to be indicated again in subordinate clauses".

Did he actually mean by "main verb" the verb of the main clause in this case? I know the exact defintion of "main verb", but I'm not sure if Michael Swan is using this term in the wrong context in this case. For example:

"I will write you when I have time."

In the main clause "I will write you", the main verb is "write", but it does not indicate the time. The auxiliary "will" indicates the time.

To sum it up, did Michael Swan actually mean the following:

"If the verb of the main clause makes it clear what kind of time the speaker is talking about, it is not always necessary for the same time to be indicated again in subordinate clauses".

Thank you in advance. I really appreciate every helpful answer.


texts: Someone who's escapist and minimally optimistic?

texts:
(Source) “The menu is mostly history: the classical period, the Carolingians, Britain up through the fourteenth century, American Puritanism as seen by historians after Perry Miller, the United States from Jefferson through Lincoln. It may be that the seemingly intrinsic attraction that past time has for me is merely a desire for escapism, as I look out at the nation and world with little optimism, but it may also be that the tug of history gathers some force from a hope of getting a better perspective on what I see around me now, maybe a perspective even as sound as one in evidence on Commencement morning last May.

What are words that describe someone with the bolded view, of former US Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter? 'Pessimistic' sounds too extreme, because Justice Souter has excelled at his duties?  I'm hoping to research more about and be inspired by similar people who were bachelors and fittingly deemed dignified, erudite, frugal, humble, virtuous, and wordly.


texts:
Does "network radio and television" in the following text mean simply radio and television channels or internet-based radio and television?

Context:

  The vast network of global media, including print media, television,
  and the internet, is another key component of contemporary globalism.
  This network cements large US, European, and Japanese corporations’
  control of the release and dissemination of information, one outcome
  of the deregulation of network radio and television in these
  countries. This deregulation began in the US in the 1970s and was
  mostly enacted during the Reagan administration in the 1980s, when the
  Federal Communications Commission’s regulatory power was considerably
  curtailed (source).


texts: "There are still problems" vs. "there still are problems"

texts:
There are still problems.
  There still are problems.

Is one word order more correct than the other and do they have identical meaning?


texts: Word for a person/organization who has jurisdiction over something

texts: I'm looking for a word that conveys that an organization (but more generally could include a person) has jurisdiction over something. What would I call, in general, the organization which has jurisdiction?


texts:
I am (almost) certain that "spaghetti salad" is a phrase. But, I cannot find any references to this phrase in the oracle of Google.

Can someone please confirm that they have at least heard this phrase?
And, please state the meaning and etymology?
If someone can find this via Google, please show me the regular expression to use.

my understanding
def = "a collection of data that has no organization"
ety = "statistics. As datapoint (one strand of spaghetti) moves across the x-axis, it bounces randomly up/down on the y-axis. A "salad" would be a collection of such randomly moving strands of spaghetti."

Am I am losing my mind? Google is AWOL on this, right? They can't index everything.


texts: Total number of combination or combinations

texts:
May I know which sentence is grammatical?

  Given n services in sequential composition, where each of them having
  l candidates, the total number of combination is l^n.

  Given n services in sequential composition, where each of them having
  l candidates, the total number of combination are l^n.

  Given n services in sequential composition, where each of them having
  l candidates, the total number of combinations is l^n.

  Given n services in sequential composition, where each of them having
  l candidates, the total number of combinations are l^n.


texts: Negative-connotation word for someone who is straight-edge?

texts:
What is a word for someone who doesn't party, doesn't do drugs, doesn't drink, doesn't have sex, etc.

Preferrably with more of a negative connotation.

Edit: I'm looking to use this in a self-deprecating context


texts: What effect is the writer trying to create with the use of "bigly?"

texts:
This is from the same paragraph that sparked my question about pratfall  a few minutes ago.

What is the origin of "pratfall?"

The full paragraph is here (highlighting is mine):

  But the first pratfall ― cancelling the vote on the bill after insisting it would go forward ― is not a good sign. Presidencies often are defined, for better or worse, by their first big legislative move. Like first impressions in everyday life, they count bigly, and they establish political dynamics that can last.

What, I wonder, is the intended effect of bigly?

As with pratfall, I was surprised to find that it is an established term, albeit an archaic one.  The Collins online dictionary entry for it is this:

It sounds close to the term "big league," which can be used adjectivally in informal contexts.  I wonder if the writer (Howard Fineman) is deliberately (and playfully) being creative, intentionally making use of an archaic term with a new meaning that has a ring of familiarity through its association with big league and the equally informal big time, which can be used adverbially with "count."

The entire HP article


texts: Idiom or alternative phrase for "improve operational output with existing resources"

texts:
Let me add a bit of context here.  I have a budget.  I frequently review the budget in order to "tighten things up" or "improve operational output with existing resources".
Here is a list of things I have used in the past:

"making the most with what we have"

Not a fan of that one as it sheds a negative light as if I am complaining about not having enough.

"getting as much lemonade out of these lemons as possible"
"milking every last drop out"

I've also used a few others related to wringing sponges/towels out and drinking sodas until your straw is slurping or the can is dry.
One of the main things here I want to avoid is conveying the sense that we need more budget.  This is about using the existing budget to the fullest of its extent through cutting back on existing spending that is unnecessary/excessive.
Let me also add that I am looking for a colorful/creative way to say this.  I understand there are lots of simple words that can describe this, I'm hoping for some jazz here.


texts: Possessive nouns, the apostrophe, and no 'S'

texts:
I was watching an episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. It's an American show hosted by an Englishman.
He displayed a paragraph of text during the show which read, "The Bad Boys Club' T-shirt."
I am confused. The club is called The Bad Boys Club so I figure it's irrelevant that there's not an apostrophe in or after the word Boys. But please can someone explain the lack of an S after the word Club?


texts: "From (just) this data (alone), we can conclude..."

texts:
In the context of scientific writing, is there a difference in meaning between these options?

From just this data, we can conclude...
From this data alone, we can conclude...
From just this data alone, we can conclude...

Although all options seem to convey the same meaning, I'd avoid the third option unless I wanted to emphasize the "only this set of data" aspect. That seems to leave the first two options to have the same meaning. Are they truly the same, or is there a subtlety I'm missing?


texts:
I got into an argument about the sentence "Have you overrode SomeThingamajig?"

I thought that "have overrode" is incorrect, and should be "overrode" or "have overridden", or perhaps "did override".

However, I was told that in some contexts, "have overrode" is appropriate.

Is "Have you overrode SomeThingamajig?" correct?

When is is appropriate to say "have overrode"?


texts:
We have a tender document, and it lists how the offer should be proposed.  Basically this is split into 3 sections:

Rationale
Strategy
Details of Proposal

Under section 2., there is this clause:

  A description of the support facilities (back-stopping) that the
  contractor and his team will have  during the execution of the
  contract

What does the phrase 'back-stopping' mean, in this context?  Just for reference, below you can find the entire content of 2. Strategy.

  2. STRATEGY

  An outline of the approach proposed for contract implementation.
  A list of the proposed activities considered to be necessary to achieve the contract objectives
  The related inputs and outputs
  In the case of a tender being submitted by a consortium, a description of the input from each of the consortium partners and the distribution and interaction of tasks and responsibilities between them
  A description of the support facilities (back-stopping) that the contractor and his team will have  during the execution of the contract
  A description of sub-contracting arrangements foreseen, if any and within the limit indicated in clause 3 of the Instructions to tenderers, with a clear indication of the tasks that will be entrusted to a sub-contractor and a statement by the tenderer guaranteeing the eligibility of any sub-contractor


texts: Name for a small, central unit of human memory

texts:
I am having trouble coming up with the word to describe a small memory which stands out amongst others.  I thought of the word 'aphorism', describing a small and concise phrase, but I'm searching for a word more directly related to memory and in any concise, strong way - like an object, picture, or sound that can trigger or best capture the memory of a whole day or event.

Thank you for any input on this!

Edit: A phrase is fine, but a single word is ideal.


texts: What's the name of the style of 3-8 lowercase letters in programming?

texts:
If you go on GitHub, so many of the project names are 3-8 lowercase letters. So many directories of those projects are 3-8 lowercase letters.

In the base level directory of most unix OS's, the directories are 3-8 lowercase letters.

This occurs even if the directory's name is an abbreviation for something a bit longer, and occurs even at the expense of clarity. For example, for the longest time I had no clue what sbin, proc, var were.

I'm led to believe that this is a stylistic choice among programmers, because it looks cool or something (not making fun of it; it does look cool and adds a level of consistency to directory names).

Does anyone know of a name of this style?


texts: What do I call the "non-start pages" of a website?

texts:
I have a table with website banner advertising rates. There are two sub-columns: one is titled "Start page" (the price of the banner is higher if it is placed on the start page) and "Section pages" (Russian term which means that the banner is placed on a "non-start" page, in some of the website's sections accessed from the start page).

What does one call these pages in English? Is there a special term, or maybe one simply calls them "ordinary pages"?


texts:
Specifically words like succinct and concise.

While not exactly the antonym of pleonasm, I would especially like to find a word that implies someone who speaks just enough, perhaps due to wisdom. The opposite of impulsive, excessive speech?


texts: Is it rude/strange to use "no need" to respond when you don't need something?

texts: If somebody asked you "do you need something?" and you simply respond with two words, "no need" — Is that considered strange or rude?


texts:
"Jane wouldn't have found a job unless she had gone to London" is a natural-sounding sentence and has two different meanings, depending on whether Jane really did move to London or not:

(1) "Jane wouldn´t have found a job if she hadn't moved to London" (i.e. She found a job because she moved to London)

(2) "Jane would only have found a job by moving to London" (i.e. she didn't move to London so she remained jobless)

On the other hand, "The situation would have deteriorated unless I had arrived" is not natural-sounding and can only mean:

(3) "The situation would have deteriorated if I had not arrived"" (i.e. I arrived so the situation didn't deteriorate")

My questions are these:

Is "unless" only correct in third conditionals where the sentence remains true whether the condition occured or not - i.e. when it stresses logical realtionship between condition and result rather than telling us the actual result?

Conversely, should we use "if ... not" instead of "unless" where we want to make the outcome clear?


texts: Punctuating lists containing negative elements

texts:
I came across some sentences similar to these:

I would like my burger with no mustard, jalapeños, lettuce, and pickles.
I would like my burger with mustard, no jalapeños, lettuce, and pickles.

I can't immediately tell whether the "no" is intended to apply to all of the elements in the list following "no" or only the element directly following it (although I do think the penultimate word would more naturally be "or" if "no" applied to all elements). I would find it less ambiguous when some elements have "no" but others don't.

I would like my burger with: no mustard, jalapeños, no lettuce, and pickles.

I know the semicolon can be used as a "super comma" for lists where elements contain commas, but I have not found anything about using it with negations such as above.

To reduce ambiguity, would it be acceptable to use semicolons as separators for lists such as this? Would it be preferred?

I would like my burger with: no mustard; jalapeños; lettuce; pickles.

(This question is similar, but the answers don't address whether semicolons could or should be used.)


texts: Earliest use of "book," the slang verb meaning "to leave quickly"

texts:
"Book," the slang verb meaning to leave quickly--has anyone found it used prior to the 1840s?  I found it used in chapter 143 of Varney the Vampire: "[I]f the old watchman comes round, we may have to book it . . . "

Also, does anyone know if book is a regional expression?  I first heard it in the mid-1970s in rural central Alabama along among the students when I was in sixth grade.


texts: "Cannot be disproven" e.g. solipsism is ______

texts:
Single word that means something cannot be disproven?

In the same way unprovable means that something cannot be proven.

E.g. solipsism would be able to be described with this, because it's perfectly logical and infallible.

A synonym of this word may be infallible, but infallible is too strong. Infallible connotes too strongly "absolute."

Solipsism is undisprovable.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “It isn't” versus “it's not”

When contracting "It is not Tuesday" are there any grammatical reasons to use either:

"It's not Tuesday"

or

"It isn't Tuesday"

If not, what do you prefer?


texts: Why is "bloody hell" offensive or shocking?

texts: It seems to me that if one describes hell as 'bloody', that is simply describing one of the properties you'd expect of it.  So, why is 'bloody hell' used as an offensive or shocking phrase?


texts: Difference between 'haven't ...yet' and 'didn't.... yet'

texts:
I was wondering what the difference was between a sentence with have and one with do.
For example this one:

  They haven't started yet.
  They didn't start yet.

Is there a difference?  When would one use the first or the latter?


texts: The ordering of word pairs: anyone for chips and fish?

texts:
When we list pairs of words, certain orders seem much more common and natural than others.

A few examples:

Fish and chips instead of chips and fish
Ladies and gentlemen instead of gentlemen and ladies (likewise, men and women instead of women and men)
I'm sure we've all (?) had those disagreements about whether it's Rob and Salma or Salma and Rob (or whatever)

In most of these cases though, I struggle to rationalise why one order sounds more 'right' than another.

Is it purely a historical accident that one order is more common than another? Or are there subtle linguistic rules that are responsible?


texts: Word for specific behaviour irrationally ascribed to gay people?

texts: Nowadays, there seem to be a lot of men/boys who behave in my opinion, more feminine. For example saying "Oh my gosh" with a bit high voice and making gestures that mostly young woman do. Teenagers mostly call this person "gay", because stereotypes say that this behavior is mostly seen among homosexual men/boys. Not everybody who behaves like that, has to be gay. But is there any other word for this?


texts: Noun with the definite article as a subject of a sentence

texts:
Please, help me to clarify this question.

Assuming that there are many books I owe to a person and some of them are here on my table, is it correct to say:

"The books I owe you are on my table"?

Will it show that those books just belong to ones I owe to the person, and somewhere else are other books I owe him?
Or will it strictly mean that these are the only books I owe?

The confusion is because "the" is often used for an exhaustive list.

And if to say: "The book I owe you is on my table" - the same question - can it just show that this is one of those books and there are other books I owe somewhere?

Thanks.


texts: Phrase or words to describe a diva/prima donna

texts:
Good day,

I am looking for phrases or words to describe a diva, prima donna. Someone who is used to being spoilt, who does not like getting their proverbial hands dirty but instead just wants to be pampered and treated to fine wines, and first class jetsetting, shopping and 5 star hotels. Usually a woman who could never go camping or backpacking, outdoors, or ride in coach. Someone who is overly concerned about their appearance and their fashion.

What's the best way to describe a woman like this apart from diva/prima donna? Don't need a single word. Just effective way to articulate it.


texts: I am writing a scientific research paper. As is common in the field, I am about 2000 words over the limit for submission, and I am trying to cut words. "Patient-specific" in its hyphenated form is only counted as one word, but I do not want to use it incorrectly. When is it appropriate to use "patient-specific" vs. "patient specific"? In most cases I am using the phrase as an adjective, such as "patient-specific anatomy".


texts:
Today, I read an article, and one sentence talked about

  treating other people with dignity and respect

I had thought I understood the difference between the words dignity and respect. But then I realized that I didn't understand — at least in the above context. I checked out the definitions on dictionary.com, m-w.com, etc. and I still didn't get it.

What is difference between the two words dignity and respect in this context?


texts:
Once heard someone saying "Thank you, my big man." For whom is to use "big man?" For someone friendly, someone like big brothers, or someone like a guardian? I want to know how that word sounds to you and how you use that word. Is it okay to use it as: "You're my big man," "You're the big man," "Big man, you rock," or "See you later, big man?"

Thanks.


texts: What is the word for a person who easily ignores and twists logic in favor of promotion of a particular political position?

texts:
I listen to one radio talk show where the host is firmly and strongly on one side of the political aisle, and whenever somebody of the opposite political persuasion calls he always readily ridicules and mocks that listener even when he says reasonable and logical things. But when somebody who happens to lean politically on the same side calls, the host is much more tolerant, and only the blatant idiocy on the part of the listener would elicit the negative undertones from the host.

What is the best word to describe such attitude? One word I have is biased, but biased describes such twisting of logic only to much slighter degree in my mind. Another word is propagandist, but it doesn't have the logic implication, I think. Pushy, aggressive, assertive, militant, brash, bullyish would be other general terms but they only describe this situation in general terms.

Did I exhaust the semantic space for this case, or there are as-yet-undiscovered corners left? Anything to add to biased propagandist?


texts: Is there redundancy in saying that something "can be a potential risk"?

texts: I often read of "potential risks".  This moved further into the realm of uncertainty with "can be a potential risk" in a recent, scientific magazine.  Given that measurements of risk incorporate the less than 100% likelihood (which could be arbitrarily low) of an outcome occurring, what differentiates a "potential risk" from an actual one?


texts:
I always think for ownership or assignment we should use an "of" word.
For example, I think this phrase is correct: The door of his room
but, I read a story book of Longman and I saw this phrase: The door to his room.

Why does "to" come here instead of "of"?


texts:
Could anybody please help me read this part of an article correctly. The author, I think, says Santiago is a typical city and each of the typical cities has one hospital. I don't quite understand first why Santiago is called a typical city; Santiago is the capital of Chile and it's large. Second do typical cities only have one hospital? I presume my difficulty is rooted in my understanding of 'a typical city.' Does this mean a prototypical city; thus, a prototypical hospital (representing the more than just one hospital)? But if this reading were the case, the consistency would break in the next paragraph, which is quoted next. Certainly the author is considering an element noun here, not its prototypical noun.

  (13) a. As soon as my cousin arrived in Santiago, she broke her foot
  and had to spend a week in the hospital.

  It has been suggested to us by Paul Kay, Tadashi Kumagai and others
  that use of definite NPs to denote non-unique locations such as those
  in (13) and (15) may be explained in terms of frames, in the sense of
  Fillmore (1977, 1987). For example, in (13a) the mention of
  Santiago may give rise to a frame for a typical city, which includes a hospital.

  However, this does not seem to account for all cases:

  (16) a. The first thing we did upon arriving in Santiago was to go
  to the park and have a relaxing picnic lunch.

  In (16a), use of the park seems felicitous despite the fact that there
  is typically more than a single park within a given city.


texts: Is "They are trying to push their responsibility out" correct?

texts:
I'm trying to say that “they” don’t want to take on what they have been asked.
Instead of doing that, they are giving it to other people (or trying to).
If I say,

  They are trying to push their responsibility out.

is that sentence correct?
Will it be understood to mean the thought that I want to express?


texts: Alternative ways of saying "hope life is treating you well"

texts:
In a letter to an acquaintance, what's the best way to express literally hope that everything is good at their end?

"I trust you are well" sounds a bit too formal?


texts: A word for when a machine or process occasionally misses a step

texts:
I am looking for a verb that means that a process misses a step occasionally.

This would be for a case where a machine or process sometimes, but not always, produces incorrect results. For programming code this is not necessarily because of a logical bug in the code, but because of e.g. the software application not working optimally in the OS environment it is used in. For physical machines this could probably happen because of some tolerance of a lever or something like that.

Is there like a way to say that e.g. "the machine is [insert verb here]"


texts: I am looking for a name for a work attitude that can be described as the person treating their job as something of their own. To take some examples, they treat every single project or piece of work almost as if it was their own children, like something they will be identified with say long after their death; they try to save money as much as possible on business trips even if the expenses would be paid by the company in full regardless of the amount; they don't terrorize the bathroom or other public spaces. Let me add that the concept is very close to "wholehearted, passionate, earnest" etc.; but these words miss the "feel like my own" component.


texts:
In a paper I encountered with this sentence:
"Smart grids have attracted significant attention lately, and one can even
speak of hype."

The above sentence is from: Vanfretti, Luigi, Dirk Van Hertem, and Jan Ove Gjerde. "Smart transmission grids vision for europe: Towards a realistic research agenda." Smart Grid Applications and Developments. Springer London, 2014. 185-220.

In macmillan dictionary "hype" means: the use of a lot of advertisements and other publicity to influence or interest people. However, I wonder what it means collocated with "speak of" in the above sentence

What does it mean to say: "one can even speak of hype"?
Thank you in advance


texts: Can I use less-common technical terms metaphorically?

texts:
Can any technical term be used metaphorically? For instance, can I use the word assimilable which means capable of being absorbed and incorporated into body tissue (because it's broken down into a form that can be absorbed) in a sentence like "Calculus is not readily assimilable by students without appreciable Mathematics background"

I'm also wary because technical terms (assimilable belongs in Biology) are not always popular.

I know technical terms are already being used metaphorically. One may even use these words without realizing they've been adapted from a certain discipline for everyday use. Their derived meanings seem denotational because of its pervasive use. (I know I won't be forgiven for my lack of examples, they're not coming to mind atm. But I'm praying you get the picture.)

So my question is about the aptness of using these less common technical terms. I know I risk my audience not comprehending me when I use them, but surely there was a point in time where these very familiar (technical) expressions we use today weren't as commonplace as they are now. I hope someone understands me :-)


texts:
He once bought a collection of 19th century watercolours, and some of these were hanging on the walls. The rest was off the peg, Smiley decided. Maston was off the peg too, for that matter. His suit was just too light for respectability; the string of his monocle cut across the invariable cream shirt. He wore a light wollen tie. A German would call him flott, thought Smiley; chic, that's what he is - a barmaid's dream of a real gentleman.

What does off the peg mean here? I understand that it means ready-made. Does it mean the same here when referring to Maston? Why would barmaids think of him as chic when his suits is ready-made and lacks respectability? And the sentence "the rest was off the peg" refers to the short piece of wood used for hanging things (i.e. the rest of the paintings were not shown)?

Source: Call for the dead (John Le Carre)


texts:
As you mentioned above mail, I will send you the money.
  As per mentioned above mail, I will send you the money.

Which of the above sentence is correct?


texts: 2nd Condition or mixing 2nd and 3rd for assumption time in the past

texts:
Which of the two following sentences would be better to use for a situation where I regret that I did not do something in the past?

If it were yesterday, I would buy the car.
If it were yesterday, I would have bought the car.

I’m confused about the action I buy the car didn’t happen in the past (yesterday), so I think mixing 2nd and 3rd conditionals for this situation is correct. But my friend said it might be 2nd conditional.

Should I use the 2nd conditional or a mixed one for this case?

Edit: My "It" means "now" here.


texts:
I am putting together a scene which has a policeman and another male character in it. I am finding that constantly using "policeman" is quite repetitive, clumsy and interrupts the flow. I have tried to improve this by using the policeman's rank at times (eg. captain) but I am looking for some alternatives.
I previously used "officer" but my understanding is that this can also be a rank or type of policeman? If so I am concerned about calling one person by two different ranks. Similarly "detective" and "inspector" came to mind but again, based on my research I believe these are more specifiers of a type of policeman not necessarily something that can be used as a synonym for one.
The only other idea I have come up with is to simply give the character a name, although I was trying to avoid that as I'm trying to distance the reader from this character.
Any suggestions at all?


texts: A word or phrase for "someone who learns from their mistakes"

texts:
What would be a word or short phrase for "someone who learns from their mistakes"?

I thought of insightful, but am not satisfied with it.


texts:
Pick out the Verbs in the following sentences:

After loitering for ten minutes, the boy walked away.
Since winning the prize, he has been boasting about it to everyone.
Having settled himself into the armchair, he picked up the newspaper to read.

First pick out verbs then kindly explain:
Are loitering and winning used as nouns in these sentences?


texts: Where to place 'are' in not only... but also

texts:
I'd like to ask which of the following sentences is correct?

These methods not only are efficient, but also raise the performance of our system.
These methods are not only efficient, but also raise the performance of our system.

Thank you!


texts: Could you explain me the right form of the idiom "to come clean" and its connection with subject? I have found the expression "to come clean ABOUT" in both of my printed dictionaries. The same form states the web Merriam-Webster. But the Financial Times article headline looks like this: "Clinton needs to come clean OVER email fiasco". Is this any new version of preposition here? Thank you.


texts: "The author means", "The author writes", "The author points out", etc

texts:
I am currently writing a technical report. While writing the "Related work" section, I often need to write expressions as shown in the title:

  "The author means that this algorithm is not suitable in all cases.",

  "The author writes that..." or

  "The author points out", etc.

As I am not a native English speaker, I find it hard to vary my language. I know I saw a list of many possible ways of refering to something other people has said or written, but it was not in English and it would probably not be directly translateble.

I am so sorry if there exist another question about this. Please let me know in that case, but I don't know what keywords to search for in this case. What other ways are there of refering to something someone has written or found out in their work, and what is this way of referring called (what can I search for)?


texts: What does “goo up” mean? Is it a well-received idiom?

texts:
I found the word, “goo up” in the following statement of New York Times’ (April 2nd) article titled “Desperately seeking synonyms,” which was written by Constance Hale as a series of writing lessons. Though it’s a little bit long quote, I thought the lines being of particular interest to foreign English learners:

Writers sometimes forget that the primary role of nouns is to paint a clear picture, and they pile up abstractions and leave us clueless as to the people, places, things or ideas they are writing about.
Sometimes this is intentional, as when a spokesman for Hasbro said that the closing of a Scrabble plant in Fairfax, Vt., in 1999 was part of a “global improvement product.”  Other times, it is unintentional, as when novice writers goo up descriptions with a lot of lush adjectives, rather than a few precise nouns.

I can vaguely imagine what “goo up” means from the word “goo,” but am not very clear.
Cambridge English dictionary registers “goo” only as a noun meaning “an unpleasantly sticky substance. No mention on verb.
Oxford English Dictionary registers only the definition as a noun meaning, 1. Sticky or slimy substance. 2. Excessively sentimentality. No mention on verb.
Google Ngram registers usage of “goo up” declining since 1900.
Though I think the writer used the right word in right place as this is a part of series of “How-to write” lesson, can “goo” used as a verb, which neither CED nor OED does provide?
Is “goo up” popular or well-worn idiom? What are its exact meaning and easier analogues?


texts:
In math, one often writes

  a = b = c = d

to prove that a=d. How is such a sequence of equations called in English?

In German, there is “Gleichungskette”, but the direct translation “Chain of equation” is not found very often by Google, hence my query.


texts: When a list includes both people and things do you use "who" or "that" when referring to these common nouns?

texts:
An example being:

"The chain of kindness begins with donations from individuals, foundations and businesses who (or that) truly believe in our mandate and mission."


texts: Mnemotechnic approach to identifying transitive vs verb-adjective constructs

texts:
I'm no linguist, grammarian and not even an english speaker, please bear with me. I'm looking for a quick way to identify transitive vs intransitive constructs, for example, in the sentence

"the plant has buried leaves"

even on google NLP, is incorrectly identified as transitive direct with action, where the plant decided to bury its leaves, just like an ostrich would with its head.

Is there a simple Mnemotechnic way to correctly associate 'bury' as a verb-adjective to 'leaves' or is it a real semantics issue that grammar/syntax can not solve?


texts: Word for a person or group who is actively preventing the progress of another person or group

texts:
I'm trying to come up with a word that describes when one person or group is actively trying to prevent the progress of another person or group but more specifically when the actions they are  preventing would be beneficial to both parties.
Thanks.


texts: vowel sound in "stair" pronounced similarly as the "eɪ" diphthong in "fake"?

texts:
Sometimes in words which have the ɛ sound followed by an "r"  as in "stair", "their" "bear", "where" I hear them pronounced like "steɪəɹ", ðeɪəɹ etc. with the "eɪ" as in "fake", "lake","make" and not with the ɛ as in "bed","fed", "let".

Do I hear it right?

Thank you in advance!


texts:
I would like to know if the meaning of belong to conform the meaning of pertain to. If no, what is the difference and when each one of them is more suitable?

Update

Well according to my search on some dictionaries I found there is some common synonyms between them, but non of the both words was mentioned as a synonym for the other
belong

However, at this dictionary the both words can be interchangeable. Not sure which one is more trust worthy. Besides, non of the dictionaries mentions when each word is more suitable to be used.
I'm sorry I wanted to post more links but the reputation does not allow me at the moment.


texts:
What is the opposite of summary as in a Summary Report or A Summary? Common suggestions are Exposition but that doesn't seem right at all, and other suggestions I find in a search are just antonyms of short like long and lengthy. Summary stands on its own as a noun, but none of the others do except Exposition which seems very different in meaning.

In my specific case I have two reports; one is titled End of Month Summary Report and one is End of Month Report - Long Version which is painfully awkward. I'd like to keep the titles short and End of Month Summary sounds perfect. I need a concise, understandable phrase for the latter.


texts: "In" versus "of", how can I choose between them?

texts:
In a lot of phrases "in" and "of" seem to have the same meaning, however, after a quick search I found that some sentences are not common; can any one give me a logical explanation as to how to choose between those prepositions??

1- Doctor of Engineering (common) vs Doctor in Engineering (not common)

2- Bachelor of Engineering (common) vs Bachelor of Engineering (not common)

3- Bachelor's degree in Engineering (common) vs Bachelor's degree of Engineering  (not common)


texts: Why is it a school/shoal of fish, dolphins, porpoises and squids for example, but rather a pod/gam/herd/mob of whales?

texts: Would it be incorrect to say 'a school' of whales?


texts: Stylistic level of a phrase starting with an infinitive[?] form

texts:
I wrote the following sentence:

  Bringing an article from draft to polished publication on a scientific journal requires to go through a process called "peer reviewing".

My questions are:

Is it actually an infinitive form?
Is this form stylistically readable and acceptable for medium-high level writing?
How would you rework the phrase to express the same concept in a stylistically more appropriate form?


texts: Past simple and present perfect: "They didn't" vs "They haven't"

texts:
Please explain  what differences are implied by using two different negative forms

  Two years ago today, the guns were supposed to fall silent. They didn't.
  Two years ago, Russian fighters were supposed to begin leaving eastern Ukraine. They haven't.


texts: Why do we use "awfully" as an intensifier?

texts:
First, consider this sentence:

  We lost the game because we played awfully.

Since "awful" means "very bad," it makes sense that "awfully" means "very badly."

Now, consider these two sentences:

  1) Google is an awfully good search engine.

  2) Bing is an awfully bad search engine.

In the second example, regardless of the adjective's connotation, "awfully" just acts as an intensifier - it simply means "very." Why do we use "awfully" this way? How did this form of the adverb come about?

I'd be awfully grateful if someone could enlighten me.


texts: What is the meaning of 'She's LETTING" things get on top of her at work'?

texts:
She's letting things get on top of her at work.

The above sentence makes me confuse when I study the phrase 'get on top of sb'. First af all, I totally understand "things get on top of her at work" means "She cannot deal with some works so that she feels frustrated."

But I don't get the exact context with "letting". So my quetsion is if the word 'she's letting' is placed in the beginning, does it mean that she is intentionally ruining work herself and that situation leads to her feeling of frustration?

I know the basic definition of 'let' (like I'll let you go), but it is very hard to find the exact meaning above sentecne through google, translation machine, and dictionary. I would be grateful if you teach more specific nuance of the sentence.


texts: Is " Princesses' " correct and how would it be pronounced?

texts:
From my understanding:

" Princess " is the singular form

" Princess' " is the possessive form pronounced with an -es in the end

" Princesses " is the plural form which is pronounced in a similar manner

If I refer to the doll of a princess, it should be "Princess' Doll"(?)

But what if there were many princesses having dolls? Would I say "Princesses' Dolls?" (As Princess-is-is)? Or would the second "es" be silent?


texts: Question for an aggressive humor : You can't unload a truckload of bowling balls with a pitchfork

texts:
I found an humor while reading an essay. But I can't understand the reason why it is funny. Does it need some background knowledge to understand it? I know only it is a kind of sick humor. Could you explain it for me?

The sick "humor" : Q. "What's the difference between a truckload of bowling balls and a truckload of dead babies?"

A. "You can't unload a truckload of bowling balls with a pitchfork."


texts: “Let's burn that bridge when we come to it” – is this sort of idiom mixing considered a pun, and if so, does it have a specific name?

texts:
I couldn't come up with a short title, but the upside is that there is not much needed to be said in the body of the question!

For @dmr (and others), it mixes “let's cross that bridge when we come to it” and “burn one's bridges”.


texts: Is it "an urban scale study" or "an urban-scale study"?

texts: I have been reading about the use of a hyphen, and guess this could fall under compound modifiers as explained on Wikipedia, so I am inclined to use urban-scale, but I am not totally sure. Should I hyphenate here?


texts: Why do websites have Caucasian as a race?

texts:
It is an archaic, racist in (in the derogatory sense towards non-caucasians) and technically incorrect if sub-sets of "Caucasian" - such as Middle Eastern - exist in the same list. Moreover what is meant is

European

Why not use "European"? I blame early American web sites for this incorrect use of the word (though unknowingly on their part) which the web seems to adopted.


texts:
First of all, note that this is not a duplicate question of another one asking about the usage of so as to, since this one is asking about the structure of so . . . as to. . . .

I understand this might have been a better question at the English Language Learners site, since I’m not a native English speaker. I am asking it here since I want to get some professional advice in regard to this question, since I don’t seem to have found anything similar to this on the Internet.

At the Oxford Dictionaries Online (OD) I have found the following definition of ludicrous:

  So foolish, unreasonable, or out of place as to be amusing.

I understand the phrase so as to, simply meaning in order to and preceding the purpose for which an action is done.

So by itself is just therefore, hence, thus, or a way of emphasizing an adjective or adverb.

As to in itself means with regard to or according to, as pointed out in the Free Dictionary.

In the OD definition of ludicrous, the use of so looks fair to me, that is, it clearly emphasizes the high extent to which something is foolish or unreasonable.

The use of as to doesn’t work in any way I’ve mentioned in this case (neither as in with regard to nor according to). I think the dictionary I’ve referred to has missed one, if not more, meaning of the phrase as to.

In this case, it appears to have likely been used as an alternative to that when used in the form So X, that Y, meaning something is or happens X (a combination of adjectives or adverbs) enough to cause Y to happen.

Of course, I don’t mean that in the structure so X as to Y the phrase as to is absolutely equivalent to that, since substituting as to with that changes the structure of Y.

Does all this mean that the phrase as to is a great alternative to that (although changing the structure of Y) whenever the sentence is of the form so X, that Y (where X is a combination of one or more adjectives or adverbs)?

I am new here and so I’m not too familiar with the variety of existing tags here, so if anyone sees an additional one that would fit, please add it to this question. I would also be glad to see some other corrections of my grammar.


texts: My brain is constipated, surely that's not correct

texts: I am unable to finish a project I am working, I just don't want to do it because the ideas to make it awesome are not flowing, I am not procrastinating, I want it completed, the only way I can describe it is that my brain is constipated. Surely there must be a better phrase.


texts: Single word for the act of exercising discretion

texts:
I feel like this is something that should have one word.
Looking for past, present, and future tenses.
If something says:
"The organization is given the discretion to enact this policy as they see fit."
I could say:
"Our organization does not [discress]"


texts: Singular they for an organization, company, country

texts:
Sometimes I stumble upon singular "they" when referring not to a person, but an organization, such as a company or a country, for instance:

  Company A is doing well: their shares doubled in price this year.

or

  Each region of the country speaks their own dialect.

Is this usage correct?


texts:
Consider this definition of "may", given in https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/may

Definition 3: You use may to indicate that something is sometimes true or is true in some circumstances.

// A vegetarian diet may not provide enough calories for a child's normal growth.

Now consider this sentence, please:

a) A vacant lot can produce an extraordinary variety of flora and fauna. (~ A vacant lot sometimes produces an extraordinary variety of flora and fauna, i.e. it is sometimes true)

But, according to definition 3 above, "may" should be able to replace "can" in sentence a). So we get the following sentence:

b) A vacant lot may produce an extraordinary variety of flora and fauna.

My question is: Do native speakers use sentence b) in the same sense of sentence a) (or definition 3)? like this:

A vacant lot may produce an extraordinary variety of flora and fauna = A vacant lot sometimes produces an extraordinary variety of flora and fauna.


texts: How would I cite Magna Carta according to MLA6 citation standards?

texts: I would like to cite the Magna Carta document for a project that requires me to cite sources according to the MLA6 standards. How would I cite Magna Carta, because it's not a book, nor magazine or any other periodical.


texts: If three nouns are the objects of a verb, do you need the definite article with each?

texts:
Does a sentence with multiple objects, the first object taking the definite article, need to have the definite article repeated with each noun.

He grabbed the book, the flowers, and the chocolate.

Would the following following sentence ever be grammatically correct?

He grabbed the book, flowers, and chocolate.


texts: What's a good word or idiom for the action (or the person) of creating unnecessary work steps when the task at hand can be accomplished much faster?

texts: For example, it would take me 3 min to email a supplier about an update on a recent purchase, or I could start a new task board, set up an account for my PA, and assign him this task, which would take 15 minutes (so 5 times the amount of time) - what's the word for that type of pen pushing overkill?


texts:
I recently learned about strong adjectives and the fact that you shouldn't use "very" with them, because their definition already includes "very".

E.g., "thrilled" -- i.e., very happy, you can't say "very thrilled" according to the rule I described above. But for some reason this link https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/thrilled provides this example:

  I’m not very thrilled about having to do it again.

So, is the Macmillan dictionary wrong then?


texts: What were the British equivalents of Webster's dictionary and the Simplified Spelling Board that standardized spelling and usage?

texts:
I am familiar with questions about when to double 'l' and differences between British and American spellings. However, I stumbled across this image.

As you can see, several words end in the double 'l': spirituall, generall and speciall. From what I gather, much of English wasn't standardized until the 19th century.

Q: Was there an equivalent to Noah Webster's dictionary and the (U.S.) Simplified Spelling Board for British English that would've affected these spellings (and others)?

On a sidenote, the -all ending seems to occur with some consistency from the 16th to 18th centuries. Was there a particular rule for this usage or was it "just how things were done"?


texts: Would an American girl aged 12-14 really use the "F-word" casually like this in 1947?

texts:
In the 1997 movie "Lolita", in the beginning set in 1947, there is a scene where Dolores Haze (12 or 14, White, girl) has this conversation with a friend:

Mary Rose: "See you later, alligator."

Dolores: "After a while, crocodile."

Mary Rose: "Real soon, Daniel Boone."

Dolores: "Get fucked, Daffy Duck."

Source: https://www.scripts.com/script.php?id=lolita_1354&p=2
Would such a young girl in 1947 really say "fucked" rather than something far more innocent, such as "stuffed" or "ducked"? Is this an anachronism? At first, I thought I heard this wrong, but according to sources, she really says "fucked" and not something similar-sounding.
The reason I'm unsure about the age is that in the book, she is 12 in the beginning, but (according to my memory) she is said to be 14 in the movie. Which is very odd since this kind of muddles the whole point of the story, although they perhaps had to claim that she was 14 in order to not upset people too much, even though it's implied that she is actually 12. (Or maybe it was in the 1960s movie that she is explicitly said to be 14, and my memory is at fault here...)


texts: Phrase for suddenly getting to your feet

texts: I am looking for a word or phrase to express that type of getting to your feet, when you were on your knees and you try to dash into a run, but it’s like your legs are tripping on each other. Imagine a drunk marathon runner, unable to get up, but trying to run anyway.


texts: Ambiguity with adverbs when using the word "or"

texts:
If you take the sentence

  "Bob will run or walk fast."

how is the ambiguity resolved between the following two meanings?

  Bob will either run fast or he will walk fast.
  Bob will either run (at some unspecified speed) or he will walk fast.

As this is such simple and common word usage I thought it would be relatively easy to find an answer to this online but I've had no luck.

I have seen this post dealing with the ambiguity of the word "or" but it only seems to be addressing how to recognize when or is used as a way of providing one or more synonyms for a word.

Edit: My question is whether a sentence that has more than one verb separated by one or more "ors" is always going to be ambiguous. If so, I'd imagine it should then be avoided in writing...so is there an alternative better than simply repeating the adverb (for meaning 1) or inserting a pronoun before the verb taking the pronoun (for meaning 2)?


texts: To improve the carbon footprint vs. to reduce the carbon footprint

texts:
Y'all know the carbon footprint, describing the CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere by a company etc.. I am pretty unsure, if it needs to be to "improve" or to "reduce" the carbon footprint. Can anyone help me?

Greets


texts: When writing in cursive, what is the proper way to write an acronym?

texts: Would I just write the letters in cursive or switch to block text?


texts: What is the term for finding words within words for comedic effect?

texts:
I am trying to find a word that describes finding a word within another word for comedic effect i.e. functioning as a pun or word play.

The example that sparked this question was when I came across a product name written on the box for hair regrowth in men. The text was "Hair A-Gain".

In this example, the noun/verb gain can be found within the adverb again; it is clever because it refers to two separate but related ideas → having hair once more as well as the act of "gaining" more hair.

What is the correct term for this phenomenon of finding words within words for comedic effect?

EDIT: Follow up question → what is simply the correct term describing the phenomenon of finding words within words?


texts:
I really have no idea about what's going on here:
"They are proud of the country whose independence they helped to establish".
why "whose"? what does it mean here?


texts:
I recall being taught that normally after adjectives we use the "to infinitive": It's easy to say. It's hard to do. But how do the following examples fall into this rule? "It was great talking to you." "It's been nice meeting you."

I've been tutoring students in English as a second language, and I'm failing to find a "simple" justification for the two types of sentences (as, obviously, I am myself struggling to understand).

Very many thanks! Mel.


texts: What is the origin of the term continental breakfast? Was it originally from British English and meant to describe a sub-par breakfast eaten by mainland Europeans?


texts:
In an e-learning course, I've stumbled upon a sentence that makes me think. In order to understand the sentence, you may require the following information.

  To highlight a folder its status can be changed to active via an operation, which is called set active. Only one folder can be active at a time. If the function is called on another folder this new folder is active, and the former is no longer active. There is no inactive. Think of being active as being highlighted.

The course then said:

  In order to achieve [...] please set active the folder.

Whereas I would have gone with:

  Please set the folder active.

Can you elaborate on the grammatical rules determining which version is right and why it is right, also why the other one is wrong, if somehow there are more rules to it.

I'm not interested in alternative phrasings (e.g. set the status to active, call the set active operation, etc.). I want to know the rules involved in the inflection of the term set active, or a generalization on combinations of terms consisting of a verb and an adjective (if possible, that is).


texts: Use of parentheses to include both singular and/or plural possessive

texts:
GIVEN:  "You can either pay for, or rent, your kid's baseball uniform."

QUESTION:  If you are sending form letters to each of a number of parents, some of whom have 1 child, and others, 2 or more children, who will be playing ball, could you write:

EX.1.  "You can either pay for, or rent, your kid's(s')baseball uniform(s)."

[I read the suggested "Questions that may already have your answer," above, which don't seem to pertain to the present query, and researched 's(s') online; and, so far, I haven't found anything on this. I compared my question to the questions and answers, here:
How do you make a word like "parent(s)" possessive? and thought that nothing there adequately answers it.]

UPDATE:  @Davo's answer, below, is clearly a way to express what is intended. I'm asking whether or not the 's(s') construction would be correct/ understood.


texts: What is a single word that means false accusation?

texts: I've had an assignment that I would like to redo but use better/more intelligent words and phraseology and I'm stuck on this one.


texts: Does a second meaning of "Hypotenuse" exist?

texts:
I've recently saw this comic strip:

  You may be right, Pythagoras, but everyone’s going to laugh if you call it a “hypotenuse”.

Does "hypotenuse" have a second meaning? What's funny about the word? Is it something about a wrong pronunciation?


texts: Cross Origins of Comrade and Camaraderie

texts:
If "Comrade" and "camaraderie" are from Spanish and French, why did the Russians and particularly Soviets (and later the Chinese and South Africans), come to adopt Comrade for usage?

Also, does using camaraderie carry the same socio-political baggage as Comrade might? In contemporary usage, has the term "Comrade" lost any or all socio-political baggage it may once have had?


texts: Word to describe a person who expresses his or her feelings frequently?

texts: I'm looking for a word to describe a person (it can be a term of animal behavior) who expresses his or her feelings frequently, particularly through facial expressions.


texts: I have problems with the pronouciation of some words ending in with 'w'. Words like follow, saw, sow, paw etc. I know 'w' at the end of words has a vowel sound of short 'u' and I know that most people don't pronounce w at the end of a word. But I have just realized that if me too I don't pronounce letter w at the end of words with a short u sound people don't understand what I am talking about.              It is the same thing wih google assistant, I use google assistant to rectify my pronunciation but, when it comes to words ending in 'w'. If I pronounce those words with a short u sound, google assistant  recorgnizes what I am talking about but if I drop that sound and don't pronounce it at all google assistant doesn't figure out what I am saying ending up bringing other different words.              Is there any one with the same problem like me and in order to be understandable what should I do?


texts:
This is a sentence that I have seen:

  I spied them in the rear ranks, looking as uncomfortable as i felt

I found it in a standard English book of my high school. It is from the story My Schooldays as an Indian Girl by Zitkalka-Ska, and can also be found in the Atlantic Monthly Volume 85 (1900). I do not know the meaning of the entire first clause. I found a definition of rear rank, from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913): "The rank or line of a body of troops which is in the rear, or last in order."

I am still not satisfied. Please give me a satisfactory meaning.


texts: Does this mean to exclude holiday, jury duty, illness, personal time or vacation from the absence?

texts: Was employee absent from work for reasons other than Work Sharing, including a holiday, jury duty, illness, personal leave, or vacation during this week?


texts: Meaning of 'managing these risks to business continuity'

texts:
Please help me understand the meaning of the following sentence:

  Managing these risks to business continuity is the focus of this section of the manual.

I'm having trouble with the first part, does it mean 'managing risks to maintain business continuity'?


texts: Meaning of English phrase - "right on the water"

texts:
Does the phrase "right on the water" have a different meaning in the below dialogue?

  Man: Who hasn't dreamed of living right on the water?
  Woman: Oh, it's so pretty.
  Man: You are right on the water.
  Woman: Wow.
  Man: That's unreal.
  Woman: This is spectacular.


texts: non-community wiki answers or non-community-wiki answers?

texts:
I'm curious about the correct punctuation for this phrase which appears in some stack exchange badges...

"non-community wiki answers"

I initially thought it was referring to wiki answers that were somehow non-community.  This confused me.  It turns out it is referring to answers that aren't community wiki answers.

Am I correct that it should be punctuated "non-community-wiki answers"?

related: https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/309426/non-community-wiki-answers-and-grammar


texts: Collective term for race, gender, age, religion, income class, etc

texts:
I'm writing an article for a political website about the major traits that make an individual what he or she is (in terms of wealth, human rights, oppression or lack thereof, etc.). They include inherited traits (e.g. race, gender and age) and traits that may be acquired or modified later (e.g. religion, income class, etc.).

I just wondered if anyone knows of a collective term for such traits. I coined the term lifetags, but I wondered if there's an appropriate word that already exists.

Such terms are often associated with censuses, surveys and sociological/demographic studies, but I can't think of a word that describes them. Feel free to coin a new term; I want to enrich my vocabulary. ;)


texts:
Is the use of upon correct in the following sentence?

There is a book upon the desk.

Also, is there any difference between on and upon in the following?

He stood on/upon the rock.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What kind of sentence is this, grammatically?

texts:
Why did the writer use being that of instead of is?

  four items are responsible for three-fifths of the overall spending
  around the world, the most prominent share being that of food.

Also, why didn't the writer write it like this, instead?

  four items are responsible for three-fifths of the overall spending
  around the world, the most prominent share is food.


texts: Where does the "getting weaker" definition of "flagging" come from?

texts: I understand that "flagging" means "to get weaker," or "exhuasted and slowed," but I don't understand why. I presume it comes from a metaphor of some kind, but I cannot identify its origin. Can anyone help?


texts:
Quite simply — who coined the phrase "to coin a phrase"?

I'm sure it wasn't one person, but it's the origin that is of interest.


texts: "In the first instance" ... active in contemporary populations?

texts:
On a site I happened to use the phrase "In the first instance" ...

(Not that this is relevant, but notice the many upvotes suggesting that presumably it reaches baseline understandability in a typical mixed-language, mixed-age, mixed-continent SE audience.)
I was utterly astounded that someone did not know the phrase,

Astonishingly, more people had not heard the phrase; my total astonishment / disgust with the Youth Of Today etc. continued when an an otherwise highly literate user figured it may be "regional" or such ...!

In particular: there was a (to me, completely bizarre) thought that it is more "descriptive than proscriptive" (or, something?)

My questions (here on the "Excellent English SE site") are

Could it be this ordinary phrase is falling out of popularity/meaning?  If so since when? (Kids of the 60s? 90s? 10s?) Is there any real way to know this? Does it appear in Harry Potter?

Is there anything to the "unfamiliar in action sentences" concept? (i.e., as I understand the commenter's comment, "ITFI X happened" versus "ITFI do X".)


texts:
In this sentence, is "playing football" a participle phrase describing the object "him", or is "him playing football" all a gerund phrase functioning as the object?

The problem with English grammar is that too many different words share the same form. I find it difficult to distinguish gerunds and present participles.


texts: How do natives understand which meaning of a tense is implied?

texts:
Some tenses may trigger different time aspects. For example, Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous may refer to one recent action or to a series of actions. How does one differ them?

I have talked to Peter for 20 minutes.

May mean: 1) I have talked to Peter for 20 minutes more than once in my life. (repeated action) 2) I have talked to Peter for 20 minutes one time recently.

Have you been waiting for me for a long time?

May mean: 1) A one-off recent action. 2) A repeated action.

Are there any guidelines or does it all come down to the context and experience in English?


texts:
I am writing an academic essay (APA standard) in which I compare a lot of proportions (and probability estimations).

Phrases like

  ... are 5.2 percentage points more likely to ...

are common. So I want to use an abbreviation. But not sure if to use pps, PPs, pp, PPt, or just pp. Curiously, I find nothing from APA or anyone else when doing a quick web search looking for best practices. At this point any insights or standard I can follow is good enough.

Update

Percentage point is different from a percent (literally part of a hundred).

Example:

  30 percent of customers complained about our service last year. This year
  only 24 percent.

So we would say there has been 6 percentage points decrease in complaint but the decrease is also 0.06/0.30 = 0.2 = 20 percent.


texts: Is there a word that describes an intelligent, self-aware, sentient lifeform?

texts:
... like "human" but also applicable to other beings that are generally as intelligent (i.e. capable of complex thought, participation in a society, etc.).

Or must one describe that concept with other words? If so, is there a most-succinct or scientific way of doing so? "Intelligent lifeform"?


texts: Why can't "had better" take a that-clause?

texts:
Given that we say things such as "I'd rather (that) you do it.", I'd expect "I had better (that) you do it." to be possible as well to mean "I would consider/find/have it better that you do it.", analogous to "I would consider/find/have it rather that you do it." (rather being the comparative of the archaic rathe).

However, a quick search would show that this isn't used and is likely ungrammatical. Is there any reason behind this?


texts:
In a text about videogames I was requested to form a term from the verb create in this context.

  Time is running out on the production of this videogame. The game's
  creation/creative team must be feeling the pressure.

I've been discussing the two expressions with my family and we haven't reached an agreement. I would choose creative but I'm not sure.


texts:
I am wondering if "monthly shipment" can be considered a compound noun. I think it cannot, but what made me less certain was having seen "monthly ticket" listed as one in a grammar site.

Thank you in advance for your input.


texts: What's the difference between glinted, glittered, glistened, gleamed, and glimmered?

texts:
They all mean to shine and they all start with g. But do they mean the same thing?

Acording to "Google Dictionary" (the one that appears when you search on Google).

  glint: give out or reflect small flashes of light.

  glitter: shine with a bright, shimmering, reflected light.

  glisten: (of something wet or greasy) shine; glitter.

  gleamed: shine brightly, esp. with reflected light.

  glimmered: shine faintly with a wavering light.

Example sentence:

  The city lights [...] at the distance like an ocean of stars.

Do all the verbs above fit the sentence? Or it would mean a different thing depending on which one I choose?


texts:
Since the South Park joke

My name is Kyle, too.
Nice to meet you, Kyle-two.

I am wondering and trying to avoid too.
Wiktionary explains it as "deriving from the original meaning of "apart, separately" (compare Old English prefix tō- (“apart”)). More at to.", which I don't quite understand.

tō- links Proto-Germanic *twiz- "apart, in two", from Proto-Indo-European *dwis- "two-ways, in twain", which is pretty obviously related to *dwo "apart, in two"

But to instead links PIE *de, *do "to"

Is it reflected in you too have to go?
The confusing thing about the first variant is that to means for, towards, quite the opposite of apart. Also ... ah, now I see, it could come from a sentence initial adverbial, "apart from that; also; too". German zwar comes to mind, that is explained as zu + wahr (superficially "too true") and used similar to zudem ("add to that"), but rather formulaic.


texts:
When a university student picks a class for a semester, they "enrol"*. When a professor chooses to teach a class for a semester, they... ?

I'm actually looking for a noun to use in parallel with "enrolment". The closest I can think of would be "assignment", but I hope there is a more specific term (and also "assignment" sounds too much like "homework").

* British English = enrol/enrolment. American English = enroll/enrollment


texts: One word for 'automatic nature' of doing certain things?

texts:
I am a chess player. Quite often, when I am in a familiar position, I automatically reach out to move a certain piece to a certain square without thinking too much. That's usually the first move that I see and I make it rather "automatically" in a blitz game. But sometimes this automatic way of moving pieces causes me to make mistakes. I need to break this "automaticity", if that is even the right word? Looking up the Oxford Reference-

  The ability to perform a task by automatic processing, independent of
  conscious control and attention. Strong automaticity is almost
  entirely automatic and can be carried out without attention. Partial
  automaticity refers to processing that can be performed without
  conscious control, but which is performed better with attention.

However, this isn't exactly the sense in which I want to use a word to describe the automatic way I do things. In my case, sometimes the "automaticity" can be a bad and undesired thing and not an "ability". So is there a word for this?


texts: The Interrupting Colon – ie a colon after a verb

texts:
I was taught that a colon never, ever follows a verb: it can follow only a complete sentence. Does anybody on this site support this type of usage? Can anybody provide links or examples of colons used after verbs? Have you ever used the colon in this manner in your writing?

I did some investigating this afternoon and unearthed some interesting information.

The Handbook of Good English and Merriam Webster's Standard American Style Manual support colons after to-be verbs. Awesome! This debunks the myth that colons cannot be used in this way. Does anybody agree with this? Two strong sources support this principle.

The Handbook of Good English by Edward D Johnson

The question was, did he like zucchini? is correct; the past tense of the question may seem to make it indirect, but it is still direct. Note that did is not capitalized; it could be, and some editors routinely capitalize in such a situation, but a capital is a surprise after a comma and in the example would give the question more independence and emphasis than the writer may want it to have. Note also the comma after was, needed to set up the question, almost as a weak colon.

We could, of course, actually use the colon and capitalize after it: The question was: Did he like zucchini? Or we could add quotation marks—which makes changing the tense desirable—and then would need no punctuation before the question The question was "Does he like zucchini?" These alternatives make the sentence rather stately, almost dramatic; the writer may prefer the smoother, more casual The question was, did he like zucchini?

Merriam Webster's Standard American Style Manual

The Interrupting Colon (as they call it)

Opinion varies regarding whether a colon should interrupt the grammatical continuity of a clause (as by coming between a verb and its objects). Although most style manuals and composition handbooks advise against this practice and recommend that a full independent clause precede the colon, the interrupting colon is common. It is especially likely to be used before a lengthy and complex list, in which case the colon serves to set the list distinctly apart from the normal flow of running text. With shorter or less complex lists, the colon is usually not used.

MWSASM Example:

Our programs to increase profitability include: continued modernization of our manufacturing facilities; consideration of distribution terminals; discontinuation of unprofitable retail outlets; and reorganization of our personnel structure, along with across-the-board staff reductions.


texts:
As defined by Grammar About.com the “dummy it” is

The use of ‘it’ as a subject (or dummy subject) in sentences about times, dates, and the weather (such as, It's raining) and in certain idioms (It's OK). Also known as ambient "it" or empty "it."
Unlike the ordinary pronoun it, ‘dummy it’ refers to nothing at all; it simply serves a grammatical function. In other words, ‘dummy it’ has a grammatical meaning but no lexical meaning.

Wikipedia's “dummy pronoun” has nothing about the term's origin. The following page, Uses of It, provides examples of “Pronoun it”, “Dummy it”, and “Anticipatory it” but no mention as to who the author might be. Language Log has only one mention of “dummy it”. And Etymonline has the following for dummy:

1590s, "mute person," from dumb (adj.) + -y (3). Extended by 1845 to "figure representing a person." Used in card games (originally whist) since 1736. Meaning "dolt, blockhead" is from 1796.

Oxford Online Dictionaries says that the term ‘dummy’ is an object designed to resemble and serve as a substitute for the real or usual one, which is where I imagine the grammar term is derived.
Someone must have coined this handy expression. A grammarian, a linguist, a professor of English. If one looks back to the 19th century, there were grammarians who recognized that it did not always refer back to a subject, e.g.;

William Pinnock (1830)
Samuel L. Howe (1838)
C W. H (1841)
Sir George Ramsay (1853)
Robert Gordon Latham (1860),  and
Eduard A.F. Maetzner (1874).

Not one of these authors mentions "dummy it" and yet that is exactly what they are all referring to.

Who coined the grammatical term “dummy it”?
What is its origin?


texts: What do you call streets with shops/vendors?

texts: What do you call streets with shops/stores? Would commercial streets suffice or is there a more idiomatic term for this?


texts: What word type is "before" when used as in this example?

texts:
I need to know the word type of "before" in constructions like the following:

  Before going home, I had a beer.

I do know the word types before can be in general, so no need for lengthy responses ;).


texts: What term means or refers broadly to "the people of the parent's generation" or "the people of the grandparent's generation"?

texts:
Are there specific terms used to more broadly refer to the generation or which generation people are in?

The first term would refer to the generation considering of mother, father, the mother or father's brothers and sisters and same-generation cousins, etc.
The second term would refer to the grandmothers, grandfathers and the grandparent's brothers, sisters, and same-generation cousins, etc.
The terms need only apply within a specific family, not related to the age or year of birth.

Is there a term or method of annotation used to refer generally to the people found in previous generations at these different distances relative to a single person or the youngest generation?


texts: how to underestand "of" in "starting times of half past eight for high-schoolers"?

texts:
Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, signed legislation which cuts 2.7m of the state’s schoolchildren some slack, setting a limit on starting times of half past eight for high-schoolers and eight o’clock for middle schoolers, in the hope that pupils will benefit from the extra time in bed.

How does one understand the meaning of "of" here?

Is it similar to the usage in "fear of dark" which dictionary explains as "introducing the object of the action expressed by the preceding"?

dict link : https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/of?q=of

  9   used after nouns formed from verbs. The noun after ‘of’ can be
  either the object or the subject of the action.

  the arrival of the police (= they arrive)
  criticism of the police (= they are criticized)
  fear of the dark
  the howling of the wind


texts:
What are some synonyms for prefilled or prepoluated?
I've looked up many synonym resources but being pre-populate and pre-fill compound words I didn't get anything useful out of them.

Use case: I need to communicate to a client that at a specific web page they can find a prefilled payment form, but I don't want to use the word prefilled because it has been used before, so I would like to avoid repeating it.


texts: difference between "teacher's monitoring" and "teacher monitoring"?

texts: What is the difference between "teacher's monitoring in classroom learning activities" and "teacher monitoring in classroom learning activities?


texts: Is there a word for treating a silly topic with an overly serious tone

texts:
Facetious is defined as treating a serious topic in a joking manner.
Is there a word for treating a silly topic in an overly serious manner?
For example, "GIF is pronounced with a hard G and this is the hill I choose to die on!" or "Lasagne is the best pasta dish hands down and anyone who says otherwise is dead to me!"
Thanks in advance for any help!


texts:
In the context of an accounting software, I've got both "quote" and "invoice" entities. They obviously share a lot of common semantics and behaviours, and I'd like to abstract those into a parent entity.

For example, a parent of "car" and "boat" could be "vehicle".

For "car" and "truck", it could additionally be "ground vehicle", or "wheeled vehicle". The best or correct term would depend on the responsibilities ascribed to the parent entity.

My "quote" and "invoice" entities are essentially the same thing, the most meaningful distinction being the intent attached to them (making a proposition vs demanding a payment). So the parent entity is loosely defined as: "a document addressed to a client, with the description of a product and the price asked for it (usually in the form of a listing of items and their pricing details), and other useful mentions".

Sample sentence: "Computer, please give me the list of invoices for the month of March 2019 from the [DESIRED WORD] collection. Try not to leak quotes in the list this time!"

So far, possibly due to my lack in accounting knowledge, I've failed to find any word that is fit for this usage. Even in my mother tongue.

So what could be a good name for this parent entity of "quote" and "invoice"?

Note: a single word would be ideal, but a short combination could do the job if it best conveys the meaning. An invented word could do the trick if its meaning is obvious somehow.


texts:
Look at this sentence:

  There was also found a significant interaction effect between gender and age groups

The part "There was also found" gives about 50 million records when you google it with quotations, but the editor of the journal I submitted my manuscript in, wrote in the review that this sentence "is awkwardly phrased". I have two questions:

1) Is this sentence really awkwardly phrased?

2) What would be a good paraphrasing for the sentence


texts:
Can one say

  You will be reassured to know/hear.

?

Take e.g. the following sentences, made up by myself:

  The Arabic and Hebrew scripts have no vowels - however, the learner will be reassured to know that the vowel-sounds are generally indicated by other means.

Or:

  You will be reassured to hear that Charles has abandoned his intention to go skydiving.

My simple question is: Is this good/proper English? What might be a more suitable reformulation of the above sentences?

Thank you for your attention.


texts: Why don't you say "good work" in English?

texts:
I am an Italian student and I am writing a thesis comparing our two languages.
I am aware of the fact that you don't say "good job" or "good work", in order to wish someone the best in his/her job. I'd like to know if there is any sociological or sociolinguistic explication for that. In addition, are there any references to find out more?

Clarifying explanation from Davide Loi:

  To better explain to people who don't speak Italian the reason why Ale asked this, here is the fact: in Italian, when someone is about to do something, some work, or a specific task, we say "buon lavoro" BEFORE the job/task has been done. The meaning is "I wish you that you can do a good work".


texts: Correct capitalization of "please contact our Customer Support team"

texts:
What should the correct capitalization of the following sentence be?

"If there are any other issues please contact our customer support team."

This is not a title or a heading, this is the last sentence in an email.

I believe that Customer and Support should both be capitalized, since it is the name of the team that you are meant to contact.


texts: What is the difference between 'as' and 'while'?

texts:
As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention
  was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large
  screech owls.

  A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a
  thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the
  candles in the pumpkins stutter. (Harry Potter book1)

In the examples, what’s the difference between ‘as’ and ‘while’?
Can each be changed with each other?


texts: Does "sallow complexion" include bad meaning?

texts: I'm non-native speaker and I live in Australia. When I filled out the form of a driving license, the officer made me fill sallow in the blank. I didn't know the meaning of sallow at that time, I did. Sallow means unhealthy, yellowish. I'm asian. Does it include racism? Or can be used often as describe complexion?


texts: History of using capital letters for names

texts:
Though the answer might not be, my question is simple: When and how did the custom of capitalizing names begin?

(I'm not entirely sure whether to ask this question here or in History.SE since it doesn't strictly concern itself with English specifically, but since it is true for English as well as for other languages, I felt it was better to ask here.)


texts: Difference between "besides", "apart from" and "except for". Prepositions vs adverbials

texts:
I am studying discourse markers and ended up checking online (in crownacademyenglish) about the difference between these expressions.
Firstly, this website affirms that they are prepositions, which I disagree with. They can also be adverbials. Secondly, I am not sure I agree with the difference in meaning it suggests. I would like you to confirm my doubts with examples, if possible. Also, to show if, in fact, it is their word type that could produce such a difference in meaning in some contexts.
The text states that besides adds something to the clause. It means "plus".
Except (of) means minus; it has a meaning of excluding something.
Apart from is a combination of the two, meaning plus / minus depending on the context.
So, basically what I'm hearing is that a sentence like

Next week, I’ll be in London every day besides Monday

is incorrect. Is this so?
Perhaps I am wrongly influenced by their equivalent expressions in Spanish, but to me, they mean basically the same.
To add something to the post, this is the definition of besides in an online dictionary:

As an adverb:

Meaning moreover; furthermore; also: "Besides, I promised her we would come."
Meaning in addition: "There are three elm trees and two maples besides".
Meaning otherwise; else: "They had a roof over their heads but not much besides."

As a preposition:

Meaning over and above; in addition to: "Besides a mother he has a sister to support."
Meaning other than; except: "There's no one here besides Bill and me."

Is there something I am not grasping? Thanks.


texts: Is there a word to describe spatial/height imagery?

texts:
I was wondering if there was a word to describe height/spatial figurative language. For example, the use of "high" or "low" spatial positions to describe higher/lower socioeconomic classes, or an imbalance of power.
I would like to use this hypothetical word in my literary essay. I have thought of words such as spatial imagery or spatial perception. Below is a hypothetical sentence I would use this word in:

The use of purposeful word in this scene, illustrated through the protagonist 'kneeling and bending' while Alex is on his tiptoes, highlights the socioeconomic divide between Alex and the protagonist.


texts: Which one of this is the correct use of "one" as a pronoun?

texts:
(a) When one reads the Hindi literature of the twentieth century, he finds a striking contrast between the writings of Munshi Premchand and later day writers of popular Hindi fiction.

  (b)  When one reads the Hindi literature of the twentieth century, one finds a striking contrast between the writings of Munshi Premchand and later day writers of popular Hindi fiction.

According to me, (b) should be the correct one as "one" cannot be used interchangeably with other pronouns when referring to the same thing.
But the correct answer is (a).
Can someone explain?


texts: What does this sentence about 'ὑπό' mean?

texts:
Wiktionary has the description of meaning for the ancient Greek word 'ὑπό':

  under, that is, (with the genitive) of place (beneath), or with verbs
  (the agency or means, through); (with the accusative) of place
  (whither [underneath] or where [below]) or time (when [at]): among,
  by, from, in, of, under, with. In compounds it retains the same
  genitive applications, especially of inferior position or condition,
  and specifically covertly or moderately.

I cannot grasp the exact meaning of this sentence. I do not mean the terms, my problems are with identifying what are the scope for the respective 'or' words.
Could you help me comprehend it?

note I may better ask this on ELL, but in case the sentence is 'genuinely ambiguous', I don't know how much linguistic background is given on ELL.


texts: Correct Terminology of Types of Users of a Software Application

texts:
Maybe I should ask this in a language forum? I am not in an English country, so maybe that's why I can't know for sure the word I am looking for.

I'm designing a system that will have multiple modules. It is even possible that these modules are separated into different applications. Then it came a question I had previously asked myself but I could not get the answer:

What names should I give to different types of users of the modules of a system? Is there a current default pattern?

Existing example: Uber

Uber, with its "drivers users" and "passengers users", has an application for each of these types of users. Uber states that drivers are their partners and not employees (and not customers). But what about the passengers? Are they customers of Uber or customers of the drivers? Do you understand where I want to go?

My case:

In the case of my project, my client would be a number of different professionals who would be the source of money income for the system (so they would be my clients), and they would be users of a 'apk' module built only for them. These clients have their own clients, who would use another separate 'apk' module to use the services of the professionals already mentioned. These users (clients of my clients) would not pay to use the system. In addition, there are the users who administer my clients, using a CRM module that will be made for them.

In the end, there are at least 4 types of users:

My customers
Customers of my customers
Employees of my customers, with more restricted access profile to work for my customers in the application
Managers of my customers (my collaborators which have client wallets)

So, how should you name each module and its users? knowing that there is still the open module, which can be accessed without the need for authentication...

Dirty example:

Customers Module (some medics for example)
Customers Clients Module + Public Areas Module (patients for example)
CRM Module


texts: keep it inside your body, where it belongs [antecedent of 'where']

texts:
Bolt, a Disney animation, has these lines:

Bolt : What is this red liquid coming from my paw?

Mittens : It's called blood, hero!

Bolt : Do I need it?

Mittens : Yes, so if you want to keep it inside your body, where it belongs, you should stop jumping off trucks doing eighty on the interstate!

Let me change the last sentence as follows:

Mittens : Yes. Actually, your body, where it belongs, needs it. So if you want to keep it inside your body, you should stop jumping off trucks doing eighty on the interstate!

What's the antecedent of where in the original version and in the changed version?

Note: This question originally also asked the following:

Can you remove the comma before where and make it a restrictive relative clause?

Only after one of the answers was given to address that was it edited.


texts:
Jezz.. How did I miss the memo of Brooklyn?

Does MEMO mean memory ? Thank you very much.


texts: Word meaning "To try and make an objective fact subjective"

texts:
For example:

Person 1: The sky is blue.
Person 2: Not necessarily, Person X sees the sky as grey because they are colorblind.

or

Person 1: The sky is blue.
Person 2: I don't believe that the sky is blue because you cheated on your wife.

For the second example, I'm not interested in the character appeal logical fallacy aspect. Also, please take for granted that the sky being blue is an objective fact.
Subjectification is a word but it doesn't seem to fit.


texts: Possible double negative sentence explanation

texts:
At nearly 450 pages, the novel is prolix￼ : the author does not often
  resist the temptation to finish off a chapter, section, or even
  paragraph with some unnecessary flourish.

Is the second part of the sentence an example of double negative ?
"does not often resist"
Then shouldn't it mean - the author is not resisting to the temptation, i.e. gave in to the temptation and finished off in a hurry ?
Therefore prolix would be an incorrect here ?


texts: What are good use of alliterative words for describing a rain on the tin roof?

texts:
I just had this question in my school homework asking to use alliteration words. The question was like this:
Use words with the same beginning to describe the sounds made by the words in bold:
A) Rain on the tin roof: It _______________ and ___________________ and __________________ and ____________________ and ___________________
Could anyone please reply to this and help out on which words could fit in that sentence? Thanks a lot!


texts: Is there a correct pronunciation for the word "idempotent"?

texts:
In mathematics, we like talking about idempotent matrices. In a masters program that I am currently enrolled in, I have heard one professor pronounce it one way, and another professor pronounce it another way. The Wikipedia discussion page here explains it better than I could:

Is there a correct pronunciation for idempotent? Is it like omnipotent
(om-nip-o-tent), so id-EMP-o-tent, or is it more like the two seperate
words idem + potent
I'd say EYE-dm-POT-nt, but then I speak Brit. Charles Matthews 07:57,
30 Jun 2004 (UTC)
Ditto, but then I speak Australian ;) Dysprosia
08:01, 30 Jun 2004 (UTC)
Actually the British is more like
EYE-dm-PO-tnt, I guess. Charles Matthews I'd just like to pedantically
point out that it would be pronounced i-DEM-po-tent because because
syllable onsets are maximized. daesotho 20:33, 21 Oct 2004 (UTC)
The
American pronunciation puts primary stress on the second syllable
('dem') and secondary stress on the fourth syllable ('tence'). Could
somebody more familiar with IPA than I am please add this to the
article as an accepted pronunciation?
My American dictionary says
|ˈīdemˌpōtənt| for the adjective. I speak American (non-natively) and
I wouldn't stress the second syllable for itempotence. My only
question is, right now it says /ˌaɪdɪmˈpoʊtəns/ -- but can't it be
stressed on the first syllable too? Should we add /'aɪdɪmˌpoʊtəns/ as
an alternative? -- 87.160.141.177 (talk) 14:50, 3 June 2011 (UTC)
And
by the way I think it's silly giving a pronounciation guide as this is
just imposing a particular accent. (For what it's worth I pronounce
idempotent with a short 'i', as in the word 'id'). Alex Selby
I agree with Alex Selby - the pronunciation guide should be extended to show the variation, or removed. Strictly, there's no reason for the first i to be long (neuter idem has a short first syllable in Latin), and I can't find any authoritative source which advocates the pronunciation given. Ms7821 (talk) 22:59, 15 July 2015 (UTC)

Is there a "correct" pronunciation for this word?


texts: What would you call someone who needs to watch the news every day?

texts:
My friend claims there are people who have or are perceived to have some disorder where they must watch the news every day or they feel very agitated. Disregarding the truth of such a claim, what would you call such people? He suggested "newsivore" and I would just say "news obsessed."

Is there a proper term?


texts: What is the compound noun of a box that contains new toys

texts:
I'm really confused, I'd like to make a compound noun for a box that contains new toys only. Should I name it "New toy box"? but, this makes me think of a new box for toys not a box for new toys.

[ Questions ]

What is the correct noun ? and is there some rules to follow when forming this type of compound nouns?


texts: Can the verb 'to be' be used purely intransitively, like 'to exist'?

texts:
Can the verb 'to be' be used intransitively, as in "I am." OR "It was."?

I don't mean as an answer to a question, when there is all kinds of implied content. I mean as a complete sentence. And I also don't mean in a philosophical context, like "I think, therefore, I am."

We can't say something like "I am happily." We would say "I exist happily." So can we ever use 'to be' in an intransitive sense like 'to exist'?

Note that I mean 'without auxiliaries'. "It cannot be!" uses auxiliaries.

If we can't use 'to be' intransitively, then it shouldn't be able to take adverbs without an object. But oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/here considers 'here' to be only ever an adverb. So "I am here" would be subject/intransitive verb/adverb.

Can someone unwind this conundrum?


texts: Is there a slang word or phrase for someone who is always playing dirty tricks or unpleasant practical jokes on his friends and acquaintances?

texts:
context:

He will surreptitiously introduce a frog into your handbag.
You leave your car keys on a desk, he sees it and hides it somewhere.
He may offer you M&M type candies that will leave your mouth entirely blue.

  Although most of us would call this person "a jerk", "an asshole", "a creep", or "an s.o.b.",  all these terms are generic and not specific for "one who plays dirty and unpleasant tricks".

I'm not looking for lists. One word or phrase will be enough provided there is a reference link.


texts: What is the formal synonym of "taking over the property"

texts:
I'm writing a text and am confused about a word I knew before.

The definition is : to Take away the property of someone (by government or bank or a legal institution).

I have found seize or take over, but I know there is better word for it which I had used in my translations before.

Can any one suggest a better word?