texts: Is "that which" grammatical in the sentence "I have that which I should have told you summers ago", and if so, how?

texts:
This is my first question although I have been reading you for a long time. My question is: can that which be used with the meaning of something?

For me, that is a demonstrative pronoun, so you can say I have that which you seek (meaning that thing you’re seeking), but not this:

  “I am so delighted to have you back, it never occurred to me that you should have attained your full height by now, boy,” the elder Giant admitted with a slight heightening of his color. “I have that which I should have told you summers ago. Forgive me. I see by not telling you my secret, I have caused you needless anxiety. Just how tall are you?”

Is that grammatical? If so, how does it work syntactically? What kind of a clause is this really?

If this is not grammatical, what norm of English usage or syntax is it violating?


texts: Single word for "inhale using your mouth with force or power"

texts: I want to express the following: "Inhale using your mouth with force or power". It does not sound good to me. Is there any single word or a good phrase to express this?


texts: handwritten typeface / name of a typeface in calligraphy

texts:
What is a handwriting art style called?

So, when a calligraphy artist writes words in a certain way, the letter have certain forms and follow some style.

On a computer different typefaces describe these differences; Papyrus vs Comic Sans vs Arial vs Times New Roman.

What's the equivalent of this word "typeface" but for calligraphic art?

  The ______ is beautiful

  The ____________ of the all-caps small writing is different to the __________ of the larger lowercase writing in the below image

  The following images show two different ____________s

  You can tell they are different ________s because the tail of the 'g', for example, is drawn so differently in each case


texts:
Is it ok to say:
I take the pill before 2 hours of meal
Or I have to say:
I take the pill 2 hours before the meal.


texts: Can I say, "Go slowly 'as to not' drop anything"?

texts: My high school English teacher always nagged us about not splitting our infinitives, but this would just sound wrong if I said "as not to drop anything." Is this an acceptable exception?


texts: Why add extra space between a word and punctuation (e.g. a period, question mark, etc.)?

texts:
I was just wondering this because of noticing a lot of people I've worked with typed this way.

Examples:

Okay, that's great .

Thanks, Stephanie .

Was there anything else ?

I was wondering if there is something that this could derive from.


texts: Single word meaning "reverse delegation"

texts:
Is there a single word which means "reverse delegation" or "upwards delegation", which is a person passing work upwards to the highest level that will accept it?

This question has also been raised here, but no acceptable answer was given.


texts: "Man" is to "womanizer" as "woman" is to what?

texts: What's the feminine version of womanizer?


texts: The meaning of "point" in the context of a line of scrimmage

texts:
According to Wikipedia, a line of scrimmage is "(American football) either of two imaginary lines across the football field touching one of the two apices of the football which point toward either the defensive side or the offensive side before the center is allowed to touch the ball before each play.".

Could somebody help me understand what "point" refers to in this context? Thank you.


texts: What is the proper term for a manufacturer of charcuteries?

texts: I’m looking for the term for a business that takes raw meats from a slaughterhouse and refines them into charcuteries.


texts: Is there a word for a fish's stationary position

texts: When a fish is being still in one spot, it definitely isn't floating or hovering.  Poised?  Suspended?  "She made out a school of tiny fish ____ in a patch of filtered sunlight".


texts: Are "compared to" and "with respect to" interchangeable?

texts:
For example:
The results showed higher stability for the first enzyme compared to the second one.
Would this sentence have the same meaning if I changed compared to with with respect to?


texts: Term for someone who keeps rejecting ideas without specifying what they want

texts:
Is there a particular word or phrase for when you keep giving suggestions and advice to someone about a broad topic and that person keeps rejecting the ideas but won't specifically say what they want to hear?

Example: During a brainstorming session, I offered a couple of ideas, which were dismissed. Months later, it turned out the group leader only intended to pursue one avenue. (I wish he would have said so at the meeting.)

What do you call a person who is deliberating coy about something and allowes others continue to labor under the illusion that they're being productive when they are secretively not really interested in suggestions that don't align with his idea?


texts:
I've used this phrase a couple of times recently and it just now struck me that I'm not entirely sure if it's correct. I'm using it in pretty much the same context as "caught the attention of" or "drew the attention of."

Based on the dictionary definition of garner...

    "gather or collect (something, especially information or approval)"

...it seems like people would know what I'm talking about, but I'm not sure if the word actually works here.

Both times I've used this phrase, it has been in the context of someone doing something fairly drastic and drawing the (potentially unwanted) attention of someone else. Am I using it correctly?


texts: What is the correct greeting to use in a formal email addressed to a department/team/company?

texts:
If the email were to be addressed to a specific person, you could write "Dear [Name]".

But is it appropriate to write "Dear [Team / Department / Company]"?

For example, "Dear Service Desk," and "Dear Microsoft,".


texts: Is there any difference between the usages of "neutralise" and "balance" for charge cancellation in scientific context?

texts:
For example, in the text below, which is from a research paper, they have used both of them, repeatedly, and it seems that they are interchangeable.

..."the positive sites are predominantly charge-neutralised by the terephthalate dianions,we see that the small number of un-neutralised positive sites(assuming as before exact charge cancellation) can then be charge-balanced, on the other side of the LDH sheets, by further terephthalate dianions"...


texts:
I've been under the impression that "adverbial phrases" are phrases that function adverbially and "adjectival phrases" are phrases that function adjectivally. My understanding is PP and AdvP can overlap, and so can PP and AdjP. A prepositional phrase could be an adverbial phrase or adjectival phrase.
But information on Wikipedia is contradictory in this regard. The Wikipedia page for "Adjective phrase" says: (by the way, that page is slightly messy, possibly vandalized)

An adjective phrase (or adjectival phrase) is a phrase the head of which is an adjective

Per this definition, adjective phrases are defined in much a similar way to noun phrases and prepositional phrases. However, another Wikipedia page has this line:

She's [the woman with the hat]. (adjectival phrase, in this case a prepositional phrase, modifying a noun in a noun phrase)  (source)

Clearly "with the hat" is a prepositional phrase with no adjective head. So which definition is correct? Can prepositional phrases also be adjectival phrases?


texts: What's the name for a play on words where two words together sound like a longer single word?

texts:
I'm thinking of names composed by taking a longer work and breaking it up into two words that sort of work on their own.

Examples:

"Aunt Chiladas" (a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix)
"Sir Vezas" (a Mexican restaurant in Tucson)

This page has a bunch of other examples.

Is there a specific term for this type of play on words?


texts: Collective term for a group of naive people

texts:
For cynical people, the word "cynics" is commonly used. For example, on this page at dictionary.com, one of the definitions is

  cynical: (adjective) of or relating to the Cynics or their doctrines.

Is there a similar term for naive that can be used in a similar fashion? For example, something like

  of or relating to the Naives or their doctorines.


texts: Is there anything wrong with the word “denigrate”?

texts:
A few years ago there was a  controversy over the word niggardly — a perfectly innocent word that unfortunately sounds like a racial slur.

Given that controversy, is it safe to use denigrate, which is actually derived from the Latin niger?

Can whole families of words become tainted purely by association?


texts: A word for when somebody deflects from a conversation?

texts:
I'm looking for a word to fill in this blank.

  "I'm certain of it: the square root of 225 is 25," said Peter. But when Mary pulled out her phone and used the calculator app to find that it was in fact 15, Peter recoiled. In a quick ___, he redirected, adding, "But you know, this reminds me of a funny story involving Euler..."

The word I'm looking for would mean a deflection from a conversational faux pas by redirecting the conversation. It could describe making an excuse for one's flub, but not necessarily. I've thought of some related verbs like redirect, deflect, rebound, recover, and so on, but I'm looking for a noun, and one that pertains particularly to talking. Tangent (as in, "going off on a tangent") is relevant, though that doesn't have the connotation of recovering for a mistake.

I really feel like at some point, the French must have invented a word for this, and then we stole it. Alternatively, a word for a deflection from a generally uncomfortable conversation would also work.


texts: when we should use to "inventory" and "list"

texts: Can any one explain those conditions on which we have to use word 'list' and 'inventory'


texts: Is there a word for a person who officially "takes over" for someone after they die?

texts: For example I want to write "Professor Neville died, but I am going to ask his wife Virginia Neville, who is acting as is _____, to forward you his confidential letter of reference that he wrote for me before before he died".


texts: "Could" and "might" to talk about past possibilities

texts:
339.10 another use of may/might: typical occurrences (PEU = Michael Swan's, Practical English Usage.)
In scientific and academic language, may is often used to talk about typical occurrences - things that can happen in certain situations.
With this meaning, might can be used to talk about the past.

In those days, a man might be hanged for stealing a sheep.

This site says: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/modal-verbs-of-probability.html
We can use could + infinitive to talk about a general possibility in the past:

Prices could be high in the sixteenth century.

Q1) Is there any difference between the meanings of "might" in (1) and "could" in (2)?
Q2) If any difference exists between "might" and "could" above, does the same exist between the following?

These days, a man may be hanged for stealing a sheep.

Prices can be high these days.


texts: What's the subject of "There is my biscuit!" ? And how about "There is one biscuit left"?

texts:
What's the subject, grammatically speaking, of these sentences?

There is my biscuit!
My biscuit is there!
There is one biscuit left.

I don't really know how to analyze these. The following observations seem to be relevant, though:

The verb to be doesn't take an object.
In the first two sentences, there is a demonstrative pronoun. It is therefore potentially a subject, I think. I don't know what part of speech is taken by there in the third sentence.
In favour of reading my biscuit and one biscuit as the subjects is that if there were more than one biscuit then, in each case, the verb would become plural (There are my biscuits! etc.)
In favour of reading one biscuit as the subject of the third sentence is that if we recast it as (the slightly unidiomatic) There remains one biscuit, it seems that one biscuit would have to be the subject.

All of this leads me tentatively towards thinking that my biscuit and one biscuit are the subjects here, but I'm not totally confident about this.

One other possibility: since to be doesn't take an object, does that mean it can have two subjects? In I am he, presumably both I and he are subjects, if neither is an object?


texts:
I'm having trouble deciding whether you say:

A child is breastfed until ...
A child is breastfeeding until..

I have heard a native speaker used to second option, but to me that sound as if the child has a child of her own, who she is breastfeeding.

Also, consider this case:

She was breastfeeding at that age
She was being breastfed at that age


texts:
The United States signed but has not yet ratified the Convention; however, the United States considers most of the Vienna Convention’s rules as representing customary international law.

does it mean that US acting accord to Vienna Convention’s rules, rather than other(signed but not ratified one) until NOW?


texts:
In House of Cards, Zoe says:

  There's no bite to it.

  She told me about a profile she's working on.

What does 'bite to it' mean here?


texts: Did the meaning of "Just as soon as" change over time?

texts:
As far as I am aware, the below three forms are the only variants of the phrase "I would as soon..."

(a) I would (just) as soon X.

(b) I would (just) as soon X as Y

(c) I would (just) as soon X than Y.

(In a preceding post where I inquired the meaning of Joseph Conrad's statement: "I would just as soon have abused the old village church at home for not being a cathedral" I learnt that rather than this meaning that Marlow (the narrator here) would prefer to abuse an old church for not being a cathedral than "grumble at her" (a preceding statement implicitly referred to in this one, where [her] is a ship) but instead that Marlow would equally prefer both actions, and because he therefore wouldn't "grumble at her", he would thus not "abuse an old church for not being a cathedral. From my interpretations this statement would also coincide with the form (b), found above, however there would be an implicit [as] succeeding the first statement ("I would just as soon ... for not being a cathedral [as] grumble at her") )
My current understanding of them is: (a) always indicates X is the preferred action, to another implicit action (see 1st; 1st; 1st; 1st and 2nd;2nd; 1st, 2nd and 3rd examples of respective dictionaries: Cambridge, Macmillan, Merriam Webster, Dictionary.com,  TheFreeDictionary. Collins)
(b) can indicate that X is as likely as Y (see 2nd; 2nd; 3rd; 1st, 2nd and 3rd of entry 3, examples of respective dictionaries Cambridge, Macmillan, Dictionary.com, TheFreeDictionary, Wiktionary) but also in some cases that X is preferable to Y (see 4th; 1st examples of Collins, TheFreeDictionary)
and (c) indicates that X is preferred to Y. (see 2nd example of Cambridge)
Because form (b) can denote two different meanings, I'm wondering whether this has always been the case or that one has arisen only in recent times. Personally, I'm tending toward the prospect that the first respective meaning of (b) arose first whilst the other spawned from it.
My question is: Which meaning of form (b) arose first.


texts: What does "good to talk" mean at the back of Nescafe instant coffee jars?

texts:
On the back of the jar, it says "good to talk" followed by telephone numbers and whatnot. I get that it's their "customer support" stuff, but why "good to talk"? Is that like an expression in English? Sounds almost British somehow. "Good to talk"...

Does it mean that they are "good to talk" as in "we are willing to talk", that it's "good to talk" in general, or something else? I couldn't find the expression on Wiktionary, which is where I always look up expressions first.


texts: Which tense should I use in the following sentence

texts:
I would be very happy in my job if I earned a large salary
I will be very happy in my job if I earn a large salary
I would be very happy if I earn a large salary

I guess the first sentence is subjunctive mood, indicating I do not earn a large salary at the moment while the second is first conditional talking about a general sentiment. What about the third one? Is it correct? And if so, what is the difference between the second one and the third one. Does it express the same meaning simply less definitely?
Edit: fixed an elemtentary mistake and expand the question to include a third option.


texts: Un cancel? A word or phrase to say I'd like to cancel my cancellation

texts: Say I have cancelled an appointment, but I then decide that I would like to go after all, so I cancel the cancellation... Do I uncancel the appointment? Seems a bit clumsy even if it's a valid expression.


texts:
Imagine something secretly entering your body and controlling your behavior, turning you into one of those zombies from science fiction movies. Does that sound creepy? That's exactly how a parasitic fungus species called the “zombie ant fungus,” inhabiting tropical forests around the world, attacks ant colonies. What happens is that when spores from the fungus land on an ant searching for food in the forest, it infects the ant, hijacks its central nervous system, and controls its brain with a special chemical. The victim doesn't act like an ant but like a zombie: it stops searching for food for its colony, and instead climbs up a tree and holds onto a leaf or a branch, where it is finally killed by the fungus. Soon, a stalk of spores grows out of the back of the ant's head, from which more spores can access more ants under the tree, a cruel but very effective way of expanding the fungus' territory.
Q 1. Can I use "where" instead of "from which"?
Q 1-1. If it isn't possible, Why?


texts:
Max and John  both jumped on the sofa.

In this context, is both a pronoun?  What I am struggling with is what kind of pronoun is it?

Q: Is both a possessive or personal pronoun?


texts: How to pronounce the "dr" sound in the middle of words

texts: I can pronounce it when it's at the start of a word as in "drive", but when it's in the middle, as in "bedroom" or "Andrew" the "r kind of fades away and I only say a "j" or a "j"' schwa and a normal "r" sound. How can I pronounce this better? And should I even be saying a "j" sound or is a "d" more appropriate in the middle?


texts: How to use this and that in daily conversation. For example: 'this' or 'that is a good question'

texts:
I'm a little confused about the usage of that and this.
For example: My teacher was giving out our predicted grade. When it was my turn, she said:"A, A*"
I asked "What does that mean?"
She said that "It means we think you will get an A* if you work hard enough"
Here, is the usage of 'that' correct? Or should I use 'this' instead? How am I able to tell?
Another example is when someone explains to me what a word means, I say "that actually makes a lot of sense" or should it be 'this'?
And also when I ask someone about something, should the other person say ''that or this is a good question" ?
Is there a common rule?


texts: Can you please tell me what is the food choice / what the food choice is? (inversion)

texts:
1a. "Can you please tell me what is the food choice for a vegetarian?"

Why is there no inversion in the example above? I mean, why did the native English speaker who wrote the example not do it like this:

1b. Can you please tell me what the food choice for a vegetarian is? or
1c Can you please tell me what the food choice is for a vegetarian?

I have been taught that, whenever we ask an indirect question, we have to switch the inverted word order in the direct question to normal sentence order as follows:

Where is the nearest hospital?(direct question)

2a. Can you please tell me where the nearest hospital is? (indirect question)

So could you please explain to me why this change in the order of words doesn't happen in the original example (written by a native speaker)?


texts: Meaning of the word "including" with "and/or"

texts:
Consider these two sentences:

This shop sells cars from different brands, including Audi, BMW, and Opel.
This shop sells cars from different brands, including Audi, BMW, or Opel.

Does sentence 1 imply that the shop sells cars which are exclusively Audi, BMW, or Opel?
Does sentence 2 imply that the shop sells cars which are exclusively Audi, BMW, or Opel?


texts: Idioms that mean making decision between two good options

texts:
I am looking for expressions that mean "to decide between two good options." For example, you have to choose between getting a car that you like or a super car that's very expensive but you are not sure if you like it.

I searched on Google and there are some phrases that mean to make decision between two unpleasant options so, I am not sure if there such an expression in English or not.


texts: Word or phrase for "online supporting documents"

texts:
In a conversation on a particular topic, I want to ask the other person to provide online supporting documents about his views on the topic.

They may be websites or blogs or wiki etc, but they should have global acceptance. I mean those documents are hosted or run by a globally accepted consortium, or an enterprise or may be it belongs to some government.

In short, to provide online documents that have global acceptance for his views on that topic.

So what would be the appropriate word or phrase I should use to say this sentence?


texts:
In the following sentence:

  We need to approach the two experts and convince them to help. Their contribution will be huge and will advance this field in the company."

Regarding the latter half, seeing as the alleged contribution is hypothetical (assumes that it is given at an unknown point), shouldn't it be:

  "Their contribution would be huge and could advance this field in the company."

Thanks in advance!


texts: Can I say that someone creates a tendency?

texts:
The lectures on Big data have received positive responses not only
  from MIS students, but also from students of other majors, even
  triggering a tendency of technology learning.

  I have given a series of lectures on Big data….,
  creating/triggering/generating a tendency of technology learning.

I mean that after these lectures, technology courses suddenly became very popular among students. I am hesitant to describe the newly arisen fervor for technology as “tendency”, because tendency seems to be more universal, spontaneous, and unconscious. Also, I am not sure whether in the second sentence it makes sense to say that someone creates a tendency. Another word I can think of to emphasize the dramatic effect of these lectures is “wave”.


texts:
I work in a company which has a product called "Boogie" (for reasons that the original owner knows). The product has been called that way for years in our French Canadian environment. Our few English Canadian clients are used to that name.

Now, somebody said that the word "Boogie" does not sound good in English. It would have some negative connotation. Is that true? What would be the negative meaning attached to that word?

I ask the question because people are thinking about changing the name of the product, which is no small task.


texts: More concise words for “Ask for help and learn from others”

texts:
I’m looking to summarize an idea into as few words as possible — to make it as concise as possible. The idea is to ask others for help (putting ego aside), value others’ input, listen to others, learn from others.

What I have so far is “Ask for help and learn from others”, but I’m not that satisfied with it. I’m trying to make a list of rules, such as “be virtuous” or “seek adventure” or “be kind”, and this particular phrase doesn’t really fit in well. Any other suggestions?

And please ask me to clarify if necessary. I’ve been running this through my head for a while, so it might not be clear as I think it is.


texts: Do I need a comma after which in this sentence?

texts:
Do I need commas around "on that morning"?  While technically correct (I believe), it just seems like so many commas sounds too choppy if one pauses at each comma.

  As they passed the cathedral, they rode alongside the River Irwell,
  which, on that morning, had a thick layer of fog blanketing the black
  waters.


texts: How to hyphenate (divide at the end of a line) the word "configurable"?

texts:
Just as the heading says: How do we hyphenate (in the sense of: divide at the end of a line) the word configurable?

I was quite surprised that Merriam-Webster doesn't know that word.
The Oxford English Dictionary neither shows hyphenation nor syllabication.
Microsoft Word 2010 offers con-fig-u-ra-ble, which I believe to be incorrect since I have read somewhere that a- at the end of a line, followed by ble at the begin of the next line would mislead the reader in most cases, and that able therefore usually should be kept together.
hunspell (which drives most open-source projects like OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird and the like) says con+fig+urable, which I believe to be correct, but not complete.

My personal feeling is that it could be con+fig+ur+able, but as a native German speaker who never has been in a country where English is spoken as primary language, I am lost at this point.

Could somebody please help me out?


texts: Using the definite article "the" in a particular sentence

texts:
Is it absolutely necessary to use "the" or "his"before the word "illness" in the following sentence to make it correct?

  Last winter Victor got such a serious infection that it took him two months to recover from illness.


texts: Person that solves problems by determination and hard work

texts:
Is there a word to define a person who with will, stubbornness, hard work and determination faces problem and solves them?
“Problem-solver” probably doesn’t fit because it involves mostly mental work. Who I have in mind is someone who takes responsibility and with hard work gets out of problems.


texts: Which of these is grammatically correct? "lay foundation to" or "lay foundation for"?

texts:
The last line in one my admission letters is "...and also to lay foundation to my long term career goals."

Is it more correct for me to write "lay foundation for" ?


texts: What word(s) would you use to describe someone who sees themselves drastically different to how everyone else sees them?

texts:
Say, for example, someone believes that they are completely useless, but when you ask people that that person knows, they tell you that the person has helped them through several dark times and is always putting everyone else before themselves.

I'm sorry if it feels very specific, but I have to do a character profile on a character with this trait, and I'm looking for an elegant term to use.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Do 'it' and 'there' refer to the correct parts of this sentence?

texts:
In the following sentence, the 'it' in the bold part should refer to Acid Grassland and the 'there' should refer to the 'roughs' (rough areas on a golf course).
"Frighteningly, some of the dangers lie on the Golf Course where there is generally far better management than elsewhere. The roughs support some of the best remaining areas of Acid Grassland but it won’t be long before it is gone there too."
I think it is clear what the sentence means, but is it grammatically correct? The subject in the first clause is the roughs, so simplistically, the 'it' might refer to that.
How does one analyze the sentence and is there a better way of expressing it, if wrong?


texts: Can you interpret "Waltz for Venus" differently?

texts: I think you can have two interpretations for this. One being, a dance or music. Two being, accomplish something with little to no effort. Are these two interpretations correct or is it just the former that's correct?


texts: What is "lay governance" in the context of higher education?

texts: I am looking for a basic definition to understand it. I see it used in texts mainly about US higher education systems and governance.


texts:
To quote the sentence from Richard Templar's book The Rules of Life:

"My grandfarther had taken early retirement owing to an industrial accident and my grandmother worked in a large department store in London......I was too young for school and my grandfather wasn't to be trusted to look after me at home. Her (ie my grandmother's) solution was to tuck me under her wing - on some days physically as well as metaphorically, as she smuggled me past managers and supervisors - and we went to work together."

My question is: What does it mean by "tuck someone under one's wing", in a metaphorical sense?

Note: The author is British.


texts: "Not worth the paper it's printed on" - wrong meaning?

texts: Technically a small piece of paper is worthless - having zero resale value, so why is the saying not: It is worth the paper it's printed on?


texts: Why is it immigrate and emigrate, but import and export (not emport)?

texts: Is there a concrete linguistic reason why im- and ex- are used together in the case of goods but im- and em- in the case of people? Clearly, exigrate and emport sound odd, but are they a result of the evolution of language or do the prefixes have different underlying meanings?


texts: "Different folks different strokes:" British, American, or other?

texts: "Different folks different strokes" Is this British, American or other country's idiom? I once consulted this to a British friend and she admitted had never heard it before


texts: He promised him a noble title if Andalucia was/were conquered

texts:
I want to choose "were" because Andalucia hasn't been conquered yet - it's a hypothetical scenario calling for subjunctive. However, I see that "promised" is in past tense. If the sentence were: "He would promise him a noble title if Andalucia was/were conquered", then it would definitely be "were".

I just want to confirm if the correct answer is "were" (and in the scenario that "was" is the correct answer, why subjunctive couldn't be applied).


texts: Idiom for paying a price without any gain

texts:
Can someone please provide an idiom for a situation when one gains nothing from a certain affair, but still has to pay the price for it.

For example: a person goes to a resturant to have a meal with limited money, and ends up breaking a very expensive glass on his/her way in and now has to pay for it with the only money he had.
henceforth, the person did not eat anything and yet had to suffer a loss/ pay a price.

this is being asked as for a translation of a famous hindi/urdu proverb "Khaya piya kuch nahi, glass torda bara aana" which literally can be translated as: Did not ate or drank, yet had to break a glass worth 12 cents. (assuming 12 cents in that period was a lot of money)


texts: word or phrase for "random learning through linked documents"

texts:
In the process of looking up a word or topic on the web, I often find myself following links to related information. This is a recursive process, and can result in several hours of browsing through a seemingly random set of topics. I've taken similar random walks while reading a paper encyclopedia or even a dictionary.

As an example, I recently followed Isis (goddess) -> Aphrodite -> Venus -> Venus (planet) -> Mars -> terraforming Mars -> lunar colony -> space elevator -> etc.

Does anyone know of a word or phrase for this type of activity / learning process?

Edit: M. Bowles calls this learning process "serendipitous learning" in "Relearning to E-learn: Strategies for Electronic Learning and Knowledge".

Jim Gritton calls this "serendipity browsing" in Of serendipity, free association and aimless browsing: do they lead to serendipitous learning?


texts:
I have a character in a fiction I am writing. She's a prostitute but she takes great pride in her work. In the scene where she makes her first appearance, she does try and seduce one of the heroines (she's bi so she doesn't care for the gender of her clients), but later when asked why she feels no shame about selling her body she says,

  "We have our skills hon. Some cook, some clean, some heal, some destroy. Some heal scars, some heal minds, some destroy building to clear the way for new one... some destroy to incite the chaos" ... "I always wanted to help people but the only skills I could make use of is that with my body so I use it to heal the hearts of men and women alike, allowing them to drown in pleasure and forget the world which puts them down. Sure some will despise me, some will think I'm broken and try and take advantage of that while other will try and offer me escape, but I don't want to, I'm not broken, I do this because I enjoy it, and making the people I serve happy"

Now she never gave her name to the heroine and when they next meet the heroine points out she's the prostitute she met. The heroine herself; however, is being very respectful and polite, so the terms: hooker, whore, and prostitute at least to me have a negative feel for them since even using prostitute I imagine a scantily dressed woman on the corner which this woman isn't.

So what's a polite and respectful name for a prostitute?


texts: Can I add a comma here just for "rhythm"?

texts:
I have the following sentence in a technical paper:

  Recent research has addressed this issue in two important ways: by
  developing and improving on automatic algorithms and by exploring
  human-guided systems.

Though I think this is grammatically correct, it seems like it would sound better with the addition of a comma:

  Recent research has addressed this issue in two important ways: by
  developing and improving on automatic algorithms, and by exploring
  human-guided systems.

I'm by no means an expert on the English language, but I think I have seen commas like this before in decently respectable pieces of writing.

But is it technically okay to add one here? From what I remember, they belong after a conjunction that is followed by an independent clause--not a conjunction followed by a dependent clause as I have above. (?)


texts:
When would I use the word "Whimsicality" over "Whimsy"?

The definitions I've read do not draw a distinction between the two.


texts: Outsourced Partner or Outsourcing partner?

texts:
I'm not an English native speaker. My lecturer in my university keeps using "outsourced partner" instead of "outsourcing partner", while I saw everyone in internet is more often using "outsourcing partner".

I can differentiate the difference between "outsourced" and "outsourcing" (Do correct me if I'm wrong):

A. The product is outsourced. (The product has been outsourced to the third party, adjective and passive form).
B. The company is outsourcing the product. (The company outsources the product in present continuous form).

However, I'm confused on the usage of "outsourced partner" and "outsourcing partner". May I know if there's any difference between them? Or do both have the same meaning?

Examples: Result of searching "outsourcing partner", and my lecture note.

Thanks for your help!


texts: Are effect and affect related to efferent and afferent?

texts:
In my work I occasionally write about neurons. A common description of the relationship between two populations of neurons is to describe one as being "afferent" or "efferent" with respect to another. One essentially means "downstream" and the other means "upstream," but, for the life of me, I have the hardest time remembering which is which.

However, English boasts another pair of often-confused words that seem quite similar: "affect" and "effect." I'd like to port my understanding of "effect" and "affect" to help me understand how to use the neuroscience terms. Is it useful to try to bridge this gap, or is the similarity here a sort of faux ami?


texts:
I am struggling to find the correct grammar for a fairly simple sentence.

  "I don't like potatoes or ice-cream".

This appears to be incorrect because it is a contraction of the two clauses "I don't like potatoes or I don't like ice-cream", which has a different (if any) meaning. You can see why it's wrong when you use a different verb such as:

  "I  hate potatoes or ice-cream".

To use "I don't like potatoes and ice-cream" would be correct but ambiguous as it appears to imply they have to be served together to elicit dislike.

An Oxford comma would be an elegant method of reducing this ambiguity ("I don't like potatoes, and ice-cream") but I'm sure that's incorrect as well.

I expect there's a very formal sentence construction involving neither/nor but nobody would ever say that.

So what is the correct construction here?


texts: What should I call classwork at the start of a period?

texts: So as far as I can remember, whenever a teacher gives you work at the beginning of a class period, they are called "Drills" or "Warm-ups"; however, friends that I have talked to from other schools around the U.S. hear them called "Bell Ringers" or "Do Nows". Do certain parts of the U.S. call them differently then others? Or is it entirely dependent on the school?


texts: How to parse 'of whom any one of you the aforesaid A, B, C, D, etc. we will shall be one'?

texts:
In the block quote below, I bolded everything excerpted from Etymonline for 'quorum {noun}'.
Everything else (ie the annotations) originates from: p 469
, The Justice of the Peace and Parish Officer, Volume 3,  by Richard Burn, Joseph Chitty, Thomas Chitty

  [1.] We have also assigned you, and every two or more of you
  —- ...   And by this it appeareth, that two justices may hold a sessions, but that one
  justice cannot. ...

  [2.]  of whom [quoram vos] any one of you the aforesaid A, B, C, D, etc. we WILL
  shall be one
  — This clause , which gives power to two or more justices to hear and determine offences, requires that at least one of those justices be of that select
  number, which is commonly termed of the quorum (from that word in the
  Latin commissions, Quorum—unum esse volumus). ...

  [3.] our justices to inquire the truth more fully.

Would you please show all steps and thought processes, to explain how to parse [2.] ?

I only managed to infer that it's a (long) relative clause, and the verb 'WILL' = 'INTEND'.


texts: "might" vs "might have" in a narrative set in the past

texts:
The men kept walking well into the night, because if it rained the
  next day, they might not [reach / have reached] the village before the
  enemy arrived.  At around midnight, they came to a clearing a few
  miles west of the village and finally decided to set up camp for the
  night.

Which would you choose in this context, "reach" or "have reached"?

A colleague of mine insists that "have reached" is the only correct option because the sentence refers to a possibility in the past and that "might" can only refer to the present (e.g. "He might be a mathematician.")

In contrast, another colleague argues "reach" should be chosen because "have reached" is only reserved for situations where something happened before the point of reference (e.g. "The doctor suspected that the patient might have taken an overdose of the medication.")

I would tend to agree with the first ("reach") but I am not completely sure.

Thanks.


texts: Repeat the preposition in an "or" phrase, or not?

texts:
Which is correct (or better) English:

"Choose lace in neutral pastel tones or also in grey or black"
"Choose lace in neutral pastel tones, in grey or in black"
"Choose lace in neutral pastel tones, grey or black"


texts: Meaning of "indispensable" in Thoreau quote

texts:
Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only indispensable, but positive hinderances to the elevation of mankind. ~ "Walden", Henry David Thoreau

In my dictionary indispensable means "absolutely necessary", but if we substitute that in the above quote seems nonsensical, but I can't find any mention online of this apparent... typo? Maybe he meant to write "not indispensable", or "dispensable"? Am I reading or understanding this quote incorrectly?

Offending sources:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/henrydavid132501.html
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/340961-most-of-the-luxuries-and-many-of-the-so-called
Forbes "quote of the day" today


texts: Should we write “allow” or ”allows” in “require that the class allow[s]”?

texts:
Can you explain to me whether I should or should not use ‑s at the end of the  verb allow in this sentence?

  This function requires that the container class allow[s] random access

The sentence in the book I read wrote allow without ‑s. However, the container class is a third-person singular, so the ‑s must be required. Is that right?


texts:
Working on a sentence that's bothering me:

After a few minutes, a thin blue-eyed girl, wearing black stockings and wrapped tightly in a silver mink, kicked over the can with her white tennis shoe.

It feels like it should be written without commas but I don't like how it reads—it feels unclear. But I don't know if putting commas there is grammatically correct. Is it?

I also thought about writing it with an em dash, which I think is grammatically correct, but stylistically it calls too much attention to it:

...a thin blue-eyed girl—wearing black stockings and wrapped tightly in a silver mink—kicked over...

So, is it grammatically correct with or without the commas?

Should there be a comma between thin and blue-eyed? I tried the test of reversing it: ...a blue-eyed thin girl... which doesn't sound right, so I figured no comma based on the rules for compound adjectives, but I'm still not sure.

Thanks!


texts:
I would like to better understand when I have to use regret and when remorse.

In Italian we have two words:

Rimpianto: used when I'm sad because I didn't do something in the past (e.g. I didn't buy a staff and now it costs the double).
Rimorso: used when I'm sad because I did something wrong in the past (e.g. I offended a friend and now we don't talk anymore).

I read the dictionary and it seems that the word regret can be used as the world rimorso.

  A feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something
  that has happened or been done.

The word remorse, on the other hand, confused me because it is defined as

  Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.

So, what are the correspondence of rimorso and rimpianto in English?


texts:
As an Example, I want to refer to this Wikipedia article where there are many conditional sentences. Some of them drop the "then", some of them use it. When I change that (drop it where it was used or add it where it was dropped) then some still sound correct, but some sound a little odd, though all of them are still grammatically correct.

Originals:

If you heat water to 100 degrees, it boils.
If the sea is stormy, the waves are high.
If it's raining here now, then it was raining on the West Coast this morning.
If it's raining now, then your laundry is getting wet.
If it's raining now, there will be mushrooms to be picked next week.
If he locked the door, then Kitty is trapped inside.

Changed:

If you heat water to 100 degrees, then it boils.
If the sea is stormy, then the waves are high.
If it's raining here now, it was raining on the West Coast this morning.
If it's raining now, your laundry is getting wet.
If it's raining now, then there will be mushrooms to be picked next week.
If he locked the door, Kitty is trapped inside.

Questions:

Is there a term for dropping "then" in conditional sentences?
Are there any guidelines on when it can be dropped and when it must be retained?

EDIT:
There is an existing question ( Can I use an "if" clause without "then"? ) but that is more of an "YES/NO" type of question and it has been answered with "YES". Here, the question "When" in terms of guidelines : When it is useful to drop ; When it is useful to retain.


texts: Present Continuous or Present Simple in a Meeting

texts:
Which one of the following should be used if I am asking about an event or a meeting:

  Are we meeting today?
  Do we have a meeting today?
  Are we going to have a meeting today?
  Are we going to meet today?
  Will we have a meeting today?


texts: Where does the idiom "Let's roll!" come from?


texts:
The Movement has its roots in combating colonialism.

What does the expression has its roots in mean? Does it indicate a reason or a time? That is, was the Movement started to combat colonialism or was it started in the colonialism era?


texts: Is it Ok to place a prepositional phrase before 'there is/are'?

texts:
In the center of the room there is a column.

vs.

  There is a column in the center of the room.

If both are grammatical, is there a preferable way? Does context or style influence the choice?

--

I've read 5 pages of there is/are questions and failed to find this simple one. Most of the questions concern choosing singular or plural, correct positions of negation, adverbs, etc.


texts: Quickly clean the apartment before someone comes over

texts:
I'm trying to remember a single word that means 'to quickly clean your apartment or house right before someone comes over'.

If I can recall correctly, it starts with an 'S'. I also thought it was along the lines of 'Scuttlebang' or 'Scuttlefunge', but neither come back with anything. Thanks!


texts: Is "you will come experience Louisiana weather" correct?

texts:
Many times I have heard people use two verbs with the same subject.

I know that it is possible to use come + an action verb without using "to" in between. However, I have frequently heard "can you come get me" or "you will come experience...", and in my mind, I go - there should be a "to" between those two verbs. But I am not a native speaker of English and I may be wrong. So, I need your help to answer this question.

Thank you.


texts:
The primary meaning of ignore is to disregard somebody. Ignorant is synonymous with unlearned and uninformed. Ignorable assigns somebody or something a low priority.
I'm looking for an adjective that describes an action towards the object, such that I can rephrase the following sentence:

  He ignores me.

into

  He is [adjective] towards me.

Possible candidates: inattentive, indifferent, unresponsive, invisible and finally uncaring.


texts: How many interrogative adjectives does English have?

texts:
Can anybody tell me exactly how many interrogative adjectives does English have? I have been researching for many days.

Some places say that there are only three interrogative adjectives: which, what, and whose. Other places say that all question words that come before a noun are interrogative adjectives, for example "why John left the college," etc. If there are only three than why can't other question words like when, why, whom, where, etc. be interrogative?

Please provide the best answer, if possible with proof.


texts: Term for a more polite word used in place of a vulgar word

texts:
What is the term for a polite word or phrase that is used in place of a vulgar word or phrase?

  "Prostitute" is a _____ for "hooker"


texts:
I am confused about using in and on for the following sentence:

I have two channels only. Concurrent transmissions on both channels will cause problem.
I have two channels only. Concurrent transmissions in both channels will cause problem.

A channel here is a wireless link, which is not visible. I am talking about two cellphone users who are trying to make calls simultaneously. However, there are only two channels available and both cannot be used at the same time.

Can anyone please explain which one is more currect and why?


texts: Hypernym for reading a book and listening to an audiobook

texts: I want to state that "I've read 10 books this year", but the books in question can be both dead-wood books and audiobooks. Is there a verb that works here in place of 'read'? Maybe something like 'learned' or 'ingested' (eww)?


texts: "aware of no independent" or "not aware of any independent"?

texts:
Should I say:

I am aware of no independent research on the topic.

or

I am not aware of any independent research on the topic.?

I would naturally opt for the second form, but I've seen and heard the first one used as well. What are the differences between these two sentences and are they both correct? One can be aware of the absence of something (so I could say "I'm aware of the lack of research on the topic" or "I'm aware of the absence of research on the topic") but can one be aware of something that doesn't exist?


texts:
I tried to translate Zwangsrouter to English, but couldn't think of a proper translation. Ideas which I had were:

forced router sounds somewhat wrong to me, as if the router itself was forced to do sth.
obliged router
obligated router

..? Is one of those terms a proper translation? Google revelas only 6 results for the 2nd term, and 16 for the 3rd. Thank you in advance.

Description

This question was closed on german se. A "Zwangsrouter" is a router which was given to the customer by the ISP and is not optional. Usually all routers by ISPs are optional if you have the login data for your voice over ip connection and your dsl connection. But some ISPs won't give you the login data, just a preconfigured router which you are forced to use. You cannot update the router (usually), may have to rent it for a fee and are still in charge for security risks (german law) as it stands in your household. Also, this device (not owned by you) takes space and power you have to pay for despite the fact you didn't want this router (just the line). This is why this router is called "Zwangsrouter" - you are being forced to use it.


texts: Is "to have a perfect ear for music" a metaphor or a metonymy?

texts: This phrase seems to be a metaphor to me, however I guess you could say "ear" might be referring to a concept of being able to make music well. Would you say it's a metaphor or metonymy?


texts:
We often ask "Are you veg?", "Are you non-veg?" to ask if someone is a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian.

Is there a hypernym for both of them? So you could ask "What is your [...]?" or maybe "Are you a [...]?" In the same way we might ask for someone's gender.


texts:
(Source) And now Nineteen persons having been hang'd, and one prest to death, and Eight more condemned, in all Twenty and Eight, of which above a third part were Members of some of the Churches of N. England, and more than half of them of a good Conversation in general, and not one clear'd; about Fifty having confest themselves to be Witches, of which not one Executed; above an Hundred and Fifty in Prison, and Two Hundred more accused; the Special Commision of Oyer and Terminer comes to a period.
      —Robert Calef[1]

What does Conversation mean here? Also, why's it capitalised?

Further to simply stating the definition, would you please explain how you inferred or determined the correct definition, so that I can learn how to do this  myself? Is it definition 1 here?


texts:
The term cusp  is an old one and it was first used in astrology and later in other contexts:

1580s, in astrology, "first entrance of a house in the calculation of a nativity," from Latin cuspis "point, spear, pointed end, head," which is of unknown origin. Astronomical sense is from 1670s,  "point or horn of a crescent." Anatomical sense of "a prominence on the crown of a tooth" is from 1839. (Etymonline)

but the metaphorical expression on the cusp of something meaning “be at the time when a situation or state is going to change” became curiously popular only a few decades ago, from the 1990s as shown by Google Books.

While it probably derives  from the astrological use of cusp, I wonder what may have caused its popularity  which, as shown, has been  increasing  steadily and consistently in recent years.


texts: A word for someone who does not keep up with popular culture

texts:
Person A does not keep up with celebrities or popular entertainment. A knows that they exist, so I don't think sheltered is the right word.

Also, would it be a different word if A tried to forced herself to learn it?


texts: Why are "player", "researcher" and "designer" referred to by a feminine gender specific pronoun?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Can the feminine pronouns be gender-neutral?
  Reason for the current trend to use "she" as the gender-neutral pronoun?

In a lot of academic literature that I'm reading for school, I find constructions similar to this:

  "Thus enters the question of values in research activities as well, and
  a fuller discussion of what is good – that is, what values should
  guide the researcher in her studies and interventions – is required.
  (Ravn 1991: 112)"

I'm wondering as to what the gender rule is here.

I'm not a native English speaker and I have limited education in English, although I speak and understand it fluently.


texts: Does "prioritary" exist outside technical texts?

texts:
As a non-native speaker, I'm struggling to express correctly the sense of priority of a given population in a sentence.

Is it correct to refer to "prioritary cities in the scope of the XYZ policy", meaning "cities over which priority has been given in the scope..."?

I don't think so. I've found several occurrences of "prioritary" with similar meaning on English books authored by non-native speakers, and it seems to be of common usage in other technical (programming) forums. On the other hand, the English dictionaries don't have an entry for it, and Google suggested that the word may be a misspelling.

I should note that there is an equivalent word at least in Portuguese and Spanish.

Any ideas?

Thank you


texts:
On my website, I allow the user to create a document - but if they aren't logged in, then the document will not have an owner and therefore be editable by anyone.

I want to display a warning for any documents that are editable by anyone to explain that the document was created by a "non-logged in" user and that if they want to restrict access, they should log in and claim the document as theirs.

What is a better term than "non-logged in user"?


texts:
Consider the sentence

  E-books are on the rise, but they haven't suppressed paper books though.

This usage seems to be quite common, but when I learned English  I was taught to use "however" where I now read "though".
My questions on this use of "though" are:

Is this a new trend?
Is it restricted to American English?
Is "though"  considered more colloquial than "however" ?

And on a syntactic level:
Do you put a comma before "though"?


texts: Austin Powers: "Oh Behave" - what does it mean?

texts:
In famous Austin Powers movie series Austin often says: "Oh behave"

What does it mean?


texts:
Recently I wrote the following words.

  Age gives you the wisdom of experience while youth gives you the intelligence of mental flexibility. There is a horizon time when you have both of these things to a significant extent.

Afterwards I looked up "horizon" in online dictionaries and I couldn't find a definition that matched this usage. I see it as similar to calling the point after which light cannot escape a black hole the "event horizon."

Is this usage correct?


texts: Let’s say X is cloned to make Y and Y is cloned to make Z. Is there a word that uniquely identifies X in relation to Y? How about identifying X in relation to Z?


texts: Difference between future and present cont. in "going"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another?
  Differences between ways to express future actions

Does the below sentence indicate future tense or present continuous:

  I am going to school now.

Has the action started and the speaker is on his way to school or has the action not started yet but is going to start right after the speaker finishes his statement?


texts: I wonder whether it should be a just pronoun or a reflexive one

texts:
Turkey’s Justice and Development (AK) party won national elections by a surprisingly large margin, taking 317 of 550 seats in parliament and giving it back the majority it lost in previous elections in June.

This is the first part of one piece from Economist. I can't understand the participle phrase "giving it back the majority". In that phrase, what is "it"? Do "It" happen to indicate "Turkey's Justice and Development (AK) party? Then should "it" be "itself", shouldn't it?

http://www.economist.com/news/world-week/21677998-politics-week


texts: "Toe the Party Line" or "Tow the Party Line"?

texts:
When I have seen this expression written, it is usually as "tow the line" as if the subject were a tugboat.

I have always thought that "toe the line" made more sense as a fighting expression, where the fighter puts his toe on the line to indicate he is up to scratch and ready to fight.

What is the origin of this phrase?


texts:
I know there are a lot of meanings to the verb "get", so I am unable to understand which one is used in the following sentence:

  They had a baby which was different, so it got to live.

I know that "get to" can be:

allowed to,
have a chance to, or
become (eventually)

But neither works for me. Maybe the first one would make sense. Or should it be "have got to"? That would make sense, but I thought I had to use it with "have".


texts: Can I use double negative in the following structure: "not that..."?

texts:
We are taught in schools that in English, double negatives are not so welcome, which is hard to understand because of my own language in which it is quite common.

Nevertheless, I come across some sentences which use double negatives from time to time and it's starting to cloud my mind... (e.g. : I ain't need no sleep)

And here's a new example I've just read : "I think you should set this pic as your profile picture. Not that the current one isn't nice, but this one is better."

So, is this okay to say this in this example?

Thank you very much in advance!


texts: Idiom for situation where you can either gain a lot or lose a lot

texts:
I couldn't find a short idiom for a risky situation where you can either gain a lot, or lose a lot, but there is no in between.

In French, we use "quitte ou double", which was the name of a game where, at each successive question, either your gains were doubled, or you lost everything. It describes this well, but I doubt it still means something if translated word for word.


texts: Is there a word for the sadness over "What might have been"?

texts:
Context: You made the decision not to see a person any more. The relationship was good, you were both happy with one another but the one main stumbling block (for you) in the relationship was never dealt with. It remained, a permanent fixture, that forced you to make that sad, and final decision.

Is there a word, an idiom, or a famous line that expresses the sadness for something that might have been; e.g. a rich and fulfilling relationship. It's not nostalgia, because that expresses a wistfulness for the past.

Instead, you are wistful for the future.


texts:
ABC Radio News (June 10th) reported a gunfight at an all-night art festival that took place in Trenton, New Jersey. It said:

  Police say one gunman was killed, and other is in custody, seventeen
  other people were shot and wounded. Five people suffered non-gun-shot injuries.

Then one hour later it reported again:

  One of two gunmen is dead. The other is in custody. Authorities say a
  total of 17 people suffered gun-shot wounds.

Cambridge online dictionary defines wound and injury as:

Wound: a damage area of the body such as a cut or hole in the skin or flesh body by a weapon.

Injury: physical harm or damage to somebody’s body caused by an accident or an attack.

Based on Cambridge dictionary, it seems that “wound” is basically associated with use of weapon, and “injury” is associated with accident (or attack which doesn’t necessarily require the use of weapons).

Though it may seem a very naïve question to most of native English speakers, I wonder what the basic difference is between “wound” and “injury” - the presence of weapons, accident, or what else?


texts: Is something 'best possible' or 'the best possible?'

texts:
Which one is correct at the end of the sentence, best possible or the best possible?

In a science paper (not in a title), should one write

  This constant is best possible

or

  This constant is the best possible?

Example.

  Theorem: every positive number is >0.

This theorem is (the) best possible. (Since you cannot write a number bigger than 0 instead of 0, that would make the theorem false.)

An example for non-mathematicians.
Suppose we talk of hobbits, who are at most 4 feet tall. If Bilbo is exactly 4 feet tall, then would you say

  Bilbo is the tallest possible

or

  Bilbo is tallest possible?


texts: May/can we go? May/Can you do this for me?

texts:
Which ones are correct:

May/can we go to the game?

and

May/can you do this for me?

can/may you come?


texts:
I sometimes see cases where off is followed by of, and it sounds awkward to me. For example, I would prefer

  This story is based on a true story.

to

  This story is based off of a true
  story.

What do native speakers think/prefer? Should I avoid that kind of usage?


texts: What kind of surfaces are semi-vitreous?

texts:
I read a post somewhere recommending a certain way to remove some kind of residue, but the post said it would only work for (at least) "semi-vitreous surfaces".

So, glass would fall under this category. But what else? What kind of surfaces/materials do people mean when they use this term?

A dictionary does not help much.


texts:
Russian, which I have a basic knowledge of

Is the entire phrase which I have a basic knowledge of idiomatic in English? Or is it just an Italian phrase construction I inadvertently transposed into English? I did some research on Google and it seems only non-native speakers used this very phrase.


texts:
The ruminations of an idle mind:

Several English words such as potion, potable, potables, poison, derive from the Latin root potare, poto "to drink". In all cases these words are pronounced with a long 'o' as in 'oh'.

The noble hippopotamus, according to OED:

  derives from Late Latin hippopotamus, from Greek hippopotamus "riverhorse," an irregular formation from earlier ho hippos potamios "the horse of the river", from hippos "horse" (see equine) + adjective from potamos "river, rushing water"

In turn, the word element potamos- is described:

  word-forming element meaning "river," from comb. form of Greek potamos "river," perhaps literally "rushing water," from PIE *pet- "to rush, to fly" (see petition).

Unfortunately, I've been unable to find a resource that indicates how potamos- is pronounced in Greek and Latin. My reasoning is that, like the root potare, the element is pronounced with a long 'o'. However the OED excerpt above suggests the pronunciation might also be "pet-amos".

This raises two questions:

How is potamos- pronounced in Greek, and does it have any relation to the Latin roots potare and poto?
Where does the "paw" in "hippo-paw-tamus" come from? It seems to me that in order to be consistent with other English words, which preserve the poh sound, the pronunciation ought to be "hippo-poh-tamus" or possibly "hippo-pet-amus", and yet this clearly isn't the case.

I realize this subject is more than a little obscure, but any insights would be appreciated.


texts:
the feeling is mutual  used for saying that one person dislikes
  someone as much as that person dislikes them Eleanor couldn't stand
  the sight of Jenny, and the feeling was mutual.
  macmillandictionary.com

Is it possible to use "the feeling is mutual" in a positive sense?

I like her, and I think the feeling is mutual.

(meaning she likes me either)


texts: Why "a quarter of nine" to represent 8:45?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What does 'ten of six' mean in regard to time?

As a non-native speaker, I consider a quarter past nine (9:15) and a quarter to nine (8:45) easy to understand. However every time I hear "a quarter of nine", I have to pause for a few seconds and make sure I get it right.

How did this expression come about? How to explain it? I googled and the answer to this question on Yahoo! might be wrong.


texts: Is there any word or phrase meaning that internet connection is unstable?

texts:
If you can read Chinese, what I want to ask is translate this "我的网络很卡." to English.

For example, I want to use a native expression describing a situation about downloading a file from internet, like sometimes the download speed is over 500 k/s, sometimes is less 5 k/s, it changes frequently.

Another example is that like I am playing internet game, sometimes it's fluent , sometimes the character is not moving.

I am not sure you can understand my words.

By the way, in Chinese it is an adjective with meaning that is prone to negative.

Thanks so much.


texts:
In a book about the philosopher Collingwood, I have found the following statement about logic. At first glance, it seems to me that the change from aim to to aim at is merely stylistic, but I think that it could also be possible that there might be a certain either grammatical or logical explanation for the difference.

"On the one hand it is descriptive, and aims to give an account of how we actually think; on the other hand it is normative, and aims at giving an account of the ideal of thought, the way in which we ought to think."

Is the difference merely stylistic?


texts: Grammatically speaking what role does 'him' play in this sentence?


texts: Is it common to refer to the person steering a ship as 'pilot'?

texts:
According to its M-W entry (supported by some other dictionaries), a pilot (used of a person) can mean, among other things:

  a :  one employed to steer a ship :  helmsman
  b :  a person who is qualified and usually licensed to conduct a ship into and out of a port or in specified waters
  c :  a person who flies or is qualified to fly an aircraft or spacecraft

I am familiar with the meanings quoted under (b) and (c), but I cannot recall encountering (a). If my understanding is correct, (a) and (b) are quite distinct; in particular, the person referred to by (b) is usually employed by a specific harbour, based on detailed knowledge of its waters, and thus unrelated to the ship in question.

I do not wish to dispute the opinion of multiple dictionaries, I just wonder how common this usage is or whether there is a particular context for it.


texts: Definite Article in front of the word 'better'

texts:
Is it wrong to have 'the' in front of the word 'better'?
Can someone help me sort this confusion out?
Case in point: "Ella is the better of the two sisters" vs "Ella is the best of the two sisters".
Grammarbook.com says that the former is correct and I agree. But a friend brought up an interesting point stating that one should never use 'the' in front of the comparative degree.
But how about sentences like :

Who is the better of the two?
This is the better option.
Be the better person.

As far as my knowledge goes I do not see anything grammatically incorrect in these sentences/questions and I believe the choice of words in this scenario depends on the context.
Am I correct?


texts: “Try on some of them” or “Try some of them on”?

texts:
I’ve learnt that some phrasal verbs such as “pick up” or “try on” require us to put the object, especially when it is a pronoun, between the verb and preposition. Is it also possible to say “You should try some of them on before buying”? Or is it better to say “You should try on some of them”?
I’m looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance.


texts: "Being myself of the feminine gender...." Gender ? Or sex?

texts:
From the section of letters of a woman's magazine:

  "Being myself of the feminine gender, I suppose..."

Can we say a person is of "the feminine gender" ?
Shouldn't we say "the feminine sex"?
Or "the female sex?"
Or "Being myself a woman...?"

To quote the whole sentence:

  "Being myself of the feminine gender, I suppose I should be favorably disposed towards any proposal which would place women on an equal footing with men."


texts: "Lemons are fruits which are sour" vs "A lemon is a fruit which is sour"

texts:
Lemons are fruits which are sour.
A lemon is a fruit which is sour.

Are these two sentences interchangeable? To me the first sentence looks awkward.
If there is any difference between the two then please explain it.


texts: What is the idiom clearly implying "sacrifice short term, trifling objectives for long term goals!"

texts:
I would like to know the answer, preferably formal, for this question:

What is the idiom clearly implying:

  sacrifice short term, trifling objectives for long term goals!

I would like to use it in TOEFL.

Further, what is the idiom that explicitly means:

  it should be accepted without compromise, or indisputably

For instance, the idea for building a hospital in a particular zone should be agreed without any hesitation, it is preposterous to disagree with such beneficial, impeccable project.


texts: Single Word Encompassing Utilities, Insurance and other Important Services

texts:
I want to create a custom email address that will aggregate emails sent from utility companies, insurance companies and so forth (electricity, cable, phone, insurance, local service providers, etc—the important recurring things). Is there a term other than "bills" or "services" that encompasses all these things?

I'm trying to avoid the term "bills" and any synonyms. I'm looking for something closer to "services" but something that emphasizes their importance and recurrence (if possible). Because the emails I receive will be more than just bills—could be anything that those companies are trying to communicate to me. They could be marketing, newsletters, service updates. Even my doctor's communications could be thrown into the mix.


texts:
Can "antithesis" be used with the preposition  "to" as in the following example sentence?

  ...We human beings have a tendency to demand without giving much in
  return to the Earth. However, this is an antithesis to how the
  biosphere works...


texts: In an Australian context, should "Aborigine" be capitalised?

texts:
When referring to an Australian context, as opposed to Aboriginal Canadians, or indigenous people worlwide, should "Aborigine" (and "Aboriginal") be capitalised?

I tried googling, but the hits I found were usually from government or advocacy websites about aborigines, and may reflect political biases rather than expert English knowledge, rather than websites about the English language.


texts: "I had been typing" vs "I was typing" vs "I typed"

texts:
I read this on a another forum but couldn't figure out the logic behind the answers.

He had been typing for three hours before he realised that he had typed the wrong documents.
He had been typing for three hours before he realised that he typed the wrong documents.
He was typing for three hours before he realized that he typed the wrong documents.

Could anyone explain what the difference between these three statements are?


texts:
Recently, a guest faculty at our college delivered a lecture on the most commonly made errors in English. He pointed out the following sentence:

  There were 5 dead bodies.

He said that the above sentence is incorrect and it should be:

  There were 5 bodies.

As body is implying that the person is already dead, so there is no need to mention it explicitly.

So, is the first sentence incorrect?


texts:
I am writing an analytical compare and contrast/map the crisis essay, and I was wondering about the ambiguity of pronouns in my thesis.

Which of these is correct?

  T.S. Eliot depicts Thomas Becket’s idée fixe through his existential journey to reject the pernicious ideals of the State for the Glory of the Church.

Or

  T.S. Eliot depicts Thomas Becket’s idée fixe through Becket's existential journey to reject the pernicious ideals of the State for the Glory of the Church.

Also, I feel as if the use of 'for' in

  to reject the pernicious ideals of the State for the Glory of the Church.

is misplaced, what would be a better replacement to show a shift in loyalty?

If anybody is curious, this is regarding Eliot's 'Murder in a Cathedral,' and the prompt is to write a 'compare and contrast' essay that answers the question 'what does it mean to live a truly meaningful life' and maps the development of a character's existential crisis.


texts: What is the difference between "bring" and "bring back" in this case?

texts:
In the dictionary, bring means "to take something or someone with you to the place where you are now, or to the place you are talking about" and bring back "to take something or someone with you when you come back from somewhere".

Is the place the difference? "Bring" is limited to the place you are now or talking about and "bring back" any place?

In general I don't see any difference between these sentences:

  Could you bring something back to the kids?

  Could you bring something to the kids?


texts: I find it odd that we say our "nose runs". Even stranger is that our feet "smell". Why is this?


texts: Did "slave" ever apply to anything other than people?

texts:
Modern use of slave has evolved to include electronic devices in a "master / slave" configuration.

Did this use of "slave" ever exist before electronic devices used it? Did the word "slave" ever apply to things other than humans?


texts: What is the meaning of "Theoretical possibility"

texts:
I don't know the meaning of "Theoretical possibility" . I am learning modal verb "can" which is used to refer "Theoretical possibilty".I don't know if something is a theoretical possibility what does it mean. I have been searching its meaning on Internet but didn't find any explaination. I wish someone here could explain me the meaning of it with context.
Thanks in advance.


texts: What does “Don’t leave your brains at the door,” mean? Is this an idiom, or just frequently used phrase?

texts:
I found the phrase, “Don’t leave your brains at the door,” in the statement of Republican congressman, Morgan Griffith quoted in ‘Today’s Quote’ of Time magazine (November 18).
Under the caption, “I hope you didn't leave your brains at the door,” it reads:

“A Republican congressman from Virginia, to Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Chu has been assailed in congressional hearings for claiming to have had no real-time knowledge of key events in the collapse of solar energy company Solyndra.”

“Don’t leave your brains at the door,” reminded me of the famous catch phrase of Amex Card’s, “Don’t leave home without it” that prevailed in 1980s. But I don’t understand exact meaning of “Don’t leave your brains at the door.” Does it mean “Don’t be silly (or oblivious)”?

I could find a few examples of the use of this phrase on Google, e.g.

-"Have I ever walked out on a movie? Not yet. This is the closest I've come. Just the first in a line of soon to come Robin Williams crap. Maybe not technically a "*leave your brain at the door" film" -.Amazon.com

-If you live in a confessional world, do you need to leave your brain at the door? There’s been a lot of talk lately about whether Roman Catholics have less intellectual freedom than other Christians because of the strongly confessional nature of the Catholic tradition.- Scientia et Sapientia.

As far as I checked, none of Oxford, Cambridge, Merrimu-Webster registers “leave (check) one’s brains at the door” as an idiom. Nor Google Ngram viewer registers usage of this phrase.

Is this phrase has a currency as an idiomatic phrase nowadays?


texts:
I always interpret "expletive you" as an imperative statement with an implicit subject of "I", although the (less than intelligent) speaker clearly doesn't think of it in this light.

Is there any basis for considering it otherwise?

P.S. - It seems to me that it would be so much easier for the submitter to type relevant tags in rather than this bizarre system - that I'm still struggling to decipher.


texts: Is there an English idiom for trying to do two things at the same time and failing at both of them due to splitting your effort?

texts:
I'm basically searching for the opposite of putting all your eggs in one basket, where the risk is total failure because you did not hedge your efforts. I'm searching for a phrase that encompasses splitting your efforts and evokes the prospect of failing at both. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush also encompasses a sense of having focused your efforts, but only alludes to total failure.
To satisfy the criteria, the phrase must cover:

attempting two things (or multiple iterations of one thing)
both of which you might succeed at, if you addressed them serially
but both of which you fail at because you address them in parallel

Here are the idioms/phrases that do not sufficiently cover the idea and why:

"A servant to two masters"

This has the sense of competing priorities, but not the sense of failing to achieve your goals.

"Jack of all trades. Master of none."

The sense is insufficiently pejorative. Being a jack-of-all-trades can be seen as an advantage; I'm trying to focus on the lack of mastery.

"The man who fancied himself a wit, and was half-right."

From Christopher Hitchens. Hilarious, but lacking the sense of split effort between two things.

"Walking and chewing gum at the same time."

An idiom for multi-tasking, not for failing to multi-task.
Edit
Addressing a few suggestions and another one that occurred to me:

"Hedging your bets" or "Betting against yourself"

In this case, you cannot win both bets, but you will almost certainly win one. You limit your upside, but also limit your risk. I'm looking in particular for total, catastrophic failure due to split attention/effort.

"Can't walk and chew gum at the same time"

Failing to do two fairly simple things that most everyone can do, not failing at two hard things because you tried to do both.

"Robbing Peter to pay Paul"

In this case, Paul gets paid. If you were to rob Peter to pay Paul, and get robbed yourself before you could get the money to Paul, that'd be closer. :)

"Spreading yourself too thin"

An actual English idiom, but missing the implied sense of failure.

"Too many irons in the fire"

"A lot of irons in the fire" can be viewed positively, so this is missing the sense of a strategic misstep.

"Between a rock and a hard place"

The sense is of needing to act but having no good alternative.

"Falling between two stools"

My favorite answer so far because it does appear to be an actual English idiom (not a proverb). In that sense, it's great, but some of the usages are closer to a failure of categorization than a failure of effort. And falling between two stools implies that the attempted action was simply sitting down.

"Chasing two rabbits and catching none."

This is the exact sense I was looking for, but it appears to be a cross-cultural proverb rather than idiomatic English like "putting all your eggs in one basket". I'll be accepting it, and using it in my work! But if there are other ideas, please let me know.


texts: Difference between "as regards" and "in regard to"

texts:
In my understanding the phrases "as regards" and "in regard to" are interchangeable, but an editor once corrected the former to the latter in my writing. May I ask what is the difference? The sentence in my writing was as follows:

(original ver)
As regards your proposal submitted last week, our team has formed some opinions which are summarised here

(corrected ver)
In regard to your proposal submitted last week, our team has formed some opinions which are summarised here


texts: Is this social media post really grammatically correct as it claims?

texts:
A friend of mine shared an image macro that contained this block of text, claiming it is grammatically correct.

This exceeding trifling witling, considering ranting criticizing concerning adopting fitting wording being exhibiting transcending learning, was displaying, notwithstanding ridiculing, surpassing boasting swelling reasoning, respecting correcting erring writing, and touching detecting deceiving arguing during debating.

Is this really the case? If so, does it really mean anything, or is it just a bunch of meaningless words sewn together to conform to English language rules?


texts: Use of 'variation in' versus 'variation of'

texts:
Are there rules for preferring the use of 'variation of' versus 'variation in'?

For example, in a sentence 'We found variation in the properties of the nerve cells' versus 'We found variation of the properties of the nerve cells'. Or in a title, 'Variation in the properties of nerve cells' versus 'Variation of the properties of nerve cells'.


texts: What is an adjective that means "fits the norm"?

texts:
In sociological terms, there is a difference between what is normal, and what follows the norm.
Thesocietypages.org puts it the following way:

Sociologists distinguish between the terms norm, normal, and normative.
• The norm refers to what is common or frequent.  For example, celebrating Christmas is the norm in America.
• Normal is opposed to abnormal.  Even though celebrating Christmas is the norm, it is not abnormal to celebrate Hanukkah.  To celebrate Hanukkah is perfectly normal.

That leaves open that question of what adjective one can use to describe something as following the norm. E.g. In America, the BLANK midwinter celebration is Christmas.


texts: Difference and usage of "contains exclusively" vs "exclusively contains"

texts:
Since the late 1800s, the phrase "contains exclusively" has been consistently used more often than "exclusively contains". Ngram viewer: "contains exclusively" vs "exclusively contains".

What is the difference, if any?


texts: What is the earliest written example of Old English?


texts:
I need to anchor a very formal event. However, I am having trouble with using different phrases in my speech. For example, when I want to call upon someone to deliver a presentation/ speech, I am at a loss of words. Can someone please help me find phrases similar to

  "I now request  Mr XYZ to deliver the welcome address."


texts: What does "stay locked in" mean, when NBA basketball players use that term?

texts:
The answers from many NBA players to questions from the media personnel are usually of the form:

  ...yeah...we just gotta stay locked in for 48 minutes and get it done.

What does 'stay locked in' refer to?


texts:
Is it possible to use modal verbs in Past Perfect?

I know we can use modal verb + perfect infinitive to talk about the past, e.g. I shouldn't have said that. This is Past Simple tense, isn't it?

I am really confused when it comes to this. Can someone help me out?


texts:
Why  do some words in English become joined together and what is the criteria that prevents common phrases of doing the same?
For example:

None the less > Nonetheless
Never the less > Nevertheless
Some what > Somewhat


texts: Does this situation constitute a "Pyrrhic Victory"? Irony?

texts:
Consider the following situation:

A person, Alice, is hired to do a job for a company, ZooBiz.
Alice is able to entirely outsource her job. She pays the outsourcer 50% of what she makes, and no longer has to perform her duties.
ZooBiz discovers what Alice is doing, and then fires her for it.
After firing Alice (and upon the realization that she was not completing her own work) ZooBiz decides that it was very pleased with the quality of work from the Outsourcer.
ZooBiz hires the outsourcer to replace Alice.

Would that situation constitute a Pyrrhic Victory?

Would that situation constitute Irony?

PS I am sorry if I have miscategorized this post, please feel free to recategorize it.


texts: What is a word for the art of making watches/clocks

texts: In French, such an interest/profession is referred to as horlogerie from horloge (watch/clock). I am just wondering if there is an equivalent term in English?


texts: What does the phrase "God and my twin vicars" mean?

texts:
As you all may have figured out, I have an affection for Britishisms and peculiar colloquiaisms of British speech. Recently, I came across an inscrutable one watching the hilarious FX show Archer, and so wondered if someone knowledgeable might decipher the meaning of the phrase "God and my twin vicars" for me.

Now, something that complicates this question is that Archer is meant to be a humorous show, which means that proper interpretation requires taking into account prior context. The relevant context here, as far as I can discern, is that one speaker, Captain Reginald Thistleton, is supposed to be a parody of an upper-class officer, and the other speaker, Woodhouse, is a former Lawrence-of-Arabia type who fought in the War as Thistleton's protege, and is now an aged manservant flashing back to his exploits.  I've included a brief transcript for clarity; Thistleton is just emerging from his fighter plane:

  THISTLETON: I say, Woodhouse!
  WOODHOUSE: Yessir?
  THISTLETON: The Hun' did a fair job of stitching up the old kite this time, what.
  WOODHOUSE: Thank God you're all right sir!
  THISTLETON: God and my twin vicars, Woodhouse. Quart old Jerry au chandelle[??]
  Old bastard went down like a quail.
  THISTLETON (exclaims): You scoundrel! Is that brandy?
  WOODHOUSE (beaming): Thought you'd like a pick-me-up, sir.
  THISLETON: Woodhouse! You're a rose among thorns.

What does it mean? Would a native British English speaker easily recognize this reference?


texts: an "X is an X is an X" what does this mean?

texts:
I am reading https://openparliament.ca/bills/42-1/C-6/ (I must say, with great delight but that's not relevant) and

Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian
A citizen is a citizen is a citizen.

I do not understand this structure. Why not just "A citizen is a citizen"? What is the meaning of repeating this?


texts:
I have a quote by Marquise de Laplace:

  It is remarkable that a science (Probability) which began with consideration of games of chance, should have become the most important object of human knowledge.

Why is should used in this quote? To me it reads as a mis-translation. Why is it not for example: ...became... or ...has become... in place of ...should have become.... Is the meaning same? Is it some archaic way of saying the same thing?


texts: What does the phrase “to purse your lips” mean？

texts:
My mother tongue isn't English, my English teacher asked me to find out the meaning of the phrase

  "to purse your lips"


texts: "Modules not assigned" versus "Not assigned Modules"

texts:
I am developing an application, and there has to be a list of available modules, i.e. modules that have not been assigned yet. I am not sure what is the the right way to say it. My options:

Not assigned modules
Modules not assigned

I would rationally say that it should be "Not assigned modules", since the "not assigned" works as an adjective and therefore makes sense that it is placed first... but the other option somehow sounds more natural to my non-native speaker ears.

Which one is right? Thanks in advance.


texts:
I often hear that other languages like Russian, Romanian, French, etc, have words that are more "powerful" or evoke more feelings than English ones. Example: "war" doesn't sound that bad, really, but in Romanian, "razboi" with a hard rolled r and an accent on the 2nd syllable sounds more powerful.

What are some English words that are evocative?


texts: Word request: what's a startup-like synonym for the word "grapevine"

texts:
Single word request: Grapevine is a word used to describe the spread of rumors via spoken communication. Can you think of a similar 2-syllable, startup-like synonym for grapevine?

I've tried a search of the thesaurus and of the words I've seen, the most fitting are: Hearsay, Gossip, Chatter.

However, this doesn't quite fit the theme of disseminating information on a vine, i.e. I want the connotation that you are "in the loop" rather than plainly a word describing gossip. Compound words, 2-syllable words, homonyms, palindromes and double letter words (e.g. Google and Twitter), or words you can "verbalize" (e.g. "Googled") are preferable!

Thanks so much!


texts: Questions without a question mark (New Yorker)

texts:
How to listen to music
How a City in France got out the World's first Short-Story vending machines
How we learn fairness
What makes great detective fiction according to T.S. Elliot
What went wrong at St Marks Bookshop

I see that in the New Yorker we have these headlines. Even though they do not have question marks, are these questions? (Specially the first three examples)


texts: "Balky", "restive" and "stubborn" - what are the differences here?

texts: Please, share your understanding of the hues in meanings of these three words. American English is preferred, but British input would also be appreciated.


texts: "It is fun to be him/he." Which is correct?

texts:
Would you use him or he in the following sentence?

  It is fun to be him/he.

A teacher told me that you use the object form after the infinitive of to be. Is this true?

I am a native English speaker, but I am trying to figure out what the SAT wants me to think people should speak like.


texts: What word would you use for a piece of writing which aims to describe a person? In particular, their personality. I do not think it is the same as 'biography', because a biography is an account of the events in a person's life, which may or may not be important for describing that person's character. I have been figuratively using the word 'portrait', or phrase 'written portrait', but I am keen to hear other suggestions.


texts: Why are some nouns countable and others uncountable?

texts:
I'm having trouble articulating what it is I'm looking for, so I'll start with an example.

  Candy is delicious.
      Candies are delicious.

  Vegetables are delicious.

  Fruit is delicious.

So, I guess, when referring to a general category or group of things, are there any rules for which ones become plural, which remain singular, and which can be expressed either way?

I was trying to explain to a student why you'd say "prepositions are challenging to learn", and not, "preposition is challenging to learn", and I've come up short.

Any insight would be welcome!


texts:
Signing english documents (UK, if that changes anything) I am wondering what should I write under "Signed" tag? I wouldn't have doubts if the blank would be described as "Signature", but "Signed"? And the following is "Date". So maybe I should give a city name there? In Poland we do so - City, DD.MM.YYYY
And signature follows...

So should I sign or give a city name there?

By the way if I am a man, under "maiden name" should I put a hyphen or leave it blank, or should I repeat my surname?


texts:
How can the rain "lift"?
I mean, I can pretty well figure out that the fog or mist or smog, etc. "lifts", i.e. disappears or disperses by or as if by rising, but "the rain lifting" sounds like it's swallowing itself back up into the clouds, sort of in the same way as the rain sequence from a movie that would be playing backward. Or is it a natural meteorological process involving vapor that is described here?
In addition, what other weather events aside from the rain, fog, smog, etc.,  "lift", that is, go away until none is left?
For example, does a snowfall, thunderstorm, hurricane, or hailstorm "lift"?

lift

v. intr.

a. To disappear or disperse by or as if by rising: By afternoon the smog had lifted.
b. To stop temporarily: The rain lifted by morning. American Heritage® Dictionary


texts:
I've written the following sentence

  The underpinning reason as to why honeycombs have hexagonal tiles is that...

and am thinking of eliminating "as to", though the resulting sentence doesn't sound right. Any ideas about the difference, and which is to be preferred?

I have read this similar post and this on if reason why is redundant.

Cheers!


texts:
A path, the general form of the name of a file or directory, specifies
  a unique location in a file system.

"Filename" is a compound, but how about "filepath"/"file path"? "Filepath" seems incorrect to me, but as stated above, a related compound exists.


texts: How to name a routine interruption in the work of some system that is deliberately done in order to find possible weak points?

texts: How would you name a routine interruption in the work of some system (let's say a subway or a railroad) that is deliberately done by the workers on a regular basis in order to find some possible weak points in that system that might cause its breakdown?


texts:
I accept study about where study is a noun ("He conducted a study about changes in population"), but I saw this construct in a local newspaper article and it struck me as odd. Here, study is a verb. Is this actually acceptable or is it just a regional variation that has mistakenly made its way into print?

More than 30 seventh- and eighth-graders and their chaperones will be
flying to Washington, D.C., for a five-day trip to see the
places and monuments they have been studying about this year.
The students have been studying about the U.S. government.


texts:
Oh but I were in poverty!

What does this mean?
I can't find this in my dictionary.

I would appreciate it if you could quote some authoriatative source.


texts: Do these 2 paragraphs contain a metaphor anywhere?

texts:
"My memory is like a film. That is why I am really good at remembering
  things, like conversations I have written down in this book, and what people were wearing, and what they smelled like, because my memory has a smelltrack
  which is like a soundtrack.

  And when people ask me to remember something I can simply press Rewind and
  Fast Forward and Pause like on a video recorder, but more like a DVD because I don't have to Rewind through everything in between to get to a memory of
  something a long time ago. And there are no buttons, either, because it is
  happening in my head."

I'm reading a book about a boy, and he claims he doesn't use metaphors. I stumbled upon the section of the book quoted above, which seems to contain a metaphor. Am I correct in saying that he used a metaphor, therefore contradicting himself? Or are there only similes in it?


texts: What is the name of this rhetorical device?

texts:
Alice and Bob are discussing their recently ended short relationship. The ending of the relationship was instigated by Alice.

Bob indicates that he thinks it is a shame the relationship ended.

Alice observes "But you don't love me, Bob".

Based on information gleaned from less carefully worded discussions during happier times, the man knows that whether he loves her or not at this early stage in the relationship is unimportant to the Alice, and so concludes this is a rhetorical device.

As such it is very effective in that it acts to confuse the discussion and results in him being unable to respond in the affirmative.

Bob is forced to admit that, no, he does not love her.

Bob knows that pursuing the point further by indicating that he knows this is unimportant to her leaves him in the weak rhetorical position of saying that he knows her better than she knows herself.

And, so with that, the immediate discussion is concluded.

Is there a word or phrase to describe this type of rhetorical device; that wins a discussion via an implied false premise?


texts:
I'm doubting about this sentence:

  Arithmetic / Logical Unit: It is the area that handles the data-processing

The doubts are about the word 'area' as a synonym of part, and the usage of 'data-processing'.

Would you rephrase this sentence or does it sound fine to you?


texts: How do natives pronounce "what the f**k?"

texts: When I hear native speakers, especially Americans say the phrase I expect a "th" sound in "the" but instead, it sounds more like a "t" or "d" sometimes. Am I correct or am I just hearing it wrong?


texts: Cardinal or ordinal number for the name of the school

texts:
The offcial name of the school up to this day has been: Tallinn School No 21. Does it sound correct and formal Br Eng?

Now it has been proposed that it should be Tallinn 21st School. Is there a difference? For us it sounds wrong because the ordinal number refers to ranking or order, doesn’t it?


texts: Is it correct to use infrastructure as a countable noun in this context?

texts:
My understanding of the word "infrastructure" is that it is uncountable.

However, upon looking it up in Oxford Learner's Dictionary, I found that it is classified as "countable, uncountable." http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/infrastructure

With that in mind, my question is: is the following sentence grammatical? It seems wrong to me:

  I enjoy the city infrastructures and the kindness of the local people.

EDIT: This was written by a student from a developing country about her experience living in a developed one.


texts: The strange empty feeling when something bad almost happens to you and you prepare for it, but it doesn't happen

texts:
Imagine this scenario: you go to a doctor for a routine checkup and it turns out you only have six months left to live. After the initial shock, you come to grips with that reality and try to make the best of it. You constantly think about how it would be to die, and in a strange way, you kinda look forward to finally having that question answered when the time comes. Meanwhile, you do all the things you always wanted to do, all while your incoming death looms over your head constantly.

Then the doctor calls you, on the supposed last month of your life, and tells you it was a misdiagnosis and that you're actually fine, all while apologizing profusely. Everyone around you is happy that you don't get to die (yet), and you yourself are also happy of course. But part of you isn't. Part of you actually feels kinda bummed because of how you mentally prepared yourself for the worst, because the worst seemed inevitable, and now suddenly it's gone. You had the wind taken out of your sails of your supposedly sinking ship, so to speak. You're unsure of how to feel or even react to that.

How would this feeling be best described? Are there specific words for this kind of situation and the feeling that comes afterwards?


texts: If something was broken apart and put back together again, is it intact?

texts:
Does "intact" cover things that were, but no longer are, broken? If yes, what word should I use to mean only things that were never broken?

Also, if it's scratched or dented but whole, is it intact?