texts:
Other than being awkward and difficult to interpret, is the usage of many consecutive instances of 'both' and 'either' in a sentence technically correct? If so, does each group of two need to be preceded by 'either' or 'both'? For example:

  Engaging in art and engaging in science are both both both necessary and cathartic and arduous and time-consuming.

vs.

  Engaging in art and engaging in science are both both both necessary and cathartic and [both] arduous and time consuming.

The latter seems the less ambiguous of the two, since it follows from

  Engaging in art and engaging in science are both both necessary and both arduous and time-consuming

which requires 'both' to precede "arduous and time-consuming".

If this is indeed grammatically valid, couldn't one could mash any amount of 'both' and 'either' into a sentence? e.g.

  It is either (both (either (both (either A or B) and both (C and D) ) or both (E and F) ) and G) or H.


texts: How is the sentence "This land is peaceful, its inhabitants kind" grammatically correct?

texts:
This might seem like a weird question, but how is the sentence:

  This land is peaceful, its inhabitants kind.

grammatically correct?

Shouldn't it be "...its inhabitants are kind"?
The sentence is from a game called Dark Souls, it's from 2011, and it's very popular so I assume it's not a grammatical error, because if it's really an error it should've been fixed. So how is it correct?


texts: What does “Trumped up” mean in Hillary Clinton’s comment in the first presidential debate?

texts:
During the first presidential debate held on September 27, Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump's tax plan 'Trumped up trickle down” by saying “It is, as I said, trumped up trickle down. Trickle down did not work. It got us into the mess we are in 2008 and 2009.”

I think the word, “trumped up” is a witty play of word conceived by Hillary in combination of a proper noun, "Trump," an idiom, "trump up" and with the political economy jargon, “trickle down” of the wealth from the rich to the poor.

Though OALD defines "trump sth up" as "to make up a false story about sb/ sth, especially accusing them of doing sth wrong," I'm not very sure of what "trumped up trickle down" here in Hillary's context exactly means. Trickle down policy by itself does not seem to be any wrong doing. Could you translate it into plain English?


texts: What is the term for re-writing an handwritten book with a word processing program?

texts:
What is the term used for the processes in which a historian will read a handwritten book and then re-write its content in a book form using word processing program? This process involves deciphering words that are difficult to read and presenting the entire manuscript in a clear way typed on a word processing program to be read by whoever is interested.

For example: " The famous historian Prof. James Davidson performed a ????? of the manuscript and sold it worldwide. "


texts: Should "time" be capitalized in "it was his time [to go]"

texts:
The phrase "it was his time" means that the subject is deceased.  In other contexts that require the same meaning for "time" as this, would it be best to capitalize "time" to personify it as an omnipotent thing (or whatever) in the same way "God" is capitalized?

For example: "...to escape his inevitable time."

Yes or no?


texts: inter- prefix means between but interact has a whole different meaning than -inter or act, why is that?

texts:
I just started to dig into suffixes and prefixes. But I couldn't understand how do they exactly change the meaning of the word that they are appended.

For example re- means again, retake means take again. Inter- means between, but interact means acting in a way that you have an effect on something. Interact has no connection with between. Why is that?


texts: Using a verb twice to describe a chain of action

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct:

  Cats bother dogs bother ducks.

I want to say that cats bother dogs and, also, that dogs bother ducks. Is this a correct way to do so?

If it is, can this pattern be repeated indefinitely? E.g.

  Noun1 Verb1 Noun2 Verb2 Noun3 Verb3...

Which means that “Noun1 Verb1 Noun2” and “Noun2 Verb2 Noun3” and “Noun3 Verb3 Noun4” and so on...


texts: Word implying this object is required by another

texts:
I'm looking for a word that has the opposite implication to "depends on" or "has this prerequisite". Something which describes the relationship of B to A if A is a prerequisite of B.

Something that could mean "dependor" or "requirer", for example?


texts: Is there a word for enjoying something, but disliking the fact that other people enjoy it or disliking the way they enjoy it?

texts:
Elitist or snobbish comes close to what I mean, but I don't feel like either of those are descriptive enough. I'm just wondering if there's a more specific word.

For instance: I find that when I discover a TV show that I really like, I tend to enjoy it until I get sick of how people won't shut up about it.


texts:
Good evening,

I have a question I wanted to know,what does "africanderdom " mean ?
I can't find its meaning on the Internet.
I only know that it was invented by Hobson.

Thank you


texts: The adjective "dashing": can it be used to describe a woman?

texts: Can you say of a woman that she is "dashing", meaning that she looks stupendous, graceful etc.?


texts:
I saw this sentence in a Guardian article about parentship:

  "Parenting is challenging and the only training we get is through our own childhood experiences, many of which it would be preferable not to pass on."

My question is, after the comma in second sentence fragment, there is "many of which" and "it", which pronoun refers to which noun?

It happens to me that there are two subjects or am I wrong?


texts: English equivalent phrase for “To set a fire and also to go and extinguish it”

texts:
Is there equivalent of this Hindi expression

  Aag (Fire) bhi (also) lagana (to set/ignite) , Bhujane (Extinguish) bhi
  (also), Khudhi (self) Jana (to go)

which means

  To set a fire and also to go and extinguish it

Which means a person sets the fire intentionally and in pretense goes back to extinguish it too (as in save the day) to appear like a good Samaritan.


texts: Nuances in variants of “I should/would/∅ think so”

texts:
What is the difference between saying:

I should think so.
I would think so.
I think so.

And also what does using should in this way mean?

  It is strange you should say you have seen her, seeing as she left yesterday and hasn’t been back since.


texts: What would you call a facial expression displayed at sight of someone hurting - the kind of involuntary grimace when you imagine just how much it hurt?


texts: Which is better, "a guide to travel procedures" or "a guide on travel procedures"?

texts: My boss says it is better to use "A guide on travel procedures" as she is refering to procedures. Does that make sense?


texts: How to join the conclusion to the sentence?

texts:
I am in the process of creating a post on one of the other Stackexchange sites, and I came across something I've been wanting to ask for a while:

When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop, I don't have to assign an IP address, the server automatically gives me one.

Conceptually there are three clauses:

When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop
I don't have to assign an IP address
the server automatically gives me one

Commas are usually used to denote a pause in the sentence:

When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop [pause] I don't have to assign an IP address [pause] the server automatically gives me one.

But I also remember commas are use to separate out optional clauses:

When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop [snip] the server automatically gives me one.

Well, that makes no sense; something's wrong here. The last clause could be removed:

When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop [pause] I don't have to assign an IP address.

That sentence could stand on its own, but the point is that the server gives me one — I need that. Returning to the "pause" version:

When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop [pause] I don't have to assign an IP address [pause] the server automatically gives me one.

It sounds like the first two clauses can be run together, and the final clause is being attached. That's the job of a semi-colon, isn't it?

When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop, I don't have to assign an IP address; the server automatically gives me one.

But it it feels like it depends too heavily on the initial clause. Also, the final clause is the conclusion of the whole sentence. Perhaps I should use a colon to present it:

When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop, I don't have to assign an IP address: the server automatically gives me one.

Or while I'm at it, just try other random things (some of which I know I shouldn't do):

When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop, I don't have to assign an IP address — the server automatically gives me one.
When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop, I don't have to assign an IP address... the server automatically gives me one.
When I VPN to work from my Windows desktop, I don't have to assign an IP address (the server automatically gives me one).

The clauses could also be turned around:

I don't have to assign an IP address when I VPN to work from my Windows desktop: the server automatically gives me one.
The server automatically gives an IP address when I VPN to work from my Windows desktop; I don't have to assign one.

Note: I assume this has been covered to death... although I can't find it; feel free to vote to close (with the link to question that covers this ground — if available).


texts: Mental lapse preferred to Synapse lapse?

texts:
My friend used the term 'synapse lapse' the other day to describe what would be usually called a 'mental lapse'. Is this an acceptable term? I found no results in the Ngram viewer. It doesn't seem to be common, so was it a mistake or is it a trendy term that is slowly supplanting 'mental lapse'?

My problem with it is that I have never heard of an actual synapse 'lapsing' before in medical papers - am I being too fastidious about this? Or is a 'synapse lapse' an acceptable collocation now?


texts: What to call the "things that nobody talks about"?

texts: I am writing an article about “things that nobody talks about.” I feel sure that there should be a single word which can replace the phrase things that nobody talks about? It’s rather clumsy as it stands, in my opinion.


texts: In several episodes of Steptoe & Son, the phrase "On the earhole" is used. In one scene the vicar knocks on the door asking for donations to the church. Old man Steptoe shouts (he drops his aitches) "Is he on the ear'ole again?". It appears to mean the same as "on the scrounge" but can anyone explain the origin please?


texts: What is a good adjective that means 'Of or pertaining to a bed'?

texts: So in this question, suppose I wanted to call a bed scarf/valance as a/an 'X drapery', where X is the word I'm looking for, which should mean 'of or pertaining to a bed' (or any place which is lied upon to rest, really). Is there such a word?


texts: Why isn't "Enterprise" spelt "Enterprize" in US English?

texts: I live in Australia, but am expected to use US English in my work. I am therefore used to spelling "-ise" as "-ize". I was a little surprised to find that "enterprise" is almost universally spelt with "-ise". Is there any particular reason that this is the case for this example, when "-ize" is so widely preferred in US English?


texts: What is the meaning of 'acquired by' ?  Can I use this phrase in what scene?


texts: Punctuation / Conjunctive Adverb question

texts:
Just double checking my old brain. Does the phrase "more specifically" in the sentence below operate as a conjunctive adverb and thus need punctuation? I feel certain there's a comma after "specifically", but I would also like to recall the grammar term. Thanks

"Olivia Mellan made many observations about the different views people have on money and more specifically how these views can affect a relationship between a male and female in a negative way."


texts:
How do definitions of words imbue meaning?

To give you a gist of what I try to discover, I'll define a collection of sets of words and show that their intersection contains all 'circular defined' words. How do these words gain their meaning? And how can definitions using these words be considered meaningful?

Let W be the set of words in a dictionary. Denote by w any word in W. The dictionary contains lemmas of each word it lists; for each word w, the lemma L(w) for word w is a subset of words in W. Let's say that the lemma is also the definition of the word w; for our purpose, we ignore examples of usage (otherwise most if not all words would have circular definitions).

Define the following collection of sets:

D(1) := {w in W | There is a w' in W such that w in L(w')}, the set of words used in definitions of other words.
for n>=1, D(n+1) := {w in D(n)| There is w' in D(n) such that w in L(w')}, the subset of D(n) of words used in definitions of words in D(n).
D := {w in W | For all n>=1 we have w in D(n)}, the intersection of all D(n).

We have constructed a nested collection of sets: if n>m then D(n) is a subset of D(m) by definition, and D is their intersection. D is the largest set of words which is such that each of its words occurs in the definition of (at least) one of its words.

Lemma. Since W is finite, D = D(n) for some finite n.

Proof. If not, it means that for each n, there is a D(m) such that D(m) is a strict subset of D(n) and we can construct an infinite collection of strict subsets. But there are only a finite number of words in W. Hence, there is an n such that D = D(n).

It follows that we can effectively determine D for any dictionary W by going through W, D(1), D(2), etc. creating the next D(n) until D(n+1) = D(n) = D.

If W is the English language, then D is not empty.

It contains the word 'an' (see http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/an?s=t, its lemma contains the phrase "an initial vowel").
It also contains cycles of length 2 or longer, such as {oak, acorn} and {foot, ankle}; these words are used in their mutual definitions.

The basic question is about the set D.
How do words in D gain meaning from their definitions?

They seem to be examples of words with 'circular definitions'.
Worse, words in D can occur in any definition (as they belong to D(1)), so how do they help define other words if their own meaning is ambiguous?

Finally, if words' meanings are ambiguous (for example if they have definitions including words in D), how can definitions succeed in taking away this ambiguity?


texts:
Where does the word "puppet" come from?
Where does the word puppet come from?


texts:
I am having trouble with the following:

  Magic extract of the Nucleoid Membranes of Quasimop Eggs of ancient
  Dinosaurs.

The way I have learned english, of is correct in all cases above. If you can say The dinosaur's eggs and The membrane's extract the word of choice is of and not from. Eggs of Dinosaurs.

However I feel there are too many "of"-s in the Quote above. Eggs do come from Dinosaurs and the extract does come from Nucleoid Membranes, therefore would it be legal to rephrase it into:

  Magic extract from the Nucleoid Membranes of Quasimop Eggs from
  ancient Dinosaurs.

?

It would sound and look a lot nicer.


texts: "Belated happy birthday" or "happy belated birthday"?

texts:
What's the correct sentence?

  Belated happy birthday!
  Happy belated birthday!


texts: Articles with proper nouns as adjectives

texts:
Do I need to use articles in front of proper nouns that are used as adjectives?

Examples:

"I joined [the] Warp Engine team."

"I want to share [the] Warp Engine roadmap with you."


texts: "Languish" meaning: Cambridge or Oxford?

texts:
I was trying to look up the meaning of the word "Languish", and as usual, I looked it up using Cambridge Online Dictionary, and got the meaning:
to exist in an unpleasant or unwanted situation, often for a long time.

On the other hand, Oxford English Living Dictionary stated an additional meaning:
(of a person, animal, or plant) lose or lack vitality; grow weak.
It included an entry for the word "Languishment" as well, unlike Cambridge dictionary.

EDIT: I have read that Oxford's English dictionaries tend to be historical, embracing deprecated or obsolete meanings as a reference, despite the fact the they are not used anymore; so, as a foreign speaker of English, which dictionary should I use, especially in the light of the IELTS/TOEFL tests standards?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
I could only find a definition on Wiktionary, making it questionable. My team is looking to title something that refers to departments outside our own, but still internal to the company.

As in, "Extra-Departmental Asset Request Process"
Meaning, a process for handling asset requests that come to us from other departments within the company. External to our department, but still internal to the company. This is in contrast to a separate process for "local" asset requests originating from within our department.

We've been throwing around simply "external requests" in conversation, but it has led to frequent confusion about being external to the company vs. just to our department.

Is there a better word than extra-departmental? If not, which would be accurate?

  Extradepartmental
  Extra-departmental
  Extra departmental


texts:
My question concerns the usage of "as if" as an idiomatic interjection. The references I have consulted (etymonline, online dictionaries, etc.) seem to agree that "as if" is used in this context to convey incredulity or doubt. This is how I have always thought of it.

The other day, I was with friends who used "as if" to express their surprise and joy about a wedding proposal. They weren't being sarcastic or incredulous; they were genuinely happy about the proposal. Here is a loosely paraphrased version of what they said:

"As if they're getting married!"

Is my friends' usage of "as if" standard? Is it a primarily regional distinction? (I am in Ontario, Canada right now.) The closest example we could come up with is someone says "I can't believe that you won first prize!" Of course, the person can and does believe it, so their words ought not to be taken literally. Is it the same idea with "as if"?


texts: This doesn't make sense to me.  Is it just laziness?


texts: How should the abbreviation for "identifier" be capitalized?

texts: I'm a programmer and I often see the abbreviation ID (capitalized) in technical documents and code. Is this correct, or should it be id?


texts: Is there a term for when a person pretends to give an unbiased account which is actually manipulative?

texts:
For example, a person might say something to the effect of "My friend really hurt me in [insert description here], but I forgive them", with the intention of manipulating someone's opinion.

By avoiding a direct insult or anger, the description sounds like it gives the listener an unbiased account.  However, in reality, the listener is more likely to accept the description without suspicion and reach the angry conclusion the speaker wanted.

Is there a word or phrase for this phenomenon?


texts: What is the proper punctuation for examples that describe items in a list?

texts:
How would you punctuate a sentence that contains a list of items, with several examples for each item. For example:
"I have found an existing relationship of qualities through a certain model: words including, between and after; colors red, yellow and blue; numbers five, six and ten."

Notice how the first set seems confusing? The main qualities are words, colors and numbers; with each quality having a set of examples. How could this be made more clear, without changing the ultimate structure of the sentence?


texts: Difference between "Does she have the book?" and "Has she the book?"

texts: What is the difference between "Does she have the book?" and "Has she the book?"


texts: Referring to someone when you only know their last name

texts:
Our company occasionally has to write letters to a third-party in response to a complaint.  There are times when we only know the complainant's last name (usually with first initial).  Typically, we would write something like "Mr. Jones signed up for service on..." or "Mrs. Smith contacted us on...".

If we do not know the person's gender, what is the appropriate way to refer to the customer?  Would we just use "complainant" or should we ensure that we use the customer's name?  EX: "The complainant contacted us on..." vs.  "J. Smith (the Complainant) contacted us on..."?


texts: What is the origin of "Color me confused"?

texts:
I drowned in the search results of articles using "Color me confused" phrase.

What is its meaning and origin?


texts:
What I am doing in that picture? I couldn’t describe it in English?

In the attached picture, you will see my leg, my knee is on  the table.

Images are not visible I think. I put my knee to the left side of the table when I was sitting on a chair. Is this leaning against?

Thanks in advance


texts: Archaic way of describing the one who never kills / slays

texts:
Want to address a character (in 3rd person).

That character has lied several times so cannot be immaculate (as I thought it would be). Any word which is less filtered than immaculate?

This character does not kill and will never, not sworn but ethically he finds it wrong to kill anybody.

Not necessarily one word... Could be 2 words or 3, but this is just an addressal, shorter the better.

To make it easier, how would you describe a medieval Batman? Wears an armor and carries a sword but does not kill and never will.

PS: He isn't a vigilante.


texts: Looking for a neutral adjective to describe something covered by a gel-like substance?

texts: I am trying to translate a text to English and am stuck at this sentence: "From the water and hair styling product his hand was [...]". Now try as I may, I can only think of words that have strong negative connotations to me, such as slimy, and none such is intended here. What would be a more fitting and neutral word?


texts: Synonym for rare occurrence but with negative connotation

texts:
What are some synonyms for 'rare' or 'unusual' that have a negative connotation. For instance:

Enron's collapse was unusual, as the massive financial trickery ultimately bankrupted millions of investors.

What could replace 'unusual'?


texts:
What is the correct way to ask mobile app user to grant certain permission on their phone in American English:

please allow permission
please enable permission
please grant permission

If none of the above is correct, please suggest the right word.


texts: Single Word for a Bright Day after the Darkest Night

texts: I was curious if there is one word to describe "Bright Day after the Darkest Night". I have heared a quote about this and liked so much that i wanted to find a single word for it so that it can be given to something some project, some room or anything So, I wanted to know a descent and presentable single word to call the "Bright Day after the Darkest Night"


texts: Meaning of "would that I might forget him"

texts:
"Would that I might forget him," Ned said bluntly.
  — A Song of Ice and Fire

Does the sentence in quotes mean, "I would forget him if I could"?


texts: Why in the sentence like this:"John called and told me he is on his way.He should be here soon",-there is no the reported speech, and the verb"is"doesn't change from the present tense form into the past simple form "was" though the word "told" denotes speaking and stands in the past form?


texts: "I was wondering what time it is" or "I was wondering what the time has been"

texts:
Can you tell me which option is more natural in this English sentence?

  I'm sorry to trouble you but I was wondering what

  (A) time it is
  (B) the time has been

The whole story is that this multiple-choice question comes from a placement test for a coursebook. The complete question is as follows

  I’m sorry to trouble you but I was wondering what

  (A) time it is
  (B) the time has been
  (C) is the time?
  (D) was the time?

I excluded (C) and (D) as ungrammatical and chose (A) as the most natural-sounding to me, but the answer key says that the correct answer is (B), which doesn't sound right to me. Now I'm a little bit confused.

This coursebook is for the Polish market and I am Polish.


texts: Is there a word to describe names that have no meaning but take on meaning over time for example "Google"?

texts:
Sometimes we create names for things that are just meaningless identifiers, the only example that springs to mind is "Google". That "Google" originally had no meaning may be disputed but this is besides the point. We do create nonsense words to name things, usually to ensure that the name is original and unique however over time these words aquire meaning; Google is no longer a nonsense word and is regularly used as a verb.
Is there a word to describe these sorts of words?
"Google" is a search engine, but I am not familiar with its use as a proprietory eponym, for example "Bing is a type of Google" does not sound correct (to me), I do not use the word Google to mean search engine. My experience of the word Google is normally as a verb i.e. "to google something".


texts: Is there a word to describe someone who knows how to sing and does it well but not quite professionally? "Amateur singer" doesn't seem to cut it.


texts: Is this sentence correct? "I shall buy the book whether you like it or not."

texts:
I will buy the book whether you like it or not.

Above sentence seems correct, I want to know if replacing will with shall creates any problems?


texts: What's a common name for creating and removing objects?

texts:
I'm about to name a method in my software. It's going to perform two tasks that are, more or less, inseparable from each other. The first one is to create a table in a database. The second one is to remove. It might sound pointless to do that but the aim of the test is to verify whether that can be done.

The currently picked name for the method is TemporaryTableCreationAndRemoval. However, I'm not happy about the last part, so I wonder what'd be a good term to describe both the process of creation and, subsequently following, the process of removal.

Supposing that such an action is called to shazoo (i.e. to shazoo = to create something and then, inevitably and directly, remove it), the name of the method would be TemporaryTableShazoo.


texts: Indicating 'ephemeral questions' section in an FAQ

texts:
Granted that entries in an FAQ are subject to change; but say I want to have a separate section for questions that are really only going to be relevant for a very short time - say, a software product version upgrade and questions pertinent to the transition.

I'm looking for something like 'ephemeral questions', or to indicate in some way that this section is reserved for topics that are more fleeting or transient in time. What are my options in this case, either a single word or even a longer phrase (but commonly used in this context)?

For context; this is a general purpose FAQ/KB for a piece of software that addresses:

Initial usage and reasons for adoption (why should I choose X? etc.)
Data management & access policies
Troubleshooting steps
Planned features, maybe with ETA
etc ...
'Ephemeral' questions which would likely mostly be a mix of troubleshooting & future plans that are relevant for the immediate present: e.g. What are the changes in ACL requirements for next week's release?. Basically, something with enough customer interest to have a question on it; but not needed long-term.


texts: What is an adjective for someone who does not work safely

texts:
Is there an adjective for this?
Because I have searched every dictionary.


texts: Is "not remembering" the same as "no longer know"?

texts:
I thought "not remembering" means "knew before, but stopped knowing". But do I really stop knowing when not remembering? The information could still exist in my brain, but I can not access it currently. It is possible I remember it later, then I know it for sure. But did I start knowing it again, or did I know the whole time?

Not remembering something implies I know I knew it before, but can not tell it now.
But does it imply I currently do not know? Is it correct to say "I don't know my password" when "I don't remember my password"?

Technically both variants are possible: I do not remember my password, but expect to remember it later. And I do not remember the fifth password I ever used in my life, and am sure that I will not remember it later.


texts: As a response to "I'm glad ...", what does "you're glad" imply?

texts:
The conversation occurs after A did B a favor:

A: I'm glad I was able to help you out!
B: You're glad!

What does B imply?


texts: What do you call a disease with an unknown cure?

texts:
We call a disorder with an unknown cause or etiology as idiopathic. But what about a disease with an unknown cure — is there a single-word adjective (or phrase) that captures both the current unknowability and future possibility of a cure?

I am specifically trying to avoid "incurable" and its synonyms, as it precludes the possibility of a future medical breakthrough that would render its object preventable or curable.


texts:
Joe says it helps, as the cost of the drug falls to 10$.

Is this correct usage in a headline of a newspaper article?

I know in some cases, it's fine for the pronoun to come before the antecedent, but this sentence just feels very strange to me.


texts: I have a question regarding the proper usage of the word "nor"

texts: Is "...not legal advice, nor is it intended to be" the proper usage of "nor" in the prior partial statement?


texts: Perseverance of the whole in spite of the loss of individual elements

texts:
Is there a word, phrase or expression that can be used to describe the following kind of situation:

The arrangement of well placed pieces on a chess board; one guarding the other, which in turn is being guarded by another etc., forming a type of layered structure of "Where one falls, another shall take its place" scenarios. A reliable withdraw, so to speak, in case things go south.

I'm interested in a general term that can portray the perseverance of the whole, in spite of the loss of individual elements. Not much on the topic at Chess exchange, so EL&U felt like the second best option.

Looking for something more specific than strategy, and the only other thing that comes to mind is last stand. However, the latter has a note of finality to it, presents the option of not being able to endure the odds,  and fails to convey the desired meaning of "outlasting" one's opponent.

I believe some examples are in order:

  Player A's _____  won him the game.
  If it wasn't for the commanding officer's ______, the mission would have gone FUBAR


texts: What do you call someone who is supported?

texts:
Synonym for a supportee (Which doesn't seem to be a word)?

I created products that retail and we sell them and give the proceeds to charities. Trying to figure out a single word to use as a page title for those that we support were we can list the charities (With their permission of course).

Thanks


texts:
Today while reading the newspaper I found two sentences with the opposite pattern of tense usage.

Sentence 1 (Indirect speech) :
A senior police officer said that the cumulative rents paid for some of these buildings are enough to purchase a land and build a police station.

The direct speech must have been like this -
A senior police officer said, "The cumulative rents paid for some of these buildings are enough to purchase a land and build a police station".

Sentence 2 (Indirect speech) :
The girl said that she wanted some ice water.

The direct speech must have been like this -
The girl said, "I want some ice water".

My query was, why in sentence 1 'are' was not changed to 'were' although in sentence 2 'want' was changed to 'wanted' because in school we were taught that while converting direct speech to indirect speech, tenses are back shifted.

I looked up this query on Google and I learned that even 'are' is also correct in indirect speech of sentence 1.
So by this logic, is it correct to use 'want' in indirect speech of sentence 2 ?

Thank you!


texts: What is the correct way to say One and Two-sided Limits?

texts:
I'm talking about limits in calculus. The text itself is for the header of the one and two sided limits section. There are a different ways I can think of doing this but I'm not sure which one is right.

One and Two-sided Limits
One-sided and Two-sided Limits
One and Two Sided Limits

What is the correct way to write this?


texts: What might be the correct pronunciation of the word collacon: KOL.a.kon or KOL.a.son?  A collacon being a compilation of brief details related to a subject. Seemingly coined (collection + laconia = collacon) by Edward Parsons Day (Day's Collacon; 1884). My ear is attracted to KOL.a.son - similar to the word limacon (LIM.a.son) - but such pronunciation necessitates changing the c in laconia from hard to soft. Perhaps this is not done with roots. Thank you.


texts: Why are the "first conditional", "second conditional", and "third conditional" so named?

texts:
I have learned a lot about the first, second and third conditionals, but something that always crossed my mind is why they are called 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Does anyone have an explanation for this?

There are other terminologies, such as Type I, II and III Conditionals, but as far as I researched, there's nothing further than this, they're always named with numbers.

Are there any other names we can name these conditionals?


texts:
With it being a direct order with out a choice.
Is it written
You will pay for your sins.
Or
You must pay for your sins.

Will seems stronger as You will no matter what.
Where you must just seems. Weak

Which is correct. I’m reading will is with choice where must is an obligation. So what’s the difference when it’s written as a command


texts: If I go to a Language School, do I go to school?

texts:
My friend, aged 21, has just started taking classes at a language school, and will shortly be doing 4 hours each weekday there. It feels very odd to be saying "How's school going?" – we finished school years ago, we're at Colleges and Universities now.

It seems something of a paradox to me, that she is clearly going to "a school", but it feels so incorrect to state that she is going "to school".

Any thoughts? What would be the best ways to refer to it?


texts: Error Analysis question regarding ( used to )

texts:
Yesterday, I had a Grammar exam and I came across this question, I tried to look everywhere on the internet but I couldn't find anything related since "used to" always comes as a habit and followed with a contrast.

The sentence is "He used never to drink so much coffee, before he went to bed." According to the question, it must have two mistakes, so my answer was:
"He used to drink so much coffee, before he goes to bed."

The exam now is nothing I'm worried about, I just want to benefit so I don't make a mistake again.


texts: When and how to use "equivocate" properly

texts:
"Equivocate" - meaning to avoid giving a clear or direct answer to a question
Can someone clarify when the word "equivocate" should be used in a sentence?
Example (found here):
"I can tell when you're stressed out, because you'll equivocate and avoid all of my questions."
Since "equivocate" means avoiding to give a clear or direct answer to a question, why would the person in the example add "and avoid all off my questions" after saying that he'll equivocate? Isn't that counterintuitive?
Also, is it possible to equivocate with someone? - Example (found here):
"I don't appreciate when you equivocate with me, it seems disingenuous."
I assume equivocate was used incorrectly in this sentence as it would be the same as saying: "I don't appreciate when you avoid giving me a clear or direct answer with me, it seems disingenuous."
My intentions with this question is to understand when and how to use equivocate,
it would be great if you in your answer could include my examples and explain how it might be right or wrong to use it in that scenario.


texts:
I have the following song verse, which needs to be composed in Anapest (unaccented unaccented accented):

I will meet (i-WILL-meet)

Annabelle (an-nuh-BELLE)

In my dreams (in-my-DREAMS)

What would be a different way to say "I will meet" in a more anapest way? The third word should start with a plosive ( /P/, /B/, /K/, /G/, /T/, /D/ ).


texts: Why don't you say "the" in this sentence?

texts:
I asked a friend of mine who lives in France, who isn't so good at speaking the English language, if she has a favorite animal and she answered with:

  Yes I like the cats.

I told her that you don't say "the" in this sentence but I don't know why; I just know that it its wrong. Can anyone help me explain why this is so?


texts:
As I understand it, the word schoolmaster can either mean a man who teaches in school or one that disciplines or directs.

The word schoolmaster can be a synonym of teacher and principal.

But which meaning dominates in the context of school? If it does?

In the song “The Trials” by Roger Waters, the lyrics say, “Call the
schoolmaster!” where schoolmaster stands for principal of the
school. I believe it's British English.


texts: What's a man called who follows everything his wife says or wishes?

texts:
In Hindi, there is a phrase called "zoru ka gulaam". Translated in English as "slave of his wife". Typically the people who get this honorary title are those who seem to care for their wife more than expected. Not only care but they also never seem to question any of their wives actions. In short, they do as their wives please.

What is the word for these kind of people in English language?


texts: What is the past participle of the verb open?

texts:
I'm French and I'd like to be precise on the conjugation of the verb "open".
On this picture, I'd write "opened" instead of "open". Could you tell me more about why they have written "open"?


texts: What do you call a guest who treats your home as theirs?

texts:
When a guest shows up at the door and you invite them inside, typically they will hesitate and decline at first.

However, I know one ‘guest’ that readily accepts, walks in, and sits down on a couch of their choosing.

When you ask your guest if they would like something to eat or drink, typically they will either say they are fine or request something simple like water.

Instead this person asks if there's any milk.

Is there a word for a guest who behaves unconventionally? A person who shows a lack of restraint, or treats someone else's house like their own?


texts: Is this a proper use of "diagnostician"?

texts:
Just a touch of background, this is for a button label in a piece of software. A user presses the button in order to choose the type/specialty of the health care provider that diagnosed them with an injury.

I want to use the phrase "SELECT DIAGNOSTICIAN" as a label on this button, but when I search Google, it appears that the proper meaning of "diagnostician" is someone with a specialty in diagnosis, and so I feel that I'm using the word inaccurately.

Is it acceptable to refer to a non-specialist giver of a diagnosis as a diagnostician? Is there a more appropriate word that doesn't imply a specialty in the act of diagnosis itself?


texts: via or by - which one is correct to denote by means of

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Communication [over, by, through, via, with] email”

Which one is more formal - via or by?

Send via email

or

Send by email

Also, same in case of...

Notify via email

or

Notify by email

or

Notify through email


texts:
I want to describe that a phenomenon is used to advantage in some methods but for method X it's effects are bad.

So can I write

but it's implication in method X is problematic.

Thank you very much


texts:
What does it mean if someone says..."as it was", in a sentence like

"I won't have enough time to stop and then get to the office, as it was I only managed about 10 minutes there which clearly isn't enough time to do it justice"?


texts: A word to describe a posthumous name derived from one's place of death

texts:
After their death, Javanese monarchs in the past were often given names based on the place they died. For example, the Mataram king Amangkurat I is also known as "Seda-ing-Tegalwangi", roughly "He who died in Tegalwangi", because he died in that town. Another monarch, Seda-ing-Krapyak ("He who died in Krapyak") was even better known by his posthumous name, and history books rarely mentioned his while-alive name.

Is there an adjective to describe these names? It would be handy in sentences like this:

  The Mataram king, known only by his [adjective name] name
  Seda-ing-Krapyak, started a war with ...

The closest I can think is the adjective "posthumous", which explains that the name is not his name while he was alive, but it doesn't quite convey that the name was derived from his place of death. I'm looking for a word that do. I'm open to neologism though I prefer established words.


texts: Where should the period be put when an entire sentence is quoted at the end of a sentence?

texts:
As in the following:

  A common proverb is: “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

  A common proverb is: “A rolling stone gathers no moss”.

  A common proverb is: “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”.

If the proverb weren't a full sentence, I would immediately put a single period after the quote, at the very end.  But if it is a sentence, which period should be removed so that there is only one period? Two periods look absolutely dorky.


texts: Is this sentence correct? Present Perfect for finished past

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

"Post-Soviet Russia has long hesitated before definitively recognizing the frontiers with its new neighbors"

The recognition comes after the hesitation; therefore, the time period for the latter is finished. Plus Russia has NOT been hesitating for some time now.

Isn't it better to say:

"Post-Soviet Russia had long hesitated before definitively recognizing the frontiers with its new neighbors"?

OR

"Post-Soviet Russia hesitated for a long time before definitively recognizing the frontiers with its new neighbors"


texts: An idiom for "beginning in the wrong end"

texts:
Say that in order to determine what B is, you analyze A. But then someone analyzes B in order to determine what A is. In my language, we would say that this procedure "begins in the wrong end". What is an appropriate English idiom or phrase here? The only one I can think of now is to say that the procedure has been "turned on its head".

EDIT: I intend to use the appropriate phrase or idiom in a scholarly paper, so it needs to be polite enough for that context.


texts: What to call someone who appears never to sleep and is always on duty?

texts: What do I call someone who appears never to sleep, always responding to emails etc whatever the time of day?


texts:
Wikipedia offers two etymologies, and life experience has given me two pronunciations (wee-JA and WEE-jee).

Etymology:
Does the "ancient Egyptian word meaning 'good luck'" etymology hold water?

Pronunciation:
Online sources confirm the wee-JA pronunciation, but the movies produced by Hasbro (the makers of the game) use the WEE-jee pronunciation.

Do either of the etymologies factor into the two pronunciations?


texts:
I was reading a fairy tale from Andersen, "It's Quite True", and there was one phrase that I don't understand the meaning of - 'she heard and she didn't hear'. It sounds ambiguous to me. I'm confused whether she's heard it or not?

The context is:

'There it went,' she said. 'Indeed, the more I preen myself, the more beautiful I become!'
It was dark all around. Hen sat beside hen, and the one who sat next to her did not sleep. She heard and she didn't hear, as indeed you should in this world if you are to have peace of mind. But still she had to tell it to her other neighbor. 'Did you hear what was said here...'

Thanks!


texts:
When is it correct to use the form "I did want to ..." versus "I wanted to..." (substitute other verb for "want"). I often find myself changing from the former to the latter when I edit early drafts, but sometimes the former seems to better emphasize my "wanting".

EDIT: Part of my curiosity was that this has the feel of a slightly different tense, but it is not. The discussions in the following, which I found rather indirectly via the ELL meta site, are more what I was looking for. Difference between "did + verb" and just "verb+ed"


texts: Meaning of "things are swept under the rug"

texts:
I was wondering what it means as analogy that

  quite a few things are swept under the rug.


texts:
Why is “Rectangled” not accepted usage (MS Word (and MS Outlook) always consider it a mistake)?

For example, here is the usage in a sentence:

Select the “CTF” entry (rectangled above), and then click the “OK” button that will become enabled.

If I write “circled” instead of "rectangled," that is accepted.

So why is “rectangled” not accepted?

Here is an example of something (a tree) being circled and something else (a rock) being rectangled:


texts: Term for calling a non-programmer who has an effective, important role in a project

texts: What is the official term (within a (software) project organization) for calling someone who is not a programmer however (s)he plans the nuts and bolts of the system, it goals, challenges and conceptual architecture. (S)He may be called researcher, but I'm looking for a more precise term.


texts: Where did the usage of "Uncle" to refer to unrelated individuals come from?

texts:
We often use "Uncle" to refer to a paternalistic figure or close family friend who isn't actually related by blood or marriage. For example, I'm a godfather to the young children of a family friend, and I'm usually introduced as "Uncle John" to the kids at birthdays or holiday gatherings.

It struck me that this is rather arbitrary.

Why isn't it, say, "Brother John" or "Grandpa John" or "Cousin John" or any other similar term?
Does this have any origins in "Uncle Sam", the national personification commonly used in America? That's the only connection I could think of.
Is this sort of thing common in other languages/cultures, too?


texts: "When I was in third year at the University".: Is "my" necessary here like "in my third year""

texts: Is "my" really necessary in this sentence : " When I was (in third year,in MY third year) at the university" .If it is then why do we need to use  'my'?


texts: Capitalization of a noun that has be made definite

texts:
If someone were writing a paper on a particular train station, for brevity, it is easier to refer to it as "the station." Should station in that phrase be capitalized?

It is unrelated to Capitalization: when does a phrase become a proper noun? and Definite article with proper nouns, titles followed by a common noun, but apologies if this is a duplicate.


texts:
I was wondering why does something goes off, when it in fact does the opposite

bomb goes off - it blows up
alarm goes off - it turns on

Why not goes on?


texts: "Each is to blame" or "each are to blame"

texts:
Each of the tasks from the Patient Task panel illustrated previously is shown on the Tasks tab of the Visit.

Each of the tasks from the Patient Task panel illustrated previously are shown on the Tasks tab of the Visit.

Which is correct?


texts:
The yearbook is made with love by Lisa, with contributions by Mary and Sal.

or

  The yearbook is made with love by Lisa, with contributions from Mary and Sal.


texts: Meaning of the phrase "take a pass on yelling uncle"

texts:
I have heard that phrase recently on this YouTube video "Why We Row (Inspirational)" and I can assume what it means, but I just don't understand it on the context of the speech.

  ... don't be suprised if someone decides to flip the script and take a
  pass on yelling uncle, and then suddenly as the old saying goes, we
  got ourselves a game.


texts:
I am from Bangalore and people here tend use the word only to emphasise something in a sentence. For example:

  We are getting that only printed.

What is the proper way to put it?


texts: What is the correct word for the list of goods?

texts:
What is the correct word for the list of goods that we receive from our clients to be shipped(export) abroad?

  Please let me have your order/shipment list?


texts: When telling a story and describing objects in the story, should the objects be referred to in past tense or present tense?

texts:
When describing objects in telling a story, should the objects be referred to in past tense or present tense, if the effects of the story still hold true on them? Since it is a story it should be in past tense but if the objects remain the same to the present time from the story it should be present tense. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it poor grammar to mix past and present tense in a sentence?

I thought of this when writing the following:
I just bought something from the deli at the grocery store and was surprised my receipt had one number.

Should it be had or has? I still have the receipt and it still has one number. A simpler example is "The man walked into a room that had red walls." vs "The man walked into a room with red walls". Assuming the walls are still red upon the telling of this story, which is correct?

Furthermore, I notice when people are unsure if something is untrue they tend to use the past tense. For example if there had been a car crash and someone observed the backed up traffic but left the scene before they saw the traffic resume to normal flow, they would say There was a car crash and traffic was backed up. I'm not sure if it is flowing again. Is common to speak of things in the past tense when unsure, for example why not replace was with is or is either acceptable?


texts:
The question arises as to if the social unfolding was influenced by the movement rhythms.

This is a sentence from my thesis study, and I was wondering if "as to if" is grammatically acceptable, or do I need to restructure this sentence.


texts:
I'm searching for a word that describes the emotion or sense that you have when you have recognized your own failures. A characteristic that describes this emotion.

Example:

  I have ___ because I know what it's like to fail. Last year, I failed my first three tests.


texts: A word for a form of government that governs itself

texts:
Let us suppose there existed a society that was governed not by people but rather by a comprehensive set of rules, and whereby each person voluntarily followed those rules, and executed punishment on themselves in accordance with those rules if they violated them. What word would describe this form of government?

(We can assume that there are never reasons to change the rules, that each rule is able to be perfectly interpreted by every member, and that those who originally wrote the rules no longer exist.)


texts: Should I use "to" or "of", which one is gramtically correct?

texts:
I am writing a blog post and the titles are

  Ultimate Guide of Best Mens Hairstyles

or

  Ultimate Guide to Best Mens Hairstyles

I am unsure as which one is grammatically correct, and any help would be appreciated thank you in advance.


texts: What is the idiom for the situation "If people-in-authority don't follow their own set rules then what can one expect from rest of us"

texts:
What is the idiom for a situation that "If people-in-authority don't follow their own set rules, then what can one expect from rest of us" in similar examples given below in different settings:

When HR themselves are tardy, undisciplined then what can you expect from the employees (punctuality and discipline)?

When traffic police themselves are offending (driving without belts, smoking while driving) what can you expect from the vehicle driving community in the city?

When parents themselves are undisciplined (smoking in front of children), what can you expect from the children themselves?

When the management is insincere, what can you expect from their staff?


texts: "All previous work is" or "All previous work are"

texts:
Which of the following two sentences is the correct one?

(1) All previous work is in the file.

(2) All previous work are in the file.

Google search turned up documents using both forms, but the "is" form was most prevalent.

Thanks.


texts: Use of "a-" before words, not the indefinite article

texts:
Sometimes I've found some words that start with an "a-" prefix, not the indefinite article. I think it's used to make the phrasing more euphonic and more "melodic", at least this is what it sounds to me.
For instance:

How is it called and is it common?


texts: How to choose between "where" and "when" after the expression "There hasn't been a moment...."?

texts:
There hasn't been a moment where/when science has ceased to amaze me. What do I choose?
I have also seen use of "that" in some cases:
There hasn't been a time that I haven't loved you.


texts:
Does "converse in secular German" in the following sentence mean "to speak German which was a secular language then"? And does "secular" mean "nonreligious" here?

Context

  As one of the ‘wise men’ of his Berlin community, Mendelssohn urged his
  fellow Jews to adopt the customs of the country in which they had
  chosen to be resident and to converse in ‘secular German’.


texts: Which is correct: "...she knew it was I even before..." or, "...it was me..."?

texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct: "She knew it was I, even from a half block away"?


texts: I'm looking for a single word that describes both webinars and podcasts. Any ideas?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say, "A figure yonders"?

texts: Firstly, I wanted to know if it is acceptable to use the word yonders? Originally I wanted to use it to indicate something at a far distance ("A figure yonders") but later on, I realised that I should have probably used yonder instead of yonders. This happened while writing a poem that I published last year. It is just one line- "A figure yonders". Even then, in a vague sense, is it grammatically right to say "A figure yonders"?


texts:
First off we need to write down a word; second we need...
  First we need to write down a word; second we need...

What's the subtle difference between "first off" and "first"?

Moreover, what's the exact meaning of the word "off" here?


texts: Why do some nicknames have no apparent relation with their original counterparts?

texts:
I find it unusual and rather contrary to common sense and logic that some nicknames should have no apparent relation to their original names, such as "Jack" for "John(eg. JFK)" or "Jonathan", "Patsy" for "Martha," or "Ted" for "Edward"(shouldn't it be Ed or Eddie?).

"Bill" for "William"(if someone could explain this to me, it would be great), "Jim or Jimmy" for "James" are still understandable as they rhyme in some degree with the pronunciation of the originals.

I wonder how this happened and why should the resulting tradition still be in use in today's English.

Can anyone enlighten me ?


texts: What do "the more" and "the less" modify in "The more our knowledge of things is certain and particular, the less it is possible for us to feign"?

texts:
The following is an excerpt from The Young Spinoza: A Metaphysician in the Making.

  (1) The more our knowledge of things is certain and particular, the less it is possible for us to feign;

What do the more and the less modify in this sentence?

I thought the more modified is and the less modified feign. But

(2) As our knowledge of things is certain and particular more, so it is possible for us to feign less.

sounds strange.

Is it possible that the more modifies certain and particular and the less modifies possible?

Then, the sentence can be paraphrased as

(3) The more certain and particular our knowledge is, the less possible it is for us to feign.

But, (3) is not the same as (1) grammatically. Or is it?


texts: How to get the spelling of an unknown word by pronunciation?

texts:
I started to learn English by listening English news, from time to time I will come across some word that I have not learnt, with only pronunciation how can I get the spelling of the word?

When you learn Japanese, if you heard some Japanese word you don't know, by inputing the content you heard you can easily get the word. For example, assume DA is a Japanese word and its pronunciation is ABCD, by inputing ABCD you will get DA.


texts: Is there a word to describe someone who apologizes for or feels bad about success or good fortune?

texts: For example, an American who apologizes for the wealth and power of the United States?


texts: How to choose tense while using "in case" in a sentence?

texts:
I am following English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy: unit 114 is about "in case".

The author mentioned the use of 2 tenses(present and past) with "in case":

  Do not use will after "in case". Use a present tense for the future.
  You can use in case + past to say why somebody did something.

Here are 2 examples of present tense given by the book:

Your car should have a spare wheel in case you have a puncture.
I'll remind them about the meeting in case they've forgotten.

And 2 examples of past tense:

I left my phone switched on in case Jane called.
We rang the doorbell again in case they hadn't heard it the first time.

I can understand examples about present simple and past simple, but I can't figure out the difference of choosing present simple and present perfect, and of choosing past simple and past perfect.

I know that 'perfect' describes something happened in the past and have/had effect on a certain moment(the current momenta or a moment in the past.)
I have problem to distinguish the difference in meaning in this case. What's the difference in meaning between "simple" and "perfect" in this case?

Thanks.


texts: "This chapter describes" or "This chapter WILL describe?"

texts:
My question is about the use of the present or future tense when describing what the current project being written does/will do:

Should it be "This thesis will investigate whether...," or "This thesis investigates whether..."?
I'd like to know whether it's ever proper to write (e.g. in a thesis introduction) "Chapter 3 will treat the historical matters...," as opposed to "Chapter 3 treats the historical matters...."


texts:
Merriam webster says:

  A piece of writing that usually has figurative language and that is written in separate lines that often have a repeated rhythm and sometimes rhyme.

Googling 'define: poem' gives :

  A piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits such formal elements as meter, rhyme, and stanzaic structure.

What are the essential constituents of a poem?

Going by the above definitions, a poem MUST be a piece of writing, written is separate lines that partakes of the nature of both speech and song.


texts:
Can I say this:

  I have no plans to come back in a predictable period of time?

I mean I have no idea when I will be back, not within a period of time that I can predict. Does that make any sense? Is it correct in English?


texts:
A person's potential, given their strengths was unrealised - attributable to their character.

"Unrealised" reminds me of utility, both sounding cold and business-oriented.

Are there more personal, less formal words like unrealised that also carry more a more implicit worth - so for example, the person above is not devalued? (Even if mention of the character seemed to)


texts: Meaning of the joke about the fish and the dam

texts:
There is the joke.

-What did the fish say when he ran into the wall?
-Dam.

Could someone explain it to me, please?
As far as I can tell the joke is all about the intended pun: the dam sounds similar to damn. Do I understand correctly?


texts:
In the novel Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon, we read:

  She watched Adam now as he sat at his desk looking drawn and haggard.

Dictionaries such as Oxford and Cambridge are showing the same or similar meanings for both words. Then why did Sidney Sheldon, one of the best selling writers, use them together?

I guess it might be to make the scene more effective, but is it so?


texts: Term to describe fragility in negotiations

texts:
I'm looking for a word or a phrase to describe a particular aspect of negotiations. This concept is not unique to negotiations, but negotiations seem to provide the clearest example. The concept is this: The more you ask for, the less likely you are to succeed. There is an inverse relationship between the probability of you getting a good outcome, and how high you set your definition of "good outcome."

If we imagine a simple scenario in which an employee and a boss are negotiating a salary between 0 and 10, if the employee asks for 9 she immediately loses goodwill, as well as loses the respect of the boss. It is very unlikely that she will receive 9. But if the employee asks for 6 (a more 'reasonable' number) her chance of receiving 6 is much higher.


texts:
I am trying to refer to a number of ancestors in two ways, and I need two terms or even two adjectives for "ancestors" that will distinguish one from another.

The case I am interested in is where there is pedigree collapse, where one person is an ancestor of the proband in multiple ways.

For example, the following simple pedigree of Cleopatra (from Wikipedia)

The diagram identifies 13 ancestors.

In genealogy, the typical method of denoting ancestors is through a pedigree chart, where each generation of the chart shows both parents for each person of the previous generation and thus always grows in a binary manner, with 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, ... ancestors listed at each generation. Of course, not all the ancestors are always known and some of the ancestors may repeat.

So the above Cleopatra tree will then be shown as:

        - Ptolemy V Epiphanes
      - Ptolemy VIII Physcon
        - Cleopatra I Syra
    - Ptolemy IX Latyros
        - Ptolemy VI Philometor
      - Cleopatra III
        - Cleopatra II
  - Ptolemy XII Auletes
        - Ptolemy V Epiphanes
      - Ptolemy VIII Physcon
        - Cleopatra I Syra
    - Cleoptra IV
        - Ptolemy VI Philometor
      - Cleopatra III
        - Cleopatra II
- Cleopatra VII Philopator
        - Ptolemy V Epiphanes
      - Ptolemy VIII Physcon
        - Cleopatra I Syra
    - Ptolemy X Alexander I
        - Ptolemy VI Philometor
      - Cleopatra III
        - Cleopatra II
  - Cleopatra V
          - Ptolemy V Epiphanes
        - Ptolemy VIII Physcon
          - Cleopatra I Syra
      - Ptolemy IX Latyros
          - Ptolemy VI Philometor
        - Cleopatra III
          - Cleopatra II
    - Berenice III
          - Ptolemy V Epiphanes
        - Ptolemy VIII Physcon
          - Cleopatra I Syra
      - Cleopatra Selene I
          - Ptolemy VI Philometor
        - Cleopatra III
          - Cleopatra II

This shows 38 ancestors, but there are only 13 individuals, many of whom are repeated multiple times due to the inbreeding.

My question is I want to refer to the two different counts of ancestors. So what would be the best terminology to use to say:

I have 13 __________

I have 38 __________


texts: What is the adjective to describe this character of things

texts:
I'm having difficulties trying to recall a word to describe something having consistent, unchanging properties in every part of it.
For example: a bowl of rice, every rice is roughly the same, the textures, the tastes and smells are the same.
Every input is appreciated. Thanks.


texts: Where does the mathematical use of the word 'root' come from?

texts: Is there any connection between the mathematical and biological meanings of the word root? Where does the mathematical use come from?


texts: Object versus subject pronoun where object performs an action

texts:
Is it proper to say "Bob wants Joe and I to stop speaking," OR "Bob wants Joe and me to stop speaking"?
I know the answer has to do with a gap in my subject/object knowledge, but please direct me to the rule.
The suggested questions do not address an example like the one above, wherein the object of the sentence is performing an action.


texts:
This is perhaps more of a culture question than a language question, but since it is about English usage, I hope it is OK to ask it here.

I'm not American, but I've visited a few American companies where everybody was on first name terms with everybody else.

Now I've see a few episodes of the American TV series "Bones" which takes place in a scientific lab. There, everybody addresses everybody else as "Dr. so-and-so" (or in rare cases "Mr./Ms. so-and-so" if the poor guy doesn't have a PhD.).

This usage seems very unnatural to me compared with my own (very limited) experience with the way people talk together in an American company.

So, is the TV series completely wrong, or is my experience unsual?


texts:
There is an expression, "like putting lipstick on a pig", which means (in context) that if you take something obviously bad, no matter how many cosmetic changes you make to it, it will remain obviously bad.

Is there an expression that means the opposite? That is, if there is something obviously good, no amount of minor blemishes will take away from it.


texts:
"A local bowling league 'established its handicap for bowlers who have an average of 200 or less as 75% of the difference between 200 and the bowler's average score?."----from a question in ACT math.

I do not understand what does it mean to say "or less as 75% of the difference", especially feeling "as" here is very strange. And I even fail to identify the part of speech of "as".


texts: "There is no A or B" vs "There is no A and B"

texts:
If A doesn't exist and B doesn't exist either, what is the correct form below?

  There is no A and B.

or

  There is no A or B.

What if the sentence is long, such as

  There is no bound on message delay or relative process speed.

Would this construction be correct?


texts:
Suppose I wanted to create a new word. Are there any rules for that? How can I do it?

If I create the word, how can I ensure that it has an appropriate meaning?

For example, in a word like quiz or puzzle what rules were applied to decide if this would be a good new word, and how does one apply these more generally?


texts: Something specific or a specific something ,which one to use?

texts:
As in the title , I want to know which one of these sentences is correct and why?

I want to do something specific.
or
I want to do a specific something.


texts:
Does "incorporated into bacteria" here mean "inserted into bacteria" or "grown in the form of bacteria"?

From the works of Eduardo Kac:

  The key element of the work is an "artist's gene", a synthetic gene that was created by Kac by translating a sentence from the biblical book of Genesis into Morse Code, and converting the Morse Code into DNA base pairs according to a conversion principle specially developed by the artist for this work. The Genesis gene was incorporated into bacteria, which were shown in the gallery. Participants on the Web could turn on an ultraviolet light in the gallery, causing real, biological mutations in the bacteria.


texts: Difference between "transparent" and "translucent"

texts: What's the difference between transparent and translucent? I am trying to describe this record pressing.


texts: Word for a person who learned something in the past, but is now back down to beginner level?

texts:
What do you call a person who learned something a long time ago and now is at the same level in that skill as a beginner would be?

Guy isn't a novice. He isn't a veteran either. He was proficient in the skill long time back and can quickly (faster than a beginner for sure) get to the same proficiency level again, given sufficient resources.

Update: I'm looking for a formal word. Rusty suggested by Dan is perfect. So is old hand. Is there a word that can used to describe the above person in a professional context?


texts: What's an easy way to remember when to use "affect" or "effect"?

texts: Is there an easy way to remember when to use the word affect or effect in a sentence? It is very confusing, and I still get them mixed up.


texts: Synonyms: can "inclusive" be considered a synonym of "bland" or "timid" in any sense?

texts:
I am working on an exam question that is based on the fifth paragraph of this article.

  The Lonely Crowd quickly became one of the defining works of the
  1950s—a decade that, contrary to its reputation for intellectual
  blandness and timidity, was exceptionally rich in works of sharp and
  enduring social criticism. In September 1954, four years after the
  book’s appearance, Riesman appeared on the cover of Time magazine, the
  first social scientist ever to do so. His sober countenance was
  surrounded by figures representing the central concepts drawn from the
  pages of The Lonely Crowd. Beneath this curious and fanciful tableau
  was the identification of "Social Scientist David Riesman" and the
  pointed question: "What is the American Character?"

The question asks for a synonym of the bolded part and choices inclusiveness, complacency and integrity are given.

The answer given to this question is inclusiveness while I think complacency is better. I have looked at definition of the words, and the closest I can find for inclusiveness is enclosing and embracing; nonetheless I still can't relate it with the meaning of blandness and timidity.

I am not a native English speaker and I want to know if there is any nuance behind the word inclusiveness that intimates a similar meaning with blandness and timidity.


texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes an entity having only knowledge of its own existence, but no one else's.

The closest I have now is autognostic, auto being "self" and gnostic being "having knowledge", but I think autognostic might just mean "self-aware" and not "exclusively aware of oneself".

Does such a word exist?


texts: Does this "come with" make sense in this sentence?

texts:
Food makes the human body survive, whereas Clothes decorate it. With decoration there comes propriety. (my translation for an ancient Chinese text)

By "with decoration there comes propriety" I mean that propriety orginated from the colors and patterns of clothes, or was mainly embodied in them in the early stage of human society. Can this "come with" mean such an abstract idea?


texts: I am an English teacher and keen to learn things in detail to explain to my students. I would like a detailed explanation of why the word “no” can be an adverb if it is being used alone in response to some question. It is not qualifying anything in this usage.


texts: A word with the same connotation as "bureaucratic"?

texts:
I have contacted the math department head at my school to ask about some course offerings, and he answered my question. However, he is a busy professor and researcher, so I feel questions about course offerings and such should be directed to an office or so.
I want to ask the department head:

  "For future reference, I don't want to waste your time with such
  __________ [bureaucratic] questions; is there somebody else I should be contacting with such questions?"

The word bureaucratic is wrong here. Is there another word which I can use that maintains the same connotation?


texts: most of that or most of them or most of it

texts:
I happened to read the following sentence in ‘Poached’ by Stuart Gibbs, which deals with coalas.
They(Coalas) rest sixteen to eighteen hours a day and spend most of that unconscious.
But I wonder whether the word ‘that’ is grammatically correct, for I think that ‘most of them(the resting hours)’ is correct.
Would you grammarians teach me whether it is grammatically correct or not?


texts:
Sometimes, I feel that the term "first generation" is used sort of vaguely sometimes. So it confuses me (because my situation) is a little bit complicated.

My dad, was an immigrant from a foreign country and lived here long enough to get a passport. That way, he has an American citizenship. My mom, wasn't born in the US and doesn't have a US citizenship.

I wasn't born in the US, so am I a first generation American? Or do I just have a citizenship (because of my dad's American citizenship)?


texts: What are set of words word like "crocodiles" and "alligators", and "turtle" and "tortoise" called?

texts:
There are times when various words can both be used to describe one particular kind of animal. The animal one word specifies is a bit different from the other(s), but in most cases there's plenty of overlap and few know the little things about them that differentiates them.

  crocodile and alligator

  turtle and tortoise

  shrimp/prawn and lobster

  crab, lobster, and crayfish

EDIT: I know, the examples are a bit confusing. I wrote this in a hurry, thinking that I'll edit it later on (which I have done). The species/catagory these words fall into is the same.


texts: What is the proper superlative of "bitter"?

texts:
What is the proper superlative of bitter? Is it most bitter or bitterest?

I am assuming that either of these is the correct answer and I cannot recall hearing one more often than the other, and bitterest sounds strange to me despite the fact that it may be the correct option.


texts: Is there a tool to find words that are related to multiple input words?

texts: I'm looking for a similar tool to thesaurus.com, but one where you can enter multiple words. For example, I'm looking for a word that describes something between match and race. Or one that captures (or relates most to) family, company and sports club.


texts:
I was wondering what the etymology of Juggernaut is. I think it is derived from an Indian Language.

Would you be able to describe:

Which language this word is from
The root from which this word originated
The significance of relevant historical, social or political factors in adapting this word to English. (alternative interpretations from the one given below)

Here's some info I found: (from: Merriam-Webster)

  In the early 14th century, Franciscan missionary Friar Odoric brought to Europe the story of an enormous carriage that carried an image of the Hindu god Vishnu (whose title was Jagannath, literally, "lord of the world") through the streets of India in religious processions. Odoric reported that some worshippers deliberately allowed themselves to be crushed beneath the vehicle's wheels as a sacrifice to Vishnu. That story was probably an exaggeration or misinterpretation of actual events, but it spread throughout Europe anyway. The tale caught the imagination of English listeners, and by the 19th century, they were using juggernaut to refer to any massive vehicle (such as a steam locomotive) or to any other enormous entity with powerful crushing capabilities.

Also, the meanings associated with Juggernaut include:

  1 - a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path

  2 - a large heavy truck

What gave rise to these two, different connotations? (A truck seems puny in comparison to the former definition)

Thanks!


texts: Is there a word that describes people who are extraverted and/or energetic, but uneducated, unintelligent and/or uncreative?

texts:
Preferably without implying that they are arrogant.
Example sentences:

Joe is friendly, but he's ___, so the things he has to say aren't very interesting.
Maybe it's just me being ___, but I feel like you are making the situation more thorny than it needs to be.

I've considered words like practical, simple, and tried searching through thesauruses based on these, as well as with other words like uneducated or goofy (the latter of which probably communicates too much eccentricity and silliness to be relevant, though it gets at the extraversion in a way that some of the other terms don't). However, practical brings to mind someone that is more conscientious than average, and I would prefer a word that has minimal implications on that. Simple focuses too much on the uneducated/unintelligent part. I've also considered loudmouth, but to me it implies arrogance or unpleasantness more than it implies being uneducated.
Ideally the connotation would be neutral or even positive, as a descriptor that is as inoffensive as possible. Register doesn't matter much, but ideally it should be an adjective (though a noun is OK if no adjective can be found). It's okay for it to be a compound word, but multiple words or a phrase wouldn't work, as I need it for something where the rule is that people need to be described using single words.
The best word is would be one that contains the two meanings I described, but as little else as possible (i.e. without connotations related to other personality traits), so that it is as general as possible.


texts:
Over a decade ago, I read about a condition where you love to solve the intricacies of a challenging problem or issue but can't be bothered to actually do the work to implement or prove it. Is this an actual condition? If so what is it called?
Edit:
They are fully capable of doing the nitty gritty work as long as it is challenging. Work that often nobody around is capable of doing. They would lose interest after achieving their goal of finding a solution and would be on the hunt for the next challenge.


texts: How do I know when to eliminate the word "that"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
Are there rules about using “that” to join two clauses?

I see the word "that" used very frequently in newspaper articles. It usually is used after the word said.
Some examples:

He estimated that it was between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Thursday morning that workers realized there was diesel fuel coming up through the ground.

The fire chief said that the fire departments were on the scene at around 8 a.m.

Are either of those "thats" needed? How does one know when it's not needed?


texts: Proper punctuation when using "Part 1, Part 2" etc. In a title

texts:
So if I was making a series called Bob's Adventure and it's a 3 part series, do I have to call it "Bob's Adventure: Part 1"? Or is it OK to call it "Bob's Adventure Part 1"?
Thanks.


texts: Quotes, italics, parentheses, and/or regular for translations

texts:
Okay Stack Exchange, here's the big ask:

What do you all recommend? My manager wants to know if this is stylistically appropriate. No specific manual we're looking at here. Just what would you guys think if you saw this on a business card. I'm using another Latin phrase instead of the actual company name, per my boss' direction, but the question is still the same. The name of the company is, in medias res. Below is how the text looks now on a business card.

in medias res

"in the middle"

I'm pretty certain the Latin words italicized is common; however, I'm skeptical about the quotes around the translation. The company's name is the Latin phrase, not the English translation. The goal is just to make sure that people who've never heard of the Latin phrase understand it.


texts: Etymology of the words "narky" and "narked"

texts:
Anybody have any idea where the word "narky" comes from?
I speak British English and I understand the word to mean irritated or bad-tempered. Similarly I've heard the phrase "narked off".

Examples
He got really narky with me when I pointed out that he'd made a mistake again.
or
I got really narked off when my little sister lost my favourite necklace.


texts:
'Since' means throughout the period from a specified point in past time to the present. Can I use it to mean 'throughout the period from a specified point in past time to a specific point also in the past'

Example:

  And even after ten seasons since that one in which he learned how
  to hunt, he was still unable to catch any deer.

I know the sentence could be phrased more smoothly, but I want it to sound that way. And so, grammatically speaking: Is 'since' used correctly here? Again grammatically? Does it mean (as I want it to mean):

  And even after ten seasons from the time he learned how to hunt,
  he was still unable to catch any deer.

?

Many, many thanks.


texts: Do you need a subject in a sentence if it is implied from the previous sentence?

texts:
These two sentences sound good to me in my head, but the second sentence isn't an independent clause. In my mind, the subject of the second sentence is implicitly taken from the previous sentence. Is this grammatically correct, or would I need a different mark of punctuation to pull this off?

  Collective nouns can either be singular or plural. Plural when
  thinking of individuals in the group, singular otherwise.


texts: Finding a verb analogous to 'analyse' (US 'analyze') requiring complementiser

texts:
I'm proofreading an academic paper and have come across the following:
"This process, as Smith analyses, is a way to reflect on..."
Intuitively I'd prefer
"This process, as Smith explains/says/states, is a way to...'
I've come to the (possibly wrong) conclusion that it's somehow because these verbs can take 'that' as a complementiser/conjunction (or in the case of 'says', take a null complementiser):
"Smith says that it's possible..."/"Smith says it's possible..."
"Smith explains that..."
"Smith states that..."
While 'analyse' is a bit murkier to me:
?"Smith analyses that it's possible..."
However, I also think that 'analyse' bears a different semantic weight to 'say/state/explain', and I'd really like to keep (at least some of) its meaning, rather than just evade all this and change to 'say/state/explain'. I've tried substituting 'explore', 'investigate' and 'discuss' but I'm not sure that I'm not running up against the same problem with each of them. So my question, in two parts, is:
a) Is my intuitive preference actually legit, or should I not worry about it and accept "as Smith analyses"?
b) If my intuition is legit, is there a verb that acts structurally like one of those verbs that takes 'that', while remaining similar to the meaning of 'analyse'? Are 'explore/investigate/discuss' perhaps more satisfactory?
Apologies if this is a duplicate question - I made a few searches but wasn't sure how to frame the keywords, so was unsuccessful. Annoyingly I feel sure that I've come across this in my work before, but can't remember how/if I resolved it at the time...


texts:
A row has broken out in London over a restaurant which stipulated in an advertisement for waiters that they should be able to speak "immaculate English".

Allegations ensued that this was a cover for excluding recent immigrants.

But on a different tack there is a letter in today's Observer asking Who speaks immaculately? The Oxford Dictionary on-line defines immaculate as perfectly clean, neat or tidy - as in "an immaculate white suit".

A number of questions arise. What is meant by immaculate English? Does Donald Trump, or Sadiq Khan, the new Mayor of London speak immaculate English?  And what might have been a better term to use to describe the sort of English that would be desirable in a waiter?

But the most important question of all is whether the use of the term immaculate is in fact a euphemism for excluding people on a racist basis? Is it?


texts:
I'm looking for a word that can be used right next to the word "constraint" in different grammatical structures, but means the opposite. It should mean "provide options to".
For example:

A company both constrains and XXX its employees.
A company puts both constraints and XXX on its employees
A company both constrains and XXX the behaviour of its employees.

I could think of words like "enables", which kind of makes sense for:

A company both constrains and enables the behaviour of its employees.

But doesn't make sense for:

WRONG: A company puts both constraints and (en)abilities (?) on its employees.

Is there a word that is an antonym of constraint and also allows for the same syntactical usage?


texts: I hear from people greet saying "howdy". I guess that is short form of how do you do. I normally reply that "I am good and how are you doing?". Is there cultural specific reply that would give more appropriate meaning and value to the person who greeted first? I mean that instead replying just "I am good", would it be more value to reply "howdy" again?


texts: Why does Hagrid say "cousin DON'T " instead of "doesn't"?

texts:
Hagrid:
If that dolt of a cousin of yours, Dudley, gets up to any mischief, you could always threaten him with a nice pair of ears, to go with that tail.

Harry:
But, Hagrid, we're not allowed to do magic outside Hogwarts.

Hagrid:
I know that, but your cousin don't, do he?


texts:
What is actual time frame of below sentence , started in past and end in past or Started in past and still continue? I am really confused.

I have been a single after a really long time.

She has been a role model.

he has been a boxer. ( I know he became old now )

My whole life has been a waste – I've been a failure.


texts: Independable or undependable, which is correct?

texts:
Both independable and undependable are present in dictionaries, can I use them interchangeably? Which is the more common spelling?

Usage example:

  she proves that this claim is independable / undependable.


texts: intransitive, prepositional phrase, adjective clause all used in a sentence

texts:
The responsibility to come up with an idea of building a new infrastructure which will benefit the economy of the district is transferred to a different department.

I am writing to ask if the sentence is grammarly correct.

infintive
"to come up with an idea" to modify "the responsibility",

prepositional phrase "of building a new infrastructure" to modify "an idea",

adjective clause "which will benefit the economy of the district" to modify "infrastructure"

I think all three of them(infinitive,prepositional phrase, adjective clause) function as adjective , and has been wondering if it's okay to use all three of them in one sentence.Does infinitive,prepositional phrase ,adjective clause have any affect on the structure of the sentence(in terms of grammar)?


texts:
My father came from Liverpool in the UK and was born there in the early 1950s. He always referred to his Father (when writing him a birthday card) as 'Pater'.

I was reading a psychology book yesterday on learning methods - they refer to PATE as a learning method because Pate meant head.

There seems to be a phrase 'pater familias' in Latin talking about fathers. In latin there seems to be a word 'paternas' which refers to head.

These seem similar - but I can't sort the connections, or see the underlying order.

My question is: Do Pate (head) and Pater (Father) come from the same origin?


texts: why do we say "she" referring to a general user of a program

texts: I often hear people say "she" when they refer to a user of their application, for example. In documentation, or in email. Why do we say "she", why not "he or she" or "they"? I am not a native speaker, maybe this is a trivial question, but I do not know the answer.


texts:
rain: verb, [no object] (it rains, it is raining, etc.)

  fall: verb, [no object, with adverbial]

Are the following sentences grammatical?

(a) The package fell a great distance.

(b) It rained cats and dogs.

My doubts arise from the fact that "a great distance" and "cats and dogs" seem the objects of fell and rain respectively.


texts:
"He's starting to look this way."
"Researchers are just starting to look at the psychology of binge watching."

Is there ambiguity when using "starting to"? In the first sentence, he has not actually completed the motion and has yet to look "this way," but in the second sentence, "starting to" seems to just describe that they are in the beginning stages, but they have already completed the motion "to look" and are still in the phase. In addition, when people say sentences like "It's starting to rain" and "It's starting to bleed" the actions (rain, bleed) have already began and are continuing, but when using a sentence like "He is starting to sit" the action of "sit" is still in the middle of being completed and he has not actually sat down yet. If there is ambiguity, how do you tell the difference?


texts: Word or phrase for a disproportionately strong measure

texts:
I’m looking for a word or a phrase that describes an unduly big action to solve a problem that otherwise could be solved with moderate efforts.
For instance, you have a pending application in a government department, and you want it to be processed quickly. You have two influential friends: A and B. A has a good reputation in the department in question, and one call from him would expedite the process. B is a national figure, who has goodwill across departments, and is a much bigger name than A. What would I call my action of choosing to take B’s help, even if I know that A’s help would suffice.


texts: Are these interrogatives subjects or complements for verbs?

texts:
[a] Which is the best choice for the blank?  [b] What's
  the best choice you have made? (TED)

Which are the subjects in above respectively?

It seems like which in [a] and what in [b] are subjects.
And I also get the idea that which and what might be complements of the verbs respectively. For I can make these echo questions, in those which and what are complements.

The best choice is which for the blank?
The best choice you have made is what?


texts:
Apologies in advance for the naivety of my question, I am a non-native speaker.
I am trying to say this : "I thought it would be a quick read, but I became fascinated by it and was drawn into the depth of the subject".
Is this a correct way to phrase it (in bold)? Or is another way more idiomatic in English?


texts: How common is the short "be" in American English

texts:
A friend prompted me to look up the pronunciations of the homophones "be" (IPA: /bi/, /biː/) and "bee" (IPA: /biː/). We found that there are two ways to say "be" -- one is short and the other (the strong form) is long (see this OALD link). Having lived in North America for almost a decade now, it seems to me that the long form is rare in North American usage, but that might just be me. My questions are:

Am I wrong?
If the short form is common in standard American usage, when would you it and when would you use the long form?

EDIT: Examples:

Long form:

Edit: I am He who said unto the world 'Be!' and it was.
"You'd better be there!".

Short form (at least in British English):
1. "I'll be there in a minute" when the speaker isn't trying to emphasize anything


texts: What is the meaning of "life-compatible hours"?

texts:
Base salary of $75,000 USD.
  Quarterly profit sharing bonuses.
  Work remotely from anywhere in the world.

  Life-compatible hours.

  Results based culture.
  3 weeks vacation (2 weeks mandatory).

What is the meaning of this expression?


texts:
I have following sentences :

  She looks as if she is ill. //she really looks ill
   She looks as if she was ill //she definitely is not, I am being ironic or whatever

And when I shift these into the past, I get:

  She looked as if she was ill.

From my understanding, unreal time remains the same but real time changes from present to past simple..so both will look like this.Is that correct?

And one more question, what is the difference in:

  She looked as if she has been ill.


texts: Put smiles on their face or their faces? which is correct?

texts:
Suppose that I am talking to my friend about how to cheer up children, so which is correct?

When I think a bit more, both are correct: on their face means I am talking about it generally, in 'on their faces' I mean I am talking over children in front of me. Any suggestions?

  a) Seeing their best friends would put smiles on their face.

  b) Seeing their best friends would put smiles on their faces.


texts: “should always have been done”/“should have made”/ should have been always done”

texts:
So I'm doing a coffeemaker advert in English and it is not my native language. I think you have to know the idea behind this sentence so you can help me to get this grammatically and ideally right.

Concept:

  tasting the coffee which is made by this magnificent coffeemaker and it tastes so good that it feels like the first time you have ever taste coffee. And you think that this is the way coffee should have been always done.

Can you help? How do I say this grammatically correct so also my idea get transmitted to reader?

N.B I am not looking for a tagline or slogan

These are my suggestions:

Experience the taste of coffee for the first time as it should always have been done.
Experience the first taste of coffee... how it should have made all along.
For the first time, experience the taste of coffee like it should have been always done.


texts: Best word for "Complete Interpersonal Transparency"

texts:
Once upon a time a friend used a word meaning:

  An approach, attitude, or expectation of complete openness or transparency in an interaction or relationship.

If I remember correctly, it seemed to carry positive connotations, including simplified communication, schematic consistency, etc. I enjoy this logos, but can never find the word to clearly represent it.

  No, I wasn't surprised when the pop-media reported his tryst. We
  practice _______.

p.s. forthright was suggested, but is a little off-target in that it speaks more to how direct someone is, than to how revealing.


texts: Can I use 'rush hours' in the sentence 'Can you sustain load during rush hours?'? Or should I say 'rush hour' in this context?


texts: Verbs that follow an amount of time, singular or plural?

texts:
Which one is grammatically correct?

  One hour and a half is all you have left.
  One hour and a half are all you have left.
  Two hours is all you have left.
  Two hours are all you have left.

And why?


texts: Looking for a proper word to express lack of self-control

texts:
Need a proper adjective that can be used to call a trait when a person consciously lacks self-control/discipline while trying avoid certain things.

A simple example could be a person trying to wake up early in the morning but never considers it being important knowing the benefits of such a trait.


texts: The process by which a word enters language

texts:
I know etymology refers to the origin of a word, especially in an historical sense, but what about the process in which a word enters into language in the modern day?

By way of example, "google": (to) google, (has) googled, (he) googles and (is) googling are words used in today's language, whether officially accepted or not.

In relation to the origins of a word and how a word enters language as a process, what would that process be called?

A friend made a comment that an item of food was "instagrammable" and I cringed just thinking about it. Not that I accept that as a word (I don't), I was trying to reply that such a word was a real bastardisation of language (my opinion only and I accept it may not be thought to be so by others). It just got me to thinking about modern words (especially in relation to the internet and technology), and I wanted to comment about that process.


texts: What term is used to describe when something "only interests a very narrow group"?

texts:
Is there a term used to describe when something, such as a college class or book, is something that might only interest a tiny group of people?

"Nerdy" seems to be the nearest word I can find, but it has too much of a negative connotation. Is there something similar, without the negativity?

Sample sentences:

English 408: Existential Literature is a class that is too _____, so few students signed up.

Only a few students joined the Klingon language club, because it is too ____.


texts: "bedrock" vs. "hardpan" for "very basis; foundation"

texts:
What's the difference between those terms in regard to their figurative sense?

Can they be used just about interchangeably?

Consider the following examples:

  Ownership of land is the bedrock of democracy.

  Ownership of land is the hardpan of democracy.

-and-

  Mutual trust is the bedrock of a relationship.

  Mutual trust is the hardpan of a relationship.

bedrock Google Pictures:

  noun

  Geology. unbroken solid rock, overlaid in most places by soil or rock fragments.
  bottom layer; lowest stratum.
  any firm foundation or basis: Technical courses will be founded on a bedrock of sound, general education so as to produce a well-rounded engineer.
  the fundamental principles, as of a teaching, belief, or science:
  Let's strip away the cant and get down to bedrock.

  adjective

  basic; fundamental.

  Etymology: 1840-50, Americanism; bed + rock

hardpan Google Pictures:

  noun

  Geology. any layer of firm detrital matter, as of clay, underlying soft soil.
  hard, unbroken ground.
  the fundamental or basic aspect of anything; solid foundation; underlying reality: the hardpan of mathematical theory.

  Etymology: 1810-20, Americanism; hard + pan
  Random House

hard pan

  The hard stratum of earth lying beneath the soil; hence, figuratively, the firm, substantial, fundamental part or quality of anything; as, the hard pan of character, of a matter in dispute, etc. Webster's 1913 Dictionary


texts: "He made me think I'm late" or "He made me think I was late"?

texts:
Which is one is correct?

  He made me think I'm late

Or

  He made me think I was late

?


texts: "...the pleasure enjoyed" – placement of adjective?

texts:
A person should not think that happiness is the total pleasure enjoyed.

In this sentence, "enjoyed" comes after the subject it describes, even though it is not a phrase or clause. I thought only the phrase or clause could come after the
subject it describes or modifies, or at least that is what the websites I visited say. Why isn't it "enjoyed pleasure"and sounds so natural?


texts: Term for a roof pitch viewed from inside (Image included)

texts:
I wonder what an English speaking person would call a roof pitch viewed from inside the house like seen in the image below:

For example, how would I describe the location of the desk beneath the window if I want to make sure that my reader understands that it is situated beneath a roof pitch?

  The desk is placed beneath ___


texts: Does "will" and other auxiliary verbs spread on all the sentence?

texts:
Consider the following example — I want to write down several sequential actions in future. Should I write:

  I will go home, will have dinner, will play tennis, etc.

or:

  I will go home, have dinner, play tennis, etc.

And the same for would, have, and other auxiliaries. Is there a common rule?

P.S.: There is another question on a similar topic, but I don't know if separating verbs by comma and by and is equivalent.


texts:
As the title says! I am looking for an onomatopoeia for coughing, as in:

  "[sound]" he coughed violently, as if his lungs were ...etc

Alternative suggestions are also gladly accepted :_
Thanks!