texts: How do you drop the last part of a number, which is of less importance?

texts:
Suppose you want to say a number to someone, but you do not want to read it out entirely because the last part of the number is unimportant (at least to your audience). For instance, you want to mention you waited one hour and something and something could be anything between one and 59 minutes. Of course, if it is one hour and 50 minutes then you may say I waited around two hours. This is not what I am looking for. I want my audience to know that it is more than one hour but less than two and it does not matter how much it is (Perhaps, you intentionally don't want to give extra information).
In some cases, you may want to say a number in a similar manner. For example, consider the following numbers:

1.234   (you don't want to mention 0.234)
2115 (you don't want to mention 115)
1,345,000 (you don't want to mention 345,000)

What is (are) the common word/expression(s) to use in such situations?


texts:
In 1900, 40 percent of the population lived in urban areas; by 1990,
  75 percent did.

What does 'by 1990' mean in the sentence above? Does it mean 'by the end of 1990'?


texts: What's the difference between "call off" vs. "cancel"?

texts: You have to get Chang to call off some of this homework.


texts: Is there a word or expression to describe a desperate act of "trying to be different"?

texts:
In the introduction of my paper/letter to a scientific journal, I would like to describe that, in a particular area of research, there are a lot of new methods presented during the last years, that essentially do the same thing but in a (marginally) different way.

It is my opinion that, in most cases, these small differences, without any clear advantages over other methods besides being different, do not really justify the publication in many cases; more importantly, it seems to start to be a trend towards differentiation, just for the sake of differentiation without progression.

It kind of feels like the art school students who I meet on the bus every day. They all try to be different by having piercings and tattoos in different places and combinations (which is fine), but in the end they are all alike, because they try to be different in the same way with the same ingredients.

I am looking for a good or better word, expression or phrase to express this idea in a shorter, better and catchier (even a bit provocative) way.

EDIT: maybe a better title would be:
Is there a word or expression to describe a desperate act of "trying to be different in a non original way"?


texts: Past tense and present tense in a same sentense. Tense consistent or logically correct?

texts:
I am trying to tell a thing that happened in the past. But that thing has a fact that is still true in the present. Could you tell me which one of the following is true?

I had a lesson with a tutor yesterday, and she is a mom of 3 daughters.
(Yesterday, I had a lesson with a tutor who is a mom of 3 daughters)
I had a lesson with a tutor yesterday, and she was a mom of 3 daughters.
(Yesterday, I had a lesson with a tutor who was a mom of 3 daughters)

My confusion comes from the conflict between tense consistency and a fact.
The first pair of sentences make sense to me as the tutor is still a mon of 3 daughters now.
The second pair of sentences keep consistent between "had a lesson" and "she was". But I feel it is a bit wrong to use "She was" as it indicates "She is not a mom of 3 daughters now", which is opposed to the fact.


texts: What would something be which fails to provide traceability?

texts:
If something fails to provide security it is said to be insecure.

So what would something be which fails to provide traceability?


texts:
Example:

  There's was something wrong in the room, but I couldn't quite tell
  what it was. I felt as if I had entered a house with the gas stove
  left on; there was something dense and strange in the atmosphere
  though invisible to my eyes.

  Seconds after later I realized: Anna was no longer in the room.

So instead of writing "seconds after I realized what it was" I just left it as "seconds after I realized (because I already wrote what it was in one of the sentences above).

Is it acceptable to omit what it was in a situation like this?


texts:
I have encountered some occurrences of phrases of the type:

  the correlation between variables is strong, and significantly so...

and was asked to explain what the part after the comma meant. Although I know the meaning, I couldn't give a precise answer despite searching for a formal description.

Could someone please explain what the construction used here is and provide some more examples (which do not use the word significantly but have the same construction).


texts: Does the expression “put the clothes on your back” have an idiomatic meaning?

texts:
As you know, there is a phrase “have no shirt on his back,” which means having no money and basic necessities. Would you think I should apply the meaning to the following description?

  　"How many times do I have to tell you not to mention that unnaturalness under my roof?" he hissed, his face now a rich plum color. "You stand there, in the clothes Petunia and I have put on your ungrateful back ...."

  　"Only after Dudley finished with them," said Harry coldly, ...
  (p33, Harry Potter 4, US edition)

For your information, Harry has lived at his non-wizard uncle’s house since he lost his parents. Now, his uncle is speaking with an air of condescension.  Dudley is his cousin, whose old clothes are always going to Harry.

I consulted some dictionaries, but there seems to be no such idiom as “put the clothes on your ~ back”.

And here are my questions;

Is the speaker, Harry’s uncle, talking only about clothes, or saying “you live in comfort with basic needs for life”?
Is Harry’s answer purely about clothes, or a part of the idiomatic meaning which he took it literally on purpose?

I’d be glad if you could help me!


texts: Use of "their" in a letter addressed to a person of unknown gender

texts:
I wrote the following sentence in an answer to an anonymous reviewer:

  We would like to thank again the reviewer for the positive review and hope that the new version of the text meets their expectations.

I don't know if the reviewer is male or female. So, I thought that I could use their instead of his or her following what is explained here.

My co-author, seems to think that it is wrong to write it like that.

Is he right? If yes, how can I transform my sentence into a correct one?


texts: "suffocatingly narrow" or "narrow to the point of suffocating"?

texts:
In the following sentence:

The confines of the system were suffocatingly narrow for the freedom of her spirit.

I wonder if it is more common or idiomatic to say:

The confines of the system were narrow to the point of suffocating for the freedom of her spirit.

This sentence is part of a literary text. I am also not sure if it should be to or for her freedom.


texts:
Sometimes people say "Let's just agree to disagree" as a kind of rhetorical weapon to prematurely shut down discussion that is just getting started. Is there a good reposte, or antonym expression, other than, "FU"?

What is the witty way to NOT "agree to disagree"?

Note this is not the same as this thread:
Alternative to "We'll just have to agree to disagree"

It's pretty much an antonym question :)


texts: Please help me answer the stylistic transformation

texts:
The possessive suggests a noun is needed after captain's, but there doesn't appear to be one in the first sentence. How do I complete the second sentence to mean the same as the first? I can't simply introduce something like action which isn't included in the first sentence.

  Although the captain did everything he could to save the ship, it started to sink.
  In spite of the captain's....


texts:
I'm trying to write a promotional piece on our new app. I can't figure out how to capitalize in these two instances (not in a title). My gut tells me lowercase but other team members have been using capital A. What's the reasoning behind the correct answer?

Welcome to the new XYZ App/app.
Our App/app has many new features.


texts: Is there a term for when just by saying that something is broken and showing it to someone fixes the issue?

texts:
This seems to be a common enough occurrence that it would merit its own phrase. I imagine it might be some sort of subset of Murphy's Law. But it's specific enough that Murphy's Law doesn't quite address it.

Do you know when you are banging your head against a wall for hours trying to fix something? And then when you finally give up and try to get someone else to come fix it (or even just look at it to see that it's broken), it's working perfectly as if nothing had ever happened? And at this point, you're just trying to convince the other person that it was broken in the first place.

It'd at least take some of the frustration out of the experience if you could both just laugh about <insert the phrase for it here>. But as it is now, I basically have to go through the whole paragraph above to say it, and at that point the joke is kind of lost.


texts: Is the third conditional disappearing in American English?

texts:
New Zealander here. I came across a sentence similar to the following:

  If I moved, I might've been found.

To me, this is grammatically incorrect. It should be:

  If I'd moved, I might've been found.

I flagged it, but three American English speakers found nothing wrong with the original sentence.

I was asked if it's also called the subjunctive, because "that's dying".

Anyway, I just wondered if this is accepted grammatical form. If so, in what realms?


texts:
I looked up 'monsoon' in the Oxford English Dictionary. It lists 'tempest' and 'squall' as its synonyms. However monsoon is a rain-giving wind or the rainy season but the other two are severe windstorms.

Similarly I check for 'professor' - the synonyms are:

    holder of a chair, chair, head of faculty, head of department

None of these seem to be correct - not all professors hold chair positions, not all of them are heads of department or faculty... The definition "highest-ranked academic" alone seems to be correct but the list of synonyms is not.

Is this more of a thesaurus list wrongly labeled as synonym list?


texts: What are the connotations of "clueless"?

texts:
As a result of a discussion with @Hot Licks on another post, it is apparent that his (American) understanding of the nuances associated with clueless is slightly different to my (British) understanding.

Reference to both Merriam Webster and Oxford Dictionaries would seem to confirm this difference.

At issue is whether clueless is a synonym of oblivious. My inclination, which appears supported by the ODO is that oblivious is about forgetting or being unaware of something, whilst clueless is essentially about knowledge and ability.

Clueless is separately defined by:

ODO: adj having no knowledge, understanding or ability.

But MW has a longer definition:
completely or hopelessly bewildered, unaware, ignorant, or foolish

Referring to what some consider the fount of all knowledge, the OED, which addresses the entire corpus of English as used around the world, there is no mention, under clueless, of unawareness.

To me, to be oblivious means simply to be unaware. Even the greatest scholar could be oblivious of the fact that something was about to happen. But clueless to me suggests a lack of capacity, or knowledge, and it would be quite in error to say that Einstein was clueless even if it was that he did not realise he was about to be attacked by someone lurking in the shadows.

In Britain it would be an insult to call someone clueless, but not necessarily so with oblivious. Is that not the case in America?


texts: Comma usage while explaining a single word

texts:
Consider the following sentence:

The French word entrailles means inward.

Is it advisable to surround entrailles with commas in this case like this?

The French word, entrailles, means inward.

Or would it be better to just use one comma like this?

The French word, entrailles means inward.

Or is it better without any? Please advise from the American English standpoint should there be any US-UK variation in style.


texts: What would you call a person who focuses only on their faults?

texts:
For example, they get second in a major race and, instead of being happy, they focus on the fact that they weren't first. Or they get a test back and got 45/50 but instead of rejoicing that they got 45 questions right they focus on that they got 5 questions wrong. In other words, someone who is never good enough in their own eyes. Not really a pessimist, so I'm stumped.

Thanks!


texts: Is " him" correct in the sentence " I solved the question more quickly than him"?

texts:
Is " him" correct in the sentence " I solved the question more quickly than him" ?
Very often, I see 'objective case' being used. Shouldn't there be the nominative case of pronoun (he) ?


texts: Duplicate but Still cannot understand the concept?

texts:
Personal pronouns are confusing. Which one is correct?

  She went with him and I.

Or

  She went with him and me.

-

  Susan went with Don and "I" to the office.

Or

  Susan went with Don and "me" to the office.


texts: Can "thereof" take a plural noun as a referent?

texts:
Just as the title states. I ask because most definitions only state "of that; of the thing just mentioned," but not of "things." Moreover, is "thereof" a pronominal adverb? And, as such, does it function partly as a pronoun?

Thanks for your time!


texts: Descriptive word to describe nonprofit organization

texts:
Looking for a descriptive word or phrase to describe a nonprofit organization that includes the essence, values, mission and promotion of social reform. Not a place, or agency, business, but a word that describes more of the efforts, people, community, etc. Could be a word that suggests growing, building, promoting change, movement.

An all encompassing word describing the entity.

The sentence is in a letter to volunteers and supporters that starts with "without each and every one of you, we would not be able to create this amazing (need word).


texts: Using a quote from someone other than the original article author

texts:
I am writing a synthesis paper and have ran across a couple quotes using in an article that I will be contrasting with another article. In the article written by Esther Shein she includes the quote

  "Code has become the 4th literacy. Everyone needs to know how our
  digital world works, not just engineers," says Mark Surman, executive
  director of the Mozilla Foundation

If I wanted to use this in my paper do I write it as is? Or do I still have to cite that I found it in Esther Shein's article. This was a public statement made by Mark Surman so this is where I am conflicted.


texts: What does "potted" mean in "Potted Potter"?

texts:
There is a play called Potted Potter which is a parody about all seven Harry Potter books.

What is the meaning of potted in this context?


texts: Word or expression for Undermining your authority by being too strict

texts:
I have the sense that if an authority, be it a person or otherwise (e.g. a parent or some religious text), is extremely strict on some issues, they might come to be seen as unreasonable generally. This would have the effect of undermining their influence on all issues, even those for which most people would find their guidance quite prudent.

Is there a word or expression for this situation? It feels similar to "crying wolf." Does that cover it, or is there something more specific?

Edit: forgot an example sentence: I don't have a particular part of speech in mind, so I'll give a few versions.

"Adam had developed a reputation as being obsessed with the rules. As a result, he had become adjective, and people tended to disregard his disapproval."

"Adam had developed a reputation as being obsessed with the rules. As a result verb, and people tended to disregard his disapproval."

"Adam had developed a reputation as being obsessed with the rules. As a result, people tended to disregard his disapproval. A classic example of noun/phrase/verb."

Edit 2: A lot of useful suggestions in the comments that could be applied in situations involving what I'm describing, but none of them seem to be a general term/phrase. I suspect there isn't one. What should I do then - just leave the question unanswered?


texts: Which one is a correct way to write: a) two functions problems, or b) two-function problems?

texts:
I am wondering which of the following are grammatically correct?
Example sentence:
a) We evaluate two-function problems in the example.
b) We evaluate two functions problems in the example.
If none of the above, then any other suggestion? Thank you.

Other possibility: "problems with two functions" makes more sense to me rather than option b) above.


texts: Word for doing something reluctantly and making a fuss and transmitting that reluctance

texts:
A word to describe "John."

John clearly did not want to paint the house. He clanged the paint cans and noisily dragged the ladder around. The painting was quite sloppily done and the edges came out uneven.

For example when told to clean up or to do some other undesireable task the actor performs the job loudly. Possibly that person is loudly sighing or performing noticeably poorly within earshot of others so that all in the vicinity will learn that the actor does not want to do what is asked.

Maybe if told to put something down that person slams it down. Or if directed to drink a medicine they spill some intentionally. If the task is prolonged there will be muttered complaining or grumbling.

Not merely reluctance, but a word that means signalling reluctance.

To clarify: there is not an avoidance of confrontation implied here. In fact such behavior could quite easily lead to conflict.


texts:
A friend of mine is telling me that " have to " is not a modal verb, even thought I have learned that it is.

So is the " have to" a modal verb or not? If not which are the reasons?


texts: Is "below ask" a valid combination of words?

texts: Is "below ask", correct with regards to information given below(suppose info exists below)?


texts: "I'm living a lifetime in every minute that we're together."

texts:
I'm living a lifetime in every minute that we're together.

quoted from the movie "Notebook"

I have a trouble while interpreting the meaning of this sentence.

I guess it means he is fully enjoying his life when he is together with her,

but I'm curious about the meaning when the phrase "living a lifetime" is combined with the phrase "in every minute".

Does it mean every minute feels like a separate and fresh(distinct) lifetime

or does it just mean he is living a time in his life (in every minute), that is "in every minute" just emphasize he is fully enjoying his lifetime.


texts:
When you look up the word kingsman in Wiktionary, its etymology shows that it is compounded with king + s + man in the same way as Klansman (Ku Klux Klan's member), huntsman (a man who hunts) or kinsman (a man who is one of a person's blood relations).

I believe that such nouns have evolved into their current forms as ' (apostrophe) was not absolutely necessary.

I thought about the difference in their nuance and meaning between kingsman and king's man especially after watching the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service.

The meaning of kingsman is not even listed in Oxford Online Dictionary, Collins and Merriam-Webster and only Wiktionary has the following meaning:

  (military) The lowest enlisted rank in the Duke of Lancaster's
  Regiment of the British Army, equivalent to private in the rest of the
  British Army.

The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment doesn't seem to be well known (at least to me) and there must be a reason why the word kingsman is not even listed in a major dictionary.

What does kingsman mean exactly? If it means the lowest enlisted rank like private in the U.S. army, it doesn't sound very prestigious and honorable.
Is it a kind of neologism that suddenly became very popular when the movie was released? I am particularly interested in finding out how this word had been used in BrE and AmE before the movie was released.
What is the difference in terms of nuance and meaning between kingsman and king's man?


texts:
I recently heard on the news that:

  Paris police have identified the perpetrators.

I realize this is actually ambiguous (unless I am misunderstanding something).

Have the police...

1)  ...just recently found out the identities themselves?

or

2) ...finally announced the long-known identities to the public?

It is unclear, isn't it?

My question is:

How might this news report have been made more clear without sacrificing conciseness?

EDIT:

For those saying that sense #2 is not an option, consider this article here.


texts:
I am dealing with an unknown number x. I don't know if x is negative or positive, but I do know that the magnitude is huge.

So, can I say x is large without implying that it is positive?


texts: What does the phrase, “lack pretense of fairness” mean?

texts:
White House counsel wrote to House speaker a letter on October 8th refusing to cooperate with House’s impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s dealing with Ukraine, that reads:

  “Given that your inquiry lacks any legitimate constitutional
  foundation, any pretense of fairness or even the most elementary due
  process protections, the Executive Branch cannot be expected to
  participate in it.” – The Hill Oct. 9

It seems to me the word, “pretense” being used here in different manner from usual usage as defined in dictionaries at hand;

A way of behaving that is intended to deceive people – Cambridge Dictionary
A claim, esp, an unsupported one as to some distinction or accomplishment, pretention – Collins dictionary
The act of behaving in a particular way, in order to make other people believe sth that is not true. - Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

And it sounds like something like “rules” rather than 'pretension' and 'deception.'

What does “pretense” in the above sentence mean?


texts: Alternative to the phrase "not to mention"?

texts: Despite knowing how the phrase "not to mention ..." is often used, it still grates on me to use it because I am in the act of "mentioning" even as I use it. I found it helpful to read the origins of the phrase here, but I would really like to use an alternative word or phrase that means the same thing. Any suggestions?


texts: "They went for one- fifty if they went for a quarter"

texts:
They in this sentence refers to:

  "worked leather cowboy boots studded with silver conches".

What does the phrase in the topic mean? The boots could sell for 6 times as much now because of the silver?

EDIT: I don't seem to have enough to comment on the commentators below, so I will ask my follow-up here.

Does this mean the last part of the sentence

  "...if they went for a quarter"

only serves to clarify the unit mentioned in the beginning (in this case, money) and not about any cost (a quarter)?


texts:
As in a number of the smallest de facto units of anything you can have in the universe?

Currently in the running in my mind:

Quanta
Quantums


texts:
Do salted and peppered have the same meaning?

Is salting videos throughout my website the same as peppering videos throughout my website?


texts:
Can someone recommend proper usage of the word "connotate", for example, in a sentence? I am having difficulty distinguishing when to use connote over connotates.

The word 'remaining' connotes (or connotates?) continuing action as before...


texts: Word for when you're looking for something and it's in your hand

texts:
What's the word for when you're looking for something and it's in your hand or in front of you?

Examples:

Looking for your phone and it's in your hand.
I had put on my spectacles and I was looking for them.

Does this phenomenon have a name?

Part of speech: it's a name of the phenomenon so it should be a noun. It can be a compound noun or a single word.

I searched many different things but did not find anything helpful.


texts:
When I have an expression comprising two nouns does the article (a/an/the) refer to the first or to the second one? E.g. when talking about some group (we introduced it, there's only one), we would use the when referring to the group but then we also introduce someone being the leader of the group:

  ...there are at least 10 people in the group. However, if there's a group leader, we'd have to...

And even when I write that, I lean towards the a version as it just sounds natural to me. So that would mean the article refers to the 2nd noun (being the main object) and not the 1st one (acting as an epithet here). But is that correct? Is that always the case?


texts:
I have this sentence:

  The thought of her commotion, and the hope that the neighbors heard her, gives her enough strength to push the door open.

Is the singular verb gives correct here? I ask because the second subject is expressed parenthetically, between commas.


texts: What is a word for a concept that is understood across almost all languages?

texts: This questions is probably strange, but I will give an example. The concept of money, for example is understood by almost all languages, or take the concept of mathematics. Is there an actual word for this?


texts: "Scene", "episode", or "sequence" when talking about a movie?

texts:
How do you refer to one part of a movie, in which you would see only one character  or a group of characters usually interacting with each other in one particular setting (= situation = place). This part may be only 30 seconds long, but in some movies it may last as long as 10 minutes or even longer.

The words that I've heard from different native English speakers when referring to it are these:

scene
episode
sequence

Perhaps, some of these words don't really refer to what I mean.

What I want to know is the differences in meaning between these 3 words. And also, if you know another word to refer to what I have described above, please, tell me.


texts: I learned that "all in" is an informal way to say exhausted. Is it more common to say "I am exhausted" or to use "I am all in"?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  User’s Guide vs Users’ Guide

I am sorry if this is really obvious but I can't work out from Wikipedia if it's right to use one here. My English is terrible but I try:

  Christmas parties are the cornerstone of most (companies | company's |
  companie's) cultures.

Could someone please set me straight?
Thank you very much.


texts:
In my experience, people say "it's" in place of "it is," but never in the form of a question. I think the question "It's?" sounds awkward, but I'd like to know if it's grammatically correct. Is it?

This question was inspired by this image on Merriam-Webster's website:


texts:
Consider the following sentences:

  I'm not sure if I still have some room ahead.

And:

  I'm not sure if I still have some head room.

Besides being shorter, and the order of words, what is the difference between both ways?

Which way should I use and in which circunstances?


texts: Word for the *other* day in a two-day cycle

texts:
My son's school operates on an A-day, B-day schedule, i.e. on a two-day cycle.  Some classes meet every day, and some meet every other day, perhaps on A days, perhaps on B days.  I need a word or a phrase to say the following:

Right now you have your science lab in Period 7 every other day.  Let's ask if they'll let you do your foreign language in that slot on the other days.

I need a better word than other.  Opposite comes to mind but I'm not sure if people will understand it.  (School personnel are less sophisticated than you guys.)
Also, consider

But I'm not sure if they'll allow you to attend foreign language half time.

Is there something better than half time?  Obviously, every other day would work, but in these conversations, I get really tired of saying "every other day" over and over again.  Will people understand "half time"?
There is a thread about this where bidiurnal was suggested but that's too sophisticated for the school and for me.
If you need to rewrite my sentences slightly I am open to that.

Edit: I will experiment with DJClayworth's idea of replacing "every other" in Sentence 1.  Here goes.

(DJ inspired) Right now you have your science lab in Period 7 on a half schedule.  Let's ask if they'll let you do your foreign language in that slot on the other days.

Now I will try using the suggestion in the comment, alternate:

Version (a): Right now you have your science lab in Period 7 on alternate [or alternating] days.  Let's ask if they'll let you do your foreign language in that slot on the other days.
Version (b) (playing further with DJ's idea): Right now you have your science lab half time in Period 7.  Let's ask if they'll let you do your foreign language in that slot on the alternate days.


texts:
I am not a native English speaker. Thus I am not sure about the meaning of an email I received. Since the writer is important to me and I depend on his good will, I am afraid to ask him what he wanted to say.

I had sent a normal email asking about the progress a third person made since there was some delay. The reply was

  "I have resent your message, I already spoke to him last week".

I first thought, OK, he has forwarded the mail. But now I have seen that a more formal translation would be "I am angry about your (in some sense annoying) message". Unfortunately, the writer was also not a native English speaker.

Now I am wondering how "resent" is typically or most commonly used.


texts: What does “Safety net in the coffin” mean?

texts:
There was the phrase “the safety net in the coffin” in reference to Mr. Paul Ryan, running mate of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Maureen Dowd’s article, titled “Cruel conservatives throw a masquerade ball” in New York Times (September 1 issue). It reads:

  As the writer Dermot McIvor notes, Ryan has “the so sincere, so phony air of a gloomy Irish undertaker standing outside the funeral parlor where you’ve come to plant your mother, shaking his head consolingly and giving you that firm two-handed Irish handshake.” Except with Ryan, it’s the safety net in the coffin.

I thought “the safety net in the coffin” a weird, but amusing combination of a positive word – safety net, and an uncomfortable word – coffin, but I don’t understand what it implies.

Why on the earth, a coffin requires the safety net inside it? To hold the corpse gently and warmly? It’s impossible.

Does it describe Mr. Ryan’s disguised harshness and indifference to the poor and illegal immigrants under the cloak of a sincere visage and consoling air?

What does “Except with Ryan, it’s the safety net in the coffin” exactly mean? Why is it “Except with Ryan”?


texts:
"That the best cooks are the first and best critics of their own work is an observation almost trite. It is clear to their fortunate if puzzled guests that the host’s anxious questions about whether the meal would not taste the better for some adjustment are rhetorical." (Jonathan Conlin, Critical Lives-Adam Smith)
I couldn't figure the second sentence out, can you help me?


texts:
Is there a technical term for a humorous word or phrase?

There are some humorous words or phrases in English.

For example:

"His ample girth" for "His big stomach"

"Her brood" for "Her young children"

"His porkies" for "His lies"

But my question is: "Is there a technical term for a humorous word or phrase?" I mean perhaps in linguistics?


texts:
I have the following line in a document i'm working on:

  "Col. Stevens, who has served in the First Iraq War, took part in the heated debate."

Seeing how that war was quite a few years in the past, shouldn't it be "who had served", or simply 'who served"?


texts: "The one who wants" vs. "the one who want"

texts:
I am getting confused with usage of 's' with verb- consider following 2 sentences-

  I am the one who wants to stay with you.
  I am the one who want to stay with you.

According to me, first one is the correct usage, because, "the one who" is third person, and hence, the verb will get an 's'.
Would like to know what is the rule to be followed in such cases.


texts:
I want to use an "if sentence" in order to describe what could happen if my grandmother did not do something, but I'm struggling to do it.

What I came up with is:

  If my grandmother did not do the surgery, she would not be able to walk until today

What are the errors in this sentence, and how can I phrase it correctly?


texts:
Are there any other ways of writing the following while keeping the same meaning?

  for the sake of

I have used it so much in my essay, so I am searching a thing which gives the same meaning.


texts: why the "which" below is in plural form?

texts:
"Personal fulfillment is achievement of life goals which are important to an individual, in contrast to the goals of society, family and other collective obligations. Personal fulfillment is an ongoing journey for a human individual."
I think it should be "which is important", because the "which" right now refer to the "achievement" and the achievement is in the singular form.
Please correct me if I am wrong
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_fulfillment


texts: How would you describe "A Slice of New York" as a pun?


texts: Past perfect continuous with verb "fall" as the second condition

texts:
Is "fall" in the sentence below in its correct conjugation?
"Had this been related to an existing cases, or fall within the supported thresholds, we would have..."
"fallen" does not sound right to me in there.
Thank you,
tsdn


texts: "A food is fed (to) someone or something" vs. "Someone or something is fed on (or with) a food"

texts:
Focusing on the passive voice, which of the following grammatical constructions is (or are) more typical of AE?

  More research is necessary before *soy formula is fed to babies^ source

  More research is necessary before babies are fed on soy formula.

  More research is necessary before babies are fed with soy formula.

  More research is necessary before soy babies are fed soy formula.

-

  Reductions in mother-to-child transmission are optimized when babies are fed on formula milk source>/

  Reductions in mother-to-child transmission are optimized when formula milk is fed to babies.

  Reductions in mother-to-child transmission are optimized when babies are fed with formula milk.

  Reductions in mother-to-child transmission are optimized when babies are fed formula milk.

.

  In the winter, certified organic fodder is fed to our Jersey and Guernsey cows.

  In the winter, our Jersey and Guernsey cows are fed on certified organic fodder.

  In the winter, our Jersey and Guernsey cows are fed with certified organic fodder.

  In the winter, our Jersey and Guernsey cows are fed certified organic fodder is fed.

.

  This ensures that a clean supply of ink is fed to your printer every time.
  source>/

  This ensures that your printer is fed on a clean supply of ink every time. (sounds weird).

  This ensures that your printer is fed with a clean supply of ink every time.

  This ensures that your printer is fed a clean supply of ink every time.


texts: How to discern between 'set' imperative and 'set' past tense?

texts:
I have a telegram convention, where whenever an action must be taken, it uses a verb in its name. I then use the imperative for the request and past tense for the reply, e.g.: orderStart to start an order, then reply with orderStarted.

The trouble I have now, is what to do with the verb set, e.g. flagSet. I played a little with flagSetted, but that feels very wrong. Is there perhaps some kind of synonym, or another option?


texts: Is the word "yearling" appropriate for a recurring event?

texts:
The Stack Overflow / Stack Exchange sites all have a "yearling" badge.

  Active member for a year, earning at least 200 reputation.
  This badge can be awarded multiple times.

So each year, if the reputation has progressed at least from 200 points, you get a "yearling" badge.

Yet Merriam-Webster defines yearling as one that is a year old.
Which makes sense on your first year participating to one of those sites.

But does yearling still apply for your second, third or more years of participation to come?
If not, what would be a better term for that kind of achievement?


texts: Is there any appropriate phrase to say "big families"? included my own family (father, mother), my aunt's family, my uncle's family, grandma, grandpa etc.?


texts:
It is for a checklist.
3.Plan website according to business' strategy.


texts: Given "recoup lost ...."; Is "lost" implied/redundant, self-cancelling, or optional?

texts:
Rains have helped recoup lost water.

or

  I would like to recoup lost time.

It seems to me that recoup is to regain something, thus lost would either be implied, or inclusive.  So would saying "recoup lost ..." act like a double-negative, in that you're actually re-losing [something]?

I guess I am wondering if it is more proper to say:

  Rains have helped recoup water.

or

  I would like to recoup time.


texts: What does “a lot of talent sitting in suits” mean?

texts:
After Cavalier’s losing the NBA finales game, LeBron James said:

  “Tried as much as we could to try to make up for those guys, but it’s
  a lot of talent sitting in suits,” James said. “I’ve had a lot of
  playoff runs, been on both ends, and . . . you’ve got to be healthy.
  You’ve got to be playing great at the right time and you’ve got to
  have a little luck. We were playing great but we had no luck and we
  weren’t healthy.”
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/warriors-win-nba-title/2015/06/17/a

What does It’s ”a lot of talent sitting in suits” mean? Does it mean a lot of talents were not fully  utilized in the finals because of injuries and physical breakdown, I mean they were sitting on bench?


texts: Does the phrase "present company excepted" exclude the speaker as well as the listener?

texts:
A common idiom is, when speaking to someone, to raise a general criticism and then amend it by saying "present company excepted". This is taken to mean that the criticism is not intended to apply to the listener.

Does this phrase also express that the speaker, too, is to be excepted from the criticized group? Perhaps taking the etymology too seriously, when one speaks of "company" he usually means those who are with him, but not himself (one does not "accompany oneself"). Then again, situations where this phrase are used don't generally include explicit criticism of the speaker.


texts: There are few bigger wastes than the loss to idleness of hours, days and years by people who would rather be working


texts:
Strictly speaking, when referring to one or more of a definite set of values, the word 'which' should be employed. When referring to one or more of an unknown or infinate set of values, the word 'what' would be used instead.

  E.g. Which do you prefer; tea or coffee?

or

  What sort of music do you like?

In practice, however, the above protocol would sound wrong if applied consistently. Let's take the example of asking for the time...

  Which time is it?

This sounds odd - nobody asks which time it is, rather what time it is. Going on the what/which protocol as mentioned above however, which would be the correct pronoun given that times of the day can be considered definite values.

Any thoughts? Where do you draw the line between which and what? Are times of the day really definite values?


texts: What is the stylistic device used in this poem?

texts:
I am not sure if there is a kind of stylistic device in below poem sentence.

  The king’s horses are purebloods, his barns cut stone; roans, blacks, dapples, bays; the granite reds, greys, blues.

If I understand correctly, the "normal" sequence should be:

  The king’s horses are purebloods, roans, blacks, dapples, bays; his barns cut stone, the granite reds, greys, blues.

Is there a name/term for this in poetry?


texts:
Appalled by the Cambridge dictionary means: "having strong feelings of
shock or disapproval". On the other hand, it also means: "horrified".

There exists some ambiguity for me about the exact meaning of: an appalled silence.
Does it mean:

A silence together with fear and distress
A silence resulting from a shock (possibly as a natural result of a shock)

What does it mean exactly?


texts: what adjective ending in -y best describes someone who thinks they're the centre of the universe?

texts: I'm writing an article about the seven writing trolls. All of them end in -y, e.g. Cocky, but I"m struggling with one, ie the writer who is unwilling/unable to empathise with the reader and focuses instead on themselves.


texts: Is this phrase exclusively meant with reference to sons similarities with their fathers or can it also be used to refer to "daughters and mothers" or "daughters and fathers" and other relations like uncles, nephews ?


texts: "allow me a day's absence" sounds wrong to me. How do I phrase it better?

texts:
How do I phrase this line better -

"<..Blah Blah.. Explaining what my problems are..>. It'll be really helpful if you can allow me a day's absence. Would this be possible?"


texts:
A. The company has unveiled what it claims is the world's smallest
camera.
B. The company has unveiled what it claims to be the world's
smallest camera.

Could someone please explain why sentence A is correct and not B?
I have tried to split it:

C. The company has unveiled something.
D. The company claims that this something is the world's smallest camera.

I can understand the use of "is" in sentence D, but sentence A still sounds bizarre to my ears.
All this time I have always thought that "claim" must be followed by "to be".  Could someone please explain when to use "claim to be" and when to use "claim is" ?


texts: Using ordinal indicators with Roman numerals

texts:
Is the use of ordinal indicators with Roman numerals grammatical and if grammatical, is it unneeded? For instance:
She is in VIIth standard.
What about in case the ordinal indicator was written as a superscript?


texts: Is "heartfelt" reserved for sad moments, or can it be used for happy ones?

texts:
I'm writing an email about something nice (a newborn child), and was about to use the word "heartfelt". Just then, I noticed I may have heard the word almost exclusively in the context of a sad situation (condolence).

Is there a good reason for my hesitation, or is "heartfelt" appropriate in either situation? If not, what's a better choice of a word? How about "heartily"?


texts: Why is Neanderthal pronounced with a /t/ sound instead of a /th/ sound?


texts: Term for someone very good at dodging being blamed?

texts: What do you call someone who is very good at dodging responsibility for his mistakes?


texts:
Consider this sentence, please:

  He's taking her to see the fireworks.

What is the subject of the to-infinitive? Is it her or [h]e and her both?


texts: What do you call the process of combining two words to create a new one?

texts:
Two very well established examples I can think of are:

Guesstimate (i.e. Guess + Estimate)
Chillax (i.e. Chill + Relax)

I guess I am meaning the process where two words are artificially combined into one, rather than when two words are combined to describe a new concept or item (e.g. Hatstand or lamppost). I suppose the distinction is blurry, but is there a word nonetheless?


texts:
From https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/194744/change-wording-of-unclear-what-youre-asking

The current description of "unclear what you're asking" misuses the pronoun "it" in the second sentence, and this issue has really been bugging me. Specifically, the pronoun is being used to refer to two different things in the same sentence, without any type of separation.
Please clarify your specific problem or add additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it’s hard to tell exactly what you're asking.

Is "it" being misused here? The sentence is clear to me, and when I translate it to my native language I reuse the pronoun in the same way.


texts: Can someone distinguish which of these verbs is a participial adjective and explain?

texts:
The boy deeply engaged in a conversation had brown hair.

The boy deeply engaged in a conversation.


texts: What does this mean: To come in a close second or third

texts:
In this newspaper article about a swiss pilot it says at the end:

  On his travel blog he lists the most amazing moment in his life so far
  as having his two daughters. It may be safe to say this one could
  easily come in a close second or third.

I am not getting the second sentence, what does this mean?


texts: infidelity. used only in regard to cheating/affair

texts: When using the word infidelity which means unfaithfulness does it always mean cheating or can it also be used for not listening to your spouse or worse in murder as well.


texts:
I'm talking with someone and I want to know what they think about a specific topic (which was discussed priviously), which of the following should I use:

What are your thoughts on that

or

What are your thoughts on this


texts: What's an equivalent way of saying *friolenta* (from Spanish)?

texts:
My aunt is friolenta.  She gets cold easily.

But is there a better way to say this, that stays closer to the original construction, by being a simple adjective?

Idle curiosity would make me interested to know if there's a universally understood britishism but for me to use on a regular basis I would prefer something understandable in the U.S.

(In French it's frileuse.  Per Mari-LouA in Italian it's freddolosa.)


texts: A compound adjective with a double noun: where does the hyphen go?

texts:
I have a noun that consists of two words ("impact parameter") that I am trying to turn into a compound adjective to describe a certain type of collision ("high impact parameter collision").  Where, if anywhere, should the hyphens go on this phrase?  The two choices I can't decide between are:

high-impact parameter collision
high-impact-parameter collision


texts: How do we pronounce E = mc²? This is a physics equation.


texts: Present perfect - the action is completed or not completed?

texts:
Found here an explanation why the 'present perfect' is called like that and why it's 'perfect'.
For the record: "As to why it's perfect, the term comes from Latin perfectus, "achieved, finished, completed". Which is quite literally what you have done whenever you have done something."
But, I'm still confused, because of this example:

She has lived in this city for ten years.

The action is not finished. She is still living.
Why then link the word 'perfect' to Latin perfectus that means finished, completed?


texts: What is a single word to describe the state of being singular or plural?

texts:
In grammar we have singular and plural nouns. Is there one word to describe this component, like we have the word "tense" to describe the state of being "past", "present", or "future?"
e.g.,

  Whether the verb should be singular or plural depends on its [word-goes-here].


texts: How come Australians refer to Aboriginal citizens as 'Aboriginal peoples', not 'Aboriginal people'

texts: I've noticed in a lot of proceedings that Aboriginal citizens in Australia are referred to as 'Aboriginal peoples', not 'Aboriginal people' - is there any specific reason?


texts:
If I had a list of awards and wanted to organise that list by the organizations that gave out those awards, what would be a good word to use?

I can only think of by awarder which doesn't sound great.


texts:
I am looking for a term that describes a specific type of curiosity, within the context of one's "profession", or "area of expertise".

In other words, a level of curiosity that is eg. felt by medical researchers looking for a new cure to a known disease, or mathematicians searching for a new formula. A kind of "self-motivated" curiosity.


texts: Is "to have an albatross around one's neck" in common modern usage?

texts:
I heard it on the BBC a few days ago - "to have an albatross around one's neck".

Questions

Is it in current usage?
Can I use it in formal contexts?

I want to use it in the speaking part of my IELTS exam (I should use idioms as well) but I'm worried that my examiner might not know it.
P.S my question is not about the meaning of the idiom


texts:
I'm getting confusing results from dictionaries.

Would you mind uploading or linking to a recording of the correct pronunciation -- perhaps you would record yourself saying it, both isolated and in a sentence?

Edit

Does it rhyme with nemesis?


texts: What does this phrase mean ? A getaway? A safe place? Saw in a sig video I know she said something about homeless people (joke) but wondering if a deeper meaning too?


texts: What does "pillow-plumping romance with the press" mean?

texts:
I came across the phrase “pillow-plumping romance with the press” in Maureen Dowd’s article titled “Liability Index” in New York Times August 11 issue. It reads:

  The president survived a “raised by wolves” upbringing, as Michelle has called it. He retained the monastic skills that sustained him through the solitude of his years in New York. His “winning smile,” as Jonathan Alter wrote in “The Promise,” “obscured a layer of self-protective ice.” His staffers respect him, but he doesn’t inspire the kind of adoration that the Bush presidents got. And the pillow-plumping romance with the press is over.

All three online dictionaries of Cambridge, Oxford, and  Merriam-Webster I use to consult with carry pillow talk, but none of them registers pillow-plumping.

OALD simply defines plump “having a soft, round body” as adjective, and “to make sth larger, softer and rounder” as transitive verb.

I assume pillow-plumping romance means “close and friendly relationship” with press from the context, but am not sure.

What does pillow-plumping mean? Is it very popular word?

Can I say “Sonny’s pillow-plumping romance with Hollywood is over”, or “Tom had a pillow-plumping romance (or relationship) with the shop clerk.”?


texts: Is there an English word that means 'a program that calculates premiums based on age, and some sum insured'

texts: I'm looking for the english equivalent of the word "cotizador". I wasn't able to find it. Hope you can help me.


texts: When two parallel verbs share the same object, should the second clause end with a comma, or not?

texts:
Which of these is correct? Are both correct?

The Tenant hereby sublets to the Subtenant, and the Subtenant agrees to take, the premises of Lot No. 7.

The Tenant hereby sublets to the Subtenant, and the Subtenant agrees to take the premises of Lot No. 7.


texts: How to answer the question "Isn't it something I haven't watched?"

texts:
I would like to know how to respond clearly and correctly to the question

  "Isn't it something I haven't watched?"

with an answer to the effect that the person hasn't watched it.


texts:
I don't know whether a semicolon or a comma should be used.
For example:

Now that GoT is done for the season what will James complain about besides Disney movies?Find out on a new episode of Off Time Radio;  if he ever texts me back.


texts: Does "I need it by September 30th" mean deadline 24:00 the 30th, or deadline 24:00 29th?

texts: I need to hand something in "by the 30th" according to instructions. Does that mean that I should hand it in latest the day before (that is the 29th), so the receiver gets it for the work day of the 30th? Or does it mean that I have to send it in so the person gets it before midnight the 30th?


texts:
My sentence reads:

  It may not save you bucks, but, it surely saves you endless agony.

Is this correct? Or, do you suggest any alterations?


texts: I have a question. I'm currently writing a story and I'm using the simple past as my main tense. However, I'm not sure if I should use the past simple or past perfect when I describe events that happened before the main story (for exemple, one character's childhood). It seems to me I should use the past perfect, but writing many paragraphs in the past perfect doesn't seem completely right. What do you think? Thanks.


texts: A good sentence for specifying "without considering something" formally

texts:
Suppose that someone has done something valuable, but in doing that he has made some kind of cheating.

I want to say that if we ignore the cheating, the work is valuable itself.

What is an appropriate sentence for that in a very formal language?

Thanks


texts: Is there a term for a coined word that gives meaning by association?

texts:
Bear with me as this is hard to articulate. Is there a word or term that describes when a coined word has obvious or intended meaning by being similar to another word, or having a certain "feel" to it? I'm thinking onomatopoeia but for meaning.

The best example I can think of from the top of my head is "Orgastic" in The Great Gatsby. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the word is coined for the use, and while it's meaning is left ambiguous, you learn all you need to know about the meaning by the feel and similarity to the other word.

Full quote:

  Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning—
  So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.


texts:
I couldn't remember stalemate for some reason so opted to use the phrase, "put us in a stagnate". In this context, would that be appropriate?

Full sentence: I'm worried that a lack of coordination would put us in a stagnate.

None of the dictionaries I've seen seem to approve of it, but I can't help but feel this is a fine usage of the word.


texts: Do we ask a waiter if we could have or get?

texts:
I have noticed a tendency among the younger generation, when ordering in a pub or restaurant, to say 'Please could I get beer-battered cod and chips', whereas I would and do say 'Please could I have beer-battered cod...'.

Is 'get' nowadays acceptable English, even in a very posh restaurant?  I mean one where you wouldn't order cod and chips!


texts: The use of "may only" and "may not" in standardized or mathematical language

texts:
I am utterly confused by the term "may only" and "may not" when it comes to standards and mathematics.

For example:

  The resulting set may only have one element.

Does this mean:

It is only possible for the resulting set to have one element.

or

It is possible for the resulting set to have only one element.

Another example:

  The resulting set may not contain any element.

Does this mean:

It is only possible for the resulting set to contain no element (i.e. an empty set).

or

It is possible for the resulting set to contain no element.


texts: If protégé is the person who receives, so-to-speak, who is the giver? That is, what's the terms used for the person under whose patronage the protégé is?


texts: What does "you happen to be on" mean in the context?

texts:
Here is a sentence from the Rework book written by Jason Fred:

"When you're really tired, it always seems easier to plow down whatever bad path you happen to be on instead of reconsidering the route.

But I don't know what does you happen to be on" mean? Can somebody help please?


texts: I need either a confirmation or a refutation regarding the following theory of mine about the pattern"“noun phrase + of + possessive pronoun”

texts:
I've been thinking a lot about this matter, and this is what I came up with as a rather complicated yet seemingly airtight rule regarding when not to use the aforementioned pattern. It goes like this:
• When talking about people and generally living things, the verb "to be" can come before the noun phrase, as in:
"He is a friend of mine"
"She was a cousin of hers"
"That is a dog of the queen's"

• However, when talking about objects and tangibles, the verb "to be" doesn't usually come before the noun phrase. A false sentence to corroborate this would be "this is a car of mine". Instead, we generally use the verb after the possessive pronoun, as in:
"That car of yours was a beauty"
"This ugly sofa of his takes up so much room in the house"

• On the other hand, when talking about intangibles, the use of the verb "to be" before the noun phrase is completely OK, as in:
"That is a bad habit of yours"
"This is a trick of mine to get these things open"
Although in some cases this may sound a bit unusual and uncommon (yet, perfectly grammatical), as in:
"That is a great personality of yours"

Now, have I gone crazy or does what I said make sense? Can you make an example that would refute this (perhaps one in which a tangible can be used after the verb "to be" and before the possessive pronoun)?
P.S. I deleted a previous post of mine similar (yet with crucial differences) to this one in order to avoid duplication. This is a much more thorough description of what's been bothering me for a week now.


texts:
Please, consider the following sourced excerpts:

  An ideal romantic daytime date might be to pack a blanket and take your lady to Old Town Silverdale. Settled in 1854, this beautiful little town port offers varietal amenities — the Kitsap Mall, movie theatres, and a variety of nice restaurants.

  KitsapSun

  Green Mountain Orchards is in Putney, Vermont...a lovely little quirky hamlet with such varietal attractions as the bizarre Santa’s Land and the cult favorite the Putney Diner...not to mention the thoroughly awesome Putney Co-op.

  We Have the Mini...We Just Need the Van

  In this season of giving thanks, we want to extend a giant thank you
  to all of our volunteers who have expressed interest in helping with our varietal activities this year!

  Tope Elementary School

Shouldn't it be various in the first two examples and varied (or various) in the last, rather than varietal?

Also, could you please explain to me how interchanging varied, various, and varietal, as in these other sourced examples, makes the meaning of a phrase different?

  Our staff come from varied ethnic backgrounds.
  WordReference

  Our staff come from various ethnic backgrounds.

  Our staff come from varietal ethnic backgrounds.

-and-

  Suggestions were numerous and varied.

  Suggestions were numerous and various. WordReference

  Suggestions were numerous and varietal. Google

VARIETAL

  adj.  of a specific variety

  WordReference

  :  of, relating to, or characterizing a variety : varietal names; also :  being a variety in distinction from an individual or species

  Merriam-Webster


texts: Use of comparative degree when no comparison is being done

texts:
I have studied in my academics that we can use comparative degree when comparison is being done. But today I came across use of comparative degree without any comparison. Is it correct to use comparative degree when there is no comparison?

Also, if possible can anyone give the instances where it can be used without comparison? The sentence I came across was

  Its revolutionary features, futuristic design and host of exciting applications will turn you everyday into a smarter celebration.

(Here it refers to any brand name.)


texts:
Not a "formal" word, but most of our current day mobile texting is not formal, a whole new evolving language...
I use "Efficate" as:
"... What can I do to best efficate Laura's desired outcome?"


texts: Is there an adjective for "caused/causable by mutation"?

texts:
Some context: I'm currently trying to write a pen&paper RPG rulebook. Characters can have abilities. Some of the abilities can only be "inherited" when creating the character, some can be learned, some can only be achieved via genetic mutation.

I'm trying to annotate the abilities with short, descriptive adjectives and the most useful I could find was "mutagenic", but that actually seems to mean "causing mutation". Is there a counterpart for "(possibly) caused by" mutation?

Since the rules ask for an example sentence, the annotations would be interpreted like this:
"Human characters cannot normally have Nightvision. It can only be acquired ..."


texts: How do I use, "Be it" in a question, or can I?

texts: I'm writing a poem and I want to use this specific wording, but I'm not sure if it's grammatically correct. Here is the line: "Will you ever ask for the truth or be it ignorant you stay?"


texts: "The mixture was added water": Is "add" a double-object verb?

texts:
The mixture was added water.

This sentence, written by a non-native speaker, seems somehow odd to me, but I cannot say that I find it at all ambiguous. This example sentence is written by a speaker of Indian English. If you can provide any information on whether this issue is a standard feature of Indian English, or South-East Asian English, I would greatly appreciate that. I have to make it American English, but, if this is totally standard and acceptable Indian English, or SE Asian English, I was told, then making these changes should not be done.

Is the sentence problematic by normal prescriptive rules? If so, what is the simplest remedy? If not, why does it seem odd?

The problem seems to me that the writer is treating “add” as a double-object verb (i.e., one that takes both a direct and an indirect object, such as “give.”
Example:

  The boy was given a present.

  (Someone) gave the boy a present.

But, in the case of "add," that doesn't seem to work, as the required preposition "to" for the indirect object in the active (non-passive) version below shows.

  The mixture was added water

  (Someone) added water to the mixture.


texts: Correct usage of the words  "blow" and "fit"

texts:
Does the following sentence have correct use of the word 'blow' and 'fit' ? (separate sentences)

A sudden gust of wind made the candles blow off.
I'm very busy, I had to fit ten appointments in one morning


texts: Rules about using that to describe people?

texts:
Can I say, "He is the only person that I know."?

Are there rules about using that to describe people?


texts: Email Capitalization: "Hi Michael, please bring..." or "Hi Michael, Please bring..."

texts:
In an email, if I don't put a new line after the heading, how am I supposed to capitalize the next word?

With a new line, it's straightforward:

  Hi Michael,

  Please bring the books.

But without one, is it:

  Hi Michael, Please bring the books.

or:

  Hi Michael, please bring the books.

I would appreciate sources citing a related rule.


texts:
I heard the following on 'The Office' in episode Downsize (#1.1):

David Brent: I'm going to have to let you go first.
Dawn: What? Why?
David Brent: Why? Stealing. Thieving.
Dawn: Thieving? What am I meant to have stolen?
David Brent: Post-It notes.

What does the 'what am I meant' part mean here? Is it a common expression used in BrE or AmE? Cant we simply say: What have I stolen? What might have I stolen?


texts:
Is mentor in a box an idiom?

What is the meaning in the following context :

  This book is, in a sense, a "mentor in a box," allowing you to benefit
  from our experiences, both positive and negative...


texts:
I came across the following weird restrictive relative clause in which 'of which' is used in place of 'whose'. Actually, l am not quite sure whether it is correct or not.

The plane (the right engine of which broke down) has been repaired in Cairo Airport.


texts: Is it acceptable to modify "bonus" with "positive"

texts:
Before I jump to my question, a short note about cloze tests from Wikipedia

  A cloze test (also cloze deletion test) is an exercise, test, or assessment consisting of a portion of text with certain words removed (cloze text), where the participant is asked to replace the missing words.

Question: I was looking at my friend's English test paper that was prepared by some Chinese teachers. The text for the cloze section was adopted from an article published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Great Kids: 101 Stories about Sharing. The article can be accessed via Google Books. On that page, the author modifies "bonus" with "positive". The usage doesn't seem right to me.

The Chinese teachers treated that portion this way:

So, when someone does reciprocate, it is an enormous and positive ______.

A. effect   B. bonus C. attitude D. contribution

Of course, the suggested answer was in accordance with the original text, which is B. What do you think?

Thanks!


texts:
Imagine the situation where an astronaut is to leave Earth and possibly never return.

  He continued his journey, with the risk of never returning to his family.

How would you substitute "with the risk of" in one word? I know "despite" could be used, but is not the word I look for.

Thanks!


texts:
What part of speech are the following highlighted words?

the bank card
the Lloyds card


texts: Question on what role this infinitive plays in the sentence?

texts:
I am going to study.

Does "to study" act as an adverb, a direct object, or something else?  My gut feeling says adverb.  Thanks for your help.


texts:
I was reading the book The Power of Habit, and I came across this beautiful phrase :

  Water is most apt analogy of how habit works."Water hollows out for itself a channel, which grows broader and deeper; and after having ceased to flow, it resumes, when it flows again, the path traced by itself before.

I could sense it means something lot more than I understand. Could someone of you elaborate this phrase more in context of habits.


texts: Is it appropriate to use the term "mileage" to refer to distance that is not measured in the literal units of miles?  For example, would you say that a car "has a lot of mileage on it" in a country that measures distance in kilometers?  Is there a more unit-neutral term that is better to use universally?


texts:
Like the planets, the stars are in motion, some of them at tremendous
  speeds, but they...

Just based on the above, how can we tell which noun the pronoun they refers to: planets or stars? Is there any rule to determine which is which?

The sentence finishes like this:

  ...are so far away from earth that their apparent
  positions in the sky do not change enough for their movement to be
  observed during a single human existence

I know that 'intuitively' you can 100% say that they refers to stars. But, for example, if you replace planets with X and stars with Y, how can you decide what they refers to?


texts: Word for something that cannot be traversed because it is too deep

texts:
I am looking for an adjective describing something that cannot be traversed because it is too deep.

  We could not cross the river. The river was _______

The only word I can think of that comes close is "insurmountable", but this word usually describes something that  cannot be crossed because it is too tall, and doesn't seem to fit for a deep river (or deep valley or deep hole, etc).


texts:
In the field of programming, we know a function is "safe to speculatively execute" if it has no side-effects.

Is there a single word which can describe this attribute? Speculable? Speculatable? Something else?

(I prefer to avoid anything which does not include any variation of "speculate", in fear of drifting away from a term which is familiar in this context).


texts: Specify a maximum and a minimum value [a question on coordination]

texts:
Let's say we are asking the user to specify a maximum and a minimum. What is the correct (and the most natural) way to coordinate the phrase?

Specify a maximum and a minimum value
Specify a maximum and minimum value(s)

I have just skimmed through the sections on the coordination of determiners in Cambridge Grammar of the English Language and A comprehensive grammar of the English Language, but I'm still not sure what is right in this particular case.


texts: "How to *verb* this thing *another verb*..." vs. "How to *verb* this thing TO *another verb*..."?

texts:
Which one from the following two variants is the correct one?

How to make this thing to work...?
How to make this thing work...?

I'm not an English speaker, but for me, the first variant sounds good and I used it until today. However, just today I observed that the second variant is used in many places on the internet.


texts: "10 points to whomever knows the answer" or whoever?

texts: Should it be "10 points to whomever knows the answer" or "10 points to whoever knows the answer"?


texts: Strange collective nouns: are they common?

texts:
I'm from Germany and I always try to improve my English. Lately, I've stumbled upon a website that deals with collective nouns, that is to say, names for various groups of animals.

I always thought you'd call, for instance, many owls just "a group of owls"; however, it said they are called "a parliament". Other examples are "a litter/kindle of kittens" and "a murder of crows".

I would never doubt the trustworthiness of this website, but is it really common for "normal" English speakers (people who aren't biologists etc.) to call groups of animals like that? Would not people be puzzled if I used those terms in everyday life?


texts: Is the word "school" in the phrase "school of thoughts" a collective noun?

texts: I know "school" in the phrase "school of fish" is a collective noun. Is it a collective noun in "school of thoughts" as well?


texts:
Are there any difference in the meaning between do/wash the dishes?

Are they used in different situations or are they synonyms?

For example 'mountain hiking' would not say 'hiking mountain' ...

This question was asked by a friend, and I don't know either,

English isn't my mother tongue, so if somebody knows it, please help me.


texts: word for things that you want one more of

texts:
Is there a word for things which you always one more of? like chips, or beer, or civilization V?

I thought maybe compulsive, but it doesn't seem right in a sentce "Chips are so compulsive!" or "Beer is so compulsive! I can't ever have only one!"


texts: What is the difference between the simple past and the passive voice?

texts: I always get confused trying to explain the difference between the past tense and the passive voice. If I say something like "The gym opened yesterday" or "The gym was opened yesterday", what would the difference be? Could you say the second example draws more emphasis on the gym itself? In that case, when would it be appropriate to use one of these instead of the other? What do you think?


texts:
I learn English as a foreign language, and I recently found in online training videos phrases like

  Let me give you some quick intuition ...

In my native languages (Ukrainian and Russian) you can use intuition, you can trust it, but you cannot give it to someone.

Can anyone please give me some information about this specific use of the word?


texts:
Please let me ask you native or very well-trained Eglish speakers if there’s some patterns, rules, or formulas in regards of an imperative sentence’s structure.

For example, I was reading this article from Towson University on sentence patterns — I came to that site via that one search engine — which lists ten patterns for creating English sentences. Though, none of those sentences are an imperative sentence. After unsuccesfully trying to find ressources on this matter, please let me ask this community for your help.

Probably the most simple pattern for an imperative sentence à la “Eat!” would be: an action verb (here: intransitive I think) followed by an exclamation mark.

Next could maybe be “Eat vegetables!”: transitive action verb followed by noun (plural) and exclamation mark.

But there’s also e.g. “Eat healthy!”: intransitive action verb followed by an adverb and exclamation mark.

This already gives us three possible patterns (speaking of only one or two words per imperative sentence):

1) intransitive action-verb + exclamation mark

2) transitive action-verb + noun (singular or plural in some cases) + exclamation mark

3) intransitive action-verb + adverb

Do you know any ressources where I can find way more patterns for creating grammatically correct imperative sentences?


texts:
As an antonym for exoticize, would you favor de-exoticize or deexoticize?

Google currently finds ~2970 results for the hyphenated version and ~440 results for the unhyphenated, but both of those numbers are so small that I wouldn't call that conclusive.

An example sentence: This novel deexoticizes/de-exoticizes Africa to the Western reader.

A general rule can be found at: When should compound words be written as one word, with hyphens, or with spaces?
There, it is explained that prefixes are generally not hyphenated, but that there is a common exception of hyphenating prefixes when a vowel would be repeated otherwise. However, in this case, exoticize is a pretty stylized word, and I want to confirm that, in working with it, I should follow the same conventions as I would for more standard words.


texts:
The word dooblidoo is used by several different youtube channels as a different word for the youtube description bar. I've seen it used by the vlogbrothers and by PBS Idea Cahnnel.

Who was first to use and invent the term?


texts: Are nouns used in "Types of (s)" singular or plural?

texts:
Take for example the word "liquid", which can be both uncountable and countable.

Should it be -

Types of liquid (There are many different types of liquid.)
or
Types of liquids? (There are many different types of liquids.)


texts: When to use indefinite article "a(n)" when referring to a person with an adjective?

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker. From time to time I see the following structure when referring to a person:
... a(n) [adjective] [person's name] ...
example:

"Meanwhile, an increasingly sadistic Henry begins focusing his attention..."
/ Wikipedia: It (novel) /

I'm pretty sure that the following is correct as well:

"Meanwhile, the increasingly sadistic Henry begins focusing his attention..."

What's the difference between these?


texts: Question on spelling "two drink minimum" (two-word adjectives)

texts:
Due to an argument, I must ask:
Is it "two-drink minimum" or "two drink minimum"?
Are both valid?

To me, the latter feels wrong because it has neither plural on "drink" nor the dash/hyphen to imply they are linked; am I right?

EDIT: Taking the examples given below, would the correct way to say be "Three-bedroom house"? I do agree about the plural, but I thought that kind of required the usage of a hyphen.


texts: Linguists shy away from calling connectors adverbs and instead say they form a separate class. Unfortunately, there seems to be no universally agreed name for this new class: some say “connectors”, some say “logical connectors”, some say “coherence markers”, some say “conjuncts”"Phrasal transitions""discourse markers" etc . Many people, including teachers, have been confused by all this. Can someone Provide a definitive reason for this and their grammatical function besides connecting.


texts: Word for "extinct", "eradicated" that sounds like "reserved"

texts:
In the Czech language, there's a word play with copyright notice. We say "vyhrazena" for "reserved" (as of rights) and "vyhlazena" as for eradicated (eg. Indians).

I used that pun on my mini site footer and now I don't know how to translate it, to keep the joke in it. So far, I just translated it: "All rights erradicated, copy and let others copy too."

Do you have any ideas for similar wordplay in English?


texts: Is it leads to or lead to in this case? Always a bit confused about this

texts:
I'm writing an essay in english and unfortunately english isn't my first language. I'm worried about the following two possibilities:

A: Different scattering potentials lead to different cross sections scaling.

B: Different scattering potentials leads to different cross sections scaling.

I did wonder weather A or B is correct. Is it "leads" or "lead" in this case?

I would personality prefer B. It sounds better to me than A but when I think about grammar it may be A: I have more than one potential, so it's plural and it isn't "He, she or it". Please correct me and explain the thing to me. I always have problems in such constructions. A general explanation would be really nice for this things.


texts: Past or present tense to describe data collection and analysis in an academic paper?

texts:
To answer the above research questions, we firstly collected a large amount of data (Section 2), and then did some statistics and experiments (Section 3, 4 and 5) on the data set focusing on three main goals:

I’d like to write something like the quoted part. Is it proper to use the past tense in an academic paper?

In addition, in most cases I should use the present tense to describe what we do, but is it true for this situation?

Some papers would write something like “evaluation shows that ...” or “the data set contains ...”


texts:
I understand that some nouns can only take the plural form (glasses, shorts, jeans, etc.) and so they take a plural verb. But in a sentence like "the back of his pants..." or "the side of his glasses...", should a singular or plural verb follow?

In this book I read, the author used "the back of his pants were bloody" instead of was, and when I googled "the side of my glasses," the first thing that came up was "the side of my glasses are bent," but I would have thought that it should be a singular verb instead because the subject should be "the back" or "the side," rather than "his pants" or "his glasses," similar to how "a pair of glasses" is followed by "is" because the subject is "pair." Or am I mistaken?

Edit: This question is unrelated to words that indicate portions, e.g. a number of, a lot of, a majority of, some of, all of, etc.


texts: Where does the word "masochism" come from, and how did it work its way into popular usage?

texts: We all know that The Marquis de Sade popularized the term 'sadist' via "120 days of Sodom" and "Justine" - as well as being exemplified by his own devilish lifestyle. How/why was the word 'masochism' popularized?


texts: "An SATA device"? Weird article choice in suggested edit

texts:
This question references a suggested edit I rejected on Super User. The edit suggested that the a in

  There's no way you're plugging any of those directly into a SATA interface.

be changed to an. The result would be

  There's no way you're plugging any of those directly into an SATA interface.

Is this somehow grammatically correct? To me it appears just to be editing in order to work towards the badge awarded upon editing 80 posts.


texts: Should there be a comma after this adverbial phrase?

texts:
From the moment I saw him I knew this wouldn't work out.

OR

  From the moment I saw him, I knew this wouldn't work out.

It just doesn't seem to flow as well in the second version. Which one should I use?


texts: Is there a word to describe the process of making animals scared of humans again?

texts:
As the title states, I am looking for a word that describes the method/process by which animals are made to fear humans after becoming too comfortable.
For example, bears may encroach in an area where humans are present after previously being scared. Then the humans do something to scare them enough that they once again fear humans. Maybe the opposite of habituation?


texts:
Is it appropriate to use Good night for saying hello?
I've heard that a person in a movie said good night for greeting, is it OK?


texts: To hyphenate or not to hyphenate "chemically treated"? That is my question

texts: chemically treated nanostructured powder Should I hyphenate chemically-treated? I really don't know cause I googled it and couldn't find it hyphenated. I think that according to the rules it should be, but I am not a native speaker and maybe I am missing something.


texts: Is it more correct to say 'The picture hung crooked on the wall' or 'The picture hung crookedly on the wall'? My instinct is that the first one sounds better to me as a native speaker, but someone else I was talking to was convinced that only the second is correct. What's better here?


texts: "It is better to X than to Y" - the structure of a difficult comparative sentence

texts:
Take the following sentence:

  It is better to underestimate your abilities and overestimate your risks than to go in a direction that actually involves more uncertainty than you can justify.

For the above sentence, I assume "to go in a direction" is something like a noun phrase?

Can someone explain a little bit  what "to go in a direction" is in this sentence?


texts: Meaning of “it might have been” and “it is, but it hadn’t ought to be”

texts:
I was assigned to make a report on a short story, The Scandal of Father Brown by Gilbert K. Chesterton. The story is about Hypatia Hart, a beautiful daughter of some American magnate. Hypatia Hart has an official husband who is a broker. Tired of her husband she started dating a famous Spanish-American poet Rudel Romanes. I have some problems with understanding the highlighted fragment given below:

The Sob Sisterhood permitted themselves a note of romantic regret; some having even the hardened audacity to quote from the poem of Maud Mueller, to the effect that of all the words of tongue or pen, the saddest are, “It might have been.”
And Mr Agar P. Rock, who hated the Sob Sisterhood with a holy and righteous hatred, said that in this case he thoroughly agreed with Bret Harte’s emendation of the poem: “More sad are those we daily see; it is, but it hadn’t ought to be.”

I can't understand what is meant by “It might have been” and  ”it is, but it hadn’t ought to be". Does it mean that

the Sob Sisterhood thinks that the possible marriage between Romanes and Hypatia might have been great, and

that Agar P.Rock thinks that such marriage just hadn't ought to be successful?


texts: 'realize that what it is that you' vs 'realize that what you '

texts:
An American presenter said:

  Bringing yourself into the now will help you most likely to realize that what it is that you are worrying about is not actually happening.

In this sentence, can I change into the sentence like

  ... realize that what you are worrying about is not actually happening.

If that so, why would the presenter put "it is that" in the sentence?


texts: "-phile" word for someone who loves frogs

texts: What would the best word be to describe a frog-lover that ends with the -phile root?


texts: change of tense in indirectquestion after 'the question was'

texts:
A boy was bothered about the disappearance of clouds.  What do we say :
The question that bothered the boy was where the clouds went.
                                         or
The question that bothered the boy was where had the clouds gone.


texts:
I came across the following sentence on the internet:

"When we are talking about possession, relationships, illnesses and characteristics of people or things we can use either have or have got."

Is it correct to say "When we are talking about [...]"?

In my opinion the simple present (to talk about sth.) seems more appropriate.


texts: Searching for words with the same root as greedy

texts:
The word greedy comes from the Indo-European root *gher which meant something like to like/want (source).

This is also the root for the incredibly common German word gern and other every day German words. I really let my fantasy roam freely but I was not able to find another English word with that origin.
I would find this quite surprising to see that a root with such a basic meaning almost entirely vanishes.
So my questions is:

Does anyone know of other words that have the same origin (no matter, if they are imports from Latin)?


texts: Term for distinctive wasp flight pattern

texts:
Many wasps have a characteristic way of flying back and forth while approaching the opening to their nest (see for example the intro paragraph in this Wikipedia article on yellow jackets).

Is there a term for this characteristic flight behaviour? In entomology, in folklore? I have searched, but found nothing.


texts: What is this gerund construction called?

texts:
In English the constructing for plus a corresponding gerund is often used, usually to identify a motivation for the main action (it seems to be more prevalent in colloquial speech); e.g.:

  I thank you for helping me.

  I banned him from the bar for picking fights.

What is this construction called?


texts: Can "superior" and "senior" be used with "very" and "much"?

texts:
I was taught that they can be used with both "very" and "much", but not with "more"

He is very superior to me
He is much superior to me
He is very senior to me
He is much senior to me

However, I saw this post and it says that using "very" with senior is incorrect. What would be the right usage of those?


texts: Difference between "premiss" and "premise"

texts: In speaking of propositions, not buildings, are premise and premiss variant spellings of the same word, or are they different terms with different usages? The American Heritage Dictionary (3/e) gives premise as the main entry, with premiss as a variant spelling, which I've assumed was British. But one internet source asserts that premiss is preferable because of its etymology; another suggests that premiss is always the correct term in logic.


texts: Term for describing auditory memory similar to 'eidetic' (for visual memory)

texts:
Is there a similar term for eidetic memory, but for sound?

An eidetic memory is the ability to remember things in exact detail, as if you can see them in your mind:

Cambridge
The measure of eidetic memory is calculated in seconds, and minutes. It is usually stronger in children and almost unknown in adults.
For this task, I would think: "as if you can hear them in your mind" describes it fairly  well.
All dictionary sources define the term by "seeing"...but is it the same for hearing, smell, and  even touch ?
I suppose it would be better developed in musicians as opposed to those of us who are less talented; it seems to be particularly  well-developed in savants who can replicate perfectly a tune after hearing it once only.
Does "eidetic memory" apply here also?


texts:
There was the following passage in Vanity Fair magazine’s (January 7 issue) article under the headline, “Meryl Streep responds to Russell Crowe’s controversial comments about ageism in Hollywood”:

Russell Crowe raised some eyebrows with comments made during an Australian magazine interview about not believing that there is ageism in Hollywood, particularly for actresses. He argued that if actors were simply more willing to "live in your own skin—and act their age, you can work." He even went so far as to point out "Meryl Streep (64) will give you 10,000 examples and arguments as to why the ageism rumors are bullshit."
As for his comments denying that actresses have a hard time being cast as they get older,—after literally waving off his remarks, Streep continued, “I agree with him. It’s good to live within the place that you are.”

I was drawn to the phrase,"Live in one’s own skin.” I assume it means to live within the age and place that you are, as the great actress put it.
I searched the meaning and usage of ”live in one’s own skin” on Google, which did not show the phrase, but Wiktionary had an entry for “Comfortable in one’s own skin” together with the following definition:

(idiomatic) Relaxed and confident in one's manner of presenting oneself and interacting with others; conveying the impression that one has a clear, satisfying understanding of one's own abilities and situation.

What does “Live in one’s own skin” mean? Is it same with, or different from “Comfortable in one’s own skin” in meaning and nuance? Is“Live in one’s own skin” a common and popular figure of speech?


texts: A word for purchased merchandise destined for delivery to a customer

texts:
The first close word I came across was consignment, but on top of apparently meaning exactly what I'm looking for, that word also has its own retail-specific definition; goods for sale, by an agent, on behalf of their owner.

The second thing I came across was the phrase bill of goods, but that phrase has a negative connotation; namely, something misrepresented.

Is consignment sufficient, meaning my concerns are unfounded, or is there another word or short phrase that fits the meaning described?


texts: Is "What the problem isn't, is that they're too attentive" an oxymoron?

texts:
This is a very slightly tongue in cheek question with some interesting, hopefully, grammatical side-effects:

Is the following an oxymoron?

  What the problem isn't, is that they're too attentive.

And how about this:

  What the problem is, isn't that they're too attentive.

And lastly, how about this:

  What the problem isn't, isn't that they're too attentive.

Also, can someone elucidate the differences in meaning between these sentences, please.

Lastly, what is the polarity of the sentences above (are they negative or positive), and what are the subjects of the sentences?


texts:
Which one is the correct one?

1) What is your Windows version?

2) Which is your Windows version?

3) Both are correct


texts: "to throw someone something" vs "to throw something at someone"

texts:
In the following sentence, the need for the at preposition is clear:

"He threw something at him"

However, if I started the sentence the other way round, it would feel (at least to me) as if the preposition was no longer needed:

"He threw him something"

The question is:

Is it correct to omit the preposition when the person (indirect object?) is mentioned first?

UPDATE: This would seem at a first glance as a normal Dative Alteration, as many of the responses told, but a Dative Alteration also implies the use of "to" or "for" prepositions, because the indirect object should respond to "to whom" and "for whom" questions. So, since in this case the preposition at use is "at", what happens to the alteration? Is it still a valid Dative Alteration?

UPDATE: After the overwhelming responses that stated that what follows the preposition "at" is not an indirect object, then the case of the Dative Alteration does not apply, apparently turning the alteration from "He threw something at him" into "He threw him something" invalid.

Nonetheless, I've googled a lot on this matter looking for appearances of "threw him a" (expecting a following noun) and found no contradicting results. In all cases what followed was a noun that always meant some kind of help or utility but no harm (a slice of bread, a coin, a handkerchief, a smile, a kiss).

The only exception I've found was in the case of baseball, where pitchers "threw batters a slow or fast ball", in an attempt to make the batter miss the ball, instead of actually catching it.

All things considered, I'm closing the question, and finally accepting John's answer (and comments) as correct.

Thank you.


texts: Word for large, short, wide, roundish, fat bottle

texts:
What word would you use to describe a large, short, wide, roundish, fat bottle, the kind used for some wines: tubby or chubby?

This kind of flask called growler would match my request, but I'd like to learn what adjectives could describe this shape.


texts:
Context (New York Times):

  Besides piling into Treasuries, institutional investors are also
  seeking out the safety of cold, hard cash, pouring billions
  into commercial bank accounts backed up by the Federal Deposit
  Insurance Corporation.

Dictionary.com:

  cold cash: Also, hard cash .  Actual currency (bills and
  coins); money immediately available, paid at the time of a purchase.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary lists cold cash
 as American English, and hard cash as British English.

Is the OALD correct? Is there a difference between these two terms or not?


texts: Does "rent out" only refer to when the owner offers something for others to pay to use, or also to when the user pays the owner to use something?

texts:
I'm a gen-X native Australian English speaker and am listening to a YouTube video by a millennial native Australian English speaker in which he uses "to rent out" to refer to the person paying for the use of a service or infrastructure.
As a language nerd it sounded wrong to me, but I'm not certain, and checking various online dictionaries hasn't resolved it though some other online forums seemed to have some support both for my feeling, and that both are right. The third possibility is that this is a recent change in English usage in the last 20 to 30 years.
My instinct is that the owner offers it "out" so "out" fits for the owner providing it. But when I thinking about it "out" seems to have some similar usages to "up" in phrasal verbs indicating completeness or totality, in which "rent out" might be similar to "eat up" indicating the person is paying for use of the entire thing, not sharing with other renters.
Since I trust the contributors to this site more than other English forums I'm interested in your expert opinions and insights. Which use/uses is/are correct? Has it always been this way or is it undergoing change?
Here's the exact quote from the video:

Worldcom didn't build landline cables or cellphone towers, but instead would rent out this infrastructure from other companies.

(Emphasis added by me.)


texts:
I realised today that I use the terms divisible and dividable interchangeably, even though there may be a difference between them.

If they are in fact different, I'm interested in any general rule that might apply to a large case of similarly related terms as well.


texts: How specific does a noun have to be to have "the"

texts:
Consider these two sentences:

Houses are expensive in that neighbourhood.
― All houses are expensive in that neighbourhood.
The Houses are expensive in that neighbourhood.
― Not all houses are expensive in that city, only the ones in that particular neighbourhood.

Under appropriate contexts, aren’t both sentences correct?


texts:
The message is “hammered home” that refugees must find jobs and pay
  their bills, says Ruben Chandrasekar, head of the IRC’s Baltimore
  office.

I encountered this sentence when I read the economist. Does "hammered home" mean to build a home?

This is the whole paragraph:

  The message is “hammered home” that refugees must find jobs and pay
  their bills, says Ruben Chandrasekar, head of the IRC’s Baltimore
  office. Few need telling. Refugees “know what it is like to lose a
  home”, so rent is the first bill they pay, he notes. They “penny
  pinch” to build up savings. Much talent goes to waste: refugees with
  advanced degrees work as car-park attendants or wheelchair-pushers at
  Baltimore airport. But still the city has much to offer. Houses are
  cheaper than in Washington, an hour to the south. Unlike many suburbs,
  the city offers public transport and a diverse population. Such
  diversity is an economic boon as well as a comfort, providing niche
  markets for small businesses. Baltimore is now home to Nepalese
  grocery shops and to a car service that takes Darfuri refugees to
  work.

The link of the whole article is http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21677240-hardscrabble-baltimore-finds-kindness-brings-its-own-rewards-city-wants-more


texts: Inanimate nouns used in the phrase "want/need somebody to do"

texts:
I don't need [this document ] to contain a disclaimer formulated in such a straightforward way.
I want [my words or my assertion] to sound convincing in the meeting tomorrow.

Having done a google search, I came to a conclusion that the above phrasing would be somewhat incorrect.
But I want to make sure of that. Am I right that the structure "want/need somebody to do" does not collocate with inanimate things?


texts:
When I possess something I can say

I have a pen.

But can I say:

I am having a pen

As far as I know "be + having" is used when I consume or enjoy something like I am having breakfast.
What is the rule when a third person possesses something?

Murad has a car.

This sentence is correct.
But are these sentences correct:

Murad is having a car.
Murad is having his dinner.
Murad was having his dinner.


texts: Why we use 'being' and 'to be' at the same time?

texts:
Why we say like this when we meet someone?

John-"Thanks Mike for being here"
Mike- "John, you know I just love to be here".
Why one uses 'being' and other 'to be'?.

Which one is correct? And why?

Chine is close to be a superpower.
China is close to being a superpower.


texts: Can I use “Etch A Sketch” as a verb to mean ‘flip flop one's words?’

texts:
Today I saw an instance of a proper noun (Google) being used as a verb in the following question on EL&U:

  I read an article recently where the author used "substract" instead
  of "subtract". I'm more familiar with the latter word but after doing
  a bit of googling, it seems that both words are being used, …

This reminds me a bit of the story made by Mitt Romney’s campaign in March. He made a slip of tongue by likening the shift of his boss’s political tactics to an "Etch A Sketch."

  “Despite Mitt Romney's big win in Illinois, his campaign is on the
  defensive after one of his senior advisers told CNN: "I think ... It's
  almost like an Etch A Sketch - you can kind of shake it up and we
  start all over again”. – NPR Mar 21, 2012

I saw the case of Blackberry being used as a verb too.

Can I use “Etch A Sketch” as a verb to mean ‘flip flop’ in such a way as “My boss always etches a sketch his words”? Is it understood by many or few Americans?


texts: What does this mean: "I'll be with you in a minute"? Does it mean "I'll call you after one minute" or "I'll contact you after one minute" or something else?


texts: Which is right, "welcome party" or "welcoming party"?

texts:
or is it okay with both?
someone said it's awkward to use former one, but i just want to know how native speakers feel when they hear each.


texts: What does "brought low" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I'm reading Anna Katharine Green's A Strange Disappearance and found the following sentence:

  if the girl had a secret—as nearly all girls have, brought low as she
  has evidently been—it had nothing to do with her disappearance, nor
  would a knowledge of it help you in any way.

Can you use another phrase? What is another word for "brought low" here?


texts: Russian speakers and "I feel myself to be ..."

texts:
I was told that it is a typical mistake for Russian speakers to say I feel myself badly instead of I feel ill.
I wonder to what extent such constructs sound wrong to native speakers?

I feel myself badly

I feel myself well

I feel myself to be a hero

I feel myself to be an astronaut

I feel myself to be suppressed (I feel myself suppressed)

I feel myself sleeping (I feel myself to be sleeping)

Are they always wrong or just convey a different meaning? Are there examples of native English speakers using such constructs?
UPDATE
Some comments said that there is a erotic connotation in this usage. I would like this to be explained as well.