texts: Is it "Hover over the icon to learn more about A book's content" OR "Hover over the icon to learn more about THE book's content"?

texts:
I'm writing some 'help' content for a website, and I've been stumped by an article.
There are several books, so there are several icons onscreen at any one time. When you hover over a book's icon, you get a short summary of the book.
What would be correct to say in this case?

Hover over the icon to learn more about a book's content.

Or

Hover over the icon to learn more about the book's content.

Or could it be something else? I've been told by the higher-ups to avoid a "Hover over each book's icon" construction, unfortunately.


texts: Is there a word for an acronym which spells out one of its component words?

texts:
The example I am thinking of is GNU, which stands for "GNU's not unix".

It may be that there are no other examples. And maybe that's the whole joke. I was just wondering.


texts: Word for feeling conflicting emotions simultaneously

texts: I've been trying to think of an adjective that expresses having two (or perhaps more) conflicting emotions or opinions simultaneously. Can anyone think of one?


texts: Which punctuation should be used before extra information at the end of a sentence?

texts:
I have a question regarding punctuation. Please consider the following sentence:

  In 2010, he became CEO of the company [punctuation?] a position he
  still holds today.

I'm wondering which punctuation is correct/acceptable/incorrect and why:

Comma?

  In 2010, he became CEO of the company, a position he
  still holds today.

Semicolon?

  In 2010, he became CEO of the company; a position he
  still holds today.

Parentheses?

  In 2010, he became CEO of the company (a position he
  still holds today).

Em dash?

  In 2010, he became CEO of the company — a position he
  still holds today.

Thank you.


texts:
I am bit confused for the use of will & would, still not understanding where is it necessary or where we can use one or other.

Following examples for your kind perusal:

A) What will be your answer?     (indicates casual manner)
B) What would be your answer? (indicates formal manner)

I believe both are correct and can be used as per the situation.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why is “albeit” pronounced the way it is?
  Why have the subjunctive and indicative converged in Modern English?
  When should I use the subjunctive mood?

Reading the text I came across the following sentence:

  The danger, all be it rare, is that one may compile the 100th
  expression only to find that one recompiles it and has to do the same
  work all over again when it may have been done 3 expressions ago.

My question is regarding the part of the phrase highlighted in bold.

What does it mean?

My guess is that it's inversion (inverted phrase "[though] it is all rare") But I don't understand why there is be, not is (all is it rare). And it looks quite strange to me.

Update:

Aedia commented that it's probably a misspelling of albeit.

I opened an etymology dictionary and found that albeit is a contraction of al be it, "al(though) it be (that)".

So, I still can't understand, why there is be (in the original phrase, from which albeit is derived from), not is?

Update 2:

After reading the linked questions, I still can't grasp what connotation subjunctive mood carries in comparison with indicative mood in this particular example.

In the linked questions one of the answer was that all be it = although it is that

But in the comments to this question there was a remark that be and is express different moods.

To express my question clear, I'll lay it out in the following way:

What is the difference with these structures?

The danger, although it be rare,...
The danger, although it is rare,...


texts:
I found this question in a textbook:

  Q: The company's stock tumbled _____ the news that it would have to recall over 30,000 tires that were produced in 2004.

  A: in
  B: for
  C: on

Should I fill in the blank with in or on? I remember we usually use on the news but after checking Oxford Learners Dictionary, it seems to me that we can use both:

  She is always in the news.
  I saw it on the news.

I asked this on another website and someone told me that I should look at the word tumble, not on the news. However, if this is the case, then on the news is not a prepositional phrase and the news here is the objective of the verb tumble on.

I just can't understand why this is possible. This sounds strange to me. Could someone explain this in more detail?


texts: In science writing, what to call the body in relation to the brain?

texts:
The word "body" is problematic when writing about the brain. Look at these two sentences:

"The brain sends signals to the body."
"The brain is an organ in the body."

The first sentence considers the body to be the brain's container, which is reasonable when writing about (say) neuroscience. The second considers the brain as a body part, which of course it is like any other organ.

What is a good way to distinguish these two "body" concepts in writing? You can't call them both "the body" because sometimes both meanings are needed within the same idea. Example:

  "Your brain and your body are intertwined because, of course, your
  brain is part of your body."

Long phrases like "the body including the brain" don't work well. I also thought about "your body" vs. "your whole body," and defining these terms up front, but then any excerpt (sans definition) may be unclear. Maybe "your anatomical body"?

Does the English language have a word for "the body absent the brain"? And if it does, would readers know & understand it?

Thanks for any tips.


texts: Should I say "the trap that lay ahead" or "the trap that lie(s) ahead"?

texts:
Which is correct?

My vision widened that day, and I began to see the trap that lay ahead for most people.
My vision widened that day, and I began to see the trap that lie ahead for most people.

Or maybe both are incorrect and some future tense of lie must be used?

I am confused because someone is talking about his past and others’ future that may or may not have faced the trap by the present. The trap the author talks about is kind of a fact of life.


texts: A word for a successor without an incumbent

texts:
Is there a word for an individual who in the future will take on a role but there isn't anyone currently in that role (that is, no incumbent)? So for instance, a new job is created and I want to describe what the person will do in that role. I could say "The successful candidate will do this" but I would like to use a single term like successor.

Related to: What comes in between predecessor and successor?


texts: Difference between a 'medicine' and a 'medicinal'

texts:
What is the exact difference between the words "medicine" and "medicinal"?

For medicinal, Free Dictionary states:

  "A preparation or product having the properties of a medicine."

But the fact is that a "medicine" is itself a "preparation" or "product" which has curative properties. Is there any particular reason for making a noun out of this adjective?


texts:
I am translating an article about cow patties :)
Here's the passage I feel a bit confused about

  “I like to see the cow pies looking kind of like a pumpkin pie,
  mounded and dipped in the middle,” said Dennis.

I have found some pumpkin pie pictures on the Internet, but they don't seem to look like this description, so I thought maybe I didn't properly understand the verbs "mounded and dipped'.

Does this expression "mounded and dipped in the middle' mean that the pie looks like a little mound (or hill) and is a bit hollow in the middle? I tried to draw it as well:)

Thank you in advance!


texts: Possessive apostrophe in this case (company listing designs in a particular range)

texts:
If a company called Peter Jones (made up name!) has a range called Peter's Pals on their site and then wants to list the designs like this:
Peter's Pals Designs
Is this correct?
Should it be Peter's Pals' Designs

Or just easier to head is as Peter's Pals - Designs

Thanks


texts: What's a word to describe someone who thinks quick?

texts: A word to describe someone's personality trait that think quick. For example he gets lost in the woods then comes up with a solution on the fly to find his way back home.


texts: Can a plural possessive pronoun be used for “side”?

texts:
Be the following paragraph:
Finally, the storm ended. Then, the two groups of men reached the centre of the field with their goods to trade. After they did it, each side took what was theirs and went back.
Is it correct to use “theirs” in the third sentence?
Furthermore, is there some difference between British and American English in this regard?
I will appreciate your help.
P.S.: Perhaps further clarification of the context is needed. The two groups are made up of men of different nationalities, speaking different languages, and armed.


texts: How different is ‘to unwind’ from ‘to relax’?

texts: The other day I came across the phrase ‘I need to unwind.’ and I found it means ‘I need to relax’, which I’m familiar with.  Can both be used exactly in the same way or are there any differences in its connotations?


texts:
When are we meeting, dear, I am hungry?

or

  What time are we meeting, dear, I am hungry?

Please elaborate on the semantical differences.


texts: Is it correct to say "Do not duplicate the information, add only new one"?

texts: Information is an uncountable noun. Therefore, is it correct to refer to it with a number one as in: do not duplicate the information, add only new one?


texts: Is there a word describing people who hear the speech but don't comprehend it?

texts:
It happened so that I recently attended the criminal trial. What particularly amazed me there is how many people can't comprehend spoken English. DA asks questions in a very slow, clear, monotonous voice without any emotion, and questions are all grammatically correct. He obviously does this as a job for years. Yet, about half of the witnesses, one after another just don't understand his questions. They kept asking "Can you repeat the question?" And I could see the struggling expression on their face. Most witnesses were in 20-25 age range, all studied in the US high schools, and most have BA degrees of some kind.

The factor that triggered this, I think, is that questions were a bit more complex than usual, for example: When was the first time you met the defendant or anybody related to him in any way?

I didn't even go to English language high school, my school was in completely different language, and while seating in the last row in the audience, I still understood every single question, and I think almost every nuance of every question.

My question is:

Is there an English word describing a person who can't comprehend the correct and clearly audible speech?

I can only wonder how much would they be able to comprehend when somebody would speak very fast and not very clearly.


texts: Term for the Fear of Fictional Characters

texts:
Is there any phobia or any other term for the fear of Fictional Characters of books, movies etc. (such as Lord Voldemort, Dementors of Harry Potter Series) ?

I am asking for a word which can be used to take the place of xyz in the following sentence :-

  He is highly afraid of evil fictional characters, there's no doubt he is suffering from xyz.


texts: Sometimes, I hear many people use "so" a lot during a presentation, tutorial, lecture, and also normal conversation. Is it bad, or is it just a matter of favor?


texts: What is a series of events called, similar to 'Festival' or 'Conference'

texts:
Say, if an organisation is hosting several different events all under one name, and they could be at different time/locations and are generally open to a large audience, what are these series of events called? A few suitable words I can think of are Festival, Tournament or Conference.

A good example of this type of events would be the Fresher's Week during University term times, but you wouldn't call it a Festival, Tournament or Conference. So the question really could be: how would you categorise events like Fresher's Week, is it a Festival, Tournament or Conference etc?


texts:
a) Only after I had explained everything, did he stop blaming and did she stop crying.
b) Only after I had explained everything, did he stop blaming and she stop crying.
c) Only after I had explained everything, did he stop blaming and she stopped crying.
d) Only after I had explained everything, did he stop blaming and was she satisfied.
e) Only after I had explained everything, did he stop blaming and she was satisfied.

Which ones are correct in grammar?


texts:
The below quote is from Book X, Verse 3 of Meric Casaubon's translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations :

But remember, that whatsoever by the strength of opinion, grounded upon a certain apprehension of both true profit and duty, thou canst conceive tolerable; that thou art able to bear that by thy natural constitution.

Here are my 3 queries:

Could not the semi-colon be replaced with a comma? I don't understand how the first set of clauses: "But remember ... conceive tolerable" is a complete thought/compound sentence, and from my understandings a semi-colon separates two independent clauses, that could otherwise have stood alone as two sentences. (In addition, the complete thought succeeding the semi-colon can in some cases complement the first complete thought, thus the semi-colon also serves as a comma.)
Is "that" in "[that] by thy natural constitution" superfluous, that is without it, the meaning is rendered identical?
What is "true profit"?


texts: Noun with Meaning Related to "Confidential"

texts:
I can't seem to remember the word (a noun) to fill in the blank space:

"Please keep this matter confidential" is equivalent to "I'd appreciate your _____ in the matter."


texts: Can I use the expression unfold against talking about some literature/movie/theatre actions. For example, The plot of this performance unfolds against historical background?


texts: What does "was born in black and white" mean?

texts: I've heard a song with the words "She was born in black and white". Could anyone say what this phrase means?


texts:
I'm not a native speaker in english and writing a short piece about scientific detectors. Every time, an image is taken, there is the process of getting the signal from the device, referred to as "readout".

My question is, which is better:

"Every time the detector is read out..." vs. "Every time the detector is being read out..." or is it better to refer to the term readout directly as in "Every time a detector readout is done..."?


texts: Can you invert a whole phrase in an anastrophe?

texts:
This comes from The Confidence Man from Herman Melville:

  "To where it belongs with your charity! to heaven with it!" again snapped out the other, diabolically; "here on earth, true charity dotes, and false charity plots. Who betrays a fool with a kiss, the charitable fool has the charity to believe is in love with him,* and the charitable knave on the stand gives charitable testimony for his comrade in the box."

It seems that the author is saying "The charitable fool has the charity to believe who betrays a fool with a kiss is in love with him", so it does seem like an anastrophe, but this is the weirdest one I've seen.  Usually, we inverse words, and not phrases.


texts:
Seeing the tiger, the man ran away.

I'd like to know whether 'seeing' is gerund or participle? may be explained.


texts: Source of 'BB' in the sense of 'small, spherical pellet of shot'

texts:
Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003) has the following entry for BB:

BB n (1845) 1 : a shot pellet 0.18 inch in diameter for use in a shotgun cartridge 2 : a shot pellet 0.175 inch in diameter for use in an air gun

The two definitions incorporate more-precise measurements than are likely to have been applied back in 1845, when MW says the term was first used in print, and this suggests to me that there may have been a significantly simpler definition (such as "small birdshot") back in the earliest days of the word's use. Also, the 1845 origin date notwithstanding, the first edition of the Collegiate Dictionary to include any entry for BB was the Eighth Collegiate, published in 1973.
The full-size Merriam-Webster's Third International Dictionary (1986) repeats the definitions of BB (which it gives as "bb or beebee ... usu cap both Bs") from the Eighth Collegiate and then offers this rather cautious speculation about the term's origin:

[prob. fr. the letter b]

This doesn't strike me as being very informative.
Stuart Miller, Concise Dictionary of Acronyms and Initialisms (1988) has this brief entry for BB:

BB Shot pellet

The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (1971)—the edition with the magnifying glass—has no entry for BB at all. The Online Etymology Dictionary doesn't cover the term either.
The closest thing to an explanation that I've found so far is in Wikipedia's entry for "BB gun", which states:

The term "BB" originated from the nomenclature of the size of steel balls used in a shotgun. BB sized shot was normally 0.180 inches (4.6 mm), but tended to vary considerably in size due to the high tolerances in shotgun shells. The highest size shotgun pellet commonly used was named "OO" or "double ought" and was used for hunting deer and thus called "buckshot."
Around 1900, Daisy, one of the earliest makers of BB guns, changed their BB gun bore diameter to 0.175 inches (4.4 mm), and began to market precision-made lead shot specifically for their BB guns. They called these "round shots", but the "BB" name was already well established, and everyone continued calling the guns "BB guns" and the shot "BB shot" or just "BBs".

This discussion corroborates the Eleventh Collegiate's measurements for pellet diameter, and it suggests a first occurrence date for definition 2 of BB of "around 1900," when Daisy standardized the size of the lead pellets for its BB guns at 0.175 inch in diameter. But it doesn't address the origin of "BB" as a classification name, including whether it originally stood for some longer word or words, nor does it indicate whether BB is older or younger than such other birdshot classifications as FF and TT.
The "Shot" subsection of Wikipedia's entry for "Shotgun" notes that current U.S. standard birdshot sizes include (from largest to smallest) FF, F, TT, T, BBB, BB, B, and 1 through 9. It doesn't offer any insight into how, where, or when these classification names originated. Neither does the "Birdshot" subsection of the Wikipedia entry for "Shotgun shell".
I have three questions about BB in the sense of a shotgun or air-gun pellet:

What (if anything) does BB stand for?

What was the source and original meaning of the term?

When and where did it first appear in written English?


texts:
I'm translating some chapters of the book A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder by J. R. Partington with the Introduction by Bert S. Hall.
In the Introduction, page XIX, Bert S. Hall writes:
"Any history of early gunpowder should afford corning a major place, but such matters as wood species and
grain size and shape are things that lie outside the realm of the chemist, and indeed, of the scientist."
Now, when I look up the word "corn" as a verb, I can only find it in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary which reads:
1: to form into grains : GRANULATE
2a: to preserve or season with salt in grains
b: to cure or preserve in brine containing preservatives and often seasonings
corned beef
3: to feed with corn
All in all, I'm really confused by the wod "corn" here. I thought it might be a typo and actually was "corner", but I think it is highly unlikely.
The sentence is from the introduction to the book which was written by Bert S. Hall who I assume is an American native speaker. So I don't think it was just a misusage of a random word.
What also made me think it wasn't just a random misuse is that just 6 lines above in the same passage, Bert S. Hall uses the word "corn" in the sense of "granulate", and this might indicate a deliberate choice of the word "corn" in my sentence. However, it still doesn't make any sense to me.
So, anyone to help me figure this out? Any insight would be appreciated.
Google Books link to the e-book:

A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder by J. R. Partington


texts: Can 'where' introduce a specific manner without an antecedent?

texts:
I came across this sentence when reading Eclipse, where Sam (werewolf) was the leader of the pack: “ Sam approached Carlisle where he stood in the front, the huge pack right on his tail.”
I've known where to be of tremendous and versatile use in attributive clauses where it functions to qualify or specify a more generic antecedent as in We used to do this thing where we would sneak under Alice's bed and wait till it's midnight to scream at her. In this sentence, the antecedent is the thing, where introduces an attributive clause to explain what that thing was.
But in Sam approached Carlisle where he stood in the front, the huge pack right on his tail., there is no apparent thing to which where can be attached to. So can where introduce a specific manner/approach/situation/etc. without there being a head noun?
And I assume 'where he stood in the front, the huge pack right on his tail' functions as an adverbial of manner as to how Sam approached Carlisle?


texts: Filter to different "formats" vs "formattings"

texts:
I always get confused with when to use format vs formatting.
I understand that we should use formatting when we say we want to change the formatting of something.
But what about the following?

Filter to the different formats/formattings

Sort by format/formatting

Both are used as nouns. Can someone please elaborate on when would be the most appropriate to use each of these words?
Thanks in advance!


texts: Is "Eskimo" a universally offensive term?

texts:
I know that "Eskimo" is an offensive term in Canada; they use the term "Inuit".

But I see the term "Eskimo" popping up regularly in news articles that I read; I hardly see the term "Inuit" being used. Why? Ignorance? Apathy?

Is the term "Eskimo" offensive only in Canada, or in the rest of the world too?


texts: Is it correct to use the preposition "by" interchangeably with "near"?

texts:
Is it correct to use the preposition by interchangeably with near?

  I went to the store near me.
  I went to the store nearby me.
  I went to the store by me.

Are the above sentences all correct? Are they all correct in both American English and British English?


texts: what's meaning of "expressly found that"

texts:
The judge expressly found that the material risks (sovereign default,
  currency default and counterparty default), were all disclosed and
  known to AP.

Could you kindly explain what "expressly found that" means in the sentence as above?

I know what both "expressly" and "found that" mean, but I'm not sure what "expressly found that" means.


texts:
TRWTF is they were running as root, at a nuclear sciences research facility!
TRWTF is that the World Cup was in South Africa.

What's the detailed meaning of the above sentences?
How many catchphrases like "IMHO" in  English?
Be thankful to any advice.


texts:
To me, the word snob seems rather informal, although it appears in dictionaries, and I am unable to find anywhere on the internet a more formal word than snob.

Are there any sophisticated synonyms of snob? Snob is new to me and adding sophistication to it would make it more formal.


texts: What semantic notions inverted the meaning of 'with' (from opposition to association)?

texts:
[Wiktionary :] From Middle English with, from Old English wiþ (“against, opposite, toward”), a shortened form of wiþer, from Proto-Germanic *wiþr- (“against”), from Proto-Indo-European *wi-tero- (“more apart”); from Proto-Indo-European *wi (“separation”).      [...]

  [Etymonline, which appears to have extracted from OED :]     [...]      Sense shifted in Middle English to denote association, combination, and union, partly by influence of Old Norse vidh, and also perhaps by Latin cum "with" (as in pugnare cum "fight with").     [...]

History confirms that enemies (who are separate from, and who fight, each other) can become friends (who must be associated and united);
1. but what semantic notions explain, conciliate and underlie the polar opposites of association and opposition? Does my facile conjecture really explain the enormity of this semantic inversion?

How did the Old Norse vidh and Latin cum influence the Semantic Shift of 'with'?


texts:
I have a sentence like this:

  As you can see, there are two projects "project1" and "project2", where the latter uses the global wrapper functions defined in "project1" project.

My question is how do I correctly write this sentence in terms of enumerating words "project1" and "project2". What I thought of was adding a colon like this:

  As you can see, there are two projects: "project1" and "project2", where the latter uses the global wrapper functions defined in "project1" project.

But somehow this doesn't feel fine. Can you please advise?


texts: What do you call the facial expression or the state just before bursting into tears?

texts:
What do you call this facial expression that forms just before bursting into tears? (Especially when a baby has been treated in a way he/she didn't expect and consider it unfair or feels neglected.
Of course this pitiful and sad expression with lower lip protrusion is most commonly seen in younger kids; and is not acceptable for adults or they will be considered to react childish.)

Actually I need to know the answer to complete these sentences :

"When the father yelled angrily at the baby, he (the baby) ..(?) and then burst into tears. "

"When the mom took the toy from the baby, he ...(?) and cried."

PS:
We have a phrasal verb in Farsi for describing this state and we use it for kids or adults, but when we hear it about a kid we would definitely think of a baby with this facial expression specially with the protruded lower lip. For adults, we would think of them in the state just before bursting into tears, for example; some winners react like this when they recieve their awards or when they are about to make a speech.

Note: Since I need to complete those sentences and they are about kids, if I know the term used for talking about/ referring to this kids' facial expression or state, that would solve my problem.


texts: Difference between 'next' and 'following'

texts:
What different between this sentences? what is correct/incorrect?

Please check next items:

1) item 1

2) item 2

Please check the following items:

1) item 1

2) item 2

Thanks.


texts: How to politely refuse to answer questions about your planned travel?

texts:
I am going to have an on-site interview for two weekdays. I told my team leader that I am going to be on travel for two days. He asked, "Where are you going?"

I answered, "some personal business". Then both our smiles froze for about ten seconds.

Is my reply not appropriate? What could be a better response in this situation?


texts: Alternate to Hallucination but applied to hearing?

texts: Is there a word similar to hallucinations, but applied to hearing instead ? What do you say you when you feel like you heard something ?


texts: Systemic Functional Linguistics - clause boundaries, theme composition

texts:
Is my analysis correct that the following use of wh- question words and how is two clauses linked by a conjunction:

  I don't understand || how/why/when/where he did it
  here's || why I have a problem

Furthermore are these to be considered textual themes, while in

  I don't know || what he did
  I don't know || where he did it
  I don't know || who did it

what, where and who would be ideational themes?


texts:
there,
Would you please help me?

There's a rule in Aim High 6 (the book I'm teaching) says:

'it' can be used as a preparatory subject for an -ing form, especially in informal style. We often use it with adjectives.

And It cites the following examples:

It was amazing walking along the Great Wall.
It was interesting hearing what he had to say.

On the other hand, advisable as an adjective in Oxford Dictionary is followed by to + inf.

It is advisable to practise each exercise individually at first.

The question is: Is it right to say:

It's not advisable reading such stories before sleeping.

I know that we can say:

Reading such stories before sleeping is not advisable.

Another question:

Which adjectives should be followed by V+ing, and which ones should be followed by a full infinitive?

Is the matter similar to the Verb patterns topic?

Many thanks ...


texts:
This may be an incredibly stupid question but I'm having a bit of trouble with it.

If I want to write:

  I transferred flights at the airport.

Then I know I need to use 'at the' as 'airport' is a noun.

but what if I want to specify the airport to be Sydney Domestic Airport?

I'm of (the perhaps wrong?) belief that 'Sydney Domestic Airport' is a proper noun and so you shouldn't need the preceding 'the'? But reading it out loud either way seems correct.

So what fundamental rule am I obviously forgetting from primary school? Go easy on me!


texts: Meaning and etymology of "twirling waxed mustaches"

texts:
Today, the New York Times online edition reviews a documentary film. The review contains the following sentence:

  The filmmakers don’t villainize anyone, though a few participants come awfully close to twirling waxed mustaches, like an American manager who jokes to a Chinese colleague that it would be a good idea to duct-tape the mouths of talky American workers.

It's clearly nothing positive, but I have never heard of it, cannot deduce the exact meaning from context and could not find anything online, partly because most hits concern physical mustaches.


texts: how can I use "fewer" and "more" with numbers?

texts:
I have never heard anyone use words "fewer" and "more" when talking about the fact that a certain number of items is greater than a certain number of other items by a constant.

For example if the number of pens that I have is greater than the number of pencils by 5 what is the proper way to say it without using the word "number". Is it "I have 5 more pens than pencils." And "I have 5 fewer pencils than pens." Both of these sentences sound extremely weird and I doubt they are correct, so, what is the proper way of saying these 2 sentences?


texts: Is "fence" intransitive in this case, or there's something I missed?

texts:
There's a definition for "fence" on the dictionary:

fence /fens/ verb [intransitive] informal

to buy and sell stolen goods
The police suspect he has been fencing electronic equipment.

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/fence

Why is it "intransitive" when the example sentence shows it's transitive, with "electronic equipment" as its object?


texts:
As in, complete the puzzle?

For example:

  He was unable to piece the puzzle sooner.


texts: Words with roots from different languages

texts:
CP Snow (author of "The Two Cultures") was said to have disliked the word "television" because it was a mixture of Greek and Latin roots. Is there any particular reason to dislike words like this?

I'd also be interested in other examples (polyamory, vinopolis...)


texts:
How did happy camper and not a happy camper originate?

I have been unable to find a definitive source for this phrase.


texts: A word for moving from one website to another

texts:
Here's the situation: I browse Tumblr, and then I go to, let's say, Youtube. What is the word for the action? The noun? It's not conversion, or click-through, I just move from one website to another. I don't think it is browsing. Browsing is when you surf the web, and I need a noun for the single action of shifting from one website to another.

Mind you, a NOUN is needed. There are many verbs for this action.


texts: Do we have to use any article before job title?

texts:
If I have to introduce myself within the organization where I am working what is the correct sentence:

I am Senior IT Engineer

Or

I am a Senior IT Engineer?

Also what is the general rule to introduce your job to someone, do we have to use any article before job title?


texts: Usage of imagined content in direct speech

texts:
I've seen and used quotations that I'm not sure is correct. If it is correct, I'd like to know what it is called. If it is incorrect, I'd like to know how to punctuate it correctly. Here is an example of this usage in a hypothetical text conversation.

  Mary: I cleaned him out.

  Joe: Wait, do you mean, "I won all of his money, so now he has none"?

To add some clarity, I believe the second example below also illustrates the same usage of quotes.

  Bob: I think I heard him say, "I like you".

Bob hearing "I like you" is purely hypothetical. It's possible that Bob misheard "I despise you" for "I like you".

Is it correct to use the hypothetical content within quotes? If not, how should it be punctuated?

Update

Every definition of quotation or quote, and every rule I've read regarding their usage mentions an origin or source of text or speech. To me, this implies that there must be an original source in order for something to be considered a quote. However, in the cases above there is no original source as the whole quotation¹ is made up.

Is there an authoritative definition of quotation that includes a hypothetical or entirely paraphrased quote¹?
Or if no such definition can be found, is there an example of this type of quote¹ in an authoritative work?

¹The usage of quote or quotation here may be incorrect in accordance with the outcome of this question.


texts:
I would like to know the reason why hyphen is required before numeral with prefix.

mid-1990
pre-1950
...

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Source: Doctrine of graduated escalation - (The Hindu)

What is meant by the bold part here

"Every time a Pakistani leader wishes to build better ties with New Delhi, his effort is undermined by the military masterminding a serious cross-border attack or terror strike. Indeed, it was during Mr. Sharif’s previous stint in office that a major Indian peace initiative — as symbolised by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s bus diplomacy — collapsed spectacularly, with the bus itself getting hijacked allegorically to Kargil, triggering a war." (Kargil is a place where India-Pakistan war of 1999 was fought)

I looked up a dictionary but I can't understand its meaning here. Please explain to me.

Thank you.


texts: What does it mean when an article's headline starts with "TA:"?

texts:
TA: Bitcoin Consolidated above $36K, Why BTC Could Start A Fresh Increase

Source: https://www.newsbtc.com/analysis/btc/bitcoin-consolidated-above-36k/
I keep seeing this. What does it mean? Why do they insist on using cryptic acronyms which I never have any clue what they mean?


texts: In horse breeding, what is the female equivalent of putting a horse out "to stud"?

texts:
The BBC today has a story about a champion racehorse who has just retired

  She will now be retired to stud

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/47918578

This doesn't really scan for me. It feels like being put out "to stud" is something stallions do.

A little reading says that the female equivalent of a stud, is a broodmare. But there seems to be no common usage of a horse being put out "to mare", "to brood" or "to broodmare".

Was my initial assumption incorrect and both stallions and mares are retired "to stud"? Or is there a female specific term?


texts:
Well, actually, that is the question.
What is the difference between these two phrasal verbs?
Both of them mean to cram, to study intensively before an exam.

She's at home, swotting up on her maths.
I need to mug up on my history before tomorrow's exam

Appreciate your help.


texts:
According to Wiktionary:

Noun
sir or Sir (plural sirs)

A man of a higher rank or position.
An address to a military superior.
Yes sir.
An address to any male, especially if his name or proper address is unknown.
Excuse me, sir, could you tell me where the nearest bookstore is?

I assume you'd not use this for young boys for example, and certainly not for girls or women. In what circumstances are sir the right one to use, and are there alternatives when it's not?


texts: What does idiom " thick in the head " mean?

texts:
My understanding is that:

  thick in the head

... means inflexible,  but I was told it means stupid.

Since inflexible doesn't mean stupid all the time, what is the precise meaning of thick in the head?

(When I say "my understanding is", I mean that I could be wrong).


texts: Is it correct grammar to say "I was supposed to seat there" if we use the word "seat" as a verb? I know that it is correct to say "I was supposed to sit there", which is more common. For example, we can also use "seat" as a verb in the sentence "Please seat him down", right?


texts: What is the correct way to use "neither" and "nor" in a sentence together?

texts:
Given these facts:

The tool cannot be found in the kitchen.
The tool cannot be found in the bathroom.

Which is the correct sentence to represent the situation above?

  I can find the tool neither in the kitchen nor in the bathroom.
  I cannot find the tool neither in the kitchen nor in the bathroom.
  I cannot find the tool, neither in the kitchen nor in the bathroom.


texts: Which of the following phrases is correct?

texts: Which phrase is correct: "Nice to hearing from you again" or "nice to hearing you again?"


texts: Is it "x- and y-directions" or "x- and y-direction"?

texts:
Consider the following sentence:

We perform the filtering process in the x- and y-directions sequentially.

Is 'directions' correct in this case? I believe it is, but 'direction' is very commonly used.


texts: In reference to the calculation, should one use "mean" or "mean of"?

texts:
I am writing a scientific paper and am unsure if I should be using "mean" or "mean of" each time I refer to a calculated mean number.

For example, should it be:

A) The samples had a mean of 54.1 reads

B) The samples had a mean 54.1 reads

Or how about:

C) A mean of 54.1 reads were generated

D) A mean 54.1 reads were generated

After reading through a few scientific articles it looks like both are used, but is one more correct or preferred? Does it change the meaning?

Thank you for your help.


texts: One word for data collection and data dissemination

texts:
Is there one word (or two word phrase) for 'data collection and data dissemination"?

For example, I would like to replace

  I am building a text based system for data collection and data dissemination.

With something after the pattern of

  I am building a text based system for data <some-word>.


texts: Is there a semantic difference between learn to code and learn coding? Can both forms be used interchangeably?


texts: What is this swastika looking symbol in John Hancock's family papers from circa 1762

texts:
I was looking at the "From The Page" software and tried to transcribe a section of the Hancock family papers, and on Page 137 (seq. 139) the author used what seems to be swastikas to initialize some script. What could this be?
Second line in:

Determined to be so 卐 will not willingly 卐 quietly subject myself

Citation: Hancock family papers, 1712-1854 (inclusive). Volume JH-6 John Hancock letterbook (business), 1762-1783. Mss:766 1712-1854 H234. Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School.


texts: Any negative meaning of the words "What is the damage"?

texts:
I heard people say "What is the damage?" instead of "How much is it?", Does it contain any negative meaning? Or it depends the way and tone they speak?

Thank you.


texts:
The researchers concluded that glare slows down reading because people cannot properly view what is on the computer, as it causes them to take more time to try to figure out what they are reading.

Should I just break it up into two sentences or can I keep it as one?


texts:
A user in the Spanish Language site asked a question about how to distinguish 'ceiling' from 'roof' in Spanish, and gave us the following example:

  The top floor of my house does not have a ceiling under the roof.

Another user said in his answer that

  If your attic got tejado [roof], the underside of that element is the techo [ceiling] of the room.

That is precisely what puzzles me about the example given. According to the Oxford dictionary, a 'ceiling' is:

  The upper interior surface of a room or other similar compartment.

It does not state that the 'interior surface' must be a low, flat, finished ceiling, so I think that if the room has a roof, it must have a ceiling, even if it is a high ceiling based on the underside of the roof.

So how is the word 'ceiling' used in English? What does it actually mean? Can a house have a 'roof' but no 'ceiling' in its upper floor?


texts:
Recently there was a quite an argument in certain group of people coming from various countries, each having different English skill and obviously different understanding of things in English.

The argument was about whether the following statement was racist or not:

  The coffee is so black it puts Africa to shame.

While we all realized it may be distasteful, only half considered it racist, since it was their understanding that it does not express any discrimination or prejudice against any African people or group of such, and that it's not meant literally, as it had more figurative than literal meaning.
Everyone involved would like to know who was actually right.

For the purpose of this serving as a verdict to that group, I am intentionally remaining neutral about it. Thank you for constructive input.


texts:
in a company bylaws document, I'm trying to describe situations in which a the term of a company director can be ended. These include death, as well as "going insane" or "losing his mind" - but I'm looking for a more "PC" or "legalese" way of saying this.

Any ideas?


texts: The etymology of the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs"

texts:
I was wondering about the phrase it's raining cats and dogs; I've heard two versions of the meaning of the phrase and I was wondering which one was correct or wrong altogether.

The first: with 16th century European peasant homes frequently being thatched, animals seeking shelter from the elements would fall out during heavy rains.

The second: that drainage in 17th century Europe was typically poor so they would, during heavy rains, disgorge any of the animal corpses that had accumulated in them.


texts: Term for video artifact of blocky grey visuals

texts:
What is the name used for the artifact in digital video in which gray (or sometimes purple) blocky "smears" appear on the screen?
Here are three example images: https://imgur.com/a/oZkQwm4


texts: "Me, as an artist, knows better" or "know better"?

texts:
I am confused how I should conjugate the verb with this construction, at the start of a sentence:

  Me, as a X, [verb]...

Should I use the first or third person?


texts: Why use "on-pass" / "onpass" instead of "pass on"?

texts:
Where I work some people use "on-pass" in sentences such as "We get data from the stock exchange and on-pass it to our customers" or "We need to on-pass that information to the other team".

Does this mean anything different from "pass on", e.g. "We get data from the stock exchange and pass it on to our customers"?

My impressions are it's more used by people in our American office than in our UK one, also, that it wouldn't be used informally (they don't say "Thanks for the tip, I'll on-pass that to Bob").

Edit: (However I've now heard one person in UK office using it, informally; he didn't know why he used it instead of "pass on" when I asked him nicely about it.)


texts:
I am trying to prepare myself to going into the international social space. In doing so, I saw the video: Feminist "Mansplaining" Video Goes Wrong
and I do not understand something: What is mansplaining?

I found the following definition in a Google search:

Oxford Living Dictionary's definition of mansplain

  (of a man) explain (something) to someone, typically a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing.

I also saw 17 Absolutely Infuriating Examples of Mansplaining which was written by Gina Mei for Cosmopolitan, which provides the following example:

  I once had a friend mansplain to my roommate how to ~correctly~ pronounce her own name bc he thought she was doing it wrong

However, this still left the meaning of the word somewhat ambiguous to me. I also searched on English Language & Usage to see if there was a question that was like mine, but I did not find any.

Present Understanding

I think mansplaining is something like saying, 'Hey you are a woman, and you can't understand it'.

For example: A woman has an idea about football, and a man responds with a statement like "Women do not understand football", but I am not quite certain.

What Might Help

Can you give me a good scenario or more expressive definition, which demonstrates what mansplaining really is?


texts: The title of the best seller book from Dale Carnegie uses the word "win" in an odd way to me. The most common usage would be "How to Make Friends and Influence People", wouldn't it?


texts: Is usage of the word epitome in a negative sense correct?

texts:
Can the word epitome be used in a negative context like in this statement

  He is the epitome of corruption.

And should I be using the epitome instead of an epitome?


texts: "How are Mike and Chris?" vs. "How is Mike and Chris?"

texts:
Which one of the following is correct?  I think the first, but many people use the second as well.

How are Mike and Chris?
How is Mike and Chris?


texts: Why do we say "I might add" when we are definitely adding something?

texts:
Often when a piece of rhetoric is being added for emphasis, we put "I might add" before or after or sometimes inside of it.

  Martin Brice - my old and good friend who promised me we would not get in trouble and who, I might add, did not.

All of the definitions of "might" that I can find include an element of "possibility." Why, when Cosmo is definitely, not possibly, adding "[Martin Brice did not get in trouble]," does he still use the phrase "I might add?"


texts: I cannot find any resources online for tag question with the phrase used to be. I'm looking for something that can give the rules for this example, He used to be handsome, didn't/wasn't he?


texts: Is "filling someone's bucket" an idiomatic expression?

texts:
According to a passage on prezi.com,

"Filling somebody's bucket means that you do or say something to that
person that makes his or her day better."

But I couldn't find this expression in any dictionary. I wonder if it really is an idiomatic expression.
Also, according to another website:

"Bucket fillers are defined as individuals who without being asked,
help give compliments and spread good feelings to others."


texts:
I recently came across a couple usages of 'sucker for' which indicates that it means 'crazy about', 'enthusiastic for', or 'interested in'. For example, 'I am a sucker for sports.', seems to say, 'I am a sports enthusiast.'.

My questions are:

What does 'sucker for' actually mean?
Can you elaborate with some typical usage?
Is it appropriate to use it in formal conversations e.g. while talking to a client?
'Sucker', afaik, is used to indicate a 'loser'. If my understanding above is correct... how does 'sucker for' becomes an indication of an enthusiast and not of a loser? (I know 'suck at' indicates a loser.)

Thanks


texts:
I want to send a letter to a company (specifically Microsoft). I've read some things that say one should write "To whom it may concern". I really don't like this; it sounds pretentious. Other sources suggest writing "Dear Sirs" or "Dear Sir or Madam". I don't care for either of these because in the former case a woman could be reading the letter, and in the latter case my letter could be read by multiple people. "Dear Sirs or Madams" sounds ridiculous. "Dear Microsoft" is obviously laughable (and I'm very apposed to corporate person-hood, hah!).

I've never particularly cared for "Dear" as the beginning to a letter myself. I don't even know who I'm writing to. But what options do I have other than "Dear"?

What should I do?


texts: What do you call a person doing a task that a computer can do better?

texts: Is there a term for a person performing a task that a computer could perform faster/better, but the reason the person is doing it is because of a failure in a company to improve processes/systems?


texts: Is it acceptable in American English to pronounce "grocery" as "groshery"?

texts:
I caught myself pronouncing the "c" in "grocery" as an "sh" sound.  Is this commonplace/accepted, or is it perhaps geographic?  Does this occur with "c" in other words?

As background, I was raised in Cincinnati, OH and now live in western New England.


texts: 'Immediately' used not as an adverb, but as a conjunction

texts:
I'm sure that I've heard (not read) someone use the word immediately in a sentence in the same way that we would use "when" or "as soon as", and I would like to know if this is correct?

Here's an example:

I will send that email immediately I get into the office.

You can see that this usage is a direct replacement for something such as "as soon as", which would also work:

I will send that email as soon as I get into the office.

Is this correct usage of the word? Not many people use it like that and I didn't have any success Googling for it...


texts:
I have seen many comments on different blogs and forums where English native speakers spelled you're as your. I'm not a native speaker, but I know and understand the difference between the two. Why is there a confusion?

My initial guess is that your and you're have similar pronunciation and because I carry some accent from my native language (Romanian) I can identify the difference better.

Edit (thanks Chris): The same can be asked for other homophones: there/their/they're, its/it's.


texts: Words for classification of jobs according to their accrued interest

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker.

I remember having read an article comparing jobs according to how the worker accrue value over time, i.e. the more your work and acquire experience, the more valuable you are.

For ex. a knowledge worker = a software engineer will accrue a lot of experience over jobs. A manager as well, being exposed to a lot of work experience.

On the other hand, an employee selling shoes in a small shop or a waiter bringing food in a restaurant is accruing less experience benefits over time, or can even drop, for ex. a young waiter / seller being seen as more desirable.

I'm looking for words to describe this kind of difference in jobs, in order to find articles / research on this subject. I tried a lot of word combinations in search engines, without being able to find relevant articles or wikipedia pages.


texts: Term for dilemma regarding knowledge of information which cannot be used without alerting the other party

texts:
What is the term for a dilemma in which one has crucial information belonging to another party, who would be alerted if any sort of action were to be taken regarding this information?

An example of this predicament would be in World War II, where the Allies had broken the Enigma Code. However, if the Allies were to attempt to counter any of the German attacks using their newfound information, the Germans would know that their code had been broken and consequently alter the cipher.

This term was mentioned in the "Imitation Game", however, I cannot seem to find it again.


texts: Insubordination by following rules precisely?

texts:
Is there a single word for "insubordination by following rules exactly"? (I think there may be a military term for this.)

The phrase "Work to rule" is similar, but to me feels more connected to industrial action.


texts: Antonymic idiom for "adding fuel to the fire"

texts: Please tell me an antonymic idiom for "adding fuel to the fire". With meaning something like "downplay the problem", "close eyes on problem".


texts: Transform the conditional sentence beginning with word 'Unless'

texts:
I have a sentence and need to transform it to begin with word unless.

The sentence is Study hard now or you will regret it later.  I am not able to begin this using Unless.

My attempts are

  Unless you don't study hard, you will regret it
  Unless you don't study hard now, you won't cherish it.

I guess both of my attempts are incorrect: how do I get it right?


texts: Is the phrase, "a bloody altercation" an accurate way to describe the Officer’s killing at the MIT campus?

texts:
I was caught up with the word, “the bloody altercation” in the following statement of New York Times (April 25) article titled “Officer’s killing spurred pursuit in Boston attack.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/us/officers-killing-spurred-pursuit-in-boston-attack.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130425&_r=0

  -It was just a little after that routine interaction, the police said, that a pair of men approached Officer Collier’s squad car from behind
  and shot him to death, in what some law enforcement officials said
  appeared to have been a failed attempt to steal his gun.

  -The killing of Officer Collier, who was mourned Wednesday at a campus memorial at which Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke, was the
  first bloody altercation in a nearly 24-hour chain of violent events
  that left one of the brothers suspected in the Boston Marathon
  bombings dead and ended with the capture of the other.

Was there an enough time to allow an “altercation” when the culprits approached the squad car from behind and shot the officer to death? Was the (noisy) argument "in public"?

As I'm unfamiliar with the word, altercation, I consulted with dictionaries.

OED defines “altercation” as “a noisy argument or disagreement, especially in public.”

To me the showdown of the campus officer and Boston Marathon bombers was more than an “altercation” though it being preceded by the adjective, “bloody.”

CED defines it as “a loud argument or disagreement” as well.

So my simple question: Is the word, “bloody altercation” really pertinent to describe the critical scene where the culpits shot the officer no sooner than they approached the squad  car from behind? In other word, is it 'phisically' possible for both the officer and culpits to get engaged in "an altercation" in such an instant?

By the way, the New York Daily News of the same day uses the word “Confrontation” for describing the killing scene:

  Two people embrace in front of a memorial to MIT Police Officer Sean
  Collier, who was killed during a confrontation with the suspects in
  the bombings of Boston Marathon.


texts: "Snub out a cigarette" for "stub out a cigarette" in AmEng

texts:
My bilingual dictionary marks "snub out” as an Americanism for “stub out” as in, “He snubbed out his cigarette.”

Is this phrasal verb common enough in present-day spoken AmEng that it can be used quite safely in general conversation?

Please consider this Ngram.

Since the primary meaning of snub is, “ignore, behave coldly toward; slight”, I would tend to think “snub out” might suggest a certain way to put out a cigarette or cigar.


texts: A specific term used for person who studies properties of gold

texts:
Is there any word for who studies properties of gold?

I think goldsmith would be inappropriate cause
goldsmith is one who works on it rather having proper theoretical knowledge about it.


texts: Idiom for one mistakenly calling another stupid, when he himself is the stupid one

texts:
President Trump reportedly called Angela Merkel "stupid."

Mr Trump, 74, allegedly called Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, “stupid” and Theresa May “a fool” over Brexit, officials told CNN.

(The Times, "Delusional Trump called Merkel stupid, officials claim", July 1, 2020)
Quite the contrary, Angela Merkel earned a doctorate in quantum chemistry in 1986 (source), and is arguably not stupid. For the purpose of this question, let us assume that Trump is stupid, but is not aware of this.
Is there an idiom or phrase for someone misapplying an attribute to someone else, while the speaker should have more aptly apply it to himself? (I'm looking for an idiom or metaphor that an observer could apply to the speaker.)
"Although Trump called Merkel 'stupid', it seems to be an instance of __________"
"When I was in Africa, a street urchin called a better off African 'poor.' This is a great example of _________."
Idioms and phrases that are close
The idiom The Pot Calling the Kettle Black would apply only if both Trump and Merkel were stupid.
The psychological term displacement includes

A characteristic that one perceives in oneself but seems unacceptable is instead attributed to another person. This is essentially the mechanism of psychological projection.

For displacement to apply, Trump must perceive that he is stupid.
The psychological term delusional is what The Times applied.

A delusion is a belief that is clearly false and that indicates an abnormality in the affected person’s content of thought.... The key feature of a delusion is the degree to which the person is convinced that the belief is true.

(Source)
Delusion is a good word, a strong word, but it only goes one direction (namely his belief about Merkel). It does not address whether Trump mistakenly thinks he is smarter than Merkel.


texts: Request for a natural version of "Whether you will succeed or not lies in the use you make of chance."

texts: "Whether you will succeed or not lies in the use you make of chance." This sentense does not sound very idiomatic. Could you suggest a more natural expression?


texts: Tense for second sentence in conditional statements

texts:
I run into the following sitatution:

  If he had bothered Mike, he would have bothered him back so much that he would have forgotten about bothering anyone in his life again.

Is 'would have' the correct format for the part in bold? Can we use other tenses in the same context?


texts: What does 'at that time there were only men on campus' mean in this quote?

texts:
I also think that what our students get out of the arts and humanities is critical for them to develop a sense that is much bigger than the quantitative aspects of a problem to understanding human complexity. So, I think every day we are preparing young people to tackle the troubles of the world. I don't think that John Sloan dickey ever meant that we were going directly fix the troubles of the world.  I think what he meant and what I quote him as saying is ‘The worlds' trouble are your troubles.' But since the worst troubles of the world come from the hearts of men and at that time there were only men on campus, there is nothing wrong with the world that better human beings can not fix.

1) I'm having trouble understanding the sentence in bold type. It doesn't make any sense to me at all. I understood each part of sentence separately, but I'm not sure how they combine together and make sense logically.

2) Does the word 'men' in the phrase 'at that time there were only men on campus' mean males?


texts:
after interview I sent one thank you letter also regarding the feed back of the interview to the interviewer. He reply me like this "We have shortlisted you and shall call you soon".
Is this a positive answer or negative?
I can't understand


texts:
for one is an idiomatic expression, used mainly in the form of " I, for one" meaning:

that you think your opinion or action is right, even if others do not:

The rest of you may disagree, but I, for one, think we should go ahead with the plan.  (Cambridge Dictionary)

Its usage appears to date back to the second half of the 18th century, the following example is from
A New and Impartial Collection of Interesting Letters  1767:

...  they are such that I, for one, shall not believe any lawyer capable of advising such proceedings.

My question is about the usage of for, how it became idiomatic in the expression "I, for one". The meaning could be conveyed saying, "I, as one", or "I,  being one" for instance, so how did the expression form? is it the short of an archaic originally longer expression? What's the meaning of for in "for one"?


texts:
I beg your pardon, but can anyone answer a simple question? Is the verb "to become" static or dynamic?

Thanks in advance, Vic.


texts: What are alternatives to the verb “study” (in the meaning of “research”)?

texts:
When writing scientific discussions (articles, book chapters, reports, ...), I frequently feel short on synonyms of the verb study, which I use extensively in sentences such as “in the next section, we study the influence of ... on ...”. The alternatives I frequently use include investigate, research, look into, and shed light into (with a slightly different meaning). What I like in study and its synonyms is its rather generic meaning: it does not actually specify the type of research being done, which is desirable in some occasions.

As a consequence, I am looking for other alternatives to this verb, or constructs similar to the example quoted above (“in the next section, we study the influence of ... on ...”), to improve my writing.


texts: What is the one word substitute for 'still going on' as in a question like ,' Did the class end or its still going on'?


texts: Is “I’m Mike” scam a popular metonym of "grandparent" scam?

texts:
This question is related to my previous question asking for English equivalent to Japanese “It’s me” scam. The Asahi, a leading Japanese daily newspaper reported that the Consumer Agency is dispatching their staff to the U.S. FTC to study the latest trends of and countermeasures to consumer-related crimes such as the grandparent scam, in its May 9 issue under the headline, “The origin of grandparent scams – “I’m Mike” in U.S.”

It says,

  “The fraudulent crimes to swindle a large amount of money from the elderly by disguising as their son are prevailing as well in U.S., where the technique is called “I’m Mike (scam)." According to the Consumer Agency, Japanese swindler groups have imitated (or imported) the “I’m Mike” technique in U.S.

I’m curious to know if “I’m Mike” is a popular word as a metonym of grandparent scam in U.S. as the Asahi wrote. Have you ever heard of? If not, I'm going to write to the Asahi.


texts: Doing two things at once without conjuction

texts:
Are the following sentence, for two things going on at once, grammatically correct?

Tom is doing laundry singing a song.
It is not easy to go to school working part-time.
I saw an accident riding my bike.

It feels like a conjunction is needed just because I usually don't hear it like that, but I don't know the grammar rules for sure.

edit: I wanted to know because a textbook used sentences like this. They sounded odd, so I wanted to make sure.


texts: What is a term for the "first" meaning of a word?

texts:
Words have lots of meanings/denotations/dictionary definitions, many connotations and contexts and they have literal meanings and metaphorical ones.

For example, consider the word 'trash'. Literally it is a synonym of 'garbage', 'refuse' 'waste'. But it has secondary meanings of worthless or poor or of loose morals when applied to people.

Or 'crazy'. For myself the first meaning would be the more figurative one (or what I think is figurative) which is 'mixed-up', wild', or 'over-stimulating'. But there is another meaning, a slightly derogatory term for having a mental illness. (Which comes first may be an individual matter).

I am looking for a word (or phrase) that describes the first meaning/denotation you think of when presented with a word.

It is related to

literal - but the metaphorical meaning may be the first one.
ostensible - but that makes it sound like there's an intention of misdirection
canonical - which is closest, but just doesn't sound right (too clinical?)

'On the face of it' is also pretty close, but also doesn't sound right, and evokes 'facade' which like ostensible has too much intention in it.

Maybe it's the first definition offered in a dictionary. Is there a word/shorter phrase for that? (but not OED which is chronological (right?))

Can you suggest some alternatives (or convince me that I've already listed the best one)?


texts:
I'm trying to come up with a word that describes a male aged from 20 through 25. Man feels too adult like and Young Adult feels like a teenager. The type of word I'm looking for is someone not yet middle aged, but is on his way there, but still retains some youthfulness.

Thank you for your response.

Just to add on, any word using modern terms probably won't work, as it is being used in something set in a medieval / fantasy realm.

  An edit to explain how. I am asking for a word that is referring to a male who is older than a young adult who still has a sense of youthfulness. An example would be someone about to graduate college, someone who feels too old to be called young (adult) but does not have the experiences or age yet to be considered middle aged.


texts:
We [re]enacted Hamlet on the stage.

In the context of performance, I've only ever heard 'reenact' used. However, dictionary.com lists the above example with 'enact'. Are they both correct? Is it just a regional difference?

I'm from Canada, so my guess is that American English uses 'reenact' where UK English uses 'enact'.

EDIT - I looked at a few more examples. It's possible that 'reenact' is used only for events that actually happened (e.g. civil war battle, events of the day), and 'enact' is used for performances. I've still only only heard 'enact' in a legal context, and 'reenact' used to refer to performances, but the latter might have just been an incorrect usage.


texts: Name(s) for the top and bottom of an apple

texts:
Not sure if this is a right place to ask this question, but I'll have a go.

What do you call the ends of an apple, as in, the branch side, and its opposite side where it's caved in?


texts: Could you help me to do a syntax analysis of this sentence?

texts:
The more I use Froyo the more new stuff I discover.

Does it mean:

  I more use Froyo, I discover more new stuff.


texts: Direction independent expressions for turning at T junction

texts:
When driving, if I turn left at a T junction it does not involve crossing a lane, whereas turning right does.

This is in a country where we "drive on the left". The opposite applies if I were to "drive on the right".

So what's the term for the "left" and "right" turning manoeuvres at a T-junction, which could be understood by either convention?

For example,

"Executing a ____ turn at the junction is trickier than a ____ turn because of the need to cross the traffic flow."

The reason I ask comes from reading this post : anxious-about-riding-in-traffic-after-20-year-absence-from-cycling.

One user answers, suggesting this:

"Regarding traffic, I've decided never to do left turns on busy roads. Instead, I do a right, then U-turn/turn around and cross. This feels much safer."

I scratched my head at this, because I was reading it as if the author was also from England, where we drive on the left. This lead me to wonder if there is in fact an expression which does not require the country context.


texts: Why does the Strait of Hormuz sometimes get pluralized?

texts: On the map, there only seems to be one Strait of Hormuz, and I'd say about 50% of the time, I have indeed heard it referred to as the 'Strait of Hormuz', but the other half of the time people will refer to the 'Straits of Hormuz'.  Is this an arbitrary, incorrect pluralization?  If so, how did it originate?


texts: Past perfect progressive followed by simple present

texts:
I've found the following sentence here:

  I had been enjoying the sunshine and blue sky of the day but as soon as we push open the door of the hangar, that pleasure ends brutally.

Is simple present grammatically valid here? I guess the whole sentence designates  a transition from continuing past to the point of eye-witness experience conveyed by simple present. Am I right?


texts:
My question is about the word applicable.

Is the following construction correct?

  This method is applicable to [object] for [purpose].

For example:

  Our method may be applicable to medium-sized lake for evaluating mid-layer processes.

If this is incorrect, is there a way to express the "for [purpose]" part of this sentence without changing the sentence dramatically?


texts: Punctuation at the end of table headings and figure captions

texts:
Let's say we have a figure caption as follows:
Figure 6. Rehabilitation use between heart attack patients treated with different methods. HA - heart attack, M - method, PT - physical therapy, CI - confidence interval
Should this caption end with a punctuation or not?


texts: How would you express colons in speaking?

texts:
There are two colons in the following lines a radio personality is speaking. How does the speaker get his listeners to feel the existence of colons? Maybe intonation? or a shorter pause?

(On the radio)

  ”Listeners, that brings us to the end of another Potterwatch. We don’t know when it will be possible to broadcast again, but you can be sure we shall be back. Keep twiddling those dials: The next password will be ‘Mad-Eye.’ Keep each other safe: Keep faith. Good night.” (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (7) [US Version p.444])


texts:
Which verb can I use in place of the bolded text in the following sentence?

"He usually argues very aggressively but he has reduced the intensity of his aggression in the presence of guests."

Would "mellow down" sound appropriate here?


texts:
I saw this sentence in the book 1Q84:

  It's not just you that don't know.

However, I am having trouble figuring out why (or whether) this is the correct way to write the sentence, as opposed to:

  It's not just you that doesn't know.

Now, according to owl.purdue.edu, we should use "doesn't" when the subject is singular (except when the subject is "you" or "I"), and "don't" otherwise. But in the example above, I am having a hard time figuring out what exactly the subject is and whether it is singular.

The reason my question is different from John's is that in John's, the subject is clearly "you." However, as I tried to articulate above, I am having a hard time figuring out what exactly the subject is in the quotes I gave and whether it is singular.


texts: Can you be ill from an injury (I don't mean an infection)

texts:
This is something that crops up on the BBC a lot and irks me. For example, from a story today:

  One woman is critically ill and three others have been injured after
  they were stabbed near a supermarket car park in west London.

To me, you are ill (or sick) if you have, for example, contracted a disease and using it in the sense of someone being injured is wrong.

Google gives the definition of ill as "suffering from an illness or disease or feeling unwell." and I'm sure that a car crash or stabbing would certainly make you feel unwell, but I still don't think it's right. Is it?


texts:
We Italians sometime say "Tutte le strade portano a Roma", which is an idiomatic expression to say that there are many different ways to reach the same goal.

In English, the expression can be translated "All roads lead to Rome".

Among Anglophones, is that expression understandable and currently in use? Or, is it preferable to say New York or London, rather than Rome, to make that expression work ("All roads lead to New York", "All roads lead to London")?


texts: Do people in Miami really talk like they do in the television series "Dexter"?

texts:
as I'm far from being good English speaker, I use to watch series to improve my skills. I'm fan of various genres, from Star Trek to How I Met Your Mother and I can say until now, I felt "aligned" with it, meaning I knew why such and such grammar was used, when it was slang, shorter form etc.

Just recently I've picked up Dexter, nice one btw, and I can't stop wondering. People there (actors) speak completely different than what I was used to listen to. I don't mean accent or pronunciation (although I can see differences here, too) like in thread Why are movies so hard to understand (and what can you do about it)? but more like the actual (lack of) grammar.

For example, people many times skip words ("[are] You [willing to] be there?" or "See [you] tomorrow?") and what was most surprising for me, they rarely use past and future tenses. So instead of let's say "You have had a fight?" actor just asks "You fighting?" or instead of "Have you you told her that?" just "You tell her?" or similar (yes, it's often combined with mentioned skipping of some words).

So my question is, is it really some kind of Miami slang (with influence of immigrants from Cuba who don't speak so well English) or it's just the series or it's just me being completely wrong?


texts: Is "redact" an acceptable substitute for "delete" or "omit?"

texts:
I am constantly reading comments and documents from people who use the verb redact to refer to the act of deleting or otherwise censoring content.  This never seemed correct to me, but until today it never actually occurred to me to look up the dictionary definition.  I just did, and this is what it says:

  –verb (used with object)
  1.   to put into suitable literary form; revise; edit.
  2.   to draw up or frame (a statement, proclamation, etc.).

Nowhere does this seem to indicate anything about deletion.  I suppose that, in a very limited set of circumstances, redaction in the context of "editing for publication" might indeed involve the deletion of certain content, but that aspect seems incidental rather than fundamental.

That said, I accept that plenty of "common English" hasn't made it to the dictionaries or style guides yet, so I'm wondering if maybe I missed a memo, because the "delete" definition seems to come up almost everywhere I look.  For example:

  ...before sharing board minutes (or shareholder or committee minutes) with auditors or other third parties, carefully review the minutes and redact (delete) sections containing privileged information to avoid waiving the attorney-client privilege. [AllBusiness]

  The term redaction may not be a household term, but is often used in the legal community. It's the practice of removing confidential or sensitive data before giving the document to others. [ProductivityPortfolio]

On synonyms.net, it is actually defined as "edit" but has several "delete" synonyms listed:

  cast, edit out, edit, blue-pencil, cut, redact, put, frame, couch, delete

Adobe Acrobat even has a feature named Search and Redact that deletes results.

So... what exactly is going on here?  Is this usage:

Inane corp-speak parroted by people who have no idea what it means?
Jargon that escaped from the legal profession and made it into common use?
The result of most types of redaction being deletion, leading to natural confusion due to frequent use?
A more mundane form of confusion - possibly with the similar-sounding retract?
Just another case of the dictionary being at odds with the informal/spoken language?

Basically, what I'm trying to understand is: Is this really an acceptable usage of the word, and if so, then what is its real origin and/or justification?

Note: I'm having a little trouble making sense of the tagging conventions here, so please feel free to retag this if necessary.


texts: Why is the euphemism "comfort women" so heavily used?

texts:
Most reporting on women used for sex by the Japanese armed forces during WWII use the euphemism "comfort women", derived from the Japanese word "ianfu", which means "comfort women". Sometimes the euphemism is put in scare quotes, and sometimes the term is defined, but it's used nonetheless.

Why is the euphemism used so heavily?

One potential explanation is that media has bias and want to soften Japan's past misdeeds, but most of the reporting I've seen it in takes it for granted that the action of using women this way was wrong.

Is it because there's no alternative which is as concise and specific to this action?


texts: How to convert this sentence into passive voice?

texts:
Sentence:

  The carrier requires the manufacturer to install the software code on the iPhone.

I want to convert the previous sentence into passive voice by making software code to be subject, but not sure I am doing correctly

Passive sentence:

  The software code is installed on the iPhone by the manufacturer as required by the carrier.

Did I change the meaning of the original sentence in the passive sentence?


texts: How do you punctuate a sentence asking whether a person is also someone else?

texts:
How do you correctly punctuate a sentence where it is asked if another person is also someone else?

For example: "Is Greg Dr. Jones?" (which, in this context, is the same as asking "is Greg ALSO Dr. Jones?"). Essentially, I am asking, "does there need to be punctuation between 'Greg' and 'Dr. Jones'? If so, what type of punctuation?"


texts: So there's this sound that sounds like "click" that you make if you move your tongue high up, bend it backward and then fastly hit floor of the mouth with it. I'm not even sure how it's called in my own language. If you repeat this sound many times in short amount of time it kinda sounds like a horse that is slowly walking on solid ground. Do you have any words for that sound in english?


texts: Why do legal documents use "at" before names of cities?

texts:
I was looking at a proof of loss form, and below my signature there is a section for another affiant's signature which reads:

  Declared severally before me at  ______________________

From examples all over the web, affiants write only the name of the location (ex: “Boston” or “Boston, MA”).

Can someone please explain why how this is grammatically correct?

To me, it makes more sense for it to read “declared severally before me at the city of Boston”, or “declared severally before me in Boston”?


texts: What is a single word to describe someone who has very little or no authority? An older colleague used to say it but I cannot recall.


texts:
Is this good English?

  Falling into the ocean, the drop dies as a drop, but not as water.

Or should I say:

  When it falls into the ocean, the drop dies...


texts: Some good derogatory terms for nobility or upper class?

texts: I'm in need of some derogatory terms for nobles for a story I'm writing, something for a fantastical medieval based world. The more the merrier!


texts: What is correct: It's just not so easy or it just is not so easy?

texts:
"Life is simple it's just not so easy" or
"Life is simple it just is not so easy"

I would like to know if there's a correct way to say that or in case of both are right so what is the difference?
It's just not or it just is not ?


texts: What is the word for a surrounding sequence?

texts:
A pattern that begins a word is generally denoted as "prefix",
one that ends a word is generally denoted as "suffix".

Is there a word that indicates a pattern that surrounds a word. For instance (hello), is there a word that indicates the parentheses?

So if I have several patterns i.e.:

"hello"
(hello)
{hello}
[hello]

etc. What word do I use for the surrounding pattern?


texts: "All I need (is/are) cigarettes and alcohol": which one is correct?

texts:
In one of Oasis's songs — Cigarettes and Alcohol — there are two sentences that make me confused:

  All I found was cigarettes and alcohol

...and...

  All I need is cigarettes and alcohol

Why would is and was be correct in these sentences instead of are and were, since they're referring to more than one thing?


texts:
Can "stoppage" and "stopping" be used interchangeably? If not, could someone please provide an example where they would convey dissimilar notions?

Do they have any semantic differences?

I don't refer to "stoppage time" (or injury time) for sports vs "stopping time" (the statistical concept). I refer for example to : "premature stopping of the procedure X" versus "premature stoppage of the procedure X".


texts:
I hope you can help. I am updating my CV/résumé and I am using one word for each section. I must admit I am stumped in one area.

I need a single word to convey the following description:

"Work completed on behalf of"

This is where I have carried out work (graphic design and web development) for other companies while working for my main company (e.g external rather than internal work).


texts: "Passed" versus "past" instance in a published novel

texts:
A certain book by a famous author has been released in a new second edition. Unfortunately, it appears some changes have been made for the worse.

For instance, in the first edition you read the following sentence.

  [..] a message for you about the next age, and the one just past.

This has been changed in the second edition to the following sentence.

  [..] a message for you about the next age, and the one just passed.

I'm inclined to think the first version was right because it can be read as involving the following omissions:

  [..] a message for you about the next age, and the one [that has] just [gone] past.


texts: Looking for a word that describes a place or experience that means something different to every individual

texts:
A word that describes a place or experience that means something different to every individual.

Think along the lines of how "rite of passage" and "landmark" are used.

An example would be if someone said something like, "You never went to blockbuster when you were a kid? That place was a ______! How could you have never gone!"


texts: What is the opposite of the verb "animate"?

texts: What is the opposite of the verb animate? I am looking for something meaning "take life out of something."


texts:
Is there a single word in English which can replace someone/something who gives shelter or shelter-giving?

I am not only interested in a person who gives shelter but something which gives a sense of shelter e.g. shelter-giving earth.


texts:
I'd like to rephrase the following sentence (Intended to be used in an introduction passage of a paper, regarding a construct from chaos theory, the Maximal Lyapunov exponent)

The Maximal Lyapunov Exponent characterizes a system's average local growth/decrease rate of uncertainty.

In particular, I don't like the "growth/decrease" part. Is there any way to condense it into one word? ("change" doesn't seem appropriate) or else rephrase the whole sentence?
I wasn't sure what tags to use, feel free to add anything that seems appropriate.


texts:
Does "hard mail address" mean postal address?
I received a text:

Please, send me your e-mail and also your hard mail address

But I do not know the meaning of "hard mail address".


texts: Future perfect progressive tense question

texts:
I don't understand the grammar in this sentence: "By this time next summer, you will have completed your studies and found a job."
I understand that the first half is future perfect progressive but why is the verb "found"in the second half in past tense and "not will have found"?

Thanks


texts:
Mundane means ordinary.The word is mostly used in negative sense.Can the word "mundane" be used in positive sense too?
Like"Mr.K is not a wasteful man.He leads a very mundane life."Another example can be"Miss ABC does not show off in front of others.She is a mundane girl."In the examples I am referring mundane to be "ordinary" and in positive sense.Can the examples be used? or is it wrong technically?


texts:
This week's obituary in The Economist is devoted to Deate S. Gordon, a bilingual lady that helped to write the Japanese Constitution after the war. She produced Article 24, about equality of the sexes, and managed to keep that article against stern opposition, a feat only revealed by her when she wrote a memoir in 1995. And then The Economist goes:

  "After that, she was full of it."

I guessed that they mean she was (rightly) proud of it, but just to be sure I checked out several dictionaries. To my surprise, "full of it" means "full of shit" or
"full of crap", i.e. "completely wrong, false, or worthless" (Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms). No mention of being proud of something. I'm sure The Economist didn't mean "she was full of crap". Now I'm puzzled.


texts: Is it correct to say "The app was installed on a couple of devices as a pilot"?

texts:
This is what I wanted to write:

The app was piloted on a couple of devices.

But I really want to use the word "install", so that non-tech people don't wonder "how was it piloted?"

Does pilot-installed make sense?


texts: Grammar analysis: why is "Fufu" in the following sentence object complement rather than direct object

texts:
I called my pug Fufu: subject...object...object complement(Introducing English Grammar, p.93)

Yet if I say:

  I give my pug some water.

then pug would be indirect object and some water would be direct object. At least that is what I believe.

So my question is how to distinguish these two situation?


texts: On the expression "no [noun 1] or any [noun 2]"

texts:
I have often seen the following expressions:

[ex.] 1. I have no allergies or any medical issues.
      2. John serves a chicken with no sauce or any kind of seasoning.

I suspect that such a use is wrong from a prescriptive grammatical point of view, because "no" modifies "allergies" in (ex.1) and the sentence is split as follows: "I have no allergies" or "I have any medical issues".  But this is not what sentence (ex.1) means.
(ex.1) means that I have no allergies or (and?) no medical issues.

Probably, I think that (ex.1) is reanalyzed as "I don't have any allergies or any medical issues".

My question is:
(1) Is the use like (ex.) correct (in prescriptive grammatical terms)?
(2) If not, what is the correct expression to tell the expressions like (ex.1) and (ex.2)?
(3) Or is there some grammatical rule where when "no" is used, the word that comes after "or" may be "any".
(4) Given that I am wrong and the use like (ex.) is correct, why is this so?


texts:
Examples:

Savings
Shavings
Drippings

Are these gerunds?

I found some resources (below) that don't seem to provide definitive answers.

Page 57
Page 320


texts: Using "to do" twice in a sentence is correct?

texts: Is it correct to use "to do" twice in a sentence? For example: is it correct to say "how to do that and when to do that is a problem" or should it be "how to do that and when doing that is a problem"?


texts: What is the origin of the reference to the "ancient Marks"

texts: From the historical reference included: "Kemble, in his (appendix) list of "patronymical names," which he regards as "those of ancient Marks," has two references, from the "Codex Diplomaticus"...", what is meant by ancient Marks in this reference. The source in question doesn't include the term in its index and I have never heard of it before but it seems from the source title it might originate from England. Scholarly expertise is needed here I believe.    Source: The Project Gutenberg EBook on Some Ancient Battle-fields in Lancashire, by Charles Hardwick, page 198


texts: Why "should" following "It wouldn't be at all strange..."?

texts:
Why did the writer use should before the word find here?

It would not be at all strange if some obscene words and gestures should find expression.....There was considerable humour, very broad humour too, but nothing obscene.

Why didn’t he write it like this?

It would not be at all strange if some obscene words and gestures found expression.


texts: Is there a grammar mistake in "These restaurants are for people who are always in haste."?

texts: Is this sentence, "These restaurants are for people who are always in haste." grammatically correct? Can I use verb-to-be before "in haste"? Thank you so much!


texts:
Basic internet search seems to show the pedanticism is a less commonly used word for pedantry. But I couldn't find much in terms of what I would consider "canonical resources"

Are they both words?
Are they synonyms?

Sincerely want to know, the irony is a side effect.


texts: I'm looking for a word that implies that one intended to do something but then didn't due to being afraid.  Like someone who never asks out a person of interest because of the fears of rejection or loss of a friend.  Hesitate is close, but to me it implies that the action will happen eventually, and I want the word to mean that the person never goes through with it because he or she is so afraid (its synonyms seem to have the same implications).  Is there a word in English that means a complete failure to go through with something out of fear?


texts:
Does dress style mean attire, or is it specifically a style of dress worn by women?

For example: "What is the proper dress style for the interview?"


texts: Has there been an Anglo-Saxon movement in English?

texts:
We know there has been an influence (or attempt at influence) of Latin grammar on English, especially in the 19th century. And of course, many new words coined today in (say) the sciences draw upon Latin sources.

In the opposite direction, I vaguely seem to recall reading about a movement (or several separate movements) in English that championed the use of words derived from Anglo-Saxon, eschewing words from Romance, Latin, and possibly Greek roots. For instance, as in the examples here, "people" would be replaced with "folk", "sense" would be replaced with "meaning", and so on. Does anyone know more details about such movements? Who were the advocates? How well did they succeed? And most importantly, are there examples of works written in (or "translated" into) such English?

Edit: To clarify, the question is not about a mere preference for Anglo-Saxon words, which quite a few usage writers have advocated, but a near-fanatical attempt to expunge every Romance word from writing. I recall reading about some outlandish words coined as part of this attempt.


texts: Should TPS (transactions per second) be upper or lower case

texts:
If one wants to write shorthand for transactions per second what would be correct casing? TPS or tps?

As SI unit, s is always lowercase and thus I believe it should be written as "tps".
On other hand, it as an abbreviation and thus it deserves uppercase "TPS" treatment.


texts: How do I say a calculated decimal has too many decimal places?

texts:
I'm trying to craft an appropriately worded error message for an application I'm working on.

It boils down to when a calculated value results in having too many decimal places it can't be correctly calculated by the application.

My initial thought for an error message would be something like

Decimal too large to be calculated accurately.

I'm trying to convey the too large to mean a fraction with to many decimal places. But obviously to large means something else. What would the correct term be?

For a more literal example; when 0.0017985611510791366 is used in the program it throws an error. When 0.002 is used it doesn't.


texts: Can I separate the parts of a sentence so far away?

texts:
According to Professor Kong, Bo Xilai’s (the governor of Chongqing, whose wife are convicted of killing the British businessman H. Wood) “Chongqing model”, which was known for its tough measures dealing with “underground mafia” on the political front, “singing red (Communist) songs” on the cultural front, and the promotion of “common prosperity” on the economic front, paved the way for China’s future development. (self-made)

All the three merits of the Chongqing model are to be the stones to pave the way. I do not want to  put which clause behind “pave the way..”., because I have to emphasize the which part of the sentence, making the readers pay much attention to the reason of  Professor Kong for thinking that way.

But I doubt that my sentence will be separated too far away. Is there some better way to reorganize the paragraph?


texts: A word for something you keep coming back to to feel grounded, oriented

texts:
Is there a word for an object like this? Mantra is close, but is more like a ritual than a physical thing.

For example, a rosary could be a physical object that a Catholic uses to calm, center, orient themselves when stressed. A specific blanket helps my child do the same. A teddy bear serves that same purpose for another. I once read a story about a bulldog that wouldn't go anywhere without this specific log.

Is there a more general word or phrase for an object of this sort? "Comfort item" doesn't have the lyricism I'm looking for, but may be the only choice.


texts: What's it called when someone thinks something's cute?

texts:
You know how right before going "Awwwww!" People breathe in? What exactly is that called? And if there's no specific word for it, how do I describe it?

Example: (This guy 's obsessed with this couple btw) I silently kiss Davin on the cheek, making him turn bright red.

Tj ____. "Aww! You two are so perfect!"


texts: What is word for the logic error of no comparison when trying to argue for a comparison statement?

texts: For example, when arguing "X is better than Y", one may argue in a way such that emphasizes "X is good" without mentioning Y, or "Y is bad" without mentioning "X", i.e., no actual comparison in the argument. What is the word for this logical error?


texts: Cohesion and Flow: Passive Sentence Creating Better Flow?

texts:
I was reading a presentation and found the passage below. I still don't understand how the passive voice (first sentence) causes the sentence to flow better. To me, the second sentence sounds better, and flows more smoothly. Any ideas why?

  Which passage is cohesive?

  Some astonishing questions about the nature of the universe have been raised by scientists studying black holes in space. The collapse of a dead star into a point perhaps no longer than a marble creates a black hole. So much matter compressed into so little volume changes the fabric of space around it in puzzling ways.

  Some astonishing questions about the nature of the universe have been raised by scientists studying black holes in space. A black hole is created by the collapse of a dead star into a point perhaps no larger than a marble. So much matter compressed into so little volume changes the fabric of space around it in puzzling ways.

  Cohesion

  The sentence with the passive voice caused the paragraph to flow better.
  It connected easily to the sentence that preceded it and the sentence that followed.


texts: Please explain this sentence (a precept, really)

texts:
Intuitively, aside from being convoluted, it doesn't seem to make sense.

  Power of an imagination can arise from what it refuses to foresee.


texts: Term for elevation extremes of a planet?

texts:
Are there any terms in English, either colloquial or scientific, to describe the highest and lowest points of elevation on a given object (particularly a planet)?

For example, one could say that the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, is 11,034 meters below sea level, or you could say that Earth's sea level is 11,034 meters above Earth's... what?  Similarly, the peak of Mt Everest is 8,848 meters above sea level, which means that Earth's sea level is 8,848 meters below its... what?

This is particularly tricky for other planets, which don't have a sea level as a convenient baseline: "The Martian landing site is at a very high elevation, just 2,000 meters below the summit of Olympus Mons, which is the ________ of Mars."

Do those terms exist?  Or do we have to use longer phrases like "highest point" or "greatest elevation"?


texts:
Which tense is best suited to describe sickness and pain? In the example below, what are the differences between the two usages? Which one sounds more natural?

My ear hurts

My ear is hurting


texts:
What is the difference between "something else" and "something extra"?
The answer for the blank in this question is "else", but is "extra" an alternative answer? If "EXTRA" IS WRONG, WHY IS IT WRONG?

  "A land free from destruction, plus wealth, natural resources, and labor supply – all these were important factors in helping England to become the center for the Industrial Revolution. But they were not enough. Something __ was needed to start the industrial process. That “something special” was men – creative individuals who..."


texts: What's the word for two events or people that happen in the same place but at different points in history, similar to contemporary?

texts: The exact situation I'm trying to fill is with Nathaniel Hawthorne, who lived in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1800's, but wrote a book about the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600's. I want to contrast this word with "contemporary", if such a word exists.


texts: Show agreement or similarity with "so could it be" or "so could it"?

texts:
I have this sentence:

  As this problematic situation could be applied to Europe, so could
  the way of dealing with it be

I don't know whether the last be should be removed or not. Is it correct as it is written now?

When writing so do I or similar structures (so could I,...), can it be followed by a sentence or does it have to stop with those three words?


texts: Is it normal to separate hyphenated words on different lines?

texts:
I'm typing in Microsoft Word, and it automatically separated the word T-shirt when it ran out of room:

  blah blah blah, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, I have a T-
  shirt

leaving just the letter "T" on one line.  This doesn't look right to me at all, or for any compound, hyphenated word, yet basically all text boxes will split words at a dash on separate lines if needed.  I would prefer:

  I have a
  T-shirt

I know it would be fine if I were splitting words in a narrow column, like the newspaper, but is there a rule about what you're supposed to do to words like this?  Is my way always right, or Word's, or either?  (How to get Word to actually stop doing it is a totally different question...)


texts: The precise meaning of "may/might and/or may/might not"?

texts:
She may/might be honest.

This sentence already has the meaning that

  She may/might not be honest.

1. Why do we sometimes say:

  She might and/or might not be honest.

2. Which conjunction is (more) correct: "and" or "or"?

So, the question is not on when to use "might" and when to use "may", it is about why each comes along with its negation, and what difference that usage makes to the meaning. Is it just about emphasis?

The second question is about the conjunction that should be used between them: "and" or "or"? Both versions  are used frequently on the web.


texts: Tense of a zero conditional when the main clause is in present perfect

texts:
I'm not sure about the terminology so I'll just give examples.

Present simple:

  In 19th century, if you wanted to go to Japan, you had to sail.

Past simple:

  Today, if you want to go to Japan, you have to take a plane.

Present perfect:

  For the last 60 years, if you (???) to Japan, you have had to take a plane.

What would you put instead of the placeholder? "if you have wanted to go to Japan" doesn't sound right. Is this kind of a conditional possible at all?