texts: Is using "Sirs" when addressing a group of men incorrect?

texts:
When I was in the Army, I was taught that you addressed an individual officer as "Sir" or "Ma'am". You address groups of officers as "Gentlemen" or "Ladies", not "Sirs" or "Ma'ams".

Example:
Approaching a group of male officers, I would salute and say "Good morning, gentlemen" not "Good morning, sirs."

Now, whenever someone says "Sirs", I cringe.  It sounds as bad as if someone said "Ma'ams".

But is it actually incorrect, or is it strictly an Army thing?

Note: I'm not talking about the rare situation where you might be introducing someone to a group of knights and saying "May I present Sirs Galahad and Lancelot"


texts: What's the difference between "blond" and "blonde"?

texts: I hear all the time that one word is for males and the other is for females but I'm skeptical...


texts:
Especially in academic writing, pluralisation of abbreviations is a very handy device: ‘p’→‘pp’¹ is ‘page’→‘pages’, ‘ed’→‘edd’ becomes ‘editors’, ‘ll’ is ‘lines’, ‘nn’ is ‘notes’.² The rule (given ‘ed’→‘edd’) appears to be that the final letter of the abbreviation is doubled in order to pluralise it, but is this correct? So, as the question states: What are the rules for pluralising abbreviations? From this follows two sub-question: Are there any notable differences between academic writing and writing for a general audience (except perhaps avoiding too many such abbreviations)? And when using established Latin phrases in English writing, are there any special rules to consider for pluralisation of Latin abbreviations in English texts?
With reference to note 2 below, I am conscious that these abbreviations might have been inherited from mediaeval scribal practice. Could the answer perhaps be found there?³
───
1.   Or ‘pp.’, henceforth without the full stop.
2.   Or ‘pāginæ’, ‘ēditorēs’, ‘līneæ’, ‘notæ’.
3.   Could perhaps ‘qq.v.’ be a legitimate variant of ‘q.v.’, ɔ: for ‘quibus vidē’ rather than ‘quō vidē’? An example (if correct) could be ‘These issues have been discussed earlier, qq.v. nn. 13, 27 and 29.’
───
Comment 1
I considered adding the latin tag, but chose not to, as this question isn’t about Latin specifically, but rather what is customary in English. Should you consider that the latin tag indeed belongs to this question, do please say so in the comments, and I will edit it.
Comment 2
As pointed out in the comments, we are here dealing with abbreviations renegated to footnotes. I still believe the question holds relevance, though, but it is worth keeping in mind.


texts:
Reading articles I came across the word non-determinism written in different ways (non-determinism and nondeterminism).
I was wondering if there is a difference, or if one is incorrect? May be one is from the UK and the other from the UK?

More generally what is the "rule" for the "non-" composed words?

Thanks


texts: Is it considered offensive to describe someone as a Saracen?

texts:
Prior to the 17th century 'Saracen' was the name given to a Muslim, whether of Arab or Turkish origin. It originates from the Crusades, from a region called Sarakene in the northern Sinai peninsula.

The name survives on pub signs across the country. There are many called 'The Saracen's Head'. One, of which I am aware, changed its name to 'The Turk's Head', and then to something completely different.

What I am wondering is whether or not it is considered an offensive term among Arabic or Turkish people.


texts: What is the plural possessive form of the word "British"?  I believe British is both singular and plural.  Is that right?  I could get around the possessive problem by using "The British empire's...", but how would I do it with just the one word?


texts: Standard English proverb for "When you see a useful resource, you feel lazy to work."

texts:
What would be the standard English proverb for something like this:

Your leg starts to ache when you see a horse.

OR

When you see a useful resource/means, you feel lazy to do the job/work.

EDIT: It essentially means, I think, that a 'lazy man will find many excuses to avoid work'.

Here is the original Kannada language proverb:

Kudure kandre kaalu novvu.

Which literally means:

"Your leg starts to ache when you see a horse."

OR

"When you notice a horse, you act limp"

SevenSidedDie explains it below quite well:

"Nice car! Oh, uh, I suddenly have a cramp, can I get a ride?"

(Note: Proverbs are pieces of traditional wisdom passed down to us from previous generations - kinda like universal truths, while quotes are just opinions of one or more persons.  "A bad workman quarrels with his tools" is a proverb while "I can resist anything but temptation"  is a quote. What I want is a proverb, not a quote, thanks.)


texts: How does "aboriginal" mean "unsophisticated"?

texts:
A list of SAT vocabulary words from www.FreeVocabulary.com  gives the following definition for the word aboriginal:

  aboriginal adj. Primitive; unsophisticated.

I know that aboriginal means a person or group of people who have been living beforehand or the first people to live in a certain region. How does it mean "unsophisticated"?


texts: What is the difference between 'exerting power' and 'exercising power'? I've heard both in very similar contexts, and cannot tell if there's a nuance of meaning that I've missed. Dictionaries didn't help either.


texts: Reason for the strange meaning of "for any length of time"?

texts:
Consider the sentence [emphasis mine]:

  Foreign producers cannot sell all commodities at lower prices than domestic producers for any length of time because the depreciation (or pressures for depreciation) of the importing country’s currency ensures that trade will flow in both directions.

Intuitively, the sentence should mean that foreign producers can never sell commodities at lower prices than domestic producers, because even one day is "a length of time," and the sentence asserts that it cannot happen for any length of time. Of course, that's not what it's actually saying. A more literal phrasing would be "for a very long time" or "for any great length of time."

This interpretation of "any quantity of X" does not carry over to other values of X. For instance,

  I would not sell that to you for any amount of money.

means exactly what it looks like it means: that any quantity of money, either very low or very high, is not appropriate.

So my question is, where does this strange use of "any length of time" come from, and are there any other things besides time to which it applies?


texts: Can countable nouns become uncountable by usage?

texts:
The words speaker and hearer are countable nouns according to the Cambridge Dictionary. And a countable noun should either used plural or be with an article.

But I see many use these words without any article in the singular form. For example see:

  It is very plausible that this transfer of thought contents from
  speaker to hearer is a necessary condition for successful
  communication. Source

So, my question is, can a countable noun become uncountable just by our usage?


texts: Another way to say "a measure of how easy it is" to do something?

texts:
I'm faced with the task of writing a slightly informal technical paper, where I'd define more than a dozen terms, all ending in "-bility". Examples: portability, maintainability, comprehensibility, etc., etc., etc.

In essence, those are all instances of the concept "a measure of how easy it is to do [something]". But I'm afraid that the text will get repetitive if I start all definitions the same way.

Would there be other phrases with a similar meaning that I could use in this context?

Thanks,

Edit #1: Shorter phrases with the same or similar meaning would be a plus...

Edit #2: The finishes text will look somewhat like a dictionary, e.g.:

Portability is a measure of how easy it is to...
Maintainability is a measure of how easy it is to...
Comprehensibility is a measure of how easy it is to...

so, this is where the repetition comes from.


texts: Ordinal form of negative numbers (especially -1, -2, -3)

texts:
Ordinal numbers are traditionally considered to begin at 1:
i.e., 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.
Yet, in the past 100 years, the word “zeroth” (0th) has begun to be used.

Negative integers seem even more inappropriate as ordinal numbers, but there still are cases where we would like to form things like "minus sixth floor". How is it with -1, -2 and -3?

minus first, minus second, minus third

or

minus oneth, minus twoth, minus threeth

or maybe a mix of those? "Minus oneth" doesn't sound too awkward to me, might even sound better to some.


texts: A single word with the same meaning as: "Latest activity"

texts:
I've been trying to find a single word that would say "latest activity" or "most recent activity".

The word is to be used as a column header, and it will probably read either "latest activity" or "latest retry".

The column cells will hold time stamps that is stamped every time a state is changed or when a request to change state is sent. It's really to identify idle workflows.

I've tried searching for it but I don't seem to find any. Is anyone here aware of a single word that would communicate this?


texts: Why do they use "are born" instead of "were born" in this sentence?

texts:
I recently came across an article about Taiwan's education, and in it is this sentence:

  "In 2014 just 200,000 babies are born in Taiwan, according to the
  Taipei Times."

My question is that 2014 is in the past, so why do they use "are born" instead of "were born"?


texts:
I've seen conflicting accounts as the etymology of 'drag' (as in: drag queen).

the first being acronymical of "Dressed as A Girl".

the second as:

  One suggested etymological root is 19th-century theatre slang, from the sensation of long skirts trailing on the floor. -Wikipedia

Any conclusive answers as to the etymology of drag?~


texts: Why can't I say, "I have a brown hair," to describe the colour of my hair?


texts: Is 'petrichor' the only noun in English that means a specific scent?

texts: I heard that 'petrichor', which is defined as a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather, is the only noun in English that means a specific scent. Is this true?


texts: Word for people or group(s) that will receive message

texts:
What is a single word that means 'the people or group(s) that will receive the message'?

Update:

This will be used in my code. It will be part of the name of a class that will display who will receive the message that is being composed.


texts: When someone leaves at 4pm - should I say "Have a good afternoon" or "evening"?

texts:
I started work as a receptionist and must greet people that come and go. Please let me know what I should say when it is 4 pm and the client is leaving.

Should I say "Bye, have a nice afternoon" or "Bye, have a nice evening"?


texts:
Which is the correct sentence and why?

  Grab this offer before it disappears

or

  Grab this offer before it gets disappeared.


texts: Present Simple instead of Present Perfect

texts:
I have come across interesting cases several times where the Present Simple is used instead of the Present Perfect. For example:

1) Lately I get the feeling that I am not so much being pulled down as I am being pushed. (from the movie - "Friends")

2) Man, have you noticed how much more time Paul spends at the gym lately? (taken from this discussion Present continuous to discuss action's frequency)

As a rule, "lately" invites the Present Perfect which means that it would be more correct in accordance with grammar rules to say:

Lately I've got the feeling...

.. have you noticed how much more time Paul has spent/been spending...

I, by no means, intend to say that this usage is not idiomatic, as these sentences were uttered by native speakers, I just would like to get some of your thoughts and explanations why it is possible to use the Present Simple here. I'd like also to know if the Present Perfect would be a good substitution. Examples illustrating this usage are very welcome.


texts:
For "crush" in meaning:

  2 informal a brief but intense infatuation for someone, especially someone unattainable

What word would replace the terribly technical developing a crush?
Does one only get infatuated or is there a less generic word than get to signify developing infatuation?

The particular sentence for which I need this is

  "Do you sometimes fall in love with a character from a book?”

I'm feeling "love" is too strong here. Crush or infatuation would both be better, but while you fall in love, what do you do with these two?


texts: How would one term this particular relationship between "Bill Gates" and "Bill Gateaux"?

texts:
While postulating a French universe, my brain voted that Bill Gates should become Bill Gateaux.

What term or short-phrase would one use to describe the word 'Gateaux', relative to 'Gates', where the meaning is irrelevant? Is there a term that describes such relationships?

I know that there is a reason my brain linked these two words. As far as I can tell, it's a semi-random phenomenon, and I have no particular reason to believe that these two words should be linked together.


texts: I've always thought that "programming" sounded more professional opposed to "coding".  But after looking at the words more closely I'm not entirely sure they mean the same thing.  But even if they do mean the same thing, from another person's viewpoint, is it really more  professional too say "programming" over "coding"?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is there any difference between “talk to someone” and “talk with someone”?

Should I say

  I talked to Bob.

or

  I talked with Bob.


texts: What do you call someone who believes that their morals are pure?

texts:
I am trying to find a right word for a person that believes that he/she always acts with pure morals. Someone who in a way believes and acts like Jesus. Especially in terms of pure heart or pure morals.
If you have seen the movie Dogville by Lars von Trier, I am trying to describe a person like Grace. Up to a certain point in the movie, she truly believes and acts in accordance to her strong morals even when it is detrimental to her.

Here are few words/phrases I am thinking of:

self-righteous and holier-than-thou - this usually implies the person outwardly shows this but their actions are not in accordance with what they preach.
martyr or saint might be closer to what I am looking.
moral superiority - is close but it usually has a negative connotation similar to self-righteous.


texts: Is a collective subject 'it' or 'they'? Or are we allowed to use whichever sounds best?

texts: I have long admired the grammatical teaser posed by the lyric: "Oliver's army is here to stay, Oliver's army are on their way" (Elvis Costello). Which is the correct form for a collective actor: "The government is proposing..." or "The government are proposing..."? Or, and I am hopeful that this is the case, are we allowed some discretion, as per Mr Costello's splendid example?


texts: I want a word, sort of like "synonym" or "cognate"

texts:
According to Google (I'm not sure which dictionary source they use) the meaning of synonym is:

  a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word
  or phrase in the same language, for example shut is a synonym of
  close.

I want to know if there is a similar word to describe when two words or phrases from different languages are used to refer to the same thing or idea.

The word cognate almost suffices except, Wikipedia says this about the word:

  In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin.

and

  Cognates do not need to have the same meaning, which may have changed as the languages developed separately.

So what word would I use when trying to explain that I have several words from different languages that have the same (synonymous) meaning, but they might have different origins. English and Chinese words for the same concept for example, most certainly will not be cognates.

Here is an example sentence where I might use the word I seek:

  Chinese "饥饿" and Arabic "جوع" are ______ for the English word "hunger".

The word "translations" would actually work here, but I am looking for a more linguistic term for the actual concept that these words refer to and that links them together.


texts: What does "All in a day's work" mean? The online dictionaries aren't very detailed on that. How did this idiom come to be? Was there some meaningful context to it originally?


texts: Does "away" serve as an adverb or an adjective in the following sentence?

texts:
The shop is five minutes away.

According to the dictionary, away is an adverb. An adverb modifies a verb. In the above example, what word does away modify? Why is away not an adjective?

  The shop is five meters tall.

tall is an adjective in the second example. It modifies five meters (does it?). So why is away an adverb?


texts:
From Criminal Justice Act Guidelines, on lawyer compensation:

  Determining Fair Compensation:
  After establishing that a case is extended or complex, the approving
  judicial officer should determine if excess payment is necessary to provide
  fair compensation.  The following criteria, among others, may be useful in
  this regard:
  - responsibilities involved measured by the magnitude and importance of the case;
  - manner in which duties were performed;
  - knowledge, skill, efficiency, professionalism, and judgment required of and used by counsel;
  - nature of counsel’s practice and injury thereto;
  - any extraordinary pressure of time or other factors under which services were rendered;
  - and any other circumstances relevant and material to a determination of a fair and reasonable fee.

I'm not 100% sure of the meaning of the bolded phrase. Does it mean "Was the lawyer up to the task" (performing his duties in a proper manner or maybe even with enhanced vigor"? (I guess this is the meaning)

Or, does it mean "the character, the nature of the effort the lawyer had to exert to complete the task"? (hard, excessively demanding work, requiring advanced skills, etc.)

Or maybe it means, per mplungjan's suggestion, "did he behave correctly, did he not intimidate someone, fake evidence, drive to interviews in taxies from out of state claiming expences"? (A sense I've totally overlooked, thanks, mplungjan!)


texts: "at client-side" vs "on the client-side"

texts:
I'm a little bit confuse with the use of client-side as a noun (In the context of Computer science, a client-server architecture). For instance , I used to say:

"I propose to install a tool at client-side"

But a friend of mine (that is not a native), told me that the right way is:
"I propose to install a tool on client-side"

That sounds weird to me, maybe adding "the" sounds better:
"I propose to install a tool on the client-side"

But the point is: what is the right way? (specially in formal writting).
Thanks in advance,


texts: Is there a specific term for meteorology on other planets?

texts:
I'm aware of the term "exometeorology", but that seems to connote meteorology on exoplanets outside our solar system. I'm wondering if there's a single word I can use to refer to meteorology on Venus or Mars, i.e.,

  The Venera 12 missions returned a wealth of data that was useful to the terrestrial planet meteorology community.

dictionary.com doesn't have a definition for exometeorology, anyway.


texts: When a phenomenon, usually a proper name, becomes an adjective

texts: At some point I came across a term for an adjective that has been formed out of a proper noun. It happens often in the music, art and literary world, i.e. "Sufjanian" or "Dylan-esque." Other common usages are "Seusical" (referring to Dr. Seuss), "Steinbeckian" and "Kerouacian." What is that type of word called? I am almost positive it has a name. It's incredible to me as these terms are created when someone contributes something so unique and original to the world that they've ushered in a new paradigm against which their successors and peers are evaluated. I can't for the life of me remember what this is called.


texts: What does 'We didn't bring you up to watch yourself cancer.' mean?

texts:
'bring up' is a kind of collocations?
I would like to know the meaning of this sentence.


texts:
"And the three bears" is a catch-phrase used to express disbelief:-

  This new investment will allow the Government to save taxpayers'
  money!

  And the three bears.

Does anyone know how this phrase came to be used in this way? (I can't find any search results without Goldilocks sticking her oar in; I would presume the origin is related to the story, but can't see how.)


texts: Noun and/or adjective to describe someone who immediately blames someone else for something?

texts:
The most common occurrence of this is as a kid: perhaps you misplaced your pencil or it rolled to the floor while you were preoccupied. The first feeling is that one of your classmates must've grabbed it.

This seems to bleed into adulthood for some folks as well, a knee jerk response to irrationally attribute a problem to a nearby human they don't like.

Is there a noun or adjective to describe this? Hopefully one that is pejorative in nature, but that's definitely not requisite.


texts: What was the pronunciation of the a in "trap" in early to mid Modern English in the UK?

texts:
I have often read that in Old and Middle English the "a" sound in words like "trap" was pronouned /a/. When it comes to modern English, Wikipedia suggests that this was raised to /æ/ in early Modern English and later lowered to /a/ again. See here:

Wikipedia - Pronunciation of English  - Changes in realization of /a/

So the idea here is that /a/ changed to /æ/ across the whole of Britain, and then changed back to /a/, but was retained for a little longer in RP as /æ/.

To me that sounds a little odd, considering that literally the only accents with /æ/ that I can think of (and this is agreed by Wikipedia) are from the Southeast of England. For example, RP, Essex, Cockney, Norfolk. In fact, in Scottish English, it can be closer to /ɐ/.

Outside of the UK, Australian English, New Zealand English and American English have /æ/, and these all had heavy migration from Southeast England (especially the former two). It's not found in the Carribean (see the first Wikipedia link) and as far as I know it's not found in traditional Indian English or African English accents, although these were all colonised at fairly similar times.

So, using a simple Occam's Razor argument, wouldn't it make more sense if /æ/ was only ever a form found in Southeast England, while the rest of Britain and Ireland retained /a/, which is now simply spreading back to London and the Southeast?


texts: Is there a word in English that refers to the relationship between the maternal and paternal grandparents of a child? I've been searching for years and would appreciate any possibilities. Thanks.


texts: Word or phrase for an idea that is good in theory but not practice

texts:
There are two things I’m thinking about. First, implementing ideas into policy on a large scale. An example could be the idea of communism, a big argument is that communism seems ideal on paper but not in practice.
Second, implementing ideas into a routine or protocol. An example of the former could be a conflict between time management and reality such as trying to designate a certain amount of time to complete a set of tasks. Sometimes things take longer than expected and all the planners and schedules in the world can’t fix that. An example of the latter would be employees being told to always wash their hands when they get dirty but if it is busy, sometimes it’s just not possible to do that every time.
I know these are a lot of different things and I don’t expect a word that encompasses all of them. Anything even remotely related would be appreciated.


texts: Does it sound good to write "With best compliments from" in an invitation?

texts:
Again it's somewhat similar to my previous question, but I need to know it too. I am preparing contents for a wedding card, I have little doubt in writing With best compliments from as the last line of the invitation, as according to my knowledge, this phrase is written when you gift or compliment someone. Is it okay to write it as following?

With best compliments from

Mr. Xyz, Nearest & Dearest


texts: When did aircraft stop being called “ships”?

texts:
If you read older flying materials and books like the classic Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche, aircraft are very frequently and consistently referred to as "ships". Many movies and videos from World War 2 also use the word, based on what I've found on Youtube.

But today "ship" isn't used widely - if at all - and it now seems very old-fashioned. What happened? When and why did "ship" stop being a common term for an aircraft?

(Cross-posted from aviation.SE)


texts:
There are some word references and debates for "negociate".

Anyone knows if both are correct ? Where does the spelling "negociate" comes from ?


texts: Please help identify correct verb placement

texts:
I would appreciate your help in figuring out the correct phrasing / verb|adverb placement for the following phrase(s):

"Her talents will be best expressed..."

vs.

"Her talents will best be expressed..."

Are each of these phrases correct and comparable in meaning? Or is one more grammatically correct?

-Thanks!


texts: How do you say 'cooked pig small intestine filled with pig blood' in English?

texts: In our culture, we usually serve cooked pig small intestine filled with pig blood in times of feast. Is there a single English word for this? In our language, it's Sa-thithun.


texts: Appropriate replacement of “nice to meet you” for online salutation?

texts:
I would like to use “nice to meet you” in an online email exchange but I feel that meet and see are not appropriate for online use. There is also a question about it.

I have also read somewhere that know is not appropriate, because meeting is not knowing and it should be used when I know someone for some time.

I wish to ask what is appropriate to use? Is there anything to build with connect?


texts: British English phrase "dot and carry one"

texts:
I've been re-reading 'Treasure Island' by Stevenson, and, at one point a character says, "... my pulse went dot and carry one" meaning, I think, that his pulse started racing.

Has anyone heard this idiom before? Can anyone tell me specifically to what it refers? The 'carry one' seems mathematical.


texts: Word to describe "when someone describes something in too much detail"

texts:
There's a word I thought I knew at some point, but can no longer remember what it was.

I tried looking up various thesaurus websites to no avail.

Similar words to what I'm looking for, but not quite:

Elaborate: too neutral -- I'm looking for a more negative connotation.
Elucidate: too positive a connotation.
Ruminate: The direction is correct, but it is about "thinking about something in too much detail" vs actually describing it so.
Describe ad nauseum: 3 words, and awkward sounding.

Example sentence: "He began to __ the topic"

To clarify, I'm looking for a verb.


texts:
How does one properly use i.e. in a sentence?
I'm not referring to Internet Explorer.


texts: What term can I use for buses that corresponds to "flight" for planes?

texts: Which term should I use when I want to buy a ticket from A to B for a scheduled bus, similar to what flight means for planes?


texts: There is not evidence vs. There is not any evidence vs. There is no evidence vs. There isn't evidence

texts:
A Washington Post article titled "Justice Dept. concludes that no, Michael Brown’s hands probably were not up" has this:

According to the report, here is what investigators believe most likely happened on Aug. 9.
There is not evidence to suggest Darren Wilson’s use of force was unreasonable
...
Michael Brown likely did reach into Wilson’s vehicle and grab the officer
...
Michael Brown did double back toward Darren Wilson
...

(Boldface as shown in the original.)
The writer lists these boldfaced sentences as important points, so I believe extra care must have been taken to makes these sentences grammatically correct.
And my question is about the first boldfaced sentence: Is it both grammatical and natural to use "not" as is, instead of "no" or "not any"?
Or is this a typo?
Also, please check to see if the contracted form (There isn't evidence) is any better than the original.


texts:
What is this called?

I know it's a collage, but is there more specific term for a collection of a pictures arranged in a way that creates the illusion of a "big picture" from amongst them?

Bonus: What's a better word than "illusion" to describe that "big picture"?


texts:
My husband always corrects me when I say "I'm done... (with whatever it is I'm doing.)"
He says that proper grammar requires you to say "I have finished." As Saying "I'm done" refers only to the "done-ness' of food.

Help me!


texts: Word that means written, non-spoken word?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes written word that is not monologue or dialog. For example, I understand monologue to describe this type of writing:

  `I wish I hadn't cried so much!' said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. `I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears! That will be a queer thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer to-day.'

What word describes this type of writing?

  Just then she heard something splashing about in the pool a little way off, and she swam nearer to make out what it was: at first she thought it must be a walrus or hippopotamus, but then she remembered how small she was now, and she soon made out that it was only a mouse that had slipped in like herself.

Edit: The two most accurate (but still incorrect I think) words or phrases proposed are narrative and descriptive writing. Reading through the definitions of both of those I believe there's still the possibility that speaking is permitted. For example, if both of the above paragraphs were combined, I believe that could be called a narrative. The linked sources for descriptive writing permit unqualified sounds to be used in the description of a scene, which would include speaking.

I'm looking for a word that describes only the second paragraph and the words "as she swam about, trying to find her way out." in the first paragraph and excludes the part of the first paragraph spoken by Alice.


texts: I want to know that what is the name of things that are installed above the entrance of the shops (Banner or Billboard or ...)? I need this word to google it for getting some related images.


texts: What is the name of the document/amount of money you need to temporarily give the government in order to leave the country?

texts: I don't know how this works in other countries, but in Iran, when you want to leave the country, say, on business, you need to post bail, which can consist of either an amount of money or a piece of property with cash value, which will be returned to you after you get back. Can we use the word "bail" or is there a more suitable word for such an occasion?


texts:
The New York Times article of this past July 29th titled, “The D.O. Is In Now:
Osteopathic Schools Turn Out Nearly a Third of All Med School Grads,” features the growing popularity of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, Manhattan among would-be doctors, and introduces the following episode:

  “Gabrielle Rozenberg, in her second year at Touro, remembers the
  Ur-moment that would lead her to this somewhat unconventional path in
  medicine. Growing up on Long Island, she suffered from chronic ear
  infections. Her doctor recommended surgery. But before committing to
  an invasive procedure, her parents took her to a D.O. In several
  visits, he performed some twists and turns of her neck and head, and
  within days the infection cleared up.”
         ― New York Times, “The osteopathic branch of medicine is booming”, 29 July 2014

I surmise “Ur-moment” means a decisive or eureka moment in retrospect. But I don’t find this word in any English dictionaries at hand.

Is “Ur-moment” a normal English expression? Isn’t it “Ah! (or something else)-moment”?


texts: Punctuation issues with relative pronouns

texts:
Is it allowed to replace the highlighted words in the following sentence with a comma?

This is the book which was stolen by Taro.
This is the book, stolen by Taro.


texts: is affect both a passive and an active verb?

texts:
The following statement had me confused:

"To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election"

To me this is an active form of affect, that I haven't seen before. Normally I see "affect" used like:
"we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected the election" or
"we have not seen fraud on a scale that could affect the election"
Interestingly the original quote uses "effected" instead:

"to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election"
AP News: Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud

So what is right and wrong here?


texts:
I'm trying to understand the parallelism error in this sentence:
"The university's board of trustees, being worried over declining student enrollments and their failing to secure additional funding from the state, has formed a committee to determine what cuts need to be made to staff and programs."

I believe the parallelism error is this:
The board is worried over "declining student enrollments" and "their failing to secure". What exactly is the error? "declining student enrollments" is an adverb + adjective + noun structure right? Is "declining" an adverb here? Does "their failing to secure" need to be in that same adverb + adjective + noun structure too?

Can I change "their failing to secure" to "increasingly insecure funding"?

Is "declining" an adverb?


texts: Could not - was incapable of, was capable of not, or ambiguous?

texts:
As per my understanding, 'can not' (present tense of 'able to not') has an entirely different meaning from 'cannot' (present tense of 'not able to').

However, what about past tense - 'could not'?

Which is its correct usage? Or is its usage ambiguous?


texts:
I have a sentence to translate:

  The school shall notify parents in writing at the beginning of each
  school year, and upon any enrollment during the school year, of the
  obligation to ensure all children of compulsory attendance age attend school.

wiki gives such definition of enrollment: "the process of initiating attendance to a school", which seems like a one time process that doesn't happen during the school year to me.

So what does it mean here?


texts: A word for debates or arguments that started as a result of miscommunication or misinterpretation

texts: Is there a word or succinct phrase for debates or arguments that started as a result of miscommunication or misinterpretation?


texts: Why is the word 'narrow' an antonym to the word 'emphatic'?

texts:
I have been doing some antonym and synonym exercises as part of my preparation for a verbal reasoning test, and I was asked to pick an antonym for the word emphatic. There were four choices given to pick from:

1) denial

2)vehement

3)conclusive

4)narrow

In the answers it is stated that the word narrow is the antonym because the definition for the word emphatic is vigorous and decisive, and the opposite of the second if these is 'narrow' i.e. they won by a narrow margin.

I don't understand the word choice or the explanation behind it. Please could someone be kind enough to explain this to me.

ANY help is appreciated! Thanks!


texts:
Example 1:

  These sets are potentially infinite, can be subjective, and change all the time.

Example 2:

  Stack Exchange is a useful website, a helpful resource, and full of awesome people.

In the first example, the three predicates (" are potentially infinite", "can be subjective" and "change all the time") link back to the subject "These sets". In the second example the three predicates "a useful website", "a helpful resource" and "full of awesome people" all link back to the main verb "is"; the subject and verb don't need to be repeated because they're understood to carry across for the other predicates. Is there a general term for this process, where parts of the sentence (such as but not limited to the subject and verb,) are understood to apply to more than one other part of the sentence?


texts: only linking verbs with predicate adjectives and nominatives?

texts:
Can only linking verbs have predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives as complements?
If action verbs can have predicates as well then it would be really helpful to me if you could please share some examples.
I am confused regarding this, would really appreciate any help.
This below text is from a grammar book that I am reading:

Only linking verbs can have predicate adjectives as complements.
By definition, predicate nominatives have two distinctive
characteristics:
1.   They are always complements of linking verbs.

Source: McGraw-Hill Education Handbook of English Grammar & Usage by Mark Lester.
Here is some more text from this book:

The traditional definition of verb is “a word used to express action or describe a state of being.” As the definition implies, there are two different types of verbs: action verbs and linking verbs that describe the subjects.

PS: also, I read one moderator on stackexchange saying that predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives are just made up stuff, made to sell more grammar books and have no role in English at all; is that true?


texts: That's you (that table is for you / is your table)

texts:
A waitress, who is going to serve a dish to a lady, says "That's you" pointing towards an empty table, at which the lady sits.

The scene is from the series Shameless, s07e08, min 5:40

What does "that's you" mean? How productive is that structure?

EDIT:

A similar context can be seen in this scene, min 5:10


texts: Isn’t it rare to use ‘rare’ as a verb as in “Congress is raring at the gate on tax cuts.”?

texts:
I found the word, ‘rare’ being used as a verb in the headline of today’s New York Times article – “An often procrastinating Congress is raring at the gate on tax cuts.”
It is followed by this sentence:

  It is a maxim in Congress these days: If high-profile legislation
  affecting millions of Americans is about to expire, deal with it at
  the last possible second. Both parties in the House and the Senate are
  eager at the prospect of voting for their respective versions of an
  extension of the cuts this summer, well before the due date.

As I’m not very familiar with the usage of ‘rare’ as a verb, I consulted with dictionaries online:

Oxford Dictionary defines ‘rare’ only as an adjective meaning ‘not occurring very often.’

Cambridge Dictionary defines it only as an adjective meaning ‘not common, very unusual.”

Merriam-Webster defines ‘rare’ as an adjective meaning;
1. marked by wide separation of component particles.
2. marked by unusual quality, merits, appeal.
3. seldom occurring or found.

OALED adds ‘meat cooked for only a short time so that the inside is still red' to the meaning of (1) ‘not happening very often, (2) existing only in small number.

Only Japanese publisher, Kenkyusha’s English Japanese Dictionary registers rare as a verb and ‘rare back’ as a slang meaning  “brace for action, rouse oneself for action.”

Is “rare” used as a verb very often as used in “Congress is raring at the gate on tax cuts,” or “US and China are raring at the immigration of a Chinese blind lawyer”?


texts:
Suppose I classify dishes in a restaurant menu. I would like to classify them by two categories:

Category 1:

entree
main course
dessert
etc.

Category 2:

meat
fish
vegetables
cheese
etc.

What would you call category 1 and category 2 ?


texts: There is a note on the door and on it is written that

texts: What's the right way to say that? I mean I have a note and I have some kind of text on it, and I want to combine these sentences.


texts:
I am trying to write the following phrase:

Axiom about the source of value.

I cannot, however, figure out how to compact the phrase to just a few words. My mind went to using the -al suffix, and after a quick check on a Wiktionary entry to create "valual axiom," or alternatively "valuar axiom" or even "valial axiom."
None of these alternatives feel correct, so I was wondering if anyone knows how to properly modify "value" to behave as more of an adjective for an axiom.
Thank you!


texts: Definite article or no article whatsoever?

texts:
I'm having some trouble deciding whether or not to use "the" in the following sentences:

Jack washed (the) windows in his flat last week.

She's watering (the) plants in her friend's apartment.

My intuition tells me to opt for the article - the locations of both the plants and the windows were specified, which, as I understand it, would mean that "the" is necessary.
I guess my question should rather be: Is in his flat and in her friend's apartment enough to warrant a definite article?


texts:
One of the colleague has mentioned the following,

We should be able to do it, but to move it along (My name), please do it at xyz.

What should I infer from this statement?


texts:
Can you tell me the differences between, "this is such bullshit" and "it's such a bullshit"??  Why there isn't "a" in the first sentence ?
Thank you


texts: In the phrase "Throughout time, people have always had the desire to look more beautiful and fashionable", can the word "have" be removed?

texts:
Yes or no, and why?

(This is an exam question.)


texts:
What is the difference between awareness and focus?
If it matters my impetus is meditation lingo.


texts: Placement of period after abbreviation inside quotation marks

texts:
The most common one is "vs.."
The most common one is "vs.".
The most common one is "vs."

Which of the above features the correct usage of a period after an abbreviation inside quotation marks?

And, also, which of the below is correct?

Richard, Rich, Rick, etc..
Richard, Rich, Rick, etc.


texts: In man's stead: Downturn in usage of 'man' and its replacement

texts:
For the past century the usage of man has declined; it's decline quickened around 1970. These downturns make sense and correspond to a movement to use more gender neutral language.

What is replacing man? People, human1 and humans are all more common today than a century ago but their increase does not compensate for man's decline. Are writers simply making less species-wide generalizations?

1 I forgot to include humans in the screen capture but the line barely leaves the x-axis.

Update:

@Josh commented that the situation looks quite different in recent years. This poses a separate question: why the uptick? I have not looked into whether man is being used differently in this increased usage.


texts: In general does the phrase "[adverb] average" follow the rules of proper English? For example I asked of the water level of a forest and someone replied that it was "very average for this time of year".


texts: Word for the "break" where two sides of a wrapping meet

texts:
Take a piece of paper or a blanket or something lying flat, with an object lying on top of it. Now the paper/blanket is folded up to wrap the object. What were the opposite sides of the wrapper now meet in the middle on top of the object, or they may overlap but there will still be an end-point of the wrapping.

What is a word for where they meet? i.e. where you could put your hand under/inside (assuming it wasn't taped together) to unwrap it again.

The closest I can think of is seam but that doesn't strike me as correct.

Sample sentence:
"Holding back his excitement, Aloysius carefully inserted his hand under the XXXX of the wrapping paper and slowly unwrapped his gift"


texts: Can I use present perfect tense and simple past tense in the same sentence

texts:
Can you please tell me whether these sentences are true grammatically or not? I used past tense and present perfect tense in the same sentence but I am not sure about it. It is a part of my very important assignment.

  Hours spent in online multiplayer gaming per week, that wasn't more than 2 hours before, has increased dramatically in 2014 after which it continued to increase considerably and it started to be played 10 hours per week in 2018.


texts:
If you are from Great Britain, or other English speaking country (except US), or even most of European countries where you learn british-english

and are working for an American company

would you use, in your communications with them, English or American words, e.g. signalling (en-uk) or signaling (en-us)?

Edit: also saying that, because I have seen texts where both syntaxes coexisted, probably multi-authors, so a global policy should be set in the company


texts: Word for "becoming more and more distant"?

texts:
Example sentence:

  That night, Mary and Tom discussed about Tom's gradual __

Basically, I'm looking for a word that means distancement. Any suggestions?


texts: At and By what are the differences.Is there a third alternative to this?

texts:
What are the differences between doing something at the end of a period and doing something by the end of a period?
For example:

I will meet her at the end of the week.
I will meet her by the end of the week.

Thanks


texts:
I recently came across this usage “we Macgyver…” and the use of the upper case  caught my attention.  I googled the word to see if it is mentioned in the dictionary; Wiktionary gave me this result, for instance:

  Macgyver Verb

  MacGyver (third-person singular simple present MacGyvers, present participle MacGyvering, simple past and past participle MacGyvered)

  (intransitive) To assemble or repair something by ingenious improvisation, using everyday items that would not usually be used for the purpose.

  Our car broke down and we didn't have any tools but Jim MacGyvered it with some toenail clippers and we were able to limp to the service station.
  No place to climb? MacGyver your own set-up in a power rack for rope pull-ups or rows.

I googled the word google as well, here is the result:

  google Verb

  google (third-person singular simple present googles, present participle googling, simple past and past participle googled)
    1. (intransitive, cricket) To deliver googlies.
    2. (intransitive, cricket) To move as a ball in a googly.

Now,  both words are proper nouns, but “google” is not capitalised whereas “Macgyver” is.

Why?


texts:
The situation is that one of my friend's roommates took part in a test of narcissism and got a score of 14. My friend wanted to get in a dig at that guy, so he said"Well, knowing you as well as I do, a score of 14 must be near the top of the scale."

My question is, what does"knowing you as well as I do" mean here? I only know that "as well as" means "too", so it's a bit awkward here for me to understand. Many thanks!


texts:
I've got sentences I'm not sure about in The Musgrave Ritual by Conan Doyle. Can someone clear it up?

  In this case the matter was simplified by Brunton's intelligence being quite first-rate, so that it was unnecessary to make any allowance for the personal equation, as the astronomers have dubbed it.

(Emphasis mine.)

This is when Holmes tried to simulate in his head which steps the villain had taken.
The sentences looks like Holmes is presenting a fact, but I guess the sentence shows a setting like subjunctive mood, doesn't it?

A: Brunton's intelligence WAS first rate, so my simulation was simplified by the FACT.
B: The matter was simplified (by me) by (considering) Brunton's intelligence being quite first-rate, so that it was(=would be) unnecessary to make any allowance for the personal equation.

Is is possible to take the quoted sentence as B? Because I thought "so that" usually means purpose, intention, right? I know "so that" can mean "so, that's why". Do I have to interpret "so that" in the quoted sentence as just "so" if this case, if A is the correct one?
Thank you.


texts: Level of illiteracy, ______ of innumeracy?

texts: What noun would one use in the titular phrase?  To my mind, level sounds absolutely correct for the former, but very out of place in the latter.  Instead, I think degree fits better for innumeracy. I generally trust my sentiments in these sorts of things, but I was wondering if english.se would agree or disagree?


texts:
(This is probably a duplicate, but I couldn't find what I was looking for through search.)

Say for example you have the sentence:

  He is referring to himself.

You can replace "he" with "they" (singular), but you can't replace "himself" with "themself" because it isn't considered a real word.

So, would it be "themselves"? Can "themselves" be singular? If not, what would you use instead?

  They are referring to __________.

(Singular "they")


texts: How common is "What happened?" when asking people to repeat what they said? How long has this been in common usage?

texts:
For several years, I have heard most young people and some adults use the phrase What happened? when they do not hear what is spoken. It appears to be used where previously several other phrases were used, the most formal being I beg your pardon. (See How do you decide which phrase to use when asking people to repeat what they said?)

My answer to What happened? is usually Were you expecting something to happen? or Was something supposed to happen? I am met with a look of puzzlement or annoyance.

I wonder what the origin of this usage might be. Perhaps it is considered too humiliating to beg someone's pardon? Similar queries may be taken as an admission of fault (not paying attention). Can someone provide some insight?


texts: Is there a name for "extra" words used in common expressions?

texts:
I've noticed that he word "up" seems to be one of the most common "extra words" used in short English phrases. Some examples are:

Look up
Shut up
Finish up

Another one is "over" as in:

turn over
look over
come over

Is there a part of speech name for these types of "extra" words? I call them "extra" because they don't seem to change the meaning of the word that precedes it. "Turn over" seems to be redundant as when you turn something, you see the "over" or other side. Are these words nouns, prepositions, or what?


texts: Correctness of omitting a definite article or a preposition

texts:
I am writing an essay about my university experiences and a suggested correction from an English Ph.D. sounds wrong to me.

The suggestion is

  In our meeting to discuss the spring semester of my junior year, my adviser set forth a challenge.

She made a similar correction later,

  One graduate course had been sufficient to consume my time in the fall semester.

As a native English speaker, both of these corrections sound like grammatical errors to me, but I do not have the linguistic knowledge to articulate exactly what, if anything, makes them incorrect. (I spend much more time on math.se than english.se!)

Are her suggestions correct?


texts: I've come across the phrase "sweet bird". It's been translated into my native language as a "sweet-voiced bird". I wonder if the translation is right? Is a "sweet bird" a common phrase to describe a bird with a pleasant voice?


texts: Since 'few' is used for countable nouns and 'less' is for uncountable nouns

texts:
Since 'few' is used for countable things and 'Less' is for uncountable things then why do we say;

  I have less than 2 days/months/years.

?

Yes, time is an uncountable concept but we sure can count days, years, and months...


texts: Is it proper to use a period after an abbreviation within a sentence?

texts:
For example in the following list:
"Technology Entrepreneurship, and Advanced Leadership" simplified to "Tech Entrepreneurship, and Adv. Leadership"


texts:
A tuple in mathematics is a sequence of numbers (n1, n2, n3).

In databases, a tuple is a single row of data from a table.

What is a tuple in normal everyday English, or where does the word come from?  Is there a concrete real-life object from which this word is derived?  WordNet does not have a definition.


texts: Can you tell me about the style of writing used in the Federalist Papers?

texts:
I've always found the Federalist Papers extremely hard to read.  They have many complex words, long sentences, subordinate clauses, and large paragraphs.  Here are two examples of sentences to frame this question.  I don't know that they're the best examples.
1.

To multiply examples of the agency of personal considerations in the production of great national events, either foreign or domestic, according to their direction, would be an unnecessary waste of time.

This is the melancholy situation to which we have been brought by those very maxims and councils which would now deter us from adopting the proposed Constitution; and which, not content with having conducted us to the brink of a precipice, seem resolved to plunge us into the abyss that awaits us below.

I'm looking for some explanation about this writing style.  Was this common for the educated in the Enlightenment era?  When did it come into favor, and fall out of favor?  Was it considered good writing, at the time?  Would newspaper readers (the intended audience) have easily understood it?


texts: "What winds your clock?" What does this idiom mean?

texts:
There's a scene in Good Will Hunting where Will retorts, "what winds your clock?" to Robin Williams' character.

I had a hard time finding a meaning for this expression. So I put the question to you. What does this idiom mean, that is, "what winds your clock?"

Also, what's a good free online dictionary for looking up idioms like this one? What would you say is the best place to look? (Teach a man to fish!)


texts:
Coincidentally over the last few days, I have twice seen what I view as an 'incorrect' use of I've, viz.

  How could I've done this better?

On attempting to explain why this sounds wrong to a recalcitrant friend, I found I couldn't do so adequately. The best I could come up with is another example:

  "I had a great dinner today!"
  "Oh? What did you've?"

So my question, why does this use of *'ve contractions sound wrong?


texts:
I'm searching for two words or expressions.

The first word or expression means a situation in which there are too many items displayed on the screen, so that they cause a burden on the user and their rendering causes a burden on the CPU.

The second word is a verb that I can use to describe the deletion or filtering of some of the items in order to prevent this situation.

  In order to prevent (word1), I need
  to (word2) the items before sending
  them to the display module. I keep a
  list of un(word2)ed items and
  generate a list of (word2)ed
  items from it.

Perhaps something having to do with spacing out?

(I can't use the verb "filter" because it has a different meaning in the domain, and it seems to me that it doesn't convey the meaning precisely enough.)


texts: A single word for 'regularly visited place'

texts:
I am looking for a word that qualifies a place people keep coming back to, such as their favourite restaurant, or the grocery store they usually shop at.

The word I am looking for is not 'popular'. For example, if a one-time event is well-attended, it might be qualified as 'popular' because a lot of people attend once. However, individual people will not come back to the same event again.

It should also be neutral, which excludes words like 'favourite' or 'preferred'. For example, you might visit the hospital regularly because of  a health condition, but this would not be considered a favourite or preferred place.

Instead, I am looking for a word or expression that emphasises the idea of recurrence without any positive or negative connotation. The closest I have come is:

Regularly visited venues are visited by the same people over and over again.

or

The local grocery store is among Joe's regularly visited places.

However, I was wondering whether a single word (noun or adjective) or a better expression to convey this idea exists.


texts: Why are certain categories of words more likely to vary between British and American English?

texts:
There are certain groups of words that are much more likely to vary between British and American dialects of English.

terms relating to cars, trains and roads (boot/trunk, bonnet/hood, railway/railroad, brake van/caboose, points/switches, pavement/sidewalk, road surface/pavement)
cooking and food terminology (corinader/cilantro, barbecue/grill, grill/broil, /barbecue)
education (university/school, form/grade, invigilate/proctor)

have big concentrations of dialect differences, while computing has very few.

Is there a systemic reason why some subjects have many variants between the two dialects and others have very few variants?

If not, what other subjects have large concentrations of dialect differences for the unwary to pay attention to?


texts:
Some things can only have certain sizes ("inflexible size"), for example Lego Duplo are a multiple of about 16 mm (I think). Other things are "flexible in size", as they don't have a restriction, or much less restrictions.

Maybe flexible isn't the right / best word either?

My use case is a bit technical, it's a computer science problem. The "inflexible size" applies to certain things (hash tables) that can only be of a size 2^n, for example 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64,..., 1024,... The "flexible size" ones can have any size that is a whole number, that is, 1, 2, 3, 4,... 1000,...

Maybe "flexible sized" would work, but I hope there is shorter word.

Sample usage: there is something called the "Cuckoo Filter" which is inflexible in size, that is, can only have size 2, 4, 8,... "The Cuckoo Filter is a probabilistic data structure that supports fast set membership testing." Now I need a use a different term for "Cuckoo Filter with flexible size". But "Flexible Cuckoo Filter" doesn't say it's about size, and "Flexible Sized Cuckoo Filter" is quite long.


texts:
Here is my sentence:

  Continue the execution with a fixed number of resources generates a delay and an additional overhead in terms of performance.

How can I change 'continue' ?

By execution I mean "running application"


texts: which is correct - in section below or below section

texts:
We have given detail description of these tools in below section.
or
We have given detail description of these tools in section below.

which one is correct?


texts:
I am a Latin student, and often find myself having to complete verb synopses.  In these, I write all the possible forms and modifications a verb could possibly take, along with the English translation.  I am having some trouble translating a few future tenses and usages in English.  For example, pulsaturum esse is the Latin Future Active Infinitive (FAI) of pulsare, or "to punch."  I typically translate this as "to be about to punch," but this implies more immediacy than the Latin warrants.  The same applies to the Future Passive Infinitive.  The Future Active Participle and Future Passive Participle pose less of an issue, however, as I could translate, for example facies pulsanda as "The face to be hit."  This still, however, has a connotation not there in Latin, in this case, that the face should be hit, not that it necessarily will.

Is there any better way to phrase this in English?  If so, when would I learn it through normal school English?  Is it possible that teachers have simply not covered it yet?  I am in 11th grade.


texts: Is there an equivalent word to "navigation" for overland travel?

texts:
Navigation is used more for sea travel, especially since that's where the word originally came from. I'm wondering if there's an equivalent word that's used more for overland travel.
As in,

  The scout was skilled at [word].


texts: Should sentences like "I wonder..." end with a question mark?

texts:
This may be related to a general grammar rule, but which of these is correct?

  I wonder if Steve Jobs will be giving the keynote speech at WWDC this year?

or

  I wonder if Steve Jobs will be giving the keynote speech at WWDC this year.

My hunch tells me the question mark is incorrect, but I find myself instinctively wanting to add it. Is there a rule about this type of situation?


texts: Effective repartee for "It's for your own safety"

texts:
We've heard this subversive phrase all too often but I've yet to come across a good reply.

How would you categorize this device and
Acknowledging that context is important, what kind of rhetorical defense would you use.


texts: English word that means "meet someone where they are."

texts: I love the meaning, but I am tired of the phrase "[to] meet someone where they are." This phrase is synonymous with social work and many helping professions, so I hear it at least a few times a month. Does anyone know of an English word that I can use in place of this trite phrase?


texts: Order of preposition in US and UK English

texts:
In Britain we'd say

  He had a black hat on.

Speakers of American English are more likely to say*

  He had on a black hat.

The latter just seems wrong to me. Is my intuition correct or are both equally valid usages?

* - according to Google NGram


texts: Why and when did "breast" become gender-specific?

texts: In the past, "breast" used to be applicable to both male and female chests, but is generally only gender neutral nowadays when used in certain contexts, such as "breast meat" or "breastplate". Why and when did this change of meaning occur?


texts:
I would swear that we have had this conversation already.

I have two questions regarding the sentence above:

Can it be put just "I swear" instead of "I would swear". What is the difference?
If they had the conversation already, why "we have had" not "we had"?


texts: Does a statement such as this require quotation marks?

texts:
If a person said something like "Who threw that?" and after getting no reply, he then said "I said who threw that?"  How would one punctuate the second sentence?  Would it be:

I said, "Who threw that"!

or

I said "Who threw that"!

or

I said who threw that!


texts: Is there a verb for making a statement/sentence milder or "dumbing it down"?

texts: Is there a verb which means the same as "to dumb down" or "to make milder", in relation to an account of something I had witnessed? More specifically, a verb which describes telling your account of something you witnessed in a milder form so as to not scare the other person and "play down" the event.


texts: Dispute over interpretation of "Less smaller"

texts:
I know that the correct form of "less smaller" is "less small" but that is the original phrase we went to a dispute over. This is the exact phrase.

Someone: Most of the sites I post on are much less smaller than AU: stackexchange.com/users/… (apart from SO ofc)
Me: Less smaller meaning bigger? That doesn't sound right!
Someone: Um... what site is bigger (apart from SO)?
Me: You said less smaller meaning that everything else except SO is bigger. That is the opposite of what you were trying to say wasn't it. If you are talking about users, Superuser? https://stackexchange.com/sites?view=list#traffic
Someone: I am so lost here. I mean every site I participate on is smaller than AU (apart from SO which is much bigger)
Me: Less small makes it opposite of smaller. Less small means bigger. The more less small something is, the bigger it is. However, that is wrong grammar anyway. Sorry for sounding nerdy. If you simply said smaller, it would have the right meaning.
Someone: It depends on how you interpret it. I interpreted that the less small refers to much
Me:  Less takes something to the negative (-) side of it. Small is already a negative thing. So double negative is positive.
Someone: I disagree, I think we've just interpreted it differently.

So my question is, what is the correct interpretation of "less small" and "more small".
My personal opinion is "less small" = bigger and "more small" = smaller.


texts:
Hello I'm writing an essay about my past experience. But I'm not sure it has the same
meaning as what I intend to say.

Here's my piece of writing.

However small it might seem to others, anyone has a small experience that helps identify his own way of courage inside.
(I think anyone has a small experience in one's life that gives them courage to one's mind although it seems really insignificant)

Is there any awkward or grammatically wrong part in my sentence?
Thank you for reading my post!


texts: Is there any issue to address or call a person (a gentleman, of course) with man? I think the word man has a strange meaning. Which is the best way to address? Is hello enough?


texts: What does “comb-over” mean in the line, “Overused / abused words, e.g.’twerking’ and ‘stay classy’ are the aural equivalent of a comb-over”?

texts:
The New York Times (December 28) article, Words for the Dumpster begins with the following sentence:

  With the last tick of 2013, let’s throw out the most annoying, overused and abused words of the year. A few of these terms, “twerking” or “stay classy,” die a natural death when someone like John McCain starts using them — the aural equivalent of a comb-over. Others need a push.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “comb-over” as:

  an arrangement of hair on a balding man in which hair from the side of the head is combed over the bald spot.

I understand “comb-over” also means to investigate / search for thoroughly. But neither seems to be relevant to the usage of “comb-over” in the above quote.

What does the author means by saying “A few of overused and abused words of the year die a natural death when someone like John McCain starts using them — the aural equivalent of a comb-over.”?


texts: I've googled around and is there a difference between these two spellings? Are both accepted. My initial instinct was that the first spelling is incorrect, but appears to have some usage.


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

Is there any difference in meaning, or supposed impression when hearing it?


texts:
Both of these words mean "move about aimlessly or without any destination".
Is there any difference between them? Is there any context in which you'd use "ramble" instead of "roam", or vice versa?

P.S. I know about the other meaning of "ramble", which is "continue talking or writing in a desultory manner". I'm specifically asking about the first meaning and how it's different from "roam".


texts: What do you call love at first sight if you haven't seen her yet?

texts:
With love at first sight you both see each other.

But if she already saw you and fell in love and you didn't see her and all she left was her voice and you never heard of her before... but you'd love to listen to her. how do you fall in love with her?

What is it called if you haven't seen her but it's similar to "love at first sight"?


texts: "Rather !" as a reply: old-fashioned? Colloquial? Unusual?

texts:
Is "Rather" as a reply (BrE), with heavy stress on the second syllable, old-fashioned ?  Colloquial ?  Unusual ?

  e.g. "Did you enjoy yourself?"   "Rather!"

Can "pretty much so!" be its AmE counterpart?


texts:
I am an international student. I wish to know which of the following I should use.

  Step into the job market
  Step in the job market
  Step on the job market


texts: Capitalization in abbreviated references

texts:
I was reading through some company documents regarding “Our Vision, Values And Principles”, etc., and was wondering about how they were referenced later in the text.

Frequently the author wrote statements such as “our Values should reflect” or “the company’s Vision dates back to” or similar.

My question is, should an abbreviation of the title but an obvious reference back to the title be capitalized? Should his writing have been “our values should reflect” or “the company’s vision dates back to” or is he correct to have written as he did?

P.S. I know the author is male as his name is given at the end of the document.


texts: Is there a name for starting a chapter with a quote?

texts:
I am writing an article for school, and am trying to find the term used to describe a chapter which starts with a quote; my supervisor has said that there is a term for it, but he cannot remember what it is!.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.


texts: What does "Not where the black coach of sorrow has taken you" mean?

texts:
I heard this in "Gloomy Sunday" song. is it true that this mean: "the death coach carried you to unknown place..."?
I'm tried to translate "Gloomy Sunday lyrics" to "Persian" and i need your help!
Thanks.


texts:
I read this in a novel, it was written like this:
'I sensed that after four decades of motel living he wasn't quite at home being home.'
Is it some sort of expression and can there be any alternatives if I use it anywhere in the future? I mean its use age.


texts: Is it proper to combine prepositions using conjunctions?

texts:
I have come across the issue of wanting to use both two prepositions to describe a subject. This is not a common issue, judging by the lack of information regarding it.

This is an example of the type of sentence I am proposing:

  A statue stood at and as the heart of every nation.

This sentence describes the location of the statues—at the heart, or center, of the nations—as well as their symbolism and importance. It may not be grammatically correct, but it eliminates the need to form a complex sentence, though the sentence certainly is complex in another way.

To restate the question, does the chain of "preposition -> conjunction -> preposition", as used in the above sentence, violate any rules of grammar or formal writing? As a side note, please tell me your opinion about how the example sentence sounds. It sounds fine and rather impressive to me, but I would like an unbiased opinion.


texts: Difference between judgement, opinion, and fact (with examples)

texts:
I recently got into a heated debate with my girlfriend regarding the differences between what one considers judgement, opinion, and fact. Where do you draw the line?

The example I gave is-
Judgement: Judy always wears ugly dresses.
Opinion: I don't like the dresses Judy wears.
Fact: The dresses Judy wears are poorly rated online.

We started this debate because she felt that I was being judgmental when I said that there are more higher-ranked universities in Massachusetts than in Pennsylvania or New York. Is this truly a judgement, or more of an opinion bordering a fact (it's ranked online)?


texts: In what ways is 'dilettante' offensive -- does it imply pretence?

texts:
Wikipedia on dilettante lists

  An amateur, someone with a casual or superficial interest
  A layperson,
  someone without formal qualifications within a specific field

And some rock bands. Wikitionary lists two senses of the word

  An amateur, someone who dabbles in a field out of casual interest    rather than as a profession or serious interest.
  (sometimes offensive) A person with a general but superficial    interest in any art or a branch of knowledge.

I'm interested in how that term can be used offensively: is it a statement of pretence, or merely ignorance? If the former, then what sort of pretence is that?


texts: A word to describe someone who is bad at handling their emotions?

texts:
I'm looking for a word or phrase to describe someone who doesn't handle emotions well.  Not someone who has no emotions or is bad at relating to others, but someone who does not cope well with powerful emotions (mostly negative, but could be positive as well, like if they're afraid of relationships and find themselves falling in love).  Something that might describe someone who immediately falls to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with or all-out avoid situations they don't like.

Ideally, this might also refer to someone who ignores/buries their emotions until they "explode" in anger or grief, but any word for someone who will run away from their emotions is great.  Trying to describe a character that's story makes this aspect of them a huge part of their personality.

  Bert was _________ and Apartment 123 became a war zone when Ernie first started giving his attention to Rubber Duckie.


texts: Can changing the position of a frequency adverb from the start to the middle part affect meaning?

texts:
Many frequency adverbs can be placed at the start, in the middle or at the ending of a sentence.
In Does adverb placement affect meaning?, in the answer https://english.stackexchange.com/a/83402/16498 is analyzed the difference between the end placement and others. But what is the difference between the start and middle placement?
Does this placement make any difference to the meaning?

Sometimes I go running.
I sometimes go running.
I go running sometimes.

Do those sentences mean the same or not? If not, is there any difference in feeling, mood or something else? Is there some context in which they have different use?


texts:
This is from Mark Twain's "The Innocents Abroad":
They flocked to our poor human doctor this morning when the fame of what he had done to the sick child went abroad in the land, and they worshiped him with their eyes while they did not know as yet whether there was virtue in his simples or not.
What in the world does "simples" mean here?


texts: What tense should I use, present or past?

texts:
I was wondering if I am describing my feelings towards an event happened in the past in my diary, should I use past or present tense?

" I think this is an exciting activity."
OR
" I think this was an exciting activity."
OR  in fact both of them are correct?


texts: Word for a less-than-optimal positive outcome or ending?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes the ending our outcome of a story that is positive for the protagonist but not the most positive outcome that could have happened.

For example: The protagonist gets into university but his girlfriend doesn't. He's achieving part of his dreams but not with his dream partner.


texts: Is there a single or word or at least better phrase for "human powered vehicle"?

texts: So that's bicycle, skateboard, scooter etc. Problem is that these also have motor powered versions, but if you just say vehicle, people will think that you mean cars or something. Also, you can't search for those powered versions collectively because what would you put in the search bar, "motor powered, human powered vehicles"? If you just use "powered vehicles" all results are cars.


texts: Extra-Official vs Non-Official vs Unofficial

texts:
What's the difference between them?

I understand they are pretty much the same in terms of synonym.
Are they better suited for some specific scenarios?

I think, in some cases, those three could be used interchanged, but there are other cases that one or another would be better for disambiguation purposes.

I have being using them like this:

Unofficial: Nobody gave authorization or confirmation. Normally when I want to denote use or source of something.
Non-Official: Outside official knowledge. Normally when I want to point something that is outside the approval of the company or a government or any entity (for instance, non-official statements, non-official car...).
Extra-Official: When I'm pointing to something that is outside a predefined scope. For instance, there are a set of rules or approved official things (information, software, group of people... anything) but the thing is not part of that scope.

Is there a better definition or use of those three words?

Edit: Based on the following definition, my understand is that "Extra-Official", depending on the scenario, could have a significant difference than the other two.


texts: I can't pinpoint what's exactly wrong with this corporate mission, but it feels really incorrect

texts:
I am currently looking over a local small-time company's corporate mission, and I can't figure out what exactly is wrong with it or how to fix it but it doesn't feel right. Would appreciate thoughts! Also - would this be considered a vision or a mission? What makes each?

"Got an idea? We are ready to explore the possibilities.
We have been behind the cameras crafting stories and concept videos alike for 6 years now. Always looking to work with and not for our clients, we end up putting out collaborations instead which we find, are where value lies."


texts: Should I use "in any case" or "in either case" in this example?

texts:
My research wasn't immoral. The only difference was that they were doing it for the sake of the
  animals, and I was doing it for my own. In any/either case who is to say
  which reason was 'better'?

What's the right alternative? Or, maybe another connector is better suited for this situation?


texts: "Narrative" or "narration", when it comes to history?

texts:
I am aware that the "narrative vs. narration" issue has emerged again.
However, my question is a bit more specific.

When it comes to history and historiography and, in specific, to making reference to a certain "history of x institution from then to then", should we use "The present narrative... ", "The present narration... ", or something else - i.e. account, or recital?

The reason for my asking is the following: besides referring to a specific literature form, narrative in postmodern theory has come to denote that a certain approach (theory etc.) is "ideologically charged" and thus bears mythical elements - i.e. the "great narratives of the 20th century", the "Marxist narrative", etc.

Therefore, when one wants to refer to a scientific historical account of events, does it not undermine the validity and objectivity of the work to call it a "narrative"? Is not narration more proper a term?

Thanks.


texts: Placement of "other" in "other than" construct

texts:
I work in translation (Japanese to English) and come across the construct "other [noun] than" in many translations done by Japanese native speakers. To me (native Australian English speaker), this sounds really awkward and I always change it to "[noun] other than", but I'm beginning to doubt whether or not this needs changing.

As an example, please refer to the following, slightly modified, sentence:

  The entry with "0" as a base refers to an area allocated to other
  entities than the LPAR.

Is the above usage grammatically correct? Could this be an AE/BE difference?


texts: "He is loved", is 'loved' an adjective or a verb?

texts:
He is loved.

This is something that I've always kind of wondered.

In a sentence like this, is loved a verb or an adjective? Can it be considered either?


texts: Where did the phrase "you're welcome" come from?

texts: "You're welcome" as a response to "thank you" makes absolutely no sense. You're welcome to what?


texts: what's the meaning of this sentence? “ We assign it astronomical authority when it delivers astrological results.”

texts:
Every single one of us has failed to evidence willpower. Yet we continue to believe in it. We assign it astronomical authority when it delivers astrological results.
I can't understand the meaning of the bold part. Thank you in advance


texts: What does "works" mean in the following sentence?

texts:
His imperviousness to the firestorm over his sexist remarks appears to
reflect the support of a power structure that is largely unaccountable
to the public, works to preserve the old guard and freezes out the
critical voices of younger people.

The last section works to preserve the old guard and freezes out the critical voices of younger people seems to be the apposition of the support of a power structure that is largely unaccountable to the public.
If so, the term works should be a noun. But I have found it difficult to point out the exact meaning of the familiar word works with confidence, although it apparently means the figurative sense of apparatus or machinery. In short, I could not find a suitable entry in the section of the noun work in a couple of dictionaries.
What exactly does the word works mean and grammatically function?


texts: Is there a word for having the need to use the restroom?

texts:
There are words for things like a person's hunger, nausea, anger, etc..

I'm hungry.
I'm nauseous.
I'm angry.

Is there a similar word for needing to use the bathroom?

I'm bathroominous.

We're using "bathroomosity" for the time being, but an actual word would be preferable.


texts: "if and as" - Does it mean what I think it means and is it even grammatically sound?

texts:
Very infrequently, I'll use the fragment "if and as" in a sentence. For instance:

  Having it be double fudge chocolate cake in both cases comes off as needless frippery if and as the recipe is valid in itself.

I think I'm using it to mean that the recipe itself can be considered valid by some ("if") and is considered so by me ("as"). But this could be either grammatically unsound or not meaning roughly what I want it to mean.

So is it grammatically sound?

Does it convey what I think conveys?

If so, does this fragment of three words have a formal name for what it's doing grammatically?


texts: For example 'I haven't done X in an age' vs 'I haven't done X in ages'. Which is correct? Or is it simply a case of American English vs British English?


texts:
I've noticed an odd pronunciation habit among some (but not all) fellow Americans, and I'm wondering if there is a name for the phenomenon.
When pronouncing certain long vowel sounds (specifically /eɪ/, /i:/, /u:/), if those sounds are followed by an 'L', the vowel sound changes (to short /e/, /ɪ/ and /ʊ/ respectively).
Examples:

'fail' /feɪl/ becomes 'fell' /fel/, but 'fate' keeps the diphthong /eɪ/

'feel' /fi:l/ becomes 'fill' /fɪl/, but 'feet' keeps the long vowel /i:/

'pool' /pu:l/ becomes 'pull' /pʊl/, but 'poof' keeps the long vowel /u:/

I've tried to establish a pattern of what kinds of people do this vowel transformation, but I haven't had much luck. I've observed it in people with different accents and in different age groups.


texts: Is it correct to say "copious amount of"?

texts:
Which of the following are correct?

I drink copious coffee
I drink copious amounts of coffee

I frequently hear people say #2 but it doesn't sound right to me (though "a myriad of X" doesn't either).


texts: Is there a word for being excellent at something you hate doing?

texts:
I'm seeking a word or phrase which means being excellent at something you hate doing.

For example: I'm excellent at placing labor epidurals in pregnant women, it might even be my best skill. But, it is also one of my least favorite tasks to perform at work.

Example sentence:

  Dave's skill at placing epidurals is only exceeded by his hatred of placing them.  It's a great example of ............

While irony would fit here, I'm seeking a word or phrase that refers to this specific situation.  Ideally, it would convey the whole concept of being good at it while hating it.


texts: "of" vs"in" which preposition is more suitedher?

texts:
Which is more suitable to use and why?

There is a stoppage in the development

There is a stoppage of the development

Example sentence:

He suffers from a stoppage in/of physical development.


texts:
If he hadn't had the news , what would he ( has - have ) done ?

Well, I doubt it's ( have ) but not sure. And I can't find keywords to search for in either google or stackexchange.


texts:
I have the following sentence,

  This we have heard and seen, as others beside us have seen; how can it
  not be, when nowadays some famous books of the madhāhib rule such
  cases of invalidity or detestability.

I need an alternative for “detestability” as I can't find its definition in any standard online dictionary. I've found an entry in Wiktionary but I'd prefer a word defined by a standard dictionary.


texts: Where did the word Yankee originate? I was told it had Dutch origins. There is a lot of information on its usage today referring to northern, New England, American etc. but where did it come from and what was it's original meaning?


texts: Word/phrase to call people who born in the new millennium

texts:
I'm looking for a word or phrase to describe people who born after 2000. In fact, I want something like Millennials (rather than teenagers). A not-so-interesting option for that is Generation Z.
Is there any word/phrase for that?


texts: Meaning and etymology of "tiger by the tail"

texts: Am I trying to take someone's Frosted Flakes? Is this sage advice or an old wives' tale?


texts:
Some verbs have senses that are somehow positive. For example, consider

protected
sheltered
supported

And thus the opposites of these verbs has the related negative senses:

unprotected
unsheltered
unsupported

On the other side, some adverbs have senses that are somehow positive. For example, consider:

fully
completely
perfectly

Now, when we use these positive adverbs with those verbs that have the positive senses, it sounds natural:

perfectly protected
fully supported

To the contrary, when we use such positive adverbs for those verbs that have negative senses, it sounds unnatural:

perfectly unprotected
fully unsupported

Is there anything unidiomatic about such usages? And, if so, how do we usually avoid them?What adverb can we use for example for "unprotected" to means "perfectly unprotected"?


texts: Is there a word like "evidence" that doesn't connote empiricism?

texts:
I would suppose that traditionally, evidence had this broad meaning that I seek, and that is why "empirical evidence" is a popular phrase.

What I would like is a word that refers to a broad notion that encompasses theoretical arguments, as well.

I want to refer to everything substantive that an individual has brought to a discussion: not only the empirical evidence (such as demonstrations or references), but also the non-trivial theoretical points that they have made.

For instance, if I was arguing about taxes with someone, and they say "Raising taxes is a bad idea, because the government already has too much power", then unless I completely reject the premise that the government has too much power, this should be considered "theoretical evidence" for their position that "Raising taxes is a bad idea".

I can't think of a better word than evidence, but I don't think people will understand what I'm talking about if I use it this way, without explaining what I mean first.


texts:
I was under the impression that the phrase "mother's ruin" came from the England in the 1800's, where many people living in London did so in absolute poverty, and gin (the so-called "mother's ruin") was the cheapest way of forgetting your worries.

But I've just heard a new possible origin: Canadians used actual jugs of gin as contraceptives.

Hmm.

Anyone got anything solid about its origin?


texts:
I was watching an episode from 2007 of the Science Channel's How It's Made in which a canoe was being constructed*.

The narrator consistently pronounced "gunwale" as /ˈɡʌnheɪl/ (gunhale) with an aspirated "h" (and no "w"). I'm only familiar with the pronunciation /ˈɡʌnəl/ (gunnel) and that (or similar) is the only pronunciation given in a few dictionaries I consulted.

Is there a dialect of English (or regional accent) in which his pronunciation is common?

* Sign in required to view video.


texts: Which preposition is correct? “In” or “at” the Faculty?

texts:
Which of the following expressions is correct?

I'm student in the Faculty of Technical Sciences at the University of Novi Sad?

I'm student at the Faculty of Technical Sciences at the University of Novi Sad?


texts: Is there a grammatical error in this sentence?

texts:
I'm writing about something and English is not my native language; is this sentence correct?

  Words are important, but what makes someone special to you is enjoying
  the silence


texts: What is the proper spoken form to describe a town referring only to the urbanized area and not the whole municipality?

texts:
In American English, where “town” is the actual legal name of a place, as I understand, the name is “Town of”, followed by its proper name.

In my native Italian, the equivalent “Comune di” it means not only the actual town, but also the municipality territory, and the spoken language, much like English, generally are both referred only with the town name.

How is called, in spoken language, a town referring to the urbanized area, without an outlying rural area that is still legally part of the town?
For example, an hypothetical place called “Town of Springfield”, will be referred simply as “Springfield” by its citizens and the inhabitants of nearby towns or cities, but how will be called to explicitly differentiate the settlement from the whole municipality?

Someone I know, not a native speaker of English, says that the form “Springfield Town” will be used, but I'm a little puzzled by the capital T for “Town” that, as far as I know, a capital letter is not generally used until a word it's part of a proper name. Is he correct or the appropriate form is another?

Thanks for the answers :)


texts:
The future of PHP looks very bright. Leading platform vendors such as IBM, Oracle,
  MySQL, Intel, and, most recently, Red Hat have all endorsed it. The new Collaboration
  Project initiated by Zend Technologies rallies many leading companies and community
  members around new open source initiatives aimed at taking PHP to the next
  level by creating an industrial-grade, de facto standard PHP web application development
  and deployment environment. The Project’s first two open initiatives are:

What does this word mean?


texts:
A team of epidemiologists at the University of Pittsburgh, for example, wondered if woman could avoid the increase in weight and cholesterol levels often associated with menopause.

Is the clause that starts with 'if' a dependent clause?
If woman could avoid the increase in weight and cholesterol levels, I can not realize what would happen?
If woman could avoid the increase in weight and cholesterol levels, weight and cholesterol levels are associated with menopause. Is it right?


texts: Word for when you find out or realize the truth about a person or situation and it disappoints or confuses your worldview

texts: Today I completely forgot a word. It's when you find out or realize the truth about a person or situation and it disappoints or confuses your worldview. It starts with a 'd'/'dis'. I've drawn a blank and I had it yesterday and forgot to write it down.


texts: Which is correct when using the word staff?

texts: Which sentence is correct? Call center staff receive the information, or call center staff receives the information? I would consider the use of the word Staff as plural in this usage case.


texts: "A, B, C, or etc." vs. "A, B, or C, etc." vs. "A, B, C, etc."

texts:
I think correct usages of "and" and "etc." are:

  A, B, C, and etc.
  A, B, and etc.

But the example usage of "or" and "etc." I found in my dictionary is:

  A or B, etc.

Why it is not:

  A, B, or etc.

in the same way as "A, B, and etc." or as "A, B, or C"?

And when there are A, B, C, is the following correct?

  A, B, or C, etc.

And if I omit the "or", which meaning do I get?

  A, B, etc.

  = "A, B, and etc."?
  = "A or B, etc."?

  A, B, C, etc.

  = "A, B, C, and etc."?
  = "A, B, or C, etc."?


texts: A question about "seems like (as If, as though)"

texts:
He seems to be happy.
It seems that he is happy. (formal style)
It seems like (as if, as though) he is happy. (informal style)

1) Sentence #1 ; I assume that 'to infinitive' functions as subjective complement (that is, impersonal subject + intransitive verb + subjective complement).

2) Sentence #2, 3 ; I assume that

(1) 'it' functions as extraposed it to set up 'end focus',

(2) the conjunctions - 'that' and 'like', 'as if , as though' in informal style - lead not a subjective complement but a real subject clause (that is, subject + intransitive verb + real subject clause).

(3) in above Sentence #2, 3 'seems' is justified to function as an intransitive verb, which doesn't need a subjective complement but leads a real subject clause?

I sum up my assumptions in question, wchich are right?;

1.the 'seems' in the sentence #1 and #2, 3 are functioning different;

• sentence #1; 'seems' is an intransitive verb, which leads 'to be' - as a subjective complement.

• sentence #2, 3; 'seems' is an intransitive verb, which leads conjunctions - 'that, like, as if, as though' - as a true subject clause (not a subjective complement clause) triggered by extraposed it.

2.Thus, the syntax isn't the same between the sentence #1, which begins with the personal pronoun - 'he', and the sentence #2, 3, which begins with the impersonal pronoun - 'it'.


texts:
I was always under impression that "most important" is correct usage when going through the list of things.

  We need to pack socks, toothbrushes for the trip, but most important is to pack underwear.

However watching  Apple presentations I've noticed they always say "most importantly".

Could you please explain how to use this correctly?

  But most importantly, Gallo said, it's evident that Cook cares deeply about Apple.


texts: Does "garçon" mean male waiters only, not female waitresses?

texts: Does garçon mean (male) waiters only, not waitresses? I can’t find a site which addresses that question, though etymologically, and in French, it means “boy”.


texts: What's a word for that feeling of being surprised that someone thinks highly of you

texts: It's a positive or neutral feeling or state, like when someone tells you they are interested in you but you never thought they would be, but you take it as a compliment and express it as so


texts: Could we use 'lawn-proud' in the same sense as 'house-proud'?

texts:
The meaning of the term house-proud apparently has shifted, at least in the US, from meaning

very worried about your house being completely clean and tidy, and
spending a lot of time making it so
(Cambridge)

...which is how I think of it, to simply meaning

proud of one's house or housekeeping (M/W)

Given that, would it be a stretch to use the term lawn-proud to describe someone who obsesses over the state of their yard/garden? If it would not be generally understood in that sense, is there a word or a succinct phrase that would fit ?


texts: Does "it's ok to ..." count as a cleft construction?

texts: I am wondering if "it's ok to..." (e.g. as in "it's ok for us to leave now") would count as an it-cleft construction. When I consider Quirk et al.'s (1985) A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, it seems to me like all the components are given, the focus might be argued to lie on the "ok", and so forth - still, it seems a little odd to me and I am unsure about this. Can anybody shed some light?


texts: plural nouns which is most correct - human resources services or human resource services

texts:
Which is most correct for use in signage to indicate the location of that department.

Human resources services
Human resource services

My understanding is that both could be correct however I am not aware of any rules that may indicate otherwise.


texts: Is there a phrasal verb that has an opposite meaning to a phrasal verb 'filter out ? '

texts:
I have a question about a phrasal verb filter out. So, according to Oxford Learner's Dictionaries it means to remove something that you don't want.
Is there a phrasal verb that  means removing/selecting only something that I do want?
For example:
This web app  makes it easy to filter out good questions ( typically 3 upvotes or more ) within a selected period of time.
As far as I understand, filter out here means that I'd like to remove good questions; however,  the intended meaning was to remove bad questions and to keep good once.
Thanks for your help.


texts: Is it correct to say "consecutively in time"?

texts:
I'm writing a technical report and I want to emphasize that each sample that I have stored in a buffer has been collected before the following one. Can I say,

  The samples from the buffer are known to have been captured consecutively in time?


texts: Using "a/an" with uncountable nouns in exclamation sentences

texts:
I work with Chinese children to practice some English.
I have a sentence like this:

"What an useful advice you gave me!"

However, on most Chinese materials I have with me, it is said that the correct way to say this is by omitting "an" because advice is uncountable.
There's also that explanation on internet: http://wenwen.soso.com/z/q92137552.htm

"What useful advice you gave me"

Which one is it?

What about "What (a) great weather today!"


texts:
I'm a non-native speaker, wondering whether the following construction is correct:

  It had been a bad day followed by an awful night where he found himself in the most inconvenient circumstances.

If not, would it be correct to use when, instead? Are there any alternatives that would sound more natural to a native ear?


texts: What's the (subtle) difference between "once again" and "yet again"?

texts:
I think they mean pretty much the same thing, but maybe the tone is different (or subtext)?
Example sentences:

Once again, I went to Shibuya, one of the busiest pedestrian
intersections in Japan, and began a leisure afternoon of
girlwatching.
Yet again, I went to Shibuya, one of the busiest pedestrian
intersections in Japan, and began a leisure afternoon of
girlwatching.


texts: Do you need to capitalize any words that are used to refer to a specific place?

texts:
For instance:

  Outside the city gates, there's a dangerous forested domain. We often refer to it as the wild terrain... We entered the specified area, the so-called "wild terrain".

Do you have to capitalize the words 'wild' and 'terrain' in that sentence?
When does something become a name and deserves capitalizing?

So a well known, agreed upon descriptor, that is used frequently, does not constitute a name?


texts: Is it "invisible coat" or "invisibility coat"?

texts:
I’ve taken a test, and I’d like to know the answer to a question:

Complete the sentence using the correct word; make any changes necessary.
I would like to have an _______ coat so nobody can see me.

Which is the correct form of the adjective “invisible”: just "invisible" or "invisibility"?


texts: What do you call a person who advocates the use, against an enemy, of methods borrowed from that enemy, or applies the same moral standards as the enemy does or otherwise copies the enemy's behavior or techniques?