texts: Term for when someone falsely accuses you of doing to them what they are actually doing to you

texts:
UPDATE: (2018-02-08) Pot-Calling-The-Kettle-Black (PCKB) reconsideration and another example:
The Wikipedia article on PCKB indicates something interesting. It says that originally, the term was Spanish (c. 17th Century) and most often used to indicate hypocrisy, because in those days, BOTH the pot and the kettle were made of a black cast iron, which I why I did not accept it from those who suggested it as an answer. However, the plot thickens ... I don't know if I never researched Wikipedia, if I missed the part I'm about to quote, or if it was added after I originally posted this, but essentially, Wikipedia goes on to say that PCKB has since the 1800's come to mean what I'm talking about (emphasis mine).

An alternative modern interpretation,[6][7] far removed from the original intention, argues that while the pot is sooty (being placed on a fire), the kettle is shiny (being placed on coals only); hence, when the pot accuses the kettle of being black, it is the pot's own sooty reflection that it sees: the pot accuses the kettle of a fault that only the pot has, rather than one that they share.

Have two possible meanings simultaneously is very tricky to deal with, because if you say PCKB to someone, some will think it is the meaning of hypocrisy, and others will think it is projection. However, both cases fail to convey the deliberate and devious manipulation that I'm talking about.
Another example of this scenario is the all-too-common occurrence of a female, usually a wife or girlfriend, calling the cops on the man in the relationship for abuse, after she was the one and only that was doing any abusing.
Therefore, for the most part I am abandoning my search for a term to describe this, because all the answers I received were great but none of them hit the target. This leads me believe that maybe no such word exists.
Thus, I shall have to coin one myself.

UPDATE: (2017-11-23) [Thanksgiving in the USA] I learned of another example just recently that may help sum this concept up in an easily understandable way: You are minding your own business then somebody punches you and yells "He hit me!"

ORIGINAL:
Is there a term for when someone falsely accuses you of doing to them what they are in actuality doing to you?
When I was a child, my younger brother would punch me and then would tell my mom I punched him (which was in no way true). I know some would call this lying, but I'm looking for a more specific term. I suspect there may be something to do with logical, rhetoric, politics, or debate, but I'm not cognizant of the term if it exists. Perhaps something like the term "ad hominem"?
Any help is appreciated!


texts: If I "assign" someone a task, what is the correct verb for "unassigning" them?

texts:
I am developing some software where users are assigned tasks. They will see a date and time for when they were assigned to the task, but if they were later removed from the task, there will be a date and time for that also.

01/02/14 - Assigned

03/02/14 - Unassigned

I'm pretty sure unassigned isn't correct. I suppose the task itself could be in a state of being unassigned, but the user wasn't "unassigned" from it.

Notes:

I don't want to use the word "removed", as I don't think it conveys the correct meaning and also sounds too harsh.
I would like to avoid using a word your average person would never have heard of, as this isn't very user-friendly from a software point of view.


texts: What are the meanings of "devoted to" and "year of years" in the passage?

texts:
Even his artistic oeuvre, though sublime, is minute. Fewer than 20 finished works are generally attributed to da Vinci. He failed to complete some of his most important commissions such as the “Adoration of the Magi”. His ill-fated experimentation with materials ruined others, including “The Last Supper”. Hence the paucity of exhibitions devoted to his art in what should be his year of years. Florence is commemorating him with a show devoted to his master, Verrocchio.

https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2019/04/20/was-leonardo-the-supreme-genius-or-just-our-kind-of-guy

1.What is the meaning of "devoted to" in these two sentences?

2.What is the meaning of "year of years"?

3.What is the meaning of the whole sentence "Hence the paucity of exhibitions devoted to his art in what should be his year of years"? I just cannot recognise which word is its verb.

Thanks for answering.


texts: Is it affected to pronounce the "h" in wh- words such as "what"?

texts: Almost no one does it except professors and cosmopolitans.  Though some books will say that "what" should be pronounced "hwutt" and not "wutt", is it really recommended for us, the common folk, to espouse this pronunciation; or would we sound affected in doing so?


texts: What the expression "I drive the hearse" means?

texts:
I'm from a country that dont have english as first language. I was hearing a song and I caught this expression: "I drive the hearse" (the lyrics is here). In the first verse the narrator says:

When this freedom stains my coat
With the winter in my throat
When I'm lost I dig the dirt
When I fall I drive the hearse

I can figure out the meaning of every line of text except the last one. "When I fall I drive the hearse"??? In translation to my native language the only meaning I have is referring "the hearse" as a car that carries dead people from funerals. Is that the real meaning of that phrase in this context? If not, could you explain to me what this phrase really means? PS: I'm asking it because that mental image (a hearse) sounds kind dissonant in that music to me.

PS²: feel free to suggest any correction related to english errors in my question (this will help me to learn more ^^).


texts:
I wrote this sentence for my report, but I am not fully comfortable in using "responsive". Can any one check and point out the mistakes?
Various constraints relating RGB cameras were found to be responsive to color and illumination changes, surrounding clutters and disorders.


texts: single word for "transformation of a person of least value to a person of great value"

texts:
Actually I am looking for a suitable word which describes the following or similar:

A golden era when a person of least importance is transmuted into a person of great importance


texts:
I want to ask regarding the time at which I will be interviewed. Which option is correct? Or both are incorrect? I am confused regarding the usage of "time" and "timing"?

What is the timing of the interview on Monday?
What is the time of the interview on Monday?


texts: I'm wondering if it's considered okay to omit comma's in the name of my store and on its signage? The name of the store is Book Bauble and Blessings. I don't have a comma in my signage or logo's, but when I advertise with my local newspaper, they add a comma to the name. I'd like to complain about it, but not if I'm incorrect in omitting it.


texts:
The word "sequel" comes from the the Latin word sequela which means "that which follows" This Latin word is formed of two parts, "sequi" which is "to follow", and a suffix to make it a noun,"-ela".

If "sequel" means a following work which continues the narrative of the main work, what is a work that is before the main work?

As in "Little Men is the sequel to Little Women, but its "___" is actually Jo's boys"

I don't like "prequel", because it is assuming the root word is "quel", which isn't the fact. The fact is that "sequel" came from "sequi", and "prequel" doesn't actually come from anything. I would like an alternative.

Does anyone have any suggestions for words referring to works predating the referred work other than prequel?


texts:
I am still a bit confused how to receive an external phone call at work.

Browsing the internet I find:

* Hello? (informal)
* Thank you for calling Boyz Autobody. Jody speaking. How can I help you?
* Doctor's office.

None of those work for me well. "Hello?" is certainly too informal. The second seems more for a receptionist...and the third...I don't know what's that supposed to mean.

What are your standard phrases?


texts:
Wiktionary gives me these pieces of information:

[money]  [1]

From Middle English moneie, moneye, from Old French moneie (“money”), from Latin monēta, from the name of the temple of Juno Moneta in Rome, where a mint was.

Displaced native Middle English schat (“money, treasure”) (from Old English sceatt (“money, treasure, coin”)), Middle English feoh (“money, property”) (from Old English feoh (“money, property, cattle”)).

[mint-2] [3]

From Middle English mynt, münet (“money, coin”), from Old English mynet (“coin, money”), from Proto-Germanic *munitan, *munitō (“coin”), from Latin monēta (“place for making coins, coined money”), from the temple of Juno Moneta (named for Monēta mother of the Muses), where coins were made; akin to Dutch munt (“currency, coin, mint”), German Münze (“coin, coinage, mint”), Danish mønt (“coin”), and to Russian монета (“coin”).

[mint-1] [2]

From Middle English minten, from Old English myntan (“to mean, intend, purpose, determine, resolve”), from Proto-Germanic *muntanan, *muntijanan (“to think, consider”), from Proto-Indo-European *men-, *mnā- (“to think”).

Cognate with Eastern Frisian mintsje, muntsje (“to aim, target”), Dutch munten (“to aim at, target”), Dutch monter (“cheerful, gladsome, spry”), Gothic  (muns, “thought, opinion”), Old English munan (“to be mindful of, consider, intend”). More at mind.

[mind] [4]

From Middle English minde, from Old English ġemynd (“memory, remembrance, memorial, thought”), from Proto-Germanic *gamundiz, *mundiz (“memory, remembrance”), from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”).

Cognate with Gothic  (munds, “memory, mind”), Old English myntan (“to mean, intend, purpose, determine, resolve”), Latin mens,mentis (“mind, reason”), Albanian mënd (“mind, reason”). More at mint.

------------------------------------------------------------------

There are two etymologies, mint-2 and mint-1 provided for  mint, referring respectively to two meanings: "a coin/place making coins" and "intent to do".

(Q1)So are mint-1 (intent to do) and mint-2 (a coin) cognates or not?

If they are not cognates, given that money is cognate with mint-2 (a coin) while mind is cognate with mint-1,

(Q2)can we draw the conclusion that money and mind are not cognates?


texts:
In the week since Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo declared a war on
  corruption in business circles, prosecutors have launched an
  investigation into Posco Engineering and Construction (E&C) for
  alleged slush funds overseas and companies that made investments in
  line with the Lee Myung-bak administration’s resource diplomacy push.

  Worries are spreading quickly among major companies that they may be
  next, which is all they need in a stuck-in-the rut economy with
  falling oil prices, a weak yen and the threat of deflation.

I'm not sure about the meaning of phrase "which is all they need in".
Isn't this an irony, because I think the last thing major companies expect would be the government's investigation into them.


texts: How should I pronounce the latin name Sporosarcina pasteurii? According to Pronunciation of Biological Latin : "Latin biological names in English speech are usually pronounced with English letter sounds." But I am not sure what is the letter sound of the eu, ii, and sarcina?


texts: How to format a sentence that a character has written down?

texts:
I'm trying my hand at editing a friends work. They've written the following:

  'Thinks he's the smartest one in the room,' Henry wrote on a piece of paper.

(For context, they use double quotation marks when they write dialogue.)

My instinct is that the single quotation marks are incorrect. I could be wrong.

I can think of two alternatives:

Double quotation marks:

  "Thinks he’s the smartest one in the room," Henry wrote on a piece of paper.

I feel like the double quotation marks make it read too much like dialogue, however. Especially because there is a conversation happening around this line.
Italics:

  Thinks he's the smartest one in the room, Henry wrote on a piece of paper.

A reason I lean towards this option is because "thinks he's the smartest one in the room" is a thought that Henry is having. (If Henry was simply thinking the phrase then I would use italics.)

So, am I supposed use single quotes, double quotes, or italics in this situation? Or something else? Or is it just a matter of style?


texts: Usage of present participle as an adjective

texts:
If present participle is used as an adjective in sentences like these

I saw him riding a bike
The guy shouting at his wife looks familiar.

Is it indicated the progress of an action or just describes a noun?

Basically, the sentences mean just the same as

When I saw him he was riding a bike
The guy is shouting at his wife and he looks familiar.

but emphasizes on the facts (not progression) and a bit simplified for easier usage?


texts: When is it correct to use the "-wise" suffix?

texts:
I found myself writing the following in a bit of technical documentation:

  The Trainers' and Students' clients have very little in common, both user interface-wise and code-wise.

At first, I wondered whether I should have written user-interface-wise, user interface-wise, user interface wise or user interfacewise... or some other combination. A quick Google search suggested however that the "-wise" suffix actually isn't one you can or should use on any word.

What do you suggest? I guess the easiest way out is rephrasing (e.g., not only for what concerns the user interface, but also for actual methods), but I wanted to learn whether appending "-wise" to arbitrary words is incorrect, frowned upon or merely a stylistic choice.


texts: Word/phrase that means "secondary" without implying a lack of importance

texts: Trying to think of a word or short phrase to describe something as being secondary but without implying that it is unimportant.


texts:
In which cases should I use the subjunctive mood?

  I suggest that every applicant fill out the form carefully.

  If she were rich, she would live on Long Island.


texts: Can we use 'most' with a non-collective countable singular noun?

texts: Is it correct to use "most of" before a non-collective countable singular noun?


texts: Correct usage of the word "my" in this sentence?

texts:
My writing was flowing and this is something that I wrote:

  I pull into my parking spot, which is empty despite my having never reserved it, and get out.

I was curious as to whether this usage of the word my is grammatically correct, or whether the sentence would make sense without it?

Is me acceptable too? It doesn't seem right to me:

  I pull into my parking spot, which is empty despite me having never reserved it, and get out.

I'm assuming that this is correct:

  I pull into my parking spot, which is empty despite having never reserved it, and get out.

Or:

  I pull into my parking spot, which is empty despite the fact that I've never reserved it, and get out.


texts:
I was wondering if walk slow and walk slowly are both correct or if there's a difference between them.

English isn't my first language and I'm sure the rules I learned would only accept slowly as the right word, because it follows a verb.

When I search for walk slow on Google I still get 250,000 results and for walk slowly I get 525,000 results, so walk slow can't be completely wrong.

Which one is right?


texts:
In that eternal moment it sounded like thunder, reminding him that today time isn't on his side.

versus

  In that eternal moment it sounded like thunder, reminding him that today, time isn't on his side.

From what I understand and believe to be right, the comma isn't supposed to be there. The problem is that without the comma it's difficult to parse and during the first time of reading, the word "time" seems misplaced.

Can I place the comma there and still be grammatical or should I rather not and let the reader parse the sentence without any help?


texts: Is there any situation where an article could be used in front of a pronoun?

texts:
I was reading an online copy of the King James Bible and (in John 18:1) found this:

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.

The whole thing is fantastically archaic, but the notable part is into the which he entered.  Obviously he entered into 'the garden' (the thing just mentioned), but surely into the which should just be into which, or possibly whereinto, whither, or really any of the dozens of archaicisms to choose from.  I think I'm going mad thinking about this.  Is is, in any way (even archaically), correct?


texts: Past Simple and Past Perfect Simple with 'already'

texts:
Do these two sentences have the same meaning?

  When we arrived, David had already got home

and

  When we arrived, David was already home


texts: Is the distinction between noun and adjective inapplicable to English?

texts:
The distinction between noun and adjective is inapplicable to English grammar, and should be replaced by a distinction between objective and attributive words. — Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911)

How relevant is this to understanding English grammar? Is it still defended in the academic world?


texts: Is the expression "having a good time" too personal?

texts:
Me and a colleague were jointly writing an email to an English speaking business partner when a discussion arose on how to formulate a sentence.

The business partner is currently on vacation, so I thought that the sentence "We hope you're having a good time on your vacation" was a good and appropriate way to address this in the beginning of the email. My colleague on the other hand said that the phrase "having a good time" is more personal and something you say to people you know more personally and something along the line of "We hope you're enjoying your vacation" would be more appropriate.

What would you say the correct semantic of this phrase is?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is there a name for inverting word order to accomplish a different meaning?

I came across this sentence recently and I was wondering what is this repetitive style called? Also, can anyone provide me with another few interesting examples of sentences like this?

  I wish people would say what they mean and mean what they say.


texts:
Although Apple and Google have said that their contact-tracing apps would limit applications that tried to create a centralised database of contacts, the government has beaten down Apple on its security principles before.

What does beat down mean in the above passage?


texts: Term for people in the same life situation

texts:
What is a term for people in the same life situation?

Like, people who have the same health issue, or pregnant women.


texts: In my example, did I use parentheses correctly?

texts:
As mentioned before, Table 1 is evidence that alcohol consumption was reduced by 9.2% (with statistical significance at the 1% level).

Should I remove or leave the parentheses?


texts: Is there a verb (or group of verbs) to describe someone saying "hmm"?

texts:
I'm looking for a verb to replace someone uttering "hmm" or "mmh" or any of its variations.
I found this related question (The origin of 'hmm') that hints that "hum" might be a good choice, but I'm wondering if there are others, possibly better ones.
It gets a bit more complicated given the many meanings of "hmm". Depending on context and tone, it can mean "I agree" or "I disagree", "I hear you" (with or without agreement) or "I'm not really listening". And when used in a question, it can also mean "Can you repeat that?"
So far I've got

He hummed in agreement.
He grunted noncommittally.

Can I use either of those to express the negative version?

He hummed/grunted in disagreement.

And what about the question form?

"Hmm?"


texts: Single word for "decided but possibly unknown"

texts:
For example :

  You are dealt a card, face down, at a casino. Before you turn it over to look at it, the card you have been
  dealt is _______ [decided, but unknown].


texts: Word or phrase for a distraction that is no longer bothersome?

texts:
I'm looking for a word or short phrase that means something that is not distracting. More specifically, something previously distracting that has since faded into... well, I don't know into what.
So I have this:

"A serious injury to a limb will often cause pain and agitation when using that extremity. A broken leg, for example, will be incredibly painful to walk on.
Minor wounds such as cuts or bruises typically heal quickly, often becoming [no longer distracting] within a few hours."

Any ideas? I looked for antonyms of bother and distract and such, but they were all too positive or not very specific, like "calm" or "soothe" or "not bother". I'm looking more for something that the subject is indifferent to.
The current structure isn't critical, so rewrites are possible, but a single word would be better.


texts: Term for "lower numeric bound" - analogous to “capped”

texts:
What term should be used for describing limiting the lower range of a number?

We (often) use "capped" to refer to a limit on the upper value of a range.

What is the analogous term for limiting the lower end of the range?

More:

I want a past tense word that means "a hard lower limit has been placed (on something)".

In the same way that we might say "Your medical costs have been capped at $5000" (that's the most you will pay), I seek a word where I can say "Your medical costs have been XXXXed at $200" (that's the least you will pay).


texts: Why do not people use subject and am,is,are in social media?

texts:
I am a beginner learner and i see posts in social media like:
telling my friend where is my phone.
İn this sentence i am thinking like it is present continuous tense and we should add "I am" at the beginning.
Also if this is normal, can we talk like that in daily life?


texts:
Let us say that someone is having a dispute with a company regarding the timely return of an item. They were told to return the item by or before the 18th of the month. They understood this to mean that they must have the item postmarked by the 18th to get a refund.

A week later they receive an email staying that they will not be refunded because the item came back later than the 18th.

Can the phrase, 'Please return by or before the 18th' have 2 meanings?


texts: Is a definite article needed before "sleep"?

texts:
Do I need a definite article before "sleep" in the following sentence?

  How do they call in English that yellowish substance that is gathered
  in the corner of a human eye during the sleep?


texts: Can I use the word "dandy" for a subject other than "man"?

texts:
Google translates "dandy" as a man unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance.

Collins translates it as A dandy is a man who thinks a great deal about his appearance and always dresses in smart clothes.

Can the word "dandy" also be used for a lady, a girl, or a boy?


texts: Synonym for un-scientific book by researcher

texts: I am looking for a synonym for a kind of book/genre, that contains interesting information, but is not aimed at the scientific community, being polemical / political and not stringent enough to be academic. For instance "Weapons of Math Destruction" by Cathy O'Neil.


texts: Is it better to write without contractions? E.g. "cannot" instead of "can't"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Using contracted forms (“don't”, “let's”) in a formal text
  Usage of contractions like “it's” and “that's” in textbooks
  Should contractions be avoided in formal emails?
  Are contractions like “didn't” forbidden in written English?

Is a text written without abbreviations generally considered more refined, well-mannered and couth? For some reason, I have gotten that impression. E.g.

"It's warm out, isn't it?" vs "It is warm out, is it not?"
"I can't say" vs "I cannot say"

Are there situations when abbreviations like these should be avoided? What is the popular consensus about their usage?


texts:
While I was watching 'dinnerladies' yesterday, I noticed that they referred to 'ladder' as (she) in lieu of (it), so I wonder if it was an idiom or accent.

Thanks

One of the contexts was like this.
Tony (referring to the ladder): Can you just move it back a foot?
Stan: No, because it's wedged against the wall back there.
Tony: Well just lift it up a bit?
Stan (trying to lift the ladder up): No, she won't.


texts: What do we call a non-human (virtual) agent in computer science domain? I'm looking for a word/phrase other than bot or artificial agent.


texts: Does "wired" mean nervous or connected in this title?

texts:
"British ambassador, now target of Trump’s ire, has D.C. wired"

From politico.com


texts: Word for compact, parenthesis-writing style: A (B) is x (y) for A is x, B is y

texts:
In English, is there a word to describe the compact writing style in the example below?

  The highest (lowest) recorded temperature was 20°C (5°C).

meaning

  The highest recorded temperature was 20°C, and the lowest was 5°C.

I encounter this sometimes in academic texts, particularly when there is a strict word count limit. I quite dislike it. Does it have a name?


texts: Is a clause beginning with "where" an adjective or adverb clause?

texts:
I was looking for adverbial clause examples and found this: We’ll go to the bar where they asked us to wait.
I think it's an adjective clause since "bar" was mentioned. It is describing the place; I think if it were: We will go (to) where they asked us to wait, it would be an adverbial clause; however, since there is a noun that is being described, it is no longer an adverbial clause. I take my conclusions by inverting the placement of the sentences, since in adverbial clauses we can use both dependent or independent clauses in the beginning:
Adjective Clause:

Where they asked us to wait, we will go to the bar
We will go to the bar where they asked us to wait.

Adverbial Clause:

Where they asked us to wait, we will go (to)
We will go (to) where they asked us to wait

Or, could it be used in both forms, meaning both things?


texts: Should we Use "Will" when we want to do things for someone & "Would" when we want someone to do things for us?

texts:
Ok, I learned that using "Will" when we're so sure that we will do something.

  The boss: Don't be late tomorrow

  The employee: I won't, sir!

If we say "I wouldn't", then it seems that we think that thing is impossible & this could make the boss upset.

So, it seems that we should use "Will" when we really want to do things for someone

But this said using "would" to make it more polite

  In direct request or suggestions we use type 1 conditional. To make a
  request or suggestion more polite, we use type 2 conditional.
  Compare:

  It will be nice if you help me. (direct request - Type 1)
  It would be nice if you helped me. (less direct, more polite request - Type 2)

And other example,

  If you write her a letter, I'll send her my best wishes.

  If you wrote her a letter, I'd send her my best wishes.

If we say "will you help me?" then it seems that we just care about ourselves & we are forcing people to help us.

But, "would you help me" make the listener thinks that that is impossible. Thus, the question is more polite.

So, it seems that we should use "Would" when we really want someone to do things for us


texts: We say "U.S. citizen", but why can't we say "China citizen"? Or can we?

texts: Is the word "U.S." an adjective or a noun modifier in this case? It seems to me that it is an adjective that goes before citizen, because we say "Russian citizen", "Chinese citizen", etc. But if it's a noun modifier, then why can't "China" be a noun modifier, too? Although "China citizen" sounds wrong to me, "(People's) Republic of China citizen" doesn't sound as bad. I know I could always write "citizen of China" and in general, "citizen of [country]", but I'm just curious to know.


texts:
I'm looking for a word for a murder of a co-conspirator or witness in order to preclude testimony to the authorities.

For example:

  Many suspect that Fat Tony's apparent fatal accident on the New Jersey
  Turnpike was in fact a [word] perpetrated by other members of the
  Soho Heist team.

Update I know the verb to silence, and I was hoping for a snappy noun for, basically, "killing to silence." An ad hoc construction becomes unwieldy in my actual usage, which deals with statistics. Perhaps here's a more relevant example:

  According the police, 98 homicides can be traced directly to the
  crackdown. Only seven resulted from police shootings in the line of
  duty; the rest were [word] by the crime syndicates themselves.


texts: Is the construction "maker of all universe" grammatical in any English dialect?

texts:
The song "Great Are You Lord" by the worship musician Sinach includes the following lines:

  Holy, Holy God Almighty
  It’s a privilege to worship you
  Maker of all universe
  It’s an honour just to stand before you

I'm aware that the highlighted line above ("Maker of all universe") isn't grammatical in British English (my native dialect). As Sinach is Nigerian, I'm guessing that Nigerian English is her native dialect - is this construction grammatical in that dialect, or indeed in any others?


texts: I have been told that it's a racist derogatory term.


texts: Meaning of sentence. "He is not vigilant like you"

texts:
He is not vigilant like you.

Does it mean that

you are vigilant.
Or you are not vigilant like him.

I am really confused by the sentence whether it's a compliment or complaint?


texts: Can French/British be used as plural nouns?

texts:
Neither British nor French can be used as a singular noun. For example, (a) is ungrammatical.

  a. *A French/British is dancing.

Although the French/British can mean 'French/British people' collectively, French/British is usually analyzed as adjectives. For example, (b) is grammatical and natural English.

  b. The French/British are struggling.

Can British and French be used as plural nouns, meaning 'British people' and 'French people', respectively, outside the construction The French/British?

For example, is (c) grammatical and natural? How about (d)?

  c. A lot of French/British are dancing.

  d. Several French/British are dancing.


texts: Verb for calling a phone only with the intention of letting it ring

texts:
Not sure how 'common' this is, but during phone calls I will often agree to call somebody with the sole intention of letting the phone ring so that the other party knows that whatever event we agreed on has occurred. The most common example would be to let them know I have arrived at their place and am expecting them to come out whilst I wait in the car for example.

In Slovak and other Slavic languages there is a specific verb for this ("prezvonit", prefix 'pre'+to ring), yet in English I always end up with awkward constructions explaining explicitly that they shouldn't pick up.

Is there any informal way of communicating this easily in English or am I the only one cheap enough to try and save myself a couple of cents and has no such word developed in the English language?


texts: Not understand the prep. word "for" in " After that, Democrats and Republicans may offer amendments for as long as they want."

texts:
I don't quite understand the usage of "for" in  "After that, Democrats and Republicans may offer amendments for as long as they want."

"offer for" does not seem a phrase.


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "you don't have it"?

texts:
The sentence goes, "You douchebags don't have it"
It was said by a woman who complained about guys that were two-timing and they should fess up to their women.


texts: Correct naming form (with or without "of")

texts:
I have a system (software) that do topolygical analysis. How would be more correct to name it:

"System of topological analysis" or
"Topological analysis system" ?

And what rules should I know to correctly speak in such situations? When better to use each form?


texts:
I have seen the following type of phrase in various academic articles and books.

  Another important decomposition used in the sequel is the ...
  In the sequel, we identify the position ...
  the vector v (introduced in the sequel) must be considered...

At first, this use of "in the sequel" seemed strange, and I chalked it up to non-native English writing.  I would say something like "in the following" or "below" in a case like this.  However, I've seen it enough that I'm starting to question whether it's acceptable/standard English or not.

I can see an argument that by the etymology of the word, it can be used in this fashion.  The modern definition of sequel applies to books, films, and events.  What's the verdict?


texts:
I had recently been chided for inadvertently using "on" to describe strapping an accessory (on/to) a car mirror - for obvious reasons.
While "on" may be perceived as inappropriate or even impoilte, my question is:
Is using "on" in this context grammatically incorrect?

Thanks.


texts: What to use?: Infinitive, bare infinitive or gerund as a complement after an expression

texts:
I came across some sentences and I was wondering which word is correct: 'train,' 'to train' or 'training'?

What we should do is train our workers to become more efficient.

All I we do is train our workers...

All you have to do is train workers...


texts: Usage of "without strain" word combination

texts: Can word combination "without strain" be used in figurative sense, for example "He speaks English without strain." and is it literary?


texts: what is the semantic term for this type of sentence?

texts:
I know this sentence means a change of state because of the verb broke.

  John broke the window.

What is the semantic term for this sentence given no change of state occurred?

  John viewed the parade.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  "Which" vs "what" - what's the difference and when should you use one or the other?

Q: What's the rule-of-thumb on "for which" vs. "for what" usage? I recently wrote the sentence:

"For which data is it appropriate to use method A instead of method B"

This seems right. But I can't articulate why "for what" seems wrong.


texts: Help with an article "A Realist's Diary: the book about money, relationships and the meaning of life"

texts:
I've asked a different question previously and got very helpful replies for the first part of the title, i.e. "A Realist's Diary". Now I'd like to know your opinion about the second part:

A Realist's Diary: the book about money, relationships and the meaning of life

Can we omit the definite article before "book"? It will look on the cover like this

A Realist's Diary
book about money, relationships and the meaning of life

I think it looks strange and grammatically it can't be correct. But English is my third language.
What do you think?


texts: I want know the use of the term "disgusting", and its nuance

texts:
(I do not speak English well. Sorry.)

In South Korea, the word "Disgust/Disgusting" are essential words for high school examination and college scholastic ability test.

So, many Korean students know this term, and they often say (as a humor)

"You are disgusting", "(I feel) disgust"

I think because this term "disgust" means 'very strong dislike or disapproval', it can not be used as a humor and sounds like rude.

Am I right?

I'm wondering whether "You are disgusting" could be a humor
and does "disgust" can be a swear word.

Thank you.


texts: When would one use "burnt" and when would "burned" be more appropriate?

texts:
More out of curiosity than anything, when would one use "burnt" and when would "burned" be appropriate? For example,

  This coffee tastes burnt.

  This coffee tastes burned.

or

  They burnt the coffee again.

  They burned the coffee again.

Does it make a difference? I know when I speak either phrase they sound almost indistinguishable (my "t"s do not always sound sharp and come across like "d"s at times); can they be used interchangeably?

[ As an aside, the problem with the coffee at the local Dunkin Donuts is what prompted the whole curiosity about this :) ]


texts: Difference between "wants to be you" and "wants to become you"

texts:
I've been watching the latest season of House of Cards and in the latest episode I saw there is a line that I think is supposed to convey an image, but I can't quite understand it.
It is about the US president in an election and the family of his opponent. It goes like this:

  The Conways are everything everyone wants to be, You are what everyone
  wants to become.

So, what is the difference between the "be" and "become" here?


texts: Why does "President of the United States" have a "the" before "U.S", but "President of Russia" doesn't?

texts:
Some other examples:

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
President of Russia
President of the Russian Federation
Emperor of Japan


texts: What do we call a style where we read or analyze something by approaching it first from left to right and then from right to left alternatively?

texts:
What do we call a style where we read or analyze something by approaching it first from left to right and then from right to left or top to bottom followed by bottom to top alternatively?
Suppose there is a text written (list etc.) in multiple columns, and someone first reads one column top to bottom and the one immediately following it bottom to top and so on. Another kind of scenario may be scanning a line first left to right and then right to left.


texts: How are our brains and we "wired" in this TEDxTysons talk?

texts:
Would you help to get the meaning of "Wired " in this context please :

  And something I think we're going to be hearing more about in the near
  future is that there's a fundamental mismatch between the way our brains are wired and this behavior of exposing yourself to stimuli with intermittent rewards throughout all of your waking hours.

  It's one thing to spend a couple of hours at a slot machine in Las
  Vegas, but if you bring one with you, and you pull that handle all day long,
  from when you wake up to when you go to bed: we're not wired from it.

  — Dr Cal Newport at TEDxTysons


texts: Is a composition of items a "composed item"?

texts: Let's say I have standard items. I now group them together to create a composition of items. Is it correct to speak of "a composed item"? Some dictionaries say it does, but most seem to give composed the meaning of "calm, relaxed item" rather than "a composition of"


texts: Is there a word that describes people capable of picking up an accent by hearing?

texts:
A friend of mind told me about his accent teacher who picked up his accent (for a specific sentence) just after few times she heard him saying it, so I wonder if there is a word that describes this talent.
Thanks.


texts: The meaning of "Not but what it might have been for something else; but it warn't."?

texts:
What exactly does this line by Dickens mean?

  "'Yes, master, and I've never been in it much.' (I had come out of Kingston Jail last on a vagrancy committal. Not but what it might have been for something else; but it warn't.)"

  Great Expectations, chapter 42, Magwitch to Pip and Herbert

I'm not sure about the meaning of the second sentence.


texts:
Even though I am all in favor of salutations and complimentary closes, when exchanging more than a couple of mails with the same person, I feel that starting yet another reply with Dear Mr. Smith gets somewhat worn and moreover stiff, even awkward if you like.

Hence, I was wondering whether it would be considered ill-mannered to drop the salutation after the first (second, third?) mail and jump to addressing the actual subject matter directly.

Correspondingly, if I drop the salutation, should/can I omit the valediction as well?


texts:
We quite often hear the utterance "that many" as in

  I haven't had that many sweets!

But is the opposite standard speech as well? Can one say:

  I don't have that few followers on Twitter!

If so, is there any difference in usage? I.e. is this acceptable in written as well as spoken conversation? Formal and informal?


texts: Is this situation ironic or coincidental?

texts:
I'm under the impression irony is when the opposite of what you expect happens. Someone dies giving a safety presentation, for example. Coincidental, on the other hand, is when merely something unlikely manages to happen.

Here's the situation: A few weeks ago I wore a pair of jeans somewhere. Today my friend asks what pair of jeans I'm wearing, and it happens to be those. He says how ironic that is. I say it's a coincidental, not ironic.

Who's right?


texts: Is a lengthy combination of words with hyphens like “the worst not-technically-in-a-recession year in American history” a new fashion of writing?

texts:
I found a hyphenated word , “not-technically–in-a-recession” in the sentence of September 28 New York Times’ article titled “Why Obama Is Winning,”  written by co-ed columnist, Ross Douthat. It reads:

  “Today, just as he predicted, the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent.
  The year’s second-quarter growth rate was just downgraded to an anemic
  1.3 percent, real household income dipped in the month leading up to the two political conventions, and the American Enterprise Institute’s
  James Pethokoukis suggests that 2012 might turn out to be the worst
  not-technically-in-a-recession year in modern American history”.

I was interested in the format, “not-technically-in-X” deliberately combining six words into one word with hyphens. Why doesn’t the writer simply say “2012 might turn out to be the worst year, (though) not technically recession, in modern American history” without linking words with repetitive hyphens.

Is it a fashon, or is it a normal way to say or write “not-technically-in-an-X.”?

Do you normally write “The report is arranged with not-technically–in-statistic-accuracy?

Does a doctor inform his patient that their cancer may turn out critical not-technically-in-clinical-database?

P.S.

I witnessed ubiquity (or abuse) of hyphen-linked-phrasing in the following sentence of Time magazine’s (Oct. 22) article – “The Third Debate: Obama Wins on Style and Substance” written by Joe Klein.

  “This may seem petty, but it is part of the other-than-reality-based
  world of RushFoxland — like the alleged Apology Tour that wasn’t. That
  world, so far as foreign policy is concerned, came crashing down
  tonight.”


texts: What need is there for the English language to include both "affect" and "effect"

texts:
I do not know the history of the words affect and effect. I know their use in English, with the words being verbs and nouns respectively, but as a point of curiosity and enthusiasm, I wonder if there is a need to have separate words at all? Is there ever a case where there is a sentence that would be ambiguous if the wrong word was used? For example, consider the following sentences:

I am happy for you too.
I am happy for you two.

(I believe a comma might be needed in the first sentence, but bear with me)
These sentences have different meanings. The first states that the speaker is happy for the listen as well. The second states that the reader is happy for the listener and another individual. It is important, then for English to have different words for these two meanings. Considering affect and effect, is there ever a case where we could have an ambiguous sentence like this? Or could we instead drop either affect or effect and use the remaining word exclusively?
As an aside:
I understand that English is a language birthed from many other languages, and as a result contains many duplicates of words. For example (this is my understanding), cow and beef were at one point essentially the same, but the words are rooted from the languages that were used by those who raised the cattle (Germanic, cow) and those who consumed the meat (French, beef).


texts:
Excuse me, I heard these two sentences from an English teacher. But I do not know what do they mean and even if they are grammatically correct. Would you please help me to find out if they are correct?

What did you do used to do when you where a child?

How long can you studied English?


texts: When referring to 1 million dollars, do you use it or them?

texts: I am not sure because there is more than one dollar, but when referring to the one million dollars only, would you use "it"?


texts: Usage of consecutive infinitives of purpose

texts:
Is it possible to modify an infinitive of purpose with another infinitive of purpose if the action of the first one is not yet carried out?

Ex. Jack brought beans home to give to his mother to plant in the garden.
Ex. Jack went to the market to sell the cow to please his mother.

Is that correct? Is the notion of being carried out important for the first infinitive? Does that imply that the action of the first infinitive is sure to be carried out?

Or is the action of the first infinitive perceived as already carried out, in other words, not as an infinitive of purpose like 'brought and gave', 'went and sold'?


texts:
'The Royal We'  is the use of 'we' to refer only to the user. I had thought until I looked it up that 'Royal We' referred to the use of 'we' with the inference (whether obvious or subtle) that the person talking doesn't consider themselves to be included in 'we'.

Is such usage of 'we' recognised in any phrase analogous to 'The Royal We'?


texts:
Here is the sentence:

I laid down on a crunchy bed of autumn leaves at the right corner of the fence and observed the mysterious residence for movement.

I'm not sure whether "laid" is the correct grammatical term or if it is lay, lie, lied, etc.


texts: Two questions in one sentence (embedded question)

texts:
In a question like this (I took it from an English course):

  Can you tell me if there's anything you don't have any doubts about?

Is this correct? (grammatically speaking)

Because for me it seems that I should use the question structure in the second part two, looking like this:

  Can you tell me if is there anything you don't have any doubts
  about?

Which one is right?


texts:
I need an adverb to show both surprise and fear. Can we use shockingly or worriedly? For example,

  He asked shockingly.


texts:
The decision has been made and we ask for just one thing, an immediate positive intervention of Zaccagnini. If that won't happen, we'll have no choice but to execute the sentence, you understand?

This is the part of a monologue from the movie The Moro Affair. I would like to ask whether the clause "If that won't happen" is OK. I am aware that in some cases there is needed to use the future in the if-clause, like "If it will help you, I will go to a dentist with you". But my sentence contains after all type 2 of the conditional where the pattern is: if-clause – Simple present and main clause – Simple future. So I would await "If that doesn't happen, we'll have no choice".


texts:
As a court reporter & supervisor for 34 years our rule of thumb in the transcription of evidence, many people relax their pronunciation whilst on the stand, such as "gotta, kinda" but we've always transcribed the proper spelling i.e. "kind of, got to" etc.

Recently there's been a change to the court system and whoever the "powers that be" are now mandating that we have to transcribe exactly how people pronounce their words. So as the training supervisor of transcript training, I am trying to find a list which gives me spellings of relaxed pronunciation. Do you know where I could find one? I've Googled, but I'm only finding some words, but not many examples, i.e. "something", but sounds like they're saying "sum'em".

I need this for my next training class next week to hand out to the court reporters.


texts:
I've got an article of clothing I'm struggling to name.

They're typically worn by men in pictures from ancient Egypt. They look like a light fabric skirt.

I don't want to refer to it as a skirt because it would create a cross-dressing suggestion. I don't feel it's a kilt because it's made out of a much lighter material, maybe cotton.

What are these items of clothing called?


texts:
The antonyms of 'non-empty' could be:

Empty
Possibly empty

But I had not see it is being frequently used as "non-nullable", so I suspect there are some other synonyms of "possibly empty" exists. Why I find it I is ambiguity of "Possibly empty array". It could mean:

Empty or non-empty array
Empty or non-empty array, or anything else, e. g. string or number


texts: Grammar check on a sentence with one subject, many verbs in sequence, and no conjunctions between them

texts:
Here is a sentence from my article. Just wondering if there is anything wrong with having sentences which are too long.

  He created some data, put up some samples, initiated a sequence and finally, set up a Demo.

I mean, the usage of too many commas in a single sentence.


texts: Phrase for ignoring by way of looking upwards

texts: Is there a simple phrase for disregarding or not noticing another person, which would involve passively maintaining one's line of sight high or above the person in question, so as not to give him/her any attention? Here would be a usage example, which somehow does not really sound right to me: "When we passed each other I tried to get your attention, but you gazed high, so you must have a girlfriend already." Not being a native English speaker, I wonder, if any proper phrase exists, which would precisely capture this notion.


texts: An idiom meaning "failure is not the end"

texts:
There's a motto in my native language which literally means:

  If the ball is full of air, then when it is hit against the ground, it will go up more.

Is there an idiom with the same meaning and usage in English?


texts:
I wanted to ask a lot of questions concerning this phrase:

  I always consult with my children who are affected by the decisions to
  be made.

What role does the particle "to" perform in this phrase? Whether "to" simply accompanies the infinitive, or has also another grammatical role?
What role does the principal verb perform in relation to "to be made"?
What does "to be + past participle" mean excluding from the explanation the role of the constructions "going to be + pp" and "used to be + pp"? If there are, what are the various meanings of "to be + pp"?


texts: Difference between "had [verb] not to" and "hadn't [verb] to"

texts:
When we talk about things that we intended to do, but didn't or will not do in the future, we can use past perfect.
I did a question in a reference book:

  I hadn't intended to become a doctor, I always wanted to become a teacher.
  I had intended not to become a doctor, I always wanted to become a teacher.

(1) is correct but it doesn't state whether (2) is correct, too. So I want to ask if there is any difference between these two sentences. And what will happen if I change the verb to decide?


texts: Definite or zero article in front of adjective

texts:
My linguistic instinct (for whatever it is worth to non-native writers) tells me that the sentence

The French historiography ascribes to the first legendary king of Poldevia…

"sounds" wrong while the sentence

French historiography ascribes to the first legendary king of Poldevia…

"sounds" right. Is my instinct wrong? And if it is correct, could someone state a formal rule for when the definite article is used in front of an adjective followed by the name of a discipline or situation?
Similar example:

French cuisine is known world-wide

which sounds OK, or

The French cuisine is known world-wide

which sounds wrong…?


texts: I am a little confused about the usage of pronouns. I often see people using "their" with words that seem to be singular, for example, "somebody" and "anybody", which looks weird to me. (I.e., one person has recently said to me: "If somebody is hating on someone due to the pitch of their voice...")  I would rather say: "...to the pitch of his/her voice...". So who is correct?


texts: Southern Dialect: Word for a time of day?

texts:
I remember reading a story somewhere that a Southerner wrote about one of his life experiences. He mentioned that in the region he lived there was a time of day that cooled off a large amount in less than ten minutes, and the effect was so remarkable that they had a word for it.

I'm writing something now, and am looking for that word and the region to which it applies. I searched for the article and could not find it. I searched for regional words relating to times of the day, and still could not find it. I have no idea where I would look for such a thing (I've never found it in any of the web sites claiming to have 'accurate' information on the Southern dialect). Does anybody know the word I am looking for, or an information source in which I might be able to find it?


texts: Go downtown? Tour the southland? Go under the hood?

texts:
In American TV show "Californication" S1E1 there's a dialogue below which I can't understand.

The woman said:

  "My husband never gave me an orgasm."

and the man asked:

  "Never? Does he, uh, you know, go down town? Tow the southland? No? Go under the hood?"

Can anyone explain this for me?


texts:
I'm confused about three sentences of v-ing verbs.

I love my cooking fish(Here my is unnecessary?)

Besides I love my feelings(Here is ok, because means something you have got but not an act)

But there are two world in dictionary confuse me:

Greeting: something you say or do to greet people(It is like the example "feeling"?)

Coming: the time when something new begins(It is like the world "cooking" or "swimming"? Because it has some verbal characteristics)

Am I right?

Thanks very much!


texts: Should the words "city"/"state"/"province" be capitalized (if not followed by the name of the city)?

texts:
When referring to an entity like a government body, should it be capitalized if referring to is by classification(?).

E.g., if I write:

  The City of New York requires us to get a building permit.

Certainly "city" should be capitalized.

However, if I'm communicating in a context where everyone should know what city I'm referring to (the one we are in), when I write:

  The city requires us to get a building permit.

Should "city" still be capitalized?


texts: Comparative adverb vs. comparative adjective

texts:
I am a little torn on which usage is correct here, the comparative adjective "easier" or the comparative adverb "more easily."

Every other day this year will begin easier than this one ...
Every other day this year will begin more easily than this one ...

Or are they interchangeable in this instance?
Thanks.


texts: Why do I instinctively want to use the present tense with a conditional?

texts:
My boss is not a native speaker of English, so he often asks me to correct his writing. The problem is, he wants me to explain why I make changes, and doesn't accept "it just sounds better that way" as an answer. Usually, I come up with some likely-sounding nonsense reasoning, but this afternoon, I just couldn't articulate why I corrected his

  We might be able to figure this out from the schedules you will send us.

to

  We might be able to figure this out from the schedules you send us.

I know that the version with "will" is perfectly understandable, and I don't think it is ungrammatical per se; but it just sounds better without "will", and I'd like to know why.

Edit: the current highest-voted answer answers the question "why did my boss write it with a future tense". I don't care about that. That's not my question. I want to know why the present tense sounds more natural. Is there a "rule" about this? If it's not the subjunctive (since people keep downvoting the answer which says it is), what is it?


texts:
lyrics from raekwon's north star from ob4cl:
No man, can judge for another
But each man must weigh all facts and circumstances
And find truth in his own judgment of righteousness
See, the way to evil, balance equality in no man
For no man is good and bad at the same time
Either you good, or you bad
Why does "For no man is good and bad at the same time" start with "for" and how does that change context/meaning?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Person, Persons, People, Peoples
  Correct usage of “persons” (vs. “people”)

What's the correct plural of person?  Persons or people?


texts: Are commas needed after "yesterday" and "today" in these sentences (introductory clauses)

texts:
Yesterday post call, we worked on small fixes and completing user interactions.

Today once we complete those final touches, we will conduct a design review and polish the build to match the designs.


texts:
My kid heard the word ass somewhere and asked what it meant. My wife said not to use it as it's not a nice word. (She meant that it's vulgar or obscene.) Later (when the kid wasn't around), I objected on the grounds that, although in its "buttocks" sense ass is vulgar, it's not vulgar in its "fool" sense. She insisted it is. (We agreed that it's not vulgar in its "donkey" sense, but obviously one doesn't use that sense much nowadays; anyway, we weren't discussing it.)

What is common current use of the "fool" sense of ass: vulgar or no?

(I'm not asking whether my kid should be calling someone ass. Of course, my kid shouldn't call someone fool, either. I'm asking only about the vulgarity of it.)


texts: Use of the article "the": the number of the other agents or the number of other agents

texts:
I have a question regarding the use of the article "the" in the following sentence. What is correct?

"[...]. The answer of each agent depends on the number of other agents answering the same."

or

"[...]. The answer of each agent depends on the number of the other agents answering the same."

I want to refer to the number of all the other agents answering the same.


texts: What term means "to imagine one is someone else"?

texts:
I am looking for a professional term, used to describe a situation in which a person imagines that they are someone else. E.g., someone playing a first-person game will imagine that they are within the game, and "super-impose" their personality onto that character. Or, a child might imagine they are a superhero from their favorite story and consider what they would do with the superhero's abilities.

The term "role-play" is related, but not precisely what I am looking for. "Role-play" seems to emphasize the "playing" or "acting" aspect. I want a term that just means, "imagining you are someone else".


texts: Can you say "two groups of people stared at each other"?

texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say that "two groups of people stared at each other" since, by itself, a group can't do anything? It's the people within the groups that do the staring, not the groups themselves, but I don't know how else I would go about wording this. If you have any suggestions for a substitute sentence that means basically the same thing, feel free to state it.

Also, if this question is in the wrong category/under the wrong tags, please let me know! I'm new to this site so I don't quite know how everything works yet.


texts: What is the sound of teeth hitting each other in cold weather called?

texts: What is the sound of teeth called that occurs in chilly weather: the sound that comes due to teeth crashing in each other in an extremely chilly winter.


texts: Dependent clause, phrases, and fragments

texts: Is a dependent clause considered a fragment?  Are all fragments considered to be a dependent clause?  Or is fragment like an umbrella where dependent clauses and phrases can be found?  Thanks for any and all help.


texts:
Their hopes rose about an hour later when they spied a helicopter approaching from the south, on a bead right toward them.

What does 'bead' mean in this sentence?

Please select from OED (https://www.evernote.com/shard/s33/sh/4dee9f72-78cf-48a9-8ae7-840b178a21bb/4300cf88d706db75f4420ba58640e0c8).


texts:
Can I say:

  I will let you know what I manage to do

To express that after I manage to do something (in the future) I will write/talk with the recipient.


texts: Is there a single word for a messy person?

texts:
The word slob has a connotation of laziness. This is not what I want to express.
Is there a single word for a person whose living space is messy?


texts: Expression for "someone who's clueless of their surroundings"?

texts: What is an expression or saying you could use to describe someone that is totally clueless of their surroundings?


texts:
What does "this" refer to in the following quote from the Wikipedia article on Learning Curve?

  The learning curve can also represent at a glance the initial difficulty of learning something and, to an extent, how much there is to learn after initial familiarity. For example, the Windows program Notepad is extremely simple to learn, but offers little after this. On the other extreme is the UNIX terminal editor vi, which is difficult to learn, but offers a wide array of features to master after the user has figured out how to work it. It is possible for something to be easy to learn, but difficult to master or hard to learn with little beyond this.

Edited to highlight the original sentence as given, to distinguish it from the context that was supplied later. —Robusto


texts: Idiom for explaining something to someone who clearly knows the topic (probably better than you)

texts:
I am looking for an idiom/phrase which would mean that someone is trying to explain something to someone who obviously knows how it's done. It would be like a maths student trying to teach/explain to his maths professor in his university how to do calculus - he clearly knows it better than you!

My language has for example "nie ucz ojca dzieci robić" - that translates as "don't teach a father how to make kids" - is there an equivalent in English?


texts:
I knew the term "boilerplate" in object oriented programming. It means that the programmers create too many classes for just doing a simple programming task.

But "boilerplate" is also used in other field like this sentence.

  We've tried getting info from friends who work at Facebook, prior
  representatives we've worked with (we've been advertising on Facebook
  since 2010 in previous non-dating sites we've built), only to receive
  the same boilerplate response about approved advertisers.

So what does "boilerplate" in the above sentence mean?


texts: What's the difference in being extemporaneous,being spontaneous and being impulsive?

texts:
What's the difference in being extemporaneous, being spontaneous and being impulsive?

Or, when, where, - in which situation - would you rather use them?


texts: What is the anteroom in a public toilet called?

texts: I am looking for the name for that part of a public toilet where the mirrors are and you can powder your nose.


texts: Singular and plural nouns in one sentence

texts:
"They qualify for government-supported medical treatment and disability payments."
In the sentence above, why is the word "treatment" used as a singular noun, and "payments" as a plural noun? I guess there could be several different forms of disability payments, so using -s after payment seems ok, but why not treatment"s"?
Can't there also be many different kinds of medical treatments that the government supports?
Or is the word treatment mostly used as an uncountable noun?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!


texts: Why we often refer John Kennedy as JFK, but seldom refer Richard Nixon as RMN?

texts:
Let's make this question more general. Why people refer some specific person as the abbreviation of his/her given name + middle name + surname (e.g. JFK, LBJ) rather than full spelled given name + surname?

And why people refer Thomas Edward Lawrence as T. E. Lawrence rather than TEL or Thomas Lawrence?


texts:
Is the expression "get above your sofas" equivalent to "get off your sofas" or have they got different meanings?
PS: I was sitting on my sofa when I heard that...


texts: A good attitude, that's what counts. --- Good attitude is an appositive?

texts:
A good attitude, that's what counts.

At first I saw this and thought comma splice; but that can't be because a splice requires two clauses.

In this sentence "a good attitude" is in apposition to the pronoun "that;" that's why this sentence is grammatically correct? (if I'd divided these two clauses by a comma then I'd be splicing with a comma.)


texts:
I was writing my history essay earlier today on the effects of the First World War and in my conclusion I was comparing the four causes I had discussed in the essay.

I then was half-way through my sentence when I struggled to think of the superlative of long-term.

Both

  the longest-term cause was...

and

  the most long-term cause was...

struck me as viable options, however neither sounded correct to me at the time. I also thought ofgreatest and most chronic afterwards, although by then it was too late. Greatest also perhaps connotes importance, which is undesirable in the context.

In the end I rephrased my sentence to escape the predicament and although I cannot remember what I wrote instead I believe it was less effective than a sentence with the superlative of long-term.


texts:
the word for an object that has a name that doesn't describe it

for example;

prospect park
in this case; the name actually does describe the thing (location)
lets pretend that it didn't
like
bourough park


texts: Is 'sorbet sex' a well recognized expression?

texts:
According to The Guardian:

  For years, men have enjoyed ‘sorbet sex’ as a way of cleansing their palates between long-term relationships, but now women are joining the feast.

I’m interested to know whether sorbet sex is a well recognized phrase in the U.S. and in the U.K., and, if not, I would like to know what expression is used to refer to a casual sexual relationship undertaken between two serious relationships.

The journalist, Beverley D’Silva, says that the expression is a phrase used in Sex and the City, but Wikipedia’s “Sex and the City” page says nothing about that.

Dictionaries I consulted don’t have an entry for sorbet sex.


texts:
I was writing a complaint to an Indian website and got confused between:

  I recommended your website to many of my friends

versus

  I recommended your website to my many friends

I am not a native English speaker, so please feel free to add points, alternate phrase to convey the same message or comment on my email writing.


texts:
Can the word hagiography be used (sarcastically) for a speech you are giving praising yourself?

As in: "He continued his hagiography."

If not, what words would be suitable for a sarcastic reference to someone else praising themselves effusively?


texts:
Hello: What is the meaning of "I Owe, Therefore I Am" in the following title? -

"I Owe, Therefore I Am: The Impossibility of Imagining a Post-Debt US"

Does it refer to someone owing someone something? Thanks!


texts: Why is "till" used in this expression: "If we don't leave till after lunch..."?

texts:
If we don't leave till after lunch we'll be cutting it very fine.

I understand it to mean: "If we don't leave after lunch, we'll be cutting it very fine." (In the event of our not leaving immediately after lunch, we will leave ourselves just enough time to do something.)

But why is till in that position?


texts: Can “whose” refer to a first-person subject in the third person?

texts:
This question came from a friend. It is from a college entrance exam for non-native English speakers.

  Link the following sentences with "whose":

  I was a small kid. My classmates laughed at me at the time.

  Which of these is correct (if either)?

  I was a small kid whose classmates laughed at me at the time.
  I was a small kid whose classmates laughed at him at the time.


texts:
I'm translating an American article on a theatre production that is really challenging for a non-native speaker. Here's a passage describing one of the props, a car:

  Indeed, the set, by Maria Tregubova, works its own defiant treachery:
  it’s made up of part trompe l’oeil deception, part functional props.
  Nowhere is its sleight-of-hand more beguiling than in a piecemeal car
  — only one door actually opens — into which [the actors] hop and circle
  the stage on a turntable track.

I can't understand what does the word "piecemeal" mean here. According to other articles on this production, the "car" is a giant photo of a car with a cut-out "window" through which one can see the actors' faces. There is no definition of "piecemeal" in the dictionaries that would be helpful here.

I also struggle to understand the meaning of the phrase "only one door actually opens": does the word "only" here mean "but" (like "you would think it this and that, but it's different, one door actually opens") or does it mean that "there are many doors, but none of them are working, except for this one"? Perhaps it would be clear if I understood the word "piecemeal".

Many thanks in advance, and I hope this is the last question I ask on this article : )


texts: I never hear "scissor" or "pant" or "jean". It's always "scissors", "pants", and "jeans", respectively. Are they considered plural?


texts:
In this example:

The instrument can be used to apply pressure to the subject.
The instrument can be used for applying pressure to the subject.

Are both correct? Are there any nuances between the two?


texts: Can the word "unsettling" be used in a positive sense?

texts:
For example, in the phrase:

John told Mary something unexpected and thoroughly unsettling - but in the best way a person can be unsettled

Is there something wrong (meaning-wise) with this? Can the words unsettling and unsettled be used this way? (By the way, I have a slight feeling the second occurrence in particular is a bit off).

The context, in case it's not evident, is John telling Mary something she didn't expect, something John wouldn't normally say, which made her feel very surprised, but in a clearly positive way.


texts: Can "heist" and "robbery" be used as metaphor for the Black Friday sale?

texts:
Using the robbery metaphor for running Black Friday sales is commonplace in Russia. In connection to it, all kinds of variations are used such as 'join the heist', 'get your haul, 'this is a hold-up', etc. In the Russian language, if taken alone, they imply a negative criminal experience, but when used in a figurative meaning, sound enticing and fun.

Will this metaphor work for the English-speaking audience?

Please review this concrete example:

  The Black Friday Heist is On!
  Join the robbery of [company name] and get away with discounts

  The offer expires in:
  days, hours, minutes, seconds

The supporting image:

What are the usual metaphors for Black Friday deals in the US and other English-speaking countries?


texts:
Is this sentence grammatical?

You'll have to be a bit more together when you have kids.

..................................

Together : Being a 'together' person can mean having well-organised ideas, or being sensible and confident, usually used in the negative sense.
"He's not very together."
"Get it together, man."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=together
......................................................................................

Informal. emotionally stable and well organized: a very together person.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/together


texts:
In fishing, there's a knot called "Blood Knot".

Wikipedia      cites The Ashley Book of Knots:

  The barrel knot, called blood knot by Keith Rollo, is the best bend there is for small, stiff or slippery line. The ends may be trimmed short and the knot offers the least resistance possible when drawn through water.

But what's the reason for this name?


texts: The meaning of "This state seems to have been quite as much Vallachian as Bulgarian."

texts:
This state seems to have been quite as much Vallachian as Bulgarian.

I assume that the meaning of the sentence is that the state is half Vallachian and half Bulgarian. I am not sure though, can somebody point it out to me?


texts:
To indicate "a collection of items," do you say "an item collection" or "items collection"? What's the rule?

A quick comparative Google Books search indicates that the first form is more common than the latter, but I don't know if I can trust that as a parameter.


texts: What is the meaning/role of "into" in this sentence?

texts:
"Pippin cowered back, afraid for a moment, wondering into what dreadful country Gandalf was bearing him." - The return of the King.

I think it could be just "wondering what dreadful country..."

I have checked the dictionaries and found nothing about "wonder into"

Could you explain the use of "into" in this context? Thanks a ton :)


texts: I will not in any case kick the ball or I will in any case not kick the ball?

texts:
I will not in any case kick the ball.

  I will in any case not kick the ball.

  I in any case will not kick the ball.

  I will not kick in any case the ball.

I think only the fourth one is wrong, and all of the others seem fine to me. Please tell me if there are any wrong ones (and why), because after looking at them for so long, I just lost my sense of English. Also, please tell me if some of them have to be used with commas like below:

I, in any case, will not kick the ball.


texts:
I found it quite interesting as in my field, IT, I can find both: Defect removal efficiency and Defect removal effectiveness, which basically describe how many problems were detected during a certain activity.
Now I realize I do not know which one is actually correct?

In addition, there is a metric called "Test case effectiveness" which describes how many problems were found by a particular set of tests. Shouldn't it be efficiency in this case?


texts: "Caution: Water Mo......." What is that word?

texts:
I came across a screenshot of a film on the internet, and there is a caution plate on the tree in that scene. I couldn't read the last word on the plate:

  CAUTION: WATER MO..ASINS

What is that word?


texts:
What is accidental metaplasm & metathesis across words?

Such as...

  grammar teacher --> trammar greacher

Does this have a name?


texts: A word between 'adjusted' and 'tampered with'

texts:
I am looking for a word that doesn't sound as precise or intentional as 'adjusted', but doesn't have the accusative connotations as 'tampered'.

Example sentence:

  The mechanic installed new struts on the car, but now the steering is out of alignment. I can't imagine why they would tamper with/adjust the steering.

I think 'adjust' in this sentence is wrong because it implies intentionally making something more exact, eg: 'I adjusted the temperature setting to make the room more comfortable'.

I think 'tamper' implies purposely, and perhaps nefariously, making something worse or dangerous, eg: 'The police found that the ATM had been tampered with'.

Is there a word in between these two?


texts: Act practice test, need help understanding why I'm wrong

texts:
Two different types kayaks are being compared. A new paragraph is started to compare their equipment. The first sentence says.

  "Equipment for both types of kayaks are similar, and fairly simple."

The bold word is getting reviewed. In reference to that, my choices are

  A. No Change

  B. is

  C. were

  D. was

The correct answer is B - "is".

When I replace the bolded section with is, it just sounds wrong.
Equipment for both types of kayaks is similar...

My answer was A - "No Change". This just sound right to me.

Please explain why I am wrong so I don't make this mistake again.


texts:
While I know that most songs don't necessarily follow proper grammar or usage, or even need to make any sense I couldn't help but be troubled by a line in a song I heard.

"These are hurried times"

It felt as though I had heard this phrase somewhere before, and after some quick searches I saw a handful of news articles that use the same phrasing in the title, but quite possibly as tribute to a favorite song of the author.

My interpretation of the quote (which may be completely wrong) is that within the present era, things are done in a rush.

However, when I try to read this as is, that the times are hurried, that the times themselves are being rushed through. Is it correct to use the word hurried or any word pertaining to rate of execution to describe time/eras? To help explain this a bit better, would "These are slowed times" also be correct in this sense, to describe that an era actions are performed at a leisurely pace?


texts:
What's the difference between them?
Example: A fallen tree blocked the path and we had to climb over it.
Why can't we say "climb it" in this sentence.


texts: Is there a word or idiom that refers to "short distance", other than "walkable" and "a stone's throw"?

texts:
Is there a word or an idiom that refers to a short distance to walk to reach the destination? Something more elegant that can replace the following sentences?

Eg: The hotel is within walkable distance.
The hotel is a stone's throw (away) from here.


texts:
Is "to go berserk" used by native speakers or is it obsolete? BTW, what is the best online source to check whether a phrase or word is obsolete?
Thanks!


texts: How do you decide which phrase to use when asking people to repeat what they said?

texts:
There are many different ways to ask people to repeat what they have just said. For example:

Huh?
What?
Sorry?
Pardon?
What's that?
Say that again, please
I beg your pardon?

I've ordered them according to my understanding of their level of formality. I'd classify interjection "huh?" as the least formal and phrase "I beg your pardon" as the most formal.

Apart from the formality that you decide to imply, are there any other factors involved when you choose which one of these phrases you will use?


texts: Does a verb need to be preceded by "to"?

texts:
A (very) common verb is "to be", another is "to have". But you can also say that "have" is a common verb.

The question is, when does a verb (on its own) have to be preceded by the preposition "to"? Is it stylistic? Is there a rule?


texts: Meaning of backpacking as in "go backpacking"?

texts:
I'm not sure. Maybe I'll turn them all down and go backpacking round the world.

What does "backpacking" exactly mean in this case?

I do understand the whole sentence in general, but want to know what "backpacking" implies particularly (rather "exactly").


texts: "Number of users are" vs "Numbers of users are"

texts:
I am using Word to write an article.  It keeps suggesting that Number of users are should be replaced by Numbers of users are or by Number of users is.

My question is whether either of the following is correct, and why?

Number of users are
Numbers of users are


texts: Looking for a word that reflects both retained and immediate or something inbetween

texts:
With programming graphical user interfaces there is the most common one of having a retained mode. There is also the immediate mode.

To explain this a bit more simplified, I will explain it with drawing an ellipse.

In a retained mode it would look something like this:

In an immediate mode it would look something like this:

The key thing is that with the immediate it is drawn directly and then it is gone. With the retained we keep the data.
The immediate mode is way easier and more flexible.

I made something in between an immediate and retained mode for graphic user interfaces. I am looking for a word to describe that.
So is there a word that covers both or something in between the words immediate and retained?


texts: What is it called when you refer to a noun by just its adjective?

texts:
I recently encountered this tweet with a caption on a photo of people eating dinner:

  A group of Chinese eating Japanese

If you have a dark mind like mine, you might find some dark humor in this statement (it kinda sounds like it describes a scene of horrific cannabalism).

I have two questions about this:

Is there a formal term for this construction of referring to a noun (people) by an adjective (Chinese)?
Does this statement violate any English grammar or style? Because it seems to me that referring to two separate nouns (food and people) using just the adjectives describing them is confusing at best.


texts: AmE: "take out the trash" vs. "take out the garbage"

texts:
I know the differences in the meaning of word "trash" and "garbage" but how about "take out the trash" vs. "take out the garbage"?
Can both these expressions be used interchangeably? What is the difference in meaning if any?


texts: Can "front" be used as a adverb like "back"?

texts:
To give a example, "David is as far back the boundary as John is far front".

I never heard of such use of the word "front".

Maybe, I should say: "David is as far back the boundary as John is in front of it.


texts: What is a concise way to restate this phrase?

texts:
Recently, I have been stuck on how to make a certain phrase more concise. I am unsure if there is some word, or particular phrase that will shorten the following:

  "desire for dreams to become reality"

In other terms, I am wondering if there is a more concise way to put this, and if there is a single word that describes exactly what is to be conveyed in this phrase.


texts: Can I say "I began my career a medical secretary" instead of "I began my career as a medical secretary"? (Exclude the word "as")


texts:
Merriam-Webster defines muscle car as:

  any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving

Why is this term restricted to American-made vehicles, like the Camaros and Mustangs? Can I term Japanese-made or Italian-made cars of similar qualities as "muscle cars"?
Why aren't these vehicles simply called "supercars" or "sports cars"?


texts: Why is "reconciliation" spelt with one L, and not two?

texts:
I would pronounce recon-see-lee-a-shon, not recon-see-lie-a-shon. I've been working with the word more often and spell it wrong often, only to be reminded by spell checker.

Is this another one of those english oddities? Or are there more words that has a "lee" sound but a single "l" (followed by "i") spelling?

Or perhaps I going crazy.


texts:
What's the definition of falling due and how did its sense materialise? Please compare it against "due"? I'm mindful that it's an accounting/business term: here are its matches on Google Books.

I'm not after the etymology of each word, but rather how falling + due (ostensibly) denotes maturity?

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/amount-falling-due-after-one-year?q=%22falling+due%22 seems to connote that falling due = due?


texts: Is it “a company who makes ...” or “a company that makes...”?

texts: Regarding the fact that a company is made up of people and we use who for people, is it proper to use who here?


texts:
The whole point that him pretending to be rich is to get a date.
The whole point of this supposing to be a big wall is to hold off the
barbarians.

The first one seems correct, the second one doesn't sound quite right - but why wouldn't it be possible to use the equivalent forms here?
I was thinking about

The point of this supposedly being a big wall...

but that clearly does't mean the same thing.
I am aware that one could say "The point of this being a big wall" even if the wall is not yet big, yet that doesn't seem to work in all cases.

The whole point of this supposing to be a macro is that it shouldn't matter where it is located.

This is the sentence I actually want to construct. I don't want to say "the whole point of this being a macro...", because that would too strongly imply that it is or should be thought of as one. Instead, the idea that it is supposed to be a macro is first raised, and then dismissed.


texts: Regarding sentences, are there rules that govern what gets called "parallel structure", or is it simply a descriptive term?


texts: Do the following negations mean the same thing?

texts:
I don't think you understood me. / I think you misunderstood me.

Do these senteces mean the same thing? If not, what's the difference?

Edit: I just realized that I asked something different from what I originally wanted. So I am also interested in the following comparison:

  I don't think you understand me. / I think you don't understand me.


texts: What does "Are you sometimes swinging about the U.S?" mean?

texts: In a conversation with a U.S colleague, he asked me if I'm sometimes swinging about the U.S (exact quote is in the title). What is the meaning of swinging in this context ?


texts: Where did the phrase "chock-full" come from?

texts:
I hear this phase spoken and rarely written, but Merriam-Webster has a definition their website. The origin states "Middle English chokkefull, probably from choken to choke + full."

Does anyone have more information on the origin? What is chokkefull?


texts: "I know that that that school that is famous because of its rules." — Can this sentence work?

texts:
This is the sentence:

  I know that that that school that is famous because of its rules.

I think the first that is a relative pronoun, the second also and the third is a demonstrative pronoun, the fourth that is a relative pronoun again. The problem is that I cannot add punctuation, I was hoping to add a comma after the first that but he says this is not allowed or that it is not needed.


texts: Does this sentence make sense? It feels off: We aim to bring voices to the table otherwise we will not be heard

texts:
"We aim to bring voices to the table otherwise will not be heard."

I am not sure if it should be:
"We aim to bring voices to the table who otherwise will not be heard".

If it is okay I would prefer to keep the first one. How do you guys feel?


texts: A suicide bomber blew himself off, or blew himself up in a mosque?

texts:
We meet twice a week to practice listening of English language news among English language enthusiasts in our community. We listen to mostly AP news broadcasted through FEN (Far East Net Work).

At yesterday’s meeting, the opinions of the circle members were divided as to whether the female announcer pronounced ‘off’ or ‘up’ in the part of “an attacker blew himself off / up” in the following news.

  “A wave of attacks across Iraq has left 46 people dead today.
  Deadliest assault happened when an attacker blew himself (off / up?) inside a
  Shiite mosque during a funeral in a former insurgent stronghold south
  of Bagdad, killing at least 25 people and wounding 40.”

We replayed the tape to make sure of which side heard right, without a conclusion, which partly could be blamed to noises of the tape, not entirely to our ears.

We checked the meaning of the difference of "blow off" and "blow up" in each own dictionary to comfirm which one is more relevant to the context, but nobody seemed to come up with a very clear notion.

A bomber “blew oneself off” or “blew oneself up,” which is grammatically right?
If both expressions should be viable, what is the difference between them?


texts: Is there a term describing countries taking foreign citizens as hostage?

texts:
English is my second language, and I am wondering is there a term that describes when countries take foreign citizens or dual citizens as hostage or arrest them on conspiracy/espionage charges all to pressure their government?
The reason I am asking this is I feel like it is getting pretty common approach with dictatorship governments and I thought maybe there is a term for it.
Some of the examples include:

British citizen prisoned in Iran
U.S. citizen prisoned in Turkey
Australian citizen detained in Iran
French resident prisoned and executed in Iran


texts:
Grammatically these 2 sentences seem to have the same structure

I - pronoun
am - verb
finished/started - verb
my - pronoun(dictionary.com -> possessive, used as an "attributive adjective")
sandwich - noun

Why is it that "I am finished my sandwich" sounds correct but "I am started my sandwich" does not?


texts:
I don't understand the part in italics. I know the meaning of each of the words used in this bit, yet I don't figure out what it's talking about.
Would you explain it please?

Bronte's most profound innovation, however, is the division the Victorian female psyche into its extreme components of mind and body, which she externalizes as two characters, Helen Burns and Bertha Mason. Both Helen and Bertha function at realistic levels in the narrative and present implied and explicit connections to Victorian sexual ideology, but they also operate
in an archetypal dimension of the story. Bronte gives us not one but three faces of Jane, and she resolves her heroine's psychic dilemma by literally and metaphorically destroying the two polar personalities to make way for the full strength and development of the central consciousness, for the integration of the spirit and the body. Thus Jane Eyre anticipates and indeed formulates the deadly combat between the Angel in the House and the devil in the flesh that is evident in the fiction of Virginia Woolf, Doris Lessing, Muriel Spark, and other twentieth-century British women novelists.
Elaine Showalter: A literature of their own, 1977


texts: Word frequently used in conjunction with obfuscation?

texts: What is a word frequently used with obfuscation? For example “Fox News frequently uses the tactics of obfuscation and_” ?


texts: Is "to circuit" a common verb in colloquial language?

texts:
My boss asked me to have a look at a presentation he'll be giving next week; checking if he didn't forget anything.
While skimming over the document, the following sentence was somehow bothering me:

  ... in order to circuit the problem.

The use of circuit as a verb seemed odd to me. I first checked Merriam Webster's and Oxford's Learner's Dictionaries but they don't have listed circuit as a verb. The advanced editions of both dictionaries define the verb.

Neither the Corpora of Contemporary American English nor the British National Corpus has an entry on using circuit as a verb, but 10k and 2.5k, respectively, uses as a noun.

I incidentally mentioned to my boss that I'd chosen to circumvent, to handle or to deal. Subsequently, he asked a colleague who's native English whether she would understand the meaning of circuit. She agreed.

Surprisingly, she didn't say that circuit would be an odd choice. Well, I think I had posed the question in a different way, namely not asking about "being understandable" but rather about "is it natural to use circuit as a verb".

Is circuit acceptable as a verb in ordinary language or is it - as corpora are suggesting - an uncommon verb?


texts:
The editor for a book I'm writing tells me that Delta Company should be written Delta company within the text of the story. Examples: (1) "The only thing the old man told me was get on that helicopter and take command of Delta company." (2) “The other flight of choppers will pick up the rest of Delta company."

The limited info that I can find explains that Delta Company may also be written Company D, but not interchangeably in the work. A Marine Corps style guide refers to Company D or Delta Company as proper nouns and that the word company should be capitalized.

Your ideas are appreciated!
Thanks


texts: Can "must not" be used alternately to "can't" in AE to say that sth is logically impossible?

texts:
Does American English allow the use of "must not" instead of "can't" to say that something is believed to be logically impossible?

Please consider the following examples:

It must not be true!

How can you say such a thing? You must not be serious! (-you gotta be kidding!)

A: Joe wants something to eat.
B: But he just had lunch. He must not be hungry already.
(-it's impossible that he is hungry because he just had lunch)

I just bought a box of cereal yesterday. It must not be empty already.

You just started filling out your tax forms 10 minutes ago. You must not be finished with them already?

If A is bigger than B, and B is bigger than C, then C must not be bigger than A.


texts: Word for "product version that was scheduled to be released but never was, in favor of a better version"

texts:
Let's say, DirectX 4.0 is never released; Microsoft launches DirectX 5.0 instead. So DirectX 4.0 is like a very special version of DirectX that is never made public for whatever reason.

Is there a word for an act like this (preferably a verb), or for an unreleased version of that kind (preferably a past participle)?

More generally, you have made a product, version 1.0. But you decide that it should stay unreleased. You make a better version 1.5 and release that one. Is there an apt word that describes (what happened to) version 1.0?


texts: meaing of the expression: It’s a safeguard for the creep of subjectivity

texts:
"It’s a safeguard for the creep of subjectivity."

Read more


texts: What does 'stand' mean in 'stand with regard to'?

texts:
I encountered this phrase in a technical book. The surroundings are:

  If your goals are measurable (as they should be), you can establish
  baselines. Run tests to find out where you currently stand with
  regard to the metrics for your goals.

Can any body tell me What the word stand means here, and what is the meaning of the whole phrase?


texts:
What is the most fitting adjective to describe '(something) that motivates' among motive, motivative, and motivating?

EDIT:

Reading from the answers that 'motive' is not an adjective, actually I put that word in the list from my search in the Merriam-Webster's dictionary.

of or relating to motion or the causing of motion <motive energy>
moving or tending to move to action

Does this word have nothing to do with 'motivation'?


texts: Is there a more specific verb for "getting" cancer?

texts:
Other than saying somebody "got" cancer, is there a more commonly accepted verb I can use? I thought of the verb contract, whose definition (according to a google search) is

  catch or develop (a disease or infectious agent).

Though a separate google search for "Can somebody contract cancer" gives negative answers that go on to explain that cancer is not contagious. This was not news to me, but it does seem to indicate that contract is more commonly regarded as analogous to catch as in "She caught the flu", which I would never use to describe getting cancer.

My question is, is contract a commonly accepted verb for getting cancer, or is there a better one in common usage, other than get?


texts: Does the word "go" or "going" include the meaning of "be(ing)" or "stay(ing)"?

texts:
I hear a lot of people say:

"I am going to a-travel-destination from start-date till/to end-date."

For example, "I am going to Hawaii from February 10th till the 17th.", or it can also be something like "I am planning to go to Europe from next week till the end of next month."

Although we do understand what they mean, doesn't the word go or going literally only mean the action of moving from point A to point B?

If so, the Hawaii example should literally mean that this person will be on the way to Hawaii from their location for 7 days (from 10th till 17th)?

Shouldn't this be instead said, "I am going to Hawaii and stay/be there from February 10th till the 17th." or something like this?

If not, then does the word go or going have a meaning of "be(ing)" or "stay(ing)" as well?

Every time I hear someone say "I am going blah blah from DATE till DATE.", it sounds so weird to my foreign ears (I am not a native English speaker).

Can someone clarify this for me?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already ending in 's'?

I learned from school to use Dawkins', for example

  That is Mr. Dawkins' house.

But I see many people write Dawkins's instead. Is it something related to American English as opposed to British conventions?


texts: Is there an idiom for being consistently unlucky through no fault of one's own?

texts: Not quite sure how to word this, but I'm looking for an idiom or phrase/saying that describes when somebody who's done nothing to deserve it has hit a streak of bad luck. Wish I could be more descriptive, but that's about as well as I can elaborate on the idea.


texts:
I'm currently studying English in the US and I heard a lot of people start sentences with 'for~'.
For me, it sounds like it means 'as for' or 'when it comes to'. Is that right?
 If so, is it common and grammatically correct?
Ex)
'For Question number 2, I think~'
'For the essay we wrote yesterday, is it going to be graded?'


texts: Don't knock it till you try it vs. Don't knock it till you have tried it

texts:
Don't knock it till you try it.

vs.

Don't knock it till you have tried it.

Are there any differences in meaning of these two sentences? The first one is the simple present tense, while the second the present perfect tense? Or, it depends on the context to use one of them?
Thank you for the help.


texts:
In the sentence:

  This experience gave me a new [perspective].

What would be an eloquent word (or short phrase) that I could use instead of "perspective"?


texts:
What's the best choice of word for an action/activity that has no benefit (i.e., strictly speaking, "unnecessary") when trying to put emphasis on the fact that the action is, in itself, wasted?

Saying "wasteful" is also technically correct because some time/effort is "wasted" on the part of whoever is taking the action, but it might give the impression that it is causing waste externally (general resources / the environment), when, in fact, it makes no difference.

Consider this example: some people argue that DST (daylight saving time) saves electricity for lights, while others argue that it causes more energy/resources to be wasted due to use of air-conditioners, disruptions etc. (it's an example, so please don't start a debate on this here!). Some studies on this have found pros and cons in different areas that probably offset each other, so the overall benefits of either case are inconclusive and probably marginal.

To me, that sounds like switching times is unnecessary in that it has no overall effect/benefit, but "unnecessary" sounds a bit too neutral (doesn't matter, so couldn't care either way); I actually think that going through the process of switching (which is not trivial) is a wasted effort, but calling it "wasteful" might give the impression that I espouse the opinion that DST has overall adverse external effects (wasted energy for ACs/heating, losses in economic activity etc.), which is currently not supported by evidence. In other words, I want to express that I see the main "waste" to be the activity itself.